Is Jesus Enough?(Acts 15:1-35)

Acts 15:4–14 ESV

When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.” The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name.

Acts 15:19 ESV

Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God,

THIS IS THE WORD OF THE LORD

THANKS BE TO GOD

INTRODUCTION — REFORMATION SUNDAY: IS JESUS ENOUGH?

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Choose your battles wisely,” right? Because not every battle is worth fighting. Some things just aren’t worth the energy or the argument.

But some battles… can’t be ignored. Some must be fought because everything else depends on them.

That was true 508 years ago this week. It was October 31st, 1517 — the day the world calls Halloween, but a day that the church remembers as Reformation Day.

On that day, a young German monk named Martin Luther walked up to the doors of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. And in his hand, he carried 95 statements — each one confronting how the church had drifted from the gospel.

In Luther’s day, people were being told that forgiveness could be bought, that salvation could be earned, and that Jesus was good — but just not enough to get them where they needed to be.

And Luther had tried to earn it. He confessed every sin. He fasted until he was ill, he punished himself, he tried harder — but no matter what he did, the peace that he read about in Scripture never came to him.

Until one day, while reading Paul’s letter to the Romans, his eyes fell on Romans 1:17

Romans 1:17 ESV

“The righteous shall live by faith.”

And Luther said it felt as though “the gates of paradise were opened, and I walked through.”

He realized the gospel truth that would change his life — and ultimately change the world: That our righteousness before God isn’t achieved by works — it’s received by grace through faith.

So on that day in 1517, he nailed his 95 Theses to the church door — not intending to start a rebellion, only intending to call the church back to the gospel.

From that document came what we know in the church as the 5 solas: That is we are saved by Grace alone. Through Faith alone. In Christ alone. As revealed through Scripture alone. For the Glory of God alone.This is foundational for us as the church.

And what Luther rediscovered that day was the same truth the apostles are fighting for here in Acts 15.

Is Jesus enough to save us… or not?

This question determined the direction of the church back then — and it still does today.

Because every generation must wrestle with that same tension: Will we rest in the finished work of Christ… or will we keep trying to finish it ourselves?

SCENE 1 — THE CONFLICT IN ANTIOCH

Now let’s remember where we are in the story.

Paul and Barnabas have just returned home to Antioch in Syria after their very first missionary journey. It’s been a hard season. Remember they’ve been persecuted, beaten and ran out of town.

But it’s also been a grace filled season. They’ve seen miracles, planted churches, made disciples and appointed elders in city after city. They’ve watched Gentiles — people who had never even heard of Moses or the Law — repent, believe, and receive the Holy Spirit.

So the church in Antioch is gathered and rejoicing over what God has done. They’re hugging, crying, laughing, and worshiping. Giving all glory to God for the lives that have been changed.

But not everyone is celebrating.

And this is where we begin in verse 1.

Acts 15:1 (ESV) “But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’”

Now, opposition was nothing new for Barnabas and Paul. They’ve faced pushback in nearly every city they’ve visited. But this particular challenge is a dangerous one.

Because this isn’t just persecution from outside the church; it’s distortion from inside the church. And the distortion is subtle, which makes it all the more deadly.

“Unless you are circumcised according to the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

Here’s the claim: “Jesus is great… but He’s not enough.”

Do you see it? Like this wasn’t a rejection of Jesus — but it was an addition to Him. It was the false gospel of Jesus plus the law.

“Jesus plus circumcision.” “Jesus plus the old covenant.”

But any time you add something to Jesus, you actually subtract from the gospel.

And Paul knew it.

That’s why, back in Acts 13:38–39, he preached so clearly:

“Through Jesus forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by Him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.”

In other words — the law can’t save you. Only Jesus can.

Paul’s saying, “The law was never meant to free you — it was meant to show you that you needed to be freed.”

So why would these people be pointing others back to the law? That is exactly Paul’s point.

And this is the topic of one of Paul’s most passionate letters in our Bible…the book of Galatians.

Just look at how he begins Galatians 1:6-8

Galatians 1:6–8 ESV

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

That is strong language, but that is how important this battle is.

Jesus plus nothing else = salvation.

It is by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone that we are saved. That is the heart of the gospel.

SCENE 2 — THE COUNCIL IN JERUSALEM

After Paul and Barnabas debated about this issue with the church in Antioch, they realized this issue was too important to leave unsettled.

So they packed their bags and made the long journey south to Jerusalem — about 300 miles away. That’s not a quick weekend trip, but a serious commitment.

And this shows us how important clarity on this matter was to them. But it also shows us something beautiful about our brother Paul.

Now Paul is a bold brother. If you don’t know that yet, you will soon. He’s got big thoughts, big feelings, and he ain’t afraid to say them boldly. So for him to silence himself on this matter, and make the long trip down to Jerusalem, surely wasn’t easy for him. Like we know how passionate about this issue he was. We know he had a strong opinion on this. Just look at his language in his letter to the Galatians.

So by traveling back to Jerusalem to submit to the wisdom of the elders, he puts the church and the gospel ahead of himself. Praise God for leaders like this. He’s modeling the humility of Jesus for the unity of the church. This is what grace does to us.

When they arrive in Jerusalem they run into the same roadblock. Gentiles must be circumcised before they can be saved.

And you can imagine Paul, probably taking a deep breath, thinking, “Here we go again…”

But before he can stand to speak, someone else stands up — someone they all knew and respected.

Our boy Peter.

We haven’t heard from him since that miraculous prison escape back in Acts 12.

But when Peter stands up he reminds these brothers of what God’s been doing.

Acts 15:7–9 ESV

“Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.

Peter is reminding them — God already made His decision. He’s already proven that Gentiles are saved by faith, not by works.

And He bore witness to this truth by giving the same Holy Spirit to the gentile believers that He gave to the Jews at Pentecost.

Then Peter asks this heavy question:

Acts 15:10 ESV

Why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?

He’s saying: “Why are we trying to make people carry a burden we can’t carry?

Why are we rebuilding a system that Jesus already fulfilled?”

And then he says this line which defines the gospel:

Acts 15:11 ESV

We believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

Peter doesn’t say the Gentiles will be saved like the Jews. He says we Jews will be saved like those gentiles.

Do you see it? The grace of God doesn’t raise some people up to a higher level — it levels the playing field.

Grace demolishes pride and erases the dividing lines.

Paul echoes this same truth in Galatians 3:28:

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

That’s the beauty of the gospel. There’s no distinction. There’s no hierarchy. There’s no spiritual VIP list. There’s just grace.

And when Peter finishes, verse 12 says,

“All the assembly fell silent.”

Because grace has a way of silencing pride.

CHUNK #3

After Peter finishes speaking, Paul and Barnabas start sharing stories of all that God has done among them with the Gentiles.

They tell stories of lives changed. Whole families baptized. Churches planted. People set free. Stories of how the Holy Spirit fell on folks who had never even heard of Moses or the Law. And all of these stories share a common theme, people who used to live one way, now live in a brand new way, and the only thing that happened in between was Jesus!

When He gets ahold of a life, that life becomes living proof of His power. His gospel stops just being an idea we’ve heard about, and it becomes a truth we’ve experienced.

Paul and Barnabas share these stories not to show off, but to testify: The gospel of grace really works.

And after they finish speaking, James — the leader of the church in Jerusalem, and the brother of Jesus, who wrote the book of James — stands up.

Now, James isn’t quick to speak. He listens. He weighs. He discerns. He is steady and wise, and deeply rooted in Scripture.

And when he finally opens his mouth, everyone pays attention.

The first thing James does is what every good leader should do — he holds everything that’s been said up against the Word of God.

He quotes from the prophet Amos, showing that this has been God’s plan all along — that the gospel would not stop with Israel, but would spread to the ends of the earth.

God always intended to gather a people for His name from every tribe, tongue and nation. This wasn’t a new idea. This was an ancient promise — finally being fulfilled.

And then James gives his verdict.

Acts 15:19 ESV

Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God,

We should not make it harder for people to come to Jesus than Jesus Himself did.

His grace removes barriers, it doesn’t create them. We gotta stop building walls where Jesus became a doorway.

But do we gotta try our best to make people understand what it is they’re walking through.

So after the council’s ruling on the matter they send a letter to the churches — that declared once and for all: Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

And when the Gentiles in Antioch read it, verse 31 says,

“They rejoiced because of its encouragement.”

Your dang right they did! Because grace always brings joy by encouraging us to turn to Jesus who is more than enough.

SCENE 4 — THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL

And Church, this is the good news we still stand on. That Jesus is enough.

Not Jesus plus performance. Not Jesus plus tradition. Not Jesus plus perfection. But — Jesus alone.

In fact every time we add something to Him, we move further away from Him.

If it’s performance, then on the days that I fail, I start doubting my salvation. Because I’ve built my security on me instead of Him.

If it’s tradition, then I might ignore the Word where I feel challenged. Shaping God into my own image, instead of allowing Him to shape me into His.

And if it’s perfection, I will never step into my calling because I will be too busy staring at my flaws instead of His faithfulness.

But the gospel says, you don’t have to live this way.

You just have to believe the confession that came from the cross:

“It is finished.”

You cannot add to His grace. You cannot improve on His performance. You cannot strengthen what’s already perfect.

And so I stand before you this morning, boldly and with deep conviction, proclaiming: Jesus is enough.

He has paid it all. He swallowed up death in victory. He defeated sin and darkness forever. He declared, “It is finished,” and He meant it.

He calls you — not to strive, not to perform — but to rest in that truth.

Grace doesn’t promote laziness. Grace promotes assurance. It reminds us that the battle has already been won, and our future is already secure.

When you mess up today or tomorrow, you don’t have to worry where you stand with God. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

He lives to make intercession for you.

And He’s not up there saying, “God, Kenny messed up again today, will you just give him another chance? He’ll do better tomorrow.”

He’s up there reminding God, I already paid for that.

And God who is just, will never demand payment for something that is already paid in full.

Jesus paid it. He is enough!

THE QUESTION — IS JESUS ENOUGH?

And that’s the question you’ll have to continually ask yourself:

When your plans fall apart — is He enough? When the weight of the world feels heavier than you can carry — is He enough? When your heart breaks, when your faith wavers, when your strength fails — is Jesus enough?

Or… do you still feel like you have to prove yourself?

To God. To others. To yourself.

Friend — the gospel of Jesus Christ declares: you don’t have to.

You don’t have to perform to be loved. You don’t have to achieve to be accepted. You don’t have to impress to belong.

Because Jesus is enough.

Enough to cover your sin. Enough to satisfy your soul. And enough to secure your eternity.

And when that truth finally lands — really lands — in your heart.

Your life will change.

You’ll start to obey — not to earn His love, but because you already have it. You’ll start to serve — not to prove your worth, but because you already know it.

That’s freedom.

Not doing whatever you want. But finally knowing who you are.

The simplest definition of the gospel is this: Because He is… I am.

Because He is holy — I am forgiven. Because He is righteous — I am accepted. Because He is faithful — I am secure.

That’s the gospel.

But the human heart drifts toward religion. We want something to do — something that makes us feel in control. Grace feels too risky, too generous, too good to be true.

But when those voices rise up, we need to remember what happened in Acts 15.

Remember what Paul and Barnabas fought for. Remember what Peter stood up and proclaimed. Remember what James discerned and declared.

They stood together and said:

It’s all because of Jesus. His Grace is enough.

And that’s still our declaration today.

This is why we gather. This is why we sing. This is why we preach.

This is why we give of our time, talents and treasures.

Because Jesus is worthy.

Jesus is beautiful.

And when everything else is fading away…and it will.

Jesus is enough. (Pause)

COMMUNION — THE TABLE OF GRACE

Church, as we come to this table today, we come to celebrate that salvation is not achieved… it’s received.

If you belong to Jesus — this table is open to you.

And if you’re here this morning and you’ve never trusted in Jesus — this invitation is for you too. Not to take the bread and the cup just yet, but to take what they represent — Christ Himself.

You don’t have to wait to be good enough; you just have to come as you are. You can trust Him right where you sit.

So as we prepare to receive the elements, take a quiet moment with the Lord. Ask Him to search your heart. Lay down whatever you’ve been adding to grace — whatever burden you’ve been carrying — and hear again the words of Jesus: “My grace is sufficient for you.”

LET’S PRAY

BENEDICTION

Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.