Council at Jerusalem
Notes
Transcript
This morning we continue through Acts
Paul and Barnabas have just sort of wrapped up their first mission trip
And they are back at their home base
While they are there some men from Juda come down and want to get in on preaching to the Gentiles
1 Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. 3 Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren. 4 When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. 5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.”
As they are in Antioch the end of Chapter 14 they had returned from their Mission Trip to Antioch
They are there and some Men came down to preach to them
What they were preaching is not what Paul and Barnabas were preaching
These guys being Jew
Remember that Salvation came to the Jew first and then to the gentile
So they felt they were the keepers of the salvation
You could start to see where they may think of themselves as the guardians or keepers of salvation
Then from there you can start to see where they might feel like they were the experts on all things salvation
And that really there is no way to salvation except through what they had to say
So they take it upon themselves to go to Antioch and preach to them the way of salvation
That no man is saved unless he is physically circumcised
I mean that was in the Law
It was the Custom of Moses and as a Jew there would be no one greater than Moses
So they go down to Antioch and preach
And Paul and Barnabas realize wait a minute
That is not what Jesus said
And Jesus is salvation
They get into a great debate
Because Paul and Barnabas know that is not how you are saved
38 “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.
Paul and Barnabas understand that the Gospel message is for anyone and everyone
Remember they were the ones who were sent out to preach the Gospel Message
This was their job
I have tried to think how we could articulate this or somehow make it a bit more understandable for us today
I think the best one is like saying that you can’t be saved unless you are physically baptized
The scary thing is there are churches who preach that and it sounds just enough like the truth that without and digging in you would go ok
This is exactly what is happening to the gentiles and these guys who showed up
They were preaching that you salvation is tied to some physical act you can do you self
Which is just not true
So Paul stands up and begins to correct them
7 After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 “And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; 9 and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. 10 “Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”
Paul is sharing with them that we are saved by the grace of God
Grace is getting something you do not deserve
That unearned favor of the Lord
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
That God looked out on humanity and was broken hearted over their sin knowing what sin would cost Him
He sent Jesus to pay for you debt of sin
Here is the thing
You may be lost this morning you debt of sin past, present and future has already been paid for you
You simply have to check in and pick up the gift
Because of God’s great love for us
Then Paul says why would you put this law on them that even our fathers couldn’t keep
In fact church no one can keep the law
The law only goes to show you your own sin thus showing you even more and more of how much a Savior you really need
Because you can’t do this on your own
If you could get salivation on your own you we would have no need for Christ
21 “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”
And yet church today we know that we are saved by the grace of God and nothing else
You are not saved by your membership of a church
Or how many verses you know or how much you serve or give to the church
It is only the work of Christ on the cross and the tomb that saves us
Nothing you can do saves you
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
Jesus himself says that He is the only way to get to heaven and the Father
Please hear me this morning
It is nothing else other than the name of Jesus that saves
And yet church we live in a world that would attempt to preach multiple ways to get to heaven
Or follow your own heart
let me be clear your heart is sinful and wrong
So James in Jerusalem answers them
13 After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Brethren, listen to me. 14 “Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. 15 “With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, 16 ‘After these things I will return, And I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, And I will rebuild its ruins, And I will restore it, 17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,’ 18 Says the Lord, who makes these things known from long ago. 19 “Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, 20 but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. 21 “For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”
James tells them
That the prophet Amos agrees and says that Israel will be restored and extend to those who are called by name
In Amos 9 it talks about Edom
Edom hated Israel and in Amos he is talking about how someday those who hated Israel will submit to God
We know that there is other language that speaks to the gentiles being grafted into the family of God
Eventually James says we shouldn’t burden them with this physical thing of circumsions
We know that it is a circumcision of the heart that matters
But they do need to abstain from partaking in things contaminated by idols
James didn’t want them to partake in as one commentary puts it
“Prohibiting them from engaging in a number of the practices that were associated with pagan temple rites such as animal sacrifice, sexual immorality, and idolatry.”
We read this and go yea that makes sense and we know this
If anything church this gives us a better understanding of what we are to preach and a warning that we are not to attach things we come up with to the Gospel
And church we seem Paul stand up and speak against the false Gospel with truth
We are in the midst of many false Gospels and it is time that we being armed with truth take a stand and speak up
Because we know that Christ goes with us
We are to speak with boldness and with authority because we know the truth
His name is Jesus Christ
He died on the cross to pay for your debt of sin to pay for my debt of sin
That His death covered our debt of sin
Then 3 days later he got up and walked out the grave never to die again
His resurrection now gives you and I life defeated death and sin once and for all
That we no longer have to walk around defeated
And because of that He sends us out into a lost and broken world to share the greatest news on the earth has ever heard
Church we are called to speak up
We are called to speak boldly
Sometimes that we speak up at work or family functions and help correct people who are following a false gospel
We are to stand and speak truth
And church as we come to our time of invitation
Maybe you don’t know Jesus personally
I would invite you to the front and speak with someone
Or maybe you already have a personally relationship
This morning you have been called to speak up and to speak truth to a lost and broken world
Would you do that
Maybe you need to spend sometime in prayer
The alter is open
It is an invitation to reponds to what God has called us to do
We are called to speak up
We are called to share the Gospel
NOTE
Those men were coming in and preaching something different
Paul and Barnabas knew the scriptures
Paul recieved the message from Christ Himself
Which is why they were willing to get into a good discussion
Sort of like when people today start to preach something different
Quiet frankly something we know to be false
Because it requires someone to stand up and speak boldly
