Defining The Gospel (part 3)

We are considering the Jerusalem council of in 4 distinct parts. We began with the demand to define the gospel. We learned that gospel definition is demanded when there is false teaching and unbiblical tradition.

Last week we learned that the decision was made through consideration of 3 factors. 1 – Our unity. We are all saved and sanctified the same way and are all given the Holy Spirit. 2 – God’s involvement. He had miraculously intervened to save Gentiles. It was evident from start to finish that this was a work of God. 3 – God’s sovereignty. The salvation of Gentiles was His plan from eternity past. He carried it forward through His chosen messengers.

Today we examine the decree that was sent from Jerusalem to the Gentiles. We want to particularly examine who gave the decree and how it was communicated.

The Decree To Define The Gospel vv. 22-29

PRAY

Why is gospel definition important? Why are we now on our 3rd week talking about this subject?

ILLUSTRATION: Chair. Just sit. VS. Build it first without any tools or hardware.

We live in a time of false teaching and unbiblical tradition. We live in a time when there is a great need for gospel clarity.

Gospel clarity comes through definition and communication.

Definition requires a definer.

Communication requires speaker.

For the gospel to be accurately and properly defined and communicated two elements are required.

Element #1…

1. To Define The Gospel, Agree v. 22

This past week I heard several stories from various sources all clamoring for the same thing. Redefinition of terms. My favorite from this week was a term you wouldn’t think needs definition. Milk. Dairy farmers are lobbying to have federal definition of what can and cannot be called milk. Their argument is that only something that comes from a mammal can be called milk. This would change the terminology behind any alternative milk products.

The problem is one of definition. There is disagreement on what makes something a milk. The belief is that appeal to a higher authority will fix that problem. However, unless everyone agrees to abide by the higher authority, changing the definition will not help.

The current crisis over the definition of the gospel arises from a refusal to abide by the definition laid out by the highest authority. God.

To have definition, there must be a definer.

The gospel is clearly defined in Scripture, therefore, we are bound to hold that definition.

James has finished his speech and now the church is going to act. As we look at this verse we have the participants listed. First we have…

a. The Apostles

I want to take a minute and think through who these men are.

These are the men chosen by God to grow His church.

Used by God to write the NT.

calls the apostles the foundation of the church. Christ is the cornerstone, but the apostles are the foundation (S).

Ephesians 2:19–20 NKJV

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

My point is that these men could have pulled rank.

They could have simply given their verdict and expected everyone to abide by it. But that is not what they do.

They are pleased to do something different. They are pleased to seek agreement within the body of Christ about what God has said.

The second group mentioned is…

b. The Elders

Those appointed to leadership within the local church.

This are men committed to the Word, dedicated to the body of Christ.

tells us how elders are to behave (S).

1 Peter 5:1–3 NKJV

The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;

These men are the spiritual heartbeat of the local church.

Like the apostles, the elders are pleased to agree with God about the definition of the gospel.

The third group present is…

c. The Church

The body of believers in Jerusalem.

I love that the local church is engaged in this decision.

This isn’t something done by “the leaders”. It is something done in community.

The gospel is precious to the body of Christ. It is to be defended and preserved.

Later on in Acts Peter gives this description to the body, (S).

Acts 20:28 NKJV

Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

Which is His body. The Church is Christ’s body. Purchased with His precious blood!

The church is pleased to agree with God on the definition of the gospel.

The fourth group mentioned here are…

d. The Leading Men

There is no clear definition of what is meant by leading men. Therefore, we take it at face value. These are lay leaders who have faithfully served the church.

When the church in Antioch sent missionaries out, they sent their best. Now, the Jerusalem church is sending it’s best to help work through this situation.

This gives us a powerful principle to follow in the church. Send your best. When God calls, send your best.

Send your best.

This helps to communicate value and seriousness.

The church in Jerusalem wants the Gentiles brothers and sisters to know they are valued and important. To communicate this, they send Judas and Silas back to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.

This principle seems to be at play in . David has sinfully numbered the nation of Israel and is being judged for it. After David’s prayer, the Lord halts the judgment. David want’s to sacrifice to the Lord in the place where God’s angel of judgment stopped. When the owner of the land offers to give it to David, this is his response. Look at (S).

2 Samuel 24:24 NKJV

Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

This should be our desire as well. To offer to the Lord something valuable. The Jerusalem church does this through sending their leading men to minister to the Gentiles.

In what ways are you and I offering the Lord our best? Time, energy, intellect, money.

In this verse we have seen four groups.

Four groups.

Universal church leaders. Local church leaders. The local congregation. Those chosen to deliver the letter.

These believers are not just agreeing with each other, they are agreeing with God.

This is not a collaborative effort to give the gospel a definition it has never had. This is not re-definition it is recognition of how God Himself defines the gospel.

God defines the gospel, we agree with Him.

God has clearly defined the gospel in His Word. It is our responsibility to affirm His definition and stand on it without compromise.

That is what these leaders do. They recognize that for there to be definition, there must be a definer and that definer is God.

After there has been agreement on gospel definition, the second element comes into play.

Element #2…

2. To Define The Gospel, Announce vv. 23-29

The false teaching has made definition necessary. The unity of the church and God’s active involvement in the salvation of Gentiles has helped to make the decision. Now the decision must be communicated to the Gentiles. There must be a decree.

Someone has to speak the message, speak the definition of the gospel.

Rather than just sending a bare statement of facts, the Jerusalem church communicates with the Gentile believers carefully and specifically.

For their declaration to be received it must be sent in the correct manner.

This announcement has two vital characteristics.

First, it is a…

a. A personal announcement vv. 23-27

The gospel needs personal announcement because it is personal.

READ v. 23

Personally addressed.

Introduction and greeting. A formal letter, yet also a personal one.

Again, they could have pulled rank and made commands, but instead they communicate.

It could be easy to breeze through this verse and miss something very important.

Look at who the letter is addressed to.

“The brethren who are of the Gentiles”. They almost don’t need to write anything else! They acknowledge them as brethren.

Can you imagine reading or hearing those words? After someone has said you aren’t really a Christian until you do… whatever. Build the chair first…

The apostles are the spiritual leaders of the universal church! The elders are the leaders of the local church in Jerusalem. The brethren are primarily Jewish believers!

These people acknowledge the Gentiles as fellow believers!

This must have been so powerful.

READ v. 24

The leaders understand just how serious this issue was. It troubled and unsettled these new believers.

People came to them with a different message than they had heard. A message demanding something new, a work to make salvation complete.

The leaders write that this message troubled the Gentile believers.

Troubled – ταράσσω (tarassō) be troubled; be disturbed. To disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed.

Troubled – ταράσσω (tarassō)

When someone tells you that you are not really saved until or unless you do… It disturbs you. Adding anything to the gospel is disturbing!

More than that, it can destabilize someone’s faith.

Unsettling – ἀνασκευάζω (anaskeuazō) upset; unsettle. To overturn. To cause to lose one’s composure; conceived of as physically overthrowing or ravaging.

Unsettling – ἀνασκευάζω (anaskeuazō)

This message unsettled their souls.

The idea here is powerfully communicated in what Paul wrote to Timothy. (S).

2 Timothy 2:17–18 NKJV

And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.

This is what’s at stake! False teaching has the potential of turning people’s faith upside down! It can make them rely on themselves and their own works instead of on Christ and His finished work!

When anything other than the clear gospel is preached it troubles and unsettles people’s souls!

That is why Paul is so severe with the Galatians. Turn to (p. 1337).

(p. 1337)

Galatians 1:6–9 NKJV

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

Why does Paul make these statements? Because this is serious business! We are talking about the eternal souls of men and women!

If the gospel is not clearly defined, if it is corrupted, we must act swiftly and decisively to correct it.

That is what takes place here. The leaders know what is at stake, they take no chances.

It is made very clear that this message, this false gospel that was being preached did not come from the leaders of the church.

READ vv. 25-26

Because of the false gospel message that had been preached, the leaders are sending chosen men to the Gentile believers.

There are three points made that we would do well to consider.

1 - Their unity.

This was a big question. There was potential to do great harm to the church. Yet these leaders send men to the Gentiles in unity.

That is how the body of Christ is to function.

2 - Chosen men.

We already mentioned this, but they are the best men. Not troublemakers they wanted to get rid of.

3 - Faithful men.

They have risked their lives for the cause of Christ! These are the kind of men you send.

If we would be used by God, we must be these kinds of people. Faithful people.

READ v. 27

These are the men they are sending. They will tell the Gentile believers the same things contained in the letter.

They will see it in writing and hear it face to face.

This is the personal touch.

The leaders of the church know that for this delicate communication they need to have trusted, tried, and true men who can communicate with these believers. That is what they send.

ii. Communicating the problem v. 24

iii. Communicating the participants vv. 25-27

To define the gospel there has to be a speaker.

1. The assembly v. 25a

They send them to personally communicate the clear gospel message.

2. The chosen vv. 25b-26

It is personal because salvation is personal.

The enormity of what is at stake demands gospel definition.

It is personal because salvation is personal.

3. The sent v. 27

This is not something we can take lightly. The clear gospel message must be communicated.

Our first vital characteristic is that the announcement is personal.

The second vital characteristic of this announcement shows it is…

b. A practical announcement vv. 28-29

READ v. 28

The first thing that jumped out at me was the source of what they write. The Holy Spirit.

Pronouncement

When we are walking in obedience to God and His Word, it is the Holy Spirit that will direct us.

The Holy Spirit has directed the leaders of the church to define the gospel as being salvation apart from works.

The Holy Spirit is the source, they are simply agreeing with Him.

The prohibitions they are about to lay out are not burdensome, they are good and necessary.

(S).

1 John 5:3 NKJV

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

Far from being a burden, says that the will of God is good, acceptable, and perfect.

What are these good and necessary things?

READ v. 29

The gospel is practical. This is something we really need to grab hold of. What is offered here is immensely practical direction.

The gospel is practical.

There are 3 distinct categories here.

1 - Doctrinal purity

ii. What is practical is right v. 29

Stay away from anything tainted by false worship.

1. Doctrinal purity

There are an awful lot of things in our society that have been allowed to take God’s place. Sports, work, recreation, even family, can become objects of worship if we are not careful.

An idol isn’t just something we bow to. An idol is anything that we place in higher priority than our relationship with Christ.

The Gentiles believers are exhorted to be careful in this regard.

2 - Physical purity

Blood and things strangled.

The Israelites were given very strict instructions about blood. Scripture reveals that the life of the body is in the blood. We know that it is the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from sin! So there are some spiritual reasons for this prohibition.

However, we also know that consuming blood is not healthy. And how an animal is killed has an effect on the meat.

As believers we need to be careful what we allow into our bodies. These are the only ones we have, and in this life we must use them wisely that we might serve our Lord faithfully.

3 - Moral purity

The final admonition is to abstain from any sexual activity outside of marriage.

This is a huge issue in our culture. Young people are being told that sex is just biology. There is no importance attached to it.

God says that it is a one flesh experience that changes you for life.

Society says that same gender sex is okay. God says marriage is between one man and one woman.

Society says that pornography is normal, safe, and good. God says that if we look with lust at anyone we are not married to, we commit adultery in our hearts.

In a world of sexual promiscuity and perversion, those who stand on scripture stand out.

These spiritual leaders close the letter by saying that when yo remain pure doctrinally, physically, and morally, you do well.

The gospel empowers us to live holy lives.

The gospel states that salvation comes by grace through faith.

Jesus Christ comes into our lives when we believe in Him! When we trust that He died on the cross for our sins, that he was buried, and that He rose again, we are saved.

Once we are saved, we live to please Him.

This is the message that must be announced.

He already built the chair. We just sit in it.

Conclusion

We desperately need agreement in the body of Christ about what the gospel is.

God’s Word is clear. We must accept what He has said.

When there is agreement on what the gospel is, there must be bold declaration of it.

The gospel is personal.

It is about the God of eternity wanting to come into your life and give you the peace, the joy, the contentment, the fulfillment, and the love that you have been searching for.

The gospel is practical.

God knows everything we face in our society. Withing His Word is everything we need to live in a way that pleases Him.

Will we agree with God about His definition of the gospel?

Will we personally share the gospel with those in need?

Will we put the gospel into practice in our daily lives?

Those choices lie before all of us today.

May we choose Jesus and the life that He offers.

“Here Am I Lord”

Acts 15:22–29 NKJV

Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren. They wrote this letter by them: The apostles, the elders, and the brethren, To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings. Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, “You must be circumcised and keep the law”—to whom we gave no such commandment— it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.

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