How to Slow Down the Spread of the Gospel
Notes
Transcript
If I were to ask who God’s arch enemy is, most would say that it was Satan or the devil, or one of the many other names for the Prince of Darkness. Though I believe that we give Satan more credit than we should, I would agree that he is the arch enemy of God.
When I say we give Satan too much credit, I’m referring to the problem our own inherent sin nature. The sad truth is that due to our sin nature we do not need to be tempted by Satan in order to sin — we are perfectly capable of sinning without his initiative.
Also, some give Satan too much power and authority — as if he is equal with God, only evil instead of good. That’s exactly what Satan would like us to believe. But he is subject to God’s authority just as the rest of creation is.
That being said, Satan has been trying, unsuccessfully, to thwart God’s plans from before the beginning of time. Before time began, he raised himself up against God claiming that he would be like the Most High (Isa. 14:12-14).
“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!
For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’
When he couldn’t accomplish that he sought to destroy man, God’s highest creation, by tempting them to rebel against the command of the Lord.
On and on the list could go, but time won’t allow for us to consider all of these things. But I do want to point out that from each of these things God used them to bring about something good. After Adam and Eve fell in the Garden of Eden, God provided a plan for the redemption of His people – a plan which was formulated before time began (Eph. 1:4).
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
In the Book of Acts we’ve seen various attempts of Satan to stop the spread of the gospel message. In these attempts he used human agencies to do his bidding. He used the mockers on the Day of Pentecost to try and paint an errant view of what was happening – claiming that the apostles were drunk! He used the Sanhedrin in chapters 4-5 to try and suppress the message of the gospel. He used Saul and others in chapters 7-9 to try and stop the message by killing some believers and persecuting all. He used the false-prophet, Bar-Jesus in chapter 13 to try and suppress the gospel message in Paphos. He used unbelieving Jews in conjunction with pagan Gentiles to try and stop the spread of the gospel at virtually every stop of Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey.
No matter who he used, or what method they tried, he could not stop the rapid spread of the gospel. So, in chapter 15 it would appear that he came up with a different tactic. Rather than stop the spread altogether, let’s just try to slow it down. He used some men who appeared to be believers in Jesus to come into the church at Antioch and slow down the progress of the gospel by teaching that Gentile believers had to be circumcised and follow the Mosaic law in order to be saved. In other words, they were teaching that the gospel message spread by Paul and Barnabas was incomplete.
Note that when Satan cannot accomplish his purpose through the works of unbelievers, he often will stir up unwary believers to do his bidding. I want to make clear that Satan cannot posses a person who is a true believer in Jesus Christ. But he can oppress them. That is why it is so imperative for believer’s to be actively growing in their faith, and not passively rolling with the tide. Writing to the Ephesians Paul instructed them: Eph. 6:10-13
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
As we go through our passage this morning, we will first look at the setting for the dissension, the reminder of God’s working in the past, the concurrence of grace, the judgment for the present time, the approval by the council, and the reception of the Gentile believers.
The Setting for Dissension
The Setting for Dissension
Look at verse 1.
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.”
Why were these men there in the first place?
John Mark may have informed them about what was going on in the ministry of Paul and Barnabas
They may have merely came down because they were concerned with Jews and Gentiles being in the same assembly
Their presence wasn’t the issue — their message was
To teach that a person had to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses in order to be saved undermines the very foundation of the Christian faith (Stott)
Paul and Barnabas contended with this message, debating with these men, but to no avail
Paul referred to this in Galatians 2
At least one commentator believes that Paul penned the Letter to Galatians before the Jerusalem Council — perhaps in route to Jerusalem
It was a 250 trip on foot to Jerusalem — it could have taken a month or more to arrive there
The church decided to send a delegation to Jerusalem to seek wise counsel from the apostles as well as the elders of that church
On their journey to Jerusalem they stopped at the churches in Phoenicia and Samaria with an update about their mission adventure to the Gentiles
In Jerusalem they received a mixed welcome: Look at verses 4-5
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.”
It appears that they were welcomed by the leadership, but some of the membership contended with their message
Thus we read in verse 6
The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.
Now that we’ve looked at the setting, let’s consider the reminder of
God’s Working in the Past
God’s Working in the Past
The Apostle Peter has been the primary figure of focus in the first half of the book of Acts. This passage is the last mentioning of him in this historical account. Let’s look at his addressing of this divisive issue: look at verses 7-9.
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.
God chose to use Peter to bring the gospel to the Gentiles (as many as 10 years previous to this)
The Gentiles, on that occasion, having hear the gospel believed
God responded to their faith by sending them the Holy Spirit
Just like on the Day of Pentecost
Look now at Peter’s exhortation in verses 10-11:
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.”
The Judaizers were putting God to the test!
No one, but Jesus, has ever been able to perfectly keep the law of Moses
So why are you trying to force the Gentiles to do what we cannot do?
Can you imagine how the Gentile converts would have reacted to an order which basically forced them to not only be converted to Christ, but also to Judaism?
This reminds me of the time when I heard a lady who had been on a short-term mission to Haiti, who upon her return gave a report to the church. In her report it seemed to me that she equates missions work with teaching the Haitian national to live like Americans!
Notice again Peter’s emphasis on salvation by grace alone in verse 11.
But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”
Jews and Gentiles are saved the same way — by grace through faith
After the church leadership listened to Peter they fell silent. And then they asked Barnabas and Paul to tell them more about their adventure. And the missionaries readily told them about the signs and wonders that God used to confirm their message about Christ.
Most likely they had a lot more to say than what Luke includes in this account. But since he had just written about their adventure in the previous two chapters he did not feel compelled to rehearse it for his readers.
So far we’ve looked at the setting and the remembering what God had done in the past. Now let’s consider:
The Concurrence on Grace
The Concurrence on Grace
Peter, whose message we just looked at, represented the apostles. James, the Lord’s brother, represents the elders of the church in Jerusalem. Look at verse 13 and following:
English Standard Version Chapter 15
13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree,
Notice that he doesn’t say anything about Paul and Barnabas’ words
According to Galatians, these Judaizers claimed to be sent by James
Since the question was regarding who was right, the Judaizers or the missionaries, it probably seemed best to use Peter’s statement, which supported Paul’s message
James obviously sided with Peter and Paul in this matter and he used an OT prophecy as a proof text — quoting Amos 9:11-12 he said in verses 16-18
“ ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’
This brings us to James’
The Judgment for the Present
The Judgment for the Present
James advised that while not requiring any extra work for salvation, they recommend that the Gentiles do observe a few things so that they will not offend their Jewish brothers. Look at verse 19-21.
Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”
James recommended that in a letter written to the Gentile churches they ask for obedience to two commands, and for a willingness to agree to two personal concessions.
The Two Commands:
Avoid Idolatry
Avoid Immorality
The Two Concessions:
Abstain from eating blood
Abstain from eating animals that were strangled
The Approval of the Council
The Approval of the Council
The combined group of apostles and elders from the church in Jerusalem approved of James’ recommendation
It appears that it was also presented to the church as a whole, and they approved as well
Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers,
The church determined to further verify their agreement with the message of Paul and Barnabas by sending two representatives of the church in Jerusalem along with the missionaries
Judas Barsabbas
Silas — Silvanus
Let’s look at the letter which they sent.
with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them 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 themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
The greeting
From
To Whom
The acknowledgment of the controversy
Some men came and troubled the church
We did not give them authority to do so
Judas and Silas will testify to our agreement with Paul and Barnabas
The acknowledgement of the Holy Spirit’s direction in this decision
For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements:
This is key — it is important for a church to make decisions in conjunction with the Holy Spirit — not apart from the Spirit
Today the Spirit does not give us new revelation, but we have the revelation of the Spirit in the completed Bible
The letter then outlined the commands and concessions that were being asked of the Gentiles
The Reception of the Gentiles
The Reception of the Gentiles
Look at
So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement.
I can only imagine what kind of relief it must have, particularly to Gentile men, to learn that they did not need to be circumcised in order to be saved! Our text tells us that after reading the letter from the apostles and elders the Gentiles rejoiced because of its encouragement.
After spending some time with the church in Antioch, Judas and Silas returned to Jerusalem.
But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
Satan sought to slow down the progress of the gospel by creating a doctrinal issue. But his plans were foiled because God had determined for the good news about salvation through Jesus Christ be spread into all the world.
It’s still God’s intention for the gospel to spread. God uses the church as his primary vehicle for spreading the good news. And we have a commission to make disciples as we go.
The message that we are to share as we go is put so well by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
Paul received this gospel from Christ Himself
It was because of our sins that Christ had to die
If He had not died we would still be unforgiven sins the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin
If He had not been raised from the dead with would still be without hope
Paul received something else from the Lord as well:
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
This is not Paul’s man-made thing — it was received from Christ
On the night of His betrayal Christ gave thanks for the bread, which represented His body which was to be sacrificed so that His people could be forgiven for their sins
There is a sense in which He was thanking God for the privilege of dying in place of His people
Let’s follow Christ’s example and give thanks
Lord we remember You. We remember how Your body was bruised and torn for our sake. We remember how You suffered on the cross for our sake. We remember Your love. We understand that in eating this bread we are proclaiming Your sacrificial death — and we commit ourselves to proclaim it until You come.
Take your cup and wafer, open the top part and remove the wafer. Let’s eat this bread together in remembrance of Christ.
Let’s give thanks for the cup
Lord Jesus, we give You thanks for Your shed blood. We know that without the shedding of blood there is nor forgiveness of sins. But since You poured out Your life on the cross, we who have placed our faith in You have been redeemed — we have been forgiven for both our acts of sin, and the penalty of sin. Thank You for dying in our place. We understand that as we drink this cup we are proclaiming Your death — and we commit to proclaiming it until You come.
Now, carefully peal back the wrapper on your cup. Let’s drink this cup together in remembrance of Jesus.
Let’s pray.
Closing Song: #343 — A Capella
Amazing Grace
Amazing grace! how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now am found; was blind, but now I see.
“Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relived. How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.
The Lord has promised good to me; His word my hope secures. He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures.
Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares I have already come. ‘Tis grace hath bro’t me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, w’eve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’d first begun.
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.