The Second Missionary Journey – part 2
Acts 15:36 – 16:10 (15:37 – 16:10)
January 13, 2010

Well this morning we got started on this second missionary journey,
Although we didn’t get started very far.

We only made it through that very first verse.
“After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.”

We started this study looking at the attributes of a good missionary

And by reading that verse we said that the first attributed was:
GENUINE CONCERN

And we saw how Paul’s concern was real.
And not just a concern for the lost to be saved,
But also a concern for those who had been saved
To be fully sanctified and conformed into the image of Christ.

And that really does have to be at the top of the list.
• You have to love Christ.
• You have to love His elect.
• You have to love His bride.
• You have to be driven by things that matter to Him.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”

So the first quality that Paul had and the first quality of a good missionary is genuine concern.

Let’s move on tonight.
#2 STRONG CONVICTION
Acts 15:37-41

This is an incident that most of you are probably familiar with.
It is one of those incidents that has really shaped the reputation of Paul over the years in a sort of negative way.

There have been some who view Paul has sexist
Others view him as divisive

And to do that they quote passages like Paul opposing Peter to his face,
Or they quote this one where he and Barnabas got into a fight.
I for one think those are unfair observations in Paul’s regard.

I really think that they rather are a testimony to a tolerant society
Who never sees the need to have courage or conviction.

Our society thinks you should never tell another person they are wrong,
And often times people who do that are viewed in a negative light.

However it is important for you to understand that
If you are unwilling to tell someone they are wrong
Then you aren’t going to make a very good missionary.

Most of this world dwells in darkness, steeped in some false religion,
And if you refuse to confront that, you are missing the point of missions.

It takes strong conviction to be a missionary for God.

And that is precisely what Paul has.

For here, we see that Paul has had it enter his heart
To make a return mission trip.

He courageously desires to return to all of those cities that mistreated him
In order that he might be able to encourage the believers that he left there.

And Paul has brought this “mission trip” idea up to Barnabas.

(36) “Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return…”

But before the trip can even get good and underway, we hit a snag.

(37-38) “Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.”

Barnabas wants to take Mark just like they did the first time.
Mark went on the first missionary journey, but he didn’t last the whole trip.

Acts 13:13 “Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia; but John left them and returned to Jerusalem.”

Now we aren’t told why John left.
But now on this second trip Barnabas wants to take him along.

It probably doesn’t hurt that Colossians 4:10 reveals
That Mark is Barnabas’s cousin.

(38) “But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.”

The fact that Scriptures says “Paul kept insisting” indicates
That Paul and Barnabas were in the middle of an argument.

Neither was budging.
Barnabas wants to take Mark, Paul doesn’t.

And Paul’s reasoning is clear.
1) He deserted us
We don’t know why Mark left,
But obviously Paul didn’t think it to be a valid reason.

2) He did not go with us to the work

Paul didn’t see that Mark had any claim on the mission.
He skipped out on the hard part.
He skipped out on the labor.

And Paul had no interest in taking him again.

And incidentally the fallout from this was huge.

(39-41) “And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and left, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. And he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.”

The disagreement was so severe, and the men so agitated
That they “separated from one another”

This mission team had a fight that they could not resolve
And so the solution was to split the team.

And so “Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.”

If you will remember that was Barnabas’s home town
And exactly the first stop on the last trip.
So Barnabas is retracing the route back to those previous churches.

And so is Paul.
“But Paul chose Silas and left, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. And he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.”

Now Cilicia was Paul’s home region and he is headed back too,
Only Barnabas went by sea and Paul is traveling by land.

But chapter 16 reveals that Paul was also headed back
To Derbe and Lystra and all those cities.
The only difference is that Paul would approach them
In reverse order from Barnabas.

But the team has split.
They are headed to the same destination in opposite directions.

Now, I have heard many preachers in my day analyze this story
And quickly come to the conclusion that Paul was wrong
And that he should have given Mark a second chance.

And they will quote from the end of 2 Timothy (Paul’s last letter)
2 Timothy 4:11 “Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service.”

And they will say,
“Paul finally came to his senses and got over it and called for Mark.”

I’ve even heard them commend Barnabas for having so much love that he willingly walked out of the pages of Scripture just for the sake of Mark.

So Barnabas comes away the saint.
And Paul comes away looking like a hot head.

But I’m not sure that is getting the full gist of the story.

• I would like to point out that Paul was an apostle, Barnabas was not, so if one of the two men was being insubordinate, it was not Paul.

• I would also point out that one man went away commended by the brethren and one did not. Paul was commended, not Barnabas.

So it appears that the church in Antioch saw Paul’s point.

• I would also point out that Luke (and Scripture) followed Paul, not Barnabas.

And as far as Paul looking like a hothead,
Let me remind you that entering temple, throwing over tables,
And whipping people out can appear a bit harsh as well.

One question we have to ask is: “Is defection a minor thing?”

Is it ok for someone to commit to serve and then to just back out?
Is it acceptable for those in the ministry to quit when it gets hard?
Should there be no ramifications for failing to honor a commitment?

When Mark deserted, not only did he jeopardize the mission
But he also let down all those people who laid their hands on him
And in effect said, “You go in my stead”
Furthermore how would new believers interpret such an action?

I would just want you to know that what Mark did was no minor thing.

And Paul had a conviction about what he was doing.
To Paul the mission was more important than the missionary.

We saw that two weeks ago when he said he would suffer even to imprisonment because the word of God can never be imprisoned.

This trip was not about Mark’s feelings.
This trip was about encouraging those churches.
And Paul wasn’t going to risk Mark jeopardizing this trip as well.

Listen, Scripture is clear that ministry and missions is a privilege.
People can disqualify themselves from service.

Take a pastor who is not above reproach,
Or who is greedy, or who is pugnacious.

It doesn’t matter how much you like him,
Or how good he has been to your family, he is disqualified for service.

It’s bigger than the preacher, and it’s bigger than the missionary.

And those who have been on a trip know this.
We purposely work hard before a trip.

Those who go have to read a lot, they have to listen a lot of sermons,
They have to write Bible studies, they have to be prepared.

2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

One of the reasons we do that is to prepare them for the grind of the trip.
Because not being prepared, or quitting is not really an option.

Paul had conviction about this trip and he was willing to stand
Even at the cost of watching Barnabas walk away.

Now, I would say this.
I don’t at all point the finger at Paul here as though he were in the wrong.

But I’m not going to beat up Barnabas either.
It is hard to begrudge such mercy and compassion.

I’ve always likened Paul and Barnabas
To both be necessary agents in Mark’s life.
(like a father who disciplines and mother who consoles)

• Mark had to know that his behavior would not be tolerated.
• He also needed to know that he could still be of service.

And Scripture does indicate that Mark eventually learned his lesson.
(That has to be attributed in part to Barnabas)

But the main point here is that Paul had conviction.
He was a man on a mission,
And to be a good missionary you had better have conviction too.

Genuine Concern, Strong Conviction
#3 SELFLESS PERCEPTION
Acts 16:1-4

So Paul and Barnabas have parted ways, and Paul and Silas have taken off by foot through the regions to go back to those same cities where Paul already preached the gospel before.

And finally they make it back to those cities,
Hitting them in reverse order this time.

And it is in Lystra that Paul makes an observation.
(1) “Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek,”

Please keep everything here in perspective.

• This is Lystra, the city where Paul healed a cripple and the whole town thought he was a pagan god.

• Just outside the city of Lystra was the temple of Zeus, and in fact that priest had come into town and tried to make sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas.

• In addition, it was an easily swayed town as Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there and convinced that town to stone Paul and drag him out of their city, supposing him to be dead.

It was a pagan, intolerable, rough city.

And yet, in that city a church had formed.
In that city some had believed.

Among whom were Lois, Eunice, and Eunice’s son – Timothy
And Timothy had a good reputation.

(2) “and was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium.”

So Timothy had a good reputation as a genuine follower of Jesus Christ.
(3) “Paul wanted this man to go with him;”

I really like the human element here.
• I know that God is the architect of the mission trip.
• I know that He is sovereign.
• I know that ultimately He has to call people to go.

But also appreciate Paul seeing a young man who fit the bill
And adamantly telling this man, “I want you to go”.

Often times other believers see ability in us
That we don’t see in our selves.

So I never mind telling people that a certain trip “fits” you,
If I think it does.

(I’ve already told several people about Sanyati, that I want them to go)

In fact, like Paul I will “want” them to go with us.

BUT IT’S WHAT PAUL DOES WITH TIMOTHY
THAT REVEALS HIS SELFLESS PERCEPTION.

(3) “Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.”

Alright – TIMEOUT!

• Did we not just spend a chapter debating about the necessity of circumcision?
• Did we not just learn that it wasn’t required?
• Was not Paul himself one who opposed it?
• Have we not read the letter he wrote to the Galatians?

Galatians 5:2 “Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you.”

So what in the world is he doing?

The answer is that Paul is seeking
To keep the main thing the main thing.

Everyone in those parts knew that Timothy was Jewish.
But they also knew that his father was a Greek.

That meant that everywhere Paul took Timothy
The first issue would be whether or not he was circumcised
And that was not what Paul wanted to debate.

For Paul, it was about Christ not circumcision.
Paul’s agenda wasn’t to stop circumcision.
Paul’s agenda was to preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Now, when some Judaizer came preaching circumcision as necessary, Paul adamantly opposed him, but it’s not like he was on an anti-circumcision tour.

Paul wanted to preach Jesus, and he was willing
To sacrifice his own personal freedoms and rights to do that.

Remember what he told the Corinthians?
1 Corinthians 9:19-23 “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.”

That is what Paul was doing here.
He was making sure to keep himself from being offensive.
In the Jewish culture, it mattered, and so Paul was sensitive to that.

It is worth noting, however that Paul never circumcised Titus.
Galatians 2:1-3 “Then after an interval of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. It was because of a revelation that I went up; and I submitted to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain. But not even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.”

Titus was a Greek, and Paul did not ask him to be circumcised,
But Timothy was a Jew and it was easier to circumcise him
Than to answer debate it in every city.

This was Paul’s Selfless Perception.
He was willing to give a little on a non-essential
In order to accomplish the most good.

In seeking to be good missionaries, we do the same.

How many times have we seen some woman serving in an Isalmic country wearing a head wrap?

In Africa we were asked not to wear camo, or don’t talk politics.

We are free in Christ, but also perceptive that our freedom can get in the way of the gospel and so a good missionary is selfless in his perception.

Timothy certainly was.
(If I’m Timothy, I’m reminding Paul of Acts 15)
The mission was most important,
And freedom was ignored in order to be effective.

Genuine Concern, Strong Conviction, Selfless Perception
#4 SERIOUS COMMITMENT
Acts 16:4-5

This section reads quickly, but what you actually have here
Is Paul accomplishing the purpose for which he started.

He wanted to return to all those cities and see how they were doing.
This was the mission that was on his heart.

Well here, he is doing just that.
(4-5) “Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe. So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.”

These were Gentile regions and we know the Jews in these regions
Were zealous for the Law.

But Paul successfully traveled back through those cities
In order to strengthen these new Gentile believers
By delivering the results of the Jerusalem confession.

One can only imagine the opposition these new believers were facing.
It is only fair to assume that the Jews
Had sought to push circumcision on them as well.

And so Paul’s trip was a very encouraging one.
No doubt he explained that circumcision was not necessary for them,
And no doubt he explained why.

And the result was that “the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.”

It was a successful mission.
And even though he and Barnabas had parted ways and this particular trip had faced difficulty, it didn’t stop Paul from accomplishing his purpose.

And that is a trademark of a good missionary.
They are committed to the goal.

The set out to accomplish a task and they accomplish it.

It was important to Paul to continue to encourage these believers
And that is what he did.
It doesn’t matter what sort of opposition you face.
• Travel plans change…
• Delays occur…
• Circumstances can prove difficult…

But it is a mission and those who are committed accomplish it.
They don’t just stop because things don’t go according to plan.

A Genuine Concern, Strong Conviction, Selfless Perception, Serious Commitment
#5 PATIENT ENDURANCE
Acts 16:6-10

And this is the part of the trip that I personally find remarkable.

It would probably help if you could see a map,
• But Paul had traveled north from Antioch, up the coast, and then west to the region of Lycaonia where all of the previous cities were located.

• From there he traveled further west in Phrygia and had intended to move further west into Asia, but the Spirit would not permit him.

• So instead Paul went north into Galatia And then again attempted to go west into Asia all the way to Mysia (which was on the eastern coast)

• From there the tried to go back north into Bythinia, but again “the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them.”

• So they came back down into Mysia and all the way to the coast at a city named “Troas”

Now I know that is confusing, but let me explain what is happening.

In Turkey you or on a sort of peninsula.
• It extends out of Asia westward.
• To the north is the Black sea.
• To the south is the Mediterranean sea.

And Paul, Silas, and Timothy were headed west through Turkey,
Zig zagging north and south as they went.

But Everywhere they tried to go, God was blocking them.
We don’t know how, he just was.

Until finally God ushered them to the far western edge of Turkey,
(Which is also the far western edge of Asia.)

In short, they ran out of continent.
And at this point, it would have felt pretty frustrating because you just aren’t able to do the things you feel like you’re supposed to do.

And then something happened.
(9-10) “A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”

And all of a sudden it became clear what God was doing.
God didn’t want them ministering in Asia.
God wanted them ministering in Europe.

Macedonia was the region of Philipi and Thessalonica.
It is modern day Greece.

This was the sovereign hand of God yet again.
• God wasn’t just saving Israel, He was saving Gentiles.
• And God wasn’t just saving Asia, He wanted to save the world.

It was time for the gospel, for the first time ever, to go to Europe.

And God accomplished it through a couple of missionaries
Who faced closed door after closed door, but refused to give up.

I don’t know how long it took Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke
To travel zig zag all the way through Turkey, but they never got frustrated,
They never turned back, they patiently endured.

“BLESSED ARE THE FLEXIBLE,
THEY WILL NEVER GET BENT OUT OF SHAPE”

They faced one closed door after another, but did not quit.

And finally their endurance paid off, God had even bigger plans for them.
Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Corinth, Athens
And eventually all of Europe were about to get the gospel.

If I have learned anything over my 11 years in the ministry,
It is that ministry of all kinds is a MARATHON, not a sprint.

God doesn’t work a drive through window.
There is no quick way to do what He requires.

If you or I want to be good missionaries, then sign up for the long haul.

Paul was committed, and he just kept looking
Until he finally found where God wanted him to go next.
The key is, he kept going and looking until he found it.

Now, the second missionary journey is not over by a long shot,
But just in the introduction of it
We see some of what it takes to be a good missionary.

• You need Genuine Concern for the work of God in people’s lives.
• You need Strong Conviction because decisions must be made.
• You need Selfless Perception because we minister to different people.
• You need Serious Commitment because the job must be completed.
• You need Patient Endurance because the job is rarely committed quickly.

Begin to cultivate those same attributes in your life
And be a good missionary.

The Second Missionary Journey – part 1
Acts 15:36 – 16:10 (15:36)
January 13, 2013

As you know we are in the middle of what we call our “Mission’s Month”
Where we not only take up the Lottie Moon offering,
But also kind of bring our hearts back to the calling of missions.

We are also presently on Sunday nights studying through Acts,
But this week as I was studying the next section of Scripture in that book,
It just seemed obvious to me that this fit what we were studying on missions
And so we are going to look at it this morning.

Many of you have been with us throughout our study of Acts,
But for those who have not been able to be with us,
I would give you this simple explanation of the book of Acts.

Acts is the record of how Christ built His church.

Matthew 16:18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

A close look at the book of Acts clearly reveals
That Christ is the builder of the church.

• It was He who sent the Spirit at Pentecost…
• It was He who opened the door for Peter’s sermons…
• It was He who pushed the Jewish church into Gentile regions…
• It was He who has brought Gentiles into the fold…

There is really no denying that Acts is nothing short of an account
Of the tremendous working of the sovereign hand of God.

However, we also know that God in His great power and wisdom uses believers in His efforts.

Romans 10:14-15 “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!”

That verse still indicates the sovereign hand of God,
For if He does not send then the lost never hear.

But the reality is that even though God grows His church,
The means by which He does it is by sending His church
With the message of the gospel.

Acts is a record of God doing just that.

At this point in the book we come across what is commonly called
“Paul’s Second Missionary Journey”
It covers Acts 15:36 – Acts 18:22

And I will tell you from the outset that it was one rough trip.

Many think of the hardships that occurred on the first missionary journey,
For on that journey Paul was eventually stoned in Lystra.

But this trip is even tougher.

• Before this trip even gets started good, the missionary team splits in half.
• Then several places Paul tried to go were blocked
• Finally they end up traveling to a completely different continent than they first intended.
• While there, they are beaten, arrested and finally released
• They were run out of two cities.
• And upon being run out of the second the missionaries were separated.
• Paul found himself alone in Athens facing extreme mocking and cynicism
• And finally when arriving in Corinth the trip was extended for 18 months, something that was not initially planned.

This trip did anything but go according to schedule.

Probably what is more amazing than that, is that after a trip like that,
We are amazed that there was ever a third missionary journey.

You were stoned on your first one…
You faced all of this on your second one…
Why in the world would you ever go on a third one?

Well, that is because Paul clearly had what it takes to be a missionary.

The last two weeks we have talked about missions
And they have both taken a very similar theme.

Both spoke a little about the motivation or passion of a missionary.
• We have heard Paul saying he suffers for the gospel.
• We have heard Paul saying he endures for the elect.
• We have seen Paul’s view of eternity that gave him courage and conviction to be God’s ambassador.

And this morning we really sort of stay on that theme.
We learn a little more about what it takes to be a good missionary.
So far everything we’ve talked about has to do with the internal motivation to missions
And this morning we are going to continue there.

I want to show you what made Paul such a good missionary.
It’s not technique
It’s not a certain presentation style
It’s not cultural training
It was his inward qualities that made him great.

#1 A GENUINE CONCERN
Acts 15:36

Here we are confronted with Paul’s genuine concern
For what he was doing.

Those of you who have been with us Sunday nights know that Paul has just finished an exhausting battle with the Jews in regard to circumcision.

Acts 15 reveals what we called “The Jerusalem Confession”

It started with a sect of Jews demanding that all Gentiles
Be circumcised for their salvation.

The debate was so intense that Paul and Barnabas
Traveled to Jerusalem to sort it out with the apostles and elders.

The issue was solved and Paul returned and:
Acts 15:35 “But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching with many others also, the word of the Lord.”

So Paul saw the issue resolved and he settled into his role
As a pastor and teacher in the church at Antioch.

And there is certainly nothing wrong with that role
Or a man who commits his life to it, but Paul had an itch for more.

You may remember the prophet Jeremiah spoke of something similar:
Jeremiah 20:7-9 “O LORD, You have deceived me and I was deceived; You have overcome me and prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; Everyone mocks me. For each time I speak, I cry aloud; I proclaim violence and destruction, Because for me the word of the LORD has resulted In reproach and derision all day long. But if I say, “I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name,” Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it.”

Parts of Jeremiah actually wanted to quit the ministry,
But he had what he called “a burning fire shut up in my bones”.

Well Paul had something similar.
There was this fire burning within him and it was a missionary fire.

We saw part of that desire last week as he recounted how he understood that in view of eternity nothing else matters.

To that Paul said:
2 Corinthians 5:20 “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

Paul was more than just obedient to his calling,
Paul had a burning desire to be God’s ambassador.

In the book of Romans Paul actually shares a bit of his heart in regard to his calling to missions.

Romans 15:20-21 “And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, so that I would not build on another man’s foundation; but as it is written, “THEY WHO HAD NO NEWS OF HIM SHALL SEE, AND THEY WHO HAVE NOT HEARD SHALL UNDERSTAND.”

I firmly believe this was the verse that God used
To confirm Paul’s calling in his life.

As Paul read Isaiah 52:15 and saw it was God’s desire for those who had never heard to hear the gospel, I something came a fire in Paul’s heart.

He had this desire to be do missions.
He had this concern for missionary endeavors.

And so even though preaching in Antioch was a good thing,
Paul itched for something more.

In verse 36 his itch becomes a plan.
(36) “After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.”

When you read that, don’t you just kind of feel that
Paul couldn’t stand it any longer?

So he finally comes to Barnabas and says, “Let’s go back!”

Many in this room know exactly what we are talking about here.
Having been to El Paso or China or Africa or Guatemala or some other place there can be that nagging that says, “Let’s go back!”

Sometimes you can’t even explain it,
There is a longing that is deeper than words can express.

There may not even be a real agenda, there wasn’t with Paul here.
His only agenda was let’s “see how they are”

He just had this desire nagging away at him.

And incidentally I would point out that many times the calling of God reveals itself in nothing more than a desire.

(That doesn’t mean that all we do is follow our desires,
Sometimes we obey against our will)
But it is not uncommon for God to give a desire to a person
Who also has a calling.

In regard to overseers Paul wrote:
1 Timothy 3:1 “It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.”

For a pastor there is not only calling, but also aspiration and desire.
They work hand in hand.

Paul had a desire to go and return and this is very much from the Lord.

Now I also want you to see in this verse
EXACTLY WHAT THE PLAN OF THIS MISSION TRIP WAS.

I read you earlier that Paul had this desire to preach the gospel
Where Christ had never been named,
But that is not the purpose listed for this trip.

In fact, this trip doesn’t appear to be evangelistic at all.

“Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.”

Paul wanted to go back to the churches he had planted.
Paul wanted to go back to those who had been saved.

Now, let me remind you, THIS IS MISSIONS!

What is the great commission?
Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

It is so important to remember that going is not the goal
And even baptizing people is not the goal.

The goal is making full blown disciples of Christ.
Certainly taking the gospel to them is important.
Certainly guiding them to become baptized followers of Christ is important.
But so is “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you”

And I want to spend a little time here,
Because this part of missions can easily become forgotten.

One of the biggest trends going on missions is really this scatter gun approach, where you just spread out, hit a region, call it hit, and then move on.

And I can’t critique people for doing this,
Because over the last 7 years we have kind of done that as well.

There were several return trips to Tornillo outside of El Paso, but beyond that none of our trips have been return trips. (Sanyati will be)

But I can assure this has not been our desire.
I’ve expressed with more than one person that my goal for our church
Is to find one location, maybe even one church that we can adopt
And invest in and return to over and over.

See missions is more than just getting baptisms,
It is about making full blown disciples of Christ.

And I want you to see that just as sure as Paul had this desire
To see Christ proclaimed where He had never been proclaimed, Paul also had this intense concern for those who had been saved in his ministry.

That is what he wanted to do here.
“Let us return and visit the brethren”

So let me show you some of Paul’s concern
From his writings in the New Testament.

He really summed his sentiment up his second letter to the Corinthians.
Paul was giving a list of the hardships he had endured in the ministry.

The last one he gives is this:
2 Corinthians 11:28-29 “Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?”

This was not a man who visited an area, shared the gospel,
And then went on to forget about where he had been.

These people were important to him.
He couldn’t get them off of his mind.
He was concerned not only with their salvation, but their sanctification.

He wanted them to live godly lives, he wanted their faith to be strong,
He was forever linked to them.

Consider what Paul wrote to the Corinthians in this manner:
2 Corinthians 11:1-3 “I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me. For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”

Sure Paul led them to Christ.
He called it “betrothed you to one husband”

Paul viewed the Corinthian’s confession of Christ
As equal to an accepted proposal.

Now Paul saw his role as being the one
Who delivered the bride safe and sound to the groom.

He said, “so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.”

“My goal wasn’t just to get you to agree to marry Christ, but to get you safe and sound and unscathed to the wedding.”

You see Paul wanted more than just decisions
He was concerned about the purity of the churches
And how they followed Christ.

Consider the churches in the region of GALATIA.
They had been confronted with a false gospel and they were believing it.

Someone had told them that in order to be saved they had to be circumcised
And they were about to go through with it.

Paul saw this as a defection from total trust in Christ and it grieved him.

To them he wrote:
Galatians 4:19-20 “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you — but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.”

DID YOU SEE PAUL’S GOAL?
He didn’t just want them to accept Christ,
He wanted Christ to be formed in them.

And Paul said I am in labor with you about this.

It wasn’t just about converts, it was about true devoted disciples.

And this was Paul’s heart.
Colossians 1:28-29 “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”

We don’t just want every man to be forgiven,
We want them to be complete in Christ.

And I can assure that this desire was so intense in Paul
That he agonized over it.

On this very journey, after planting a church in Thessalonica,
Paul will be forced to flee prematurely, leaving the new believers behind.

He will also have to flee from the next city of Berea,
But at Berea he chose to flee to Athens alone.

WHY?

Because he wanted someone to go back to Thessalonica and see how those believers were. He was overcome with concern for them.

1 Thessalonians 3:1-5 “Therefore when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know. For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be in vain.”

Paul would rather be left alone on a foreign continent
If it meant encouraging those new believers to follow Christ.

This is what we call intense concern.

And it was intense concern not just for salvation,
But for all the brethren to become complete in Christ.

Now, was Paul concerned about the lost?
Absolutely.

Romans 9:1-3 “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,”

We read in 2 Timothy a couple of weeks ago:
2 Timothy 2:10 “For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.”

Paul was concerned about the lost,
But he was also concerned about the saved.

The goal wasn’t just making converts, it was making disciples.
He was concerned about the whole process of salvation,
Not just the start of it.

And that concern is obvious in his life and ministry.
He had an extreme desire.

I also want you to see that this desire was greater
Than any fear or anxiety he may have felt.

Look again at what he said:
“Let us return and visit the brethren in EVERY CITY in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.”

Now let me remind you about those cities.

• They started by sailing to Cyprus and not much is given in detail there,
but from there they went to Pisidian Antioch.

• Paul and Barnabas faced such hostility from the Jews in Pisidian
Antioch that they actually shook the dust off their feet and went to
Iconium.

• In Iconium the Jews were again upset and actually stirred up the
crowds to try and stone Paul and Barnabas and again they left.

• From there they went to Lystra, where, after working a miracle, they
were mistaken as pagan gods.

• And as Paul tried to straighten them out Jews from the previous two
cities followed them and stirred up the people of Lystra and actually
succeeded in stoning Paul.

• From there Paul went to Derbe and had great success.

Now, are you sure you want to “return and visit the brethren in every city”?

Couldn’t we just organize a church conference in Derbe
And have all the believers from those cities come to us?

No.
Those believers lived in those cities.
Those believers served in those cities.
And those believers needed to be encouraged in those cities.

Paul had such concern for them that he was willing to return to those hostile areas where he was already hated just “see how they are”

Can you see that Paul had a genuine concern?

And let me assure you that is
ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL in regard to missions.

Paul said it best:
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”
You either love the lost or you don’t.
You either care about the believers in those places or you don’t.

Missions is not a novelty.

The calling for missions is a calling that must come from the heart.
It must be rooted in a genuine concern for the lost
And for the saved to reach the sanctification that Christ intends.

And this driving passion must override the desires
For Comfort or Safety or Possessions or anything else.

This morning I showed you that familiar video with all the quotes from those missionaries.

Can you hear in them that same passion of Paul?

C.T. Studd said, “Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell, I wish to run a rescue mission in a yard of hell.”

Bob Pierce said, “Let my heart be broken with the things that break God’s heart”

Lottie Moon, “Surely there can be no deeper joy than that of saving souls.”

These aren’t just people who thought a mission trip was neat,
They were consumed with the commission.

And this is necessary in missions.
Your concern must be genuine.

And this morning if you have that genuine concern,
Then ask God what He would have you do.

But don’t just ask, move.

If there is anything we will learn from Paul’s passion
It is that HE WAS GOING.

God might tweak his plans or re-route him, but he was going.

Later on this same trip, notice what is happening:
Acts 16:6-10 “They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”
Paul was going, and if Jesus wasn’t ok with that,
Then Jesus would have to stop him.

That is a driving passion isn’t it.
That is someone with a genuine concern.

And if you have a burning in you like that, then seek out God and move.
If you want the lost to hear the truth.
If you want the saved to grow in the faith.
Then go and do it.

Maybe Africa, maybe not, but go and do it.

If you don’t have a concern like that
Then I must tell you that your heart is in need of a remedy.

Because just as we see hearts like Paul’s who were driven with a concern for the lost, we also see the opposite in Scripture.

We see those who could care les if the lost ever hear.

Luke 15:1-2 “Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

In response to them Jesus told three parables, I’ll give you the first.
Luke 15:3-7 “So He told them this parable, saying, “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? “When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

The other two parables are “The Lost Coin” and “The Lost Son”

But the point is that the salvation of the lost bring joy to the heart of God. He rejoices over that more than any other thing.

If we don’t rejoice over that more than any other thing,
Then our heart is not beating in step with God’s heart
And is in need of revival.
So this morning I encourage you to return to God
And let Him work in your heart,
And once that genuine concern is placed in your heart,
Then act on it.

Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

The Jerusalem Confession – part 4
Acts 15:1-35 (13-35)
January 6, 2013

Well, I realize that it has been several weeks since we have come together
To study this passage in Acts.

I really wish we had been able to finish it before all of the events of Christmas,
But we didn’t, and so tonight we’ll come back to it again.

Just to sort of refresh your memory as to what is going on.

• You know that God has been doing a tremendous work among the
Gentiles in order to bring about their salvation.

(It really wasn’t the plan of the Jewish church, this was something God did.)

• And just as we saw that not all the Jews were excited to go and
share the gospel with the Gentiles, there were also some who
weren’t overly excited about Gentile salvation once they received
the gospel.

(The fear was that the Gentiles were doing it all wrong
and the real traditional Jewish feel was in jeopardy.)

That is why we saw what occurred at the onset of this chapter.

Acts 15:1 “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.”

And that is what we called “THE DISAGREEMENT”
Certain Jews wanted Gentiles saved, Paul argued with them,
But the issue was not resolved there in Antioch.

The result was that Paul and Barnabas
Had to travel to Jerusalem and iron out this issue.

Once the council was convened we saw the second major point of this chapter:
“THE DEBATE”

The apostles and elders began to debate what needed to occur.
And while we are not given the entire transcript of the debate,
Luke does preserve for us the argument of Peter, Paul, and James.

We already saw PETER’S REACTION
It was an argument based primarily on REALITY.

You could argue that Gentiles needed to be circumcised to be saved,
But the reality was that God had already saved them
And given them the Holy Spirit apart from them being circumcised.

It seemed like a foolish decision to force circumcision now.
Acts 15:8-9 “And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.”

Next we saw PAUL’S RECOLLECTION
It was an argument based mainly on EXPERIENCE

Acts 15:12 “All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.”

You could argue that God was concerned about circumcision,
But Paul and Barnabas experienced just the opposite.

What they saw was a God passionate about revealing Himself to the Gentiles, and not once had God required circumcision in return.

When one looked honestly and objectively at what was occurring,
It just didn’t seem that God was as concerned about circumcision
As these men insinuated He was.

And that is where we left off in our study of this council.

And tonight we pick up where the third member takes the floor,
And that man is James.

So just to refresh your outline a little bit.
I. The Disagreement (1-5)
II. The Debate (6-21)
A. Peter’s Reaction (6-11)
B. Paul’s Recollection (12)

And so now let’s get to the third aspect of this debate.
C) JAMES’S RECOMMENDATION (13-21)

So having heard from Peter and Paul,
We now hear what James has to say.

And really if we want to fast forward to his decision,
It is clearly stated in verse 19.

“Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles,”

James’s recommendation falls right in line with that of Peter and Paul.

Peter had said, (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?”
And that is essentially James’s belief as well.
He doesn’t think circumcision should be a requirement for Gentiles either.

But really what I want us to focus on here tonight
Is how James came to that conclusion.

We’ve already seen that
• Peter came to that conclusion through examining the reality of the situation,
• Paul came to that conclusion by recalling his experiences.

BUT HOW DID JAMES REACH HIS CONCLUSION?

Well, there are four things that influenced James’s decision.
1) THE ACTIVITY OF GOD (13-14)

In essence what we find here is that James refuses
To disregard what Peter has just said.

“Simeon (Peter) has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name.”

In other words James said,
“I’m not going to completely discount Peter’s testimony.”

Peter said that God called him to share the gospel with the Gentiles
And when he did this,
God saved them without ever requiring their circumcision.

“I cannot disregard what God has obviously been doing”

And incidentally we see this type of reasoning in Scripture.

You may remember the man who was born blind, whom Jesus healed.
The Pharisees where sure that Jesus was a sinner,
But remember the man’s logic?

John 9:25 “He then answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

And that wasn’t his only response:
John 9:30-33 “The man answered and said to them, “Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. “We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him. “Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. “If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

That man’s response was very simple.
You can call Him a sinner if you want,
But what are you going to do with the miracle He worked?

Perhaps you remember when Peter and John were on trial before the Sanhedrin for healing the cripple:

Acts 4:15-16 “But when they had ordered them to leave the Council, they began to confer with one another, saying, “What shall we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.”

You understand the logic.

You may believe something to be true,
But if God obviously does something contrary to what you believe
You’d be foolish to just disregard it.

And that is where James was.
One of the things he based his judgment on what the obvious activity of God.

But that wasn’t all (and this is important)
2) THE AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE (15-18)

I hope you recognize what a tremendously important verse we have here.

(15) “With this the words of the Prophets agree…”

Now let me tell you why this is important.

James listened to the testimony of Peter
And James listened to the testimony of Paul.
But James did not just believe them in a fully gullible sense.

WHAT DID JAMES DO?
He examined those stories through the filter of Scripture.

And this is so important!
2 Corinthians 10:5 “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,”

What Paul was saying there is that we are taking every speculation
And assertion and forcing it through Scripture to see if it is true.

It is not different than what he told the Thessalonians.
1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 “Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.”

Listen friends.
In no way should a Christian be heard-hearted or stubborn
Or unwilling to believe honest testimonies of what God has done.

But a Christian should also refuse to be gullible.
Not every story shared as a work of God is in fact a work of God.
• Not every testimony is accurate…
• Not every vision is legitimate…
• Not every preacher is truthful…
• Not every spirit is trustworthy…

HOW DO WE KNOW WHICH IS WHICH?
Scripture.

Suppose someone comes to you having seen a vision from God,
How do you know if it is true?

2 Peter 1:16-19 “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased” — and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”

Peter said that Scripture was even more sure than his vision.

Suppose someone comes with a testimony or new theological idea,
Where do you turn?

Ephesians 4:11-15 “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,”

Or what if a spirit gives you guidance in life, how do you know if it is true?

1 John 4:1-3 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.”

(We could even go to John 16 and see what things the Holy Spirit does)

And I think you get the idea.

Peter’s testimony was great, and so was Paul’s,
But the fate of the church and the requirements for the Gentiles
Could not just be left up to testimony.

The Scripture had to be searched to see if their testimonies were true.
And that is what James is doing.
(15) “With this the words of the Prophets agree”

And then James gives his scriptural support.

(16-18) “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, SO THAT THE REST 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 LONG AGO.”

If you are curious, James is quoting Amos 9:11-12.

Those of you who are studying Amos with us on Wednesday night
Know that Amos has been outlining judgment for Israel.

The end of Amos 9 speaks of the restoration
That will occur after the judgment.

But what Amos revealed is that not only will God restore Israel, but also “all the Gentiles who are called by My name.”

Why is that verse scriptural support
That Gentiles don’t have to be circumcised?

It is support because Amos called them Gentiles.

If they were circumcised Gentiles
They would have been called proselytes or even Jews.

But the fact that Amos called them Gentiles indicates
That God would accept them even apart from them becoming Jewish.

This passage validated Peter and Paul’s testimony in the mind of James.

So James reaches his decision based upon
The Activity of God, the Authority of Scripture
3) THE SIMPLICITYOF SALVATION (19)

I really like this verse as well.
James knew something that can be quickly forgotten today.
And that is that salvation is not complicated.

Is salvation difficult?
Absolutely, Jesus Himself said “with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Is salvation costly?
Absolutely, “whoever wishes to save his life will lose it”

But salvation is not complicated.
Romans 10:13 “for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

You don’t have to trek up to heaven to find the secret…
You don’t have to dig through the earth…
You don’t have to go on some deep pilgrimage…

Romans 10:6-11 “But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, ‘WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), or ‘WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART” — that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

In order to be saved God does not hand people a study guide,
Nor does He give them a list of external requirements to be met.

He simply requires faith in Christ.
(Not granted that faith requires pure devotion and total submission)
But it isn’t complicated.

James knew that salvation was not intended to be complicated,
And so he also saw no reason to add to the difficulty of it.

If God didn’t require men to be Jewish, why should we?

Remember when Peter was being questioned for going to Cornelius’s house?

Acts 11:17 “Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”

Would you really have me require something God wasn’t?

It was the same thing Peter said earlier in this debate:
Acts 15:10 “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?”

In fact, complicating salvation was not the work of Jesus,
That was the work of those hypocritical and legalistic Pharisees.

Matthew 23:4 “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.”

James knew salvation did not involve complicated requirements
And since Scripture aligned with Peter and Paul’s testimony,
He sought to keep it simple.

His decision was based upon
The Activity of God, The Authority of Scripture, The Simplicity of Salvation
4) THE UNITY OF BELIEVERS (20-21)

Now this is also important.
And if you aren’t careful these verses can cause some serious confusion.

• Peter just got through defending that it was faith alone.
• Paul just got through defending that it was faith alone.
• James just got through agreeing that it was faith alone.

And then all of a sudden he throws in some requirements.

Don’t make salvation any more difficult on them:
(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.”

WHAT?!?!
Why does circumcision not matter, but those things do?

The answer is found in verse 21.
(21) “For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

James just said he didn’t want to trouble Gentiles.
Here it is obvious that he doesn’t want to trouble Jews either.

Here James is acting with wisdom, seeking to unify the church.

This had nothing to do with Gentiles being saved,
This had everything to do with the church dwelling in unity.

If you write to Gentiles that nothing matters but faith in Christ,
Then Gentiles relishing in their freedom could do all sorts of things
That totally alienated their Jewish brothers.

Things like eating in idols temples or consuming strangled animals, etc.

James here understands the issue
And while validating Gentile salvation apart from circumcision
He still appeals for Gentiles to be sensitive to their Jewish brothers.

It is similar to what Paul wrote to the Galatians.
Galatians 5:1 “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”

Galatians 5:13-14 “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”

James wanted to make sure
That while asking Jews to accept Gentiles,
That Gentiles do everything they could to make themselves acceptable to Jews.

And so that is James’s judgment.
And it brings the Debate to a close.

• Peter’s Reaction based upon reality was that God was saving Gentiles apart from circumcision.

• Paul’s Recollection based upon experience was that God was saving Gentiles apart from circumcision.

• James’s Judgment based upon Scripture was that God was saving Gentiles apart from circumcision.

The Disagreement, The Debate
#3 THE DECISION
Acts 15:22-29

Now that the debate is over, it is time determine the answer.
The church’s official doctrine must be declared.

Yes or no to Gentile circumcision.

(22) “Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas — Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren,”

And there you have what we talked about
At the very beginning of this text several weeks ago.

• We have Spirit-filled men of God
• Not just reading what Scripture says,
• But discerning what Scripture means
• And setting the direction of the church.

These men decided what the official doctrine of the church would be.

This is the actual “Jerusalem Confession”
This is the verdict determined by those men.

(23-26) “and they sent this letter by them, “The apostles and the brethren who are elders, to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, greetings. “Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls, it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. “Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who themselves 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 essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.”

And I want you to see how important unity was to these men.

• They Showed unity by sending additional messengers with Paul and Barnabas.
• They Spoke unity by apologizing for those unauthorized messengers.
• They Sought unity by asking the Gentiles to work with them in regard to those specific issues.

But their decision was clear, and the church has maintained this theological position since that day.

Gentiles are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus
Apart from the works of the Law.

God is most certainly willing and eager to save all Gentiles
Who will come to faith in Christ whether they ever became Jewish at all.

Furthermore there is no need for any Gentiles who are already saved
To bring themselves back under the Law of Moses.

The church settled that issue at the Jerusalem council.

The Disagreement, The Debate, The Decision
#4 THE DELIVERY
Acts 15:30-35

I don’t think it’s necessary to break down all that is said here too deeply,
But I do want you to see the result of this decision.

We have here REJOICING
(31) “When they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement”

We have here ENCOURAGEMENT
(32) “Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message.”

We have FELLOWSHIP
(33) “After they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brethren in peace to those who had sent them out.”
We have GROWTH
(34-35) “[But it seemed good to Silas to remain there.] But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching with many others also, the word of the Lord.”

Rejoicing, Encouragement, Fellowship, Growth
Legalism didn’t do any of that.

All legalism does is divide:
Galatians 2:11-13 “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.”

That event was actually after this council,
But you can see the effects of legalism on the church.

But the work of the Spirit of God here in the midst of the church
Brought rejoicing, fellowship, encouragement, unity, and growth.

And so as we bring our study of this Jerusalem Confession to a close

I just want to remind you again of what we started out talking about.

• Your faith rests on more than what you read in the Scripture.
• Your faith also rests on the meaning of Scripture that has been
preserved by faithful men who sought the Spirit of God in order to
discern it.

Here is why I want you to know that.

It was men of old who were devoted and disciplined and dedicated to seeking the face of God in order to discern and protect the truth.

And we are thankful that they did,
Otherwise we could be trapped in legalism today.

Now, today we are those entrusted with
The preservation of the purity of the gospel.

We also must be willing to give ourselves
• To seeking the face of God and the true meaning of the Scripture
• And to preserve those precious doctrines from those who would corrupt them.

We now carry that mantle and defense of the truth
Is of the utmost importance.

After all, what is the church?
1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

That is why Paul told Timothy:
1 Timothy 6:20-21 “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge” — which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.”

Again:
2 Timothy 1:13-14 “Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.”

That is why Jude said:
Jude 3-4 “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

We now carry the mantle.
We now support the truth.
We now do the work to preserve these doctrines for future generations.

Study the Scriptures.
Seek the Spirit of God.
Stand upon the Truth.

The Jerusalem Confession – part 3
Acts 15:12
December 9, 2012

Well, as you know we are presently studying one of
The most important councils to ever convene in the history of the church.

The setting is familiar.
• Gentiles are being saved.
• Some Jews fear this is the loss of their cultural way of worship.
• Some traveled to Antioch and demanded that Gentiles be circumcised.

And apparently their argument was compelling enough
That Paul and Barnabas ended up having to travel to Jerusalem
To settle the matter.

Here we find the apostles and elders gathered together
To seek God’s will and to seek God’s word in regard to this issue.

Do Gentiles have to be circumcised to be saved?
And if not, do saved Gentiles need to be circumcised to be obedient?

Now, on the surface that appears to be
Simply a matter of religious ordinance.

To side with the Judaizers would have certainly caused the church to maintain a much more Jewish flare.

To side with the Gentiles would cause the church to take on a much Jewish flavor and would end up much like we see church today.

And on the surface it just appears as a matter of style of preference.

But much much more than that is at stake.
This isn’t a debate about how the church should look,
This is a debate about how the church is saved.

Salvation hangs in the balance here.

And Peter really made that point clear in verse 11.
Acts 15:11 “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

And Peter, as we saw the last couple of weeks, adamantly defended
That salvation is by grace alone through faith alone.

Peter certainly did not believe salvation could be attained
By human effort of any kind, including circumcision.

And we called that Peter’s Reaction.
Well tonight I want to move forward a little bit.

I. THE DISAGREEMENT
II. THE DEBATE
A. Peter’s Reaction

Now let’s look at the second leg of this debate:
PAUL’S RECOLLECTION

(12) “All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.”

The phrase “All the people kept silent” really doesn’t have
As much to do with Paul and Barnabas as it does with Peter.

Peter’s dissertation thoroughly silenced the critics.
They had nothing to say to Peter’s assertions.

They had nothing to say, but Paul did.
He seized the opportunity as if to say, “Amen” what Peter had just said.

Peter gave the exhortation of God’s grace
Paul gave examples of it.

“they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.”

So Peter preached doctrinal truth
And now Paul supports him with relevant testimony.

He simply wanted the crowds to know
That he could vouch for everything Peter had just said.
Furthermore, God was vouching for everything Peter had just said.

Paul was giving first hand accounts of how God was in fact
Choosing, Consecrating, and Changing the Gentiles.

And the main thing mentioned is “the signs and wonders God had done”.

And we are familiar with at least a few.

Remember Bar-Jesus?
Acts 13:11 “Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand.”

Then at Iconium:
Acts 14:3 “Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands.”
Acts 14:8-10 “At Lystra a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, who, when he had fixed his gaze on him and had seen that he had faith to be made well, said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he leaped up and began to walk.”

I even think Paul’s survival can be seen as a miracle.
Acts 14:19-20 “But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe.”

Those were all miraculous events.
FOR WHAT PURPOSE?

To indicate two things.
1) That Paul and Barnabas were true servants of God.

2 Corinthians 12:12 “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.”

These miracles were not for all believers, but rather they were
Specific gifts the apostles had in order to gain credibility to speak.

That was exactly the same purpose Jesus used them for.

John 5:36 “But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish — the very works that I do — testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.”

Their miracles certainly gave them credibility.

2) To prove that God was in fact at work. (the point made here)

What man could make Bar-Jesus blind?
What man could heal that lame man?

These miracles didn’t just validate Paul and Barnabas,
They were also indisputable evidence
That God was in what they were doing.

Hebrews 2:2-4 “For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.”
The writer of Hebrews saw the miracles worked
At the hands of those whom Jesus commissioned
And knew that was evidence that God was in what they were doing.

And this is really the main point of Paul’s defense here.
What Peter said was true.
God did choose the Gentiles, and God was saving the Gentiles,
And God was saving them apart from requiring their circumcision.

God had worked miracles and had validated the message.

It was obvious from a testimonial standpoint
That God saving Gentiles apart from making them Jewish.

Now, here in the record of Acts 15, that truth only occupies one verse.

But since we are here, and on the subject,
I think it’s important that we understand what a big deal this is.

It wasn’t just a big deal that this council understand this
And that they make the correct judgment.
It is also important that believers understand this.

Only one verse is devoted here to Paul’s debating
That God’s miracles validated Gentile salvation by faith apart from works.

But if you continue on in the New Testament,
We get a whole book devoted to this argument.

That book is the book of Galatians.

TURN TO: GALATIANS

Now for accuracy sake, I want you do know that
The setting for the Galatian letter is after this Jerusalem council.

In fact, Paul actually mentions in this letter how he went to Jerusalem to debate this issue, and then how Peter came to Antioch and he and Paul had an important conversation there.

So the setting of the letter is later.

What is evident is that those Judaizers
Who were at the first insinuating that the Gentiles be circumcised
Apparently were not in agreement with the decision
Reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.

The council upheld that circumcision was not necessary,
But the Judaizers continued to travel and preach that it was.

Now as we saw last week
It can be a very compelling argument that a Gentile be circumcised.

I mean if a man showed up and started quoting one Old Testament passage after another (and you didn’t yet have a New Testament)
You can see why the Gentiles were confused.

Well, that is what happened in the region of Galatia.
And now they were all be compelled to be circumcised.

That is why Paul gave that very harsh rebuke right off the bat

READ: GALATIANS 1:6-9

Now obviously Paul is here to make his defense.
• And if we had time, chapter 2 is very interesting as Paul actually recounts this Jerusalem council and then gives an instance in which he was forced to confront and rebuke Peter.

But what I really want you to see is this same argument in the Galatian letter that Paul made to the Jerusalem council.

To the Jerusalem council Paul reiterated that God was saving Gentiles
Apart from circumcision and validating it by miracles.

Now this is the same argument Paul will make to the Galatians.

READ: GALATIANS 3:1-5

Those who went to Sanyati this past summer are probably sick of that passage, I think we listened to about 6 sermons based on that one passage.

But the passage is important and certainly sheds light
On what Paul was debating back in Jerusalem.

Now first we notice a scathing rebuke from Paul.
“You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you”

Paul is really angry at the Galatians because some snake oil salesman
Came through town and completely seduced them.

He is angry because they were so gullible.
Wasn’t that what he said in chapter 1?
“I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you…for a different gospel?”

And the reason here Paul can’t believe they’ve been seduced is because it was before their “eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified”

The point being.
How could you so quickly listen to some sermon on circumcision when you know good and well that Jesus Christ was crucified?

Why did you think He was crucified?
If circumcision saves you, then what was the cross for?

See Paul saw all forms of legalistic ritual as a tremendous insult
To the sacrificial death of Christ.

Every form of legalistic effort only minimized what Jesus accomplished.

But then Paul goes into deposition mode.
(2) “This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”

Now if you will recognize it, that was precisely Peter’s point.

What was it that caused you to receive the Spirit of God?
Circumcision?

Obviously not, because God already gave you the Spirit
And you still aren’t circumcised.

(3) “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

Now this implies that the argument reaching the Galatian region
Wasn’t that they needed circumcision to be saved,
But rather that they needed circumcision after salvation to remain pleasing.

And Paul says that it is a stupid thought too.
Which is a bigger deal?
Which is more difficult?

Is it more difficult to change a sinner or wash a saint?

Well if God saved you (gave you the Spirit) based solely on your faith,
Do you really think that He will now finish your salvation based on works?

Obviously not.

(4) “Did you suffer (experience) so many things in vain – if indeed it was in vain?”

In other words, was God’s pouring out of His Spirit wasted on you?

And then here comes the point.
It is the same point Paul made in Jerusalem.

(5) “So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”

And the answer is so obvious, that Paul does not record it.
And there you see why Paul is so passionate.
• God gave you His Spirit.
• God worked miracles among you to validate His offer.
• And He did all that based on your faith.

If works like circumcision were so important then why did God do all that apart from you being circumcised?

It just makes no sense to go adding works to the obvious work of God.

Now, let me show you one more passage here in Galatians that will really sort of solidify why this is such an important truth for us to grasp.

READ: GALATIANS 5:2-6

Last week I asked you:
“Even if God saved Gentiles apart from being circumcised, don’t you think it’s still a good idea that they go ahead and do it?”

Look at Paul’s answer to that here.
(2) “Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you.”

(Now if you’re setting there, having been circumcised, don’t flip out, Paul will actually circumcise Timothy in Acts 16. Three times Paul says that circumcision is nothing)

What we are dealing with here is the Gentiles were viewing circumcision
As an important requirement to make them pleasing to God.

And Paul is telling them if you do it for that reason
Then “Christ will be of no benefit to you.”

What do you need Christ for
If you’ve determined to go ahead and try to earn salvation?
See Christ can’t save those who are bent on saving themselves.

Don’t we remember the necessary attitudes of salvation?
Matthew 5:3-6 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

In order to be saved the first thing you have to realize is that
You are weak, poor, helpless sinner
Whose only hope is if someone else delivers them.

I told you last Sunday morning
About Israel’s prophetic future salvation in Isaiah.

Isaiah 64:5-8 “You meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. Behold, You were angry, for we sinned, We continued in them a long time; And shall we be saved? For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on Your name, Who arouses himself to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us And have delivered us into the power of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand.”

Salvation requires a broken, helpless desire for salvation.
But a person who thinks they can earn salvation has no use for Christ.

But that is not the only problem.
(3) “And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.”

See, you can’t just pick and choose
Which commandments you are going to keep.

You can’t pull a “Rich Young Ruler” and say, “Which ones”
If you are going to earn it, then you have to earn it.

And Paul says, “I earning salvation is what you choose
(made obvious by a decision to receive circumcision)
then you had better keep it all.”

Go pick up that burden that Peter said none of the Jews
Had thus far been able to carry.
But you can’t just pick up a few.

This is one of the things that really concerns me
About groups like the Seventh Day Adventists.

Now, first of all there is nothing wrong with worshiping on Saturday.
The day doesn’t matter.

However, if worshiping on Saturday is some sort of requirement
By which you are made pleasing to God then we have a big problem.

Namely, you can’t just pick that one command and say, “We’re good”
You have to take them all.

And then notice what Paul says to those who choose circumcision.
(4) “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.”

Works and Grace are like oil and water, they cannot mix.
You cannot be saved partly by grace and the rest by works.
You cannot be saved partly by works and the rest by grace.

To choose salvation by grace is to rest from your labor.
To choose salvation by works is to toss grace out the window.

And that is what Paul says there.

If you choose to earn your salvation.
• Say goodbye to Jesus
• Say goodbye to freedom
• Say goodbye to grace
None of those things are found by keeping the Law.

But you should also know
If you say good by to Jesus and to grace,
Then you can also say goodbye to salvation.

(5) “For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.”

See those using works are working like crazy
Hoping they will obtain righteousness.

But hose who trust Christ for it and receive the Spirit by faith
Have the hope of righteousness.

For the one who works, “hope” is a verb.
(He hopes he will get it)

For the one who trusts, “hope” is a noun.
(He has hope because of it)

And those who trust Christ have hope.

(6) “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.”

When you get Jesus, who cares if you’ve been circumcised.
It doesn’t matter.

All that matters is faith in Christ based on a love for Christ.

But you see Paul’s point.
This circumcision issue matters.

If you let circumcision sneak in here as a requirement for salvation
Then kiss Jesus goodbye,
Kiss grace goodbye,
Kiss freedom goodbye,
And kiss glory goodbye.

And that doesn’t just go for circumcision,
But any work that someone seeks to add to salvation.

This is a major issue.
And so now not only do we understand
Why Gentiles don’t have to be circumcised,
We also understand why Peter, Paul, and James fought so hard against it.

Salvation was at stake.

If these men succeeded in getting those Gentiles circumcised,
Then we would have been right back where we were
Before Christ ever came.

Right back to the unbearable burdens…
Right back to the futility of sacrifices…
Right back to the veil of separation…

Jesus and His grace is the greatest gift mankind ever received,
Don’t disregard it.

Now, I think that leads us to important point to make in our lives.
It is so easy to let legalism creep in to our lives.
It is so easy to become “works” oriented.

But when we are tempted to put confidence in our own works,
All we are really doing is saying
We don’t have confidence in the work of Christ.

KNOW THAT THE DEATH OF CHRIST IS SUFFICIENT.

And know it is not only sufficient to save you, but to perfect you.

Galatians 3:3 “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

The issue there wasn’t salvation, but rather sanctification.
We know that a true believer still has sin in his life,
But we also know that he hates it.

The question is, how are you going to go about getting rid of it?
How are you going to achieve sanctification in your life?

Are you just going to try harder?
Are you just going to work at it?
You’ll end up disheartened.

Remember what Paul said about struggling against sin?

Romans 7:18-19 “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.”

It is amazing how many people in the church
Know they can’t be saved by works of the flesh,
But the second they get saved they say,
“Thanks Jesus, I’ve got it from here.”

We sort of assume that all Jesus came to do
Was get us saved and now the rest is up to us.

And tonight I just want to throw those same questions out to you that Paul gave the Galatians..

• Did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law, or by hearing with
faith?
• Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the
flesh?
• Does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles
among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with
faith?

Make sure you aren’t sucked in to legalism,
Either for salvation or for sanctification.

There have always been those Judaizers out there
Who try to get you to earn what Jesus came to freely give.

Don’t give in to them.

Galatians 2:2-5 “It was because of a revelation that I went up; and I submitted to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain. But not even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage. But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.”

You don’t give in to them either.
• Trust the work of Christ to save you.
• Trust the work of Christ to sanctify you.
• Don’t disregard grace
• And certainly don’t substitute grace with works.

Acts 15:11 “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

The Jerusalem Confession – part 2
Acts 15:10-11
December 2, 2012

Last time we met we started studying what I have called
“The Jerusalem Confession”

I take that term based on the various creeds or confessions
That have been written throughout the history of Christianity.

It’s no surprise that at times God’s people can read the same Bible
And yet come to a different consensus as to what it is saying.

That does not mean the Bible is promoting some sort of dual message.
I do believe and have always believed that there is but one truth
And one meaning of Scripture.

However, we as fallen man don’t always
Immediately come to the right conclusion.

And so we can even disagree
As to what Scripture may in fact command us to do.

Now, in that list certainly there are some issues
That are of minor importance and not worth fighting over.

For example,
• I don’t care if you think the Bible says you can or can’t dance.
• I’m not overly concerned if you think instruments are allowed or not.
• I’m not fighting over if you think the church should meet on Sunday night.

Those issues really are minor and in the end
They boil down to the condition of the heart.

But there are issues that really are non-negotiable.
• The person and nature of Christ.
• The role and relevance of Scripture.
• The means of salvation.

Issues like that matter because they affect salvation.

The church may differ on whether or not Christian women can wear makeup, but in matters relating to salvation,
We cannot be wrong.

Whatever the labor required,
Whatever the length of study,
Whatever the time needed,
We must involve ourselves in it until we find
What Scripture unequivocally teaches in regard to salvation.
And throughout the years the church has embarked in such endeavors.
From the council of Nicea to Constinopole, to Chalcedone and so on.

Debating things such as
• Whether Jesus was in fact equal with the Father.
• Whether Christ was fully God and fully man.
• Whether Christ had a divine will and a human will.

And in all of these issues the Holy Spirit was SOUGHT,
The Scripture was SEARCHED,
And Spirit-filled men were SUMMONED to find the truth.

The rulings became the basis for orthodox Christian doctrine.

Well, often overlooked in the list of church ecumenical counsels
Is the first ever, and that one occurred in Jerusalem,
And the apostles themselves actually attended it.

The question of the day?
Circumcision

More specifically; Does a Gentile have to be circumcised to be saved?

Acts 15:1 “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.”

And because the argument was so intense and the split was so even,
It was time for God’s will in the issue to be found at all cost.

So Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem to meet with James and Peter
And the other apostles to clear up this matter.

Their decision is what I call “The Jerusalem Confession”

Last week we saw Paul and Barnabas arrive and begin to testify to all that God had done with them on their missionary journey.

But as Paul shared his opponents could no longer contain themselves.

Acts 15:5 “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.”

And so the council was convened.

Acts 15:6 “The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter.”

It wasn’t left up to chance…
It wasn’t left up to local autonomy…
This was an issue that had to be settled.

Truth and error had to be clearly defined and so the debate was on.
And while there was much debate that we have no record of,
Luke does allow us to hear what Peter had to say.

Acts 15:7-9 “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. “And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.”

And without rehashing it too much you will remember that
Peter basically insinuated that requiring Gentiles to be circumcised
Completely ignored what God had already done in their lives.

• God had chosen the Gentiles
• God had consecrated the Gentiles by giving them His Spirit
• God had cleansed the Gentiles from their pagan way of life

God had already done that without them having been circumcised.

Peter’s insinuation was that to now require circumcision
Would be to ignore all that God had already accomplished.

What more could you want for them, than to have them be God’s chosen, Spirit-filled, and holy people?

What is circumcision going to accomplish that God hadn’t already done?

And then last week we covered verses 10 and 11 rather quickly,
But I really want to spend a little more time in them this evening
And make sure we fully understand the issue and Peter’s argument.

I told you last week that according to verse 10 Peter was saying that CIRCUMCISION TESTS GOD

(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?”

And we said that this legalistic requirement tests God,
Because it questions the validity or effectiveness of His salvation.

Very similar to the way the Israelites questions God’s provision when demanding water.

And then in verse 11 we said that Peter revealed that
CIRCUMCISION MINIMIZES GOD

(11) “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

If works are required for salvation, then what good is grace?
And that was really the heart of Peter’s argument.
• Requiring Circumcision Ignores God
• Requiring Circumcision Tests God
• Requiring Circumcision Minimizes God

But before we move on to Paul and James
I want us to dive into the issue here a little more deeply
And seek to fully understand the point that Peter is making.

In verse 10 Peter asked a very important question.
“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?”

We talked about the testing part earlier,
But I want to zoom here a little more on this notion of an unbearable yoke.

You know what a yoke was.
It was the device that was thrown over the neck of an ox
To make it possible for him to pull a plow or a cart.

The very presence of yoke indicated work.

And Peter said that the yoke Israel carried
Was a yoke they were not able to bear.

WHAT WAS THIS YOKE?
It was the Law, and more specifically it was the requirements of the Law in order to be saved.

For those Jews who sought to earn or deserve their salvation
Through their adherence of the written command,
The attempt was literally exhausting.

There were so many commands and so many requirements that the daily grind of trying to keep up with it all would have literally exhausted a person.

Keeping the entire Law was really impossible.
It was a yoke they could not bear.

And certainly this mentality was the one of the things Jesus appealed to.
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

That was Jesus saying that He could accomplish for them
What they could not accomplish on their own.

It was similar to the statement He made in the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”

He didn’t come to nullify God’s standard, He simply came to make a way
For mankind to achieve God’s standard.

Abigail can’t make a basket on her basketball goal,
But I’m not going to take the goal down. Instead I raise her.

That is similar to what Christ came to do.

Jews carried an enormous burden with an impossible standard
Christ came to relieve the burden and achieve the standard.

And while people really couldn’t see that during His life on earth,
It was a point that finally became clear at Pentecost.

After Peter preached,
You can still hear the “works-based” mentality of Israel.

Acts 2:37 “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ” Brethren, what shall we do?”

There were still curious about what the requirement was.

But Peter helped them to see the work of Christ on their behalf.
Acts 2:38-39 “Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

On that day Jews finally realized
That Jesus could achieve what they never could.
He could save them.
He could make them right with God.

And so by grace, through faith, the Jews that day
Were relieved of their burden and finally found rest for their souls.

And Peter even referenced that in verse 11.
(11) “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus…”

But that still left a tremendous amount of confusion
In regard to some of their practical areas.

We know the path the Jews took to salvation.
• They were chosen of God, and entered into a covenant with Him.
• They then broke that covenant repeatedly.
• Christ then came and purchased their pardon.
That was their path to salvation.

But now we have these Gentiles coming to Christ
From a seemingly different path.

They didn’t get circumcised…
They didn’t accept the Law…

They bypassed all of that and came straight to Christ
And that was very confusing to the Jews.

And that is the basis for the issue regarding circumcision.
NO, THEY HAVE TO DO IT LIKE WE DID

And when we read that there was much debate, I’m sure that was true.

There are plenty of Scriptures in the Old Testament
That clearly command circumcision.

Genesis 17:9-14 “God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. “This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. “And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. “And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants. “A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. “But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

In fact years later as God has called Moses back to Egypt
God nearly killed Moses simply because he had not circumcised his son.

Exodus 4:24-26 “Now it came about at the lodging place on the way that the LORD met him and sought to put him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and threw it at Moses’ feet, and she said, “You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me.”So He let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood” — because of the circumcision.”

In fact, not being circumcised was really a statement of being Godless.

Remember David’s reproach of Goliath?
1 Samuel 17:26 “Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?”

Circumcision was literally “THE” sign
Of being in a covenant relationship with God.

It wasn’t just the physical part, but what it symbolized about your heart.
Deuteronomy 30:6 “Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”

Jeremiah 4:3-4 “For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, “Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns. “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD And remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will go forth like fire And burn with none to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds.”

Even Paul would tell the Romans:
Romans 2:28-29 “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.”

So circumcision was an outward picture of an inward reality
And according to Scripture it was the most important symbol.

I mean a man could even be cut off from his people if he didn’t do it.

And this is just a few of the Scriptures that could have been quoted during this debate.

And I think you can see how this would have been a confusing issue.
(And really we could have the same debate over keeping the Sabbath or dietary restrictions, or anything else Jewish)

So let me ask you:
If the Old Testament is that clear on circumcision,
Why do we say Gentiles don’t have to do it?

(Now you could answer, “because the New Testament says we don’t have to”
But at the time of the council they didn’t have a New Testament)

Well, let me give you the simple answer.

CIRCUMCISION WAS THE SIGN OF ISRAEL’S COVENANT WITH GOD

TURN TO: Romans 4:9-12

Paul is here making the argument that Abraham was saved or justified
Before he was ever circumcised.

Therefore circumcision could not have been what saved him.

Yet, God still required him to do it even though he was already saved.
The reason is because it was the sign of His covenant with God.

And therefore as Abraham’s descendants all Hebrews or Jews
Were therefore commanded to be circumcised.

So why not Gentiles?
Because we are not a part of that covenant.

Now we read the Law because it is the Law of God,
But we aren’t under the Law like the Jews were.

We read the Ten Commandments because they are of God,
But we were never under that covenant.

WE WERE SAVED APART FROM THE LAW.

Remember when Paul spoke of being all things to all men?

1 Corinthians 9:19-21 “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law.”

Notice Paul referred to Gentiles as those “without Law”

Romans 2:14 “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves,”

Gentiles were never under the Law, never under those covenants
And therefore never required to be circumcised.

The question then is: DON’T YOU THINK THOUGH IT IS A GOOD IDEA FOR THEM TO GO AHEAD AND GET UNDER THE LAW?

The answer?
NO, not if they have already come to Christ.

The whole purpose of the Law was to lead Israel to Christ.
Galatians 3:24 “Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”

And so once a Jew found Christ, he no longer needed the Law.
• That doesn’t make the Law wrong
• That doesn’t make the Law bad
• That doesn’t make the Law without value

But when a person finds Christ they no longer need the Law.
Romans 10:4 “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

What we have here is Gentiles who managed to find Christ
Without ever having the luxury of the Law.

That is really miraculous when you think about it.
It is a testimony to the sovereign election of God.
But the question is, if Gentiles have already found Christ, which is the goal of the Law, then what is the point of making them now go back to the Law?
There is none.

That’s why circumcision is an O.T. command that we don’t keep.
We aren’t under that command.
Just like we aren’t under any of the Law.

Doesn’t make the Law wrong,
Doesn’t mean there is no value in studying it,
There’s just no need for coming under it when we already have Christ.

Now this leads me to the next thing that is so important.

Look at what Peter said here in Acts.

(10-11) “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? “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

Peter said we couldn’t bear the burden of the Law,
Christ had to take that burden from us.

And as a result “we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

And that is the other statement I want you to recognize tonight.

We aren’t saved by adhering to the Law, even Jews couldn’t do that.
We are saved “through the grace of the Lord Jesus”

But I think it is very important that we understand this grace better.

Now, I’m not going to be able to fully satisfy
Your heart’s curiosity in regard to grace.

I can’t fully explain it to you.
There are some aspects of grace that we will literally spend all of eternity learning about.

Ephesians 2:5-7 “even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

We will learn about grace “in the ages to come”
So I’m not going to pretend to fully explain it to you.
But there is a part of grace that we can grasp
And it is important that we understand the best we can.

Now the best way to look at grace is to examine our lives before grace,
And then to examine our lives after grace.

So let’s take a pre-grace evaluation of our lives.
Titus 3:3 “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.”

Ephesians 2:12 “remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”

Ephesians 4:17-19 “So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.”

Romans 8:5-8 “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

And those verses give us a very clear picture of a “grace-less” life.

FOOLISH – DECEIVED – ENSLAVED – EXCLUDED – STRANGERS – DARKENED
– CALLOUS – HOSTILE – CANNOT PLEASE GOD

What you may not realize is that this is the very best
That humanity can hope for.

My parents have a song they love called “Where it not for grace”

“Where it not for grace, I can tell you were I’d be. Wondering down some pointless road to nowhere, with my salvation up to me. I know how that would go, the battles I would face, forever running, but losing the race, where it not for grace.”

Human Ability, human Wisdom, human Effort,
Human Ingenuity can only take a human so far.
The problem is that the human limit is well short of God’s requirement.

But let’s take a look at that same life after grace.
Titus 3:3-7 “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
Ephesians 2:12-13 “remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

And now the picture begins to emerge.

Now let me see if I can accurately describe grace for you.
For years grace has been defined as “God’s unmerited favor”

And that is certainly true,
But that definition has always seemed a little incomplete.
It certainly explains God’s propensity to be merciful to sinners who don’t deserve it,
But it still seems to leave off much of what grace accomplishes.

So in regard to grace, let me describe it like this.

GRACE COMPENSATES FOR HUMAN WEAKNESS IN EVERY WAY

Now that is probably the most clearly seen in:
Romans 5:20 “The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,”

But there is still more that can be understood.
Grace compensates for human weakness in every way.

It compensates for human weakness in regard to RIGHTEOUSNESS
(we would call this salvation)

Mankind needs righteousness to be pleasing to God,
But in his own ability and by his own merit he cannot produce it.

Grace supplies it.
Romans 3:23-24 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;”

Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace”

And that part we are probably most familiar with.
It is the grace of God to forgive a sinner and bestow righteousness on him

It compensates for human weakness in regard to ABILITY

Now this is more than salvation.
And this by the way is why a Christian
Should always recognize the necessity of grace.

You may have been forgiven,
But how are you going to serve God the way He deserves?

We are beset with failure and weakness and futility.
Our ministry is powerless on our own.
We can in reality accomplish so little for God in our own strength.

Where does the ability or the strength to serve come from?
Grace

1 Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”

Hebrews 12:28 (NKJV) “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”

It is the grace of God that strengthens you and allows you to serve.
Apart from grace you cannot serve God in an acceptable manner.

See grace is more than just favor, it is also power.

It compensates for human weakness in regard to PERSEVERANCE

On your own, you do not have the ability to push forward,
You could not carry on through trials, tribulations, persecutions, hardships or discouragements.

Humanity is too weak to carry on.

Where does he get his strength to endure?
Grace

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 “Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

It isn’t the strength of man that allows him to endure, man is too weak.
It is grace that allows him to endure.

It compensates for human weakness in regard to RESOURCES

Many times we want to serve, and may even have grace to serve,
But still lack the resources.

Where do the resources come from?
Grace

2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;”

Now I’m not pretending that that is a comprehensive list,
But I think it sets us in the right direction.

GRACE COMPENSATES FOR HUMAN WEAKNESS IN EVERY WAY

• Where humans are too weak to achieve righteousness, grace intervenes.
• Where humans are too weak to serve acceptably, grace intervenes.
• Where humans are too weak to endure, grace intervenes.
• Where humans are too weak in regard to resources, grace intervenes.

Grace is the divine answer to human weakness.
AND GRACE IS ALWAYS ENOUGH.

Now here is the point that needs to be made tonight,
And the one that Peter was making in his speech.

• If the problem is human weakness…
• If grace is the answer to human weakness…

WHAT SENSE DOES IT MAKE TO PROMOTE HUMAN EFFORT WHILE DISREGARDING GRACE?

And the answer is that it makes no sense at all.

And that is the argument that Peter has been making.
• It’s not that circumcision wasn’t commanded…
• It’s not that the Law is bad…

It’s just that all of those things focused on human effort
And humans were too weak to succeed in that regard.

But now grace has come,
And it has compensated for our weakness in every single way,
So why would we now try to go back to human effort?

And why would expect others to go back where we failed?

That is in essence what Peter said:
(10-11) “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? “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

And I hope that now you not only understand why circumcision wasn’t important, but also why grace is important.

 

Furthermore I hope you are filled with a desire
To no longer seek to walk in human strength,
But that you set your mind to walk according to grace.

Grace is the divine answer to your weakness
In every way and at every turn.

2 Timothy 2:1 “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”