Acts 15
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
[READING - Acts 15:1-3]
1 Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. 3 Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren.
[PRAYER]
[PROP] No matter who you are, only faith alone in Christ alone saves you from the wrath of God.
God exists, and He is holy, holy, holy.
He created us. He is the authority over us, and we answer to Him.
We sinned against Him by doing the opposite of what His perfect righteousness demands.
We chose death by rebelling against the one who gave us life.
But in His grace, God sent us new life in His Son, Jesus.
Jesus lived the life of perfect obedience that we have not lived.
Jesus died the death that should’ve been ours to satisfy the wrath of God that was due to us.
Jesus rose from the dead as proof that all who trust in Him will be saved from wrath and made right with God.
No matter who you are, only faith alone in Jesus Christ alone saves you from the wrath of God.
[TS] That’s the center of this argument in Antioch. Look at each PART of it…
EXPOSITION
EXPOSITION
Part #1: THE TROUBLESOME TEACHING (v. 1)
Part #1: THE TROUBLESOME TEACHING (v. 1)
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.”
Paul and Barnabas had returned from their first missionary journey. They were spending some time in Syrian Antioch with their brothers and sisters in Christ who had sent them out to make disciples and then welcomed them home to rest and prepare for the next missionary endeavor. People were being saved and disciples were being made in Antioch until a troublesome teaching came down from Judea.
“Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
Antioch had become a church with major gospel-influence in the Gentile world and that influence was spreading. Gentiles on Cyprus, and in Perga, Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe were being saved from the wrath of God through faith alone in Jesus Christ, but then these Jews from Jerusalem came down and said faith alone wasn’t enough; in order to be saved, Gentiles had to have faith in Jesus plus be circumcised according to the custom of Moses. In other words, these men from Judea were teaching that a Gentile could only be saved by the Jewish Messiah if he or she became a Jew first.
Beginning with Abraham, God commanded Jewish men to be circumcised in the flesh as a mark that identified them as the people of God. They were the circumcised people, the set apart people, the people cut out from the rest of the world to be God’s people. But that mark in the flesh was just a physical reminder of the deeper mark of faith on the heart of all those like Abraham who believed God and had it counted to them as righteousness.
The true mark of God’s people is faith.
Here’s how Paul said it…
28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 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.
7 Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. 8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.
Part #2: THE GREAT DISSENSION AND DEBATE (v. 2)
Part #2: THE GREAT DISSENSION AND DEBATE (v. 2)
2 And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue.
Now, Paul and Barnabas knew that these men from Judea were wrong. They knew that this troublesome teaching could doubt, division, and destruction. If the Gentile Christians in Antioch believed these false teachers from Jerusalem, they may doubt their salvation. Or if some believed these false teachers and others didn’t, the church would be divided. Or if everyone in Antioch believed this false gospel, then everything built up in Antioch would be destroyed. Paul and Barnabas knew the truth and knew the danger, so they had “great dissension and debate with them.” More literally, Luke writes, “Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them,” which means of course that the dissension and debate was very large.
The word translated as “dissension” is translated as “riot” and “insurrection” in other places.
The word translated as “debate” is translated as “controversy” in other places.
In other words, when this troublesome teaching came to Antioch, it upset the life of the church tremendously, and Paul and Barnabas went to war against it.
Soon, however, they saw that the debate was getting closer to deciding the matter, so they appealed to the authority of the Jerusalem church.
Part #3: THE JOY ON THE JOURNEY (v. 3)
Part #3: THE JOY ON THE JOURNEY (v. 3)
3 Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren.
Once again, Paul and Barnabas are sent on their way by the church in Antioch, but this time it’s not to spread the Gospel in Gentile cities but to defend the Gospel in God’s city. The other Apostles and elders like James, the half-brother of Jesus, the leader of the Jerusalem church at this time, they could weigh-in and decide who was right.
Was salvation by faith alone?
Or was salvation by faith plus circumcision?
As they traveled, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, places that had heard the Gospel as Christians fled after the persecution of Stephen. Paul and Barnabas described all that God had done among the Gentiles and people rejoiced greatly.
Those who are saved by faith in Christ alone rejoice when they hear of others who are saved by faith in Christ alone.
ILLUSTRATION
ILLUSTRATION
A vestibule surrounds the exterior doors of a building or room. We call the space just outside this auditorium, the vestibule. As you came in this morning, there were doors that led into the vestibule and then doors that led into this auditorium. You had to pass through one set of doors to enter the other set of doors.
Some people think that you have to pass through many doors when you come to God for salvation.
The false teachers in Acts 15 taught that you had to enter the door of Judaism before you could enter the door of salvation.
Some false teachers today say that you have to enter the door of baptism before you can enter the door of salvation.
Some others say that you have to enter the door of church membership or the door of taking the Lord’s Supper or the door of this thing and that thing and so forth and so on.
But there’s only one door to salvation, only one point of entry.
Jesus said in John 10:9…
9 “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
Jesus said the same thing in a different way in John 14:6 when He said…
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
There’s no vestibule in God’s house. The only one door, only one point of entry, and He is Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.
[TS] Let’s think about three application points this morning…
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
#1: We must enter the door that is faith alone in Jesus alone.
#1: We must enter the door that is faith alone in Jesus alone.
There’s no other door. There’s no other way to be saved but through faith in Jesus Christ.
Paul and Barnabas entered that door; they had placed their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. They were circumcised Jews raised to revere and obey the Law of Moses, but they knew the Law of Moses ultimately revealed to them just how sinful they were. The Law said, “To be saved you must be absolutely perfect just as God is absolutely perfect,” but the Law revealed that they were not perfect. They were far from it.
We are all far from perfect.
In His great Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s fifth chapter, Jesus showed us just how sinful we are. He pointed to the Ten Commandments. Let’s just think about two of those He mentioned.
“You shall not commit murder.” We might comfort ourselves, saying, “Well, I’ve never done that; I’ve never committed murder.”
But Jesus said that whoever is angry with someone else in the heart is guilty of breaking that commandment.
Have you ever been angry with someone in your heart? Have you ever shouted at someone, “You idiot!”? Have you ever cursed at someone?
I have, and therefore I am guilty of breaking the commandment against murder. The Law has revealed that I am not perfect, that I’m not good enough for God.
“You shall not commit adultery.” Again, we might comfort ourselves, saying, “Well, I’ve never done that; I’ve never cheated on my spouse.”
But Jesus said that if we look at someone else with with lust, we’ve committed adultery in the heart, and we are headed for hell.
Have you ever lusted after someone? Have you daydreamed of another man or another woman?
I have, and there I am guilty of breaking the commandment against adultery. The Law has once again revealed that I am not perfect, that I’m not good enough for God.
But Jesus is good enough. In fact, He is perfect. As the Son of God, He is the only who has been perfect as His heavenly Father is perfect. Only He measures up. Only He gets perfect marks when graded by God’s Law.
That’s why Jesus said in Matthew 5:17
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Jesus fulfilled the Law that we could not fulfill. He kept what we would could not keep. He was perfect when we could not be. He measured up when we fell short.
He never had sinful anger in His heart.
He never looked at another person with lust in His heart.
He was perfect. That’s why He’s the door to salvation. That’s why we must hidden in Him through faith.
21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Only Jesus is perfect before God the Father.
Only Jesus died to take away our sins.
Only Jesus gives to us the righteousness we need to be saved from the wrath of God.
Only Jesus is the door of salvation.
That’s why we must trust Him.
That’s why we must believe Him.
That’s why we must place our faith in Him alone.
[ILLUS] I was once at the dentist’s office having a cavity filled. The dentist and his assistant worked for a bit, but then the dentist said, “Can you hold this?” and I thought he was talking to me! I mumble, “Sure,” stuck my hand up to take hold of whatever I was supposed to hold.
But as I did so, he said, “Are you OK?” I mumbled, “Yeah, I was just going to hold that for you,” but he said, “Oh no, I was talking to her. You don’t have to help. We got it.”
Faith alone in Jesus means that we don’t have to help.
He’s got it.
If you’ve never trusted in Jesus to save you from your sins, today is the day to do so.
He doesn’t need your help, just your trust.
He’s got it.
#2: Having entered the door, we defend the door that is faith alone in Jesus alone.
#2: Having entered the door, we defend the door that is faith alone in Jesus alone.
When the troublesome teachers from Judea came teaching their troublesome teaching in Antioch, Paul and Barnabas knew it was time to defend faith alone. There was great dissension and debate because Paul and Barnabas knew how serious this issue was. They didn’t want any obstacle to be placed in front of the door leading to salvation, and we shouldn’t either.
[ILLUS] Perhaps you’ve been in some public building and you’ve seen a sign that reads, “Emergency Exit. Do Not Block.” Or maybe it read, “Fire Exit. Do Not Block.”
As those who have entered salvation through faith, we must be sure that we don’t allow anything to block the entrance that leads to salvation.
Some today say that you must speak in tongues in order to be saved.
Those who say that block the door that is faith alone in Jesus alone.
Some today say that you must be baptized in order to be saved.
Those who say that block the door that is faith alone in Jesus alone.
Some today say that you must read from a certain translation or attend a certain church in order to be saved.
Those who say such things block the door that is faith alone in Jesus alone.
To be saved, nothing more is required than faith in Jesus Christ, God’s Son, who kept the Law for us, died to pay the price for our law-breaking, and rose from the dead to make us perfect as God is perfect.
We must defend that door because that’s the door we entered in order to be saved, and we defend that door lest we be guilty of aiding and abetting those who put obstacles in the way of salvation.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
#3: Finally, we rejoice when others enter the door that is faith alone in Jesus alone.
#3: Finally, we rejoice when others enter the door that is faith alone in Jesus alone.
On the way to Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas, told others about the Gentiles who had been saved—not by becoming Jewish—but who had been saved by faith alone in Christ alone.
When those believers in Phoenicia and Samaria heard this, they didn’t say, “Wait. Have they been circumcised yet? Wait. Have they been baptized yet? Wait. Do they read the King James?”
No! They received the news of Gentile salvation by faith alone in Christ alone with great joy!
They weren’t mad that the Gentiles didn’t have to be circumcised or go to Hebrew school or keep the Jewish feasts and festivals.
They rejoiced that these people had been saved by Jesus!
[ILLUS] Jesus once told a parable about workers in a vineyard.
Early in the morning the owner of the vineyard hired workers and agreed to pay them a full day’s wage.
A little later the owner hired some more workers and told them that he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day.
He did the same thing at noon and at three o’clock—hiring workers and agreeing to pay them what was appropriate for their work.
And then at nearly the end of the day, he hired some more workers on the same terms.
When it came time to pay the workers, the owner of the vineyard started with the ones hired at the end of the day.
Incredibly, he paid those who only worked one hour a full day’s wage.
The owner paid those hired at three o’clock and noon and nine o’clock in the morning a full day’s wage as well! This was incredibly generous!
So, when those hired in the early morning—those who had been working all day—were about to receive their pay, they thought they would receive more—maybe two day’s pay, but they were only paid a full day’s wage as well.
They were upset, “Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat,” (Matt. 20:12).
The owner replied…
13 “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage?
14 Take what’s yours and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with what is mine? Are you jealous because I’m generous?’
The troublesome teachers who came down to Antioch were upset that these Gentiles had laid hold of the promises of salvation by mere faith in Jesus.
How could all the promises of God made to Abraham and his descendents be given to these Gentiles when they had not been circumcised, when they had not keep the commandments, when they had not participated in the other rituals and festivals!? It just wasn’t fair!
God says, “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with what is mine? Are you jealous because I’m generous?”
Salvation belongs to the Lord, and He says whether you come early or come late, you come through faith in Jesus Christ.
Salvation belongs to the Lord, and He says whether you come early or come late, you’re saved just the same.
Salvation belongs to the Lord, and He says rejoice when others receive the same generous salvation that you have received through faith in Jesus Christ.
[TS]…
Conclusion
Conclusion
Enter the door. Defend the door. Rejoice when others enter that same door of faith alone in Christ alone.
[PRAYER]