Sermon Tone Analysis

Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Alien outside power - comes to our world - scary ask what are they up to - friendly inquisitive like ET, or hostile take over like war of the Worlds.

Ender’s Game - realize that miscommunication misunderstand - embedded at end of war, a message they could understand hope for different future.

Well congregation imagine if the living god who made all this, who loves the world he created, justly desires to stop the evil and suffering, imagine if he were to visit this world!

Well this is the central of message and good news of the Bible.

In OT, approximately 3500 years ago God visited this planet in a most remarkable way.

A tiny oppressed enslaved people were in terrible troulbe and he chose them and then he visited them - in the Exodus - … Just like chose and visited Abraham and Sarah!

what was he upto?

Took them to Mt Sinai - form them into a most unique kingdom - holy law, of justice and love, but a kingdom of priests, desire all would be prophets - have a king - who reign with grace - but climax of the book that this whole nation worshipped at tent where living God visited , tabernacled.

But that tent even though it became a beautiful temple - destroyed torn down, though rebuilt - no king sat on David’s throne, and God’s Spirit had not returned to his Temple, his tabernacle.

Rabbis of Jesus day acknowledge still in exile with David’s tent of praise still broken down.

So the NT begins with a second visitation of God - Son of God came to earth - tabernacled among dwelt among us - he said destroy the temple, and I will rebuild it in three days - he was called what?

The Son of David - people recognized, in this visitation - especially after the Cross and the Resurrection - Here is the greater Son of David, restoring a kingdom, He’s come with salvation for Israel and has been raised to an everlasting throne - and from a Jewish perspective they even noticed that this time God was here an there including non-Jews.

And now not just individual Gentiles and their families, but whole cities of Gentiles it would seem.

Soon accuse Paul of turning the world upside down.

God is blessing the Gentile mission in this first half of the book of Acts, but now it brings a crisis which is at the centre of the Books of Acts.

The question is a watershed in the advance of the gospel to not just Jerusalem, Judea, some Samaritans” but the gospel to the ends of the earth!

If that were to happen is it just going to be by making Gentiles who came to know jesus - follow the Jewish ritual law and customs?

Has God just visited in Jesus Christ - to fix a broken OT religion?

Some Jewish believers from Judea come up to Antioch and make an ultimatum:

Understand they were saying, that unless these Gentiles become Jews they are not saved by God from their sins, they are not kingdom of God .

And while we must look at the three answers given by Peter, Barnabas & Paul, and James.

IT is James’ that stands at the heart of the answer.

Since Jesus has been set up as great Messianic Davidic King, worked salvation, since he risen again and sent his gospel and Spirit into the world - God is doing a new thing - he has visited a third time - and this is at visitation that is lasting until this very day.

Visitation of God into this world.

James quoting the prophecy of Amos says: Now God has returned tot his world and is rebuilding the tent of David that has fallen down.

James sees the Gentiles, ETHNE - and he actually uses the LXX version of the quote - expands the meaning - God had promised that when Messiah came, and the LORD returned to rebuild his church - that Israel would possess Edom, but expanded meaning - Adam all mankind… and the rebuilding worded a little differently as he say other prophets attest to is for the purpose of that a part of all humankind will not just be possed but one letter difference they will seek the LORD!

That didn’t happen right away in jesus Christ’s first coming, first just Jewish Christians.

But now in God’s coming in the Spirit to the nations - now a new age, a church age - James recognizes what that God is visiting us in this world through the church - and we need to be all about the purpose of his visitation.

Part of the church had misunderstood Jesus coming and the Spirit’s coming among the church - and they had said that Jesus came to make the world Jewish.

For them the gospel had become Jesus PLUS law-keeping, Jewish distinctives.

When Paul and Barnabas reach Jerusalem to have this resolved look how this misunderstanding of the gospel is summarized:

And while we may not be arguing for people to get circumcised, eat kosher food, avoid red meat - The danger is still here in the church the we turn the gospel into Jesus plus - our church traditions,.

Jesus plus moral-ism, jesus plus social justice, Jesus plus charismatic gifts .

But understand that Jesus plus anything is to end up with no gospel.

Jesus doesn’t just fulfill our human efforts at religions, he fulfills them completely.

And when His gospel and his Spirit come upon you, God is visiting you in a new way this third way and the result will be you and I becoming a new people with believing Israel - the new Israel of God, the kingdom of Christ, the church, rebuilt temple of praise!

Key Truth: The Lord is is visiting the remnant of mankind, to rebuild the tent of David by cleansing hearts by faith and giving them the Holy Spirit!

Let’s first consider how God is visiting and building today, by hearing Peter’s witness (vv.7-11).

A. Peter says God’s 3rd Visitation is about Cleansing through faith & the Spirit

Notice first that this was a matter which required much debate!

There are things in life that don’t.

Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Wisdom to know what you would speak up for, debate, even die for, and what just let ride.

Major on the majors.

The Gentile Christians didn’t just say - well to each his own, we’ll have two branches of the church, with two different ideas about salvation.

No, both the Jewish part of the church and the Gentile part - acknowledging each other as true followers of the Messiah - say we have got to get this right, how are saved.

Both can’t be right, either saved faith in Jesus and his righteousness and His law keeping on our behalf, his death and resurrection - or we are saved by our efforts.

No in between.

Three times Peter emphasizes even though as Jewish as they come, that God made a choice to have Gentiles hear the gospel and to believe it.

Speaking of 10 years before Cornelius.

You know what happened when a Gentile started to believe in jesus to trust simple gospel - he received the Holy Spirit just like us! , end times gift of Spirit!

One is saved by faith in the gospel not law keeping, one receives the Holy Spirit not by law keeping but as they are made one with Christ,

Q = Is this is the heart of our religion here?

What is at the centre?

-The way we do things trad, , the church activities, or faith in Jesus?

Jesus’ person, his work, his teaching.

And do we believe anyone from out there can receive the Spirit, hear the gospel and become one of us - just by faith in Jesus and not by first keeping all our rules and morals.

Is this what we are first of all about.

Jesus and faith in him.

Look at v.9 the big deal is not ritual or ceremonial cleanness/purity.

What is the big deal of how God visits a person now.

If Jesus is visiting you in His church today by His Spirit how would you know?

Acts 15:9

Not purity laws, circumcision rituals, but a real cleansing of the heart - Dealing with real sin and applying real forgiveness - blood of Jesus does that.

People who know how to deal with sin.

People who forgive as we are forgiven - can testify and live with clear conscience.

Cleansed in reality spiritually, and with a resulting repentance!

progressively living free from the power of our sins.

not holier than thou attitude… but person truly loved forgiven, endeavoring to be good - That’s what happened to the Gentiles as trusted in jesus, and without all the ritual laws!

People need to see that in our lives - not a society of different rules first of all, but of live by powerful lifechanging grace.

Do people see that in your life - it is not some ritual laws that empowers and motivates you - but God’s grace in Christ, by His Spirit that enables you live the new life!

In some ways seems easier to make poeople follow your rules, but doesn’t work, can’t even keep them yourself by lawkeeping - God’s provided another way to be truly transformed and to serve Him and love others - Way of Grace, and if not trumpeting it, you are testing God!

Is that fulness of cleansing in our lives, is what we desire for our children, our neighbours…not just happy if they go to church, or if they live pretty decent lives.

Peter concludes simply: answer is no not become Jewish but live by grace!

Acts 15:11

Peter says, listen if you don’t get this new vistation of God in Jesus, you know the only thing your religion is doing?

You may think you’re making them better moral people, more religiou - but really you are just putting aheavy yoke onthier necks that they can’ bear and yo can’t bear!

But God’s work in this church age is to go to people who can’t do religion perfectly all those ceremonies, that ultimately aren’t the reality anyway - just shadows, can’t deliver from sin; go to people who can’t keep all the laws in their own strength… and like Jesus to says to them: Listen got to get to God the Father, only through me.

I will bear your burden for you.

I have a different yoke and I bear it up - learn my way, Way of grace!

By way of application - do we speak of these things - forgiveness, of the Holy Spirit, of the endless burden of trying to be right with God through law or religion but never getting there .. do we examplifyi ewhat life oof faith .

that’s the big deal of what happens when God visits us today!

B. Barnabas & Paul say God’s 3rd Visitation is accompanied by Wonders

At first there must have been people on both sides, saying “Come on, can’t we just get along” - two different kinds of church.

Jewish one that insists on cleansing, Gentile oe where tinged by idolatry and sex immorality because of their culture.

But this passionate plea by peter, leaves everyone in silence.

Then Baranabas and Paul stand up and recount how this is exactly what is going on as they share the gospel to the nations.

Specifically they recount not only what Peter has said, being saved by faith, granted the Spirit - but signs and wonders not done by them, but by God - not Benny Hinn I have power to heal, cast out demons, … as if reside in me office of exorcist, or faith healer … In the apostolic age before have NT Scriptures - message back up - just like in days of Moses with WONDERS - not just supernatural miracles - but miracles that backed up the word - Make you seeing people - physical wonder blind see.

Make you healed people - watch snake with all poison - supernatural healing - God can do that to you inwardly transformed by the gospel!

It is not that the truth of the gospel is first of all about and based on peronsal experience.

Its based on Jesus, but that has to be experienced in our lives!

Sign of the kingdom verify this.

I wonder if people see not apostolic and wonders - but God’s activity in us - how we are healed emotionally, deliverance through difficult time - have peace.

Our lives are to become light, a an open book of God’s activity to the world:

Wonder if they see wisdom of God’s word applied guiding us through tough decision.

Barnabas did not hesitate to point to how the gospel was transforming lives.

POwerful promise of Jesus to us.

As He sent htem to the world, we would do greater works than he had done because now the Spirit would come on all of us as it had on him.

Not just speaking of wonders of the apostolic age - but of transfomed lives around the world: