Sermon Tone Analysis

the age old problem of thinking that we must contribute something to our salvation is found in every false religion and cult

Without exception, every false religion teaches their followers that they must do something to earn God’s favour.

this became a key issue in the Reformation

Roman Catholicism developed an elaborate and lucrative system of works

RC taught its followers they must perform the sacraments in order to be saved

men like Luther, Calvin and Zwingli had been reading their bibles and recognized this was contrary to the scriptures and sought to bring reformation to Roman Catholicism

their desire was to bring it back in line with the scriptures and when their efforts were rejected and they were excommunicated they started their own churches

this marked the beginning of the Protestant Church

the five solas came to embody the teachings of the Reformers

The 5 Solas: Sola Fide, Sola Gracia, Sola Scriptura, Solus Christus, Sola Deo Gloria.

“Our being made spiritually alive, and God’s becoming 100% for us in Christ is by God’s grace alone, on the basis of Christ alone, received through faith alone, so that all things lead ultimately to the glory of God alone revealed in the scripture alone as the only final authoritative teaching on these truths.”

John Piper

The same issue the Reformers faced, the church continues to fight against today, tying salvation to something we do.

if you were to stand before God and he were to ask why he should let you into heaven what would you say?

I said the sinners’ prayer?

False

I exercised my free will?

False

I went to church?

False

I tithed my income?

False

I did my best to keep the golden rule?

False

the only right answer:

“According to your free grace, you gave me the ability to see my sin and faith to believe that your perfect Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, took all my sins upon himself and gave to me his perfect righteousness.

My only hope of heaven is in what you have done for me”

the thinking that we must work for our salvation was an issue that had to be addressed right at the beginning of the NT church

[READ ACTS 15:1-21]

The Dissension

“but” points the reader back to the previous verses

P&B have completed their first missionary journey and are back at their home church

had travelled across the Mediterranean to the Island of Cyprus

preached the gospel from the eastern to the western end of the island where they were invited by the Roman governor to tell him gospel

as they did so they were opposed by the Jewish false prophet and magician, Bar-Jesus whom Paul struck with blindness

God saw fit to grant the governor saving faith

P&B then travelled north across the Mediterranean where he continued preaching the gospel in Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe and Perga

in spite of intense opposition and an attempt to kill him, P&B continued preaching, making many disciples, strengthening them with the Word and appointing elders in each place to continue to lead, guide and protect them

All who accepted Paul’s message became Christians by faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ alone.

P&B returned to their home church to report these things and resume their pastoral ministry there

with that as the background, Luke tells us that men came from Judea and were teaching the Gentile believers in the Antioch church that they were not saved because they had not been circumcised

The Debate

“no small dissension and debate”

P&B had strong words with these men from Judea

both sides were convinced that they were in the right

Principles:

remember that P&B were on the pastoral team at Antioch (Acts 13:1)

one of the qualifications of an elder

One of the responsibilities of an elder is to protect his church from false teachers.

as such he must hold firmly to the trustworthy word as revealed and taught by the Apostles (Tit 1:9)

he must be able to pass along that knowledge to others (2 Tim 2:2)

he must rebuke those who contradict the truth

rebuke = to sternly admonish

recognizing the sinful characteristics of the Cretans Paul instructed Titus:

Strong disagreement is necessary when a core doctrine like salvation is at stake.

applies to all core doctrines:

the being and nature of God

the being and nature of man

sin

God’s plan of salvation

they are core because if you get any of these wrong you will find yourself in hell!

does not apply to secondary doctrines like:

how often we should have communion

what day we should worship on

when the rapture occurs (if at all)

whether the supernatural gifts are in operation in the church today

the mode of baptism

while all these doctrines are important you will not be excluded from salvation if you get them wrong

this does not mean that these doctrines don’t matter!

all of them have a right and a wrong answer

As the author of scripture God had one meaning in mind when he wrote it.

it is our responsibility to keep studying these “secondary” doctrines in order to understand God’s mind and purpose in giving them to us

such continual study of this honours the Lord

when someone disagrees with us in these secondary matters:

“In essentials unity.

In non-essentials charity.

In all things, love” (Rupertus Meldenius)

P&B were appointed and sent by the church (v.3) to go to Jerusalem to seek the counsel and advice of the Apostles and elders

“sent by the church”

the disagreement was discussed in the context of the wider church and when agreement was not reached it decided to seek the counsel and advice of the church in Jerusalem where the other Apostles had remained (8:1) and the church had been existence the longest

remember that as an Apostle, Paul possessed special authority over the church

as such Paul could have commanded the church at Antioch to accept his teaching

instead he agreed submitted to his fellow elders and the church to seek the counsel of the Apostles and Elders at Jerusalem

It is likely Paul recognized this was a matter that had to be settled for all the churches, not just the church at Antioch.

Principles:

the Jerusalem church was recognized as the “go to” authority

there are churches with a proven track record of faithfulness and an ability to properly apply the scriptures

this doesn’t necessarily mean the churches that are large and have lots of programs and ministries!

often those churches have made compromises to get big

note the reason they were sent to Jerusalem: to seek the counsel and advice of the Apostles and Elders

the Jerusalem Elders had a long track record of faithful leadership in the midst of persecution

personal application beyond the church issues:

it is wise to seek counsel

of course this doesn’t matter if you seek counsel from those who are not wise

fyi to young people, your friends, for the most part, are not wise!

though their primary mission was to go to Jerusalem they used their journey to encourage the churches on their way

Principle:

the effect on churches who are aware of what God is doing in other places: great joy

it’s easy to get complacent or even discouraged when you don’t know what God is doing in other places

Knowing what God is doing in other places encourages us to cry out to him and to stay focused on what he has called us to do.