Wheelersburg Baptist Church 10/20/02 Brad Brandt

Acts 15:1-21 "Bringing Down Barriers in the Church"**

I. We see the critics (1).

A. The problem occurred within the church.

B. The problem had to do with doctrine.

1. Believing in Jesus is fine.

2. Some say believing in Jesus isn’t enough.

II. We see the clash (2-5).

A. It started in Antioch (2).

1. To differ over personal preferences is one thing.

2. To undermine God’s Word is another.

B. It ended up in Jerusalem (3-5).

1. The news made some glad (3).

2. The news made others mad (4-5).

III. We see the council (6-21).

A. Peter spoke (6-11).

1. Salvation is initiated by God alone (7-8).

2. Salvation is received by faith alone (9).

3. Salvation is made possible by grace alone (10-11).

B. Barnabas and Paul spoke (12).

1. They didn’t argue.

2. They simply told what God did.

C. James spoke (13-21).

1. He cited the testimony of Simon (13-14).

2. He cited the testimony of Scripture (15-18).

3. He offered his judgment (19-21).

· We mustn’t make salvation difficult.

· We must teach saved people to prefer one another.

Application: Acts 15 teaches us to value three things…

1. We must value the doctrine of the church.

2. We must value the unity of the church.

3. We must value the mission of the church.

An issue of National Geographic included a photograph of the fossil remains of two saber-tooth cats locked in combat. To quote the article: "One had bitten deep into the leg bone of the other, a thrust that trapped both in a common fate. The cause of the death of the two cats is as clear as the causes of the extinction of their species..."

Those two saber-tooth cats aren’t the only creatures on the earth that have decided to battle each other. Some people thrive on conflict. Some will do anything to avoid it. At times it is necessary. Thankfully, God’s Word shows us how to honor God when we face conflict. This morning we’re going to take a look at a turmoil that took place in the church many years ago, one that had the power to paralyze God’s people. Thankfully, the Spirit of God guided Jesus’ followers to a peaceful settlement, which we’ll not only see but learn from in today’s study.

In Acts 1:8 Jesus made a promise to His followers, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." You will be, He said.

But He never said it would be easy. In fact, His very words implied it wouldn’t be easy. "You will receive power," He had said. You don’t need power to do easy tasks!

The book of Acts records the activity of the church during its first thirty years of existence as it began its journey to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. It doesn’t take long before we see roadblocks (and even potholes) in its path. In Acts 2 three thousand people repent, believe in Jesus, and are added to the church, but in Acts 3 & 4 the church encountered intense persecution.

The roadblocks weren’t always external in source. Some came from within the church. In Acts 5 there was the deception and sudden deaths of Ananias and Saphira. In Acts 6 there was the cry of favoritism from the Greek Jews against the Hebraic Jews concerning the care of their widows. But with the Spirit’s help, the church maneuvered its way through the potential hazards of each roadblock.

More persecution came in chapter 8. In fact, it became so intense that many Christians had to flee their homes and head to foreign soil for safety. But God used even this as a way to spread the news of Christ to the yet unreached.

In Acts 10-11 the Spirit made it clear it was time for the predominantly Jewish church to come out of its comfort zone and reach the Gentiles. With some persuasion, Peter obeyed, went to the house of Cornelius, and shared Jesus with his household. Thus, the final phase of Jesus’ marching orders began, "You shall be my witnesses to the ends of the earth."

Somewhere around Acts 13 a shift occurs. For its first ten years of existence the early church was primarily Jewish and centered around activity in Jerusalem, but in Acts 13 the focus moves to Antioch where the church is primarily Gentile. In fact, in chapters 13-14 the church at Antioch sent out Paul and Barnabas to reach the Gentile world of Asia Minor with the gospel. Luke verifies the success of their efforts in Acts 14:27, "On arriving there [back in Antioch], they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles."

It was a glorious time. The church was moving ahead just as Jesus both commanded and predicted. Less than twenty years after Jesus returned to heaven there were followers of Christ not only in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, but also in the Gentile world of Asia Minor. And the churches there were primed to keep moving forward. Yes, there was reason to celebrate!

But not everybody did. Know this. If we’re going to fulfill our mission and reach the world for Christ, we must overcome all kinds of barriers, challenges, and roadblocks. Some come from a hostile world on the outside. But some of the trickiest come from right inside the church. That’s what happened in Acts 15.

Acts 15 is a watershed event for the early church. It was make-or-break time, as we’ll see. We need Acts 15 today. We need the kind of discernment the church exhibited. We need to know what’s worth dying for—and some things are—and what’s not. In Acts 15:1-21 the early church demonstrated how to bring down man-made barriers that threatened to divide it. The incident involves three scenes.

"Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: ‘Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.’"

Luke says some critics came down to Antioch (the direction was north, but the elevation dropped). He refers to them as "some men from Judea." Who were they? They’re unnamed. Galatians 2:12 seems to indicate they were sent by James, but James himself later said in Acts 15:24 that these men lacked the apostles’ and elders’ authorization to teach what they taught.

Notice a couple of things about the problem at hand.

A. The problem occurred within the church. Look at the text again. We’re told that some men came from Judea (that’s where the church’s first "headquarters" had been) to Antioch (that had become the new base of operations for the church). These men weren’t hostile opponents coming from the Jewish Sanhedrin or some pagan temple. These men were church members. They professed faith in Christ. They were insiders. In reality, they were wolves in sheep’s clothing.

B. The problem had to do with doctrine. They said, "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." For the Jews circumcision was the badge of proof that you belonged to God. It was the sign of the covenant. To be circumcised represented one’s willingness to live by the Mosaic law. When parents circumcised their baby boy, it showed their submission to the Mosaic law. When a Gentile became a Jewish proselyte he had to be circumcised to verify his willingness to live according to Mosaic law.

The teachers’ message was dogmatic, "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." In other words, "It’s great that you have Jesus, but…you need more. Didn’t Paul tell you? Well, that’s why we’re here. You need Jesus plus circumcision. You need Jesus plus you need to keep the law. And know this. This isn’t optional. In fact, if you’re not willing to be circumcised you cannot be saved." The issue wasn’t whether Gentiles could be saved. It was how.

It’s been 1,950 years since those men taught that in Antioch. They’re long gone, but their message is alive and well. It comes in many packages, but it’s the same.

1. Believing in Jesus is fine. Many will say that. We say that. To be saved a person must believe in Jesus (Acts 16:31). But…

2. Some say believing in Jesus isn’t enough. "Unless you join our church you cannot be saved." "Unless you use our version of the Bible you can’t be saved." "Unless you’ve been baptized you cannot be saved."

Here’s a sticky one, "Unless you live a good life, you cannot be saved." Is that true? Granted, a saved person will want to live a good life, but are we saved because we believe in Jesus plus live a good life?

This wasn’t the first time Paul faced these critics known as the Judaizers, nor would it be the last. If we’re going to understand this battle, some dates are important.

The Historical Background: On Paul’s first missionary journey he led people in southern Galatia to Christ around A.D. 46. He then made his return trip to ground them further in A.D. 47. Many scholars feel he wrote the letter of Galatians to them around A.D. 48 or 49, just a year or two after his departure.

Why would Paul send a letter so soon after leaving these churches? It wasn’t to find out about the weather. Something terrible had happened. Paul had caught wind of an emergency situation in Galatia. Some teachers in Galatia were undermining his work. They were teaching heresy. What's worse, the church members were falling for it. In Galatians 1:7, Paul says the opponents were "trying to pervert the gospel of Christ." The false teachers were Judaizers, men who preached a gospel of works.

Whether or not these teachers were the same ones that came to Antioch, we don’t know. But their message was the same. And their intent was the same. These men could count. They knew that before long the number of Gentile Christians would exceed the number of Jewish Christians in the church. They were afraid that the moral standards of the church would go down the tube if they didn’t "straighten out" these new Gentile believers. So they decided to do something about it. They trekked nearly five hundred miles north to Antioch and had a Bible conference on the subject of the Mosaic Law. "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved," they emphasized.

To put this in a time-frame, Paul wrote the letter to the churches in Galatia around A.D. 48 or 49. F. F. Bruce suggests that Galatians was written shortly before the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15. Paul was in Antioch when he wrote Galatians. He was also in Antioch when these men from Judea came. Galatians 2 elaborates on what happened.

The Jewish visitors did more than preach in the Antioch church. According to Galatians 2:12 they also refused to eat with the Gentile Christians (good Jews never ate with uncircumcised people). That also would mean they refused to participate in the Lord’s Supper with their Gentile brethren.

Peter happened to be in Antioch when these Judaizers arrived. Before their arrival Peter ate freely with the Gentile Christians. But after the critics got there and started teaching so dogmatically, he withdrew from the Gentiles. He probably didn’t want to "offend" his weaker Jewish brothers. He certainly knew (intellectually at least) from his vision of the sheet in Acts 10:28 that God didn’t want him to "call any man common or unclean." Still, he broke fellowship with his Gentile brothers. Whatever his motive, Peter’s actions had a terrible effect on others, as Galatians 2:13 reveals, "The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray."

But Paul saw through the folly of Peter’s actions. He knew that to refuse to have table fellowship with the Gentiles today would lead to refusing to acknowledge them as Christians at all tomorrow. As a result he rebuked Peter publicly. Apparently, Peter took the reprimand well for as we’ll see in Acts 15 he certainly took the Judaizers to task in his words before the Jerusalem Council.

So first of all, we meet the critics. Next…

Actually, it was a twofold clash.

A. It started in Antioch (2). "This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question."

I’m struck by those words "sharp dispute." The KJV says Paul and Barnabas had "no small dissension and disputation with them." "But Christians should always smile and get along with people," you say. Wrong. There are times when "getting along" is a mark of disobedience to God. Jesus didn’t "get along" with the Pharisees. He called them vipers, not because of a personal vendetta but because they were harming God’s people.

Some things aren’t worth fighting for. Some things are. When wolves attack your sheep, it’s no time to look for common ground. To put it another way…

1. To differ over personal preferences is one thing. Should churches use organs or praise bands, hymnbooks or video projection, a bus ministry outreach program or home Bible studies? Should Christian ladies wear dresses or slacks to church? Should Christian men wear a certain hair length or style? These are all matters of personal preference. We all have preferences—and that’s fine—and in the church we need to learn to differ over these with grace and love. But…

2. To undermine God’s Word is another matter. To hear someone say, "You need to agree with my preference or you cannot be saved," is unacceptable on their part. And it’s unacceptable for us to hear it and remain silent if it’s being taught in our church.

This clash in Antioch was no small matter, as the church recognized. So they appointed Paul and Barnabas, along with some others, to go to see the leaders of the church in Jerusalem. Notice that the church as a body has authority over its parts. The church sent their leaders to Jerusalem. Thus, the clash that started in Antioch…

B. It ended up in Jerusalem (3-5). Verse 3 explains what happened en route, "The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad."

As the representatives headed south, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria. When the believers there heard that God had saved Gentiles they rejoiced. My hunch is they knew they had something to gain or lose personally in this whole debate. Remember, though not Gentiles, these folks weren’t Jews either. Would there be some "extra" requirements added to them next, too? And so we’re told…

1. The news made some glad (3). In fact, verse 3 says they were "very glad" to hear that new people, different people had joined their ranks as followers of Jesus. What makes you glad? Some of us are too easily satisfied. What makes us glad is to win the ball game or to close the big deal at work or take the vacation, not bad things certainly, but just not worthy of being very glad about. When a sinner repents, the angels rejoice in heaven. Do you? To see a person convert to Christ—and better yet, to have a part in leading that person to Christ—is to see something that will matter for eternity! The ball game, the deal at work, the vacation, these won’t even matter one hundred years from now. I urge you to pour your life into the things that will matter for eternity!

It’s interesting how the same news affects people differently. It made some glad…

2. The news made others mad (4-5). "When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. ⁵ Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, ‘The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.’"

Here’s clash #2. Some professing believers in Jerusalem heard this news about Gentiles coming to Christ and said, "We don’t like it." And why didn’t they? They were believers and they belonged to the Pharisees’ party. Almost sounds like a contradiction in terms. We follow Jesus, and we belong to the group that called for His crucifixion.

As you know, the Pharisees were legalists. Their motivation in some cases was good, but the effect was terrible. In short, they tried to legislate godliness. They tried to change people by using rules.

Notice there’s no room for dialogue with these folks, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses," they said. They didn’t ask the apostles and elders what they thought. They became the self-appointed decision-makers for the church (and for God).

Here’s the issue again. Can a Gentile become a Christian in one step, or does he have to become a Jew first and then a Christian, a two step process? Are people saved by coming to know Christ alone, or do they need to do something else?

We’ve seen the critics and the clash. Next…

According to verse 6 the church leaders went into executive session at this point—"The apostles and elders met to consider this question." Verse 7 indicates the leaders engaged in "much discussion." God gave His church leaders. Spiritual leaders are gifted by God to lead, not take a poll. We shouldn’t make doctrinal decisions by mere consensus. Would a person saved just four weeks prior to this controversy in Jerusalem be able to contribute to the discussion about this issue? Maybe. Maybe not. But certainly he wouldn’t be able to think as biblically about this delicate subject as men who’d known and studied the Word for years, as the apostles and elders had.

Luke records the contribution of four leaders in the discussion that followed. First…

A. Peter spoke (6-11). "After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them…" William LaSor makes a good observation about what happened that day, "At first, there was ‘much debate’ (15:7). There usually is, in a meeting of this sort. After many persons have spoken, often in a disorganized manner, the true leaders—those with true leadership ability, and not necessarily those who occupy office (although the latter are often the same as the former)—the true leaders begin to crystallize the problem, state the essential issues, and suggest the approaches to a solution."

Peter was no pope. We don’t see an autocrat here. He didn’t speak up until after there had been much discussion [KJV ‘disputing’]. The team of men used their God-given heads to hash over the issue and reflect on what the Scriptures said that pertained. But at that point Peter got up and summarized the issue.

A man who is truly a leader must lead. Yes, there’s a time to listen. And to stop listening and speak. Peter knew before others did what was stake here. This was not a small matter of personal preference. The very nature of the church, the character of God, and the doctrine of salvation were on the line. And so he stood up and spoke up. In his brief words he reminded his peers of three truths pertaining to salvation.

1. Salvation is initiated by God alone (7-8). "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. ⁸ God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us."

Peter reminds his brothers of the trip he took to the house of Cornelius—that happened ten years earlier. They hadn’t forgotten. When Peter returned home from that trip the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, "You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them (Acts 11:3)." Yes, they knew about that trip.

But apparently they had forgotten the punch-line of the trip. So Peter reminds them. I didn’t volunteer for that trip! God chose me. God sent me to tell Cornelius the gospel. And here’s the kicker. God didn’t even wait for Cornelius and his friends to make a profession of faith. While Peter was still preaching (Acts 10:44 says) God the Holy Spirit came on the hearers.

So here’s the first truth we must affirm, according to Peter. Salvation is initiated by God alone.

2. Salvation is received by faith alone (9). Peter continues, "He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith." In other words, God didn’t wait until the Gentiles were circumcised to accept them. Why should we? What right do we have to impose something on them that God didn’t? God accepted them, yes, God purified their hearts by faith alone.

It’s true for you, too, beloved. If you want a clean heart before God you must place your faith in the Savior Jesus. Then, and only then, God will purify your heart.

3. Salvation is made possible by grace alone (10-11). "Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? ¹¹ No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."

Do you ever think that people have to become like you in order to be saved? The critics thought they were helping God out. Peter says no. You are testing God.

Know this. Every person—that includes the fellow with the Ph.D. as well as the child who’s still learning to read—must enter God’s family the same way. It’s by God’s initiative, by faith alone, made possible by grace alone. To become a child of God we must cast ourselves on the mercy of God and admit we don’t deserve such an honor and certainly could never earn it.

The following words by R. C. H. Lenski are worth pondering, "To add anything to Christ as being necessary to salvation, say circumcision or any human work of any kind, is to deny that Christ is the complete Savior, is to put something human on a par with him, yea to make it the crowning point. That is fatal. A bridge to heaven that is built of 99/100 of Christ and even only 1/100 of anything human breaks down at the joint and ceases to be a bridge. Even if Christ be thought of as carrying us 999 miles of the way, and something merely human be required for the last mile, this would leave us hanging in the air with heaven being still far away."

Salvation is initiated by God alone, is received by faith alone, and is made possible by grace alone. That’s true for everyone, Peter says, whether Jew or Gentile. Next…

B. Barnabas and Paul spoke (12). "The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them."

I see real wisdom here. Notice Barnabas is mentioned first, indicating possibly he took the lead. Why? He was more respected in Jerusalem than Paul whom some looked at with suspicion until the day he died. And notice what they did.

1. They didn’t argue. Rather…

2. They simply told what God did. And what God did among the Gentiles was the very same thing He did among the Jews when the gospel came to them. He performed "miraculous signs and wonders." The evidence made it clear what God thinks about this debate. When we Jews first believed in Jesus God did signs and wonders to prove His Spirit had come (Acts 2). And when the gospel went to the Gentiles God did the same thing.

Though unspoken, the audience couldn’t miss the implication. If God didn’t make the Gentiles become Jews first before giving them the Holy Spirit, what right do we have to view them as second class citizens?

According to the Bureau of Standards in Washington, a dense fog covering seven city blocks to a depth of 100 feet is composed of less that one glass of water. That amount of water is divided into about 60 billion tiny droplets. Yet when those minute particles settle over a city or the countryside, they can almost blot out everything from your sight.

A little bit of water can put a whole city in a fog. Likewise, a little bit of fuzzy doctrinal thinking can blur the vision of a whole church. At that point…

C. James spoke (13-21). The future of the Gentiles hung in the balance when James stepped forward. He wasn’t an apostle, but an elder. Indeed, he was the leader of the Jerusalem church. James was the half-brother of Jesus and had witnessed the resurrected Savior (1 Cor 15:7). It’s said that his knees were as hard as a camel’s because he knelt in prayer so often and for so long. That’s the kind of person you want to speak up in a tense meeting.

But something else made James the ideal person to address the Jerusalem church at this point. He was a Jew, and by conviction was a devout keeper of the Jewish law. He was from the "old school," a born and bred local. He responded in three ways.

1. He cited the testimony of Simon (13-14). "When they finished, James spoke up: ‘Brothers, listen to me. ¹⁴ Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself.’" Notice he uses Peter’s Hebrew name and says in essence, "I agree with Simeon. This isn’t about us, friends. This is about God. God has decided to take a people for Himself from the Gentiles."

2. He cited the testimony of Scripture (15-18). "The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: ¹⁶ ‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, ¹⁷ that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’ ¹⁸ that have been known for ages."

James quotes from Amos 9:11-12, with some phrases that sound similar to Jeremiah 12:15 and Isaiah 45:21. That’s a great way to keep a controversy from being personal. Lay personal opinions aside and look to the Scriptures! Amos lived nearly 800 years before James gave this speech. James’ point? God told our forefathers 800 years ago He was going to reach and save Gentiles, and that’s what He has done. Why are we surprised?

3. He offered his judgment (19-21). "It is my judgment, therefore," James began. Here’s the twofold solution he recommended to the controversy.

· We mustn’t make salvation difficult. "We should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God," James said in verse 19. How do we make salvation difficult? The Judaizers did it by adding circumcision. We can do it by adding other requirements, or by making people prove themselves to us, or by making the message too complex. Remember, to enter the kingdom Jesus said we must come as a child.

It’s not all that difficult. Our job is to introduce people to Jesus. The Spirit’s job is to regenerate dead hearts so people believe in Jesus. But it’s easy to complicate what God intended to be very simple.

Warren Wiersbe is right, "The progress of the Gospel has often been hindered by people with closed minds who stand in front of open doors." In 1786 William Carey shared before a ministerial meeting at Northampton, England his burden to reach the lost in India. The response? A Dr. Ryland said to him, "Young man, sit down! When God pleases to convert the heathen, He will do it without your aid or mine!"

That’s one way to make salvation difficult! Here’s the second solution James offered.

· We must teach saved people to prefer one another. I think that’s what James had in mind by suggesting they send a letter to the Gentile Christians. Verses 20-21—"Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. ²¹ For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath."

We’ll look at the specific issues more carefully next time, but basically the letter asked the Gentile Christians to abstain from things that would effect the mission of the church. He’s not talking about prerequisites for salvation but the evidence of it. And a key evidence of salvation is that a person is willing to think of others ahead of himself.

"Yes, we must accept our Gentile brothers as equals," James said. "But they must do the same with us. They are trying to reach their pagan neighbors for Christ, and we mustn’t put burdens on them to make that more difficult than it is. But we’re trying to reach our unsaved Jewish neighbors for Christ, and if these neighbors think we’ve chucked God’s law it will be the end further dialogue. It will go a long way to help if our Gentile brothers refrain from the most offensive practices."

This is key. Salvation isn’t simply personal—about me. It’s about a people. And James wanted both Jews and Gentiles to show their love for the people of God, the church, by taking steps to prefer one another. The poem says it well:

1. We must value the doctrine of the church. Do you know what our church believes and why? Can you support from Scripture why you believe salvation is eternal, by grace alone, and not by works? I urge you to be a student of theology. Grow, grow, grow.

2. We must value the unity of the church. Far too often believers part company without humbly seeking to work through their differences, in submission to the Scriptures. We’ve seen a great example of how to do it in Acts 15. Now let’s do it.

3. We must value the mission of the church. Let’s tell the world about Jesus, letting nothing stand in the way!