Grace Alone Series

Recently, Beth and I stopped by a grocery store to pick up a few items. To save time, we decided to use the self-checkout option [I normally go to a cashier as a way to support jobs]. When I tried to scan the first item, the machine sounded an alarm, and the screen showed an error. As I waited patiently for the worker to come over, I assumed it would be a simple fix. She typed a few things into the keypad, and I tried again.

After scanning our five items, the screen showed we didn’t owe anything, and another error message flashed at us. I was starting to get exasperated. The worker came over again and explained we weren’t putting things in the bag correctly, so the machine thought we were shoplifting. She asked us to try again while she watched carefully. She was kind but I could tell she assumed we were too old to understand technology because she started to explain the whole process to us very slowly. Finally, I just asked her to scan everything for us.

What was supposed to be simple, had somehow become extremely complicated. Because we didn’t understand the process, we (meaning me) became frustrated and just wanted to leave our items behind.

In our text today, we’re going to see some Jewish background believers were making salvation extremely complicated, leaving many Gentile background believers exasperated and confused. The leaders in the early church sounded an alarm, clarifying and carefully explaining the good news of the gospel in a way that was easy to understand and embrace.

Five years ago, I preached a sermon called, “Engage with the Reformation” as we studied five simple sayings, which became the battle cry for the gospel.

By Grace Alone – not grace + merit

Through Faith Alone – not faith + works

In Christ Alone – not Christ + me

According to Scripture Alone – not Scripture + tradition

For God’s Glory Alone – not God’s glory + mine

We could summarize it this way: Jesus + Nothing = EVERYTHING!

Last week, we summarized Acts 14 this way: Live on mission even when ministry is messy. After evangelizing, discipling, and enfolding believers into reproducing churches, Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch to celebrate what God had done over the past year. You can hear their unbridled enthusiasm in Acts 14:27: “And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” At the end of the service, we’ll follow this same practice as we hear a report from Phil and Pattie Eager, our Go Team partners in Mexico.

Acts 15:1 begins with a group of people trying to add something to salvation: “But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’” Just when things were going great with gospel expansion, the early church was faced with a doctrinal dilemma. In essence, these false teachers were insisting Gentiles must first become Jews and obey Jewish ceremonial laws to be saved.

We’ll follow this outline to help us understand and embrace the simplicity of salvation.

• Dissension (1-5)

• Discussion (6-21)

• Decision (22-35)

1. Dissension (1-5). Paul and Barnabas realized this issue was a serious threat to the gospel so verse 2 tells us they “had no small dissension and debate with them.” The word “dissension” means, “to stand against.” They disputed the doctrine of works and debated with those who propagated it.

Because it was such a big issue, they, and others “were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question.” By the way, even though Jerusalem is south of Antioch, we read they “go up” because Jerusalem has a very high elevation. Jerusalem was where the church was launched so it makes sense to gather all the leaders together to decide what to do.

Verse 3 makes me smile because it shows even though they are focused on defending the faith, they take the time to celebrate salvation: “So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers.” Phoenicia was a pagan area and Samaria was where the hated enemies of Israel lived. We’re reminded how Acts 1:8 was being fulfilled: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

When it says they were “describing in detail,” it means they were “fully telling forth.” This led to “great” joy, which is the Greek word, “megas,” meaning their joy was over-the-top.