SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). The Problem (vs 1&5)
(2). The Solution (vs 6-18)
(3). The outcome (vs 19-35)
(4). The spoiler (vs 36-41)
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• The story is told about a preacher who got up into the pulpit,
• He smiled and then apologized for the plaster (Band-Aid) on his face.
• He said, “I was thinking about my sermon while shaving and cut my face.”
• Afterward the treasurer found a note in the collection plate,
• “Tell the preacher that next time, he should think about his face and cut the sermon.”
• TRANSITION:
• Well, this morning we have 41 verses that could make for a long sermon,
• So, I will do my best not to cut the sermon, but to keep to time!
Context:
• Paul and Barnabas have arrived back at Antioch after their first missionary journey.
• They have reported to the church how God has been working through them.
• So far so good!
• Everyone can rejoice with the news of conversions!
• In fact, nothing lifts a Church more than a conversion, someone coming to faith.
• So, in Acts chapter 15 the mood should be positive!
• But it is not!
• Verses 1-5 tells us why.
(1). The Problem (vs 1-5).
“Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: ‘Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.’ 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. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they travelled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. 4 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 keep the law of Moses.’"
If you are new to Church:
• Do not be surprised to hear that Christians disagree over certain issues.
• With the key primary truths of the Christian faith there is no disagreement
• e.g., Jesus is the Son of God.
• e.g., Jesus died for the sins of mankind.
• e.g., He rose again on the third day.
• So, with the key primary truths of the Christian faith there is no disagreement
• In fact, to disagree with them it means you are not a Christian!
• But with secondary issues,
• e.g., How and what style or format should a meeting take,
• e.g., What style of music should you have,
• e.g., Who should fill the various roles in the Church.
• Christians often disagree,
• Because for those issues we often have principles and not detailed instructions.
• For us today the New Testament, it can still at times be difficult,
• So, you can imagine the problems they faced in the early days of the Church,
• Where they did not have a New Testament and their understanding was limited.
That is the situation in verses 1-5, a heated discussion was caused by two groups:
FIRST: Believers from Jerusalem:
• Verse 1: “Certain individuals from Judea who were teaching the believers”
• That expression ‘From Judea’ informs us that these were religious heavy weights,
• They were what we might call, ‘old school.’
• Remember from our studies in the early part of the book of Acts
• The Church was born in Jerusalem and was almost completely made up of Jews,
• These believers had a history,
• They had Jewish traditions & practices to lean on and to guide them!
• Unlike these new Christians at Antioch,
• Who were not carrying any ‘baggage’ from their religious past?
SECOND: Pharisees.
• They were supported by (vs 5): “believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees”
• ‘Pharisees’ were people full of traditions!
• The Pharisees were an influential religious sect within Judaism in the time of Christ,
• They were known for their emphasis on personal piety,
• (the word Pharisee comes from a Hebrew word meaning “separated”),
• The Pharisees were mostly middle-class businessmen and leaders of the synagogues.
• In the synagogues and in Judaism it was the Pharisees who had the power!
• It was the Pharisees who confronted Jesus again and again in his ministry!
• In the Gospels, the Pharisees are often presented as hypocritical and proud.
Ill:
• There was a name for anyone who crossed the Pharisees, it was victim,
• You never done it again!
• They were the religious Mafia!
• It is great that some Pharisees came to faith.
• Verse 5 calls these Pharisees “believers”, so I take that to mean Christians.
• But…these Pharisees had a lot of baggage that they need to get rid of.
• And at first, I am sure the Pharisees rejoiced with the news of conversions!
• But then they kept hearing a word which very much disturbed them.
• The word ‘Gentiles’ (the word means ‘of the nations’).
• Verse 3: “They report how God has opened a door of faith for the Gentiles”.
Ill:
• Gentile converts to Judaism was nothing new.
• They were called proselytes.
• e.g., In Jewish tradition, boys born into a Jewish family,
• Are circumcised on their 8th day of their life.
• Circumcision is a relatively simple procedure.
• The foreskin is removed just behind the head of the penis,
• Using a scalpel or surgical scissors
• According to the Torah (Genesis chapter 17 verses 9-14),
• Abraham was commanded by God to circumcise himself,
• All male members of his household, his descendants in an everlasting covenant.
• So, if a Gentile man become a proselyte (whatever his age) and embraced the Jewish faith.
• He too was required to be circumcised.
TRANSITION: These Christian Pharisees are thinking to themselves,
• Every Jewish convert to Christianity is already circumcised,
• But every Gentile will not be and to be ‘like us.’
• Then surely, they too need to be circumcised.
• So, this was a huge problem for the Pharisees.
• And what was even worse for these deeply Jewish Pharisees,
• These Gentiles were completely outsiders.
• These Gentiles were converted from paganism,
• They had no concept of Jewish religious practices,
• And they had no desire to be Jewish in any way and why should they?
• These were Gentiles who had come to faith in Christ.
• Christ was all they needed,
• And they were content with that!
Ill:
• Remember that everything at the start of Christianity was Jewish.
• The Church was born in the Jewish capitol city – Jerusalem.
• The Church was born during a Jewish feast – Pentecost.
• All the scriptures (only had the Old Testament) were Jewish writings.
• All the 12 disciples were Jewish.
• Jesus himself was of course Jewish!
• Everything at the start of Christianity was Jewish.
• ill: Stick of rock (Judaism & Jewishness running all the way through it).
So, these Pharisees naturally wanted to:
• Make Christianity a sect of Judaism.
• They wanted to combine the two!
• They had not yet understood that Christianity was not a branch of Judaism,
• Christianity was and is a fulfilment of Judaism!
• Judaism is the Old Covenant based on the laws of Moses,
• A covenant, a sacred agreement between Jewish people and God.
• But Jesus instituted a New Convent (in his blood).
• A sacred agreement between anyone (Jew/Gentile) who believe and God.
• This covenant is based on grace and not law.
Sadly, these Christian Pharisees had yet to understand this:
• So, they turn up teaching that,
• That these Gentiles need to become Jews before they could be proper Christians!
• They need to be circumcised as Moses taught,
• And if they were not circumcised then they were not really saved!
Note:
• By teaching that they have changed the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ!
• From, “By grace are you saved through faith”
• (see Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8-9).
• To another gospel, by faith and circumcision are you saved,
• By believing and obeying the Law of Moses.
• You could be as sure as eggs are eggs that they would not stop there,
• Next, they would have introduced Sabbath keeping followed by…the list goes on.
This false teaching needed to be dealt with quickly and efficiently by the apostles.
• Because as I have mentioned,
• It attacks the very heart of the Christian gospel.
• It teaches that Christ’s death upon the cross is not enough,
• It is both Christ’s death and circumcision and law keeping that saves!
• In teaching this they are adding to the gospel message,
• And denying the finished work of Christ on the cross.
(2). The Solution (vs 6-18)
Ill:
• When NASA first started sending up astronauts into space,
• They realised that ballpoint pens would not work in 0 gravity.
• To combat this problem, NASA scientists spent a decade
• And $12 billion developing a pen that writes in zero gravity,
• It also writes upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass
• And at temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 300 C.
• The Russians used a pencil.
• TRANSITION: Simple problem simple solution!
FIRST: THEY MAKE A WISE DECISION (VS 2B):
• Paul and Barnabas knew that this issue was so important,
• That they could not just ignore it and hope it would go away!
• Notice that Paul and Barnabas took practical steps to ensure a resolution to this problem.
“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”
The problem arose from Jews from Jerusalem,
• So, Paul and Barnabas decided to involve the ‘mother’ Church in Jerusalem.
• The Church where Christianity started,
• And which carried the authority these Pharisees could not argue against.
Ill:
• The apostles are going to the root of the problem back in Jerusalem.
• These travelling Pharisees were merely the fruit of that problem.
• When the apostles arrive back in Jerusalem.
• The troublemakers (more Pharisees) stand up and demand (vs 6).
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
SECOND: THEY MAKE A CASE FOR THE DEFENCE (VS 6-18):
• This is a big section, I hope you read it before you came here today,
• If not, you can read it later and enjoy the content it contains.
• Let me give you a quick summary of what happens in these verses:
Four key leaders present the case for the defence.
• Apostle Peter (vs 7-11).
• Apostle Paul supported by Barnabas (vs 12).
• Apostle James (vs 13-21).
• They will argue that it is faith in Christ alone that saves,
• And that both Jew and Gentiles are saved the same way.
Note
• As you read the passage notice how their arguments all complement one another,
• Even though they all argue from different perspectives.
• e.g., Apostle Peter (vs 7-11) argues from the PAST.
“After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: ‘Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles should 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. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors 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.’”
• So, the apostle Peter argues from the past.
• Shares the difficult lesson that God taught him about his prejudice.
• (the full story is found in Acts chapter 10).
• e.g., Apostle Paul supported by Barnabas (vs 12) argue from the PRESENT.
“The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul talking about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.”
• The Apostles Paul and Barnabas argue from the present.
• They report on what they have seen with their own eyes on their missionary journey!
• What God is doing NOW among the Gentiles.
• e.g., Apostle James (vs 13-21) argues from the FUTURE.
“When they finished, James spoke up. ‘Brothers,’ he said, ‘listen to me. 14 Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. 15 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 rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things” –
18 things known from long ago.
19 ‘It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 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 the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.’”
• In these verses the apostle James argues from the future.
• He quotes the prophecy of Amos (talking about future times),
• When God will bring home many from ‘the rest of mankind’
• The conclusion is simple.
• All four apostles show, that in the past, present and future,
• God wants both Jews & Gentiles to know him and to be his people!
(3). The outcome (vs 19-35).
Ill:
• Luciano Pavarotti was an Italian tenor in opera music;
• Before he became famous and before he embarked on his career as a singer,
• He was undecided as to which career to follow.
• Should he be a teacher or a professional singer?
• His father was a baker and one day he asked him for some advice.
• This is what he was told:
• “If you try to sit on two chairs you are bound to fall to the ground.
• Luciano you must choose one chair.”
• This obviously was wise counsel for his son,
• Who 14 years later became one of the most famous tenors in the world?
• TRANSITION: This is what the Lord told the Church in Jerusalem:
• “Choose one chair.”
• In other words, one gospel: salvation is by faith alone in Christ!
• Well, the defence wins, and the council send Paul and Barnabas back to Antioch.
• With a letter containing the judgement of the council,
• They are also accompanied by Judas and Silas,
• Who are sent as representatives of the leadership of the Church in Jerusalem?
• And who would in person authenticate the letter.
• When they arrive back the church rejoices,
• Particularly, I guess, the Gentile members of the church.
Note:
• The leaders and the whole Church (vs 22).
• “Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church”
• Directed by the Holy Spirit (vs28)
• “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us”
• Made a twofold decision:
• A doctrinal decision about salvation.
• And a practical decision about how they should live the Christian life.
• In verse 29 there is a compromise.
• Not on doctrine but on practice.
• The Jews gave up insisting that Gentile believers had to be circumcised to be saved.
• The Gentiles accepted a change in their eating habits.
• i.e., They would not eat food that they knew had been offered to idols.
THESE DECISIONS HAD TWO POSITIVE RESULTS:
• First it strengthened the unity of the Church.
• It kept the Church from splitting into two extreme ‘Law’ & ‘Grace’ groups.
• Second it enabled the Church to present a united witness to the lost.
• We cannot as Christians tell people to be reconciled to God.
• If we are no reconciled to each other?
(4). The spoiler (vs 36-41)
“Sometime later Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.’ 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.”
Ill:
• This may surprise you but my wife Penny and myself often have disagreements!
• And one of the sources for those disagreements is television.
• The disagreement is not what to watch or whether a programme is suitable or not,
• In fact, it can often be the most wholesome of programmes that causes the problem.
• e.g., Dragon’s Den where Budding entrepreneurs get three minutes,
• To pitch their business ideas to five multi-millionaires’ worth over half a billion pounds.
• We watch the bulk of the programme without a cross word,
• Then right at the end you hear the words,
• “Coming up in next week’s programme…! Followed by a clip of the action.
• Now for some reason Penny wants to see what’s coming up and I don’t,
• So, if I switch to another channel she will be annoyed and vice-versa.
• But to see what’s coming up is a spoiler for me!
• I don’t like spoilers, I don’t want to know the ending of a film or book,
• Because that will spoil my enjoyment of it!
• TRANSITION: This chapter ends with a spoiler!
• It reveals to us that the apostles were very human.
• Having sorted out one big disagreement between the Pharisees and the Church,
• They (Paul & Barnabas) have a disagreement and go their separate ways!
Ill:
• What this ending does is show to us the honesty of Dr Luke’s record of events.
• If he was faking it and trying to deceive people, he would not have included these verses.
• The apostles Paul and Barnabas have had a disagreement, a big one,
• A difference of opinion that will cause them to go their separate ways.
• Both take with them new partners to assist and to help them.
• Barnabas takes John Mark and Paul takes Silas (vs 37-40).
“Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord.”.
• There are often two ways of looking at this incident,
• Just as there are two ways to look at a set of statistics.
Ill:
• The Japanese eat very little fat,
• And suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.
• On the other hand, the French eat a lot of fat,
• And also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.
• The Japanese drink very little red wine,
• And suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.
• The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine,
• And also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.
• Conclusion:
• Eat and drink what you like. It's speaking English that kills you
• TRANSITION: There are often two ways of looking at the same set of stats.
• There are often two ways of looking at this incident.
• Whenever I talk to someone about a disagreement, a difference of opinions:
• I say to them,
“You must always bear in mind that there are three sides to argument.
His side, her side and the right side.”
• There are three sides because we are never in possession of all the facts.
• Therefore, it is hard for us to make a full, balanced and correct judgement.
• And that principle might apply here.
The apostles fall out over John Mark.
• He was in human terms a failure:
• And nobody really likes a failure.
• We are told that when the ‘going got tough’ John Mark got going!
• We read (Acts chapter 13 verse 13) Mark left them,
• That seems low key and not worth reading twice.
• But in this chapter, we get a deeper insight to story (vs 38),
• We are told Mark ‘abandoned’, he ‘deserted’ them – that is strong language!
• He ran away when Paul & Barnabas really needed him.
So, as they prepare to go back on the mission field:
• Paul does not want John Mark with them,
• He has been let down once and he is not prepared for that to happen again.
• Barnabas takes the other stance, we all fail, give the lad a second chance.
• Unable to agree they go separate ways,
• And Paul then finds a new helper called Silas to be his companion.
Question: How about us, how do we react with those who fail and let us down?
• We have been let down & hurt by people in our ministry,
• And it is very hard to trust them when you are aware of the damage their actions caused.
• So, I can very much understand Paul’s attitude and choice.
• Soon he will be flogged and put in prison and Silas experienced the same treatment.
• So, I think his choice of someone dependable and brave was the right one.
But you have to also Barnabas.
• Because Barnabas stuck with John Mark:
• Because he was willing to invest time and effort in helping him,
• John Mark's story goes on.
• He does leave the New Testament pages in defeat, and disappointment.
• In fact, the opposite is true!
• Because Barnabas stuck with Mark:
• Mark’s story goes from failure to success:
• i.e., Philemon verse 24:
• From his prison cell Paul describes Mark as a "Fellow worker"
• John Mark had won back Paul's respect.
• i.e., Second Timothy chapter 4 verse 11:
• Paul this time is awaiting execution, his time of death is fast approaching.
• Paul says to Timothy his right-hand man.
• "Get Mark and bring him with you, he is helpful to me in my ministry".
• i.e., John Mark went on to write one of the books of the New Testament.
• The Gospel of Mark.
• A book read all over the world.
• Read and studied even in obscure places like Southampton.
Question: How about us, how do we react with those who fail and let us down?
• Let’s follow the example of Barnabas.
• By accepting, forgiving and offering help, even to those who let us down!
MP3 AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=qQxeQHLwnNG1WWEoBbtw7zVjeAG7xCAc
YOUTUBE VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/QtmJzX71GdM
