To the Ends of the Earth, Part 23
The verdict of salvation’s great application
Acts 15:23-41
Introduction
- Welcome to Seasons Church & 2024 sermon series, “To the Ends of the Earth”
-- In 2023 we unpacked the beginning of all history (Creation/Fall/Promise)
-- And we looked ahead, anticipated the coming & victory of Jesus (Revelation)
-- But, in order to get to the end, we have to be busy doing the work now (Acts)
- Last time we saw how a meeting of the church clarified salvation
-- Legalism had taken root (circumcision & Law abiding required) in the church
-- God brought unity to the church in the form of: This is how people are saved!
-- Determined through testimony of what Jesus said & (IMP) what God did!
- Today, we will see the after-effect of the Jerusalem Council’s official decision
-- We will also take a look at honest conflict, and its results (both good and bad)
- Read Acts 15:23-41 / Pray
Point 1 – The Jerusalem Council’s Resolution
- RE: A great decree is issued to the Church: “salvation is by grace alone”
-- Now, watch how this is delivered to the church and to us …
a. Understand this: There is a humble attitude that brought the decree (v23)
No one was exalted in this; this is not an “I told you so” moment
• They affirmed that this decision was that of the entire Church
• The great decree of salvation is found in humility; humbleness before God
o The brothers have a common standing – all saved the same way
o No one had the authority to rule over another
o This shows the genuine fellowship they have
b. The decree: Ritual and Law are not necessary for salvation (v24)
- BIG: Salvation is, and always will be:
• By the grace of the Lord Jesus and Him alone (v11)
• By the miracles and wonders of God and Him alone (v12)
• How? By turning to Christ and begin forgiven of your sin (v19)
- Some were troubled by this however, even with a clear direction
• This led to false teachers having to be rebuked & corrected
• Why? They troubled the believers with their words
• The also subverted the believers souls; they caused confusion on this
o Greek: anaskeuazó; unsettle
• Also … these were never commissioned by the church to teach!
- Don’t miss how clear the rebuke is from Paul – they are not part of the Church
-- That is, those teaching false are NOT participating in the same ministry!
c. Men were chosen to preach the truth (vv25-27)
- The church sent Barnabas and Paul back to proclaim what they heard
-- It is still an instruction to how churches must call men today to preach
• There must be a willingness to proclaim the truth (salvation by grace)
• APP: We must not add to this determination with our requirements
• What the church needs is people who will serve Christ with their lives
o Greek: martus; messenger; martyr, witness
- Bonus: Judas and Silas are also sent to confirm the message
-- They were chosen specifically to confirm the message of the church
-- Why? For validation and authority of the Church’s agreement in Christ
- TR: What is passed onto the church? The same thing decided by them!
Point 2 – Affirmations and Results
- Take a moment to clarify “consuming blood” from v20 and again in v29
- In the Greek, the reference to blood is the word “haimatos”
-- When used in this, it refers to the blood of the righteous, or the blood of a person
-- Sometimes, it can even refer to the physical flow of blood in the body
- RE: God held very sacred the “shedding of blood” for the forgiveness of sin
-- The only one qualified to do that – for humanity’ sake – is Jesus Christ
- So, when that is removed what is the very common sin known to man?
-- Crimes against one another, such as murder (acts that deal with bloodshed)
- The original transcription in Greek says is this: “apecho kai tou haimatos”
-- Which means: “To hold back (or to abstain) from blood”
- So, the verb “consuming” is not in the original text … EXCEPT …
-- It implies “doing something”, although it’s not really called out originally
-- Thus, it is easy in a transliteration to tie those words together (not an error)
-- Rather, this is trying to make the Greek and the English “make sense”
- What we now see is a breakdown of how the agreement is to be applied:
a. There were few rules that were necessary (vv28-29)
• FACT: The Holy Spirit was heavily directing this decision
• See this: without the Spirit, the Church can NOT have unity
- And, without the Church, the message cannot be shared to those who need it!
-- It is a hand-in-hand partnership; RE: we “get to” share the Gospel (great honor)
These affirming guidelines (see v29) are given for one reason:
• To promote the salvation of men
• For the believer’s welfare (to strengthen unity)
• And, to encourage that if they will follow these things: they will do well
o Greek: prassó eu; to do well (to benefit them)
b. What we see are wonderful results (vv30-35)
• Don’t miss: There was great celebration over the agreement
• Why? Because it brought decisiveness to the method (manner) of salvation
- RESULT: A great teaching ministry beginning to grow in the Church
• Paul and Barnabas were teaching the Gospel, and,
• Many teachers were raised up to also do the same (Silas is a new one)
• SEE THIS: None of them were idle and just waiting for the people
• Mission: Go where people are –reach them where they have a need
- The instruction the church needed is: “Preach the Word of the Lord!”
-- Testimony of this: 1 Corinthians 2:1-2, “And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
- TR: So, with this unity, the obvious is going to happen in humanity …
Point 3 – What happens when conflict arises in the ministry?
- vv36-41 is an excellent study of what this looks like, scripturally
-- This world is full of conflict; most is evil and self-motivated
-- But there is also honest conflict – conflict from different (authentic) opinions
a. The honest cause of conflict is important to see (vv36-38)
• Paul and Barnabas were at a crossroads in their ministry
• Paul wanted to revisit the missionary church and Barnabas agreed …
• However, the difference is seen in who they want to bring along
- Barnabas believed the best thing to do was to take Mark with them
• RE: Mark went back home; quit (ref: Acts 13); disappointing Paul
• However, he has recommitted his life and is willing to serve the Lord
- KEY: Barnabas obviously loved Paul deeply
• Paul was a spiritual father to him; one who guided and taught him
• And he rejoiced in watching God work through Paul; he was a cheerleader
- So logically, Barnabas would not be opposing Paul without a good reason
• See this: Conflict can reveal real challenges in how we relate to others
• But … conflict is also something we sometimes have to face & resolve
• When we have honest differences, we must find a way to work through them
b. What is the sad result of honest conflict? Division and loss. (v39)
- There was a sharp disagreement between them
• Why? Because they were literally “losing” each other’s partnership
• Paul owed much to Barnabas – he was his encourager & supporter
• However, both believed that they were right and had to follow God’s call
- One curious item I see (subtle): The Church doesn’t commend Barnabas & Mark
-- Yes, the ministries were separating, but it was to go do the same ministry!
-- Lesson: If we are doing the same thing, how can we not cheer for each other?
- We know that Mark did redeem himself (wrote a Gospel & served Paul & Peter)
-- And of course, Paul continues to speak affectionately of Barnabas later
-- Why? Because the Ministry was continuing – just in a different direction
c. So, what is the good result of honest conflict? God directs change! (vv39-41)
• First, a former deserter (Mark) was reclaimed to the ministry
• AND … a new disciple and evangelist was anointed: Silas
• Two mission teams are now going forth to share the Gospel
o Barnabas and Mark went to Cyprus (native land of Barnabas)
o Paul and Silas went to Syria and Cilicia (native land of Paul)
- Their purpose was to encourage/exhort the churches (v41)
• Greek: epistérizó; to make stronger
• To lean on them and encourage them to live for Jesus
• To ensure they were stable and strong in the Lord’s teachings
• To disciple them further to grow closer to Christ
- TR: So how do we land the plane today?
BIG IDEA
- THINK: What are we doing to further enhance the ministry of Christ right now?
-- Are we supportive of other ministries? Are we drawing others in to see Jesus?
-- Or are we worried about our preferences and what we think should be?
- Consider: “That’s the way we’ve always done it” is faith in humanity’s ways!
-- For the Church to move forward, we must keep this at the forefront, always
-- Challenge: We are ALL called to evangelize and disciple – but will we?
- How we respond is very telling of what God is doing in our lives
-- Will we seek to follow Him or ourselves, is always the challenge we face
- Pray
