Welcome to Books of the Book.
00:00:21.86\00:00:23.09
I'm Pastor Mark Howard and I'm
here with my co-host, my brother
00:00:23.13\00:00:27.37
Pastor Jim Howard and we have
been plodding through the book
00:00:27.41\00:00:31.62
of Acts. It has been quite the
journey. You feel like you're
00:00:31.65\00:00:36.09
there without some of the
scrapes and bruises. Jim, I
00:00:36.12\00:00:40.03
can't help but think when Paul
talks about bearing in his body
00:00:40.07\00:00:44.23
the marks of the Lord Jesus and
we see how many times he went
00:00:44.27\00:00:49.90
through physical beatings and
strain. We don't have that going
00:00:49.94\00:00:53.76
through the book of Acts, but
we share some of the excitement
00:00:53.80\00:00:56.96
going through it. It's been
an exciting journey. We want to
00:00:56.99\00:00:59.93
dive back in again here in the
book of Acts. We're in chapter
00:00:59.97\00:01:02.91
15 and before we do we're going
to ask God to bless our time in
00:01:02.94\00:01:05.85
his word. If you'd bow
your heads with me today.
00:01:05.88\00:01:08.55
Heavenly Father, we ask your
guidance now as we turn to your
00:01:08.59\00:01:12.64
word. We want to have spiritual
understanding in spiritual
00:01:12.68\00:01:16.66
things. We pray that the Spirit
of Truth will be given to us to
00:01:16.70\00:01:19.74
lead our understanding and
we ask it in Jesus name, Amen.
00:01:19.78\00:01:23.17
Now in Acts chapter 15 we find
a controversy that arises in the
00:01:23.21\00:01:27.49
early church. Starting in verse
1, the Bible says, Certain men
00:01:27.53\00:01:31.77
came down from Judea and
taught the brethren unless you
00:01:31.81\00:01:35.23
are circumcised according to the
custom of Moses, you cannot be
00:01:35.26\00:01:39.36
saved. Therefore when Paul and
Barnabas had no small dissension
00:01:39.40\00:01:43.46
and dispute with them,
they determined that Paul and
00:01:43.49\00:01:46.72
Barnabas and certain others of
them should go up to Jerusalem
00:01:46.75\00:01:50.37
to the apostles and elders about
this question. Now there are a
00:01:50.40\00:01:53.40
couple things here, Jim, that
grab me right away. There's a
00:01:53.44\00:01:57.44
dispute over doctrine and the
very first thing that happens
00:01:57.47\00:02:01.86
is when this dissension arises
is they decide to go up to
00:02:01.89\00:02:06.46
the leaders in Jerusalem to
solve the issue or to help in
00:02:06.49\00:02:10.31
solving the issue and bringing
unity. Notice what they don't
00:02:10.34\00:02:14.13
do. It doesn't say that Paul and
Barnabas decided that they were
00:02:14.17\00:02:17.72
going to branch off and start
the reformed Christian church of
00:02:17.76\00:02:21.28
Antioch. The fact of the
matter is that if we today as a
00:02:21.31\00:02:26.44
Christian church would follow
what they did here and when we
00:02:26.47\00:02:29.47
came to a difference
wouldn't say, well that's your
00:02:29.51\00:02:31.35
interpretation, this is my
interpretation, which they could
00:02:31.39\00:02:35.61
have done, I believe the Lord
would have blessed and we would
00:02:35.65\00:02:40.36
have unity, not just a partial
unity, but a complete unity of
00:02:40.40\00:02:44.76
faith and mission in the
Christian church. So they go on.
00:02:44.79\00:02:48.40
It says they decide they're
going to go up to the apostles
00:02:48.43\00:02:51.67
and elders. Verse 3, So being
sent on their way by the church
00:02:51.70\00:02:54.91
they pass through Phoenicia
and Samaria describing the
00:02:54.94\00:02:57.69
conversion of the Gentiles, and
they caused great joy to all the
00:02:57.73\00:03:01.14
brethren. And when they had come
to Jerusalem, they were received
00:03:01.17\00:03:04.43
by the church and the apostles
and the elders and they reported
00:03:04.46\00:03:07.97
all things that God had done
with them. But some of the sect
00:03:08.00\00:03:11.89
of the Pharisees who believed
rose up saying it is necessary
00:03:11.92\00:03:15.77
to circumcise them and to
command them to keep the law
00:03:15.81\00:03:18.97
of Moses. So we see a little bit
of who was behind this. It was
00:03:19.00\00:03:22.99
the pharisaical mindset even
though these were the Pharisees
00:03:23.02\00:03:26.57
who believed. There's something
I want to touch on in Luke
00:03:26.60\00:03:30.85
chapter 18 that Jesus said in
dealing with the Pharisees and I
00:03:30.89\00:03:34.48
think it will help us in getting
to the bottom of what's going
00:03:34.52\00:03:38.08
on here in Acts 15. Luke
chapter 18 and the verse that
00:03:38.11\00:03:44.54
we're looking for is verse
9. I'm wondering why I'm not
00:03:44.57\00:03:50.93
finding it. It's because I'm in
John. This doesn't look familiar
00:03:50.96\00:03:55.54
Luke 18 and verse 9 and what we
find here is the parable Jesus
00:03:55.58\00:04:00.37
gives, actually the story of the
Pharisee and the publican, or
00:04:00.40\00:04:04.79
the tax collector. As Jesus
is speaking regarding these two
00:04:04.82\00:04:09.06
groups and focusing on the
Pharisee, he says in verse 9,
00:04:09.10\00:04:13.89
He also spoke this parable to
some who trusted in themselves
00:04:13.92\00:04:18.68
that they were righteous
and despised others. That was
00:04:18.71\00:04:22.78
characteristic of the Pharisee.
He trusted in himself that he
00:04:22.81\00:04:25.93
was righteous and I think that
comes to play here in Acts 15.
00:04:25.96\00:04:29.90
Yeah absolutely. The issue
of trust has a large bearing on
00:04:29.93\00:04:33.78
what we're going to find
out here as we keep going. Let's
00:04:33.82\00:04:37.60
pick up in verse 6 where we left
off where the Jerusalem council
00:04:37.63\00:04:41.12
here now, the apostles and
elders, go ahead and meet. In
00:04:41.15\00:04:45.03
verse 6 it says, Now
the apostles and elders came
00:04:45.06\00:04:46.92
together to consider this matter
and when there had been much
00:04:46.96\00:04:53.01
dispute, so this was not an
entirely docile crowd here. They
00:04:53.05\00:04:59.07
had strong feelings.
There were strong opinions.
00:04:59.10\00:05:02.43
Perhaps our viewers may have
been in one of those meetings
00:05:02.47\00:05:05.63
sometime where there were church
meetings where there is much
00:05:05.66\00:05:08.79
dispute. That happens.
That's right. In this particular
00:05:08.83\00:05:11.66
case we don't see everything I
don't think. There's a lot that
00:05:11.69\00:05:15.95
is going on. But we see the most
prominent aspects. We see Peter
00:05:15.99\00:05:20.21
and his message that certainly
probably had the most weight
00:05:20.25\00:05:24.69
of any of the things that were
spoken. Then we see the examples
00:05:24.73\00:05:28.97
given of Paul and Barnabas and
their work with the Gentiles and
00:05:29.00\00:05:32.50
then finally James stands up and
gives a response. So that's the
00:05:32.54\00:05:35.37
only part we see. But there
was probably a lot more that was
00:05:35.41\00:05:38.68
going on here. But as we look
at verse 7, it says, When there
00:05:38.71\00:05:42.32
had been much dispute, Peter
rose up and said to them, Men
00:05:42.36\00:05:46.12
and brethren. You know that a
good while ago God chose among
00:05:46.16\00:05:49.79
us that by my mouth the Gentiles
should hear the word of the
00:05:49.83\00:05:53.39
gospel and believe. Now we might
think of the Apostle Paul as the
00:05:53.43\00:05:58.13
apostle to the Gentiles and very
much so he was. The Lord Jesus
00:05:58.16\00:06:02.83
told him that. But it wasn't
just the Apostle Paul. You
00:06:02.86\00:06:06.03
remember as we studied in Acts
chapter 10 where Peter received
00:06:06.07\00:06:10.00
that vision that revealed
that he should not call any man
00:06:10.04\00:06:14.22
common or unclean and so he
had been sharing that with the
00:06:14.25\00:06:18.26
believers in Jerusalem and
beyond so they were quite aware
00:06:18.29\00:06:22.22
that God had revealed to Peter
that the gospel should go to the
00:06:22.26\00:06:26.08
Gentiles. So he's somewhat
of an authority here in a sense
00:06:26.12\00:06:30.62
because of that. Verse 8 then
says, So God who knows the heart
00:06:30.65\00:06:34.63
acknowledged them by giving them
the Holy Spirit just as he did
00:06:34.67\00:06:38.80
to us and made no distinction
between us and them purifying
00:06:38.83\00:06:43.47
their hearts by faith. His point
here is that their hearts were
00:06:43.51\00:06:48.27
purified in the same way whether
Jew or Gentile. And he makes a
00:06:48.31\00:06:51.97
point of pointing to the heart
in two places. He says, So God
00:06:52.00\00:06:55.62
who knows the heart. This
is a heart issue. And lastly
00:06:55.66\00:07:00.04
purifying their hearts by faith.
And you know, as we think about
00:07:00.07\00:07:04.51
this challenge they were facing
of whether or not circumcision
00:07:04.55\00:07:08.64
was necessary in order to be
saved, Peter is pointing them
00:07:08.68\00:07:13.04
back to the issue of faith.
Because even before circumcision
00:07:13.07\00:07:17.08
ever happened Abraham who was
the one to whom circumcision was
00:07:17.11\00:07:21.48
committed, first had faith.
Faith came first. We go through
00:07:21.51\00:07:25.41
the Bible and we see that faith
is the handle by which we lay
00:07:25.45\00:07:29.53
hold of the blessings of
God. The Bible says in Ephesians
00:07:29.56\00:07:33.58
chapter 2 that we are saved by
grace through faith. It says in
00:07:33.61\00:07:37.64
Romans chapter 5, I believe
you mentioned this in a previous
00:07:37.68\00:07:42.17
program, that we are, in verse
1, justified by faith. Then in
00:07:42.21\00:07:45.93
Acts later in chapter 26 it's
going to tell us that we are
00:07:45.96\00:07:50.14
sanctified by faith. So all the
blessings of God come through
00:07:50.18\00:07:53.85
faith and this is the emphasis
that the Apostle Peter is trying
00:07:53.88\00:07:58.27
to make. But then in verse
10 he says, Now therefore why do
00:07:58.30\00:08:02.46
you test God by putting a yoke
on the neck of the disciples
00:08:02.50\00:08:07.09
which neither our fathers
nor we were able to bear. So now
00:08:07.12\00:08:11.15
he's talking about this yoke.
It makes me think of a couple
00:08:11.18\00:08:15.15
of passages. One is in Matthew
23. Let's look there together.
00:08:15.19\00:08:19.93
In Matthew 23 in what we refer
to as the woes to the Pharisees
00:08:19.97\00:08:25.12
it says in verse 4 speaking
about the Pharisees of that day
00:08:25.15\00:08:30.42
For they bind heavy burdens,
hard to bear, and lay them on
00:08:30.46\00:08:34.45
men's shoulders but they
themselves will not move them
00:08:34.49\00:08:38.20
with one of their fingers.
So what had happened, and
00:08:38.23\00:08:41.87
circumcision is the issue here,
but he's talking about this yoke
00:08:41.91\00:08:44.60
and circumcision had
spawned a legalistic attitude.
00:08:44.64\00:08:51.77
Circumcision was somewhat of an
ethnic rite to becoming a Jew.
00:08:51.81\00:08:57.55
So what really was at question
here is how someone is saved.
00:08:57.58\00:09:02.24
What gives someone the right
to heaven. Do they get their
00:09:02.28\00:09:06.53
ticket to heaven, as it
were, through Christ? Is he what
00:09:06.56\00:09:10.74
merits us salvation. Or, do they
get that through being a Jew?
00:09:10.78\00:09:15.91
So the issue was, is it
important to be Jewish in order
00:09:15.95\00:09:19.73
to be saved, this circumcision
rite. And the Apostle Paul is
00:09:19.76\00:09:23.68
not silent on this and I want to
look in Philippians chapter 3 at
00:09:23.71\00:09:28.65
another passage that I believe
really hits on that word. You
00:09:28.69\00:09:31.86
mentioned the words, They
trusted in themselves that they
00:09:31.89\00:09:35.12
were righteous. Well notice in
Philippians 3 when the Apostle
00:09:35.15\00:09:38.34
Paul is talking about
circumcision, he speaks of it in
00:09:38.38\00:09:41.81
a little bit different
light. He says, For we are the
00:09:41.85\00:09:45.22
circumcision who worship God
in the Spirit. Rejoice in Christ
00:09:45.25\00:09:50.83
Jesus. What verse did you say?
00:09:50.87\00:09:51.95
Philippians 3 and verse
3. Oh, verse 3, thank you.
00:09:51.99\00:09:55.60
For we are the circumcision
who worship God in the Spirit.
00:09:55.63\00:09:59.63
Rejoice in Christ Jesus and
have no confidence in the flesh.
00:09:59.67\00:10:04.25
Now he's trying to say that the
circumcision is not necessarily
00:10:04.28\00:10:08.83
those who are physically
circumcised, but those who fit
00:10:08.86\00:10:11.71
this category. And the key part
of this passage to me is he says
00:10:11.74\00:10:16.37
that there are those who
have no confidence in the flesh.
00:10:16.40\00:10:20.04
They don't trust in
themselves to be righteous.
00:10:20.07\00:10:21.92
That's right. And it helps us
to understand a little bit about
00:10:21.95\00:10:24.90
what the issue here was
with circumcision. You know
00:10:24.94\00:10:27.41
circumcision, there's nothing
inherently wrong about it but
00:10:27.44\00:10:31.50
they were putting confidence
in it. It's what gave them
00:10:31.53\00:10:35.52
confidence. Now if I wanted to
go to some wonderful concert and
00:10:35.55\00:10:40.58
I wanted to make sure I got
in but there were only so many
00:10:40.62\00:10:44.37
tickets going around. If I got a
ticket, if I could lay hold of a
00:10:44.40\00:10:49.25
ticket then that ticket itself
would be my confidence that I
00:10:49.29\00:10:53.11
would get in. If I didn't have
a ticket but you knew the singer
00:10:53.15\00:10:56.94
you might be the confidence.
I have confidence in you. But
00:10:56.97\00:11:01.03
ultimately my confidence is
in that which is going to get me
00:11:01.06\00:11:05.08
in. And when it says that we
have no confidence in the flesh
00:11:05.11\00:11:08.51
it's trying to say that
ultimately those who are relying
00:11:08.55\00:11:11.87
on circumcision were relying on
it to give them salvation. They
00:11:11.91\00:11:16.46
were seeking to merit salvation
through the circumcision and the
00:11:16.50\00:11:21.02
Apostle Paul was very clear.
That detracts from Christ and
00:11:21.05\00:11:24.87
detracts from the fact that
faith in Christ is really the
00:11:24.91\00:11:29.55
only way to salvation. It
continues in Acts chapter 15 now
00:11:29.58\00:11:34.58
Pick up back there in verse
11 where it says but we believe
00:11:34.61\00:11:38.92
that through the grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ we shall be
00:11:38.95\00:11:44.13
saved in the same manner as
they. So here we see that faith
00:11:44.17\00:11:49.12
is going to be the key, faith
in Christ, is going to be the
00:11:49.15\00:11:54.16
key that gives them eternal
life and not circumcision.
00:11:54.19\00:11:59.13
And Jew or Gentile, both have
access to Christ through faith.
00:11:59.17\00:12:03.98
Circumcision divided, but faith
has now united Jew and Gentile.
00:12:04.02\00:12:08.60
That's right. And we see then
the experience of the apostles
00:12:08.64\00:12:13.05
in verse 12, it says, Then all
the multitude kept silent and
00:12:13.09\00:12:16.86
listened to Barnabas and Paul
declaring how many miracles and
00:12:16.89\00:12:21.32
wonders God had worked through
them among the Gentiles. So they
00:12:21.36\00:12:25.75
are basically testifying to the
validity in their experience of
00:12:25.78\00:12:30.27
what Peter has shared and along
the lines of what you have just
00:12:30.30\00:12:33.78
shared about that confidence.
And the fact of the matter is
00:12:33.81\00:12:36.69
that the Lord is the one that
gives salvation and they've seen
00:12:36.73\00:12:39.91
that poured out among the
Gentiles. And it goes on to say
00:12:39.94\00:12:44.04
in verse 13 that, After they
(Barnabas and Paul) had become
00:12:44.08\00:12:48.11
silent, James answered and said,
Men and brethren, listen to me.
00:12:48.15\00:12:51.99
Simon has declared how God at
the first visited the Gentiles
00:12:52.02\00:12:55.79
to take out of them a people for
his name and with this the words
00:12:55.83\00:13:00.27
of the prophets agree just as
it is written and he quotes from
00:13:00.30\00:13:05.16
the prophets as a testimony,
or what do I want to say, as a
00:13:05.20\00:13:09.49
confirmation. Because when Peter
refers to his experience with
00:13:09.53\00:13:13.13
Cornelius he's really referring
to a vision and he's using his
00:13:13.16\00:13:16.73
prophetic authority when
he speaks and then we have
00:13:16.77\00:13:20.87
Barnabas and Paul that are
speaking of their experience.
00:13:20.91\00:13:23.69
But then it's taken all back
to the word and James says, you
00:13:23.72\00:13:26.25
know with everything that's been
said this is not contrary but
00:13:26.28\00:13:28.62
it's in perfect harmony with
what the prophets have written
00:13:28.65\00:13:32.24
beforehand and therefore that
leads James to make a concluding
00:13:32.27\00:13:35.82
statement that's going to
resound through all the church.
00:13:35.86\00:13:40.57
We don't have time actually
just yet to get into that.
00:13:40.61\00:13:43.86
We're going to take a short
break and then we're going to
00:13:43.89\00:13:47.89
come back and I hope you
join us as we continue on in our
00:13:47.93\00:13:50.70
study of the book of
Acts. We'll see you in a minute.
00:13:50.73\00:13:53.47