SCRIPTURE: Acts 15:1-35 (ESV)
DATE: 11-8-20
It’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And the one thing I always want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshipping with us in person at our North Main or Bowling Green campuses — or are worshipping with us online — the one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too.
SERIES INTRODUCTION
We’re continuing our series in the book of Acts this weekend. And let me say that I’m amazed at God’s providence in having us here in Acts at this time of the year.
Originally, we were going to be in Acts back in the spring. But we rearranged our sermon series due to the strange year this has been. And I really didn’t know how God would use this portion of Acts — Paul’s first missionary journey — when there’s not much journeying that any of us are doing these days. But God’s timing is remarkable — as I think you’ll see when we get to our text.
But — if you’re just joining us — what we’ve been seeing are some barriers the early Christians had to overcome in order to fulfill the mission Jesus had given them — the mission of taking the news about him — the gospel — to the whole world.
We’ve seen how they overcame barriers to their joy. We’ve seen them overcome the barrier of being afraid of persecution. We’ve seen the importance of knowing our biblical history — the stories of God’s faithfulness to his people as found throughout the Bible. We’ve seen that we’re in a war of words. And how we — God’s people — have a word to share — the word of grace.
And — then — before we took a short break — we saw the importance of humility — as pride is a barrier God’s people must overcome in order to accomplish the mission we’ve been given.
And speaking of our short break, I want to thank Mike and Craig for preaching God’s Word to us the past two weeks. And thanks to pastor Ben for leading us last Sunday night in our evening communion service.
Now — for our final two weeks in the book of Acts — we’ll be in a short mini-series — and this is where God’s timing should floor all of us. Because this week — and next — we’ll see how the early Christians were successful — and not so successful — in overcoming the barrier of disagreement. How should we — God’s people — respond to those with whom we disagree — so that — we still accomplish our mission? This week we’ll look at how to disagree and — next week — we’ll look at how not to disagree. And how to disagree — and how not to disagree — are two very timely topics given our country’s current climate.
So let’s turn to our passage for today.
ANNOUNCE THE TEXT
If you have your Bible please turn with me to Acts chapter 15. We’ll be looking at verses 1-35. We’ve got quite a long passage to read today — so let’s get to it — here are the words found in Acts chapter 15. Beginning in verse 1.
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.” 2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. 3 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. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. 5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.” 6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.
7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” 12 And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. 13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, 16 “‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.’
19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. 21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.” 22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, 23 with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. 24 Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, 25 it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements:
29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” 30 So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. 33 And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. (Acts 15:1-35 ESV)
SERMON INTRODUCTION
We’re learning how we can disagree — even with each other — and not allow our disagreements to keep us from accomplishing the mission we’ve been given. But — I think — one of the first things we notice — in our passage — is that no matter our personal opinions — we’re all called to submit to authority. Now — ultimately — God is our authority. But God exercises his authority in a variety of ways — one of which — is the local church. So we can’t really talk about how to disagree without recognizing the need for us to know how to disagree while being under an authority.
And that — being under authority — that can either make or break our disagreements. Partly due to us living in a cultural narrative where we’re told to not put our trust in authority. We live in a culture that’s highly suspicious of authority — a culture that’s hostile towards authority.
Now — obviously authority can be abused. So we’re not to blindly follow authority. There have been — and are — authoritative structures and people in power who are evil and thus should be resisted — especially by God’s people.
Yet, we must be careful to not allow the culture’s default position — suspicion or rejection of authority — to be our first response to authority. Why? Because God puts authority in place — in the home, in the church, in government — and to reject those in authority may mean that we reject God who has put these people in authority.
So we must be careful as to how we respond to authority for the gospel tells us that we’re to submit to the authorities God has put in place until they prove themselves unworthy of our God-honoring submission. And this will mean that — though those in authority may make decisions we don’t agree with — how we respond to their authority matters because our submission to their authority ultimately reveals the state of our submission to God.
And though we often think of authority as the Big Brother that’s watching us, keeping surveillance on us, sort of out to get us as soon as we get out of line — godly authority — especially in the church — submitting to godly authority is an opportunity for the people of God to be witnesses for Christ.
For we show the unbelieving world that submission and trust in authority doesn’t have to end as soon as we disagree. Submission and trust — along with loving one another, and being kind and generous, and so on — can continue even when we disagree.
So let’s return to Acts where we’ll see a disagreement, how they find resolution, and an outcome that I hope all of us would desire when we find ourselves in the midst of disagreement.
THE DISAGREEMENT
Let’s begin with the disagreement. And it’s hard to emphasize how significant of a barrier this disagreement was — how easy this could’ve divided the church — how this disagreement could’ve easily prevented the Christians from accomplishing their mission. Here’s the disagreement — we’re beginning in verse 1.
But some men (notice how Luke describes them as “some men.” So these men aren’t leaders in the church — based on what verse 24 says — so these are not men with authority — they just have an opinion, a conviction, something they feel that others need to hear — and they…) came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” (So here’s the disagreement.) 2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. 3 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. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. 5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.” (Acts 15:1-5 ESV)
So here’s the disagreement — the barrier — the church is facing. Are people saved by grace through faith alone — is it “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved” — or is it “believe AND be circumcised”? And — again — I can’t stress the importance of this disagreement. This is huge. The Jewish people — for centuries — have been practicing circumcision — they’ve been raised to believe that circumcision is necessary in order to be part of the people of God. And now Gentiles are believing in the Messiah — in Jesus — and are being welcomed into the people of God. But the Jewish believers are wondering, “But what about circumcision?” Because the Gentile converts wouldn’t have been circumcised.
Now way back in Acts chapter 11 — the church in Jerusalem accepted the fact that Gentiles could be saved. And this disagreement takes place roughly 15 or so years after Pentecost. So the church is over 15 years old and there’s still disagreement over what it takes for a person to be saved.
Now circumcision isn’t that big of a deal for us — when it comes to salvation — so we may have trouble relating to what’s going on. But these “some men” — and others who were Pharisees and yet believers in Jesus — these folks were preaching a “gospel plus” salvation. A “believe in Jesus AND be circumcised” gospel. And this was causing confusion, division, and disagreement in the church.
“But I still don’t get it, Josh. What’s the big deal?” Well adding something to the gospel is like adding pepper to a sugar cookie recipe. The recipe is good on its own, right? The pepper will only ruin the taste of the cookie and your experience of enjoying the cookie. And the same is true when we add things to the gospel.
Yet this kind of adding to the gospel still goes on today — though — today it’s not believe the gospel AND be circumcised — it’s believe the gospel AND be affiliated with a certain political party, or believe the gospel AND speak in tongues, or believe the gospel AND don’t drink alcohol, believe the gospel AND believe that the earth is so many years old, or believe the gospel AND don’t baptize your baby — aren’t you glad we got that one figured out — and so on.
There are all kinds of “gospel plus” messages proclaimed — different ways of ruining our wonderful sugar cookie recipe — and these additions are enemies of the true gospel message. For — as Paul tells Christians in Galatia, “But even if we (or an angel from heaven) should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be condemned to hell! 9 As we have said before, and now I say again, if any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be condemned to hell!” (Galatians 1:8-9 NET)
And Paul’s strong language shows us why the true gospel is so scandalous. It’s scandalous because everything in us — and in the world — wants to promote a salvation based on works. We want to be our own saviors. Yet the gospel of Jesus Christ proclaims that salvation occurs through no work of our own — salvation comes only through the merits of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. And this message was scandalous to the Jews — thus we have this circumcision disagreement — and it’s scandalous to many today — thus we have so many “gospel plus” messages.
And this disagreement was no small matter. Paul and Barnabas had “no small dissension and debate with these men.” Another Bible translation states that they “argued vehemently” with the men spreading this false gospel. So this is a major disagreement. And they decide to take this disagreement to Jerusalem — back to the mother church. And look at what this disagreement does to the folks whose heels are dug in on the circumcision issue.
When Paul and Barnabas are giving an update about all the work they’ve been doing — as the hearers are rejoicing over the work that God’s done through Paul and Barnabas — those “some men” folks interrupt the rejoicing to say, “But what about circumcision?” They can’t even rejoice over the work God was doing because they were so committed to being on the right side of the disagreement.
And that’s the danger with disagreement. Be honest, when you’re part of a disagreement who are you certain is right? If you and I have a disagreement, who do you think is wrong and right? We all do this, don’t we? I’m right and you’re wrong.
And if that’s the case — if there’s no possibility that we’re the one who’s wrong — then the only thing we can do is go our separate ways when those in authority don’t agree with us. Instead of submission we often choose division. But let’s see what these early Christians do.
FINDING A RESOLUTION
Let’s continue in verse 6.
The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. (So we’re not sure if the whole church is present, but definitely the church leaders are in this meeting.) 7 And after there had been much debate (no sweeping the disagreement under the rug…), Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
This is a retelling of Acts chapters 10 and 11. But look at Peter’s boldness. He says that requiring circumcision for salvation is to put God to the test — that sounds serious, right — something we don’t want to do. And look at how Peter continues. He says, “We’re saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus. That’s it. Add nothing to it. For — if you do — you are condemned.” And that’s it for Peter — not just here — but in all of Acts. This is his final speech. And what a way to go out. Close the curtains. Drop the mic and exit the stage. “Add nothing to the gospel or be condemned.”
12 And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. 13 After they finished speaking, James replied (this is Jesus’ younger brother — and James replied…), “Brothers, listen to me.
14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, 16 “‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.’ 19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. 21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.” (Acts 15:6-21 ESV)
So let’s talk about James’ speech — his resolution to this disagreement. First off, did you notice how he calls Peter Simeon? Peter’s called Simon a few times in the Bible, but only twice is he called Simeon — and this is one of those two times. So what is James doing? By calling Peter Simeon he’s appealing to the Jewish people as Simeon would’ve been the Hebrew way of addressing Peter. So he’s drawing the Jews in.
And — then — James makes a remarkable statement. He says that Simeon “has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name.”
Why is this remarkable? Well in the Old Testament, the word we translate as Gentile — sometimes it’s translated as “nations” — well this word is always contrasted with the word “people” which refers to the Jews. So you have the Jews — the people — and the others — the Gentiles or nations. Here’s an example from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. He has chosen you to be his people, prized above all others on the face of the earth.” (Deuteronomy 14:2 NET)
There we read of the people — the Jews — and the others on the face of the earth. So the Jews had been called out from the “others” to be a people for the Lord — God’s special treasure.” So — here’s another layer to this disagreement — these Jewish folks deeply believed that — to be part of God’s “people” — you have to be Jewish. And to be Jewish meant you were circumcised.
But James — a Jew himself — says, “Guys, we need to go back and read our Bibles more carefully. It’s not that God’s people have been taken out of — or separated from — the nations — it’s that God has taken his people out of — from — the nations.” Meaning, the people of God are a people of all nations — thus — requiring circumcision — a Jewish ceremony — to those who are not Jewish — would be to act as if God wants all of his people to be Jews — which he doesn’t. And James says the Old Testament prophets agree with this.
So Peter appealed to the divine guidance he received in Acts chapter 10. Paul and Barnabas appealed to their ministry experience. But James — oh you’ve got to love what James does — in order to find a resolution for this disagreement — James appeals to Scripture.
And then he makes a statement that shows us that there’s more to finding a resolution than simply one side being right and one side being wrong — which is how we so often view disagreements.
First, he says in verse 19, “And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.” You know what? For some reason, the Gentile adult males weren’t thrilled with the whole circumcision requirement. Go figure!
And so James is essentially asking, “Do you want people to believe in Jesus OR to be circumcised? Which is more important?” And — of course — believing in Jesus is more important. “Well great then,” James would say. “So Jewish Christians — lean in towards your non-Jewish brothers and sisters and stop adding to the gospel.”
And — for us today — James would ask, “Do you want people to believe in Jesus OR to be a Republican or Democrat? To believe in Jesus OR to speak in tongues? To believe in Jesus OR to hold your position on alcohol, baptism, Israel, or which news isn’t fake?” And our reply is, “No, no, no James. Not “or.” “And.” Believe in Jesus AND…fill in the blank.” And both James and Paul would say, “The gospel AND anything is a gospel straight from hell.”
And this makes it feel like one side has won and the other has lost. One side is right and the other is wrong — when it comes to the disagreement. But then James throws in three things that — on the surface — seem to be his own version of the “gospel plus.” Just now it isn’t circumcision, but it’s 1) no idols, 2) no sexual immorality, and 3) no meat with blood in it. “Well thanks James, we went from one extra requirement to three.” What’s he doing?
The Jewish Christians were coming from a tradition where sharing the table — having a meal with non-Jews — was considered defiling — it’d make a person unholy. And — now — because Christ has torn down the wall between Jews and Gentiles — fellowship around the table is an expectation of God’s people. So now it’s the Gentile Christians turn to lean in towards their Jewish brothers and sisters.
But these three requirements aren’t about salvation — they’re about fellowship — Gentiles giving up some of their freedom in order to sit down at the table with their new Jewish family members.
This is an opportunity for the Gentile Christians to give up some of their freedoms in order to overcome a barrier that’d been in place for centuries. Why? To show that unity and fellowship are possible even when there’s disagreement.
THE OUTCOME
And here’s the outcome. Verse 22.
Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, 23 with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. 24 Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, 25 it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: 29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” 30 So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. 33 And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. (Acts 15:22-35 ESV)
Even though this disagreement could’ve led to division — a church split — instead we see the early church overcome this barrier and the result is joy among all the people who heard the news. A disagreement — a potential barrier — was overcome and joy and unity are the results.
By submitting to the church leaders — trusting them to make a wise, biblical, God-honoring decision — the church — not just in Jerusalem — but throughout the world — experienced joy.
CONCLUSION
And if we want that for ourselves — and for our world — joy and unity to be the results of us overcoming disagreements that arise among us — first — we must be honest about our disagreements — we can’t sweep them under the rug. Second, we must submit ourselves to those who God has placed in authority over us. In the church, it means we trust that God’s Spirit is working in and through those in authority to come to Christ’s resolution of our disagreements — even if that means it’s a different decision than we would’ve made. And — third — we all must lean in towards each other — giving up some of our own personal freedoms — for the sake of others who are part of this family.
Ernst Hemingway said that, “The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.” And — ultimately — this kind of unity — unity even when we disagree — begins by us believing that God can be trusted. That he can be trusted to bring us to a resolution when we disagree with each other. That he can be trusted as we submit ourselves to him and to those he’s put in authority. And that he can be trusted to bless us — like the early Christians — that he can be trusted to bless us with great joy and unity as we accomplish our mission together. Let’s pray.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, what a blessing we’ve learned of today. That our disagreements don’t have to be reason for us to divide. Instead, even our disagreements are an opportunity for us to trust in you.
Spirit of God, reveal to us any “gospel plus” messages we’re believing or proclaiming. And help us to be committed to sharing only your scandalous gospel — “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Nothing else to add. For anything else is just pepper being added to a perfectly good cookie recipe.
And — Jesus — we can’t help but thank you. For you didn’t just proclaim to us the gospel, but you fulfilled it. How dare we add anything to your perfect work. Remind us of your infinite love, your unending patience, your unconditional grace, your limitless kindness towards us, and that you are sovereign — in control — of all things — including all authorities in our life. And may our unity and commitment to you — and to each other — be a powerful witness in this divided world — that the gospel we believe is the only true gospel. And we pray all of these things in your name. Amen.
BENEDICTION
In a world where we’re taught that a disagreement is a reason for division, may we all go trusting God to bless us with great joy and unity as we all submit ourselves to him. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.