Jesus in His Church - The..

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com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. Acts chapter 15 from 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.

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. So being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversation of the Gentiles and brought great joy to all the brothers. 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. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, it is necessary to circumcise them in order and to order them to keep the law of Moses. The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.

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. And God who knows the heart bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as He did to us. And He made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 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? 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 the signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they had finished speaking, James replied, Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for His name. And with this the words of the prophet agree, just as it is written, 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. and 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 known from of old. Therefore, my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God. 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. For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues."

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 Barcibus, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, 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, since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words unsettling to your minds, although we gave them no instruction. 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, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements, 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 yourself from these, you will do well. Farewell." So when they sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words.

And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord with many others also. 36, and after some days Paul said to Barnabas, let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaim the word of the Lord and see how they are. Now Barnabas wanted to take with him John called Mark, but Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there arose a sharp disagreement, so they separated from each other.

Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord, and went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. Amen. The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of the Lord remains forever. Well, brothers and sisters, we come, as I said earlier, to a very, very important chapter in chapter 15 of the book of Acts, the book that we've been spending some time in, the book of the early church of Jesus Christ and how she grew as Christ prophesied that it would.

In fact, the outcome of this chapter is critical for the Gentile mission, and the result paves the way for the rest of the book, which would be focused on the Apostle Paul's Gentile mission to the ends of the known earth. Beloved, the discussions and the debates in this chapter, had they gone the wrong way, would have been absolutely devastating, not only to the Gentile mission, but to the church of Jesus Christ. And so I believe in this chapter, we have the clearest evidence of the promise of our Lord when he said to the disciples back in Matthew 16, that I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. Because what we have here is we have Satan's full frontal attack at the church of Jesus Christ. This is a fierce spiritual battle that we have for us.

You may not see it at the surface, but what we have here is a spiritual battle. In fact, probably, I would say, Satan's greatest assault at the church since its inception. The New Testament church from Acts chapter 2. This is an epic spiritual battle. The very foundation and the fabric of the gospel of Jesus Christ is under assault right here in this chapter.

And if that thread is allowed to be pulled out, beloved, everything we've read so far in the book of Acts will be unraveled. It'll become a pile of ruins. Beloved, it might not seem at first glance, when we look at chapter 15, that it is a spiritual warfare, but this is a spiritual warfare at its fiercest. But what we see here also is the glory that our Lord will prevail. Our Lord always prevails.

He promised He'll build His church. He promised He'll protect His church. He promised that His church will advance by Him building His church, and He does so. And we see that very clearly evident for us in this chapter. And towards the end of the chapter, last paragraph, we see after this great momentous victory, We see something sad, in fact, something very disappointing.

We see the division, a separation of the Apostle Paul and Barnabas, a union that was in place for many, many years, we see now being separated, and we'll look at that towards the end of our evening. Okay, so far, what do we have? What do we know so far from our study in the Book of Acts? Well, the Church has grown. It's grown.

What started in Jerusalem, due to the persecution that arose from the time of Stephen, and all the Christians had to disperse from Jerusalem, they dispersed, and the Church has grown as a result. They fleed the holy city because of persecution. They left everything behind. They left family, friends, and relatives. They left their possessions, their homes, their livelihoods, their workplaces, and everything they had.

They left it all behind, but they did not leave behind their faith. Clearly, they didn't leave their zeal to preach and proclaim the gospel either. And through the Spirit's power and the bold heralding of the gospel by many Christians, sinners were being saved and added to the church. As we flick through the pages of Acts, we see more and more and more sinners added to the church of Jesus Christ. The church is growing.

First, the revival broke out in Samaria through Philip, if you remember, one of the seven deacons. named him in chapter 6. And then the growth of the church spread to the Gentiles. The first of these Gentiles was Cornelius, if you remember back in chapter 10. This Roman centurion and his household heard the preaching of the gospel through the lips of Peter, and he came to know Christ in a salvific way.

the prophetic words of our Lord in chapter 1 verse 8 that our brother reminded us of last week, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth is coming to fruition as we speak, as we read this book. So from chapter 13 onwards, it's the last part of that commission that is being realized and that is the focus of the book. The mission of the church, to the Gentiles. The mission of the church to the outermost parts of the earth is in view, and the main instrument that the Lord Jesus Christ is using is the Apostle Paul, and we've seen already Barnabas partnering with the Apostle Paul. But from this point on, the Apostle will go with Silas and others, and we'll see him progress into that mission.

Then, the journey began for us in chapter 13, when the Apostle and Barnabas were commissioned, you remember? They were commissioned by the church in Antioch. They were commissioned not only by the church, but we're told they were commissioned by the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, that is behind this movement. And they were commissioned to go out by the church of Antioch to go on to the first missionary journey.

Now, that's not the Pisidian Antioch. Our brother explained that for us last week, but the Antioch in Syria. And Antioch in Syria had become a hub for the Christians. It's become like a hub for the early church. It's no longer Jerusalem, it's now Antioch.

And so Paul and Barnabas and their companions, including at first John Mark, and that's going to be instrumental, were sent on this missionary journey. From there, they sent these missionaries to bring the good news of the gospel into the Gentile world. And so over the last two weeks, our brother Nelson has been taking us through these chapters. And we followed through the tracks of these men upon their arrival back at the end of chapter 14 to the church of Antioch. Now, the first journey was the shortest.

We know that. Beginning in Antioch, the brothers traveled over the Mediterranean Sea to Cyprus. From there, the mainland called Asia Minor, what we call modern-day Turkey. Now, it's upon arriving on that mainland, or shortly after, in Pamphylia, that John Mark returns back to Jerusalem. It's briefly mentioned in chapter 13, but it's in chapter 15, in our chapter here, that we realize that this was to Paul's great disappointment.

However, the others continue without Mark. preaching the good news on the mainland of modern-day Turkey. Once they arrived as far as Derby, they decided to come back home. But rather than returning back home the short way, which is about 300 odd kilometers, they decided to go back through and retrace their steps some twice as long, if not more, so that they can continue back to the churches and visit the converts, visiting the brothers to encourage them in the faith and also to appoint elders to shepherd the young flock. from that point on.

And then they arrive back, we're told, at the end of chapter 14. They arrive back at the church of Antioch, and there they encourage the church with the great news. The news that Christ is saving a people among the Gentiles. And that brings us to this chapter. It brings us to chapter 15, the chapter that is before us.

And beloved days, I only have one evening, one short study to go through the incredibly important contents of this chapter. Our study may be a little bit longer than usual, but even then, it's still gonna feel like we've left a lot on the table. Because to properly go through this chapter, we will require time. But by God's grace, I hope that we can at least by the end of this evening get a good gist of what we have before us. And my hope is to spend most of our time unpacking the underlying issue being debated.

here in our chapter, and why it's an explaining or answering the question why it's of critical importance to not only the Gentile Church and the Gentile mission, but for the whole Church of Jesus Christ. Why it's incredibly important to the faith, to the Christian faith. And after this we'll go fairly quickly and work our way through the narrative towards the end of the chapter. So in Antioch, We said it earlier, Satan strikes again. But now his attack is targeted against the Gentile inclusion of the church.

What's his instrument? His instrument is zealous Jews who come up from south, from south in Jerusalem. These men who, it seems, were of the same group as those that were referred to us in verse 5. And that is the Pharisees who were espousing the same doctrines, it seems. You see, these men had supposedly heard and believed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Luke calls them believers in verse 5, right? We see that in our passage. but they had a foundational flaw in their understanding. And their dangerous understanding wasn't kept to themselves until they matured. No, in their zeal, they traveled to as far as Antioch, at least, and even beyond, we know.

And they began to teach that serious error to others. You see, brothers and sisters, the enemy's assaults are nothing new in the book of Acts. Already we've witnessed many of these attacks, some from within the church, if you remember, Ananias and Sapphira from within the church in chapter 5. We also remember the threat to divide the unity of the church by bringing in ethnic racism in the church amongst the widows in chapter six, to fracture the church, that's the enemy's ploy to break apart that which Christ is joining together. And we've also seen some attacks from Satan from outside the church.

Not so much the Roman government, not yet at least, but the zealous religious Judaistic Jews who throughout the book of Acts want nothing to do with the Messiah. In fact, they're the ones who incited the people in Lystra to turn on Paul and have him stoned. You remember that? But now, beloved, the enemy has found a way to combine both. Jewish believers.

They have a form of belief. They believe that Jesus is the Messiah, but they're still zealously holding to the precepts of Judaism. They haven't yet abandoned the rites and the rituals of the law of Moses, which Christ has already fulfilled. 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 You cannot be saved. And then we're told in verse 2 that Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with these men.

Luke is an eloquent writer. You see that already, I'm sure. No small dissension is Luke's way of saying this was a big deal. A big deal. A strong disagreement arose between them.

In fact, in a few chapters, the same word that's translated for us in our passage here, dissension, is translated elsewhere as insurrection or riot in another place. This is a serious thing going on here. This was no small civil disagreement. No, this was a serious heated argument between the parties. Paul and Barnabas's blood pressure had hit critical levels.

Because they were outraged, absolutely outraged, at the poison being taught by these men. Why? Why? That's the question we need to ask ourselves, beloved, because this was not a peripheral issue. This was not a side note or a matter of preference.

No, beloved, Paul and Barnabas knew that what these so-called Jewish Christians were attacking was the very fabric and heart of the gospel itself. This was as foundational as it comes. You get the finished work of Christ and how that work is applied to the Christian wrong and you have nothing. You have nothing. All their work amongst the Gentiles is at risk of becoming undone if this poison continues to be spread.

And the whole of Christianity, beloved, stands and falls on this one truth, the gospel of free grace. And it was subtle, it seems. The Jews were not denying that Jesus is the Son of God. We don't have a hint of that here at all. There seems to be an agreement on that point.

It wasn't either a denial that Jesus is the Messiah, and there's no issue, it seems, on that point. The men from Jerusalem didn't debate the perfect life of Christ or his sacrificial death. Nor does there seem to be a dispute with the resurrection or the ascension of our Lord. And hear this, there was no controversy in relation to the necessity of faith in Jesus Christ of Nazareth. These weren't issues of contention.

So what's the problem then, you may ask? Why the dispute? Well, Jesus did all these things as far as they were concerned, but hear this, but he wasn't enough. Christ isn't enough. For these Jews, it was Christ plus.

And beloved, the moment you add plus, you've lost the true gospel. Whether it's obedience to the law of Moses, as it is here, specifically circumcision, or anything else, that plus, beloved, renders the gospel impotent, without power. That's why Paul and Barnabas put their gloves on. This is the heart of the gospel. It's worth fighting for.

You see, the most treacherous attack so far in the book of Acts was not the people lying to God like Ananias and Sapphira, or the threat of disunity that we saw in chapter 6, or the Jewish physical persecution upon the apostles. They killed James, the brother of John. He was one of the inner circle of Christ. He was murdered. But the church still grew.

Peter was imprisoned with the intent to execute him on the next day, and Paul was stoned nearly unto death. But even if these men were eliminated, Christ would raise up others, and the church will still continue to grow, and the gospel would go and advance into the kingdom. But make a single addition to the gospel. a single amendment, whether it's the law of Moses, good works, or any effort on one's behalf, add any of these and you lose grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Beloved, I've said on numerous occasions, get the gospel wrong and you get everything wrong.

The whole Christian faith hinges on the truth of the gospel of grace. It is a hill worthy to die on. And I believe Paul and Barnabas both have shown that they're prepared to die on this hill. Imagine the damage these young converts in Antioch and other places in hearing this false gospel coming up from Jerusalem. Imagine what they would be experiencing when they heard, oh, you think you're a Christian?

Have you been circumcised? Are you obeying the laws of Moses? Well, no. We thought it is by faith. We thought it is the grace of God and by faith in Christ alone.

That's what we thought. Oh, no. No, no. You need to be circumcised. You need to tick these boxes.

Imagine how their joy would have been crushed. New converts rejoicing in the Lord Jesus Christ, hearing that news. Imagine their souls at that point of time. We didn't think we signed up for this, but we love this Jesus. Maybe we need to submit to this thing called circumcision.

I mean, proselytes of old were circumcised. Could it be that the Jews, in order to become a Christian, one also needs to become a Jew? Beloved, imagine the damage to the church this thought of thinking and teaching would create, because that's essentially what is being said. You have to become a Jew. You have to agree and observe Judaism in order to become a Christian.

And it's completely antithetical to all that the evangelists have seen with their own eyes so far in the book of Acts, and it's antithetical to the words of our Lord Himself. Remember back in chapter 8? when Philip the evangelist was directed down south on the south road towards Gaza and there he met by divine direction by the way the royal Ethiopian eunuch that treasurer from the treasurer of Candace Queen Candace you remember that the Ethiopian eunuch was on that road and he was reading something in his carriage and Philip was walking alongside could hear he's reading Isaiah 53 couldn't understand it so he was asked to come along board And as he did, he explained Isaiah 53, which is in fact the fifth gospel in the Old Testament, speaking of Christ so beautifully. And do you remember what happened when the Ethiopian eunuch believed? I love that passage.

It's a beautiful passage. When the Ethiopian believed in Christ, verse 36 tells us, he spoke and he said, see, to Philip, here is water. Remember, they're still going along the carriage. Here's water. What prevents me from being baptized?

You see, sometimes we can skip the significance of those words and simply go to the fact that he was baptized and talk about mode of baptism and other things, but we may miss the significance of what he's saying. You see, the Ethiopian eunuch's words could be translated, is there anything that I must do? Anything preventing me from being baptized? Is there anything I must do before? Is there any obedience that I have to succumb to?

Is there anything that I have to do in order to be the member of the body of Christ? Do I have to subscribe to the law of Moses? Do I have to be circumcised? Tell me people, Peter, is there anything that a Jew, anything that I have to do in order to be a Christian? Anything I've got to do before I can declare my faith in obedience to the command of Jesus Christ that I belong to Him and I've been included into the church of Jesus Christ?

And you see, we don't get an answer in words, but we get better because actions speak louder than words. What does Peter do? Immediately, the carriage is ordered to stop, and in the very next verse, we're told that Peter and the eunuch come out of the carriage, and it's my apologies, Philip and the eunuch come out of the carriage, and Philip baptizes the eunuch. Clear as day, they're unspoken words. No, sir, he would be saying, salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ, alone.

The apostle Paul, knows this truth very well. He's been preaching it since he was saved from being a pious, self-righteous Pharisee himself. Not only does he know the truth, but he dealt with proponents of the truth in a similar situation to what he's experiencing with Barnabas now in Antioch. He experienced this when he wrote his epistle to the Galatians. Now, I believe the epistle to the Galatians was written at an earlier event than Acts 15.

I do believe that it was written to the southern region of Galatia, but we won't get into that. But in that letter, the apostle had the strongest words to say about the deviations from the only true gospel to the Galatians. You remember the tone of that letter. Actually, open your Bibles with me to Galatians chapter 1. Galatians chapter 1.

Let's read from verse 1 together. This letter opens like no other letter of the Apostle Paul. You can see his zeal for the gospel here. You can see that he's hot under the collar because of the error that is being preached amongst these people. Galatians chapter 1, let's restart reading from verse 1.

Paul an apostle not from men nor through man but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead and all the brothers who are with me to the churches of Galatia grace to you and the peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age according to the will of God and Father to whom be the glory forever and ever amen verse 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel. Not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. Wow!

Powerful words. No other gospel, the Apostle Paul is saying. And anyone who preaches a gospel apart from the one that you heard us preach, me preach, the Apostle Paul saying, a gospel that is by grace through faith in Christ alone, let him be anathema. Let him be under the curse of God. Strong words, but why such strong words?

You see, the Jews had infiltrated Southern Galatia, which is the regions of all the cities that the Apostle Paul and Barnabas went to in their first missionary journey. That's Southern Galatia, the region. And they'd infiltrated, the Jews had infiltrated that region with a similar doctrine of teaching as we see here in Acts chapter 15. Observe the law of Moses and be circumcised, they'd say, and that is essential for your salvation. But that's contrary to what Paul is preaching.

That's antithetical to what Jesus taught. And so Paul's furious and in chapter 2 he responds, by works of the law no one, no one will be justified. Verse 16. Not even the Jews who received the law are justified by the law. So Paul's saying, why would you force it upon the Gentiles?

We couldn't keep the law. No one's justified by the law. Why force it upon the Gentiles? Then he goes on, and if you're still in Galatians, turn to chapter 3 and let's start reading from verse 10. Because he goes on in this book, because this is really the emphasis of Paul's writing to the Galatians.

The gospel is at stake, just as it is here in Acts chapter 15. From verse 10, so Galatians chapter 3 from verse 10, For all who rely on the work of the law are under a curse, for it is written, Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, and do them. 11. Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for the righteous shall live by faith. 12.

But the law is not of faith, rather, the one who does them shall live by them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on or hanged on a tree, so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith." Through faith. Through faith plus nothing else. He continues in chapter 5 to respond to the mandating of these people who have gone into Galatia preaching that these men need to be also circumcised.

Again, at the same point that we're confronting here, or that Paul and Barnabas and the church in Antioch are confronting here in the text of Acts 15. If you're still there in Galatians, turn to verse 5, my apologies, chapter 5, and let's start reading from verse 1 again. Because Paul says it far better than I, he gives a wonderful explanation to what is essentially the point of Acts chapter 15, or at least the assault at the gospel. From verse 1, for freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

Look, I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obliged to keep the whole law. You hear that? He's obliged to keep the whole law. For you are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law.

You have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly await for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything but only faith working through love. 7. You were running well.

Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted?

In that case, the offence of the cross has been removed. I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves." Sounds like a pretty agitated apostle to me. And he would be, and he should be, because the gospel of Jesus Christ is at stake. You see, it's either the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ, or it's the righteousness because of your own allegiance and obedience to the whole law of Moses.

Pick. Try going down the path or that route of obedience to the law, and tell me how that pans out, Paul's saying. It's not going to go well. Wake up. Abandon all efforts to attain any righteousness through obedience to the law.

That was then, and his stance hasn't changed here in Acts chapter 15, has it? Barnabas is with the Apostle 100%. Salvation is by grace, through faith. In Christ, it is alone. The matter is not settled yet and the apostles and the elders in Jerusalem need to be aware of the issue because the issue is coming out from their own people and the damage they're causing.

They're causing an immense amount of damage by unsettling the mind of the new converts in Antioch and the church in Jerusalem needs to know. You see, the goal is for truth to be made known, and the consensus in the Church of Christ is essential. You see, Christ came to unify, not to divide. And what we're seeing here is a division amongst the people of God. And so whatever gospel is preached, it's the same gospel that is preached to the Jew, and it's the same gospel that should be preached to the Gentiles also.

It's the same gospel. It doesn't differ. There is no Jew or Gentile, slave, free, male, female, in the salvation economy of God. It's the same gospel. So the church in Antioch sends the Apostle Paul, Barnabas, with others to Jerusalem to settle the matter, once and for all.

They arrive. The text tells us that after much debate and discussion, we don't know exactly how much time they'd spent, but there's been deliberations. We see Peter stand up and Peter begins to speak. Essentially what Peter says from verses 7 through 11, He reiterates, my apologies, the essence of what he has already told the elders and the apostles in Jerusalem. Remember, after returning from the conversion experience of Cornelius and his household, you remember that's in chapter 10.

And then in chapter 11, Peter comes back to Jerusalem and gives an account of what happened. So essentially what we have before us here is something along those lines. That by his own mouth, The proclamation that he proclaimed and declared and herald to the people at Cornelius and his household. The proclamation of the gospel and of free grace to the Gentiles. And upon hearing, by faith, they believed, Peter's saying, and they were saved.

He saw with his own eyes that while he was yet speaking, we're told, it's almost like he was interrupted. The same Holy Spirit was poured out upon the Gentiles who believed just as he did at the day of Pentecost. Same spirit, same outpouring, same gospel. See, God shows no distinction, Peter's saying. Between Jew and Gentile, there is no distinction in the eyes of God.

both having their hearts cleansed by faith, he goes on to say. You see, the cleansing and the atoning blood symbolized with centuries and centuries of the Jewish sacrificial system was now actually being fulfilled in the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice was not simply a substitute for the Jews, but for true Israel. See, that's not the physical descendants of Abraham, but the Jews and the Gentiles who have the faith of Abraham. People of faith. So Peter is saying, I saw this with my own eyes.

Gentiles believing and Gentiles receiving the Holy Spirit. Hear this, without becoming Jews first. Just upon the proclamation of the gospel. So now Peter says, don't test God. Don't test God.

God has spoken. He's made his intentions clear in scripture. He's confirmed his words by his spirit in real time. So don't test his patience or provoke him to judgment. The imagery would have reminded the listeners to the multiple times their ancestors tested God in history.

You remember that. And they would become or they became the recipients of the judgment of God. Peter's saying, don't do that. Don't do that. God's will in Christ is clear.

That the Gentiles are saved by faith alone and the yoke of the mosaic law that was given to the Jews. quickly became a reminder of their inability to obey it, their inability to fulfill it. They couldn't do it. It's clear throughout the text of Scripture. It was a burden for our ancestors.

It's a burden for us. And Peter's saying, brothers, why would you wish to place this unnecessary burden upon our Gentile brothers and sisters? Why? It's almost like Peter's got the words of his Savior in mind. When Jesus says in Matthew 11, 28, the beautiful words that we probably come to memorize, Peter's saying the law.

That yoke ain't easy. And that burden is definitely not light. Our ancestors couldn't bear it. We couldn't bear it. Then where do you get off trying to force our Gentile brothers and sisters to bear it?

When Jesus' yoke is easy and his burden is light. I love the way Peter ends his speech in verse 11. But we believe that we will be saved through grace of the Lord Jesus. Hear this, just as they will. You see, I believe the order of his words are pretty important.

You'd expect Peter, a Jew, to affirm that the Gentiles will be saved in the same way as the Jews are saved. Because after all, the Gentiles are grafted into that vine. But that's not what he says. I think the difference is subtle, but I believe it's profound. He says, the Jews will be saved, here it is, the Jews will be saved in the same way as the Gentiles.

So he's saying to the brothers there, you guys are going to be saved in the same way as them, not they will be saved in the same way you've already been saved. In other words, he's saying there's zero benefit in being a Jew, zero. In the new covenant, all are saved by the precious free grace of God through the instrument of faith in Christ alone. All on equal footing, no advantage, both become one man in Christ. One man in Christ.

Christ came to unite and he unites through the gospel. The Spirit, beloved, is at work here because everyone became silent. You see that? That much debate we read about back in verse 7 has become a silence, I believe, of approval. There's nothing they can say to that.

What can you say? It's truth. And if the Spirit of God is pressing that truth upon their hearts, then all the talk, all the chatter, all the debate that was going on before, now there's silence, because you know what happens? You submit. Truth is truth.

So with attentive ears, they now listen to Paul and Barnabas and the wonderful testimony of the power of God. that they've experienced among the Gentiles who have believed in Jesus and have come to be added to the church. But not much more can be said. It's clear at this point, all present are convinced by the Spirit. even though he's not mentioned yet, so we haven't seen the Spirit mentioned so far in our passage, but James, interestingly, the half-brother of Christ, that's not James the brother of John, but he died back in in Acts chapter 12.

Now, this is the brother of Christ, the leader of the Jerusalem church, it seems. It makes it clear in verse 28 that it was the Holy Spirit who was at work among them. It's the Holy Spirit convincing them and convicting their hearts to refrain from adding unnecessary burdens to the gospel when proclaiming it to the Gentile brothers. God the Spirit is in the midst of his people and he's illuminating the truth in order to unify hearts in that truth. See James then in verse 16 and 17 quotes from Amos chapter 9.

Now this is a prophetic passage from about 800 years earlier that speaks about the inevitable judgment of God upon Israel. They're an idolatrous people. They're a people that had broken covenant with God and God was promising that judgment will come upon them. But then in Amos chapter 9, it goes on to say that also there's going to be, after this judgment that comes along, there's going to be a restoration. In fact, a restoration of David's tents.

This is a Davidic king that will come and bring restoration of God's people. A restoration that is better than the golden age experienced under the reign of Jesse's son. A restoration in the true son of David. A restoration that will come in Christ. a restoration of true Israel.

This includes Jews and Gentiles. He says that in our passage. And Amos speaks about that, looking forward, saying, Jews, it's not only the salvation will come through you, it will come through the Jews, but it's going to be offered to both Jew and Gentile. And they're all going to be included into the people of God. that we're all called the people of God.

They'll be known by Yahweh's name, verse 14 and 17 in our passage, meaning they become His possession, the possession of Yahweh. Jews and Gentiles, they become the people of God as a result of what is so unanimous among the people. It's a unanimous consensus that they come to. They're in one accord, as James says in verse 25. So the Spirit is working.

They've come to one agreement, one accord. Our gospel of Jesus Christ must not and should not and must never be added to. They draft a letter. And with the approval of the apostles, elders, and in fact the whole church, In Jerusalem, that's verse 22, the letter is drafted and it's to be agreed upon that it's going to be taken to the Gentile Christians back in Antioch, Cilicia, and we're told, I think it was Syria, in the hands of Paul and Barnabas and some other leading men from the Jerusalem church to support them and to encourage them and to speak by mouth the contents of the letter. The details of the contents of the letter are found in verse 19 through 29, with a recommendation to refrain from certain activities discussed in Jerusalem in verse 19 through 21, and this is repeated again in the letter in verse 28 through 29.

Okay, there's some changes. Now, we're going to quickly fly through the letter, but I want you to realize two things before we do. First, in verse 23, I want you to see how the letter begins. This is beautiful, brothers and sisters. Attention to detail, it's beautiful.

The letter begins by saying, from the brothers, to who? To the brothers. The same designation is used both of the apostles and the elders in Jerusalem and to the Gentile Christians in Antioch. This is a statement that we recognize there's no distinction in the economy of the salvation of God. There's no distinction in the family of Christ.

There's no distinction in the body of Christ. We Jews are no better than you. No matter what ethnicity or demographic one comes from, you are all one in Christ. They're saying, you are our brothers. I love that because it's a statement of solidarity.

It's a statement of unity in Christ. They're saying, we are equal, Jews and Gentiles. You are brothers. You are our brothers. You are our brothers.

And second, I want us to see, as I said earlier, even though the Holy Spirit's not mentioned, When the men are deliberating one with the other, it's a given he's there, but James attributes the decision to him first, and then second to the apostles and the elders. You see that? This is because when the church comes together, beloved, and interprets the undeniable work of God among the Gentiles in light of what is written in Holy Scripture, then they're able to stand back and say the Spirit of God is illuminating that truth among them. He's the one who guided their thinking through the word. He's the one who guided their thinking through the apostles who at that point were speaking the word on behalf of Jesus Christ.

This is profound. For us today, we don't have apostles among us. So what does it mean? It means as spirit indwelt believers, standing upon the clearly taught precepts of God's word, including the apostolic teachings that we have before us, as we act upon them, we will be able to say with confidence that this is pleasing to the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth, if we're living out consistency with the Word of God. That's profound.

You want to know unequivocally that God is behind something? Beloved, quote chapter and verse, and you'll know. Now let's have a look at the requirements in the letter from 19 through 21. and the almost parallel apart from some mild differences from verse 28 and 29. First thing is that it states the resolution has been made.

Essentially the purpose for Paul and Barnabas to make the trip to Jerusalem in the first place was to settle the point on the gospel. And now we've seen at that point that there is to be no additions to the gospel of Jesus Christ. That has been settled unanimously. Everyone has agreed. James tells us.

Fundamentally, Gentiles are not required to become Jews in order to be Christian. Entrance into the true church by faith alone, in Christ alone, and that is because of His grace alone. No further burdens, verse 19. That means obedience to the law of Moses and circumcision. Both were main points here in the discussion.

Well, they're not required for one to be saved. And beloved, nor is any other meritorious work. But you may be asking, what about those requirements? Verse 28 and 29, it seems like they're stipulations given to the Gentiles. Let's look at those.

Verse 28 and 29. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements, that you abstain from what has been strangled and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourself from these, you will do well." The order is different from verse 19 through 21, but essentially speaking about the same things. Now it may be, or it may at least seem, that the church in Jerusalem is sending out stipulations or legal requirements for the Gentiles to obey, but beloved, that's actually not the case.

We'll see that as we start to examine these requirements. So let's turn your eyes down again to verse 19, and we'll look at these requirements from the standpoint of when they were decided upon, because we get a little bit more insight there than just the letter that was presented. Because with the letter, the Apostle Paul and those who were sent with him and Barnabas, they're there to do the explanation. But here, in verse 19 through 21, we actually have a little bit of the thinking of the apostles and the elders. All right, let's read it there.

It says, Therefore, my judgment, this is James speaking, is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God. Okay. Should not trouble them. 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.

Here it is. For from ancient generations, Moses has been in every city, those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues. Okay. Okay. So it's needless to say that much ink has been spent on explaining this passage through the ages.

And it's not an easy passage to understand. But we should be asking a couple of questions to clear things up. Okay. Refrain from things polluted by idols. That's the first thing.

Okay. And then refrain from sexual immorality. Now the question we need to be asking ourselves is, okay, What about the other moral laws? Why not tell them to refrain from stealing as well, and lying, and disobeying parents, and coveting? Why only sexual immorality?

Something other than the law of God is being communicated here, because His law stands over and above the Old Testament. You can't pick and choose there, because both Jew and Gentile are under the law of God, 1 Corinthians 9.21. Something else is going on here. Next, they address drinking blood, or animals strangled, which essentially is the same thing, because a strangled animal hasn't had a chance for the blood to be drained, so the blood has coagulated, what's the word?

Coagulated, coagulated? Coagulated in the animal, so it's stiffened up, because the animal's been strangled, it's died, and then when you go to cut the animal and eat its flesh, You're going to get a bunch of blood with it. You're going to get a bunch of blood. So it's essentially the same thing. Eating blood and eating animals strangled.

Because eating blood is a violation. We know that. Leviticus 17. It hasn't been very long since we, on the Lord's Day, have gone through that in our corporate reading. It's under the Mosaic law.

But why mention these ceremonial laws that were only applicable to the Jews in the Old Testament and now have been fulfilled in Christ? And the Gentiles, I mean, the Jews that come together with Paul and Barnabas there in Jerusalem have already agreed that Gentiles are no longer under the law of Moses. They're no longer under the law of Moses. So why mention these laws? And why not any of the other ceremonial laws in the Torah?

Why these? Well, I believe there's two reasons under the surface that are given for these requirements for the Gentile Christians. And beloved, we know it's not unto salvation. That is simply by grace, through faith in Christ alone. So these are not additions in order to be saved.

We need to get that out of the way for sure. That's been resolved by the apostles and the elders. But what the apostles and elders are saying, I believe, is this. You don't need to be or become a Jew to be a Christian, but you also can't remain as a pagan. You see, the Gentiles in the overarching Greek culture that we have before us in this day were so used to pagan idol worship.

It was everywhere. It was part of their life, all of life, in fact. It was everywhere, through the towns and the cities, those temples and shrines all over the place. But now everything polluted by that old rebellious pagan lifestyle, everything associated with the central religious practices must stop. Don't become a Jew, but don't remain a pagan.

A huge part of the pagan worship was around temples, was it not? The sacrifices to false deities are an affront to God. The eating of meats in celebration of these false deities in their religious shrines was an affront to God. Everything that goes on in those temples was an affront to God. Beloved, it was filthy.

Temple prostitution, sexual immorality was rampant in those places. It was very closely attributed to pagan worship. So what the apostles and the elders are saying is, you've got to turn your back on that. You've got to turn your back on that pagan lifestyle that you were so used to. You're a new creation in Christ.

That's not how Christians live anymore. You've been saved by his free grace. You've been saved into a new life now in Christ. And the letter, I believe, is an encouragement to completely disassociate from everything in the old pagan lifestyle. Everything that is associated with their old front worship and idolatry, keep that behind you.

Break away from that. A lifestyle polluted by idols and defined by sexual immorality. Turn your back on that life. All of it. Break away from everything that defiles you and look to Christ alone.

Don't be defiled by idolatry any longer. In a word, as I said earlier, don't become a Jew. We're not saying that. We're freeing you from that. But don't remain a pagan.

The second point, I believe, relates to the unity in the body of Christ. That includes both Jew and Gentile. The reason is made clear for us in verse 21, in fact. You see, after James announces these requirements, he says, "...for the ancient generations, from ancient generations, Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he has read every Sabbath in the synagogues."

For. You see that for? It can be translated therefore or for, in other words. In other words, what comes next explains why these requirements were given. You see, because Moses, we're told, that's the law, is read on every Sabbath in every city for generations.

You see, the reason these prohibitions are given are in particular, the last two I'm thinking about, they're the main ones that really relate to the law of Moses here. Eating of blood and the strangling of or eating of the strangled animals is because of their fellow Jewish Christians. This is a matter of what we call Christian liberty. It's not a moral obligation, but it's part of what we call Christian freedom. It's not a matter of sin, because our Lord has already announced all foods clean in Mark chapter 7.

And Peter had that sheet rolled down from heaven, remember, three times back in Acts chapter 10. Depends how you date that chapter, Peter's vision was some 8, maybe even up to 12 years ago. So the eating of blood and the dietary food laws that were all part of the Mosaic Covenant are now fulfilled in Christ. There's no legal obligation because Jesus has fulfilled them all. So there's no legal obligation for the Jews either to obey those laws, right?

So why recommend it to the Gentiles? If it's no longer necessary to legally, before God, obey these food or dietary laws, eating of blood and other things, Then, what's the fuss, right? No. Remember the passage I read earlier in Galatians chapter 5? Verse 6 reads like this, For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything.

Now that's really good news for the Gentiles. No doubt. But that passage goes on. but only faith working through love. For in Christ, Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

Yes, there is no need, absolutely no need, for these Gentiles to be circumcised because they are not under that law. And yes, it is by faith that they've been saved. And by faith alone, in Christ alone. This is not a salvific issue. But beloved, that faith that saved them is to be manifested in love.

You hear that? You see that in Galatians 5, 6. The only thing that matters is faith working through love. The faith that has saved them is to manifest itself in love. And this is to say that if Christian liberty causes my brother Hajiq, or even worse, causes him or her to sin, beloved, then I'll hold back on my liberty.

Gentiles were not restricted from eating blood. They didn't have any stringent dietary food laws as Gentiles, like the Jews. All foods were always lawful for them. This is odd. So their consciences were not affected by the food they ate.

As long as they ate, now in Christ, giving thanks to God, as long as they eat or drink all for the glory of God, then everything's okay, right? Not quite. Just because it's lawful, it doesn't make it okay. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 8, 13, Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall. Now these Gentiles have been added to a body.

They're not lone ranger Christians. None of us are beloved. We're all added to the body of Christ. Jesus is uniting a body worldwide and includes Jews and Gentiles. Slave and free.

It includes male and female. Scythians, barbarians. It includes all peoples. We are united into one body. one body and these people are united into one body and they live in a context where they have Jewish brothers and sisters and they need to live among those Jewish brothers and sisters in a way that displays love I believe that's how we are to understand verse 21 where it says for or therefore giving the explanation of what comes before it Moses, that's the law, has been read in the synagogues every Sabbath.

And that's why. Beloved, you have a people here in the Jews who have been exposed to this law for some 1500 years. Yes, the Jewish Christians are growing in their sanctification and praise God for that. We see evidence of that in Peter himself. They are growing in their understanding of their Christian liberties.

Now they're in Christ. They're growing in their understanding of what he's actually fulfilled in Christ. They're growing in their understanding how he has fulfilled the law and the requirements of the law. Praise be to God. But beloved, it's not as though they are able in good conscience to go out and start to eat pork chops or blood pudding the very moment they're saved.

They may get to that. And we trust the Lord will grow them in that understanding in their Christian liberty. But it's going to take time. And the Gentiles are to forbear with their Jewish brothers in love. And not flaunt their Christian liberties.

Because that could offend their Jewish brothers and sisters. And as Paul says, if it offends your brother and sister, don't do it. Simple as that. Don't do it. Remember, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, was still refraining from violating these food laws years and years after the resurrection of our Lord.

He took supernatural vision, in fact, three times before Peter could acknowledge or actually was able to. except those words. Actually, when it happened the first time, you remember what he said? He said, by no means, when the shit came down with all the animals and Peter kill and eat, Peter said, by no means, Lord. And he said, Lord, he knew that he's speaking to God.

And he said, no, no, I can't do this for I've never eaten anything that is common or unclean. Beloved, we need to understand how deeply ingrained the law was in these people. The Gentiles needed to understand that, and they needed to treat their brothers and sisters in love. They're not being forced to become Jews in order to be Christian, but they're not to be pagans firstly, and they're also to love their brothers and sisters who are Jews. And if it means that they hold back on their Christian liberties for the sake of fellowship with their brothers and sisters, this is the principle of love.

So in other words, when you share the same table, if your Jewish brothers are still disgusted at the thought of eating blood, then what do you do? Don't eat blood. Be patient. Don't show off your freedoms at the expense of causing your Jewish brothers and sisters to stumble. In Christ, you have so much more.

You have so much more than yourselves to think about. Consider others more significant than yourselves and humble yourselves in love by forgoing your liberties if necessary. for the sake of your brothers and sisters. And beloved, how is this news received? You see, the result upon receiving this letter was not, oh no, more rules by the Gentiles.

They understood exactly what this letter meant and what it's meant to communicate. That's why we're told that the effect of this letter was one of joy and encouragement to their hearts. Verse 31. You see, they understood. They understood what the apostles and elders were saying.

We don't have to keep the law of Moses and become Jews in order to be saved. Praise God, we're included in the church because of faith. Indeed, it's by grace through faith and not by our observance to the law. But we also need to be considerate to the consciences of our Jewish brothers and sisters as they grow in grace. Finally, in the last paragraph of our passage, and quickly, Paul and Barnabas thought it prudent to go back and encourage their brothers in the Lord, whom were added to the church on their first missionary journey.

They agreed that it would be a good idea, but that's where the agreement ends. And this is, beloved, quite a sad passage. Because in the last paragraph of this chapter, it's quite sad for both Paul and Barnabas. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with him. That's the crux of the matter.

Paul was adamant that he shouldn't come. His view was that Mark abandoned them on their first journey. And Mark is unreliable. Mark is unworthy to come with us. He can't assist us in our missionary endeavors, he's thinking.

If he neglected to stay with us, if he abandoned us on the first, then what makes you think he's going to continue with us on the next? He's likely thinking of the Lord's words in Luke chapter 9 verse 62, when our Lord responds to those seeking to follow after him with these stern warnings. He says, no one who put his hand to the plow and looks back, that is to look back at what he or she has left, it is fit for the kingdom of God. Maybe Apostle Paul had that in his mind. Mark had begun the work with his uncle Barnabas and Paul, but for whatever reason was unable to continue and he returned back home upon arriving at Pamphylia.

You know, many have speculated why that is, but I will not entertain any of those because the Bible does not tell us. But whatever reason it was, Paul feels that it was not good enough. Of course, we must remember who this apostle is. This is one who is as tough as nails. Tough as nails.

Our brother noted for us last week that when he was stoned in Lystra, and he's not exaggerating by saying that he was nearly dead because people actually thought he was dead. He was battered, he was bloodied, he was bruised, and yet on the very next day, not the day after or the day after that, on the very next day, he jumps on his feet and he goes and begins to preach in the nearby cities. Who do you know that can do that? Brothers, we'd be in hospital for two weeks if we'd been stoned near unto death. Tough as nails.

But Mark, on the other hand, He broke. And for whatever reason, he deserted Paul and the rest. And Paul just could not let that slide. Barnabas, on the other hand, well, his name is not really Barnabas, remember? It's Joseph or Joseph depending on the translation you own.

He was given the nickname Barnabas by the apostles because it means son of encouragement. This is the case or a case where the name literally means the character or the character literally describes the person. or the name, I'll get that right in the end, the name literally describes the character of the person, that's what I meant to say. Third time lucky. You see, Mark failed once, and it's just like Barnabas to encourage him to get back up onto his feet, and to press forward, and to continue to press forward.

Barnabas is an encourager. I'm not saying the Apostle Paul isn't. Of course he is. But we're trying to see the differences in personalities here. You see, he wanted to give Mark a second chance.

He's thinking, come on, Paul. Everyone deserves a second chance. Sure, Mark let us down the first time round. But he's learned his lesson. Let's bring him along.

It'll be good for him and his sanctification. He won't let us down again. Paul, I've spoken to him. He'll be fine. And even if he does, we continued on last time and we're okay, Paul.

If he does let us down again, we'll just continue on just like last time. Let's give him another go. What do you say, Paul? Paul was adamant. He's not coming.

He deserted us in Pamphylia and I'm not gonna give him a second chance. Sadly, because of their differences of opinion, we're told in verse 39, "...and there arose a sharp disagreement so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to grace of the Lord.

And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches." A sharp disagreement. The original is actually very strong. I mean, this is strong. Sharp disagreement sounds pretty appeasing, and it is.

In the original, it connotes a deliberate exchange of anger, one with the other, a back and forth, a back and forth. It was heated, and it wouldn't have been pretty. Luke doesn't gloss over it. He says it as it is, and sometimes when we think about the Apostle Paul, we love him dearly, and I for one would like to have one percent of his holiness. Sometimes we look at some of the characters in the Bible and we give them a perfection that doesn't belong to them.

You see, the sad thing, beloved, is that this was not a gospel issue. These men over the years have been through thick and thin together. No one wanted anything to do with Saul of Tarsus back in the early days, but Barnabas took him under his wing and brought him in when no one else would. When Barnabas was stretched in his ministry in Antioch, he knew there is one in Paul or Saul who is able to come and assist me. And in humility, he goes and grabs him from Tarsus to come and assist in the ministry in Antioch.

On their first missionary journey, their hearts were knit together. When Paul was stoned, no doubt Barnabas was completely gutted, probably thinking, that should have been me. Not long ago, together, they won the greatest victory in this book. Not long ago, in this chapter, they won the greatest victory in this book. They fought courageously for the gospel of grace, and truth prevailed.

The bond seemed inseparable. One sharp disagreement and they're divided. And each go their own way. You see, it's natural for us to ask, whose fault was it? Who was in the right and who was in the wrong?

That's our tendency, isn't it? The fact that we're told Barnabas took Mark and Sal to Cyprus, but Paul took Silas and Paul was commended by the brothers before beginning his second missionary journey may suggest or put weight into Paul's corner to say that maybe Paul was right. And I know many of you even now are divided by the information because it might be that you think one way or the other, but I would have to suggest respectfully that they were both in the wrong. Irrespective, there was anger, there was temper, and there was a lot of back and forth in this very sharp argument. It's clear in the text that this was a highly charged argument.

And it was pertaining, it was not pertaining, to a hill that we should die on. It wasn't a gospel issue. Sure, it matters who we take along on our missionary journeys. Of course, it matters men of character and so forth. But this was not a gospel issue.

You might say, but it was the Lord's will that they separate. And yes, God is sovereign over everything, but that doesn't excuse our culpable behavior. Now, reading on in the New Testament, all parties involved, including Mark, were reconciled with one with the other. And it's obvious that they all had a very great, deep-rooted respect for one another. And we won't go in passages that say that for the sake of time.

So there was no hard feelings, so to speak. But the lesson is this. Even the best of us can get it wrong. Even if you take one side or the other, one was wrong, beloved, and they're both men of character. Both loved the Lord, both had a zeal for Christ, both were willing to give their lives for the gospel.

The flesh, beloved, remains. No matter how great a man is, he's always battling with the flesh. We are capable even for a good cause to act in a way that's less than honoring of God. Indeed, as I read this account, I certainly don't find satisfaction, not even an iota of satisfaction, in the separation of these two men. Actually, I'm heartbroken.

It breaks my heart. But it is a solemn reminder that the best of men are still sinners, beloved, and that's what we need to remember. We don't bring them down because of that, but the Bible is clear. There is no one you can point to in this book who's got it all together, except one. And that's a reminder how desperately we need, Paul needs, Barnabas needs, all the Church of Antioch, all the Jerusalem Christians, every one of us in this room, everyone who's listening to my words online, every single one of us are in absolute desperate need of a perfect sinless savior to bear our sin, to cover us with his faultless righteousness, Because one day we will stand before a thrice holy God who cannot look upon sin.

And a single sin will damn a soul for all eternity unless that person is clothed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, the sinless lamb of God who died on the cross so that his people can live. Let's pray.