52 Acts 15:22-35 In All Things Charity

September 01, 2024

Christopher C. Freeman

Title: In All Things Charity Text: Acts 15:22-35 FCF: We often struggle using our freedom to serve one another. Prop: Because God unifies His church on truth and love, we must celebrate a liberty that is used to love and serve one another. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts 15. In a moment we’ll read starting in verse 22 from the English Standard Version. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. I want to extend my thanks to Gary Montgomery for filling in for me while I was away. I was blessed by his sermons and I hope you were too. As we turn our attention back to the book of Acts, we are in the midst of a controversy of the highest order. It centers on 1 question with two applications. What place does the ceremonial law of Moses have in Christ’s church? And in answering that question we must look both before and after salvation. I’ve included some review already in the main portion of the sermon today so we won’t go deeper at the moment. But suffice it to say, this controversy threatened to rip the church apart. But today we will see the Divinely guided and glorious end of this controversy. And I hope it brings us much joy and encouragement. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the reading of the word of God. Invocation: Father, we seek Your face today as Your true children. We are united together today because of the truth that You have revealed to us and the love with which You have loved us. We are bound together as one body because of what You have done and who You are making us to be. Now we ask that You would teach us again Your ways. Instruct us again from Your Word. That we might remain in unity and love. We ask this for the sake of the Lord Jesus, Your beloved Son, whose reward we are. Amen. Transition: Today is a long sermon. One needing your attention and my haste and clarity. Let us dive into it without further delay. I.) God actively unifies His church on truth and love, so we must use our liberty to love and serve one another. (22-29) a. [Slide 2] 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: i. We mentioned last time that James is somewhat of the leading figure in the church of Jerusalem. He is the half-brother of Jesus the Messiah and was a devout Jew who potentially was a member of the Pharisee party represented at this council. Perhaps even the leader of the Pharisee party. ii. When he, in verse 19, stated “Therefore, I judge…” The word judge there could simply be his opinion, but given the status he has among everyone there and after hearing much discussion on these matters it is perhaps appropriate to see the judgment of James to be the official position of the council itself. iii. Which would mean that he is decreeing what the decision is or should be by summarizing all that was discussed and agreed upon. iv. But let us remind ourselves what James had judged. 1. James agreed with Peter that there should be no burden of following the ceremonial law of Moses placed on any disciple of Christ. Either before conversion or after. 2. Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ. And sanctification is by grace, through faith in Christ. That doesn’t mean we do nothing. But it does mean that our effort, work, and choices are not the thing that saves us, but are the result of being saved by God. In this way, it is God alone who saves and keeps His people. 3. But James suggested some concessions to be given for the sake of church fellowship between the Jew and Gentile Christians. 4. These concessions are given because the law of Moses has been taught for hundreds of years in these cities. And Jews (Christians and non-Christians alike) have been taught for hundreds of years to dutifully keep the ceremonial law. 5. Therefore, to not add unnecessary hindrances to the church and the gospel call to the Jews, the Gentiles should seek to accommodate the Jews in their daily lifestyles. What were these concessions? a. Keeping themselves unpolluted from paganism and idolatry. b. Preparing their food by draining the blood first. And even not using blood in their cooking. Especially when hosting Jewish Christians in their homes. c. And abstaining from sexual immorality. There are several explanations for this one. I concluded that this also had to do with purity laws surrounding sexual intimacy. You can always go back and listen to the last sermon for a fuller discussion on that. v. After that bit of review, I’d like to call your attention to the words in today’s text… “it seemed good to”. 1. Although it may escape our notice, when Luke penned this there was an established style adopted by those in authority for passing along written decrees that would be binding on subordinates. 2. In that style, in order to be noble, instead of saying something like “We decree” or “We command” it would read… “It seems good to us”. 3. It certainly meant “we decree.” There was no room for debate or dispute. The subordinate was obligated to follow what was written after it… but it was a nice way of saying it. 4. In that sense then, Luke is not recording a hum drum decision where everyone left feeling good about what was decided. Instead, Luke is recording for us an official churchwide decision. vi. But what do they come together to decide? 1. Notice that the apostles, Elders, and the church do not decide together to adopt James’ opinion as the decision of the council. 2. In fact, what “seemed good to them”, meaning the apostles, elders, and the church, is only associated with what James said in the sense that what he said needed to be communicated to others. 3. They did not decide on what should be done, but how it should be presented. vii. Why are they concerned with how it should be presented? 1. Well, if the council sent word by Paul and Barnabas that all that they had been saying was right, Paul and Barnabas could be accused of selectively reporting the facts. 2. This is an intensely difficult matter with several moving pieces that the apostles and elders of the church of Jerusalem along with several representatives from Antioch and Cilicia had discussed at length. 3. It must be reported accurately, thoroughly, clearly and concisely. viii. So how do the apostles, the elders, and the church insure this happens? 1. First, they will send a letter that is a clear, concise and offers an official decree on the matter affective for the whole church worldwide. 2. But to be thorough, they will send two men along with Paul and Barnabas to report on what transpired at the council. So who are these men and why are they sending them in particular? a. Judas Barsabbas, which means Judas son of the Sabbath and Silas. b. Now we know nothing of Judas Barsabbas except for his name and we know a great deal about Silas since he will be a companion of Paul’s for a good portion of the rest of this book. c. But here is what I think they are doing in appointing these two men. i. We know from this verse that each man was a leading man among the brothers. ii. We know from later in this text that each of these men were prophets. iii. Judas Barsabbas is most certainly a Jewish name and perhaps a nickname marking out his devotion to the Sabbath. iv. Silas, as we will learn, is a Roman citizen, suggesting he is a Hellenized Jew. He also has a Latin name mentioned in scripture, Silvanus. v. I think the apostles, the elders, and the church chose 1 representative from the Pharisee Party and 1 Hellenized Jew to go and represent to the Gentiles of Antioch of Syria and Cilicia, all that had transpired and the unity that had been achieved. vi. To report to them that one party did not defeat the other. Instead, they came to a unified conclusion. ix. And what was that conclusion? They summarize it in a letter. b. [Slide 3] 23b - “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. i. This follows the style of official decrees of this time. ii. The first step is to introduce the governing or authoritative party from which the decree is being handed down. iii. The brothers, both the apostles and elders, are this governing body. It is interesting to note that the “whole church” is not included in this letter. Only the apostles and the Elders have the authority to issue a decree like the one that follows. iv. Notice also that right away the apostles and elders affirm that the Gentile Christians in these cities are brothers. v. Immediately some comfort and peace would fall on the Gentile Christians knowing that they are considered brothers, even though they have not been circumcised and even though they are not keeping the ceremonial law of Moses. c. [Slide 4] 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, i. Another typical element in a decree style letter is to include the word here translated “since.” 1. This Greek word means inasmuch or forasmuch – it is the reason for the decree. It is to review the prehistory of the decree in order to justify the need for submission to the decree. 2. Here the apostles and elders use this to explain the reason the council had met and for the decision they have reached. ii. The apostles and Elders admit that the reason for the council was because of some who were of their number. 1. The Judaizers were part of the elders of Jerusalem and probably a subdivision of the Pharisee party. 2. Therefore, they were involved in the leadership of the church. 3. No doubt this is why the Judaizer’s false gospel was so readily received by the churches in southern Galatia and even in Antioch of Syria and Cilicia. iii. But the apostles and elders assure their Gentile brothers, that these men were not instructed to teach what they did. Instead, they “have gone out from us”. 1. While this phrase could simply mean that they left Jerusalem to spread their false teaching… 2. I see a correlation here with what John says in I John about a similar group who were preaching another gospel. He said there, “they have gone out from us because they were not of us.” 3. Here I see the admission of the apostles and elders that these Judaizers were apostates who have shipwrecked their faith. iv. But they did not stop at their own faith. In fact, they attempted to shipwreck these poor gentile believers too. 1. The language here is that of war. It is to pillage and it is to rip open and dump out. 2. The apostles and elders recognize that the Judaizers’ empty words of a graceless gospel has ravaged them and threw them for a loop. v. So, what have they decided in light of this? d. [Slide 5] 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. i. Here is the first decision of this council given in this letter. We know it is an official decree of the council because of the words… “it has seemed good to us” ii. Skipping the words between the commas for now, we see that the decision was to send Judas and Silas with Paul and Barnabas to them. iii. Men who were tasked not only to give them this letter, but to report to them what they have seen and heard. iv. Paul and Barnabas are said to be both “beloved” and also those who have risked or suffered much for the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. v. Although subtle this also hints at the decision of the council. The apostles and elders of Jerusalem did not see Paul and Barnabas as their opponents. Instead, they are beloved and faithful witnesses of Christ even to their own great personal risk. vi. Coming back to the words between the commas, how are we to interpret this? vii. Were the apostles and Elders of one accord to send these men or were they of one accord in something else? viii. It seems best to understand this phrase as referring to the decision listed in verse 28-29. They came to one accord on the matter that necessitated the council. Having done this they also decided to send these four men to report all that had transpired and to deliver the letter. ix. Afterall, there is no reason to send these men if they did not come to an agreement. x. In essence what this is saying is “Since we came to a unified decision, we also decided to send it to you by word of mouth and by letter in the hands of four trustworthy men.” xi. But what was this unified decision? e. [Slide 6] 28 - 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.” i. Here is the second decree or decision that the apostles and elders had come to as indicated by the words “it seemed good to.” ii. However, this one is a little different. This one has a little more authority, doesn’t it? iii. The Apostles and Elders understood that their agreement was from the Lord. If you wonder why they might come to such a conclusion, consider Matthew 18 and how when two or three are gathered and agree on a decision as weighty as church discipline, Jesus says “what you bind on earth has been bound in heaven.” Meaning that God uses unanimity or being of one mind to verify to us His will. iv. But what was His will? 1. That no greater burden will be laid on the Gentiles except for these requirements. a. What is meant by this word “requirements”? b. We must tread the line carefully here to get the correct force of these concessions. i. They are not optional. They are not suggestions. They are commands. 1. Because they are from the Holy Spirit 2. Because they are called requirements or necessary things 3. And because this is an official decree document from the apostles and elders 4. We cannot conclude that these are mere suggestions for harmonious living for the Gentiles of that day. 5. Instead, these are commands that must be obeyed. ii. On the opposite side though, we also cannot say that these are enduring commands for all time in every place for all Christians world without end. Why? 1. These requirements were forged in the fire of this controversy where the church was made up of Gentiles and Jews and bringing those cultures together in Christ posed many cross-culture challenges. 2. So, if the controversy or cultural challenges disappear … what should then happen to the requirements? They should disappear too. 3. And this is exactly what we see in the New Testament. 4. As the church is less mixed and more Gentile, all these requirements begin to loosen until Paul writes in one of his last letters in I Timothy 4 that all food is good for eating so long as it is received in thanksgiving. 5. Since these concessions are hyper-contextual, meaning our situation no longer requires them… does that mean we should cut this section out of our bible? 6. Of course not… Because the principle for these rules endures. 7. It is harmony, unity, and loving one another so much that we are willing to give up comforts and habits in our lives to be at peace with one another. 2. Although this decision does put these 4 requirements on the Gentile Christians, it also removes the weight of the whole ceremonial law in the process. a. They have been saved by grace, through faith, in Christ alone. And that is enough. b. They need not do anything more to be saved and they need not keep the ceremonial law to be a part of the church. Even the requirements are not to be part of the church. They are to make sure they don’t hurt or harm others in the church. v. Notice finally that the letter ends with the exhortation that if they keep themselves from these things, they will do well. They will prosper. The church will be unified. vi. Overall, as far as “decree” letters go… this is extremely humble and extremely freeing. There are some things the Gentile Christians need to submit to - but for the most part… this would read like the emancipation proclamation. f. [Slide 7] Summary of the Point: Luke shows The Holy Spirit Himself, among these men, bringing them into one accord. And we can rest assured that this is not an odd occurrence. Instead, we can know that God actively unifies His church on truth and love. What is the response to such a faithful God? How should we, His church, respond to a God who is actively unifying us around truth and love? We need look no further than to what the apostles and elders were commanding the Gentiles to do. They determined to lay no greater burden on them… liberty. But only these few requirements… charity. I am appropriately reminded of what the apostle Paul said in his letter that immediately preceded this council - “You were called to freedom brothers; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh but through love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13) This is essentially what the apostles and elders told the Gentiles of Antioch of Syria and Cilicia. And it is the application for us. You are free. Use your freedom to love and serve each other. Even if that means giving up liberties to maintain peace and unity. Transition: [Slide 8 (blank)] So, having heard the decision of the council and the two decrees given and having read the letter to these churches, the only question we have is, how will such a decision be received? Will they complain and bemoan the 4 restrictions on their freedoms? Or will they use liberty to love and serve each other? Let’s look. II.) God actively unifies His church on truth and love, we must rejoice in our liberty and mutual love. (30-35) a. [Slide 9] 30 - So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. i. We see Judas, Silas, Paul and Barnabas obeying the decision of the apostles, elders, and the church as a whole, to send them to these churches with this letter and to report in word what has been done. ii. They gather the congregation together and read the letter. Probably reading it publicly to all and providing enough copies for it to be read privately. b. [Slide 10] 31 - And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. i. And there you have it. ii. A few accommodations, a few restrictions, a few concessions could not overturn the great desire of the Gentile Christians to be united as one church. They gladly bore a few simple accommodations while being free of circumcision and keeping the whole ceremonial law. iii. They rejoiced that grace was enough. iv. That faith was enough. v. That Christ was enough. vi. They rejoiced that they did not need to add works to be saved or to keep their status of saved. vii. They rejoiced that they did not need to be Jews to be part of the church. viii. They rejoiced that they could be united in one body with a few simple accommodations to promote unity with their Jewish brothers and sisters. c. [Slide 11] 32 - And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. i. No doubt these many words were made up of a first-hand account of the council’s proceedings. ii. But perhaps it did not end there. iii. Since they were prophets, perhaps the Word of the Lord flowed freely from them as they preached. iv. One preacher who was a Jew, perhaps even of the Pharisee Party, with a high regard for the the ceremonial law and the other a Hellenized Jew and Roman citizen – both of them preaching to the church a great message of the Lord. v. There can be no more fitting end to this remarkable story of unity in the church. d. [Slide 12] 33 - And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. i. Not only did they speak at length but they stayed at length too. ii. Both Judas and Silas spend a good deal of time there in Antioch, associating and celebrating with the united church. iii. This controversy had no doubt been brewing for a better part of a decade. iv. To see it finally and certainly dealt with would have been a great and wonderful time. v. Of course we know that the Judaizers continued their opposition. But now the church knew them for what they were… wolves in sheep’s clothing, but finally unmasked. vi. And the church was able to cast them out without also throwing out the Jews who loved the ceremonial law of God. vii. After this Judas and Silas went back to Jerusalem. e. [Slide 13] 34 - [But it seemed good to Silas to remain there.] i. If you haven’t noticed yet, Verse 34 does not appear in the ESV. No they did not skip it on accident. ii. [Slide 14] Other translations have verse 34 reading something to the effect of, “But it seemed good to Silas to remain there.” iii. Why has the ESV omitted verse 34? Well, the real question is actually why do we have verse 34 in any version at all? iv. Verse 34 appears in a few late date manuscripts but as you look at manuscripts closer in date to the original text of Luke, this little sentence disappears. v. Perhaps a scribe or commentator felt uneasy about Silas leaving and then in verse 40 being called to go with Paul departing from Antioch. vi. To undo this – the scribe added a note, perhaps even a true statement, that Silas remained. vii. [Slide 15] Nevertheless, this verse is probably not original to Luke. viii. Did Silas stay or not? We don’t know. It seems from verse 33 that he did depart and go back to Jerusalem. ix. But this is no contradiction with what happens later. We have no idea how much time elapses from this event and what happens later in this chapter. f. [Slide 16] 35 - But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. i. Paul and Barnabas are actively preaching and teaching the word of God to the church in Antioch, as they prepare for their next missionary journey – which is where we will go next week. ii. But for now – before we get to the unfortunate events that conclude chapter 15, let us rest here. g. [Slide 17] Summary of the Point: Again, we see the Lord bringing unity to His church through truth and love. In our last point we saw our need to use our liberty to promote unity and love among the body of Christ. But here we see a second application borne from God’s active role in unifying His church in truth and love. And that is joy. It is celebration. We ought to be lifted up in praise and thanksgiving that the church is unified. We ought not only to strive for it but revel in it when it is achieved. The Gentiles knew from now on that they had a place in the church without having to become Jews first. And they also knew that they must be sensitive to their Jewish brothers and their purity laws. But for the sake of truth and love – this is a burden gladly borne and joyously received. When is the last time you rejoiced over a compromise where no one got everything they wanted but everyone remained united? We must be this kind of people. Those who celebrate unity around truth and love. Conclusion: So CBC, what have we learned today and how then shall we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 18] The overarching principle that permeates this section is the role God plays in unifying His church through truth and love. In the Essentials to faith and practice we see God unify them and even dividing them from those who are not the same. In the Non-Essentials like the ceremonial law we see Peter and James without forcing the Jews to stop observing the ceremonial law, simultaneously not impose it upon any disciple. And in all of this we see the heart of charity extended to all seeking to not lay unnecessary burdens on either Jewish or Gentile Christians. It is not unity at all costs… but it is unity without selfishness. It is unity around truth and also around selfless unconditional love. To love one another as Christ has loved us and has given Himself for us. And what a comfort to know that God actively works to do all of this. What is the response of His church? Quite simply we must use our freedoms to love and serve one another and rejoice heartily when unity is achieved or preserved. Even if that means we don’t get our way. But let me apply this in some more tangible ways today. 1.) [Slide 19] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that God is actively unifying His church around truth and love. a. It is estimated that as of February 2024 there are more than 47,000 Christian denominations globally. b. With a number like that it is difficult to see how God is unifying His church. c. But as with many things we have to define what we mean by unifying in order to truly understand what God is doing. d. We can look at a number like that and be quite forlorn thinking that the church is divided and shattered. e. But let me issue some counter points. f. Unity cannot mean that we all see everything exactly the same way. That isn’t what was happening here in Acts 15. The Pharisee Party stated very clearly that they thought the Gentile Christians ought to live out the ceremonial laws of Moses. But Paul and others said that they were not bound. g. So who won? Well, both of them. How? Because unity does not depend on everyone seeing everything exactly the same. h. Unity doesn’t even mean that we live the same. The Jerusalem church continued to look very Jewish and continued to adhere to the ceremonial laws of Moses. We know that because later in Acts we see them doing just that. i. But the church in Antioch of Syria and Cilicia looked quite different. Even some Jews were casting off the ceremonial laws. j. Yet they were still united. k. We can see that 47,000 number and be deceived that the church is quite divided. But in reality, of that 47,000 there are really only two denominations. i. The true church of God and everyone else. ii. The true church of God is not united by ecclesiological organizations but by truth and by love. l. Now certainly of that 47,000 there are those who should not be included because they reject the ancient creeds of the church or they do not hold to the 5 solas of the reformation. Although our world calls them Christian denominations – they are not truly so. m. But of the 47,000 that are actually denominations that adhere to the ancient creeds and confess the core tenants of the gospel we have much more in common with one another than we have not in common. n. I just finished reading George Whitefield’s biography. Whitefield although Anglican, began the Methodist movement, loved the Wesleys even though he disagreed with them on some doctrinal aspects of soteriology, preached in Baptist churches even though he didn’t believe in credo-baptism, preached in Presbyterian churches even though He rejected their church government style, spoke highly of a couple other denominations that if I mentioned you wouldn’t know them… o. What is my point? p. My point is that that 47,000 number is quite deceptive. q. It seems that Christ’s church is fractured. But when you take a microscope to it, this is not so. r. God is uniting His church in truth and love. And just because our denomination’s name is different and we have some different beliefs, doesn’t mean we are divided. We are more the same than we are different because the gospel by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone… is intact. 2.) [Slide 20] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that unified decisions of godly leaders have little to no bearing on what we should do. a. There is a tendency in Christendom to assign either too much or too little weight to the decisions of men. b. Too much weight and you elevate men’s traditions and decisions to the point that they are on the same level as the scriptures. i. This is a doctrine that plagues the Roman Catholic Church. ii. No my friends, when the council of Trent said that anyone who believes that justification is by faith alone is anathema… it does not make it so… lest they cast Paul himself from heaven for saying so in Romans. c. But we may yet pendulum swing the other way too where we place too little weight on godly men’s decisions that they are considered little more than mild suggestions. i. Such is true in many American churches where even if every single church leader voted to give benevolent funds to a needy family or send a missionary to Africa, the congregation with the same number plus one could reject such a call. d. We must strike the balance between these. e. When God qualifies and calls a group of men to be the spiritual leaders of a church and the church membership willfully enters covenant with those men to pray for, honor, and submit to their godly leadership… and that body of godly leaders are united to do something… the church must take such a decision as much more than a suggestion. f. It ought to weigh heavy on the hearts of the church. g. I’m not talking about unqualified submission. I’m not talking about never voicing concerns. For Elders cannot Lord their authority over the church. h. But think of the Gentiles in Antioch of Syria. i. Do you think that those concessions that the church commanded them to make were received without reservation by all of them? Don’t you think there were probably a few gentiles there who were like… awe man! I want my blood pudding! j. But listen… when all your elders say we are of one mind on this matter… that ought to weigh heavy on you. k. I have the luxury of saying this now because as it stands there is no major decision coming down the pike from the Elders that is going to be difficult for you all to stomach.