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7/31/2019 Acts Part 19 - Clarity for the Mission
1/21
clarity for
the mission
R W GLENNDATE: 5.6.2012
SCRIPTURE: acts 15:1-35
SERIES: acts series #19
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IntroductIon
I have an obsession with clarity. Im obsessed with being clear. Clarity in
general but clarity especially when it comes to the Christian aith. I want,
always, anytime I am standing behind a lectern or a pulpit to be clear onwhat Christianity really is. And I want to be clear about that to everyone who
listens to me. I never want any o you to leave scratching your heads with
some vague sense in your mind o the Christian aith. I cannot abide even the
IDEA that you would leave conused. I want there to be no doubt in your mind
about what the Christian aith really is.
Now you may be wondering why. Why am I obsessed with clarity on the
Christian aith? Well, heres the answer: your eternal destiny hangs on it.
Where you will spend your lie ater you die heaven or hell hangs in the
balance o whether or not youre clear on Christianity. So I never, never, never
want to leave you in a og about the Christian aith.
But more than that, i youre already a Christian, it is EXTREMELY easy
no matter how many times you think youve heard it, no matter how long
youve been connected to the Christian church, no matter how well you can
comprehend deep theological concepts it is EXTREMELY easy to become
oggy about Christianity. EXTREMELY easy.
Its like excessive exposure to Christianity can inoculate you to its message.
You know how an inoculation works, right? You get injected with a little bit o
the virus so that your body can ght it o whenever youre exposed to it. You
have just enough o the virus to keep you immune to it. Well, the same thing
can happen with the gospel. You can have just enough o the truth to become
numb to its message.
So unless were clear on the gospel, unless were near OBSESSED with clarity
about it, there is a high likelihood that we will lose our grip on the true nature
o the gospel. And losing that means losing everythingand everyone. Jesus
mission to save the world simply cannot be accomplished without it.
So as we come to the teenth chapter o the book o Acts, youre going to
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see the church in crisis over this very issue. People have started to get muddy
on the Christian aith, smuggling into it things that have absolutely no place
being there. And the church, because o whats at stake, goes into huddle
mode to make it absolutely plain what Christianity is all about.
Turn with me to A 15 and lets read 1-35.
But some men came down rom Judea and were teaching the brothers,
Unless you are circumcised according to the custom o Moses, you cannot
be saved. And ater Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate
with them, Paul and Barnabas and some o 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 both
Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion o 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 o the Pharisees rose up and said, It is necessary to
circumcise them and to order them to keep the law o Moses.
The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.
And ater 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 o 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 aith. Now, thereore,
why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck o the
disciples that neither our athers nor we have been able to bear? But we
believe that we will be saved through the grace o the Lord Jesus, just as
they will.
And all the assembly ell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as
they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among
the Gentiles. Ater they nished speaking, James replied, Brothers, listen
to me. Simeon has related how God rst visited the Gentiles, to take rom
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them a people or his name. And with this the words o the prophets agree,
just as it is written,
Ater this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent o David that has allen;
I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant o mankind mayseek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the
Lord, who makes these things known rom o old.
Thereore my judgment is that we should not trouble those o the Gentiles
who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain rom the things
polluted by idols, and rom sexual immorality, and rom what has been
strangled, and rom blood. For rom ancient generations Moses has had
in every city those who proclaim him, or 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 rom among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and
Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among
the brothers, with the ollowing letter: The brothers, both the apostles and
the elders, to the brothers who are o the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and
Cilicia, greetings. Since we have heard that some persons have gone out
rom us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although wegave them no instructions, 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 or the name o our Lord Jesus
Christ. We have thereore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you
the same things by word o 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 rom what has been sacriced to idols, and rom blood,
and rom what has been strangled, and rom sexual immorality. I you keep
yourselves rom these, you will do well. Farewell.
So when they were sent o, they went down to Antioch, and having
gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when
they had read it, they rejoiced because o its encouragement. And Judas
and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened
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the brothers with many words. And ater they had spent some time, they
were sent o in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. But
Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word
o the Lord, with many others also.
Tonight I want to unpack this passage with you under our headings (all o
which ollow the order o the story): (1) the crisis; (2) the debate; (3) the
resolution; and (4) the response.
the crIsIs
Put simply, the crisis is this: a small but persuasive minority in the church
began to put orth a compelling addition to the gospel. Here it is: in order
to be saved, you need to believe in Jesus Christ (his lie, death, burial,
resurrection, and ascension), but you ALSO need to be circumcised and keep
the Law o Moses.
Check out 1:
But some men came down rom Judea and were teaching the brothers,
Unless you are circumcised according to the custom o Moses, you cannotbe saved.
And 5:
But some believers who belonged to the party o the Pharisees rose up and
said, It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law
o Moses.
So believe in Jesus, they would have said. For sure. But you have to add
to that being circumcised and keeping all the laws o the Old Testament (the
law o Moses) rom the Ten Commandments to the regulations regarding
inectious skin diseases. Or we might put it this way: to be Christian you also
have to be Jewish.
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Now just a moment ago I said that this was a compelling addition to
the gospel. Im sure youre wondering, how could anyone could nd this
compelling?
Well, maybe this illustration will help:
Lets say youre NOT a U.S. national. Your whole lie, rom your country, you
wished to come to America to make a lie here or you and your amily.
Citizenship was your dream. You wanted to have the opportunity to vote and
make a positive contribution to your community.
But you also know that becoming a citizen here would cost you something.
Youd have to leave your homeland, suer lack, and become a minority. And
not only are the personal costs high, but in order to become a citizen, U.S. law
(or the sake o the argument) requires that you complete a series o tests
and receive a passing grade as well as engage in activities that show your
commitment to the country beore you can become a ull-fedged citizen.
All this youve learned rom an administrator rom the INS, who has explained
to you this law, which, he explained, had been in place since the ounding o
the nation.
Well, ater considering the cost, you decide to go or it, making the necessary
sacrices to become a citizen.
Now imagine that a dierent administrator rom the INS comes to you
explaining that there is a new law that says that there is nothing you must
do in order to become a citizen except pledge your allegiance to America.
How would you eel? Youd be thrilled. Youd be totally blown away. Youd
be psyched. You thought youd have to go through all these hurdles, but it
turns out that you can enjoy all the privileges o citizenship with a simple (but
sincere) pledge o allegiance. Awesome!
Well, this is very similar to how Gentiles (non-citizens) responded to the
message o Christianity as they heard it coming rom Paul and Barnabas.
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Their entire lives they would have been told that the only way to be welcomed
into Gods amily was to transer their citizenship to become Jewish. To
be circumcised, to make an oering at the temple, to renounce their closest
relatives as unclean, to essentially transorm themselves into a oreign
ethnicity.
But i it meant being included in the amily o the true and living God, the
sacrice would have been worth it. There is no benet in worshipping an idol.
Enter Paul and Barnabas, the new INS agents, with a new criteria or joining
the amily. Turn rom your idols, your alse gods, and give your allegiance to
Jesus Christ.
Trust in him: his perect lie o success traded with your imperect lie o sin
and ailure, his death on the cross in your place, his resurrection, conquering
death, hell, the devil and sin itsel, and his ascension his return to heaven to
give you the git o his Spirit to change you rom the inside-out and cause you
to live in a new way. Simply trust in Jesus the Jewish Messiah and you will be
part o the amily as i you were BORN into it!
No quarantining yoursel rom your amily. No temple sacrices. No dietary
restrictions. No clothing restrictions. No regulations regarding inectious skindiseases. No circumcision! Simply trust in Jesus and youre in! How excited
would they have been? Youd have been THRILLEDjust like the Gentiles here
in Acts.
So then, when these men came back to Antioch and started saying verse 1,
Unless you are circumcised according to the custom o Moses, you cannot be
saved, can you see why this would be compelling?
Judea is the mother ship. Its where Jerusalem was. Its essentially the INS
headquarters.
So its like a new delegation rom the INS has come down to inorm these
citizens that the other agents didnt have the right inormation. Listen: I know
that this is what they told you, but they were wrong. Its true that you need to
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pledge allegiance in order to become a citizen, the old law still appliesall the
hurdles to citizenship are still in placethe exams and the community service
all o it.
Do you see why I used the word compelling? They would have said tothemselves, These are men rom the mother ship. They are Christians like
me. And since Christianity was birthed rom Judaism, these Jewish Christians
MUST know what theyre talking about. I KNEW it seemed too easy. I knew it.
Simply trusting? This makes WAY more sense.
So heres whats happening, heres the crisis: a small but persuasive minority
in the church is presenting a compelling addition to the gospel. In order to be
saved, you need to believe in Jesus, and you ALSO need to be circumcised
and keep the Law o Moses.
And what makes these circumstances rise to the level o a crisis is ound in my
second point: the debate.
the debAte
The key to understanding the crisis o the debate is ound in 7-11.
And ater 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 o 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 aith. Now, thereore,
why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck o the
disciples that neither our athers nor we have been able to bear? But we
believe that we will be saved through the grace o the Lord Jesus, just as
they will.
Do you see what Peter is saying here? Hes saying that these men arent just
ADDING to the gospel; theyre ALTERING it.
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Why do I say this? Because o the nature o the grace that Peter talks about
in verse 11 (We believe that we will be saved through the GRACE o the Lord
Jesus). This addition is not an addition. This is alteration. Thats what makes it
a crisis.
Grace means that your welcome into the amily has nothing to do with your
race, your achievements, your merits, your record, your accomplishments, your
successes, your morality or your religiosity. Grace means that your acceptance
with God has absolutely nothing to do with who you are or what youve done.
Thereore, when these people started adding requirements to the simple
aith that Peter talks about in verse 9, they have moved away rom grace in
the direction o works. And when this happens, the very oundations o the
Christian aith are at stake.
Every other religion in the world is rooted in your perormance. Do these
things and youll achieve salvation or nirvana or paradise or a blessed aterlie.
Keep these rules and your god will accept you. Be a good person. Be nice. Or
even believe in God and be nice, and God will welcome you into his amily.
This, emphatically, is NOT Christianity. And in this text, Peter proves it. And he
proves it in two ways. First, he says, look at the Gentiles. And second, he says,look at us Jews.
1. Look at the Gentiles 7-9:
And ater 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 o 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
In other words, when the Gentiles simply believed the gospel, God gave them
the Holy Spirit just like he did or the Jews, which means that they had the
same experiences o Gods presence, the same transormations o character
as the Jews.1 This is huge! Because what Peter is saying that the Gentiles
1Timothy Keller, Evangelism: Studies in the Book o Acts (Redeemer Presbyterian Church,
2005), 129.
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WITHOUT circumcision and WITHOUT keeping the law were brought into
the amily. They just believed, and when they believed they had all the same
eects in their lives as the [Christian] Jew did. Thereore they MUST be saved
by grace through aith. They got all the results without any o the works.
So, Look at the Gentiles, Peter says. They prove that Christianity is all about
grace. They were saved APART rom their religious perormance, simply by
aith in the message.
The second thing he says to prove that Christianity is about grace is
2. Look at Us Jews 10:
Now, thereore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on
the neck o the disciples that neither our athers nor we have been able to
bear?
Here we have a clear admission that the Jews THEMSELVES couldnt keep
the Law. And by admitting this, Peter is saying, How can you demand that
the Gentiles be saved by keeping the rules when weve never been able to
do it ourselves?! We werent saved by keeping the rules. We broke them all! I
we are saved, we must be saved APART rom keeping the law because wevenever been able to live up to it. So like them, we must also be saved by grace
and not by rules.
So many people think that the Christian aith is about living according to a set
o rules. That is not true at all.
Christianity is about grace 11: We are saved through the grace o the
Lord Jesus, pure and simple. The Gentiles prove it (God saved them by aith
apart rom circumcision and law-keeping). And we prove it (God saved us by
aith even though we ailed to keep the law). Christianity is all about grace.
This is why, when these men say in 5, It is necessary to circumcise them
[they must be circumcised] and to order them to keep the law o Moses
its why when they say this, Peter doesnt see it as a benign addition to the
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gospel, but as a malignant alteration to it. A non-gospel. An anti-gospel. The
antithesis o Christianity.
This is why the debate was so signicant, why this was a crisis in the church:
the very oundations o Christianity were at stake. Are we (as Peter puts itin verse 10) saved through the grace o the Lord Jesus, or are we saved by
keeping rules? Is the Christian aith undamentally about what you do or God,
or about what God has done or you in Jesus Christ? Those two things are
worlds apart.
Well, the church answers that question with a clear and decisive emphasis on
grace what Im calling the resolution.
the resolutIon
Read 13-14.
Ater they nished speaking, James replied, Brothers, listen to me. Simeon
has related how God rst visited the Gentiles, to take rom them a people
or his name.
Here is what James is saying: believe Peter. We shouldnt ignore Peters
testimony. Peters experience with the Gentiles shows that God saves us by
grace.
But more than Peters experience by itsel, James appeals to the Bible. Peters
experience with the Gentiles, he says, is exactly what the Scripture teaches
15-17.
And with this the words o the prophets agree, just as it is written, Ater this
I will return, and I will rebuild the tent o David that has allen; I will rebuild
its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant o mankind may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes
these things known rom o old.
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James is quoting rom the Old Testament prophet, Amos. Amos says a
day is coming when a Davidic king a king like David is going to rebuild
the temple. James says Gods promise to rebuild the tent o David IS what
happened with Peter and the Gentiles. People who are not Jews are welcomed
into the amily by grace alone. James is saying that is what the promise isabout. It is not about a building in Israel. It is about the building which is the
people o God made up o people rom every tribe and kingdom all by grace,
not by ethnicity.
James is saying, rom these competent authorities (Peter and the witness o
Scripture), that this is true its by grace.
From here, he draws an inerence and oers a compromise in 19-21.
Thereore my judgment is that we should not trouble those o the Gentiles
who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain rom the things
polluted by idols, and rom sexual immorality, and rom what has been
strangled, and rom blood. For rom ancient generations Moses has had
in every city those who proclaim him, or he is read every Sabbath in the
synagogues.
Since this is the case, that Gentiles are saved by grace, lets not make ithard or them. Lets not add stu to the aith. At the same time, a lot o
Jewish Christians are getting all worked up into a lather over more and more
Gentiles coming into the church. We need to do something so that we dont
unnecessarily get them in a tizzy. Lets just have the Gentiles ( 20)
abstain rom things polluted by idols, and rom sexual immorality, and rom
what has been strangled, and rom blood.
Isnt that a great idea?! Abstain rom things polluted by idols, and rom sexual
immorality, and rom what has been strangled, and rom blood! Its exactly
what I would have thought o! I Im thinking o a compromise at this point, Im
thinking o that.
So whats this all about? Its actually pretty simple when you understand the
historical context. Things polluted by idols, sexual immorality, what has been
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strangled, and blood reer to our dierent activities that were known or
believed to [take place] in pagan temples.2
So basically what James is saying is, Lets just tell them to make sure they
stop going to temple easts. Our Jewish brothers are going to think thattheyre doing all kinds o lthy and unlawul things in there and its going
to create controversy where there is none. It is not in order to be welcome
into the amily, but because you are welcome into the amily, love the Jewish
neighbors and not go into those places anymore. Lets ask the Gentiles to love
the Jews well by avoiding them.
So then, whats the resolution? The Gentiles do NOT need to be circumcised
and keep the Law in order to be saved. But precisely because the Gentiles
have experienced that grace, they ought to love their Jewish brothers and
sisters by staying away rom places that will oend them. So what the
resolution is saying in essence is that Christianity is all about grace. Grace
received rom God and grace given to other people.
the response
Well, with this resolution in hand, the church drats a letter explaining it andsends a delegation back to Antioch to share the councils decision. Thats what
we read about in verses 22-29.
Then, in 30-31, we get to read their response, which is my ourth point.
Weve seen the crisis, the debate, the resolution, and now, the response.
So when they were sent o, they went down to Antioch, and having
gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when
they had read it, they rejoiced because o its encouragement.
Every time I read this story and get to verse 31, I always laugh. They rejoiced
because o the letters encouragement. What would encourage you and bring
joy to your heart more than to hear 29?
2Ben Witherington III, The Acts o the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Eerd-
mans, 1998), 464.
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But the reason I laugh is because Im orgetting the context. They are not
rejoicing because all they have to do is avoid pagan temples. They are thrilled
because this letter has put them at ease.
They are thrilled because it is a conrmation that their relationship with Godis not predicated on their race or attention to religious detail. They are thrilled
because this letter and the presence o this delegation is a rearmation that
they are saved by grace and not works!
[Beore the letter came,] they were disturbed. They were really bothered.
Check out 24.
Since we have heard that some persons have gone out rom us and
troubled you with words, unsettling your minds
They were troubled and unsettled. They were anxious and insecure. And
let me tell you, that this is always what happens when you compromise the
gospel, when you veer o rom grace. You create all kinds o insecurity in
peoples minds and hearts.
I mean, just think about it. How good are you at keeping rules? ANY rules?
You cant even stay on a diet or more than like 15 minutes! As soon as youintroduce your own perormance into whats required or a relationship with
God, you begin to wonder whether or not he accepts you. And because youre
a perennial ailure, a consistent poor perormer, youll be consistently insecure
in your relationship with God. Youll be unsettled all the time. Sometimes the
reason why youre so insecure and unsettled is because youre starting to
think your relationship with God is about what you do or God. It is a veering
o rom grace.
So when the Gentiles in Antioch get this letter, theyre thrilledbecause it
means that salvation is not by works but really is through the grace o the
Lord Jesus (as Peter puts it).
Do your remember my INS story? Well, now these non-citizens hear with an
ocial letter and ocial delegation rom the headquarters that the NEW
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law, the allegiance ONLY law, is the TRUE law, that salvation really is by grace
alone through aith alone in Christ alone. Plus or minus NOTHING.
Thats good news. Thats encouraging. Thats worth getting a little excited
over, dont you think? And so they do in verse 31, they rejoice over thatletters encouragement.
So then, weve seen the crisis, the debate, the resolution, and the response,
all o which are really making one point: that Christianity is all about grace.
And i I can be even more specic, the point is that salvation is by grace alone
through aith alone in Christ alone.
WhAts the poInt?
But now, in light o this, I need to ask a question. And its a really important
one: Why does Luke (the author o Acts) eel the need to emphasize this
or us? Or we could even go bigger than that, Why did God eel the need to
inspire Luke to include the events o Acts 15 in a book that the church would
use or nearly 2,000 years?
Let me make a suggestion. Because you (and I) are thick headed. You (and I)orget it so easily! Grace is the essence o the Christian aith, and yet over and
over and over and over again, you slouch back toward works. Over and over
and over again you turn the Christian aith into a system o achievement, a
ladder o perormance with rungs leading you up to God. The reason why you
need Acts 15 is that unless youre repeatedly reminded o it, you will lose your
handle on grace.
Let me give you an example o how quickly we can orget the gospel.
Youve seen Peters argument or grace alone in verse 11 (But we believe
that we will be saved through the grace o the Lord Jesus), so ervent and
earnest and insistent, right? And youve also seen Barnabas in verse 2 ercely
arguing or salvation by grace. Well, with that in mind, I want you to read what
happened perhaps less than a year later.3 Turn with me to Ga 2:11-14.
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But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his ace, because
he stood condemned. For beore certain men came rom James, he was
eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated
himsel, earing the circumcision party. And the rest o the Jews acted
hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by theirhypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth
o the gospel, I said to Cephas beore them all, I you, though a Jew, live
like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you orce the Gentiles to live like
Jews?
So there you have Cephas (the Aramaic version o Peter) and Barnabas,
even ater contending or the gospel o grace, so quickly abandoning the very
gospel they argued so strenuously to maintain. Paul describes their behavior
with such an excellent image in v 14: Their conduct was not in step with the
truth o the gospel. They were out o step, out o sync with the gospel.
And what is the gospel? What is the essence o that gospel? Look at 16.
we know that a person is not justied by works o the law but through
aith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be
justied by aith in Christ and not by works o the law, because by works o
the law no one will be justied.
Do you see what Paul is doing here? He is saying three times the exact same
thing. Its justication by aith. Justication = declared not guilty in Gods
courtroom. It means to be given immunity rom prosecution; it means to be
acquitted. That acquittal is by aith, not works. And by aith as opposed to
works = not because you earned the right to an acquittal, but simply because
you trusted in Jesus. That is ALWAYS how it is. You are declared not guilty
simply by aith in Jesus. When you start introducing other things, you are
saying, I can earn my acquittal.
3I am amiliar with the arguments that suggest that Gal 2:1-10 is not reerring to the events
o Acts 15, but to a prior and private meeting o Paul with the pillars. At this point, I am
not convinced. Instead, I side with the majority o commentators who believe that Gal 2:10
is reerring to Acts 15:1-35. For a helpul treatment, see Moises Silva, Explorations in Exeget-
ical Method: Galatians as a Test Case (Baker, 1996), 129-39.
At the same time, I will say that whether or not one identies Gal 2:1-10 with Acts 15:1-35
does not undermine the point Im making, as Peter would still have been guilty o quickly
abandoning the gospel o grace so soon ater his experience with Cornelius.
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slouchInG AWAy from JustIfIcAtIon
And what you need to see through the example o Peter and Barnabas is
that your deault posture is QUICKLY to slouch away rom justication by
aith. I do not mean just a year later. I mean that earlier today, I was operatingon the basis that I knew that I was not accepted by God on the basis o my
perormance and then ve minutes later Im acting like I am. It moves THAT
ast.
But what you have to understand here is that you never slouch away
rom justication by aith to NOTHING. Whenever you slouch away rom
justication by aith, you slouch toward SOMETHING; namely, a million orms
o sel-justication the things you look to instead o Jesus to be acceptable
to God.
For Peter and Barnabas, their behavior betrayed a belie that it was by
keeping the Old Testament law that Christians would be acceptable to God.
This is the source o the crisis in Acts 15. They were looking to their nationality
instead o Jesus ALONE to be justied beore God. In the absence o the
justiying work o Christ, you will look to anything you can to justiy yoursel
even your ethnicity.
Now maybe youre not guilty o this particular maniestation o sel-
justication. But that doesnt mean youre not guilty o ANY.
Let me see i I can help you nd your spheres o sel-justication by asking
you one simple question: What do you do when you eel guilty? Youre eeling
guilty or something you said or did or even thought what do you do with
that guilt?
Do you blame-shit? Do you make excuses? Do you become deensive and
irritable? Do you gossip? Do you compare yoursel with other people who are
in worse shape than you are? Where are you looking or justication when you
do that? To Christ? No you are looking to yoursel.
And that last one, I think, really nails our sel-justiying tendencies justiying
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yoursel beore God by looking down on other people. Luke 18 contains the
story o the Pharisee and the tax collector. Luke says that Jesus told this story
to people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked
down on everybody else (Luke 18:9). In other words, trusting in your own
righteousness ENTAILS looking down on everybody else.
So, what are the kinds o people you look down on? In the absence o Christ
justiying you, you will try to make yoursel eel superior to someone else at
some time. I you can gure that out, you can discover how you engage in
sel-justication.
Do you look down on people who smoke, who watch rated-R movies, who
read Harry Potter, who believe in evolution, who have tattoos and piercings,
who dont serve enough in church? Single moms? Poor people? Muslims? Gays
and lesbians? Minorities? Mormons? Scientologists? Actors?
I youre part o the Christian church, do you look down on people whose
doctrine is weaker or whose understanding is weaker or whose behavior is
either silly or sinul?
Do you look down at narrow-minded, ignorant, racists? I you are a minority,
do you look down on the dominant race, thinking youre nobler because ohow youve suered?
Do you look down on people who are less educated than you are? People
whose tastes are less rened?
Or maybe you look down on none o these people. Maybe youre like me: you
look down on people who look down on people.
Go to your perch o superiority. Thats the place where you justiy yoursel. Its
the place where you are saying in essence: I am acceptable to God and other
people on a basis OTHER than the Lord Jesus Christ.
And when that happens, you are not living in step with the truth o the gospel.
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overcomInG self-JustIfIcAtIon
And yet, its so easy to do! Too easy. How can we overcome it? How can we
overcome our pervasive and powerul sel-justiying tendencies? Well, there is
only one way: you and I need to be continually reminded o 16:
a person is not justied by works o the law but through aith in Jesus
Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justied by
aith in Christ and not by works o the law, because by works o the law no
one will be justied.
That, in one sentence, is the message o Acts 15.
You and I cant hear enough that God does not accept you on the basis o
your works, but only through aith in Christ. Listen. I you are a Christian, you
have NOTHING to prove to ANYONE! You are walking around with the record
o Christ. It is a perect record. It is a perect resume. We need to hear this
over and over and over again. You cant hear enough that Christianity is not a
moralistic system o achievement, but a living relationship with a savior who
accepts you completely in spite o the kind o person you are.
Martin Luther has said, The gospelis the principal article o all ChristiandoctrineMost necessary it is, thereore, that we should know this article well,
teach it [to] others, and beat it into their heads continually.4
conclusIon
So you and I need to be clear on the gospel. And that gospel is this: we are
saved through the grace o the Lord Jesus. Sheer grace. Grace alone through
aith alone in Christ alone on that basis alone are you welcomed and stay
welcomed in the presence o God.
The church had to get this clear in Acts 15. The church had to get this clear
again in Galatians 2. The church has ALWAYS had to get this clearbecause
without it, there is no Christianity. And i there is no Christianity, there is no
4Martin Luther, A Commentary on St Pauls Epistle to the Galatians (Miller & Burlock, 1860),
206.
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mission, the world cannot be reclaimed, and all is lost.
So where are you at tonight? Have you been relying on your perormance,
the act that youre a good, nice person to gain your welcome into Gods
amily? Can I encourage you tonight? Relax. Rest in what Christ has done. Putyour trust in Jesus Christ. Alone. And your salvation is orever secure. Always
secure. Amen.
r W G
pii: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in
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beyond the cost o reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is
preerred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Redeemer Bible Church.
Please include the ollowing statement on any distributed copy: By R W Glenn. R W Glenn.
Website: redeemerbiblechuch.com
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