Sunday Sermon
morning service sunday 30th Aug 2009
Acts 15v1-35
Last time we looked at the book of Acts we saw Paul finish his first missionary journey and return to Antioch, the sending church, where he reported all that had happened.
Moving onto chapter 15 we are still at Antioch where we find the first church wide discussion about what the gospel is.
Most take the time of the ‘Jerusalem council’ to be around AD49.
The early church has been through a time of growth and expansion.
It has now become unrecognisable as a Jewish sect. They are now Christians.
There has been persecution but the growth has not been hampered.
But now something new comes along:
A challenge to the preached gospel from within the ranks of those who believe!
Structure of the text:
A) a gospel destroying issue is raised: dispute
False teachers come to disturb the new believers v1
P&B dispute with them v2
The case is taken to the mother church in Jerusalem 3-4
B) a council is summoned to debate the issue: discussion
There is big discussion about the issue v5-6
Peter then speaks up v7-11
P&B speak up v12
James speaks up v13-21
That concludes the argument.
C) the outcome is made available to the church: decision
Next they decide what to do about the church in Antioch.
They send a delegation with a letter about the whole situation v22-29
In Antioch the church is gathered to hear the outcome, they are encouraged v31-35.
1) What was the gospel that was preached?
The gospel that had been preached up to this point was that the Gentiles could come into fellowship with God simply by trusting in Jesus! Without need of circumcision.
13v12 teaching about the Lord. 13v38-39. 14v15
The good news was all about Jesus, what he had done, who he was and therefore the need to repent and turn to him.
It was such good news because it was available to all, it was free, we could add nothing to it.
Peter confirms this Gospel in 15v11. It is by grace that all are save, Jew and Gentile alike.
In other words it is simply by the favour of Jesus that we are saved, we add nothing to it.
APP
· V11 is pivotal point about salvation.
The gospel is that we are all save the same way, by the shear grace of Jesus, freely without any addition or earning on our part.
· V19 is the pivotal point about our role in offering the gospel
Our task as those who have experienced salvation is to help other experience it too!
God is the one who loves the world, He is the one who saves, but we are asked to participate in His ministry by seeking to help others come to him!
The great tragedy is that we build barriers to keep people from God, instead of bridges to lead people to God.
We engage in theological point scoring and debate when really we should be saying God loves you and wants a relationship with you !
2)What was the challenge? V1&5
The challenge was that the grace of Jesus was too simple.
You had to do your bit to be saved.
You had to follow the laws of Moses and especially you had to be circumcised!!
This was a “gospel plus” heresy.
The gospel is not enough, you need to add to it.
In olden days those who wanted to associate with Israel had to come under all such laws!
Thus there was a feeling that this must still be true for the Gentiles who were believing now.
But things had changed!
Faith was all that was required now!
App:
The gospel is always being challenged! Anything that says we need more than Jesus to be saved is wrong! Anything that says we need less than Jesus is also wrong!
3) What was the outcome?
The outcome came after much discussion and debate.
Peter, Paul, Barnabas and James all speak up in defence of the gospel that the Gentiles had already received.
A letter was sent and a delegation of people to help the Gentiles carry on in the faith.
The overall attitude of the mother church was summed up by James in v19.
They were not to make it difficult for the gentiles who were turning to God.
The only points that had to be noticed were issues that followed on from receiving the Gospel not as part of the requirement in being saved.
The only moral issue was the one of fornication, many think that this note had to be put in, although seemingly obvious, because of the scale of the sexual immorality in the places where the gentile converts lived.
The other requirement with regard to food were to help facilitate unity between Gentile and Jew, it was more a concession to the Jewish scruples than anything else - V20 & 29.
App
This decision is the basis for all our outreach today.
Not only was it fundamental for gospel progress in its early day, it still is today.
The fundamental issue is faith in Christ.
evening service sunday 30th Aug 2009
Col 4v2-6
Last week we saw Paul get very practical with advice about how our following Jesus has to impact all our relationships, marriage, family and work.
There is no such thing as a sacred secular divide!
Being a child of God has to be lived out 24/7/365.
· Next Paul moves to the area of praying and speaking.
The areas of praying and speaking are, for the believer, closely linked.
Dallas Willard notes that “praying is talking to God about this, and speaking is talking to this about God”. Which really sums up the teaching in these few verses.
1) the approach to prayer v2
Prayer is something that can lead us into all kinds of troubles if we get involved in too much metaphysical speculation.
But Pauls teaching is very straight forward.
· Who can pray?
You are to pray. This teaching is for you. You devote yourself. This is your work.
· Level of commitment needed?
Devotion = earnest adherence. Prayer is not to be a passing fad passing. Devotion is the word used for a personal attendant, someone who is always there to assist. We are to be always there to pray!
· How much thought has to go into prayer?
We are to be watchful! That is prayer is not to be a haphazard activity. We are to take time to consider and think about prayer. Our needs, the worlds needs, Gods teaching etc.
Being watchful means that we are to be as attentive as possible!
Especially to the Spirits leading.
· In what kind of spirit are we to engage in, in prayer?
We are to be thankful! Prayer is not a burden! When it becomes a burden then it’s probably not prayer. Basically we are always to bear in mind the privilege of prayer!
It is an honour to take part in God’s work through prayer!
2) the requests of prayer v3-4
Following the general guideline to prayer Paul directs the people to specific requests.
This is interesting because often much of our prayer is general.
V3 he wants prayer for their work of proclaiming Jesus!
Specifically that a door would be opened for them in order to preach.
Note the impossibility of this prayer at the human level!
Paul is in chains! How can a door be opened for the message! It can’t!
Yet that is the very nature of prayer we ask God to do the impossible.
V4 then in full expectation of God opening a door for him, Paul also wants prayer for his preaching!
Not that it would be full of razzmatazz, but simply that it would be clear/ manifest!
The Greek is to make clear, to reveal!
So the requests for prayer are gospel centred!
For opportunity to preach and the ability to preach clearly when the opportunity comes!
Which very smoothly leads us onto the next subject: from talking to God about this, to taking to this about God!
App
I would like these prayer requests to be made for me! For open doors and the ability to make things plain and simple to those who would listen!
3) the walk and the talk that follows prayer v5-6
V5 Wisdom biblically speaking is knowledge that leads to correct living.
The wise person is the person who knows how to act properly and then does act properly.
So when Paul says walk wisely, he is saying do what is right in the eyes of men.
There is no great mystery in this instruction.
Paul is not asking us to become great spiritual guides or mystics.
In fact a good measure of this instruction is simply saying use your common sense!
But how are we to walk wisely?
It comes in the first place from having a life of prayer!
When we pray well we will walk well.
Specifically though Paul points to redeeming the time, or using time well.
And this is fundamental! The phrase itself is a market term that means to buy out completely. Seize the moment!
It is in time that we pray, it is in time that we walk wisely.
So time is a commodity that has to be made the most of.
Time is an opportunity, to be used but it can be squandered!
App:
What do you do with the time God has given you?
V6 praying well, leads to walking well, leads finally to talking well.
The building goes up layer upon layer.
The final layer is our talk!
The bible of course has much to say about our speech.
James talks about controlling the tongue, Jesus said let your yes be yes ....
Paul gives this very beautiful picture of our speech : it’s to be tasty!
It has to have the main flavour of grace, with the right amount of salt to make it more-ish!
What might it meant to be full of grace?
Surely it means that we will be talking about Jesus.
Our conversation is to be full of Christ.
What about salt?
Too much salt makes a thing inedible and too little make it bland, you will not want seconds.
Paul relates the use of salt to answering peoples questions.
In other words he is saying don’t be overpowering but equally don’t bore to death!
The implication is that as we engage in fellowship, talking about the Gracious One, we will come to Know how we should answer people.
Again there is no great mystery here!
Techniques on evangelism and others things have their place but at the end of the day if you are praying, walking wisely, talking wisely you will know how to speak to unbelievers!
App
One thing we hear often is “talk is cheap”. And in our culture it often is, talk is often meaningless!
But Christian talk has to be different. We have a divine message to hold out. We have a God to declare. We have answers to give. We know the truth. Many people by contrast are empty and lost and shallow. Don’t be fooled into thinking words are cheap!
