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Acts 15 | The Upward Way | Bible Study with A. Z. Adams — Transcript

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0:00Acts chapter 15, verse 1.
0:02Some men came down from Judea and began
0:07teaching the brethren,
0:08"Unless
0:10you are circumcised according to the
0:13custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."
0:18So, in the previous chapter, we have
0:20just heard that
0:23the work of the Lord has spread to the
0:25Gentiles.
0:27That salvation has gone from city to
0:29city,
0:30from
0:31Lystra to Pamphylia to Antioch to
0:35uh
0:36Phrygia, to all of these different
0:38regions. And Paul is
0:40is saying that through many
0:41persecutions, we're going to enter the
0:43kingdom of God. He comes home to the
0:46city to the Antioch city from which he
0:48was commissioned, and he tells the
0:50brethren, "Look what God is doing."
0:53Okay?
0:54But, the next verse tells us
0:57that there was dissension.
1:00There was disagreement in the church.
1:03Some men came down from Judea and began
1:06teaching the brethren, "Unless you are
1:08circumcised according to the custom of
1:11Moses, you cannot be saved."
1:16And when Paul and Barnabas had great
1:19dissension and debate with them,
1:23the brethren determined that Paul and
1:25Barnabas and some others of them should
1:28go to Jerusalem to the apostles and
1:31elders concerning this issue.
1:35So, here we have a pattern.
1:37We have a pattern that when God starts
1:39doing something wonderful and glorious,
1:42people in the church can get scared
1:44about it.
1:46And their fears are not to be scoffed at
1:49or ignored,
1:50and they are very sure of themselves.
1:53So, they argued intensely with Paul and
1:56Barnabas.
1:57Now, we look at Paul and Barnabas
1:59through the lens of history and we say
2:01to ourselves, "Oh my Lord, how could
2:03anybody argue with Paul?"
2:05But to them, he was a young man
2:08who was a newly appointed apostle.
2:11They didn't see him like we see him.
2:14Do you understand? Just like we don't
2:16see each other like God sees us.
2:19And so, they argued, it says, "And when
2:22Paul and Barnabas had great dissension
2:25and debate with them."
2:27Not small, great dissension and debate
2:30with them.
2:32The brethren determined that Paul and
2:34Barnabas and some others of them should
2:37go to Jerusalem to the apostles and
2:40elders concerning this issue. So, the
2:43church
2:45did not say, "Let's split
2:49and let the self-righteous go their way
2:52and the anointed go their way."
2:55They said, "No, actually, we need to be
2:58able to appeal
3:00to a gathering of not just apostles, but
3:03elders.
3:05People who've been walking this way
3:07longer than we have.
3:10And we're going to trust God to speak
3:12through this gathered council
3:15and bring some clarity that can bring
3:17peace and reconciliation to the church."
3:21So, disunity is inevitable, but it is
3:24also intolerable.
3:26But the answer is not just to debate
3:28yourselves to death.
3:31The answer is to say, "We want you guys
3:32to go to Jerusalem to another city, to
3:35another church that is more mature
3:39and and we trust that God is going to
3:41give his voice through the mouth of many
3:42witnesses."
3:44It was apostles and elders, meaning
3:46presbyters. Therefore, being sent on
3:50their way by the church, they were
3:53passing through Phoenicia and Samaria
3:56describing in detail the conversion of
3:59the Gentiles and were bringing great joy
4:03to all the brethren.
4:06Amen. So, the church where the
4:08dissension started
4:11did not try to solve it themselves.
4:14They sent
4:16apostles and brothers who were not
4:19apostles
4:20to the elders in Jerusalem and said,
4:22"Please go
4:23and let's get this resolved."
4:26When they arrived at Jerusalem, they
4:28were received by the church and the
4:30apostles and the elders and they
4:32reported all that God had done with
4:35them.
4:37They did not start by saying, "We have a
4:39disagreement." They started by saying,
4:42"This is what God is doing."
4:45But some of the sect of the Pharisees
4:49who had believed
4:51stood up saying, "It is necessary to
4:55circumcise them and to direct them to
4:58observe the law of Moses."
5:01Now, I want you to understand something
5:03here.
5:05At this point,
5:08everybody who is in the church has to
5:12observe the law of Moses. None of the
5:14apostles think that you can live outside
5:17the law of Moses.
5:19God has not revealed this truth to them
5:22quite yet.
5:24Okay?
5:25But
5:27in all likelihood, Peter is the first
5:29one to baptize Cornelius and he did that
5:33and he got a lot of disagreement in
5:35chapter 11, but when he explained that
5:38it was the work of God, they quieted
5:40down and glorified God, right?
5:43And we're also told in one of Paul's
5:45epistles that when he came back from
5:47Arabia,
5:49he shared privately a teaching
5:54that God had only given to him.
5:57And he shared it with Peter and James.
6:01So, in the chronology, Paul's already
6:04had a private conversation with Peter
6:06and James. Paul doesn't think, "I've got
6:09this revelation. I'm going to write 2/3
6:11of the New Testament, so you either fall
6:13in behind me or I'm splitting off."
6:16Instead, he humbles himself. And he
6:19says, "If this revelation that I have is
6:21from God, I'm going to trust that Peter
6:23and James have the Holy Spirit, and
6:25they're going to recognize it." So, he
6:28makes sure with them that he has not run
6:31in vain. And the revelation that he
6:33shares is the revelation that the law,
6:36as a ceremonial construct, is no longer
6:40part of God's plan.
6:42So, when he goes into these other
6:44Gentile cities, he's not actually
6:46operating independently or or on his
6:48own. He's already In the chronology,
6:51he's already run it by James and Peter.
6:55Does that make sense? And they've
6:56already blessed it, but it has not
6:58spread beyond to the other apostles.
7:02And so, when he comes, sent by the
7:05church where the dissension started, he
7:07gets to Jerusalem,
7:09they start by telling the things that
7:11God has done.
7:12And then it says, "But some of the sect
7:15of the Pharisees who had believed stood
7:17up."
7:18Now,
7:19I've just got to stop there.
7:22And we can be discouraged and say,
7:24"Well, the Pharisees are doing what they
7:26always do."
7:27But wait a minute. Isn't it powerful
7:31that the Pharisees are part of the
7:33church?
7:35Isn't it astounding
7:37that those people who give long prayers
7:40and wear long robes and crucified Jesus
7:44have a voice in the New Testament
7:47church?
7:48And isn't it powerful that even their
7:50misunderstandings are about to be
7:52answered by the voice of God, by the
7:55multitude of counsel, by the submission
7:58of all to the voice of the spirit?
8:01So, the Pharisees stand up. Some of the
8:03sect of the Pharisees stood up who had
8:05believed and began saying, "It is
8:08necessary to circumcise them and to
8:11direct them to observe the law of
8:14Moses."
8:15Paul had already had the revelation
8:17that when the Jews killed Jesus,
8:21they destroyed the legitimacy of the
8:24law.
8:25They were the guardians of the law. They
8:28sat in the seat of Moses. And when they
8:30used the law to kill Jesus, they
8:33undermined it and they took it out of
8:35the equation. That's why Colossians 2
8:37says that when when Jesus disarmed the
8:41devil,
8:42he nailed the law to the cross.
8:45The law is what killed Jesus and thus it
8:49became as if it were unjust. It could no
8:52longer be used as a tool in the hand of
8:55our enemy against us. It was satisfied.
8:59It was finished at the cross.
9:01So, now there is a new law. It is the
9:04law of Christ, which is the law of the
9:06spirit, also called the law of love and
9:09the law of liberty.
9:13The apostles
9:16and the elders
9:18came together
9:20to look into this matter.
9:22They didn't start bickering.
9:24They didn't take their marbles and go
9:26home.
9:27They didn't say my way or the highway.
9:30The first thing they did when they
9:31encountered division is they came
9:33together.
9:34And it was not just the apostles, it was
9:36the apostles and the elders. That means
9:40the
9:41evangelist, pastors, teachers, prophets
9:44who were on a senior level of maturity
9:48and were the presbyters, that's the
9:50term. They were the leading ministers in
9:53a local congregation. They came
9:55together.
9:56So, they were glad to have the apostles
9:58there, but we have
9:59not just the apostles of the lamb, we
10:01also have the elders coming together.
10:05The apostles and the elders came
10:07together to look into this matter.
10:10After there had been much debate.
10:14Ooh, there we go again.
10:16We've got a room full of just very godly
10:18men.
10:20And yet, there is much debate. Some of
10:24your Bibles will say, "No small
10:27dispute."
10:29There's a heated disagreement. It's okay
10:31to disagree.
10:33If fundamentally, you are submitted to
10:36the voice of the spirit.
10:38After there had been much debate,
10:41notice, Paul has shared his revelation
10:44with two people. Who has he shared it
10:46with?
10:47Peter and James.
10:49And yet, Paul is not going to give the
10:53decisive word. He's going to trust the
10:55revelation he gave
10:58to the two people who are going to bring
10:59it with greater precision and greater
11:02authority in this moment. He's the one
11:05being questioned. So, it's not right for
11:06him to take the lead in everything,
11:08though I'm sure he was part of the
11:10debate.
11:12After there had been much debate, Peter
11:14stood up
11:15and said to them,
11:16"Brethren, now,
11:19what made Peter's speech here stand out
11:21from the debate?"
11:23It represents something anointed from
11:26the Holy Spirit that rises above the
11:29rancor of human opinions.
11:32And it starts to resonate with the
11:34wholeness of God's plan and truth. And
11:37everybody remembered it. It was a
11:39turning point in the meeting.
11:41It's not an exertion of raw power.
11:44It's a resonance of the voice of God.
11:49After there had been much debate, Peter
11:51stood up and said to them, "Brethren,
11:53you know
11:54that in the early days
11:57God made a choice among you that by my
12:00mouth
12:01the Gentiles would hear the word of the
12:04gospel and believe.
12:07And God, who knows the heart, testified
12:09to them, giving them the Holy Spirit
12:12just as he also did to us.
12:16And he made no distinction between us
12:19and them,
12:20cleansing their hearts by faith.
12:23Now therefore, why do you put God to the
12:26test by placing upon the neck of the
12:28disciples a yoke which neither our
12:32fathers nor we have been able to bear?
12:36But we believe that we are saved through
12:39the grace of the Lord Jesus in the same
12:42way as they also are."
12:46All the people kept silent.
12:49And they were listening to Barnabas and
12:51Paul as they were relating what signs
12:54and wonders God had done through them
12:57among the Gentiles.
13:00So, we go from disagreement to
13:02gathering.
13:03We go from gathering to debate.
13:06And then we have a word that rises above
13:09debate. It's an anointed word. And then
13:12we go back and look not
13:15at the details, but at the miracles,
13:18at the fruit that has been coming from
13:20this change.
13:22Does that make sense? So, they quieted
13:24down. They listened to Peter. And then
13:27they listened to Paul and Barnabas. Paul
13:28and Barnabas, could you share how God
13:31was proving this by the Spirit? The
13:33whole proof was the Holy Spirit.
13:37That's what they were looking for.
13:39It wasn't winning a debate.
13:42It was the Holy Spirit. And Peter says,
13:46"God made a choice. He used me to open
13:49this door.
13:50So, he has a voice because he's already
13:53walked in this path with good fruit. So,
13:56he has something to say about it."
13:59And he didn't make the choice, God made
14:02the choice. And he says, "We know that
14:04God was approving of what I did because
14:07he gave the Gentiles the Spirit. And
14:10that's the evidence that he accepted
14:11them.
14:12So, what we did was truly fruitful in
14:15God."
14:18After they had stopped speaking, so it's
14:20like, "Okay, debate, Peter, more stories
14:24from Paul and Barnabas. Mm, this feels
14:26like God." And after Paul and Barnabas
14:28stopped talking, after they had stopped
14:31speaking, James answered saying,
14:35"Brethren, listen to me."
14:38Again, we have a second ministry that's
14:41more than debate.
14:43It's a word from God.
14:46None of the debate is written down for
14:48us. But these words from the Holy Spirit
14:51are written down because they rose above
14:54the chatter.
14:55It's a healthy chatter, it's a necessary
14:57chatter, but these were different.
15:01After they had stopped speaking, James
15:03answered saying, "Brethren, listen to
15:05me.
15:06Simon has related how God first
15:09concerned himself about taking from
15:11among the Gentiles a people for his
15:14name.
15:15With this, the words of the prophets
15:19agree."
15:20So, now James is saying, "It's not
15:22enough for Peter to say it's fruitful,
15:25for Peter to point out that God used
15:26him. I'm going to show that this does
15:29align with the scripture." So, now he's
15:31going to bring scriptural support. He
15:33says, "With what Peter said, the Old
15:36Testament, the prophets agree."
15:39And James
15:40begins to quote from the book of Amos in
15:44the Old Testament.
15:46He says, "With this
15:48the words of the prophets agree, just as
15:51it is written. After these things,
15:54I will return.
15:56And I will rebuild the tabernacle of
16:00David,
16:01which has fallen.
16:03And I will rebuild its ruins.
16:06And I will restore it, so that the rest
16:09of mankind
16:12may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles
16:17who are called by my name, says the
16:20Lord, who makes these things known from
16:23long ago."
16:25So, James is saying to this group,
16:28"Guys,
16:30what we're talking about, and what we're
16:32about to participate in, is fulfilling
16:35the prophet Amos's prophecy."
16:38And what was the prophecy? That God
16:40would rebuild the tabernacle of David.
16:44Now, the tabernacle of David was
16:45different from the tabernacle of Moses
16:48and the temple of Solomon.
16:50How was it different?
16:53It was different in that
16:55God instructed David on how to bring the
16:58ark of his presence back
17:01to Jerusalem.
17:03And when he brought it back, he put it
17:05in a tent
17:06that was different from the tabernacle
17:08of Moses, and it was different from the
17:10tabernacle
17:11of Solomon. How? It The ark did not
17:15dwell in a holy place where nobody could
17:18come near. There was no veil. There was
17:21no separation between the men and the
17:22women.
17:24And 70
17:26sons
17:27of Edom worshipped with the Jews in that
17:31tabernacle. It was a place of music and
17:35clapping and dancing and trumpets and
17:39symbols and shouting and praise and
17:42choirs and orchestras. It was a place of
17:46worship such as the world had never seen
17:49and never saw again.
17:51But James is saying the tabernacle of
17:54David where the Gentiles first
17:56worshipped with the Jews because those
17:58sons of Edom
18:00were called worshippers among the
18:02Gentiles. That's what Obed Edom means.
18:06So,
18:07he's saying
18:09God prophesied through Amos that he was
18:12going to rebuild the place where the
18:13Gentiles and the Jews would worship
18:15together. He was going to rebuild the
18:17place where we all had confident access
18:20to the presence of his glory, not like
18:23in the old days where there was a veil
18:25that we couldn't enter. And he's saying
18:27the church is that place. The church is
18:29that new house, that new tabernacle and
18:32tent. So, let's let it be and let's
18:35everybody come in to what God is
18:37building.
18:38So, James says
18:40that God prophesied this. He says,
18:41"Therefore, it is my judgment
18:45that we do not trouble those who are
18:47turning to God from among the Gentiles,
18:51but that we write to them that they
18:53abstain from things contaminated by
18:55idols and from fornication and from what
18:58is strangled and from blood.
19:01For Moses from ancient generations has
19:05in every city those who preach him
19:07since he is read in the synagogues every
19:09Sabbath."
19:11So, he's saying, "I'm just telling you
19:13Moses hadn't helped these people.
19:16The law hasn't been enough. He's in
19:18every city
19:20from ancient generations,
19:22but God is doing something new.
19:24And the power of the Spirit is here, and
19:26God is indicating his acceptance of
19:29these people by giving them the Spirit.
19:31So, we need to include them." Now, there
19:33are certain things that
19:35they don't need to eat blood, they don't
19:37need to eat things sacrificed to idols,
19:40they don't need to practice sexual
19:42immorality, of course. Now, he's not
19:44saying that's the only things that they
19:46shouldn't do. He's just saying those are
19:48the things from the ceremonial law that
19:50he's going to He's going to continue to
19:52require.
19:54They're still going to have to obey the
19:55word of scripture. They're still going
19:57to have to obey the commandments of the
19:59apostles.
20:00Okay? The apostles are going to give
20:02them commands about how they dress in
20:05modesty. The apostles are going to give
20:07them commands on how they submit to one
20:09another, how they
20:11separate from the world. They're going
20:13to have to live godly lives, but he's
20:15saying from the ceremonial law, we're
20:18only going to keep these four things.
20:20Does that make sense?
20:22Because those things are rooted in
20:23bigger things than just the ceremonial
20:25law, but by and large, it's being done
20:28away with.
20:30Then it seemed good to the apostles
20:33and the elders
20:35with the whole church.
20:39So, James said, "This is my judgment."
20:40James didn't make it as a pope. He
20:43submitted it as his judgment, but then
20:45it became the judgment of everybody
20:47else.
20:48This is called resonance, consensus.
20:52When people speak by the Holy Spirit,
20:55and we say, "That feels right. That
20:57feels like God's will."
20:59And it seemed good to the apostles,
21:01good.
21:02Elders, good. Whole church, praise God.
21:07Then it seemed good the apostles and the
21:08elders with the whole church
21:11to choose men from among them to send to
21:14Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
21:17So they decided to choose men from among
21:19them. They said, "We want to send
21:21Jerusalem brothers with Paul and
21:23Barnabas so that the Antioch people
21:27don't think Paul and Barnabas are in
21:28rebellion against Jerusalem.
21:31So we're going to send people from
21:33Jerusalem to testify that Paul and
21:35Barnabas are acting in accordance with
21:37the agreement of the whole church."
21:42So they sent Judas, called Barsabbas,
21:44and Silas, leading men among the
21:47brethren.
21:50And they sent this letter by them.
21:53Here's what the letter said, "Quote, the
21:55apostles and the brethren who are elders
21:58to the brethren in Antioch and Syria
22:01and Cilicia, who are from the Gentiles,
22:04greetings.
22:06Since we have heard that some of our
22:08number,
22:10of whom we gave no instruction,
22:13have disturbed you with their words,
22:17unsettling your souls,
22:20it seemed good to us,
22:22having become of one mind,
22:25to select men to send to you with our
22:28beloved Barnabas and Paul,
22:31men who have risked their lives for the
22:34name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
22:38Therefore, we have sent Judas and Silas,
22:42who themselves will also report the same
22:45things by word of mouth."
22:48So they're saying, "We are sending
22:50witnesses from Jerusalem because we
22:53didn't ask these guys to trouble you.
22:55And Paul and Barnabas are actually
22:57right. And we are now of all of one
22:59mind. There is no disagreement. So we're
23:02sending Silas and Judas so that they can
23:04stand and say, "Yes, Jerusalem agrees
23:08with what Paul and Barnabas are saying.
23:11Paul and Barnabas are not in rebellion.
23:14They are apostles, but they are in
23:15submission. We are all in this
23:17together."
23:19For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit
23:23and to us.
23:27Who decided the matter?
23:28The Holy Spirit.
23:31And us.
23:33To lay upon you no greater burden than
23:36these essentials, that you abstain from
23:39things sacrificed to idols, and from
23:41blood, and from things strangled, and
23:44from fornication.
23:46If you keep yourselves free from these
23:47things, you will do well. Farewell.
23:52I like how short.
23:54So, when they were sent away, they went
23:56down to Antioch, and having gathered the
23:59congregation together, they delivered
24:01the letter.
24:03When they had read it, they rejoiced
24:05because of its encouragement.
24:10So, they have four witnesses. They have
24:12Paul and Barnabas, who were teaching
24:14this from the beginning,
24:15and now they have two delegates from
24:17Jerusalem, who are saying, "These guys
24:20are in submission. We all agree."
24:24Judas and Silas, these two guys,
24:27also being prophets themselves,
24:31encouraged and strengthened the brethren
24:34with a lengthy message. Ho ho! They gave
24:37a long sermon.
24:39That's encouraging.
24:41After they had spent time there, they
24:43were sent away from the brethren in
24:45peace to those who had sent them out.
24:49So, they were sent back to Jerusalem.
24:52But, it seemed good to Silas
24:55to remain there.
24:57The brethren said, "You can go back. We
24:59know
25:00that we are one with the Jerusalem
25:02church." But Silas said, "I want to stay
25:05here."
25:07But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch
25:09teaching and preaching with many others
25:12also the word of the Lord.
25:16After some days, Paul said to Barnabas,
25:19"Let us return and visit the brethren in
25:21every city in which we proclaim the word
25:23of the Lord and see how they are."
25:28Barnabas wanted to take John, called
25:32Mark, along with them also.
25:36But Paul kept insisting that they should
25:39not take him along
25:41who had deserted them in Pamphylia and
25:45had not gone with them to the work.
25:52Another disagreement.
25:54You will remember that in Acts 13,
25:58we are told that the young man, John
26:01Mark, is an aid to Paul and Barnabas.
26:06He's not an apostle. He's not a
26:07minister.
26:09But he's there to set up the speakers,
26:12clean the tables, make sure that the
26:16meeting hall is rented,
26:19perhaps help with tickets on the ships,
26:21and who knows what else.
26:24But we're told in chapter 13
26:27that he went back to Jerusalem.
26:30This is a high-stakes ministry.
26:34This is
26:35a very critical time in the church's
26:38history.
26:39Everybody's tense.
26:42Persecution is taking place. Paul's been
26:45stoned.
26:46And they needed John Mark.
26:48And John Mark went scurrying back to
26:51Jerusalem. Probably because he got
26:53offended about something.
26:56So,
26:58when they're about to go back to visit
26:59all the other churches,
27:01maybe Paul doesn't trust John Mark.
27:05Maybe Paul feels like, "I don't want
27:08somebody on my team who is as fickle as
27:11this guy."
27:13Maybe he also is concerned that John
27:15Mark was a bad witness to the churches
27:20when he fled from Pamphylia.
27:24But, Paul kept insisting that they
27:26should not take him along who had
27:29deserted them in Pamphylia and had not
27:32gone with them to the work.
27:35And there occurred such a sharp
27:37disagreement that they separated from
27:40one another, and Barnabas took Mark with
27:43him and sailed away to Cyprus.
27:48But, Paul chose Silas
27:50and left, being committed by the
27:52brethren to the grace of the Lord.
27:55And he was traveling through Syria
27:57and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
28:03Now,
28:05this is an unfortunate situation.
28:08We are
28:09learning elsewhere
28:11that John Mark was the cousin of
28:15Barnabas.
28:17And sometimes
28:19your affection for a family member
28:23can make you
28:25work for someone and
28:27stay with someone
28:29even when the other members of the team
28:31don't want that person on the team.
28:34And Paul is not baseless. Luke is the
28:37one writing the inspired scripture.
28:40And Luke tells us that Paul had good
28:43reason
28:44for his refusal.
28:46So, in this equation, Paul is right
28:50and Barnabas is wrong.
28:53But, God has grace.
28:56And Barnabas goes his way. We don't hear
28:59very much of what happens.
29:01But, what we do know
29:03is that in the end, they come back
29:05together.
29:06And Paul even writes and says to says in
29:09one of his letters, "Send to me John
29:12Mark. He could be of great use to me."
29:15So, John Mark outgrows his immaturity.
29:18The young man becomes reliable. And Paul
29:21and Barnabas remain brothers and reunite
29:24in the time to come. But, this is an
29:26example of how even great men and
29:29miracle workers can get sucked into
29:32defensiveness for my cousin
29:35and do the wrong thing and part ways.
29:37But, God will use even that for his
29:40glory.

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