Conflict Resolution
Notes
Transcript
Acts 15:1-35
Acts 15:1-35
Main Idea: When conflict arises the gospel is sufficient.
Good morning church, my name is Zach Klundt, I am the associate pastor here at Freshwater.
It is great to be with you today.
I would like to start by asking a question:
ME:
I’ve see church conflict not handled well.
How many of you today has seen church conflict personally?
Maybe there was a spilt of the church over a firing.
The church came under fired because they stood up to some sort of hot button topic, like abortion, transgenderism, homosexuality.
Maybe the direction of the church was leading them into heresy and leading people away from the gospel.
You could have been somewhere that false teaching was happening.
In the year 2012 Brittni and I were invited by some friends to come visit them and go to a church conference with them.
At this point Brittni and I were believers but to say we were growing in our faith would be lie, we were not.
We were stuck to be honest.
And from hearing from our friends they were on fire.
And we wanted to be on fire as well.
We desperately wanted that.
So we end up at this conference where false teaching was taking place.
This church they brought us too believed that you have to be baptized by the holy spirit and to show that you were you would speak in tongues and convulsing on the ground.
I don’t have time to speak to how wrong this is, if you would like to have a conversation with me afterwards, I’ll be out front, I would love to chat with you.
And the whole time Brittni and I wanted to experience this.
We wanted to feel God’s presence but we weren’t in that sense.
We never spoke in the tongues or were overcome by something that caused us to convulse on the ground.
We were confused, we thought maybe we were broken, or that God gave up on us.
That we were spiritually dead and there was nothing we could do about it.
We walked away from that conference feeling confused and just left wondering, like maybe there is something more to the gospel that I had been raised to believe.
And you might be here this morning and my story resinates with you.
Maybe you were a part of a church or a religion were more things were added to the simple text found in Romans 10:9
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
There is not much to that, correct.
This is the response to the Gospel of Jesus.
That Jesus came to earth, he lived a perfect life and he died for the sins of the world and he rose again 3 days later concurring death once and for all.
If you believe that, then Jesus will save you.
Yet in churches today we have seen and experienced churches spreading false teachings and trying to add to a simple gospel.
And this can lead to all sorts of wrong things.
And when this happens we sit in conflict with those trying to lead us astray.
You might be confused and left doubting your salvation.
Maybe you too are in a dry season and your confidence of the gospel is pretty low.
What are we do to in this situation?
This is where Acts 15 shows us how to handle this situation.
We are going to be in Acts 15, as we continue in our series of Acts.
We are going to be talking about conflict.
Not conflict we have with another person, that is going to be covered next week by Mark Brinkmann, as he speaks on Paul and Barnabas’s disagreement.
I can’t wait to hear that next week.
And as we dive into the text this morning we are going to be talking about conflict but conflict that mainly comes against the church, or the Gospel.
It is the conflict that conflicts with God’s word.
It is having a disagreement over truth.
It is people leading us astray.
This is something that we all experienced.
And when we come into conflict whether it is us or the church we have to be able to resolve the issues.
We have to know that the gospel is sufficient.
If you have gone through any of the examples given then you know what the gentile believers were going through.
And this is where we find Paul and Barnabas at.
In the middle of conflict that involves false teaching raising up against the gospel of Jesus.
As we dive into the text will you pray with me:
Father we love you.
We thank you for the men and women who stood up against culture that trying to take the attention off Jesus.
We thank you that men stood up and defending the Gospel.
I pray Father that we can continue to see men and women raise up and defend the Gospel well.
Lord give me the words to say this morning, Father I pray for lives to be changed by the truth of you word, We love you and we ask all these things in your name amen.
GOD:
Our main idea this morning is:
When conflict arises the gospel is sufficient.
The Gospel is enough, as we will soon see from the Jerusalem council.
Maybe you are familiar with the Jerusalem Council, maybe you are not:
What made this very significant in the early church was this was the first time recorded that elders and apostles and church leaders got together to discuss an issue that had arose because of false teachings.
In this passage today we are going to see problems that arise, discussion that happens and then we will see resolutions that take place.
If you recall last week, Robert spoke on the power of preaching.
That Paul and Barnabas were going in and out of these towns and they were preaching the gospel of Jesus.
Many people were being saved, yet there were some people who were against this.
Paul would eventually be stoned by the rebel rousers.
To which he responded by marching right back into that city to continue to preach the Gospel.
And we left Paul and Barnabas revisiting towns they preached in and they were coming to the believers in these towns to encourage them and build them up.
MAP
They went to Antioch, Iconium, to Lystra, Derbe, and then they made their way back through those towns and ended up in Antioch.
And they were proclaiming the Gospel to the gentiles.
And many were being saved!
God was moving in the gentiles!!
But when God is moving expect the attacks
When God is moving expect the attacks (1-5)
1 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question.
3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers.
4 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.
5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”
Recall we have two people groups, the jews who had the original promise, God said you will be my people and I will be your God.
And then you have the gentiles, much pretty much means you are a none jew.
Unless you are jewish here today, then you are a gentile.
The gentiles were not part of the original promise made to the jews, yet.
But once Jesus dyed that line between the two groups disappeared.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
If you have believed in Christ, and make him Lord of your life then you are saved.
Jesus put away the distinctions for now there is none.
Yet here is where the conflict enters.
Some men come to Antioch and begin to spread a false gospel.
They say you have to be circumcised according to what Moses said or else you can’t be saved.
It has nothing to do with the Gospel— it had everything to do with what you as a man can do.
It puts salvation into human’s court rather in into God’s court.
As you can imagine, Paul and Barnabas are going back through all these towns and when they get to Antioch the starting place of there missionary journey, they hear that some people are spreading a false gospel around.
That is the problem.
Something has come against the good news of Jesus.
Paul and Barnabas engage these men— they argue with them intensely.
And because of these men who were spreading a false gospel the church of Antioch needed to know what to believe.
So they elect Paul and Barnabas and some other guys to go to Jerusalem to get this sorted out.
As Paul and Barnabas left they went to places and spoke about what God was doing among the gentile people.
I find it interesting that Paul and Barnabas did not make a direct route to Jerusalem, it would seem that they are not in a hurry.
It was something like 250 miles— most of us drove that this week, some may have even driven that in a day.
But it seems like there is not a lot of hurry here.
Like they already known the outcome, or they may not care because they know they are holding true to the Gospel of Jesus—
MAP
So instead of a direct line instead they went to Phoenicia and Samaria which were gentile city and they preached the good news of Jesus.
They didn’t add anything to the Gospel— it was repent and believe in Jesus.
Check out the end of verse 3: “And they brought great joy to all the brother and sisters.”
All the Gentiles were hearing the gospel and the stories of changed lives and they said yes, I want some of that!
They had great joy— those false teachers did not leave those gentiles in Antioch with joy— no they left them in confusion and a burden to bear.
And so when they arrived in Jerusalem the elders, and apostles and the church welcomed them in.
They were happy to see them and they greeted them.
and they told them all the amazing things God was doing.
Yet some did not like what was happening, look at verse 5.
5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”
They knew why Paul and Barnabas were there.
These Pharisees who had been converted as believers.
They believed in the Gospel of Jesus.
Yet they were still holding on to the law of Moses.
They were keeping those ties to legalism.
They wanted to add to the gospel, by saying the gentile believers, needed to follow the practice of being circumcised, and they had to keep the whole law.
This false teaching was coming against the Gospel, that Jesus was enough for salvation.
God was moving and the enemy was attacking.
This is no different then today either.
We have experienced this as a church, The Lord is moving here at Freshwater and the amount of attacks that the enemy has been throwing at us is unreal.
Don’t be surprised when we begin to follow after Jesus wholeheartedly and the enemy comes knocking.
Stand firm when the attacks come, cling to Jesus.
Dive into God’s word for truth.
Grab others and surround yourself with a community of believers that are committed to pray with you and for you.
Pray for endurance, not that the attack will leave you but that you will have the endurance to stay strong through it all.
Have a community of people who will show up unexpectedly and who will help bear the burdens.
Reach out to your pastors or elders seek wisdom and advise.
The enemy fights dirty and he is not fair, but you don’t have to fight alone.
Don’t be unaware that when you start to follow after Jesus, the enemy will attack.
Point number 2:
When faced with opposition stand firm on the truth, tread firmly in the truth of the Gospel.
Tread firmly in the truth of the Gospel (6-21)
6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.
7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.
8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,
9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?
11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
12 And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.
13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me.
14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name.
15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,
16 “ ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it,
17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things
18 known from of old.’
19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God,
20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.
21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”
The apostles, those who had witnesses the risen Messiah and the elders— those who were pastors in the churches, came together to talk this out.
And much debate rose up.
And after all the debate is done— Peter steps up to the mic to lay down some truth.
Now Peter had already wrestled with gentiles and their salvation back in Acts 11.
You can go back and listen to that sermon from Robert from November 23, 2023.
Put Peter who has wrestled with this issue and has been comforted about this issue by Paul in Gal 2, steps up first, in humility as the first one to speak.
This is Peter the rock, the guy who Jesus said— I will build my church with you.
He says to the council— look I get it but you all know that God made a choice to include the gentiles in his promise we just talked about this.
And we know that the Holy Spirit has entered into these gentile believers as he has us.
And if both of these things are true, then why are we trying to make the gospel harder for those to accept?
Acts 15:10
10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?
Notice that Peter called them disciples— those who follow Jesus.
Peter already assumes and know they belong to God.
Peter goes on to say:
Why are we putting a yoke on the gentile disciples that we could not bear not could those who came before us bear?
SO STOP IT.
For we believe that we are saved through the grace of Jesus the same way they.
Silence fills the room.
A large crowd is silent as Peter takes his seat again.
And you can feel the tension you can feel the weight that this council has to get this right.
Because not getting it right could set the church on a path that few could follow.
It wasn’t the circumcision part it was the following the law part.
Although I am sure the gentile men wanted some closure on the circumcision part as well.
But the law was the real concern.
You know the 614 laws that NO JEW could follow.
It was given to show to them to show them that they were inadequate and incapable of following that perfect standard that Christ would be.
Through Christ the law was fulfilled— check this:
Gal 3:24-26
24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,
26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
It is by faith alone not something that you can do to earn your way into salvation.
And the only response to Peter was silence.
And then Paul and Barnabas stand up and talk about all the mighty works God was doing through the gentiles.
Once they stopped the guy who was running it James, Jesus’s brother he stands up and gives a final declaration.
And he says look at verse 14.
14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name.
Acts James’s Testimony (15:12–21)
This is the main concept James wished to develop. In the Gentiles, God was choosing a people for himself, a new restored people of God, Jew and Gentile in Christ, the true Israel. In the total message of Acts it is clear that the rebuilt house of David occurred in the Messiah. Christ was the seed from David who fulfilled the covenant of David and established a kingdom that would last forever (2 Sam 7:12f.; cf. Acts 13:32–34). From the beginning the Jewish Christians had realized that the promises to David were fulfilled in Christ. What they were now beginning to see, and what James saw foretold in Amos, was that these promises included the Gentiles.
The promise extended to the gentiles, meaning stop putting up road blocks to the Gospel.
But James felt the need to write to the gentile believes things they should abstain from.
This is different because the Pharisees believers wanted to see the the weight of the law fall onto the gentiles.
Where James is just trying to show them how to act, or how Jesus would want them to act.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Teaching them to observe all that I commanded— this was a chance for James to teach them.
So James says let us tell them to abstain from 4 things:
Meat sacrificed to idols
sexual immorality
blood
anything that has been strangled.
Why these 4 things?
these 4 things were for the Jews and the gentiles to come together and have unity with one another.
When they came together to eat they would share the same customs and rules.
And they said sexual immorality because there is nothing that will destroy a family, a marriage, a company, a church, a school, or a person more then indulging in sexual immorality.
They were teaching and training up these new disciples.
Acts Bridging Contexts
We noted that these things to abstain from were made more out of sensitivity for the Jews than for theological reasons. While still holding to abstaining from sexual immorality. We can conclude that in applying this passage, we do not need to slavishly follow the same things they abstained from regarding food. But we do learn about the need to be sensitive to the consciences of our fellow believers.
James wanted the two groups to begin to mingle together.
Jew and Gentile one body one gospel.
There are going to be times folks where we must stand firm on truth.
I see a day coming where that is going to be more important then it is today.
And when that day comes,
stand firm in the truth.
BUT in order to stand firm in the truth, we have to know the truth.
We have to know God’s word.
Learn it, read it, study it, memorize it, let it consume you.
Let us not be arrogant.
No one likes a no it all, but people respect humility, be humble in truth, We saw Peter, and Paul and Barnabas and James all show humility in their conversations.
And if you are ever wrong apologize and don’t stop learning.
Let us not be surprised when God moves and the enemy attacks.
Let us tread firmly in the truth of the gospel.
and our last point from this text is:
The Gospel is transformative not burdensome (22-35)
Picture this:
Everyone came together and agreed and they elected men to take the letters to the gentile cities.
And a letter can be a powerful thing right.
There is something about hand written notes.
We hardly get letters anymore.
But this council wrote to the gentile believers.
and then Paul, Barnabas, and two new companions Silas and Judas join them and they go and proclaim this letter to the gentiles.
Silas and Judas joined them to affirm that what Paul and Barnabas were say was true.
So Paul and Barnabas come into your town, they ask everyone to gather up, and they pull out this letter.
And Paul begins by saying, we have reached a decision about if a gentile believer is now subject to the law of Moses.
I don’t know if these gentile believers really slept a ton, from verse 1 to now.
It would seem to them that believers life is not only faith but also works.
You again can imagine this tension as the group gathers around and listen’s intently.
Here is what the letter says:
23 with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings.
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,
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.
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.”
And the people rejoiced and were encouraged by it.
Notice at the end of verse 29— it says you will do well to keep yourself from these things.
It is not a do these or you are not saved, but try to stay away from these things.
Do not give into these things.
The Jerusalem Council was teaching and training these gentile believers.
Because they had not grown up Jewish, they didn’t know the customs or where to go for worship or how to worship.
They had just accepted Jesus as their Lord and savior.
And that was all they needed.
These 4 things are more how can we live in unity as believers between jews and gentiles.
abstain from:
Meat sacrificed to idols
blood
anything that has been strangled.
sexual immorality
The gentiles were still acting and partaking in sin— this was a helpful way to tell them to stop it as well.
Faith in Christ leads to transformed lives.
And in the end the chaos became unity, it became joyful and encouraging.
The gentile believers were the ones who were joyful and encouraged in the passage,.
As we come to the end of this story the question becomes how can you respond to conflict, mainly conflict in the church.
At some point in your faith there is this transformation from old self to new self.
The things you use to do you no longer do.
And it is a result of us growing in our relationship to Jesus.
And as we grow in our faith the more confidence we have in the Gospel and God’s word.
I wonder that if the Gentiles had been further along in their faith if this conflict would have even been a thing?
Like Paul and Barnabas were firm in what they believed.
Paul had see Jesus on the Road to Damascus, He saw the resurrected Jesus.
He was 100% confident in the Gospel.
The gentile believers would not have been.
So upon hearing off from other believers it can be easy to be mislead.
Which is why we must know the truth in order to spot the lie.
To be confident in the Gospel.
If I can be honest with you when Brittni and I went to that conference, the Gospel was not fully written on my heart.
I did not have the confidence in the gospel like I do today.
If I had known the Gospel and my life was transformed by it, then there is nothing else I would have needed.
I could have said right then and there, no this is false— Paul writes in Romans 10:9
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
The gospel is sufficient, it doesn’t need more— it just needs Jesus.
That is enough.
Jesus is enough.
I know that I’m not but He is.
My question today church is, do you believe that Jesus is enough?
And do you live in a way that reflects that Jesus is enough?
Do you have confidence in the Gospel that can stand up against false teachings?
Is the Gospel more burdensome or transformative to you?
The Gospel is sufficient for your life— my prayer is that we begin to live that out.
Let’s pray this morning: