We lay no greater burden that this...
Walking through the Book of Acts • Sermon • Submitted
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We lay no greater burden that this...
We lay no greater burden that this...
We lay no greater burden that this…
. “Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, 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. 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, 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 for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of 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 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.” So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.”
“Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, 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. 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, 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 for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of 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 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.”
So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.”
30)?
, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
What does it mean when Jesus says, 'my yoke is easy and my burden is light' ()?"
The saying “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” is part of a larger passage (), in which Jesus tells all who are weary and burdened to come to Him for rest. He isn’t speaking here of their physical burdens. Rather, it was the heavy spiritual burdens of the system of works that the Pharisees laid on the backs of the people that Jesus was offering to relieve.
Later on in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus will rebuke the Pharisees for laying heavy burdens on the shoulders of the people.
The “yoke of the Pharisees” is the burdensome yoke of self-righteousness and legalistic law keeping. The Pharisees adhered to other over 603 regulations founded in the Pentateuch.
That is a heavy burden! Do you recall the story of the lawyer who asked Jesus what was the greatest commandment of the Law (). You can almost read between the lines of the man’s question: “What law, of all the laws we have, do I absolutely have to keep?”
Jesus was saying that any kind of law keeping is burdensome and amounts to a “heavy yoke” of oppression because no amount of law keeping can bridge the gap between our sinfulness and God’s holiness. God says through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah that said, “ We have all become like one who is unclean and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment, we all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (). Paul reiterated to the Romans “no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law” ().
The good news is that Jesus promises to all who come to Him that He will give them rest from the heavy burden of trying to earn our way into heaven and rest from the oppressive yoke of self-righteousness and legalism.
Jesus encourages those who are “heavy laden” to take His yoke upon them, and in so doing they will find rest for their souls.
The yoke of Jesus is light and easy to carry because it is the yoke of repentance and faith followed by a singular commitment to follow Him. As the apostle John says, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome” ().
This is why Jesus says in that His yoke is easy and His burden light. Now, we might think that there is really no difference between the commandments of Jesus and the Jewish Law. Isn’t the same God responsible for both? Technically speaking, yes.
If anything, I would argue that the commands of Jesus are even more burdensome because His reformulation of the Mosaic Law in the Sermon on the Mount () actually goes above and beyond a mere outward conformity to the Law and deals instead with the inner person.
But, what makes Jesus’ yoke easy and what makes His burden light is that in Jesus’ own active obedience, Jesus Himself is the (is perfect fulfillment of the Law of God for us), Jesus carried the burden that we were meant to carry. It was Jesus’ perfect obedience that is now applied (imputed) to us through faith in Him alone. Just as it was Jesus’ righteousness which was exchanged for our sin at the cross ( ). Our obedience to Jesus then becomes our “spiritual worship” ().
Furthermore, we are in dwelt by the Holy Spirit who works in our lives to mold us into the image of Christ, thereby making the yoke of Jesus easy and His burden light. The life lived by faith is a much lighter yoke and a much easier burden to carry than the heavy and burdensome yoke of self-righteousness under which some continually strive to make themselves acceptable to God through works. And because of the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ which, He made once of all on the cross; we need lay no greater burden than faith on those who now come to Jesus Christ by faith alone through Him alone.
Let us pray...
We lay no greater burden than this.. that you accept this letter.
Let’s look at the first verse of our passage this morning, it is found in .
22 “Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to chose men from among then and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers.”
The resolution of the problem concerning people being circumcised before becoming a Christian and adhering to the custom of Moses instead of embracing the power of the gospel, involved a decision by the whole assembly (the apostles and elders, with the whole church.) They to send their representatives Barsabbas and Silas back to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas with an authorized answer about the issues at hand (vv. 22–23a). It was in the form of a letter, a letter conveying the proposals of James, which was to not trouble the Gentiles anymore but to persuade them to abstain from what has be sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality (vv. 23b–29). Choosing some of their own men to accompany Paul and Barnabas, they hoped for a clear explanation of their intentions in writing the letter (v. 27) and a healing of any strained relationship between the churches. Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas were chosen because they were leaders among the brothers (and presumably also because they were prophets,). Nothing more is known about this Judas he is only mentioned in this passage, but Silas became the companion of Paul, in succession to Barnabas.
Let’s look at this letter for a moment, which says, in v. 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. 24Since 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, 25it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul.”
The whole assembly made the decision concerning circumcision, but the letter was actually sent in the name of the apostles and elders, “your brothers.” It was addressed specifically to ‘the brothers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia, who are of the Gentiles, meaning that they are from among the nations that were not Jewish’ There is then an acknowledgement that the problem created by the Judaizers originated in Jerusalem, without any official backing from Jerusalem, we see this acknowledgement by the words, Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you, with unsettling you minds, although we gave them no instructions.
The fact that they call them persons rather that a brother gives you the indication that they were of a fringe element and not true brothers of the faith. The fact that they came from Jerusalem might have given them some authority in the eyes of some, but their message was not clear by the church in Jerusalem. Their harassment of Gentile believers is further defined as unsettling your minds, troubling your souls, leaving you out of balance.
Do we understand my brothers and sisters that any teaching that compromises the simple message of the gospel will rob Christians of their assurance and leave them feeling abandoned and confused?
Do we understand that what you teach has consequences, it either clouds people’s judgment or it clarifies their judgment?
Now comes the notification of two formal decisions, from the church at Jerusalem, the first of which this an understanding of unity. Look at what they said, ‘it seemed good to us having come to one accord [in unity]’.
Their first decision was to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul. Now this time they assured them that not only is the message from them this time but also the messengers are from them, men that were trusted and are beloved.
The word beloved is very important whenever it is found in any text of Scripture. The word beloved it the Greek is “agapetos”, which means, to be cherished, to be preferred above all others, to be treated with partiality, and to be the object of one’s affections.
Let’s look a few passages which expressed the power of the word beloved or agapetos.
, “Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
, “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
I want you to also remember that in the definition of the word “beloved” I said that God shows greater partiality towards His beloved. You might say that the Bible says God shows no partiality; God shows no partiality towards those that are His, but He shows great partiality towards those that are not His compare to those who are His!
These men whom the church sent were beloved men of God—men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This statement is the noblest compliment anyone could ever receive. Paul and Barnabas truly deserve this destination because on their first missionary trip, they had faced severe persecution,
, But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium.” But, pastor, what made them willing to risk their lives? First, they were concerned for others. Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me” (). Secondly, they knew and understood the Christian path to suffering would lead them to a richer provision of God’s grace and mercy. “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (). Thirdly, they recognized the continuity of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, “For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living” ().
This is why the church proclaimed that they were men who risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; this is why they were beloved.
This elaborate commendation of Barnabas and Paul involves recognition of them as ‘beloved’ to the Jerusalem leaders, and faithful to the Lord Jesus. These men had devoted their lives’ to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, it was considered appropriate to send Judas and Silas to confirm their ‘proclaiming’ or ‘reporting’ by word of mouth what we are writing. (They were con-signing for Paul and Barnabas.)
With the help of such representatives from the church in Jerusalem, the message of the letter would come to the recipients in a more personal and convincing way, if Jerusalem sent some con-signers, Judas and Silas were being used much like Paul used Tychicus in
, “Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts.”
The second decision is attributed to the Holy Spirit, the text says in “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and us…” Luke has not claimed anywhere in the account so far that any of the speakers was particularly directed by or filled with the Holy Spirit. On one level, this claim could be that the harmony of the gathering is an acknowledgement of the will of God and a sign of the Spirit’s presence and guidance. Because there is a parallel between v. 25 and v. 28, conveyed by two similar expressions in Greek, saying the same thing in different ways (‘It seemed good to us having come to one accord’ = ‘For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and us). At another level, it is clear that the council came to affirm what the Spirit of God had already shown them to be true. There was an objective testimony of the Spirit to which the various speakers drew attention towards. Peter’s speech highlighted the critical role of the Spirit in testifying to the salvation of Gentiles apart from obedience to the law.
Remember last week what Peter said in , “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 faith.” Barnabas and Paul confirmed this by referring to what God had done among the Gentiles through them in,
, “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.” James then argued that the Spirit-inspired ‘words of the prophets’ are in agreement with the conclusion that God ‘intervened to choose a people from his name for the Gentiles’.
Look at , “After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name.” There goes that phrase again, ‘a people for his name’, what does this mean pastor? The word here for “name” in the Greek “Onoma” and a person or a people who are called by the name of God or Jesus; are a people who have the attributes, the nature, the very clear self understanding that all that they are or ever hope to be should reflect the very character of Father God and the Son of God.
The name of Jesus Christ included all He was and purposed, and it motivated their service and well as their service to others. When the apostles suffered persecution, they rejoiced,
“that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name”().
No cost was too high to pay to protect the honor of the Lord Jesus Christ. So both Peter and James are saying that God was making from the Gentiles such a people for Himself, a people after His own name.
So the Spirit’s work in the Council enabled the participants to acknowledge these historical and scriptural evidences and to come together to the right conclusions about the practical implications. This text, therefore, cannot simply be applied to any meeting of Christians claiming the Spirit’s guidance for their decisions.
You see, only when Christians are united in interpreting the acts of God in the light of Scripture can it be said that the Spirit has led them. The Spirit’s work in leading the Jerusalem Council was to provide a solution consistent with the truth of the gospel, enabling Jewish and Gentile Christians to live together in love.
We lay no greater burden that this… to abstain from these things.
This decision conveyed the recommendation of James in slightly different terms and with a variation in word order. The first expression found in verse 28b, ‘to lay on you not greater burden that these requirements’, recalls the warning of v. 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? Peter is saying why test God? Has not God showed His hand that these are His people, called by His name, what other prove do you need. God has shared the gospel with them, they have heard and believed. Is their any greater recommendation than this? So then James follows up in verse 19, saying, , “Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God. Then in verse 20 James gives them a list of ‘necessary things’ necessary requirements for honoring the faith that they had been given been. These are not condition of salvation but character traits that show you are saved.
, “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.”
The more general expression ‘the pollution of idols’ (v. 19) is replaced by the specific term food sacrificed to idols (as in 21:25), and the plural (‘strangled things’) is used instead of the singular for the meat of strangled animals. An exhortation precedes the final greeting (You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell), suggesting that the compulsion indicated by the word requirements in v. 28 should not be read as a legal obligation, but as a moral appeal to all of us who hold such a common faith.
The Jerusalem Council acknowledged that Gentile Christians were not obligated to live under the yoke of the law. At the same time, it challenged them to exercise their liberty with wisdom, restraint, and love, recognizing the concerns of some Jewish Christians about contamination through any association with idolatrous practices. The requirements commended to Gentile believers by letter and urged upon them by prophets and teachers in the local church context were designed to keep the lines of fellowship open with Jewish believers by giving warning to Gentiles about any compromise with the idolatry and immorality that was so much a part of their world. Luke’s record of the Council, with its repetition of these recommendations and his subsequent account of the joyful acceptance of the message at Antioch, suggests that he viewed this whole process and its outcome enthusiastically.
We lay no greater burden than this… to receive the teaching and preaching the Word of God.
When Paul and Barnabas return to Antioch with the letter from the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, the process of resolving the issue for the Gentiles continues. The church rejoices in the letter’s confirmation of their freedom from the law and accepts the regulations commended to them for the sake of harmony between believers. Look at,
, “So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement.”
The prophets sent from Jerusalem to ‘confirm by word of mouth’ what has been written. Verses 32-34, “And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them.” Here the text tell us that the prophets who were sent along side Barnabas and Paul, were successful in encouraging and strengthening the believers, so that they are released ‘with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them’
Now that was the mountain top experience, now is where the rubber meets the road, for the true work of ministry is in the valley, where there is a weekly working and delivery of the Word of God.
Do you understand that there is real work in the teaching and preaching of the Word of God? The text tells us that Paul and Barnabas continue with many others in Antioch to preach the word of the Lord, apparently unhindered by any further Judaizing challenge.
, “So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. Having been sent away with the blessing of the Jerusalem fellowship, the messengers went down to Antioch. There having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter to them. We see that the congregation who had been anxiously awaited the news of whether their salvation was genuine of not, gathered together to hear the apostles reading of the letter.
And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words” ().
They reading of this letter evoked four responses from the assembled believers. The first was celebration: they rejoiced.
The confirmation that salvation was indeed by grace alone through Christ alone lifted tremendous burden of worry from their shoulders. The second response was consolation, because of the letter’s encouragement. They no longer needed to fear that their salvation was not genuine. Legalism produces fear, guilt, and pride, while grace alone brings comfort and hope. A third response was confirmation, as Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and stringed the brethren with a lengthy message. The two leaders from Jerusalem added their own heartening words to those of the letter.
, “And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them.”
Then, after they spend time there, Judas and Silas were sent away from the by the brothers in peace and returned to Jerusalem. Legalism produces neither confirmation nor edification; it is the
“ the word of His grace “that is “able to build” up believers.
The phrase sent off in peace indicates reconciliation between the churches after the disruption caused by those who came down from Judea to Antioch in the first place.
The final response we see is continuation.
But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.”
You should notice that there is no verse 34 in your bible, because it can not be found in the best original manuscripts, but verse 35 is clear in saying that Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of God. The teaching of God’s Word is foundational to the heart of any believer. It there is not a solid platform of doctrinal teaching, of foundational truth, and of a clear understanding of what the gospel truly is and offers. Then your preaching has nothing to affix its self to; in other words preaching will not stick where teaching has not been affix. Preaching is the heralding of God’s word in truth which enlivens the spirit and the hearts; directs our minds and places us on a clear path towards God’s will.
Paul and Barnabas’s efforts aided the apostolic church to survived the greatest challenge it had yet faced and established the doctrine of salvation by grace. Satan’s attempt to inject heretical teaching here was thwarted. So also were his attempts to split the church along racial and cultural lines. With the vitality important truth about salvation safeguarded, the church experienced greater days of ministry than ever before. There has always been, and always will be only one way to be saved. No one expressed that truth any clearer than the apostles Paul when he said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” ().
Preaching and Teaching have their advantages and their differences. Preaching the Bible can be compared to cruising the width of a clear, sparkling lake in a motorboat, Teaching the Bible is like slowly crossing that same lake in a glass-bottomed boat. While preaching motorboat crossing provides an overview of the lake and a swift, passing view of its depths. Yet the same glass-bottomed boat of teaching, however, takes you beneath the surface of Scripture for an unhurried look of clarity and detail that normally missed by those who simply read the text. Preaching gives us breadth, but teaching gives us depth, and we need both!