Paul's time with James. . .
Witness to the world: Book of Acts • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 46:48
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A perplexing issue
A perplexing issue
The third missionary trip has come to an end. Time to give the mission report to James, and the elders there in the church in Jerusalem. It was exciting but there was some issues too, that is what we are going to look at tonight.
The Text (Act21:17-26)
17 After we arrived in Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 18 And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.
19 After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 And when they heard it they began glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law;
21 and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. 22 “What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.
23 “Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; 24 take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law.
25 “But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication.” 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purifying himself along with them, went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.
What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?
Gleaning from the text
(Insert gleaning from the text PowerPoint slide here)
Question: How was Paul received upon his arrival (v.17)?
The brethren received him gladly
Question: Who was present for the mission report (v.18) and what as the result of the mission report (v.20)?
James and all the elders were present.
When they heard they began glorifying God.
Question: In (v.21) we see the perplexing problem identified, a claim made against Paul, can you see it?
The claim was telling believing Jews to forsake Moses, not circumcise children, nor walk according to the customs.
Can you see how this could be a problem? How this could cause division with the thousands who had believed there in Jerusalem who were zealous for the law (v.20)?
Question: James and the elders offer a solution to the problem in (vv.23-24) what is it?
Do what we tell you, purify yourself with the others who took a vow, pay their expences
Question: By Paul doing what they tell him, what do they believe the results will be (v.24)?
All will know there is nothing to what they had heard, been told about him and that he walks orderly keeping the Law.
Question: In restating what was said in (Act15:29) what are the instructions to the Gentiles given in (v.25)?
Abstain meat sacrificed to idols, blood and from fornication.
Question: What did Paul do in (v.26)?
He purified himself giving notice to completion of the days of purification.
We will go back and discuss in more details some of these things, but we want to pull directly from the scripture first and that we have done now.
So now three things want to touch on this morning:
The proclamation and problem
The proposal
The participation
The proclamation
The proclamation
Paul wanted to get to Jerusalem by Pentecost. Now he gets there and he proclaims the great mission work. He then hears of a potential problem, lets look together at it.
It would seem that there is a problem that the Jerusalem church (overall) did not understand Paul’s message. As we see this story unfold let’s see where it goes.
Paul is received gladly with his companions (v.17; ref: Gal2:7-10)
Seems that the first meeting was for reunion and fellowship. Paul had returned fulfilling what the Church had told him to go minister to the Gentiles
7 But on the contrary, seeing that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised 8 (for He who effectually worked for Peter in his apostleship to the circumcised effectually worked for me also to the Gentiles),
9 and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 They only asked us to remember the poor—the very thing I also was eager to do.
Paul gives an account for all God had done through his ministry (vv.18-20: ref: 1Cor15:10)
It brought brought glory to God in James and the Elders as Paul laid it all out to them (vv.18-20).
Paul did not take credit for all that had been accomplished on the mission trip, gave all the credit and glory to God who did it.
Maybe the report included like he said to the Corinthians. it was God’s grace at work.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
Seems the rumor mill, stories, fabrications, worked in people back then too, word travelled to the church (v.21)
Paul had been chased all throughout his ministry people laying claims against him and it was no different when he got back to Jerusalem. seems the Judiazers, the legalists had already been working behind the scenes.
Paul finished his mission report and no sooner than that then James and the elders bring up what they had heard Paul was teaching the Jewish Christians.
Just like today rumors travel fast, even when they are unsubstantiated.
Now, be honest Paul was in good company with these allegations they are the same that were brought against Jesus and Stephen, to forsake the laws and customs of Moses and the fathers.
There was no worry about what Paul taught the Gentiles for that issue had already been settled at the Jerusalem counsel (Act15).
(Transition) Customs are hard to break and many of the Jewish Christians were still cleaving to Jewish customs. God would one day through the Hebrew writer tell the Jews to stop being Jews and that all sufficiency was found in Christ. And even that did not work and then the temple was destroyed in AD70 and there was no more ability to practice the customs.
The truth of Paul’s teaching
Paul did inform the Gentiles not to get involved in the old Jewish religion (Gal4:1-11)
Paul had laid out to the Galatians about the Jews were under bondage of the law but now set free, that they too were free in Christ, they were son’s who were able to cry Abba Father.
Don’t get wrapped up and taken into bondage.
Paul did not teach the Jews that it was wrong for them to practice their customs, or to judge ones who did (Rom14:1-15:7)
One can eat, or not eat by faith
One can observe or not observe one day over another
We, each one, will give an account of himself to God one day.
Don’t be a stumbling block to others on what they consider clean or unclean, for the kingdom is more than what we eat or drink.
Don’t divide because of food, build up one another for peace.
Be willing to bear the weaknesses of others. Be of the same mind in Christ , accept one another in Christ just as Christ accepted us to the glory of God!
The same freedom and grace given to the Gentiles to abstain from the law, is the freedom to the Jews to observe the customs of the Law as long as it was not for purification purposes for that was found only in Christ Jesus.
The charge, the rumors against Paul were contrary to how Paul lived.
He had Timothy circumcised (Act16:1-3)
Paul took a Nazarene vow (Act18:18)
To the Jews he was a Jew so not to offend them (1Cor9:19-23)
Question: Can you think of other things that Paul did that would be contrary to the rumors that he was telling Jews not to observe the law?
He always started in the synagogues
He he wanted to be in Jerusalem on Holy Days (Passover, Pentecost)
He observed, acknowledged the Sabbath.
While the Law of Moses was passing away this was still a transitional period from Law to grace and there was lot’s of grace to go around that would not be binding and the legalists were trying to bind things to the Law that Christ went to the cross to set people free from.
The Proposal
The Proposal
There were thousands of believing Jews and the Elders wanted to keep peace win the church and come to Paul with a solution to the problem, eventhough the problem was unsubstantiated.
They instructed Paul to do what they said (v.23)
They wanted him to participate in a vow that four men had taken (v.23-24)
(Insert- Nazarene Vow picture here)
Paul was asked to participate not in the vow keeping, for the vow would be a minimum of 30 days, but in the purification process at the end of the vow.
This would be a participant like a Jew who had been defiled by travelling in Gentile nations.
They wanted Paul to be purified with them, wanted Paul to pay for their purification (re: Num6:1-21).
The offerings you can find in Numbers chapter 6 too. and they would be
One year old male lamb - burnt offering (vv.13-14)
One year old ewe lamb as sin offering (vv.14)
One ram as a peace offering (v.15)
Basket of unleavened bread- grain and drink offering (v.15)
The intended results of Paul’s participation would be (v.24)
24 Join these men in their vows and pay their expenses. Then it will become obvious to everyone that there is nothing to the rumors going around about you and that you are in fact scrupulous in your reverence for the laws of Moses.
It would be obvious to everyone that the rumors are not true.
(Transition) - this was the proposal offered by James and the elders of the church. The desire was to keep peace, dispel the false rumors about Paul and his journeys. So now it was in Paul’s hands.
The Participation
The Participation
Paul proclaimed the mission report, the people received it and glorified God but that opened the door for the problem when they all assembled. The presented problem then was given a proposed solution that needed Paul’s participation. But what does Paul choose. Remember he always served with a clear conscience (Act24:16; 2Tim1:3). Would his choice compromise his conscience?
Question: Are there things that you are asked to do that could violate your conscience?
Remember Paul stood his ground and was unwavering, but then he also was willing to be all things to all people so to same some (1Cor9:19-23)
19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law;
21 to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.
23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.
Paul agrees with the proposal (Act21:26)
The purification days were complete and they would be offering their sacrifices and this would happen seven days after the purification process.
As a reminder it does not say that Paul took the Nazarene vow here, but did participate in the purification with the four men.
(Transition) so there are several views that people have regarding Paul’s participation in the purification. let me offer these to you now.
Views of Paul participation
As we go through these we will briefly look at the views and which would be a true and logical view.
Paul acted ignorantly (ref: Act20:27)
Some believed that Paul was not fully aware or in agreement that the Law was no longer binding, though Paul had preached the whole counsel of God.
27 For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.
By this time Paul had already penned Romans, 1 and 2nd Corinthians and Galatians. The contents of these epistles would clearly show, reveal that Paul was not ignorant to the fact that the Law was no longer binding.
Paul acted hypocritically (ref: Gal2:11-13; 2Cor11:23-29; Act20:22-24, 21:13)
Some believe the Paul acted hypocritically like Peter did in Antioch when he separated himself from the Gentiles (Gal2:11-13)
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision.
13 The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.
Paul had already endured so much for the gospel of grace through faith as some things noted in 2Cor11:23-29) - imprisonments, beatings, being stoned, shipwrecked, dangers from outside and from within, etc.
Paul was willing to be bound and die for Christ
22 “And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me.
24 “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.
We just looked at those verses recently. He knew what he could be facing and was willing to face it, much to dismay of the people in Malta as he was heading to Jerusalem.
13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Paul acted consistently (ref: Gal3:24-25, 2:16; Act16:1-3, 18:18; 1Cor9:19-20; Gal5:4)
Paul taught the same, was consistent in message in all the churches
Taught the law was a tutor to lead people to Christ (Gal3:24-25); that man is justified by faith not the works of the law (Gal2:16)
Paul as a Jewish Christian could observe the Jewish customs/traditions
Circumcision of Timothy (Act16:1-3)
Keeping a Nazarene vow (Act18:18)
Became a Jew to win a Jew (1Cor9:19-20) he put himself under the law while he was already freed from the law.
Paul was direct that there was no justification under the law and anyone who thought different was severing themselves from Christ. (Gal5:4)
A Jewish Christian could observe elements of the Law provided they did not look at the law as a means of justification and they did not bind it on the Gentiles.
(Conclusion)
(Insert Conclusion Picture Here)
Things to consider in this time, period. This was a transitional period as mentioned before at the end of the Jewish age the passing away of the Law and the First covenant was now obsolete.
The New covenant began when the old was nailed to the cross, and the death nail happened in AD70 when the temple was destroyed.
To Paul and to us we know that Christ is the end of the Law to those who believe (Rom10:4) and those who seek justification any other way except through Christ have fallen from Christ (Gal5:4)
Next week we will see how it all works out, if the proposed and accepted plan worked or not (Act21:27-40) in case you want to read for next week.
(Prayer) (Exit)