The First Reformation, Part 2

Literally, they erupted in joy of her, 32, says Judas, and so is also being prophets themselves, encourage and strengthen the bretheren with a lengthy message. But it seemed good to Silus to remain there. But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch teaching and preaching with many others. Also the word of the Lord. The truth is declared. What are the results of this reformation? Let me give you two of them.

First of all, the Jews were silenced. Yet stretched. The definition of salvation will not include any work of man's hand. The garments of righteousness have not one stitch the tanmay.

Everything about the gospel is centered on Jesus Christ. Jesus accomplished our salvation and offers it to us freely.

All we contribute is our glad and joyful acceptance of his free gift. That's what the Bible teaches. Even though many religions of the world teach something quite different. They teach that salvation is something that you can earn by being good enough. But to know the truth.

We must rely on the scriptures. The dividing line between truth and error is this. What does the Bible say? This is wisdom for the heart. And today, Stephen Davie explores the Centralia Sea of God's word as he continues through this vintage wisdom series from the Book of Acts.

Here's Stephen with today's lesson.

During the time X 15 was being written. If you had interviewed the average Jewish Christian on the street, they would probably have whispered to you in confidence, hey, we have way too many gentiles in the church and I don't like it.

In fact, as we discovered in part one, the church was changing and the Jews were no longer the majority stockholder and the church was taking on a gentile look. And it was time that somebody did something. And so some Jewish leaders left Jerusalem and went to Antioch and they sort of dug in their Israelite heels and they said, look, if you want to be part of us, there are some things you're going to have to do.

And so a reformation is needed in the first century. Church and grace through faith in Christ alone must win.

And it will, as we study this, will notice first force skip there when they arrived to Jerusalem. They were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.

But certain ones of the sect of the Pharisees who believes stood up, saying it is necessary to circumcise them, to direct them, to observe the law of Moses and the Apostles and the others came together to look into this matter. And that's why there had been much debate. Peter stood up and said to them, brethren, 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 and God who knows the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as they also did to us. And he made no distinction between us and them cleansing their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why do you put God to the test? By placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear. But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in the same way as they also are. And all the multitude kept silent. And they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. And this is sort of where we left off in our last discussion.

Peter has clearly declared that salvation is by faith in Christ without any works or manmade institutions. The covenant with Israel had been supplanted by a new covenant, and that covenant had been declared from the cross of Jesus Christ.

As he hung there, he said, to tell a stye. It is finished. That means I have paid for everything. I can now offer humanity into those who will believe a free salvation.

This is a gift.

It's not a gift received as a gift. If you work for it, if you do anything for it, whether it's baptism or joining the church or are doing good deeds or whatever, all those things are wonderful.

But you can add them to the definition of salvation or you have created another gospel. Now notice verse 13. After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, Brethren, listen to me. Stop a second. We listen to. Why should they listen to James? Who is he? Well, you want to know that for one thing, he was the leading element in the Jerusalem church. He was also the half brother of Jesus, born to Mary and Joseph, sometime after Jesus was Virgin, born along with some other brothers and sisters, according to the gospel account.

And they all unanimously denied Jesus. They didn't believe he was the Messiah. In fact, at one point, the gospels tell us that they came to take him away, thinking he was mad, claiming to be the Messiah. But the Post resurrected Christ First Corinthians, Fifteen tells us, appeared to his half brother in a personal private meeting. We don't know what was said, what was done, but it was at that moment that James was changed forever. Undoubtedly placing his faith to the point where he will later write in his book that we know is the book of James. He will not write off his relationship to Jesus as a half brother. He will say, I am the bond servant of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ. He's the one now speaking. He was also particularly careful to keep the law, in fact, in the Book of James. He'll refer to the law more than 10 times. So when he stood to speak, people kind of thought, oh, right. You know, the Judaize was thinking, okay, James is now speaking. He'll straighten this whole mess out. Go get him.

Here he goes, first 14, Simon Peters related how God first concern myself about taking from among the gentiles of people for his name. Wait a second here, James. In this one phrase, not only sides with Peter and Paul, but he uses one of the pet designations used for the children of Israel.

They the Jewish people were the people called by God, people of his name chosen for his name. James uses that special designation and applies it to, of all things, Gentiles.

This is not going very well for these people to want him to speak what they felt was the truth. In fact, James, what kind of proof do you have to ever use that designation for a gentile? What scripture do you have? Well, I think he would've said I'm glad you asked that sermon, because Amos. Chapter nine, verse 11 says something very interesting. And James goes on to quote that passage.

Now, that shows up in verse 16 after these things, Amos says or quoting, God, I will return and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen and I will build its ruins and I will restore it in order that the rest of mankind may seek.

The Lord and all the Gentiles who are what called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from oak. Now, here's here's James logic. Amos tells us that in the coming kingdom there will be a gentile people called by God's name. Now, James, like all the Old Testament prophets, were standing in a distance prophesying under inspiration. And they saw the first coming of Jesus Christ, born as a babe, as the first mountain peak. And behind that mountain, they could make out another mountain peak. And that was the coming millennial kingdom, a literal kingdom in which the Messiah would reign upon the throne of David. What they could not see and did not God would reveal the mystery of the church to the New Testament authors. What they did not see was the valley in between those two mountain peaks. That valley is what we call the church age, a broader term as the dispensation of grace or the dispensation of the church.

And James is simply concluding, you know, Amos said that there will be gentiles in that coming kingdom while they can't get there unless they get in here. So since they're going to be in there, they must certainly be allowed in here.

So it's time we open our hearts to the Gentiles. They are a special to God as we are.

This is the shocking declaration. Then he now moves into his verdict, verse 19. Therefore, it is my judgment. Crono verdict decree. It is my decree that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles. That's it. Faith in Christ alone has won the day.

Church bells in the gentile world could begin to ring. They don't have to do anything manmade to be saved.

They are not second class. They are first class citizens, along with their Jewish brethren and the eyes of God. They are full partners in this corporation called the New Testament Church solo for day faith alone as one based upon Sola Scriptura, the scriptures alone.

And this is where it really gets interesting. The next word, verse 20, he goes on to say, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication. And from what is strangled and from blood. Now, now, just a second here. You know, we were flying along so well. And the and the warm breeze of grace and liberty is is refreshing to us. But all of a sudden, in the next phrase, you sort of feel this cold chill of legalism and so soon.

Ladies and gentlemen, you must understand here that James is no longer referring to the definition of salvation. He is now referring to the demonstration of salvation.

He is not illegal as well. Legalism, properly defined, is the belief that if you don't do this and don't do that and don't do this and don't do that, and you do this, do that, do this and that, if you don't and you do those things, then you are a believer. You're a Christian. You see how legalism is tied to the definition of salvation. James is not tying it to the definition of salvation. If I look at the latter part of verse twenty nine, he read a very key phrase. The middle part is they write this letter and he says at the end of it, if you keep yourselves free from such things, we'll look at him in a moment. You will not be saved. No, you will do well.

The verb is to be strengthened. That is, your testimony will be strengthened in the community where you live. If you abstain from these certain things. So he's no longer dealing with a definition of Christianity. He's dealing with a demonstration of Christianity and saying, in effect, don't flaunt your freedom.

Gentile's and I frankly feel we're living in a day where the struggle is ongoing. Obviously, there's never been a day when it hasn't been there two extremes.

I believe personally that the person who runs around saying, you know, Grace, Grace, Liberty, Liberty, do anything I want. If you say anything negatively about my lifestyle, things that I do, then then you're automatically a weaker brother.

And so none of us want to be characterized as a weaker brother. So we kind of keep our mouth shut and scratch our heads and say, well, but I haven't. How do they do that? That person is as immature in his faith as the other extreme, the person who runs around looking for rules for everything. He's got his list and his catalog is reading everybody's mail. He's sort of he was born in the ACC. mode.

And part of the problem we have today is we're not asking questions. We're not asking distinctive issues. We're not we're not trying to struggle with that. We're just saying saying for the most part in the church today or under Grace Mantle, say anything about me or you're a legalist and you're a weaker brother.

Only weaker brothers get bothered. And so we struggle today. That's why I find this letter to the Gentiles so intriguing to see, because most of the New Testament. You can make a case that all of the New Testament in its majority part really doesn't deal with specific activity that we face in the 20th century. It deals in broad principle for that's what's so intriguing is because James here becomes painfully specific to these gentile believers.

Let's break the request down into its four components. Number one, in verse 20, if you look there, we'll find the things that they're told not to do. We write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols.

OK. That's the first one. Does that mean that an idol is a living God? No. No. It was a dumb lump of clay or wood. Is he validating idolatry? Is something real? No. Paul will say in First Corinthians eight, we know that I always don't exist. And he deals with the issue of meat offered to idols. And that was the problem here.

Much of the meat for sale on the Gentile market had been previously offered to the idol, the best meat in town and so do eat. Such meat in Jewish eyes was to become a part taker in the industry of idolatry.

And that was offensive. So he says to them, don't do it now.

You think he'd say, know what I'm going to do him and right. The Jews a letter to him to straighten up and grow up and all that.

Now he writes a letter to them, says, don't do it, at least for now.

Second, there are to abstain from fornication. Now, this is the only part of James request that's backed up by other New Testament scripture that the Gentile world is widely, at this point in time, tolerant of sexual sin. Take the word poor Nayar here rendered fornication could refer to the entire industry and the morality. It's the word that gives us the word pornography. Found it interesting in studying Roman history that Tiberius, the Roman emperor, had collected the largest library of pornography known to the Roman Empire as his own private collection. It was rampant in this day.

I happen to believe that the Gentile Christians were challenged here to clean out their closets as well as purify their relationships. There is to be no intimacy outside of the bonds of marriage.

That was the point. And he said, stop it.

Third, he said abstain from what is strangled. This is really, really specific. This is simply a reference to non kosher meat. The Jews had a practice of killing an animal in such a way that its blood would drain away and that some cleansing ceremonies related to those kinds of things. So they're telling the Gentiles now, when you go to the butcher to buy that meat, we want you to ask a question to that butcher. Oh, Sam, we've been working with him for years. You ask Sam had to kill that animal. Now, wouldn't that be awkward for a gentile getting to seal Sam Gauna? What? I agit kill the animal? Well, I don't know. We have some guys. They probably strangled a bunch of. Well, I can't eat that. The fourth is even more specific. They were to abstain. In fact, the last part of his twenty nine gives the same list again. I'm not giving them and the same order that James gave them. But he says to the same effect from blood touching blood eating blood. Leviticus 17 is the axiom around this Old Testament principle that the life of the flesh is in the what the blood then belonged on the altar of God.

It was a sacrifice to him representative of the life. It didn't belong on your plate.

So Gentiles, no more rare steaks, no more rare meat. Even if you like it that way, cook it. Well done.

How incredibly specific. Why these rules, James?

OK. If he was speaking to us in here, we'd say, OK, give me 10 good reasons. Why wouldn't we. He gives them one.

He might not like it, but here it is, verse 21 for Moses from ancient generations has in every city. Those who preach him since he has read in the synagogues every Sabbath.

That's it. That's it.

Because the Jewish people you're trying to reach and the Jewish people you've already reached would be offended in their struggle between the law of Moses and the grace of the New Testament church. So out of deference to them, he says, limit your liberty so that the cause of Jesus Christ can be advanced.

Have you ever done that? That's what he's telling them to do.

Put it in common terms. He says, don't let a rare state get in the way of the gospel. It was no longer a matter of law.

It was now a matter of love.

So let's read this letter dictated by James, starting with verse 24. Since we've heard some of our number to whom we gave no instruction of disturb you with her words unsettling your souls, it seemed good to us, having become of one mind to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Cole men who've risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we've sent Judas and Silas to themselves. We'll also report the same things by word of mouth. Ford seemed good to the Holy Spirit, to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these that follow this. He's admitting that he's laying a burden on them, but he says, I want to lay a burden that's too great. So I'll just give you these. And he uses the word essentials. Interesting word.

We would call them trivial at this particular point in church history. These characteristics were what he considered essential to their testimony and integrity. He says these essentials. What are they? Twenty nine. Did you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things. Strangled and from fornication. If you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.

Fascinating.

I could give you a list right now of hot issues. But I'm not going to because I want the issues in your mind right now to trouble you. If there are already. Where is it that you're losing distinctive character in testimony before a watching world? When we live in a generation where for the most part, the church has sort of melted into the world. We don't usually ask the question, how does what I do? How does what I eat? How does what I wear affect the testimony of the church?

We have adopted the relativistic attitude of the world that says this truth is for me, it's good for me. And so that, you know, the talk shows are filled with people that everybody applauds back to their doing what they think is right for them. And now that sort of comes into the church where we say, well, this is right for me. And there's no verse.

So don't be a weaker brother, grow up or do we had a difference in love?

Consider those who are walking behind us for the sake of the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was invited some time ago to speak at a conference. And I knew a couple illustration that the majority people there would would be Kerry and King James virgins. And if I got up and preached out of my translation, which is which is sort of a little bit of translation work that I do in the Greek text. And I read from the new American Standard that that would immediately put up a wall. So what did I do?

I could spend I could spend the whole session explaining the issues of translation, or I could get one of my old King James version and preach out of that, which I did see that I think is coming out of this choosing to act by the law of love for the sake of of Christ.

Let me read you what Chuck Swindell writes on this subject. He says this Wishing to avoid needless and often unintentional offense. James wanted to remind the gentile Christians to love their Jewish brothers and sisters by voluntarily restricting their liberty in these kinds of practices. Don't flaunt your freedom. James was saying restricting one's liberty is a burden, but limiting our freedom for the sake of others shows maturity. Harmony in the body of Christ often depends on our willingness to forgo a privilege.

Good. This is not capitulating to legalism. It is a sign of maturity and love.

Well, with the Gentile, believers love the Jews enough to change their eating habits in an interesting how we've been studying how the Jews had to do all the changing and all of a sudden bang, the Gentiles had to change.

Will they reciprocate? Will they graciously demonstrate the gospel of grace? Well, let's find out.

First 30. So when they were sent away, that is from Jerusalem, they went down to any I can. Having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And you just want to hang on your head.

And when they had read it, notice, they rejoiced literally. They erupted in joy because of its encouragement. What an incredible attitude. They just were burdened. But they are erupting with joy. And after they had spent time there.

Verse 32, says Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encourage and strengthen their brethren with a lengthy message that after they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brother and in peace to those who would send them out. But it seemed good to Silas to remain there.

But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching with many others. Also the word of the Lord. This is incredible. The Reformation has come. It's finished. The truth is declared. What are the results of this reformation? Let me give you two of them.

First of all, the Jews were silenced. Yet stretched. The definition of salvation will not include any work of man's hand. The garments of righteousness have not one stitch that's handmade to all of God.

And then they were stretched to incorporate a people that God had chosen for his name.

And they did get used to that and they did it.

Secondly, the gentiles were included, get cautioned. They were challenged to do three things if you're following in your nose. They were challenged to avoid anything associated with idolatry, anything associated with sexual immorality. Then they were challenged to limit their liberty in order to advance the church. Do you see yourself as part of a family, part of a body? You were asked the question about where you go and what you do, what you wear and what you eat and drink and all that. Ever asked those kinds of questions in relation to the church?

How will this affect the testimony of my spiritual family? How will this advance the cause of Jesus Christ? That's what he wants us to ask. In fact, let me give you two personal questions as we race toward the conclusion here. Number one, is there anything in my private life that is disobedient to God's will where nobody can see it might be my plans, my dreams, my intentions. It might be things I listen to or watch, things I hide. Is there anything that would be disobedient to God's will? Secondly, is there anything in my public lifestyle that could hinder God's work or anything about the way you talk at work that would confuse people about your testimony?

Is there anything about the way you act, how you're entertained?

All those questions that would hinder, confuse, disrupt the advancement of Christ's church.

Stephanie Stephenson, you've never heard of her. She was talked about in this article that I received this month. You will hear a verse at least get this magazine, Moody Monthly, great magazine. Jerry Jenkins is writing and his article is entitled A Matter of Principle. And I thought she's a classic illustration of something we're talking about that other people might say, oh, you know, you just need to lighten up. But yet she felt that it would obstruct and confuse her testimony for Christ. Listen to what happened to her. She she was a freshman at Southwest Missouri State University music major, and her teacher encouraged her to try out for the Broadway production for experience sake. And so she did with hundreds of others. It was coming to Brandon, Missouri, and would be played there. And so she was trying for that part. She was shocked to get a phone call from the director in New York a few weeks later, asking her if she would be willing to travel to New York and audition. They had whittle it down to five women. She was one of the five. She had always dreamed of playing on Broadway. And her family was excited. She she was a farm girl. Her parents were farmers, deeply committed to Jesus Christ. And they talked about it and they agreed. And so she got on a plane and went to New York and auditioned a few weeks later. She received the phone call that she'd landed the role. But because she didn't have as much experience as other veteran actresses, she was asked to join a traveling group that would travel for one year to give her stage experience. And then she would join the Broadway cast of Labor's Right. So she she joined the true. And the first performance, the parts were handed out.

And she was given the part of a prostitute who wore a very revealing costume. She was torn over this dilemma. And she struggled with everything that you would assume she'd struggle with. In fact, she. She approached the director and asked if she could have a different part. And he gave her the typical answer you would expect. It's just acting. And if you cannot separate your personal life from this role, you'll never make it in this business. She appealed to a higher authority and they gave me the same answer. You need to get over this. It's just acting. It's not really you.

And get on with your career.

She resigned and walked away from her hopes. The associate director and executive producer of Lehmann's told the Associated Press when the newspaper. You don't hear this kind of stuff. But what a great testimony. Here's what he said to the Associated Press. She's gorgeous and she's talented. And she could have played the daylights out of the role, probably to great acclaim on Broadway. But I respect what she did. She's a brave young girl to forego an amazing career. She walked away from a career. But in the process, she honored the name and the cause. Of Jesus Christ.

Thanks for joining us today here on Wisdom for the Heart.

We're just about at the end of July, so if you're one of our wisdom partners, you should have received the August issue of Heart to Heart magazine. Stephen offers some very practical teaching on the end times as he explores what we can know about the rapture and the tribulation.

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