Please take your copy of God's Word and turn to Acts chapter 16.
Acts chapter 16, our text for this morning is verses 1-5.
! Before we read this morning's text, let me remind you where we are in Luke's second narrative.
We've got the Gospel according to Luke, and then this book we call the Acts of the Apostles most often.
I like to call it the Acts of the Risen Jesus Christ.
We see that Jesus is working by the agency of the Holy Spirit in the lives of His disciples for the expansion of His church.
Beloved, this is our history. It's a wonderful thing to get to spend such a vast amount of time.
It's going to be probably, I think, about two years that we'll be in the book of Acts.
Considering this early church, these are our brethren.
At the end of chapter 14, we saw Paul and Barnabas complete their first missionary journey,
returning to Antioch, where they were commissioned in the first place.
At the beginning of chapter 15, false teaching reaches Antioch.
People travel to Antioch, preaching this, Acts chapter 15, verse 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.
So, Paul and Barnabas are sent to Jerusalem to seek clarity from the other apostles.
These teachers, these false teachers have traveled from that region,
So they go to make sure that they haven't erred in teaching that you must not be circumcised to be saved.
So they're sent to Jerusalem to seek clarity.
At what's often called the Jerusalem Council,
the apostles and elders in Jerusalem decidedly affirm
that all that is necessary for salvation is faith in Jesus.
And then they give some further instruction in the form of a letter.
And Clay came and spoke to us both about the decision they made,
as well as the letter and the deliverance of it.
You can see in Acts chapter 15, verse 29, the further instruction.
Abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols,
and from blood, and from what has been strangled,
and from sexual immorality.
And so we find in this further instruction,
three cultural considerations.
These were matters of offense to the Jews.
Food sacrificed to idols, and blood, and from animals that had been strangled.
These would have been things that would have been offensive to a Jewish culture.
So three cultural considerations, and one moral obligation,
that is abstain from sexual immorality.
So this is the decision that's been made.
The letter goes back to Antioch,
and after some time,
Paul and Barnabas decide to retrace their first missionary route
to check on the churches established on their first journey.
We see that at the very end of chapter 15, beginning in verse 36.
But conflict, in the form of a sharp disagreement,
arises between them about whether or not to take John Mark along with them,
which results in their parting ways.
Now we noted last week that the good result of this,
what I would suggest, sinful conflict,
was missionary multiplication.
The one band of missionaries
has now turned into two bands of missionaries
as Barnabas goes west with John Mark
to the island of Cyprus,
and Paul heads north with Silas.
Now Silas was one of the leaders of the church in Jerusalem.
He was both a Jew and a Roman citizen,
so like Paul,
he had the protection of the empire
and could get entrance into the Jewish synagogues.
Silas was a perfect partner for Paul's second missionary journey,
but Paul, and I'm going to guess,
say likely due to his division with Barnabas,
now seems to have a mind toward multiplication.
What happens when Silas and I part ways?
What would come of that?
So he seems to have a mind now toward multiplication.
And so we see at the beginning of Acts chapter 16,
verses 1 through 5,
this bridge in our story.
Beloved,
this is God's Word to us.
It was written for His glory and our good.
We would all do well to listen to it
in order to believe its promises
and obey its commands.
His promises are sure and His commands are good.
Beginning in verse 1,
Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra.
A disciple was there named Timothy,
the son of a Jewish woman
who was a believer,
but his father was a Greek.
He was well spoken of by the brothers
at Lystra and Iconium.
Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him,
and he took him and circusized him
because of the Jews who were in those places,
for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
As they went on their way through the cities,
they delivered to them for observance
the decisions that had been reached
by the apostles and elders
who were in Jerusalem.
So the churches were strengthened in the faith,
and they increased in numbers daily.
Now this morning, I just have two points.
One, the first point we'll spend some time on,
and the second will be very brief.
The two points are,
number one,
the freedom to circumcise Timothy.
And number two,
the effect of circumcising Timothy.
But before we get to those two points,
let's first spend a little time
on some textual explanations.
We'll look at the first two verses.
Now for your sake,
on the back of the bulletin,
I asked Andy this week
to put a map of Paul's
second missionary journey.
I don't know if you're like me,
but it really helps me
to be able to wrap my mind
a bit around what's going on.
I asked Andy to do this yesterday,
and he did a great job
of finding a map
that the kids would enjoy coloring.
We think that it's in Italian.
So if you're looking at the odd spellings
across the map,
I think you're smart enough
to figure out the locations,
but we're pretty sure
it's an Italian map
of these locations,
which is why you may see
some spellings a tad different,
like check out Jerusalem
down at the bottom.
Gerusalemme is what it looks like.
So anyway,
that's what's happening here.
So you've got,
the island of Cyprus
is not labeled on this map,
but it's out there
just up in that far right-hand corner,
high right-hand corner
of the Mediterranean Sea.
This is the place
that Barnabas was from.
This is the place
that the missionary journey
of Paul and Barnabas
started out.
They crossed over
and went to the island of Cyprus.
And then from the western coast of Cyprus
headed north
into the region
where they finally
ended their missionary journey
and circled back down and around.
This time, though,
Barnabas heads to Cyprus.
Paul and Silas head north
and then hook a hard left
to head their way
to Derbe and Lystra.
So that gives you some idea
of where they are.
If you think of the first missionary journey
as going clockwise,
they're going now counterclockwise.
back the other way.
And it's possible,
it's probable,
they do this
so that they could pick up Timothy.
Paul now having this mind
toward multiplication,
picking up Timothy
to accompany them
on the rest of that journey.
We find out a little bit
about Timothy in this text.
Timothy was a believer in Christ.
The text says he was a disciple.
In the Greek term for disciple,
there simply means believer.
In fact, other places in the text.
Referring to his mother,
believer is the exact same Greek word.
Likely converted
on Paul and Barnabas' first trip.
So when they traveled
into this region before,
it's been a couple of years now,
it was likely when he was converted.
We don't know that for sure.
Certainly Christian ministry
has been going on
in this community
since Paul and Barnabas' departure.
But it's likely
that that was the case
because in Paul's first letter to Timothy,
he writes,
1 Timothy 1-2,
to Timothy,
my true child in the faith.
We can't know for sure
that that's the case.
Certainly Paul played
a very fatherly role in his life.
But it's likely
that he was the one
that proclaimed the gospel to him
and Timothy came into the faith family
as a result of his tutelage of him.
We also find out
that Timothy's mother
was a believer.
Her name was Eunice.
We see in our text
the son of a Jewish woman
who was a believer.
We find out in 2 Timothy 1-5,
her name is Eunice,
as well as the fact
that his grandmother
was also a believer.
2 Timothy 1-5,
Paul writes,
I am reminded
of your sincere faith,
a faith that dwelt first
in your grandmother Lois
and in your mother Eunice,
and now I am sure
dwells in you as well.
We also find out
that his father
was not a believer in Christ
and that he was likely dead.
So we get a little phrase
in verse 1,
but his father was a Greek.
The conjunction, but,
refers both to Eunice's ethnicity
and her faith.
So you could read it this way,
but his father was not a believer
and his father was not a Jew.
It refers to both things.
Not a believer
and not a Jew.
His father was a Greek.
And the imperfect form
of the verb was,
rather than the present tense
of the verb,
suggests that he was dead.
He's already moved off the scene.
So Timothy, as a young man,
does not have a father,
and Paul, in some sense,
adopts him
and takes him on this journey.
We also find out
in verse 2
that Timothy
was faithful.
Verse 2 says,
he was well spoken of
by the brothers
at Lystra
and Diconium.
Luke records this for us
in the specific way
to say of the brothers,
because the brothers
are speaking well
of a man
because he's a brother,
not because he was
good at some particular skill.
Like his bow staff skills
were not excellent,
and so he was spoken
well of.
But he was a man
full of faith.
The brothers
considered him faithful.
And because
Timothy's father
was Greek,
he had not allowed
Timothy to be circumcised.
It's likely that his mom
and his grandmother
would have wanted him
to be circumcised,
but his father
prevented this
from happening,
which brings us
to our first point
from our text
this morning.
Number one,
the freedom
to circumcise
Timothy.
So we see in verse 3,
Paul wanted Timothy
to go along with him,
this faithful follower
of Jesus,
to go along with him.
And he takes him
and he circumcises him.
It seems that Paul
actually performs
a circumcision,
although we can't
be too sure.
He takes him
and he circumcises him
because of the Jews
who were in those places,
for they all knew
that his father
was a Greek.
That is,
they all knew
that he was not
circumcised.
So these Jews
would have been aware
of this fact
that he had not
been circumcised
on the basis
of who his father was.
And this fact
is what causes Paul
to circumcise him.
But why?
Why?
Paul was an ardent
defender
of salvation
by grace alone,
through faith alone,
in Christ alone.
He stood firm on that.
There were no works.
His whole trip
to Jerusalem,
the whole Jerusalem
council thing
was about him
affirming what he
had been teaching
Gentile believers.
Listen to some of his words
to the Galatian believers.
This is a group,
a church,
who were beginning
to believe the false
teaching that they
must be circumcised
to be saved.
This is some years later
when Paul writes
his letter to the
Galatian church.
Join me, if you will,
in the book of Galatians.
I think you'll appreciate
being there
and seeing these texts.
Remembering that Paul
was a defender
of salvation
by grace alone,
through faith alone,
in Christ alone.
And the question before us is,
so why did he
circumcise
Timothy?
So let's start
in Galatians chapter 2,
verses 15 and 16.
So the scene is,
what was often called
the Judaizers,
have come into
the Galatian church
and they've led
them astray
saying,
oh no, no,
believing in Jesus
is good,
but you must also
be circumcised
to be saved.
And Paul writes,
we ourselves
are Jews
by birth
and not
Gentile sinners.
Yet we know
that a person
is not justified,
found right before God,
by works of the law,
but through
faith in Jesus Christ.
So,
we also,
right,
these people
being Jews
by birth,
we also have
believed in
Christ Jesus
in order
to be justified
by faith in Christ
and not
by works
of the law.
Because by works
of the law,
no one
will be
justified,
right?
So justification
comes
by grace alone
through faith alone
in Jesus Christ
alone.
Further,
Galatians chapter 3,
verses 1 through 3.
Paul writes,
oh foolish Galatians,
who has bewitched you?
It was before your eyes
that Jesus Christ
was publicly
portrayed
as crucified.
Let me ask you
only this.
Did you receive
the Spirit
by works
of the law
or by hearing
with faith?
Are you so foolish?
Having begun
by the Spirit,
are you now
being perfected
by the flesh?
Again,
this defense
against them
altering their
physical being
to be found
right before God.
Galatians chapter 5,
verse 1.
Paul writes,
for freedom
Christ has set us free.
Stand firm,
therefore,
and do not
submit again
to a yoke
of slavery.
Strong language,
right?
It's for freedom
that Christ
has set us free.
Stand firm,
therefore.
He's saying
refuse
to be circumcised
because if you are
thinking that you'll be saved,
you're submitting yourself
again
to a yoke
of slavery.
Paul
had gone so far
as refusing
to have Titus
circumcised.
If you turn back
a few pages now
to Galatians chapter 2,
verse 1.
Paul is telling
the story
of traveling
to Jerusalem,
to the Jerusalem council
that we have learned
about in chapter 15.
So he's now,
many years later,
he's recounting
what he did
that's recorded
by Luke
in Acts chapter 15.
So Galatians chapter 2,
verses 1 through 5,
he says,
Then after 14 years
I went up again
to Jerusalem
with Barnabas,
taking Titus
along with me.
That's that trip
beginning of chapter 15.
I went up
because of a revelation
and set before them,
though privately
before those
who seemed influential,
the gospel
that I proclaim
among the Gentiles
in order to make sure
I was not running
or had not run
in vain.
So I talked about that
briefly a minute ago.
He's preaching
a gospel
of justification
or salvation
by grace alone
through faith alone
in Christ alone.
This is what he's preaching.
And because these
Judaizers have come
from Judea
and made their way
to Antioch,
he wants to make sure
that the message
that they're preaching
didn't come from
the apostles
and the elders
in Jerusalem.
He wants to go
affirm that.
Have I screwed this up?
Am I preaching
the right and true
gospel?
The answer to that
is yes.
But verse 3,
he says,
But even Titus,
who was with me,
was not forced
to be circumcised,
though he was
a Greek.
So Titus,
they refused
to circumcise Titus.
In one case
with Timothy,
Timothy is circumcised.
In the other case,
Titus is withheld
from him.
He was not forced
to be circumcised.
Verse 4,
Yet because a false
brother secretly
brought in,
who slipped in
to spy out
our freedom
that we have
in Christ Jesus
so that they might
bring us into slavery,
to them we did not
yield in submission
even for a moment
so that the truth
of the gospel
might be preserved
for you.
So men have come in
and they're teaching,
you must be circumcised
to be saved.
Works of the law
justify you
before God.
And Paul,
I'm assuming
Barnabas and Titus
and many others
in the church,
refused for Titus
to be circumcised.
They stood their ground.
They did the very thing
that he encouraged
them to do
in Galatians 5.1.
Stand firm,
therefore,
and do not submit
again to a yoke
of slavery.
So that's the scene.
This is that Paul.
So why
did Paul
have Timothy
circumcised?
Wouldn't it have been
better to prove
that salvation
is by grace alone,
through faith alone,
and Christ alone
by making Timothy
a case study?
He could have
traveled the region
and said,
point proven.
This is Timothy.
You may not know it,
but he's not circumcised.
To make the very case?
Paul doesn't seem
to think so.
And so we find
an example here
of Christian liberty
being exercised
properly.
Freedom in Christ
properly being exercised.
Timothy
was free
not
to be circumcised.
But for the sake
of the souls
of Jews
in the region,
he was.
False teachers
would have had
Titus circumcised
for his salvation,
and Paul refused
such a thing.
But for the unbelieving
Jews
of the region,
Timothy's uncircumcision
would have proven
to be a barrier
for the understanding
of the gospel
of grace.
They wouldn't have
even wanted to hear
what they had to say
traveling around
with a man
whose father
was a Greek
who was uncircumcised.
It would have been
a stumbling block
for them
to hear
the gospel
of Christ.
While Paul
was sent
by God
as the apostle
to the Gentiles,
he maintained
in the midst
of all of his
missionary journeying,
he maintained
an unwavering
commitment
to the Jewish
people.
Listen to his words
from Romans 9,
verses 1-3.
I am speaking
the truth in Christ.
I am not lying.
My conscience
bears me witness
in the Holy Spirit.
It's great,
like he's loading
that up, right?
I'm speaking
the truth in Christ.
I am not lying.
My conscience
bears me witness
in the Holy Spirit.
He's saying,
I am telling you
the truth,
verse 2,
that I have great sorrow
and unceasing anguish
in my heart,
for I could wish
that I myself
were accursed
and cut off
from Christ
for the sake
of my brothers,
my kinsmen,
according to the flesh.
Oh, beloved,
that we would have
a heart for people
like that.
That we would gladly
give up our position
in the kingdom
that others
might have
a standing,
a right standing
with the Lord.
So,
Timothy
exercises his freedom
by giving up
a little thing
for the sake
of others.
By giving up
a little thing
for the sake
of others.
Now,
a little thing,
of course I'm speaking
relatively here.
It feels pretty weighty
to me,
what Timothy
was willing
to do
for the sake
of others.
And so,
I want to just
take you to an
Old Testament example
of this
so that we don't
have to talk
about the anatomy
of what happened,
but to show you
the extent
of what happened.
So,
turn to Genesis
chapter 34.
This is one of my
favorite Old Testament
Bible stories.
I can't tell you
all that it means
because I don't
know.
But this one
rivals the
she-bears,
if you're familiar
with the
she-bear story.
Two things
I want you to get
from this.
I am actually
going to read it
because it's always
good when there's
a long story
to summarize it.
I think it's
best summarized here.
I want you to
appreciate the
Old Testament.
If you're not
an Old Testament
reader,
I hope you just
go,
whoa,
what?
And you appreciate
that,
so it's like a
side hope
for this.
But then I also
want you to know
that what Timothy
did as an adult
man was kind
of a big deal.
So,
beginning in
verse 1
of chapter 34,
now Dinah,
the daughter of
Leah,
whom she had
borne to Jacob,
went out to see
the women of
the land.
And when Shechem,
the son of Hamor,
the Hivite,
the prince of the
land,
saw her,
he seized her
and lay with her
and humiliated her.
He raped her.
Verse 3,
And his soul was
drawn to Dinah,
the daughter of
Jacob.
He loved the
young woman and
spoke tenderly to
her.
So Shechem spoke
to his father,
Hamor,
saying,
Get me this girl
for my wife.
Now Jacob heard
that he had
defiled his
daughter Dinah,
but his sons
were with his
livestock in the
field,
so Jacob held
his peace
until they came.
Adult sons.
And Hamor,
the father of
Shechem,
went out to
Jacob to speak
with him.
The sons of
Jacob had come
in from the
field as soon
as they heard
of it,
and the men
were indignant
and very angry
because he had
done an outrageous
thing in Israel
by lying with
Jacob's daughter,
for such a
thing must not
be done.
But Hamor spoke
with him,
saying,
The soul of my
son Shechem
longs for your
daughter.
Please give her
to him to be
his wife.
Make marriages
with us.
Give your
daughters to us
and take our
daughters for
yourselves.
You shall dwell
with us and the
land shall be
open to you.
Shechem also
said to her
father and to
her brothers,
Let me find
favor in your
eyes and
whatever you
say to me
I will give.
Ask me for
as great a
bride price as
gift as you
will and I
will give you
whatever you
say to me.
Only give me
the young
woman to be
my wife.
The sons of
Jacob answered
Shechem and
his father
Hamor deceitfully
because he had
defiled their
sister Dinah.
This is where
it gets really
good.
They said to
them,
We cannot do
this thing to
give you our
sister to one
who is uncircumcised
for that would be
a disgrace to us.
Only on this
condition will we
agree with you
that you will
become as we
are by every
male among you
being circumcised.
Then we will
give our
daughters to you
and we will
take your
daughters to
ourselves.
We will dwell
with you and
become one
people.
But if you
will not listen
to us and
be circumcised,
we will take
our daughter and
we will be
gone.
So they asked
the entire
city, like
Hamor and
his son rule
over to be
circumcised,
all the males.
All right,
verse 18.
Their words
pleased Hamor and
Hamor's son
Shechem.
And the
young man did
not delay to
do the thing
because he was
delighted.
I love that,
to do the
thing, because
he delighted in
Jacob's daughter.
Now he was the
most honored of
all his father's
house.
So Hamor and
his son Shechem
came to the
gate of their
city and spoke
to the men of
their city,
saying,
These men are
at peace with
us.
Let them dwell
in the land
and trade in
it.
For behold,
the land is
large enough for
them.
Let us take
their daughters
as wives and
let us give
them our
daughters.
Only on this
condition will the
men agree to
dwell with us
to become one
people, when
every male among
us is circumcised
as they are
circumcised.
Will not their
livestock, their
property, and all
their beasts be
ours?
Only let us agree
with them and
they will dwell
with us.
And all who
went out of the
gate of his
city listened to
Hamor and his
son Shechem, and
every male was
circumcised, all
who went out of
the gate of his
city.
And here's the
punchline.
On the third
day, when they
were sore, two
of the sons of
Jacob, Simeon and
Levi, Dinah's
brothers, took
their swords and
came against the
city while it
felt secure and
killed all the
males.
They killed
Hamor and his
son Shechem with
a sword and took
Dinah out of
Shechem's house and
went away.
I don't know
what it means.
But, a bunch of
men who had been
circumcised, adult
men who had been
circumcised, were
slain by two guys.
It could not have
been pleasant.
So Timothy gives
this up for the
sake of others.
Are you with me?
Like, Paul says,
hey, I want you to
come with me, but
there's this thing I
need you to do.
And Timothy lays
that down.
For the sake of
others.
He was free to
say no.
He could have
refused.
The gospel allowed
that of him.
But he was
willing to do
this for others.
Beloved, the
grace of God
to us is free,
or else it would
not be grace at
all.
But the call to
follow Christ is a
costly call.
He requires all
of us.
Every bit of
us.
Timothy's
sacrifice was a
little thing.
But it was
only little in
comparison to the
eternal state of
unbelieving Jews.
Paul makes
sacrifice as well
in the same and
many various
ways.
You can read
about this in
1 Corinthians
chapter 9
verses 19
through 22.
Paul said
this,
verse 19
for though I
am free from
all, I have
made myself a
servant to
all that I
might win more
of them.
You see what he's
saying?
Even though the
regulations that
people want to
place on me, the
rules that they
want to follow, I'm
free from those
things, but yet I
submit myself to
them that I might
win more of
them.
Verse 20,
to the Jews I
became as a
Jew in order to
win Jews.
To those under
the law I
became as one
under the law,
though not being
myself under the
law, that I
might win those
under the law.
To those outside
the law I became
as one outside
the law, not
being outside the
law of God, but
under the law
of Christ, that I
might win those
outside the law.
to the weak I
became weak, that
I might win the
weak.
I become all
things to all
people, that by
all means I
might save some.
So what Paul is
saying is for the
sake of weaker
faith people, we
make decisions, we
practice our
Christian liberty in
a way that's good
for their soul.
There are many
examples.
You can go
almost an endless
list of gray
areas that we
have to navigate
as followers of
Jesus Christ.
I just want to
give you two in
brief.
The first one is
the matter of
alcohol.
Much talked about
in Southern
Baptist denomination.
There's always a
new article, there's
always some new
motion being
passed.
You almost can't
go to a Southern
Baptist meeting
without some talk
of just saying
no,
to alcohol.
alcohol.
The Bible doesn't
do that to us.
It doesn't do
that.
It doesn't place
that as a law on
us.
So those of you
who are under
21, this is not
permission to drink.
Obey the law of
our land.
But for those of you
who are over, you
have the freedom to
drink.
Alcoholic beverages,
right?
Not to become drunk,
but to drink.
This is permissive.
And there are many
people in our age that
in order to practice
their Christian liberty,
make a real big deal
about a drinking
alcohol, right?
As if they're trying
to show how glorious
the gospel is because
they get to drink
lots of beer.
Ridiculous.
And in fact, I think
a lot of the strong
response within the
Southern Baptist
Convention against
alcohol is because
of those idiots.
I know someone who
has stated, and I
hope he's grown past
this, but that his
mission is to redeem
beer drinking.
What does that mean?
What does that even
mean redeem beer
drinking?
So we're given
permission, but oh,
we should be careful
about the how.
There are many people
who will sit in rows
in our churches who
would be offended by
me even suggesting
that it's okay, who
would say, I can't
even listen to this
guy.
I'm sorry.
All I know is to
preach the Bible.
But we ought not
rub things in other
people's faces because
we can.
You are practicing your
Christian liberty in not
drinking as well.
In deciding that a
circumstance is not the
best circumstance for
such a thing.
We're deciding altogether
that you may not.
And so we practice
Christian liberty in many
varied ways, but it's
always aimed, rightly
practiced, at gospel
proclamation, at gospel
advancement.
So we don't feel like
someone has their thumb
down on us because
they're weaker in the
faith than we are.
But we pick that up and
we accept it for the sake
of their soul.
The way I dress on Sunday
is much simpler, much
less complicated, right?
Topic.
I have the freedom to
preach in flip-flops and
shorts and a t-shirt.
God does not look at what
I'm wearing on a Sunday
morning and then empower
my preaching because I'm
wearing a jacket or a tie
occasionally with my
shirt's tucked in.
I could be much more
comfortable on a Sunday
morning.
I have the freedom to do
that, but I am legitimately
concerned that someone
comes in amongst us and
can't even hear the words
coming out of my mouth
because they see me as
disrespectful to the
position that I hold.
We live in a culture that
thinks in those terms.
We live in a culture where
many people grew up in
churches where the pastor
always had on a suit.
Usually an ill-fitting
suit because he doesn't get
paid enough to buy nice
suits.
I would wear a suit every
Sunday morning for the
sake of your soul.
And I hate wearing suits,
but I would do it for the
sake of your soul because I
don't think that this is a
crowd that typically cares
about such a thing.
I don't.
If I began to think that
that was the case, I
definitely would.
So we consider, we
practice liberty, and I'm
not practicing my liberty
when I put on a jacket
Sunday morning.
Did you guys notice I have
one jacket I wear on
Sundays?
Because I like it.
But I'm practicing my
Christian liberty when I
put it on.
Right?
I've been set free.
I've been set free from the
law.
So putting on this jacket
is a practice of liberty,
not a neglect of Christian
liberty.
So, Paul circumcises
Timothy for this reason,
for the sake of people's
souls, so that Timothy would
not be a stumbling block in
their traveling and in their
entrance into the
synagogues.
Timothy would not have been
allowed in the synagogues
having been uncircumcised.
So he's able now to
participate fully in that
tradition and share the
gospel with people.
So he circumcises
Timothy and then verse 4
says they went on their
way through the cities and
it's so fascinating that the
way Luke records this, that
what they're doing is they're
delivering to them for
observance the decisions that
have been reached by the
apostles and elders who were
in Jerusalem.
The thing they're going and
doing is teaching all of the
churches that they don't
have to be circumcised.
It's the very thing that
they're teaching them.
Hey, don't be circumcised,
but be culturally sensitive.
Wasn't that the drive of that
message?
Remember, abstain from what
has been sacrificed to
idols and from blood and
from what has been
strangled and from sexual
immorality.
These cultural considerations,
matters of offense to the
Jews and this one moral
obligation.
You see, Paul understands the
spirit of the letter.
Paul doesn't accept it as
just a mere list, a new law,
but he understands the
spirit of the letter.
And he applies this idea of
cultural consideration of not
being stumbling blocks for the
Jews to the very matter that the
letter sought to unburden the
Gentile believers from.
He takes along a young man who
will be a leader in the church and
a missionary companion for him and
has him circumcised to aid in
bringing people to faith in Christ.
On your bulletin, the quote from A.W.
Tozer, who was a 20th century pastor and
author, he said this,
Be hard on yourself and easy on others.
Carry your own cross, but never lay one on
the back of another.
Paul preached in delivering this message
for observance.
Paul preached salvation by grace alone,
through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.
And all of that lived out in love.
It becomes the grateful response to what
God has done for us in Christ,
that we then turn and love others.
And we lay down our own will for the sake of
others.
So this is the freedom that was exercised in
the circumcision of Timothy.
And then second and brief, the effect of
circumcising Timothy.
It's not really an entirely fair second point
because the effect we see in verse 5 is not
just because Timothy is circumcised.
So I hope you'll catch what I'm trying to say.
Paul's missionary troop is traveling about.
They're delivering a message.
It's a gospel message.
And the gospel preached and practiced
always results in fruit.
The gospel preached and practiced
always results in fruit.
Verse 5, so because of, right?
Not just because of Timothy's circumcision,
but because of his circumcision
and the message being preached.
So, the churches were strengthened in the faith
and they increased in numbers daily.
So the gospel preached and practiced
always results in fruit.
The fruit of what?
The fruit of increased faith.
The church is being built up in faith.
And the fruit of new faith.
Faith.
They're increasing in numbers as well.
Not only are they growing in their depth,
but they're also growing in their breadth.
as the gospel is both preached and practiced.
I hope it's becoming familiar to you.
There it is up on the screen.
The vision statement of our church,
which is not unique for our church,
shouldn't be anyway,
that our church exists to glorify God,
to magnify His name,
by experiencing,
proclaiming,
and displaying the supremacy of Jesus Christ
in all things,
to all peoples.
And that derives at the very point
that I'm making now.
That we both know that Jesus Christ is supreme
to anything else,
to anything we might be able to do
under Christian liberty.
Christ is better.
And all that I have should be leveraged
to have more of Him.
To experience Him deeper.
To be known by Him greater.
All of this should be leveraged
at that very point.
That we would know Christ as supreme
in our experience.
And that will move us,
it will drive us out
to both say that to be true
and to live it to be true as well.
Practiced and preached.
And I am so challenged
by verses like verse 5 of chapter 16.
As they're doing these very simple things,
traveling around,
preaching the gospel,
Timothy is now circumcised,
and they're strengthened in the faith,
and they increased in numbers daily.
What a phenomenal thing
to have happen in the life of our church.
So here's some simple application for you.
First,
are you saved
by grace alone,
through faith alone,
in Jesus Christ alone?
beloved,
I fear that we live in a day and age
where people have been sold
a cheap grace gospel,
a crossless Christianity,
Christianity,
and a crossless Christianity,
it's a Christless Christianity,
and it's not Christianity at all.
That you have been told,
growing up,
young,
likely,
possibly,
in churches,
that simply,
going through some motions,
taking some steps,
doing a few things,
repeat after me,
sign a card,
get dunked in water,
and you're a follower of Jesus.
And all of those things
may have been part of your story
of coming to faith
in Jesus Christ,
but I fear that there are
countless people
who believe they're Christians
and are not Christians at all.
So you have to ask yourself
an honest question.
When I think about
why it is I'm a Christian,
is that because of things
that I did
or because God saved me
by His grace?
The picture is,
those of you who like
good rap music,
Shilin,
we're not drowning in the ocean,
and God throws us a rope,
and we reach out and grab it.
The picture is that we are dead
on the bottom of the ocean,
and Christ leaps in,
and He swims down,
and He pulls us up,
and He breathes life
in our lungs, right?
As that's your experience, right?
I was a wretched enemy of God,
and God woke me up
in Christ.
He saved me.
Are you saved by grace alone
through faith alone
in Jesus Christ alone?
Is your righteousness
in Christ's person
and work
or in your working?
Secondly,
if you are saved by grace alone
through faith alone
in Jesus Christ alone,
I hope you have a confidence
of that this morning.
What might God be requiring of you
in order that some
might be saved?
How could God be suggesting to you
that you reorient your life
so that some
might be saved?
Is there anything you can think of now
that you would be unwilling
to give up?
Anything.
Would you be unwilling
to give up
in order to see the church
strengthened in the faith
and increasing
in numbers
daily?
I would suggest to you
that there are things
like that.
That if you would
ask God
to search your heart
and take some time
to consider
what you might
hold on to
that's not Jesus,
things that you worship
instead of Him,
and if you would by grace
let those things go,
we would see
things begin to happen.
The church strengthened,
increasing in numbers
daily.
Wouldn't that be
a wonderful blessing?
Let's pray together.