They could come up. We're going to read nearly all the chapter. It's quite long, but it's a very important one.
So we're going to read verses 1 to 35.
So if you just give the page numbers and so forth.
We're on page 1110 in the Church Bibles.
Acts chapter 15, page 1110.
Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers,
unless you are circumcised according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.
This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them.
So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem
to see the apostles and elders about this question.
The Church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria,
they told how the Gentiles had been converted.
This news made all the brothers very glad.
When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the Church and the apostles and elders,
to whom they reported everything God had done through them.
Then some of the believers, who belonged to the party of the Pharisees,
stood up and said,
The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.
The apostles and elders met to consider this question.
After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them.
Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear
from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.
God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them,
just as he did to us.
He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.
Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples
a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?
No, we believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.
The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul
telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.
When they finished, James spoke up.
Brothers, listen to me.
Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern
by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself.
The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written.
After this, I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild and I will restore it that the remnant of men may seek the Lord
and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things
that have been known for the ages.
It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.
Instead, we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols,
from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood.
For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times
and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.
Then the apostles and elders with the whole church decided to choose some of their own men
and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
They chose Judas, called Barsabbas, and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers.
With them they sent the following letter,
The apostles and elders, your brothers, to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia.
We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you,
troubling your minds by what they said.
So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul,
men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth that we are writing.
It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements.
You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals,
and from sexual immorality.
You will do well to avoid these things.
Farewell.
The men were sent off and went down to Antioch,
where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter.
The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message.
Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets,
said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers.
After spending some time there,
they were sent off by the brothers
with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them.
But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch,
where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.
Well,
we come to a section in Acts that is,
I would say, and commentators all say it too,
that it's the most pivotal point in all of church history.
You might be into church history,
but this has defined the church throughout all times and ages.
It's a critical, critical issue,
this council at Jerusalem,
this meeting that took place.
So we need to pay close attention to it.
And what we look at this morning,
everything that we do on a Sunday morning
is important,
and all the messages that we look at together
are really important.
But I want to say that this
is the most critical.
Because if we get this wrong,
then everything else falls apart.
It's foundational.
So we need close attention
to God's word.
So let's pray for that this morning.
Let's pray.
Our Father God,
we come to you.
We humble ourselves before you.
Because we want to learn from you.
we want you to teach us
and to show us
how we should live
as your people
in your church.
And Father,
we pray that we would take
what we look at together
with the utmost seriousness.
and that you would pour out
the power of your Holy Spirit
upon us all.
That we may be able to apply
and work it out
and see it filter
into our own lives personally
and together as a church.
That we would make
the necessary changes
that we need to.
and that above all
we would be people
transformed
by your grace.
May what was impacting
all those years ago
have that same impact
upon us today
and upon your church.
And we pray for your help
in doing this.
For we need it.
Amen.
On Saturday mornings
one of the things I do
is to coach rugby
with a bunch of
younger kids.
And before we start
our training sessions
I always hold up the ball
in the middle of them
and I ask this question
with the ball held up high.
What's the most important
thing in rugby?
And then they all have to
try and guess what it is.
Otherwise they get
press ups to do.
And they all go one by one.
Is it passing?
No.
Is it tackling?
No.
Is it kicking?
No.
It's the ball.
The most important thing
in rugby is the ball.
If you lose the ball
you can't win.
It's critical
that we hold on to the ball.
Otherwise we might as well
go home
and do some skipping
with the girls.
Well the girls do play rugby.
It's okay.
Don't worry.
Girls do play rugby.
My daughter does.
We just don't do skipping.
You know what I mean.
But that's
what's most important.
It's the ball.
Now what's the most
important thing
in the church?
The answer of course is
it's the gospel.
If you lose the gospel
you've lost everything.
It's not the music.
It's not our particular
brand of theology.
It's not the building.
It's the gospel.
It's critical.
It's vital
that as a church
we hold on to the gospel
otherwise the church
is going to die.
And that's the issue
for every single church
and it's at the heart
of the issue here
in chapter 15.
Look at chapter 15
verse 1.
Some men
came down
from Judea
that is they were
coming down
from the church
in Jerusalem
down to the church
in Antioch
and were teaching
the brothers
and the sisters
listen guys
listen to this
unless you are
circumcised
according to the customs
taught by Moses
you can't be saved.
You all think
you're Christians
well actually
you're not.
And the message
that you're telling
to everybody else
this message of grace
well that ain't going
to save anybody else either.
You've got it wrong.
Verse 2
This brought Paul
and Barnabas
into sharp dispute
and debate
with them.
Literally
a conflict
a fight
started within the church.
We're always saying
we shouldn't fight
in the church.
Sometimes
it's important
to fight.
There was a conflict
and there was a big issue
at stake.
But let's be clear
this is not a disagreement
over spiritual gifts
or worship styles.
This was of critical importance
because the outcome
of this debate
has the potential
to distort
the gospel
which will in turn
disrupt
the mission
which will in turn
destroy
the church.
If you lose
the gospel
you've lost
everything
we might as well
go home.
And it's such a defining issue
look at the rest
of verse 2
that Paul and Barnabas
were appointed
along with some of the
other believers
to go up to the church
in Jerusalem
to see the apostles
and the elders
about this question.
Verse 4
When they came to Jerusalem
they were welcomed
by the church
and the apostles
and the elders
to whom they reported
everything
that God had been doing
through them.
That's through
the Gentiles
where they had been reaching.
So as we travel
with Paul and Barnabas
and we want to go
with them
as they go up
from Antioch
to confront
the Jerusalem church
we're going to look
at three things.
Challenges to a
gospel centred church
maintaining a
gospel centred church
and living
as a gospel centred church.
These are three things
that I think come
from the passage.
First
the challenges
to a gospel centred church.
Surprisingly
the challenge
to the church
comes from
inside
the church
not from outside.
Often
the greatest issues
come from inside
not from outside
as was the case here.
Verse 5
Some of the believers
who belonged
to the party
of the Pharisees
stood up
and said
the Gentiles
Gentiles
must be circumcised
and required
to obey
the law of Moses.
A Gentile
was anybody
who wasn't a Jew.
So if you're not a Jew
or of Jewish extraction
you're a Gentile.
It's everybody else
who isn't a Jew.
And they were imposing
things upon them.
clearly these people
they're told
in verse 5
they were believers
they had heard
the gospel
they had become
followers of Jesus Christ
but now they were
beginning to add
to the gospel.
We might call them
the Jesus plus gang.
Their basic message
was
Jesus is not enough.
Jesus gets you
started
but you need
someone else
or something else
to get you
over the line.
for them
and the Jewish
tradition
was that
circumcision
was the outward
sign
that you were
part of God's
community.
It was a mark
of identity.
But they've now
turned this
outward sign
into
actual salvation.
So if you have
the sign
well then you
are saved.
the equivalent
for us today
might be
baptism.
It's an outward
sign that you're
part of God's
family.
It's a mark
of identity.
But we could
easily turn that
sign
into
salvation.
But that would
be gospel plus
that's
the Jesus plus
gang message
where we're saying
grace is not
sufficient
we need
something more.
But I think
we've kind of
looked at those
issues before
haven't we?
So what are
some of the
challenges
to the gospel
that we face
in this church
today?
Well you might
come up with
your own and I'd
be very interested
to hear what
they are but
here's one that
I think of.
It goes something
like this.
We believe
that the gospel
saves us
but once we're
in
we've got to
keep ourselves
in.
So Jesus
gets us
in
but then
it's up to
us to
keep ourselves
in.
I want to
quote to you
from a book
written by
a guy called
Tullian
Chavidian
and I'm
quoting it
not just
because it's
a helpful
quote but
I'm recommending
it to you
as a great
book to read
on the gospel.
It's called
Jesus plus
nothing
equals
everything.
Jesus plus
nothing
equals
everything.
And this is
what he says
talking about
our salvation.
Most believers
realise we
can never
earn our
salvation.
We've come
to accept that
no one can
work their
way into
God's kingdom.
We know
that and
most of us
who read the
Bible believe
that to be
true and I
take it that's
exactly how we're
thinking this
morning.
But when it
comes to our
sanctification
that means to
become like
Jesus
suddenly we
become legalists
in the matter
of maturing in
Christ likeness
and in
continuing to
please God
and find favour
with God
and acceptance
with God
we suppose
it's all about
what we have
to accomplish
and adhere
to all the
rules and
standards and
values that we
need to follow.
we get the
Christian life
all backwards.
It subtly
becomes all
about us
and what we
have to do
which leads
to slavery
instead of
being all
about Jesus
and what
he's done
which leads
to liberty
or freedom.
You see
theologically
we say
yes it's
all about
Jesus
but practically
we live
as if
it's all
about me.
Jesus'
performance
well that
gets me
into the
club
but it's
my performance
that keeps
me in there.
But it's
not about
us.
It's never
about us.
The reality
is the only
thing that we
bring to the
table as far
as our salvation
goes is
our failures
and our mess
ups.
That's all we
bring to the
equation.
the true
gospel
the pure
gospel
is not
about how
good I
am today
or how
much better
I am
next week
than last
week.
It's all
about Jesus.
And there's
a quote
here.
It's all
about Jesus
who has
taken the
judgment
that I
deserve
today
and tomorrow
for my
sin
so that I
am forever
treated and
treasured
today and
tomorrow
as God's
son.
that's
what it's
all about.
You see
it's not
just a
Jerusalem
problem
with these
guys coming
along with
their Jesus
plus issue.
It's actually
a carigoline
problem.
And why
would I be
so rude
to suggest
that?
Well as
one writer
put it
because it's
the default
setting of
every human
heart.
We've all
got a
parasaic
heart.
All of
us.
And we
need to
be careful
that we
don't slip
down that
path.
And there's
two ways
and this
is by
application
there are
two ways
that we
can tell
if we
are adding
to the
gospel
if we've
become a
part of
the Jesus
plus gang.
The first
is this
it's
legalism.
We know
we're adding
to the
gospel
when we've
got a
little
checklist
about
things we
can do
and we
can't
do.
And it
becomes the
standard by
which we
judge our
acceptance with
God.
So we
take out
the list
I check
it off
and I
make sure
well I've
ticked this
I've
ticked this
I've
ticked this
I'm
okay.
But if
I don't
meet these
standards
if I
find a
box is
not
ticked
then I'm
out of
favour with
God and
I have
to kind
of work
myself back
into it
again.
But not
only do we
do that
to ourselves
we also
begin to
apply
these same
checklists
to everybody
else around
us.
So when
people don't
meet my
standard we
begin to
question
are they
really a
Christian?
I mean if
they were
really a
Christian they
wouldn't have
done that
and they
certainly
wouldn't have
said that.
Which leads
to the
second
which is
superiority.
Once
people don't
match up to
our checklists
we become
critical and
judgmental.
We begin to
look down on
people and we
begin to pick
out all their
faults and their
failures while
at the same
time we give
ourselves a
little pat on
the back and
I think well
aren't I glad
that I'm like
them because if
I was in
their shoes I
never would
have done
that.
We become
experts in
seeing the
speck in
somebody else's
eye but we
can't see the
tree or perhaps
the forest growing
out of our own
eye.
So let me ask
us all have
we brought a
checklist with
us this
morning.
Do we
mentally kind
of look
around and
kind of tick
off and
think I'm
doing this
they're not
doing that.
Do we bring
our checklist
with us through
the week?
Well if we
have a
checklist if you
have a
checklist take
it out right
now and
mentally rip
it up burn
it stamp on
it tread it
tread on it
and get rid
of it and
grab a hold
of the gospel
with two
hands.
Legalism and
superiority are
a lethal
combination and
together they
distort the
gospel they
disrupt God's
mission and
they destroy
the church.
that's the
big issue
that was
going on
that's why
it was such
a defining
issue and
that's why
Paul was so
anxious to
get to
Jerusalem and
to sort it
all out.
So those are
challenges that
perhaps we face
to the gospel.
What about
then maintaining
a gospel
centre church?
Well if the
gospel is to
be central in
the church
then grace
is to be
central to
the gospel.
In other
words if we're
going to
maintain a
gospel centre
church we
need to
understand that
God includes
us by grace
and he saves
us by grace.
It's all about
grace.
That's what we've
been singing
about and
thinking about
this morning.
So first we're
included by grace.
Verse 6
The apostles
and the elders
met to
consider this
question.
The question
that we saw
in verse 50
in verse 5
that the Gentiles
must be
circumcised to
be included
or to be
accepted to
be saved.
Verse 7
After much
discussion Peter
who was one of
the leaders in
the church got
up and he
addressed them
Brothers and
sisters you
know that
some time ago
God made a
choice among
you that the
Gentiles might
hear from my
lips the
message of
the gospel
and believe.
And what
Peter here is
doing is he's
reminding us of
his earlier
visit to a
guy called
Cornelius.
You might
remember him.
Go back to
chapter 10.
Keep your
finger in
chapter 15
and go back
to chapter 10
and we'll just
refresh ourselves
about this guy
Cornelius.
He's a Gentile.
He's not a
Jew so he'd
be kind of
considered an
outsider.
Somebody who
wouldn't be
included.
But nonetheless
this Gentile
this outsider
he receives a
vision from
God and this
is what
happened in
the vision.
Verse 5
of chapter 10
The angel
says to him
in the vision
Now send
men to
Joppa
to bring
back a
man named
Simon who
is called
Peter.
He is
staying with
Simon the
tanner whose
house is by
the sea.
So that's
his message.
Meanwhile
Peter also
has a vision
from God
which is all
about accepting
people as
God accepts
people.
Verse 19
While Peter
was still
thinking about
the vision
the spirit
said to him
Simon three
men are
looking for
you.
So get
up go
downstairs do
not hesitate
to go with
them for I
have sent
them.
So now
Cornelius has
the message
Peter has
the message
now they
have to
meet each
other.
Verse 33
Cornelius
speaks to
Peter he
says so I
sent for you
immediately and
it was good
of you to
come.
Now we
are all
here in
the presence
of God
to listen
to everything
the Lord
has commanded
you to tell
us.
Then Peter
began to
speak.
I now
realise how
true it
is that
God does
not show
favouritism.
God doesn't
suffer with
what Phil
Hogan does
obviously.
I do not
show favouritism
but accepts
people from
every nation
who fear
him and do
what is
right.
You know
the message
God sent to
the people
of Israel
telling the
good news
of peace
through Jesus
Christ who
is Lord
of all.
Verse 44
While Peter
was still
speaking these
words the
Holy Spirit
came on
all who
heard the
message.
Now go
back to
chapter 15.
You see
Peter is
using,
he's recounting
this meeting
he had with
Cornelius to
prove to the
rest of them
that God
does include
people,
not on the
basis of
their race
or religion
or on their
culture or
their colour,
what class
they come
from,
whether they're
travellers or
whether they're
settled people.
He includes
people because
of his
grace.
There is no
favouritism.
Chapter 15
verse 8
God who knows
the heart
shows that he
accepted them
by giving
the Holy
Spirit to
them just
as he
did to
us.
You see
who are
we to be
people who
exclude
others whom
God has
included?
The question
we should be
asking is not
do they speak
the same
language or
do they come
from the same
theological pool
as we do
or do they
practice the
same traditions
as we do?
No, if God
has given them
the Holy
Spirit then
who are we
to exclude
other people?
Which is
exactly the
same point as
James the
other leader
in the church
was making
in verse 15.
He goes
straight back
to scripture
to remind us.
He says look
verse 15
the words of
the prophets
are in
agreement with
this as it
is written
after this
this is from
Amos
after this I
will return
and rebuild
David's fallen
tent his
dynasty his
family its
ruins I
will rebuild
and I
will restore
it that the
remnant of
men may
seek the
Lord and
all the
Gentiles all
those outside
of the Jews
who bear
my name.
God's plan
was to be
inclusive in
his salvation
to include
all the
nations.
He shows
no favoritism.
He accepts
all people
from all
nations.
He does
not show
favoritism.
But we're
not only
included by
grace
second we
are saved
by grace.
Verse 9
He made
no distinction
between us
and them
for he
purified their
hearts
by faith.
You see
God doesn't
have one way
of saving
a Jew
and then
another way
of saving
a Gentile
or saving
you one way
and saving
me another
way.
The gospel
is not
get yourself
clean and
then come
to Christ.
It's come
to Christ
look at the
end of verse
9 and by
faith he
will purify
you he will
clean you.
We come to
Christ with
our mess with
our failures and
he cleans
us.
that's how
God saves
us and
it's exactly
the same
for all
of us.
Verse 10
So then
why do you
try to
test God
by putting
on the
necks of
the disciples
a yoke
that neither
we nor
our fathers
have been
able to
bear?
He's getting
annoyed.
Why are you
insisting on
adding to
the gospel?
Why are you
running around
the place
on a Sunday
morning and
throughout the
week with
your little
checklist
making sure
that everybody
meets your
standards?
Why don't
you just
look at
your own
life?
You can't
even meet
your own
standards so
why are you
trying to
get everybody
else to
keep it?
Verse 11
No
we believe
it is
through the
grace of
our Lord
Jesus that
we are
saved just
as they
are.
The only
contribution
that we all
make to
our salvation
and to
our sanctification
is our
sin.
God in
his abundant
grace takes
our sin
on himself.
He accepts
us and
he purifies
us.
Grace is
not about
what we
do.
It's all
about what
God has
already done
for us
in Christ.
Again it's
what James
is saying
in verse
19.
His
concluding
comments
it is my
judgment
therefore that
we should
not make
it difficult
for the
Gentiles who
are turning
to God.
Stop
putting
hurdles
in the
way.
God
does not
ask us to
have all
our theology
all sorted
before we
come to
Christ.
He doesn't
demand that
we're free
of our
sinful habits
when he
purifies us.
He doesn't
insist that
our lives
are immediately
all sorted
after he
accepts us.
All of
those things
are important
but it
takes time
and he
will be
patient
with his
grace.
So we
shouldn't
put those
demands
and insisting
on other
people.
You see
if we
take grace
out of the
gospel,
if we
remove grace
from the
gospel,
it leads
to a
church that
becomes
critical,
judgmental,
and
superior.
And that's
why Peter
and James
and the
leaders were
adamant that
the rest of
the people
who had
gone offline
understood
what grace
was really
all about.
so those
are
challenges
to the
gospel,
how we
maintain
the
gospel.
Third,
living as a
gospel-centered
church.
You see,
when we have
understood the
gospel,
when we've
experienced
grace in
our lives,
then it
radically
changes the
life of
the church.
Verse 19,
James is
speaking,
his summing
up of the
whole meeting.
It's my
judgment,
therefore,
that we
should not
make it
difficult for
the Gentiles
who are
turning to
God.
Instead,
we should
write to
them,
telling them
to abstain
from food
polluted by
idols,
from sexual
immorality,
from the
meat of
strangled
animals,
and from
blood.
Whoa,
where's
that come
from?
I mean,
it seems
strange to
us,
and it
almost seems
as if
James is
contradicting
everything that
has already
been said.
It's like
he's going
back to
the rules
again.
No,
he's not
turning his
back on
grace at
all.
James is
concerned that
the whole
church stays
united by
living out
the gospel
of grace
within the
community of
the church.
Verse 21,
he says,
for Moses
has been
preached in
every city
from the
earliest times
and is
read in
the synagogues
on every
Sabbath.
It's like
he's saying
this,
let me
kind of
try and
paraphrase
it.
He's
saying,
look,
as you
guys go
and preach
the gospel,
as you
go from
town to
town,
you're
going to
meet people
who are
steeped in
tradition.
You're
going to
meet people
who've had
Moses preach
to them
Sunday
after Sunday,
year after
year,
tradition,
tradition.
So don't
be surprised
that when you
bring the
gospel to
them,
this message
of grace
and freedom,
that they
don't leave
everything behind
straight away.
It's going
to take
time for
grace to
filter into
every area
of their
life.
You
didn't
get it
right,
so don't
be expecting
everybody
else to
get it
right
straight
away.
But you
know what,
there's
something we
should do,
he says.
Make sure
we don't
go offending
anyone by
the freedom
we have
from God's
grace.
And that's
why he
says to
them in
verse 20,
we should
write a
letter to
them telling
them to
abstain from
food polluted
by idols,
from sexual
immorality,
from the
meat of
strangled
animals,
and from
blood.
Now again,
let me give
you some
background to
all of
this.
As a
Gentile,
if you
wanted to
buy your
Sunday
lunch,
you wanted
a nice
roast on
Sunday,
the best
place if
you were a
Gentile in
the first
century was
to go down
to the
local market,
which was
usually located
outside the
pagan temple,
a bit like
going to the
farmer's
market out
side Mahan
Point,
the big
temple,
farmer's
market,
where you
did your
shopping.
Not that
they're pagan
or anything,
just so you
get the idea,
picture it.
And you
get there a
lovely piece
of meat for
your meal,
a lovely
roast dinner.
The meat
that you
got there
was the
food used
in idol
worship,
the leftovers.
But not
only that,
most of the
idol worship
also involved
some kind of
sex ritual
as well.
That's the
phrase here
from sexual
immorality.
And one
temple we
know from
Ephesians,
that there
were a
thousand
prostitutes
involved in
pagan worship.
So when you
went to go
down to the
local market
to buy your
lunch down
there,
well you
needed to
have dark
glasses on,
you needed
blindfolds on,
you didn't
want to see
what was going
on down in
the marketplace.
It wasn't a
good place to
be to buy
your lunch.
So it's
not hard for
us to see
how it would
be a problem
for a Christian
Jew who
was used to
these very,
very strict
clean laws
about who
you're with
and what
you ate
and what
went on,
to be on
your guard.
As one
commentator put
it, it's not
so much about
the menu
here,
it's the
venue that's
the problem
that was
causing the
big issue.
So James
is not
going back
to rules,
he's encouraging
the church
to remain
united by
practising the
gospel of
grace and
saying to
them,
look guys,
don't go
down to
the marketplace
because if
you do that
you're going
to help
other people
come to
faith in
Christ.
You won't
be putting
any barriers
in the way.
Well I
don't think
we have to
go down to
the marketplace
or if we
went down
to Dunn's
we're not
going to
be worried
about food
polluted to
idols or
prostitutes
hanging around
or blood.
So what
does it mean
for us?
Well I
think these
two things
in practice
or in
application
for us.
The first
is this,
to give
grace to
others.
We all
have our
own preferences
don't we
about how
church should
be?
When we
meet,
where we
meet,
what we
do when
we come
together
and how
we should
do it.
And you
know what,
it ain't
going to
come to
a surprise
to anybody
here that
some things
that you
particularly
like,
the person
sitting beside
you might
dislike.
Is that a
surprise?
I hope it's
not.
In fact they
might find that
the things that
you do
very disruptive,
distracting,
or even
unspiritual.
So instead
of insisting
on having
things my
way,
we give
grace to
others.
To maintain
unity and
partnership in
the gospel,
we hold
loosely in
our hands
practices
and preferences
that are
secondary and
not essential
to the gospel.
That's the
approach we
take in
this church.
We serve
others with
grace,
we're on the
lookout,
helping people
to understand
the gospel,
helping them
to understand
grace by
being gracious
towards them.
And I think
we kind of
get there,
but it's a
good reminder.
But not
only do we
give grace
to others,
we've got
to apply
grace to
self.
We all
love the
idea,
don't we?
We like
the first
one,
grace to
me,
oh I'm
going to
come and
everybody's
going to
show me
grace,
which allows
me to
do what
I want
to do.
Well no,
the opposite
also applies.
We need
to apply
that same
grace to
ourselves.
So we
don't come
to a
gathering on
a Sunday
morning or
any other
time that
we meet
or any
of our
relationships
with each
other.
We don't
come into
that with
an attitude
of everybody
else is
going to
change to
suit me,
to help
me fit in.
No, the
attitude is
this, what
areas of
my life do
I need to
change?
Ask
ourselves
questions like,
is this a
gospel issue?
is this
primary or
is it
secondary?
Will this
lead to
somebody's
faith or
will it
distract them
from the
faith?
For the
sake of the
gospel, I
will not
insist on
my preference.
We are to
unite around
the gospel,
not tradition
and not
practice.
This is
why the
council,
chapter 15
of Acts,
is the
most defining
issue in
all of
church history.
Because if
we get this
wrong, we
might as
well all
go home.
And what
happens when
the church
does begin
to live
this out
and begins
to see it
working in
the lives
of each
other?
Well, look
at verse
35, we'll
jump right
to the
end.
But Paul
and Barnabas
remained in
Antioch where
they and
many others
taught and
preached the
word of
the Lord.
Very simply,
the gospel
stood firm,
the mission
continued,
and the
church
remained
strong.
May God
give us
the grace
to do
likewise
and to
keep on
doing
likewise
with each
other.
Before we
sing,
let's just
take a
moment
to reflect
on some
of those
things.
Maybe
there's
something we
just want
to pray
privately
and quietly.
Maybe
there's
something we
want to
pray for
our
church.
Let's
do that
right now
as we
seek to
apply
grace to
one
another
and to
ourselves.
...
Thank you.
We thank you for every life, for every family represented here.
We thank you for all that everybody brings and gives.
We thank you for their love.
We thank you for the life that you have saved,
for bringing us together, for making us part of your family,
for uniting us, and we praise you, we thank you
for all that we have because of Christ.
It's precious, it's wonderful.
And we ask for your help to go on living your way.
In Jesus' name, Amen.