The Jerusalem Council

Rev. Mark C. Alvis, Union Congregational Church — Epiphany III, January 21, 2007

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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: Greetings.

“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 what 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 (Acts 15:22-35 NIV).

Two blind pilots boarded an airliner. One had a guide dog, and the other tapped his way along the aisle with a cane. Nervous laughter spread through the cabin, but the men entered the cockpit, the door closed, and the engines started up. The passengers began glancing nervously around, searching for some sign that this was a practical joke. None was forthcoming.

As the plane began to move faster and faster down the runway, the people sitting in the window seats realized they were heading straight for the lake at the edge of the airport. When it looked as though the aircraft would plough into the water, panicked screams filled the cabin. At that moment, the plane lifted smoothly into the air. The passengers relaxed and laughed a little sheepishly, and soon all retreated into their magazines, secure in the knowledge that the plane was in good hands.

In the cockpit, one of the blind pilots turned to the other and said, “You know Bob, one of these days they’re gonna scream too late and we’re all gonna die.”

I want to say up front that our text for the morning has more preaching material than I can fit into this message. However, some of the topics in this passage will come up again in Acts and, Lord willing, I will cover them at that time. And so if I skip something you believe is important, it is not because I am flying blind.

Last week we looked at the first extended council of the early church. By “extended council” I mean there were leaders from several churches working together to address the matter of circumcision. I tried to show you last week that circumcision was God’s chosen sign of being in the Old Covenant, but not God’s chosen sign of being in the New Covenant. The outward sign of being in the New Covenant is water baptism.

Some people in the Jerusalem Church were teaching that salvation does not occur until people are circumcised and follow all the Old Testament ceremonial laws. In other words, Gentiles must become Jews in order to be saved. The Jerusalem council rejected that notion and declared that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

The early church understood that the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament were temporary requirements until Christ came. By ceremonial law I am referring to provisions such as animal sacrifices, the stone temple at Jerusalem, the Levitical priesthood, ceremonial washing, feast days, kosher diet, restrictions about wearing mixed clothing, and circumcision. It was undoubtedly difficult for Jewish people who had observed these laws for countless generations to comprehend that these regulations had served their primary purpose. In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians he verifies that true circumcision of the heart occurs through faith in Christ (Colossians 2:11) and then goes on to state, in Colossians 2:16-17: “Therefore, do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink [food laws], or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration [monthly observances by Jews] or a [Saturday] Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.”

With the coming of Christ, a new age has been ushered in. There is continuity and discontinuity between the Old Covenant and New Covenant Ages. I hope to expand on this later in Acts. Let’s read Acts 15:22-29, which gives us the conclusion reached by the Jerusalem Council:

Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church [at Jerusalem], decided to choose some of their own men and sent them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers [two witnesses are the biblical requirement for legal matters]. With them they sent the following letter:

“The apostles and elders, your brothers, to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings.

“We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said [they were teaching that Gentiles had to be circumcised in order to be saved]. So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul [that is an amazing statement in light of the fact that Paul was once a sworn enemy of the church at Jerusalem] — 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 what 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 [probably referring to meat from which the blood had not been drained], from the meat of strangled animals [sacrificed to pagan gods] and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things [and if you don’t, you will not do well]. Farewell.’

One of the keys to understanding these requirements is to realize they were vitally connected to a great temptation that early Gentile believers faced. It was the same temptation encountered by the Israelites during their wilderness journey. Please follow as I read Numbers 25:1-3: “While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods. So Israel joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor. And the Lord’s anger burned against them.”

When the Israelites went to this pagan feast they ate the meat of animals offered to false gods, they committed sexual immorality with Moabite women (which was a part of this pagan festival), and undoubtedly the meat they ate had not been drained of its blood. This whole debacle was instigated by the prophet Balaam. What we discover is that when the New Testament was written these same kind of feasts were still being practiced.

In chapter 2 of Revelation, the ascended Lord Jesus addresses four local churches in Asia Minor (where Paul and Barnabas had planted churches). Listen to what Jesus says to three of these churches. In Revelation 2:6 Jesus speaks to the church at Ephesus, “But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” What were the practices of the Nicolaitans? We get help on this from Christ’s words to the church at Pergamum, located about 100 miles north of Ephesus. In Revelation 2:14-16 the ascended Lord Jesus says to that church:

Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teachings of Balaam, who taught Balak [the king of Moab] to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teachings of the Nicolaitans [the word nicolaitanes in Greek means “conqueror or destroyer of the people.” Balaam in Hebrew means the same. Both of these false teachings claimed that it was permissible for God’s people to go to pagan feasts that honored false gods]. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them [the teachers and followers of this false doctrine] with the sword of my mouth.

Let’s summarize: The church at Pergamum had people who were going to the pagan feasts, eating meat that had been sacrificed to false gods and committing sexual immorality with the cult prostitutes who served these false gods. Why did they do this?

Let’s look at Revelation 2:18-25, which records Christ’s warning to the church at Thyatira, located 30 miles southeast of Pergamum. The name Thyatira means “continual sacrifice.” It was a city dominated by trade guilds. In order to work a trade in Thyatira you had to belong to the appropriate guild. In order to be a member in good standing with these guilds you had to attend the pagan feasts connected to those guilds. Listen to the words of Jesus to the congregation at Thyatira”

These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze [both of these descriptions emphasize Christ in His position as judge. His eyes penetrate darkness, His feet trample upon his enemies]. I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel [it is very doubtful that Jezebel was actually her name, but the character of this false teacher was just like that of the Old Testament Jezebel], who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling . . . Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): Only hold on to what you have until I come.

How did Gentile Christians rationalize attending these kind of feasts and orgies? Their jobs depended on it and false teachers were twisting the meaning of God’s grace in Christ. Remember, God’s Law and God’s grace are never in conflict. It is only when we pervert one or both of them that they come into conflict with each other. God’s Moral Law, summarized in the Ten Commandments, is a permanent standard of right and wrong and very powerful in opening people’s eyes to their sinfulness and need for a Savior. However, obedience to Old Testament Law cannot justify people before God because no on can keep it well enough. My righteousness will not get me into heaven. I must have Christ’s righteousness.

This great truth was being perverted. There were false teachers who taught that Christians can go ahead and practice sexual immorality and idolatry because God’s grace in Christ covers it all. According to these false teachers, the more we sin the more we magnify the grace of God. The Apostle Paul deals with this false teaching in Romans 6:1-2: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”

God’s grace is not so we can do as we please — indulging fleshly desires — but so we can finally do what pleases God. Let me put this real simply: people will not advance in Christlikeness if they practice idol worship or sexual immorality. As a matter of fact, if these kind of practices are not discarded, it usually means the person does not belong to Christ. The Bible teaches that when people truly enter into a covenant relationship with God through faith in Christ, God’s Law is written on their hearts and they gain new desires that want to please God and obey His laws (Hebrews 8:10).

Let’s see how the believers at Antioch responded to the council at Jerusalem as we read verses 30-31: “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.”

The Christians at Antioch saw no burden in staying away from the pagan feasts. Those activities had plagued them before they knew Christ, and they were grateful to be free of them. Why were the Gentile believers at Antioch spiritually healthy as apposed to Gentile believers in the churches at Pergamum and Thyatira? Let’s read verses 32-35:

Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets [proclaimers of God’s Word] said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. After spending some time there [at Antioch], 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.

The church at Antioch was blessed with a large number of people who could expound the Word of God. The church at Jerusalem also had plentiful teachers in the Apostles and elders — men such as James, Judas and Silas — who could teach sound doctrine.

It seems to me that more and more churches in the United States are experiencing a shortage of mature Christians who can rightly handle and teach the Word of Truth. Some of this is the fault of pulpits that do not teach sound doctrine. Many pastors today only talk about felt needs and hot topics. There are fewer pastors who are preaching through the Bible and letting the texts of Scripture speak to their congregations.

I also believe that churches are experiencing a shortage of teachers because it takes time and effort to grow in the knowledge of God’s Word. Many Christians today have become preoccupied with work and play. They are not seriously studying the Bible because it is not a high priority. That is a deadly scenario because it leaves churches vulnerable to false teachers. When churches have teachers who tell people that it is okay to indulge in sexual immorality — homosexuality included — there will be more sexual immorality in those churches. If they say it is okay to practice idolatry, there will be false gods in those congregations. Pseudo-science has become an idol in many congregations. Some people are placing psychology above the Bible.

False teachings are only tolerated by people whose love for God has grown cold. Richard Baxter, a great Puritan preacher, once said, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” Let’s pray.

Sermon text ©2007 Mark C. Alvis
Bible text © as applicable