The Acts of the Apostles 85

Subtitle:  A Plot Foiled

Acts 23:23-35.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on November 03,  2024.

Note: There is no sermon for October 27 because we had a visiting evangelist that morning.

We are looking at Paul’s journey of being a witness for and of Jesus.  As we do so, it is good for us to contemplate and pray about our own journey of being a witness for Jesus.  We do not know all that will happen, but the Lord will be with us.

On one hand, a plot of some assassins will be foiled in this passage.  However, on another level, a plot of the Sanhedrin to have Paul executed is also being foiled.  This is not done by any one person (a Roman commander, or a Roman governor), but by the hand of God.

Yet, even with these good things happening, Paul is no longer in control of his day and his whereabouts.  He has had a lot of freedom over the last 20 years.  Now, he has been arrested, and will continue in some form of custody for something  like 4 to 5 years.

Regardless, the Lord, who led him during those decades of missionary work and helped him to establish churches throughout Anatolia and Greece, can also work mightily through this imprisonment.  During this time, Paul will write four letters that are called the “Prison Epistles,” or “Prison Letters.”  These powerfully describe the position and power of the Lord Jesus, while also calling for believers to have the joy of Christ.  Imagine being in prison and encouraging others to experience the joy that you have.  The New Testament letters are: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon.

It is easy to see only the negative of our situations.  We need the same perspective that Paul had when he said, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NKJV).

Let’s look at our passage.

Paul is taken to Caesarea (v. 23-35)

Receiving news of a plot to assassinate Paul, the Roman commander realizes that he needs to get Paul out of town, not only for his safety, but also, to keep things from getting out of hand in Jerusalem.  Already several riots have occurred around Paul.  Volatile situations have a tendency to be triggered by smaller events that don’t seem so potent at the time.  Paul may be a nobody to this Roman commander, but he isn’t going to underestimate what can happen.

The commander formulates a plan to evacuate Paul to Caesarea on the coast that night.  This is where Governor Felix was.  Now, a night march is easier to ambush, but the commander would have the element of surprise on his side.  This would buy them the time needed to get Paul to a more secure location.

The threat is known to be 40 men who have vowed not to eat until they have killed Paul.  The commander’s response is to ensure that these 40 men, and any others who may join them, will not be successful, even if they do figure out that Paul is being moved.  The commander pulls together 200 soldiers, 70 cavalry troops, and 200 spearmen.  They will leave at 9:00 o’clock that night.

The 470 soldiers will be an intimidating force to the 40 men and any others.  This almost 12 to 1 ratio ensures that Paul will be safe.

The commander also sends a letter with the group that is addressed to Governor Felix.  There are a couple of things that we can know from the letter, which Luke includes in the story.  First we find out that the commander’s name is Claudius Lysias.

It is interesting that he tells the narrative of Paul’s arrest in a way that makes him look better.  He basically writes that he rescued Paul from a riotous crowd because he found out that he was a Roman citizen.  Of course, we know that he only found out Paul’s Roman citizenship because a soldier that he had ordered to whip Paul, found out that Paul had Roman citizenship.  This soldier then warned Commander Lysias about what he was about to do.

He does accurately describe that Paul is really accused of transgressions of the Jewish religion, and not things worthy of death.  Yet, there was a plot to assassinate him, so it was best to send Paul to the governor.  The Jews would then be able to appear before Felix and make their charges against Paul.

In the end, the commander is not doing Paul any favors.  He is protecting his own backside with the governor, who will be protecting his own backside with Caesar.  Yet, God is in control of those who think they are in control.  This is one of the underlying themes throughout the book of Acts, even the whole Bible.

The mission goes as planned, and the soldiers are able to take Paul to Caesarea without incident.  The march all night and make it roughly halfway to the city of Antipatris.  Then, the horsemen take Paul on to Caesarea while the other soldiers return to the barracks.

When Paul arrives in Caesarea with 70 horsemen, the letter from Commander Lysias is presented to Governor Felix.  After reading the letter, the governor briefly questions Paul.  The question of where he is from is probably an attempt to pass this case off to someone else, like Herod Agrippa II.  We are going to see him in chapter 25.  However, Paul’s origin in Tarsus of Cilicia ensures that Governor Felix has to deal with his case.  The “problem” cropped up in his jurisdiction, Jerusalem.  The governor most likely sees this as an undesirable situation that can acerbate relations between the Jewish leaders and him.

It is clear that the governor is not interested in hearing Paul’s story.  He will hear Paul’s side of the story when his accusers show up to press their charges.  Thus, Paul is kept in the praetorium, which was a fortress-like palace built by Herod the Great and currently used by the Romans as an administrative headquarters.

It is no fun to have your life is in the hands of an authority figure.  We do not know much about Felix, except what we see in the book of Acts.  He is going to keep Paul in prison/jail for two years.  On top of this, next week we will see that he was hoping for a bribe.

This is the kind of authority figure Felix was.  He was willing to leave an innocent man in prison for the hope of money and for the trade-off of somewhat warmer relations with the elders of Jerusalem.

You and I have not been in a situation that is exactly like Paul’s, but if we focus on the basic components of this situation we can learn some things.  First, we have a bureaucrat who has power over another.  All authority is supposed to be for the service of the people as a whole, but it is very common for bureaucrats to exercise power in ways that are best for them.  When your situation is in the hands of a bureaucrat who doesn’t care about helping you, and you are unable to move forward until you get their approval, you can end up in a kind of limbo. 

These can be very frustrating times that try our patience.  It is natural to feel these things.  You may even complain excessively and devolve into outright angry tirades against them.  These things will spoil our spirit.  It is important for Christians to learn how to step into that place of God’s peace that we see Paul demonstrating here in the pages of Acts.  Your circumstances may be dire, but God hasn’t changed, and the peace that He has for you hasn’t changed.  God has peace for you, even when the world around you is going crazy.  This is why Paul could write about joy while he was sitting in a prison cell, or under house arrest.

Paul will eventually be executed by Rome for serving God, and His Anointed King Jesus.  Paul’s ability to be frustrated and angry would be far more understandable than ours.  However, have you ever noticed that your flesh doesn’t care if your life is on the line or not?  Does your flesh care that Paul had it worse and demonstrated patience?  I don’t think so.  When something, or someone, gets in our way, we become frustrated and angry.

Think about how computers are supposed to make life better, but half of the time they make things harder and chew up your time trying to get them fixed.  What about government?  It is supposed to serve the people and make life better for us, but it often does the opposite.

We can find ourselves in a harassed, frustrated and angry place.  In those moments, it doesn’t take much to trigger a response that is less than Christ-like.  If that is you, then you are human like the rest of us.  Yet, God cares, and He has a plan for us in the midst of such harassing times.  The enemy of our souls wants us to explode as an individual and as a society.  Yet, we know that this is not what Jesus wants.

May God help us to fix our minds upon Jesus.  This reminds me of a verse in Isaiah 26:3.  “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”  Let us trust in the Lord, rather than letting a person on this earth who has some authority trouble our souls.

Plot Foiled audio

The Acts of the Apostles 82

Subtitle: Showdown in Jerusalem III

Acts 22:1-21.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on September 29, 2024.

We pick up with the Apostle Paul at the temple compound in Jerusalem.  He has been arrested by the Roman commander and is on his way to the Antonia Fortress.  There were stairs on the northwest side of the courtyard outside of the temple proper.  These went up to a set of bridges that connected the Antonia Fortress to the roof of the porch that was on the perimeter of the courtyard.

Last week, we saw that Paul asked to speak to the crowd from the stairs.  This is where our scene opens.

Let’s look at our passage.

Paul addresses the crowd in the temple (v. 1-21)

Paul begins speaking to the crowd in Hebrew.  This gets their attention, and he is able to continue.  It is clear that Paul is doing all that he can to connect with them.  He is one of them.  Their language is his language.  He is not an outsider who does not care about the temple and Jewish matters.

However, forces have been operating through disgruntled countrymen to make Paul look like he is something other than them.  Paul has been presented as one who is trying to dismantle the Law of Moses and as one who isn’t worthy of respect and an honest hearing.

This is a common tactic of manipulation, whether from a spiritual source or a human one.  An individual or small group is isolated from the larger group and presented as defective and unworthy of respect.  This has always been a problem, but the advent of the theory of evolution has created a powerful tool of dehumanizing people.  Whether in regards to slavery or the lower class of the population, these people can be treated as subhuman because they are at a much lower level than others. 

Of course, this is all hogwash.  It is not our intelligence quotient, our genes, our skin color, or our money, that makes us worthy of respect when we speak.  Our worth is in the fact that we were all made as imagers of God.  Of course, we fall far short of that, but it can’t change the fact that this is what we are made for.  We are imagers of God.  It is this relationship to Him that gives each and every human worth.  This is what Paul is trying to counteract in this crowd.  They have been mentally prepped to resist him without an honest hearing.

Thus, Paul continues down a line of demonstrating his genuine Jewishness.  He was born a Jew, though it wasn’t in Judea.  Yet, he was “brought up” in Jerusalem being trained by the famous Rabbi Gamaliel (grandson of Hillel the Elder).  That phrase, “brought up,” is a verb that includes one’s youth, though it isn’t specific.  In fact elsewhere, Paul refers to himself as a son of a Pharisee.  This was probably meant literally, i.e., his dad was of the sect of the Pharisees.  This would explain how Saul would have been sent to Jerusalem and accepted for training.  However, it is also possible that he meant it figuratively.  He was a product of the teaching of Gamaliel, and thus, a “son” (product/disciple) of a Pharisee.  Regardless, this would put Paul in a very small group that was held in great prestige by the common people of Jerusalem.

By the way, it was common for Jews who came from outside of Judea to be looked down upon by Jews inside of it, particularly those of Jerusalem.  However, Paul’s training would have offset that.

This naturally leads into his zeal for Israel.  This crowd is rioting against him because they are zealous for the temple and Jewish matters.  Paul shows them that he too was just like they are.

When a person think they have to do something in order to prove that they love God, then watch out.  The flesh can corrupt this motivation and lead people to do very ungodly things in His Name.

Still, Paul had persecuted those who followed “They Way” [of the Lord].  This referred both to the teachings and the people who believed them.  Paul had persecuted them to the point of death.  Remember, they were just trying to kill him.

In case they would question this (it has been 20+ years), he calls the high priest and the elders of Israel to witness.  His work and station was very high within Israel.  No one was more zealous for the Law of Moses than Saul of Tarsus in those days.

He mentions that his zeal was so great that he had obtained letters from the elders to go to Damascus and arrest any followers of The Way that he found there.

This is all important.  Paul is listing things that he knows to be a list of his shame.  However, this crowd would see them as a list of honor.  Paul is not boasting.  Rather, he is leading up to the unlikelihood of his conversion.

Paul was not a disciple of Jesus who was trying to find a way to make Jesus relevant after his death.  It has been posited that the disciples made up the story of the resurrection because they didn’t want to lose the social power that they had obtained among parts of society.  They didn’t want to go back to hard labor, but hoped to bilk dumb religious-types of their money.

Yet, Paul is a problem for such an argument.  Something huge had to happen to turn a man like Saul of Tarsus away from arresting Christians to be killed and towards promoting Jesus himself.  The previous explanation falls woefully short of people like Saul/Paul, and there were plenty others like him, not to mention Romans and Gentiles who would not be inclined to embrace Jewish fables.

People often ignore difficult parts of a data set in order to make their smug explanation “probable.”  However, if the resurrection of Jesus really did occur, then it would perfectly explain all of the data, whether a disciple of Jesus or a entrenched enemy like Saul of Tarsus, whether a Jew or a Gentile.

In verse 6, Paul shares his experience with Jesus on the road to Damascus.  It truly was extraordinary.  Even if you don’t believe it, the fact that it is Saul of Tarsus telling the story is itself extraordinary.

We often refer to this as the “conversion” of Saul.  However, the word conversion may overemphasize certain things in our minds today.  We can think that Saul used to be a Jew, but  now he has converted to Judaism.  I think that this is absolutely the wrong way to think about this.

Peter and John, Paul and Barnabas, were not creating a new religion.  The way of Jesus was not something that came out of left field, with no connection to what had gone on before.  The Jewish Scriptures are a treatise on the failure of humanity, Israel, to bring forth God’s salvation.  And yet, it points to a Promise from God that He would send an Anointed One, a Messiah, or Christ, who would raise up the fallen of Israel and of the Gentiles. 

The Way of Jesus was exactly what the Law and the Prophets said was coming.  He was the fulfillment of all that it pointed to.  There is nothing more natural than for a Jew, an Israelite, to embrace Messiah!  Paul wasn’t converted.  Rather, he was blinded so that he could see the truth.  Messiah had come, and they had crucified him.  Yet, even now, Messiah Jesus is offering grace to those who would simply believe in him and in the role that God the Father has given to him.

We might say that Jesus represented God “too well.”  As long as God stays in heaven, we can give lip-service to Him and pretend that we really like Him.  However, in Jesus, we are brought face to face with a man who perfectly represents that heart of the Father, but in human flesh.  When unyielding, absolutely blazing truth becomes a man, don’t expect him to live long.

Paul then describes the bright light that suddenly shone around him.  It caused him to fall to the ground.  God in His mercy confronts us in our sin.  Of course, not all have this experience, but they do have things that knock them off of their high horse and speaks to their heart and mind a message they have not been wanting to hear.

Jesus of Nazareth confronts Saul with the truth of his sin.  “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”  The only answer is that he thought he was serving God by doing it.  Yet, Saul was confronted with the truth that he was part of a long line of Israelites who had betrayed the God of Israel.  He was on the side of the forces of antichrist, instead of fighting the battles of the LORD.  Mercy!  Wouldn’t you want to know if you were fighting for the wrong side out of your own blindness?  This is the work of Jesus that his disciples are called to do.

The religious crowd would probably notice that Saul represents Jesus giving him a double salutation (Saul, Saul).  This was a common way of getting someone’s attention.  However, within the Old Testament it is used by God in very special places.  God speaks to “Abraham, Abraham,” as he is about to sacrifice Isaac.  We see it with Jacob, Moses, and Samuel.  Jesus himself employed this with Martha and Peter (“Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.”}.  You might do a study of addresses by God to people with a double salutation.  It is enlightening.

Regardless, Paul notes that the men saw the light (though it was particularly aimed at him).  However, they did not hear the words.  Christ was speaking to Saul in his heart and mind.  It was a message for him.  This was an event that was both natural (the light) and supernatural (the message).  Even the light has a supernatural source.

Paul then describes the Lord’s instructions to go into Damascus.  Of course being blind, he is helped into Damascus by his men.  Aren’t you glad that God knows how to get our attention?  He won’t force us to serve Him, but He will get our attention from time to time.

Paul then shares his experience in Damascus with the Jew Ananias.  Ananias had a good reputation among the Jews of Damascus.  He comes to Saul and somehow (by the Holy Spirit’s revelation) knows that he is blind.  Ananias tells Saul to receive his sight and he is able to see within one hour.  Thus, God was working directly with Saul and indirectly through this prophet.  However, Paul  shares the message that Ananias was told to give him. 

Saul had been chosen to “know God’s will,” “to see the Just One,” and to “hear the voice of his mouth.”  Each of these are fulfilled in Jesus.  God’s will is for all men everywhere to repent and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is also His will that all men everywhere be presented with this most important truth.  Though Saul did not see the Just One (who is Jesus) when he was blinded, Saul would later have the Lord appear to him in visions.  Lastly, the experience outside of Damascus was not the last time that Saul would hear the voice of God’s mouth (who is Jesus).  Ultimately, Saul would be a witness of this to all men.

Of course, every Christian today needs to know God’s will, see the Just One, and hear the voice of his mouth.  We may not literally see Jesus.  However, our relationship with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, as we grow in our discipleship, will help us to know what the Lord Jesus is saying to us.

Ananias tells Saul that he needs to rise up, be baptized, and wash away his sins while calling on the name of the Lord.

In verse 17, Paul shares his experience in Jerusalem after he had come back from Damascus.  He was in this very same temple when the Lord Jesus spoke to him in a trance.  “Trance” is a word that focuses on the state of a person’s mind.  In a trance, a person’s mind becomes more aware of the spirit realm and less of the natural realm around you.  The word “vision” is about the things a person sees in their mind.  Both of these terms go hand in hand.  The Apostle Peter in describing a previous experience (Acts 11:5) uses both words, “in a trance, I saw a vision.”

Paul had been in the temple with people praying and sacrifices going on around him, but in a moment, all of that receded and he saw Jesus speaking to him.  The message is that Paul should quickly leave because his testimony of Jesus would not be received.

It is interesting to hear Paul’s response to Jesus.  He appears to be making a case why he would be the best person to stay and preach to the people of Jerusalem.  He had been dead-set against following Jesus.  He had persecuted those who followed Jesus.  He had held the coats of those who killed Stephen.  Yet, Jesus rebuffs him with a simple, “Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.”

Here, Paul is again.  Only this time, he is not departing quickly.  This time, he is standing and delivering an absolutely amazing testimony of how the grace of God through Jesus turned him around 180 degrees.   God’s mercy is giving him one last shot to stir their hearts to faith.

There are times when people need to hear a hard word.  It is generally a word that they have been running from for a long time.  Paul knew exactly what it was like to be blind and think that you are doing what is right, and yet, to be so wrong.  He knew what it was like to kick at those goads that God sends our way, in His mercy.  He could see himself in them.  To give up on them would be to give up on himself.  So, the love of God that had been birthed in Paul’s heart was now fixing itself on this angry crowd and loving them despite their actions.

We are called to people such as these, a people kicking against the goads of God’s grace, a people stubbornly persisting to follow blind guides.  However, sometimes, it is we who have the Gospel who are kicking against the goads.  We can become comfortable in a certain way of doing church, in a way of living, and in a way of being “Christian.”  We follow the tradition of how things are supposed to be done and pat ourselves on the back.  Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit is trying to get our attention to the tragedies all around us, people slipping into eternity without Jesus.  We can be standing in the way of God’s Spirit and declaring that we are doing what God wants.

We have to be careful.  We need to be a people who are not simply praying against things that hurt us.  “God, take it away!”  Maybe, just maybe, it is intended to get our attention.  Maybe, it is a goad from God to spiritually wake us up.  Maybe, He is using it to sober us up, or even raise us up from spiritual death.

Goads are things that should change our hearts.  They are spiritual and packed with the power of the Holy Spirit.  However, we can go right on by them.

You may be ministering to someone like this, and you just want to give up on them.  Notice that Paul isn’t giving up on his people, no matter how stubborn they are and no matter how unjust they act toward him.  He is telling them the  best thing they could ever hear.  “Let me tell you about Jesus!  He stopped me in my tracks, when I was planning to drag people off to their deaths.  I thought I was wonderful and that God would be proud.  But, Jesus loved me enough to stop me and call me to repentance and salvation!”  Now, that is Jesus!  That’s the Gospel!

Can you imagine God becoming tired of holding out His peace to this world?  Can you imagine God saying, “We don’t serve your kind here!”  No.  Jesus was the perfect picture of the Father.  What did he do?  He laid down his life in order to serve everyone.  Jesus has set the table with a plate just for you.  However, if you never sit down to eat the meal, it will not do you any good.  Thus, we can block the good that God is trying to give us.

Friend, if we are going to help people, then we need to quit kicking against the goads and start learning, so that we can help others.  May God help us to follow Jesus like Paul did.  He walked into difficulty out of faith that God was going to use it to save some!

Showdown III audio

The Acts of the Apostles 58

Subtitle: The Jerusalem Council I

Acts 15:1-12.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, October 8, 2023.

The early Church was spreading rapidly, and it was becoming clear that there were some very different ideas on what Gentiles had to do in order to be saved. 

Of course, God was never confused, or unsure of their salvation.  It was the preachers, teachers, and elders who had some conflicting ideas.  To be fair, most of the conflict is caused not among the apostles, but from a group of Pharisees who had become believers in Jesus as the Messiah.

The church in Syrian Antioch had become the main hub of ministry to the Gentiles, specifically through the missionary work of Paul and Barnabas.  Thus, they are the ones who are going to present this conflict before the apostles and elders of Jerusalem because the Church needed to be united on such an important doctrine, salvation itself.  However, that unity needed to be founded upon what the Lord would have them teach.

This issue of unity is important.  Unity is good when it is united upon a good thing.  However, unity around a bad thing is at best a house of cards.  This world cannot deliver anything without God, but an implosion of ideas, activity, and culture.  In reference to the end times, Paul tells the Thessalonians that when the world says, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them.

The key here is determining what God expects from the Gentiles who are coming into the new covenant.  This will even have implications on what God expects from Jews as well.

Let's look at our passage.

A conflict arises regarding Gentile salvation (v. 1-5)

At the end of chapter 14, Paul and Barnabas had come back from their missionary journey in Asia Minor.  They reported to the people all of the amazing things God had done among the Jews and Gentiles there.

It then says that they stayed there "a long time."  Luke is good at giving general statements that make it hard to nail down a perfect timeline.  However, from analyzing the book of Acts along with passages in Galatians that giving timing information, we can determine that within the next year certain people from Judea arrive in Syrian Antioch.  They have some strong opinions on what Gentiles need to do to be saved, which causes a big conflict.

Before we look at this conflict, I want to point out one of the schemes of the devil.  Whenever God's people see a big victory, there will always be a spiritual counter-attack from the kingdom of darkness.  Another thing to keep in mind is that he doesn't always use pagans, witches, and satanists to do his bidding.  Of course, he does use them.  Yet, at the same time, the devil is always on the prowl for unstable Christians who are not grounded in the Word of God, and are not led by the Holy Spirit.

The devil finds fertile ground in these men to stir up conflict in the church even though they are believers in Jesus.  This is why it is important for us to pay attention to what the Bible says about our relationships in the Church.  We do need to be forgiving and work for reconciliation, but we also need to be firm on the truth.  This helps to defend against the devil's ability to find leverage within someone's heart and mind.  He knows how to ask slippery questions that get us second guessing, and thinking that we know what others are thinking and what their motivations are.

These Jews from Judea, the area surrounding Jerusalem, were teaching that a Gentile had to be circumcised in order to be saved.  However, circumcision was just the cause célèbre, the tip of the conflict.  Notice that verse 1 mentions that the custom of Moses is why they think that.  Of course, Moses instituted other customs as well.  We will see in verse 5 that they believed Gentiles should obey the whole Law of Moses in order to be saved.

It is important to understand what they are doing.  If you think about it as a formula, it would look like this.  Obeying the Law of Moses + Believing in Jesus = Salvation.  To them, Jesus is simply an addendum to the Old Covenant made with Israel through Moses.  They fail to see that this is a new covenant altogether.  It is based upon God writing laws upon our heart instead of on stone tablets.

Verse 5 also relates that the source of this persuasion are a group of Pharisees who had become believers.  Of course, the apostle Paul had also been a Pharisee who came to believe in Christ.  However, Paul learned his lesson about kicking at the goads of the Holy Spirit the hard way.  They on the other hand have not. 

Now at the first, this argument of the Pharisees might sound wise.  They would just cast the aspersion against Paul and company that if a person is merely saved by faith in Jesus, then they can sin with impunity.  Of course, this would be an error.  You can say that you believe in Jesus, but have you really put your faith in Jesus?  God knows.  He is not playing a game of words.  He deals in reality and truth.  However, let's keep walking through the passage.

Paul and Barnabas quickly get wind of what these guys are teaching and a strong dispute breaks out between them.  Neither side is backing down.  

Let me just remind us something Paul taught in Acts 13:39 when he was in Pisidian Antioch.  He said, "and by Him [Jesus] everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses."  So, Paul does not just see this as an issue for the Gentiles.  He sees it as critical to understanding even how Jews are made right before God.  There were certain things that the Law of Moses could never justify.  Only God's perfect sacrifice could make right those things, and that is Jesus.  The Law's weakness is not what it says, but that I cannot fulfill it in the flesh.  I need a redeemer, and that redeemer alone can make me right with God.

As I said before, if we make unity the cardinal doctrine, we must make it a unity upon what God is saying and doing.  This is why it is a good thing, a necessary thing, to stand strongly against those who teach error, especially when they claim to be believers.  These men were in danger of supplanting the truth in the hearts and minds of the believers of Antioch, and anywhere else they would go.

In Galatians 2, Paul refers to these men as false brothers (in the same fashion as the Bible speaks of false christs, false prophets, and false teachers).  He most likely did not call them that up front.  But later, he would see that many of them never truly embraced the grace of Jesus.  They were more about keeping the Law and its traditions than they were about coming into the new covenant.  In Galatians 2, Paul says that they did not submit to those false brothers for even one hour.  In our day, he would probably say not for one nano second.

When it is clear that neither side intends to relent, the church of Antioch decides to send Paul, Barnabas, and some others to Jerusalem in order to talk with the apostles and elders there.  This issue had to be ironed out now.

It is interesting to me that Paul and Barnabas did not jump on a ship to Jerusalem, which would have been quicker.  Instead, they travel down the coast through Phoenicia (modern-day Lebanon) and Samaria (northern Israel).  As they travel, they share with the churches they find about God's gracious work among the Gentiles.  We are told that this brings great joy to the believers.  It is always wonderful to hear stories of God moving powerfully anywhere in the world today.

I think the main purpose was to counteract any of the false teaching that may have happened by this group of men who had stirred up so much conflict in Antioch.  By the way, the term "Judaize/Judaizer" is often used of Christians who teach others to obey the Law of Moses in addition to believing on Jesus for salvation.

This group from Antioch is received by the Jerusalem church like any group of believers coming from abroad.  Paul and Barnabas share all that God was doing through them, particularly among the Gentiles.

This initial report is quickly resisted by a group of Pharisees who were now Christians.  In verse 5, we have their main argument.

First, they state that "it is necessary..."  Necessary things have no wiggle room.  They are not saying that they think it is wise for Gentiles to do this.  There are thing that I myself choose not to do out of wisdom, not because I believe they are necessary.  I will not drink alcohol because of the damage it did in my life before I surrendered to Jesus.  I do this not because it is necessary for salvation, but as a matter of wisdom.  I've never looked back.  Yet, they are emphasizing that there are some things that the Gentiles necessarily have to do.

Now, let's be honest.  There are some things that God says are necessary, and when He does, we do well to pay attention and obey.  Acts 4:12 says, "There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”  Jesus is a necessary condition to salvation.  This cannot be rejected without losing salvation.

Second, the first necessary thing is circumcision, according to the Judaizers.  Circumcision was a sign that you were under the covenant of Moses.  They believed it necessary for Gentiles to be circumcised to be saved.

Third, which actually incorporates the second, the Gentiles should be commanded to obey the Law of Moses.

This contention precipitates a gathering of the apostles and elders.  It is not referred to as a council in Acts, but historically it is viewed as an official gathering of the leaders of the Church to hammer out doctrine, so it qualifies as such.   They gather to determine exactly what should be taught to Gentiles in regard to salvation.

We should note that the kingdom of God is not about a democracy where everyone votes, and each votes is equal, regarding what we are going to teach.  What we teach must be based upon the decrees and work of God, and it should be led by spiritually mature believers.  Like a family, we would not expect the toddlers to help with the security and provisioning of the household.  Moms and dads are accountable before God to make decisions that are in conformity with God's Word for the sake of the children in their home.  Similarly, the apostles and elders are supposed to be a safety, and a help, to the new believers coming into the Church.  Of course, those elders would one day pass on, and young believers would become the elders of tomorrow.

They gather in order to make a decision (v. 8-12)

Luke tells us that there was much dispute, and then he gives us three testimonies that seem to have helped the group make their decision.  It is not important what all the intricacies of the arguments were.  Rather, Luke gives us the important testimony.  He gives us what we need to know.

The testimony of the apostle Peter is given first.  He was one of The Twelve taught directly by Jesus, and God had worked powerfully through him in Jerusalem and the surrounding area.  He also did not represent the "extreme" of the position of Antioch.  He was from Jerusalem, not one of "them."  Of course, the position of Paul and Barnabas, even that of the Antioch church, was not "extreme."  It is only extreme to a person who is unwilling to listen to God, and continues to resist what He is doing.  If God is moving and we are dead set on staying still, then even He will seem extreme to us.

So, what is Peter's argument, and which side does he take?

Peter points out that God's ministry through him made no distinction between Gentiles and Jews, especially in the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.  They knew the story of Peter's vision of the sheet let down from heaven and how God told him to go to Caesarea and preach the Gospel to the Gentiles there.  In fact, even before he finished his sermon, God poured out the Holy Spirit upon those Gentiles in the same manner as had happened to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost.  Peter says that God, who knows the heart of a man, poured out the Spirit upon them.

How do you argue against that?  So, you are left with disagreeing that God had actually led Peter to do this.  However, that leads you to having to deny that they actually received the true Holy Spirit.  They would have to reject Peter's clear ability to know what God is doing before everyone.

Peter was not participating in an intellectual exercise of who-can-outwit-whom.  He was dealing with the reality of what God was telling Him, and what God was doing among Gentiles.  Jesus was saving and filling Gentiles with the Holy Spirit without them being circumcised.  This is a bigger deal than we might think.

Peter then says that God purified their hearts through faith (verse 9).  How could God take up residence in an unclean vessel (Gentiles were considered such under the Law)?  God had to purify them first.  On what basis?  Purely on the basis of their faith in Jesus.  There is no way theologically around this except calling Peter a liar, which would not be based in reality either.

In verse 10, Peter clearly separates himself from those who are pushing for Gentiles to be circumcised and follow the Law.  He asks them why do they "test God" by putting a yoke upon the neck of the disciples that even we Jews couldn't carry.

This phrase "testing God" is loaded with the connotation of Israel in the wilderness where they tested God.  Those who tested God in the wilderness perished while others went into the Promised Land without them.  These Pharisees may not have known it, but they were acting the part of their forefathers in the wilderness.  They were rebelling against God.

Peter could not have put this in clearer terms.  He is firmly on the side of Paul and Barnabas, but really on the side of Jesus.  He believed it to be dangerous to persist in requiring Gentiles (or Jews) to follow the Law of Moses in order to be saved.  Why would it be dangerous?  This is the argument Paul makes in the book of Galatians.  It is dangerous because it teaches you to lean upon all the wrong things for your salvation.  It diminishes Jesus to something less than your total hope of salvation.  Salvation belongs to the Lord, and is not a work of man, though we can work with the Lord in it.

Peter ends his testimony in verse 11 by giving a summary that parallels that of Paul in Ephesians 2:8,9.  "We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they."  When you couple that statement with the statement earlier that they were purified by faith, we see the grace of God working through our faith in Jesus to save us.  "Not of works lest any man should boast," as Paul would later say.

Peter had come to see salvation as a gift, a grace, of Jesus, and that even Jews are saved in the same manner as Gentiles.  There are not two paths to salvation: one for Jews, and another one for Gentiles.  In Jesus Christ, we are saved the same way, into one body, the Church (English), the Ekklesia (Greek), the Qahel (Hebrew), the People of God.

After Peter's testimony, we then have Barnabas and Paul testify.  Instead of focusing on a biblical argument, they give evidence of the work of God among the Gentiles.  In a sense, they are packing the testimony of Peter, which involves the work at one point in time among one group of Gentiles, with that of many groups of Gentiles, and many points of time, and many different places.

This creates a mounting question that is harder and harder to overlook.  Why would God fill Gentiles with the Holy Spirit and do miracles among them, if they now needed to be circumcised?  If circumcision was needed at all, then God would not do the other.  They would not be fit for service, and for His presence.  A holy God filling an unclean vessel would have been a concept that was anathema.  The vessel is cleansed first, and then it can be holy unto the Lord for His work.

The Pharisees are faced with either obeying God in this matter, or continuing to hold on to their traditions and points of pride.

We will finish up with the council next week.  Yet, let us notice that the freedom of Christ for believers is often put in contention with obeying the Word of God.  However, this is a false dichotomy.  We who have put our faith in Jesus have been purified by faith and now stand in a place of safety, on a foundation of salvation.  From that safe place of Jesus, we are enabled to partner with the Holy Spirit and follow the commands of Christ.  We are enabled to walk out the righteousness of Christ by the grace of God.

You will notice that the moral aspects of the Law (forbidding sexual immorality, murder, hatred, dissensions, etc.) are all restated in the New Testament.  However, the dietary laws, the temple ordinances, the special days of observance, et. al. are not reiterated as obligations of believers.  However, regardless of this, even the moral requirement to love one another is not a work I am doing to obtain salvation, but an act of love out of thanks for salvation.  Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey my commands."  Let us love the Lord our God with all our heart.  And, if we stumble, let us confess our sin, repent of it, and let him do his work of cleansing us from all unrighteousness.

Jerusalem Council I

The Acts of the Apostles 50

Subtitle: The Fallout of God's Help

Acts 12:12-19.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on August 6, 2023.

I have used the term "Fallout" because it features the repercussions or consequences of powerful actions.  When God acts, it is more powerful than a nuclear bomb, and yet more controlled than them as well.  Thus, it is much better than a nuke.  Still, there are powerful consequences to all involved when He gives His help- helpful to some and as devastating as a nuke to others.

The Bible makes it clear that God will eventually do something that sweeps aside all of the great power of man regardless of the period of time in which we live, or the part of the globe in which we live.  People have always been born and raised in situations of powerful governments and people that appear unlikely to ever change.  You can live your life and die without them changing. 

To our limited minds it appears they are immovable.  However, take heart.  God is doing something that is bigger than you, than a family, than a nation, a republic, or a world.  He will step in and judge the wicked at some point in a powerful act of His Sovereignty.

This can be hard on our faith in between the time of suffering and God's help.  Yet, in countless many little ways, God helps us even in times when it appears that the wicked are untouchable.

When God sweeps away their power structures and authority, it is a source of rage and frustration for the wicked, but it is simultaneously a source of joyful amazement for the people of God!

Let's look at our passage.

The believers are astonished (v. 12-17)

Peter has been freed from prison by an angel of God. As is often the case with prayer, God can astonish us simply by doing the thing for which we are praying.  This surprise can be because of the quickness of the answer, or because it is answered at all.  There is a level of weak faith in this matter.  However, this is not the hardened unbelief of the lost.  Rather, it is a remnant of our close connection to a lost world.  We grow to expect certain things from God, just as we do from certain people.  This doesn't make a person a failure as a Christian, but rather a human in need of God's grace.

The believers of Israel in the first century were not used to angels helping people out of jail.  So, in one sense, we can give them grace.  God was on the move with powerful works and they were not used to it.  However, in another sense, we can see that they have had three and half years of the miraculous ministry of Jesus followed with about ten years of God doing powerful things through the Apostles of Jesus.  Perhaps, they should be softly rebuffed with the response, "Ye of little faith!"

The believers who had been praying for Peter would have presumably been praying for God to spare Peter from execution and enable him to be released.  We can pray things with our mouths that our heart does not expect to happen, i.e., "It would take a miracle...and God hardly ever does that."  Sigh. 

Let us always remember that the simple thing and the impossible thing are both easy for God to do.  God isn't sparing with miracles because they are hard to do, but because they don't always help our faith. Yet, I think that God enjoys astonishing believers from time to time.  He likes to give us surprises from time to time.

Our sanctified minds are not perfect at analyzing God's purpose and plan.  With the execution of the Apostle James, it may have appeared to them that God had finally moved them into martyr-mode.  Others had been killed, but the apostles had been spared up until now.  How quickly our faith meter can rise and fall based upon what we see on the ground.  As the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5:7, "We walk by faith, not by sight."

Finding himself in the street at night, Peter naturally goes to a place where believers would gather.  In those days, this would often be the home of a believer that was large enough to accommodate a bigger group.  One of those places in Jerusalem was the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark.

By the way, there are a lot of women in the New Testament named Mary.  It can be hard to keep them clear.  There are at least six or seven with three different Mary's at the cross when Jesus died.

The believers were in the habit of gathering together and praying together, especially when there was trouble like Peter being in jail.  It is important for us to develop the discipline of praying for one another, but also to pray with one another.  Such a disciplines will serve us well in times of difficulty.  If you wait until trouble hits to reach out to others and try to pray, you will be less likely to do so, and do it effectively, when it comes.

Thus, we should have intentionality in our prayer life.  I don't want to pray only when I feel like it, or I think I need it.  In truth, we always need to pray alone, and to pray with others.  God help us to develop a disciplined relationship with Him through prayer.

As Peter knocks on the door of the gate (verse 13), a young girl named Rhoda answers.  She is so excited about it being Peter that she neglects to open the door and let him in.  She runs into the house and tells everyone that Peter is at the gate.  However, they think she is crazy.

When we are not inclined to believe something, we will grasp at every alternate explanation that we think is more believable.  However, the only evidence they have is that someone claims that Peter is currently at the door of the gate.  Rhoda, who is probably a teenager, claims that Peter is at the door.  She has seen him.  Yet, they say that she is crazy.  The word literally means that she is beside herself.  Of course, their only evidence of her being crazy is that she claims to have seen Peter. 

Think about it.  It is one thing to be skeptical and want to see for yourself.  However, if you were not there when Rhoda claims to have seen Peter, you can't use that as evidence of her being crazy.  You are the one who doesn't know anything.  You have to investigate.

Of course, because she insists that Peter is at the gate, they then change their charge to the idea that she has only seen "his angel."  What do they mean by this?  It is most likely a reference to his spirit, i.e., he must have been killed at the jail and we are being visited by his spirit.  Angels were spiritual beings and the term was sometimes used for all spirit beings by extension.  It is also possible that they are thinking it is Peter's guardian angel.  But, why would the angel look like Peter, and be at their door?

They have put forward the statement that Rhoda is either crazy or has seen Peter's spirit, but in no way, has she seen Peter.  We may not believe everything that everyone says, but we should be careful of making pronouncements about things that we did not see.  You should go and check it out yourself, or hold your peace.  By the way, this has led many an atheist to Christ (checking it out for themselves).

God is not stuck in your boxes.  I am the servant, and He is the master.  We should walk more humbly among one another than that.

Peter, of course, is still at the gate and continues knocking.  He has escaped from prison, and is now standing in the street in the middle of the night.  If the guards come looking, they will find him easily.  The believers finally open the door and now they are astonished.  There is some irony here.  They thought that Rhoda was mad, but now they are "astonished."  This word means to stand outside of one's self, but it didn't have the connotation of actually being crazy.  It meant something more like being amazed at something that seems incredulous.

No matter how much faith you have, you are still a human being who is mortal and framed in by limitations.  However, God isn't.  When He moves, it is often mind-blowing even to His people.  If you think about it, even just the normal activity of God's creation is amazing.  On top of this, He does astonishing things when we are not expecting it.  God has made astonishing promises to believers that are easy to talk about, but do we really believe?  The general resurrection of believers into immortal bodies seems incredulous to 21st century humans, but it is God's promise to the saints of every age.  Prepare to be surprised, and astonished!

Yet, if God could spring Peter with an angel, why not James?  That is the question isn't it.  Why does God do what He does, and not do what He doesn't do?  You will never be satisfied with an answer in that area.  Besides, from another perspective, we could say that James has been promoted to the side of Jesus, but Peter has been left on the earth to continue working.  James' testimony is that Jesus is worth dying for, and Peter gives the same testimony.  Yet, he is spared this time.

It is the privilege of the people of God to be amazed at the grace and mercy of God.  It is our privilege to be amazed from time to time as we pray for God's help.  We can shout together, "That's our God!  That's the One that we've been talking about!"  Let us praise our amazing God, and our amazing Savior!

After explaining all that has happened, Peter tells them to let the other apostles know that he has been freed, and then leaves.  This is one of those "underground church" lessons.  They would be looking for Peter at any time.  The first place that the gestapo will look is at the homes of your known associates.  We must be wise as serpents, but harmless as doves.

The wicked are frustrated (v. 18-19)

We will now look at how God's activity affects the wicked.  Of course, the wicked are always upset when God helps the righteous.

We are told that there is no small stir among the soldiers.  When they awakened and saw that their prisoner was gone, they knew this was a matter of life and death, theirs.  This was the day that Herod intended to try Peter, and execute him, no doubt.  Guards were always under threat of death for losing a prisoner, but especially a prisoner like Peter who "disturbs the Roman Peace."  They would have only so much time to look for Peter and then they would have to come clean to Herod.  They would not be able to sweep this under the rug.

Herod is finally told.  Verse 19 says that Herod searched for Peter and couldn't find him.  Of course, this means that he sent people out to search for Peter.  When they came up empty handed, Herod interrogates the guards and then has them executed.  He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword.

Man's military operates much like a machine.  It is very methodical and all about function.  It is not a place of grace and mercy, but of harsh realities.

Though military language is used of believers in the New Testament (i.e., the armor of God, spiritual battle, etc.), God is not a man trying to act the part of God.  Of course, this is what generals, kings, and presidents do.  God is not desperate for you to never fail.  He can afford to have mercy and grace upon those who are more than His spiritual warriors, but are also His children.

This brings us to a principle.  When you are on the wrong side of God, you had better get used to frustration and rage.  Herod ends up with egg on his face and doesn't like it.  He sends a message to the other soldiers through the execution of the guards, and he sends a message to the people of Jerusalem as well.  This is no laughing matter.  Herod will not be made into a spectacle!  He may suspect that the guards had to have helped Peter escape.  Regardless, he is finding out the hard way that it is no fun to be fighting against God.

We are told that Herod then goes down to Caesarea.  It was no longer fun and rewarding to go after these Christians in Jerusalem.  It was fun for a time, but then God stepped in.  Yet, not all of the enemies of God's people are so easily dissuaded.  It is not always fun for believers either.  Yet, we always have the confidence that our God loves us and is working all things for our good.  He fights our battles!

This is the destiny of all the wicked, to be frustrated, and at the mercy of the cruelty of one another.  We could even say that Herod is "beside himself" in anger.  Yet, there is coming a day of great shame and loss for the powerful people of the earth and their armies.

Believers must once again take hold of the truth that God has not given this world to the wicked.  It may appear so, but it is only temporary.  They are taking advantage of God's grace and mercy.  Yet, they will be judged in the end.

God has particular judgments throughout history in which things changed overnight that people though would never change.  On top of this, God has a final day of wrath that will bring this Age of Grace to a close.  What will we choose, desperate frustration and shame, or the joy of amazement as our Savior steps in?  Those who choose the Lord Jesus will not be put to shame in the end!

Let me end by reminding us of the War of Independence.  When the united colonies won their independence from Great Britain, it was a big deal, a judgment of God.  But, it is a drop in the bucket to what Christ will do when He comes back to liberate humanity from the usurpers and their sycophants.  We must choose which side we will be on.  Some will always choose the side of the wicked against God.  Yet, in His mercy, He has given us this Age of Grace so that men can choose.  Choose this day who you will serve!

God's Help audio