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We are in acts chapter 15. The Bible says that we are to not be envious of others. We are also to confess our faults and I have to confess I’m envious of Janet this morning. I talked to her and said, how in the world can you have lived in a place that has allergies this bad for all these years? And she said,
I don’t have allergies. So I just got to admit I’m just a little jealous. Yeah. In that case, I’m looking forward to reaching the age where I can forget I have them. Oh. So when you hear me All, all through class, it’s not COVID I guarantee it. It’s not it’s that yellow pollen out there. All right. We are,
as I mentioned, we’re an acts chapter 15, and we’ll begin with a word of prayer. It is so good to see each and every one of you this morning. And it’s a beautiful day after a nice storm, but it’s good to see your smiling faces. Let’s pray our gracious father in heaven. We come before you grateful for your many blessings,
grateful for all that you do for us on a daily basis in all. And, and in recognition of your great power that with a word, you could bring this universe into existence. And by the word of your mouth, you could create everything that is. We struggle so much even just to control the, the many nuances of, of our own daily lives.
And yet we recognize that you reign over all that is, and that it continues to exist by the word of your power. But we are in so much greater, all that through your word, salvation has come through your word. Grace can be found through your word. Redemption is brought nine to each and every individual in the entire world who would, but here believe and obey.
We pray that you will be with us as we go through this period of study, as we focus our hearts and our minds on the, of the church in the first century. And we remind ourselves that there have always been struggles and difficulties and things to overcome within the body of Christ. That that is nothing new, nor will it go away before this world ends.
And yet that you are in charge and that you reign Supreme and that all we have to do is be obedient to you. We ask that you forgive us when we sin and fall short of your glory. When we struggled to understand and struggled to perceive what you are doing in this world, and yet help us to, by faith obey, which you have told us to do all this.
We pray in Jesus name, Amen. In acts chapter 14, verse one Only one we read. And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lister. I conium and Antioch strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith and saying, we must through many tribulations, enter the kingdom of God,
Paul and Barnabas, as they are returning from their first missionary journey. They’re returning To what city did they Leave from? Jerusalem or some other place? Antioch of Syria. Okay. They did not originate this missionary journey in Jerusalem. They originated it in Antioch and they’re returning to Antioch going back the same path that they had taken on their way out. So when they had appointed elders in every church and prayed with fasting,
they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. And after they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. Now, when they had preached the word in Perga, They went down to Adeline. And from there, they sailed to Antioch where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work, which they had completed. This word,
commended keeps showing up. As they’re coming back, They’re meeting with the churches, they’re appointing elders and they’re commending them To the Lord When they left Antioch. We remember that the Holy spirit said separate out Barnabas and Saul for the work that I have chosen for them to do. And the church gathered together and they prayed and they fasted and they laid their hands on them.
And they sent them. There’s this understanding that we are to have That when we’re separated from one another, when we’re separated from those we love when we’re separated from other Christians That we don’t Have to go through every day, wondering are they okay? Is everything will be all right? I know this is a struggle for mothers when children Leave home, because you’re like,
I did everything I could while they were here. I think I, and then you count all of the things that you didn’t do right in your brain reminds you of all the times you failed. But then you, you just, at some point, If they’re faithful to the Lord, if they’re doing what’s right, if they know what’s right, You let go and allow them to walk their path before God,
some parents were robbed of that opportunity. You remember when Jacob is There and he sends his son Joseph to go check on his brothers. And Joseph goes to check on his brothers. And when he arrives to check on those brothers, his brothers look at him and they despise him. They hate him for everything. He’s said, the dreams that he’s had,
the favoritism, his father has shown him and they said, Let’s kill him. And ultimately The, the Hess of one of the brothers, they don’t kill him, But they do Take him, strip him of that coat, throw him in a pit. They eventually take that coat and dip it in the blood of, of a Ram and take it back to their father.
And they sell their brother Into slavery In an age of probably 17 or 18 years old. Joseph in a very odd sense gets commended to the Lord for the work that God had set in store for him. And it gets done by his brothers who hated. They laid their hands on him and they sent him out and they didn’t even know And realized they were doing it to save their own Lives just a few short years from that.
But I say all that to say, As we go through life, when we are separated from those who are faithful Christians, when a person is out on a missionary journey, or when someone is dealing with the difficulties of life or the difficulties of a congregation, we need to become Reliant on the Lord. And that’s what This whole word commended carries with.
It is they are not, the churches are not reliant on Paul and Barnabas. They are not reliant on the church in Jerusalem. They are not reliant on the church in Antioch. They are reliant on the Lord and they stay in independent, autonomous and alone. And yet as a part of the universal church, as a church of Christ before God, and with the understanding that God was fully capable of supplying their needs.
And so they travel back to Antioch. And when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them. And that he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. This news comes back to Antioch, and this was exactly what the Holy spirit had intended for Paul and Barnabas. And that’s what Paul says is he reaches the other Antioch and preaches there and acts chapter 13.
When the Jews reject what he had told them, when the Jews are envious of the Gentiles who have come to hear Paul and Barnabas on that second Sabbath, Paul and Barnabas say, you have rejected yourselves before God. Now we’re turning to the Gentiles and they will. So they stayed there a long time with the disciples and chapter 15, certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren.
Unless you are circumcised. According to the customs of Moses, you cannot be saved. Now who started the church in Antioch? Do you remember? We discussed this, I think back in chapter 11, all right. Disciples who left Jerusalem because of the persecution and because of the things going on there. And they went all over the region and some of them went out of the region of Judea and Galilee out of Palestine.
And they started the church in Antioch and some of the surrounding cities. But one of the unique facets of the church in Antioch was they didn’t just preach to the Jews when they came to that region, they preached to the Jews and the Greeks. But these Jews, these Jewish disciples, these Jewish Christians who left Jerusalem, did they preach to these Greeks that they needed to be circumcised,
to become under the law, to be in a covenant relationship with God in order to be saved? No, they came to Antioch and they preached to Jew and Greek alike to repent and be immersed in water for the remission of your sins, because that’s what they had been taught. So now here we are all these years later, and those from Judea who are Christians in Judea start journeying out and they’re preaching a very different message.
They’re preaching Jesus Christ and him crucified his salvation to everyone who circumcised under the law. And that’s not the gospel message, but that’s the message they preached turn over to Galatians chapter one. These events right here are the background to the first two chapters of the book of Galatians. And while we will not spend a great deal of time in this in Galatians,
or we won’t get through acts chapter 15, I do want to mention a few things that we have here. Paul begins number one, verse one, Paul, an apostle, and Paul wants it to be very clear, not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God, the father who raised him from the dead, Paul writes to the churches of glacier.
And he says, I want you to be reminded. And I want it set up front that I didn’t get my apostleship from anybody on this earth. I didn’t become an apostle at the hands of Peter. I didn’t become an apostle of the hands of the apostles. I didn’t receive my message. My doctrine, my gospel from the church in Jerusalem. I got it from the Lord and notice what he says.
He says, verse six, I Marvel that you are turning away so soon from him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. If you continue This thread into chapter two, you’re going to get a clear observation that this perversion he’s talking about is what these Jewish Judean Christians are coming to these Gentile churches to teach.
Notice what he says. He says, which is not another, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you, then that which we have preached to you, let him be a cursed, as we have said before. So now I say again,
if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be a cursed for, do I now persuade men or God, or do I seek to please men for if I S if I still please, man, I would not be a bond servant of Christ. Now notice he says over in verse 18, he’s, he’s going to talk about it.
You know what? I’m going to read it because it’s worth it. Just, just to get the context, just to get what Paul’s saying, but I make known to you brethren that the gospel, which was preached by me is not according to man for, I neither received it for man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ for you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism,
how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased, God who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through his grace to reveal his son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles.
I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood. You remember when Jesus appeared to Anna Niaz and said, Anna, Niaz you go to Damascus? Because there is one waiting Saul of Tarsus. And he is going to be my instrument to take the gospel to the Gentiles. And I will show him the many things he will suffer For my name’s sake. And Paul,
I want it to be clear when he was told to take the gospel to the Gentiles. He did not respond to the Lord with, well, let me go talk with these other, these other individuals over here. Make sure they’re okay with it. Let, let, let me go talk with the elders of the church in Jerusalem. Make sure they’re okay with it.
Let me go talk to the apostles and just make sure that they’re okay now. Oh, the Lord was okay with it. And that’s all that mattered because that’s where His authority originated. But notice what he said, Verse 17, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me. But I went to Arabia and returned again to Damascus.
Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter and remained with him 15 days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother now concerning the things which I write to you indeed, before God, I do not lie afterward. I went into the regions of Syria. Where is Annie? Fuck in Syria. Okay.
So he’s talking about Antioch now.<inaudible> and I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea, which were in Christ. You remember when Antioch sent the funds to help the churches, the church in Jerusalem. And they sent them by Hands of who? Paul and Barnabas. They Send them by the hands of polymers. This is the occasion he’s talking about.
He was there for 15 days. He says. And when I came to Jerusalem for 15 days, I saw none of the apostles, Peter. And he says, I also saw James, the brother of Jesus. Okay. But he said the churches in Judea, they don’t know my face. They don’t know who I am, That I didn’t originate with them.
So this is setting in contrast, what’s happening in chapter 15, verse one and two, he says, but they were hearing only he who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith, which he wants, tried to destroy. And they glorified God in me. Then after 14 years, I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas and also took Titus with me.
This Is acts chapter 15, Galatians chapter two is Acts chapter 15, at least the beginning part. So he’s rehearsing this to the churches of glacier. He says, I went up to Jerusalem after 14 years and took with me Titus and Barnabas. And I went up by revelation and communicated to them that gospel, which I preached among the Gentiles, but privately to those who are of reputation less by any means I might run or had run in vain.
Okay. Paul Says, when we went to Jerusalem after these 14 years, 14 years of working in the church at Antioch, and then going on this fish first missionary journey, and then coming back to Antioch and then going to Jerusalem. And these 14 years, he has been preaching the gospel to the Gentiles. And he did not tell a single one of them here believe repent,
confess, be immersed in water and be circumcised. He didn’t tell any of them that he did Told them to hear and believe and repent and be calm and confess Christ and be immersed in water for the remission of their sins. Now, if He just spent 14 years teaching the Gentiles, That what Happens if now the church in Judea says, Whoa, wait a minute,
wait, wait. We missed a step. Yeah, If that were true, if that was coming from the Holy spirit, he would have to go back on that first missionary journey trip again and teach all those Gentiles. He’s already taught. I got it wrong. That’s what he means. When he says that I would have run in Maine. He took all this time going and teaching these Gentiles and going and teaching even these Jews.
And now he would have to go back and teach them all Again. So he says, yes, Not even Titus, who was with me being a Greek was compelled to be circumcised. So when he goes back to Jerusalem, he takes Barnabas. Who’s a Jew. And he takes Titus who’s Greek. And Titus is kind of his test case. If they,
if he goes back to the church in Jerusalem and the church in Jerusalem and the apostles insists that Titus as a Greek become circumcised. Now we’ve got a problem, buddy. If he goes with Titus to Jerusalem and uncircumcised, Greek, and comes back from Jerusalem with Titus and uncircumcised Greek, then guess what? We don’t have a problem. Okay. Now Hold off on any more Galatians two for a minute,
while we get some more of acts chapter, Therefore, Or verse two when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them. Okay? So remember those in Judea came to Annie Rock to preach you Unless you are circumcised. According to the customer, Moses, you cannot be safe. I know, Unlike some of my preaching brethren, when they hear someone get up before a congregation and spouts false doctrine,
Paul Martin Was warned about to sit in their seats and let it stand. I’ve got some brethren who just, Oh, well, I’ll take them aside privately. No, ah, Paul and Barnabas, we read when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension. If it was no small dissension, what was it? A great begun after a very large dissension and dispute with them,
they determined that Paul and Barnabas, they who’s the, they here, by the way, They determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem. Who’s the day<inaudible> Absolutely. It’s the, it’s the church in Antioch. All right. Here’s this church made up of Jews and Greeks and they’re going to go, Oh, wait,
we need to send, we need to send some people back to Jerusalem. Why are they sending them to Jerusalem by the way, is that because Jerusalem’s like the center of all authority in the church? Or is it because that’s where these false teachers came from? Remember these false teachers came from Judea, where’s Jerusalem, Judea, this is a Judean problem.
And it needs to be resolved. They’re not in Antioch. It needs to be resolved among the apostles and the elders in the church in Jerusalem so that the Judean Christians get their act together. Okay. So they send them to go to Jerusalem, to go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders about this question. So being sent on their way by the church,
they pass through Phoenicia and Samaria describing the conversion of the Gentiles and they caused great joy to all the brethren. Now notice as they’re going down from Antioch in Syria to Jerusalem, they’re stopping along the way and all these churches and they’re spreading the good news of what the Holy spirit had done. What Christ had done in saving the Gentiles on this first missionary journey.
And the reaction of all of these churches was not well, did they circumcise, were they? No. That wasn’t the reaction. Their reaction was to be, Oh, the filled with joy that the gospel had gone to the Gentiles. Okay. So when they came to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all things that God had done to them.
Now this report right here is what Paul references back over in Galatians chapter two, when he says in verse verse two, and I went up by revelation and communicated to them, the gospel, which I preached among the Gentiles. But he says privately to those who were of reputation lest by any means I might have run or had run in Paul’s no ignoramus.
When it comes to politics. Paul is well-taught. Paul was a Pharisee, Paul knows. And by the way, we’re going to find out in acts chapter 15, that it’s farracies who were Christians that were the problem here. Okay. But Paul is going to say, I know who I am. I’m going to first. I’m not going to let anybody else control.
As we would say it today, the narrative I’m going to the elders and the apostles and those of reputation in the church in Judea first. And I’m going to talk with them privately. They’re going to hear the story from my mouth and not the mouth of the people who think I’ve done something. Okay. So he’s smart about what he’s doing here. So verse four,
back in acts, chapter 15, and when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders. And they reported all things that had been done that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the who believed, okay, so these are farracies who were Christians. Okay. That’s what we mean by Pharisees,
who believed Luke is saying, these are believers, but they were Pharisees. Okay. He said, but some of the sector of the Pharisees who believed Rose up saying it is necessary to circumcise them, that being the Gentiles and to command them, to keep the law of Moses. Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. And when they hadn’t,
there had been much dispute, Peter Rose up and said to them. Now, before we go any further, I want us to understand a few things. Number one, this was not, as we might hear to term today, a church council, this was not a collection of people who came together of their own decision-making process to determine the doctrine of Christ.
That is not because Paul has already said he, we went to Jerusalem. And what did he say in Galatians two by revelation church in Antioch sent them to Jerusalem. But the church in Antioch sent them to Jerusalem. The same way the church in Antioch sent them on the first missionary. Bernie, the Holy spirit told them to go. This coming together.
Jerusalem is not the choice of the church leaders. This is the actions of the Holy spirit. Gulling we are about to solve this problem. Well, right Now. And So the Holy spirit send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem and the others from Antioch that go with them. And the Holy spirit is going to be at the head of this entire process, Not Individuals who are deciding church doctrine,
because that’s what you get. You get a lot of, a lot of denominations. A lot of, even our brethren coming up today saying, well, they determined what the church believed back here. Next chapter 15, they didn’t At No point ever have Christians gotten to decide what the church doctrine is. Christians are allowed to decide. And every, every congregation autonomously are allowed to decide matters of Liberty matters of judgment.
That’s the role of elders to determine in a congregation, how to handle matters of judgment for him. What color should the carpet be? What color should we paint the walls? What time do we meet on Sunday? How many services should we have? One or more? They can’t say zero because that’s a matter of doctrine. They can say one or more that,
do we have a midweek Bible study or not? All of those are matters of judgment. All of those are determinations by a local congregation or by a local ed. Eldership going, this is what we think is the best way to grow Edify, encourage exhort and evangelize in our community. And they’re matters of Liberty. Not matters Of doctrine, but When it’s a question of how does a person become saved?
That’s a settled discussion. And Paul says, when you come around and you say, well, wait a minute. I know the new Testament says that. I know the gospel says that, but I think you need to do this. Paul says, no, no, no. You’ve perverted. The gospel. You’ve changed the doctrine of Christ. And you’ve taken those who are in the grace of God and you have caused them to be cursed.
So when you Have someone who says, you know what? I know that Jesus said he, that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but I’m willing to just accept he, the believers, Really? At what Point did Jesus offer up his throne and allow you to sit on it and get to decide what causes a person to be saved? He never has.
I’ve got a phrase that I use that I inherited from my Parents. When my children Decided to start bossing one another around, it goes something like this who died and left you in charge Because that’s the only way it’s going to happen. That’s the only way You’re going to inherit any authority is if I am dead up until that point, Tough luck. You don’t have any authority.
Is Christ dead then Matters where he’s already decided what the answer is. We don’t have any authority and that’s one of these matters. Okay? So to the exact opposite of what some want to claim about this passage, this is the exact exemplification of the church coming together and going, wait a minute, what did Christ say? What Did the Holy spirit say?
And we’re going to do whatever that is. Okay. So notice Or gets up. Peter gets up And Rose up and said to them, men and brethren, you know that a good while ago, God chose among us that by my mouth, the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe that’s acts chapter 11. When the Holy spirit sent Peter to Cornelius To preach the gospel,
amen. And P and the Holy spirit told him, you go and not doubting. Don’t doubt, just go. And he went and the Holy spirit fell upon those individuals. And Peter’s response was can any Withhold baptism from them? Peter, didn’t say, can anybody hear withhold Leaving from them? He didn’t say, would anybody here withhold repentance from no.
He said, can anyone here with whole baptism from them? Now notice he’s going to rehearse this. He said that by my mouth, the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe so God who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy spirit, just as he did to us. That’s the us of acts chapter two, the apostles just as he did to us and made no distinction between us and them purifying their hearts by faith.
Now, therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers, nor we Were able to bear. Peter gets up as this dispute is going on. You’ve got one side saying this and another side saying this. And one group saying this and another group saying this, we need to do this.
We need to do that. And Peter finally stands up and says, wait a minute, this was settled. Long time ago. You remember when I went to Cornelius, you remember when the Holy spirit fell on Cornelius and made it clear what the Holy Spirit’s intentions were. And you remember how that when we were under the law, we were carrying around a yoke as oxen that we couldn’t bear.
Now, why are you trying to put that yoga on them? If we couldn’t carry it, how are the Gentiles going to carry it? We’re the children of Abraham where the descendants of Abraham and Moses and Jacob, and we couldn’t carry the yoke, The law. And yet you’re trying to put it on the Gentiles. So then notice what we read.
He said, but we believe 11, but we believe that through the grace of the Lord, Jesus Christ, we shall be saved in the same manner As they, There are some who want to claim that Peter and Paul preached different gospels, they’re called dispensationalist. And this sensationalist believed that there was one dispensation for the Jews and another dispensation for the Gentiles.
And Paul says, Nope. And Peter says, hogwash. We believe. And we receive grace the same way they do. All right, 12, then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas. And Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. And after they had become silent, James answered saying, all right.
So Paul and Varna was get up after Peter and they declare war The gospel. They preached What they had done in specifically the miracles. Why are the miracles here? Important? All I said, miracles, confirm the messenger and the message. So if the Holy Spirit’s performing miracles through Paul and Barnabas to the Gentiles and then declaring to them, the gospel,
that’s the Holy spirit stamp Approval. This is what I want. And so they use the miracles as the testimony to confirm the message they preached. Now, these Judi and Christians who went to Antioch, did we read where they performed miracles to confirm that the message they were preaching? That’s true. Why not? Because The message they were performing was not authenticated Miracles.
Okay. Now, after they Had become silent, James answered saying men and brethren, listen to me. Now, this is James. The brother of the half-brother of Jesus. Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them, a people for his name. And with this, the words of the prophets agree just as it is written after this,
I will return and rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down. I will rebuild its ruins and I will Set it up so that the Rest of mankind may seek the Lord. Even all the Gentiles who are called by my name says the Lord, who does all these things. Now this is a quotation from somewhere where’s It from Amos Turned back to Amos,
chapter nine, The mentality of These Jewish Christians who are declaring the necessity for the Gentiles to be circumcised in order to be safe, comes from a mindset that says, God promised Abraham that in his seed, all nations of the earth should be blessed. And that God, in Isaiah chapter two was going to restore his kingdom to Israel. He was going to set up a kingdom that would never be destroyed Daniel chapter two.
So they, they, the Gentiles need to become Jews, Need To become Israelites to take part in the blessings of God. But James quotes, Amos and says, go back to verse nine of chapter nine of Amos for surely I will command. And I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a seed yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground.
All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword who say the calamity shall not overtake nor confront us. He’s prophesying concerning the destruction by Babylon. On that day, Amos says I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down and repair its damages. And I will raise up its ruins and rebuild it. As in the days of old.
Now the mentality of these Jewish Christians Is If they don’t have to be circumcised to be safe, Then we lose our glory as Jews, but they missed it. And James points out you’ve missed it. It is. As the gospel goes to the Gentiles through us, that we receive glory as Jews notice what he says, that they may possess the remnant of Edam and all the Gentiles who are called by.
My name says the Lord, who does this thing. All right, now, go back over to acts chapter 15. And notice what James says. James says, verse 18, no. To God from eternity are all his known. Excuse me to God from eternity are all his works. James says, when we understand God determined this long before we ever showed up here,
God knows his works long before he ever does them. Okay. From eternity. Therefore, I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled and from blood for Moses has had throughout many generations. Those who preach him in every city being read in the synagogues,
every Sabbath Amos said, I’m going to take my people and I’m going to scatter them among the nations. And he does it through Babylon, but he says, I’m going to destroy those who are wicked from among my people, but I’m not going to drop one seed. I’m not going to lose one grain of my people who are righteous by doing this.
And instead he’s populating the earth with those who would teach Moses and for generations would teach the Gentiles in those synagogues about the God of heaven. They were as it were the fertilizer, getting ready for the seed of the gospel to be planted. And so James says, we don’t need to put any greater burden on them. They’re already having to come out of paganism.
They’re already having to come out of all of these doctrines of, of, of the Gentiles. We don’t need to do any of that. We need to hold them accountable to moral purity and not to the law of Moses. Okay? So he says, verse 22, we’ve got just a minute or so left. Then it pleased the apostles and the elders with the whole church to send chosen men of their own,
to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely Judas, who was also named Barsabbas and Silas leading men among the brethren. This is I believe our introduction to Silas. They wrote this letter by them, the apostles, the elders, and the brethren to the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and solicit greetings. Since we have heard that some who went out and they own it from Us,
have troubled You with words, unsettling your soul, saying you must be circumcised and keep the law to whom we gave no such commandment. They want them to know, listen, this, this doctrine didn’t originate with us. We didn’t send them to you. All right. They went out of their own accord, but they did From us and we’re admitting it.
Okay? It says, we gave no such commandment. It seemed good to us being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men, to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas who will also report the same things by the word of, by word of mouth.
They said, Lest anyone Have any arguments that Oh, Paul and Barnabas went down to Jerusalem. And then they just came back and told their version. Now the church says, we’re sending these others and they’re coming from us. And they’re going to confirm to you everything Paul and Barnabas tell you it’s exactly the way it happened. He then says for, it seemed good.
And notice this don’t Look this for it seemed good to the Holy spirit and to us to lay up Pawn you no greater burden than these necessary things that you abstain from. Things offered to idols from blood, from things strangled from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, You will do well farewell. So when James stands up And says men and brethren,
and he says, this is my judgment. What’s that letter tell us It. Wasn’t just James, his judgment, the Holy spirit and us. And you could have left out the us. You could have just dropped that whole phrase entirely. And it would have been fine if it had just been, we determined this absent, the Holy spirit we’d had a problem,
But it wasn’t that James makes it clear. The church makes it clear. The letter makes clear the message makes It clear. The Holy spirit determined this and we’re in agreement. And we’re writing to you to let you know that you can be in agreement to all right. So we’re going to pick up with verse 30 on Wednesday as we finish out the chapter and we’ll cover the questions on Wednesday night.
Any comments or questions as we close, if not, you are dismissed Good morning and welcome to the car or truck, your crash Sunday morning, worship service like to welcome all of you. If you’re a visitor, we’d appreciate it. If you’d fill out a barrister’s card. So we could have a record of your attendance, stick around a few minutes so that we get to meet you.
And now would be a good time to get your communion and your put your all for noon in the back. If you hadn’t already done it, we have few sick on our sick list. Joan’s spring are still at home and not doing real well. Janie, Marlin, and Darth and Rodale. Dorothy is still having some stomach pains and we’ll see a doctorate gastro one this week.
Find out if she can find out what’s wrong with her. James Luna, Diana Shafir is with us, but she’s recovering from her thyroid surgery. And Barbara is still able to get out, but still in pain and BJ Clark is still recovering from pneumonia. I guess he’s still on here. We need to remember all of our sick and there’s probably some owner in the bulletin that we don’t mention everyday,
but they’re in the bulletin next Sunday, one 30 afternoon service. We’ll re we’ll get back to doing that. And the fellowship hall will be available. If you want to eat lunch here, the man’s monthly business meeting, we revert back to April in April to the second, Sunday afternoon, after second service, Judy Adams, which is a friend of a delay.
So lash is scheduled to have thyroid surgery Wednesday, and that’s all of our announcements. And Michael Dale will lead singing. Erin Cozort will have the opening prayer. Erik Halverson has the lower supper and Noah Olson will have the sermon and Tommy lashed. Her has closed in prayer. Thank you. First song. This morning will be number 144 O worship the King. Oh,
worship, a King. Oh, Gloria, bah and green.<inaudible> Dallas and<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> and<inaudible><inaudible> for children.<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> and<inaudible> Excuse me. I’m battling some allergies song before our opening prayer. This morning will be 797. Lord. We come before the now Lord, we come before the ah, feed. We<inaudible> Oh,<inaudible> show me,
seek the Lord. And<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> to<inaudible> and no, no<inaudible> no, we see<inaudible><inaudible> grind that, Oh man. See, can find the God<inaudible><inaudible> captive free<inaudible> and the, let us spray Our great and glorious father in heaven. We humbly bow before you thankful for all of your many blessings grateful for the day that we have and the blessings and the commandments that we have to come together and assemble together and join with one another in songs of praise to glorify your name,
to be able to assemble together and lift up our needs, our cares, our wants, and our desires and prayer to you to come together and be reminded of the sacrifice that Christ made for us on the cross, the shedding of his blood and the offering of his body on that cross for our salvation, to be able to assemble together, to hear your word proclaimed and to give back to you,
as you have given to us, we’re so grateful for this opportunity. And we’re so grateful for this day and the health that we have to be able to do these things. We pray that your blessings be upon us in everything that we do that is in accordance with your word. We pray that you will be with us as we go throughout this life throughout our time on this earth,
that as the church here in Collierville, we might not only proclaim the gospel throughout the city, but that we might aid the gospel being proclaimed throughout the world. We know many difficult times are coming our way. And many harsh realities will face this nation in the future as it hasn’t the past. But we are also grateful for all of the many faithful Christians that are throughout this nation,
striving to keep it going in the right direction on a path of purity and holiness and serving you, even though the world is at our throats. Continually, we pray for those who are dealing with illness. Those that are dealing with pain and sorrow sickness, injuries, and difficulties, those who are dealing with such heinous diseases as cancer, and those who struggle every day to have the energy to go through and do the things they need to do when we pray and lift them up.
Before you asking that they have comfort and strength and resolution to serve you no matter what comes, but also that they might be restored back to their desired health. If at all possible we’re mindful of the world that is in the grips of dealing with a disease. We pray that that disease might be overcome, but we pray. Most of all, that this disease of sin might be overcome in this world,
through the gospel of your son, Jesus Christ, all this we pray and ask that you forgive us when we sin and fall short of your glory. All this we ask in Jesus name. Amen. So I want to prepare our minds for the Lord’s supper will be number three 66 by Christ redeemed three 66 By Christ three deemed and CRA nice three<inaudible>.
We keep<inaudible> and show the death of a<inaudible> and<inaudible> his body and<inaudible> is seen. And then this man<inaudible>, and as we drink, we see<inaudible> and<inaudible> with last that event, we<inaudible> by one bride chain of<inaudible> and<inaudible> We are going to take this opportunity to memorialize and remember the ultimate sacrifice that God and his loving son Jesus made for us.
And that was for Jesus to die for us and for our sins so that we may have the opportunity to live with them in glory. One day in heaven, while with me, as we pray for the bread, God, our father in heaven, we come to you at this time, thanking you for having sent your son Jesus here on earth to teach us and to live with us.
But most importantly, to hang his body on that cross and die for us, the centers, as we prepare to take this bread, which represents that body help each and every one of us to remember that sacrifice that he made for us. We pray this through your son, Jesus name, amen. Let’s give thanks for the fruit of the vine God,
our father in heaven, we come to you again, thanking you for your son. And as we’ve prepared to take of this fruit of the vine that represents the blood that he shed for us, help us to remember and dwell on the fact that his blood was shed so that it may wash away our sins. We pray this through your son, Jesus name.
Amen. Now take an opportunity to pray for the giving back that each and every one of us have done God, our father in heaven. We thank you for all the material blessings that we have. And we truly understand that these material blessings are from you and through you and that we had them only because of you. And as we each give back a portion of what we’ve been.
So richly blessed with, we ask that you help each and every one of us do it with a cheerful heart. And we ask also that you help the amount of this congregation use very wise decisions on how these funds should be used to further spread the word, your word here on earth. We pray this through your son, Jesus name. Amen. The song before the lesson will be number 631,
lift him up. Number six, three, one. How to reach<inaudible>. And if I be lifted up from the earth, well<inaudible> man unto me, lift him up, lift him up, stilly, speak Stromae, GE, and<inaudible> be lifted up from the earth.<inaudible> man unto me. Oh, Whoa. There’s hungry for the living bread.<inaudible> for them to see<inaudible> daddy said draw man,
unto me, lift up, lift up<inaudible> and be lifted up from the a<inaudible> man unto me. Don’t exalt the preacher. Don’t exalt the Pew, preach the gospel. Simple for land free. Prove him. And you will find that promise is true. Draw long, man, to me, lift him up, lift him up. Stilly speaks from me<inaudible> and if I be lifted up from the well draw,
man unto me, lift him up by living as a Christian. Oh God. Well then you the savior. See then man. Well gladly follow him. Who wants touch? Draw man, on to me, lift him up, lift him up, stilly, speak Stromae to<inaudible> and be lifted up from the<inaudible> man on to me. Good morning.
It was a privilege again, to be able to preach God’s word unto you song. We just saying it’s beautiful songs that not Christ and the example that he left were us. Something that we should all follow. Our lesson this morning is very simple. Our lesson is entitled. The commandment that saves souls, the commandment that saves souls. We as Christians are given a simple command firstly,
to live faithfully to God for ourselves, to make sure that our lives are pleasing to God by following his word and doing the things that he would have us to do. But we also have something else that we are commanded to do. And that is to take the message which we have obeyed and preach it to the lost verses such as Mark chapter 16 in verse number 15,
go you into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature or Matthew 28, 18 through 20 teaching all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son of the Holy ghost and things such as that. And so we, as Christians are commanded to take This message to Dying world, a spiritually dying world. If you look at just some statistics today,
looking at the population of the, of the earth, almost reaching 8 billion people. How many of those? The 8 billion are Christians. That’s not even 1% just in the millions Then yes, we have the cure. We have the cure that is going to fix the most deadly disease. Is that the Bible God’s precious message. Are we going to distribute it?
There are those who, who possibly might teach That ignorance is going to save. If you take this illustration, there is medicine that<inaudible>, that can cure cancer. And there are two people that could take the medicine. One knows about it. One hears about it. He hears it from the news and he knows that this cure Cure his cancer. So he goes and he takes the cure.
But Then there’s a man who never hears about the cure. He never hears about, He doesn’t take it as he saved because he didn’t know about No, he still will die. And so there are many out there in the world today who have never heard of Christ Who need to hear it because they will be lost. And therefore we need to take that precious message.
Where’s the power. It’s not in the preacher. It’s in the gospel. Look at Romans chapter one, you know, verse number 16, you’ve heard this. What does Paul say? I’m not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. He says, why, why Paul? Why are you not ashamed for, I’m not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is what the power of God unto salvation.
That’s what saves our soul. That’s where the power is As James one in verse number 21, receive with meekness, the engrafted word, Which is able to save your souls. We as Christians have that, then let me ask you a question. Are you an Isaiah? Are you like Isaiah? We need to have the attitude of Isaiah. Look at Isaiah chapter six,
Isaiah chapter six, notice verse number eight. I love his attitude here. We need to have this same attitude. Also Isaiah six, verse number eight. Also, I heard the voice of the Lord saying whom shall, Shall I send and who will go for us then set. I here, am I send me? We need to have that same attitude.
When we are, as Christians going out to spread The most precious precious message to cure and more deadly disease than cancer, a more deadly disease than the Corona virus. What is that sin? And we need to take that cure to the world. Let’s get into our lesson. Our first point for this morning is there is a command to evangelize them. Sadly,
like to say, well, if you want to do it, it’s all right. Christ just gave us. Yes. I see no suggestion in Mark chapter 16, verse 15, preach the gospel. Paul would also say, and second Four and verse number two, preach the, And so Christians are commanded. It’s not a suggestion. And this did not start with us.
This has been ever since long in the old Testament, you look at the profits, Hebrews chapter one and verse number one knows what the Hebrew writer says. Hebrews chapter one and in verse number one, notice God who at sundry times and diverse manners spake in time, past unto the fathers, by what? By the profits, the profits obeyed this command.
This command was first given to the profits of the profits, speaking to the people, but it didn’t stop with him. You know, even our Lord and savior, obeyed this command. Look at John chapter 12 and verse number 49 even hours. Save viewer, obey this Command from our father. Notice John 12 and verse 49 for, I have not spoken of myself,
but the father, which sent me To me, he gave me a commandment. What I should say and what I should speak even cry. You still made this commitment. He knew that he had a job to do, and he submitted to the father of Christ can Submit. We can to Also look at John chapter 17 and verse number four, notice Jesus praying.
He says, I have glorified thee talking to his father on the earth. I have finished the work, which now gave us me to do yes, Jesus had a, And that was to spread the message. And that was to die for the world and stuff Only. We need to make sure that that this command is not taken as a suggestion. It’s a command from deity And we need to make Sure that we are taking this to the world.
What happens if we don’t take this? What happens if we, if we don’t take this seriously, I want you to notice what Jesus says in Matthew chapter five and verse number 13, when he compares us to Matthew chapter five and verse number 13, Notice comparing Us to salt. What a salt do it, preserves things. Notice what he says. Matthew five,
verse 13. You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt have lost his savor, where with shall be salted, it is then it’s fourth. Good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be TRIBE Of men. I think about our world today. We, as Christians are commanded to preserve that, to make sure the gospel is spread out.
If we can’t be the preserving element, What happens Luke? Chapter 18 in verse number eight, this is, this can be taken as a scary verse. Notice this never the less, when the son of man cometh, shall he find faith on The earth when He comes? Is he going to look over the earth? Wait, wait a minute. I,
I thought there were Christians on this earth. That’s our job to make sure the gospel is put forth. I want you to notice. Look at second, Timothy chapter two In Timothy chapter two, notice verse number two, it’s a cycle. And the things that thou has heard of me, Paul talking to Timothy, among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who should be able to teach others.
Also if one Christian teaches another to obey the gospel, they will pay the gospel. That person who bays the gospel, they go teach someone else to obey the gospel. And it’s a cycle. And that’s what we, as Christians are commanded to do, make sure that this is taken as a command. Yes, our job as Christians is not a suggestion.
It’s not, if you want to go do it, It’s a, we have to do it now. Yeah, Many various ways that we can preach the gospel. One, doesn’t have to go to preaching school and become a preacher. A pulpit, preacher, many can do many different things. You can teach a Bible class. You can Do personal Bible study,
do online studies, one-on-one conversation and things such as that. You can be a preacher of the gospel without having to stand in the pulpit, but Christians are commanded to do It and we need to go spread the Meshes, but it messaged. But notice our second point for this morning, there’s not only a command, but there’s a need. If there was no need,
there wouldn’t be a command simply, but there is a need to preach the gospel. There was a need to spread. The thing that we have taken. We have applied to our lives. We have obey. We need to go and spread that because there is a lost world. Look at Romans chapter three in verse number 23 For all, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Yes, everyone as well. Look at Romans chapter five and verse number 12 as well, just a couple of chapters over where wherefore as by one man, sin entered into the world and death by sin. And so death passed upon all men for that all of sin. Yes, there is a lost and dying world. And therefore we as Christians need to make sure that we are taking that to the world.
I love this example of Paul and Romans chapter 10 and verse number one, notice what Paul says. This is a great verse. Notice his desire, Romans chapter 10, verse number one, brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. He had that earning desire. And as we’ll look at here in a little bit,
in a later point That he was willing to be lost So that they could be saved. Now he knew that that couldn’t be done, but he had that desire so that they could be saved. Not only did Paul, but Jesus had this desire. We need to have that desire as well. Look at Matthew chapter nine and verses 36. And following notice Jesus has compassion paved the way that his teaching of the gospel.
We need to know that there is a need and Jesus even solved that need Matthew nine, verse 36. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep. Having no shepherd, that spirit, They were lost spiritually. He knew that they needed, He, they, he knew that they needed,
they needed the cure and he had compassion on that. And since there is a need, I need to, Since there is an age that that man would be saved The world that needs those Teach that gospel look at verses 37 and 38 of Matthew chapter nine, then sets he and to his disciples. The harvest truly is, but the laborers are few pray.
Therefore, the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth laborers into Is harvest. The harvest is plenteous. Many souls are lost, but yeah, Sadly, there’s not many laborers to go out and, and do the things that God would have them to do by teaching the gospel. Yes, there is a need, but notice this, the word is made manifest through preaching.
It’s not going to come through some miraculous intervention as a, in the first century with things of the Holy spirit, miraculous and, and things such as that. But it’s not that doesn’t happen today. Comes through the word and that alone. Look at Romans 10 and verse number 14, Romans chapter 10, verse number 14. How then shall they call on him,
on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? Yes, we as Christian, Chins need to co take that gospel to them that are lost because Titus one, verse three bath in due times manifested here His word through preaching. Again, There is a need to evangelize because the soul,
there are many Souls that are lost today. Notice our third point for this morning. What is it It’s going to hinder us from taking the gospel. There are many things that will hinder us from spreading this gospel. And we need to make sure that we don’t allow these things to hinder us. I have six things I want to list here. Number one is that if we fear personally Fusion,
and we were so scared of that, then that’s going to hinder that. Notice the apostles, notice the apostles attitude and acts chapter five, acts chapter five verses 41 and 42. I love this example, acts chapter five, verses 41 and 42. If we let persecution hinder, if we are fearing of that, that’s going to hinder us. Notice acts five verses 41 and 42.
And they departed from the presence of the council rejoicing. And they were counted Worthy to suffer, shame For his name and daily in the temple. And in each and every house they cease not to teach and preach. Jesus Christ. They knew persecution was They were willing to keep on keeping on. Yes, we can’t fear persecution will persecution come. Yes.
Second Timothy three and verse number 12. Yay. All that shall live godly in Christ. Jesus shall suffer persecution. Now it’s going to come in various forms. It might not be physical. It might not be to that extreme. It wasn’t Century. We still need to preach the gospel. We can’t let that fear of persecution hinder us. But number two,
we can’t fear. Rejection Is rejection going to come. Yes. Jesus even talked about this. Look at Matthew chapter 10, Matthew chapter 10, verses 12. And following notice what he tells them their notice. And when he, when you come into an house, salute it. If the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it be not Worthy,
let your peace return To you. And whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words. When you depart out of that city or out of the house or city shake off the dust of your feet, Jesus warned them. There was going to be rejection. Not everyone you come in contact with is going to obey the gospel, But understand Don’t let that hinder you from wanting to keep on Keeping on don’t fear.
Rejection rejection will come. Yes, you might be. We might even be made fun of. We might even be discouraged or put down for that and don’t let that happen because yes, Christians are going to be strange. We, we, we should stand out in a way, not prideful way, but we should stand out in a way. We don’t look like the world.
We shouldn’t fear rejection because we are different. First Peter chapter two and verse number nine, you’re a chosen generation, a Royal priesthood, a Holy nation, Peculiar people. Number three, if we don’t, I have a love for one the soul. That’s going to hinder us from preaching the gospel. This is going to hinder us from going out and proclaiming the message that we have obeyed.
If I don’t love those, then I’m not going to teach them. I need to love their souls. I need to have a compassion for them. Ephesians four and verse number 15, Preaching the truth And love. We need to have a desire For their souls. We need that. The proper attitude, not, not, no, not a hateful attitude.
When you have a proper, a love for their souls Now som In our world today, like to tell you that that love is just accepting, accepting, saying, we’ll just, just push it under the rug. Just put it to the side. That’s not true. Love. True love is going to tell someone when they are wrong, not in a hateful way,
but a way out of kindness and of love. But yes, if we don’t have a love for one soul, Am I going to preach the gospel? I need to have love for one soul, but number four, this is going to hinder us in preaching the gospel. If I let this hinder us, if I don’t have self control in our life,
if we don’t have self control in our lives today, that’s going to hinder us from teaching the gospel. I want you to notice Romans chapter two, verses 21 and 20 or three 23. Notice if I cannot have self-control in my life for one, I have no authority to go out and tell someone that they’re living in sin. No it’s Romans chapter two in verses 21 through 23 thou,
therefore, which teaches to another, teach us now, not myself. Now that preaches a man should not steal desktop steel. Now that sandstone to should not commit. Adultery does not commit adultery. Now that a Maurist idols thus now commit sacrilege. Now that make us by boast of the law. They’re breaking the law. Now God, If I am not going to make my life temperate and sober and be self-controlled in my life today,
I don’t need to go out and preach and teach those things. And I still have a problem with, if I’m struggling with, with a, if I’m struggling With, with adultery, If I’m struggling with whatever the case might be, whatever sin that you can think of. I have no authority to go tell you to stop doing. I mean the same thing,
fix your own life And hope others. You know, Paul Paul knew this and first Corinthians chapter nine, verse number 27, he says, but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection. Lest that by Any means, when I preach to others, I myself should be a cast away. We have to make sure that our lives are temperate or self-funded.
We have to practice self control. If we purge those things, if we put that sin away, then we can do those things. Look at what Paul tells Timothy in second, Timothy chapter two and verses 20 and 21 second, Timothy chapter two verses 20 and 21. Notice what he says, but in a great house, there are not only vessels of gold and of silver,
but also of wood and of earth and some to honor and some to dishonor. If a man, therefore purge himself from the sea Shall be a vessel unto honor, Sanctified and meet for the master’s use and prepared unto every good work we have to put away sin. If we don’t, that’s going to hinder us from going out and teaching The gospel. Number five,
another hint To our spreading the gospel is if I don’t have knowledge of The gospel, right? I have to Know what I’m teaching. You ever been intrigued at that of car salesman that you’re trying to wonder different details about the car that you’re wanting to buy. And the salesman has. I have no Idea. We as Christians are quote, I guess,
salesmen or examples of the gospel. Therefore we have to know What the gospel says first, Peter chapter three. Okay. In verse number 15, but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts And be ready. Always to give an answer with pride. No, be ready. Always to give an answer with meekness humbleness. Yes. We have to have knowledge.
If we don’t have knowledge, that’s going to hinder us from going out and spreading the gospel. We need to make sure that we know what we’re, What we’re teaching. And then lastly, number six, if we think that it doesn’t work, that’s going to hinder us. We need to know that Again, as we talked about, there will be rejection,
but if we have the come to the understanding, well, it’s just not going to work well. I might as well, not even try well that, that might’ve worked back then, but it doesn’t work. Now keep on trying, because there is that one person. And if I spend 50, 60, 70 years teaching the gospel and I convert one person And that is worth it,
is it not? And yes, We need to make sure that these things don’t hinder us From teaching the gospel. But notice our fourth point for this morning, there has to be, There is a conviction to evangelize. We need to make sure that again, as we’ve talked about, we have to have that desire to want to help others. And it’s not enough to proclaim that there is a need,
but there again, there has to be a desire. There are some statistics Now that I found they’re, they’re really interesting. I want to, I want to share these with you. They’re from Brent Hunter, a personal work one-on-one from, from Pat padfield.com. And this is where I found them every minute, 156 people will die without hope. And this is of course,
is statistics. Every hour, 9,360 People will die without hope. Every day, 224,640 People will die without hope. Every Week, 1,572,480 People will die without hope. And then every year almost 82 million people will die without hope. They will die Having to meet their God unprepared And it’ll be lost forever. Do we see the need to go out and teach the gospel?
We have to be truly convicted to do that. And you know, there are many things that, that we come in contact today. Maybe we have coworkers that, that we know are lost, but We never say anything to them. We know of a family members that that are not Christians, but we know that they’re lost. And if they were to die today,
They would be unprepared to meet their gun. Do we truly understand that? You know, Paul was deeply convicted of this. Look at Romans chapter nine, verses two and three. We need to have this, this attitude notice Romans chapter nine, verses two And three, that I have great heaviness And continual sorrow in my heart. Why? Or I could wish that myself Or a curse from Christ for my brother and my kinsmen,
according to the flesh, if I could be lost for them, I would do it. Now that can’t happen. One must first obey the gospel then Selves, but we need to have that attitude to make sure that They can have the gospel to be convicted, To want others, to meet their gone faithfully. One day, again, as we’ve stated before in our lesson this morning,
we have the cure to the deadly disease. Are we going to distribute the medicine? Are we going To distribute the thing that can cure That we have the cure right in our hand, think, for instance, this analogy, here’s a three-year-old that has cancer. He’s going to die. Three-year-old cancer. There’s a doctor that has figured out how to cure cancer.
All he has to do is distribute. The medicine doctor says, well, it’s going to be too hard. It’s going to be Too hard to distribute that it’s going to cost money. It’s going to waste my time. You know, I could go on vacations. I, I make millions a year. I can do the things that I want to do.
If I distribute the medicine. Yeah, I could help others. What are we commanded to do? Distribute the cure that we know that is going to work look at as equal chapter 33. I also love this example of the example as equal chapter 33. We again have and know the cure again to the most deadly disease that is sand. But look,
it does equal 33. I love this illustration as well. Again, the word of the Lord came unto me saying son of man, speak to the children of thy people and saying to them, when I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coast and set him for their Watchman. If, when he see if the sword come upon the land,
he blow the trumpet and warn the people. Then whosoever here at the sound of the trumpet and take is not warning. If the sword and take away his blood shall be upon his own head, simply there was a Watchman. He sees the, the enemy coming and he warns the people. It’s not going to be his fault. If, if the people don’t want To listen,
it’s not going to be his Fault. The blood’s not going to be upon his hand. Why? Because he warned His people. He saw the enemy, he knew what was to come. He knew the truth. Then verse number five, he heard the sound of the trumpet and took not warning. His blood shall be upon him, but he, that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.
But notice verse six. But if the Watchman see the sword come And blow, not the Trump. And then the people being not warned. If the sword come and take Person from among them, he has taken away in his iniquity. But his blood will. I require at who’s. At the watchman’s hand, simply he saw the enemy coming. He knew the truth.
He understood that he did not want him, People that the enemy was coming. That the truth was there. I, and you, we all know the truth. We all know what is coming. Are we not going to tell those who need the truth? Well, the blood be upon our own hands. We know many who are lost. Are we going to take this,
the cure to the most deadly disease, to those who need it? That’s our commandment Christians. That is our job. And there’s a need for that. But notice our last point for this morning, I don’t think there’s any greater evangelist or any greater one who could spread the gospel than Jesus. Jesus was the greatest one to do this Jesus. There,
there is no greater one. Then Jesus Christ. He was the greatest teacher to ever live. He lived the gospel. He taught the gospel. He Spread, spread the message and he was not afraid To do so because he saw the needs. We’ve talked about. He had compassion on those who were scattered abroad, having they were, they were sheep having no shepherd.
I want you to notice five qualities that Jesus possessed, that we, as Christians can, can possess in our lives to better teach the message that people need. Not that they, they need the gospel notice. Number one, he had a compassion, a deep compassion for lost souls. That’s what we need to obtain. Number two, he was not partial to any economic status.
He was not partial any racial Or gender. Any One can receive the gospel. Galatians three verses 26 through 28, Galatians chapter three verses 26 through 28 does not matter. Gender, Race, social status. Anyone can obey the gospel. Notice Galatians three 26 and following for a year. All the children of God by faith in Christ, Jesus, for as many of you has been as have been baptized into Christ,
have put on Christ notice verse 28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither bond nor free. There is neither bond nor free. There is neither male nor female For you are all one in Christ. Jesus. Anyone can obey the gospel and therefore Jesus was not partial to any. Anyone can preach here and receive the gospel. And therefore we don’t need to be partial to those.
Number three, he took every opportunity he could to preach every opportunity he could. He was there to teach. We need to do that as well. I love this example. Look at John chapter four. I’m not going to read the whole chapter, but the whole chapter, I encourage you to read it. It’s a beautiful chapter, but John chapter four and verse number four,
notice let’s start at verse. Number one, actually, when therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John though. Jesus himself bedtime is not, but as disciples, he left your day. And to part it again into Galilee Notice verse four, and he must needs go through some area. I love that verse because if you read continually,
what do you notice? He has a conversation with a Samaritan woman. He must need to go through some area. We must teach and spread the gospel wherever We are, whether that be at work, it doesn’t have to be a, a full con. Maybe it can just be a little small talk and things, Not just that, but we need to teach and talk and take every opportunity that we can to teach and preach the gospel.
Number four, Jesus taught everything about the gospel. We cannot refrain from, from Picking and choosing what we, it’s not a buffets has been said. We don’t get to pick and choose what we want about the gospel. We need to teach the whole gospel, but as Jesus did, he taught in love. We don’t need to refrain from, from telling people that they are in sin.
If they are now, again, we don’t, we’re not hating, But we do it in love because we care for their souls. And yes, Jesus, I just taught everything about the gospel. He didn’t refrain from preaching on Hill and he talked about the many joys of, of following him. We need to be like him in that regard. But lastly,
number five, he saw the need of doing it quickly and swiftly Jesus would minister for three years, if that, around that time. And he did it. And yes, there is time for fellowship. There’s also time to teach and preach the gospel. Well, the question is, are we going to do that same and follow after Christ’s example, the greatest teacher was Christ.
There’s no other greater teacher than that. And therefore I think we should model our lives after him. And we should because he was the one as the greatest example, who had no sin because he knew what to do. The question is up to us today. Are we going to know our command? And there is a command because there is a need because the world is lost.
And perhaps, you know, many coworkers and many family members or friends that you know, that if, if the end was today that they will be lost and unprepared to meet God. And we, as Christians need to make sure that we know our commandments, we need to have the conviction and be, as Jesus was and preach and teach the gospel to those who are lost as much as we can,
because our number one goal is to get ourselves to heaven. But the second one is to take as many people that we can to heaven so that they can enjoy the pleasures of heaven one day. And perhaps there is maybe one here this morning who has not been living faithfully as a Christian, you have not been doing the things that God would have you to do and,
and you’ll make the gospel once before what’d you come back to God before it everlastingly too late, again, to be, to be prepared, to meet God. And sadly, there are many that are careless. As we sing the song sometimes careless soul wobbly, linger, wondering from the fold of God here you not the invitation, Oh, prepared to meet the high God.
And the song continues careless. Solo heed. The warning for your life will soon be gone. Oh, how sad to face the judgment unprepared to meet God, would you come back to God before? Does everlastingly too late? But perhaps there was one here this morning who has never obeyed the gospel of Christ once before. You’ve never obeyed the gospel. That that is as simply broaden the message.
Would you believe that Jesus is the son of God? Would you repent of your sins? Confess Christ before man, and then be baptized for the remission of your sins to be added to the church. The greatest institution that man has ever known. And would you become a Christian so that you can go to heaven one day and live faithfully onto your God.
If anyone is subject, why don’t you come as we stand? And as we sing Two, dang, why from the sunshine of love? Well, down wrong, farther and farther away. Hey<inaudible> today. Hey, Jesus is<inaudible> calling today. Jesus is calling no weary to calling today, calling to Jay. Hey, bring him I burden. And a shout.
Be blessed. He will not turn the<inaudible> to Jay. Hey, Jesus is<inaudible> calling his 10 early calling today. Jesus is pleading.<inaudible> hear him to<inaudible> on his name. Showery dries quickly.<inaudible><inaudible>. Jesus is<inaudible> is 10 nearly calling today. Hey, The song before the closing prayer will be number 634 we’ll work till Jesus comes.
Oh<inaudible> Oh man.<inaudible> and PE sad. Oh<inaudible> geez. Well, Jesus comes when Jesus comes and will be<inaudible> ah,<inaudible> no more<inaudible> with him. Brave DAS Chile side and reach my head only. Oh,<inaudible> to Jesus comes<inaudible> Oh, Would you bow with me? I got and father in heaven. We’re indeed thankful for the freedom and opportunity that we’ve had to worship day to day father.
We thank you for the great lesson that was brought to us by Noah. And we pray father that we can use this words from this lesson today to make our bright and shining light to more to those more around us in the workplace father. We thank you for all the many blessings you’ve given us and fall away. Most importantly, we thank you for your son.
Jesus, who died on that cross for salvation father. We pray that you’ll be with us and keep us safe and forgive our sins. Jesus. And we pray you ma’am.
