Things Contaminated by Idols (Acts 15:19-21)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/31/2018 9:41 AM

My Worship Time                                                            Focus:  “Things Contaminated by Idols”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 15:19-21

            Message of the verses:  "Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, 20  but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. 21  "For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

            We ended our last SD stating that there four practices that the Gentile church were told to abstain from.  Then at the end of MacArthur’s commentary he wrote the following.  “To needlessly violate the Mosaic sanctions would destroy the church’s credibility with unbelieving Jews and also offend believing ones.  It would be an abuse of the freedom in Christ believers enjoy.” 

            The first practice that believers were to abstain from:  “Things contained by idols.”  I have to say that this subject has been a bit confusing to me as I have looked at different passages in the Word of God.  Paul writes that because of looking out for a believer whose conscience is weak that they should not go to the market and buy meat that had been sacrificed to idols.  Meat that has been sacrificed to idols in that day was cheaper than meant that was not so it was a matter of economy for some believers who realized that there is no such thing as an idol to buy it from that kind of a market.  There also seems to be a sterner warning not to do this like in our passages from today.  I am thankful that this problem is not around today; at least not have to worry about eating meat that was sacrificed to idols.

            John MacArthur writes that idolatry was “a repulsive, blasphemous matter to the Jews,” as well it should be.  After all it was the worshiping of idols that caused God to take the Israelites from their country the first time in 586 BC.  I want to quote a couple of rather long passages from the pen of Paul on this subject, first from 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, and then from 1 Corinthians 10:14-23.

“1 Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies. 2 If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know; 3 but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.  4 Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one. 5  For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, 6  yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. 7 However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. 8 But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. 9 But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? 11 For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. 12 And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.  13 Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.

 

            “14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say. 16 Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? 19 What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?  23 All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor. 25 Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience’ sake; 26 FOR THE EARTH IS THE LORD’S, AND ALL IT CONTAINS. 27  If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions for conscience’ sake. 28  But if anyone says to you, "This is meat sacrificed to idols," do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience’ sake; 29 I mean not your own conscience, but the other man’s; for why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks? 31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; 33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved.”

 

            I think because of the many verses that we have looked at this morning we will not look at the next practice (fornication) until our next SD.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I don’t want to do anything that could cause a brother stumble as Paul writes about in 1 Corinthians 8:13.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I trust that the Lord will give me wisdom as I began to teach from Daniel 9:20-27 in our Sunday school class tomorrow.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “The Lord” (Job 38:4).

Today’s Bible question:  “Where did the sixth angel in Revelation 16:2 pour out his vial?”

Answer in our next SD.

3/31/2018 10:26 AM

PT-1 "The Decision" (Acts 15:19-29)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/30/2018 7:58 AM

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  PT-1 The Decision

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 15:19-29

            Message of the verses:  “19 "Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, 20 but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. 21 “For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath."  22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas-Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, 23  and they sent this letter by them,

"The apostles and the brethren who are elders, to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, greetings. 24 “Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls, 25 it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 “Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will also report the same things by word of mouth. 28 "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: 29 that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.’”

            We can ask a question about the first word, “therefore” in verse 19, and that is what is the therefore, there for?  And the answer is that since all of the speakers have spoken and all came to the same conclusion that salvation is by grace alone.  Keeping the law and observing rituals were not requirements for salvation.  The Judaizers were to be forbidden to trouble the Gentiles by teaching otherwise.

            No that this major doctrinal issue resolved, James, who I have mentioned before was the head of the Jerusalem church; he then turned to practical matters of fellowship.  The apostles were concerned not only that the Jews not trouble the Gentiles believers, but that the Gentile believers not trouble the Jews.  MacArthur goes on to say “The danger was that the Gentiles, reveling in their freedom in Christ, would pressure the Jewish believers to exercise that same liberty and violate their consciences.  To forestall that, James proposed that they write a letter to the Gentiles ordering them to abstain from four practices:  ‘things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.’  Those were violations of the law of Moses, who ‘from ancient generations has in every city those preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.’  To needlessly violate the Mosaic sanctions would destroy the church’s credibility with unbelieving Jews and also offend believing ones.  It would be an abuse of the freedom in Christ believers enjoy (cf. 1 Peter 2:16).”  “18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.”

            We will be looking at these four practices that we are to abstain from that are mentioned above in our next few Spiritual Diaries beginning with “Things contaminated by idols.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Today we celebrate “Good Friday” and as I look back at the salvation by grace we have been studying over the last few days it could not have happened without what Christ went through as He hung on the cross to pay for my sins.  He did that because of His great love for me and for all who will turn to Him for salvation by grace alone.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to think of that great love that Christ has for me, demonstrated by what He did for me, and to be committed to tell others of it.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “A house of prayer” (Matthew 21:13).

Today’s Bible question:  “Who said ‘"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?”

Answer in our next SD.

3/30/2018 8:24 AM

Prophetic Promise Proves Salvation by Grace (Acts 15:13-18)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/29/2018 9:20 AM

My Worship Time                                       Focus:  Prophetic Promise Proves Salvation by Grace

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 15:13-18

            Message of the verses:  “13 After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, "Brethren, listen to me. 14 “Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. 15 “With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, 16 ’AFTER THESE THINGS I will return, AND I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN, AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL RESTORE IT, 17 SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,’ 18 SAYS THE LORD, WHO MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM LONG AGO.”

            We have heard first from Peter, then Paul and Barnabas and after the stopped speaking James begins to speak to the congregation, and James speaks of the prophetic Word from the book of Amos 9:11-12. 11 "In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, And wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins And rebuild it as in the days of old; 12  That they may possess the remnant of Edom And all the nations who are called by My name," Declares the LORD who does this.”  “11 In that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and will rebuild the ruins of it, and will set up the parts thereof that have been broken down, and will build it up as in the ancient days: that the remnant of men, and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called, may earnestly seek me, saith the Lord who does all these things (Amos 9:11-12 Septuagint).”  I am not sure if James was quoting from the Septuagint or not, but it looks like what he quoted is similar to it than the Hebrew version of Amos.

 

            We can see from this section of Amos that the Old Testament certainly prophesied that Gentiles would come to know the Lord.  I don’t know if this is a true statement or not, but it does seem so to me and that is that during the Old Testament times there were not many Gentiles who came to know the Lord, and now during the New Testament times there are not many Jewish people who have come to know the Lord, but there will come a time during the tribulation period and the millennial kingdom when both Jews and Gentiles in abundance will come to know the Lord as their Savior. 

           

            As I look down at John MacArthur’s commentary I see that he writes that many have speculated that James is actually quoting from the Septuagint which is the Old Testament Hebrew translated into the Greek language.

 

            This passage in Amos is speaking of the millennial kingdom when the Lord will rebuild the temple of David as Amos states.  It is in this millennial kingdom as I have already stated when many Gentiles will come and seek the Lord.  This is not the only OT passage that speaks of this.  John MacArthur writes “James reassured his Jewish audience that the inclusion of Gentiles into the church did not abrogate God’s plan for Israel.  In fact, in the kingdom they will be the messengers to bring Gentiles to God (Zech. 8:20-23).”  “20 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ’It will yet be that peoples will come, even the inhabitants of many cities. 21 ’The inhabitants of one will go to another, saying, "Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts; I will also go." 22 ’So many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD.’ 23 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, ’In those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."’"”

 

            MacArthur continues “James’s point is that the prophet said Gentiles will be in the kingdom without becoming Jewish proselytes.  Therefore there is no need for them to become proselytes in the present age.  His speech is a fitting conclusion to the speeches in defense of salvation by grace alone; James concluded by showing that that will also be the case in the future.  Therefore, Gentiles salvation in the present must also be by grace alone.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I just want to say that I am so happy and blessed that God has sent His Son to die on the cross for this Gentile.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to remember the love that Christ has for me as He took my place on the cross to pay for my sins, and my sin.

 

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Paul the aged, prisoner of Jesus Christ.”

 

Today’s Bible question:  “Jesus said that God had planned for His house to be used for what?”

 

Answer in our next SD.

 

3/29/2018 10:24 AM

The Fact of Miracles Proves that Salvation is by Grace (Acts 15:12)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/28/2018 10:11 AM

My Worship Time                         Focus:  The Fact of Miracles Proves that Salvation is by Grace

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                           Reference:  Acts 15:12

            Message of the verses:  “12 All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.” 

            What we have this morning is a long title with a short SD.  As I look at verse twelve I realize that I must have missed all along that the apostles were talking to the congregation as we read in the first part of the verse “All the people kept silent.”  This shows me that those who were in the congregation had nothing to say about Peter’s point that he brought up in the last two verses which we spoke about in our last SD.  Perhaps those Judaizers who were in this group finally understood that salvation was by grace and they did not have to add any works in order to be saved.

            Now in today’s verse we see that the Lord used Paul and Barnabas to do great sings and wonders and miracles in order to get people’s attention so that they would listen to the gospel message.  We have gone over this subject in the past, but it does bear repeating.  I remember when I first became a believer and was not yet grounded in the faith as much as I am now and therefore was listing to those preachers, who by the way only wanted my money, who were teaching that God was obligated to heal a person who was sick.  I even wrote a letter to one of them who was on TV about a problem that I was experiencing and of course there was no cure for what I was suffering, but there was a letter back wanting money.  There was a purpose for each of the miracles that are seen in the New Testament, and many times it is to show the power of God in order to get people’s attention to listen to what a person has to do in order to be spiritually healed.  This was a part of what we call “sign gifts,” spiritual gifts that would go away after the church was established, and the New Testament was written.  Once that was done people could read about the fact that they were sinners in need of salvation and understand that Jesus Christ came to earth as God’s promised Messiah in order to preach and teach for three years and then go to the cross in order to pay for our sins in his body.  As Easter season is here and Good Friday is near we remember that while Jesus was on the cross that darkness come upon the cross so that no one could see that God the Father was taking out His wrath on His Only Begotten Son in order to pay for our sins.  Christ cried out at the end of those three hours “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me” a quote from the 22^nd Psalm.  The Father and the Son were separated during this time as the Father was pouring out His wrath, wrath that we deserve, on His Son.  I believe that because Jesus knew that He would be separated from His Father and that He knew that He was going to become sin were the reasons that He sweat great drops of blood in the garden, as He hated sin that much, but loved us more.  Another thought on healing comes from a man who helped me a lot when I first became a believer and he told me that God heals you every time except the last time when He takes you home, and I suppose that that will be the best healing of all.

            John MacArthur writes “Those miraculous signs and wonders confirmed that Paul and Barnabas were God’s spokesmen (cf. 2 Cor. 12:12) ‘12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.’ They taught salvation by grace (Acts 12:38-39) ‘38 "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.’ and the miracles God performed through them confirmed the truthfulness of that teaching (Heb. 2:3-4) ‘3  how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.’  In contrast, the Judaizers could have produced no miracles to support their teaching.  God does not confirm false teaching by granting miracles (a truth applicable to today’s church to the many so-called miracle workers with aberrant theology).”

            Just the same as Peter’s arguments, Paul and Barabbas’s evidence presented was irrefutable as they too taught that salvation was by grace alone and was thereby stamped unarguably with God’s approval.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Once again I see the love of God in this passage as it was because of His great love that He empowered Paul and Barnabas to do these signs and miracles in order to get people’s attention to hear the greatest love story ever told.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Be ready to tell others this wonderful story of love and grace so that they too can be saved.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Ten” (Genesis 18:32).

Today’s Bible question:  “How did Paul describe Himself in Philemon 1:9?”

Answer in our next SD.

3/28/2018 10:41 AM  

Cleansing from sin Proves Salvation is by Grace (Acts 15:9b)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/27/2018 9:53 AM

My Worship Time                              Focus:  Cleansing from sin Proves Salvation is by Grace

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 15:9b

            Message of the verse:  “cleansing their hearts by faith.”

            We have been talking about the genuineness of salvation for the Gentiles and have been comparing it with how the Jews were saved as seen in the first part of the book of Acts at various places including on the Day of Pentecost as seen in the second chapter of Acts.  One of the ways that a person is saved, Jewish or Gentile is seen in this last half of verse nine as both had their hearts cleansed by faith, “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph. 2:8-9).”  MacArthur writes “Those purified of their sins are obviously saved, and God does not cleanse people who are not truly saved.  Such cleansing comes only by God’s grace.”  Let us look at a couple of more verses to help illustrate this truth:  “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace (Eph. 1:7).  “"Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins’ (Acts 10:43).”  Now since the Gentile believers have already been cleansed of their sins by grace alone, what good would it be to add a ritual.  Jesus Christ has paid it all and so there is never a need to add any kind of ritual in order to be saved.  God sent His Son to the earth to take care of the sin problem for all who will accept what He did on the cross and so it would be a slap in the face of God to say that what His Son did is not enough for a person to become a believer.

The Inability of the Law to Save Proves Salvation is by Grace:  Acts 15:10-11

            “10 “Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.’”

            One of the early problems in the church in both the salvation of the Jewish people and then with the Gentiles was the Jews.  I have to say that this problem is still going on in Israel today as I learned from our Pastor who along with 51 other people toured Israel a couple of weeks ago.  They had as their guide a woman who was a born-again Jew and she reported that the Jews were still giving problems to both Jews and Gentiles who were born-again, and hearing this left me heart-broken.  Satan is still using the Jews today as he used the Judaizers during the early days of the Gentile’s coming to Christ.  Peter, in this section warns them saying that they were putting God to the test, and surely that is what they were doing.  They had no business in challenging or questioning God’s gracious gospel.  Their folly was that they were “placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither” their “fathers nor” they had “been able to bear.”  God’s Law showed the holiness of who God is and no one can keep it, and that is why our Lord Jesus came to earth to perfectly keep all the Law and because He is our Kinsman-Redeemer God sees us as keeping the Law also.  Peter describes the Law as a heavy burden, something that the Scribes and the Pharisees thought they were keeping in order to get into heaven, but they were not.  During the last week of our Lord’s life on earth He said this about the Pharisees:  “1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2  saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; 3  therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. 4  "They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger (Matthew 23:1-5).” 

            John MacArthur closes this sub-section:  “Peter closed his speech with a ringing affirmation of the glorious truth that salvation is solely by grace.  ‘We believe,’ he declared, ‘that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.’  Whether for Jews or Gentiles, there has always been and always will be only one way of salvation.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I focus in on salvation by what the Lord Jesus Christ did for me on the cross, I shamefully have to admit at times that I forget that He did this because of His great love for me, and this is something that I never want to forget, nor that the Lord for.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  To remember today and everyday how much my Lord loves me.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Daniel.”

Today’s Bible question:  “What was the fewest number of righteous people for whom the Lord would have spared Sodom?”

Answer in our next SD.

3/27/2018 10:34 AM

                                                                                   

Past Revelation Proves Salvation by Grace (Acts 15:7)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/26/2018 8:50 AM

My Worship Time                                          Focus: Past Revelation Proves Salvation by Grace

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                             Reference:  Acts 15:7

            Message of the verses:  “7 After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe.”

            I have to admit that I have always thought that the words that we are reading in this section were what went on when all the leaders of the Jerusalem church got together with Paul and Barnabas, but because of what MacArthur wrote in his commentary I guess that what we are reading are the words that these men are speaking to the assembled church.  At any rate Peter was the first one to speak and in verse seven we can see that he is taking his listeners back to the early days of the church.  It seems to me that he is talking about the events that took place in Acts chapter ten where Peter led Cornelius and his family to the Lord.  I have always thought that Jesus singled out Peter to bring the gospel message to the different groups beginning with the Jews in Acts chapter two and this verse seems to support that idea.  So Peter reminds his listeners of what happened during that time of Acts chapter ten and thus to him it was already divinely settled.

            We will now look at the next sub-point from the second main point of “The Discussion.”

The Gift of the Spirit Proves Salvation is by Grace:  Acts 15:8-9a.

            8  "And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; 9  and He made no distinction between us and them.”

            As we remember the discussion that Peter had with those who were leaders in the Jerusalem church when the Lord had used him to lead Cornelius and his family to the Lord, he now skillfully anticipated again what some were going to say about Gentiles salvation.  Peter is saying that it was God who knows all hearts, was the One who gave them the Holy Spirit.  The argument against what happened to all the Gentiles who had been saved from the Judaizers was that all the converts were not really saved because they did not meet their legalistic requirements for salvation, so they were not really saved.  I have learned that what the Lord wants me to do is to sew the seed and to let the Holy Spirit do His work in bringing those who will be saved to salvation.  I cannot save anyone, I do not have the power of spiritually raising someone from the dead, as only the Spirit of God can do this.  I have also learned that I am not the judge to verify if a person is truly born-again.  I know as we look at the parable in Luke 8 and also in the other gospel accounts that when a person is truly born-again that they will produce fruit, Jesus says even 100 fold.  I have heard a long time ago from someone that when I get to heaven that there will be three surprises: First to see who is there; Second to see who is not there; and last: I am there.

            As I look at what the saved Pharisees and also the Judaizers were saying it makes me think of what the Pharisees were saying to Jesus, and what I think they were saying was that “we are better than you.”  These Judaizers and Pharisees were doing something similar here as they thought because they were Jews that they were better than the common Gentiles who were saved, they thought that they were superior, and that certainly was not the case as it is up to God who will come to faith in His Son.  God has made no distinction between the saved Jews and the saved Gentiles.  MacArthur adds:  “The Gentiles received the same phenomenon, speaking in languages, as had the Jewish believers on Pentecost (Acts 10:44-45; 11:17-18).  That proved they had received the Spirit, which in turn affirmed that their salvation was genuine.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I am thankful for the remainder from this section that it is up to the Lord to save someone and all I am to do is to give out the Word of God to a dying world.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I trust that the Lord will give me great insight into my study of Daniel 9:20-27 as I continue to prepare to teach this in our next Sunday school class.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Joshua and Caleb” (Numbers 14:1-9).

Today’s Bible question:  “The story of four men who refused to eat the king’s food is told in which book?”

Answer in our next SD.

3/26/2018 9:25 AM   

Intro to "The Discussion" (Acts 15:6-18)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/25/2018 9:30 PM

My Worship Time                                                                        Focus: Intro to “The Discussion”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 15:6-18

            Message of the verses:  The following SD’s that we will be doing will consist of today’s introduction to the 2^nd main point from out outline from John MacArthur’s commentary and then we will be looking at six sub-divisions under this 2^nd main point.  We may do more than one of these in a day.

            “6 The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. 7 After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 "And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; 9 and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. 10 “Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are." 12 All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. 13 After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, "Brethren, listen to me. 14 “Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. 15 “With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, 16 ’AFTER THESE THINGS I will return, AND I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN, AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL RESTORE IT, 17 SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,’ 18 SAYS THE LORD, WHO MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM LONG AGO.”

            I have to say first of all that this is one of the most important sections of Scripture that is in the Word of God, especially the New Testament, and as noted before Peter and all those who headed up the Jerusalem church including James were certainly filled with the Holy Spirit’s wisdom as they made these statements and later on sent the letter to the church at Antioch.

            After all heard the message from Paul and Barnabas all the leaders decided to have a private meeting.  To be honest I don’t know if Luke was there since he was a great friend of Paul or if Paul later told him what happened in the meeting, at any rate we have in this section some of the things that went on in this meeting with more to follow.

            Another thing worth mentioning is that it would be the leaders and not the congregation who would decide what would happen in regard with this topic.  I am sure that later on the congregation heard about what happened, but for now it was up to the leaders.  Perhaps MacArthur has some insight that I did not have as he writes “Luke does not satisfy our curiosity by giving us an account of that meeting.  We can only imagine what it must have been like, with learned and godly men passionately pleading their cases.  Luke resumes his account with the entire congregation gathered to hear their leaders’ decision.  That decision was announced in a series of speeches by Peter, Paul and Barnabas, and James.  Each expounded the truth that salvation is wholly by God’s sovereign grace through faith, apart from any ritual or law-keeping.  Taken together, these speeches constitute one of the strongest defenses of that truth in Scripture.  It has well been said that Acts 15 is the Magna Carta of the Christian church.”

            Now we will get our outline for the six sub-section from the 2^nd main section:  “The speeches of Peter, Paul, and Barnabas, and James present six proofs that salvation is solely by grace.  Salvation by grace is proven by past revelation, the gift of the Spirit, cleansing from sin, the inability of the law to save, the fact of miracles, and the prophetic promise.”

            As mentioned we will begin looking at these in our next SD.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Jordan” (Matthew 3:13).

Today’s Bible question:  “Which two of the 12 spies said the Israelites could capture the land of Canaan?”

Answer in our next SD.

3/25/2018 9:51 PM

 

 

           

PT-3 "The Dissension" (Acts 15:1-5)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/24/2018 7:03 AM

My Worship Time                                                                           Focus:  PT-3 “The Dissension”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 15:1-5

            Message of the verses:  “1 Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." 2 And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. 3 Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren. 4 When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. 5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses."”

            We are going to look at the last verse in this section today and then give a couple of quotes that hopefully will help us understand this verse better.

            We have mentioned the Judaizers in an earlier SD from this section of verses and they were the ones that Paul and Barnabas were debating at the beginning of this section, but now when we get to verse five we see another group, the Pharisees who are basically saying the same thing and it all has to do with legalism.  Legalism is limited grace, and this is not what the Bible teaches:  “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace (Rom. 11:6).  John MacArthur quotes a man named Lenski:

“To add anything to Christ as being necessary to salvation, say circumcision or any human work of any kind, is to deny that Christ is the complete Savior, is to put something human on par with Him, yea to make it the crowning point.  That is fatal.  A bridge to heaven that is built of 99/100 of Christ and even only 1/100 of anything human breaks down at the joint and ceases to be a bridge.  Even if Christ be thought of as carrying us 999 miles on the way, and something merely human be required for the last mile, this would leave us hanging in the air with heaven being still far away. (R. C. H. Lenske).”

            Now as we look at the Pharisees of verse five we see that they were different than the ones who had a great hand in the crucifixion of Christ as it says “who had believed” and so as mentioned in our last SD they were holding onto something from their past life that surely needed to be changed.  Now these Pharisees were not arguing that circumcision was needed for salvation, but that believers were still obligated to keep the Law of Moses, and so they missed the point that Jesus kept all the Law and then died so that believers did not have to keep the law as a means of salvation.  John MacArthur writes “They were much like the weaker brothers of Romans 14:1-10, who held to dietary laws, rituals, and Sabbath codes for conscience’s sake.  They were convinced that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah who died for their sins and rose from the dead.  That, however, did not immediately cause them to forsake keeping the Mosaic Law as a way of life.”

            If we compare the Pharisees with the Sadducees the Pharisees believed in the literal interpretation of Scripture, a literal resurrection, life after death, and the existence of angels, however the Sadducees did not. Thus

They shared the basic convictions of the Christians (Pharisees).  Because of this they are sometimes in Acts found defending the Christians against the Sadducees, who had much less in common with Christian views (cf. 5:17; 23:8f).  A major barrier between Christians and Pharisees was the extensive use of oral tradition by the Pharisees, which Jesus and Paul both rejected as human tradition.  It is not surprising that some Pharisees came to embrace Christ as the Messiah in whom they had hoped.  For all their emphasis on law, it is also not surprising that they would be reticent to receive anyone into the fellowship in a manner not in accordance with tradition.  That tradition was well-established for proselytes—circumcision and the whole yoke of the law.  (John B. Polhill).”

            John MacArthur concludes:  “New Covenant believers are freed from the unbearable burden (Acts. 10:13-15; 15:10) of keeping all the Old Covenant ritual.  Yet they are not ‘without the law of God but under the law of Christ’ (1 Cor. 9:21).  There is no license to sin in Christian liberty.”

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Peter” (Acts 10:34).

Today’s Bible question:  “Where did John baptize Jesus?”

Answer in our next SD.

3/24/2018 7:33 AM   

PT-2 "The Dissension" (Acts 15:1-5)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/23/2018 10:15 AM

My Worship Time                                                                           Focus:  PT-2 “The Dissension”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 15:1-5

            Message of the verses:  “1 Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." 2 And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. 3 Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren. 4 When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. 5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses."”

            We want to pick up our lesson today in verse three where we see that this delegation of trustworthy men, Paul and Barnabas and some others, went up to Jerusalem and on the way they were passing through Phoenicia and Samaria, and then the verse talks about what they were describing, that is the conversion of the Gentiles.  Perhaps they were giving a kind of report as to what happened in their first missionary journey.  But I think that the conversation was with people in the regions that they were going through.  Paul seems never to miss an opportunity to preach the gospel and because traveling was rather slow in those days they had opportunity to speak to people along the way.  Many people in those days traveled in groups in order to be safer, so perhaps that was what these men did and then had time to talk to other about Christ.  John MacArthur writes of these people “Those regions were populated largely by Hellenistic Jews and Samaritans, who were more open to the salvation of Gentiles than the Palestinian Jews were.  The news of the conversion of the Gentiles brought great joy to all these brethren.  As the spiritual children of Stephen, Philip, Peter, and John, they did not share the views of the legalists troubling the Antioch church.  Paul and Barnabas were building support as they went.  Not only the Antioch church but also the brethren from Phoenicia and Samaria supported the apostolic doctrine of salvation by faith along for both Jews and Gentiles.”

            In verse four we see that the journey was over for these men as they reached their destination at Jerusalem and they were received by the apostles and also the elders of the Jerusalem church.  Once there they reported all that the Lord had done with them.  Paul and Barnabas gave glory to the Lord for the success of their first missionary journey similar to what we read in Acts 14:27 “When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” 

            I want to mention a few different things from this section and the first is that Paul remembers this time when he writes to the church at Galatia as he was defending his apostleship in that letter.  Next I have to admit that I would have loved to be parts of that meeting as all of the great apostles meet together discussing what the Lord had done for them thus far in their lives. 

            The problem with this meeting is that there were certain people who did not agree with what Paul and Barnabas were doing as they were making the free salvation that Christ offers into a Jewish “thing.”  They wanted to add to what people had to do, and if that were done then salvation would then not be free.  We read that “certain ones of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed protested.  It is necessary to circumcise them, and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.”  We will deal with this issue in our next SD, but first I have to say that it is hard for people after they are saved to give up some of the things that they had before they were saved, that is why Paul wrote to the Philippians to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” in other words once you are saved you need to grow in grace as Peter wrote.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Barabbas” (Luke 23:18).

Today’s Bible question:  “Who said ‘Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons’?”

Answer in our next SD.

3/23/2018 10:46 AM

PT-1 "The Dissension" (Acts 15:1-5)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/22/2018 9:21 AM

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  PT-1 The Dissension

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 15:1-5

            Message of the verses:  “1 Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." 2 And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. 3 Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren. 4 When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. 5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.’”

            In our last SD on the introduction to Acts 15:1-35 I did not do what I have usually done and that is quote the last paragraph of John MacArthur’s commentary in order to show us what points that we are going to go over.  “Given those concerns, conflict was inevitable.  As long as the Gentile converts were few and were already Jewish proselytes (like the Ethiopian eunuch), the issue could be avoided.  But by the time of the Jerusalem Council, matters had come to a head.  The issue was not whether God wanted to save Gentiles, but how they were to be saved.  Could they enter the kingdom of God directly, without coming through the vestibule of Judaism?  That was the question the Jerusalem Council convened to decide.  From the inspired record emerge four features:  the dissension, the discussion, the decision, and the development.”  We will begin looking at the dissension in today’s SD.

            In both Peter and Paul’s writings they warned the church of false teachers coming into the church.  These false teachers come from Satan to destroy the effectiveness of the church, and that is what we are seeing in Acts 15. 

            Paul writes how a person is saved in his letter to the Ephesians “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  This is the simple message of how a person was saved and Paul writes that works has nothing to do with salvation.  He goes on in verse ten to talk about working after one is saved, but works has nothing to do with salvation as Jesus did all the work necessary and all we have to do is to accept it, and that is not a work.  If someone gives you a gift it is not a work to accept it.  John MacArthur writes “The most destructive of the ‘destructive heresies,’ since it damns men, is the teaching that salvation is by human works, which Peter warned against.  That doctrine is the credo of all false religion and the longest-running heresy in the history of the church.”  We see where this hearsay came from in verse one:  “Some men came down from Judea” and what they were teaching was “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”  This is the hearsay they were teaching, adding something to the free gift of salvation.  As we look at verse 24 we read “"Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls,” and this shows that they were not sent from the Jerusalem church.  I have to believe that they were messengers from Satan.  I am sure that they believed what they were teaching, but what they were teaching came out of the pit of hell and was destructive. 

            Whenever one studies the letter to the Galatians they will end up going to this 15^th chapter of Acts as Paul has much to say about this subject in that letter.  These men who came from Jerusalem probably did not want to eat with the believers in Antioch.  Paul writes about this in Galatians 2:11 and following.  If they did not eat with them then how could they participate in the Lord’s Supper?  Paul even writes in Galatians that Peter actually fell in line with the heretics while in Galatia.  These men came to have a name and that name was “Judaizers” and what they believed is seen in verse one:  “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

            Paul and Barnabas knew better and they rallied to the defense of their flock as they “had great dissension and debate with” these Judaizers.  As you read some of Paul’s letters you can understand how great of love he had for those in the flocks that he had started, and even those he did not start as they were all children in the Lord.

            We will close with what the church at Antioch did and that was to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem in order to talk to the leaders of the Jerusalem church.  By the way Peter was not the leader of this church it was James the half-brother of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We read the following “the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue.”  John MacArthur writes “The issue of how Gentiles were to be saved could not be settled in one local congregation.  The decision would have to be made in Jerusalem by God-ordained leaders of the church, the apostles and elders (cf. Eph. 2:20),” “having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone.”    

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Satan is tricky and so I need to have my spiritual armor on each and every day.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  To continue to study the Word of God each day as this only teaches the truth.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Bless them” (Romans 12:14).

Today’s Bible question:  “Who did the Jews want released instead of Jesus?”

Answer in our next SD.

3/22/2018 10:12 AM