(This outline is provided so that those attending Oasis Church can read ahead, pray, and prepare their hearts for the upcoming sermon.)

The Holy Spirit was poured out on the church, and the gospel began spreading to both Jews and Gentiles.

And it didn’t take long for the question to arise: Are we saved by grace alone, or do our works have something to do with it?

And this was the central question of the “Jerusalem Council”, a gathering of the leaders of the church who came together to determine how (or if) Gentiles could be welcomed in as part of the Christian community.

Central verse: “But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” (Acts 15:11)

I.  THE QUESTION: (15:1-11)

Posed to the Jerusalem Council: “Should Gentile Christians be required to be circumcised?”

-Judiazers / legalists: Yes. Gentiles must be circumcised in order to keep the Law of Moses.

-Peter: No, evidenced by the fact that God poured out the Holy Spirit on uncircumcised Gentiles already. “But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

-Paul and Barnabas: No, evidenced by the miracles and salvation that God has done among the Gentiles, showing He’s with them.

II.  THE RESOLUTION: (15:12-29)

-James doesn’t just lean toward the best argument, but he goes to Scripture, (Amos 9:11-12)

-James refers to Gentiles, not just as a “nation” (those apart from God), but as a “people” those who belong to God.

-James / the apostles and elders rule: “No circumcision required for Gentiles.” In order to help the Gentiles have a good witness with the Jews, they were advised to abstain from food dedicated to idols and from blood.

III.  THE RESULT: (15:30-35)

-It was established and made clear – salvation in Christ is by grace alone.

-The early church clearly defined that no works of the Law were required to follow Jesus.

-Gentile believers rejoiced and were encouraged.

-Was still an ongoing battle for the early church, as seen all through Paul’s letters. And it’s still an ongoing battle today.

-By grace, we are saved and sustained.

-By grace, we relate to other believers.

-By grace, we reach out to the lost.

Jesus is enough. The Gospel is enough. That’s why Jesus plus something equals nothing. But Jesus plus nothing equals everything.

1. We’re forgetting about eternal life, or …
2. We’re temporarily blinded to the goodness and grace of God in this life.

Whatever the case, our sin always has a way of distorting reality.

Then we read Bible passages like this. …

Ecclesiastes 1:2-3, 9 – “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?… What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”

Solomon (in the lineage of Jesus) is writing God’s inspired word, telling the depressing truth of the sum of all life were it not for redemption. We live, we pay taxes and we die. As my crazy uncle used to say, “Thrills and bills – that’s what life is all about.”

Left to himself, the height of man’s existence on this earth is like a bad weather report – mostly cloudy with scattered moments of happiness and a 100% chance of futility.

But we know for those in Christ, this life is not all there is. The raw truth of no purpose in life outside of Christ should serve as a gracious reminder today of how merciful and good God is in rescuing us from a pointless existence by reconciling us to Himself in Christ. Through Jesus, we are called to glorify God. And only because of Jesus, we are saved … from our sin, from God’s wrath, and from a meaningless wandering in the wilderness.

My sinful heart is still tempted to aimlessness at times. But praise God for His word that reminds me that my purpose is His glory, in Christ Jesus. Praise His name forever.

• Jesus is God, has always been God, all things were created through Him (John 1)
• Holy, perfect God created the world in 6 days (Genesis 1)
• God created man in His image and it was good (Genesis 2)
• Man fell into sin (Genesis 3)
• Creation/Creator (Romans 1)
• All men have sinned (Romans 3)
• The wages of sin is death (Romans 6)
• We need a Savior! A Savior is coming (Isaiah 53)
• Jesus is our Savior! The four gospels (John 20)
• Jesus lived the perfect life, obeyed the law, and ransomed the church by atoning for our sin in His finished work on the Cross (Colossians 1)
• All believers saved by faith in Christ alone (Ephesians 2)
• All those whom He saves He will keep (Romans 8 )
• Jesus will return (1 Thessalonians 4)
• All believers will be restored and we will spend eternity worshiping our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Revelation 4)
• We can pray with John in (Revelation 22) “Come Lord Jesus.”

Amen.

I’m not talking about going into a booth where a priests waits on the other side to absolve you. I’m talking about the honest, vulnerable confession of sin from one brother to another. Genuine, biblical fellowship is impossible with out it.

Kevin DeYoung posted a great blog on this very topic. Here’s a sample:

“Some of us become Christians and just go on our merry way, never thinking of sin,
while others fixate on our failings and suffer from despair. One person feels
no conviction of sin; the other person feels no relief from sin. Neither of
these habits should mark the Christian. The Christian should often feel
conviction, confess, and be cleansed.

The cleansing, mind you, is not like the expunging of a guilty record before the
judge. That’s already been accomplished. This cleansing is more like the
scraping of barnacles off the hull of a ship so it can move freely again. We
need confession of sin before God like a child needs to own up to her mistakes
before Mom and Dad, not to earn God’s love, but to rest in it and know it more
fully.”

Read the whole post here.

Did you know there is a short sentence that you can use to open an opportunity for the gospel in just about any conversation? Here’s a great article by Donald Whitney (from “Simplify Your Spiritual Life”) that lays it out…

Over and over I’ve seen one simple question open people’s hearts to hear the gospel. Until I asked this question, they showed no interest in spiritual matters. But then after six words—only seventeen letters in English—I’ve seen people suddenly begin to weep and their resistance fall. The question is, “How can I pray for you?”

This may not seem like such a powerful question to you. Perhaps that’s because you hear it, or a question like it, quite often. Your Bible study group or your church prayer meeting asks for prayer requests every week. You may even see requests for prayer solicited each Sunday morning in the worship bulletin.

But realize that most people in the world never hear such a question. And while many churchgoers know that a minister is willing to pray for them, in some traditions they’re expected to make a special donation to the church for such services. So when you ask, “How can I pray for you?” and it’s obvious that you’re asking out of love alone, it can touch a person more deeply than you imagine.

This question is similar to one that Jesus Himself sometimes asked: “What do you want me to do for you?” (Matthew 20:32). For what we are really asking is, “What do you want me to ask Jesus to do for you?” And by means of this question, we can show the love of Christ to people and open hearts previously closed to the gospel.

I had tried to talk about the things of God many times to a business-hardened, retired executive who lived next door. He was a pro at hiding his feelings and keeping conversations at a superficial level. But the day we stood between our homes and I asked, “How can I pray for you?” his eyes filled with tears as his façade of self-sufficiency melted. For the first time in seven years he let me speak with him about Jesus.

It’s a short, easily remembered question. You can use it with longtime friends or with people you’ve just met. It doesn’t seem too personal or pushy for those who’d rather give you a shallow answer just now, and yet it often leads to a full hearing of the gospel. You can ask it of people nearly every time you speak with them and it doesn’t get old. Just simply and sincerely ask, “How can I pray for you?” You’ll be surprised at the results.

(Seen on Justin Taylor’s blog at thegospelcoalition.org)

Distracted heart – Busy. Spiritual Attention Deficit Disorder. Fractured affections. Hobbies, recreation and entertainment become central. Cares of the world get bigger. Desire to pray, but “no time” for prayer. Want to read scripture but affections are placed in other things. Spiritual hunger is pacified by other things. Distraction leads to complacency.

Complacent heart – No longer motivated to pursue God, to pursue righteousness. Passion turns to sloth. Forward movement becomes stagnant. Zeal is quenched by boredom. And because the soul still cries out for spiritual food, we are left hungry and hurting.

Hurting heart – When an animal is hurt, they become vulnerable. For animals, being vulnerable is not good. They see everything as a threat, and respond with aggression, or with pulling away. In people, hurt also leads to vulnerability. This can be good in causing us to confess our sins to each other and lean on God’s grace. But if we don’t, being vulnerable means we will become more easily hurt, seeing everything and everyone as a threat, and eventually pulling away from those whom God sent to help us. Hurt that is not given to God turns inward and becomes bitterness and selfishness.

Selfish heart – Now it’s about survival. The heart is self-absorbed and convinced that this is just the way life is going to be. Serving others is not a desire. Even being with others becomes a burden. Gratitude gives way to complaining. When others try to help, pointing to the cross, a selfish heart often turns rebellious.

Rebellious heart – A person who once knew the truth begins to make excuses not to follow the truth. They may even be able to quote Bible verses that apply, but there is no desire to submit their hearts to instruction. Instead of repentance of sin, there is defensiveness and blame. And rebellion that is embraced leads to the hardened heart.

Hardened hearts – No longer affected. No longer moved. No longer worshipful. No longer convicted. And sadly, no longer grateful. A hardened heart can be surrounded by the gospel, yet will be unaffected.

Do you see yourself somewhere in this downward spiral? Did you sense the Holy Spirit prick your heart and say, “That’s you?”

I know it’s ugly, but don’t turn away from this. Because if you can see yourself today, it means that you’re not blind. If you can see sin, it means that God is opening your eyes. That’s an evidence of God’s grace.

But seeing is not enough. Do you want your heart to be changed?

When Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, the hard hearts of the people were broken, and they cried out, “What must we do?” The first thing Peter said was to “Repent.” Turn from your sins.

You say, “But I’m already a believer.”

Believers still need to repent of sin. Our hearts can become cold to God and the things of God. Scripture becomes boring and prayer is a chore.

What we need is to humble ourselves before God, and repent. See the cross of Christ afresh today. Consider the amazing love and mercy of a God who sent His only Son to die in your place, to take the wrath and punishment our sin deserves.

And ask Him to change your heart – as only He can.

Romans 14:8-9 – For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

My mother passed away New Year’s Eve. I am eternally thankful to God that all her children were able to stand around her hospital bed, saying our goodbyes, singing songs of praise unto God. Even her 91-year-old father was able to kiss her goodbye. Her heart stopped, and she woke up in the presence of her Savior.

And her funeral was a life-altering moment. Not just in the sense that the death on anyone’s mother is significant, but I was given a glimpse of what it means to “die to the Lord.”

Mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer five years ago. She endured 82 chemo treatments, numerous surgeries, side effects and setbacks. But those who knew her knew one thing was consistently missing … she never complained.

This was driven home to us even more when a family member found my mother’s private journal the day after she died. In it, she recounts many of her medical procedures, her trips to the hospital, but not one complaint, not one “Why me, God?” – not one, “I don’t deserve this.”

Instead, her journal was full of instances where Mom was excited to have shared the gospel with a fellow cancer patient, a doctor, a nurse, or a complete stranger. Mom was never one to be forceful with her faith – that just wasn’t her. She lovingly, gently, yet courageously shared Jesus with anyone who would listen.

And at her funeral, there were more than 300 people standing, lifting their hands, singing praise unto Jesus. In life and in her death, she caused others to glorify God.

Even now, typing through tears, I can tell you I’ve witnessed what a Christian’s funeral should be. The pain is real. Missing those we love is real. But the hope we have in Christ is bigger and deeper and more powerful than any earthly sorrow.

Psalm 116:15 says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his saints.”

Mom was a saint, not because of her goodness or character. She was a saint because she was a sinner saved by grace – a sinner who had been gloriously saved by Jesus. And because of that, she lived her life to the Lord, and she died her death unto the Lord, just as God intends for all His “saints.”

I want to sincerely thank all of you who have called, emailed, sent texts, sent cards and flowers. Your kind words and your prayers have been balm to our souls.

But let me follow my mother’s example. Let me point you to Jesus. See Him as sufficient and glorious, even in the midst of cancer or grief or any other trial you may face.

In dying and in living, let us do all to God’s glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

One of the more common reasons I have heard (and I have used) for not having a consistent time of prayer is that it can lead to legalism.

Unfortunately, this is true. If we emphasize our actions as a cause of God’s love instead of a response to it, we are guilty of legalism. But consider the following statements, which are just as true:

“Enjoying a good meal with your family can lead to gluttony.”

“Spending quality time with your spouse might lead to neglect of your children.”

“Saving money can lead to hoarding and greed.”

Although these sentences might sound ridiculous, they are true — just as true as the fear of emphasizing a consistent prayer life as leading to legalism. It is possible to take something good and let it become an idol. Good things can become sin.

But the remedy is not to shun the good thing. The remedy is to expose our hearts and examine our motives in light of Scripture … and then, by God’s grace, obey Scripture.

The more obvious point is this: The potential for a good action to become sinful is never an excuse not to do good. To neglect what God has commanded us to do — that is sin. James 4:17 states, “… whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

J. C. Ryle writes,

“I do not deny that a man may pray without heart and without sincerity. I do not for a moment pretend to say that the mere fact of a person’s praying proves is everything about his soul. As in every other part of religion, so also in this, there may be deception and hypocrisy.

But this I do say, that not praying is a clear proof that a man is not yet a true Christian. He cannot really feel his sins. He cannot love God. He cannot feel himself a debtor to Christ. He cannot long after holiness. He cannot desire heaven. He has yet to be born again. He has yet to be made a new creature. He may boast confidently of election, grace, faith, hope, and knowledge, and deceive ignorant people. But you may rest assured it is all vain talk if he does not pray.”

Now reconsider my ridiculous (yet true) statements above, but this time, in a biblical light.

“I am commanded to love and lead my family. We are provided food by the Father to eat and sustain our lives. I am to thankfully enjoy food without worshiping it. I should enjoy family and food, for God’s glory and my good.”

“I am commanded to love my wife as Christ loves the church. I do so, not in spite of the care of my daughter, but as part of the care of my daughter – to show her a picture of Jesus, and what a godly marriage should look like. I should love my wife for God’s glory and my good.”

“I am commanded to be a good steward of all that God provides, without worshiping money. I should be a good steward for God’s glory and my good.”

When I don’t pray, I am saying to God, “I don’t need you.” That is pride and deception and sin in every instance. Biblical prayer is commanded by God to draw us to Himself and for us to become more dependant on Him. Therefore, if we don’t pray, we will have more of a tendency to become legalistic and lustful and idolatrous and every other sinful bend imaginable.

And if you start leaning to legalism, repent. Pray that God will continue to remind you that you are saved by grace alone through faith in Christ alone. Pray that you will grow in dependence on Him. Pray to grow in sanctification. Pray so that you won’t become legalistic, and pray that you won’t become lazy. Pray so that your heart will always cling to God, and nothing else.

Therefore, let us pray faithfully, sincerely, honestly, and biblically. Let us pray without ceasing (I Thes. 5:17). Let us go before God always, at all times, depending on Him for all things, knowing that He is sovereign and good.

If you’re like me, you don’t have time to read every good blog out there. This is one that brings together important books, sermons, interviews, gospel applications to the culture, etc.

Read it. Reference it. And you’ll find that it’s well worth your time.