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All right, Acts 15 is what we're up to and verse 139 it says, And the contention was so sharp. The title for the sermon tonight is sharp contentions, sharp contentions, plural contentions because there are three really sharp contentions in this chapter. Okay, three really sharp contentions, sharp contention is disagreements or strong disagreements, sharp being something that can even be very divisive amongst people. And so this chapter teaches us a lot about how we handle major disagreements that we may have doctrinally or just in practice what we do for the work of the Lord. Now you may recall that Acts 14 ended with the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas and the end of Acts 15 they begin their second missionary journey. But that second missionary journey begins with sharp contention. All right, so this is kind of like a major theme of this chapter. But let's start there in verse number one, actually let again play it out. So Barnabas and Paul, they've done their first missionary journey, they've come back to the church in Antioch and you know they stay both there for a while. And so this is the setting, it begins there in the church in Antioch. In Acts 15 verse one it says, And certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. I want you to think about those words, except ye be circumcised, physical circumcision, after the manner of Moses. Moses of course brought in that physical, well actually it was Abraham, but of course was put into law by Moses and ye cannot be saved. Now what do you think of that doctrine? I want you to think here, you're shaking your head. I think most of us, if someone came up at New Life Baptist Church and said, Guys, actually I figured out the truth here, you have to be physically circumcised or you're not saved. How are we going to conclude, what are our thoughts going to be toward that person? You're probably going to say, False prophet. False prophet, downfall heretic, kick him out of the church. Now this does cause sharp contentions, a lot of disagreement there in the church of Antioch. So let's continue there, look at verse number two. When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension. So no small means big. Okay, this wasn't a small dissension. This wasn't a small disagreement and disputation with them. Disputation is where we get the word disputes. Dispute is kind of like arguing, right? There's a disagreement, arguments, not small, a very large argument that began because these teachers coming from Judea teach in such a doctrine. And then it says here, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain other of them should go up to Jerusalem and to the apostles and elders about this question. So you've got these guys come from Judea, teaching the Antioch church, teaching them you've got to also be physically circumcised to be saved. And cause, you know, you'd expect that. I would expect that if someone came to this church and taught such a doctrine that we would have no small dissension. You see, when it comes to the gospel message, we have to fight for that doctrine. Okay, we can't just allow people to get behind the pulpit, preach another gospel and think they can get away with it. No, it's going to cause a problem. I know it's going to cause a problem in this church. I personally think if someone came preaching another gospel, I don't even know if I'd even have the chance to rebuke the guy before someone else does, before someone else does in the church. Like, I just feel like this is a doctrine. We want to make sure we have always crystal clear and pure. And we understand that salvation is not by physical circumcision. Maybe that misunderstanding came from the idea that we must be spiritually circumcised. The putting away of the flesh spiritually, not trusting in our flesh, but believing with our heart, the Lord Jesus Christ. The moment you're circumcised spiritually in faith, of course you are saved. Maybe there's a misunderstanding, but they're very clear. They believe it's the manner of Moses. It's a physical circumcision that these people need to do. So they then at the end of number two, they say to Paul and Barnabas and others in the church, like, all right, guys, look, you know, you need to come to Jerusalem with me. You got to come to the church in Jerusalem. You got to come see the apostles. You're going to come see the elders, the pastors, and we'll show you that you're wrong and we're right. Okay. So they're under this cause they're from that church. They're under that impression that they're right and they're wrong. And you just come to the church in Jerusalem, which planted this church and we'll fix you up on this doctrine. Okay. Verse number three, and being brought on their way by the church, they pass through Phoenice and Samaria declaring the conversion of the Gentiles. And they cause great joy unto all the brethren. So on their way to Jerusalem, they're stopping by other places. Just, uh, you know, uh, just meeting other brethren that have been saved and just, uh, you know, having great joy as they're visiting other churches on their way. Verse number four, and when they will come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church and of the apostles and elders. And they declared all things that God had done with them. All right. So Paul and Barnabas, all right, man. We've got to tell you all about our first missionary journey. They've really told the Antioch church. Now, if they turn up to Jerusalem, the apostles, the pastors, the elders, they're all happy to see them. And they're like, all right, we've got to tell you, right. They started giving a presentation of all the journeys that they've done, uh, in the first missionary journey. And then it says in verse number five, but so now we start to see where the problem lies, but there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees. Ah, but here's the thing which believed. Now this is where it gets challenging. All right. And we see the, you know, we got the narrator of the Bible. Well, like, first of all, when you see the sector of the Pharisees, we know there's bad news going to come out of that. We know, okay. They're definitely, you know, messed up on many doctrines here. And this is where these Jews were messed up from, from this sector of the Pharisees. Okay. So we're about to see a second sharp contention. We saw the first one took place in the church of Antioch, but now they've come to Jerusalem and there are certain former, we could say the former Pharisees, or they're still kind of Phariseedical, but they're believers according to the Bible, according to the Holy Ghost, they're believers, they're believers of Christ. And this is what they say, saying that it was needful to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses. So now we know where this is coming from. Okay. This is not a teaching coming from the apostles. It's not a teaching coming from the elders. It's coming from a sect of the Pharisees, which have believed on Christ. Okay. So they're believers. And what do we learn? They're messed up on the gospel. They are believers and they're messed up on the gospel. And so Paul and Barnabas saying, look, we got all these Gentiles saved. We planted these Gentile churches and they're like, okay, great, but did you circumcise them? Did you tell them they got to keep all the law of Moses? You know, no, you know, they're starting to bring people under that law once again, trying to put this burden and even question the salvation if they've not yet been circumcised. Now, uh, and look at verse number six, and the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. They're like, oh man, this has been taught by some of the Pharisees in our church. Let's talk about this. We need to discuss this. We need to meet about this. This is the gospel. You know, we have a conflict in the gospel message. Now, can you come with me to Jeremiah 17? Keep a finger there in Acts 15. Come with me to Jeremiah 17. Come with me to Jeremiah 17. How can it be you got believers who are messed up in the gospel? And I, you know, I've said this to my whole ministry, but it, you know, and you can disagree with me if you want, but there are so many believers, saved people that are messed up on the gospel. And there are many that are messed up in the gospel and they're not believers. Okay. It's hard for us to know many times. I know people want obviously like a black and white. Oh, you're saved and you're not saved. And if you say, you know, you've got to be circumcised. You're clearly not saved. And yet the Bible clearly tells us they are believers. So this is what I often say to people. And I don't know if it's well absorbed. I don't know if it's well understood, but human beings are complicated. People are complicated creatures. And you say, not me pastor, I'm black and white. I am always the same. Look, the Bible says in Jeremiah 17, verse number nine, Jeremiah 17, nine, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? God said, how do you even know yourself? How do you even know your own hearts? The Lord says, I, the Lord, search the heart and try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings. Human beings are complicated. And the words that come out of the mouth of a human being may not even be true of what they believe in their hearts. So how can that be? And yet 1 John, which is clearly about believers, says that if you walk not in truth, but you say you're in fellowship with Christ, that you've deceived yourself. You know, as believers, we think we can be right with God. We come to church. We sing the songs. We hear the preaching or the pastor is preaching. All right. Jesus Christ also says that with the lips, they draw night to me, but with their heart, how's it going? I can't remember. Something about the heart being far. But the Bible says that if we say we sin not, that the truth is not in us. If we're in darkness and we think we're in fellowship with the Lord, we've deceived ourselves. We're strange human beings. We can deceive ourselves. And the only one that truly knows our hearts is the Lord. This is what the Psalmist, King David actually says in Psalm 139. I'll just read it to you. Verse number 23. Search me, O God, and know my hearts. Try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. King David recognizes, I don't know my heart. I don't even know my mind. Look, can you seek it? Can you search it? Can you find if there be a wicked way in me? See, people can say all kinds of crazy things. But their heart, you know, we learn here these are believers. They've just been messed up. And I know it's probably unpopular to say this because we want the black and white. We want that he's saved, he's not saved. All right, he said he got to be circumcised. He's definitely not saved. Now, I know where you're coming from because I feel the same way. I want it very black and white. Now, come with me to Galatians. Come with me to Galatians chapter five, Galatians chapter five, Galatians five. Galatians chapter five. The reason I know that people can say all kinds of weird things is because there are believers, believe it or not, and there are pastors and there are churches that will say, you've got to turn from your sins to be saved. But when you really talk to them, they don't believe it. Say, why do you say it? It's just the lingo. It's what we say. Isn't that what we believe? I remember just very, I mean, I've had many conversations like this and sometimes these people double down. Yeah, you got to turn from your sin. You got to do it right, you know. And they're always like, well, what I mean by that is you've got to see yourself as a sin in the sight of God. You've got to realize that the sins offend God. That's what I mean by repenting of your sins. And some even say, well, what I mean by that is if your faith is not on Christ, you're in sin. And so you're going to repent from the sin of unbelief and put your faith on Christ. And there are so many versions and they're so inconsistent because there is no Bible verse that says you've got to repent of your sins to be saved. But because there's no Bible verse, they've got nothing to stand on. And so people start to just give their words and opinions. But man, most people that I've sat down with, pastors and churches of independent Baptist churches, I've sat down and said, look, brother, look, let me clarify. What do you mean by that? But it's all because you got to turn from your sins. So what do you mean by that? You know, if I'm struggling with drunkenness, would you say that I need to stop drinking alcohol to be saved? No, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that you need to see yourself as sin in the sight of God. It's like, yeah, I know that you got to see yourself as sin. That's why we need a savior. Is that why we want salvation? Because we know we're sinners. We acknowledge that. You know, you know, you got to be willing. What if I'm not willing though? What if I don't even know some of the sins that I need to turn from? You know, I mean, people don't have that knowledge. They don't know all the sins that are in the Bible. I just recognize they're a sinner. And quite often, I would say probably like 90% of the conversations I've had like this, they eventually just end up going, yeah, look, you don't have to actually turn. It's faith alone. It's not of works. But you just have to see yourself as a sinner. It's like you just, you deceive yourselves. You know, you put up with poor teaching or you accept preachers that come in and say something weird and you never rebuke it. You never correct it. You don't make salvation clear. And it creates all kinds of confusion. So it can never happen. But we understand the moment we're saved, we're babes in Christ. Babies. And then babies go to a church and it preaches hopeless. Or they start hearing it's Calvinism. You know that? Like they truly believe, but they went to the Calvinist church. Baby turns up and, oh, this man's a smart man. This man's got the backing of John MacArthur and all these books that he reads. And I guess, I don't know, maybe God regenerated me before I believed. I don't know. I guess so. If that's the doctrine they believe, but they're saved. And before you know it, they might be, yeah, you know. I was chosen by Jesus before I believed on him. But the whole time they've always believed. It's always been salvation by grace for faith. It's just they get really mixed up. Now, look, I'm not saying like, look, if honestly, if someone comes here and says, you've got to be circumcised to be saved. My immediate thought is you're not saved. Now, I don't know that for a fact. I just don't know that for a fact. Okay. I don't know their hearts and they probably don't even know their own heart. All right. I don't know that really. But I'm going to treat him as though he's unsaved. I'm going to view him as though he's unsaved. And my desire would be to get that man saved. What if he's already saved? Well, it's not going to hurt him to hear the gospel and clear out the cobwebs and call upon them the Lord just to make sure, right, if we can fix him up and get those, that confusion out of his mind and he gets saved and call upon the Lord. You know, the Lord knows that, you know, the Lord knows whether the man was already saved and we just cleared some cobwebs. Well, that's a good thing anyway. Or whether he called upon the name of the Lord again. And, you know, at this, this is the moment he believes and we believe he's saved. You know, he's saved. He's saved. Okay. Whether it was before, whether it was now, but, you know, we don't really know. So I would treat him as an unbeliever because it's essentially asking us to keep the law of Moses. And if that's what you truly believe, then you're not saved. But you don't know your people's hearts and you don't even know your own heart sometimes. Now look at Galatians. We're going to go backwards. We're going to work our way backwards through Galatians quickly. Galatians 5. So this was a doctrine. And by the way, the church in Jerusalem is the first church, the first New Testament church. And they're already messed up in the gospel. Already messed up. And they're sending preachers to the Antioch church. Let's bless the Antioch church. Let's send our preachers. And they go and they're preaching a false gospel. It's like, man, it's all over the place. And what's sad about this is eventually it reaches the Galatian church. This teaching, this horrible teaching, this heresy reaches the Galatian church. Look at Galatians 5 verse number two, Galatians 5 number two. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is the debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whoso of you are justified by the law, ye are fallen from grace. It's on the Galatian church. Look, you've fallen from grace. If that's what you think. All right. You got to do the whole law then. If that's what you think, circumcision, then you got to keep the whole law. I mean, that's what they were teaching the Jedi's, the sect of the Pharisees that believes, you know, that they were still messed up on their teaching. And Paul, you can see where Paul's coming from at this point in time, right? He says, look, you've fallen from the grace of God. Now come back with me to Galatians 4. Let's work our way backwards a little bit here. Galatians 4, Galatians 4 and verse number nine, Galatians 4. Not only did the Galatian church think they had to get circumcised, bad preachers, bad doctrine crept into the church. Galatians 4 verse nine, it says, but now after that ye have known God or rather unknown of God. So it's actually saying you are saved. You're known of God. Okay. How? Turn ye again to the weak and beggly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage. Ye observe days and months and times and years. They've gone back to keeping the old feasts. And you know, I've covered not long ago, the feast of the Lord representing Christ. So once Christ has come, those feasts are done away with. But they've gone back. They've gone back to the shadows. They've gone back to the images and the likeness of the stories that rather than being focused on Christ down there, they're back to the feasts, back to the holidays. And look what Paul says in verse number 11, I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain. He goes, did I labor in vain? I preached. I got you guys saved. We got together as a church and now you're doing this. Was it all empty? Was it all worthless? I'm afraid. I'm afraid about you guys. Have you even understood the gospel? Come back to previous chapter Galatians three, verse number one. Oh foolish Galatians, who have bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ have been evidently set forth, crucified among you. This only would I learn of you received you the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith. Are you so foolish having to be gone in the spirits? Are you now made perfect by the flesh? Because how did you receive the Holy Spirit? Was it by works or was it by your faith? And so again, they're back to works. They're back to trying to keep the Old Testament law. Or something like this, right? And he says, you're foolish and you're bewitched. But they're saved. And you know, there are so many churches that are actually saved and they're still teaching you but you got to turn from your sins. You know, those pastors and those church members are foolish is what they are. They're bewitched is what they are. They can't even see it. Have you ever come across that sometimes? I know I've been in old IFB churches or mainline Baptist churches. I often like to use that term better. All right, and like you can talk to one person. Yeah, so it's by grace through faith and not of works. Praise God. You have to turn from your sins. No, no, it's faith alone. And you go to another church member. Of course, you have to turn from your sins. You got another church member, faith alone. No, you got to turn from your sins. Faith alone, you got to turn from your sins. It's like half the church is divided. Do you even know what you believe? How does it creep into churches so easily? How did it creep into the Galatian church, the one that Paul planted? How did it creep into the Jerusalem church? Because people are messed up. And the devil want nothing more to destroy this doctrine. Salvation by grace through faith alone. The devil creeps in, hurts churches. I mean, if this church is known for one doctrine, just one doctrine. I don't want it to be the end times. I don't want it to be post-tree pre-wrath. I want it to be that this church makes it abundantly clear that salvation by grace through faith, not of works. Not by the law of Moses in any way, shape or form. If there's any, if just that one doctrine is known of new life by the church, that's the only doctrine I want it known for. Oh, look, the Galatian church are messed up. And go back to chapter one, Galatians chapter one, verse number six. Galatians one, verse six. Paul says, I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. I marvel because I can't believe it. I'm surprised, I'm shocked. How is it that you now believe another gospel? But they're believers, they're saved, right? And then verse number seven, which is not another, but there be some that trouble you that would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we are an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you, then ye have received, let him be accursed. Let him be accursed is, let him be under the curse. Because salvation is what freed us from the curse. Christ became the curse for us. He's saying, look, that person, let them be accursed, they're not saved. And that's how I would do it, right? If someone came and you had to turn from your sins, they may be saved. They might be very foolish, they might be bewitched. These words that are used, but you know what? I'm going to view him as accursed and I'm going to try to get him saved. Now, I don't know, maybe he's ready to say, maybe he got bewitched, maybe he became foolish, all right? I marvel, I'm surprised, I don't even understand. Do you understand? I don't understand. I don't know how I can go into a Baptist church and half say it's faithful or the other half says it's eternal from your sins. I marvel, especially when it's a pastor that I know is saved. And I'm like, why aren't you just making this crystal clear? The one doctrine that matters. It's like pastor, you get mad at me because I'm not a pre-tribber. But what about your church? Don't you love your church? There could be people in your congregation that are accursed. Make this clear, make this right. So, you know, I'm just trying to tell you that people are complicated. People bring their biases and their former experiences and former language. Babes in Christ don't know any better, easily misled, become foolish. All right, they can't drive the Bible Old Testament to the New Testament. They apply wrong principles in interpretation and they just say stupid things. Now, I've made a decision in my heart where I will clearly say this man is a false prophet, clearly unsaved, okay? It's not so much the words they say, unless I speak to, like, they can say bad things and I clarify and they say the right things. I mean, they could be giving me lip service. I understand that, but at the end of the day, it's all I can go by. But there are three things that I've determined that would make someone like a pastor, like an independent Baptist pastor, clearly an unsaved heretic. Number one, it's not so much that they say that term, turn from your sins, is they start to name the sins. For example, you got to turn from drunkenness. And if you don't give up the booze, then you're not ready to receive Christ. There are preachers like that, unsaved, damnable heretic is what he is. I mean, I remember reading an article of a missionary in, I forget the country, an Asian country, where a man who had multiple wives, or maybe one wife and multiple women, I don't know, concubines, I don't know, many, many women, okay? I believe he was the owner of a complex that this missionary stayed in. And the man comes up and knocks on the missionary's door, basically says, what must I do to be saved? Essentially, just like that. What do I have to do to be saved? Missionary as well, if you're not ready to give up on your marriages, or these women fornication, whatever it is, then you don't deserve to know yet. Independent Baptist missionary, you're a damnable heretic is what you are. You're a false prophet. The man wants to know what to do to be saved. I mean, how much would we love for someone to just go, sirs, what must I do to be saved? We're trying to convince people, look, you need to know, you want to know. I want to know. It's like, tell them what Christ has done. And then let the Holy Ghost convict that man of all the things he needs to fix up in his life later on. So when people are pointing certain sins, this is the one, this is the one, they don't point their own sins. They've got plenty of sins, but they don't choose their sins, do they? They choose the sins they don't struggle with. They see other people struggle with. They lay very heavy burdens on people. Second one is when they mock at faith alone. I've seen this too. Independent Baptist pastors mock. Oh, you think it's just belief? Just believe? That's all even the devils believe. They're mocking faith alone is what they're mocking. I can't imagine a spirit-filled man of God saying those words. Just believe mocking what is a free gift paid for by the blood of Christ. It's trampling all over the blood of Christ. The full payment for our sins. I would say that man is a damnable heretic. Did I ask you to turn to Philippians? Philippians chapter one, Philippians chapter one, verse number 27. There's one more that I would say to you. This man is just a false, like no shadow of a doubt for me. All right, Philippians one, verse number 27. Philippians one, verse number 27. Paul says to the Philippian church, only let your conversation, that's your lifestyle, be as it become of the gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel. He says to them, look, I want your life to reflect the gospel of Christ. I want you to stand together in the faith of the gospel. Okay, so he's encouraged them to, like that their lives reflect what Christ has done for them, right? But that they're actively preaching the gospel to others. Then he says in verse number 28, and in nothing terrified by your adversaries. He goes, don't be afraid of your enemies, which to them is an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation and that of God. He goes, you're trying to live your faith by the gospel and be people that preach the gospel, but you've got enemies. And like it says, let's have the end. It says, but to you of salvation, we're trying to get people saved, right? We as a church are trying to preach the gospel and see people saved, and we see people saved, but the enemies are trying to stop that labor. Enemies try to stop that work. And if you've got a Baptist pastor trying to stop the work of New Life Baptist Church, let's say preaching the gospel, the Bible tells us that is an evidence, like evidence, token of perdition. Perdition is damnation. He's saying this is proof that this man is damned. This man's not saved, okay? I mean, what believer of Christ wants to stop people preaching the gospel and seeing souls saved? Say it's only a damned person that could possibly desire that. So for me, these are three things where if so-called man of God, the uncare, if it's an independent Baptist pastor or someone like this, is clearly mocking the gospel or clearly detailing certain sins you got to turn from, or just trying to stop the work of the soul-winning efforts, this man is an unsaved heretic in my eyes. But back to Acts 15, please. Acts 15, let's continue. Verse number seven. So you got the sect of the Pharisees saying, yeah, yeah, they have to be circumcised to keep the laws. So now we have our second sharp contention. Verse number seven. And when there had been much disputing, they're all fighting there in the Jerusalem church, right? The ones of the true gospel versus the ones that are messed up somehow. The foolish, the bewitched, the ones who are struggling to let go of the things of the Phariseedical ways. When there had been much disputing, Peter rose up and said unto them, men and brethren, you know how that a good while ago, God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, look at this, and believe. He goes, I've told you my story. When he went to see Cornelius and he's seen others, like, you've heard my testimony. There are Gentiles that have believed. They heard the gospel, the word of the gospel, and they believed. So what's this reinforcing? Salvation by belief. Verse number eight. And God which knoweth the hearts, there it is, God which knoweth the hearts, bear them witness, given them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us. Remember the Gentiles of the Cornelius household, after they got saved, they started to speak in tongues. They were given this power by the Holy Ghost. So look, this is a witness. This is one way we can know. Look at the power of the Holy Ghost in their lives. Verse number nine. And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Again, believe by faith. Their hearts were purified by faith, okay? Not by circumcision, not by keeping the laws. Peter's making a point here that look, God's approved of them just by faith. All right. We don't need anything further to prove their salvation or anything like that. It's their belief, their faith, and God's even given witness how he's given the Holy Ghost. Verse number 10. Now therefore, why tempt ye God to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we are able to bear? So it's like, you're telling the Gentiles to do this? We can't even do it. Our fathers couldn't even keep the laws. That's why we needed salvation. And they're trying to get them to do it? Verse number 11. But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved, even as they. So it makes it very clear. It's their faith. It's their belief. That's what we bring to the table. But what God brought to the table to save us was the grace. Okay, Ephesians 2, 8. For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Peter's teaching the same gospel as Paul. You know, there are stupid people that say, well, Peter had another gospel. You know, then Paul, you know, the salvation that we know, salvation by grace through faith alone, that's Paul's gospel. Peter's had other things. Peter, look, is there anything wrong with what Peter's saying? It's crystal clear faith, belief by God's grace on Jesus Christ, through Christ, that we shall be saved, even as they. We Jews, they Gentiles. Same salvation for all, very clear. Verse number 12. Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience, audience, audience, audience. Why can't I say that word? To Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. So now Paul and Barnabas speak after Peter. They're like, yeah, we also have reached Gentiles. Remember I told you about our trips to, you know, Turkey and all that, and a little bit they got saved. And so they're listening to Paul and Barnabas, and the miracles they've done. And, you know, the Gentiles, they didn't get circumcised, but they're saved, they're confirming that truth. Verse number 13. And after they had held their peace, so once Barnabas and Paul are finished speaking, James answered, saying, men and brethren, hearken unto me. Now this James is clearly not James, the brother of John, the son of Zebedee, because that man was killed by King Herod, you may recall, slain by the sword, going back a few chapters ago. But this is another one of Jesus' disciples, one of his 12, James, the son of Alphaeus. So he says, look, listen to me. After he's heard the testimony of Peter, he's heard the testimony of Paul and Barnabas. He says in verse number 14, Simeon, by the way, is Simon. Peter, Simon Peter. So Peter spoke just before. Simeon have declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets as it is written. So what's really good about James is like he's heard the testimony of Peter, and he goes, look, I even, he spoke, but I tested what he said according to the scriptures, right? So it opens the Old Testament scriptures and reads from the book of Amos. In verse number 16, it says, after this, I will return and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down and I will build again the ruins thereof. And I will set it up that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, look at this, and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called, save the Lord who doeth all these things. If you're curious, it's Amos 9, verses 11 and 12 that he's quoting. Prophets Amos 9, verses 11 and 12. And so he reads this passage. And when it says after, in verse 16, I'll read it again. After this, I will return and will build again the tabernacle of David. So obviously the little kingly line of David has fallen, obviously. David here is Christ. It's Jesus Christ because Christ would come from that lineage. You know, Christ is the eternal King and Christ would not only rebuild, you know, the tabernacle of David, but he would, you know, the Gentiles would seek after him. And so he's confirming this truth. Look, you know, them reaching the Gentiles, you know, and us demanding them to keep these laws, that's not what we should be doing with them, right? You know, what Peter is saying is correct. It lines up with the scriptures. What Peter said was it's faith, it's belief on Christ. Faith is a noun. Believe is a verb and it's by the grace that comes through Christ Jesus. Verse number 18. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Wherefore my sentence is that we trouble them not, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God. He goes, my sentence is this, like he's passing his judgment, right? Because let's leave the Gentiles alone. Leave them alone. Leave them alone. They've turned to God. But he goes, look, let's give them some instructions though. But that we write unto them that they abstain from pollutions of idols and from fornication and from things strangled and from blood. He goes, look, and they end up sending some new people to go visit these Gentile believers, but let's give them these teachings. They need to learn to stay away from idols, stay away from fornication. And we know why that's important because these are two sins that will get you kicked out of church. First of those two things, but then things strangled in from blood. So he says, look, don't eat blood. Tell them not to drink blood or eat blood, the ways of the Gentiles. And people have different opinions as to whether this is a commandment of God or whether it's just something that is being said by James, but maybe not under the inspiration of God. Now, let me just see where I can go to from here. Let's drop down to verse number 28. Cause I want to show you that what we see here, and I know these are words of James again, but what he says in verse number 28 is interesting. He says, for it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things that they abstain from meats offered to idols and from blood and from the things strangled and from fornication, from which if we keep ourselves, you shall do well, fare ye well. So he's saying, look, this isn't just what we believe, but this is good. This is good teaching. That's also coming from the Holy Ghost. So, you know, when I look at that, I say, okay, this isn't just the words of a man. He's saying the Holy Ghost is teaching these things. This is what he wants the Gentiles to believe. Now, what I want to focus on here is the blood, okay? Because there are many cultures in the world that drink blood, blood pudding or blood sausages. They're the only kind of blood products I'm aware of really. And, you know, should we stay away from them? Should we eat of it? Are we allowed to eat of it, pastor? And I just want to show you here in the New Testament, going out to the Gentiles is don't eat blood. Don't drink blood. All right. And you'll do well in the sight of God if you abstain from such things. Now the argument, the only argument that I'm aware of, I mean, I don't really know that many people have it. They have an appetite for blood. I mean, I don't. Like, I don't really need the commandment. I'm just like, if you offer me blood sausages, I'll be like, no thanks brother. Like, do you have meat? You know, do you have pork? Do you have beef? Do you have chicken sausages at least? You know, I'd rather have all of that rather than the blood. So, I mean, it's not really something that I'm lusting for myself or anything like that. But it's a question that comes up, pastor, are we not to eat blood? Now, come with me to Leviticus 17. Again, keep a finger there in Acts 15. Come with me to Leviticus 17. Leviticus 17. So the argument for being able to eat blood essentially comes from the idea that, well, that was an Old Testament teaching. It's an Old Testament law of Moses. And well, that's been done away with now, hasn't it, pastor? We can eat of every animal. And so Leviticus 17 verse number 10 says, And God says, I'm going to be against the person. I don't want to be that person. Number one. All right. I mean, I'd rather be safe than sorry. Rather err on the side of safety. Number one, if that's how God strongly feels about someone eating blood. But again, the idea is, well, that's Old Testament. We know they had dietary laws in the Old Testament. And then we have a passage like 1st Timothy 4 that says, So if I offer you pig's blood, not to be refused, brother, receive it with thanksgiving, every creature of God is good. Say, well, see, that's been done away with in the Old Testament because we can eat of every creature now. But now come with me to Genesis chapter nine, please. Come with me to Genesis chapter nine. Because the thought there is, well, if we can eat of anything and just give thanks, then doesn't that mean, like, if you're trying to deny the eating of blood, aren't you against that passage? But here's the thing, you can actually eat of every creature. And still avoid their blood. These things are not mutually exclusive. You can do both. And the perfect example of this is that before the Old Testament, before the Old Testament to say, well, that was Old Testament. Well, before the Old Testament, okay, before the law of Moses, we have Genesis nine, Genesis nine. And this is where Noah comes off the ark. And there were no restrictions of what animals they could eat when they got off the ark. No restrictions, just like today, no restrictions. But God says in Genesis nine, verse number three, every moving thing that liveth shall we meet for you, even as the green herb I have given you all things. So here we've got one truth. Every moving thing that liveth shall we meet for you. Noah and Noah's family, you can eat whatever you want, any animal you want. But look at verse number four, but flesh with the live thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. So God says it's not mutually exclusive. God says you can eat of all animals, but still not eat the blood, please. And then this gets enforced by the laws of Moses in the Old Testament. And now we have the New Testament and they're saying, this is right. The Holy Spirit says, this is what we need to do. So again, I just think, I think the Bible is clear on the topic. Don't eat blood, don't drink blood, avoid the blood. All right. And I don't maybe fully understand it myself. All right. But I just know it's what God's word says. And boy, I'm going to err on the side of caution because I do not want God's face set against me. Okay, so I'm showing you before the Old Testament, Old Testament, New Testament, you find the teaching everywhere. Okay. Come back with me to Acts 15, Acts 15 verse number 21. So when they say, look, we're going to teach them these things. Don't fornicate, stay away from idols. You know, don't drink blood. And then you're like, well, is that all they need to learn? Like, is that it? Is that all we're going to teach them? Verse number 21. For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, been read in the synagogues every Sabbath day. Because look, we don't need to teach him everything. Just teaching these key things here, because they've got the reading of Moses every city. They can hear the scriptures all the time. Okay, they can start, you know, we don't have to teach them every little thing. They've got the scriptures, they've got Moses. You know, we don't have to give them more than these things as you go back and teach them. Verse number 22. Then pleased at the apostles and elders and with the whole church. So the whole church is pleased. That would include the former or, you know, Pharisees that are having a hard time. That would include the men that went to preach in the Antioch church. They went back to Jerusalem to debate. Now they're all happy. Okay, it's all been settled now. Then pleased at the apostles and elders with the whole church to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely Judas surnamed Basabas and Silas chief men among the brethren. Silas is someone we know from reading the epistles. Silas becomes a chief helper of Paul afterwards. So they're like, look, let's send these guys back to the church in Antioch because we left such confusion. We had preachers preaching the wrong thing. And not just Paul and Barnabas, let's send Basabas and Silas because like confirmation, yeah, we discussed this in Jerusalem. They were wrong. It's salvation by grace for faith. Let's go back and tell the Antioch church. So no one's panicking. All right, let's make sure everybody's understanding the clear gospel message. And not only do they send those two men, look at verse 23, and they wrote letters by them after this manner. So they even write, yeah, the gospels, faith alone on Christ alone, grace alone, not of works, not of circumcision. Let's write these letters, make sure it's very clear. Okay, the apostles and elders and brethren said, greeting unto the brethren, which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia. That becomes important afterwards, Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. Verse 24. For as much as we have heard that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your soul, saying you must be circumcised and keep the law, to whom we gave no such commandments. Because we never told them to teach this. I know we sent them to you. They went under the radar. They had bad doctrine. Like, let's fix this, right? I mean, they're doing the right thing. And I wish these pastors, the independent Baptist that are saying the wrong things. I wish I would just do the same thing. Just acknowledge, yep, bad teachings. We let it pass somehow. We weren't vigilant enough. Let's get this right. Let's get it in writing. Let's change our statement of faith. Let's make it clear that it's by grace through faith alone on Christ alone. Let's stop the confusion. I wish our pastors would be doing this. Let's send a good example. They made a mistake, bad doctrine. Let's fix it. All right, let's fix it. And everyone's happy now. Yeah, we've clarified it. Okay, it's clear now. It doesn't take much. It takes a bit of humility. Maybe a little bit of heated disagreements. But if we're all in Christ Jesus and we love each other, we're going to come to the knowledge of the truth. You know, people get messed up. Uh, what am I up to, brethren? Verse number 25. It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who also shall tell you the same things by mouth. All right, even like, you know, if you stood up, like if you just in case you think Paul and Barnabas just did their own thing and didn't go to Jerusalem and they're coming back. We were right all along. You can ask these guys from their own mouth. They'll tell you that the gospel is clear and this is what we believe. All right. And then it says in verse 28, for it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things that you abstain from meats offered to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication, from which if you keep yourselves, you shall do well, fair ye well. Okay, we've talked about that already. Verse number 30, so when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle. So they're reading out. Look, we clarified the gospel. Okay, verse number 31, which when they had read, they rejoice for the consolation. Like the Antioch church, like, oh man, what if they come back with a false gospel, right? But then they come, they read it later. Ah, yes, we're consoled, we're comforted. They got it right. All right, it's all sorted. Dealt with, that's how they feel in the church in Antioch. All right, verse number 32, and Judas and Silas being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words and confirmed them. Again, these witnesses from Jerusalem. Yeah, yeah, this, we had this meeting, it's sorted out. Okay, we're giving you witness, we're giving you testimony that these things are true. Verse number 34, or verse number 33, and after they had tarried their space, they were let go in peace from the brethren unto the apostles. Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide their still. Silas says, I'm going to hang around the Antioch church for a while. I'm not going to go back to Jerusalem. Verse 135, Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord with many others also. And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, let us go again and visit our brethren in every city, where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they do. So Paul and Barnabas begin the plans for the second missionary journey. Let's go back and let's see the brethren that we've preached the gospel to. Can you want to kind of follow up or church establishment, whatever it is, right? We need to go back and confirm them and just see how they're doing. And now the third sharp contention in the chapter, verse number 37. And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. That's John Mark. But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia and went not with them to the work. So you remember the story, first missionary journey. John appears in Cyprus, helps them out in Cyprus for a while. But before they go back to the mainland into Asia Minor, John decides to leave. And Barnabas is like, hey, let's bring him again. And Paul's like, no, he left us. He didn't finish the work. You know, he started the journey, but he didn't want to finish it. Like, why are we going to do this? This creates a problem between the two friends here. Verse number 39. And the contention was so sharp between them, they departed asunder one from the other. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed onto Cyprus. Remember Barnabas is from Cyprus. You may recall that in Acts chapter 4, we learned that Barnabas is originally from Cyprus. But such a huge argument. I mean, these guys have been an amazing team. They've worked so well together on the first missionary journey. If not for Barnabas, you know, vouching for Paul. Believers were rejecting Paul, remember that? In Jerusalem, he vouched for Paul. When he came to start the Antioch church, he went to Tarsus to look for Paul. Hey, we need you. We need helpers. We need leaders. Come and preach for us. Two great friends and they argue about a man, John Mark. I mean, this can happen brethren. You know, two friends, two brethren can just have such a contention, such a division. We're like, we're just going to go our separate ways. Okay. It just happens in the ministry. It just, what do you do? Do you just give up? You know, do you just get discouraged? Do you start attacking your brethren? You know, they can't get along. They can't figure things out together. They can't agree. So, you know, they, they just go their own separate ways and they continue serving the Lord in their own ways. It says, so Barnabas took Mark and sailed into Cyprus. He goes back. He starts the journey all over again from the first missionary journey. But then we start focusing on the life of Paul here in verse number 40. It says, and Paul chose Silas, remember Silas? Hanging around with him and departed, been recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God. So, you know, the church in Antioch are like, yep, we're recommending you. You got, because now Silas is new to the team. We're recommending you guys to go together. You know, unto the grace of God. Go and, go and serve. Now Paul goes a different way in verse number 41. It says, and he went through Syria unto Cilicia, confirming the churches. Now the reason he goes through Syria and Cilicia is back in verse number 23. It says, and they wrote letters by them after this manner. The apostles and elders of brethren sending greeting unto the brethren, which are in Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia. So we make sure these letters reach Syria. We're gonna make sure these letters reach Cilicia. All right. We're gonna make sure no one gets confused ever again about the gospel message. It's not by circumcision, not by the law, by grace through faith. Don't let anyone confuse you. All right. So Paul and Silas begin that journey just to clarify those things for those churches. But, Barnabas and Mark, John Mark, they go and start the journey over again from Cyprus. You know, very quickly, come back to with me to just one more passage. I know it's been a long sermon brethren, but come with me to 2 Timothy 4. Sometimes brethren can't get along. You know, what do you do? To me, it's just, just serve the Lord. Just serve the Lord. Do it for Jesus Christ. I don't think Paul is trying to destroy Barnabas. I don't think Barnabas is trying to destroy Paul. They just go their own separate way. We can't get along. And in fact, now you've got two teams. It's like good things came out of the division instead of one team going confirming the churches. Now you've got two teams going out confirming the brethren, confirming the churches. Double the work is being done now. You know, to me, I see it as a positive thing. People say who was right and who was wrong. And you know, people can have their opinions. The Bible doesn't really make it crystal clear. You could say, well, definitely Paul was right because then we just continue the life of Paul and his journey and Barnabas kind of gets left behind and forgotten about in the story. But is that really how you determine whether something's right or wrong? I mean, I don't know. Maybe some people do. But here's what's so interesting about 2 Timothy 4. 2 Timothy 4 verse number 9. This is many years later in the ministry of Paul. He says to Timothy, Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me. Verse number 10, For Demas have forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica, Cretans to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Then he says this, Take Mark and bring him with thee, for he is profitable to me for the ministry. Paul, you didn't want to work with Mark, with John Mark. Now he says, hey, where's Mark? Bring Mark. Bring him because he's going to be profitable to me in the ministry. He's going to be able to help me. It's like you didn't like him before. What's changed? Barnabas. He goes, I'm willing to give this guy another chance. And we know that Barnabas is known as a son of consolation. He's someone that's just small. I'm a bit more like Barnabas. Maybe some of you guys are more like Paul. Just zealous. You failed me once. Get out of here. I want to go. Just a successful guys. And I'm like, let's just give another chance. Maybe give him a third chance. All right. Maybe many years later, he'll finally get good. And you can utilize him. But you know, at the end of the day, bro, who's right? Who's wrong? Jesus is right. God is right. Maybe they're both right. Maybe they're both wrong. I don't know. I can't give you a clear answer, but I can tell you that God greatly blessed Paul. And by the looks of it, God greatly blessed Barnabas. In choosing John Mark to be a help to Paul. And not only that, later on, you know, well, it's believed that he was a writer of the book of Mark. Okay. That's what most people understand and believe. Doesn't seem to be controversial at all. But that seems to be the major understanding that he wrote the book of Mark. So the Holy Spirit was able to use him to write one of the gospel books. It's amazing. It's because of Barnabas. He's just a different kind of guy. Paul and Barnabas, very different people, different ways of doing things. But God can use them both. All right, brethren. Sharp contentions was a title for the sermon today. I hope you learned something. I hope I haven't added confusion to any one or anything. You know, we have the Bible here to tell us that human beings just, we're just complicated creatures. And sometimes we just don't get along. And so be it. You know, if you can't get along with this, Pastor Kevin, you say, I'm leaving the church. I want the best for you. Find the best church and get plugged in to serve the Lord, further his kingdom, win souls. At the end of the day, we're going to be judged by Jesus Christ. Okay, let's pray.