Shalom, everyone. Please turn with me to the Book of Acts today. We are going to continue in our study of the Book of Acts. And we are going to go into chapter 15 today. In Hebrew, we call that Book of Acts Maasei Shlichim, or the Acts of the Apostles, but really, it is the Acts of the Holy Spirit of God through the Apostles, as he was using them in the preaching of the Gospel to this world in which we live in. So, let's turn to Acts chapter 15, and we are going to read today, the first 21 verses in Acts chapter 15. And I'm reading. We are going to read.

We are going to read. 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. When, therefore, Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain other of them should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Penitia and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles, and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. And when they were coming 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.

But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees, which believed, saying that it was needful to circumcise them and to commend them to keep the law of Moses. And the apostles and apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye 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 and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bear them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as he did unto us.

And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, we shall be saved even as day. Then all the multitude kept silence and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me. Simon has declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name.

And to disagree the words of the prophets, as it is written, 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, and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called, says the Lord, who doeth all these things. Known unto God, known unto God, are all his works from the beginning of the world. Wherefore, my sentence is, that we trouble not them which from among the Gentiles are turned to God, but that we write unto them that they abstain from pollution of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

For Moses of all time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogue every Shabbat day. And this is the conclusion of the verses that I'm going to read today in this ministry meeting. Verses 1 to verse 21 is the first section of what is known to be the counsel, the deliberation in the council of the city of Jerusalem. It's happened already in the early years of the first days of the church, where the gospel had been going to be presented before the Goyim, the Gentile world, where the message of Yeshua the Messiah had been already delivered to many of the Gentile cities in Asia Minor.

And beloved brothers and sisters, already in the beginning, in the first century, problems had begun among the people of God. But this thing here, brothers and sisters, what we read here in Acts chapter 15, was a really important issue that needed to be dealt with before the apostles could continue in the preaching of the Gospels among the nations of the world. Paul and Barnabas, Shaul and Barnabas, which were commended by the assembly at Antioch to go to be separated for the ministry by the Holy Spirit of God. Those two have finished their first missionary journey. They have already visited about seven cities. They were preaching the message of the gospel.

And many from among our nation, the Jewish people, from among the synagogues in those cities, and many Gentiles came to faith in Yeshua the Messiah. When they have finished the first missionary journey, they have returned back to the city of Antioch, as we read there in Acts chapter 14 and verse 26, as we read, And thence sailed to Antioch from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. When they were come, they gathered the believers, the church, together, and they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.

And there they abode for a long time with the disciples. So as they remain in the city of Antioch, this is Antioch in Syria, from where they were commended to the work of the ministry of the gospel, there already some problem that is a very serious problem had begun by some individual Jewish believers in Yeshua the Messiah, who came from the city of Jerusalem, from Judea, and began to teach things that were really not right. Very important here to understand that, dear brothers and sisters, in fact, in the first five verses of Acts chapter 15, we have really the reason that there was that gathering in the council of Jerusalem.

There was a real important reason why the council gathered together in Acts chapter 15 to deliberate that important issue that rose up in the first century, in the earlier century. And look at this. In the first five verses, we see the reason of the gathering together of the council in Jerusalem. What was the reason? It began in verse 1, because we read here, Now, you see how, brothers and sisters, everything had begun? Is where the Jewish believers who grew up among our own nation, just like myself and other of us that are here, which known from the scripture that God had given instruction to our forefathers, to Abraham in Genesis chapter 17, and to Moses in Leviticus chapter 12, the important issue of circumcision of every Hebrew boy that had ever entered into this world.

In fact, I'd like you to turn for a moment to Genesis chapter 17. It was so serious that God said to Abraham, if you notice in Genesis chapter 17, that if anyone will not be circumcised, this soul shall be cut off from among the nation of Israel. Genesis 17 and verse 14, it says, God made covenant with our forefathers, with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Abraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, and God make a covenant with our forefathers, and he told them very seriously, that they had to circumcise every male child that enter into this world on the eighth day. And it was not if and but and any excuse that they would give.

It was ordained by God. And if you will read in Leviticus chapter 12, we read in verse 1, And the Lord said unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed and born a man child, then she shall be unclean for seven days according to the days of the separation for her infirmity. Shall she be unclean? And listen to verse 3, And in the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. You see, it was not only given to our forefathers prior to the law, when God had given it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob later on, but it was placed in the law of Moses, And that was a responsibility under the law for our own forefathers to circumcise a man child.

And we can talk about circumcision and the importance of circumcision and what it is speaking to us of. It's symbolically speaking, of course, of the cutting off of the flesh. And it's speaking of self-judgment, that man is a sinner by nature and the necessity of cutting off of the flesh. But it was a covenant that God have made with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the descendants of Israel, the Hebrews, the Jewish people. But here now, look what happened. Because many of the Jewish people in the first century got saved and accepted Yeshua, the Messiah, many of these have also were part of the Pharisees, part of the elders, of those who were the religious people from among our people at the time where Yeshua was here in this world.

And their measure of understanding of this new body of Messiah, the church, the ecclesia, was really limited. Their knowledge was very limited. So, some of them came, and it caused a lot of problems. They came down, certain men, which came, notice the word down, because they're coming down from Jerusalem. Every time you go out of Jerusalem, it's down. Into Jerusalem, you go up. And they came down from Jerusalem, from Judea. And they taught the Gentile brethren. Obviously, it is the Gentile brethren, because the Jewish brethren were all circumcised. They talked to the brethren. And again, brothers and sisters, they said to them, except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, and I want you to highlight this word, ye cannot be saved.

Another one, they were teaching false teaching, as if salvation depended upon circumcision. This is downright false teaching. This kind of teaching, and other things are happening today. Various groups held their various manners and teaching. They say, unless you come to our group, and you believe what I believe, you cannot be saved. And this is something that exists today, in the last days of the church age, but it already started in first century. Now, circumcision was given to Israel. Circumcision was given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Circumcision was given under the law of Moses to the Hebrews, prior to the coming of the Messiah, to build what you call the body of Messiah, the church of Yeshua, the Messiah.

So for the nation of Israel, it was given. It was appropriate. It was commanded. It was instructed to them. They ought to have been circumcised prior to the coming of the Messiah, because the law was enacted, and they had to be circumcised. But to go to the Gentiles, and say to the goyim, to the believers from among the nations, you cannot be saved, unless you are circumcised, that is downright false teaching. And you know, brothers and sisters, you and I who listen to me today, if you are male, and you are not circumcised, according to this verse, or this statement, from what they have said 2,000 years ago, you are not saved.

If it is true. But thank God, it is not true. Because salvation is only on the basis of faith in Yeshua, the Messiah, who died for our sins, and was raised for our justification. So, brothers and sisters, in verses 2, 3, and 4, we read here of the sending of Paul and Barnabas, and some others to the city of Jerusalem, to deal with this issue. Why? Because, number one, when those individuals, false brethren, they are called in Galatians chapter 2, they were mixing law and grace, according to Galatians 2 and verse 16. They were not recognizing the new and living ways, according to Hebrews chapter 10. They were actually not acknowledging that God had broken down the middle wall of partition, Ephesians chapter 2.

And, in fact, brothers and sisters, they were occupied with the shadow, and not with reality, according to Colossians chapter 2 and verse 17. That's what they were doing. And it is understanding, on the one hand, because those of us who are Jewish, can see today, how difficult it is for us, not only to become believers, but to recognize what it means for us. There are certain things that we were taught by our grandparents and parents, where we spend many days and weeks and months and years in the synagogue, and we have been taught by our grandparents as little children about the God of our fathers and the tradition that God had given to our people and the commandments that we find in the Hebrew scriptures.

And it is hard just the same, maybe in a different way today for us as well. And it was indeed very difficult for these earlier believers. So they have taught the non-Hebrew believers, and they said to them, you cannot be saved unless you are circumcised. Can you imagine what it left on the mind of these Gentile believers who came from paganism? What did they know about circumcision? What did they know about the Torah, the Tanakh, the Hebrew scripture? They knew nothing. They were worshiping idols. They were pagans. They were out living in paganism. They knew nothing about the true and living God. And the apostles, Paul and Barnabas, preached the message of the gospel.

They got saved gloriously. And then they had the dilemma with some telling them, you are really not saved because you haven't been circumcised. So that was a very important issue. So as I mentioned in verse 2, 3, and 4, Paul and Barnabas were sent to the city of Jerusalem to deal with this matter. Notice, first of all, in verse 2, there was disputation. When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, apparently there was an argument. It was in a sense a Jewish argument. The Jewish people who came from Judea and the Jewish believers who were in Antioch like Paul and Barnabas, they were disputing with them and says, listen, what are you saying?

You mean all this time that we have spent in preaching the message of the grace of God through Yeshua the Messiah is in vain? You mean now these Gentiles who became believers, now they have to be circumcised in order to be saved? In fact, they probably told them, show me the scripture that the Gentiles have been commended to be circumcised in order to be saved. Show me the scripture. They would tell them. And they have no scripture for that. It's applied to the Jewish people, but it is not applied to the Gentiles. So they had dissension and disputation and then it says that they, this is the church, this is the believers at Antioch, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain other of them will go up to Jerusalem and to the apostles and the elders about this question.

They had to deal with it because it is the foundation in the earlier stage of the church age. Do Gentiles who become believers need to be circumcised in order to be saved? And so they sent them. In verse 3, actually, it says, if you notice, verse 3, they began to go on their way. And it says in verse 3, it's interesting here, just to make a note here, it says that they have been brought on their way by the church. You see, if the church is a building, the church could not move, the building could not move, but it is the believers. You see, brothers and sisters, how the Bible is so clear?

The believers are the church, the ecclesia. They were brought on their way, not by the building, but by the believers. They sent them away as they were kind of moving to Jerusalem and guess what? As they are traveling towards the city of Jerusalem, they passed through Phoenicia. This is a Gentile city. They passed through Shomron, Samaria. This is where the Samaritans were. And they declared to them all what had happened to them. And they gave a lot of joy unto the brethren in Phoenicia and Samaria. And now we are moving on. And finally, in verse 4, they have been received by the church in the city of Jerusalem by the congregation there.

When they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church. Notice again, I would like to emphasize, notice, not received of the building, because the church is not the building, of the believers in Jerusalem. They have been received of the church and of the apostles and the elders and they declared to them all the things that God have done with them. So, those brethren, Paul, Barnabas, and other brethren that are mentioned, Titus is mentioned in the book of Galatians, they came to the city of Jerusalem, they told them what the Lord has done. And it must have been, perhaps, I would suggest, a joy to the apostles to tell them, Can you imagine, brethren?

We've already finished a whole journey in Asia Minor and so many of the nations of the Gentiles of the Goim came to faith in our Messiah, in the Mashiach that had been promised to our own forefathers. Can you imagine they were saying and they were rejoicing to tell them the truth of the salvation of the Gentiles. But, here it is, verse 5, here's where the issue has began, here is where we have those that they are called here in verse 5, they arose certain of the sects of the Pharisees. And notice how the Bible says, the sect of the Pharisees which believed, they believed in Yeshua, the Messiah.

They believed that he was the one that came from heaven. They believed that he was the promised Messiah. But look what they are saying, that it was needful to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses. Now, brothers and sisters, again, I would like to move back 2,000 years and place ourselves all in the city of Yerushalayim. I would have loved to be in those days among my brethren there in the city of Yerushalayim where it was my home where I was born and grew up and my father was born. I would have delighted to be in this setting where there is that discussion among these early believers in the city of Yerushalayim.

There were some of them who were actually Pharisees who got saved. They have believed. They became believers in Yeshua, the Messiah, but they wanted to continue Phariseeism. In fact, at that time, there was no command by the rabbis that you cannot believe in Jesus. In fact, today, you cannot be part of the Pharisees if you believe in Yeshua, the Messiah. You're going to be thrown out, but at that time, you could accept him because there was the sect of the Pharisees, there was the Sadducees, there were the Herodians, and in a sense, you had the sect that is called at that time, the Meshichiyim, the Messiah followers, those who follow the way that they are called in the earlier part of the book of Acts.

Now, if you just turn back with me for a moment to chapter 6 of the book of Acts, you notice that in verse 7 it says, listen, and the word of God increased, and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly, and listen to this, and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. They were priests from among our people who were part of the Pharisees, and they became believers in Yeshua, the Messiah. They were, as it says here in Acts chapter 6 and verse 7, they were priests. Now, turn for a moment to Acts chapter 21, just to the other side of the scripture, and you notice this as well, brothers and sisters, in Acts chapter 21 and verse 20, just to have this before us, to see that there were Pharisees who became believers in Yeshua and sought to hold on to be still Pharisees.

In Acts 21 and verse 20, we read, And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jewish people there are which believe and they are zealous of the law. Thousands of Jewish people, of Jews, there are which believe in Yeshua the Messiah, but they are zealous for the law. This was something embedded in our nation, in our people Israel. It is embedded in the Jewish people, the Torah, the law, the law of Moses. And it was so hard to grasp this new building, the new ecclesia, the body of Messiah, the church of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, that they were insisting that now the Gentiles who become believers in Yeshua the Messiah, number one, they need to be circumcised, number two, they have to keep the law of Moses.

That was a real issue, dear beloved brothers and sisters, in the earlier century of the church age. And it is still today, I've just been recently in a meeting where we can have some of our own Jewish brethren who have different views than we are. Some of them have tzitzit, and some of them wear talit, and some of them wear kippah, and some of them practice certain things, and yet they believe in Yeshua, they love Yeshua the Messiah. But the issue here, it's not whether you have tzitzit, and kippah, and talit, and keep Shabbat, and keep kosher, and celebrate the feasts, the issue here, that they said that in order for those Gentiles to be saved, they have to be circumcised, they have to keep those things.

Now, it's one thing for a person to seek to keep Shabbat, or not, you're free as before the Lord, the book of Romans teach this to us, and one keep a day unto the Lord, and another doesn't, to another man every day is a lie. There's another thing, if one wants to keep kosher, and not eat pork, and not eat fish that they're not supposed to eat, and they have liberty not to eat, and they have liberty to eat, but it is another thing, and that is what the danger is, when we say to somebody, you better be circumcised, and keep the law of Moses, otherwise you are not saved.

This is a violation of the gospel. This is where God will have to deal with it drastically, because this is exactly for which the price that Yeshua the Messiah had to pay when he died for us on the cross, and it is important to understand that salvation is by grace alone through faith in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah, nothing to add, and nothing to subtract. This is simply what salvation is all, is through the grace that is found in the person and the work of Yeshua the Messiah. now look with me for a moment to Romans chapter 4 and verse 5, the apostle says, to him that worketh not, but believing on him that justified the ungodly, his faith he is counted for righteousness.

Notice, not to the one that work and earn it and does something, but to him that believes on Yeshua the Messiah, on the one that justifies him from all ungodliness, is the one that it is counted for him for righteousness. This is Romans chapter 4 and verse 5, and we all know the verse in Ephesians 2 verses 8 and 9, by grace are ye saved through faith, and this is not of yourself, it is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Salvation is totally by grace, and it is totally on the basis of faith in Yeshua the Messiah. And I'm just going to read one more verse, Galatians chapter 2 and verse 16, the apostle said, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Yeshua the Messiah.

Even we have believed in Yeshua the Messiah that we might be justified by faith in the Messiah and not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. That's what the apostle Paul have taught, that's what Peter have taught as well, we're going to read in a moment what Peter had to say about this. So brothers and sisters, here's the first five verses, it is the reason of the gathering of the council in Jerusalem. And I hope that you get a hold of this because this is something that we hear quite a lot today around us where people come and say that no, it's not enough to believe in Yeshua the Messiah, but if you want to be saved, you have to keep certain rules, you have to join this group of people, you have to celebrate certain things, and you have to keep certain days, but the Bible teaches us that this is not right.

The gospel is the only way of salvation, wherever you are, if you only believe that Yeshua has died and rose again, and confess your sins before him, and accept him as your savior, you are saved for time and for eternity, not because of what we have done. So, now in the next verses, verses 6 to 21, there is the discussion of the council of Jerusalem. It's so beautiful to see how they discussed this in the first century. Notice that, first of all, when Paul and Barnabas have arrived there, in verse 6 it says that the apostles and the elders came together to consider this matter. So, you have here the apostles, these are the first early apostles, those are the ones that have seen the Lord in his life, have seen him after his resurrection, and then you have the elders.

These are the elders, the ones who have followed Yeshua the Messiah and were leaders among the believers in in the city of Jerusalem. So, they gathered together and they were discussing this matter, they were considering this matter together. And here is where Peter come into the picture. In verse 7 to 11, here's a message that Peter gave to the brethren, to the believers there in the council. And look what Peter says. First of all, in verses 7 to 11, he began to speak and he says, in verse 7, And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up and he 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 and believe.

And God which knows the hearts bear the witness giving them the Holy Spirit even as he did give it unto us. He put no difference between us and them purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore why tempt ye God to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear. But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah we shall be saved even as they. Now Peter rose up and Peter reminded the brethren that it was him verse 7 that God had chosen in the first century to open the doors to the Gentiles.

Long before many of those even understood and walked with the Lord he says listen and if you remember it was in Matthew chapter 16 where the Lord asked the disciples who do men say that I the son of man am and some of the disciples thought that he was John or Jeremiah or one of the prophets but he says whom do you say that I the son of man am and Peter said to him you are the Messiah the son of the living God then the Lord Yeshua the Messiah said to Peter blessed art thou Simon bar Jonah for flesh and blood is not revealed unto thee but my father which is in heaven then

he said to him but you I tell you that you are Peter and upon this rock I will build my assembly my church my ecclesia and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it then he said to Peter I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatsoever thou shall bind on earth shall be bound and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth shall be loose in heaven so Peter received the keys this is verse 19 of Matthew chapter 16 and Peter was used by the Lord to open the door first of all to the Jewish people act chapter 2 then to the Samaritans act chapter 8 and ultimately to the Gentiles

in Acts chapter 10 as he went to the house of Cornelius so Peter said to the brethren do you remember brothers and sisters men and brethren do you remember how it was long while ago that God made a choice among us and that he used me that by my mouth the Gentiles will hear the word of the gospel and Peter himself kind of look back when he went earlier in the beginning he didn't even want to go because he was going to a Gentile home and he could not even enter into a Gentile home because it was forbidden to to go into to the Jewish people it was forbidden because of the association with idolatries

and with paganism with the Gentile world but Peter went in in obedience to the Lord and he went to Cornelius and he went to his home and how the message of the gospel was received by the family and the gathered people in the house of Cornelius so he says by my mouth God hath chosen that the word of the gospel will be preached to the Gentiles and that they will believe this is verse 7 and then in verse 8 he said the Gentiles believers also received the Holy Spirit in verse 8 and God which knows the hearts he bear them witness and he gave them the Holy Spirit even as he did give it unto

us see what he is showing to the brethren in the council listen they have the Holy Spirit just the same like we have the Holy Spirit the Gentiles believers have accepted Yeshua and received the Holy Spirit we have received the Holy Spirit there is no limitation because they believed in Yeshua the Messiah in verse 9 he showed them that there is no difference now between Jewish believers and Gentile believers and he put no difference between us and them purifying their hearts by faith this was extremely difficult for early Jewish believers to understand that it was open now to the Gentile world and God made no difference now when it's come to salvation a Jewish person

is a sinner and a Gentile person is a sinner and both need the Savior they need a gospel and in order to be saved they need to accept Yeshua the Messiah and when the Spirit of God came upon them they become part of the body of Messiah you know for Peter it was a joy to see that because he understood in some measure that God now had brought men together from all nations of this world and then notice he used the word put no difference this expression is later on mentioned by the apostle Paul in Romans chapter 3 where the apostle Paul said in verse 20 therefore by the deeds of the law there shall

no flesh be justified for by the law is the knowledge of sin but now the righteousness of God without the law is made manifest being witnessed by the law and the prophets even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Yeshua the Messiah unto all and upon all them that believe and notice what he said for there is no difference for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and brothers and sisters this is a fundamental truth to learn and to accept all have sinned and come short of the glory of God there is no difference because every one of us is born in sin Jewish or non Jewish and we

need forgiveness through the blood of Yeshua the Messiah and so he is continuing in this chapter 15 and now notice what he does in verse 10 this is also an important point look what he is saying here in verse 10 and this is Peter this is this great Hebrew apostle Peter he says now therefore he asked the brethren why do you tempt God to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples this is the gentile disciples and notice what he said which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear now let us understand there is no problem with the law the law is holy pure the law is undefiled the human race the

problem is with the sin nature that cannot rise to the requirement of the law that's why we needed the sacrifices when we failed to keep the law we ran to the sacrifice to the altar when we failed to obey God we ran to the altar where we bring the sacrifice which spoke about the Messiah Yeshua and then we received the cleansing so now the brethren the Pharisees who believed told to the Gentiles who believed you have to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses in order to be saved and that was so dangerous and so wrong and Peter calls it a yoke that Paul mentioned later on in Galatians 5 verse 1 stand first

therefore in the liberty wherewith the Messiah had made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage so he's telling them don't put a yoke you know that load upon the gentile believers and you know what you are doing he's actually said to them you are tempting God you are actually telling God God you know Yeshua's work is not quite sufficient you are tempting God you are testing God now again brothers and sisters there is no problem for one to keep a day unto the Lord but don't say that if he's not going to keep that day he's not saved that's wrong it's okay for one to circumcise his children well all

my children were circumcised but they are not saved because they are circumcised they need a Messiah to be saved that's what is needed circumcision never saved anybody but faith in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah is essential for salvation and that's why it was so dangerous and he's telling them number one you tempt him God number two you are putting a yoke that neither you brethren nor your fathers could ever accomplish this this is dangerous what we are doing and so he continue in verse 11 and he says listen we are all saved only on the basis of the grace of God in verse 11 he says but we believe that through the grace of our

Lord Yeshua the Messiah we shall be saved notice that he reversed it he could have said they are saved even as us but he reversed it and he says we are saved even as they why he is saying it this way because he is showing that here is pagans here is idolaters here is those who never knew the Bible never knew the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob here is those Gentiles that were far from God in fact they were hopeless and helpless as Ephesians tells us without God in this world but they were saved gloriously saved when they confessed their sins entrusted in Yeshua the Messiah and so he says we will be saved

on a basis of grace even as they become saved it is truly on a basis of grace and grace alone and so brothers and sisters when Peter was speaking and giving his deliberation sharing with the brethren in verses 7 to 11 then there was a time of quietness and pause look at this in verse 12 it says in verse 12 then all the multitude kept silent can you imagine what have gone there they were silent quiet and they were perhaps praying and thinking saying Lord God of Israel is it true is it right what Peter just shared with us and they were quiet before the Lord thinking biblically logically praying and asking the Lord to

reveal to them and of course they knew that that is the truth they knew it about themselves the fact that it was evident when the message of the messiahship was presented and even the rest of the Pharisees and the Sadducees opposed the messiahship of Yeshua they were a minority and it was totally the grace of God that saved them and so they were quiet there was quiet there was silence there there is a verse in the book of the revelation that there was silence in heaven for half an hour now can you imagine that silence you could probably hear a drop of a needle because of the seriousness of what Peter was sharing with his

own brethren in the council of the city of Jerusalem silence quiet everyone just absorb what Shimon Petros was telling them but then in verse 12b we have now the fact that Barnabas and Paul began to give their audience to the brethren there and look what they are saying in verse 12b it says and they gave audience to Barnabas and Paul declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them you notice that here the name Barnabas coming before the name of Paul while in verse 2 Paul's name come before the name of Barnabas apparently Barnabas was Barnabas he was very well known in the city of Jerusalem and very well respected in

fact he was the one that searched for Shaul and brought him earlier on to mingle with the believers so he took the lead in the declaration to the brethren of notice of declaring miracles and wonders that God had wrought among the Gentiles by them you notice the word miracles and wonders and to authenticate the message of the gospel that Paul and Barnabas were preaching to the Gentiles there was accompanying them signs and wonders like we read in Mark chapter 16 that was a promise from the Lord to prove that they were preaching the message of the word of God miracles signs wonders accompanied their preaching it's not like today today if somebody have a claim

to be a miracle worker well he become a suspect but in those days when a person come to say to a city thus says the Lord he didn't have a Bible in his hand he didn't have Acts he didn't have Matthew Mark Luke and John he didn't have Romans and so on he said thus says the Lord and boom something had happened thus says the Lord accompany his preaching with miracles and signs and wonders today when a person claimed to do certain miracles we have to ask him something what does the scripture says because we have the complete word of God in our hands now we don't limit God with limitation with miracles and signs

but we do see here that it was the apostles which were doing signs and wonders which accompanied their preaching and so Barnabas and Paul was declaring the wonders that God made through them among the Gentiles and many many Gentiles became believers in Yeshua the Messiah and so now we are moving on towards the next part of the deliberation in the council in Jerusalem because from verse 13 to verse 21 where we read we have another message but this time is a message by James his Hebrew name is actually Yaakov and Yaakov here now rose up in verse 13 and he began to give his message to the brethren now I want you to notice here

this Yaakov in verse 13 is not the Yaakov of the one who was the apostle the brother of John no because the brother of John already died this James this Yaakov is the half brother of Yeshua the Messiah the one who wrote to us the book of James the book of Yaakov the one whom we read he was a pillar here in the city of Jerusalem just go please to chapter 12 there we read of the two Yaakovs Yaakov number 1 is mentioned in verse 2 and Yaakov number 2 is mentioned in verse 17 look at Yaakov number 1 James it says and he this is Herod he killed James Yaakov the brother of John

with a sword so you can see that already this Yaakov this James the brother of John the sons of Zebedee which was chosen by Yeshua he already died but the next Yaakov is the Yaakov that is the half brother of Yeshua the Messiah don't forget that after Yeshua was born through the virgin Miriam Joseph married Miriam he was her husband and they had sons and daughters one of them was Yaakov one of them was Yosef one of them was Judah actually four children Miriam had in chapter 13 it's mentioned of the book of Matthew in verse 55 is not this the carpenter's son and is not his mother is Miriam and his brethren are Yaakov

Yosef Shimon and Judah four brethren and he had sisters and his sisters are they not all with us so apparently Miriam had additional children after the virgin birth of Yeshua the Messiah and she had at least six other children including Yaakov Yosef and Judah and Shimon and the two sisters so here is now Yaakov James is rising up in this verse 13 this is again brothers and sisters very important here is the brother of Yeshua is now asking the brethren to listen to him to what he has to say and James he said after they had held their peace James Yaakov answered and he said men and brethren hearken unto me the words for men

and brethren which Peter mentioned earlier in verse 7 it is simply men and brethren in the Hebrew we always have we always have the custom to call among the Jewish people we sometimes sing that song psalm 133 behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity so James so James rose up and he began to speak to the brethren and he asked them please listen to what I have to say so then in verse 14 he said about the declaration of Shimon Shimon has declared how God at first did visit the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name now dear brothers and sisters listen to

these words that James said that Peter have mentioned how God at first did visit the Gentiles and look what he is using the word to take out of them a people for his name out of them not all the Gentiles but out of the many many nations in this world God have selected and brought out from among them a people for his name that word out here are very similar to what we have in the word ecclesia the church called out ones there are those who are called out from among the Gentiles whether it is any nation in the world that God saved and bring out of those Gentile world people for his name it

is a remnant it is a minority from among the nations of the world that God took out for himself through the person of the Lord Jesus the Messiah you know it is similar to what he has done without Jewish people in Romans 11 and verse 5 there is a remnant according to the election of grace in these days in this time from among the Jewish people and you and I are proof of that today we need our meeting together some of us are Jewish and some of us are non-Jewish and we all have been picked out by the Lord and have been brought to him and we become part of the ecclesia part of the

body of the Messiah and so Simon declared how God in the beginning took from among the Gentile people out for himself and then it says in verse 15 this is exactly agreeable with what the word of God spoke to us through the Hebrew prophets in verse 15 and to this agree the words of the prophets as it is written after this I will return and will build again the tabernacles of David which is falling 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 and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called says the Lord who doth all these

things now this brothers and sisters what James is saying here that after God would call the Gentiles to himself some out of the nations and some out of the Jewish people he will build the body of the Messiah and after this he's going to restore the people of Israel back to himself that's what he's saying and you notice he used the words this is agreeing with the words of the prophets notice he used the word prophets in plural it is not only one prophet that spoke about that but many prophets Isaiah spoke about that that in the future day there will be the gathering of the Gentiles to come to the nation of Israel he's

talking about the kingdom age but he is applying this now to the church age it is true that one day many Gentiles will come and will accept the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob but in the meanwhile the apostle James Hill apply it to the church age and he's saying that God has now visited the Gentiles to bring out to take out of them a people for himself and you notice he's quoting the prophet Amos which we have read earlier Amos chapter 9 God is speaking to Israel and he says in that day verse 11 I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen and I will close up the breaches thereof and

I will raise up his ruins and I will build it as in the days of old and the day may possess the remnant of Edom and that all the heathen which are called by my name says the Lord that do with this here is here he is doing here he is making an application with a prophetic passage from the prophet Amos and and so it truly going to come time when Israel is going to be restored you know today people don't believe in the restoration of Israel I visited many believers in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah who believe that the church replaced Israel that Israel have no longer a future that God have done away

with the Jewish people some of it called British Israelism others called the covenant theology all kind of things that are being taught that Israel has done finished have no more hope for restoration but Amos didn't think so Isaiah didn't think so Jeremiah didn't think so Ezekiel didn't think so and all the Hebrew prophets never taught that here he said after this I will return I will build again the tent of David which is falling down and I will build the ruins thereof and I will set it up God is going to restore Israel in the future day but now he is dealing with the Gentiles believers in the church age and he is concluding here

and he is giving his final decision James as the leader there as a pillar there look what he said in verse 19 he says wherefore he says this is my sentence verse that we going to trouble not them which are from among the Gentiles that turn unto God don't cause them any trouble don't force on them circumcision don't force of them things that they should not be forced to do if if they accepted the Lord they are saved just like us don't trouble them from among the Gentiles that turn unto the Lord but here is what I would like to recommend that we will tell those Gentile believers verse 20 and verse 21 but that

we write unto them that they abstain from four things number one that they should abstain from pollution of idols number two that they should abstain from fornication number three they should abstain from things that are strangled and number four they should abstain from blood you know those four things are very important in fact pollution of idols you know idols and the pollution of idols to identify with idols remove them from their life remember first John 5 says brethren little children don't follow idols little children as he says first John chapter 5 forsake idols idols coming to the life of every one of us some of us have all sort of idols in our lives we

we we we might have a little figurine standing there on our windowsill but we have all sort of things that are polluting the believers idols that we have in our lives number two fornication sexual immorality at that time and in our time it's so easily to fall into this condition he says to them tell them that they will abstain from sexual immorality fornication number three from things that are strangled you know when we have been taught in Israel when you kill an animal and you eat meat the animal's blood had to be totally drained because the life of the flesh is in the blood God has taught the people of Israel so they abstain from

meat from food the animals that have been merely strangled but the blood is still in them because the blood speaks of life the life of the flesh is in the blood and God instructed our forefathers the people of Israel to take away totally the blood from their animals that they are eating whatever meat they are eating and finally notice he used the word from blood and apparently maybe at that time they were drinking blood and again brothers and sisters the blood in scripture speak to us of life and therefore they were exhorted to write a letter for them to abstain from pollution of idols fornication things that are strangled and from blood and this is

applied to us as well today and finally concluding in verse 21 here's the reason why because if they believe in Yeshua the Messiah and they are living in the nations where some Jewish people are they are going to offend the Jewish people because Moses this is the law of all time have in every city them which preach him there are synagogues all over the world and those Jewish people who are in this synagogue are offended by the manner in which Gentiles believers who are going to be insensitive to them and in disobedience to the word of God eating strangled meat drinking blood committing all kind of things that are disorderly before the Lord and he

says listen Moses is being read in every city by those that preach Moses teaching this is the law the Torah and they being read in the synagogues every Shabbat day you know brothers and sisters we live here in Toronto all what you have to do is like today like the Shabbat day go to a synagogue and you notice that the read and Moses will be read whether it is Genesis or whether it is Deuteronomy it is going to be read and every Shabbat day they are being read I just this morning coming to the meeting hall passed by various groups of religious Jewish people the Hasidim going to the synagogue faithfully reading hearing I'm sure

the scripture the Torah the words of Moses and that's what they believe to abstain from pollution of idols fornication things that are strangled and from blood and that's where James ends his statement here and from here on in the next half of this chapter there is the sending back of some to speak to those believers in Antioch and then the dealing with this issue before there is a beginning of a second missionary journey of the apostle Paul well may the Lord help us with whatever we had before us today and help us to understand the grace of God through Yeshua the Messiah that saved us and brought us to be part of the family of

God