Salvation & Authority
Acts 15
We see in Scripture all sorts of examples of authority - good and bad. In the Book of Esther, a young woman named Hadassah/Esther was caught up in the great Persian empire ruled by a man with supreme authority. Xerxes did as he pleased and delegated massive power, even authority to take the lives of an entire nationality. It’s an incredible story of God’s providence and grace - through those that trust Him. It reminds us that no matter how much authority men try to claim over others, God’s authority alone is supreme. Whatever Jesus Christ has appointed to loose and bind (Matthew 16:19 and John 21:15-17, Luke 22:31-32 and Acts 15:7) carries the eternal authorization of God.
I encourage you to read Esther this week. And go see the movie Young Washington. You’ll see how leadership character is forged through trial and how God’s providence guided George Washington. The American Founding Fathers knew the dangers of unchecked authority and the need to bridle it by godly standards so free men can advance God’s Kingdom.
Likewise, I encourage you men to read how Peter and the apostles exercised the great authority Jesus gave them to make disciples and build God’s church. They were humble, brave men, yet they were unswervingly obedient to the Holy Spirit and remained unified despite fierce opposition from those who hated Christ's way (Acts 15).
God loves His people, those who obediently love Jesus Christ. God does not love us because of our strength or our smarts or our perseverance. He loves us because we are His, and He makes us strong to emerge through any difficulties.
Pray for me, as I’ve prayed for you this morning, that I may know God’s will and follow Him obediently, no matter what others think. We are just ordinary men and women, but with God all things are extraordinary.
Thank you, Jesus, for the sun and the orange rays of sunshine through the misty morning Lynchburg air. Thank you for the potential of this day. May we be worthy of it.
Please show us where and how best to serve and grow in Your grace, Lord God. Amen.
Always see the potential in people. For God sees it, nay, He gives it!
God has given us cause for great joy. He is building all things new!
I’m trying to learn to speak less and listen more. It’s hard. I’m also trying to be more subtle. It’s hard. I’m working to be more fearless in attitude, for wicked men so easily deflate our courage. I’m memorizing ancient church prayers and praying more mindfully as I know God has given each of us angels to sustain and protect us.
Men, preach boldly in your family and with your friends about the grace of God. By His grace alone we have this great opportunity to build. God will provide the power for the message to be effective and for everything we need.
Repent of sin, turn from worthless things, and turn to the living God.
God gives us more than enough evidence of Himself and His goodness. Lord Jesus, if You are willing, please grant us Your peace today and fill us with the fire of Your love.
I was reminded this week while reading Nehemiah of the need not to neglect our responsibilities (Nehemiah 13). Remove wicked men when it is in your power to do so. Confront those who shirk duty. Appoint men of excellent reputation. Remind one another that servant leaders must be honest. Rebuke bad actors. Confront hypocrites. Point people to the royal law of Jesus Christ that sets them free from this evil world. Command holiness and self-control in yourself by the power of the Holy Spirit, and set the standard of righteousness for your wife, children, and everyone you influence. Have great compassion on others, just as God has compassion on us. Be merciful. None of us is immune to great sin and shameful behavior. Our concupiscence, our drift toward sin, must be addressed through God’s sacraments. You are not so important that God cannot or will not discipline you. Get right with God and keep relying on His grace.
Make disciples of Jesus Christ, true disciples in the apostolic tradition of Holy Spirit-led growth through the sanctifying sacraments and participation in the Body of Christ.
Encourage Christians to press on and not fall back. Continue in the faith by relying on God’s grace. For each believer in Christ must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:22).
Go forth for Jesus. Work hard, for the work God does through us is our great privilege. By God’s grace our priorities will be His, and we will present a good report of everything He has done through us.
Remember that lost and hidden treasures are often right before our eyes. Once we see, we cannot unsee, and we will never trade anything for God’s grace once we’ve found it.
We look past the truth because of arrogance, pride, selfish ambition, fear, blindness, ignorance, and stubbornness. Has God shown us from the beginning His love through the Cross and His message through the one holy, catholic, and apostolic church? Yes, He has.
His eternal treasure is before us. Sell everything if necessary and take hold of it. Find and hold God’s grace, and continue to rely on Him alone, for His grace opens the Kingdom of God to us.
Can we be confident we are right with God? Yes. Definitely. But we must follow godly authority and aim to please God alone, not men.
When some taught that circumcision was necessary for salvation, Paul and Barnabas vehemently disagreed. What did the church do? They turned to the apostolic teaching and the authority handed down by Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:18 and Acts 15:1-35). The church has nearly 2,000 years of history, not just liturgy, but settled apostolic doctrine. Moses’ law cannot save you. The old covenant has been completely replaced by the new. Circumcision cannot save you. You must believe in Jesus Christ, obey Him, and grow in His new covenant of grace. God cleanses our hearts and makes us right with Him through faith.
Here is how Saint Peter put it from his position of authority at the first Council of the Church in Jerusalem:
So the apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue. At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe. God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith. So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 15:6-11)
Undeserved grace: thank you, Jesus! Don’t challenge God by adding to the new covenant of Christ. It is by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that we have been saved.
The Jerusalem Council shows that false teachers existed even in the early church, just as today many splinter groups and rebels want to do things their own way rather than God’s way. There are many false teachers with zero delegated authority from the apostles. But there are also those whom God has truly authorized, official representatives of Jesus through the apostles, Acts 15:25, who speak and teach with Holy Spirit-approved authority.
Not sure where to go to church this weekend? Go to a church that is apostolically grounded from the beginning. There is great joy in heaven and on earth when the Bride of Christ is united (John 17). Let’s do our part to teach and preach the word of the Lord Jesus in unity, as part of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.
I’m asking God to teach me how to grow in sanctification and how to pray more for the unity of the church and the growth of His Kingdom. God is slowly getting through to me - not an easy task.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and kindle in us a fire for Your love. Amen.
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