We'll continue our meditation
this evening on the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 15. And you
may remember a couple of weeks ago we took the first five verses. And we'll continue this evening
from verse 6 down to verse 12. And you may remember that what
had occurred was there was the discussion about whether circumcision
was necessary or not. There were those Pharisees who
contended that they should still continue with that ceremony of
circumcision. And there was a big dispute about
it. And as a result, they sent men
up to Jerusalem to see whether these things were so. And so
we come to this sixth verse, and the 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 so it's quite clear that
there was a frank and an open discussion as they gathered together
to debate this important issue. We look back now and obviously
we can think, well was it really such a big issue? Well it was
a big issue because it wasn't really only circumcision that
hung upon this, it really was all the old ceremonial law. And that was, of course, so very
precise and so very necessary to be carried out. And therefore
it's understandable that there was this disputing as to whether
it was right to leave those things aside or whether it was right
to continue them. So they had this discussion,
then Peter arose up and it just seems that Peter was operating
as an ordinary individual. He wasn't really operating in
any particular leadership. They'd had a discussion and now
Peter rose up and he was equipped to rise up because of the things
that he had experienced in his personal life. And so we read
that, yes, he was used, that the Gentiles, by my mouth, should
hear the word of the gospel and believe. You may remember that
of course was in the household of Cornelius and that again was
a most remarkable occasion when the Lord so ordained that the
Apostle Peter should come to meet with the people in Cornelius's
house. and so he came there and he preached
the gospel and it had a good and wonderful effect in that
place and that of course was to the gentiles and so Peter
then was so clear that God had sent him to preach the gospel
to the Gentiles. It was most remarkable, we won't
go back over the history, I'm sure you're aware of it, we've
talked about it at length, how he saw that sheet let down with
those unclean animals, and he was told to rise and eat and
that was a point which confirmed him that he should go and speak
to these Gentiles and so the Apostle Peter did and he comes
and tells us now and God which knoweth the hearts, bear them
witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us."
Well that of course is the great and vital thing, is to be blessed
with the work of the Holy Ghost in our hearts, that movement,
that quickening work, that enlivening work, which had come upon Peter
and the apostles, had come upon many on that day of Pentecost,
and then when Peter was at Cornelius' house, had come down and was
a great blessing there. And so we are so thankful to
know that the great work of the Holy Spirit was carried on in
those days and it is still today. and how necessary and how dependent
we are today for that great and glorious work, giving them the
Holy Ghost even as he did unto us. And what did it do? It leveled out the great differences,
because historically there had been a big difference between
Israel and the Gentiles, or we might say Israel and the rest
of civilization. Israel were God's favoured and
elect people. and Lord greatly blessed them
and there were only a few people really outside of Israel. We can think of Ruth and Merbitus
and people like that but they were really quite isolated circumstances. So it was wonderful to now see
that there was this blessing and put no difference between
us and them purifying their hearts purifying their hearts by faith. Well, we need a new heart, a
clean heart, a pure heart. And God it is who gives that
heart. He gave it, you see, to these
people and he gave them faith then to believe the truths that
the apostles were able to set before them. And it's no different
for us today. We still need the blessed work
of the Holy Spirit to give us that faith to believe the truth
of the Word of God. Because the effect is of being
blessed for that believing, we're then blessed for that spiritual
life as the Lord has given us that life so that we do believe
that living faith which is the gift of God. Now, he says, 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? and that yoke we've referred
to really it was that great ceremonial law you remember that was so
definite and it touched so many things even when people might
have brushed by a dead body they had to purify themselves and
there were many such instances like that and which was almost
impossible to actually carry out in accordance with the Word
of God. It was therefore a great burden
to them. It was a great yoke. And now
that yoke and that burden had been removed through the great
and glorious Gospel of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so
the Apostle Peter here, he reminds these people of the situation
which did exist and he points them now to the saviour and so
how necessary it was that he should make this point 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 then he
comes on to this great and glorious truth but we believe that through
the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved even as they."
What was this? Well, this was the unmerited
favour of God towards them. Peter had benefited from it. He knew the great blessing of
the grace of God. He knew it was no different to
anyone else. but he rejoiced in that wonderful
gift, that wonderful favour of that grace of God which had come
upon him, and therefore he was amongst those who did believe.
who did believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He believed what he had
done, what he had accomplished, and how that as he had come and
fulfilled all the demands of the holy law, all that ceremonial
law was fulfilled in the life and death of the Lord Jesus Christ,
as he died to atone for the sins of his church. You know, you
think of all those many, many years. Thousands of sacrifices
have been offered up who could never really take away sin. But this man, the Lord Jesus
Christ, he offered up himself once. It was a complete sacrifice. It was an all-sufficient sacrifice. And it was through his death
and the shedding of his most precious blood that he brought
to the ransomed Church of God the forgiveness of sins. Without
shedding of blood there is no remission, there's no forgiveness.
But our gracious and glorious Lord, he died that death upon
that cross at Calvary to atone for the sins of all his people. not one left out, not one sin
not atoned for, it was a complete salvation. And so how wonderful
it was that the Apostle Peter was able to stand up here in
this assembly as they gather together as a synod, as it were,
and able to declare unto them this great truth, but we believe
that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be
saved even as they." Well, what a blessing tonight if God has
implanted in our heart that faith to believe the great and glorious
truths of the Gospel and to know that our blessed Saviour, the
Lord Jesus Christ, died to atone for our sins. And then he says,
and we read then, all the multitude kept silence. And that was an
amazing truth, wasn't it? It was a wonderful display of
God's grace and goodness. We can imagine, can't we, the
multitude there, and as Peter declaring unto them the great
truth of God, and the Holy Spirit had such an effect upon them
that they kept silence. There they were moved by the
great Spirit of God and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul,
declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles
by them. There they were, you see, and
they were silent and they listened then to what Paul and Barnabas
had to say and they were able to declare to them the great
work of God, how God had been with them in Antioch in Pisidia
you remember how he greatly blessed their work and many people were
converted and then on the journeys back from Antioch in Pisidia
back to Antioch and how the Lord greatly blessed them and now
they were here rehearsing these truths to this multitude. Well,
what a good thing, isn't it, if we are able to come and to
hear of the work of God, to hear of his miracles, those who he's
called by grace, those who are delivered from the power of Satan,
those he's brought to the light, great and glorious work, or may
we know and have much opportunity to hear and bless God for these
truths which are indeed great and wonderful miracles that God
had wrought among the Gentiles by them. Amen.