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Acts 15:23-29  THE LETTER FROM THE CHURCH AT JERUSALEM

Introduction:

	The church at Antioch of Syria had sent Paul and Barnabas and other 
brethren to the church at Jerusalem asking them to help the Jerusalem church  
with a doctrinal question.  The question was: Is it necessary for Gentiles to be 
circumcised, and thereby come under the law of Moses, in order to be saved?  
	In our text today the Jerusalem church writes a letter back to the church 
at Antioch and answers the question.  

I.  The heading of the letter
 
   	V. 23, “And they wrote [letters] by them after this manner; The apostles 
and elders and brethren [send] greeting unto the brethren which are of the 
Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia.”  The letter first identified who the 
letter was from.  It was from the Apostles, the elders of the church at 
Jerusalem and from all the brethren of the Jerusalem church.  To be technical, 
James, along with the help of the apostles and elders of the church probably 
worded the letter.  But the entire church membership placed their approval of 
the letter before it was finalized.  
	The heading next identified to whom the letter was addressed.  It was 
first addressed to the church at Antioch of Syria, the church which had asked 
their help in the matter.  It was further addressed to other churches in Syria, 
in addition to the church at Antioch, which was also in Syria.  We know there 
was a church at Damascus and apparently there were churches in other cities of 
Syria.  Although those churches had not been involved in the dispute, the 
Jerusalem church felt that it was likely that men from Judea had also visited 
them claiming that Gentiles had to be circumcised in order to be saved.  It is 
also likely that they had heard of the dispute which had arisen at Antioch and 
were anxiously awaiting the reply of the church at Jerusalem.  
	Still further, the heading addressed the letter to the churches of 
Cilicia.  This was one of the districts which Paul and Barnabas had visited in 
their missionary tour and had organized churches there.  This district was 
relatively close to the church at Antioch of Syria and had likely heard of the 
dispute and would be very anxious to hear what the word was from the Jerusalem 
church.  It appears that copies of the one letter were sent to all these 
different churches.  
	It is also worthy of note, that while the letter was intended for the 
entire membership of those churches, the letter was addressed especially to the 
Gentile people in those churches because they were the very people over whom the 
dispute had arisen.  We can be certain that these Gentiles were very anxious to 
learn what the Jerusalem church had to say about the matter.  

II.  The issue dealt with in the letter

    	V. 24, “Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us 
have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, [Ye must] be 
circumcised, and keep the law...”  The Jerusalem church felt somewhat 
responsible for the problem experienced in the other churches because the 
brethren who claimed that Gentiles had to be circumcised under the law of Moses 
were from Judea.  Yet not only were they from Judea, but the indication is this 
verse is that they had come from the Jerusalem church itself.  Therefore, they 
felt the need to help settle the issue.  
	(V. 24), “...to whom we gave no [such] commandment.”  The idea that 
Gentiles had to be circumcised and come under the law of Moses did not come from 
the apostles nor from the elders of the Jerusalem church.  Nor had it come as an 
expression of what the Jerusalem church believed.  It may have possibly come 
from some few of the members of the Jerusalem church.  When the brethren from 
Antioch first arrived and presented the question, some of the brethren of the 
Jerusalem church who had been of the sect of the Pharisees had spoken up quickly 
and strongly insisted that it is necessary for Gentiles to be circumcised and 
that it is necessary for them to come under the law of Moses in order to be 
saved.  But the letter declared that this had never come from the apostles nor 
the elders and that this had not been the teaching of the church as a whole.   
	In essence, what they were saying is that the apostles and elders along 
with the church as a whole had never told those men that Gentiles had to be 
circumcised in order to be saved.  The men who brought that message from 
Jerusalem had evidently either stated plainly that the Jerusalem church held to 
the idea that Gentiles must be circumcised or else they had deliberately left 
that impression.  But the letter clearly states that this was not the teaching 
of the church at Jerusalem.  
	The letter does not say so, but the majority of the members in the 
Jerusalem church had not decided one way or the other until the brethren from 
Antioch had arrived and presented to them the question.  But after much 
discussion on the subject it was now the unanimous view of the Jerusalem church 
that Gentiles do not have to be circumcised nor come under the law of Moses in 
any way in order to be saved.    

III.  Paul and Barnabas endorsed

	 V. 25, “It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send 
chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul.”  It seems that the men 
from Judea who had raised the dispute in the first place had done so with the 
purpose of discrediting the ministries of Paul and Barnabas, who had preached 
among the Gentiles.  They had baptized Gentile converts and had organized 
churches of those Gentile converts.  The Jerusalem church counteracted that idea 
and expressed their great appreciation for Paul and Barnabas.  The ministry of 
these two preachers should not be hindered by discrediting their work, but they 
were to be appreciated and helped  in their sacrificial labors for the Lord.  
	V. 26, “Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus 
Christ.”  This statement was not made out of any attempt to flatter Paul and 
Barnabas.  It was merely a recognition of the facts.  These men had literally 
risked their lives in order to preach the gospel to Gentiles.  They should not 
be condemned for doing so.  Rather they were to be appreciated and upheld in 
prayer by all Christians.  

IV.  Verification that the letter was authentic

	V. 27, “We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell [you] 
the same things by mouth.”  The Judas who is spoken of here was not Judas 
Iscariot.  That Judas was dead.  Verse 22 identified him as Judas who was 
surnamed “Barsabas.”  Both Judas and Silas were “chief men” in the Jerusalem 
church.  The word, chief, as it is used here does not speak of any office or 
position which they held.  Rather it speaks of them as being men of high 
reputation in the church.  They were highly respected by all the church.  Their 
word could be trusted.  They could be trusted to tell the truth and they would 
verify that neither Paul nor Barnabas nor anybody else had tampered with the 
letter which the church had sent.  They could verify that what is said in the 
letter is what was said by the leadership and agreed to by the entire membership 
of the Jerusalem church.  The sending of these men was a wise move on the part 
of the church.  This would prevent anyone from rising up and claiming that Paul 
and Barnabas had tempered with the letter.  

V.  The recommendations made to the Gentiles

	V. 28, “For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you 
no greater burden than these necessary things.”  Back in verse 25 the letter 
said, “It seemed good to us...”  But now in verse 28 it said that is seemed good 
to the Holy Ghost and to us.  The term “Holy Ghost,” of course, speaks of the 
Holy Spirit, one of the Holy Trinity.  They said that our conclusion on the 
matter and our recommendations to you come not only from us, but also from the 
Holy Spirit of God.  It was by the Holy Spirit of God that the experience of the 
Apostle Peter preaching to the household of Cornelius had answered the question 
in the right way.  It was the Holy Spirit of God who had inspired the writing of 
the Old Testament Scripture at the hand of the prophet Amos which had proven 
conclusively that God welcomes Gentiles into His spiritual family without 
requiring them to be baptized.  It was the Holy Spirit of God who had led the 
apostles and elders and the entire membership of the church to conclude that God 
does not require Gentiles to be circumcised and come under the law to be saved.  
Since it was the Holy Spirit of God which had led them to this conclusion, no 
man could deny the truthfulness of this conclusion without going against the 
Holy Spirit of God.  
	It was also the Holy Spirit of God who had led them to make certain 
recommendations to the Gentile converts concerning their Christian lives.  V. 
29, “That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from 
things strangled, and from fornication...”  That is, you should turn from the 
erroneous ways of your old religion.  You should turn from the immoral and 
sinful ways of your old lifestyle.  You should turn from the old erroneous ways 
of sorcery and witchcraft.  
	(V. 29), “... from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye 
well.”  to put it in other words, the letter said to the Gentile Christians, “If 
you will heed these recommendations which the Holy Spirit led us to recommend to 
you will do well and God will bless you.”   
   
VI.  Things that if men today would do today , they would do well


	If anyone today will accept the truth of the gospel message he will do 
well.  All too many people in the world have rejected the true gospel message 
and are trying to get to heaven by some other way that will cause them to wind 
up in everlasting torment.  All too many people reject salvation by the grace of 
God through faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God and they will wind up in The 
Lake of Fire and Brimstone.  But anytime anyone will accept the true gospel 
message that person will be getting very close to the kingdom of God and much 
closer to heaven.  
	If a lost sinner today will not only believe the gospel message that Jesus 
saved, but also call upon Jesus Christ and trust Him to save his soul, he (or 
she) will do well.  If you will call upon Jesus and trust Jesus to save you, you 
will do well.  I can say to you unequivocally that if your will call upon Jesus 
Christ and trust Him to save your soul and take you to heaven when you die, this 
will be the best thing that you have ever done in your whole life.  It will be 
the best thing that you could ever do the rest of your life.  You will do well.  
You will be born again.  You will be cleansed of every sin.  You will become a 
child of God.  When you die your soul will be carried by angels to heaven to 
spend eternity with God in glory.  You will be doing well.  You will be doing 
very well.  You will be doing extremely well.  
	If a saved sinner will be scripturally baptized and get into a good 
scriptural Bible believing, Bible practicing church, he will be doing well. If 
you are saved and you have never been baptized and joined a church or if for 
some reason you are not presently active in a good church, if you will get in 
one you will be doing well.  Just like a little child needs a home in which to 
dwell, even so a saved person needs a church home.  The church will give him a 
training and guidance.  The church will give him encouragement and help.  It is 
not enough for a Christian to merely attend church, he needs to be a part of the 
church.  Just like it is not enough for a little child to visit a good home.  He 
needs to be a part of a good home.  If a saved person will get in church and be 
faithful in church, he will be doing well.  
	If a saved sinner will live a godly life and dedicate himself to God he 
will be doing well.  If you are saved and if you will live a godly life and 
dedicate yourself to God you will be doing well.  You will be helping other 
people and you will be doing well by helping others.  You will not only help 
others, but you will be helping yourself.  You will be doing well for yourself.  
You will be gaining the blessings of God upon yourself in this life  and you 
will be laying up rich treasures for yourself in heaven where moth and rust 
cannot corrupt and where thieves cannot break through and steal.  I say unto you 
that you will be doing very well for yourself.  

Conclusion:

	I am going to call upon our musicians to come forward and lead us in an 
invitation hymn.  Let me say that if the Holy Spirit of God is leading you to 
come forward and to trust Jesus as your Savior then you will do well to come.  
You should come without delay.  You should come today.    
	If you are saved and the Holy Spirit of God is leading you to place your 
membership in this church, then you should come.  You should come without delay.  
You should come today. 
	If you are saved and out of the will of God for your life and if the Holy 
Spirit has laid it upon your heart to get your life turned around to serve God 
then you would do well to come.  You should do so without delay.  You should 
come today.  You should  come now.  Do it now.