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Let's pray together. Heavenly
Father, you have taught us that man does not live on bread alone,
but by every word that comes from your mouth, oh Lord. And
so we come to you hungry, asking that you would feed us by your
word, enlighten us with the glories of your gospel, transform us
by your grace and truth, and instruct us in your holy ways. We pray this in the name of Jesus
Christ, our Lord. Amen. If you'll open your Bibles, to
our sermon text, continuing our series, working through the Book
of Acts. We'll be looking this morning
at chapter 15, verses 36 through the end of the chapter, 36 to
41. So Acts 15, 36 through 41, here
now, this is the holy, infallible word of God. And after some days,
Paul said to Barnabas, let us return and visit the brothers
in every city where we proclaim the word of the Lord and see
how they are. Now Barnabas wanted to take with
him John, called Mark, But Paul thought best not to take with
them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not
gone with them to the work. And there arose a sharp disagreement,
so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with
him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and departed,
having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the
Lord. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the
churches. On Thursday, June 11, 1936, the
hopes of many long years were realized. We became members at
last. of a true Presbyterian church,
we recovered at last the blessing of true Christian fellowship. What a joyous moment it was,
how the long years of struggle seemed to sink into nothingness,
compared with the peace and joy that filled our hearts. These
were the words of J. Gresham Machen. After years of
battling liberalism in the mainline Presbyterian church, Faithful
ministers had finally established a denomination committed to biblical
truth. The Orthodox Presbyterian Church
had been founded. Yet within 12 months, that unity
was fractured. 14 ministers and three elders
departed to form the Bible Presbyterian Church, not over the gospel itself,
but over questions of alcohol use and end times views. The very men who had stood shoulder
to shoulder against modernism in the church now found themselves
divided over secondary matters. This morning's passage concluding
Acts 15 tells a strikingly similar story. We just witnessed the
triumph of the Jerusalem Council. The gospel preserved, unity achieved,
the churches strengthened. Paul and Barnabas, this great
missionary team, returned to Antioch victorious. And the church
rejoiced with encouragement when they received the good news. Yet here, in the very next scene,
these same champions of the truth of the gospel find themselves
in such sharp disagreement that they part ways. Not over doctrine,
not over the gospel, but over whether or not to give John Mark
a second chance. Both stories remind us of a sobering
reality. Even when God's people stand
united on the essentials of our faith, our human weakness, our
differences of judgment, and ultimately our sin still drive
us apart. Yet as we'll see this morning,
Christ continues to build his church even through sinful servants
like us. He is working, not only despite
our conflicts, but sometimes even through them, to advance
his kingdom in unexpected ways. Let's consider our passage this
morning under the following headings. First, we'll see that Christ
shepherds through his servants. This contrasts, second, with
our human division. Third, nevertheless, Christ continues
building his church, and finally, the application for us, how Christ
works in our conflicts. So first, Christ shepherds through
his servants. As we saw last time, the Jerusalem
Council made its momentous decision. They didn't simply deliver a
cold letter to Antioch. No, they sent a delegation They
sent back Paul and Barnabas, but also Judas and Silas, and
they stayed, explaining, teaching, strengthening the church. Even
after Judas and Silas returned home, verse 35 tells us Paul
and Barnabas remained teaching and preaching the word of the
Lord. These men's hearts burned with
pastoral concern for Christ's church. Now where does this shepherd's
heart come from? It flows directly from Christ
himself. As Jesus declares in John chapter
10, I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep by name. I lead
them to good pasture. I came that they might have life
and have it abundantly. Most profoundly, the good shepherd,
he laid down his life for his sheep. But Christ, the good shepherd,
he didn't stop shepherding when he ascended to reign on high
at the right hand of his father in glory. No, as we've been seeing
all through Acts, he is still working. He is still active. This is the book of the Acts
of the ascended and reigning Lord Jesus. But how does he do
this? He continues his pastoral work
through his servants. We see it right here in verse
36. Paul turns to Barnabas with concern for Christ's flock and
says, let's return and visit the brothers in every city where
we've proclaimed the word of the Lord and see how they are. Why such urgency? Why does he
want to return? Because he knows these young
churches are vulnerable. Yes, they had done something
of crucial importance. They had appointed elders in
every church. But Paul's nose, false teachers,
prowl like wolves. The Judaizers had been defeated
in Jerusalem, but they're still out there, especially in these
far-flung provinces. Paul's letter to the Galatians
reveals his deep anxiety for these churches. He wrote in Galatians
4.11, I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain, as
they had come under attack. from false teaching. And even
in that letter, he said he wished he could have been present with
them. A letter can only do so much, can only communicate so
much, can only shepherd so much from afar. He knows that sheep
need protection, guidance, strengthening. They need a shepherding visit. This same pastoral care continues
today. It is the duty of your elders. Just as these churches needed
someone to check in to see how they were, we all need someone
to come to care for us, to ask the vital questions. This is
why we make elder visits, shepherding visits. We come and we ask, how
are you doing spiritually? How is your soul? Are you trusting and resting
in Christ? Are you following the shepherd's
voice? Is he making you to lie down
in green pastures? Are you following his lead in
paths of righteousness? Are you walking with him perhaps
right now through the valley of the shadow of death? And are
you finding comfort in him? knowing that He is with you? Or perhaps, are you straying
from Him and you need help finding the right path, returning to
your Savior? Because the tendency of the straying
sheep is to hide. And we all need someone to come
in and check with us when we're running away, when we're hiding. Hebrews 3, 13, 17 says, it is
the elder's duty to keep watch over your souls as those who
must give an account. This is a sobering duty. But
we do this not as hired hands, but as under shepherds, serving
the chief shepherd who gave his life for you." So first Christ
shepherds his sheep through his servants. But how quickly Paul's
beautiful plan of pastoral care becomes shipwrecked on the shoals
of human division. That's our second point, human
division. Here, let's recall Mark's story.
He's a young man from Jerusalem, first introduced to us in Acts
chapter 12. When Peter is delivered from prison, he goes to Mark's
mother Mary's house, where the believers had gathered to pray.
And just like Paul, he has both a Hebrew name, John, and a Roman
name, Mark. Sometimes we see both together,
John and Mark, but more commonly just Mark. When Paul and Barnabas
headed back to Antioch after delivering famine relief to Jerusalem,
Mark joined them. And when they launched their
first missionary journey, he went along as their assistant.
And then we see that That turning point in Pamphylia,
Mark left them. We're never told the reason why.
There's all kinds of speculations, but we don't know. The text uses
strong language. He didn't just withdraw, as the
ESV says. The Greek is sharper. He deserted
them. Here, this is where the human
drama unfolds. Barnabas, true to his name, the
son of encouragement, he sees potential for restoration. After
all, he was the first to embrace Paul, to give him the To trust him, when the Jerusalem
church doubted the sincerity of this former persecutor of
the church, it was Barnabas who introduced him to the apostles
as a faithful brother in the Lord. Now he wants to do the same.
He wants to extend the same grace to this, his young cousin Mark. Paul, however, has a different
perspective. His eyes are on the mission. Now, the express
purpose of this trip is to revisit the churches from the first journey.
Perhaps he also has something else in the back of his mind
to push into new territory. And we'll see that is, in fact,
what comes to pass. So what is Paul's? What is Paul
looking for? He wants a proven team, battle
tested companions. In his mind, Mark's previous
desertion disqualifies him. Now you think, these two veteran
missionaries, close friends who have served together for years,
you think they could work this out calmly? Perhaps they could
have strategically planned and said, okay, let's think about
this rationally. We'll just plan two separate
teams. We can do this. These aren't
two young hotheads. These aren't fledgling believers.
And remember, Barnabas didn't just introduce Paul in Jerusalem.
He's also the one who specifically sought him out in Tarsus, who
brought him to Antioch when he needed help. And yet despite
these years of friendship, despite their maturity in the faith,
they can't see themselves to a resolution. Instead, we witness
what Luke calls a sharp disagreement, so sharp it splits them apart. Why does Scripture tell us this
painful moment? It's not just a record history.
There's many things that happen in history that Scripture does
not tell us about. It's here because it wants to
teach us, to teach us several sobering truths. One, that even
the greatest of saints are sinners. Only Christ is our sinless savior. Second, unity in gospel essentials
doesn't guarantee agreement on secondary matters. The triumph
of the Jerusalem Council was that they not only found unity
in the gospel essentials, they also made compromise on the secondary
matter so that those things would not separate them. They were
willing to compromise. And third, ministry decisions
often involve wisdom calls, wisdom, decisions requiring wisdom and
judgment calls. Think about our own church decisions.
We pass annual budgets with hundreds of line items, each one a judgment
call. There are building projects,
property decisions. Sadly, we see churches split
over such things all the time. And we haven't needed this in
our congregation, but often a church needs to set up a pastoral search
committee. They work through sometimes dozens,
hundreds of applications, weighing candidates, recommending just
one in the end. These are difficult wisdom decisions. Mature believers may disagree.
And I'm sure you can multiply the examples. Interestingly,
Luke does not tell us who was in the right, who was in the
wrong. He simply reports that these two godly men, united in
gospel purpose, separated over this wisdom issue. Scripture
also doesn't explicitly mention sin here. And yet, I would say
the sharp disagreement, Barnabas and Mark's quick exit, the church
of Antioch's blessing, On Paul's team alone, if you read the text
carefully, all these things suggest that they parted, most likely
with at least some residual anger and not in perfect peace and
reconciliation. But this human division, it sets
the stage for something remarkable. As our story continues to unfold,
our third point, Christ continues to build his church. What begins
with human division becomes multiplication through the power of Jesus Christ.
One missionary team becomes two. Paul partners with Silas, We
saw him introduced in the delegation from Jerusalem. And so now this
new team is the perfect combination of Antioch and Jerusalem, uniquely
positioned to deliver the council's decision throughout Syria and
up into Galatia. Meanwhile, Barnabas takes Mark
and they head to Cyprus, visiting again the churches of Barnabas'
home island. Now one team become two, they
are able to cover more ground for Christ's sake. Though Barnabas
disappears from this point forward in Luke's narrative, the book
of Acts, his faithful work continues. Now Paul later refers to him
in 1 Corinthians 9, 6, and he refuses to speak Elephant. Though
they disagreed, they are still two brothers laboring for the
same Lord, even if on separate paths, their split doesn't destroy
their respect for each other's ministry. The most remarkable
evidence of Christ's sovereign work appears in Mark's story
as we follow it forward. Through Barnabas's patient mentoring,
the young deserter becomes a stalwart servant of Christ. We see him
later in Colossians, a letter of Paul. There he becomes, at
that point, Paul's in prison and he is Paul's fellow prisoner. He had gone on in the future
to work alongside Paul. And as Paul writes in the letter
to Philemon, he lists Mark as one of his fellow co-workers. But the most powerful evidence
of Mark's restoration comes in Paul's final days. As Paul sits in a Roman prison,
knowing his execution draws near, he writes, I have fought the
good fight. I have finished the race. I have
kept the faith. And in these final moments, as
he is penning his dying words, who does he specifically request
to be at his side? Of course, he's writing to Timothy,
so he says, Come to me, my beloved, some ten of thee." And he says,
get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for
ministry. The once rejected deserter has
become an essential companion to Paul in his darkest hour. But Mark's restoration, it goes
even further. He's not only essential to Paul,
but he also becomes one of Peter's closest companions. So close
that Peter calls him in 1 Peter 5.13, my son. And this relationship
extends to something extraordinary. Mark goes on to record Peter's
eyewitness account of Christ's life, his death, his resurrection,
giving us the gospel that bears his name. This young man who
once abandoned the mission becomes the spirit's instrument in recording
the story of our good shepherd who never failed us. Now is this
all due to Barnabas sticking up for Mark, giving him a second
chance, taking him on that one key trip to Cyprus? Perhaps that's
saying too much. I think perhaps it helped. Barnabas
loved to give people second chances. He was, after all, the son of
encouragement. But ultimately, ultimately, this
is Christ's master craftsmanship on display. He takes our human
failures, our human discords, our sins, and he weaves them
all together into his perfect plan. He never gives up. On us, he
who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at
the day of Jesus Christ. He works all these things into
his plan to build and to strengthen and to shepherd his church. And that's where our passage
concludes, verse 31. As Paul and Silas go forth, he
went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. Of course, it's speaking of Paul
and Silas, but who is really doing the work through them?
Christ himself. He is building his church through
these imperfect servants. The same Christ who redeemed
Mark's failure, who turns human division into two effective missionary
teams, he continues his work today. He remains the master
builder working through sinful servants like us, weaving even
our conflicts and failures into his perfect plan for kingdom
expansion. And that brings us to our final
point this morning. Christ's work in our conflicts. When we witness division in the
church today, our hearts can grow heavy. Perhaps you've experienced
the pain of church conflict yourself. Maybe you're carrying still the
weight of past disagreements, or perhaps you're in the midst
of one right now. This passage speaks directly
to our struggles. First it says, take comfort in
Christ's sovereign control. Nothing happening in the church,
no conflict, no division, no failure surprises the chief architect
and builder of his church. Just as he worked through Paul
and Barnabas's sharp disagreement, he continued working through
our conflicts today. The king remains on his throne. And as we've seen all throughout
the Book of Acts, nothing can hinder his plans to build his
church. Second, we find hope. We find hope in Christ's pattern
of using weak and sinful instruments. When we fail, When our judgment
proves faulty, when our sin gets the best of us, these things
don't disqualify us from continuing in Christ's service. Christ said
to Paul, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness. Paul therefore concludes, I will
boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power
of Christ may rest upon me. Second Corinthians 12, 9. Our
weaknesses become stages for displaying Christ's strength. He uses imperfect servants like
us. Now, hear what I'm saying and
what I'm not saying. I'm not saying, I'm not giving
you permission to create division, saying, oh, God's gonna really
use this. We never say, let us do evil, that good may come. Scripture categorically condemns
such thinking, Romans 3.8. Instead, we take comfort knowing
that when conflicts arise despite our best efforts at unity, When
we fail, despite doing our best, we can trust that Christ remains
at work, sometimes using even our failures to advance his kingdom
in unexpected ways. We strive to serve him. We strive
for unity. But when we fail, we take comfort
he is still working. And so remember what we've seen,
Christ builds his church through imperfect people like us. Our
weaknesses and failures showcase his perfect strength. The mission
continues even when conflicts arise. The same Christ who turned
one fractured missionary team into two effective teams continues
to work today. Trusting in him, we continue
serving in confidence. even though we recognize our
weakness, our sin, because the building of Christ's church doesn't
ultimately rest on our shoulders. In the dark hours of August 9th,
1942, it was the Battle of Savo Island, an explosion rocked the
USS Astoria. 19-year-old Navy signalman Elgin
Staples was violently thrown overboard. As he plunged into
the ocean, he was thankful that just moments before he had donned
his inflatable rubber life belt, it was that life belt that kept
him afloat for the next four hours. until he was rescued by
a U.S. naval destroyer. When he was
rescued, he saw his ship, the Astoria, was still afloat and
he insisted on returning to her, desperate to save her. But the
ship was doomed and a few hours he found himself back in the
water again. But his trusty life belt kept
him afloat. Three more hours until he was
rescued once more. As he recovered after the battle,
Staples examined the belt. To his surprise, it was made
in his hometown of Akron, Ohio by the Firestone Tire and Rubber
Company. When he returned home, he showed
it to his mother, Vera. During the war, she had taken
on work at that very plant. As she looked at the belt, her
eyes widened in surprise. Son, she said, her voice barely
above a whisper. I'm an inspector at Firestone. Here on your belt is my inspector
number. Mother and son stood in stunned
silence, then embraced. Vera had unknowingly saved her
son's life from across the world. This remarkable story reminds
us of a profound truth We never know how the Lord will use our
actions, no matter how small they seem. Vera's diligent work
saved her son's life, but our faithful service to the Lord
may have impacts we'll never know, never comprehend. The Lord
uses imperfect, sinful servants like Paul and Barnabas, like
you and me. Because it is ultimately Christ
who is building his church. If he can work disagreements
and division into his glorious plan, how much more can he use
our heartfelt efforts to serve him? We are imperfect vessels, but
we rest in Christ's perfect work. His finished work on the cross. And We rejoice that he works
continually even in us and through us to build his church. So let
us serve him wholeheartedly, trusting he will use our efforts
in ways we might never expect. But at the end of the day, Christ
is using deeply flawed, sinful instruments like us. And so we
know anything we accomplish in his service is purely by grace. Christ is the one who is doing
it all. He is the one building His church. And that means He gets all the
glory. Praise the Lord. Amen. Let's
pray. Our Heavenly Father, We lament and we grieve when
we look at ourselves and we see our sin and we see how flawed
we are, how quick we are to fall into disunity and division. This just shows us how much more
we must rest on Christ, our perfect sinless Savior. We thank you
that he is on the throne, that he is still shepherding us. He
is still guiding us in perfect paths of righteousness. We thank
you that he is still building the church. And we thank you
that he uses imperfect servants like us to advance that kingdom. Oh Lord, how we long to see your
kingdom built up advancing here in Hackettstown, throughout our
state of New Jersey, across our country, and to the ends of the
earth. Lord, we are so thankful that
you would use people like us to build your kingdom. Help us
to do this work as we follow Christ humbly, knowing it is
all of grace, it is all that you use imperfect servants
like us so that you might receive all the glory. Help us to serve
you with all our hearts only out of gratitude for what you
have done for us. Resting and trusting in Christ
alone and his perfect finished work. For it's in his name we
pray, amen.
Christ Builds Through Sinful Shepherds
Series Acts
| Sermon ID | 12824152017749 |
| Duration | 33:19 |
| Date | |
| Category | Sunday - AM |
| Bible Text | Acts 15:36-41 |
| Language | English |
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