Acts 15:1

And certain men who came down from Judea taught the brethren, saying, "Except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved." When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, along with certain others, should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question.

As they were brought on their way, they passed through the church, through Phineas and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles. This caused great joy among all the brethren. When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received by the church and by the apostles and elders, and they declared all the things that God had done with them. However, certain members of the sect of the Pharisees, who believed, rose up, saying that it was needful to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

Let's pray. Father, as we look into Your Word, I ask, Lord, that You would continue to equip us. Lord, continue to transform us by the renewing of our minds, as we see, and will see in this passage today, the simplicity of the gospel of truth. Lord, it is not by our works of righteousness, but by the work that You did on our behalf 2,000 years ago when You cried, "It is finished." By grace through faith, we have been brought near. We thank You that today, by Your Spirit, You are speaking to us. I pray that You would open our hearts and our minds to have understanding, for we ask it in Jesus' name. And all God's people agreed, saying, "Amen." You can be seated.

It has been an eventful week in our nation and in the world. This week, the leaders of many nations gathered in New York City at the General Assembly of the United Nations. If you were paying attention to the news, you probably heard bits and pieces of speeches from world leaders, such as Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, and Muammar Gaddafi of Libya. You may have also heard some excerpts from Benjamin Netanyahu's speech from Israel.

The Prime Minister of Israel and even our own President Barack Obama. I almost feel bad mentioning the last two names in line with the first three because the first three are certainly in a class of their own. I think the only thing that would have rounded off the whole thing was if Kim Jong-il of North Korea had been there to speak, but obviously, he wasn't.

Right after that, many of those leaders, especially the 19 biggest economies in the world and the European Union, gathered together for the G20 summit in Pittsburgh. When you consider all that has taken place this last week, these two major gatherings are an attempt by the leaders of this world to fix or at least address the problems that our globe is facing. They are all very concerned about the global economic crisis, global climate change, and other issues for which they are seeking answers.

In Acts chapter 15, we come to a council, a general assembly of the church, to discuss probably the first major problem that the church faced in the book of Acts. This major problem would continue to be addressed: the issue of works salvation, the question of how a person is made right with God. How can one have a relationship with God or receive forgiveness and justification? This would not be the last time that the church would gather together. In fact, this would really only be the first time they gathered in a council like this to discuss these matters.

Perhaps if you've studied church history, you've read about the Council of Nicaea, the Council of Chalcedon, or the Council of Constantinople. There were various councils throughout church history where they would gather to discuss heresies or false teachings that were creeping into the church. This is that first time they gathered together.

As we read in verse 1 of Acts chapter 15, certain men came down from Judea and arrived in the city of Antioch, where Paul and Barnabas had been ministering for a number of years. You remember that it was Barnabas who first came to Antioch to see what God was doing among the believers there. When he saw that many Gentiles were coming to faith in Christ, he went looking for Saul of Tarsus.

Who had been a recent convert to the faith, the church in Jerusalem had sent him up to his hometown of Tarsus. Barnabas went to seek him out and brought him back to Antioch. Paul had a gift from God and a calling from God to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. He was teaching and preaching with Barnabas and three other prophets or pastors in that church.

The church began to grow, not just in numbers, although it did, but it began to grow in strength, and the people were equipped. They were so transformed that the non-believers, what we might even call the heathens of the city of Antioch, witnessed this transformation. They began to call these followers of Jesus of Nazareth Christians because they said, "These are little Christ." Although it was used as an insult in that day, they took that name willingly.

These Gentile believers in Antioch mixed with Jewish believers who had come to faith in Jesus Christ. They had great fellowship, great koinonia in the Greek. Prior to that, Jews would never associate with a Gentile. Yet in Christ, those walls of separation were torn down. Paul talks about that in his letter to the Ephesians.

Sometime after the church got started, we see that Paul and Barnabas were sent out from Antioch and became the first worldwide missionaries. They went into the region of modern-day Turkey, at that time the region of Galatia, and they planted four churches before returning to Antioch.

When they returned, certain men came from Judea and began teaching the brethren in Antioch. These men, most likely from the city of Jerusalem, had certain credentials or a foundation that allowed them to speak to the church in Antioch. They were accepted into the church and given an opportunity to share. As they shared, they said, "Listen, you must be circumcised after the manner of Moses or you cannot be saved."

This caused a stir in that fellowship. I love how the author of the book of Acts, Luke, writes it in verse 2, where he notes that when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, it meant there was a huge discussion. It was no small disputation. They determined that they needed to go up to Jerusalem to clear this up, as they said, "You cannot be saved unless you do these things."

Their list included receiving the circumcision spoken of as a covenant to Abraham in the book of Genesis and reiterated in the law in Exodus. They also emphasized the importance of following and keeping the law of Moses, as we will see when we get down to verse 5. At its root, this false teaching presented the church with an important question that had to be addressed, and it has been addressed several times since: How is a person made right with God? How is a person brought into righteousness?

When we use the word "righteousness," our minds often go to the idea of sinless perfection. However, perhaps the best biblical definition of righteousness is simply to be right with God, to have a right standing with Him, and to be in fellowship and relationship with Him. Man has always had a tendency to interject himself into the answer to that question. How is a man made right with God? We even have a tendency to push ourselves into the equation, believing that we have something to do with it. It is an important question: Do we have something to do with it?

The mindset is partially true because if I am walking in continual sin, I cannot expect God to have a relationship with me. I cannot expect God to bless me. As the prophet Isaiah told the children of Israel in Isaiah 59, he said to them, "Listen, your sin has separated you from your God." So there is an aspect where, if I am walking in continual sin, then I am not able to have a relationship and fellowship with God.

However, as it relates to justification—the big word that deals with my forgiveness of sin and the removal of the punishment that I, and you, and we deserve because we have broken God's law—does it have anything to do with me and my works? Some, even here right now in our midst, are working and relating to God in a kind of quid pro quo relationship. This means that if I do A, B, and C, then God will make good on the promises to me. We feel that we have to do these things before He will bless us or pour out His promises upon us. Sometimes it's better stated in the negative. We might think, "I haven't been reading my Bible. I didn't read my Bible this morning, so God’s not happy with me." Or we might say things like,

I haven't been praying, so God can't bless me. Or we might think that God is not working in our favor, leading us to believe that we need to fast to get His attention. This was how the children of Israel related to God 2,800 years ago when Isaiah the prophet was speaking to the people. They even accused God of not taking notice, saying, "Listen, we fast and we seek You, and You don't care." Their mindset was that God only serves and works in our lives when we are keeping the law or commandments and following Him in a specific way.

Certain men came forward and claimed that you cannot even be saved unless you become a Jew. It wasn't just an issue of blessing or having a good standing with God; they asserted that salvation was contingent upon this requirement. Prior to this point in the Book of Acts, the church was seen by many as a sect of Judaism, similar to a denomination within Judaism. Most of the converts to Christianity came from Judaism. Therefore, there were those, including the men who came to Antioch, who said that before you could become a Christian, you had to first become a Jew.

To do that, one had to receive circumcision, which is the sign of the covenant of God and the children of Abraham, and follow the law of Moses. It is interesting that we are told it was certain men, although their names are not mentioned. The Apostle Paul is likely the one who recounted this story to Luke, who wrote it down in the Book of Acts. Paul may not have thought it necessary to name them, perhaps out of respect, as we will see as the passage continues, or maybe it was simply because they were relatively unknown.

What we do know is that the Apostle Peter was in the city of Antioch at this time when this took place. We know this from the Book of Galatians, Paul's first letter. If you turn to Galatians chapter 2, beginning in verse 11, you will see that this false teaching had the potential to divide the church, and the Apostle Peter was there.

When this was taking place, look at Galatians 2, verse 11. But when Peter came to Antioch, I withstood him to his face because he was to be blamed. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. However, when they arrived, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.

Get the picture. Paul, Barnabas, and the church in Antioch were praising God and fellowshipping with one another, Jews and Gentiles alike. That middle wall of separation was broken down. The Apostle Peter, as he made his rounds—kind of like a traveling missionary or teacher of the day—came to Antioch. When he arrived, either by himself or with a small group of companions, he fellowshipped with the Gentiles there. He ate with them; maybe they had a good old BLT, Gentile food. They gathered together, worshipped, and studied through the Scriptures. He sat among them and enjoyed their fellowship.

However, in verse 12 of Galatians chapter 2, it says that before these certain men came from Jerusalem, Peter hung out with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he withdrew and separated himself because he was afraid of what they would think. He was afraid of the circumcision. How might this look to my Jewish companions from Jerusalem?

How did Paul deal with this? In verse 13, we see that the other Jews also dissembled likewise with him. The Jews in the church at Galatia, prior to this group of people coming to Antioch, had fellowshipped with the Gentiles. But they became hypocrites along with Peter, to the extent that even Barnabas was carried away with this dissimulation or hypocrisy.

You see, the false teaching of these men from Jerusalem caused division. It erected a wall in the church there in Jerusalem that had never been there before. Prior to this, they were able to worship and fellowship together. Paul said, "But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, 'If you, being a Jew, live after the manner of the Gentiles and not as the Jews do, why do you compel the Gentiles to live as the Jews?'" We who are Jews by nature are not sinners as the Gentiles, knowing that man is not justified.

By the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

I can't even really begin to picture what this must have been like, the gathering of the church there in Antioch. Perhaps they were having a meal together, but the Gentiles were sitting over here, and the Jews over there. There was a split. Peter, revered by the church and looked up to by the church, had been with Jesus throughout His entire ministry. This is that same Peter who walked on water. We don't often talk about the fact that he sank; he walked on water. People would look at him and say he is an example, one to be followed. Yet, he was being seduced away from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Paul, one who had formerly persecuted the church, withstood Peter to his face. He called him out. Can you imagine being there on that day? A hush must have come over the crowd when Paul said, "Simon Peter, how dare you?" He chastised Peter. Well, not really, but he called him out. He said, "Listen, we know that man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith. For by the works of the law, no flesh shall be justified."

There was such a stir because of this that they decided they needed to go down to Jerusalem to discuss the matter. In verse 3 of Acts chapter 15, we read, "And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria." Notice this: they declared the conversion of the Gentiles, and they caused great joy among all the brethren. When they came to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and by the apostles and the elders, and they declared all things that God had done.

This is pretty powerful, what was happening as they moved from Syria, from Antioch, down towards Jerusalem. They passed through Phoenicia and stopped with brothers and sisters.

In the Lord and in churches that were gathering in different homes, they shared with them what God was doing up in the north, particularly in Galatia and Antioch. Gentiles were coming to faith, and God was moving miraculously, bringing great joy. They talked about the conversion of the Gentiles. Apart from circumcision and the law of Moses, these Gentiles had been transformed. They were so transformed that their neighbors, co-workers, and the people in their communities took notice and said, "Those guys are different than us." This difference was not due to their attempts to follow the law of Moses; it was simply because of the work that God had done in their hearts and lives. The people had great joy when they heard this news coming from Antioch and Galatia.

However, notice what it does not say. They did not share with the people at those churches in Phoenicia and Samaria the problem that had arisen regarding the teaching about circumcision from the Judaizers. They only shared the good things that God had done because they had not yet answered the questions that these men had posed.

Then they went up to Jerusalem, where they were received by the church, the apostles, and the elders. They declared all the things that God had done. Paul and Barnabas were welcomed into the gathering, into the church there in Jerusalem. There was no contest or division between them. They were given an opportunity to share before the entire body of Christ assembled there, not just the leadership. It says that the whole church received them, and the apostles and elders were present.

After Paul and Barnabas had shared the things that God was doing among the Gentiles, we read in verse 5 that certain members of the sect of the Pharisees, who believed, rose up, saying that it was needful to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses. Paul and Barnabas had shared about the work that God was doing, and then these men were given an opportunity to speak. They stood up and said, "This is great that these Gentiles have come to faith, but we must tell them that they need to be circumcised and that they need to keep the law of Moses."

The whole council that took place in Jerusalem is interesting in the way it plays out. Notice that it does not unfold like a judgmental courtroom drama. When Paul and Barnabas are brought before the church in Jerusalem, they are not brought in as if they were on trial.

A lunatic fringe of preachers was carrying about some heretical teaching. They weren't brought before the church to decide if they were on the wrong road or not. Neither were these Pharisaic believers presented as a legalistic group of nuts destroying the gracious gospel. They were just given an opportunity to share what God was doing, and then a question was posed.

What was the result of it? The whole church gathered together, as we see in verse 5, to hear the word that Paul and Barnabas had to share. They also heard the question from the Pharisees who had become believers. In verse 6, we read that the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. Previously, in verse 4, we saw that the entire body of Christ was gathered in Jerusalem, but when the discussion of this matter arose, it was brought only before the apostles and the elders, the leaders of the church. It was not something for a congregational decision; it was a group within the church—the leaders, the elders, and the apostles—that gathered together. This reveals an important aspect of early church government. A question arose that was presented for the whole body of Christ, but only the leaders made a decision on that matter.

In verse 7, it says, "And when there had been much disputing." When I read the word "disputing," the first picture that comes to my mind is what we see on Fox News, MSNBC, or CNN, where different pundits debate, talking over each other. You can't really understand what anyone is saying, and they turn red, with sweat dripping off their faces, leaving you wondering what in the world is going on. However, the word "disputing" here in the original language means that there was mutual questioning; it was a civil discussion.

As they gathered together, these Pharisees had a genuine concern, and the church recognized it as such. They were concerned that the Gentiles who had become believers would not follow the Lord and be obedient to Him, and that they would be bad witnesses in society. They wanted them to walk in righteousness. You know what? God desires that we would walk in righteousness as well, but their idea about how...

Righteousness is brought about in a person's life in a completely different way than how God reveals it in the Scriptures. A lot of times, we seem to think that we have to drum it up; we have to make it happen. We have to make ourselves righteous. Come on, church, we cannot make ourselves righteous before God. This was the way that the Pharisees lived prior to becoming believers in Christ. This is also how Saul of Tarsus, who became the Apostle Paul, lived his life.

Yet, when Jesus came, He would say to the Pharisees, "You are hypocrites and whitewashed tombs. You make the outside look great, but the inside is full of dead men's bones." Jesus pointed out that although they looked good to everybody else in their religion and appeared righteous on the outside, they had wicked hearts. Because of the religion that these Pharisees practiced, they didn't believe that they needed a Savior. They figured they had everything all figured out. That's why Jesus would tell them, "I have come to those who are sick; the physician is needed for those who are sick."

Jesus spent much of His time with tax collectors, harlots, and drunkards—the dregs of society. So much so that the Pharisees of His day would look at Jesus and accuse Him of being a sinner because of the company He kept. However, Jesus went to the people who recognized that they needed a Savior.

The purpose of God's law was to show the children of Israel that there was no possible way they could keep it or make themselves righteous before God. Instead, they took it as just a list of things to do, marking off all 613 laws. The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians chapter 3 that when he was a Pharisee, according to the law, he was blameless. That's a powerful statement. According to the law, he was blameless. Often, that is what religion kindles in an individual. When you meet a purely religious person, typically, there are two things they never have: humility and compassion.

Have joy and humility, because before the people, they present themselves as the ones who have arrived. They claim to have attained righteousness by the law, but when they are by themselves and look at the Scriptures, they have no joy. They recognize the good things they want to do but do not do them, and the bad things they do not want to do are what they practice. Jesus desires that we would be set free. The law has a bearing in our lives, but we must recognize that it is not by the law that we are made right before God.

These men were presenting a gospel that we would call works salvation. There are people who come to your door, who come to my door, and we run into people all the time who talk like Christians. They even look like Christians and carry a book that Christians use. Yet, they say, "Listen, yes, belief in Jesus is important, but you have to do this, this, and this if you really want to be saved." It was no different than what these believers, these Pharisees, were saying.

When there had been much questioning and disputing, Peter rose up. I want you to think for a second and put yourself in Paul's shoes—no, put yourself in Paul's sandals. Just previous to this, Paul confronted Peter to his face and said, "You are in sin, man." There was Paul with Barnabas and his crew from Antioch, and Peter stands up. I don't know; I am certainly imposing upon the text here, but if I were Paul, I might be thinking, "Oh, how's this going to go?"

Peter rose up and said unto them, "Men and brethren, you know how a while ago God made choice among us that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the hearts, bore them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit even as he did 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 Jesus Christ, we shall be saved even as they. I imagine that within Paul's heart, if he didn't do it right there on the spot, he was jumping for joy when he heard Peter say these words. Notice what Peter said: Peter rose up and said to the people there, "God has already made this decision for us." Did you see? A good while ago, God made choice among us that the Gentiles, by my mouth, should hear the word of the gospel and believe.

After there had been questioning from these Pharisees who had become believers, Paul and Barnabas had spoken. Peter stands up and says there's no need for us to question this anymore because God has already made the decision for us. How did He make that decision? Well, a man had asked him to come and share the gospel there. As Peter was preaching the gospel that day in the house of Cornelius, before he had even finished his message, God poured the Holy Spirit out upon those Gentiles because they believed the message of the gospel. By grace through faith, they were justified, and God proved it by pouring out His Spirit.

It's a good thing that God did this because Peter was also one who had a bent towards legalism. We know that for certain because just prior to him going to Cornelius' house, he was down in Joppa on the rooftop of Simon the Tanner. There, God presented him with a kind of tablecloth from heaven filled with clean and unclean animals. God said, "Rise and eat, Peter. I have not eaten anything common or unclean." God responded, "Peter, call nothing common or unclean that I have sanctified." Three times God had to do this for Peter because he, just like the Pharisees we read about in Acts chapter 15, had a bent towards legalism.

I have found in my life and in many people that I've counseled and discipled over the years that every single person who becomes a Christian tends to go through a period of legalism. At various stages in our walk with the Lord, we fall back into that mindset, where we think, "Well, I have to do this and A, B, C."

D and E, F, and then once I do those things, then God is going to bless me. Peter had this bent towards legalism, but God made no difference between Gentiles and Jews. He made no difference between the Jewish believers who received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2 and the Gentile believers who received the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 10, along with the accompanying signs. Therefore, Peter says, if God saw fit to make no difference, then why should we put up a wall of separation? Why should we cause division? Why should we say that this group of people is blessed because they were born as children of Abraham by bloodline, while these people over here can only receive the blessing if they get grafted in and do what we tell them to do? God did not make that distinction, so why should we fashion a yoke and place it upon the neck of these disciples—a yoke that we and our fathers couldn't even bear?

The yoke of the law, even all the way back when it was given in Exodus chapter 20, is significant. You remember in Exodus chapter 19, the children of Israel said, "Everything that God has said, we will do and be obedient." They made that declaration three times. In Exodus chapter 20, Moses is on Mount Sinai receiving the law. The next time he comes down the mountain, he sees the people following after false gods, bowing down to a golden calf and saying, "This is the God that brought us out of Egypt." Before they had even heard the law of God, they had broken it.

We see this pattern repeatedly through the book of Numbers, where they fall away and go after idolatry, committing adultery and fornication with the Moabite women. After they came into the promised land, God had seated them and blessed them there—not because of their works of righteousness, but simply because He is a good, awesome, and gracious God. They entered the promised land by faith; they crossed the Jordan River by faith; they crossed the Red Sea. They couldn't do it by their own works or strength; it was God who graciously accomplished it for them by grace through faith.

Then, after they came into the promised land, in the book of Joshua, we see in the book of Judges—the very next book—that the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. Seven times, they did what was right in their own eyes and departed from God, whether it was during the time of the judges.

During the time of the united monarchy in Israel, the divided monarchy, or the time of the prophets, the people were always turning away from God and His law. This behavior proved God's law to be true. The book of Galatians says that God's law is a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ. God's law reveals my sin; there is nothing wrong with God's law. It is holy, just, and good; it is perfect. God created it as such, and yet it reveals my wickedness like a giant spotlight.

Romans chapter 3 states that by the law comes the knowledge of sin. Imagine this: tomorrow morning, you wake up with a terrible headache that you've been having for weeks, and you can't quite figure out what it is. So, you go to the doctor and say, "Let's run a few tests; let's get an MRI." After the MRI, the doctor says, "I hate to tell you this, but we found a large tumor in your head."

You get angry, frustrated, and mad. You go out to your car, grab that really nice Callaway driver, and go back inside to beat the MRI machine to pieces. People might ask, "What are you doing? This blasted MRI machine is terrible!" But there is nothing wrong with the MRI machine; it revealed the cancer within. Similarly, the law reveals the wickedness within you and me. It is holy, just, and good, and that is the purpose of the law.

However, as is our tendency, we want a list of things to do. Remember, I said we want to interject ourselves into the question of how we are made right with God. Because of the pride within my own heart, that wicked sin, I want to play a part in the whole process. When I get to heaven and the Lord blesses me, I might think, "Of course He blessed me; why wouldn't He? Look at all this I did for You." But God doesn't work like that. It is not by works of righteousness, and this is what Paul and Barnabas were declaring. Now, this is also what Peter declares.

In verse 12 of Acts chapter 15, it says, "Then the multitude, all the multitude, kept silence and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring the miracles."

And wonders that God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. Well, after Peter spoke, he talked about the miracles that God had done with him among the Gentiles in Acts chapter 10. Then Paul and Barnabas stood up and spoke about the miracles that God had done to bear witness to the gospel of grace being received by the Gentiles in Antioch and Galatia.

In verse 13, it says, "And after they had held their peace, James answered." When they were all done speaking, everybody was quieted by the words of Paul, by the words of Barnabas, and by the words of Peter. Everything had been answered by this point. So, James stood up and began to speak. By this time, James, the author of the Book of James that we just spent the last month and a half studying, had become the primary leader within the church in Jerusalem.

You might think Peter should be in that spot, but Peter was a traveling missionary, somewhat like Paul and Barnabas. Therefore, James had become something like the senior pastor, the head guy that everybody deferred to. Now, after everybody's words had been given and everyone had come to a place of agreement, James stood up and said, "Men and brethren, listen to me. Simon, or Simeon, has declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles and take out of them a people for His name."

Notice that James calls Peter by his original Hebrew name. This is important. You see, James understood the culture of Jerusalem. He understood that in that meeting, gathered together was a group of many Jews who had become Christians. He wanted to remind them that, although Peter was enjoying a good old bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich and having some carnitas, which were against the Jewish law, he had not rejected the law or the Lord. He was still Simon, and he had declared to us what God has done. God is the one who has done this.

"And to this agree the words of the prophets." Underline that in verse 15. In fact, reach over to your neighbor's Bible and circle verse 15. You see, it wasn't the word of Paul; it was the agreement of the prophets.

It wasn't the testimony of Peter or the message of Barnabas; it was the Word of God that was their authority. That's what they stood upon and trusted in. James says, "Listen, this is exactly what the Word of the Lord through the prophets said. It is written." He quotes from Amos chapter 9, verse 11: "After this, God says, I will return and I will build again the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down. I will build again the ruins thereof and will set it up, so that the residue of men might seek after the Lord and all the Gentiles upon whom My name is called," says the Lord, "who does all things."

Then, in verse 18, notice this: "Known unto God," James says, "are all His works from the beginning of this world." By quoting the Scriptures, he emphasizes that this isn't outside of God's plan. This is exactly what God had said He was going to do through the Old Testament prophets. If you read the prophets, you will see time and time again that God reminds His people that His message of salvation was for the Jews and the Gentiles.

James asserts that we are seeing the fulfillment of what God spoke through the Old Testament prophets. "Known unto God are all His works from the beginning." While this movement of the Lord among the Gentiles came as a surprise to the Jews, it was not a surprise to God. He wasn't taken aback by this. God wasn't up in heaven saying, "Whoa, wow! Gentiles are getting saved! I didn't intend for this."

You see, oftentimes I think I've got it figured out, and there are times when my prayers seem to almost instruct God. I'm not alone in this, am I? Recently, I have been teaching through the book of Isaiah at the Bible college, and a passage in Isaiah 40 has...

Isaiah chapter 40, verses 12 through 17, has been standing out to me once again. If you want to turn there or just jot it down in your notes, we read in Isaiah 40, verse 12: "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and meted out the heavens with the span? Who has comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?"

The prophet Isaiah reminds us that God is the one who created everything, seen and unseen. He is the one who measured the waters in the hollow of His hand. Of course, this is an anthropomorphism, attributing human characteristics to God. Who has measured the heavens with the span of His hand? God is the one who decided how much dust needed to be upon the earth and how much sand is upon the earth. He is the one who measured the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance.

Notice verse 13: "Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being His counselor, who has taught Him? With whom took He counsel? Who instructed God? Who taught Him the path of judgment and taught Him knowledge and showed Him the way of understanding?" The answer, of course, is no one. These are rhetorical questions. Who is the one who counseled Him and said, "No, I think that's a little bit too much dust there"?

Yet, there are times in my prayer life, and perhaps in yours as well, when we seem to think that we need to clue God into these things. There is a very good question I heard once: Has it ever occurred to you that nothing ever occurs to God? There is never a time when God goes, "I didn't think of that. Miles, thank you so much." Although, you would think sometimes from my prayers, I'll just be honest with you, that the Lord might not have thought about certain things.

In verse 15 of Isaiah 40, we read, "Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket and are counted as small dust of the balance." Remember what we read up there in verse 12.

It says that God is the one who weighed the mountains in the scales. He says the nations are just like a drop in the bucket; it's nothing. It's just like the leftover dust on the balance. Behold, He takes up the isles as a very little thing. Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor are the beasts there sufficient to burn as an offering. Isaiah says if you took all of the wood of the forests of Lebanon and all of the animals of that country, that nation of Lebanon, and you offered them as a burnt offering to God, it wouldn't be sufficient. It wouldn't be enough because He is so glorious; He is so powerful.

Verse 17 states that all the nations before Him are as nothing, and they are counted to Him less than nothing and vanity. I think this is a great reminder to me, and perhaps it is to you as well, as we look among the nations and the world today. We've seen the United Nations gathered together in New York this last week. I find it interesting that the Jews in Israel call the United Nations the "United Nothing."

As we see all these nations gathered together trying to save the world—literally, they want to save the Earth because we're all going to burn up in 50 years—they want to save the economy. We have to do all this stuff, and we can get wrapped up in it. We become fearful, and I'll be the first to admit I'm the worst news junkie you will find. Ask my wife; at one in the morning, she'll be saying, "Go to bed! Stop reading the news!"

We can get sucked into it, and we can become fearful and anxious as we look at all these things. There is a reminder in verse 18 of Acts chapter 15 that I think we all need to take note of: "Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world." Do you think that Barack Obama took God by surprise? He might, but God didn't. Some of us look around and see people who are very fearful—not just about him, but about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and all these things that are taking place.

What are we going to do? Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world. He knows what He's doing. He's on the throne; He's got a plan. He isn't finished. It's such a good reminder to me that all the nations are before Him as nothing; they are counted as less than nothing in vanity. God doesn't look at the United Nations and say, "Wow, what great strength and power! I wish I had that." He doesn't. He's not amazed by their resolutions.

He's not even taken aback by them; it doesn't surprise Him. He knows what He's doing. He's on the throne. When there was a problem that arose within the church at Jerusalem, that was the reminder they needed to come back to: God knows what He's doing. He made this decision, not us.

You may think, "Well, we elected these guys; we put them in power." No, God is the one who raises up one and puts down another. He's in control. He's on the throne, and He knows what He's doing. Does that mean that we're not active in the situation? No, we are, because we have a constitutional mandate, and God told us to be subject to those rulers that are set over us. So, yes, we play a part in it, but we should recognize that God is on the throne. He's not taken by surprise by this; He knows what's going on, and He will work the plan that He planned before the foundation of the world. He doesn't need my input about it, even though I sometimes think He does. Sometimes I want to remind Him, "Hey, Lord, you know you might want to do something." He knows what He is doing. Amen.

Within the church, when they came to a problem, they recognized that God already has a plan for this. He already spoke about this in His Word; He already told us what was going to happen, and they were able to rely upon that. We don't have time this morning to continue through it, but I want you to look at one last thing down in Acts chapter 15, verse 22. After they came up with a plan for what they were going to do after they received the counsel of the Lord, it says, "Then it pleased the apostles and the elders and the whole church." Every single person that was in that meeting and had a concern was pleased with the final outcome because it came by the Word of God. They were able to go, "Okay, God's in control."

You see, I think for a brief moment they thought that God wasn't in control. We can get in that position sometimes, where we're fearful, wondering, "Oh, what are we going to do? What's God going to do?" No, He knows what He's doing. Why? Well, known unto God are all His works from the beginning of this world. He knows what He's doing; He's on the throne.

So, works of righteousness that we could boast? We're saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created for good works, which God ordained before Him that we should walk in them. Ephesians.

Acts 15:18 states, "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of this world." This verse serves as a reminder that God's word must be the authority in our lives and in the church. The more I study God's word, the more I realize that He knows exactly what is happening on Earth today. He already has a plan.

Interestingly, some people within the church have mentioned the idea of a global currency, and many have dismissed it as foolishness, labeling it as a notion from wacky evangelicals. However, just last week at the G20 summit, this topic was discussed. We are heading into a period of time that the Bible speaks about extensively, and it should remind us of God's sovereignty.

As we reflect on this, let us stand and pray.

Father, I thank You that this verse is true. You are on the throne and in control. Even though we may look around this world and sometimes think, "Lord, You have to do something," we trust that You are working and know what You are doing. You are our refuge and our strength, our very present help in trouble. As a result, we will not fear, even though the earth be removed and the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.

Even though the waters may roar and be troubled, and the mountains may shake with the swelling thereof, there is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God. You, Lord, are there, in the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. You are in the midst of her; Your throne will not be moved. Lord, You hear our prayers, even though the heathen rage and the kingdoms are moved.

Voice and everything melts. Lord, You are our God; You are our refuge. We praise You in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen. Description: prime married someone. Additionally, I liked the verse.