The Gospel Stirs Up Trouble

Transcript

GR 1619
10/30/2011
The Gospel Stirs Up Trouble
Acts 17:1-15
Gil Rugh

The book of Acts in your bibles, Acts Chapter 17. We move through this unfolding of the early history of the church and see the hand of God at work in building the church in these early years. The prophet Isaiah wrote this in Isaiah 52:7. How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness,
Who announces salvation,

The Apostle Paul used that verse from Isaiah in Romans 10:15 to refer to those who proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ. “BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE” because their feet brought them, carried them to bring the message of Good News. The message of God’s salvation. The message of Jesus Christ is good news. It is a message of peace, a message of happiness announcing that good news. We are announcing peace. We are bringing good news of happiness, we are announcing salvations. It is a message of salvation. You might think a message like that would be received with open arms, people would be flocking to hear it and would be so grateful and thankful to those who brought that message to them. However that is not the case. Sometimes it is received with open hands, open arms, open hearts. They receive and believe the message and indeed they experience the power of God’s salvation that brings peace and joy to the heart but more often than that there is a negative reaction to message of salvation. And it stirs opposition its stirs persecution. Jesus warned His disciples of this response. Remember He told them that the gate that leads to life is narrow and the road to life is narrow. The gate that leads to destruction is broad and the road to destruction is broad. There are few that find the narrow gate and travel the narrow road but there are many that go through the broad gate and travel the broad road.

He told His disciples Matthew 9:37. “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest”. There are many who need to hear the message of Christ, many more workers are needed to tell them but He didn’t leave them with an inadequate picture. He also told them in Matthew 10:16 he told them they could expect great opposition and persecution for going out into the harvest and presenting the message of salvation. “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves;” and Matthew 10:22 “you will be hated by all on account of My name.”

Three times in that context in Matthew 10 Jesus told them, do not fear, do not fear and do not fear. In Matthew 10:28, “do not fear those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” The issue of fear. Fear, we know something about that. Every one of us as believers has experienced that fear going out. What will the response be as I share the gospel? How will people think of me? How will people react to me? You’d think that we couldn’t wait to tell people because we know they’re going to want to hear it.

The Apostle Paul took this message to heart and he went out and demonstrated fearlessness. It doesn’t mean he was never afraid, that it never weighed on him, that it never kept him from doing what he needed to do. He brought the message of peace, he brought the message of salvation and what was the result; persecutions, beatings, imprisonment.

We’re following his journeys on this second missionary journey. He has come into Europe, into Greece. He’s preached the word in Philippi and we saw its impact on Lydia and her family. We saw the impact of the power of Jesus Christ through Paul in delivering the slave girl from demon possession. The Philippian jailer and his household experienced the salvation of God but you know the bulk of the city was opposed to this message. Not only was Paul beaten and imprisoned but the people are begging him to leave their city.

So we come to Acts 17 and Pauls’ left Philippi. There is a church established there. A small group at this stage but it has grown, its testimony has grown. Later he will write the letter to the Philippians as we referred to in our study of this section.

Now he’s come to Thessalonica. A well known city to us because Paul wrote two letters to the Thessalonians writing back to this church after he established them. Acts 17:1 “now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.” Thessalonica is about 100 miles from Philippi, Amphipolis was about 30 miles and Apollonia another 27, 28 miles. So evidently these were stops along the way but no indication of ministry in either Amphipolis or Apollonia.

Then he comes to Thessalonica. This was the second largest city in Greece and I don’t think anybody knows what the population was because I’ve read commentators that suggested the population was 20,000, commentators that estimate the population at 200,000. So somewhere between 20,000 and 200,000 is probably safe but it was a sizable city for the time. As I said, the second largest city in Greece. It was a port city, it’s the capital of the providence of Macedonia where we are in this part of Greece.

He comes there and it says, “where there was a synagogue of the Jews.” This may explain why Paul did not stop and carry on ministry in the two previous cities. Now there is no indication there was a synagogue in Philippi either. He ended up meeting with a group of women who were meeting by the river for prayer. But here he passes through Amphipolis and Apollonia, comes to Thessalonica and stops there and evidently the synagogue is the key reason for him stopping. Paul’s practice was to begin his ministry in the synagogue wherever possible to carry the message to the Jews first. It was a logical starting point with him as a Jew. The burden he has for his people even though he is the Apostle to the Gentiles. But it is interesting he starts this ministry so often to the Jews and yet he is going to receive great opposition from the Jews. I think you might think, well lets skip the synagogue, lets avoid as much as possible the contact with the Jews because we know there going to be antagonistic. The response of the people never was the major issue for Paul. The opportunity and the synagogue provided an opportunity. He could go there as a Jewish man, a former Pharisee and have an opportunity to share the gospel. So he does this, according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, for three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures. Three Sabbaths ministering here, from Saturday to Saturday to Saturday. Now indication is Paul’s ministry will be longer than three weeks in Thessalonica. Luke doesn’t give us all the details of all these ministries. We know he spent three weeks there and focused in the synagogue but the indication is he probably was there for a longer period of time.

Turn over to the book of Philippians. In Philippians 4, a letter that Paul wrote to the church he established in Philippi. The church was established in Acts 16 as we noted in our previous studies.

In Philippians 4:15 Paul says that the Philippian believers had sent financial gifts to him on more than one occasion while he was at Thessalonica. Look down in verse 15. “You yourselves know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs.” You see the impact the gospel had had in Philippi even though the opposition seemed overwhelming there is a strong group of believers established there. Maybe not strong numerically but strong spiritually, strong in the salvation they have experienced in Christ and they are committed to be part of Paul’s ministry of the gospel. They send support to him on more than one occasion at Thessalonica. Indicated a longer ministry there than just three weeks.

In addition to this go over to the letters to the Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians 2:9 “For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed the gospel to you.” Over in 2 Thessalonians 3:7-10 “For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so we would not be a burden to any you; not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so you would follow our example. Even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat either and so on.”

So you see Paul has used himself as an example and prior to receiving the financial gifts from Philippi he was diligently laboring to support himself. Another reason, back up to 1 Thessalonians 1 again. Indication is as he writes back to Thessalonica that most of the converts came from a pagan background so he tells them in verse 9; verse 8. “the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. 9For they themselves report about us what kind of reception we had with you, (what we’re reading about in Paul’s ministry there in Acts 17), how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, 10to wait for His Son from heaven whom He raised from the dead, Jesus who rescues us from wrath to come. With these indications if the bulk of the converts came from a pagan background that would move them outside the synagogue environment. These are those who came from pagan religions rather than out of the worship connected with Israel.

Come back to Acts 17. So we don’t know how long. We know it was at least 3 weeks. How much longer? But the indication from these passages seems that Paul may have been here longer and what did he say? He had to work hard supporting himself. Now Paul would accept support from Philippi when he went to Thessalonica but he didn’t accept support from the Thessalonians while he was with them because he didn’t want any question about motives. Oh yea, Paul came and preached to you. Sure he told you about salvation and he took your money, didn’t he? Nobody could say that about Paul because when he was at Thessalonica he didn’t take money from the Thessalonians. That seems to be Paul’s pattern when he accepts financial support from those that have trusted Christ through his ministry in other places. When he goes to a new area to open up that area with the gospel he supports himself by his own labor and sometimes with gracious gifts from believers from prior places of ministry. But that keeps any question. We have referred to this on other occasions, the wisdom of Paul in this.

Back in Acts 17:3 He reasoned with them from the scriptures and what is he doing? He is explaining and giving evidence that the Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. He was saying, “This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.” He had to suffer, He had to die, be raised from the dead and I am telling you that is what has happened to Jesus of Nazareth. He is the Christ, He fulfills the Old Testament scriptures. This is the same message that Peter preached in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost when He showed the Jews from the scriptures that the suffering and death of the Messiah is not something unheard of. It is what the Old Testament scriptures said would happen. His resurrection from the dead is what the Old Testament scriptures said would happen. The very thing that offended the Jews was what God says would happen to their Messiah. It’s the same gospel Paul preached everywhere He went. Turn over to 1 Corinthians; Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians 15:1. The passage we all often come to for a summary of the gospel. Paul here to the church at Corinth. We are going to get to the church at Corinth because Paul is making his way down from the northern part of Greece to the southern part. He will arrive at Corinth. “Now I make know to you, brethren, (Chapter 15:1), the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, 2by which you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain, 3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4and that He was buried, and that He was raised from the dead according to the Scriptures, and He appeared to the witnesses.” That’s the gospel. It doesn’t change. It’s the same gospel Paul preaches to the Jews, it’s the same gospel Paul preaches to the Gentiles. It’s the same gospel Paul preached in this part of the world that he preaches in this part of the world. It’s unchanging. It is the gospel which is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. It is the only gospel.

Two thousand years later isn’t it amazing that much of the church doesn’t seem to understand this? They think that really we need to have a message that is more attractive to people, that is more appealing to them. Here is what one popular preacher and writer has written about the Purpose Driven Church. “Crowds always flock to hear good news. There is enough bad new in the world that the last thing people need to hear is more bad news when they come to church.” It’s not true the crowds will flock to hear the good news. That’s a lie. It’s not true.

People say, “Oh we want to have a church like the church in Acts”. Do you really? Read Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians. You know what they were doing? They were suffering. Read Paul’s letter to the Philippians. (1:29) what was happening to them, remember? It is given unto you not only to believe in Jesus Christ but to suffer for His sake.

How does this ever get through the doors of the church? Crowds always flock to hear good news. There is enough bad news in the world that the last thing people need to hear is more bad news when they come to church. Don’t tell them about sin, don’t tell them about Hell and don’t tell them about judgment. What do they need to be saved from? They already have high self-esteem and think they are pretty good people, pretty fine. We’re not inviting them to join a club. We’re calling them to salvation in Christ so you have to preach the felt needs. And just so you know, I have read this advice. Here are some sermon titles that they suggest Diffusing your Anger. Another sermon title; Managing Stress. You could also preach on Turning your Job from Pain to Gain. Here is a good one, Raising Healthy Happy Self-Confident Children. Another title: Coping with the Disappointments of Life. Oh here is really a good one. We’ll stop with this. Be a Winner not a Whiner.

Now some of these things you know you cover in the word. The bible deals about anger. The cure for anger, dealing with anger, come to salvation in Christ because anger is a work of the flesh. You need the work of the Spirit in your life. Raising healthy, happy self-confident children. I’d drop the self-confident there. They already have more of that to start out than they need. But we come, how do you stop that? Be a godly person, be a godly father, be a godly mother, ground them in the truths of the word of God. I mean isn’t it the good news from God that brings happiness, that we read about in Isaiah 52? We come with this kind of, can you imagine Paul coming into Thessalonica, the synagogue. I am here to tell you how to be a winner not a whiner. We wouldn’t be studying Paul’s ministry if that’s what he was doing.
It comes like a flash and has its popularity but those things are gone.

It’s the truth of God that endures. Heaven and earth will pass away. My word will not pass away. That is what has endured over the 2000 years of the church’s history since Luke records Paul’s ministry. There is nothing new in the world. When we offer people God’s salvation and tell them the truth of the gospel we are telling them what they need to hear. It’s not that the problems of today are any greater. We studied the book of Romans together. We started out in Romans 1 with what people don’t want to hear, their wretched sinful condition. We find there is nothing new there. Disobedience to parents is included in the list of sins there along with everything else. I mean what’s the solution that’s offered? The solution is the gospel. You know these subtle undermining and not so subtle undermining of truth but its worse when people claim to be believers, claim to believe the bible, but they undermine and tear away the foundations.

Go to the book of Acts. We want a church like Acts. What did Peter do as God used him to begin the church in Acts 2? He preached the gospel. What do we find that pattern going through Peter’s ministry and the other Apostles? The opening chapters and the first half of Acts, approximately. Then we pick up with Paul’s ministry. What do we have? It’s a ministry of the gospel. I say yes, lets have a church like they had in the book of Acts. People selectively pick out, I mean the kind of response of 3000 people on the day of Pentecost. We just pick out here. That’s what God did in a heart. What did Peter do? He preached the gospel. There is going to be a church established in Thessalonica? What did Paul do? He preached the gospel. These other things are phony gospels if you will that lead people away from the truth not to the truth.

Back to Acts 17:3. Those simple facts showing them from the scripture, the Christ, the Messiah had to suffer, rise again from the dead. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of Old Testament scripture. Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas along with a large number of the God fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women. So that’s it. They’re persuaded. We have seen earlier what happened to Lydia in Acts 16:14. “The Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.” We have emphasized as we have gone through Acts to this point. It is only God who could work in a heart. When I think I can change the person myself I begin to try to manipulate things and trick them into something. No, all I have is the gospel and this vessel of clay as you do. We present the truth of God and God takes the truth. The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. That’s the work that God does in a heart. Some of them were persuaded. They joined Paul. There were a large number of the God-fearing Greeks. They would become part of the synagogue identified with the Jews and their worship of God. They may not have converted fully to Judaism but we might call them Jewish sympathizers. They believed that the God of Israel was God. They believed the worship of Israel and joined with them in the synagogue and a number of leading women. Luke singles out the significant women who came to salvation and become a significant part of the church in the book of Acts.

We saw Lydia and her family first mentioned as converts as Paul came over into Greece. Down in Acts 17:12, we will get there in a moment, it will come up in Berea where Paul is going after Thessalonica and there were a large number of prominent Greek women saved in Berea. So as often the case we find that women are even more receptive to the gospel. Often the first converts. I’ve shared in my family, my mother was the first one, then the rest of the family, one by one. Many times that’s happened in your families. God works graciously. We see here that the church is going to be a mixture. They’re be Jews in it, Gentiles in it, there’s men in it, there’s women in it. There will be different roles and responsibilities as God has assigned in the word but His salvation comes to all. The same message, the same salvation. So here we have, we’re not told how many but he says a large number of the God-fearing Greeks, they become prime candidates. Because they’re Gentiles yet they’ve become open to the Jewish scriptures, to the teaching of the Jewish God so they are even more receptive and ready to respond. You have a foundation with them because they believed the Old Testament scriptures. They are here worshipping with Jews but they don’t have that intense Jewish background that built up barriers as the Jews in their blindness did toward the gospel.

So, good things are happening. Wow, whatever we had a large number of these Greek Jewish worshippers saved and a number of the leading women and some Jews. But, but all is not well humanly speaking. It’s not just going to be wow this will continue to grow. Pretty soon the whole city of Thessalonica is going to be clamoring to hear this message of salvation, this gospel this good news and to experience the salvation and the happiness and the peace that comes from God.

But the Jews becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the marketplace formed a mob and set the city in an uproar. And attacking the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the people. The Jews are stirred, their animosity is stirred because what? People are being converted. Paul has come into the synagogue and preached the message of salvation. Some Jews have responded to that message. A number of the Gentile followers of Judaism have responded. A number of the prominent women have responded. Now the Jews are upset, so what they do, they go to the marketplace and stir up the mob, get the crowd worked up.

Now what does this have to do with the synagogue? You go to the marketplace to get wicked men and get a mob together to create an uproar. What’s that got to do with Judaism? Nothing. These aren’t people that would be at the synagogue worshipping anyway. So their issue here is a spiritual issue but the’re not willing to deal with it. Let’s talk about the scriptures Paul. We see the power of the message you are preaching is changing lives. We need to hear more about this. Your arguments from the scripture on the Messiah suffering and dying and being raised from the dead. Quite frankly we haven’t really understood that and you say this Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ the fulfillment of this. We ought to learn more about that. No, we don’t expect all sinners to respond rationally and if you don’t respond positively you respond negatively. It’s a message of life to life and death to death as Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 2. So there stirring up the mob of the people.

They come to the house of Jason. Evidently Jason is a convert. You know, Luke is giving us a history here but not all the details that go with the history. We say, well where did Jason come from? Evidently a convert and like Lydia and what happened at Philippi when Lydia believed the gospel. She wanted Paul now to come. She would open her home and be the hostess to him. Evidently Jason was saved and now he invites Paul and his companions to come and enjoy his home and that hospitality. So the mob is brought to the house of Jason. We can see what happens here. Not only Paul but those who come to believe now are caught up in the opposition to the gospel, to those who are followers of Christ. Remember we read Jesus’ statement. You will be hated of all men for My name’s sake. Being identified with Christ marks you out. You know how that is. Sometimes at work don’t you just like to fly under the radar? You know lets just not make issues here. The people know you are a believer, they know you’re a follower. Well I try not to make that an issue. I’m not saying you ought a take your employers time and read your bible but you know the sense and the feeling that we’re talking about.

So they come to Jason’s house. They want them brought out. Acts 17:6 “when they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some of the brethren before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have upset the world have come here also: 7 and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” Wow. Have we lost sight of what’s going on? Has Paul not been clear? The issue is the gospel, God’s message of salvation the Jewish Messiah. But what do they have to say here at the end of verse 6, “These men who have upset the world have come here;” Paul and Silas are causing trouble all over the world. They know something about them. Maybe they have heard what happened in Philippi. Isn’t it interesting how the testimony spreads to other places? Paul writes to the Thessalonians when he writes back after he leaves Thessalonica and tells them their testimony is being heard in various places in the world. That testimony spreads out. 32 48 9

Jason is dragged before the charges before the cities authorities. It is they have upset the world and now they’re here doing the same thing, upsetting everyone. Who’s upsetting anyone? Paul and Silas went into the synagogue and presented the gospel. It’s the Jews who reject Paul’s ministry who have gone to the marketplace and stirred up a mob and put the city in turmoil but its Paul’s fault, it’s Silas’ fault. What did they do? They upset the world. Everywhere they go there is trouble. What’s the trouble? We only went to the synagogue and told them that Jesus of Nazareth is the fulfillment of Old Testament scriptures because He was crucified, and was raised from the dead. He’s the Messiah. They create a mob not out of the synagogue people but they create a mob from the marketplace. But this is a serious charge because they’re saying they created revolt within the Roman Empire. They’re creating a revolt in this Roman city. That’s not tolerable, that’s not acceptable.

The second charge. Another one that puts them at odds with the Roman authorities. “They act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king, Jesus”. Well He is the King of the Jews. The apoxricy of this. Jesus has explained to the Jews of the synagogue and others gathered in the synagogue that Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah of Israel, the King of the Jews in fulfillment of Old Testament scripture and now they’re out telling the Roman authorities that their proclaiming a rival to Caesar. Remember this became an issue with Jesus when they wanted him crucified. The Jews declared, we have no king but Caesar. They didn’t even say we have One who will come and be king. No and so here you have the charges. They stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things. You see the issue is not truth. Belabor these points because we sometimes think when we present the gospel if people are upset, if they are offended, if they are hostile it must be something wrong that we did. Maybe it’s something right we did. Again, I realize we have to be careful in our own way of doing things. We don’t have to just walk up on the street, shout in someone’s face, ‘You’re a sinner going to hell.” Obviously Paul didn’t do that. He went in in a reasoned manner and explained to these people what this gospel is. You can do that as clearly as thoughtfully as you can but when peoples heart is closed to it. We’ve often said there is always a response to the gospel.

Sometimes we go out and share the gospel doing some evangelism, we come back together and people say well what happened? Nothing, no one believed. No something happened, people either responded to the message or they were closed to the message. I realize sometimes that response in the heart the Spirit of God is preparing a work and drawing people but something is always happening. That why in his message of life to life or death to death it is either bringing people to life or it is hardening them in their lost condition. We think well I’ve tried to share the gospel and people just get upset with me. I just don’t think that’s my gift. Well when you share the gospel that’s part of the gift, stirring people up. That’s what Paul does. The whole city is in an uproar. This started out so well, verse 4, “some were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women.” This is a ministry that is going to be different than Philippi. We’re going to plant a church here that is just going to grow and grow and grow. The Devil hasn’t gone away. So the crowd is stirred up, the city authorities are stirred up. They received a pledge from Jason and the others, they released them. We are not told where Paul and Silas are during this but since Jason’s the house owner he had to give a pledge or a bond evidently guaranteeing there wouldn’t be anymore trouble from these who had been hosted in his home. “Immediately the brethren sent Paul and Silas away” in Acts 17:10. The same thing that happened at Philippi. He has to leave. And the brethren recognized that it was better for Paul and Silas.

They’re the focal personages here but there are brethren here now. Those who have become believers and these brand new believers will be left. But you know when a person is truly saved their life is changed. It’s not like well I guess they will go back to paganism. That is what Paul told them in his first chapter of his first letter to Thessalonica when he wrote back. People are talking about how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and await Jesus who will come from Heaven. He’s the One who delivers us from wrath to come. Right away they hit the ground running. They’ve got some kind of conversion that we don’t claim today where people don’t leave their pagan religion and lifestyle but somehow they said a prayer and so they were saved. When the power of God comes into a life it transforms a life, it makes a person new, they are never the same again and that’s true of the Thessalonians. Here these brand new believers. Now they are sending Paul and Silas away. It’s not what will we do, how will function, we won’t know what to do? Well they have the message that Paul given them, they still have the Old Testament scriptures that some of them have been studying and Paul will write back to them shortly and so they will have his letters to build on and grow in. Remarkable. Paul has to leave.

The message of salvation, the message of Christ is also a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. How tragic. You know the song that talks about the greatest love story and here it is. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son and yet men are offended by it. They stumble over Christ. He becomes to them a rock of offense.

Paul moves on the Berea. The brethren immediately send Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. By night. It is a serious matter. Jason has posted bond so to speak, but the city authorities and the opposing Jews would like to get their hands on Paul and Silas. It is better that they get out. I think it is great to see these believers concerned for the safety of Paul and Silas but they are going to be left to deal with things. The pressure will be on them. Those who got saved out of the synagogue, the Jews know who they are. They know who Jason is. Life is not going to get easier for them. Now they live in a city as marked people. The mob gathered at the house of Jason. He’s got to go back home. Now their attitude toward him is different than it was before but they send Paul and Silas away by night to Berea.

The town of Berea is about 50 miles from Thessalonica and walking they say it would take about three days by foot. Paul, Silas and Timothy are on their way. They have learned a lesson. Avoid the synagogue, don’t go to the synagogue, and go to another part of town. So they come to Berea. When they arrived they went into the synagogue of the Jews. What is wrong with Paul? I mean, if you were traveling with Paul what would you be saying as you were journeying to Berea? Paul, we’ve got something of a pattern established. We’ve done this often enough, gone to enough places, I think we know what works and doesn’t work. We do see some converts in synagogues but you know what happens when we go to the synagogues. We get a few converts but we get such negative reaction that it shuts down the ministry and we have to get out of town. Let’s try something different. Let’s commit ourselves not to telling any of the Jews. We see a Jew we will just shut our mouth because wouldn’t it be better to reach all the Gentiles in this city. You know we don’t try to come up with Plan B for God. God’s plan is the gospel. You can’t avoid the offense of the gospel. The preaching of the cross is offensive to those who are perishing. The preaching of the cross is offensive to those who are perishing but for the grace of God no one would respond and believe. We wouldn’t be here today but for the grace of God. Right? So, what do Paul and Silas do? They go to Berea, they go to the synagogue.

God has been gracious. The city of Thessalonica was in an uproar but there were people saved in the synagogue. That was a good starting point and God’s intention is that it be carried to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles. Now these were more noble minded than those in Thessalonica. You can have noble minded unbelievers so not everyone who is an unbeliever has that same negative response. That doesn’t mean that there not going to be trouble at Berea. But these Jews in the synagogue, they are willing to hear the word. They received the word with great eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Therefore many of them believed. What would have happened if Paul had come up with his own plan he thought the work better? God had prepared hearts differently at Berea than even Thessalonica and so many of these Jews believe along with a number of prominent Greek women and men. Again you see in this synagogue ministry and maybe beyond the synagogue as Paul’s ministry reaches out beyond it. You have a number of prominent Greek women and men and some of these could have come out of the synagogue as they did at Thessalonica. Could have been beyond that. And interesting they were prominent because normally the gospel impacts those who are not so prominent.

As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, not many wise, mighty, noble and so on are called by God. But here it was God’s intention at Berea. So you see what happens we carry the gospel to wherever God sends us, to wherever God takes us. How He uses the gospel in the hearts there, I don’t know. Sometimes the people you think would have been receptive aren’t, sometime the people you think won’t be receptive are and you just don’t know. But that’s not my responsibility. God has made it easy for me to understand my responsibility. What? Go tell them the gospel, go tell them the gospel. What am I going to do with these people? These are scholars, these are well to do people or these are poor people that live in poverty. Maybe I first have to take care of the poverty and get them a good education and do that. Maybe you better go present the gospel. That’s what we as believers can do that no one else can do. I am not saying that its not nice to feed a person if they need feed or need clothing but what can we do that no else can do in the world? We can give the message of life. We can bring the message of salvation.

Others can feed, others can clothe we have responsibility as believers to one another. We do good to all men but you know what happens? The church wants to move away from the offense of the gospel. They think if they replace it with social activity then people will like us and if they like us they will be open to hear the message and then they’ll get saved and we, no. Paul doesn’t say we’ll come up with a social program that will soften the city and make them realize we’re really good people. We’re not what they are saying. We’re not turning the world upside down, causing confusion everywhere we go. We’re here to help the hungry, to feed and clothe and to do all the good things we can do for them and then maybe over time they’ll be open to the gospel. You know it sounds like maybe it would have been a plan and when you’ve had so much turmoil. Present the gospel. If we don’t present the gospel you realize there is no one else to do it. We as believers have this treasure in earthen vessels as we go to in Corinthians often. So that all the glory, all the honor might go to God. That’s what it does. These other plans are ways that weaken the ministry God has given us. We think we are strengthening it. I get much missionary literature in the mail, month by month. I am appalled that how much of it has turned away from talking about presenting the gospel to talking about the social programs they are doing and raising money so that we can feed more people and treat more people medically. Do they even know what the gospel is anymore? I am talking about evangelical missions. It’s not just missions, its churches here doing the same thing. We want to feel like we are doing something and people will see that we are good people. Fine take your neighbor a meal. That’s not a problem but if you don’t give them the message of life you haven’t done anything, I haven’t done anything.

The power of the gospel, the power of God is the gospel. So they opened the scriptures. People there that the Spirit of God has prepared and is working with, they are open to search the scriptures and see if these things are so. The result is there are a number saved but verse 13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica fifty miles away found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by God in Berea also, they came there as well. The opposition to the gospel is intense. They are willing to travel the fifty miles to Berea. We are not open to have the gospel presented anywhere. They came there and you know what their experts add. Not leading people to God’s salvation. Their experts at stirring up people against the message of salvation. So they agitated and stirred up the crowds. 14“Then immediately the brethren sent Paul out to go as far as the sea; and Silas and Timothy remained there.” Paul becomes the focal person and so again the believers that we have to get Paul out of here. They realize that in all these cases his life would be at risk. You get a mob action going and who knows where it is going come and you have support of Roman authorities in this Roman dominated world because he’s a man promoting a king in opposition to Caesar. The king of the world if you will, the leader of the Roman Empire and he’s the troublemaker. He created trouble in Philippi, he’s creating trouble in Thessalonica and now he’s creating trouble in Berea when all Paul is doing is presenting the gospel.

So they get Paul out of there. Silas and Timothy remain behind but some of the believers escort Paul and bring him as far as Athens. And Paul will journey down to Athens by himself. The brethren will take him so he can be transported there and he’ll go down to Athens. On this occasion Silas and Timothy remain behind. Evidently it hasn’t become as much an issue with them. They are below the radar in that sense because Paul has become the visible figure. They stay here to help with the believers. There is no letter written to the church of Berea. There was a church established here evidently because there are believers established. We’re not told much more about that but we know there are a good number who are converted. Many believed and we have a church established here. Again the brethren work for Paul’s good and Timothy and Silas will be here. I am sure when Paul writes to the Thessalonians that letter will get passed on to Berea as it gets circulated around. These believers will grow but immediately their committed to Christ, their committed to the defense of those who are presenting the gospel and Paul is moved on to Athens.

But nothing in God’s plan is altered because well not because something is wrong, something right. The gospel is being presented. People are being saved. It is not the way we like to think of it that it has to be some big work or it has to be something that has broad acceptance in the city. No. It divides. Jesus said what? “I didn’t come to bring peace but a sword to divided family members.” You know if we had this in mind not that we like trouble, that we court opposition. You know I delight, I thank God often that I’ve been privileged to come and minister the word where He had prepared people. That people who are here had already believers that were committed to be supportive of the ministry of the word, that were already involved in the ministry of the word. Together we have been privileged to see others come to salvation as they have heard and believed the gospel. I praise the Lord for that. That I could wish that for everyone who carries the gospel everywhere. But we realize that the opposition and antagonism to the truth is there. The Devil will do what he can to mar your reputation, to mar my reputation. Some of you have shared some things. I even hear I have been on Face Book. Since I don’t know how to get there I am fine because what I don’t know I am fine with. It’s not all been good, I’m sure. I’ve got a list of good things if you want to put it on there but you know, what is the antagonism? You know we go out of our way. In the coming weeks I have some things to say about some of these issues. We have talked about some prophetic things. You know the evangelical church changing its views on things like homosexuality. We are so afraid that we will be viewed as narrow. That we will be viewed as exclusive. That we will be viewed as unloving. But you know the goal is not to get the people to like us. The goal is to have people hear the gospel. You know those that hear and believe the gospel come to love Paul. They are willing to put their lives on the line to spare him so he can go on and share the gospel one other place. Those who don’t want to hear the gospel that will not believe the gospel are not going to love the followers of Christ. They will hate them. That hatred may be kept below the surface but that spiritual battle is there between the children of the devil and the children of God. We are placed here to present the gospel. Let me read you what Paul wrote back to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 1:5 “our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction;” “9and you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God.” That’s we’re here. I am realistic. Not everybody in this city is going to believe the gospel but our desire is that everyone in the city will hear the gospel and by God’s grace he’ll take that gospel and bring it to the hearts of some so that they will believe because it is the gospel that is the power of salvation. How many more people will God save in this city? I don’t know but I know He won’t save anyone in this city who does not hear the gospel because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the message of Christ. What a privilege has been given to us in these days as we anticipate the return of Christ to be telling others there is a Savior. To be those with beautiful feet bringing the gospel of happiness, joy, salvation, God’s word. Let’s pray.

Thank you Lord for your work of grace in our lives. We are here this evening as trophies of your grace. Stubborn, self-centered, hard-hearted sinners. But the power of the gospel worked in our lives because of your grace. Someone brought it to us. A messenger from You and by your grace your Spirit opened our blinded eyes to see and believe the message of Christ. May we be such messengers ourselves. Each one individually as we go out in various places in this city this week, in various places in other areas. May we bring this glorious message of salvation that men, women and young people might have the privilege of hearing and by your mercy and grace believing and coming to the salvation that we so enjoy. Bless us this week we pray in Christ’s name. Amen
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