TEXT: Acts 17:1-34

SUBJECT: Acts 20

Today, with the Lord's blessing, we'll proceed in our study of Acts. And take another look at what Jesus Christ is doing in the world.

THESSALONICA

The story takes place in Macedonia, on the Balkan Peninsula, in southeast Europe. This is part of the Roman Empire, of course, and most of the people are Greek in culture and language.

Luke begins with a short travel note: After leaving Philippi, he, Paul, Silas, and Timothy pass through "Amphipolis and Apollonia on their way to Thessalonica".

On their first Sabbath there, they go into the Synagogue, and when the Rabbi asks if anyone has something to say, Paul speaks up for Christ.

His central message is the death and resurrection of Messiah,

That's the content of his sermon, but Luke emphasizes its source. Where did Paul get the message and why should the Synagogue accept it? He got it from the Bible and they ought to believe it because the Bible is God's Word. That's why Paul--a very brilliant man and trained in philosophy and rhetoric--

Had he resorted to human arguments, he might have persuaded many more than he did. But if he had, their "Faith would have been in the wisdom of men and not the power of God".

How do they respond to Paul's preaching? They're divided.

Some believe. But others don't. Those who don't are not "neutral" about it. They incite a riot, storm the house where Paul was staying, and haul off the owner, Jason, to the courthouse, charging him and the preachers with High Treason for saying, "Jesus is Lord"--and not Caesar.

This is a very serious charge. But because there's no proof, the judges let Jason go providing his friends leave town. Which they do.

BEREA

Next they come to Berea, a town about sixty miles away. Once again, they enter the Synagogue, and Paul preaches Christ.

But this time, instead of facing bigotry and persecution, he gets an honest hearing. The Bereans--you see--are not like the Jews in Thessalonica, for

Instead of being suspicious, they were eager to hear what Paul had to say. Instead of consulting their prejudices or running to their rabbis, they checked the Bible. And, instead of glancing at their favorite "proof texts", they studied hard and long and thoughtfully.

What does their response tell us about Paul's preaching in Berea? That it too was Scriptural. They could check Paul's interpretation of the Bible because it came from the Bible.

He didn't come to Berea with a Dream or the Latest Findings of Science or a Psychological Technique or a Marketing Strategy. He brought nothing but God's Word.

And again, it's not because he didn't know anything else. It's that he didn't need anything else. To Paul's way of thinking, the Word of God is sufficient.

Writing to Timothy some years later, Paul praises the Word for being adequate to meet our needs--all by itself, II Timothy 3:15-17,

The Scripture--without human addition can show us the way of salvation and how to please the Lord who bought us with His own blood. And that's all we need to know.

The Bereans are listening with great care. But then something happens: the Thessalonians persecutors show up and run Paul out of town.

ATHENS

Alone this time, he makes his way to Athens, the world's most learned and cultured city.

But human learning at its most brilliant doesn't change the heart. As Paul toured the city, he found it "Given over to idols". The sons of Socrates are as superstitious as the crudest Barbarian.

Paul is upset by what he sees. Going to the Marketplace every day, he proclaims "Jesus and the resurrection".

Some Stoic and Epicurean philosophers are there (though you should put the word "philosophers" in quotation marks, for, in fact, they're nothing but lazy bums who like to gab all day).

Some of them think Paul is a "Babbler", but others think he has something worth hearing. They take him to Mars Hill, which is the public forum, and ask him to give a speech.

Which he's glad to do.

Sermons ought to be about something. Paul starts off by telling them what his sermon is about:

In other words, Paul knows "the unknown God" and he's going to tell them who He is, what He's done, and what He commands them to do!

Who is He? Obviously He is not an idol or a Being who can be put into a Temple. Why? Because if He's big enough to make everything, He's way too big to fit into human shrines. What's more, if He made us all, He can't possibly need us and our puny offerings. Idolatry, therefore, is both stupid and arrogant.

What has He done? He made us all; He sustains us every minute of the day; and He put a longing in our hearts for His fellowship. In one sense, every human being is a child of God and is crying for his Father. But though our Father is eager to receive every one of us, because of our sin, most of us won't go home.

About this longing for God, St. Augustine said,

C.S. Lewis said the desire "proves" the existence of God. For every longing we have--he says--there is something to fulfill it. Hunger indicates there is such a thing as food; thirst says there is such a thing as water; loneliness implies there are other people out there. But what about that longing that does not correspond to anything on earth? Is it an evolutionary mistake? No, it isn't. It's there by design. To be met by God.

You want something. But you can't quite put your finger on what it is. You thought it was sex at one time, but that wasn't it. Or, you thought it was money, but that didn't satisfy. Let me tell you what you want: You want God!

He offers Himself to you in Christ alone through faith alone.

That's Paul's second point: God has made you, sustains you, and put something in you that wants Him more than anything else (even if you don't know it).

His third point is: What God commands you to do. He wants you to Repent--to turn from your sins to faith in Christ. To help you do it, He makes a solemn promise: One Day He's going to judge you through Jesus Christ.

It's bad to be an unbeliever today. But can you imagine how bad it will be for people who reject Christ when they stand before The Very Man They Rejected on the Day of Judgment? Not a happy thought.

How do you know God will judge the world by Christ? Because He raised Him from the Dead, which means He exalted Him to be the Judge of All.

That's Paul's sermon on Mars Hill.

What did his audience think of it? Some laughed at it; others thought it was worth thinking about; and some believed, including one of his judges, Dionysius, a woman named Damaris, and a few more.

What was Paul's method in Athens? Some have said he quit his earlier reliance on the Bible and reasoned with them from philosophy, history, literature, and so on.

Baloney!

This sermon relied on the Bible every bit as much as the others. Old Testament verses can be cited for his every point. He just left out the footnotes, because they wouldn't have helped his audience.

That's the story.

THE MESSAGE

Now what does it mean? I've hinted at it several times already. But let me make it plain: Chapter 17 is dramatically different than Chapter 16. In the former, Jesus Christ brought people to faith in amazing ways. The Gospel is brought to Macedonia in response to a Dream; the jailer is saved through an earthquake; the devil is cast out of the slave girl; and so on.

But no miracle occurs in today's chapter. Today has Jesus Christ advancing His cause in the world through boring, humdrum, unexciting Gospel witness.

I use the words jokingly, of course. There's nothing dull about the Gospel. But it does seem rather pale compared to Earthquakes and Dreams and Exorcisms, and Healings, and Resurrections, and other Visible Acts of Divine Power.

We mustn't despise the Lord's ordinary ways of extending His Kingdom in the world.

The usual ways of winning sinners to Christ are: (1) witnessing to the lost, (2) praying for them, and (3) setting a good example.

Paul did all of them in Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens. And in each place, he got results; in every city sinners came to faith in Christ.

How does this apply to us?

Firstly, let's be satisfied with the Gospel. Though raising someone from the dead would be really exciting, the fact remains, "If they will not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if one should rise from the dead". Nothing we can do can improve on the Gospel, which remains,

Secondly, let's use the Gospel. Paul didn't just glory in the Gospel, he preached it. God didn't give us the Gospel to cover up but to uncover for everyone to see. Without being obnoxious, be assertive with the Gospel. We're always afraid of "being offensive". We should be more afraid of "being chicken".

Thirdly, let's study the Bible. If you're going to witness Biblically, you've got to know what's in the Bible. You find out through hard and prayerful study.

Lastly, let's admire the Lord Jesus Christ who can bring His people to glory without spectacular miracles and spine-tingling wonders. This is a great demonstration of the Lord's power. Though He can do wonders, He usually saves without them.