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Past Ponderings

Friday, September 20, 2019

PONDERING... How Are You Using Your Lips and Ears? (Acts 17:1-14)

VIDEO
How Are You Using Your Lips and Ears? (AM Sermon Notes)
GIST: We should be proclaimers and receivers of the Word of God. 
SCRIPTURE: Acts 17:1-14
This morning we’re coming to Acts 17:1-14. I know with the meal and ordination ceremony coming after this morning’s service, today has the potential of becoming a longer day for many of you. Therefore, though I do not want to in any way get in the way of God’s Word speaking, I will do my best to strive for brevity. That being said, I want to read the first five verses of today’s passage for context. Then, we’ll walk through the rest together as we come to it. 


“1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ." 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.”
Here we see where Paul and company went after leaving Philippi. We’re not given details about what happened in two of the cities, so this morning I want to focus in on what happened in the next two cities that get attention in Luke’s account: Thessalonica and Berea. What struck me most while studying this week was what we can glean about how we sound be using our lips and ears. I know that might seem simplistic, maybe even elementary-schoolish, but how many of our problems would be reversed if we just used our mouths and ears properly? I don’t have to say anymore to let that sink in and really hit me! So, here’s a gist for us this morning: We should be proclaimers and receivers of the Word of God. Nothing revolutionary. We all know this at least in principle. But what if we lived like that? Let’s see how this is developed in the text this morning. First, we see that we, like Paul and his companions, should→ 


I. BE PROCLAIMERS
I love how this passage opens. One line, in particular, stuck out to me. In fact, if you only take one thing away from this sermon, take this. We should→ 
Reason Clearly From God’s Word (1-3) “1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ."” How do we stand for Christ in this progressively skeptical age? Just stay true to the truth that comes from God’s Word
I want to make sure I express a few thoughts here as clearly as possible. First, since God is the truth and the Bible is His Word, it’s trustworthy and powerful—life-changing. Because of this, we should be devoting our lives to knowing it. I’m sure sometimes I sound like a broken record because I’m constantly telling you how important it is that we actually be reading our Bibles. Nonetheless, it’s a truth I have to keep proclaiming because it’s a truth I cannot afford to forget! I have no power and no wisdom to offer you, and I never will. He speaks life. I need His Word. And there is a significant difference between knowing the Scriptures and just knowing about the Scriptures. If you rely on what you think might be in the Bible because you heard somebody say something at some point, you’re building your faith on an unstable foundation that won’t stand. If you’re challenged, or find yourself struggling with doubt, instead of the wealth of God’s all-powerful voice to fall back on, you’ll crash through the brittle foundation of your own making.
Secondly, if the Bible is this powerful, then we should be using it, and it alone, to speak life to others. I’ve said this a lot, too, but realizing this has been a major encouragement to me and has had a direct impact on my Christian life. If you are going to try and save people with your wisdom and your cunning and your cleverly devised words—you should be terrified to tell people about Jesus or provide meaningful comfort during times of need. BUT, if you let God do the talking because your heart is already full of His Word and He just draws out what’s already there—you have nothing to fear because His Word does not return to Him void!  
Let me just make this last observation quickly and then move on (I promised brevity, remember…☺️).  As we do this, we also need to make sure we’re very clear as we keep the main things main. The people who accept their teaching and the people who reject it, both heard the same message and weren’t confused by what they were teaching: Jesus is the rescuer you need, and He died and rose again for you! They either embraced this truth or ran from it, but they understood what was being said. We should learn from this. Don’t get tangled up in fringe debates that major more on semantics than salvations. Keep Jesus and His salvation forefront...because the entire Bible does! That’s why, no matter where we are each week in our studies, I always come back to it. I don’t have to get creative and search it out. It’s always there! ☺️ 
So, reason clearly from God’s Word→ 
Expecting Conflicting Reactions & Remaining Faithful Through Them (4-5) 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.” I don’t need to drag this out, right? (Like the last point… ☺️). There were two major reactions here. Some believed and some rejected. In fact, some of the rejection even turned hostile as the Jews, out of jealousy, got the “rabble” and stirred things up against Paul and Co. Did that stop them? No. And it shouldn’t stop us. Don’t be discouraged when people reject the truth. Don’t take it personally and assume it’s because they don’t like you! It’s not about you! We have a mission. It’s about Him, and they’re missing out. Pray for them...and keep proclaiming the truth→  
While Striving To Turn the World Rightside Up (6-9) There is a line in their accusations against Paul and Co. that has resonated with people throughout the ages here in verse 6. I’ll underline it ☺️. “6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”” See, they understood what they were teaching. Jesus is Lord! “8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.” These men who have turned the world upside down. They meant it, surely, as an insult, but there was almost a truth here. But actually→ 
The World Is Already Upside Down. Now, please hear me. This isn’t a vague, motivational call that’s meant to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside as you leave here...and do nothing. We have a concrete call to be witnesses for the Truth. This world is broken. It’s been tainted by sin. That’s why it hurts so bad. That’s why you struggle like you do. It needs flipped right-side up, and that will only happen when people see that Jesus came to restore their brokenness. Naturally, we’re all part of the problem. My sin is corrupting and devastating and detestable. I need rescued. Jesus came and died and rose again to make a way for that rescue to happen. He’s my Savior. Calling on Him and giving Him control flipped me right-side up. Seeing that has changed everything in my life. Now, I can be part of the solution as I point people to the only One who can make all things right. I want to be known as someone who flipped this world on its feet, because it’s currently stuck on its head! That can only happen if I’m faithfully living a life that proclaims Him! That’s how we should live.
So, we need to be proclaimers. We also need to→ 


II. BE RECEIVERS
Par for the course, I went pretty long on that first point, so let me try and hold up my promise by being more concise here. Really quickly, I want to look at what happened in the next town they visited, Berea. Here, we see the kinds of receivers of God’s Word we should be, as we receive→ 
By Longing To Know Him & Actively Seeking To Do So (10-12) “10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 12 Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.” 
I just want to point out two things here. First, they received the Word with alacrity, a willing eagerness. They wanted to know God. Are you in that boat? If you’re honest, would you be able to say that’s a priority in your life? If not, pray that it would be. Not that you’d pay lip-service to “wanting Him”, but that it would be a desire more consuming than you need for watching TV, or scrolling through social media, or whatever else you’ve dedicated your time to wittingly or not. 
And you’ll know how true your desire is by how actively it’s pursued. They didn’t just say they wanted to know, they searched the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul was saying was true. They had a hunger for God’s Word and desire to know it for themselves. They didn’t take his claims at face value, but actively dug in for themselves to know Him! Do you? We should have this kind of control passion→ 
Instead of Being Bitterly Zealous For Your Own Truth & Closed To His (13-14) Look at the flip side of the coin recorded here. “13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. 14 Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there.” Here, we see angry pursuit driven by jealousy (look back at verse 5). They were happy with the status quo and didn’t want their apple carts upset, so they refused to believe the truth and allowed themselves to be blinded to grace. How sad is it to stand before harbingers of grace, and turn willingly toward condemnation instead? But we’ll all do it naturally, if we’re not changed by that amazing grace!


TAKEAWAYS
Let’s recap. 
1. Be a proclaimer by→
Reasoning Clearly From God’s Word. (Know it. Love it. Use it)
Expecting Conflicting Reactions & Remaining Faithful Through Them...and→ 
Striving To Turn the World Rightside Up (That’s our mission. This world is in great need! That need is Jesus...not us, but always Him!)
2. Be a receiver by→
Longing To Know Him & Actively Seeking To Do So 
Instead of Being Bitterly Zealous For Your Own Truth & Closed To His


Where are you today?

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