The Jews that did not believe, showed their jealousy by attacking the household of Jason, who had lodged Paul and Silas, since they could not take their revenge out on them personally. Verse 10, says, "And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews."
Paul and Silas left Thessalonica, and went about sixty miles to the west, to Berea. Once they got there, again they went to the synagogue. What a joy it must have been for Paul and Silas to be in Berea. Whereas the Jews in Thessalonica had a closed mind to the gospel, these people had an open mind to the gospel.
I. THE SEARCHING MINDS (verses 11-14)
A. THE CORDIALITY
Verse 11, “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
As you travel across this country, you will find that, in the different areas, people are as different from each other as the weather is different from one place to the next.
Illus: Dr. Ed Young, Pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Texas, once pastored the First Baptist Church in Columbia, South Carolina. When he pastored in Columbia, the church had some good growth, but it was difficult because the people were not letting him motivate them to accomplish what they were capable of accomplishing. After several years, he realized God had used him to accomplish about all that he was going to in Columbia, and he took the church in Texas that was a smaller church than he had in Columbia. He recognized that the people in that church were eager to have the Lord's work there grow, and they were willing to work. In a few short years, that church has grown to over ten thousand for their Sunday services. And if you have ever heard Dr. Young preach, you know he did not compromise the Word of God to build that church. God used him to build that church, because the people in Texas were open to the Word of God, and it motivated them to go out and win thousands to the Lord. Paul left Thessalonica because he was forced out of town, but when he came to Berea, only sixty miles away, he found people who were open to the Word of God. The scriptures reveal two things about them.
1. THEY WERE “MORE REFINED”
Paul could tell immediately that these people were stately, and had real class compared to the people at Thessalonica. Luke said this about the people of Berea, in comparison to the people at Thessalonica, “These were more noble.”
2. THEY WERE “MORE RECEPTIVE”
Luke said this about the People in Berea, “…in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
They were open to hear God's Word preached, but evidently they knew what many present day people do not know; that is: That just because a preacher stands behind a podium with a Bible in his hand, does not mean they are going to receive what God said.
The Bible says they “... searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
If a lot of professing Christians were to do that today, many preachers in the pulpits, and about 95 % of the tv preachers would not be preaching. You should never give a dime to a church or ministry, until you have a doctrinal statement of what they believe and what they teach. Even if a group has a first-class printed doctrinal statement, you should not support that group with your attendance or your finances, if they do not openly preach and teach sound doctrine.
Illus: A Christian lady and her husband told their pastor they were sorry they had not been able to attend church, but they assured him they were thinking about the church every Sunday, and they made sure they watched a particular preacher on television every Sunday morning. If that was suppose to comfort the pastor, it didn't, because the preacher she mentioned has built his church on this humanistic teaching of the 'Power of possibility thinking. " This same preacher that she loves to watch, does not even believe in a literal hell. He has drawn thousands to his church because he 'books' celebrity performers to sing, etc. Many of these celebrities work in the night clubs during the week. But the people do not seem to care if he has them share his platform on Sunday mornings.
All across this nation, these Elmer Gantries stand behind the pulpits in churches and are on television claiming to represent the cause of Christ, and people support them because they are ignorant of what God's Word says. These shysters would have not gotten anywhere in Berea, because the Bereans, who were open to any preacher who would preach God's Word, would check out what he preached to see if what he said, lined up with the scriptures.
B. THE CONVERSION
Verse 12, “Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.”
Any time people are hungry and open to the gospel, and it is preached, people will be saved. Luke, in writing this letter to Theophilus, points out time and time again that people were getting saved. From this we learn that there are two basic things that are needed to have a soul-winning church.
1. SOMEONE MUST PROCLAIM THE WORD OF GOD.
2. SOMEONE MUST BE WILLING TO RECEIVE THE WORD OF GOD.
Illus: Without these two things, the church is like a car stuck in the mud. The people will sit there spinning their tires, and making a lot of noise, but will not accomplish anything for the Lord.
When Paul and Silas arrived in Berea, they were like farmers who had found ideal soil that had already been prepared, and was ready for the seed to be planted.
C. THE CONTRAST
Verses 13-14, “But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people. And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still.”
Isn't it strange that those people would travel sixty miles to try to prevent Paul and Silas from spreading the gospel. They would not go across the street to share the good news of the gospel, because they refused to believe Jesus was the Son of God. They were determined to stop Paul and Silas from preaching the good news of the Gospel. They were determined to tear down everything Paul and Silas were doing for the lord. Why? Verse 5 tells us why, “But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy.”
They were having a hard time getting people to follow all their rules and regulations. They sure did not want anyone coming along and making it harder, even if they did preach the truth.
Illus: Someone said, “Most of us aren't prepared to accept success - especially somebody else's.” Someone else said, “Love looks through telescope, envy looks through a microscope.”
What Paul and Silas were doing was tremendous. When people preach and teach this gospel, they are doing the very best thing they can do with their lives. But people, who know they should be doing the same with their lives, will rise up, out of envy against them, and try to destroy them.
Illus: Someone said, "Don't mind the fellow who belittles you: he's only trying to cut you down to his size."
These fellows had come sixty miles to destroy everything that Paul and Silas had done for the Lord. It would be interesting to know how God punished these men before they died, or how long they lived after they did this. They were just the opposite of the men and women of Berea, who were open and receptive to God's Word.
II. THE SHARP MINDS (VERSES 15-34)
A. THE SURROUNDINGS
Verses 15-16, " And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed. Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.”
Paul had to leave Berea because of the opposition. They brought him to Athens alone, leaving Timothy and Silas in Berea.
When he arrived he did what we all would do when we arrive at a new place, we would look it over. Notice as he looked Athens over the Bible says, “... his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.”
It is simply amazing today, how many professing Christians can look around them, and see how this land in which we live is wholly given to idolatry, and not seem to be bothered at all. Paul could see all these pitiful people, putting their trust in these false gods, and it tore him up.
• How will the lost world know that what they are doing is wrong, if we are not sending up red flags to try to stop them.
• How will they know that what they are doing is wrong if we are joining in with them.
Paul saw all this idolatry, and his heart became sad. In fact, he was so devastated about this, that the Bible he says he sent for Silas and Timothy to come as fast as they could. “...and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed,….”
Athens had not originally been on Paul's scheduled itinerary. He was there waiting of for Silas and Timothy, but when he arrived and saw the land filled with idolatry he made it a part of his schedule.
Illus: A lot of Christians cannot recognize opportunity when it is before them. Paul could, and when he saw it, he acted on God's command to do 'whatsoever' his hands found to do, with all his might. I have heard Christians say, ‘I wish there was something I could do for the Lord.' There is! Right where you are, there is something you can do for the Lord. You just need the Lord to open your eyes up to all the wrong that surrounds your life, so that you can reach out to try to right it.
Paul saw it and he immediately sent for Silas and Timothy to come, because he recognized that what needed to be done in Athens, was something he could not do by himself.
B. THE SQUABBLE
Verses 17-21, “Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him. Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)”
When Paul began to speak out, he soon discovered that there were two major groups, who represented the two leading schools of thought among the Greek philosophers in that land. The two groups were the Epicureans and the Stoics.
The Epicureans believed in the existence of God, but believed that He never interfered with the affairs of men. They are famous for their motto: “Eat. drink and be happy."
The Stoics were just the opposite, and placed a great value on self-denial. When these two groups heard Paul begin to speak out, the Bible says, in verse 17, that Paul disputed with them in the synagogue and in the market place daily. Verse 21 tells us the Greeks spent all their time in telling something new. And now Paul comes along with the gospel that Jesus died, was buried and had been resurrected. They wanted to hear about this.
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C. THE SERMON
Verses 22-34, “Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. So Paul departed from among them. Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.”
Paul did not let their intellect intimidate him, in fact, he told them he was shocked when he arrived, and saw all the idols, and saw they had one erected to “THE UNKNOWN GOD.”
Notice, Paul accused them of ignorance. "Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship….”
After showing them their gods were dead, he went on to show them that the living God is the God of Creation, Incarnation, and Resurrection. Verse 28, “For in him we live, and move, and have our being;...”
Paul did not quote from the Old Testament, he quoted from two of their own Greek poets, Epimenides of Crete and Aratus of Cilicia. When Paul referred to men as “...the offspring of God,” Paul was alluding to
the fact that men are God's creatures, and are responsible to God. God once winked at their ignorance, but now He requires men to repent of their idolatry, and He requires the same thing still, today. Then Paul dealt with a crucial point of the gospel, the resurrection.
Many see death as such a final thing, they have a hard time believing in life after death. The Bible says, in verse 32, “And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.”
Notice, when Paul left, the Bible says in verse 34, "Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed:...” If we will go and preach the gospel, God will honor His Word, and it will not return void.
Conclusion:
I. THE SEARCHING MINDS
A. THEIR CORDIALITY
B. THE CONVERSION
C. THE CONTRAST
II. THE SHARP MINDS
A. THE SURROUNDINGS
B. THE SQUABBLE
C. THE SERMON
