There are problems of housing, the homeless, drugs, alcohol, teen rebellion, divorce, abuse, racial unrest, etc. This list, in no way includes all the problems, but these exist in all of our major cities and they are tearing towns and cities apart while churches sit back feeling like their hands are tied and there is not a thing they can do.
In Matthew 16:18, God made this promise, "...I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Many professing Christians have the concept that God's church is on the defensive and it is all we can do to keep Satan from stomping all over us. Notice, the Lord did not speak of the church's being on the defensive, but rather the church is to be the offensive party, charging every barricade Satan raises.
Since all scripture is written that we might know how we are supposed to conduct ourselves in this lost world, Acts is no exception. In this history of the early church, NOTICE: It was not the devil's crowd turning the world upside down with their deeds, it was the Christians. Verse 6 tells us they were accused of just that: "...These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also." God wanted us to see that the early church was not on the defensive, but was on the offensive. Our text reveals what was done then, and is done now, when the church is on the offensive against Satan.
I. THE SAVIOR REVEALED
Acts 17:1-2, "Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them…." Paul and his crew passed by two towns, Amphipolis and Apollonia, and went on to the large seaport town of Thessalonica.
Illus: Paul recognized something every fisherman knows, if you are going to catch a lot of fish, you have to go where a lot of fish are located.
Once Paul was at Thessalonica, notice these words, "...as his manner was went in...(the synagogue)" Paul was accustomed to attending church on the Sabbath, and his being in a different town made no difference. Going was not an option, it was something he did. I know some people, who have to make a decision every week about whether or not to go to worship with God's people at church. Generally, people like this miss church more than they attend. The fact that they have to decide each week, makes it obvious they have never committed their lives to Christ, and made church worship of the living God a part of their lives.
Illus: Someone has said, "Blessed is the man who can hear his alarm clock on Sunday, as well as on Monday."
Paul was hungry for the things of God. He knew one could not learn the things God wanted him to learn from nature, as some would claim they are trying to do, but the place to learn was at God's house where His Word was taught.
Illus: Mary and Joseph were on their way home from Jerusalem, when they discovered their child, Jesus, was not with their crowd. After searching, they found Him at the temple. Millions more have, since then, also found Him there!
When Paul and Silas arrived at Thessalonica, they located the place of worship and upon the Sabbath they were there.
Illus: A lot of folks not only take their vacation from work, but also from the worship of God. What a shame that one who professes to be a Christian, would not want to be in God's house at the appointed time for worship, just because he is not in his home town.
II. THE SCRIPTURES REVEALED
Acts 17:2b. "...and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures."
Paul, in his efforts to reveal Christ, did not rely on philosophies, literature and science. Christianity was not something he himself had invented. The scriptures were his authority. The Jews believed that the Messiah was coming, but their idea was that the Messiah would come, put Rome down, and set up His kingdom on earth.
This is why our Lord's disciples, until they knew better, would fuss about who would be on the right hand and on the left, when Jesus set up His kingdom. They could not comprehend that He would come, die, be buried, and be resurrected from the dead.
Notice, the Bible says that for three Sabbath days, Paul, "...reasoned with them out of the scriptures."
Christianity is not a blind teaching; it has its roots in our INTELLECT, and in our HEARTS. He took the Scriptures and showed them that it was reasonable to conclude that Jesus was Who He claimed He was. He had to do this because many did not believe. And today, we must continue what Paul was doing, for there are many who do not even believe in God, and that He created them, much less believe in Jesus.
Illus: Often people have their own beliefs about what they are to do, and where they came from, so they will not be accountable to God. For example, the teaching of the theory of evolution that sinners hold to facilitates their lack of accountability. They choose to hold tenaciously to the theory, yet it has been proven that there are irreconcilable contradictions in it. The truly scientific mind cannot accept a theory like that, because if you keep tracing the steps of the teaching of evolution back, you are still going to have to eventually come up with The Creator.
Paul reasoned with them from the Scriptures. How he spoke was not important, but what he said was what counted.
Illus: Today, often more value is placed on how someone says something, than on what he is saying. That is why many today leave church saying, "What a great preacher." rather than saying, "What a great Savior!" When a mumbling lawyer reads a will, does anyone say anything about the way he speaks? No! They listen to hear what he is saying, so they can know what they are going to get.
For three Sabbath days, Paul reasoned with the people out of the Scriptures.
III. THE SALVATION REVEALED
Acts 17:3, "Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ."
Notice the word "opening." This means: "To explain or unfold." It was difficult for some of the people, to understand if the Lord Jesus was the Messiah, as He claimed, why was He crucified? Paul takes what caused them to doubt, and used those things as a foundation to prove Christ was Who He claimed to be. He took Old Testament Scriptures, and lined them up with what happened to Christ. Three points he brought out from verse 3 were:
1. HE MUST SUFFER
2. HE MUST DIE
3. HE MUST BE RESURRECTED FROM THE DEAD
They could see for themselves, since Jesus fulfilled all of these conditions or prophecies, that He was indeed Who He claimed to be. Some scriptures Paul could have used as he reasoned with them, to persuade them that Jesus was their Savior were: Ex. 12:46; Ps. 16:10; Ps. 22:1,6-8, 12-18; Is. 53:7-12; Zech. 12:10. Every one of these prophecies were fulfilled in Matthew 27:33-50.
IV. THE SALVATION RECEIVED
Acts 17:4a, "And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitide, and of the chief women not a few."
Every time God's Word is preached it will bring about some positive results. Notice the word "believed." Of those who heard Paul preach, some believed. Their hearts were not shut to the truth, and to those, the truth that he spoke made sense. The word "believed," here, means: "Persuaded." Paul later wrote to the Thessalonians, and said that they had received his, "...gospel not as the word of man, but as the Word of God."
In 1 Thess. 1:9-10, he said of those believers, "For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come."
They became thoroughly convinced the way of Christ was the correct way, and notice, once they were convinced, they sought fellowship with, "...Paul and Silas, and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few."
V. THE SALVATION REJECTED
Acts 17:4-9, "But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go."
Have you noticed that every time Paul and Silas, or Paul and Barnabas preached God's Word, and scores were saved, evil men moved with envy against them.
It is somewhat encouraging to a pastor to read that when Paul and Silas preached, there also were some who would not receive the gospel, for it is not the fault of the pastor that some do not receive Christ. Those who did not receive the Gospel, could not say it was because Paul and Silas did not make it clear. And today, regardless of how simple you make it, some will not receive the gospel.
Illus: When I think about making something clear, I am reminded of the story of the Police Captain who very angrily confronted the rookie cop, "You let the prisoner escape! Didn't I tell you to guard all exits!" The rookie replied, "I did, but he escaped through the entrance."
Paul and his followers were motivated by love to share this gospel. Those who despised the gospel of Jesus, were motivated out of envy, and they persuaded some men "of the baser sort", to rise up against these men of God. If those men had not been, "...lewd fellows of the baser sort," they would not have allowed those men to use them to do their evil for them. People like that will stick together to do some evil.
Illus: They remind me of the story of the warden of a prison who began feeling sorry for one of the prisoners. This prisoner never had any relatives or friends visit him on visitors' day. On other days the prisoner was jovial enough, but on visitors' day he always stayed in his cell looking lonely. One visitors' day the warden called him into the office and said, "Joe, don't you have any friends or family?" The prisoner said, "Sure warden, but they're all in here with me."
Yes, those Jews who believed not, used men who were inferior to them intellectually, to cause an uproar and accuse Jason of being a law breaker, and Paul and Silas of being trouble makers. They accused the Christians of turning "...the world upside down..." Well, that was true, and we need to do the same today - turn the world upside down for Jesus, because sin has turned the world wrong side up. Evil men have used every means they could find to cause trouble and fight against the truth.
Conclusion:
I. THE SAVIOR REVEALED
II. THE SCRIPTURES REVEALED
III. THE SALVATION REVEALED
IV. THE SALVATION RECEIVED
V. THE SALVATION REJECTED
