This Jesus I Preach
Text: Acts 17:1-9
Introduction
1. Next month, July 4th to be exact, I will celebrate my third anniversary as Pastor at Oostanaula Methodist.
2. In those three years, you may have noticed a reoccurring theme in my preaching – I keep telling you to tell people about Jesus.
3. Now, I want to demonstrate to you that it’s working. (Show examples of new people in the church). We have at least eight people in our church that weren’t here a year ago. That’s an increase of 30%, and most mega churches can’t make that claim.
4. So, obviously, at least some of you are listening. Now I want to show some ways that can make this easier.
5. Read Acts 17:1-9
Transition: First, let’s talk about…
I. Wise Witnessing (1-4).
A. Used the Scripture to Reason with People
1. So, Paul and Silas left Philippi and went down the road about 100 miles.
a. They came to a town called Thessalonica, and once there they did what they usually did, they went to the synagogue and told people about Jesus.
b. Some people accepted what Paul and Silas were saying. Some were Jews, but more of them were Gentiles.
c. As a result, some of the other Jews got jealous of Paul and Silas and caused a bunch of trouble.
d. But God caused good things to happen with what the devil tried to do for evil.
2. Now, let’s take a closer look. As Paul and Silas left Philippi, they traveled down the Egnatian Way toward Athens. Luke tells us in v. 1, “Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.”
a. First, they passed through a town called Amphipolis, which was about 30 miles from Philippi.
b. From there they came to a town called Apollonia, which was an additional thirty miles from Philippi.
c. Now, there is no mention of ministry taking place in these two towns. But we can safely assume, that if there was someone there to preach to, Paul took the opportunity to tell them about Jesus.
d. Then they came to a town called Thessalonica. It was one of the wealthiest cities in Macedonia, and it had a population of about 200,000 people.
e. So, just to give you an idea, it had about 160,000 more people than the population of Rome, GA. So, it was a pretty large city, especially for that time.
f. It was the first city where Paul’s preaching attracted a large crowd of the socially elite. The big shots came out to hear him preach.
g. Another thing about Thessalonica is it was culturally diverse, which means there were a lot of pagan religions there that would make it difficult for new Christians.
h. But an important thing that Luke tells us about this city is that there was a synagogue there. If you recall, I told you several messages ago that in order to have a synagogue you had to have at least ten Jewish males.
i. So, this tells us it had a significant Jewish community, and that’s where Paul would begin.
3. In vv. 2-3 Luke tells us what Paul did. He tells us, “As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. 3 He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.”
a. Luke tells us that Paul did what he usually did, he went to the synagogue first.
b. It was always Paul’s custom to go the synagogue first because he had an in there because he was a Pharisee, which would be like being a preacher today. He would typically be given the opportunity to speak.
c. Plus, since there would be Jews there, he had a familiarity with them and could speak to them using the Jewish Scriptures to talk about Jesus.
d. There are three important words for us to understand from these two verses. First, it says that he used Scripture to reason with them.
e. This comes from a Greek word which means “to discuss or converse” with someone. It means that he used Scripture to start a conversation with them. He didn’t shout at them and shake his finger at them. He just had a conversation with them about Jesus.
f. Second, he explained what Scripture said about Jesus. This comes from a Greek word which means “to open.” He opened up the Scriptures so they could understand them. It’s the same word that Luke uses of Jesus as he spoke to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, where it says Jesus opened up the Scriptures to them.
g. Third, he proved to them that Jesus was the Messiah. This comes from a word which means “to bring something forward as a means of proof,” kind of like in a court hearing.
h. I think there is something important that we can learn from this about sharing Jesus with people. Paul wisely used something that they understood, the Old Testament Scriptures.
i. Many of them were Jews and they had been taught these Scriptures since they were little children. Paul found common ground and used it to tell them about Jesus.
j. We should begin where people are and use it to tell them about the love of Christ.
k. Now, in our society today it might not be the Bible, depending on who you’re talking to, because Biblical illiteracy is at an all-time high in our nation.
l. But it might be a hobby you share in common. It might be sports if you’re both into sports. It might be an activity you both enjoy. It might be family or relationships.
m. Find something you share in common and use that as a way to tell that person about Jesus.
B. Not Ashamed of the Gospel
1. Illustration: Let me tell you a little story about someone Tina and I encountered years ago. We were in downtown Akron going to eat at one of our favorite restaurants for lunch. Suddenly, a man walked up to us doing a really good impersonation of a TV evangelist. He was wearing a three-piece suit and tie, had slicked back hair, and was carrying an umbrella on a sunny day. He handed me a gospel tract, which I thanked him for, but suggested he save it for someone who needed it because I was a Christian. He then got in my face and said, “Are ya saved? Do you know Jesus as your Savior?” Know y’all, this is not the best way to tell people about Jesus.
2. When we try to talk to people about Jesus, we need to try and find common ground.
a. “And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” (Mark 16:15).
b. Now, I don’t expect you to be like my TV evangelist friend (please don’t be like him!).
c. Nor do I want you to try and be like me.
d. But what I do expect is for you to be like you.
e. God created you with certain abilities and characteristics that make you, you.
f. He expects you to use what he has given you.
g. Use the common ground you may have with other people, and then use that common ground to tell people about what God has done in your life.
h. Take what you know and use it to tell people that Jesus loves them so much he died on the cross for them. It’s really that simple.
Transition: Another thing we should work on is…
II. Planting Shade Trees (5-9).
A. Jason and the Other Believers
1. The reality of the Christian life, especially in sharing our faith with others, is that there will be those who will not want to hear what we have to say. In v. 5 we read, “But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd.”
a. In v. 4 we saw the positive side of what Paul usually saw in this ministry, but in this verse, we see the negative side of what he experienced.
b. Some of the Jews had responded in faith and received Jesus, but many more of the Gentiles were coming to Jesus!
c. This made some of the Jews who rejected Jesus jealous. And as jealous people sometimes like to do, they gathered up a bunch of hooligans from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot.
d. They didn’t want to be seen as the ones starting the ruckus, so they signed up a bunch of people that didn’t really care what others thought of them.
e. They wanted to throw these people they saw as heretics out of town, but they didn’t want to get their hands dirty doing it.
f. These unseemly characters started a riot, and they went to the house of Jason, a believer, who like Lydia did in Philippi, invited Paul and Silas to stay with him.
g. They wanted to drag Paul and Silas out the house, but for some reason they weren’t there. So, they figured Jason would do.
2. In vv. 6-7 Luke tells us, “Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. “Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,” they shouted, “and now they are here disturbing our city, too. 7 And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus.”
a. The mob grabbed Jason and drug him out of the house, and they also grabbed some other people who had come to faith in Christ, I guess they figured the more the merrier!
b. They drug these believers before the city council and began to tell a bunch of lies about Paul and Silas and placed the blame of Jason because he let them stay in his house.
c. Their accusations, like all good lies, had a smidgeon of truth to them.
d. They said that Paul and Silas were causing trouble wherever they went, which was true, but it wasn’t because they were doing anything wrong, but rather because people, like these jealous Jews, didn’t like what they had to say and the fact that the Gentiles were coming to faith.
e. However, they also told some outright lies about Paul and Silas. They accused them of treason against Caesar, you know if you want to get someone in trouble bring the government into it!
f. They knew the Romans didn’t care about theological differences of opinion; however, they knew if someone said something against Caesar their ears would perk up.
g. But Paul and Silas never said anything against Caesar, because even Jesus said his kingdom was not of this world.
h. These people were just using any excuse they could to get rid of Paul and Silas.
3. Luke then concludes with a happy ending. He says, in vv.8-9, “The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports. 9 So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they released them.”
a. The unfortunate thing is that the lies had the result the jealous Jews were looking for.
b. Everyone from the city officials to the people of the city were were upset about the manipulative lies that were told.
c. However, because these people couldn’t prove anything by their accusations. So, they made Jason, and the others post bond. This was not like the “bail” that we know of today that ensure that you will show up for your trial, because there was nothing to try.
d. It was probably more of an assurance that Paul and Silas would just go peacefully. But Jason and the others were not charged and tried for anything and were let go.
e. However, the courage of Jason and the others would make things easy for others that would follow.
f. At the conference, they kept talking about planting shade trees. And the whole time I kept thinking, “what in the world are they talking about?” You know, I’m German and a little hardheaded!
g. On the way home, I was pondering all of this, and I was still struggling with it. So, I asked Tina about it. She said it’s not Biblical, but it’s still a principle with some merit.
h. It’s about doing the hard work that will make things easier for someone else. You put in the sweat and hard work so that someone else doesn’t have to and they can rest under the shade tree that you planted.
i. That’s exactly what Jason and the others did. They planted shade trees.
B. Plant for Others
1. Illustration: "Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant." (Robert Louis Stevenson)
2. Even if you don’t see the fruit, keep planting the seeds.
a. “After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. 6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.” (1 Cor. 3:5-8).
b. Sometimes in trying to reach others for Christ we get discouraged because they don’t respond.
c. We say to ourselves, “What’s the point; they’re not going to listen anyway!”
d. But according to what Paul says in 1 Cor. 3, that’s not the point.
e. It really doesn’t matter that the people we witness to come to faith on the spot. What matters is that we plant the seed.
f. They might come to faith right then and there with us, or maybe we just plant the seed and then some one else will water it.
g. What matters is that we planted the seed, and someday God will make it grow.
h. Plant that shade tree so somebody else can benefit from it.
i. Remember, it’s not about us, it’s about God!
Conclusion
1. When it comes to sharing our faith with others…
a. We need to be wise in our witnessing.
b. We need to plant the shade tree.
2. What’s the point preacher? We are not called to save people. We are called to plant the seeds so that God can cause them to grow.
