"sit Down! You’re Rocking The Boat!"

"SIT DOWN! YOU’RE ROCKING THE BOAT!"

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR

1. A young man went fishing with his father and a friend in an open boat. He didn’t have his sea-legs yet. He’d get up and try to walk. He had poor balance, so the boat would see-saw violently. (The boat didn’t have good floatation.)

2. Finally he lost his balance and fell to one side, tipping the boat. Suddenly the other two men fell off their seats and with a cry the boat rolled over. Much Bass fishing equipment was lost that day.

3. So they nicknamed the young man “Rocky,” not because he was tough, but because he’d “rocked the boat.” From then on, when Rocky would try to move around in the boat, they’d cry, “Sit down! You’re rocking the boat!”

B. WORLD’S NOTION

1. The Urban Dictionary describes “rocking the boat” as meaning “to disrupt things, promote disharmony, make waves, pick a fight, causing trouble, disagreement...to disturb the status quo.”

2. “Rocking the boat” is something people in the world don’t like (but what they need). People & society like everything planned; no surprises, nothing they can’t explain; they want to be comfortable; nothing out of the ordinary; routine.

3. THE WORLD ATTEMPTS TO GET CHRISTIANS TO BE QUIET. They want us to homogenize, to conform, to look like everyone else. They don’t want us standing out or being different. They don’t want us rocking the boat. But ‘Rocking the Boat’ is what’s needed: waking up the passengers, upsetting the natural order, turning their world upside down. That’s what Paul did:

C. TEXT

17 “…they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas. 5 But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” Acts 17:1-6

D. THESIS: COMPARISON, THEN & TODAY

1. The Bible describes a Christianity that was so strong that it conquered every idea and every culture that it contacted. Cities and nations were turned upside down. People were willing to die the most gruesome deaths for it, or to lose their property and possessions.

2. A supernatural power was loose among them that healed the sick, drove out demons, twice blinded their opponents and made hypocrites fall dead on the spot. Within one generation, only by word of mouth, everyone within the known limits of civilization was reached with the Gospel! Incredible!

3. What a contrast with the Christianity of today, which can’t break through the American culture, struggles with worldliness, and knows little of the miraculous.

4. In the United States, Christianity is projected to decline 10% by 2050. Something’s obviously wrong with American Christianity.

5. Part of the answer is internal while part of it is external. The title of this message is “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat!”

I. WE’RE SUPPOSED TO BE WORLD-SHAKERS!

A. ARE YOU DISTURBING THE PEACE? (D.T.P.)

1. As the Thessalonian unbelievers saw Paul & Silas coming to town, they said, “Oh no! Here come those guys who’ve turned the world upside down!”

2. Everywhere the apostles went the natural order of things was upset. Why? Were they doing something wrong? Uncivil? No! It was because they boldly spoke the truth!

3. Elijah the prophet was another one labelled (by King Ahab) as a ‘Disturber of the Peace.’ 1 Kg. 18:7. Disturbing the Peace is usually a bad thing. Laws are passed against almost anything people don’t want you doing. Getting loud, getting in the way, bothering them, etc.

4. But sometimes it’s very good to D.T.P., esp. if the people are in danger. If they’re about to step in front of a car... it’s time to disturb the peace! Or if their clothes are catching on fire... it’s time disturb the peace. Or if they’re backing up over a precipice... it’s time to disturb the peace! You might need to yell to stop them!

5. The same thing is true of spiritual dangers -- it’s our duty to warn them, to sound the alarm!