SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). City and Government:
• (a). It was a key city.
• (b). It was an unusual city.
(2). Method and Message:
• (a). He ‘reasoned’ with them (vs 2)
• (b). He ‘explained’ or opened these passages (vs 2)
• (c). He gave evidence (vs 2)
• (d). He ‘announced’ or proclaimed. (vs 2)
(3). Response and Escape:
• (a). The response (vs 4)
• (b). The Opposition (vs 5)
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• Several years ago, American Larry Walters, a 33-year-old man;
• Decided he wanted to see his locality from a new perspective.
• So he went down to the local army surplus store;
• And bought forty-five used weather balloons.
• That afternoon he strapped himself into a garden chair,
• And several of his friends tied the now helium-filled balloons.
• He took along a six-pack of beer, a sandwich, & a Bull-bearing gun,
• Figuring he could shoot the balloons one at a time when he was ready to land.
• Walters, who assumed the balloons would lift him about 100 feet in the air,
• But he was caught off guard;
• When the chair soared more than 11,000 feet into the sky.
• This took him smack into the middle of;
• The air traffic pattern at Los Angeles International Airport.
• Too frightened to shoot any of the balloons,
• He stayed airborne for more than two hours,
• This forced the airport to shut down its runways for much of the afternoon,
• Causing long delays in flights from all over the country.
• Soon after he was safely grounded and cited by the police,
• Reporters asked him three questions:
• First question: “Where you scared?”
• He replied “Yes.”
• Second question: “Would you do it again?”
• He answered “No.”
• Third question: “Why did you do it?”
• “Because,” he said, “you can’t just sit there.”
That is the message that the book of Acts is saying to us in these verses:
• In a world with no idea who the real Jesus is
• In a world with no idea what the real message of Christianity is,
• In a world with no idea what the good news of the gospel is,
• The book of Acts is a constant reminder;
• That you and I “Can’t just sit there.”
• Reaching people for Jesus requires action!
Quote: ‘Why Christians Sin’ by J. K. Johnston.
• “Christ met unbelievers where they were.
• He realized what many Christians today still don't seem to understand.
• Cultivators have to get out in the field.
• According to one count, the gospels record 132 contacts that Jesus had with people.
• Six were in the Temple, four in the synagogues
• And 122 were out with the people in the mainstream of life.”
• TRANSITION:
• The book of Acts (history book of the early Church) is a constant reminder;
• That you and I “Can’t just sit there.”
• Reaching people for Jesus requires action!
• We need to be out there with people in the mainstream of life.”
• If you want an example of that;
• Then look at the example and life of the apostle Paul,
• And for a case study this morning we are looking at Acts chapter 17 verses 1-10.
PAUL AT THESSALONICA (VS 1):
• The apostle Paul, was one of the first people to travel widely telling people about Jesus.
• He is considered the first missionary,
• The word missionary means:
• ‘A person sent on a religious mission,
• Especially one sent to promote Christianity in a foreign country’
• The apostle Paul was certainly the first missionary to Gentile people.
• That title ‘apostle’ means, ‘One who is sent out’.
• Both those titles suggest both going and sharing the good news of Jesus!
The apostle Paul made three missionary journeys:
• You can read about his first missionary journey in Acts chapters 13 and 14.
• This first expedition lasted at least two years,
• His second missionary journey is found in Acts chapter 16, 17 and 18.
• This trip is likely to have lasted at least three years.
• You can read about his third missionary journey in Acts chapter 19, 20 and 21.
• This trip lasted about five years.
Note: In Acts chapter 17 we are breaking in to Paul’s second missionary journey:
• Where we are told in verse 1:
• “When they had passed through Ampipolis and Apolonia, they came to Thessalonica.”
• This was a long stretch of the journey – that involved over 100 miles of walking;
• Yet Dr Luke dismisses it way in a single sentence, just a few words.
• Notice: That they passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia without preaching;
• Or at least we are not told they did any preaching,
• Which suggests that they did not.
• Question: Didn’t these folks in Amphipolis and Apollonia need to hear the message?
• Answer: simple answers is yes.
The longer answer is twofold:
• FIRST: It was Paul's strategy to minister in the larger cities;
• He was focussed and he prioritised.
• He then expected the new converts in that city;
• To reach out with the gospel to the other towns & villages around them.
• And if you read his letter to the Thessalonians – that is what happened.
• ill: 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 8:
“The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia - your faith in God has become known everywhere”.
• So his strategy worked!
• And his ministry became even more successful.
• And these folks in Amphipolis & Apollonia;
• Also had the opportunity to learn about Christ.
• SECOND: Whenever Paul went on this journey;
• His strategy was to start preaching in the synagogue;
• Verse 1b illustrates that: “Where there was a Jewish synagogue”
• Paul always started preaching in the synagogue;
• And it is believed that there was no synagogue in the two places he passed by.
(1). Thessalonica: City and Government
(a). It was a key city.
• Thessalonica is today called Salonika;
• And it has become the second largest city in Greece.
• In Paul’s day it was the capital of Macedonia,
• And it was also a centre for business, rivalled only by Corinth.
Ill:
• The main street of Thessalonica was part of the Egnatian Way;
• This road connected the eastern and western portions of the Roman Empire,
• So living in Thessalonica was like living next to a motorway:
• It was also a busy seaport;
• Making it one of the major trade routes in the region,
• So it was an ideal place for evangelism.
Ill:
• One of my mentors is an evangelist called Bob Telford.
• I remember Bob often saying; “We need to do something in Stratford on Avon.”
• Because of Shakespeare it is one of the great tourist spots in the world.
• And therefore you will meet people from everywhere in the world.
• So if you evangelise Stratford on Avon;
• You can evangelise people of all race, colours, beliefs etc.
• TRANSITION: The same was true for Thessalonica.
• And the gospel could easily and quickly travel down those roads.
• Or out of that harbour and then literally all over the world.
(b). It was an unusual city.
• Even though it was controlled by Rome.
• In every way the city was predominantly Greek,
• Thessalonica also had special privileges no other city in the region had.
• i.e. Thessalonica was a "free city,"
• Which meant that it had an elected citizens' assembly,
• i.e. It could also mint its own coins,
• i.e. It also had no Roman garrison within its walls.
• It was in this free-spirited, influential backdrop;
• That the apostle Paul's latest adventure would take place.
(2). The Apostle Paul: Method and Message (vs 2-3)
“As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said. 4Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.”
Ill:
• British sculptor Sir Jacob Epstein had a visitor to his studio;
• It was the Irish playwright and author George Bernard Shaw.
• George Bernard Shaw noticed a huge block of stone standing in one corner;
• And asked Epstein what it was for.
• Epstein replied: “I don’t know yet. I’m still making plans.”
• Shaw was astounded.
• “You mean you plan your work. Why, I change my mind several times a day!”
• “That’s all very well with a four-ounce manuscript,” replied the sculptor,
• “But not with a four-ton block.”
• TRANSITION:
• If we want to be effective in our ministries and achieve something lasting.
• It is good to prioritise and to plan.
• All evangelism is good, but planned evangelism can be so much better.
• It is good to have a strategy.
• Quote: the old saying “If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail”.
• As we have seen in verse 1: The apostle Paul had a plan, a strategy:
• When he arrived in a city he always went to the synagogue.
• Because he knew he would have a hearing there – he always started on common ground!
• He found godly Jews and God-fearing gentiles;
• These people already had an interest in religious things.
• They were also familiar with the Word of God (O.T. scriptures).
Application:
• Good principle here.
• Before we go and try to reach strangers, let’s start with the people we know.
• With those who are likely to give us a hearing.
Ill:
• Many years ago there was a Christian film called: ‘The Gospel Blimp’.
• A blimp is a non-rigid airship.
• In it the Church tried to evangelise by using it;
• i.e. Put Bible verses on the side of it,
• i.e. You can drop leaflets from it.
• They came up with all sorts of imaginative ways to use the blimp.
• But none of them got the results the Church wanted.
• The punchline of the film;
• The lessons learnt from the blimp was simple;
• The best ways to win people to Christ is to make friends and talk to people.
Ill:
• And one of the biggest problems we have in my local Church;
• Is that many of the Christians do not have any non-Christian friends.
• They only meet with other believers.
• We need to keep breaking out of our little social circles;
• To make friends with non-Christians.
• So unless you are the sort of person who can talk to a stranger in a coffee shop,
• Or maybe you have good links with your neighbours,
• i.e. Then join a bowling/art club/ squash or tennis club etc.
• i.e. Or sign up for a few 6 or 8 week computer/cooking/Zumba or ??? courses.
Notice:
• The strategy of the apostle Paul as he went into the synagogue;
• Four key words are used in verses 2-3;
• These four words describe Paul's approach in sharing the gospel.
FIRST: HE ‘REASONED’ WITH THEM.
• “He reasoned with them from the Scriptures,”
• That means he dialogued with them through questions and answers.
• He opened up his Bible (O.T. anyway);
• And had some logical and rational debate.
ILL:
• A lot of what I do is monologue, it is one-way.
• I am a preacher and I believe preaching is Biblical and important.
• But as well as talking to people,
• I also appreciate the opportunities that come along to dialogue with people.
Ill:
• If you want an example of this type of evangelism,
• Pop along to Hyde Park, London any Sunday afternoon.
• There you will find Beth Grove & Pfander Centre for Apologetics
• (https://www.pfander.uk/)
• Debating with Muslims by reasoning from the scriptures.
• At times it gets very heated but it can also be very effective,
• If you go be prepared,
• Because I can almost guarantee you will be targeted by a small group,
• And you will have to defend your faith or flee.
SECOND: HE ‘EXPLAINED’ OR OPENED THESE PASSAGES,
Ill:
• The Greatest Showman (2017) was last year’s hit movie starring Hugh Jackman,
• Celebrating the life of Phineas T. Barnum.
• The circus magnate and visionary who rose from nothing;
• To create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.
• It is said that at one-time Phineas T. Barnum,
• Hung a large sign over one of the exits of his museum,
• The sign simply read, "This way to the egress."
• Many people in the crowds, eager to see what an egress looked like,
• Passed through the door and found themselves outside back on the street.
• TRANSITION: Sometimes we need things explained,
• Otherwise we can end up in trouble.
Obviously the message of Jesus Christ needs to be explained:
• The Greek word translated as "explaining";
• Means "to lay down alongside, to prove by presenting the evidence."
• The apostle set before them one Old Testament proof after another;
• Showing them again and again, that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah God.
• He wasn’t giving his opinion or insight;
• But showing again and again from the Bible proofs as to who Jesus was and is!
Quote:
• G. Campbell Morgan.
• Who was a preacher, author and a leading Bible scholar.
• One time pastor of Westminster Chapel in London (1904 to 1919),
• Used to say, “The Christians argument is not It is written.”
• “But it is written and again it is written and again it is written”
• The apostle Paul set before them one Old Testament scripture after another;
• Showing them again and again, that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah God.
THIRD: HE GAVE EVIDENCE.
• The nuance of this word communicates the idea;
• That he placed his own illustrations alongside Scripture to strengthen his argument.
Quote:
‘Windows that let in the light.’
Quote: Mark chapter 4 verse 34:
• NIV: “He did not say anything to them without using a parable”.
• GWT: “He did not speak to them without using an illustration”
FOURTH: HE ‘ANOUNCED’ OR PROCLAIMED.
“…that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead.”
• Paul was careful to announce ("preach") the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ,
• Which is the heart of the message of the gospel.
• The kernel inside the wheat.
His message was twofold:
• FIRST: Christ died:
• We as preaches need to explain why!
Ill:
• Who would have thought that American Minister the Reverend Michael Curry,
• Would have stolen the show at the Royal Wedding,
• He did it simply by preaching!
• His 14-minute sermon became the most-tweeted about moment;
• Of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding.
• Many people enjoyed his preaching style,
• And I am glad it was a major talking point.
• But as always with these occasions it is always the content that lets us down.
• Reverend Michael Curry gave a liberal theological explanation for the death of Christ;
• Saying Christ died; “as an example of love.”
• But Jesus himself said he death was not an example but a payment;
• He would die as “a ransom for sin.”
• (Mark chapter 10 verses 41-45).
• The apostle John would put it this way:
• (1 John chapter 4 verse 10):
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
• Jesus went to the cross and sacrificed himself for one main reason;
• To pay the penalty of sin!
Quote: There is a green hill far away.
“There was no other good enough
to pay the price of sin;
he only could unlock the gate
of heaven, and let us in.”
Quote: In Christ alone my hope is found.
“In Christ alone! - who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe.
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied -
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.”
• SECOND: Christ rose again:
• ill: Dead people cannot help anyone.
Ill:
• David Seamands tells of a Muslim in Africa who became a Christian.
• When his friends asked him why he made that decision, he told them,
• “Suppose you were going down a road, and suddenly the road forked in two directions,
• And you didn’t know which way to go.
• Then you saw two men at the fork, one dead and one alive.
• Which one would you follow? I decided to follow the man who is alive.”
Quote: Dr. John R. W. Stott:
"Christianity is in its very essence a resurrection religion,"
"The concept of resurrection lies at its heart. If you remove it, Christianity is destroyed."
Question: Can you give a logical explanation of the resurrection?
Answer:
• To respond by saying, “He lives within my heart”
• To a non-Christian simply sounds like you have heart-burn or indigestion!
Ill:
• A simple way to help you is to remember the 5 ‘E’s of the resurrection.
• I will give you the skeleton and you will have to put on your own flesh.
• Execution - Jesus actually died.
• Empty tomb - the missing body
• Eye witnesses
• Early records - the gospels / creeds / other historians
• Emergence of the Church
(3). The People: Response and Opposition:
(A). THE RESPONSE:
• As the result of three weeks' ministry,
• Paul saw a mixed response to his message.
• According to verse 4,
• Three groups are attracted to the gospel:
• "A large number" of Gentiles (non-Jews)
• "A number of the prominent women" responded,
• "Some" of the Jews are persuaded to follow Christ.
Ill:
• A Sunday school teacher asked one of her class to recite the books. of the N.T.
• She said, “it begins with Matthew and it ends with revolution”!
• Actually she wasn’t far off,
• Because Jesus Christ has the power to revolutionise your life.
• The message of Jesus can revolutionise a community, a city, a country.
• Look what Paul & Silas’s critics said in verse 6:
• NIV: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here”
• KJB: These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;
• We don’t know if they said these words mockingly;
• After all there was no city wide revival in Thessalonica.
• Maybe they said them prophetically;
• Because 2,000 years after they were spoken;
• Christianity is now the world's biggest religion, with about 2.4 billion followers worldwide
(B). THE OPPOSITION (VS 5-10):
“But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.”
• This was a tough situation for Paul, Silas and the Christians in Thessalonica.;
• Because preaching the gospel often provokes an angry reaction.
• Quote: “Preaching treason in the devils kingdom!”
Ill:
• John Wesley the founder of the Methodist movement;
• Used to ask his young men whom he had sent out to preach on probation two questions:
• “Has anyone been converted?” and “Did anyone get mad?”
• If the answer was “No,”
• He told them he did not think the Lord had called them to preach the Gospel,
• And sent them about their business.
• He believed that when we preach and the Holy Spirit was at work (convicting of sin);
• People are either converted or they don’t like what they hear and they get mad.
Ill:
A page from John Wesley’s Diary reads as follows:
• Sunday morning, May 5, preached in St. Ann’s,
• Was asked not to come back anymore.
• Sunday p.m., May 5, preached at St. John’s, deacons said, "Get out and stay out."
• Sunday a.m., May 12, preached at St. Jude’s, can’t go back there either.
• Sunday p.m., May 12, preached at St. George’s, kicked out again.
• Sunday a.m., May 19, preached at St. somebody else’s,
• Deacons called special meeting and said I couldn’t return.
• Sunday p.m., May 19, preached on the street,
• Kicked off the street.
• Sunday a.m., May 26, preached in meadow,
• Chased out of meadow as a bull was turned loose during the services.
• Sunday a.m., June 2, preached out at the edge of town,
• Kicked off the highway.
• Sunday p.m., June 2, afternoon service, preached in a pasture,
• 10,000 people came to hear me.
The message of Jesus Christ often divides:
• There are those who believe;
• And there are those who oppose.
• That was the case in Thessalonica;
• Verse 5b tells us that those who opposed the message caused a riot.
Quote: Tony Campolo:
• “After the apostles preached they caused a riot,
• After I preach people are given a cup of tea!”
• Listen:
• I am not asking you to riot this morning if you don’t like the message;
• But please don’t be lethargic and languid with what you hear.
Verses 6-8:
“But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus." 8When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil”
• Easily manipulated by public opinion,
• The city authorities accept the false accusations.
• Employing the same tactic the Pharisees used against Jesus (see Luke 23:1-2),
• The Jewish leaders accused the missionaries of high treason.
• They even said these believers in Jesus had "upset the world";
• An exaggeration that actually rings with an element of truth.
• Christianity was upsetting the world,
• Not by turning people upside down,
• But by turning them right side up!
Verses 8-9:
• With no day in court, the missionaries are pronounced guilty.
• Apparently, Jason's only way to protect their lives;
• As well as the future of the Thessalonian church;
• Is to sign an agreement guaranteeing that the missionaries would leave and never return.
• This satisfies the crowd,
• So that when they had received a pledge from Jason and the others, they released them.
Verse 10:
“As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea”
In conclusion:
• I started my sermon with the words of American Larry Walters,
• Who said in a different context the words: “You can’t just sit there.”
• Paul, Silas & the believers in Thessalonica put their lives at risk to share this message;
Ill:
• Mercedes Benz were the company who first produced;
• A car body design that absorbed the force of a collision on impact.
• One Mercedes Benz TV commercial;
• Shows their car colliding with a cement wall during a safety test.
• Since then of course many other car companies have followed its design.
• When a company spokesman was being interview, ;
• He was asked:
• ‘Why they do not enforce their patent on the Mercedes Benz energy-absorbing car body?’
• He replied mater-of-factly,
• "Because some things in life are too important not to share."
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=00nXQuzQQBypnSrupOMzitfpsGz6kF6b
