Acts 17:10-15 "Be a Berean"

Acts of the Apostles  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Good Morning and Happy New Year Calvary Chapel Lake City in this Two-Thousand and Twenty-Third year of our Lord.
Thank you Pete for your message from Ecclesiastes last week and Ty for your Christmas message. And, thank you to everyone who helped make it possible for Amanda, I and the kids to spend time with my family in Maryland, and our church family in Maryland.
My Pastor poured into us and gave us some encouragements that seem to be some fresh vision from the Lord for 2023. I’m excited to see what God does with Calvary Chapel Lake City in this New Year.
It’s good to be back and as we continue in our verse-by-verse study through the New Testament in the Book of Acts.
With that, please turn in your Bibles to Acts 17. Acts 17:10-15 today. As a recap…
Last time… we observed Paul, Silas, and Timothy in Acts 17:1-9 “Turning the World Upside Down” in Thessalonica.
They had travelled from Philippi to Thessalonica… all in Macedonia… modern day Greece.
In fact… let’s pull up our map to get grounded in our geography…
Find the Red Asterisk… and you will find Thessalonica…
In this city… for three Sabbaths, Paul reasoned with the Jews and Gentile God-fearers…
Some of the Jews believed, but many of the devout Greeks and leading women of Thessalonica believed.
But, the Jews who did not believe became envious and formed a mob of street hooligans who attacked the house of Jason… the host home… of our missionaries.
They brought Jason and some other Christians… before the authorities of the city… stating, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.”
Which was an inadvertent compliment because the world has been upside down since the fall of man… so technically… they were turning the world right-side-up!
And, let that be said of us as well… in our homes… in our workplace… in our community… wherever we go… wherever we breath…
Turn the world upside down for Jesus!
Jason and the other Christians stood accused of being affiliated with Paul who proclaimed another besides Caesar… they proclaimed Jesus as King.
So, each of them were forced to pay a sum of money… a bail-bond of sorts… which would be forfeit should they again harbor or be found with Paul and his company.... and then Jason and the other Christians were let go.
And, that’s where we pick up… in Thessalonica… just prior to Paul, Silas, and Timothy travel about 46 miles southwest to the city of Berea.
And, most of you are familiar with the short account in Berea because of the stellar… the noble character of the Bereans.
I find it very appropriate that we come to this passage so early in January 2023.
I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions, but perhaps this passage may just be for us today… on this 8th day of January 2023.
This passage is a good reminder… and almost certainly one that should inspire you on how to model your walk with Christ during this New Year.
So, let’s learn from the word now… and after the teaching we will close taking communion in honor of our Lord.
The title of today’s message… not surprising is… “Be A Berean.”
Let’s Pray!
Acts 17:10-15 “Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. 12 Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds. 14 Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there. 15 So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed.”
In V10, our missionaries are still in Thessalonica… and the brethren… no doubt intimidated by the arrest of Jason and the others… immediately send Paul and Silas away… under the cover of night… to Berea.
Timothy is not mentioned… perhaps he stayed behind and caught up with them later. Timothy is mentioned by name again in V14, but not here in V10.
What strikes me about V10… is the Brethren in Thessalonica felt it necessary to send Paul and Silas away.
Which, in V14, in the same course the Bereans feel they need to take.
So, most likely these cities are protecting Paul and Silas from physical harm.
I imagine this was terribly difficult… especially for the Thessalonians because Paul spent some time in that city.
V2 stated Paul “for three Sabbaths reasoned with them...”
When we looked at VSS 1-9, we discussed how our missionaries were in Thessalonica a minimum of 3 Sabbaths or 3 weeks… but probably much longer… 6 weeks… maybe even 3 months.
We come to that conclusion because in Paul’s other writings he spoke about several gifts sent by those in Phillipi which would take some time.
He spoke about taking up a tentmaking job in Thessalonica… which seems to indicate they were there longer than just 3 weeks.
And, when you read through 1 & 2 Thessalonians… these letters are rich in doctrine… doctrines likely taught over the course of time… weeks to months… and reinforced in the letter to the Thessalonians.
But NOW… in V10… they are forced to say goodbye. Their mentors and friends have become a political target… and the Christians in Thessalonica are also now targets.
Jason and other brethren were pulled out of their houses… brought before the authorities… and had to pay a financial security.
So, the Christians are shook… they determine it best to immediately send Paul and Silas away by night…
What a difficult situation to navigate!
Like I said, I think this was probably to protect Paul and Silas… but scripture does not reveal their motive.
What if they actually caved… to the pressures of the government as they persecuted the Christians?
We do NOT read that they prayed… and the Holy Spirit said, ‘Send Paul and Silas to Berea.’
We only read of their immediate response to send them away.
In 2023, may I encourage you to pray before you act so you are led by the Holy Spirit.
Now… I don’t want to be too negative against the Thessalonians… I was not there…
And, I suspect… if the situation were re-created today in our lives… many of us would respond the same.
If we were dragged out of our houses… charged… and had to pay a financial pledge to NOT affiliate with a Christian friend and mentor…
If our world ever got that crazy… where our very lives were threatened… where we were imprisoned for our faith (like Paul)… where a friend of ours was murdered by stoning (like Stephen)…
Would we respond much differently?
Now, I believe some of you are ornery enough… that you wouldn’t fold.
You would say… take my home… take my money… take my freedom… take my very life… but I will not send my Christian mentor and friend away.
You would not be anxious… instead… ‘…the peace of God, … would guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus.’
But, for whatever reason… these Thessalonians… they sent their friends away… as do the Bereans in V14.
Maybe one day we’ll need to navigate difficult waters like this as well.
Prayerfully, we will not see that day.
Experiences like this, no doubt would shape Paul exhortation to Timothy to pray for all people especially civil leaders…
1 Tim 2:1-2 “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”
In 2023, lift up your voices to heaven for our leaders… so we may revere God in peace.
Continuing in V10… upon arrival in Berea… as was the custom of Paul… they went into the synagogue of the Jews.
Paul was something else. Time and again, he goes into the synagogue of the Jews to reason with them… to expound on OT scriptures and prove that Jesus is their Messiah…
And, the Jews who don’t believe persecute and expel him and his party… one Macedonian city after another… and yet he continues to go back to the synagogues.
Paul was not a wimp. He put his life on the line for the sake of the gospel.
Just because your a Christian… it doesn’t mean you have to be a cream puff. Paul was hardly Mr. Rogers.
Paul’s love for the Jews and desire for them to be saved superceded the safety of his very life.
He was a man of courage. He marched back into a town that stoned him and left him for dead.
The message of the Gospel was that precious to him.
Easily, Paul could have questioned, ‘were we mistaken going to Macedonia? Should we abort the mission?’
In each city, they did establish a community of Christ followers, but the missionaries were forced to leave them prematurely because of harsh opposition.
We know they don’t quit… and in V0… once again… they go into a synagogue. But, on this occasion… the result is different.
Look at V11… this is the central verse of our teaching today… a verse you should commit to memory… and a good model of things we should emulate in 2023…
Of the Bereans V11 says… “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”
I love that verse. The Berean Jews were known for their noble character… it’s not that the Jews that were saved in Thessalonica were not noble, but the Bereans excelled.
V11 says the Bereans “were more fair-minded.” I like the translations that use the word “noble” instead.
“Fair-minded” in Gk. is ĕugĕnēs, yoog-en´-ace; lit. “well born” meaning “noble.”
Not nobility as in rank… like a king or queen, but noble in character. Noble-minded.
And, what was it about how they thought… how they approached things… that they would be elevated above Christians of another city?
First, “they received the word with all readiness...”
Readiness… meaning they had a ready and willing mind. Another definition is “eagerness of mind.”
We know what Paul did when he went to synagogues.
Right after Saul was saved… right after his Damascus road experience… Acts 9:20 states, “Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.”
Acts 13:5 states, “...they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews.”
Go back to Acts 13 and you can read the most extensive Gospel sharing message by Paul… starting in VSS 16-41.
Repeatedly at the end of Chapter 13, it’s evident the word of God was shared by Paul…
Act 13:52 states, “… the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”
In Acts 14:3… it says they spoke “boldly in the Lord...” and the Lord granted “signs and wonders to be done by their hands.”
Acts 17:2-3 states Paul “… reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 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.””
We know what Paul was saying… and that he was filled with the Holy Spirit… and that miracles accompanied his teachings.
And, now… in Berea… Paul again… filled with the Holy Spirit… in boldness… reasons that Jesus is their Messiahhe proves from scripture that Jesus fulfilled prophecy… Paul shares the good-news… the gospel that the Savior has come and all who believe in Him will be saved.
This is what Paul does in the synagogue at Berea.
And, how do the Bereans respond?
They were noble-minded because they “received the word with all readiness.”
They wanted to hear the scriptures. They were eager to hear the word of God.
The word of God was not a burden… it was a delight.
If you go to a Bible teaching church and they are teaching the Bible… and you don’t like itthe problem is not the church… the PROBLEM IS YOU.
YOU’RE NOT AS NOBLE MINDED AS THE BEREANS.
Perhaps your like a Thessalonian… a saved believer, but your not passionately pressing into His word and doctrine.
That doesn’t mean you’re hopeless… I know for the first 14 years of my Christian walk… I wasn’t as noble minded as the Bereans.
And, then something changed. God baptized me with His Holy Spirit.
Like Acts 13:52 states, “… the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”
Preaching the word of God was a joy to Paul and the disciples.
It’s a joy to me. But, not until I was Baptized with the Holy Spirit.
And so, in 2023 if you’re not eager to hear the word of God…
If coming to church or sitting alone with the word is not a joy to you… if you’re not of a ready and willing mind for Bible Study…
You need to change.
Not by self-help books or social media videos… Not by an exercise program… Not by positive thinking and doing good in the world…
Change has to come from without… not from within…
You need to be empowered by the Holy Spirit.
When Zerubbabel was building the Temple, Zechariah prophesied he would not complete the work by his strength.
Zech 4:6 “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.”
That’s how the temple was built then… and today it’s still with the Holy Spirit that the temple is built.
Only today, the Temple is not stone and bricks…
2 Cor 6:16 states, “For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.”
It’s the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit that makes you the temple of the living God… for God dwells in all believers.
And, it the Baptism with the Holy Spirit… that will empower you to live like a Berean… to live like Paul…
Eager to receive the word of God… filled with joy… sharing the Gospel with others…
And, if you don’t have these things… it all begins with asking.
You have to ask Jesus to be part of your life… you have to confess Him as Lord and Savior…
And, you have to ask for the Baptism with the Holy Spirit.
In Matt 7:7 Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
1 John 5:14 declares, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
In Matt 21:22 Jesus said, “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
Ask… Ask according to His will… and Ask in faith.
I can promise you that God will be delighted to have more Spirit-filled believers in 2023… empowered… joy-filled… being Bereans who are noble-minded because they want the word.
So ask.
There is one more thing said about the Bereans in V11 that made them noble minded… they “… searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”
In context, Paul went into their synagogue… and proved how Jesus was their Messiah… and he cited OT scripture in alignment with the life and ministry of Jesus.
In turn, the Bereans heard him, but then searched the scriptures… they fact checked Paul to verify the accuracy of his claims.
The word searched properly means “to scrutinize by implication to investigate.”
One def. further clarifies the usage of this word is specifically in a forensic sense of a judge to hold an investigation.”
The Bereans were more noble-minded because they didn’t take the words of NONE OTHER THAN PAUL THE APOSTLE at face value… they made sure his words aligned with scripture.
In 2023, this should be a model for you…
You should be searching the scriptures daily. You should verify the words of your teacher against scripture. Be your teacher be me or whomever else you listen to.
Do not accept without verification the teaching of any teacher.
‘Trust, but verify’ as the saying goes.
I don’t care how many letters the teacher has behind their name… how big their following is… or if they make you feel good inside.
You should have standards for why you listen to certain teachers…
Like… is the Bible the basis for their teaching? Are they ‘rightly dividing the word of truth?’ (2 Tim 2:15) Are they teaching the ‘whole counsel of God?’ (Acts 20:27) Or… do they skip the hard teachings? Are they adding to or taking away from the word… which are both forbidden according to Deut 12:32 and Rev 22:18-19.
In these days, there are many churches they have strayed from teaching your ears… their model is to tickle your ears.
Paul warned how a day will come when people only want their ears tickled… they will lose the taste for learning Biblical doctrines.
2 Tim 4:3-4 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears [some versions say “wanting the have their ears tickled”], they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”
These are the days in which we live. When mega churches springboard off one scripture into a public service announcement… or use verses out of context to prove a point… or focus only on the New Testament, and share only verses that speak about peace and prosperity… omitting the cross, sin, hell, and death because it doesn’t draw the crowd.
When people are living in and love darkness… they run from the light so their deeds are not exposed according to John 3:20.
But, that doesn’t mean the church should stop preaching the truth. It doesn’t mean the church should compromise and stop calling sin sin.
We need to speak truth, but we need to do it in love.
The first time Jesus met the Samaritan woman by the well… he not only spoke to her about living water in love… He also spoke to her about her five ex-husbands and her current relationship out of wedlock. He spoke truth and he spoke love… and she accepted Him for it.
The Bereans were more noble-minded because they had a standard. They didn’t want their ears tickled about a possible Jewish Messiah… THEY WANTED THE TRUTH.
And, in V12 begins with, “Therefore many of them believed.”
Therefore… ‘what’s it there for?’
Therefore looks back… many of them believed because of what Paul did by entering the synagogue in V10 to preach the Gospel, and reason with them from scripture.
And, many of them believed because of V11… because their hearts were good soil… "they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily.”
“Therefore many of them believed.”
Many of them believed which stand in contrast to the Thessalonian Jews in V4 that states, “And some of them were persuaded...”
Only ‘some’… Not ‘many.’
Many of the Berean Jews believed, and the second half of V12 says, “...also not a few [many] of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.”
Like Cornelius, these Greeks are assumed to be “God-fearers”... since they were present at this synagogue scene.
They are Gentiles who ascribed to the God of Israel (Yahweh)… but they have not gone through all the ceremonial rites, like circumcision, to become full-converts to Judaism.
These Gentile god-fearers, in V12… were described as “prominent women as well as men.” Many of them were prominent civil leaders… or the wives of the city leaders.
This move of the Spirit amongst prominent Gentiles also happened in Thessalonica… in V4 where we read “...a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.”
1 Cor 1:26 states, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble [again ‘well-born’], are called.”
Not many prominent civil leaders, even royalty, are called to be saved believers, but “not many” does not mean NONE.
In V4 and again in V12… in Thessalonica and in Berea… the leaders in these cities were stirred to follow Christ and and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.
If you are listening to this message, and you are called into a position of prominence knowing that not many wise, mighty or noble are called.
Understand, you have been called for a reason… and you carry a great responsibility to be a light bearer with your entrusted position.
In my position, as Pastor of this church… I remind myself… You are an Ambassador for Jesus Christ… ACT LIKE ONE.
No matter your role… remember, you are an Ambassador for Christ as well… and the world is watching and waiting for us to slip… so live above reproach.
You may not feel like nobility, but as you accepted the call of Christ, that’s what you became.
Remember earlier we read in 2 Cor 6 “For you are the temple of the living God.”?
The very next verse concludes that thought with 2 Cor 6:17 “Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate [set apart], says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” 18 “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.”
As a result of you being in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit, your life should be different.
Jesus evangelized tax collectors and sinners, but He didn’t become one…
A son or daughter of the LORD Almighty is a royal son or daughter… and this carries responsibility.
In 2023, what will your life look like?
Remember who you represent and be like a Noble Minded Berean… because you are a noble… a royal son or daughter.
In V13… not surprising… persecution comes. “But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds.”
In V4 we read that some of the Jews in Thessalonica believed… the rest of the Jews didn’t believe in Thessalonica… and V5 it states, “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...”
These Jews were envious that a great multitude of Gentiles accepted Christ… and so they gathered vile men to form a mob against the Christians in Thessalonica.
And, now… as word spread that Paul was in Berea preaching… they travelled from Thessalonica to Berea… about a 15 hour walk…
Evil is dedicated to destroying the work of God.
John 10:10 says, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.”
These Jews sought to steal the seed of the word of God that was planted in the heart of the Bereans.
1 Pet 5:8 state, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
Don’t let your guard down… the enemy looks for easy prey… just like a lion is an opportunistic hunter… feeding off the young… feeding off the weak link in the pack… looking for the injured.
And, as bad as attacks from without can be… we also need to be on guard from attacks within.
Paul encouraged the Galatians in Gal 5:16-17, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”
In Paul’s day… and this day still, we are subject to attacks from without and attacks from within.
Our very flesh wars against our spirit.
How can we possibly stand?
In this New Year, you will stand IF you are disciplined like Paul or the Bereans. If your life is submitted to and abides in Christ.
In Matt 6:11… Jesus prayed, “Give us this day our daily bread.”
Consume your daily bread as the Bereans did daily (prayer, scripture, abiding in Christ)…
Turn to Ephesians 6… Rom, 1 & 2 Cor, Gal, Eph.
In Ephesians 6… starting in V10, Paul exhorts the Ephesians to put on the whole armor of God.
And, if you follow this… whether attacked from without or within… you won’t be easy prey for the enemy… and you won’t give room for the flesh.
Eph 6:10-20 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—19 and for me, [Paul’s prayer request] that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”
A fantastic reminder for 2023 on how we will be victorious in Christ. Through truth… through right living… through the gospel… through faith… through salvation, His word, prayer and supplication.
2 Cor 10:3-5 confirms, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ...”
We’re in a war people. You could be preaching the gospel in Berea, and envious naysayers from Thessalonica may travel 15 hours just to stir up the crowds against you.
Or, whatever that looks like today. People will go to great lengths to stop a true work of God.
And, in V13… that’s what happened to Paul.
And, so we close today in VSS 14-15, “Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there.”
Likely in care for Paul and his safety, the Bereans send Paul away… to the sea… Let’s pull our map up again…
Where it seems Paul sailed to the city of Athens in the Region… the peninsula of Achaia.
But, Silas and Timothy remained in Berea for a season… and that must have been a blessed season of teachers spending time with students who were willing and eager to learn.
Light bulbs were turning on… epiphanies were prevalent.
Be sure to ask Silas and Timothy of that time when you get to heaven.
V15 “So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed.”
And, that’s where we will pick up next week. Paul has arrived in Athens, Greece… and Silas and Timothy rejoined him there.
Read ahead… next week we will finish Chapter 17… where Paul encounters the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers… and other Athenians at the Areopagus.
Let’s pray!
As 2023 has kicked off… we are that much closer to our Lord’s return… but until them… in obedience to His word… we celebrate Him through communion.
Communion Reading:
1 Cor 11:23-29 “...the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. 27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.”
Please distribute the elements...
Communion is a time for us to look three directions…
We look back remembering Jesus’ sacrifice… His broken body and shed blood for the remission of our sins.
His new covenant. Salvation by faith and in grace.
Look forward in hope of His imminent return… we proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. He is coming.
And, looking inward to examine yourself…and take communion in a worthy manner.
Time to do business with God.
Once you have prayed… take the communion elements individually.
Our worship team will play one worship song, and then close us in prayer.
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If you have never accepted Jesus as Lord...
...either let the cup pass and do not partake in communion -or- the better option...
...accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior today.
Pray to God and tell Him you believe in Jesus and accept Him as your Lord and Savior, and ask for forgiveness.
...then take communion. And, be sure to let us know. Salvation is something to celebrate!
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