2023-02-12 Receivers and Rejecters

Receivers and Rejecters (Acts 17:10-15) February 12, 2023 Read Acts 17:10-15 - You say to me: "I've been invited to visit the Queen at Balmoral Castle in Scotland? What should I expect?" You'd soon realize, "This guy is no help at all. He's clearly never been there and knows nothing about it." But suppose I give you a Balmoral book from someone who had worked and lived there - knew every nook and cranny. That'd be helpful! Why is this relevant? Because every one of us will soon step into the unknown -- eternity. Every one. Soon. So what do you know about what comes next? Humanly speaking, there are no clear answers. As Lily Tomlin says, "What is reality anyway? Nothin' but a collective hunch." So, are you willing to step into eternity prepared by nothing more than a collective hunch? We don't have to. Why? The God who created reality from the tiniest electron to the largest galaxy, from the most obscure physical fact to the most profound spiritual reality - He's told us how to be ready. We don't have to rely on the collective hunch of people who've never been there. God's give us a Book! To see reality clearly, we must receive and commit to God's revelation. Paul's kicked out of Thessalonica, but thankfully, he left truth behind: I Thess 2:13 "And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men [a collective hunch] but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers." Wise people in Thess got beyond a collective hunch. The Bereans were even better: 11) "Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica." The Thessalonians were wise; the Bereans were wiser. Why? They belived the Word! They accepted it as God's; rabble-rousers who followed Paul rejected it. All of us will enter eternity one way or the other. I. Wise People Receive God's Revelation Gladly The Bereans were highly regarded receivers of God's Word - more noble even than those in Thessalonica. They absorbed the message, and their actions show 3 characteristics of noble receivers of the Word. A. They Receive Eagerly - "with all eagerness" - carries the idea of rushing forward. They loved the OT Scripture they had, and now they get critical new insight into it. They rushed forward to get it. Most Jews had made up their minds and would not hear of anything contrary to their pre-conceived notions. Don't confuse me with the facts! The Bereans eagerly pursued more! A college prof had a student walk in late for the 3rd time that week. As class ended, he asked the tardy student, "Who developed the theory behind Communism?" The boy replied, "I don't know." The prof said, "Perhaps if you came to class on time, you'd know, Mr. Reebs." The student replied, "That's not true. I never pay attention anyway." There's an honest man. No real interest. But is that how we come to the Word? No eagerness there? What prompts eagerness? Why do wise people hunger for the Word? Why do people read love letters over and over again? Bc they love the one who sent it, right? They read it until they know it by heart. Their eagerness knows no bounds. So, if you're not eager for the Word, check your heart. Do you love the Lord who sent it? The Bereans received the word eagerly because they loved God. They didn't study to know facts, but to know God. Wise people aren't seeking information; they're seeking God. B. They Receive Earnestly - They were 11c) "examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so." They checked it out. Paul was persuasive, but they wanted to make sure. Did the OT really predict Jesus' birth, parentage, miracles, betrayal, crucifixion and resurrection as Paul said? They got the scrolls and checked it out. They were eager for truth. Like that recipient of a letter from a loved one. They search for meaning in every phrase, right? What exactly did she mean by this, or why did he choose that word instead of this? How much can I read into this? We want to know. That's the diligence we must bring to God's Word. Like the Bereans, let's check up on the pastor, the SS teacher. Let's better handle on God's Word for ourselves. You don't have to be a theologian to or need this - nor a Greek and Hebrew scholar to get it! A couple of suggestions - Read the same small book or passage every day for a month. You'll find you're getting nuances of meaning you never saw before. Or read a devotional passage with a study Bible. It will open up all kinds of truth you didn't get before. Better yet, a one-volume commentary, and later a whole book commentary. Anyone can do these things. Anything worthwhile takes some effort. You didn't succeed in your job without work. Neither will we in the Word. Deut 4:29: "But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul." This is not beyond any of us. It's a question of wanting Him! I pray God will make us great examiners of His Message to us. Want to be blessed by God? Psa 1:1) "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2) but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night." That's not some spiritual giant. That's Everyman. And he delights in God's Word - meditates in it day and night. Is absorbed in it. He loves to have God tell him how to live. It you're in a religion, you won't understand this. If you're in a relationship, it makes perfect sense. C. They Receive Enduringly -- 12 Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men." Having studied the Word, the Bereans believed it. They committed to it - all kinds of people - Jews and Gentiles, women and men. The gospel is for everyone who commits to it, and everyone who commits to it will endure. The Word is an authority for time and eternity, a rock to depend on - forever. But it's not enough to know it; we must obey it. That's what the Bereans teach us. John says of Jesus: 1:11 "He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." To receive Him is to believe in His name. That's not just have a passing acquaintance or acknowledging a few facts - that's a lifetime commitment. That's saving faith - enduring faith. Suppose you said to me, "Dave, bad news. I have a terminal illness." After getting a few details I say, "Hey, good news. I have a doctor friend in Denver who's just come up with a proven cure for that condition." You say, "That's wonderful." I say, "Do you believe it?" You say, "Yes. Absolutely." I shake your hand and say, "Terrific, your faith has made you well." You'd think I needed to a doc, right? Saving faith means getting under the doc's care! And saving faith in Christ means 2 things - repentance and believing into (committing to) his Lordship. That was the Bereans. And it can be you, too! II. Unwise People Reject God's Revelation Tragically A. They Reject Truth - But not all believed. Recall the Jewish rejecters from Antioch and Iconium followed Paul to Lystra and stirred up a lynch mob there (Acts 14:19)? Now the same thing happens in Berea. It's déjà vu all over again! 13 "But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds." Why did they come? They hated the message. By this action they made themselves the enemies of truth, which is the always at the heart of unwise people. They are unwise because they reject the source of ultimate wisdom - the Word of God. It's a tragic place to be. No book in history has stirred up hostility like the Bible. And yet it thrives. Sure, there are a few hard parts. But the evidence for its reliability is overwhelming. Fulfilled prophecy. Archaeology prove it over and over. One example. Luke, says in Luke 3:1 "Lysanias [was] tetrarch of Abilene" around AD 27. For years scholars discounted Luke bc they knew Lysanias was ruler, not tetrarch, of Chalicis 50 years later. They discounted Luke on one issue. Then they archaeologists found an inscription that Tiberius named Lysanias tetrarch of Abila near Damascus - just like Luke said. Turned out there were 2 guys named Lysanias. Similar examples could be multiplied. To reject the Word is to reject the truth of God. The hostility of society must not deter us from standing firm, knowing God will vindicate Himself. B. They Reject Reason - People who reject God's truth take a step away from reason and logic. Even if the Jews in Thessalonica didn't believe in Jesus, why spend the time and money to stir up a mob in Berea? So what if a few Bereans became believers? Were they really afraid the folks in Berea were being taken in? Was that their motive? No. We know their motive. Acts 17:5: "But the Jews were jealous." Jealousy drove them, not concern for others. They couldn't show Paul to be wrong intellectually. But they didn't want it to be true; so they stirred up a mob to get rid of the Truth. They were not head-driven; they were heart-driven. If what Paul said was true, then this Jesus had a claim on them, and that they could not abide. In rejecting the Word, people also reject reason in the end. Two sociologists - Bruce Hunsberger and Bob Altemeyer, agnostics themselves, in Amazing Conversions, did extensive research on atheists. They found persistent illogic in their thinking: "Nearly all of them said scientifically validated evidence confirming the Gospel accounts of Jesus' life, death and resurrection would have no effect at all on their beliefs about his divinity. And most said nothing conceivable could lead them to believe in God." So much for objectivity and reason. People reject truth bc they don't want it to be true! C. They Reject Providence - That is, they miss the hand of God at work in every day events when it's right in front of their face. They'd gotten up a mob in Lystra, but Paul was miraculously healed after being stoned nearly to death. They'd gotten up a mob in Thessalonica, but Paul escaped their net. Now it's happened in Berea. Paul escapes to Athens. You'd think they might ask, "Who is helping this guy?" But that never crossed their mind. Unbelievers will never see God's providence at work. Someone has said, "An atheist can't find God for the same reason a thief can't find a policeman." Unbelievers will never find Truth unless God confronts them face-to-face. Even then, they will likely reject. Remember how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead? Recall the rest of the story? Jn 12:9 "When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus." Ultimate truth happened in their own backyard - 2 miles away. So, the reaction? Go investigate? See what God might be doing? No - the reaction? Get rid of the evidence. This is denial in its most blatant form - bc they didn't want it to be true! Conc - Human wisdom can give us a lot of knowledge, but it can never answer the deepest questions of life. Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here? Only God's Word can fill that gap. It thus deserves a place on the highest rung of the ladder for anyone seeking Truth. The bankruptcy of human wisdom is amply illustrated by two great writers, H. G. Wells and Geo Bernard Shaw, who rejected the Bible in favor of human reason. Early on, Wells wrote as we overcome the superstition of religion in favor of science, humanity would improve, ridding the world of poverty, war and racism. Then came WWI. His faith was shaken. In 1933 he wrote The Shape of Things to Come, acknowledging his disappointment at the lack of progress, but said the only hope was for rational intellectuals to seize control of governments and educate people on justice and equality. The came WWII at the end of which he wrote A Mind at the End of its Tether, where he said, "Homo Sapiens," which is what he liked to call himself bc it means "rational man, discerning man", "homo sapiens is spent." His work has been called "a scream of despair." Nothing that has happened since would change his mind. Meanwhile, Shaw, just prior to his death in 1950 wrote: "The science to which I pinned my faith is bankrupt.... Its counsels, which should have established the millennium, have led directly to the suicide of Europe. I believed them once ... In their name I helped to destroy the faith of millions.... And now they look at me and witness the great tragedy of an atheist who has lost his faith." It need not be that way. I hope no one here this morning will come to the end of life with that kind of despair and hopelessness. What will prevent that? The Word, read, studied, understood and applied. I beg you not to count on a "collective hunch" for your authority. Come to the "living and powerful" Word which "will never pass away." Let's pray. DONE 7