Sermon Tone Analysis

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."