Thessalonica & Berrea

Old Testament Proof That Jesus Is the Christ

Paul spent three Sabbaths proving that Jesus was the Christ from the Scripture. The Old Testament is what He had to convince them. So the question is, What Scripture did He use and How did it show Jesus as the Christ? All of the Old Testament points to Jesus, but there are some specific passages that overwhelmingly show that Jesus is the Christ.

Isaiah 53 (NASB95)

Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.

All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth. But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many,

As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.

Isaiah says that he will take our infirmities and carry away our diseases

Matthew 8:17 NASB95

This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases.”

Acts 8:30–35 (NASB95)

Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: “He was led as a sheep to slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He does not open His mouth. “In humiliation His judgment was taken away; Who will relate His generation? For His life is removed from the earth.” The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.

Isaiah Says that the Messiah was pierce through for our transgressions. John 19:34

John 19:34 NASB95

But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

Isaiah says that he was like a lamb silent before his shearers. Mark 14:61

Mark 14:61 NASB95

But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”

Matthew 27:11–14 (NASB95)

Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer. Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” And He did not answer him with regard to even a single charge, so the governor was quite amazed.

Isaiah says he was like a lamb led to slaughter. John 1:29

John 1:29 NASB95

The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Isaiah said His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death,

John 19:38–42 (NASB95)

After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. Therefore because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Just in this one chapter of Isaiah shows convincingly that Jesus is the Messiah.

psalm 22 (NASB95)

For the choir director; upon Aijeleth Hashshahar. A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning. O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer; And by night, but I have no rest. Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. In You our fathers trusted; They trusted and You delivered them. To You they cried out and were delivered; In You they trusted and were not disappointed. But I am a worm and not a man, A reproach of men and despised by the people. All who see me sneer at me; They separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying, “Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.” Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb; You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts. Upon You I was cast from birth; You have been my God from my mother’s womb. Be not far from me, for trouble is near; For there is none to help. Many bulls have surrounded me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me. They open wide their mouth at me, As a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And my tongue cleaves to my jaws; And You lay me in the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots. But You, O Lord, be not far off; O You my help, hasten to my assistance. Deliver my soul from the sword, My only life from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion’s mouth; From the horns of the wild oxen You answer me. I will tell of Your name to my brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. You who fear the Lord, praise Him; All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel. For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from him; But when he cried to Him for help, He heard. From You comes my praise in the great assembly; I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him. The afflicted will eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations will worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord’s And He rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship, All those who go down to the dust will bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep his soul alive. Posterity will serve Him; It will be told of the Lord to the coming generation. They will come and will declare His righteousness To a people who will be born, that He has performed it.

This is the description of the crucifixion. David predicted this about the Messiah even before crucifixion was a way of execution.

Difference Between Thessalonica and Berea

Thessalonica

The Jews at Thessalonica became jealous when they saw that the Gentiles and some of the leaders began receiving the gospel. They hired people from the marketplace to create a mob against Paul and Silas. When they didn’t find them they drug Jason before the city authorities and made him pay a fine.

The Jews at a Thessalonica also followed Paul to Berea to stir up the crowd there. These Jews were obstinate against the gospel and sought to put an end to it. They attacked the ones that were spreading the gospel.

We need to understand that we live in a world today that we should expect to be attacked for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.

We are no longer allowed to take the gospel into our schools. Many organizations prohibit proselytizing or talking about religion. We cannot bear the Christian flag on government buildings. A There are many other examples of how our country has and is trying to stop the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Berea

Acts 17:11 NASB95

Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.

The Jews at Bera were more noble and sought the truth. They researched what Paul and Silas were saying based on what the Bible says. This is what noble people do. They hear something preached and they verify or discredit it based on what the word of God says.

This is what we should do as well. When someone shares guidance or information with us, we should verify the credibility of it from the Bible.

People Are Saved When We Share the Gospel!

Acts 17:4 NASB95

And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women.

Acts 17:12 NASB95

Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men.

Paul knew the power of the gospel to save souls. He was not concerned with the persecution, but was focused on sharing the gospel.

Acts 21:11–14 NASB95

And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ” When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, “The will of the Lord be done!”

Paul knew that he would ultimately pay the price for his mission of sharing the gospel, but he also said he was willing to die for the gospel.

Romans 1:16 NASB95

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Paul knew the power of the gospel so he was willing to do whatever it took to share it with as many people as He could.

We should be reminded today that the gospel is just as powerful today as it was back when Paul shared it. We should not fear persecution but embrace it and see it as a privilege when we are persecuted for the gospel. We need to understand the power of the gospel and share it with everyone we know and encounter.