Birthday Gifts: A Reasonable Faith
Notes
Transcript
Warren Brosi
September 15, 2024
Dominant Thought: The good news of Jesus makes sense to give us purpose in this life and the one one to come.
Objectives:
I want my listeners to recognize the different experiences with Jesus: ignorance, antagonistic, apathetic, and acceptance.
I want my listeners to learn the reasons to trust in King Jesus rising from the dead.
I want my listeners to feel encouraged by the reasonable faith of Christianity.
Today, we will look at Acts 17-18, to see how the good news of Jesus makes sense in the midst of ignorance, antagonism, and apathy. First, we’ll see the examples or reasoning with people the good news of Jesus. Next, we’ll look at the different types of people as they engage the good news of Jesus.
First, we have good reasons to share the good news of Jesus. A common theme we will see in Acts 17 is the preachers reasoning, explaining, proving, and persuading their audience with the good news of Jesus. In three different cities, Luke recounts Paul and his companions reasoning in the synagogues (Acts 17.2, 17; 18.4).
In Thessalonica, Paul and his companions went to the synagogue on three Sabbath days and “reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead” (Acts 17.2-3). His message, “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah” (Acts 17.3).
Then, when Paul arrived in Athens, “he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there” (Acts 17.17). Paul reasoned both in the sacred space and the marketplace.
We continue reading that Paul arrived in Corinth. Luke records, “Every Sabbath he [Paul] reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks” (Acts 18.4). The word for reason sounds like our English word, “dialogue.” Ten of the thirteen times we read this word “reasoned” it is recorded in Acts and refers to the ministry of Paul.
We see in the life of Paul and example of reasoning with different types of people: Jews and Greeks. He reasons in different places. He dialogues in different cities and both in worship space and the marketplace.
Paul reasoned by explaining from the Scriptures the message of Jesus. To explain also means “to open.” It is a favorite word of Luke. He used it a couple of times to describe what the risen Jesus did with those two on the road to Emmaus. Luke 24:31–32, “And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?””
Then later in Luke 24.45, Jesus “opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem’” (Luke 24.45-47).
Paul reasoned. Paul explained. He also proved that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. To “prove” means to place in front or beside. It is used when people “set food before” people as in the feeding of the 5,000 in Luke 9.16 or as the Philippian jailer “set a meal” before Paul and Silas after they had that midnight jailbreak (Acts 16.34).
The word can also mean to entrust, commend, or commit:
Father into your hands, I commit my spirit (Luke 23.46), or elders to the Lord (Acts 14.23), or the teaching of Jesus entrusted to reliable people who will be able to teach others (2 Timothy 2.2).
In this context, Paul is place beside the teaching of Jesus evidence or reasons that this good news story is true.
What reasons did he use to prove Jesus is the king and that he suffered and rose from the dead?
Scripture was one of the reasons he gave for Jesus. This reason would have been effective in the synagogue, but not as effective the marketplace. Still, we have 39 books of the Hebrew Bible that point us to the story of Jesus.
Here’s one reason that points to Jesus from the prophets. It is Isaiah 63:1 “Who is this who comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah, he who is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.”” We have this picture of garments stained in blood. Someone speaking or reasoning in righteousness who is mighty to save. The word for speaking in this verse is the only time in the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible that our word for reason is used.
Scripture is a great reason, but may not be overly convincing to those who don’t value the Bible or live in the marketplace like those in Athens. So, Paul uses another reason. Paul finds a common ground that they already affirm and turns their attention to Jesus. He says, “I walked and saw you have a lot of idols. You even have an idol to an unknown God. He’s the one I want to tell you about” (paraphrasing Acts 17.23). Our friends, family members, and neighbors are affirming some values that support the Christian worldview whether they know it or not. Paul used the common ground with the ignorant to build a bridge to the gospel.
When the latest act of violence comes on the news and people are appalled by that, then you have an opportunity to affirm that yes there is evil in the world. How do we not there is evil unless there is something good, too.
Paul reasoned and explained that Jesus rose from the dead. We have 3 E’s to remind us of reasons to trust Jesus rose from the dead: Eyewitnesses, Early, and Empty.
Eyewitnesses. Paul and the apostles saw the risen Jesus. A common theme in these sermons in Acts is, “We are witnesses of these things.” We are telling you what we have seen with our own eyes.
Early. Paul and the apostles are telling accounts within the lifetime of those who could verify or contradict their accounts. The Jesus story was circulating within weeks and was written down within a generation of it happening which gives it credibility in the ancient world of history.
Empty. The tomb of Jesus is empty. All the critics had to do was produce the body.
Paul and his companions reasoned by explaining, proving and persuading that Jesus suffered and rose form the dead. How did people engage?
Second, four different types of people will engage the good news of Jesus in different ways.
As we look through these two chapters, we see four types of people: 1-The ignorant, 2-The antagonist, 3-The apathetic, and 4-The believer.
The Ignorant. In Athens, Paul was distressed by all the idols, but listen to how he communicates the message those whose had an altar to an UNKNOWN GOD. It is recorded in Acts 17.23-31. He explains to them that the unknown God that he is proclaiming to them is the God who made the world (Acts 17.24). He does not live in temples and does not need anything from mankind (Acts 17.24-25). God gives life and breath to mankind (Acts 17.25). From one man, God made the nations and set their times and the places where they will live (Acts 17.26). God want you to seek Him even though He is not far away from you. Then Paul quotes a couple of their poets, “For in him we live and move and have our being…We are his offspring” (Acts 17.28, Cretan philosopher Epimenides and Cilician philosopher Aratus).
He affirms humanity’s value in the image of God. “Since we are his offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver...” (Acts 17.29).
acts 17.30
The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
We live in an information saturated world, but we still can be guilty of ignorance. It is a true statement, “You don’t know what you don’t know.”
Some are ignorant and need to hear the story of Jesus and your story. Paul affirmed that God has proved his story by rising Jesus from the dead (Acts 17.31).
The Antagonist. A second group of people responded to the preaching of Paul and others with antagonism. They sneered and jeered. They lived in all three cities. In Thessalonica, the Jews were jealous, rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, and formed a mob (Acts 17.5). Their actions are recorded in Acts 17.6-9.
In Athens, some “sneered” when they hear about the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 17.32).
Then, in Corinth the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive (Acts 18.6). God spoke to Paul in a vision and said, “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city” (Acts 18.9-10).
Not everyone will respond the way we want. And yet, those who are antagonists to the gospel are created in His image and need of our message of love and truth.
The Apathetic. A third group is those who don’t respond either for or against. It is still a response. We see this group in Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia (Acts 18.12-17). The Jews made a united attack on Paul and beat the synagogue ruler “in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever” (Acts 18.17). I feel that this group may be the hardest to reach because they are turned in on themselves and have little passion or resolve for anything. And yet, they are created in God’s image and valuable and worth a telling of the good news of Jesus.
The Believer. This group is described in each of the cities as well. The refrain is shared in Acts 17.4, 12, 34; 18.8. In Thessalonica, “Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women” (Acts 17.4).
In Athens, “Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others” (Acts 17.34). A member of the philosophers, a woman and a number of others became followers of Jesus in Athens.
Then in Corinth, “Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized” (Acts 18.8). I wonder how the synagogue services changed when their leader became a Christian? Many believed and were baptized.
As we prepare to celebrate our bicentennial birthday, one of the gifts God has given His church is a reasonable faith. Our faith makes sense. We have some good reasons to believe in Jesus.
Which group describes you in this season? Ignorant, Antagonist, Apathetic, or a Believer? What do you need to do to investigate the claims of Jesus today?
The good news of Jesus makes sense to give us purpose in this life and the one one to come. It will help us when we encounter the ignorant, the antagonist, and the apathetic.