A Call to Nobility

Introduction

Good evening church family, I love having the honor of preaching the Word of God to you all. I want to thank all of you for allowing me the wonderful opportunity to serve you. Also, I am very thankful that Bro. Jimmie allows me to preach so frequently. I am very honored to be part of such a wonderful church family. I love you all so very much.

One of the most challenge statements I can remember reading was from Francis Chan in his book, Forgotten God. In the first chapter, he tells of a interaction he had with some Jahovah’s Witnessess. They came to his door and he took time to engage them. He kindly told them that he found their teaching about Jesus offensive. He then took them to to explain why Jesus is Michael or Michael Jesus. They then informed Francis Chan that they hadn’t heard that before and as a result Francis Chan challenged them to not believe simply because it was spoon-feed to them from someone else; instead, they needed to take the time to read the Bible for themselves and discern the truth.

It is here that Francis Chan states,

Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit Chapter 1: I’ve Got Jesus: Why Do I Need the Spirit?

I left that conversation feeling a bit proud of myself because I stumped them and got them to question their beliefs. Yet I couldn’t help but wonder whether I was fair to them. Had I ever sat down with the Bible and sought after its self-evident truth? Or had I passively ingested what I heard from other people, much like my front-door visitors?

Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit Chapter 1: I’ve Got Jesus: Why Do I Need the Spirit?

I left that conversation feeling a bit proud of myself because I stumped them and got them to question their beliefs. Yet I couldn’t help but wonder whether I was fair to them. Had I ever sat down with the Bible and sought after its self-evident truth? Or had I passively ingested what I heard from other people, much like my front-door visitors?

It was then that I began reading the Scriptures as though I had never read them before. I asked the Spirit to make them “living and active” to me, though I’d been reading them for years. I asked God to “penetrate” the wrong and ill-conceived notions I’d collected along the way (Heb. 4:12 NIV). It’s a great exercise for those of us who have been immersed in church culture for years.

What a moving powerful word from Francis Chan. Have we ever truly sat down and sought after its self-evident truth? A reminder that we cannot simply take the information we are given and regurgitate it; we must test it and see if it is truly what the Bible says.

Ultimately we need to answer the question, Am I searching for truth in scripture?

I need to ask this question of myself along with all of you as well. Are we actively seeking truth? Anyone who has spent much time around a child they have a wonderful question they like to ask, it is the question, why? In our lives we have a natural tendency to desire to understand why something is the way it is.

We should have the same desires when it comes to scripture and our beliefs and convictions. We cannot find ourselves in a situation where we are satisfied with just excepting statements from our favorite theologians, pastors, or leaders of the faith. We must test the things they say and research the matters on our own.

We see this possibly best in which is where we will be tonight. Leading up to this passage, Paul and Silas have been in jail and are freed while they are praying and singing hymns to the Lord (). They then hit the road and go to Thessalonica where they are faced with strong opposition from the Jews as they became jealous of what God was doing amongst the God-fearing Greeks. As a result, a riot breaks out. Leading us to,

Please stand as I read God’s Word from the Christian Standard Bible.

Acts 17:10–12 CSB

10 As soon as it was night, the brothers and sisters sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. Upon arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 The people here were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 12 Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men.

Pray...

Acts 17:10–15 CSB

10 As soon as it was night, the brothers and sisters sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. Upon arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 The people here were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 12 Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men. 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and upsetting the crowds. 14 Then the brothers and sisters immediately sent Paul away to go to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed on there. 15 Those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving instructions for Silas and Timothy to come to him as quickly as possible, they departed.

1. Paul and Silas were noble because of their obedience to teach the word.

Acts 17:10 CSB

10 As soon as it was night, the brothers and sisters sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. Upon arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.

Paul and Silas immediately began teaching the good news. We must not forget they have been jailed, ran off, and beaten for the Gospel already. Here they are yet again doing that which they received punishment for. But because they had been called to teach the word, they proclaimed the word!

We too, must be faithful to proclaim the word and be faithful. If we are going to be known as a noble christian we must be faithful to share our faith.

How many of you are familiar with the name Edward Kimball? Do not be ashamed if you do not know the name of the individual many do not unless you are very familiar with D.L. Moody.

What about D.L. Moody?

GOSPEL, PEOPLE COMMUNICATE

See Edward Kimball sold shoes.  But on Sunday he taught Sunday school.  He was one of those meek and mild-mannered men who has a heart for sharing the gospel.  One day Edward shared the gospel with a young salesman by the name of D. L. Moody, and the rest of that story is history.  Edward, the shoe salesman, led to Christ a young man who became one of history’s greatest evangelists.

“God has chosen people to communicate the gospel to other people.  This is why when it comes to evangelism and missions, there must be purposeful intention. 

Edward Kimball sold shoes.  But on Sunday he taught Sunday school.  He was one of those meek and mild-mannered men who has a heart for sharing the gospel.  One day Edward shared the gospel with a young salesman by the name of D. L. Moody, and the rest of that story is history.  Edward, the shoe salesman, led to Christ a young man who became one of history’s greatest evangelists.

            Under the preaching of D. L. Moody, a young preacher by the name of Frederick Meyer was in the congregation.  God moved on his heart to start a nationwide preaching ministry.  One evening while Meyer was preaching a young man by the name of Wilbur Chapman prayed to receive Christ as his Lord and Savior. 

            Eventually Chapman felt called to evangelism.  While he was out preaching he came to the conclusion he needed help.  He knew a young man by the name of Billy Sunday who was looking for a job.  Chapman hired Billy and asked him if he would preach for him from time to time.  You know how that story turned out.  Sunday became a great revivalist and evangelist. 

            Billy Sunday was preaching in Charlotte, North Carolina, and God was moving in an unusual way.  Many people were saved.  Many were convicted and convinced that they needed to have another gospel meeting, so they called on a preacher by the name of Mordecai ham.  One night in that meeting a young man named Billy Graham came to faith in Jesus Christ.

            All of that began not with a preacher, not with an evangelist, but with a shoe salesman who taught Sunday School—with a man who had a passion for sharing Christ.  There must be a purposeful intention to our evangelism.”

[Bryant & Brunson, The New Guidebook for Pastors, 123-24 taken from Greg Laurie, Upside Down Church, 65-66]

See Edward Kimball was simply faithful to share the gospel. He knew his purpose. It wasn’t to a full-time ministry position; it was to serve God faithful where he was. He was willing to share the truth in all situations and because of his faithfulness, his impact on people’s lives was exponentially larger than one could ever had imagined.

Not only do we see that Paul and Silas were noble because of their obedience, we see that

2. The Bereans were nobel in their pursuit of God.

A. The Bereans were noble because of their eagerness to receive the Word.

Acts 17:11a CSB

11 The people here were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

The Bereans were hungry to hear the good news of the Gospel. They heard the message and responded to it. If we think back to when we first received Christ, I believe we would all agree we had a hunger for hearing more about the Lord.

Yet, as we distance ourselves from the life changing experience of salvation, we become hardened to the preached Word. We have heard it before or we think about the pot roast in the stove, or what happened the night before. Our mind strays as the Word is proclaimed leaving us with simply ignoring the truth of scripture.

This can happen all to easily in our daily lives as well. In fact, it even happens to presidents.

The story is told of Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who passed down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” The guests responded with phrases like, “Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, sir.” It was not until the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. Startled by the comment, the ambassador leaned over and whispered, “I'm sure she had it coming.”

Source: DTW, July 30, 2008

It is sad but we all can relate in some shape or form of being distracted or ignorant of what is really going on around us. We can also fall into this trap when we come into this sanctuary and become desensitized to the power of God’s Word. Let that never be the case for us, may we, like the Bereans, have a good reputation amongst people about being people who eagerly listen to the preaching of the Word.

Secondly, we see that...

B. The Bereans were noble because of their faithfulness to examine what they heard in scripture.

Acts 17:11b CSB

11 The people here were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

One aspect that we see here that differs from many others in scripture is that the Bereans are praised for their desire to test what Paul and Silas were teaching. They checked what they heard with the Scriptures. We too must do this. To be honest, I believe our problem today is that we have become satisfied with the preacher telling us all we need to know and going along with that. That is until we disagree with something he says and send them away. We never look into scripture to see if what they are teaching is truly biblical and as a result we have become stagnant and look warm like the church in Laodicea. We must seek the truth in Scripture.

David Jeremiah quotes pastor Joseph Park concerning the rebellion against solid biblical teaching as saying,

They may be old-fashioned doctrines, but they created missionary societies, Sunday schools, hospitals, orphanages, and refuges for penitence; they gave every child a new value, every father a new responsibility, every mother a new hope, and constituted human society into a new conscience and a new trust.  We cannot first sneer at the doctrine and then claim its infinite beneficence, nor can we borrow its socialism that we may quench its inspiration.  Let us be very careful how we give up trees that have borne such fruit, and in whose leaves there has been such healing.  

Jeremiah then adds,

I hope you’re growing in your knowledge of the Bible.  You don’t have to be a learned theologian, but the Bible does recommend to us the example of those new Christians in the town of Berea who “searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (). 

We as a people absolutely must search the Scriptures daily for truth and to test the teaching we have heard. Once we find the hunger to hear the truth and to search the scriptures for truth, we then will see revival. Which leads me to the third point tonight,

3. When believers are noble, many will believe.

Acts 17:12 CSB

12 Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men.

We see the results of the faithfulness of the new believers in Berea. The gospel spreads quickly. If we want to truly experience revival we must commit ourselves to intently listening to the word of God. We must commit to thoroughly searching the scriptures and we must proclaim the truth boldly. The genuineness of our lives will result in people longing for the same life changing experience we have experienced.

Acts 12 CSB

1 About that time King Herod violently attacked some who belonged to the church, 2 and he executed James, John’s brother, with the sword. 3 When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter too, during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 4 After the arrest, he put him in prison and assigned four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was praying fervently to God for him. 6 When Herod was about to bring him out for trial, that very night Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while the sentries in front of the door guarded the prison. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell. Striking Peter on the side, he woke him up and said, “Quick, get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. 8 “Get dressed,” the angel told him, “and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Wrap your cloak around you,” he told him, “and follow me.” 9 So he went out and followed, and he did not know that what the angel did was really happening, but he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 After they passed the first and second guards, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them by itself. They went outside and passed one street, and suddenly the angel left him. 11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s grasp and from all that the Jewish people expected.” 12 As soon as he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many had assembled and were praying. 13 He knocked at the door of the outer gate, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer. 14 She recognized Peter’s voice, and because of her joy, she did not open the gate but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the outer gate. 15 “You’re out of your mind!” they told her. But she kept insisting that it was true, and they said, “It’s his angel.” 16 Peter, however, kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were amazed. 17 Motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Tell these things to James and the brothers,” he said, and he left and went to another place. 18 At daylight, there was a great commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19 After Herod had searched and did not find him, he interrogated the guards and ordered their execution. Then Herod went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. 20 Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. Together they presented themselves before him. After winning over Blastus, who was in charge of the king’s bedroom, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food from the king’s country. 21 On an appointed day, dressed in royal robes and seated on the throne, Herod delivered a speech to them. 22 The assembled people began to shout, “It’s the voice of a god and not of a man!” 23 At once an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died. 24 But the word of God flourished and multiplied. 25 After they had completed their relief mission, Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem, taking along John who was called Mark.

Scott Sauls a pastor and writer said, “Christians become compelling to the world to the degree that they become different from the world.”

The question becomes what are we willing to do in order to look different from this world. We know that the many of us here this evening are the faithful followers of Christ. But the question becomes are we truly, radically different from the the people of the world? The Bereans were a people that were radically transformed and relentlessly pursuing truth. Resulting in a people who saw the truth through the way they were seeking the truth of the Lord.

Conclusion:

We have seen that we are to be a noble people. If we are to be a noble people, we must proclaim the truth. If we are to be a noble people, we must genuinely pursue the Lord. If we are a noble people, many people will come to faith in the Lord.

Francis Chan said after his encounter with the Jehovah’s Witnesses that ,

Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit Chapter 1: I’ve Got Jesus: Why Do I Need the Spirit?

It was then that I began reading the Scriptures as though I had never read them before. I asked the Spirit to make them “living and active” to me, though I’d been reading them for years. I asked God to “penetrate” the wrong and ill-conceived notions I’d collected along the way (Heb. 4:12 NIV). It’s a great exercise for those of us who have been immersed in church culture for years.

Let us not be satisfied with simply the information we have but let us continue to study the Word of God and follow after him with all our hearts.

Pray...