Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

When is the last time you had a gospel-conversation with someone?

When is the last time you inserted the gospel into a regular conversation?

How did it go?

Did the other person realize what you were doing?

Did they agree or disagree?

Were they glad you brought it up?

Or were they angry or indifferent?

If you can’t remember the last time you shared the gospel with someone, why has it been so long?

Do you know the gospel well enough to talk about it?

Have you professionalized or programmatized evangelism to the point where you’re not sure how to do it without a special occasion or a formatted program?

In our passage this morning, we’re going to read about the continued missionary efforts of the Apostle Paul and his companions.

When we were last in Acts, Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned in Philippi, but they were not deterred from their mission in the slightest.

They intended to preach the gospel far and wide and to see churches established and strengthened.

Miraculously, Paul and Silas had been released from prison, and they were traveling on to the next town, after “encouraging the brothers” in Philippi before they left (Acts 16:40).

This morning, we’re picking up that storyline, and now Paul and his crew are headed to Thessalonica.

Let’s read this fascinating passage together, and let’s consider what we might learn and apply in our own context today.

Scripture Reading

Acts 17:1–15 (ESV)

1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”

4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.

5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.

6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things.

9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.

11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

12 Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.

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.

14 Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there.

15 Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.

Main Idea:

Evangelism is both practical and supernatural, and it will sometimes provoke people to all manner of hostilities, but the gospel is the message that converts sinners and establishes and grows churches.

Sermon

1. Contrasting Receptions

The first point of my sermon is to note that our text is arranged as it is on purpose.

This, of course, is true for every word in the Bible, but the arrangement or structure of the text is sometimes so significant that it should dramatically affect our interpretation of a passage.

Luke has compiled the book of Acts in such a way so as to tell a story – the story of the beginning and the expansion of New Covenant Christianity in the world – and in our passage this morning, Luke has put two episodes side-by-side in order to draw our attention to the contrast.

A. Luke’s previous use of contrast

1. Barnabas v. Ananias and Sapphira

a.

At the end of Acts 4, “the full number of those [in Jerusalem] who believed were of one heart and soul… There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds… and laid it at the apostles’ feet… Thus… Barnabas… sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

But [chapter 5, verse 1] a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:32-5:2).

2. Jews v. Gentiles

a.

In Acts 13-14 Luke writes about Paul’s and Barnabas’s missionary efforts in Antioch, in Iconium, and in Lystra.

i.

In Antioch, “the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district” (Acts 13:50).

ii.

In Iconium, “unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers;” and they even planned to “mistreat… and to stone” Paul and Barnabas to death (Acts 14:2, 5).

iii.

In Lystra, the Gentile crowd tried to worship Paul and Barnabas as Hermes and Zeus (Acts 14:11-13).

Of course, Paul and Barnabas would have none of that, and they ended up “preaching the gospel” there and making “many disciples” in Lystra (Acts 14:21).

B. Contrasting Thessalonica with Berea

1.

So many parallel connections!

a.

Both begin with Paul preaching and teaching in the “synagogue.”

b.

Both episodes have Paul “reasoning” with and “examining the Scriptures” with fellow Jews.

c.

Both towns see “not a few” women of “high standing” in the community “persuaded” to “believe” the gospel.

d.

When “many” are converted in each town, “the Jews” from Thessalonica “stir up the crowds” or “form a mob.”

e.

And both episodes conclude with the local converts staying behind to continue following Christ without Paul.

2. So, what is the contrast we are supposed to see here?

a.

Why did Luke tell the stories of these two episodes so similarly?

i.

One might answer by saying that Luke wants the reader to know that not all Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah.

· This is certainly true… and the Jews in Berea are an example of “many” Jewish converts (v12).

· And let’s not forget that the “thousands” converted on the day of Pentecost, as well as those “being saved” daily and “added” to the church in Jerusalem were all Jews… at least for a while (Acts 2:41, 47).

ii.

I think we see a more emphatic answer… especially in v11.

· “Now these Jews [i.e., those in Berea] were more noble than those in Thessalonica…” (v11).

* The word translated “noble” is εὐγενης, literally good birth or well born.

* These are contrasted with the “wicked men of the rabble” (v5) or “bad characters from the marketplace” (NIV84) or “lewd fellows of the baser sort” (KJV).

1.

The word translated “rabble” (ESV) or “marketplace” (NIV84, NASB) is the word for loafer or idler.

* This theme of contrasting those of better and worse quality is even highlighted in Luke’s description of the converts.

1.

In both towns there were “leading” women (v4) and those of “high standing” (v12).

iii.

Therefore, the contrast is not between Thessalonica and Berea (per se), but between two different ways of hearing the gospel.

2. Evangelizing the Religious (v1-3 and 10b-11)

As I already pointed out, both of the episodes recorded in our passage begin with Paul preaching and teaching in a “synagogue” (v1-2, 10), “reasoning” (v2) with both Jews and Gentiles about who Jesus really was and is – “the Christ” (v3).

This was the same message Peter preached on the day of Pentecost (Acts 3:36), and it’s that message which defined the early Church.

Friends, Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Messiah of old… He’s the one sent by God to die for the sins of all those who would look to Him and trust Him for forgiveness… And He’s the one God raised from the dead, who will never die again, and who will raise from death to life finally and fully everyone who repents and believes.

To be clear, friend, the same Jesus who came to die will come again to judge every sinner.

You must repent (turn from your sin and unbelief) and believe (or trust or pledge your allegiance to) the Lord Jesus Christ… or you will die in your sins, and you will go to hell forever (Jn.

8:24).

If you want to think more about this, then just keep listening to the rest of this sermon, and we can certainly talk more after the service… just come find me or some other Christian in the room.

A. Starting on common ground

1.

The synagogue

a.

As Paul had done from the beginning, he went where his Jewish brethren gathered to read the Torah and consider religious matters.

i. “immediately” after his conversion, “he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God’” (Acts 9:20).

ii.

When Paul and Barnabas “arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues” (Acts 13:5).

iii.

Paul “went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia.

And on the Sabbath day [he] went into the synagogue” and preached a message that centered on Jesus Christ forgiving sin and superseding the “law of Moses” (Acts 13:14, 38-39).

iv.

So, it’s no surprise when we read that in Thessalonica and in Berea Paul began his evangelistic efforts in the synagogue.