Turning the World Right Side Up!
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in v. 6 of our passage Paul and his team were accused of turning the world upside down
an amazing compliment!
contrast with those who live their lives trying to fly under the radar and without getting noticed
there are Christians who are making no impact on the world they live in
the people of Thessalonica accused Paul and Silas of turning their world upside down!
don’t forget that they had just entered Europe and this accusation was levelled at them!
what is it that made Paul and Silas so effective and powerful in their ministry?
There are people who make things happen, there are people who watch things happen, and there are people who wonder what happened. To be successful, you need to be a person who makes things happen. Jim Lovell
Paul and Silas were people who made things happen
they disturbed the comfort of sinners
examples of OT prophets
God has always had people like this and always will
God wants his people to confront their society, who will call sin sin and warn sinners of judgment.
Paul was that kind of person, he boldly spoke the truth
wherever he went he made Christianity the issue
he was a man who shook the world!
what were the things that made Paul and Silas and others so effective in their ministry?
how were they able turned the world upside down or right side up depending on your perspective?
today we will consider the spiritual principles which enabled Paul and Silas to change their world
we will answer the question: ‘what does it take for us to be world changers?’
Paul and his team travelled SW across S Greece from Philippi
followed the coastline to the port city of Thessalonica
the Roman capital of Macedonia
in modern day Greece it is now known as Thessaloniki
it would appear that it was the presence of a synagogue which attracted Paul to this city
as the capital of Macedonia Thessalonica was the most important city with a population of about 200k
it was a major port city and was on an important highway
Berea on the other hand was an insignificant town
we might refer to it as “off the beaten path”
like London vs. St Thomas
Courage
Courage
Courage marked the Christians of the early church.
they were bold in their witness and the result was the rapid growth of the church and the spread of the gospel
Paul had this in spades
his testimony when going to Jerusalem: “nothing moves me”
24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
No one will have a significant impact on their world who doesn’t have the courage to confront it with the Gospel.
if you are convicted about something but you don’t say anything, it does no good
courageous people make a difference
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,
“they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews and Paul went in as was his custom”
Paul made it his practice to go to cities where there was a synagogue
Paul did this for two reasons:
as a rabbi and a former student of the most famous rabbi of the day he would have been invited to speak
synagogues were made up of Jews and Gentiles who were searching for answers
this was a ready-made audience, receptive to the gospel
he was driven by his desire to see his own people saved
1 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—
2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.
but what happened almost every time Paul went and preached to them?
Persecution!
His own people were constantly stirring up opposition against him.
so what does Paul do when he comes to Thessalonica? he went to the synagogue where he knew his people would be worshipping!
that is courage!
remember what he had just experienced as a result of their opposition in Philippi: terrible pain and suffering!
remember what he did in Lystra when he was stoned - he went back into the city! (14:20)
he had experienced this over and over again wherever he went and when he came to Thessalonica he went right back again!
why? he was committed to doing what God had called him to do
he knew that in spite of the suffering there was joy in doing what God had called him to do
that is courage!
he knew his message would stir up trouble against him and cause him pain but he kept on going
Paul did the same thing in Berea
10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.
“sent away by night”
you only do this when you are in serious trouble !
and where did they send Paul? to Berea
surely he would be safe there! that out of the way, backwoods place!
and what did he do when he got there? hide? take a break? lick his wounds?
he went right into the synagogue!
Paul knew who had called him, to whom he was called and that he was to preach Christ.
I hope some of you are thinking right now, “I wish I had that kind of courage”
Where does courage come from?
First: Trust God. (Ps 27:1; Eph 6:10)
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
if you try to serve God in your own strength of course you will fail!
when you are convinced God is on your side who is there to fear?
when you are walking in obedience and speaking the truth in love, focus on God
as long and you put your trust in the Lord you have nothing to fear, do you believe that?
I know it’s easier to believe than practice, that’s why it takes work
3 For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.
in our own strength we will faint, we will give up we will close our mouths
when this happens what are we to do?
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
If we are going to be courageous we must know our God!
the only way to know him is to spend time with him
Second: Confess sin.
If we are going to be a witness for Christ the devil is going to attack us and if we have sin in our life we are in trouble.
remember one of the pieces of armour in Eph 6: the breastplate of righteousness
if you have holes in it where do you think your enemy is going to thrust his sword or spear?
and if you don’t do anything about those holes what do you think the Lord is going to do?
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
10 My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart.
if you want to courageously obey Christ and confront the world you must trust God and you must deal with your sin
Third: Believe that the victory is yours in Christ. (Pr 16:3; 1Jn 5:4-5)
God has promised victory to those who serve him
3 Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.
4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
if you want to be courageous you must trust him
if you are going to trust him you must know him and to know him you must get into the Word
if you want to be courageous you must deal with your sin
examine yourself, compare yourself to the Word, ask the HS to show you your sin
if you want to be courageous you must believe the victory he has promised
Content
Content
If we are going to be effective for the Lord we must not only be courageous, we must have the right content.
you need to know the truth, you must have the right message
there are lots of people who have courage but don’t have the truth
example: those we see going door to door, two by two
they have courage but not the right content
a problem: many Christians are trying to be inconspicuous, trying to blend in, waiting in vain for someone to ask them for the truth
they either lack courage or content or both!
Paul courageously confronted his world with the truth and when he did God richly blessed his efforts
Paul was unafraid to hold people up to the light of God’s Word.
in so doing he inevitably offended many of them
offending someone is a cardinal sin in Canadian culture but if sinners are not brought to see their sin how can they repent? and if they do not repent how can they be saved?
By its very nature the gospel offensive to sinners and Christ commands every believer to share it with them. (2 Cor 2:15-16)
in 2 Cor 2:15-16 Paul speaks of the offense of the cross
15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,
16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?
now please remember! I am not talking about being offensive, that is a whole other issue!
We are to speak the truth in love knowing that this will inevitably offend many. (1 Pet 3:15)
15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
we do not need to be offensive when we share the gospel, it is offensive enough on its own!
if Paul was going to speak to the Jews in the synagogue in Thessalonica what was the most important thing for them to know?
who is the Messiah?
The biggest problem the Jews had with Jesus being the Messiah: he suffered and he died.
they could not understand a dead Messiah
1 Cor 1:23 - the cross is a stumbling block to the Jews
Paul’s message to the Jewish people: Jesus is the Messiah and he had to die and rise again
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.”
this was the issue for the Jews
if they did not resolve this they could not be saved!
when Paul went to Athens he understood their issue as, “who is God”
Paul understood his audience and brought the truth to bear on each as they had need.
now as we turn our attention back to the Thessalonians it says Paul “reasoned”
Greek word sounds like our word “dialogue”
this was not a sermon but a back and forth Q&A kind of discussion
in order to do this Paul had to know the scriptures
Being an effective witness involves being able to answer questions about what the Bible teaches. (1 Pet 3:15)
15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
“honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense”
One of the ways we honour Jesus is by preparing ourselves so that we can defend the truth of the Gospel!
example of my opportunity to witness this week
judging vs telling the truth; all ways lead to heaven vs one way to God; no one is good, all have sinned, only Jesus is righteous
If sinners are to be saved they must be brought to an understanding of the facts of the gospel.
true salvation first involves the mind and when the truth is understood and embraced then the emotions kick in:
first, fear & shame leading to crying for mercy
then freedom and joy because of forgiveness and new life
must be careful not to turn the order of reason & emotion around!
so Paul used reason and persuaded them
when they understood the truth the HS opened their hearts just as he did Lydia’s
where did this truth come from? see the end of v.1: “from the scriptures”
the NT was not yet complete so Paul used the OT
and notice what he did with the OT scriptures: “he explained and proved”
this by the way is what expository preaching involves: explaining a text and proving it from other passages
in this situation though Paul did this while dialoguing with the Jews and Gentiles at the synagogue in Thessalonica
how Paul explained and proved the scriptures
remember that Paul desperately wanted his Jewish brothers to understand that Jesus was their Messiah
if he was to prove that the Messiah had to suffer - Ps 22
if he was to prove that the Messiah had to die - Isa 53
if he was to prove that the Messiah would rise from the dead - Ps 16
Paul’s conclusion: there was a man who did all that, Jesus of Nazareth
he alone fulfilled those prophecies
he alone being without sin, died for our sins, was buried and was raised the 3rd day according to the scriptures
Paul knew his bible and was able to explain and prove from it that Jesus was the Messiah
those who honestly search the scriptures will always come to that conclusion!
that brings us to the Bereans
Paul brought the same message to the Bereans but note their response, (Acts 17:11)
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.
“more noble”
First: Their willing reception of the Word of God.
unlike the Thessalonian Jews the Bereans were eager to hear Paul and Silas
their minds were open to the truth
Second: They compared what they heard to the Scriptures.
they examined the scriptures = to consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
they sifted the evidence carefully
the result: many believed
where the Thessalonians had to be persuaded the Bereans believed
the Bereans did not have the terrible prejudices of the Thessalonians
they were honest, open-minded seekers of the truth
God’s promise to such is to reveal himself to them
all honest seekers of God need not be afraid they will not find what they are looking for!
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Conclusion
Conclusion
if we would obey our Lord Jesus we must bring the Gospel to all men
because that Gospel is offensive we must be courageous and we must have the right content
we have learned two ways of doing that today
from the Thessalonians, dialogue and persuasion
from the Bereans, pointing people to the scriptures
if we are going to be faithful servants of our Lord we must grow in our understanding of the scriptures so that we can defend the Gospel and so that those who hear will search the scriptures for themselves
if we are going to make a difference in this world for Christ we must know the Word of God
how to know the Word:
deal with sin
1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—
study - there are no shortcuts!
15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
apply the word in your own life
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
share the word
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.