Acts, Chapter 17

Please, in your Bible, read the chapter.

Verses 1, 2, 3: “When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apolonia they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. ‘This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ’ he said”.

It was still and again the same message that had been preached in Jerusalem and Judea. It was a message for the Jews. Jews had crucified Jesus of Nazareth, their God-promised Messiah. The Jews at far away Thessalonica also must learn and accept the truth. They too must know that the Messiah that was crucified is the Savior for Jew AND Gentile.

Verse 4: “Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women”.

‘Some of the Jews’. The majority would not. Some of the Gentiles would. The majority would not. As it was in those days, so it is in our days, when the large majority decidedly will not turn to God.

Verses 5, 6:”But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the market place, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. But when they did not find them they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: ‘These men, who have caused trouble all over the world, have now come here”.

Newspapers, magazines, television, radio and internet, the whole world is shouting.

Sport, education, politics, economy, music and song, take what you want and have it now. The more and the louder the shouting, the less man will hear the voice of the inner conscience. All of that is only temporal All that shouting finishes in a coffin, under ground. That’s what happened to the shouting in Thessalonica. But . . . God! God everlasting! Ever since that day, His Church has been growing and it will keep on growing until He sees it complete.

Verse 7: “And Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus”.

Today, where is Caesar? Is anyone taking notice of his decrees? Well? What about the millions who have joined Caesar? Where are they?

Verses 8, 9: When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go”.

Verse 10: “As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea”.

Why when it was at night? Could not God protect His servants during the time of day? Of course He could! But He never expects them to be careless in foolishness! In their loving wisdom and care the brothers considered it prudent for Paul and Silas to slip away during the darkness of the night.

And why to Berea? Because at Berea there was a Jewish synagogue.

“On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue”.

The Jews at Berea too must hear, learn and accept that Jews had rejected and crucified the Messiah, God the Son, the son of Mary. Although they did, they could not take His life! That was never possible! Because of His own free will, voluntary Jesus gave His human life! He gave it to God, His Father, for Him to bring down His holy, righteous judgment on a sinless, holy human being, so that sinful human beings may go out free. That’s how God and His Son Jesus dealt with your sin and mine. In our days, as well as in those days, much of Jewry will not accept that truth.

Verse 11: “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true”.

We may thank God for scholarship. But in scholarship many learned people disagree about the Scriptures. That is not really about the Scriptures but about what they think about the Scriptures. For many long ages and many generations this problem has been destructive, It has led millions of Christians to examine opinions about scripture, not what God is saying in Scripture. Literally Scripture is saying what God wants to say, not what people are thinking about that. For the Bereans it was important not simply to believe what Paul was saying, but what the scriptures do say.

Verse 12: “ Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

Hindrances, lies and ridicule put up by men disappear away into nothing; The Word and work of God is everlasting. Christian believers are part of the Word and its work.

Verse 13: “When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the Word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up”.

Well, when opposition puts up its ugly head, we may be sure God is at work. His people may quietly rest assured that He will be victorious.

Verses 14, 15: “The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left him with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible”.

Paul, this great man, so powerful in the strength of God, he always needed and received so much encouragement in the fellowship of other men of God. It meant blessing to him to have them close around him. That’s how God meant it to be for all of us.

Verses 16, 17 “While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the market-place day by day with those who happened to be there”.

He was distressed to see so many idols. What should he do? Go into an attack? No, that was not his business! His task and calling was to present the truth, about Jesus and the resurrection.

Verse 18: “A group of Epicurian and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked ‘What is this babbler trying to say?’ Others remarked ‘He seems to be advocating foreign gods’. They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection’ “.

Our world today is not much better, if not much worse than Paul’s days in Athens. Wars, crime, disease and godlessness may well be distressing. But . . . God! His plans and purposes cannot fail! No power on earth or in hell will stop Him in the building of His Church. One day after the other, sinful human beings begin to know the truth about their sinful selves, and the truth about Him, His love and grace. By faith sinful humans find forgiveness and peace with a most Holy God. His love is the light in the dreadful darkness of the world. It was in the days of Paul, it is in the day of today.

Verses 19, 20, 21: “Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him ‘May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean. (All Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)”

Man, those Athenians, they were busy, weren’t they? The days, weeks and months were passing so very fast. Non-stop the world was pumping out the latest ideas, fashions, technology, medications, investment suggestions, you name it. Sounds familiar?

Verses 22, 23 “Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: ‘Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: ’To the unknown god’. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you”.

That day the Athenians heard the latest news. It was the old, old story.

Verse 24: “The God Who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by hands. And He is not served by human hands as if He needed anything because He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else”.

Only last evening, from my T.V. set, I learned that our scientists have discovered, what they call, a new star, which is much and much larger and brighter than the sun.

Fellows, I must disappoint you. That star is not new. It has been there since the God Who made the world, placed it there. That same God has given you the intelligence by which you are allowed to discover ever more of His greatness. You may have that intelligence, but will it lead you to discover the God of the universe? He loves you!

Verses 26, 27 “From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us”.

There is an intelligence far away and above all human intelligence. GOD!

Verse 28: ‘In HIM we live and move and have our being’ As some of your own poets have said ‘We are His offspring’.

There is one thing the most clever human science will never discover, unless humans spirits find it in GOD. We know the human origin of a baby. We know that this seed will grow that kind of flower. We know why and how a fish must live in water and a bird in the sky. But life, from where does it come? Life in an ant, life in an elephant, life in the little goldfish in my aquarium and life in the whale in the ocean, please tell me, from where does life come? Where does it or did it begin? In the mother’s blood? But who brought it into the mother’s blood? God! God, Who from one man made every nation of men. God, in Whom we live and move and have our being.

Verses 29, 30 “Therefore, since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine Being is like gold or silver or stone – an image made by man’s design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent”.

All people who now bow the knee adoring an icon, worshipping an image, made by man’s hands and skill, people who’s delight is in gold, silver or stone, all may repent before the day of judgment: Judgment by the God Who made the world and everything in it, He Who gives all men life and breath, so that man would seek Him, ‘we are God’s offspring!

Verse 31: “For HE has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead”.

As sure as there was a first day, in which God created the world and all that is in it, so sure also will be the day in which He will purify it, in judgment by fire. But today still, He commands all people everywhere to repent. Today Jesus, the son of Mary and the Son of God, Jesus Who was crucified, died a criminal’s death, was buried and Who was raised from the grave, this Jesus issues the invitation: ‘Come to Me, everyone who is burdened under a heavy load, I will give you rest’. He is a gracious, loving Savior. In the God-appointed day this Jesus will be the righteous, flaming Judge.

Verses 32, 33, 34: “When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said ‘We want to hear you again on this subject. At that Paul left the Council. A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dyonesius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman called Damaris, and a number of others”.

Followers of Paul, believers in Jesus, are seeing things that non-believers cannot see. They have a hope, a sure hope, which non-believers cannot have. They have an assurance that non-believers cannot enjoy.

Christian believers see beyond the coffin in the grave, their hope is anchored in the eternal Heaven, their assurance rests securely in the resurrection of the dead, because their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ arose from the dead.

Christian believers are sinful people, BUT > > > GOD! Merciful, loving, forgiving!

Non-believers, sinful people, BUT > > > GOD! The Holy, fearsome Judge!