This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "Preaching The Gospel In Good Times And Bad Times", 11/22/2015

PREACHING THE GOSPEL IN GOOD TIMES AND BAD TIMES

Acts 17:1-4, 10-12, 22-25, 28

In this chapter, the Apostle Paul preached the Gospel in three different cities with

different reactions.

The first group of believers he meets in Thessalonica. Some in this group heard the Word and accepts it by faith. Part of this group rejected Word and become violent against Paul

and his companions.

He preach the Gospel to a second group in Berea. This group heard the Word. They

accept the Word only after researching the Old Testament and determining for themselves that Paul's teaching was true.

The third group Paul preach to was in Athens. They willingly heard the Word of God,

because it was a new philosophy  to them. They are unaffected by the Word and left in  their state of darkness.

EAGER TO HEAR THE WORD

Acts 17:1-4

V:1. When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.

V:2. As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

V:3. 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.

V: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.

A. Those who study the Word of God need constant enlightenment.

    1. Paul and his companions, took the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Jewish synagogues

        first, where the Old Testament scriptures were taught.

    2. There were some who came to the belief that Jesus was the promised Messiah

        of the Old Testament Scriptures.

        a. There were some leading Jews who violently apposed the thought of Jesus

            as the Messiah.

        b. Not everybody who goes to a Church believes in Jesus.

        c. Not everybody who reads scripture will allow themselves to be lead by the

           scripture.

 B. Paul found some Jews who welcome the good news about Jesus Christ.

     1. Barnes Notes suggest that Paul may have used some of the following scriptures

         in his argument that Jesus was the Christ.

       

(a) He was born at Bethlehem, Micah 5:2.

(b) He was of the tribe of Judah, Genesis 49:10.

(c) He was descended from Jesse, and of the royal line of David, Isaiah 11:1,10.

(d) He came at the time predicted, Daniel 9:24-27.

(e) His appearance, character, work, etc., corresponded with the predictions, Isaiah 53.

(2) His miracles proved that he was the Messiah, for he professed to be, and God would

      not work a miracle to confirm the claims of an impostor.

(3) For the same reason, his resurrection from the dead proved that he was the Messiah.

C. When you have an open mind, the Holy Spirit will convict you that Jesus did not

     just show up  at his birth in Bethlehem.

    1. The Holy Spirit will convict you that Jesus is the totality of the Old Testament

         and the New Testament scriptures.

    2. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God and the Word was with God

        and the Word became flesh and dwelled among us.

    3. You cannot come to that conclusion by yourself.

        a. You come that conclusion by studying the Word under the guidance of the

            Holy Spirit.

        b. Paul and Silas spent three Sabbath days discussing the Word with the Jews and

            the devout Greeks.

        c. Many came to belief in Jesus Christ.

        d. The Word has the power to change minds, hearts and attitudes.  

  D. There are those who hear the Word at the same time and in the same way as others,

       who will not believe.

     1. Their minds are closed by their past traditions and beliefs.

     2. Verses 5, states that they would not believe and were moved with envy.

         a. For them, it was not about God, it was not about the Word and it was not about

             the truth.

         b. For the unbelieving Jews it was about their envious heart that a

             great number of believers, joined the Church of Jesus Christ.

         c. They could not stand the fact the Paul and Silas gathered a large following

             of believers in Jesus Christ.

     3. The envious unbelieving Jews stirred up the city and had Paul and Silas

         run out of there city.

      4. This was no triumph for the unbelieving Jews, because God allowed a Church to

           be established before Paul carried the Gospel to another city.

       

EAGER TO STUDY THE WORD

Acts 17:10-12

V:10. As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.

V: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.

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

A. Those who exercise their faith in Jesus never stop spreading the good news about

     Jesus because there is opposition.

   1. Opposition forces us to study the Word to support our argument.

   2. Paul and Silas did not change there custom of discussing the Gospel in the

       synagogue first.

 B. The people in Berea were more receptive to Paul and Silas teaching of the Gospel.

      1. Those who love the Lord want to study His Word

      2. Those who love the Lord are eager to grow in the Word.

      3. Greater knowledge is gained when we research the Word of God together.

      4. The study of the Word should be done daily.

      5. When you compare Old Testament and the New Testament you find that they

           compliment each other.

      6. The Old and the New Testaments scriptures interpret each other.  

      7. The leaders of the Church should take the lead in Bible STUDY.

      8. If the leaders take the lead, the Church body will follow.

 C. From these two cities we find the following:

     1. The Place of the teaching was the Church (body of believers).

     2. The Source of the teaching was the holy scriptures

     3. The Object of the teaching was Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

     4. The Success of the teaching was discipleship.

The Jewish opposition from Thessaloncia followed Paul from Berea and again

 stirred up the unbelievers against the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul went to Athens.

 There he found a whole city that worshiped idol gods. Being disturbed in the spirit,

 He sent word for Timothy to come join him in the mission.

Athens was a city where there was a temple with many gods. So they would not

miss the worship of any god, they had an altar of an unknown god.

Athens was the culture and intellectual center of the Roman Empire,

Men of the city spent their time discussing philosophy and any new thoughts

anyone would present. The Gospel was just another strange doctrine to them

which they were happy to debate.

 

EGAR TO REJECT THE WORD

Acts 17:22-25

V:22. 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.

V:23.  For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.

V:24.  "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.

V:25.  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.

A. A wise man knows what his limits are.

     1. Finding a whole city of unbelievers, Paul sent for help.

     2. Paul saw a great opportunity to spread the Word.

B. After examining the Temple, Paul found common ground.

     1. The statue of the unknown God was the point of discussion.

     2. Everybody believes in something.

     3. As spokesmen's for the Gospel we should find the common ground.

     4. Since the men of the city love to debate new ideas, the Gospel was a

         sure fit.

     5. Paul reasoned that the altar to the Unknown God was the one true living God, the

         creator of all things.

 C. Opening the scripture, Paul  took them to the beginning of creation.

     1. With scripture, Paul could showed how God created all thing and ordered all the

         events of life.

     2. Paul gained only a few believers for the Gospel.

     3. You cannot come to a belief in scripture with human intellect.

     3. Some people are so blinded by their thoughts, they will not change.

WHAT JESUS IS TO US

Acts 17:28

V:28 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'

A. Jesus is everything to us.

    1. For the Christian, Jesus is our beginning and our ending.

    2. In Jesus we are a new creation.

    3. Jesus is the one who sustains us.

B. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.

    1. Jesus is our guide.

    2. Our final destination is in Jesus,

        a. This is not our home, we are just passing through.

        b. Jesus has prepared a final resting place for us.

 C. All of our hope is in Jesus.

    1. In Jesus we have nothing to worry about.

    2. In the Lord we have nothing to fear.

 D. All we need is in Jesus.

    1. Ask and it will be give.

    2. Seek and we shall find.

    3. Knock and the door will be opened.

THANK GOD THAT HE OPENED MY EYES TO THE LIGHT

Rev. M. Mitchell

Asst Pastor of Greater Macedonia Church