I please God to bless us together
this evening as we continue our meditation in the Acts of the
Apostles chapter 17 and this evening we'll speak from verse
10 to verse 15 and this really we see the continuance of the
Apostle and Silas' ministry and we must realize that they cover
really quite a bit of Macedonia The Lord had directed them to
go to Macedonia, the Holy Spirit had told them, and they'd gone
to Philippi, and they'd been to Thessalonica, and now as we
come this evening, they come down to Berea. And we read, and
the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night
unto Berea, who coming thither went into the synagogue of the
Jews. We see this wonderful pattern
being continued, that the apostle at every opportunity declared
and preached the gospel. And as soon as he's come into
Berea, he goes into the synagogue. And we know that the brethren
were obviously concerned to grant that Paul and Silas might have
a safe passage, so they sent them away, at night time. And
they didn't want to be captured again and put in prison. And
so they went away at night time. They were sent away, Paul and
Silas, by night unto Berea. We're not too sure where Berea
actually is today, but we know it's in Macedonia. Who coming
thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. And of course, what
was the great aim of the apostle? Well, it was to preach the Lord
Jesus Christ. As he spelled out previously,
when he was at Thessalonica, how he preached the gospel there
and how the people came to hear it. And what did he do? He was
opening and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered and
risen again from the dead. And that this Jesus whom I preach
unto you is Christ and not forgetting of course that the Apostle was
really referring to the Old Testament position the Old Testament truths,
the Old Testament prophecies and now they've been fulfilled
and the Apostle was able to declare these great and glorious truths
and so he's now at Berea in the synagogues and we're told about
these Bereans they were more noble than those in Thessalonica
in that they received the word with all readiness of mind and
searched the scriptures daily whether these things were so.
Well it's a wonderful example we have here with these Bereans
and I suppose they are referred to quite often as a good example
but it's good you know if we read this and and we know how
the Apostle was blessed in his ministry and how these Bereans
were raised up and moved by the Spirit of God and they were therefore
more noble than those in Thessalonica. They didn't argue, they didn't
disagree with the things that the Apostle spoke and we are
told in that they received the word with all readiness of mind. What a good thing that is, isn't
it? If people receive the truth of God with all readiness of
mind. They don't come with a critical
spirit. They don't come with an anti-Christian
attitude, an anti-God position. They come to receive the word. That's a good thing, isn't it?
If our hearts and minds are moved to come hungering and thirsting
after the things of God, desiring that we might receive the Word
with all readiness of mind. Their minds were ready to receive
the Word. They were anxious to hear the
Word. They'd come for that purpose.
They hadn't just come to fulfill some natural obligation. They really had a desire to hear
what God the Lord was going to speak to them. And remember,
this is really new to them. Generally speaking, they would
have probably heard of the crucifixion of Jesus but of course it was
very many miles away. Jerusalem was a long way from
Macedonia and there weren't communications that we have today so they may
not have heard these great truths until the Apostle came and spoke
in the synagogue and they received the word with all readiness of
mind. They were ready to receive it
and they searched the scriptures daily whether these things were
so. It's a very testing example for
us, isn't it? You see, we come, don't we? We
listen to a sermon, we go home, we carry on with our various
things, we come to the next service and we go home. Well, do we do
this? What these Bereans did, what
did they do? They searched the scriptures daily and probably
the apostle preached in a synagogue on the Lord's day or the Sabbath
as it was, and there was the week then which intervened And
every day they were searching the scriptures to see where these
things were so. And they hadn't forgotten what
was preached. They were searching them, searching
the scriptures to see where they were true. What a good example. You know, we often say it, don't
we? But how we fail individually,
don't we? How many, many, many sermons
we've gone and heard, gone home and carried on. have never searched
the scriptures whether these things are so, have never really
been concerned to receive the word in all readiness of mind,
have never really been on the stretch after God, and yet here
we have this great and blessed example, and that such words
are here for our instruction. The Lord has seen fit to record
this company of Bereans as to how they operated, as to what
they did, and they were classified as being more noble in what they
did, and they were, were they not? What a good thing, if you
and I were really spiritually alive, it would seem here that
they were taken up in the things of God. Every day, they got out
the scriptures, Of course, they weren't in such a convenient
form as we have today. In a Bible, they were no doubt
in a scroll, and no doubt there weren't very many scrolls about.
They may have joined together to study the Word of God, to
see where these things were so. Oh, it must have been a wonderful
time, wasn't it? These people coming together, searching out
the Scriptures, to see where these things were so. Every day!
So, we're told, therefore, what was the result? Just a few believed? No. Many of them believed. Also honourable women, which
were Greeks, and of men, not a few. You see, there was that
hunger, there was that desire, there was that searching. And
the result was, they didn't search in vain. Seeking you shall find,
says the word of God. These Bereans were searching
the word of God and they were blessed with that heart to believe. They were given that gift of
God of eternal life. Therefore, many of them believed.
Wouldn't it be wonderful today if there were many that came
to hear the word of God and went home and searched the scriptures
every day to see whether these things were true, that they may
benefit from them. And of course, they were true,
the things that the apostles spoke. They were great truths.
And what was it about? It was about the Lord Jesus Christ.
It was about what he had done. It was about his great Sinatonian
sacrifice. It was the wonderful messages
which he had proclaimed when he was upon the earth. That's
what the apostle was setting before them. That's what they
were searching out. That's what enabled them by the
grace of God to be blessed and to believe. Therefore, many of
them believed. Well, let's look at our own lives,
our own situations, to see whether that's our position. What a blessing
is it if it is so? We've come and we've received
the word with all readiness of mind, and we've searched the
scriptures every day to see whether these things were so, and as
we've been blessed in this, so we've been blessed with that
faith to believe. Therefore, many of them believed
also of honorable women, which were Greeks and of men, not a
few. And of course, we shouldn't think
it was going to have a smooth run. Not at all, and it never
will. There's the old devil, he doesn't
want to see anything like this, does he? And what happened? But
when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge, the word of God
was preached of Paul at Berea they came nither also and stirred
up the people. They'd been quite successful
hadn't they in Thessalonica they got all those ruffians together
to to raise up a situation to try and distract them from the
things of God and to pretend they were not real and they wanted
to pursue this avenue. They didn't want these Bereans
to receive the Word of God. They didn't want the Bereans
to believe in the Word of God and so therefore they came there
also and stirred up the people. Well we're not told how successful
or unsuccessful they were. I would judge they were pretty
unsuccessful. because here were many people that believed. When
you've got many people believing together, you see they join together,
they're united in the truth of God and therefore they're given
that grace to be able to resist the devil and all those that
rise up against them. They may not have any influence
upon the great and blessed work of God and the blessed word of
the gospel. And so here we have these men
then preaching the word and then immediately The brethren sent
away Paul to go, as it were, to the sea. But Silas and Timotheus
abode there still. We're told here they were sent
away to go, as it were, to the sea. We know they went from here
to Athens. And Athens is a long way from
at least Philippi and Thessalonica. And I would think that probably
Berea wasn't very far away. So it was quite a long journey.
They could have gone by sea, but I guess it's more likely
they went by land. And they may have just gone as
it were towards the sea, possibly just to throw the enemy off their
track. And then immediately the brethren
sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea. They knew they wanted
Paul to escape. They didn't want him to be captured.
They didn't want him to be put in prison. And therefore they
sent him away. They'd heard the gospel. It had
a good effect, a wonderful effect. Many had believed, and therefore
it was in order that Paul might be sent away. And so he went. And then immediately the brethren
sent away Paul to go, as it were, to the sea, but Silas and Timotheus
abode there still. And they that conducted Paul
brought him unto Athens. You see, he wasn't left alone.
There were some brethren who went with him. No doubt those
who'd been blessed under his ministry, united to him. They wanted to take care of him.
And so it's a lovely scene, isn't it, to see. And they that conducted
Paul brought him unto Athens. And receiving commandment unto
Silas and Timotheus, for it had come to him with all speed that
they departed." Well, they left the apostle then in Athens, and
as God willing, we'll speak next week of the wonderful occasion
when the apostle was in Athens. And we see how the gospel was
spread, don't we? We see how the Lord moved the
apostle. We're not told that he stopped or preached or was
blessed with any particular favor between this place at Berea in
Athens, the many miles it was and we see the spirit of God
is very sovereign and he caused Paul to go to certain places
and to be used in those places and to be blessed in those places
and no doubt there were other places he passed through and
he was not received and there was no blessing. And so we realize
we have a sovereign God. Well, we'll leave Paul then to
see you this evening as he arrived in Athens. May God bless his
word to us. Amen.