Go with me back to Acts chapter
17. Acts 17, this is an interesting portion of Scripture.
This world that we live in, bless their hearts, truly bless
their hearts, they think they have it all figured out. They think they have it all figured
out. This world thinks that it has
everything right side up. Everything. Science is booming
right now. Technology's booming. I saw where
they sent out something to Pluto to take pictures of Pluto. Technology
is booming. Everybody is finally being allowed
to live like they want to. Finally. And nobody's allowed
to be offended. World peace. If you don't have
it, it's against the law. World peace. The planet is on the up and up,
isn't it? It's on the up and up. Then you have a few men, and
I mean a very few men, who are ruining the world's party by
declaring that every soul on it is sin and that God is absolutely
sovereign. and that he does what he will
with whom he will. He chooses who he wants to. He
passes by who he wants to. Salvation is totally, totally
of the Lord. And then everyone and everything
outside of Christ is going to be folded up and done away with. When men and women are confronted
with the truth about God, the truth about themselves. It turns their world upside down. That's what happens. Look at
verse 6. When they found them not, we're
going to see what this story is in just a minute, but when
they found them not, they drew this man Jason and certain brethren
unto the rulers of the city, crying, these that have turned
the world upside down. are come hither also. You know
what God's mercy and grace is to a sinner? It's if he will lay hold on that
sinner and turn his world upside down. Completely turn his world
upside down. Shake it. Turn him upside down
and then shake it. Empty him. Just empty him. Everything that he's stuffed
in his pockets, everything that he thinks he's going to hold
on to, turn him upside down. Isn't that
what happened to us? Emptied. Emptied. That's God's
mercy on a sinner. Empty. Let's see how he does
this. Look at verse 1. It says, Now
when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they
came to Thessalonica where was a synagogue of the Jews. Now
it's so sad. It is so sobering. It's sobering. That God's gospel, which is able
to lay hold on a sinner and turn his world upside down. It is so sobering that that gospel
comes so close to men and women. But in the purpose of God, it
passes them by. Is that not sobering? We know of a church that the
property of that church literally wrapped around a house. And the
members of that house never stepped foot inside that gospel church
one time. It's sobering, isn't it? It passes
right by. It just passed through Amphipolis
and Apollonia. We all need to cry. Every soul in this room needs
to cry. A sinner who has seen God's holiness
will cry, Pass me not, O gentle Savior. Pass me not. Salvation is in your hands. Pass
me not. Hear my humble cry, while on
others thou art calling, don't pass me by. Please don't pass
me by. Lay hold on me. I want the Lord
to turn my world upside down if he has to, but lay hold on
me. Even me, let thy blessing fall
on me. I want that so desperately. Verse
1 says, Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia,
they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews.
And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three
Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures. Out of
the Scriptures. That's what God uses to open
blind eyes. Some of you do different things.
Some of you are in sales. And I'm sure you think about,
how can I be a better salesman? Some of you are in sales and
manufacturing. And you think about, how can
I be a better manufacturer? I want God to save souls. I really
do, but do you know what resolve I have to come to every single
time? God is the doer of it, and he uses this word to do it. So therefore, what I'm going
to do is stand up and preach this word out of the scriptures. That's what God uses to open
blind eyes. It's the only thing that God's
true messenger will point men to, the scriptures. Look at chapter
8, Acts chapter 8. verse 35. Then Philip opened his mouth
and began at the same scripture and preached unto him Jesus.
The same scripture. Look at chapter 18. Chapter 18
verse 28 says, For he mightily convinced the
Jews, and that publicly showing by the Scriptures, that Jesus
was Christ. Proven it by the Scripture. By
the Word of God. We don't need a denominational
packet, do we? That's what a lot of people get.
A packet. We don't need a Bible that conforms
to our doctrine in our belief. What we need is the Word of God. We need the Word of God. Aren't
you so glad we have the Word of God? He's given us His Word. Well, back in our text, Acts
17, verse 2 says, And Paul, as his manner was,
went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them
out of the Scriptures. 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. Paul proved to them by the Word
of God that this Jesus of Nazareth is God's Christ. He's God's Christ. This is the message God uses.
This is the message. God's messenger declares this
message, and then God's Holy Spirit takes
this message, and He applies it to whatever heart God has
purpose to apply it to, and He breaks a sinner with this message,
and then He binds a sinner with this message, turning his world
upside down, completely turning his world upside down. Verse
2 says, As his manner was, Paul went in unto them in three Sabbath
days, reasoned with them out of the Scriptures, 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. Christ means God and man. God and man, the union of both.
the satisfier of God and the atonement, that payment for man,
God and man. And it's because he suffered.
Now here's what I want to tell you this morning. Christ must
needs have suffered. This makes the gospel better
news. This is the best news of the gospel. Christ must needs
have suffered. What that means is He had to. You know that? He had to. He absolutely had to. Turn with
me over to Matthew 16. Matthew 16 verse 21 says, From that time forth began Jesus
to show unto his disciples how that he must go unto Jerusalem
and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and
scribes and be killed and be raised again the third day. Now
watch these next two verses. Then Peter took him and began
to rebuke him. Can you imagine that? Peter took him and began to rebuke
him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord. This shall not be unto
thee. But he turned and said unto him,
Peter, get thee behind me. He turned and said unto Peter,
Get thee behind me, Satan. Thou art an offense unto me,
for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those that
be of men." Here's what he was telling Peter, here's what he's
telling me, here's what he's telling you. If you want to have any hope
of living, I must suffer and die. I must. You tell the average person that, Why would you say that? If you don't want to die in your
sins, I must. That's what he's saying. If you
don't want to die in your sins, I must. Die in my sins? Die in my sins? You're saying
I'm a sinner. You're starting to ruffle my
world a little bit. That's what happens to people.
They get their world ruffled just a little bit. You know what
God's mercy would be? To go ahead and lay hold on it
and turn it upside down. Just turn it upside down. Because
of what we are, He must. He had to. He had to from our
point of view. He had to from God's point of
view. He had to. Go over to Luke 24 with me. Luke 24, look at verse 26, Our
Lord Himself said in verse 26, Ought not Christ to have suffered
these things? Ought not Christ? Shouldn't He have? He took sin upon Himself. He took sin upon Himself. He
made the sins of his people his own, shouldn't he have? When
God Almighty looked at him, he saw my sin on him. Ought not Christ to have suffered? We say that with such reverence,
we say that with such respect, such fear, such honor. Ought not Christ to have suffered?
according to the purpose of God in salvation because of what
Christ took upon himself. He had to. He had to. He said, if it be possible, let
this cup pass. It wasn't possible. He had to. He had to suffer my penalty and
my punishment. Now hold your place right here
in Luke 24. We're going to flip back and forth. Go to Psalm 22. Psalm 22, it is almost difficult
to read this. A couple of the men read this
for us not too long ago, and this is, because we have such fear and
reverence for our Lord, it is almost difficult to read this
out loud. Psalm 22, this is what Christ
became willingly. This is what he made
himself to be willingly for us. He said in verse 6, but I am
a worm and no man. A reproach of men and despise
to the people. Is it not hard to read that that
is what our Lord became? That's what he willingly made
himself to be? This is our Lord speaking. Verse
1 says, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? He said, I am a worm and no man. A reproach of men and despise
to the people. Christ endured it. He suffered.
He suffered the shame and reproach of God, the shame and reproach
of man. And because of that, hold your
place right here and go back to Luke 24. Verse 26 says, Ought not Christ
to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory. Ought not Christ to enter into
His glory because He suffered these things? Ought not Christ
to enter into His glory? Alright, now here's the last
flip. Go back to Psalm 24 this time. Psalm 24. It says, The earth is the Lord's
and the fullness thereof. The world and they that dwell
therein. He owns it all. Verse 7 says,
Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting
doors, and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King
of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty. The Lord, mighty in battle. Lift
up your heads, O ye gates, even lift them up, ye everlasting
doors, and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King
of glory? The Lord of hosts. is the King
of Glory. Ought not Christ to have suffered
these things and to enter into His glory? The King of Glory has come in.
Go with me back to Acts 17 now. Acts 17 verse 2 says, And Paul as his manner was went
in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of
the Scriptures, opening and alleging that Christ's must needs have
suffered and risen again from the dead, and that this Jesus
whom I preach unto you is Christ. And some of them believed." Some
of them believed. That's amazing. That's amazing
grace. People believe this message and
this old flesh right here every single time says, Really? I shouldn't. God said it. The God who made
us. The God who controls us. I don't
know why it's so shocking to me every time. But some believe. You declare this truth and some
end up believing. Verse 4 says, Some of them believed
and consorted with Paul and Silas, And of the devout Greeks, a great
multitude. And of the chief women, not a
few. It wasn't just a few of them, it was a great multitude.
But the Jews, which believed not, moved with envy, took unto
them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort. They found some
guys out of the gutter. Certain lewd fellows of the baser
sort. And they gathered a company,
and set all the city in an uproar and assaulted the house of Jason
and sought to bring them out to the people." They got this
big company together and they went and kicked his door in to
grab everybody and pull them out. This flesh is so against
God's free grace, isn't it? So against God's free grace.
The gospel is this. Jesus Christ paid it all, all
the debt you owe. And men cannot stand to hear
that. I thought about the fact one time that if I could stand
up and announce to people, your mortgage is free and clear, why
would anybody get mad at that? I called the power company and
you'll never have to pay for power again. But what is it about this flesh
that hates the free gospel of God? Salvation through Christ. They hated God's message. They
hated God's messengers. They went to this house, Jason's
house, and they drug everybody out of it. Paul and Silas, they
were not there. Look at verse 6. When they found
them not, They drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers
of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside
down are come hither also. There is a way that seems right
to man. It seems right. It makes sense. But when God's
gospel comes, it turns that way that man believes to be right,
it turns it upside down. Completely upside down. They
brought them before the rulers, and they were mad, crying, Do
you hear what these men are saying? Do you hear what these men are
saying? Now listen to this, okay? See if the Lord will let us enter
into this. See if the Lord will quicken us right now. Lord, come
Holy Spirit, heavenly dove, with all thy quickening power, kindle
a flame of sacred love in these cold hearts of ours. Alright,
let's see if we can enter into this. They brought these brethren,
Jason and these brethren, to the rulers, saying, these men
are turning the world upside down. Do you hear what they're
saying? Do you hear what they're saying?
They're saying that this man, Jesus, who eats with publicans
and sinners, this man who receives publicans and sinners, they're
saying he's God. That's what they're saying. They're
saying that salvation is only through him. May every soul that
comes into this building hear that clearly. Salvation is only
through him. They're saying we can't earn
it. They're saying we cannot decide
to have it. They're saying it's not of him
that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth
mercy. That's what they're saying. I've
never heard anything like that in my life. That's completely upside down
from everything I've ever heard in my life. That is backwards
from everything my preacher taught me from a child. Backwards. We're trying to live right. I would encourage people to live
right. I really would. But they're saying we're trying
to do right. We're trying to obey the law. We're trying to
be good, upstanding Christian people. We are trying to earn
our way to heaven. And this is what they're saying.
Have you heard what they're saying? They're saying as many as are
of the works of the law are under the curse. Think about that for
a minute. I see why it turns our world
upside down. They're saying as many as are following, obeying
the law to try and earn heaven are under the curse. That's what
they're saying. That's upside down. That does not make sense. That
is upside down. You see, we're going to seminary.
We have all of this higher learning. We have all this spiritual intellectualism,
doctors of divinity. Now here's what they're saying.
Here's what these men are saying. Except you be converted and become
as little children, you can in no wise enter into the kingdom
of heaven. That's upside down. You're saying
empty all that knowledge? What they're saying is not many
wise and not many mighty are chosen. That's what they're saying. They're saying God hath chosen
the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the
kingdom of God. What they're saying is He hid
these things from the wise and the prudent and revealed them
unto babes. That's what they're saying. And
that's upside down. That just does not make sense. Now let me ask you this. Is it? Is it? They're saying that he came
not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. They're
saying he's not the friend of Pharisees, he's the friend of
sinners. What they're saying is the one
who has done nothing but sin all his life, the one who hasn't lived right,
the one who hasn't tithed, the one who has no pride, no self-worth,
The one who all he can do is beat on his chest crying, God
be merciful to me. What they're saying is he's the
one that's going to be justified and not us Pharisees who have
all this to offer God. That's upside down. That is just upside down. Here's
what they're saying. They're saying that publicans
and harlots are going to enter the kingdom of heaven before
us. Think about that. Is that upside down? Is that upside down? What does the heart of a sinner
that God has come to A sinner whom God has truly sent his gospel
to, revealed the truth to. What is a sinner who has received
mercy? That's the key. What does a sinner
who has received mercy say? Every one of them will say, that's
right side up. That is right side up. Every
single one of them, thank God, is right side up. The heart that
the gospel of God comes to, the same heart that used to say,
I will not have that man reign over me, now says, I am a puppet
on his string. Thank God. I'm a puppet on his
string. The heart that used to say, I
decided to let Jesus into my heart, now says, God conquered
me. He was not standing at my heart's
door knocking. He broke it down. Thank God. Thank God. He turned my world
upside down. He turned my world upside down. The same heart that used to want
the world. I grew up in Nashville, Tennessee.
I'm a guitar player. You know what that means? The same heart that used to want
the fame of this world, the same heart that used to want the fortune
of this world, now says, Take the world, but give me the Lord
Jesus Christ. I mean, it really does say that. I have no continuing city here. I believe that. We all do. Every soul that God has come
to, laid hold of our world, Everything that this world has
to offer is vanity, and Christ is the pearl of great price.
It used to be the other way around, but thank God He turned my world
upside down. Now everything this world has
to offer is nothing, and Christ is all. Completely turned it
upside down. The heart that could not stand
to worship God before. There was a time in my life when
I used to try to think, how can I get out of this? That very
same heart now just cannot stand to miss. Turn my world upside
down. The heart that used to believe
that he was his own little God now says, I'm a worm. I'm a worm. Turned my world completely
upside down. Somebody said when God saves
a man, even his dog will know it. Even his dog will know it. The
man that was so hard becomes broken. The man who is so proud,
he becomes humble, he becomes kind, he becomes loving, he becomes
tender. Even the dog's world is turned
upside down. Upside down. Here's the question I want answered
this morning. Have I been turned upside down? If not, turn me,
Lord. You know what I mean? Turn me
and I shall be turned. If He will lay hold of me and
turn me, what this flesh thinks is upside down, I've been upside
down since the day I was born. If He turns me for the first
time in my life, I'll be right side up. for the first time in
my life. Turn our world upside down. Don't you want that? Turn our
world upside down. I want to be turned upside down
to self and right side up to Christ.
That's what I want to be. Upside down to self. right side
up to Christ. That's God's mercy and grace
to a sinner. It really is. Lord, be merciful
to us and be gracious to us. Turn us. All right, let's stand
together.