Download A Noble Pursuit Church Life FCC – January 15, 2016 Text: Acts 17

A Noble Pursuit
Church Life
FCC – January 15, 2016
Text: Acts 17: 10-15 and various
Introduction: Turn in your Bibles to Acts 17. During the month of January, we are focusing on
“Church Life.” We are getting back to the basics about church life, focusing on worship, Bible
study, service and missions. Last week, our text was from Psalm 122. We learned that
“Worshiping Together” requires gladness, focusing on God and edifying the church. It’s so
basic to church life to begin with this attitude: “I was glad when they said unto me, let us go to
the house of the Lord!”
This morning, we are going to focus on Bible study as another basic of church life. In Acts 2, we
see that worship and Bible study were central to the life of the early church. Acts 2: 42-44 They
devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to
prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the
apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common.
A mark of the early church was that the devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, which of
course we now have written down in the New Testament. Although there was surely individual
Bible study, Bible study seemed to have a corporate element to it. “They” devoted themselves to
the apostles’ teaching. Bible study was central to “Church Life” in the early church.
Let’s read our text for this morning. Acts 12: 10-15 As soon as it was night, the believers sent
Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 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. As a result, many of them believed,
as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. But when the Jews in
Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went
there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. The believers immediately sent Paul to the
coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. Those who escorted Paul brought him to
Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
Paul and Silas’ message had been rebuffed by the Jews in Thessalonica. In fact, the Jews in
Thessalonica had formed a mob and set the city in uproar over Paul and Silas’ preaching. The
believers in Thessalonica sent Paul and Silas off to Berea, which was about 50 miles southwest
of Thessalonica. It’s in Berea that they found a different reception. Luke writes of the Bereans
that they were of more noble character than the Thessalonians and we’ll examine that closer in a
few moments.
What does it mean to be noble? Here is what ESV Study Bible says of the word ‘noble’: Noble
translates the Greek eugenēs, which originally meant “of noble birth” or “well born.” The word
was also applied to people who exhibited noble behavior, in that they were open-minded, fair,
excellent, and thoughtful. You could say that they were ‘fair-minded’ in examining the Gospel.
We too can have a noble character if we imitate the Bereans. It’s a noble pursuit to receive
God’s Word…
1. Eagerly – “for they received the message with great eagerness…” The Jews in Berea did not
respond defensively or jealously, but were eager to study Paul’s teaching. This is so different
than most folks in our day who just don’t want to hear it. The Old Testament prophet Amos
talked of a day when there would be a famine of hearing the words of God.
Amos 8: 11 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD, “when I will send a
famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words
of the LORD.
It’s hard to believe, but it seems that we have a famine of God’s Word in our land. We have
plenty of Bibles in our culture and plenty of preaching, but very few who receive God’s word
with great eagerness. Listen to how Jeremiah received God’s Word.
Jeremiah 15: 16 Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy
and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts.
Breakpoint: Jeremiah’s is the heart cry of every person in whom the Spirit of God has come
to dwell. The first and most essential evidence that the Spirit of God dwells in us is
an insatiable hunger for the Word of God. We can know that we have the Spirit if we
experience a growing desire to know and obey the Holy Scriptures of God. For where the
Spirit comes to dwell, He comes to feed us with God’s Truth.
You find a similar sentiment in the Psalms. Psalm 19: 7-10 The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The
precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are
radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The decrees
of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous. 10 They are more precious than
gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.
God’s Word is spiritual food that causes us to grow in our Christian life. 1 Peter 2: 2-3 Like
newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
In Matthew 13, Jesus tells the Parable of the Soils. A sower goes out and sows seed, which
represents the Word of God. It falls on different soils, representing differing receptivity to
the Word. Some seed falls on a hard path, others rocky soil, and others still on thorny
ground. Some seed falls on good soil, that is receptive hearts. This is what Jesus said about
the good soil: As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word
and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another
sixty, and in another thirty.
It’s a noble pursuit to receive God’s Word eagerly, and secondly…
2. Carefully – “and examined the Scriptures…to see if what Paul said was true.” What made
the Bereans more noble than others was that they examined the Scripture, Paul’s message, to
see if what he said was true. You see, the treasured Word of God must be handled with
impartiality and care to see the eternal truths of God.
John Stott – “They combined receptivity with critical questioning. The verb for ‘examine’ is
used of judicial investigations, as of Herod examining Jesus or the Sanhedrin Peter and
John…It implies integrity and absence of bias. Ever since then, the adjective ‘Berean’ has
been applied to people who study the Scriptures with impartiality and care.”
Paul challenged his son in the faith, Timothy, to do the same thing. 2 Timothy 2: 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. So, if we are to rightly handle the truth—to examine
God’s Word carefully—we need to follow some basic rules of interpretation.
First, when you are reading a passage, observe the details of the text. Ask, “What do I see in
this passage?” Try to see the passage with new eyes, keeping it fresh. Take notes concerning
the characters, the events, and details of the passage. If you are careful, you might just see
something in the text that you’ve overlooked in the past.
Secondly, ask, “What does this passage mean?” Read it for the plain meaning. One
misperception by some folks is that a text has more than one meaning. So sometimes folks
ask questions like, “What does this mean to you?” It really shouldn’t have more than one
meaning to different group members…it can have different application to different
individuals, but the meaning is unchanging. And in being a good Berean, if you are able, use
your study Bible or a commentary to read about the historical background of the passage.
This helps you in discovering the meaning of the text. Also, always keep your passage in its
biblical context…what I mean is this: read what comes before your passage and what comes
after. One of the biggest mistakes we can make is to take one or two verses out of their
biblical context. In doing this, we often lose the intended meaning. One thing I also like to
do in making sure I have the correct meaning, is to check cross-references. In other words, let
other Scripture help interpret the passage I’m looking at.
After you have observed the text, determined the meaning, ask the question: “What shall I
do?” It’s this last step where you make personal application of God’s timeless, unchanging
Word.
John Stott - “The Gospel is a non-negotiable revelation from God. We may certainly discuss
its means and interpretation, so long as our purpose is to grasp it more firmly ourselves and
commend it more acceptably to others. But we have no liberty to sit in judgment on it, or to
tamper with its substance. For it is God’s gospel, not ours, and its truth is to be received, not
criticized, declared, not discussed.”
2 Peter 1: 19-20 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do
well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the
morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture
comes from someone's own interpretation.
It’s a noble pursuit to receive God’s Word eagerly, carefully, and lastly…
3. Regularly – “they examined the Scriptures every day” Whoa…everyday! They truly were
engaged in a noble pursuit. Now I don’t want to be a legalist…God doesn’t love you any less
if you miss a daily Bible reading or circumstances keep you from one weekly small
group…but you can’t grow, face daily challenges and maintain the joy of the Lord without
the habit of reading and studying God’s Word.
Very few in this room fail to understand the importance of eating 2 or 3 meals a day. Food
sustains us spiritually, whereas, the Bible sustains us spiritually. When Jesus was tempted in
the wilderness by Satan to turn stones into bread to feed Himself, He responded with this in
Matthew 4:4 “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the
mouth of God.’” Jesus knew that as important as it is to eat food to take care of the Bible,
ultimately it is the Word of God that sustains our lives.
Bibles for America - When we eat physical food, we’re supplied with the nutrients we need to
live and be healthy. We get the energy to go to work, exercise, and spend time with family
and friends. Conversely, when we skip a meal, we feel weak, tired, and even grumpy. And if
we keep missing meals, we become susceptible to even greater problems, like illness.
Similarly, when we eat spiritual food we’re supplied to live our Christian life. But when
we’re away from God’s Word for a while, we can become spiritually weak, tired, and
“grumpy,” or, unable to handle difficulties well. We become more susceptible to temptation,
doubts, and other kinds of spiritual sickness. We simply don’t have the means to cope with
the many challenges that come into our lives as believers.
In the Old Testament, we are told to think about God’s Word when we wake up and when we
to bed. Deuteronomy 6: 4-9 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 You shall
love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them
diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you
walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign
on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.9 You shall write them on the
doorposts of your house and on your gates.
And right before the children of Israel were to take the Promised Land they were reminded of
how regular to focus on the Word of God. Joshua 1: 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart
from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do
according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then
you will have good success.
Nobody probably went through more trial and tribulations than Job. What sustained him?
Job 23: 12 I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words
of his mouth more than my portion of food
It’s a noble pursuit to receive God’s Word eagerly, carefully, and regularly.
Conclusion: Jonathan Edwards - "Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly, and
frequently, as that I may find and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same."
So in 2017, would be resolved to read and study the Scriptures eagerly, carefully and regularly?