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Our focus this morning will be 
on Paul's ministry in Berea in verses 10 to 15. But I'll begin reading in chapter 
17 at verse 1. Now, when they had passed through 
Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there 
was a synagogue of the Jews. Then Paul, as his custom was, 
went into them, and for three Sabbaths, reasoned with them 
from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ 
had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, this 
Jesus, whom I preach to you, is the Christ. And some of them 
were persuaded, and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not 
a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas. But the Jews 
who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil 
men from the marketplace. And gathering a mob, set all 
the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, and sought 
to bring them out to the people. But when they did not find them, 
they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying 
out, these who have turned the world upside down have come here 
too. Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary 
to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king, Jesus. And they troubled the crowd and 
the rulers of the city when they heard these things. So when they 
had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. 
Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night 
to Berea. When they arrived, they went 
into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than 
those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all 
readiness and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these 
things were so. Therefore, many of them believed, 
and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. 
But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God 
was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred 
up the crowds. Then immediately the brethren 
sent Paul away to go to the sea, but both Silas and Timothy remained 
there. So those who conducted Paul brought 
him to Athens, and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy 
to come to him with all speed, they departed. Amen. Well, let 
us pray. Father in Heaven, we thank You 
again for the written Word of the living and true God. We know 
and are convinced that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, 
and that it's profitable to us for doctrine, for reproof, for 
correction, and for instruction in righteousness. And God, we 
pray that Your Holy Spirit would be at work in our minds and hearts 
today, that You would help us to pay attention, help us to 
hear the Word, to receive that Word, and by grace to grow in 
the knowledge of our Lord and Savior. And for any and all who 
hear that word today that are unsaved, we pray that they would 
come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We thank you 
for your gospel. We thank you for the ministry 
of our Lord. We thank you for the ministry 
of the Holy Spirit. Again, we pray that He would 
work in us now. Do forgive us for our sins and 
our transgressions and cleanse us in that precious blood of 
the Lord Jesus. And it's in His name that we 
pray. Amen. Well, we're continuing with the 
second missionary journey, and as we read in our passage, Paul 
and Silas and Timothy come to the city of Berea. It's about 
45 miles away from Thessalonica. I didn't want to try and cover 
some of this passage and then move into Athens, so the exposition 
will be shorter this morning, but there will be some application. 
with reference to hearing the Word. The Bereans are commended 
for being more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica because 
they received the Word with readiness, and then they examined the Scriptures 
daily to see if what Paul the Apostle was preaching was in 
fact the case. If you remember, back in Acts 
chapter 14, verse 1, we saw that the Apostles so spoke that a 
great multitude believed. Well, here in Berea, we hear 
that they so listened, they so received, they studied, they 
carefully considered that word of God. And for those who are 
concerned about their never dying soul, at times you'll meet people, 
they'll say, I want to be saved. I want to enter into relationship 
with God. I want Jesus Christ as my Lord 
and savior. We can never underestimate the 
power of God's word. Romans 10, 17 is a reality. Faith 
comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. If anyone 
ever expresses a desire to be saved, point them to Christ, 
point them to the word of Christ and call them to read, to study, 
to examine and to understand. Well, let's look first at the 
ministry in Berea. And then secondly, we'll look 
at the departure from Berea. But the ministry is in verses 
10 to 13. And we see that first of all, they depart from Thessalonica. That shouldn't surprise us. Remember 
that there was an uproar in the city. Remember that there was 
another attempt to persecute the apostles, these missionaries. 
They wanted to rid the world of them. That man, Jason, who 
was a new convert, harbored them, he hid them, and then they sent 
them away by night. And that is what the text tells 
us in verse 10. Then the brethren immediately 
sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. There is wisdom at 
times to depart. There is wisdom and obedience 
at times to depart. You're never called, or there 
are the occasions where you may be, but there is wisdom and prudence 
on the part of the missionary to leave a place where there 
is hot persecution. Jesus gave such instruction in 
Matthew chapter 10 at verse 23. When they persecute you in one 
city, flee to another. Now again, there are times where 
you may need to stay put, and there are times where you may 
need to die or be in prison for the cause of God and truth, but 
there's also those times that call for prudence and wisdom 
wherein gospel missionaries can depart from hot persecution, 
and we see that in this instance. Notice as well, when they arrive, 
according to verse 10, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 
So Paul's custom holds here as well. He would go to these places 
where there were people of a religious mindset, where there were Jews 
who understood the Old Testament at least to a degree, and then 
there were these God-fearing Gentiles, so Paul would bring 
the gospel to them. And now notice the reception 
of the word indicated to us in verse 11. It tells us these were 
more, the new King James has fair-minded, the margin is better. These were more noble-minded 
than those in Thessalonica in that they received the word with 
all readiness and searched the scriptures daily to find out 
whether these things were so. The word that is used here concerning 
noble-minded means simply to having the type of attitude ordinarily 
associated with well-bred persons, noble-minded or open-minded. One commentator says that the 
word referred originally to noble birth, but it came naturally 
to be applied to noble behavior. Luke means that the Berean Jews 
allowed no prejudice to prevent them from giving Paul a fair 
hearing. Ultimately, the word eugenics 
is derived from this particular Greek word. It's not the same, 
obviously, but again, the origin is noble-minded in terms of character, 
but it came to be associated with behavior, and that's Luke's 
commentary on these Bereans. They were more noble-minded than 
those in Thessalonica. Now, some have been a bit concerned 
with what appears to be a contradiction. If you remember in 1 Thessalonians 
2.13, Paul says, "...because when you received the word of 
God, which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word 
of men, but as it is in truth the word of God." That seems 
to contradict. Here Luke is commending the Bereans 
for being more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica. So it 
seems as if Paul is speaking on the one hand one way and then 
on the other hand the other way. But the emphasis is on the Jews. 
The Jews in the synagogue at Thessalonica. Some believe. Here in Berea, many believe, 
it's not a commentary on all the people in the churches in 
Thessalonica and in Berea, but specifically the Jews in the 
synagogue that either A, received the word the way they did in 
Berea, or B, didn't receive the word the way they did in Thessalonica. But this noble-mindedness is 
something for us to pursue and something for us to imbibe and 
emulate. We are to be those who receive 
the Word. This is the Word of the living 
and true God. This is not the thoughts of men. 
This isn't just a record of religious experience. This isn't just a 
compendium of religious feeling, but it is the revelation of God 
Most High. It is His Word through His men 
under the inspiration of His Spirit given to us. It is infallible, 
it is inerrant, and therefore it is authoritative and it is 
sufficient. It speaks to all matters of faith 
and practice. Those who love God are those 
who love his word, because it's the word who educates us or the 
word that educates us concerning God, concerning Christ. Remember 
what Jesus says in John 17 three, this is eternal life, that they 
may know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou 
has sent. Show me somebody who doesn't 
want to study the Bible. Show me somebody who isn't interested 
in the things of God. Somebody who isn't concerned 
about propositional revelation, and I will wonder whether or 
not they've been saved. If the very essence or sum and 
substance of eternal life is the knowledge of God Most High, 
then we will be lovers of the book. And that is what these 
Bereans were. And as a result, they are called 
more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica. Notice what 
the text goes on to say. They're noble-minded or more 
noble-minded than those in Thessalonica in that they receive the word 
with all readiness. And then notice that next section, 
and search the scriptures daily to find out whether these things 
were so. Now brethren, consider this. 
It's Paul who's preaching to them. It is the Apostle Paul, 
that one conquered, as we read in Acts chapter 26, by Christ 
on the road to Damascus. That Paul that was a rabbi, that 
Paul that was a Pharisee, that Paul that understood the Old 
Testament Scripture, and that Paul who was given the hermeneutical 
key on the road to Damascus to understand the Old Testament 
scripture, namely that it spoke concerning Jesus Christ. That 
Paul is teaching them, and preaching to them, and going to them, and 
nevertheless they examine the scriptures to see if what Paul 
is saying is in fact true. It is a wonderful and a glorious 
thing, and the way that we ought to understand it is that Paul's 
custom in Berea was most likely like his custom in Thessalonica. When he went to Thessalonica, 
when he went to that synagogue of the Jews, what did he tell 
them? He didn't tell them, again, his religious experience or his 
feelings. He told them what their Old Testament 
said concerning Messiah. That the Messiah must suffer 
and the Messiah must be raised again from the dead. And then 
Paul says to them, this Jesus whom I preach to you is in fact 
that Messiah. So he's doing the same thing 
in Berea most likely. He is showing them the Old Testament 
testimony concerning the contours of that messianic hope. And then 
he expresses to them that the Jesus that he preaches is in 
fact the Messiah. So these Jews in Berea examine 
their scriptures. They go to the Old Testament. 
They go to the prophet Isaiah. They go to the Psalter, they 
go to the law, they go to the wisdom literature, they go through 
Scripture and they examine these things and they wonder if what 
they're being told by Paul is in fact the case. This is a noble-minded 
response to the Word of God. And beware of those, unlike the 
Apostle Paul, who would ever caution their hearers against 
examining whether or not they are telling the truth. Paul doesn't 
say, wait a minute, I'm the Pope of this dump, and you need to 
pay attention to what I have to say. Paul doesn't do that. Paul is not offended by their 
examination of Scripture. The truth has nothing to hide 
and everything to gain by investigation. In other words, when somebody 
says to you, oh, the Bible is filled with contradictions, hand 
it to them and ask them to show you where they are. Encourage 
them to search the Scriptures. Encourage them to examine the 
Scriptures. Encourage them to consider whether or not the messianic 
expectation in the Old Testament was a suffering, dead, and risen 
Savior. Ask them to consider whether 
or not Jesus Christ satisfies all those requirements in His 
ministry. Brethren, it has been the case 
in many an instance where persons have gone to Scripture either 
as atheists or as agnostics and have come out as Christians. 
They have come out as believers. Our truth has nothing to hide. By all means, examine the Bible. By all means, test the prophets. By all means, make sure that 
what you're hearing is in fact true. John Calvin says, for the 
scripture is the true touchstone whereby all doctrines must be 
tried. To the law and to the testimony 
God through the prophet Isaiah. In Isaiah 8.20, if they do not 
speak according to this, they're not to be hearkened unto. So 
it was not offensive to Paul that these noble-minded Bereans 
examine the Scriptures daily to see if what they were hearing 
was in fact the case. Again, Rome has a vested interest 
in keeping the Bible from its people. Rome has a vested interest 
in having a long list of published books that are prohibited for 
persons examining. But that's not just a problem 
in Rome. There is that problem in Protestantism 
as well. You can't question the minister. 
You can't ever ask. You can't ever disagree. Brethren, 
that's not Paul's attitude in Berea. Paul is encouraged that 
the people of God, or the people that are going to be the people 
of God, are examining daily these things to see if what they are 
being told is in fact the truth. Now notice, and this shouldn't 
surprise us, because it's a fleshed out illustration of Romans 10, 
17. What happens after verse 11? These were more fair-minded 
or noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received 
the word with all readiness and searched the scriptures daily 
to find out whether these things were so. Now note verse 12, therefore, 
you see again, the truth has nothing to hide. The whole purpose 
is to get the Word of God out there, far and wide. Find churches 
where the Gospel is preached. Find churches where the Word 
of God is upheld. Find churches where it's expounded 
correctly and appropriately. And then we ought to expect what 
we find here in verse 12. Therefore, many of them believed. You see the causal connection? 
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. They heard 
the word of God, the spirit of God works in their hearts. They 
have faith to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And it says 
that many of them did. There were some according to 
17.4 in Thessalonica that received that word among the Jews. But 
when it comes to Berea, the more noble minded ones, the ones who 
took seriously their responsibility to examine the scripture daily, 
there was many. that believed among the Jews 
in the synagogue in Berea. But it didn't stop with the Jews. 
Notice what we find. And also not a few of the Greeks, 
prominent women as well as men. You see that in 17.4 with reference 
to Thessalonica as well. One of the glorious things in 
terms of the gospel marching on in the book of Acts is that 
it's not just Jews, but it's Gentiles. It's not just men, 
but it's women. It shows the comprehensive character 
of the covenant of grace and the promise made to Abraham way 
back in Genesis chapter 12. In him, all the nations of the 
earth would be blessed. In him, all the families of the 
earth would be blessed. And that is precisely what we 
see as we witness the unfolding of God's redemptive plan in the 
book of Acts. It really is exciting. It really 
is glorious. It really is wonderful. And I 
must say, going through this book has been a great encouragement 
in terms of prayer, in terms of understanding, and in terms 
of hopefully seeing these kinds of things fleshed out in our 
own generation. There ought to be a hunger, there 
ought to be a desire, there ought to be that sentiment that we 
find in this altar. Great are the works of the Lord, 
they are studied by all who delight in them. And if we would delight 
in botany, if we would delight in zoology, if we would delight 
in the natural revelation around us and be students of it, then 
as conquered sinners by God's sovereign grace, what better 
avenue of study than the word of the living and true God? greater 
the works of the Lord, redemption being the chief, therefore they 
are studied by all who delight in them. These Bereans are a 
great example for the Church of Jesus Christ in our own generation. But as we have seen and as we 
will continue to see, it doesn't go unchallenged. It doesn't go 
without opposition. Notice in verse 13. So verse 
12 indicates that there are many who believe, And then verse 13 
tells us, but when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the 
word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also 
and stirred up the crowds. Again, I think you see not only 
the tenacity, the perseverance, The endurance and the consistency 
of the missionaries, but you see that in the opposition. The 
missionaries for hell manifest the same sort of characteristic. 
They hear that the word of God is making its way in Berea, so 
they travel the 45 miles to stir up the crowds there. They already 
did this on the first missionary journey. If you remember Pisidian 
Antioch and then Iconium, Jews from those two cities went all 
the way to Lystra in order to persecute the missionaries as 
they were in Lystra. Now Pisidian Antioch was about 
a hundred miles away from Lystra. So that was quite a journey. 
And again, they didn't take a quick flight. They didn't take a train. 
They didn't take a car, they walked, they persevered. It meant 
a lot to them to try to rid the world of Christianity, so they 
acted upon it. Again, brethren, if we could 
take our cue from the opposition in terms of earnestness and zeal, 
we would do very well. There were 40 of them that took 
an oath that they wouldn't eat any food until Paul was dead. That's not the kind of zeal always 
expressed by the Christian church. I'm not suggesting we should 
take those sorts of oaths, but we should have the same sort 
of zeal to promote the truth that the opponents of Christianity 
have to try to destroy the truth of Christianity. And then notice 
what they do when they get there according to verse 13. They came 
there also and stirred up the crowds. John Gill says, stirred 
up the people, the common people, the natives of the place against 
the apostles, suggesting that they were wicked men. and enemies 
to all laws, human or divine, civil or religious." That's how 
they would have done it. They would have had to try to 
pin things on these men that simply were not true, like they 
did in Thessalonica. These ones are telling us things 
contrary to the degrees of Caesar. They are professing allegiance 
to another king, Jesus. Well, the same sort of thing 
happens here in verse 13. They speak ill of the missionaries. They speak ill of the Christian 
movement in order to try and silence it, in order to try to 
stomp it out. There is no freedom of speech. 
There's no freedom of thought. It is going to be the way that 
we tell you it's going to be. And that's the mindset of the 
unbelieving Jews, and they sought out assistance from the Roman 
Empire. Later on, they would get even 
more assistance when Rome targeted specifically the Christian Church. But in this juncture, at this 
point, it was unbelieving Israel that was the chief enemy of the 
Church of our Lord Jesus. And notice 1 Thessalonians 2. 
You can turn there. It's important that we see this. 
1 Thessalonians 2. Paul's commentary on what happens 
in terms of these Thessalonian persecutors. Verse 14, for you brethren became 
imitators of the churches of God, which are in Judea in Christ 
Jesus. For you also suffered the same 
things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, 
who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets and have 
persecuted us. Now notice, and they do not please 
God and are contrary to all men, forbidding us to speak to the 
Gentiles that they may be saved. What a pernicious and vile thing. Remember in the parable of the 
sower, you have the birds that go and pick up the seeds of the 
earth, and Jesus likens that to the devil. When the gospel 
is preached, the devil is active. He wants to grab that seed, and 
he wants to withdraw that seed, lest persons hear and be saved. Well, these Thessalonian Jews, 
the unbelieving ones, were of that mindset. They did not want 
Gentiles to be saved. They didn't want Gentiles coming 
to the true and living God through the mediator that that God sent 
in the power of the Holy Spirit. They wanted to close down that 
avenue of expression because ultimately they hate God, ultimately 
they hate the apostles, and ultimately they hate the very persons that 
this word is going to. If it's myth, if it's fable, 
if it's a fake, who cares? Leave them alone. But the opposition 
doesn't treat Scripture or Christianity that way. They are antagonistic 
for particular reasons. Again, enmity against God, enmity 
against church, and ultimately enmity against those who are 
dead in their trespasses and sins. What kind of a man forbids 
another man from procuring, by grace, the forgiveness of sins? 
That's very diabolical and very wretched and wicked, and we meet 
with a whole host of those kinds of people in the book of Acts. 
So Paul concludes his ministry there, and now notice he departs 
and goes to Athens, verses 14 and 15. The departure from Berea, 
verse 14, then immediately the brethren sent Paul away. And 
we understand why, because again, verse 13, the Jews have come, 
they're stirring up the crowds. So what do the disciples do? 
They say, Paul, you need to go. The old King James is a bit misleading 
here when it says, as it were to the sea. They actually conducted 
Paul to the sea. The text doesn't specify, but 
that there are no cities named seem to indicate that Paul traveled 
by boat on the Aegean Sea to get the 195 miles to Athens. Now, some suggest that he did 
travel by road. He may have, but the fact that 
they take him to the sea, most likely he gets on a boat, travels 
that distance. that journey and gets to Athens. And in verse 15, I'm sorry, verse 
14 again, to go to the sea, but both Silas and Timothy remain 
there. Why? Because Paul was the ringleader. 
Why? Because they really wanted Paul 
dead. Why? Because these two men could 
stay behind and educate and encourage and exhort the new believers. You see the wisdom in this missionary 
team. If they really want to kill Paul, 
and they're not after Silas and Timothy so much, let's leave 
Silas and Timothy there so that they can nurture this infant 
church, so that they can teach them more about Messiah, so that 
they can educate them about Christianity. So it's great wisdom that Paul 
alone goes at this particular point. So verse 15 tells us that 
he arrives in Athens. So those who conducted Paul brought 
him to Athens and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come 
to him with all speed, they departed. Now, in terms of the actual chronology, 
we compare Acts with 1 Thessalonians 3, and we conclude this concerning 
their journey. The men ultimately do rejoin 
Paul in Athens, according to 1 Thessalonians 3.1. Timothy was sent back to Thessalonica, 
again, most likely to preach, encourage, teach, and exhort 
the people of God there. That's in 1 Thessalonians 3.2. Silas went back to Macedonia 
as well. The exact location is unknown. 
And then when Paul went from Athens to Corinth, he was ultimately 
rejoined again by Silas and Timothy. So they're there in Athens, but 
then he dispatches Timothy to Thessalonica. He sends Silas 
back to Macedonia, where we don't know. But when Paul departs from 
Athens, he gets to Corinth, and there the men meet up again. 
And also a man by the name of Sopater, who was probably a convert 
from derby that is indicated in chapter 20 verse 4. Aristarchus 
and Secundus were men that were converted in Thessalonica, so 
we see not only the book of Acts, but the epistles of Paul help 
us to formulate the journeys, the travels, and how they covered 
these places, and how they left no stone unturned ultimately, 
preaching the gospel to sinners but as well, preaching the word 
of God to conquer or to save sinners, to strengthen them, 
to help them to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus. 
As we've seen, it's not enough just to get people saved. There 
needs to be an educated, trained ministry to get them growing 
in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus. This is why Paul 
commends elders and their ability to teach, not only 1 Timothy 
3 in terms of the actual qualification, qualifications, but 1 Timothy 
chapter 5 on how elders are supposed to be received in the churches. 
So there's exposition. Let's conclude with a few lines 
of application. The first place, the perseverance 
of the missionaries. The perseverance of the missionaries. Notice, they may flee from one 
city to another, but they don't flee from one city to retirement. They persevere. They are tenacious. They endure. They put up with 
the persecution. They put up with the ill treatment. 
They put up with those things. Why? Because it's for the glory 
of God, ultimately, and for their love of man. Brethren, we are 
given two commandments in this new covenant setting. They represent 
the 10. They are summary statements. 
The first is, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, 
mind, and strength. And the second is like it, love 
your neighbor as yourself. That's what you see in Paul. 
That's what you see in Silas and Timothy. They love God. They're 
gonna obey God. They're gonna go from place to 
place to magnify the glory and grace of God, but they love men 
as well. And they know that the best expression 
of love to man is to preach the gospel to him. Yes, giving food. Yes, giving clothes. That act 
of benevolence is wonderful, helpful, and lovely. But the 
best gift you and I can give to anybody is to tell them the 
gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and that's what 
is manifested in these missionaries. Secondly, we see the tenacity 
of the opposition. If the tenacity or the perseverance 
of the missionaries demonstrates their love to God and their love 
to man, the tenacity of the opposition shows their hatred for God and 
their hatred for man. Now, I doubt that if you ask 
them, do you hate God, they'd say, absolutely, positively. 
We despise God. No, they wouldn't have said that. 
And if you would have said, do you hate your fellow man, they 
hopefully would have said, positively, absolutely not. but you can judge 
a tree by the fruit that it bears, and if these men are trying to 
stop missionaries functioning on behalf of God Almighty, then 
that is reflective of their attitude toward God Almighty. And as Paul 
so aptly puts it in 1 Thessalonians 2.16, they didn't want these 
Jewish missionaries, that are Christians now, preaching the 
Gentiles, so that the Gentiles would be saved by grace through 
faith. So whatever men may claim, whatever men may say, the proof 
is in the pudding. If there's opposition to God 
and opposition to men, then that is indicative of a heart that 
is far from God. As well, we see a demonstration 
of their rage. and their perseverance, traveling 
45 miles, traveling 100 miles. Sometimes you meet with people 
in our day, well, I'd really like to go to that church, but 
boy, it's 10 miles away. And in my air-conditioned car, 
that's just not pleasant. Brethren, the opposition is all 
too willing to travel the distance in order to stop the mouths of 
God's people. What are God's people doing in 
terms of promoting His glory, promoting His gospel, and celebrating 
His goodness before men? And then it's finally a demonstration 
of Satan's opposition to the Church. I mentioned 1 Thessalonians 
2.18 last week. Therefore, we wanted to come 
to you, even I, Paul, time and again, but Satan hindered us. There is satanic opposition against 
the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's manifested by men. It's manifested by organizations, 
it's manifested by agencies, but the root or the origin of 
it is with that one who was a murderer from the beginning, that one 
who is a liar from the beginning. Paul tells us elsewhere in Ephesians 
chapter 6, 12, He says, for we do not wrestle against flesh 
and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers 
of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness 
in the heavenly places. You could turn there, because 
he also furnishes the antidote. So it's not only the case that 
we wrestle against these malevolent figures, but he also gives us 
the methodology, the manner in which we are to wrestle. So verse 
12, he makes the statement concerning who our opposition is. Verse 
13, he draws out a therefore, take up the whole armor of God 
that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done 
all to stand. See what we're called to do? 
We're not called to lie down. We're not called to give up. 
We're not called to wave the white flag. We're not called 
to surrender. We are called, as we sang, to 
stand up for our Lord Jesus Christ. That is the behavior modeled 
by the missionaries, and that is the behavior commanded by 
one of the missionaries in this passage. If we wonder what it 
is to take up the whole armor of God, Paul's going to specify. 
Verse 14, stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, 
having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having 
shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above 
all, taking the shield of faith, with which you will be able to 
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. and take the 
helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word 
of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the 
Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and 
supplication for all the saints, and for me, that utterance may 
be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known 
the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, 
that in it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak." Isn't that 
encouraging? Paul asks for prayer for Paul. 
Paul asks for prayer for Paul. For what specifically? That I 
may speak boldly as I ought to speak. What's that seem to indicate? That by nature, natively, he 
wasn't the sort of fellow that would engage in bold speech. 
He wasn't the sort of fellow that would stand up against Epicureans 
and Stoics in Athens. The sort of fellow that would 
stand up against persecuting Jews in Thessalonica and in Derbe. He's the sort of fellow that's 
dependent, obviously, on the grace of God. And he has no problems, 
no qualms whatsoever, in asking the church at Ephesus to pray 
for me that I would speak boldly. But then he goes on to say, as 
I ought to speak. In other words, this gospel is 
so glorious, this message is so wonderful, it deserves a wide 
hearing and a faithful man. And to that end, brethren, Paul 
says, pray for me that I may be that kind of man that proclaims 
the excellence of Jesus Christ the Lord. So we see the perseverance 
of the missionaries. We see the tenacity of the opposition. 
Thirdly, we see the noble-mindedness of the Bereans. And I want to 
point us to two texts just as a bit of a further illustration 
of this. First is found in Nehemiah 8, 
and the second is found in Luke 8. And you can turn to Nehemiah 
8. We don't have a lot of time to 
sort of develop the context, but essentially what happens 
is that Nehemiah and Ezra come after the Babylonian captivity. So they are post-exilic religious 
reformers. Ezra was a scribe. Ezra was knowledgeable 
in the word of God. He set his heart to study the 
law, to do the law, and then to teach the law according to 
the book of Ezra. And Nehemiah twice served as 
the governor of Judah. He also served under the Persian 
king, Artaxerxes, but ultimately was a religious reformer. And 
in the book of Nehemiah specifically, what is happening is that the 
Jews are returning from Babylon back to Judah. This is after 
the exile. And so one of the first orders 
of business This is intriguing. This will make the open border 
people freak out, was to build the wall at Jerusalem. That was 
the first thing they were going to do. And then an altar, and 
then ultimately a temple, because all of those things had been 
destroyed by Babylon, by Nebuchadnezzar, when they came and desecrated 
the city in about 586, 587 BC. So these returnees now come, 
and as we get to chapters eight and nine, what is specifically 
in view is covenant renewal. In other words, they've come 
from Babylon, they're settled back in Judah, they've built 
the wall, and they are getting ready to continue on in their 
service to God. So there's covenant renewal that 
takes place in chapter nine, but it comes on the heels of 
chapter eight. What happens in chapter eight? 
There is a long extended preaching service. That's what happens 
in chapter eight. If you look at chapter eight, 
specifically at verse one, well, the end of chapter seven, when 
the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities. 
Verse one, chapter eight, now, all the people gathered together 
as one man in the open square that was in front of the water 
gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the 
law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. Notice 
in verse 4, so Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood, 
which they had made for the purpose. And then as well, verse 8, so 
they read distinctly from the book in the law of God, and they 
gave the sense and helped them to understand the reading. You 
see what's happening? It's preaching. Preaching leads, 
at least in this context, to covenant renewal. Preaching ultimately 
yields a resolution on behalf of Israel to serve Yahweh with 
a newfound zeal and fervor. But there are certain attributes 
that are exposed here in terms of the proper reception of God's 
holy word. It brings it into parallel with 
those Bereans who were more noble-minded than the Jews in Thessalonica, 
because they received the word with all readiness and examined 
daily the scriptures to see if what Paul was saying was in fact 
true. Notice that the people were expectant. The people were expectant. All 
the people gathered together as one man and they told Ezra 
the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses. Why? Because 
they expected this skilled scribe to be able to give the sense, 
to be able to interpret. to be able to bring the Word 
of God to bear upon them. It's sort of like in Acts 13. Remember in Pisidi and Antioch? 
After Paul conducts his service there in the synagogue, it says 
that the Gentiles begged that they could hear these things 
the next Sabbath day. There's an expectancy on the 
part of God's people. They pray on a Sunday morning 
or on a Sunday afternoon that the Lord Most High will send 
the Spirit, that the Word of God would be made effectual to 
our hearts, that we would grow in the grace and in the knowledge 
of our Lord and Savior. They're unconverted. They pray, 
God Most High, give me ears to hear, hearts to receive, and 
the faith to lay hold of my beloved Savior. These people were expectant. Secondly, they were attentive. 
Notice in 8.3. Then he read from it in the open 
square that was in front of the water gate from morning until 
midday. That's exactly what it means, 
from morning until midday. This wasn't a 45-minute sermon. 
They brought it and they spent time doing it before the men 
and women and those who could understand. Oh no, not today. We farm our children out so they 
can go play games at the time of the preaching of the word. 
I know the arguments and I understand the sensitivity and we want to 
make sure they get it. We also want them to understand 
how important it is that the preaching of God's word comes 
to them. We don't ship them off to somewhere else so they can 
color or play. We want to educate them. We want 
to assist them. We want to encourage a diligent 
hearing on their part We want to exhort them to receive the 
word. It says, before the men and women 
and those who could understand, and the ears of all the people, 
according to 8.3, were attentive, literally directed to the book. directed to the book. That's 
what they were concerned about, was the book of the law of Moses. 
And then it goes on to the book of the law and then 8-7. Notice, 
and the people stood in their place. There was this attentiveness. They stood in their place. Why? Because the Bible was being preached. 
Matthew Henry makes this observation. He says, the word of God commands 
attention and deserves it. I don't think any of us will 
disagree with that. The word of God commands attention 
and deserves it. If through carelessness, we let 
much slip in hearing, there is danger that through forgetfulness, 
we shall let all slip after hearing. In other words, be attentive 
when it comes to the preaching of God's word. Thirdly, the people 
were reverent. Notice in 8.5, when he opened 
it, this was the book of the law of Moses, all the people 
stood up. Why? Because God's speaking to 
us. All the people stood up. Why? Because we are subject to the 
God of Israel. And when he commands, when he 
calls, when he urges, when he encourages, we receive it. Chapter 
8, verse 6 says, And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then 
all the people answered, Amen, Amen, while lifting up their 
hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their 
faces to the ground. There is a reverence that ought 
to obtain when persons receive the word of the living God. And 
then fourthly, notice that the people were responsive. In other 
words, they obeyed. They did what the word said. 
They actually did what the word said. It's an amazing thing, 
isn't it? Lots of preaching goes out today, 
but does everybody always do everything that God says? No. 
That's why ultimately we need Jesus. But look at what happens 
here. According to verse nine, they 
were convicted. There's a heavy-heartedness about 
the people. In fact, they needed to be exhorted 
not to weep at that particular time because it was a feast time. 
Don't weep now. It's good to be convicted, and 
you certainly should weep, but not right now because it's the 
time to express joy in the presence of our great God. They rejoiced, 
according to verse 12, after being reminded to do so in verse 
10. As well, look at verse 13. They wanted more. Verse 13 says, 
Now on the second day, the heads of the fathers' houses of all 
the people, with the priests and Levites, were gathered to 
Ezra the scribe in order to understand the words of the law. In other 
words, they wanted more, like in Pisidian Antioch. Those Gentiles 
begged that they might hear the word of God on the next Sabbath. 
And then they had obeyed what they heard. Notice in verse 14, 
they found written in the law, which the Lord had commanded 
by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths 
during the feast of the seventh month, and that they should announce 
and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem saying, go out 
to the mountain and bring all the branches, branches of oil 
trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy 
trees to make booths as it is written. See, they're responsive. 
They heard that there was this feast that they should have been 
keeping, and they hadn't been keeping it. They're reminded 
now, and instead of saying, oh, what a drag, what a bore, we 
don't want to make booths, we don't want to celebrate. No, 
they want to do this. When the Spirit of God comes 
upon the people of God, and they've received the word of God, they 
want to do what God says to them. And there is great joy and gladness 
in Israel, according to verse 17. Verse 17 tells us, and there 
was very great gladness. So Nehemiah 8 is a wonderful 
illustration of that principle manifested in the Bereans in 
the synagogue in Acts 17. Then, of course, Luke chapter 
8 gives us the parable of the sower. the parable of the sower. Some have called it the parable 
of the soils. And I just want to give you the 
heads. You have the first category, they're unbelievers. They are 
given us in chapter eight at verse five, and then interpreted 
by our Lord in verse 12. So verse 12 says, those by the 
wayside are the ones who hear. Then the devil comes and takes 
the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and 
be saved. We mentioned that in connection 
with those Thessalonians. They didn't want the Gentiles 
to be saved. Mentioned before, when birds 
come to your farm and they pick up your seeds, they're hungry. 
They're not malevolent. They're not satanic. Satan wants 
to pick the seeds up so that you won't hear the seed, so that 
you won't believe, and so that you won't be saved. The second 
category is the apostate, verses 6 and 13. Verse 13 says, but 
the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive 
the word with joy. And these have no root, who believe 
for a while, and in time of temptation, fall away. Fall away is the language 
of apostasy. The third category is the hypocrite, 
verses 7 and 14. Verse 14, now the ones that fell 
among the thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out 
and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring 
no fruit to maturity. Nothing there, there's no substance, 
it's all sizzle and no steak. And the final is the believer, 
verses 8 and 15. Verse 15, but the ones that fell 
on the good ground are those who having heard the word with 
a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. 
That noble and good heart comes from God. That's why it's requisite 
on the part of the people of God on a Sunday morning and a 
Sunday afternoon to go before us, before the preaching, and 
make hearts ready. Those who are unsaved, those 
who are unconverted, God, we pray that you would deal with 
their hearts, give them receptivity so that they'll believe the gospel 
and know the joy of being found in Jesus Christ our Lord. Two 
commentators on this parable. Ryle says, preaching is an ordinance 
of which the value can never be overrated in the Church of 
Christ. We'd all agree. Verse 1, chapter 
14, they so spoke that a great multitude believed. So Ryle is 
right. Preaching is an ordinance of 
which the value can never be overrated in the Church of Christ. 
He goes on, but it should never be forgotten that there must 
not only be good preaching, but Good hearing. If Spurgeon fell 
out of heaven and your mind was on tomorrow, it wouldn't do you 
any good. If John Calvin were to raise 
from the dead and stand in this pulpit and preach to us from 
the book of Deuteronomy, I don't know why, but if I ever heard 
Calvin preach, I'd want Deuteronomy, and we weren't listening, we 
weren't hearing, we weren't receiving or pondering, what good would 
it be? Brethren, there is responsibility not only on the part of the pulpit, 
but on the part of the hearer. And if you're not paying attention, 
if your mind is a million miles away, if you're in Dan while 
the rest of us are in Beersheba, it's not going to affect you 
for good. Spurgeon, on the parable of the 
sower, and I know you've heard this because I've quoted these 
before. He says, hear. It is your wisdom to know what 
God says. Hear well. God's teaching deserves 
the deepest attention. It will repay the best consideration. Hear often. Waste no Sabbath 
nor any one of its services. Use weekday lectures and prayer 
meetings. Hear better. You will grow the 
holier thereby. You will find heavenly joy by 
hearing with faith. I think that's good. I think 
that is excellent commentary on the parable of the sower, 
and I think Ryle's words are bang on. It's not just good preaching 
we need. We need good hearing. We need 
good listening. We need good paying attention. 
We need parents that'll jab their kids, not painfully, but jab 
them and say, pay attention. We're in the house of God. This 
is an hour out of your long week. And all the other things you 
can give attention to, all the other things you can spend your 
energy on, you need to develop the ability to pay attention 
to God's Word. You take grown men that are watching 
hockey games for three hours and never get up. except maybe 
to grab a beer or go to the bathroom. But that's what they do. They're 
fixed. They're attentive. Why? Because 
for some reason it matters to them. And we get to the house 
of God and people are looking at their watches or doing the 
old stretch so they can see the clock because we're going too 
long. Brethren, such things ought not 
to be in Zion. We ought to welcome and receive 
and happily enjoy the word of the living and true God. And 
then a final statement in light of what we mentioned this morning. 
For those who are not present, we discussed chapter 24 in our 
confession of faith of the civil magistrate. The civil magistrate 
is accountable to God and accountable to the governed. So is ecclesiastical 
government. They're accountable to God. Study 
to show yourself approved. A workman who need not be ashamed, 
rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2.15 is the 
minister's accountability to God. Study to show yourself approved 
to God. In other words, no man ought 
to creep into a pulpit and preach the word without having first 
had dealings with God. But they're also accountable 
to the people. The Bereans were more noble-minded 
because they received the Word with all readiness, and they 
searched, they examined, they diligently sought out the Scripture 
to make sure that the things they were being told was in fact 
true. Brethren, no minister ought to 
fear that accountability. Every minister ought to encourage 
people, bringing Bibles, opening Bibles, searching along, going 
home, getting with God, looking at Scripture, comparing Scripture 
with Scripture. As I said, the truth has nothing 
to hide and everything to gain when men, women, boys, and girls 
examine it. Because faith comes by hearing, 
and hearing by the Word of God. And that is most crucial in this 
connection. There are things in the Bible 
that we may never fully understand. There are things in the Bible 
that are a bit difficult for us to get. Peter says this of 
Paul's word, some things are hard to understand. He mentions 
that in 2 Peter 3, but those things that pertain to the glory 
of God and the salvation of men are crystal clear. And faith 
comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Miss no Sabbath 
meetings, as Spurgeon would counsel. But as well, miss no day of scripture 
reading. Not again, because you're gonna 
be checked off in the next pastoral visit. Did you miss a day in 
June? You were locked into your house. 
You should have been reading all the time. Well, hopefully 
that's not in June. I misspoke. No one's locked in 
it in June. But the bottom line is, get in 
the scripture. If somebody is actually concerned 
about their soul, they will come to the Bible. They will read 
scripture. That's, again, proof is in the 
pudding. I really want to be saved. I 
want to know Jesus. Well, have you read scripture? 
I don't read scripture. Do you pay attention? I don't. I don't 
pay attention to preaching. Well, why? That's like saying, 
I want health, but I'm not going to do what the doctor says. I 
want to be better, but I'm not going to comply with those instructions 
that are calculated to making me better. Faith comes by hearing, 
and hearing by the Word of God. Parents, one of the best things 
we can do is to exhort and encourage our children to not only be in 
church, but also to be in the Scripture. It's not going to 
be the case that it's a magical process. It's not going to be 
the case for most. Paul, on the road to Damascus, 
had a supernatural experience. But for the rest of us, it's 
coming into contact with that Word that communicates to us 
the living Word, even Jesus Christ our Lord, the one who lived, 
the one who died, and the one who was raised again the third 
day. And it's faith in Him that is everlasting life. It's faith 
in Him that means salvation. It's faith in Him, and the way 
to Him is through the blessed Word of the living and true God. 
Let us pray. Our Father, I pray that you'd 
make us all Bereans, not only in the church, but in our families 
and as individuals. Give us a hunger and a desire 
for the word of truth. May it be the case that great 
are the works of the Lord. They're studied by all who desire, 
or who all delight in them. May it be that we all delight 
in this scriptural truth and help us to be faithful, Help 
us to be good hearers. Help us to receive with glad 
hearts the word of the living and true God. And for any and 
all hearing preaching today, hearing the gospel, we pray that 
your spirit would open their hearts, give them faith and repentance, 
that they may close with Jesus Christ, that they may look unto 
him and live and know the joy of being found in Christ Jesus 
our Lord. And we ask this in his most blessed 
name. Amen.