Preached in Markham Baptist Church, September 16, 2007

This morning we begin a new series of studies entitled Living in Light of Christ’s Return.  The topic of Christ’s return has always been of interest to the church and rightly so.  Jesus tells us that we are to be watchful and ready for His return.  He will come when we do not expect so we are to live as people who are on the edge of expectancy. 

In recent years our Lord’s second coming it has been a poplar topic of discussion – a huge number of books have been published speculating the manner and the time of Christ’s return.  And it never fails to be a question of discussion at any party at which you mention you are a Christian.  It seems like everyone who is not a Christian wants to talk about Armageddon when they discover that you are a Christian. 

So this series grows out of a desire for you to be Biblically equipped to be able to give a reason for your faith.   And I want to help you discern what is true and what is false and what is way out there in crazy land when it comes to end-times thinking.

Some of you feel that you have the ability already. You just have a gut feeling about those bunker-digging, generator-hoarding, gun-packing Christians we seem to hear about on the news every so often – you feel that something just isn’t right about them. 

But our discernment needs to be based on more than our gut feelings – because some of the people and the information we receive aren’t so blatantly out in left field, and we need to be able to discern what is right and what is wrong. 

How can we discern the truth?  We are people of the Word, so our discernment needs to be based on Scripture, the living Word of God.

So our series will be firmly rooted in Scripture.  The texts we will be studying are the letters to the Thessalonians.  And I know that you will discover that these letters are immensely practical and we’ll see how the truth of the second coming of Christ effects our lives, our work, our homes, our worship, our ethics and our values.

Our Lord is coming again!  We have this firm and certain hope that He will return – D-Day has occurred on the cross – V-Day is just around the corner when the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, “with a loud command, with a the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God.” (I Thessalonians 4:16) We worship a reigning Lord who will return in power and with judgment.   

To begin the whole series off , I want us to grasp the story behind the letters. So our text is Acts 17:1-15.  Here we read of Paul’s first visit to Thessalonica.  He is on his second missionary journey.  He is traveling to encourage those churches he planted during his first missionary journey and is seeking to plant more churches along the way.

In chapter 16 we see that Paul wants to go to the province of Asia but the text tells us at verse 6 that he is forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.  Paul ends up at Troas and he has that great vision in verse 9, “There stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 

It is a great picture of how the Holy Spirit guides the church - He shuts doors of opportunity and opens doors of opportunity – guiding and leading us to the places and people He wants.  So Paul makes his way to Macedonia. 

He arrives in Philippi and stays a number of days.  Here he and Silas are thrown into jail, accused of causing a public disturbance.  Of course you know how the two sang hymns to God, how the prison was shaken by an earthquake yet the two of them stayed within the prison. 

The next day they are released and they move on from Philippi and journey 33 miles to Amphipolis and 28 miles to Apllonia, and then a final 40 miles to Thessalonica.   In all about a 100-mile journey. 

He doesn’t stop in Amphipolis or Apollonia. His target is the main port city of the region, the capital of Macedonia.  Being a port city Thessalonica is bustling with commerce and trade.  This city is also on the Egnatian Way, the main Roman highway of the time.  It was the 401 of the age, linking all the primary cities in the Roman Empire allowing connecting travel between the Aegean and Adriatic Seas. 

So you see the genius behind this – Paul seeks to plant a church here in a central capital city.  He seeks to bring the gospel to the people of the city, the merchants, the sailors, and then that message spreads out to the surrounding areas as merchants and sailors go back to their own homes and tell of the love of Christ.

The cities were, as they are in our day, centres of power and influence.  So Paul goes to Thessalonica and he heads right for the synagogue.  Why there?  Because these folks would have a knowledge of God and a working knowledge of Scriptures.  If Paul were evangelizing Ethiopia today he would begin with members of the Coptic church. If he were evangelizing Spain, he would begin with the local Catholic church.  There would be opposition, but because they have a  nodding acquaintance with the truth they would be attracted to the simple gospel of Christ. 

So our text is Acts 17:1-15.

As we think of our theme for this fall series – Living in Light of Christ’s Return – this passage is telling us to believe in the supremacy of the gospel.  Sometimes we get tired – we wonder if Jesus is ever going to come back. Maybe we should change our message – and these events in the book of Acts tell us, “No the gospel is supreme in its content and in its power and ability to transform society and lives.  And we need to continue to be faithful in our proclamation of it.”

At verse 6 of our text we read that some of the people outside the church who  recognized the supremacy of the gospel and say, “These people have been turning the world upside down and have come here also.”  

These people are turning the world upside down!  The funny thing about this is that this word was spoken in derision.  They are essentially saying, “These people are changing things, they are changing things that should not be changed (at least that is their opinion.) They are challenging the government, society and our very lives.  They are turning the world upside down.”

That of course is a metaphor describing how people and social structures have been overturned and changed through faith in the good news of Jesus Christ.  The enemies of the gospel in Thessalonica meant this to be a slam on the early Christian missionaries.  But really it is a glorious truth of the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  He has the ability – and the word which reveals Him – they are one in the same really – has the ability to turn the world upside down.

The supremacy of the gospel.  Think first of the supremacy of the content of the gospel.

We don’t have the whole message that Paul spoke over those three Sabbaths, but we do have the substance of the message in verses 2 and 3: “And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days argued with them from the scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying “This is the Messiah, Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you.” 

This is the theme which guided all of the apostles preaching.  This is the echo that reverberated through everything that the early church proclaimed.  It is the recurring chorus to which Paul would come to again and again.

Have you ever gone home after hearing a sermon wondering what the preacher said in his sermon?  And when you were asked the next day, “What did your pastor preach about yesterday?”  You had to say, “I’m not sure.”  And that inability often isn’t our fault but the preacher’s fault because he didn’t make his theme clear.

But there is no mistaking the theme of the early church. Old Jacob could go home after hearing Paul preach, and he would say to his brother, “I heard that preacher Paul today.” 

And his brother would ask him, “What did that preacher say?” 

And Jacob could answer without hesitation, “The Messiah has come in the person of Jesus Christ, He has suffered, has died but has risen again.”

This is the central theme of the New Testament proclamation.  That was Paul’s marvellous news.  You can picture Paul in your mind’s eye, the people of the synagogue listening intently as he opened the Old Testament scrolls pointing to Isaiah 53:4 - “Surely he took up our infirmities, and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his wounds we are healed.”

And then you can see him turning to the scrolls containing the Psalms and pointing to Psalm 22 and Psalm 69 you can almost hear his voice as he brings to life the truths of the Old Testament sacrifices, offerings, and feasts each one pointing to the shedding of blood of God’s anointed one and the forgiveness of sin.

You can imagine the joy with which Paul preached and proclaimed, “The one we have longed for and looked for has arrived!  Jesus is God’s anointed one – he has suffered, died and risen and through faith in him you can be forgiven”.

The supremacy of the content of the gospel.

Anthony Robbins and other motivational speakers of his ilk travel around the country telling people to awaken the giant within, but I say, “No thanks.”.  I have caught a glimpse of the giant within me and he is lazy, sinful, and selfish.  

I need someone to forgive me, I need someone to cleanse me, I need someone to change me.  I can’t do it on my own.  I’ve tried and it doesn’t work. 

And the message of the gospel is there is one who has come!  That person who can change you has come in the person of Jesus Christ.  That person who can bring you into a living, eternal relationship with God by cleansing you, has come.  He will not awaken the giant within you – He will place His own life within and THAT will be a giant of life, full of grace and joy and love. 

This is the supremacy of the content of the gospel – there is no other message like it. 

There are many who want the church to preach some other aspect of the gospel. For instance there are many who want the church to preach social justice.

But take note that Paul made no attempt to change society; his work was to change people.  He did not use his Roman citizenship, his influence with people or the power of his pen to influence social change. He did not run for office or lobby those in positions of power.  He did not organize demonstrations or publish a paper. In fact he did none of these things we sometimes consider to be part of the Christian program today.

Was it because these things are bad?  No.  We need to Christian politicians and we need to stand for what is right and good and pure and holy. 

Was it because Paul’s society was more moral than ours?  No.  The Roman society was full of gross injustice and awful inequalities.  So what did Paul do?

He preached the gospel.  His job was to win people to Christ.  Why?  Because he knew of the supremacy of the content of the gospel.  When enough people follow Christ and obey Christ’s word the conscience of society is awakened and social reforms follow.

When enough people follow Jesus Christ taverns go out of business, pornographers go bankrupt, there is no longer a market for liquor or drugs - humane laws are passed and society is transformed.

His job, our job, is to win people to Christ.  Jesus said, “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”  And we do this through the central message that Jesus is the Saviour promised by God.

True, Paul did urge believers to treat people as brothers, he did urge brothers and sisters in Christ to give to the poor and care for the widowed and orphaned, but he did not urge the unsaved to do that.

Paul’s work in the world was to create a brotherhood a family of born-again men and women, boys and girls who would follow Christ wholeheartedly and turn the world upside down.  The supremacy of the content of the gospel. 

Notice too that whenever the supremacy of the gospel is asserted there is opposition.  We read at verse 4 that some joined Paul and Silas, that is, they became followers of Jesus Christ.  But beginning at verse 5 there are those who opposed the message.  Some were jealous, that is they were full of pride and did not want the bow their knee to the supremacy of the message.  And they went in search of Paul and Silas at the home they were staying.  They were staying at Jason’s house, but they were unable to find them.  So they hauled Jason out and said these men are treasonous – it was a serious charge.  At verse 9 we read that they took bail from Jason, meaning they made Jason promise that these men Paul and Silas would leave and never return. 

That night Paul and Silas go to Berea and they begin to preach there.  But once again while many receive the message they face opposition. 

My friends, make no mistake about it.  When we assert the supremacy of the gospel we face opposition.  The world does not want to hear that it cannot save itself.  People do not want to hear that they need a Saviour and they need to live in dependence upon Him.  People are hostile to that message - Satan is hostile to that message and we will face opposition. 

What’s important is that we carry on.  The temptation to quit is always there, isn’t it?  This church is too slow, not caring enough - let’s quit.  People are unresponsive - let’s give in.  We’ve preached the gospel so many times and it just doesn’t seem to take root.  Let’s jump ship.”

That’s exactly what Satan wants us to do. 

Imagine what would have happened if Paul thought, “Well, I guess I better not proclaim the gospel any more, I’ll only be opposed again, like I was in Philippi.  I suppose it’s no use.”

What would have happened?  No Thessalonian church, no Thessalonians letters, nothing.

But how much better it is if in the face of opposition we continue to believe and proclaim and live the supremacy of the gospel in our lives?  Look at the Thessalonians.  In his first letter to them Paul describes their conversion:   “You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with joy given by the Holy Spirit.”

Then look at the result of this: “And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia … they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us.  They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.”  (I Thessalonians 1:6,7,9)

We will face opposition when we proclaim the supremacy of the gospel.  But look at the fruit of it when we continue to be faithful to Jesus Christ, when we continue to turn from the things of this world and worship God and God alone – others are helped.  Others are influenced for Jesus Christ, and are enabled to carry on. 

But not only this, we will face opposition within ourselves.  I found myself having the rare privilege of sitting in the pew for four weeks in different churches while I was on holiday. And I remember sitting there one Sunday saying to myself, “Let’s see what this guy can do.  I don’t care what he says today, I don’t feel like receiving what he has to say. I don’t want to listen to a message about God’s love today.  I feel grumpy and I want to stay this way.”  We face opposition to the supremacy of the gospel in our own lives.  Even today there are those of you here today who have nodded off – others who have said the same thing that I said – others who do not want to accept the fact that you need a Saviour. 

And I’ll admit it is immensely uncomfortable sometimes to sit under the preaching of the Word.  It is uncomfortable to hear the Word of God and allow it to do its work of conviction in our lives.  It’s hard and uncomfortable -  but it is oh, so needed.  We need to allow the word of God to take hold of us and shape us and form us.  It is supreme and it is the only means by which we can truly be changed.  And while it is uncomfortable for a moment it feels so good to allow God’s love to cleanse you of your guilt, your sin and fill you with His life. 

The supremacy of the gospel in its content.  Be aware we face opposition when we assert the supremacy of the gospel. 

And then this - notice the supremacy of the gospel in its power.  If you take a bird’s eye view of Acts 16 and Acts 17 you get a sense that nothing can stand in the way of the gospel.  Nothing can contain it.  Here are Paul and Silas in Philippi and they preach the gospel and people are changed. 

They are thrown in jail but miraculously are set free. They go down to Thessalonica and preach the gospel and people are changed.  They meet opposition and they move on to Berea and they preach the gospel and people are changed.  Once again they meet opposition and they move on and preach the gospel

Do you get the sense that this gospel is unstoppable?  It is supreme in its power. 

You can’t stop it, you can’t contain it.  The Thessalonians tried. They forbade Paul and Silas from ever coming back there, so Paul has to resort to writing them letters.  We will learn later that he sends these letters with Timothy, and he is concerned that the Thessalonians’ faith may have faltered.  But Timothy comes back to Paul with this great message.  “The Thessalonian Christians are strong and all is well in fact their love for one another is so strong that everyone knows about it.”   You can’t contain this gospel. 

I find it fascinating that the Thessalonians tried to contain the message of the gospel, to stop it from being preached.  So Paul had to write letters and those letters have been a huge help to people throughout the centuries around the world.  The supremacy of the gospel in its power.  You can’t contain it, you can’t stop it.  Russia has tried, China has tried, many others have tried –but you can’t do it.

And think of the supremacy of the gospel in its power to change a life.     

I mentioned it was the enemies of the gospel who said, “These men are turning the world up side down.”

Indeed, isn’t it a true picture of what happens when Christ takes hold of a person?  Our world is suddenly turned upside down.  Our inner world is suddenly turned upside down.  Our values, our desires, our dreams, our attitudes, ambitions, all get turned upside down when we submit ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  Joy has replaced sorrow, hope for despair, generosity for greed, we no longer seek the treasures of this world but see first the kingdom of God.

We would agree with Scripture behold all things have been made new in our lives and if we compared ourselves with what we are now to that we were before Jesus Christ was Lord and Saviour of our lives we would testify to the truth Ezekiel spoke of and say that back then it was as if we had a heart of stone – lifeless – but now thanks be to God, we have a heart of flesh – there is life.  Christ’s life pulsing through our veins.  When Christ takes hold of a person their world is turned upside down.

And I’ve mentioned proof of this in the first letter to the Thessalonians, they turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.  They were utterly transformed.  And news of their faith in God became known everywhere.  Utterly transformed by the message of God’s Son our Saviour.

If I ever doubt God’s ability to transform a life I only need to think of Tim.  I first met Tim about 10 years ago at one o’clock in the morning.  That’s when he called me. Right out of the blue or out of the dark as the case may be.  He was at the point of breaking, torn apart by alcohol, his family life was in ruins, his relationship with is wife was on the edge, and he had hit rock bottom.  He called me because he had attended one of our puppet shows and needed someone to talk to.

We talked about his situation and I shared how God loved him and how God had shown that love through his son’s death on the cross. The central message of the gospel and through subsequent weeks other Christian men in the community drew around him. Christian men in AA and others reinforced that message and today he is a transformed man his relationship with his family is back on track and is actively serving Christ.

I remember several years later bumping into him, and our eyes locked and we both smiled as we both at the same time flashed back to that night 10 years ago and he looked at me and said, “Pastor, it is amazing what Christ has done in my life.  He has transformed me.”

That’s what happens when Christ gets a hold of a person, your world is turned upside down.

O, my friends I hope you haven’t lost your faith in the power of the gospel to transform a life.  Sometimes we think, there is no hope for this person or that person, they are just too far gone.  But we mustn’t think this way.  Our God is an awesome God and the gospel He has given us “is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes.”  Romans 1:15.   That’s the promise.  That’s the truth.. The gospel is the power of God for the salvation for everyone who believes.

To be sure not everyone one of us has a dramatic testimony like Tim.  We can’t say that Christ saved us from the brink of losing our wife and family and job.  I know my own testimony is not like that.  But don’t ever suppose that Christ is not powerfully at work in your life – I sometimes think of Christ’s power at work in my life and what sins he has kept me from!  I am obsessive, once I start a project I have to finish it.  And I wonder what I would have become if I did not know the reality that my life is in Christ’s hand that He is in control and His will is supreme.           

Think of Christ’s power to transform a life.  And to be honest with you, there are times when we can shut God out and we fail to allow Christ to change us – we cling to old dirty habits and old ways of thinking.  We refuse to allow the Holy Spirit to meet us in worship – and we say we don’t really have a testimony – we never see God at work in our lives.  But my friends, that’s not Christ’s fault. That’s a result of a hard, stubborn heart.  Jesus Christ has the power to change a life, even a life that has been a Christian for years and years and years.

One of my favourite Scottish preachers John Gossip used to say, “Give God a chance.”  And that’s the solution, isn’t it?  We need to give God a chance – to be quiet before Him in the morning.  To allow Him to speak to us.  To say to Him, “Melt me, mold me and allow your Holy Spirit to change my heart.” 

In the next number of studies we are going to see a church that is alive for Christ because Paul boldly preached Christ.  He laid a good foundation for them so that when those who hated the message of Christ chased him out the city, the church continued on.  Not because of Paul but because of Paul’s Saviour.  Christ had become their Saviour, so the church grew and flourished.

As we live in light of Christ’s return let us be a people who believe in the supremacy of the gospel in its content; a people who face opposition from outside the church and from within our own hearts – knowing that the gospel changes us – it has the power to change society, it has the power to change a life – it has the power to change your life and turn it upside down if you allow it. 

And so I pray, so we pray, the very simple prayer – O Lord, do it again, do again, to us and through us your servants.  Amen.

Copyright MBC and Tom Cullen - September 2007

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