Plan
1. Introduction
2. Context about Thessalonians
3. How is Luke estimate the Bereans?
4. Why they were of noble character?
5. Conclusion
Acts 17:11
1. Would you like to have lived in the time the first apostles, to have seen how the Gospel spread through the whole region, how people reacted to the apostle’s sermon, and how was lives changed?
2. When we read Acts, we see that people had different reactions to Paul’s ministry in various cities, though disciples appeared in each city. In the beginning, chapter 17, we see that Paul came to Thessalonica. – Acts 17:1-9
“ As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,” he said. Some of Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women. But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city” (ver.2-5)
3. Then Paul and Silas came to Berea. – 17:10-14
“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” 17:11
Luke estimates the Bereans – “more noble character than the Thessalonians”. This greek word means “well born, high in rank, nobleman”.
4. Why did Luke give them such high praise?
1) They received the message. It was people in the synagogue, who knew the Scriptures. They didn’t come to just “listen to the latest ideas” (17:21) like Athenians. They came to listen to the Word.
How is your attitude towards preaching the Word? Do you like listen to God’s Word or is it an extra burden for you?
2) They received the message with great eagerness. That is readily, with zeal, with energy.
Do you listening to the Word like this people when you come to church or other meeting where Bible is studied? We know we are more noble when we have zeal to hear God’s Word.
3) They examined the Scriptures. It wasn’t just listening or reading, they examined. Other translations of this greek word are to scrutinize, investigate, interrogate, determine: ask, question, discern, judge, search. I think that Luke drew attention to this fact because he himself “have carefully investigated everything from the beginning” (Luk.1:3)
Do you investigate the Bible? Just reading the Bible is useful but if we want to understand the meaning and application of the text we should “carefully investigate” and examine it.
4) They examined the Scriptures every day.
How often do you study the Bible? Is it your daily practice or you only delve deeply on Sundays (or only on certain days)?
5) They examined the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was true.
Do you check what the preacher tells you, especially preachers you don’t know? By what criteria do you evaluate sermons and precepts?
5. The result was “many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of promineny Greek women and many Greek men” (17:12)
Do you want to hear Luke’s assissment of the Bereans as his assissment of you? Would you like to hear him say, “This is a man (or woman) who knows the Bible very well? I want to be that person.
Do you want to have a strong faith? If you do, receive the message like the Bereans. We should to do this because “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Rom.10:17)
