The importance of being a Berean Hearer

Acts 17 and the Call to Be a Berean Hearer

Read in Acts 17. Acts 17, verse 1, is what the inspired Word of God says. 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 in to 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, became 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. Continuing in verse 10,. 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. Lord, I would ask that you be glorified today. Be glorified in the reading of your word. Please be glorified in the church today.

It's in Jesus' name I pray. Amen. This morning, the theme of the message is simply this, the importance of being a Berean listener. You likely have heard this term used. If you've been in this church any period of time, you've heard this terminology used about the importance of being a Berean listener.

It is very, very important because what we see in this, we read quite a large section of the scripture there, but what we see in this section of scripture, what we see in 17 chapter 1 through basically verse 9, is a church that is a group of people, which I want to say that I want to make that very plain and make that very clear, because we understand and we know that according to the scriptures, the ecclesia, the church, that's the Greek term used for church, is the called out assembly of the saints.

And we know that according to what Jesus said in John's gospel, we understand and know that if we are his sheep, that we will hear his voice. Jesus said, my sheep, hear me and know my voice. My sheep follow me.

It is very important for us to make that distinction today when we talk about the church and we talk about the importance of being a Berean listener, that we never take for granted that though the church as we know it here is gathered, is as the called out assembly of the saints, to be honest and to be completely realistic that there are churches up and down this road, just like this church, who have people gathered in, who have people singing songs, who have people praying prayers, and who have people getting up and preaching the word of God.

But just because all of these people are gathered in does not mean that they are saved. If you are saved, it will be demonstrated by not only your hearing of the word of God, but how you respond to the word of God.

Many times folks will come into church and the preacher will preach his heart out.

And folks will go away.

Some folks will go away from the church and say, that didn't do nothing for me today. Other folks will come up and pat you on the back and say, you really let them have it today, preacher, good job. I know some folks that needed that.

But the word of God is needful for all of us. The word of God is necessary for us to know who God is and what God wills, what God commands, what God desires of His people. Now we see the contrast between the people in Thessalonica, where Paul went into the synagogue, and number one, I want to say this, if you're taking notes, the chief thing for you to understand and know that the message should always be the same.

It is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. For there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. That's what the scriptures teach us. And the scripture here is plain. Paul, as his custom was, went into the synagogue every week, but for three Sabbaths he reasoned with them.

And what did he reason with them from? From the scriptures. He did not reason with them from a worldly perspective. He did not necessarily try to get down on their level so they could get it. His intention and his aim and his goal was to preach Jesus Christ.

And friends, I want you to know today that I have the utmost confidence that the gospel of Jesus Christ is still the power of God unto salvation. No amount of begging or pleading, though sometimes as preachers we do beg and we plead because our hearts are broken for those who sit in the congregation week after week after week and seemingly go unaffected.

But friends, my hope is still in the gospel. God is able to break the hardest hearted of men, women, boys, and girls. He is still able to save unto the uttermost. So Paul reasoned with them from the scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that Christ had to suffer and Christ had to rise again from the dead.

By the way, again, that is the gospel. There are a multitude, a plethora of Christians every week who have been to church their whole lives and cannot give a simple statement of faith concerning what the gospel is.

The gospel is this, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and that according to the scriptures he rose again. That is the gospel. And so Paul reasoned with them from the scriptures and keeping in mind, understanding, and knowing this, that what we're reading here in the New Testament, it's important for us to understand and to know that both the Old and the New Testament are vital in our understanding of knowing who God is and what God's will and purpose is for men.

It takes both of these. And so Paul reasoned with them and he reasoned with them from the Old Testament scriptures, teaching and proving and demonstrating that Jesus was who he said that he was. And so he went on to say, and saying, this Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.

Now the Bible says 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. So there were people who believed in the Lord, whom the Lord opened their hearts and their minds to understand the truth and the power of the gospel and the person and the work of Jesus Christ.

By the way, it is still the same today. It takes the power of God through the person of the Holy Spirit, bringing a person to the understanding that they are lost outside of the saving grace of God, but that Jesus Christ died for our sins and that he was buried and that he rose again.

So the Bible goes on to say here in verse five, but the Jews who were not persuaded became envious. Some took up or envious took up some evil of the men from the marketplace and gathering a mob, they set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason.

So these Jewish people who did not believe nor were not persuaded by the message, they were incensed and they were upset and they were angry, just to put it plainly. And so they gathered a mob and they said, let's go and let's attack this Paul that preaches this Jesus.

And they knew where Paul was at Jason's house. And they went to Jason's house. The mob went and they sought to bring Paul out to the people. But when they did not find them, they just dragged Jason and some of the 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. The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ will always go contrary to the message of the world. The message of the world is always set at variance against the word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It's plainly stated here. Their stance, their backing, their hope was in the decrees of Caesar. And they went on to say, because they say that there is another king and his name is Jesus Christ. And I would go so far as to have to stand and to say, yes, there is another king other than Caesar.

There is another king than any of the Caesars that stood. His name is Jesus Christ. He stands out as a king above all other kings, as a ruler above all other rulers. He and he alone is the only potentate of all.

He is the Lord Jesus Christ. There has never been another name given unto a man greater, nor deserving of more respect than the name and the person of Jesus Christ. Verse 8. They troubled the crowd, 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. Now, the context, what's going on? There was a big uproar. There was a lot of trouble. Paul's preaching of the person and the message and the work of Jesus Christ did not come well received in a large degree.

And so the natural and the human thing for us to do, I think for a preacher, for example, there have been times where we have to stand and we have to preach unpopular messages, messages that rub the cat the wrong way, messages that upset people in the congregation, messages that upset those who hear the message even outside of the church.

But, and if only if, if we are holding to the word of God, we must continue and persevere in standing on the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, here's where it comes into play. The church we think of as a whole, but the church as a whole is made up of individual members.

If you are saved, you are a member of the body of Christ in general. And so reading on a little bit further, then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. So after the trouble happened, the brethren got together and they got Paul and Silas out of town and they sent them to a place, a town called Berea.

And when they arrived, the Bible says, the first thing they did was went into the synagogue of the Jews, out of the pot, into the frying pan, I guess, as the old saying goes. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.

And the Bible says this, these were more fair minded than those in Thessalonica. There are churches, there are, let me break it down beyond even to another level. There are church members who will hear the word of God and heed the word of God and apply the word of God.

And there are other members who all they want to do is get upset, get angry, get mad and figure out a way that they can lynch the messenger. It's true. That's just a general representation of churches all around us.

There are some people who will receive the word of God with gladness. And there are others, even professing Christians, who will say, no, that's not for me. The word of God is for you if you are saved.

And let me go so far as to say, if you are lost, you cannot be saved outside of hearing and knowing the gospel of Jesus Christ. So he said, these were more fair minded than those in Thessalonica. There is a distinction made there, in that they received the word with all readiness and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

So we see the one response, those in Thessalonica, their response was to bow up, was to gather a mob and try to get them taken out. And then we see on the contrast, we see those in Berea who not only listened readily to the word of God, but they searched the scriptures for as Paul and Silas, as they stood and they preached Jesus Christ from the Old Testament to them, they actually took the time to go and to search what the scriptures had said to verify as to whether or not what they heard in the synagogue was the truth.

They didn't simply take it. They didn't simply trust the preacher blindly. And again, you hear that constantly, do not trust me blindly, but trust me if I'm telling you the truth. And how can you know the truth, but search the scriptures?

There's a lot that sounds good in the word of God. I'll be honest though to tell you this, there's a lot that sounds pretty rough. But it's still the word of God. And whether you like it or not, or whether I like it or not, we're still called to preach the whole counsel of God.

So I've taken quite a bit of time and made quite a bit of notes concerning this, but the Bible goes on to say in that they received the word with all readiness, searched the scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent men or women as well as men. So it's very important for Christians, if you're taking notes, there's a few things that I want you to remember.

It's very important for Christians to be, number one, members of a local body of believers, a local church. And I'll say that for this reason because the scriptures teach us that a man, woman, boy or a girl that is saved by the grace of God is not an island unto themselves.

Some folks will say I can worship God just the same sitting at home as I can by gathering together with a local body of believers. I'm going to tell you this. God is there, but God does not command you to sit at home, but he commands you to gather as he has laid out in the word of God.

So we know from the word of God what we are taught. Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is. That goes to readily hearing the word of God. Number two, it's very important to sit under doctrinally sound preaching as often as possible.

Meaning this, listen to the message that's preached throughout the week. Sit under sound doctrinal preaching as often as possible. And number three, it's very important for Christians to test the preaching according to the scripture itself.

To take what you hear, which you can't process all of it in one sitting. That's just the reality, the fact of the matter. That's just how it is. None of us can. But to take what you hear, make notes on what you hear, take your notes, take your thoughts, take the recordings that you have access to, and sit and look at the scriptures and examine and weigh everything that is said to you.

Because it will make you better for it. It will make you a stronger Christian for doing that. It will give you the ability to have confidence in what the word of God says so that when you are in the world, you can talk to those who are in the world with confidence about what thus says the word of God.

Even if the world does not agree. I admit that testing the message takes time and energy. However, it is definitely energy well spent. If only we as Christians had tested the preaching of the gospel according to the gospel, we would certainly not be in the ill-defined, doctrinally lacking, ear-tickling quagmire that is the state of the church in general today.

Folks are coming in, they don't know what is the truth, they don't know what is a lie, they don't know whether they're going or whether they're coming because they do not attend to the word of God. So, going on, there seems to be an abundance of so-called ministers of the gospel today who know little to nothing of the actual gospel and its doctrinal content.

This is a bold statement I know I'm making here, but this is the truth. As a result, there is an abundance of those hearers of what equates to another gospel you hear us talk about. Don't be led away to another gospel.

The Apostle Paul preached to the Galatian church, don't be led astray by another gospel which is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. As a result, there is an abundance of hearers who equate to another gospel and because the message has been so polluted with humanistic philosophy and doctrines of demons that even some of the aged Christians know little to nothing about sound doctrinal content.

Much of what is passed off today as preaching in the church is actually nothing more than worldly principles of self-contentment coupled with strategic business strategies. Now, if it seems like I'm reading this, I am.

But these are my words that I have pinned down, but I wanted to make sure to speak clearly, to speak plainly, to speak succinctly so that you understand and that you know exactly where we're coming from concerning this message.

The church was never intended to operate and function as a business entity, but rather to herald the great message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Holiness and worldliness are completely opposite of one another and yet most church leaders are still trying to figure out by worldly means how they might get their churches to grow.

How many of you want this church to grow? I want the church to grow. Friends, I would love for us to have 100 people packed in here, but guess what? I would rather it be just like it is, and you learning, understanding, knowing, and applying the gospel of Jesus Christ than to have a large group of people with multitudes of things that are going on but nobody knows what we're doing or why that we are doing it.

We are doing what we are doing because it honors and glorifies God. Going on, let me say this. Pragmatism is touted as the standard and evidence of church growth. Basically, the pragmatic principle is this.

So if you don't understand or know what pragmatism is, basically it's this. If the crowds are pouring in, let's continue to do what we're doing even if what we're doing isn't exactly biblical. If it's practical.

Here's the danger. If it makes sense. It makes sense for us to do this. How many of you have ever done that? Well, it just makes sense for us to go ahead and do this. It makes sense for us to compromise with the world because we're still going to get the crowd in.

It makes sense for us to compromise the standards that we tried to set forth within the worship time because we'll get more people in if we'll just let up on all of the theology. We'll get more people in.

It'll be more pragmatic if we just let up on the holiness of God and preach a whole lot more about the love of God. No, what we need to do is to have a balanced approach to know that God is love. That's the truth.

But God is holy and God is righteous and God is just and God hates sin. He sent his son to die for sin. There needs to be all of it. It needs to be the whole counsel of God. This is what you need to be listening for as a church member when you listen to preaching of any kind.

Listening for the truth of the gospel going on. What happens is this. Conviction is replaced by compromise. See, nobody wants to have convictions anymore because it's offensive. It's offensive if we take a rock-solid stand on issues concerning life today.

Abortion is sin. It is murder. Homosexuality is sin. It is contrary to the natural order that God has set up in his word for one man and one woman. Adultery is sin. All these are clearly set forth. We could go on and list them all.

There's lists set out in Galatians. There's lists set out that you can look at that will name specifically these issues that we must stand for. And you must, as a Christian, not settle for anything less than the truth of the gospel.

But we must be loving at the same time. See, that's the challenge. Folks have said that, and they've asked this before.

They've said, what if a homosexual comes through that door.

And wants to come to church?

You know what I'm going to do?

I'm going to go shake their hand. I'm going to tell them the same thing I tell everybody. This is the only handshake you'll get. From now on, it's going to be a hug. But friends, when they sit under the teaching in Sunday school,.

If it's the adult Sunday school class with kids,.

They're going to hear the truth of the gospel.

If they go to the children's classes,.

Whether they sit under Ma 'am or Jessica, they are going to hear the truth of the gospel. Now, whether they stay or go, whether they are incensed, upset, or receptive, that is up to the Lord. But we must never change the stance on the Word of God.

So, cannot be pragmatic. We cannot replace conviction by compromise. The compromise, many times, is validated by the size of the crowd. And so it goes that the doctrine of God is relegated as an afterthought in preaching and teaching biblical doctrines are considered to be an antiquated practice of the modern church.

One of the old timers have said it, and I'm just going to paraphrase what they said. Somebody told one of the old timers throughout church history that if you continue to hold to sola scriptura, if you continue to hold to the truth laid out in God's Word in this modern day and age, then you will set the church back 200 years.

To which the reply was, oh, then I'm not doing what I'm supposed to do. I want to set the church back 2 ,000 years. That we go back to the New Testament principles and practices laid out in the Word of God.

Our call, our cause, our call is not to be culturally relevant so everybody and anybody will want to come in. The church is a separated, sanctified body unto himself for himself. This is why we must be Berean listeners and know that whether what you're hearing is truth or lie.

If it were possible, and again, these are some bold statements that I'm making here, but I want to read them so that I am not even changing what I said concerning this. If it were possible, the old Christians who held to the regulative principle of worship would be rolling over in their graves at what is accepted and promoted by many churches today.

For those who may not be familiar with the term regulative principle, simply defined, it's this. The regulative principle of worship maintains that scripture gives specific guidelines for conducting corporate worship and that churches must not add anything to those guidelines.

That's what the regulative principle is defined as. In other words, so what the scripture, how the scripture lays out that worship should be is how worship should be. Now on the converse, the normative principle, so you have the regulative and then you have the normative principle,.

Says this.

The normative principle of corporate worship also uses the Bible as the final authority but teaches that anything not expressly forbidden may be incorporated in services. Now, I'm going to be honest and say this.

Both principles have validity but there is a danger of becoming legalistic within the regulative principle and becoming antinomian and careless within the normative principle. For so long now, the responsibility of the church member has been downplayed to simply this, being there on Sunday and oh yeah, to blindly follow what the preacher says, just to take him at his word.

That's what preachers around the country would love. I think something's wrong with me because I want you to challenge. I want you to question. I want you to know whether what you are told is the truth or a lie and when you know what you're being told is a truth, then you can stand firm on that and you can get behind that and you can support that and you can walk with that and you can march with that and we increase and move together for the glory of God and if you know it's a lie, then you know.

Hey, you need to, number one, call out the issue. Number two, like Sir said last week, I said if you hear something that's not true, then that's your cue to know you need to take off running out the door and he said no, it's to carry you out the door.

The preacher needs to be held accountable.

I want you all to know.

I take very, very seriously this issue of standing before you week after week to know that what I'm saying, that there's a lot that I call out that I want to say but I can't say because it's fleshly and it's just an emotional, my emotion rising up in me but friends, what you hear on a weekly basis is intended that you may be edified in the Lord and that you may grow in the grace of the Lord.

So check and challenge. The responsibility of the church member for many years has been downplayed to simply being there on Sunday but there is, in a very real sense, a great responsibility on the preacher and on the lay member concerning God's word.

It is important for you to be a Berean listener. Now this goes without saying but here's a point. If you're taking notes, you might want to write this down. That being a listener means that you are actually paying attention to what is being said.

Were you ever that kid in school where the teacher's giving a dissertation and you are hearing everything the teacher says when the teacher looks at you? When they make eye contact, your head goes to none.

Because you're listening.

But the truth is you ain't listening. You're just smart enough to fake it. I want you to know something. You can't fake genuine hunger and thirst.

For the word of God.

It'll be evident.

A great responsibility on the preacher and the lay member, both the preacher and the lay member are responsible for rightly dividing God's word. Being a Berean hearer. Two things I want to bring to light here concerning being a church member.

Remember I said that was the number one thing because you got to be here to hear the word of God and you want to be a Berean listener. So number one, church membership is a commitment first of all to Jesus Christ.

And I know some of y 'all are thinking now it just crossed my mind too. Well, these folks that ain't here today need to be hearing this, not us. You need the reinforcement as well. And guess what? You got a connection with some of these people outside the church.

If you have been a Berean listener, you can just go and re-preach this sermon to them.

Amen.

Because that's your responsibility. We are accountable to one another. Church membership is a commitment first of all to Jesus Christ. And here's a bold statement, but I'm going to stand firm on this.

An uncommitted church member is an unfaithful follower of Christ. Demonstrated by our lives. Your commitment to Christ will be demonstrated in your life. If you are faithful to Christ, you will be faithful to his church.

Church membership is a commitment to the body of Christ for whom Christ bled and died. A Berean listener is a faithful attender to the church. Number two, a Berean listener will by being a faithful church member by default be under the preaching of the word because they are physically there.

The preacher's responsibility, my responsibility is to study and to pray and to preach and teach faithfully according to the scriptures. Which means that the sermons will be full of reproof,.

Rebuke,.

And exhortation from the word of God. The hearer's responsibility, your responsibility is to listen faithfully, to test faithfully, and to rest faithfully in the word of God. Are you listening faithfully to the word of God?

Are you testing faithfully the word of God? And are you resting faithfully in the word of God?

In essence,.

If the preacher and the people of the church together are faithfully committed to Christ's church and to one another and to faithfully studying God's word and faithfully testing the word preached, then the direct result will be that we, the church, are going to be established in the faith.

That is the goal. That is the aim,.

That we are established in the faith. So that when every wind of doctrine comes blowing up and down through Christian communities, that we are not blown off course, but that we are anchored in the Lord.

Anchored in Jehovah, I shall not be moved. In His love abiding, I shall not be moved.

Just like a tree.

That's planted by the waters, I shall not be moved.

One of the old songs says,.

Colossians 2, verse 6 and 7, the apostle Paul writes to them, as therefore you have received Christ Jesus, the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

So, now the question will lie before us. How can we test the word preached? Preacher, so what?

Here's one of the. So what's.

Of the sermon today.

How can we test the word of God that's preached? And I want to be honest with you, and I'm going to say this. I know it's not an overnight process. I know it's not overnight that you begin and become able to recognize the difference between sound doctrine and false teachings.

However, the scriptures teach us that the important thing for us as Berean listeners is to put forth the effort to study. The scriptures use the word exercise as the active responsibility.

Of the believer.

For example, in 1 Timothy chapter 4, verse 6 through 9, the apostle Paul writes to Timothy, and he said, if you instruct the brethren.

In these things,.

You will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith, and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed, but reject profane and old wives' fables and exercise yourself toward godliness.

For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things. Having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.

Also in Hebrews chapter 5, verse 14, the writer pens these words, but solid food belongs to those who are of full age. That is, those who by reason of use had their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Folks don't want church to be an exercise. They want it to be a place where it's mind numbing, where you just come in and you hopefully go out a little higher than you came in, friend. You can get no higher than understanding the knowledge of God.

Here are some simple suggestions and we'll bring this to a close. Simple suggestions with the availability of sermons preached each week to be seen or heard numerous times via whatever technological advances that we have.

We've got YouTube. We've got sermon audio. We've got Facebook. We've got the messages each week posted up here. They're a few weeks behind, but you've got access to those to listen to audio of those throughout the week.

But given in these modern times, an advantageous benefit that those in years of past do not have. And I had such a memory here, unless of course you can remember.

Some of the old saints.

Who brought that little cassette recorder to church.

If you ever remember,.

That cassette recorder is about this wide,.

About this long.

The buttons were down here on the end. The record button is on the end and there was a little red button sticking up out of it. You had to make sure and press both of them down. Yeah, at the same time.

But folks, you know what? They were actually the old timers who brought that little cassette recorder in and would set that up on the front bench. And when it came preaching time, they'd mash that record button.

Do you know why they did that? Because when they got home throughout the week or years down the road, they pressed the play button on that little cassette recorder. And they listened to what was preached and they listened to it because they hungered and they thirst after righteousness.

So that's one way that you can, that we have the benefit that we have today. Number two benefit that we have is that you can take notes during the sermon and it will aid you in the recall of things that you might likely forget.

Without doing so.

How many of you remember.

Everything that I've said since the beginning started preaching today? How many of you remember about a quarter of it?

None of you.

I'm not ignorant,.

But I'm also not going to let you be ignorant. You don't have an excuse. God's provided salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ,.

Applied by the Holy Spirit.

He's instituted the church invisible. He's instituted the church local. He's called men of God to proclaim the truth of the message of the gospel week in and week out.