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The Bereans Seek Truth

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Austin Kettle
February 9, 2025

Sermon Manuscript

The Bereans Seek Truth


Acts 17:10-15
February 9, 2025
Pastor Austin Kettle

Is it possible to see the world as it truly is?
It’s hard.
When I came to America, I couldn’t believe the news.
Did you have this experience?
You turn on the news channels and the journalists don’t even pretend to be neutral.
My parents raised me in England to read two or three different newspapers.
We looked for the truth between the different political angles.
But now it feels like different sources are reporting on completely different stories in different worlds.
It is worse when you read about something you actually know well.
Maybe you have seen reporting about a country or situation you know well.
But the news describes something completely different than what you know to be true!
So here we are trying to figure out life in this country.
Most of us go through waves of confidence, despair, and disengagement.
I am confident, at first, that I know what is going on.
Then at some point, I feel despair because people I like see the world completely differently.
Am I completely wrong, or are they wrong?
Eventually we might feel disengaged.
We give up on the process of knowing what reality is.
It’s not always in that order, but many of us go through these three waves.
How can you see the world as it truly is?
We need a guide.
Tonight we will learn from a group of people called “The Bereans.”
In their example, we see that true nobility is found in searching for truth in God’s Word.

Please listen now to God’s Word from Acts 17:1–15
1 “When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead.
“This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said.

4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.
5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city.
They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.

6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting:
“These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here,

7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house.
They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.”

8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil.
9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.
10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea.
On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.

11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up.
14 The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea.
15 Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.”

Let’s read together Isaiah 40:8.
“The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.”

That verse is true, my friends.
The Word of God is the one source of reliable truth in a world with many competing voices.
Therefore, it is necessary and noble to find this truth.
The word noble is striking in verse 11 of our passage.
Luke writes: 11 “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”

Paul and Silas had just come from Thessalonica, where their preaching caused an uproar.
The people there didn’t want their world turned upside down, so they chased Paul and Silas out.
But in Berea, the response was different.
Why?
Scripture tells us it’s because the Bereans were more noble than those in Thessalonica.
Were these people landowners or wealthy?
Sometimes noble means that.
In England “nobles” are aristocrats and important people.
But true nobility isn’t about wealth or status.
Anyone can be noble.
To be noble is to see the world clearly, to face reality with courage, and to act with integrity before God.
And that’s what I want to offer you tonight: that in Christ, nobility is not a distant hope.
It is freely given, and in the word of God we have a reliable guide to reality.
I don’t know your past, or the struggles you carry.
But I know that dignity, honor, and true nobility are available to you in Jesus and his word, the Bible.
Let’s locate ourselves in this chapter of Acts.
In verses 1-9, the people of Thessalonica had a strong response to the news of Jesus Christ.
You see it in verse 6, as they shout:
“These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here!”

When they hear Paul and his team preaching the gospel, the Thessalonians focus on how disruptive the message of Jesus is.
They see that the gospel turns worlds upside down.
But we see a very different response in a town down the road.
The people of Berea paused to ask a different question.
The Bereans asked: “Is this message true?”
This is how they model to us the way of nobility:
1. To see the world clearly, Listen eagerly.
Receive the word with all eagerness.

2. To face reality with courage, Test carefully.
Examine the scriptures daily to see if these things are true.

3.To act with integrity before God, Embrace the cost of truth.
Therefore believe, regardless of status and implications.


Point 1: To see the world clearly, Listen eagerly
What does Luke mean when he writes in verse 11 that the Bereans “received the message with great eagerness”?
Paul and Silas shared the message about Jesus Christ.
Using the scriptures, they showed the people of Berea that Jesus is the promised Savior.
They explained the good news of the gospel, that in Christ anyone can be saved from their sins.
And the Bereans listen “with great eagerness.”
They put down everything else, and don’t assume they already understand.
They stop and consider how important this is, if it is true.
Listening eagerly means listening expectantly to your Bible teachers.
God uses real people to tell other people what he has made clear in his Word.
We believe that by his Holy Spirit, God opens up his word and speaks through preaching.
Because that is happening, doesn’t it make sense to listen eagerly?
Shouldn’t we listen when the living God is giving us the most reliable guide to reality?
This is actually quite intimidating for me as a preacher.
But when Pastor Chris, or Pastor Clement, or I preach to you, the living God is the one who actually speaks.
So please listen eagerly!
Not because I, or Chris, or Clement, or any other preacher is impressive.
Listen eagerly because the word of the living God is fed to you with the power of the Holy spirit in worship.
Listen prayerfully, praying for the preacher, praying for yourself, and praying for each other.
It’s easy to choose distraction instead.
It’s easy to think you have heard it all before, or you already understand.
But let me challenge you to repent of that, and listen eagerly.
Because today, just as in Berea, the living God actually speaks his living word to his people.
Look at how a group of theologians wrote about it in the Westminster Larger Catechism:
“The Spirit of God makes the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word, an effectual means of enlightening, convincing, and humbling sinners;
of driving them out of themselves, and drawing them unto Christ;
of conforming them to his image, and subduing them to his will; of strengthening them against temptations and corruptions;
of building them up in grace, and establishing their hearts in holiness and comfort through faith unto salvation.”

If you take nothing else away from that, notice that part in the middle:
“driving them out of themselves, and drawing them unto Christ.”
Pause with me now.
Pray that when the word is preached, you and I would be drawn out of ourselves, and drawn to Christ.
Our friends the Bereans did more than listen eagerly.
They were also wise.
They didn’t immediately accept what they heard.
They tested it carefully.

Point 2: To face reality with courage, Test carefully
Here is the second characteristic of a noble response to hearing God’s word.
Don’t just hear, and forget.
Don’t hear without discernment.
Instead, hear and examine the scriptures daily to see if what you have been told is true.
Do you realize how radical it is, that you have direct access to the word of God?
You do not need me, or Chris, or Clement, to explain it to you.
You can and should go straight to the Bible and test whether what we are saying is true.
Someone might say, “Then why should I listen to preaching?
Can’t I just read the Bible on my own?”
And someone else might say, “Why should I bother testing?
I trust my preacher.”
Friends, a truly noble response includes trust and testing.
I trust other preachers to work hard to teach me the truth.
I trust the Spirit to use them.
But I trust God’s Word most of all.
God has made himself known, and I want to know him as well as I possibly can.
What does this look like?
You might read through Acts on your own while we preach through it.
Or you might keep your Bible open while we preach.
You can check to see if what we say comes from the text.
The best thing you can do is know the whole word of God.
But, you say, that’s a big book!
How do I do that?
Join a Life Group.
Come to Bible study.
Learn how to read the Bible with others.
You can also get into a habit of regular Bible reading on your own.
If you can, try to read the whole Bible – perhaps in a year, perhaps over five years.
As you know the word of God better and better, you will be able to test claims about life and God better and better.
And with the guidance of the word of God, you can face reality with courage.
And when you have questions, your church website has a lot of trustworthy resources you can use.
Look for “Biblical Answers” under Resources on the One Voice website.
Is it possible to know everything, because we have read the Bible?
No.
But does the Bible say something about everything we face in life?
Yes.
Is there one verse for every situation?
No.
But does the whole counsel of God equip us for everything we will face?
Yes.
The living God has revealed himself and the path to life.
So drink his truth in, whenever you can, and test all of life by it.
But searching for truth is not enough–once we find it, we must live by it, no matter the cost.

Point 3: To act with integrity before God, Embrace the cost of truth
In verse 12 we see the third part of the Bereans’ response:
12 “As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.”

After listening eagerly and examining the Scriptures, they took action–they believed.
And who were these Bereans?
Luke makes it clear that it wasn’t only the Jews of the synagogue who turned to Christ.
It was also Gentiles–prominent Greek people of high standing.
Now, why does Luke mention their status?
Is he more impressed with Christians who have influence?
No–he highlights their standing because of what it cost them to follow Jesus.
When we listen eagerly and test carefully, we don’t just discover truth–we discover the cost of truth.
And that cost appears quickly, as we see in verse 13:
13 “But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up.”

A mob from Thessalonica comes to stir up the crowds.
They make life difficult for these new believers.
Why?
Because they had chosen the truth.
Friends, have you realized that choosing truth might cause people to reject you?
In Acts 17:6, we’re told that the message of Christ turns the world upside down–it disrupts people’s interests.
So we should expect resistance.
When we actually believe, and act, and live as Christ followers, some people will be agitated.
Therefore, we must beware of going only halfway.
Let me warn you–it might seem safer, and easier, to listen eagerly and do nothing.
In the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13, Jesus describes this exact situation.
He describes the Word of God as seeds that are quickly eaten by birds, or choked by thorns.
That happens to people all the time.
It is easy to listen, test, and to begin to grow in faith.
But what happens when the thorns of worry, family pressure, money, or politics come along?
They might choke out your young faith.
There is a better way.
You can believe in Christ and stand before a watching world and declare this reality:
That Jesus Christ is Lord.
That life does not end at death.
That resurrection is coming.
That Christ will return to judge the living and the dead.
To live nobly is to proclaim and embody these truths.
To live nobly requires decisions that reveal we have chosen Christ.
To act with integrity before God–to live nobly–you must embrace the cost of truth.
Where do we find truth?
In Scripture, as we have seen already.
Friends, I have tried to describe for you a noble life.
But please don’t hear me saying that you must, in your own strength, study Scripture and live perfectly so that you may be noble enough for God.
No–nobility and dignity are gifts, gifts that Christ has won for you.
You will fail.
I will fail.
When you first heard the gospel, you were dead in your sins.
You could not choose to listen.
Yet the Holy Spirit opened your ears and heart.
Praise God!
So come to Him as you read the Scriptures.
Never be proud that you choose to study and test.
Instead rejoice that God chooses to make Himself known to you.
Rejoice that He has brought you life and immortality.
Dive into the treasures of His Word, that you might glorify and enjoy Him forever.
Many of us go through waves of confidence, despair, and disengagement.
Maybe you have been very certain about something God’s Word says, but someone you respect disagrees.
In those moments of uncertainty, you might start to wonder:
“Can we really know anything at all?”
The devil will whisper doubt to us:
“It’s all just interpretation and opinions.
No one can know for sure.”
From doubt you might decide to disengage:
“I know what the Bible says, but the meaning isn’t clear.
I’ll just live a smaller life.
I’ll be content with less.”

Friends, please don’t do this.
Instead, have confidence that the Lord actually reveals Himself through His living Word.
He will shape you, refine you, and make you more like Christ as you live in the light of scripture.
And as you seek to live nobly–to see the world clearly, to face reality with courage, to embrace the cost of truth–beware of counterfeits.
Beware of any teaching that claims to explain everything about the world without Christ and His Word at the center.
If Christ is not being preached, it is not the whole truth.
Let us walk confidently in Christ, my friends.
This week, could we commit to one act of noble faith?
Perhaps you will study Scripture with fresh eagerness.
Or stand firm in a tough conversation about Christ.
Perhaps you will change your habits to make more time for God’s Word.
Whatever you do, step forward with confidence that God will guide you through his Word.
Remember that in all things–in life and in death–God’s Word is His loving gift to us, His redeemed people.
Let’s pray.

Questions for Meditation and Discussion:


Read Acts 17:1-15 and then answer the following questions:
1. How are the Thessalonians different from the Bereans? (write down 2-3 things)
2. Why does Paul call the Bereans “noble”? What did they do after hearing Paul’s preaching?
3. How can we grow to be noble, as Christians? What place does God’s Word have in your life?
4. Read Acts 17:11 again.
4a. How do you currently receive God’s Word? In what ways? What’s your attitude?
4b. Do you find yourself more eager to read God’s Word? What about going to Bible Study, and listening to God’s Word on Sunday?
4c. Like the Bereans, do you make an effort to examine what you hear through the lens of God’s Word?

5. Unless God’s Spirit enlightens our minds, we will study God’s Word in vain. Read this quote and write down a prayer asking the Lord to use the Word in your life.
“The Spirit of God makes the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word, an effective means of enlightening, convincing, and humbling sinners; of driving them out of themselves, and drawing them unto Christ; of conforming them to his image, and subduing them to his will; of strengthening them against temptations and corruptions; of building them up in grace, and establishing their hearts in holiness and comfort through faith unto salvation.”
The resources on this website can help you plan your Bible reading: ligonier.org/posts/bible-reading-plans



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