In Jason Dohm's sermon, 'God Sends Ambassadors to Thessalonica,' he explores Acts chapters 16 and 17, emphasizing the divine intervention and guidance of the Holy Spirit in directing Paul's missionary journeys. The sermon details how Paul, along with Silas and Timothy, is redirected by the Holy Spirit away from Asia and Bithynia and towards Macedonia, where they preach in Thessalonica and Berea. In Thessalonica, Paul reasons with Jews and Greeks in the synagogue, explaining Christ's suffering and resurrection. Despite some conversions, they face persecution from non-believing Jews, forcing them to flee to Berea, where they find a more receptive audience. The sermon highlights the role of God as the primary actor in sending His ambassadors to new territories with the Gospel message. Dohm also draws connections to Paul's letters, showing consistency between the Acts account and Paul's later epistles. The sermon concludes with applications for modern believers, emphasizing the importance of preaching Christ, recognizing God's sovereignty in guiding believers' lives, and the necessity of being prepared for persecution when spreading the Gospel.

We're going to jump right in the middle of a story. It's an amazing story of the work of the power of God at the hand of those he sent. And Jason's going to be teaching us from Acts chapter 16 and chapter 17 today. But know you're jumping right in the middle of the story. Jason will give us some more background shortly, but here's where we begin.

Acts Chapter 16, join me in verse 6, our sermon text. Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Misia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Misia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night.

And a man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, come over to Macedonia and help us. Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the Gospel to them. Now chapter 17, starting verse 1 through verse 15. 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 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. 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." Let's pray. To sit under this glorious Word, Lord, to see the power of Your Holy Spirit that changed lives and turned the world upside down. God, I pray You would turn us upside down this morning. You would allow our hearts to be opened and receive these words to make application. Not only to see what happened there and then, but to make it very real for us here and now in our souls.

God bless Jason as He comes to bring us this Word, we thank You for it. In Christ's name, Amen. The title of the sermon this morning is God Sends Ambassadors to Thessalonica. Just like was said many times during the course of teaching through Ezra and Nehemiah, the main character in the story, whether he appears by name or not, is always God. And we just want to keep in full view that that is exactly what's happening here.

Nothing else but this is happening. God is sending his ambassadors with terms of peace to places in the world who had never had terms of peace extended to them before. It's quite something that we're seeing in this text. Listen to what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 20 and 21. Paul writes, Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ.

As though God were pleading through us, we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. This is what God has done with Paul. He's made him an ambassador. He wasn't always Paul.

He used to be Saul. God reached out with his mighty hand And he made him his own. God made Saul his own and changed his name and made him an ambassador to go and plead with pagan people in places that had never had the gospel reach them before. And God pleads through this apostle for them to be reconciled to God on behalf of Christ. In Acts we have Luke's historical account of Paul and Silvanus or Silas.

We're going to see those names used interchangeably. In today's text it will be Silas when we get to 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 1. Next week he will be introduced as Silvanus and Timothy and this is their time in Thessalonica. So that's what's before us, the account from Acts. Luke is a very good and careful historian and he's recounting to us, Paul and his companions time in the great city of Thessalonica.

Next week we'll be having a public reading of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. So as we'll do when we start books, we're just going to read it all. All of 1 Thessalonians and all 2 Thessalonians. And then I'll be giving an introduction and an explanation of chapter 1 verse 1. So we'll have a very small scope of verses next week, just one verse.

Let's pray. God, thank you that you've brought us here to this contemplation of Paul and his companions' time in Thessalonica. And then the letters that he writes to the converts there to encourage and establish them. God I pray that you would use all these things to help us to grow. We want to grow Lord.

We are not content with all the good things that you've given us and how far you've brought us. We see that there are so many more good things to partake of and so much further to be taken by you. So we pray that you would come among us as we study your apostles' letters to these new converts. You would take these truths and you would press them on us to help us to grow. How we need it, Lord.

We pray for your help. We Pray that you would use this season of time in these letters to bless us and to cause us to love you more deeply. Oh help us in Jesus' name, amen. So I have three things I want to do as a consequence of being in Acts 16 and 17. They're pretty brief actually.

I don't think this is going to be a long sermon at all. I'm saving those for first and second Thessalonians. And then I have four applications from these texts. So here's the first thing. Number one, I want to speak of the flow of Acts, particularly as it relates to Paul.

As Jim alluded, we are picking up right in the middle of the story which is a bit unfair. And so I'd like to place Paul in the book of Acts and sort of bring us up to Acts chapter 16. So number one is the flow of Acts, particularly as it relates to Paul. At the end of chapter 7, if you want to flip through with me, I'm going to start the flipping through in Acts chapter 7. At the end of chapter 7, after a fantastic sermon, one of the best sermons in the New Testament, preached by a deacon, preached by Stephen.

Finally some amens. So at the end of chapter 7 after this fantastic sermon preached by a deacon, Stephen, he is going to be martyred. He is going to be stoned to death. And in chapter 7 verse 58 We see this, and the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. So there Saul is watching and approving of the martyrdom of Stephen in chapter 8 verse 1.

Chapter 8 begins this way, Now Saul was consenting to his death. So we have this young zealous Pharisee, Saul, who's there and he's sort of the keeper of the clothes for the ones who cast the first stones at Stephen. He watches as Stephen is martyred. Chapter 8 begins by saying he consented to his death. He was approving of everything that happened there.

Then in chapter 9, the rest of chapter 8 has little or nothing to do with Saul. But in chapter 9, Saul has gotten permission to go to Damascus to persecute Jesus' people in Damascus. And Jesus himself confronts Paul on the road to Damascus and he blinds him. So there Paul is in Damascus, he's been blinded and he's fasting and praying and God sends Ananias, not that Ananias, but a different Ananias, a good one, to Paul to preach the gospel to him, but also to baptize him. Paul is baptized.

And then Paul begins to preach and he ends up having to flee for his life as he is immediately persecuted. And he goes to Jerusalem and of course the apostles don't know what to make of this, because last they knew of Paul, he was a violent man and a blasphemer. That's actually how Paul describes himself, as a violent man and a blasphemer. But it becomes clear to the apostles that Paul is a changed man, and that he's a man who has been born again. In chapter 11 and a half, if you flip to chapter 11 and go to about the midpoint of the chapter.

Barnabas is sent from Jerusalem to Antioch. So Barnabas is part of the church in Jerusalem. They send him to Antioch because the gospel has come to Antioch and you have this fledgling church that needs to be encouraged. Barnabas gets there and he assesses this young church and he sees they are really in need of Paul. So Barnabas goes to Tarsus where Paul is from and he finds Paul and he brings him back to Antioch to help him in the discipleship of this young church.

And then at the very end of chapter 12 and the beginning of chapter 13 we see Barnabas and Paul, these great partners in ministry, launched into the first missionary journey. So I would actually like to read the last verse of chapter 12 and the first three verses of chapter 13 to show you the launching of Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey. So this is Acts chapter 12 verse 25 and then just continuing rolling right into chapter 13. Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark. Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers.

Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaean who had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Now separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then having fasted and prayed and laid hands on them. They sent them away. So this is the beginning of the first missionary journey and as it relates to the text that we're studying this week, you have to know that the first missionary journey wasn't the idea of any man.

It was the Holy Spirit saying, you set aside these two men for me for sending them out. And they lay hands on them and then they sent them away. It was initiated not by Paul, not by Barnabas, not by these other leaders at the Church of Antioch, but it was by the Holy Spirit. The text couldn't be more explicit in declaring who sent Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey. Then at the very end of chapter 14, they arrive back in Antioch at the end of the first missionary journey.

So everything in 13 and 14 to the very end of it is the first missionary journey and all the places they visited and preached the gospel. Then at the end of chapter 14, they arrive back in Antioch. They give the report. There's rejoicing. And then there's chapter 15.

And in chapter 15, men come from Judea. They come from the Jerusalem church. And they're teaching that you have to be circumcised to be saved. You cannot be saved unless you're circumcised. Paul and Barnabas aren't having any of that.

They contend with them and the church decides that they're going to send a delegation to Jerusalem to sort this out. Do you have to be circumcised or do you not have to be circumcised in order to be saved? So Acts 15 is the Jerusalem Council. And it ends with a letter from the apostles, the elders, and the whole church to all the Gentile churches. And I'd like to read a couple of verses that have a bearing on where we are today in Acts 16 and 17.

So the first one is Acts 15 verse 22. Then It pleased the apostles and elders with the whole church to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely Judas, who was also named Bar-Sabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren." So it's high time we acquaint ourselves with Silas. Here he is, he's introduced to us, and he's going to be our companion for the next nine months. Because he is one of the co-authors of both 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. And Here is his appearance.

He's called one of the leading men among the brethren. He's entrusted with being a messenger of this letter that says, No, you don't have to be circumcised to be saved, going back to the church at Antioch. Now I would like to pick up in verse 30 and read 30 through 34. We are still in Acts chapter 15. So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch.

When they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement. Now Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words. And after they had stayed there for a long time, they were sent back with greetings from the brethren to the apostles." So here's the picture so far. I am going to continue to read, but here's the picture so far.

There's a letter that says, no, you don't have to be circumcised to be saved. It is sent with leading men of the church. Two of them are Judas and Silas. They go, they deliver the letter, and there is a rejoicing at how encouraging the letter is. And then there is continued preaching and teaching by these two leading men from the church at Jerusalem.

And then the church at Antioch sends Judas and his other companions back to the apostles at Jerusalem. But as we're going to find out, Silas stays. Now we're in verse 34. However, it seemed good to Silas to remain there. Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch teaching and preaching the word of the Lord with many others also.

So Silas remains in Antioch, Paul and Barnabas remain in Antioch. We don't know what period of time was here, but we know that they are ministering together in this church. It must have been quite a church with all the ministry of these very spiritually significant men. Then at the end of Acts 15, we have this dispute between Paul and Barnabas. And it's called a sharp contention.

It's really a conflict between these two brothers. And it ends with Barnabas leaving with John Mark to Cyprus. You'll see where that is when we start talking about the map in a minute. But it's not far from Antioch. Antioch is along the coast or near the coast and then you can sail from immediately there to Cyprus in a short period of time.

It's the closest island. And then with Barnabas and John Mark having left for Cyprus, then Paul and Silas head north. The text seems to indicate, when we get into chapter 16, that they think they are going a little north. No, they are going a lot north, and they are going a lot west as well. So this is point number one, the flow of Acts, particularly as it relates to Paul.

This is how Paul gets to Acts chapter 16 and what we're going to see with the Holy Spirit directing them in the second missionary journey. So chapter 16 launches us into the second missionary journey. So the second thing I would like to do, number two, is to speak of the geography of Paul's second missionary journey. So that's why you have a map on your handout. And I'm going to do my best to point out things on the map.

And I want to begin by starting with the bottom right and the upper left. So here's the bottom right. At the bottom right you have a star which is Jerusalem. Jerusalem is not really going to play a part in the accounts that we're in today, but I'm orienting you to where the center of Israel is. The capital of Israel.

Jerusalem is in your bottom right of your map. And you can see it's near the coast, and that is the Mediterranean Sea. You can see it's marked there. Now the top left, you go to the very top left of the map in the gray and you go down from it and you see that little landmass that's been cut off that's spiking out there. That's Italy.

You know Italy as a boot, right? It looks like a boot and then it's a high heeled boot too. This is the high heel of the boot. So that's what you're seeing. You're seeing Italy there.

Rome's not on the map, but if you were to come over here, sort of up in the margin, you would find Rome in the margin here. So the bottom Right is Jerusalem, the top left is Rome, who is ruling the world from a governmental standpoint at that time. So, as you come north from Jerusalem, you start in the bottom right, Jerusalem, you come north, you're going to hit Antioch. It's another starred place. You can see it is very near the coast.

If you look out into the Mediterranean from Antioch, you'll see this island. It's a sizable island there. That's Cyprus. That's where Barnabas and John Mark went when they separated after this sharp dispute and Cyprus was one of the very prominent places on the first missionary journey. So the sense you get from this is Barnabas and John Mark are going back to the churches that were established on the first missionary journey.

Paul though is going to proceed north from Antioch and then west by land. And he thinks he's going to Asia. So Asia's right here. Asia's right here. Still on the Mediterranean.

And then as you come across the Mediterranean and north you see that it is connected with the Aegean Sea. We are going to need to know the geography around the Aegean Sea. So Paul is coming north and he is coming west and he thinks he is going to preach the word of God in Asia and the Holy Spirit says no you're not. So then he thinks I'll turn north to Bithynia and the Holy Spirit says no you're not. So he's going to skirt the north eastern border of Asia.

He thinks he is going to go north into Bithynia, which is up here to the north. And the Holy Spirit says, nope. The Holy Spirit sends him right between Asia and Bithynia and they end up at Troas which is right here on the edge of Asia. You can see Troas up there. And while he's at Troas, let's see have I missed anything I highlighted?

I don't think so, not yet. While he's at Troas, at night God sends him a vision of a man from Macedonia who says, come over to Macedonia and help us. It's hilarious to listen to the commentators talk about how Paul knew it was a man from Macedonia. He was probably dressed as a classic Macedonian, and they had these certain hats. I think he knew it was a man from Macedonia because he said, come over to Macedonia and help us.

I think that's one place where the commentators might overthink it just a little bit. But Troas is a port on the Aegean Sea and you see they immediately set sail. When they get word from the man from Macedonia, Paul recognizes that this is a vision that has been given to him by God to give him instruction on where he can go. So where can't you go? You can't go to Asia, you can't go to Bithynia, you can, you must go and help those in Macedonia.

So they sail north on the Aegean Sea. You see a couple of islands there. One of them is Samothrace, which gets mentioned in the text. They land at Neapolis and then they're in Philippi. So the word Philippi appears here in Thrace.

We're way up north, up at the top of the page now. But you'll see the city is not where the word is. There's a line connecting it with the actual location of the city, and it's actually in Macedonia. So Paul, when he's in Philippi, is in Macedonia. Says it's the foremost city in that part of Macedonia.

And then if you keep going east, you see Thessalonica. And you see that it is wonderfully situated right up in that little finger of the Aegean Sea. If the Aegean Sea here was a hand, it would be the number one finger. It would be giving the number one signal. It's right at the point of that finger, which means it's a fantastic port that is shielded from the storms.

It's a great place to have ships stay for the winter. Then you can see if you go a little bit west and south of Thessalonica you have Berea. And that's where all of Acts chapter 16 and 17 happens. First in Philippi, we're not going to talk about Philippi hardly at all today. And then in Thessalonica, which we are going to talk about.

And then down in Berea, which we're also going to talk about. And then when Paul gets chased out of Berea, He goes by sea down to Athens. So look where I'm pointing now. Berea was here. So he goes out by sea down to Athens, which is down in this region right here.

So you should see Athens down there. Spends a little bit of time in Athens and then he ends up in Corinth which is right here if you're looking. So Corinth and Athens are down in Achaea. So we're going to keep hearing Macedonia and Achaia, Macedonia and Achaia, Macedonia and Achaia. Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea are up in Macedonia.

And then Athens and Corinth are in Achaia. And they're adjoining provinces in the Roman Empire. So I think that's it for the map. And again, Acts 15, so we're starting back in the bottom right, back to Jerusalem for a minute. Acts 15 starts in Antioch, so we are up north in Antioch.

Men from Judea come up north to Antioch and they say you have to be circumcised to be saved. And then Paul and Barnabas say, no way, we're going to Jerusalem to sort this out. They all go down to Jerusalem. They have the Jerusalem Council and then they return back to Antioch, which becomes the starting place for Paul's second missionary journey. And He and Silas, not Barnabas, start on the second missionary journey.

So that is number two, the geography of Paul's second missionary journey. That's what you see there. Number three, The Acts account of Paul, Silas, and Timothy in Thessalonica. And Luke, better add him, because the they becomes a we in verse 10. So we are starting in chapter 16.

Luke is our historian. He's giving us the account of Acts. The early verses of chapter 16, it's they, he, they, he. And then in verse 10 it becomes we. So Luke apparently joins them because he starts using the pronoun that includes himself in Acts chapter 16 verse 10.

Luke is with them here. So let's read again Acts chapter 16 verses 6 through 10 and then I'd like to make a point or two. Now when they had gone through Phrygia in the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mycea, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mycea, they came down to Troas.

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with them saying, Come over to Macedonia and help us. Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the Gospel to them. We see these strange phrases. The Holy Spirit forbidding them to preach the word in Asia.

Now when has the Holy Spirit ever forbid anyone to preach the word? Well, it's here in Acts chapter 16. Paul had a great idea. It is a great idea. Did the people in Asia need the word of God?

Of course they did. And so Paul was doing something that would have been good, but he is forbidden by the Holy Spirit to carry out his plans. Then we see, okay, I'll be diverted to Bithynia. No. It says that the Holy Spirit did not permit them.

Now, do I know how the Holy Spirit forbid Paul to preach the Word in Asia? I do not. Do I know how the Holy Spirit did not permit them to go into Bithynia. I did not. Paul and Luke do.

That's all we need to know. The point is, they have plans, and the Holy Spirit has other plans, and the Holy Spirit wins. He's hemming them in. He wants to go this way. Nope.

You're hemmed in. Okay, we'll go the other way. Nope. You're hemmed in. So they keep going.

They hit the coastline. And then there's a vision of the man from Macedonia. This sends them into Macedonia. First at Philippi where we have this wonderful account which we're not really going to talk about today where Paul and Silas are in jail. They're singing and they're praying and the other prisoners are listening and there's an earthquake and the jailer is going to kill himself because he just knows that the prisoners have escaped, but Paul says, no, we're all here.

And he believes. He and his whole household hear the gospel, believe, repent, and are baptized that same night. And this is exactly what we're going to see in 1 Thessalonians. Listen to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 2. Paul writes to the Thessalonians after the fact.

He is writing back after what we are studying today. But even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi. That is exactly what we see in the early verses of chapter 16. They were suffering and being spitefully treated at Philippi. Paul continues, as you know we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict.

The reason I wanted to point this out is that this is what we're going to see all through both letters, which is that both letters match up wonderfully with the axe account. What you see in the axe account is what you see in the letters, what you see in the letters is what you see in the letters, what you see in the letters is what you see in the Acts account. So we don't need to wonder if this was the same set of events. It absolutely is. It couldn't be anything else.

Now, let's turn to chapter 17. I want to read again the first nine verses and just look at Paul's time in Thessalonica. Acts chapter 17 verses 1 through 9, follow along. Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica where there was a synagogue of the Jews. So we're in Macedonia, it's a Roman province and there's a synagogue there, so there is a Jewish population there.

Verse 2, 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, saying, This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ, he is the promised Messiah. Verse 4. 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. 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. Thessalonica is the capital of Macedonia. It's not a small city, it's not a village.

It is the capital of a significant Roman province of Macedonia. Most of the commentators say there would be 200, 000 people living here at this port city. So it's really nicely situated. It's right at the end of the pointer finger on the GNC as it comes up. And it makes for the perfect port because it is out of the weather.

And it's a great place for ships to winter and to get goods into and out of. As a point of reference, Raleigh is a city of 250, 000 people within the city limits. So you're talking about roughly the same size as Raleigh. This is not a small entity. This is not Paul strolling through the countryside.

You have the capital of a major Roman province and a city of 200, 000 people. And it's on the Via Ignatia. That's a term you're going to need to know. Via, V-I-A, Ignatia. E-G-N-A-T-I-A.

E-G-N-A-T-I-A. Via Ignatia. Or the Ignatia Road. And that's an east-west road that goes, if you go over here to the high heel of the boot, top left hand corner, And if you were to draw a line across the Mediterranean Sea here over to Macedonia, that would be the beginning of this roadway. The whole point of the road was to be able to get from Rome to Byzantium, which is modern day Istanbul, which would be over near the Black Sea, sort of down on that point.

And so it connects all that and allows you to move military fast, allows you to move troops fast across the empire. Thessalonica and Philippi are both on the Via Ignatia. It's like being on the interstate. That's where all the action is. The city is on the interstate.

That's why the interstates are there because they link the major cities. And so it is with the Via Ignatia. Paul comes here, he starts in the synagogue, and the text says that's his custom. He starts by preaching the gospel to the Jews. And for three Sabbaths, he's breaking out the Old Testament and saying, that's Christ, and that's Christ, and that's Christ, and he had to suffer and be raised from the dead.

And The Jesus who I'm preaching is the Messiah that God always promised to send. We have an interesting description here. Some of the Jews believed and a great multitude of the devout Greeks. So we don't know how many of each, but we know the ratio, we know the proportion. It was more Greeks than Jews.

Some Jews and a great multitude of the devout Greeks. Devout Greeks would mean they had converted to Judaism. The text reads like Paul would have been in Thessalonica for three weeks plus a little. Right? Doesn't it read that way?

But I don't think that is true. I think what we have here in the book of Acts is a very compressed account where Luke is getting on with things. He's telling us what we need to know and then he's moving because there's a lot on this missionary journey and he doesn't have time to describe it all. We see that approach in the gospels all the time where accounts from one gospel that are quite lengthy get compressed in another gospel. I think we have a compressed account here that reads on the surface like you have the three synagogues, the three weeks in the synagogue plus a little bit and then there's an uproar and Paul gets chased out of town.

I want you to turn to Philippians 4. Philippians 4 gives us a different view of the timeline of Paul being in Thessalonica. So I want you to see that. Different view of the timeline. Philippians chapter 4.

Now remember, Philippi is Paul's first stop in Macedonia. So just like 1 and 2 Thessalonians, is Paul after the fact writing back to the converts in Thessalonica. Philippians is the same thing. After the fact, Paul is writing back to the converts in Thessalonica. This is chapter 4 verses 14 through 16.

Paul writes to the Philippians, Nevertheless, you have done well that you shared in my distress. Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel when I departed from Macedonia no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. So Paul is writing to the new converts in Philippi. And he's talking about how they shared generously with him.

They were actually his supporters. They were financial supporters of him and his companions. And he says, even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent aid to me once and again. Multiple times when Paul was in Thessalonica, the Philippians sent him support and aid and his companions. So Philippi and Thessalonica are 94 miles apart.

So they are not jumping in, they are station wagons to do that. And so we don't know what the timeline is but because of Philippians chapter 4 verses 14 through 16 and because of what we see internally in the letters of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, where Paul is appealing to them based on his manner of life among them. And he says, I provided for my own needs. So Paul set up shop. He was probably making and repairing tents in Thessalonica.

Probably. We know that's what his trade was. But Paul, when he writes to them in both letters, he's appealing back to his manner of life among them and saying, I provided for my own needs and the needs of my companion. I worked night and day to do that. That doesn't sound like a short period of time.

So for those two reasons I think we have much longer than a month. How long was it? I don't know. The text doesn't say. But we have some indicators that what Luke gives us in Acts chapter 17 is a compressed account.

Now notice Christ is the thrust of the preaching. Paul goes into the synagogue, three consecutive Sabbaths, and what is he preaching? He is preaching Christ. Christ is the thrust of the preaching, and Christ is the problem. So Paul is always getting in trouble, but why is Paul getting in trouble?

He's getting in trouble over Jesus. He's getting in trouble over the same reason Jesus got in trouble. Jesus preached Jesus and Paul preached Jesus. And Stephen preached Jesus, that got him killed while Paul was watching and approving. And Peter preached Jesus.

So we see here the continuation of a New Testament pattern, a pervasive pattern in the New Testament, that Christ is the thrust of the preaching and Christ is always the problem. When they're getting in trouble, they're getting in trouble because of Jesus and the preaching about Jesus. Listen to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verses 23 and 24. 1 Corinthians 1 verses 23 and 24. Paul says, but we preach Christ crucified to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness.

But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. How does Paul sort out the called from those who aren't called? He preaches Christ and lets the Holy Spirit sort them out. This is very instructive for us. How do I know if they are called?

You just preach Christ and let the Holy Spirit sort them out. If the Holy Spirit is calling them, then Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. If He is not calling them, then He is a stumbling block and He is foolishness. That is how it works. Either the Holy Spirit shows up and moves on the heart To cause what is a stumbling block and foolishness to the natural man to become the power of God and the wisdom of God.

That's how you know. How do you know if you're preaching to the called or not? Well, you just preach Christ and let the Holy Spirit Sort them out. That's what Paul did. Again, as in Philippi, where they ran him out of town after beating him and imprisoning him.

He's persecuted by the Jews with the same old charge. He's saying there's another king, Jesus. That's what got Jesus in trouble. You remember what they put above his head, the king of the Jews while he was on the cross. So it's the same old charge, New city, same charge.

They say in verse 6, these who have turned the world upside down have come here too. So Paul's reputation precedes him all the way into Macedonia. Think how far from home he is. It's worth noting that when you get to Acts chapter 18 and Paul is arriving in Corinth, in between he had been in Athens, when he's arriving in Corinth in chapter 18 verses 1 and 2, he meets this fantastic couple, Aquila and Priscilla. And they've just gotten there too.

They had been living in Rome, but Claudius the emperor expelled all the Jews. So the empire is in turmoil over the Jews and over the Christians. Probably that's known at the time of the Thessalonians. It's probably known that the Jews have been expelled. You can't say that for sure, but since Thessalonica was on the Via Ignatia, the road where troops and governmental officials are traveling throughout the empire and stopping at Thessalonica, it's probably known that Emperor Claudius has expelled the Jews from Rome.

That's probably the context for verse 6. These who turn the world upside down have come here too. The Romans aren't making any distinctions between Jews and Christians at this point. Now let's look at 17 verses 10 through 15. What happens to Paul after Thessalonica?

17 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. He's doing the same thing. 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 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.

Here Paul, having been chased out of Philippi to Thessalonica and then chased out of Thessalonica, goes to Berea. We have this famous text, out of which comes a phrase we use all the time. Be a good Berean. What does that mean? It means don't take the preacher's word for it.

Go with Bible in hand and check him. Because that's what the Bereans did. That's what it means to be a good Berean. You don't follow after man. You hear what the man says and then you check it against your Bible.

That's a great phrase. I'm glad that phrase is in use. That comes from verse 11. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica. It's talking about the Jews that ended up not being persuaded and ran Paul out of town.

It cannot be talking about the converts from Thessalonica, because in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, Paul is going to commend them for receiving his teachings as the Word of God. They were very much Berean themselves in that way. Paul and Silas go from Thessalonica to Berea. That's how it begins in verse 10. Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away.

So what does that mean? By implication that means that Timothy stays in Thessalonica longer and As we knit all these accounts together, that's going to make sense why Paul sends Timothy back to Thessalonica. That's what he references when we will get to 1 Thessalonians chapter 3. It was Paul who sent Timothy back. Why did he send Timothy?

Probably because he was there longer than Paul was, and he was the natural one to send back because he was more well known. Paul is encountering resistance and persecution in city after city. Philippi, yes, got to move. Thessalonica, yes, got to move. Berea, yes, got to move.

The same will be true in Athens. And then he'll be in Corinth for a year and a half. We might be tempted to say, come on Paul, you've got to stick it out. These young churches need you. You can't be bailing out of the first sign of trouble.

But that's not right. Paul is doing exactly what Jesus told his disciples to do in Matthew chapter 10. Matthew chapter 10 is the chapter where Jesus sends the disciples out to preach in advance of him coming into the villages in Judea. And he says this in Matthew chapter 10 verse 23, When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. That was Jesus' policy for his disciples when he sent them out.

When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. That was Jesus' policy for His disciples when He sent them out. When they persecute you in this city, you move to the next city. And this is how the Gospel spreads. The day may come where you need to be a martyr, but you don't go looking for it, and you do keep moving when you encounter persecution.

If it finally catches up with you and they kill you, then God too has ordained that. But we're not to go looking for that kind of trouble. We're not to go looking for martyrdom. When they persecute us in one city, we're to move to the next. And what do you do when you move?

You keep preaching. This is how the gospel spreads. This is how you see the gospel spread throughout the New Testament. So often the movement is directed by pressure and persecution. That's all in the sovereign plan of God to send the gospel to every corner of the earth.

Okay, four applications. We've seen Paul and his companions, Silas and Timothy, in Thessalonica. Now he's got converts, some Jews, and lots of Greeks. He's chased out of town relatively quickly, and he's worried about them. He's concerned about them.

He wants to see that they're established. So he's going to do a couple of things. He's going to send Timothy back and then he's going to start writing letters to encourage them and establish them in sound doctrine. That's what we'll be studying for the next nine months. Four applications.

Number one, notice how God is working in the lives of Paul and his companions. Notice how God is working in the lives of Paul and his companions. We want to imagine that God is going to work in our lives in this way. Like, He is going to give me a brilliant plan. And then we'll strategize and then we'll raise resources and then we'll do a controlled rollout.

We should plan. The book of Proverbs does exist and has a lot of wisdom that would have us planning. But I think we should also accept the wisdom of the book of Acts which is that's sometimes not how it works. Often that's not how it works in his kingdom. Paul did have some brilliant plans.

It was a brilliant plan to preach the Word in Asia. The Holy Spirit said, no way. It was his brilliant plan to go to Bithynia then. The Holy Spirit restricted him from going there and redirected him. And the point is, if this is true in the life of the Apostle Paul who Jesus appeared to repeatedly, how much more true in our lives.

It's not always going to work out nice and clean where God gives us a brilliant plan and we have time to strategize and pool resources and have a controlled rollout. That is many times not how God works in our lives. He sends pressure and persecution. He has us beaten and put in prison and we think ah The plans off the tracks. No, this is the plan How do you know it's God's plan because it's happening to you Whatever God ordains is right God glorified Himself mightily through the beating that Paul and Silas took in Philippi.

There's a more glorious story in the New Testament than the jailer and the salvation of his family. So we've got to get used to how God treats his sons and daughters. The son that he loves the most is Jesus. How did God treat that son? You shouldn't expect a life of ease and comfort where God gives you a brilliant plan and the time to pull it all together and then have a controlled rollout.

It's not how God works so often. Number two. Turn to Romans 10 verses 14 and 15. Romans 10 verses 14 and 15. This is Paul of course writing to the church at Rome.

Romans 10, 14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?

As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things. Think of what's happening in Thessalonica. God has passed over them. God has mercy on whom he has mercy, and he has compassion on whom he has compassion. There might have been some God followers who were saved by faith in Macedonia in the centuries before, but the chances are you could have counted them on your fingers and toes.

Gospel wasn't there. God is changing and pouring out grace and mercy. He's sending. How were the Macedonians to call on God? They didn't believe.

How were they to believe? They hadn't heard. How were they to hear? God never sent them a preacher. You see so clearly God Himself does the sending.

You can't go here, you can't go here, I send you a vision. Do you need more than that to know that God is doing the sending? And yet, a church is doing the sending. We saw in the first missionary journey that they are fasting, praying, they are ministering to the Lord, and God says, set apart these two men and send them out. So churches should always be looking to be an extension of God's sending.

I hope this is one of the great takeaways for our church is that we are fired up to be an extension of God for sending people to preach the gospel in places where it's not preached as it should be. Where it's not preached at all. Paul and his companions took this to heart, that a preacher has to be sent. They're going to places where the Gospel isn't at all. And what we're going to find when we get to 1 Thessalonians is that his converts taught this, took this to heart.

So it's not just that God raises up Paul as a man who has this burning in his soul. Paul imparts it. This doesn't die with Paul. That's why you have heard the gospel Because Paul had spiritual sons and grandsons and great-great-grandsons Great-great-great-grandsons and so on until the gospel reached you Paul and his companions took this to heart. Somebody has to send a preacher to preach the gospel.

And their converts took it to heart too. So that the gospel is going to be sounding forth from the Thessalonians to all of Macedonia and Achaia and to every place. Number three. Number three. The Proclamation of Christ is the Gospel.

The proclamation of Christ and His death and His resurrection is the Gospel. I'm not saying that to reduce the gospel. I think somebody has to understand who Christ is and how that fits with the holy God. So I am for a full-orbed gospel. I'm not saying this to truncate or lop off a part of the gospel.

But I am saying that social disruptions are just a vehicle. For instance, gay marriage should be a vehicle for the Gospel, but it isn't the Gospel. Reclaiming Biblical marriage isn't the Gospel. Overturning abortion isn't the gospel. It's related, but it's not our message.

Overthrowing abortion is not the message of the Sovereign Redeemer Community Church. Jesus crucified and resurrected, sitting at the right hand of God in glory is the message. And it has implications that touch on killing your babies or marrying someone of the same sex. Those are just implications. Social disruptions are just a vehicle to proclaim Christ.

We've got to know how to get from here to there really fast in our discussions. Because people don't want to talk about Christ, they want to talk about gay marriage. People don't want to talk about Jesus, they want to talk about abortion. We have to know how to get from here to there skillfully, so we're talking about Christ crucified. Because that's the gospel that Paul preached.

Number four. If we are hated for this gospel, we're in great company. We're coming into a time where like never before we're going to be hated for this gospel. Praise the Lord. It brings us into the company of the Apostle Paul and Peter and Stephen.

Onward to first and second Thessalonians. Let's pray. God, thank you for the historical account. I pray now that as we begin to study Paul's instructions and encouragements to these people after they became converts, to establish them and encourage them, we would learn. Bless our time, bless our next month, considering these things, God, in Jesus' name, Amen.