“A Claim that Will Turn the World Upside Down”
Acts 17:1-15
Dr. Andrew C. Hebert
Intro:Temples have been built to him. Priests have sacrificed animals in his honor. Millions have worshipped him. His face is on statues, coins, books, and buildings. He is called “son of god,” “savior of the world,” and “lord of the cosmos.” You know who I’m talking about of course. We are living in the 1stcentury Roman empire and the person I just described is Caesar. Yes, there was an imperial cult, where the Caesar was regarded as the son of god, the savior of the world, the lord of the cosmos, and was worshipped in temples, with idols, on coins (the lord of world inscribed on coins), etc. Caesar demanded the supreme loyalty of his subjects and laid claim as more than a mere political leader – he demanded their worship.
Into this world stepped a Judean carpenter named Jesus who said that God’s kingly rule had arrived in His own person and called people to pledge their allegiance to Him. This carpenter had several followers who preached thatJesuswas the Son of God, the Savior of the world, and the Lord of the cosmos. This is why every one of the apostles was imprisoned or executed. They were making claims that ran counter to the claims of a tyrant king who lived in Rome:Jesus is king. There is no more consequential idea than the kingly rule of Jesus and that was precisely the message of the apostles (see vs. 7).
This theme – that God’s kingly rule is found in Jesus - is not just the central claim of the apostles; it really is the central theme of the Bible. Think about it: God created the world and exercised his loving rule over all creation; Adam and Eve staged a rebellion to God’s good rule, and you and I and every human since Adam and Eve have been co-conspirators, accomplices, to this rebellion because, like Adam and Eve, we choose our way and not God’s way, choosing to rule our own hearts rather than allowing our hearts to be ruled by Him; God still will be king though. And the way that He re-establishes His reign is by sending His Son Jesus who dies in the place of the rebels, taking God’s judgment for them. God vindicates His Son by raising Him back to life. Jesus ascended through the heavens and is currently reigning from heaven at the right hand of God, waiting to return, when He will finally put sin and death in the grave once and for all, and establish His universal reign over the entire cosmos for eternity. Jesus is king!
And this has huge implications for you and me.I want to show you three quick things that will happen when “Jesus is king” becomes the heartbeat of your life.
1. You will be vilified by the masses, vs. 1-9
When you make your stand on the claim that Jesus is king, expect opposition. Why is there and has there always been such vitriol for Christians? I think it’s because we are making an exclusive claim. We are telling others that Jesus lays claim to the allegiance of their hearts. And the truth is, people love those things that already hold the allegiance of their hearts and they don’t want their idols to be subverted by Jesus. So they vilify those who preach Jesus. But although you will be vilified by the masses, take heart because…
2. You will be vindicated by the Scriptures, vs. 2, 10-12
As the masses oppose us, you may begin to fear or even question whether what you are suffering for is worth it. Luke includes this next story to give us a great deal of confidence in the validity of our message. Read vs. 10-12. As the Berean believers search the Scriptures as to the truthfulness of the apostles’ message – the kingly rule of Jesus – what is their conclusion? They believe. In other words, Scripture demonstrates the truthfulness of this claim about Jesus. Vs. 2 says this as well. Paul reasoned from the Scriptures that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.
If you are discouraged by the opposition we see in our nation and world to Christianity, take heart in this – the message we believe and rest our hopes in is the truth! There is one more reason to take heart, and that is because if you make your stand on the declaration that “Jesus is king”…
3. You will be victorious in the mission, vs. 13-15
I want you to notice a couple of things. First, notice that the mob continually pursues Paul, but as long as God still has something for Paul to do, he escapes the mob. Read vs. 13-15. The mob thinks they will be victorious and put down Paul and his missionary associates, but victory belongs to the Lord. Second, I want you to notice what happens every time the message “Jesus is King” is preached. Read vs. 4 and 12. You may get discouraged thinking that some how the way things are going that the church will eventually cease to exist or will greatly shrink or something, but let me tell you this – when we herald loud and clear that we are rebels to God’s kingdom but that Jesus died for our rebellion, rose from the dead, and is presently ruling and will return and consummate his universal cosmic rule, listen, people believe it! God is still changing lives and drawing people to Himself, and our mission will be victorious!
Martin Luther – Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing; were not the right man on our side, the man of God’s own choosing; You ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He! Lord Sabaoth His name, from age to age the same, and He must win the battle!
Proclaim Jesus with confidence, with friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, because we will be victorious in the mission!
Conclusion:This is victory is how the story of the kingdom of God ends. The story of everything begins with the creation of the world under the kingly rule of God. The story of everything concludes with the consummation of the kingly rule of God over the world God created. That which was begun in Jesus’ first coming will be consummated in Jesus’ 2ndcoming. We just wait in the meantime and tell everyone we can that Jesus is king.