Sermon Idea: The proclamation of Jesus as King confronts and challenges the ways of the world and changes it one redeemed saint at a time.
Introduction: Carl F. H. Henry is a name unknown to many evangelical, conservative Christians today, but his influence is still felt, even if taken for granted. If Billy Graham was the face of evangelicalism in the 20th Century—the face and voice that everyone knew—Carl F. H. Henry was the mind. He was the one doing all the intellectual heavy lifting and writing, which gave evangelical Christians a substantive voice.
In 1947, Henry published a small but serious book called The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism. It was a loving, but prophetic rebuke against the conservative fundamentalists of his day, who seemed to have receded to the sidelines of the culture, not addressing the most pressing issues of the day.
In that book, Henry would say things like this, “A Christianity without a passion to turn the world upside down is not reflective of the apostolic gospel.”
Later in the book, he wrote this, “If historic Christianity is again to compete as a vital world ideology, evangelicalism must provide a solution for the most pressing world problems…The redemptive message has implications for all of life; a truncated life results from a truncated message.”
If the gospel has implications only for individuals, without impact on the broader culture and society, Paul would never have been accused of “turning the world upside down.”
The proclamation of Jesus as King confronts and challenges the ways of the world, changing it one redeemed saint at a time.
In Acts 17, Paul and Silas make their way to Thessalonica after experiencing great suffering in Philippi. The ministry they did in this chapter resulted in the planting of the church in Thessalonica, to which Paul wrote 1 & 2 Thessalonians. We’ll turn to 1 Thessalonians a couple of times.
When they get there, they encounter great opposition, accused of being troublemakers and upsetting the status quo.
These men who have turned the world upside down… (Ac 17:6)
Now, this accusation was not true in one sense, but very true in another. What these opponents meant was that they were causing trouble for Rome. The peace that Thessalonica had with Rome was being disrupted by these zealots who were trying to overthrow the Roman Empire. They were accused of leading a revolt.
For example, in verse 7, they also accuse them of opposing Caesar.
and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” (Ac 17:7)
The statement is not true in this sense. The apostles taught the early churches to honor the Emperor (1 Peter 2:13-17), to pray for kings and rulers (1 Tim 2:1-2), and to live as godly, honorable citizens (Romans 13:1; 1 Peter 2:11-12).
The apostles did turn the world upside down in another sense, in a much more subversive way. As they preached Jesus as King and people began to give their allegiance to him by faith, they began to change, and over time, this change was reflected not only in individuals but in the societies in which they lived.
In these two missionary efforts, first in Thessalonica, and then in Berea, I want to observe the proclamation that turns the world upside down and the people who turn the world upside down.
I.) The proclamation that turns the world upside down (Acts 17:1-15)
After leaving Philippi, Paul and Silas pass through Amphipolis and Apollonia to get to Thessalonica. The reason seems to be strategic. Thessalonica was one of the largest and most important cities in the area, as it was located right at the intersection of major trade routes.
Once in Thessalonica, Paul visited the Jewish synagogue first, as was his regular practice.
2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” (Ac 17:2–3)
What turns the world upside down is the proclamation of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Here, Paul explains and proves that Jesus is the Messiah from the Scriptures. He takes the time to explain, listen to questions, and show from the Bible that the Messiah’s death and resurrection were necessary.
I would imagine the passage he opened was very similar to the ones we’ve seen used earlier in Acts.
Passages like Isaiah 53:5-6.
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
And Psalm 16, which foretells the resurrection of Jesus, For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor let your holy one see corruption (Ps 16:10)
These passages prove that the Messiah needed to suffer and die on behalf of his people, but they also prove something else. Since Jesus of Nazareth is risen, he is the Messiah, and therefore Lord. He is the king.
This is what Peter declared at Pentecost.
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Ac 2:36)
The proclamation that Jesus is King is what turns the world upside down, for he is the King of kings. Those who follow Jesus give their ultimate allegiance to him rather than to Caesar, and in the first few centuries, this becomes a disturbance not only to the Jews but also to many throughout the Roman world. Why?
Why did the preaching of Jesus as Lord turn the world upside down? The Lordship of Jesus changed his followers and the societies in which they lived. There is a lot that we could say, but I want to highlight a few important ones.
- The Lordship of Jesus challenged and delivered people from pagan idolatry.
For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (1 Th 1:9–10)
To understand how significant this was, keep in mind that the pagan idolatry of the ancient world was intertwined with every other aspect of life. All of life: the government, the marketplace, and the home had a connection to the many pagan gods of the ancient world.
Larry Hurtado, in his really wonderful book Destroyer of the gods: Early Christian Distinctives in a Roman World, helps explain how the pagan world would have thought about converts to Christianity.
“In their eyes…it would have drawn a lot of objection and even harassment…it would have seemed to the general public a kind of religious and social apostasy, an antisocial stance.”
The proclamation of Jesus as Lord exposed the pagan idols to be empty and vain. They were mute, deaf, and lifeless. Jesus Christ is risen, and he lives.
In our context, we don’t have to worry much about lifeless pagan idols, but we do have to confront worldly idolatry. The idolatry most present in American culture and Massac County is no exception; it is the idolatry of the self.
It is the idolatry of understanding ourselves apart from God and the Lordship of Jesus. This manifests itself in a host of ways, but the most prominent ones involve progressive views of sexuality and gender. It is to create a new reality not based on truth, but on passions, desires, and self-declared identity.
To proclaim Jesus as Lord in our current culture is to also speak the truth about human beings, that we can’t rightly know ourselves apart from God and his Word.
Illustration: Louise Perry, British Journalist and author of The Case Against the Sexual Revolution.
“…what Louise Perry observed about the reality of biological sex led her to explore the more fundamental truth claims of Christianity. And when she discovered that Christianity makes the most sense of the reality she observed, she embraced the supernatural Christian faith due to the light it shines on the natural world.”
2. The Lordship of Jesus destroys the distinctions of class.
4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. (Ac 17:4)
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. (Ga 3:28–29)
3. The Lordship of Jesus raises the ethical standard consistent with God’s righteousness.
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; (1 Th 4:3–5)
Throughout the New Testament, we are given commands about what a faithful life following Jesus looks like. The best way to oppose disordered sexual immorality and the denigration of marriage is to cultivate a rightly ordered sexuality and exemplify covenant faithfulness in marriage before a watching world.
Another prominent example is the distinctly pro-life views and actions that set them apart from the surrounding world (Infant exposure/abortion, etc.) 2:2thou shalt not murder a child by abortion nor kill them when born. (Didache 2:2)
These are just examples, but the point is that our confession that Jesus is Lord has implications not only for our individual lives but also for the communities in which we live. We are to be a light in a dark world and the salt that preserves the world.
I think one of the better statements on Christian social engagement is found in the Baptist Faith and Message.
All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society. Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love. In order to promote these ends Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth. – Baptist Faith & Message 2000, XV. The Christian and Social Order
II.) The people that turns the world upside down (Acts 17:1-15)
We have seen the proclamation that turns the world upside down, but let’s consider the people.
4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. (Acts 17:4)
11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 12 Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. (Ac 17:11–12)
God’s way of truly and permanently changing society is not through politics, initiatives, or military means. God changes society one redeemed sinner at a time. When sinners are made new creations in Christ, they live and minister in a way that reflects how God makes all things new.
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything (1 Th 1:6–8)
If Waldo is going to be a church through which God turns the world upside down, we need to center the proclamation of Jesus Christ as Lord in all our ministries and be committed to disciple-making.
What we need most is not a new initiative, program, or plan. What we need most is a deep adoration for Jesus Christ and a renewed zeal in every member to be a gospel-sharing, disciple-maker.
The proclamation of Jesus as King confronts and challenges the ways of the world and changes it one redeemed saint at a time.
Nathaniel R. Martin 