Welcome to Big Valley Grace Community Church. I’m glad that you’re here. If you’re brand new, I’d love to meet you. My name is Joel. I’ll be standing right here after the gathering. Come on down after the gathering. Love to shake your hand, love to personally welcome you to Big Valley Grace Community Church. We’re really glad that you’re here. We hope that today’s a great encouragement to you.

Well, we’re continuing in the book of Acts today. If you have a Bible, you can take your Bible and turn to Acts chapter 17. We’re going to be looking at verses 1 through 15. If you need a Bible, we have a prayer room right here after the gathering. We have Bibles in there — we want to give it as a gift to you. We want to make sure everyone has a copy of God’s Word for themselves.

A week ago, my wife and I and our youngest daughter, who is eight, went on a little adventure with a few other friends in Sacramento County in the Delta region to a city called Locke. The city of Locke is a sinking city. There are 30 to 40 buildings in the city of Locke. It’s a city that was built below sea level, and all of the foundations of all the buildings are going down.

This is a photo of my daughter in front of one of the buildings in the city of Locke. You can see that the foundations have failed — they’re dropping down, and this entire building is tilted to the side. This next photo is my daughter inside one of the buildings, and every one of the foundation pieces of this particular building was at a different height. The floor is like a wave. The entire town is sinking.

But that’s not the only thing that has sunk in the city of Locke, because it’s a city where the morality of the people had also sunk. It was a city built around extremely sinful practices, very evil and wicked behavior. And there’s something to be said about a city and its foundations.

You and I, we all choose a city to live in. We choose a city and a set of foundations. And I don’t just mean physically, like the city of Locke or the city of Modesto — I also mean spiritually, where we choose to have our lives built on a set of foundations. And God’s Word has a lot to say about a city and its foundations.

Today we’re going to look at three cities. Two of them are found in Acts chapter 17. Let’s pray together.

Father God, Lord, I pray that we would understand that you want to accomplish something in us right now. That Jesus Christ is alive — the Son of God, Christ our Lord — and your Word is powerful. Would we be humble right now and submit to Jesus and the Word of God, and would it accomplish something incredible in our lives? I pray this in Jesus’ name. And all God’s family said, Amen.

Last week, Pastor Ben taught on the passage previous to this in the book of Acts. If you missed it, Pastor Ben did a great job — you can go to our website and watch that message at no cost to you. Take advantage of that. It’ll help you get caught up.

In verse one, it says, “Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.” The “they” is Paul and Silas. Where they were coming from was a town they had just been beaten in and imprisoned. And they didn’t quit. They didn’t give up. They moved on from that town and now they’re coming to a new town, and their first stop is the synagogue of the Jews — which was their practice, their pattern as they came into a town. We’re going to see it repeated again in the text we’re looking at.

Verse two: “And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the scriptures.” The scriptures available at that time were what we would call the Old Testament. And what Paul was doing, in a very skilled and expert way — he was an incredibly well-trained and intelligent man — he was taking the Old Testament scriptures and pointing out how they pointed to a Messiah, a Christ. And then he was connecting that message to the person of Jesus, claiming that Jesus was the Christ the scriptures had spoken of.

Verse three says that he was explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, saying, “This Jesus whom I proclaim to you is the Christ.” He’s taking the Old Testament scriptures and showing how they point to a Messiah. Then he’s taking the person of Jesus — the life, the death, the burial, the resurrection, the ascension, and the soon coming — and connecting it all together.

Verse four: “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.” Three types of people are described here as accepting the message of Jesus. First, some of those who were in the synagogue — we’ll find out in a moment it’s the minority, but some are welcoming the message. Then there are devout Greeks, those who are not Jewish. And then it says not a few of the leading women — women who were leaders in the community. Three types of people welcoming the Word of God.

In verse five, we see the broad response of the majority: “But the Jews were jealous.” They were jealous. What were they jealous about? They were jealous that the Old Testament scriptures — which they saw as belonging to them — were being used to point to a Messiah named Jesus Christ of Nazareth. So the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob and set the city in an uproar.

You see this in our nation. You see this in cities. You see this on the news — cities in uproar, mobs being formed — all because they’re jealous that the Old Testament is being connected to Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God.

They attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. This is where Paul and Silas were staying — in the house of a man named Jason. They’re so resistant to what this missionary journey is accomplishing that they attack his house.

And it tells us something about this city. Yes, there are three groups that come to Christ. But the broad brush of the largest group tells us something about the foundation of this city.

City number one, we’re going to call it Thessalonica — the city resisting the Word of God. These people are very religious. They’re Jewish. They’re in a synagogue. But the broad description is: Thessalonica is the city resisting the Word of God.

The word “jealous” is used a number of ways in the Bible. In the Old Testament, when God gives the Ten Commandments in Exodus chapter 20, in the second commandment, God says about himself, “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.” God calls himself jealous — jealous for what belongs to him.

Well, the nation of Israel rejected God. And in Deuteronomy 32:21, God says, “They have made me jealous with what is no God. They’ve provoked me to anger with their idols.” Commandment number two is about not having any idols. God says, “I’m jealous — I don’t want you to have any idols. And you’ve made me jealous with something that’s no God.” So God flips it on them: “So I will make them jealous with those who are no people. I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.”

Here in Acts 17, we’re seeing that same pattern. Jewish people are jealous — jealous about the Old Testament scriptures being pointed to the person of Jesus Christ. And God flips it on their heads.

Verse six continues: “When they could not find them” — this angry mob couldn’t find the apostles — “they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, ‘These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also.’” What an incredible compliment, to be used by God in such a way that someone would say you’ve turned the world upside down because of your association to Jesus.

Verse seven: “And Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” And here we find out the root issue — it’s about Jesus being called a king.

This reminds me of a moment Jesus experienced heading toward the cross. He was on trial before Pilate, and Pilate said to the crowd, “Shall I crucify your king?” And the chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” The very people who were supposed to know that God is their King — when Jesus is before them, they say, “We have no king but Caesar.” And here in Acts 17, they’re doing something very similar.

People in the city of resistance — Thessalonica — refuse to submit to King Jesus. That is a dangerous city to live in, with dangerous foundations. You and I, we all struggle with the same thing: we want to be in control. We want to be in control of our lives, of the people next to us, the people we live with, the people we work with. We want to control everyone. But the truth is, we’re totally out of control.

Verse ten: “The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea.” There’s a pattern forming — the town before this, they got beat and imprisoned. Now in this town, there’s a mob and an uproar. And now they’re going to the next town, Berea. “And when they arrived, they went into the Jewish synagogue.”

Verse eleven: “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica.” Here’s how they were more noble: “They received the word with all eagerness.” And that word “eager” is very different from “jealous.” They received the word with all eagerness, “examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were so. And many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.”

Three groups in this new town are coming to faith. They are eager to receive the Word. They’re not jealous — they’re welcoming it. And the text gives us three terms about those in Berea and their interaction with the Word: they received the word, they examined the scriptures, they believed. You could do those three things yourself with your Bible. You could open your Bible, receive the word you read, examine it, and believe it. And if you did those three things, you would be like the Bereans — more noble than those in Thessalonica — because they received the word with all eagerness.

This reminds me of Peter, when he describes people who are brand new in Jesus. He says it’s like babies — infants — who have a craving, a need for milk. When you come to Jesus, you’re like a spiritual baby with a spiritual craving and a spiritual need for the pure spiritual milk of God’s Word. And these people in Berea are eagerly accepting the Word of God — craving it, receiving it, examining it, believing it, welcoming it.

City number two — Berea, the city receiving the Word of God.

This reminds me of Proverbs 18:10: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower, and the righteous man runs into it and is safe.” When we recognize who God is and what he has done for us, it makes us want to run toward God — like a strong tower we’ll find safety in.

In the book of Hebrews, there’s a verse that helps us understand this word “eager” in a very unique way. Hebrews 9:27–28 says, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” Which city sounds like people who are eagerly waiting for Jesus?

You and I are all going to die. We’re going to physically die. And this verse says that when we die, we will stand before God in judgment. But Christ died — and when he died, he paid for our sins on the cross. And he’s going to appear a second time. When he appears, his purpose will be to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

The people in the city of receiving are ready and waiting for King Jesus. We all have a common problem: we get a great idea, we come up with our own plan, and we want to rush right into it and do it our way — our ideas, our way, our timing. But the people in the city of receiving are ready and waiting for King Jesus, because they know who’s in charge, and they’re waiting for the King to give them direction.

Acts 17 continues in verse thirteen: “But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds.” The same group from Thessalonica who started a mob and put the city in an uproar — they follow them to Berea and stir things up there too.

Verse fourteen: “Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea. But Silas and Timothy remained there.” This pattern keeps repeating — Paul comes to a town, shares the gospel, some believe, some reject him, and he moves on.

Verse fifteen: “Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens. And after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.”

The Bible is full of comparisons and contrasts. Here you have two cities — the city resisting the Word of God, Thessalonica, and the city receiving the Word of God, Berea. They are totally different. And it’s all in respect to Jesus Christ and the Word of God. That’s the difference. That’s the difference between these two cities and their foundations — how they’re responding to the person of Jesus Christ and the Word of God.

You’re going to live somewhere. You’re going to live in a city. It’s going to have a type of foundation. But all the cities we live in, all those foundations are going to fail eventually. And you need to choose a city and a foundation for your life — not just now, but forever. My question is this: Do you need to move?

Do you need to move from the current city with the current foundation that you have for your life? I want to challenge you — I have a city I think you should move to.

We find this city in Revelation 21:1: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

You will choose a city and a foundation to live in — now and for eternity. The Bereans who are eagerly receiving the Word of God, ready and waiting for King Jesus — they’re moving toward this city spiritually.

It’s city number three. It’s New Jerusalem — the city residing with the Word of God. The scriptures call Jesus the living Word. And in this city, the people are residing with the Word of God. You will choose to reject Jesus and his Word, or you will choose to accept Jesus Christ and the Word of God.

Listen to the description of this city: “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.’” That sounds like a city I would like to live in.

Verse four: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” That sounds like a city I would like to move to.

“And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ He said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’”

You will choose to believe what Jesus says is true, or you will choose to believe what Jesus says is not true. But your decision does not just impact your life now — it impacts your life forever.

The people in this city, New Jerusalem — the city residing with the Word of God — are dwelling with King Jesus. A man in the Bible named Abraham traveled his whole life looking for this city. He lived in tents. He moved around. He never found this city on earth. But it says he was always looking toward it — a city that has foundations whose designer and builder is God. Abraham spent his whole life looking forward to living in this city.

Listen to the foundations of this city. It says, “The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” — the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sin so that we might have a relationship with God when we place our faith in him. That is the foundation of this city. It’s the Lamb. It’s the living Word. It’s Jesus Christ, the Messiah — the one the Old Testament prophecies point to. He is the fulfillment.

You will choose a city and a foundation for your life. I want you to know who we are as a community. We are a community of people who have made a commitment to have Jesus Christ as our firm foundation — and his Word. That is who you are with. You are with a community where we have made a commitment to the foundation of Jesus Christ and the Word of God.

This is what Jesus says about his words in Matthew 7: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

It is all about Jesus and the Word of God. What will you do with Jesus and the Word of God?

When cities start up, city leaders love to have a ribbon cutting ceremony. Make a big deal about new things — get the massive scissors, right? I’m sure the city of Locke did something to celebrate when those 30 to 40 buildings were built below sea level. But that celebration at the beginning did not make that city last, because it did not have a firm foundation.

I want to challenge you to do something different. Not a ribbon cutting ceremony, but a different ribbon ceremony — so that you might have a firm foundation in the city of your life. And the ribbon ceremony I want to challenge you to do is this: Move the ribbon. Open up your Bible every day and move the ribbon in your Bible. Move the ribbon — and live on the firm foundation of Jesus and his Word.

Father God, Lord, we thank you for the privilege it is to come and to worship Jesus Christ. May God be exalted. Thank you that your Word is being presented. We trust that your Word will accomplish wonderful things in our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit. We trust you, God, that you will do the work. And we thank you that we’re in an environment where the Word of God is being declared — may it have an enormous impact on our lives. Lord, help us to move towards you, to be eager, to receive, to examine, to believe, to be moving toward you and a new city. The cities we live in now are not our permanent home. We’re moving toward you, Lord. Help us to trust you, to trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I pray this in Jesus’ name. And all God’s family said, Amen.

If you need prayer, our team will be ready to pray with you in our prayer room. If you’re new, I’d love to meet you — I’ll be standing right here. Come on down. Church family, we love you, and we’ll see you again real soon.