THEY TURNED THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN

SOW #200819 – May 11, 2008

Acts 17:6 says “These that have turned the world upside down have come hither also.”  Paul and Silas, two refugees from the jailhouse at Philippi, had traveled one hundred miles on the Roman interstate known as the Egation Way through the cities of Amphipolis, and Apolonia, to the city of Thessalonica.

It was there they went into the synagogue and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, and some of them were persuaded, and of the Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.

The Jews were jealous of this great multitude of converts, and enlisted some of the street gangs, referred to as vile fellows of the rabble, and assaulted the house of Jason where Paul and Silas were living during their stay in that city. When they broke down the doors, Paul and Silas could not be found, so they literally dragged Jason, and a few converts into court with the charge, “These who have turned the world upside down have come hither also, and furthermore they said they act contrary to the decrees of Caesar saying there is another king; one Jesus.”

The charge “they have turned the world upside down” can be true on the local level wherever the gospel is preached. Homes can be turned upside down, and left right side up, individuals can be turned upside down, and left right side up, churches can be turned upside down, and left right side up. Here is a parody of a favorite gospel song we used to sing in revival meetings many years ago:

“Since Jesus came into our town

The Devil has been wearing a frown.

Many homes have been changed

Many lives rearranged

Since Jesus came into our town.”

 These that have turned the world upside down have come hither also.

The vile fellows of the rabble were the easiest to persuade to start the riot, because their way of life is completely opposite to the lifestyle of the Christian, and they had the most to lose as the influence of the Christians increased. Even today it is the vile fellows of the rabble whose stock and trade is drugs, booze, murder and illicit sex, who are the loudest in opposition to the gospel.

And they were right when they said Jesus was another king. In John 18:36-37, Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world…” Pilate answered, “Art thou a king then?” Jesus answered, “Thou sayest, I am a king.”  That mob was right; there is another King; one Jesus.

Actually His dominion was far greater as a king than they ever imagined. Colossians 1:16 reminds us, “For in Him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible, and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities, or powers; all things have been created through Him, and unto Him; and He is before all things, and in Him do all things consist.” The mob was right; there is another King; one Jesus.

We wonder what they would have thought if they ever found out, as John would say later in Revelation 19:16, “His name is KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”  Just before that John said He was wearing many crowns. He was wearing all the crowns of all the kings that ever were and ever shall be. They were right; there is another King; one Jesus.

This one called Jesus some day will come in judgment according to Matthew 25, and He shall gather together all the nations for judgment. All the nations that ever were or ever will be and they will all appear. The judgment that day in verse 40 concerning the lost and saved, these shall go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. That mob was right that day; there is another King; one Jesus.

We need to consider also the charge, “These who have turned the world upside down have come hither also.” The charge was a little out of sync; it wasn’t that way at all. The world had already been turned upside down when the serpent persuaded Adam and Eve to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. The gospel of Jesus is the only thing that can turn the world right side up.

So Paul as his custom was, went in unto them and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scripture. The house of worship is always a good place to be on the Lord’s Day to feast on the Word of God. The Psalmist tells us in Psalms 84:10, “For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of the wicked.”

So Paul reasoned with them from the Scriptures, opening and alleging that it behooved the Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom said he, “I proclaim unto you is the Christ.” Since there was a multitude that was persuaded, we have to wonder what kind of a message Paul delivered on those three days of preaching.

It appears that he followed the example of Jesus on the day of the resurrection as He walked incognito with two disciples on the way to the village of Emmaus in Luke 24:27, “And beginning from Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”

Paul reasoned with them from the Scriptures, opening and alleging that it behooved the Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead; and that this Jesus whom said he, “I proclaim unto you is the Christ.”

When Paul was speaking to people who believed the Word of God, he reasoned from the Scriptures. When he preached to pagans, he reasoned from the book of nature. Here at Thessalonica, he reasoned with them from the Scriptures even though pagans were present. Paul in 1^st Thessalonians 1:9 referred to those who turned from idols to serve the living God, and to wait for His Son from Heaven whom He raised from the dead.

As he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, what better place to start than at Genesis 3:15 when the Lord gave a message to the serpent regarding what he had done to the woman, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

This prophecy finds obvious fulfillment in Luke 1:35 when the angel Gabriel told the virgin, Mary, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also the Holy Thing that is begotten shall be called the Son of God.” In Matthew 1:20-21 an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream saying, “Joseph thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she shall bring forth a Son and thou shall call His name Jesus for it is He that shall save His people from their sins.” Then in Galatians 4:4 Paul informs us, “When the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, that He might redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” And so he reasoned unto them from the scriptures.

Not only was Jesus the child of promise, the exact place of the birth of Jesus was predicted by the prophet Micah in the 2^nd chapter verse two, “But thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee that is to be ruler of Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

It may seem that Micah made a mistake in saying He would be born in Bethlehem of Judea when we notice that Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth of Galilee at the time Gabriel announced His coming arrival. The two places were about seventy miles apart.

However, God who could foresee coming events knew that Caesar Augustus would make a decree that all of the world should be enrolled. This meant Joseph and Mary had to go to their own country, and it must have been a hard journey at such a critical time for the holy family.

They made the trip just in time, for we read in Luke 2:6-7, “And so it was while they were there the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she bought forth her first born Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger for there was no room for them in the inn.” It seems to us that the prophet Micah cut the prediction of the place of the birth of Jesus real close, but God worked out the details. And so he reasoned unto them from the Scriptures.

As Paul continued to reason from the Scripture another vivid reminder in the fulfillment of prophecy would be from Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”  Then when Jesus was born the prophecy was fulfilled Matthew in 1:23. A virgin did bring forth a Son and His name was called Immanuel, which is being interpreted God with us.

That name Immanuel identifies Jesus in a way we can all understand. Immanuel is with us. He was with us as we are, by birth. He is Immanuel because He is with us in temptation; tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. He is Immanuel because He is with us in death. He not only died, but in His death He tasted of death for every man. His name is Immanuel because He was made to be sin, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. He is Immanuel, God with us when we are baptized into Christ. Romans 6:4 tells us, “We are therefore buried with Him in baptism.” He is Immanuel, God with us when we gather together in His name, for He said, “There am I in the midst of them.” And when He comes again His name is Immanuel because He will be with us forever. Paul reasoned with them from the scriptures.

He reasoned with them from the many Scriptures referenced regarding the crucifixion. The 22^nd Psalm is just as vivid in the story of the crucifixion as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Psalms 22:1, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me? Why art Thou so far from helping Me?” Jesus repeated those words in Matthew 27:46, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”

Sometimes in times of deep grief I have heard it over and over many times, a distraught person will say, “Where was God?” The only answer I can give is, “He is in the same place He was when Jesus died on the cross for our sins.”

Again Psalm 22:17, “They part my garments among them, and cast lots on My vesture.” That prophecy is fulfilled in John 19:23, “The soldiers, therefore, when they crucified Jesus took His garments and made four parts, to every soldier a part.” They also cast lots for the cloak. This is a reminder to us that Jesus died on the cross naked, and in shame, even as Adam and Eve were ashamed when they knew they were naked. He died naked so that we might not have to be found naked before all the glory of Heaven when He returns.

Again in Psalm 22:16, “They pierced My hands and My feet,” and in verse 8 He trusted in God that He would deliver Him: let Him deliver Him, seeing He delighted in him. Those very words were repeated in Matthew 27 in verses 35 and 43, “There they crucified Him, and let Him now come down from the cross if He desireth Him.”

That challenge was an effort to get Jesus to by-pass the suffering on the cross. The Devil hates the cleansing blood of the Christ and many refer to it as a slaughter-house religion.

And then last of all we need to look at the ascension of Jesus. Psalm 110:1 prophesies the ascension of Jesus a thousand years before it happened, “The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on My right hand till I make Thine enemies Thy footstool.”

Then the fulfillment of that prophecy is mentioned in Hebrews 12:2, “He despised the shame, endured the cross and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 1:3, “When He had made purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high.”  Mark 16:19 says when He was taken up, He sat down at the right hand of God.

Luke 24:51, “And He led them out until they were over against Bethany, and He lifted up His hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass while He blessed them He was carried away from them into Heaven.”

Acts 1:9 shows us the scene of ascension, “As they were looking, He was taken up and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” Two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into Heaven? This same Jesus who was taken up from you into Heaven shall so come in like manner as ye beheld Him going into Heaven.”

Psalm 24:7-10 gives the most vivid description of the ascension from the heavenly view of the ascending Christ. As Jesus disappears from view in the clouds, He comes in view of the angelic hosts in Heaven, and the accompanying angels began to cry, “Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in.” Since no one has been allowed in Heaven from earth before, those on the inside of glory reply, “Who is this King of Glory?” The answer is quickly sent back, “The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads O ye gates, even lift them up, ye everlasting doors: and the King of Glory shall come in.” Again the challenge comes back, “Who is this King of Glory?” And then the immediate response, “The Lord of hosts, He is the King of Glory.”

Acts 2:34 makes it clear as to what happened then, “For David ascended not into the Heavens: but he saith himself, ‘The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on my right hand, till I make Thine enemies the footstool of Thy feet. Let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye have crucified.’” It was then being pricked in their hearts, they inquired what to do, and were told, “Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Thus Paul reasoned with them from the Scriptures, opening and alleging that it behooved the Christ to suffer, and rise again from the dead; and this Jesus, whom, said he, I proclaim unto you is the Christ.

It will be a great occasion when it happens.