Old, New, True?

Introduction

I made a comment in class a few weeks ago in Bible class, and has a lot to do with where this lesson came from, but said something about old, new, and true. You know, that’s that’s what we see here in Acts chapter 17, and Tony was like, you know, hey, that sounds like a like a three-point sermon. I was like, yes, it is. And I’ve been meaning to write it for a long time, so here it is. you know, a lot of times in our Christian lives, we maybe feel like we’ve fallen into a rut. We do the same things week in and week out, and you know, we’re doing the right things, we’re making the right decisions, we go to worship, we live righteously day by day, but we just feel like maybe we’re going through the motions.

We’re doing what we’re comfortable with. We do what we’ve done because that’s what we’ve always done. It’s old, it’s comfortable, it’s tradition, it’s what we like. We don’t like to change. We don’t like to step out of our comfort zones. But maybe our relationship with God isn’t quite what it ought to be. And then on the opposite extreme, we’ve all seen Christians who are always just looking for, you know, something new, something exciting, the latest fad, the latest cool thing to come, and we’ll probably go soon. Always looking for something new, exciting that makes them feel good. Something that’s fun. What can we do that’s new or different? Always wanting to change and progress, and ultimately those desires lead them away from the word of God.

And this is what we ought to be focused on is God’s word. We should be concerned with what it says, not with what man says. We should heed its instruction alone on how we worship, how we live our daily lives, how we cultivate a loving and active relationship with God. And there are three questions that we need to ask ourselves when we’re evaluating God’s word, and when we’re evaluating the practices that we engage in both corporately and individually. And when it comes to actions that have been suggested that we take, both in our daily walk and in our worship, as well as doctrines that we are encouraged to adhere to, whether those things are posited to us by other men, or they’re questions that arise in our own minds because of our own study and thought.

1. Is It Tradition?

Is it tradition? Is it new? Is it something that hasn’t been thought of before? And is it true? Does it adhere to God’s word? Nowhere is that more clearly illustrated than here in Acts chapter 17. In Acts 17, Paul is on his second missionary journey, and he is traveling and he’s getting into Greece, and he’s traveling with Silas, and they’re in Philippi in the latter part of chapter 16. They depart from there, they pass through Amphipolis and Apollonia in verse 1 of chapter 17, and finally come to Thessalonica. And that’s where we’ll pick up. Verse 1. They came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days, he reasoned with them from the scriptures, 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.

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. But the Jews were jealous. There’s a shocker. And taking some wicked men of the rabble. I love that phrase. Just makes them sound really bad because they were. They formed a mob and set the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. And when they couldn’t find them, they dragged Jason and some of the others, or rather some of the brothers, before the city authorities, shouting, These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also. And Jason has received them. They are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying, There is another king, Jesus.

And when the people, the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things, and when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

They were clinging to their tradition. Paul, when he arrives here in Thessalonica, goes into the synagogue as usual. That’s what we always read about him doing. And he reasoned with them, but we notice that he reasoned with them not just from his own logic or his own how just how smart he was, but it says he reasoned with them from the scriptures. These were people that knew the scriptures. These were the leading Jews of the synagogue. He is reasoning with them. He says that he was explaining it and proving it.

This was not some opinion of man. He explained and proved that Jesus was the Christ. And you know, there were some there in this context in verse 4 that believed. And they were persuaded, it says, and they joined Paul and Silas. A great many of the devout Greeks and also a few, not a few of the leading women. So also Jews and Greeks here were believing what they were saying. They were listening to what Paul said and saying, hey, you know what? That makes a lot of sense. It’s been explained, it’s been proven. So I’ve got to believe it. They were open-minded and they believed. But then there were those who didn’t, of course, in verse 5. The Jews were jealous. It wasn’t that it wasn’t sufficiently proven or explained.

They were just jealous. They didn’t care about the truth. They were closed-minded. They cared only about their tradition, only about their power, only about their influence. And when they saw that something away, they became jealous. That someone was following some, that the people were following after someone else. I think it’s interesting to note here what they were willing to do in order to get rid of Paul and Silas. These supposedly pious men were willing to go and get some of the evil people of the city, the people that they knew were worthless. And they got those people and got them to stir up this riot. They were willing to turn to wicked men to do their dirty work. And I think we see that sometimes even today, don’t we?

We see that when people don’t like the way things are going, when they maybe hold a certain level of power or influence in a church, even, and they see that their influence is slipping, they’re losing control, they look for others to be on their side, to take their way of thinking and to stir things up in the congregation, so maybe they’re not the only one causing the problem, so they’re not the instigator. They’re trying to hold on.

But what God says is that there shouldn’t be sides. There is God’s side alone when it comes to what is true, what we ought to practice and believe. And when people are only concerned about their power and influence, this is what creates division and strife and jealousy in local churches. And that is of the devil. And if that wasn’t enough, these Jews came after Paul and Silas when they had left and gone on to Berea, which we’ll get on to in a moment. When they get to Berea, they go and attack them there and stir up the crowds again, even though they didn’t even live there.

They were clinging to their tradition. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 10, I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and that there be no divisions among you. But that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. Well, judgment of what? Judgment of the truth. Judgment of God’s word and what it says. The truth is what should supersede all else, all opinion, all feeling, all what I am comfortable with. Those Jews in Thessalonica just wanted the old. They clung to their tradition. That was all that mattered. They lofted their tradition over the law. Look with me over in Mark chapter 7, if you would. Keep your finger in Acts, but look in Mark chapter 7.

And Mark kind of gives us a little a little insight into their practices. It says there in Mark chapter 7 and verse 3. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands, holding to the traditions of the elders. And when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cuffs and pots and copper vessels and dining couches. And the Pharisees and the scribes asked them, Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands? And Jesus answered them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, this people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men. They were denounced by Jesus for that. They had made up all these rules that they were to follow and lofted those up as binding. And if you didn’t do that, then you weren’t really a true follower of God, and yet what Jesus tells them here is that their hearts were far from him. They had lofted these things even over God’s word. We can’t do that. We can’t hold on to traditions of men that have no bearing. We can’t make up our own rules and loft those up over God’s word.

Even when it had been logically proven and confirmed by miracles of the apostles that this was correct. This was the way. They refused to accept it. Let us not be so stubborn and arrogant. That’s what the Pharisees did. Now, that’s not to say that tradition can’t be good. It can. And often is good. It is good if it is biblical. Paul admonished us to keep to the traditions that he wrote, that he passed on. Over in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Turn with me there briefly. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. And chapter 3. Chapter 2 and verse 15, he writes, so then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions that were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. Chapter 3 and verse 6.

And we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. And finally, in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 12. 1 Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 12. Or verse 2, rather. Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. Now, Paul is writing about these traditions, but these traditions were traditions that were of the Word of God. They were traditions that Paul, an apostle of God, had delivered to them. They’re traditions because they were things that Christians were to do, because that’s what God told them to do, very directly.

It’s a good thing to keep a tradition that is righteous, that is a commandment of God. It should be our tradition to live according to his commandments. There’s a big difference between Paul’s words, which are binding from God and something that is man made.

I mean, we have a lot of good habits. It’s a good habit for us to be here tonight. It’s a good tradition that we are here on this evening. But it is that. It is a tradition.

That we are here a second time, that we that we assemble on Wednesday nights. Those are traditions. They help us. They are wise. They help us to walk in their okay. They are beneficial to us. And so they can be good. But they also are not binding. Tradition can also be detrimental. It can be detrimental if it keeps us in the right. As we mentioned earlier, if things become routine, if our hearts are not truly in it. Sometimes we need to step out of our comfort zones. We need to keep things fresh. We maybe do something different every once in a while. So it’s not monotonous. And so we’re not just going through the motions. It can be detrimental if it is incorrect, if it is biblically wrong or inaccurate.

We believe that we are the New Testament church and we try to function like the New Testament church. That is our aim. That is our goal. We try to do that to the best of our ability. But let’s not be so arrogant as to say that we do everything absolutely 100% as they did. And that there is no way there’s anything that we do that could be brought to light that maybe it’s wrong. That it might not be quite right or couldn’t be done better. If something is brought to our attention and we’re wrong, we must be willing to change. I mean, you think about these Jews who were willing to accept this word. They went from being Jews to being Christians. That was a big jump.

And yet they were willing to do that because it was shown to them that was no longer the way. And they accepted that. And they changed. If they had not, they would have been wrong. Let’s be careful about that. And let’s realize that it is detrimental. It can be detrimental if it is merely a human tradition. Over in Colossians chapter 2 and verse 8.

Colossians chapter 2 and verse 8. Paul again writes, see to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ. He’s saying that there are going to be people who are going to try and use their human traditions. They’re going to try and deceive you. And their words are not going to be according to Christ. He says, make sure that no one takes you captive who is trying to do that. That’s what the Pharisees did. They made up rules and bound them where God had not bound. They were simply human traditions. So are we clinging to these things just because we’re comfortable with them? Just because they’re old?

2. Is It New?

Or because it is right? Because it is biblically accurate. That’s what we need to be seeking. Remember, some of the old things that we do aren’t really even that old. We’ve been doing something for a hundred years. That’s not really that long in the grand scheme of Christianity now, is it? And when someone asks us, well, why do you do that? Well, that’s the way we done it. That’s the way we’ve always done it. That’s not a sufficient answer. We need to go to the Word. We need to go to the Scripture for answers and why we do things the way that we do. Secondly, this evening. We move on in Acts chapter 17. And we ask ourselves, is it new? Paul moves on. After Berea, he goes on to Athens.

And beginning in verse 16 of Acts 17, it says, now while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons. There he goes, reasoning again. And in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, Why does this, or what does this babbler wish to say? Others said he seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities, because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. And they took hold of him and brought him to the Areopacus, saying, May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting, for you bring some strange things to our ears.

We wish to know, therefore, what these things mean. And an interesting side note, Luke puts in here. Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who live there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. Now it’s important for us to understand that phrase and what he’s talking about there. Remember that Greece, and specifically Athens, was the Mecca for philosophy, for logic, for arithmetic, for education and higher learning, for new philosophies. That is what they valued above all else. They sat around doing nothing but trying to think up new stuff. To try and further their knowledge and their thinking. And when we look at verses 19 through 21, I think we can at least credit them for being interested and willing to listen to what Paul had to say.

But their main reason was just this, that it was something new. It was something they hadn’t heard before. That’s what they spent their time doing. And so Paul, as they bring him to the Areopacus, and he’s given this opportunity to speak before them. He preaches an awesome sermon that shows how he was all things to all men. And how, when preaching the gospel, you start from where your audience is. So he begins there in verse 22 by saying this. Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For I passed along and observed the objects that you worship. I found also an altar with its inscription to the unknown God. This I proclaim to you. That which you worship as unknown. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gave to all mankind life and breath and everything.

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God. And the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being. And even some of your own poets have said, for we are indeed his offspring. Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance got overlooked. But now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

Because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed. And of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead. Now that’s not your typical sermon, is it? Not that we would preach to somebody today. That’s something that’s aimed directly at a pagan. He even uses some of their own poets and philosophers. He quotes from them in verse 28. He notes that he is preaching to them the true creator God that they are seeking. He preaches to them this unknown God that they had an idol to. And he preaches to them repentance. Preaches to them that they’re idols, the true and living God cannot be an idol made with hands.

And yet in all their acceptance, they could not believe in the resurrection in verse 32. And yet, kind of as a side note, verse 34, some did believe. And they joined him just as they did in Thessalonica, just as they did in Berea. Which tells us that even when no one else around us cares about the truth, we can still believe the truth. But what I want us to note here is that we’re those who teach something new, something strange. Now, that’s not to say, and I would be very quick to point out that just because it is new does not make it wrong. Paul’s words were very new to them. Paul’s words were very strange. They said it themselves. That’s why they wanted to hear it.

It was strange to them, and yet it was true. But Solomon tells us there is nothing new under the sun in Ecclesiastes chapter 1. Which is to say that there is very, it’s very unlikely we’re going to discover something that no one else has ever thought of, some way of doing something that no one has ever said. Let’s just be wary. It doesn’t make it wrong. But be cautious. If something seems strange, it probably is. And that’s what we need to be knowledgeable of God’s word. Because false teachers will use smooth talk to sway believers. Paul writes in Romans chapter 16. Romans chapter 16.

Verse 17 and 18, I appeal to you, brethren, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught. Avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites. And by smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the hearts of the naive. And also in 2 Peter chapter 2, verses 1 through 3. 2 Peter chapter 2. Verse 1, false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will explore you with false words.

Their condemnation from long ago is not idle. And their destruction is not asleep. There will be false teachers. They abound today. They are after selfish gain, and that will bring about swift destruction to them and their followers. But let’s just say this. If something is new, and we examine it, and it doesn’t jive with this, if it doesn’t fit in line with what we already know, with what God’s word says, then we need to stay away from it. And we need to beware of change just for change’s sake. Now again, it’s not wrong to do something new or in a new way. So long as it is biblically accurate, so long as it is biblically acceptable or authorized. If someone says, hey, let’s change, let’s do something different.

Let’s ask some questions. Ask why. Why are we going to do that? Is it because it is edifying? Will it be beneficial? Is it better than the way it’s currently being done? Maybe not. And we’ve changed a lot of things around here lately. We’ve got songs up by the PowerPoint now. We didn’t used to do that. We’ve got new song books. I think they’re great. Those things were done because we thought that it would be beneficial. The elders thought it would be edifying. We good for this congregation. And I have to agree. I think that the singing is much better that our heads are out of the books. It’s much more edifying. But we changed because it was a better way. And it was authorized.

As a way to worship God.

If it is distracting, it is not edifying. So we need to ask ourselves that. Is this new thing distracting? Will it take away from the worship service? And especially we need to ask, is it authorized by the scriptures? If it is not authorized, it is sinful. If it is authorized, then it is fine. We have liberty to do that. We have liberty to do things in different ways where God has given general authority. You know, it’s one of the awesome things about the autonomy of each local church, that we have liberty to do things in different ways. No church that I’ve ever visited has functioned or done their services exactly the same way as any other church. And that’s awesome. And you know, they’re just kind of have had some conversations about this lately, that you know, there are a lot of churches around the country now that are going to one service.

Well, I don’t think we need to look down on them because of that. If they go to one service, that’s their liberty to do so. A lot of them are going to one longer service in the mornings. It may be three hours, it may be three and a half, it may be four hours. And a lot of people want to look at it and say, well, they, you know, they just don’t want to, they don’t want to go to church as well. Well, they’re probably going longer when you put that block of time there, then we may actually be. And it may be if it’s good for them, if it works for that congregation, and it’s better for them and more edifying, then they have liberty to do that.

Let’s be careful not to condemn or look down on them because they have liberty to do that. Is it new? And if it is new, why is it new? Is it a new discovery of something from God’s word? Or is it simply man-made? If we are constantly searching for the new that typically leads away from God’s word.

3. Is It True?

Finally, because I’m swiftly out of time here. Is it true? Back in Acts chapter 17 in verse 10. We pick up in the middle here in Berea. The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now, those Jews were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica. They received the word with all eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. These Jews and Grace and Maria were asking the right questions. Is it true? Frankly, it doesn’t matter if it’s old. It doesn’t matter if it’s new. What matters is it true? Is it what God says?

It says in verse 11, they were more noble minded. They received the word with eagerness. They examined what? The scriptures to see if what Paul proclaimed was accurate. It was new to them. And yet that didn’t make it wrong. It made it right, in fact. Verse 12, because of this, many believed. Brother, we need to be more noble minded. To be no means to have excellent or superior quality, showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals. We need to be high quality thinkers. We need to use our brains. We need to be open-minded yet critical, inquisitive, and curious. We need to ask the right questions. And we need to seek the right answers from the right sources. We need to ask, is it true?

So what do the Bereans teach us? This is a short passage, and yet we learn much from it. They teach us that one, we need to be asking the right questions. Where did this thing come from? Is it authorized by the scriptures? Two, we need to search the scriptures to find the answers. We need to look at the right source. We need to not look at opinions. And thirdly, here was a group of both Jews and Greeks who were willing to accept the truth, even though it was new, because the scriptures bore it out to be so. So the only question that really matters, is it true? That should be of utmost importance. It sets us apart from those who claim to be people of God.

Conclusion

If we are going to be pleasing to him, we must adhere to his commands. You know, something the funny thing about this is something that can be both old and be true. It can be new and be true. It can be old and false and be new and be false. It can be all of those things. What matters is it true? What we believe and what we practice matters. It matters to God. It sets us apart from those who will say to him, Lord, but he will say, Depart from me, I never knew you. Be workers of lawlessness. Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. And no one comes to the Father but through me. Are we following his commands?

Are we coming to him and to his word as the source of truth? Are we searching the scriptures daily to find out if what is preached to us, if what I am saying here, is correct? Are we searching the scriptures to expand our knowledge of the mind of God and of his word? And of course, if you’re not a Christian, the only question that really matters is why not? Believe the truth that Paul proclaimed in Thessalonica, in Berea, and in Athens. Believe the truth that we still proclaim today that Jesus Christ is the risen Lord. And it is only him that can bring you salvation. He needs to respond to the gospel. Won’t you come now while we stand this?