https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/More-Noble-Minded.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Acts 17:1-12<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. Paul came to Thessalonica, a city on the coast in Macedonia, to preach the gospel<\/p>\n
A. He started out in the synagogues as was his custom.<\/p>\n 1. After three weeks of effort he convinced a few of the Jews, but large\nnumber of Greeks who had worshiped with the Jews and even some\nleading women of the city were also persuaded.\n B. Those Jews not persuaded did not take lightly the fact that Paul had led many out\nof their midst.\n
1. They caused a riot in the city.<\/p>\n 2. Unable to find Paul or his companions, they dragged a Christian named\nJason from his home, where Paul and his companions were staying, to\nbring him to trial.\n C. Jason was let go after posting bond, but the brethren did not want to risk Paul and\nSilas, so they sent them out that night to the nearby town of Berea.\n D. Paul again did as he always did. He went to the synagogue to begin teaching them\nabout Jesus.\n 1. The people in this synagogue were described as being more noble-minded\nor fair-minded than those in the synagogue in Thessalonica\n E. It was the same message, delivered in a similar circumstance, but it had a different\nimpact – Acts 17:12\n
1. The difference wasn’t in the speaker or his message<\/p>\n
2. The difference was in the audience.<\/p>\n
F. What made them more noble than the people in their neighboring city?<\/p>\n
II. They had a freedom from prejudice<\/p>\n
A. They received the teachings with readiness or eagerness – Proverbs 2:1-5<\/p>\n 1. It did matter to them who was doing the teaching, what excited them was\nopportunity to hear truth taught.\n 2. There was a love for truth that makes the distinct from the wicked – II\nThessalonians 2:10\n
3. They had no pre-judgement, instead they saved their judgment for later.<\/p>\n
B. Prejudice is a form of laziness<\/p>\n
1. You don’t have to think if your mind is firmly made up.<\/p>\n a. You don’t have to look anything up or compare it to what is found\nin the Bible because you can just say it isn’t what we’ve always\nbelieved.\n b. Like the Thessalonians, a prejudice person refuses to give either\ntime or consideration to anything with which he is not already in\nagreement.\n
2. Prejudice then becomes a barrier to learning<\/p>\n
C. The gospel is God’s power for salvation – Romans 1:16<\/p>\n
1. But it can’t affect a heart whose mind has been made up<\/p>\n
2. It means examining another person’s arguments<\/p>\n
3. Discussing the differences calmly – II Timothy 2:23-26<\/p>\n 4. And when shortfalls are found, making the change needed to be more\ninline with God’s word\n
III. They weren’t gullible<\/p>\n A. The Bereans weren’t called noble because they followed after every wind of\ndoctrine that blew their way – Ephesians 4:14\n 1. A gullible man is easily duped. A noble-minded man is not a gullible man.\nThere is nothing noble about being gullible\n 2. The Bereans were willing to listen without prejudice, but it did mean no\njudgment was brought to bear on what they heard.\n
3. As Isaiah cried out – Isaiah 8:20<\/p>\n 4. They personally investigated the teachings, comparing them to the\nScriptures – Psalm 1:2\n B. No one has the right to teach whatever they want on their own authority – II Peter\n1:19-21\n
1. A person ought to expect, and should want his teachings examined.<\/p>\n
2. God invited examination – Isaiah 34:16<\/p>\n
3. Again there is a need for calm, though firm discussion – II Timothy 2:23-26<\/p>\n 4. Differences from the truth are to be rooted out and condemned – Galatians\n1:6-10; II John 9-11\n C. Those of even Thessalonica were even praised for their judgment – I\nThessalonians 2:13\n
IV. They made the changes necessary <\/p>\n
A. They put the teachings into practice – Psalm 119:110; James 1:21-25<\/p>\n
B. Sometimes that is the hardest point, admitting that we weren’t right before<\/p>\n
1. Cannot put anything or anyone else first – Luke 14:26<\/p>\n
C. Heard and believed – Ephesians 1:13<\/p>\n
D. Saved if we hold fast to the word – I Corinthians 15:1-2<\/p>\n
V. Are you noble-minded?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Acts 17:1-12 I. Paul came to Thessalonica, a city on the coast in Macedonia, to preach the gospel A. He started out in the synagogues as was his custom. 1. After three weeks of effort he convinced a few of the Jews, but large number of Greeks who had worshiped with the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[144,78,1506,482,215],"class_list":["post-40372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-acts","tag-authority","tag-hearing","tag-learning","tag-prejudice"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":47722,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/were-the-gentiles-allowed-to-go-into-the-synagogues\/","url_meta":{"origin":40372,"position":0},"title":"Were the Gentiles allowed to go into the synagogues?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 20, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Were the Gentiles allowed to go into the synagogues? Answer: Gentiles were allowed to come to the temple complex, but they were restricted to remain in the outer court, the court of the Gentiles. The question is whether some similar restriction forbade Gentiles from entering synagogues. We know that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12621,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/arent-there-more-examples-of-paul-preaching-on-the-sabbath-than-on-the-first-day-of-the-week\/","url_meta":{"origin":40372,"position":1},"title":"Aren’t there more examples of Paul preaching on the Sabbath than on the first day of the week?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 30, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: You seem to be saying that Acts 20:7 shows that the disciples kept the first day of the week but I would like you to explain why in Acts 13:42-44; Acts 17:1-4; and Acts 18:1-4 that the Apostle Paul, along with the Jews and Gentiles, observed the Sabbath day\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58419,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/on-being-noble-minded\/","url_meta":{"origin":40372,"position":2},"title":"On Being Noble-Minded","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 24, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"by Roger M. Hendricks via\u00a0The Graphic Evangelist, Vol. 21, No. 8, April 19, 1981. It is affirmed of the Jews in Berea that they \"were more noble minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scripture daily, whether those\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16466,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-sabbath-is-mentioned-more-than-the-first-day-of-the-week-so-isnt-that-the-day-we-should-worship\/","url_meta":{"origin":40372,"position":3},"title":"The Sabbath is mentioned more than the first day of the week, so isn’t that the day we should worship?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 19, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I would like to say that you err on Sunday as God's true Sabbath. The Sabbath is mentioned 60 times in the New Testament as to 7 to 8 times for the first day of the week, which none of the first day of the week is about worship.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":95298,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-did-paul-wait-a-week-to-teach-the-gentiles\/","url_meta":{"origin":40372,"position":4},"title":"Why did Paul wait a week to teach the Gentiles?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Regarding Acts 13:42, why would Paul have the Gentiles wait a week to hear the word of God? Why would he not simply tell them that the church is meeting tomorrow (the first day of the week) as we are commanded? Thank you Answer: \"But going on from Perga,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":86240,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-could-peter-be-in-rome\/","url_meta":{"origin":40372,"position":5},"title":"How could Peter be in Rome?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I read from many early Church fathers that Peter was in Rome and preached in Rome. 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