A Good Model for an Open Mind

What matters most to them and what ought to matter most to us?

For the Bereans, it wasn't whether or not Paul was likable or interesting to listen to or novel in his teaching. What mattered was the answer to this question. Has God spoken?

If God has spoken, you have to submit, confess, convert, obey. So the first principle then as a good open mind is when you place the priority on your examination of objective truth. We live in a culture that values open-mindedness and seeks to affirm all viewpoints. Nowadays, virtue is described as accepting all forms of religion, sexuality, and ethical positions as equal. The goal seems to be to tear down the dividing walls of right and wrong so as to not alienate anyone. Biblically, we can't approach life that way. There are matters to which God has spoken, and when God speaks, that's the final word. This is Wisdom for the Heart with Stephen Davey.

Stephen continues through his series from Acts 17 with this lesson, A Good Model for an Open Mind. I read recently, in fact, just this past week of a $100 million initiative that began a few months ago. Perhaps you saw the news as well. A Russian billionaire donated $100 million to utilize the best of technology capable of listening to radio waves in galaxies far away. And also a telescope of magnificent power to search for alien life.

To basically find out if indeed someone is out there who is listening and watching. I read some of the material of this initiative which is being chaired by Stephen Hawking. I even watched their short introductory video, which was magnificent pictures, by the way, of the universe.

I said they were worshipping God, but of course they were going in a different direction. They were depicting a human race that had randomly begun, evolving without a creator. They made the rather interesting statement that the universe is infinite. They've been able to measure that, but they said it's infinite. And then they gave to nature all power.

Nature is all powerful, that nature created life. And of course their primary purpose, not surprisingly, in this new initiative to find out if we are alone came from this desire to know where we're going. And I could just hear that announcer saying several times, are we alone? I have an answer. We're not alone. In fact, there is indeed someone listening and watching and involved.

Who cares, by the way? In fact, the stunning truth is that he has communicated to us about our origins and about our future. And this is chapter 1 all the way to Revelation chapter 21. And then of course chapter 22 where Jesus says these testimonies are true.

And there's a lot in between. In his recent blog on the growing illiteracy of Americans relative to the Bible, which is still today the best seller, Al Mohler quoted George Gallop and Jim Castelli who concluded this. And I quote Mohler's blog, Americans revere the Bible, but by and large they just don't read it. And because they don't read it, they've become biblically illiterate.

So how bad is it, Mohler postures? Well, fewer than half of all adults can name the four gospels. Many Christians, Christians now, cannot identify the names of more than two or maybe three of the twelve disciples. At least twelve percent of adults, Christians, believe that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife.

A-R-C, never mind. But a considerable number of respondents, in fact to one poll, indicated they believe the Sermon on the Mount was preached by Billy Graham. Dr. Mohler then makes the application, how can a generation be biblically shaped in its understanding of human sexuality when fifty percent of the respondents think Sodom and Gomorrah are married? How can individuals who believe there's a verse in the Bible that says, quote, God helps those who help themselves, end quote, be able to understand salvation by grace through faith alone?

Well, this is our world, and it's our world in which we have the privilege of introducing God. Aliens who seeded life on the planet is growing in popularity. The energy of the universe to determine your future.

The alignment of the stars that sort of determine your fate. The power of nature, the power of nature to create order and to create beauty from disorder. If that's true, I wish nature would work some magic on my backyard.

I can't get anything beautiful to grow back there. However, if you mention a God who communicated something, a God who has disclosed who he is and who we are, the values, the virtues that he demands, the gospel of sin and salvation, suddenly that open-mindedness closes, and you can hear the shutters on ears slamming shut, and windows of the soul are just sort of lowered and closed and locked. It strikes me that when you look at the testimony of the gospel, as we've been doing this in its introduction of God in this world, that there is an incident of a good open mind in a secular society.

In fact, the Apostle Paul is going to encounter a group of them, Jewish and Gentile sympathizers, and to this day they become a wonderful model of what we hope and pray our world will have as an open mind to the truth, because at the end of the day, beloved, it is the Spirit of God who is at work in their hearts. We don't want to overlook or forget his invisible work. He must raise the windows and remove the shutters as we deliver the gospel. Let me show you where that happened as the world, this particular world, is being introduced to God.

Let's go back to Acts 17, and let's kind of work through this next paragraph, and as we do, I want to frame it this way. Let me give you three characteristics of a good open mind. Now, having an open mind isn't necessarily good, and we live in a world where there's an open mind, just the wrong kind. So let me give you three characteristics of how to model a good open mind. This has truth, not only for those to whom you will deliver the gospel, and you pray that God will do this in their lives, but this is true for every believer, every one of us as Christians.

Here's the first characteristic of a good model of an open mind. I'll give it to you, and then we'll get into the text. You receive the word eagerly.

You receive the word eagerly. Now, let's go to verse 10, where we left off last time we studied. And the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea.

How many of you recognize the name Bereans? Okay, yes, they are still to this day known for this particular incident in which they reflected an open mind. And when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews there in Berea.

Now, these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness. Now, let's just kind of briefly set the stage. If you were with us in our last study, there's a contrast taking place where Luke just makes here. And in our last study, we watched Paul and Silas leaving Thessalonica after a riot begins. The city is in an uproar. Everyone's upset and disturbed because they're preaching the gospel regarding a deity, this resurrected Lord, who evidently has a claim to be sovereign king. And, of course, that erupts in this riot, and they send Paul and Silas away to spare their lives.

Now, after having traveled about two and a half days, they arrive in Berea, and you find this remarkable difference. These unbelieving Jews now, keep that in mind, these unbelieving Gentile proselytes respond with eagerness. That word for eagerness could be understood with the idea of someone rushing forward. They can't wait.

They just can't wait to hear it. So kind of get in your mind a picture of a starving refugee rushing toward a truck as it's unloading bags of rice. Have in your mind a picture of thirsty children raising their cups for water. I watched a homemade video clip not too long ago of people in an underground church receiving free copies of the Bible. And as a man opened the sack in front of this group of adults, it was amazing to me and deeply convicting to see them pressing forward and reaching eagerly for their own copy of what I've got 20 of in my study in the dome. An elderly former pastor, I know, once preached in the Soviet Union after the collapse and the church building was packed with people and they're sitting in chairs and they're standing around the walls.

It's cold in that church building, there's no heat. Hundreds are there packed together listening to every word he preached and after he finished preaching, he sat down and no one moved. And the lay leader leaned over and whispered, We want more. So he got back up and he preached another message. And after nearly an hour he sat back down and again no one moved. And the lay leader again leaned over and said, Please, we want more. And he got up and preached again. That's the idea here.

That's the idea. Now I'm not telling you when I finish, you're all going to say, Please, we want more. I've prepared for one sermon and that's all you're going to get.

But this is the spirit of expectancy and eagerness, as if they're starving, reaching for bread and a cup of water. And notice how Luke began at the opening here. Go back to verse 11. He says here, Of them these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica. Now, by the way, that doesn't mean they're better people. It doesn't mean that they're any less lost in their religious tradition. It doesn't mean that they're any less lost than the Thessalonica. The idea of noble-minded doesn't mean they're more intelligent or better educated.

All I know, they're related to nobility. This expression, you might translate it in your margin, simply means they were more open-minded. There's a great example of what God is doing in their hearts. They're more receptive to the message that Paul and Silas are delivering. Now, by the way, you might think, well, that must mean they're more gullible.

You know, we're ready for a new message. We're just open to that kind of thing, like the Athenians that we'll look at later on. Now, that doesn't mean they're more gullible.

Not at all. In fact, let me give you the second characteristic of what it means to model a good open mind. You know, they listened to the word eagerly, which they did.

But then, here's the critical part. You examine the Scriptures carefully. You examine the Scriptures carefully. Look at the middle part of verse 11. They received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily. Would you notice the text does not say, and they examined the Scriptures weekly. They examined the Scriptures for an hour or two in the synagogue.

No, daily. And you know, as I read that, it struck me, now, wait, they've got jobs. They've got kids to raise. They've got goats to herd. But all of a sudden, they find themselves here in the presence of something that they are recognizing demands their attention. Because if it's true, it's going to direct the rest of their lives. If it's true, it's going to determine their eternal destiny. That's why you're so passionate. When you deliver to somebody the Gospel, you realize how high the stakes are.

This is life or death. They examined the Scriptures daily. That's an important thing because they go back to the Scriptures. In fact, the word for examine is very intense. It's a word that linguists describe as the action of making careful and exact research in a legal process. In other words, we cannot miss one word. That was how you, when you met with that attorney and you looked at those closing documents, or that contract, you've got to make sure it's all there, it's all right.

In other words, their attitude is, look, we can't miss one word. There are legal binding issues between us and God, evidently. Evidently. Because if God has spoken, which Paul is saying, this God has communicated. He has spoken.

Let's find out. What did the Scriptures say? Keep in mind, they only had the Old Testament Scriptures.

Didn't go to the book of Romans or 1 Corinthians. They had the Old Testament Scriptures. We know that in the synagogue, that was the place where scrolls were kept, either in Hebrew, often translated into Greek, or both.

Members of the Jewish community, along with the Jewish teachers, had access to these scrolls, and they were open and available. We're not told, but I would imagine, just one text, Paul could have said, look, why don't you find in the scrolls, let's go to the writings of David and find his 22nd Psalm, where Jesus quotes in his dying agony the first verse of that Psalm. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And Paul would say, that didn't happen to David. God never forsook David. What's he talking about? Then they could look down a few verses, where David writes, a band of evildoers has encompassed me. They pierced my hands and my feet. That didn't happen to David. Who's he talking about? And he could have gone on another verse or two.

They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. That didn't happen to David. I could hear Paul saying, as he recounted the eyewitness accounts of the crucifixion, along with the testimony of the Old Testament, David is not talking about himself here. He's talking about the son of David, the Messiah, who will suffer and die.

I can hear these Bereans saying, please, we want more. One final good characteristic of modeling an open mind, you not only receive the Word eagerly, you not only examine the Scriptures carefully, which is how you present the Gospel, by the way. This isn't your opinion. And then as a believer, you do the same. Third, you adapt to the truth personally.

You adapt to the truth personally. Look at verse 12. Many of them, therefore, believe.

Isn't that great? Many of them, therefore, believe. Most of the people back in Thessalonica rioted. Many of these people believe.

A number of prominent Greek women and men. Now, the period of studying the Scriptures, most New Testament scholars that have explored this and worked out the timelines believe that this may have lasted for a couple of months. After that period of time, or maybe along the way, they're beginning to believe. And it would be easy, by the way, for us to forget what that meant to them when it says, and they believed. We're not given the volume of what that would mean, but we can get a taste of it by what happens next. Verse 13, but when the Jews of Thessalonica found out that the Word of God had been proclaimed by Paul and Berea also, they came there likewise, agitating and stirring up the crowds. Now the city is stirred up. You've got another riot about to break out because of the Word of God being proclaimed. And I think it's interesting that the Jews came and they found out that the Word of God had been proclaimed. It doesn't say they found out that the Word of Paul had been proclaimed, but the Word of God, which is to their shame and eternal condemnation, they recognize that much. But now the city is stirred up.

Literally, the city is shaking, you could translate it, with unrest. The Scriptures now that they have been examining and now that they believe is about to change everything in their lives. It's going to divide families. It's going to tear apart close friendships.

It's going to bring division. That synagogue will never, ever be the same because eventually those who believe will begin to worship the Lord on the Lord's day by Acts chapter 20. It'll never be the same. Never be the same. With this controversy that has stirred up, what matters most to them and what ought to matter most to us is, for the Bereans, it wasn't whether or not Paul was likable or interesting to listen to or novel in his teaching.

What mattered was the answer to this question. Has God spoken? Is God speaking through Paul? Was this really the Word from God? Because if God has spoken, you can't be neutral. If God has spoken, you have to submit, confess, convert, obey. If God has spoken, then to disobey these Scriptures is to disobey God. To ignore these Scriptures is to ignore God.

To argue with these Scriptures is to argue with God. Don't overlook the fact that these who believed, it would mean isolation, even persecution, but that didn't stop them. Many believed. Can you imagine how important it would be for them and maybe for you as you invite the Gospel into your life and with it the trouble that comes that you are following the Word of God?

Isn't that what matters? That God has spoken. So here's a good model for an open mind, a kind of open mind that's a good kind of an open mind. Let me summarize it with two closing principles. One, a good open mind is only good when you place the priority upon your examination of Scripture.

If you're exploring everything else, that's trouble. What does the Bible say? What did the Bible mean to its original audience? What did Paul mean when he said that? What do the Old Testament Scriptures say about the Messiah?

What does the New Testament confirm about the Messiah? Is the Bible commanding us to do something? Is the church to be led to do something?

Those are the kinds of questions. Listen, who decides what you believe? Who decides what you believe? Your peers? Your family? Your church? Your professors? Your student body? Your television? Your co-workers?

Your feelings? Your Bible? It's one thing to own a Bible.

It's another thing to read it and memorize it and study it. So are we anchored to the objective truth of God's Word, not the subjective world, which is racing in every direction with every speculation based on how they feel? One evangelical author commented recently, one of his books I read just a few weeks ago, mentioning a couple of bestsellers as it relates to this worldview of subjectivism and these books supported that worldview, he referred to one bestseller by a noted psychiatrist and radio talk show host who wrote, and I quote, In feelings there is wisdom, for the simplest feeling speaks the greatest truth. Become comfortable with your feelings because your feelings are your life. Trust your feelings. They're the only true guidance you'll ever receive. End quote. This author referred to another bestseller which contains a chapter called Trust Your Feelings, Not Your Reason. Why weren't these books written when I was a kid growing up?

I would fit perfectly. In this chapter, the author tells the reader, Don't trust your thinking. It could be warped. Well, that's true, it could be, but that's not the point. Pay attention to your emotions and your feelings. Emotions have their own logic. They are linked to an inner knowledge that you can trust. That's a classic example of a subjective worldview, and we are presenting an objective gospel based upon proposition and truth.

I thought you would enjoy this. This evangelical author applied it by writing, Okay, if this is true, suppose you see someone on a window ledge 40 stories above the street preparing to jump. Probably clinically depressed, deadly emotions they feel at this moment could be due to some catastrophic life event or guilt, maybe even an imbalance of chemical in the brain. What would you tell that person? Trust your feelings. Your emotions speak the greatest truth. Jump. And he goes on, Would you send your teenager out on a date saying have a great time and oh, whatever you do, don't trust your thinking.

It could be warped. Trust your feelings. Of course not. What does God's word say about catastrophic events? What does God say about the value of your life? What does God's word say about purity? What does God's word say about how you're feeling?

What does God's word say about guilt that you might be carrying? What does God say about where we came from? What does God's word say about where we're going? So the first principle then is a good open mind is when you place the priority on your examination of propositional objective truth that you hold in your lap. Secondly, a good open mind is when you commit your life to the application of scripture. In other words, you're committing to live and believe and act upon what God has said, not what others say, not what your emotions dictate or your feelings or your personal sense of what you think is right, but the wisdom of God that comes when we pray, the wisdom of God that is capable of outfitting us, Paul wrote, for that journey of life. Stock your boat.

Load your wagon, he says. The Word equips you for life. And we constantly force our thinking and our feeling back to the Word. And what we believe, especially if we're going to communicate it to our world about God, must come from this book. See, this inspired book, Beloved, introduces us ultimately to our God who is disclosing himself, disclosing his creative handiwork, disclosing his character. He is worth knowing. He is worth following. He is worth obeying. He is worth trusting.

He is worth studying. And he is definitely worth introducing to our world. Introducing God is the name of our current series here on Wisdom for the Heart. This is an eight-part series that Stephen Davey preached from Acts 17.

And I hope you'll be with us for all of it. One of our desires here at Wisdom International is to introduce as many people as possible to the God who offers them hope and life. I'm excited to let you know that we recently added three more books of the Bible to our collection of Mandarin resources. We're excited that people across China and Mandarin speakers in other parts of the world can hear clear biblical teaching.

First, second, and third John are now complete. Find this content on our website, wisdomonline.org, and navigate to the section with our various languages. We also have Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, and Swahili content posted there. By the way, all of this is possible because of your support of our ministry. We're completely funded by donations from listeners, so thank you. Learn more about supporting us at wisdomonline.org or call us at 866-48-BIBLE. Thanks for joining us today. Come with us again next time for more wisdom for the heart. .