Paul’s MESSAGE AT MARS HILL Acts 17:22-34 7-28-07
Today our thought is to point out that people the world over are not sure Who The True and Living God is. There are people that actually believe that one religion is just as good as another so long as a person is sincere in believing their religion. After all they conclude, there are so many religions in the world that it must not really be all that important, so long as they live a pretty good and decent life.
Well the Apostle Paul didn’t agree with that notion at all. Listen as I read today’s text found in Acts 17:16-34
16Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, [Silas-timothy] his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. 17Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews,[ discuss, to exhort, reason ] and with the devout [religious] persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.
18Then certain philosophers [who thought on wise things] of the Epicureans, [followers of a noted philosopher named Epicurus and of the Stoicks,[ whice was another kind of philosophy] encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? Other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.
19And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus,[ Mars’ hill: , the court of the Areopagites] saying, “May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? 20For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.”
21(For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)
22Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, “Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. 23For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
24 “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
27That they should seek the Lord, if haply [the idea of drawing a conclusion); they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, “For we are also his offspring.”
29Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.--
30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; didn’t punish] but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead”
32And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.
33So Paul departed from among them.
34Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, [a member of the court held on Mars’ Hill:] and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
We see here that because of Paul having to wait on Silas & Timothy many become believers, God was in this all the way.
Paul stood in the midst of Mars Hill ready to preach. He stood where many of the world’s great philosophers had stood, that had expounded the great thoughts of their philosophies; now Paul was about to proclaim the great truths of God.
The official court sat before him and a large crowd of interested philosophers and poets and citizens surrounded him. All heathens, completely void of any knowledge of the True and Living God.
They were about to hear the most glorious news ever proclaimed to man: and that was God had revealed Himself and made Himself known to man. He had sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to earth to save man from sin, death, and the judgment to come.
The first point to Paul’s message to the heathen is that: God was sought by man. Notice the words Paul uses, "You are very superstitious, or very religious."
The fact that a man is religious and superstitious reveals he is searching for God. Men worship because they seek God. Their hearts are restless, searching for peace and life with God, they are hungry, desiring to have God’s care and provision, and they are fearful, wanting God’s protection.
Paul then points out that God is not hid; He is not unknown. As Paul had walked throughout the city of Athens, he had read many of the inscriptions written on the monuments and idols. One in particular had caught his attention: on which was written, "TO AN UNKNOWN GOD."
Notice; these people acknowledged there was an unknown god, and they worshipped him like their other gods. But they didn’t know Him. None of the so-called gods satisfied the people. Their lives and their religions were still empty and missing something.
The restlessness and hunger and fear were still in their hearts and minds, none of their religions or gods created by man’s imagination satisfied and met their needs. In their pagan way all they could do was worship an unknown god; they knew nothing about ----
--Him, yet they worshipped him. And so Paul declared that he knew the unknown God. He personally knew Him and it was He whom Paul declared unto them.
There was a time when many of the Israelis found them selves in almost the same situation.
Judges 2:10 10And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. 11And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:[means, plural- Baal means singular] Baalim:[many false gods, much like the people of Athens when Paul spoke there, here in our text in Acts 17:
Jeremiah 4:22 22For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, [very foolish]and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
And then we read in the N.T. WHERE Paul says;
Romans 1:14-16 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the** gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
1 Cor. 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
And as Paul was declaring to the religious or superstitious people there in Athens at Mars Hill he points out that God is Creator, and that God made the world and all things therein, and that there is only One God, One who is supreme, absolute, all-powerful, and Creator of the universe and man and all created things in the world.
Let me say that if this is true, and it is, then there are no other gods. All other gods are false. They are only the creation of man’s mind and the object of man’s desires. Men of every generation need to understand this great truth, for there are people all over the world, and even here in this country that worship many false gods and idols.
They put their trust and confidence in the things of this world, the things that are seen rather than those "things that are above" and secured by faith.
Col.3: 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Today many people are trying to gain power, prestige, position and possessions, and these things have become the gods of many present day men and women; these things have become the primary objects of their trust and attention, their energy and efforts, their hope and confidence.
Jesus said in Matt. 6: 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;
Paul says in our text in Acts 17: there is only One God; only One who can look after and take care of man; only One who created the universe.
There is no other God worthy of the trust, worship, time, and energy of man.
God is the Lord of heaven and earth. He is the Master, the Ruler over all.
As Lord, the Unknown God of man is the One to whom all men owe their allegiance and worship. Men are not to bow before nor serve any other god.
We find in
1 Tim. 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory forever and ever.
Rev. 19:6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth
Exodus 15:18 The Lord shall reign for ever and ever
2 Chron. 20:6 And said, O lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?
Psalm 22:28 For the kingdom is the lord’s: and he is the governor among the nations
Psalm 24:10 Who is the King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory
And then Paul’s points out that God is the Self-Sufficient One. He needs nothing. Men may think God needs them, their lives, worship, offerings, and service; but God does not need men.
He needs nothing that man has. Man cannot help or benefit God at all.
All man is and has, including him and this world, are free gifts of God. God has made man because God is loving and gracious and giving, not because He needs man. Man has nothing to offer God; man does not exist because God needs him. Man exists because God loves and wanted to demonstrate His love to man.
Did you ever think about how we as mankind found out that we’re even called “man’?
Its because we’re told what we are in Gods Word, in the book of Genesis.
God is the Giver of life and breath and all things. He is the sole source of man’s existence, the One who gives and sustains life. God is actively involved in giving three things to all beings: life, breath and all things. Everything that man has and that concerns man comes from God’s hands. God is not remote, off in outer space someplace, unreachable. He is actively involved in the life of man, even in the very breath of man and in the giving of all things.
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning
Daniel told Belshazzar in** Daniel 5:23 Thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified
God guides the history of all men and nations. All men come from one source, from God Himself. All men have the same blood and nature. No man or nation is above another. All are equal; all stand before God. No one is a favorite of God. God shows no partiality to one person over another: to Jew or Gentile, to religionist or heathen.
God oversees the birth and life of every person and nation. He is actively involved in the world and in the lives of people. Man just needs to acknowledge and reach out to Him and to Him alone; then man will come to know the glorious care and guidance of God’s hand.
. What man so desperately needs is for men to put their trust in God so that they may come to know His personal care in their lives.
Daniel 2:20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are His.
