Dakota Community Church
September 18, 2011
Proclaim
Acts 17:22-31
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.
24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of men that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
1. Proclaiming the end of ignorance
The times of ignorance are over and from now on Jesus Christ is the necessary object of all saving faith.
a. An end to ignorance for the people of God
Before the coming of Christ people were saved by trusting in the mercy of God looking ahead to the promised messiah.
The Israelites heard of and at times witnessed God’s supernatural deeds.
They practiced the temple rituals and most of the time made the prescribed sacrifices in ignorance of their ultimate meaning.
They tried from time to time to obey the law and hoped for a coming deliverer who would restore their nation to its former glory.
They knew almost nothing of God’s plan to save them from their sins.
They knew almost nothing of Jesus the suffering servant redeemer.
They could not have conceived of a plan of God that included salvation for all men including Samaritans and Gentiles though it had been foretold.
Genesis 18:18
Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.
Isaiah 49:6
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”
God did distinguish the Israelites by setting them apart as his own nation, yet his reason for doing so was not to play favorites, but to benefit everyone.
The Israelites were intended to be an example to others, so that everyone would hear about God and come to Him.
God performed miracles in Egypt for this very reason
Exodus 9:16-18
But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. 17 You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go. 18 Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now.
b. An end to ignorance for the heathen world
Acts 17:29
…we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance…
In the past as God was patiently working out His purposes with and through Israel – the heathen nations were left alone for the most part.
They would still be held accountable to God – Amos makes that clear – but there is no steady stream of missionary and evangelistic work going on.
The gospel proclaims an end to that foolishness.
Acts 4:6-12
Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest’s family. 7 They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 He is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 19:23-27
23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. 25 He called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: “Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”
I listened to a podcast this week in which a Jewish rabbi, speaking in a (Christian?) Church talked about practicing Buddhist meditation during the communion portion of a service at a retreat she had attended at a Catholic monastery.
The Church is not free to embrace that kind of inclusiveness; in the past God overlooked such ignorance…
2. Proclaiming the mystery made known
Acts 17:30
…now he commands all people everywhere to repent…
Ephesians 3:2-6
Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
The mystery now being revealed is that Gentiles are now "partakers of the promises IN JESUS CHRIST THROUGH THE GOSPEL."
What God had kept secret for generations was that the Gentiles would one day be full fellow heirs with the people of God AND that this great ingathering of the nations would be through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Romans 10:11-15
As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent?
Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
How are men to call upon whom they have never heard?
God now commands all men everywhere to repent and gives them assurance of Christ’s authority by the resurrection.
3. Proclaiming the day – set & proven
Acts 17:31
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
Now God commands all men 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 men by raising him from the dead.
The mystery of the ingathering of the nations through Christ has been revealed.
The call to repent goes out to the entire world.
John 10:14-16
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
Therefore the call to missions goes out to all the church.
Acts 2:6-8
So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Go forth and proclaim the gospel!
PowerPoint available (Free of charge) on request dcormie@mts.net
Follow Dan on Twitter: @DanCormie
