Title: The Unknown God Becomes Known
Theme:
Text: Acts 17:17 - 31
Introduction
It has been an historical two weeks. A little over a week ago the church gathered together to show its support for Emmanuel AME church and its 9 victims.
Then this week we hear the ruling of the Supreme Courts on Gay marriage.
What does this mean for our nation? This is just the tip of the iceberg.
What does this mean for the church? We still must stand for Biblical truth.
(Act 17:16) Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.
Provoked “stirred” “irritate” “provoke to anger”
Jesus in the temple.
He felt like he had to do something.
There was estimates up to 30,000 idols in the city.
Idolatry – a distraction from the truth.
(Act 17:17) Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.
• Confrontational
• Intellectual
• Testimonial
• Interpersonal
• Invitational
• Serving
Reasoned “disputed” “discuss”. In a way of respect to others.
(Act 17:18) Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, "What does this babbler want to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods," because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.
Epicureans – believed in the gods but believed that they were distant. Did not believe in the after life. What we have is what we have here so we better live it up.
Stoic – believed the body and soul are separate. We must discipline the body. Self control is the key.
Idle babbler – as one who would pick different philosophies together to build a new religion.
Preached Jesus and the resurrection. This idea of the resurrection was a stumbling block to them.
1 Corinthians 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks [2] foolishness,
(Act 17:19) And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak?
Areopagus - ar'-i-os pag'-os
(Act 17:20) For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean." (Act 17:21) For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
This is where they went to debate.
(Act 17:22) Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;
If they got anything right it was the fact that they were religious. KJV - superstitious
1.a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge, in or of theominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, occurrence,proceeding, or the like.
2. a system or collection of such beliefs.
3. a custom or act based on such a belief.
4.irrational fear of what is unknown or mysterious, especially in connection with religion.
5. any blindly accepted belief or notion.
(Act 17:23) for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:
They were so religious that they made a monument “To The Unknown God”. They were so selfish and self-absorbed that they missed who God really was. He had become “unknown” to them.
“without knowing” - ignorance
In the next few verses Paul makes Him known. This is what we must do, make God knows to the world.
Who is this God??
Making God Known
God of Creation.
(Act 17:24) God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
This God is not limited to temples or places made by hands.
Create – baw-raw” – to shape form out of nothing. To bring life to. This is not evolution. This is not the big bang this is God speaking the world into existence. Throughout the first Chapter we read “and God said”.
(Act 17:25) Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
God does not need men’s hands to take care of him.
(Joh 1:1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (Joh 1:2) He was in the beginning with God. (Joh 1:3) All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (Joh 1:4) In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above" (Js. 1:17).
(Act 17:26) And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,
God created all men equal.
(Act 17:27) so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;
Paganism is a blinding force which characterizes the fall, as does idolatry and superstition (cf. Romans 1-2), but God is present!
James_4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
(Act 17:28) for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.'
Rom 1:24-25 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, (25) who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Hab 2:18-19 "What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it, The molded image, a teacher of lies, That the maker of its mold should trust in it, To make mute idols? (19) Woe to him who says to wood, 'Awake!' To silent stone, 'Arise! It shall teach!' Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, Yet in it there is no breath at all.
(Act 17:29) Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising.
Jeremiah 10:3-16 ESV For the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.” There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might. Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? For this is your due; for among all the wise ones of the nations and in all their kingdoms there is none like you. ...
Habakkuk 2:18 ESV “What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols!
Repentance Declared
(Act 17:30) Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,
Repent – 180’ turn.
(Act 17:31) because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."
Resurrection from the dead proclaimed in acts (cf. Act_2:24; Act_2:32; Act_3:15; Act_3:26; Act_4:10; Act_5:30; Act_10:40; Act_13:30; Act_13:33-34; Act_13:37; Act_17:31).
It is the heart of the gospel affirmation that God the Father accepted the life, teaching, and substitutionary death of Jesus. The fullest teaching text on the subject of (1) Jesus' resurrection and (2) the resurrection of believers is 1 Corinthians 15.
(Act 17:32) And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, "We will hear you again on this matter." (Act 17:33) So Paul departed from among them. (Act 17:34) However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
