Acts 17 v 16 - 21 A Living Saviour
The Wait - 16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens,
The Want - his spirit was stirred in him,
when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.
He saw the People, their Pursuit, and their Practice.
The Work - The Purpose - 17 Therefore disputed he
The Place - in the synagogue,
The People - The Religous - with the Jews,
The Reverent - and with the devout persons,
The Ready - and in the market daily with them that met with him.
The Word -
The Problem for the Word -
The Meeting - 18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans,
and of the Stoicks, encountered him. Two Mindsets -
Those who Enjoy life - 1 Corinthians 15:32 If after the manner of men
I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me,
if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.
and those who Endure it - Job 14:1 Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. 2 He cometh forth like a flower,
and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
The Perception of the Word -
The Misgiving - 18 And some said, What will this babbler say?
“What could this scavenger of tidbits want to say?”
It appeared - Groundless, Graceless, and Godless.
18 other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods:
The Proclamation in the Word - The Message -
18 because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.
He preached - A Loving Saviour - he preached unto them Jesus
He preached - A Lifting Saviour - he preached unto them Jesus
He preached - A Living Saviour - and the resurrection.
He preached - A Lasting Saviour - and the resurrection.
Paul is - a New Man, on a New Mission, with a New Message.
The Welcome -
The Response - 19 and they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, The Request - saying, May we know what this new doctrine,
whereof thou speakest, is?
The Reason - 20 For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears:
The Resolve - we would know therefore what these things mean.
The Research - 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.)
