12/19/04
Text: Acts 17:16-34
Reading: Romans 1:18-25
Longing to See God Honored
Intro: Does anyone remember the TV show “Welcome back Cotter?” It was a sitcom about a teacher who returned to work in the city high school he had graduated from. Well, one time, Cotter and John Travolta got into an insulting match to see who could make who the maddest. The Sweat Hog (John) thought he could do Cotter in by insulting his intelligence, his looks, and his teaching abilities. I can’t remember exactly what he said to Cotter, but it was mostly mockery types of insults. Cotter sat and seemed to enjoy them with the rest of the class. Then it was Cotter’s turn to try to get John mad and Cotter said something mildly insulting about John’s mother. Wow! That did it! Travolta was hot in an instant! He shouted, "That’s not fair!" Cotter had hit the hot spot of a relationship that provoked Travolta to anger.
Why?
We always tend to get angry when someone insults those we love, even if they do it in ignorance.
Here in Acts 17 we pick up with Paul alone in Athens. Athens was the cultural center of the Greek world, an intellectual metropolis. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Sophocles, Euripides... The greatest minds of philosophy had taught here. The greatest works of literature, art, and science came from here. This was a city with a 1000 years of history. The founders of democracy began here. Athens boasted of having the greatest university in the world. The Epicureans and Stoics held the two most popular philosophies on life of the day. This place was a hot-bed of prechristian thought.
Paul had heard of Athens; everybody had heard of Athens. Now, here he is in this city, waiting on Silas and Timothy to come from Berea. What would you have done if you were Paul? What about vacation? Paul could do Athens! Check out all the restaurants and malls. See if the Zeus Regency Hotel has a Jacuzzi. I mean really! Doesn’t a guy who’s just been beaten and jailed and run out of 3 towns deserve a break? What would you say? Paul you’ve been under so much stress lately... relax man, you’re alone anyway. Kick back a little and smell the roast beef a while.
In fact Paul just may have tried to relax a little. He walked around town. He was waiting for his team-mates to come. But as he strolled through the city something began to happen to him. Something very much like what would happen to you if someone insulted your mother or father.
As we study about Paul in Athens we are going to notice 4 things: these are what he saw, felt, did, and said.
Then we’ll draw some lessons from his experience there and apply it to ourselves.
1. Let’s notice first of all what Paul saw in Athens: vs 16
He saw a city full of idols. This city wasn’t just full of them, it was swimming in them or drowning in idols. Actually, these were beautiful works of art too. The temples, shrines, statues and alters were all crafted by some of the worlds great artists. And the Parthenon was a vast composition of architecture and sculpture. There was plenty of entertainment and action going on everywhere. Both the Stoics and Epicureans, which seem to have held the most popular religious philosophies, saw the gods as distant and uninterested in human affairs. Even so, religion was big business in Athens, right up there with any of the other things such as scholarship, art, literature and science.
Paul wasn’t blind to the beauty of this place. But he was provoked by the idolatrous use to which the God-given artistic creativity was being put. He saw in all this his father in heaven and his Lord Jesus Christ insulted. It was a mockery of God instead of a glory to Him. Paul saw a city drowning in idols, an insult to the honor of God.
2. So, how does it feel to him to see this? What did Paul feel?
The word in verse 16 that is translated "provoked" also carries the ideas of roused to anger, or moved to jealousy.
In the O.T. just listen to God’s reaction to idolatry. Deut. 9:7f 7 "Remember, do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness; from the day that you left the land of Egypt until you arrived at this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD. 8 "Even at Horeb you provoked the LORD to wrath, and the LORD was so angry with you that He would have destroyed you.
The honor and glory of God’s name is mocked by idolatry. Isaiah 42: 8 "I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.
Sometimes scripture calls this emotion jealousy. Now jealousy is the resentment of rivals. Whether jealousy is good or evil depends on whether the rival has any business being there. As the bride of Christ, our Lord will not share us with another.
2 Cor. 11: 2 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.
Idolatry is spiritual adultery. It is taking spiritual devotion that belongs to God and giving it to another. By the way, America is becoming more and more idolatrous. Not in the same way Athens was with statues of gods, a virtual celebration of religion, no, our country is routing out any semblance of religion from every government controlled institution. Almost worse than a mockery of God, we suffer from a denial of his right to be found among us, except of course in our churches, and perhaps our homes. I wonder if Paul were to walk our streets today what he would feel. Would he be impressed by our modern conveniences? Or would he be provoked by a culture that is systematically routing out and banning the name of God? Think about the time Jesus went into the temple and saw the commercialism of their worship in the sale of sacrifices and the exchanging of money. They had turned the worship of God into a lucrative business! Jesus saw this and felt jealous wrath for his Father’s honor! He made a whip and ran the marketers out. Turning over their money tables and driving out them with their discount sacrifices, Jesus cried out, “My Father’s house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of thieves!”
Similarly, when Paul saw the idolatry of Athens, he felt the jealousy for God’s name, and then he took action.
3. What did he do? vs 17 (Proverbs 18: 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue…) Paul will speak life into this spiritually dead city.
Paul’s reaction to what he saw was not merely negative feelings of being provoked, but positive and constructive: he began evangelizing. Where some might see the situation as hopeless and throw up hands in despair, Paul saw the great need for the Word of God and he began unleashing its power. He spoke to Jews in the synagogue, and God fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace every day. His approach to evangelizing took on two tiers. He would proclaim Jesus, as the risen Christ to those familiar to God’s word by heritage and by fall out, and to those not familiar at all. He worked in the synagogue and in the market place.
This way he eventually encountered the thinkers of the town. And God’s providence allowed him to speak to the foremost philosophers of Athens: The Epicureans and Stoics of the Areopagus.
I love this. When we see our world in trouble we can follow this example. We have the message that can save any who will listen and believe. Even alone and against a city like Athens, Paul knew where the power to make a difference is. Like he told the Romans, it is in your mouth and in your heart. Romans 10:8. Did you ever think of that? You and I have in our hearts and in our mouths that which will save this community, this state, this country, this world? Do we believe this is true? Will we fulfill our duty to those around us and unleash the power of God to save them? Why is it so difficult to talk about Jesus to others? Don’t you think that Satan shudders to think of what would happen if we do? What sort of rational keeps Christians today from sharing our faith in Jesus? Who do you think put that in your mind? God?
There is a common phrase I’ve heard: "I don’t want to push them away." I’ve said it myself. But think about it. Is that really what is in your heart? I’m afraid that is an easy excuse for not taking the risk of sharing the word of God. It is easy to fear what others might think of us. We should ask who am I really protecting here, them or myself. I challenge you to be sure that you are not just protecting yourself. While it is true we don’t want to push anyone away... it is also true that if meeting Jesus is offensive to someone, you might as well find out now, because you and I wear his name. Who would you rather offend man or God? First in Paul’s mind was the honor of God, and it ought to be first in ours too. Gal. 1: 10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.
So… what did Paul say?
4. Verses 22-31 form an outline of Paul’s speech to the Areopogus. Here we see what he said.
Paul met them where they were, and found an opening through which to introduce the Gospel. Then he began where everyone must begin: Who is God?
Now this is important. Instead of pointing to the Bible, Paul pointed directly to the Lord who gave us the Bible. He doesn’t even quote from the Scriptures in this sermon. Instead, he quotes their own poets, Epimenides and Aratus. He proclaims the true and living God is 5 ways:
1. God created everything. Epicureans believed in chance creation. Stoics believed in Pantheism. Both held a view of the gods as indifferent. But Paul says he is both creator and Lord of all he created. He rules his creation. Therefore temples can not contain him.
2. God is the source and sustainer of life. In other words we depend on him; he does not depend on us. Again contrary to the Epics and Stoics.
3. God rules over ALL nations and people. He has control over national boundaries and our very histories, but not for aimless reasons. His purpose in doing things is so that man may reach out for him, that we would seek him. God desires to have us know him. He has not distanced himself from us but our sin has distanced us from him.
4. God is the Father of humanity. Since we are his children we ought not to think of God’s Nature in terms of images made by man. This sort of idolatry seeks to minimize the distance between us and God. This is an attempt to put God in our control instead of acknowledging that we are under his control.
5. God is the judge of the world. Paul proclaims God’s judgment in 3 immutable facts:
a. It will be universal. All everywhere must repent. No one will escape.
b. It will be righteous. He will judge in justice.
c. It is definite. A day is fixed, and although the date is not known to us, the judge is: He is Jesus, the resurrected one.
Resurrection of Jesus from the dead was the thing that neither Epicureans nor Stoics could swallow. Not that they believed man had no existence beyond the grave. Both of these could accept this. But the idea of a bodily resurrection was irrational to them. Look at Acts 23:6-8; 26:6-8; John 5:28-29.
Resurrection from the dead is a central tenant of the Christian faith. Rejecting this was a rejection of the gospel.
A few were convinced. And Luke names 2 of them for us.
APPLICATIONS**********
OK, as we look at what we’ve covered here what are some lessons that we need to learn and apply to ourselves?
Let me suggest 3.
First, As children of a Holy Father, saved through Jesus death for our sins and resurrection for our hope, let us be stirred to divine jealousy for the honor of His name.
The Lord’s Prayer: Our Father in Heaven, may your name be held in honor by all. Hallowed be your name. What does this mean to us? Are we not the ones who should keenly feel insulted when the name of our Lord is dishonored? Ought we not to be provoked to jealousy by the way so many allow rivals to cause them to be in spiritual adultery? Is this not the heart of this prayer?
Second, motivated by such a divine zeal, let us unleash the power of God’s saving grace by testifying to others about our faith, by telling the message of God.
Last, let us avoid the snares of idolatry ourselves. An idol is a god-substitute. Any person or thing that occupies the place which God should occupy is an idol. Not just images of gold are idols but fame, wealth, power, sex, food, alcohol, other drugs, parents, spouse, children, friends, work, entertainment, recreation, television, possessions, even church, and religion.
Whatever or whoever receives the honor and devotion due to our Lord is an idol. 1 John 5:21 closes his book about loving God and God’s love for us and how to show that to each other with these words:
Little children, guard yourselves from idols.
