Sermons on Athens:

Idol Thoughts

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Apr 23, 2015

Let us determine to know God and to worship him, not as some idol devised by our own natural preferences, not as many people configure him to be, but as “the book of nature” and the Holy Book together reveal him to be.

The two passages before us today [Acts 17:22-31 and John 14:15-21] could not be more different from one another. And yet, in some ways, they could not be more similar. In the first one, the one from Acts, we have the Apostle Paul speaking to a group of Gentile skeptics who know nothing of the ...read more

Scripture: John 14:15-21

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Being Positive In A Negative World

Contributed by Ray Ellis on Apr 19, 2002

When the Apostle Paul preached on Mars Hill in Athens he cemonstrated how to be positive in a negative world.

“Being Positive in a Negative World” Apostle Paul -A bridge builder not a builder of walls- Acts 17:16-34 When the Apostle Paul preached on Mars Hill in Athens Greece he demonstrated how to be positive in a negative world. When we look at all that is happening around the world, in our cities and ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:16-34, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Denomination: Free Methodist

Paul’s Mars Hill Sermon Series

Contributed by Brad Beaman on Feb 23, 2022

What's going on here? Paul preaches a message without using Scripture? He quotes from an inscription on a pagan shrine? No follow up for the new believers in Athens? We better take a closer look at Paul's Mars Hill sermon.

The context of Paul’s Mars Hill Sermon When we look at Paul’s Mars Hill sermon given in Athens in Acts 17, he is well into his second missionary journey. His plans were changed early in the journey when the Holy Spirit kept him from preaching the word in Asia and then he received his Macedonian ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:16-33

Denomination: Baptist

Paul's Sermon At Athens: The Evidence Of A Shepherd's Heart

Contributed by Donald Whitchard on Jun 6, 2021

When Paul arrived in Athens, he was grieved over the rank idolatry of the city with statues and temples dedicated to various gods and goddesses. He knew that the Gospel had to be proclaimed. Souls hung in the balance. This is the heart of a man of God and the example we need to follow today.

When Paul arrived in Athens to wait for Silas and Timothy to join him, he looked around the city and did not marvel at the beauty of the city's temples or the culture or anything typical of a tourist's curiosity. If he were to be classified as a "sightseer", the sights he saw ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:35-36, Mark 1:14-15, John 10:27-30, Acts 17:16-18, Romans 1:16-17, 1 Corinthians 1:18-25  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Counterfeit Gods

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Mar 16, 2025

A message from Acts 17 regarding Paul's ministry in Athens exposing the false gods of then and now.

Acts 17:16-31 – Paul in Athens Move #1 – What idols do you see in Canada? (Hockey?… a minor god at best… Success? Money & greed? – yes - the bible told us this truth 2000 years ago. A relatively new god is the Self! …and its attractive, but misleading nickname - “Happiness.” This is ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:16-31, Romans 1:18-19, 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Denomination: Pentecostal

Revealing The Unknown God Acts 17:16-34 We’ve Watched Paul And His Partners Series

Contributed by James Lee on Dec 4, 2015

I would like to thank Pastor Jerry Shirley and Pastor Tom Owen for sharing this series on Acts. It has been a blessing as well as a great help. I have used these for our church, as I spend my days caring for my dying father.

Revealing the Unknown God Acts 17:16-34 We’ve watched Paul and his partners, as they left Jerusalem to begin the journey to the utter most parts of the world and everywhere they went people got saved and in each city a church was established, even though Paul and his team met resistance in ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:16-34

Denomination: Baptist

The Great Debate

Contributed by Larry Turner on Oct 6, 2012

In Athens Paul had a great debate with the wisest about the "Unknown God" There are lessons to be learned on how to win the debate.

This week the Presidential debate between President Obama and Mitt Romeny dominated the media. A lot of poles felt that Romney won the debate. There have been many famous debates over the years. The debate between Abraham Lincoln and Steven A. Douglas is certainly well known. Perhaps the most ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:16-34

Denomination: Foursquare

Great Joy In The City

Contributed by Dr. Stanley Vasu on Sep 6, 2025

1. Samaria 2. Gennesaret 3. Jerusalem 4. Ephesus 5. Nineveh 6. Berea 7. Athens

GREAT JOY IN THE CITY 1. Samaria 2. Gennesaret 3. Jerusalem 4. Ephesus 5. Nineveh 6. Berea 7. Athens **************************** WARNING 1. Nazareth 2. Jerusalem 3. Sodom and Gomorrah **************************** GREAT JOY IN THE CITY 1. Samaria Acts 8 : 4 - 8 4 Those who ...read more

Scripture: Acts 8:4-8

Denomination: Pentecostal

Paul's Sermon At Athens: The Unknown God Made Known

Contributed by Donald Whitchard on Jun 8, 2021

Paul began his Gospel message by pointing out the empty altar dedicated to the "Unknown God' whom the Greeks acknowledged and worshipped, then proceeded to tell them about the true and living God and how to know Him personally.

Paul had now established common ground with the men of Athens by referring to the empty altar dedicated to the God of whom they know nothing yet honored despite their ignorance and uncertainty. Paul did not chide them or charge them with blasphemy, nor does he rebuke them for their polytheism. ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 1:1, Exodus 20:11, Nehemiah 9:6, Psalm 33:6, Isaiah 40:28, Isaiah 48:13, Acts 4:24, Hebrews 1:10, Acts 17:24  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

The Message And The Response Series

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Jun 1, 2015

Acts 17 reveals some of the places to which Paul traveled during his second missionary journey. It focuses on Paul's preaching on Mars Hill.

The Message and the Response (Road trip with Paul) Acts 17 INTRODUCTION: Today we’re looking at Acts 17 which puts us in the middle of Paul’s 2nd of 3 missionary Road Trips that are described in the book of Acts. The book of Acts covers the first 30 years since the Church was born ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:1-34

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

God In The Modern World Series

Contributed by J.d. Tutell on Oct 12, 2010

Reaching a changing world for Christ has always required the church to be innovative, Paul’s trip to Athens is an illustration of this truth.

In a world where there is so much diversity it is important to be able to change, to come up with innovative solutions to the problems and challenges that we face. In the second half of Acts chapter 17 that is where we find the Apostle Paul. You’ll remember that the first part of his ministry was ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:16-34

Denomination: Baptist

God Of The Pandemic

Contributed by Roberta Karchner on Jun 4, 2020

Paul confronts the Athenians with an Unknown God - that alter was placed for the God who removed the epidemic from Athens ... they wanted to know his name

Acts 17:16-32 (NLV) While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. He went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there. He also had ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:16-32

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Mars Hill

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Jul 16, 2015

Mars Hill: The Acropolis vs the Areopagus, God does not live in temples made of stone but dwells in the hearts of his people. Rend your heart. An insight on how a bare rock trumps a temple.

Mars Hill: The Acropolis vs the Areopagus In Acts 17 we get this description of part of Paul’s travels taking him to Athens. While he waited there for some of his travel companions to join him, he got on the business of preaching the Good News of the gospel of Jesus to the Athenian ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:16-34, 1 Corinthians 1:22-31, Matthew 22:37-39, Ephesians 2:21, 1 Peter 2:5, John 2:13, Joel 2:13  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Salvation Army

The Gospel And The Body Series

Contributed by Glenn Pease on Mar 29, 2021

When Paul preached to the Greeks in Athens about the resurrection of the dead, they mocked him. The idea of the body being raised was folly to the Greeks.

Captain James Saunders of the U. S. Navy taught a graduate class on the principles of agreement. As a demonstration, he would give each member of the class a piece of white paper, and ask them to chew it. The paper had been treated with a chemical called phenylthiocarbimide. Some reported that ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-12

Principles Of Evangelism From Acts 17

Contributed by Danny Ferguson on May 27, 2003

A look at Paul’s evangelism methods in Athens and what we can learn from him to better reach the culture around us.

Principles of Evangelisms from Acts 17 I was driving a group of teenagers to a concert last weekend and while we were all talking one of them turned to me and said, “Did you know that there is an actual atheist in the class below me? Can you believe that?” It sounded like she was talking about ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:16-34

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ