Kingdom For All: To An Unknown God

February 28th, 2021/Riverside & Lookout

Story: Love for Boulder

Intro: There is a high sense of spirituality yet an ignorance of God.

Passage: Acts 17:16-21 CSB

16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed when he saw (beholding) that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God, as well as in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also debated with him. Some said, “What is this ignorant show-off trying to say?” Others replied, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities”—because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection (greek - anastasis). 19 They took him and brought him to the Areopagus, and said, “May we learn about this new teaching you are presenting? 20 Because what you say sounds strange to us, and we want to know what these things mean.” 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there spent their time on nothing else but telling or hearing something new.

Pray:

Background:

“The city was given over to a “cultured paganism” that was nourished by idolatry, novelty (Acts 17:21), and philosophy.” - Warren W. Wiersbe. Athens was the religious center of the Greco-Roman world. There were more statues of gods in Athens than in all the rest of Greece put together. It was the city of Plato, Aristotle, and Pericles. It was a city with magnificent architecture and crafted temples. Paul’s reaction to Athens was not that of a tourist overwhelmed by its brilliance and culture, but as one whose heart was in utter turmoil due to their idolatry.

Obsessed with NEW.

1. 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there spent their time on nothing else but telling or hearing something new.
2. We are teaching and learning from ancient texts that are two thousand years old, four thousand+ years old in its totality. I’m leaning on the old, I’m submitting to the centuries of faithful theologians, I’m praying in the Spirit fresh and relevant language to ancient truths. I don’t need something new to stay interested! I’m trying to grab hold of the reality of God’s love for me through the redemption story of the Gospel!
3. Songs: old time religion & old rugged cross
4. On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross
5. The emblem of suffering and shame
6. And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
7. For a world of lost sinners was slain
8. So I'll cherish the old rugged cross (rugged cross)
9. Till my trophies at last I lay down
10. I will cling to the old rugged cross
11. And exchange it some day for a crown
12. To the old rugged cross I will ever be true
13. Its shame and reproach gladly bear
14. Then he'll call me some day to my home far away
15. Where his glory forever I'll share
16. And I'll cherish the old rugged cross (rugged cross)
17. Till my trophies at last I lay down
18. And I will cling to the old rugged cross
19. And exchange it some day for a crown
20. I will cling to the old rugged cross
21. And exchange it some day for a crown

Main Points: Our Mission:

1. Meets people where they are

   1. 22 Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said, “People of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect. 23 For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’ Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it—he is Lord of heaven and earth—does not live in shrines made by hands. 25 Neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives everyone life and breath and all things. 26 From one man he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. 27 He did this so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out 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 even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’ 29 Since, then, we are God’s offspring, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination.

   2. Paul knew both the context of the city and the culture of the people he was speaking to.

   3. Paul demonstrated courage.

      1. He knew that this public proclamation would result in persecution.
      2. A clear teaching of the Gospel is going to be divisive and offensive.

      3. Question: In the face of criticism, do you cower in fear, or stand firm on your convictions with courage in the face of opposition?

         4. Build bridges AND be bold

      4. He used their language, quoted their poets, and used terms that they would understand.

      5. He never pulled back or skirted around the core truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

         5. He starts in the past, then addresses the present, then moves to the future. (v24-29)

      6. Creator God (24-25)

      7. Providential God (26-27)

      8. The Worship of God (28-29)

         6. The Gospel Message

      9. Share your story:

         1. God (John 3:16)

            1. Created the heavens and the earth. He created male and female in His image.

            2. “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” Bill Bright 2. Sin (Romans 3:23, 6:23)

            3. We are separated from God because of sin 3. Jesus (Romans 5:8)

            4. Jesus took our place.

            5. He was either a liar, lunatic, or Lord.

            6. Question: What do you do with Jesus? 4. Repentance & Faith (Eph 2:8-9 & John 3:16)

            7. We receive His salvation through faith

            8. God now commands all people everywhere to repent (v30) 5. Life (John 10:10 & John 3:16)

            9. Abundant and eternal life

            10. For in him we live and move and have our being
            11. Point them to Jesus
                1. 30 “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
                2. Paul came back to his original statement in regards to ignorance, but now they are no longer ignorant. They have heard a clear proclamation of the one true God. Only one response was needed next, to repent from their idolatry and worship God.
                3. “27 And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment—” - Hebrews 9:27 CSB
                4. Paul is addressing two different types of people

      10. Epicureans (hedonists) - practical atheist of the day. They thought the gods were distant and uninvolved, but they loved debating things. They pursue pleasure, be happy and we win. We associate the word epicurean with the pursuit of pleasure and the love of “fine living”. They were materialists. They avoided extremes and sought to keep things in balance, but pleasure was still the number one goal.

          1. We work ourselves to death to satisfy every feeling of lust, pleasure, comfort, and happiness. Could this be anymore our generation?! 2. Stoics (Pantheist)- believed that God was in everything. A belief which identifies God with the universe or the universe as a manifestation of God. Their goal was not pleasure but reason and self sufficiency. Such a philosophy fueled pride with no need for help from God.

          2. Que sera, sera - what will be will be

          3. They don’t think about where they will be after death, but focus on the here and now. 3. “The Epicureans said ‘Enjoy life!’ and the Stoics said ‘Endure life!’ but it remained for Paul to explain how they could enter into life through faith in God’s risen Son.” - Warren Wiersbe 4. Paul did not modify or water down his message, he built bridges and preached (17:18) a clear Gospel of the resurrection of Jesus.
             5. We have to avoid message drift

      11. Our message is Jesus. He is our message, our life.

      12. We can serve and love all day long, but if we’re afraid to share the Gospel then we are missing the mark!
      13. Sow seeds and God does the work
          1. 32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to ridicule him, but others said, “We’d like to hear from you again about this.” 33 So Paul left their presence. 34 However, some people joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
          2. The results in Athens were in some regards minimal. No baptisms, not many salvations, no churches established, and no letters to the Athenians in the New Testament. But the results were never up to Paul, faithfulness to proclaim the Gospel was his assignment.
          3. “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:2

Closing: *Come back to Title and Big Idea. Possibly a closing Story.

(Optional) Walking Points: