Acts 17:15

They that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens, and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timothy, they departed to come to him with all speed. While Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred within him when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Therefore, he disputed in the synagogue with the Jews and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with those who met him.

Certain philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stoics encountered him, and some said, "What will this babbler say?" Others said, "He seems to be a setter forth of strange gods," because he preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection. They took him and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new doctrine whereof thou speakest is?"

Let's pray. Father, we ask now that you would speak to us through your word. As we have worshipped you in song, Lord, we now come before you and ask that you would continue to transform us by the renewing of our minds. Lord, that we would not be conformed to this world, but really cleansed by your word. Equip us, prepare us, convict us, and stir us for the work that you've called us to here in Escondido and the surrounding area, and to the uttermost parts. For we ask it in the mighty and precious name of Jesus. Amen. You can be seated.

At the time that Paul arrived in the city of Athens, it was no longer the political and commercial powerhouse that it had been at the height of the Greek Empire. However, in the Roman Empire, Athens was still something of a philosophical center, a kind of university town, if you will. It was the city of Pericles, Demosthenes, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Sophocles, and Euripides.

Some of those names you may recognize, while others you may not, but their thoughts and words transformed Western civilization and Western thought. When Paul arrived in Athens, he was escorted there by some men from the city of Berea, who sought to protect him from the uprising that was beginning to occur. He had left Silas and Timothy back in Berea.

As soon as Paul got to Athens and began to look around the city, he was so stirred that he sent his companions back to Berea with a commandment, as stated in verse 15: "Silas, Timothy, come here with all speed. Get here as quick as you can." His companions departed, leaving Paul alone in Athens. It appears he intended to wait for Timothy and Silas to arrive before beginning his outreach in the city.

However, notice verse 16; Paul could not wait. He could not stand alone any longer and wait for Silas and Timothy before reaching out to the city. His spirit was stirred within him. He couldn't take it anymore when he saw what was happening in Athens. He was provoked to action.

As I reflected on this passage last week, I began to wonder how we are stirred to action. What is it that stirs us? Have we ever been stirred or provoked in our emotions to stand up and do something? There are many things that can provoke us. In the last couple of weeks, the images of devastation in Haiti, as seen on the news, have moved many Americans to give financially, even when they themselves may be hurting financially, willing to help those in need.

When we hear reports or see images of other third-world nations experiencing famine or sickness, we are often stirred. Some people are provoked by political changes in our nation and feel compelled to act. However, what stirred Paul in Athens was the spiritual condition of that city.

I wonder, as we drive through this area—through North County and San Diego County—and observe the things happening around us, whether in the open marketplace or on TV or the radio, what stirs us to action.

As we see these things, are we stirred by the spiritual condition? I began to pray this week for myself, for my family, and also for our church, that God would open our eyes. I pray that we would begin to see the spiritual condition for what it really is in our community and that we would be stirred.

Notice what it was that stirred Paul at the end of verse 16. It says the city was wholly given to idolatry. Literally, the whole being of the city of Athens, the heartbeat of that place, was idolatry. Some historians have calculated that the city of Athens had upwards of 30,000 different idols and gods to which they offered incense and sacrifices. There is in man, created by God, this innate pull towards worship. God created us to worship, and as a result, man who does not know God will worship just about anything that comes before him. Misdirected worship is idolatry, and this city was filled with misdirected worship.

Our own society today is no different. A lot of times, we think that we've progressed so far because we don't have altars on the side of the road with silver and gold gods, and we aren't really offering sacrifices to these things. But it is no different in our nation. We still have things that people bow down to and sacrifice to. Perhaps they don't sacrifice an animal to it, but they sacrifice their money, their time, their intellect, and their power. People are enticed to sacrifice to sports teams and celebrities. We even have shows like "American Idol." We praise these individuals for their abilities and the gifts they may have. They may have good gifts, but we look up to them and wish that maybe we would have the same. How is that any different from the Greek gods that the people looked up to 2,000 years ago?

People bow down to money, power, and political power. They seek after and worship pleasure and sex. Paul was stirred by what he saw in that city. The city was wholly given to idolatry. Therefore, in verses 17 and 18, we read about four different groups of people that are mentioned.

As was Paul's custom, he started at the synagogue. There, in the synagogue in Athens, he met the first group of people, whom we might call the religious separatists. This group included both Jews and some Gentile God-fearers who had gathered there, as we read that there were devout persons present. Paul argued with them, but the Jewish God, although the one true God—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—was revealed in the Old Testament and more fully in the person and work of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. They worshipped the one true God, but their God was just one among thousands of gods in the city of Athens.

No doubt, these Jews in Athens had very little reach into their community. By this time, most of the Jewish communities within these cities were content to dwell by themselves and keep to themselves. They stayed within their own small community, gathering together in the synagogue on the Sabbath day. These Jews were not very evangelistic; they were not seeking to reach out into the community much. Instead, they waited for people to come to them. The sad part is that, as we look at the landscape of Christianity in America today, that often is the case for many churches. The church has become very much like the Jewish synagogue of old, where we gather in these rooms and wait for people to come to us. They were the religious separatists of their day.

The second group of people we read about in verse 17 are those in the market whom Paul met daily. We might classify them as the thoughtless idolaters of the city of Athens, the common people of the marketplace. Those in the marketplace of Athens likely had a live-and-let-live sort of mindset. This is because they lived in a very pluralistic society, filled with a plurality of beliefs, ideas, and perspectives—very much like our society here in the United States today. The people of Athens were generally willing to listen to new ideas and thoughts. In fact, they enjoyed hearing the different things that people had to say. You were much less likely to be met with hostility for your religious perspective in Athens than you were in Thessalonica, Philippi, or other cities in Galatia, where Paul faced significant resistance. The people in the city of Athens were fairly welcoming to new ideas.

We have the religious separatists, the Jews that Paul met with in the synagogue, and then the thoughtless idolaters. It was a live-and-let-live sort of atmosphere in the city of Athens.

In verse 18, we read of two other groups. First, the Epicurean philosophers, whom we might call atheistic existentialists. They were followers of the teachings of a philosopher who lived about 400 years before Paul arrived in Athens, a man named Epicurus. Epicurus was a materialist who did not believe in superstition or divine intervention. His later followers focused primarily on pleasure, which they considered their chief purpose in life.

They did not completely deny the existence of God; they believed that there might be some gods somewhere out there. However, they had a deistic mindset, thinking that if there were gods, they were so far removed that they wanted nothing to do with humanity. The Epicureans were so focused on materialistic endeavors that they felt life was entirely about pleasure, and the worst possible life would be one lived in pain. They were the atheistic existentialists of their day. Do we have any of those in our nation today?

The fourth group of people we read about are the Stoics, the self-sufficient fatalists of Athens. They were followers of another Athenian philosopher, Zeno, who also lived about 400 years before Paul came to the city. Zeno was the father of the Stoic school of philosophy. The Stoics emphasized goodness and peace, seeking to attain a certain peace of mind through virtuous conduct in accordance with nature, essentially living in harmony with nature.

They believed that errors in judgment caused destructive emotions. If one were truly a morally and intellectually balanced individual, they would never experience trivial emotions. The perfect picture of a Greek Stoic would be someone who embodies these principles, representing the modern understanding of Stoicism.

In the city of Athens, there were four different groups of people. It's interesting to note that these groups are very similar to those in our society today. You had the religious separatists, the thoughtless idolaters, the atheistic existentialists, and, of course, the self-sufficient fatalists. Paul went and ministered to all four groups in Athens, using the same message he shared with the Jews in other synagogues and places. He always brought them to the Word of God.

Ultimately, the message did not change, but the method did. As we go through Acts chapter 17 today, we will see that Paul's approach in dealing with the philosophers in Athens was different from how he interacted with other groups in different cities. The message of the gospel remains constant because it is universally and absolutely relevant for every human being on the planet. It is an extremely necessary message.

When Paul ministered among the Jews, he was addressing a people group with a common understanding, background, and history. They shared a theistic worldview, making it relatively easy for him to present the gospel. He would go through their own history, speak about the law and the prophets, and then show the fulfillment of the law and the prophets in Jesus of Nazareth.

However, among the Gentiles, while the message of Christ did not change, the way he presented it was wholly and completely different. This distinction is particularly important for us living in 2010 in the United States, as we find ourselves in an Athenian culture. We are living in a first-century Greek-minded Hellenistic culture, whether we realize it or not.

When the gospel was first preached, it was in Judea, among people who had a theistic worldview. It was straightforward to share the gospel of Jesus Christ because it aligned with their existing beliefs. But as the gospel spread to the uttermost parts and entered the Hellenistic world, it encountered a pluralistic society filled with diverse ideas and a relativistic worldview. In this context, people would say, "You believe what you believe; I believe what I believe."

It's all fine and good. You see, many people in the last 20 years have been talking about the post-modern culture in America and how progressive it is. However, it's no different than it was when Paul went to Athens 2,000 years ago. We need to recognize this because, 50 or 100 years ago in the United States, and even before that, the country was founded on Judeo-Christian values. It was established with a very theistic worldview.

Preaching the gospel, especially during the Great Awakenings in America, was fairly simple. You just preached Jesus Christ to those who had a theistic worldview, and they came in droves. They came in multitudes, just as they had done in Jerusalem. Three thousand were saved on the day of Pentecost, and the church added 5,000 just a few weeks later. When the gospel was preached to those with a theistic worldview, they embraced it instantly.

But in Athens, that was not the case. The problem is that I believe the church today is still trying to preach the gospel to a theistic worldview in a nation that does not have one. Instead, it has a very pluralistic mindset. The church's approach to getting the gospel out, especially in the last 20 years, has been to change the message rather than the method, which is completely wrong.

We've tried to make the message more palatable, presenting it as a feel-good message, a happy-go-lucky message that will make you happy. However, the gospel is about repenting and turning to Christ because you are a sinner doomed for hell. The church has wrongly changed the message to reach a different culture instead of changing the method to reach that culture.

In Acts chapter 17, we will see that this is the wrong way to go about it. Paul went to Athens and was met by different groups of people. Notice that it says in verse 18 that certain philosophers encountered him. He didn't go out seeking them; he didn't try to find them and drag them to his message. They encountered him.

When you seek to fulfill the commission that God has given us, God will bring people into your path. Have you experienced that? I guarantee you, if you pray a prayer like this: "Father, would you bring into my path this week people that I can share the gospel with?"

He will answer that. And so they encountered him. When they did, they said, "What will this babbler say?" They approached him with a certain bias, already able to tell that he came from a Jewish background just by his appearance and speech. They probably thought they knew the ideas of the Jews. There was a synagogue in the city of Athens, but it was largely overlooked. They likely expected, "Well, we know what this guy has to say." However, when he began to speak, it was something completely different. It was a new doctrine, something they hadn't heard before.

The philosophers in Athens viewed Paul as a no-name sort of guy with no clout whatsoever. When they called him a babbler, the word in Greek literally means "seed picker." The idea is that Paul was like one of the birds in the marketplace, going around and picking up a little seed from here, a little seed from there, and a little seed from somewhere else. They saw him as someone who had gathered bits from various philosophies and religions, putting them together to sound impressive. That was their impression of him; they looked at him as someone who really didn't know very much. Yet, they wanted to hear from him because he had a new idea, and the people of Athens loved to hear new ideas.

In verse 19, they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? For you bring certain strange things to our ears, and we would know what these things mean." All the Athenians and strangers present spent their time in nothing else but to either tell or hear something new. They loved the freshness of Paul's message, which earned him an invitation to Mars Hill.

The Areopagus literally means Mars Hill. There is some debate about the exact nature of this location in Athens. We do know that there was a hill called Mars Hill where philosophers would gather, but there was also a group of philosophical judges known as the Areopagus. They would meet together, and it is very plausible that Paul was taken to those judges to present his message. At the end of this passage, we see that an Areopagite, one of the judges from that council, becomes a follower of Jesus.

They loved to hear new ideas. This was their pastime. While we have baseball, they had rhetoric, debate, and philosophizing. They wanted to hear the people's ideas, and then they would take those ideas, break them apart, and spit them back at you to show how foolish your idea was, revealing their great intellect.

Is anything like this present in our world today? We are living in a first-century Hellenistic culture, very much the same as what Paul encountered when he went to Athens. In verse 22, Paul stood in the midst of Mars Hill and said, "You men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious," or "you are very religious."

As he passed by, he beheld their devotions and found an altar with this inscription: "To the unknown God." Therefore, he declared to them, "Him I declare unto you." Paul observed that in every way, they were very religious. It has been estimated that there were upwards of 30,000 deities in the city of Athens. These were a very superstitious, very spiritual, and very religious group of people.

The United States of America is no different, with all kinds of different ideas melded together. Interestingly, Paul uses a specific word for "religious" when he says, "I perceive that you are very religious." The Greek word literally means "God-fearers," or he actually uses the term "daimon," which means "demon-fearers." Most, if not all, of the false gods that these people bowed down to were rooted in demonic things.

So, he says, "You guys are demon-fearers, and you're so religious that you have altars to the unknown God." In the city of Athens, you could go and offer sacrifices to Diana or Apollo, or you could offer to Jupiter, Mars, or whoever you wanted. But just in case you missed a god, they had catch-alls. You could go and offer a sacrifice to the unknown God.

Six hundred years before Paul arrived in the city of Athens, there was a great plague that came to the city. In that ancient Greek mindset, if a city had a great plague, it meant the gods were angry. Therefore, they needed to appease the gods. They had to figure out which god they had angered and find a way to make amends. With 30,000 gods, this could be quite a challenge.

The plague lingered for a while, and the people could not determine its cause. One of the leaders of the city, Epimenides, had a great idea. They let a flock of sheep loose in Athens and decided that wherever the sheep laid down, they would offer that sheep as a sacrifice to the nearest god. However, some of the sheep laid down in places where there were no temples. Consequently, they built altars to the unknown god and offered sacrifices to this unknown deity. Ultimately, the plague went away, and they concluded that they had appeased the gods. These altars to the unknown god remained, just in case they had missed one.

Paul noted that the one they ignorantly worshiped was, in fact, the unknown god. The Greek word for "unknown" in this context is "agnostos," and in Latin, it would be "ignoramus." Paul declared that he would reveal this unknown god to them. With the Jews, Paul could begin with Moses and go through the law and the prophets right up to Jesus, preaching Christ. However, with the Athenians and the foreigners gathered at Mars Hill, his approach changed.

It is important for us to take time to understand the culture around us. If we were to go as missionaries to the Philippines, Russia, or to some tribal group in Africa or South America, we would spend time getting to know that culture. We would seek opportunities to present the gospel in a way that they could understand. Yet, we often fail to do this in our own culture because we wrongly assume that our culture is the same as ours. We live among a theistic worldview, but we do not.

We should take time to gauge the culture and seek opportunities to communicate in a way that resonates with them. I don't believe we need to try to make the gospel relevant because the gospel is inherently relevant. However, we must speak in a way that they will understand. This does not mean that we go and try to use slang or informal language.

We don't have to talk to them in a certain way, but they may think differently than we do. They may see the world from a different perspective, just as the people in this place did. In verse 24, Paul begins to preach about God, Christ, and the gospel to these people who have no background in God. He declares to them the unknown God, the God who made the world and all things therein. Since He is the Lord of heaven and earth, He does not dwell in temples made with hands.

Paul immediately explains that their unknown God is truly the Creator of heaven and earth and everything that exists on the earth. Since He is the Creator of all things, He is also the Master and Lord of all things. The Greeks and Romans had primordial deities; they worshipped gods of the sky, gods of the sea like Poseidon, and gods of the earth like Gaia. They had different gods for various aspects of life, such as the sun god, the moon god, and the wind god, each with jurisdiction and authority over their respective domains.

However, Paul wants to tell them about the one true God. He is the one who created all of this and is Master and Lord over all things. Because He is omnipresent, immense, and awesome, He does not dwell in temples like their false gods do. This is the same message that the one true God conveyed to King David and King Solomon, as well as to Isaiah, when He asked, "What is this house that you will build for me? I do not dwell in temples made with hands."

The temple in Jerusalem was not a place where God dwelt; it was a place where the people of God could interact with and meet the one true God. He does not dwell in tents and houses here on earth. In fact, Scripture reveals that God is spirit and dwells in us; we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Paul tells the gathered group that He is the Creator God. Unlike their false deities and the false philosophies they worship and follow, He is the one true God.

In verse 25, Paul states that neither is He worshipped with men's hands as though He needed anything, seeing that He gives.

To all life and breath and all things, the one true God, the Creator God, is omnipresent and awesome. He does not dwell in temples made with hands; He is not worshipped with men's hands. This means He does not need anything from man to exist. It is not necessary to bring anything to God to keep Him in power or to keep Him on the throne. He is, He always was, and quite the opposite. Not only does He not need anything from man to maintain His power and existence, but man needs Him. He is the Creator and Sustainer of life.

Notice that He says He gives to all life and breath. He gave us life, but He also sustains our life by giving us breath and all things. Everything else that we need comes from Him. Without man, the idols of this world would not exist, but without the one true God, man would not be here. We did not create Him; He created us.

Paul continues, stating that God has made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on the face of the earth. He has determined the times beforehand appointed and their bounds and their habitations. Paul says that not only is God the one true God whom you worship as the unknown God, but He also created the earth and all the things in it. He created man, and He created man of one blood. Yes, it is true we all have a common ancestor; his name is Adam. God created him, and from Adam, God brought forth Eve. From Adam and Eve, God brought forth the nations, all the way down to you and I as well.

He says all the nations came from one blood, which is God's creation, and God made them for a purpose. Notice He says He made all the nations to dwell on the face of the earth. He created them to live here upon the face of the earth. But not only that, He determined their times beforehand and their appointed bounds of habitation. God determined where they would live, where they would be, and where they would go. Have you ever wondered why you live here at this time in history? God determined it.

He purposed that. But why did He do that? Well, look at verse 27. That they should seek the Lord. God created man, set man upon the earth, gave him appointed times, seasons, and boundaries so that man would seek God, that if happily he might feel after Him, that he might grope for God, and that he would find Him. God created man to dwell upon the earth, to seek for God, that we would find God, and in finding God, we would see, though He be not far from every one of us, as stated in verse 27.

So, God created us and placed us upon the earth to seek for Him, to find Him, and to see that He is not far from us; in fact, He is actually near. You see, the Greek understanding in the Roman Empire was that the gods, if they exist, are far away and want nothing to do with humanity. However, the one true God created man to fellowship with man, created man to seek for Him, to find Him.

Why did God create me and place me in Southern California at the end of the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century? So that you and I should seek for the Lord, that we might grope for Him, that we might find Him, and in seeking Him, we would discover that He is right here waiting for us to find Him. This is exactly the same thing that God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah.

But notice, Paul, when he was speaking to this Athenian crowd, didn't say, "Hey, you know, the prophet Jeremiah said," because they would scratch their heads and say, "The prophet who?" Have you ever done that before? You're talking with a non-believer and you say, "Well, you know, Ezekiel said," and they go, "What?" Or you mention Abraham, and they respond, "Abraham Lincoln?" No, no, no, no, no, before him.

So, he reveals truth that's found in Jeremiah. Turn in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 29. I know this is going to freak somebody out, but you can actually talk with someone out of the Bible and not use the verse reference, and God won't get mad at you. Half the time, I forget the verse reference anyway. Jeremiah 29:11. You've probably seen this on a greeting card or a bookmark: "For I know the thoughts that I think towards you," saith the Lord.

Thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end, or to give you a future and a hope. But look at verse 12: "Then shall you call upon me, and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you." Just as Paul told the Athenians, God created us to seek Him.

In verse 13, it says, "And you shall seek me, and you shall find me, when you shall search for me with all of your heart." I will be found of you, saith the Lord. In verse 14, it continues, "And I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord. And I will bring you again unto the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive."

So God says, you shall call upon me, you shall pray unto me, you shall seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found of you, and I will gather you, and I will bring you back again. This is by the prophet Jeremiah. Now Paul reveals that very same truth here to the Athenians, but he doesn't say, "Hey, the prophet Jeremiah said."

Also, in Hebrews chapter 11, in that passage we commonly call the Hall of Faith, Hebrews 11:6 states, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him. For he that comes to God must believe that He is and that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Paul continues in Acts chapter 17, verse 28, speaking about this one true God. He says, "For in Him we live and move and have our being." As certain also of your own poets have said, "For we are also His offspring." In Him we live and move and have our being. You see, He is not far from us. We could not exist apart from His constant care and attention. This is what we call the common grace of God. Mankind could not exist apart from God's care and attention, and He has extended that common grace to all mankind.

Notice that Paul says in verse 28, "as certain of your own poets have said." In verse 28, we may not recognize it, but Paul just quoted two Grecian poets. When he said, "In Him we live and move and have our being," he was quoting the poet Epimenides.

When he said, "For we are all his offspring," he was quoting the poet Aratus, one of the two poets that these Grecian philosophers would know very well. They were familiar with who these men were. What we see here is that Paul quoted people they would understand. He did not quote these men because they were prophets or because they were teaching the word of God. He quoted them because these specific words revealed truth. By using them, he could build a bridge to this pagan group of people.

The interesting thing is that oftentimes, worldly pagan people reveal nuggets of truth. The problem is that those nuggets of truth are surrounded by so much trash that it is often really hard to unearth them. Let me give you an example: "I can't get no satisfaction." Just about everything else they said is nonsense, but that was true. I know you're upset I said that word, but it's true. There is a nugget of truth there. From time to time, we see that worldly people who know nothing of God are able to say things that contain hints of truth and biblical truth scattered throughout their statements.

Paul quoted the prophet Jeremiah, but he didn't say, "The prophet Jeremiah said." Instead, he preached to them from that. He also used something from their own poets, saying, "See, this guy said this, and it's true." Just about everything else he said is trash, but that was true: "In him we live and move and have our being." You understand this; you recognize this. We are God's offspring.

We can do the same thing as well. Paul continues in verse 29, "For as much then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold or silver or stone, or graven by art of man's device." What Paul is saying here is that if God created you and me, if we are his offspring, then we carry some—not all, but some—of God's attributes, some of God's nature, and some of God's character.

What I mean by that is that we have the capacity for thought. We have the ability to create and invent. God is a creative God, and he has given us the ability to do the same. We have the aptitude for love. We have the power to...

Communicate. All of these things came from God. Paul says that if we are His offspring, we have some of His nature. We ought not to think that God is like silver and gold, or stone, or graven by the artistic devices of man. Why? Because gold, as precious as it is, cannot think. Gold does not love; it cannot create. It does not communicate in and of itself. It is inanimate. It is nothing. So why would we bow down to something that has none of the characteristics that we have and say, "This is our God"? How foolish is that?

The prophet Isaiah, in Isaiah chapter 40, says it is the most foolish thing to go out into the woods, cut down a tree, and make sure you get a strong tree because you don't want your God to rot. You cut down a tree, bring it in, and have someone who is really handy carve it into a really nice god. Part of the tree you burn for fire, and you warm yourself. Part of it you cook your meal upon, and you eat your meal, satisfied and warmed. Then you turn and bow down to the rest of the wood and say, "Thank you for feeding me." Stupid.

The psalmist said that the gods of this world are silver and gold, the works of men's hands. Eyes they have, but they cannot see. Mouths they have, but they cannot speak. Noses they have, but they do not smell. Feet they have, but they do not walk. Hands they have, but they handle not. It is foolish to worship such things. The psalmist would go on to say that those who trust in them are fools. Yet this is the way of the world: to trust in vain philosophies and inanimate things.

He says we ought not to think that God is like silver and gold because silver and gold have no ability to do any of the things that we have the ability to do. They would be nothing without man. Gold would just stay in the ground; no one would ever find it if it were not for man. Man is different and distinct because God created us in His image. Never do you see lions going and digging up gold. All they do is seek food because they want to live. God created them to survive; He gave them instinct to do so, but they don't go, "Wow, let's create something beautiful out of this chunk of gold."

God created us unique and different for a purpose: that we would seek Him, that we would know Him, and that we would glorify Him. Now, Paul goes on in verse 30, and the times of this ignorance God winked at or overlooked. Imagine if God immediately judged...

Every wrong thought, word, or deed you ever did—how many of you would not have survived past being a toddler? God is gracious. God is long-suffering. God is patient. He has overlooked the things that we have done in ignorance. Many of the sinful things that man does are out of ignorance. He ignorantly worships false gods, as the people of Athens did when they worshiped the unknown God for centuries.

But now they are responsible for the truth. The Apostle Paul came in and preached the gospel to them. Now they are hearing the truth of the one true God, the Creator God, who created them for a purpose: that they might seek after Him and glorify Him. He says, "Listen, in ignorance you did these things, and God overlooked that, but now He commands all men everywhere to repent." As soon as this truth comes to you, you have one choice. God says, "This is the commandment I give to you. Yes, everything else you did in the past was in ignorance, but now I command you to repent."

Why? Well, verse 31 explains that God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance to all men by raising Him from the dead. Yes, in the past, you vainly and foolishly worshipped false gods out of ignorance. You rebelled against God. You were stubborn towards God. You rejected His word and contemned the counsel of the Most High God.

But now the gospel of truth has come to you, and He says you must repent. If you don't, He is coming, and He is going to judge. You see, God is long-suffering, but He has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness. Notice that. This means God will set His perfect righteous standard Himself, and He will judge you and me according to that perfect plumb line. He will ask, "Do you stand up to this perfect plumb line of righteousness?"

He will show that my life and your life do not measure up. When they don't, He is going to judge us accordingly, whether it was done out of ignorance or not at that point in time. And who is going to be the one that judges us? Paul says He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He appointed, the one whom He proved to be the judge by raising Him from the dead.

Dead. Notice what Jesus says in the Gospel of John. One book to the left, John chapter 5, verse 22. Jesus said there, "For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment unto the Son." Look at verse 26: "For as the Father has life in Himself, so has He given to the Son to have life in Himself." He has given Him authority, the Greek word "exousia," or jurisdiction. He has given Him jurisdiction to execute judgment also because He is the Son of Man.

Jesus is the one at the last day who will stand and judge. Read the book of Revelation. He is appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom He ordained and has given assurance unto all men in that He has raised Him from the dead.

The response is found in Acts chapter 17, verse 32. "And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, and others said, 'We will hear you again on this matter.'" The Athenians listened to Paul right up to the point that he spoke about Jesus and the resurrection. As long as he spoke about philosophy, science, poetry, morality, or even their false gods, they were all ears. But as soon as he began to speak about Jesus and the resurrection, they turned him off. Some of them mocked him, and others were dismissive of what he had to say.

It's the exact same thing in our culture and society today. You can talk about any sort of thing, but as soon as you talk about Jesus, they will mock you or be dismissive. "Oh, come on, that's stupid. You really believe that? Ah, we'll hear you again on this matter. You're crazy."

Perhaps you saw a few weeks ago Britt Hume on Fox News Sunday was asked about Tiger Woods, and he said that he thinks Tiger Woods should turn to Christ and seek forgiveness in Christ. He was belittled by many for that. Bill O'Reilly had him on his show the next day and asked him, "What do you have to say about this?" He steadfastly stood by his words. That same week, Keith Olbermann on MSNBC had Dan Savage on his show, and they...

Mocked and belittled, they called him a fool. Who does he think he is? He shouldn't be proselytizing people. How dare he bring his religion out into the public square? They said, "Who does he think he is? He's on his second marriage." It was all mockery and dismissiveness.

You can talk about Hinduism. You can talk about Buddhism. You can discuss all that, and everybody's impressed, saying, "Oh, wow, he's so learned. He's so special." But as soon as you mention Jesus, how dare you bring up the name of Christ?

About three weeks ago on Larry King Live, there was a discussion about life after death. I found it very interesting who they had on their panel to discuss this topic: three men from India—Sanjay Gupta, Deepak Chopra, and Dinesh D'Souza. All of them had Hindu backgrounds. Now, Dinesh D'Souza claims to be a Christian, but he believes in theistic evolution and does not accept biblical creation. These men were propped up as the experts on life after death.

I guarantee you, had they brought a Christian on the show and asked, "What do you think about life after death?" the response would have been, "Yes, there is life after death. Jesus came, died on the cross, and raised from the dead so that you and I could live with Him eternally in heaven." But instead, they would respond, "Oh, you're so narrow-minded, you bigoted Bible thumper. If you don't believe in Him, you go to hell. How dare you?"

When you bring up the name of Christ, they will mock you and dismiss what you have to say. So, what was Paul's reaction? In verse 30, it says he departed from among them. We often take it as a personal attack when people react this way, but we shouldn't. It's an attack on Christ. Yes, we should be grieved for the fact that they have rejected Christ and His gospel, but we should not take it personally.

Paul departed from among them, yet certain men clave unto him. Certain people listened; there were some who believed. Among them was Dionysius the Areopagite, one of the leaders on that council in the Areopagus, and a woman named Amaris, along with others.

When Paul went to the Athenians, he did not belittle their beliefs. He probably had the opportunity to do so. You worship what? Oh, come on. You’ve got to be kidding me. You worship the sun? What happens when clouds come? There are times when we are tempted to belittle what people say. I confess there have been moments when I’ve been talking with people, and they share their philosophy or worldview, and in my mind, I’m thinking, "Are you kidding me? Really? That camera took your soul?"

What? He didn't belittle their beliefs. He looked for an inroad for the gospel in the culture, and he found it. When he found the inroad and the unknown God, he came and preached Christ to them. He preached the reality of God. He spoke to them that God is the Creator, that He is the originator, even though they balked at that idea. He showed them that God is the giver of life, the giver of every gift that you and I need. He demonstrated that God seeks a relationship with man and is intimately involved with man. Unlike the gods of Greece, who were far away from man and wanted nothing to do with him, God desired that men would seek after Him. He said, "If you will seek for me, you will find me. I am the rewarder of those who diligently seek after me."

He revealed that man cannot exist apart from God, but then he brought them to the reality of the judgment of God and said, "Unless you repent, you will perish." The message did not change; the method was clearly different, but the message remained the same.

You see, I believe that the church in America today is still expecting, in this pluralistic culture in which we live, mass evangelism to show mass fruit, with thousands of people coming to faith like what happened in Jerusalem. That didn't happen in Athens, and it won't happen in our culture. Most will mock, some will be dismissive, and only a few may believe. But the gospel still needs to be preached with power. The message still needs to go forth. Don't change the message. Don't try to make it more palatable, more happy-go-lucky, or feel-good. Just preach the truth. Yes, look for an opportunity. Yes, look for an inroad. But preach the truth. Amen?

Let's stand and pray. Father, I thank you for your word. Lord, I especially thank you for this passage of Scripture because I believe it gives us insight into our own culture today. Even though we are 2,000 years removed from Athens when Paul was there, living here in America, we are living in a Hellenistic culture. Lord, give us the ability, by your Spirit, to speak the truth into this culture. Open our eyes that we would see the spiritual condition of those around us.

Open our mouths to speak with words of truth and not lessen the impact of the message. And Lord, although they may be dismissive or mocking, may we still be steadfast in these last days. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Let's try here. Amen. Let's pray here. Amen. We pray here. Amen. Thank you.