The Unknown God
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 4 viewsNotes
Transcript
Intro:
Intro:
Good morning! Turn with me to Acts chapter 17.
(Begin reading verses 16-34).
This, to me, has always been one of the most interesting and fascinating passages in the book of Acts.
What we have here is a city that is FULLY given over to idolatry, a place that is populated with people who LOVE to contemplate, who LOVE philosophy, who LOVE learning, who are VERY superstitious and even religious, and yet …
They are completely confused and mixed up because of paganism.
We’re in the city of Athens, in Greece, and the Areopagus, a place where judicial proceedings and worship were conducted, and the Areopagus itself named after the Greek God of war — Ares.
Nearby is the area known as Mars Hill, which looks upward to the idolatrous temple at the Areopagus. (Show pictures).
Paul perceives just how superstitious that these people are, so much so that they even have an altar with this inscription: “To the Unknown God.”
(Show picture of artifact)
Paul says at the end of v. 23 - “Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you!”
Isn’t that just about the best lead in to a sermon you have ever heard?! (Paul makes a BRILLIANT point using the object lesson that was right before him!)
This morning we want to use what Paul says in the next 7 verses, and we want to talk about the God who 5 groups of people do not know! (I want to thank Wayne Jones for sharing this outline with me — we support him as an instructor at Bear Valley).
The Evolutionist - vs. 24-25
The Evolutionist - vs. 24-25
The evolutionist/atheists/secularist/agnostic does not know God!
Somebody says “what about the THEISTIC evolutionist?”
Again, I would say the theistic evolutionist still doesn’t know God — and here’s why!
The theistic evolutionists views God as the starting point, but then ignores everything ELSE that He has done!
Ignores the plain teaching of the literal creation account and what follows — Genesis chapters 1 through 11.
Ignores the simple logical fact that evidence of DESIGN demands a DESIGNER — not randomness as the result of millions of mutations that take place over millions of years!
(By the way, that alone is unscientific because the vast majority of genetic mutations are DELETERIOUS (BAD!), not good, or at best NEUTRAL, and RARELY beneficial!
Not only that, but the simple 2nd law of thermodynamics states that as things progress over time, they become MORE or LESS unorganized?
MORE unorganized! More CHAOTIC!
They BREAK DOWN! They FALL APART!
A scientific term otherwise known as ENTROPY!
God has CLEARLY revealed Himself in His creation!
As was stated so well in Zack’s devotional Wed. night — Romans 1:20 says that when we look at God’s creation, we are “WITHOUT EXCUSE!”
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
Psalm 19:1-3 says
The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard.
And Paul says here:
Acts 17:24-25
God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
What many an academic has failed to realize is that were it not for GOD, we wouldn’t be here!
In order to have SOMETHING, you must have SOMEONE to create something!
We see it when we look at a brand new vehicle, we see it when we look at a building, we see it when we look at a skyscraper.
It’s simple logic — Someone BUILT that! Someone CREATED it!
And yet, when we look at the HUMAN BODY, or the animal kingdom, or the trees, or the oceans, or the sun and moon and stars, many want to believe that it all somehow just HAPPENED on its own!
That’s simply illogical!
The evolutionist does not know God! (Wish we could stay here longer, but we’ve got to move on! But we do need sermons from time to time dealing with apologetics!)
The Racist - v. 26
The Racist - v. 26
You know it’s a shame that this even has to be brought up, and it’s a shame that you still hear from time to time clearly racists comments made by people, even Christians!
Paul says in Acts 17:26.
And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,
What blood? “ONE BLOOD!”
How many races are there, really?
ONE! The HUMAN race!
And yet still (as I’m afraid will probably always be the case), what do people want to do?
Divide up, hate each other, refuse to associate with one another — over what?
Something as trivial and superficial as someone’s skin color, or where they came from!
May it never be in the Lord’s church!
You ever hear the expression, “Beauty is only skin deep?”
Well, racism is only skin deep, too!
The racist does not know God!
Now, I will admit, that sometimes the “racist card” is played much too early in the hand!
That label can be thrown around carelessly and dishonestly. And we have to acknowledge that!
And ANYBODY can be racist!
And it IS the case that many people are, and we better examine ourselves and make sure that we’re not!
Eph. 2:14-15 - Jesus Christ “has broken down the middle wall of separation … so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace!”
For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,
That section is talking about Christ breaking down the separation between Jew and Gentile in His church!
But if Christ can break down THAT barrier, then SURELY He can break down the wall between black and white, or any other barrier that exists between man!
Let’s move on to …
The Calvinist - v. 27
The Calvinist - v. 27
Paul says - Acts 17:27
so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;
Acts 17:27 - KJV puts it this way …
That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
The point being? God is WITHIN REACH!
We can please Him! ANYONE can!
But we have to KNOW ABOUT Him, LOVE Him and HAVE FAITH in Him, and OBEY HIM!
That comes through hearing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17), and God wants that for EVERYONE!
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
1 Tim. 2:4 — God desires ALL men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth!
who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
The people that Paul is dealing with here in Acts 17 — They were “ever learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” as long as they remained in their Pagan superstition!
But God wanted them to be saved!
The Calvinist doesn’t know God in this way!
The Materialist - vs. 28-29
The Materialist - vs. 28-29
Acts 17:28-29
for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising.
In other words, what is Paul saying here?
He’s saying that seeking GOD (Who is a Spirit — John 4:24) involves the SPIRITUAL pursuit of holiness, rather than the fleshly pursuits of carnality!
In other words, He’s saying that this life is not meant to be all about the here and now, the pursuit of “stuff,” and money, and hobbies, and pleasure, etc.
Look with me at what Paul said in 1 Cor. 3:1-3.
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
We are NOT meant to be “mere men,” but SPIRITUAL men — people focused on the RIGHT things — things above! (Col. 3:1ff)
Paul goes on to say in 1 Cor. 3 (v. 11) that “no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
He is our everything! It’s all about Him!
The materialist does not know God!
And finally …
The Rebellious - v. 30
The Rebellious - v. 30
Acts 17:30-31
Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
The person who stubbornly rebels against the Lord REJECTS this message!
He crosses his arms (she crosses her arms) in stubborn refusal to hear the message of the Gospel.
He/she refuses to repent and be converted to Christ.
And we see people like this frequently in the Bible, and we see people like this around us today.
The rebellious do not know God!
And they will pay the price for it on Judgment Day!
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
When the men of Athens heard Paul’s message, essentially the same message you have heard today, and when Paul concluded it with the assurance of the resurrection …
Verse 32 says “some mocked, while others said, ‘We will hear you again on this matter.’”
Some completely closed their eyes and ears to the truth, while others kept an open mind to it!
And verse 34 says that SOME of them joined Paul and believed, including “Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them!”
Will you join Paul, and these others, and us hear today, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart and obey His Gospel?!
He is the God that many people do not know! To them He is “the unknown God,” but He wants you to know Him!