Understanding God and Us

Sunday, June 23, 2024

Followup from Last Lesson

Last week’s question: Who are you going to translate the Gospel to this week? [Give people an opportunity to share what they did and how it went.]

Introductory information

Paul is on his second missionary journey

He had left Berea alone and sailed to Athens, then waited for Silas and Timothy to follow him

While he waited, Paul noticed Athens was full of idols and began to teach and debate throughout the city

Eventually, he was given an opportunity to speak at the Areopagus and give a presentation to the Council which oversaw religion and education in Athens (1)

In our last lesson, we looked at Paul’s speech to see how he presented the Gospel in a way that they could understand culturally

Now we are going to revisit Paul’s speech to further examine the things it teaches about God, us, and the way we should relate to Him

READ

Question to consider as we read:

Who is God and what are we?

Acts 17:24–31 CSB

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. 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.”

EXAMINE

What are the key points in this passage?

#1 | Who God Is

God is King - whether we recognize it or not.

Acts 17:24 “The God who made the world and everything in it—he is Lord of heaven and earth...

God is unequaled - everything in all existence answers to Him*

God cannot be contained by boxes or “habitats” we create for Him

Acts 17:24 “[God] does not live in shrines made by hands.”

There are so many ways we still try to do this - we try to confine Him to our desires, traditions, institutions, politics, and culture

God needs nothing from us, but we need everything from Him

Acts 17:25 “Neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives everyone life and breath and all things.”

This is something we often get backwards - We act like God needs our help getting things accomplished, while also living like we can do most things without Him

#2 | What We Are

No person or people group is superior - all are equal in their origin, nature, and dependency on God (2)

Acts 17:26 “From one man he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth...”

While we often like to elevate ourselves, our culture, our country, etc. over others - Paul is making it clear that every human being is on the “same playing field”

Our identity and starting point was determined by God

Acts 17:26 “[God] determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live.”

This especially conflicts with our culture - we like to think of ourselves as autonomous (independent from God’s determination and boundaries)

The implication here is that God is the one Who decides who and what you are

The reason we exist is to be in relationship with God

Acts 17:27 “He did this so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find him...”

We aren’t independent from God and we don’t have a purpose apart from Him

#3 | How We Must Relate To Him

God is close by and understandable to us

Acts 17:27–29 “...he is not far from each one of us. 28 For in him we live and move and have our being… 29 Since, then, we are God’s offspring, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone...”

The good news is that God is proactive in the relationship

He reveals Himself to us and makes Himself understandable to us - which is really remarkable when you think about how overwhelming He could be to us

We have not been living like any of this is true - so we must change course and turn back to Him

Acts 17:30 “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent,”

The bad news, is that we have been living like we are in charge, autonomous, and have our own self-determined purpose in life

So we must repent - which literally means to change the direction of our lives and submit to God as our Creator and King

We answer to Jesus*, not to ourselves

Acts 17:31 “…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.”

This is a sobering warning that will make us live more wisely, when we keep it in mind

We are each personally accountable to Jesus for the choices we make and how we respond to what He has revealed to us.

APPLY

Explore and apply the passage with these questions:

[These questions must be focused, yet very open-ended. Allow the conversation to go where people take it - we want to encourage everyone to share and explore the topics of the passage. You don’t have to ask all these questions. Sometimes a group may only get through one or two questions. Select the questions you think are right for the conversation. Then, as it comes time to wrap up, refocus the conversation to “land the plane.”]

Is there something Paul said, that you haven’t thought about before? What was it?

What do we get wrong about God?

What do we get wrong about ourselves?

What do we get wrong about our relationship with God?

What are some “course changes” (a.k.a repentance) you are going to make this week to submit to Jesus?

Where we want to “land the plane”

Jesus is greater than we can imagine. God is more caring and loving than we could ever dream. We must let go of our supposed autonomy and submit to Him in order to live a life that is blessed, meaningful, and satisfying.

REFLECT

Prayer Points for Today

Ask the Lord to give us a greater revelation of Himself (perhaps give time in the group for a prophetic revelation - practice Biblical evaluation if something is shared)

Devotional Question for the Week

In what ways are you living as though you are dependent on yourself, rather than dependent on God?

FOOTNOTES

Areopagus, literally, “Hill of Ares,” was the meeting place of the Council of the Areopagus, the supreme body for judicial and legislative matters in Athens. In the Apostolic Age its power had been reduced to oversight over religion and education. Stanley D. Toussaint, “Acts,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 403.

The Athenians might pride themselves on being autochthonous—sprung from the soil of their native Attica (68) —but this pride was ill-founded. All mankind was one in origin—all created by God and all descended from a common ancestor. This removed all imagined justification for the belief that Greeks were innately superior to barbarians, as it removes all justification for comparable beliefs today. Neither in nature nor in grace, neither in the old creation nor in the new, is there any room for ideas of racial superiority. 68 This belief reflects the historic fact that the Athenians were the only Greeks on the European mainland who had no tradition of their ancestors’ coming into Greece: they belonged to the earliest (Ionic) movement of Greek immigration. F. F. Bruce, The Book of the Acts, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1988), 337.