Sunday October 27

We're continuing an axe today, and a chapter 17 will be looking at the second half of that chapter. So if you would, please turn in your copy of God's word to Acts chapter 17, I would invite you to do. So these past few weeks we have specifically chronicled, Paul's journey into what we now. Know as Europe at the entered their through the region of Macedonia going to cities such as Philip high in Berea. But now we also see that is as Paul gets further and further from Jerusalem heading in a Westward direction, we also see the knowledge of God and truth about God, becoming less, and less and is he comes here to Athens. In chapter 17. We are going to see maybe an example of some of the farthest understandings of God. Some of the understandings of God I guess that are farthest from a true and biblical understanding. And we're going to see today how Paul engaged these folks and how he engaged Understanding of who God is 17, we're going to be 16 and read down through the end of the chapter. Follow along as I read here is the word of the Lord. Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens his Spirit was provoked within him as he saw that. The city was full of Idols, so he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and it about persons and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there, some of the Epicurean and stoic philosophers, also conversed with him. And some said, what is this babler wish to say? Other said, he seems to be a preacher of four in divinity's because he was preaching Jesus in the resurrection and they took him and brought him to the areopagus saying meet me. We know this new teaching it is that you are presenting For you, bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know there for what these things mean. The all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time and nothing except telling and hearing something new to Paul standing in the midst of the areopagus said, men of Athens. I perceive that in every way you were very religious for as I passed along and observe the objects of your worship. I found also an altar with this inscription to the unknown. God, what they're for you worship is unknown this I Proclaim to you, the God who made the world and everything in it being Lord of Heaven and Earth does not live in temples made by man nor has he served by human hands as though he needed anything since he himself gives to all mankind, life, and breath and everything and he made from one man every nation of mankind, to live on all the face of the Earth. Having determined a lot of periods in the boundaries of their dwelling place that they should. Seek God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him yet. He is actually not far from each one of us for in him. We live and move and have our being as even some of your own poets have said for we are indeed his offspring being than God's Offspring. We ought not to think that the Divine being is like gold or silver or stone an image formed by the art and Imagination of man, the times of ignorance got overlooked. But now he commands all people everywhere to repent because he has fixed the day on which he will judge the world in righteousness, by a man who he is a pointed end of this. He is given Assurance to All by raising him from the dead that when they heard of the resurrection of the Dead, some Ma, Brother said, we will hear you again about this soap all went out from their meds, but some men joined him and believed among who also we're dionysius the areopagite in a woman named them and others with them. Let's pray. Father again, we pause in this moment. I personally, and ask that you would take the message that you have given us in your word and Lord God, that you would speak to us Heavenly Father through your word in this moment. Father, I ask that your name would be exalted as the only guy who ever actually existed. The God, Who is worthy of all of our worship and praise in the god before whom we stand accountable, or teach us how we might be, faithful expositors and faithful, Proclaimers of this glorious gospel. We ask this in Jesus name, amen,

In 2005 Congress passed a bill that contain a 442 million-dollar earmarked for constructing to Alaskan Bridges. What are these Bridges called The gravina Island Bridge was intended to provide a link between the town of Ketchikan, Alaska, and gravina Island which had to catch a can airport that, it was a theory that ran between them. So it's not like they were cut off from one another, but they are marked this money to build this bridge. At the cost of 233 million dollars to the American taxpayer. This caused quite a stir, as you could imagine, as as elections were rolling around in 2008, I think this was a pretty big conversation that was going on and this this is caused quite a stir since grab an island, only has a population of about 50 people. So imagine 233 million dollars to connect 50 people to another It's the American way Roy says there. Thank you, brother in did Mists of the debate, surrounding the issue. What I wanted to point out here is that the bridge became known as The Bridge to Nowhere? Is those who were in opposition to it, we're saying this is pointless to spend all this money on building this bridge. Ultimately to this insignificant play. But we can debate all we want the fiscal responsibility of building a bridge to a place with such a small population, but we cannot debate is the fact that there are people in our world people in our lives and in our community, who need to get to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they need to get to a right relationship with God in an order for us to help them get there. We need to be the ones Building Bridges to help them get to that. Point is a matter of fact, I believe that making the gospel known requires us to help people find the way that leads to Jesus or passage that fit that even though God has created us, that we might know him and might reach out for him. Even the way that the Paul speaks of this, it says that they would seek God and perhaps feel their way toward him. The idea is a of a blind man broke thing in the darkness, in order to try to find something. That is there. So, if people are supposedly supposed to be groping for God, trying to find their way toward him, we who have this message. We who know of this salvation are the ones who have been given the commission to make sure they can find the way to Jesus. When we talked about PP of people, having a lack of knowledge of God that means they don't understand true knowledge about him. Therefore they don't understand true knowledge about themselves or about our accountability before God in the Salvation that is necessary until the increasing reality. I believe, I don't know how often you talk to people about biblical things were about Jesus but in conversations that I get to have from time to time, I find that there are people even here in our community who don't know, basic fundamental realities and truths about the Bible. I speak of Moses and Noah, and people are like, that sounds like a nice guy. Maybe I should get to know him. Well, maybe you should, I can tell you where to find them. But you see it's not just that we're talking about people in far-flung, places in the other parts of the world who have no knowledge of little knowledge of God. It's your neighbors may be your family members folks directly around us that need help. Finding the way to True truth, about who God is and see what we see taking place in this passage is Paul seeking to bridge that gap between true knowledge of God. On the one hand and ignorance of God on the other. It is Paul isn't Athens. We have to understand the significance of the city of Athens in the world. This time it was a cultural center for religious and philosophical in an in an Artistry within the Greco-Roman world. If anything, or anybody was anyone in in the Greco-Roman World, they had something to do with Athens. This is where we would hear at philosophers, like, Socrates, and Plato and Aristotle. And all the great artists of of of Aeons gone by live and work there in that City and as we come to see also there was a great amount of religious activity in the city, none of which are very little of which had anything to do with the one true God. And so is Paul was there at the end of our last passage it in verse 15. We're told that Paul was whisked away from Berea because the festival in this lonely and Jews and come looking for him cuz they wanted to hurt him still. And so he get whisked away quickly to Athens and then he's waiting for Silas and Timothy to join him there. That's where our passage picks up. And while he's there, or what we see is that he is provoked in his Spirit as he sees the city is full of items. And I thought about that this week and I thought the first thing we're going to do is we're going to try to build a bridge and get people from where they are to where they need to be in relation to the Lord. We must first since the separation that exists, we must sense. The fact that there are people around us who have this separation in their lives between themselves and between the lure. Paul stence. This is he looked around and saw the idols their imagine being in a place you've never had the opportunity to visit another country to its it to visit another culture and you look around and you see the different in various ways that they worship having spent a couple years in a Muslim country you see a lot of people go into the mosque day in and day out you see them prowling and worshipping this God who is not actually the real and true God. Go to Buddhist countries or, or Hindu countries and you see them offering up these prayers and, and do we continually and walking around these buildings in, and spending a little wheels, and tire little ribbons for prayers. On, the fence isn't doing all these things. And you realize there are no closer to God and when they first arrived at that place is worse than who is Paul is going around Athens everywhere. He looks it, seems he sees some sort of false deity, some sort of idol that has been concocted in the minds and the hearts of man and erected in some statues are around him. What author went went went ancient author said that the speaking of the prevalent see of idolatry and Athens said that that it's easier to find an idol in Athens that it is to find a person. So you can imagine is Paul is there and he's looking around. Not only is he seeing all these things? But we also know that is he as he sees all this it says that his Spirit was provoked within him, his Spirit was provoked within him. I thought about that this weekend. I looked into that idea of what it is when our Spirits are provoked. Within us when you are provoked to something that that signifies something that elicits and maybe an angry response, right? You don't provoke some. I mean for provocation is usually someone kind of egg in your on right? And there's that there's an angry response that comes from that and there's usually some sort of action that follows, right? Not just when you provoked me I'm not there just going to sit and stew in my anger. I'm going to act in some way. As matter of fact, what it uses this word here, you can see that Paul was was stirred in his spirit. I can imagine that is he's watching these people going time and time again, to these varieties of God's, none of whom can actually save, none of whom are actually real. None of whom are actually alive, and they're giving their lives in service to these guys. In a bringing sacrifices and offering the sacrifice isn't in the science in the sounds and smells at this idolatrous worship is Paul sees this as one, who knows and loves the true and living God. Not only is he frustrated at what he is seeing, but he's likely also quite burden by the fact that they are spending all of their religious energy spending, all of their worship on things that will absolutely leave them nowhere. How is burdened, by what he sees. But that burden and even maybe that twinge of anger that he felt not toward, maybe the people, but toward the fact that they were being led astray into this idolatrous worship by the find that that by the fact that they were blinded by whatever it is that they had learned and been taught that led them away from the Lord. He's burned by this may be angered by this to the point that he absolutely positively cannot sit and just simply watch. It says that he was provoked within him and he saw that the city was full of Idols. Will look at verse 17 so he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews. We talked often about help off, would first go to the Jews and go to the synagogues and tell them and I seek to convince them that Jesus was to cry but then look at what he does. It says he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and The Devout person and in the marketplace every day with those who happen to be there, I don't care who you are. I just care that you are here and that you need to hear about Jesus. He would go to the marketplace. Imagine going down to Walmart everyday standing in the parking lot and simply being there for the sole purpose of telling people about Jesus because you're so burdened by the fact that they are lost and in need of a savior. That's the picture we get here. If Paul now, Paul clearly had a unique calling on his life, Paul clearly have a specific role that he was to play with in the life of the church in the history of the church. But I also know that there should be a sense within each one of us that when we see God being his glory being sent to other gods, when we see his glory being maligned, and then we see lost is so prevalent in a bounding around us. This should do something within our hearts. and I wonder sometimes, I wonder do I scroll through social media? And I see the way that we respond to things that we don't agree with. Can I get an amen to when we, when we don't agree with somebody's political opinion, when we don't agree with something, they said we are very quick to hop on social media or two to get on some sort of way to make our voice heard in the disparage who we have. The other person that we don't agree with their disparage, their views. But are we burdened by the fact? if there is a world of people around us, Not only who don't know, the Lord Jesus Christ. But who are giving the worship that was due to God and God Alone to anything. And anyone other than God, Is that bird nuts? Earth Spirit provoked. When we see that in here that it does, that provoked sense in our spirit, is that move us toward action, or we say I cannot sit idly by God's glory be Moline. And not only are we going to, we're not just going to stand up and speak out against the people who are, who are saying these things that we don't agree with what we are going to speak for them and we're going to speak and their favor long and that they too would know the Glorious salvation that only Christ can get in. Football was doing here. That's exactly what Paul was doing. Grieving his Spirit by what he saw. In this idolatry, he was moved to make the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No. And if he does so we see in verse 18 that he comes in contact with some philosophers of different Stripes, I would encourage you, if you have the opportunity to look up, epicureanism, and stoicism, you are all either epicureans are stoics at your core. I promise. I'm not going to take the time to get into it today, but these are very prominent philosophical and religious understanding of how most people approach life. But he's talking with these folks and he says, and they they look at him in there like what is this babbler? Wish to say this guy, didn't have a clue what he's talking about. He's making this stuff up as he goes, is the essence of what they're saying in that statement. And another thing that takes place here in this person verse 18, that gives us some idea as to how much they didn't know about the lore. When Paul says that they must be must be preaching about 4 in divinity's. Notice the plural for in divinity's, for in God, because he was preaching Jesus in the resurrection. Now, the Greek word for Resurrection is on a stasis, right? Or some pronunciation like that, the word from which the name like Anastasia would come. And I looked it up and that was apparently a common name back in this period of time. So they are here in Jesus talking to Paul talked about Jesus and anastasis, they think I'm a stasis. Is a person or God that there is now supposed to be knowing and worshipping, they had no concept of who Jesus was a who whose son he was and how salvation was to come. But as we see this again Paul provoked in this Spirit going about making this gospel know the initial response to him there in the marketplace was again less-than-stellar. We see them asking these questions but what it does do also is provide him an opportunity to speak in another place you see where they are. There he says that they are going to the invite him to go to the areopagus, which would have been a public meeting place on the side of a hill. And it could have either been just the place itself was called areopagus. Or there was also a body of kind of social leaders, who would meet there and they were known as the Arab areopagus. And we don't know exactly if it was some sort of formal hearing that he was at, or if you were just there talking with the people there in that place, regardless Paul got the opportunity. Now, whether people were excited to hear about it or not, he got the opportunity to share Jesus with them. It's so as we do that, what we see Paul do I believe Master Fleet here. That only does he sent? The fact that there's the separation between these people in God? He also begins to bridge the gap. He sees that there's a separation. He knows that he has to do something. And so, it begins to bridge the gap between their understanding, of God, and a true, and faithful understanding of him. Only two things, first, and foremost in verse 21. We know that he knew that the people of Athens loved telling him hearing new ideas, man. As long as it's a new idea. I'll sit and listen to anything, man. This is so much fun to sit and listen, to some new philosophy, some new idea, they were not following anything really deeply, they were just curious and interested to see what this guy might say, it was new to them. But then, we not only know that Paul saw the opportunity. But Paul also noticed the religious impulse that existed around him as misguided as it was possible that there was something there that he could Keon. Verse 22 soap, all standing, in the midst of the areopagus said, men of Athens. I perceive that in every way you are very religious. Like the way he did that, I like the way you did that. Think about it. He very well could have come in one of two ways. He could have come and and affirmed their practices. He could have come and said, look, you guys are very religious. I can see that you are Pious, man. You guys are so genuine and faithful in your worship. Good on you, good job. Keep it up. Then I'm just glad to see that someone is faithful and in serving, whatever got it is they serve kind of sounds funny, but I think that's the way we often times approach people especially people who are devout and other religious practice. Hey, we're just glad that there's someone who's at least trying to love of God. But what he also doesn't do, he doesn't do that. He doesn't have firm and he just says, look, I see that you were very religious. Booty also doesn't do is go in and begin. Just, just slamming them for in disparaging them because of their misguided worship. He doesn't go in with guns blazing saying, you guys are so superstitious. Do you really think these rocks are going to do anything for you? He eventually gets to the point where you dress with those things, he doesn't left. Just leave it. Unsaid. I'm talking about the way he approaches this presentation of the Gospel. So he sees something good, even in their misguided attempts at worship, because when we see people worshipping, even if it's misled worship, misguided worship guess what? They're still doing. They're doing what they were created to do. We at the heart of who we are, are worshipers that we are made to be worshippers of God. And so what we see here is Paul seeing this any keys on this, one fact that these people are very religious and he uses that as a bridge to be able to get to Jesus. Disco song. Look what he also does. Not only speak generally about their very religious attitude. But he says, in verse 23, for I passed along and observe the objects of your worship. I found also an altar with this inscription to an unknown guy man. I don't know if you ever kind of as a public speaker or leader of group. Sometimes you look for that bhetki transition point, right? People are talking before Sunday school class and I know you do this every week here. Either waiting for the Lull, in the conversation where you can actually get a word in or You look for that thing that says that statement, right? There's going to get us to the less than earth going to get me to the next point and Yuki on it, and it doesn't move Paul's walking around. After he noticed an altar to the unknown. God, explain this a little bit in a polytheistic Society. Got a society where they worshipped many gods, there's gobs of various localities, right? But they're also gods of various aspects of life, right? You think of the Greek gods, right? You have the God of War, you've got the god of love and if it got him pissed at me up. In other words, if we are going to deal with the problems of life, we are going to have a successful, fruitful blessed, whatever like we need to make sure we're giving our just due to all of these different guys. So we can have loved so that we can win and War so that we can do whatever else you see. This is that's what was doing something they were. So concerned that there was some God out there that they weren't worshiping. They don't want to I'll do whatever it was he or she could give them. So, they said, you know what, we're just going to have this altar to an unknown. God, hey, if you're out there and we're somehow forgetting you, Please accept our worship. We're sorry. We're sorry, we don't know your name but here's a cow. Do to honor you. But he sees that and he says it's there's there's something here and he looked at that that's the perfect transition into. Hey, I'm going to tell you about this guy that you don't know. Cuz that's exactly what he does. He says what they're for you worship as unknown this I Proclaim to you. You don't know you say, you don't know this guy but I know him and I'm going to introduce you to him. I love the way that he does that here, he looked for that bridge. He was looking for that opportunity to say. Here's something I see around me and this is something that's going to help me get them to the gospel.

I think sometimes as we are considering we talked a lot about how we share the gospel, how we called to be to be Witnesses for Christ. I think a lot of times, this is where we get hung up. I don't know if you've ever been like me in a conversation. You were like, man. I feel like I really need to share something about Jesus with this person, but I struggle to find that that way into the conversation. That's a hard thing. But here's the other, here's the part of this, I believe that when the Lord is leading us to have that conversation, sometimes it may just be hard stuff. I need to ask you a question. Where are you going to go? Do you know where you're going to go? If you were to die today? Sometimes it is. Sometimes you were talking with someone who may be nearing death, then you have that very blunt and very Frank conversation but other times I think there are so many things that come up especially if people know that you are a Christ follower, there might be things that come up in the conversation to crack the door. Open just a little bit, but I'll tell you something that generally does come back in any kind of conversation. Between two people who know each other, to any degree at all, is the fact that we tend to talk about those struggles in life that were happen, whether it be the pain of a recent surgery or the pain that's going to result in a future surgery or whether we're talking about, some relational thing that we're going through or whatever it is. There's always some struggle that we seem to be having a people are generally, very free to share those things. In your seat. I put one of these for each one of you today. I want you to take it out real quick and I want you to look at this. The reason that I put one of these in here, this is just a there's a lot of tools out there, a lot of tools that there that help us to be able to share the gospel. But what I like about this one, if you look on the very back page, not all the way like clothes. But if you open up that back page, and it says, light conversation guy, Who's going to read for you? What it says? Is this how many times and everyday conversations, do people engage you about their problems or challenges? It's amazing how often people share their heartaches regarding their marriages, children, finances addictions depressions, you name it. People are hurting and they need hope. This conversation guide, will help you turn conversations about problems into conversations about Jesus. And I am telling you, this is a solid, very good resource for us to have is where you might not take it in like, like literally lay it down in front of somebody. But what does candy is for you away? To think about it would be prepared for when those conversations about the struggles in life. Come up. How can I take that to the gospel? This will give us a way to do that. And so again for Paul this was like this this this metaphorical softball that someone just picked up to him again. If you're if you're looking for opportunities to talk about God and you see this altar to an unknown. God man, that's like everything you could ever wish for a dream for cuz you mean you're like I can tell you all about him. And that's exactly what Paul did there. So again he takes the bridge and he makes this bridge begins to bridge the gap by recognizing their their religious impulse as well as by heating. On this idea, this this altar to the unknown. God It all begins. Now, to lead them to the gospel. But he does so very in a very unique way and I think in a necessary way because Paul understands that they don't have a lot of background information about God and even know who the true and living God is it. So he has to kind of build some of those more foundational truth before he gets into the actual gospel message, it's on the way he does this. I think we learned that we must pay the way again. We spent the separation that exists between people of in God, we brought we seek to bridge the gap by engaging and entering into a conversation by a way that fit that the Lord provides. But then we also must paid the way to get to the gospel. Imagine if Paul had stood up here in this moment and he said, again, you all are very religious and I saw this altar to an unknown. God, what you don't know, I'm going to tell you about what if he said, God loves you very much and he sent his son to die for you. You're probably looking at that and I said, hey, he had the opportunity to share the gospel and he shared a, a basic simple gospel message that hopefully got the attention of some of those folks and with there been anything wrong with that, probably not. But given the fact that he had an open Forum, given the fact that he had the opportunity to speak more at Lane He took an opportunity to share some more fundamental in foundational thing. But also, we have to understand that if Paul would have gotten up and said, hey yaqui is the guy who made you and he loves you very much and his son came to die, so that you might be saved from your sin. They would have been like, what question, what God or which God are you talking about? There's a whole bunch as I look around. There's a whole bunch of guys. You could be talking about right now. It's kind of you talking about when you said God loves you, or they going to said, what is the sin? What is a sand and why does it matter to me? Fundamental knowledge of what a sin against God was. What why does it matter that this God of yours is upset with me? He's your guy, he's not my guy. I don't have anything to do with this guy. Why does it matter that he's upset with me about some? That's why Paul takes the route that he does, is he establishes, some foundational facts that get him to the point that when he does, share the Glorious news about Christ dying for our sins. Being raised on the third day it makes sense because there's a context that is necessary for it. So knowing this Paul begins, I remind it might not be riding them by telling them in verse 24, that God is our creator. He begins his argument by reminder telling them that God is the Creator first. 24, The God Who made the world and everything in it. Including you The God Who made the world and everything in it being Lord of Heaven and Earth does not live in temples made by man. Nor is he served by human hands as though he needed anything? Since he himself gives to all life home and time life and breath and everything. Look at what he's doing here, he's confronting their idolatry. But he's also establishing the fact that God and God Alone is the Creator and Sovereign over this world. I love what he does here. God who made the world and everything in it God created us. He's Lord of Heaven and Earth. There's nothing that does not fall under his power and authority. It says he does not live in temples made by man other words. All of these temples that you have built that house. Your guys, if there really is a God who made everything, there's no way that any gloriously human-made Temple could ever contain him. You'll be reminded that in 2nd Chronicles as Solomon was building the Temple. And he's praying a day care of dedication to the temple. He acknowledges, he says, God, I know that there is no Temple that can continue the highest Heavens cannot contain you Cuz what would you please? Just keep your eye on this place.

Oh Heaven and Earth cannot contain the glory of God. And why would we build this little Temple? No matter how glorious it is and our eyes and think that somehow God is contained here. And then he goes on to say, not only, does he not live in temples, but he doesn't he has not served by us. I'm going to tell you something today and I hope it blows your mind a little bit. God doesn't need you. God is perfectly content in heaven. He is self-sufficient in every way the fact that we exist in the fact that we know him and, and have the opportunity to be saved by him. And loved by him, is simply an outworking of his amazing. Mercy, and Grace, and love. He does not need us in any way. That's the problem with idolatry is idolatrous, worshippers they go and we say, got you need something from me. Therefore, I'm going to give you this thing. Paul says, God is not like that. The one true God is not like that. But I'd only disease established that God is the true creator. And sustainer of this world reminding us that he gives all mankind life and breath and everything. But then he also goes and talks about Humanity in our purpose. Is those who were made to seek him, to know him, is to love him. It says that he made from one man every nation of mankind. That being Adam again, he's going back to Genesis without quoting chapter and verse he made for one man, every nation of mankind to live on the Earth. It having determined a lot of periods and boundaries of their Dwelling Place. Another words God is Sovereign over every person and over every nation and over every era of time. God is always been and he always will be lured to look at verse 27, talk about how God gives life and breath and everything to him and kind and how he is, Sovereign over the Affairs of man over Nations adverse 27th so that they would seek God and perhaps feel their way toward him. In other words, as we know from Romans 1 and other passages God has made us and he has revealed his glory to us and all around us and hopes that we would seek him and find him. But the idea here, like, I mentioned before is that a, somebody groping in the darkness. I don't even know what they're reaching for if they're ever going to find it, but there's some impulse within us to reach in to try to find God.

Romans 1 also tells us however that we don't find God because it is we who have suppressed the truth of who he is in unrighteousness.

DePaula saying that God has made you to know him that we would seek Him and feel our way to Ward him. And then he goes on to say that God's not actually far from each one of us. And he goes on to quote, two poems that the ancient Greek writers had written in, which he says, in him, we live and move and have our being and we are indeed his offspring again. He's making the point that even though the people or the gods of the deities to whom these were being written or likely untrue their their, their false gods. He sang, there's still this impulse within you that recognizes that there is a God who gives us our life and that we are somehow connected to. Where is Offspring. They said how close to that is actual truth and reality. When we realize that God has indeed made us and he's made us in His image. We are made in the image of God, able to know, God and worship God and trust God. Denver's 2090 says being then God's Offspring. We ought not to think that the Divine being is like gold or silver or stone an image formed by the heart and Imagination again, Paul's making this point. How could the Glorious infinite creator? Be made into an image that you made a dream that by your own imagination and that you carve with your own hand. The guy who made you as a human being and all of the complexity of what it is to be human. No, the love feel. Everything that we are as human beings is a reflection of who got is Made In His Image. How then could you let imagine something in your mind as being God and then and then little something out of wood chisel it out in the stove, or melt the metal down and then form it into the image of just the same. How in the world could you think that the Glorious infinite's in Almighty could be represented even much less contain within that only a temple? But isn't an image or a statue? He is near to you and he wants to know you. He says You were made to know him is to love him. We ought not think that God can be made it to silver gold or stove. Then Paul gets to the heart of his message here. He's, he's laid the foundation of God, being the Creator in The Sovereign, he showed how we, as people are to be connected to God and how we fall short of that to our idolatry in our misguided worship. But then he gets to the punchline here. Because he says in verse 30, the times of ignorance. In other words, the times of misguided worship the times where people are worshipping anything or anyone other than God, God is overlooked those, in the past, not that he does not count. Hold people accountable, when it says that God overlooked these things. He's overlooking them in a sense right now because any time we worship something or someone other than God, we are liable to his judgment. In the moment that are that the fact that he leaves us alive and breathing when we sin against him. So grievously is an act of his mercy, so that we might come to know him, but he says God in times past, it is times times. Bigger is got overlooked but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, The God Who made you, the guy who knows you, the guy who you are supposed to worship love and serve. You are also accountable to this guy.

And you have sent the sin of idolatry in any other send that he is he is said, that is simple. You are accountable to him. Then he goes on and verse 31 talking about how God has fix the day on which he will judge the world in righteousness. By a man who has a pointed end of this tea is giving Insurance to All by raising him from the dead pulse, just about to get to the gospel message. I feel like as I'm reading this that Paul didn't and he didn't attend to end his message. Here, again, he mentions the resurrection in the people just lose their mind because it says their inverse 32. Now, when they heard of the resurrection of the Dead, some I can't imagine he's going on. You've seen this before, he's sharing this message and he's getting to the good part. He's getting to the part was about to tell him about Jesus and all of a sudden he mentions the resurrection in the folks, just can't take it anymore and they start talking to the interrupt and he's not able to complete the message that he intended to give.

But he does get to this point where he says that there is a God who we are supposed to know and love and worship. And we failed to do that and we are accountable before him because of that.

And we know how the story is. He would have gone on to say, God loves you. He loves you very much and he sent his son to die for your sins. Cuz here's the rub each one of us in some way or idolaters. It's just a matter of who or what we trust and love and worship. Other than God, Even within our lives today, as followers of Christ, there are things that we are tempted to give our hope, and our love, and put our trust in rather than the one who made us rather than the one who saved us. Either send the witch we need to repent, but for those who are outside of Christ, they're building their lives. On these non God thing.

And it's up to us, completely God is Sovereign, and he does so many wonderful things. But we are those who he has commissioned as the church to take this message of Salvation to the world that desperately needs it.

This point again in his presentation, I think Paul gets cut off here. last week and this week include, you know, that, I think about our church, the think about our community See that we have the intention where we want to go out and we want to touch lives for Christ and I think that's evident and something we're doing even this week on Thursday at the harvest party. We're not just serving chili and hot dogs because we think chili and hot dogs are a well-balanced meal. We're serving and we're going to follow it up with a bag of candy. Are you kidding me? We have the Dental Association Heart Association, whoever else all over arcade. We're doing this, we reach out to our community for it and it harvest party is a touch point where we get to meet folks that live around us. We get to have interaction with folks who are around us not so that we can again feed them and make them happy with candy and games and all of those things we do it so that we can have a door, a bridge and opportunity. I connect them. Jesus I would have challenges this week on a challenges specifically on Thursday night. I want to challenge us to have conversation with, so maybe it's someone you've talked to a thousand times. Maybe it's them when you're going to meet for the first time. Maybe you simply invite them to church next Sunday. Maybe the Lord opens up an opportunity and you get to tell them about Jesus. I don't know. I encouraged us to pray to where that is to go in, to show up on Thursday night, with your serving of, whether you're just going to come and be there and enjoy whether whatever you're doing. If you are there and and you have the opportunity,

ask the Lord to open the door for you. To be able to share even a little bit with someone who is there. I also want to encourage us to pray and look for gospel opportunities all around us. Again, I went to the take at least one of these with you today. When you leave again, take some time, look at it. Also in your bulletin there's a QR code because there's an app you can get on your phone that has all of this right there and you can just seriously just walk somebody through it. Just swipe and kind of hit it. Helps you right there as you go along to present the gospel to them. I want you to pray for those opportunities learn to use tools such as this.

And share the gospel Faithfully. Lastly. I would be remiss having shared all that. We shared this morning, having seen all the realities about life and God and in our Sid and his salvation, I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the fact that there might be one here today. The needs this very salvation. You heard today of the Salvation you need in the god, provided means of forgiveness.