In Him we move: Who is we?

Acts 17:22–34 ESV

So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as 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 is 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 allotted periods and 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 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 art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” So Paul went out from their midst. But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

Acts 17:22–31 ESV

So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as 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 is 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 allotted periods and 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 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 art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

In Him we move: Who is we?

Acts 17:22 ESV

So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.

In Him we move

English Standard Version Chapter 17

So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.

Notice here is talking to very religious people but they are not Christians. There is a modern lie going around about the “Nones.” These are people that say they have no religion, they don’t believe in anything. This ideology, way of thinking, falls into three general categories.

The atheist, someone that strongly believes there is not God.

The agnostic who is waiting for enough evidence to believe in God. In other words someone that believes that do not have enough evidence to believe.

The I don’t cares who say there may be a God, there may not be, but I am going to live my life the way I want. They believe that it doesn't matter enough to believe.

Each of these persons claims some level of no religion. However, this is a lie. Here is how you can tell.

If I walked up to an one of these Religious “nones” and slapped them in the face, what do you think they would say? They would say I assaulted them ad that what I had done was wrong. In order for something to be wrong there has to be a right. They believe in something, they have to, in order to tell me I have wronged them. That hitting them was a bad thing to do. They believe something to be true. It’s bad to hit people.

Everyone believes, in something. Everyone is religious no matter how they will deny it. Any other way to test this is to ask a person.

What do you have to do to be happy? Everyone will have and answer to that question. What ever they answer with that is what they believe in. That is their God.

This forces us to ask the question if everyone is religious, what makes the Christian different? You have heard the term, “I don't have a religion I have a relationship”. This statement is true but it is woefully misunderstood. Your religion is relationship. The thing that makes you happy is Christ being gloried in you. Notice how this is connected to last weeks message. If you want to see the glory of God tell someone about Jesus. Start pulling back stones. Why would you want to see the Glory of God? If you are a Christian, nothing makes you happier than seeing God’s Glory.

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Acts 17:23 ESV

For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.

Paul goes on and points out the “objects of your worship”. Think for a moment about our culture today, what are the objects of worship? What are the atheist, agnostic, and the I don’t cares worshiping? There are many thing we can point to, sex, money, entertainment. However, those are just surface things. They are actually worshiping the same thing the Athenians were. Paul will tell us what that is in a few verses.

So here is a couple questions for you. What makes you happy? What do you need in your life in order to feel happy? Think about that and hold it in your mind until we get closer to the end.

Next Paul talks about the altar of the unknown God. Most historians say that Paul change the name of the altar from unknown gods to Unknown God. But notice Paul’s intent, “I proclaim to you.” Paul wants people to know about this God, Paul wants them to see him as not unknown, but real and close. Paul wants to pull back the stone that sits between these people and God, but why? I think he answers that for us.

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English Standard Version Chapter 17

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything

Acts 17:24–25 ESV

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 mankind life and breath and everything.

Acts 17:24 ESV

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,

Here is where the story gets serious, God made everything, He is Lord over everything, He doesn’t need anyone to build him a place to stay, He doesn’t need anything from you. More than that you need EVERYTHING from him! He is the one that gives you life! He is the one that gives you breath! You cannot exist without him!

Paul is standing in front of the smartest, most educated people in the world at this time and he is telling them, you are nothing and that is why I am telling you about the someone that is something.

Can you hear it? Can you hear Paul saying, I want to proclaim this to you because I know someone that is GLORIOUS! Notice he did not say, I want to tell you this so you won’t go to hell. There is not a reason to believe Paul did not want them to be saved, he did. He did want to see them saved, for the same reason Jesus said “Martha move that stone”. Paul wants them to see the Glory of God, how Great He is! Paul is saying look LOOK, can you believe how amazing this God is!

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Acts 17:26 ESV

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,

Acts 17:26–28 ESV

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and 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.’

Paul continues the case he is making here. He has just said LOOK at how big this God is! He goes on to make them accountable for knowing this God. Paul say here, not only did He make the Heaven and the earth He made you! He made you from one man! You know some people say that the Genesis account is a myth, it did not happen. Paul thought it did. But, enough on that.

Paul continues the case he is making here. He has just said LOOK at how big this God is! He goes not to make the hear accountable for knowing this God. Paul say here, not only did he make the Heaven and the earth he made you! He made you from one man! You know some people say, that the genesis account it a myth, it did not happen. Paul thought it did. But, enough on that.

Notice the words “determined” some translations say appointed or decided. The Greek word ὁρίσας (Hor ee zas) means to make a boundary that nothing can go farther than.

Put yourself there for a moment. Paul is standing in the Areopagus. It’s this huge lecture hall. There are probably thousands of people there. Think about it like a baseball field. Paul is standing in the middle of the field and the people are all sitting in the seats.

Paul look at all these people and said God determined, decided, alloted, planned, when you would be born, how long you would live and where you were going to live! The times you would live in, be born, die. The dwelling place, where you were going to live. Paul says God set all that for all men on all the face of the earth. EVERYWHERE!

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Acts 17:27–28 ESV

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.’

Why is Paul telling these people God has determined these things about them? That is the question you should be asking yourself right now. You should be asking, what’s your point Paul, what are you getting at?

That they should seek him. You can see the answer right there in the text. God did all these things why, so they should seek him. God is

Creator of the heaven and earth

Give of life

Giver of breath

determiner of birth

determiner of death

determiner of where they live

What Paul is saying here is they it is completely obvious that they should seek him because it is obvious that God did all these things.

Then Paul calls them blind. Notice the word feel there. He did not say they would see their way to him. They feel their way to him.

Think about it like being in a really dark room. You know there is something in the room that you are trying to find but you cannot see anything. (joke about kicking the chair).

The question is, is that you tonight? Do you know you should be seeking God but you cannot see anything? Last week when I talked about the seeing Gods Glory, were you just sitting there going, “I have no idea what Aaron is talking about”? Do you feel like you are feeling around it the dark trying to find the relationship you are supposed to have with God?

That’s okay, Paul lets us know. He is not far from us!

Listen, “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.’” (, ESV).

“ ‘In him we live and move and have our being’;

as even some of your own poets have said,

What you need to know is that everything you do is inside God. God is right there. This is vital to understand. You don’t have to go to the top of a mountain. You don’t have to build a big elaborate temple. You do not need to create something to worship. He is right here. You are moving because he is here, you are breathing because he is here, you are able to know you need to seek him because he is here! You may feel like you are stumbling around in the dark, it may look dark to you but it is bright to him!

“ ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

David wrote in

Psalm 139:11–12 ESV

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

English Standard Version Psalm 139

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,

and the light about me be night,”

12  even the darkness is not dark to you;

the night is bright as the day,

for darkness is as light with you.

The writer of Hebrews said

Hebrews 13:5 ESV

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

He is never going to leave you nor forsake you because he is right there.

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Acts 17:29 ESV

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 art and imagination of man.

Notice Paul said, “we are indeed his offspring”. Who is he talking to there? Everyone. Everyone sitting there listening owes their existence to God. God is the source for every thing living. This is why the Bible says in says “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”. You have your very existence in the God. God is the provider of everything, your life, your birth, your place to live, your death, EVERYTHING! You would have to be a fool to say God does not exist.

I wanted to read to you about what Job said before we look closer at Paul’s argument here. Listen to this.

English Standard Version Chapter 12

7  “But ask the beasts, and they will teach you;

the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you;

8  or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you;

and the fish of the sea will declare to you.

9  Who among all these does not know

that the hand of the LORD has done this?

10  In his hand is the life of every living thing

and the breath of all mankind.

11  Does not the ear test words

as the palate tastes food?

12  Wisdom is with the aged,

and understanding in length of days.

13  “With God are wisdom and might;

he has counsel and understanding.

14  If he tears down, none can rebuild;

if he shuts a man in, none can open.

15  If he withholds the waters, they dry up;

if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land.

16  With him are strength and sound wisdom;

the deceived and the deceiver are his.

17  He leads counselors away stripped,

and judges he makes fools.

18  He looses the bonds of kings

and binds a waistcloth on their hips.

19  He leads priests away stripped

and overthrows the mighty.

20  He deprives of speech those who are trusted

and takes away the discernment of the elders.

21  He pours contempt on princes

and loosens the belt of the strong.

22  He uncovers the deeps out of darkness

and brings deep darkness to light.

23  He makes nations great, and he destroys them;

he enlarges nations, and leads them away.

24  He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth

and makes them wander in a trackless waste.

25  They grope in the dark without light,

and he makes them stagger like a drunken man.

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Acts 17:29 ESV

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 art and imagination of man.

This is how silly it is not to put your trust in God. If God created everything, and is the source of everything, how silly is it go looking for your source anywhere else? That is what Paul is saying here. If Gd is everything, why do you think you can find something worth believing in that is made by man? What TV show? What Video Game? What girlfriend, boyfriend? What is it that you think is better than God.? What is it that you think will make you happy? It’s silly!

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Acts 17:30–31 ESV

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

What were the times of ignorance and what did God overlook. Well Paul tells us, repentance. Before Jesus God overlooked repentance, not faith, but repentance. That’s other whole sermon. What we need to see here tonight is the commandment. It don't matter to us right now what God overlooked in the past. What matter is that God commands everyone everywhere, “All People Every Where” to REPENT! and why do they repent. Judgement! God set a day for Judgement. Notice before Paul said, I am proclaiming this to you because I want you to see how big this God is that I am talking about. I want to to see how silly you are that you believe in anything else and even if you say well we cannot see him, that is not an excuse because he is right THERE, and if you do not repent you will see judgement.

Let’s look at this a little closer before we end, Paul says God will judge the world, in righteousness, by a man. Couple of points here.

Judge: God will hold the world to account for its actions

In righteousness: What is God going to judge the world for, righteousness. God is going to take his righteousness and set it against the world’s righteousness.

By a Man: How is God going to do this? By a Man by Jesus.

What Paul is saying here is that God is going to look at the world and compare it to Jesus and if it does not look like Jesus, then it will be judged. So why do we need to repent? We don't look like Jesus. Unless Jesus makes us look like him. Which He will. Jesus will make you look like him. If you repent. You won’t be stumbling around in the dark looking for God and stubbing your toes on the chair. You will know God! Jesus said that he reveal God to anyone that he wants to, and he said come to me and I will reveal God to you. If you want to know the glory of God, come to Jesus. With empty hands. Come to Jesus and say “nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross i cling”. “Here's my heart Lord, take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above”.

Here is the best part, how do you know all this is true? Paul says, “he (God) has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Jesus came back from the DEAD so you would know that it is true. God proved Jesus was, who he said he was, by raising him from the dead. Romans chapter 1 is a very powerful partially to this text. We have not have time to look at it too much tonight. But consider this statement Paul makes in

Romans 1:4 ESV

and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

Romans 1:2 ESV

which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,

Romans 1:3 ESV

concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh

Romans 1:1–4 ESV

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

Romans 1:1 ESV

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

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Romans 1:2–4 ESV

which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

We should think about God and something made.

In Him we move: Who is we?

The we is everyone, us. In the text we see that anyone that says God does not exist is just fooling themselves. They know better.

There are three ways you can respond to this message tonight.

You can say, thank God that’s over… what’s all that mumbo-jumbo anyway. The Bible says that when the people listening to Paul heard him talking about people coming back from the dead some of them laughed: “Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked.”. They said what kind of nonsense is that. If that is you, you don’t even know what it is to repent. You are in a very bad place and you better start praying God rescues you.

Another way you can respond is to say, Aaron I get what you are saying, I see it there in the bible as you explain it. But I am not sure that I know how to live it. If that is you don’t worry, just repent. Tell God right now, Lord know I am not where I am supposed to be and I know I cannot get myself there. Would you help me? Can you teach me to see you God as the best thing in my life? He is listening and he will respond.

You might say, Aaron, I have repented and I have had such close times with God that I don’t not even know how to put them into words. Then I have a question for you, are you moving stones? Are you doing what Paul did in this text and proclaiming God? There are people in this room, in our church, in our town that need what you have. Do you need to repent for keeping it to yourself?

Let’s sing Come thou Fount as the leaders go to their prayer corners.

The Bible say that when the people

The Bible say that when the people

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .