Sermon Tone Analysis

! Paul’s Sermon At Mars Hill

(Acts 17:16-34)

Kings College CU, 4th March 2008

Didn’t spend enough time on this one.

A bit rushed…

Bibliography

Tim Keller talk – ‘To an unknown God’

Sections

·        Introduction

·        Context

1. Observation – see what idols they worship

Observation

Grief

Challenge

2. Analysis – think about the idols in their hearts

3. Solution – show how the gospel is the true answer to their heart idolatry

Analysis, Deconstruction and Solution

4. Response – what they must do in response to the gospel

Þ      Some believed, some didn’t

Theme Sentence

 

Aim Sentence

\\ !!! ·         Introduction

Paul’s second missionary journey

Paul’s evangelistic techniques.

To the Jews, OT proofs of the resurrection.

To the Greeks, it is still the message of the resurrection but it is with their own presuppositions.

\\ *Paul in Athens*

 16Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was(A) provoked within him as he saw that the city was(B) full of idols.

17So(C) he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.

18Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him.

And some said,(D) "What does this babbler wish to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities"—because(E) he was preaching(F) Jesus and the resurrection.

19And they took him and brought him to(G) the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this(H) new teaching is that you are presenting?

20For you bring some(I) strange things to our ears.

We wish to know therefore what these things mean."

21Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.

*Paul Addresses the Areopagus*

 22So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.

23For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription,(J) 'To the unknown god.'(K)

What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.

24(L) The God who made the world and everything in it, being(M) Lord of heaven and earth,(N) does not live in temples made by man,[a] 25nor is he served by human hands,(O) as though he needed anything, since he himself(P) gives to all mankind(Q) life and breath and everything.

26And(R) he made from one man every nation of mankind to live(S) on all the face of the earth,(T) having determined allotted periods and(U) the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27(V) that they should seek God, in the hope that(W) they might feel their way toward him and find him.(X)

Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28for

   (Y) "'In him we live and move and have our being';[b]

 as even some of(Z) your own poets have said,  "'For we are indeed his offspring.'[c]

29(AA) Being then God’s offspring,(AB) 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.

30(AC) The times of ignorance(AD) God overlooked, but(AE) now he(AF) commands all people everywhere to repent, 31because he has fixed(AG) a day on which(AH) he will judge the world(AI) in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and(AJ) of this he has given assurance to all(AK) by raising him from the dead."

32Now when they heard of(AL) the resurrection of the dead,(AM) some mocked.

But others said,(AN) "We will hear you again about this." 33So Paul went out from their midst.

34But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius(AO) the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

\\ !!! ·         Context

§         Paul and Barnabas in Antioch decide to go their separate ways.

§         Paul gets to Derbe and picks up Timothy.

§         He has a vision of the man for Macedonia and goes there.

§         In Philippi, Lydia and jailer converted but arrested, flogged and kicked out.

§         Went to nearby Thessalonica, Greeks and Jews converted but Jews stir up a riot and they flee to Berea.

§         In Berea the Jews stir up more trouble so Paul flees to Athens without the others.

§         V16 – Paul provoked in his spirit by the idols – that all these people worship the wrong God.

So he has a twin zeal for God and love for people.

Some are better at one rather than the other…

§         V17 – So he reasoned with people (presumably reasoning with them so they would worship the true God).

Reasons with synagoguers – i.e. he goes first to those who already believe in God.

But then also the marketplace where people debated.

So he is looking for thinkers to talk to.

§         Epicurean – live life for good pleasure.

Not necessarily hedonisitic but more the avoidance of pain and simple pleasures (don’t eat rich food or you’ll be disappointed eating simpler food, etc.)

§         Stoics – virtue is the highest goal not happiness.

Big on self-denial, self-control.

Virtue is the will of nature and self-denial leads to clear thinking so you can live by that virtue.

§         V18-20 – they seem to patronise him because he is speaking of Jesus and the resurrection but that doesn’t fit in with their way of doing philosophy.

Its completely from left field and we should expect that – it is a weird message.

§         V22 He starts with respect but also with perception.

He is thinking about what they are like.

They are religious.

§         V23 He saw the unknown god statue.

§         Firstly his perception.

He notices what people are worshipping.

Do we?

§         Secondly, the nature of this worship.

In their case it is the unknown god.

So many gods, every group and sub-group has their own (just like today).

The gods of gay culture or computer game culture or goth culture or .

Each culture has its own distinctions (clothes, language).

All of them think they know the way to happiness and salvation.

But many in those sub-cultures are not /really/ confident they’re right.

The unknown god in Greek culture represented the just-in-case-I-missed-a-god-who-might-be-angry position.

The ultimate insurance policy.

Which expressed although they devoted themselves to their gods, worshiopped, sacrificed, etc. they lacked complete confidence.

So I find with many today – they worship the god of their sub-culture but they don’t /really/ believe that it provides lasting happiness or salvation.

§         Thirdly, Paul understands their deeper issue and solves it.

Not attacking their idol worship but exploiting what they look for in their idols and how they don’t get it there.

§         Fourthly he starts from their own assumptions that there are gods and asserts that God is different to the way they think of him.

And he quotes their own philosophers rather than the OT.

He is:

o        Singular

o        He alone made everyone

o        He is Lord of everything

o        Doesn’t live in their temples (as they’d think)

o        Doesn’t need to be served (they think if I do x for my god then he’ll do y for me).

o        In we depend on him for everything.

o        His overarching plan is that all men would seek him.