Untitled Sermon (34)
Notes
Transcript
I want to welcome you again this morning.
First, to those joining us online, we are so thankful for our online technology that allows you to be a part of our church family today.
I also want to welcome those who may be joining us for the first time today. I hope your time with us today is encouraging and helpful, and I look forward to meeting you.
I would also say if you are new to our church today, it would be helpful for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”.
What that means, is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking books of the Bible and then breaking them down from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Our goal, to better understand not only what God’s Word says, but what it means in our lives today.
With that said, we are currently doing that through the NT book of Act. A book written by a First Century disciple named Luke, who wrote it for a couple of reasons:
First, to give us a history of the church. How it started, who was there, and the circumstances that surrounded it.
Second, to give us a template of sorts. A template that teaches us how to accomplish the mission Jesus gave us to take the Gospel into the rest of the world.
So, if you haven’t been with us, I would encourage you to go online to mcf.life where you can listen to all of the messages leading up to today.
Today however we are picking back up in Acts 17 as we continue with the Apostle Paul on his second missionary journey.
You may recall last week we were with Paul in the city of Berea where he had great success in leading many Jews and Greeks to faith in Jesus. A success that came largely because the Jews of Berea were different than many of the Jews Paul had dealt with in other cities. What made them different? Luke put it like this:
“Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica...” Acts 17:11a(ESV)
Luke says they were more noble. And what he means by that is that they were open minded and willing to listen to what Paul had to say. And as a result Luke writes:
“…they recieved the word with all eagerness...” Acts 17:11b (ESV)
The question then is, “What made them more open to Paul’s teaching than the Jews in Thessalonica?”
Well, as we learned, they were more open because they had a gauge by which they measured Paul’s teaching. Something they always turned to in order to determine how they should live and what they believed about God. So, what was it? Luke writes:
11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Luke says the Jews at Berea were committed to asking a specific question when it came to how they lived and what they believed about a relationship with God. The question being, “What does the Bible say?”
And as we learned, that’s a question we must always be willing to ask as well. Because the fact is, if we want to live a life pleasing to God, and we want to have a right relationship with God, then we need to know what the Bible says. But not only do we need to know what it says, we also need to be willing to actually live it as well.
All that to say, Paul has great success in Berea because after listening to Paul and comparing it to what the Bible says, the Jews in Berea come to a conclusion. Luke writes:
12 Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.
Luke says after confirming what the Bible says, many of the Jews and Greeks believed and put their faith in Jesus.
And while that’s great and something to celebrate, as we learned, word of Paul’s success eventually reached Thessalonica which led to a response from Paul’s opponents. Luke writes:
13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds.
Luke says after learning of Paul’s success in Berea, the Jews of Thessalonica hired some professional protestors and sent them to Berea in order to disrupt Paul’s work.
And to Berea they came, but it was too late because the Gospel had already taken a firm hold in the city of Berea.
However, that doesn’t mean Paul is out of danger, which leads us today to what Luke says happened next. Picking up in verse 14 Luke writes:
14 Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. 15 Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.
Couple things I want you to notice here.
First, Luke says because the Jews from Thessalonica are still seeking to silence Paul, the Jews in Berea encouraged Paul to depart and go to the city of Athens.
Second, while Paul’s life is in danger, apparently his companions, Silas and Timothy’s were not. Why not? Well, more than likely Paul’s opponents believed if they could take Paul out, the problem would be solved. In other words, take out the leader and the followers fall to the wayside. Obviously they were wrong because Silas and Timothy stayed behind in Berea to continue discipling the new believers with plans to join Paul later.
Which brings us today once again to a new city and a new opportunity for Paul as he arrives in the city of Athens.
But before we get to Paul’s new ministry opportunity, I want to take a few minutes and talk a little bit about Athens. Because unlike many of the cities Paul has visited and will visit, Athens represents one of the most important for you and I. And it’s important for this reason:
Reason Athens is Important - Historically, Athens was the glory city of the ancient world. A city known as the bedrock for culture, learning, and religion thinking throughout the Greco Roman World.
What that means then is, Athens in a way is the nucleus or root for everything secular in Paul’s day. In other words, it’s ground zero for what the secular world of Paul’s day had come to believe in areas of education, philosophy, faith, and day to day living.
A city where great Philosophers such as Socrates and Plato once taught.
A city where at one time Athenians were recognized as more skilled than anyone else in intellectual understanding and instruction. A city with a rich and influential heritage.
Why is this important for us to understand?
It’s important because if you’re going to reach a culture or a people with the gospel, then you have to understand why they believe what they believe. And to do that, you have to get to the root. And in the case of Paul’s world, that root is Athens.
That being the case, how Paul approaches sharing the gospel in Athens serves in a way as the ultimate evangelism model. Because if Athens is ground zero for everything secular in his day, then Paul’s strategy and success at Athens is of paramount importance.
Because if he can minister and be successful at root level, where it all started, then imagine how far he could go in sharing the gospel not only in Athens, but in any other city that is connected to that influence and heritage.
Everybody tracking with me?
Think of it like this. If you wanted to learn about modern American culture, which city or cities do you think would be the best to visit?
Well, more than likely you would go to cities like New York, San Francisco, Los Angelos, and cities like that. Why? Because for the most part those are the cities that represent cultural trends and modern thinking.
For example, if you want to know what the latest clothing trends are or what’s new and hip, you look to some place like New York city. That’s just how it works.
However, if you wanted to get to the root of how Americans think. In other words, what shaped our thinking and led to who we are as a people today, which city do you think you’d visit?
Well, I would say you’d visit Washington DC. Why DC? Because that’s the nucleus of our foundation and national heritage.
That’s where the statues and monuments are that tell the story of our history and our beliefs.
That’s where you’ll find historical documents that detail our governance and what we believe and how we function as a people.
That’s where the museums are that remind us of where we’ve been and what has brought us to this point.
For example, I’ll never forget visiting the National Museum of American History and walking through the technology section. A section that highlights the advancement of American technology over the years. And I remember as we walked through I saw a 1980 Macintosh computer under glass. Anybody remember those? And my first thought was, “Wow, something I used as a kid is in a museum now. I must be getting old.”
And so I called Tristin and David over, and I pulled out my Apple iPhone, and I said, “See that computer. That’s an original apple computer and that was my iPhone when I was a kid.” They were like, “Dad you’re old.”
Like Washington D.C., this is what Athens is in Paul’s day. It’s the history center and foundation for everything the Greek and Roman culture was and had become.
But not only that, it’s still a place that influences future thought and ideas. Why? Because it’s where the great intellects of the day were still educated.
Today, it would be where future congressman, senators, Generals,
rocket scientists, and brain surgeons would be educated.
In a way, Athens would be the Harvard or Yale of our day. It’s a prestigious city where the best of the best are educated and prepared for future influence.
Which means, if somebody in Paul’s day were to say, “I was educated in Athens”, it would be like saying,“I graduated from Harvard?”
Which says something about that person and their education right?
Because those credentials would stand out on a resume and open doors in a way other credentials wouldn’t. It’s just a fact.
And it also means that person’s ideas and beliefs would be based on a certain view of life, philosophy, and religious thinking.
A way of thinking that would go a long ways in shaping the future not only of a culture, but of a nation.
And the fact is, that’s still true today. Because much of what the younger generation adopts as their ideology and their view of life is based on the public school and university education system.
And whether it be Marysville Public schools, K-State, or Harvard, schools and universities are strategically shaping the future ideas and beliefs of our culture and nation through the instruction they give our kids. And that can be good and bad depending on the school and its influence.
All that to say, while Athens isn’t the happening and hip city for the newest clothing style, it’s a city that continues to impact future intellectual and religous aspects of Greek life. Which at the end of the day, is what shapes a nation and its people.
And that’s why Paul’s ministry in this city is so significant and important for us to understand. Because as Paul enters and explores the city of Athens, he will utilize a specific approach to sharing the gospel in this highly reputable and influential city.
A witnessing approach that could alter the intellectual and religous beliefs of some of the most influential and important people in the Greco Roman World.
A witnessing approach that could potentially alter future thinking concerning the God of the Bible.
A witnessing approach that we need to understand and be willing to adopt if we want to reach and influence the nucleus of our secular culture today.
So, with that as our basis, we are going to take the next few weeks to walk through the city of Athens with Paul. And I say few weeks because while Paul’s stay in Athens is short, the content of what he says isn’t. In fact, this is the longest preaching discourse we’ll find of Paul’s to the Greek culture.
And so in order to make sure we get a firm understanding of how Paul ministered in Athens and what it means for us, we’re going to take our time walking through Athens with Paul.
And so, to get us started today, I want to begin by introducing you to the foundation of his witnessing approach. A foundation that has two necessary witnessing components, one of which we are going to look at today.
But before we get to our first component, I want introduce you to the idea of it by asking you a question. A question that I think will help us get in the frame of mind we need to be in with Paul as he enters the city of Athens. And the question goes something like this:
Question - Have you ever been in a situation where you heard somebody say or do something that really bothered you. And when I say bothered, I mean it really cut you to the core to the point of disturbing you. So much so that you maybe thought about saying or doing something about it.
Anybody? Let me give you a few examples of what I’m talking about:
For example, maybe you were out somewhere and you witnessed a parent being verbally abusive to their child. And all of a sudden you felt this emotion rise up inside of you causing you to want to say something to that parent.
Or maybe you were on Facebook, and somebody made a statement that really bothered you. Maybe something that went against your political or religious views. And it bothered you so much you found yourself wanting to let that person know what you thought.
Or maybe it was some kind of gross injustice that just really got under your skin and made you want to do something about it.
For example - Story in Fox News
I guess what I’m asking is, have you ever been so bothered by something that it moved you to a place of action?
I think if we’re all honest, we all have.
The reason I ask you to consider this question, is because as Paul enters Athens, he’s about to face one of these emotional moments.
Because as he enters the city, he sees something that raises his blood pressure. Something that causes him to want to take action? Something that moves him deeply. So, what was it?
Well, let’s find out as we join Paul as he strolls through the streets of Athens. Picking up in verse 16 look at what Luke tells us:
“Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him...” Acts 17:16a ESV
Luke says as Paul enters and walks around Athens, his spirit was provoked.
So, a great question would be, “What exactly does this mean and what is it implying?”
Well, let’s take a moment and break this passage down and see what we can discover. Because buried in this verse is the first component for our witnessing foundation.
So, to help us uncover it, let’s begin with Paul’s emotions. Because Luke says as Paul enters Athens, his spirit was provoked.
The word provoked here is translated from the Greek word “paroxyno” and its the idea that Paul was greatly distressed and deeply troubled.
And what’s intersting about this word, is that’s only used twice in the NT, here in Acts 17 and then again in 2 Peter 2:8. So, let’s take a moment and see how it’s used there. In 2 Peter 2 we read:
8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);
In this passage Peter is referring to an OT story in Genesis 19.
A story about a man named Lot who lived in a city called Sodom.
A city that God destroyed with fire and sulfur because of its excessive wickedness. And in this passage Peter describes the deep emotional agony that Lot felt in his spirit over the grotesque sin of Sodom.
Notice Peter says Lot’s spirit was tormented. In other words, he was greatly distressed and deeply troubled by what he saw in the city of Sodom.
So, based on the context of 2 Peter, what that tells us is this is a feeling that comes as a result of seeing or hearing something that is personally disturbing to ones morals or beliefs. And in Lots case, it was the debauchery and sexual immorality of the people of Sodom.
And in a way, it’s the same for Paul. Because Luke says Paul is disturbed by something he sees. Look at what he goes on to tell us:
16 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.
Luke says he was disturbed because the city was full of idols. And when I say idols I’m talking about statues or images that represent false gods.
Which takes us to another place this word for provoked is used. Because along with 2 Peter 2, this word translated “provoked” is used over 50 times in the Septuagint.
Now, you might be wondering, “What’s the Septuagint pastor?” The Septuagint was the OT Bible of Paul’s day that had been translated from the original Hebrew into Greek. It would be like our OT today that has been translated from Hebrew into English.
And in this OT Greek translation, this same word Luke uses for “Provoked” in Acts 17 and Peter uses in 2 Peter 2, is found 50 times in the OT.
And in the OT, the word always represents the righteous anger of God toward’s Israel’s idolatry. Idolatry being Israel’s turning from the true God to worship false gods.
For example, we see this word used in Deuteronomy 9 to describe God’s response to the sin of Israel when they worshiped the golden calf.
If you’re not familiar with this story, the story is found in Exodus 32 where Moses goes up on Mount Sinai for 40 days and God gives him the Ten Commandments.
But in his absence, the people of Israel became impatient. And they started to think Moses wasn’t coming back. And so they decided they needed a new god.
So, they took a bunch of gold and they made a golden calf and they started worshiping it. A sinful act that deeply troubled God. How do we know? We know because Moses later writes about it. Listen to what he says in Deuteronomy 9:
15 So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands. 16 And I looked, and behold, you had sinned against the Lord your God. You had made yourselves a golden calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the Lord had commanded you. 17 So I took hold of the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes. 18 Then I lay prostrate before the Lord as before, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin that you had committed, in doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger.
Notice what Moses says. He says this idolatrous act by Israel “provoke” God to anger. We’ve seen that word before, right? Where? In acts 17 as Paul enters Athens. It’s the same word.
Which tells us as Paul enters Athens, he’s feeling the same anger God felt when the people of Israel took a bunch of gold, made a calf, and began to worship it like a god. An anger that almost caused God to wipe the Israelites out. Because Moses writes:
19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure that the Lord bore against you, so that he was ready to destroy you. But the Lord listened to me that time also.
That’s an intense anger, right?
So, why is Paul provoked by the idols he sees?
He’s provoked for the same reason God was provoked. Because as he enters he sees it’s a city full of idols. A city full full of people putting their hope in false gods. To put it another way, the city was empty of the true God.
And in the city of Athens, it’s amplified, because remember, Athens is the nucleus. It’s Washington D.C. It’s where all the idol history of the past and present has been put on full display.
In fact, some scholars speculate that there were at least 30,000 gods represented in the city of Athens. Which means in Athens, there’s a statue for everyone of them.
And in this moment of idol overload, Paul recognizes, this is the problem. This is why people are far from God. This is why the world is in the chaos it’s in. This is why Jesus had to die on the cross. This is why mankind needs a savior. It’s because of the sin of idolatry. It’s putting your hope in something that’s not God.
In fact, it goes back to Genesis 3 where Adam and Eve were the first to do it as they put their hope in something besides God, as they sought to make themselves gods.
And now as he stands in the city of Athens surrounded by thousands of false gods, it cuts it him to the core of his being. It provokes in him the same anger God feels when he sees people putting their hope in something that’s not Him. Because the reality is, this is the root of sin, death, and hopelessness.
And it’s in this emotion that we find the fist component for our witnessing foundation. And I would state it like this:
Witnessing Component - In order to reach a secular culture, you have to be bothered by false gods, false hope, and sin.
I think this is something most Christians miss when it comes to the why of witnessing. Because in our mind, sharing the gospel is about love. Because after all, for God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, right?
And while that’s true, and love is a great motivating factor for sharing the gospel, there’s another reason we should be motivated to witness. We should be motivated because we are bothered by the false gods, false hope, and sin that surrounds us.
Because at the end of the day, that’s the problem. That’s why the world is falling apart. That’s why it’s depressing to turn on the news. That’s why Facebook is a toxic cesspool. That’s why marriages are falling apart. That’s why depression is on the rise.
That’s why babies are aborted. That’s why sexual immorality is flaunted and promoted. That’s why you can’t turn on the television without the gay agenda being thrown in your face. It’s because people have been deceived and their putting their hope in something that’s not God.
And if you’ll stop for a moment, and look around, what you’ll discover, is that just like Paul, we are surrounded by thousands of false gods in our culture as people seek to find hope in something that will never give them hope. Gods like:
The false god of sex.
The false god of money.
The false god of material possessions.
The false god of self focus and promotion.
The false god of pornography.
The false god of sensual pleasure.
The false god of human reasoning.
The false god of science.
And the list goes on because they’re everywhere. And the fact is, if you’re a Christian, then the presence of these false gods ought to bother you. In fact, it should deeply trouble you.
Deeply trouble you when you see our culture engaging in and promoting sexual immorality.
Deeply trouble you when you turn on the television only to find every show promotes ungodly living and is full of filthy language and sexual content.
Deeply trouble you when you get on a social media platform and all it’s filled with is gossip, self promotion, division, and ungodly content.
Deeply trouble you when a pandemic hits and the Church isn’t viewed as an essential entity in the American culture.
Deeply trouble you when the God of the universe is set aside and replaced by something that’s not god.
Honestly, it ought to tick you off. It ought to stir something in you that causes you to want to do something about it. Something deep within you that says, “Enough of this. This is the problem.
It’s time to expose these false gods. It’s time to tell people the truth. It’s time to introduce them to the true God.”
Because I’m telling you right now, until you can come to that point, until sin and the hope of false gods bothers you to that level, you won’t be an effective witness.
Why? Because in order to effectively witness for Jesus, you have to hate sin as much as God hates it. You have to be provoked by it. You have to hate the destruction it brings. You have to be sickened by its effect on our nation, your co-workers, your friends, and your family members. You have to hate it so much that you can’t stand it any longer.
You have to be like Moses, who when he saw the people worshiping the golden calf, it cut him to the heart to the point that all he could do was lay on the ground and mourn. He writes:
18 Then I lay prostrate before the Lord as before, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin that you had committed, in doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger.
That’s how much it bothered Moses.
You see, while love for people should motivate us to share the gospel, our hatred for what is false and sinful should motivate us as well.
That being said, let me ask you something, “Are you bothered by by the false hope, false gods, and sin that surrounds us?”
In other words, are you bothered by the blatant disregard for God in our culture today?
Are you bothered by the reality that the vast majority of the people in our culture don’t know, don’t care, and don’t live by what the Bible says?
How about this. Are you bothered that the God of the Bible, the God that our nation was founded on, has been for the most part banned from our schools?
Does it bother you that your children are taught in school that their existence is the result of a random act and an evolutionary process and not by a Sovereign Creator who loves them? Does that bother you?
Let me put it like this. Does it bother you that you have friends and family members who have put their hope in religous thinking that is false. Something that won’t give them true life. Something that is leading them on a path of destruction. Does that bother you?
Does it provoke you that they’ve been deceived by the false? Are you sickened by the fact that their hope is in something that is leading them to hell. Does it cut you to the heart? Does it drive you to your knees in prayer?
Now, you might be thinking, “Wow pastor, that’s a lot to take in. That sounds kind of radical and extreme. I mean do you really think God wants us to be that bothered by sin and false thinking?”
Yes, I do. Otherwise he wouldn’t have sent His Son to die for us. Because Jesus didn’t just come and die just so we could be saved, but He also came to destroy sin. In 1 John we read:
8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
So, yes, I think He wants us to be deeply troubled by anything that is false and sinful. That like Paul we should be provoked by the false gods of our culture. Provoked that false gods are keeping people from knowing the true God.
In fact, it should bother you so much that you’d be willing to do something about.
For example, look at what Moses did when he saw the false god the Israelites were worshiping. In Deuteronomy 9 we read:
21 Then I took the sinful thing, the calf that you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust. And I threw the dust of it into the brook that ran down from the mountain.
Moses says when he saw the calf, not only did it anger him, but it led him to take action as he took the calf, ground it up into powder, and threw it into a river.
What does that tell us? It tells us that the false should bother us enough to do something about it.
So, what should we do about it? We’ll come back next week and we’ll get into that. Because there’s a right way and a wrong way to deal with it.
But before we do that, here’s the challenge we have to face first. And the challenge is this. If we’re honest, most Christians aren’t that bothered by the false gods, false hope, and sin of our culture. At least not bothered enough to do something about it.
And the proof of that is found in the fact that our culture is filled with idols and false gods that we’ve come to tolerate, accept, and in some cases worship as well.
And the truth is, until we reach a point where the presence of false gods, false hope, and sin in our culture bothers us, it’s going to be difficult for us to make an impact for Jesus. Because without the bother there will be no action.
The question then is, “How do you get to that point? How do you reach the place Paul was at?”
With the time we have left, I’d like to give you two necessary steps:
Step #1 - In order to be provoked by the presence of sin, you have to be filled with the the Spirit of truth.
And the Spirit I’m talking about is the Holy Spirit. In John 16 Jesus puts it like this:
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
In this passage Jesus promises that in his absence He will send us the Holy Spirit. And part of the Holy Spirit’s job is to guide us into truth by showing us what is true and what is false. Jesus puts it like this:
8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
Which means, when we encounter untruth, the Holy Spirit is going to be quick to point it out to us.
Here’s what we need to understand. As Paul walks into Athens, the reason his spirit is troubled, is because the spirit of God within Him is troubled. Just like in Deuteronomy 9 with the golden calf, the Spirit of God living inside of Paul was provoked in that moment, and deep down Paul sensed it in his own spirit.
How many of you have ever experienced that? That moment when you encounter something false or sinful, and something in you stirs. Something in you feels almost repulsed. Like you feel this pit in your spirit. You know what that is? That’s the Holy Spirit. That’s the Spirit of God reacting and responding to sin.
So, a great question would be, “How do you get filled with the Spirit in order for that to happen?”
It starts with salvation. It starts when a person makes Jesus Lord of their life. A moment when the Holy Spirit enters you and begins a new work in you. A work that provokes change in your life. A work that provokes you to be bothered by sin and the idols in your own life. A work that provokes you to walk and live differently. Paul puts it like this:
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
Paul says for the person who puts their faith in Jesus, they now live according to the Spirit and what the Holy Spirit desires.
All that to say, if you want the Spirit of truth in you and the false out, it begins with a decision. A decision to personally quit following false gods and put your hope in the true God. To make Jesus Lord of your life. And in that moment, you will be filled with His Spirit. Paul puts it like this:
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
Which lead us to a second suggestion:
Step #2 - In order to be provoked by the presence of sin, you have to be bothered when it’s in you.
Paul puts it like this in Galatians 5:
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Paul says if you want to walk by the Spirit, you have to stop gratifying the desires of the flesh. In other words, you have to quit giving yourself to sin.
And herein lies the problem for a lot of Christinas, and why many Christians aren’t provoked by sin. Why aren’t they provoked? Because they’re still living in it.
You see, here’s how it works. If you want to be bothered by the sin of our culture, then you have to be bothered by the sin in your own life. In other words, you have to be bothered by your own sin first.
I mean think about it. Why would you be bothered by the sexual immorality of our culture, if you’re engaged in sexual immorality.
If you’re sleeping with your girlfriend or boyfriend. If you’re looking at porn. If you’re day dreaming about somebody that’s now your spouse. If you’re flirting with someone that’s not your spouse.
Or why would you be bothered by gossip on Facebook, if you’re engaged in gossip on Facebook.
If you’re the one writing the posts. If you’re the one throwing fuel on the fire. If you’re the one who can’t refrain from getting involved in matters that don’t concern you.
Or why would you be bothered by what Hollywood produces, if you’re the first in line to watch what it produces. If you’re the one renting the movies. If your’e the one bing watching the inappropriate shows.
Do you see what I’m saying? Why would you be provoked by something sinful and contrary to God’s Word when it’s a part of your lifestyle. The reality is, you won’t be.
So, if you want to be provoked by the sin of our culture, then start by being provoked by your own sin. Start by being bothered by the false gods in your own life. Start being bothered that you’ve allowed something false to take root in you.
You might ask, “Can you get a little more specific pastor? Exactly what kind of sin are we talking about?” We’re talking about all kinds. Paul actually gives us a list to consider. Listen to what he says:
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Let me ask you something, is anything on that list present in your life?
Let me ask it like this. As I read that list, did one or more of those terms cause something inside of you to squirm?
For example, when I said, sexual immorality, did you feel some sort of spiritual gut punch because you now theirs some inappropriate sexual behavior in your life.
Or when I said “fits of anger”, did you feel an ache in your Spirit, because you know your a hot head and you are known to lose your temper.
Or when I said divisions, did your stomach sink as you recalled a conversation you recently had that was full of gossip.
You want to know what that squirm was? What that gut punch was? What that ache was? What the sinking feeling was?
That was the Holy Spirit provoking you. That was the Holy Spirit trying to point out something that needs to change. Something that is false in your life. Something that needs to go.
You see, like Paul walked around Athens, the Holy Spirit is walking around in the inner part of your heart right now. And He’s looking at the false idols, false hope and sin in your life, and He’s saying, “It’s time to get rid of the false. It’s time to embrace the truth”.
My prayer for you this morning, is that you would listen to the Holy Spirit. That you would be provoked to change. Provoked to get rid of the false and embrace the truth.
Because the reality is, until you’re willing to do that, it will be impossible of you to be an affective Christian. It will be impossible for you to get upset enough about sin to do anything about it.
Church, the fact is, if we want to reach our community for Jesus, we have to get bothered by the untruth. We have to get to a point where we say enough is enough, it’s time to tell people the truth.
But for that to happen, it has to start with us first.
Let’s Pray