Represent Christ By Sharing
Notes
Transcript
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.
Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.
Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.
Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;
for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:
Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,
because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
Introduction: I see adults and children involved in many different religious practices. Some are checking their horoscope. Others are carrying around a so-called lucky rabbit’s foot. Then you have those who are practicing voodoo and other spiritual religions. Has this stirred up something in your soul as a Christian? Do you want to see idol worshippers come to know Jesus? What needs to happen? Represent Christ by sharing His good news!
This sermon tells every saint to represent their Savior by sharing with other what He has done. Saints are called to let our lights shine before humanity so that they may see our good works and give glory to our Father in Heaven.
How do we shine? What is our good works? One of a Christian’s good works is sharing the gospel about a great God who has given men an opportunity to come to Him through repentance.
Share When Prompted
Share When Prompted
Paul was in the city of Athens. While there, seeing the city given over to idols, he became upset or disturbed in his spirit.
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.
In light of his experience, the Apostle went to the synagogue and in the marketplace and daily shared the message or report with Jews and Gentile worshipers and others.
Through his actions, he got the attention of some of the philosophers in the city. They wanted to get an uninterrupted hearing of his message because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.
Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.
Seeing the worship of anyone other than the true and living God should prompt us to share the gospel with those who are in darkness. We should be ready to reason with the religious and the nonreligious.
Like Paul, our lifestyle should cause others to want to know about Jesus, who is God in human flesh. As saints, we should share the report about Jesus. He is the Eternal Son, who came to be man’s substitute and died for sins and was raised to justify.
Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.
Share With People
Share With People
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.
Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.
Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?”
Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.
Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;
Paul was asked to address the thinkers, philosophers, and religions in Athens (vs. 18, 21). He had analyzed their actions and surmised that they were very religious.
Today, people are the same way. A significant number of people claim to believe in God or consider themselves spiritual. Yet, it does not take much to see that athletes, movie stars, and celebrities are being worshiped instead of God. People need to hear about the Real One, God Almighty. Just like the men of Athens were ignorant of the Real One, the same is true today.
We must share who He is, what He has done, why He did it, and what He desires. In the midst of a culture where people freely share their beliefs, Christians should be prepared to tell others about the hope they have within them.
Saints must testify that He ignited the flame of the sun and positioned the stars in the universe. We must testify that He provided a remedy for man’s ruined life and a pardon for humanity’s pollution through the Eternal Son.
Share the Person
Share the Person
for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD
Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:
Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,
because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
Paul explained to the people of Athens that God had overlooked the ignorance of men and women in times past, but now He demands that all men repent of their sins. Repentance is required because God has appointed a day on which He will judge the world. The Lord has assured the world by raising Christ from the dead. Therefore, the only legitimate response to God’s salvific act is to repent. How does one repent, and what is repentance? Paul told the saints in Corinth that godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation (2 Cor. 7:10). Godly sorrow precedes repentance, not worldly sorry that expresses emotion based on being caught or discovered.
Conclusion:What does our world need? A new president, No! More money! No! Better education! No! What the world needs is for Christians to model what a disciple is, continue to mature as a disciple, and share the gospel to make disciples of all nations.