2015.02.01 Acts 17:
16-34
The Gospel is proclaimed in Athens
We are studying the early days of the church in the book of Acts... We study verse by
verse so that we can see the big picture.... As we follow Paul we see wonderful
adventures... We see very hard times....
As Paul finds the will of God we can learn from him and all that have gone
before us.... As we pick up our text from last week….. Paul has been pushed out
of Thessalonica… And then as he preached the Gospel in Berea angry haters of
the gospel came from Thessalonica to Berea…. Paul left Timothy and Silas in
Berea and he headed for Athens…. Paul sent for them to come to him in Athens….
That´s were pickup our text… Acts 17….v16…
Acts 17:
16,17 NKJV
16 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.
17
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.
Acts 17: 16,17 slt 2000
16 Während aber Paulus in Athen auf sie wartete,
ergrimmte sein Geist in ihm, da er die Stadt so voller Götzenbilder sah.
17 Er hatte nun in der Synagoge Unterredungen mit den
Juden und den Gottesfürchtigen, und auch täglich auf dem Marktplatz mit denen,
die gerade dazukamen.
v16,17… Now
while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him…. It
seems as though Paul was waiting until Timothy and Silas came from Berea before
he began ministry in earnest in Athens……. But when he saw that the city was
given over to idols…… He was deeply moved at the idea that they were so
religious and yet lost….. Just like he himself had been…. Because of his
compassion for the lost… He was compelled to preach the gospel to them…..
Paul had probably never been to Athens before….. he was likely very impressed by this fantastic
city…... But when Paul toured the city, he was deeply upset by the incredible
idolatry he saw all around him…….
The idea behind the greek phrase (kateidolos) given over to idols can be translated…. swamped
by idols….. despite all of the wisdom and beauty represented
by Greek culture….. He saw how hopelessly lost they were…..
v17…. notice in that he
reasoned in the synagogue … and in the marketplace daily….. Paul's practice
was to preach in the synagoues first…. But he was also ready to proclaim Jesus
anywhere and at anytime…. Not matter how dangerous it was…
He would proclaim the God News of the Gospel wherever he could get
an audience….. In Athens it was both in the synagogue and in the marketplace…...
Paul faced a difficult audience in Athens….. It was a cultured and
well educated city that was very proud of its history…..
Although the greatest days of Athens were long gone… it could still be described as the
intellectual capital of the Greco-Roman world….. v18…
Acts
17:18-21
NKJV
18 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.
19 And
they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this
new doctrine is of which you speak? 20 For you are bringing some strange things
to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.” 21 For all the
Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else
but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
Acts 17:18-21 slt 2000
18 Aber etliche der epikureischen und auch der stoischen
Philosophen maßen sich mit ihm. Und manche sprachen: Was will dieser Schwätzer
wohl sagen? Andere aber: Er scheint ein Verkündiger fremder Götter zu sein!
Denn er verkündigte ihnen das Evangelium von Jesus und der Auferstehung.
19 Und sie ergriffen ihn und führten ihn zum Areopag und
sprachen: Können wir erfahren, was das für eine neue Lehre ist, die von dir
vorgetragen wird?
20 Denn du bringst etwas Fremdartiges vor unsere Ohren;
deshalb wollen wir erfahren, was diese Dinge bedeuten sollen!
21 Alle Athener nämlich und auch die dort lebenden
Fremden vertrieben sich mit nichts anderem so gerne die Zeit, als damit, etwas
Neues zu sagen und zu hören.
v18…. Then
certain Epicurean … philosophers encountered him…. The Epicureans
pursued pleasure as the highest goal in life….. They valued most of all the
pleasure of a peaceful life, free from pain, disturbing passions and
superstitious fears (including the fear of death)…… They did not deny the
existence of gods….. but believed that they were somewhere out there…. And had
nothing to do with man…… Eat drink and be merry….. for tomorrow you may die…
That was their philosophy….
Then certain.… Stoic philosophers encountered
him…. The Stoics
were pantheists….. The Stoics believed that everything was god…. and god was in
everything…. They believed there was no
particular direction or destiny for mankind….. They put great emphasis on moral
behavior…… They cultivated a spirit of pride and independence….
v18b… And
some said…. Some looked down on Paul because he did not use the
philosophical niceties popular in Athens (What does this babbler want to
say?)….. Others thought Paul was a proclaimer of foreign gods…... because
he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection…...
v19-21…The
newness of Paul's message earned him an invitation to the Areopagus….
That was the place to go to discuss important ideas… These ancient Greeks
lusted after the newest ideas…. Just
like today society wants new experiences and new ideas to help them understand
and cope with the uncertainties of life…. Just like us today…. They were
searching for answers…. But in all the wrong places…. Paul brings the good news
as a cure for the idolatry that deceives and destroys lives…….
In
Paul´s sermon He says….. There
is one true God! He is the creator and sustainer of everything….. He is
knowable because He has revealed Himself to men…. I know Him….. And you can
know Him too…..
Paul's
Sermon outline
1... The
Greatness of God.... v22-24
2... The
Goodness of God v25
3... The
Government of God , 26,27
4... The
Glory of God v28,29
5... The
Grace of God. v 30-31
Acts
17:22-31 NKJV
22 Then
Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive
that in all things you are very religious; 23 for as I was passing through and
considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this
inscription: Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I
proclaim to you: 24 “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is
Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is
He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to
all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood[c] every
nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their
preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they
should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him,
though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and
have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His
offspring.’ 29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to
think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped
by art and man’s devising. 30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked,
but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 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.”
Acts 17:22-31 slt 2000
22 Da stellte sich Paulus in die Mitte des Areopags und
sprach: Ihr Männer von Athen, ich sehe, daß ihr in allem sehr auf die Verehrung
von Gottheiten bedacht seid!
23 Denn als ich umherging und eure Heiligtümer
besichtigte, fand ich auch einen Altar, auf dem geschrieben stand: »Dem
unbekannten Gott«. Nun verkündige ich euch den, welchen ihr verehrt, ohne ihn
zu kennen.
24 Der Gott, der die Welt gemacht hat und alles, was
darin ist, er, der Herr des Himmels und der Erde ist, wohnt nicht in Tempeln,
die von Händen gemacht sind;
25 er läßt sich auch nicht von Menschenhänden bedienen,
als ob er etwas benötigen würde, da er doch selbst allen Leben und Odem und
alles gibt.
26 Und er hat aus einem Blut3 jedes Volk der Menschheit
gemacht, daß sie auf dem ganzen Erdboden wohnen sollen, und hat im voraus
verordnete Zeiten und die Grenzen ihres Wohnens bestimmt,
27 damit sie den Herrn suchen sollten, ob sie ihn wohl
umhertastend wahrnehmen und finden möchten; und doch ist er ja jedem einzelnen
von uns nicht ferne;
28 denn »in ihm leben, weben4 und sind wir«5, wie auch
einige von euren Dichtern gesagt haben: »Denn auch wir sind von seinem
Geschlecht.«6
29 Da wir nun von göttlichem Geschlecht sind, dürfen wir
nicht meinen, die Gottheit sei dem Gold oder Silber oder Stein gleich, einem
Gebilde menschlicher Kunst und Erfindung.
30 Nun hat zwar Gott über die Zeiten der Unwissenheit
hinweggesehen, jetzt aber gebietet er allen Menschen überall, Buße zu tun,
31 weil er einen Tag festgesetzt hat, an dem er den
Erdkreis in Gerechtigkeit richten wird durch einen Mann, den er dazu bestimmt
hat und den er für alle beglaubigte, indem er ihn aus den Toten auferweckt hat.
Let´s look at the first point in Paul’s sermon…
1.....
The Greatness of God.... v22-24
v22… Men
of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious….. Paul
does not begin with an exposition of Scripture….. which was his custom when
dealing with Jews or with God fearing Gentiles who would be familiar with the
Old Testament…...
Instead, Paul begins with the fact that he sees that they are very
religious….. It was not necessarily a complement…. Because Religion can easily lead
a man away from God…. You are very religious but you don´t have any idea what
you are doing…..
v22,23…. I
even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD…. Paul saw
that in their extensive collection of idols….. That they even had an altar to
the unknown god…..
This altar covered any god that may have been neglected…… Because
an angry and offended god was the last thing they wanted….. They had gods for
everything and for every need…..
Each of their gods was in charge of something….. The worshipped
them to get rain and good crops…. And of course to appease them and prevent
disaster…They were also very superstitious...
Six hundred years before the time of Paul…. a terrible plague came on the city and a man
name Epimenides had an idea….. He let loose a flock of sheep through the town
and wherever they lay down….. they would sacrifice that sheep to the god that
had the nearest shrine or temple….. If a sheep lay down near no shrine or
temple….. they would sacrifice that sheep TO THE UNKNOWN GOD…..
The city recovered from the plague and they continued to worship
their false gods… The Lord has given Paul by his Holy Spirit a perfect entrance into their minds…. Paul
will now reveal to them the identity of the Unknown God……
1.....
The Greatness of God.... v22-24
The God not known by you…..
The one true God…. He is the creator and sustainer of everything…. Genesis 1,
Colossians 1, Hebrews 11…. Etc..
v24… God,
who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth….
Paul proclaims to them the God who created everything…. But He is separate and distinct
from His creation…… Paul proclaimed that God was bigger than any temple men's
hands could build (does not dwell in temples made with hands)….. and
could not be represented by anything men could make with their hands (Nor is
He worshipped with men's hands)…... Athens was full of magnificent temples…
As awesome as they were…. He said…. Come on…. God does not live in any of these….. And God cannot be in these idols that you worship….
In order to help them understand who God is…. Paul started at the beginning…. God is the Creator…. and we are His
creatures…… He created everything…. Why would he need you to make Him a
building…. In saying these things…. Paul
is quoting God´s own words from the mouth of Isaiah the Prophet…. Is 66…v1,2….
Paul knew that these philosophers had to change their ideas about the
Universe and their gods…. before they could begin to come to the one true God…. Who alone is Creator and Savior….….. next v25…
2... The Goodness of God v25…
v25…. There´s nothing that you can do for Him……
He is the one who gives to all life, breath, and all things….. God does not
need you to feed Him with your sacrifices….. He is the one who provides for
you….. Wake up…. God in His goodness and unfailing love provides for every
living thing…. He does that for His ungrateful…unthankful
people Because he is Good…. Next verses 26 and 27…
3... The Government of God…. v26,27….
Acts 17: 26,27 NKJV
26 And He has made from one blood every nation
of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their
preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they
should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him,
though He is not far from each one of us;
Acts 17: 26,27 slt 2000
26 Und er hat aus einem
Blut jedes Volk der Menschheit gemacht, daß sie auf dem ganzen Erdboden wohnen
sollen, und hat im voraus verordnete Zeiten und die Grenzen ihres Wohnens bestimmt,
27 damit sie den Herrn
suchen sollten, ob sie ihn wohl umhertastend wahrnehmen und finden möchten; und
doch ist er ja jedem einzelnen von uns nicht ferne;
In these verses He shows that God is
actively involved in the rule of His creation and the government of mankind… And
since He is our creator…. We are responsible to seek Him… He wants
men to seek Him…
v26… And He has made from one blood every
nation of men….. Paul proclaimed that we are all descended
from Adam through Noah…… and that there is one God who created us all….. and we
are all obligated to Him…. Since God created us all……
v27… we should
seek the Lord … though He is not far from each one of us….. Paul is using the Word of God in his
arguments… even though he is not quoting an exact text….
For example In Isaiah 66…v2…. God says…. I am not far and I want you to seek me… This is aimed at the
philosophy of the day too…..
Many believed that God if he was there….. is completely unknowable
to mere humans….
4... The Glory of God v28,29
V28… For in Him we live and move and have our
being… For we are also His offspring…..
These two quotations that Paul uses are from Greek poets…. They are
attributed to Epimenides the Cretan [600 BC] (who Paul quotes again in Titus 1:12) and
Aratus [310 BC]……
Paul did not quote these men because they were prophets….. He
quoted them because these specific words reflected a Biblical truth…… and by
using them he could build a bridge to his pagan audience…... Paul says….. NO!
He wants you to seek Him He is near…. Now he quotes their own
poets…
v29… Therefore since we are the offspring of God,
we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone…. Paul
proclaimed our responsibility to God because we are His offspring…...
Since we are His offspring….. we are responsible to correctly think
about God….. We must reject the wrong idea that gold or silver or stone
could in any way represent God…...
Isaiah rebuked the Children of Israel for worshipping idols made of
stone or wood… That´s in Isaiah 40….beginning at verse 18…. A great place for
your own quiet times… back to Paul´s sermon….Acts 17…v…30… this is the 5th
point….
5... The
Grace of God. v 30,31
Acts
17:30,31 NKJV
30
Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men
everywhere to repent,
31
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.”
Acts 17: 30,31 slt 2000
30 Nun hat zwar Gott über
die Zeiten der Unwissenheit hinweggesehen, jetzt aber gebietet er allen
Menschen überall, Buße zu tun,
31 weil er einen Tag
festgesetzt hat, an dem er den Erdkreis in Gerechtigkeit richten wird durch
einen Mann, den er dazu bestimmt hat und den er für alle beglaubigte, indem er
ihn aus den Toten auferweckt hat.
v30,31… Now commands all men
everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge
the world in righteousness….
v30… Paul reveals the
Grace of God as he tells them that although God is patient….. He overlooked the
ignorance of men for a long time…. But
now….. since
1… He is
God the creator of all things…. And since
2… He
has proved his Goodness by
feeding and caring for His sinful rebellious offspring…. And since
3…. He
is actively involved in the rule of His creation and the government of mankind…
and since
4… He
wants us to see the Glory of God in His creation and His Sovereign control of
all things… He wants us to understand the truth and stop worshipping things…. As
the offspring of God… We are commanded to give Him the worship and Glory that
He alone deserves….
Paul is building layer upon layer the proof of God´s existence and
absolute power and authority…. And the responsibility of all men everywhere to
repent of our sins and pride and rebellion…. and seek Him with our whole
hearts….
Genuine repentance and commitment to worship and honor God alone is
the only proper response to the Gospel…..
Paul wasn't preaching a "soft" gospel….. He was not
inviting them to add Jesus to their pantheon of god´s….. He boldly confronted
the wrong ideas the Athenians had about God….. And then he warned them of the
certainty of coming judgment….. v31…
v31… He
will judge the world in righteousness by the Man who He has ordained…. Paul
says…. Look this one true and living God
has appointed Jesus as the righteous judge of all men….
Proved by God because of
the resurrection of Jesus from the dead….
v31b… He
has given assurance of this by raising Him from the dead…. The
emphasis on the resurrection is important….. Paul sees the resurrection of
Jesus as the assurance of this….. it demonstrates that the person, teaching,
and work of Jesus were all perfectly approved by the Father…… Now let´s look at the reaction of Paul´s
hearers….V 32…
Acts 17:
32-34 NKJV
32 And
when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others
said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” 33 So Paul departed from among
them. 34 However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the
Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
Acts 17: 32-34 slt 2000
32 Als sie aber von der Auferstehung der Toten hörten,
spotteten die einen, die anderen aber sprachen: Wir wollen dich darüber
nochmals hören!
33 Und so ging Paulus aus ihrer Mitte hinweg.
34 Einige Männer aber schlossen sich ihm an und wurden
gläubig, unter ihnen auch Dionysius, der ein Mitglied des Areopags war, und
eine Frau namens Damaris, und andere mit ihnen.
v32a… When they heard of the resurrection of the
dead, some mocked…. The resurrection was not a popular concept
among Greek philosophers….. Some though Paul foolish for even believing such a
thing….. But some wanted to hear more
about this new teaching…. This is what we see everywhere the Gospel is
proclaimed….. some gladly hear the Good news and repent of their sin….. but
others refuse to repent and mock… or even worse… become the enemies of God… in
the second part of the verse we see that some want to hear more…
v32b… We will heart you again on this matter…
The Greeks were fond of the idea of the immortality of the soul….
but not of the idea of the resurrection of the body….. They believed that the
soul or spirit of man was good….. but that the
body was evil…..
v33… So
Paul departed from among them…. Paul was not looking for a debate…. He wanted
to talk about Jesus….. He could have stayed there and discussed Greek
philosophy all day long…. He knew a lot about what they believed and taught….
But Paul was not interested in wasting his time with these who were
not really open to hear the truth….
I´m sure that Paul was
really just beginning his sermon…. But as soon as he mentioned the resurrection…..
they stopped his preaching….
v34… However, some men joined
him and believed…..The results at the Areopagus seemed relatively small…..
yet some did believe….. Among those believing were a man named Dionysius
(who must have been a member of the "court" of the Areopagus) and a
woman named Damaris…..
Close
In summary, perhaps the most important thing to be learned from
Paul´s sermons to pagan cultures….. is that Paul adapts the message to his
hearers…. He does not quote chapter and verse from the scriptures….. He is
sensitive to where they are in their understanding of the universe…. They believed that God is so other….. that either he is in everything…. Therefore
build a god for any and everything and every force…. Or He is unknowable…..
Therefore they say…. Forget about god and live your life as you see fit…. Eat
drink and be merry…..Tomorrow you will be in a box anyway…. He is also careful not to be misunderstood as
presenting the one true God as just another among many… Not just another
religion…. Paul is careful to distinguish the
Gospel from all of their current superstitious beliefs….
Paul builds his argument…. He apologetic…. from the truth revealed
in the Word of God….. Because as I said earlier…... God has revealed Himself….
1… in creation…. 2… In His Word…. And he has sent us to proclaim the Good News
to a lost and dying world…Some think Paul compromised his message for an
intellectual audience….. and therefore there were few conversions……
Paul's sermon here is totally Biblical….. "Like the Bible itself, his argument begins with God the creator
of all…. and ends with God the judge of all… This sermon is a wonderful
introduction to Christianity for cultured pagan gentiles… It is very similar to
the sermon that Paul gave at Lystra….
Despite the critics of this sermon…. Paul did indeed preach The Lord Jesus Christ
crucified in Athens…… This is obviously
a short extract of Paul's speech on the Areopagus….. what is recorded here takes
about two minutes to say……
What do we learn from Paul´s preaching to pagans…. To the
unchurched if you will….? Paul came to a place full of religious pagans…. We find
ourselves in a world full of Christian pagans…. They are also religious…. But
just like the Children of Israel….. Christian pagans try to mix the truth with
a big portion of superstition and idolatry…. Now I do not mean that Wiesbaden
is full of little idols of wood and stone…. Covered over with Gold….….. No our
idols are much more sophisticated…. The perfect education… The perfect job….
the perfect wife…. the perfect car…. The list of Christian idols is too long….
Many in the church today want to add Jesus to their house full of
idols….. For Christians…. Idols are Things that are more important than serving
the Lord…..
They have even believed the lie that Jesus will give them
everything that the world tells them that they should want…. They want to eat
drink and be merry….. And they expect Jesus to come along and help them with
their goals….. Aber…. However that is not what the Bible teaches….. When the
Lord Jesus prophesied His death crucifixion and resurrection in Luke 9….. He also spoke to the disciples
about the genuine Christian life…..
Because you cannot be a fan of
Jesus…. You cannot add Him to
your list of Idols….That is impossible….let´s
end this morning with the words of Jesus
Himself…. Luke 9… v23..
Luke 9:
23-25 NKJV slt
2000
23 Then
He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his
life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For
what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself
destroyed or lost?
23 Er sprach aber zu allen: Wenn jemand mir nachkommen
will, so verleugne er sich selbst und nehme sein Kreuz auf sich täglich und
folge mir nach.
24 Denn wer sein Leben retten will, der wird es
verlieren; wer aber sein Leben verliert um meinetwillen, der wird es retten.
25 Denn was hilft es einem Menschen, wenn er die ganze
Welt gewinnt, aber sich selbst verliert oder schädigt?
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