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Acts 17:13-21
Mars Hill

You got a test coming....what you need to know.

Acts 17: 13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Beroea also, they came there likewise, agitating the multitudes. 14 Then the brothers immediately sent out Paul to go as far as to the sea, and Silas and Timothy still stayed there. 15 But those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens. Receiving a commandment to Silas and Timothy that they should come to him very quickly, they departed.

16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who met him. 18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also[c] were conversing with him. Some said, “What does this babbler want to say?”

Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign deities,” because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.

19 They took hold of him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is, which you are speaking about? 20 For you bring certain strange things to our ears. We want to know therefore what these things mean.” 21 Now all the Athenians and the strangers living there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.

Life is a test, death is graduation.  You’ve got a test coming.  What do you need to know?

Different kinds of tests; multiple choice, short answer, true and false, essay, written, oral,

6 Types of Tests

There are six different types of tests. They are as follow:

1. Placement Test:

It is used to place new students in the right class in a school. It assesses students’ productive and receptive skills and designed to show how good a student is in English in relation to a previously agreed system of levels.

2. Diagnostic Test:

It is used to discover student problems, difficulties or deficiencies in a course. We use this type of tests to know students’ strengths and weaknesses so as to be able to do something about them.

3. Progress/Achievement Test:

It is designed to measure students’ language and their skill progress in relation to the syllabus they have been following. This type is directly related to language courses and done during the course.

4. Final Progress/Achievement Test:

Students do this test at the end of the course to measure students’ achievement of the course objectives or goals.

5. Proficiency Test:

It is not necessarily based on certain courses that students may have previously taken. Most students take this type of test to admit to a foreign university, get a job, or obtain some kind of certificate. Teachers design this test to measure students’ knowledge and ability in a language.

6. Aptitude Test:

Teachers design this test to discover whether a student has a talent or basic ability for learning a new language or not.

They missed one: obedience test---can you, and will you follow directions

Knowledge and obedience

2 Corinthians 10:5 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

John 15:14 14 You are my friends if you do what I command.

Well, every day, for the Christian, is a test.  Did you know that?  And it’s a test for everyone.  Believers and non-believers.  For non-believers, it’s the same question; What will you do with the revelation of God today?

For the believer, the test is How will you bear the revelation of God today?

We’ve been studying the book of Acts.  And it is a wonderful record of both of those things.  It is a record of how early disciples bore the revelation of God to the world.  And how the world reacted to that revelation.  And we can learn some lessons from this story.  Lessons for believers and non-believers alike.

There are three points, and we are going to take them from the perspective of a Christian.  What does a Christian need to know as he/she walks out into the world.  As you leave this “safe space” today, and go out into the world.  As you plan on being the vessel for the revelation of God in the world, what do you need to know. 

You must know how to respond to the world, you must know how the world will respond to you, and you must know the God that the world doesn’t know. 

prayer

I.        You must know how to respond to the world.  (the motive)

This takes us back to the end of last week’s sermon.  Paul came into the city of Athens, he encountered this magnificent city, but it says that “his spirit was provoked within him.” 

You need to know the Godly way to respond to the world.  And we can see that here as Paul comes into the city of Athens.

A.      16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens,

How might Paul have responded?

1.     He could have been depressed.

2.     He could have felt overwhelmed.

This is ancient Athens.  I don’t know how much you know about history.  In it’s heyday, Athens was quite a place.  It was the seat of political power when the Greeks ruled the world.  And even after Greece lost it’s position as ruler of the world, the language and culture of the Greeks were still a dominant influence.  The roots for Western civilization, and government are found in Greece.  Athens was the center of the world’s intellectual life as well.  Socrates had been a teacher in Athens.  The city was known for it’s theaters and plays.  Also it was a city filled with magnificent architecture.  Gymnasiums, temples, libraries, At one time the city was home to ¼ to ½ million people.    And the city was dedicated to every kind of religion you can imagine.  There were images, statues everywhere.  One place I read said there were 30,000 gods in Athens.  Peterronius, one of the ancient historians, said that is was easier to find a god in Athens than a man! With 30,000 of them, you can see why this would be true. And these weren’t just for artistic purposes.  These were gods and goddesses to be worshiped. 

So, you can imagine that Paul could have been been depressed, or overwhelmed by the magnitude of the place.  This was no back water town in a subjugated nation.  These were dignified, and educated people. 

Paul could have been either of those two things; depressed, or overwhelmed.  But look instead at what the text says, 16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens,

B.     his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols.

What was Paul’s response to this great city of Athens?   He wasn’t impressed with the architecture, or the intelligence, all he saw was the idols, idols, and more idols.  He saw the city through God’s eyes. 

It says here that Paul’s spirit was provoked within him as he saw idols everywhere.   It describes a sharp contention within him.  A disgust, and anger at seeing idols everywhere, in every household’s doorway. 

What was it that offended him?  God was not getting the glory due Him.

1 Chronicles 16:29  Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due to his name. Bring an offering, and come before him. Worship Yahweh in holy array.

The same thing is said in Psalm 29:2, and Psalm 96:8.  God deserves all the praise from all creation at all times.  Anything less than that is disgusting.

Psalm 69:9 For the zeal of your house consumes me. The reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.

II.     You must know how the world will respond to you.

A.     17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who met him.

B.     18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also[c] were conversing with him. Some said, “What does this babbler want to say?”

Ridicule

“What does this babbler want to say?”  The word for babbler here is “seed-picker.”  It described a type of bird that congregated in the ditches searching little bits and scraps to eat.  It was used of vagrants who went around the city picking through garbage.   They used it for people who traveled from place to place, peddling a philosophy, some teaching cobbled together and presented as a life philosophy.

Epicurean and Stoic philosophers: These were the two largest schools of thought in Greece.

Who were the Epicureans?

The Epicureans followed the philosophy of Epicurus.  According to Wikipedia, and we know that they are reliable,  Epicurus philosophy of life was that is the chief good in life.  So, he advocated living in such a way as to derive the greatest amount of pleasure during one’s lifetime. 

Now this philosophy has been compared to hedonism, “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you die.”  Grab all of life and pleasure during this life as you can. 

“Qui Curios simulant et Bacchanalia vivunt.”

[“They pose as heroes, and as drunkards live.”]

—Juvenal, Sat. ii. 3.

And, of course, the spiritual basis for this is the denial of an afterlife.  The Epicurean Epitaph: Non fui, fui, non sum, non curo ("I was not; I have been; I am not; I do not mind.")

The also acknowledged no responsibility to any god.

Who are the Stoics?

Founded by Zeno, and said that all human affairs are governed by fate.

 they emphasized ethics as the main focus of human knowledge, though their logical theories were of more interest for later philosophers.

Stoicism teaches the development of self-control and fortitude as a means of overcoming destructive emotions; the philosophy holds that becoming a clear and unbiased thinker allows one to understand the universal reason (logos). Stoicism's primary aspect involves improving the individual's ethical and moral well-being: "Virtue consists in a will that is in agreement with Nature."[11] This principle also applies to the realm of interpersonal relationships; "to be free from anger, envy, and jealousy,"[12] and to accept even slaves as "equals of other men, because all men alike are products of nature".[13]

The universe itself is God and the universal outpouring of its soul; 

Both denied the resurrection of the body and the immortality of the soul.

We have Stoics today as well.  Life is about following an ethical standard.  You just take life as it comes.  If you are struck with something bad or negative, just pull yourself up by your bootstraps and press on. 

Now, these two groups reacted to Paul.  And some others reacted.

Misunderstanding

C.     Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign deities,” because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.

So, some called him a seed-picker, others said, “He’s presenting some new gods.”  Now it’s interesting that they thought that Paul was presenting “gods.”  It’s possible that they thought he was preaching “Jesus” and “resurrection.” 

Anastasis (= Resurrection) the name of a new goddess, representing the idea of immortality, to be worshipped in conjunction with Jesus, and therefore they used the plural and spoke of his bringing in “strange gods.” 

All new religions had to be authorized by Rome.  So they are concerned that he’s teaching about some new gods.

The Epicureans and Stoics would also have been concerned that he’s teaching the immortality of the soul, and the resurrection of the body.  So they decide to take him to the Areopagus, or “Mars Hill.” 

What was Mars Hill?

The Areopagus (/ˌæriˈɒpəɡəs/) is a prominent rock outcropping located northwest of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. Its English name is the Late Latin composite form of the Greek name Areios Pagos, translated "Hill of Ares" (Ancient Greek: Ἄρειος Πάγος). In classical times, it was the location of a court, also often called the Areopagus, that tried cases of deliberate homicide, wounding and religious matters, as well as cases involving arson of olive trees.

 The Areopagus, like most city-state institutions, continued to function in Roman times, and it was from this location,

So this isn’t just a gathering of philosophers, this is a court setting.

D.         19 They took hold of him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is, which you are speaking about? 20 For you bring certain strange things to our ears. We want to know therefore what these things mean.”

E.          Now, you might think that these people sound like some eager hearers, some potential converts.  So far, the audience has not been promising for Paul.  The Epicureans and Stoics would have rejected his message outright.  Others who were there seemed more concerned about whether this message had the official stamp of Roman approval.  But when he gets to the Areopagus, they are saying, “May we know what this new teaching is, which you are speaking about? 20 For you bring certain strange things to our ears. We want to know therefore what these things mean.”

Sounds promising right?  But then Luke tells us a little detail about these people.

Amusement

F.            21 Now all the Athenians and the strangers living there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.

It wasn’t actual spiritual interest.  It was a source of entertainment for them.  They liked to hear new things.  They weren’t searching for truth.  They knew what they believed, and were settled in that.  But in the boredom of life, they liked to gather and participate in intellectual exercises. 

We have those people today.  I used to work with one.  We’d listen to Bible study tapes at work.  He liked talking about it.  But at the end of day, he was agnostic.  He didn’t believe there is a god, he didn’t believe there wasn’t a god.  He didn’t believe it was possible to know.  But it was entertaining to discuss.  It passed the time. 

So, as you leave this building, you need to know what your attitude should be, and you need to know what the attitude of the world is going to be.  They will ridicule, be indifferent, condescending.

But, do you notice what is missing?  persecution.  In any other city, by now they would be stoning, beating, jailing, running Paul out on a rail.  But we don’t get that in Athens.  Chapter 18 opens like this

After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth. 

He left Athens without any fanfare.  Do you know what I was thinking about that?  In other towns there was persecution, but in Athens, indifference.  Sometimes we thank God that we are not persecuted.  But the worst atmosphere for the gospel is not a persecuting people, it is an indifferent people.

Indifference

G.    32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, “We want to hear you again concerning this.”

We’ll hear you again.  We’ll get back to this some day.  I’ll think about it.”  We will also experience the same indifference. 

H.         33 Thus Paul went out from among them.

Did anyone believe?

Faith

I.            34 But certain men joined with him and believed, among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

III.   You must know the God that the world doesn’t know.

A.     22 Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus, and said, “You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription: ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ What therefore you worship in ignorance, I announce to you.

Let me retell a story from last week.

How did Athens come to be this place full of gods?  Well somewhere along the way, the idea that there was a god for everything developed and the people of Athens decided to be the city that ingratiated itself to all of them.  There’s kind of an interesting story that will come up later in this passage about that. 

Athens, in 430 B.C. had a plague ravage the city.  It’s estimated that 75,000 to 100,000 people died.  Well, as the legend goes, the city officials wanted to stop the plague, so they asked Epimenides, who was a famous Greek mystic, philosopher and poet, to come to Athens and propose a solution to the plague.   So he came, and after assessing the situation, he told them to gather  thousands of black and white sheep, and then to release them into the city.  They were to follow the sheep, and wherever a sheep lay down, they would see what god, goddess, or temple was closest to that sheep, and they would build an altar there to that god, and sacrifice the sheep on it. 

The thought was that the god or goddesses that had brought the plague would draw the sacrifice to themselves.  Well, you can imagine what happened.  Lots of sheep were sacrificed to lots of gods.  But some of those sheep plopped themselves down in places that weren’t close to any image or temple.  So what did they do?  They erected an altar to “the unknown god” on that spot, and sacrificed the sheep to the god they didn’t know.  I guess at one time, you could go to Athens, and along with the images to Zeus, and Aphrodite, etc, you could find a couple thousand locations that were dedicated “to the unknown god.”

So, that kind of gives you an idea as to how the city ended up just full of idols.  Little places of worship here and there and everywhere.

If you were Paul, going into a heathen world, polytheistic world.  Where would you start?  Start in the same way as he did with the Jews, at the point of their departure from God.  For the Jews, it was Jesus as Messiah.  They believed the O.T.  But these people had to be taken back to Genesis 1:1.

You must know that there is “a” God.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

B.     You must know that God is “the only” God.

24 The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth,

He is “the God.”  He made all that there is.  He is Sovereign over everything.  Paul started with their departure from the truth.  They believed in multiple gods.  They were very religious.  But they didn’t know the one true God. 

Ephesians 4:5-6 One Lordone faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Isaiah 44:6 Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

Hosea 13:4 Yet I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.

And, you know, we are back to a time when we may need to go back to Genesis with people. 

Do you know that many gospel sharing, witnessing plans don’t start here.  The  Roman Road gospel presentation, for example, starts with Romans 3:10.

Romans 3:10-12, and 23
As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” ... For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
 (NLT)

But that’s not where Paul, the author of Romans, started with these people.  If he had made a statement like Romans 3:10

As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.

These Greeks probably would have said, “What Scriptures?” “Which God?”  Everyone has sinned? Against whom?

Paul took them where they needed to start, the acknowledgement of the only God, who created everything, and is Lord of all.

We need to start there with people today.  We have to tell them there is a God, we didn’t get here by chance or evolution, and that He made and governs everything.  By the way, that is a huge hurdle today.

C.     You must know that God doesn’t need us.

24 The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands. 25 He isn’t served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things.

Well, some people that you encounter will acknowledge a belief in God, even a belief in the God of the Bible.  But they come from a system where you curry favor with God by your good deeds. 

Paul was addressing a people who believed in gods.  So, he takes them first to an understanding that there is only one God.  But then he draws a distinction between the true God, and the “gods” they had worshipped before.  Their “gods” required temples to be built, sacrifices to be made. 

But Paul points out that the true God has no need for any of that.

doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands. 25 He isn’t served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things.

Psalm 50:10-15 For every animal of the forest is mine,
    and the livestock on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of the mountains.
    The wild animals of the field are mine.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
    for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
13 Will I eat the meat of bulls,
    or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving.
    Pay your vows to the Most High.
15 Call on me in the day of trouble.
    I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

Psalm 51:16 16 For you don’t delight in sacrifice, or else I would give it.
    You have no pleasure in burnt offering.

We have to present that part of the gospel as well.  People are familiar with the idea that those who “follow God” today, may go to confession, or do penance, or food and offerings my be brought to place at the foot of an image.  People may light candles, or burn incense.  But the true God doesn’t need us.   

None of us are special.

26 He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth,

Paul addressed the racism of his day.  Greeks thought they were superior to “barbarians.”  Jews considered themselves superior to Gentiles.  Gentiles despised Jews.  But Paul says that God made us “from one blood.” 

And it is distressing that we seem to be returning to this clash of the races.  Christianity to being relegated in some circles, to a “white person’s religion.”

D.    You must know that God runs everything.

26 He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings,

God is Sovereign.  He is in control of the world.  In the Greek world of Paul’s day, they conceived that “the gods” ran the world.  So it really was a chaotic thought.  Because there were so many gods, and their authority overlapped with other gods, and because the gods were often capricious and jealous, you were constantly trying to appease one or the other of them. 

So, the idea that there was one God who set the boundaries of nations, and the seasons of their power was foreign to them. 

Deuteronomy 32:7-8 Remember the days of old.
    Consider the years of many generations.
Ask your father, and he will show you;
    your elders, and they will tell you.
When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,
    when he separated the children of men,
he set the bounds of the peoples
    according to the number of the children of Israel.

Now, we’ve gone the opposite direction.  The people we encounter don’t believe that little gods and demigods control the world and it’s nations,  they have an entirely man-centered philosophy.  Governments, politics, and military might sets the boundaries and powers of nations.

So far, Paul has said nothing about Jesus at Mars Hill.  He is laying the groundwork to introduce Jesus.

E.     You must know that God wants a relationship with you.

26 He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings,

Why did God put these boundaries in place?

27 that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him,

God established the order and governance of the world, so that He could be found.  Israel as His people.  “Eternity in the heart.”  The revelation of nature and conscience.  It was all to drive the world to seek Him.

Isaiah 55: 1,6 “Hey! Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters!
    Come, he who has no money, buy, and eat!
    Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Seek Yahweh while he may be found.
    Call on him while he is near.

 

Jeremiah 29:13 13 You shall seek me, and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.

The way we have sought for Him is mistaken.

though he is not far from each one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live, move, and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’

Taken from a poem written by Aratus about Zeus. 

29 Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man.

He argues for God, from their own literary works.

And we also must point out the same in our generation.

F.      You must know that knowing God starts with repentance.

30 The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent,

Romans 3:25 25 whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice,[a] through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God’s forbearance;

Now it’s amazing how quickly Paul moves to repentance.  Notice that he mentions repentance before he even mentions Jesus.  Look at the order again.  First people have to know there is a god, the God. They have to then know that He wants them to be in relationship with them, so he has revealed Himself.  They have to know that they have been doing it wrong, and need to repent.

1 Thessalonians 1:9 For they themselves report concerning us what kind of a reception we had from you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God,

Even before Jesus is presented, this is what people need to know about God.  And isn’t this the sum of the Old Testament?

The Old Testament starts with God creating everything, God establishing law, man breaking the law, God calling them back to Him, His requirement of repentance.

G.    You must know that God will judge through His Son.

31 because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.”

The last thing they need to know about God is that He will judge through His Son, and by the way, His Son died and rose from the grave. 

Psalm 96:13 13     before Yahweh; for he comes,
    for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
    the peoples with his truth.

Isaiah 11:1-4  A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse,
    and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit.
Yahweh’s Spirit will rest on him:
    the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the spirit of counsel and might,
    the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Yahweh.
His delight will be in the fear of Yahweh.
He will not judge by the sight of his eyes,
    neither decide by the hearing of his ears;
but he will judge the poor with righteousness,
    and decide with equity for the humble of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
    and with the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked.

Some believed, others mocked, others delayed a decision.

32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, “We want to hear you again concerning this.”

33 Thus Paul went out from among them. 34 But certain men joined with him and believed, among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.