The Men of Athens
Acts 17:16-34
February 17, 2013
We are presently in the middle of Paul’s second missionary journey.
• It started with a disagreement.
• That disagreement led to division.
• And the trip was finally orchestrated through diversion.
God supernaturally led Paul, Silas, and Timothy into Europe.
We call it “The Macedonian Call”
And the first part of Paul’s trip in Macedonia
Was certainly a tribute to the SOVEREIGN PLAN OF GOD.
• God led Paul to Macedonia
• God opened Lydia’s heart
• God sent the earthquake to free Paul
God was moving and Paul was working with Him.
The second part of this trip focuses on the SINISTER WORK OF SATAN.
As we said last week, the trip ends while really highlighting
Three groups of people who opposed Paul in one way or another.
• We have the Jews of Thessalonica
• We have the Men of Athens
• We have the Jews of Corinth
We saw the Jews of Thessalonica last week.
Their opposition came in the form of a senseless mob.
• They weren’t noble-minded like the Bereans.
• They didn’t search the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was true.
• They weren’t concerned about righteousness or truth.
Their only objective was defending their tradition.
So they gathered wicked men, they stirred up the crowds
And they had Paul run out of town.
And if you remember their accusation was priceless.
Acts 17:6 “When they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have upset the world have come here also;”
They saw Paul as on who had “upset the whole world”.
And what a great compliment to be given to a Christian!
We aren’t here to turn the world upside down,
We are here to turn the world right side up.
We understand that the world is passing away and also it’s lusts.
We understand that this whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
Absolutely we are trying to “upset the whole world”
But the world hated it and opposed Paul.
We learned that when you upset the world the only thing to do is endure.
And that is precisely what Paul did.
Run out of Thessalonica, Paul just preached in Berea.
Of course those Jews from Thessalonica followed him
And Paul was run out of Brea too.
And now we get to the second group of opposers.
We find them in Athens.
These men aren’t mob formers.
These men are mockers.
Not only does our message upset the whole world,
But our message is foolish to this world.
1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
• The message of the cross was not conceived in the mind of man.
• The message of the cross is not understood by the intellect of man.
• The path to salvation is not learned in the schools of man.
It is a message that flies in the face of human logic.
Of course that is why the Christian is commanded:
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”
That is why Paul told the Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 3:18-20 “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS”; and again, “THE LORD KNOWS THE REASONINGS of the wise, THAT THEY ARE USELESS.”
And because that is true of the gospel,
Christians can expect a certain amount of scorn and ridicule
From the educated elite of our society.
And incidentally folks, just as we have all seen our share of mobs,
We have also seen our share of mockers.
And probably what bothers me more than anything is
The poor way much of Christianity has sought to respond to them.
In too many circles Christians have sought to
Try and argue the educated on their own terms.
There has been a real push toward what is called “apologetics”.
Now that word merely indicates a “defense of the faith”, and that is good.
Jude told us to “contend earnestly for the faith”
The question is: HOW DO YOU DO THAT?
• When faced with the intellectuals of our day…
• When faced with the educated elite…
• When faced with the PhD’s of our time…
HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO ARGUE WITH THEM?
Many have sought to do so on their terms.
• We see Christians seeking out scientific proofs of the doctrines they believe.
• We see Christians seeking out philosophical proofs of the doctrines they believe.
• We see Christians trying to prove Christianity with solid evidence.
And the idea is to be able to go on Larry King or Oprah or Dr. Phil
And be able to speak of our faith in an educated way
And deliver solid proofs of our faith.
Some say this is the way to win the argument
And make Christianity relevant.
It seems more to me like this is how many Christians
Are trying to keep from looking foolish.
But the reality is looking foolish was always part of the plan.
We were not put here to prove that we aren’t as crazy as we sound.
We were put here to bear witness to truth that will always look foolish.
And the way we bear this witness is not by winning a scientific argument.
1 Peter 2:15 “For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.”
The reality is that men were never argued into the Kingdom of heaven.
They are only led into the kingdom by the truth of God
And the conviction of the Spirit.
And tonight we have the privilege of seeing a man
Come up against the intellectuals of his day
And give us a prime example of how to deal with them.
So let’s look at our text. – 3 things
#1 THE OPPRESSION
Acts 17:16-21
In the previous text we talked about the oppression of the Thessalonian Jews.
They sought to oppose and squash Paul.
But that was outer oppression.
This oppression is totally opposite.
Here Paul faces and inner oppression.
(16) “Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols.”
The word “provoked” literally means “to become angry or infuriated”
It is very similar to the fire Jeremiah had in his bones.
Jeremiah 20:9 “But if I say, “I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name,” Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it.”
As Paul walked around Athens, before he had any conversations,
He felt a very severe and serious oppression of the soul.
Paul saw a “city full of idols”
And you have to understand the oppression.
Indeed every Christian should feel such an oppression at idolatry.
Isaiah 42:8 “I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.”
Isaiah 48:11 “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another.”
God doesn’t share His glory,
And yet all over Athens people were giving the glory that belongs to God
And ascribing it to their false man-made deities.
These people didn’t even realize what they were doing,
But it was a heavy oppression upon the heart of Paul.
And this inner fire forced him to speak up.
(17) “So he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be present.”
Paul sets out to speak, not only to the synagogue (which was his custom),
But also to all the idolaters on the street.
He wanted Jew and Gentile alike
To start worshiping the true God in the right way.
But this inner oppression wasn’t the only hardship he would face.
His oppression began as an internal agitation.
Now his oppression MOVES EXTERNAL.
(18-20) “And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. Some were saying, “What would this idle babbler wish to say?” Others, “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,” — because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is which you are proclaiming? “For you are bringing some strange things to our ears; so we want to know what these things mean.”
We clearly see this external oppression just in the fact that
They called Paul an “idle babbler”.
But you can hear their scorn in more than just that.
• They also called him “a proclaimer of strange deities”
• They actually brought him to the “Areopagus” (the place where Socrates was condemned) and basically put him on trial.
And again in verse 20 “you are bringing some strange things to our ears”.
These men are not curious.
These men are not under conviction.
These men are seeking to make a public spectacle of Paul.
This is a plot to publicly debate and humiliate him.
Notice verse 21, “(Now all the Athenians and the strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.)”
They weren’t searching for truth, they just loved a good debate.
Ever watch a political talk show on television?
(Doesn’t matter if you are more of a Fox News or NBC type person)
Fox News brings many democrats on their show.
NBC brings many republicans on their show.
And they do so because all they care about is finding the truth – right?
Wrong! The whole purpose is to get them to talk, cut them off,
And then spin their statement to make their argument look foolish.
That is what they are about to do to Paul.
Bring him and his strange views on.
We’ll listen, debate, and humiliate.
And it brings us back to the point we made a moment ago.
HOW DOES A CHRISTIAN DEAL WITH THE INTELLECTUALLY EDUCATED WHO ONLY WISH TO HUMILIATE HIM?
Well, I am thankful that Paul was in this predicament,
Because he handled this situation with flying colors.
So you see the oppression
#2 THE OPPORTUNITY
Acts 17:22-31
Here Paul gets his chance to speak.
• You won’t find him greasing the ears of those listening.
• You won’t find him trying to argue on an intellectual level.
• You won’t find him trying to make himself look smart.
You will find him boldly proclaiming the facts about God,
With a trust in God’s truth and willingness to let God’s Spirit work.
THE FIRST THING WE SEE IS PAUL’S INTRODUCTION.
(22-23) “So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. “For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.”
Now Paul really does two main things here.
1) He acknowledges their spirituality
2) He exposes their ignorance
He could walk around the city and see that
They were “very religious in all respects”
They had idols for everything.
• This was Athens, the home of Greek mythology.
• These were some of the most mystical people on earth.
In fact, they were so mystical
They even had an altar “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD”
The reality is that everything IS under the sovereign hand of deity.
We know who that deity is; they didn’t.
Now follow Paul’s reasoning.
By having an altar “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD”
YOU ARE ADMITTING that there is at least one thing that you don’t know.
You are ignorant of at least one thing.
That wasn’t his evaluation, that was their evaluation.
“Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.”
And incidentally I think Athens
Was a pretty good foreshadow of our world today.
We also are very religious in all respects.
We also are fascinated with strange deities.
Spiritualism is very popular in our country.
Even celebrities are constantly talking about their religious experiences.
• Tom Cruise loves scientology
• Oprah Winfrey constantly spoke of spiritualism in some weird way
• Recently I read an article about Meagan Fox who likes to speak in tongues.
Oddly enough the interview was in regard to a sheer lingerie add she had recently shot; ad interview were she also dropped several F-bombs;
but in the interview she went on to say this about her experience speaking in tongues:
“It feels like a lot of energy coming through the top of your head… and then your whole body is filled with this electric current. And you just start speaking, but you’re not thinking because you have no idea what you’re saying. Words are coming out of your mouth, and you can’t control it,” … “The idea is that it’s a language that only God understands. It’s the language that’s spoken in heaven. It’s called ‘getting the Holy Ghost.'”
Our society is enamored with spirituality,
But do not confuse this with a genuine love for God or Christianity.
Spirituality is not Christianity
Christians are not seeking mystical, ecstatic experience.
Christians are seeking the righteousness only Christ can provide.
There is a major difference.
And so when Paul stands to speak to these Athenians, I think we clearly understand the relevance of what it is to speak to the mockers of our day.
Now, in verses 24-31 Paul simply gives 7 facts about God.
This isn’t a persuasive message,
This isn’t a message meant to make Paul look smart.
This is simply a message to make the unknown God become known.
Look at these 7 here quickly.
1) HIS EXISTENCE (24)
I told you that the men of Athens were very religious.
In fact, it was the center of Greek mythology.
Regardless of the gods found in Athens, one thing stood in common.
The gods were all relatively small.
Now, they would not come out and say so,
But it was evident in their theology in that each of them
Had their own temple in which they dwelled
And no doubt they would have also built a nice little cozy temple for our God too, if they only knew who He was, but Paul attacks that fallacy first.
Our God could not possibly dwell in a temple.
WHY?
He is “The God who made the world and all things in it” and “He is Lord of heaven and earth” He could not possibly “dwell in temples made with hands.”
In fact, when Solomon built that first temple for God he said:
2 Chronicles 2:5-6 “The house which I am about to build will be great, for greater is our God than all the gods. “But who is able to build a house for Him, for the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him? So who am I, that I should build a house for Him, except to burn incense before Him?”
Even Solomon knew, the temple was not to hold God
And that is what Paul points out.
God is real, He is so real in fact
That He is the God who created everything you see.
Our God is the real God who created everything.
And “He is Lord of heaven and earth”
Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
And because He is the Creator,
He is also the One this world will answer to.
SOMETHING EVERYONE NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND:
We are called now to submit to Christ as Lord,
But don’t treat the invitation as though it is an optional choice.
Today someone will say,
That God has given man the “free-will” to accept or reject Him.
No, He hasn’t.
“Every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”
God has so orchestrated it that you will submit to Him.
You will either do it now and enjoy salvation,
Or you will do it later in the midst of destruction.
But He is real, and you will submit.
“He is Lord of heaven and earth”
His Existence
2) HIS POWER (25)
The next attribute Paul wanted these people to know about God
Is that He didn’t require any help from them at all.
Greek mythological gods all had special powers, but they all,
Like their human inventors also each had crippling weaknesses.
Hermes had a propensity to steal and was known as a cheater and thief
Aphrodite had many love affairs
Dionysus was given to drunkenness and was effeminate
Zeus was given to lust and a wandering eye, even to human women
And because their gods were beset with human weakness, there were also obvious times when their gods could need help.
But the true God is not like these.
“nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything,”
Psalms 50:10-12 “For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. “I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. “If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains.”
The true God, is not beset with weakness,
Nor does He need anything from humanity.
Rather, “He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things.”
It is not He who comes to you for help,
But it is you who should go to Him for help.
He is God, and He is powerful.
3) HIS SOVEREIGNTY (26)
Not only does the true God exist as creator of all things, and not only is He powerful, but the true God is also sovereign over His creation.
That means that the true God even determined your life.
Every human ever born was determined by God.
Where he would live, when he would live, etc.
“having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,”
The true God is not controlled by His creation,
Rather He sits in control of His creation.
Jeremiah 10:11-16 “Thus you shall say to them, “The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.” It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens. When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, And He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, And brings out the wind from His storehouses. Every man is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols; For his molten images are deceitful, And there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work of mockery; In the time of their punishment they will perish. The portion of Jacob is not like these; For the Maker of all is He, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; The LORD of hosts is His name.”
God is real, God is powerful, God is sovereign
4) HIS INTENTION (27)
Paul even throws in, what it is that God intends,
By placing each man exactly where He placed them.
The intention of God is that His creation would seek Him.
In fact God intends that they would grope for Him,
And as a result of this seeking that they would find Him.
The Bible teaches that there is a partial knowledge of God all around us.
Both the conscience of man, and the creation of God testify of God.
Romans 1:19-20 “because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”
That testimony is not sufficient to save us,
But it is sufficient to motivate us to seek the source of it.
If you see a building, then you know it had a builder.
If you see a painting, then you know it had an artist.
If you see a design, then you know there was a designer.
Everything around us points to a creator,
The idea is that we as humans would seek to know the Creator.
It is God’s intention that you seek Him and find Him.
Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”
God is real, He is powerful, He is sovereign, and He expects to be sought
5) HIS PROVISION (28)
Not only is He the author of life, and sovereign over life,
But it is only because of Him that LIFE CONTINUES TO EXIST.
“in Him we live and move and exist”
Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
And that is not some foreign new concept.
Even the pagan philosophers in Athens had enough sense to recognize that something, somewhere had to keep life going.
“as even some of Your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’”
The point is, every man, should recognize that there is a true God
Who does indeed provide for life.
“I KNOW THAT GOD HAS ALWAYS BEEN WITH ME”
(Man in Florida airport)
WELL – DUH!
That is one of His key attributes.
He is the source of life and provider of all good things.
James 1:17 “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”
His Existence, His Power, His Sovereignty, His Intention, His Provision
6) HIS DUE (29)
This really speaks not only of who He is,
But is also a type of invitation or expectation.
“Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, and image formed by the art and thought of man.”
Not only did Paul want them to recognize there is one true God,
Paul also wanted them to quit dumbing Him down to their level.
God is not formed in our image, we are formed in His.
God is not created by us, we are created by Him.
We do not move God, God moves us.
We know the 2nd commandment.
No graven images
WHY?
Because every graven image is an insult to the true nature of God.
What are seriously going to compare Him to?
I can explain this, if you need an experiment.
Men, go home tonight and assign a “pet” name to your wife.
I’ll give you a list to choose from.
Cow, Mule, Mare, Hen, Turkey, Pig, etc.
(Let me know how that experiment works for you)
It’s the same with God.
Isaiah 40:25 “To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.”
Are you seriously going to compare God to a horse or an eagle or a golden calf?
And Paul is letting the Athenians know that
God deserves more than they are giving Him.
7) HIS REQUIREMENT (30-31)
And this is really what the Athenians
(and all intellectual people) need to know.
• It doesn’t matter how smart you are.
• It doesn’t matter how much you like your life.
• It doesn’t even matter if you can argue me down.
THE JUDGMENT IS COMING!
Adrian Rogers story – “It is appointed a man once to die and then comes judgment”
Not God has been merciful.
“having overlooked the times of ignorance”
But God is serious
“God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent.”
(It doesn’t get much clearer, and we could say a lot here)
• But the reality is that man has offended God.
• Man is under the judgment of God.
• And man is facing the punishment of God.
Man should repent
“because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the word in righteousness”
God is going to judge.
He is going to do so “through a man whom He has appointed”
That means that one man will be the standard.
WHICH MAN?
The One God raised from the dead.
“having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”
• The resurrection proved the righteousness of Christ.
• The resurrection proved God was pleased with Him.
• The resurrection exalted Christ as the divine standard of judgment.
And so basically if you aren’t as good as Jesus, then you must repent.
This is what God requires.
And so clearly, Paul has given the truth to these Athenians.
• He debate philosophy
• He didn’t try to speak eloquently
• He didn’t try to look smart
When faced with the spiritual mockers in Athens,
Paul stood up and laid down the truth of God’s judgment
And the means of escaping it.
And Paul was willing to let the Holy Spirit do the rest.
The Oppression, The Opportunity
#3 THE OPPOSITION
Acts 17:32-34
You will notice that some instantly hated what they heard.
“some began to sneer”
Others rejected as well, but in a much more noble manner.
“We shall hear you again concerning this.”
WHAT MORE DID THEY NEED TO HEAR?
They were just being eloquent, not repentant.
“But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Aeropagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.”
So some believed, some did not.
And that is all according to the work of the Holy Spirit.
But it didn’t change Paul’s outlook.
It didn’t change Paul’s conviction.
When faced with the MOB who are concerned you are upsetting the world:
Preach truth anyway and turn their world over.
When faced with the MOCKERS who want to intellectually debate you:
Avoid the snare and give the simple truth of judgment and salvation.
Be willing to look a fool for Christ.
Give the gospel and let God do what He will.
There are all kinds of opposition,
But the believer must remain faithful through it all.
1 Peter 3:13-17 “Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.”
