 Chapter 17. Beginning at verse 1. Now when they had passed through amphipolis and Apollonia they came to Thessalonica where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Then Paul as his custom was went into them and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the scriptures explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead and saying this Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ is Messiah and some of them were persuaded and a great multitude of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women joined Paul and Silas but the Jews who were not persuaded becoming envious took some of the evil men from the marketplace and gathering a mob set all the city in an uproar and attack the house of Jason and sought to bring them out to the people. But when they did not find them they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city crying out these who have turned the world upside down have come here too. Jason has harbored them and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar saying there is another king Jesus and they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things so when they had taken security from Jason and the rest they let them go. Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea when they arrived they went to the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica in that they received the word with all readiness and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so therefore many of them believed and also not a few of the Greeks prominent women as well as men. We'll stop right there and begin our study. Now remember that when the Lord Jesus Christ was ministering to his disciples Jesus gave what is called commonly referred to as the Great Commission. Now very often when you think of the Great Commission you think of Matthew chapter 28 especially verses 18 through 20 but this Great Commission is actually repeated not only in in Mark but it's also found in Luke and there's a portion of a commission found in the Gospel of John as well as the book of Acts. So this is something that actually has different facets but one of the things concerning the Great Commission very simply put is that Jesus taught his disciples to take the gospel throughout the world. In Mark 16 verse 15 he said it like this he said go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. So Paul is actually simply doing what Jesus commanded believers to do. He's in an area referred to as Macedonia. He is traveling he's going southwest from the city of Philippi towards the city of Thessalonica and so this is what Paul and his ministry team are doing they are preaching the gospel as well as teaching the things of the Lord. Now his strategy for ministry has been developed. He first enters into the synagogue. Notice how it says in verse 17 when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia they came to Thessalonica where there was a synagogue of the Jews then Paul as his custom was went into them and so he had the habit he developed the habit in his ministry to the Jew first and then to the Gentile. You see this already developing as a pattern in chapter 9 of the book of Acts verse 20 where it says that once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. You saw it in Acts 13 verse 5 where it says when they arrived in Salamis they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues and again in chapter 14 verse 1 at Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue and so Paul would go as his manner was to the Jew first and then to the Gentile. Again I mentioned that he had the commission to take the Gospel to the whole world and that was something that drove him throughout his life. In Psalm 40 it says in verses 9 and 10 I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness in the great assembly indeed I do not restrain my lips oh Lord you yourself know I have not hidden your righteousness within my heart I have declared your faithfulness and your salvation I have not concealed your loving kindness and your truth from the great assembly so there was this there was this directive this command to take the Gospel out. In Romans 15 verse 20 he said it like this he said I made it my aim to preach the Gospel not where Christ was named lest I should build on another man's foundation. I'm taking the word of God out and I'm proclaiming it and I want to make sure that people hear it need to hear it and especially those who've never heard it before and so he had a commission to take the Gospel to the whole world but he also had a desire to preach the word of God to the nation of Israel. Remember Jesus said you shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem Judea so he began with Israel Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth so as a Jew Paul had a special burden for the nation of Israel in Romans 9 2 through 4 he said it like this he said I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart for I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers those of my own race the people of Israel I would give up my salvation so that they might be saved I could never say that but Paul did now he's going in his ministry notice first one again and he comes to a place called Thessalonica. Thessalonica was a major city it was what was called a chief seaport in a region called Macedonia in northern Greece it was a harbour town at that time it was an immense town you see we Americans because we have huge towns huge cities don't really understand how large our cities that we dwell in are now there are those of course who live in small village type places I was speaking to somebody just yesterday who was telling me that this particular town they were referred to had 2500 population and and all and there are of course many many towns and villages in the United States with small populations but we have gotten so used to hearing the number million or several million and we think in terms of cities like New York or San Francisco Los Angeles San Diego Boston these are port cities and there they're cities that have multi millions in populations but during the time of Paul the city of Thessalonica had 200,000 and that was huge by ancient standards and the city being filled with so many people coming and going so many travelers and all was like so many other cities that we see even to this day it was filled with corruption it was filled with sin it was a very difficult place to minister in and so Paul was there in Thessalonica he's going to be doing a work there ultimately as we'll see a church is planted and then Paul later on is going to be writing to the Thessalonians as as we look at this the city has citizens and the citizens of the city are terribly opposed to Christians it also has a rid rigidly religious Jewish population and we're going to see that how how they are very opposed to the message of the gospel and so as he's there in the synagogue according to verse one verse two tells us as it was his custom he went in and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them notice reasoned with them from the scriptures explaining and demonstrating that the Christ the Messiah had to suffer and rise again from the dead and saying this Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ is Messiah Christ is the anointed one Messiah in Hebrew is the anointed one and so the word Christ is simply the Greek version of the word Messiah and so he's speaking concerning that but I want to point a couple things out notice how it says here that he reasoned with them when it says that he reasoned the word reasoned means to argue it means to discuss to dialogue even to dispute and that's what he was doing he was entering in bringing this gospel message discussing with the people disputing with the people and using the Old Testament to point them to Messiah and so these passages that we're looking at reveal Jesus to the people and what God uses to save people because he didn't go in there and sing a song to them he went in there and reasoned with them according to the scriptures and I happen to be one who I love worship I love to sing songs to the Lord as many of us in this room do I love it I love worshiping the Lord in song and and I get thrilled my heart gets really really moved by personal testimonies testimonies of the grace and power of God and when I hear somebody tell the story of how God reached down and touched them it thrills my heart tremendously this upcoming Sunday we're going to have on Sunday morning service Dustin who just returned from Costa Rica on a mission to trip with our kids and some of the adults who just wanted to go to Costa Rica no I'm just kidding he's going to share one of the stories he told me just yesterday I'm not going to tell you it right now I'm not even going to hint to it but I am going to tell you this anyway it's good and I was really I was really blessed really blessed and you'll see what I mean but I'd love to hear personal testimonies I do I love to hear how I was once lost and now I'm found I think that's great but music and personal testimonies alone do not save people we need to remember that what saves people the word of God it's the word of God that God uses to transform people and to save people in John 6 verse 63 Jesus said it is the spirit who gives life the flesh profits nothing the words that I speak to you our spirit and their life in Romans 1 16 I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes for the Jew first and also for the Greek and so Paul is carefully examining and explaining the word of God to them again verse 2 he is reasoning that reasoning not only refers to disputing but it also means to field the questions as he's dialoguing he's presenting to them the claims of Jesus Christ well as this is taking place verse 4 some of them were persuaded and a great multitude of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women joined Paul and Silas and so Gentiles and and women are open to the message and they were persuaded the word persuaded simply speaks of them being convinced the word persuade means to induce someone by words to believe so persuading can also be referring to what we today refer to as the the ministry of apologetics the the explanation and presentation of truth so that people can hear and the spirit will use those things to convince and draw people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and so that's what he's doing he's speaking to them and persuading them and many people it says here in verse 4 a great multitude of devout Greeks not few of the leading women joined Paul and Silas but verse 5 the Jews were not persuaded becoming envious took some of the evil men from the marketplace and gathering a mob set all the city in an uproar and attack the house of Jason and sought to bring them out to the people and so people don't always respond well to the preaching of the gospel and this is a good example of it now when it says the Jews were not persuaded that speaks of a willful rejection it literally speaks of not allowing yourself to be persuaded it's willfully though you see the logic and you see everything that relates to it you still will not allow yourself to be persuaded in that fashion when I was a younger believer into my early walk with the Lord I had a heart at one time and I thought that perhaps Lord is going to lead me in this direction to go into the ministry of apologetics I was very very and still am interested in in scripture and how it pertains to people's religious faiths that are rejecting the faith of Christ and I can tell you that I had more than one conversation with people of other religious faiths or other religious persuasion pseudo Christians and I would open the scripture to them and I'd say what does this say and they would read it and I'd say what does it mean and they would immediately say something like it doesn't mean what you say it's saying that's how they'd respond and I'd say I haven't said anything what does it say then they'll say well that's your interpretation anybody ever hear that that's your interpretation and I would say do you know what the word interpretation means most of us don't so I can make anything up no I said do you know do you know what the word interpret or interpretation means because you say that's my interpretation what's it mean to make plain to make plain to interpret means to make plain this plainly says that Jesus Christ has got in the flesh can you make it more plain than that for me that's your interpretation they willfully will reject you've seen it I've seen it well you'll present the gospel and they harden their heart willfully they intend to reject what's being said and that's what's taking place here they would not be persuaded they rejected it they didn't want to hear it it was a willful rejection they withheld belief they refused belief they refused obedience and it's a willful rejection that is fueled by spiteful envy in Ezekiel chapter 3 verse 7 it says the house of Israel will not listen to you because they will not listen to me for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard hearted in Hebrews 4 verse 2 the gospel was preached to us as well as to them but the word which they heard did not profit them not being mixed with faith in those who heard it and so what do they do as they're willfully rejecting this verse 5 tells us they gathered some of the evil men of the neighborhood and they attacked they gathered the wicked and lazy men who are hanging around the marketplace and these were the types of men that would easily be encouraged to create some trouble and so verse 5 says they attacked the house of Jason and sought to bring them out to the people Jason would appear to have been a believer who was hosting Paul and the ministry team well in verse 6 it says but when they did not find them they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city crying out these who have turned the world upside down have come here too they accused them of disturbing the peace of preaching and illicit religion and advocating another king which would be sedition it says in verse 7 Jason has harbored them and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar saying there is another king Jesus so they're bringing a legal claim against them and what they're doing is they're twisting the law in order to suit their own ends now isn't it interesting how that happened then how people would use the law or opinions or whatever that they felt were you know lining up more with the cultural mores and norms how it happened then but it doesn't happen now isn't that interesting trusting the law to suit their own their own means their own ends I was reading something I usually don't go in this direction I will for a moment if you don't mind because he came to mind as I was reading and studying this today in June this this June just you know a month ago there was a confirmation hearing for the office of deputy director of the office of management in budget and the nominee was a man by the name of Russell and I don't know how to pronounce his last name it's B O U G H T I'll say about or bot I don't know I don't know but to say but anyway I'm sorry Russell is a Christian and he wrote an article for the website the resurgent and in his article he expressed solidarity with Wheaton which is a university Wheaton's firing of a professor aligning with Islam it's a Christian a Christian university Billy Graham was highly involved in Wheaton University in Holland and he wrote an opinion piece for them saying that he aligned with the school's decision to let go of a professor who was was was saying that Islam worships the same God as is as Christians and all and he wrote an opinion piece and all and he said this he said Muslims do not simply have a deficient theology they do not know God because they have rejected Jesus Christ his son and they stand condemned so so in this he is stating a basic principle which is a Christian truth salvation is found in Christ that is such a basic thing but Bernie Sanders felt the burn himself Bernie got upset and so he said in my view that at the confirmation hearing in my view the statement made by Mr. Vaught is indefensible it is hateful it is Islamophobic and it is an insult to over a billion Muslims throughout the world this country since its inception has struggled sometimes with great pain to overcome discrimination of all forms we must not go backwards and so here you go I'm going to take a moment with you but I am illustrating this hopefully it'll make some sense this is what is referred to as a religious litmus test which is not part of the confirmation hearings for political offices so in essence he was saying it's okay for public servants to be Christians as long as they do not believe Christian things and that there is no place in public office for a Christian who believes elementary doctrine that all Christians have believed for 2,000 years and so say it quickly our culture over the last several years has become so hypersensitive to whether or not something could or could not be true and very hypersensitive to the Christian the only Christian claims the Christian gospel that even today people will say that you don't have a right to believe what you do not in public and you can't be elected to a position in a public office if you really do believe the things the Bible teaches which anybody who's a bit older would know that there was a time and some of you youngsters won't know this but there was a time when if a man was running for a political office and he did not claim to have a religious faith of any sort he wouldn't be elected he wouldn't be elected because people did not trust a person who had no faith America wouldn't they would not elect them today because of the educational system that is so quote-unquote progressive Chris that you can you can believe almost anything you can believe that God is a cumquat if you want but you cannot you cannot believe the gospel of Jesus Christ and proclaim it in your classroom you know that and I know that one of them one former member of our church came and spoke to me at one point and said because she worked in a school she said I've been told that I have to remove my Bible from my desk because it's offensive to people and but but if what would happen if she had a Quran on her desk see we've bent over backwards to a comedy that's what we're doing right now and that's not new I mean that's what is happening in the time of Paul when he enters into Thessalonica and they're stirring them up and bringing this accusation and saying these people are are preaching things that are contrary to what is legal for us to believe and so it says in this I love this phrase here in verse 6 it says at the last portion these who have turned the world upside down have come here too now that's something very powerful they're turning the world upside down what they really were doing is turning the world right side up and they were doing that by the Spirit of God and the Word of God and what did God that that charge could be leveled once again at the church these people are turning the world upside down well they had gone to find find the apostles in the ministry team they couldn't so they dragged Jason and some brethren before the magistrates and all and so they made their accusation and it says in verse 9 when they had taken security from Jason and the rest they let them go in other words they posted bond like today that bond would be forfeited if it's violated well in verse 10 the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea when they arrived they went into the synagogue of the Jews these were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica in that they received the word with all readiness and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so therefore many of them believed and also not a few of the Greeks promise a few of the Greeks prominent women as well as men and so many believed I don't want you to notice that because the scriptures validated the message what they did when they went into Berea as they encountered noble-minded Jews who are willing to hear and were willing to test what was said and so as they heard was being said they took the word they searched the scriptures they wanted to find out whether these things are so the result was many of them believed and again we at one time we would refer to our men's men's studies here were Bereans because we like the model of this to hear and to test does the scripture say that because if it doesn't say it why would I believe that if it does then I'll embrace it and so that's what they were and when it says fair-minded it's another way of saying they were noble they were more noble or fair-minded noble-minded than the Thessalonians why because they listened and searched the scripture verse 13 but when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea they came there also and stirred up the crowds then immediately the brethren sent Paul away to go to the sea but both Silas and Timothy remained there so those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens and receive an account command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed they departed so driven by envy the enemies of the gospel are pursuing Paul in order to cause more problems the the response was that the brethren sent Paul away to go to the sea but Silas and Timothy remained so to protect Paul from further danger Afi goes to the city of Athens now what happens when Paul is there by himself waiting I love this here we go I love it now well Paul was there drinking a cappuccino no it says well while Paul waited for them at Athens you have to picture that this amazing city intellectual center Paul is there this small Jewish man by historic records there are no biblical descriptions of Paul though he alludes to some things of himself that have caused some of the early descriptions of Paul to seem to be justified because early church writings when speaking of Paul the Apostle I don't know what you picture Paul like you may picture Paul as a kind of like a husky Rambo you know but but when descriptions when you read descriptions of Paul they say he had a large nose he had his had a back that had a bit of a bulge that he was very short he had spindly legs his eyes were bulging and not a very attractive picture when you read some of his comments like to the Galatians he said to the Galatians I bear witness that you would have given me your own eyes if you'd have been able that gives us some insight that there was something wrong with his eyes because he says that you'd have given me your own eyes if you could have when you read 2nd Corinthians and you start seeing the things they say about him he is weak he is lowly they're given to us a picture of the Apostle Paul so you have to picture this man he was small he could have looked a bit frail he certainly didn't look healthy and there he is in this magnificent city called Athens the intellectual center and instead of becoming a tourist taking selfies of himself in different places what he does is he gets stirred notice it says well 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 so that is the heart of ministry when your heart is stirred by the lost condition of people by the way that is somewhat unusual today people think that Christians it's okay again for you to believe what you believe but just kind of keep it to yourself and please don't go over the top with this if you want to believe that's fine but but don't bother grandma and and don't tell your dad and why are you causing disruption in family circles when we're having Thanksgiving and you want to pray I had somebody upset at me this is true somebody upset at me because they came to a wedding here and they thought it was too religious we're living in odd times odd times one of my former staff members was doing a funeral and one of the the children of the deceased I believe was one of the children of the deceased the relative for sure of the deceased was a Hell's Angel who walked up to the minister and said if you bring up Jesus Christ I'm going to beat you up and that at that moment I said to myself I'm glad it's you and not me I'll pray for you bro I'll pray for you I will I mean there are people who get very upset they get provoked in everything so so when someone actually has a sincere passion for the things of the Lord it is kind of unusual today and people even the church itself becomes uneasy to see that person so aflame for the gospel I'm telling you that's a fact there's no doubt about that people get kind of like even the church can't cool it man I was sharing this years ago I was going with some friends and somebody was invited to go with us and I was talking to this person and and there were five of us and this other one so there were six all together and I was seated next to them and I asked them the question when did you give your heart to Christ and why haven't you're not a Christian no why not why not why aren't you Christian and we had a conversation and I'm in a carload of Christians except for one person and we get out and we're walking and one of my friends walks up to me and says man you shouldn't have done that I should shouldn't have done what you shouldn't have told them like that because it makes them uneasy so you want them to smile on the way to hell you don't want them uneasy you know what I'm saying guys do you understand what I'm trying to say I think the church really is too quiet sometimes as a matter of fact often it's not that we should be pugnacious and we certainly shouldn't be belligerent and we shouldn't be argumentative I'm not saying that I'm not saying go in with a Bible chip on your shoulder and say knock it off knock it off John 3 16 I'm not saying that what I'm saying is be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within you be ready because there are so many people who need to know the Lord Jesus Christ and this is where it begins he's looking at this magnificent beautiful city and the tourists and those who would show up would look at this amazing city and they would say look at that architecture look at the intellectualism that's here all the all the art and all the philosophers and all the history and and all of that is interesting to me like it is to you but Paul as he's there saying but they're lost this entire city is given over to idolatry and so what does he do well in verse 17 he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshippers and in the marketplace daily for those who happen to be there he was angry he was provoked why was he provoked why was he angry while he was angry because he saw the slavery that the Greeks were in the slavery to idolatry he was angry at the enemy for blinding these people there have been times and I don't say this with the intent to be dramatic but there have been times in the past especially when my children were in their teen years and going through some tough times some of you have had teenage children and I have literally I have literally been on my face before the Lord in my bedroom and I have literally been praying for my kids and I have said out loud to the enemy be honest with you I don't pray to the enemy but I have spoken to him and I said you can't have them they don't belong to you they belong to Jesus Christ you cannot have them and and that's that's the provoked you have that you know what I'm saying I don't say that to be dramatic I say that truthfully you can't have them I will not let them go you cannot have them because your heart is provoked and you don't want them to be lost so you pray and so Paul is there his spirit is provoked within him when he saw the city was given over to idols therefore he reasoned he wanted them to know the gospel well as this is taking place verse 18 certain Epicurean and stoic philosophers encountered him and some said what does this babbler want to say others said he seems to be a proclamer of foreign gods because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection so he's in what is called the agora the marketplace and he now encounters these Greek intellectual elites the epicureans are mentioned as well as the stoics epicureans were were materialists they they taught the avoidance of pain and the pursuit of pleasure the stoics believed that mastery of self is the greatest virtue and indifference to pain and pleasure is to be sought we still use the term epicurean and stoic you'll speak of an epicurean as a person who likes to eat fine foods and all you speak about a person who's stoic meaning that he persists even against opposition he's going to make it and those words are still within our vocabulary well this is the response of these intellectuals they speak of him as a babbler now that's interest that's an insult what does this babbler want to say the word babbler means seed picker someone who picks up thoughts from various sources and passes them off as profound with no personal depth it is one of those snob statements you know where you're speaking to somebody and what is your intellectual magnitude what degrees have you earned well you know I haven't gotten a degree well I have my PhD and and then then after you get off the floor because you're so impressed with them you know I mean they they get caught up with with their and that's what it is who are you and what right do you have to speak to me you don't know anything you don't even have a high school diploma or you're hardly I eat who are you now one of the things and I'll say it quickly like I can but one of the things I'll say somewhat quickly is that Paul was the premier intellectual of his day if he wanted to argue philosophically none of them could have matched him none of them could have and so the insult that they're bringing is unwarranted but that was their attitude and it says in verse 18 he seems to be a proclamer of foreign gods because he preached them Jesus and the resurrection Jesus and the resurrection the word resurrection in the Greek language is Anastasis that's a Greek word Anastasis what they thought is that who is preaching two different gods Jesus and Anastasis and so they thought that Jesus Christ was preaching a goddess and so as this is going on verse 19 they took him and brought him to the Aropagus saying may we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak that's the Aropagus is in what is called Mars Hill for you are bringing some strange things to our ears therefore we want to know what these things mean notice verse 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 boy is that common to this day now they went to the Aropagus the Aropagus is where the wisest of the population actually made various kinds of judgments it was like a court and that's what they did they want to hear these things he's they say because these are strange things and we want to know what they mean but the verse that I find fascinating in a way is verse 21 when it says 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 they wanted to hear something new which is is certainly the the intellectual bent of many today if it's novel it must be true if I've never heard it before it must have depth and they were those who like to tell or hear something that was new that made them broad in their knowledge but shallow in understanding Paul speaks in second Timothy 3 verse 7 of those who are always learning and never coming to a knowledge of the truth always accumulating information but never settling on anything specifically and there are people to this day who like to hear some new thing because they like to quote this new author they like to speak of this new subject and they get thrilled by it now there's nothing wrong with the continual education there's nothing wrong with reading I think it's great of course and and pursuing a good education in in in a college that won't make it their aim to destroy your faith is is nothing wrong with that either of course I'm not saying that but there is a bent that some people have that they want to hear the newest and the latest because if they have the newest and latest then they're able to present it as if they're very deep and a lot of people are very very broad in their knowledge they can speak about a lot of things but they are shallow in their understanding they don't have a death to them at all because they're so busy accumulating information that they never really think things through Psalm 119 verse 99 says it like this I have more understanding than all my teachers for your testimonies are my meditation if you want to have true knowledge it comes through the word of God so Paul gets his opportunity verse 22 Paul stood in the midst of the Eropagus 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 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 nor is he worshiped with men's hands as though he needed anything since he gives to all life breath and all he gives to all life breath and all things and he has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings so that they should seek the Lord in the hope that he that they might go for him and find him though he is not far from each of us each one of us 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 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 or man's devising truly these things 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 when they heard the resurrection of the dead some mocked while others said we'll hear you again on this matter so Paul departed from among them however some men joined him and believed among them Dionysius the Arapagite a woman named Damaris and others with them so let's touch on this for a moment here what is he doing well first he points out their superstition he's given the gospel if you will a portions of it at least that are recorded for us to the Athenian intellectuals but keep in mind what he had said to the Corinthians in 1st Corinthians 1 26 when he said brothers think of what you were when you were called not many of you were wise by human standards not many were influential not many were of noble birth the gospel of Jesus Christ from the very beginning has always been better received by what the Scripture would refer to as the common people the down-to-earth people would dirt under their finger fingernails people just the blue collars to be honest with you it's always been well received by them and then there's always been intellectuals who have said well of course these are people who cling to their guns and their God that's what intellectuals have said about us forever in one form or another yeah of course you do you're simple-minded you don't have depth you haven't got the capacity to really reason through and there's so many things out there you have no understanding nor grasp of of course you're going to believe in the simple things get up in the morning eat some breakfast go out and work for a few hours do your do your labor come home watch TV for a while then go to bed yeah that's your life but you don't understand what it's like to be able to really taste the finer things of life I mean you like to go out and you like to eat a steak where I like to eat snails you know I'm that's the intellectual now we've tasted these things and they're good and so what happens is is they will put you down and so you know it is very often the common people who hear the gospel most clearly because it is so down to earth for them to what he is saying is you're very religious but you're very spiritually blind you even have noticed verse 23 even have an altar to the unknown God you have various altars up here and worship it all is occurs here but you put one to the unknown God in case you forgot one was forgotten and this God that you have put in case we forgot this one this is the God that you worship without knowing this is the God that I've come to explain to you you see the God who made the world and everything in it is in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and so what he's doing here is he speaking this is a very basic tactic in proclaiming the gospel is he's calling their attention to creation he's saying that there the fact that there is a God can be known he's a creator but he is not contained by his creation he's saying he is above it he is not part of it he says in verse 24 that he's the ruler of all things because he created all things in Psalm 24 verse 1 the earth is the Lord's and all it contains the world and those who dwell in it he's pointing to God as the creator of all things he doesn't dwell in man-made earthly temples God in reality created his own temple he created the temple to dwell in and it's your body we are the temple of the spirit of God and the spirit of God dwells in us if you're born again he doesn't dwell in temple made with human hands God created his own temple and has chosen to dwell within us when we receive him as our Lord and Savior in verse 25 isn't worshiped with men's hands as though he needed anything because he's the one who gives and he needs nothing from us in Job 41 11 who has preceded me that I should pay him everything under heaven is mine in 1st Corinthians 1026 it says the earth is the Lord's and all its fullness now he's just giving an argument from conscience and creation the fact that you know there's a right and know there's a wrong is one of the ways that you can know that there's a God who established what is right and what is wrong you can go to anywhere and and I'll say it this way I was I was in a cultural anthropology class at Cal State Fullerton when I was a young man and the professor of the cultural anthropology class was an atheist and he was speaking to us about universal something that you find in every culture in every culture there are songs in every culture there are and you know different you know just so many things that are universal then he was speaking about universals and he started asking the students can you is that for me he started I hope that's Jesus he was asking the students he was asking the students to to cry out what is a universal what is found in every culture marriage is found in every culture things like that and finally one of the students said religion and the professor said that's one thing I hate to admit but that's true in every culture on the face of the earth there is a religious faith that's what Paul's alluding to that God created the heavens in the earth he doesn't need temples made by human hands seeing that he made all things no man has ever first given to him that God should repay him God is God that's the point he's making not only is he evident by by conscience because of the good and the evilest since I did right I did wrong and rules and regulations and laws and things within every every every culture but he also has given to us not only creation and conscience but also creation every house is built by some man the writer of Hebrew says and you build all things as God you didn't drive by an empty lot today yesterday and today drive by and see a house there and it just exploded into existence and and anybody any architect knows any any construction worker knows that a house is built by an individual there needs to be designed and then he needs to be work on it and that's simply what the writer of Hebrews is saying every house is built by some man he who built all things as God and so you actually have to educate somebody into atheism they are not born your children were not born if you're a parent they're not born atheists they're made atheists they're convinced that there's no God but they're not born that way because there's something within us there's eternity in our hearts the writer of Ecclesiastes says and so it's making it very clear there amen amen now verse 26 is interesting you guys are really going for it tonight huh verse 26 amen he has made he has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings there is no superior nation including the Greeks who thought they were superior no superior nation how I want to say something real quick I was gonna I'll say it real quick I've been saying that all night huh he has made from one blood every nation of men you know my wife gave me as a present a DNA test that was kind of cool what is my DNA make up right I'm a human being right well let me I want to say this real quickly seven percent Irish interesting top of the morning to you one percent Nigerian I like Motown and five percent from the Caucasus region which lends itself all the way into the Middle East thirty six percent Spanish thirty nine percent Native American and why am I telling you that I'm fascinated with that but so which one of those people groups do I love the most how can you how can you love one more than the other when you're made up of so many different so are you so are us all of us are one percent Micronesian Hawaiian hang loose I mean no wonder I like a loha shirts I mean what I'm saying what I'm saying is you know one of the biggest problems we have today and you know this I'm just saying it briefly so we forget we belong to each other we forget that we have to be careful with this because we can become those who are proud of this and I reject you for you're not this be careful be careful my grandchildren my my Corinne my babies Josiah and my two girls Sophie and Stella Scottish English and then Mexican Cuban Marise Cuban you know why does she like so cigars and she has Cuban my my my my David's babies Nicaraguan Puerto Rican Mexican my my Anna's baby Puerto Rican Mexican which one do I love most and which part of them do I love the most or don't I just love them and can't we just love each other can't we just love each other without looking at other things can't we see Christ in each other can't we see the body of Christ can't we see that that's really where it's at that's in man that's that's that's where it's at with that's what Christianity is and so this is a powerful verse here he has made from one blood every nation Adam and Eve all of us are are descended and that's the point so what do we do so that we may seek the Lord verses 27 through 29 see creation should cause people to seek the Creator and he points out your own point your own poets have recognized this to be so in other words a God revealed in nature when he speaks concerning that in verse 2080 says some of your own poets have said we are also his offspring so instead of being idolaters you ought to seek to know the God who created all things now in verses 30 and 31 these times of ignorance God overlooked but now he commands people everywhere to repent so now they get accountable he's revealing Jesus you revealed your ignorance by your altar to the unknown God is what he's saying but now you have been informed of who this God is and now you are accountable you have heard and now you must repent now as he concludes he emphasizes the resurrection from the dead and for them you went too far this is intellectually stumbling it's like what he said in 1 Corinthians 1 22 through 24 Jews request a sign Greeks seek after wisdom but we preach Christ crucified to the Jews a stumbling block to the Greeks foolishness but to those who are called both Jews and Greeks Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God now when they speak concerning that he speaks concerning that and says God is appointed a day in which he will judge the world through this man who he raised from the dead finally verse 32 when they heard the resurrection the dead some mocked others said we'll hear you again on this matter Paul departed from among them however some men joined him and believed among them Dionysius the aropagite which means that he was member of the judges up there in the aropagus a very esteemed man and a woman named Damaris and others with them there was what we would call a small response well perhaps he learned something because he said this and I'll close with this first Corinthians 2 1 and 2 because he goes to current Corinth right after after he's leaving Athens he's gonna go to Corinth and in first Corinthians 2 1 and 2 he said this brethren what I came to you did not come with excellence of speech or wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God for I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified here's the last thought and commentators or commentators who were in agreement with this and that is this I want you to on your own you may want to do this a second time read his message I don't know that that's all he said this is what we have contained in scripture but here you didn't see the cross of Christ you didn't see the message of repentance in the true deeply developed fashion you didn't see that and there are commentators who will say that Paul learned from his experience with the Athenians by appealing to their philosophy and their writers that he had he would have been better to have determined to know nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified so that in other words he would have preached a more clear gospel message and I can say it like this I can say there have been times when I have especially when I was a young college student when I have gotten into conversations with people and I've quoted some of the things that I was learning and I didn't quote scripture and my presentation of why it's reasonable to believe in God fell flat and I learned a long time ago and then that's one of the things you see in this church is to just just remain solidly on Jesus Christ and him crucified because that's what people need to know Jesus Christ and him crucified