Creations Proclamation

Creations Proclamation

2014-02-23

Acts 17:23-25

English Standard Version (ESV)

²³ For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. ²⁴ The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, ²⁵ nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

This addresses the precedent/pattern on how to preach the Gospel to the Biblically illiterate.

·      Paul understood the philosophical positions of his audience & was willing/able to dialogue with their frame of reference before leading them to his.

·      Witnessing: passion alone is not enough. Work with what you know, but keep learning

Paul’s (probably best) starting point of the Gospel to the Biblically illiterate: Creation.

·      Epicureans: believed in the eternity of matter & if gods existed they were above human events.

o   Stoics: were pantheists who believed everything is a part of God, or is composed of God.

·      Greeks had many different creation theories including a form of evolution=Nothing new.

o   The message of a single supreme being who created and who rules over all that exists was foreign to Greeks. Act 17:24, Gen 1:1, Col 1:16, Heb. 3:3-4, Rom 1:19-20

God’s very creation bears the testimony of His existence & His attributes.

·      God's existence is not a provable scientific experiment or a mathematical equation but it is still rational & logical in our cause-and-effect world.   

·                  We live in an immensely complex and orderly universe which clearly exhibits evidence of design not random chance.

§  Design requires a designer, building/builder, program/programmer.

·      Cosmological argument: says everything has a cause but must be an uncaused 1^st cause

o   Explosion of nothing can’t create everything.

·      Reason should send men from the greatest effect (universe) to 1^st cause--God.

o   Natural revelation is insufficient to save. It serves to draw men to seek/find God.

Creation by evolution is evil because it cuts off the reason that leads to God.

·      There are many arguments against evolution: 2^nd law of thermodynamics.

o   No transitional fossils (changes in kind: macro-evolution)

§  Called "gaps" in the fossil record.

o   I'm not going to debate…Bill Nye & Ken Ham just did that.

·      Generally, the problem is not in the reasoning/explanation/info but rather in the rebellion of the heart.

o   God is not hiding from men; men are hiding/running from God. Rom 1:18-23

§  Sinful men do not want accountability to their Creator, rightful ruler.

If people don’t reject God directly then they construct God & a religion to their own liking.

·      This god is impotent and subservient, with a man-centered religion where God needs man to feel good & to accomplish His will.   Act 17:25, Mark 10:45

o   God does not NEED anything from mortals and He is the source of all things.

·      Jesus Christ came not because he needed anything from us, but because we needed him.

o   We were rebels, captives to sin, and destined for righteous judgment, in need of a Savior.

§  Gospel is not "help-wanted" but "help available". No boasting. 

Ultimately, man’s origin is matter of faith in either infinite God or finite man.

·      Man’s theory of evolution says you are a cosmic accident.

·      or faith in a Divine Creator who uniquely, perfectly & intimately created you. Heb. 11:6; John 20:29 & 17:3, 1 Cor. 6:20, Ps 139:13-14

A great God who is knowable & will reveal Himself to you so you may know Him & through that knowledge, glorify Him.

Preaching to Philosophers

Preaching to Philosophers

2014-02-16

Acts 17:16-23

This passage is a classic Biblical confrontation between God's man & Satan's city.

·      Athens in its prime was the political, educational, philosophical center of world…

o   Home of the Parthenon & Plato, Socrates, Aristotle.

·      Now it's only a philosophical center with a world-famous university steeped in idolatry.

o   The pagan writer Petronius said,  “It is easier to find a god in Athens than a man”.

Athens filled Paul with righteous anger & grief, just like Jerusalem moved Jesus to tears & holy anger.

·      He channeled that emotion into action on 2 fronts: the synagogue & the streets. Acts 17:16-17, 1 Cor 9:22-23, 1 Pet 3:15-16

o   Synagogue: prove Jesus was the  long-awaited Messiah…..meaningless to Greeks.

o   Streets: not to philosophize, but discuss, listen, and share the Gospel.

§  Listeners included Epicureans: somewhat atheistic, had the "if it feels good do it" attitude & the Stoics: who were pantheists (god in everything).  Acts 17:18-21

The Gospel was Paul’s motivation & message: Jesus Christ & the resurrection

·      This “new idea” interested philosophers, not "babbler" Paul

o   They thought Paul was a foolish man, advocating for a foolish/worthless religion but Athenian’s listened for sake of curiosity & speculation, not for sake of truth.

§  Intellectual search for truth was more enjoyable than the acceptance of it,

·      He was invited to Areopagus: lit. “hill of Ares” (Greek)/Mars (Roman)

o   Either a place or religious gathering or an educational council that met there.

§  like Wall Street is designated either the street or stock exchange.

He established a common ground: started where they were: Religion Act 17:22-23, Heb 11:6

·      Acknowledging there is a god is a step toward knowing God. 

o   Won't search for a path to a destination you don’t believe exists.

·      Then he used the familiar to introduce the unfamiliar:

o   Altar (not idol) of unknown God (similar to the tomb of unknown soldier).

o   Unknown Altar for fear of missing blessings and receiving punishment.

Perfect entry point to present monotheism (1 true God) to polytheistic/pantheistic people.

·      The altar testified to their religion’s inadequacy & their ignorance.

o   If it was unknown to them, then they’re in total ignorance of his true nature.

§  For Greeks, ignorance was a cardinal sin.

Paul promised to tell them what they did not know—who Unknown God is.

·      Give Athenians info they sought for centuries.

o    “what” not “who” worshiped…. The god/alter was a thing/philosophy not personal God.

Americans are somewhat similar to the Athenians: cultured, pursue new/novel, education, idolatrous.  

·      Many people are religious but reject true God for “gods” of our own.  God is still unknown.

·      Like Athens, our community is filled with lost people & filled with idols to imaginary deities

o   Idols: sports, entertainment (chairs), materialism (cars, tech), info, $ security”, immorality, addictions, religion 1 Jn 2:15-17, Lk 19:41-42, 2 Cor 5:9-11, Philemon 1:6

§  church permeated with man and me-centered Epicurean philosophy.

·      Athens filled Paul with anger & grief like Jerusalem moved Christ to tears and holy anger

o   Does the lostness and coming judgment of people move you to sorrow and then action? 

We don't have to imitate Paul’s every action, but rather imitate his passion for God’s glory, his heart f

The Berean Paradigm

The Berean Paradigm

2014-02-09

Acts 17:10-13

God continued to use persecution and opposition to spread the Gospel.

·      The Uproar in Thessolonica forced Paul and Silas to go to Berea & then Athens.

·      God knew he needed encouragement and refreshment…he found both in Berea.

o   God knows exactly when you need encouragement.

·      We find encouragement & paradigm on how to listen to Word & sermon in the well-known Bereans.  Act 17:10-11

They received the Word with all eagerness.

·      Did not mean they were naive & simply believed everything they heard.

o   it means they were open to the gospel & had not prejudged it or Paul.

§  "noble" -- free from prejudice.

·      There was a sense of anticipation, not a routine or out of mere “Sunday” obligation.

o   We are full of anticipation about certain things…events (football).

§  Are you like that with Scripture & sermons?

o   Guard Sat. nights, pray for Sunday, develop positive listening habits for sermons

The reason for receptivity was a love for God's Word.

·      They examined/researched synagogue OT scrolls to see if what Paul was saying was true.

·      Even a great teacher like Paul was not assumed “right” because he sounded authoritative.

o   No teaching/viewpoint should be blindly accepted on basis of speakers reputation or “confidence”, methodology, claims, academic pedigree.

·      God’s Word is perfect, men are not.

o   Don’t be preoccupied (+/-) with who is saying it but what being said. 

The Word is the standard by which we should evaluate all teaching/conduct.

·      A Sermon is an exposition of Scripture or pontifications of a man, vain philosophies, fashionable therapeutic ideas of modern society?

o   Should have teaching about sin, grace, gospel, holiness.

·      Ask: Who is big in sermon? Preacher, Paul or Jesus Christ.  1 Cor 3:4-5

Like the Berean’s- listen to faithful men carefully, then do your homework. 

·      All principal truths of Scripture can be understood by ordinary Chistians with out any great learning, simply through ordinary means of grace. 1 Jn 2:26-27, 1 Thess 5:12-21

o   Like the Bereans: search Scriptures daily, not just Sunday morning.

·      biblical illiteracy is rampant in the church.

o   63% do not know the 4 gospels; 58% , 5/10; 58%, do not know Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount.

o   The Bible is the worlds bestselling book but is also the most neglected on owners lives.

§  The desire to possess is not matched by desire to know its message.

We can’t trust other men as infallible, neither can we trust our own interpretations as infallible

·      There is a tendency to use Scriptures to confirm/proof text our desires.

·      We need godly, gifted teachers to challenge our interpretations of Word.

The Berean’s obviously loved the Word & sought to live by it. Act 17:11-12, Jam 1:22-25

·      When the Holy Spirit revealed: Jesus did fulfill the OT messianic prophecies, and they responded to word/truth….many believed.

·      Be like the Berean’s: daily take responsibility, be truth seekers: eagerly hear/receive the Word, examine what in light of other Scriptures, then, by grace, walk obediently.