Acts 17:16-34 “Evangelize like Paul”

1:05It was on the internet, so it's got to be true. Well, one of those items that stuck out to me, are you ready? Was the pager. That's right. Maybe only half of the room knows what that thing is. Let me tell you, this device does not call out. It doesn't receive calls. It is useless in an emergency. It doesn't have any games. There are no apps. It can't even tell you the weather because, anyways. But if you can find a phone, you can page someone. You can leave your number so that they have to go find a phone and then they can call you back.

1:58Brilliant. As Pastor Marty would say, it's brilliant. And that's not all. They even come in customizable colors to fit your own personality. No advertising needed because our love and affection for this gadget, this device, leads us to buy one or two, or maybe you had even more, and to share your love for this gadget with all those that you know. Now I know this is a silly example, a silly illustration, but friends, it highlights a very important truth that has been wired into us as humans, and that is we live for and share that which we love.

2:53We will live for and share that which we love. And so this pertains to our text, this pertains to our. Time together in Acts chapter 17. And so, what I want you to remember as we begin is that love fuels worship and mission. Love fuels worship and mission. Because the bottom line is, we won't make known something or someone we don't know and we don't believe. And we won't have the desire to make known someone or something that we don't love.

3:31And so, before we jump into the specifics of our text, and because love fuels worship and mission, we need to be reminded of who the Apostle Paul was before we get to Acts chapter 17. You see, he was a real man, and he had a story just like you and just like me. And so, it matters. So, we need to know who Paul was before. And so, in Acts chapter 9, verses 1 through 19 shows us what Paul and his religion, his man-made rules and plans, had led to.

4:06And so, the text tells us that he is opposing the disciples of Jesus, and he's seeking to hunt them down. The way the text says it is that he's breathing out threats and murder against followers of Jesus. He's heading to the synagogue on the road to Damascus to carry out his plan, and he's blinded by a great light. He falls down on his face, and the voice of the Lord comes to him and says, Paul, you're not persecuting these. You're not persecuting the followers of Jesus, but you're persecuting me, the Lord.

4:48Well, those who are with him scrape him up off the ground, and they lead him three days to meet a man named Ananias. Ananias, rightly so, is a little bit nervous about meeting with Paul because Paul's killing, beating, mocking Christians. But he entrusts himself to the Lord and he meets with Paul. And here's what we find in verses 17 to 19. Ananias, laying his hands on Paul, said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

5:30And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he arose and was baptized, and taking food, he was strengthened. Once he was able to see as he hadn't seen. Once he knew as he hadn't known before. Once the Lord Himself changed his heart, Paul turned from his own way to the way. He was baptized, and then he went to proclaim this good news. When you read further in Acts chapter 9, you see that he keeps this pattern, which we'll see today. He goes immediately to the synagogue.

6:17And so, friends, having said all of that, I think this is important for us to know and understand before we talk about the topic of evangelism. Because we learn that it's a heart motivated by love, love for Jesus, as a result of turning from oneself and one's sin and trusting in Him that fuels evangelism. This is critical because if we miss all of this, we might walk away today thinking that this is five steps to better evangelism. That's not what this is. This is not you and me helping ourselves to be better and to try harder.

7:02This is motivated, this is fueled by love for Jesus. And so, we have to understand that. One more thing: if we back up to the beginning of Acts, Acts 1:8, it describes what's happening in this book. Jesus came, he died, and then he rose. He ascended to the Father, and when he ascended, he sent the Spirit, and the Spirit is beginning to dwell inside followers of Jesus. And so, with each section, Of Luke's writing, Luke wrote Acts, we see that the gospel is going forth to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and here in our text, Acts 17, it's going to the ends of the earth. That is to the Gentiles, non-Jews.

7:45The result of all of this is that the church is born and people are coming to believe in this good news, the gospel of Jesus. So, Paul heads out on these missionary journeys with others because when you have good news, you share it. And out of love and obedience, as Acts 1:8 says, he serves as a witness to this good news. But this good news is not good news to all, at least not yet. So, at the same time, what we see happening is persecution.

8:22We see persecution. Some followers are beaten, some are mocked, many are killed for what they believe, how they live, and what they're doing. Still others experience this clash of cultures. Do you know what culture is? Maybe a simple definition is the way of life that's evident in the people and things in a certain place. Culture is the way of life that's evident in the people and things of a certain place. So while he's waiting on Timothy and Silas, verse 16, the beginning of our text, he's walking through Athens, the capital of Greece. And though Athens was no longer in its heyday, it's still a cultural symbol of power, intellectualism, pleasure, leisure.

9:24From an aesthetic standpoint, Athens was unrivaled for its exquisite and wonderful architecture and statues. It's truly awe-inspiring. You can see this picture of Mars Hill, the site of the Areopagus. There were other structures that were quite impressive as well. Here, many years back, I had the opportunity to travel to Turkey to visit missionaries, and while there, we visited Ephesus. And though much of Ephesus is in ruins, it's still unbelievable, the city that was the ancient city that was built, created, and still stands much of it today.

10:05But friends, Paul's concern is not aesthetics. He's concerned about the impact of idols on human lives. According to Paul, all that he was seeing, perceiving, and observing was a symbol of who the people were and what they were living for. This is the problem. And this is going to show up in his response, which we'll see in just a moment. But I want to pause. And though we live in a world that's almost completely different in every way, we have a pretty big building just down the road, and there are statues in that area as well. So maybe it's not altogether different. But there are many differences. I think it's important to recognize that idol worship is not just golden calves, monuments, statues, and buildings.

11:11An idol is anything that competes for our attention, our affection, and our worship over and above the one true God. Anything that competes for our attention, affection, and worship of the one true God. So I think it's important that we take just a moment and think about what those things might be for you and for me. What are the people, places, and things that are competing for our ultimate love of God, our ultimate worship and service of God? I think it's a question we have to answer related to this text.

11:52Well, notice Paul's response, verse 16. He's greatly distressed, provoked, he's angry. By the idolatry that he sees. This means something like to be provoked or upset at someone or something involving severe emotional concern. It's not that Paul's against the beauty of creation or created things, but rather the worship of the creation over the creator. These were symbols of worship. The people were ordering their lives and giving their lives to these things. And so for Paul, this is evidence of where the hearts of the people were. They were not surrendered to the one true God, but they were surrendered to lesser things, created things.

12:43And Paul couldn't stand for it. As one who had the scales removed, as one who could see as he hadn't seen before, as one who knew as he hadn't known before, he's provoked, he's angered. But despite the deep distress, supernatural sober-mindedness controls. Notice the divine restraint that he exercises. He stays the course. He continues the pattern by going to the synagogue and then to the marketplace to reason. That word means to proclaim the truth, but leave room for dialogue at the end. So despite how he feels, he stays. Stays the course, and by God's grace, he exercises restraint, and he continues to minister. So, among those groups, he reasons with philosophers, those who are seeking to ask and answer the questions of life and origin, ethics, meaning. They're evaluating the structures of society. These are intellectuals. And understanding the place in the people is critical because, as we'll see, Paul's going to tailor, he's going to adapt his message to the people. That's called contextualization, adapting the message to the people.

14:08So, we find Epicureans, they have similar views as deists. They believe that God is real, but he's uninvolved, and therefore he's irrelevant. Most who fall in this category, most who believe this, the Epicureans, were typically intellectual, educated, and upper class. Now, one reason, if you are wealthy, God needs to be irrelevant because you don't want him to say anything about what you have and what you do with what you have. So, I think this is one of their errors. There's also Stoics.

14:46They are essentially completely opposite of Epicureans. They are opposed to pleasure, opposed to feeling, opposed to emotion, and this was the most common form of Greek philosophy. In Paul's day. Maybe it's kind of similar to the bootstrap mentality. Do your duty, be good to nature, and be self-sufficient. Maybe something like that. So you have these two groups, and notice Paul's literally sandwiched right in between both of them. Seemingly impossible. So he reasons with them, and notice their response. What do they accuse him or call him? They call him a babbler and a preacher of foreign divinities.

15:36They're saying something like, he doesn't seem to know what he's talking about. He's just kind of picking up scraps of those around him and he's piecing together this thing and they can't make sense of it. In one way, they're suggesting that he's uneducated, uninformed, and he's not as precise about the things of life as they are. And I wonder if Paul's letter to the Corinthian believers might have been influenced by this interaction. Remember 1 Corinthians 1:18? Here it is on the screen. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it's the power of God.

16:23Friends, this news about Jesus will often seem foolish to those who are perishing, to those who. Are not yet believers in Jesus. Well, they take him to the Areopagus because they want to hear more. The text, verse 21, says, They always crave new teaching. This reminds me of Paul's letter to Timothy. He offers this warning to Timothy. Remember this: for the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

17:08Friends, new teaching is not always bad, but one of the problems is that it hasn't been tested by time. The irony, of course, is that Paul is not proclaiming something new. This is very old. Jesus and him crucified. Well, they lead him off, and this is a well-worn path. The Areopagus was the main administrative body in chief court of Athens. So, whether there is an official trial or not, anyone that they bring before them, whatever is said, whatever is done in that hearing, so to speak, it holds weight.

17:49It's believed that Socrates was led to the Areopagus. The result of his hearing was that he was condemned to death. It reminds Reminds me of Stephen in Acts chapter 7. Though he was not led away to the Areopagus, he was led away to give an account. And you'll remember in the middle of his sermon, he's stoned to death and left for dead. Our Lord was led away. He was led to the cross, led away to give an account.

18:32And by the grace and power of God, he remains steadfast and faithful. Friends, every single one of us will have to give an account in big ways and small ways. We will be led away, so to speak, and called to give an account for what we believe about Jesus in front of the watching world with God as our witness. So it begs the question: will we be faithful in that moment when we are led away? It's an important question.

19:08Well, now they're in the public square, and we learn of Paul's method and message. So, what I've attempted to do is break down all that Paul says, as you just heard, it's quite lengthy, to highlight five points for us so that we ourselves can learn how best to present Jesus to non-Christians. And I think this will better help us understand Paul's method as well. And so there are five points. The first, first, Paul's going to seek a point of contact with his audience as a way in to speak to their real needs. He's going to find a point of contact out among the people as a way in, a doorway to speak to their real needs. So unlike his approach to the Jews in the synagogue, he walks through the city of Athens, as we've mentioned. He observes, he perceives, he understands that what he sees, the people, places, and things, are symbols, evidence of where their hearts are. And what does he say to them? Verse 22 and 23. He says, I perceive that you are very religious.

20:26Now, on the surface, this may seem like a compliment, but it's not. This word means, it has a negative connotation, and it means something like very superstitious. Do you know what that word means? We often use it. We hear it quite often. But what does it mean? It means trust in chance, false conception of causation, fear of the unknown. It's a belief or a thought that is maintained despite evidence. To the contrary, superstition. Why does he think this? Why does he think that they are very religious in this way? Well, for one, it's obvious that he has immersed himself in the place to understand the people and things, so Paul has insight through his observations. Secondly, it's clear that he studied their own poets and writers, as we see in verse 28.

21:31But he also observes this altar to an unknown God. Have you heard the phrase on a wing and a prayer? It's kind of an older phrase, older saying. I think that's the sense that we get here. On a wing and a prayer means hoping for the best, even though you're unprepared. Hoping for the best, even though you're unprepared. And I think that's what this altar to the unknown God is about. It's wishful thinking, it's hopeful speculation.

22:08And it is the epitome of religion and superstition. Unfounded faith and belief in irrational things that have no power and do not deliver. I think this unknown altar of worship is the epitome of their religion, their man-made attempt. To get to God and their superstition, unfounded faith and belief in irrational things that have no power to deliver. And I think most of this was fueled by fear of the unknown. Friends, we and those around us can absolutely relate.

22:56So, what is the connection? What is the point of contact that Paul is seeking to make? All that he's observed highlights this built-in need, this aspiration in them and in all people for worship. He's highlighting humanity's tendency and temptation to create our own solutions, our own answers, by turning to the world, turning to the seen things rather than the unseen. He's seeking to reveal to them that this world, even with all its beauty and treasures, cannot and will not ever fully satisfy.

23:42He's seeking to show them the futility of their idols, and that is evident in their lives. And the only way that he knows that is by being in close proximity with them. But it's important to note. That he doesn't just denounce their religion, he's going to show them something greater. He's not just going to call them from something, but he's going to call them to something. And though his message is entirely biblical, don't miss this, he's not quoting from the scriptures.

24:23Why? Because he knows his audience. He's not talking to Jews, he's talking to Gentiles, he's talking to intellectuals. So he's going to appeal to them, not compromise, but he's going to adapt and tailor his message that is thoroughly biblical, but he's not going to quote the Bible. I think that's important. Look at this quote: Paul preaches differently to philosophers here than to farmers and synagogues. Good rhetoricians were supposed to be able to adapt to their audiences. Paul's language here is fully biblical, yet chosen also to be intelligible to his audience. So that's the first thing. He's observant of the culture, and that allows him a way in.

25:17The second thing is, he doesn't just denounce their way, their religion, as we've said, but he offers another way. He offers an answer, a better way, and that is the Creator God. So in verses 24 and 25, he presents the one true God that is creator of all. In contrast to their gods, little G, and to every other God for that matter, the God that Paul knows and is presenting is not man-made, but he's actually the God who made man. That's what he's saying. Therefore, because he's not a created being like an idol, which has no power, he is supremely powerful and the master of all of heaven and earth. That's what that word Lord means. It means sovereign and reigning master over all.

26:13In verse 24, I'm sorry, 25, we learn that this supreme and sovereign creator God, he actually doesn't need anything from his creation because he is the maker. He is the sustainer. He is the provider of all things, life, breath, and everything. You see, one of the fundamental flaws of religion is that it's centered on man. But that's not Christianity. From beginning to end, it's God's story. Humanity actually plays a fairly small part. This is Christianity. Not only is God creator and Lord. But he's also sustainer over all things, over all the affairs of the human race. From one man, Adam, he made all things with humanity as the crown of his creation. He planted his creation on earth, even allotting their time, their space, and their dwelling place. This is sovereignty. God is over all.

27:24By nature, we tend to think of someone who is sovereign, who is managing things at this level to be distant and detached. But actually, Paul is saying that this God, the God of the Bible, is different. He's over all, but he's in the middle of all things. He's intimately involved. He's not detached and removed. As the Epicureans might argue, he's not irrelevant, Paul is saying. And friends, this brings hope and rest and assurance. It brings certainty in an uncertain world. It shapes our identity, helps us to know who we are and what we were meant for. This is what Paul's offering.

28:17And this proof, well, it's evident in you and me and every single person that's ever lived, verse 27 explains. As image bearers, he has set eternity on our hearts. Wise King Solomon confirms this in Ecclesiastes on the screen. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet, so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. Now, there's a lot we could unpack here. God has set eternity on every person's heart, yet there are limits to what we can know and understand.

29:04The point Paul is making here is that all humans have this innate thirst to find him, this incurable religiosity, this incurable desire to worship something greater than themselves. And Paul wants to offer, wants to hold up the answer to that. This innate sense, this longing and desire, this need to be reconciled to one's creator, shows up in and through creation. And in this sense, God is not far from each one of us, Paul says. Even non-believers, those who don't believe in this creator God, they acknowledge this divine truth. And so he highlights, verse 28, their own poets, Epimenides and Eretus. Even Epimenides understands that God gives life and breath and being.

30:01Even Eratus knows that God made us and that we are his. He's appealing to the people standing in front of him, the intellectuals. He's using their own poets against them. He wants them to see, God is greater than your man-made gods. Not only is Paul creating a point of contact by doing this, but he's highlighting the omnipresence of God in all things. Whether you acknowledge the one true God doesn't change the fact that he's real. So he's seeking to create a point of contact, point one, by observing the culture, and then he's showing how this creator God meets that need. That's the second point. Well, verse 29, you can detect a shift here in Paul's message. He begins that verse, being then God's offspring. In other words, given this reality of all that's been said, all creation has come from God. All creation belongs to God. So, where he previously sought to create these points of contact, now he's going to begin to diverge from that path, and he's going into new territory. He's essentially saying that because Because God is evident, real, and present, we shouldn't think of Him as some powerless, man-made idol. All idols are simply a figment of the imagination of men. All of the things that draw our hearts from God, all of the things that we love are man-made and have no power.

31:59But the question may be in your mind and in theirs, is so what? Why does any of this matter? Why does it matter that God created all things? Listen closely, verse 31. It's not a matter of preference or opinion. God will one day judge the world in righteousness. This is Paul's third point. There is an appointed and fixed time when all will give account for every thought, word, and deed. He will not always overlook the ignorance of the past, that is, humanity's disregard for him and his law. But he has appointed a day when all will give an account. All will be judged. So, friend, have you kept the law perfectly?

33:01Have you always obeyed? Collectively, humanity's answer and response is no, never. So, layer upon layer, he sought to present them with a real problem, their real need, in order that they might see the foolishness of life apart from God, the Creator. He sought to get them to this place where they would cry out, So, where does my help come from? We're all doomed. Friends, the good news is not truly good news if you don't understand the bad news that humanity, yours and mine, our sin and rebellion against this Creator God, has earned us separation forever from this eternal Creator God. You see how he's walking them through the fourth point: Paul presents the centrality of Christ, the God-man, and his resurrection. So, he's got them to this point. We are asking together, listening to Paul's. Sermon. Where does our help come from? In verse 31, Paul's going to provide an answer. Brother, sister, friend, do not despair.

34:42Do not despair. For God has appointed one man who could and would cure the incurable, who could and would satisfy the unsatisfied. He's appointed one man to stand in the place of those who have fallen short of God's glory, and that's every single one of us. But how can we know who that man is? And what is the basis of our hope that forgiveness and true worship with the Creator God can be restored? And what is our assurance that God has made a way for all things to be made right?

35:30The resurrection of Jesus Christ. Everything hinges on the resurrection. We learn, we read, we remember that gentle and lowly Jesus entered into the world to live in humble obedience to the Father, to give his life and death in order to fulfill the righteous requirements of the law, to offer himself in our place. To be raised to conquer sin. Where the one man Adam failed, the one man Jesus succeeded. Where you have failed, where I constantly fail.

36:21Jesus succeeds every time. The fourth point is to not just leave them in despair, but to highlight Jesus Christ and his resurrection as the answer to their and to our deepest needs and longings. Well, the fifth point, the only way to receive this, and the only fitting response in light of this, is to turn to this God, repentance. If all of this is true, that Paul has said, and it is, then they and we must see the absurdity, the powerlessness, the foolishness of worshiping idols, man-made things, and turn to the one true God.

37:19This turning, this repentance is turning from sin and trusting in oneself to the Creator God. Happens once and first initially at conversion or salvation, and it happens in an ongoing way. As we see the old man in the old way rise up in us, we turn to God and entrust ourselves to Him again. And verse 32 records the response. You'll remember this showed up all over the place in John's Gospel. We see this pattern. Some mock.

38:00That's silly. It's foolishness. Not for me. Some say maybe, like to learn more. And some join and believe. This good news of the gospel is for all people. We see some very well-known, high-ranking folks come to know Jesus and believe and follow. Well, there's much here, much than we could cover in our short time together, but I want to close and offer some applications. You've probably seen them, but let's highlight them. First, we must be students of our culture, those who observe that which is around us.

38:51How can the people, places, and things that are around us day to day create points of contacts, points of contacts? Of contact that provide a way in that we might serve others with the gospel of Jesus. How might those observations reveal disordered loves and misplaced worship in the lives of others? How might this method help us to see that so many are looking for love in all the wrong places? And by God's grace, that we might be willing and able to point out the eternal answers in Christ. So, the first thing is we ought to seek to be students of the culture. Second, we need to be students of the word. Remember, Paul doesn't just point out the flaws of their religion, but he shows how the one true God can meet their needs and answer their questions. Notice that he preaches the whole council. He talks about creation. He talks about the fall of man. He talks about redemption in Jesus Christ. And he talks about judgment and glorification. So as you think about your own story and you think about the gospel story, remember these four points. Paul highlights them here. We must seek to preach the whole council, give people a full picture of the bad news and the good news. And notice that though his message, Is explicitly biblical. He's not quoting the Bible. Now, slam on the brakes. I'm not discouraging using the Bible.

40:40The point is, Paul knows his audience. He knows the word. And that allows him to carefully, cautiously apply the word to their lives. So be a student of the culture, be a student of the word. Third, remember your calling. Remember your calling. If you have trusted and placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you are God's child. And therefore, you've been called to be a witness of his glorious grace. He has allotted your time, your space, your dwelling place, that you might reflect him to others.

41:26And so, brother, sister, the call upon your life is to be faithful, to know and be known by others. This includes non-believers, that you might minister to them and show them how Christ meets their every need. And let us not shrink back in fear, because this is the good news. This is the hope of the world. Deep down, every person needs it, knows they need it, and their lives reflect their great need. And so remember your calling to be a faithful witness. Acts 1:8. The pressure is not on you. The pressure is that we would plant seeds. God will produce the growth.

42:16And then finally, and maybe most importantly, remember that the answer to our evangelism is not just better methods or a better message, but it's a heart that is surrendered to God. This is not a project. This comes from love, because love fuels worship and mission. We love so many seemingly meaningless things. We talk about silly examples of pagers. But what about homes? What about cars? What about careers? What about relationships? What about that thing that God has been working in your mind since we started?

43:09We give ourselves to so many things. And we tell everyone about it. But may the Lord direct our hearts into the love of God, that we may eagerly share the good news of the gospel with others. And may Paul's example here in Acts. 17 help us to do so by the grace of God. Let's pray together. Father, you know us far better than we know ourselves. I trust that in these moments you are revealing our loves, those things we give our attention, affection, effectively, those things that we worship, we live for.

44:31We pray that by the power of your mercy and grace through the Holy Spirit, that you would grant repentance for the one who's not yet a believer, that they might see the futility of life apart from you, for the follower of Jesus. That we might see the ways in which we are living for the things of this world. Our gaze, our focus, our minds are not wholly and completely set on you. We praise you, thank you, that you give us more grace.

45:22That we might turn again and follow. We might be accepted and received. And God, I pray that these things that we've seen and learned from Paul and Acts 17, that they might be beneficial. They might be an encouragement. They might even bring correction to some. Showing us how we might seek to be more faithful as we seek to serve others with the gospel of good news. We pray that you would work all these things in and through us by the power of your Spirit. In Jesus' name, amen.

46:09Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.