Acts 17 – Proclaiming the Unknown God Acts 1:8 You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. WE CAN KNOW GOD BECAUSE GOD HAS MADE HIMSELF KNOWN. Thessalonica 17:1–9 Berea 17:10–15 Athens 17:16–34 Acts 17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed when he saw that the city was full of idols. “An idol is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you only what God can give.” – Tim Keller An idol is… What you think about most. What you rely on for security. What you sacrifice for. What you fear losing most. “When man ceases to worship God, he doesn’t worship nothing. He worships everything.” – G.K. Chesterton “Our hearts are restless until we find our rest in Him.” – Augustine 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. Acts 17:17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and those who worshiped God, as well as in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. Acts 17:18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also debated with him. Some said, “What is this ignorant show-off trying to say?” Others replied, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities” — because he was telling them about the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Acts 17:19 Then they took him and brought him to the Areopagus and said, “May we learn about this new teaching you are presenting? Acts 17:20 Because what you say sounds strange to us, and we want to know what these things mean.” Acts 17:21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there spent their time on nothing else but telling or hearing something new. Acts 17:22 Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said, “People of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect. Acts 17:23 For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. “I believe a very large majority of church goers are merely unthinking, slumbering worshippers of an unknown God.” – Charles Spurgeon “If God were small enough to be understood, He would not be big enough to be worshipped.” – Evelyn Underhill “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” – A.W. Tozer God is GREAT He is CREATOR Acts 17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it — He is Lord of Heaven and Earth — does not live in shrines made by hands. God is GIVER He is PROVIDER Acts 17:25 Neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives everyone life and breath and all things. God is RULER He is SOVEREIGN Acts 17:26 From one man He has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. Acts 17:27 He did this so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. Acts 17:28 For in Him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, “For we are also His offspring.” Acts 17:29 Since we are God’s offspring, we shouldn’t think that the Divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination. God is GRACIOUS He is FORGIVER Acts 17:30 Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, Acts 17:31 because He has set a day when He is going to judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead. “Wherever we begin, we must end with Jesus Christ, who Himself is the good news and will fulfill all human aspirations.” – John Stott Acts 17:32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to ridicule him, but others said, “We’d like to hear from you again about this.” Acts 17:33 So Paul left their presence. Acts 17:34 However, some people joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them. WE CAN KNOW GOD BECAUSE GOD HAS MADE HIMSELF KNOWN My Response: Lord, give me… An opportunity to share Jesus. The wisdom to see it. The courage to take it. The compassion to go for it. “The park, the shopping mall, a pub, café, or student cafeteria at school, wherever people are at leisure. There is a need for us to make friends and gossip the gospel in such informal settings as these.” – John Stott “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.” – William Carey “Do small things with great love. It is great love that makes small things great things.” – Mother Teresa WE CAN KNOW GOD BECAUSE GOD HAS MADE HIMSELF KNOWN