Sermon Tone Analysis

I) Tailored his message to his audience

I) Tailored his message to his audience

I) Tailored his message to his audience

A) Paul walked around and engaged the people partly to learn about their needs – vs.17, 23

B) He did not quote from Hebrew scriptures since they were of no significance to the Greeks, but he did quote from at least two ancient Greek poets (Epimenides and Aratus or Cleanthus) – v.27

C) He addresses their needs (sin or weakness) – v.24-25 – instead of generalities that may or may not be useful to them

II) Nature of God

A) He commended what he could – v.22 – their religious zeal

B) He sought an opening – v.23 – to open their mind to listen, like Jesus to the Samaritan woman – – and offered to explain the “Unknown God” which they worshipped in ignorance

C) Paul used logic to describe much of what they did not understand concerning God, explaining that God is not worshipped in temples made by men, since He created the world (a fact that many Greeks accepted, although some thought the world was eternal) and all that is in it; nor does He need man

D) But this singular creator, not the plurality of their mythology; also leads to a unity of mankind, which the Greeks found difficult to accept as they thought of themselves as superior – – and it also means that man is subject to the creator – ; ;

E) Instead of God seeking to serve man, man should be seeking God, though God does not make that difficult as He is close to all – – and life is only in God, as the Greek poets declared

F) Since man is the creation of God, we should not think that gods are made of physical elements and the creation of man – ,

III) What God requires of man

A) God did not hold man accountable to what He had not revealed – – but now declares that all should repent – ;

B) Because there is a day of righteous judgment, compared to the often vindictiveness of the Greek mythology, through one appointed judge

C) Proof of His appointment as judge – – is seen in the resurrection from the dead – – the ultimate power

Concl: At this comment, many of the Athenians sneered and dismissed Paul, but some were interested and others believed.

The same will happen in response to the gospel message today.