Go tell it on the mountain part 2
Title: ‘Go Tell It On A Mountain Part 2’
Type: Devotional
Text: Acts 17:16-34
Idea: Faithfully point to Jesus and leave the rest up to God-Evangelize or Fossilize[1].
Purpose: To illustrate that God wants us to have a true and tested passion for lost people.
We have been looking at the traditions of Christmas, the wreath, the tree and the Poinsettias. Let me tell you about a relatively new tradition.
Most Canadians have encountered the cultural phenomenon of a “Wal-Mart Greeter.” What seems to be a very polite and hospitable gesture was actually created to deter shoplifting. In 1980, Sam Walton visited a store in Crowley, Louisiana that was attempting to curtail their problem with shoplifters. Rather than post a guard and raise the concerns of honest customers, the manager positioned a friendly greeter at the door to visually inform potential thieves that they were being watched. As a byproduct it provided an additional personal touch to the overall shopping experience at Wal-Mart. Walton loved what he saw and immediately implemented the strategy in every store. Great leaders are known for creatively resolving problems in a positive and winsome way. The Meaning of A Man, Ronnie Floyd, 1996, p.42
Ac 17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.
Ac 17:17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.
Ac 17:18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news e about Jesus and the resurrection.
Ac 17:19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching h is that you are presenting?
Ac 17:20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”
Ac 17:21 (All the Athenians i and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
Ac 17:22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus j and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.
Ac 17:23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown l I am going to proclaim to you.
Ac 17:24 “The God who made the world and everything in it m is the Lord of heaven and earth n and does not live in temples built by hands.
Ac 17:25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.
First, tell them that God is (vv. 22-23)[2].
Paul started with a given: all men are innately religious. All men are created to be worshipers–they either worship God or something else, but everyone worships something. .
'Externally, God has given witness about Himself through what He created: "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands" (Ps. 19:1). Internally, according to Romans 1:19: "that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them." They have an innate sense of the true God of the Bible, His standards are written on their hearts, and their consciences hold them accountable (Rom. 2:14-15)'
Second, tell them who God is (vv. 24-29).
This is Paul's lesson to the ignorant about the unknown God. This is Theology 101. Here are five things MacArthur says that ignorant, rebellious men need to know about the "Unknown God."
Ac 17:24 “The God who made the world and everything in it m
God is the Creator. Verse 24a: He "made the world and all things in it." In Paul's day and ours, the truth makes no room for men's opinions regarding origins.
is the Lord of heaven and earth n and does not live in temples built by hands.
God is the Ruler. Verse 24b: "He is Lord of heaven and earth [and] does not dwell in temples made with hands." It logically follows that if God is the Creator, He is also the rightful Ruler of what He created. And if He is Creator and Ruler, He doesn't live in what His creatures have made.
Ac 17:25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.
God is the Giver. Verse 25: "He [is not] served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things." Far from needing anything from men, the Creator "causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matt. 5:45).
(ILL: Photosynthesis for flowers and plenty of food for birds: 8-10 times their weight)
Ac 17:26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.
God is the Controller. Verse 26: "He made from one man every nation of mankind … having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation." That statement was a blow to the national pride of the Greeks, who scornfully referred to non-Greeks as "barbarians." Nonetheless, God controls the affairs and destinies of men and nations.
Ac 17:27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
Ac 17:28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ s As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
Ac 17:29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill.
God is the Revealer. Verses 27-29: Men should "seek God... He is not far from each one of us... Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like [anything] formed by the art and thought of man." God, by creating, ruling, giving, and controlling all things, has clearly revealed Himself in what He has made—men are truly without excuse (Rom. 1:20).
Third, tell them what God says (vv. 30-31).
Ac 17:30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
Ac 17:31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
Paul's evangelism method ends with a simple, powerful point: tell them to repent or be judged. In the past, God was patient. But a day is coming when He will judge the world through Jesus Christ. God gave sufficient proof of the truth of His Word in the resurrection of His Son—He holds all men accountable to that evidence. His grace in the past and His wrath in the future require repentance in the present. As Paul said elsewhere, "Now is 'the acceptable time,' behold, now is 'the day of salvation'" (2 Cor. 6:2).’ (JM)
The great Olympic athlete Marion Jones was recently stripped of her medals and most shocking of all, her name has been removed from all the record books due to her admitted steriod use. Imagine, standing before God and he tells you that you have cheated your way through life, lying, gossiping, and misrepresenting yourself. And then He tells you that you are disqualified and your name is removed from the book of life?
Judgement is designed to inform us today that we need a true assessment from the one judge who speaks nothing but the truth.
Ac 17:32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”
Ac 17:33 At that, Paul left the Council.
Ac 17:34 A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.
Following Jesus is not about ‘getting them in’ so our numbers can prove we are effective. Following Jesus is about telling them about the one True God, and letting them know that He will forgive their past and secure their future if they repent. ‘That message isn't popular today, but then again, it has never been popular. "Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer... so Paul went out of their midst" (v. 32-33). I mentioned earlier that Paul's method was effective, and it is. Look at verse 34: "But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and others with them." It was effective to save those whom God chose to save. Paul was faithful to proclaim the truth. He left the results to God.’
From Athens, Greece to Athens, Ontario, ‘first century to twenty-first century and everywhere in between, repentance may not be popular, but it's still the gospel. Teach this post-Christian culture about God and then command repentance. That's the only message we have; without it, no one would be saved.’ (Adapted from Acts 13-28, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary © 1996. All rights reserved.)
Some question the love of God, but isn’t it pure love when a warning is given?
Evangelize or Fossilize
The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.
--Proverbs 11:25
Greg Laurie say, ‘Have you ever noticed that when you start talking about one of God's qualities, by the time you have finished the conversation, you find yourself enjoying and appreciating that very quality even more? You start telling people how wonderful Jesus is, and by the time you are finished, you are in awe of Him too.
You will sometimes hear people say, "I am so spiritually dry, even though I have been going to church and studying the Bible." My questions to the person making such a statement would be: When is the last time you shared your faith with someone? When is the last time you got into a dialogue with someone about what you believe? When is the last time you reached out to someone who was really hurting?
It is an amazing thing, but as you give out, God gives to you. There is something very interesting about the Christian life, the dynamic of truth that God puts in the lives of His people. The more you give it out, the more God gives to you. The more you keep it to yourself, the less impact it has on your life. When you are sharing the gospel with someone and telling them about what God has done for you, it just comes alive. Jesus said, "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you" (Luke 6:38).
If you generously give out your faith to others, God will replenish your supply. But if you hoard your faith and rarely share it with other people, then you will find yourself stagnating spiritually. Here is your choice: Evangelize or fossilize.’
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[1] Greg Laurie
[2] This outline by John MacArthur, ACTS 13-28, The MacArthur Bible Series