Turn away from vain things

Rev. Andrew Hunt, III

Walking through the Book of Acts • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

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Turning away from vain things

Turning away from vain things…

, “Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking. And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.”

Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking. And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.”

So pastor, "What are the consequences of the nations turning away from God?" Well, says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!”

The psalmist is speaking of the nation of Israel. God chose Israel as the nation through which He would bring His promised Messiah; this is where Moses said in

, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen.”

This is where Malachi said in, ,“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction” And this where Isaiah said in,

, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted.”

The Messiah promised to provide, bless, and protect the Israelites if they followed Him. But the Old Testament gives us heartbreaking details of what happened when they turned away from Him and turned to vain things.

Israel’s history shows us some of the consequences that can befall a nation when its people turn away from God.

, “But they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. None of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. “Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.” The same which was true then is true now, any nation that turns away from God will suffer the consequences.

Now there were promises made to Israel at that time that were not made to us.

For example, nations today are not promised bumper crops and healthy livestock if they obey the Mosaic Law, as it says in

, “Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock.”

That promise was for Israel under the Old Covenant in the Promised Land—the blessing was specifically tied to the land of Israel (verse 11). But many of the general principles found in Scripture are applicable to everyone who is now in Christ Jesus our Lord. We can learn from Israel’s history what generally to expect when nations honor the Lord and what generally to expect when they rebel against His commands and turn away to vain things. As long as the Israelites honored the Lord, destroyed idol temples, and kept God’s commandments, the Lord was actively involved in their defense when other nations fought against them.

is the first and the prime example of the Lord as Defender for the newly formed nation of Israel. As Moses led the people out of Egypt, Pharaoh and his armies raced after them. The people were terrified and began to doubt whether Moses knew what he was doing. But then “Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still’” ).

What followed was the miraculous parting of the Red Sea

, “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.” In contrast to this miraculous intervention, the Bible gives us examples of God refusing to intervene when destruction came upon Israel. Second Kings, beginning in chapter 24, details the end of God’s blessing on Israel. , “ The king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign and carried off all the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the LORD, which Solomon king of Israel had made, as the LORD had foretold. He carried away all Jerusalem and all the officials and all the mighty men of valor, 10,000 captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remains, except the poorest people of the land.”

Why did this happen pastor? Because God’s chosen people had defied the Lord, built idol temples, and filled their lives with fornication, murder, and adultery. They had desecrated the temple and ignored the Law for generations. God sent prophets to call them to repentance, but they would not listen and often killed those messengers.

, “As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” The Lord had warned them repeatedly, and, when they refused to listen, He sent judgment in the form of invaders who took them captive and destroyed their cities. The once-great nation had been brought low and lost the blessings God desired to give it. The general principle we learn from this is that sin brings negative consequences, especially when we turn to vain things.

, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” This is God’s warning to individuals and to nations that He will not be mocked. We reap what we sow. Many nations of antiquity are nonexistent now, having brought God’s judgment upon themselves for their sin. Edom (), Assyria (), Sodom (), and Babylon () were all wiped out, according to the biblical prophets, for their evil before the Lord. There remain no representatives of the Hittites (), Moabites (), or Philistines () due to their stubborn rebellion against the Lord. God blessed Israel in prospering them when the people honored Him. God had brought them into a land that was “flowing with milk and honey” (). When they obeyed Him, He promised to provide all they needed and to protect their lives. He cared that they lived peacefully and happily. He commanded them to honor His Sabbaths so that they would have rest. But, when Israel followed wicked kings into idolatry and harlotry, God sent famines and pestilence on the land that He loved (). We learn from this that the Lord delights in prospering His loyal servants.

Material wealth is not proof that God is blessing a nation, since evil kings and countries prosper too.

But, when we honor the Lord and obey His commands, we reap the benefits of living honorably, morally, and honestly. A nation that honors God’s laws reaps that benefit as well. History shows that those that do not are often destroyed from within. God gives us His laws for our own good. He created us to fellowship with Him and walk in righteousness. When we do that, we are living within the healthy boundaries He established and are protected from much of the heartache and catastrophe Satan devises. But, when a nation turns away from the true God and becomes its own god, the Lord removes His protective hand and allows that nation to experience the world it has demanded. shows us the progression of people and nations that have defied God and redefined morality, sexuality, and confused masculinity and femininity. Homosexuality, unbridled lust, and idolatry are all part of God’s judgment on a nation that has turned away from Him and turned to vain things. The good news is that God knows those who are His and promises to reward them, even when all others have turned away, He promises to save those who have turned away from vain things.

Let us pray…

What are the vain things? This is the word “mataios” which means to be devoid of the force, devoid of truth, devoid of success, devoid of ever having a result. Vain things are those things that are useless and have not purpose.

, “Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts? And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’”Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name. “They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.”

Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name. “They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.”

This passage contains one of the most comforting passages in the Old Testament. It reminds us that God is watching all, it reminds us that God knows all, and it reminds us that God will judge all righteously. Even when a nation turns away from God, individuals within that nation can still follow Him and know that their names are written in God’s book of remembrance.

Turning away from vain things... through the power of faith.

Luke moves from a brief summary of the ministry in Iconium, where the pattern of events was similar to what happened in Antioch, where the gospel goes out and convicts the hearts and some people respond by faith and others don’t and then persecution comes and drives the apostles to speak else where. This passage offers a more detailed account of events in Lystra. This narrative begins with the restoration of a man who was lame from birth, this event paralleling 3:1–10 in several respects (vv. 8–10). In both contexts, the miracle illustrates the signs and wonders that the Lord enabled his servants to perform, first among Jews in Jerusalem, and then among the Gentiles (cf. 2:43; 14:3). Both miracles are followed by potential (3:12, 16) or real misunderstanding about the event (14:11–13), and both addresses provoke and challenge those misunderstandings.

But Paul urges his audience to turn from their idolatrous worldview and its practices to serve the living God (vv. 11–18), whereas Peter proclaims to his Jewish audience the ultimate ‘healing’ of all things comes through Jesus (3:11–26).

No mention is made of a synagogue in Lystra, but Luke shows the intensity of opposition from Jewish quarters by noting that some travelled from Antioch and Iconium to win the crowd over and force Paul and Barnabas to leave for Derbe (vv. 19–20).

The cultural identity of Lystra plays a part in the story. ‘As residents of a cultural backwater, these people were frequently characterized as largely rustic and uncivilized. Their gullibility in this story plays on their stereotype.

As we look at verses 8–10 the healing of a man who was lame parallels the ministry of Peter and John in the temple court (3:1–10; cf. Jesus in ), though subsequent events show a different outcome. This is part of a larger sequence of parallels between Peter and Paul, by which Luke demonstrates the authority and significance of Paul and seeks to convince his readers that ‘God works out the divine plan in regular and orderly patterns’. For the first time in Acts, Paul and Barnabas encounter outright heathenism and adapt their preaching accordingly.

With elaborate detail, Luke presents the seriousness of the man’s situation. ‘Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked” (). Then in verse 9-10 we find that this poor man listened to Paul as he was speaking—presumably in Greek—in some public place. Like Peter and John, Paul looked directly at him, intending to help him. However, the novel element in this narrative is the statement that Paul saw that he had faith to be healed. The Greek verb is rightly translated ‘healed’ rather than ‘saved’ (as in 4:12). This man had a transactional faith. This transactional faith had possibly been aroused by the preaching of the gospel; but it was not yet a transformative faith. A transformative faith is seeking for salvation in the sense of forgiveness, eternal life, and entrance into the kingdom of God. This is the faith that is mentioned in

, “ And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoining and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.”

Or , “ When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciple, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”

The command Paul gave this crippled man was (‘stand upright on your feet’, ‘Stand up on your feet!’) challenging the lame man to express his faith by doing what seemed impossible for him. Complete healing followed immediately and the man sprang up and began to walk. The description of the man as leaping to his feet provides another verbal link with 3:8. The healing in both contexts results in a similar problem, although one setting is Jewish and the other pagan: ‘there is a tendency to confuse the power that heals with the healer himself, and the healer acts immediately to set the record straight’.

Turning away from vain things… by the power through the power of the Good News.

Verse 11, “And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!’ In Athens, Paul observed popular idolatry and encountered the varied responses of the philosophers (17:16–34), but here ‘a spontaneous outpouring of Hellenistic religiosity’. A significant miracle, associated with the preaching of the gospel, was the immediate reason for identifying Barnabas with Zeus, the supreme god of the Greek pantheon, and Paul with Hermes because he was the chief speaker. Since the people were shouting in the Lycaonian language, the Paul and Barnabas were at first unaware of the honor that was being paid to them. These people pagan superstitions drove them to bring scarifies and sanctify Paul and Barnabas.

According to the legend, there was an elderly couple welcomed the gods, with the result that their house was transformed into a temple and they were made priests. The gods then destroyed the houses of those who did not receive them. The crowd, apparently moved by this legend, assumed that the gods had returned in human form and needed to be honored appropriately this time! The situation became more serious for Paul and Barnabas when in verse 13 the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them. Animals were often adorned with garlands (wreaths) as they were led to the place of sacrifice—here literally ‘to the gates’—which could refer either to the city gates or the gates of the temple of Zeus, just outside the city.

Although the word apostles is missing from some manuscripts, the title draws attention to the authority of Barnabas and Paul as messengers from God in situations that were challenging for the progress of the gospel. Unusually, Barnabas comes before Paul here, who may simply reflect the order in which Luke records their names in v. 12, or it may indicate that Luke is using a different source for the narratives in this chapter. Look verse 14, “But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crown crying out.”

Tearing one’s clothes was a gesture suggesting that blasphemy was about to be committed. We see such an event in Matthew as Jesus is being questioned concerning whether is God or not and after Jesus replies we hear the words of the High Priest.

, “Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy.”

As faithful Jews, they were distressed about receiving such homage and detracting from the glory of the one true God as Peter had said in , “…Stand up; I too am a man.” And when see the same behavior in how the angel of God deals with John in “And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “ You must not do that ! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God,” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Unlike Herod in 12:21–23, they aggressively resisted any implication of divine status and significance! So their opening question—verse 15, Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.’

Here we seen Barnabas and Paul absolutely denied any concept of divinity: ‘We too are only men, like you with the same nature’ Instead of beginning with the gospel about the saving work of Jesus, they recognized the need to start further back in their presentation of biblical revelation to this audience.

Both this brief speech and the longer speech in Athens (17:22–31) show careful reflection on the problem of approaching Gentiles who do not share the biblical story nor Judaism’s belief in one God, major premises for other speeches in Acts.’

They begin their appeal with the familiar claim to be ‘bringing you good news.’ The phrase here in Greek is “euangelizo”, which means to proclaim the gospel”. However, the message here is not about God fulfilling His promises to Israel and sending the messianic Savior, but good news about the possibility of escaping from the futility of idolatry (‘these vain and worthless things’), and coming to know ‘the true and living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them’. Forgiveness and reconciliation are not mentioned, but there is a clear call to ‘turn’ away from vain things and from idols to the living God implies seeking a relationship with him.

This conversion involves turning away from every alternative objects of devotion and turning away from vain and worthless idols and gods to the one true ‘the living God’ who created everything.

Idolatry is condemned in Scripture because it ‘diminishes the divine to human size (as in the mistaken identification of Barnabas and Paul with divinities) and makes God dependent on human actions and subject to human control’. This is way we are never to make graven images of God.

Turning away from vain things… through the power of general revelation.

Here in verse 16 when Paul asserts, “In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways.”

Paul is not claiming that their ignorance and rebellion were ignored by God and without consequence,

, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. Because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurances to all by raising him from the dead.”

Since, in biblical teaching, God’s involvement in the life of Israel was for blessing and salvation and his abandonment of the nations allow them ‘to go their own ways’ was a curse and an anticipation of their final judgment.

, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”

What is the significant difference here is how God is dealing with this people, these unbelievers compare to Israel?

God did not provide the nations with special revelation; such as he gave to Israel, and did not directly offer them a way of salvation. Though Israel was always meant to be a source of blessing for the nations (cf. ). The expression in the past hints at a new situation in which Jesus Christ brings redemption for Jews and Gentiles alike, but Paul does not get the chance to develop that idea because of the reaction of the audience (v. 18). Rather, he claims that, even in the face of ignorance and rebellion, God has not left himself ‘without testimony’, meaning that ‘in the bounty of nature there was testimony to both the being and the nature of God’; so that everyone is without excuse.

God has continued to show ‘kindness ‘doing good’), by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons’.

Something of God’s character is demonstrated in the regular provision of life’s necessities. The result of this care is that ‘he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy’ ‘filling your hearts with food and gladness.’ These people have squalled the blessings of what is call general revelation. General revelation is God’s goodness, which, is experienced by everyone who enjoys the benefits of living in God’s creation. These pleasures of life are an encouragement to believe in a beneficent Creator. And sure draw people to worship and serve the Creator rather the created things which, is the essence of sin, which the reason the God abandons the nations to the consequences of their rebellion.

But this is totally different from special revelation; special revelation is how God has chosen to reveal Himself through miraculous means. Special revelation includes physical appearances of God, dreams, visions, the written Word of God, and most importantly—Jesus Christ. The Bible records God appearing in physical form many times (, ; , ), and the Bible records God speaking to people through dreams and visions.

The ultimate form of special revelation is the Person of Jesus Christ. God became a human being summarizes it best, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last day he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being.” God became a human being, in the Person of Jesus Christ, to identify with us, to set an example for us, to teach us, to reveal Himself to us, and, most importantly, to provide salvation for us by humbling Himself in death on the cross. Jesus Christ is the ultimate “special revelation” from God.

Despite the parallels with the speech in 17:22–31 and Paul’s report in , Many considered it doubtful that Paul who is known to us from the epistles was accustomed to making, even to Gentiles, an approach that owed so much to natural theology’. However, such an argument minimizes the significance of Paul’s biblical allusions and subtle links with his gospel presentations elsewhere. Starting where the Bible does, with God as creator of all, Paul implies that human beings were created to be in a relationship with God () Idolatry is condemned as a willful distortion of the truth about God and as a futile way of life. The daily experience of God’s kindness in the created order should teach us to thank him and honor him as God (e.g., , ). The challenge to turn from worthless things to serve the living and true God offers hope of reconciliation before the final judgment of God falls on human rebellion. If Paul had been able to continue, he would doubtless have related this teaching to the coming of Christ and the possibility of forgiveness, as well as to the prospect of his return to judge all.

, “For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

What we have here is not evangelism in the normal NT sense of proclaiming Christ and his saving work. However, it is a biblical foundation for evangelism in a culture where fundamental presuppositions about God and nature and the meaning of human existence need to be challenged. This is not simply an argument from creation for a pre-gospel era. Evangelists and preachers in many contexts today have much to learn from this approach, using the evidence of God’s common grace in the sustaining fruitfulness of nature and the pleasures of everyday life as a basis for communication. For people who are far removed from the Bible and its way of looking at things, this may be the only starting point for an appeal to acknowledge ‘the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them’.

Verse 18, The people of Lystra were so awestruck by the miracle that, even with a disclaimer of divinity and a clear challenge to turn to the living and true God, Paul and Barnabas even with their words they scarcely restrained to the people from offering sacrifices to them. There pagan superstition moved the Lycaonians to offer misdirected homage to Paul and Barnabas.

In the end Paul and Barnabas were able to make them understand and the ceremony came to halt.

This incident reveals the humility of Paul and Barnabas. To be acclaimed a god was the highest honor imaginable in the Greco- Roman world, and many sought the honor. But God’s servants successfully handled the temptation to succumb to pride. Remember those who seek glory and power for themselves are on the path to spiritual weakness and impotence. Power is only found in turning away from vain things through faith. Turning away from vain things through the Good News of Jesus Christ, and turning away from vain things through the special revelation that only comes through Christ.

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