Sermon Tone Analysis
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Paul was a man on a mission, the Great Commission.
(Mt 28:19-20)
he was driven by a great conviction of the saving power of the Gospel and a deep love for the souls of people
he was especially concerned for his own people, the Jews
they in turn were jealous and stirred up the unbelieving Gentiles against him and his team and chased them away
though Paul had not been able to spend much time with them, the Thessalonian church became a model for all the surrounding churches
characterized by works of faith, labours of love and steadfastness of hope (1 Th 1:3)
became an example to other believer by their reception of the word in spite of great persecution (1 Th 1:7)
they were so effective in spreading the gospel that Paul said that he didn’t need to say anything!
(1 Th 1:8)
having been smuggled out of Thessalonica and then Berea Paul moved on to Athens where he again boldly preaches Jesus and his resurrection
Athens of Paul’s day much like our own
Athens (vv.
16-21)
In Paul’s day Greece was known for its culture and Athens was its centre.
renowned for its learning, its art and philosophy
several centuries before Paul, Athens had been the greatest city of the world
Socrates, Plato and Aristotle all taught there
so also did Epicurus and Zeno, the founders of Epicurean and Stoic philosophies
Athens was home a world famous university
it was also a religious centre where almost every god was worshipped
public buildings were dedicated to gods and statues filled the city
one of the writers of the time said, “it is easier to find a god in Athens than a man”
our culture may be in the process of banishing the God of the bible from public life but in his place we have substituted many gods: sex, materialism, self
Principle:
it’s easy for us to wonder why the people of Athens had so many idols
our temptation to think that the more sophisticated we are, the knowledge we have, the more things we have, the higher our standard of living the less people need things like this
the fact about who we are:
we were created for worship (Rom 6:16; 2 Pet 2:19; Ps 119:91)
we can’t help but worship something or someone
even the atheist cannot avoid worshipping
they worship themselves!
When God is rejected there is a void, and we always try and fill it with something that leaves us hungry and thirsty for more!
this is what often leads people to foolish choices and enslaving addictions
when Paul came to the awesome city of Athens what was his response?
awe? wonder?
amazement?
Luke tells us his spirit was provoked within him because he saw that the city was full of idols (16)
while Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy to join him he had not been sightseeing
Paul saw a city full of lost people worshipping many false gods and doomed to a Christless eternity.
provoked = the Greek word sounds like our English word “paroxysm”
Paul was righteously angry and infuriated
the focus of Paul’s conversations was the rampant idolatry he witnessed
Personal Reflection
what do we see when we think of St Thomas, or London or the GTA?
are we moved by the lostness of people?
do our hearts yearn for their salvation?
are we incensed that God is not known or glorified by so many?
“so he reasoned … every day” (17)
Paul directed his holy anger and frustration into faithful witness.
whenever possible he started with those who had some knowledge of God
they were found in the synagogue = Jews and devout persons
the low lying fruit
he would win converts who would join him and multiply the ministry of the Gospel in the area
he also struck up conversations in the marketplace with whomever happened to be there
v.21 tells us an interesting characteristic of the people of Athens: they were fascinated with telling or hearing something new
being a wise communicator it is likely Paul used that intense curiosity to strike up conversations
an example for us
the thought of doing this sounds very scary and intimidating to many of us
and yet if we don’t overcome our fear we will rarely, if ever, witness
how to strike up spiritual conversations:
ask spiritual questions:
what do you believe about the origin of life?
what do you think happens when we die?
what is the secret of contentment?
where can we find peace?
what do you think of Jesus?
we’re told that some of those with whom Paul spoke in the marketplace were the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers
Epicurean philosophy:
central to their beliefs was that the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain were the keys to life
while they did not deny the existence of the gods they did not have anything to do with them
they were practical atheists, living as if there were no gods
also believed in annihilation, the wishful belief there is nothing after death
Stoic philosophers believed that self mastery was the greatest virtue to seek after
comes from being indifferent to pleasure and pain with the goal of feeling nothing
believed that all things compose an all-encompassing, immanent God
These 2 belief systems sum up the extremes to which people go who do not know God.
they are humankind’s desperate attempts to come to grips with the futility of existence without God
their response:
the critic and the skeptic:
“this babbler” (18a)
babbler = literally: word scavenger (a great quality to have if you like playing Scrabble!)
or seed picker
as a bird pecks here and there for seeds it was used of those who picked up pieces of information here and there and passed them off as if he were a person of great knowledge
the curious (19)
he seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities (18b)
they were listening and trying to understand without success
seeking to understand what Paul was saying they asked Paul if he would share his message with their rulers and political leaders
and so he was given an amazing opportunity to speak at the the Areopagus, the place where the rich, the powerful and the decision makers met
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Part 2
like all disciples of Christ, we have been given the Great Commission (Mt 28:19-20)
to go and make disciples (Acts 1:8)
to baptize them
to teach them all that Christ commanded (what the gathered church does on Sunday mornings and throughout the week in various ministries)
everything we do as a church should have disciple making as its reason for being and doing
as we come to Acts 17 we find in Paul’s example, instruction as to how we can effectively fulfill the first part of the Great Commission: going and making disciples
What is striking about Paul’s witness is how simple his message was and how faithful he was to the scriptures.
Athens a world city, famous for its architecture, its art, its philosophies, its univeristy
a cosmopolitan city made up of the rich and powerful and the poor and the downtrodden
how was Paul to reach this great city?
did he change his message?
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