March 27, 2005 •  Pastor Randy Smith

Quite often we see signs decorating our great country saying, "God Bless America." Yet when I consider the status of America, we are currently living in a society where:

Should God really bless America? America is not a godly nation. It is a godless nation. The pollsters confirm, religion is up but morality is down.

Jesus told the Jews, "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me" (Mt. 15:8; cf. Isa. 29:13). Like the Jews, we may appear very religious on the outside, but our hearts have abandoned the expectations of our Creator. We are self-deceived, blind to the truth and desperate for God to shake us out of our spiritual slumber.

The city of Athens, Greece, at the turn of the first century was also very religious. Like America, they embraced a plethora of gods. However, their religiosity was worthless, because what they called spirituality, God called idolatry.

Yet God in His infinite mercy sent to them a messenger whereby they might embrace the truth and turn to Him in wholehearted faith. The man’s name was the Apostle Paul.

Verse 16 records Paul’s initial response to the city. Let’s remember, Athens had a reputation as the center of art, literature, learning and oratorical skill. Greek philosophy reigned supreme. Did Paul comment on the splendor? Was the Apostle impressed? No, quite to the contrary, verse 16 says, "His spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols."

Paul did not applaud their religious pluralism as we might today. According to inspired Scripture, he was "provoked." We might say he was: greatly annoyed, irritated, aroused to anger or infuriated.

People have been created to worship God, to approach God through Jesus Christ and love Him and obey Him and serve Him. And when that does not occur, it angers the heart of God and incites His wrath (Isa. 65:2-3). Paul was a man after God’s own heart. Whatever grieved God, grieved Paul as well. God hates anything that takes priority in our heart over Him. He calls it idolatry. Therefore, Paul was provoked because he beheld a city "full of idols." Paul was jealous for God’s glory!

How did Paul get to this point and what did he do once his spirit was provoked? First, he did not allow his feelings or popular opinion to determine his perspective. He placed his confidence in the Scriptures. He knew verses like Isaiah 42:8. "I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images." He allowed the Scriptures to permeate his thinking. Second, what he knew in his head influenced his heart to such a degree that it moved his affections. Therefore, the failure for God to receive glory provoked his spirit. It annoyed him deep down inside. Finally, his affections moved him to God-honoring behavior. While many Christians would have only complained about the deplorable situation, Paul sought to remedy the situation in the best way he knew possible. He shared the Gospel. In verse 17 we read about him sharing in the synagogue and the marketplace. By verse 22 he is standing in the Areopagus ("the supreme court of Athens") preaching Christ before the leading men of the city.

We are permitted to eavesdrop on Paul’s sermon. Beginning half way through verse 22 Paul says, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects." Paul initially establishes a point of contact. He finds common ground. Paul was a religious man. They claimed to be religious people. So how could they resist a friendly religious dialogue? Little did they know that Paul was about to prove that one’s religion is only as good as the object of one’s faith.

Verse 23a, "For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’" The Athenians were so religious and accepted the possibility of so many gods that they constructed an altar to and "unknown god," just in case they happened to miss one. I mean, they didn’t want to leave anyone out. They didn’t want to offend any of the people, but most of all they didn’t want to offend any of the deities. Sounds like America today! Good idea? Paul wastes no time.

Verse 23b, "Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you." I can imagine Paul saying, "You folks like ‘unknown gods?’ Then I’m sure you would be concerned if you missed one. And indeed you have! You worship in ignorance. Your gods are worthless. Your religion is dead because your gods are dead. Allow me to proclaim to you religious folks the One and only living God who has made Himself known."

Verse 24, "The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands." The God Paul came to proclaim is Creator. Paul was not an evolutionist. Rather he established the fact that from the beginning God created the world. He created the very men he was speaking to and therefore they had to realize that they are accountable to Him. They had to realize that they could not contain God in their puny man-made temples or understand Him with their paltry philosophical principles. They had to realize that the God whom Paul proclaimed transcends all and is worthy of all obedience, praise and honor. They had to realize that their idolatry and rejection of the true God was not only foolish, but also extremely dangerous.

Paul continues in verse 25, "Nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things." Religion as viewed by the Athenians is approached no differently today. We believe that religious people can be found acceptable to God’s eyes. If only we do enough good deeds or give enough money or attend enough church services we will be granted favor from the Almighty. But as Paul said in verse 25, God is not dependent on us. There is nothing we can provide for Him that He needs. On the contrary, we are dependent on Him and God takes great pleasure in providing for us — stuff mentioned in verse 25 like "life and breath and all things." He takes the greatest please in providing for us the gift of salvation.

But before Paul gets to that point he says in verse 26, "And He made from one man (Adam) every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation." The true God proclaimed by Paul provides and guides and sustains. Far from being a distant, unknowable and impersonal deity as the Greeks thought, verse 26 says He has revealed Himself through geography and history. Verse 25 said He has revealed Himself through His benevolent gifts. Verse 24 said He revealed Himself through creation. For what purpose did God so graciously reveal Himself? Why did He make Himself known?

Verse 27, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us." The purpose of general revelation (as theologians call it) is that all humankind might seek after God. God blesses us with wonderful gifts like delicious food and warm houses and loving families and relaxing vacations for a purpose. He declares His glory through a beautiful sunrise and a star-filled evening and the birth of a child for a purpose. He has clearly made Himself known so that we might seek Him. The Bible says there is no excuse for a rejection of God (Rom. 1:20).

Though we must grope for Him due to our sin, in reality He is not far from each of us. Again, contrary to the Greek belief that God was distant and unconcerned with the affairs of human life, God is among us. Paul said, "He is not far from each one of us." He is intimately involved in everything that transpires.

God wants us to seek Him. And when we seek Him, the promise of Scripture is that we will find Him. God speaking through the prophet Jeremiah said, "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13).

So to prove his point, Paul quotes two of their own poets (Epimenidies and Aratus). How can they deny the words of their esteemed authors? Both quotes are found in verse 28. "For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’"

Using their own material, Paul draws a logical conclusion. Verse 29, "Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man." If all humans are the offspring of God, if we can agree on that logical conclusion says Paul, how can we view Him as an idol crafted by the hands of men? How can we create Him when He has created us? How can we ignore Him when He has done so much to reveal Himself? How can we worship other gods? How can we be so ignorant?

Is America guilty of idolatry? If we think that our society is more sophisticated since few are bowing down to idols crafted by the hands of men, we must think again. An idol is anything that captures the supremacy of our heart and affections. It is anything that takes a priority in our heart over God. Money, power and materialism may all be idols. Even noble pursuits like family and employment can become idols as well. Can any of these ever be more important or bring more satisfaction than God? Maybe we need to be aware of our ignorance as well.

Verse 30, "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent." The Athenians sought to localize God by confining Him with limits they imposed. They sought to domesticate God by making Him dependent on them. They sought to alienate God by blaming Him for that which they didn’t like. They sought to minimize the gulf of reverence between them and their Creator, while at the same time, ignoring His immediate presence and the clear revelation He has provided. They sought to dethrone God of His glory, majesty and lordship.

But God has been patient. He has overlooked these times of ignorance. He did not immediately judge sin. However, verse 30 says, "(He) is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent." Because now God has provided the greatest irrefutable proof of His character and existence. He has visited us. He has come down to earth in the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (Jn. 14:9) and "I and the Father are one" (Jn. 10:30).

All must repent of their idolatry and turn to Him in wholehearted obedience, verse 31a; "Because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed." Judgment is coming. There will be a day of accountability. He is a righteous God and He will judge the world according to the righteousness of a Man, says Paul, the Man, Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, the Scriptures say He has given this judgment to Jesus Christ (according to John 5:22-27).

But why should we take Paul’s claim seriously? What qualifies this Man, Jesus Christ, to be our Judge? What makes Paul’s God the only true God? The answer is found in the latter half of verse 31. "Having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead."

G. Campbell Morgan remarked, "All talk of the judgment of the world in righteousness is futile unless it be true that this Man was raised from the dead" (Morgan, Acts).

Though "Easter" has crept in from paganism, we are here this morning to celebrate "Resurrection Sunday." Even more significant than Christmas, the birth of our Savior, is the day that He conquered death, sin and Satan and rose victoriously from the grave. The resurrection should be considered the foundation of our faith.

The late Pastor, James Montgomery Boice once said, "If it can be shown that Jesus of Nazareth actually rose from the dead, as the early Christians believed and as the Scriptures claim, then the Christian faith rests upon an impregnable foundation. If it stands, the other doctrines stand. On the other hand, if the resurrection falls, the other truths fall also" (Boice, Foundations of the Christian Faith, p. 341).

Notice how Paul in Acts 17 based his entire presentation on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Elsewhere in one of his other letters he wrote: "And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we witnessed against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished" (1 Cor. 15:14-18).

We learned this morning that God will judge the world in righteousness. Though we may consider ourselves not as bad as the other guy, the Scriptures emphatically declare that God is holy and we are sinful. Just this week in Proverbs I read, "Who can say, ‘I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin’" (Pr. 20:9). There will be a judgment in righteousness, and on our own each one of us is hopeless as we stand before a holy God. None of us will ever come close to the standard He expects.

Yet this holy God in His infinite mercy has provided us a way that we can be clothed in His righteousness. He sent His perfect Son, Jesus Christ into the world to die for sinners. On the first "Good Friday" He took our sin upon Himself. The One who knew no sin became sin and was judged in our place. He took the penalty we deserve. And He gave us the promise that if we believe in Him and forsake or repent of our sins we will be given His righteousness. We will stand before Him on Judgment Day and be declared "not guilty" based on His substitutionary work on the cross. We will stand before the righteous judgment of God clothed in the righteousness of His Son. His own words make perfect sense. "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me" (Jn. 14:6).

Did you catch those words? That’s a bold statement. Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father, but through Me." What a contrast to the beliefs of the Athenians and the beliefs of Americans!

So Jesus made this promise. He fulfilled His work on the cross. And He was buried. He made claims that were regarded as blasphemy. He spoke of sin and His judgment of it and the world hated Him for it. Eventually, they murdered Him. Was He a lunatic? Was He a liar? What would be the greatest evidence that His claims were true? What would be the greatest vindication of His death? How can we be certain that God the Father approved all that this Man said and did? The world waited. And on the third day He rose from the dead! It has been said, sin triumphed at the cross, but God triumphed at the resurrection.

"The hand of God reaches down into the cold Judean tomb, and the body of Christ is quickened. He rises. The stone is rolled away. Jesus is exalted to the right hand of the Father. By these acts we know that God has accepted the perfect sacrifice of His Son for sin" (Boice, Foundations of the Christians Faith, p. 344)

This is the message that transformed a cowardly band of confused Apostles to bold proclaimers of and eventually martyrs for the Christian faith. And at the heart of their message, as we have seen with the Apostle Paul this morning, was the resurrection.

As we return to our text, it appears that the Athenians listened to Paul up to this point. In verse 32 we read, "Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer."

According to Greek thought at that time, man was composed of both body and spirit. The spirit was considered good, but the body (or anything of matter) was considered evil. When Paul spoke about God coming back from the dead in bodily form, they experienced a conflict with their religious and philosophical presuppositions. For example, one of their own, Aeschylus, wrote roughly 500 years before Paul saying, "When the dust has soaked up a man’s blood, once he is dead, there is no resurrection." To them, Paul’s message was foolish (1 Cor. 1:18).

Furthermore, based upon Paul’s logic, as to what the resurrection proved, they didn’t care for One that called them to repentance. They didn’t care for One who would be their judge and call them to account for their rejection of the true God. They preferred to control their gods and not a God who controls them. They preferred theoretical debates and not righteous actions. They wanted their man-made religion and not God-honoring spirituality.

The Apostle Paul presented the true God who will judge the world in righteousness providing proof by raising Jesus Christ from the dead. We have been given a choice. The standard is the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. We can accept the righteousness of Jesus and be saved or we can try to make it on our own righteousness and be condemned. We only have two options. The message goes out to all today and the response hasn’t changed in the past two millennia.

According to verse 32, some began to sneer. They mocked the message and the messenger. They rejected the truth and consequently rejected God. In rejecting Jesus Christ, they rejected their only hope of salvation. Sadly, most in our world fall into this category.

Verse 32 also speaks of a second category. They told Paul, "We shall hear you again concerning this." They postponed their decision, perhaps indefinitely. What a dangerous position to place yourself. Thinking we can accept Christ at the eleventh hour, but to our surprise we die at the tenth. If we don’t accept the Gospel today, what makes us so certain we’ll accept it tomorrow? A delayed response is simply another form of rejection. It seems Paul felt this way. Despite their desire to hear him again, verse 33 says he "went out of their midst."

But finally, there is a third category. There are a few who receive the message and act upon it. Despite the widespread rejection, verse 34 says, "But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them."

What is your reaction to the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Have you rejected the message? Are you postponing placing your faith in Jesus Christ? Or have you embraced Jesus Christ by faith, resting on the resurrection as the proof that He was who He said He was and He accomplished the sacrifice for our sins on the cross? For those without Christ, the Scriptures say they will face Him as Judge and be evaluated according to His righteousness. But for those with Christ, the Scriptures say they will face Him as Savior having been clothed in His righteousness.

Apart from Jesus there is no hope. Philosophers have characterized death as "a candle flickering at the end of a dark tunnel" or "a star shining dimly on the blackest of nights." But Jesus told His followers, "Because I live, you shall live also" (Jn. 14:19). For those in Christ we have the great promise that dead is no longer our great enemy. We have the blessed hope that in the same way Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to the Father, we too will follow Him as we participate in our own resurrection from the grave (1 Thes. 4:14).