Our text today will be Acts 17, verses 16 through 21. Acts 17, verses 16 through 21. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this day. We thank you that you call us to worship you, that you cleanse us, that you consecrate us, and even now God, as we open your word, as we proclaim your word. Father, would you consecrate us and prepare us as living sacrifices to ascend to your throne, to be wholly unacceptable in your sight, a sweet smelling aroma. Prepare us, God, to commune with you, and for you to commission us and send us back into this world of yours, to proclaim the name of Jesus, the resurrected Lord and Savior, and the gospel that is the power of God, the salvation for everyone who believes. Father, we thank you for that privilege. We ask this all for your glory, and it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Acts 17, beginning in verse 16 through verse 21, hear the word of the Lord. Now, while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him, when he saw that the city was given over to idols, therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace, daily with those who happen to be there, then certain Epicurian and stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, what does this babbler want to say? Others said he seems to be a proclamer of foreign gods because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection, and they took him and brought him into the Aereopagus, saying, may we know what this new doctrine is of what you speak for you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore, we want to know what these things mean. For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing. This is the word of the Lord. In Paul's day, at this time, that Luke is writing his record here in the Book of Acts, Greece, the country of Greece, which really wasn't called Greece then, it wasn't a single country, but Greece, the land of Greece, was divided into two main regions, Macedonia and Achaia. Macedonia was the northern region of the Greek peninsula, and Achaia was the southern region. Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, these were all cities in Macedonia. When Paul left Asia and landed on the European continent, he landed in Macedonia. When Paul left Berea to sail to Athens, Paul entered into the region of Achaia. The city of Corinth was in Achaia along with the city of Athens. Paul went to Athens first. He would later travel to Corinth and spend almost two years there. Verse 16 here in our text begins with Paul in the city of Athens, a very ancient city, a very influential city, not only influential then, but it is still influencing us today. Our Western thought, our Western philosophy, our Western way of doing things is greatly influenced by the Greeks and the philosophers of Greek culture. So Paul is in Athens. Luke writes in verse 16, now when Paul waited for them as Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. Paul had come to Athens without Silas and Timothy. They had stayed behind in Berea to continue the work there. But upon arriving in Athens, Paul sent word for Silas and Timothy to come to him without delay, with all speed is how Luke puts it. Luke informs us that as Paul waited for Silas and Timothy to arrive, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. The word translated, provoked here, conveys an intense reaction. Paul was deeply distressed. He was stirred and deeply troubled in his spirit. The Greek word here is Paragzuno and it is used only two times in the New Testament. Here in our text in Acts, but also in 1 Corinthians 13.5 where Paul is writing about love and he says love is not provoked. It is used in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament. It is used 46 times to communicate similar reactions, including to burn with anger. In other words, Paul was provoked to a righteous anger. He was more than a little irritated or a little perturbed or a little disappointed. At all the idolatry he found in Athens, he was deeply provoked in his spirit. I believe we may fairly say that Paul had a righteous anger, a righteous indignation toward the worship of these many false gods, but Paul channeled that provocation into an opportunity to give witness to the one true and living God who is the creator and the Lord of all. I believe one of the reasons Paul was so provoked in his spirit at all of this idolatry was not only the affront that it had against Christ against his God. I believe Paul looking at this idolatry also realized that the people of Athens who had filled their city with idols, Paul could see the desperation of these people who were grasping, trying to fill their lives with something to help them make sense of their life, of their existence. They were looking to these false gods, these idols trying to fill a void that would never be filled by those idols. I believe Paul saw this and I believe his heart broke in two ways. I believe his heart was broken for the affront it was to his God, but I believe his heart was also broken for the desperation and the destitute, the spiritual destitute, the condition of the people of that great city that had influenced the world in such amazing ways, yet not in the ultimate and right way that Paul knew the gospel could. We are not far different from the Greeks of Paul's day. We may not have idols all over our cities. We might not have idols all over our homes, but we have our idols. We have our own false gods that we use to try to fill our lives, to try to escape from our lives, to try to make sense of our lives, or we're tired of trying to make sense, I can't make sense of anything, so I'm going to just escape my life. We don't call them idols, we don't call them false gods, but that's exactly what they are because they are the very things that we turn to to try to ease our life, to ease our existence, to help us get through. Paul is in this great city seeing all of this, and Luke says that his spirit, in his spirit, he was provoked, he was deeply troubled, he was righteousness angry, not at the people. I believe he was righteously angry at the deception that these false gods, that these demonic influences had on the people who just really, like I said earlier, Satan cannot do anything to us except to see us. And we're prone to wander from God anyways, we're fallen creatures, it doesn't really take a lot, if we're not grounded in Christ, it really doesn't take a lot for the enemy to come along to us and lead us, point us in the wrong direction, and we will very often happily go down that trail to our own destruction. John Stodden's book The Spirit, The Church in the World, says the highest incentive of all evangelism is zeal or jealousy for the glory of Jesus Christ. And whenever God has denied his rightful place in people's lives, therefore we should feel inwardly wounded and jealous for his name. And this is exactly how Paul felt as he walked through Athens observing how this city had been given over to idols. Verse 17, therefore he ran, he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. Paul did not just stew in his provocation, he was moved as always to action. Paul was like his Lord in this regard. Throughout the witness of his life, throughout the witness of his ministry, Paul did not waste any opportunity to give glory to God or to give witness to the resurrected Christ and his powerful gospel. Once in Athens, Luke informs us that Paul focused on two places where he would give witness to Christ and the gospel, the synagogue and the marketplace. Paul didn't just do things by happenstance, he went to the marketplace every day, not because he didn't have anywhere else to go, but because he knew it was the most effective place to go. He went to the synagogue first off because he knew in the synagogue there were worshipers, there were people actually there seeking the true God. And so he went to that place to introduce them, to teach them who the true God truly is. And then he went to the marketplace where the Gentiles were also seeking after gods, trying to find answers for their own lives. He was very strategic in what he did. The synagogue, as was his tradition, wherever he went, Paul went first to the synagogue to reason with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, the Godfairers. He knew he would have a ready audience to which he could preach and teach the gospel. He did not have a different message wherever he went. His message was the same. It was Jesus and the resurrection. It was always the message of Jesus, the Messiah and the resurrection. Paul went to the synagogue on the Sabbath and any other time that it was open for business or Bible study or discussion, but he also went daily, Luke tells us daily to the marketplace, to witness to those who happen to be there. And we understand what the synagogue is, but the marketplace may require a bit more definition. When we hear the word marketplace, I don't know, when I hear marketplace, I think of like the farmer's market, or I think of the El Mercado in San Antonio there along the river. But the marketplace was much more than that. It was not just a place where goods and services were sold or trade and commerce are conducted. The marketplace described here is much more than that. The Torah translated marketplace in the Greek is the word Agora. The Agora. The ancient Agora of Athens was a thing. It had existed for centuries before the birth of Christ. The ancient Agora of Athens covered about 30 acres. It had markets, it had temples, it had many buildings and spaces for all sorts of civic, commercial and religious activities. It was where all aspects of the life of the city was conducted. There were very many temples, very many idols that were dedicated, that decorated the Agora. And all of this caught Paul's attention. Luke tells us Paul went to the Agora daily to reason with those who happened to be there. In Athens and the Agora, there were very many would-be philosophers, men who loved to talk, to discuss and to debate about all sorts of things. Paul found the perfect place to witness to the one God the Athenians failed to recognize, verse 18, then certain Epicurian and stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, what does this babbler want to say? Others said he seems to be a proclamer of foreign gods because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. I want to repeat that. They accused Paul of being a proclamer of foreign gods because he preached Jesus and the resurrection. Among the many philosophers Paul encountered certain Epicurian and stoic philosophers Luke tells us. Apparently after going daily to the Agora and reasoning with whoever happened to be there, certain Epicurian and stoic philosophers encountered Paul there and they Paul got their attention. Let's define what it means to be an Epicurian or a stoic philosopher because Luke specifically names them here and there's a reason why. Epicurians drew on the teachings of Epicurus. The Epicurians were materialists. They believed everything came from atoms and particles of matter. They believed the cosmos was the result of accident. What it created, it just booths and there it was. Sounds kind of familiar, doesn't it? Ancient philosophy Solomon said there's nothing new under the sun. Well we can't believe it in a creator so we're just going to call it a big bang. Well all you're doing is just going back to Epicurian philosophy. It all happened by accident one day. They pursued happiness and tranquility through pleasure. They sought pleasure. But they sought pleasure in a lifestyle of moderation that limited one's desire. So they weren't like out of control pleasure seekers. They were very much all things in moderation. They believed in the gods but they did not believe the gods intervened in men's lives. They didn't believe in divine intervention. The gods were there but man was doing his own thing and the gods were just there. Kind of doing their own thing and we're all here doing our own thing. Separate from one another. That was kind of the way the Epicurians looked at the gods. They didn't believe in divine intervention. They denied life after death. When the atoms separated death, then man ceased to exist. Therefore they fundamentally would reject the doctrine of resurrection. That was the Epicurians. The Stoics, we use this word still today. Oh he has a very stoic personality. But I wonder when we use that do we really understand what it is that we're saying. I understand what a stoic personality has come to represent. But it comes from this the Stoics. They were another set another philosophy. They were pantheists. God was the soul of the world or the world was God. Everything was governed by fate to which God himself was also subject. They denied the immortality of the soul. Thus they would reject the teaching of the resurrection. Like Epicurians, the Stoics were materialists. Virtue was its own reward and vice was its own punishment. There was no such thing as sin. There was no such no concept of repenting for sin. If you were a virtuous person, then your virtuous life would be your reward. It would carry its own consequences. The consequences of virtue would be your reward. If you are a person of vice misbehaving, then your punishment would be the vice that you indulged in. Pleasure was no good and pain was no evil. The path to happiness was accepting the moment and not allowing oneself to be controlled by either pleasure or pain. The name Stoic was derived from the Greek Stoa, meaning porch. A stoa is a porch or a portico. And Xeno was the founder of this philosophy and he would teach his disciples in a porch or a portico. He actually taught them in the most famous stoa, the most famous portico called the Painted Portico. Stoicism was born in the ancient Agora of Athens. This is where this philosophy was birthed in the Agora, around 300 years before the birth of Christ. And centuries later in Paul's day, it was the popular philosophy of the day. Both of these ancient philosophies bleed. The essence of God was matter. Paul would take this philosophy, he would take this mythology of the Greeks and turn it into a tool that would give witness to the true and living God. The one God who is both creator and savior and personally involved in the lives of his creation. God is not a Louvre, he is not removed from you, he is personally involved in your life. And we know this is true because God so loved the world that he has only been God and Son, that whoever would believe in him would not perish but have eternal life. Paul would show them that God is the creator of matter and that he far transcends and governs not only matter but all things. They called Paul a Babler, this Babler, these philosophers not recognizing Paul or his message did not look on him favorably. Asking the question, what does this Babler want to say? The word translated Babler is the Greek word, spermologos, spermologos from sperm, meaning seed and Lego meaning to gather or to collect. That was the original meaning of this word Lego to gather or collect later it meant to tell or to say. It literally means a seed picker, one who picks up seed and the term was a derogatory slaying for those who hung around the market picking up scraps like a bird that goes around picking up seeds or scavenging what others drop. You ever been to an outdoor restaurant with outdoor seating, you're sitting out there and the grackles are all hopping around waiting for you to drop your French round the ground so they can eat it. That's what they called Paul. That's what they describe Paul as being, a seed picker. The thought here describes one who's picking up words from others for himself in other words a plagiarist. At first Paul was seen as an ignorant show off with no original thought and this is what the philosophers of the agor is said about him calling him a seed picker. Luke continues in verse 18 writing that others said he seems to be a proclamer of foreign gods because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. The charge here is that Paul is proclaiming to them foreign gods. Luke tells us it is because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. Jesus, the resurrection and foreign gods and the pantheon of Greek gods it was not uncommon for their deities to be paired into couples often representing different aspects of mythology or not the natural world. For instance Zeus who was the chief god in the pantheon of Greek gods Zeus was paired with his second wife, Thymus. She was the goddess of law and order. The goddess of order, Hera who was often shown together with Zeus was the goddess of family and marriage. Another example was Athena the goddess of war who was always paired with Nike the goddess of victory. Your sneakers are named after a Greek goddess in case you didn't know that. These two were often depicted together. Paul's proclamation of Jesus in resurrection was perceived by the Greeks as the proclamation of a foreign or a strange god or gods. In the Greek language our word translated resurrection is the feminine noun anastasis. The name anastasia is the romanized form of the Greek anastasis. Hearing Jesus in resurrection proclaimed together and being so closely linked it seems some of the Greeks at least misunderstood what Paul was proclaiming and this was due to their philosophical and mythological bias. It had nothing to do with Paul saying the wrong things. He was saying all the right things but they were hearing him wrongly because of their philosophical and mythological bias. They heard Paul's words but they interpreted them based on their own philosophy and their own mythology. It is ironic these Greek philosophers were making Paul out to be a polytheist like themselves. A believer in many gods in fact Paul was proclaiming to them the one true and living god and the one who is creator of all things. There was nothing polytheistic about Paul or his gospel. It was the Greeks wrong philosophical understanding that contributed to their confusion. Paul would set things right when he would address them again at the area of apagus but this misunderstanding on the part of the Greeks emphasizes the importance of having the right philosophical and theological foundation when communicating the gospel. We need to know the context from which we speak but we also need to know the context from which men are hearing our speech. Paul no doubt understood this. If we ignore the meaning others may pour into the words being used even if those words are correct we may ourselves cause or reinforce misunderstanding. In this case Jesus and resurrection were possibly seen as an addition to the existing pantheon of gods but Paul would not let that confusion stand. Yet this is an important lesson for us today. For example if you are witnessing to a Hindu whose belief system is very polytheistic, even pantheistic, and presenting Jesus their understanding of Jesus may be very different from yours. Jesus could be easily embraced as just another of their many deities in their system of belief but he would not necessarily be understood by them as the only way, the only truth, and the only life. Since there is no real concept of sin in Hinduism the concept of repentance would be foreign yet the concept of another deity to worship would not be clarifying the message in the context therefore is very important. You might present Jesus to a Hindu and they may readily embrace him and you might think praise God they just got saved but in reality not necessarily. They just put Jesus up on the shelf with all their thousands of other gods and he's just going to get lost in the shuffle. And in their mind all they've done is check another box to make sure that maybe they're okay. When in reality what Jesus wants them to do is to embrace him and get rid of all the other gods and put him on the altar of their heart, the throne of their heart as the one and only God in way to salvation. And that they are sinners and they are in need of repentance but if we don't clarify that with someone that has a different belief system they might not get that but we could think that they did. This is kind of what's happening here with the Greeks but Paul is much wiser than to let this go unchallenged. We'll see this next week when we pick up our message. Obviously for Paul the gospel is not about adding Jesus to an already crowded pantheon of gods it's presenting Jesus as the only way the only name by which man may be saved. Jesus and the gospel present a better God and a better way to salvation not known before. The gospel is about proclaiming Jesus as the Lord of Lords the King of Kings and the name that is above every other name. Jesus has no competition from any other God or entity or host of heaven. He is matchless in every way. For most Christians understanding that Hinduism doesn't represent Christianity it is not hard to discern. Yet there are cults based on Christian tradition that can be a bit more tricky if our own philosophical and theological foundations are not firmly grounded in the Bible or a biblical world view. A good example that is present in our own community is Mormonism. When talking to a Mormon about God the Father for example or about Jesus or about the Holy Spirit you may be understanding one thing while they understand something completely different. You both may be using and hearing the same words but those words may have a very different meaning. For example the Father in heaven that Mormons understand is not the Father in heaven that the Bible and Jesus speak of. For Mormon teaching itself God the Father was a man like us born on a planet like ours and as a man he progressed to Godhood. Just as any faithful Latter-day saint man may aspire to do himself. In fact that is the goal if you are a good Mormon man to become a God and to populate your own spirit universe. Therefore God the Father of Mormonism is not the saying God the Father of the Bible neither is Jesus of Mormonism the same as the Jesus in the Bible. Same words on the surface but very different meanings poured into those words. God the Father in the Scripture is the eternal Father within the triune Godhead Father, Son and Holy Spirit make up the eternally existent triune God. Jawa has no beginning and no end. He was not a man who progressed to Godhood. He is without beginning or end. He is the eternally existent God the great I am. This universe is not an accident. It was created on purpose by its creator. It is important as Christians. Whether we are talking to Hindus or Mormons or any other system of belief that we understand the biblical worldview from which we speak. The doctrines of the Bible should inform our theology and philosophy and when we speak to others who are coming from a different worldview or one that uses biblical language yet pours in unbiblical meanings we should understand the context from which we speak but also the context from which they may be hearing us. If we are rooted and grounded in the truth abiding in his word and filled with his spirit we will recognize the lie when we hear it. That will help us make sure those we speak to are hearing not only our words but God's truth. This is what happened in Paul. To Paul in Athens the philosophers heard Paul's words that had one meaning informed by the scripture but they had ears that heard only from the context of their godless philosophies. Paul would be given the opportunity to speak to them in a way that would correct those misconceptions and they could choose to accept that or reject that and some did. Paul understood their worldview and their misconceptions and he spoke to those things accordingly so we too must strive to understand the worldview and the misconceptions of those we give witness to so that we know they are hearing the truth and understanding what that truth demands of them. The truth of the gospel calls men to repent to trust in Jesus the Jesus of the scripture the Jesus whose name is above every other name who is the transcendent Lord of all and creator of all not one of many gods but the one god in three persons father, son and Holy Spirit. Verse 19 and 20 they take Paul up to the ariapega saying may we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak for which you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean. The ariapega's after hearing Paul speak daily in the agorah they took these philosophers took Paul to the ariapega's the ariapega's was not only a place but it was more importantly a council of one hundred men. This council met at this place and it was called and they were called the ariapega's and they were the judges who oversaw many things that concern the city of Athens and the life of its people. It's unknown if Paul actually was standing trial before this council it's a question of debate. The charge that Paul was a proclamer of foreign gods was a potentially serious charge in fact that was the same charge that resulted in the death of Socrates. This charge had led some comment has led some commentators to believe that Paul was actually being put on trial. Whether he was or not doesn't change the focus of what we're talking about here today. What is not debatable is that Paul being brought to the ariapega's to offer what he had to say was a divine appointment he didn't go there by accident. He didn't go to Athens by accident. He was taken to this place to speak to the most influential men of the city and to present to them the gospel. Though Athens and Greece were far past their prime their golden age it was still an extremely influential city both culturally and religiously. Paul to parents before the ariapega's was not necessarily a hostile affair but it certainly was not a cakewalk. They were not friendly to Paul. They had charged him actually with a serious crime proclaiming foreign gods. It got Socrates killed centuries before and Paul would have been well aware of this and when he heard that charge he would understand the magnitude of what this could turn into for him. Whether he was on trial or not Paul did not know what they might be capable of. He no doubt knew of the execution of the philosopher and so he knew the magnitude of what he was facing. Yet Paul stood before them in absolute faith absolutely trusting the god he knew to be the one true and living god who had already conquered sin, who had already conquered death in the grave and he was there to proclaim to these men that God whatever the consequences may be. The doctrine of the resurrection was certainly a new doctrine for them as Epicurians and Stoics they did not believe in a resurrection if they had even heard of it. Jesus was not preached apart from the resurrection which was critical in the preaching of the gospel. There is no gospel if there is no resurrection and these philosophers were open to hearing without dismissing it out of hand and Paul was the man the philosopher who could match them word for word and deliver to them the gospel message in its purest and most powerful form. He understood where they were coming from and he had a revelation from God that transcended any philosophy, any wisdom of this world and guess what you also have that same revelation given to you by the Holy Spirit that transcends any philosophy of this world, any wisdom of this world. Do not underestimate the power of the gospel when you are communicating with anyone. Paul was equipped and ready to give them the hope he knew they did not have in their materialistic and fatalistic hopeless world view. He was ready to give them the gospel of the resurrected Christ and the things Paul was bringing to their ears were indeed strange in relation to their materialistic philosophies, strange but not unreasonable and certainly not without hope and new life. For these Greeks and their materialistic world view the truth may have been stranger than fiction and much of what they believed was indeed fiction and here was Paul with the truth that sounded so strange to them they could hardly believe that it could be true. They were saying what we often say it sounds too good to be true. Well if you really think about the gospel the gospel absolutely sounds too good to be true but I have good news for you. It's even better than it sounds because I has not seen and here has not heard nor has it even entered into the heart a man what God has prepared for those who love the gospel. It is too good to be true but it is true verse 21 for all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing those men of Athens and the many who came to that city from all over the world to again. They were the age and such activities who spent all their time telling and hearing some new thing were men primed to hear a truly new thing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether they knew it or not the message of the gospel was the one new thing to tell or hear that did not actually that did actually have the power to change their lives there was no philosophy that they engaged in that really had the power to change their lives. There's all kinds of things you may do trying to change your life but there's only one thing that actually has the power to actually change your life and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. And you can search the world over trying to find that thing that will change you but I'm telling you right now I can save you a lot of time a lot of effort and a lot of heartache. The gospel is the only thing the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only thing that can change your life. And by the gospel men could become new creations they could see the old pass away and all things become new these things were indeed strange things to hear but they were true. And after centuries of being steeped in the lie here now is the truth with the power to set men free. As Jesus said you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. Paul was ready to deliver the truth. I pray that you are ready as well to deliver the truth and to see men set free. You have no power to set men free yourselves but what you do have is the power of the gospel on your lips and through your life. We have no power except that we are His instruments of grace animated in His life and instruments in His hand to do His will. He empowers us and it is in His power that we are commanded to go. Go therefore in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Now let us prepare our hearts to come to the Lord's table to eat His bread and drink His wine. If you are a baptized member of Christ body you are welcome to this table whether you are a member of this church or not. Only that you are a member of His church through baptism in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Here is your church church. Be bold and be wise. Wherever Paul went he was bold and he was wise and when and how and even where he proclaimed the gospel. Why he proclaimed it is obvious. It is the power of God, the salvation for all who believe and this is why you are commanded to proclaim it in word and indeed. You are a living epistle that tells a story. May your story be to your good and to God's glory. Do not be stagnant in your faith. You are charged to grow up into Christ in all things and that includes your willingness and your ability to engage in the gospel with others. Jesus charges us all to be as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves. Do you know your neighbors and others around you? Do you know what they believe? Do you know their worldview that informs how they think? Do you know how to talk to them? Do you know how they will hear and perceive the words you have to say? Those are questions we should consider Paul knew his audience and you are charged to do the same to know who you are talking to and you will know that by asking questions and listening for their answers. You may do this with strangers you have never met before or with long acquaintances. Listen and talk accordingly. Better understand who they are and what they believe or what they do not believe. Trust God and trust His Holy Spirit to lead you and to guide you in your conversations. Do not be timid but bravely and boldly and wisely give them the gospel. Then trust God to bring the increase. Start right where you are and go step by step as God leads you. Trust Him to multiply your efforts. For you will read if you do not lose heart. Amen. Let us sing our thanks to God. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. The Lord be with you.