WEBVTT

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 and God-fearing Greeks, as well in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.

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 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with them.

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 Some of them asked, what is this babbler trying to say?

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 Others remarked, he seems to be advocating foreign gods.

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 They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

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 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Aeropagus where they said to him,

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 may we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?

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 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears and we would like to know more what they mean.

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 All of the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing

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 but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.

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 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Aeropagus and said,

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 people of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious.

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 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship,

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 I even found an altar with this inscription, to an unknown god.

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 So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

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 The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth

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 and does not live in temples built by human hands and he is not served by human hands as if he needed anything.

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 Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.

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 From one man he made all the nations that they should inhabit the whole earth

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 and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.

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 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him,

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 though he is not far from any one of us.

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 For in him we live and move and have our being.

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 As some of your own poets have said, we are his offspring.

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 Therefore, since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone,

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 an image made by human design and skill.

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 In the past God overlooked such ignorance,

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 but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

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 For he is set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed.

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 He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.

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 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered,

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 but others said, we want to hear you again on this subject.

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 At that point, Paul left the council.

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 Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed.

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 Among them was Dioconus, a member of the Areopagus,

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 also a woman named Demarius,

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 and a number of others.

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 Well, we don't want to close our Bibles.

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 We want to hear more on this subject, don't we?

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 We want to hear Jonathan come and preach.

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 So, Jonathan, please come.

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 Thank you.

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 There is a pen going around to this.

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 Where's the box of pens?

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 If you wouldn't mind.

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 Thank you, Sam.

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 If anybody would like pens, take notes.

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 You can use the back of the sheet to do that.

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 Thanks, Sam.

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 Let's let him do that.

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 Yes, right.

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 Yep.

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 It will be helpful to keep your Bibles open

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 as we just work through our passage this morning.

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 It's always very helpful when somebody is speaking

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 to be able to open up the word

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 and actually read into it yourself

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 to see, is what the speaker is saying making sense?

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 Is it right?

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 So, I would encourage you,

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 and we will be pointing out different verses

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 as I speak this morning.

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 Visiting a historic city is a great experience.

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 This summer, we had the privilege of going to Rome,

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 and anyone who went to Rome would know

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 that it's a beautiful city,

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 and a city with great history.

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 On one of our excursions,

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 we went to the old port of Rome.

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 And the old port,

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 we were able to go into an archaeological site

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 and be able to walk down the ruins of buildings

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 for people who lived 2,000 years ago.

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 So, I was quite happily walking along

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 with my audio guide

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 down these little narrow streets

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 looking at where people lived,

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 where they worked,

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 where they went to temples.

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 There were so many temples in this area,

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 so many altars, so many statues.

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 It was a wonderful experience,

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 and I became engrossed in it.

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 But as I was walking down it,

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 my mind went to this passage of scripture.

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 For even though I wanted to know

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 the history of this place,

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 I was so far removed

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 from the runnings of this place,

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 for what I was watching

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 was a pagan society,

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 a people who had buildings and temples

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 who were not following God.

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 Paul went to a historic city as well,

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 the city of Athens.

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 And for Paul, it was very different.

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 For while I was looking at broken down statues

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 and temples,

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 trying to imagine what it was like,

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 needing somebody in my ear

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 to tell me what it was,

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 Paul was able to open his eyes

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 and see it for real.

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 For as he wandered around Athens,

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 he was able to see people

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 worshipping other gods

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 in their temples and altars.

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 Now, for Paul,

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 who could blame him

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 for spending a few days in Athens?

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 The year was possibly about 20 years

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 after Christ,

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 and it was a very exciting time

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 in the history of Christianity.

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 The message of Christ

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 was moving out from Jerusalem

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 to Samaria,

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 out to the ends of the world,

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 and it was just entering Europe

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 for the first time.

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 Paul had just recently been

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 in a place called Philippi.

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 In Philippi,

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 he preached the good news of Jesus,

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 but he was put in jail for it.

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 He had to leave Philippi,

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 and he went to Thessalonica.

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 There he preached once again,

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 but there was a crowd

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 agitated everyone,

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 and there ended up being a riot,

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 and he had to leave

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 Thessalonica by night.

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 So he rushed off

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 to a nearby town called Berea.

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 But there again,

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 he was followed.

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 People followed

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 to agitate the crowd,

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 and again he had to leave.

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 But this time,

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 he had to leave

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 without his companions,

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 Silas and Timothy.

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 So by the time

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 we reach our verse

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 in verse 16,

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 Paul was here alone

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 in Athens.

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 Now, a few days in Athens,

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 waiting for his friends,

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 mightn't be such a bad thing

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 as we look around.

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 After all,

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 Athens was a city

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 of great wealth.

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 It was a city

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 of great learning,

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 and it was a religious city.

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 In fact,

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 in Athens,

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 every public building

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 was dedicated

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 to a god.

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 One pagan writer

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 at the time

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 used to refer to,

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 he used to quip

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 about Athens

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 that it was easier

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 to find a god

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 in Athens

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 than it was a man.

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 But for Paul,

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 unlike me,

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 doing it as a tourist,

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 Paul was looking around

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 and he was distressed

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 by what he saw.

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 Look at verse 16.

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 While Paul was waiting

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 for them,

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 being Silas and Timothy

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 in Athens,

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 he was greatly distressed

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 to see in the city

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 the city was full of idols.

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 And this word,

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 distressed,

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 is a very strong word.

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 It was meaning

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 provoking to anger.

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 Paul was angry

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 by what he saw.

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 It was the same word

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 that was used

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 when he had a disagreement

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 with a companion

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 of his, Barnabas,

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 when they had a sharp disagreement

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 and they parted their ways.

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 Paul was downright angry

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 by what he saw.

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 Why was he angry

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 by seeing idols?

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 Why was he angry

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 by seeing people

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 worshipping other gods?

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 If you know anything

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 about Paul,

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 he had a great heart

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 for the gospel.

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 He had a desire

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 to preach Jesus Christ

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 to all that he met.

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 But instead of seeing

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 a people

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 who were worshipping God,

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 he was seeing a people

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 who were turning away

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 from the living God,

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 who did not know

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 the living God.

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 They were worshipping

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 and putting their time

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 into man-made gods,

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 gods of silver

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 and gold

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 and stone.

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 And this appalled him.

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 Paul was seeing

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 a people

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 who were lost.

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 And ultimately,

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 Paul was looking

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 at these people

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 and seeing a people

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 who needed Jesus.

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 He would later write

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 to the Romans

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 and he was talking

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 about idols

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 and people

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 who followed idols

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 and he said,

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 they exchanged

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 the glory

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 of the immortal God

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 for images made

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 to look like

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 the mortal man

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 and birds

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 and animals

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 and reptiles.

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 They swapped

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 worshipping the creator

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 for worshipping

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 something that was created.

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 In a way,

00:09:10.139 --> 00:09:11.679
 this poses a challenge

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 to us.

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 when we look around

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 in the world

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 and we see people

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 who are not following God,

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 people who are following

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 other ways,

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 they're seeking after

00:09:20.139 --> 00:09:21.639
 wealth and pleasures.

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 Do we get distressed

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 by that?

00:09:24.840 --> 00:09:25.919
 Do we get provoked

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 to anger?

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 I know for myself,

00:09:27.639 --> 00:09:28.199
 sometimes you can get

00:09:28.199 --> 00:09:29.039
 so busy with life

00:09:29.039 --> 00:09:30.279
 you just move on

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 and you don't think

00:09:31.299 --> 00:09:32.080
 too much about it.

00:09:32.439 --> 00:09:33.199
 But we're surrounded

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 by people who are

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 not following God,

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 people who need Jesus.

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 And this is where

00:09:38.879 --> 00:09:40.100
 we pick up the story

00:09:40.100 --> 00:09:40.899
 for Paul.

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 Now, Paul wasn't one

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 to sit down

00:09:44.240 --> 00:09:45.779
 and do nothing about it.

00:09:45.899 --> 00:09:46.720
 Paul had a solution

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 to what he saw

00:09:47.759 --> 00:09:48.480
 when he saw people

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 following idols.

00:09:49.639 --> 00:09:50.980
 Look at verse 17.

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 So he reasoned

00:09:52.879 --> 00:09:53.379
 in the synagogue

00:09:53.379 --> 00:09:54.120
 with the Jews

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 and the God-fearing Greeks

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 as well as in the marketplace

00:09:56.779 --> 00:09:58.080
 by day with those

00:09:58.080 --> 00:09:59.200
 who happened to be there.

00:09:59.920 --> 00:10:00.720
 Paul's solution

00:10:00.720 --> 00:10:02.180
 was to share Jesus.

00:10:02.860 --> 00:10:03.300
 First,

00:10:03.680 --> 00:10:04.540
 he shared Jesus

00:10:04.540 --> 00:10:05.620
 with the Jews.

00:10:05.820 --> 00:10:06.960
 The Jews were his own people.

00:10:07.320 --> 00:10:08.040
 He knew them well.

00:10:08.120 --> 00:10:09.060
 He knew how they thought.

00:10:09.059 --> 00:10:10.579
 And this was his custom.

00:10:10.959 --> 00:10:11.939
 Look back at the start

00:10:11.939 --> 00:10:13.879
 of chapter 17,

00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:14.500
 verse 2,

00:10:14.719 --> 00:10:15.979
 when he went to Thessalonica.

00:10:16.859 --> 00:10:17.739
 Verse 2 says,

00:10:17.939 --> 00:10:19.039
 As his custom was,

00:10:19.419 --> 00:10:20.559
 Paul went into the synagogue

00:10:20.559 --> 00:10:23.039
 and on three Sabbath days

00:10:23.039 --> 00:10:24.439
 he reasoned with them

00:10:24.439 --> 00:10:25.099
 from the scriptures,

00:10:26.059 --> 00:10:27.299
 explaining and proving

00:10:27.299 --> 00:10:28.059
 that the Christ

00:10:28.059 --> 00:10:28.759
 had to suffer

00:10:28.759 --> 00:10:30.579
 and rise from the dead.

00:10:31.599 --> 00:10:32.879
 When he went to Berea,

00:10:33.219 --> 00:10:34.799
 look at verse 10.

00:10:35.279 --> 00:10:36.339
 On arriving there,

00:10:36.340 --> 00:10:38.680
 they went to the Jewish synagogue.

00:10:39.480 --> 00:10:40.399
 And in our chapter,

00:10:40.660 --> 00:10:41.500
 in our few verses,

00:10:41.920 --> 00:10:42.759
 again he went

00:10:42.759 --> 00:10:43.600
 to the synagogue.

00:10:44.060 --> 00:10:45.060
 He wanted to open up

00:10:45.060 --> 00:10:45.860
 the scriptures

00:10:45.860 --> 00:10:47.120
 to his own people.

00:10:48.080 --> 00:10:48.580
 The scriptures,

00:10:48.960 --> 00:10:49.800
 for them,

00:10:49.940 --> 00:10:50.680
 was the Old Testament.

00:10:50.820 --> 00:10:51.420
 He proved

00:10:51.420 --> 00:10:52.420
 and showed people

00:10:52.420 --> 00:10:54.300
 that the promised Messiah

00:10:54.300 --> 00:10:55.440
 was Jesus.

00:10:55.720 --> 00:10:56.280
 He had a heart

00:10:56.280 --> 00:10:56.759
 for his people,

00:10:56.860 --> 00:10:57.480
 a heart for them

00:10:57.480 --> 00:10:57.879
 to hear

00:10:57.879 --> 00:10:59.399
 the good news.

00:11:00.019 --> 00:11:00.920
 But he also wanted

00:11:00.920 --> 00:11:01.420
 to preach

00:11:01.420 --> 00:11:02.720
 to those

00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:04.259
 who were not Jews,

00:11:04.259 --> 00:11:05.559
 Gentiles,

00:11:05.700 --> 00:11:06.419
 those who knew

00:11:06.419 --> 00:11:07.159
 nothing of the

00:11:07.159 --> 00:11:08.080
 Old Testament scriptures.

00:11:08.519 --> 00:11:09.379
 And what did he do?

00:11:09.580 --> 00:11:11.399
 He went into the marketplace

00:11:11.399 --> 00:11:12.340
 day by day

00:11:12.340 --> 00:11:14.120
 and spoke to those

00:11:14.120 --> 00:11:16.539
 who happened to be there.

00:11:18.819 --> 00:11:19.980
 So you need to pass over

00:11:19.980 --> 00:11:21.200
 certain words in scripture.

00:11:21.620 --> 00:11:22.659
 At the start of our verse,

00:11:22.860 --> 00:11:24.419
 it says that he reasoned

00:11:24.419 --> 00:11:24.700
 with them

00:11:24.700 --> 00:11:25.980
 and it's a very interesting word.

00:11:26.299 --> 00:11:27.860
 For those who know Greek,

00:11:28.179 --> 00:11:28.819
 they would tell you

00:11:28.819 --> 00:11:29.480
 that it's the word

00:11:29.480 --> 00:11:30.179
 dialogami,

00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:31.899
 from which we get

00:11:31.899 --> 00:11:32.980
 our word dialogue.

00:11:32.980 --> 00:11:34.100
 What's a dialogue?

00:11:34.600 --> 00:11:35.480
 It's when we have

00:11:35.480 --> 00:11:36.440
 a conversation.

00:11:37.220 --> 00:11:37.980
 Somebody speaks,

00:11:38.120 --> 00:11:38.740
 somebody listens.

00:11:38.899 --> 00:11:39.560
 And we do that.

00:11:40.779 --> 00:11:41.960
 And this was very important

00:11:41.960 --> 00:11:42.580
 for Paul

00:11:42.580 --> 00:11:43.460
 as he spoke with people,

00:11:43.539 --> 00:11:44.440
 as he presented

00:11:44.440 --> 00:11:45.899
 the truth of Christ.

00:11:46.560 --> 00:11:48.240
 He also accepted

00:11:48.240 --> 00:11:49.960
 them speaking back to him

00:11:49.960 --> 00:11:51.840
 to debate with him.

00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:52.920
 And that's what he did

00:11:52.920 --> 00:11:54.100
 with these people.

00:11:55.120 --> 00:11:56.340
 We often think of Paul

00:11:56.340 --> 00:11:57.600
 just merely standing

00:11:57.600 --> 00:11:58.279
 on a soapbox

00:11:58.279 --> 00:11:58.800
 and preaching

00:11:58.800 --> 00:12:00.220
 and then moving on.

00:12:00.460 --> 00:12:00.899
 But instead,

00:12:01.300 --> 00:12:02.600
 he interacted with people.

00:12:03.840 --> 00:12:05.139
 But as he was interacting,

00:12:05.300 --> 00:12:06.720
 he met two groups of people.

00:12:07.420 --> 00:12:08.340
 Look at verse 18.

00:12:08.500 --> 00:12:09.399
 He met a group

00:12:09.399 --> 00:12:10.300
 of philosophers.

00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:11.860
 Philosophy is,

00:12:12.039 --> 00:12:13.759
 strictly speaking,

00:12:13.860 --> 00:12:14.820
 the love

00:12:14.820 --> 00:12:15.519
 or the learning

00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:16.480
 of knowledge.

00:12:17.240 --> 00:12:18.019
 And he met

00:12:18.019 --> 00:12:19.279
 Epicurean

00:12:19.279 --> 00:12:20.580
 and Stoic philosophers

00:12:20.580 --> 00:12:21.659
 and they began

00:12:21.659 --> 00:12:23.180
 to dispute with them.

00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:24.420
 Who were these people?

00:12:24.700 --> 00:12:24.720
 Well,

00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:27.100
 Athens was a center

00:12:27.100 --> 00:12:27.759
 of learning.

00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:28.879
 This was where people

00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:29.440
 used to go

00:12:29.440 --> 00:12:30.220
 and spend time

00:12:30.220 --> 00:12:30.759
 and learning

00:12:30.759 --> 00:12:31.700
 about different ideas.

00:12:31.700 --> 00:12:32.780
 The Epicureans

00:12:32.780 --> 00:12:33.580
 were people

00:12:33.580 --> 00:12:35.100
 who loved pleasure.

00:12:35.660 --> 00:12:35.920
 They wanted

00:12:35.920 --> 00:12:37.259
 to avoid pain.

00:12:37.759 --> 00:12:39.480
 They didn't deny

00:12:39.480 --> 00:12:40.080
 there was a god

00:12:40.080 --> 00:12:40.920
 but they were

00:12:40.920 --> 00:12:41.820
 practical atheists

00:12:41.820 --> 00:12:42.520
 because they lived

00:12:42.520 --> 00:12:43.120
 their lives

00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:44.320
 as if there were

00:12:44.320 --> 00:12:45.120
 no gods.

00:12:45.480 --> 00:12:46.280
 Their view of life

00:12:46.280 --> 00:12:46.560
 was,

00:12:47.259 --> 00:12:47.980
 I'll get pleasure

00:12:47.980 --> 00:12:49.360
 and I'll avoid pain.

00:12:49.940 --> 00:12:50.460
 The Stoics,

00:12:50.540 --> 00:12:51.040
 on the other hand,

00:12:51.080 --> 00:12:51.700
 were people who

00:12:51.700 --> 00:12:52.660
 wanted to have

00:12:52.660 --> 00:12:53.620
 self-mastery.

00:12:53.680 --> 00:12:54.300
 They wanted to be

00:12:54.300 --> 00:12:55.759
 immune to emotions.

00:12:56.840 --> 00:12:57.780
 They didn't believe

00:12:57.780 --> 00:12:58.920
 in any personal god.

00:12:58.919 --> 00:12:59.679
 They didn't believe

00:12:59.679 --> 00:13:01.039
 any creator god

00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:01.759
 and they believed

00:13:01.759 --> 00:13:02.299
 that everything

00:13:02.299 --> 00:13:03.399
 was predetermined

00:13:03.399 --> 00:13:04.919
 by random chance.

00:13:06.099 --> 00:13:06.799
 And these philosophers

00:13:06.799 --> 00:13:07.879
 had contempt

00:13:07.879 --> 00:13:08.379
 for Paul

00:13:08.379 --> 00:13:09.059
 in his message.

00:13:09.579 --> 00:13:11.099
 Look at verse 18 again.

00:13:11.439 --> 00:13:11.839
 They said,

00:13:12.379 --> 00:13:13.839
 what is this babbler

00:13:13.839 --> 00:13:14.740
 talking about?

00:13:15.659 --> 00:13:16.559
 The word babbler

00:13:16.559 --> 00:13:17.459
 is an interesting word.

00:13:17.839 --> 00:13:18.559
 It literally means

00:13:18.559 --> 00:13:19.279
 seed picker.

00:13:19.819 --> 00:13:20.779
 Have you ever seen

00:13:20.779 --> 00:13:21.839
 birds pecking

00:13:21.839 --> 00:13:22.899
 at seeds on the ground?

00:13:23.139 --> 00:13:24.139
 They peck, peck, peck,

00:13:24.199 --> 00:13:24.939
 picking up this bit

00:13:24.939 --> 00:13:25.379
 and that bit.

00:13:25.379 --> 00:13:27.340
 And what they were

00:13:27.340 --> 00:13:28.000
 saying about Paul

00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:28.740
 was that he was

00:13:28.740 --> 00:13:29.220
 like somebody

00:13:29.220 --> 00:13:29.779
 who has picked up

00:13:29.779 --> 00:13:30.620
 a bit of knowledge here,

00:13:30.860 --> 00:13:31.919
 a bit of knowledge there,

00:13:32.179 --> 00:13:33.080
 tried to put it all together

00:13:33.080 --> 00:13:34.159
 and really didn't know

00:13:34.159 --> 00:13:35.299
 what he was talking about.

00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:36.720
 They also said

00:13:36.720 --> 00:13:37.759
 that his ideas

00:13:37.759 --> 00:13:38.360
 were strange.

00:13:38.460 --> 00:13:39.279
 Look at verse 20.

00:13:39.899 --> 00:13:41.000
 They refer to

00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:42.679
 him bringing them

00:13:42.679 --> 00:13:44.120
 strange ideas.

00:13:44.539 --> 00:13:44.799
 You see,

00:13:44.960 --> 00:13:45.879
 they recognized

00:13:45.879 --> 00:13:46.799
 that what Paul

00:13:46.799 --> 00:13:47.600
 was saying

00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:48.679
 was very different

00:13:48.679 --> 00:13:49.820
 to what they believed.

00:13:50.299 --> 00:13:51.059
 They also misunderstood

00:13:51.059 --> 00:13:51.860
 what he said

00:13:51.860 --> 00:13:52.639
 and they said

00:13:52.639 --> 00:13:53.419
 in verse 19

00:13:53.419 --> 00:13:54.719
 that he was one

00:13:54.719 --> 00:13:55.679
 who was advocating

00:13:55.679 --> 00:13:57.319
 foreign gods.

00:13:58.639 --> 00:13:59.620
 What was really

00:13:59.620 --> 00:14:00.360
 happening here

00:14:00.360 --> 00:14:01.479
 was a clash

00:14:01.479 --> 00:14:03.099
 between the Christian

00:14:03.099 --> 00:14:04.459
 message of Paul

00:14:04.459 --> 00:14:05.799
 and the way

00:14:05.799 --> 00:14:06.699
 the world

00:14:06.699 --> 00:14:08.179
 sees life.

00:14:08.599 --> 00:14:09.279
 The Christian

00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:10.620
 way of looking at things,

00:14:10.699 --> 00:14:11.339
 as you could call it,

00:14:11.379 --> 00:14:12.299
 the Christian worldview

00:14:12.299 --> 00:14:13.579
 or how you see the world,

00:14:13.639 --> 00:14:14.500
 your outlook and world,

00:14:14.839 --> 00:14:16.159
 is very simple for Paul.

00:14:16.159 --> 00:14:17.659
 He saw Christ

00:14:17.659 --> 00:14:18.419
 as the focus.

00:14:19.019 --> 00:14:19.319
 God

00:14:19.319 --> 00:14:20.939
 had created the world.

00:14:21.599 --> 00:14:21.879
 Sin

00:14:21.879 --> 00:14:22.980
 entered the world.

00:14:22.980 --> 00:14:24.139
 It needed a solution

00:14:24.139 --> 00:14:24.820
 and that solution

00:14:24.820 --> 00:14:25.560
 was Christ

00:14:25.560 --> 00:14:27.320
 who came to the world

00:14:27.320 --> 00:14:27.920
 and he died

00:14:27.920 --> 00:14:28.659
 and rose again

00:14:28.659 --> 00:14:29.720
 for our salvation.

00:14:30.259 --> 00:14:31.100
 And because of that,

00:14:31.320 --> 00:14:32.320
 we know where we're going

00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:33.039
 because we have

00:14:33.039 --> 00:14:34.259
 the hope of heaven.

00:14:35.860 --> 00:14:36.879
 And now Paul

00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:38.060
 and us as Christians

00:14:38.060 --> 00:14:38.879
 are living

00:14:38.879 --> 00:14:40.560
 as Jesus did.

00:14:40.620 --> 00:14:41.300
 We want to live

00:14:41.300 --> 00:14:42.680
 as Christ did.

00:14:43.560 --> 00:14:44.840
 But that was very different

00:14:44.840 --> 00:14:45.620
 to what these people

00:14:45.620 --> 00:14:46.560
 who were listening to him,

00:14:46.960 --> 00:14:47.920
 how they lived their lives.

00:14:48.220 --> 00:14:48.879
 Their focus

00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:50.659
 was on pleasure,

00:14:51.080 --> 00:14:52.539
 on material things,

00:14:52.539 --> 00:14:53.579
 on knowledge.

00:14:54.019 --> 00:14:54.699
 They didn't believe

00:14:54.699 --> 00:14:55.319
 in the afterlife.

00:14:55.860 --> 00:14:56.639
 So if they don't believe

00:14:56.639 --> 00:14:57.099
 in the afterlife,

00:14:57.259 --> 00:14:57.379
 well,

00:14:57.799 --> 00:14:58.699
 then there's no judgment.

00:14:59.399 --> 00:15:00.099
 There's no one

00:15:00.099 --> 00:15:00.959
 to condemn them

00:15:00.959 --> 00:15:01.699
 after they pass

00:15:01.699 --> 00:15:02.039
 into this world

00:15:02.039 --> 00:15:02.959
 because they see life

00:15:02.959 --> 00:15:03.879
 merely as

00:15:03.879 --> 00:15:05.059
 what we have here

00:15:05.059 --> 00:15:05.379
 and now.

00:15:06.459 --> 00:15:07.480
 And this clash

00:15:07.480 --> 00:15:08.980
 between the Christian worldview

00:15:08.980 --> 00:15:10.259
 and the worldview

00:15:10.259 --> 00:15:10.939
 of the world

00:15:10.939 --> 00:15:13.500
 is very much

00:15:13.500 --> 00:15:14.319
 what Paul

00:15:14.319 --> 00:15:15.519
 tries to speak against.

00:15:16.059 --> 00:15:17.620
 For worldviews,

00:15:17.620 --> 00:15:19.580
 it answers

00:15:19.580 --> 00:15:20.460
 the big questions

00:15:20.460 --> 00:15:20.919
 of life.

00:15:21.379 --> 00:15:22.220
 If you had stood back

00:15:22.220 --> 00:15:23.340
 and thought about life,

00:15:23.679 --> 00:15:24.659
 you'd ask different questions

00:15:24.659 --> 00:15:24.940
 like,

00:15:25.179 --> 00:15:26.299
 where do I come from?

00:15:26.980 --> 00:15:28.240
 What's wrong with the world?

00:15:28.320 --> 00:15:29.080
 What's the solution

00:15:29.080 --> 00:15:30.139
 and where am I going?

00:15:30.919 --> 00:15:31.860
 For us as Christians,

00:15:32.159 --> 00:15:33.659
 we see the Christian worldview

00:15:33.659 --> 00:15:34.039
 the way

00:15:34.039 --> 00:15:35.659
 as presented by the Bible

00:15:35.659 --> 00:15:36.679
 is how it explains

00:15:36.679 --> 00:15:37.379
 these questions.

00:15:38.039 --> 00:15:38.600
 For others,

00:15:38.840 --> 00:15:40.100
 they lived differently.

00:15:40.580 --> 00:15:41.379
 Think about the people

00:15:41.379 --> 00:15:42.740
 that we meet

00:15:42.740 --> 00:15:43.299
 in our lives

00:15:43.299 --> 00:15:43.960
 that we could meet.

00:15:43.960 --> 00:15:44.840
 We meet people

00:15:44.840 --> 00:15:46.060
 who don't believe in God.

00:15:46.400 --> 00:15:47.019
 They believe that

00:15:47.019 --> 00:15:48.700
 somehow we evolved

00:15:48.700 --> 00:15:49.860
 over millions of years.

00:15:50.160 --> 00:15:51.139
 We happen to end up

00:15:51.139 --> 00:15:51.879
 where we are now.

00:15:52.480 --> 00:15:53.620
 There is no God,

00:15:53.720 --> 00:15:54.080
 so therefore

00:15:54.080 --> 00:15:55.259
 there is no judgment.

00:15:57.340 --> 00:15:58.240
 We meet other people

00:15:58.240 --> 00:15:58.780
 who have a very

00:15:58.780 --> 00:15:59.800
 scientific mind.

00:16:00.400 --> 00:16:01.800
 They might say to us,

00:16:01.879 --> 00:16:01.940
 well,

00:16:02.280 --> 00:16:04.019
 science has disproved

00:16:04.019 --> 00:16:04.759
 Christianity,

00:16:05.360 --> 00:16:06.300
 so I'm not going

00:16:06.300 --> 00:16:07.280
 to believe in Christianity.

00:16:08.460 --> 00:16:09.259
 Or we might hear

00:16:09.259 --> 00:16:10.180
 people say,

00:16:10.259 --> 00:16:10.400
 well,

00:16:10.960 --> 00:16:11.680
 what you believe,

00:16:11.680 --> 00:16:12.840
 your Christian message

00:16:12.840 --> 00:16:13.920
 is true for you,

00:16:13.960 --> 00:16:15.600
 but it's not true for me.

00:16:15.740 --> 00:16:17.019
 It's a very post-modern

00:16:17.019 --> 00:16:17.700
 way of thinking

00:16:17.700 --> 00:16:18.800
 that really,

00:16:18.980 --> 00:16:19.700
 I'm happy for you

00:16:19.700 --> 00:16:20.240
 to believe it.

00:16:20.720 --> 00:16:21.320
 I'm happy for you

00:16:21.320 --> 00:16:21.980
 to sit there

00:16:21.980 --> 00:16:22.940
 and go to church,

00:16:23.080 --> 00:16:23.940
 do all these things,

00:16:24.420 --> 00:16:24.940
 but for me,

00:16:25.180 --> 00:16:26.139
 I want to do something else.

00:16:26.420 --> 00:16:27.660
 It really doesn't matter to me.

00:16:28.340 --> 00:16:29.180
 And the question is,

00:16:29.220 --> 00:16:30.400
 and the question for Paul was,

00:16:30.680 --> 00:16:32.280
 how was he going to defend

00:16:32.280 --> 00:16:33.340
 the Christian message

00:16:33.340 --> 00:16:35.220
 when people in this world

00:16:35.220 --> 00:16:36.660
 have such an idea

00:16:36.660 --> 00:16:37.740
 about what the world

00:16:37.740 --> 00:16:38.240
 is about?

00:16:39.680 --> 00:16:40.320
 Well,

00:16:40.379 --> 00:16:41.160
 Paul's defense

00:16:41.160 --> 00:16:43.639
 starts in verse 19.

00:16:43.960 --> 00:16:44.820
 You see,

00:16:45.759 --> 00:16:46.580
 as he spoke,

00:16:47.040 --> 00:16:47.960
 they asked the question,

00:16:48.360 --> 00:16:49.740
 what are you teaching?

00:16:49.980 --> 00:16:51.080
 We want to hear more.

00:16:51.580 --> 00:16:51.780
 Now,

00:16:51.820 --> 00:16:52.420
 we could very much

00:16:52.420 --> 00:16:53.400
 get excited and think,

00:16:53.580 --> 00:16:54.420
 isn't this wonderful?

00:16:54.820 --> 00:16:55.480
 Paul was preaching

00:16:55.480 --> 00:16:55.960
 about Jesus

00:16:55.960 --> 00:16:56.900
 and the resurrection.

00:16:57.060 --> 00:16:57.700
 These people said,

00:16:57.920 --> 00:16:58.820
 we want to hear you

00:16:58.820 --> 00:17:00.160
 speak about this.

00:17:00.940 --> 00:17:01.480
 But Luke,

00:17:01.560 --> 00:17:02.519
 who wrote the book of Acts,

00:17:02.740 --> 00:17:03.500
 very clearly

00:17:03.500 --> 00:17:04.680
 in verse 21

00:17:04.680 --> 00:17:06.180
 would ground us

00:17:06.180 --> 00:17:06.600
 in thinking

00:17:06.600 --> 00:17:07.779
 that they wanted to hear it

00:17:07.779 --> 00:17:08.759
 from a heart point of view.

00:17:08.759 --> 00:17:09.839
 for he tells us

00:17:09.839 --> 00:17:11.099
 that all the Athenians

00:17:11.099 --> 00:17:12.000
 and foreigners

00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:12.720
 who lived there

00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:13.500
 spent their time

00:17:13.500 --> 00:17:14.140
 doing nothing

00:17:14.140 --> 00:17:15.420
 but talking about

00:17:15.420 --> 00:17:16.279
 and listening

00:17:16.279 --> 00:17:17.619
 to the latest ideas.

00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:19.500
 The Athenians

00:17:19.500 --> 00:17:20.839
 wanted to know

00:17:20.839 --> 00:17:22.180
 about what Paul

00:17:22.180 --> 00:17:22.579
 was saying

00:17:22.579 --> 00:17:23.879
 from a head point of view.

00:17:24.359 --> 00:17:25.339
 It wasn't that their hearts

00:17:25.339 --> 00:17:25.920
 were prodded

00:17:25.920 --> 00:17:26.599
 to hear about

00:17:26.599 --> 00:17:27.339
 the name of Jesus.

00:17:27.759 --> 00:17:29.079
 It was all head knowledge.

00:17:29.539 --> 00:17:30.460
 And Paul knew this.

00:17:30.700 --> 00:17:31.180
 He wasn't going

00:17:31.180 --> 00:17:32.259
 to be fooled by that.

00:17:32.619 --> 00:17:33.259
 But he was still

00:17:33.259 --> 00:17:33.940
 going to present

00:17:33.940 --> 00:17:35.140
 the gospel to them.

00:17:35.140 --> 00:17:39.460
 So in verse 22

00:17:39.460 --> 00:17:40.300
 where we pick it up,

00:17:40.780 --> 00:17:41.480
 they brought him

00:17:41.480 --> 00:17:42.040
 to the Oropagus

00:17:42.040 --> 00:17:43.080
 which was like a council

00:17:43.080 --> 00:17:43.440
 or somewhere

00:17:43.440 --> 00:17:44.900
 where they would talk

00:17:44.900 --> 00:17:45.640
 about religion

00:17:45.640 --> 00:17:46.340
 and morals.

00:17:46.960 --> 00:17:47.520
 And he stood up

00:17:47.520 --> 00:17:47.920
 and he said,

00:17:48.280 --> 00:17:49.500
 men are people of Athens.

00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:50.860
 I see that in every way

00:17:50.860 --> 00:17:52.560
 you are very religious.

00:17:53.920 --> 00:17:55.220
 I see that in every way,

00:17:55.660 --> 00:17:56.200
 pardon me,

00:17:56.420 --> 00:17:57.400
 for as I walked around

00:17:57.400 --> 00:17:58.220
 and looked carefully

00:17:58.220 --> 00:17:59.340
 at your objects of worship,

00:17:59.620 --> 00:18:00.920
 I even found an altar

00:18:00.920 --> 00:18:01.759
 with this inscription

00:18:01.759 --> 00:18:03.520
 to an unknown God.

00:18:04.060 --> 00:18:05.000
 Now what you worship

00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:06.099
 as something unknown,

00:18:06.539 --> 00:18:08.180
 I am going to proclaim to you.

00:18:09.380 --> 00:18:10.859
 Now notice that Paul,

00:18:11.200 --> 00:18:12.279
 even though he was angry

00:18:12.279 --> 00:18:13.500
 by their idol worship,

00:18:13.759 --> 00:18:14.279
 by the way they were

00:18:14.279 --> 00:18:15.079
 not following God,

00:18:15.319 --> 00:18:16.339
 he didn't start off

00:18:16.339 --> 00:18:17.019
 in condemnation.

00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:17.880
 He didn't stand up

00:18:17.880 --> 00:18:18.220
 and say,

00:18:18.619 --> 00:18:19.779
 you're wrong,

00:18:20.339 --> 00:18:21.160
 you're pagans,

00:18:21.319 --> 00:18:22.240
 you're blaspheming God.

00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:23.400
 But instead,

00:18:23.619 --> 00:18:25.299
 he started where they were at.

00:18:25.680 --> 00:18:27.259
 He told them that,

00:18:27.660 --> 00:18:28.579
 he was acknowledging

00:18:28.579 --> 00:18:29.460
 that they were religious.

00:18:29.680 --> 00:18:30.660
 He wasn't agreeing with them.

00:18:30.720 --> 00:18:31.140
 He wasn't saying

00:18:31.140 --> 00:18:31.799
 they were right.

00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:33.380
 But he saw that

00:18:33.380 --> 00:18:34.759
 they had devotion

00:18:34.759 --> 00:18:36.680
 but it was misplaced.

00:18:36.819 --> 00:18:38.539
 It was in the wrong thing.

00:18:39.220 --> 00:18:40.099
 And they could tell

00:18:40.099 --> 00:18:41.000
 that at least he knew

00:18:41.000 --> 00:18:41.779
 something about them

00:18:41.779 --> 00:18:42.420
 because he said,

00:18:42.680 --> 00:18:43.900
 told them that he'd spent time

00:18:43.900 --> 00:18:44.539
 in their temples

00:18:44.539 --> 00:18:45.400
 looking around

00:18:45.400 --> 00:18:47.019
 and even saw this inscription.

00:18:47.440 --> 00:18:48.680
 It wasn't that he was disinterested

00:18:48.680 --> 00:18:49.519
 in what they believed.

00:18:49.859 --> 00:18:50.839
 He understood it

00:18:50.839 --> 00:18:52.160
 even though he didn't agree with it.

00:18:52.539 --> 00:18:55.460
 And he used their altar

00:18:55.460 --> 00:18:56.500
 to this unknown God

00:18:56.500 --> 00:18:57.619
 as a starting point

00:18:57.619 --> 00:18:59.140
 to share about God.

00:18:59.140 --> 00:19:00.800
 And as we look at

00:19:00.800 --> 00:19:02.240
 verses 24 to 29,

00:19:03.120 --> 00:19:05.620
 observe the attributes of God,

00:19:05.700 --> 00:19:06.740
 the things that Paul

00:19:06.740 --> 00:19:09.180
 tells the Greeks about God

00:19:09.180 --> 00:19:10.420
 that they would have missed.

00:19:10.560 --> 00:19:11.080
 Bear in mind,

00:19:11.300 --> 00:19:11.900
 a lot of them

00:19:11.900 --> 00:19:13.100
 didn't believe in God at all.

00:19:13.560 --> 00:19:14.800
 Or those who did believe in God

00:19:14.800 --> 00:19:15.600
 thought he was some

00:19:15.600 --> 00:19:16.680
 far off God

00:19:16.680 --> 00:19:18.240
 that had nothing to do with them,

00:19:18.920 --> 00:19:20.280
 completely had nothing to do

00:19:20.280 --> 00:19:21.520
 with the day-to-day lives of people.

00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:23.120
 Verse 24,

00:19:23.640 --> 00:19:24.560
 Paul starts off,

00:19:24.559 --> 00:19:27.839
 the God who made the world.

00:19:28.339 --> 00:19:29.639
 He starts off by telling them

00:19:29.639 --> 00:19:30.639
 God is creator.

00:19:31.099 --> 00:19:31.799
 For us as Christians,

00:19:31.899 --> 00:19:33.119
 we might think this is quite basic.

00:19:33.559 --> 00:19:35.659
 We know that God made the world.

00:19:36.039 --> 00:19:37.059
 We love hearing about it.

00:19:37.259 --> 00:19:38.379
 We can probably even think up

00:19:38.379 --> 00:19:40.759
 verses that speak of God as creator.

00:19:41.019 --> 00:19:42.599
 And we take pleasure and delight

00:19:42.599 --> 00:19:44.039
 and it causes us to worship

00:19:44.039 --> 00:19:45.899
 because we know God created.

00:19:47.279 --> 00:19:48.700
 But it wasn't going to be popular

00:19:48.700 --> 00:19:49.259
 to the Greeks

00:19:49.259 --> 00:19:50.839
 because they had no concept

00:19:50.839 --> 00:19:52.519
 of a creator God.

00:19:53.119 --> 00:19:54.539
 The Stoics who were there

00:19:54.539 --> 00:19:56.379
 thought everything was part of God.

00:19:56.720 --> 00:19:58.039
 So God couldn't create himself.

00:19:58.180 --> 00:19:58.460
 Therefore,

00:19:58.599 --> 00:19:59.579
 he couldn't be creator.

00:20:00.899 --> 00:20:02.420
 And it's not a popular belief now

00:20:02.420 --> 00:20:03.259
 when we tell people

00:20:03.259 --> 00:20:05.799
 that God made the world

00:20:05.799 --> 00:20:07.119
 because so many people

00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:08.960
 no longer believe it.

00:20:09.599 --> 00:20:10.960
 But Paul goes on to tell them

00:20:10.960 --> 00:20:12.259
 that this God who created

00:20:12.259 --> 00:20:14.159
 was also the Lord

00:20:14.159 --> 00:20:15.539
 of heaven and earth.

00:20:16.619 --> 00:20:17.519
 And as ruler,

00:20:18.180 --> 00:20:21.039
 why would God need somebody

00:20:21.039 --> 00:20:23.559
 to build a temple for him?

00:20:23.559 --> 00:20:23.879
 He said,

00:20:24.539 --> 00:20:26.259
 and does not live in temples

00:20:26.259 --> 00:20:27.159
 built by hands.

00:20:27.460 --> 00:20:28.200
 After all,

00:20:28.579 --> 00:20:30.000
 if God is creator,

00:20:30.379 --> 00:20:31.339
 why does he need

00:20:31.339 --> 00:20:33.019
 what these people were doing?

00:20:33.139 --> 00:20:34.159
 Building temples.

00:20:35.159 --> 00:20:36.259
 You might remember

00:20:36.259 --> 00:20:36.839
 in Solomon,

00:20:37.220 --> 00:20:38.720
 King Solomon,

00:20:38.799 --> 00:20:40.279
 when he was building a temple,

00:20:40.379 --> 00:20:41.480
 he even said that

00:20:41.480 --> 00:20:43.659
 God couldn't even be contained

00:20:43.659 --> 00:20:44.559
 in the world

00:20:44.559 --> 00:20:45.420
 and the universe

00:20:45.420 --> 00:20:46.099
 and the heavens.

00:20:47.500 --> 00:20:49.039
 But Paul also goes on

00:20:49.039 --> 00:20:49.920
 to tell them that

00:20:49.920 --> 00:20:52.599
 God is the giver of life.

00:20:52.599 --> 00:20:53.839
 Look in verse 25.

00:20:54.319 --> 00:20:54.719
 He says,

00:20:55.519 --> 00:20:56.599
 because he himself

00:20:56.599 --> 00:20:57.699
 gives all men

00:20:57.699 --> 00:20:59.559
 life and breath

00:20:59.559 --> 00:21:00.439
 and everything else.

00:21:00.439 --> 00:21:01.459
 He was telling

00:21:01.459 --> 00:21:02.619
 the Greeks

00:21:02.619 --> 00:21:03.119
 that look,

00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:04.519
 this God who created,

00:21:05.019 --> 00:21:06.019
 this God who is the ruler,

00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:08.099
 is also the God

00:21:08.099 --> 00:21:09.079
 who gives you life.

00:21:09.919 --> 00:21:11.599
 And if he gave you life,

00:21:12.059 --> 00:21:13.179
 why does he need

00:21:13.179 --> 00:21:13.819
 to be served

00:21:13.819 --> 00:21:15.299
 by human hands?

00:21:15.639 --> 00:21:16.359
 For it's God

00:21:16.359 --> 00:21:16.740
 is the one

00:21:16.740 --> 00:21:18.259
 who sustains people,

00:21:18.259 --> 00:21:20.279
 not the other way around.

00:21:21.640 --> 00:21:22.539
 And he continues

00:21:22.539 --> 00:21:23.539
 to tell them

00:21:23.539 --> 00:21:24.940
 that your life

00:21:24.940 --> 00:21:26.500
 is in God's hands.

00:21:26.579 --> 00:21:27.339
 In verse 26,

00:21:27.420 --> 00:21:27.920
 he tells them,

00:21:28.180 --> 00:21:28.799
 it was God

00:21:28.799 --> 00:21:29.700
 who determined

00:21:29.700 --> 00:21:30.839
 or set the times

00:21:30.839 --> 00:21:31.819
 for them

00:21:31.819 --> 00:21:33.000
 and the exact places

00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:34.160
 where they would live.

00:21:34.839 --> 00:21:36.440
 God controls

00:21:36.440 --> 00:21:37.259
 the world,

00:21:37.420 --> 00:21:38.160
 controls everything.

00:21:38.299 --> 00:21:38.900
 Nothing is out

00:21:38.900 --> 00:21:39.480
 of his control.

00:21:40.140 --> 00:21:41.079
 For some who were

00:21:41.079 --> 00:21:41.519
 listening to him

00:21:41.519 --> 00:21:42.240
 like the Stoics,

00:21:42.660 --> 00:21:44.299
 this was not good

00:21:44.299 --> 00:21:45.480
 because they believed

00:21:45.480 --> 00:21:46.299
 things happen

00:21:46.299 --> 00:21:48.180
 by random chance,

00:21:48.440 --> 00:21:49.500
 not by a God

00:21:49.500 --> 00:21:50.740
 who intervened

00:21:50.740 --> 00:21:51.720
 in the lives of people.

00:21:53.139 --> 00:21:54.419
 And verse 27,

00:21:54.960 --> 00:21:56.000
 Paul goes on to say,

00:21:56.159 --> 00:21:56.839
 God did this

00:21:56.839 --> 00:21:57.440
 so that men

00:21:57.440 --> 00:21:58.240
 would seek him

00:21:58.240 --> 00:21:59.079
 and perhaps

00:21:59.079 --> 00:22:00.339
 reach out for him

00:22:00.339 --> 00:22:01.279
 and find him.

00:22:02.379 --> 00:22:03.139
 Why would God,

00:22:03.259 --> 00:22:04.240
 why would Paul say that?

00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:04.859
 What does he mean

00:22:04.859 --> 00:22:07.339
 by God did this?

00:22:07.899 --> 00:22:08.859
 What he was telling them

00:22:08.859 --> 00:22:09.139
 was,

00:22:09.740 --> 00:22:10.000
 look,

00:22:10.460 --> 00:22:11.700
 God is revealed

00:22:11.700 --> 00:22:12.680
 to you.

00:22:13.399 --> 00:22:14.480
 God's providential

00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:15.419
 activity in the world

00:22:15.419 --> 00:22:16.139
 should be

00:22:16.140 --> 00:22:17.040
 obvious to you.

00:22:17.259 --> 00:22:17.980
 He is creator.

00:22:18.380 --> 00:22:19.020
 He is the ruler.

00:22:19.240 --> 00:22:19.640
 He is the one

00:22:19.640 --> 00:22:20.320
 who gives life.

00:22:20.759 --> 00:22:21.540
 He is the one

00:22:21.540 --> 00:22:23.960
 who controls.

00:22:25.440 --> 00:22:26.360
 If he was speaking

00:22:26.360 --> 00:22:27.800
 merely to a Christian audience,

00:22:28.300 --> 00:22:29.220
 he might have opened up

00:22:29.220 --> 00:22:29.620
 the scriptures

00:22:29.620 --> 00:22:30.720
 and shown it

00:22:30.720 --> 00:22:32.080
 directly from there.

00:22:32.420 --> 00:22:33.040
 But instead,

00:22:33.160 --> 00:22:33.800
 he does something

00:22:33.800 --> 00:22:34.940
 quite unusual.

00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:36.960
 In verse 28,

00:22:37.140 --> 00:22:38.400
 he goes and quotes

00:22:38.400 --> 00:22:40.620
 two pagan poets

00:22:40.620 --> 00:22:41.980
 to back up his points.

00:22:42.460 --> 00:22:43.000
 He says,

00:22:43.500 --> 00:22:44.140
 for in him

00:22:44.140 --> 00:22:44.860
 we live

00:22:44.860 --> 00:22:45.560
 and move

00:22:45.560 --> 00:22:46.460
 and have our being.

00:22:47.020 --> 00:22:48.080
 As some of your own poets

00:22:48.080 --> 00:22:48.520
 have said,

00:22:49.040 --> 00:22:50.080
 we are his offspring.

00:22:50.720 --> 00:22:51.520
 Why would he quote

00:22:51.520 --> 00:22:52.520
 pagan poets

00:22:52.520 --> 00:22:53.340
 to prove his point?

00:22:53.860 --> 00:22:54.600
 But he's saying to them,

00:22:54.980 --> 00:22:55.220
 look,

00:22:56.259 --> 00:22:57.140
 God is creator.

00:22:57.300 --> 00:22:57.759
 He's the ruler.

00:22:57.880 --> 00:22:58.540
 He's the sustainer.

00:22:58.800 --> 00:22:59.900
 Even your own poets

00:22:59.900 --> 00:23:00.980
 have pointed this out,

00:23:01.380 --> 00:23:01.960
 even though

00:23:01.960 --> 00:23:03.280
 it was completely misplaced

00:23:03.280 --> 00:23:03.780
 and they were putting,

00:23:03.940 --> 00:23:05.360
 they were misapplying it

00:23:05.360 --> 00:23:06.380
 to pagan gods.

00:23:06.840 --> 00:23:07.400
 He was saying

00:23:07.400 --> 00:23:08.900
 to the elite,

00:23:08.900 --> 00:23:10.259
 those who are learned

00:23:10.259 --> 00:23:10.800
 in Greeks,

00:23:11.180 --> 00:23:13.200
 you don't have a clue.

00:23:13.700 --> 00:23:14.340
 Here you are,

00:23:14.600 --> 00:23:15.280
 worshipping something

00:23:15.280 --> 00:23:16.060
 you don't know

00:23:16.060 --> 00:23:17.160
 when it should be

00:23:17.160 --> 00:23:17.940
 quite obvious

00:23:17.940 --> 00:23:19.759
 that there is a God.

00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:22.240
 Paul would write

00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:22.840
 to the Romans

00:23:22.840 --> 00:23:24.040
 and he would speak

00:23:24.040 --> 00:23:24.380
 later

00:23:24.380 --> 00:23:24.980
 and he would speak

00:23:24.980 --> 00:23:26.519
 about our consciences,

00:23:27.320 --> 00:23:27.500
 our,

00:23:27.740 --> 00:23:28.680
 the natural revelation

00:23:28.680 --> 00:23:29.660
 of God in the world.

00:23:30.140 --> 00:23:30.720
 These things

00:23:30.720 --> 00:23:31.540
 point

00:23:31.540 --> 00:23:32.500
 toward

00:23:32.500 --> 00:23:33.320
 God.

00:23:33.319 --> 00:23:36.139
 Paul's logic

00:23:36.139 --> 00:23:37.859
 when he was speaking

00:23:37.859 --> 00:23:38.639
 to them

00:23:38.639 --> 00:23:38.960
 was that,

00:23:39.119 --> 00:23:39.240
 well,

00:23:39.439 --> 00:23:40.619
 if God is creator,

00:23:41.159 --> 00:23:41.460
 then

00:23:41.460 --> 00:23:43.019
 they don't need

00:23:43.019 --> 00:23:43.799
 to create

00:23:43.799 --> 00:23:44.519
 images

00:23:44.519 --> 00:23:45.519
 to worship.

00:23:46.059 --> 00:23:46.480
 Why would they

00:23:46.480 --> 00:23:47.059
 need to do that?

00:23:47.200 --> 00:23:47.980
 Why do they not

00:23:47.980 --> 00:23:49.279
 worship the creator

00:23:49.279 --> 00:23:50.659
 instead of the images?

00:23:51.240 --> 00:23:52.579
 Look at verse 29.

00:23:53.460 --> 00:23:53.759
 Therefore,

00:23:53.759 --> 00:23:54.480
 since we are

00:23:54.480 --> 00:23:55.720
 God's offspring,

00:23:55.980 --> 00:23:56.599
 bear in mind,

00:23:56.919 --> 00:23:57.500
 their own poets

00:23:57.500 --> 00:23:58.139
 have said this,

00:23:58.559 --> 00:23:59.359
 we should not think

00:23:59.359 --> 00:24:00.359
 that the divine being

00:24:00.359 --> 00:24:01.319
 is like gold

00:24:01.319 --> 00:24:02.139
 or silver,

00:24:02.319 --> 00:24:02.639
 stone

00:24:02.640 --> 00:24:03.820
 an image made

00:24:03.820 --> 00:24:04.900
 by man's

00:24:04.900 --> 00:24:05.620
 design.

00:24:08.860 --> 00:24:10.000
 This was ignorant

00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:10.560
 of them.

00:24:11.100 --> 00:24:11.740
 They didn't

00:24:11.740 --> 00:24:12.820
 know any better

00:24:12.820 --> 00:24:13.860
 but Paul was

00:24:13.860 --> 00:24:14.460
 trying to say

00:24:14.460 --> 00:24:16.000
 this is not right,

00:24:16.220 --> 00:24:16.780
 this is not,

00:24:16.900 --> 00:24:18.100
 this is not good.

00:24:18.700 --> 00:24:19.520
 Paul was saying

00:24:19.520 --> 00:24:19.759
 to them,

00:24:19.860 --> 00:24:19.980
 look,

00:24:20.200 --> 00:24:21.160
 look at the power

00:24:21.160 --> 00:24:22.780
 and the glory

00:24:22.780 --> 00:24:23.460
 of God

00:24:23.460 --> 00:24:24.240
 in creation

00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:25.100
 and sustaining

00:24:25.100 --> 00:24:26.340
 and he is the one

00:24:26.340 --> 00:24:27.420
 that you should worship.

00:24:28.460 --> 00:24:29.400
 He then goes on

00:24:29.400 --> 00:24:29.900
 to say

00:24:29.900 --> 00:24:30.759
 what

00:24:30.759 --> 00:24:32.220
 God's attitude

00:24:32.220 --> 00:24:33.460
 to all this was.

00:24:33.539 --> 00:24:34.180
 In verse 30

00:24:34.180 --> 00:24:34.759
 he tells them

00:24:34.759 --> 00:24:35.880
 that God

00:24:35.880 --> 00:24:36.460
 overlooked

00:24:36.460 --> 00:24:37.319
 this ignorance

00:24:37.319 --> 00:24:38.860
 because he wants

00:24:38.860 --> 00:24:40.519
 people to repent.

00:24:41.259 --> 00:24:41.500
 You see,

00:24:41.799 --> 00:24:42.519
 God is the greatest

00:24:42.519 --> 00:24:43.339
 God and he gives

00:24:43.339 --> 00:24:44.279
 people time

00:24:44.279 --> 00:24:45.480
 to turn away

00:24:45.480 --> 00:24:46.200
 from their sin,

00:24:46.319 --> 00:24:46.980
 turn away from

00:24:46.980 --> 00:24:48.279
 rebelling against God

00:24:48.279 --> 00:24:49.720
 and to turn to him.

00:24:50.240 --> 00:24:50.900
 And Paul is saying

00:24:50.900 --> 00:24:51.200
 to them,

00:24:51.519 --> 00:24:51.720
 look,

00:24:52.160 --> 00:24:53.539
 you have been ignorant,

00:24:53.660 --> 00:24:54.600
 you have not known

00:24:54.600 --> 00:24:55.299
 the true God

00:24:55.299 --> 00:24:56.140
 but I am now

00:24:56.140 --> 00:24:57.440
 presenting this to you

00:24:57.440 --> 00:24:59.140
 and you have the time

00:24:59.140 --> 00:25:00.259
 to turn away

00:25:00.259 --> 00:25:00.860
 from idols

00:25:00.860 --> 00:25:02.680
 and turn to the living

00:25:02.680 --> 00:25:03.480
 God.

00:25:05.019 --> 00:25:05.759
 And he goes on

00:25:05.759 --> 00:25:06.180
 to tell them

00:25:06.180 --> 00:25:07.380
 that there will be

00:25:07.380 --> 00:25:08.120
 a judgment.

00:25:08.820 --> 00:25:09.380
 Verse 31,

00:25:09.559 --> 00:25:10.299
 he has set a day

00:25:10.299 --> 00:25:11.100
 when he will judge

00:25:11.100 --> 00:25:12.360
 the world with justice.

00:25:13.080 --> 00:25:14.080
 So what they are doing

00:25:14.080 --> 00:25:14.400
 now,

00:25:14.980 --> 00:25:15.360
 they are not going

00:25:15.360 --> 00:25:16.180
 to get away with it

00:25:16.180 --> 00:25:17.279
 because there will be

00:25:17.279 --> 00:25:17.960
 a judgment.

00:25:18.620 --> 00:25:19.660
 But in that judgment

00:25:19.660 --> 00:25:21.400
 they do have the time

00:25:21.400 --> 00:25:22.720
 to repent.

00:25:23.980 --> 00:25:24.820
 And he goes on

00:25:24.820 --> 00:25:25.200
 to say

00:25:25.200 --> 00:25:26.840
 the proof of all this,

00:25:26.940 --> 00:25:27.519
 the proof of what

00:25:27.519 --> 00:25:28.340
 I am saying to you

00:25:28.340 --> 00:25:30.620
 is that Jesus

00:25:30.620 --> 00:25:32.519
 was raised from the dead.

00:25:33.519 --> 00:25:33.880
 You see,

00:25:34.580 --> 00:25:35.100
 Johnny read out

00:25:35.100 --> 00:25:35.559
 these verses

00:25:35.559 --> 00:25:37.819
 from 1 Corinthians 15

00:25:37.819 --> 00:25:39.100
 and when Paul was

00:25:39.100 --> 00:25:39.860
 presenting the case

00:25:39.860 --> 00:25:40.500
 for the resurrection

00:25:40.500 --> 00:25:41.000
 of Jesus,

00:25:41.240 --> 00:25:41.559
 he said,

00:25:41.940 --> 00:25:43.519
 our faith would be useless

00:25:43.519 --> 00:25:45.120
 if Jesus didn't

00:25:45.120 --> 00:25:46.220
 rise from the dead.

00:25:46.580 --> 00:25:47.140
 And he was saying

00:25:47.140 --> 00:25:47.440
 to them,

00:25:47.860 --> 00:25:48.759
 the proof for you,

00:25:48.880 --> 00:25:49.480
 you Greeks,

00:25:50.100 --> 00:25:51.519
 as you listen to me today

00:25:51.519 --> 00:25:53.299
 is that what I am saying

00:25:53.299 --> 00:25:53.720
 is true

00:25:53.720 --> 00:25:54.900
 because of Jesus,

00:25:54.900 --> 00:25:56.920
 because he rose

00:25:56.920 --> 00:25:57.840
 from the dead.

00:25:59.340 --> 00:26:00.400
 It was very personal

00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:01.440
 for Paul,

00:26:01.540 --> 00:26:01.940
 after all,

00:26:02.140 --> 00:26:02.680
 didn't he meet

00:26:02.680 --> 00:26:03.740
 the resurrected Lord Jesus

00:26:03.740 --> 00:26:04.740
 on the road to Damascus?

00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:06.120
 So he already knew

00:26:06.120 --> 00:26:08.160
 and had the comfort

00:26:08.160 --> 00:26:08.960
 and the assurance

00:26:08.960 --> 00:26:11.259
 that Jesus had indeed

00:26:11.259 --> 00:26:12.259
 risen from the dead.

00:26:13.100 --> 00:26:13.900
 Now you can imagine

00:26:13.900 --> 00:26:14.500
 the reaction

00:26:14.500 --> 00:26:15.480
 that he is going to get.

00:26:15.840 --> 00:26:16.900
 For often when we speak

00:26:16.900 --> 00:26:17.420
 of Jesus,

00:26:17.700 --> 00:26:18.440
 we get different

00:26:18.440 --> 00:26:19.160
 people's reaction.

00:26:20.019 --> 00:26:21.280
 Some sneered,

00:26:21.400 --> 00:26:23.120
 look at verses 32 to 34,

00:26:23.119 --> 00:26:24.259
 some sneered,

00:26:24.459 --> 00:26:25.179
 they didn't believe

00:26:25.179 --> 00:26:25.819
 in the resurrection.

00:26:26.459 --> 00:26:26.759
 You see,

00:26:27.559 --> 00:26:28.799
 in the Greek thinking,

00:26:29.219 --> 00:26:29.959
 once the body

00:26:29.959 --> 00:26:30.839
 was dead,

00:26:31.319 --> 00:26:31.899
 that was it.

00:26:32.139 --> 00:26:33.139
 There was no resurrection.

00:26:34.119 --> 00:26:34.679
 Others wanted

00:26:34.679 --> 00:26:35.339
 to hear more

00:26:35.339 --> 00:26:36.859
 and thankfully

00:26:36.859 --> 00:26:38.339
 some understood

00:26:38.339 --> 00:26:39.259
 and accepted

00:26:39.259 --> 00:26:39.779
 the message

00:26:39.779 --> 00:26:40.919
 and some believed.

00:26:42.359 --> 00:26:43.199
 And as we speak

00:26:43.199 --> 00:26:43.819
 and we share

00:26:43.819 --> 00:26:44.559
 our Christian faith,

00:26:45.079 --> 00:26:45.899
 how we would love

00:26:45.899 --> 00:26:46.799
 people to be

00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:47.739
 in that third category,

00:26:48.159 --> 00:26:48.919
 those who believe.

00:26:48.920 --> 00:26:50.120
 But it doesn't

00:26:50.120 --> 00:26:50.960
 always happen.

00:26:51.600 --> 00:26:51.920
 In fact,

00:26:52.420 --> 00:26:52.980
 when we share

00:26:52.980 --> 00:26:53.940
 the gospel with people,

00:26:54.060 --> 00:26:54.600
 when we share

00:26:54.600 --> 00:26:55.380
 our Christian lives

00:26:55.380 --> 00:26:55.820
 with people,

00:26:56.680 --> 00:26:57.840
 we're often rejected

00:26:57.840 --> 00:27:00.039
 or they often speak

00:27:00.039 --> 00:27:01.580
 and debate with us

00:27:01.580 --> 00:27:03.259
 about different things

00:27:03.259 --> 00:27:03.800
 and say,

00:27:03.920 --> 00:27:04.039
 well,

00:27:04.320 --> 00:27:05.160
 I don't believe that,

00:27:05.240 --> 00:27:05.980
 I don't believe that.

00:27:07.340 --> 00:27:08.620
 But what do we do

00:27:08.620 --> 00:27:10.380
 when somebody objects

00:27:10.380 --> 00:27:11.180
 to what we're saying?

00:27:11.519 --> 00:27:12.180
 If we presented

00:27:12.180 --> 00:27:12.660
 the gospel

00:27:12.660 --> 00:27:13.600
 similar to what

00:27:13.600 --> 00:27:14.500
 Paul did there,

00:27:14.880 --> 00:27:16.100
 how do we answer

00:27:16.100 --> 00:27:17.420
 people's objections?

00:27:17.420 --> 00:27:19.080
 And we can learn

00:27:19.080 --> 00:27:20.300
 a lot from what

00:27:20.300 --> 00:27:21.600
 Paul said

00:27:21.600 --> 00:27:22.400
 in this passage

00:27:22.400 --> 00:27:23.100
 of how

00:27:23.100 --> 00:27:24.039
 when we speak

00:27:24.039 --> 00:27:24.519
 with people,

00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:25.660
 think for a moment

00:27:25.660 --> 00:27:26.960
 of people's objections

00:27:26.960 --> 00:27:27.759
 to Christianity.

00:27:29.640 --> 00:27:30.840
 Some people might say

00:27:30.840 --> 00:27:32.039
 all religions

00:27:32.039 --> 00:27:32.900
 lead to God.

00:27:33.539 --> 00:27:34.060
 They might say,

00:27:34.120 --> 00:27:34.259
 well,

00:27:34.580 --> 00:27:35.360
 Christianity is just

00:27:35.360 --> 00:27:36.320
 one way that people

00:27:36.320 --> 00:27:37.160
 can follow God.

00:27:37.700 --> 00:27:38.300
 Other religions

00:27:38.300 --> 00:27:39.380
 equally will do

00:27:39.380 --> 00:27:40.220
 like Hinduism

00:27:40.220 --> 00:27:41.660
 or Islam

00:27:41.660 --> 00:27:42.200
 or Buddhism.

00:27:42.860 --> 00:27:43.360
 They're all going to

00:27:43.360 --> 00:27:44.340
 lead to the same place

00:27:44.340 --> 00:27:45.220
 at the end.

00:27:45.800 --> 00:27:46.460
 What do we say

00:27:46.460 --> 00:27:47.400
 when somebody says that?

00:27:47.900 --> 00:27:48.620
 Or they might say,

00:27:49.060 --> 00:27:49.840
 why do you believe

00:27:49.840 --> 00:27:50.259
 in the Bible?

00:27:50.340 --> 00:27:50.700
 After all,

00:27:50.720 --> 00:27:51.360
 it's been changed

00:27:51.360 --> 00:27:52.039
 so many times.

00:27:52.480 --> 00:27:52.660
 Look,

00:27:52.840 --> 00:27:53.240
 there's so many

00:27:53.240 --> 00:27:54.160
 different versions of it.

00:27:54.420 --> 00:27:55.300
 It's so old,

00:27:55.560 --> 00:27:56.620
 surely there's a mistake

00:27:56.620 --> 00:27:57.940
 in it because somebody

00:27:57.940 --> 00:27:58.900
 probably has translated

00:27:58.900 --> 00:27:59.380
 it wrong.

00:27:59.900 --> 00:28:00.779
 Or somebody might say,

00:28:01.180 --> 00:28:01.380
 well,

00:28:01.500 --> 00:28:02.120
 your beliefs

00:28:02.120 --> 00:28:03.700
 are mere fairy tales

00:28:03.700 --> 00:28:05.200
 for science

00:28:05.200 --> 00:28:06.039
 would show you

00:28:06.039 --> 00:28:06.960
 that it's quite

00:28:06.960 --> 00:28:07.480
 impossible

00:28:07.480 --> 00:28:08.560
 for the world

00:28:08.560 --> 00:28:09.920
 just to exist

00:28:09.920 --> 00:28:10.460
 in the way

00:28:10.460 --> 00:28:11.120
 you say it is

00:28:11.120 --> 00:28:12.500
 and so many things

00:28:12.500 --> 00:28:13.120
 of what you say

00:28:13.120 --> 00:28:14.420
 can't be proved

00:28:14.420 --> 00:28:15.220
 by science.

00:28:15.220 --> 00:28:17.120
 And they might tell you,

00:28:17.180 --> 00:28:17.299
 well,

00:28:18.240 --> 00:28:19.380
 I'm happy for you

00:28:19.380 --> 00:28:19.980
 to believe the Bible.

00:28:20.559 --> 00:28:22.480
 You've said your piece,

00:28:22.539 --> 00:28:23.220
 you've shared the gospel

00:28:23.220 --> 00:28:23.579
 with me

00:28:23.579 --> 00:28:24.940
 and that's true for you

00:28:24.940 --> 00:28:25.779
 but it's not for me

00:28:25.779 --> 00:28:26.839
 and I'm going to go away

00:28:26.839 --> 00:28:28.559
 and not take any notice.

00:28:29.079 --> 00:28:29.860
 And I'm quite sure

00:28:29.860 --> 00:28:30.500
 we could think up

00:28:30.500 --> 00:28:31.880
 of loads of different things

00:28:31.880 --> 00:28:33.039
 that people would say to us

00:28:33.039 --> 00:28:33.720
 as we share

00:28:33.720 --> 00:28:34.660
 about Jesus to them.

00:28:36.140 --> 00:28:36.900
 What do we do?

00:28:37.560 --> 00:28:39.820
 How do we defend it?

00:28:40.019 --> 00:28:41.100
 How do we live out

00:28:41.100 --> 00:28:42.480
 our lives day by day

00:28:42.480 --> 00:28:43.440
 when there's people

00:28:43.440 --> 00:28:45.060
 who are happy

00:28:45.060 --> 00:28:46.000
 to reject us

00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:47.100
 or reject the message

00:28:47.100 --> 00:28:47.640
 that we have?

00:28:49.840 --> 00:28:50.280
 Well,

00:28:50.420 --> 00:28:51.040
 we can learn

00:28:51.040 --> 00:28:52.220
 four things,

00:28:52.620 --> 00:28:53.259
 probably more,

00:28:53.360 --> 00:28:53.800
 but I've found

00:28:53.800 --> 00:28:54.320
 four things

00:28:54.320 --> 00:28:54.880
 that we can learn

00:28:54.880 --> 00:28:55.580
 from our passage.

00:28:56.080 --> 00:28:56.940
 The first one

00:28:56.940 --> 00:28:59.140
 is to be prepared.

00:29:00.220 --> 00:29:01.280
 You might recall

00:29:01.280 --> 00:29:02.540
 in a sermon,

00:29:02.740 --> 00:29:03.100
 I think it was

00:29:03.100 --> 00:29:03.759
 about last year

00:29:03.759 --> 00:29:04.580
 on 1 Peter

00:29:04.579 --> 00:29:06.619
 and one of the verses

00:29:06.619 --> 00:29:07.579
 that we were looking at

00:29:07.579 --> 00:29:08.359
 was that we should

00:29:08.359 --> 00:29:09.679
 always be prepared

00:29:09.679 --> 00:29:10.859
 to give the reason

00:29:10.859 --> 00:29:11.740
 for the hope

00:29:11.740 --> 00:29:12.419
 that we have.

00:29:13.079 --> 00:29:13.619
 For when we speak

00:29:13.619 --> 00:29:14.079
 with people,

00:29:14.480 --> 00:29:15.480
 we need to know

00:29:15.480 --> 00:29:16.799
 what we believe

00:29:16.799 --> 00:29:17.839
 and to be able

00:29:17.839 --> 00:29:19.159
 to share that

00:29:19.159 --> 00:29:19.720
 with others

00:29:19.720 --> 00:29:21.399
 and we can be prepared

00:29:21.399 --> 00:29:21.980
 in, say,

00:29:22.079 --> 00:29:22.579
 two ways,

00:29:22.639 --> 00:29:23.379
 in our minds

00:29:23.379 --> 00:29:24.399
 and in our hearts.

00:29:24.960 --> 00:29:26.500
 Think of how Paul preached.

00:29:27.399 --> 00:29:28.579
 When he spoke

00:29:28.579 --> 00:29:29.179
 to the Greeks,

00:29:29.859 --> 00:29:30.659
 everything he said

00:29:30.659 --> 00:29:32.139
 was very logical.

00:29:32.720 --> 00:29:33.679
 It was very clear.

00:29:33.680 --> 00:29:35.600
 It wasn't being misunderstood.

00:29:36.360 --> 00:29:37.420
 He was prepared.

00:29:37.660 --> 00:29:38.500
 He knew exactly

00:29:38.500 --> 00:29:39.720
 what he was going to say

00:29:39.720 --> 00:29:40.799
 and for us,

00:29:40.980 --> 00:29:41.980
 it's very important

00:29:41.980 --> 00:29:43.240
 that we know

00:29:43.240 --> 00:29:44.440
 what we believe.

00:29:46.820 --> 00:29:47.920
 If somebody asked you

00:29:47.920 --> 00:29:48.920
 to explain the gospel,

00:29:49.480 --> 00:29:50.019
 would you be able

00:29:50.019 --> 00:29:50.740
 to explain it?

00:29:51.299 --> 00:29:52.039
 If somebody said,

00:29:52.320 --> 00:29:52.840
 why do you believe

00:29:52.840 --> 00:29:53.460
 in the resurrection?

00:29:54.019 --> 00:29:54.580
 Would you be able

00:29:54.580 --> 00:29:55.620
 to give them reasons

00:29:55.620 --> 00:29:56.299
 why the resurrection

00:29:56.299 --> 00:29:56.820
 is true?

00:29:57.960 --> 00:29:58.799
 It's good for us

00:29:58.799 --> 00:29:59.980
 to be prepared like that

00:29:59.980 --> 00:30:00.880
 so that we will be able

00:30:00.880 --> 00:30:01.720
 to answer people.

00:30:01.720 --> 00:30:03.180
 We're not going

00:30:03.180 --> 00:30:03.799
 to know everything.

00:30:04.180 --> 00:30:04.660
 People are going

00:30:04.660 --> 00:30:05.740
 to talk about evolution.

00:30:05.940 --> 00:30:06.160
 They're going

00:30:06.160 --> 00:30:07.160
 to talk about science.

00:30:08.140 --> 00:30:08.980
 We're never going

00:30:08.980 --> 00:30:09.600
 to be experts

00:30:09.600 --> 00:30:10.339
 on learning

00:30:10.339 --> 00:30:11.079
 all of these things.

00:30:11.480 --> 00:30:11.900
 We're not going

00:30:11.900 --> 00:30:12.839
 to be people

00:30:12.839 --> 00:30:13.460
 who can give

00:30:13.460 --> 00:30:15.180
 some scientific reason

00:30:15.180 --> 00:30:17.140
 why what they believe

00:30:17.140 --> 00:30:17.539
 is wrong.

00:30:18.259 --> 00:30:19.500
 But we can be aware

00:30:19.500 --> 00:30:20.400
 of what they say

00:30:20.400 --> 00:30:21.640
 and you might notice

00:30:21.640 --> 00:30:22.559
 when people are

00:30:22.559 --> 00:30:23.440
 speaking to us

00:30:23.440 --> 00:30:24.279
 and raising objections

00:30:24.279 --> 00:30:24.779
 like that

00:30:24.779 --> 00:30:26.360
 and we start asking

00:30:26.360 --> 00:30:26.940
 them questions

00:30:26.940 --> 00:30:27.620
 about what they believe,

00:30:27.980 --> 00:30:28.539
 a lot of people

00:30:28.539 --> 00:30:29.279
 don't really know

00:30:29.279 --> 00:30:29.779
 what they're talking

00:30:29.779 --> 00:30:30.299
 about anyway.

00:30:30.899 --> 00:30:31.379
 They might hear

00:30:31.379 --> 00:30:32.460
 something on social media

00:30:32.460 --> 00:30:33.039
 and the newspaper

00:30:33.039 --> 00:30:33.639
 and they think,

00:30:33.960 --> 00:30:34.500
 yes, that's what

00:30:34.500 --> 00:30:35.119
 I want to believe.

00:30:35.359 --> 00:30:35.839
 That's how I'm going

00:30:35.839 --> 00:30:36.480
 to live my life.

00:30:37.160 --> 00:30:37.980
 But when you get down

00:30:37.980 --> 00:30:38.339
 to it,

00:30:39.000 --> 00:30:39.440
 they haven't really

00:30:39.440 --> 00:30:40.779
 thought much beyond that.

00:30:41.160 --> 00:30:41.839
 They're quite happy

00:30:41.839 --> 00:30:42.440
 to give you

00:30:42.440 --> 00:30:43.539
 these one-liners

00:30:43.539 --> 00:30:44.779
 to say why Christianity

00:30:44.779 --> 00:30:45.259
 is true,

00:30:45.339 --> 00:30:46.279
 but when you dig into it,

00:30:46.619 --> 00:30:47.220
 they haven't really

00:30:47.220 --> 00:30:47.960
 thought about it.

00:30:48.379 --> 00:30:48.859
 And that's good

00:30:48.859 --> 00:30:49.619
 from our point of view

00:30:49.619 --> 00:30:50.960
 because we're not

00:30:50.960 --> 00:30:51.619
 going to have

00:30:51.619 --> 00:30:53.259
 the answer straight away

00:30:53.259 --> 00:30:53.759
 for them,

00:30:54.119 --> 00:30:55.099
 but we do have

00:30:55.099 --> 00:30:56.180
 that truth

00:30:56.180 --> 00:30:56.680
 and we know

00:30:56.680 --> 00:30:57.340
 that truth

00:30:57.340 --> 00:30:58.220
 of the gospel

00:30:58.220 --> 00:30:59.200
 and we can share

00:30:59.200 --> 00:30:59.720
 that with them.

00:31:00.060 --> 00:31:00.539
 We also need

00:31:00.539 --> 00:31:01.120
 to be prepared

00:31:01.120 --> 00:31:01.779
 in mind.

00:31:02.299 --> 00:31:02.759
 A number of weeks

00:31:02.759 --> 00:31:03.000
 ago,

00:31:03.060 --> 00:31:03.920
 Connor was preaching

00:31:03.920 --> 00:31:05.539
 on the Psalms,

00:31:05.600 --> 00:31:06.440
 on Psalm 119.

00:31:06.600 --> 00:31:07.039
 He was encouraging

00:31:07.039 --> 00:31:07.920
 us to be

00:31:07.920 --> 00:31:08.920
 in God's word

00:31:08.920 --> 00:31:09.620
 daily.

00:31:10.220 --> 00:31:10.779
 And the more

00:31:10.779 --> 00:31:11.180
 we spend

00:31:11.180 --> 00:31:11.940
 in God's word,

00:31:12.160 --> 00:31:13.120
 the more we become

00:31:13.120 --> 00:31:14.100
 assured of the truth

00:31:14.100 --> 00:31:14.940
 and the more

00:31:14.940 --> 00:31:15.880
 we have a desire

00:31:15.880 --> 00:31:16.840
 to share

00:31:16.840 --> 00:31:17.779
 with others.

00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:20.799
 We can also

00:31:20.799 --> 00:31:21.460
 continue

00:31:21.460 --> 00:31:22.960
 to speak

00:31:22.960 --> 00:31:23.320
 and listen

00:31:23.320 --> 00:31:23.720
 to people.

00:31:23.779 --> 00:31:24.380
 It's very easy

00:31:24.380 --> 00:31:25.480
 to want to give up.

00:31:25.480 --> 00:31:26.700
 You could imagine

00:31:26.700 --> 00:31:28.140
 sharing the gospel

00:31:28.140 --> 00:31:29.259
 or sharing your life,

00:31:29.319 --> 00:31:29.960
 your Christian life

00:31:29.960 --> 00:31:30.759
 with those you love

00:31:30.759 --> 00:31:31.940
 for years upon years,

00:31:32.259 --> 00:31:33.140
 perhaps with a parent,

00:31:33.539 --> 00:31:34.220
 with a husband

00:31:34.220 --> 00:31:34.700
 or a wife

00:31:34.700 --> 00:31:35.960
 or with a child,

00:31:36.120 --> 00:31:36.960
 with a best friend

00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:38.140
 and they just

00:31:38.140 --> 00:31:38.779
 don't want to

00:31:38.779 --> 00:31:40.039
 seem to know

00:31:40.039 --> 00:31:40.360
 anymore.

00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:40.700
 They don't want

00:31:40.700 --> 00:31:41.299
 to know anymore.

00:31:42.019 --> 00:31:42.839
 But we shouldn't

00:31:42.839 --> 00:31:43.579
 give up.

00:31:43.900 --> 00:31:44.640
 We should continue

00:31:44.640 --> 00:31:45.940
 to want to speak

00:31:45.940 --> 00:31:46.940
 but also

00:31:46.940 --> 00:31:48.339
 to listen

00:31:48.339 --> 00:31:49.200
 because as we

00:31:49.200 --> 00:31:50.059
 listen to people

00:31:50.059 --> 00:31:51.220
 we will learn

00:31:51.220 --> 00:31:52.000
 what they believe.

00:31:52.700 --> 00:31:53.460
 Think of Paul

00:31:53.460 --> 00:31:54.319
 in our passage.

00:31:55.480 --> 00:31:56.220
 He knew

00:31:56.220 --> 00:31:56.779
 what the Greeks

00:31:56.779 --> 00:31:57.240
 believed.

00:31:57.579 --> 00:31:58.099
 After all,

00:31:58.259 --> 00:31:58.839
 his preaching

00:31:58.839 --> 00:31:59.779
 he tuned it

00:31:59.779 --> 00:32:00.779
 to what

00:32:00.779 --> 00:32:01.700
 they thought.

00:32:02.039 --> 00:32:02.480
 He also

00:32:02.480 --> 00:32:03.200
 was observing

00:32:03.200 --> 00:32:04.059
 what they

00:32:04.059 --> 00:32:04.480
 believed

00:32:04.480 --> 00:32:05.420
 by looking

00:32:05.420 --> 00:32:05.839
 around their

00:32:05.839 --> 00:32:06.240
 temples

00:32:06.240 --> 00:32:07.000
 and seeing

00:32:07.000 --> 00:32:07.599
 their inscriptions.

00:32:09.360 --> 00:32:10.099
 We can do

00:32:10.099 --> 00:32:10.700
 that with people.

00:32:10.819 --> 00:32:11.680
 We can ask

00:32:11.680 --> 00:32:12.039
 people,

00:32:12.299 --> 00:32:12.460
 well,

00:32:12.660 --> 00:32:13.120
 why do they

00:32:13.120 --> 00:32:13.640
 believe this?

00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:14.500
 Why do they

00:32:14.500 --> 00:32:15.099
 say that?

00:32:15.779 --> 00:32:16.259
 And it's good

00:32:16.259 --> 00:32:16.599
 for us

00:32:16.599 --> 00:32:17.339
 to listen.

00:32:17.900 --> 00:32:18.339
 We spoke

00:32:18.339 --> 00:32:19.500
 about dialogue

00:32:19.500 --> 00:32:20.120
 earlier.

00:32:20.620 --> 00:32:21.420
 Paul was reasoning

00:32:21.420 --> 00:32:22.259
 and it's good

00:32:22.259 --> 00:32:22.580
 for us

00:32:22.580 --> 00:32:23.060
 to have

00:32:23.060 --> 00:32:23.880
 conversations

00:32:23.880 --> 00:32:24.519
 with people

00:32:24.519 --> 00:32:25.100
 to actually

00:32:25.100 --> 00:32:25.460
 be willing

00:32:25.460 --> 00:32:26.019
 to speak.

00:32:26.980 --> 00:32:27.580
 At the first

00:32:27.580 --> 00:32:28.300
 sign of

00:32:28.300 --> 00:32:29.560
 somebody having

00:32:29.560 --> 00:32:30.039
 a conflict

00:32:30.039 --> 00:32:30.400
 with us,

00:32:30.539 --> 00:32:30.880
 we shouldn't

00:32:30.880 --> 00:32:31.880
 just close

00:32:31.880 --> 00:32:32.220
 our mouths

00:32:32.220 --> 00:32:33.660
 and change

00:32:33.660 --> 00:32:34.080
 the subject.

00:32:34.740 --> 00:32:35.500
 It's hard

00:32:35.500 --> 00:32:36.700
 but it's also

00:32:36.700 --> 00:32:37.120
 worthwhile

00:32:37.120 --> 00:32:37.980
 because we

00:32:37.980 --> 00:32:38.440
 might notice

00:32:38.440 --> 00:32:38.700
 when we

00:32:38.700 --> 00:32:39.080
 listen to

00:32:39.080 --> 00:32:39.340
 people,

00:32:39.660 --> 00:32:40.060
 we have an

00:32:40.060 --> 00:32:40.580
 opportunity

00:32:40.580 --> 00:32:41.120
 to hear

00:32:41.120 --> 00:32:41.720
 them say

00:32:41.720 --> 00:32:42.060
 something

00:32:42.060 --> 00:32:42.660
 that will

00:32:42.660 --> 00:32:43.360
 allow us

00:32:43.360 --> 00:32:43.920
 to be able

00:32:43.920 --> 00:32:44.320
 to share

00:32:44.320 --> 00:32:44.779
 the gospel

00:32:44.779 --> 00:32:45.300
 with us.

00:32:45.299 --> 00:32:48.599
 We can

00:32:48.599 --> 00:32:49.359
 also take

00:32:49.359 --> 00:32:50.180
 great comfort

00:32:50.180 --> 00:32:51.339
 from this

00:32:51.339 --> 00:32:51.779
 passage.

00:32:53.039 --> 00:32:53.399
 Sometimes

00:32:53.399 --> 00:32:53.899
 we can

00:32:53.899 --> 00:32:55.079
 begin to

00:32:55.079 --> 00:32:55.419
 get,

00:32:55.940 --> 00:32:56.279
 we can

00:32:56.279 --> 00:32:56.579
 doubt

00:32:56.579 --> 00:32:57.000
 what we

00:32:57.000 --> 00:32:57.319
 believe

00:32:57.319 --> 00:32:57.980
 or we

00:32:57.980 --> 00:32:58.279
 can get

00:32:58.279 --> 00:32:59.200
 confused

00:32:59.200 --> 00:33:00.319
 by people's

00:33:00.319 --> 00:33:00.779
 arguments.

00:33:01.200 --> 00:33:01.819
 When loved

00:33:01.819 --> 00:33:02.500
 ones reject

00:33:02.500 --> 00:33:02.819
 us,

00:33:03.200 --> 00:33:03.579
 we might

00:33:03.579 --> 00:33:04.460
 feel,

00:33:04.919 --> 00:33:05.059
 well,

00:33:05.940 --> 00:33:06.440
 is what I

00:33:06.440 --> 00:33:07.799
 truly believe,

00:33:07.899 --> 00:33:08.859
 is it true?

00:33:09.399 --> 00:33:09.839
 And we can

00:33:09.839 --> 00:33:10.299
 begin to

00:33:10.299 --> 00:33:10.779
 doubt it.

00:33:11.059 --> 00:33:11.399
 But this

00:33:11.399 --> 00:33:12.000
 passage gives

00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:12.919
 us great

00:33:12.919 --> 00:33:13.279
 hope.

00:33:13.839 --> 00:33:14.339
 Look back

00:33:14.339 --> 00:33:14.759
 in verse

00:33:14.759 --> 00:33:15.399
 31,

00:33:16.699 --> 00:33:17.459
 when Paul

00:33:17.459 --> 00:33:18.359
 was speaking

00:33:18.359 --> 00:33:19.079
 about judgment

00:33:19.079 --> 00:33:20.220
 and repentance

00:33:20.220 --> 00:33:20.859
 and he

00:33:20.859 --> 00:33:21.339
 said that

00:33:21.339 --> 00:33:22.500
 the proof

00:33:22.500 --> 00:33:22.819
 of this

00:33:22.819 --> 00:33:23.159
 was that

00:33:23.159 --> 00:33:23.899
 all men,

00:33:24.359 --> 00:33:24.679
 the proof

00:33:24.679 --> 00:33:25.220
 to all men

00:33:25.220 --> 00:33:26.119
 was because

00:33:26.119 --> 00:33:27.000
 Jesus was

00:33:27.000 --> 00:33:27.899
 raised from

00:33:27.899 --> 00:33:28.259
 the dead.

00:33:28.599 --> 00:33:28.859
 And we

00:33:28.859 --> 00:33:29.259
 can take

00:33:29.259 --> 00:33:30.179
 great assurance

00:33:30.179 --> 00:33:30.539
 for that,

00:33:30.599 --> 00:33:30.859
 even though

00:33:30.859 --> 00:33:31.179
 we might

00:33:31.179 --> 00:33:31.879
 be confused

00:33:31.879 --> 00:33:32.240
 by what

00:33:32.240 --> 00:33:32.480
 we hear

00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:32.679
 in the

00:33:32.679 --> 00:33:32.919
 world,

00:33:33.299 --> 00:33:33.679
 we might

00:33:33.679 --> 00:33:34.319
 be upset

00:33:34.319 --> 00:33:34.819
 by the

00:33:34.819 --> 00:33:35.240
 way people

00:33:35.240 --> 00:33:35.639
 are not

00:33:35.639 --> 00:33:36.019
 following

00:33:36.019 --> 00:33:36.399
 God,

00:33:36.939 --> 00:33:37.139
 but we

00:33:37.139 --> 00:33:37.399
 can be

00:33:37.399 --> 00:33:37.939
 comforted

00:33:37.939 --> 00:33:38.619
 that what

00:33:38.619 --> 00:33:39.419
 you or

00:33:39.419 --> 00:33:40.359
 I believe

00:33:40.359 --> 00:33:41.759
 is true

00:33:41.759 --> 00:33:42.339
 if we're

00:33:42.339 --> 00:33:42.819
 Christians.

00:33:42.819 --> 00:33:45.500
 because our

00:33:45.500 --> 00:33:46.379
 truth is

00:33:46.379 --> 00:33:47.159
 based on

00:33:47.159 --> 00:33:47.919
 what Jesus

00:33:47.919 --> 00:33:48.500
 did on

00:33:48.500 --> 00:33:48.939
 the cross

00:33:48.939 --> 00:33:49.639
 and his

00:33:49.639 --> 00:33:50.059
 being

00:33:50.059 --> 00:33:50.439
 resurrected

00:33:50.439 --> 00:33:50.859
 from the

00:33:50.859 --> 00:33:51.500
 dead and

00:33:51.500 --> 00:33:51.859
 being at

00:33:51.859 --> 00:33:52.220
 the right

00:33:52.220 --> 00:33:52.980
 hand of

00:33:52.980 --> 00:33:53.200
 God.

00:33:53.379 --> 00:33:53.700
 It was

00:33:53.700 --> 00:33:54.139
 Paul's

00:33:54.139 --> 00:33:55.319
 comfort and

00:33:55.319 --> 00:33:56.659
 it's our

00:33:56.659 --> 00:33:57.240
 comfort and

00:33:57.240 --> 00:33:57.539
 it's our

00:33:57.539 --> 00:33:58.439
 comfort when

00:33:58.439 --> 00:33:59.899
 people start

00:33:59.899 --> 00:34:00.819
 to object to

00:34:00.819 --> 00:34:01.339
 what we say

00:34:01.339 --> 00:34:02.079
 or reject

00:34:02.079 --> 00:34:02.399
 us.

00:34:04.200 --> 00:34:05.179
 And finally

00:34:05.179 --> 00:34:05.639
 what we can

00:34:05.639 --> 00:34:06.099
 learn from

00:34:06.099 --> 00:34:06.579
 this passage

00:34:06.579 --> 00:34:07.339
 is that we

00:34:07.339 --> 00:34:08.079
 always need

00:34:08.079 --> 00:34:08.619
 to leave

00:34:08.619 --> 00:34:09.699
 people with

00:34:09.699 --> 00:34:10.000
 hope.

00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:11.079
 We can

00:34:11.079 --> 00:34:11.940
 have many

00:34:11.940 --> 00:34:12.500
 conversations

00:34:12.500 --> 00:34:13.039
 with people,

00:34:13.559 --> 00:34:14.099
 we can

00:34:14.099 --> 00:34:14.440
 speak with

00:34:14.440 --> 00:34:14.820
 them over

00:34:14.820 --> 00:34:15.440
 many years

00:34:15.440 --> 00:34:15.679
 or we

00:34:15.679 --> 00:34:16.079
 might have

00:34:16.079 --> 00:34:16.739
 short

00:34:16.739 --> 00:34:17.280
 conversations

00:34:17.280 --> 00:34:17.820
 with people

00:34:17.820 --> 00:34:18.400
 maybe down

00:34:18.400 --> 00:34:18.960
 the supermarket

00:34:18.960 --> 00:34:19.260
 or on

00:34:19.260 --> 00:34:19.659
 the bus.

00:34:20.480 --> 00:34:20.760
 But it's

00:34:20.760 --> 00:34:21.440
 always important

00:34:21.440 --> 00:34:22.079
 to leave

00:34:22.079 --> 00:34:23.179
 people with

00:34:23.179 --> 00:34:23.500
 hope.

00:34:24.760 --> 00:34:25.519
 Paul was

00:34:25.519 --> 00:34:26.199
 sneered at

00:34:26.199 --> 00:34:26.860
 when he

00:34:26.860 --> 00:34:27.239
 shared the

00:34:27.239 --> 00:34:27.699
 gospel with

00:34:27.699 --> 00:34:27.980
 people,

00:34:28.480 --> 00:34:29.400
 but notice

00:34:29.400 --> 00:34:29.780
 that he

00:34:29.780 --> 00:34:30.539
 still left

00:34:30.539 --> 00:34:30.860
 them with

00:34:30.860 --> 00:34:31.099
 hope.

00:34:31.320 --> 00:34:31.559
 Even

00:34:31.559 --> 00:34:32.099
 those people

00:34:32.099 --> 00:34:33.320
 who rejected

00:34:33.320 --> 00:34:33.619
 what he

00:34:33.619 --> 00:34:34.019
 said out

00:34:34.019 --> 00:34:34.460
 of hand,

00:34:34.820 --> 00:34:35.420
 he still

00:34:35.420 --> 00:34:35.920
 gave them

00:34:35.920 --> 00:34:36.440
 hope.

00:34:36.960 --> 00:34:37.519
 Look back

00:34:37.519 --> 00:34:37.860
 in verse

00:34:37.860 --> 00:34:38.300
 30.

00:34:38.300 --> 00:34:39.500
 He told

00:34:39.500 --> 00:34:39.900
 them that

00:34:39.900 --> 00:34:40.700
 God commands

00:34:40.700 --> 00:34:41.560
 all people

00:34:41.560 --> 00:34:42.920
 everywhere to

00:34:42.920 --> 00:34:43.360
 repent.

00:34:44.000 --> 00:34:44.200
 And you

00:34:44.200 --> 00:34:44.580
 see, even

00:34:44.580 --> 00:34:45.440
 though people

00:34:45.440 --> 00:34:46.460
 are rejecting

00:34:46.460 --> 00:34:47.860
 Jesus, rejecting

00:34:47.860 --> 00:34:48.700
 the cross, rejecting

00:34:48.700 --> 00:34:50.240
 our message, we

00:34:50.240 --> 00:34:50.780
 can still give

00:34:50.780 --> 00:34:51.420
 them hope that

00:34:51.420 --> 00:34:52.460
 there is still

00:34:52.460 --> 00:34:53.039
 time to

00:34:53.039 --> 00:34:53.380
 repent.

00:34:53.800 --> 00:34:54.080
 They can

00:34:54.080 --> 00:34:55.420
 still turn from

00:34:55.420 --> 00:34:55.920
 their way of

00:34:55.920 --> 00:34:57.240
 life and turn

00:34:57.240 --> 00:34:57.800
 to Jesus.

00:34:59.840 --> 00:35:00.600
 People put

00:35:00.600 --> 00:35:01.120
 their hope in

00:35:01.120 --> 00:35:01.620
 all sorts of

00:35:01.620 --> 00:35:02.100
 things in life.

00:35:02.180 --> 00:35:02.480
 They put it

00:35:02.480 --> 00:35:03.060
 in their wealth,

00:35:03.480 --> 00:35:04.100
 in their

00:35:04.100 --> 00:35:04.900
 intellect,

00:35:05.480 --> 00:35:06.019
 perhaps even

00:35:06.019 --> 00:35:06.300
 in their

00:35:06.300 --> 00:35:06.600
 health.

00:35:07.080 --> 00:35:07.500
 But when

00:35:07.500 --> 00:35:08.139
 things go

00:35:08.139 --> 00:35:09.659
 wrong, where

00:35:09.659 --> 00:35:10.500
 does their

00:35:10.500 --> 00:35:11.320
 hope come

00:35:11.320 --> 00:35:11.579
 from?

00:35:12.360 --> 00:35:13.199
 Because deep

00:35:13.199 --> 00:35:13.800
 down when we

00:35:13.800 --> 00:35:14.260
 speak with

00:35:14.260 --> 00:35:15.059
 people, we

00:35:15.059 --> 00:35:15.619
 might notice

00:35:15.619 --> 00:35:17.059
 they don't

00:35:17.059 --> 00:35:17.519
 have hope.

00:35:18.599 --> 00:35:19.420
 There is a

00:35:19.420 --> 00:35:19.940
 hope that is

00:35:19.940 --> 00:35:20.639
 missing because

00:35:20.639 --> 00:35:21.860
 what they see

00:35:21.860 --> 00:35:22.300
 in the world,

00:35:22.400 --> 00:35:23.079
 their worldview,

00:35:23.460 --> 00:35:24.119
 does not give

00:35:24.119 --> 00:35:24.800
 them the true

00:35:24.800 --> 00:35:25.619
 hope that

00:35:25.619 --> 00:35:26.179
 comes from

00:35:26.179 --> 00:35:26.500
 Jesus.

00:35:28.380 --> 00:35:29.079
 When we were

00:35:29.079 --> 00:35:29.659
 in Rome and

00:35:29.659 --> 00:35:30.059
 I was looking

00:35:30.059 --> 00:35:31.179
 down at all

00:35:31.179 --> 00:35:31.699
 the temples,

00:35:32.059 --> 00:35:32.559
 one temple

00:35:32.559 --> 00:35:33.320
 caught my eye.

00:35:34.400 --> 00:35:34.800
 And on the

00:35:34.800 --> 00:35:35.420
 plaque it said,

00:35:35.840 --> 00:35:36.840
 the temple of

00:35:36.840 --> 00:35:37.160
 hope.

00:35:37.840 --> 00:35:38.200
 And I

00:35:38.200 --> 00:35:39.600
 wondered, why

00:35:39.600 --> 00:35:40.120
 would they

00:35:40.120 --> 00:35:40.800
 have a temple

00:35:40.800 --> 00:35:41.519
 of hope in

00:35:41.519 --> 00:35:42.160
 this place?

00:35:42.400 --> 00:35:43.600
 After all, I'd

00:35:43.600 --> 00:35:44.460
 been to numerous

00:35:44.460 --> 00:35:45.220
 temples in this

00:35:45.220 --> 00:35:45.519
 area.

00:35:45.940 --> 00:35:46.240
 They had a

00:35:46.240 --> 00:35:46.760
 temple for

00:35:46.760 --> 00:35:47.620
 every god,

00:35:48.019 --> 00:35:48.660
 everything that

00:35:48.660 --> 00:35:48.940
 they could

00:35:48.940 --> 00:35:49.480
 think of,

00:35:49.579 --> 00:35:50.120
 they provided

00:35:50.120 --> 00:35:50.400
 for.

00:35:51.079 --> 00:35:51.960
 Why would

00:35:51.960 --> 00:35:52.420
 they need a

00:35:52.420 --> 00:35:52.800
 temple of

00:35:52.800 --> 00:35:53.019
 hope?

00:35:53.260 --> 00:35:53.800
 After all,

00:35:54.260 --> 00:35:54.800
 wouldn't all

00:35:54.800 --> 00:35:55.180
 these other

00:35:55.180 --> 00:35:55.660
 gods give

00:35:55.660 --> 00:35:56.100
 them hope?

00:35:56.480 --> 00:35:56.760
 And I

00:35:56.760 --> 00:35:57.820
 thought, no.

00:35:59.260 --> 00:35:59.680
 It didn't

00:35:59.680 --> 00:36:00.000
 give them

00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:00.260
 hope.

00:36:00.620 --> 00:36:01.300
 They still

00:36:01.300 --> 00:36:02.079
 needed hope.

00:36:02.400 --> 00:36:02.680
 And this

00:36:02.680 --> 00:36:03.200
 temple that I

00:36:03.200 --> 00:36:03.700
 saw was still

00:36:03.700 --> 00:36:04.500
 a pagan temple,

00:36:04.500 --> 00:36:05.480
 but it

00:36:05.480 --> 00:36:06.139
 showed me

00:36:06.139 --> 00:36:07.739
 that hope

00:36:07.739 --> 00:36:08.559
 was missing

00:36:08.559 --> 00:36:09.559
 from this

00:36:09.559 --> 00:36:10.420
 pagan worship,

00:36:10.840 --> 00:36:11.599
 this people

00:36:11.599 --> 00:36:11.920
 who had

00:36:11.920 --> 00:36:12.639
 turned and

00:36:12.639 --> 00:36:13.440
 not followed

00:36:13.440 --> 00:36:14.360
 God because

00:36:14.360 --> 00:36:14.920
 there was

00:36:14.920 --> 00:36:15.599
 no hope.

00:36:15.820 --> 00:36:16.019
 And they

00:36:16.019 --> 00:36:16.400
 wanted to

00:36:16.400 --> 00:36:17.099
 have this

00:36:17.099 --> 00:36:17.579
 temple of

00:36:17.579 --> 00:36:17.820
 hope.

00:36:18.960 --> 00:36:19.400
 But as

00:36:19.400 --> 00:36:19.900
 Christians,

00:36:20.579 --> 00:36:21.300
 we have a

00:36:21.300 --> 00:36:21.539
 hope.

00:36:22.079 --> 00:36:22.400
 Think of

00:36:22.400 --> 00:36:24.500
 what, in

00:36:24.500 --> 00:36:25.159
 1 Peter,

00:36:26.219 --> 00:36:27.519
 that we have

00:36:27.519 --> 00:36:28.659
 a living hope

00:36:28.659 --> 00:36:29.380
 through the

00:36:29.380 --> 00:36:30.079
 resurrection of

00:36:30.079 --> 00:36:30.719
 Jesus Christ

00:36:30.719 --> 00:36:31.079
 from the

00:36:31.079 --> 00:36:31.300
 dead.

00:36:31.300 --> 00:36:32.300
 we must

00:36:32.300 --> 00:36:32.660
 always

00:36:32.660 --> 00:36:33.039
 remember,

00:36:33.100 --> 00:36:33.340
 when we

00:36:33.340 --> 00:36:33.660
 are speaking

00:36:33.660 --> 00:36:34.120
 to people,

00:36:34.620 --> 00:36:35.440
 to always

00:36:35.440 --> 00:36:36.600
 remember to

00:36:36.600 --> 00:36:37.460
 give them

00:36:37.460 --> 00:36:37.860
 hope.

00:36:38.539 --> 00:36:39.039
 People might

00:36:39.039 --> 00:36:39.700
 reject us,

00:36:40.360 --> 00:36:40.680
 they might

00:36:40.680 --> 00:36:41.180
 not want to

00:36:41.180 --> 00:36:41.960
 talk to us,

00:36:42.560 --> 00:36:42.800
 they might

00:36:42.800 --> 00:36:43.560
 not, they

00:36:43.560 --> 00:36:43.960
 prefer if we

00:36:43.960 --> 00:36:44.140
 did not

00:36:44.140 --> 00:36:44.560
 open the

00:36:44.560 --> 00:36:44.820
 Bible,

00:36:45.360 --> 00:36:45.780
 didn't want

00:36:45.780 --> 00:36:46.120
 to talk

00:36:46.120 --> 00:36:46.539
 about it.

00:36:47.180 --> 00:36:47.460
 But we

00:36:47.460 --> 00:36:47.940
 should always

00:36:47.940 --> 00:36:48.539
 remember to

00:36:48.539 --> 00:36:48.820
 leave them

00:36:48.820 --> 00:36:49.760
 hope because

00:36:49.760 --> 00:36:50.460
 that is the

00:36:50.460 --> 00:36:51.340
 hope that

00:36:51.340 --> 00:36:51.820
 we have.

00:36:52.160 --> 00:36:52.400
 We should

00:36:52.400 --> 00:36:53.960
 always know

00:36:53.960 --> 00:36:54.820
 the reason for

00:36:54.820 --> 00:36:55.220
 the hope that

00:36:55.220 --> 00:36:56.120
 we have and

00:36:56.120 --> 00:36:56.800
 prepare to

00:36:56.800 --> 00:36:57.380
 share it with

00:36:57.380 --> 00:36:57.700
 others.

00:36:58.500 --> 00:36:59.240
 Let us pray.

00:37:01.300 --> 00:37:05.880
 Father, we

00:37:05.880 --> 00:37:06.320
 do thank you

00:37:06.320 --> 00:37:06.640
 for the

00:37:06.640 --> 00:37:07.000
 Christian

00:37:07.000 --> 00:37:07.460
 message.

00:37:08.200 --> 00:37:08.600
 I thank you

00:37:08.600 --> 00:37:08.880
 that we

00:37:08.880 --> 00:37:09.300
 can be

00:37:09.300 --> 00:37:10.160
 sure that

00:37:10.160 --> 00:37:10.620
 it is

00:37:10.620 --> 00:37:11.039
 true.

00:37:11.660 --> 00:37:12.039
 We thank

00:37:12.039 --> 00:37:12.260
 you for

00:37:12.260 --> 00:37:12.840
 the reminder

00:37:12.840 --> 00:37:13.360
 from this

00:37:13.360 --> 00:37:14.320
 passage that

00:37:14.320 --> 00:37:14.840
 it is true

00:37:14.840 --> 00:37:15.280
 and you have

00:37:15.280 --> 00:37:15.560
 given us

00:37:15.560 --> 00:37:16.180
 proof of it

00:37:16.180 --> 00:37:16.880
 by you,

00:37:17.019 --> 00:37:17.740
 Lord, being

00:37:17.740 --> 00:37:18.220
 raised from

00:37:18.220 --> 00:37:18.620
 the dead,

00:37:19.080 --> 00:37:19.500
 that you are

00:37:19.500 --> 00:37:20.220
 now at the

00:37:20.220 --> 00:37:20.840
 right hand of

00:37:20.840 --> 00:37:21.260
 the Father.

00:37:21.960 --> 00:37:22.640
 We thank you

00:37:22.640 --> 00:37:22.920
 for the

00:37:22.920 --> 00:37:23.260
 gospel.

00:37:23.440 --> 00:37:23.780
 We thank you

00:37:23.780 --> 00:37:24.180
 that we can

00:37:24.180 --> 00:37:25.140
 know you,

00:37:25.280 --> 00:37:25.680
 Father, as

00:37:25.680 --> 00:37:26.340
 the creator

00:37:26.340 --> 00:37:27.580
 God, as

00:37:27.580 --> 00:37:28.300
 the giver of

00:37:28.300 --> 00:37:29.660
 life, as

00:37:29.660 --> 00:37:30.960
 the sustainer,

00:37:31.300 --> 00:37:32.420
 I thank you

00:37:32.420 --> 00:37:33.360
 that we have

00:37:33.360 --> 00:37:33.860
 so many people

00:37:33.860 --> 00:37:34.380
 in our lives

00:37:34.380 --> 00:37:34.860
 that you have

00:37:34.860 --> 00:37:35.340
 given us to

00:37:35.340 --> 00:37:35.920
 us to love,

00:37:36.000 --> 00:37:36.519
 to be with,

00:37:36.720 --> 00:37:37.019
 and our

00:37:37.019 --> 00:37:37.740
 desires that

00:37:37.740 --> 00:37:38.100
 they would

00:37:38.100 --> 00:37:39.039
 know Jesus.

00:37:40.160 --> 00:37:40.720
 But so

00:37:40.720 --> 00:37:41.380
 often, Father,

00:37:41.480 --> 00:37:42.220
 that we are

00:37:42.220 --> 00:37:43.019
 hit with

00:37:43.019 --> 00:37:44.080
 rejection or

00:37:44.080 --> 00:37:44.380
 with people

00:37:44.380 --> 00:37:44.780
 who do not

00:37:44.780 --> 00:37:45.460
 want to know,

00:37:45.700 --> 00:37:46.120
 but help us

00:37:46.120 --> 00:37:47.820
 always want

00:37:47.820 --> 00:37:48.400
 to give the

00:37:48.400 --> 00:37:49.100
 reason for the

00:37:49.100 --> 00:37:49.620
 hope that we

00:37:49.620 --> 00:37:50.260
 have, for we

00:37:50.260 --> 00:37:51.120
 have this great

00:37:51.120 --> 00:37:52.560
 hope because of

00:37:52.560 --> 00:37:52.840
 Jesus.

00:37:54.019 --> 00:37:54.860
 I pray that we

00:37:54.860 --> 00:37:55.660
 would be

00:37:55.660 --> 00:37:57.220
 prepared, that

00:37:57.220 --> 00:37:57.700
 indeed we be

00:37:57.700 --> 00:37:58.720
 prepared in mind

00:37:58.720 --> 00:37:59.840
 and in heart.

00:37:59.840 --> 00:38:01.620
 that we

00:38:01.620 --> 00:38:01.840
 would be

00:38:01.840 --> 00:38:03.019
 willing to

00:38:03.019 --> 00:38:03.720
 continue to

00:38:03.720 --> 00:38:04.260
 talk with

00:38:04.260 --> 00:38:05.400
 people, not

00:38:05.400 --> 00:38:06.120
 to be quiet,

00:38:06.559 --> 00:38:07.200
 but to have a

00:38:07.200 --> 00:38:07.920
 desire to

00:38:07.920 --> 00:38:09.360
 share you,

00:38:09.519 --> 00:38:10.100
 Lord, with

00:38:10.100 --> 00:38:10.640
 those around

00:38:10.640 --> 00:38:11.000
 us.

00:38:12.120 --> 00:38:12.600
 And I thank

00:38:12.600 --> 00:38:13.280
 you that we

00:38:13.280 --> 00:38:13.780
 can give them

00:38:13.780 --> 00:38:14.780
 hope and that

00:38:14.780 --> 00:38:15.960
 there's still

00:38:15.960 --> 00:38:16.840
 time for people

00:38:16.840 --> 00:38:18.320
 to repent, to

00:38:18.320 --> 00:38:19.240
 turn from their

00:38:19.240 --> 00:38:20.579
 idols and turn

00:38:20.579 --> 00:38:21.140
 to the living

00:38:21.140 --> 00:38:21.539
 God.

00:38:21.539 --> 00:38:23.320
 Lord, I pray

00:38:23.320 --> 00:38:23.699
 that as we

00:38:23.699 --> 00:38:24.639
 go out and

00:38:24.639 --> 00:38:25.759
 as we spend

00:38:25.759 --> 00:38:26.719
 our lives with

00:38:26.719 --> 00:38:27.559
 people, that

00:38:27.559 --> 00:38:27.980
 we will not

00:38:27.980 --> 00:38:29.000
 become immune

00:38:29.000 --> 00:38:30.400
 to the sin, to

00:38:30.400 --> 00:38:31.239
 the rejection of

00:38:31.239 --> 00:38:32.059
 you, but

00:38:32.059 --> 00:38:32.639
 indeed it would

00:38:32.639 --> 00:38:33.360
 increase our

00:38:33.360 --> 00:38:34.460
 desire to

00:38:34.460 --> 00:38:35.539
 persevere, to

00:38:35.539 --> 00:38:36.199
 continue to

00:38:36.199 --> 00:38:36.739
 share your

00:38:36.739 --> 00:38:37.599
 name with

00:38:37.599 --> 00:38:38.619
 those around

00:38:38.619 --> 00:38:39.039
 us.

00:38:39.440 --> 00:38:40.099
 In Jesus'

00:38:40.279 --> 00:38:41.599
 name, Amen.

00:38:44.320 --> 00:38:45.039
 I'm going to

00:38:45.039 --> 00:38:46.039
 finish with a

00:38:46.039 --> 00:38:46.400
 song.

00:38:47.239 --> 00:38:47.840
 We have,

00:38:48.800 --> 00:38:49.340
 there is a

00:38:49.340 --> 00:38:49.619
 hope.

00:38:49.619 --> 00:38:50.559
 There is a

00:38:50.559 --> 00:38:51.079
 hope that

00:38:51.079 --> 00:38:51.799
 burns within

00:38:51.799 --> 00:38:52.319
 our hearts.

00:38:52.359 --> 00:38:52.619
 And if you're

00:38:52.619 --> 00:38:53.099
 a Christian

00:38:53.099 --> 00:38:54.299
 here today, you

00:38:54.299 --> 00:38:54.859
 have that

00:38:54.859 --> 00:38:55.779
 hope, that

00:38:55.779 --> 00:38:56.380
 hope that we

00:38:56.380 --> 00:38:57.139
 have because

00:38:57.139 --> 00:38:58.599
 of Jesus, that

00:38:58.599 --> 00:38:59.400
 gives me strength

00:38:59.400 --> 00:38:59.940
 for every

00:38:59.940 --> 00:39:00.599
 passing day,

00:39:01.119 --> 00:39:02.159
 because of

00:39:02.159 --> 00:39:02.759
 Jesus, that

00:39:02.759 --> 00:39:03.480
 we can live

00:39:03.480 --> 00:39:04.380
 day by day,

00:39:04.719 --> 00:39:05.440
 and our

00:39:05.440 --> 00:39:06.159
 desire hopefully

00:39:06.159 --> 00:39:06.900
 will be to

00:39:06.900 --> 00:39:07.500
 share that

00:39:07.500 --> 00:39:08.199
 with others.

00:39:08.719 --> 00:39:09.119
 Let us

00:39:09.119 --> 00:39:09.599
 stand to

00:39:09.599 --> 00:39:09.799
 sing.

00:39:19.619 --> 00:39:30.199
 there is a

00:39:30.199 --> 00:39:31.759
 hope that

00:39:31.759 --> 00:39:32.559
 burns within

00:39:32.559 --> 00:39:34.699
 my heart,

00:39:34.920 --> 00:39:36.339
 that gives me

00:39:36.339 --> 00:39:37.380
 strength for

00:39:37.380 --> 00:39:37.500
 me.