WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.200 This man doesn't really need an introduction because he's already well-known and well-loved in our church. 00:00:05.600 --> 00:00:09.200 But Andrew Rimm has been with us in our church for the last two years. 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:14.439 He is in his final year of study at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. 00:00:15.060 --> 00:00:23.179 And as you guys know, if you were at our last membership meeting, he just began his pastoral internship, which lasts about eight months to 12 months. 00:00:23.179 --> 00:00:37.320 Because it's a time when we, as a church, basically try to encourage him and build him up and also assess him as a pastoral candidate in his teaching, preaching ability, but also in his character that meets the requirements of 1 Timothy 3. 00:00:37.480 --> 00:00:40.799 And so he's been doing great in all those ways so far. 00:00:40.879 --> 00:00:44.060 And today is his first opportunity to preach for us. 00:00:44.079 --> 00:00:46.840 So if you would please welcome Andrew to come preach for us. 00:00:46.920 --> 00:00:47.200 That'd be great. 00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:51.760 Can you guys hear me all right? 00:00:51.759 --> 00:00:53.280 Awesome. 00:00:54.280 --> 00:00:55.379 Good morning, everyone. 00:00:55.920 --> 00:00:58.199 Like Pastor Sean said, my name is Andrew. 00:00:58.619 --> 00:01:03.339 I'm a pastoral intern here at Trinity Cambridge Church and a current seminary student as well. 00:01:04.640 --> 00:01:11.879 This is my first sermon here at Trinity, and it's really such an immense joy and honor to be sharing God's word with you all. 00:01:11.879 --> 00:01:17.599 So, Sean, also thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to share God's word with everyone here. 00:01:19.459 --> 00:01:20.599 Let's jump right into it. 00:01:20.599 --> 00:01:25.959 So our passage this morning will be coming from Acts chapter 17, verse 16 to 34. 00:01:28.699 --> 00:01:37.079 If any of you don't have a Bible and would like one, please raise your hand and one of our members can give you a Bible to read through the passage with us as well. 00:01:37.079 --> 00:01:44.480 Please join me in prayer as we pray for the reading of God's word. 00:01:47.480 --> 00:01:52.659 Father God, it's by your will. 00:01:52.659 --> 00:01:57.459 Lord, it's for your glory that we exist. 00:02:00.179 --> 00:02:04.439 Lord, you're the creator God who created us. 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:09.240 You're the Lord of all created things, all things existing in this world. 00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:13.079 And because of that, you're worthy to be praised. 00:02:13.080 --> 00:02:24.240 Lord, we ask that your word this morning strikes and pierces our heart as the sword that it is. 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:29.540 That it convicts us of the idolatry that's all around us. 00:02:32.480 --> 00:02:36.640 And drives us to desire you more than anything else in this world. 00:02:36.639 --> 00:02:45.939 Lord, I'm of so much inadequacy. 00:02:46.739 --> 00:02:49.139 My words are not enough without you. 00:02:51.879 --> 00:02:53.099 Lord, I need you. 00:02:55.779 --> 00:02:57.099 Lord, we need you. 00:02:57.099 --> 00:03:02.759 Be ever so present in our midst. 00:03:03.840 --> 00:03:04.699 Convict our hearts. 00:03:05.419 --> 00:03:08.599 And we ask that your spirit fill our hearts with faith. 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:19.400 A faith to make your name, the name of all names known to our world, Lord. 00:03:21.539 --> 00:03:27.079 A faith to make the name of Jesus so present in our lives through our words and our actions. 00:03:27.099 --> 00:03:30.979 We thank you, Lord. 00:03:31.359 --> 00:03:31.960 We love you. 00:03:32.560 --> 00:03:34.259 And we pray all of this in Jesus' name. 00:03:34.740 --> 00:03:34.960 Amen. 00:03:36.599 --> 00:03:43.219 Please stand with me as we read Acts chapter 17, verses 16 to 34. 00:03:43.219 --> 00:03:57.219 Now, while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. 00:03:58.400 --> 00:04:06.419 So he reasoned in the synagogue with Jews and the devout persons and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 00:04:06.419 --> 00:04:11.039 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. 00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:15.099 And some said, what does this babbler wish to say? 00:04:16.180 --> 00:04:25.300 Others said, he seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. 00:04:25.300 --> 00:04:33.360 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, may we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting. 00:04:33.860 --> 00:04:36.379 For you bring some strange things to our ears. 00:04:36.819 --> 00:04:40.120 We wish to know, therefore, what these things mean. 00:04:40.120 --> 00:04:48.220 Now, all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. 00:04:49.560 --> 00:04:52.240 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said, 00:04:52.879 --> 00:04:57.220 Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 00:04:57.840 --> 00:05:02.939 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 00:05:03.899 --> 00:05:06.120 To the unknown God. 00:05:06.120 --> 00:05:11.000 What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 00:05:11.819 --> 00:05:18.720 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man. 00:05:19.500 --> 00:05:28.259 Nor is he served by human hands as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:35.160 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the earth, 00:05:35.160 --> 00:05:39.360 Having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place. 00:05:39.980 --> 00:05:45.080 That they should seek God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. 00:05:46.200 --> 00:05:49.700 Yet he is actually not far from each one of us. 00:05:50.340 --> 00:05:54.660 For in him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, 00:05:54.940 --> 00:05:57.560 For we are indeed his offspring. 00:05:57.560 --> 00:06:04.319 Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, 00:06:04.600 --> 00:06:08.319 An image formed by the art and imagination of man. 00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:11.800 The times of ignorance God overlooked. 00:06:12.579 --> 00:06:16.800 But now, he commands all people everywhere to repent. 00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:23.819 Because he has fixed the day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed. 00:06:24.280 --> 00:06:29.300 And of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead. 00:06:30.420 --> 00:06:34.040 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. 00:06:34.740 --> 00:06:38.240 But others said, we will hear you again about this. 00:06:39.240 --> 00:06:41.400 So Paul went out from their midst. 00:06:41.399 --> 00:06:53.179 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysus, Dionysius, the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them. 00:06:53.699 --> 00:06:56.099 This is God's holy and authoritative word. 00:06:56.399 --> 00:06:56.879 You may be seated. 00:07:03.099 --> 00:07:09.279 We're starting to enter a season here in Cambridge where we're starting to really see all the fall and autumn colors. 00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:13.939 I was just looking outside of Kalo and just seeing all sorts of different leaves just falling all over the ground. 00:07:14.839 --> 00:07:15.959 It's a really pretty sight. 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:24.079 And it's definitely a sign that we're entering that part of the year where we're about to get absolutely barraged by wave after wave of different holidays. 00:07:25.779 --> 00:07:28.979 One of these holidays that is fast approaching us is Halloween. 00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:31.399 We've talked about it through Fall Festival. 00:07:31.399 --> 00:07:42.459 And we can see it all around us with these different decorations, jack-o'-lanterns, witches' cauldrons, coffins, all sorts of stuff decorating people's homes and their yards and all that. 00:07:43.799 --> 00:07:47.979 For most people, Halloween is just another commercialized holiday. 00:07:48.759 --> 00:07:57.560 It allows them to indulge in candy, wear our funny costumes and all that, and go to attend parties to celebrate Halloween with each other. 00:07:57.560 --> 00:08:05.699 There are others, however, who celebrate Halloween with more insidious motives. 00:08:06.980 --> 00:08:10.300 Like Sean said, I attend a school called Gordon-Conwell Seminary. 00:08:10.819 --> 00:08:12.100 It's up in the North Shore. 00:08:12.600 --> 00:08:16.079 And the next town over to it is the town of Salem. 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:30.079 In the town of Salem, they have a rich history of witchcraft, of pinning witches down and accusing witches, hence the very famous story of the crucible. 00:08:30.959 --> 00:08:36.699 And within that town of Salem, there are people there who treat Halloween not as a lighthearted costume party, 00:08:37.100 --> 00:08:43.919 but as a pagan festival that celebrates the dead, the spirits, and even the devil. 00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:52.679 Throughout Salem, you can observe witch museums, fortune-reading divination shops, and satanic temples scattered throughout the town. 00:08:53.039 --> 00:08:59.079 And they all seem to glow brighter and grow even livelier as the Halloween season comes upon us. 00:08:59.719 --> 00:09:03.679 You can see people attending these satanic temples for worship. 00:09:04.379 --> 00:09:08.099 You can see others going into shops to buy charms and hexes. 00:09:08.100 --> 00:09:14.500 You can see others building bonfires at the beaches in North Shore to dance around them in a manic sort of frenzy. 00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:21.000 And you can even see strangers coming onto our seminary campus, whispering curses under their breath. 00:09:23.259 --> 00:09:30.500 Seeing such a sight as a Christian should outrage us, if not deeply trouble us to our very core. 00:09:30.500 --> 00:09:38.120 But we shouldn't be feeling this way only on Halloween or other secularized or paganized holidays. 00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:45.019 Even in our day-to-day lives, if we look carefully enough, idolatry is all around us. 00:09:46.299 --> 00:09:52.419 There are people who are actively practicing pagan rituals or believing in religions that do not honor our God. 00:09:52.419 --> 00:09:59.979 There are also atheists and agnostics who do not believe in a God, but instead choose to worship themselves, 00:10:00.699 --> 00:10:05.379 and seeking self-gratification and pleasure as the ultimate goal of their own lives. 00:10:06.059 --> 00:10:13.120 There are buildings all around us that glorify the imagination and the handiwork, the mind of man. 00:10:14.120 --> 00:10:21.399 All these things in being prioritized over God are examples of idolatry, whether we recognize it or not. 00:10:21.399 --> 00:10:29.679 We as believers should feel cut to the heart about the idolatry that's around us, the idolatry that happens around us daily. 00:10:30.480 --> 00:10:36.220 And we should desire for God to change our community, to change the hearts of the idolaters, 00:10:36.519 --> 00:10:39.779 to repent and pledge their allegiance to him. 00:10:40.840 --> 00:10:48.539 We should want Jesus instead to be worshiped and honored with our every being and with our everything. 00:10:48.539 --> 00:10:58.339 And so this is going to be the main point of our passage and a reminder for all of us today who are in the midst of all sorts of idolatry in our community. 00:10:59.599 --> 00:11:06.279 Christ's death and Christ's resurrection demands our repentance to the one true God. 00:11:06.279 --> 00:11:10.379 I'll be dividing my sermon up into three different parts. 00:11:10.939 --> 00:11:13.519 The first point is many gods made by man. 00:11:13.939 --> 00:11:17.259 My second point being the unknown God made known. 00:11:17.819 --> 00:11:24.679 And my final point being Christ, the resurrected, pointing to the one true God. 00:11:24.679 --> 00:11:32.319 So I know that many of y'all know that we are currently going through a sermon series in Revelation. 00:11:32.839 --> 00:11:38.079 So this seems like a very sudden departure, almost like a filler episode in our series here. 00:11:38.080 --> 00:11:46.759 But I truly believe, and by God's providence, this passage is just so relevant to our Revelation story. 00:11:47.580 --> 00:11:49.840 That we are surrounded by temptations around us. 00:11:49.920 --> 00:11:52.700 That we are surrounded by idolatry around us. 00:11:52.980 --> 00:11:58.540 And we're called to persevere amidst all these things that threaten to take away God from us. 00:11:59.900 --> 00:12:01.980 And so we come to this passage here in Acts. 00:12:02.160 --> 00:12:06.680 I'll give a bit of background since this is a filler episode and we don't really know much of the background maybe. 00:12:06.679 --> 00:12:06.719 See? 00:12:07.739 --> 00:12:14.519 So, leading up to Acts chapter 17, the apostle Paul and Silas have been traveling through Macedonia. 00:12:15.259 --> 00:12:20.359 Ministering the gospel in the cities of Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. 00:12:20.559 --> 00:12:23.739 And bringing both Jews and Gentiles to Jesus. 00:12:25.299 --> 00:12:29.359 However, in the city of Berea, there were some jealous Thessalonican Jews. 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:34.439 Who in their jealousy stirred up the crowds and forced Paul to flee from Berea. 00:12:34.440 --> 00:12:37.100 To the city of Athens all by himself. 00:12:38.180 --> 00:12:41.600 Paul's departure from Athens sets the stage for what we are about to read. 00:12:41.700 --> 00:12:42.340 What we have read. 00:12:42.780 --> 00:12:48.540 And in the following passage, Paul is waiting for Silas and Timothy to rejoin him in Athens. 00:12:49.560 --> 00:12:54.180 The writer of Acts, Luke, now documents the events that transpired in Athens. 00:12:54.900 --> 00:12:59.180 As Paul comes across a city filled with idols. 00:12:59.179 --> 00:13:02.159 And so we see in verse 16, 00:13:02.159 --> 00:13:06.959 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him. 00:13:07.299 --> 00:13:10.919 As he saw that the city was full of idols. 00:13:12.839 --> 00:13:18.799 Athens was historically well known for its multitudes of temples, altars, and statues. 00:13:19.679 --> 00:13:28.019 Back in the 6th century BC, the city of Athens had been hit by a plague, an illness, that was afflicting everyone in the city. 00:13:28.019 --> 00:13:34.259 And so the Athenians, they asked a priest by the name of Epimenides to come and help them. 00:13:34.600 --> 00:13:38.639 Because he was known allegedly to be favored by the gods. 00:13:39.840 --> 00:13:43.579 And so Epimenides, he travels from Crete all the way to Athens to help them. 00:13:43.840 --> 00:13:46.799 And with him, he brings a flock of sheep. 00:13:47.899 --> 00:13:52.259 He brings the sheep into the central part of the city and he releases them. 00:13:52.259 --> 00:13:56.720 And he tells the Athenians, wherever these sheep go to lie down, 00:13:56.799 --> 00:14:01.120 wherever these sheep decide to find a nice patch of grass and eat the grass, 00:14:01.600 --> 00:14:03.379 he said, build an altar there. 00:14:04.139 --> 00:14:07.500 Build a temple there and worship an unknown god. 00:14:08.740 --> 00:14:12.259 So that that god may be appeased of its anger. 00:14:12.259 --> 00:14:15.139 And so the Athenians did that. 00:14:15.259 --> 00:14:17.899 They followed these hungry sheep all around the city. 00:14:18.379 --> 00:14:20.899 And wherever the sheep decided to take a break, 00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:24.919 they would start building temples there and start worshiping at these altars. 00:14:26.139 --> 00:14:30.319 And lo and behold, the city of Athens was restored to health from this, apparently. 00:14:30.320 --> 00:14:33.820 How ridiculous is this? 00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:38.960 That the city of Athens was so desperate in wanting to be healed, 00:14:39.040 --> 00:14:45.860 they were willing to follow these wayward, ignorant, hungry sheep to find their own gods. 00:14:47.400 --> 00:14:50.840 That was 600 years ago before Paul arrived in Athens. 00:14:50.940 --> 00:14:53.040 By the time Paul came to the city, 00:14:53.039 --> 00:15:01.919 first century Athens was estimated to have at least 73,000 statues and altars of gods. 00:15:03.399 --> 00:15:04.860 To put this into perspective, 00:15:05.539 --> 00:15:09.919 New York City has around 2,200 billboards scattered across the city 00:15:09.919 --> 00:15:14.659 and about 800 monuments and statues also throughout the city. 00:15:15.059 --> 00:15:20.740 So we'll add those two up to about 3,000 different statues and monuments and billboards 00:15:20.740 --> 00:15:22.659 advertising all sorts of different things. 00:15:23.339 --> 00:15:24.939 Imagine walking through Times Square. 00:15:25.319 --> 00:15:28.939 You're going through this forest of electronic LED billboards 00:15:28.939 --> 00:15:30.259 flashing all sorts of different things. 00:15:30.439 --> 00:15:34.519 Celebrities, clothes, jewelry, music, all sorts of things. 00:15:34.579 --> 00:15:35.899 It's enough to give you whiplash. 00:15:36.240 --> 00:15:37.399 You're trying to look around. 00:15:37.639 --> 00:15:38.919 You see all these towering monuments. 00:15:39.399 --> 00:15:40.539 And you're just so bewildered. 00:15:40.740 --> 00:15:42.219 This is a crazy city. 00:15:42.299 --> 00:15:43.539 It just does not sleep. 00:15:45.279 --> 00:15:47.759 Athens had 20 times more 00:15:47.759 --> 00:15:53.799 the amount of statues, monuments, and altars scattered throughout the city. 00:15:53.799 --> 00:15:59.359 Paul, seeing this city full of idols, 00:15:59.699 --> 00:16:03.599 seeing how the Athenians were just going to every single one of these temples 00:16:03.599 --> 00:16:05.099 and worshiping their gods, 00:16:05.500 --> 00:16:07.839 was provoked in the spirit. 00:16:09.579 --> 00:16:14.399 Church, how many of us are provoked in spirit by the idols that surround us? 00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:17.340 All around us, people worship money. 00:16:17.679 --> 00:16:18.319 They worship fame. 00:16:18.419 --> 00:16:21.340 They worship relationships, sex, and their own personal gain. 00:16:22.500 --> 00:16:24.100 Here in the Boston and Cambridge area, 00:16:24.220 --> 00:16:26.919 we take great pride in our own intellect, 00:16:27.299 --> 00:16:28.379 in intellectualism, 00:16:28.779 --> 00:16:30.879 perhaps even to an idolatrous amount. 00:16:30.879 --> 00:16:34.700 Even some of us here in this church as believers, 00:16:35.039 --> 00:16:36.019 we may not know it, 00:16:36.279 --> 00:16:38.139 but we may be idolizing things in our lives. 00:16:40.899 --> 00:16:43.279 When we open our eyes and see all these things, 00:16:43.559 --> 00:16:46.360 our spirits should be provoked in seeing idolatry 00:16:46.360 --> 00:16:49.740 because it takes glory that's due to God 00:16:49.740 --> 00:16:52.700 and ascribes it to something else. 00:16:53.960 --> 00:16:55.940 Like Paul, we should see these idols 00:16:55.940 --> 00:16:58.740 and desire for God to change our hearts 00:16:58.740 --> 00:17:01.340 and the hearts of those around us 00:17:01.340 --> 00:17:03.960 to instead look to God. 00:17:05.700 --> 00:17:08.299 And so Paul, he's surveying the city of Athens 00:17:08.299 --> 00:17:09.819 and sees all these idols. 00:17:10.339 --> 00:17:11.539 He's provoked in his spirit 00:17:11.539 --> 00:17:13.539 and so he takes the opportunity 00:17:13.539 --> 00:17:17.039 to reason in both the synagogues and the Agora, 00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:18.839 the central marketplace of Athens 00:17:18.839 --> 00:17:20.120 with the people there. 00:17:21.799 --> 00:17:23.960 Luke's narration of this Acts passage, 00:17:24.240 --> 00:17:26.539 it more so focuses on Paul's interaction 00:17:26.539 --> 00:17:27.859 with the Gentiles. 00:17:27.859 --> 00:17:29.939 Paul's in the central marketplace, 00:17:30.179 --> 00:17:31.019 the Agora. 00:17:32.099 --> 00:17:35.039 Paul is said to have occupied that marketplace every day 00:17:35.039 --> 00:17:37.179 and he was able to engage with the people 00:17:37.179 --> 00:17:37.959 in the central square. 00:17:38.799 --> 00:17:40.619 And his words were not going unnoticed 00:17:40.619 --> 00:17:43.879 as a group of Stoic and Epicurean philosophers 00:17:43.879 --> 00:17:44.779 approached him. 00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:46.339 Verse 18. 00:17:46.679 --> 00:17:48.759 I'll briefly gloss over the Epicurean 00:17:48.759 --> 00:17:50.479 and Stoic philosophers' beliefs a bit later, 00:17:50.879 --> 00:17:53.259 but what particularly sticks out in this verse 00:17:53.259 --> 00:17:56.119 is the mixed reaction of the people 00:17:56.119 --> 00:17:58.359 who listened to what Paul was proclaiming. 00:17:59.519 --> 00:18:01.039 Some of them reacted negatively, 00:18:02.099 --> 00:18:04.359 calling Paul a babbler, an ignoramus. 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:06.480 They're like, what are you talking about, man? 00:18:06.579 --> 00:18:09.420 Like, we don't know what this God is. 00:18:09.819 --> 00:18:10.920 You're out of your mind. 00:18:11.379 --> 00:18:12.500 They chose to ignore him. 00:18:12.500 --> 00:18:16.160 However, others took an interest in what was said 00:18:16.160 --> 00:18:18.900 because Paul seemed to be introducing 00:18:18.900 --> 00:18:21.599 a foreign divinity, 00:18:22.140 --> 00:18:25.000 a new God who seemed to be without a temple 00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:27.599 or altar in Athens. 00:18:29.380 --> 00:18:30.619 Verse 19 to 20. 00:18:30.700 --> 00:18:32.940 And so they took him and brought him to the Areopagus 00:18:32.940 --> 00:18:35.799 saying, may we know what this new teaching is 00:18:35.799 --> 00:18:36.819 that you are presenting? 00:18:36.819 --> 00:18:40.220 The Areopagus or Mars Hill 00:18:40.220 --> 00:18:43.419 was the location of the Supreme Court of Athens 00:18:43.419 --> 00:18:45.200 in which the Areopagus Council 00:18:45.200 --> 00:18:46.819 would govern over the city. 00:18:47.819 --> 00:18:50.559 One of the functions of Areopagus at the time 00:18:50.559 --> 00:18:52.539 was to oversee the customs 00:18:52.539 --> 00:18:54.000 that the people of Athens followed, 00:18:54.359 --> 00:18:57.200 including their worship of certain gods. 00:18:58.179 --> 00:18:59.480 The Greeks and the Romans, 00:18:59.659 --> 00:19:01.099 they took very seriously 00:19:01.099 --> 00:19:03.639 the worship of gods and cults. 00:19:04.259 --> 00:19:06.679 And so when a citizen wanted to introduce 00:19:06.680 --> 00:19:07.960 a new deity into the city, 00:19:08.299 --> 00:19:09.720 the citizen had to appear 00:19:09.720 --> 00:19:11.680 before the Areopagus Council 00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:14.900 and the council was to decide 00:19:14.900 --> 00:19:16.420 whether the God was worthy 00:19:16.420 --> 00:19:18.080 to be worshipped in Athens. 00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:22.560 Anything that the council deemed as blasphemous 00:19:22.560 --> 00:19:24.320 or as an act of impiety 00:19:24.320 --> 00:19:27.080 would result in severe punishment 00:19:27.080 --> 00:19:29.000 as far as even death 00:19:29.000 --> 00:19:31.440 as decreed by the Areopagus. 00:19:32.980 --> 00:19:34.420 Philosopher Socrates himself 00:19:34.420 --> 00:19:36.220 was sentenced to death here. 00:19:36.680 --> 00:19:38.180 As he was found guilty 00:19:38.180 --> 00:19:40.120 by the council for impiety 00:19:40.120 --> 00:19:42.039 and corrupting the youth 00:19:42.039 --> 00:19:43.380 with his ideas. 00:19:44.640 --> 00:19:46.299 And so those in the Agora, 00:19:46.420 --> 00:19:47.440 that central marketplace, 00:19:47.700 --> 00:19:50.120 who heard Paul proclaiming Jesus 00:19:50.120 --> 00:19:51.100 and the resurrection 00:19:51.100 --> 00:19:53.019 saw it as a necessity 00:19:53.019 --> 00:19:54.700 to bring Paul 00:19:54.700 --> 00:19:56.880 to the Supreme Council of Areopagus 00:19:56.880 --> 00:19:58.840 so that they may hear more 00:19:58.840 --> 00:20:00.220 about this Jesus 00:20:00.220 --> 00:20:02.820 and determine whether he is indeed 00:20:02.819 --> 00:20:06.460 worthy for worship. 00:20:08.220 --> 00:20:09.460 Now all the Athenians 00:20:09.460 --> 00:20:10.779 and the foreigners who lived there 00:20:10.779 --> 00:20:12.500 would spend their time in nothing 00:20:12.500 --> 00:20:14.980 except telling or hearing something new. 00:20:15.059 --> 00:20:15.659 Verse 21. 00:20:16.519 --> 00:20:17.659 Luke's observation here 00:20:17.659 --> 00:20:18.759 of the Athenians and the foreigners, 00:20:18.759 --> 00:20:21.039 it seems like a rather innocuous statement, 00:20:21.139 --> 00:20:22.480 a bit of a random statement actually. 00:20:22.980 --> 00:20:24.519 It sounds like the people of Athens, 00:20:24.779 --> 00:20:27.480 they just enjoyed spending their leisurely time 00:20:27.480 --> 00:20:29.399 talking about what's new in the city. 00:20:29.400 --> 00:20:31.900 Imagine two of your friends 00:20:31.900 --> 00:20:33.000 going to Tate 00:20:33.000 --> 00:20:34.300 or to one of the cafes here 00:20:34.300 --> 00:20:35.380 and just chilling there 00:20:35.380 --> 00:20:36.300 with a cup of coffee 00:20:36.300 --> 00:20:37.680 or pumpkin spice latte 00:20:37.680 --> 00:20:39.140 and talking about stuff like, 00:20:39.220 --> 00:20:39.640 oh my gosh, 00:20:39.700 --> 00:20:42.340 did you hear about Taylor Swift, 00:20:42.780 --> 00:20:43.580 the Ares tour? 00:20:44.080 --> 00:20:46.040 Or did you watch the basketball game 00:20:46.040 --> 00:20:46.840 last night? 00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:49.140 Or the state of our economy? 00:20:50.220 --> 00:20:51.400 They're all new things. 00:20:51.640 --> 00:20:51.800 Yeah. 00:20:51.799 --> 00:20:55.700 And so it sounds like 00:20:55.700 --> 00:20:57.539 Athens is that type of people. 00:20:57.659 --> 00:20:59.039 The Athenians are that type of people 00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:00.980 just wanting to hear something new 00:21:00.980 --> 00:21:01.799 all the time. 00:21:02.119 --> 00:21:05.000 But that's far from the truth. 00:21:06.079 --> 00:21:07.339 Luke's observation instead 00:21:07.339 --> 00:21:09.319 goes to show that the Athenians 00:21:09.319 --> 00:21:10.379 were serious 00:21:10.379 --> 00:21:12.599 about what information 00:21:12.599 --> 00:21:14.399 was being disseminated in their city. 00:21:15.639 --> 00:21:17.059 Upon realizing that Paul 00:21:17.059 --> 00:21:19.019 was preaching and proclaiming 00:21:19.019 --> 00:21:20.359 of a new God, 00:21:20.359 --> 00:21:21.539 they brought Paul 00:21:21.539 --> 00:21:22.859 to the Supreme Court, 00:21:23.219 --> 00:21:24.039 the Areopagus, 00:21:24.559 --> 00:21:26.659 and essentially placed him on trial 00:21:26.659 --> 00:21:29.559 for introducing this new God of his. 00:21:30.519 --> 00:21:32.339 Paul's life was at stake 00:21:32.339 --> 00:21:34.059 in this trial. 00:21:34.659 --> 00:21:35.859 Since there was a potential 00:21:35.859 --> 00:21:37.259 consequence of death 00:21:37.259 --> 00:21:39.319 if his proclamation of Christ 00:21:39.319 --> 00:21:41.319 sounded blasphemous 00:21:41.319 --> 00:21:42.740 to the council's ears. 00:21:44.359 --> 00:21:46.199 And so Paul appears 00:21:46.199 --> 00:21:47.500 before the Areopagus council. 00:21:47.619 --> 00:21:48.279 He's summoned there. 00:21:48.279 --> 00:21:49.559 And what we read next 00:21:49.559 --> 00:21:50.859 from verse 22 00:21:50.859 --> 00:21:51.879 is Paul's address 00:21:51.879 --> 00:21:53.460 to the council of Areopagus. 00:21:54.160 --> 00:21:55.579 This will begin my second point, 00:21:55.879 --> 00:21:57.779 the unknown God made known. 00:21:58.779 --> 00:21:59.500 Verse 22, 00:21:59.619 --> 00:22:00.099 So Paul, 00:22:00.259 --> 00:22:01.119 standing in the midst 00:22:01.119 --> 00:22:01.799 of the Areopagus, 00:22:01.960 --> 00:22:02.240 said, 00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:04.079 Men of Athens, 00:22:04.299 --> 00:22:05.200 I perceive 00:22:05.200 --> 00:22:06.920 that in every way 00:22:06.920 --> 00:22:08.240 you are very religious. 00:22:09.700 --> 00:22:10.920 Paul begins his speech 00:22:10.920 --> 00:22:12.440 by addressing the people of Athens 00:22:12.440 --> 00:22:13.859 and commending them 00:22:13.859 --> 00:22:15.119 for their religiosity 00:22:15.119 --> 00:22:16.000 and their piety, 00:22:17.000 --> 00:22:18.419 being most religious 00:22:18.419 --> 00:22:20.139 in every way. 00:22:21.419 --> 00:22:22.500 Paul goes on to explain 00:22:22.500 --> 00:22:24.019 why he commenced Athenians, 00:22:24.159 --> 00:22:24.339 saying, 00:22:24.679 --> 00:22:26.119 For as I passed along 00:22:26.119 --> 00:22:27.659 and observed the objects 00:22:27.659 --> 00:22:28.459 of your worship, 00:22:28.679 --> 00:22:30.259 I found also an altar 00:22:30.259 --> 00:22:31.339 with this inscription, 00:22:32.199 --> 00:22:34.159 To the unknown God. 00:22:35.459 --> 00:22:36.959 Paul has seen all these temples. 00:22:37.139 --> 00:22:38.339 He's seen all these altars 00:22:38.339 --> 00:22:39.639 and all these statues 00:22:39.639 --> 00:22:41.139 scattered throughout Athens. 00:22:41.379 --> 00:22:42.220 And he understands 00:22:42.220 --> 00:22:43.359 how important 00:22:43.359 --> 00:22:45.179 the worship of gods 00:22:45.179 --> 00:22:46.619 was to the city. 00:22:47.980 --> 00:22:48.720 During his survey, 00:22:49.059 --> 00:22:49.899 Paul comes across 00:22:49.899 --> 00:22:51.079 an altar dedicated 00:22:51.079 --> 00:22:53.899 to an unknown God, 00:22:54.599 --> 00:22:55.659 which was inscribed 00:22:55.659 --> 00:22:56.439 into the altar. 00:22:57.299 --> 00:22:57.939 And so Paul then 00:22:57.939 --> 00:22:58.759 makes this statement, 00:22:59.220 --> 00:23:00.759 What therefore you worship 00:23:00.759 --> 00:23:01.939 as unknown, 00:23:02.919 --> 00:23:04.879 this I proclaim to you. 00:23:05.740 --> 00:23:07.079 Paul uses this altar 00:23:07.079 --> 00:23:08.619 as his starting point 00:23:08.619 --> 00:23:09.480 to share about 00:23:09.480 --> 00:23:10.740 the one true God, 00:23:11.559 --> 00:23:11.960 Yahweh, 00:23:12.460 --> 00:23:13.240 to the Athenians. 00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:16.079 It's important to note here 00:23:16.079 --> 00:23:17.339 that Paul is not saying 00:23:17.339 --> 00:23:18.179 to the Athenians, 00:23:18.740 --> 00:23:19.460 The unknown God 00:23:19.460 --> 00:23:20.339 that you guys worship, 00:23:20.779 --> 00:23:21.539 that's Yahweh. 00:23:22.339 --> 00:23:23.359 The unknown God 00:23:23.359 --> 00:23:24.099 of the Athenians 00:23:24.099 --> 00:23:26.119 is one of many gods 00:23:26.119 --> 00:23:27.179 in the Greco-Roman 00:23:27.179 --> 00:23:29.379 consortium of deities. 00:23:29.740 --> 00:23:30.240 In other words, 00:23:30.419 --> 00:23:31.619 the Athenians are worshipping 00:23:31.619 --> 00:23:32.799 an unknown God 00:23:32.799 --> 00:23:34.559 in a pantheistic, 00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:36.720 in a polytheistic context. 00:23:37.079 --> 00:23:38.539 Not a monotheistic one. 00:23:39.399 --> 00:23:40.759 To identify Yahweh 00:23:40.759 --> 00:23:42.159 as one of many gods 00:23:42.159 --> 00:23:43.119 would be a severe 00:23:43.119 --> 00:23:44.720 ontological error 00:23:44.720 --> 00:23:45.879 because God 00:23:45.879 --> 00:23:47.639 is the one 00:23:47.639 --> 00:23:48.619 and only 00:23:48.619 --> 00:23:49.460 true God. 00:23:50.500 --> 00:23:51.720 The greatest commandment 00:23:51.720 --> 00:23:52.220 as written 00:23:52.220 --> 00:23:53.779 in Deuteronomy 6, 00:23:53.879 --> 00:23:54.759 verse 4 proclaims, 00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:55.960 Hear, O Israel, 00:23:56.220 --> 00:23:56.759 the Lord, 00:23:57.220 --> 00:23:57.919 our God, 00:23:58.059 --> 00:23:59.720 the Lord is one. 00:24:00.720 --> 00:24:01.399 You shall love 00:24:01.399 --> 00:24:02.059 the Lord your God 00:24:02.059 --> 00:24:02.899 with all your heart 00:24:02.899 --> 00:24:04.079 and with all your soul 00:24:04.079 --> 00:24:05.259 and with all your might. 00:24:05.259 --> 00:24:07.200 If Paul were to identify 00:24:07.200 --> 00:24:08.400 Yahweh as one 00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:09.500 of many gods, 00:24:10.039 --> 00:24:11.299 he would not be loving 00:24:11.299 --> 00:24:12.779 Yahweh with his all, 00:24:12.940 --> 00:24:13.759 with his everything. 00:24:14.220 --> 00:24:15.440 He would be divided 00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:16.579 in his devotion 00:24:16.579 --> 00:24:18.599 and he would not be obeying 00:24:18.599 --> 00:24:19.980 the greatest commandment. 00:24:21.339 --> 00:24:22.680 This ontological issue 00:24:22.680 --> 00:24:23.460 is also relevant 00:24:23.460 --> 00:24:24.839 in our modern culture today. 00:24:25.579 --> 00:24:27.460 There is this westernized notion 00:24:27.460 --> 00:24:28.799 that Yahweh 00:24:28.799 --> 00:24:30.400 and the Muslim Allah 00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:32.640 are the one and the same. 00:24:32.640 --> 00:24:34.200 because Christians 00:24:34.200 --> 00:24:34.700 and Muslims 00:24:34.700 --> 00:24:35.680 believe in Abraham, 00:24:35.900 --> 00:24:36.740 they believe in Moses, 00:24:36.980 --> 00:24:38.140 they believe in the Old Testament, 00:24:38.560 --> 00:24:39.820 and even in the existence 00:24:39.820 --> 00:24:40.720 of Jesus. 00:24:41.560 --> 00:24:42.240 Both religions 00:24:42.240 --> 00:24:43.420 are categorized, 00:24:44.060 --> 00:24:44.320 therefore, 00:24:44.780 --> 00:24:46.580 as Abrahamic religions 00:24:46.580 --> 00:24:48.100 for those similarities. 00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:50.200 However, 00:24:50.759 --> 00:24:51.840 Muslims do not, 00:24:52.540 --> 00:24:54.000 they do not believe 00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:54.900 that Jesus 00:24:54.900 --> 00:24:56.259 is the Son of God. 00:24:56.259 --> 00:24:56.960 In fact, 00:24:57.039 --> 00:24:57.519 the Quran 00:24:57.519 --> 00:24:59.640 views the notion of God 00:24:59.640 --> 00:25:01.220 as having a Son, 00:25:01.980 --> 00:25:02.839 as blasphemy. 00:25:03.740 --> 00:25:04.420 If you ask 00:25:04.420 --> 00:25:06.079 some of the most devout Muslims, 00:25:06.420 --> 00:25:07.900 they would absolutely hate 00:25:07.900 --> 00:25:08.879 the idea 00:25:08.879 --> 00:25:09.920 that Christians 00:25:09.920 --> 00:25:10.559 and Muslims 00:25:10.559 --> 00:25:12.379 worship the same God. 00:25:13.660 --> 00:25:14.740 How can we be 00:25:14.740 --> 00:25:15.839 worshiping the same God 00:25:15.839 --> 00:25:18.200 if such an important attribute 00:25:18.200 --> 00:25:19.259 and a core person 00:25:19.259 --> 00:25:20.559 of our triune God, 00:25:20.859 --> 00:25:21.680 Jesus Christ, 00:25:22.119 --> 00:25:22.799 is rejected 00:25:22.799 --> 00:25:24.519 by the Muslim faith? 00:25:24.519 --> 00:25:26.779 It's not possible. 00:25:28.019 --> 00:25:29.039 Our God, Yahweh, 00:25:29.160 --> 00:25:29.759 is one, 00:25:30.119 --> 00:25:30.819 and our God 00:25:30.819 --> 00:25:31.779 is unique. 00:25:32.619 --> 00:25:33.980 To equate His nature 00:25:33.980 --> 00:25:34.740 to the nature 00:25:34.740 --> 00:25:35.839 of other gods, 00:25:36.139 --> 00:25:36.940 including Allah, 00:25:37.579 --> 00:25:39.059 is a grave mistake. 00:25:40.299 --> 00:25:41.200 And so what Paul 00:25:41.200 --> 00:25:42.019 is trying to say 00:25:42.019 --> 00:25:43.059 to the Athenians 00:25:43.059 --> 00:25:44.279 is that they have been 00:25:44.279 --> 00:25:44.859 ignorant 00:25:44.859 --> 00:25:46.559 of the one true God, 00:25:47.099 --> 00:25:47.480 Yahweh. 00:25:48.019 --> 00:25:48.680 And so Paul 00:25:48.680 --> 00:25:49.500 is going to make 00:25:49.500 --> 00:25:51.180 the unknown Yahweh 00:25:51.180 --> 00:25:52.960 known to them. 00:25:52.960 --> 00:25:56.079 in the following 00:25:56.079 --> 00:25:56.600 set of verses, 00:25:56.819 --> 00:25:57.059 Paul, 00:25:57.160 --> 00:25:57.840 he identifies 00:25:57.840 --> 00:25:58.920 points of agreement, 00:25:59.340 --> 00:26:00.079 but also points 00:26:00.079 --> 00:26:00.819 of contradiction 00:26:00.819 --> 00:26:02.840 as part of his apologetics 00:26:02.840 --> 00:26:03.960 to his audience. 00:26:04.360 --> 00:26:04.840 His audience 00:26:04.840 --> 00:26:05.720 being the Stoics, 00:26:06.220 --> 00:26:07.039 the Epicureans, 00:26:07.360 --> 00:26:08.600 the Areopagus Council, 00:26:09.140 --> 00:26:09.720 and the rest 00:26:09.720 --> 00:26:10.799 of the Athenian crowd 00:26:10.799 --> 00:26:12.279 in order to proclaim 00:26:12.279 --> 00:26:13.079 Yahweh 00:26:13.079 --> 00:26:14.079 to all of them. 00:26:15.259 --> 00:26:16.059 While Paul 00:26:16.059 --> 00:26:16.819 first finds 00:26:16.819 --> 00:26:17.720 points of agreement 00:26:17.720 --> 00:26:18.620 with the Athenians, 00:26:18.819 --> 00:26:20.140 he is not agreeing 00:26:20.140 --> 00:26:20.500 with them 00:26:20.500 --> 00:26:21.660 in order to fit Yahweh 00:26:21.660 --> 00:26:22.619 into their own 00:26:22.619 --> 00:26:23.420 philosophical 00:26:23.420 --> 00:26:24.740 or religious ideas. 00:26:25.559 --> 00:26:26.940 Paul's contradicting 00:26:26.940 --> 00:26:27.519 the beliefs 00:26:27.519 --> 00:26:28.240 of the Athenians 00:26:28.240 --> 00:26:29.039 and he uses 00:26:29.039 --> 00:26:30.200 scripturally based 00:26:30.200 --> 00:26:30.980 statements 00:26:30.980 --> 00:26:32.279 to set apart 00:26:32.279 --> 00:26:33.079 Yahweh 00:26:33.079 --> 00:26:35.440 from the Athenians' 00:26:35.559 --> 00:26:35.799 idols. 00:26:37.220 --> 00:26:37.940 And so Paul 00:26:37.940 --> 00:26:39.140 begins his introduction 00:26:39.140 --> 00:26:40.079 and defense of Yahweh 00:26:40.079 --> 00:26:40.819 in verse 24. 00:26:41.279 --> 00:26:42.319 The God who made 00:26:42.319 --> 00:26:42.880 the world 00:26:42.880 --> 00:26:44.440 and everything in it, 00:26:45.019 --> 00:26:46.000 being Lord of heaven 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:46.440 and earth, 00:26:46.680 --> 00:26:47.579 does not live 00:26:47.579 --> 00:26:48.160 in temples 00:26:48.160 --> 00:26:49.840 made by man. 00:26:51.440 --> 00:26:52.400 Paul first states 00:26:52.400 --> 00:26:53.160 that Yahweh 00:26:53.160 --> 00:26:54.380 is the creator 00:26:54.380 --> 00:26:55.000 of the world 00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:56.360 and everything in it. 00:26:56.860 --> 00:26:57.580 This means that 00:26:57.580 --> 00:26:58.759 all things inanimate 00:26:58.759 --> 00:26:59.560 like the stars, 00:26:59.779 --> 00:27:00.259 the skies, 00:27:00.660 --> 00:27:01.060 the lands, 00:27:01.120 --> 00:27:01.580 and the waters 00:27:01.580 --> 00:27:02.480 were created 00:27:02.480 --> 00:27:03.279 by Yahweh. 00:27:04.080 --> 00:27:05.340 And all things animate 00:27:05.340 --> 00:27:06.380 like plants, 00:27:06.740 --> 00:27:07.160 animals, 00:27:07.380 --> 00:27:08.600 and human beings 00:27:08.600 --> 00:27:09.880 were also 00:27:09.880 --> 00:27:10.740 created 00:27:10.740 --> 00:27:11.620 and designed 00:27:11.620 --> 00:27:12.540 by Yahweh. 00:27:13.519 --> 00:27:14.740 Everything that exists, 00:27:15.060 --> 00:27:16.140 living and non-living, 00:27:16.460 --> 00:27:17.200 is the result 00:27:17.200 --> 00:27:18.360 of the handiwork 00:27:18.360 --> 00:27:18.900 of Yahweh, 00:27:19.100 --> 00:27:19.759 the Lord God. 00:27:21.160 --> 00:27:21.740 And so Paul 00:27:21.740 --> 00:27:23.080 emphasizes then 00:27:23.080 --> 00:27:24.960 that Yahweh 00:27:24.960 --> 00:27:25.580 is the Lord 00:27:25.580 --> 00:27:26.400 of heaven and earth, 00:27:26.539 --> 00:27:27.299 meaning that he has 00:27:27.299 --> 00:27:28.160 dominion 00:27:28.160 --> 00:27:29.019 and control 00:27:29.019 --> 00:27:29.940 over everything 00:27:29.940 --> 00:27:30.779 that is in 00:27:30.779 --> 00:27:31.519 and between 00:27:31.519 --> 00:27:32.740 the expanses 00:27:32.740 --> 00:27:33.240 of heaven 00:27:33.240 --> 00:27:34.279 and earth. 00:27:35.700 --> 00:27:36.740 Through this emphasis, 00:27:37.180 --> 00:27:38.400 Paul is contradicting 00:27:38.400 --> 00:27:39.240 and challenging 00:27:39.240 --> 00:27:40.400 the values 00:27:40.400 --> 00:27:41.039 of Greco-Roman 00:27:41.039 --> 00:27:41.840 polytheism. 00:27:42.819 --> 00:27:43.299 The Athenians 00:27:43.299 --> 00:27:43.980 would have believed 00:27:43.980 --> 00:27:45.380 that their gods 00:27:45.380 --> 00:27:45.819 ruled over 00:27:45.819 --> 00:27:46.819 only specific 00:27:46.819 --> 00:27:47.579 domains 00:27:47.579 --> 00:27:48.679 of influence. 00:27:49.119 --> 00:27:49.500 For example, 00:27:49.659 --> 00:27:50.179 there's Zeus, 00:27:50.359 --> 00:27:51.279 the god of the sky, 00:27:51.379 --> 00:27:52.059 the god of thunder, 00:27:52.339 --> 00:27:53.059 or Poseidon, 00:27:53.279 --> 00:27:54.099 the god of the ocean 00:27:54.099 --> 00:27:54.759 and the seas. 00:27:55.939 --> 00:27:57.259 Zeus has no control 00:27:57.259 --> 00:27:58.139 or influence 00:27:58.139 --> 00:27:59.099 over the seas. 00:27:59.460 --> 00:28:00.220 He has no influence 00:28:00.220 --> 00:28:00.740 over the fish 00:28:00.740 --> 00:28:01.619 that swim in the seas, 00:28:02.159 --> 00:28:03.279 while Poseidon himself 00:28:03.279 --> 00:28:04.639 doesn't have any influence 00:28:04.639 --> 00:28:05.319 over the skies 00:28:05.319 --> 00:28:06.220 or the winged creatures 00:28:06.220 --> 00:28:06.939 in the skies. 00:28:08.240 --> 00:28:09.659 But Paul is asserting here 00:28:09.659 --> 00:28:10.579 that Yahweh 00:28:10.579 --> 00:28:12.379 is the one true creator 00:28:12.379 --> 00:28:13.740 of all these domains, 00:28:13.740 --> 00:28:14.799 all these things, 00:28:15.019 --> 00:28:15.980 and his lordship 00:28:15.980 --> 00:28:18.240 is over all these dominions. 00:28:19.120 --> 00:28:20.120 The creation narrative 00:28:20.120 --> 00:28:22.759 in Genesis 1 00:28:22.759 --> 00:28:24.380 attests to this truth 00:28:24.380 --> 00:28:26.000 that God was the one 00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:27.579 who created all things 00:28:27.579 --> 00:28:29.000 from nothingness. 00:28:29.579 --> 00:28:30.420 His lordship 00:28:30.420 --> 00:28:32.000 is over all these things. 00:28:33.079 --> 00:28:34.019 In the final part 00:28:34.019 --> 00:28:34.559 of verse 24, 00:28:34.660 --> 00:28:35.539 Paul says that 00:28:35.539 --> 00:28:36.859 God does not live 00:28:36.859 --> 00:28:38.220 in temples made by man. 00:28:39.380 --> 00:28:40.620 If Yahweh is the creator 00:28:40.620 --> 00:28:41.359 of all things, 00:28:41.359 --> 00:28:43.259 and if he has infinite authority 00:28:43.259 --> 00:28:44.000 and dominion 00:28:44.000 --> 00:28:44.859 over all things, 00:28:45.379 --> 00:28:46.819 such a powerful God 00:28:46.819 --> 00:28:48.419 can't be confined 00:28:48.419 --> 00:28:49.839 into structures 00:28:49.839 --> 00:28:51.399 made by human hands. 00:28:53.579 --> 00:28:55.240 The Stoics and the Epicureans 00:28:55.240 --> 00:28:55.919 would have agreed 00:28:55.919 --> 00:28:57.259 to Paul's assertion here. 00:28:58.019 --> 00:28:59.539 The Stoics were convinced 00:28:59.539 --> 00:29:00.579 that the gods 00:29:00.579 --> 00:29:01.679 did not live in temples 00:29:01.679 --> 00:29:02.319 that were constructed 00:29:02.319 --> 00:29:02.819 by humans 00:29:02.819 --> 00:29:04.139 because they were 00:29:04.139 --> 00:29:05.119 of one essence 00:29:05.119 --> 00:29:06.119 with nature. 00:29:07.679 --> 00:29:08.279 The Epicureans 00:29:08.279 --> 00:29:08.919 also believed 00:29:08.920 --> 00:29:10.259 that the higher powers 00:29:10.259 --> 00:29:11.500 were uninvolved 00:29:11.500 --> 00:29:12.580 with human activity 00:29:12.580 --> 00:29:13.420 and therefore 00:29:13.420 --> 00:29:14.519 did not participate 00:29:14.519 --> 00:29:16.100 in any worship 00:29:16.100 --> 00:29:17.060 or sacrifice 00:29:17.060 --> 00:29:18.220 from humans. 00:29:18.980 --> 00:29:19.220 Therefore, 00:29:19.340 --> 00:29:20.279 they would not want 00:29:20.279 --> 00:29:20.680 to dwell 00:29:20.680 --> 00:29:21.740 in these altars 00:29:21.740 --> 00:29:22.279 and temples 00:29:22.279 --> 00:29:23.300 of sacrifice. 00:29:24.560 --> 00:29:25.880 But Paul isn't building 00:29:25.880 --> 00:29:26.820 his argument here 00:29:26.820 --> 00:29:27.300 of God 00:29:27.300 --> 00:29:28.279 and agreeing 00:29:28.279 --> 00:29:28.840 with these 00:29:28.840 --> 00:29:30.240 Greek philosophies. 00:29:31.140 --> 00:29:31.920 His assertions 00:29:31.920 --> 00:29:33.080 are biblically informed. 00:29:34.519 --> 00:29:35.759 Isaiah chapter 66 00:29:35.759 --> 00:29:37.100 verses 1 to 2 00:29:37.100 --> 00:29:37.380 says, 00:29:37.380 --> 00:29:38.720 Thus says the Lord, 00:29:39.560 --> 00:29:40.960 Heaven is my throne 00:29:40.960 --> 00:29:41.900 and the earth 00:29:41.900 --> 00:29:43.000 is my footstool. 00:29:43.640 --> 00:29:44.860 What is the house 00:29:44.860 --> 00:29:45.840 that you would build 00:29:45.840 --> 00:29:46.420 for me? 00:29:46.920 --> 00:29:48.440 And what is the place 00:29:48.440 --> 00:29:49.560 of my rest? 00:29:49.860 --> 00:29:50.820 All these things 00:29:50.820 --> 00:29:52.140 my hand has made 00:29:52.140 --> 00:29:53.640 and so all these things 00:29:53.640 --> 00:29:54.500 came to be. 00:29:55.480 --> 00:29:56.380 Scripture affirms 00:29:56.380 --> 00:29:57.560 that God created 00:29:57.560 --> 00:29:58.440 all things 00:29:58.440 --> 00:29:59.980 and in his infinite power 00:29:59.980 --> 00:30:01.480 he can't be contained 00:30:01.480 --> 00:30:03.660 in these man-made structures. 00:30:05.260 --> 00:30:06.300 Verse 25, 00:30:06.299 --> 00:30:07.480 nor is he served 00:30:07.480 --> 00:30:08.319 by human hands 00:30:08.319 --> 00:30:09.619 as though he needed 00:30:09.619 --> 00:30:10.720 anything. 00:30:12.079 --> 00:30:13.220 God doesn't need 00:30:13.220 --> 00:30:13.799 our services. 00:30:14.180 --> 00:30:15.039 He doesn't need 00:30:15.039 --> 00:30:16.099 our sacrifice. 00:30:17.240 --> 00:30:18.259 He doesn't need 00:30:18.259 --> 00:30:19.700 anything that human beings 00:30:19.700 --> 00:30:20.779 can offer to him. 00:30:21.579 --> 00:30:22.379 While the Stoics 00:30:22.379 --> 00:30:23.159 and the Epicureans 00:30:23.159 --> 00:30:23.859 would once again 00:30:23.859 --> 00:30:24.539 agree to this point, 00:30:24.819 --> 00:30:25.859 Paul makes this assertion 00:30:25.859 --> 00:30:26.559 once again 00:30:26.559 --> 00:30:27.399 not to appeal 00:30:27.399 --> 00:30:28.919 to their philosophical values 00:30:28.919 --> 00:30:29.599 but to make 00:30:29.599 --> 00:30:30.879 a scripturally based point. 00:30:31.839 --> 00:30:32.599 Psalm 50 00:30:32.599 --> 00:30:33.839 verses 12 to 13 00:30:33.839 --> 00:30:34.659 illustrates Yahweh 00:30:34.660 --> 00:30:35.279 proclaiming, 00:30:35.660 --> 00:30:36.660 If I were hungry 00:30:36.660 --> 00:30:38.300 I would not tell you 00:30:38.300 --> 00:30:39.480 for the world 00:30:39.480 --> 00:30:40.120 and its fullness 00:30:40.120 --> 00:30:41.279 are mine. 00:30:42.000 --> 00:30:43.100 Do I eat the flesh 00:30:43.100 --> 00:30:43.600 of bulls 00:30:43.600 --> 00:30:44.860 or drink the blood 00:30:44.860 --> 00:30:45.440 of goats? 00:30:46.120 --> 00:30:46.940 Because God 00:30:46.940 --> 00:30:47.440 is the creator 00:30:47.440 --> 00:30:48.100 of all things 00:30:48.100 --> 00:30:49.480 he is self-sufficient 00:30:49.480 --> 00:30:51.080 not needing anything 00:30:51.080 --> 00:30:52.900 or anyone else 00:30:52.900 --> 00:30:54.200 to sustain him. 00:30:55.480 --> 00:30:56.560 As a matter of fact 00:30:56.560 --> 00:30:57.380 Paul states 00:30:57.380 --> 00:30:58.320 that God gives 00:30:58.320 --> 00:30:59.540 to all mankind 00:30:59.540 --> 00:31:01.680 life and breath 00:31:01.680 --> 00:31:02.600 and everything. 00:31:05.019 --> 00:31:05.660 Once again 00:31:05.660 --> 00:31:06.500 this is a biblically 00:31:06.500 --> 00:31:07.380 based assertion. 00:31:07.740 --> 00:31:08.340 Genesis 2 00:31:08.340 --> 00:31:09.180 in the creation narrative 00:31:09.180 --> 00:31:10.779 Yahweh formed man 00:31:10.779 --> 00:31:11.740 from dust 00:31:11.740 --> 00:31:13.060 and breathed 00:31:13.060 --> 00:31:14.039 into his nostrils 00:31:14.039 --> 00:31:14.680 the breath 00:31:14.680 --> 00:31:15.400 of life 00:31:15.400 --> 00:31:16.519 and the man 00:31:16.519 --> 00:31:18.120 became a living creature. 00:31:19.000 --> 00:31:19.700 Isaiah 42 00:31:19.700 --> 00:31:20.600 also proclaims 00:31:20.600 --> 00:31:20.940 of God 00:31:20.940 --> 00:31:23.120 of God's creation 00:31:23.120 --> 00:31:23.799 the creator 00:31:23.799 --> 00:31:24.560 of the heavens 00:31:24.560 --> 00:31:25.480 who stretches 00:31:25.480 --> 00:31:26.279 them out 00:31:26.279 --> 00:31:28.640 who spreads 00:31:28.640 --> 00:31:29.360 out the earth 00:31:29.360 --> 00:31:29.960 with all that 00:31:29.960 --> 00:31:30.600 springs from it 00:31:30.599 --> 00:31:31.659 who gives breath 00:31:31.659 --> 00:31:32.779 to its people 00:31:32.779 --> 00:31:34.019 and life 00:31:34.019 --> 00:31:34.819 to those 00:31:34.819 --> 00:31:36.179 who walk on it. 00:31:37.439 --> 00:31:38.199 If Yahweh 00:31:38.199 --> 00:31:38.679 is indeed 00:31:38.679 --> 00:31:39.579 the one who creates 00:31:39.579 --> 00:31:40.659 the one who gives life 00:31:40.659 --> 00:31:42.179 and the one who sustains 00:31:42.179 --> 00:31:43.579 life for all of mankind 00:31:43.579 --> 00:31:45.139 how can we not 00:31:45.139 --> 00:31:46.759 give him the recognition 00:31:46.759 --> 00:31:47.519 and the worship 00:31:47.519 --> 00:31:48.839 that he deserves? 00:31:49.480 --> 00:31:50.740 Our very existence 00:31:50.740 --> 00:31:52.299 is wholly dependent 00:31:52.299 --> 00:31:52.899 on him 00:31:52.899 --> 00:31:53.859 from start 00:31:53.859 --> 00:31:55.059 to finish. 00:31:56.839 --> 00:31:57.819 And God made 00:31:57.819 --> 00:31:58.959 from one man 00:31:58.959 --> 00:32:00.000 every nation 00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:00.500 verse 26 00:32:00.500 --> 00:32:01.140 and God made 00:32:01.140 --> 00:32:01.880 one man 00:32:01.880 --> 00:32:02.720 every nation 00:32:02.720 --> 00:32:03.200 of mankind 00:32:03.200 --> 00:32:04.079 to live 00:32:04.079 --> 00:32:04.799 on all the face 00:32:04.799 --> 00:32:05.220 of the earth 00:32:05.220 --> 00:32:06.259 having determined 00:32:06.259 --> 00:32:07.420 allotted periods 00:32:07.420 --> 00:32:08.380 and the boundaries 00:32:08.380 --> 00:32:09.259 of the dwelling 00:32:09.259 --> 00:32:09.559 place. 00:32:10.759 --> 00:32:11.720 Paul's now making 00:32:11.720 --> 00:32:12.839 it very clear 00:32:12.839 --> 00:32:13.759 to the Athenians 00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:15.359 that he's proclaiming 00:32:15.359 --> 00:32:16.640 of the God 00:32:16.640 --> 00:32:17.539 of Israel 00:32:17.539 --> 00:32:18.160 the God 00:32:18.160 --> 00:32:18.759 of the Jews 00:32:18.759 --> 00:32:19.420 Yahweh. 00:32:20.339 --> 00:32:21.180 Any educated 00:32:21.180 --> 00:32:21.720 listener 00:32:21.720 --> 00:32:23.259 in the Areopagus 00:32:23.259 --> 00:32:24.160 would know 00:32:24.160 --> 00:32:25.279 of Jewish cosmology 00:32:25.279 --> 00:32:26.420 and would recognize 00:32:26.420 --> 00:32:27.420 Paul's reference 00:32:27.420 --> 00:32:28.200 to the creation 00:32:28.200 --> 00:32:28.640 account 00:32:28.640 --> 00:32:29.840 that God 00:32:29.840 --> 00:32:30.340 created 00:32:30.340 --> 00:32:31.680 one man 00:32:31.680 --> 00:32:32.519 Adam 00:32:32.519 --> 00:32:34.080 as the original 00:32:34.080 --> 00:32:34.720 ancestor 00:32:34.720 --> 00:32:36.500 of all creation 00:32:36.500 --> 00:32:37.640 of all humankind. 00:32:38.460 --> 00:32:39.319 This one man 00:32:39.319 --> 00:32:39.940 would lead 00:32:39.940 --> 00:32:40.759 to the entire 00:32:40.759 --> 00:32:41.500 human race 00:32:41.500 --> 00:32:42.420 who would inhabit 00:32:42.420 --> 00:32:43.200 all the face 00:32:43.200 --> 00:32:43.720 of the earth 00:32:43.720 --> 00:32:44.759 and this one man 00:32:44.759 --> 00:32:46.019 would give rise 00:32:46.019 --> 00:32:47.580 to every nation 00:32:47.580 --> 00:32:48.519 that dwelled 00:32:48.519 --> 00:32:49.440 on the earth. 00:32:50.779 --> 00:32:51.460 However 00:32:51.460 --> 00:32:52.279 God 00:32:52.279 --> 00:32:53.460 isn't just 00:32:53.460 --> 00:32:54.380 a distant God. 00:32:54.380 --> 00:32:55.160 He doesn't just 00:32:55.160 --> 00:32:55.980 remove himself 00:32:55.980 --> 00:32:56.720 to the background 00:32:56.720 --> 00:32:57.700 to let humans 00:32:57.700 --> 00:32:58.500 determine their own 00:32:58.500 --> 00:32:58.860 fates. 00:32:59.400 --> 00:32:59.780 Paul states 00:32:59.780 --> 00:33:00.280 that Yahweh 00:33:00.280 --> 00:33:01.120 had determined 00:33:01.120 --> 00:33:02.280 allotted periods 00:33:02.280 --> 00:33:03.080 and the boundaries 00:33:03.080 --> 00:33:03.640 of their dwelling 00:33:03.640 --> 00:33:04.120 place. 00:33:04.940 --> 00:33:05.800 God is not only 00:33:05.800 --> 00:33:06.860 Lord of all creation 00:33:06.860 --> 00:33:08.500 but he's also 00:33:08.500 --> 00:33:09.880 Lord over all 00:33:09.880 --> 00:33:10.520 the history 00:33:10.520 --> 00:33:11.480 of the human race. 00:33:12.780 --> 00:33:13.820 Nations will appear 00:33:13.820 --> 00:33:14.360 and disappear 00:33:14.360 --> 00:33:14.980 over time 00:33:14.980 --> 00:33:15.880 and the boundaries 00:33:15.880 --> 00:33:16.560 of the nations 00:33:16.560 --> 00:33:17.060 and cities 00:33:17.060 --> 00:33:17.760 will constantly 00:33:17.760 --> 00:33:18.420 change. 00:33:19.520 --> 00:33:19.940 Yahweh 00:33:19.940 --> 00:33:21.000 in his sovereignty 00:33:21.000 --> 00:33:22.520 is the one God 00:33:22.520 --> 00:33:23.740 who oversees 00:33:23.740 --> 00:33:24.480 all these changes 00:33:24.480 --> 00:33:25.400 and he determines 00:33:25.400 --> 00:33:26.120 the times 00:33:26.120 --> 00:33:27.480 in which the nations 00:33:27.480 --> 00:33:28.900 will see their rise 00:33:28.900 --> 00:33:30.140 and their fall. 00:33:31.359 --> 00:33:31.980 The Stoics 00:33:31.980 --> 00:33:33.140 and the polytheistic 00:33:33.140 --> 00:33:33.839 Athenians 00:33:33.839 --> 00:33:34.940 they would have believed 00:33:34.940 --> 00:33:35.960 that every nation 00:33:35.960 --> 00:33:36.579 and boundary 00:33:36.579 --> 00:33:37.599 was governed 00:33:37.599 --> 00:33:39.240 by a higher being. 00:33:40.059 --> 00:33:40.279 However 00:33:40.279 --> 00:33:40.799 they believed 00:33:40.799 --> 00:33:42.059 that each of these nations 00:33:42.059 --> 00:33:42.660 were governed 00:33:42.660 --> 00:33:44.299 by different gods. 00:33:45.200 --> 00:33:46.200 Paul contradicts them 00:33:46.200 --> 00:33:46.740 by saying 00:33:46.740 --> 00:33:47.759 that there is only 00:33:47.759 --> 00:33:48.740 one God 00:33:48.740 --> 00:33:49.680 who rules 00:33:49.680 --> 00:33:50.380 over them all 00:33:50.380 --> 00:33:51.720 and that 00:33:51.720 --> 00:33:52.980 is Yahweh 00:33:52.980 --> 00:33:54.160 who created 00:33:54.160 --> 00:33:55.420 all human beings 00:33:55.420 --> 00:33:57.019 and subsequently 00:33:57.019 --> 00:33:57.799 created 00:33:57.799 --> 00:33:58.779 all nations. 00:34:00.839 --> 00:34:01.960 There's a song 00:34:01.960 --> 00:34:02.599 that we at 00:34:02.599 --> 00:34:04.039 here at Trinity Cambridge 00:34:04.039 --> 00:34:04.900 like to sing 00:34:04.900 --> 00:34:06.220 called Ancient of Days. 00:34:07.099 --> 00:34:07.660 This song 00:34:07.660 --> 00:34:08.199 it refers 00:34:08.199 --> 00:34:09.559 to Daniel chapter 7 00:34:09.559 --> 00:34:09.940 in which 00:34:09.940 --> 00:34:11.000 the prophet Daniel 00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:12.400 he sees this vision 00:34:12.400 --> 00:34:14.440 of four terrifying beasts. 00:34:15.280 --> 00:34:16.000 Four beasts 00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:17.480 each representing 00:34:17.480 --> 00:34:19.039 a tyrannical nation. 00:34:20.219 --> 00:34:20.500 However 00:34:20.500 --> 00:34:21.679 each of these nations 00:34:21.679 --> 00:34:22.859 are destroyed 00:34:22.859 --> 00:34:23.899 and stripped 00:34:23.899 --> 00:34:24.739 of their dominion 00:34:24.739 --> 00:34:27.019 by the Ancient of Days 00:34:27.019 --> 00:34:28.419 the Lord God 00:34:28.419 --> 00:34:29.279 Yahweh. 00:34:30.719 --> 00:34:32.339 This can only be done 00:34:32.339 --> 00:34:33.539 by the Almighty God 00:34:33.539 --> 00:34:35.039 the Lord of all nations 00:34:35.039 --> 00:34:36.039 and human history 00:34:36.039 --> 00:34:37.319 the Ancient of Days. 00:34:38.019 --> 00:34:39.059 As the lyrics proclaim 00:34:39.059 --> 00:34:40.719 though the nations rage 00:34:40.719 --> 00:34:42.679 kingdoms rise and fall 00:34:42.679 --> 00:34:43.359 should I sing this? 00:34:43.360 --> 00:34:46.820 There is still one king 00:34:46.820 --> 00:34:48.059 reigning over all 00:34:48.059 --> 00:34:49.980 none above him 00:34:49.980 --> 00:34:51.140 none before him 00:34:51.140 --> 00:34:52.400 all of time 00:34:52.400 --> 00:34:53.880 in his hands 00:34:53.880 --> 00:34:54.960 for his throne 00:34:54.960 --> 00:34:55.780 it shall remain 00:34:55.780 --> 00:34:56.740 and ever stand 00:34:56.740 --> 00:34:57.840 all the power 00:34:57.840 --> 00:34:58.539 all the glory 00:34:58.539 --> 00:34:59.380 I will trust 00:34:59.380 --> 00:35:00.360 in his name 00:35:00.360 --> 00:35:01.599 for my God 00:35:01.599 --> 00:35:03.760 is the Ancient of Days. 00:35:04.800 --> 00:35:05.700 The God 00:35:05.700 --> 00:35:06.380 that is proclaimed 00:35:06.380 --> 00:35:06.980 by Paul 00:35:06.980 --> 00:35:07.960 is not only 00:35:07.960 --> 00:35:08.620 the creator 00:35:08.620 --> 00:35:10.420 of all humans 00:35:10.420 --> 00:35:11.900 he is the sustainer 00:35:11.900 --> 00:35:13.420 and the sovereign Lord 00:35:13.420 --> 00:35:15.460 over all the life 00:35:15.460 --> 00:35:15.940 of mankind 00:35:15.940 --> 00:35:17.639 and all the history 00:35:17.639 --> 00:35:18.619 of nations. 00:35:20.820 --> 00:35:21.200 And so Paul 00:35:21.200 --> 00:35:22.240 goes on to reason 00:35:22.240 --> 00:35:23.059 in verse 27 00:35:23.059 --> 00:35:24.840 and Yahweh created humans 00:35:24.840 --> 00:35:26.539 that they would seek him 00:35:26.539 --> 00:35:27.639 and hope to find him. 00:35:27.940 --> 00:35:28.579 Paul remarks 00:35:28.579 --> 00:35:29.320 that Yahweh 00:35:29.320 --> 00:35:30.500 created human beings 00:35:30.500 --> 00:35:31.400 so that they would 00:35:31.400 --> 00:35:32.720 naturally desire 00:35:32.720 --> 00:35:34.200 to be in fellowship 00:35:34.200 --> 00:35:35.099 with him. 00:35:36.260 --> 00:35:37.180 In Genesis 00:35:37.180 --> 00:35:38.260 Adam and Eve 00:35:38.260 --> 00:35:39.760 we're in direct fellowship 00:35:39.760 --> 00:35:40.240 with God 00:35:40.240 --> 00:35:40.880 in the Garden of the...