When you hear the name Athens, what comes to your mind?
Is it the place where the Olympic Games, which many of us have been watching, stutter?
Or an excellent place to visit when we can travel again?
Maybe it's a place you call home, a place related to your family and ancestry.
We have been looking into the second half of the book of Acts,
seeing how Paul and his companion bring the gospel,
the good news of Jesus' saving works through his death and resurrection to all people.
Last week, we were at Philippa, where Paul met with a businesswoman that traced purple quartz,
a slave girl that was exploited, and a brutal drailer.
God's mercy reached out to all of them, all different types of people, and their lives changed.
Today, we left Philippa and carry on traveling south.
After passing through Thessalonica and Beria,
where Paul speaks to Jews and Gentiles, men and women, we will get to Athens.
Athens reminds me of the elites, the top of the tops, the best of the best,
elite thinkers, elite athletes, elite cultures,
the political and intellectual capital of the great nation of Greece.
We see from last week that God's saving grace is for all people,
the upper class merchandisers, the lower class slave girls, and even the middle class jailers.
But God's gospel is also for the elites, the thinkers, the government officials and politicians.
God's gospel is for everyone, for all people.
To the God-feeling or the religious, men and women, ordinary or prominent,
Paul proclaims the same gospel to all these people.
But not all of them have the same response as Lydia and the jailer from chapter 16.
Please turn with me to Acts 17 and go to the St. Paul's apps for today's outline.
Let's find out how God's gospel applies to all people and how should you respond.
Luke, the author of Acts, told us at the beginning of the chapter 17,
when Paul and his companion come to Thessalonica in verse 2-3.
As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue,
and on three Sabbath days, he listened with them from the scriptures,
explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and raise from the dead.
This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah, he said.
This custom of Paul going first into the synagogue,
the cultural and religious meeting place of the Jews,
is shown in verse 1, verse 10 and 17,
in Thessalonica, Berea and Athens.
This meeting place were not exclusively for Jews only.
They also have God-fearing prominent Greeks.
Jews and Greeks were together learning from the scripture,
the Old Testament part of our Bible today,
about the Jewish God.
They had to go to the synagogue to learn about the scripture
because they were not as privileged as us,
who has readily easy access to the Bible.
On the other hand, they have the privilege of meeting
and physically interacting with each other to learn about God,
which I believe many of us long to be in
for our current fight against COVID.
God sent Paul to the early Christians
to make sure they do not just know him intellectually.
He wants them to interact with him relationally.
Moving them from being persuaded
to joining as fellow disciples of the faith.
God's intention for all people
to be interacting with him relationally never changed.
God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Throughout his journey from Philippa to Athens,
Paul proclaims Jesus Christ as a savior
and speaks about the necessity
of his suffering and resurrection.
The topic of suffering always seems to come
to go hand in hand
when a discussion about religion and God.
I believe that reflects
one common narrative of human being.
All people, being good or bad,
intelligent or simple-minded,
Western or Oriental,
whatever background, whatever culture,
all share the common goal in life.
I may have to ask Randy to help me go to the next slide.
Thank you.
We ask the common question,
how can we avoid unnecessary suffering
and have a good and happy life?
If you ask anyone,
even the words of the criminal,
do you wish to be happy?
No one would say,
I do not wish it.
If you ask a criminal,
why do you commit the crime?
He or she may say,
so I can have what I do not have.
But why do you wish to have
what you do not have?
Because it feels bad not to.
They think getting what they want
will make them happy.
They want to be made happy
by what is wrong and terrible
is the least of their worries.
For it is good to be happy.
Whom Paul encounters in the marketplace of Athens
typify this pursuit of life's common goal.
In verse 16,
while Paul was waiting for them in Athens,
he was greatly distressed
to see that the city was full of idols.
So he listened in the synagogue
with both Jews and Godfinged Greeks,
as well as in the marketplace day by day
with those who happened to be there.
A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers
began to debate with him.
Some of them asked,
what is this Babylon trying to say?
Other remarks,
he seems to be advocating foreign gods.
They say this because Paul was preaching
the good news about Jesus
and the resurrection.
Paul met two groups of philosophers
in the marketplace
in a very simplistic way.
If you ask the Epicurean philosophers,
what makes a happy life?
They will mostly answer,
the pleasure of the body.
And to the Stoic,
what things makes a happy life?
They will say the virtue of the mind.
There are two groups of people
who sit at the opposite end
with competing views.
But they both pursue the same thing,
the happiness of life.
And because of this common pursuit,
they are never mutually exclusive.
All humans fall between these two ends.
One end promotes that
God has no interest in or influence
on the affair of man.
The gods are supremely happy and serene
for they are not bothered by humans.
There is nothing to fear or worry
about God or afterlife.
When one dies, all is over.
Both body and soul are gone
and no future punishment to worry about.
The Eastern religion of Taoism
and some New Age religion
that pursues tranquility of soul
sits at this end.
They understand the world around them
by sense perception.
Truth is what they can feel and touch.
What is natural to their senses
must be true.
The world is a garden,
not a jungle.
Enjoyment of life
and happiness
comes from a community
of good friends
as their essential pleasure.
Men and women
with equal status
in a standard way
of life
helps them
to shelter
and protect the fearful.
We find it very hard
to bear
to be restricted
from staying in contact
and enjoying close interaction
with friends
and other humans,
which is most likely
because this kind of value
in our mindset.
If at this end
is the enjoyment of life,
the opposite end
is to endure life.
When the goings get tough,
the toughs get going.
Kind of attitude.
The body and physical world
are evil
and stop us
from thoroughly
enjoying the spiritual,
where our mind
will return to
after death.
So we should work hard
at putting our minds
over our body.
However,
life is also
based on fate.
We are all actors
in a drama
chosen by the author
of life.
If it is a short drama,
then in a short one.
If it is a long,
then in a long one.
If it is the author's
pleasure
that you should
and as a poor man,
see that you will
act it well.
Or a disabled person,
or a ruler,
or a private citizen.
Your life is to act well
the given part,
but you have no business
choosing which part
to play.
The supreme God,
or guiding principle,
determines everything
that happens
in the world.
So,
whatever will be,
will be.
To them,
God is not just
playing with our lives,
but also embedded
in everything
we can find
in this world.
It manifests itself
into a different God
for different people
and culture.
People at this end
tend to be
very religious.
And a lot of
world religions
fall into that.
Religious people,
no matter from the
East or the West,
tend to think that
to ensure prosperity
and blessing
for their life
is to do good deeds
or offer up
offerings.
If God is happy,
human will get
happiness
and good fortune
in return.
Otherwise,
we will get
what we deserve
for upsetting God.
We all
live through life
trying to find
a happy middle.
And in our
current climate,
it is much
harder to come by.
Paul's speech
at the
Aragogos
in Athens
and what he said
to the
Thessalonians
and the
Berians
explicitly
and implicitly
point to a
different perspective
of life.
And the
ultimate answer
to our
shared pursuit
of a happy
life.
to the
Jew
and
God-feeling
Gentiles
in Thessalonica
and
Beria,
Paul spoke
explicitly
in verse 3
to say that
this Jesus
I am proclaiming
to you
is the Messiah.
And the
summary
by those
unfriendly
Jews in
verse 6
to 7
say this,
this man
who have
caused
trouble
all over
the world
have come
here
saying that
there is
another king
one called
Jesus.
In
Athens
he spoke
implicitly
without
mentioning
his name
or quoting
any scripture
that Jesus
is the
only answer.
Paul then
stood up
in the
meeting
of the
area
of
this
and said
people of
Athens
I see that
in every
way
you are
very
religious
for as
I walk
around
and look
carefully
at your
objects of
worship
I even
find
an altar
which
was
which
this
inscription
to an
unknown
God.
So you
are ignorant
of the
very things
you worship
and this
is what
I am
going to
proclaim
to you.
The
God
who
made
the
world
and
everything
in it
is
Lord
of
heaven
and
earth
and
does
not
live
in
temple
built
by
human
hands
and
he
is
not
served
by
human
hands
as
if
he
needed
anything
rather
he
himself
gives
everyone
life
and breath
and
everything
else.
Paul
deals
with
the
superstition
of
religious
people
straight away.
God
of
the
Bible
is
the
world's
creator
and
is
not
limited
to
one
location.
The
Lord
of
heaven
and
earth
is
not
easily
manipulated
by
humans
or
need
humans
for
anything.
He
himself
gives
life
and
breath
and
everything
is
us
human
that
needed
God
and
God
is
all
that
we
need.
From
one
man
he
made
all
nations
that
they
should
inhabit
the
whole
earth
and
he
marked
out
for
there
upon
the
time
in
history
and
the
boundary
for
the
lands.
God
did
this
so
that
they
would
seek
him
and
perhaps
reach
out
for
him
and
find
him
though
he
is
not
far
from
any
one
of
us.
Paul
carries
on
to point
out
that
God
is
not
far
from
each
one
of
us
and
he
ruled
for
us
to
seek
him
and
find
him.
The
word
perhaps
in
between
seeking
and
finding
highlights
God's
sovereignty
does
not
diminish
human
responsibility.
Perhaps
reach
out
for
him
in
first
that
without
reaching
out
humans
will
not
find
him.
The
gospel
unites
God's
sovereignty
and
human
responsibility
in a
brilliant
mystery.
What we
are to
reach out
for is
not the
pleasure
of the
body
or the
virtue
of the
mind.
We are
to reach
out for
God and
to live
out his
purpose for
our life,
to honor
and glorify
him.
These two
verses
provide the
best answer
for anyone
that are
uncertain or
anxious about
the purpose
of their
life.
the answer
to a
good and
happy
life
is
God.
There is
nothing
more
rewarding
than to
have a
vibrant
relationship
with the
creator
of this
world.
What can
make life
happier
than
communion
with
God?
God
is the
answer
to the
common
pursuits
of all
people.
When we
understand
our
purpose
and find
our
answer
of
happy
life,
we will
be able
to stop
doing
those
meaningless
things.
Therefore,
since we
are God's
offspring,
we should
not think
that the
divine
being is
like gold
or silver
or stone,
an image
made by
human
design
and skill.
The
conclusion
to Paul's
speech is
since we
are made
by God
in his
image,
we must
not think
that we
can create
an image
and call
it God.
it is
not a
small
matter
to make
ourselves
objects
of worship
and
robbing
the
created
God
of
his
glory.
Paul
continued
to say,
in the
past,
God
overlooked
such
ignorance,
but now
he commands
all people
everywhere
to repent.
God
has set a
day
to judge
the world
with
justice
by the
man
he has
appointed.
He has
given proof
of this
to everyone
by raising
him up
from the
dead.
All
people
have the
same
destiny.
God
has set
a day
to judge
the world
with
justice.
We all
have to face
a judgment
demonstrated
by the
man
who has
resurrected
from the
dead.
That man
is Jesus
Christ.
Given
this
inevitable
future
day of
judgment,
God
commands
all people
everywhere
to repent.
You
might think,
what am I
to repent
of?
Theologian
J.I.
Packer
explained,
repentance
means
justice.
changing
your mind
so that
your
view,
values,
goals,
and ways
are changed
and your
life is
lived
differently.
The
change is
radical,
both inward
and outward.
Mind
and judgment,
will and
affections,
behavior and
lifestyle,
motives and
purpose
are all
involved.
Repentance
means
starting
a new
life,
to live
a new
life.
The new
life lived
under the
new king,
Jesus Christ.
In Jesus'
death and
resurrection,
this new
life starts
by believing,
believing
in Jesus,
our Lord and
Savior.
Paul preached
the same
gospel in
three places.
Each
places,
verse 4,
12,
and 32,
some believers
allow themselves
to be persuaded
and believed
and followed.
we also
see some
scoffers
who mock
and sneeze
and willing
to wait
out and
accept the
evidence
like in
Athens.
And the
worst of the
characters
is a
jealous
Thessalonian
Jew who
ran up
hooligans
to form a
mob and
start a riot
to stop
Paul and
his companion
from sharing
the gospel.
not just
willing to
believe
themselves,
they also
stop others
from looking
into it.
In
Thessalonica,
some of the
Jews were
persuaded and
joined Paul
and Silas
as a large
number of
God-feeling
Greeks and
quite a few
prominent women.
But other
Jews were
jealous,
so they
round up
some bad
characters from
the marketplace,
form a mob,
and start a
riot in the
city.
And at
Beria,
in verse
12,
as a result,
many of
them believed,
as did also
a number of
prominent
Greek women
and many
Greek men.
But when the
Jews in
Thessalonica
learned that
Paul was
preaching the
word of
God at
Beria,
some of
them went
there too,
agitating the
crowd and
stirring them
up.
And then in
verse 32,
when they
heard about
the resurrection
of the
dead,
some of
them
sneezed,
but others
said,
we want to
hear you
again on
this subject.
At that,
Paul left
the council,
some of the
people become
followers of
Paul and
believed.
we have
those who
believe and
follow and
those who
scoff and
sneeze in
response to
God's command
to change
their mind
about him,
to repent
and start
living a new
life with
views,
values,
goals,
and ways
based on
his teaching.
We also
have those
who doubt,
who say,
we want to
hear you again
on this
subject,
ever
inquiring,
but never
embrace a
conclusion.
What kind
of a
listener are
you?
What is
your response
to God's
calling today?
Now in
the
Berean Jews
were of
more noble
character than
those in
Thessalonica,
for they
received a
message with
great eagerness
and examined
the scripture
every day to
see if what
Paul said
was true.
As a result,
many of them
believed,
as did also
a number of
prominent Greek
and women
and many
Greek men.
Many
people in
Berean
believed
because they
received the
message with
great eagerness
and examined
the scripture
every day to
see if what
Paul said
was true.
They
embraced and
received the
message and
they go to
a scripture
positively to
confirm Jesus'
identity as
our king and
savior.
To become a
believer and
grow as a
disciple of
God,
it's not
enough only
to sit and
listen.
The Berean
examined the
scripture every
day after they
received the
gospel.
Unlike us,
we have easy
access to the
Bible.
The Berean
would be
examining the
scripture daily
in fellowship
with others
in the synagogue.
And through
this fellowship
and interaction,
living daily
under the
lordship of
Jesus, his
death and
resurrection
enabled them
to repent
and change
their perspective
on life and
the world they
are living in.
The way a
faithful Christian
will grow is
through daily
Bible reading
and prayer,
a regular
devotional time
with God in
fellowship with
others.
our current
situation makes
it more
crucial for
us to
maintain our
connection and
fellowship with
other believers.
believers.
Have you
connected with
anyone recently?
Have you
responded to
the gospel
call for you
to repent?
Are the
changes in
your life
reflect your
acknowledgement
of Jesus as
your savior
and his
life lived
out in
faith under
his
lordship?
Do you
know who
you are
worshiping?
are you
worshiping a
thing that
you made
up?
Or are you
worshiping
God, the
creator of
the world,
the lord of
heaven and
earth?
From one
man, God
made all
nations that
they should
inhabit the
whole earth
and he
marked out
for their
point of
time in
history and
the boundary
for their
lands.
God did
this so
that they
may seek
him and
perhaps reach
out for
him and
find him
though he
is not far
from any
one of
us.
God is
not far
from you.
Reach
out, feel
your way
for him
and you
will find
him.
Jesus is
all you
need.
Believe in
Jesus.
Worship him
alone.