Good morning, my name is Jill and our reading today is taken from Psalm chapter 16 verses 1 to 8.
Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the Lord, you are my Lord. Apart from you I have no good thing.
I say of the holy people who are in the land, they are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.
Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips.
Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup, you make my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. Surely I have a delightful inheritance.
I will praise the Lord who counsels me. Even at night my heart instructs me.
I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand I shall not be shaken. Amen.
Good morning, my name is Alistair. Our second reading this morning comes from Acts chapter 17 verses 16 to 34.
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.
So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing 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 babbler trying to say?
Others remarked, he seems to be advocating foreign gods.
They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him,
may we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears and we would like to know what they mean.
All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said,
People of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious.
For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship,
I even found an altar with this inscription to an unknown God.
So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship.
And this is what I am going to proclaim to you.
The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth
and does not live in temples 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.
From one man he made all the nations that they should inhabit the whole earth.
And he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their 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.
For in him we live and move and have our being.
As some of your own poets have said, we are his offspring.
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.
In the past God overlooked such ignorance,
but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice
by the man he has appointed.
He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.
When they heard about the resurrection of the dead,
some of them sneered, but others said,
we want to hear you again on this subject.
At that, Paul left the council.
Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed.
Among them was Dionysus, a member of the Areopagus,
also a woman named Demaris, and a number of others.
Amen.
Thank you for God's word.
So let's just pray for Alistair as he comes to speak to us
on what we've just read this morning.
Father God, we just thank you for your word.
And we just pray for Alistair as he comes to share with us this morning.
We pray that you are with him
and that you can just help him to deliver what's on his heart.
We just thank you for all of the work he's done
in preparing your message.
And we just pray for him now as he comes to speak to us.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Good morning, everyone, and welcome to this service.
Let me add my welcome to Graham's.
My name is Alistair.
I have the privilege of being the assistant pastor
here at Brunsfield.
And the privilege of leading us through
that passage that was just read to us
from Acts chapter 17, verses 16 to 34.
But to start off, I want you to imagine
that you're on holiday in a new city,
one of the cultural capitals of the world.
It's probably a wonderful dream that many of us are having
during this lockdown.
But when you go on holiday,
when you visit a large, prominent city,
what is it that grabs your attention?
Prior to my wife, Sabina, and I moving to Edinburgh,
we lived in Vienna for a few years.
And when we used to walk around,
I would constantly be looking up.
Because we were walking past buildings
that were hundreds of years old.
You'd look up and you would see intricate wreaths
made of stone.
And you would almost think that they were made
of real leaves and flowers.
And then you'd see sculptures and statues
that were so lifelike.
With every step, you couldn't help but be drawn
into the beauty of the city.
And on top of that, you'd walk past opera halls.
You'd hear masterful artists playing their instruments.
Talented opera singers belting out tunes
in the middle of the city centre.
And you'd walk past birthplaces of famous composers.
And you couldn't help but marvel
at the beauty of a city like that.
Most of us are probably like this
when we go and visit somewhere new.
We walk around and the things that grab our attention
are the architecture, the culture,
the atmosphere of the city, right?
Well, this morning we're going to go on a journey
with the Apostle Paul back in time
to the ancient city of Athens
at the height of its cultural significance.
It was a prominent city.
A place where philosophers would gather
and debate and discuss the newest ideas.
An intellectual hub for the greatest minds
of the ancient world.
An ancient city filled with hustle and bustle.
But we're going to focus on two things this morning.
Firstly, what the Apostle Paul saw
as he wandered around Athens.
And then secondly, what he did because of that.
So the first thing that we see in this passage
is seeing the reality.
In verses 16 to 21.
Seeing the reality.
So Paul, Silas and Timothy have just been in Berea.
A town where the Jews listened to Paul's message.
And they examined the scriptures every day
to see whether what he was saying was right.
And we see that from verse 11 in chapter 17.
But then people from Thessalonica came
and caused a riot and made trouble
so that Paul had to leave.
And he was taken to this city of Athens.
A city that, as far as we know,
he had never visited before.
And he was to wait there
until Silas and Timothy would join him.
So what would you do
if you had a few days to kill
in a city you'd never been to before?
Well, you'd go sightseeing.
You'd go and check out the local hotspots.
You'd try the local food.
You'd look at the tourist attractions, right?
If you go to Paris,
you're going to try your hardest
and bend over backwards almost
to get the whole Eiffel Tower
into your picture frame.
30 attempts later
and 28 fake smiles
and you finally get the picture you wanted.
But what does Paul see
as he walks around Athens?
Well, look with me at verse 16.
Paul's eyes aren't drawn to the architecture
or to the culture
or the sophistication
or the philosophical significance
of the people in Athens.
His eyes are drawn to the idolatry
and he is deeply, deeply distressed.
Now, Sabina and I spent a few weeks
in the Middle East last year
and we visited a number of touristy hotspots
in the area.
We stood next to and took pictures
of ourselves in the ancient temples
of Zeus, of Hercules and of Diana,
just to name a few.
But one day as we were in
one of these temples,
we were talking about how
thousands of years ago
that place would have been
heaving with worshippers
and stalls of people
selling small household gods,
people selling false gods
and false hope.
And we were amazed
at the absurdity
and the evil
of the idolatry
that we were now standing next to
and taking pictures of.
But Paul wasn't standing
in an empty city.
He was walking through a city
that was full of idols,
a new idol around every corner.
It's as if they were drowning
in a ton of false deities.
And this upset.
It provoked
and it compelled Paul
to see the reality
of the situation
and to preach the gospel to them.
Paul sees the idolatry
in the city
and he knows
the deeper reality
that it conveys.
That these people
are giving glory
and honour
to created things
instead of to God,
the creator.
But we can't look at this
and think that we're any different
or that somehow
our world has overcome
this problem of idolatry.
Sure, our idols look different
but just take a wonder
down Princess Street
here in Edinburgh.
Or look at the advertisements
on television
and you will see
what the idols are
that we worship today.
Popularity,
material wealth,
a good reputation,
having the perfect body,
relationships,
sex,
being liked by everyone
and so on.
None of these
are bad things
in and of themselves
but
they are terrible gods.
Terrible things
to worship.
We are no different
from the city of Athens.
As John Calvin,
the pastor and theologian
from many years ago
once said,
man's mind
is a perpetual
factory
of idols.
Idols are the things
that we,
that take up our time,
that take up our energy,
our money,
our effort.
The things that we
prioritize
over God.
Do you want to know
what your idols are?
think about
what you miss most
during this lockdown.
Think about
what your mind
is consumed with
and what you give
all of your time to.
Idols
are the things
in our lives
that take the place
that should be reserved
only for God.
And so Paul
sees this
and he is compelled
to speak
and he reasons
with the Jews
in the synagogue
and goes into
the marketplace
and in verse 18
it says that he
preached the good news
about Jesus
and the resurrection.
So Paul sees
the reality
of idolatry
and he is compelled
to preach.
Friends,
how do we respond
to idolatry?
we are surrounded
in a world
that is trying
to find satisfaction
and fulfillment
and meaning
in things
that won't deliver.
We try to find
satisfaction
in our jobs,
in our university
grades,
in our material
possessions,
in our marital status
and many more things.
but in reality
that points
to one truth
that humans
are born
worshippers
and we are
naturally born
worshipping
the wrong things.
We shouldn't
be worshipping
things that are
gone in a flash,
things that can break
and things that
don't satisfy.
Friends,
we should only
be worshipping
God
and in the face
of idolatry
our response
shouldn't be
apathy.
We shouldn't
walk away
and not care
at what people
are doing
but we should
point people
to the only person
who is worth
worshipping,
the person
who created us
to worship
and glorify him
and that is
God alone.
When we see
idolatry
we need to see
the reality
of it
and it must
lead us
it must
lead us
to boldly
proclaim
Jesus
to a world
that is hardwired
to worship.
The second thing
that we see
in this passage
is speaking
the truth
in verses 22
to 34
speaking
the truth.
So Paul
has preached
to the people
of Athens
and they called
him a babbler.
They accused
him of advocating
foreign gods
in verse 18
and he was
told that he
was promoting
strange ideas
in verse 20
but this
doesn't deter him.
Paul is still
deeply distressed
by the idolatry
that he sees
and now he's
brought before
a council
a group of
prominent people
who were
responsible for
the moral
for the education
and for the
religious act
of Athens
and he's
asked to
explain
his message
and look
where he
begins
in verse
22
read with me
people
of Athens
I see
that in
every way
you are
very religious
for as I
walked around
and looked
carefully
at your
objects
of worship
I even
found an
altar
with this
inscription
to an
unknown
God
so you
are ignorant
of the
very thing
you worship
and that
is what
I am going
to proclaim
to you
now in
this verse
Paul isn't
approving
of their
polytheism
their love
for a
plethora of
idols
he isn't
saying this
unknown God
that you
worship I'm
going to
tell you
about him
and he
isn't saying
that there
are multiple
ways to
God
he's pointing
out the
absurdity
that they
are worshipping
something they
have no idea
about
and he
goes on to
proclaim to
them the
one true
God
who is
deserving
of worship
Paul
draws out
five wonderful
truths about
God that I
hope will
encourage us
all as
Christians this
morning
that will
comfort us
and lead us
to worship
our all
powerful
our almighty
and our
amazing God
God
and this
should
encourage us
because Paul
doesn't do
anything special
in this
passage
you don't
require a
PhD in
theology to
do what he
does here
Paul simply
explains who
God is
and he calls
the people of
Athens to
repent
every single
Christian can
do that
and I
hope that if
you're listening
to this
service this
morning and
you're not a
Christian
that these
five truths
about God
will challenge
you to
consider who
he really
is
God is not
some distant
far off deity
or a fairy
tale
but he is the
one true God
and he alone
is worthy
of our
praise
and so we
get our
first truth
about God
in verse 24
read with me
the God who
made the
world and
everything in
it is the
Lord of
heaven and
earth and
does not
live in
temples built
by human
hands
God is
creator
he is the
all powerful
one who put
the stars in
their place
the one who
created this
wonderful world
that we live
in as Psalm
97 so
wonderfully puts
it the heavens
proclaim his
righteousness
and all
peoples see
his glory
everyone is
without excuse
because when we
look at the
skies when we
see the ocean
when we see
the snow
capped mountains
and the
wonderful creation
that God has
made there
should be no
doubt in our
minds that
there is a
creator
and we are
called to
worship him
and as if
that wasn't
amazing enough
verse 25
continues and
says God is
the sustainer
of life
God gives
everyone life
and breath
and everything
else
as you woke
up this morning
you probably
rubbed your
eyes
gave a wee
stretch
probably a
little yawn
and started
your day
like every
other day
but every
single thing
you have
everything that
you are
is a gift
from God
even the
breath that
you breathe
is a gift
from the God
who created
you and the
God who
sustains you
as verse 28
says for in
him we live
and move
and have our
being
God is the
sustainer
of life
and in
verse 26
we see that
God is the
ruler of
the nations
he knows
the rise
and fall
of all the
nations that
span throughout
history
the nations
that once
were mighty
and powerful
attributed their
success to
military might
but God is
the one
who has
appointed their
times
their success
should not lead
them to rely
on themselves
or think of
how great
they are
but as
verse 27
says 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 of us
do you see
that wonderful
that mind
blowing and
that comforting
truth at the
end of that
verse
God is not
far from
any one
of us
maybe you're
struggling
during this
lockdown
period
maybe you're
lonely
maybe you're
hurting and
afraid
friends the
wonderful truth
is that God
is not far
from you
call out
to him
call on him
maybe even
for the first
time
and hear the
voice of the
one true
loving God
who calls you
to himself
and he promises
to be with
you all
the time
and then
Paul goes
even further
and he
presents the
next truth
about God
that shall
blow our
minds every
single time
we think
about it
God is the
father of
humanity
verse 29
says 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
we are God's
offspring
and our
response
because of
that should
never be
to worship
anything else
but God
himself
and God
as the
father of
humanity
is not
some stern
father standing
with the rule
book ready
and eager to
punish those
who defy
him
he is a
loving father
who has
made a
way for
us
wayward
sinful
children
to be
made right
with him
through the
death and
resurrection
of Jesus
Christ
and God
is calling
you home
God is
calling his
people to
himself
will you
listen to
the call
of a
loving
of a
good
of an
almighty
father
God
and repent
how you
respond to
that question
is important
because of
the final
truth that
Paul draws
to our
attention
this morning
in verse
31
for he
has set
a day
when he
will judge
the world
with justice
by the man
he has
appointed
he has
given proof
of this
to everyone
by raising
him from
the dead
the final
truth
this morning
is that
God is
the judge
of all
the world
there will
be a day
when every
person who
has ever
lived will
stand before
God as
he judges
the world
there is
no naughty
or nice
list
there will
not be a
final chance
to say but
God I was
a good
person
as we all
stand before
God
there will
be those
who are
called to
live in
harmony
with him
forever
in his
perfect
presence
and then
there are
those who
will be
cast out
of his
presence
who will
spend
eternity
in his
just
judgment
against
sin
so why
would we
worship
idols
because on
that final
day no
no idol
nothing
will be able
to save
us as we
stand before
a holy
God
we shouldn't
worship idols
but we
should only
worship
God
because he
alone is
the one who
can save
us
friends this
is not a
point that we
can take
lightly
or a decision
that we can
put off to
some future
event
we must take
this seriously
because God
as just
must punish
sin
and that
starts
with us
he proved
this by
sending
Jesus
his perfect
son
who paid
the punishment
for every
Christian
on the
cross
so for all
those who
have repented
and put
their trust
in Jesus
we do not
await the
day of
judgment
with fear
and with
trembling
but we
await the
return of
the Lord
with eager
anticipation
because we
will be with
him forever
and that is
why Paul
is standing
before the
people of
Athens
and that is
why I am
standing here
before you
this morning
begging you
to listen
to the call
of a loving
father
to repent
and come to
him
to put your
trust in
Jesus
and be
forgiven
people will
respond
differently
to this
message
there were
those in
verse 32
who sneered
at Paul
and then
there were
those in
verse 34
who became
followers of
Jesus upon
hearing that
wonderful message
of who God
is
how will you
respond this
morning
think back
to where we
started off
traveling
in a new
city
looking at
the sights
and taking
in the
beautiful
scenery
our world
is just
like Athens
we can walk
around the
cultural centers
of the world
and see just
as many
idols as
Paul saw
Christian
how do you
respond at
the sight
of idolatry
do you see
the reality
of it and
speak into
that situation
we need
to take
the message
to the
world
that we
serve a
wonderful
God
who is
creator
sustainer
ruler
father
and judge
we need
to tell
people the
truth
because he
alone is
the one
who deserves
our worship
and we
should be
disturbed
and deeply
distressed
by idolatry
and if
we aren't
what does
that say
about our
lives
imagine if
God were
to take a
look into
our homes
into our
minds
into our
lives
what idols
would he
find
as we
engage with
our friends
we need to
be so grieved
by their
sin
distressed
by their
idolatry
that we
have a
burning
desire
and we
are burdened
to share
the gospel
with them
we need to
speak the
gospel of
Jesus
and not be
apathetic
in the light
of idolatry
and if you're
not a Christian
this morning
let me
challenge you
and say
that no
amount of
idols will
satisfy
no amount
of idols
will
fulfill
that hunger
that you
have
the only
person
that deserves
all of your
worship
is the
living God
and he
calls you
to come
to him
to repent
and to put
your trust
in his
son
Jesus
Christ
let's pray
together
heavenly
father we
ask for
forgiveness
for the
times that
we have
worshipped
idols
instead
of you
father
would you
reveal to
us the
idols of
our hearts
the things
that we
have put
above you
in our
lives and
the things
that we
prioritize over
you father
forgive us
and father
help us take
that wonderful
message to
the world
that we
serve an
almighty
God
a God
who is
creator
sustainer
ruler
father
and judge
and help us
call people
to repent
and believe
because the
kingdom of
God is at
hand
and we
pray this
in the
precious
and holy
name of
our
saviour
Jesus
Christ
amen
well thank
you so much
Alistair for
taking us
through that
passage and
I trust
that it's
caused all
of us to
just stop
and to
think about
the world
in which we
live and
perhaps the
things that
we are doing
and the
things that
we're
pursuing
in our
lives
one of the
things that
we've been
doing over
the last
few Sundays
is we've
just been
hearing from
people in
our church
family and
they've been
telling us
their stories
about how
they came
to first
meet Jesus
and it's
been so
encouraging to
hear so
many people
feedback to
us how
they've been
connecting with
these stories
as we've
just been
hearing from
people
and we
said this
is the
truth about
the church
of Jesus
that it's
made up of
many different
people who
are doing
many different
things all
with very
different
stories about
how we all
came to
meet the
one same
saviour
and so we're
going to hear
another story
now from one
of our members
who's called
Declan
Declan's going
to tell us a
little bit of
his story
and particularly
about how he
now seeks
to use the
everyday things
that he does
in his life
to lovingly
connect with
people and
tell them about
Jesus
and once
Declan's
finished we're
going to have
our final
song
hi my
name is
Declan
I'm a
member at
Brunsfield
Evangelical
Church
I'm 29
and an
air traffic
controller
I'm a
Christian
I believe
in God
I'm just
going to
take a
couple of
minutes
now to
explain a
little bit
about why
I do
and how
that happened
for me
so I
grew up in
a lovely
place called
Peebles in
a Christian
household and
we always
went to
church and
I had a
very positive
experience going
to church
growing up
there was
people who
leaked out
for me
and were
very good
for me
so growing
up I
always believed
in God
and as a
young teenager
I helped
out at a
holiday club
in Peebles
and there I
got to meet
some older
teenagers and
young adults
who were also
Christians
and that was
the first time
I'd met some
other young
Christians and
I got to make
some great
friendships and
get to know
them more
and I saw
that they were
quite cool and
there was
something different
about them
the way they
acted and
the way they
interacted with
each other
and just
their priorities
in life were
a bit different
and I liked
it I thought
it looked good
and I could
see that the
thing that was
different about
them was that
they were
Christians and
I decided then
you know I
want some of
that and so
I thought this
being a Christian
was a good
thing and so
when I was 16
I made a formal
commitment you could
say and I was
baptized and from
then on I would
always say I've
been a Christian
I've always
believed in God
but as I got
slightly older and
I went to
university I
maybe became what
you might call a
part-time Christian
I was still going
to church I was
still involved in
some church
activities but
outside of that I
wasn't really giving
God much respect I
wasn't considering
him in the things I
was choosing to do
and the way I was
living my life and
around about this
time I got involved
with an organization
called Christians in
Sport and when I
was at university I
was very sporty and
Christians in Sport
was great for me I
got to meet other
like-minded individuals
who were Christian and
also into their sport
and we'd do little
Bible studies and
discuss issues that
were really specific
to being a Christian
in sport and it was
then I learned how to
match up having a
faith and living that
out and matching it
up with sport or
generally matching it
up with your lifestyle
and it was someone I
met through Christians
in Sport who was I
think aware of this
sort of part-time
Christian lifestyle that
I was living and one
day he just said to
me what are you doing
and that was a
catalyst for me to
think about the way
I was living my life
and I decided if I was
going to be a Christian
I wanted to do it
properly and so I
wanted to look into
the Bible more and
see what it said and
actually if it was true
and so that was the
beginning of a process
which is still going on
for me where I studied
the Bible and looked at
what it said and
scrutinized parts of it
and I've come to the
point where you've
probably guessed it
that I really believe
in God and the Bible
and I think it's all
true and I think it's
also good news which
might sound a little
bit cheesy but I do
think it's good and
the Bible tells us that
when we become a
Christian there is a
transformation we're
transformed from
before we're a
Christian until
afterwards and for me
that wasn't a sort of
instantaneous moment
it's taken years and
it's still ongoing but
the more I study the
Bible the more I get
to know God and the
more I am transformed
you could say and the
more I'm convinced that
God exists and that the
Bible is a good news
story and as I
mentioned Christians in
Sport was really
important for me and
knowing that the Bible
is true and that God
exists and that it's
good news I want to
share it and Christians
in Sport has been
really helpful for giving
me a way to do that and
something we used to
speak about the
Christians in Sport
meetings was worshipping
God and being a witness
for God so in my sport
and triathlon I can do
that now when we're in
church and we're singing
we're all quite
comfortable that we're
worshipping God then
but I'm not a
particularly good singer
but I'm an okay
swimmer and when I'm
swimming I can still
worship God and the
Bible tells us that
actually anything that
we do and everything
that we do we can
worship God so when I'm
doing my sport I can
worship God but I can
also be a witness for
God and through my
sport I get a chance
to make great
friendships and get
to know people and
that's really good and
I enjoy that but it's
also a chance to share
sometimes a little bit
and sometimes a lot of
the gospel and some of
what the Bible tells us
and so through my sport I
can worship God and I
can be a witness for him
and that's some of what
God asks us to do and
so that's what I try and
do each day and that
more or less is my story
and if you have any
questions about it then
feel free to get in
touch