Sermon Outline

WE

We live in interesting times.

It’s estimated this year America will spend $13.5 billion dollars on Halloween.

Have you already seen some of the decorations?

There are people in our neighborhood who have skeletons that are 10 feet high.

They’ve got yards full of depictions of all manner of ghosts and so on.

And then you want to know what will happen in November?

The same people with witches and skeletons in their yard will redecorate for Christmas.

Some will literally go from witches to a nativity scene.

How does that happen?

The fact remains you can be completely sincere in what you believe and still be completely wrong about what matters most.

Today we meet Paul in Acts 17 in a similar time.

Our mission as a church is to reach the lost and disciple the found.

It’s the same mission Paul had, and the church has always had.

The question we face, and the very same predicament Paul faced, was how do you minister to a people who do not recognize their need for Jesus?

Have you ever thought about that?

In fact, I would tell you now more than in the past, this question must be answered.

Our country and culture are under extreme pressure from many cultures.

The religion of Islam is working, and has been for a long time, to take root in our nation.

The religion of work is knocking at our door.

The religion of family first is trying to gain our attention.

The greatest need of our country, our communities, and our families is for us to put and keep God in His rightful place as first and foremost in our lives.

Today I’m not here to preach doom and gloom!

We don’t need any more Eeyores in the world.

Today we open God’s word to be equipped with what we need so that we be who we are called to be. Amen!

Transition: This demands that we acknowledge two realities and one ultimate truth.

GOD

We Can Be Devoted To The Wrong Things

“16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. 22 So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, 23 for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.” Acts 17:16, 22-23 NLT

Paul notices in Athens there is a deep sense of religious fervor.

The town has idols and statues everywhere.

Their devotion to their idols is unmistakable.

But their worship is misdirected.

What Paul ultimately notices is they have put their idols at the center of their lives.

Their idols became their source of identity.

In fact, Paul doesn’t begin with this as a condemnation but as an entry point into the conversation.

While the idols are sinful, it’s a telltale sign that these people acknowledge there is something bigger than themselves and they seek to know what it is.

Application:

We live in a similar time.

Paul goes to Athens, and it is a pre-Christian world.

Almost every study agrees that we now live in a post-Christian world.

We can no longer assume that our neighbors know who Father Abraham or King David are.

As Paul approaches these people, what we find out is that he doesn’t change the gospel, but he does change his approach.

He doesn’t begin with “turn or burn”; he begins with an observation he and the people of Athens agree upon: there is something bigger going on than we understand.

They’ve devoted their lives to these things, and their devotion will not give any devotion back.

In essence, it is possible to spend your life pursuing what you think will satisfy you and never discover what you were actually created for: a relationship with your Creator.

Transition:

Not only is it possible to be devoted to the wrong things…

We Can Be Convinced Of The Wrong Things

““He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, 25 and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. 28 For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 29 And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone.” Acts 17:24-25, 28-29

Look at how Paul doesn’t change the gospel; he just changes the starting point.

Early in Acts, we see messages that begin with the need for a Messiah or the messages of prophets.

Here we don’t begin with Jewish history; we begin with the beginning.

What Paul is saying is, “You and I both know all this, the world we live in, didn’t come from nothing. God made all this.”

    - He literally covers three separate areas

      - Life, breath, and everything.

- Paul confronts their mistaken assumptions.

  - He declares that God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of everything.

    - Humanity isn't independent.

    - Humanity isn't the ultimate authority.

    - Humanity exists because of God and for God.

- The mistake the people of Athens had made, and we see it in our time too, was they had built their understanding of God around themselves instead of understanding ourselves around God.

- Here’s why that is so important

  - We will never recognize our need for God until we recognize His rightful place in our lives.

    - God is not meant to be an accessory to our existence, he is responsible for our existence and therefore as creator, sustainer, and ruler of everything he is worthy of our worship.

• Application:
  • Are we allowing God to define truth, righteousness, and purpose, or are we attempting to make God conform to our personal preferences?
  • I’ve made this mistake
    • Have you ever prayed God would change your circumstances but then you figured out God actually wanted to change you?
  • This movement reveals why the Athenians have a problem.
  • They have fundamentally misunderstood who God is and who they are in relation to God.
• Transition
  • I told you earlier we had to acknowledge two realities
    • We can be devoted to the wrong thing.
    • We can be convinced of the wrong thing.
  • Here’s the truth…
• We Are Still Accountable For God’s Things
  • ““God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. 31 For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.” 32 When they heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt, but others said, “We want to hear more about this later.”” Acts 17:30-32 NLT

Paul delivers the unavoidable conclusion.

It’s easy to preach a gospel of love without repentance.

It’s easy to preach a gospel of mercy without judgment.

But that is an incomplete gospel.

God commands repentance.

God has appointed a day of judgment.

And God has confirmed the authority of His appointed Judge by raising Jesus from the dead.

The Athenians must respond.

Some mock.

Some postpone.

Some believe.

Here’s the fact of the matter: refusing to acknowledge God's authority doesn't free us from it.

Application:

Have we truly surrendered to God's authority, or have we simply incorporated religious beliefs into a life we still insist on controlling?

As we live in a world that studies tell us is increasingly post-Christian, we cannot shrink back from both the love of God that sent Jesus and also the reality of judgment.

YOU

What Has Your Devotion?

“Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” 1 John 5:21 NLT

While we may not have statues in our homes dedicated to this god and that god, there are always things in our life jockeying to take God’s rightful place.

The reason anything could even appeal to us in the first place is because it fills a partial spot that only God can completely fill.

Our jobs, families, health, money, food—all are things God gives us, but none of them are supposed to become the driver and motivator of our life.

God’s rightful place in our life is to be number one, and for us to recognize all this other stuff is nice, but only God is truly necessary for existence.

We will never recognize our need for God until we recognize His rightful place in our lives.

Recognize the Urgency of Reaching the Lost

“The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” 2 Peter 3:9 NLT

When Paul saw Athens filled with idols, he wasn't merely frustrated by their sin. His heart was troubled because people were worshiping everything except the God who loved them.

We live among people who are just as lost, and eternity is just as real for them as it was for the Athenians.

God's patience is an expression of His love, but His patience should never become an excuse for our silence.

Ask yourself: who in my life needs to hear the truth about Jesus, and what am I doing to help them find Him?

We exist to reach the lost and disciple the found.

And just like Paul walking into Athens or you walking into work tomorrow, there are people who need to know the same God who created the heavens and the earth still wants a relationship with them, still offers forgiveness through Jesus Christ, and still calls them to repentance before the day of judgment comes.