Dear SanLo Community, an update for the week of 1/22/12…
Thank you to Dr. Vernon Kam for the message from Acts 17:16-31, “Making God Known.” As Disney is good at creating a fantasy theme park, so were the Athenians at creating gods.
A. Athens. Paul was in Athens about 50 AD (Acts 17:16). Everywhere he looked, he saw sculptures of the Greek gods and goddesses. Alexander the Great conquered much of the ancient world. He brought Greek culture with him. Paul was very familiar with Greek culture. He was brought before the Areopagus who were the leaders of Athens. He tells them that he noticed an altar to the unknown god and uses it as a way to tell them about God (v.23).
B. What he tells them.
1. God is Maker (vv.24-25). God was not created by man. Today, people still create their own ideas about God. The God they worship is of their own creation. But what about the evidence and validity of Christianity?
2. Proof. Acts 17:31 (NASB)… having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” Paul talks about proof. He says God the Father furnished proof of the truth about Jesus Christ by raising Him from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is critical to the Christian faith. We want evidence, both external and personal evidence. External evidence is evidence outside of yourself. You must also have confidence in who is telling you about it. Personal evidence is based on personal experience. What is the external evidence of the resurrection? In 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, Paul says there were over 500 people who saw Jesus after He was raised from the dead. But some may say, “How do you know they were telling the truth? Maybe they were making it all up.” Look at the disciples. Each insisted, to his dying breath, that he had seen Jesus after His death and resurrection. Look at Paul. Paul was very educated, very smart and very businesslike. And very anti-Christian. He said he had a supernatural encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus. (Acts 26) Overnight, he completely changed and gave his life to Christ. How could a man like Paul change like that?
3. God overlooked times of ignorance. Acts 17:30 (ESV) The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. What does this mean? The times of ignorance God “overlooked” in the sense He did not bring immediate judgment. Does this mean that before Christ came, God allowed people to be saved no matter what they did? But now that Christ has come, Peter says in Acts 4:12 (ESV) And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Second question: After Christ came, what about people who never heard the gospel? Paul gives us an answer in Romans 1:18-22. He says people are without excuse, because God reveals Himself through nature. His power and His divine nature are clearly seen in creation. But people suppress the truth, because they don’t want to glorify God; they want to live their lives in their own way.
4. Coming judgment. Acts 17:31(ESV) … He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed…. Paul says God the Father has fixed a day when all of mankind will be judged by Jesus Christ. All the dead will rise from their graves. There will be two judgments. The first will be of those who are saved. This first judgment is for rewards (1 Corinthians 3). It is for believers only. The second judgment, often referred to as the Great White Throne judgment, will be for those who are unsaved (Revelation 20). They will be cast into hell. Hell will be a terrible place. Jesus said it is a place where the fire is not quenched (Mark 9:48).
C. Conclusion. If you have a loved one who is not saved, promise yourself you will pray for him or her. And if you have not committed your life to Christ, please do so. You don’t want to end up in hell.
Have a blessed week making God known,
Stan, for SLZJCC