1. Christian Heritage Church
Indeed my Heritage is Beautiful To Me
(Psalm 16:6b)

2. Acts 17:16-23
Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols. So he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be present. And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. Some were saying, "What would this idle babbler wish to say?" Others, "He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,“ because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is which you are proclaiming?

3. Acts 17:16-23
"For you are bringing some strange things to our ears; so we want to know what these things mean." (Now all the Athenians and the strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.) So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects.  "For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD ' Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.

4. Certainty in Uncertain Times
To Wait or Not to Wait
Many Gods
Many Beliefs
Athens and America
Something New
Something True

5. To Wait or Not to Wait
Acts 17:16-17 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols. So he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be present.
The brothers had sent Paul out of Berea and escorted him as far as Athens, now Paul is alone in Athens waiting for Timothy and Silas to arrive
As he observes the idolatry of Athens his spirit is provoked within him
He is moved to action

6. To Wait or Not to Wait
What could have been some reasons to wait instead of act?
I need assistance
I need a vacation
I need better candidates for the Gospel
We face many of these same temptations when we have opportunity to proclaim the Gospel

7. To Wait or Not to Wait
Opportunities don’t always come when we have lots of help
Opportunities don’t always come when we are well rested
One of our great sins is picking and choosing who we think good prospects are - instead of speaking the truth without showing partiality – in season and out of season
Or worse yet having no compassion at all and thinking they deserve what they get
The world is not our enemy, it is our mission field

8. Many Gods
Acts 17:16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols.
A City Full of Idols – Many gods
vs. 23 says Paul observed their objects of worship
Gaius Petronius Arbiter “It is easier to find a God in Athens than a man”

9. Many Gods
By declaring their belief in many gods, they also reveal their uncertainty about any of them
If all gods are equal there is no God
They were so unsure in their knowledge of God they even erected an altar to the “unknown god”
This provoked Paul
Does this provoke us?

10. Many Beliefs
Acts 17:18-19 And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. Some were saying, "What would this idle babbler wish to say?" Others, "He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities," because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is which you are proclaiming?
Areopagus = the hill of Aries, the Greek God of War the Roman equivalent was Mars or Mars Hill

11. Many Beliefs
During the First Century a council that controlled all religious, philosophical and educational matters met on Mars Hill
Athens was a city that was known for its many belief systems or philosophies – Plato – Socrates - Aristotle
Epicurean philosophers = founder Epicures; pleasure good, pain bad, gods don’t care
Stoic philosophers = founder Zeno; logic good, emotions bad, god is nature/universe

12. Athens and America America is a land of many gods and many beliefs
All gods are equal
All beliefs are equal
You must be tolerant of all

13. Intolerance Will Not Be Tolerated
Athens and America
NOTICE
Intolerance Will
Not Be Tolerated

14. Athens and America America is a land of many gods and many beliefs
All gods are equal
All beliefs are equal
You must be tolerant of all
You must be certain of nothing

15. Something New
Acts 17:20-21 "For you are bringing some strange things to our ears; so we want to know what these things mean." (Now all the Athenians and the strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.)
A desire for something new rather than the truth
Newest belief systems
Newest diet
This is evolutionary thinking

16. Woodrow Wilson “Campaign 1912”
“Living political constitutions must be Darwinian in structure and in practice. Society is a living organism and must obey the laws of Life… it must develop. All that progressives ask or desire, is permission, in an era when development, evolution, is the scientific word, to interpret the constitution according to the Darwinian principle.”
1856 –1924

17. Something New Malachi 3:6 "For I, the LORD, do not change
Proverbs 22:28 Do not move the ancient boundary which your fathers have set.
Reformation is a return to the Truth not evolving into something new
This is a major problem In modern churchianity

18. Something True
Acts 17:22-23 So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. "For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD ' Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.
We are all very religious people
The religion of evolution and atheism

19. Evolutionist: Dr. Stephen J. Gould
“Evolution is promoted by its practitioners as more than mere science. Evolution is promulgated as an ideology, a secular religion—a full-fledged alternative to Christianity, with meaning and morality. I am an ardent evolutionist and an ex-Christian, but I must admit, in this one complaint the creationists are absolutely right. Evolution is a religion. This was true of evolution in the beginning, and it is true of evolution still today.”

20. Atheist: Dr. Carl Sagan
“The cosmos is all that is, or ever was, or ever will be.”

21. Nobel Prize Winner: George Wald
“There are only two possible explanations as to how life arose. Spontaneous generation arising to evolution or a supernatural creative act of God. There is no other possibility. Spontaneous generation was scientifically disproved 120 years ago by Louis Pasteur and others, but that just leaves us with only one other possibility; that life came as a supernatural act of creation by God, but I can’t accept that philosophy because I do not believe in God. Therefore I choose to believe in that which I know is scientifically impossible, spontaneous generation leading to evolution.”

22. Something True
Romans 1:25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
We all worship something
Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you
We are not promoting a new belief system, we are proclaiming the truth
We must not be deceived into thinking that the truth that we’ve been entrusted with is just another idea about God in a world with many ideas about God

23. Something True
We are proclaiming truth to people who are uncertain about everything and ignorant about the one True God
The world is not our enemy, it is our mission field - Despite all their pride and idolatry they are still lost
In a world of error we can proclaim the truth – we can give certainty to an uncertain world.

24. Certainty in Uncertain Times
Are we provoked by the culture we live in or have we become accustomed to it?
Do we have compassion for people who are uncertain and ignorant about the one true God?

25. Christian Heritage Church
Indeed my Heritage is Beautiful To Me
(Psalm 16:6b)