1. Ac. 17:22-34 The Audience: –Some honest people –Mostly ignorant people –All “very religious” people

2. Ac. 17:22-34 The Acceptance: –So few?!? 1 Co. 1:17, it wasn't about numbers Ac. 26:16-18, God sent Paul to "open their eyes." How?

3. Ac. 17:22-34 The Address: (vv. 24-31) –7 verses about God and man –1 verse about Jesus… Hb. 6:1-2; 11:6 “First Principles”

4. Ac. 17:22-34 The Assumed: TRUTH –Def.: When sth. is “true” it conforms to fact or actuality (The American Heritage College Dictionary) –"He who speaks truth gives honest evidence," [Prov. 12:17 (NRSV, ESV) ] Eg. 2 Tm. 2:16-18 –Truth is the footer beneath the foundation. –“The first cause of all things true.”

5. I.Views of Truth: A.Sophisticated views: 1.“There is no Truth.” [David Hume (d. 1776)]  All meaningful ideas are true by definition or by observation. Emotions: Anger, Love, Curiosity “God created the world.”  About the Bible: “nothing but sophistry and illusion”; “commit it to the flames”

6. I.Views of Truth: A.Sophisticated views: (cont.) 2.“ We cannot know Truth. ” [Immanuel Kant (d. 1804)] The Critique of Pure Reason The blind men and the elephant

7. I.Views of Truth: B.The actual view: 1. There is no Truth. [Hume]

8. I.Views of Truth: B.The actual view: 1. The truth is there is no Truth. [Hume] Mk. 5:25 … 34, feelings are true! 2. I cannot know Truth. [Kant]

9. I.Views of Truth: B.The actual view: 1. The truth is there is no Truth. [Hume] Mk. 5:25 … 34, feelings are true! 2. I know that I cannot know Truth. [Kant] Jn. 8:31-32, it's Kant or Jesus. 3.We cannot agree about Truth.

10. I.Views of Truth: B.The actual view: 1. The truth is there is no Truth. [Hume] Mk. 5:25 … 34, feelings are true! 2. I know that I cannot know Truth. [Kant] Jn. 8:31-32, it's Kant or Jesus. 3. We agree that we cannot agree about Truth. Eph. 4:25 Truth, Air, and Gravity

11. I.Views of Truth: B.The actual view: (cont.) 4.Three actual assumptions: Ac. 17 … 23, Paul assumed … 32, the Athenians assumed … … 32-34, Paul and the Athenians assumed … Truth in religion is not any different than truth in any other aspect of life! 1 Co. 1:25

12. II.Questions of Truth: Five important questions: –"Existential Import of Origin and Destiny"

13. II.Questions of Truth: 1.Origin: where do I come from? 2.Identity: who am I? 3.Meaning: why am I here? 4.Morality: how should I live? 5.Destiny: where am I going?

14. II.Questions of Truth: Philosophy and religion all strive to answer these five questions, e.g. Atheism God created man to answer these five questions, Ac. 17:26-27; Ecc. 1:13 … 12:14 Man, by definition, answers these questions

15. II.Questions of Truth: "What is the meaning of existence? Why was I born? Why am I here? Where will I go when I die? The human struggle to find answers to these questions — and the very fact that we can conceive them and ask them — is what defines the human condition in this sense of the term." (Wikipedia, "Human Condition") 2 Pe. 2:12; Ps. 49:20

16. II.Questions of Truth: "Man invented God." Wrong! Ac. 17:29 "Mine is not to question 'Why?'. Mine is but to do and die." Rm. 1:18-20 S.E.T.I.

17. II.Questions of Truth: "So what?" –No excuses! –No way out! Ex. 18:21; Jn. 8:44, "of … " –Rejecting the truth doesn ’ t change it! Lk. 10: … 11; Ac. 17:33 –Doing nothing is a choice!

18. III.Affects of The Truth: 1.I came from God! 2.I am a human being and a child of God! 3.I am here to serve God! 4.I need to live as God wants! 5.I am going to either Heaven or Hell! The Ant and the Grasshopper Lk. 16:23, 27-31