Three Challenges to the Cross | Part 1

Why is it important to study the book of acts. Listen to Adrian Rogers find out dear friend that this book of acts is not mere ancient history uses, to date, is tomorrow's newspaper at the same three things that Paul met you're going to meet you go to rub shoulders with and I want you to see what he meant. We got a look at it because you need to be forewarned and forearmed.

You need to understand what you're going to encounter tomorrow as a soldier of Jesus Christ and you need to learn alcohol met these things so that you can be.

Thanks for joining us were studying God's word today on love just heard from the claimed pastor and Bible teacher Adrian Rogers. The Bible is just as relevant today as ever.

Acts 17. Paul walked down the streets of Athens Greece and met three challenges to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

If we look closer will see we meet the same three challenges every day. The ones who oppose the gospel in acts could believe the same things as people we rub shoulders with on a daily basis. We need to learn how Paul met these challenges so that we can meet them in a God honoring way right now. If you have your Bible turned acts 17 beginning in verse 16. As Adrian Rogers addresses the three challenges to the cross and you alone have no friends in the city just walking the streets of some of you have. I have an is a strange feeling.

That's the situation of the apostle Paul found himself in. Paul is now and the missionary journey but Timothy and Silas have been left behind by himself and he's walking the streets of this intellectual capital of the world is one of the most beautiful cities ever built. But when Paul walks down the street of that city.

He sees things here. Things and feels things that stir him to the his heart was broken at the same time there was a danger because he saw people peddling false religion sold out. Just as people. The streets of big cities today and it was green peace, read about December 16 hall waiting for them. His spirit was stirred in him and he saw the city hallway are completely given to idolatry therefore disputed he in the synagogue of the Jews and with that of persons and in the market daily with them and met with him then certain philosophers of the Koreans and of the Stoics encountered him and some said, what will you say hence he seems to be as set forth a strange goddess because he preached under them.

Jesus and the resurrection went all down the streets of Athens.

Three challenges to the cross and by the way, that's the title of the message three challenges to the cross, he met three challenges that you're going to meet. As you walk down the streets of the city or anybody in any city will mean your friend that this book of acts is not mere ancient history is as up-to-date as tomorrow's newspaper and the same three things that Paul met you're going to meet and you go to rub shoulders with.

First of all, Paul met superstitious idolatry. Secondly, he met stubborn bigotry and thirdly met sophisticated philosophy not want you to see what he met when you look at it because you need to be forewarned and forearmed. You need to understand what you're going to encounter Jesus Christ and you need to learn how Paul met these things so that you can meet out. First of all, verse 16 tells us that all met superstitious idolatry. Look at it again now hallway for them in Athens is was stirred in him when he saw the city hallway that is completely given to idolatry say tree here is worshiping idols here is where you are all our cities and sometimes our church are filled with will give you a definition of, and I understand why I say that our cities and our churches are filled with idolatry and I is anything you love more than God. An idol is anything you serve more than God. An idol is anything you fear more than God. An idol is anything you trust is anything you love more than God in your mind is anything you fear more than God is anything you trust more than God, then you are an idolater.

If there's anything more than God, you are for Jesus and safety first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, not cited in other but came about in his righteousness, and God said, through Moses on the Lord thy God. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Let me tell you how an idol comes about. First of all let me say this, that mankind is incurably religious is instinctive, and man to worship not in animals, but a man because man is made in the image of God and the call is to that is their use in every man's heart, a God shaped vacuum.

That's the reason no matter where you go in the face of this earth, you're going to find people worshiping not pay attention. If man does not worship the true God.

He will worship a false God, but he will worship Everyman will worship.

If he doesn't worship the true God. He's going to worship a false God because man is incurably religious. No one is in life imitate what an idol is an idol is a magnified center a magnified center know what happens. Is this that man takes his own worst desires his own base proclivities and he takes those things and he so magnifies them that it makes a God out of his loss is greed his fears, his haze, his desires, he somehow just takes those things and magnifies them and then again the worship falsetto layer in Romans chapter 1 verse 22 professing themselves to be wise, they became full and changed the glory of the incorruptible God like to corruptible man so I is is just a man's devices even if you look at the heathen idols made of wood and stone. There their grotesque faces, their distorted body and so their marvelous physiques.

All of these are just the highest ambitions and desires, and ideals and less of mankind.

Joseph magnified so a an idol is really is just a magnified center magnifies himself men because he did advise himself. He worships himself really what he's worshiping his island and nothing is too good for man's God see nothing is too good for man's God, so man can make a God out of science and many were success.

Well, he's gonna put himself into sport anything we think about if a man makes a God out of money. I will any worships money and nothing is too good for is God, so he gives himself to that God is the first of all the mammals. The idle and in the idle Mosley. It is axiomatic that we become like what we worship you worship God, you become like God you worship Jesus, you behold his face you change to the same image you worship an idol. You become like what you worship. First of all the mammals, the idle and in the idle Mosley I believe we have all of these libels that you're talking about and in our city. All right, but make sure that the Angels worship the God's name was Mama MAM MO in and I was the God of wealth. We got possessions. We have people today worship call him Mammon. But they are committed to riches, they committed to well committed to success for commitment to achievement with the love riches more than God, then you serve the God Mammon via the age of God.

They named him Bacchus. He was the god of wine and the God of during masses. They like to drink the settlers make a God out of him we worship God today. Of course with the use of dollars are spent paying homage to that, he has his temples on every corner around our city can people go into worship God through debauchery and drink and drive to God's fees on an old God he's with us today that another goddess may Aphrodite that's what they called her or Venus. The same God.

She was a sex goddess.

She is licentiousness, and last they actually had temples where they wouldn't go hand-in-hand committed acts of fornication and adultery in worship to God.

I'm a little temple prostitute. You say we have that God is with us today will absolutely absolutely is a whole empire. The Playboy empire that is built on the worship of that God and people worshiping by goddess Cossacks and last licentiousness. Don't tell me that we will have idols today. Her name was Sophia though. May meeting with they worship the God of learning. So what we do sophisticated from they worship Yahweh say that's a little more on mobile God. Anything that takes the place of Jehovah God is dishonorable. I don't care what is where people day in our great vaunted universities.

They bowed out of the shrine of their computers. They are so proud of their learning without God's splendid nothingness. That's all it is. Their Bible is the science textbook.

Their salvation is the inevitable progress of mankind there have been his plastic utopia somehow create way.

Most of our great wisdom while civilization is a tumbling animal and we don't even know what we're going to do a little face with problems that are so far beyond this is what is it brought us as we worship the God who is now we will call her Sophia today.

We just call it intellectualism. But what I'm trying to tell you different than anything that a man loves more than God is an idol. Anything that a man serves more than God is an idol. Anything that man fears more than God is an idol. Anything that a man trust the streets of Athens and he saw all of these gods now back in that day there were more superstitious.

I mean, they made their gods of sticks and stones. Somebody said it was easier to meet a dog in the streets of Athens that was to meet a man that he thousand at least of these libels that they were worshiping man in that day what I call superstitious idolatry. But I want I want ultimate. Not only did Amy superstitious idolatry. But he met stubborn bigotry.

That's a completely different thing again just as hard to be with. Notice verse 17 therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews and with the devout persons, about the word about means religious when religious of a different time.

These were not idolaters as a matter fact that 180° from idolaters. They look down there long noses at the it was unspeakable unthinkable to them. That man would glorify their vices and worship thing.

Berman and Beeston sticks and stones was unthinkable. These were people who were monotheist. These are people who believe in the one true God Jehovah God more Bible scriptures. They had the Old Testament all went into the synagogue and he began to preach to them Jesus Christ would they hear him, though they would not want they were so sure they were right and they were so sure he was wrong. They had a stiff neck, bigotry, follow-up to been able to understand that because he'd been just like them at one time. Did you know there from the hardest man when the Jesus Christ is the man who doesn't see his need of the Lord Jesus Christ. Many times he has a religious bigotry now you say how you know they were bigoted while Triano because different normally and naturally they shall come to Jesus Christ that they want because the entire Old Testament is about Jesus Christ and it is written to present Jesus Christ, so that when Jesus Christ was presented they would come in for the Bible says the laws a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ as all the Old Testament was just somebody to walk to school. That's all just to bring you to Jesus Christ. But there was a stubbornness and the Bible says if he would give them the gospel and giving something back, and he gave them the gospel and give them something and so many like that you make today you go talk to them about being saved about knowing Jesus Christ about a personal relationship with God through Christ and they'll tell you no uncertain terms will I'm not a pagan I have my religion refrained most of the people of America need to turn from religion. The Jesus Christ it was a religious crowd that crucified Jesus and the hardest person to win is that person who doesn't see his knee and sometimes it's so blind I was reading about a man who showed up. This literally happened. A man who was a memory expert and he was supposed to speak at a luncheon and when time came he wasn't there when I finally found any set I forgot to ask her to speak election telling everybody how to improve their memory and I also read about an insurance company. Buildings burned down and they discovered they were not insured free that so many people like this in the world today who have is that you live in is bigotry saying leave me alone bother me. They have a sign around the neck. Some of them come to church on Sunday morning.

I can read the sign says please do not disturb. They are settled in their mind what I will say 1/3 challenge to the gospel of the apostle Paul met that they not only was there with what I call this superstitious idolatry and oddly was Davises suffering bigotry but there was finally a sophisticated philosophy and perhaps this was the hardest of all to deal with.

Now notice this sophisticated philosophy. Notice verse 18 then certain philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stoics encountered him and some say what will this babbler say in some he seems to be a setter for all strange gods because a priest under them, Jesus and the resurrection.

Now what is philosophy what I told you that the goddess Sophia was the goddess of wisdom or learning. So for Leo means a lover for Leo and Sophia put them together you have philosophy and so a philosopher is a lover of wisdom.

He is a person who takes pride in his learning and there are those who are not idolaters. As such, and those who are not bigoted is such but they are philosophers they are lovers of learning and they never do really come to know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because of their foolishness, which keeps them from Jesus. Somebody said that a philosopher is somebody who tells us what we already know and words. We can't understand the philosophy lays people so empty without Christ scope in our who was a philosopher, said when he got to the bottom line of his philosophy. Life is a curse of endless cravings and endless unhappiness. Huxley, philosopher, historian, and a thoroughgoing evolutionist. When he looked at the whole thing. The only said about us. He said his seems that we are a cancer on the globe talking about us that brilliant but ungodly man Bertrand Russell said of philosophy of the end of his life. The age of nine. Philosophy proved a washout to me.

A washout that is the road of the end of my love without a lot of God rather were two kinds of philosophers that Paul encountered specially there in Athens.

First of all, there was the philosophy of the Epicurean Epicurus live about 300 years before Jesus. He was a teacher, brilliant man. He made Athens his adopted home.

Plato and Aristotle. Epicurus Zeno. These were the philosophers who taught in Athens and Epicurus called this that God doesn't exist or that if he does exist. You can't know him.

There is no personal God. And since there is no personal God, then life has no purpose, and that would certainly follow. If life has no purpose in life has no meaning and certainly follow and therefore if there is no noble God and if life has no purpose for life has no meaning was the wisest thing you can do what just feel as good as you can until you die pleasure and Epicurus.

A person who lives for pleasure.

And so I said just make yourself comfortable being as comfortable as you can about this lawsuit was philosophy of pleasure, but with the others.

The soloists and the Stoics were those who believed in pantheism pantheism is panned, meaning everything in the awesome meaning God so a person believes in pantheism believes that God is in everything and everything is God. That is, this entire universe is God.

Everything is God and God is in everything. Therefore, there is no personal mobile God just sort of comes a fate just wait and let it happen. They say to themselves will go to elated over joy and don't get too disturbed over grief just intellectually be above it all and is just a form of stoicism just sort of grant diagram determination are people like that around us today. Hey folks are aware, where getting up in the morning taking aspirin, drinking a cup of coffee run off to drawing a breath, and drawing a salary getting bounced. There's no meaning to as the writer of Ecclesiastes said there's nothing new under the sun and this apostle Paul went to happen so long ago and tomorrow you'll hear the conclusion of this important message. Right now you have questions about who Jesus is or what he means to you. You can go to where discovered Jesus page@lwf.org/radio find resources there and materials that can answer questions you might have about your faith in Christ. Go to LWF.org/radio click discovered Jesus never would like to order a copy of today's message on CD. Call 1877 love God and request the title III challenges to the cross. This message is also part of our powerful series that old time religion. If you'd like complete collection. All 22 insightful messages: 1877 love God or go to LWF.org/radio to order. You can also write us at love worth finding box 38, 600 Memphis, Tennessee 3818 you have any idols in your life that need to be dealt with. Remember, we become like what we wish today deal with those in your sins. And tomorrow will pickup with part two. Three.

Challenges to the cross on the way Lister in Paraguay wrote to us recently, and I'd love to share this with you right now. He said I have listened to your program and learned so much I want to continue in the way of absolute truth because of the way Dr. Rogers preaches I want to study the Bible more is clear to me that he speaks the truth.

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