The Light Shines On Mars Hill

Democracy it got its start in ancient Greece, home of phenomenal architecture and some great philosophers. It was to a group of these philosophers that the apostle Paul spoke on a pivotal day in Athens 2000 years ago a culture with many mythological gods heard about the true and living God and things would never again be the same. Stay with us from Chicago. This is The Moody Church. Our weekly service of worship and teaching with pastor Erwin Blitzer. Today we continue an eight part series on light shining in darkness how the gospel impacts culture later in our broadcast Erwin Blitzer takes us to Athens as the light shines on Mars Hill today. Service begins with singing.

The sticker hymnals or look at the screens number 401.

The church's one foundation is Jesus Christ the Lord.

She is his new creation by water and the word the sentencing of how y'all doing this morning. Everybody here to learn to be instructed to open your heart to the Lord.

Amen, amen. Great as all of us know atheism is growing in Europe but it's also growing here in the United States of America. I didn't see it on a bus that somebody gave me a Tribune article that showed a bus with the slogan in the beginning and created God. That slogan would be correct if they had changed the last word. If they had put it in lowercase and then pluralized it all. There's a word like pluralized, at least there is now in the beginning man created God's that would be true. Like the great theologian Kelvin says that man's mind is an idol factory always developing idols and every time we preach the gospel. We have to confront the idols of our culture.

In a few moments were going to see how the apostle Paul did it, but first of all, in context, call your member he began in Philippi.

The preach the gospel there last time we notice. Remember, this is a series of messages entitled light shining in darkness how the gospel impacts culture and there were three people at least two were converted there in Philippi. Many comes to Thessalonica and now it's the 17th chapter of the gospel of acts would you turn to it. Please page 926 with the Bible that you can find it there in front of you. 926 acts chapter 17 it says now when they had passed through, they came to Thessalonica, I think I just did what deal Moody used to delete read the Scripture come to a word he couldn't pronounce, and then pause and then go over it to the next word so it says they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews and Paul went in as was his custom men on 37 days.

He reasoned with them from the script. See when the apostle Paul went to a city winter to those who were already seeking God. He went to them first when we share the gospel.

It is easier to share the gospel with those who are open on the God word sigh and you know that those who were in the synagogue, they were open to the possibility of knowing God better and instructing them and so he went there and he reasoned with them from course. He ran into problems with the law. You'll notice it says in verse seven and Jason who received them.

There is now a riot that is breaking out and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus noticed Caesar decreed that there's only one and that is Caesar, and they cannot tolerate another God by the name of Jesus. Someday I am going to speak on the topic of the role of law in American give you some examples of how the church is being marginalized simply because of laws that are being enacted when we were gone. Recently we saw something on the national news that said that there was an area of California in which parents did not have an option their child were talked about homosexuality. The age of five. Being force fed that agenda and it was against the law to take them out of school watch laws. Show me your laws and I will show you God, why wait. Paul then goes to Athens and that's the story right here in the 16th verse, Paul believes that he goes to Athens and you'll notice it says in verse 16. While he was waiting for them. That is for Silas and Timothy in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.

You and I as we walk the streets of Chicago or any other American city should have hearts that are burden to because were living in a nation filled with idolatry filled with idols. There's the Idol that we could call the God of my health and wealth of the God who exists in order to give me money and to make me happy.

There is that God is an idol of the imagination. There's also the God of my sexuality. No matter what I do. God comes and approves it, because after all, I know better than God, and no matter what his word says I have my own idea and by the way, who are you to say that God doesn't approve of what I do so you have God of your sexuality will allows you to do whatever your desires date. We also have God of my self authentication God because I am basically God I'm thinking. For example, that car totally in the book entitled the new earth in which he says you are the way the truth and the life. When Jesus spoke those words he meant all of us and Rhonda Byrne in the book entitled the secret which was so heavily promoted says you are God in the flash and so there we are the idols of our culture itself is God. It's the oldest Alliance, the oldest title one could ever imagine.

But men always make idols in the beginning man created God's so the question is how did Paul confront these folks. Now let's look at the text it says in verse 17 so he reasoned in the synagogue there it is again with the Jews and devout persons, and in the marketplace every day so he's in the synagogue and he's talking to those who are open to God, who are more open to God than those who are in the marketplace. One time I was flying from Regina, Saskatchewan all the way to Toronto and I intended to rest because I was tired and I wanted to read a little bit, but in God's providence next to me, sad, and very well educated, articulate, and do so. We talked for more than three hours and I found that he was more open.

Actually to the gospel and more open to spiritual things.

Then the businessman that I normally sit next to wants to just know how he can earn his next dock and could care less about God. Yes, there are people who are open and what we need to do is to recognize that they are more likely to believe the gospel. But Paul also he go to the the marketplace and there he would dialogue that's wonderful and low and behold he comes across two kinds of philosophers the Epicureans will notice verse 18 and the Stoics. The epic Koreans were materialist. They didn't believe in spirit. They didn't believe in miracles spires. They were concerned. All of the world was nothing but molecules made of love Charles Darwin and the implications of Darwinism. They were the materialists of their time, but you have to Stoics and they were much more spiritual.

They were pantheists.

They believe that the highest good of man. Of course, is to deny the existence of the empirical world which has so much pain they have a great deal in common with Hinduism, a great deal in common with the New Age movement that says that God is found in the depths of our soul say of these two kinds of philosophers and the Stoics. Of course, and denying the existence of the external world something like Plato did, or downplaying it.

Believe that the best that you can do is to learn to endure and so today we even talk about a stoical approach to life. And Paul is going to preach to these two kinds of philosophers and by the way, essentially today we stand on Mars Hill don't way. On the one hand of the materialists the atheists who don't believe in any kind of revelation, any kind of miracles. All exists is matter and then on the other side you find those who are into the new spirituality and they are much more akin to the Stoics and we join Paul on Mars Hill and preach the gospel to the idols of our culture.

How did Paul do it.

First of all, notice how he connected with them. He connected with them. You'll notice it says that verse 22 Paul standing in the midst of the Areopagus, that's Mars Hill. By the way can go to Mars Hill today have been there a couple of times you can climb to the top of Mars Hill. It's also possible that the apostle Paul preached on the other side of the hill, which is where oftentimes philosophers met. We don't know exactly where it is. But if you ever visit Athens and you're there, you know that close by. It is here that Paul preached is very powerful and important sermon which models for us how to confront the philosophers of our day, decent men of Athens, I perceive that in every way. You are very religious for as I passed along in absurd the objects of your worship. I found also in altar with this inscription to the unknown God actually in Greek. It is agnosticism, agnosticism, fat loss and of course you know that that's where we get our word agnosticism. So you see the opinions they had all of these idols, and they thought possibly they had left out of God, and they didn't want to open the God that they had left out. So they had an altar to an unknown God, and that was for their agnosticism because they weren't sure whether or not they had spoken and and acknowledged all of the gods. So Paul picks up on that as you have an altar to the unknown God, the one that you are agnostic about and that's the one I'm going to probe playing to you what a wonderful way to begin a sermon and so the apostle Paul. He connects with them because he knows that they are now going to dispute with him and the whole question will be about whether or not they are able to receive this message so first of all, he connects with them and then secondly, he explains to them.

Now what is it that people need to know in our culture. Three or four things and pull covers all of them in this wonderful sermon. First of all they need a more accurate conception of God, and that's where Paul begins. He says in verse 24. The God who made the world and everything in it being the Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and rep and thing and you'll notice any major from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth. First of all what he needs to do is to help them to understand who God is and he begins with God as creator he saying God made you who you didn't make God look at all of the idols around here. They are man-made. But the God that I am proclaiming to you is not man-made. As a matter fact, he is the creator of all things that exists, and because of him you had your existence.

That's the God I proclaim to you, and that's the God who can redeem you so begins by saying yes indeed God is Creator God is omnipresent. He doesn't exist in temples made by hand that was you can build the temple and you're saying I'm building this temple for God and God is going to dwell there. No, no, no, it says in the Old Testament, the heaven of the heavens cannot contain these Solomon said how much less this house that I have built all yes in Old Testament times, God was localized for the purpose of people connecting with him, but God pervades the entire universe and is everywhere and is not limited to a temple or an idol that is made with an and then you'll notice Paul says you need to have a straightened out your doctrine of God and also your doctrine of man. That's the next part of the sermon. You'll notice it says in verse 26 and he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods that could refer to the seasons and the boundaries of their dwelling place that they should seek God in the hope that they might feel their way.

One of the translation says grope their way to ward him and find him, yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for in him we live and move and have our being is even some of your own poets have said, were indeed we are his offspring. I read it quickly.

We have to go through now and understand it in a little bit more detail. The apostle Paul is saying that first of all that God created man from one person and by the way, I had lunch with someone who is an astronomer whose name most of you would know but a month ago and he said that now science continues to have evidence that we all descended indeed from one set of parents and of course we believe that long before science caught up to us. You know I remember one time. Time magazine had an article entitled about that. The city of Jericho and it's his score one for the Bible and it talked about how recent archaeological discoveries actually confirm the biblical record and I thought, no, no, no. Score one for time magazine. They finally got it right. So the apostle Paul here in speaking to them about human being said God determine the seasons and got determine where all of the various tribes would live if you asked the question why did Hamm go into Egypt and jumped out when to Europe and Seth stayed in the Middle East. It is attributed to God that men might grope after God know what's in that text what he saying is, is that as people moved out into different areas and they began to understand that the earth was created for man, and that's why they were able to live in different parts of the country through agriculture and what have you. They should have said to themselves. Surely God created this world. Surely this is all of him because of the light of history because of the light of nature because of the light of conscience. They grow after God hoping to find him and everybody groups for God they don't know it. They have all kinds of substitutes the man who's involved in addictions and sexuality in and ruining his life trying to find fulfillment in an some reason to live. He's groping for God, but he doesn't know it. He thinks that he can get by by filling his life with all kinds of substitutes people grope for God and then noticed that you say will is God difficult to find. Well, there's a sense in which God is hidden, but there's also a sense in which is revealed himself.

He is hidden can be found.

Look at what Paul says that they should seek God in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him, for he is actually not far from each one of us and then Paul quotes two of their philosophers. He says in him we live and move and have our being. Even as some of your own poets have said, for we are indeed his offspring.

I discovered this week that that phrase we are indeed his offspring come from a a Greek poet by the name of Erastus and he was actually referring to Zeus it's a poem about Susan. Then he ends by saying we are his offspring and the apostle Paul close that line out and says that the philosopher, the poet was right in what he said he just had the wrong God, but in him we live in the God that I'm proclaiming to you.

We live and we move and we have our being. And he's not far from any one of us. I can imagine that someone is come here today and you had such a difficult week.

You're in the midst of tragedy here in the midst of heartache and you've come today, perhaps with a conscience that is cluttered with all kinds of sin added to it and you say where can I find God, will the answer is this. He is not far from you, he's not far from you. You can find an even where you are seated. You can find them.

If you are listening today on the Internet and any one of the 80 countries of the world that we heard from you can find God.

There because he is not far from any one of us know what do people need to know today. They have to have the correct doctrine of God. The correct doctrine of man and the correct doctrine of sin.

That's why he speaks about judgment and notice he says being then God's offspring.

We ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone or an image formed by the art in the imagination. God is not the idols that you can see as we walk through the city of Athens.

Paul is saying the times of ignorance God overlooked.

You know, in a time of idolatry. It is not as if God comes along and forgives those people and says it doesn't matter what God that you worship. But God has always been fair and always judge people on the basis of what they did with what they have.

The bottom line is, of course, that nobody lives up to what they know on that basis. They're going to be judged.

That is also true regarding the final judgment, Jesus will not say to those who never heard of Jesus. Well, you're condemned because you didn't believe in Jesus know know know know they never had that opportunity that would be unfair. God will say to you, you're condemned because you had the light of conscience and the light of nature and you didn't live up to what right and that will be the basis of their judgment.

So in times past.

God was more lenient and not in terms of his eventual justice, but people knew less, but now that Jesus has come, things are much more stringent. As far as God is concerned.

Grace increases responsibility.

It never decreases.

It the more light the more responsibility and so you'll notice that Paul says in verse 28 that God overlooked those times. But now he commands people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given us assurance by raising him from the dead, just in that verse. All of the things about final judgment. First of all, that is a fixed day you have to appear can send your attorney can say I'm busy that day, Lord, will be there is compulsory and you'll notice he's going to judge us.

According to a fixed standard of righteousness and its God standard and is not yours and it is a terrifyingly holy standard that none of us can meet on our own. And that's the standard by which God is going to judge you and me and then you'll notice it says also that this judgment is going to be for the world and of course even though it mentions the word world. He's talking generally. But it's an individual judgment were going to stand before God individually nobody to hide behind. I heard that this past week.

God is my witness, somebody told me that he was speaking to a woman and helping her to see that she was a sinner and she said she had never sent and then she said well let me correct that I told a lie. One time, but it was my husband's fault. I was not gonna work snack and work, individual judgment, and then he says he's going to judge it by the man whom he appointed, that is Jesus, and of this he has given us assurance by raising him from the dead.

Jesus is the one who is both Redeemer and Judge Paul says he's the one with which you have to do. He is Lord and therefore repent of your sins and trust him.

And God confirmed that Jesus had the ability to forgive because after all he was raised from the dead, and when they heard about the resurrection of the dead verse 32 some mock others said we will hear you again about this. So Paul went out from their midst. But some men joined him and believed among them also was Dionysian, who apparently was responsible for the Areopagus Mars Hill and a woman named Damas.

Now these are the three responses. You always have. Whenever the gospel is preached here to walk down Clark Street here in Chicago you would come to the Newberry Library and in front of the library where you have that park. It's known as bug house square and then one Saturday in July. They have soapboxes as it were, upon which you can stand in your given a bullhorn and and then you can preach whatever you like and people gather around you and they heckle you they stopped in the middle tell you that you're crazy and perhaps also some other things and that's the way in which you speak. Now I've been speaking there for three or four years, and again, they've already asked me for the summer and they want to have the title and I been agonizing over the title. Of course they want something controversial and very happy to supply that. But this summer I chosen the topic of why every honest historian should believe in the resurrection of so that should give some controversy. Imagine doing that in 15 minutes with hecklers in between. It's the closest that I get the able to preach on Mars Hill. The closest that I can get and you know what all have the same three responses. First of all some mock I can already hear it not based on historical evidence, but it can be. God doesn't raise people from the dead, the Epicureans, they mocked because they were materialist miracles don't happen.

How do you know it's just that we know the Stoics.

They didn't want to believe because after all, the soul gets absorbed into the one then disappears.

There's no physical resurrection. Some mocked and some listening today possibly mock and the reason that you mock is not because the evidence is wanting. It's because you do not want to believe you have made up your mind and you came, in advance, knowing that when you listen to this sermon, you would not believe what the Bible says God is not mocked.

I've been praying for you this week that God would overcome that mocking spirit and then the Bible says some procrastinated will hear you again.

We want to do more comparative shopping and we want to see if we can come up with a religion that is more in tune with where we are at. Can't you just hear it you know the Bible says in the book of Proverbs that if we delay, I wrote the text down but I didn't write what it actually says, but I know it's there somewhere in the Bible it warrants about those who delay and it was Dr. Sweeting who like to say that the road mark tomorrow leads to the town never bottom line, I can tell you this. If you delay today. You'll delay tomorrow you'll delay the next time you hear the gospel and the next time you know many people who intend to accept Christ at 12 midnight actually die at 1030. If you're here today.

Do not delay in believing this. Don't fall into the trap of the procrastinators and then finally some believed, some believed and I'd like to think that in the audience that is here as well as the way in which these messages get broadcast on radio and what have you that there may be some in whom the Holy Spirit is working. I was thinking this week of Lydia, whose hearts the Lord opened and God is opening your heart. You are open to the truth and there is enough conviction of sin in your life for you to know that you really do need a Savior and Jesus is the only one out there. So what you need to do is to believe on him to trust him. The Bible says to repent, because that day is coming, in which God is going to judge the world and because he is not far from you and him you live and move and have your being. That means that he's there in the balcony with those of you wraps sat there because you wanted to be a distance from what is being done today.

I don't know but it could be God is there to.

And God is here, and what you need to do is to reach out to him and put personal faith in Jesus as your sin bearer and remember God raised him from the dead. As proof as proof of the fact that he was the son of God who came to redeem centers and as I hope to show every honest historian must believe in the resurrection of Jesus. My question is do you believe, and if not, what is your excuse and how will you explain that to God in the day that he is fixed to judge. Let's pray together. Father we pray that in a day of idols in a day when people believe in whatever God they want and think that they have the true one because they like the God that they have created in their minds. Would you father lead us to the true one, the one who knows and sees and created and the one also redeems through Jesus Christ take this message.

However, given that I pray father that you might work in the lives of many that right now they might believe, and I do need to ask you today my friend, have you believed in Jesus. If not you can trust him right there because he's there with you where you are seated. Father, we thank you for this message from the apostle Paul, thank you that it still rings in our culture with our idols use it mightily. We pray and help us to be able to explain the gospel to culture that's Lost Its Way in Jesus name, amen on today's Moody Church. Our pastor lutes are brought the second of eight messages on light shining in darkness how the gospel impacts culture. We saw the light shine on the famous Mars Hill in Athens on next week's broadcast.

Paul goes to Corinth and is used by God to shed the Gospels light into a dark moral chasm. It's no secret that America is in crisis. Pastor lutes has written a powerful new book, no reason to hide standing for Christ and a collapsing culture. This book can point the way for your walk with God in the difficult days ahead as we face economic failure, racial strife and moral decadence. No reason to hide will be sent as our thank you to you for your gift of any amount to support The Moody Church.

Our just call one 800-2155 01. Let us know you'd like to support Moody Churches ministry, call 1-800-215-5001 or you can write to us at Moody Church media 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614. You can also go online@moodyoffer.com that's moody all for.com join us next time for another Moody Church. Our with pastor Erwin lutes are in the congregation of historic Moody Church in Chicago. This broadcast is a ministry of The Moody Church