Weekly Sermons

The God Who Overlooks Our Days of Ignorance     Acts 17:22-34

“All things happen according to the Logos” and “the Logos is the judge of truth.”                           -Heraclitus (560 B.C.)

There are several places in the New Testament where we see Christian preachers engage the Greek mindset to share the good news of eternal life in Jesus. They wanted the Greeks to know that the principle behind the universe and inside people was really a ____________ they could know: Jesus Christ, Conqueror of the grave! 

Paul uses a gospel “on-ramp.”                                  V. 22-24

Look at verse 22. The word for extremely religious there is “________ of the demon gods.” When it came to the gods, the people were very careful to appease their gods lest they be angry and create havoc.         

Creation and Conscience are God’s general revelation to all mankind. Romans 1 says that these are both such powerful testimonies about God that all people will be without _________________ before God on judgment day. 

Paul proclaims the Bible’s truths about God and salvation…                                                                                             V. 24-31

Paul’s point is the absurdity of idolatry: We are made in God’s image; idolatry gets it ________________ – it makes gods in man’s image!

The Choice before People: Have your sins looked over or overlooked                                                                                          V. 30

You don’t want God to look over your sins on judgment day; You want Him to overlook your sins because you have __________________!

 

Different ___________________ to the gospel                   V. 32-34

This is cool – some who mock or persecute later will receive the truth they at first rejected! This passage shows that had happened with Paul…

Stephen in Acts 7:48	Paul in Acts 17:24
However, the Most High does not dwell in sanctuaries made with hands…	The God who made the world and everything in it-He is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in shrines made by hands…

 

The early church historian Eusebius reports that Dionysius was the first bishop (pastor) of Athens! Today when you go to Athens and tour the ruins of the Acropolis, you take Dionysiou Areopagitu street: Dionysius the Areopagite Street!

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It is clear that that by using poetic examples from the Phaenomena of Aratus Paul approves of the best statements of the Greeks. Besides, he refers to the fact that in the person of the unknown God the Greeks are indirectly honoring God the Creator and need to receive Him and learn about Him with full knowledge through the Son.                                 -Clement of Alexandria (150-215), ACC, p 220

Like the Athenians, Africans are very religious and have numerous shrines. The concept of the Supreme God in African Traditional Religions (ATR) is also shadowy, not unlike the concept that led to the erection of an altar to the unknown God.                                                                                         -African Bible Commentary, 1331