Gospel for all People

When you hear the name Athens, what comes to your mind?

Is it the place where the Olympic Games, which many of us have been watching, stutter?

Or an excellent place to visit when we can travel again?

Maybe it's a place you call home, a place related to your family and ancestry.

We have been looking into the second half of the book of Acts,

seeing how Paul and his companion bring the gospel,

the good news of Jesus' saving works through his death and resurrection to all people.

Last week, we were at Philippa, where Paul met with a businesswoman that traced purple quartz,

a slave girl that was exploited, and a brutal drailer.

God's mercy reached out to all of them, all different types of people, and their lives changed.

Today, we left Philippa and carry on traveling south.

After passing through Thessalonica and Beria,

where Paul speaks to Jews and Gentiles, men and women, we will get to Athens.

Athens reminds me of the elites, the top of the tops, the best of the best,

elite thinkers, elite athletes, elite cultures,

the political and intellectual capital of the great nation of Greece.

We see from last week that God's saving grace is for all people,

the upper class merchandisers, the lower class slave girls, and even the middle class jailers.

But God's gospel is also for the elites, the thinkers, the government officials and politicians.

God's gospel is for everyone, for all people.

To the God-feeling or the religious, men and women, ordinary or prominent,

Paul proclaims the same gospel to all these people.

But not all of them have the same response as Lydia and the jailer from chapter 16.

Please turn with me to Acts 17 and go to the St. Paul's apps for today's outline.

Let's find out how God's gospel applies to all people and how should you respond.

Luke, the author of Acts, told us at the beginning of the chapter 17,

when Paul and his companion come to Thessalonica in verse 2-3.

As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue,

and on three Sabbath days, he listened with them from the scriptures,

explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and raise from the dead.

This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah, he said.

This custom of Paul going first into the synagogue,

the cultural and religious meeting place of the Jews,

is shown in verse 1, verse 10 and 17,

in Thessalonica, Berea and Athens.

This meeting place were not exclusively for Jews only.

They also have God-fearing prominent Greeks.

Jews and Greeks were together learning from the scripture,

the Old Testament part of our Bible today,

about the Jewish God.

They had to go to the synagogue to learn about the scripture

because they were not as privileged as us,

who has readily easy access to the Bible.

On the other hand, they have the privilege of meeting

and physically interacting with each other to learn about God,

which I believe many of us long to be in

for our current fight against COVID.

God sent Paul to the early Christians

to make sure they do not just know him intellectually.

He wants them to interact with him relationally.

Moving them from being persuaded

to joining as fellow disciples of the faith.

God's intention for all people

to be interacting with him relationally never changed.

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Throughout his journey from Philippa to Athens,

Paul proclaims Jesus Christ as a savior

and speaks about the necessity

of his suffering and resurrection.

The topic of suffering always seems to come

to go hand in hand

when a discussion about religion and God.

I believe that reflects

one common narrative of human being.

All people, being good or bad,

intelligent or simple-minded,

Western or Oriental,

whatever background, whatever culture,

all share the common goal in life.

I may have to ask Randy to help me go to the next slide.

Thank you.

We ask the common question,

how can we avoid unnecessary suffering

and have a good and happy life?

If you ask anyone,

even the words of the criminal,

do you wish to be happy?

No one would say,

I do not wish it.

If you ask a criminal,

why do you commit the crime?

He or she may say,

so I can have what I do not have.

But why do you wish to have

what you do not have?

Because it feels bad not to.

They think getting what they want

will make them happy.

They want to be made happy

by what is wrong and terrible

is the least of their worries.

For it is good to be happy.

Whom Paul encounters in the marketplace of Athens

typify this pursuit of life's common goal.

In verse 16,

while Paul was waiting for them in Athens,

he was greatly distressed

to see that the city was full of idols.

So he listened in the synagogue

with both Jews and Godfinged Greeks,

as well as in the marketplace day by day

with those who happened to be there.

A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers

began to debate with him.

Some of them asked,

what is this Babylon trying to say?

Other remarks,

he seems to be advocating foreign gods.

They say this because Paul was preaching

the good news about Jesus

and the resurrection.

Paul met two groups of philosophers

in the marketplace

in a very simplistic way.

If you ask the Epicurean philosophers,

what makes a happy life?

They will mostly answer,

the pleasure of the body.

And to the Stoic,

what things makes a happy life?

They will say the virtue of the mind.

There are two groups of people

who sit at the opposite end

with competing views.

But they both pursue the same thing,

the happiness of life.

And because of this common pursuit,

they are never mutually exclusive.

All humans fall between these two ends.

One end promotes that

God has no interest in or influence

on the affair of man.

The gods are supremely happy and serene

for they are not bothered by humans.

There is nothing to fear or worry

about God or afterlife.

When one dies, all is over.

Both body and soul are gone

and no future punishment to worry about.

The Eastern religion of Taoism

and some New Age religion

that pursues tranquility of soul

sits at this end.

They understand the world around them

by sense perception.

Truth is what they can feel and touch.

What is natural to their senses

must be true.

The world is a garden,

not a jungle.

Enjoyment of life

and happiness

comes from a community

of good friends

as their essential pleasure.

Men and women

with equal status

in a standard way

of life

helps them

to shelter

and protect the fearful.

We find it very hard

to bear

to be restricted

from staying in contact

and enjoying close interaction

with friends

and other humans,

which is most likely

because this kind of value

in our mindset.

If at this end

is the enjoyment of life,

the opposite end

is to endure life.

When the goings get tough,

the toughs get going.

Kind of attitude.

The body and physical world

are evil

and stop us

from thoroughly

enjoying the spiritual,

where our mind

will return to

after death.

So we should work hard

at putting our minds

over our body.

However,

life is also

based on fate.

We are all actors

in a drama

chosen by the author

of life.

If it is a short drama,

then in a short one.

If it is a long,

then in a long one.

If it is the author's

pleasure

that you should

and as a poor man,

see that you will

act it well.

Or a disabled person,

or a ruler,

or a private citizen.

Your life is to act well

the given part,

but you have no business

choosing which part

to play.

to play.

The supreme God,

or guiding principle,

determines everything

that happens

in the world.

So,

whatever will be,

will be.

To them,

God is not just

playing with our lives,

but also embedded

in everything

we can find

in this world.

It manifests itself

into a different God

for different people

and culture.

People at this end

tend to be

very religious.

And a lot of

world religions

fall into that.

Religious people,

no matter from the

East or the West,

tend to think that

to ensure prosperity

and blessing

for their life

is to do good deeds

or offer up

offerings.

If God is happy,

human will get

happiness

and good fortune

in return.

Otherwise,

we will get

what we deserve

for upsetting God.

We all

live through life

trying to find

a happy middle.

And in our

current climate,

it is much

harder to come by.

Paul's speech

at the

Aragogos

in Athens

and what he said

to the

Thessalonians

and the

Berians

explicitly

and implicitly

point to a

different perspective

of life.

And the

ultimate answer

to our

shared pursuit

of a happy

life.

to the

Jew

and

God-feeling

Gentiles

in Thessalonica

and

Beria,

Paul spoke

explicitly

in verse 3

to say that

this Jesus

I am proclaiming

to you

is the Messiah.

And the

summary

by those

unfriendly

Jews in

verse 6

to 7

say this,

this man

who have

caused

trouble

all over

the world

have come

here

saying that

there is

another king

one called

Jesus.

In

Athens

he spoke

implicitly

without

mentioning

his name

or quoting

any scripture

that Jesus

is the

only answer.

Paul then

stood up

in the

meeting

of the

area

of

this

and said

people of

Athens

I see that

in every

way

you are

very

religious

for as

I walk

around

and look

carefully

at your

objects of

worship

I even

find

an altar

which

was

which

this

inscription

to an

unknown

God.

So you

are ignorant

of the

very things

you worship

and this

is what

I am

going to

proclaim

to you.

The

God

who

made

the

world

and

everything

in it

is

Lord

of

heaven

and

earth

and

does

not

live

in

temple

built

by

human

hands

and

he

is

not

served

by

human

hands

as

if

he

needed

anything

rather

he

himself

gives

everyone

life

and breath

and

everything

else.

Paul

deals

with

the

superstition

of

religious

people

straight away.

God

of

the

Bible

is

the

world's

creator

and

is

not

limited

to

one

location.

The

Lord

of

heaven

and

earth

is

not

easily

manipulated

by

humans

or

need

humans

for

anything.

He

himself

gives

life

and

breath

and

everything

is

us

human

that

needed

God

and

God

is

all

that

we

need.

From

one

man

he

made

all

nations

that

they

should

inhabit

the

whole

earth

and

he

marked

out

for

there

upon

the

time

in

history

and

the

boundary

for

the

lands.

God

did

this

so

that

they

would

seek

him

and

perhaps

reach

out

for

him

and

find

him

though

he

is

not

far

from

any

one

of

us.

Paul

carries

on

to point

out

that

God

is

not

far

from

each

one

of

us

and

he

ruled

for

us

to

seek

him

and

find

him.

The

word

perhaps

in

between

seeking

and

finding

highlights

God's

God's

sovereignty

does

not

diminish

human

responsibility.

Perhaps

reach

out

for

him

in

first

that

without

reaching

out

humans

will

not

find

him.

The

gospel

unites

God's

sovereignty

and

human

responsibility

in a

brilliant

mystery.

What we

are to

reach out

for is

not the

pleasure

of the

body

or the

virtue

of the

mind.

We are

to reach

out for

God and

to live

out his

purpose for

our life,

to honor

and glorify

him.

These two

verses

provide the

best answer

for anyone

that are

uncertain or

anxious about

the purpose

of their

life.

the answer

to a

good and

happy

life

is

God.

There is

nothing

more

rewarding

than to

have a

vibrant

relationship

with the

creator

of this

world.

What can

make life

happier

than

communion

with

God?

God

is the

answer

to the

common

pursuits

of all

people.

When we

understand

our

purpose

and find

our

answer

of

happy

life,

we will

be able

to stop

doing

those

meaningless

things.

Therefore,

since we

are God's

offspring,

we should

not think

that the

divine

being is

like gold

or silver

or stone,

an image

made by

human

design

and skill.

The

conclusion

to Paul's

speech is

since we

are made

by God

in his

image,

we must

not think

that we

can create

an image

and call

it God.

it is

not a

small

matter

to make

ourselves

objects

of worship

and

robbing

the

created

God

of

his

glory.

Paul

continued

to say,

in the

past,

God

overlooked

such

ignorance,

but now

he commands

all people

everywhere

to repent.

God

has set a

day

to judge

the world

with

justice

by the

man

he has

appointed.

He has

given proof

of this

to everyone

by raising

him up

from the

dead.

All

people

have the

same

destiny.

God

has set

a day

to judge

the world

with

justice.

We all

have to face

a judgment

demonstrated

by the

man

who has

resurrected

from the

dead.

That man

is Jesus

Christ.

Given

this

inevitable

future

day of

judgment,

God

commands

all people

everywhere

to repent.

You

might think,

what am I

to repent

of?

Theologian

J.I.

Packer

explained,

repentance

means

justice.

changing

your mind

so that

your

view,

values,

goals,

and ways

are changed

and your

life is

lived

differently.

The

change is

radical,

both inward

and outward.

Mind

and judgment,

will and

affections,

behavior and

lifestyle,

motives and

purpose

are all

involved.

Repentance

means

starting

a new

life,

life,

to live

a new

life.

The new

life lived

under the

new king,

Jesus Christ.

In Jesus'

death and

resurrection,

this new

life starts

by believing,

believing

in Jesus,

our Lord and

Savior.

Paul preached

the same

gospel in

three places.

Each

places,

verse 4,

12,

and 32,

some believers

allow themselves

to be persuaded

and believed

and followed.

we also

see some

scoffers

who mock

and sneeze

and willing

to wait

out and

accept the

evidence

like in

Athens.

And the

worst of the

characters

is a

jealous

Thessalonian

Jew who

ran up

hooligans

to form a

mob and

start a riot

to stop

Paul and

his companion

from sharing

the gospel.

not just

willing to

believe

themselves,

they also

stop others

from looking

into it.

In

Thessalonica,

some of the

Jews were

persuaded and

joined Paul

and Silas

as a large

number of

God-feeling

Greeks and

quite a few

prominent women.

But other

Jews were

jealous,

so they

round up

some bad

characters from

the marketplace,

form a mob,

and start a

riot in the

city.

And at

Beria,

in verse

12,

as a result,

many of

them believed,

as did also

a number of

prominent

Greek women

and many

Greek men.

But when the

Jews in

Thessalonica

learned that

Paul was

preaching the

word of

God at

Beria,

some of

them went

there too,

agitating the

crowd and

stirring them

up.

And then in

verse 32,

when they

heard about

the resurrection

of the

dead,

some of

them

sneezed,

but others

said,

we want to

hear you

again on

this subject.

At that,

Paul left

the council,

some of the

people become

followers of

Paul and

believed.

we have

those who

believe and

follow and

those who

scoff and

sneeze in

response to

God's command

to change

their mind

about him,

to repent

and start

living a new

life with

views,

values,

goals,

and ways

based on

his teaching.

We also

have those

who doubt,

who say,

we want to

hear you again

on this

subject,

ever

inquiring,

but never

embrace a

conclusion.

What kind

of a

listener are

you?

What is

your response

to God's

calling today?

Now in

the

Berean Jews

were of

more noble

character than

those in

Thessalonica,

for they

received a

message with

great eagerness

and examined

the scripture

every day to

see if what

Paul said

was true.

As a result,

many of them

believed,

as did also

a number of

prominent Greek

and women

and many

Greek men.

Many

people in

Berean

believed

because they

received the

message with

great eagerness

and examined

the scripture

every day to

see if what

Paul said

was true.

They

embraced and

received the

message and

they go to

a scripture

positively to

confirm Jesus'

identity as

our king and

savior.

To become a

believer and

grow as a

disciple of

God,

it's not

enough only

to sit and

listen.

The Berean

examined the

scripture every

day after they

received the

gospel.

Unlike us,

we have easy

access to the

Bible.

The Berean

would be

examining the

scripture daily

in fellowship

with others

in the synagogue.

And through

this fellowship

and interaction,

living daily

under the

lordship of

Jesus, his

death and

resurrection

enabled them

to repent

and change

their perspective

on life and

the world they

are living in.

The way a

faithful Christian

will grow is

through daily

Bible reading

and prayer,

a regular

devotional time

with God in

fellowship with

others.

our current

situation makes

it more

crucial for

us to

maintain our

connection and

fellowship with

other believers.

believers.

Have you

connected with

anyone recently?

Have you

responded to

the gospel

call for you

to repent?

Are the

changes in

your life

reflect your

acknowledgement

of Jesus as

your savior

and his

life lived

out in

faith under

his

lordship?

Do you

know who

you are

worshiping?

are you

worshiping a

thing that

you made

up?

Or are you

worshiping

God, the

creator of

the world,

the lord of

heaven and

earth?

From one

man, God

made all

nations that

they should

inhabit the

whole earth

and he

marked out

for their

point of

time in

history and

the boundary

for their

lands.

God did

this so

that they

may seek

him and

perhaps reach

out for

him and

find him

though he

is not far

from any

one of

us.

God is

not far

from you.

Reach

out, feel

your way

for him

and you

will find

him.

Jesus is

all you

need.

Believe in

Jesus.

Worship him

alone.