Paul in Athens | Pr Matthew Chang

You're listening to a message to go from ex Church. We hope this message

will light up your day. Turned with me to Acts chapter seventeen, okay,

and we're gonna read from verse one and we will slowly go through there.

Okay, now, Act chapter seventeen, and this comes from the backdrop

a bit of a bit of recap is that Paul is on his second missionary

trip and he has just come Philip Pie. Okay. His first trip was

into Philip Pie and he got the Philippian jailers safe. Okay. He was

preaching, of course, he saved some cast out demo from a little girl,

and then they jailed him, you know, because he took away their

livelihood. This lady was able to have what they call it divinations, a

power divination of our side, able to see into the future. But when

the demon left, she couldn't and the people who were profiting from her revolted

and threw Paul and Silas into the jail and they were eventually, of course,

God delivered them, okay, and they found out. One interesting thing

about Paul was that he is a Roman, and Romans are very very powerful.

How many of you know that, you know Romans are very rare powerful,

not just because they were Romans, but Romans actually as a society,

rights as as a nation. They value each and every citizen very preciously.

You know, some countries do that as well, and you know, like

for example Japan, some of the places where they have law fertility rate each

and every citizen, especially very pure Romans are very valued because Rome actually has

a fertility problem and one of the afferidity fertility problem is actually attributed to their

use of metals. Uh. And also I think the water they drink.

I know this because I used to when I visited Rome, right and they

were telling us, you know how Romans they have fertility fertility problem because of

the ring water they use I think a best source or sometimes or lead piping,

so they affected the air. Their they are what they call it their

fertivity. And because of that, they gave them a lot of privileges.

So if you do not work, you are given if I'm not mistaken,

h thirty to fifty kilos worth of grain a year. You know, it's

quite quite nice privilege. So it's like you know, citizen benefits. You

know, give you fifty kilos of a grain for the rest of the year.

You know, it's like they support them. You know, they encouraging,

they encouraging, encouragement society to have children. They have a lot of

rights, uh. And you are not to be persecuted by any other uh

what they call it, uh, people from other nations. They have a

lot of power. And when Rome, when Paul was realized that, when

when they relisted of Poe was a Roman, right, a lot of people

were very scared because he actually has a lot of authority and rite within him

as well. Okay, so that was a backdrop. So now we are

actually the main course is actually Athens. Okay. So I'm not going to

spend too much time on some of the areas and I'm gonna focus mainly on

Athens. Okay. So in verse seventeen, it says not when they had

pastored Empiphilis and Polonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue

of the Jews. Then Paul, as his custom was, went into them

for three sabbaths. He reasoned with them from the scriptures, explaining and demonstrating

that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying

this Jesus, whom I preach to you is Christ. And some of them

were persuaded, and the great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not of

the few leading women joined poor and silence. Okay, verse five, let's

continue. But the Jews, who were not persuaded became envious, took some

of the evil men from the marketplace. Or you want to look for evil

men, where do you find them from the marketplace? Okay, evil man,

you came from the marketplace. I must be evil already. I just

kidding, okay. And gathering a mob set all the city in an uproar,

and attacked the house of Jason and sought to bring them out to the

people. But when they did not find them, that direct Jason and some

of the brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, these who

have turned the world upside down have come here too. Jason has harbored them,

and these are all acting contrary to the decrease of Caesar, saying there's

another king, Jesus. And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the

city when they heard these things. So when they had taken security from Jason

and the rest, they let them go. So after all these things.

What they were want the money. Okay, let's move on. Then the

Brethren immediately sent Paul and Sallas away by night to Berea. When they arrived,

they went into the synagogue of the Jews. They were more fair minded

than in Uh Thessalonica in that indeed, in that they received the Word with

all readiness and search the scripture daily to find out whether these things were sold.

Therefore many of them believe. And also not a few of the Greeks,

prominent women as well as men. Let's just pause there for a while.

Okay. So when Paul uh the poor strategy where he entered into every

city was what synagogues. Okay, I mentioned this. Many times he went

to the synagogue he went through. They said, a lot of people sometimes

say, hey, the Bible is just a bunch of mythologies. It's like

there's no difference between the Bible and the Avengers. It's just it's just myth.

But if you ask, the people in the ancient times are totally opposite,

totally opposite. They really regard, if you're even right now, you

regard the historicity of the Bible is very accurate, very very accurate. Because

the sources for the Bible, and the scripture is plentiful, very in the

world. The amount of scripture and references and manuscripts the Bible is way higher

than even more than any other book in the world. And talk about Roman

history, Chinese history, Greek philosophy. He has way, way, way,

ten hundred times one thousand times more references than any other what they call

it a piece of manuscript. A lot of people don't know that, you

know. And they actually are many museums of the Bible. The most famous

amount, of course, is in Philadelphia. Uh it's called the Bible Museum,

where they house the first printed Bible. The first printed, mass printed

book in the whole human history is actually the Bible. It's called the Guttenberg

Bible. Okay, okay, the first mass printed thing is called the Guttenberg

Bible. The Guttenburg himself is the printer. But if you want to study,

you can go and read about him. But so wherever he went,

what did he do? He decided to put on his scholar head, his

academic head, instead of me just trying to preach you as a minister.

Let us reason like Greeks, let us reason like Jewish people who study the

scriptures. Okay, so he put up the scriptures and he tell them what

was the scripture in the Old Testament? What is the whole purpose of the

Old Testament is just to tell you that you know that there is seeing,

there is war, there is God who's looking for righteousness. No, the

whole setup, setup of the Old Testament is to point to a hope or

a person. The whole setup of the Old Testament is to point to a

hope. Okay, because you can't do it, I give you everything,

deliver you from, give you the laws, give you profits, give you

judges. After so many things, you cannot do it. It's about the

hope. And now I tell and then it's not tell you about the hope.

I'm going to give you a list of all the things that is going

to qualify who this person is, what this hope is, so then when

he comes you can see it. So the whole entire Old Testament is like

a treasure map, telling you all this entireities. So when they step into

the New Testament, Jesus comes along and tells you all these things. You

bring it to me, and I'm going to share with your how I fulfill

every one of them. Yeah, when so you think about it. When

Jesus when he rose from the theatre, when he resurrected, what did he

do with the disciples. He didn't just have breakfast like okay, of course

he had breakfast with them. What did he do? He went through the

scriptures with them. So if you meet your master after the resurrection, Master,

what should we do? Study? I told my studying, my last

my, my, my past, last night. I finished graduation. You

said, you said, asked me to study. Yes, study, But

it's true Jesus went through the Bible. We don't so that to prove that

he is the Messiah, all I must fulfill. All was all that was

foretold about me. Okay. So Paul went to every city and every place,

and in the god he took out the scriptures and he reasoned with them.

Okay. And so some people, no matter what you tell them,

they will black sphemed, they will reject you get I mean right. So

a lot of times that even you tell the trophile, they will simply say

it's not true. They were blast fiem. They will contradict. Okay,

they're watered down. But then there were some of the people who were there,

some of the Greeks. Okay, the Greeks. How come the Greeks

were able to come into the picture because you know that how many of you

have been to Alexandria, not the commonplace you go to like Binanga. Okay.

So in Alexandria there's actually if you later you read in the later parts

of a book of Acts, there's this guy called Apollos. We heard Apollos

before. Apollos is a Jew, but he grew up in Alexandria. Alexandria

is comes from the south of Jerusalem, okay, southwest of Judusalem. It's

in Egypt. It's the north of Egypt, but and the south of Israel.

Alexandria has one of the the biggest ancient library called the Great Library you

heard before, the Great Alexandrian Library, Great lib of the ancient It has

one of the greatest libraries you know in ancient history, in all the house,

all the manuscript but it was burned down. But in that great library

at that time, Okay, what they did one one of the most famous

thing that they actually did was they gathered seventy Greek scholars, seventy Greek scholars

to come and convert Hebrew Scripture or Testament scripture into classical Greek scripture. The

conversion the first attempt okay, from too Greek, that is what and then

what we now call this convert this transcribed version is called the Septuvisian scripture.

A mail heard before septuvision Septigian mean seventy ah, now you know what I

mean. So they converted that. And so because of that when they're conversion,

now the Hebrew Scripture is available to the Romans, to the Greek,

to the modern society at that time to be able to understand. And so

for the first time these scriptures are actually traveling up north up from from Egypt

the Jerusalem, of course they don't need they use Hebrew, but traveling up

all the way to the different parts of Syria, ancient Turkey, Greece,

and to Rome as well. Okay, and so the synagogue are now they

have Hebrew, but now they have also Greek scriptur ready, and so the

Greeks, when they are very hungry, there are people who are hungry for

knowledge, and they know that it's very trustworthy because their own people transcribed it.

They study it. The Jews don't believe it. They believed it.

Amazing, isn't it. The Greeks believed it, just like this is so

amazing. Your scripture is so more powerful than ours. You know, they

believed it. En you say that, therefore many of them believe, and

also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.

But who did not believe it were the Jews. But when the Jews from

Thessalonica, it says in verse thirteen, learned that the world of God was

preached by Paul and Brea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds.

Then immediately the Brethren sent Paul aware to go to the sea, but

both Silas and Timothy remained there. So those who conducted Paul brought him to

Athens, and receiving a command from Silas and Timothy to come to him with

all speed day the part. Okay, so it's quite amazing his name that

even as they tried, you know, no, no, they preach the

word, so that oh, men know, there are some who don't,

but yeah, there are also some who will believe. Okay, now let's

go to the main course. So let me have a sip aht Okay,

Athens. This is you're going to be in for a treat Okay Athens.

Now let's read first. Let's read from verse sixteen to verse ah, verse

twenty one. Okay, verse sixteen. Now he says, now while Paul

waited for them in Athens, his spirit was probable within him when he saw

that the city was given over to idols. Therefore he reasoned the synagogue,

in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the gentile worshippers, and in

a marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. Then certain Epicurean and

Stoic philosophers encountered him, and some said, what does this babbler want to

say? Others said, he seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,

because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and

brought him to the aeropapers, saying, may we know what this new doctrine

is of which you speak, For you are bringing some strange things to our

ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean. For all the

Athenians and the foreigners who are there spend their time in nothing else but either

to tell or to hear something new things. Okay, you know, too

much time in their freehands. Okay, Okay, now let's pause there for

a while. So now Paul arrive in Athens, not intentionally, but he

was kind of like chased there. Okay, so his brethren saying, you

go there first because you're in danger. We will follow you later on.

So Paul was in Athens, and Athens is not the biggest city, but

it was one or the most important cities. Not the biggest, but one

of the most important cities. It's like and very advanced. If you think

about Athens, the similarity city will be like I don't know, like Boston

like with not a lot or maybe like I don't know, Melbourne like that,

or or Oxford like that, not the biggest city, but with a

lot of intellectuals, with a lot of resources and studies as well. Okay,

so uh, that was what Athens was very famous for. And now

dare's a saying that you know in Athens that when you come to Athens,

the chances of you meeting uh and iidl it is higher than you're meeting a

person. Hmm. So it's more likely when you turn the corner, you're

more likely to meet it either than the person. So it's fail. Your

idols everywhere, got small idol, big idol. You know, idels were

everywhere and mis understanding idols at that time were colored. Ah, you know

right, most time time we look at it's all stone color. Most of

the times at that time is colored one. Okay, they have different colors

one. So it's very beautiful, very very beautiful. Okay. Athenians are

very religious, you know, you know, of course they're Athenians. What

does what? What? What do the what? You want to guess which

god actually worship? What is the what do you call it? Host or

adopted god of Athens? One of the guests Athena? What was the god

of goddess of Athena known for Warren wisdom? Okay, so who are there?

Who are the people? What? What sort of people will Ethens attract?

It's the goddess of war and wisdom? Scholars? All the highly intellectual

people are you know, all the Socrates, all these people, Phytogorers and

all these people they go there, okay, all the powers, all the

writers, Oh, they go there. Say that all the cool people,

all the smart people hang out with the smart people are hear mean? Like

you know, okay, so and also very extremely religious people. They attracted

this group of people, okay, and he says there there are oh okay,

yeah, that's the slights. Okay. I completely forgot about the side

religious city. See your thinkers and philosophers. Now it says there there are

storics and Epicureans. How many of you these two before some? I think

Storics would be probably before familiar to some of you here if you if you

go online, you probably see this reference being got a bit, I give

you a bit of understanding. So that background Epicureans and stoics is to believe

okay. The Epicureans, okay, they are focused. Their main belief systems

centers around on what oh you are familiar history if you'll study the history and

epicureans okay, versus size. Epicurans are quite popular in Western society. Focus

on headenism, sensual enjoyment, what you can feel touched here, tastes okay,

it's all about central enjoyment. They believe in there's there are gods,

many gods, okay, but they do not believe that God intervene in our

in our affairs. What does that mean, that's a very important thing.

You know. They believe there's a higher power, but they don't believe that

the gods care. So what that means and what that leads to is that

a lot of Epicureans think that they can do wrong, but there are no

consequences. Gods don't care. So how I live my life is up to

me. So all their life is about me, myself, how it affects

me to give me if I don't care about myself and my life's biggest goal

is about my self enjoyment. You can't imagine how self centered a person can

be. Isn't it so epicureated epicenter? You are at the epicenter, the

center of your whole universe. You are all about you, Everything post towards

you. It's called the epicurean. Okay, said life is random. There

is not afterlife as well, So every assumption and every life belief that the

bill is about now and me. Okay, now you see the world right

now, any any difference, you might not call it epicurean. Don't say,

hey, epicurian, that sounds some Mediterranean. I'm my epicurian. Don't

call yourself there okay, but you see a form of that isn't it self

selfish? Living about you yourself about now, Okay, that's epicurean. On

the other side, you have the stoics. Okay. The storics are started

by this guy called Zeno. What a cool name. Who wants to name

the baby Zeno? Okay? Zeno? Okay. It sounds like some you

know, alien bad guy. Okay, okay. They have a pantheistic view.

Pantheistic means that they believe that everything is called everything is God. This

is called okay, mother Nature is called believe in the Mother Earth. But

they believe that everything is But the one thing they differ is that they believe

that life is about what self mastery, the pursuit of self mastery. So

you see a lot of story believers are like six packs, you know,

apps, you know, Greek, you know, so you know it's all

about self, self mystery, so about like war, you know. Uh.

One of the famous story was this Augustus, you know is really can't

remember who is it? Okay? Self mystery, perseverance, wisdom. So

a lot of people, you know, it's a workd you know, like

heavy goggings, you know, one thousand pull ups, you know, in

one week. You know, so you had no idea are talking about.

Okay, you can go ahead research this guy, David Godgins, like you

know, like Ron, it's hot. Even when your leg is hurting,

you run some more. You know. It's like, no, it's just

a mind your mental Okay, it's like hardcore story. Okay, So one

it's about the flesh, and the other one it's all about mind, the

self mastery. Okay, but then it also is quite destructive. You know

why. It's all about you as well. You see, it's all in

the in the world's perspective. God. Understanding the universe begins with you.

It's what the whole religion as part you want to understand the world. It's

somewhere in you. It's in you. Let it go, Let it go.

Disney will come and tell you, let it go. It's all about

in you, aut least do you inside? You know? You know you

you you? You want to know. God is you? You are a

God. You are small gods, big gods. God God in you.

That's just about to awaken. What kind of nonsense they're teaching. Okay,

it's being taught in this in the churches as well. It's not what it's

the whole Bible about. It's not about you. It's about God and that

is his heart as well, isn't it. You become nothing, but when

you are zero, God comes and feels, God reveals. God reaches out

to man. You get mean, right, God reaches out to man.

So it's a very So what I'm sharing if you right now, it's because

Paul right now, he's like it's like a campus student dropped first day in

the in the university like that, you know, surrounded by very smart people,

surrounded by the architectures, the storics, the epicureans, all the smartest

people who have who debate nothing, you know, to talk about nothing the

whole they're like just debating and you're gonna be talking to them. So if

I drop you right now in you know, in Oxford or in Harvard right

now, and to preach to them, are you ready, You've been the

scariest in Oh what do I know? He isn't there, But this is

where Paul is landing right now. Okay, now, okay, So he

was he was speaking to them and then he's said that, and then he

was preach to them and then he said. Then the story said that,

because you know, what is this man babbling about about resurrection and different things.

So they decided, okay, this guy seems like you got a lot

to talk about as well. Let's let's bring him up to the aeropagers.

Okay, Aeropagers. It's it's like the I don't know, there's no equivalent

right now. Okay, It's like it's like the main debate area. It's

on top of a hill. Actually, the name Aeropagers, if you convert

into English, is called Mars Hill Mass because it's about uh got aeropapers comes

from the world arrow as Ares is the in Rome is Mars. Okay,

the god of war as well, okay Aris. Yeah, So the mass

he is the place where they say, not in ancient mythology's errors, where

he killed the Poseidon's son. Okay, so it's called Mass Hill. So

on top of this hill is where all the intelligence, all the intelligent people

come and debate, they judge, or they decide on things as well.

You know, it's very famous. Okay, do you have a picture there?

Don't? Oh, it's ready there day Okay. So they brought him

there. It's like a center of the of the world to debate and to

share. So Paul, when they're okay, Now, how did he address

to them? How did he would take up this unique and powerful platform to

share to a society that is really unfamiliar with the Hebrew God? How does

he bring Jesus to them? How? Quite not easy? Now a society

that is totally forging the heart? Does he go and preach? Let's go

to there? Verse twenty two. He says them post in the midst of

the aeropapers, and said, men of the Athens, I perceive that in

all things you are very religious. For as I was passing through and considering

the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription underlying

these are very important. This is probably the center of to the unknown God.

Therefore, the one King whom you worship without knowing him, I proclaim

to you God who made the world and everything in it, Since he is

Lord of heavens and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands,

nor is he worshiped with men's hands, as though he needed anything. Since

he gives to all life, breath, and all things, and he has

made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of

the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwelling,

so that they should underline this part seek the Lord in the hope that

they might grow for him and find him. Okay, God, he is

not far from each one of us, for in him we live and move

and have our being. Underline that, and notice how this is so different

from the Stoics and the Epicureans, For in Him we live and move and

have our being. For them is totally the opposite. Okay, As also

some of your own poets have said, for we are also his off spring.

Therefore, since we are of the offspring of God, we ought not

to think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone. Truly,

these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to

repent, because he is appointed a day on which he will judge. Okay,

he will judge as the world in righteousness by the man whom he is

ordained. Think about it, Epicurians don't believe in judgment and consequences preatures differently,

there is a judgment coming. Okay. He has given assurance all this

to all by raising him from the dead. And there is appointed judge.

And it's not just any judge. There's an appointed judge who must earn it

by marriat the one who was raised from the dead. And verse twenty two.

Okay, maybe I stopped there for a while. Oky Now, So

Paul begins his message by addressing what they're surrounded with. In verse twenty two,

he says that I perceive that in all things, you are very religious,

and many you know, I say, there are many idols. They

are always looking for something. Why they look for Why do men want religion?

Why are men always seeking something greater and higher than them? Is it

because they want blessings? Is that because they are they're always easily being misled

like sheeps, like their fools, some people will say. Then he says

that enough for as I was passing through and considering the object of your worship,

I even found an altar with this inscription to the unknown God. Okay,

Now, a lot of people think when we go through this part,

right, this passage, a lot of people said to the God and they

would just say that, hey, it's just a particular stone. But I'm

going to share a story of you, guys, they will give a lot

of context about this, this particular altar. Okay, now, I think,

let me give you specifically the time. I don't have the time here.

Okay. Athens, before Christ came into the world, right about five

hundred BC, they were already very religious, with many idols. And then

suddenly, and you can read this in the history. I can't remember.

It's a great time, Okay, they were struck with an epidemic, huge

epidemic that killed a lot of the citizens. So during that time, you

know, they tried to find medicine, the sacrifice this cow, chicken,

goor whatever you want to come. They even sacrifice humans as well, do

all sorts of things to try to figure out a way to overcome this pandemic,

do all sorts of things they can't do. And then one day they

decide to hire this guy, okay, and they call him a consultant.

Okay, hire a consultant. I thought I had the name, but anyway,

to hire a consultant to come and tell them what to do, to

guide them what to do. And this guy, this consultant, is actually

a poet. Of all people, they hire a poet, Okay, So

he agreed. Okay, he agreed, and he told him to do this,

and he basically asked them. What he did is basically okay, he

said, you gather give me all the all the ships and the goods of

the city. Gather them together, okay, and then put in the city

center. Okay, and for one week, don't feed them, don't feed

them anything. Put them in a pen, don't feed them anything. Okay,

okay, put them after one week, release them, okay, release

them. Some of them they will just really rush and eat something, to

drink something. But observe, you say, observe what they do. Any

lamb or any sheep, any goal there goes to a certain place. They

don't eat, they don't drink. But what they do is that they just

lay down there and then just sit down there and do nothing. Pay attention

to those ones. And that is where you will build an altar to the

unknown God, and you will sacrifice that ship. And there's no one alter.

There were actually different authors to the Annonger, to the unknonger. Do

they unknown to the unknown God? And they will sacrifice another they sacrifice the

epidemic. Sob now think about it for one what is being spoken here Athens

is a city with more idols than any other place in all the idols.

They could do nothing, nothing to heal themselves, to kill themself, nothing,

And yet one guy presents this unique thing. They could they could say

that this guy is a savior. But they realized that somehow there was a

hint of the ship, and then they built an altar. They don't know

who to attribute it to, but they realized there was one very important thing.

There is an unknown god who was willing to have mercy on them.

It was not the end of something, but it was the beginning of something.

Now read this passage what I'm saying here now verse twenty six. And

He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the

face of the earth, and has determined their pret appointed time and the boundaries

of their dwelling. Okay, that so that they should seek the Lord in

the hope that they might grow for him and find him. Though he is

not far from each one of us. An entire city that could not heal

themselves is not left with a very very important clue. Okay, you said

that there is some We are set here on earth not to live for ourselves,

Nor can we understand God based on how he lived in temples, live

in great houses, Nor is he made from hands, from gold, silver,

anything of our senses. God cannot be containing that. But yet He

has determined and commanded and ordained all human being in every odd place of the

earth to what to seek him. And so with this sign that I don't

know who this God is greater than Athena and greater than Zeus and everything we

don't know. And so this pandemic, it's not just about blessing you.

This pandemic is a warning call. You are hungry, but you are hungry

for the wrong things. You're hungry for things from your hand. I'm giving

you right now repent so that you will search, so that you will grow

up and God in God promises. I am not far from them. But

what did they do? But what did they do? Five hundred years later

when Paul came back, happened to the city filled with idols again, fill

with idols again. So they miss the message, you know, they missed

the calling. You know they missed that. Even though I cannot understand,

I don't know, I am meant to start on an adventure to search and

to seek sick and you were fine, true or not? So is a

lot of people said God, I'm just waiting for you to come. No,

the problems on you. You never seek You get what I mean?

Right? There are so many clues in your life. But when was the

last time you took time to see God? Why didn't the Athenian see God?

They saw a pure occupied They went back to the old former selves after

being delivered by none of their gods, but by God himself, they went

back to the old ways. Sounds familiar, sounds like the Egyptians. You

know what I'm saying. So Paul is saying that this is the God I

preach to you. He's giving a message somehow is It's totally relevant to them,

and this can only come from the Holy Spirit line so power. He

spoke to the heart of the culture, heart of their society, and the

heart of their history. You when you something happened to you before. God

has come into your life so that you may seek him. But yet you

are right now, You have not changed, You had gotten worse. Now

makes sense in it makes a lot of sense in it, God sok God,

But it goes it. So then you may seek the Lord in worse,

seek the Lord in the hope that you may grow for him. Even

sometimes you seek how you may nothing growing in the darknight. You touch it,

you cannot touch, but you're someone. You grab something, you know

somehow, you grab something because he promises what though he is not far from

each one of us, He has set everyone. He has preappointed every event,

okay, everything in our lives so that you may seek him. And

he has never said that, oh you know, I'm going to play in

a heighth and seek you know the more when you move and move. So

no, God has wanted us to reach him. God is not an absent

father. You know. He's always wanted us to be able to reach him.

And he says, yeah, for in him we live and move and

have our being. He wants you to reach him. Why because without him

you don't exist. Because it is in him you move and have your being

all these things. Because why he wants you to reach him, because he

is the source. The word source means father. Did you know that father

means source. Source means father. Everything comes from him, goes back to

him. We are not the source. He is the source. Everything is

about him, and that's why you have your being You did not come from

Zeus, did not come from Poseidon. These people cannot save you. You

come from the image of God, he himself. It's all about that and

not so why did you stop? Why did you go back to your own

former ways? There is sin? So that's why he said that he moved

he he moved on and said that twenty nine. Therefore, since we have

the ospital God, we ought not to think that the divine nature is like

gold or silver, a stone, something shaped by the art of men's design.

Men always tried to design things out of their own hands or their own

thinking, to make sense of the world. Isn't it if I cannot see,

I won't believe it? Okay? Truly, then he say say verse

to the truly, these times of ignorance, God overlooked, but now commands

all men everywhere to repent. So even if you do not know, you

should know, and you have found guilty, you need to repent. Makes

sense or not? Well, dear, Actually, I think when he appreciates

it, I don't know how the Greeks were reacted. Men get right.

You can preach all the philosophies are, but he never addressed the heart and

the root of the city. You know, only he can. It's like

people walking past by this altar every day, but they don't know what I

mean. You know, it's not God was in the midst of all of

them, okay. And he says that God has appointed a day on which

he would judge the world in righteousness by men whom hears saying there was what

time when judgment came to your city. Don't be mistaken, Judgment will come

again. So sometimes I think it happening in your life because of the cares

of the world you forgot, you know, maybe you have a heart at

tech, maybe something struck your family, maybe something happened in your life.

You're like, whoacident. You're supposed to really not have a life change,

you know, but you took it for granted. You miss the lesson that

God wants to teach you. And God reminds them there's a judgment coming.

There's a judgment coming, and and he says that there's a judgment. And

sometimes we lie to ourselves or we deceive ourselves to so that you know why

we oh, you know, like, hey, you know God is a

loving god, so you know why you say that? Because you want to

live your own life. You don't want to give you up as simple as

that, isn't it? You still want your idols. You still want to

pray the prayers that you're mak to pray for the idol. But if I

know God, I can't pretty top prayer because I realize this spress selfish.

You still want your idols. Great heart message, but it's true, isn't

it. You don't want to change because you don't. You want to stick

to your old prayor you all desires, you all want your all ones.

God cannot be shaped by your hands or your image. There is a message

you cannot be ignorant. There's a lot of very ignorant believers in our means

right now you can We cannot be like that. We cannot be ignorant.

God is God, you know what I'm saying. God is God. And

he says that he has appointed a day on which he will judge the world

in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained. He has given assurance of

this by raising him from the the Amen. Now, I think there's a

scripture that talks about Jesus judging the end as it comes to a close.

Here secon Timothy chapter four, verse one to verse five. Okay, Secondtimity,

Chapter four, verse one to verse five. I charge you therefore before

God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead

at his appearing and his kingdom. Okay, So what do we do then?

Preach the word so that oh man? Okay, so they, oh

man, not preach the word. Be ready, season in and season are

convinced, rebuild exhaust with all those suffering and teaching, for the time will

come when they will not end your sound doctrine, but according to their own

desires, because they're an eaching year, and they will heap up for themselves

teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned

aside to fables. Okay, let's stop there, for God will judge.

Actually, a lot of times have people talk about grace. You know,

salvation is truly by grace, but there is a part that you don't understand,

the death. Okay, let me back it up. There are certain

roles in the Kingdom of God. Are there is not by grace? Wan,

Oh, it sounds like some some people that believe only I believe he

grace. Yes, there's grace, but there are certain things there is not

by grace. One for example, this is one case the judge of the

living of the day. You think, God, how does God appoint a

judge? How does God appoint a king? By grace? Oh? I

give you grace, you become king? What's it the way? How are

kings appointed? How are judges appointed by merit? By merit? Thing about

it? In the scripture and revelations are there was a scroll all the elders

and all of them couldn't open it. But then suddenly the lamb came upon

the lamb. Glory to the lamb who was able to open the scroll?

Is it by grace? Was the How was the lamb able to open the

scroll? By merit? The lamb was able to open this scrawl because the

lamb please the Father. You see, a lot of us are we just

want to be blessed by God. But how many of us are pleasing God?

You guys, hey, you see I can learn my children, you

know, but not a lot of times I'm pleased with them. One no

to please me, and you have to earn it one and all. Do

I tell you that I wash yours, I company all clean? You still

my son? By my please with you. Of course I'm not a lot

of Christians. I just live their life. Hey, I'm just a chrul

of God. I don't have to please God. That tells you the kind

of children you are. Now you get what I'm saying here now, totally

different mentality. You know, kings are appointed by what by how they please

the Lord? Think about David, a man who is after my own heart?

Isn't it a man who pleased the Lord? Who just going? Who

pleased the Lord? So my challenge is this you all? How many of

you really say today when you're like God, thank you for your grace.

But Lord, I want to please you. There is another level of Christian

living, you know, another sonship. You know you're not just happy to

wake up and eat your breakfast and get off the house. You know you

say, God, I want to do your business today. I don't know,

spend time with you and one best things that you have your children and

dad? Can you spend time with me one on one? It's cool and

all? Why they say that my dad my son will actually make a pointment

with me. They need tomorrow? Can I spend one on one time with

you? Okay? I said, I just play a game with you.

Just now. I said, oh no, yeah, but that's gay.

But one on one time, you know, I was like, oh,

okay, this is one on one thing is getting repopular. I want to

spend one on one time. Okay, okay, you see the things they

do that you can be a sun, but you are truly a son.

You can be assumed by bird, but you are truly as suned when you

memke your father, you know, you look when people talk to you,

and people like you are just like your father. You look like just your

mother. You remind me of your dad and your mom. You know,

I'm saying him, man, it's weird when you when you are truly in

love with God. Are You're not just saying that? I go to children.

When you're truly in love with God, I say, I want to

be like my father. I want to be like him. I want and

I want to please him because the one thing that I desire most than anything

with my father, I want his approval. I want to be approved,

you get. I mean, right, what is good in life? What

is good? It tastes sense? Luxury? The Bible saying what is good?

The world can define good? I tell you. What is good.

Good is what is approved by God. Amen. What is good is God

approves. Life is good approach. When you lie down on your last day

and your last moments, God, did I please you? Do you look

into me in my life? Am I approved? That's why the people,

the people when they are the last moments that they're worried, you know,

because you realize that you missed out on so much. You know, did

I please you? You know? Did I did that? Prove smile to

you? Did I get We don't just leave by grace winding on. There's

not a level we are called to our. They're not. You don't lose

the salvation people. I'm not saying, hey man, you really God's work

down, your penalties removed there, But there is not the part were called

to live, to please and to get approval of a father and whatnot.

You come saying Jesus was fully pleasing to the Lord fully That's why no one

else could open the scroll. But worthy is the lamb. We never understood

this part of the word worthiness. You know, are you worthy? Are

you worthy? Are you a worthy servant God? And then ask God?

Am I worthy? I want to make myself worthy choose me, make me

worthy. That's how we should live our lives. Amen. We hope you've

been blessed by this message. For more information on our church, please visit

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that this week is going to be a good week. I hit for you. God bless