Acts 17 - Paul's Second Missionary Trip | Pr Matthew Chang

You're listening to a message to go from at church. We hope this message

will light up your day. For those of you are not familiar of what

I've been covering the past few times when I've preacher, I've continued started on

this series called Paul's Missionary Trip. Okay, so Paul has three missionary trips.

We cover part one. Now we're halfway into part two, okay.

Of course he goes into quite a lengthy journey on different stops as well.

And the reason why I felt led to go through this series with you guys

is in alignment with also our theme this year, so that all may know

as well. And instead of preaching from one single word, I want to

take you on a journey, so then you will step into the shoe okay,

of Paul himself, to be able to see things and experience the reality

that God is working. Okay, a lot of times our faith we struggle

is because we cannot see God working in our lives. True, we cannot

see we we we there's a detachment. Today is aday or just such a

boring day? You see God working? How is God working? My life?

My life is this and this and this? How is God at work

in my life. I see in quarrels, we see dissensions, we see

laws, we see griep How is God at work in our lives? Okay?

And so I want to take you guys on this journey so that you

can start to look at all the little little details of how God works,

how God orchestrates, how God speaks, and how God leads in the life

of Paul. And then from there you can begin to start to how to

say cut and apply yourself in his shoe and see very similar patterns that God

is actually working in your life, that God is actually speaking into your life.

Then you realize that your life is not a coincidence. Everything happens for

a reason. Amen. And so we start with X chapter seventeen, and

I'm gonna go to that first slide so that you kind of have a quick

overview. So there's a map, Okay. So Paul travels, okay,

from the man You're right there Antioch. Okay. So the previous lesson well

covered that he traveled to Derby and Listra, the Iconium, to Antioch,

Monday, Sanda, antiong Day okay of Galicia, and then to Trows Okay.

So today we're gonna cross a bit of the sea, and then we're

gonna go to Neapolis for the Pie, Berea, Thessalonica, and then eventually

our main stop is at at Okay. We will spend eighty percent of our

time in Athens. Okay. So this is where the bout of our what

we were covering about as well. But we will go through through Maine through

key venues in Thessalonica and Berea. So we will do that by going to

X chapter seventeen. We will go through the scriptures, and as we read

through, I will share some thoughts. Okay. Now, from verse one,

chapter seventeen, verse one, the title read the Preaching Christ at Thessalonica.

Okay. Verse one says, now, when they had passed through Amphi,

Police and a Polonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a

synagogue of the Jews, synagogue meaning a temple. Okay. So Paul does

the same thing every time he comes to a new city. He always goes

to the synagogue to meet his common brethren, to speak with common minds,

with common background. Okay, it's a lot easier to build a conversation,

to build a debate from there, and verse two he says, then Paul,

as his custom was, went into them and for three sabbaths okay,

reason with him from the scriptures for three weeks okay, explaining and demonstrating that

the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead. Okay, and

saying this Jesus, whom I preach to you, is the Christ. And

some of them were persuaded, and a great multitude of the devout Greeks,

and not a few of the leading women joined Paul and silence. Okay,

suppose first start okay in this chapter here what's made with great success? Okay,

it's not easy to convince, especially a lot of the devout meaning very

religious, very what they call it, committed religious Greeks. Greeks are known

to be very religious. Okay, and also a few of the leading women.

Okay. So in the previous chapter we've heard learn or sow there one

particularly lady who is a tribute to be one of the earliest converts okay,

Lydia, who joined converted and believed and joined Paul as well. Okay,

but you know, you see things that you know, you see good success

for a short while, and then immediately what happens. There's always resistence.

Okay, they says, yeah, there's an assault on Jason's house. There's

a title reads and in verse five he says, but the Jews, who

were not persuaded, became envious, Okay, became envious. Now the question

is what were they envious about? Envious because Paul had a lot of following,

Envious because Paul had a lot of influence and power. Okay, what

do you think is about What do you think is really about envious? Why?

Because Jews in their you know, in their customs, they've always believed

they had actually something more than the gentiles. They actually had the favor of

God. They have the Auracle of God. There are the sons and daughters

of Abraham. They have the Covenant, they have the Law, the sign

of circumcision as well. They have a lot and they're to be proud of

and they are recognized with that. But now with Christianity, it talk,

you know that Christianity talks about this Christ coming to suffer and to die to

bring forgiveness, and now gentiles are also included as well. So instead of

being happy that some you know, a prodigal son has come back to the

house. The son that is in the house became envious that the father has

opened the door for many people. Okay, there is that that that that

that that is always the root of their envy. Playing there's nothing that places

you to become more superior, you know, better from any better than anyone

else. And so what do they do from their envy? Came from from

envy and lack of persuasion. What did they do? They resorted to the

same thing that they did when scheming against Jesus as well, isn't it same

thing? Repeating again and again took some of the evil men from the marketplace.

Well, not that hard to find the evil man. Ah, it's

always clear. And even make sure I can find one. See it's not

that hard. And not saying I don't know who even men, I'm telling

you, if you open really your eyes, evil men can be quite easily

identified one okay. And gathering a mob, what did they do? They

gathered a mob? Okay, so they get became envious. They gathered evil

men, and they gathered a mob. See why do they gather a mob?

Tell yo, there's one thing, you know, there's one thing in

your life that you have to learn a beware of crowds because they can easily

betray you. And they always gather crowds because the real sinister perpetrator always hide

in the crowds. Get mean, right, They're always hide in the crowd.

Somehow there is a voice, there's something controlling the crowd, but nobody

knows what it is. But there is a narrative, there is a power,

there is an influence, but it's hiding among the crowds. But be

very very careful. A lot of people like to be part of the crowds

in it. You want to be in with the crowd. You want to

be in with the floor as well, But be very careful. They can

betray you just like an instant, you know what I'm saying now. And

crowds are very powerful. Crowds are can change the nation now, Crowds are

can turn can can overthrow a king. You know. Crowds are even try

to stone Jesus. You know, they are very very very very powerful.

So be careful. And when you see a crowd stirring out asking you to

join them and join their cause journey and then you know, and they will

push you to a corner, be very very very careful. Where you put

your allegiance. Okay, now even more so, you know there's so many

crowds. You go to a university, the first thing before you enter your

class from it, there'll be so many clubs and so many activists and so

many things are asking you to join them, and if not, they're start

labeling you. Ready, that's what I'm hearing from a lot of universities happening

already. Okay, so be very careful because this is what the enemy has

always been doing. But in verses verse six, it says, but when

they did not find them again, they couldn't find Paul, what do they

do? Don't see? These people are hungrier, hungry. People need to

bite on it. They know, bite something on it. Hungrier. There's

no steak, I bite the band or either bread, bite something. They

gotta bite somebody. So they who did? They drag the drag Jason and

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

turned the world upside down have come here too. Okay, so they say

these people are causing problem. We are the victim and these people are causing

problem for me, and it's gonna cause problem for you. That's why you

need to act them, isn't it isn't it always tell you telling other people

are to act, to act on telling other people to act, but they

will bear no responsibility and accountability. Okay, it's probably called hijacking. Okay,

hijackers. Okay. Now, and in verse seven says Jason has harbored

them. And these are all acting contrary to the decrease of Caesar or even

bringing the government, bringing all the names. Every everybody can can drag the

drig drag you, drag your mother, drag your father, dRIT your ancestors,

you know, drink the king, dr the government. Everybody drag into

it. Okay, so that everybody becomes implicated. Okay. Now verse eight,

And they trouble the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard

these things. So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest of

the left, and go ah, start up everything. What did they want?

Money? Power, victory? Okay, let's move on now, it's

the title, says ministring A Berea. Then the Brethren immediately sent Paul and

Silas by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue

of the Jews, again, that's what they did. These were more fair

minded than those in Thessalonica, okay, in that they received the Word with

all readiness and search the scriptures. So it's the thing, isn't it.

You preach you cannot accept it, you cannot be received what you turn to

the authority of the scripture? The authority of the scripture. If someone ask

you, do you believe that the Scripture or the Bible is the word of

God? What would you say? Can you wholeheartedly say that the Bible is

the word of God? H They said, how did God come down and

write with a pen? Why if somebody got asked another person to write down

you know, is that person is that person's writing the word of God?

How next time you joined my Christian foundations? Cluss, then I will teach

you how do you defend the Bible as the word of God? True or

not? Some of you not even sure or not? It's sure not?

God said, there no, How do you know that God is faithful to

affirm his word? Want you know and most importantly you need to know this?

Okay? How do we know that the Scripture is the word of God?

Most importantly? Okay? They say, I send Joshua Anna to write

a biography about me. He is the writer, but I am the author,

Krenna. He's a writer, I am an author. And he writes

all this book and then saying to all exam punk writing about passat met and

some of you is like this really happened? Now then now you all some

of them were. Some of you will believe on my rights and belief.

Some of the left will not believe. But it doesn't matter what you say

and what he say or what she says. You know, what is most

is what I say about the book, because the book is about me,

isn't it so? If a scripture is writing about God, the most important

authority to affirm that written word is not humans. You know, it's not

history. You know, it's God himself. Did he affirm the word of

God? You get me, right, Jo, I don't said that if

I said that I like red cupcakes, So that no, doesn't matter,

only likes blue cupcakes. Doesn't matter what you say, doesn't what he say?

What I say? You know, I mean right what I say,

I say, it's true I like red cupcakes. I actually you know,

I beg red cup cakes myself. I give our red cupcakes. So that

is the most important affirmation. And then my question is the God affirmed that

the scriptures is the word of God. Of course he did. He quoted

it, he studied it, he lived diet, he fulfilled it. Get

men right, That is the most important criteria, this God himself. You

get mean right. So God himself saying this, all these things are talking

about me and have come to fulfill every one of them. Okay, this

is the most important criteria. God affirms it. You want to talk about

all the other manuscripts version, yes, we can go, but the most

important thing is God himself affirms it. Okay, okay, move on.

So sorry, I always deviate a bit now, w it was I verse

eleven? Okay, okay, verse eleven here read there. Okay, let's

just go to verse twelve. He says that therefore many of them believe,

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

But when the Jews from Thessalonica learn that the word of God was preached

by Paul Albarea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds. See

trouble follows them, isn't it not? Because they are trouble makers. Maybe

there are troublemakers in there and the miss territory life, you mean, but

you know they can't they know they this, this evil man will follow and

pursue them. And if you think that your life will always have a permanent

relief, the Bible seems to indicate slightly differently, while we are on earth,

we have a mission, and like you're not, the enemy has always

been on our tail. Okay, And it says in verse fourteen, then

immediately the Brethren Sentory, oh a red salar, he's a correer. Okay.

Then in midate the Brethren send Paul away to go to the sea,

but both Silence and Timothy remain there. So those who conducted Paul brought him

to Athens, and receiving a command for Silence and Timothy to come to him

with all speed, they departed. Okay, So I'm not going to spend

too much time there, of course, I want to move on to the

next part. So what we know from here is that, of course they

have success, and then they did what they can, but because of the

resistance and also the pursuit of the enemy, they also have to move on

as well. Okay, so Paul had to leave for Athens earlier than silence

here, Okay, I think he arrived there earlier than the rest. And

when he was arriving at Story, he had to arrive earlier than silence antimacy.

And then arrived at at Athens he saw something. And this is where

I want to preach about the most and also address. Okay, let's read

on from verse sixteen. Now, while Paul waited for them at Athens,

his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over

to idols. Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews, and with

the gentile worshippers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be

there. Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him, and some said,

what does this babeler 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 aeropagus, okay, 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 were there

spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new

thing. Okay. Now, Athens is a very very important city, but

you cannot think of it like New York or Shanghai or a Tokyo. It's

more like Cambridge or Boston or Melbourne and places where there's a lot of thinkers

or you know, all the great engineering minds or not thinkers who gather together

as well. Now, and Athens is known to be a very religious city,

okay, very very religious city. There is a saying that you are

more likely to meet a guard than a man in Athens. When you great,

you actually meet regards to one man, you know. So every corner

that you turn to, hey you, someone look at you, it's not

it's actually an ideal, you know. And you must understand the idols at

that time, it's not just stone color. They actually painted idols a lot

more at that timeline. Now you see archeology because it's faded. Really you

don't see the colors, but it's very colorful. They actually actively preserve the

colors. A lot of times at that time. One. Okay, so

Athens was very religious, uh and they even built you know, later on

you will say that they will even build an altar to an unknown god.

And I'm sure that this is something very familiar to you guys. And I'm

gonna share something very exciting about that to you. I just discovered recently Fey

very very fascinating. Okay, And he says there there he also met a

very group of interesting people. And these are very uh, two main groups

of people and that he talked about. And I don't go too much into

these two group of people, but I want to share a bit, maybe

explore a bit so that you can understand what what do people think about?

What people's mindset life is similar to what we have right now. And you

find that they and us are not too far from thinking, you know,

you know, thinking, Yes, they don't have smartphones, yes they don't

have you know, internet to check out Facebook, but their value, sister

and their pursued it's almost very quite similar to us. Okay, So when

you look at the Epicureans, how many of you have? Do you identify

yourself as an Epicurean? It's not a razor by the way, have you

heard epicurans before studying history before, isn't it? You know? Yes?

Okay, epicureans Okay. It's very closely related to heathenism. How many of

you know what is hedonism? Heathenism, hedonism hiddenism means that pursuit of pleasure

sensual and you know, whether it's food side touch, everything is about pleasure,

but not just about pleasure, but that the ultimate goal and pursuit of

life is maximum pleasure, to enjoy as much as possible headenistic okay, okay,

And so epicureans. One of the main things is that they are focused

is on sensual enjoyments, not sexual sensual okay, enjoyments and heathenism okay.

So they want to eat as much as they want to, not have relationships,

however, they want as much see as much. You know. Whatever

it is that tickers their census, they go for it, okay. And

in terms of religion, in terms of belief in their in the higher being,

they do believe in gods, okay. They do believe in gods,

but they do not believe that the gods interfere with the affairs of men.

Okay. They do not believe that of men. And that is why they

really don't think that what we do and what we don't do affects the gods.

You know what I'm saying. There is a God, but he doesn't

care about It's like it's like it's like in a family. I know Mama

and Mommy is there about whatever the kids do, not they will affect them,

You get me right? It really hands off, really hands off,

okay, And so that has a very powerful impact. They can't believe.

It's a very powerful impact on the society and the believers. You know why,

because they will believe that whether they do right, if they do good,

there's no reward. If they do bad, there is no consequence.

Can you imagine how they enjurious it is, there is no fear of God,

no fear of going on. I do good, what's the point?

Because my pursuit is about maximum pleasure. It's not about pleasing God. It's

about not doing what it's right. It's about why it's right by me if

I do wrong, But it's about me. It's good affecting other people?

Why should I care about other people? God will not judge me. Seeing

It's a very interesting belief is in it. And you think about in our

modern days, is it that far off? Most of the time? Now

there's people what do they think like? They think they are the gods?

Life is about no formal not get what you want your low You only live,

want to know maximum pleasure. Isn't it same substance, different packaging,

you know, same something you go to small market, such a big role

and who the same substance, different packaging. It's just nicer packaging. Hey,

you think it's different, but no, it's the same thing, okay,

in the different packaging. Yeah. They believe that life is random and

there is no after life. See that is so important? Is there?

Well it kind of makes sense. Why is the resurrection so important now?

Because if you don't believe that is an afterlifeer? This all, this life

is all you live for? And what do what I do to other people?

My guilt and my conscious is just an emotion. Why do I deal

with the burden of guilt and emotion in my heart when there's nothing in the

afterlife? What hope is that for? And you go continue on that,

you go and spiral and inspiral, it becomes depressive. You know, people

give up at all. It's a way of thinking, is it. It's

very powerful, spiraling and deadly as well. On the other hand, you

have the storic. How many of you have heard this? This story has

been very powerful and emerging in recent trends as well. Storic. Okay,

one of the famous guy who is a store it's called Marcus Aurelius. Okay,

some people I saw onlines, Oh you know, follow my cost radius.

What is stoic about swing is, first of all, they see that

God is everything and everything is God. Okay, a bit penthesistic. That

means that nature, God is in everything, and everything is God. This

is got Mother, Nature's got you're hurting God, and God is part of

us. Everybody is God. Very very interesting, and they believe that the

person that the purpose in life is what it is the pursuit of self mastery.

There is why they like sculptures. You know, you know, you

know, you know, when I when I was in Rome, right when

I saw the picture of Moses. All this time I thought Moses was just

a shepherd, you know, but these Moses are look like I know,

nea want to know, No, it's true, like, oh what these

guys got bicyles and God try SEPs like crazy. You know, it's like

because that's how they think. They cannot imagine someone of a leader or ruler,

of someone who's defined or so called divine, can look with such a

frail body. So the self mastery is evidence in your body, in your

discipline and what you eat. And they do as well. So they have

a few things, you know, talk about self mastery. It's about moderation,

discipline. But I'm not gonna go through it too much, okay,

but the end of it is about you maximizing yourself. Actually we now this

we have also, isn't it? A lot of people you see a lot

of storic but they don't say storic. Lab Get me right, maximize your

your your growth, your potential. You know you should by thirty years old,

you should have earn your first million already, you know. Know,

when you know everybody is having their day and this and this, you shually

wake up by four o'clock already and muster yourself. Ready. Yeah, maximum

power, maximum discipline, But don't mistake discipline is good. Ah, but

when it leads to that you are the center of everything, is wrong enough?

You get me right. The day when you are unable to help yourself.

How how does your world identify with another person? You'll be judging another

person, isn't it. Did Jesus come to show everybody, hey, look

at myself mastery? No, he gave himself a people. There's different enough,

totally different. Now his body was broken so that we may be made

whole. It's not about our mastery. It's about the mastery of Jesus,

isn't it? Completely different? In a completely opposite one another. And then

so when you start to have an idea of what these people, you know

in ancient gret they are actually very highly cultured and very high sophisticated, you

know, a generation. Okay, so that's what I want to talk about.

And it says there and that Paul was preaching to them, to the

Jews and the Greek, and then they brought him to this place called Aeropagers.

Okay, so I don't know, Yeah, this is not aeropapers there,

but the picture so Athens is kind of helly. Okay. Of course,

there's a you know, if you done history, you know there's a

few very popular landmarks. You have the partner and there you have the Aeropagers.

The Aeropagers is actually a hill talk Okay, a hilltop where a lot

of the philo, philosophers and the great minds they come together to debate,

and they will normally be a judge as well, and people who will come

there to talk all kinds of things. There will also be trials for murders

and crimes, public order, civic order laws. Okay. And the reason

why it's called aeropapers because a row is actually the other word for Aris.

Okay. Remember I told you before that the Greeks and the Romans share similar

gods by different names. Okay, similar gods, but different names. Okay.

In Great it's Aris. In Rome it's actually Mars. So when you

call Aero piggers, okay, you'll become mars heal. So a lot of

times when you go to Christian Christian books, or even there's a church called

Marcia in US as well, you say, oh, what does mars hell

mean? It is where Paul gave his very famous sermon here as well,

called at Marsill. Okay, so marsa not doesn't mean it look like mars

I means the so called Roman god of Mars as well. Now, okay,

in verse twenty two, let's read verse twenty two Okay, then postal

in the midst of the aeropagers and said, men Athens, I perceive that

in all things that you are very religious. For as I was passing through

and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an alter with this

inscription to the unknown God. Therefore, the one whom you worship without knowing

him, I proclaim to you God who made the world and everything in it,

since he is Lord of heaven and earth, and 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 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, for in Him we live and move and

have our being. And as also some of your own poets have said,

for we are also his offspring. Therefore, since we have, since we

are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the divine nature

is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and men's devising.

Truly, these times of ignorance, God overlooked, but now commands all

men everywhere to repent, because he is appointed a day on which he would

judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained. He has

given assurance of this to all by raising him from there dead. That's positive

for a while. Okay, there's a lot there not to unpair. So

basically this is a you can say, like a sermon, like a preaching

Okay, from Paul to the congregation, to the highest to the smartest minds

in all the world has been gathered around as well. Okay, it's like

he went to Cambridge and he preached, how many are you ready to go?

And preaching Cambridge? You'll be nervous? Is in it? You must

understand now, poor did not come here by planning one and no, he

was chased there, and he arrived there in a small little sailboat, you

know. Okay, imagine and dropping you there, and then I dropped you

in the middle of keeping down there You're like, oh, and then you

just see people passing by sheep. Okay, God, what do you want

me to do me and I okay, take me to the heart of the

center and let me start debating with people. See his mind, he was

like so alive and so no breaming with you know, excitement and fervor to

really hard to share about God as well. Now I stopp from the very

beginning here, he says, the man of Athens, I perceive that in

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

objects of your worship, I even found an order with this inscription to the

unknown God. Now I was doing a BEAUTI research in this. It's quite

hard to find, but I happened to find the learner about about this is

what It's quite interesting. Okay, you must understand. Now there are Athens.

They worship many idols, and they build many idols. But there are

generally two class of idols. Even I just got classes one, you know,

yet I either got classes one. I don't know about Asian idols,

I don't know. But there are different idols. Okay, so there are

eidols. Generally you have idols you can touch, you can do, and

then they're not you there, it's just normal idols. But there is there

are idols. Okay, they are in the temple. They have been prescribed

or ascribed a divine status. Okay, So there are normal idols, but

there are eiders they have a divine status. It's like, oh, the

ones, this one is special. This one you touch next year, you'll

be pregnant. They really believe. So there is a divine status too it

okay. And these ones, these particular statues or idols, they have to

have a certain ceremony and normally there's a story around here as well. Okay,

But other idols they have just nothing, just your preference. Anyone can

create an idel as well, but there are certain idols there they do as

well. Now, when he came upon this altar here, it's called to

the unknown God. It's not just, hey, we just decided to create

an idol that we want to, you know, put insurance policy to cover

all gods. No, this is just you know, everybody put an image

I created God, I take away ever reading already, you know. But

it's not that's not the point, Okay. There is actually a story behind

it, and it's actually very fascinating. About five hundred years before Christ,

Athens was struck with an epidemic okay, epidemic. Some people suspected it be

typhus, a small pox. And the thing is that with so many idols

and worships, everybody can I menagine the whole city. What did they do

when people are dying? Like crazy? People did all sorts of sacrifice,

all sorts of ceremony when the whole city, when burs people were fighting,

people were dying. You go, I mean like it was madness. Okay,

but it's still continued. The epitemic still continue, okay. And so

it continued for a while until they really couldn't do anything, and they decided

to invite a consultant, okay from Boston. Consultant, consultant, excellent consultant.

They decided to invite this consultant called Meneses okay E P I M E

and ideas some of epidemic. Maybe a name after him. Okay. So

this guy is a poet. Okay, this guy is a poet. And

when they invited him, said, you gotta do something. You can think

of something, maybe conjure up some new god or something to help with this

epidemic. So what he did was that he brought Okay, he asked to

bring a group Okay, a herd of ships, whether there's black, whether

there's white. They bring them together. And the thing is they staff them,

staff the ship for a long period time, and then they will bring

it to the marketplace or to the plane there, and they will release the

ship. Most of the ship will start grazing, eating, you know,

whatever it is. But when there's one or two ships that will start to

wander away and start to lay down. Okay, and then really to give

his life. There they will build an altar to the unknown God. Oo

fascinating, And when they did it, epidemics stopped. Five hundred years later,

Jesus came around and Paul sees this to the unknown God. The Paul,

No, I don't know. Maybe he did, but I think the

ethic the Athenians probably forgotten what this altar was about. Ready, there were

so many gods. They've forgotten how they were delivered. As a city.

They've forgotten the history of the city, how they were delivered, how all

the gods, and how allever they think they tried to do with their hands.

They couldn't stop the epidemic. But yet there is one god. They

couldn't even figure out his name because he was not made by the hands of

men or can be served by the hands of men. But yet the only

clue that we can have about this God is a ship laying down its life

to the unknown God. Why is it unknown? Is it because God is

mysterious? Or God is telling them that I cannot be made in the according

to your imagination or your image. You are made according to my image.

However, it's it's so prophetic. You know. When I heard it was

like, whoa, It's so cool. When you read this scripture, you're

like to think it really differently. You know, it's like whoa. And

then Paul comes into this part. You are so religious and do all things,

but yet you have this particular I know that there's an image of that

author. I think it's in one of the slight. Ah. It looks

like that, not very high, very long. Okay, you can go

to wikipi there and find it. I better copy right it just in case.

But that's that's the author is quite if. This is quite a well

known story, Okay, if you go it's got quite que quite quite quite

quite quite well known. Okay. And so they built an altar according to

the there are some variations, you know, who's certainly, but generally this

was the the premise of that as well. Now, when you look into

Paul's sermon, his structure, right, there's a few key things that we

have to cover about and hours eventually draw to a close. First thing is,

okay, God is the creator, Paul. Someone said, God is

the creator. Okay, God made the world. He is not part of

the world. He is not like no, this is God is God.

It's not panthestic. God created, he is the creator. Okay, let's

not. I can talk about the whole idea about what does creatorship actually mean?

Without creation, right, there is not purpose. Get mean right.

The whole reason why you have a purpose is because you were creator. And

God's creation is not by coincident. There's always a purpose and a plan and

how creation will move forward from there as well. Great so, and when

God says, and when Paul talks about God being the creator, he highlights

the fact that you cannot build something to that word can be able to house

you know, God himself. I told you before that there were different idols

in it. So some of the idols they were uh classified as a divine

right. They put it in a temple Okay, they put a divine idol

into a temple, and it's not to worship it. So the bigger that,

the more divine the statue, they put it in a more divine temple.

So sometimes you have a temple of Diana, temple of Fena. You

get me right, So there's Divinityally say, God's divinity cannot be attributed to

a house or a temple built by man. It cannot. You cannot contain

him in that. You cannot put God in a box. Okay, and

when you when, and and but then you say about why do people still

want to build what you know, all these temples all this either where does

this desire to want to carve something to build some things out come from inhumanity?

Okay? Because I must understand the Greek religion. Okay, it's about

men trying to reach God. Okay, look at all their zews. Oh

the gods look like men, sound like men, have the bodies you know

of like a Greek God. So they carve for calling them. But Christianity

is about God reaching down to men, complete opposite of that. And because

they want to, they want to worship God, but they don't realize that

that they Actually they want to project themselves to something that god, to a

god that they can actually relate to. Okay, everybody wants a god that

can relate to. Everybody wants a god that can understand, see, perceive,

and that they will relate and then come down to them as well.

And then because of that, then when we make something beautiful, when we

make something that's very powerful, we claim divinity. Okay, what do I

mean by that? Have I lost you guys here? Yeah? I know

this part. Have you heard this commandment? I do not take the Lot's

name in vain. When you think about that, what you mean? What

does it mean? Don't swear? But actually it goes further than that.

You goes much further than that. Actually, not taking the Lot's name in

Venna actually means, I personally believe that is to not claim divinity something that

is made from your own Okay, not claiming divinity something that you have made

from your own Okay. It's very very interesting some people. Nowadays, you'll

see her people come up. They may not start building sculptures and their idols,

but they will build an empire, build a business. There will start

a justice movement, there will start a video post there will start a book,

whatever it is, new thinking, whatever it is, There's granted them

success, and they will say this is the way, this is the way.

And if you oppose, you are lesser, you are wrong. And

they when you oppose in their field with so much anger and hatred. Why

because deep down inside they may not say that I am a God, but

they claim divinity from it. That is what we call a very narcissistic complex

image, you know, very very highly narcissistic, full of pride. How

you think God should be, what you think should be divine and not?

Okay, it's very scary and very dangerous. Okay, So old men will

come from all over the places. Okay, not just everybody want to go

to Europe now, but you want to go in Malaysia. When I go

to Europe, of course, I want to go to Europe. I want

to see all the nice places, all the statues Westerners do better. Everybody

wants to come. Actually that time, everybody wants to go to Athens as

well. See the sculptures, you know. And when they marvel and their

worship, do you think they are worshiping God? No, they are worshiping

the hands that made them and the hands that made them one feel proud.

You ah, people labeled you know, I'm a Michael Angelo and I build

these paying things. Whoa everybody coming into the world and you know, like

not enjoying it. Fill yourself with pride, you know, enjoyment as well.

When I went to uh, you know, when I saw what's that?

What's that? When I was in the you know, what's that?

Roman capitality? So they cannot think of what's the word, not the Colism,

the Roman, the Roman, Catholic, the Vaticans. And I went

into the Sistine Chapel. Okay, had the privilege to go. I was

the only Asian. You know, I don't know why not the Asians I

all go for all the branded stuff that I was the only guy who was

like so keen at to learning. I was like, yes, I want

to learn all this, you know, the only Asian day? Why is

everybody? But we got all Westerners And well it was when I tell you

the mount of artifacts, tapestry, go and stuff there is lying up all

the way inside is mind blowing, you know, mind blowing. It says

that you know, I hope, I'm not certain. They say that if

you spend five minutes on one item. It will take you about four years

to finish every one of them five minutes. That's so much. It's crazy.

But yeah, when I walked through past it, right, I said

what And my mof's like wow, watching is like amazing crazy. And then

they have things from Mesopotamia. Then there's even a statue of the of the

Goddess of Diana. You know, I was like, what is he doing

inside here? You know, I'm like wow as I walk with it.

Then I told my wife I feel very uncomfortable, and I said why.

You know, as I'm working, you know what I feel. I feel

like I'm walking into the mains of a person's heart and brain. It's like

if you have, if you can, you know, manifest your thoughts and

your desires into a house or a manson, this is what you would look

like. All the things that you keep your like, you're like your like.

Things that you see are available, you keep, keep, keep,

keep kick and seventy years, hundreds of years you keep with your life.

These are all the things that you keep. And as you walk through,

the owner will say are you impressed, and I'm working through I'm like no,

I'm no, it's kind of scary, you know, you know why

it's so in humans are like that or not. If we were to put

an idol for everything that we treasure, I tell I will fill up every

single corner of this world as an idol. There's an idol. There's an

idol. There's there's a hider, there's an idol. There's an idol.

God cannot, cannot, will not stand for idol worshiping. Okay, cannot

and will not stand for idol worshiping. God cannot, no, no,

will not be swayed by the s by the services and sacrifices, sacrifices of

men. We cannot change his mind because he does not change. Okay,

we cannot change his mind because he does not change. God has no needs

because he creates everything. God does not owe anyone, and he surely does

not owe you an apology. Some of us were like, God, why

you wait until the day that someone apologizes. God owes you not apology.

You think the ball is on court, is on God's court or the ball

is actually in your court. God does not need anything because he created everything.

And the second part here he talks about the origin and purpose of men

again when Paul talks about God creates everything and men, all of us from

one blood. God has created us and preordained us all over the face of

the earth at the appointed time. Okay. So it's going against what I

talk about is the Epicureans and the story. You are not to live for

yourselves. Your purpose in life is not to pursuit of your maximum pleasure you

or to have self masterine or but you were appointed and placed by God's divine

authority. God, It's lord over time and space. Okay. And more

importantly, he said, we have, we move and have. Our being

means that we exist, we continue to grow, and we continue to exist

because of God and God himself. And when we were created, we seek

okay, we desire. We actually are created to seek Him from all the

different places, from Malaysia to you, as to Japan. We are all

created to seek him, okay, to seek him and to grow for him.

Growth means what you can't see. But you continue to reach out God,

where are you rich? Rich and rich? Okay? Okay. So

that so that by by faith and by hope, that you will be able

to reach him. Okay. And then Paul Conti say that though he is

not far from us. If God is far from you, you will not

go rich. But the fact is God is not far from us, okay,

and we are all his children. But then, now Paul's preaching was

good and so far, But then the preaching takes a different and a dramatic

turn. Ah, different than very dramatic turn. Okay, it's when let

me be very specific in which persons is Okay, when he started to say

verse twenty nine, therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we

ought not to think that the divine nature Okay, sorry, verse thirty.

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

repent, because he is appointed a day on which he would judge the world

in righteousness by the man whom he has or Then, now this is where

everything took a drastic turn. You know why God has created all things.

Man has always been ignorant all this world. But that time of ignorance or

claiming ignorance is completely over. Okay. You know what the Epicureans believe.

There is no God. I do good, I do bad, nor consequence.

Everybody live for themselves, isn't it? But I tell you now you

hear this, that ignorance cannot be applied anymore. Everyone is now held accountable.

And the response to accountability to the God who created you is only one

repentance. Of all the gods they created, which one teach them about repentance.

They all asked for fertility, ask for blessings, ask for prosperity,

as for a good life. But all the gods cannot grant them one thing

that they actually need. That is forgiveness, you say, the true,

isn't it. All the gods cannot give them the one thing that they truly

need, forgiveness. And to forgive, then to be forgiven, you need

to repent. That is why it was so hard for the Romans to accept

that. It was so revolutionary and or so mind blowing, so quite also

to them, quite insight thing. Also, you know what I mean?

Right for them, it's like creating a better God, live, bigger God,

a bigger house. That But to ask me to repent, to grovel,

to say I'm wrong, Oh, it's a different thing, isn't it.

So it's really really difficult. And it says that God will appoint a

judge, and this is where our close. Okay, God will appoint a

judge. Okay, And it says that the judge will be who the one

he raised from the dead, isn't it? He didn't say his name,

He says, the one who has been raised from that the qualification to become

a judge is the one who overcame death. Everyone else are not qualified to

be a judge. Because when Paul preached that message, right, everybody will

like, who are you to become a judge? Paul said, I'm not

the judge. Jesus is the judge, and you better be more scared because

he has come to judge the living and the death. Scary, isn't it

scary? Isn't it? Who call you to be a judge? Who made

you a judge? Over over us? Now? This is this is what

the world isn't it. Don't tell me what to say, don't tell me

what is right and wrong? Who made you a judge? When Jesus comes

to judge, you will fear and you will tremble. You know, as

the closest this last part here, Second Timothy chapter four, okay, Second

Timothy chapter four, verse one, Okay. He says here, Paul,

writing to Timothy, I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Okay, Paul is exalting Timothy. He says that Lord Jesus Christ,

who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom?

People, do you believe that Jesus will come again? And when he comes

out, what will he do? He will judge? Now this we don't

have to teach judge money, No, say now should not judge? Oh,

and Jesus comes to you with judge. So you better hope you have

good judgment in your life. You better hope you have good judgment. You

better hope you have the fear of the Lord in your life. Okay,

But then it says there in verse two, what does what does poem called

stim do do? Jesus is coming to judge? And so because Jesus is

coming to judge, we must preach the word. Preach the word, be

ready, season in and seasoned out, convinced, rebuild, exhort with all

long 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 itching ears

that will hip hop for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away

from the truth and be turned aside to fables. But you'll be watching in

all things and your afflictions, do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill your

ministry. Amen. You see at the last part here, I don't know,

I keep saying, the last partner. Mhm. It sounds like a

very somber thing, isn't it. Wow. You know when Paul talks about

repentance and it talks about the resurrection right by Bible say that, the people

started to scoff at him. See that. Okay, okay, we heard

that. You talk about repentance, you talk about resurrection. Now one day

we will come in here. You know, you can come again in other

day. It sounds like he didn't succeed, right, But the Bible says,

okay, towards the last party, I don't have time. Sorry,

I'm running a bit on time. University three. So Paul departed from among

them, however, some men join them and believe. And among them was

Dionysius, the aero Aeropagod, a woman named the Maris, and others with

them. There's this guy. If you go to Athens right now, right,

you see this guy called Dionysius. He is veinated as a saint,

and he was there and when Paul preached, Okay, he was a judge,

one of the most revered guy in the aeropapers uh that time. Okay,

And it was known that he was seeking in all that you know,

uh that he was. He was in Alexandria, in Egypt when the eclipse

happened, Okay, when Jesus was crucified, and he wondered, what does

the oldest mean? And he traveled all the way to Athens, where all

the different minds and God come together to talk about and to debate. Some

will talk about Zeo, someone talk about Stoicism, someone talk about Epicureanism.

Then he decided to be a judge. But yet none of them, all

these beliefs actually fulfill him. But yet on that very faithful day when Paul

came and preached about the unknown God and about the resurrection and about repentance,

and that it is not about us and it is about God everything, Dionysus

gave up everything you know to follow Paul. He gave up his role to

become a judge. From his status are all the way to follow Paul.

And he became a bishop of Athens, one of the known things about Dinasaus

was that he actually visited Mary so called I know this according to church tradition.

Okay, Bible. According to church tradition, he actually visited, uh

married, the mother of Jesus, just as he passed away. Okay.

And so when he when he when he confirmed that he came back, he

became even more convinced. He traveled to Italy, to Germany, to Spain

to continue preaching, and eventually he was martyr as well, beheaded by Emperor

Domitian. But what I'm saying is this enough. But his work was so

powerful, was one of the what called it, one of the most important

bishops at that time, to really what they called it, infiltrate into ancient

Greece and all the way up to Rome and whole. And it was because

of the impact and the fervency of Paul to preach. Okay, sometimes you

preach in my thing, like, hey, nobody raise their hand. Hey,

you preach, you don't see any results. You preach amongst my people,

people will brough you off. But yeah, I tell you what.

You don't realize that sometimes when you preach, like poor Sator, because Jesus

is coming to judge the living and the deare. You give your own,

and you share, because what you have will feed those who hunger and thirst.

What they hunger and thirst for cannot be fulfilled by the world, by

the great minds of the world. Even Athens itself cannot fulfill it. Only

Christ himself can satisfy them. And when they do, they will before He

transform. Amen, so they all may know. We hope you've been blessed

by this message. For more information on our church, please visit as Church

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week is going to be a good week, a hit for you. God bless