The Church is an Engaging People

Oregon Pastor Rob

The Church • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

Acts 17

Theology of Missions

Apologetics

0 ratings

· 4 views

Notes

Transcript

Handout

Introduction:

· Flying at 37,000 feet: Not chronological, but thematic (less focus on details, more on big picture)

· We’ll jump around, but: The same message to both “religious” people & irreligious people

THREE THINGS TIE THIS TOGETHER: ALL WORLDVIEWS ARE RELIGIOUS; THE RESURRECTION CHALLENGES ALL WORLDVIEWS; THE RESURRECTION OFFERS HOPE FOR ALL WORLDVIEWS

I) All Worldviews Are Religious

A. “Religious” People Worship by climbing up to God

i. In the Synagogues the “gods” of morality are king (vv. 1-15)

1. Paul visits the synagogues to engage traditional religious people

2. The belief: if you follow the rules, God will accept you

ii. Moralism & Traditional Religion put the focus on human behavior

1. World religions teach how to behave to gain God’s acceptance

2. Some of us pursue this à prideful, or despair

B. Secular people worship “the unknown gods” of the culture

i. In the cultural marketplace, many “gods” are on display (vv. 16-18, 22)

1. Though not organized, worldviews of S&E were “religious” (vs. 18)

2. E&S: Self-discipline, master your impulses, live for the moment

ii. Even in a “secular” culture, we all “worship” something

1. D. F. Wallace: “there’s no such thing as not worshipping…”

2. You never have enough

WHETHER WE ARE MORE LIKE THE RELIGIOUS PEOPLE IN THESS/BEREA, OR THE IRRELIGIOUS IN ATHENS, WE ARE WORSHIPPERS. SO WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

II) The Resurrection is a Sticking Point for All Religions

A. Religious People object to a God who suffers

i. For Jews God was too dignified to suffer(resurrection isn’t needed) (vv. 3-5)

1. Jewish people regularly react harshly to resurrection; why? (vs. 3, 7)

2. A holy & dignified God would never suffer the shame of a crucifixion

ii. If we believe that we “earn” God, we minimize the need for the resurrection

1. By holding to moralism, we live as though Jesus’ work isn’t sufficient

2. “God helps those who help themselves,” right?”

B. Irreligious people object to a God who gives “life after death”

i. The Stoics & Epicureans ridiculed resurrection (vv. 18-21, 32)

1. Epicureans ridiculed resurrection because they were materialists

2. Stoics ridiculed resurrection because there is no life after death

ii. We deny resurrection even as we can’t avoid realities of death

1. Some of us live only for this life: Make money; earn success etc.

2. Yet, the irony – listen at a secular funeral to the “life after death” motif

THIS IS WHY, AS CHRISTIANS, WE CAN HOLD ON TO THE HOPE OF RESURRECTION.

III) The Resurrection Offers Hope to All Worldviews

A. Engaging a World with a Message of Hope (vv. 2, 3, 17, 18, 23)

i. Paul’s Toolbox: “When your only tool is a hammer, everything is a nail.”

1. Paul “dialogs”, “reasons”, “proclaims”, “proves”, “persuades”…

2. Wisdom requires knowing how to engage the one you are speaking with

ii. Paul’s message of Hope (vv.25-28)

1. Paul does not lambaste the pagans but speaks their “language”

2. The poets & prophets of our culture: music, media, the influencers…

B. Worshipping a God Who Gives Hope

i. Who do we worship in a hopeless world? (vv. 28)

1. Like the E’s & S’s, or the religious people, what is central? What do we hold to more than anything else?

2. God has “come near” so we can find our deep longings satisfied in him

ii. The resurrected Jesus offers us the hope our world needs

1. Jesus’ resurrection means: we are so bad, that Jesus had to die, but we are so loved that Jesus was glad to die –

2. The resurrection means: this world with its aches, pains, sorrows & sadness, is not the final chapter

Transition:

Conclusion

Who do you worship?

Related Media

Related Sermons