Which one of those people are you?
THE UNKNOWN GOD (Acts 17:22-34)
Before you open your Bible, ask God our loving heavenly Father to speak to you, because the Bible is no ordinary book.
Paul was on his second missionary trip when he arrived in Athens. Athens had once been a great city but it was now in decline although it was renowned as a great cultural centre. It was also a city in which you could find every religion under the sun, and in Athens you recognised the gods people worshipped because there would be a carved idol honouring that god somewhere in the city. There were hundreds upon hundreds of idols. They were everywhere. Someone once said that it was easier to find a god in Athens than to find a man!
There were two main lines of thought in Athens. There were those people whose philosophy was that life was all about having a good time and there were those who basically endured life.
So why was Paul so perplexed?
It was because he saw all these idols scattered round the city. They stood for lives that were empty. They stood for lives that were going nowhere. They stood for lives that had no real meaning or purpose. They stood for lives that were lost - lost not only here, but lost for eternity.
These people were not experiencing real life. Their religion was irrelevant. it followed a dead form.
Idols cannot change the lives of men and women. Idols cannot meet their deepest need. Idols cannot give us any certainty when we think about death and eternity. This sort of religion is irrelevant.
One thing that Paul particularly noticed in Athens was a shrine dedicated to the 'Unknown God'. The Athenians did not want to upset any of the so-called gods, so they dedicated one to the unknown god as well. It was a kind of insurance policy!
There are many people like that today. Just in case there is a God, they pay Him a little respect and say they believe in Him and even include Him when there is an emergency. You might say because we live in the twenty-first century we don't believe in idols. Don't we? our idols are different, but we certainly worship them.
There is the god of materialism.
Materialism is the god of the present time but like idols in Athens, the god of materialism does not satisfy. The god of materialism does not change lives. The god of materialism does not address our deepest needs. And it is leading people up a blind alley.
Another god - the god of pleasure.
Just like many of the Athenians, people just want to have a good time. There is nothing wrong with having a good time. God does not want us to endure life as if it is one great burden, but when we leave God out of our lives, pleasure it always seems to have a best before date. It is a god that can be fun when all is well, but it is not very good at dealing with the lows of life or with eternity.
Then, there is the unknown god.
And he is still around today. After all, a little bit of religion doesn't hurt anyone! The unknown god is great for special occasions when a little bit of religion is needed. He is there like the emergency services just in case we need him and he adds a bit of flavour to Christmas and things like weddings and other special events.
In Athens, the statue to the unknown god was fine while stood somewhere around the streets of the city, but no one would have wanted it taking up room in their homes. He would have got in the way!
That attitude has not changed. god is okay on the edge of our lives - but we do not want Him to intrude. Paul said it is this unknown god who we need to get to know urgently. Why? Because:
He is the creator God (verse 24)
Warren Wiersby said: "Every person asks, 'Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?' Science attempts to answer the first question, and philosophy wrestles with the second; but only the Christian Faith has a satisfactory answer to all three".
Even though God is great, He is interested and involved in His creation and He is interested in you. Therefore, we need to get to know the unknown God.
God is good (verse 25)
He is the great provider. Paul said: 'human hands do not serve His needs', but certainly He provides for ours. He is the invisible hand who sustains life and who provides for our needs. God did not bring the world into being and then get fed up with it like a child with a new toy.
God is the ruler (verses 26-29)
He is not only interested in His world, but He is active in it. The so-called gods the Greeks worshipped were disinterested in men and women who thought these gods were often using them for their amusement. the one true God does not do that.
He is the God of love (verses 30-31)
God cares so much about the human race even though men and women so often think they do not need Him, but can be their own master. God cares about us even though we have rebelled against Him. He cares about us even though we have left Him out of our lives. He cares about us so much that He sent His only Son - Jesus Christ into our world.
Jesus took on human form. He died on the cross in our place for all our failure. He rose from the dead proving that He can take away the fear of death and hell and can give us fullness of life. But only when he becomes the Lord of our lives and we accept Him into our lives as our Lord and Saviour turning away from self and turning to Him.
In Athens there were three different responses to Paul's message: some mocked him (people do that today); some were interested, but that's as far as it went (there are people like that today); then there were those who accepted Paul's message. They believed for themselves in the Lord Jesus Christ and were saved.
Which one of those people are you?
May God Richly Bless You, Love In Christ, Joylee.
The Joy Of The Lord Is My Strengh.
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