Paul in Athens - Intro

This is a series of essays based on a sermon on Acts 17:16-34 I preached at Gate Church International on Sunday 27th November 2011. An MP3 of the sermon itself may appear on the Gate website in the near future.

In this section we see Paul going to the intellectual heart of Greek culture in Athens. Here we see that there were three key elements to Paul’s approach:

1. He met his opponents on their own ground, both physically and intellectually
2. He pointed them to a better way of life
3. He led them to the risen Christ

We will see how he did this, and apply the lessons to our own age. Today there is a common notion that science had done away with the need for God. This view is advanced by people like Richard Dawkins and others, but there is a very common belief that now we have scientific understanding we do not need God. This notion is complete nonsense.

In 2 Corinthians 10:5 Paul says “we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God”. There are many arguments made against God, but everyone of them contains the seeds of its own destruction. Let’s apply this to the notion that science has done away with the need for God.  

I’ll release the essays in three parts over the next few days:

1. Science's altars to an unknown God

2. More than turbo-charged chimpanzees

3. Raised from the dead

Isaiah 4:2-6 - Redemption

"In that day", this phrase repeats what was said in 3:18. This oracle of redemption comes in-between the condemnation of the superficiality of society and a longer indictment of Israel. It is a reminder that in the midst of God's firm dealings with sin, salvation is always the ultimate goal. The branch is a term referring to the Messiah, and was used by Jeremiah as well (Jer 23:5,6; 33:15,16). 

In that day when the Branch is exalted the land will bear its fruit. If we want to bear fruit we need to exalt the name of Jesus. The sins of the land will be washed away and the people will be called holy. This will be achieved through a spirit of judgement and fire. Remember that John the Baptist said that Jesus would baptise with fire. We need to remember that Jesus brings a judgement upon our ways, He demands change in our lives.

The cloud of smoke and flaming fire point back to the protection that God gave the Israelites when He took them out of Egypt. This offers both guidance and protection. 

Isaiah 3:16-4:1 - Fall of celebrity

Verse 16 reads like a description of our celebrity culture with its obsession with looks and fashion. Such women would be brought low. The superficiality of it all would be exposed by catastrophe. All their beauty, jewellery and perfumes would be taken away, along with all the accessories.

Instead they would wear the garments of disaster. All the things mentioned in verse 24 are associated with being taken captive. And the men they fawned over would be killed by the sword.

In those circumstances any man would do!

We need to be careful not to be taken in by the culture of our times. The world's culture favours those who are "in", but despises those who are "out". It is marked by exploitation, dehumanisation and superficiality.

Isaiah 3:10-15 - Judgement

Verse 10 is thrown in in the middle of all this judgement, "tell the righteous it will be well with them". It is always worth obeying the Lord, even if it seems that no one else is. We will reap the fruit of our deeds.

Then we get back to the deeds of the wicked, and disaster lies in store for them. In middle eastern culture to be ruled by youths or women was a sign of disfavour. 

Then we get the picture of the Lord taking His place to judge. One day we will all have to give an account for what we have and have not done. First He takes judgement against the leaders. They should have taken care of God's vineyard, instead they ruined it. The things we look after, the things we have authority over, are not ours. We are only stewards. In particular leaders are meant to look after the poor, not grind them in the dirt. Now this should not be taken as support for socialism. Both socialism and capitalism in their different ways are guilty of oppressing the poor.

Unbelievable - Origins of the Universe

Another interesting debate on Premier Christian Radio, this time on the origin of the universe.
Edgar Andrews v Robert Stovold.
See Unbelievable for more info on the programme.

PS the end of the podcast has feedback on last weeks programme and includes a letter from yours truly.

Isaiah 3:1-9 - A society in collapse

Judah and Jerusalem would be left utterly helpless, they would have nowhere to turn but to the Lord Himself.

Food and water would be cut-off. The human resources of leaders of various sorts would be cut-off. Skilled people of all sorts would be in short supply. This happens when a society starts to collapse, no one wants to take responsibility. In the case of war there is no left to take responsibility. In the last days of Berlin at the end of the second world war mere youths were being captains in the army. 

People will turn against each other, yet at the same time will long for some leader to come along and rescue them. This is one of the reasons why collapsing societies are so prone to dictatorship: almost anything is better than the mess they are in.

Verses 8 and 9 paint a sorry picture. They parade their sins like Sodom did. This is sadly true of our society today. If we do not change course we too will bring calamity upon ourselves.

Isaiah 2:6-22 - Remember the last day

I think it was G K Chesterton who said "when people stop believing in God they don't believe nothing, they believe anything". Now here it says that God had abandoned His people, but this was only in response to their abandonment of Him. As a result they became full of all sorts of superstitions.

Deuteronomy 17:16,17 forbid the accumulation of excess wealth and horses by the king, but this was what had happened. The land was also full of idols, and the people bowed down to the work of their hands. You see, an idol is something we make, so it is senseless to worship it. When we put God first we become truly wise, when we abandon God we become fools. He is the bedrock of all wisdom. So the end result of abandoning God is humiliation.

Verse 10 is echoed in Revelation 6:15,16. The splendour of the Lord will come, and then all human pride will be brought low, it will be shown up for what it is.

The Lord has a day in store. There is a day of reckoning, it is already in the diary. We need to live our lives with this day in view. On that day only God's wisdom and splendour will remain. All the things that people glory in today will become worthless and they will want to get rid of them.

The chapter closes with an exhortation: "stop trusting in human beings". We can sometimes be intimidated by the apparent strength and power of men, we need to look at all things in the light of the Lord, then we will see all things in their true perspective. When we consider our lives and our actions we need to ask ourselves ,"how will this look at the last day?"