(Read Acts 17:16-22-34)
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing.” We closed out last week with Paul being brought before the high council in Athens, to explain the “gospel” he was preaching to the Athenian leaders and philosophers. Let’s pick it up from there.
The Apostles Paul stood before the council and said, “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about. He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.”
“His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone.”
“God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”
When the Athenians heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt, but others said, “We want to hear more about this later.” That ended Paul’s discussion with them, but some joined him and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the council, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
So what does this mean to you today? Let’s seek to glean a few nuggets from Paul’s message:
1. Being religious and engaging in religious activity will not get you any closer to God. God is seeking a relationship with you, through His Son Jesus, not a bunch of rituals, rites or routines.
2. God knew everything that would happen before it happened. God knows all things. He knows the end from the beginning. This should bring you comfort, especially when you are facing something that was unexpected. It might have been unexpected to you, but it was not unexpected to God. God knew it would happen and He prepared you for it.
3. In God we live, and move and exist. If you ever need to think about something to praise God for, just take a breath and thank Him for that! He put the air in our lungs, the pump in our heart, and the ability to think in our brains. He is the source of all life. And we did nothing to earn or deserve this life. God gave us life by His amazing Grace.
4. God commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to Him. There is a day coming when we will be judged. However, those who go to heaven won’t make it in because they earned it. And those who go to hell won’t go there because they were not good enough. The only reason any of us will go to heaven is because we accepted Jesus, God’s Son, as our Lord. And the only reason people will go to hell is because they rejected Jesus; rejecting God’s free gift of eternal life in His Son.
Closing Confession: Father, I enter into this day with thanksgiving on my lips and my praise in my heart. I honor You for being God. I acknowledge no other deity. I call upon no other name. I recognize no other Lord. You alone are God, You are my King, You are my Lord, and I worship You! I praise You for all You have done in my life. I worship You simply for being God and besides You there is no other. I am able to live, move and exist because of You. You gave me life and You have blessed me richly. You knew everything I would do — both good and bad — and You chose to bless me anyway. You made plans for me before I was born, and You have been faithful to those plans, even though I have made more mistakes than I want to remember. You have not allowed my mistakes to disqualify me from Your goodness. Thank You Father for being so good to me. I love You with all my heart. I praise You with all my soul! I have repented, I am quick to repent when I sin, and I pursue Your purpose for my life every day. You use me today Father for Your glory, not because I am so good, but because You are! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
