Download Acts Part 9 How To Live In Athens SERMON

How To Live In Athens
(Living in a world with many ‘gods’)
Acts 17:16-34
Acts 17:16
While Paul was waiting in Athens, he was very upset to see that the city was full of idols…
So our story starts with Paul in the great city of Athens.
Paul has been left there on his own after he got “run out of town” in the last two cities he visited.
He is waiting for his team to come and pick him up.
So while he waits he looks around and what he sees in Athens upsets him.
This Story Is Very Important For You Today Because Australia Is Like Ancient Athens:
I think that Paul would have been upset at Australian culture too,
Because much of our Australian culture is comes from the ancient Roman Empire 2000 years ago.
We call their culture ‘Greco-Roman’ because although the empire was Roman,
The Greeks invented much of the smart stuff and the Romans built an empire on top of it!
From Greco-Roman culture we get law, democracy, roads, and science.
So as Paul explored Athens he was in a place a lot like modern Australia...
Let me quickly show you seven ways Australia acts like ancient Athens…
1. Aussies and Ancient Athenians Adore Sport
Athenians were mad about sport – after all they invented the Olympics!
Many of the Athenian heroes were gladiators, tough guys – just like our Aussie sporting icons.
On Wednesday night when Queensland won houses shook all over Queensland.
People roared and screamed – just as the ancient Athenians did at their sports.
Much Aussie culture comes from Athens.
2. Aussies And Ancient Athenians Are Impressed By Big Stuff.
And here’s the stadium in Athens and next to it the ANZ Stadium in Sydney.
In today’s story as Paul wandered around Athens he would have seen ‘The Acropolis’
Next to it is a picture of the Brisbane Town Hall.
Notice the similarities.
The columns, the nice Roman roof - built to impress.
Aussies and Ancient Athenians like to build big things to impress.
Who has noticed the BIG Bunnings being built about a kilometre from here?
Big stuff!
The great psychologist had a lot to say about people who build big buildings with big columns like that.
Aussies and Athenians, needing to compensate for something missing in our lives?
Building bigger and bigger things?
3. Aussies And Ancient Athenians Are Addicted To Gambling.
Here is a picture of some genuine ancient dice from around the time of Jesus.
Gambling was big in Athens.
One Athenian named Sophocles claimed that dice were invented there! (They probably weren’t).
Just like Aussies, the Athenians believed in fate and luck.
It was addictive.
4. Aussies And Ancient Athenians Tolerate A Gap Between Rich And Poor.
In Athens you could find obscenely rich people,
And you could find the hungry poor.
Australians tolerate this – our clothes are made by people getting 20cents an hour.
Because much of our culture comes from Athens.
5. Aussies And Ancient Athenians Love Entertainment.
The Roman government wanted to keep the masses entertained
because they knew that a large group of poor people was a major threat to their empire.
So they kept them well entertained.
Aussies watch widescreen TV and drink wine – they watched theatre and drank wine too.
The Athenians claimed that they invented drama.
So “Days Of Our Lives” is their fault!
Bert Newton is their fault.
6. Aussies And Ancient Athenians Are Obsessed With Body Image And Sex
As you walked through Athens your senses were assaulted with sensual images.
Statues of their gods everywhere,
Images of beautiful bodies.
They were obsessed with beautiful bodies – and perhaps our Aussie culture comes from them.
7. Aussies And Ancient Athenians Have Many ‘gods’.
As Paul walked into this great city of Athens it wasn’t just the beauty, entertainment or money he saw.
The BIG thing about Athens was that it was a place of many different ‘gods’.
They had a saying: ‘there are more gods in Athens than people!’
Ever where you looked was another religious symbol.
In Athens it was even trendy to believe the latest newest thing.
And we’ve taken on the same thing in Australia.
For instance, we see people put Buddha’s and Ying/Yang symbols on their doors and in their gardens.
They might not even understand what those things originally meant,
But they adapt things to mean what they want them to mean.
Trying to be cool with our beliefs.
Australia – a beautiful country of diversity – a place of opportunity and diversity - just like Athens?
So how do we respond to that?
How do we talk about the ‘One True God who made heaven and earth’ in a place like Athens?
Where Did Paul Do ‘God-Talk’ In Athens?
Let’s read together how Paul started:
Acts 17:16-20
While Paul was waiting in Athens, he was very upset to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the
synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who
happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked,
"What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this
because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to
a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are
presenting?”
It says he ‘reasoned’ with people.
The word (dialegomai) can mean to discuss or converse.
So Paul had conversations – perhaps asking and listening – and sharing his point of view too.
There are three locations of his conversations are mentioned here.
Can you see what they are?
1. He reasoned in the synagogue.
That was the local Jewish church – just like here – the local church.
This is a good place to talk about God!
If you’re worried about how to talk about God, start here in this gathering – it’s safe here.
When you go out to morning tea don’t just talk about State Of Origin,
This is a safe place for God-talk.
Don’t waste your morning tea time here – it’s God time – it’s time to talk in a safe place.
2. As well as in the marketplace.
After talking about God in the synagogue - which wasn’t easy either,
He went out into the community – which was even harder!
Have you ever felt frustrated at how hard it is to talk about God with Aussies?
Have you ever brought God into your conversation only to have it all just shut down?
It’s going to happen.
People are going to reject you (as they did to Paul in the previous city) just for mentioning God.
It’s hard isn’t it?
One thing I love to do is simply ask people what they believe… and then shut up!
It’s hard for me to shut up, but that’s what I try to do.
I want to learn about people, and have real conversation with them.
It’s amazing what you can learn and what you can share, when you just listen first.
3. A meeting of the Areopagus.
And as Paul talked about God with people at the market a group of philosophers came up.
And this next bit is almost like a Monty Python skit!
It says they were “Epicurean and Stoic Philosophers”.
Do you know what these two groups believed?
Stoics = believe in avoid fun and being pure!
Epicureans = believe fun is the only pure thing!
These two groups were opposites.
Perhaps one group was serious and the other silly.
One group was about pleasure - the other group was about having a straight face.
Their debates were legendary – on and on they would go with their opposing points of view!
But they had one thing in common – underneath their lives were empty.
There was something about Jesus that was different,
Different from either way,
Different to anything they’d heard before,
Startling.
So we get to the heart of the story.
The thinkers invite Paul to their discussion place called ‘The Areopagus’
And he tells them about Jesus.
What Paul says to explain Jesus is incredible,
There’s so much packed in there, but I want to point out two life-changing things that really help me.
Firstly:
What Can We Learn From Paul’s God-Talk In Athens?
So Paul is talking about Jesus!
In the midst of a complex culture that loved sport, gambling, money, beauty and diversity.
And finally he has arrived at the areopagus – it’s like the TED TALK centre for the city.
But here’s the thing.
Many suggest that Paul actualy FAILED in Athens.
In Athens Paul tried to be clever, but the the next city he went to called “Corinth”
He just focussed on the death of Jesus.
Later on Paul said that the best way to talk about God is not to come with clever speeches,
But instead to resolve to speak of nothing except “Christ and him crucified.”
So today as we explore what Paul DID say in Athens,
I’m not going to take this as an example of how you should talk about God.
This might actually have been one of his less successful attempts!
But instead, I want to notice the three bits of GOOD NEWS in what he said for us!
1. Start With What We Have In Common.
Acts 17:22-23
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said:
"People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious...”
Whether or not Paul gave a good speech,
One thing that is obvious,
He did not approach the pagans of Athens as enemies.
He did not come with a “them and us” mentality.
He did not approach them as if they had nothing in common.
Earlier this year I spent some time dialoguing with Islamic leaders on the Sunshine Coast.
I didn’t make it public and I didn’t seek attention for it.
I simply started talking to the leader of the Islamic Association to offer friendship.
At first there was a bit of suspicion towards me.
And one thing that I could remind them of was a common starting point.
We both agree that there is one God, the creator, who made us,
From whom we derive.
It’s a mistake to think of “them and us”
Because we have some things in common.
We may have many obvious differences,
But let’s start with some obvious things we have in common!
Notice how Paul starts.
The first thing he says is “I can see you are very religious”.
Paul was pretty religious too, after all he wrote a quarter of the New Testament.
He can see that even though they believe in all sorts of stuff that doesn’t work,
But they are interested in the meaning of life,
They are interested in love,
They hurt, hope, desire, and grieve just like us.
Every year I run the Queensland Health Organ And Tissue Donation Thanksgiving Service.
I work together with a team of people who are involved in transplanting organs from those who die tragically,
To save the lives of hundreds in our state each year.
I work with a team of people who are not Christian.
They don’t believe the same things as me.
But what we have in common brings us together.
We all believe that the work of Queensland Health in Organ Transplants is very important.
We start with what we have in common.
One of the growing dangers for followers of Jesus in Australia,
Is that we might start thinking of people who believe differently as “them”.
We might retreat and prefer to hang around with people who believe only the same stuff as us.
But we’re not so different inside.
We’re all on the same human journey.
Paul says to the people of Athens,
God is the one ‘in whom we live and move and have our being’.
We all get life from God, we all move and grow only because of God,
We are all made by God, for God, and like God.
All of us human beings on the planet are the same inside.
We are all in need of God,
We all doubt God,
We all have trouble understanding the universe,
We all have trouble trusting.
But God made us and loves each of us the same.
God wants us all back.
There is a temptation for those of us who have felt God touch our lives to think we are better.
There’s a temptation to start thinking we’re better than others.
But that’s not how to live in Athens!
It wasn’t “them and us” in Athens,
And it’s not “them and us” here in Australia.
Isn’t that a good thing to know?
Secondly Paul notices this:
2. Expect That God Is Already In Athens
Acts 17:23
I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.
Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.
Sometimes we can be in danger of thinking that God’s not already there yet in the world.
But if we are listening, we might discover hints that God’s already been around for a while.
This is one of the big themes of the book of Acts,
The first Christian often discovered that God was already at work before they got there!
When Paul went to tell people in Athens about Jesus,
He discovered that they had an inkling, an idea, a hint already.
God had been there working already.
God’s Holy Spirit had been preparing the way.
Paul could have walked around and said, “Stupid Greeks – you don’t know a thing’.
But he had the humility to take it all in and listen,
And to be surprised to find God already there waiting in the wings.
An altar to an unknown GodThey were already seeking God in their own way,
Deep down they knew there was more,
Paul honoured that.
We should too.
3. Be Ready For A Divine Appointment Today!
Acts 17:26-27
From one man he made every nation, that they should fill the whole earth; and God set the times for them and the
exact places where they should live. God did this so that people would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and
find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
Perhaps you’ve been ignoring God.
Perhaps like the people of Athens your life is filled with work, money, pleasure, entertainment.
Perhaps to you God seems unknown,
But God is not far.
You came and sat in this building today for a reason.
God set the time and place.
He did this so you would hear this:
That God made you, God designed you, God knows you, all of you.
You can run to Athens Arizona or Angola, but God will still be there.
You may ignore or reject, but God does not reject you.
God knew you’d be here today.
God longs for you to simply trust him,
To put out your hands and trust his love.
Jesus is the proof of that.
His death on the cross proves that it’s not a fairy tale,
And the life of Jesus proves that there can be more for you too.
God set this time – now.
Today I invite you to put your trust in Jesus,
To let go of everything else,
Because he loves you first.
Amen.