Paul’s Second Missionary Journey (pt.2): An Idol-Smashing Vision of God
A Sermon by Christopher Patton
Sovereign Grace Church Middletown, DE
June 27, 2010
Here’s the scene in our passage – as Paul continues on his second missionary journey, he arrives in Athens, Greece. This was the 7th stop – the 4th since arriving in Europe.
You’ll recall from last time, under threat of persecution, Paul left Berea for Athens. His associates, Silas and Timothy remained. While waiting for them, Paul didn’t waste any time (vs.16). He preached both in the synagogue to Jews and in the marketplace to Gentiles. The marketplace seemed to be his focus in this city.
In Greek and Roman culture – the marketplace (agora) was the center of urban life, the place of commerce and trade. It was where ideas were exchanged. In Athens people enjoyed philosophical dialogue (vs.21) there.
So in the marketplace, Paul engages these philosophers. Some called him “a babbler – accusing him of repeating various philosophical and religious ideas that he’d heard, off the top of his head. Others thought he was talking about foreign gods. To both these groups – Paul’s teaching seemed strange or odd (vs.20). So they bring him before the Aeropagus, to hear more (vs.19).
The Aereopagus is a place in Athens – you can visit it today. It also refers to a council which at one time met at that hill. The text is probably referring to that council, not the hill. Who were the Aeropagus? They were a kind of body of elders who maintained the religious order and customs in the city
In our story, Paul is brought before this council and begins to preach. In his sermon, he goes after the people’s idolatry and calls them to repent.
You’ll notice (vs.16) – Luke says when Paul first arrived “his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. Just picture Paul walking into Athens. He sees idols, statues and shrines everywhere. One commentator says the city was a “veritable forest of idols.” The main god was Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty. Other gods included Ares, the god of war, Artemis the god of fertility and Hephaestus, the god of craftsmanship. There were numerous others as well. Paul mentions he even saw an altar “to the unknown god.” That was in case they missed one!
What he saw provoked Paul. The word translated “provoked” in the ESV means irritated and upset. So in his address, Paul goes after their idolatry. Now before we explore the content of Paul’s sermon – I want to remind you, we are just as foolish in our idolatries as the people of Athens. Their idolatry was overt – ours more covert; it’s idolatry of the heart, and it’s no less serious in God’s eyes than bowing down and worshiping a physical statue.
Do you remember the first of the ten commandments?
“You shall have no other gods before me.
The second commandment further explains the first:
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God…
So it’s clear, the biblical concept of idolatry includes more than just statues. Idolatry is attributing god-like status to anything in heaven or earth. It’s functionally and effectively replacing God with something or someone else – something else that competes with God for first place in our hearts. A few examples include: money, a romantic relationship, career success, a certain job, a certain lifestyle, a spouse, a child, physical beauty and more.
“The truth is your heart is always under rule. If it is not ruled by God it will be functionally and effectively ruled by something else (Paul Tripp).”
No one can say they are without idols. Like these ancient Greeks, we all have them. We should be aware, this passage is inspired by God therefore, it’s not only for these ancient Greeks, it’s for us as well. God is on a rescue mission, to rescue us from the false worship of our hearts.
Now I want you to notice that Paul doesn’t just say “You’re idolators” so repent.” He takes a different, far more winsome approach. He brilliantly draws their attention to a shrine devoted to the “unknown god” and says – “I’m going to tell you who this God is….Almost as if to say – “this God you intuitively know exists but are ignorant of – let me tell you about Him.” He then proceeds to give them a vision of God and His greatness. In so doing – He exposes the foolishness of their idolatry.
This is instructive. Paul’s method helps us to see: What liberates us from idolatry is not just saying “idols are bad so get rid of them.” What liberates us from idolatry is a vision of God’s glory.
In our humanity – God has wired us to seek glory. But we’ve got it all messed up. We foolishly pursue the glory of created things rather than the glory of the Creator (Romans 1). Paul’s approach reveals that what leads people out of idolatry is understanding who God is! Once God is seen for who he is, our idols are seen for what they are – worthless.
Paul helps the people in Athens (and us) by making four statements about God.
I. God is not confined spatially or geographically
Another way to say this is – God is omnipresent.
24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man
Where do physical idols live? In temples. Paul is saying “look, the God who created the world (like the whole thing!), doesn’t live in puny little temples that people make! ” He’s not confined to some sacred space. He’s not just one region’s god. In those days there were regional gods. Paul is saying the one true God, the Creator of all isn’t like that.
God is omnipresent. God is everywhere present. He’s “present in all places …..he is present everywhere in the fullness of all that he is and all the powers that he has (Packer, Concise Theology 35).
This is really good news for a church like ours that meets in a school.People tend to be enamored with ornate church buildings – but God is not.
Folks – Do you think He needs multi-million dollar facilities to save people – to work powerfully? If that was the case, we’d have packed up a long time ago. We wouldn’t have even started this church.
Years ago I remember seeing a televangelist seeking to raise money by promising to send donors “holy water” from the “holy land” – as if God’s presence is uniquely mediated through that water. Please don’t buy that stuff. You can get water for a lot cheaper from your faucet.
A lot of Christians can make a big deal out going to Israel and seeing various “holy sites.” Catholics in particular tend to ascribe great significance to different shrines, relics and sites associated with Jesus, the Virgin Mary and various saints. Some people invest a lot of money to go on Catholic pilgrimages and tours of these places.
Now hear me – I’m not saying it’s bad to travel the world and see important locations referenced in scripture. There can be some benefit – particularly in helping us to understand biblical context. I’d love to see some of the actual biblical sites – perhaps you would too. But if we don’t, does that mean we’re missing out on God’s presence?
We need to realize –as Paul makes clear – the God who created all of this isn’t confined to or even specially present in a specific building. He’s not confined to one specific geographic location.God is everywhere equally present in in the fullness of all that he is and all the powers that he has.
As the psalmist declares:
Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
Sometimes God will manifest His presence in powerful ways but when He does it’s not like He wasn’t there and now He’s there. It’s just at some point in time God sovereignty chose to reveal His presence in some way – like for instance when God parted the Red Sea. Sometimes we’re perceptive to His presence – sometimes we’re not . But biblically – the fact of the matter is – He’s always there!
Some of you might be going through a trying time thinking – “where’s God in this? Has He abandoned me?” The answer is no. Believer, even if you tried you cannot flee from God’s Spirit, you cannot flee His presence, He promises He will never leave or forsake you. He is there, with you, to cheer and to guide and to bless.
When you’re dealing with that difficult child – He is there with you. When you’re dealing with that difficult work situation – He is there with you. At all times – He is there with you. And He’s here with us right now
II. God is not needy
24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
This is another way God is completely unique from all idols – is He is not needy. There is no deficit in God that he needs us to make up. He can manage just fine without us. God doesn’t need our devotion or our worship or our repentance in order to be happy.
Just follow Paul’s logic:
- God made everything including us.
- Our very life and breathe comes from Him – He gave it to us and He sustains us
- Therefore – “who really needs who? Who is dependent on whom?”
Paul is saying – we are needy for God. We are dependent on God, not the other way around.
III. God is not distant
26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for in him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’
Here in these verses, Paul says that God’s purpose for the nations is that they seek the Lord. Here’s his flow of thought:
- From one man, Adam, God made the nations
- He sovereignly determined the geographic locations of every country and how long they would exist.
- Why did he do all that? In hope that the people in those nations would seek the Lord.
This brings to mind the events of Genesis 11. You will recall that after God destroyed the earth in the flood Noah’s sons, and their descendants repopulated the earth
Gen 11:1 “the whole earth had one language and the same words.”
There was one nation so to speak. But it was an arrogant nation. The text says they were looking to make a name for themselves. So they united to create a tower “with its top to the heavens.” In so doing, the people sought exalt themselves above God. Far from seeking God, they sought an autonomous existence, independent from God. As a people, a nation, they chose self-rule instead of God’s rule. They chose self-reliance instead of dependence on God.
So what did God do? He made the people to speak in different languages. Which caused the people to disperse all over the face of the earth, forming many nations based on common language.
What was the purpose of that? Well our passage gives us some insight – it was so that the nations would seek the Lord. United as one race and one people – the human race adopted an attitude of arrogant independence—“we don’t need God.” Dispersed over the face of the earth—humanity was prone to be a bit more humble— and therefore more inclined to ‘feel our way towards him’
However, as Paul says – its not like God is “ far from each one of us”
In one sense because of our sin, apart from Christ, God is distant. Yet in another sense – “in him we live and move and have our being…” In other words God created and continues to actively sustain each and every human life. Every breath comes from God. Every movement of your limbs and mine – that ability comes from God. Even the most ardent atheist was created by and continues to be sustained by God Himself. Therefore as Paul says, in a very real sense God is not far from anyone.
He is not a some foreign, far off deity, who we need to figure a way to pay homage to – perhaps build a shrine or statue or something like that.
May I remind you –
The only thing that separates us from God is our sin and rebellion against Him. Praise the Lord – In Christ God has made a way to deal with that. A lot of people beginning to explore Christianity think “First, I’ve got to get my act together and then I’ll get serious about the Lord.” Its almost like they’ve got to get a shrine of good works built before they feel qualified to become a Christian. They don’t realize, Jesus came into the world to save those who don’t have their act together.
Sadly a lot of Christians – even though we know better – can relate to God is if He’s “out there”, distant, far-removed from us because of some trial or struggle with a besetting sin. We all too easily forget what Paul says in Ephesians:
“now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Therefore We often fail to heed the exhortation found in Hebrews:
“let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water…”
Let us not suppose God is distant this morning.
IV. God is not the product of human wisdom
Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man…
Here Paul makes the point that unlike idols, God is not the product of human wisdom. He is not some artists handiwork. He is not the product of a gifted person’s imagination.
Our culture is in passionate pursuit of, sometimes madly in love with, a thousand things formed by the art and imagination of man. Things like: homes, cars, clothes, furniture, electronic gadgets, movies.
All of these things, while not bad in and of themselves, can easily become idols. They can exercise undue influence in our lives. We’ve got to be careful here. It’s easy to dismiss this point as applying to others, but not ourselves:
“even though it is clear that the world is filled with greed and materialsm, almost no one thinks it is true of them. They are in denial (Keller 58).”
May we all recognize that material things probably have a grip on hearts more than we like to think. Let’s ask God to help us not to live for things formed by the art and imagination of man. Let us live for God, and enjoy what he graciously provides.
CONCLUSION
So, to summarize – here’s the idol-smashing vision of God that Paul presents
- I. God is not confined spatially or geographically
- II. God is not needy
- III. God is not distant
- IV. God is not the product of human wisdom
So what does Paul call for in response to this? The answer is repentance.
“The times of ignorance God overlooked, but know he lcommands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
Here Paul says, there is day coming when God in Christ will judge every person. Those who do not repent of their idolatry, who do not repent of replacing God with all manner of other things — God says they will be judged eternally.
Revelation 21:8 says:
But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
If you’re here today, and you know God has not been first in your life – you’ve been living for different idols: idols of reputation, material gain, sensual pleasure, career success – you name it – know that God is not far this morning. You can stop groping after Him. You can receive Him as Savior by trusting in Him to forgive you of your idolatry and repenting of, turning away from living for those idols that now dominate your life. If that’s you, I’d like to talk more about that with you after the meeting
For the believer, I want to remind you – there is a judgment for you and me coming as well. I am so thankful, Christ has died the death we should have died and lived the life we should have lived so that we can stand in that day of judgment and enter into Jesus’ heavenly kingdom.
However, we must remember there is still a judgment coming. It will be a judgment of rewards. The degree of our reward to some extent will be determined by how faithful we are to put away idols of the heart as God reveals them.
The application of this text for us is still repent. If we’re to repent – we need to think about what idols might be controlling us. I highly recommend Tim Keller’s book, Counterfeit Gods as a resource to help you.
Pray
