Sunday Sermon
sunday morning 27th Sept 2009
Acts 17v16-34: Redeeming the time.
Last week we saw Paul move from Thessalonica to Berea and then down to Athens.
This is where we see him this week in that most famous of ancient places. A city where many of the great philosophers of the past taught : Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.
It was a city of magnificent buildings and statues. Now Paul gets there!
1) Time spent waiting v16-21:
Paul as we know was a man who had been chased from one place to the next.
Now here he is in Athens waiting for the rest of the group to catch up.
In his waiting we see something of the true character of Paul.
· Often times of waiting for us are time when we get impatient and angry! Paul has much to teach us about waiting.
V16 Paul may have appreciated the time to just put his feet up and relax but the environment would not allow that. His spirit was provoked! He could not help it! He didn’t raise his own zeal, the surroundings did that for him!
What caused such internal provocation? The overwhelming visible idolatry of Athens!
V17 Therefore, he got to work! He reasoned in the synagogue and marketplaces!
V18 He preached Jesus and the resurrection!
All this work led to an opening amongst the thinkers of the day, they wanted to know what he was talking about v19-21.
Time spent waiting was not time wasted!!
Paul was like the proverbial busy bee!
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The Christian may have to spend many hours waiting but never has the right to waste time!
Using time well is part of our calling. We have to redeem the time.
How can we use time well? One thing is we need to follow the spirits leading in our life.
Paul was provoked into action in Athens.
God gives us all talents and responsibilities, we need to follow the Spirit into these things.
Why?
One thing is we will never know what good may come! Using time well brings glory to God. Using time well may lead to fruitful conversations about the gospel.
2) a sample of his Preaching / Reasoning v22-31.
Paul uses the time that he has to wait reasoning and preaching the gospel!
He reveals God as the Creator Lord, who is beyond our manipulation v24
He Sovereignty administers life to the world and is in need of nothing himself v25
He not only started Mankind, he continues to bring forth humanity, he is intimately involved with each one, determining or times and locations v26!!
He does this so that Man might seek after God v27
He is the God who longs to save v30 – he commands repentance. For them that means turning from idolatry.
He is the Judge who is going to call us all to account one day! Proof is the resurrection v31
· Pauls sermon is an overwhelming vision our glorious of God.
He proclaims Him as Creator, Sustainer, Life Giver, Loving Saviour and Judge!
This vision of God is all the more powerful when we think of the people to who he was talking: the Epicureans were basically those who were devoted to pleasure – hedonists. They did not believe in a personal God who would demand justice in the end, hence their devotion to pleasure now! Their god was distant and not bothered about humans!
But they did not go into extremes in their pleasure seeking, like hedonist today might.
They would have been morally materialistic rather than immorally materialistic.
Stoics: believed the world was ruled by fate, their only choice was to follow their destiny! One had to live in harmony with nature and reason.
They believed in a supreme god but not a personal one.
Paul preached a message fit for the context!
A presentation on the calling of Abraham and the history of Israel would have been out of place!
In school we teach P1 the basics and gradually move up, we teach appropriately to children’s abilities!
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We need to present the Truth to our culture in an appropriate way.
How do we do that?
By getting to know people. We can only know what people are thinking, what people understand, if we get to know them!
Knowing our culture may sound like too big a project, but we can know our neighbour!
What we will find is that people today are no different from the philosopher mentioned in the text: people who want to be happy and try basically to do good! But all without God!
Why should we take the time to get to know people?
Because only then can we intelligibly tell them the good news! Only then can they be saved!
Faith comes by hearing the message, thus we need to make sure it is understood as we tell it!
3) fruit from the waiting: finally Paul moves on again v32-34.
In his time of waiting Paul reasons and preaches in the synagogue and then speaks to the Areopagus. And there is fruit in the end, a small number of followers.
Two are named Dionysius and Damaris.
Redeeming the time sounds like such a dull affair! But what fruit it produces!
The harvest comes at the end of the time of waiting.
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The great challenge from all this for us is to use the in-between times well.
Most of life is spent in the in-betweens! The things that we plan out and do pass very quickly.
How?
By giving thanks for all that comes to pass. We can’t map out our times of waiting, but we can give thanks for them. Receive all that comes as a gift from God. Even the weather!
If we live giving thanks for all circumstances, being content in all circumstances, fruit will come.
Why?
a. One thing is that often times there is simply nothing we can do about our situations!
b. Another thing is there are more adventures just round the corner:
We serve a Great Lord, he will not have us hang about doing nothing! He has plans for us. Let’s move on into the work that the Lord has for us next!!
c. We have a Great Saviour for whom no time is wasted time (Rom8v28). He wastes no time neither should we.
sunday evening 27th Sept 2009
Philippians 1v12-30
Last week we saw in v1-11 that we are holy slaves of Christ called to pray!
This week the theme is living for the Glory of Christ v27 especially.
How then are we to live for the Glory of Jesus?
1) by proclaiming our great saviour at all times v12-18
Pauls main concern was that the Gospel would be advanced v12.
Thus he has continued to witness even though chained and imprisoned (probably at Rome).
And through his witnessing the whole palace guard has been evangelised and the church has been encouraged to witness all the more! V13-14
Some are preaching to get Paul in more trouble but others out of true love v15-17.
But who cares what the motives are as long as Jesus is preached!! V18
Looking at these verse it would seem that Paul was psychotic about preaching the gospel.
Being imprisoned his concern was not for himself but for the gospel, hearing about those who were trying to get him in more trouble he did not care as long as the gospel was preached!! Doctors would say he was out of his mind!
His whole being, it would seem, was given over to the cause of the gospel.
The closest kind of thing that we have of this today are delusional sports fans!! Who spend all their time and money in following a team.
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As holy slaves we are called to pray as we saw last week.
And we are also called to proclaim the gospel. We are called to be bold witnesses.
How?
a. Use the situation you are in now. Don’t look for better times or places, Paul was in jail!
Use your difficulties to speak a word for Jesus. Speak to the friends you already have.
b. Encourage one another in the task! We are not to do it alone.
c. learn to love the gospel and those you try to reach. Love is the key. God’s love for us enabling is to love the world.
Why?
Because this is what brings glory to God. That Jesus is honoured and lifted high brings glory to God. The side effect of that is that we are blessed. We are doing what we have been made for. Ultimately if we don’t seek to bring glory to God by proclaiming Christ we will not enter into true happiness as followers of Jesus!!
2) by trusting Jesus in all things, life and death v19-26
Paul was a man who had an indefatigable trust in the Lord v19.
· He knew that all would turn out for the best.
That trust was not based on whether things were going well for him, it was a trust that continued no matter what the outcome was – life or death! V20
Indeed, life or death was not the issue, Christ was all that counted v21
Paul would rather die and be with Christ but he knew that he still had work to do on earth v22-26, he still had a mission to fulfil.
Pauls faith was like the faith of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Dan 3v16-18.
Furnace faith: trusting in God regardless of the outcome for me!
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We are called to trust God no matter what!! But this is not blind faith.
We are called to trust the God of Biblical Revelation, who raises the dead, for whom nothing is impossible!
How do we develop such faith?
By focusing on Jesus. It is only through beholding Jesus that our faith grows. So read, pray, fellowship, seek Jesus, look for him in all things!
Why?
Because through such faith God is glorified!
When his children stand up and say i trust the Lord no matter what may come, that is when He is honoured! Through such faith we live for the glory of Christ.
3) by fearlessly living for Christ in the face of persecution v27-30
So Paul was a man who preached Christ and trusted Christ in all things. And he was a man who commanded such living from the church.
V27-28 the church had to live in a manner worthy of the Gospel: standing united in spirit and purpose. Not being frightened by the enemies – which witnessed to their own salvation and their opponents destruction.
The Philippians had been given a special calling that they had to fulfil – they were called to suffer for Christ, even as Paul was!! V29-30
The picture here is of an army standing firm in the face of opposition. You join the army knowing that one day you may be called to fight, you may be called to kill.
The Philippians are not called to kill but they are called to fight! Standing fearlessly before those who oppose them.
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To live for the glory of Christ we need to Preach Him, Trust Him and now live fearlessly for Him. One of our biggest problems is that we are afraid! Afraid of what people will think, or what people will say! Fearful that people might take us the wrong way or that we might offend!
Such fear has to be gotten rid of!
How?
a. we need to repent of such thinking. It’s a mind thing. We need to change our way of thinking. Ask why am I afraid? Apply to your fear the knowledge you have of Jesus. Think!
b. look for support from one another. Paul called the Philippians to stand together v27.
Why?
a. realise that you have to do it, this is your responsibility. The Philippians had to live in a way worthy, they had to watch their conduct. You are responsible for how you live!
b. fearlessness is a testimony to the world v28.
c. living without fear is great freedom. Worry free, care free, fear free! This is how we are to live, like little children in the care of the best parents imaginable! Safe and surrounded in love.
d. living without fear brings glory to Christ because it is only because of him that we can live fearlessly.
