I am speaking to you today from
the book of Acts, chapter 17. The book of Acts, chapter 17. Now, in the book of Acts, chapter
17, we find the story of Paul the Apostle preaching in the
city of Athens, Greece. In verse 16 of Acts 17, it reads
this way, Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit
was stirred in him when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry,
or full of idols. It says that Paul's spirit was
stirred up. He was upset. He was bothered. his zeal for the truth was aroused
when he saw the whole city, the city wholly given to idolatry. Now, Athens, Greece at that time
was not some ignorant, uneducated, primitive place, but it was the
very center of learning and culture in a civilized society. Yet it
says that Paul was upset with all of the idolatry. Now, idolatry
is not just having statues or pictures or images. Incidentally,
God expressly forbids in the second of the Ten Commandments
any images. All such images or statues are
idols. even the so-called picture most
worship, which they call Jesus. Well, idolatry here in our text
basically means a man-made god, a god of man's imagination or
making. Well, it is my contention, based
upon the scripture, that the United States of America, yea,
the whole world, is no different than Athens, Greece was in the
time of the Apostle Paul, because I see most folks believing in
an idol, a man-made God, not the God of the Bible. What do
you mean, preacher? Why, I believe in the God of
the Bible, and so do most Christians that I know. Well, I hope you
do. And if you do, you will believe
all of what follows. And here in Acts chapter 17,
staying with the story, in verse 17, it says the Apostle Paul
disputed in a synagogue with the Jews and devout or serious
or sincere persons. And in verse 18, it says that
certain philosophers and other people encountered him and said
this. They said, he seemeth to be a
setter forth of strange gods. strange gods, because he preached
unto them Jesus and the resurrection. They said, His God is not like
our God. Then in verse 19 it says that
they told him, We want to know what this new doctrine is. May we know what this new doctrine
whereof thou speakest is? What is this you are preaching
and teaching us? They called it New Doctrine when
in fact it wasn't new at all, but it was as old as the God
of the Bible, as old as God himself. It's just that they weren't reading
the Old Testament anymore was the problem. And in verse 20
they said this, Thou bringest certain strange things to our
ears. We would know, therefore, what
these things mean. These are strange things you're
telling us, Paul, things we've never heard said before by any
other preacher. And in verse 21, it says that
all the Athenians and strangers, or people which were there, spent
their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear of
some new thing. some new thing. That's what they
were taking up with, telling and hearing something new. And
do you know that people are still doing and saying the same things
today? Religion, especially, is all
taken up with the telling and hearing of some new sign, wonder,
miracle, revelation, phenomena, practically having departed from
the Scriptures, certainly. departed from the Old Testament
scripture. Now, some of the things which
I am about to quote from God's word, things which declare the
God of the Bible, these things will seem like strange new doctrine
to some, perhaps to most. Some may even say of what I am
about to read to you, He seemeth to be a setter forth of a strange
God. when in fact, people, I'm declaring
from the Word of God, I'm declaring the God of the Bible. All right. Look at verse 22 now. Here's
the Apostle Paul, and it says, He stood in the midst of Mars
Hill, or a court there, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive
that in all things ye are too superstitious." He was saying
that you have listened to too many old stories, too many wives'
fables, too many people misquote God's Word. You have too many
long-held beliefs of men and women when you ought to be listening
to God's Word. You ought to be hearing what
God says in his Word, not the thoughts, opinions, and superstitions
or traditions of man. In verse 23, he says, I passed
by and I beheld your devotions, or all the gods that you worship.
I've looked and listened and watched as you pretend to worship,
and I found, he says, an altar with this inscription. It read
this way, To the unknown God. And Paul says, Whom therefore
ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. The unknown God,
that is who I want to declare unto you. The God who is God,
one whom most folks know nothing about. And in verse 24 and 25,
here's what the apostle says about the true God. He says,
God that made the world, and all things therein, seeing that
he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made
with hands, neither is worshipped with men's hands, and as though
he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life and breath
and all things." I'm sure the Apostle Paul saw some idols or
statues which were supposed to be of God, and they had no hands
and no feet. They were helpless to do anything
or go anywhere unless man let them. Well, that accurately describes
the idol which most folks today call God. You'll even hear many
preachers today actually say this. They say, God has no hands
but your hands, no feet but your feet. Won't you let God have
his way? Well, what Paul said to his generation,
I am saying to mine, the God of the Bible, the Creator of
the universe, has hands, and you and I are in his hands. He is not in our hands. In fact, Daniel 5, verse 23,
says, The God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all
thy ways hast thou not glorified." And we don't let God do anything. Isaiah 43 verse 13 says, God
shall work, or will work, and who shall let it, or prevent
him. God is not subject to the so-called
free will of man. No, no. Daniel 4 verse 35 says,
He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven and among
the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or
say unto him, What doest thou?" You see, the Scripture, God's
Word says about God exactly the opposite of what man says about
God. He even said, God said in Psalm
50 verse 21, thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a
one as thyself. People, the true and living God,
the God of the Bible, our God, whether we know him or acknowledge
him as such or not. The true and living God is not
like us. He's not like a man, not like
a human being. Human beings are subject to time,
things, circumstances. We're controlled by them. We're
influenced by them. We change according to them. We react to things. Not God. Things react because
God acts. God does not react to anything. The Scripture says, Known unto
God are all his works from the beginning. In verse 26 here in
Acts chapter 17, look at that. Acts 17 verse 26, it says, He
hath made of one blood of all nations of men, that is, they
all come from Adam, to dwell on all the face of the earth,
and hath God hath determined the times before appointed and
the bounds of their habitation." God hath determined the times
before appointed and the bounds of their habitation. God hath
pre-determined, pre-appointed times and bounds. That is absolute predestination. That's what that is. God predetermined
all things. God has predetermined everything
concerning all people and things. That's God's purpose. Now, if
you'll learn of the God of the Bible, if you'll learn, like
in Ephesians 1, verse 11, which says of him, he has predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will. or Romans 8.28, which many people
love to quote, which says, God works together all things to
them that love God. He works together all things
to them that love God who are called according to his purpose. If you learn something of this
predetermined, unchangeable, unstoppable purpose, you will
learn something of the God of the Bible, the true God. Man's
will, man's works don't determine anything, especially salvation
or eternal life. No one determines that they will
get into God's family. He does that. God's will and
God's purpose determines all things. He determines who, what,
why, when, how, where, all things, men and even devils. Listen to these verses of Scripture.
Isaiah 45, 7. He says, I form the light and
create darkness. I make peace and create evil. I, the Lord, do all these things. Listen to this. Deuteronomy 32,
39. See now that I, even I, am he. And there is no God with me. I kill and I make alive. I wound and I heal. Neither is
there any that can deliver out of my hand. Now, someone may
say, well, that's the God of the Old Testament. The God of
the New is different. Oh, no. Listen to what God says
about Himself in Malachi 3.6. He says, I am the Lord, I change
not. And look at this verse here in
Acts 17, verse 31. It says that God hath appointed
a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by
that man whom he hath ordained, that is, Jesus Christ. He'll
judge the world. Now, this will be a strange thing
to most, but the God of the Bible does not love everyone. The Lord
Jesus Christ of the Bible does not love everyone. In fact, the
Scripture says there's some that he hates. Psalm 5, 5, Psalm 11,
5. Hell is not full of people God
loves, but rather people whom God hates. People, God's attribute,
his chief attribute, is not love. It is his holiness. Learn something
about that, and you'll learn something of the God of the Bible.
Well, are these strange things? Is this a strange God, a strange
Jesus? Strange to most, yes, but this
is the God of the Bible. you