Turn with me back to Acts chapter
17. Acts 17. Dave read our text for the message
this morning. Look again at beginning with
verse 16. It says, when Paul waited for
them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him. And this is why. He saw the city
wholly given to idolatry. What was true that day, continues
to be true in our day. And it upset him that the whole
city was given over to idolatry, given over to idols, not the
true and living God, but to idols. Men continue to pray to a God
that cannot save, a savior that is dependent on man. I ask you, what kind
of savior is that? One that relies on man. And in our day, and again, probably
no different than Paul's day, Most of these so-called churches,
their focus is not on the gospel. Rather, it's entertainment. It's enthusiasm. They have bands
and I don't even know what a praise team is. I've heard people talk
about that. It's a bunch of foolishness. Remember Brother Henry used to
say it's just folks entertaining sinners on the road to hell. A promise of reward if man does
things the right way and a threat of loss to scare men, to frighten
men into making a decision. Look at Paul's response to this.
Look at verse 17. It says, therefore disputed he in
the synagogue with the Jews and with the devout persons in the
market daily with them that met him. I've seen that word disputed
and immediately the word kind of like argument come to my mind,
but I looked this up. And it means this, He reasons
with them. He preached to them. He preached the gospel to them. One way. There is but one way
of salvation. And that's of God being gracious. Of God showing mercy to sinners
in Christ. We declare that all men are guilty. All men are perishing. All men
are under the wrath and judgment of a holy God. And unless God
in mercy is pleased to come and lift that beggar from the dunghill,
and sanctify him and justify him through the Lord Jesus Christ
and make him accepted in the beloved, that man will remain in his sin. He preached to them. He declared
the gospel to them. A crooked stick. The only thing
you have to do to prove a crooked stick is crooked is what? Just lay a straight stick beside
it continually. It's not by arguing. It's just
by continually declaring what is true. He disputed in the synagogue. and in the market. And then look
at verse 18, it says, then certain philosophers of the Epicureans
and of the Stoics encountered him. And some said, what will
this babbler say? Others, they said, he seemeth
to be a setter forth of strange gods. because he preached unto
them Jesus and the resurrection. Two groups here, and they still
exist today. The Epicureans, they thought God was altogether
just like them, idle, inactive. minding nothing,
putting no difference between good and evil. They didn't believe that God
made the world or that he governs it or that he orders and directs
it. That man had no need to make
any, had no conscience of what he says or does. No punishment,
no reward. Listen, just do whatever you
want to do. The Epicureans indulged themselves
in the pleasures of this world. Isn't that man today? The Stoics,
they thought themselves altogether as good as God. They indulged in the pride of
life, the lust of the flesh and the eye. They said that man was in no
way, a virtuous man, was in no way inferior to God. Doesn't that go along with what's
said in most pulpits today? continues to align with what
man thinks, but these things are counter to the gospel. You know, the gospel tells us
to deny ourselves, to abase ourselves, to have no confidence in this
flesh, but rather to have confidence in Him, in Christ, Christ who
is all and in all. And they ask this question, what
will this babbler say? Here he is again. What's he going
to say this time? Maybe that thought enters your
mind from time to time. What will this babbler say? You
know that word babbler, it was used as a metaphor And it was
not meant, it's probably no surprise, it wasn't meant as a compliment
to Paul. It was used to describe a man
who picks up scraps of information and then takes that information
and retells it second hand. A man who takes what another
man has said and then he tells it again. We might call it a
plagiarist. But you know what? That's exactly
what the gospel is. I'm not here to tell you anything
new. I'm not here to tell you anything
that hasn't been told before. What do we want to hear? The
old, old story. Paul told the Corinthians, he
said, I received of the Lord that which I delivered unto you. This isn't any original thought
on my part, this is what the Lord told me. And it's told again, and told again,
and told again. It's the truth. The things that,
he said, Timothy, he said, the things that you've heard of me
among many witnesses, that same word, you commit it to faithful
men who's going to teach others also. You tell the same, you
tell the same thing. Those religious folks, they desired
to hear something new, something they had never heard before.
A babbler. I tell you, a babbler says this,
man is sinful. And he tells it over and over
and over again. That God, Almighty God, is holy
and just in all that he does. and he's going to judge sin. Christ is the savior of his people. We tell that over and over again. But they called him a setter
forth of strange gods, and this is why, because he preached Jesus
and the resurrection What was the message? The Lord
Jesus Christ, Christ crucified, and the resurrection. David mentioned
this in his prayer. Around this world today, there's
much, much made about his resurrection. We should make much about his
resurrection all the time, shouldn't we? You know, as he lives, we
live. We live in him. The Lord Jesus
Christ, when he walked this earth, he was known as a man of sorrows. After the resurrection, it was
said, all power is given unto me. In heaven and in earth, all power. He's risen. The Lord Jesus Christ is risen. He is victorious. He is exalted. He's to be exalted. And he is
the sovereign Lord of all. In our day, men, like those Epicureans
of old, they see him as equal with themselves. They may see
him as a prophet. as a teacher, as one who can
heal, even as a Savior. But you know, even as a Savior,
they declare that He's equal with them because according to
man, He cannot save without man contributing His part. My friends, the Lord Jesus Christ
is the sovereign Savior. He needs no help from anyone. He's Lord of Lords. He's King
of Kings. God's Word declares that the
Lord Jesus Christ is exalted at the right hand of the Majesty
on High. And His resurrection declares
Him to be the Son of God, who He is. His exaltation declares
Him to be Lord. Peter closed his message in Acts
2 with these words. He said, God hath made this same
Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. This is the gospel we preach. Jesus Christ is Lord. God hath delivered all things. into His hands. All authority,
all judgment, all revelation, all delivered into His hands. Christ died. Why did He die? He died for the sins of His people
and He was raised for our justification. We live. How is it that we live? How is it that we have life?
It's because He lives. He ever lives and we are free
from sin because our surety, that one who bore our sins, that
one who bore the sins of his people and his body on the tree
is now free from them. Much was said about Paul because
he preached Jesus and the resurrection and using this text this morning,
He preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection. I'd like for
us to see just a few things revealed in God's Word concerning Him
and His resurrection. The first one is this. It's the
evidence. The resurrection is the evidence
of His power. Turn with me to Romans chapter
1. Romans, just a few pages over,
hold your place there, but turn to Romans chapter 1. He said this, he's declared to
be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness
by the resurrection of the dead. Think about that. The Lord Jesus
Christ is declared to be the Son of God with power. The Son of God. He appeared in
the creation of all things. When this world was formed out
of nothing, Christ was there. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was
in the beginning with God. All things, all things were made
by Him. And without Him, without the
Lord Jesus Christ was not anything made that was made. He upholds
all things by his power. We read, who being the brightness
of his glory and the express image of his person, upholding
all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself
purged our sins, he sat down on the right hand of the majesty
on high. It declares His power in the
government, listen, of this world, in His works of providence, in
the miracles that He wrought, in the redemption of His people,
in the success of His gospel, in the saving of sinners, in
the preservation of His church, His people. He is declared to be the Son
of God with power by the resurrection of the dead. Consider the power
of Christ in raising the dead, in raising His saints, the power
of Christ. Like when He raised Lazarus of
old, was it ever said of a man he could raise someone from the
dead? Those that were raised at His
resurrection. And all that He will raise in
the last day. In the book of Job we read, Oh
that thou wouldst hide me in the grave. That thou wouldst
keep me secret until the wrath be past. That thou wouldst appoint
me at a set time and remember me. If a man die, will he live
again? All the days of my appointed
time." Job said, I'll wait. I'll wait till my change comes. Declared to be the son of God.
with power by the resurrection of the dead, the resurrection
of his own body, which he had power to raise up again. And
he did, declared to be the son of God. He appeared to his disciples. Remember that when he saved Peter
when he began to sink? And they that were in the ship,
when they saw that, They worshiped him and they said of a truth,
thou art the son of God. All powerful. Second, it's by
the resurrection we see the justification of his people. His people are
justified. We read who was delivered for
our offenses and raised again for our justification, raised
from the dead, raised from the dead by his father, by his own power. Our Lord said
this. He said, concerning his life,
no man taketh it from me. I, I lay it down. I lay it down
to myself. And I have power to lay it down?
What else? I have power to take it again. He's God. He's God. And our Lord fully paid the penalty
due of sin. He satisfied the claim of God's
justice. This is what the law says. It
says the soul that sinneth, it shall die. Scripture says the
wages of sin is death. When sin is committed, life has to be taken. Aren't we thankful that the Lord
Jesus Christ is the substitute for his people? He's the sacrifice for his people. He came into this world to vindicate
the law, and he accomplished that by the offering of himself. He made one offering for sin
forever, and he died, and he was buried, but he did not stay in the grave.
He is risen. Risen. He endured death. He endured God's wrath, God's
punishment fully. And with that, there remaineth
no more to be done. It's finished. The debt is completely
paid. Spurgeon wrote this, he said,
his resurrection is a receipt. What's a receipt do? A receipt
proves you own something. Somebody says, how do I know
you bought that? Well, here's the receipt, here's the proof
of it. His resurrection is proof that
that debt was paid and God's law was satisfied. Consider this, and our hearts should be filled
with joy. That penalty which you and I owe, that penalty which
you and I could never pay, because we've broken God's law,
because we've sinned against him, it has been paid in full. paid in full. He finished the
work. Our justification. He died in
the room instead of his people and through his death he made
satisfaction for the sins of his people. All by his obedience and death
on the cross. Sin atoned for. an everlasting
righteousness brought in. He was delivered for our offenses
and he was raised for our justification. Third, life. Life. Jesus said, I am the resurrection
and I am the life. and he that believeth in me,
though he were dead, yet shall he live." I am the resurrection
and the life. He's the source of life. He's
the cause of life. He's the fountain of eternal
life by his resurrection because he's God. Because He ever lives. Because He's our surety. He's
our righteousness. He's our redemption. Because
He is risen. Risen. And in Him we live. In Him dwells all the fullness
of God. We are, listen to this, complete
in Him. Complete. You know, something
that's complete lacks nothing. We're complete in Him. And that life and that resurrection,
it's not just an experience that He has purchased and bestowed. It's more than just a transaction. He is our life. Scripture declares Christ, who
is our life, in him, in Christ, the believer. Now you get a hold
of this, if you can. In him, the believer can no more
die and perish than he can. The man who believes Christ and
is in Christ, though he is in the grave, he's not dead. He lives because he is one with
Christ. Fourth, it's in his resurrection
that we have comfort. Comfort. Back in the book of
Isaiah, we read this, thy dead men shall live, and together
with my dead body shall they arise. Thy dead men, that's us, dead
in trespasses and sin, yet still His. yet alive, alive in him. Thy dead men shall live together
with my dead body shall they arise. In John 5 we read this,
just listen, he says, Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour
is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of
the Son of God and they that hear shall live For as the father
hath life in himself, so hath he given to the son to have life
in himself. And he hath given him authority
to execute judgment also because he is the son of man. Marvel not at this. The hour
is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his
voice and shall come forth They that have done good to the resurrection
of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of
damnation. All of God's elect, all of those
redeemed by Christ, raised together with him. In Romans 8, for whom
he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed
to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among
many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called, and whom he called, them he also justified,
and them he justified, he also glorified. That's past tense. Did you notice
that? Done. Finished. Them he also glorified. Risen together with him. God, God who is rich in mercy,
for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were
dead in sin, has quickened us together with Christ. By grace are you saved. and he
hath raised us up together, raised us up to sit together
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Well, fifth, it's by
his resurrection that we have hope. Hope. Over in 1 Corinthians, I believe
it's 1 Corinthians 15. Look at verse 13. It's by his resurrection that
we have hope. Look at verse 13, if Christ be
not risen, if there is no resurrection, what's the result of that? Our preaching is vain. Your faith
also is vain. And worst of all, ye are yet
in your sins. Look at verse 18. Then they also which are fallen
asleep in Christ are perished if there be no resurrection.
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all
men most miserable. Oh, I'm thankful that that verse
doesn't end right there, huh? What's it say? But now is Christ
risen. Risen from the dead and become
the first fruits of them that slept. Listen to these words
from 1 Peter 1.3. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy
hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead. A lively hope. That means made
alive. And there are several references
here, and I like all of them. One is the Son of God in His
incarnation, the Lord Jesus Christ being made a man. The other is
Christ in His resurrection, raised to life. That same lively hope. Listen,
it means this, spiritual life, spiritual life for the believer. It's a reference to the hope
we have in this present for those saints that have departed, those
that have gone on before us to a lively hope. It's a reference
to the hope of His resurrection. It's a reference to the resurrection
of every believer. The way of access to God through
the Lord Jesus Christ, a lively hope, a living hope. How? By the resurrection of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now I would ask you in closing, How does man react to that message? How does man react to the message
of Christ and Him crucified? More importantly, how do I react
to it? What think ye? What think ye
of Christ? Well, turn back to Acts 17. Acts
17. Look at verse 31. Acts 17, 31. He hath appointed
a day. God hath appointed a day in which
he will judge the world in righteousness by that man which he hath ordained. whereof he hath given assurance
unto all men, in that he raised him." God raised him from the
dead. And those people that were present
there, when they, look at verse 32, when they heard of the resurrection
of the dead, some of them mocked, and some continue to mock today. And others said, we will hear
thee again of this matter. Some mocked, but some desired
to hear more. Some desired to hear it again. Oh, tell me, tell me again, tell
me again of him The resurrection, it declares his power. His resurrection, that which
shows us that he has justified his people, that which gives
life, that which comforts his people and gives us hope, the Lord Jesus Christ. the Lord
Jesus Christ and His resurrection.