“Something New, Something Old” - January 1, 2012
Now, what does it say when the smartest people in your world, the philosophers, “…spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing”?
Wouldn’t you think that this verged on a huge waste of life?
Well, in response to this attitude, the Apostle Paul answers their question, verse nineteen, “May we know what this new doctrine whereof thou speakest, is?”
Paul answers them with two things: Something new and something old.
Look with me in your Bible at verse twenty-two for Paul’s answer. Acts 17:22 “Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.
(23) For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. (24) 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;
(25) Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
(26) And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
(27) That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: (28) For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
(29) Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. (30) And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
(31) Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”
That’s Paul’s entire sermon to the philosophers at Athens. Now, is it possible for you to look at what Paul said here from the viewpoint that he was answering the “new” philosophy? And when you see what he said to them, can you see if this isn’t exactly what we need in our modern day as the response to those who have to have the newest cars and newest fashions?
Paul uses two terms to describe these Greeks and then he tells them exactly Who GOD is. This is clearly something old.
First, these philosophers worshipped numerous gods and goddesses. Paul describes them as “superstitious.” Acts 17:22 “Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.”
By the way, Mars Hill is this. Areios Pagos [Areopagus]. It’s a marble hill high above the city of Athens. It was once a place where people were allowed to make speeches and tried to convince you of their philosophy.
“Superstitious” = deisidaimonestepos “afraid of the demons,” a compound Greek word. In essence, these people worshipped demon-gods.
And what is really interesting here this. In one of the most famous trials of all time, the Greek philosopher Socrates once stood in this very place. It was the year 399 B.C. They indicted him and condemned him, but not because he didn’t honor their gods, but because he introduced new demons to them. [Found on www.biblebrowser.com by Matthew Henry, commentator]. Then they sentenced him to death by drinking hemlock. [Found on www.wikipedia.org].
Now, as you can see, the Apostle Paul is given an opportunity to speak at Mars Hill. You see, they were always interested in hearing somebody who spoke about something new. And although Paul dos speak of the resurrection, he first speaks against their idolatry. But the Bible shows that he did it in quite a different way than Socrates.
By the way, do you have any idea just how many gods the Athenians worshipped? Twelve; and they were said to live on Mount Olympus: [Be sure to read each name and what they influenced].
1. Aphrodite – love and romance
2. Apollos – the sun, light, medicine, and music
3. Ares – war
4. Artemis – wildlife, childbirth, the moon
5. Athena – wisdom
6. Demeter – agriculture
7. Dionysius – wine
8. Hephaestus – fire
9. Hera – marriage and magic
10. Hermes – business
11. Hestia – home life
12. Poseidon – sea and earthquakes
13. Zeus – sky [the supreme god]
14. Hades – underworld
Now, some of you noticed that I said they worshipped just twelve and I listed fourteen. That’s because they exchanged a few of them as needed. But they only worshipped twelve at one time.
First, they were worshipping numerous gods and goddesses. The Bible says they were “superstitious.” They worshipped demon-gods.
Second, they worshipped in ignorance. Look again at verse twenty-three. (23) “For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions [worship], I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.”
Wouldn’t you think that this verged on a huge waste of life?
Well, in response to this attitude, the Apostle Paul answers their question, verse nineteen, “May we know what this new doctrine whereof thou speakest, is?”
Paul answers them with two things: Something new and something old.
Look with me in your Bible at verse twenty-two for Paul’s answer. Acts 17:22 “Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.
(23) For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. (24) 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;
(25) Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
(26) And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
(27) That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: (28) For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
(29) Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. (30) And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
(31) Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”
That’s Paul’s entire sermon to the philosophers at Athens. Now, is it possible for you to look at what Paul said here from the viewpoint that he was answering the “new” philosophy? And when you see what he said to them, can you see if this isn’t exactly what we need in our modern day as the response to those who have to have the newest cars and newest fashions?
Paul uses two terms to describe these Greeks and then he tells them exactly Who GOD is. This is clearly something old.
First, these philosophers worshipped numerous gods and goddesses. Paul describes them as “superstitious.” Acts 17:22 “Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.”
By the way, Mars Hill is this. Areios Pagos [Areopagus]. It’s a marble hill high above the city of Athens. It was once a place where people were allowed to make speeches and tried to convince you of their philosophy.
“Superstitious” = deisidaimonestepos “afraid of the demons,” a compound Greek word. In essence, these people worshipped demon-gods.
And what is really interesting here this. In one of the most famous trials of all time, the Greek philosopher Socrates once stood in this very place. It was the year 399 B.C. They indicted him and condemned him, but not because he didn’t honor their gods, but because he introduced new demons to them. [Found on www.biblebrowser.com by Matthew Henry, commentator]. Then they sentenced him to death by drinking hemlock. [Found on www.wikipedia.org].
Now, as you can see, the Apostle Paul is given an opportunity to speak at Mars Hill. You see, they were always interested in hearing somebody who spoke about something new. And although Paul dos speak of the resurrection, he first speaks against their idolatry. But the Bible shows that he did it in quite a different way than Socrates.
By the way, do you have any idea just how many gods the Athenians worshipped? Twelve; and they were said to live on Mount Olympus: [Be sure to read each name and what they influenced].
1. Aphrodite – love and romance
2. Apollos – the sun, light, medicine, and music
3. Ares – war
4. Artemis – wildlife, childbirth, the moon
5. Athena – wisdom
6. Demeter – agriculture
7. Dionysius – wine
8. Hephaestus – fire
9. Hera – marriage and magic
10. Hermes – business
11. Hestia – home life
12. Poseidon – sea and earthquakes
13. Zeus – sky [the supreme god]
14. Hades – underworld
Now, some of you noticed that I said they worshipped just twelve and I listed fourteen. That’s because they exchanged a few of them as needed. But they only worshipped twelve at one time.
First, they were worshipping numerous gods and goddesses. The Bible says they were “superstitious.” They worshipped demon-gods.
Second, they worshipped in ignorance. Look again at verse twenty-three. (23) “For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions [worship], I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.”