This week has dissolved before my good intentions, and I find myself on Thursday morning having not accomplished anything I set out to accomplish writing-wise. I was quite pleased with myself on Sunday for taking good notes and looking forward to Monday Morning With Jesus, but the best-laid plans once again fail under procrastination.
9How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?
10“A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest”—
11Your poverty will come in like a vagabond And your need like an armed man.
Proverbs 6:9–11 (NASB95)
That wasn’t from the sermon. I try to recall that passage of scripture when it is time to get out of bed really early. I failed to recall that this week. This is the scripture from the sermon.
22So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects.
23“For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.
24“The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands;
25nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;
26and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,
27that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;
28for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’
29“Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.
30“Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,
31because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”
Acts 17:22–31 (NASB95)
My first note was to find an image of Mars Hill or the Areopagus, as mentioned in verse 22. The header image for today’s piece is from the Faithlife Study Bible Photos section of Logos. It depicts a view of the rocky outcropping known as Mars Hill or the Areopagus in Athens. If you would like to read more about the Areopagus, you can find it HERE.
The first Greek word I took note to look up was the word “superstitious.” The KJV uses that word instead of “too religious” from the NASB. I was out of the sanctuary when Pastor Lee read the scripture, so I don’t know what word her translation used. However, if she stuck with the Common English Bible, which seems to be the United Methodist’s Bible of choice these days, it also reads “very religious.” The Greek would support that as the word combines “cowardly or fearful” and “to distribute destinies, a demon.” Afraid and demons as roots of the word used makes “superstitious” more likely reading to me. Superstition deals with trying to affect the outcome of a future event more than being religious communicates to me.
The next note is to look at the word behind “devotions” from verse 23. Here again, the NASB uses “objects of worship.” The English definition of “devotions” could indicate they were being devoted to something, like an object of worship. That would indicate an idol. I will include this Greek word because we can learn something about our “objects of worship” or our “devotions” from the Greek definition.
Greek Strong’s Number: 4574
Greek Word: σέβασμα
Transliteration: sebasma
Phonetic Pronunciation: seb’-as-mah
Root: from <G4573>
Cross Reference: TDNT - 7:173,1010
Part of Speech: n n
Vine’s Words: Worship, Worshiping
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
devotion 1
that is worshipped 2
[Total Count: 2]
From <G4573> (sebazomai); something adored, i.e. an object of worship (god, altar, etc.):- devotion, that is worshipped.
James Strong, “Σέβασμα,” Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).
“Something adored.”
Adore
uh-dohr
verb (used with object),a·dored, a·dor·ing.
To regard with the utmost esteem, love, and respect; honor.
To pay divine honor to; worship: to adore God.
To like or admire very much: I simply adore the way your hair is done!
verb (used without object),a·dored, a·dor·ing.
To worship.
I wonder what in our lives we regard with the utmost esteem, love, respect, or honor that gets placed in a position of worship ahead of God? I would contend any time we make decisions that put church and church commitments second we have identified such an item. That raises the sticky question of what is church and what constitutes something worthy of being placed in such a high place of our esteem that we choose it over all else in our lives? Does that risk such a thing becoming its own idol in our lives, being worshiped instead of God, too? It appears this adoration of idols, what garners our “devotions,” walks a fine line.
Luke is the author of Acts, but he is writing about what Paul is saying. Here, Paul notes the people around him are worshiping an “unknown god” through their devotions, their adorations, and their worship. We don’t have this problem of a polytheistic view of deities as they did circa 60 AD. We know who we worship.
8Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has wrought desolations in the earth.
9He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire.
10“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 46:8–10 (NASB95)
Some know that better this way. I like both readings.
8Come, behold the works of the Lord, What desolations he hath made in the earth.
9He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariot in the fire.
10Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalm 46:8–10 (KJV 1900)
Because we know our God, our Lord, we also know where He can be found. In that day, they searched wildly for their gods. They carved, forged, or chiseled images to represent them, but we have no need for such efforts. We simply need to look in the mirror to find the image of our Creator.
26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:26–28 (NASB95)
That is not to insinuate we are gods ourselves. Simply that we are image bearers of the divine, and we can see in our own reflections a reflection of the One who made us. But it goes much deeper. Consider that Paul warned the people he spoke to about the “Unknown God” they worshiped. Re-read verse 24 from Acts above before reading the next scripture.
14Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.
15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!
16Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “The two shall become one flesh.”
17But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
18Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.
19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
20For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:14–20 (NASB95)
How far into disrepair has God’s Temple fallen? Or, has the “building” become the idol worshiped instead of the architect of that building? I’m not saying it has. I’m saying the thing we pour our love, our adoration into risks becoming that idol. Paul, and Luke both knew, and we should know, we are the temple of God now. We are where the Holy Spirit dwells. We are the hands and feet of Jesus moving through the world. That is how verse 26 makes us all “…of one blood all nations.” Man’s borders and boundaries do not constrain the Kingdom of Heaven. God created those borders and boundaries through His Son, and the faith in Jesus His children either do or do not hold.
Verse 27 reminded me of God as the prodigal Father waiting for His errant child to return to Him. That makes sense, considering Luke wrote the Gospel of Luke, where that story is told, as well as the Book of Acts.
20“So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
21“And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22“But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet;
23and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate;
24for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.
Luke 15:20–24 (NASB95)
Verse 28 hints at the separation of the world of the flesh from the spiritual Kingdom of Heaven. Paul relates that referencing people of Greece having said as much. But, he goes on to state that we are also God’s “offspring.” I didn’t take a note to look up the Greek on offspring, but I was moved to do so here. Let’s look at that because it is interesting in what it adds to the reading.
Greek Strong’s Number: 1085
Greek Word: γένος
Transliteration: genos
Phonetic Pronunciation: ghen’-os
Root: from <G1096>
Cross Reference: TDNT - 1:684,117
Part of Speech: n n
Vine’s Words: Beget, Bear (of begetting), Born, Countrymen, Kind (Noun), Kindred, Nation, Offspring
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
kind 5
kindred 3
offspring 3
nation 2
stock 2
born 2
diversity 1
misc. 3
[Total Count: 21]
From <G1096> (ginomai); “kin” (abstract or concrete, literal or figurative, individual or collective):- born, country (-man), diversity, generation, kind (-red), nation, offspring, stock.
James Strong, “Γένος,” Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).
Right off the bat, kin a relation to. I like the idea of being related to God, meaning His children. Because we are His children, verse 29 tells us we shouldn’t be looking for our Father in created things such as idols of gold, silver, or any other “thing” made by Man.
Verse 30 is confusing until we realize God “winking” at things refers to the Old Testament arrangement of absolving people’s sins through sacrifice, through an act performed by human beings. Our sins cannot be washed away or absolved by anything done by Man. The only one who can absolve our sins is God, which He did through Jesus Christ, who was God made flesh. Paul is speaking after that event of sacrifice, which is what the second half of verse 30 references when Paul calls “…all men everywhere to repent.”
Our passage today closes with a surprising scripture. I say surprising because the modern Methodist church has gotten away from explaining that judgment is real for those who do not believe. Paul’s words, related to us here by Luke, call forth that very image of judgment. Verse 31 clearly states Jesus, “…by that man whom he hath ordained….” God is going to judge us through Jesus. The resurrection of Christ is the confirmation that He was God, was right, and was righteous. We who are alive today should pay close attention to His words in all aspects of Old and New Covenants. God raised Jesus from the dead, and He now sits at His right hand, meeting out the judgment of the quick and the dead. There are consequences for our actions, words, and decisions made in the flesh. We should never forget that.
1I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:
2preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.
3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,
4and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
2 Timothy 4:1–4 (NASB95)
11Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.
12And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
Revelation 20:11–12 (NASB95)