Ephesians 6:10

Order of Service

• Sunday School Lesson
• Prayer

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Sermon Title: Engaging a Pagan World with the Gospel

Scripture: Acts 17:16-34

I. The Philosophical Background Paul Confronted

A. Stoicism (represented by Marcus Aurelius)

1. We have no control over what happens to us, but perfect control over how we respond
2. Self-discipline, self-control, and reason are supreme
3. Believed in one World-God; emphasized pride and self-sufficiency
4. Flaw: "the soul turns and moves itself alone" — denies God's sovereignty and the reality that external events do affect the soul
5. The fatal end of stoicism's self-reliance: its first two school leaders both died by suicide

B. Epicureanism (represented by Epicurus)

1. Happiness is man's greatest aim; tranquility and rationality are its cornerstones
2. Sought truth through personal experience, feelings, and emotion rather than reason
3. Materialist and essentially atheist in practice
4. Pleasure (in moderation) as the highest goal
5. Flaw: denies any coming judgment and the need to fear death apart from salvation

C. Both philosophies have deeply infiltrated modern Western culture and the church

1. "Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact; everything we see is a perspective, not the truth" — Marcus Aurelius; a perfect description of contemporary relativism
2. "Love is never having to say you're sorry" — a cultural example of worldly wisdom contradicting Matthew 18:21-22
3. There is nothing new under the sun — Ecclesiastes 1:9

II. Paul's Concern and Motivation

A. Paul's spirit was provoked (Greek: paroxysm) at the idolatry of Athens — Acts 17:16

1. Same word used for the sharp disagreement in Acts 15:39
2. He was genuinely and deeply grieved, not merely mildly annoyed

B. His concern for the lost drove him to action

1. Application: Are we truly concerned about the lost people we encounter every week?
2. We cannot take the passive approach ("they see how I live"); Paul did not
3. We must not disqualify anyone as beyond God's reach — Paul himself was the least likely convert (Acts 9)

III. Paul's Method of Engagement

A. He went first to the synagogue, then to the marketplace — Acts 17:17

1. He sought both Jews and God-fearing Gentiles who had some knowledge of Scripture
2. He also engaged total pagans with no knowledge of Scripture
3. The gospel is inclusive; we do not pick and choose who is worthy of hearing it

B. In the synagogue he reasoned from Scripture

1. Modeled on the synagogue pattern: read a passage, then expound it
2. Jesus did this in Luke 4 with the scroll of Isaiah

C. In the marketplace he preached to all who would listen, including the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers

1. Some mocked him as a "babbler" (Greek: seed-picker — a bird picking up scraps)
2. Others were curious and brought him to the Areopagus — the council responsible for religion and education in Athens
3. They probably misunderstood "Jesus and the resurrection" (anastasis) as two separate deities

D. Paul did not modify or soften the message

1. He adapted his presentation to his audience but never changed the content
2. The gospel is by nature offensive to human pride — Romans 1
3. We cannot control the response; we are responsible only to speak the truth in love
4. Spurgeon was converted through a poorly-spoken layman reading Isaiah 45:22 — God's power saves, not our eloquence (cf. Moses and Paul both disclaiming eloquence)

IV. Preview: Paul's Apologetic Message at the Areopagus

A. Next session will examine what Paul actually said — Acts 17:22-34 B. This passage contains one of the finest examples of Christian apologetics in all of Scripture C. Paul begins with what his audience already knows and points them to the one true God