The message of the resurrection

 

LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 17 APRIL 2022

ACTS 17 VERSES 22 – 34

 

The apostle Paul comes to the city of Athens.  He has been in Thessalonica preaching the word but had to leave there because a riot started.  He came to Berea and another riot broke out.  Paul had to leave Berea quickly so came to Athens.  This was a city of learning.  The people spent time listening and hearing some new thing – verse 21.  When the apostle Paul came he came with a message.  It was new to them.  It is the message of the resurrection.

 

Here was a message that had to be developed.  Paul saw the spiritual condition of the people in Athens – verse 16.  This man of God standing in Athens was not looking at the architecture of Athens but the spiritual condition of Athens.  The people were given over to idolatrous worship – verse 22 “I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.”  He realised that although they worshipped false gods they were really religious.  Paul from that point takes the message and develops it – verse 23 “him declare I unto you.”  The apostle Paul knows religion is not enough, that it cannot save.  Religion cannot pave our way into heaven and home.  It can only take us to this side of the grave then it must leave us.  The only one that can take us across the grave and through to eternity is Jesus.  “For there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved.”  As he looks around Athens he sees the various altars with names.  There is one altar though that is named “to the unknown god”.  Just in case there is one we don’t know anything about there is one to the unknown god.   It is to him that Paul declared.  The eunuch sitting in his chariot was coming from Jerusalem when Philip drew alongside him.  He was reading through the prophet Isaiah about the suffering servant in chapter 53.  He was reading about the Lord, how he took our place.  He was standing in our place as a condemned sinner, bearing my sin and yours on Calvary.  That man in the chariot couldn’t understand.  Philip asked him “do you understand what you are reading?”  The eunuch replied “how can I understand unless someone explains it to me?”  Philip developed that passage and preached Jesus unto him.  Paul looks at this altar and says “let me tell you about Jesus.”  He develops this message back to creation.  This is the God you worship.  He is the one who created everything around us – verse 25.  He doesn’t need our help to worship, we give it to him.  Verses 26 and 28 he gives life.  Verses 30 and 31 the one who will judge one day.  He is coming again and will sit in judgment.  Verse 32 gets to the crux of the matter – the resurrection.  God in heaven who loves us, created everything, stands alone, saw our plight, made sinners through Adam’s sin in Genesis 3.  He took his only begotten son, loved him and sent him to this earth that he might die for us.  He is the one who died on the cross for you, you who were born in sin and shapen in iniquity.  It doesn’t matter how good we think we are we have come short of what God expects.  God sent his son to die on Calvary to bring you up to the mark.  Paul was criticised for this message.  Some say he forsook the simple message of the cross because of the audience he met, they were more sophisticated.  He had no success as a result.  If he didn’t preach of a death how could he preach of the cross?  If he didn’t preach of a death how could he preach of the cross?  Paul gets to the resurrection message.  He found in the hearts of the people a longing and he develops the message.  There was a hunger in their souls to know more of this unknown God.  This is the message of the cross.  This is the message of the empty tomb.  Religion cannot help us in any way, save us in any way.  The rich young ruler came to Jesus one day and was told to give all he had away and take up his cross and follow Christ.  His possessions were not taking him to heaven.  Religion wouldn’t take him to heaven even though he followed it to the letter.  Nothing would satisfy but Christ.  In the days of Christ there was a great feast in Jerusalem when the Greeks carried waters through the streets.  Jesus said “if any man thirst let him come to me.”  The Greeks could see the rituals, the priests and the formality.  They cried out the more “let us see Jesus”.  They wanted to come to Christ not have the religious trappings.  Are you saved tonight?  Or are you depending on going to church, taking communion, giving offerings?

 

A message despised.  In verse 17 we read that Paul preached in the synagogue and the market place – verse 17.  In verse 18 they wanted to hear what he had to say.  This was the answer to their hunger.  They needed to hear about the God of heaven.  The apostle Paul turns to this crowd – verse 32 – to them it is despised though - “some mocked”   In Acts 18 Paul was thrown into the prison and beaten – why – because he had preached the gospel.  In Acts 17 Paul comes to Thessalonica.  He set the place in uproar.  We are told in God’s word that in the last days men will have a form of religion but will deny the power thereof.  It will be like a cloak thrown over them.  Many have that form of religion today.  Jesus sent his son to die on Calvary.  If I had been the only person in the world he still would have died for me.  Church will never take us to heaven.  Good works will never take us to heaven.  If you are depending on these it is time to come to Christ. This was the message to their hunger.  Many turn to all sorts of substance craving or something similar.  When they heard about the resurrection they listened to everything else – God, judgment but the resurrection they mocked and laughed, they never heard of such nonsense.  The people in Athens turned their back on God.  A despised message.

 

A message delayed – verse 32.  Others said we will hear thee again.  There was a number who no doubt were touched by it.  They wanted to hear it again.  That is what happens even today.  You have heard this message time and time again.  You have delayed it.  When it comes to the appeal to come to Christ to give your life and heart to him, somehow you cannot do it.  We will come again next week and hear it again.  What a chance you are taking.  We do not know what a day will bring forth.  Many say would love to be saved but not now - today is the day of salvation.  “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near.”  There might be a time when you cannot respond.  In the book of Acts 24 Paul stood before Felix and when Paul preached to him Felix trembled.  Felix told him to go his way but he wanted to hear from him again.

 

A message that delighted – “certain men clave unto him and believed.”  God had affected them so much they believed and accepted Christ individually.  Everyone comes separately.  You are coming to trust the Lord as Saviour as an individual because he took your sins, he placed them on his own body on the cross of Calvary, he suffered and died.  He said it is finished.  Have you accepted that tonight?  Have you believed in that?