THE UNKNOWN GOD-PART II

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I want to return to the message that Paul gave to the very religious, without-the- Bible group in Athens in Acts 17. This was the first time Paul has spoken to a group that was without Old Testament Scriptural knowledge. His approach is masterful and teaches us a lot for our communication today.

16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean." 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship-and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

24 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'

29 "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone-an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead."

32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject." 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

So, NOTE the response. Some sneered, others said we want to pursue this further and some became followers and believed. How did they come to the point of belief in this case? I want to consider a few things:

FIRST-Paul didn't reject their religiosity, but affirmed them for being so religious. I don't know many Christians who would feel comfortable doing it this way. Can you see how this applies to our present world today with Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews and the new age spirituality?

SECOND-He didn't quote any Scripture at all. The Bible meant nothing to this audience. To use the Bible as a source of authority or credibility would have been futile. Yet, today we think we must tag everything we say or do with a Bible verse. I know some who believe that you must use a certain kind of Bible in order to be most effective-the King James version! Their thinking is that if it was good enough for Jesus then it should be good enough for us today! Never mind that the King James version is a 16th Century document and not in the time of Jesus!

THIRD-He quoted a well-known poet. He used their credible sources to unpack the truth about this UNKNOWN GOD. In fact, this poet was known for his writing of the worship of Zeus.

FOURTH-He didn't even mention Jesus' name explicitly. He had been speaking of Jesus in the synagogues, but in this speech he doesn't use His name.

FIFTH-Paul seems bent on using their symbols, their authorities, and their cultural traditions to teach the Athenians about the God of gods. He skillfully used the little bit of light that they had-a monument to the UNKNOWN GOD-and shared his thinking on who this unknown God might be and that He can be known to some extent.

THE RESULT? Some believed! NOTE that they didn't have a litany of doctrines to believe; they exercised a simple belief-all that they knew that they were, trusting in all that they knew about this God of gods who created the universe.

This brings me to a very critical principle. UNLESS YOU RELATE TO YOUR WORLD, THEN YOUR WORLD WILL NEVER RELATE TO YOUR GOD. We are so hung up on our little spiritual check-lists that we continually miss the opportunity to share the person of Jesus to the world.

We have become content in talking to ourselves. We judge the world and talk to ourselves, when we ought to be judging ourselves and talking to the world.

THE UNKNOWN GOD-PART I

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There is something that has always been curious and even bothersome to me. It has to do with the "unknown God" Paul refers to in Acts 17 when speaking to the business men and women in the Athens marketplace. What bothers me is Paul's approach is very different from how I was taught and shown. His approach to these who had no reverence for the Bible, were not "Christians", not "Jews", yet they were quite religious, it's very different. So, I ask the question, "Are we missing something here?" Have we been using the wrong approach with the vast non-Christian world around us as we attempt to introduce them to Jesus?

Let's take a look at what Paul said in Athens: 22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship-and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. 24 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.

When you tie this passage with what Solomon mentions in Ecclesiastes 3 that God has placed eternity in their hearts, this intensifies my questioning even more. What does this mean that God has placed eternity in the hearts of everyone?

Then I think of Paul's argument in his letter to the Romans where he says that there is no one in this world-those who have the Bible and those who don't, who are exempted out of knowing the Creator, the God of gods. Paul gives two natural lights that anyone can know and thereby know God. This is found in Romans 1.

18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing to be wise, they became fools,

There are two natural lights given for man's observation. FIRST-The natural light of conscience. Francis Schaeffer identified this as having "moral motions"-a sense of right and wrong. SECOND-The natural light of creation. You have to imagine this without the concrete jungle where we live. We are so de-naturalized in so many ways. You can spend a whole week or more without ever noticing or touching or experiencing the handiwork of creation-mighty oceans, the stars, the grass, the flowers.

With these things in mind, then how does a person know God? Note there is no doctrinal system to know and embrace. God is able to be known by what God has placed in them (the eternity that has been placed in their hearts) and by the wonders of what God created.

Our tendency is to trivialize God by making Him more accessible, localized and tangible like the golden calf episode while Moses was up on Mt. Sinai speaking with God. We want to make God OURS. We want to own God for our own little religion, so that we can be RIGHT. We tend to make Him the God-of-my-cause, the God-of-my-understanding or the God-of-my experience. However God is more awesome than this!

Here are only a very few passages of Scripture that speak to this awesomeness:

Isaiah 40:21-26-21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? 22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. 25 "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

Isaiah 45:9-9 "Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, 'What are you making?' Does your work say, 'The potter has no hands'?

Acts 17:24-24 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.

We must begin with a pure agnosticism-an "I don't know everything and I don't have all the answers." The difference between the awesome God and finite man is immense! Therefore, "to know the holy God, we must acknowledge what we do not know; to see the light of God, we must pass through the dark night of the soul; to gain faith, we must begin with doubt; to hear a Word from God, we must wait through the silences of God; to experience the comfort of God, we must experience the pain of life!"

The God Who is there is awesome! I like the words of Romans 11:33-36: Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

If the God of gods is out there, then you would expect that He will make Himself known in some fashion-through conscience and creation. In fact, you would expect that there would be flood stories in most every religion and culture, and there is! You would expect some sort of motif about the God of gods making some provision for full forgiveness and delivery through a Messiah-like personage, and there is!

If there is a true God of gods out there making Himself known through conscience and creation, then you would expect that God has already made Himself known in most every spot on earth. Our responsibility is to reveal this UNKNOWN GOD to all who are interested, no matter the religious background and culture-Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Tribes, etc.

I've come to realize that the God of gods out there is an awesome God and worthy of searching out in order to get to know Him. Over the next few days I want to examine several we know who have come to know God without doctrinal teachings, without a "Christian church" and without the Bible.

Once we understand how awesome God is, then we won't ever want to put Him back into our little boxes we have created again!

THE HALL OF FAITH TODAY

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I love this very special passage on the Hall of Faith. It is rich with history and it is a wealth of practical application for us today. However, I think many times we put this Hall of Faith way in the past and don't get it that we can live this kind of life right now.

Remember Hebrews 11:13-16? All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.

NOTE what it says: "having seen the promises and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth". This can be the same for us today! If you really "get it", then you can see Jesus in everything you do and welcome Him into every meeting you have today. In fact, living in His Kingdom is confessing or agreeing that we don't belong to this earthly Kingdom, but the Kingdom of God. As we practice living in the Kingdom of God, we are practicing the principles of Jesus, the King, in all we do.

Living out these Kingdom principles and a life of faith today demands focus-focus on Jesus. This kind of focus can put your heart at peace. Jesus speaks to this focus in the 15th chapter of John, when He says: "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."

Jesus goes on to say in this same setting that the focus is all about loving one another within the dynamic of being friends: "I no longer call you servants, because servants do not know their master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit-fruit that will last-and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.

NOTE friends enjoy an interchange of really knowing one another. Friends do three things that cultivate their friendships. First-friends want to talk to one another. Second-friends want to listen to one another. Third-friends want to please one another. There are three vital dimensions of cultivating a friendship with Jesus-talk to Him, listen to Him and do your best to please Him.

Here's the best thing about Jesus. Jesus is the most faithful, positive, empowering friend you'll ever know. There are just no down days; Jesus is always present and always interested in you. He will not let you down. He is always available. If you feel far from Jesus, guess who moved. It wasn't Jesus.

This frequently brings me back to Jesus' revolutionary call: "Follow Me!" He continually invites you and me into a non-judgmental, loving relationship. You don't know anyone like that. Jesus never calls anyone to be more religious, but to come to Him personally, especially when you are exhausted by all of the religiosity and systems of do's and don'ts.

In this very context, Jesus says: "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me-watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

You can operate within the hall of faith today right here, right now! It's not a matter of how much faith, but the object of your faith that counts. It's not a doctrinal system, an organization, a way of life; it's a person. His name is Jesus. And you know what? It's not just believing in a person; it's enjoying a special friendship with Jesus, as if Jesus is right here, right now. And, He is!

ORDINARY PEOPLE--EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS

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We have been making our way through the eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews. And in verses 32-40 the writer begins to make some general swipes over the history of faith. And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. (Hebrews 11:32-40) Wow! Who wouldn't want to have these experiences of faith? This list is amazing!

God specializes in using ordinary people and producing extraordinary results through them! Gideon (Judges 6:13-14) believed the promises, but was pretty shaken up as to how God does His work! Barak (Judges 4:5-6) believed, but wouldn't go into battle alone! Samson (Judges 13:24;16:28-31) believed but his strength became his weakness! Jephthah (Judges 11:9) was a son of a harlot, but was a valiant warrior! David (I Samuel 16-17) was a young lad whom God mightily used to stop the giants! All of these are illustrations of ordinary faith!

Now, let's go on in this list. The writer shifts gears at this point and continues with people who have the same kind of faith, but in each of the experiences now listed the results are all negative, filled with pain and heartache. This sort of result is rarely referenced. Listen to this: and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.

Then, in summary of these faithful people with the same faith as those he listed earlier, he says: And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect. So these people who walked by faith didn't receive the ultimate answers to their prayers that were to be culminated in the coming of the Messiah. But now that the Messiah has come, we who place our faith in Him are actually completing their faith. We are partners in this walk of faith.

This is spelled out more completely earlier in this same chapter in verses 13-16. All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.

In the next chapter we find out how ordinary faith is exercised. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

This faith-walk with God is all about being in a race-the race of life. You are already entered in this race. There is no way to back out. It's a win or lose kind of race. To be a winner you must exercise your faith and trust in God.

There are four observations here I want to make: FIRST-There are already a lot of winners who stand as witnesses, all testifying that it is winnable and the victory is worth all the effort spent in the race.

SECOND-To win you must follow certain racing procedures. You must put off all encumbrances that might weigh you down in this race. Marathoners don't run in combat boots or heavy clothing. Also, you must put aside that sin-that weakness-that so easily entangles you.

THIRD-Fix your eyes on the best example ever in this race of life-Jesus. All that Jesus did and said can become your model for racing well in this life.

FOURTH-Count on God to turn the results of your faith-whether positive or negative-into something meaningful and extraordinary.

Your ordinary faith will allow God to produce extraordinary results with eternal value to your life. It's ordinary people living by faith, leaving the results completely in the hands of the God of gods that will make life extraordinary. You know what this faith-walk really comes down to? God doesn't want to change your circumstances until he changes you! So, God's work is all about you after all!

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

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As we make our way through this Hall of Faith I want to offer you several real-life examples of a faith-lift. In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews this is illustrated by many key characters-Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua. Now we come to a most surprising person who is listed as a Hall of Fame person of faith. This one is very different. This one is a woman, but not any woman. This person of faith in God is a prostitute by the name of Rahab. It says: By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

Rahab was very instrumental in the destruction of Jericho and the siege of the land of Canaan. When Joshua sent spies into the land, it says: So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lodged there.

Here's how the story unfolds: It was told the king of Jericho, saying, "Behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land." And the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab, saying, "Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land." But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them, and she said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. "It came about when it was time to shut the gate at dark that the men went out; I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them."

To sum up, Rahab hid the spies and lied to the king's men about it. So, she hid them on her rooftop until the king's men left the city and the city gate was shut. But before they went to sleep, she asked for a commitment that she and her family would not be harmed in the battle for Jericho. They agreed and told her to make certain to place a scarlet thread in the window.

Rahab confessed her faith in the Lord and said: "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, whom you utterly destroyed. When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath."

The next morning she let them down out of the city through that window. After letting them down out of her window, Rahab tied the scarlet cord in her window and no one in her home was destroyed when the children of Israel took the city of Jericho.

James used Rahab to illustrate his major point of the balance of faith and works. He says: You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. Her faith in the Lord was clear and her works that demonstrated her faith was when she risked her own life in order to hide the spies from the king's men.

Rahab was a harlot. She used to manage a place called Rahab's Rest Stop! HOWEVER. And this is the great HOWEVER of God. God used her for His great purpose. No matter what you have done in the past or are now doing in the present, God will accept your faith. Her works proved her faith conclusively.

Do you ever feel that your past or present lifestyle holds you back from being used by God? Rahab had a very colorful past, but when she was given an opportunity from God, she seized it. Note that she seized it by her faith in the God of Israel and the proof of her faith was clear through her works.

The pendulum swing is between faith on one side and works on the other. Many are into faith alone. Others are into works alone. But there must be a union of both faith and works. It's like a rowboat with two oars-one is faith and the other is works. If you insist on using only one of these oars, you'll just go in circles-you'll go nowhere.

So how does Rahab's story help you to demonstrate the balance of the two? FIRST-No matter your past or your present situation, God will honor your genuine faith.

SECOND-God will honor your genuine faith when He can see your faithful works.

THIRD-God will honor your genuine faith and faithful works by using them for His purposes.

FOURTH-God will reward your genuine faith and faithful works with personal protection for you and your family in the worst of times.

Rahab demonstrated the works of faith-the fact that faith and works are never alone. Martin Luther put it this way: "Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone." In other words, the work of faith is the only faith that works! All other expressions of faith without works are simply empty.