Book of Acts - Ch. 17, Vs. 29-Ch. 18, Vs. 6 (05/18/2003)

Godhead, Ignorance, and the Call to Repentance

Verse 29, Forasmuch then, as we are the offspring of God, a cherished people, a peculiar people,. And being so, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold. Bob, what's meant by Godhead, all right?

Godhead, think about that. There is a divine influence guiding us, whether we know it or not. And he's not like gold, he's not like silver, or graven by art and man's devices. Now, David, the most precious thing in this world to you and I is what?

Ourself. What? You would have got me on that one too if I wasn't praying. The most precious thing in creation is what, Dennis? We're not talking about the eyes of God. The most precious thing in creation, whatever it is, what is it?

After that one too. Brother Otis, I have to say that our family would be more precious to us than ourselves, because how many times, how many times we give our life to our family, and I got, I may be on the wrong track, but I think our family would be more important than ourselves.

Well, that's true to a certain extent, but the most precious thing in all of creation, inside and outside of it, is what, David? I had to work the question over. Now we come to the 30th. All right. If you say what the most precious thing.

I thought that's what I said. You're right. The 30th verse, let's look at this for a little while. And in the times of this ignorance. What ignorance? All right, it's given to us like this. And the times of this ignorance, God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.

God winked at. It seems rather trivial, doesn't it? Almost childish. We must understand the word winked. David, what do you think that word wink means? All right. Roger, what do we consider today the word wink?

If I wink at something, what does that entail?

Where we acknowledge something had occurred. All right.

Usually negatively. All right. So, when the people were ignorant, God winked at it. Could you keep Brandon ignorant of the Bible? Could I? Would you try? Who is that to come in? I can't see. Okay. This word winked.

It means that he shut his eyes to it. He overlooked it. Now, don't be confused. Exist under that today. Why is it that I cannot, in my state of ignorance, say I'm completely ignorant of the Bible, of God, and everything?

Why is it that I cannot be ignorant of God today? The Bible is there and the creation is all there for us to see. Everything's changed. We have no excuse. David, does she mean that the Al-Qaeda and wherever he is still has to answer to God even though he's totally ignorant?

You can't escape it, can you? Well, winked here means to overlook, take no notice, not to attend to. The sense is he passed over those times without punishing them. Now, we have God as a creator. That's first.

He created everything in Jesus. And the present state of things, what is God doing? Well, is he doing nothing? All right. So first he was creator. That had to be first by the importance of creating. Right now, he's calling us to repent.

Everybody should repent. But, Joy, what is he going to do in the future, the next thing in the future that God, the Lord, is going to create?

Repentance. Right.

That day of righteous judgment. David, does Al-Qaeda believe it? Are they not going to be judged? Will God wink at that? Because he has appointed a day. Dennis, there is a day coming. I've been saying that all my life.

It's not here yet. All that has happened is I've just moved closer to it. In the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained. By that man. Who is that, Roger? Christ.

Christ. Was he ordained? Yes. All right. But what made it possible, Joy? Resurrection. If Jesus had never resurrected, all of this would have been impossible. It is his resurrection that makes everything, that brings the judgment.

Whereof he hath given assurance unto all men. Now, he has given this assurance. Burge, what's assurance mean? All right. He has guaranteed that it is going to happen unto how many men? All men. We have people in this town that are lost as much as the Al-Qaeda is.

In that he hath raised him from the dead. Jesus, that day of coming judgment, when the world will be judged through Christ. Of this, the resurrection of Christ is an assurance that he will be judged. Now, resurrection.

Are we going to resurrect? James, let me ask you, are we going to resurrect? Okay. I can't hear and I can't see, so I'm up here just talking. And it's only your reaction that I know you're here. Now, David, think real careful.

Is there going to be a physical resurrection? Well, in the 32nd verse, and when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked and others said, we will hear thee again on this matter. Some of them mocked.

What's mock mean, David? What are these people called? Well, there's a scientist. Platonism. What's that mean? Yeah, you're guessing. This was the people that adhered to the philosophy that there would be no physical resurrection.

If you hear that today, you're hearing the platonic theory of life. Well, we know there will be. And when they heard the resurrection of the dead, some mocked and others said, we will hear you again on this.

Now, he's talking in what town, Dennis? Where is he? In Athens. And the Athenians were known for what, David? Oh, true. But Roger, there was something else for which they were known. Well, you're describing a visit to the city.

Very curious. That's true to an extent. That's the way they come across. But really, they just wanted to learn something new, anything new. And if it's supporting my theory, that's fine. But I learned something new for the sake of learning something new.

They were extremely superstitious. Anytime that you find someone that doesn't believe in God, they will believe in superstition. Dennis, is there such a thing as superstition? There is a force in the world known as Satan, and he has not stopped performing his work.

He can take only what God presents, what God or what the Lord brings in your life. He can take it and use it. Well, so Paul departed from among them. Burge, why didn't he stay longer? That's right. On hearing the resurrection of the body, the assembly instantly broke up.

The Epicureans, mocking, began to laugh, and the Stoics, saying they would take another opportunity to hear Paul on this subject. Thirty-four, howbeit certain men claimed unto him and believed, among the which was Dioph

I can't pronounce it, David. What is it? Applegate. And a woman named Demarius and others with them. So we see that no matter how dark it is, no matter how few people listen to us, there'll always be those that are against us.

But what if Paul had never stopped in that too? He had no choice for these people believe. I'll come to the 18th chapter. After these things, Paul departed from Athens and came. He didn't stay in Athens.

The philosophers there were too easy, too indolent, and too wise in their own eyes to receive the gospel. Do you just come back from overseas? I'd like to sit down and listen, but that comes later. Was there anybody in the army, U .S. Army, that were that didn't believe in God?

Why is it, where is it, man wants to believe in something?

For those, they've got to have something to look forward to, to try. I mean, they've got to, in other words, they've got to have some kind of an idol or something to worship. In human nature, you've got to have something to worship.

You've got to have something to worship. Instead of worshiping crime, thieves, things of the beast, they're God. Fish and honey or anything else,.

They've got to have something to believe in. All men worship something. That is left over from Adam. It's inherent. No one thinks of nothing as being superior. How can a person determine when not to press the word any further?

Paul, leaving rather quickly, engaged in Venice. How can he determine to not press it any further? A boy must be listening to the spirit. Your spirit will tell you so. Now, since God controls everything, every event in this world, he will not allow you, he will not let you, take you beyond where you're supposed to go, even, even if it seemed like it to me.

Also, by listening to the others as they talk. Now, most people talk or think about what they're going to say while you're talking, and they don't hear. Too many times, we talk and never listen. You must listen.

Theology as a Science, Christian Opinion, and Supporting Oneself in Ministry

Theology will always suffer when studied as a science. Why is that, Roger? Theology will always suffer when studied as a science. Bob, this one's for you. The substance of Christianity has been lost by changing it into an opinion.

Is that true or false? I think it is true. The substance of Christianity has been lost by changing it into an opinion.

They say to be talked about here because his opinion, people believe his opinion.

Instead of believing the world. His opinion. Well, he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontius, lately come from Italy with his wife, Priscilla, because the, that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart out of Rome, and he came unto them.

Remember, Claudius drove all of the Jews out. This is something else that they did according to the plan of God. Everything is, but they didn't know it, and because he was of the same craft, he abode with them and wrought, for by their occupation, they were tent makers.

James, would you happen to remember, and I say remember because years ago you were in class, a tent maker. Where were they located in the city? Hey, Roger, where were they located in the city? They weren't there either.

Dennis, was that your answer or someone else's? Well, I was beginning to lean that way. It's so much fun being blind. Well, along with tents, what did they, Joy, what did they make the tents from? They were outside of town, as far out as the town could get them.

This was a stinking, nasty, smelling place, and if the prevailing wind was from the water toward the city, they really had a problem in the city. So, Paul joined himself to these people, and they were all of the same craft.

It's interesting to see that Paul supported himself. He was not getting monthly a check from the first church in Jerusalem. Now, these people, we have no idea if they were saved at this time. Perhaps under the influence of Paul's teaching, they were saved later.

We just don't know. Our body is somewhat like a tent, being made to be fit for the inheritance of the saints in light. Our body stinks. It's rotten. It's dying, and as soon as it dies, I'll go home. The apostle being now come into Corinth, where he was altogether a stranger.

Nobody knew him in Corinth, and he needed money to live on. Providence of God directed him to the house of Aquila and Priscilla, who being of the same trade with himself, tent makers, he works with his own hands to maintain himself, that he might not be a burden.

I think this is a great statement, that Paul would not be a burden to others. I confess, all my life, I have finally decided, not all of a sudden, but over the years, I decided that a preacher or pastor should work with his hands at a trade.

When we came to this church, I found such a man. He's of his own, takes no money from the church, the best preacher in the world, and Dennis, you know, I resented it, to think that he put himself in that position.

Reasoning from Scripture and Being Pressed in the Spirit

That was the carnal me. There wasn't long until I decided, that's what I've been thinking all of my life, and lo and behold, here I have one. Could never ask for a better situation. Four, and he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

A heart not exercised in some honest labor, works trouble out of itself. He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath. Reasoned. Roger, what does it mean, he reasoned? It could have led to that. It didn't say argue, it said reason.

It says he reasoned with them out of the scripture. David, what scriptures did he have? The Old Testament. Would you ever think to lead someone to believe the Old Testament? Dennis, he's there. He's in that.

He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, while toiling six days of the week in a strange city. On the Sabbath, according to the custom, he preached. And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit.

What's it mean to be pressed in the spirit? Is that flattened in the spirit, David? To be held by, closely occupied by the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. Silas and Timothy coming down from Macedonia, made it possible for Paul to be completely given to the word, preaching to the Jews that Christ was Jesus.

Paul was compelled in the spirit, the more probably from what Silas and Timothy related. Every Christian ought diligently to such pressure, to observe any such pressure in his own spirit. Do you? I hope so.

And if it agreed with scripture, to follow it. If he does not, he will feel great. Have you ever willingly gone against the will of each one of us? Now, Joy, when you were in that position, were you happy in the Lord?

That's it. When they opposed themselves, and when they opposed themselves, that's a strange statement. And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment and said unto them, your blood be upon your own heads.

I am clean. From henceforth, I will go unto the Gentiles. Let's stop here. But I want to know what it means to oppose themselves. Well, that's the outcome. And David, what does it mean to oppose yourself?

Went through a ceremonial thing. He shook his raiment. And he said unto them, your blood is on you, on your own heads. And henceforth, for I am clean. From henceforth, I will go unto the Gentiles. Okay, we'll start next week with verse six.

It's good to have you here this morning. Is there a word from anyone? Yes. That's right. To touch on that for just a moment. We got two minutes. When sin came into the world, now before sin, everything was orderly.

When sin came through the earth, everything started to die. We are now living in a world that's dying. Wood rots, flowers decay, your body itself decays. So everything from that moment on has been going down.

This is why I say we're living in time that's running backwards. When the rapture comes, not if it comes, but when it comes, we will graduate this decaying life into the new life. And everything will be perfect.

And it'll be going up. And we will increase in knowledge and beauty and everything. There will be no death of any kind. What you said is true. And I just want to voice this, that we are living in a dying, decaying age world.

Everything is disordered. There's order in disorder. But at the rapture, it'll be as it was before sin. Okay, anything else? Roger, it's great to have you here. Will you dismiss us, please?