The Word Made Plain

Guest (Male): Welcome to The Word Made Plain with senior pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently, Pastor Tony is teaching a study in the book of Acts. Please open your Bible to Acts chapter 17, verses 26 through 29.

Tony Clark: If you are not a Christian, you have not repented of your sin to ask Jesus Christ to forgive you and to come into your heart, then you're under the power of Satan. This is how we were before Christ. Oh, we thought we were just doing our own thing. "I'm my own man." No, no, no, you were doing the will of Satan and you didn't even know it.

And this is how many of our relatives, our coworkers, they don't even realize it. But if you're here today, let me say it as humbly as I know how, you're under the power of Satan. And the Lord wants to turn the light switch on for you. He wants to use us to turn the light switch on. This is why we keep coming after you. Because God is pleading through us to be reconciled to God.

The Bible says we're ambassadors of Christ as though God was pleading through us to be reconciled to God. Get right with God, because eternity is a long time. I didn't say this the other two services. Somebody in here needs to hear this today, that I'm pleading, God is pleading through me to you, be reconciled to God. Get right with him before it's too late.

You're under the power of Satan that God wants to rescue you from. Because he loves you, he cares for you enough to tug on your heart to be here today. No, I'm here because my friend invited me to get here. No, you're here because God used your friend to invite you to get here because this is the word that God wanted you to hear.

No, see, I was just going through stuff and I just needed to... well, see, God got you here to lovingly hear you need to be reconciled to God. You need to get right with him. Stop playing around with God, doing your own thing, because you're not doing your own thing, you're doing the will of Satan. What a mind-boggling idea, but that's how we were before we were in Christ.

And Paul also told them that this God that he is telling them about is a God that is not far from each one of us, the end of verse 27 says. Oh, this flies right in the face of the Greeks. The Greeks believed that the gods were unknowable and that they were far away. That was the mindset of the Greeks. All the gods that they worshiped, they believed that they were unknowable and that they were far away. Paul said, "No, he, the God of creation, is not far from each one of us."

Oh, I just gotta pause here. Please keep this in mind. The God we serve is not far from us. In other words, don't allow your circumstances or your misfortune to cause you to have a Greek mindset that God is far from us and he doesn't care nor get involved in the affairs of men. No, no, no, no, no. So often we allow our circumstances to cause us to have a Greek mindset about the God of all creation. Because in our minds, if he really cared, if he's close by us, he would do something.

Hey, the disciples felt the same way. You remember they were crossing the Sea of Galilee, a storm hit and water was coming into the boat, they couldn't bail it out fast enough, they were starting to sink. The Bible says Jesus was on a pillow, sleeping. And they went and woke him up and listen to the phraseology. They woke him up and said, "Master, Master, don't you care that we're perishing?"

In other words, if you care, you would get up and do something. But because you're still asleep on this pillow, it's obvious that you don't care. Oh, somebody is feeling that way right now because of whatever it is you're going through, whatever it is that you're thinking you're going to perish. You're wondering if God is really near like Paul is saying.

If he's really close, doesn't he see that I'm perishing? Doesn't he care about that? Doesn't he care that I'm about to get the lights and things turned off? Don't he care that I can't pay my car note and all of a sudden, guess what, they're going to come and get my car any moment now? Because if he cared like you said, if he loves us like he does, well, he would do something about it.

So he's not doing anything about it. It's obvious that he doesn't care. That's the Greek mindset, that God is a distant God and that he doesn't care about the affairs of man. Paul said, "No, no, no, no, no. Let's not get it twisted. He is not far from each one of us." Paul goes on to say in verse 28 that the God of creation is so involved with us, his creation, that in him we live and move and have our being.

Paul is quoting from the poet Epimenides, who was from the island of Crete and lived in 600 BC. Paul also quoted Epimenides in Titus 1, in verse 12. Titus being the pastor on the island of Crete, by him quoting Epimenides, the people there would have been very familiar with the quote because they were very familiar with Epimenides being one of the heroes from the island of Crete.

And Paul is saying that the God of creation is so involved in our lives that we cannot live, move, and be who we are without God. We owe our very existence to God. Every day he allows us to live, we should look up and thank God. Every time we can move our limbs, we should look up and thank God. Every time we can have our being and our mental capacities, that we merely exist, we should look up and thank God.

Every time you open up those two eyeballs that you look through, the first thing out of your mouth is, "Thank you, Lord." Oh, I just wonder if that's our mindset today, or are we so concerned with who liked or disliked something we said on social media, that's the first thing we grab is our phones? Or are we worried about was the timer set for our coffee to be ready for us when we got up?

Are we so concerned about "he made me mad last night and I'm waking up and I just thought about it and I'm mad all over again"? Is that what we're thinking about? When we wake up, we should be giving thanks. The Bible says in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. We should be giving thanks to God. You want to know God's will? Well, one is to give thanks.

We owe our very existence to God. To be able to move and sometimes I just wake up and just say, "Lord, thank you. Thank you that you have allowed for me to see a new day. Oh, God, thank you that I can get up out of the bed and I can place my feet down and I got balance. And I can walk and go and read your word and go and I'm thankful."

I say, "Lord, look at the house you've allowed me to live in. Look at the car you've allowed me to drive. Look at the things, just these material things you've allowed. Look at the blood that's running warm in my veins and the breath in my lungs, and I'm thankful." I just wonder how thankful we are. I just wonder how thankful we are. And we're so concerned with life and the mess going on in life that we forget to be thankful for all that God is doing in us.

The simple things we take for granted. I say, "Lord, I can hear. I can see out of these eyeballs." You know, and we're so materialistic in this world. It's been said, a story told, what would you give and what would you do to have $10 million? And somebody said, "Yo, you name it." And then the person went on to say, "Well, would you give one of your eyes for 10 million? How about for 100 million would you give both of your eyes? These eyes, these things that we look out to this world?" Not even 100 million would you give if you're sane. Some say, "I can be blind, but I can..." you materialistic American!

But we owe our very existence to God. Then Paul said even your own poets agree with what I am saying, for we are also his offspring. Now Paul is quoting from Aratus, who lived from 315 BC to 240 BC. He was from Paul's region. Paul was from the area of Cilicia and so was Aratus. And quoting these secular poets was Paul's way of showing that this God of creation that he is speaking of is a universal truth.

He said, "I'm not only saying it, but even your own poets have said this, that God is a creator, he's a provider, he's a ruler." Now Paul could have easily have used Old Testament scripture to prove these things, such as he could have used Genesis 1, verses 1 and 2 to prove that God is a creator. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the water."

He could have easily have used Genesis 1 to prove that God is a creator. He could have used Genesis 22 and verse 14 to prove God was a provider, when Abraham called God Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides. He could have used Psalm 97 to prove that God is a ruler, he's a ruler over his universe. However, Paul chose to quote secular poets instead of Old Testament authors because the Greeks would have related more to the secular poets.

They were totally ignorant of Jewish scripture and Jewish prophets. They didn't know anything about those guys. So why would he quote them? See, this is a word for us here. Know the audience that you're talking to. If they are a believer and have fallen away, then you use Bible verses to bring them back. If they're not saved... see, this is how it normally goes for some of us who are trying to reach our unsaved coworkers and family members and friends.

It goes something like this, "Well, you know, the Bible says blah, blah, blah, XYZ." And they say, "I don't believe the Bible." And then you're stumped right there. "Oh, okay. I was told that to use the Bible. Okay." "Well, the Bible also said..." "Didn't I just tell you I didn't believe the Bible?" And you're like, "Oh, yeah. Heh. It sure is hot out here today. Heh." We have nothing. We have nothing.

You gotta know your audience. We're living in a time where people are ignorant of biblical truth. They're illiterate of biblical truth, even people who are in the church, illiterate of biblical truth. So if you go around saying, "Okay, the Bible says," nine out of ten, they've been on the internet and they've gotten some news about how the Bible is not... it's by man, written by man and got problems and here contradictions and all this sort of stuff.

So for you to say the Bible says... now 50, 60 years ago that held some weight. "The Bible said." "Whoa. Whoa." But today it don't mean a thing. So how can we talk to people? Remember I said know your audience. You gotta understand, you gotta touch ground with there's some universal truth that is common to all people. The Ten Commandments. The Bible calls the law, the Ten Commandments.

That's universal truth. No matter where you live, no matter what your belief system, what religion you're of, everybody respects and honors to a certain degree the Ten Commandments. Why? Because the Bible says Romans 2:14 and 15, or 15 and 16 should I say, it says that God has written the law, the Ten Commandments, on every man's conscience to accuse him or else excuse him.

You can go to the jungles of the Amazon and they know it's not right to take that person's tomahawk or his axe. They know it's not right. Why? Because thou shalt not steal is written on their conscience. They know it's not right, everybody knows it's not right to lie. Everybody knows that. Everyone knows it's not right to murder. Everyone knows that.

Why? Because thou shalt not murder, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not lie, all those things are written on every man's conscience, accusing him or else excusing him. This is where we start. We start here. See, you gotta understand the law, the Bible says the law brings a knowledge of sin. And when you use the law, the Ten Commandments, to bring a knowledge of sin, now, now, now you can introduce them to the Savior.

And the way that it is done because they're non-Christian, the way that it is done, you start off in the natural and you move to the spiritual. This is how it is done. Oh, Jesus taught us this. He taught us this in John 3, verse 6. He said, "That which is born of flesh is flesh, that which is born of spirit is spirit." You start off... people are fleshy, they're of flesh, so you gotta start off using fleshly things to move to the spiritual.

Jesus who said this in John 3, verse 6, he illustrated it when he moved into chapter 4 with the woman at the well. And he used in chapter 4, talked to the woman about natural water, and then he moved to talk about spiritual water. And then it got to the point after they finished talking about water, she tried to turn it into a theological debate.

"Well, our fathers said that we're to worship on this mountain, but you Jews," a term of derision, "you Jews said that you ought to worship in Jerusalem. Which is it?" And Jesus dealt with that. And then he said, "Let's get to the heart of issue. You want to get to the heart of the issue? Go get your husband." "Huh? Excuse me?" "Yeah, go get your husband." "I don't have a husband."

"That's right, you don't have a husband, you had five husbands and the man you're living with right now is not your husband." She said, "I perceive you're a prophet." That ended the debate. But you see how Jesus started out in the natural and he moved it into talking about the spiritual. And he talked about natural water, moved to talk about spiritual water, and then he moved to get to the nail the issue.

And see, guess what, this woman who had a problem with men and relationships, once he reached her, God used her to reach the city. Because then she went on to say, "Hey, come on guys. Come see a man who told me everything I did." They said, "Everything?" And they came in droves. They came in droves to hear Jesus. And they ended up being converted and a whole revival broke out in the city of Samaria.

So it's an amazing thing. So this is how it is done. So this is what Paul is doing with the Athenians. He understood his audience and he talked to them about their own poets, something they could relate to. Now let me just say when Paul said we are his offspring, he was saying... you listen carefully, we are all God's creation. We are not all God's children. Can you stop saying that?

"Well, you know, heh, you know we're all God's children anyway." No, we're not. No, we're not. We're only a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, according to John 1:12 which says, "But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to them who believe on his name." So the only way to become a child of God is to repent of your sins and to receive Jesus Christ into your life as Lord and Savior.

Then God will give you the right, power, authority, or privilege to be a child of God. That Greek word can be translated right, power, or authority to become a child of God. Now let me just say this. I already said an amazing thing earlier about people are either a child of God or a child of Satan. That's true. The biblical reference to that is 1 John 3, verses 8 through 10.

That the entire world fall under two... there's only two groups of people in the world. "No, there is about 6,000 different races and stuff..." Ah, stop. There's only two. Children of God and children of the devil. 1 John 3, verses 8 through 10 for you note-takers or you phone-takers, you know. Children of God and children of the devil. That's it.

We're all God's creation, but you're only a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ when you repent of your sin and believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross and was buried and rose again for you. When you repent and you accept that and ask him to come into your heart, the Bible says when you accept that you're saved.

It says in Romans 10:9 and 10, it tells us that. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. With the heart man believes unto righteousness and with confession is made unto salvation. So with the heart confession is made unto salvation. That's what the word of God teaches.

It's very plain, very simple, it's really very simple. And if you do that, you'll be saved. Then he'll become... then he'll give you the power, the right, the authority, the privilege to become a child of God. Until then, you are a child of Satan, which is a terrifying thought. I can't even... that is so hard to believe. Because I'm looking at my life B.C., before Christ. I'm looking at my B.C. days. And I just thought I was all that.

And I was all that, all that of a child of Satan. That's what I was. I was. And then God radically saved me when I was in the Marine Corps. Radically saved me. Oh, I'm thankful for that. Now look at verse 29 that we can wrap it up with. "Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by the art of man's devising."

Paul is saying therefore, or because of everything I just said about the God of creation and that we're one of his offspring, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by the art of man's devising. In other words, Paul is saying look, if we as humans are the offspring of God, then how can we say God is like some stone idol or gold or silver idol?

He said if we're his offspring, then how can we say this is a god that we made with our own hands? If he made us, then how can we worship a god we made? To me that is the most idiotic thing I can ever think of. I make a god, then I bow down to it. It should be bowing down to me, I made it! But I'm bowing down to it.

I made it with my hands and then something in me says, "Oh, I need to worship this." Are you kidding me? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life. But how many people are idol worshipers? In India they worship over 330 million gods. I can't even count to 330 million. And they worship that many gods because everything is a god.

They're poor, very poor, very, very poor. And they have filet mignon walking past them every day because they don't want to kill it because that's a god. You better give me some steaks and some burgers over here! I ain't going hungry like that, you kidding me? But you remember how I always said belief affects behavior? What you believe will affect the way you live.

Because they believe that that cow is a god, so they don't kill it, so they go starving. Devil's a lie. I'd get a few steaks out of that. Beef ribs or something. That thing is going under the knife. And I'm going to make me a little fire and I'm going to grill it. But belief affects behavior. So this is what Paul was saying. He was saying you all need to rethink this idol worship stuff.

All these idols that I see all around this city, you all need to rethink this thing. So if God is the God of creation, surely he is bigger than these measly idols that you have all around. Now I know that the Athenians were left stunned by this brilliant sermon and we will see the conclusion of it, God's will, next week. Let me conclude with this.

In this message we saw how God is so involved in the lives of his creation that he predetermined our times that we would be alive and where we would live. Even our neighbors are predetermined by God. Why? So that they might seek God as a person in the dark searching for a light switch. It is our job by our godly lifestyle as well as the word of God, that one-two punch, to introduce them to Jesus Christ, who is the light.

And this is how this is done. And finally, are you a child of God or just his creation? Only you can answer that question. You can become a child of God by faith in Jesus Christ today by repenting of your sin, believing he died for your sins and was buried and rose again. By confessing this, God will give you the right, the power, the authority, and the privilege to be a child of God.

I just pray that you do that today. Search your heart today because he loved you enough to guide you here today without violating your free will. It's amazing how God does that. How? I don't know. He's God, he just knows how to do that. And he brought you here to make sure that your heart is right with God.

So this is why the Bible says man will be without excuse when he stands before God. Be without excuse. You can't say, "Well, I didn't know." He's going to show you this scene here. You remember this? That's why the Bible says today, if you hear his voice, don't harden your heart. Father, thank you so much for this time you've given us in your word.

I pray that your Holy Spirit will move. I pray, God, that you would just do a great work in us. I pray you draw your people to you today. Lord, I pray for those who have not repented of their sin, may today be the day of salvation for them. Oh God, draw people unto you by your spirit in Jesus' name, Amen.

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