Necessity for a Biblical Philosophy
John Weaver | SermonAudio
| Lecture Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Speaker | John Weaver |
| Source | SermonAudio |
| Media ID | 121702142421 |
| Subject | Old Testament Studies |
| Course | Exodus: Bondage, Deliverance, and Passover: The Superiority of Christ |
| Genre | Sermon |
| Date | 2001-04-01 |
| Dictation Name | |
| Book | Book 078: Exodus: Bondage, Deliverance, and Passover - Volume 1 — Chapter 1 |
| Source Timed Segments | 96 |
Synopsis: John Weaver teaches from Acts 17 and Colossians 2 the absolute necessity of a biblical philosophy or worldview. He contrasts the Apostle Paul's God-centered worldview with the humanistic philosophies of the Epicureans and Stoics, demonstrating that a biblical worldview determines how we live and interpret reality. The sermon emphasizes that true understanding of Scripture requires context, and that a Christian philosophy must be theocentric, starting with God and His Word.
Formatted Transcript
Introduction: The Necessity of a Biblical Philosophy
Weaver introduces the twofold purpose: to reinforce the necessity of a biblical philosophy and to demonstrate that Scripture must be understood in context.
All right, let's open our Bibles today to Acts 17 and Colossians chapter 2. Acts chapter 17, Colossians chapter 2. Actually, the point of this message today is really twofold. Number one, it is to reinforce in your mind the absolute necessity for a biblical philosophy. And number two, it's also to demonstrate to you that we really cannot understand Scripture until we understand things in their context. And when you begin to analyze Scripture and see things in the context, then of course you're going to see the whole point that the Lord has directed your attention to. So let's look at Acts chapter 17. Let's begin reading with verse 15.
"And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens, and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus, for to come to him with all speed they departed. Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him."
The Therefore of Paul's Determination (Acts 17:15-17)
Paul's determination to preach was human, heavenly (stirred by God), and holy (motivated by God's glory being given to idols).
So this passage actually automatically divides itself into three parts. So let's begin with the therefore of Paul's determination. And you can only see this in verses 15 through 17. Watch carefully. "And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed they departed. And while Paul waited for them in Athens, his spirit was stirred in him when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him." First of all, I want you to note, it was a human determination.
And I'm using that word in reference to the fact that you and I are not mechanical, we are not machines. Paul saw the city wholly given to idolatry, and Paul willingly, voluntarily determined to enter into a witnessing or a preaching experience with these individuals. So he actually determined. Note secondly, it was a heavenly determination for verse 16 says, "and while Paul waited for them at Athens," now look carefully, "his spirit was stirred in him."
Now let me ask a simple question. What made Paul act humanly speaking? And the answer comes back: It was because there was a heavenly determination. God stirred his spirit. Now, please understand, when the word stirred is used here, it is a passive in the Greek, which means Paul was not active. He was acted upon. In other words, God was moving upon the Apostle Paul. Do you remember what the Bible says? The Bible says,
"...work out your salvation with fear and trembling."
Philippians 2 verse 12. And then he explains it in verse 13. He says,
"...for it is God who worketh in you, both the willing to do His good pleasure."
You work it out only because God has already worked it in. So here's a good, clear illustration of how God was working in the Apostle Paul. God stirred him, and therefore he went out and preached. The same truth is found in Isaiah 26 and verse 12.
He said, "Behold, thou hast ordained peace for us. Why? For thou hast wrought all our works in us." The only reason you and I do anything that is right and holy and godly is because God stirs us and gives us grace. God must first act in us and on us and through us before we act in obedience. So it was a human determination. It was a heavenly determination. And thirdly, in verse 16, it was also a holy determination.
For look what he said. "Now, when Paul waited for them in Athens, his spirit was stirred when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry." How can you say that's a holy determination? Because Paul's heart beat for God's honor and God's glory. Now, I want you to note something. It was not pity that moved the Apostle Paul. And pity will not move us, or at least not for long. It was not the fact that these people were lost that moved the Apostle Paul. They were lost. Well, what moved Paul was he saw the glory that belonged to the one true and living God being given to idols. What does God say in Isaiah 42 and verse 8?
Let me quote it for you. We'll look in Psalm 96 together, but listen if you would to Isaiah 42 and verse 8. He said,
"Behold, I am God, and beside me there is none other, and my glory will I not share with idols."
And so the truth is, God will not share His glory with idols. Now, look in your Bibles to the book of Psalms, Psalm 96. And let me show you, beginning there with verse 1. We're talking about God's honor and God's glory. Psalm 96. Begin there with verse 1.
"Oh, sing unto the Lord a new song. Sing unto the Lord all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless His name, show forth His salvation from day to day." Now watch verse 3. "Declare His glory among the heathen. His wonders among all the people. For the Lord is great and greatly be praised. He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of nations are idols. But the Lord made the heavens."
"Honor and majesty are before him. Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people. Give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name. Bring an offering and come unto his courts."
Now go back to verse 4. He says, "For the Lord is great and greatly to be feared. And greatly to be praised, he is to be feared above all gods." Verse 8, "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name." What did Paul see in Acts chapter 17? He saw the glory that was due unto the name of the Lord and the praise that was due only to the one true and the living God being given to idols. So it was not pity that moved Paul. It was not the fact that the people were lost that moved Paul. It was the fact that God's honor and God's glory was being given to false gods.
Now, if you were to take time and go back to Isaiah chapter 6, we're not going to do it right now just to save time. There's a lot I've got to share with you today. But if you were to go back to Isaiah chapter 6, when Isaiah says to the Lord, "Here am I, Lord, send me," there's a human determination in the fact that Isaiah is saying, "I am willing to go." If you would look at verses 6 and 7, you will find there is a heavenly determination because it was a seraphim that took the coals from the altar and touched his lip and purged him. And then you'd go back to verses 1 through 5, you'd see it was a holy determination, because what did Isaiah sing? He said,
"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord high and lifted up, and His train
also filled the temple." And what were the seraphim doing? They were singing, "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty." Every time you find in the Bible someone doing something for God, there was always, before that human determination, a heavenly determination, and the basis of it was a holy determination. You'll find that same thing in Exodus 34 and Exodus 33, dealing with Moses.
Now, go back in your Bibles to Acts chapter 17. Watch this carefully. In Acts chapter 17, having seen now in verse 16, that Paul's spirit was stirred in him when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Look at verse 17, "Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews and with the devout persons and in the market daily with him that met with him." Now let me tell you what the word disputed means. It does not mean that Paul got into a knockdown, drag out argument. The word disputed actually means to reason or to argue in a logical, reasonable manner. So he went into the synagogue where these Jews were, and the devout persons. Who were the devout persons?
The Then of Paul's Opposition (Acts 17:18-21)
Paul encounters Epicurean and Stoic philosophers who accuse him of being a babbler and a setter forth of strange gods, leading to his appearance before the Areopagus council.
You see the therefore of his determination. Secondly, here's the then of the opposition, verses 18 through 21. "Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans and the Stoics encountered him, and some said, What will this babbler say? Others saw him as a setter forth of strange gods, because he preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him into the Areopagus, saying, May we know of this new doctrine whereof thou speakest this? For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears. We would know, therefore, what these things mean. For all the Athenians and strangers who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear something new." Now, as Paul was busy preaching in the marketplace, he encountered opposition. And his opposition happened to be the Epicureans and the Stoics.
Now, you've got to ask yourself this question. Who were the Epicureans and what did they teach? Who were the Stoics? And what did they teach? Why did they accuse the Apostle Paul of being a babbler? What is a babbler? What is the significance of the statement, "he seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods"? What is the Areopagus? Now, let me just tell you, if you do not know the answer to these questions, you're in no position to understand the Apostle Paul's sermon.
Because what you have is an excellent illustration of a Christian with a worldview confronting non-Christians with a non-Christian worldview. So they're going to tangle. And I want you to listen to me carefully. Your worldview determines how you act and how you behave. If your worldview is unbiblical, you're going to act unbiblically. If your worldview is biblical, then you're going to act biblically. Now, let's get started.
Who were the Epicureans and what did they teach? You say, well, the Epicureans were philosophers. Yes, they were Greek philosophers. That's a good answer. But let's be a little more specific. Epicurus lived from 342 to 270 BC. His disciples were known as the school of the garden because he taught from a garden in Athens. And he was the master that instructed them. The best known Epicurean philosopher was the Roman poet Lucretius. Now, you've got to ask yourself, what did the Epicureans teach?
By the way, as I go through these things with you, will you remember what Solomon said? There's nothing new under the sun. And will you also remember that the same heresies that the Apostle Paul is confronting in Acts chapter 17 are with us today under a little different name, but they're still the same heresy. OK, what did the Epicureans teach? First of all, they taught materialism.
Now, materialism is the theory that matter is the only reality and everything in the world, including what they would call the gods, including feeling and thought, everything was explained in terms of matter. Matter was the only thing that counted. Therefore, to the Epicurean, comfort, pleasure, wealth of an individual was the highest goal and the greatest pleasure. They were a materialistic people. The more you had, the more you enjoyed life, the better off you were.
Now, is that philosophy still with us today? Well, a lot of Christians have that philosophy, don't they? They're good Epicureans and don't even know it. But that was one thing they taught. They taught materialism. Secondly, they taught evolutionism. Because Epicurus taught that the universe, plants, animals, and man evolved from atoms. Have you heard of atomistic evolution? Well, of course you have. Darwin didn't come up with the first idea of evolution. I mean, the Epicureans taught this long before Darwin ever came along. So they were materialists. They were evolutionists. They also taught that there was no such thing as human immortality. What they taught was this.
When you're dead, you're dead. You're annihilated. It's like a dog. When a dog dies, he's dead. That's it. It's the end of it. Nothing else. No life after death. No judgment. No eternal life. No eternal suffering. Just when you're dead, you're dead. So they denied human immortality.
Fourthly, they believed in fatalism. What do I mean by fatalism? They believe that every event that happened was naturally caused. In other words, caused by nature. And I know I've said this before, I'm going to say it again. I cringe and I get angry every time I hear the weather forecaster say, "Mother Nature." That just tears me up. That's a pagan term to the core, talking about the goddess of earth, the earth mother, which is pure paganism. And that's what these Epicureans taught. In other words, everything comes naturally. Everything comes by chance or luck or fate.
To the Epicurean, there was no such thing as a supernatural intervention of God. There was no miracle. There was no supernatural. And for the Epicurean, the greatest evil was the fear of death. Why should you fear death? Because when you're dead, that's it. You're out of it. You will know nothing.
Now, the whole system of Epicureanism had a practical end in view. What was their end? What was their purpose? Here's what they basically taught. Here's the summation of their doctrine. That the good life is in man's power. That man can be happy, and the way to be happy is to have the best of everything and live in serene detachment. The greatest good and the highest goal was to have pleasure without pain.
Hey, I know a lot of preachers that preach that. Pure Epicureanism. In fact, one of the pleasures that they emphasized was intellectual pleasure. Look down in verse 21. He says, "For all the Athenians and the strangers who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing." You know, just an intellectual pleasure. How would you like to just spend your day just talking, trying to find out what you can find out? You know, I think after a while I'd get old. I mean, I want to learn, but I don't think I just want to spend my days talking and doing nothing else. But that's part of their pleasure. Now, here's what happened.
Since the Epicureans wanted pleasure without pain, their philosophy, however, deteriorated into hedonism. Now, you know what hedonism is. Hedonism is the philosophy, "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die." In other words, do whatever you're going to do because you're going to be dead like a dog that's going to be all over with. But the Epicureans basically taught you wanted positive pleasure without pain. Pain was to be avoided.
So the true Epicurean would never be a drunkard. Why? Although he would enjoy his wine and whatever else he wanted to enjoy, he would do it moderately. Because if you turn out to be a drunkard, there's pain in that, and there's cirrhosis of the liver, and there's DTs and all these other things. So the true Epicurean wanted pleasure, but he wanted pleasure without pain. But his philosophy deteriorated into pure hedonism.
Now, the Epicureans were the atheists of the Greek philosophers. They had no positive faith in anyone or anything. To them, the universe just happened. There was no lawgiver, there was no creator, there was no redeemer, there was no judge, and their chief end in this life was to enjoy the pleasures of this life without pain. So pleasure without pain would basically be the philosophy or the slogan for the Epicureans.
Now, who were the Stoics? Let me tell you. Zeno was the founder of the Stoics. He lived from 335 to 265 B.C. and it was in the city of Citium in Cyprus, he began to teach from a portico or a porch. And the Greek word for porch is stoa. Since he was teaching from this porch, hence his followers became known as Stoics.
Now the Roman senator Seneca was a Stoic. And you remember the most noble Roman of them all, Emperor Marcus Aurelius? He himself was a Stoic as well. Well, what did the Stoics teach?
Now listen carefully because we're going to get into some real modern day philosophy and heresy. The Stoics taught, first of all, pantheism. You know what pantheism is? Pan means all, theism, God, everything is God. Pantheism taught that God is not a personality, that God is not a real genuine person, that this desk is God, that you're God, that I'm God, the earth is God, that bird is God, that cow is God. In other words, God is not some self-existing individual who is transcendent from heaven and earth, no. Here's one of their statements. Listen carefully. "The world is the body of God, and God is the soul of the world, and apart from the world, God has no existence."
Now to them, to the Stoics, the name God or the term God was just another term for fate or causation or consequence. So to the Stoic, there was no sovereign, all-wise God who ruled according to His will. No, no. It was just simply fate. It was just simply chance, because everything is God. They were pantheists. Secondly, the Stoics taught naturalism. By naturalism I mean this, that man is capable of obtaining the good life, and the good life consists of not wanting things any other way than they already are.
In other words, we acknowledge the cycle of nature, and yes, we might pursue knowledge, but we're going to pursue knowledge with a detachment because if we don't learn what we want to learn, we might be disappointed, and disappointment is bad. If we serve others, we do so in a disinterested way, because if we're serving others, our service may be rejected, and that would be hurtful, and we don't want to be hurt. Stoicism is known for its unemotionalism, for its disinterestedness, for its passionlessness. You say, Brother Weaver, I'm not a Stoic. Sure you are in a lot of ways. Have you ever told your sons, husbands, fathers? Have you ever told your sons, "Come on boy, keep a stiff upper lip. Boys don't cry." Where did that come from? Not from the Bible. Jesus wept. Don't show your emotions. Now, husbands, come on now. You can't put your arm around your wife and kiss her out in public.
I mean, what would people think? Well, they might really think you love your wife. I kiss my wife all the time, everywhere. I'm not ashamed of the fact that I love her. You know, hey, that's all right. And listen, it's all right for men to cry. This idea of you keep a stiff upper lip, that's pure stoicism. The Stoics also taught individualism in the sense by that they meant it's only the individual that counts, so don't get involved in anything. Boy, are Christians good Stoics. Because they don't want to get involved in anything today. The Stoics taught indifferentism.
So it doesn't matter to them, to a Stoic, which God you served. Because, I mean, after all, we're all going to the same place. To them which would just be death, but I mean, you know, it didn't matter to them. I've heard people who profess to be Christians say, "Well, it really doesn't matter, we're all working for the same place." Well, if you're working for it, I've got news for you. You're going to get to where you're working for, but it ain't going to be where you think it is. Because salvation is not my works, it's by grace through faith. So here you have the Epicureans and the Stoics. Now watch it, the Epicureans emphasize pleasure, and the Stoics emphasized pride. The Epicureans and the Stoics were the Sadducees and the Pharisees of Greek philosophy.
Now, the best known Stoic philosopher was a man by the name of Cleanthes, or Aratus, and if you look in Acts 17, verse 28, the Apostle Paul quotes him. Here he is. Acts 17, notice if you would please, verse 28, the Apostle Paul says,
"For in him we live and move and have our being, as certain also of your own poets have said, for we are also his offspring."
So in that instance, the Apostle Paul is quoting Cleanthes. Now watch this. You have the Epicureans, you have the Stoics. Paul is preaching and teaching. All of a sudden he encounters these philosophers, and they say that Paul is a babbler. Look at it, Acts chapter 17, and notice verse, what is it? Verse 18. "Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans and the Stoics encountered him, and some said, what will this babbler say?" Now, tell me where Paul was preaching and teaching when he encountered the philosophers. In the marketplace. Now, the Greek word for the marketplace is the agora. The agora was the center of public life in ancient Greece. It was where the poets met, the artisans, the politicians, the orators, the statesmen, the philosophers, everyone went to the marketplace.
It was the place where you not only bought and sold, it was a place for conversation, for visiting, for idleness, for teaching. Now north of the Agora is the craggy eminence referred to as the Areopagus. Eastward is the Acropolis. Now the whole area is filled with altars and temples and gods and relics. It was in this Agora, in this marketplace, where the porches and the gardens were where the philosophers taught their students. It was in this marketplace where Paul was preaching and teaching when he was accused of being a babbler. Now, what in the world is a babbler? I like this word. And I want to show you how they really tried to put down the Apostle Paul. And by the way, if you don't think that the worldly philosophers endeavor to put down a Christian philosopher, you just look at the Christians on the talk shows and see how the talk show host does everything he can to make the Christian look like an absolute fool and idiot. And so here are these Epicureans and these Stoics, and some of them refer to Paul as a babbler. Probably it was the Epicureans who called him this. But the word for babbler is spermologos. I'll go ahead and tell you, the spermologos is a hapax legomena.
How does that suit you? Hapax is a Greek word, which means just once. Legomena refers to words. So a hapax legomena is a word that occurs just one time in the Bible. So this is the only time this word occurs. It's a bad word. And the word is spermologos. And here it means, it has basically three meanings. Neither one of them are very attractive, but the first one, spermologos refers to a bird that picks seeds from the ground or a seed picker. Why would they call Paul a seed picker?
What they were referring to him was an ignorant plagiarist. He really didn't know what he was talking about and whatever he was saying he just stole from someone else. I kind of remind you of some modern day plagiarists. I'm not going to name any, but one of them got his doctorate by stealing. Who'd you say? Yeah, it was Martin Luther King. He was a plagiarist. He stole.
And of course, so did some of our presidential candidates as well. So they're calling Paul a babbler, a seed picker, an ignorant plagiarist. Secondly, the word means a pauper, one who prowls the marketplace, a parasite who lives by his wits, hence a contemptible and worthless person. And thirdly, it means the perpetual and useless chirping and chattering of a bird. Let me put that in modern day colloquialism, it means someone who just runs off at the mouth. Someone who is continually talking and making noise and not saying anything. So here, the Epicureans, who are the atheists, when Paul is preaching Jesus and the resurrection, they say, "This man is a babbler. He's an ignorant plagiarist. He's a seed picker. He's a pauper. He's a parasite. He's just running off at the mouth. He knows not what he's talking about." Isn't it amazing? What does the Scripture say in 1 Corinthians 1? The preaching of the cross is what?
Foolishness to those who are unsaved. And it still is. These Greek philosophers thought they were all wise and all knowing, and here comes a man with the truth, and they call him a nitpicker and a plagiarist and a parasite. Well, what does it mean then, in verse 18, when he says, "he seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods"?
Now, in all probability, it was the Stoics who charged him with this. Are you listening? In Athens, the introduction of strange gods was a capital offense, if by such introduction the home deities were rejected and the state religion disturbed. In other words, you could get the death penalty for preaching a strange God if it messed up the state religion.
Now, you've got to remember, during Paul's time, who was in charge of the Greek Empire? The Romans. And what did you have to do once a year if you maintained your legitimate status as a religion in Rome? Once a year you had to swear by the genius of Caesar. You had to say that Caesar is Lord. In other words, Caesar gives you the right to believe what you want to believe. So here Paul is, although Athens is in Greece, yet the Romans had conquered. And if you introduce a strange god, if it meant tearing down of the state religion, you could face the death penalty. Now, very clearly, neither the Epicureans nor the Stoics understood Paul's message when he preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection.
So, the Bible says in verse 19, look carefully, "and they took him and brought him unto Areopagus." What is the Areopagus? Well, that word is really two words, Areion Pagon. Areopagus literally means the hill of Ares, who was the Greek god of war, which corresponded to the Roman Mars. And the Areopagus was the hill in front of the Agora. However, listen carefully, the Areopagus was not just the hill in front of the Agora. The word Areopagus also refers to the court, or to the council of Areopagus. It was this council that took note of murders, impieties, immoralities, and they were very attentive to blasphemies against the gods. So when the Stoics charged Paul with being a setter forth of strange gods, they did not take him to the hill Areopagus, they took him to the council of Areopagus, where he was to be judged. And by the way, if you will skip down very quickly, in verse 34, you'll find that one of those councilmen got converted by Paul's preaching.
"...Howbeit, certain men clave unto him and believed, among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite." That is, a man who was on this court or who was on this council. He certainly would not be a hill. He was on the council. And so it was this court or this council that Paul was brought before because he was a setter forth of a strange God.
Now this court evidently functioned not only politically and educationally, but also judicially and legally. And so the apostle Paul then is brought before this council. Now this council or this court had the power or the authority to take official actions in questions of hearing upon public teaching in the city. So Paul is doing some public teaching, and so now Paul is brought before the court.
Now, skip down in your Bibles to Acts 17, verse 22. This brings me to the third point I want to start trying to tie things together. We worked our way down. "Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars Hill." Now, what is Mars Hill? It's the Areopagus. It's the same thing. Mars Hill, Areopagus, same thing. Same hill, but he's now at the hill, at the council. "Then Paul stood in Mars Hill, in the midst of Mars Hill, and said," now here he begins his direct declaration.
The Then of Paul's Declaration (Acts 17:22-31)
Paul courteously declares the unknown God, refuting Epicurean and Stoic errors by teaching creation, God's sovereignty, spirituality, providence, and the coming judgment through Christ's resurrection.
Now, let me just tell you that the Apostle Paul's message is not being construed as a formal apology. By the way, I know I've told you this before, but I want to refresh your minds. When we say that Pastor so-and-so is offering an apology for the faith, that does not mean he's standing up and saying, "I'm sorry that we believe what we believe." Apologetics is the arm of theology that is termed defending the faith. So apologetics is a defense of the faith, not an apologizing for the faith. Okay? So Paul is not necessarily giving a formal defense here, although he is certainly defending certain aspects of the faith.
Now, let's begin in verse 22, and let me show you the then of Paul's declaration. There's a lot of things that we can learn from the Apostle Paul. Verse 22. "Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars Hill and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious." Would you like to know what the word superstitious really means?
Now, it's not talking about don't walk under a ladder. If a black cat crosses your path, throw salt over your shoulder. The word superstitious, some of you have marginal references in your Bible. It means religious, literally. He says, "You men of Athens, I perceive it in all things, you're too religious." Do you realize that you can be religious but lost? You can be religious and be unbiblical to the core.
Now, what Paul did was this. I want you to note, he was courteous. And he took care not to initially upset them. He's acknowledging the fact that they're religious. He says, "You're just a little too religious." You know what most of us do? And I want to tell you, I have to bite my tongue at times, but isn't it amazing how we want to just jump down everybody's throat when we know they're wrong? We want to straighten them out so quickly and tell them off. But you know something I'm going to tell you, you will never reach anyone by making them mad at you to begin with. It's just not going to do it. You see, I've got just enough rebellion and sin left in me. If you tell me I'm not going to do something, I'm going to do it just to show you. You know, if you tell me I'm wrong, I'm not going to listen to you because I'm going to show you, you know, that's the way people are. Let's be honest.
So Paul began with courtesy and care. And he said, "Look, I know you're religious. I know you believe certain things, but look in verse 23." And I like this. He says, "For as I passed by and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, to the unknown God, whom therefore you ignorantly worship, Him declare unto you." Now, I want you to watch what the Apostle Paul did. You know how smart. Remember now, you could get the death penalty for introducing a new God into the society if it detracted from the Roman state religion. So the apostle Paul said, "Look, I found an altar out there with this inscription, to the unknown God. Look, I'm not introducing a new God to you. I'm just telling you about the one that you don't know anything about. Let me explain who he really is." So Paul just got himself out of a legal quagmire by using their own altar to the unknown God. So he said, "I'm going to declare this unknown God to you."
Now, I want you to look, and I want you to please try to remember everything that I told you that the Epicureans and the Stoics taught. Because everything that Paul is going to say goes right straight smack dab contrary to what they taught. Note if you would please, in verse 24, he declares creationism as opposed to Epicurean evolutionism. He says in verse 24, "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands." In other words, God is the Creator. The earth did not evolve. It did not just happen. It did not just begin by luck, chance, fate, or fortune. No, no. God created the earth and everything in it.
Now I want you to see what He's doing. He's not just saying, "Look you stupid Epicureans, you're wrong." He probably wanted to say that, but what he is saying is, "I'm declaring the truth to you." And he does so without telling them how stupid and ignorant they really are. You follow me? Now watch it. So he says, God is the Creator. Now I want you to note, secondly, he not only deals with the fact that God is the Creator. He also, in verse 24, declares the sovereignty of God over heaven and earth as opposed to the pantheism of the Stoics. He says in verse 24, "seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth."
Ah, we've got a sovereign. We have an ultimate. We have an absolute. The earth is not God. The world is not God. Materialism is not God. No, no, no. We have a transcendent God who is above His creation. We have One who is absolutely sovereign. Now, God's handiwork may be seen in the earth and in the world, but God Himself is exalted far above heaven and earth. So, he teaches creationism, he teaches the absolute sovereignty of God, and look at verses 24 and 25, he now teaches the incorporeality of God, or the immateriality of God, or let me say it another way, the spirituality of God. He says in verse 24, the latter part, "that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands, Neither is worship with men's hands."
Now, what is he saying? He is saying, and teaching the truth of John 4 verse 24,
"God is spirit. And they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."
He's saying, "Look, you Stoics, you want to think that God is material? No, no, no. He's not material. He's immaterial. It is true He is Lord of heaven and earth, but He is spirit."
Now listen carefully to what I'm about to say. God is not a spirit. God is spirit. And by the way, do you know why everybody wants to materialize God? I might deal with this. I'm probably going to come back in a few weeks and just bring several messages on the nature of God, and deal primarily with one aspect on the spirituality of God. But do you know why people want to materialize God? Do you know why they want an idol? Do you know why they want God confined in a temple or in a church or around an altar?
Let me tell you why. Because when you get your God confined to a material object, when you walk away from that material object, you're on your own. And you've got control over your God. You've got Him right where you want Him, you see. That's why a lot of folks want a material God. I never will forget the woman. I was in Wilmington, North Carolina, preaching. And I saw this little statue she had on her dashboard. And I asked her, I said, "What is that statue on your dashboard?" "Oh," she says, "that's my statue of Jesus." She said, "I wouldn't think of going anywhere without my Jesus." I said, "Ma'am, I wouldn't either, but he doesn't live on my dashboard. He's in my heart."
I mean, you know, come on. You see what I'm saying? Here you got pure paganism trying to materialize God. By the way, you remember the Syrians got defeated because they did that. They said God is the God of the hills, but he's not the God of the plains. They're wanting to materialize God and just put him in one of the locations. So Paul then denies not only evolutionism, he not only denies pantheism, he denies the materialism.
Notice, if you would, in the latter part of verse 25 through verse 28, Paul declares God's providential control over everything as opposed to Epicurean fatalism. He said in verse 25 of the latter part, let's read it all, "Neither is he worshipped with men's hands as though he needeth anything, seeing he," that is the sovereign God, "giveth it all life and breath and all things, and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed the bounds of their habitation, that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us." "For in him we live and move and have our own being, as certain also of your own prophets have said, for we are also his offspring." So what he's saying is, "Look, it is God who controls everything. It's God who's placed the nations. It's God who's provided for us. It's God who set the boundaries." God's providential care is opposed to the fatalism that these Epicureans were teaching. And so Paul is saying, "Look, everything that you fellows have said, and everything that you've taught, and everything you've believed is wrong," and yet he's not just standing up and saying you're wrong, he's saying here is the truth of the matter. Look in verse 29. He says, "For as much then as we are the offspring of God, if your own poet is correct, we ought not to think that the Godhead is likened to gold or silver or stone, graven by art and man's device." He said, "If we are the children of God, God can't look like an idol." By the way, and I'm not going to preach this here, but I've often been asked, "What does God look like?"
Well, first of all, as I said earlier, God is Spirit, which means He has no body. However, when God did become incarnate and lived on this earth, who revealed himself in Jesus Christ, he looked just like one of us. He didn't look like an idol. He didn't look like a stone image. You follow what I'm saying? So the Apostle Paul is saying, "Look, you folks have no idea about the truth of God." And yet at the same time, he is now pronouncing the Christian philosophy and showing how it is directly opposed and contrary to a humanistic philosophy. So he destroys the materialism then of the Stoics. And then look in verses 30 and 31. In this passage, he destroys the disinterestedness of Stoicism and the annihilationism of the Epicureans. He says in verse 30, "And the times of this ignorance God winked at, but look what he says, But now God commandeth all men everywhere to repent." Why does God command men to repent? Here's why. "Because He, God, hath appointed a day in which He, God, will judge the world in righteousness by that Man, Jesus Christ, whom He hath ordained, whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, and that He hath raised Him from the dead."
What's the Apostle Paul saying? Just as surely as God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, just as surely as there is a bodily resurrection, there will be a judgment. And you will not escape. And all your pagan philosophy and all your humanistic ideas will go down the tubes at that particular time. You'll find out who is right. It's kind of like Paul stuck his tongue in his cheek and said, "A babbler am I? A seed picker? A pauper? Some ignorant plagiarist? Ooh, you just wait. You will find out who was the true philosopher and who had absolutely no philosophy." So he destroys the philosophy of the Epicureans and the Stoics.
Responses to the Truth (Acts 17:32-34)
The sermon produces three responses: mockers, postponers, and believers, illustrating the inevitable reactions to biblical truth.
Now, thankfully, and by the way, let me just go ahead and point this out. Do you realize this is the response that you always have when the Word of God is preached and taught? Look in verse 32. "And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some," what? "Mocked. And others said," what? "We'll hear thee again of this matter." In other words, we're not going to mess with it now. We'll put it off. But verse 34 says, "Howbeit certain men clave unto Him and believe." Inevitably, invariably, when the truth is taught, you're going to have some mockers. You're going to have some postpone entertaining the truth. And you're going to have some, by the grace of God, who believe.
Applications: Developing a Theocentric Worldview
Weaver applies the passage by urging a God-centered philosophy, interpreting life through Scripture, and trusting God's sovereignty in the face of opposition.
Let me make some applications. I want you to note that our worldview, our philosophy must be just like the Apostle Paul's. What am I talking about? His philosophy started with God. It was theocentric. It was God-centered. We are too used to saying, "I think. I believe. I've heard. I've been taught." None of those things really matter. What really matters is what does the Word of God teach? And we've got to come back to the fact, here is God and here is His Word.
Let me tell you, folks, if you start with man, you're going to end with man. If you start with God, you can end with God. We have got to have a theocentric worldview, a theocentric, a God-centered philosophy to understand what is going on, what is happening, and how to interpret things in light of the Scripture. For instance, let me tell you something. Let's suppose the stock market crashed tomorrow. What are the humanists going to say? I'll guarantee it will be vastly different from what the Christians say, if the Christians have a biblical philosophy.
Do you know why this world is so much in debt? And so dependent upon a stock market and paper money? Because they don't have any idea of a biblical philosophy of real money. There's differences. I can look out and see something and say, "That is a clear incident of God's judgment." Somebody else will say, "Well, it just happened. It was coincidence. It was chance. It was luck. It was fate." No, no, no. You cannot interpret what is going on unless you look through the special glasses of divine revelation. We've got to interpret in light of the Word of God. If we understand that God is sovereign, it will also temper us in our arguments, in our reasoning. Now, I've told you this before and I've confessed it and I acknowledge it.
There are times, there are times, I have wanted to take men and women by the shirt, hold them up against the wall, slap them four or five times and say, "What in the world is wrong with you? How can you be so blind? How can you be so stupid?" And yet I know that wouldn't help matters. It would make matters worse. I want to do it still, you know, but it really wouldn't help.
But if I understand that God is sovereign, are you listening to me? And that illumination and understanding is the gift of God, then I can still be kind and courteous, teach the truth, and commit it in the Lord's hands and say, "Lord, if you don't open their eyes, they're still going to be blind as a bat" and go on my way. You follow me? Let me tell you, folks, we can't convert everyone. We can't save everyone. We can't make people believe right and we can't make them do what's right. What is our responsibility? To teach the truth and to stand up for the truth. And what they do with the truth is between them and God. How God applies the truth is up to Him.
And so if some mock us, so be it. If some say, "Well, we're not really interested in that right now," so be it. Inevitably, invariably, however, there are going to be certain individuals who will cleave to the truth and say, "That's what I wanted. God opened my eyes and showed me His truth." You see, folks, if you do have a thoroughly biblical worldview, inevitably, invariably, you're going to have conflicts. Please understand that everywhere you turn, we're men of peace and we want peace. But you're going to have conflicts. Why? Because everybody's going to think you're a nut and you're a fanatic and you've gone off the deep end because you want to do things biblical and right. So don't be discouraged. You be encouraged.
And make sure that everything in your life is theocentric, God-centered. And you interpret things in light of divine, special revelation. You look through the lenses of Holy Scripture. Let's pray. Father, we are so thankful today for Jesus Christ, for His grace and love and mercy to us. We ask You to help us, to build us up in the most holy faith. And Father, we do pray, especially for a Christian worldview, that we would be biblical in our thoughts, in our attitudes, in our actions, in our conduct, that we might bring honor and glory to Thee. In Thy name we pray, Amen.
Study Guide
Major Themes
Necessity of a Biblical Worldview
Summary: Every person has a worldview that determines how they live; a biblical worldview is essential for right living and understanding.
Evidence: Weaver states, 'every one of us has a philosophy... your worldview also determines how you live' and emphasizes the need for a 'biblical philosophy or a biblical worldview.'
God's Sovereignty and Glory
Summary: Paul's motivation was God's honor, not pity; a biblical philosophy starts with God's sovereignty and glory.
Evidence: Weaver explains, 'it was not pity that moved the Apostle Paul... what moved Paul was he saw the glory that belonged to the one true and living God being given to idols.'
Contrast Between Christian and Humanistic Philosophy
Summary: The sermon contrasts Paul's theocentric message with the materialistic, evolutionary, and pantheistic views of the Epicureans and Stoics.
Evidence: Weaver details Epicurean materialism and evolutionism, and Stoic pantheism, then shows how Paul's sermon refutes each point.
The Importance of Context in Scripture
Summary: Understanding the historical and philosophical context of Acts 17 is crucial to grasping Paul's sermon.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'if you do not know the answer to these questions, you're in no position to understand the Apostle Paul's sermon.'
Human Inability and Divine Enablement
Summary: Paul's determination was both human and heavenly; God must work in us before we act.
Evidence: Weaver states, 'God must first act in us and on us and through us before we act in obedience.'
Responses to the Gospel
Summary: The preaching of truth always results in mockery, postponement, or belief.
Evidence: Weaver notes the three responses in Acts 17:32-34: 'some mocked... others said, We'll hear thee again... certain men clave unto him and believed.'
Key Arguments
A biblical worldview is necessary because it determines how we interpret and respond to life.
Summary: Weaver argues that a breakdown in life is actually a breakdown in philosophy, not nerves.
Evidence: He says, 'In reality, there is no such thing as a nervous breakdown... it's your philosophy. It's your worldview.'
Colossians 2:8 forbids only humanistic philosophy, not all philosophy.
Summary: The verse condemns philosophy 'after the rudiments of the world' and 'not after Christ,' implying a Christian philosophy is valid.
Evidence: Weaver explains, 'if the philosophy is biblical, if it is after Christ, it is not forbidden.'
Paul's motivation was zeal for God's glory, not mere pity for the lost.
Summary: This holy determination is the proper foundation for Christian witness.
Evidence: Weaver states, 'it was not pity that moved the Apostle Paul... what moved Paul was he saw the glory that belonged to the one true and living God being given to idols.'
The Epicureans and Stoics represent enduring humanistic philosophies that oppose biblical truth.
Summary: Their teachings on materialism, evolution, pantheism, and fatalism are still present today.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'the same heresies that the Apostle Paul is confronting in Acts chapter 17 are with us today under a little different name.'
Paul's sermon systematically refutes pagan philosophy by declaring God as Creator, Sovereign, Spirit, and Judge.
Summary: Each point of Paul's declaration counters specific Epicurean or Stoic errors.
Evidence: Weaver traces how Paul addresses creationism vs. evolution, sovereignty vs. pantheism, spirituality vs. materialism, and judgment vs. annihilation.
A theocentric worldview starts with God and His Word, not with man.
Summary: If we start with man, we end with man; starting with God leads to true understanding.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'if you start with man, you're going to end with man. If you start with God, you can end with God.'
Scripture References
Acts 17:15-34
Context: The primary text of the sermon, detailing Paul's encounter with philosophers in Athens.
Colossians 2:8
Context: Used to show that only humanistic philosophy is condemned, not all philosophy.
Philippians 2:12-13
Context: Illustrates that God works in believers to will and to do His good pleasure.
Isaiah 26:12
Context: Supports the truth that God ordains our works.
Isaiah 42:8
Context: God will not share His glory with idols, motivating Paul's holy determination.
Psalm 96:1-8
Context: Declares God's glory among the heathen and that idols are nothing.
Isaiah 6:1-8
Context: Isaiah's call illustrates human, heavenly, and holy determination.
Exodus 33-34
Context: Mentioned as another example of God's prior work before human action.
Acts 17:4
Context: Identifies the devout Greeks as proselytes.
Acts 17:28
Context: Paul quotes the Stoic poet Cleanthes or Aratus.
1 Corinthians 1:18
Context: The preaching of the cross is foolishness to the unsaved.
John 4:24
Context: God is spirit, and worship must be in spirit and truth.
Historical References
Epicurus (342-270 BC)
Context: Founder of Epicureanism, taught from a garden in Athens; his philosophy included materialism, evolutionism, denial of immortality, and fatalism.
Lucretius
Context: Best known Epicurean philosopher, a Roman poet.
Zeno (335-265 BC)
Context: Founder of Stoicism, taught from a porch (stoa) in Citium, Cyprus.
Seneca
Context: Roman senator and Stoic philosopher.
Marcus Aurelius
Context: Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher.
Cleanthes or Aratus
Context: Stoic poet quoted by Paul in Acts 17:28.
Areopagus
Context: The council or court in Athens that judged matters of religion and public teaching; also the hill of Ares (Mars Hill).
Dionysius the Areopagite
Context: A member of the Areopagus council who believed after Paul's sermon.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Context: Mentioned as an example of a modern plagiarist, in connection with the term 'babbler' meaning ignorant plagiarist.
Important Quotes
In reality, there is no such thing as a nervous breakdown. Your nerves do not break down. They still continue to function. Well, what is it that's broken down? It's your philosophy. It's your worldview.
Significance: Illustrates the foundational claim that a person's philosophy determines their stability and response to life.
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Significance: Key verse used to distinguish between forbidden humanistic philosophy and permissible Christian philosophy.
It was not pity that moved the Apostle Paul. And pity will not move us, or at least not for long. It was not the fact that these people were lost that moved the Apostle Paul. They were lost. Well, what moved Paul was he saw the glory that belonged to the one true and living God being given to idols.
Significance: Highlights the proper motivation for Christian witness: zeal for God's glory rather than mere pity.
If you start with man, you're going to end with man. If you start with God, you can end with God.
Significance: Succinctly captures the necessity of a theocentric starting point for a biblical worldview.
The world is the body of God, and God is the soul of the world, and apart from the world, God has no existence.
Significance: A direct quote of Stoic pantheism, illustrating the error Paul refuted.
God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.
Significance: Paul's declaration of God as Creator and sovereign Lord, countering Epicurean and Stoic views.
Discussion Questions
How does your worldview affect the way you interpret daily events, such as a stock market crash or personal crisis?
Context: Weaver contrasts humanistic and biblical interpretations of events.
In what ways might modern Christians unknowingly adopt Epicurean or Stoic philosophies?
Context: Weaver points out that materialism, unemotionalism, and disinterestedness are common even among believers.
Why is it important to understand the historical and philosophical context of a passage like Acts 17?
Context: Weaver emphasizes that without knowing who the Epicureans and Stoics were, one cannot fully understand Paul's sermon.
How can we cultivate a holy determination like Paul's, motivated by God's glory rather than mere pity?
Context: Weaver explains that Paul's spirit was stirred by seeing God's glory given to idols.
What are some practical ways to ensure our philosophy is 'after Christ' and not 'after the rudiments of the world'?
Context: Weaver discusses Colossians 2:8 and the need for a biblical philosophy.
How should we respond when people mock or postpone the truth we share?
Context: Weaver notes the three responses in Acts 17 and encourages trust in God's sovereignty.
Applications
Develop a Theocentric Worldview
Summary: Believers must center their philosophy on God and His Word, interpreting all of life through Scripture.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'We have got to have a theocentric worldview, a theocentric, a God-centered philosophy to understand what is going on.'
Trust God's Sovereignty in Witness
Summary: Since illumination is God's work, we can be courteous and leave results to Him.
Evidence: Weaver states, 'if I understand that God is sovereign... then I can still be kind and courteous, teach the truth, and commit it in the Lord's hands.'
Examine Motivations for Service
Summary: Our service should be motivated by God's glory, not merely pity or human emotion.
Evidence: Weaver emphasizes that Paul was moved by God's honor, not pity.
Be Prepared for Opposition
Summary: A biblical worldview will inevitably bring conflict; believers should not be discouraged but encouraged.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'if you do have a thoroughly biblical worldview, inevitably, invariably, you're going to have conflicts.'
Use Scripture as the Lens for Interpretation
Summary: We must interpret events and ideas through the lens of divine revelation, not human wisdom.
Evidence: Weaver says, 'You cannot interpret what is going on unless you look through the special glasses of divine revelation.'
deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T02:25:29Z
deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:51:57Z