"To An Unknown God"

Acts 17:22-31; 1 Peter 3:13-22; John 14:15-21

Our lesson from the book of Acts describes a visit made by Paul to the city of Athens. Now, of course, all of us know that Athens was the center of Greek culture. And, scattered throughout the city, and especially upon the Acropolis, one of the hills of the city, were temples, shrines, and statues to the many gods of the Greek pantheon.

And at the time, about 20 years after Christ's death, there were Jews living in the city of Athens, most of them merchants and money lenders. Now, it so happened that many of these Jewish merchants belonged to an organization known as the Society of the Areopagus, an association that would be very much like today's Chamber of Commerce, for the Areopagus was located in the middle of the city market place, known as the Agora. And, because Paul was a well known Jew who had been trained under the great Hebrew philosopher, Gamaliel, he was invited by some of the members of the Areopagus to speak to their association when they met in one of their meetings.

And, so Paul, knowing that somehow he would have to share with these Athenians the gospel of Jesus Christ, got up before them and spoke. And it is interesting that as he spoke to them he said, "Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious." And he was able to say this because as he had walked around the city, he had seen nothing but temples, shrines, altars, and statues dedicated to the almost endless number of gods of the Greek religion.

I wonder about this, though. If old Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, were to come before our local Rotary Club, or Lion's Club, or Masons, or Eastern Star, would he be able to say something like that to us? Would he be able to say, "People of northeast Genesee County, People of northwest Lapeer County, I see that in every way you are very religious"? By looking at our community, by just taking a stroll through our towns or down the country roads, would he be able to say that to us?

Several weeks ago I was watching the news and saw how a group of Christians in the area had decided to picket a local convenience store located at the corner of Richfield and Davison Road which was selling magazines like Playboy, Penthouse, and other magazines that I'm sure none of us here has ever purchased. Evidently, one of the members from that group of Christians had been in the store and had been really concerned about what the presence of that pornographic material said about the religious climate of the area.

Indeed, if a visitor to this area were to judge how religious the people around here are could he do it on the basis of what kind of literature we find in the local convenience stores? Could he do it on the basis of how many churches there are in comparison to the number of bars? Could he describe the level of religiosity in our community this morning by how many cars there are parked out in front of the area's churches compared to the number of people mowing their lawns or heading up north?

It's a good question to ask: Just how religious are we? Of course, religiosity is a matter of opinion. I mean, I've met persons who are very religious at doing many things. After all, a religion is something around which you center your life. It is that thing which takes the number one spot in your life. And it is unbelievable what some people have chosen to center their lives around.

Some people, for instance, center their lives around their home. And, while this isn't a terrible thing to do, and we may even admire persons who do this, it is a real shame when persons who are in good health would rather stay at home than go to church.	Or, then, there are those who center their lives around the T.V. set and being entertained. Or, there are those who center their lives around food. Or, there are those who center their lives around their physical health. And, rather than do anything else, they set their agenda according to what's on the boob tube, or what's on the menu, or how healthy they think something is before they'll get involved.

But, of course, the question is, "How religious are the Christians in this area?" And, of course, a religious Christian would be that person who puts Jesus Christ and his or her ministry above anything else and centers his or her life on Christ. The Christian is that person who lives as many moments of his or her life, asking the question, "How does activity this serve the Lord?" The Christian would be that person who even tries to spend his or her money in such a way that God will be glorified. So, indeed, how religious are we as far as being Christians is concerned?

Many people think that being good is the same things as being religious or being Christian. But, really, there is a big difference between being good and being Godly. A sociology textbook in my library provides an example of goodness that is unrelated to godliness. The author describes the high level of cultural morality that is found among the Cheyenne, a group of native Americans who once lived in central Minnesota and northern South Dakota. These people exhibited moderation, dignity, and generosity, and manifested an almost unbelievable degree of self-control. Parents loved their children and gave them a lot of affection without spoiling them. They also taught them ethical values at an early age, so that many of them became dedicated, self-sacrificing, and well-behaved human beings. Yet, these Indians were not Christians. And, while being a Christian is very good, there are many good people living today who are no more Christian than those Cheyennes of long ago.

Now, the apostle Paul, standing before the Society of the Areopagus knew this, as well. He was very well aware of the fact that being religious doesn't cut any ice with God, as far as salvation is concerned. And he was also very much convinced that a person's depth of morality or goodness does not earn salvation. In fact, it was Paul's conviction, and it should be ours as well, that the only way a person can be saved is through faith in Jesus Christ. And, so, Paul told to the members of the Society of the Areopagus how in his walking around the city of Athens he had come upon an altar dedicated to an "unknown god." And then Paul announced that he knew who this "unknown god" was: none other than the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator of the Universe, and the Judge of humanity, the Only Living True God. Indeed, for most of the people living in Athens, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ was the "unknown God."

And what about our own community? As we look at the little children playing in the streets as we leave here on Sunday morning, and as we imagine their parents sitting in their living rooms in front of their television sets still dressed in their pajamas and bathrobes, is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ an unknown God to them? And if he is, what are we going to do about it? How are we, like Paul did, going to announce who this unknown God is? How are we going to share with our neighbors what this unknown God expects of us all? And share this news we must, for as Paul said to the Athenians: "God has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed."

Sharing our knowledge about God is very important for us to do, indeed. And, yet, perhaps some of us don't do it because we simply do not have it. Charles H. Spurgeon once wrote: "Have you ever read "The Ancient Mariner"? I dare say you thought it one of the strangest imaginations ever put together, especially that part where the old mariner represents the corpses of all the dead men rising up to man the ship, -- dead men pulling the rope, dead men steering, dead men spreading sails. I thought what a strange idea that was."

"But do you know," continues Spurgeon, "I have lived to see that time. I have gone into churches, and I have seen a dead man in the pulpit, a dead man as deacon, a dead man handling the plate, and dead men sitting to hear."

What Spurgeon was saying is this: As Christians our life doesn't come by how good we are. Our life doesn't come by how religious we are. Our life doesn't come by being United Methodists. Rather, our life comes through knowing God through our faith in Jesus Christ. And it by knowing God that we can and must share that knowledge with others.

William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, said it well when he wrote: "I consider that the chief dangers which will confront the church of the 20th century will be:

Religion without the Holy Spirit,

Christianity without Christ,

Forgiveness without regeneration,

Morality without God, and

Heaven without hell."

And that brings us to the last point that Paul made in our scripture lesson from the book of Acts: He said, "Now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world."

We don't like to talk about judgment. Many of us would like to believe that God is so loving that he will overlook the person who refuses to yield his life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Many of us have accepted the notion that God is so loving that he will forgive those who have died, unrepentant and unbelieving, after years of ignoring the pleading of God's Spirit to come home to the fold. But, those of us who have accepted this deception have done so because we have believed only half a gospel. For, as the scriptures indicate, the gospel of Jesus Christ cuts both ways: It cuts for salvation -- Yes! But, it also cuts for judgment, as well. The gospel of Jesus Christ saves for heaven, but it also condemns for eternity. As difficult as this may be for us to accept as we live in a pluralistic society and as we attend a non-judgmental church, it is important for us to realize that this is biblical truth and hard spiritual reality.

And, yet, it is the acceptance of this hard spiritual reality which may motivate us to sharing our faith with those with whom we would like to spend our eternity. Such a hard spiritual reality may be what we need, and what we have been lacking, to make us sharing with our neighbors and our friends and our loved ones the gospel of Jesus Christ.

For, indeed, there is a God who sent his Son to save the world. But, that God still, tragically, remains for many the "unknown god." Amen.