Adrian Rogers: Standing Firm in a Pagan World [#2456]

welcome to love Werth fine with Pastor teacher and author Adrian Rogers reaching out with God's love bringing people to Christ touching lives around the world and helping you find the answers you need today join us as we prepare to open God's Word and discover how your life can be changed forever by his great love worth finding find in the book of Acts chapter 17 and when you found it look away I'll look up here and I want to say word to you about something that's very meaningful to me and really very disturbing to me and here's the thought we are moving away from a Christian consensus in America that is true that there are many who love the Lord Jesus Christ it is true that there are many who believe the Bible to be the Word of God and Jesus Christ the only Savior but those who do surveys like the Barna Institute and others have told us something that is very alarming the Barna research report said that nearly two out of three adults in America contend that the choice of religious one religious faith over another listen the choice of one religious faith over another is irrelevant and why do they say this because they say all religions teach the same basic lessons about life and increasingly Americans are believing that Jesus Christ is fine wonderful indeed but he is only one option among many options and what we're calling that today is pluralism and that we're called upon to accept all religions as equal and somehow we run American if we don't put arms around others and other faiths and say your religion is just as good as mine as a matter of fact they tell us that tolerance is wrong we're not supposed to tolerate them for that assumes that we don't agree with them but that's okay no now they want to go beyond tolerance to acceptance and approval and it is an insinuation that we think something is wrong with their faith if we even tolerate it now ladies and gentlemen what are we to do are we to wring our hands are we to give up in despair or are we to give a credible response to these challenges to the cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in this message I want to tell you that what we are to do is to raise the flag of our faith and expect others to salute it others to believe in the Lord that we believe in now the episode that I'm going to talk to you about today is taken here from the 17th chapter of the book of Acts it's an episode in the life of the Apostle Paul the Apostle Paul is in the great city of Athens the intellectual cultural center of the ancient world he's waiting for his comrades to join him so Timothy and Silas are on their way and Paul is alone in this big city have you ever been alone in a big city not to this the test of your character is what you do when you're alone in a big city Paul is alone in this big city he's waiting who his friends and so while he's in the city of Athens he's walking the streets of Athens and as he's walking the streets of Athens his spirit is stirred within him he finds something moving because he sees the depth of depravity and the wickedness of that city Paul saw false teachers who were peddling sole dope a narcotic for the soul he saw pagan temples that were filled with empty people I will remind you that ancient Athens was the cultural center of that ancient world the glory of Athens was overwhelming I visited modern Athens many times and I always want to go to see the ruins of the Acropolis to see there the Parthenon and all of the other things that were left over there from the city that was there in Paul's time and even before Paul's time Paul had come to the city after what was called the Golden Age of Pericles and this city was absolutely overwhelming to see Paul looked up at a mountain called the Acropolis and there sitting on the Acropolis was the most architectural perfect building perhaps that man has ever created the Parthenon a dedicated to the sex goddess Athena and Paul saw the Parthenon that was there and then not only was it the cultural city center of the world but Athens was the intellectual center of the ancient world it was the intellectual capital of mankind art literature philosophy this was the stuff that ancient Athens was made of it was the native home of Socrates and Plato names that are spoken with reverence in the realm of philosophy not only was it the native home of Socrates and Plato but it became the adopted home of Aristotle and Epicurus and Zeno and these philosophers were there as a result of this cultural superiority as a result of this intellectualism it was a city that was filled with cynicism it was a city that was filled with snobbery it was a city that was filled with debate and Paul is there and Paul is going to share Jesus Christ and he's going to meet strong resistance and we're going to learn some lessons because what happened so long ago friend is happening today in our society this scripture that we're going to study is not just what has happened it is what is happening it is not just what God has said to others so long ago it is what God is saying to our society today because history is like a broken phonograph record it just keeps repeating itself there are three things that Paul met in ancient Athens and those are the three things that you will meet whether you live in Chicago New York Cincinnati Dallas on Memphis on Miami what three things did Paul meet there in Athens so long ago first of all he met superstitious idolatry secondly he met sterile orthodoxy thirdly he met sophisticated philosophy and God gave him an answer for these now let me tell you what you're going to experience today is you stand for your faith in a pagan society and get ready and get your children ready because friend it's all around us here's what will happen as you go out to live for Christ point number one you will experience challenges to your faith you will experience challenges to your faith don't get the idea that you just going to sally forth and not be challenged today if you are a bible believing christian you will experience challenges to your faith what did Paul experienced as a challenge I've already told you number one superstitious idolatry now look if you will in Acts chapter 17 verse 16 now while Paul waited for them at Athens his spirit was stirred in him when he saw the city wholly given over to idolatry and then go down looking verse 22 then Paul stood in the midst of Mars Hill and said 'man Bothans I perceived that in all things ye are too superstitious there were idols everywhere pagan images everywhere someone said it was easier to find a false God in Athens than it was to find a human being they had some thirteen thousand different gods that they worship in ancient Athens will you say pastor I thought you said that day would be like our day we don't have thirty thousand different gods you know we have more we have more this city and every major city in America is filled with idolatry the difference is we give our idols different names what is an idol get it down big plain and straight here is an idol now listen an idol is anything that you love more fear more serve more our trust more than Almighty God may I tell you that again listen to me and I'd lose anything that you love more fear more serve more or trust more than Almighty God an idol is whatever is in first place in your life that is an idol whatever your heart clings to whatever your heart trusts in that is your idol now Matt to this that idolatry is the greatest sin that a man a woman a boy or a girl can commit why because it transgresses the greatest commandment what is the greatest commandment thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart all thy soul all thy strength all thy mind that's the first and Great Commandment idolatry therefore has to be the greatest sin because it breaks the greatest command I said that we have perhaps more gods than they did in that day and we'll face those gods you'll face them tomorrow as you go out into this great city we've just changed the names the names have been changed to protect the guilty let me give you some of the modern gods that have old names for example the god of materialism they had a god of materialism they didn't call it materialism they called this God Mammon Mammon nothing midi in this city who worship the God of Mammon their lives are devoted to wealth their lives are devoted to business their lives are devoted to success and achievement and there's some in this audience if you were to be absolutely honest if I would ask you what is the major thing in your life it would be your possessions that you may be in church this morning you may tip your hat to God but God's not going to take second place God is not some sort of a moonlighting God with a duplex for a throne many of you worship this matter of Mammon and it's all over think why how Manon the god of Mammon has influenced our life the drug dealers what motivates them but god of Mammon they're willing to destroy our youth for the love of money the pornographers what motivates them with their filth they are willing to destroy the nation's morals for money the liquor industry what motivates the liquor industry stealing away America's brains the god of Mammon public officials who betray America's integrity for money are worshipping the god of Mammon the gambling industry worships the god Mammon that's only one God there's another god the god of alcohol we say is that God yes the ancient people gave this God a name his name was Bacchus the god of liquor the god of alcohol the god of drunkenness drugs in debauchery we worship in America the god of sex they they gave this God a name her name was Venus Aphrodite Athena this was the sex goddess the god of sexual lust and promiscuity in America is not sex of God we live in a sex saturated Society and now it seems like the sluice gates of Hell have been broken on us today and around we are immersed in a swamp of adultery and fornication and homosexuality pornography which they call a victimless crime there's no such thing as a victimless crime what about the God of violence do we worship the god of violence look at some of the video games your kids are playing they worship the God of violence they just gave him the name Mars which was the god of power and strength and revenge well you say I'm more intellectual than that well perhaps you worship the god of wisdom and knowledge they named this god Sophia the god of the goddess of wisdom and they worshipped it and today we worship at the shrine of our computers and our cyclotrons and our universities idolatry Paul faced idolatry Americans faced idolatry anything you love more fear more trust more serve more than God is an idol jesus said seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness we have no right to worship anything other than an idol other than Almighty God what is an idol in Idol is just a magnified Senate a man takes his worst vices and lusts and he worships them and nothing is too good for a man's God the Apostle Paul tells us about it in Romans chapter 1 verse 24 wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonour their own bodies between themselves who changed and that word living means exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator who is blessed forever I want to ask you a question which would be easier for a person to do on television radio in the newspaper today say something disparaged disparaging about somebody's race/ethnicity are to blaspheme God now don't misunderstand the illustration I'm not saying that we ought to say something derogatory about somebody's race or ethnicity I'm not I'm not talking in favor of racism but I want to ask you a question which would be easier it would be far easier far easier to blaspheme God than to say something derogatory about some human being is that not right why because we worship the Creator less than we worship the creature now Paul first of all he faced superstitious idolatry and when you leave this building friend you're going to face it head-on the second thing Paul faced this day in Athens was self-righteous orthodoxy self-righteous orthodoxy look in verse 17 therefore disputed he in the synagogues or in the synagogue with the Jews and with the underscore this the devout persons and in the market daily with them that met him now Paul is not facing idolatry he's facing those who believe in the one through God but they are self-satisfied they do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord these are the respectable sinners and many in this building like that today and listening to me you look down upon others with their superstition but you've never seen yourself in need of a savior the Lord Jesus Christ the Apostle Paul had been this same kind of a self-righteous bigot until he met the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus and had his life transform but you're going to meet many in this city who may not be open devout idolaters but they're going to be self righteous and they're not going to be see the need of the Savior there's a third category that the Apostle Paul met this day in Athens and this was sophisticated philosophy sophisticated philosophy these are not superstitious idolaters these are not the self-righteous Orthodox but these are they who see themselves as intellectual Giants we're going to face those look in Acts chapter 17 verse 18 then certain philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stoics encountered him some said what will this babbler say others some he seemeth to be a set of forth of strange gods because he preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection now I've already told you that Athens was not only the cultural but the intellectual center of the world at that time and philosophers clustered to the city philosophy abounded now what is philosophy the word literally means a love of knowledge somebody said philosophy is that system that tells us what we already know in words we can't understand has philosophy met the need of a man's heart let me read to you what some noted philosopher said about philosophy scope and our world famous philosopher got to the bottom line and he said this life is a curse of endless cravings and endless unhappiness well for him philosophy was a dead-end road Huxley brilliant man Julian Julius Huxley wrote this it seems to me he's looking at at the human race he says it seems to me that we are a cancer on the globe that's philosophy Bertram Russell arrogant conceited but honest enough to say philosophy proved a washout to me HG Wells have you heard that name the noted historian and philosopher said this and I quote unless there is a more abundant scheme before mankind this scheme of space and time is a bad joke an empty laugh raying across the mysteries our own dr. Robert G Lee former pastor of this church said philosophy is a chunk of cloudbank buttered with a night wind he knew that philosophy the love of knowledge can never satisfy the deepest longing of the human heart and here's the Apostle Paul there in the great city of Athens and he sees this high dollar tree he sees this orthodoxy he sees this philosophy what kind of philosophy was it well there was first of all the philosophy of pleasure look in acts 17 18 then certain philosophers of the Epicureans who were the Epicureans Epicurus lived about 300 years before Christ and he had a philosophy that said this simply that you really can't make sense out of life the search for reason for pure truth by reason is is impossible you're never going to find absolute truth and so what Epicurus said is this enjoy yourself this is all you have this is all you can be sure of and so he says the wisest thing is pleasure based on your own personal experience and we talked today about Epicureans lovers of pleasure and we see this all around what a people in our city living for what is their philosophy it's just a philosophy of pleasure as a matter of fact one said eat drink and be merry for tomorrow you die that's the Epicurean some years ago a beer company put it in the slogan you will remember the slogan you only go through life once so what that's right grab all the gusto you can get you only go through life was grab all the gusto you can get that step of Koreans now folks this stuff is not new to us it's one of the Moldy 'us dustiest things around there was the philosophy of pleasure taught by the Epicureans go back to verse 18 again there was also the philosophy of pride then certain philosophies of the Epicureans and of the Stoics encountered him now who were the Stoics they were led by philosopher named Zeno and what what did the stoicism believe what sort of a form of fatalism that everything is just happening to us that we really don't have any real choice they were really pantheists that is believing that everything is God and God is everything in and therefore we're just caught up and swept up in it and life has no real vital meaning and so you just just sit back and endure it it was really a form of intellectual pride and they just smirk to those who thought that they had some answer it was self sufficiency built on kneel ISM stoicism just sitting around now the the Stoics and the Epicureans are with us today the twin philosophies of pleasure and pride with us today I mean these ancient gods are with us today these philosophies are with us today this sterile orthodoxy that feels no need of God is with us today now here's the second thing we'll lay on your heart not only are you going to confront these things number two you can express confidence in your faith I want you to believe this I don't want you to throw up your hands and say well what is the use then we're up against odds too great for us oh no you're not you can express confidence in your faith look if you will down Acts chapter 17 verses 19 through 21 and they took him that is Paul and brought him to the air Hoppus saying may we know what new doctrine whereof thou speakest they always warned the ears tickle they said let's let's let this stranger talk for thou bring us certain strange things to our ears for we would know therefore what these things mean for all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing hey let's hear what this babbler will say had a place there called Mars Hill I'd been up on Mars Hill many times where they would come and make their discourses Paul has an opportunity now remember he's in the city of Athens he's seen all of this and they say hey but let's hear from you if that had been you what would you say would you be ready to give an answer now Paul is given a great opportunity to speak remember now that he's looking around at the accouterments of the Golden Age of Pericles remember now he's in the shadow of the philosophers Plato and Socrates in Zeno and Epicurus remember now that all of these fists beauty in indescribable beauty is all around him but the Apostle Paul knew that this human wisdom and beauty were magnificent foolishness without the Lord Jesus Christ religion was a mockery and beauty was vain without the Lord Jesus Christ and so Paul looks at them he almost says something humorous he realizes they had covered all of the bases look if you will down in verse 22 then Paul stood in the midst of Mars Hill and said ye men of Athens I perceive that in all things you're too superstitious for I passed by and beheld your devotions and I found an altar with this inscription to the unknown God whom therefore ye ignorantly worship Him declare I unto you Paul walking down the streets here's a God here here's a God here here's a God here here's a God here I got here and then in case they they missed it they put a God on the Shelf and set the unknown God we don't want to offend him whoever he is we're going to worship Him you see what they were doing carrying all the bases that's what they were doing now Paul begins to speak and I want you to see what Paul says about God and we don't have to hurry what would you have said Paul begins to mention the one true God he begins to stand for the faith in a pagan society number one he says this that God is the God of creative power looking at acts 17 verse 24 he says God that made the world in all things therein seeing that he is the lord of heaven and earth well it's not in temples made with hands neither is worshipped with men's hands as though he needed anything seeing he giveth life giveth to all life and breath and all things what Paul said about this God is he made everything he's the God of created power therefore he stands above and distinct from creation now what has happened in America today is this we've gone from father God to mother earth have you noticed how much religion there is based on the earth today in our public schools today we cannot celebrate Easter but we can celebrate Earth Day so we can go out and worship dirt think about it Paul with this one statement he banishes all the gods all of the gods of Athens and he says you can't put this God in a corner in your temple you can't put this God on a shelf he is the god of creation but also number two he's the God of personal love look in verses 26 and following and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the earth for to dwell on all the face of the earth and hath determine the times before appointed and the bounds of their habitation now notice this why did he create them 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 being he is a God of infinite love who loves us why is idolatry the greatest sin because it is a repudiation of the very purpose of life why do you exist why this planet why this creation God made you God created you God created you to know him and to love him and down in your heart down in your heart you have a desire to know him and love him I have a pastor friend Nelson Pryce brother Jim you know him Nelson Pryce pastored in Marietta Georgia he had a friend named Claude brown Claude brown had a trucking firm before him employs anybody gives them a polygraph test one of the questions on the polygraph test is do you believe in God so lie detector test he has a sworn affidavit from the man who gave the polygraph test he said in every instance in every instance when a person professes to be an atheist and he comes to that question the polygraph says and he says no I don't believe in God the polygraph says he's lying everyone everyone he's lying why because town in the human heart crushed by the tempter feelings lie buried that grace can restore what is Paul saying he is the god of creation he is the god of infinite love who made us to know him and worship Him and he is the god of supernatural salvation look in verse 31 because God hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all men and that he raised him from the dead now Paul is talking about the resurrection of the dead he's talking about a savior therefore who suffered bled and died on a cross was buried walked out of the grave and shown to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection of the Dead he's not ashamed to preach the resurrection of Christ there on Mars Hill some some thought he was insane but he did I have more I want to say on that but I want to rush on to the third point you should expect converts to your faith you should expect Congress to your faith listen they're going to be there's going to be challenges to your faith but expect converts to your faith when you share the Lord Jesus Christ I can tell you after many years of ministry and preaching there are people who will believe notice in Acts chapter 17 verses 32 and 34 and when they heard of the resurrection of the Dead some mocked and others said we will hear the again of this matter so Paul departed from among them howbeit certain men clave unto him and believed and let me just stop right there the gospel has power to change lives this morning and every time when I preach any time you witness there will be one of three responses first of all there will be division some law some laughed are you willing to be laughed at for your fate did you know that some people would rather face a lion then face ridicule what a fearful weapon that derision is they laughed at the Apostle Paul now Paul was brilliant he had the equivalency of a triple PhD but he was willing to be thought a fool for Christ's sake some of you ladies are being laughed at by your unsaved husbands some of you kids at school may be laughed at especially in the university by your sophisticated professor because you're an old-fashioned Bible believer some of you business men may be laughed at because you keep a Bible on your desk and bow your head in prayer in the cafeteria and thank God for your food you will be laughed at Harry einside former pastor moody church in Chicago was on a ferry boat and they were going from Oakland to San Francisco and they were singing and fellowshipping having a love of God and a man challenged and said what are you doing he said we're worshiping God he said you're a bunch of fools he said that's true said a bunch of fools but we're fools for Christ's sake whose fool of you whose fool of you some laughed and then others said we will hear you again not only derision but delay they just put it off but the Bible says both not thyself of tomorrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring for and there's some of you who not going to laugh but you just simply say well not today perhaps tomorrow some other time I'll give my heart to Jesus Christ well the devil's favorite ways to send a soul to hell someone as wisely said the road to hell is paved with good intentions if you ever intend to give you heart to Jesus do it now there was division there was delay but there was decision and the Bible says and others believed and I've been preaching this book long enough to know ladies and gentlemen there's power in the gospel and I know that not every seed will sprout but I know when you preach the gospel of Jesus Christ when you show this god to be the god of creation the god of personal love the god of salvation the god who made it all there's something in the human heart that will say yes that is the truth and I will accept that as my truth years ago after the Civil War there was a steamboat in the Mississippi River that made a trip from Vicksburg down to New Orleans and that boat left every Wednesday was the plushest riverboat on the old Mississippi one night a fire broke out in this that steamboat and the captain said to the first mate go down the halls the corridors waken the people tell them the ship is on fire do it as quickly as you can they had an oil armed system this first mate got up and began to run down the halls of that ship knocking on the door and say get up get up get up the ship is on fire you know what happened there was some we thought it was a joke and they just laughed and went back to sleep I thought perhaps it was a prank there were others who got angry they thought perhaps some drunk didn't know what he was talking about they rolled over and went back to sleep there were others who were sleeping so soundly they never ever even heard the knock there were others who were awakened gathered the things got out before the fire closed the corridors and saved their lives division don't laugh your way into hell delay don't turn over and go back to sleep decision give you heart to Jesus friend listen to me I didn't come here to make a talk I came here to tell you about Jesus to tell you that God loves you and he wants to save you and he will save you if you trust him if I could do it for you I would but I want you to come to Jesus and do it today bow your heads in prayer heads are bowed eyes are closed if you want to be saved Christ stands at the door if you will hear his voice and open the door he will come in would you pray a prayer like this dear God I need you I want you Jesus you died to save me you promised to save me you shed your blood to save me if I would trust you I do trust you I believe you're the son of God I receive you into my heart today now this moment now as my Lord and Savior I give you my life and I receive your life into me save me Lord Jesus and begin now to make me the person you want me to be and give me the courage to make it public in your name I pray amen we pray God has blessed you as you've watched this message if you'd like additional copies or information on other resources write us at love worth finding p.o box 38 800 memphis tennessee 38134 at lwf 0rg in the US you can place Visa or MasterCard orders by calling 1-800 two seven four five six eight three Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central tea thank you and may God richly bless you

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Keywords: standing, firm, in, pagan, world, Adrian, Rogers, Dr, Pastor, Teacher, Teaching, Preacher, Preaching, Evangelist, Prophet, Prophecy, Truth, Praise, Faith, Worship, Gospel, Grace, Word, Minister, Ministry, Ministries, Love, Worth, Finding, God, Jehovah, Jesus, Christ, Christian, Christianity, Yahweh, Messiah, Saviour, Savior, Lord, Holy, Spirit, King, Lamb, Ghost, Bible, Bellevue, Baptist, Church, Saved, Salvation, Sermon, Fellowship, Trinity, Preist, Missionary, Revival, Lost, Sin, Satan, Backslide, Help, Forgiveness, challenges, to, the, cross

Id: F9IKFsiG0-Y

Length: 39min 58sec (2398 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 24 2016