When Everything Old is New Again

Overview

When Everything Old Is New Again

When Paul arrived in Athens, he was not merely "distressed" at what he saw—the Greek word carries the force of being infuriated. The city was crowded with idols; a pagan writer of the day even claimed there were more gods in Athens than men. Paul's anger flowed from the conviction that idolatry is not a harmless cultural quirk but a spiritual catastrophe. People bound to false gods are eternally lost apart from Christ. As he later wrote, pagan sacrifices are offered "to demons and not to God" 1 Corinthians 10:20. God himself declares, "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is no other" Isaiah 45:22, and Jesus insists, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" John 14:6. The popular notion that all religions worship the same God under different names is not generous tolerance; it is heresy. To deny the Son is to deny the Father, and eternal life is found in knowing "the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom [he has] sent" John 17:3.

In Acts 17, Paul reasons in the synagogue and the marketplace and is dragged before the Areopagus, where the Athenians "would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new" Acts 17:21. Yet the "new" ideas they prized were already centuries old. Epicurean philosophy taught that God is indifferent to creation, that there is no afterlife, and that life's aim is pleasure—eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you die. Stoicism prized self-mastery, detachment, and a vague pantheism in which God was merely the soul of the universe. Paul saw human hearts exchanging "the glory of the immortal God for images" Romans 1:22-23—everything old becoming new again in the worst sense.

That same pattern still creeps into Christian lives in subtle ways. Few of us would call ourselves Epicureans, but we drift there whenever we suspect God is indifferent to our prayers, or quietly live as though this life is all we have, or let the pursuit of personal pleasure crowd out discipleship. Few would call themselves Stoics, but we slip into it when we cocoon ourselves, grow indifferent to our neighbors, or fashion a private "spirituality" untethered from the God who has revealed himself in Scripture. When that happens, the old idolatries become new again in us.

But God answers this old idolatry with his own old, ever-new song: the gospel. To Athenian ears, Paul sounded like a "babbler"—a seed-picker proclaiming "foreign divinities," because he preached Jesus and the resurrection. That gospel was not new even then, and yet every time it is proclaimed it strikes us afresh like a lightning bolt: forgiveness through the shed blood of Jesus, life eternal because the tomb is empty, our identity sealed in the waters of baptism, the assurance that this day is one more day of an eternity we already share in Christ. The world keeps recycling its old lies as something new. God keeps speaking his old, glorious word—and in him, everything old truly is made new again.

Transcript

You know, through the years there have been various shows that were based upon the premise 0s

seeing if you could guess what the next lyric was or what the song title was. 6s

Well, I'm banking on the fact that many of you are going to know this song because it's 14s

integrated as part of the sermon today. 19s

At the first service this morning there were a lot of people that knew this song so we're 22s

going to do a little on the spot test. 27s

All right. 30s

I'm going to sing part of this song just about a measure of it and then I'd like you to 31s

musically sing back to me the rest. 37s

Are you ready? 41s

Are you ready? 42s

And everything old is glorious and by the way you beat the 845 service. 46s

V845. 56s

Everything old is new again. 58s

As we've been studying we have seen how the proclamation of the gospel was understood as 63s

turning the world upside down which was of course a good thing because the world 70s

is upside down because of sin. 75s

So if the gospel comes and turns the world upside down then that's when upside down is 78s

right side up. 86s

We studied last week about the relentless proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 89s

Always the encroaching darkness but the gospel that would continue to bring the light. 94s

And this morning we find Paul in Athens and what Paul discovers is everything old is new 102s

again in the worst of understandings and what we'll see in our study in the text is that 114s

everything old is new again in the most glorious of understandings. 124s

So let's get to work. 134s

We pick up in chapter 17 of the book of Acts verse 16. 136s

There we read this. 140s

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens he was deeply distressed to see that the city 142s

was full of idols. 151s

That word there distressed it literally means he was infuriated. 155s

I'll particularly like this translation of distressed because if you say someone is distressed 161s

about something that minimizes an expression of emotion when you say someone's infuriated 166s

about something that really communicates it doesn't it? 174s

As Paul looks around the city of Athens he sees a host a host of idols. 177s

In fact a pagan writer wrote at this time he said there were more gods in Athens than 184s

there were men. 191s

Why every public building was dedicated to a god. 195s

So as Paul looks around Athens and he sees this host of idol worship going on he's not 201s

just distressed he's live it he's infuriated he's angry. 209s

Paul writes this in 1 Corinthians 10th chapter. 216s

I imply that what pagan sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God I did not want 221s

you to be partners with demons. 229s

Why is he so infuriated? 233s

Because he knows that people caught up in the worship of false idols are lost the lost 236s

for all eternity unless there's conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ, Savior and Lord 243s

these are people with an eternal soul that are simply lost lost. 249s

You see God hates idolatry. 260s

God hates idolatry. 269s

I think of Isaiah the 45th chapter we read these words turned to me and be saved all 275s

the ends of the earth for I am God and there is no other. 284s

Jesus says in John 14 I am the way and the truth and the life no one comes to the father 293s

except through me. 302s

See this belief that seems to abound in our society that we're all worshiping the same 305s

God we just call God a different name that is false it is false it is heresy. 311s

Scripture tells us that if we deny the Son the Lord Jesus Christ we have denied the Father. 321s

These different religions that are worshiping all kinds of God they're not worshiping the 327s

triune God Father Son and Holy Spirit they're worshiping a false God they're not worshiping 333s

the same God as us just calling God a different name no they're lost in idolatry the 340s

lost God hates idolatry. 348s

Jesus in the high priestly prayer in John 17 prayed this and this is eternal life that they 355s

may know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent Paul and Romans the first 363s

chapter claiming to be wise they became fools and they exchanged the glory of the immortal 371s

God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or for footed animals or reptiles. 378s

Paul was angry as you looked around Athens he was infuriated when he saw all of these false 389s

gods in this idol worship why was Paul so angry because God hates idolatry let's go on 398s

verse 17 of chapter 17 so he argued in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons 414s

here are God fearing Gentiles so he argued in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons and also in the 424s

marketplace every day with those who happen to be there also some epicurian and stoic philosophers debated with 432s

him some says what this is babler want to say what is this babler want to say that's closer 442s

that word babler there is a really ugly insult it's really ugly literally in the in the Greek it means 452s

seed picker and the image is of birds indiscriminately picking and pecking and eating seeds like someone who 464s

picks up pieces of knowledge but really doesn't know what they're talking about it's not just someone who keeps 479s

going on and on and on and on of them out here this is a really ugly ugly insult he's a seed picker we go on second 489s

part of verse 18 other said he seems to be a proclaimer of foreign divinities this was because he was telling the good news 503s

about Jesus and the resurrection so they took him and brought him to the aryopagus and asked him 514s

may we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting in the past the aryopagus was the highest 523s

court at this point it's no longer the highest court in fact it was a it was a place and the court was 532s

identified by the place the aryopagus and what the aryopagus did what this court did is they would pronounce 539s

judgment on religions and philosophies and so here's Paul talking about this foreign deity it sounded like 546s

to them and so they go to the aryopagus because they want a judgment here they want a judgment on this 556s

religion or this philosophy or whatever it is that Paul is talking about we go on verse 20 562s

it sounded rather strange to us so we would like to know what it means now all the Athenians and the 571s

foreigners living there would spend their time in nothing but telling or hearing something 581s

new they were always searching but never finding they were enthralled with a new religion or philosophy 596s

they were just enthralled if something was new and what were some of the ideas that were being 612s

with him some said what does this seed picker want to say some epicurian philosophers 642s

well that goes back to epicurius about three and a half centuries before the birth of Jesus 656s

one of the ideas that was being bantied about three and a half centuries old 663s

and everything old is exactly what they were experiencing see epicurius came along and said 672s

God is indifferent to his creation God really doesn't care about his creation there's there's no 683s

afterlife so really you just try and live a good and virtuous life and then you've been he call it good 690s

and by this now the first century it had now wrapped in the understanding of hedonism 697s

which is you simply pursue pleasure you simply want to keep upon yourself as much pleasure as you 706s

be married for tomorrow you die and everything old is then you had these stoic philosophers 720s

those back to about the same time as epicurius this two is old it's three and a half centuries old 736s

goes back to this philosopher by the name of Xenocene that what is really important in life is self 745s

mastery self mastery and detachment you detach from happiness you detach from pain you become 752s

indifferent to life you just detach it was also pantheistic which meant that God was like like 762s

the soul of the universe so here you have these ideas being bantied about some of them 773s

from epicurian philosophy some of them from stoic philosophy in the over three centuries old 783s

everything old this yeah but when you reflect on our lives it's interesting isn't it 794s

how everything that's old can become new again in our lives 811s

I don't know one person here today that would say I'm an epicurian 819s

an uphunter how in the subtlest of ways that old epicurian philosophy can become new in our life 826s

where we and even the subtlest of ways think that well God must let's just be indifferent to me 840s

I pray and another never seems to happen maybe God is just kind of 848s

past me over that sense of epicurian philosophy even in the most subtle of ways 854s

where it's that understanding that God is indifferent that epicurian philosophy of 864s

eat drink and be merry for tomorrow you die nothing now be honest here is that ever creep in 875s

subtly no we gotta get the most out of this life because the years are really fleeting here 883s

is ever crossed your mind you ever think 891s

and maybe there is nothing after this you're tempted to think that 898s

where the sense of the desires that we have becomes paramount the sense of 906s

well you know life is about making myself happy and so how can I bring the pleasures of life 912s

more into my life when nobody comes right out and says I'm an epicurian nobody comes right 920s

out and says my philosophy for life is eat drink and be merry for tomorrow you die will you 928s

get that in the secular world I don't think there'd be one of us here that would ever say 933s

well that's my philosophy of life but does it creep in in one fashion or another 938s

and when it does you know what it is it's everything old is now 953s

same thing about stoicism I'm not talking about a personality difference among all of us you 966s

know I'm a difficult time some people can be more emotionally reserved than others come some can 974s

be more expressive and that term they're more stoic is applied to them I'm not talking about that 980s

at all here talking about the creeping in our lives of what can occur in terms of of of an 987s

difference a pulling back a cocooning of ourselves so that there isn't there's in relationships 996s

with others on deep and meaningful ways it's a cocooning of ourselves where we would prefer just 1006s

simply shut the blinds and just be alone it's it's a pullback from interfacing with our neighbor 1013s

and caring with our neighbor it's a it's a it's a pullback all of a sudden the world we are in 1024s

different to it and someone comes to us and says I'm not religious but I'm spiritual do we ever not 1034s

our head because think what was just said what does that mean I'm religious or I'm not religious but 1047s

then I'm spiritual do we ever in the subtlest of ways start to create our own God devoid 1059s

of the understanding and self definition of God of himself in Holy Scripture and we defined our own 1072s

walk of faith with a God of our own creating and in the subtlest of ways we find ourselves 1081s

leaning more towards those who simply say I don't associate with any religion I'm just I'm just 1091s

creep in so subtle so subtle but it can creep in for us do you know what happens when it does 1103s

well everything old is but amidst the creeping 1121s

of that which is old into the newness of our lives God comes with his song and his lyric 1133s

look at the second part of verse 18 again others said he seems to be a proclaimer of foreign 1145s

divinities this was because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection 1154s

the good news about Jesus this is even then an old story by this point it's the old story of the Lord 1163s

Jesus Christ who brings the newness of the victory of the cross and the resurrection into our lives 1175s

it is the newness of the gospel that comes every time it is proclaimed it is the 1184s

newness of that old gospel when we receive that word of absolute that word of forgiveness and we are 1193s

struck a new that indeed today because of that old old story that old old lyric it's all new 1203s

in the forgiveness of the Lord Jesus Christ it's God's lyric of forgiveness through the shed blood of 1216s

Jesus it's God's lyric of life eternal that the tomb is empty it is God's lyric of being claimed in 1224s

waters of baptism it is God's lyric that this is not all there is but that this is one more day 1232s

in all of eternity for the Christian it's that old old lyric that is new again for us each day 1241s

out of a fester put it this way every time the gospel is proclaimed we are hit a new with a lightning 1262s

bolt of the good news absolutely absolutely and the old becomes new 1271s

Paul experienced that everything old was new again in the worst possible way and what we see 1283s

through the proclamation of Paul is that there's the experience that everything old is new again 1292s

in the most glorious way as the gospel of Jesus Christ makes it all new new to live in his forgiveness 1299s

now that's why we sang before the sermon now is the moment now is the time now in the 1315s

darkness of today through the blood of Jesus and so we sing and even though you beat 845 1324s

may I encourage even greater boldness at the end of the sermon we sing today with joy 1343s

that everything old is amen 1354s