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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to Acts chapter 17. Acts chapter 17, this morning 
we looked at the resurrection in the book of Acts. We considered 
two particulars, the fulfillment of God's covenantal promises. 
Secondly, the application of God's redemptive blessings. The 
third point we'll take up this evening, the culmination of God's 
plan for the world. Specifically, that plan is judgment 
by the Lord Jesus Christ, which Acts 17 verses 30 and 31 highlight 
for us. Since we have a bit more time, 
we'll put that section in its larger context and look at the 
particulars involved in this sermon, this message preached 
by Paul at the Areopagus or at Mars Hill. Now, I'll just pick 
up reading in Acts 17, beginning in verse 16. Now, while Paul 
waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him 
when he saw that the city was given over to idols. Therefore, 
he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile 
worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened 
to be there. Then certain Epicurean and Stoic 
philosophers encountered him, and some said, What does this 
babbler want to say? Others said he seems to be a 
proclaimer of foreign gods because he preached to them Jesus and 
the resurrection. And they took him and brought 
him to the Areopagus saying, May we know what this new doctrine 
is of which you speak for you are bringing some strange things 
to our ears. Therefore, we want to know what 
these things mean for all the Athenians and the foreigners 
who were there, spent their time and nothing else. but either 
to tell or to hear some new thing. Then Paul stood in the midst 
of the Areopagus and said, Men of Athens, I perceive that in 
all things you are very religious. For as I was passing through 
and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an 
altar with this inscription, To the unknown God. Therefore, 
the one whom you worship without knowing, him I proclaim to you. God, who made the world and everything 
in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in 
temples made with hands. Nor is He worshipped with men's 
hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, 
and all things. And He has made from one blood 
every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, 
and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their 
dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that 
they might grope for him and find him. Though he is not far 
from each one of us, for in him we live and move and have our 
being, as also some of your own poets have said, for we are also 
his offspring. Therefore, since we are the offspring 
of God, we ought not to think that the divine nature is like 
gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. 
Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked. but now commands 
all men everywhere to repent, because he has appointed a day 
on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom 
he has ordained. He has given assurance of this 
to all by raising him from the dead. And when they heard of 
the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, 
We will hear you again on this matter. So Paul departed from 
among them. However, some men joined him 
and believed. Among them Dionysius the Areopagite, 
a woman named Damaris, and others with them. Amen. Well, let us 
pray. Father, we thank you for this 
section of Holy Scripture. We pray for your Spirit to guide 
us and lead us now. We thank you, Father, for the 
power of the Christian message. We thank you that Paul could 
go to a place with philosophers like these men and set before 
them the truth of Christ and Him crucified and resurrected. God, give us like boldness and 
give us what we find here that is true of the Apostle Paul. 
It's the willingness to preach the gospel to those in need. 
We pray now that you would forgive us for all of our sins. And God, 
as we consider judgment to come, our prayer and our hope and our 
desire is that all of us would be fit and ready, not because 
we have performed well, but because by your grace we have looked 
unto the Lord Jesus Christ, that we have been justified freely 
by his grace. that we will be clothed with 
the righteousness, not our own, so that we may stand before you 
on that great day. We ask these things in the name 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Well, before we actually 
get into the sermon that the Apostle Paul preaches, I want 
you to notice just a few things by way of introduction. Look 
at verse 16. Specifically, it says, while 
Paul waited for them at Athens, His spirit was provoked within 
him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. The 
Apostle Paul saw this as an affront to the living and the true God. 
The second commandment wasn't something that was only for Israel 
in the Old Testament. The second commandment was being 
broken right before the Apostle's eyes. And we see that it affected 
him. It provoked the spirit within 
him when he saw this. And then as well, he takes action. 
Not only does he see this, not only does it affect him, but 
we read it. Therefore, in verse 17, he reasoned 
in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers 
and in the marketplace daily with those who happen to be there. 
He tangled it up. He set forth the truth. He went 
to those venues where he could present the Lord Jesus Christ. And these Epicureans and Stoics 
heard of him. They wanted to understand what 
he had to say. So they take him up to Mars Hill 
or to the Areopagus so that he can preach the gospel to them. Now, that's not why they brought 
him, but that's what he did or how he used this particular opportunity. So, I want to look at two things 
as we consider this particular section. The introduction, verses 
22 and 23, and then secondly, the specifics of the Apostle's 
Sermon. And again, this falls into with 
what we saw this morning. The resurrection, specifically, 
if you notice the end of verse 31. He is given assurance of 
this to all by raising him from the dead. The resurrection of 
Christ isn't one day out of the year where you buy new hats or 
new dresses or new bonnets, where you plan to go to church and 
attend, one day out of 365. The resurrection is the down 
payment or proof or the evidence that God will most certainly 
bring all men to judgment. The resurrection is not argued 
for. He does not try to prove it here, 
but rather he assumes the fact of the resurrection as the very 
proof of the coming judgment of Almighty God. So that puts 
us back into our context from this morning. But as I said, 
we got a bit of time, so let's look at it or locate it within 
this message itself. Notice that the apostle, by way 
of introduction, appeals to their religious nature. Verse 22, Paul 
stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, Men of Athens, I perceive 
that in all things you are very religious or superstitious. I think what Paul is doing in 
this particular section needs to be compared to Romans chapter 
one, specifically verses 19 to 23. He realizes that all men 
are created in the image of God. We are image bearers and we cannot 
escape the reality that is God. But we busy ourselves and we 
try to suppress the truth in unrighteousness. There is no 
such thing as a true atheist. Turn there for just a moment, 
please. Romans chapter one. Just so we can kind of see what 
the apostle is doing here at Mars Hill. Romans chapter one, 
beginning in verse eighteen. He says, The wrath of God is 
revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness 
of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Notice, because 
what may be known of God is manifest in them for God has shown it 
to them. This simply tells us you don't 
need to argue to prove the existence of God. The opponent of Christianity, 
deep down in his heart of hearts, already believes in God. That's 
what Paul is saying. What we are calling him to do 
is repent and believe the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He 
tells us how God has shown it to them. Verse 20. For since 
the creation of the world, his invisible attributes are clearly 
seen being understood by the things that are made, even as 
eternal power and Godhead. So that they are without excuse. 
Literally, they're without an apologetic. You've heard that 
word before. Apologetic. In the Bible, it 
doesn't mean something like, I'm sorry, or we're apologizing. It means a defense. And here 
Paul says that the nature by which man possesses, by the fact 
that he is created in the image of God and this entire universe 
screams out in testimony to this God, renders men without an apologetic 
or an excuse on the day of judgment. For, since the creation of the 
world, his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood 
by the things that are made, even as eternal power and Godhead, 
so that they are without excuse. Because, although they knew God, 
they did not glorify him as God. nor were thankful, but became 
futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 
Professing to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of 
the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man 
and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. And as we 
continue in that chapter three times, Paul says God gave them 
over. So you see, the problem with 
man is not that he lacks evidence to believe in the existence of 
God. The problem with man is that 
he suppresses that truth in unrighteousness so he can try and justify his 
unbelief and rebellion against God. So back to Acts 17, Paul 
appeals to their religious nature. He highlights their religious 
ignorance. He says, I perceive that in all 
things you are very religious, for as I was passing through 
and considering the object of your worship, I even found an 
altar with this inscription to the unknown God. Essentially, what they are trying 
to do is cover their bases. They're trying to protect themselves. R.C. Sproul said, according to 
Paul, false religion is not the fruit of a zealous pursuit of 
God, but the result of a passionate flight from God. The glory of 
God is exchanged for an idol. The idol stands as a monument, 
not to religious fervor, but to humanity's flight from an 
initial encounter with the glory of God. Again, the practice of 
idolatrous religion is not viewed as an approximate form of authentic 
religion, but as a negation of it. It is one thing to deny the 
existence of God. It is another thing to add insult 
to the denial by worshiping as God something that is clearly 
of the created order. So you see, Paul appeals to their 
religious nature, highlights their religious ignorance, and 
then look at what he has the gall to say. Something that would 
be very offensive in the modern political and religious landscape. Notice what he says at the end 
of verse 23. Therefore, the one whom you worship 
without knowing, him I proclaim to you. Paul doesn't say, insofar 
as you have this feeling of God, that's good on you. Insofar as 
you're religious beings and you're trying to express that as best 
you know how, my hat's off to you. No, he says what you are 
doing in ignorance, him I proclaim to you. It is an assertion. It 
is a declaration. It is biblical dogmatism by which 
he launches into an exposition of the Christian gospel. Now, 
we look at five particulars with reference to this sermon. Notice, 
first, God is the creator of the universe, verses 24 to 26. Paul sets the gospel in its broader 
context. These are pagans. These are heathens. These are people that are not 
familiar with the Genesis account. These are they that do not have 
a biblical understanding of the doctrine of creation. So what 
does Paul do? He brings in the Christian worldview. He sets that stage or that framework 
because it's only in that framework that the resurrection of Jesus 
Christ makes sense. Paul sets forth the person of 
Christ, verses 18 and 19, in the context of God's work of 
creation. Greg Monson says the Apostle 
understood his audience at Athens. They would have needed to learn 
of God as the creator and of his divine retribution against 
sin, even as the Jews knew these things from the Old Testament 
before the message of grace could have meaning. You see, he doesn't 
just come and preach, believe on the Lord Jesus. He says that, 
but he puts it in its biblical context. And this is very crucial 
for us, living especially in a pagan age. living, especially 
in an age when many Christians have very little knowledge of 
the context of biblical revelation. We need to understand these things. 
We need to be able to articulate these things. And as we work 
our way through Paul's sermon, some have supposed that he set 
his Bible aside and that he is just seeking to encounter them 
in a rational manner. But everywhere the Bible is assumed, 
everywhere the Bible is presupposed. The very way that he phrases 
these things shows his dependency upon the prophet Isaiah. Notice 
in verse 24, God who made the world and everything in it, since 
he is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made 
with hands, nor is he worship with men's hands as though he 
needed anything since he gives to all life, breath and all things. 
The prophet Isaiah, chapter 42, verse 5, thus says God, the Lord 
who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread forth the 
earth and that which comes from it, who gives breath to the people 
on it and spirit to those who walk on it. You see what he is 
saying? You see, when he comes to this 
issue of judgment, it all makes perfect sense. God made the world. God governs the world and God 
will judge the world. The Bible presents what's called 
a linear view of history. There's a beginning, there's 
a middle, and there's an end. This isn't paganism. This isn't 
the circle of life. It's not something we just go 
round and round and round and round upon. This is one of the 
reasons why many deny the doctrine of creation. You get rid of creation 
and you effectively get rid of the judgment to come. Very often 
people don't like to acknowledge God the creator because he's 
God the judge as well. We strip him of that, we get 
rid of this. You see, there's an internal 
logic involved. But Paul will not have anything 
of that. He sets forth the gospel of Jesus 
Christ in its biblical context. It's interesting, too, because 
Isaiah 42 is the prophet's argument of the supremacy of God and his 
condemnation of idolatry. Paul is appealing or presupposing 
the prophet's language and in a very similar context. What's 
going on in Athens? He's provoked because he looks 
at the city given over to what? Idols. What does he do? He does what Isaiah before him 
did. He sets forth the supremacy of God. He sets forth the sovereignty 
of God. He demonstrates the glory of 
God. He stresses that God is not dependent upon his creatures. 
Verse 25. Nor is he worshiped with men's 
hands as though he needed anything, since he gives to all life, breath 
and all things. God is not dependent upon his 
creation. He didn't make us because he 
had this felt need. The triune God was perfectly 
happy and satisfied as the three-in-one throughout eternity. God made 
according to his own good pleasure. As well, God created all things 
in general and the human race in particular, and God is not 
contained in men's temples nor represented by his art. You cannot 
throw together gold or silver, even when gold is $1,500 an ounce, 
or silver is about to hit $100 an ounce, and say, we're going 
to fashion this together, and we're going to bow before it. 
That is absolutely ridiculous, and the apostle is highlighting 
that. So God is the creator. Secondly, 
he highlights that God is the ruler of the nations, verses 
26 to 28. And he has made from one blood 
every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth 
and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their 
dwellings. The assertion here, what he's 
saying here, God does not act willy-nilly. God is pre-appointed. God is determined. God operates 
according to a blueprint. Theologians call that the decree 
of God. And He executes that decree through 
the works of creation and providence and redemption. He goes on to 
say, he has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries 
of their dwellings so that they should seek the Lord in the hope 
that they might grope for him and find him, though he is not 
far from each one of us, for in him we live and move and have 
our own being, as also some of your own poets have said, for 
we are also his offspring. Paul, in the language of Bonson, 
quotes the pagan writers to manifest their guilt. Remember, man lives 
in this tension. He knows the one true and living 
God. He seeks to suppress that truth 
and unrighteousness. But once in a while he stumbles 
upon things that are accurate because he bears God's image 
and because general revelation resonates in his heart. Bonson 
says, since God is near at hand to all men, since his revelation 
impinges on them continually, they cannot escape a knowledge 
of their creator and sustainer. They are without excuse for their 
perversion of the truth. This is why those attempts to 
try and prove God, to try and prove the Bible, those 15 reasons 
why you ought to give your heart to Jesus. Brethren, that's not 
what Paul's doing here. The world of apologetics. He 
is not an evidentialist. He is what's called a presupposition. He presupposes the truth of God 
and his word, and he presents it dogmatically. That's how we 
honor God. He not only wants us to engage, 
but He wants us to engage in the manner in which He has specified. Thirdly, God is to be worshipped 
exclusively. Verse 29. He is not worshipped 
with images, representations, or other idols. I had the name 
of a preacher in my head just jumped out. One of the brothers, 
Banner of Truth Biography. And this particular man would 
try and figure out what sin was unique to a particular town. 
And then he'd come and set up a pulpit and preach against that 
sin. I want to say Rabbi Duncan, but 
maybe it wasn't Rabbi Duncan. It wasn't Rabbi Duncan. Christmas 
Evans, I think. He'd figure out what sin was 
unique to a particular town, set up a pulpit in the middle 
of town, go to Five Corners, and he'd preach against that 
particular sin. That's what Paul is doing here. 
They're idolaters, they're God haters. They're looking at alters 
made to an unknown God. They're looking at those things 
devised by man. They think they can exchange 
the glory of the incorruptible God for the for the corruptibility 
of the creature. Bonson again, he says, what today 
or what is today taken by tourists as a fertile field of aesthetic 
appreciation? that the artifacts left from 
the ancient Athenian worship of pagan deities represented 
to Paul not art, but despicable and crude religion. We might 
travel over to this place today and look at these ruins and go, 
wow, look at the beautiful architecture. I'm sure some of the draftsmen 
would go, wow, look at how they did that. That's pretty splendid. 
That's pretty amazing. On the one hand, I don't think 
it's necessarily wicked to do that. You know, Paul's not sitting 
in the city admiring their handiwork. He is provoked within his own 
self because this is a city given over to idols, crude and despicable 
religion. God is not worshipped with images, 
representations or other idols. Verse twenty nine. Therefore, 
since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that 
the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, something 
shaped by art and man's devising. You have missed it by a long 
shot when you bow to that idol. You have missed it by a long 
shot when you think that box contains the glory of this God. You have missed it by a million 
miles when you think that you can fashion something and bow 
in its presence and somehow worship the true and living God. That 
is simply unacceptable. Notice, fourthly, God has appointed 
a day of judgment. He has appointed a day on which 
he will judge the world in righteousness. This idea of these times of ignorance, 
God overlooking, I don't think it means he excuses it. I think 
he stalled it. He put it off, didn't put it 
away, but he put it off. He didn't overlook it in the 
sense that he doesn't care. He just simply delayed the visitation 
of his wrath and fury upon it until such time as Christ comes, 
lives, dies, rises again, and comes back in glory to judge 
the living and the dead. So Paul is highlighting, or he's 
bringing to a conclusion this sermon by speaking of the coming 
judgment. It is a universal judgment. He's 
not just speaking to Athens here. Not just speaking of Israel here, 
he has ordained or he has determined or he has appointed a day on 
which he will judge notice The world. That means each and every 
one of us here. It means your family, your friends. 
It means the entirety of Chilliwack. It means Canada from sea to sea. It means China. It means the 
continent of Africa. It means all men everywhere. 
We will stand and render account before God the Lord. It will 
be a righteous judgment. Because he uses Christ as the 
agent of judgment, and Christ is absolute righteousness. And it will be definite. There 
is a day fixed. You cannot change it. You cannot 
stop it. You cannot make it go away. You 
can't pull God out from the beginning and thereby deny the ending. 
God created, God sustains, and God is moving history forward 
to this particular day of absolute and utter judgment. And the fifth 
thing we need to observe is that God has appointed Jesus Christ 
as the judge. Verse 31, he has appointed a 
day on which he will judge the world in righteousness notice 
by the man whom he has ordained. He has given assurance of this 
to all by raising him from the dead. I mentioned this morning, 
when you see that empty tomb, you ought to think of the forgiveness 
of sins. When you see that empty tomb, 
you ought to think of the victory and the triumph and the glory 
of Jesus Christ. When you see that empty tomb, 
you ought to think in terms of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 
But when you see that empty tomb, and this is one that I don't 
think we always associate Easter with, we ought to think of judgment. We ought to think of God's wrath. 
We ought to think of recompense. We ought to think of retribution. 
Christ is the agent by which God will judge mankind. Christ is the agent by which 
God made this world and everything in it. Christ currently is the 
one who upholds all things by the word of his power, according 
to Hebrews 1 3. And it is Jesus Christ who will 
judge the world in righteousness. And notice again, he says he 
has given assurance of this to all by raising him from the dead. You have to notice and observe 
Paul's strategy. Go back for just a moment. Verse 18. Others said he seems 
to be a proclaimer of foreign gods because he preached to them 
Jesus and the resurrection. Notice he doesn't sit with them 
and say, I want to give you five reasons for the historical Jesus. I want to give you five reasons 
why he left the tomb or the fact of the evidences that he left 
the tomb. That's all assumed. That's all presupposed. Paul's 
not going to spend time arguing with you. Paul's going to spend 
time preaching to you. Paul is going to proclaim this 
dogmatically and earnestly and insistently. You need to consider 
this reality, that that empty tomb means certain judgment for 
you. Several passages in the Bible 
highlight this fact, that Jesus is the agent with reference to 
judgment. Matthew chapter 7. You may go 
to these so you get this in your head. That empty tomb ensured 
that Jesus would be the one to judge us on that great day. Matthew 7 21. Not everyone who 
says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven. 
But he who does the will of my father in heaven, many will say 
to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your 
name, cast out demons in your name and done many wonders in 
your name? And then I will declare to them, 
I never knew you depart from me. You practice lawlessness. So on that day, there will be 
those centers that try and plead their works, that try and plead 
their performance, that try to plead what they actually did 
for Jesus. And notice that Jesus doesn't 
deny that Jesus doesn't say, no, you never did any of those 
things. Who enters into the kingdom of heaven? Those who do the will 
of the Father. You need to compare this with 
John 6, 40. The will of the Father is that 
you believe in him whom the Father sent. It's by grace alone, through 
belief alone, that we enter into the presence of God. We don't 
stand before Jesus and say, look at this word, look at that word. 
Didn't we prophesy? Didn't we do this? Didn't we 
engage in the charismata? Jesus says, depart from me, you 
who practice lawlessness. Matthew 25, Matthew 25, 31 and 
32. When the Son of Man comes in 
his glory and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on 
the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered 
before him, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd 
divides his sheep from the goats, and he will set the sheep on 
his right hand, but the goats on his left. Then the king will 
say to those on his right hand, come, you blessed of my father, 
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of 
the world. It's Christ who separates the 
nations. It's Christ who puts the sheep 
on the one side and the goats on the other side. It's Christ. Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, 
is the one who will ultimately pronounce, depart from me. I 
never knew you. This isn't the picture of Jesus 
we have today. We have the Armenian or Pelagian 
Jesus knocking at the door of your heart, hoping and begging 
and pleading that you'll let him in. Or we have the Jesus 
that only ever just pours out sap and sugar and fluff on you. That Jesus who only ever does 
everything you want. We treat Jesus as if he's somehow 
our cosmic bellhop. We snap our finger. Jesus performs 
what we call him to do. This picture of the Son of God 
waging war on his enemies is something that we have lost sight 
of. What Pastor Kim read at the outset 
of worship? What does this son do? What does 
Messiah have? He has this rod of iron by which 
he crushes the nations. John, chapter five, another passage 
that ascribes the judgment to our Lord Jesus. John, chapter 
five, verse twenty two. John five, verse twenty two. 
For the father judges no one, but is committed all judgment 
to the sun and then dropping down in the verse twenty six 
for as the father has life in himself, so he has granted the 
son to have life in himself and is given him authority to execute 
judgment also because he is the son of man. Do not marvel at 
this for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves 
will hear his voice and come forth. Those who have done good 
to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the 
resurrection of condemnation. I can of myself do nothing as 
I hear I judge and my judgment is righteous because I do not 
seek my own my own will, but the will of the Father who sent 
me. Acts chapter 10. We saw this this morning, Peter's 
sermon to the household of Cornelius. We looked at verse 43. But just 
prior to that, in verse 42, Peter says, And he commanded us to 
preach to the people and to testify that it is he who was ordained 
by God to be judge of the living and the dead. You see, judgment 
is a biblical truth. It is a reality. You may not 
always think about it. You may associate Easter with 
bunnies or eggs or bonnets or whatever, but that too ought 
to represent this particular truth. going to judge us by Jesus 
Christ, the Lord. Second Corinthians 510. We must 
all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Second Corinthians 
5 verse 10. We must all appear before the 
judgment seat of Christ that each one may receive the things 
done in the body according to what he has done, whether good 
or bad. It's interesting what Paul then 
says, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord. See, judgment for the apostle 
Paul produced terror because he considered the fact that there 
are a multitude unready for that judgment to come. Knowing, therefore, 
the terror of the Lord, what does he say? We persuade men. Perhaps we're not more earnest 
with our preaching because we've lost sight of the judgment to 
come. We've lost sight of a real hell. We've lost sight of a real 
conscious torment. We've lost sight of separation 
from God, banishment for the goats. Brethren, when we understand 
that, hopefully we, knowing, therefore, the terror of the 
Lord, would persuade men to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Second 
Timothy, chapter four, when Paul charges Timothy to preach the 
word, he says this statement concerning the judgment to come. 
I charge you, therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, 
who will judge the living and the dead and is appearing in 
his kingdom. That's to add gravity. That's 
to add weight. That's to add solemnity to the 
charge that follows. Paul says to Timothy, preach 
the word, Timothy. Not just because that's what 
you're supposed to do, not just because that's what religious 
men do, but preach the word because Jesus is coming. Jesus will judge. Jesus is going to call men to 
account. And it is absolutely crucial 
that you preach the word for the calling of the elect, for 
the calling of sinners unto salvation. If you fail in this particular 
task of preaching, it is to neglect the grim and grave reality of 
the judgment to come. And then, of course, Revelation 
20, verses 11 to 15. That great white throne judgment. That great white throne judgment. 
C.H. Spurgeon describes it this way. 
Found in right, sustained by might, and universal in its dominion. Look ye and see the throne which 
John of old beheld. He says, I saw a great white 
throne and him who sat on it. From whose face the earth and 
the heaven fled away. We saw that in Nahum on Wednesday 
night. Remember that? What happens when 
God comes to judge? It's almost like a de-creation. 
It's like creation reverses itself. The same thing is seen here. 
The earth and the heaven slide away. The wrath of God has come. And so, the very earth and heaven 
flees from his presence. I saw the dead, small and great, 
standing before God. And books were opened. And another 
book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were 
judged, according to their words, by the things which were written 
in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it. And 
death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And 
they were judged, each one according to his words. Then death and 
Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written 
in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. So you 
see, that is where we are heading. Every single one of us in this 
room, every single person that peoples this world, peoples this 
earth, every man who's gone before us, everybody who will live after 
us, we all have this inevitability. You've heard the old saying, 
death and taxes, two things you can't escape. You can't escape 
death. You can't escape taxes. Now, 
don't go home tonight and say, Pastor Butler said I cannot pay 
my taxes. You can escape taxes if you're prepared to live a 
life in jail. But they say that death and taxes, those are two 
inevitabilities. No, the two inevitabilities are 
death and judgment. Every one of us will go to meet 
the Lord Jesus. Every one of us will look Him 
eyeball to eyeball and give an account of deeds done in the 
body, whether good or bad. What's it going to be for you? 
Is it going to be Lord? Lord, I went to church. I went 
to Bible study. I had a new King James. I memorized 
Robert Raymond. I did this. Is that what it's 
going to be? Or I've been a good person. I've 
never cheated anyone. I've never engaged in the big 
sins. Sure, I'm not perfect. God demands perfect. What's it 
going to be? If you had to die right now and 
stand before the Lord God in judgment, what would you say? 
You've often heard this is a good way to sort of approach a sinner 
with the gospel. If you were to die right now, 
what would you say? Well, do we ever think of that? 
Remember that man in Luke 12, that young man or that rich man 
whose field yielded plentifully? His big problem was, what do 
I do with all my fruits and vegetables? He rips down his old barns. He 
puts up new barns. He puts all of his stuff in there. 
And he sits back and he says, soul, take your ease. You have 
many goods laid up for many years. God says, you fool, I require 
your soul this night. That could happen. You say, oh, 
he's just trying to scare us now. James tells you, you're 
just a vapor. You shouldn't boast. You ever 
make a pot of tea? You see that vapor just fly out, 
it's there for a second and then it's gone. James says that's 
what your life is. Moses, that man of God, in the 
Psalm he wrote, says that we may be here for several years, 
but then we fly away. Have you ever given any thought 
to where you will fly away to? Young people, I realize at times 
you think you're eight foot tall and bulletproof. Nothing can 
happen to you. Nothing bad will ever come your 
way. Nothing will ever affect you or hurt you or harm you, 
so you give no thought to the coming judgment. You need to 
think about this coming judgment. You need to give attention to 
the reality that God has appointed a day on which he will judge 
the world in righteousness. And that empty tomb bespeaks 
that judgment to come. We're not going to argue for 
the empty tomb. We're going to presuppose that empty tomb. And 
we're going to use that as a piece of evidence that God Most High 
is bringing history to a particular end, a particular goal, a particular 
purpose. And it is ultimately His glory 
in the saving of sinners and in the damnation of the reprobate. 
Notice how they respond. I suspect this will be the way 
it is tonight. I suspect this is the way it 
is in any time a message concerning God's gospel is preached. And 
when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, Acts 17, 32, some 
mocked. Wait a minute, this is Paul preaching, 
right? Yeah, it's Paul preaching and some mocked him. They said 
he's crazy. He's nuts. What does he mean 
telling us this Nazarene rose from the dead and he's going 
to be the one to judge the earth? Get out of here, Paul. We don't 
want anything to do with you. Is that your heart tonight? Are 
you a mocker? You may not do it publicly. You 
may not do it loudly. You may not do it in front of 
your parents. You may not do it in front of 
your siblings. You may not come to the pastor or the preacher 
and say, wow, that was just crazy and zany and wacky. But is your 
heart mocking? Has your heart come to grips 
with the reality that this word is true? Every jot and tittle 
of it. Is it easier to mock it and make 
fun of it? Why do people do that? They're 
suppressing truth in unrighteousness. It's easier to mock something 
and make fun of something than to come to grips with it. I've 
heard before where someone has said that Christians are like 
the ostrich. I don't know if the ostrich actually 
does this. I suspect it might just be an old wise tale. But 
we all have that idea of how the ostrich hides himself. He 
puts his head in the sand, right? There's an internal logic there. 
If I can't see them, they can't see me. I mean, it's as crazy 
as can possibly be, but there is an internal logic. I'll put 
my head in the sand. If I can't see them, they mustn't 
be able to see me. Well, sometimes Christians are 
described like that ostrich. You just bury your head in the 
sand. You've got this pie-in-the-sky 
ideal, and you have no semblance of reality about you. Who's burying 
their head in the sand? Every rebel sinner that does 
not take seriously the truth claims of God's holy word is 
shoving his head right into the sand. The idea is almost as if 
to suggest, well, since I don't believe in God, he's not there. I don't believe that he is what 
he says he is. So therefore, I mean, it's as 
foolish as that big bird trying to hide himself by burying his 
head in the sand. I suspect wherever the gospel 
is preached, there are mockers. There are those who hear these 
things and say, oh, there's much more important things. I don't 
have to give any attention to this whatsoever. Notice, secondly, 
while others said, we will hear you again on this matter. These are the procrastinators. 
You all know what a procrastinator is. Why do today what can be 
put off until tomorrow? Well, procrastination can be 
damning. You read later in the book of 
Acts about a man named Felix. And Paul spoke concerning the 
faith in Christ through that man. And he reasoned to him about 
self-control and about righteousness and about judgment. Very pertinent, 
very key things for this man Felix, who was a man who lacked 
self-control. A man who lacked a sobriety and 
a seriousness. So Paul brings these things to 
bear on him and the judgment to come. And then it says, and 
Felix was afraid. It's an amazing thing. A man, 
a woman, a boy, a girl may sit under preaching and be afraid. But what's Felix do? Go away, 
Paul. I'll send for you another time 
when I want to hear what you have to say. Damning procrastination. Does that fit anybody here? I'll 
think about this when I'm 30. I'll think about this when I'm 
50. I'll think about this when I'm 60. I'll think about this 
when I'm 70. I just don't really want to give 
my heart over to the Lord Jesus at this particular time. Damning 
procrastination. Do not boast about tomorrow. 
Tomorrow may never come. James says we ought to say, if 
the Lord wills, we will go into such and such a city and make 
such and such a trade. So those are two out of three 
options. Now, notice thirdly, so Paul departed from among them. 
Verse thirty three. However, blessed, however, sovereign 
grace promotes this. However, some men joined him 
and the lead. They listen as Paul reason concerning 
God, the creator, God, the governor, God, the judge. They listened 
as Paul constructed this message and set the redemptive work of 
Christ in its larger biblical context and framework. Some men 
were moved upon by the Holy Spirit and they joined with him and 
they believed. They heard the word of the gospel. Among them Dionysius the Areopagus, 
a woman named Damaris and others with them. You see, gospel preaching 
is blessed of God. according to his plan and according 
to his purpose. Be among those who believe. Be 
among those who join with Paul. Be among those who side with 
the Savior as he saves, because one day he will be your judge. Well, brethren, that is the culmination 
of God's plan for the world. Nations rise, nations fall. What's going to happen in the 
Canadian election? What's going to happen in 2012 
in the United States? What's going to happen in these 
various Muslim states where there's so much unrest? What's going 
to happen in my own home or in my economic world or in my physical 
world? All those things pale in significance 
to this truth that God has appointed a day on which he will judge 
the world in righteousness. by the man whom he has ordained. 
That empty tomb is the assurance that he has, in fact, purpose 
to do this. So believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ. You will be saved and you will 
be ready to meet him on that day. Well, let us pray. Father, 
thank you for your word and thank you for your grace and your mercy. 
God, how we bless you and praise you for the truth in this sermon. 
God, we ask that you would just cause this gospel to go forth 
throughout the earth. and that you would be merciful 
to save a great multitude. We pray in our own context, in 
our own local church, we pray, Father, that we would be prepared, 
that we would be ready, not because of our performance, but because 
of grace alone, through faith alone in Jesus alone. We ask 
that you would go with us now. We ask that you would cause your 
face to shine upon us and may your peace truly be our portion. And we pray through Jesus Christ, 
our Lord. Amen.