Sermon -- Chapel at Hope Christian Academy

This sermon was reworked from a sermon that was preached at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Novi on May 14, 2023.  

It was preached at Hope Christian Academy on May 5, 2026.

ACTS 17:22-31

WE WORSHIP THE ONLY GOD WORTH KNOWING.

In the name + of Jesus.

M:       Alleluia!  Christ is risen!

C:        He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!

     When the apostle Paul walked through the streets of Athens, he saw many shrines to many gods.  The Greeks and Romans acknowledged all kinds of gods, each responsible for some part of creation or life.  It was an admission that they were not in control of their lives.  They could not control the weather which, in turn, meant that they had no control over their harvests.  There must be a god who is in charge of those.  They were not in control of what stirs up people to love or war.  Mars and Venus were worshiped for that.  Sailors and travelers knew they had no control over the sea.  A trip to Neptune’s shrine might result in good sailing.  You can at least give the Greeks and Romans credit for recognizing that they did not have control, and that someone influenced times and events.

     As the apostle Paul observed the various temples and shrines for all these gods, he noticed another altar.  He said, “As I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god’” (Acts 17:23).  It was as if the people in Athens did not want to offend any god that they happened to have missed.  Well, the truth is they had missed one—the triune God.  Rather than mock the Athenians for their pagan worship, St. Paul seized the opportunity to teach them about the God they did not know. 

     What Paul encountered in Athens is not much different than what we run into today.  People are still very religious, but they claim to be spiritual.  Many are claiming to be “Nones,” that is, not affiliated with any religion.  When filling out a survey, they check, “None” for religion.  But such people have not abandoned interest in God.  That should not surprise us.  St. Paul noted, “(God) made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth … that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him” (Acts 17:26-27).  So, it is no surprise that people are religious.  What many lack, however, is any real source of truth.  Their faith is in their opinion—or worse, whatever they have seen on a TikTok video.  If people claim to be spiritual, their god is whatever they think he is or should be.  But just as I cannot tell you what you are like, we do not get to tell God what he is like or should be like.  God must reveal himself to us if we are to know him rightly.

     Dear Christians, you do know the triune God who insists, “I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God” (Isaiah 45:5).  “Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.  I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior” (Isaiah 43:10-11).  There can only be one God.  Only one can be almighty.  You can’t have two almighties; one would have to be more powerful than the other.  Only one can reign supreme.  You can’t have two supremes; one would have to be greater than the other.  Our Lord does not allow himself to be worshiped as chief of many gods.  He demands, “You shall have no other gods” (Exodus 20:3); for, there are no other gods.  As it turns out, he is also the only one who saves.  We worship the only God worth knowing. 

     The people of Athens demonstrated a natural knowledge of God.  That was apparent when St. Paul walked through Athens.  In each of the shrines he passed, he saw altars.  What is an altar for?  It is for offerings.  An animal is slaughtered and consumed by fire.  This was done to purchase the favor or to appease the wrath of a god.  In either case, it showed the worshiper was seeking to make things right between themselves and God.  Their consciences testified that something needed to be done to make things right.  So, they made sacrifices at these altars.  But how could they know which offerings were pleasing?  And how could they know if their offerings were enough?  Just as they made assumptions about who God is, so also they had to make assumptions about whether or not some god was pleased with them.

     We worship the only God worth knowing.  The Lord has not only revealed his nature to us, he has also revealed what reconciles us to him.  Jesus has won God’s favor by his perfect obedience.  That favor was poured out upon you in your baptism.  And Jesus also has appeased God’s wrath.  Unlike false gods who demand sacrifices to be appeased, Jesus came to be the sacrifice which appeases God’s wrath.  Jesus took upon himself our sin—the defilement in our hearts that leads us to jealousy, bitterness, and self-centeredness.  What makes us jealous?  We despise someone else’s blessings, thinking that we deserved them more.  What makes us bitter?  We thought we deserved the recognition that someone else got.  We are self-centered, thinking that the universe revolves around us, and we are angry and surprised when others do not agree.

     This sin of making myself my own god affects the way I think others.  And it affects the way I treat others.  It is worthy of God’s wrath.  But Jesus has taken all sin and guilt from us.  He was slaughtered on the cross and there was consumed by God’s fiery wrath.  Since Jesus has taken away the curse of sin, we are not condemned.  Since Jesus has taken into himself the full load of God’s wrath, God has only blessing left for us.  We worship the God who saves, and this is the only God worth knowing.

     How blessed you are to know the true God!  How blessed you are to live your life in peace!  For, the day is coming when we will all have to stand before God to answer for our lives.  St. Paul told the people of Athens, “(God) commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31).  We worship the only God worth knowing who has revealed his word to you so that you don’t have to guess where you stand with him. 

     Jesus died to pay for your sins.  Jesus is risen and lives to proclaim a full pardon and endless peace.  You don’t have to guess or assume it is true.  This is not your opinion that you believe in.  These are the words of your living Savior, and they are the words which he will utter before you at the final judgment.  For your comfort and peace, he proclaims them already!

     When the apostle Paul walked through the streets of Athens, he saw many people clinging to gods that were not real and could not save.  So, he preached to them.  You and I will encounter more and more people who claim to be spiritual, who grew up never going to church, or who have been badly misinformed about what the Bible teaches.  Some do not worship God at all.  Others, because of their assumptions, worship a god which, for all intents and purposes, is an unknown god.  How do you engage them?  Start by asking questions.  What do they believe?  Why do they believe it?  How did they come to that conclusion?  Like St. Paul, you have the word of God which reveals salvation.  You have compassion for the lost.  Start with people where they are, and then proclaim what the true God has revealed.  Through you, God will reveal his mercy, his peace, and his salvation.  Our Triune God is the only God worth knowing.  For, he is the only God who saves, and he is the only God there is.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.