Father, thank You for the gift of this day. We ask for the wisdom to hear Your voice clearly and the understanding to embrace and apply Your Word to our lives. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Acts 17:30–31 - “…but now he 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.”
Dwell:
Paul continued to engage with the Jews, religious leaders, and philosophers, reasoning with them about the message of Christ and His crucifixion. Understanding that he was addressing philosophers, Paul skillfully used their own cultural language and concepts to communicate his message in a way they could grasp.
Ultimately, Paul pointed them to Jesus, emphasizing the certainty of the final day of judgment, as described in Revelation 20:12–15. He acknowledged that this concept would be foreign to the Epicureans, who believed the gods were indifferent to human affairs, and to the Stoics, who saw history as an endless cycle. Despite these differing worldviews, Paul boldly declared that rejection of the Man appointed by God - Jesus - would lead to Jesus' just rejection of them on that day of judgment.
Paul made it clear that God’s call to repentance and faith is not merely a suggestion or invitation but a divine command.
The question for you is this: On the day of judgment, when your entire life is laid bare before the God of all creation, what will He say? God, who knows every thought you’ve ever had and every deed you’ve ever done, will render His verdict. What will His words be to you on that day?
To the question: what must I do to be saved? The old gospel replies: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. To the further question: what does it mean to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? Its reply is: it means knowing oneself to be a sinner, and Christ to have died for sinners; abandoning all self-righteousness and self-confidence, and casting oneself wholly upon Him for pardon and peace; and exchanging one’s natural enmity and rebellion against God for a spirit of grateful submission to the will of Christ through the renewing of one’s heart by the Holy Ghost. - J.I. Packer
Sermons, Podcasts, and Songs:
Godless Philosophers (Acts 17:16–25) — A Sermon by R.C. Sproul
