My name is Mark Zakevich. I'm one of the pastors at Grace Church and a seminary professor. And so it's a delight to be here with you this morning, kicking us off with a little devotional. But before we do that, do you mind if I pray as we start our day?

And then we'll go into Acts chapter 17 for a few minutes. Lord God, we thank you for another day. And help us to remember that every single day is a blessing and a gift. And we are responsible to steward the hours that you give us every single day to the honor of your name, within the professions and the callings that you have given us.

As we think about this day and this entire weekend, we do entrust it to you, asking that you would encourage every single person here to be faithful in the place that they find themselves in, both personally and professionally. And as they look back on their lives, that they would confidently say, "It was lived to the honor of your name." And this morning, as we think about Paul in Athens, Acts chapter 17, help us to be refreshed by the thought of your sovereignty.

We pray this to the honor of your name. Amen. Well, this is what I'd like to talk about this morning, as I said in my prayer. Paul in the book of Acts, in Acts chapter 17. And I'll have the passage on the screen for us, to kind of get us going devotionally, so you don't have to look at your Bibles, but you're welcome to, if that's your preference.

And as I begin, there is a man by the name of Samuel Rutherford, I think some of you may know and maybe even read some of his works, who's a very famous pastor in Scotland in the 1600s. He was a pastor, but also a professor. He wrote many letters, many sermons, many books, devotional and academic works.

He was a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, where he was asked to become a professor, but declined. And then he was given a professorship offer at the University of Utrecht, and even Holland, and also declined. Ultimately, he became a pastor and a professor at the University of St.

Andrews in Scotland, then shortly after becoming director of that university. He became one of the four commissioners sent to the Westminster Assembly from Scotland. So now that gives us an understanding of who he was. A significant, influential, spiritual leader in Scotland in the 1600s. And it was said of him, and I quote, "He was always praying, preaching, visiting the sick, catechizing, always writing, and always studying." And he wrote letters to his congregants, encouraging them as they wrote, asking questions on how do you live the Christian life.

And this is what he wrote to a woman that was struggling in embracing God's providence in her life. And this is what he wrote to her. "The great master gardener, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ in a wonderful providence, with his own hand planted me there, whereby his grace in this part of the vineyard I grow.

I dare not say, but Satan and the world," one of his pages whom he sends on his errands, "have said otherwise. And here I will abide till the great master of the vineyard think fit to transplant me. But when he sees meat to loose me at the root, and to plant me where I may be more useful, both as to fruit and shadow, and when he who planted pulleth up that he may transplant, who dare put to their hand and hinder?" It's a wonderful reminder that where you find yourself in life is exactly where God wants you.

I have no idea what's happening in your life right now. Maybe you're at the peak of your career, maybe you're just starting, or maybe you're going through the most difficult season of your career. And that can apply to a personal life, or perhaps to your spiritual life. But whatever's happening now, we're not faulting God for the problems in our lives, but we are trusting that God has us exactly where he wants us.

And if we trust that kind of a theology, then life becomes a bit more enjoyable, and I think our stewardship becomes a bit more fruitful. Because instead of pushing back and praying against God's providence, we embrace it. I think that's Samuel Rutherford's intent in encouraging this woman to embrace whatever God has given to her in this season of her life.

Now as we think about providence, our pastor, Pastor John, has defined worship as reflecting God's providence. So I'm trying to make a link for us between worship and providence. And if you read the book of the Psalms, you know that the Psalter frequently does that. His worship is in response to his reflections and meditation on the providence of God in his life or in the universe.

And so as he trusts God's sovereignty and embraces it, he responds in worship. So as we look at Acts chapter 17, we know the story a little bit contextually. In chapter 16, Paul is chased out of Philippi. Chapter 17 opens up with Paul being chased out of Thessalonica and Berea, and so he finally makes his way to Athens.

And as he lands in Athens, he ends up on what we call the Areopagus, a place where all the philosophers were theologizing about the different deities that they were worshiping in their pantheon. And so Paul finds an altar to the unknown God. This is the actual altar to the unknown God, a picture from Rome, one of the museums in Rome.

And as he enters that arena, he is trying to find a way in, an on-ramp, into evangelism. How do we speak to these individuals about the unknown God? And so this is what he does, and I'm going to read for us this passage beginning in verse 22 to kind of get our hearts set.

So Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription to an unknown God. Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.

The God who made the world and all things in it, since he is Lord of heaven and earth, doesn't dwell in temples made with hands, nor is he served by human hands as though he needed anything, since he himself gives life to all people and breath and all things.

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to inhabit all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation. That they would see God, if perhaps they might grope for him and find him, though he's not far from each one of us.

For in him will live and move and exist. Even as some of your own poets have said, "For we are all also his offspring." Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to suppose that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the craft and thought of man.

Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now commanding men that everyone everywhere should repent, because he has fixed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness. In righteousness through a man whom he had determined, having furnished proof to all by raising him from the dead.

So you can imagine Paul not attacking their religions, not criticizing, not mocking, but finding a connection by saying, "You're very religious." Thereby understanding that God made every single person to be a worshiper. Now they are worshiping the wrong things and we know that, but Paul's approach to evangelism is to say, "I recognize that deep down you are a worshiper and I'm going to appeal to that desire, but I need to redirect it." As you find yourselves in your professional environments, I hope this gives us an example on how to evangelize.

Sometimes we are so aggressive in our love for Christ, so committed, that sometimes we come across as a little bit hostile. Let's be honest about it, especially when we just get saved, right? We're so zealous that everything is important all the time and we have to make sure that the person believes everything in the Bible immediately.

I've been there, trust me on that. I remember for the first time believing in the sovereignty of God and I was going to take on the entire Russian Baptist Union, all the pastors who were Armenians. I had my stack of sovereignty of God books and I was ready to battle anybody.

I was 18, I knew everything. I remember that year. I'm so glad nobody took me on. But I think we sometimes evangelize that way and I have as well. And then we look at Paul and Paul says, "Hey, there is something inherently embedded by God in each person to worship." You just don't need to worship the right God.

Because our understanding of God will ultimately frame our entire life. It was Tozer who said, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion. And man's spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God.

Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God. For this reason, the gravest question before the church is always God himself. And the most pretentious fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like.

We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God. That is, we frame our lives and our thoughts to our understanding of God. So since that is true, Paul says, "Let's begin with the sovereign God." That's where it all starts. And so as we think about the beginning of worship and the foundation of worship being a grasp and an embracing of the sovereignty of God, we then understand it will frame our entire life.

And so Paul in Acts 17 does exactly that. He said, "Let me introduce you to the sovereign God." And God's sovereignty is manifest and really expressed in your life in three ways. The first one is that Paul presents him as the author of your life. Verse 24 said, "The God who made the world and all things in it, he's Lord of heaven and earth." In verse 26, he says, "He made from one man every nation of mankind to inhabit all the face of the earth." And he doesn't need man to serve him because he gives life to all people, breath, and all things.

Paul says, "He is the Lord of heaven and earth." Everything that's above you and everything that is below you. And Paul uses the word cosmos. Ultimately saying we're talking about the entire universe. We're not just talking about an aspect of creation. The entire creation is in Paul's mind when he says that God is the author of life.

In Psalm 50, this is what God says. In verse 10, "Every beast of the forest is mine. The cattle in a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountains. Everything that moves in the field is mine. If I were hungry, I wouldn't tell you. For the world is mine and all it contains." Can God be more dogmatic?

It's all mine. And I don't need you to feed me. That's God's assessment of his sovereignty. It's all mine. So Paul says he doesn't need a temple to dwell in. Because he isn't served by human hands. Because, verse 25, he gives life and breath and all things to all people.

I think that's what we need to embrace and recognize. That our life, that's why I prayed at the beginning. Thank you for this day. This passage has been in my mind so it's appropriate to reflect that way. Thank you for allowing me to wake up today. And whatever the day holds, thank you for at least letting me get out of bed.

And to move and to breathe. And God gives life to all things. And Paul says, in case you missed it, let me repeat it in verse 28. "For in him we live and we move and we exist." Literally, we are. There's no we are apart from God's sovereign care of us.

This is the first truth that Paul says, embrace the God who is sovereign because he's the author of your life. But secondly, because he is the architect of your life. And that's the focus of verse 26. "He made from one man every nation of mankind to inhabit all the face of the earth." "Having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation." And so what I think Paul is doing here, is he says, God determines your last name.

He determines every nation of mankind. The idea being, he places you in a specific nation. You were born where you were born because of God's design. In that specific nation and then you get granular in that specific family. God is the reason why you have the last name that you have.

I'm talking about before you get married. But, God also does determine your last name in that case as well. Because if you believe in providence, he also has a play, a role to play in that, doesn't he? So, the first thing that we see of God as the architect of our life is that he determines our last name.

But he also determines the length of our lives. That's why Paul says, he determined their appointed times. Their appointed times when they live and how long they live. Where they live and when and how long. And third, he says in verse 26, the boundaries of their habitation. That's the location of your life.

So, now we begin to think about God moving people from place to place. From city to city, whether it's for school or for work or for ministry. But God uses circumstances. Sometimes it's dire circumstances. Sometimes immigration that takes place is out of deep poverty. Sometimes it's for a specific purpose.

Where you can be more useful because God is transplanting you from one continent to another. From one country to another in order to make you more fruitful. God is the architect of our lives. Super intends all the details. And I think here we find comfort. Whatever is happening, it is God's perfect and just and loving plan for you right now.

Because he's behind the scenes setting it all up. If there's a medical issue in your life right now, God is bringing that into your life. Ultimately to refine you, to conform you into the likeness of Christ. But also to remind you that in him, you are. You exist because of his goodness.

Now you can interpret this as God is in control and I'm just a pawn in his hand. Just a robotic entity. Or you can think about it from the perspective of an architect. Whenever an architect designs a house and he follows certain regulations. And in LA is the worst because there are too many regulations.

If you've ever tried to remodel your house. But generally speaking outside of Los Angeles, it has good intent. They're trying to be safe and to protect you from the roof from collapsing on you. And so there is an element of safety and care and protection implied when the architect designs a specific building.

Much more so with God. God is a personal and loving God. He's not just trying to control as much as express his love for us. And so God's care is demonstrated through him being the architect of our lives. Meaning he's engaged in every detail. Psalm 139 reminds us that God has protected us from the top, from the back, from the front.

And he's holding our hand as we move through this life. God in those moments of weakness that we have isn't afraid or isn't ashamed to come and encourage us. I love the picture of Jesus. And so many stories in the Gospels coming and actually physically touching those who are ostracized.

The lepers and the sick and the blind. Those who were deemed to be cursed by God because of their physical ailment. And yet Jesus comes and lays his hand upon them. And heals them and encourages them. Why is God so concerned about our lives? Well because ultimately he's the authority over us.

I think that's what Paul is ultimately going after. If you embrace God as a sovereign God over the universe and over your life, then you recognize that there's something looming for every single person that God is trying to protect you from. That's where Paul ends this section. God is the authority of our lives.

In verse 28, verse 26 rather, he said he set the boundaries of their habitation. In similar language, imaginatively speaking, where Job writes that God told the sea thus far you shall go and no further. We know that passage towards the end of Job. Where God controls the sea and the waves and they stop where he tells them to stop.

In the same sense, he controls the habitation of our lives. But there's a progress toward intimacy in Paul's passage. He starts out by God as the creator of the universe. Then he moves to your life. And then in verse 28 he says we are all his children. Now it becomes very personal and very intimate.

Where now God sees you as a child that he has created and is caring for and is protecting and is leading with his hand. What he's doing here I believe is he's trying to use general revelation to pull us toward special revelation. Because in verse 27 he says God did all this that they would seek him.

Perhaps they would grope for him and they would find him though he is not far from each of us. That is to say God is right there. And God is using general revelation to pull people toward himself so they would become worshippers. The worshippers of the true God. But as the author and the architect he now is the authority because of what we read toward the end of the passage.

And that is in verses 30 and 31. God is commanding man that everyone everywhere should repent. Because there is a fixed day when he will judge the world in righteousness through a man whom he determined having furnished proof to all by raising him from the dead. In John 5 it says that there is only one judge and God has entrusted all judgment to Jesus.

In Romans 2 verse 16 it says God will judge the secrets of man through Christ Jesus. And that's the authority aspect that ultimately God will judge. It reminds me of Job's cry back in Job 9. In verse 2 he says how can a man be made right before God?

Verse 15 he says though I were right I couldn't answer. I would have to implore the mercy of my judge. In verse 28 in the same chapter he says I know that you will not acquit me. Verse 29 I am wicked. Verse 32 he's not a man as I am that I may answer him that we may go to court together.

Verse 33 there is no umpire between us who may lay his hand upon us both. Do you see the desperation and the hopelessness in Job's cry? I wish there was somebody who could actually stand next to me and defend me before God. Because I am not his peer. There is no social parity between the two of us and I can't just show up to him or with him.

There is no umpire between myself and God. And that's what I think Paul is picking up here. He says there is a looming dark cloud of judgment coming. I'm trying to rescue you from that moment. And so what Job was crying out for Paul answers in 1st Timothy 2 when he says there is one God.

One mediator between God and man. The man Christ Jesus. That's the answer to Job's request. And this man Paul calls in 1st Timothy 1.1 our hope. And the way he says it in the original is Jesus is the embodiment of hope. Christ Jesus our hope. He wants us to understand that our hope is actually contained in Christ.

Which is why in Hebrews 6 we read it is impossible for God to lie. We who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul. A hope both sure and confirmed and one which enters within the veil.

Where a forerunner has entered for us Jesus having become a high priest forever. That's ultimately where hope is found. So as we embrace God as the author, the architect and the authority of our lives. We do that first of all for ourselves. Every single day in whatever is happening.

But I would say secondly as you so faithfully are at the forefront of a very difficult environment. Yesterday I got a text from a friend of mine who is a fireman here in LA. And he said his superior told him to fly the gay flag today. I just got a text a few moments ago right before I walked in.

He said because it's drizzling they decided not to raise the flags. And he begged me please pray. Have people pray for me. That's God's answer right isn't it? I hope we don't just say well that's coincidental. No there is an answer where God protected my friend from having to wrestle in his conscience.

What do I do? And he did for at least 24 hours. But that's where you are. I'm sure you have your own stories where God is leading you and you are in moments of difficulty. Trying to make decisions about faithfulness at work and faithfulness to God. But if we embrace God as the sovereign one we can trust him.

That everything is coming from his good hand. Which is why I would like to end this from a prayer from the Puritans. The prayer is called the God who is the source of all good. The heavens, oh Lord God who inhabits eternity. The heavens declare your glory. The earth thy riches.

The universe is thy temple. Thy presence fills immensity yet thou hast of thy pleasure created life and communicated happiness. Thou has made me what I am and given me what I have. In thee I live and move and have my being. Thy providence has set the bounds of my habitation.

And wisely administers all my affairs. I thank thee for thy riches to me in Jesus. For the unclouded revelation of him in your word. Where I behold his person, character, grace, glory, humiliation, sufferings, death and resurrection. Give me to feel a need of his continual saviorhood. Subdue in me the love of sin.

Let me know the need of renovation as well as of forgiveness. In order to serve and enjoy thee forever. Impress me deeply with a sense of thine omnipresence. That thou art about my path, my ways, my lying down, my end. That should be our prayer. If we embrace God who is sovereign over every detail in our lives.

I'll pray to that God now. Thank you God for being sovereign. Thank you that we can embrace every detail trusting you that you saved us. And you are sustaining us. And so we appeal to you even now as we start this day. That you would continue to bless every speaker.

Every session. Every conversation. So that as we are encouraged and equipped. We would be more faithful in our environment to the honor of your name. Amen.