Acts 17:22-34

Introduction:

1. Human beings engage in seemingly endless pursuits in life, some good and healthy, some bad and destructive.

2. Why are people naturally filled with so many yearnings?

3. This lesson proposes to answer the reason for human yearnings while offering the only lasting means of satisfying the soul’s deepest needs.

Discussion:

I. The Religious “Animal”

A. Humanity’s near universal religious tendencies confound atheists: 85% of the world believes in a god of some sort, and 14 of the 15% who do not live in communist countries (World Christian Encyclopedia).

B. Though most religions are based on false concepts and practices, the desire to worship is central to the human condition.

C. This was the situation in Athens when Paul arrived (Acts 17:16-23).

II. A God-Shaped Vacuum

A. “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ” (Blaise Pascal).

B. This statement fits with Paul’s statements to the Athenians regarding their concept of “the unknown God” (Acts 17:24-28).

C. Whether we know it or not, our constant longing is not for wealth, fame, popularity, pleasure, etc., but we are groping for God.

III. The Whole of Man

A. Much like a round peg will not fit in a square hole, neither can any created thing fill this void in our hearts.

B. Solomon concluded his review of the lost years stating that fearing God and keeping His commandments was the real answer (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

C. The “whole duty of man” reads literally, “the whole of man.”

D. Nothing and no one else can make us whole (cf. Colossians 2:9-10).

Conclusion:

1. Everyone is hardwired to search and reach for God.

2. Try as we may, no created thing can satisfy this longing for God.

3. So, we echo Solomon’s plea to the young to “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth…” (Ecclesiastes 12:1).