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Paul preaching the gospel in Athens

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[Acts 17:23]

For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship,

I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.
Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.

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Paul testified of Jesus in various places. In Thessalonica, we almost had a big problem.
Fortunately, with the help of the Thessalonians, he was able to escape safely to Berea.

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But the Jews in Thessalonica even came to Berea and harassed Paul.
Believers left Silas and Timothy, who had been with Paul, in Berea,

so that only Paul could hurried to the sea.

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The people who led Paul helped them safely go to the city of 'Athens'.
When he arrived in Athens, Paul asked the man who led him.
“Go and bring Silas and Timothy here as soon as possible.”
They promised to do so and went back to Berea.

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Paul was looking around here and there in Athens, waiting for Silas and Timothy.
The city was full of idols. Among those idols was an idol altar called 'To the Unknown God'.
People don't even know what the idol's name is, but the people there made an altar.

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Paul was very angry when he saw the city full of idols.

From that time on, Paul began to preach the gospel of Jesus and the resurrection

to the people there.
The synagogue preached the gospel to Jews and converted Gentiles.
And he also spoke about Jesus every day to the people he met on the square.

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Among the people who heard Paul were Epicurus philosophers and Stoic philosophers.
Paul told them about Jesus and the resurrection.
The philosophers heard Paul's new story and argued with him.

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Some of them considered Paul a chatter.
Others thought that Paul was preaching gods from other countries.
They thought Paul was spreading a new religion.

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They took Paul to the city council in ‘Areobagus’ to hear about the new religion that Paul preached. They asked Paul. “Can you easily explain what this new idea you are conveying is?
What you say is new to us. I want to know what it is.”
He asked Paul to explain the gospel that Paul preached.

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Athens people loved to hear about new things.
They were people who liked to spend time talking and listening to anything new.
Paul stood before the people who gathered there and began to speak.

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Paul had the opportunity to preach the gospel of Jesus.

“Citizens of Athens, you are truly religious people.

I saw an altar with the words “To an Unknown God” among the gods you serve.
I will tell you about the god who does not know and serves.”

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The apostle Paul testified to the Athens that the god they did not know was the true God.
“God created the whole world. God is the One who gave us life, breath, and everything.
That God is not far away, and He is with us. He is one who can never be expressed by hand.”

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Paul told the people of Athens what Jesus had done.

He said that God sent Jesus to save mankind.
He also spoke of the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead and the judgment that

Jesus will come again.

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Paul preached the gospel to the best of his ability when he was given the opportunity.
Others laughed at Paul's words, but others said they wanted to hear more about it later.

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At that time, there were several people who believed what Paul said and followed him.
The representative of Areobagus city council, ‘Dionysius’, is a representative person,

and a woman called ‘Damaris’ and other people heard Paul's words that day and believed in Jesus. The Holy Spirit gave Paul the harvest of salvation by being with him.

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Paul did his best to preach the gospel wherever he went.
Through the Gospel of Paul, the people of Athens learned about the true God, whom they had never known. There have also been people who have been heard and saved about the true Messiah, Jesus and His resurrection and judgment.

The children of God who believe in Jesus and are saved must act like Paul.
We must find and share the opportunity to share God with our neighbors who don't know God yet. When we courageously preach the Gospel, the Holy Spirit helps us to make friends who are saved.

(This is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)