Sunday Morning Service

Acts 19:8-40 (Click title for audio access)

"Three Responses To The Gospel"  •  11.13.11  •  Sunday Morning Service, Calvary Christian Fellowship

Intro.

- Coming into this final section of chapter 19, we find Paul on his third missionary journey in the city of Ephesus. Paul is an ambassador for the gospel and has been faithful to his call.

- In the last section, we saw God induct 12 fledgling members into the fold, which was no doubt, an encouragement to Paul's soul, though, it seems that it was the exception to the rule.

- The gospel when truly presented and lived out, will cause many different responses. Luke gives us three that occurred in Ephesus as a direct result of Paul's preaching.

I. Disappointment (v.8-10)

II. Disenchantment (v.11-20)

III. Disorder (v.21-40)

Text

I. Disappointment (v.8-10)

•  Acts 19:8  :  "And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God." :  The synagogue was not usually a friendly place for Paul. Luke tels us that he went in boldly, speaking there for three months.

- Paul reasoned and persuaded with them. The NLT says that he "argued persuasively." An oft mentioned contention against Christianity is that there is no reasonable basis for belief.

- Paul did not tell them, nor will I tell you to simply turn off your minds and believe because he or I said so. He presented a reasonable basis for them to believe in those weekly meetings.

- There is a reasonable basis for our belief in Christ today. You and I do not need to be ashamed for a moment. Most honest opponents become the most ardent defenders of the faith!

- Paul's prolonged engagement gave him time to talk about the things of the Kingdom of God, a topic the Jews loved to hear about.

- The subject of the Kingdom of God during this time of history was the obsession of the Jews. Roman rule was oppressive and wickedness ruled in the world.

- Every Jewish man desired to see God rule once again, which would also provide an instant promotion for them! But the Kingdom is different than they thought.

- The Kingdom would not be place on earth, but would be established in the hearts of men!

- It is not finally and fully fulfilled, but it's rule is evident in the lives of those who adhere themselves to it's principles.

- Today, by virtue of your obedience to God's Word, the Kingdom expands and the King of the Kingdom rules your hearts and lives. One day, we will see Him rule physically on Earth.

- Paul was letting them know that they could bow their knees to Jesus and allow the King to rule their hearts, to act now as though the Kingdom was fully fulfilled physically.

•  Acts 19:9,10  :  "But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks." : Some were hardened? The Jews wanted a physical, present kingdom and they wanted a great King like David, not a crucified carpenter! Jesus was a stumbling block to them.

- They wanted the Kingdom that would elevate them over Roman rule. They believed the Kingdom was something different and Paul's message ran counter to that.

- Many come to Christianity with similar beliefs. "This will improve my life" or "I'll have more friends and won't be lonely" only to discover that Christianity is different than they thought.

- Christianity first, is a call to die to yourself, to live for Gospel ideals that run counter to your comfortability, that calls you to forgive your enemies and do good to those who spite you!

- Who wants in? Many simply want the power without any of the sacrifice. Many want to wear a cross, but not many want to carry one!

- In the end, Christianity is about applauding Christ for His righteousness, understanding that we have none of our own. Religion always wants to promote self-righteousness.

- As the Jews in the Ephesian synagogue listened to Paul's argument each and every week, their hearts began to harden against Paul's message.

- Literally, they began to be obstinate or to become stubborn. When this word was used of a tree, it described something that had become fully dried out.

- What a warning for us. We can hear something over and over again and if we fail to believe, our hearts will harden too, just like theirs did.

- They refused to believe and to begin to curse the Way, which was the name that the Christians went by at this time. As that became the normal response, Paul stopped going there.

- Paul took the believers with him in an effort to continue to instruct and disciple them.

- This brings Paul to the school of Tyrannus where he worked daily, not weekly having rented a room. According to some manuscripts, Paul worked from 11am to 4pm.

- This was a departure from Paul's usual methodology. Normally he would go out into the city, into the marketplace, but this time he would take this position for two years.

- The end result was that all who dwelt there heard the word!

- The Jewish disappointment with the Kingdom message led to a much greater call to the public at large, where God called both Jews and Greeks to the Kingdom.

II. Disenchantment (v.11-20)

•  Acts 19:11-15  :  "Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, 'We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.' Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, 'Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?'"  : God began to work miracles to confirm Paul's message. Luke calls them "unusual." Every miracle is unusual isn't it!?

- These were special, the Greek word indicating that they were very pointed and were meant to hit their mark like a javelin.

- These miracles leave us all wondering. Hankerchiefs or sweat rags that Paul used brought healing to people!? Evil spirits left if they came into contact with Paul's apron!?

- The point here is not a precedent, but a testament to the authenticity of God's power through Paul. However these items were used, faith was activated and God worked.

- It's not that strange when one considers that the city of Ephesus was a hub for all types of superstititous people who lived there because of the practice of magic.

- God employed these exact miracles for these exact people, targeting their sensibilities. Some however, seemed to miss the point. We move from the authentic to the counterfeit.

- These traveling Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to began to use the name of the Lord in their incantations. "We exorcise you by the Jesus that Paul preaches!"

- They believed in Paul's power, but not in the person behind the power. When they used the name like some magic incantation, they got a classic response from the demon.

- I know Jesus, meaning, I have experienced Him. This demonic entity may have been personally cast out by Jesus! "Paul, I am acquainted with, but I can't place you at all!"

- What a sad time to discover that you are not nearly as powerful as you had believed.

•  Acts 19:16,17  :  "Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified."  :  Verse 16 is one of my favorite verses in the bible! The rouse of religion is just like that: It puffs up it's chest and acts as though there is power in it.

- But when it comes down to real fighting and spiritual victory, in the end, religion leaves overpowered, prevailed against, naked and wounded!

- In the midst of this, the reality of Paul's authority was compared with the false authority of these Sons of Sceva and a difference was made.

- Notice that Paul was not glorified. It was the name of the Lord Jesus that was glorified. The Sons of Sceva thought that their actions would make them known, and it did.

- They were now known as fakes! Real authority and real ministry always points people to trust in Jesus.

•  Acts 19:18-20  :  "And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed."  :  The ones who magnified the name of Jesus, came publically showing their agreement. They acknowledged their belief openly.

- While we often call people to salvation, it is the ones who publically show their beliefs that we believe truly belong to Christ. Christianity is no secret or private religion. It's a public matter.

- These men came telling their deeds. Other versions translate this as divulging their evil deeds or disclosing their practices. These people were making a clean break from sin.

- There was nothing left behind. They were burning their bridges back toward sin!

- This spread to those who had practiced magic. Ephesus was a center for magicians to network in. Many had come there to be educated in the black arts.

- When the Lord had shown Himself to have greater power, the magicians surrendered. They brought their magic books out, all of them together and burned them.

- This was extremely costly, as their loss on their investment would have been incalculable.

- These who believed show it by their confession, their repentance and their renouncing of what had been besetting sin in their life.

- What they had valued before Christ, what they served before Christ, could not be coddled away or left in their posession. They were violently disenchanted with their former enchantments!

- You may come to wonder someday, why it is that Christianity is prevailing in some lives while it seems stagnant in others. The difference between these Christians and those is renunciation.

- Christianity is hindered when a clean break is not made from known sin. Christianity will not thrive in your life as long as their is a longing for something counter to it.

- These Ephesian Christians show great desire in giving Christianity it's proper place in their hearts. God's Word grew in Ephesus mightily, prevailing against the devious magic arts.

III. Disorder (v.21-40)

•  Acts 19:21-24  :  "When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, 'After I have been there, I must also see Rome.' So he sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, but he himself stayed in Asia for a time. And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen." : Paul purposed in the Spirit. He was resolute, believing that this was God's plan for him. He would go back through these Macedonia and Achaia for the purpose of collecting aid for the Jews.

- Once that was done, Rome was next on the agenda. Rome was the ends of the Earth.

- The church's mission encompassed Jerusalem, Samaria, Judea and out into the ends of the Earth, which naturally, to their minds, would have been Rome.

- He sent Timothy and Erastus back into Macedonia. They had ministered to or assisted Paul. Just when things seem calm, this is where the trouble began.

- Opposition to the church begin to arise yet again, this time from an idol maker whose personal economy was being killed by the gospel!

- Demetrius had made a living off of making Diana idols, which paid his artisans well. With God's word prevailing, but his business was shrinking!

•  Acts 19:25-29 : "He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: 'Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade. Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands. So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship.' Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, 'Great is Diana of the Ephesians!' So the whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul’s travel companions." : Demetrius brought this group of artisans together and convinced them that it was in their best interest to do something about this Paul guy!

- It actually quite a testimony that Paul had: He had persuaded and turned away many people from idolatry! What will they say about you and I?

- Demetrius was not turned and he wasn't going to take the gospel threat lying down!

- First, their wallets were in danger. The gospel affected their economy.

- "We have our prosperity by this trade." This is how we make our living! It's interesting, but there are some who will need to examine their jobs when Christ takes a hold of their lives.

- This man wanted nothing to do with the Lord. He liked his employment and wanted to protect it from a personal depression.

- Second, this way of life that the temple brings will be destroyed! It's amazing how fragile life is for a false idol! They can be stolen and their magnificence destroyed!

- Demetrius was appealing to their sense of pride, both in their work and in their city. He is saying in effect, "Let's not let this happen in our house!"

- Demetrius was not interested in the truth. He only saw his Kingdom being threatened.

- His sentiment won the moment. These men became incensed, literally, being filled entirely with passionate wrath. That began an incredible riot that took the city by storm.

- Gaius and Aristarchus had come with Paul from Corinth. They were seized by the mob and brought into the expansive Ephesian theater.

•  Acts 19:30-34 : "And when Paul wanted to go in to the people, the disciples would not allow him. Then some of the officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent to him pleading that he would not venture into the theater. Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together. And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander motioned with his hand, and wanted to make his defense to the people. But when they found out that he was a Jew, all with one voice cried out for about two hours, 'Great is Diana of the Ephesians!'"  : Paul was not afraid of this mob. He fully intended to walk right into that crowded theater and speak, but all of his friends kept him out.

- They knew it would be too dangerous. In the theater, there were those who had been drug in, but they did not know what was happening. Out of the crowd, this man pops up on the stage.

- We know nothing about him, except that his name is Alexander and he is Jewish. It seems that he wants to tell the crowd that the Jews were not for Paul either!

- That led to this frenzied prolonged and sustained chant: "Great is Diana!" Two hours of this!

•  Acts 19:35-40  :  "And when the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said: 'Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Zeus? Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rashly. For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess. Therefore, if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a case against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. But if you have any other inquiry to make, it shall be determined in the lawful assembly. For we are in danger of being called in question for today’s uproar, there being no reason which we may give to account for this disorderly gathering.' And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly."  :  What is interesting about this episode and likely why the Spirit of God leaves it in the record is the testimony of this city official.

- The city of Ephesus was in no danger. He reasoned that Diana would always be there. There was no reason to act the way that they were. Now, here is the good part.

- The Christians were not robbers. They were not thieves, stealing from the people or from the temples. Neither were they blasphemers. They did not insult the name of Diana.

- Here is an important lesson for us: The Christians in Ephesus spent so much time magnifying the name of the Lord, that they did not have time to tear down the name of Diana!

- What a vital lesson for you and I to consider, especially in these days when it is easy to concern ourselves with everything but naming the name of Jesus!

Conclusion

- The Gospel will cause many responses. The religious will be disappointed. Some will turn and surrender and some will raise a stink! It's His to change a man and ours to share with him!