1 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:08,080 This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Clark 2 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:12,240 Wofford, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland, 3 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:16,400 County of Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Clark as he 4 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:18,720 continues teaching through God's Word. 5 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:39,880 They were convicted about the things they were reading, the 6 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:42,560 things they were studying, and they brought their books 7 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:44,720 together and they burned them as sight of all. 8 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:48,280 So all the people in Ephesus, there's a big deal going on 9 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:50,680 here. People are magnifying the Lord. 10 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:52,600 People are confessing their sins. 11 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:55,560 They're bringing all their garbage and they're pouring and 12 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:58,760 whatever it might be and they're going to burn it. 13 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:02,480 And it says they counted up the value of them and a total of 14 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:05,800 50,000 pieces of silver in today's money. 15 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:08,360 That could be between 1:00 and $5 million. 16 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:11,680 Imagine a community coming out in the open about all their 17 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:14,320 deepest secrets and hidden pleasures. 18 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:18,000 What if people were exposing all the porn they'd been looking at, 19 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,200 or all the books of a sexual nature that some had been 20 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:23,640 indulging in behind closed doors? 21 00:01:24,320 --> 00:01:28,640 Well, this is what was happening in the city of Ephesus as Pastor 22 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:30,720 Clark is going to fill you in today. 23 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:34,120 There was true conviction happening in the hearts of these 24 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:37,320 people. Guess what, By taking an action 25 00:01:37,320 --> 00:01:40,400 and moving away from sin, God was glorified. 26 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:44,640 Now here's Pastor Clark in the book of Acts Chapter 19 with 27 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,680 today's edition of Living Waters of Grace. 28 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:51,640 Paul's in this city that is predominantly Pagan. 29 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:53,960 There's very few Christians. There's not even a church at 30 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:56,320 this time. So visualize yourself. 31 00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:59,800 Your friend of Paul, he wants to have some Bible studies. 32 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:05,440 He rented a facility from a guy that had some real estate that 33 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:09,080 wasn't using it at certain hours of the day, between 11:00 and 34 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:12,680 4:00 in the afternoon. And he invited people like us at 35 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:15,600 the time that were in the community to come and study the 36 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:18,080 Bible, study the word. Of course, it would have been 37 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:20,960 primarily the Old Testament Scriptures, but he was writing 38 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:22,920 letters. So he was using things that the 39 00:02:22,920 --> 00:02:26,400 Holy Spirit had been giving him that were eventually codified in 40 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:30,000 what we call the day our Bible, 66 Books of the Bible. 41 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:35,120 So as he's teaching these people that the things of the Spirit, 42 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:38,440 people like you and me, we're sitting there and we're getting 43 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:40,080 changed. We're hearing the word. 44 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:42,760 So all these things are happening and they're learning. 45 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:46,320 And so they're going out from this Bible study every day. 46 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:48,000 Can you imagine being in a Bible? 47 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:50,040 It's one thing to be in a Bible study with me. 48 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:53,440 I ain't anywhere near Paul. OK, I'm lip syncing what Paul 49 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:55,320 wrote. This is all what he, you know, 50 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:58,880 Luke translated this and put it into this book, the book of the 51 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:00,520 Acts. But these these are the this is 52 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:03,960 the life of Paul, his ministry. But to be able to sit with an 53 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:08,840 apostle for six hours a day, five days a week for over almost 54 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:10,920 three years, he would be really grounded. 55 00:03:10,920 --> 00:03:14,560 You'd really know what the Bible was all about, but not any of 56 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:17,080 that. They were going out and in the 57 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:19,880 power of the Holy Spirit. They were impacting the 58 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:24,560 community and the provinces around the area that Paul was 59 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:26,840 ministering in at the time and Acts. 60 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:31,360 So the purpose of the church and in our church to hear is to 61 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:35,880 explode on the outside so that people that don't know Jesus 62 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:39,240 begin to hear about him and want to know about him and they end 63 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:41,720 up maybe coming here to hear more about him. 64 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:43,760 OK, or or another Bible church, whatever. 65 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:48,480 And so this is impacting the whole known world at the time 66 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:52,520 the gospel was going out and the power of the Holy Spirit. 67 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:57,160 And so Paul, not any was preaching because the gospel in 68 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:00,280 and of itself is the power of God and the salvation to 69 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:03,160 everyone that believes, to the Jew 1st and also to the Greek. 70 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:06,920 So I don't need to have a miracle in front of me before 71 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:10,120 I'm a Christian to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of 72 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:14,120 the living God. The Holy Spirit does the miracle 73 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:17,839 in my heart to cause me to believe the message of the 74 00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:20,680 gospel. And then when I believe that 75 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:24,720 message, then my life is dramatically transformed. 76 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:28,600 I'm saved, I become born again. I have new eyesight, I have new 77 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:33,200 vision, new passion, new desires and my my life is is brand new 78 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:35,760 and yours is too. When you come to faith in Christ 79 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:38,240 and that is the miracle of miracles. 80 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:42,200 You know of someone becoming born again, passing from death 81 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:44,040 to light, from darkness to light. 82 00:04:44,280 --> 00:04:49,160 And now our followers of God as as opposed to followers of the 83 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:52,440 devil in his lies. And so not any though the 84 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:57,000 preaching at the time, but Jews require a sign, it said. 85 00:04:57,160 --> 00:04:59,760 So signs are real important to the Jewish people. 86 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:02,720 The Greeks seeked after wisdom. Jews seek a sign. 87 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:06,800 So in order to authenticate the message that Paul is proclaiming 88 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:11,080 that Jesus is the Messiah to a predominantly Jewish population 89 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:13,440 at the time these miracles occurred. 90 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:17,520 And so these handkerchiefs and these weren't like things he was 91 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:20,360 blowing his nose on. These were sweat bands he put 92 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:22,440 around his head when he was doing his tent making. 93 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:24,920 The apron were the made out of leather. 94 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:28,280 And he used this to put his tools in whenever he was making 95 00:05:28,280 --> 00:05:32,600 his living as he was preaching the gospel and and making tents. 96 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:35,640 And So what happened was I don't know who came up with the idea. 97 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:37,040 I know it wouldn't have been Paul. 98 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:40,280 He wouldn't have said we'll take this and put it on someone sick 99 00:05:40,280 --> 00:05:42,480 and, and they'll be okay and they'll be healed. 100 00:05:43,280 --> 00:05:44,520 No, that wasn't the way it worked. 101 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:47,720 Somehow the Spirit of God, this ended up getting some of this 102 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:49,960 stuff out into these different places. 103 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:54,280 And when it touched the bodies of some of these people, it says 104 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:56,600 that they were delivered from their sickness. 105 00:05:56,880 --> 00:06:00,840 Diseases left them and, and, and not any of that evil spirits 106 00:06:00,840 --> 00:06:05,800 went out from them automatically just by the touching of this 107 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:09,720 point of contact of a man who is highly anointed of God. 108 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:11,280 It wasn't anything in and of Paul. 109 00:06:11,280 --> 00:06:15,240 It was Christ in Paul that enabled this to actually occur. 110 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:18,160 Now, you don't really read about this in any other part of the 111 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:20,040 Bible. You have to realize that the 112 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:24,440 miracles in the Bible started with Moses primarily, and then 113 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:28,600 they were Elijah and Elijah and then they were Jesus and the 114 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:30,760 apostles. Those were the three stages of 115 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:35,280 the ages of miracles in in church history and in the Bible. 116 00:06:35,280 --> 00:06:40,760 There's less than 100 miracles codified or quantified in detail 117 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:44,920 where we can read and study them tells us and John Jesus did many 118 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:47,040 other miracles that there wouldn't have been enough books 119 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:49,120 in the world to contain everything he did. 120 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:52,920 But God felt that it was necessary to give us enough 121 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:56,760 indication that he does work within the miraculous realm. 122 00:06:57,560 --> 00:07:01,480 Now today I could RIP part of my sweater off here If you had a 123 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:04,760 headache and and tell you to put it on your forehead, nothing's 124 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:09,600 going to happen. These charlatans on TV that sell 125 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:12,920 these things and tell you to send money in and they prayed 126 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:15,200 for them and and they soak their sweat in them. 127 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:17,920 If you send 50 bucks and they'll send you this cloth. 128 00:07:17,920 --> 00:07:20,120 I mean, it's just nothing but con artists and RIP off. 129 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:24,680 This happened one time and you know, and other times, if you 130 00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:28,080 read church history documents from way back in the early days, 131 00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:30,760 there has been miracles that occurred that there was no 132 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:34,360 explanation for. People have laid hands on me and 133 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:36,720 prayed for me. And when I've been sick or 134 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:39,640 having a problem and I've done the same thing for other people, 135 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:44,360 and sometimes God shows up and brings healing and other times, 136 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:46,240 OK, you take the medicine, right? 137 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:49,280 That's just the way it is. I prefer to get the healing and 138 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:51,720 not take the medicine. But you know, if I got to take 139 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:53,160 the medicine, I take the medicine. 140 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:56,040 And you do too. But there's nothing wrong with 141 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:59,320 seeking God for a touch supernaturally. 142 00:07:59,880 --> 00:08:04,680 There was a true story and I saw the movie and I read the history 143 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:09,240 and it was authenticated that this guy, Nectarius was his name 144 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:15,000 and he was a very godly, monastic kind of guy, praying 145 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:18,200 all the time, a very holy man, very saintly man. 146 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:21,760 And Mickey Rourke, the guy played in that movie, that 147 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:26,840 boxing movie, he played the part of this drunk coal miner that 148 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:30,560 was living at the time that Nectarius was living on this 149 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:33,840 particular island. And he somehow, I think he had a 150 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:37,440 drinking problem and he fell off a Cliff and paralyzed himself. 151 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:40,760 So he's in bed and he can't move. 152 00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:43,480 And Victarius is in bed with prostate cancer. 153 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:46,520 And this is what always fascinated me. 154 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:49,280 Here's Paul. Able to do miracles, right? 155 00:08:49,400 --> 00:08:50,760 People getting healed, delivered. 156 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:54,520 Paul had a physical affliction, the thorn in the flesh. 157 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:57,360 He asked God three times to take it from him. 158 00:08:58,120 --> 00:09:01,120 He didn't like RIP off his shirt and put it on his wherever it 159 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:03,600 was hurting and to say, OK, make it happen. 160 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:07,080 He had to suffer it. And then the Lord said, hey, I'm 161 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:10,120 not going to answer the prayer. My strength is made perfect in 162 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:12,560 your weakness at the power of Christ would rest upon you. 163 00:09:12,560 --> 00:09:16,480 So Paul had to deal with the illness and the affliction that 164 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:18,880 he had. Everybody's going to die of 165 00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:21,520 something. Even after Lazarus was raised 166 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:23,120 from a dead miraculously, guess what? 167 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:26,400 He eventually died physically. We all have to die physically. 168 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:30,280 But so anyway, this, this nectarious guy, he's laying in 169 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:33,440 bed and and Mickey Rourke, the actor, he's laying there. 170 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:36,920 Why would God allow me to have this problem? 171 00:09:37,320 --> 00:09:39,640 I can't move. What good am I going to be to my 172 00:09:39,640 --> 00:09:41,560 wife and my kids? I can't make a living. 173 00:09:41,560 --> 00:09:44,680 He's depressed, he's complaining and nectarious just sort of 174 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:47,200 laying there in agony and pain. He just smiles as well. 175 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:49,800 Maybe God will surprise you. That's all he said. 176 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:54,120 Well, this is wild. So Nectarious dies, they come 177 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:56,520 in, the nurses are taking the shirt and everything off. 178 00:09:56,760 --> 00:10:00,160 They throw the shirt on the bed to the guy, Mickey Rourke, the 179 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:03,760 actor laying there in the bed. And within several minutes he's 180 00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:06,680 completely healed and he's able to walk. 181 00:10:06,680 --> 00:10:08,160 His body's restored. Now. 182 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:11,200 You can't re enact the stuff you you can't figure it out. 183 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:13,920 I mean, even when Jesus did healing, they were always 184 00:10:13,920 --> 00:10:16,840 different. Sometimes he'd spit on the, the 185 00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:20,520 dirt and get the mud and rub it in someone's eyes or some other 186 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:22,760 time a woman would touch the hem of his garment. 187 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:27,800 I, I all I know is that God is able to do the miraculous and we 188 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:31,720 can pray and ask him to do that. And sometimes we experience 189 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:34,120 that, but there's no guarantee. There's no man. 190 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:38,000 You can go to some woman that it's a holy person to ask him to 191 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:39,600 pray. And just because it's them, 192 00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:41,840 they're going to be able to do something for you. 193 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:45,600 It's only the Lord, and He does everything after the counsel of 194 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:48,400 his own will, even the gifts of the Spirit. 195 00:10:48,400 --> 00:10:51,000 He gives them out severally as He wills. 196 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:56,600 The idea of faith healers is not biblical, but the the idea of 197 00:10:56,880 --> 00:11:00,440 the gift of healing is biblical. But even the people that have 198 00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:04,080 been used by God to pray for people and their health, and 199 00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:06,960 there's been evidence of maybe a higher percentage of people 200 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:10,160 being healed doesn't mean that everybody's going to get healed. 201 00:11:10,560 --> 00:11:14,880 But anyway, this this instance of this occurring in here was to 202 00:11:14,880 --> 00:11:17,280 get the attention of these Jewish people. 203 00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:22,080 And it did in verse 13, and some of the itinerant Jewish exorcist 204 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:25,520 took it upon themselves to call in the name of the Lord Jesus 205 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:30,160 over those who had evil spirits, saying we exercise you by the 206 00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:33,680 Jesus whom Paul preaches. Also there were seven sons of 207 00:11:33,680 --> 00:11:36,520 Skiva, a Jewish chief priest who did so. 208 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:42,240 So these Jewish people at the time, unbelievers, had some kind 209 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:45,400 of capacity because they did believe in the God of Abraham, 210 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:48,120 Isaac and Jacob. So there was some anointing 211 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:51,240 authority in their lives and I guess they had experiences at 212 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:55,200 times where they were used and God worked through them to 213 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:58,480 deliver people from demonic possession or oppression. 214 00:11:58,880 --> 00:12:02,680 But their minds are thinking and they're not even believers yet. 215 00:12:02,680 --> 00:12:07,920 Well, like Paul prays in Jesus name and there's, there's 216 00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:10,720 miracles that occur. So let's try this. 217 00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:14,560 Let's see if it works for us. Well, well, first of all, it's, 218 00:12:14,560 --> 00:12:16,680 it's humorous here. What's going to happen because 219 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:21,480 these, these sons of the, the Jewish chief priests thought 220 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:25,240 that maybe they could make some new kind of ministry going on 221 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:27,720 here. And, and it says in verse 15, 222 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:32,520 the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus, I know and Paul, I 223 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:36,600 know, but who are you? Boy, that's scary, huh? 224 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:40,600 They're in the house with this demonic person, the spirit. 225 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:45,160 They think they're going to have an overcoming experience here 226 00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:47,800 and these demon demons going to be cast out. 227 00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:51,160 And this is what happens in verse 16. 228 00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:55,320 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, 229 00:12:55,560 --> 00:12:59,400 overpowered them and prevailed against them so that they fled 230 00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:01,680 out of that house naked and wounded. 231 00:13:01,680 --> 00:13:05,120 Wouldn't that be something? One guy, the strength of this 232 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:09,280 person possessed by the devil was able to whoop 7 grown 233 00:13:09,280 --> 00:13:13,000 healthy young men and not any beat them up and tear their 234 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:17,280 clothes off and and have them running out humiliated by what 235 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:20,880 it was they tried to do. The devil's always trying to 236 00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:24,760 replicate or duplicate the miraculous. 237 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:30,040 We remember Moses with the rod and throw it down it turns into 238 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:32,360 a snake. Well, God allowed that to happen 239 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:36,200 when the magicians were able to replicate certain degrees of 240 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:38,800 those miracles, right? And so that's because there's a 241 00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:41,080 miracle that occurs, doesn't mean it's the Lord. 242 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:46,600 The devil comes with lying signs and wonders, a matter of fact, 243 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:50,320 in the last days when the Antichrist comes on the scene 244 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:53,720 and the false prophet, they'll be all kind of miraculous. 245 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:56,560 That will be occurring like we've never, ever experienced. 246 00:13:56,840 --> 00:14:00,040 And there'll be a lot of people thinking that he's the Christ 247 00:14:00,240 --> 00:14:04,120 and he'll be the Antichrist. And so this became known in 248 00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:08,280 verse 17 both to all the Jews and the Greeks dwelling in 249 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:11,480 Ephesus, and fear fell on all of them. 250 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:16,480 So we're in Greensburg here. It's in the newspaper. 251 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:18,880 Channel 4 News is down there interviewing. 252 00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:23,400 We are all aware that something spectacular happened and scary. 253 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:27,560 And so we know there's problems in Greensburg. 254 00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:30,720 There's demonic activity, there's demonic activity 255 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:33,960 everywhere. There's satanic powers, there's 256 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:40,040 a Oak Hall, there's astrology, there's false religion, there's 257 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:42,800 all these kind of things that are happening in the day and age 258 00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:44,920 that we live. And these are the things that 259 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:48,200 bind people into immoral lifestyles. 260 00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:51,320 Someone doesn't this one day wake up and say, well, I think 261 00:14:51,320 --> 00:14:54,120 I'm going to, I'm a guy, so I think I want to have some sex 262 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:56,760 with a guy. I mean, that's that is demonic. 263 00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:00,840 It's not real. It's not, I don't care what any 264 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:04,040 psychologist or what any kind of secular humanists or what 265 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:06,320 they're trying to tell us in government now and all these 266 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:08,880 things, these things are not normal. 267 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:14,280 Matter of fact, Roman Empire fell because of the this 268 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:19,840 promiscuity and this increased atmosphere of gay and lesbian 269 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:23,760 lifestyle and abortion that eventually that nation was 270 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:25,880 destroyed. And we are this close right now 271 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:29,920 with testing God with what it is we're doing as a culture and 272 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:33,000 people saying good is evil and evil is good. 273 00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:36,520 And we as Christians need This is why like we need to get out 274 00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:38,360 of the building, have conversations. 275 00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:40,680 We don't need to condemn people. We don't hate people. 276 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:43,080 We need to love them enough to tell them, hey, what you're 277 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:48,720 doing is sin and your sin will cause you to eventually be in 278 00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:50,840 hell. That's the bottom line. 279 00:15:51,560 --> 00:15:54,480 Now, I hope I'm not hurting anybody's feelings here today. 280 00:15:54,760 --> 00:16:00,160 But if you're living in a lifestyle that is not God's will 281 00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:03,120 and, and in his word, you're going to suffer consequences. 282 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:05,480 You already are. The amount of people who are 283 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:08,680 taking their lives that have tried this transgenderism and 284 00:16:08,680 --> 00:16:12,800 all this crazy stuff out there, sex changes and all this, it is 285 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:14,840 unbelievable. You got to do the research, the 286 00:16:14,840 --> 00:16:17,040 statistics, and you know, and it isn't unloving. 287 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:19,280 It's loving to tell people the truth. 288 00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:22,360 It's unloving to just say, well, it's OK, That's whatever you 289 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:26,840 want to do, go ahead and do it. And so Paul wasn't that kind of 290 00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:28,680 guy. And nor are we these kind of 291 00:16:28,680 --> 00:16:32,800 people that this ignore these issues of sin today, even in our 292 00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:37,120 own time and our own culture. And So what happened was they're 293 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:40,400 they're afraid now that the beginning of wisdom is the fear 294 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:41,920 of the Lord and depart from evil. 295 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:45,600 That tells us in Proverbs, you're really catching on when 296 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:49,400 you begin to fear the consequences of your sin. 297 00:16:50,480 --> 00:16:51,920 You don't play around with it anymore. 298 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:55,040 You don't justify, you don't say, well, that's OK, and 299 00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:56,800 everybody's doing it. No big deal. 300 00:16:57,280 --> 00:17:01,120 It's a big deal. It's a big, big deal. 301 00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:04,119 And So what happened was these people are are are starting to 302 00:17:04,119 --> 00:17:07,000 get frightened. And whenever you have an 303 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:10,400 encounter with God to such a degree over your sin, and you 304 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:15,119 know you have one or two choices to make, you either continue in 305 00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:18,280 your sin and you perish, or you get right with God and you 306 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:24,440 repent and you leave your sin. And this began to cause such a a 307 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:28,079 move of God's spirit. And the city of Ephesus, it says 308 00:17:28,079 --> 00:17:31,480 that fear fell on them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was 309 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:33,400 magnified. That's what we need to have 310 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:36,760 happen today. At the name of Jesus, every knee 311 00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:39,880 will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is 312 00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:41,640 Lord to the glory of God the Father. 313 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:46,080 There is no other name given among men under heaven by which 314 00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:48,800 we can be saved or must be saved. 315 00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:51,760 Jesus is the truth. He's the way, the truth the 316 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:54,320 life. No man comes to the Father but 317 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:56,960 through him. And so Jesus was magnified. 318 00:17:57,120 --> 00:18:00,320 He said if he be lifted up, he will draw all men to himself. 319 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:03,680 Pray for Pastor Lewis and myself that when we preach the Word, 320 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:07,240 we're preaching the Word with the name Jesus involved in the 321 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:09,800 Word. Because the Bible without Jesus 322 00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:15,480 is just a bunch of words, but the Bible with Jesus can turn 323 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:18,120 the world upside down. And this is what was happening 324 00:18:18,120 --> 00:18:19,080 here. Now we'll read. 325 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:22,760 Many are intimidated now they're fearful. 326 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:26,720 And many who had believed came confessing and telling their 327 00:18:26,720 --> 00:18:29,000 deeds. Can you imagine Calvary today? 328 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:30,320 Some of you guys are getting saved. 329 00:18:30,440 --> 00:18:33,600 Hey, I'm not leaving today until I tell you what God's delivered 330 00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:37,200 me from before I came here today, I was sleeping around 331 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:41,720 with every, every woman I could find or whatever. 332 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:45,800 I was chasing some guy down the street or some woman says, well, 333 00:18:45,840 --> 00:18:48,680 I'm sleeping with all the different girls out there in the 334 00:18:48,680 --> 00:18:56,520 community, you know, and the Lord convicted me and I couldn't 335 00:18:56,520 --> 00:18:59,000 live that way anymore and I repented. 336 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:03,200 And I want to tell you guys what Jesus did for me, right? 337 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:05,760 If you ever have a testimony, let me know. 338 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:09,400 Because the more we hear what the Lord's done, the more he's 339 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:12,320 glorified and the more people here they say, well, maybe he 340 00:19:12,320 --> 00:19:15,440 could do that for me. People are trapped in sin. 341 00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:19,680 People don't just decide one day that they want to be immoral. 342 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:22,480 They start becoming immoral and then they're trapped. 343 00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:24,320 They don't know how to stop being immoral. 344 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:27,880 And they're they're in bondage and they're under the influence 345 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:30,560 of the devil and says. And so these people, they're 346 00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:32,280 confessing and telling their deeds. 347 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:35,960 Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their 348 00:19:35,960 --> 00:19:38,520 books together and burned them in the sight of all. 349 00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:42,720 Now, I've been a student of all kind of religions my whole life, 350 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:46,560 and I was into Buddhism for a while and I was into, you know, 351 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:50,160 reading whatever was esoteric or ocaldic, and I didn't even know 352 00:19:50,360 --> 00:19:53,160 what I was doing at the time. It just fascinated me. 353 00:19:53,360 --> 00:19:56,360 What makes the world go round and why is this happened? 354 00:19:56,360 --> 00:19:58,480 Why is that? And how far is the sky going? 355 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:00,920 And what's truth? You know, until I came to know 356 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:02,760 Christ, I had no idea what truth was. 357 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:06,440 So I have a bunch of books. And there are a lot of them are 358 00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:09,000 in my garage now in a box. This, I don't know. 359 00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:11,600 What am I going to do with them? Maybe we should have a bonfire 360 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:14,480 this summer somewhere. I'll bring my old books and you 361 00:20:14,480 --> 00:20:17,600 bring yours too, you know. But anyway, this is what was 362 00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:20,360 happening here, right? They were convicted about the 363 00:20:20,360 --> 00:20:23,160 things they were reading, the things they were studying, and 364 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:25,440 they brought their books together and they burned them. 365 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:27,840 A sight of all. So all the people in Ephesus, 366 00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:29,880 there's a big deal going on here. 367 00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:33,360 People are magnifying the Lord. People are confessing their 368 00:20:33,360 --> 00:20:35,360 sins. They're bringing all their 369 00:20:35,360 --> 00:20:38,200 garbage and they're porn and whatever it might be, and 370 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:41,560 they're going to burn it. And it says they counted up the 371 00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:46,000 value of them and a total of 50,000 pieces of silver in the 372 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:48,200 days money. That could be between 1:00 and 373 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:51,520 $5,000,000. I read back and that day that 374 00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:54,920 silver was worth about $10,000, which is a lot of money. 375 00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:59,120 It was enough for 150 people to make their livelihood for a 376 00:20:59,120 --> 00:21:02,120 whole year. That's how much was destroyed in 377 00:21:02,120 --> 00:21:06,280 this in this fire. And as a result of that, what 378 00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:09,000 happened? It says the word of the Lord 379 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:14,920 grew mightily and prevailed. So we have a calm church here 380 00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:18,600 today. Usually I'm a calm pastor 381 00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:21,440 because a lot of you fall asleep when I teach. 382 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:23,520 Hey, so you have a very nice voice. 383 00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:26,480 You know what a day my voice is a little bit more, you know, 384 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:30,680 whatever you know, I don't know, but you know, you're not falling 385 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:32,720 asleep today as much as you normally do. 386 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:38,000 It's not that the message is any better, but the the text is 387 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:42,040 better because we're reading about the Lord being magnified 388 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:46,000 and and so as a result of the word, the message in the gospel 389 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:48,760 is growing mightily. It's prevailing in the world. 390 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:50,400 It's prevailing in the community. 391 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:55,280 I find that as the Lord move in a small Pagan city, Ephesus at 392 00:21:55,280 --> 00:22:00,520 the time, with 95% and 98% of the people being unbelievers, 393 00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:04,960 all the sudden this one guy with some friends, the whole city is 394 00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:07,760 being turned upside down. So you and I might say, well, 395 00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:12,800 we're in a hopeless situation. We got a Pagan government, we 396 00:22:12,800 --> 00:22:16,880 got legislators or you know, sanctioning immorality. 397 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:19,360 We, you know, they, they're doing this, they're doing, who 398 00:22:19,360 --> 00:22:21,840 cares what they do? We need to be doing what we're 399 00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:24,600 supposed to do. And if we do what we're supposed 400 00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:28,560 to do, we're not like bad mouthing people and putting them 401 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:31,080 down or judging them. I mean, I'm no better than 402 00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:33,880 anybody else, but I know someone who's better than all of us. 403 00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:38,680 And his names Jesus. And he can save you from your 404 00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:41,000 sin. You got to repent. 405 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:43,080 You got to turn. You got to turn to Jesus. 406 00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:46,080 And So what happens is when a city begins to do that and a 407 00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:50,240 community begins to do that, then all of a sudden we are salt 408 00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:52,880 and light. You know, we begin to impact and 409 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:57,520 counter balance or counter attack all this movement toward 410 00:22:57,520 --> 00:23:01,120 this godless world. Like I think the problem with 411 00:23:01,120 --> 00:23:03,840 the church and Christians in general was we don't think we 412 00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:07,920 can do anything anymore. So we don't vote, or we don't 413 00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:12,080 witness, or we don't pray, or we don't intercede. 414 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:16,160 There's all these options in the Bible of things that we can do 415 00:23:16,160 --> 00:23:20,400 as God's people that can begin to turn things the other way. 416 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:24,240 And throughout the ages of time, God's work with the remnant of 417 00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:28,160 people who have been open to the Spirit of God that he could work 418 00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:32,000 in to turn things in a different direction again. 419 00:23:32,480 --> 00:23:35,280 And if we were ever at a point in our time and our history and 420 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:38,080 our nation and our own lives and in our own churches as 421 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:41,280 evangelicals, we need this movement of God. 422 00:23:41,280 --> 00:23:43,440 We need this freshness of God's Spirit. 423 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:46,840 We need people to be raised up in the church with ministries 424 00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:51,520 and giftings and callings and abilities to let it all out and 425 00:23:51,520 --> 00:23:53,280 give it all for Jesus now. Amen. 426 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:58,480 I mean, what are we waiting for? Thanks for joining us on this 427 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:01,440 journey through Acts. On today's edition of Living 428 00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:04,840 Waters of Grace, Pastor Clark shares that one of the most 429 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:08,560 remarkable things about the book of Acts is how it shows the 430 00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:12,640 disciples transformation. The followers of Jesus we meet 431 00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:17,480 here are very different from the often confused and fearful 432 00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:21,280 disciples in the Gospels. After Jesus's death and 433 00:24:21,280 --> 00:24:24,640 resurrection, and especially through the power of the Holy 434 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:29,160 Spirit, the apostles experienced a profound change in their 435 00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:32,920 hearts and boldness. Their faith became unwavering, 436 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:36,840 and they moved forward with courage to spread the gospel 437 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:41,400 despite opposition and hardship. Acts reminds us that the same 438 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:46,320 Spirit who empowered them is at work in US today, shaping our 439 00:24:46,320 --> 00:24:49,920 hearts and giving us strength to live boldly for Christ. 440 00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:53,960 Living Waters of Grace is a ministry of Calvary Chapel 441 00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:56,800 Westmoreland. If you're in the Greensburg, PA 442 00:24:56,800 --> 00:25:02,080 area, we invite you to join us this Sunday at 10:30 AM at 400 E 443 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:04,320 Pittsburgh St. Unit 6B. 444 00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:09,480 Visit calvarychapelonline.com For more information where you 445 00:25:09,480 --> 00:25:13,920 can also join our e-mail list, submit prayer requests, give 446 00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:16,520 online and download our mobile app. 447 00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:20,720 If you are in the Greensburg area, you can listen to Grace FM 448 00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:25,360 on the new 91.7 frequency. Pray about helping support the 449 00:25:25,360 --> 00:25:28,360 new station that will reach thousands more listeners. 450 00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:35,760 Send gifts to Grace FMPO Box 716, Greensburg, PA 15601. 451 00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:39,000 If you can join us in person, you can subscribe to the Calvary 452 00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:42,720 Chapel Westmoreland YouTube channel so you'll be alerted 453 00:25:42,720 --> 00:25:44,720 when new material becomes available. 454 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:48,240 We're so grateful that you joined us today in Acts. 455 00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:51,320 TuneIn again soon for another edition of Living Waters of 456 00:25:51,320 --> 00:25:51,920 Grace.