Please take a seat open your Bibles to the book of Acts
chapter 19. We're kicking off from verse 8
as we finished verse 7, Paul kicks off again.
He's he's the man and it says and he went into the synagogue.
That's Paul spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and
persuading two different things concerning the things of the
Kingdom of God church. Don't forget Jesus told us how
to pray what to pray right our Father who art in heaven, right
hallowed be thy name then what thy Kingdom come, thy will be
done. The reason we're here, the
reason we, we gather tonight is to pray and to serve so that
God's Kingdom, which is coming, will come.
OK. And he spoke concerning the
things of the Kingdom of God. So Paul would have spoken about
the death and resurrection of Jesus, who Jesus is, He's the
Messiah that he rose from the dead, would have spoke about the
Holy Spirit. Paul, because he mentions here
the Kingdom of God, he would have spoke about the rapture.
He would have spoken about the tribulation and you would have
spoken about the millennial, millennial reign, the 1000
years, because that's all part of the Kingdom of God, and then
the second coming. But when some were hardened,
notice this and did not believe. Now you see, you got the
greatest preacher besides Jesus, his knowledge of the word of God
trained under the greatest rabbis in all of Israel and he's
teaching from the word of God under the power and influence of
the Holy Spirit. And notice some were hardened
and did not believe. This is this is where we
struggle. I know I struggle as a pastor.
I kind of wonder why. Why doesn't everyone believe,
you know, when churches are full on a on A at Easter or
Christmas, whatever. Why isn't that those who aren't
saved get saved because we have a free will.
We have a choice and our hearts can be hard soil.
We can hear and not obey. We can know it's the truth and
we can reject it. And so it says and did not
believe but spoke evil of the way.
The way is what the Christians were called.
They were called people of the way followers of the way before
the multitude. So what did Paul do you note
this. I think it's important he
departed from them sometimes, or Jesus tells us not to cast our
pearls before swine. Sometimes we can waste our time
with someone who's just simply not interested.
And this is the thing that you and I need to get wise and
discerning is this. Don't waste your time on someone
who's a block of wood hard heart, because there surely is
someone who we can spend time with who actually is a sponge
who wants to know. And that's where we need the
leading of the Holy Spirit. And So what does Paul do?
He says, I'm not going to just keep hearing bang on my head or
people say, no, I'm not interested.
Well, here, let's start again. I'm not interested, not
interested. He departed from them and notice
also what he did and he withdrew the disciples for those who
received Christ. He took them out because he's in
the synagogue. He said you guys, let's get out
of here, let's move reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus
and Tyrannus is not a dinosaur. If you go to Ephesus and how
long I have walked through the streets of Ephesus and we see
the library, there's a facade of the library in Ephesus because
Ephesus is a lot like Beth Shian in Israel.
It's it's the ruins you can walk through.
You can walk over the paving. It's as it is the paving is the
paving that Paul walked on. When you go to Emphasis in
Turkey, you see the library right next to it.
Then the guides will tell you the Turkish guides next to it.
Here was the school of Tyrannis. So you can actually go there
and, and walk in the place of Tyrannis was a teacher and he
allowed, he was one of those like the philosopher.
And so he would run his school and then they would have,
because it's very hot in that area, they would have like a
Spanish siesta. And at that time, Paul the
apostle was allowed to go into the hall of Tyrannis and he
would teach every day from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
And so people could gather from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
That's how long he taught. Each day people would gather,
receive Christ, and those people then went out and all the
churches began all throughout Asia.
It's said that most of the seven churches that are mentioned in
the Book of Revelation came from people influenced in this
teaching by Paul and Ephesus. I recommend if you ever get the
opportunity to go to Ephesus, there's no bombs there at the
moment. Also, you get the opportunity
when you go to emphasis see the school Tyrannis and we'll talk
about something else later that you'll see there.
But it's also where John and Mary lived.
Mary spent her last moments with John living in that area.
So it's a unique place and you can walk the very footsteps.
And this continued for two years, some say more than three,
up to three. So then all who dwelt in Asia
heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jew and Greek.
No TikTok, no Facebook, no radio stations.
It was as Chuck Smith used to say.
Here's what you do as a pastor. Feed the sheep and healthy
sheep, bigot, other healthy, healthy sheep feed the sheep.
And so the well fed sheep here from Ephesus went out all
through Asia. And notice the reaction.
All who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both
Jews and Greeks. It's often made me think, you
know, there is a time and a place for revival meetings and
crusades. Billy Graham showed us that.
But also I think the weight, the sheer weight of evangelism,
remember, sits with you and I healthy sheep telling other
healthy sheep. Now it says now God worked
unusual. Notice it says unusual.
Now a miracle is something that's out of the normal.
So here we got something else defining it.
God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul.
Now notice that sentence and notice this.
God worked the miracles. It wasn't Paul.
Today there would be a ministry of Paul the Apostle.
He's coming. Oh man, come and you let Paul,
Paul, Paul, Paul if he allowed it, but he wouldn't notice.
It's God who worked unusual miracles.
How by the hands of Paul and notice also it says so that even
handkerchief, that's an English word actually in the Greek it's
sweatbands. So as Paul, his whole time that
he's here in emphasis not taking any money, he is he is teaching
from 11:00 to 4:00 every day. And the rest of the time he is
labouring remember sewing and making tents and he worked
really hard that he sweat. So he's sweating because it's,
it's hot nepesis and he would toil away.
And so he would take his, his sweatband after he's been
working on canvas and pulling things, working gnarly hands and
everything. And, and then he'd Chuck the
sweatband down. Then he'd Chuck his, his apron
down that he'd used because he's working on this stuff.
And people would grab them and they, they just said, oh man,
I've got this, this Paul, you know, he teaches down there.
My mom's sick. I just put this on her and they,
it's from Paul. Oh well, Lord.
And So what happens here? Here's something you can't
explain it. God's not in the box.
God's doing it. It's unique.
It's not something they go, OK, next Sunday we're going to have
a whole pile of handkerchiefs and sweat bands here from the
pastors, and you can just take them and throw them on someone
who's sick and they go, that smells of sweat.
No, it's a point of contact and what was happening.
Remember, like it says in Peter's shadow passed over
people did that the stirring of the water and the pool so long
what's happened and it's like different times people can come
forward for prayer and and and and they're ready.
They, they had this, this touch of faith in their lives that
they think if I get that sweatband put on me from Paul,
Oh man, Lord. And so that as that point of
contact, certain people will go and, and God moves.
It's like some people you can play hands on and pray for them.
Nothing's happened. But some people come out and,
and, and, and, and they're already believing and the point
of contact. They, they, I'm ready, Lord,
bang. And it's got nothing to do with
the the person putting their hands on.
It's the point of contact. It's the woman.
Remember, if I could just touch the tassel of Jesus pressure,
she was ready because Jesus says, Oh, I I since virtue's
gone out of me, power's gone out of me because she was if I can,
if I can just touch, I know I'll be healed.
So there was that point of contact.
But Please note this, this is God working.
Can't put him in a box. It's not this is how we're going
to do it. We're all going to have
handkerchiefs, we're all going to have sweatpants.
We're all going to try and reach out and touch, touch someone as
they're going past. No.
And the diseases left them and notice evil spirits went out of
them. This is explain it.
No, you can't. This is God moving.
You know when you can explain what's happening, then it's
probably not God. It's God moving because you've
got to go. We don't know how this works.
To God be the glory. Then some of the itinerant
Jewish exorcists notice there's a this is a lead on to these
people. Wow, this is war.
What's going on here because Ephesus was like that took upon
themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who
had evil spirits. Why they're in business.
They were using the name of Jesus for their own self
promotion and funding, saying we exercise you by Jesus whom Paul
preaches. So also there were seven sons of
Skeeva, a Jewish chief priest who did so now when they did
this, notice what happens here and the evil spirit.
This would have been the first time for these guys who'd been,
you know, travelling around selling, you know, fake snake
oil stuff and doing oh, yeah, we're praying for you.
Oh, you're better now. Great.
Oh, cast this out. Cast out the, you know, cast out
that there was the demon, Demon of gluttony and the demon of
tiredness. You know, someone yawn.
Oh, demon of tiredness. No, I'm just tired.
Demon of gluttony? Well, let's put a lock on the
fridge because the demon of gluttony would just force me to
go to the fridge, you know? No, the evil spirit answered,
said Jesus. I know.
And note that James tells us that too.
The devil, the demons know who Jesus is.
How often would Jesus go? And the demons will go, Oh no,
no, don't cast this out yet. And Paul, I know that's
interesting, but who are you interesting When Jesus returns,
remember Matthew 7, that scary verse?
Lord, Lord, have we not done this in your name?
Jesus says, I don't even know who you are.
Oh, I, I've been in the ministry casting out demons.
I don't know who you are. Then the man in whom the evil
spirit was leapt on them, overpowered them and prevailed
against them and actually beat them up so that they fled out of
that house naked and wounded. Let me say this about demonic
works like this. Occasionally we've experienced
it and it's it's something that you don't go looking for.
It's something you only deal with when you are having to
confront it because it it is People take on the strength of
10 men. People do just amazing things.
And I often hear people carrying on and saying I do this and I do
that and you know, against the devil and I'm going hold it.
Let God do all that work. Keep on the other side of the
Lord. Keep the Lord between you and
anything else like this because unfortunately people are
attracted to this and they're going to be more and more
attracted to this sort of behaviour as we get closer to
the rapture because it's it's a show and it takes the attention
away from Christ, his and his salvation, his grace and his
peace. This became known both to all
Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus.
And notice what happened. Fear fell on them, and the name
of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And notice this verse 18 And
many who had believed. So people who received Christ in
Ephesus came confessing and telling their deeds.
Also many of those who had practised magic brought their
books together, burned them in the sight of all, and they
counted up the value of them, and it totalled 50,000 pieces of
silver. So the word of the Lord grew
mightily and prevailed. Now what's happened here is
Paul's been teaching about the Kingdom of God and we're going
to see it mentioned later. Paul said there's no such thing
as idols. You know, there's, you can't
worship idols. And what's happened is the Holy
Spirit has got hold of these people who have come to the Lord
and all of a sudden he's made them aware of, you know what
that thing I've had in my house, so that thing I've been
listening to or been being involved with is wrong.
It's not good. And I need to get that out of my
house. I need to remove that and have
nothing to do with that. It's like today, people can come
to church and they've read their horoscope before they come or
they've gone to a palm read. Oh, it's no big deal.
You know, God's with me. But I'll just, I'll just go and
check it out. Where are the holidays?
Get someone to read my palm or, or, or something like that.
And here's the deal. Jesus says, don't play with
fire. What?
And the question we have to ask ourselves in our lives, are
there things that perhaps we are holding onto or that we're
playing with? Because in Matthew 18-9, and
I'll read it to you, Jesus makes the statement.
He says Matthew 18. If your hand or your foot, verse
8 causes you to sin, cut it off, cast it from you.
It's better for you to enter into life lame or maimed rather
than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the
everlasting fire. If your eye causes you to sin,
block it out, cast it from you. It is better for you to enter
into life with one eye rather than having two eyes and to be
cast into hell fire. Now this is not literal.
Jesus doesn't tell you to attack your body.
But what he's saying is if there's areas of your life that
you're involved with that you that you deal with that you play
around with that cause you to send, for example, talking to a
man who had a problem with pornography and he he had his
problem with pornography was through the Internet.
So I said to him, this is this is how you fixed it.
You get off the Internet. If you're going to be on the
computer, you have it in the kitchen with your wife and
children so that they can see the screen as you know.
So I can't do that. I said, you're missing the
point. You got to deal with this.
You can't just oh, well, I'll be better at it.
No, you won't. No, you won't.
Jesus says cut it off. And so often as believers,
people kind of like, you know, you asked them off.
So what were you doing at the time?
Oh, well, I was, I was in this place where I probably shouldn't
have been hanging out with these people, where I shouldn't hang
out. I was doing this that I
shouldn't. And you go in my mind, I'm
thinking. Well, what do you expect?
You can't have a living, loving, powerful relationship with God
and be playing around with things that are causing you
harm. That's why these people, Paul,
didn't go, hey, everybody, go in your house and go through this,
go through that. No, people were convicted by the
Holy Spirit and they brought this out.
But it tells you just how bad Ephesus was.
It's said that Ephesus was the centre of Satanic worship.
Satan was he was in this place. Satan is not omnipresent, but
it's telling us by this Satan was at Ephesus.
But notice what happened when the people did this.
The word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.
People got serious about their walk with God.
You know, there are things that in my life, in and of
themselves, you may think, well, that's nothing really bad, But
God has convicted me about saying, Keith, you can't be
involved in that anymore because it makes you behave in the
flesh, it makes you carnal when you're involved with that.
So to me it's a bad thing. Now, when these things were
accomplished, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed
through Macedonia and Archaea to go to Jerusalem, saying, after
I've been there and here he mentions it because we're
entering a new section now of the Book of Acts.
He says, I got to go to Rome. Paul was going to go to Rome,
wasn't he? But he wasn't going to go to
Rome on a tram or a train. He was going to go as a
prisoner. So he sent into Macedonia two of
those administered to him, Timothy and Erastus.
But he himself stayed in Asia for a time, and he stayed there
because Paul was collecting an offering.
That's why he was going to Jerusalem.
He was gathering an offering from the Gentile churches, and
he was going to take it to the starving, impoverished church in
Jerusalem. And about that time there arose
a great commotion about the way for certain man named Demetrius,
A silversmith who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no
small profit to the Craftsman. They're making a killing on.
They sell on this stuff. He called them together with the
workers of similar occupations. So they're all all the people
that make the idols and said, man, you know that we have our
prosperity by this trait. This is how we make a living.
Moreover, you see in here that not only at Ephesus, but
throughout almost all Asia, they knew this.
Paul has persuaded and turn away many people saying that they are
not gods which are made with hands.
That's what Paul was preaching. So not only is this trade of
ours in danger of falling into disrepute.
It's funny that this this shonky tribe falling into danger of
disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may
be despised on her magnificence destroyed whom all Asia and the
world worship. Diana is also called Artemis.
Now, this great temple that was in Ephesus, this this idol was,
they believe, they believed it came from Jupiter or from Zeus.
It fell out of the sky. So it's probably a meteorite.
Then they carved this grotesque creature out of it.
And the temple of Diana was one of the seven wonders of the
world at that time. It was, it had 127 pillars
throughout this massive building.
And they were 60 feet high, these pillars holding up this
magnificent. Now, the thing about the grounds
of the Temple of Diana was this, it was also a treasury.
So all the banking and the trade of the world happened at Diana.
And if you're a criminal and you had done something harmful or
someone, if you went in and into the grounds of the Temple of
Diana, you couldn't be arrested. So it was a place where a lot of
really nice people hung out and it had all these priestesses who
used immorality as part of the worship of this place.
So it just tells you what sort of place Ephesus really was.
And so the whole city when they when they heard this, they were
full of anger and cried out saying great is Diana of the
Ephesians. So the whole city was filled
with confusion. Rust into the theatre and with 1
accord now the theatre holds 24,000 people and it's still
there. Hell and I have sat in this very
theatre, it's still you can go in.
It's like it was built yesterday in Ephesus and they said this
massive mob rush into the theatre.
Some therefore cried out no notice this.
Some therefore cried out one thing and some another.
Yes, no. Maybe what are we complaining
about? I don't know, but yes, no.
And it was just like it was just like that.
It's quite a comedy here. And so they whole city was
filled with confusion rushed in with 1 accord.
Having seen Skyast and Erastus Macedonians, Paul's travel
companions. When Paul wanted to go in, Paul
said I'll go and speak to them. So this is a it's not going to
Optus. And he said, yeah, I'll go man
24,000 man, I can I can bring the gospel here.
They said, no, you're not going in there.
And the disciples were not allowing.
Then some of the officials of Asia who were his friends sent
to him pleading that he would not venture into the theatre.
Some therefore cried one thing and some another for the
assembly was confused. What is God?
God is not the author of confusion.
So who's running this riot? It's Satan and most of them did
not notice this why they had gathered here.
Why are you here, Charlie? I don't know.
I thought there was free beer. I'm here to Well, isn't isn't
the football game on? No, I'm here to protest.
And they just didn't know what was going on.
And they drew Alexander out on the multitude and the Jews
putting him forward. And Alexander was a Jew and
Alexander motion with his hand wanted to make his defence to
the he's got nothing to do with the Jews here.
But when they found out that he was a Jew, they all with one
voice said no, get rid of it, get rid of him, get rid of him.
So he wasn't popular at the moment.
So the big hook came out on the stage and dragged him off and
they for two hours shouted great as Diana of the Ephesians.
And when the city clerk kind of like the CEO chief executive
officers better thing of the city had quieted the crowd.
He said, Men of Ephesus, what man is there does not know that
the city of the Ephesians is a temple guardian of the great
goddess Diana. And the image which fell down
from Zeus, notice so that tells us it is pretty much a
meteorite. Therefore, since these things
cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet.
Do nothing rashly, for you've brought these men here, who are
neither robbers of temples. Notice this, nor blasphemers of
your goddess. And I, I, I, I note that so
often what we do as Christians, we want to run down and people,
you know, you think, oh, there's nothing wrong with that.
Run down other religions and things like that, fine.
But I find here kind of like a correcting path here to say,
hey, don't worry about all the others mob.
This is what you ought to do preach repentance, salvation,
Kingdom of God, Jesus death on the cross, Christ crucified.
That's Paul said, I've come to bring you nothing else but
Christ crucified sometimes. And I remember at a a pastors
conference and some people when when the abortion thing was
really up in arms throughout America and churches were going
down and protesting at the front of these places.
And and and one of the Calvary Chapel pastors from San Diego,
Mike McIntosh, he said, people were ringing me up and say we
don't see any Calvary Chapel people coming down and
protesting with what's going on. What you are you pro abortion?
He said, no, no, no, we pray against abortion.
And they actually ran a whole ministry, I forget, called the
the House of Ruth, where pregnant women could come to the
church and they would assist them in their pregnancy.
And so they wouldn't have bought that.
And then they would either look after the child and the mother
or that they would do make sure that the child went through the
full term, was born and they had the House of Ruth.
That's how they ran it. But he says, and I never
forgotten him saying this, he says, if ever I'm to be
arrested, there's only one thing I'm to be arrested for and
that's preaching the gospel. And you know, sometimes we can
get into a hobby horse and we, why aren't you enjoying that?
Well, you're not, you're not as Christian as we are.
And you, you pick up the fence. You're not pick up the fence.
You have your, you pick it up, you sign.
And no, no, let's get it straight.
Chuck Smith said, how do you, how do you show what's a crooked
stick? Simple.
You lay a straight stick next to it.
That's what you and I do. I remember as a new believer
going through Bible college or going through Bible college and
I and I'd run after the Jehovah Witnesses, I'd run after the
Mormons and I'd say, hey, you guys, you know, you're preaching
false this. And I chase after them and want
to argue about, you know, this and that.
Can't argue with them because they just say black, white,
white, black, black and you know, it's all this and they
just ran around around the circle and I realised I'm
wasting my time. What I've got to do is I've got
to know the truth. I've got to know the Bible and
that in season and out of season, if someone asks me, tell
me how do I get saved? Who is Jesus?
I share the gospel. Sometimes we can and I know I
got I was really into that and I just, I'm doing stuff and God's
going, what are you doing over there?
How about spending time with me? How about getting to know more
about me? How about doing what I want you
to do instead of what you think's a good idea?
And so sometimes I think we waste so much energy and effort
in doing things we think's a good idea and everyone else
should be doing it. And God says I don't care about
that. I care about the person that you
walk past or buy a coffee or for the checkout person and that I'm
going to turn the light on that person one day when you were
there and they're going to ask you, did you go to, do you go to
church? What do you think?
And that's when you're going to be turned on.
That's when you're to minister. And so here it says, therefore,
since these things cannot be denied, for you've brought these
men verse 37 here, who are near the robbers of temples, no
blasphemers of begot us. Therefore, if Demetrius and his
fellow Craftsman have a case against anyone, hey, go to the
courts, there's a court, go to the magistrate, get us sorted.
But if you have any other enquiry to make, it shall be
determined in the lawful assembly, not in this great riot
that's going on. Why?
And here's the thing behind it, verse 40 For we are in danger of
being called in question for today's uproar.
Here's the deal. Ephesus was a free ruling Roman
colony. Go about Ryan's not going to
bother with you. Everything good, But you have a
riot there and Ryan's going. What's going on?
That's right down there. You know what?
We're coming in. We're going to take over.
We're going to settle the place and we'll run the show.
And that's what he's saying. Be careful.
We, we don't want to go back to oppression.
We have free reign here. We've been given freedom and
licence by Rome. Let's let's be wise here because
it says there being no reason that we may give to account for
this disorderly gathering. And when he had said these
things, he dismissed the assembly going out of time.
Finish on this one thing. Often we complain about being
persecuted, we complain about our government.
It's anti Christian. It is isn't it?
We complain about our local government and everything else
like that. Here's the deal, we should be
thankful that they are. Why?
Because the moment the government says you mop, you're
all good. You know what happens?
We lose all power and the church stops growing.
The church.