SERMON: APPROACHING THE FINISH LINE (ACTS 20:17-38)

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Acts 20:17-24

 

Acts 20:17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

 

22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

 

      -- I’m sure everyone here is familiar with the story of the Lord of the Rings – as you remember, four hobbits have been tasked to leave their home in the Shire to carry the One Ring to be destroyed in the fires of Mordor in order to destroy the power of the evil Sauron, who threatens the entire world

      -- so, for the first time in their lives, these four hobbits leave home – they leave their familiar surroundings – they step out of their comfort zones and into the unknown – and find themselves in the middle of an amazing journey that they share with wizards, warriors, dwarves, and elves

      – this is so far from what they have known – this is so different from anything they ever imagined – they find the world much more vast – much more good – and much more evil – than they ever imagined

      -- as the story progresses and the four hobbits find themselves in the middle of this great quest -- as they are yet confronted with more difficulties in their struggle against the evil of their day -- the hobbit Sam Gamgee turns to his friend Frodo and asks, "What sort of tale have we fallen into?"

 

      -- that question has been on my mind from the very first moment that I read these books – “What sort of tale have we fallen into?”

      -- in that question, Tolkien opened our eyes to the truth that we are here for a reason – our lives are part of a bigger whole – we find ourselves in the midst of a great story that started in the Garden of Eden – and that continues to this day and beyond

      -- it is the ultimate story of good versus evil – of redemption and renewal and rescue from the evil of sin and death that stalks all of us

      -- and it is a story that we are not just reading, but that we are part of

 

      -- the Apostle Paul was certainly mindful of that – and as we turn now to the end of his third missionary journey, we see him looking back on the roads that he has traveled and remembering the people who journeyed with him – the adventures they had – the success and the hardships they enjoyed as they shared the gospel with so many people -- and we see him looking ahead towards the end – as the finish line of his part of the story is almost in sight

      -- this morning, we are finishing up the third major part of our study in the Book of Acts – we began this study with Part I -- “A New Hope – the Beginning of the Church of Christ on Earth” – which covered Acts 1 through Acts 8 – it was in this section that we learned of Christ’s mandate to the church in Acts 1:8 to carry the gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth – and we saw how the coming of the Holy Spirit empowered the early Christians with a bold message, bold prayers, and bold hearts

      -- the Second Part was called, “Unexpected Gospel Growth,” which covered Acts 8 through 12 – in this second part, we learned that the term unexpected growth did not only apply to growth in numbers, as we saw the church begin to grow with more and more people coming to faith in Jesus -- but also that the growth in the early church was unexpected in terms of who responded to the gospel – it was in this section that we saw the first Gentiles come to a saving knowledge of Christ, to the astonishment of Peter and the other leaders of the church, who initially thought that salvation was only for the Jews

      -- in this third section of our study in the Book of Acts – “The Mission Continues” – which covers Acts 13 through 21 – the focus of the Book of Acts is on Paul and his missionary journeys throughout the Roman Empire, as he finds himself in the midst of a sweeping story to share the good news of Jesus to the very ends of the earth

 

II.  Scripture Lesson – Acts 20:17-38

-- as this passage in Acts 20 opens, Paul knows his time on earth is short – his journey is coming to an end

-- the Spirit has told him he would face prison and hardships on this journey -- his very death has been prophesied -- but still he is faithful and turns his face towards the finish line and the end of his part in this story of salvation and evangelism -- pressing on to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus Christ had given him

 

-- last week, we left Paul in Ephesus, as he spent a considerable amount of time ministering in the local church there – strengthening their faith and encouraging them as they began their own journey with Christ

-- Paul was forced to leave Ephesus because his teaching incited a riot among the silversmiths and other tradesmen who made household idols for pagan worshipers – as the church in Ephesus grew and the people turned to the truth of the gospel, fewer people were buying these idols – and the idol-makers were afraid that their livelihood was threatened

-- so, after the uproar ended, Paul left Ephesus and traveled through Macedonia, finally arriving in Greece, where he stayed three months – he originally planned to sail from Greece back to Syria, but he heard of a plot against his life from the Jews – so, he changed his plans and traveled back on foot through Macedonia until he reached Philippi – he sailed from Philippi to Troas – and then continued to travel down the coast by ship – ending up in the city of Miletus, on the western coast of present-day Turkey

-- which brings us to Acts 20:17 – let’s turn there again and look at this passage together and see what we can learn from Paul as he meets with the elders from the church of Ephesus and shares with them his thoughts on this amazing journey of faith that is now coming to an end

 

-- Acts 20:17-21

 

Acts 20:17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

 

 

            -- as his ship stops at the port of Miletus, Paul calls for his friends, the elders from the church of Ephesus, to meet with him there on the shore – Paul had intentionally not gone back to Ephesus, because he was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem – and he knew that if he went to Ephesus, he wouldn’t be able to leave quickly – for his heart was with the people in that church

-- instead, he called for the elders to come meet him -- and when they arrive, they gather around him – all of them know the truth of the matter – they are aware that Paul’s time is short – and they know that this will be the last time they will see each other on earth

-- their tears begin to flow -- they share remembrances of their life together -- they talk about the success of the church and Paul's hope for their future

            -- he encourages them to stand firm in the future -- and he reminds them of the example he has given through his own life of faith -- from the very beginning, Paul's courage to persevere in the face of difficulty was evident – and he reminds them that this was not of himself, but from the very power of God through the Holy Spirit

            -- Paul had stood up in the face of persecution from his fellow Jews -- both from within and from outside the church of Christ -- he had stood against the heresies of the Judaizers -- Jewish converts who demanded the Gentiles become Jews if they would seek salvation through Christ -- in the face of their demands of the Gentiles, Paul had boldly stood up and said, "No, salvation is by grace through faith alone -- not by works, lest any man should boast" -- Christianity was not Jesus plus Judaism, but Jesus alone

 

            -- Paul's stand against them is a reminder that the opposite of courage is not cowardice, but conformance -- and sometimes courage is simply the ability to lean into your wisdom and do something different -- to stand against the traditions of religion and what the world says is the right way in order to uphold the true doctrines of faith

            -- Paul had never wavered in his faith when confronted with the schemes and the plots of the Jews against his life, but continued to serve God in the face of floggings and imprisonment and stoning -- through shipwrecks and hardship -- through trials and defeats

            -- Paul reminds us here that courage does not necessarily mean you will be successful in all your endeavors – but that true courage can be seen when you continue on and press forward in faith – trusting in the Spirit to empower you to keep on doing what you know to be right despite what adversities come your way

            -- Paul tells the Ephesian elders that he did not hesitate to preach anything that would be helpful -- but that he declared to both the Jews and the Greeks the true gospel of Christ – that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in the Lord Jesus – Paul’s example to the elders and to us is that courage can be as simple as being obedient to God's word in a Christ-rejecting world while we walk with Him on this amazing journey to which we have been called

 

            -- verse 22-24

 

Acts 20:22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

 

            -- throughout his journey with Christ, Paul displayed faith and trust and courage, because he knew that God was with him – even now, as he was headed to Jerusalem, he knew that prison and hardship was ahead – but, he tells the elders, this is nothing to me – the important thing is to be faithful to the gospel – to finish the race – and to complete the task the Lord Jesus has given to me

            -- In John 16:33 Jesus told his disciples, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart -- have courage -- I have overcome the world." -- as Bill Gothard wrote, courage is "acting on the knowledge that He who is in me is greater than he who is against me."

            -- Paul tells us it was the Holy Spirit Himself who compelled him to go on into the unknown at Jerusalem -- Paul could face the future unafraid because he knew God was with him and he knew God was greater than anything and anyone he was going to face – and he knew why God had called him – he knew his purpose and his mission on earth

            -- the whole point that Paul is trying to get across to the elders and to us is that we are here for a reason – our existence in this place is not the result of coincidence or chance – but we have been put into the midst of this great story of faith so that we might fulfill the purpose for which God calls us

            -- Paul says, “I know why I was called – I was faithful to the end – and you must do the same”

           

            -- verse 25-31

 

Acts 20:25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

      -- in his books, John Eldredge points out that our favorite stories all revolve around three eternal truths – truths that God has written on our hearts – truths that have propelled people of faith forward since the Garden of Eden

      -- the first eternal truth is that things are not what they seem -- there is more going on than meets the eye

      -- the hero of the story is always living just an ordinary life -- just caught up in day-to-day living of life -- totally unaware of anything but simply making it through their day

      -- but then, the second eternal truth comes into play -- the hero is made aware that there is some great battle or quest or struggle underway

      -- and then they are told of the third eternal truth -- they have a crucial role to play in this battle or quest

 

      -- that is the truth that Paul is trying to get across to the elders of Ephesus – that is the truth that we see written for us in the stories of faith in the Book of Acts

      -- if we will just open our spiritual eyes – if we will look at this world through eyes of faith – then we will come to realize that things not what they seem – that there is more going on in this world – that there is more at stake in this world – than what we see on the surface

      -- and that we are not who we think we are – but that we are something more – that we are the people of God – washed in the blood of Christ and called to be part of something greater than ourselves – empowered by the very presence of God through the Holy Spirit

      -- and called to go forth on this amazing adventure of faith to carry the good news of Christ to the ends of the earth – so that others might know of the grace that brings forgiveness from sin and eternal life

 

      -- that is the message that Paul is trying to get the elders to grasp here – that is the message that we need to take to heart – Sam Gamgee figured it out when he asked Frodo, “What sort of tale have we fallen into?” – the answer to that question is given to us here in the Book of Acts

      -- we see it in the life of the Apostle Paul – and as his part in the story comes to an end, he is passing on the flame of faith to the elders at Ephesus and to us – and we must go forward in the name of Christ as His church in this place – serving and ministering to the world around us – as we continue on in the journey that began in the Garden of Eden

 

      -- Paul says here that he has fulfilled what the Lord had called him to do – he had not hesitated to proclaim to them the whole will of God – and now he challenges them to do the same – to keep watch over themselves and the church that that the Holy Spirit has given them to oversee

      -- he tells them that his part in the story is over – and now their part is beginning – they are to shepherd and lead the church – to protect them from those who will try to come in and harm the sheep – to keep them safe from false teachers and false teachings – to stand up against persecution from the religious people and from the Government – to be faithful and to continue on in their own journeys of faith, just as Paul had been faithful in his to the end

 

      -- verse 32-35

 

Acts 20:32 “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

 

      -- for several years, Paul had stood as the leader and shepherd of the church at Ephesus – he had founded the church – he had ministered to the people – he had shared the gospel with them and strengthened them in their faith

 

      -- but now, it is time for the elders to assume this role in full – so, he commits them to God and to the word of His grace – in essence, Paul is placing them in God’s hands – and he is telling them to trust in God and His Spirit – because it is God who will continue to build them up and strengthen their faith – it is God who will give them the ability to minister and lead the people – it is God who will lead them through sanctification to help them become more and more like Jesus every day

      -- Paul tells them to rely on God as he did – reminding them that he never asked for anything from them – he never took silver or gold or anything else from them – but that he trusted God to meet all his needs and to supply all his requirements as he poured himself out for them – and they are to do the same as they step into his shoes to lead the people in the church at Ephesus

 

      -- verse 36-38

 

Acts 20:36 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

 

      -- when Paul was finished speaking – when he had given his challenge and passed on the mantle of leadership to these elders and committed them to their journey of faith – he knelt down and prayed for them

      -- it was a moving moment for the church – and the elders embraced him and poured out their love on him as they accompanied him to the ship that would take him to his final destination – knowing that they would never see him again – but trusting that God would be with Paul, wherever his journey may take him

 

III.  Closing

      -- so, what are we to take from this last moving experience of Paul at the end of his third and final missionary journey?  -- quite simply, it is this

 

      -- we may think that we are just living ordinary humdrum lives, but we need to be aware that things are not what they seem – we are not what we seem – in fact, we are just like the Apostle Paul and all of the others we read about here in the Book of Acts

      -- we are in the middle of a great quest -- a grand epic battle -- a struggle between good and evil -- that is being played out around us every single day

      -- and God is reminding us that we are part of this story -- we have a role to play -- we have a purpose – each and every one of us – we have all been gifted by the Spirit in different ways, so that we can reach and minister to different people along the way

      -- our calling – our purpose – our mission – is the same one that Paul shares with the Ephesian elders in this passage – as members of Christ’s church – as His hands and feet and lips in this world today – we are to go out into the world and to help others see the truth -- to show them the light -- and to point them to the life that can come only through Jesus

 

      -- but as we see in Paul’s life – as we see in the lives of the many heroes of faith who have gone before us – know that this journey will not be easy -- there will be trials and struggles along the way -- roadblocks and detours and danger mixed in with the joy and the happiness

      -- “what sort of tale do we find ourselves in?” – it is a tale of faith and courage and perseverance – and as we travel along this journey, we will be confronted with conflicts and challenges – with familiar friends and new characters who come into our lives for a reason – because they are part of our story, too

 

      -- you know that waitress who was so busy she couldn't bring you a refill when you asked? -- you know that cashier who was rude to you the other day in the store? -- you know that person who cut you off while driving to work? -- you know that student that looks to you for help and support? -- you know that lady who comes up to you in the parking lot asking for money to buy gas?

      -- they're all part of this story, too -- they're the reason for the story – they are the whole point of the story – because the Bible tells us that an evil enemy is after them – he is trying to steal away their joy -- to destroy their hope -- to kill their eternal life

      -- and he will do whatever he can to keep you from pointing them to the truth -- from pointing them to life -- from pointing them to Jesus

 

      -- we don't have any idea where our story will take us -- we don't have any idea who we will meet along the way or what adventures we will have

      -- but we know our mission -- we know our calling -- we know why we are running this race – we are reminded of this in Paul’s farewell address to the elders of the church of Ephesus

      -- we are called to love the Lord our God with all our heart and all our soul and all our mind -- we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves -- and we are called to go and make disciples of the whole world, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that Jesus taught us

      -- and we know what our reward is at the end of the race -- eternal life with Jesus in Heaven

 

      -- the Apostle Paul has given us a model to follow – from the moment of his dramatic conversion to faith in Jesus on the Road to Damascus through his three missionary journeys, Paul has been a faithful witness for the Lord

      -- he has run his race with faith, putting his whole trust in the Lord Jesus – who empowered him and protected him through the Holy Spirit

      -- and now we are to follow his example – to follow his footsteps – to take up our cross – and to follow Jesus on this great adventure of faith – not knowing where He might lead – but trusting in Him to help us accomplish our calling and our purpose in Him – as we press forward to the end – eternal life with Him forever

 

      -- so, with that challenge before us, let us come together now in prayer to commit ourselves to God – let’s ask that He would build us up and strengthen our faith – and that He would lead us on this amazing journey to which He has called us

      -- let us pray

 

SERMON: FINDING JESUS -- KNOWING JESUS VERSUS KNOWING ABOUT JESUS (Acts 18-19)

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Acts 18:23-26

 

Acts 18:23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

 

24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

 

            -- one day this church was having a baptismal service down at the baptizing hole in the river -- an old drunk was wandering by and saw the preacher standing out in the water and waded out and stood beside him -- the preacher looked over and saw the drunk standing there and asked, "Are you ready to find Jesus?" -- the drunk said, "Yes" -- so the preacher grabbed him and plunged him under the water

            -- the drunk came up from the water and the preacher asked him, "Have you found Jesus?" -- the drunk said, "No" -- so the preacher plunged him back under again -- he brought him back up and asked him again, "Have you found Jesus?" -- the drunk answered again, "No"

            -- thoroughly disgusted by this time, the minister grabbed the drunk, plunged him under the water, and held him there for a good thirty seconds -- the drunk came back up, gasping for air, spitting and sputtering -- the preacher yelled at the drunk this time, "Have you found Jesus?" -- the drunk replied, "No, but before you put me back under again, are you sure this is where He fell in?"

 

            -- today’s theme is all about finding Jesus – specifically, we see this passage revolving around the question – do you know Jesus or do you just know about Him?

            -- and that is a good question for all of us to consider in our own lives – first, it speaks to salvation – for as we will see, there is a vast difference between knowing Jesus and knowing about Jesus – but it also speaks to living our Christian life in the world today – Christians can be functionally atheists – and what I mean by that is that we can be believers in Christ – we can be washed in the blood and saved by grace through faith in Jesus – but we live our lives completely without the presence of Jesus

            -- and what this looks like in practice is coming to church and Bible study – listening to podcasts and YouTube videos – listening to sermons and teaching on the radio – and taking in all of this information about Jesus and intellectually accepting all that we hear – but doing nothing with it

            -- Christian atheists – Jesus in our hearts and heads – but not in our hands and feet – even though we know Jesus, we live our lives without Him

            -- hopefully, by the time we get done looking at today’s passages, we will have a better understanding on this topic and make a commitment to quit living like atheists and to start living like the blood-bought saints that we are – because, honestly, that’s the whole point of this sermon series in the Book of Acts

            -- if you come away from this series just knowing more about the New Testament church and the journeys of the Apostle Paul and nothing else, then we have failed in what the Spirit wants us to do – because true Christianity is living out what we know in our lives – letting the Spirit empower us to go and do and be who we are called to be in Christ

            -- so, with that, let’s look now at Acts 18 and 19 and see what we can learn about the difference between knowing Jesus and knowing about Jesus

 

II.  Scripture Lesson

            -- here in Acts 18, we see Paul’s second missionary journey with Silas come to an end – when we left off last week, Paul was alone in the city of Athens, trying to convince the learned men of the Areopagus about the truth of the gospel and how Jesus’ death and resurrection made the forgiveness of sins and eternal life a reality for all believers

            -- Paul left Athens and traveled to Corinth, where he first meets Aquila and Priscilla – fellow believers who are instrumental in mentoring and discipling other believers during their travels

            -- Paul stayed with Aquila and Priscilla in Corinth for a while, working with them in their tent-making trade and preaching and teaching on the side – when Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul spent more time preaching and teaching in the city of Corinth than before – and once again, we see opposition from the Jews against Paul and the gospel

            -- Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla left Corinth and sailed for Syria, making their way to Ephesus – the group split at this point, with Paul continuing on with Silas and Timothy to Jerusalem to fulfill a vow to the Lord and then back to Antioch, his home church

            -- and thus ended the second missionary journey of Paul

 

            -- which brings us to Acts 18:23 – look down at that again with me

 

Acts 18:23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

 

 

            -- so, after some time in Antioch, Paul felt a calling to go back to visit the churches throughout Galatia and Phrygia – staying for a while in cities such as Pisidian Antioch, Colossae, and Laodicea – where he preached and taught the believers and strengthened the fledgling churches

            -- before we move on to the heart of the passages for today, let me point out something here – we tend to think of Paul as a traveling evangelist – and he was – but he was more than that

 

            -- just this week, I was driving past a couple of churches that were announcing they were having summer revivals with guest evangelists coming in to speak

– the evangelists in our day are not like Paul – they come to a church – they preach and teach for a few days – at most, a week – and then they move on – Billy Graham did the same in his crusades – he never stayed more than a week or two in any one city

-- but that was not what Paul did – Paul was more than an evangelist – he was also a church planter, a mentor, and a guide – he didn’t just come into a city, preach and teach for a week, and leave – but he spent weeks and months – in some cases, like in Ephesus, Paul stayed for two years with the church there – leading them and guiding them as they built up their congregation and began worshiping together as new believers in Christ

-- so, don’t get the impression that Paul was just moving quickly from city to city – in some cases, he had to leave quickly, but that was a result of persecution – not choice – and even when he was forced to leave, such as the case in Lystra and Corinth, he always came back to strengthen the churches and to encourage them through his presence, his teaching and his preaching

            -- so, after spending some time in Antioch as part of his home church again, Paul set out to visit the churches in all the cities that he had been in – this time, it seems as if he’s traveling alone – perhaps Timothy was with him – Luke, certainly – but there is not a Barnabas or Silas with him – the leading force is Paul, driven and directed by the Holy Spirit, as we have discussed earlier in this series

 

            -- verse 24-26

 

Acts 18:24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

 

            -- Apollos was an exceptionally brilliant young man – he was a native of Alexandria, in northern Africa on the Mediterranean Sea – where the Great Library of Alexandria – one of the Seven Wonders of the World – was located

            -- Alexandria was similar to Athens and it drew scholars and philosophers to the area – with major schools and universities there to educate the best and brightest – Apollos was one of those

            -- he showed up in Ephesus and began speaking to the Jews and the Gentiles there about Jesus – his logic – his reasoning – his education – was flawless -- he spoke boldly in the synagogue and impressed everyone with his teachings – proving, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Jesus was the long-awaited for Messiah

             -- one day, Priscilla and Aquila were in the synagogue as Apollos spoke about Jesus – and although they were only uneducated tent-makers – they knew more than Apollos did about the gospel of Christ – because they knew Jesus, while Apollos only knew about Him

            -- when they heard him speak, they quickly realized this – there’s a big difference in someone talking about a subject that they have learned about in books and between someone talking about a subject that they know because they have experienced it and done it for themselves

 

            -- I’m working with a lot of younger people now – younger meaning they’re in their thirties and forties – makes me feel older every single day

            -- and one of the things that just drives me crazy is when these younger folks start lecturing us and trying to teach me and the other guys my age about things that we lived through

            -- do you realize that we are coming up on the 25^th anniversary of 9-11? – 25 years ago – that’s just hard to fathom

            -- we had a Commander’s Call a few weeks back, and the Commander asked how many of the people there were not alive when 9-11 happened – a good quarter of the crowd raised their hands

            -- and while my coworkers were old enough to have been alive when 9-11 happened, they were in grade school – a couple were in kindergarten – and we were discussing 9-11 and they said, “Well, actually, this is what happened…” and they proceeded to tell us older workers all about the events of 9-11

            -- we just looked at each other – we lived 9-11 – we were all on the military base when it happened – we experienced the uncertainty and the chaos of that moment when the plane hit that first tower – we watched it in real time – and we were part of the initial reaction to that event when we realized this was not an accident, but a terrorist event

            -- the base completely shut down – gates were locked – we were restricted in our movements – they weren’t letting anyone in or out of the buildings or the gates – we lived in that moment of panic

            -- but yet our younger coworkers were explaining the events to us – they knew about them because they had been taught about 9-11 in school – but we knew 9-11, because we experienced it for ourselves

            -- that’s what going on here in this passage – when you read that Priscilla and Aquila listened to Apollos speak and then invited him to their home, it’s because they realized that Apollos might know a lot about Jesus, but he didn’t know Jesus

            -- and so, they took him home with them and, as Luke terms it so eloquently here, “explained to him the way of God more adequately”

            -- they connected the dots for Apollos – they opened his eyes to the truth of Jesus – not just words on a page or evidence of prophecies fulfilled – but the living Christ and His very Spirit who was sent to indwell believers

            -- Apollos knew about Jesus, but he didn’t know Jesus, until Priscilla and Aquila explained it to him and helped him become a true believer in Jesus for salvation and eternal life

            -- when the head and the heart connected and Apollos became a true believer, he became a tireless evangelist and teacher of the gospel – he left Ephesus and went on to Achaia – primarily, the city of Corinth – where he continued to debate the same Jews who earlier had pushed back against Paul when he preached in the synagogue there

 

            -- like I said earlier, the first issue with knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus concerns our salvation

– Apollos – for all his learning and ability to teach others about Jesus – hadn’t put his faith and trust in Jesus for salvation – it was only after Priscilla and Aquila sat down and explained the gospel to him that Apollos became a believer

 

            -- the same is true for the people in our next passage – look over at Acts 19:1-6

 

Acts 19:1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

 

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

 

3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

 

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

 

4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

 

            -- Paul is in the midst of his third missionary journey – he has been traveling throughout the regions of Galatia and Phrygia and comes once again to Ephesus – just as a note, Paul spent more time in Ephesus that he did any other city – and that’s one reason why his letter to the Ephesians is so theologically robust and instructional – because he had time to mentor and teach and guide them deeper in their faith during his long stays with them

            -- Antioch might have been his home church – but his heart was with the people of Ephesus

            -- but this is earlier in his journey, and when Paul makes his way back to Ephesus to strengthen the church there, he finds a group of people there who tell him they are Christians, but he quickly discerns that they are not

            -- remember, for someone who knows Jesus, it is always easy to tell is someone is a true believer or just knows about Jesus – in the same way Priscilla and Aquila could tell Apollos wasn’t quite there yet – in the same way, we know when new believers just haven’t matured to the point of fully knowing Jesus in the same way as someone who has walked with Him for years

 

            -- when Paul meets these folks, he realizes something is off – he can sense they are Christians in Name Only – and so he asks them, “did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” – and they reply, “No – we didn’t even know there was a Holy Spirit”

            -- evidently, they had heard the gospel preached and the Spirit had convicted them of their sins – they felt the call to respond – to repent of their sins – and that was all they did

            -- they were baptized as a sign of repentance only – not in the baptism that Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:18-20, when He told us to baptize disciples in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

            -- we’ve talked about this before – but to bring this point out again, there is a difference between John’s baptism and Christian baptism – John’s baptism was a symbolic practice to illustrate the washing away of sins in preparation for receiving the coming Messiah

            -- Christian baptism is more than that – it is when a person has put their faith and trust in Jesus for salvation and eternal life – and it symbolizes dying to our old self – dying to sin – dying to our sin nature – and rising again to new life in Jesus, just as He rose from the dead victorious over sin and death

            -- as we have discussed before, water baptism is an outward sign of an inward grace – and when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are baptized spiritually with His presence and indwelt with the Holy Spirit

            -- these disciples had not put their faith and trust in Jesus in this way – they had only been baptized as a sign of repentance, not as a sign of their belief in Jesus and His death and resurrection – not as a sign of the inward baptism of the Spirit – and so, they didn’t know Jesus – they only knew about Jesus

            -- Paul realized this – and even though the text doesn’t expand on this, I believe Paul probably gave them detailed guidance in what it means to be saved by grace through faith in Jesus – we read here that he placed his hands on them and prayed for the Holy Spirit to indwell them – and the Spirit came in power upon these men

            -- they spoke in tongues and prophesied as they were changed from who they were into new creations in Christ – there is a difference in knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus, especially when it comes to salvation

 

            -- we transition now into the difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus in regards to actually living out our faith by being His hands and feet

 

            -- skip down to verse 13-16

 

Acts 19:13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

 

            -- this has always been a fascinating story to me, for several reasons – not the least of that there is a real spiritual world around us, and we need to be aware of it and we need to approach it with caution – especially, if we only know about Jesus and don’t know Jesus in a real and personal way

            -- as Scripture says, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread” – and we see a bunch of fools in this passage

            -- Paul and Peter and the other apostles and disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit to the point where miracles were part of their daily lives – we read in verses 11 and 12 here that God did extraordinary miracles through Paul – to the point where just taking handkerchiefs and aprons that Paul had touched were able to bring healing to the sick and cast evil spirits out of them – but note here that it was God doing this through Paul – it wasn’t Paul doing it on his own

            -- but many people saw those miracles – and while some were drawn to the cross and salvation as a result, others simply sought the power and prestige that being able to do miracles like this afforded – very similar to Simon the sorcerer from Acts Chapter 8, who tried to pay the Apostle Peter for the ability to lay hands on someone and give them the Holy Spirit

 

            -- in this case, seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, had seen Paul and the other disciples casting out evil spirits through the power of Christ – they thought they understood the process – that if they said the right words and did the right things, then miracles would happen and evil spirits would obey them – that’s because they only knew about Jesus, they didn’t know Jesus or His Spirit

            -- one day, these seven sons of Sceva – which, by the way, would be a great name for a Christian worship group – came across a person possessed by an evil spirit – relying on their knowledge of Jesus alone and the example of Paul, they commanded the evil spirit to leave that person by saying, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out”

            -- and honestly, I can’t think of a better response than the one the demon gives – “Jesus, I know.  And Paul, I know.  But who are you?” – and the evil spirit had the man jump on them and beat them to the point where they ran out of the house naked and bleeding

 

            -- it’s not about what you know – it’s about Who you know – and these sons of Sceva thought they could command spirits simply because they had head knowledge of Jesus – it doesn’t work that way

            -- we cannot be the people that Christ is calling us to be apart from His Spirit and His power and presence in us – we can go to Bible study after Bible study – we can listen to podcast after podcast and sermon after sermon – we can watch videos of people ministering and doing great things for Jesus across the globe – but that won’t empower us to do anything on our own

            -- there’s more to Christianity than just knowing about Jesus, as the sons of Sceva found out – and there’s more to living out a life for Christ than just knowing the truth of the Bible and the truth of the gospel and not letting God do anything in us or through us

            -- like I said, a lot of Christians live life today like atheists – we proclaim that we know Jesus – and we may know Jesus – but then we try to go out and do life in our own strength – relying on our knowledge and our skills and our abilities rather than the power of the Spirit within us

            -- we may wrap our ministries and our efforts in the name of Jesus, but if we’re not putting our faith and our trust in the Spirit to work in us and through us to accomplish God’s will, then we are doing exactly what the sons of Sceva are doing here

            -- verse 11 confirms that it was God who did the extraordinary miracles through Paul – it wasn’t because Paul knew a lot or had a lot of knowledge and skill from his former training as a Pharisee – it was because Paul humbled himself and allowed God to work in him and through him

            -- and we must do the same – that is the difference between living life as if we just know about God and living life knowing God and allowing Him to use us in His plans and as He wills

 

            -- verse 17-20

 

Acts 19:17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.

 

            -- back in the day, there was a show on MTV called, “The Real World” – it was one of the first reality shows on TV, and it opened up with this tag line:

 

"This is the true story... of seven strangers, picked to live in a house, work together, and have their lives taped... to find out what happens... when people stop being polite... and start getting real."

 

            -- what we are seeing in this final passage for today is what happens when Christians stop living their lives just knowing about Jesus and start getting real by changing how they live so that they live their lives as if they know Jesus

            -- let me give you another example – football season is right upon us – all summer, these teams have been practicing and learning about football – about the basics of football – about the plays – about how to come together and play as a team

            -- but at some point, they have to get off the practice field – they have to get off the bench and out of the huddle and turn what they know about football into something real – they have to go and snap the ball and put what they have learned and practiced into motion

            -- that is what is happening in these verses

 

            -- everybody knew what happened to these sons of Sceva – and it shook them – and it scared them – and they realized, “Hey, we’ve got to quit playing church and start being the church – we’ve got to quit coming together and learning about Jesus and leaving here and living life like normal – and we’ve got to start living life in His power and His strength – or the same thing is going to happen to us as happened to them”

            -- they were convicted of how they were living – they were seized with fear – and they started taking the name of the Lord Jesus seriously

            -- Jesus became more than just a concept – more than just a lesson from Scripture – more than just a good example – He became real

– and they realized they had not been living their lives as He intended – they still had the world in their lives, even though they were Christians

-- so, they went through and purged everything from their lives that was keeping them from living out their faith as people who knew Jesus and who didn’t just know about Him

-- they got rid of their magic scrolls and books and anything else that was holding them back – they did what the writer of Hebrews tells us to do in Hebrews 12:1 – “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us”

-- these believers did this literally and spiritually – they burned scrolls and books that were holding them back – they repented of their sins – they got rid of the things of the world – and got serious about living for Jesus

-- this is what we need to do – this is what we are called to do – because being part of a church means more than just coming on Sundays or Wednesdays and learning more about the Bible or about Jesus – it means living out our faith – connecting our heads to our hearts and letting the Spirit empower us to move our hands and feet and lips to truly be the body of Christ in this place

-- this is our calling – this is our mission

 

III.  Closing

-- Susan Hill wrote, “It’s possible to read the Bible from cover to cover and learn lots of facts about Jesus—but not really know Jesus. But Jesus doesn’t want us just to know facts about Him—He wants us to be in an ongoing and lasting relationship with Him.”

-- and that quote really sums up what this section of the Book of Acts is all about

 

-- first, in order to be saved – in order to have our sins and our sin nature forgiven – to have eternal life with God – we have to put our faith and trust in Jesus’ atoning death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead

-- that means that we have to know Him – the Biblical definition of the word, “know,” refers to intimate knowledge of another – knowing them in a real and personal way – in the same way that the Bible says that Adam knew Eve, we are to know Jesus spiritually

-- it’s not enough to know about Him – we have to know Him – to trust Him – to put our faith in Him and the grace of salvation and the forgiveness of sins through Him

-- that’s the first part of knowing Jesus

 

-- but the second part – the part that we all should be aware of – is when we quit acquiring knowledge about Jesus and the Bible and His church – and we start living it out

-- when we move past being Christian atheists – Christians in Name Only – who know a lot about Jesus but who do nothing with what we know

-- it’s time that we start to live our lives in the knowledge and the power of Christ – putting aside everything that hinders our life with Him – figuratively, burning the scrolls and the books and the things of this world that we have been relying on instead of Jesus – and turning to Him in faith – trusting in Him and His Spirit to give us wisdom and guidance and power to do what He is calling us to do and to be who He is calling us to be

-- to quit just knowing about Him and to start knowing Him and experiencing Him in our lives as we move forward in faith

 

-- if I ever run across a demon like the sons of Sceva did, I hope he turns to me and says, “Jesus, I know.  Paul, I know.  And I know you, too, because you belong to Jesus”

-- so, as we close this morning, let us commit to turning away from relying on ourselves and our own natural talents and skills and abilities to do life – to stop just learning about Jesus in church and Bible study – and to start living our lives in the knowledge and in the name of Jesus

-- truly living life as if we know Him, because we do

-- let us pray

SERMON: OPPOSITION ARISES

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Acts 16:16-24

 

Acts 16:16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

 

19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”

 

22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

 

            -- as I mentioned briefly last week, my time in Tennessee was a spiritual awakening in my life – I was a Christian – I had been saved years before – but my spiritual life was not where it needed to be

            -- when Kim and I moved to Tennessee, we didn’t find a church or attend worship services on a regular basis – we’d go from time to time and visit different churches, but we never found one that we went to more than once or twice

-- honestly, we were Christians in Name Only -- saved, but not living the life – saved, but not part of a community of faith – if anyone asked, we would tell them we were Christians, but we were not doing anything that would be considered normal for a Christian to do

-- that spiritual absence and lack of participation in faith activities weighed on me – I began visiting Christian bookstores and started reading Christian literature – both non-fiction and fiction – and I started to grow spiritually

-- I began reading the Bible and studying it on my own at lunch while at work – a coworker noticed, and she was the one who introduced me to Bible Study Fellowship – BSF – that I mentioned last week – after getting involved with BSF and studying the Bible in a systematic manner with other men in a small group setting, I really started to grow spiritually

-- another friend at work told me about this new group called Promise Keepers – Promise Keepers was an organization started by Coach Bill McCartney in Colorado in 1990 – and they put on events in stadiums across the country to try to call men back to true Christianity and to help them grow into leaders in their homes and their churches – he said that Promise Keepers was coming to Knoxville and a group from his church was going – he asked if I wanted to go – this was in the fall of 1997 – and the event would be on a Friday evening and then on Saturday morning through early afternoon

-- I wasn’t sure – I didn’t know anyone from his church – we had never attended there – and I had never heard of this group – so, I told him I’d get back with him

-- I went ahead and bought a ticket to the event on my own to make sure I had a ticket if I decided to go – but I didn’t commit, one way or the other

-- it wasn’t long after that that I started seeing a lot of negative information about Promise Keepers – local churches were putting out ads saying that Promise Keepers was not a real Christian organization – that it was not evangelical, but closely tied to the Catholic Church and had some questionable teachings – there were even negative ads in the Christian bookstore I frequented

-- I heard people on the radio condemning Coach McCartney and questioning his faith and what he was really doing in this movement – they made it sound like it was just a money grab and it wasn’t something that Christians should participate in

-- I had told Kim that I was going – but then my friend told me that he had decided to drop out – I certainly wasn’t going to go with his church, since I didn’t know anyone there – and when I heard all the negative information about Promise Keepers on the radio and in ads, I wavered on whether I should go or not

-- but I had a ticket in hand and that ticket was not cheap – it was a sacrifice to buy it – and if I didn’t go, I felt like I would be throwing our money away – so, I talked it over with Kim and I decided I would drive down to Knoxville for the Friday night session, just to see for myself if this was a good thing or not

-- Knoxville was a little over an hour from our house, so after work on that Friday, I headed down there all by myself – I found my way to the stadium at the University of Tennessee, and joined the thousands of other men heading inside

-- I found a seat and sat there all by myself – still not sure if I made the right decision or not – still not sure if this was put together by God or by Satan – I was trying to decide whether to stay or to go, and then the bottom dropped out – it began to rain – and I don’t mean just a little rain – this was a monsoon – I was soaked to the skin – my program guide was soaked – my Bible was soaked – I didn’t have a jacket – and then the conference started

-- that conference changed my life – that Promise Keepers’ event was what I needed to jumpstart my spiritual life and to get me moving in the right direction – the music was inspiring – the preaching and teaching were totally in keeping with the Scriptures and they moved my heart as the Spirit convicted me of my unfaithfulness and led me to see where I had been failing as a Christian

-- I drove back home that night, completely soaked to the bone and shivering with cold – but I got up the next morning, and drove back to be there when the doors opened again

 

            -- Ezekiel 12:1–2 states: "The word of the Lord came to me: 'Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.'"

 

            -- that experience at Promise Keepers taught me a great lesson about faith and opposition to the faith – anytime there is a movement of God – anytime God moves in your life or in the life of the church – whether that is an individual congregation or a larger move within the church of Christ – opposition will always arise

            -- we are warned in the Bible to guard ourselves against the devil’s schemes – and one of those schemes is when Satan stirs the hearts of rebellious people to cast doubt and raise aspersions and to make people question God and His righteousness when He begins to move in and through His church on earth

 

            -- that is what happened when Promise Keepers came to Tennessee – Satan schemed against it, stirring up people to speak out against Promise Keepers in an effort to keep men from coming and experiencing God in those events and in the small groups that rose out of that movement

            -- we saw the same scheme rear its ugly head again when Rick Warren released his mega-popular book, “The Purpose Driven Life” – article after article and story after story came out denouncing Rick Warren, his ministry, and the book in an effort to keep people from reading it – but Satan could not hold back that move of God, and Warren’s book touched many lives with the message of the gospel

            -- and we see that same scheme outlined for us here in the Book of Acts, as Paul and Silas continued to face opposition and persecution in every place they visited as they shared the gospel with both Jew and Gentile in Europe

 

            -- the Book of Acts contains example after example of Paul and his companions being harassed and persecuted in every town – previously, in Chapter 14, we read about Paul being stoned in the city of Lystra by Jews opposed to his message

            -- and here in Acts 16 and 17, we see Satan raising up opposition to Paul by having Paul and Silas thrown into prison and having crowds of people oppose them, forcing them to leave each city they have visited

            -- this morning, as we continue in our sermon series through the Book of Acts, I want us to look at two examples of what Satan’s opposition to the gospel looked like in the life of Paul – the first was direct spiritual harassment that led to Paul and Silas’ imprisonment – the second was opposition and derision by the learned people of Athens

            -- so, if you would, join me again here in Acts 16:16, and let’s begin our study of the devil’s schemes and how opposition always arises when the gospel is preached and God moves in and through His people

 

II.  Satan Sends a Slave Girl (Acts 16:16-24)

            -- verse 16 – “Once, when we were going to the place of prayer”

– just as a note, the place of prayer Luke talks about here is the gathering place for Jews and followers of God in the city of Philippi which was on the banks of the river just outside the city – this is where Paul met Lydia, the first convert to Christianity in the city who eventually hosted the church of Philippi in her home

-- the fact that this was where the Jews gathered for prayer in Philippi tells us that there wasn’t a synagogue there – the Jewish men had failed in their responsibility to build a place of worship – and the Jews were forced to gather near the river for worship on the Sabbath – that’s one reason we don’t see a combined group of Jews opposing the gospel in Philippi and why Satan used another resource to come against Paul and the message of God in that city

 

-- verse 16-18

 

Acts 16:16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

 

            -- Luke tells us here that as Paul and Silas and their companions were headed to the place of prayer on the Sabbath, they met this slave girl who was possessed by an evil spirit – she started following them around and yelling at the top of her voice, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved”

-- apparently, Paul tolerated all this yelling as he made his way to the place of prayer – but then the slave girl found them the next day and did the same thing – everywhere they went, she followed them around, yelling at the top of her voice, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved” -- and then she did the same thing the next day and the next and the next – Luke says this went on for many days, and finally Paul had enough

-- he became so annoyed at her and at this yelling which was coming from the unclean spirit within her that he turned around and cast the demon out of her in the name of Jesus

 

-- so, what was going on here and why did Paul eventually put a stop to it?

-- well, the first scheme of Satan here was to harass Paul – to keep people away from Paul because they didn’t want to be around this slave girl yelling – and to keep Paul from being able to preach and teach to the people who did come to listen – all they could hear was the girl yelling, and not what Paul was trying to tell them

-- there have been a couple of times in my life that I have come across a street preacher who would yell out to the passing crowd just like this slave girl in this passage – and even though I am a Christian, it was an uncomfortable situation for me – I can only imagine what it was like for the unbelievers who were passing them on the corner

-- I watched as people crossed the street and intentionally avoided these preachers, because the simple fact is most people don’t like to be around someone yelling at them in this way – no one likes to be around someone causing a disturbance – and even if they are preaching and teaching the word of God, they are not having a positive impact because of the way they are presenting the message

 -- that’s part of what was going on with this slave girl – she is yelling and causing a scene – and the people of Philippi were likely avoiding Paul and Silas because of her – no one wanted to be part of this scene – and Paul couldn’t get his message out

 

-- the second thing going on here is more subtle – we read here in verse 17 that the message that the slave girl was shouting was, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved” --- nothing wrong with that, right? – that depends

-- some modern translators have proposed that the translation of this verse in the King James Version and the NIV here and in other Bibles is wrong – that the definitive article in this verse – the word “the” in our Bibles – should be translated as “a” – which is how the New American Standard Bible translates it

-- and here’s why this makes a difference – rather than shouting that Paul and Silas are telling people THE way to be saved, these scholars contend that what the slave girl actually shouted was, “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you A way of salvation.” – and that changes everything

-- that means that this slave girl who was possessed by an unclean spirit was not confirming that Paul was telling the people the only way to be saved – that salvation was by grace through faith in Jesus alone – but that Paul was merely giving them “another” way of salvation

-- in other words, the unclean spirit was claiming through the slave girl that salvation through faith in Jesus was just one way to be saved and that there were many other ways to be saved

-- and you could see how this would cause a problem for Paul – because this phrase would be in direct conflict with the gospel message that he was preaching

 

-- so, regardless -- whether it was just because her shouting caused distractions and turned people away or whether it was because she was shouting out a heresy to the people – or whether it was because of both reasons – Paul became annoyed and commanded that the unclean spirit – the demon that possessed her – leave in the name of Jesus – and when he said that, the spirit left her

 

-- verse 19-24

 

Acts 16:19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”

 

22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

 

-- Paul thwarted the devil’s schemes by casting the demon out of the slave girl, but Satan didn’t give up – when the owners of the slave girl realized that the unclean spirit was gone and she could no longer make them money by predicting the future – they seized Paul and Silas and carried them to the authorities

-- they didn’t tell the whole story – they didn’t say that Paul had cast the demon out and hurt their wallet – but instead, they said that Paul and Silas had caused an uproar in the city and were advocating customs unlawful for Romans to accept or practice – meaning that Paul and Silas were trying to get people to worship Jesus rather than Caesar and the Roman gods

-- the crowd joined in and finally the magistrates had Paul and Silas stripped and beaten with rods and thrown into prison

-- Satan’s plan here is obvious – if you can’t keep them from preaching and teaching by distracting the crowds, then isolate them by having them thrown into prison

-- Satan will always have a plan to try to keep the word of God from moving and reaching the people – whether that’s through distractions like the unclean spirit shouting through the slave girl or by persecuting the people of God

 

-- of course, we know the rest of this story – Paul and Silas find themselves in the Philippian jail – and at midnight, as they are singing hymns and worshiping God, God sends an earthquake to shake the jail – releasing Paul and Silas from their chains and opening the doors of the prison

-- the jailer realizes this is a sign from God and rushes in, asking what he must do to be saved – and Paul presents the gospel to the jailer – the jailer and his whole household become believers in Jesus and are baptized

-- Satan may come up with plans and schemes to stop the word of God from getting out, but God proclaims in Isaiah 55:11 that His word will not return empty, but will accomplish what He desires and will achieve the purpose for which He sent it

-- Satan tried to keep God’s word from going forth by first harassing Paul with the slave girl and then by sending him to prison, but God’s word continued to go forth and lead people to salvation, including the Philippian jailer

 

III.  Opposition by the Learned (Acts 17:16-34)

            -- in our time remaining, let’s turn over to Acts 17:16 and look at yet another of the devil’s schemes to oppose the word of God – this time, opposition by the learned men of Paul’s day

 

            -- verse 16-21

 

Acts 17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

           

-- John Wesley, the Anglican priest who founded the Methodist Church, was known for keeping detailed journals – reading them provides great insight into how his initial attempts at reformation in the Anglican Church was met:

 

-- From his journal for 1738:

Sunday a.m., May 7, preached in St. Lawrence’s, was asked not to come back anymore.

Sunday p.m., May 7, preached at St. Katherine Cree’s church, deacons said, “Get out and stay out.”

Sunday a.m., May 14, preached at St. Ann’s, can’t go back there either.

Sunday afternoon, May 21, preached at St. John’s, kicked out again.

Sunday evening, May 21, preached at St. somebody else’s, Bennet’s maybe, deacons called special meeting and said I couldn’t return.

 

-- From his journal for 1739:

Tuesday, May 8, afternoon service, preached in a pasture in Bath, 1,000 people came to hear me.

Sunday, September 9, preached to 10,000 people three weeks in a row in Moorfields.

 

-- From his journal for 1742:

Friday, March 10, preached in meadow, chased out of meadow as a bull was turned loose during the services.

 

 

            -- we do not have a journal from the Apostle Paul, but if we did, it would look a lot like John Wesley’s – as Luke records for us in the Book of Acts, Paul would come into a town – speak at a synagogue – be rejected by the Jews there – go out and preach to the Gentiles – and eventually get chased out of town by the Jews who refused to believe his message

            -- we saw that in his first missionary journey with Barnabas – and the same thing continues here in Acts 16-18 in his second missionary journey with Silas

            -- after getting out of prison in Philippi, Paul made his way to Thessalonica and was promptly chased out of town by the Jews there

            -- he went to Berea, where he had a more favorable response in the synagogue, but the Jews from Thessalonica found out he was there – showed up – and caused a scene again – forcing Paul to leave the city and go somewhere else

            -- Paul left Berea by himself – leaving Silas and Timothy behind – and took a ship to Athens, where he was going to wait for Silas and Timothy to join him to continue their journey spreading the gospel

 

            -- while he was alone in Athens, Paul walked around town and became distressed at the number of graven images and idols that were on every street corner, because they showed just how far away from belief in the one true God the people of Athens were

            -- these idols are yet another of Satan’s schemes to keep people away from the word of God – just as he uses idols in our lives – money – power – sex – sports – work – family – even religion – to keep us from truly following God

            -- Paul followed his set routine – preaching in the synagogue and then on the street – where he shared the gospel with the people of Athens

            -- adherents of the two leading philosophies of the day – Epicureanism and Stoicism – were interested in Paul’s teaching – if for no other reason than it was something new

            -- they took Paul to a meeting of the Areopagus – the Areopagus was originally the ruling council of Athens – it consisted of the leaders of Athens and it made up the courts, so people who were being tried of crimes were brought before the Areopagus

            -- in Paul’s day, the Areopagus primarily existed as a group of scholars and learned men – philosophers and teachers – who met to discuss philosophy and to teach their disciples in various areas of learning

            -- because Paul came with a new teaching, he was invited to share it with these learned and wise men to see what they thought of it

 

            -- verse 22-34

 

Acts 17:22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 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. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

 

24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

 

29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

 

32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

 

            -- so, Paul meets these men where they are – these are not Jews or Gentiles familiar with the Jewish scriptures – so, he begins to share with them the word of God based on the foundation of religious knowledge they had

            -- he talks to them about their idols and altars, especially the altar they had made to an unknown god – and proceeded to tell them that he knew who this unknown god was – that this was not just another god among many, but the one true God who created the heavens and the earth and through whom men might be saved for eternal life

            -- but when Paul shared about the resurrection of the dead and the afterlife – something which the Stoics and Epicureans did not believe in – some of the men closed their ears and began to mock him – sneering at him

            -- a few asked him to come back to share more with them later – and a very few became believers as God’s word penetrated their hearts and brought them to faith

 

            -- another of Satan’s schemes to keep people away from the word of God is to have the truth of God’s word questioned by our leaders, educators, scientists, and other learned people

– in America today, it is a fact that most campuses of higher learning do not accept the teaching of the Bible or the gospel message that Paul presented to the members of the Areopagus

            -- we hear the same thing from many of our elected officials – our leaders – and our scientists

 

– just this week, Kim told me about a segment from the Today show with Neil deGrasse Tyson, renowned American astrophysicist and writer, where he was talking about the total solar eclipse that Europe experienced this past week

            -- he shared how Earth’s moon was unique in its size – how it was just the perfect size and the perfect distance from both earth and the sun to allow us to see eclipses the way we do

            -- but he was quick to point out that this was something that developed naturally – coincidentally – and was just an astronomical anomaly and nothing more

 

            -- Tyson certainly was not going to say that God designed it this way – that God created the heavens and the earth in just such a way that the size of the moon was what it was and that its location in the heavens was set by God for His own purposes – because Tyson will tell you that God and religion have no place in science

            -- I can tell you from personal experience that any scientist or student who believes in the Bible and the word of God faces derision and ridicule from most other scientists and teachers – proclaiming faith in God and proposing that God’s word is correct is a sure way to be discriminated against by academia

            -- and the same is true for a lot of our elected officials and leaders, too – they do not believe in God or they believe that God should not be part of the public conversation – so if people speak out for God in the public square, they are met with derision and ridicule just like Paul experienced in Athens

            -- but we can take heart in the response of some in the Areopagus that day – in verse 34 it says that some of the people became followers of Paul and believed – including Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus – a woman named Damaris – and others

            -- those with ears to hear and hearts to receive the truth of God’s word will respond in faith, despite Satan’s best attempts to keep God’s word from going forth

 

IV.  Closing

-- the take-home message for today is that spiritual attacks and opposition to God’s word are common – anytime there is a move of God, you are always going to see Satan do something to oppose it

-- sometimes, that will take the form of distractions and direct harassment, such as Paul experienced with the slave girl

-- sometimes, it will take the form of persecution, such as the owners of the slave girl who had Paul and Silas thrown into prison

-- and sometimes, it will take the form of public ridicule – or sneering or mockery or public embarrassment to try to keep you from standing up for your faith or sharing God’s word with others

-- there will always be opposition to the word of God and to the people of God standing up and trying to live for Him in this world today

-- it is a fact – and we need to be aware of this, because you are going to experience this in your life as you try to fulfill God’s calling and live out your faith on a daily basis

 

-- as I close, I want to leave you with two cautions to be careful of in your life:

 

-- the first is not believing that Satan and demons exist -- there’s a lot of people in our world today that dismiss spirituality and religion -- that don’t believe in God or Jesus -- and there’s just as many that don’t believe that Satan and his demons are real

-- even Christians, especially those in more progressive and liberal denominations, tend to dismiss the accounts in the Bible about Satan or demonic activity or any supernatural event

-- however, as we see in the Scriptures, Satan and his demons do exist and the Bible identifies them as our spiritual enemies who actively influence our lives to try to keep us from becoming mature in our faith

-- remember what Paul wrote in Ephesians 6 – our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of darkness behind them – when people oppose you – when systems oppose you – know that there is an underlying spiritual battle taking place

-- pray for the Holy Spirit’s help and trust in God and His word when you are harassed, distracted, or persecuted

 

-- the second caution is to not fall into the trap of making a mountain out of the demonic -- thinking there’s a demon under every bush and that the devil is behind every tree

-- some people go through life thinking that every bad thing that happens is because the devil did it

-- some of us are old enough to remember the comedian Flip Wilson’s tag line -- “The devil made me do it” -- and this type of thinking can be a trap for us to avert personal responsibility in our lives and to try to blame everything that goes wrong on the devil

-- so, while the Bible makes it clear that we have a spiritual enemy who tries to impact our lives, not everything that happens to us is because of demonic activity

-- some things happen because we are fallen humans living in a fallen world and some of the things that happen to us are the consequence of our own actions or the actions of those around us -- some things happen because this is the natural course of events

-- if I don’t pay attention and trip going down the stairs today, it’s not because a demon pushed me -- it’s my own fault -- and I need to take responsibility for that

-- bad things happen -- and sometimes, bad things happen to good people -- it’s a fact of life -- but that doesn’t mean the devil made it happen

-- keep this in mind:  spiritual attacks are primarily attacks on your faith and on your walk with Jesus -- so, things outside of this -- like falling down the stairs -- are probably because you weren’t paying attention or something was wrong with the stairs -- it is almost certain that falling down the stairs is not a demonic attack

 

-- so, be careful of falling into either of the two extremes -- thinking that demons don’t exist or that there is not another supernatural and spiritual reality around us -- or thinking that everything is the result of demons

-- the truth is somewhere in the middle -- and we need to be discerning in our evaluation of what is going on and not blame someone else, including Satan and his demons, for things that are our own fault

 

-- the thing I want you to leave here knowing this morning is that spiritual attacks and spiritual warfare is a reality – opposition to God’s word will happen -- it’s something that we need to be aware of -- but we can’t let it encompass our lives or our thinking

-- always remember that we have an advocate in the Holy Spirit who dwells within us -- who works in our lives to empower us to counter the devil’s schemes and his attacks when they come

-- and our response should be the same as that of the Apostle Paul – when opposition arises, continue to step out in faith in God and share God’s word and trust in His mighty power and strength to help us, no matter what occurs

-- with that, let us close in prayer