Welcome back to
Books of the Book.
00:00:02.00\00:00:03.04
When we went to our break, Mark,
we were taking our path through
00:00:03.08\00:00:07.84
Acts chapter 19 and looking at
the different things that were
00:00:07.88\00:00:13.25
happening here in Ephesus and
we talked about this effort by
00:00:13.29\00:00:17.82
these itinerant Jewish exorcists
to use the name of Jesus as a
00:00:17.86\00:00:22.45
good luck charm. We learned that
you can't use the name of Jesus
00:00:22.48\00:00:26.86
without having faith in Jesus.
The name of Jesus without having
00:00:26.90\00:00:31.34
faith in Jesus is powerless and
they learned that. We need to
00:00:31.37\00:00:36.31
recognize that too that the name
of Christian or our profession
00:00:36.34\00:00:40.85
is powerless without a living
active faith in Christ where we
00:00:40.89\00:00:44.20
have a genuine experience with
him, where we're spending time
00:00:44.24\00:00:47.83
with him, where we have a
relationship with him. So having
00:00:47.87\00:00:51.70
said that, we see that there was
a response that happened here
00:00:51.73\00:00:54.93
in Ephesus as a result of this.
Why don't you take us to that
00:00:54.97\00:00:58.14
beginning in verse 17.
Well you know you read actually
00:00:58.17\00:01:01.35
verse 16 how the man in whom
the evil spirit was leaped on
00:01:01.38\00:01:03.95
them, overpowered them and
prevailed against them and they
00:01:03.98\00:01:07.46
fled out of the house naked and
wounded. This is all seven of
00:01:07.49\00:01:11.51
these young guys and so it says
in verse 17, This became known
00:01:11.54\00:01:15.53
both to all Jews and Greeks
dwelling in Ephesus and fear
00:01:15.56\00:01:19.46
fell on them all and the name
of the Lord Jesus was magnified
00:01:19.50\00:01:23.37
and many who had believed came
confessing and telling their
00:01:23.40\00:01:26.86
deeds. There's a lot happening
here. The name of Jesus was
00:01:26.89\00:01:30.37
magnified. Before they were name
dropping. They figured we'll
00:01:30.40\00:01:33.75
just use the name of Jesus and
we'll call ourselves Christians
00:01:33.78\00:01:38.32
or we'll cast out demons in the
name of Jesus whom Paul preaches
00:01:38.35\00:01:43.08
But when this event took place
people learned that the name of
00:01:43.12\00:01:47.11
Jesus is not a name to play
around with. This is something
00:01:47.14\00:01:50.68
that is serious. Don't take the
name unless you have faith in
00:01:50.71\00:01:54.22
the name. So what began
happening, again I'll read
00:01:54.25\00:01:59.08
verse 18. Notice, Many who
had believed came confessing and
00:01:59.12\00:02:04.22
telling their deeds. Now
you would say, Well if they had
00:02:04.26\00:02:09.33
believed haven't they
already confessed their deeds
00:02:09.36\00:02:12.07
But what we see happening here
is when they saw this experience
00:02:12.11\00:02:18.60
with these seven sons of Sceva,
they realized, some of them
00:02:18.63\00:02:24.38
probably had believed but had
maybe not made a full commitment
00:02:24.42\00:02:30.13
to the Lord or come clean
on certain things and they were
00:02:30.17\00:02:33.18
playing around with the name and
when they realized the name of
00:02:33.21\00:02:36.16
Jesus is nothing to play around
with and a great fear fell on
00:02:36.20\00:02:39.11
them all and the name of
Jesus was magnified. Those who
00:02:39.15\00:02:42.57
who believed came and began
confessing and telling their
00:02:42.60\00:02:45.95
deeds and coming clean with the
Lord and so you have a revival
00:02:45.99\00:02:49.23
taking place. Notice something
interesting that happens in the
00:02:49.26\00:02:53.08
context of this revival. Verse
19 says also many of those who
00:02:53.11\00:02:56.94
had practiced magic brought
their books together and burned
00:02:56.97\00:03:00.66
them in the sight of all,
and they counted up the value of
00:03:00.69\00:03:04.97
them and it totaled 50,000
pieces of silver. Now there are
00:03:05.01\00:03:09.41
a few things here that we need
to look at. Ephesus was a place
00:03:09.44\00:03:13.26
where magic was prominent. This
is one of the reasons why the
00:03:13.30\00:03:17.76
Lord worked unusual miracles by
the hands of Paul to counteract
00:03:17.80\00:03:22.64
the magic influence in Ephesus.
We're not going to take the time
00:03:22.68\00:03:26.70
to go into the Old Testament and
look at the many places where
00:03:26.73\00:03:31.64
the Lord spoke very clearly and
pointedly against the magic arts
00:03:31.67\00:03:36.54
For some people today, they
don't realize the link to the
00:03:36.58\00:03:41.90
supernatural being basically
the power of the devil and his
00:03:41.94\00:03:46.24
angels, not some other good
power and white magic and black
00:03:46.28\00:03:50.55
magic that come people speak of.
It's all the power of the enemy
00:03:50.59\00:03:54.85
if it's not the power of God.
So these believers for whatever
00:03:54.88\00:03:59.36
reason who had been involved in
magic had their books of magic
00:03:59.39\00:04:04.10
that they had not gotten rid
of and when this situation took
00:04:04.13\00:04:09.02
place with these exorcists and
the name of the Lord Jesus was
00:04:09.05\00:04:13.11
magnified, they realized their
need to get rid of every trace
00:04:13.14\00:04:17.19
of these things in their lives
that were militating against
00:04:17.23\00:04:21.25
their experience with the
Lord. So it says, They took them
00:04:21.28\00:04:25.49
together and they had a big
sale and they auctioned them off
00:04:25.52\00:04:30.19
because they totaled 50,000
pieces of silver. Just to give
00:04:30.23\00:04:36.33
our viewers an understanding:
A number of scholars understand
00:04:36.37\00:04:41.70
this to probably refer to these
pieces of silver as drachma
00:04:41.73\00:04:46.50
which are equivalent to a day's
wages and if you figure that
00:04:46.54\00:04:51.28
50,000 pieces would be
equivalent of 137 years'
00:04:51.32\00:04:55.44
worth of wages
for a working person.
00:04:55.48\00:04:57.31
We're not talking
about a little bit of
00:04:57.35\00:04:59.15
money here and there
could have been a very great
00:04:59.19\00:05:01.22
temptation to just sell off
the magic books and hey give the
00:05:01.26\00:05:04.95
money to the church, right? Yeah
right. But they didn't want any
00:05:04.98\00:05:08.64
trace of this evil influence
that had led them into sin
00:05:08.67\00:05:16.37
to be influencing somebody else.
00:05:16.41\00:05:19.20
So they took them and
they burned them. I think
00:05:19.23\00:05:23.43
there's a lesson here for us.
I've been in pastoral ministry
00:05:23.47\00:05:28.48
for about 13+ years now
and there have been a number of
00:05:28.51\00:05:34.33
times where I have visited with
members. I'm not trying to rat
00:05:34.37\00:05:37.14
anybody out but I've visited
members in their home and I'm
00:05:37.18\00:05:39.92
surprised sometimes at the
things they have, the media that
00:05:39.96\00:05:43.69
they have in their homes and
yet they claim to be Christians.
00:05:43.73\00:05:47.43
Things that can't help
but militate against their
00:05:47.47\00:05:51.88
relationship with Jesus. I think
whether it be books or music or
00:05:51.91\00:05:56.76
movies, sometimes it's
relationships or other things
00:05:56.80\00:05:59.55
that come into our lives,
00:05:59.58\00:06:00.61
those things that
influence us for evil. I think
00:06:00.64\00:06:03.95
there's need in the Christian
church today for a burning of
00:06:03.98\00:06:08.06
of the magical books. When they
did that, when they put this
00:06:08.10\00:06:12.15
whole-hearted commitment
to the Lord, what happened?
00:06:12.18\00:06:14.74
Well, verse 20 tells us the
results. It says, So the word of
00:06:14.77\00:06:19.25
the Lord grew mightily and
prevailed. You get this sense
00:06:19.29\00:06:23.70
that this word "so" that because
they made the commitment and
00:06:23.73\00:06:28.07
the surrender of these things
that were standing in the way
00:06:28.10\00:06:32.26
that it resulted in... Almost
as if the word of the Lord could
00:06:32.29\00:06:36.42
not grow mightily there.
The word of the Lord was being
00:06:36.45\00:06:41.19
prevented from growing in
Ephesus until they made the
00:06:41.23\00:06:45.90
surrender of those things that
they knew in their heart were
00:06:45.94\00:06:49.78
standing in the way. I wonder
if there are any of our viewers
00:06:49.81\00:06:52.92
today as you're watching this
program, you're thinking, You
00:06:52.96\00:06:56.56
know what, what Pastor Howard
has just mentioned is something
00:06:56.59\00:07:00.54
I need in my life. I need to
burn the magic books and maybe
00:07:00.57\00:07:03.87
you've been wondering why you've
had an up-and-down experience
00:07:03.91\00:07:07.19
and from this program you're
thinking maybe it's because of
00:07:07.22\00:07:10.89
that thing that the Lord Jesus
has been putting his finger on
00:07:10.93\00:07:15.12
in my heart, in my life, in
my habits and maybe as you said,
00:07:15.15\00:07:19.26
Mark, it's time for not only our
viewers but all of us to take a
00:07:19.30\00:07:23.90
hard look at what we need to do
to move those obstacles that are
00:07:23.93\00:07:28.50
keeping the word of the Lord
from growing mightily. I pray
00:07:28.54\00:07:31.76
and hope that our viewers will
take that challenge seriously
00:07:31.79\00:07:34.98
and that we will too.
That's right. I can't help but
00:07:35.02\00:07:37.73
think of a young church member I
had many years back, an 18-year-
00:07:37.76\00:07:41.62
old young man who had been
convicted about some of the
00:07:41.65\00:07:44.35
music he was listening to and
it's influence on his Christian
00:07:44.38\00:07:47.07
experience. And I'll never
forget the day, in fact I had
00:07:47.11\00:07:50.53
preached probably on burning
these magical books. But this
00:07:50.56\00:07:54.22
young man came to me after...
That evening we had a service in
00:07:54.26\00:07:57.78
our church and he said, Pastor,
he said, I went home today and
00:07:57.82\00:08:01.25
he said I took that music
and I got out a ball-peen hammer
00:08:01.28\00:08:04.79
and I just wacked those CD's to
pieces. What he was telling me
00:08:04.82\00:08:08.48
is, he had burned those magical
books and his spiritual life
00:08:08.51\00:08:12.37
took off after that. I just
can't help but think about that.
00:08:12.40\00:08:16.13
Sometimes we fear to burn
the magical books. We fear what
00:08:16.17\00:08:19.42
we're going to lose, but we
don't lose, we gain everything.
00:08:19.45\00:08:22.67
There's so many things,
especially in media today that
00:08:23.67\00:08:25.84
are evidently and inherently
sinful and we know it, but for
00:08:25.88\00:08:30.92
whatever reason, it's become
common place and so we fail to
00:08:30.95\00:08:34.92
see the importance and it
just blocks our life. We just
00:08:34.96\00:08:38.86
encourage you. Those things that
are preventing the purity of
00:08:38.89\00:08:42.92
your faith, that we would take
this council seriously and we
00:08:42.95\00:08:46.62
would take out that ball-peen
hammer, or we would get that
00:08:46.65\00:08:50.22
lighter and we would just burn
the magic books. Well in verse
00:08:50.26\00:08:53.49
21 it says, When these things
were accomplished Paul purposed
00:08:53.53\00:08:56.73
in the Spirit, when he had
passed through Macedonia and
00:08:56.76\00:08:59.33
Achaia to go to Jerusalem saying
after I have been there I must
00:08:59.36\00:09:03.21
also see Rome. So he sent
into Macedonia two of those who
00:09:03.24\00:09:08.11
ministered to him, Timothy and
Erastus but he himself stayed
00:09:08.15\00:09:12.87
in Asia for a time. Then it
says, And about that time there
00:09:12.91\00:09:17.09
arose a great commotion about
the Way. So there's a commotion
00:09:17.12\00:09:20.69
stirring up here in Ephesus, for
a certain man named Demetrius
00:09:20.73\00:09:24.27
a silversmith, who made silver
shrines of Diana brought no
00:09:24.78\00:09:28.98
small profit to the craftsman.
He called them together with the
00:09:29.01\00:09:33.25
workers of similar occupation
and said, Men, you know that we
00:09:33.28\00:09:37.20
have our prosperity by this
trade. Moreover you see and hear
00:09:37.23\00:09:40.90
that not only in Ephesus but
throughout almost all Asia, this
00:09:40.94\00:09:44.52
Paul has persuaded and turned
away many people saying that
00:09:44.55\00:09:48.53
they are not gods which are
made with hands. So not only is
00:09:48.57\00:09:52.38
this trade of ours in danger of
falling into disrepute but also
00:09:52.41\00:09:55.71
the temple of the great goddess
Diana may be despised and her
00:09:55.74\00:09:59.02
magnificence destroyed whom
all Asia and the world worship.
00:09:59.06\00:10:02.92
Poor goddess Diana. Can't fend
for herself. That's right. Now
00:10:02.95\00:10:06.14
when they heard this they
were full of wrath and cried out
00:10:06.18\00:10:10.28
sating, Great is Diana of
the Ephesians. Here you see this
00:10:10.32\00:10:13.74
picture of what's really
happening. It's pretty clear.
00:10:13.78\00:10:17.14
The profits are beginning to go
down because they're responsible
00:10:17.17\00:10:22.84
for making these things
that ultimately the people are
00:10:22.87\00:10:25.86
worshiping and as Paul's
influence and the gospel's
00:10:25.89\00:10:28.81
influence has come into Ephesus,
fewer people are buying these
00:10:28.84\00:10:33.58
relics and idols. So you see
this picture of once again just
00:10:33.62\00:10:38.69
like when Paul healed the slave
girl and we found that she could
00:10:38.72\00:10:42.55
no longer bring profit to the
master. They got upset. The same
00:10:42.59\00:10:45.86
things happens here and they're
very upset and it begins to
00:10:45.89\00:10:49.13
create a major
problem in the city.
00:10:49.17\00:10:51.11
That's right. It says in verse
29, the whole city. So the whole
00:10:51.14\00:10:55.02
city was filled with confusion
and rushed into the theater with
00:10:55.05\00:10:59.08
one accord having seized Gaiuis
and Aristarchus, Macedonians and
00:10:59.11\00:11:03.51
Paul's travel companions. And
when Paul wanted to go into the
00:11:03.54\00:11:07.20
people, the disciples would
not allow him and some of the
00:11:07.24\00:11:10.83
officials in Asia who were his
friends, sent to him pleading he
00:11:10.86\00:11:13.24
would not venture into the
theater. Some therefore cried
00:11:13.27\00:11:16.17
one thing and some another for
the assembly was confused and
00:11:16.21\00:11:19.89
most of them did not know why
they had come together. Now this
00:11:19.93\00:11:23.58
is interesting to me, Jim,
because we've seen the Jews
00:11:23.61\00:11:26.71
stirring up the people. Now
we have an event here where the
00:11:26.75\00:11:29.58
Gentiles are stirring up the
people, so it's not exclusive to
00:11:29.61\00:11:33.54
the Jews. It's exclusive to
carnal humanity. We're not going
00:11:33.58\00:11:36.74
tell the real reason. We're
greedy or we're envious and so
00:11:36.77\00:11:39.64
we're going to stir people up.
The people didn't even know why
00:11:39.67\00:11:42.50
they were there. You had a
full-on mob mentality going
00:11:42.53\00:11:44.93
on. When they brought them into
the temple and they began to
00:11:44.97\00:11:49.20
cry for two hours, Great is
Diana of the Ephesians and just
00:11:49.23\00:11:54.14
wanting the blood of these men.
In verse 35, it continues on.
00:11:54.18\00:11:59.06
Why don't you pick up there?
00:11:59.09\00:12:00.12
Well the city clerk must have
been inspired by God because the
00:12:00.15\00:12:05.06
city clerk is the voice of
reason and he quiets the crowd
00:12:05.10\00:12:08.31
and says men of Ephesus, what
man is there who does not know
00:12:08.35\00:12:11.52
that the city of the Ephesians
is temple guardian of the great
00:12:11.55\00:12:14.69
goddess Diana and of the
image which fell down from Zeus.
00:12:14.73\00:12:17.48
Therefore since these things
cannot be denied you ought to be
00:12:17.52\00:12:20.24
quiet and do nothing rashly.
He goes on to describe how
00:12:20.27\00:12:24.41
really if you're going to have
an assembly then you should do
00:12:24.44\00:12:28.34
it lawfully and if you've got
charges, we have a process for
00:12:28.37\00:12:32.10
that. Then at the close of it,
in verse 41 it says, And when
00:12:32.14\00:12:35.83
he had said these things
he dismissed the assembly.
00:12:35.87\00:12:38.86
Amazing! This mob, how are they
going to get out of it? It seems
00:12:38.90\00:12:42.68
impossible and somehow the
Lord intervenes and the mob is
00:12:42.72\00:12:46.98
dispersed and in verse 1 of
chapter 20, Paul is headed off
00:12:47.01\00:12:51.39
to Macedonia to yet another
adventure. Incredible adventure
00:12:51.42\00:12:55.78
at Ephesus. But we're out of
time for today but we thank you
00:12:55.81\00:12:59.20
for joining us and we hope
you'll join us again next time
00:12:59.23\00:13:02.58
on Books of the Book.
00:13:02.61\00:13:04.58