3.5.23 5.6.2018 Acts 19.8-41 Ephesus The Market Leader
Encounter with Empire • Sermon • Submitted
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Entice: What we might dismiss as a trinket or toy, was big business in Ephesus. What could upset the apple cart so badly that it created a riot in a wealthy, powerful city? Expand: Read text….
▾ Start:
Entice: What we might dismiss as a trinket or toy, was big business in Ephesus. What could upset the apple cart so badly that it created a riot in a wealthy, powerful city?
Entice: What we might dismiss as a trinket or toy, was big business in Ephesus. What could upset the apple cart so badly that it created a riot in a wealthy, powerful city?
Entice: What we might dismiss as a trinket or toy, was big business in Ephesus. What could upset the apple cart so badly that it created a riot in a wealthy, powerful city?
Entice: What we might dismiss as a trinket or toy, was big business in Ephesus. What could upset the apple cart so badly that it created a riot in a wealthy, powerful city?
Entice: What we might dismiss as a trinket or toy, was big business in Ephesus. What could upset the apple cart so badly that it created a riot in a wealthy, powerful city? Expand: Read text….
• Entice: What we might dismiss as a trinket or toy, was big business in Ephesus. What could upset the apple cart so badly that it created a riot in a wealthy,
Expand: Read text….
powerful city?
Expand: Read text….
23 About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way.
24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen.
25 These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth.
26 And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods.
27 And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”
28 When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
29 So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel.
30 But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him.
31 And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater.
32 Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.
33 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd.
34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky?
36 Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash.
37 For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess.
38 If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another.
39 But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly.
40 For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.”
• Expand: Read text….
Engage: This disturbance was the result of competition.
• Engage: This disturbances was the result of competition. There was spiritual competition-the battle between idolatry and the Gospel. There was surely competition
There was spiritual competition-the battle between idolatry and the Gospel. There was surely competition between personalities. But more than anything else the issue was…money. The worship of Artemis was big business and the Gospel was cutting into that business. There was a new Market-Maker, a new Market-Leader in town and the market that was disrupted struck back.
between personalities. But more than anything else the issue was…money. The worship of Artemis was big business and the Gospel was cutting into that business.
Excite:
Our age is an age of markets and marketing.
Our age is an age of markets and marketing.
From Mom & Pops to Global, Multinational’s the question is generally the same...
• Excite:Our age is an age of markets and marketing. How do we get the likes, the views, the sales, the shares? These are the questions of the 21c and of every
How do we get the
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the
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the
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the
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the sales,
the sales,
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generation prior. There was a large Jewish presence in Ephesus, but they did not threaten business. They did not question the validity of the worship or the wealth.
How do I retain my share of an old Market?
How do I disrupt a new Market?
These are the questions of the 21c and of every generation prior. Oddly, there was a large Jewish presence in Ephesus, but they did not threaten business. They did not question the validity of the worship or the wealth. No one disrupted the marketplace of sinful idolatry.
But Paul did because Jesus does. When the Christian faith comes into the market Jesus wants to own the market. There can be no competition.
Paul did because Jesus does.
Paul did because Jesus does.
When the Christian faith comes into the market
Jesus wants to own the market.
Jesus wants to own the market.
There can be no competition.
• Explore: As the Gospel exposes the spiritual underpinnings of the economics of Empire it should disturb the peace of those who are perishing.
The Gospel of Jesus...
The Gospel of Jesus...
He disturbs every pretender, dethrones every pretense
He disturbs every pretender, dethrones every pretense
disturbs every pretender,
disturbs every pretender,
to God...
dethrones every pretense
dethrones every pretense
of divinity...
delivers Every promise
delivers Every promise
of God.
As the Gospel exposes the spiritual underpinnings of the economics of Empire it should disturb the peace of those who are perishing.
As the Gospel exposes the spiritual underpinnings of the economics of Empire it should disturb the peace of those who are perishing.
The gospel disrupts the Marketplace of Sin.
The gospel disrupts the Marketplace of Sin.
The gospel disrupts the Marketplace of Sin.
• Explain: We can create this kind of disturbance by trusting God's Word to work. So, if you want to incite a riot you need to…
Explain:When we trust God’s Word enough to deploy we will create a spiritual riot right here in our little town. So, if you want to incite a riot you need to…
▾ Body of Sermon:
▾ 1 Proclaim the Word. 8-10
1 Proclaim the Word.
1 Proclaim the Word.
8 And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.
9 But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.
10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
.
▾ 1.1 Explain.
1.1 Explain.
1.1 Explain.
1.1 Explain.
1.1 Explain.
• 1.1.1 Speak Boldly…
1.1.1 Boldly…
1.1.1 Boldly…
• 1.1.2 Reasoning...
1.1.2 Reasonably...
1.1.2 Reasonably...
• 1.1.3 Persuading.
1.1.3 Persuasively.
1.1.3 Persuasively.
• 1.2 Innovate.
1.2 Innovate.
1.2 Innovate.
• 1.3 Embed.
1.3 Embed.
1.3 Embed.
if you want to create a a cultural disturbance you need to…
▾ 2 Let the Word Work. 11-20
2 Position the Word.
2 Position the Word.
11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,
12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.”
14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.
15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”
16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.
18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices.
19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.
20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
Acts 19.11-20
***In the book of Acts Miracles occur whenever a new field is opened. His miraculous works always point to the preaching of the Word as the means for
***In the book of Acts Miracles occur whenever a new field is opened. His miraculous works always point to the preaching of the Word as the means for salvation.*****
salvation.*****
When we position the Word of God in our society to disrupt and disturb the processes of Evil we will release God’s power to save and sanctify.
We will find that...
2.1 The Word of God exposes evil.
2.1 The Word of God exposes evil.
•2.1 The Word of God exposes evil.
2.2 The Word of God generates confession.
2.2 The Word of God generates confession.
• 2.2 The Word of God generates confession.
2.3 The Word of God alters actions.
2.3 The Word of God alters actions.
• 2.3 The Word of God alters behavior
2.4 The Word of God changes priorities.
2.4 The Word of God changes priorities.
• 2.4 The Word of God reorganizes priorities.
If you want the emphasis to be on the transformative power of God....
3 Practice the Word.
3 Practice the Word.
▾ 3 Don't discredit the word. 19.37
37 For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess.
Acts 19.37
When we practice the Word
•3.1 The world will oppose us, seek to intimidate us and may even riot against us.
3.1 The world will denounce our disruption.
3.1 The world will denounce our disruption.
Don’t speak or act in such a way that their charges ring true!
Don’t speak or act in such a way that their charges ring true!
3.2 We can validate the Word by the virtue of our lives.
3.2 We can validate the Word by the virtue of our lives.
• 3.2 We can validate the Word and God's work by the innocence of our lives.
It is God’s Word that disrupts the Empire of the almighty dollar. We adorn it best by simply living it daily
What’s it worth to you?
What’s it worth to you?
▾ Shut Down:
• When a city, region, or nation has it's livelihood threatened it reveals what a society really values. In Ephesus people liked the money accumulated through idolatry and immersion in occult paganism. Why? Were they "true believers?" It is more likely that they were true believers in hefty deposits, accumulated interest and growing wealth. When that was disrupted they howled and hollered.
and immersion in occult paganism. Why? Because they were "true believers?" More likely they were true believers in hefty deposits, accumulated interest and
growing wealth.
• What if we really unleashed this thing? I mean, what if we really lived what we preached and backed up our message with a transformed lifestyle. We might see a few riots today. We would see people run forward to confess their sin and light the fires to destroy the debris of their sinfulness. It would get noticed! Sin is lucrative. When that trade is disrupted the Savior is exalted and the adversary is stung.
few riots today. We would see people run forward to confess their sin and build the fires to destroy the debris of their sinfulness. It would get noticed! There is profit
We can hear the voice of vice in our culture crying in new ways "great is Artemis of the Ephesians". Let’s disrupt that cry with the cry Jesus is Alive! Jesus is Lord! If the Word has had impact in your life…Respond in faith today.
in vice and our culture would surely cry "great is Artemis of the Ephesians" or whatever substitute deity people think fell from the heavens.
•