A Miraculous Move of God
Book of Acts • Sermon • Submitted
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· 84 viewsPaul's time in Ephesus is marked by special miraculous events wrought by God which would have a tremendous positive impact on the region.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
We have already seen the pattern of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus with regard to evangelizing the lost, discipling the saved, and training them to give the gospel and disciple other for themselves.
Paul enjoyed tremendous success in the region to the point that all who lived in Asia heard the Word of the Lord. What a momentous accomplishment.
Next Luke, the writer of the Book of Acts, gives us a window into some of the miraculous details of Paul’s ministry in the region.
Luke takes special care to point out that these were not normal circumstances, and that what took place in Ephesus was certainly extraordinary and unusual.
Luke first records the details of the:
Matchless Miracles (Vs. 11-12)
Matchless Miracles (Vs. 11-12)
We have here recorded a very unusual set of events. We have witnessed healing take place at the mere touch of the hem of the savior’s garment- Matthew 14:34-36- all healed/Matthew 9- woman with issue of blood healed. We have before seen that people were healed by the passage of Peter’s shadow- Acts 5:15-16- every one healed.
Now there is once again a miraculous movement of healing in Paul’s ministry. God worked in such a way that many were healed by touching objects that had been in the Apostle Paul’s possession.
There are a few things that we must note about these circumstances. The first being that what we see in this passage was not a commonplace or ordinary occurence but was an extremely rare scene.
It would not be expected that such events would occur on a regular basis. This is one reason that Luke records that these miracles were “special” miracles.
It is utterly ridiculous to think that miraculous healing like is seen here would take place with any regularity. If this were the case Paul would have certainly went throughout the region healing all that were sick or diseased.
Those who pretend to possess this same ability to heal today, were they truly able to heal, would immediately travel from hospital to hospital around the country and around the world healing all who are sick or diseased.
One other important detail that must be noted is that “God wrought” these miracles. These people were healed by the power of God not by the power of Paul.
This circumstance is merely God working through the hands of the Apostle Paul to bring about miraculous healing.
Paul was merely the human instrument that God chose to use to work these miracles and we will come to see that it was not without a greater purpose, that of advancing the kingdom of God.
These miracles also served to validate the ministry of the Apostle Paul, leaving no doubt that he was sent of God to declare the gospel message.
Luke next records the cautionary dealings of a group of:
Ineffective Imitators (Vs. 13-17)
Ineffective Imitators (Vs. 13-17)
There were certain Jews who traveled in this region professing to be exorcists themselves with the ability to cast out demons.
These witnessed the miraculous ministry of the Apostle Paul and decided that they too would incorporate the name of Jesus into their exorcism rituals.
These had no relation to Jesus nor even to Paul and thus had no claim whatsoever to exercise the power of God in Jesus name.
We see the total inefficacy of their attempts to exorcise the evil spirit. We can see the reason for their inefficacy in the fact that they took upon themselves to use Jesus name, in vain as it would prove to be, while Paul was simply yielded to God and chosen by God to work miraculous healing.
All of their knowledge of Jesus was that it was He whom Paul preached. This proves their lack of relationship to God.
Not only were these imitators ineffective but in fact they brought upon themselves harm because of their vain attempt to use Jesus name without any relationship with Him whatsoever.
It is sad to see in our generation so many who will attach the name of Jesus to all manner of things that contradict the Word of God and would certainly not have the approval of the savior.
The name of Jesus is a name above every other name- Philippians 2:9-10- the name of Jesus. This means it is not a name that should be lightly esteemed or used to bring selfish gain or influence.
The name of Jesus is absolutely a powerful name, but it has been said “with great power comes great responsibility” so we must exercise caution in employing the name of Jesus and if you do not have a personal relationship with Him it would be folly to employ His name.
These imitators were unwittingly fulfilling God’s purposes and through their experience the name of Jesus was magnified and the people of Ephesus learned to fear God.
This was only the beginning of the:
Remarkable Results (Vs. 18-20)
Remarkable Results (Vs. 18-20)
Again we see that through the evil spirit’s attack on these pretend exorcists, the people began to fear God and to revere the name of Christ.
This was only the beginning of the tremendous impact of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus. We come to see that everything that God was doing in and through Paul was to ultimately bring about revival in the city of Ephesus!
The end result of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus is found in verse 20- the Word of God grew mightily and prevailed in the city.
This ought to be the aim of the ministry of High Plains Baptist Church right here in Clovis, NM that the Word of God would spread and would prevail.
We must of course note that there were some prerequisites to this mighty prevalence of the Word of God.
It began with those who had believed beginning to openly confess their sins and to renounce their former deeds.
If the Word of God is to prevail in our city we who believe must be willing to do the same. Are there secret sins that are hindering our usefulness in the Lord’s service?
We must confess our sins and renounce them so that the work of God is not hindered. There would have been no mighty move of God in Ephesus if these new believers had determined to continue in the sinful practices they had been involved with before coming to Christ.
We also see them bring the items associated with their former lives dabbling in “curious arts” such as magic, witchcraft, and sorcery to be burned.
These items were very valuable as Luke notes these things were worth 50,000 pieces of silver- 50,000 days labor (equivalent to almost 10 millions dollars today)
These items could have been sold at great gain but instead they were burned because the people were intent on turning from their former ways and had determined that these things were contrary to God and should be done away with.
The people were willing to put away from them those things that they now recognized were contrary to the work of God.
If there is to be a mighty move of God in our day we must also purge from our lives those things that are not pleasing in His sight!
Their confession of sin and their purging of the things associated with their former lives prepared the way for the advancement of the Word of God in the city.
Conclusion
God can still work mightily in our day. It may not be in the exact same manner as He worked in Paul’s day in Ephesus but we could certainly experience a mighty move of God in our community, but there are some prerequisites if we are to see such a move of God.
We stand in desperate need today of men and women who will yield themselves to be used by God however He pleases to use them.
We need men and women who are not mere imitators of those who have experienced the power of God at work in their lives, but we must cultivate the same relationship with Jesus Christ and strive to yield ourselves fully to Him as they did.
We must be willing to confess and forsake sin and to purge from our lives that which would hinder the work of God so that we may also have the opportunity to see the Word of God grow and prevail in our day!