WWUTT 1117 The Name of the Lord Greatly Extolled?

So yesterday we looked at how it's not enough to just believe in God. We have to believe in his son to be saved. Today, we're gonna learn that it's more than just about believing in the name of Jesus, but who he really is when we understand the text.

You're listening to When We Understand The Text, committed to the sound teaching of the Word of God. Find videos and more at our website, www .wutt .com. Now, here's our host, Pastor Gabe Hughes.

The Sons of Sceva and the Name of the Lord in Acts 19

Thank you, Becky. We come back to our study of the book of Acts. Picking up where we left off yesterday in chapter 19. Today, we're reading about the sons of Sceva. This is verses 11 through 20. And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 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.

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. Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this, but the evil spirit answered them, Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?

And the man in whom was the evil spirit leapt on them, mastered all of them, and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 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.

Also, many of those who were now believers came confessing and divulging their practices, 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 50 ,000 pieces of silver.

So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. What we read yesterday at the beginning of chapter 19 illustrated to us how important it is to know the whole gospel, not just teach a person about God, because you can teach a person about God and they not be saved.

That was Apollos, that was the disciples that Paul encountered when he came back into Ephesus. They knew of God, they even knew of Jesus up to the baptism of John, but they did not know the gospel. They didn't know Jesus' perfect life and sinless sacrifice for our sins.

He became sin who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in him, and this for our sake. They didn't know about his resurrection. They didn't know about his ascension, his giving of the Holy Spirit, the promise of him coming again.

The greatest news of the gospel they did not know, and so it requires more than just arguing with a person about God, that they believe in God won't save them, for even James says that the demons believe God is one and they tremble, but they're not going to be saved.

It is only by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing who he is according to what the Bible says about him, what he did, what he accomplished, dying on the cross for our sins. It's these things, this message of the gospel that is our salvation, and remember what Paul said about it, in Romans 1 16, the gospel is the power of God for salvation to all who believe.

In chapter 10, he says, but how are they to believe if they haven't been told? So we have to share the gospel with others. So in chapter 19 verses 1 through 10, it was demonstrated to us how important it is to understand the gospel, who Jesus is according to what the scriptures say about him.

What we're seeing in this story today is it's important to not only believe in Jesus, but to only believe in Jesus. Does that make sense? We must put our faith and trust in Christ alone, not just believing that he was a historical figure, not just believing that invoking his name has power, but we are saved when we trust in him alone, not him as one of many powers, but as the only power.

That's what's demonstrated in this story here, verses 11 through 20. So we come back again, verse 11, and God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 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.

That's verses 11 and 12. Now, surely, you know, or you have seen before these prosperity televangelist hacks who are on TV, promising to send you some sort of a handkerchief. I think this was, oh, what was this guy's name?

He ended up becoming more famous for being the farting preacher than I think he was famous for anything else because of the videos that were made of him. Anyway, Robert Tilton, that was his name. Yeah, so he always made funny faces and weird goofy sounds and he would get all excited and kind of jump in his chair.

So someone made a video adding flatulence sound effects to it. He became known as the farting preacher from that. Anyway, he would get on his televangelist program, which was often on late at night, and he would be promising to sell these handkerchiefs.

I think they were green, if memory serves. He would be selling these green handkerchiefs. You send a gift to us, I'll drop one of these handkerchiefs in the mail to you and it has the power to heal you of your sicknesses or cast out your demons.

And he was getting that from this story. That's where that came from. The Apostle Paul was an apostle. First of all, Robert Tilton is no such thing. He's a hack. He's a fraud. But the Apostle Paul would work out in the sun.

Remember that he was a tent maker. He did this with Priscilla and Aquila when they were together in Corinth and now here in Ephesus. As we've already read that he's been here for a period of two years.

So he needs to make a living for himself. He goes out and preaches the gospel. The church probably provides for him somewhat. He probably refuses it though because as he had said to the Thessalonians, he wanted to give them an example.

We could have taken your bread if we wanted it. We could have demanded of you that you had to support and provide for us. But we didn't do that because we wanted to set an example for you of being a hard worker.

So likely he's doing that same thing here in Ephesus. He's going and preaching in the hall of tyrannous but he is Making his living as a tent maker working out in the sun working on these tents. And so because he's sweating and whatnot.

He's wiping his face with these cloths and he's got those disciples that he had gathered to himself. Which we read about yesterday are taking the aprons that he wore. And the handkerchiefs that he used and they're taking it and healing the sick with them.

So this is all by the work of the holy spirit. It's not like paul has some sort of inherent power. It's the holy spirit of god. So that the people would come to paul and hear the gospel that they would listen to what he preached.

Wanting to know about this power that had been given to him. This was all by the will of the spirit. Paul illustrates in first corinthians 12. That each of our spiritual gifts are as the spirit wills and used as the spirit wills them to be used.

In hebrews chapter 2 where it talks about god confirming his message the declaration of his gospel through signs and wonders. As the spirit willed so this is all according to the holy spirit. If paul had gone from ephesus to another place, he may not have had this power.

It was only by the will of the spirit in this time and in this place. When he wrote to timothy and said drink a little bit of wine. To help with your frequent stomach ailments. Why didn't paul just drop one of those handkerchiefs in the envelope when he Sent that off to timothy and remember timothy was in ephesus at the time paul had left him there in ephesus to pastor that church.

So even then. You know the these many years later when paul had sent his most trusted servant to the church that he loved the most he told timothy to Drink a little wine to help with your stomach ailments not giving him some sort of power cloth.

So here in this particular case, this is for a time and a purpose that the gospel is being proclaimed there in ephesus these. These televangelist hacks don't have the power to do this. No one can do this.

They'll rip off this story. But they don't actually have any inherent power in The things that they say that they'll mail you for your benefit. So well, it's yeah and it's for your benefit, but you have to give them money.

Right, you give us this money and we'll give you this cloth or this thing. So anyway, verse 13 and 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.

So here's the funny thing. Okay, these jewish exorcists who we know are false teachers. They're not genuine. They don't truly believe in jesus. They just want the power and the fame that paul has. They're doing here the same thing.

That those televangelists do when they try to rip off this. This cloth miracle or the like this handkerchief miracle. When they promise you hey, if you send us a bunch of money, we'll send you this cloth.

That'll heal all your diseases. They're doing the same thing that these false jewish exorcists are doing. They don't really care about christ. They don't care about the spread of the gospel. They just want the power and the fame that the apostle paul had.

So these these televangelists don't read on in the story and learn from what happens next. So they're invoking the name of the lord jesus over those who had evil spirits. But what they're doing is totally fake.

They make it look like they're healing people or they make it look like they're casting out spirits, but they're not really. Maybe the devil is doing something with them and accomplishing something with that.

Maybe he is just like uh, just like satan had done with simon the magician or just like with that ventriloquist girl in Philippi when paul and silas came there and she's following them around saying that hey.

These guys are preaching the name of the lord most high and then paul turns around and casts the evil spirit out of her. And then her owners get mad because she was a slave girl. They get mad when they realize they can't profit from her anymore.

The evil spirit that was in her was gone. So the devil may still have been using these Jewish priests here. They had been doing something that looked like a miracle. And therefore the people kept coming to them.

They were they were gaining they were profiting off of this. Maybe some of it was a gag and maybe some of it was genuine. But then they encounter a real spirit. Verse 15, but the evil spirit. Oh, i'm, sorry I think i'm moving ahead here verse 14 seven sons of a jewish high priest named skiva were doing this.

There we go. But the evil spirit answered them when they encounter a real evil spirit here the evil spirit says to them Jesus, I know. And paul I recognize. But who are you? Now one of the things that you get from this.

This response from the evil spirit is that the names he mentions he's scared of. That's why he mentions who they are. I know them because I avoid them. I didn't go near Jesus the son of the most high and I don't go near paul his servant.

So the the evil spirit has has nothing to fear of these sons of skiva. But would not go to where paul was. So he comes to make a mockery of them. The evil spirit does now. There's seven of these guys recognized seven sons of a jewish high priest named skiva.

And the evil spirit overpowers them. The man in whom was the evil spirit leapt on them. Mastered all of them and overpowered them like his demon jujitsu. He worked on these guys so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

Running for their lives because they had actually encountered a real evil spirit and their tricks didn't work. And suddenly they're exposed for the frauds that they are. Verse 17 and this became known to all the residents of ephesus both jews and greeks.

So the jews recognize that just being jews. Doesn't make someone or doesn't give someone an inherent power to cast out evil spirits. Even though we're descendants of abraham. Even though we believed that we were sons of the most high god apparently that doesn't work.

To have uh to have been in this covenant line from abraham. We can't overpower these evil spirits. So the jews come to recognize this. The greeks recognize the testimonial in this that the name of jesus is not some magic word that you can just speak.

And therefore all these things will be done unto you. But all of this is according to the will of god not our will but god's will. So when paul uses the name of christ. He is extolling the name of christ when these jewish Itinerant preachers were using the name of christ.

They were using it to their benefit. They were trying to benefit themselves. We see paul working out in the sun making his own living. Healing the sick but not taking anything from it. These jewish priests are trying to get famous from it.

So the so this is the testimony that was presented to everybody that they came to understand through this saga that had taken place. So that the name of the lord jesus was extolled. No longer used carelessly blasphemously in vain.

But it was used in honor and in worship verse 18. Also many of those who were now believers came Confessing and divulging their practices. So because of this there were people who came to believe in the gospel that paul proclaimed not the Misuse of the name of jesus that was going on by these sons of this jewish high priest.

Not from these itinerant jewish exorcists not from anyone else but because of the way that paul used the name and his Disciples the ones that he had gathered to himself that were also going out proclaiming the name of christ.

People were made believers because they believed the true christ the christ of the scriptures. Not the christ of parlor tricks not the christ of make me healthy and wealthy. Okay, so many of those who are now believers came confessing and divulging their practices they they recognize that if We are going to continue to misuse the name of god in such a way judgment is going to come upon us.

We're going to encounter something that we're not going to be able to overcome just like these sons of skiva did. So they came confessing. Hey, we did there. Remember that before we are introduced to the sons of skiva the verse before that said some of the itinerant jewish Exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the lord jesus.

So there were many others that were doing this. We have a particular episode involving the sons of a jewish high priest. But there were many that were misusing the name of jesus for their own personal benefit and uh and wealth.

Health and wealth and fame. That's what they were after so they came divulging their practices. They came confessing their sins because now they were stricken with fear the judgment of god would come upon us.

He would send a spirit against us. Because we would be misusing his name. Recognize it again. It says in verse 17. Fear fell upon them all when they heard about this story and the name of the lord. Jesus was extolled that healthy reverent fear of the lord.

Proverbs 1 7 the fear of the lord is the beginning of knowledge. And finally these people who had been hearing the gospel proclaimed in their area are coming To the knowledge of who he truly is. A number of those who had practiced magic arts.

It says in verse 19. Brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found that it came to 50 000 pieces of silver. Some of your translations might say 50 000 drachmas.

A drachma was a day's wage so 50 000 days wages. That's about 136 years. So all of your salary for 136 working years. That's the value of these scrolls that were burned up. Um to put it in american dollars the average american salary is 31 000 a year.

And if you were to take that times 136, you'd come up with 4 .2 million dollars. So there you go. That was the amount of money. These scrolls were worth that were burned up there in the In the middle of the square they brought all their books together and burned them in the sight of all and they counted the value of them and found that it Was 50 000 pieces of silver.

So they're they're burning their scrolls which contain like their magic incantations or maybe their False myths and stories and things like that. Whatever it was that they believed as part of their magic arts.

That's what it was that they were burning up because here's what they came to realize. Here's what they came to understand. Syncretism Will result in your destruction. What is syncretism? It's the belief in a lot of different religions.

You know like you you believe and select from all sorts of different things. So a little bit buddhist a little bit hindu a little bit islam a little bit. What is it? The jewish kabbalah? A little bit christianity.

I'm, just gonna make sure I got all my bases covered here. No, if that's what you're doing. You don't trust christ and you will stand before him on judgment day and he will say to you depart from me. You worker of iniquity I never knew you remember jesus said in matthew 7 that on that day many will come to me saying lord lord.

Didn't we do many mighty works in your name? And he says I will say to them depart from me you worker of lawlessness I never knew you so syncretism is. Is heaping condemnation on yourself? You're not covering your bases.

You are uh, you are following satan. You are putting trust in the schemes of satan. Rather than your trust in the full finished work of christ. So again at the beginning of acts chapter 19 the first 10 verses we learn.

That believing in god is not enough. You must put faith in christ. And as we read here in acts 19 verses 11 through 20 It's not just enough that you know of christ, but you trust in him only and fully to trust in anything else or believe that Christ is not enough and so to put faith in all these other things is to not put faith in christ at all.

It's not going to be good enough on judgment day to say well jesus I believed in you with 99 of myself, but I still had to put my faith and trust in this one percent other thing Jesus is going to say to you then I never knew you to you.

The thing that was the one percent was your god because you were incomplete. Until you had that. But in christ jesus, we are fully satisfied and we come to know by the hearing of his full gospel. All of our sins are atoned for and it's through christ and him alone.

That we stand before god justified as jesus said in john 14 6. I am the way. The truth and the life no one gets to the father, but by me. He's not one of the ways one of the truths. One of many paths that you might choose in your life that you might follow in your life.

He is the way the only way He is the only truth. There's not multiple truths and you pick the one that works best for you. There's only one way one truth one life. And that is the resurrection and the life that we are given by faith in christ.

Jesus our lord verse 20 acts 1920 so the word of the lord continued to increase and prevail Mightily and that happens for you as well. When you have put your complete trust and faith in jesus. In christ alone, my hope is found.

He is my light my strength my song. Let us pray heavenly father. We thank you for a reminder in this story to put our complete trust our complete faith in christ alone. We're not looking for satisfaction or filling up by other things that are in this world.

None of those things can satisfy they're ultimately going to come up empty because all of this stuff is wasting away. It doesn't last so whatever feeling it can give us doesn't last and those feelings are certainly not going to save us.

We are saved by faith in christ. We're forgiven our sins because of what christ has done because of what was spoken to us in his gospel. So we put our trust in him and let there be nothing else in this world that we're clinging to.

Thinking that we have to have this in order to be satisfied. For we are going to face something someday that's going to come our way. And this thing that we were hoping in or trusting in is not going to help us endure through that trial.

It is only faith in christ that will bring us through to the end. Into your kingdom forever. It's in the name of jesus. We pray. Amen.

Closing Announcements and Ministry Update

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Here once again is pastor gabe. Thank you, becky. The book that we had talked about on friday 2019 year in review 40 of the biggest christian news stories and looking at them through the lens of scripture that is available now go to amazon .com Type in 2019 year in review and you'll find it for just 99 cents for your kindle.

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