Staying Focused on the Real Enemy

Samuel Rogers

Acts • Sermon • Submitted 9 months ago • Presented 9 months ago

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[NOTE TO TEACHER] The focus of this lesson is to help people see that the Gospel itself is combative and will stir up conflict between us, other people, and demonic forces. But only the demonic forces are our real enemies. Too often we get drawn into social, political, and personal battles with people and get distracted from the spiritual warfare happening all around us. Our commission is spiritual warfare, not human warfare. The goal of this lesson is to encourage people to stop seeing other people as their enemy - or other battles as theirs to fight - but to see the real enemy behind the scenes and focus the fight on that enemy. This is accomplished by preaching the Gospel and demonstrating it through healing and deliverance.

Notes

Transcript

Sunday, July 30 2023

Introductory information

Stephen had just become the first Christian martyr

Killed for speaking the truth about Jesus and rebuking the religious leaders

Now in chapter 8 we will see a huge shift in the early church story

The people who had been together since the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 will now be scattered and go back to their regions

This will result in a spread of the gospel and the church

READ

Question to consider as we read:

What battle should we be fighting?

Acts 8:1–8 CSB

1 Saul agreed with putting him to death. On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him. 3 Saul, however, was ravaging the church. He would enter house after house, drag off men and women, and put them in prison. 4 So those who were scattered went on their way preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. 6 The crowds were all paying attention to what Philip said, as they listened and saw the signs he was performing. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.

EXAMINE

What are some key points in this passage?

#1 | The execution of Stephen ignites a full-force assault on the church in Jerusalem

The Jewish leadership loses all tolerance for the church

Acts 8:1 “...On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem...”

Saul of Tarsus leads the campaign against the church

Acts 8:3 “Saul, however, was ravaging the church. He would enter house after house, drag off men and women, and put them in prison.”

Clearly, Stephen’s words and actions had created a threat that could no longer be ignored

#2 | The church scatters from Jerusalem

Once again, God uses change to advance His plan

Acts 8:4 “So those who were scattered went on their way preaching the word.”

Luke is showing how the church was following the pattern of God’s work that Stephen had talked about

The Christians who fled may have mostly been the Hellenistic (Greek) Jews

They were the “out-of-towners” and Stephen had been a leader among them

The Twelve Apostles (all Hebraic Jews) stayed in Jerusalem

The story follows Philip to Samaria

He is the second of the seven Hellenistic leaders, listed after Stephen in Acts 6:5

#3 | Philip didn’t get distracted - he kept the focus on the real enemy

He did not fight back against the Jewish leaders

Acts 8:5 “Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them.”

Philip could have stayed, fought back, tried to use public opinion to stir up a riot - but he didn’t

He gave other people the opportunity to receive the message that the Jewish leaders had rejected

Philip focused the fight on the spiritual enemy

Acts 8:6-7 “The crowds were all paying attention to what Philip said, as they listened and saw the signs he was performing. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.”

The spread of the Gospel is itself, spiritual warfare

It brings both healing and deliverance from demonic authorities (Luke 4:18-19)

Philip knew which battle to fight

He knew the Jewish leaders were not his real enemies

Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.”

He trusted God to deal with the people who opposed the Gospel

Matthew 10:14-15 “If anyone does not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that house or town. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.”

APPLY

[Pose the following questions for group discussion, offering the suggested answers below only if the group has nothing to say or drifts too far off topic]

What are the “big ideas” you see in this passage?

In this world, the very nature of the Gospel is going to put us in conflict with people and with spiritual forces

Spreading the Gospel is warfare - but we have to stay pointed at the right enemy

People are not our enemies - even when the act like it. We have to see with spiritual eyes.

How can you apply these ideas in your life? What may be your next steps?

I have to be prepared for opposition from people, and not take it personally

I have to see sharing the Gospel as the means of liberating oppressed people

REFLECT

Prayer Point

Ask the Lord to give us spiritual eyes, to see past the distractions and see the real battle before us

Devotional Question

We all have certain things we are passionate about - things that can easily draw us into an argument or make us angry for days. What are some things like that in your life, that are distracting you from the real, spiritual battles in your life and the life of your family?

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