DANGEROUS WORDS
Notes
Transcript
INTRO
INTRO
Call to worship - My heart in my mouth pg 83
WE HUNGER FOR WHAT YOU OFFER
BOTTOM LINE:
IDOLS DON’T GO, THEY GROW.
IDOLS DON’T GO, THEY GROW.
I WONDER IF ANYONE HERE HAS SEEN AT LEAST ONE OF THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD?
LET ME TELL YOU WHAT THEY ARE AND THAT WAY WE CAN SEE....
SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD
The Colosseum in Italy,
Petra in Jordan,
Chichén Itzá in Mexico,
Christ the Redeemer in Brazil,
Machu Picchu in Peru,
Taj Mahal in India and
The Great Wall of China.
7 WONDERS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD:
Colossus of Rhodes,
Great Pyramid of Giza,
Hanging Gardens of Babylon,
Statue of Zeus at Olympia,
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus,
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus,
and Lighthouse of Alexandria.
WHY IS IT RECOGNISED AS A WONDER OF THE WORLD?
Tell the stories of human imagination and technical aptitude, and how civilizations left their marks on the world and culture.
IN OUR SCRIPTURE THIS MORNING WE ENCOUNTER ONE OF THE WONDERS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD:
TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS AT EPHESUS - goddess of chastity, hunting, wild animals, forests, childbirth, and fertility.
LEADING UP TO THIS EVEN AS WE WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS AND FIND WE ENCOUNTER ALL THESE POCKETS OF EVIDENCE THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST AND HOW THE DISCIPLES ARE NOW BRINGING THIS MESSAGE TO THE WORLD AT LARGE. THE GOOD NEWS -
WE HAVE JUST ENCOUNTERED PAUL DOING EXTRAORDINARY MIRACLES AS ENABLED BY GOD, SO THAT THE MESSAGE OF JESUS CAN BE BROUGHT TO EVERYONE.
WE SAW LAST WEEK THAT IT HAD TO BE YOUR OWN FAITH NOT BORROWED FAITH - AS THE SONS OF SCEVA TRIED TO DO. THE RESULT OF THIS IS THE CLEANSING OF PEOPLES LIVES. THE THINGS THEY USED TO DO WAS NO LONGER ATTRACTIVE TO THEM AND THEY BEGIN TO BE DIFFERENT.
THE MESSAGE OF JESUS CONTINUES TO INCREASE AND PREVAIL MIGHTILY.
SO THIS IS WHERE WE PICK UP TODAYS SCRIPTURE:
21 Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”
22 And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.
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.”
41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
“THE WAY” - THIS NEW WAY OF LIFE WAS A BIG DEAL.
IN FACT IT WAS A THREAT TO ONE MAN IN PARTICULAR - DEMETRIUS THE SILVERSMITH
HE MADE A LOT OF MONEY FROM THIS TEMPLE.
THE PEOPLE WERE HAPPY TO SERVE AND WORSHIP THE GODDESS OF ARTEMIS
AFTER ALL SHE WAS THE GODDESS OF
chastity,
hunting,
wild animals,
forests,
childbirth, and fertility.
WE HAVE SSEN THIS BEFORE IN SCRIPTURE
CAST UYOUR MIND BACK TO THE STORY OF ELIJAH AND KING AHAB AND JESABEL
HOW THEY DID WHAT WAS EVIL IN THE EYES OF GOD - THEY SINNED BY OFFERING SACRIFICES TO OTHER GODS.
ELIJAH CALLED THEM ALL TOGETHER AND ASKED THEM A QUESTION
21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.
WE THEN ARE TOLD THE STORY OF THE TWO SACRIFICES AND HOW GOD SHOWED UP FOR ELIJAH AND THOSE 850 PROPHETS OF BAAL WERE ELIMINATED.
WE ARE SO EASILY LED ASTRAY BY THE THINGS OF THE WORLD - IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT TIME PERIOD WE LIVE IN - WHAT HAPPENED THEN IS HAPPENING TODAY.
WE HAVE PROGRESSED SO MUCH AND LIFE HAS BECOME SO MUCH MORE COMPLICATED AND WE WANT SO MUCH MORE THAT THIS DIVERTS OUR PURPOSE AND EVEN UNDERSTANDING OF THE MESSAGE.
IN ACTUAL FACT WE ARE NO DIFFERENT TO DEMITRIUS - WHEN WE ENCOUNTER THE GOSPEL MESSAGE - THE GOOD NEWS THAT WE HAVE BEEN RECONCILED TO GOD IT CHANGES US.
IT CHANGES OUR THOUGHT PATTERN
IT CHANGES OUR HABITS
JESUS CAME TO BRING PEACE NOT TO MAKE ENEMIES AND WAR.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
WE SEE HERE A LOT OF FEAR ON BEHALF OF THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW JESUS.
INSERT VIDEO HERE: IF NOT READ THE TRANSCRIPT - BIBLE PROJECT PEACE
The word peace is common in most languages
People can talk about peace treaties or times of peace.
It means the absence of war.
In the Bible the word peace can refer to the absence of conflict,but it also points to the presence of something better in its place.
In the Old Testament the Hebrew word for peace is "shalom".In the New Testament the Greek word is "eirene".
The most basic meaning of shalom is "complete" or "whole".
The word can refer to a stone that has a perfect, whole shape with no cracks.It can also refer to a completed stone wall that has no gaps and no missing bricks.
Shalom refers to something that is complex with lots of pieces that is in a state of completeness.Wholeness.
It is like Job who says his tents are in a state of shalom because he counted his flock and no animals are missing.
This is why shalom can refer to a person's well-being,like when David visited his brothers on the battlefield he asked about their shalom.
The core idea is that life is complex, full of moving parts and relationships and situations.When any of these is out of alignment or missing, your shalom breaks down.
Life is no longer whole.It needs to be restored.In fact, that is the basic meaning of shalom when you use it as a verb.To bring shalom literally means "to make complete" or "restore".
So Solomon brings shalom to the unfinished temple when he completes it.Or, if your animal accidentally damages your neighbor's field,you shalom them by giving them a complete repayment for their loss.You take what is missing and you restore it to wholeness.
The same goes for human relationships.In the book of Proverbs, to reconcile and heal a broken relationship is to bring shalom.
When rival kingdoms make shalom in the Bible, it doesn't just mean they stop fighting,it also means they start working together for each other's benefit.
This state of shalom is what Israel's kings were supposed to cultivate and it rarely happened.
So the prophet Isaiah looked forward to a future king, a "Prince of Shalom".His reign would bring shalom with no end;a time when God would make a covenant of shalom with his people,make right all wrongs and heal all that has been broken.
This is why Jesus' birth in the New Testament was announced as the arrival of "eirene".Remember, that is the Greek word for peace.
Jesus came to offer his peace to others.Like when he said to his followers, "My peace I give to you all.
"The apostles claimed that Jesus made peace between messed up humans and God when he died and rose from the dead.The idea is that he restored to wholeness the broken relationship between humans and their Creator.This is why the apostle Paul can say Jesus himself is our "eirene".
He was the whole, complete human that I am made to be, but have failed to be.Now he gives me his life as a gift.This means that Jesus' followers are now called to create peace.
Paul instructed local churches to keep their unity through the bond of peacewhich requires humility and patience and bearing with others in love.
Becoming people of peace means participating in the life of Jesus who reconciled all things in heaven and earth,restoring peace through his death and resurrection.
So peace takes a lot of work because it is not just the absence of conflict.
True peace requires taking what is broken and restoring it to wholeness,whether it is in our lives, our relationships or in our world.
That is the rich biblical concept of peace.
WE ENCOUNTER PEOPLE ALL THE TIME THAT ARE IN NEED OF PEACE AND WE HAVE THE ANSWER FOR THEM, YET WE CHOOSE TO REMAIN IN OUR COMFORT.
PASTOR DANNY SPOKE A FEW MONTHS AGO OF HOW WE ENJOY OUR COMFORT YET THE GOSPEL IS NOT A MESSAGE OF COMFORT. IT IS GOING TO CAUSE US TO RETHINK OUR LIVES.
WE HAVE NOT REJECTED GOD ENTIRELY HE HAS JUST BECOME OUR SUNDAY GOD, HE IS NOT IN THE DRIVERS SEAT HE IS OUR PASSENGER AND SOMETIMES EVEN IN THE BACK SEAT.
IS GOD OUR SUNDAY GOD? OR IS HE THE LORD OF OUR LIVES THAT CAUSES US TO STOP SERVING IDOLS AND TRUSTING THE WAYS OF THE WORLD.
JOSHUA CHALLENGES US IN THIS WAY:
14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
TODAY WE HAVE COME TO LEARN TOGETHER - LETS TAKE SOME TIME TO DO A LITTLE MEDITATION EXERCISE THAT WILL CHALLENGE US