Series — Paul’s 3rd Missionary Journey — Sermon 1 — Christ Magnified!

Introduction

Good morning Church!

It’s good to be back here with each and every one of you this morning. I want to say welcome to each of you who have come out to join us here today and all those who may be watching online as well.

Today we will be continuing on in our study of the Book of Acts and we will be picking up in the midst of Paul’s 3rd missionary journey.

And today we are going to be looking at the first 20 Verses here in Chapter 19.

And as I was sitting there pondering all that’s covered here in these first 20 Verses I was trying to zoom out a little and what it all had in common.

And as I did so, there was one common theme that came to mind and that is what I chose as the title of our message today…Christ Magnified!

We’re going to see Paul do some Explaining when it comes to Salvation; we’re going to see him do some Expounding of the Scriptures; we’re going to see an exorcism go sideways; and we’re going to see the gospel of Jesus Christ explode across all of Asia but in all these things there’s one thing that remained the same…Christ was magnified!

As I got to thinking about this theme and how it applies to our lives here today, here’s the verse that came to mind....

Colossians 3:23 KJV 1900

23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

Often times we live our lives with this world in mind and forget who we’re really living them for.

We need to remember that this world is but a blip on the radar screen of eternity and when we leave this world there is an eternity to spend in one of two places.

For those who have been born again and believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ, we will live forever with Christ our King in Heaven but for those who have not made preparations for that day; those who have not trusted in Christ Jesus as Lord, the only thing that awaits you is an eternity separated from God forever.

An eternity spent in utter darkness where the worm dieth not and the fire is never quenched. A place the Bible says where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The most dreadful place a person could ever imagine called hell.

The Bible says it was created for the devil and his angels. It was never meant for mankind to end up there. That was not God’s plan.

God’s plan was for you and I to be saved and to spend eternity in Heaven with Him but when we deny His one and only Son, Jesus, who died on an old rugged cross on Calvary’s Hill to save all those who would call upon His name and put their trust in Him for the forgiveness of their sins, when you deny Him, there is but only one other place to spend eternity and that’s this place of separation that we call hell.

This morning, I want to make sure each and every person under the sound of my voice knows that God doesn’t want you to end up there.

He’s made every provision imaginable for you to be gloriously saved from this awful, dreadful place but you have a choice to make yourself.

If you don’t want to spend eternity separated from God, then you must choose to trust in His Son Jesus.

If you will do that, if you will simply believe upon Him today, you shall be saved and will get the opportunity to spend eternity in Heaven with God!

But You must choose Christ.

It’s a decision you and you alone can make. No one can make it for you.

If you’ve never taken that step of trusting in Jesus, I pray today would be the day that all that changes. If God deals with your heart, you come to this altar and get things worked out.

Don’t wait until I’m done preaching, don’t quench the Holy Spirit of God and make Him wait until we give the invitation at the end of the service, just come when He calls and get things right with Him today!

I’ll keep on preaching and one of our deacons will come and pray with you.

Don’t think for one second you will be hindering me or the service.

That’s why we’re here!

So that Christ will be magnified and draw all men, women, boys and girls unto Him! Jesus said in...

John 12:32 KJV 1900

32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

With no further ado, if you have your copy of God’s Word turned to Acts 19 would you say, Amen.

The Explanation of Salvation — (Vs. 1-7)

John Phillips — John’s baptism pointed forward to one who was coming; Christian baptism points back to one who has come. John’s baptism was linked to repentance: “I am repentant, therefore I submit to this baptism; it is the public expression of a personal expectation of the soon-coming Christ.” Christian baptism is linked to regeneration: “I have been regenerated; therefore I submit to this baptism; it is the public expression of my personal experience of an indwelling Christ.” Moreover, John’s water baptism pointed to a promised baptism of the Spirit—it predicted the day of Pentecost. Christian baptism points to a present baptism of the Spirit—it proclaims the day of Pentecost. John’s baptism said, “There is going to be a change in the dispensations; the Holy Spirit is going to come into the world.” Christian baptism not only demonstrates that that has happened, it says, “There is a change in my disposition; the Holy Spirit has come into my heart.” John’s baptism was essentially Jewish in character, scope, and significance; believer’s baptism is essentially Christian in character, scope, and significance. A Jew baptized at the urging of John remained a Jew. A believer baptized at the urging of John remained a Jew. A believer baptized in the name of Jesus remains a Jew or an American or a German, but he is publicly identified, by his baptism, with something far greater than nationality; he is identified with the church. His baptism does not make him a Christian, but it proclaims him a Christian; it does not put him in the church, but it announces that he is in the church.

The defective answer of these twelve men revealed to Paul just where they stood in relation to Christ. As Aquila and Priscilla did for Apollos, so Paul did for these men—he explained the full gospel of Christ to them. They believed at once and followed the Lord in believer’s baptism.

The Expounding of the Scriptures — (Vs. 8-9)

Acts 19:8–9 NLT

8 Then Paul went to the synagogue and preached boldly for the next three months, arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God. 9 But some became stubborn, rejecting his message and publicly speaking against the Way. So Paul left the synagogue and took the believers with him. Then he held daily discussions at the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

The Expanding of the Gospel — (Vs. 10-12)

Chuck Swindoll — The phrase translated “performing extraordinary miracles” (19:11) is especially curious in Greek. Literally rendered, it’s “works of power, not the ordinary ones.” By definition, all miracles are beyond normal; the fact that anything miraculous occurs is extraordinary. Luke means to say that the miracles God “was performing” differed from what Timothy and other disciples had seen before.

In the words of A. T. Robertson, “In Samaria Philip wrought miracles to deliver the people from the influence of Simon Magus. Here in Ephesus exorcists and other magicians had built an enormous vogue of a false spiritualism and Paul faces unseen forces of evil.”

G. Campbell Morgan described Ephesus this way: “The atmosphere of the city was electric with sorcery and incantations, with exorcists, with all kinds of magical impostors.”[186] In other words, evil held the city of Ephesus and the region of Asia so tightly that the Lord had to exercise even greater and more unusual divine power to break its grip.

An Exorcism Gone Wrong — (Vs. 13-16)

“Vagabond” — Greek word means — to travel about; to go around.

Acts 19:13 NLT

13 A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!”

Vs. 15 — Jesus I “know” and Paul I “know” but who are you?

Jesus I “know” — Greek (ginosko) — To understand, to grasp or ascertain; especially to be familiar or acquainted with a person or thing.

Paul I “know” — Greek (epistamai) — The primary meaning of this verb is having familiar, experiential knowledge of something or someone.

The Lexham Theological Wordbook describes the difference between the two this way...

LTW — When used in subtle contrast with (ginōskō), (epistamai) connotes having experiential knowledge of one person (e.g., Paul) while recognizing the authority of another (e.g., Jesus).

Acts 19:16 NLT

16 Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered.

This Exorcism gone wrong led to a An Explosion of Repentant Hearts! Look on down at Verses 17-19 with me.

An Explosion of Repentant Hearts — (Vs. 17-19)

Philippians 2:5–13 KJV 1900

5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

An Excitement over the Word of God — (Vs. 20)

John G Butler — The Word of God came out the winner in this combat with evil. It always will. Sometimes it looks like evil will prevail, but God’s Word will always prevail in the end. “Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away” (Mark 13:31).