Changing Hearts

Changing Hearts

By: Jacob Winters

Introduction

Scripture

Father God, we thank You for Who You are. A great Big God who sees each and every one of us here and cares deeply about us. We ask this day, as we are continuing in this time of worship to You, reading Your Word and hearing Your Word, that You refine us with it. Mold us, make us, shape us, rearrange us so that we can more like You, and more made into the image of Christ. Help us be a people who love You and love others so much, that we are moved into action by whatever it is You are going to show us about Yourself today and what that means in our lives. Help us do this, because all to often our selfish and sinless flesh war against our will to follow Yours. As we are doing this, and as we are coming into Your Word today, we ask that You take away any distraction that we may have, and make it go as far away as it possible can, because we want to see and we want to know You better. It’s in these things that I ask and in Jesus Christ’s Holy and precious name that I pray, Amen.

11 God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands, 12 so that even facecloths or aprons[b] that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.

13 Now some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists also attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I command you by the Jesus that Paul preaches!” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this. 15 The evil spirit answered them, “I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul—but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them, overpowered them all, and prevailed against them, so that they ran out of that house naked and wounded. 17 When this became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, they became afraid, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high esteem.

18 And many who had become believers came confessing and disclosing their practices, 19 while many of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them in front of everyone. So they calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread and prevailed.

Context

This week, we are continuing in Paul’s long stay in the town of Ephesus. As you will remember from last week’s text, Paul enjoyed a much longer time than usual, 3 months, of preaching in the synagogues until he was forced to leave. At this point, he still focused on God’s glory and the gospel being preached, and moved to the lecture hall of a man called Tyrannus, which he would keep up for at least 2 years, and taught in that hall 2 times a day. So, he kept busy and the text said through his hard work and commitment to the gospel all the people in the area would hear the gospel. (though that doesn’t mean all would accept it).

In this week’s text, we are still in that 2 year stretch that was mentioned before. And we will see even more detail about was going on in this early church and the town that it was in. So, keep your eyes peeled, as before our very eyes in this week’s text, you will see thoughts and actions that will happen early and often in a believers faith life. These of course, continue through the followers of Christ’s faith life as we commit to Him more and more and more in our life as we mature and grow in the understanding and love of His saving and miracles grace. What is this? It is an increased love, respect, and commitment to Jesus, to God, and the spread of The Gospel, that will lead to tangible action action within your life. What i’m saying is, A true respect for Christ’s name will lead to repentance. So, let’s jump in and From the text, I want you to see these actions that happen to Changing Hearts.

Message

The first action to see is that: God does the extraordinary. 11-12

11 God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands, 12 so that even facecloths or aprons[b] that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.

While in Ephesus, which you will remember was a town filled rebellion in sin, especially in idolatry, our mighty God was extraordinary miracles through Paul. Notice that word, extraordinary, meaning by human standards, this would not have been possible, only through the divine God and His power could these miracles be done. So potent was God’s miracles in this place, that all it took was something that touched Paul and that item could be used to heal the sick and diseased as well as remove any kind of evil spirit that had a hold on a person.

All throughout the Bible, we read of extraordinary miracles that God performed in the rescuing and proving Himself to His covenant people. We saw Him rescue all of Israel by splitting a sear with Pharaoh and his army’s closely behind. He provided meat, bread, and water to those same people while they were wandering in a desolate place, he brought down heavily fortified cities without a single arrow being shot or a sword coming out of his sheath, he healed lepers from their ailments, and even called the dead back to life. Here, He is working in the same ways as He did then, and everyone who was watching, knew that that in the name of this God in the name of this Jesus was true power. I mean look, all it took was an item from that merely touched one of Jesus’s servants (Paul) and boom, the presence or touching of this item to the unfortunate person in need of healing would be healed and made well.

Now, we may be fooled, every one of us, to not think that God doesn’t perform miracles today. I mean, look around you. When was the last time you saw Him part a sea or rain nourishment from heaven or tear down your enemies walls (literally)? Probably never. So then, we are quick to assume that God doesn’t do miracles anymore. That is, until we understand that an even greater sign and wonder (a miracle) we get to witness and if you are a follower of Christ then you have personally participated in. I am talking of course of the extraordinary work that is God giving and providing salvation for you, for me, for anyone that would have it. You see, the darkness of sin (our rebellion against God) is great and separates us so far from His Holy Perfection, that it would indeed take a miracle (an extraordinary act of the divine) to save you. That’s how serious our sin is. Yet, your might God did just that, provided for the penaility of sir to our joy and betterment. Once you understand the gravity of your salvation, that it required the blood sacrifice of God the Son, if you follow the road to where that lead then you should have A true respect for Christ’s name that will lead to repentance. Meaning, if you want to see the extraordinary, if you want to see God move, if you want to draw close and closer, nearer and nearer to Him beloved child of God, then you must have a respect (some bible translations also call it a fear) for Christ’s name, which will lead you into the action of repentance. Are you ready to see changing and changed hearts? So, then, what are you waiting for, what are you holding onto? Are you ready to see God move!? Then get to moving, believe in the Lord Jesus and repent (turn away from) your old ways and put on the new that God would be glorified through you and your change.

The next action to see is: Respect for Christ’s Name. 13-17

13 Now some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists also attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I command you by the Jesus that Paul preaches!” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this. 15 The evil spirit answered them, “I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul—but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them, overpowered them all, and prevailed against them, so that they ran out of that house naked and wounded. 17 When this became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, they became afraid, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high esteem.

So, what happens here? Clearly, there was a fair among of demonic activity in the area, as their seemed to be some way to make money or a living at removing them from people. Believe it or not, archaeology has found several scrolls of supposed incantations or spells across several cultures to remove demons from a person. Most of them go something like this, “A command for the demons to be gone, with a sprinkling in of names or foreign sounding words to impress people and give a hint of mystery.” Most of these scrolls, when interpreted today, we can read them and know that they are gibberish and nonsense words all randomly thrown together. To some degree, this must be what these rogue sons of Sceva were doing. Only, they chose the name of Jesus to invoke their spells. So what happened? Well, they weren’t followers of Jesus, they were just using His name to make a profit, to provide false hope and swindle people that were in real need. So, look, when they did this, the demon mocked them, and showed that it had heard of Jesus and Paul and would have to obey them, but who are you? You are nobody and I don’t have to listen to you. So, the demon possessed man attacked them and easily beat them, to the point that they had to run into the streets naked and wounded….. The town knew this, heard about this, and knew what these guys were about, and this lead to great and healthy respect/fear for the name of Jesus, because everyone knew that their was something to it, so Jesus’s name was given great esteem and respect in this town by both the Jews and Greeks.

Such great respect is what we are to always give Jesus. “There is a story of such a respect, from a man named William Booth, who was the founder of the Salvation army. At the end of his life, he and his wife had a few legal matters to attend to, but he was delirious and often not able to stay awake long enough to sign anything or understand what he was doing. But, his lawyer knew that this will was his last wish. So, not long before he died, they woke him up to sign some of the papers. He didn’t sign it very well or very legible, but to Mrs booth’s relief it was, ‘good enough.’ Soon after he would pass on to be with his savior, and after the funeral and everything they got to work executing the will. When looking through it, they noticed something about his signature. Of course, every one of them was not neat and orderly and easy to read as we would expect here. But, even more remarkable is that not a one of them were William Booth’s name. Rather, every single one of them simple said this word, ‘Jesus.’ That’s right, Mr. Booth had so much love and respect for his savior that in his dying moments that’s all he could think and write about.”1

So, how about it? Does this kind respect, fear, and love for Jesus sound something you have yet? Is your life one the line and an offering Jesus, just as His life was on the line and was a willing offering for you? Now, not everyone in the world or even everyone that you know will have a good and healthy respect for the name of Jesus. But, just as these Ephesians had seen, he deserves it. Which means what as we come to understand and fear the name of Jesus? It means that as our respect and fear grows, our day to day moment by moment repentance is to grow as well. Which brings us to

Another action to see is: A Repentant Response 18-20

18 And many who had become believers came confessing and disclosing their practices, 19 while many of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them in front of everyone. So they calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread and prevailed.

So, what happened after all this? Just look. As everyone saw the power and respect and fear that Jesus deserved as God, the people came clean. All the sin, idolatry, and hidden things that had been holding onto, they confessed them. But they did more than that, they didn’t just confess and feel bad and sorry for what they did. No, they did much more, they repented. They turned from those old ways and things and made it to where they wouldn’t ever do it ever again. Just look, many of the many of the sinful magic practicers came forward, gathered their books, and burned them in the the open for all to see, and when they tallied the worthy, they found that this was a very costly thing. It was a great personal and financial sacrifice, seeing that Jesus was better and doing what it took in their lives to say so. So, the word of Jesus spread and prevailed in this town as people saw, Jesus is better. Put aside the old ways, Believe and Repent.

Friends, family, everyone in the room.A true respect for Christ’s name will lead to repentance. If their is no repentance, than unfortunately, their is true respect for Christ’s name. Their may be sorrow, their may be hurt, their may be people trying to get themselves out of trouble. But, without a truly repented heart, their is no salvation, their is lasting change, their is no real hope. Remember, the reason mankind exists and breath air and lives our lives is to bring God glory. What then, makes you think that you can over come the evil and vises of sin without God the Holy One involved? You can’t do it without Jesus. Try at your own peril. Try in your own way, but you will only end up hurting those around you that matter to you. So change, repent. Put aside those things you are looking at, flush those things you are taking, don’t sit around in worry about what might be. Stop shutting yourself away. Your God is so much bigger than all those false securities your sin of choice is giving you! Be a person with a changing heart, a change for the good, not for the worse. Doing this, requires a repentant response. So do it.

Conclusion

Beloved, the tail in this scripture tells itself. God does the extraordinary. 11-12 The fact that we are allowed the grace from God live right now despite our own wickedness is testimony ot it. So, with that knowledge you should have Respect for Christ’s Name. that would lead to a A Repentant response 18-20. Are struggling with something. I know each and everyone of us here are. Let’s take a moment, the alter is open. Come forward to pray if you feel God’s tug to repent and trust Jesus more.

With all of that being said, I would be remised if I didn’t share the Gospel (or the Good News) of Jesus Christ with you today, for the benefit of both believer and non-believer in the room. This begins all the way back at the beginning, God created everything, and he created all things good. He gave His most treasured creation (us, mankind) the ability of free will, the ability to choose Him or rebellion. Man was deceived by Satan and desired to be like God and sinned (or rebelled against God). This brought the curse of sin and death into the world and it remains with us to this day; which separates us from God. God though, loved His creation (mankind) so much that He worked through history to redeem all mankind that would turn to Him from sin so that we can experience a full and perfect relationship with Him again. This was through the perfect and final sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the pay for sins. Accepting this free gift from God, makes you new and forgiven. All you have to do accept this free gift by repenting and believing in the Lord Jesus and you will get to experience the good side of God’s justice forever. So, now that you know this, you can no longer plead ignorance. I invite and urge you to respond today non-believer and apply this to every part of your life believers in the audience today.

With that, Let’s conclude. Brothers and Sisters, I love you all. During our last song together, if you need prayer, or want to talk more about Jesus, or have something you want to talk about, I’ll be here, don’t be afraid to come on down. Let’s pray. Father God, we thank You for who You are and what You are doing to us here in this place. May whatever it is that You are doing in each of heart here, continue as we leave go out into the world this week. Change us, mold us, make us, re-arrange us, that we can be both better lovers of You and better showers of You. It’s in these things that I ask and in Jesus Christ’s Holy and precious name that I pray, Amen.