Knowing Jesus as Lord
Notes
Transcript
Planning
Planning
Passage
Passage
8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. 11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. 13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. 17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. 21 After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.” 22 He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer. 23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. 25 He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.” 28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater. 32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. 39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly. 1 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. 2 He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, 3 where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. 5 These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. 6 But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
Passage structure
Passage structure
Paul leaves the synagogue due to public maligning to go to the lecture hall of Tyrannus (Acts 19:8-10)
The result of misuse of Jesus’ name results in greater reverence of Jesus (Acts 19:11-22)
God does miracles through Paul (Acts 19:11-12)
Jewish exorcists try to invoke Jesus’ name but fail (Acts 19:13-16)
Believers repent of their sorcery (Acts 19:17-20)
Paul decides to go to Jerusalem (Acts 19:21-22)
Riot in Ephesus (Acts 19:23-41, 20:1-6)
Riot in Ephesus (Acts 19:23-41)
Paul decides to go back to Syria via Macedonia and not boat because of Jewish opposition (Acts 20:1-6)
Big stuff
Big stuff
Big idea: Jesus is our Lord.
Fallen condition focus: We think Jesus is our lackey or a loss. We live with ourselves as Lord.
Good news statement: Jesus is ‘our’ Lord who knows what’s best for us.
Felt need: We want to know Jesus rightly.
Big question: Who is Jesus?
Sermon structure
Sermon structure
Intro
Imagine a visitor over morning tea asking you to explain who Jesus is in one sentence.
How you see Jesus affects how you live your whole lives.
Sermon outline - Ls
1, Seeing Jesus as Lord (Acts 19:8-10)
Paul argues persuasively about Jesus, both in the synagogue and in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
Why?
Hint at the end of verse 10 - Lord
“Lord” isn’t something we use very often outside of Christian circles.
“Would you like a cup of tea, my lord”
The passage doesn’t talk about Paul’s motivation, so let’s find out about Paul’s motivation by quickly looking at one of his letters.
Why does Paul try to persuade people about Jesus? 2 Corinthians 5:11 “11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. ...”
Fear of the Lord - complicated
Scared - Christians don’t need to be scared because we can be confident that Jesus saves us
Reverence / deep respect - We know Jesus’ authority and power - this is part of Jesus being Lord
2 Corinthians 5:10 “10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
Play out a Christian appearing before the judgement seat of Christ.
Play out a non-Christian appearing before the judgement seat of Christ.
Exhortation to non-Christian about being scared.
Verse 2 of Amazing Grace
’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!
Exhortation to Christian to know that Jesus is Lord and he will judge.
That led Paul to persuade people about Jesus.
What about you?
That doesn’t mean everyone should be like Paul and preach in synagogues and lecture halls everyday about Jesus. (Although some people here should seriously think about full-time ministry.)
But it means that if you trust in Jesus as Lord, if you recognise that he will judge everyone, you will do your part in helping the word of the Lord spread.
Your colleague at the desk next to you will appear before the judgement seat of Christ - invite them to church
Christian parenting
Financial generosity - awkward man
Jesus is Lord. So let’s preach about him to others.
But not everyone sees him as Lord.
2, Seeing Jesus as a Lackey (Acts 19:11-22)
Lackey - a servant who does whatever the master wants
Not “servant” because Jesus is still our servant
Mark 10:45 “45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.””
vv. 11-12 - Paul does miracles in the name of Jesus.
vv. 13-16
Summary: Some Jews try to invoke the name of Jesus. They don’t see him as Lord who they serve. They see him as a lackey who serves their agenda.
Result: Acts 19:15–16 “15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.”
Paul and the Jewish exorcists both have the same aim of driving out evil spirits.
They both have the same means of doing it in the name of Jesus.
But the difference is in how they see Jesus - Paul sees Jesus as Lord whereas they see him as someone to just be used for their own benefit.
vv. 17-20
v. 17
The fear is probably both being scared (they don’t want to accidentally misuse the name of Jesus) and reverence.
The incident led to a deeper reverence for Jesus as Lord.
vv. 18-20
Christians got rid of sorcery because they respected Jesus as Lord and sorcery is relying on things supernatural outside of Jesus.
Most direct application - get rid of sorcery and other spiritual things that are in opposition with Jesus
Not that relevant to most of us because we live in a culture that’s quite naturalistic and wants to explain things with physical and not the spiritual.
But some people, including Christians, still dabble in these spiritual things (tarot cards, astrology, zodiac).
Get rid of these things.
Jesus is Lord, so we rely on him alone, not on these other things.
The bigger application that applies to all of us is about who Jesus is. It’s about living with Jesus as Lord.
Jesus is your Lord, not your lackey.
“Of course!”
Checklist of questions: Ways Christians have Jesus as their lackey
Most prayers are about serving themselves.
Some involvement in church for a spiritual top-up or reminder about salvation, but not actively serving
Significant anger and doubt when difficulties in life happen
Therefore, confess to God about treating Jesus as a mere servant to do our bidding. We will do this together at the end of the sermon.
Therefore, recommit to living with Jesus as Lord.
Know that he is the Sovereign King.
He’s not a tyrant; he loves us so much he died for us.
His way is best for us.
Commit in our hearts to live our lives for Jesus.
And we’ll ask God for help to do that.
Jesus is Lord, not our lackey. But some people see him as a loss.
3, Seeing Jesus as a Loss (Acts 19:23-41; 20:1-6)
Loss - financial loss
Demetrius the silversmith speaks to the craftsmen
Acts 19:27 “27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name ...” - financial loss
Acts 19:27 “27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”” - loss in their worship of Artemis
vv. 28-41 - Summarise story, emphasising that they believe that Jesus isn’t good for their Ephesian society
Climax in Acts 19:34 “34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!””
20:1-6 - Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there.
Anticlimactic ending in Acts 20:1 “1 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia.” - was expecting Paul to give a speech or people to be persuaded about the Lord or ‘the word of the Lord spread throughout Ephesus’
Map
Ephesus to Macedonia to Greece
Intention to sail to Syria, but the Jews don’t believe Jesus is good and they try to sabotage Paul.
Greece to Macedonia to Troas
Why does Luke (author of Acts) include this episode about the riot in Ephesus?
Many reasons, including recording an accurate history
But I suspect one big reason is so that we would know about the reality of opposition and we’ll be prepared for it.
Importance of knowing the reality of opposition
If we don’t expect it, then we won’t be ready when it happens. Doubt, hurt, anger, defensiveness, etc.
People in our society do think belief in Jesus is loss.
Not so much financial loss
Loss of freedoms - freedom to say whatever you want to say, freedom to live life however you want to live, freedom to sleep with whoever you want to sleep with
Of course there are good answers to that objection - give answer
But lots of people, like the rioters in Ephesus, won’t listen to those answers. They’ll just shout louder and not give us a hearing.
What does preparation look like? Context of 1 Peter 3:15-16 is Christians experiencing threats. 1 Peter 3:15–16 “15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”
1, Revere Christ as Lord
No retreating to protect oneself
Paul was willing to keep going
Example of discrimination against Christians at work - reverence for Christ as Lord means staying true to him even if it means getting fired (recognising that Christ will still provide for you even if you do get fired)
2, Be prepared to give an answer for the hope
Paul was willing to give an answer
What if they’re aggressive?
3, Gentleness and respect
Not fighting fire with fire, because that pushes people further away from Jesus
Gentleness and respect - still made in the image of God
“ashamed of their slander” - the love of Christians can point people to the love of Christ our Lord
https://worldviewbulletin.substack.com/p/what-i-learned-from-100-atheists
“Interestingly, the majority of former skeptics in my research first decided Christianity was good or attractive, as something they desired, before they became willing to look to see whether it was true.”
Maybe you can be part of someone’s journey where they move from seeing Jesus as a loss to seeing him as Lord.
Conclusion
Imagine a visitor over morning tea asking you to explain who Jesus is in one sentence.
Prayer
Confession that we sometimes treat Jesus as our lackey
Prayer that God will help us live for Jesus as our Lord.
Prayer for readiness when we experience opposition.
Feedback with Tim
Feedback with Tim
6/3/26
Mark 10.45 isn't necessary
More loss language
More time in the narrative - both in retelling and in application
Sermon
Sermon
Intro
Intro
Each week, our church has a few visitors join us.
One type of visitor is the person who doesn’t know much about Jesus but wants to find out more.
Now imagine the church service has finished.
You’re at morning tea after the service.
You see someone new and you introduce yourself to them.
And they ask you for some help.
“Hey, I don’t know much about Jesus and I’m trying to figure him out.
There’s so much on the internet about him.
It’s a bit overwhelming!
So can you tell me in just one sentence who Jesus is?”
What would you say?
This question about who Jesus is isn’t just something that visitors ask.
It’s a question we must all ask ourselves because the answer is literally life-changing.
How we see Jesus affects our whole lives.
So this morning, we’re going to look at three different perspectives on Jesus.
Our passage (Acts 19:8-20:6)… our passage shows us three different ways people see Jesus.
But only one of them is right.
These three perspectives on Jesus will form our sermon outline.
Usually, I tell everyone the sermon outline straight away.
But I won’t do that this time.
The words for points 2 and 3 are good words but they require some explanation and it wouldn’t be good having that as a distraction while we’re in point 1.
So you’ll just have to find out when we get there!
Let’s start with point 1.
1, Seeing Jesus as Lord (Acts 19:8-10)
1, Seeing Jesus as Lord (Acts 19:8-10)
Seeing Jesus as Lord.
We’re up to Acts 19:8-10.
And in this section, Paul is in Ephesus.
He’s on his third and final missionary Journey and he’s trying to persuade people to follow Jesus.
He does it first in a Jewish synagogue.
But they reject his message.
And then he tries to persuade people in a public forum, in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever had an argument with someone on the internet.
Online arguments… they really show us it can be very hard to persuade someone.
It can be exhausting work persuading someone.
But despite how hard it is, how much time and effort does Paul devote to persuade people about Jesus?
You may have seen in verse 9 that he’s doing it daily.
In verse 10, he’s doing it daily for two years!
And the rest of Acts shows us that his whole life is about persuading people about Jesus.
That might make us wonder, why does who do this?
Well the passage doesn’t directly say.
There’s a hint at he end of verse 10, where Jesus is called Lord.
What does that mean?
The word ‘Lord’ isn’t used very often outside of Christian circles.
Maybe you hear it when someone’s impersonating a Brit.
“Would you like a cup of tea, my lord?”
Well this passage doesn’t exactly spell out what it means for Jesus to be Lord.
It doesn’t tell us why Paul is so passionate about persuading people to follow Jesus.
So let’s look briefly at 2 Corinthians 5.
You can turn their in your Bibles and it’ll also come up on the screen.
It’s a letter from Paul to the Corinthians and here he talks about his motivation.
Why does Paul try to persuade people about Jesus?
2 Corinthians 5, verse 11.
11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. ...
Paul’s motivation is the fear of the Lord.
That doesn’t mean that Paul is scared of Jesus.
The fear of the Lord isn’t about terror.
Paul trusts in Jesus.
He knows Jesus is his Saviour.
He’s confident that he will be with Jesus forever and he looks forward to that.
He’s not scared of Jesus.
No, the fear of the Lord is a reverence for Jesus.
It’s a deep respect for Jesus.
Jesus being Lord means that Jesus is the one who has full authority and power.
He is the creator of the universe.
He made you and me.
He is actively working in this world.
And as Lord, he will return to judge.
In fact, Jesus’ role as judge is what Paul is focussing on.
Did you see the little word “then” in verse 11?
It points us to what Paul has said just before.
So let’s look at verse 10.
2 Corinthians 5, verse 10.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
One day, Jesus the Lord will judge the whole world.
That’s a good thing.
We don’t want evil to go on forever.
So what will us appearing before the judgement seat of Christ look like?
Well I imagine myself standing before Jesus on his throne.
He knows everything I’ve done.
He knows my acts of love for my family.
He knows the selfishness and pride that I have harboured in my heart.
And the sum total of everything I’ve done falls far short of his perfect standards.
And yet, Jesus also knows that I don’t rely on what I’ve done.
I rely on him.
He knows that he took on my sin so that I am declared righteous.
And on that basis, not on my works, does he then bring me into a glorious eternity with him and his people.
I also picture my non-Christian neighbour appearing before the judgement seat of Christ.
She’s a friendly woman who doesn’t trust in Jesus.
Jesus knows this woman’s kindness to my family and other neighbours.
Jesus knows her anger she holds to someone in her family.
Jesus knows that she has decided not to follow him, even though he is the Lord of the universe, even though he’s given many chances to come back to him.
And so in his righteous judgement, he sends her away.
She didn’t want to live in relationship with him.
So that’s what she experiences for all eternity.
I don’t like thinking about this picture.
No one enjoys thinking about people going to hell.
But you can see how the reality of Jesus’ judging the whole world motivates Paul, right?
Since he knows what it is to fear the Lord, he tries to persuade others.
What about you?
Do you believe that Jesus is Lord?
Do you believe that Jesus being Lord means that he will every single person?
Do you believe that the only way to survive his righteous judgement is faith in him?
And do you want those in your life to experience eternal glory rather than eternal condemnation?
If you’ve said yes to those questions in your heart, then I hope you will do what you can to help people trust in Jesus.
For some of you, that could look like what Paul did.
Speaking about Jesus to people everyday.
Full-time ministry.
But God has made everyone different and we have different gifts and circumstances.
And the fear of the Lord can be lived out in a few different ways.
For those who are working...
Tomorrow, as you look at your colleague sitting at the desk next to yours, remember that they too will appear before the judgement seat of Christ.
Perhaps you might take the first step of developing a friendship so that questions about the big things in life feel more natural.
Maybe when they ask you what you did on the weekend, you can mention that you went to church and ask them if they’ve been to church before.
Or maybe you might just ask them what they think about Jesus.
For those who are parents...
Your child will also appear before the Lord when he returns.
So keep raising them in the Lord.
The desire for people to trust in Jesus and be saved can be lived out in so many ways.
Speaking about Jesus with someone you’ve met at a social.
Giving generously to gospel ministry.
Prayer that Jesus will work open people’s hearts to respond to the gospel.
And because Jesus is Lord, he will work in people’s lives.
Point 1 of this sermon is the right perspective about Jesus.
We see him as Lord.
But as we continue in our Acts passage, we learn about people who see Jesus in another light.
We’re at point 2.
2, Seeing Jesus as a Lackey (Acts 19:11-22)
2, Seeing Jesus as a Lackey (Acts 19:11-22)
Seeing Jesus as a lackey.
A lackey is a servant who does whatever the master wants.
You might be thinking,
“Martin, why don’t you just use ‘servant’ instead of ‘lackey’”?
Well it’s because Jesus is a servant.
But he doesn’t just serve us in whatever way we want.
He serves us in the way we need most, by giving his life as a ransom for many.
A lackey is a servant who does their master’s bidding.
So let’s continue with our passage and we’ll see some people who treat Jesus as their lackey.
We’re back in Acts 19 and we’re now looking at verses 11 to 22.
It starts of with Paul.
God is doing many miracles through Paul, including Paul driving out evil spirits in the name of Jesus.
Some Jews come along, they watch Paul, and they want to do the same thing.
But they don’t see Jesus as their Lord.
They see him as just a lackey who serves their agenda of exorcisms.
So what’s the result?
It’s in verses 15 and 16.
15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
This is all happening in Ephesus and it becomes big news.
They’ve heard about Paul.
They’ve heard about these Jewish exorcists.
They know that both of them have the same aim - driving out evil spirits.
They know that both have the same method - doing it in the name of Jesus.
But they see the big difference.
Paul recognises Jesus as Lord, but these Jews just think Jesus is someone to be used for their own benefit.
That difference leads to Paul driving out evil spirits and the Jews being overcome by them.
All this news makes the Ephesians fearful.
They see that the name of Lord Jesus is so powerful it can drive out evil spirits.
And it’s a name that must not be misused.
Some of these Ephesians are Christians, and as their respect for Jesus increases, their lives are further changed.
Jesus being their Lord means that he expects them to rely on him and him alone, not on other spiritual things.
So they respond accordingly.
They get renounce their sorcery.
They get rid of their magic scrolls.
And even though these scrolls are very expensive, they burn them publicly.
It’s a huge, public expression of turning away from sorcery to follow Jesus as Lord.
And that in turn brings more people to hear about Jesus and be saved.
Now a very direct application of this passage is to get rid of sorcery and other spiritual things that are in opposition to Jesus.
This application isn’t relevant to most of us.
We live in a culture that’s quite naturalistic and rejects the existence of evil spirits.
But there are still some people, including Christians, who still dabble in these things.
Tarot cards, astrology, fortune telling...
If that’s you, you must get rid of those things.
Jesus is Lord, so we rely on him alone, not on any of these other things.
But the more far-reaching and deeper application from this passage is about who Jesus is.
It’s about living with Jesus as Lord, not your lackey.
I think most Christians genuinely believe that Jesus is Lord and not their lackey.
And yet there are still parts of our lives that reflect the opposite.
So I’m going to ask us three questions to help us figure out how we’re viewing Jesus.
Question 1.
Do you spend more time praying for your own benefit rather than for Jesus’ sake?
He who has Jesus as a lackey prays just for himself, but he who has Jesus as Lord prays for Jesus to be glorified.
Question 2.
Is your view of church mostly about what you can get out of it?
She who has Jesus as her lackey comes to church just for that spiritual top-up.
But she who has Jesus as Lord gets a lot out of church and see church as a place to serve Jesus and his people.
Question 3.
When life becomes difficult, do you respond to God in anger or doubt?
He who has Jesus as his lackey expects Jesus to make life comfortable.
But he who has Jesus as Lord accepts that Jesus has the right to give and to take away.
If you realise there have been times you’ve treated Jesus as your lackey, well, remember that Jesus isn’t just Lord, he’s your loving Lord.
He loves you so much that he died for you.
He’s willing to forgive you for treating him as a mere servant.
And in that forgiveness, he gives us space to recommit to living life with him as Lord.
He reminds us that he is our Sovereign King.
We live our lives for him because he deserves it.
We live our lives for him because he shows us the best way to live.
Will you recommit in your hearts to live your life for Jesus?
At the end of this sermon, I will lead us in a prayer where we’ll ask God to forgive us for treating Jesus as a mere servant.
And we’ll ask him for help to live with Jesus as Lord instead.
I’ll invite you to join me in that prayer.
It’s now time to learn about a third perspective on Jesus.
We’re at point 3.
3, Seeing Jesus as a Loss (Acts 19:23-41; 20:1-6)
3, Seeing Jesus as a Loss (Acts 19:23-41; 20:1-6)
Seeing Jesus as a loss.
If you work in finance, that word “loss” might make you think about losing money.
Financial loss is one of two kinds of loss that’s perceived in the second half of Acts 19.
We’ve got Demetrius the silversmith.
His business was making silver shrines of the goddess Artemis.
If people start worshipping Jesus rather than Artemis, of course that will be a loss for his business!
So he gathers people who work in this industry and he tells them that Jesus means financial loss.
Jesus is even loss in their worship of Artemis.
Both kinds of loss are in verse 27.
Acts 19:27
27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”
When all these people realise what Demetrius is saying, they start a riot.
They shout, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
They get the whole city heated.
People are shouting over each other.
Paul wants to say something but it’s too dangerous and his friends won’t let him come out.
A Jew called Alexander wants to speak to the crowd as well.
And we reach perhaps the climax of the riot in verse 34.
34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
This riot only ends when the city clerk calms down the crowd.
He tells people to use the proper legal processes and he rebukes them for rioting.
It’s a bit of an anticlimactic ending to the riot.
I was hoping for Paul to make an amazing speech or for the word of the Lord to spread in Ephesus.
But Paul just talks with the Ephesian Christians and leaves.
That’s chapter 20, verse 1.
1 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia.
I’ve got it up on the screen if you want to follow along.
Most of our passage is situated in Ephesus.
Paul travels from Ephesus to Macedonia and then to Greece.
He wants to sail to Syria, but even the Jews there try to sabotage Paul.
So he travels on foot back to Macedonia and then to a place called Troas.
Now why do you think Luke, the author of Acts, why has Luke included this episode about the riot in Ephesus?
Well one reason is just that Luke is recording an accurate history.
But I suspect a big part of it is that we would know the reality of opposition and be prepared for it.
That we would know the reality of opposition and be prepared for it.
What happens if we’re not prepared for it?
Well when opposition comes, we instinctively react.
We might react in defensiveness.
We might doubt God.
We might become overly angry at those who oppose us.
So Luke spending 20 verses on the riot in Ephesus is God’s kindness in preparing us for opposition.
That opposition comes from people thinking Jesus is a loss for them too.
In today’s society, it’s not so much financial loss, but loss of freedoms.
Christianity is accused of taking away freedom.
The freedom to sleep with whoever you want...
The freedom to live life as you please...
The freedom to say whatever you want to say...
Of course, we have good answers to those accusations.
We can talk about how Australian law takes away our freedom to murder, our freedom to steal...
And everyone believes that’s a good thing.
So we believe in a Lord who gives commands that also seem to reduce our freedom...
But that’s because the resulting way of life is actually good for everyone.
Some people will engage with our answers.
But others won’t listen.
They’re like the rioters in Ephesus who didn’t listen to Alexander and probably wouldn’t have listened to Paul.
So how can we be prepared?
Let’s turn to one more passage.
1 Peter 3:15-16.
1 Peter 3:15-16 are written in Peter’s argument where he’s preparing them for opposition.
[Don’t read]
15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
In these verses, he tells them three ways to be prepared.
Firstly, revere Christ as Lord.
That’s an important one because if we don’t revere Christ as Lord, then someone or something else becomes Lord.
If Paul treated himself as Lord, he would do the best to protect himself, including shying away from opposition.
But because Paul knows Christ is Lord, he keeps persuading people about Jesus even in the face of opposition.
If work is your Lord and your boss doesn’t like Christianity, you won’t say a word about Jesus to protect your job.
But if Jesus is your Lord, you’ll still speak about Jesus in the right contexts even if your boss doesn’t like him.
Secondly, be prepared to give an answer for the hope you have.
That means actually speaking about Jesus.
We aren’t just nice people.
We speak about the salvation we have in Jesus.
And thirdly, speak with gentleness and respect.
We don’t fight fire with fire because that actually pushes people further away from Jesus, even if we’re right.
Our words of truth and love can actually point people to the truth and love of Christ our Lord.
I was reading an interesting article titled “What I Learned from 100 Atheists Who Converted to Christianity”.
And I shouldn’t have been surprised but the data backs up what this passage is saying.
Most of these former atheists had as a key part of their journey to faith:
A Christian who took their faith seriously - that is, someone who revered Christ as Lord.
This Christian explained what they believed - that is, they were able to give an answer for the hope they had.
And this Christian engaged with them patiently and respectively - that is, they spoke with gentleness and respect.
Even in the face of opposition, Paul kept persuading people about Jesus because he knew Jesus is Lord.
And that’s what we can do too.
And perhaps God might even use us to bring others to see Jesus as Lord as well and be saved.
Conclusion
Conclusion
There are still a few things before the formal part of this service is over.
But after that, we’ll head off to morning tea.
You might like to ask someone to explain who Jesus is in one sentence.
If someone asked you that question, what would you say?
I would say something like this.
“Jesus is my Lord, who has given me life through his sacrifice, who will one day return to judge, and who I live for in the meantime.”
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father,
We confess that sometimes we treat Jesus as a mere servant. We make ourselves Lords and we forget that Jesus is Lord. So we are sorry.
Thank you that you continue to forgive us because of Jesus.
So we pray that you would help us to live our lives wholeheartedly for Jesus. He is Lord, not us.
And please help us to be ready when opposition comes. Strengthen us to keep living for Jesus in every situation.
We pray in his name,
Amen
We are now going to respond in song.
Let’s stand and sing, No Other Name.
