Sermon Tone Analysis

Acts Series #36

*Who Are You?*

*Acts 19:11-20*

 

Let me tell you something that is interesting …

as long as there has been currency, there have been counterfeits.

From wooden nickels, to quarter sized "slugs" for vending machines, to counterfeit bills.

People impersonate celebrities and steal our identity to get perks and get ahead.

You can go online and pay for a degree …

You can download codes to cheat your way through a video game instead of learning how to play it

You can buy research papers and reports

You can buy cliff notes so you don't have a read a book

Last year an author wrote a book and sold millions of copies only to find out that he made up most of it and exaggerated the rest

A Harvard Student recently published a novel that was found to have whole passages copied from another writer

 

Wherever the Word of God is preached … wherever the truth is proclaimed, you will also find counterfeiters.

They look good, they dress well, they sound right, they use Jesus' name

 

There is a famous televangelist who encouraged his listeners send "prayer cloths" in along with a monetary faith gift and he would pray over them and return them … However, a local news team found 1000's of these envelopes, clothes etc. in a dumpster in the back "faith gift removed"

 

There are charlatans in every age, snake oil salesman, people who try and prey on the superstitions of people and they will USE whatever the people believe in to turn it to profit for them.

Now, Paul has left Corinth and gone to Ephesus.

There are some things you should know about Ephesus, it was a town DEEP in occultism, magic arts, and the worship of the goddess Artemis.

She was a goddess of fertility and was worship with all kinds of sorcery and immorality.

The Temple of Artemis was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient world.

And Ephesus was supported by the tourism of people coming to see and worship at this pagan place.

It was a place of false signs of power.

As the Jews of the town didn't receive Paul's message, he moved into the local public teaching facility, perhaps using it during the day from 11-4 when the students and professors would have been resting.

Paul stayed and taught there for 2 years.

And EVERYONE in the region KNEW about the name of Jesus Christ.

Now, if you were to do a study of the supernatural moves of God recorded in the New Testament, whether by the hand of Jesus or through the Apostles, it ALWAYS served the purpose of validating Jesus Christ as Lord, Messiah, and God.

It was the way that God proved himself to a world in need of something to believe in.

So, in this dark place, with the power of evil so strong, God moved in a powerful way …

 

Now let me also set the stage and say that where there is opportunity, the charlatans arise.

There were people that would make money by casting out demons.

In a superstitious society, every time someone had a problem they would blame it on demons, so a fake exorcist could come along, say an incantation and talk the person into believing he had been freed from a real demon.

Ephesus was FULL of books of incantations and spells.

They believed in the power of imparting the name of deities in their incantations.

Jewish exorcists had gained a reputation and earned a good living no doubt.

But … what happens when a FAKE exorcist runs into a REAL Demon?

Let's READ vv11-20

 

Let me start by saying ...

 

*1.

The Power is NOT in the Activity, it is in the  PERSON … *

- the power is NOT in what you do, but in who you follow

 

Just because someone goes to church doesn't ensure the power of Jesus Christ

Just because someone preaches and names Christ doesn't mean that Christ is in the message nor that he is in them …

Notice that what was happening, with the handkerchiefs and aprons and healing in their touching, were EXTRAORDINARY miracles.

This was NOT the normal for Paul's ministry, this was NOT the way it always went.

It was something wrought by the Power of the Holy Spirit, at God's discretion and direction.

The power is NOT in the activity of sending handkerchiefs and aprons to the Man of God to be touched.

God was showing his power to a world that did not even know who he was.

If it was the exception, in Paul's ministry, in a world largely ignorant of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, how much MORE would anything like this be an exception in a world that has had 2000 years of the proclamation of Christ, and in a country that has had more Christian Ministry than any country in human history.

God doesn't have to reveal himself any more than he already has, he is not required.

God's power is NOT in the activity it is in the PERSON of Jesus Christ.

We don't need more revelation we need to BELIEVE the revelation we've already received

 

 

Matthew 12:38-40 - /then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you." 39 he answered, "a wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign!

But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth /

 

It's a dangerous thing to demand a sign … as if God has not shown us enough in the resurrection of Christ.

Do not get me wrong … I believe we worship the SAME God, I BELIEVE in Miracles, and I believe in God but we cross the line when we DEMAND signs, when we DEMAND God to do something that he has done for someone else

 

The Power is NOT in the Activity it is the in Person of Jesus Christ

 

*2.

The Power is NOT in the formula or the title, it is in the PERSON *

 

These 7 Con-artists these 7 brothers

They tried to invoke "the Jesus whom Paul Preached"

This was NOT the Jesus that they knew, the resided in their hearts in the Person of the Holy Spirit, this was the JESUS they had HEARD of, by the Preaching and Experience of Paul

 

They were just trying to use a formula as if to say Abracadabra, Alakazam, hocus pocus.

- but the power is not in what you know, but who you know

 

These men cannot take on the power, authority or appearance of God because he was not THEIR God

 

Ps 50:16 - /but to the wicked, God says "what right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant to your lips"/

 

"Jesus I know" - /ginosko - come to know, understand, intimate knowledge/

 

Col 2:15 /and having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross"/

 

"I know about Paul"  /epistamai - to catch one's attention .. to be acquainted with, /-- we know about Paul, he has caught our attention

 

Who are you --- The Literal translation here is … "BUT YOU?  Who are YOU?" "what authority do you have over us?: - "we may not Like Jesus but he is GOD … and we may not WANT to but we will stay out of Paul's way because of Christ IN him … but we have no reason to fear you" … and

 

"..Let me show you what authority you have … NONE …"

 

And I LOVE this story, as the REAL Demon Attacked the FAKE Exorcists and showed them that they were NOT to be messed with.

Demons are NOTHING to be trifled with … The ONLY power is found in Jesus Christ

 

There is no power in a formula … there is no power in a title …

 

*3.

The Power is in Who You Are*

 

We are people with authority, with power, NOT because of WHO we are but because of WHOSE we are …

 

If you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you are helpless against the Evil One

You belong to him and you are enslaved to sin …

 

But If You belong to Jesus Christ … If you have given your heart to him, surrendered to him as Lord, His Spirit lives IN you and you ARE Somebody … You are SOMEONE with authority, spiritual power, you need to know WHO YOU ARE …

 

You are either … HIS … and a Spiritual Somebody … or

 

Or you are not …

 

The Reason for you to know WHO you are is that people might know WHO JESUS is and have an AWE for his name

When you know WHO you are in Jesus Christ and his Spirit operates in you, people will come wanting to know the truth and how to have it themselves

 

You are

 

Mat 5:13,14

Salt of the Earth

Light of the World

 

Mt 10:30,31

You are worth more than the birds of the air and God even numbers the hairs on your head

 

John 15:15

You are Friends of Christ

 

John 15:16

You are chosen by Christ

 

John 13:35

You are disciples

 

John 1:12

You are children of God

 

Romans 8:17

You are co-heirs with Jesus

 

Rom 6

You are NOT a slave to sin

 

1 Cor 1:30