Check Yourself
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Outline:
Outline:
Continue the Narrative
Last week - Paul encountered some “disciples” and led them to salvation
Refuted some false doctrine
Incredible story about the sons of sceva
Who were attempting to use God’s power for themselves
“I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims”
A lot like Simon the sorcerer
This week, we’re coming back to Ephesus, where Paul is, and we’re going to encounter a man named Demetrius
The Heart of Idolatry Displayed
Idol worship is more than just actual idols. It is often rooted to three things:
Wealth (verse 24, 25, 27)
Wealth (verse 24, 25, 27)
Religion (verse 26, 27)
Lifestyle (verse 26)
3.
Are We So Different?
Intro
Intro
Now last week, as we sat in the dark, and as I stumbled through not being able to see my notes....
We talked about the fact that we must really understand God’s Word, really work to know what each word means as it is important not only to our foundational beliefs, but also in defending and standing up for the proper understanding of God’s Word
We saw this displayed in Paul meeting the 12 “disciples” who weren’t really believers at all and leading them to salvation
In doing that, he was refuting false doctrine, and we have to know this book if we are going to do the same
Well, we’re skipping over an incredible story this morning about the sons of sceva
Jewish exorcists were trying to use the power of Paul (God) to heal people like Paul was doing
And these seven sons of a Jewish high priest were doing the same thing
And they tell an evil spirit to leave a person, and the spirit says back to them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”
And the man who had the evil spirit attacked the seven sons, overpowered them, and they fled out of the house naked and wounded
And God uses this to kind of end the practice of exorcism in this region because people came to salvation because of them seeing what happened to the seven sons of sceva
Book burning
We are picking up the story in Ephesus today, where Paul is currently
He wants to go to Macedonia and Achaia and then on to Jerusalem, but he stays in Asia, in Ephesus, for a little while
The Heart Behind His Idolatry
The Heart Behind His Idolatry
We read this passage, and right off the bat, we see that Demetrius is an idol maker, that’s his occupation, okay
So naturally, most of us check out. We’re like, okay, this doesn’t relate to me at all
I mean, who actually makes idols anymore anyway?
Well I can promise you, go make a trip to Asia…you’ll find plenty
But this passage is so relatable to us, I promise you that
Because yes, Demetrius was an idol maker, but he was also an idolatrous person, and we can see the heart behind his idolatry in this passage if we look closely enough
Because he was actually more concerned about three things, than about the actual idols he made
The first thing I see in Demetrius rhetoric is this:
WEALTH was an idol to him
Look at verse 24 - READ
How about verse 25 - READ
And again in verse 27 - READ
See, Demetrius was threatened by Paul’s teaching that God was the only thing to be worshiped. He was the only thing to be sought after above everything else
And right off the bat, we see Demetrius perk up because if he were to accept that, he’d have to 1, end his business, yes, but more importantly, he’d have to let go of his wealth, of his source of income
RELIGION
What about his religion, his worship of the great goddess of nature, Artemis
See, his religion made sense to him…make a sacrifice, burn some incense, bow before this silver statue, and you’re good for the day
But then you’ve got Paul coming along and saying things like:
- you are even worshiping unknown gods, fashioned by hands
- flee from idolatry
And so on…and he was offending the “religion” of the day....Paul was attacking his pre-conceived religion values and beliefs
And, come on you guys, look around our culture today, can the same not be said of Christians today?
Are we not told all the time we are offending and not being accepting of people’s religious beliefs by declaring God’s way is the only way?
Demetrius wanted to worship how he saw fit, not how God required
He didn’t want to let that go....
Religion take shape in so many forms
LIFESTYLE
So not only was wealth an idol, not only was his religion an idol, but his LIFESTYLE was also an idol
He didn’t want to let go of the status quo
Look at verse 26 - READ
See, Paul was leading people to salvation, and a life of faith is a life that’s changed. You can’t stay the same
And Demetrius is noticing this....people are different. They aren’t buying from him anymore (idol #1), they aren’t worshiping Artemis anymore (idol #2), and the lifestyle of his city is changing
And Demetrius was not willing to let that go
He wanted to control the environment, essentially putting himself first, which we know is the root of all sin, selfishness
But do you guys see these three things here. It’s so plain to see and understand that he wasn’t really all that concerned about these other men he gathered together, but he was concerned about his own idolatrous heart.
Are We That Different
Are We That Different
Now, most of us in here claim to be believers, but the question I put to you this morning is this:
Are we that different than Demetrius?
We say we worship the one true God, but He has told us that we are to put away our idols and follow after Him wholeheartedly
And again, I ask…are we that different?
You all filled out your paper before we started today
Does that paragraph sound familiar to you?
Because it should be…we just read it in verses 23-27
You may not be an idol maker, but are you guilty of doing the same thing Demetrius did?
Are you guilty of holding onto your idolatrous wants and desires instead of laying them down?
Not saying you can’t pick them back up, but God has to come first
Because here is what many Christians in today’s world still do....they hold onto their idols
And they’ll gather around like minded people who think the same as they do, and they’ll justify their desires and idols to each other…like Demetrius did
And they’ll hold onto them tightly and never let them go
And that idol could be wealth, it could be religions, it could be lifestyles
I’m going to put my work above everything else
I’m going to put my athletic endeavors above God
I’m going to put my lifestyle choices above what God requires of me.
I’m going to just be religious and worship how I think I should, so that I can pursue my other idols
WE DO THE SAME EXACT THINGS
Your paper, that thing you are most passionate about…if you read back through that…how true is it of you?
You guys are young, I know, and you’re maybe not thinking you’ll gain wealth from it, but it certainly can and most likely is true of you that it can become something of a religion and a way of life to you…and the truth is....
Guys, you have to lay them down
You are a new creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, not for idolatrous works!
Demetrius didn’t know Jesus
You claim to know Jesus
See the difference there?
A truly captivated Christian is a truly changed Christian