Acts 19:8-10
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8 Then he entered the synagogue and spoke boldly over a period of three months, engaging in discussion and trying to persuade them about the things of the kingdom of God. 9 But when some became hardened and would not believe, slandering the Way in front of the crowd, he withdrew from them and met separately with the disciples, conducting discussions every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 And this went on for two years, so that all the inhabitants of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the message about the Lord.
acts 19
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Intro:
I. The Reasoning
I. The Reasoning
8 Then he entered the synagogue and spoke boldly over a period of three months, engaging in discussion and trying to persuade them about the things of the kingdom of God.
Luke emphasizes three facts about Paul’s proclamation of the gospel in the synagogue of Ephesus:
a. His Commitment
Paul attended the synagogue services and proclaimed the gospel for three months, perhaps on twelve Sabbath days and an unknown number of meetings held during the week in the synagogue building.
b. He’s Convincing
he taught instructional discourses on the gospel with question and answer sessions; he sought to “convince” (πείθων) them concerning the truth of the gospel. The imperfect tense of “spoke freely” emphasizes the continuous preaching activity in the synagogue for the duration of three months, while the consistent focus on information and on his effort to persuade his audience
c. His Content
The “kingdom of God” is the reality of the fulfillment of God’s promises concerning Israel’s restoration and the salvation of the world—a reality brought about by the life, death, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus, Israel’s Messiah and Savior of the world, and a reality that grows as a result of the Spirit-empowered work of the apostles and the churches. Paul does not teach general scriptural truths but specifically about Jesus, about his royal rule as the exalted Savior and Lord, and about coming to faith in Jesus in order to share in God’s kingdom. Paul did not speak about some social Gospel issue. Rather Paul spoke about spiritual matters. So many churches today have left the spiritual message to preach a social message. "The kingdom of God" involves one's soul, their eternal destiny, Christ, and the Gospel.
II. The Resistance
II. The Resistance
II. The Resistance
9a. But when some became hardened and would not believe, slandering the Way in front of the crowd....
“But when some were hardened and did not believe”
a. Some Stubborn
John G. Butler wrote, “Notice it was just some, not everybody, that made it impossible for Paul to continue on in the synagogue. It only takes some of the church members, not all of the members, to cause enough problems that a work cannot continue on productively in church.” It doesn’t take many to stir up much trouble in the church. Luke tells us that some of the Jews in the synagogue were hardened and did not believe.
Word Picture is:
Hardening the heart like a gristle. The inevitable reaction against Paul went on even in Ephesus though slowly. Disobedient (ἐπειθουν [epeithoun]). Imperfect tense again, showing the growing disbelief and disobedience (ἀπειθης [apeithēs]), both ideas as in 14:2; 17:5, first refusal to believe and then refusal to obey. This word speaks of a heart hardened against God. The word is in the imperfect tense in the Greek language which shows that the hardening was a process. John MacArthur wrote, “Over the course of Paul’s three month ministry in the Ephesian synagogue, some hearts gradually hardened against the gospel. When the truth is rejected repeatedly, it hardens the heart.” The word of God was clearly, consistently, and courageously presented to these folks and yet they gradually hardened their hearts to the word of God. The “some” in the synagogue in Ephesus may have endured the teaching for a while, but their true colors came forth. They may have put up with it a while, but they had had enough.
ILL: People often use breath mints. Breath mints can do the job of covering up a problem for a little while but they don’t address the problem. There is a new product out called “Breath Assure” which is different from a breath mint. Breath Assure is not designed to be sucked on like most breath mints in order to change the taste in the mouth. It is designed to be swallowed so that it can enter the stomach and release oils that address the movement of the food and the effect of decay in the stomach that works its way up into the mouth. Most of the time, in order for real change to occur, the heart has to be fixed first. The Jews hardened heart finally came out. They refused to believe the gospel and be saved. They had covered up for three months, but they could cover up no more.
b. Some Slandered
Word Pictures in the New Testament Acts 19:9
Now these Jews are aggressive opponents of Paul and seek to injure his influence with the crowd. Note “the Way” as in 9:2 for Christianity.
Now these Jews are aggressive opponents of Paul and seek to injure his influence with the crowd. Note “the Way” as in 9:2 for Christianity.
The Jews were not passive in their refusal of the gospel. Some of them were hardened to the message of the kingdom of God and they then became belligerent. They didn’t set in silence—they spoke in strife! They began to speak evil of the Way before the multitude. Evil: kak-ol-og-eh'-o to revile -curse, speak evil of. This word speaks of the intent of their hearts in attacking Christianity. Many in our world speak evil of the “Way” today!
They slandered the message of salvation—the Messiah and the Lord! They spoke evil of the One who gave His life for them so that they could be saved! They had the same message that the rest of the Jews heard! Those who believed and was saved didn’t hear a different message!
Joseph Parker points this out, “Every sermon makes us worse or better. Here you have the same city, the same preacher, the same doctrine, but not the same result.” It’s a danger for us to: hear the Word of God, be convicted by the Holy Spirit, to be drawn to the Son of God, to be exhorted to believe and obey and refuse to believe. Those folks are slowly, but surely hardening their hearts to the word of God! Luke tells us that those who were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way did so before the multitude. They did not take Paul aside and rebuke him privately, but they resisted him publicly. They sought to poison the rest of the crowd. They sought to sway the rest of the people in the synagogue.
III. The Relocating
III. The Relocating
9b. .....he withdrew from them and met separately with the disciples, conducting discussions every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 And this went on for two years, so that all the inhabitants of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the message about the Lord.
Paul was a man totally committed to helping believers and to reaching the lost. This is seen in the schedule he kept. People took a siesta between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. because of the heat in that part of the world. Therefore, Paul...
• worked in secular employment in the morning hours up until 11 a.m. (; ).
Paul was a man totally committed to helping believers and to reaching the lost. This is seen in the schedule he kept. People took a siesta between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. because of the heat in that part of the world. (William Barclay. The Acts of The Apostles. "The Daily Study Bible." Philadelphia, PA: The Westminister Press, 1956, p.155.) Therefore, Paul... • worked in secular employment in the morning hours up until 11 a.m. (; ). • taught during the hours when Tyrannus was not using the school (11 a.m. - 4 p.m.). • taught in the homes of believers in the evenings (, ). He literally labored for the Lord day and night. All his energy, mind, body and soul were committed to the cause of Christ and His kingdom.
Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary - The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible – Acts.
• taught during the hours when Tyrannus was not using the school (11 a.m. - 4 p.m.).
• taught in the homes of believers in the evenings (, ). He literally labored for the Lord day and night. All his energy, mind, body and soul were committed to the cause of Christ and His kingdom.
Paul had worn out his welcome in the synagogue— according to some of the Jews there. He didn’t fight with them or resist them, but he took those who had believed and started a church down the road! Herschel Ford wrote, “Paul had the pearl of the Gospel. He offered it to the Jews and they refused it. When they did so he had sense enough to go elsewhere. If a preacher preaches the gospel and the people refuse to hear it, if they will not work with him for the glory of God, he ought to go somewhere else.” Sometimes God will remove from a church a pastor that is preaching the word and serving the Lord and seeking to lead the church—because they take for granted the man of God, the message of God, and they become complacent! Some church run off a pastor—not by physical pressure, but by spiritual apathy!
He evacuated the disciples from among the resistant and the rebellious. He evacuated the believers from among the hardened religious folks. He took them away from an environment that would be detrimental to their spiritual health and growth. These new disciples had to trust Paul to lead them in the right way! They had heard the word of truth and had trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and now they were leaving their home synagogue! These new believers needed discipleship! They needed to be taught the Word, nurtured in the Spirit, and strengthened in their faith! The new believers would have to withdraw from their comfortable surroundings—from their place of worship where they grew up in—they had to leave their comfort zones.
ILL: Lobsters, from time to time, have to leave their shells in order to grow. They need the shell to protect them from being torn apart, yet when they grow, the old shell must be abandoned. If they did not abandon it, the old shell would soon become their prison—and finally their casket. The tricky part for the lobster is the brief period of time between when the old shell is discarded and the new one is formed. During that terribly vulnerable time, the transition must be scary to the lobster. Currents readily cartwheel them from coral to kelp. Hungry schools of fish are ready to make them a part of the food chain. For a while at least, that old shell must look pretty good. We are not so different from lobsters. To change and grow, we must sometimes shed our shells that we have depended on. Discipleship means being so committed to Jesus Christ that when He commands us to follow, we will change, risk, grow, and leave our ‘shells” behind. That’s exactly what these new believers had to do! They were not in a place that would be welcoming to them and their new faith!
So Paul withdrew with the disciples. Sometimes disciples need to be evacuated:
￫Evacuated from the world and its filth
￫Evacuated from classrooms and its false teaching ￫Evacuated from friends that try to force us to conform
￫Evacuated from the hussle and bussle of life ￫Evacuated from the constant bombarding of messages and teaching that deny God and His word!
Zondervan Exegetical Commentary - Zondervan Exegetical Commentary – Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Acts.
Zondervan Exegetical Commentary - Zondervan Exegetical Commentary – Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Acts.
Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary - The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible – Acts.
Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary - The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible – Acts.
(William Barclay. The Acts of The Apostles. "The Daily Study Bible." Philadelphia, PA: The Westminister Press, 1956, p.155.)
(William Barclay. The Acts of The Apostles. "The Daily Study Bible." Philadelphia, PA: The Westminister Press, 1956, p.155.)
Analytical Bible Expositor - Analytical Bible Expositor – Acts.
Analytical Bible Expositor - Analytical Bible Expositor – Acts.
The Jack Andrews Expository Studies - The Jack Andrews Expository Studies – Understanding Acts - Volume 5.
The Jack Andrews Expository Studies - The Jack Andrews Expository Studies – Understanding Acts - Volume 5.
Robertson, A.T. Word Pictures in the New Testament. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933.
Robertson, A.T. Word Pictures in the New Testament. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933.