The Source And Character Of Disturbance - Acts 19:23-28

About that time there occurred no small disturbance

concerning the way. For a man named Demetrius,

a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis,

was bringing no little business to the craftsmen.

These he gathered together with the workmen of

similar trades and said, Men, you know that our

prosperity depends upon this business. You see

and hear. Then not only in Ephesus, but in almost

all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned

away a considerable number of people, saying

that gods made with hands are no gods at all.

Not only is there danger that this trade of ours

fall into disrepute, but also that the temple

of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless.

and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship

will even be dethroned from her magnificence.

When they heard this and were filled with rage,

they began crying out, saying, Great is Artemis

of the Ephesians. The city was filled with confusion,

and they rushed with one accord into the theater.

dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's

traveling companions from Macedonia. And when

Paul wanted to go into the assembly, the disciples

would not let him. Also, some of the Asiarps,

who were friends of his, sent to him and repeatedly

urged him not to venture into the theater. So

then, Some were shouting one thing and some another,

for the assembly was in confusion, and the majority

did not know for what reason they had come together.

Some of the crowd concluded it was Alexander,

since the Jews had put him forward, and having

motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending

to make a defense to the assembly. But when they

recognized that he was a Jew, A single outcry

arose from them all as they shouted for about

two hours, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!

After quieting the crowd, the town clerk said,

Men of Ephesus, what man is there among all who

does not know that the city of the Ephesians

is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis

and of the image which fell down from heaven?

So, Since these are undeniable facts, you ought

to keep calm and to do nothing rash. For you

have brought these men here who are neither robbers

of the temples nor blasphemers of our goddess.

So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are

with him have a complaint against any man, the

courts are in session. and procouncils are available.

Let them bring charges against one another. But

if you want anything beyond this, it shall be

settled in the lawful assembly. For indeed, we

are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection

with today's events, since there is no real cause

for it, and in this connection we will be unable

to account for this disorderly gathering. After

saying this, he dismissed the assembly. There's

a common misconception regarding Christianity

in the world today, and it's nothing new to today,

but this misconception says that Christianity

is something that's helpful to one's life. It

offers them a means of escape from the difficulties

of daily life. If they would be a part of Christianity,

then their life is surely going to improve. They'll

become more moral. The Christian religion will

offer them therapy and help and aid, improvement

in their life to a degree. If you really trust

in the Lord, then probably most of the issues

in your life are going to fall to the wayside.

God's going to do good things for you. He's going

to prosper you. He's going to bless you. He's

going to remove all the major difficulties. He's

going to take care of everything in your life.

That's a misconception about what Christianity

is. The reality is Christianity is something

much greater. Christianity is something much

different than that. Christianity is greater

than that, and then it's not something we simply

add on to our life. It's not something that we

act as an appendage to our life. Christianity

is a work of God. That completely and totally

transforms a person. That changes them. That

radically reorients everything about them. Christianity

actually reconciles sinners. People, living,

breathing people on this planet who are made

in the image of God. Christianity actually reconciles

the gospel of Christ. God reconciles people,

men, to their creator who made them. So that

they can live in right relationship with the

God who made them. And as a result of that, that

God works in them. That God changes them and

transforms them. That God guides them and directs

them. He brings them through death. He doesn't

forget them. That God will receive them into

glory. That God will return and vindicate and

justify everything he's said and everything he's

done. And that God will give them the new heavens

and the new earth wherein righteousness dwells.

And they will be with him for all eternity. All

because of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ

on the cross. Christianity is much greater than

something that helps us, that aids us in life.

The cults do that, brothers and sisters. Mormonism

can do that. Jehovah's Witnesses can do that.

There's many other realities in the world that

can help us and can make our lives better, but

none of those religions reconcile a man to the

living God. That's what Christianity and the

gospel of Christ actually does. Now, just because

that's the reality of what Christianity is, that

doesn't mean that we're going to be free of difficulty

in our life. That doesn't mean that God is going

to take away all the mistreatment in our lives.

That doesn't mean that God's going to take away

all the valleys. That doesn't mean that God's

going to take away all the struggles and the

hardships and the rough things of life. Those

remain. Those stay in the life of the believer.

But the believer is enabled because of the gospel

to meet those things head on because of the work

of the Lord Jesus Christ in them and through

them because of what? He has done. They're able

to respond differently than the world to hardship,

to trials, to opposition, to suffering, to unjust

treatment, to mistreatment in our lives. Christians

are enabled because of the divine work of God

in the gospel. To live and act and respond differently

to everything than the world around them. The

Spirit of God dwells within them. Not in the

world. They are justified by Christ's righteousness.

They have been born again. They are being sanctified.

They will be sanctified until they are glorified.

Until they are brought into heaven and then Christ

will glorify them. Christians are different because

of the work of God. Christianity is different

because of the work of God. And because of that,

the church and believers respond differently

to difficulties, hardship, and many other things

in life. We're going to return to Acts 19 today.

In Acts 19, this may be our last exposition of

this chapter. We're going to cover the entirety

of this. And I want to cover two things today.

The source of this disturbance. And then the

character of this disturbance. So as we conclude

this, just to review a bit, we've seen this mighty

work of God in Ephesus, haven't we? We've seen

this. Great move of the Spirit of God. We've

seen the mighty preaching of the Apostle. We've

seen the church established and the church built.

And as a result of all these people being transformed

in Ephesus, Ephesus itself is starting to feel

the effects of the church in the world at that

time. Now, as the Gospel is doing mighty and

great things in Ephesus, it starts impacting

and affecting the lives of those in the culture,

in the world, and society around them. One such

man is Demetrius, who we read about in verse

24. A man named Demetrius. We know his background,

we know what he's doing, we know his role, we

know what comes of... We know what he does in

this, so we don't need to review that. But we

do need to consider the source of this disturbance.

It's very important for us to understand this.

So first, let's consider the source of this disturbance

in Ephesus. Or this unrest, we could say this

riot. However, we might define it or characterize

it. So in considering the source of it, I want

us to think about the ultimate reasons for this

unrest and for this disturbance in Ephesus. We

say, well, yeah, that's easy. It's Demetrius.

It's this man, this unbelieving man. But there's

more going on below the surface that's creating

this hostility. And we've already mentioned a

few of these, and we've touched on them briefly

in past messages, but I want us to think about

this again with clarity. What is it that's underneath

the surface? What is it that's unseen, that's

taking place, that's causing this disturbance?

That's causing this opposition to the gospel?

Yes, it's this man, Demetrius, but even more

than the man. What's going on in the man? What's

taking place under the surface of Demetrius?

What's taking place in his heart? What's causing

this man to act like this toward the message

of the gospel, toward the truth, brothers and

sisters? I think we all know the answer. It's

sin. It's a sin nature. Ephesians chapter 2 helps

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

us a great deal in understanding what's going

on, ultimately, that causes hostility towards

the gospel. We read in Ephesians chapter 2, Verse

Ephesians 2:1

1, And you are dead in your trespasses and sins,

in which you formerly walked according to the

course of this world, according to the prince

of the power of the air, of the spirit that is

now working in the sons of disobedience. And

then listen to this, Among them we too all formerly

lived in the lusts of our flesh. indulging the

desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were

by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

That's pretty deep. That explains a good deal

about what's taking place in Demetrius that would

cause him to revolt against the gospel, to hate

the gospel. We read in Ephesians chapter 5, starting

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

in verse 7. Chapter 4 starting in verse 17. So

this I say and affirm together with the Lord

that you walk no longer as the Gentiles also

walk in the futility of their mind. And listen

to this. Talking about the Gentiles in Ephesus.

Talking about pagan worshippers. Talking about

Artemis worshippers. Being darkened in their

understanding. excluded from the life of God

because of the ignorance that is in them, because

of the hardness of their heart. And they, having

become callous, have given themselves over to

sensuality for the practice of every kind of

impurity and greediness. So what's going on underneath

the surface that would cause this man? To be

so hostile to the preaching of Paul. Brothers

and sisters, he's dead in his trespasses. Brothers

and sisters, he's the son of disobedience. Brothers

and sisters, he's a pawn of the devil. Brothers

and sisters, his mind is darkened. And he is

giving himself over to every form of greed and

corruption and wickedness in his heart. That's

what's the deal with this man. There's enmity

in him because the gospel is pushing back against

the things his heart so desperately longs for.

Because his heart so desperately longs for that

wealth and that prosperity that he covetously

desires. And the gospel is threatening that reality.

This is the ultimate cause. This is the ultimate

reason. For all hostility, opposition, denial,

rejection, and enmity towards Christ, the church,

and the gospel. It is true today. It will be

true of every generation. Sin in men's hearts

is the cause of opposition to the gospel. It's

the cause of this disturbance. in Ephesus. That's

true of even Christians, brothers and sisters.

Think about your own life as a believer in the

Lord Jesus Christ. Why is there a remnant of

hostility in your own heart as a believer towards

holy things, towards holy duties, holy activities,

towards the Word of God? Towards the preaching

of the gospel. Why, brothers and sisters, do

we as believers resist the things of God in our

lives? It's because of sin in our hearts. It's

because of the flesh. That's why we do it. Now,

that's true of believers, but that's very, very,

very true of unbelievers who don't know Christ.

They reject Christ. They reject the gospel. And

ultimately, they oppose the things of God. Because

they love the sin in their hearts and they don't

want that to be pushed, rattled, shaken, or threatened.

That's the ultimate cause of this. Now, on a

more surface level, it's this man, Demetrius.

It will always be a person. This unbelief, this

sin, this iniquity. These desires, these lusts

of the flesh will always make themselves manifest

and known through a person. That's what we see

take place in here. Demetrius is acting in accordance

with his heart. Demetrius is acting in accordance

with his nature. Demetrius is acting in accordance

with the sin in him. But at a more surface level,

we see that this is a man. who lived in Ephesus.

This is a man who was part of society. This is

a man who was a part of the cultic practices

and worships of the day. This is a man who was

a businessman in the world. This is a man who

had influence and sway in that world, in that

area, in that place. We see that in this text

so clearly. This was a man of... the world. That's

the source of this disturbance. It's in the world,

from the world, it's of the world. The place

where the devil loves to work so much. Now, why

is it important that we understand where the

disturbance comes from? Why do we need to know

so clearly That this unrest, this disturbance

arises from this man, Demetrius, from his sin

and his unbelief from the world. Because in positively

identifying where it comes from, we can now understand

where it does not come from. We can now identify

and we can now understand that the unrest, the

disturbance, the riot does not come from the

church. It does not come from the way. It does

not come from the believers, the Christians,

brothers and sisters. We see this clearly demonstrated

in this text in several ways. First, consider

the reality that it is directly attributed to

Demetrius, not Paul. Not the church, not Gaius,

not Aristarchus. It's attributed to Demetrius.

We also see this strange absence of the churches

mentioned throughout this narrative as a whole.

Yet we see them mentioned in verses 29 and 31.

But really, that's about it. I mean, think about

the size of this narrative. Think about, this

is the largest narrative in Acts 20 about Paul's

ministry, and there's just a little blurb about

Paul in it. Everything else is about the pagan

worshippers in Ephesus, the unbelieving men and

world that were outside of the church and had

no part in the church. So we see the strange

absence of the church, and we see in the end

of this narrative that the... City clerk literally

exonerates the church of any guilt or wrongdoing.

And where does he place the lawlessness? Where

does he place the guilt? Where does he place

the wrongdoing and the fault for this riot? Where?

With these men of Ephesus? With these unbelieving

men in Ephesus? What does he say? He says, for

you have brought these men here who are neither

robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess.

The church isn't breaking the law. The church

is not robbing our temples. They're not committing

sacrilege to the place where we worship our pagan

gods. They're not blaspheming against Artemis.

The town clerk knows this and understands this

clearly. So then if Demetrius And the craftsmen

who are with him have a complaint against any

man. The courts are in session. And procouncils

are available. Let them bring charges against

one another. But if you want anything beyond

this, it shall be settled in a lawful assembly.

And then he even talks about how they're in danger

of Rome coming down on Ephesus because they won't

be able to give any explanation. for this unreasonable,

unlawful assembly of 25 ,000 people in the theater.

Where does this disturbance and this unrest rise

from in Ephesus, brothers and sisters? It comes

from the world of unbelieving men, not from the

church of Jesus Christ. This is important. For

a few reasons. Because it shows us something

about the mission and the purpose of the church

in the world. What the church was doing and what

the church was not doing in Ephesus, doesn't

it? It shows us that the church was not going

around stirring up unnecessary riots. The church

was not going around stirring up unnecessary

disturbance and provoking the authorities under

which it lived, under which it preached the gospel.

The church was not doing this. What was the church

doing? The church was proclaiming the gospel

of Jesus Christ. The church was being faithful

to the truth of apostolic. It was gathering.

It was worshiping. The mission of the church

in the world in Ephesus and now is the faithful

preservation and proclamation of the gospel of

Jesus Christ for the establishment of churches

in the world and for the strengthening of those

churches. That God might be worshipped in all

the world. That's the mission. That's the purpose

of the church, and the world. The church and

Paul knew. They understood that the gospel directly

influences sinners. It transforms them, brothers

and sisters. When someone hears the gospel and

what Christ has done in his life, his death,

and his resurrection, when someone hears that,

and the Spirit of God applies that to their hearts.

When the Spirit of God seals them and dwells

them and starts to work in them, when the Spirit

of God starts to sanctify them, when He definitively

sanctifies them and breaks them with the dominion

of sin in their life, when the Spirit of God

comes into a person's life and regenerates their

heart, they are never the same. Ever. They are

completely and totally transformed. Their thinking

is different. Their morals become different.

The whole direction and orientation and way of

their life is different, isn't it? The gospel

has directly influenced them. The gospel has

directly changed them and impacted them and influenced

them and re... oriented the whole of their being.

We see this evidence all throughout Acts 20,

don't we? But the church also understood, and

this is what we see, the church also understood

that the gospel indirectly affects, impacts,

and changes society, culture, and the world around

them. Those are the results of the direct influence

of the gospel on sinners. But here's the thing,

brothers and sisters. This is what we need to

understand. What was the mission of the church?

What was the purpose of the church? Why was Paul

so actively preaching the gospel and calling

men to repentance? The mission of the church

was a proclamation of the gospel that sinners

might be converted and brought into the church.

The mission of the church was not the transformation

of Ephesus. That's important for us to grasp.

There are indirect results from people being

changed. Absolutely. It affects the world in

which we live. It affects the culture in which

we walk and we breathe. It impacts everything

around us. But brothers and sisters, the mission

of the church is not to change the world. The

mission of the church is to transform sinners

to the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

If we get the mission off, our methods, And our

tactics all get off. We give ourselves the things

we ought not to give ourselves. We act in ways

we ought not to act. We go about it in a different

way if we're trying to transform the world than

if we're trying to transform sinners through

the proclamation of Jesus Christ. We have to

know our mission. We have to know our purpose

in the world. Why do we say this? Why has this

got to be said? Why is this so vitally important?

Because it's so clear in the text of Scripture,

especially in the book of Acts. Because men will

go around saying things such as this that condemn

the church and condemn the people of God. They

will say things such as this. The problem with

the church today. is that it's not causing riots

anymore. Now, brothers and sisters, we've understood

Acts 19. The church was not the cause of the

riot. Now, these things may result because of

the church's faithfulness. And what do they mean

by that? There is some truth to that. The church

needs to be better and more faithful at proclaiming

the Scriptures. Absolutely. But if they mean

that the church is felling in its mission to

take the gospel directly to the world and the

culture and society and transforming it, then

we can't go with that. We have to know our mission.

We have to know our purpose. The preservation

and proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

for the establishment and strengthening of churches

in this world that He might be worshipped all

over the globe. These are important things. And

they're things that we have to address and we

have to discuss and they have to be brought forward

from the pages of Scripture. So we see this disturbance

comes about because the world, responds with

this antithetical attitude towards it because

the church is being faithful. And they respond

in hostility. The church was not the source.

The unbelieving world was the source of this

disturbance. Now consider with me also the character

of this disturbance. What do I mean by the character?

What was it like? What was the nature of this

disturbance? How would we characterize it? The

text actually characterizes it a great deal for

us. It characterizes it as a progressive thing.

A progressive movement of events in Ephesus.

Think about it. It starts with Demetrius. He

gives his speech to the craftsmen guild. It moves

to the guild. They start their chant. Then what

does it say? The city was essentially set on

fire. The city was in chaos and disorder. It

says that they were enraged. From there, they

grab Gaius and Aristarchus. And what do they

do? They rush in to the theater. which held probably

about 25 ,000 people to our knowledge today.

And then it's referenced as a gathering or an

assembly. It turns into a mob in Ephesus. So

it wasn't just Demetrius and a few guys. It started

out as Demetrius and a few guys, and then it

turned into the whole city going into disorder

and confusion. It's characterized as a progressive

event, but it's also described as being very,

very intense. It says that they were filled with

rage in verse 28. It says they did these things

with one accord. In a sense, it's almost as though

the crowd wasn't even discriminatory about what

was taking place. They were so much confusion

and there was so much intensity that they didn't

care who or what was there. Think about Alexander.

Why did the Jews come to this assembly? Well,

I think the Jews came to make sure that everybody

knew they weren't with the church. We're not

with Paul. So what did they do? They pushed this

man, Alexander. Alexander is going to make a

defense of the Jews. of Judaism. He tries to,

but they recognize that he's the same nationality

as the apostle, and that's it. He doesn't get

a word in, does he? No, they quiet him, and what

do they do? They continue to chant for two more

hours. It's an intense, chaotic scene that's

taking place. Why is Luke presenting it to us

the way that he is? What does Luke want us to

take away and see and understand from this narrative

about this mob? He wants us to see and understand

that this is the terrible result of unrestrained

carnality and pagan worship. He wants his readers

to know and to understand this is not what Christianity

is like. This is not what the church of Jesus

Christ is like. This is not what the gospel does

to a person. This is not how the gospel affects

the world and affects the culture and affects

society. This is not what believers in Jesus

Christ are like. This is what pagans are like.

This is what Artemis worshippers are like. That's

what he wants us to understand. That's what he

wants us to take away. That these people are

living out unrestrained sin in their life. He

wants us to see the terrible result of depravity.

There's vague similarities between this scene

and the children of Israel and the revelry. Whenever

Moses is up on the mountain, or the worshippers

of Baal, when they're seeking to disprove the

God of Israel with the prophets, we see that

Luke wants us to understand that this is the

result of unbelief. That this is the result of

the devil working to oppose the gospel of Christ.

The devil loves... chaos, and disorder. The devil

loves carnality, brothers and sisters. Don't

forget that. Why does Jesus teach us to pray

the way that we ought to pray? Why does Jesus

tell us and teach us and instruct his disciples

to pray for the protection of God from the devil

to keep us from sin? Because the devil knows

how to play on the nature of man. The devil knows

how to play on the thoughts and the desires and

the longings of men. He knows how to pull the

strings of their heart. The devil loves carnality,

fleshliness, immorality, disruption, chaos, and

disorder, just like we see in this text. The

world is the devil's playground. Now we see these

things. And they're all set in stark contrast

to Gaius, Aristarchus, Paul, and the Asiarchs,

aren't they? Here's the crowd going wild. Here's

the crowd with their unrestrained depravity and

carnality. And then here's these two traveling

companions of Paul. They were not justifiably

taken. Why did they get taken? It was guilt by

association. They were Paul's traveling companions.

They knew it. These men have been with Paul.

I've seen them with Paul. The one that's always

preaching about Christ. We've seen them. We've

seen them with the way. We've seen them with

the church. Take them. They lay hold of them

and they bring them in. To the crowd. They bring

them in to the amphitheater. They're treated

as innocent. Bystanders. Who are unjustly. Laid

hold of. And dragged. By the crowd. To suffer

the judgment. Whatever that would have been.

I think that these men, being from Macedonia,

most likely witnessed or heard of Paul's unjust

suffering in Philippi. If you remember in Acts

Acts 16 · chapter mention

chapter 16, the events which took place there,

we read in Acts 16 verse 22, the crowd rose up

Acts 16:22

together against them. And the chief magistrates

tore their robes off them and proceeded to order

them to be beaten with rods. When they had struck

them with many blows, they threw them into prison,

commanding the jailer to guard them securely.

And he, having received such a command, threw

them into the inner prison and fastened their

feet in the stops. But about midnight, Paul and

Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise

to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

How does Paul and Silas respond to their unjust

treatment? How does Paul and Silas respond? Well,

I think the same way that Aristarchus and Gaius

respond. Dependence on the Lord, brothers and

sisters. Looking to Christ. Having their affections

set otherworldly. Having their affections set

on Christ. They didn't lose balance. Did they?

Even whenever this comes upon them. Paul and

Silas, they don't lose balance in their life.

They don't compromise their virtues and their

values, their faith. They don't give up everything

they've said they believe about Christ. They

don't forsake Christ. What do they do? They worship

God. They sing with joy in their hearts. Brothers

and sisters, they trust in the Lord in the face

of this unjust treatment. And I think that Aristarchus

and Gaius did the very same thing, being his

traveling companions from Macedonia. I think

they emulated the great apostle and his sufferings.

I think that they understood the situation they

were in that was out of their control. The situation

they were in was dire. And all they could do

was worship the living God who made all that

there is and trust in their Lord Jesus Christ.

Brothers and sisters, sometimes that's all we

can do is look to the Lord Jesus. I believe that

these two men suffered like Paul suffered in

Ephesus. How different these believers responded

than Ephesus. How different and distinct was

their response from the unbelieving pagans around

them? Totally different. Then we have Paul. Paul's

response in this text. Think about Paul's response.

He doesn't seem to be around when this is taking

place. And then, whenever the crowd assembles

in the amphitheater, Paul is anxious to go in.

Now, this is no small disturbance, remember?

This is a violent scene. And here's the aged

apostle. We don't know exactly how old. Probably

seven to nine years left on his life. He's aging.

He's been through a lot in his life. But here's

this bold -hearted. courageous apostle who loves

Aristarchus and Gaius, who loves those men. They're

his traveling companions. He spent a lot of time

together with them. He wants to go in. He wants

to go in to be with them, and most likely he

wants to go in and try and calm the crowd. Here's

this man who's selfless. He doesn't care about

his own life. He doesn't care about what's taking

place to him. He wants to go in and be with his

brothers in Christ. I'm reminded of Acts chapter

Acts 20 · chapter mention

20, directly following this section, in verse

24, where Paul says, But I do not consider my

life of any account as dear to myself, so that

I may finish my course in the ministry which

I received from the Lord Jesus to testify solemnly

of the gospel of the grace of God. Why is the

crowd the way they are? Why is Demetrius doing

the things that Demetrius is doing? Ultimately,

it's selfishness, brothers and sisters. It's

selfishness. And then here we have Paul being

selfless in the midst of this opposition, in

the midst of this tumultuous crowd and scene.

How different. The Apostle Paul responds from

Ephesus. How distinctly different does he act

towards the threat of his life and that of the

other disciples than Ephesus and Demetrius does

towards his wealth, towards his prosperity. How

differently the Apostle... Then we have the disciples

who wisely and prudently restrain the apostle

Paul and his anxiousness to get into the crowd.

The wisdom and the prudence of these disciples

to restrain him back from entering in because

they know the world needs the apostle and his

preaching. They know the world needs the gospel

as... through the apostle. He was significant.

He was important. If he goes in there, he's going

to die. He's going to be torn to shreds. So what

do they do? They hold him back. And then we have

the Asiarchs. We don't know exactly what they

were. Most likely they were very high ranking

officials in the city. They knew how these things

operated. They knew how these things worked,

and they most likely knew how this was going

to be resolved by the town clerk. And they're

telling Paul repeatedly, don't venture in. Why?

Because he's going to die. We see the wisdom,

the prudence. We see the trust. of these disciples,

and we see the knowledge and understanding of

these Asiarchs at work against the background

of this unbelieving culture and society in Ephesus.

How different they all are in comparison, in

contrast, to the response of Ephesus. All of

it accentuates the differences in how they respond

to the opposition, the mistreatment, and the

difficulty between the church and the unbelieving

world. Brothers and sisters, we need Christians

and churches that know how to suffer well in

this world. We need believers in Jesus Christ

who know how to suffer like Jesus Christ. We

need men. We need women. We need young people

who count their lives as nothing, who are selfless,

who are wise, who are prudent in this present

evil age. We need men and women who are willing

to suffer for the sake of what is right. Men

and women who are willing to suffer for the sake

of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the truth of the

gospel, to suffer well. This is relevant for

every single person in here. This is relevant

for all of you who know Jesus Christ. Do you

know why? Because Jesus tells us in Matthew chapter

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

5 that a perennial mark Of the believer. The

perennial mark of the one who is a part of his

kingdom. Is to be blessed by persecution and

suffering. Blessed are those who have been persecuted

for the sake of righteousness. For theirs is

the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people

insult you. And persecute you. And falsely say

all kinds of evil against you. Because of me.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven

is great. For in the same way they persecuted

the prophets who were before you. Brothers and

sisters, we're not all going to suffer the same

way. We're not all going to suffer the same time.

We don't all suffer the same way and at the same

time in the same capacity. But we all suffer

and have hardship. We all experience mistreatment.

We all experience opposition and antagonism in

our lives. Every single one of us is just going

to look differently. Every single one of us.

As we think about these things, there are times

when I'm greatly concerned about the church in

America. Why? Because of the... The glorious

privileges and rights that we enjoy. Because

of the many blessings and the prosperity and

the wealth that all of us enjoy as Americans.

As Christians in this nation. I worry about the

church and believers and their capacity to suffer.

Why? Because there are times, brothers and sisters,

where we get comfortable. Where we almost expect

ease. We continue to expect the same privileges.

We continue to expect the same rights. I'm not

talking nationally here. I'm talking about the

reality that we can at times fall into a cycle

of comfort in our lives to such a degree that

we forget the principles of Christian suffering.

We get so comfortable. It worries me. And if

the church is incapable, Of suffering will. Often

times that church. Will respond and act. And

react. To opposition. Difficulty. Suffering and

hardship. Mistreatment. How? In the exact same

way. As the unbelieving world. Not like the church

of Jesus Christ. Not like those who have been

bought by the precious blood of the Lamb. Not

like those who know their eternal reward in heaven.

Not like those who are in possession of eternal

life. Not like those who are indwelled by the

Spirit of God and have the truth and believe

in spiritual, invisible, and eternal realities.

We have to remember. That as believers in Jesus

Christ, we must suffer well to honor our Lord

in whatever capacity that is. In whatever way

that is now and in our lives to come. In this

world, that is. What does that mean to suffer

well? First, it means that we suffer unjustly.

We read in 1 Peter chapter 2. In 1 Peter chapter

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention 1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

2, he writes, For this finds favor, if for the

sake of conscience toward God a person bears

up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For

what credit is there if, when you sin and are

harshly treated, you endure it with patience?

But if when you do what is right, and suffer

for it, you patiently endure it and find favor

with God. True suffering, brothers and sisters,

suffering well means suffering unjustly. It means

we aren't bringing about the persecution. We

aren't dangling the carrot because we have a

murder complex. We aren't asking for it. We aren't

provoking it. We aren't looking for it. We aren't

trying to stir it up and bring it about. But

it's unjust. We live faithfully, and we're mistreated,

and we continue to live faithfully. It's always

unjust. We have to be careful. Because there's

a temptation always in suffering. in mistreatment,

in opposition, in friction. There's always the

temptation to what, brothers and sisters? To

sin. There's always the temptation to give in

to the carnality. There's always the temptation

to bite the stick the devil is dangling the carrot

in front of you. There's always the temptation.

To sin. We read in chapter 4 of the same book

in 1 Peter. Peter says this. In verse 15. Make

sure that none of you suffers as a murderer.

Or a thief. Or evil doer. Or a troublesome meddler.

But if anyone suffers as a Christian. He is not

to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this

name. Don't suffer for the wrong reasons. Don't

suffer because of the way we act. Don't suffer

because of our methodology and our behavior towards

the world. Our unbelieving friends and our unbelieving

neighbors. Don't suffer because of our treatment

of others. Suffering well means suffering unjustly.

But it also means maintaining Christ -like character

in suffering. If we turn back to 1 Peter 2, we

read these words. For you have been called for

this purpose, since Christ also suffered for

you. leaving you an example for you to follow

in his steps, who committed no sin, nor was any

deceit found in his mouth. And while being reviled,

he did not revile in return. While suffering,

he uttered no threats, but kept entrusting himself

to him who judges righteously. And he himself

bore our sins in his body on the cross so that

we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

For by His wounds we are healed. For we are continually

straying like sheep. But now you have returned

to the shepherd and guardian of your soul. Suffering

well, brothers and sisters, means being like

Jesus Christ, your Lord, your Master, and your

Savior. Listen. You are never going to be more

like Christ than when you are suffering for the

Lord Jesus. When you are bearing up for conscience

sake. Do you understand that? That was a large

part of his life. That's a large part of the

gospel, brothers and sisters. His suffering.

And those who follow him ought to suffer like

him. regardless of the situation, what it is.

Our response should be in Christ -like character.

The temptation arises in suffering to forsake

holiness, to forsake godliness. The temptation

arises To compromise our character. But brothers

and sisters, what are we called to? To imitate

the Lord Jesus Christ in his suffering. Ultimately,

we find that suffering well means looking to

the future and Christ's return and our reward.

We read in Hebrews chapter 10 and we'll close

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

following this. Starting in verse 32, but remember

the former days when after being enlightened,

and listen to the language of this, brothers

and sisters, consider what these Christians were

going through. Consider what they were dealing

with in their hearts. But remember the former

days when after being enlightened, you endured

a great conflict of sufferings. Partly by being

a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations,

and partly by becoming sharers with those who

were so treated. So he's saying that there's

two different ways these Hebrew Christians were

suffering. Some of them were suffering because

they were being public spectacles. They were

being shamed publicly. But he's saying that there

was another way. That there was a group of believers

who were being compassionate and sympathizing

with those who were being persecuted. And as

a result of their faithfulness to those Christians,

they then became persecuted. For you showed sympathy

to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure

of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves

a better possession and a lasting one. Therefore,

do not throw away your confidence, which has

a great reward, for you have need of endurance,

so that when you have done the will of God, you

may receive what is promised. For yet in very

little while, for yet in a very little while,

he who is coming will come and will not delay.

But my righteous one shall live by faith. And

if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in

him. Listen to what he says about believers in

Christ. But we are not those who shrink back

to destruction, but those who have faith to the

preserving of the soul. Suffering well means

looking... to the blessed return of the Lord

Jesus Christ and the reward and the glory that's

coming with that. If we'll look forward to what

Christ is going to do because of what Christ

has done on the cross, brothers and sisters,

not only will we endure and persevere to the

end, but we will be able to have confidence,

joy, and hope in the midst of our suffering in

this life. That's what we have to do if we're

suffering and experiencing hardship. Look to

Christ. Look to the vindication and the glory

and the reward that is to come and the pleasing

our Lord and our Savior. Brothers and sisters,

we see in this text, in Acts chapter 19, that

Acts 19 · chapter mention

the world responds a certain... to having their

idols threatened. But we see that the church

responds very differently from the world when

it is opposed, when it suffers, when there's

hostility towards it.