Riot at Ephesus | Acts 19 | Pastor Keith

Please take a seat open your Bibles to the book of Acts

Acts 19 · chapter mention

chapter 19. We're kicking off from verse 8

as we finished verse 7, Paul kicks off again.

He's he's the man and it says and he went into the synagogue.

That's Paul spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and

persuading two different things concerning the things of the

Kingdom of God church. Don't forget Jesus told us how

to pray what to pray right our Father who art in heaven, right

hallowed be thy name then what thy Kingdom come, thy will be

done. The reason we're here, the

reason we, we gather tonight is to pray and to serve so that

God's Kingdom, which is coming, will come.

OK. And he spoke concerning the

things of the Kingdom of God. So Paul would have spoken about

the death and resurrection of Jesus, who Jesus is, He's the

Messiah that he rose from the dead, would have spoke about the

Holy Spirit. Paul, because he mentions here

the Kingdom of God, he would have spoke about the rapture.

He would have spoken about the tribulation and you would have

spoken about the millennial, millennial reign, the 1000

years, because that's all part of the Kingdom of God, and then

the second coming. But when some were hardened,

notice this and did not believe. Now you see, you got the

greatest preacher besides Jesus, his knowledge of the word of God

trained under the greatest rabbis in all of Israel and he's

teaching from the word of God under the power and influence of

the Holy Spirit. And notice some were hardened

and did not believe. This is this is where we

struggle. I know I struggle as a pastor.

I kind of wonder why. Why doesn't everyone believe,

you know, when churches are full on a on A at Easter or

Christmas, whatever. Why isn't that those who aren't

saved get saved because we have a free will.

We have a choice and our hearts can be hard soil.

We can hear and not obey. We can know it's the truth and

we can reject it. And so it says and did not

believe but spoke evil of the way.

The way is what the Christians were called.

They were called people of the way followers of the way before

the multitude. So what did Paul do you note

this. I think it's important he

departed from them sometimes, or Jesus tells us not to cast our

pearls before swine. Sometimes we can waste our time

with someone who's just simply not interested.

And this is the thing that you and I need to get wise and

discerning is this. Don't waste your time on someone

who's a block of wood hard heart, because there surely is

someone who we can spend time with who actually is a sponge

who wants to know. And that's where we need the

leading of the Holy Spirit. And So what does Paul do?

He says, I'm not going to just keep hearing bang on my head or

people say, no, I'm not interested.

Well, here, let's start again. I'm not interested, not

interested. He departed from them and notice

also what he did and he withdrew the disciples for those who

received Christ. He took them out because he's in

the synagogue. He said you guys, let's get out

of here, let's move reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus

and Tyrannus is not a dinosaur. If you go to Ephesus and how

long I have walked through the streets of Ephesus and we see

the library, there's a facade of the library in Ephesus because

Ephesus is a lot like Beth Shian in Israel.

It's it's the ruins you can walk through.

You can walk over the paving. It's as it is the paving is the

paving that Paul walked on. When you go to Emphasis in

Turkey, you see the library right next to it.

Then the guides will tell you the Turkish guides next to it.

Here was the school of Tyrannis. So you can actually go there

and, and walk in the place of Tyrannis was a teacher and he

allowed, he was one of those like the philosopher.

And so he would run his school and then they would have,

because it's very hot in that area, they would have like a

Spanish siesta. And at that time, Paul the

apostle was allowed to go into the hall of Tyrannis and he

would teach every day from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

And so people could gather from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

That's how long he taught. Each day people would gather,

receive Christ, and those people then went out and all the

churches began all throughout Asia.

It's said that most of the seven churches that are mentioned in

the Book of Revelation came from people influenced in this

teaching by Paul and Ephesus. I recommend if you ever get the

opportunity to go to Ephesus, there's no bombs there at the

moment. Also, you get the opportunity

when you go to emphasis see the school Tyrannis and we'll talk

about something else later that you'll see there.

But it's also where John and Mary lived.

Mary spent her last moments with John living in that area.

So it's a unique place and you can walk the very footsteps.

And this continued for two years, some say more than three,

up to three. So then all who dwelt in Asia

heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jew and Greek.

No TikTok, no Facebook, no radio stations.

It was as Chuck Smith used to say.

Here's what you do as a pastor. Feed the sheep and healthy

sheep, bigot, other healthy, healthy sheep feed the sheep.

And so the well fed sheep here from Ephesus went out all

through Asia. And notice the reaction.

All who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both

Jews and Greeks. It's often made me think, you

know, there is a time and a place for revival meetings and

crusades. Billy Graham showed us that.

But also I think the weight, the sheer weight of evangelism,

remember, sits with you and I healthy sheep telling other

healthy sheep. Now it says now God worked

unusual. Notice it says unusual.

Now a miracle is something that's out of the normal.

So here we got something else defining it.

God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul.

Now notice that sentence and notice this.

God worked the miracles. It wasn't Paul.

Today there would be a ministry of Paul the Apostle.

He's coming. Oh man, come and you let Paul,

Paul, Paul, Paul if he allowed it, but he wouldn't notice.

It's God who worked unusual miracles.

How by the hands of Paul and notice also it says so that even

handkerchief, that's an English word actually in the Greek it's

sweatbands. So as Paul, his whole time that

he's here in emphasis not taking any money, he is he is teaching

from 11:00 to 4:00 every day. And the rest of the time he is

labouring remember sewing and making tents and he worked

really hard that he sweat. So he's sweating because it's,

it's hot nepesis and he would toil away.

And so he would take his, his sweatband after he's been

working on canvas and pulling things, working gnarly hands and

everything. And, and then he'd Chuck the

sweatband down. Then he'd Chuck his, his apron

down that he'd used because he's working on this stuff.

And people would grab them and they, they just said, oh man,

I've got this, this Paul, you know, he teaches down there.

My mom's sick. I just put this on her and they,

it's from Paul. Oh well, Lord.

And So what happens here? Here's something you can't

explain it. God's not in the box.

God's doing it. It's unique.

It's not something they go, OK, next Sunday we're going to have

a whole pile of handkerchiefs and sweat bands here from the

pastors, and you can just take them and throw them on someone

who's sick and they go, that smells of sweat.

No, it's a point of contact and what was happening.

Remember, like it says in Peter's shadow passed over

people did that the stirring of the water and the pool so long

what's happened and it's like different times people can come

forward for prayer and and and and they're ready.

They, they had this, this touch of faith in their lives that

they think if I get that sweatband put on me from Paul,

Oh man, Lord. And so that as that point of

contact, certain people will go and, and God moves.

It's like some people you can play hands on and pray for them.

Nothing's happened. But some people come out and,

and, and, and, and they're already believing and the point

of contact. They, they, I'm ready, Lord,

bang. And it's got nothing to do with

the the person putting their hands on.

It's the point of contact. It's the woman.

Remember, if I could just touch the tassel of Jesus pressure,

she was ready because Jesus says, Oh, I I since virtue's

gone out of me, power's gone out of me because she was if I can,

if I can just touch, I know I'll be healed.

So there was that point of contact.

But Please note this, this is God working.

Can't put him in a box. It's not this is how we're going

to do it. We're all going to have

handkerchiefs, we're all going to have sweatpants.

We're all going to try and reach out and touch, touch someone as

they're going past. No.

And the diseases left them and notice evil spirits went out of

them. This is explain it.

No, you can't. This is God moving.

You know when you can explain what's happening, then it's

probably not God. It's God moving because you've

got to go. We don't know how this works.

To God be the glory. Then some of the itinerant

Jewish exorcists notice there's a this is a lead on to these

people. Wow, this is war.

What's going on here because Ephesus was like that took upon

themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who

had evil spirits. Why they're in business.

They were using the name of Jesus for their own self

promotion and funding, saying we exercise you by Jesus whom Paul

preaches. So also there were seven sons of

Skeeva, a Jewish chief priest who did so now when they did

this, notice what happens here and the evil spirit.

This would have been the first time for these guys who'd been,

you know, travelling around selling, you know, fake snake

oil stuff and doing oh, yeah, we're praying for you.

Oh, you're better now. Great.

Oh, cast this out. Cast out the, you know, cast out

that there was the demon, Demon of gluttony and the demon of

tiredness. You know, someone yawn.

Oh, demon of tiredness. No, I'm just tired.

Demon of gluttony? Well, let's put a lock on the

fridge because the demon of gluttony would just force me to

go to the fridge, you know? No, the evil spirit answered,

said Jesus. I know.

And note that James tells us that too.

The devil, the demons know who Jesus is.

How often would Jesus go? And the demons will go, Oh no,

no, don't cast this out yet. And Paul, I know that's

interesting, but who are you interesting When Jesus returns,

remember Matthew 7, that scary verse?

Lord, Lord, have we not done this in your name?

Jesus says, I don't even know who you are.

Oh, I, I've been in the ministry casting out demons.

I don't know who you are. Then the man in whom the evil

spirit was leapt on them, overpowered them and prevailed

against them and actually beat them up so that they fled out of

that house naked and wounded. Let me say this about demonic

works like this. Occasionally we've experienced

it and it's it's something that you don't go looking for.

It's something you only deal with when you are having to

confront it because it it is People take on the strength of

10 men. People do just amazing things.

And I often hear people carrying on and saying I do this and I do

that and you know, against the devil and I'm going hold it.

Let God do all that work. Keep on the other side of the

Lord. Keep the Lord between you and

anything else like this because unfortunately people are

attracted to this and they're going to be more and more

attracted to this sort of behaviour as we get closer to

the rapture because it's it's a show and it takes the attention

away from Christ, his and his salvation, his grace and his

peace. This became known both to all

Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus.

And notice what happened. Fear fell on them, and the name

of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And notice this verse 18 And

many who had believed. So people who received Christ in

Ephesus came confessing and telling their deeds.

Also many of those who had practised magic brought their

books together, burned them in the sight of all, and they

counted up the value of them, and it totalled 50,000 pieces of

silver. So the word of the Lord grew

mightily and prevailed. Now what's happened here is

Paul's been teaching about the Kingdom of God and we're going

to see it mentioned later. Paul said there's no such thing

as idols. You know, there's, you can't

worship idols. And what's happened is the Holy

Spirit has got hold of these people who have come to the Lord

and all of a sudden he's made them aware of, you know what

that thing I've had in my house, so that thing I've been

listening to or been being involved with is wrong.

It's not good. And I need to get that out of my

house. I need to remove that and have

nothing to do with that. It's like today, people can come

to church and they've read their horoscope before they come or

they've gone to a palm read. Oh, it's no big deal.

You know, God's with me. But I'll just, I'll just go and

check it out. Where are the holidays?

Get someone to read my palm or, or, or something like that.

And here's the deal. Jesus says, don't play with

fire. What?

And the question we have to ask ourselves in our lives, are

there things that perhaps we are holding onto or that we're

playing with? Because in Matthew 18-9, and

I'll read it to you, Jesus makes the statement.

He says Matthew 18. If your hand or your foot, verse

8 causes you to sin, cut it off, cast it from you.

It's better for you to enter into life lame or maimed rather

than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the

everlasting fire. If your eye causes you to sin,

block it out, cast it from you. It is better for you to enter

into life with one eye rather than having two eyes and to be

cast into hell fire. Now this is not literal.

Jesus doesn't tell you to attack your body.

But what he's saying is if there's areas of your life that

you're involved with that you that you deal with that you play

around with that cause you to send, for example, talking to a

man who had a problem with pornography and he he had his

problem with pornography was through the Internet.

So I said to him, this is this is how you fixed it.

You get off the Internet. If you're going to be on the

computer, you have it in the kitchen with your wife and

children so that they can see the screen as you know.

So I can't do that. I said, you're missing the

point. You got to deal with this.

You can't just oh, well, I'll be better at it.

No, you won't. No, you won't.

Jesus says cut it off. And so often as believers,

people kind of like, you know, you asked them off.

So what were you doing at the time?

Oh, well, I was, I was in this place where I probably shouldn't

have been hanging out with these people, where I shouldn't hang

out. I was doing this that I

shouldn't. And you go in my mind, I'm

thinking. Well, what do you expect?

You can't have a living, loving, powerful relationship with God

and be playing around with things that are causing you

harm. That's why these people, Paul,

didn't go, hey, everybody, go in your house and go through this,

go through that. No, people were convicted by the

Holy Spirit and they brought this out.

But it tells you just how bad Ephesus was.

It's said that Ephesus was the centre of Satanic worship.

Satan was he was in this place. Satan is not omnipresent, but

it's telling us by this Satan was at Ephesus.

But notice what happened when the people did this.

The word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

People got serious about their walk with God.

You know, there are things that in my life, in and of

themselves, you may think, well, that's nothing really bad, But

God has convicted me about saying, Keith, you can't be

involved in that anymore because it makes you behave in the

flesh, it makes you carnal when you're involved with that.

So to me it's a bad thing. Now, when these things were

accomplished, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed

through Macedonia and Archaea to go to Jerusalem, saying, after

I've been there and here he mentions it because we're

entering a new section now of the Book of Acts.

He says, I got to go to Rome. Paul was going to go to Rome,

wasn't he? But he wasn't going to go to

Rome on a tram or a train. He was going to go as a

prisoner. So he sent into Macedonia two of

those administered to him, Timothy and Erastus.

But he himself stayed in Asia for a time, and he stayed there

because Paul was collecting an offering.

That's why he was going to Jerusalem.

He was gathering an offering from the Gentile churches, and

he was going to take it to the starving, impoverished church in

Jerusalem. And about that time there arose

a great commotion about the way for certain man named Demetrius,

A silversmith who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no

small profit to the Craftsman. They're making a killing on.

They sell on this stuff. He called them together with the

workers of similar occupations. So they're all all the people

that make the idols and said, man, you know that we have our

prosperity by this trait. This is how we make a living.

Moreover, you see in here that not only at Ephesus, but

throughout almost all Asia, they knew this.

Paul has persuaded and turn away many people saying that they are

not gods which are made with hands.

That's what Paul was preaching. So not only is this trade of

ours in danger of falling into disrepute.

It's funny that this this shonky tribe falling into danger of

disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may

be despised on her magnificence destroyed whom all Asia and the

world worship. Diana is also called Artemis.

Now, this great temple that was in Ephesus, this this idol was,

they believe, they believed it came from Jupiter or from Zeus.

It fell out of the sky. So it's probably a meteorite.

Then they carved this grotesque creature out of it.

And the temple of Diana was one of the seven wonders of the

world at that time. It was, it had 127 pillars

throughout this massive building.

And they were 60 feet high, these pillars holding up this

magnificent. Now, the thing about the grounds

of the Temple of Diana was this, it was also a treasury.

So all the banking and the trade of the world happened at Diana.

And if you're a criminal and you had done something harmful or

someone, if you went in and into the grounds of the Temple of

Diana, you couldn't be arrested. So it was a place where a lot of

really nice people hung out and it had all these priestesses who

used immorality as part of the worship of this place.

So it just tells you what sort of place Ephesus really was.

And so the whole city when they when they heard this, they were

full of anger and cried out saying great is Diana of the

Ephesians. So the whole city was filled

with confusion. Rust into the theatre and with 1

accord now the theatre holds 24,000 people and it's still

there. Hell and I have sat in this very

theatre, it's still you can go in.

It's like it was built yesterday in Ephesus and they said this

massive mob rush into the theatre.

Some therefore cried out no notice this.

Some therefore cried out one thing and some another.

Yes, no. Maybe what are we complaining

about? I don't know, but yes, no.

And it was just like it was just like that.

It's quite a comedy here. And so they whole city was

filled with confusion rushed in with 1 accord.

Having seen Skyast and Erastus Macedonians, Paul's travel

companions. When Paul wanted to go in, Paul

said I'll go and speak to them. So this is a it's not going to

Optus. And he said, yeah, I'll go man

24,000 man, I can I can bring the gospel here.

They said, no, you're not going in there.

And the disciples were not allowing.

Then some of the officials of Asia who were his friends sent

to him pleading that he would not venture into the theatre.

Some therefore cried one thing and some another for the

assembly was confused. What is God?

God is not the author of confusion.

So who's running this riot? It's Satan and most of them did

not notice this why they had gathered here.

Why are you here, Charlie? I don't know.

I thought there was free beer. I'm here to Well, isn't isn't

the football game on? No, I'm here to protest.

And they just didn't know what was going on.

And they drew Alexander out on the multitude and the Jews

putting him forward. And Alexander was a Jew and

Alexander motion with his hand wanted to make his defence to

the he's got nothing to do with the Jews here.

But when they found out that he was a Jew, they all with one

voice said no, get rid of it, get rid of him, get rid of him.

So he wasn't popular at the moment.

So the big hook came out on the stage and dragged him off and

they for two hours shouted great as Diana of the Ephesians.

And when the city clerk kind of like the CEO chief executive

officers better thing of the city had quieted the crowd.

He said, Men of Ephesus, what man is there does not know that

the city of the Ephesians is a temple guardian of the great

goddess Diana. And the image which fell down

from Zeus, notice so that tells us it is pretty much a

meteorite. Therefore, since these things

cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet.

Do nothing rashly, for you've brought these men here, who are

neither robbers of temples. Notice this, nor blasphemers of

your goddess. And I, I, I, I note that so

often what we do as Christians, we want to run down and people,

you know, you think, oh, there's nothing wrong with that.

Run down other religions and things like that, fine.

But I find here kind of like a correcting path here to say,

hey, don't worry about all the others mob.

This is what you ought to do preach repentance, salvation,

Kingdom of God, Jesus death on the cross, Christ crucified.

That's Paul said, I've come to bring you nothing else but

Christ crucified sometimes. And I remember at a a pastors

conference and some people when when the abortion thing was

really up in arms throughout America and churches were going

down and protesting at the front of these places.

And and and one of the Calvary Chapel pastors from San Diego,

Mike McIntosh, he said, people were ringing me up and say we

don't see any Calvary Chapel people coming down and

protesting with what's going on. What you are you pro abortion?

He said, no, no, no, we pray against abortion.

And they actually ran a whole ministry, I forget, called the

the House of Ruth, where pregnant women could come to the

church and they would assist them in their pregnancy.

And so they wouldn't have bought that.

And then they would either look after the child and the mother

or that they would do make sure that the child went through the

full term, was born and they had the House of Ruth.

That's how they ran it. But he says, and I never

forgotten him saying this, he says, if ever I'm to be

arrested, there's only one thing I'm to be arrested for and

that's preaching the gospel. And you know, sometimes we can

get into a hobby horse and we, why aren't you enjoying that?

Well, you're not, you're not as Christian as we are.

And you, you pick up the fence. You're not pick up the fence.

You have your, you pick it up, you sign.

And no, no, let's get it straight.

Chuck Smith said, how do you, how do you show what's a crooked

stick? Simple.

You lay a straight stick next to it.

That's what you and I do. I remember as a new believer

going through Bible college or going through Bible college and

I and I'd run after the Jehovah Witnesses, I'd run after the

Mormons and I'd say, hey, you guys, you know, you're preaching

false this. And I chase after them and want

to argue about, you know, this and that.

Can't argue with them because they just say black, white,

white, black, black and you know, it's all this and they

just ran around around the circle and I realised I'm

wasting my time. What I've got to do is I've got

to know the truth. I've got to know the Bible and

that in season and out of season, if someone asks me, tell

me how do I get saved? Who is Jesus?

I share the gospel. Sometimes we can and I know I

got I was really into that and I just, I'm doing stuff and God's

going, what are you doing over there?

How about spending time with me? How about getting to know more

about me? How about doing what I want you

to do instead of what you think's a good idea?

And so sometimes I think we waste so much energy and effort

in doing things we think's a good idea and everyone else

should be doing it. And God says I don't care about

that. I care about the person that you

walk past or buy a coffee or for the checkout person and that I'm

going to turn the light on that person one day when you were

there and they're going to ask you, did you go to, do you go to

church? What do you think?

And that's when you're going to be turned on.

That's when you're to minister. And so here it says, therefore,

since these things cannot be denied, for you've brought these

men verse 37 here, who are near the robbers of temples, no

blasphemers of begot us. Therefore, if Demetrius and his

fellow Craftsman have a case against anyone, hey, go to the

courts, there's a court, go to the magistrate, get us sorted.

But if you have any other enquiry to make, it shall be

determined in the lawful assembly, not in this great riot

that's going on. Why?

And here's the thing behind it, verse 40 For we are in danger of

being called in question for today's uproar.

Here's the deal. Ephesus was a free ruling Roman

colony. Go about Ryan's not going to

bother with you. Everything good, But you have a

riot there and Ryan's going. What's going on?

That's right down there. You know what?

We're coming in. We're going to take over.

We're going to settle the place and we'll run the show.

And that's what he's saying. Be careful.

We, we don't want to go back to oppression.

We have free reign here. We've been given freedom and

licence by Rome. Let's let's be wise here because

it says there being no reason that we may give to account for

this disorderly gathering. And when he had said these

things, he dismissed the assembly going out of time.

Finish on this one thing. Often we complain about being

persecuted, we complain about our government.

It's anti Christian. It is isn't it?

We complain about our local government and everything else

like that. Here's the deal, we should be

thankful that they are. Why?

Because the moment the government says you mop, you're

all good. You know what happens?

We lose all power and the church stops growing.

The church.