A Great Disturbance
Good to see you all this morning. It's great to be with you. Steve. Welcome back. Steve's been laying around in the jungles of South America. It's good to have him back. Missed you man. It's good to have everyone here this morning. We are diving into the book of Acts again. You guys, you've been part of this community for a while.
We've been in here for about a year and a half now, accounted today. We started out this series saying we're just gonna go as long as it goes, and we're still going accounted today. I think this is the 40th acts serving that we've done missing church. This is our 40th one. Officially. We've taken lots of breaks in.
If you're wondering like 40 doesn't add up to a year and a half. It works out the math works, but. Our purpose in this and being in this as long as we have been, has been to discover what it means to be a church, like a local community body price, working in a city. And I think we've discovered a lot along the way, and I look forward to honestly, I was gonna say, I look forward to recapping this toward the end and seeing everything we've discovered, but if there's ever a moment where you wanna sit down and something strikes you and you say, Hey, this week I learned this about the church and I wanna process or talk through it.
Let's get coffee. Let's go to lunch. Let's figure something out. I'd love to talk because we want to do more than just talk about this. We want this stuff to be true us. And today we're gonna discover something that's that's how do I say this? Amazing and difficult and scary and awesome about the church.
Okay, here it is. The church is a community of people who push back against the eyes of each. That's the story we're gonna read here. So that's our set and our context. This is title in my book, The Riot in Emphasis Acts 19 verse 23. About that time there arose of great disturbance about the way is what the earliest followers of Jesus called this life.
They were living about the way the silversmith named Demetrius who made shrine, silver strides to Artemis, brought in a lot of money for the craftsmen there, and he called them together along with the workers and related trades and said my friends. That we receive a good income from this business, and and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and let us stray a large number of people here in SISs, in practically and practically the whole province of Asia.
He said that God's made by human hands are no gods at all. There's a danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great God's ornaments will be discredited and the goddess herself who is worshiped throughout the entire provinces of Asia and the world will be robbed of her divine majesty.
When they heard this, they were furious and begin shouting. Great is Artis of the Ephesians. Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people ceased GA and Aris Starks false traveling campaigns from Macedonia and all of them rushed into the theater to. Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him.
Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent a message begging him not to vent into the theater. The assembly was in confusion. Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people didn't even know why they were there. The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front and they instructions to him and emotions for silence in order to make a defense before the.
When they realized he was a Jew, they shouted all the more in unison for two hours. Great is Artis in the AEs. The city clerk quieted the crowd and said Fellow AEs doesn't all the world know that the city of ESUs is the guardian of the temple of the Great Artemis and of which fell from heaven?
Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. You've brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor Blas Nads. If then Demetrius and its fellows can have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are pro councils. They can press charges.
If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly as it is. We're in danger of being charged with rioting. Cause what happened? In that case, we wouldn't be able to account for this commotion since there's no reason for it. After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly moral authorities, the gospel of the Kingdom of the heavens.
That is breaking out into this world, into this age is in direct conflict with the islands of the age that rule the world. And to be gospel people, to be Jesus people is to push back against the rapid idol of our age and when we do we ought to expect backlash if we preach and live the gospel holistically, we will find ourselves in opposition to the principalities and powers behind the idols of the H.
See, there's interesting case being made in this passage because Demetrius, the silversmith argued that Paul said that God's made by human hands or no, Gods. And I don't think he misrepresent Paul. I think Paul said that very thing that's very biblical. Gods made by human hands or no gospel. They're weak and powerless.
In, in the the Old Testament talks about how ridiculous it is that we take a piece of wood and we cook our meat over of it outta the other half. We build nine and we worship. And when I literally just carved this myself and non worship, So the Bible from start to finish is consistent with how ridiculous I.
At the same time, we have to recognize that behind the idol, there's power, not in the idol itself, but behind it. There's a deception. There is an enemy. In fact, the Bible calls these principalities and powers that have assignments against people creating god's, and the primary way that they back those assignments is through truth, is by putting up an object and saying, Worship this, instead of going.
You see the pattern starts in Genesis three. It has not changed since. You think at some point you catch on. You think at some point we'd see the pattern, be able to recognize it, that it continues to work. They put it forward, and it is the job of a church, of a community of Jesus follows to stand up and say, Not in this case.
In this place we. Resist the idols of this age. If you know me, you know I am very against military metaphors in the church, but on this occasion, I it we at with the idols of this and when we stand, we ought to opposition. I don't say this to make us a afraid, I say this one to encourage us. Be counter opposition of all kinds.
Know that is. And two, be ready. Don't be scared, be prepared. Know Paul wrote a letter to his church in this city. The letters called The Book of Ephesians. It's at this church in this city in this moment. You know what said he's strong in the Lord. And his mighty power put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil schemes for our struggle.
Our war is not against fleshing blood, but against rulers, authorities against powers of the star, age, and against spiritual forces of evil that heaven realms, therefore, put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground after you've done everything to.
Stand firm then with the Belt of Truth. Buckle her under waist. Yeah, With the breast of righteousness in place, with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all of this, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Take the helmet of salvation and sword and spirit, which is the word of God, and pray in the spirit on all kinds of, on all occasions with all kinds of nourishment tests. If this in mind, be alert. And always keep on praying for all of its people. Nice.
We wanna be a church that goes after the iss cause they're killing people, they're destroying people made to God's image. They're be making people settled for less than the abundant life, God for. We wanna be that kind of a church that's actually written on our box truck out there. Learn to live free.
We put it everywhere on websites, we put it on cards, we put it everywhere because we want it to be true of us. We ought not be surprised then when we walk into a prison and start to set people free when the prison guards come after us
and we experience all position out there in here. Cause I'll just. Sometimes I settle for lesser nots too. And the gospel confronts not just the idol tree out there, but the idol for me.
So church I just, I wanna be the kinda church that pushes back. It pushes against the I and sees the kingdom of God advancing. It's a dark space. And if you wanna be that kind of church with me, just know we have to be. Because the principal and powers, the spiritual forces of this dark world is Holocaust will resist and sometimes violently.
That's what this story's all about. We'll come back to this be prepared idea here in just a second, but before we do I wanna unpack what happens here in emphasis. Okay? It's really fascinating and really important. Important. This is perhaps one of the, More daunting, but also more exciting stories in the look backs.
It's just the scene is so dramatic and so profound, and what's being shared here is just so real. And. And here's how it goes. This guy, Demetrius silversmith in the city, he built these silver shrines of Artis. Artis was like the preeminent goddess of the ancient world. So you've heard of zoos, you've heard of all these other ones.
Artis was the primary goddess, not just in emphasis, but around the region. There were temples to her everywhere. As a matter of fact, the temple's Artemis in the city of ESUs was one of the seven wonders. This massive, significant, important space. And to this day, we will find statue, statues of art.
Archeologists will find them all over the place. Most of Auditor Auto, but occasionally outta silver. We find less silver ones today because Silver six gets melted down into other things over the years, which come back to that. But the idea here is everybody in UPS knew about Artos, and Demetrius comes forward and he says, Look, there's this guy Paul, who's preaching this gospel of Jesus in the.
And if you remember last week, his preaching was so profound and so powerful and so accompanied by the spirit's power people were being delivered from demonn possession. They were being healed by, remember, by Handker chips that Paul had touched. This is wild stuff. And so profound and powerful was the presence of Jesus in the city.
Rev is breaking out an emphasis that the entire city showed up and brought these magical scroll. Like these pagan idols, they brought them into the streets and they burned them. And the estimated value of the scrolls in today's currency was 6 million of idols burned in the streets. We're talking emphasis.
Demetrius starts to freak out because why? Because normally is sharpest, bulk is sharpest full of people coming in and buying these little statues, taking 'em home and putting 'em up on a fireplace and bouncing and. Great audience of theses help us have a great crop, help us help this. And normally he, his business is booming and he just noticed that since this guy Paul came into town, nobody's coming to the shopping and he's worried, he's concerned.
So he pulls together as fellow tradesmen. He says, Look, we've got a problem on ever since Paul showed, people are not buying our stuff anymore. And he's very clever here because what's his primary? Okay, money. His primary concern is money, but he knows that's not gonna fly. He knows that he's not gonna be able to convince everybody in the city to freak out about his personal financial situation.
So he says There's also danger to our temple, one of the seven wonders of the world, and to the goddess herself, which is to say to our entire way of life, to the great city of. And so he masks his economic concerns in grandiose language and gets everyone stern up. He'll eventually get to this patriotic fe for the city of ESUs, but he starts with finance.
He's saying this, He's saying, Look, I build things with my hands and I promise people that these things I build with my hands have power to deliver for them the kind of life that they always want. To give them everything that they want and everything that they need. And then this guy, Paul shows up in town and he says, Don't you understand that thing that you're holding in your hand, some guy just built it in his garage.
It has no power whatsoever. But let me show you what real power looks like. Here, take the sang sheet, . Do you know what I mean? And so he's walking around saying, this, God, you're holding in your hand. This human made thing cannot deliver on what it promises, but there is one here who came. There is someone who can deliver for you abundant life, and his name is Jesus.
And Demetri is concerned that if people buy into this message because they were that they would no longer come and purchase his trinkets anymore. And my friends, not much has changed in 2000 years. Here's the story. The kingdom of God is available to us here in now in Jesus. He has come that we may have life and have abundantly.
This doesn't mean that everything works out all the time, but it means that even when it does joy and strength and hope available, Jesus is real. His spirit is with us, and he offers the life that we were made to live and the principal and power to say. How about an.
No, probably wasn't an Apple. Genesis three, was it? Apple's? Not a very exciting for, probably something more exciting, maybe or it's big. Something like a little bit more, I dunno. I dunno. But here's a career. I know Jesus came to give you abundant life, but how about a career? Here's a really great relationship.
Here's a great guy or a great girl. You know what, Here's the savings I. A house, a car. I know, I, I know. I know what that Jesus said, abundant life, overflown joy, all of this sort of stuff. But look, this is right in front of you and it'll deliver quick results
you say. Okay. I'll take it. I'll take it. Jesus. It's hard sometimes. Sometimes he's difficult to see what he is up to. Sometimes this abundant life that I was made for, it doesn't feel so abundant. Sometimes it feels hard. Sometimes it feels like he's absent. He's not with me. But there's a car, there's a stock portfolio, there's a career.
It's right in front of me right now, and we go for it. Time and time again, things made by human hands. That promise satisfaction. How insidious is the power of money? Did you see it in Demetrius's or do you see what's happening? Jesus has come into his city in power. People are being healed by aprons and manchi.
People are repenting in these robes. Items are being burnt in the streets, like revival is sweeping through and Demetrius says, Wait, what about my 401k? He's completely missed it. The this materialism, this ile of money has got its grip like its nails into him, and he is settling for lesser joys. This is what CS Lewis says.
He says, If we consider the UNB blushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the Lord's promises in the Gospels, if it seem that our Lord plants our desires, not too strong, but too weak, we are halfhearted creatures. Fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea.
We are far too easy,
far too easy. That's what's happening. Demetrius is saying we are trying to offer people instant gratification, instant satisfaction with stuff made by argument. And they're settling. They're opting instead for eternal joy, power. And it won't we can't stand because this love of money hasn't spent on all.
Would later write the same guy, Paul to Timothy, who was probably with. Would later write the love of money. It's the all kinds of things. And throughout the book of Acts, we see that the primary offense of the gospel and time is financially. Why does Paul have so much joy? Because when he comes into a city of Jesus upsets the economic balance.
Here's the deal, the primary God of this age and everyone is man the God of money, and Jesus is told after him.