WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.000 to you this morning. We're in chapter 19 of the book of Acts, so please open your Bibles with me 00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:16.480 to Acts chapter 19, verses 21 to 41. Acts chapter 19, verses 21 to 41. 00:00:19.460 --> 00:00:24.660 If there's any of you who's unfamiliar with the Bible, Acts is in the New Testament after the 00:00:24.660 --> 00:00:34.000 Gospel of John before the book of Romans. Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's Word. 00:00:42.260 --> 00:00:44.100 Father, I tremble before your Word. 00:00:44.100 --> 00:00:58.260 Lord, what a staggering privilege it is to be a mouthpiece for your Word, and I pray 00:00:58.260 --> 00:01:04.159 that you help me to say only what you would have me say. 00:01:04.159 --> 00:01:14.539 And I pray that your Word is read and preached, that it would have its intended effect on us 00:01:14.539 --> 00:01:26.239 as your people, that Christ would be exalted, that our minds would be renewed, 00:01:26.239 --> 00:01:42.560 that we would leave this place with a fresh sense of wonder and worship before you, our mighty God. 00:01:47.299 --> 00:01:48.340 Address us now. 00:01:48.340 --> 00:01:53.740 We are listening, Lord. 00:01:55.240 --> 00:01:57.340 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 00:01:59.120 --> 00:02:01.939 Acts chapter 19, verses 21 to 41. 00:02:04.359 --> 00:02:11.939 Now after these events, Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, 00:02:11.939 --> 00:02:16.180 saying, after I have been there, I must also see Rome. 00:02:16.180 --> 00:02:24.640 And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. 00:02:26.120 --> 00:02:30.319 About that time, there arose no little disturbance concerning the way. 00:02:31.340 --> 00:02:36.900 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, 00:02:37.580 --> 00:02:40.120 brought no little business to the craftsmen. 00:02:41.900 --> 00:02:45.659 These he gathered together with the workmen in similar trades and said, 00:02:46.180 --> 00:02:50.420 Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. 00:02:51.540 --> 00:02:55.400 And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, 00:02:55.620 --> 00:03:00.159 this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, 00:03:00.980 --> 00:03:04.000 saying that gods made with hands are not gods. 00:03:05.180 --> 00:03:09.900 And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute, 00:03:09.900 --> 00:03:14.960 but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, 00:03:15.439 --> 00:03:18.480 and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, 00:03:19.200 --> 00:03:21.200 she whom all Asia and the world worship. 00:03:22.700 --> 00:03:26.379 When they heard this, they were enraged and were crying out, 00:03:26.860 --> 00:03:28.900 Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! 00:03:28.900 --> 00:03:32.539 So the city was filled with the confusion, 00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:37.340 and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus. 00:03:37.920 --> 00:03:39.960 Macedonians were Paul's companions in travel. 00:03:41.040 --> 00:03:43.439 But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, 00:03:43.800 --> 00:03:45.480 the disciples would not let him. 00:03:46.360 --> 00:03:50.000 And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, 00:03:50.980 --> 00:03:54.180 sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. 00:03:54.180 --> 00:03:59.260 Now some cried out one thing, some another, 00:03:59.560 --> 00:04:01.340 for the assembly was in confusion, 00:04:01.920 --> 00:04:04.640 and most of them did not know why they had come together. 00:04:05.540 --> 00:04:09.540 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. 00:04:10.200 --> 00:04:13.460 And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. 00:04:13.939 --> 00:04:15.960 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, 00:04:16.319 --> 00:04:18.899 for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, 00:04:19.300 --> 00:04:21.519 Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! 00:04:21.519 --> 00:04:26.180 And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, 00:04:26.639 --> 00:04:29.539 Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know 00:04:29.539 --> 00:04:32.680 that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, 00:04:32.899 --> 00:04:35.199 and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky? 00:04:36.019 --> 00:04:38.519 Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, 00:04:38.680 --> 00:04:40.839 you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 00:04:41.620 --> 00:04:43.359 For you have brought these men here, 00:04:43.459 --> 00:04:47.259 who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. 00:04:47.259 --> 00:04:53.379 If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, 00:04:53.500 --> 00:04:55.879 the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. 00:04:56.819 --> 00:04:59.039 Let them bring charges against one another. 00:04:59.839 --> 00:05:01.439 But if you seek anything further, 00:05:01.680 --> 00:05:03.519 you shall be settled in the regular assembly. 00:05:04.259 --> 00:05:07.219 For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, 00:05:07.579 --> 00:05:12.019 since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion. 00:05:12.019 --> 00:05:16.979 And when he has said these things, he dismissed the assembly. 00:05:17.939 --> 00:05:20.279 This is God's holy and authoritative word. 00:05:21.839 --> 00:05:26.180 This passage teaches us mainly that the way of Christ, 00:05:26.699 --> 00:05:30.719 which is the way that's mentioned here in verse 23, 00:05:31.599 --> 00:05:33.439 that no little disturbance concerning the way, 00:05:33.500 --> 00:05:40.240 the way of Christ disrupts society by deposing the gods of this world. 00:05:40.240 --> 00:05:45.800 And we're going to look at two contrasts that Luke intentionally draws here in this passage. 00:05:45.939 --> 00:05:51.240 First is the contrast between the spirit-driven Paul and the prophet-driven Demetrius. 00:05:51.780 --> 00:05:56.860 And secondly, the disorderly assembly versus the peaceable church. 00:05:58.240 --> 00:06:00.879 And so we're going to look at this in turn. 00:06:00.960 --> 00:06:04.240 Let's look at first the spirit-driven Paul versus the prophet-driven Demetrius. 00:06:04.980 --> 00:06:06.639 It says in verses 21 to 22, 00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:14.459 Now after these events, Paul resolved in the spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem saying, 00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:17.360 After I've been there, I must also see Rome. 00:06:18.500 --> 00:06:24.079 So this verse serves as an outline for the rest of the book of Acts. 00:06:24.699 --> 00:06:28.479 Paul does indeed pass through Macedonia and Achaia in chapter 20. 00:06:29.019 --> 00:06:32.959 That included cities like Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, and Corinth. 00:06:32.959 --> 00:06:36.039 And then he goes to Jerusalem in chapter 21. 00:06:36.299 --> 00:06:40.019 And finally, he ends up in Rome in chapter 28. 00:06:41.539 --> 00:06:43.639 And for those of you who are familiar with the book, 00:06:43.759 --> 00:06:48.259 know that Paul's missionary journeys were not walks in the park. 00:06:49.399 --> 00:06:52.620 He was not a man who had caught a travel bug 00:06:52.620 --> 00:06:57.019 and visited various cities to see landmarks and enjoy the local cuisine. 00:06:57.019 --> 00:07:01.740 Paul recounts in 2 Corinthians 11, 23 to 27, 00:07:01.919 --> 00:07:04.240 that during his missionary travels, he was imprisoned, 00:07:04.859 --> 00:07:07.439 beaten countless times, and often to the point of death, 00:07:08.060 --> 00:07:12.759 stoned, thrice shipwrecked, having spent the night and the day adrift at sea. 00:07:13.699 --> 00:07:18.339 He had to cross treacherous rivers, brave roads frequented by robbers. 00:07:19.019 --> 00:07:21.359 He endured many a sleepless night, he says, 00:07:21.359 --> 00:07:26.539 in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 00:07:27.019 --> 00:07:29.219 That raises the question, 00:07:30.120 --> 00:07:36.959 why would a sensible human being do something like that? 00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:42.419 Why would a sensible person endure such pains and labors? 00:07:43.959 --> 00:07:49.259 Verse 21 tells us Paul resolved in the Spirit to do these things. 00:07:49.259 --> 00:07:56.159 Paul had decided, he had resolved in his heart and mind to revisit these regions, 00:07:56.439 --> 00:07:59.060 to care for the churches that had been established there. 00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:02.420 It's similar to a resolution that Jonathan Edwards, 00:08:02.560 --> 00:08:06.639 an 18th century American pastor made on January 12, 1723. 00:08:07.159 --> 00:08:07.620 He said, 00:08:07.620 --> 00:08:11.180 Paul had resolved, never henceforward till I die, 00:08:11.500 --> 00:08:17.160 to act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether God's. 00:08:18.759 --> 00:08:22.899 Paul had resolved, as he tells us in Romans 15, 18 to 20, 00:08:24.040 --> 00:08:27.399 to fulfill the ministry of the gospel of Christ. 00:08:27.399 --> 00:08:32.720 To preach the gospel where Christ had not yet been named. 00:08:33.659 --> 00:08:37.139 And because there were places in the world where Christ was not worshipped, 00:08:37.480 --> 00:08:39.779 until every tongue confessed the name of Jesus, 00:08:39.879 --> 00:08:42.759 and until every knee bowed before Jesus, 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:46.419 Paul made it his lifelong ambition to preach the gospel. 00:08:46.419 --> 00:08:52.959 But this is not a testament to mere human willpower. 00:08:54.219 --> 00:08:56.339 This is Paul resolved in the Spirit. 00:08:58.019 --> 00:09:03.399 In other words, Paul's resolution was directed by and driven by the Spirit of God. 00:09:04.419 --> 00:09:07.819 Paul was a man whose life was controlled by the Spirit. 00:09:08.979 --> 00:09:11.699 And Luke has been very explicit up to this point in the book 00:09:11.699 --> 00:09:15.039 about how the Holy Spirit is the one who directs the mission of the church. 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:20.599 In Acts 16, the Holy Spirit forbade Paul from going into Asia for a time 00:09:20.599 --> 00:09:22.039 and then redirected him to Europe, 00:09:22.259 --> 00:09:25.439 and then finally opened the door for him to preach the gospel in Asia, 00:09:25.579 --> 00:09:26.620 which is where he is now. 00:09:27.879 --> 00:09:32.819 Paul is not the person that's sitting on the executive chair in the command center, 00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:35.299 in the headquarters, charting the course. 00:09:36.879 --> 00:09:40.819 It's the Spirit of God who is directing the mission of the church. 00:09:41.620 --> 00:09:44.219 And that's the pattern that holds here in this passage also. 00:09:45.039 --> 00:09:49.079 And because the direction comes not from man but from God, 00:09:49.699 --> 00:09:51.519 no one with a worldly perspective, 00:09:51.839 --> 00:09:56.019 no one whose purposes and priorities are informed by the sinful world 00:09:56.019 --> 00:09:59.219 can plot the trajectory of Paul's life and ministry. 00:10:00.860 --> 00:10:03.019 Because Paul is a man who is born of the Spirit. 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:04.779 John 3, 8 says, 00:10:04.779 --> 00:10:16.819 It's what Paul's like. 00:10:16.879 --> 00:10:18.179 That's why he's going to these places. 00:10:18.740 --> 00:10:24.319 You can't predict it unless you put the Spirit of God into the equation. 00:10:24.320 --> 00:10:31.960 This reminds me of some of you who joined the church plant initially about five or six years ago, 00:10:32.620 --> 00:10:35.060 even though you're from Pennsylvania or New Jersey, 00:10:35.620 --> 00:10:37.360 and all your family is there. 00:10:39.460 --> 00:10:42.160 Or some of you who came to serve this church more recently, 00:10:42.980 --> 00:10:46.980 moved up here to be part of the church from Maryland. 00:10:46.980 --> 00:10:54.500 I also think of those of you who are preparing now to leave for midterm or long-term foreign missions. 00:10:57.139 --> 00:11:00.399 It makes no worldly sense. 00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:09.299 Why would people leave jobs, houses, families, and all that is comfortable and familiar? 00:11:11.299 --> 00:11:15.139 They wouldn't do it if they were complacent or noncommittal. 00:11:15.259 --> 00:11:22.340 It only makes sense because they are resolved, surrendered, submitted to the move of the Holy Spirit. 00:11:23.459 --> 00:11:25.860 They are men and women born of the Spirit. 00:11:27.139 --> 00:11:28.500 And Paul wasn't the only one. 00:11:28.500 --> 00:11:37.000 There were also two other helpers, Timothy and Erastus, whom Paul sent into Macedonia ahead of him to minister there. 00:11:38.039 --> 00:11:43.320 And then we find two other companions later as well, Gaius and Aristarchus. 00:11:44.639 --> 00:11:49.600 And so contrast these Spirit-driven brothers with the prophet-driven Demetrius in the following verses. 00:11:49.720 --> 00:11:51.259 It says in verses 23-24, 00:11:51.779 --> 00:11:55.919 About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the way. 00:11:55.919 --> 00:12:03.379 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. 00:12:04.459 --> 00:12:09.419 Note the contrast between, note the parallel rather, between those two phrases. 00:12:09.979 --> 00:12:13.159 No little disturbance, no little business. 00:12:13.419 --> 00:12:17.179 Both are examples of the literary device, Lytites, 00:12:17.179 --> 00:12:23.599 Which is an ironic understatement that states a negative in order to affirm the opposite, to affirm a positive. 00:12:24.779 --> 00:12:30.959 So the sale of miniature replicas of Artemis' shrine brought no little business to the craftsmen, 00:12:31.039 --> 00:12:35.399 Which means it brought, brings trucks worth of money to them. 00:12:35.399 --> 00:12:39.559 Remember the preceding passage in verse 9, 00:12:39.699 --> 00:12:41.519 With the new converts in Ephesus, 00:12:41.740 --> 00:12:45.159 When the new converts to Christianity renounced their pagan magical practices, 00:12:45.459 --> 00:12:47.299 And burned all their magical books, 00:12:47.639 --> 00:12:52.500 The sum of it came to the U.S. equivalent of 6 million dollars. 00:12:53.860 --> 00:12:55.799 This is a very lucrative business. 00:12:56.679 --> 00:13:00.960 You bet something like that would have had a disruptive effect on the economy, 00:13:01.120 --> 00:13:02.659 And affect people's pocketbooks. 00:13:02.659 --> 00:13:08.240 So when the infiltration of the gospel in Ephesus started to transform people, 00:13:08.240 --> 00:13:15.439 It subverted the religious and the related political and economic structures of the city. 00:13:18.079 --> 00:13:22.299 And people with the financial stake in preserving the status quo, 00:13:22.959 --> 00:13:25.240 Guarding the idolatries of the city, 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:26.620 Were up in arms. 00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:31.679 So the phrase no little business parallels no little disturbance, 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:34.620 Because the business connected to the idolatry was massive, 00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:39.519 The disturbance consequently caused by the gospel was similarly massive. 00:13:40.659 --> 00:13:43.399 The more deeply rooted a weed is, 00:13:43.639 --> 00:13:46.539 The more it disrupts the soil around it when you pull it out. 00:13:49.479 --> 00:13:53.379 Demetrius the silversmith gathered around the other craftsmen of similar trades, 00:13:53.539 --> 00:13:55.299 And said in verses 25 to 27, 00:13:55.299 --> 00:13:59.359 Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. 00:13:59.899 --> 00:14:01.879 And you see in here that not only in Ephesus, 00:14:02.019 --> 00:14:03.339 But in almost all of Asia, 00:14:03.439 --> 00:14:06.659 This Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, 00:14:07.219 --> 00:14:10.479 Saying that gods made with hands are not gods. 00:14:11.579 --> 00:14:12.559 And there's danger, 00:14:12.839 --> 00:14:15.899 Not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute, 00:14:16.139 --> 00:14:19.439 But also that the temple of great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, 00:14:19.740 --> 00:14:22.299 And that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, 00:14:22.299 --> 00:14:24.799 She whom all Asia and the world worship. 00:14:25.859 --> 00:14:30.620 So Demetrius stirs up two specific fears in order to rile up his fellow craftsmen, 00:14:30.839 --> 00:14:34.479 And the first is that their trade might become disreputable, 00:14:34.799 --> 00:14:38.259 And the second is that their goddess Artemis might be deposed. 00:14:38.899 --> 00:14:43.079 He warns that the temple of the great Artemis may be counted as nothing. 00:14:43.500 --> 00:14:46.259 That's a significant concern for the Ephesians. 00:14:46.259 --> 00:14:51.759 The temple of Artemis in Ephesus in modern day Turkey is almost completely destroyed now. 00:14:52.159 --> 00:14:53.159 There's almost nothing left. 00:14:53.319 --> 00:14:57.860 But it was considered one of the seven wonders of the world by ancient people. 00:14:59.360 --> 00:15:02.819 Pliny, a first century AD Roman philosopher and naturalist, 00:15:02.939 --> 00:15:07.980 Describes the temple as 115 meters long and 55 meters wide, 00:15:08.360 --> 00:15:13.019 Or 377 feet long and 180 feet wide. 00:15:13.019 --> 00:15:17.299 For those of you, some of you, but that probably means nothing to you, 00:15:17.319 --> 00:15:18.480 Because that's the way it is for me. 00:15:18.559 --> 00:15:21.079 I hear those numbers and I have no idea how big that is. 00:15:21.199 --> 00:15:24.500 That's basically the size of a football field, American football field. 00:15:24.740 --> 00:15:26.899 A little bit bigger in width and length. 00:15:27.279 --> 00:15:28.139 That's a huge temple. 00:15:29.899 --> 00:15:31.179 You could play football in it. 00:15:32.059 --> 00:15:34.159 It was made almost entirely of marble. 00:15:34.899 --> 00:15:39.799 And it was supported by 127 columns, each of which was about 60 feet high. 00:15:39.799 --> 00:15:47.339 Second century BC Greek poet named Antipater of Sidon singled out the temple of Artemis 00:15:47.339 --> 00:15:50.079 As the most impressive of the seven wonders. 00:15:51.079 --> 00:15:51.799 He says, 00:15:51.799 --> 00:16:21.779 For these reasons, the temple of Artemis was a source of grace. 00:16:21.799 --> 00:16:24.000 Great civic pride for the Ephesians. 00:16:24.599 --> 00:16:29.240 And people did, indeed, come from all over the world to worship Artemis in Ephesus. 00:16:31.019 --> 00:16:32.419 Who is Artemis? 00:16:32.579 --> 00:16:36.539 The Greek gods worshipped Artemis as a goddess of the wild. 00:16:37.659 --> 00:16:39.459 The Roman equivalent being Diana. 00:16:41.500 --> 00:16:42.899 Wonder woman, right? 00:16:42.899 --> 00:16:49.419 She was often depicted as a huntress with a bow and an arrow. 00:16:50.159 --> 00:16:56.240 Often pictured with a stag, a male deer by her side, representing her unbounded freedom. 00:16:57.319 --> 00:17:01.000 She was a maiden, sworn never to marry. 00:17:02.120 --> 00:17:04.700 She was worshipped as the goddess of virginity. 00:17:04.700 --> 00:17:09.480 So this, too, represented her wildness and her freedom. 00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:17.100 She was sexually free, unentangled by relationships, not subject to anyone else's authority. 00:17:17.580 --> 00:17:19.019 A master of herself. 00:17:19.180 --> 00:17:21.900 That's the ideal that Artemis embodied. 00:17:21.900 --> 00:17:30.940 The cult of Artemis, in this sense, is not all that different from the idolatry of the modern self in our day and age. 00:17:33.080 --> 00:17:37.440 People in our day don't see themselves as people created in the image of God, 00:17:37.500 --> 00:17:42.040 who should strive to be more and more conformed to him and his image. 00:17:42.039 --> 00:17:46.200 They see themselves as masters of their own lives. 00:17:46.759 --> 00:17:52.639 Free to define their existence and their own identity however they wish or feel. 00:17:53.980 --> 00:17:57.740 Some people call this, quote, expressive individualism. 00:17:58.319 --> 00:17:59.980 That's what some sociologists call it. 00:18:00.680 --> 00:18:02.559 It's captured by slogans like, 00:18:03.079 --> 00:18:03.899 Find yourself. 00:18:04.680 --> 00:18:06.119 Be true to yourself. 00:18:06.700 --> 00:18:07.599 Follow your heart. 00:18:07.859 --> 00:18:09.359 Do what makes you feel good. 00:18:09.500 --> 00:18:10.960 You do you. 00:18:12.039 --> 00:18:18.839 Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor defines this expressive individualism as the belief 00:18:18.839 --> 00:18:23.339 that each one of us has his, her own way of realizing our humanity 00:18:23.339 --> 00:18:26.980 and that it is important to find and live out one's own 00:18:26.980 --> 00:18:32.039 as against surrendering to conformity with a model imposed on us from outside 00:18:32.039 --> 00:18:36.920 by society or the previous generation or religious or political authority. 00:18:36.920 --> 00:18:43.640 If you think about it, you will see that this characterizes much of and explains much of our culture. 00:18:44.600 --> 00:18:48.080 Instead of the Christian value of humble submission to authority 00:18:48.080 --> 00:18:51.660 and conformity to the truths and laws of God, 00:18:52.060 --> 00:18:55.500 there is in our culture a suspicion and a rejection of authority. 00:18:56.600 --> 00:19:01.680 An Artemis-like deification of individual autonomy and self-expression. 00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:06.019 Instead of letting God define us, 00:19:06.019 --> 00:19:10.799 our culture teaches every individual to embark on a journey of self-discovery 00:19:10.799 --> 00:19:13.019 and maximal self-expression. 00:19:13.980 --> 00:19:18.000 The final authority is my own feelings. 00:19:20.700 --> 00:19:24.299 But this is nothing less than an idolatry of the self. 00:19:24.299 --> 00:19:31.299 We need to dethrone the self so that God might be enthroned in our lives. 00:19:33.299 --> 00:19:37.119 God has already revealed His will for us in His Word. 00:19:38.200 --> 00:19:40.539 We're not whoever we want to be, 00:19:40.980 --> 00:19:43.899 but what God has designed us to be. 00:19:47.240 --> 00:19:51.419 Artemis was merely a projection of humanity's desire for independence 00:19:51.419 --> 00:19:53.619 and their rebellion against the true God. 00:19:54.299 --> 00:19:56.059 She was no God at all. 00:19:57.180 --> 00:19:59.819 This is why she can't fend for herself 00:19:59.819 --> 00:20:05.079 and her followers are worried about her being deposed from her magnificence. 00:20:05.180 --> 00:20:08.680 Magnificence because she is powerless to do anything about it. 00:20:11.639 --> 00:20:14.220 But this is not even their ultimate concern. 00:20:15.659 --> 00:20:19.759 Their ultimate concern was not that the cult of Artemis might be neglected. 00:20:20.379 --> 00:20:22.279 They were concerned about that prospect 00:20:22.279 --> 00:20:25.819 mainly because that would mean the loss of revenue. 00:20:27.500 --> 00:20:30.639 They also worshiped the god of money, mammon. 00:20:31.399 --> 00:20:37.619 We can infer this from the fact that Demetrius did not gather a group of ardent Ephesian worshippers of Artemis. 00:20:37.839 --> 00:20:39.720 No, he starts with the craftsmen 00:20:39.720 --> 00:20:43.259 who also benefited like he did from this business 00:20:43.259 --> 00:20:46.899 of making miniature replicas of Artemis' temple. 00:20:46.900 --> 00:20:49.759 He began the speech by saying, 00:20:49.880 --> 00:20:53.540 Man, you know that from this business we have our wealth. 00:20:55.060 --> 00:20:58.380 Preserving their wealth was their ultimate concern. 00:20:58.380 --> 00:21:01.720 And as we saw in Acts 17, 00:21:01.860 --> 00:21:05.640 Paul did preach that gods made with hands are not gods. 00:21:06.240 --> 00:21:08.960 His logic was that since we have been created by God, 00:21:09.060 --> 00:21:11.140 that the objects of our creation, 00:21:11.800 --> 00:21:13.540 the idols, cannot be God. 00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:17.260 The idols' statues of gold and silver and stone 00:21:17.260 --> 00:21:19.120 are products of the human imagination 00:21:19.120 --> 00:21:21.180 and human craftsmanship, 00:21:21.180 --> 00:21:24.960 and therefore they cannot possibly be God. 00:21:26.460 --> 00:21:29.680 And so Paul exhorted the people in Athens there in chapter 17 00:21:29.680 --> 00:21:31.799 to worship the god who made the world 00:21:31.799 --> 00:21:34.299 rather than the gods that they have made. 00:21:36.500 --> 00:21:39.820 The economic implications of this are obvious. 00:21:40.080 --> 00:21:42.140 Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen became wealthy 00:21:42.140 --> 00:21:44.539 by making these replicas and selling them. 00:21:44.539 --> 00:21:47.879 And their sales numbers are directly dependent 00:21:47.879 --> 00:21:50.460 on the number of people who worship Artemis 00:21:50.460 --> 00:21:52.500 and the number of people who believe 00:21:52.500 --> 00:21:55.359 that their miniature replicas are actual, 00:21:55.779 --> 00:21:57.299 that have actual cultic power. 00:22:00.279 --> 00:22:02.740 I mean, their self-interest is pretty obvious, right? 00:22:03.240 --> 00:22:04.460 It's kind of like the, 00:22:05.180 --> 00:22:07.659 imagine like the creators of the Impossible Burger. 00:22:08.019 --> 00:22:08.700 Have you guys had that? 00:22:09.180 --> 00:22:09.899 I've never had it, 00:22:09.900 --> 00:22:17.180 but it's apparently a plant-based substitute to beef? 00:22:17.920 --> 00:22:18.300 Is that right? 00:22:19.259 --> 00:22:21.080 And imagine the people, 00:22:21.620 --> 00:22:23.180 the creators of the Impossible Burger, 00:22:23.640 --> 00:22:25.620 assembling everyone in the plant-based 00:22:25.620 --> 00:22:27.040 alternative foods industry 00:22:27.040 --> 00:22:31.540 and then protesting the inhumane treatment of livestock 00:22:31.540 --> 00:22:35.280 or claiming that eating meat is harmful to health. 00:22:36.960 --> 00:22:38.080 Maybe, but I mean, 00:22:38.079 --> 00:22:40.599 they definitely can't claim to not be biased. 00:22:45.059 --> 00:22:50.059 So these manufacturers of Artemis shrines were biased, 00:22:50.379 --> 00:22:52.819 but they were also exploitative 00:22:52.819 --> 00:22:55.379 of the ignorance of the population. 00:22:56.500 --> 00:22:59.159 Imagine some con man buying a giant jug 00:22:59.159 --> 00:23:01.199 of the cheapest oil, 00:23:01.339 --> 00:23:03.500 vegetable oil, canola oil from the grocery store, 00:23:03.899 --> 00:23:05.639 pouring it into a whole bunch of little vials 00:23:05.640 --> 00:23:08.320 and then selling it at exorbitant prices 00:23:08.320 --> 00:23:09.600 as holy oil. 00:23:11.300 --> 00:23:12.700 It'll heal all your diseases. 00:23:14.840 --> 00:23:16.120 He knows better than that. 00:23:16.620 --> 00:23:18.160 He knows that it's not going to heal anyone. 00:23:18.280 --> 00:23:18.440 Why? 00:23:18.540 --> 00:23:19.420 Because he made it. 00:23:20.180 --> 00:23:21.860 He knows where the oil came from. 00:23:21.940 --> 00:23:23.360 He knows how much he paid for it, 00:23:23.420 --> 00:23:24.520 all five dollars. 00:23:30.120 --> 00:23:32.380 Similarly, these craftsmen knew exactly 00:23:32.380 --> 00:23:33.660 how those miniature replicas 00:23:33.660 --> 00:23:35.259 of the Temple of Artemis came to be. 00:23:35.259 --> 00:23:38.059 They knew where the silver came from, 00:23:38.640 --> 00:23:40.640 and they're the ones who cut it 00:23:40.640 --> 00:23:42.299 and hammered it into shape, 00:23:42.740 --> 00:23:44.460 and yet they then turn around 00:23:44.460 --> 00:23:45.940 to sell them to people 00:23:45.940 --> 00:23:47.579 as religious objects 00:23:47.579 --> 00:23:49.940 with mysterious cultic power. 00:23:49.940 --> 00:23:55.039 This is the futility of worshiping idols 00:23:55.039 --> 00:23:56.420 fashioned with our own hands. 00:23:59.720 --> 00:24:01.680 Luke includes this account in Acts 00:24:01.680 --> 00:24:05.080 not only to expose the futility of idolatry, 00:24:05.200 --> 00:24:06.180 but also to show us 00:24:06.180 --> 00:24:08.420 that the application of the gospel 00:24:08.420 --> 00:24:09.860 and obedience to the scriptures 00:24:09.860 --> 00:24:13.500 profoundly affects changes of culture 00:24:13.500 --> 00:24:15.980 and that it has economic 00:24:15.980 --> 00:24:17.940 as well as social political implications. 00:24:20.079 --> 00:24:21.279 Can you imagine 00:24:21.279 --> 00:24:24.980 what if so many people became Christians 00:24:24.980 --> 00:24:28.140 and were transformed by the gospel 00:24:28.140 --> 00:24:32.599 that casinos and porn sites 00:24:32.599 --> 00:24:34.099 went out of business? 00:24:34.099 --> 00:24:43.139 What if the sale of cheap beer, 00:24:43.359 --> 00:24:44.439 gin, and whiskey, 00:24:45.439 --> 00:24:47.619 which are designed not to 00:24:47.619 --> 00:24:52.419 delight those with refined taste, 00:24:52.480 --> 00:24:54.959 but rather designed to promote drunkenness 00:24:54.959 --> 00:24:57.480 and market it to heavy drinkers, 00:24:57.480 --> 00:24:59.759 what if those sales plummeted 00:24:59.759 --> 00:25:02.000 because too many people were Christians? 00:25:05.039 --> 00:25:09.000 What if Christians stopped using social media 00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:13.120 or started using them more responsibly 00:25:13.120 --> 00:25:15.579 in a disciplined and edifying way 00:25:15.579 --> 00:25:19.440 rather than in a vain, self-promoting, 00:25:19.559 --> 00:25:20.500 and gluttonous way, 00:25:21.579 --> 00:25:23.480 refusing to go into rabbit trails, 00:25:24.579 --> 00:25:26.759 stray into inappropriate or unhelpful 00:25:26.759 --> 00:25:28.519 or misinformed content 00:25:28.519 --> 00:25:30.759 so that the software engineers 00:25:30.759 --> 00:25:32.900 were forced to alter their algorithms 00:25:32.900 --> 00:25:36.779 or to swap out their product altogether? 00:25:39.299 --> 00:25:41.440 What if so many people became Christians 00:25:41.440 --> 00:25:42.319 and put their hope 00:25:42.319 --> 00:25:44.319 not on the uncertainty of riches, 00:25:44.500 --> 00:25:45.259 but on the Lord, 00:25:45.460 --> 00:25:46.879 who certainly provides, 00:25:47.299 --> 00:25:49.940 and started stewarding their finances responsibly 00:25:49.940 --> 00:25:53.379 so that lottery tickets became unprofitable? 00:25:56.759 --> 00:25:59.900 And convenience stores stopped selling them. 00:26:02.180 --> 00:26:04.319 Because lottery tickets also prey on the poor. 00:26:09.220 --> 00:26:11.819 What if so many people became Christians 00:26:11.819 --> 00:26:13.519 who are loving and respectful 00:26:13.519 --> 00:26:15.059 toward their respective spouses 00:26:15.059 --> 00:26:18.519 in a lifelong covenant of faithful marriage 00:26:18.519 --> 00:26:22.059 that divorce coaches and lawyers, 00:26:22.180 --> 00:26:22.879 divorce lawyers, 00:26:22.960 --> 00:26:24.559 had to find another line of work? 00:26:24.559 --> 00:26:30.799 When the gospel of Jesus 00:26:30.799 --> 00:26:33.059 takes hold of people's hearts, 00:26:33.139 --> 00:26:34.839 it has a profound effect. 00:26:39.099 --> 00:26:40.639 And this also means 00:26:40.639 --> 00:26:43.579 that Christians are likely to face opposition 00:26:43.579 --> 00:26:46.200 from those whose trades depend 00:26:46.200 --> 00:26:47.740 on the idols of our culture. 00:26:47.740 --> 00:26:54.700 That brings me to my second and last point. 00:26:54.859 --> 00:26:56.720 The contrast that Luke draws 00:26:56.720 --> 00:26:58.200 between the disorderly assembly 00:26:58.200 --> 00:26:59.940 and the peaceful church. 00:27:00.640 --> 00:27:02.480 Let me read verses 28 to 34. 00:27:02.720 --> 00:27:03.660 Please follow along with me. 00:27:05.420 --> 00:27:06.779 When they heard this, 00:27:06.819 --> 00:27:08.660 they were enraged and were crying out, 00:27:09.000 --> 00:27:10.759 great is Artemis of the Ephesians. 00:27:11.400 --> 00:27:13.640 So the city was filled with the confusion, 00:27:14.120 --> 00:27:16.059 and they rushed together into the theater, 00:27:16.059 --> 00:27:18.639 dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, 00:27:18.859 --> 00:27:21.059 Macedonians who were Paul's companions in travel. 00:27:22.079 --> 00:27:24.139 But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, 00:27:24.279 --> 00:27:25.639 the disciples would not let him. 00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:28.339 And even some of the Asiarchs, 00:27:28.500 --> 00:27:29.599 who were friends of his, 00:27:29.919 --> 00:27:31.399 sent to him and were urging him 00:27:31.399 --> 00:27:32.639 not to venture into the theater. 00:27:33.500 --> 00:27:34.940 Now some cried out one thing, 00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:35.460 some another, 00:27:35.599 --> 00:27:37.759 for the assembly was in confusion. 00:27:38.500 --> 00:27:39.940 And most of them did not know 00:27:39.940 --> 00:27:41.139 why they had come together. 00:27:41.140 --> 00:27:44.060 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, 00:27:44.160 --> 00:27:45.500 whom the Jews had put forward, 00:27:45.640 --> 00:27:47.480 and Alexander, motioning with his hand, 00:27:47.600 --> 00:27:49.200 wanted to make a defense to the crowd. 00:27:49.780 --> 00:27:51.600 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, 00:27:51.840 --> 00:27:52.820 for about two hours, 00:27:52.920 --> 00:27:54.620 they all cried out with one voice, 00:27:55.020 --> 00:27:57.060 great is Artemis of the Ephesians. 00:27:58.100 --> 00:28:00.140 So Demetrius and the other silversmiths 00:28:00.140 --> 00:28:02.080 managed to rouse an angry mob 00:28:02.080 --> 00:28:02.759 who are chanting, 00:28:03.140 --> 00:28:05.340 great is Artemis of the Ephesians. 00:28:05.660 --> 00:28:07.960 They storm into the theater in Ephesus, 00:28:07.960 --> 00:28:11.960 which at the time could seat up to 24,000 people. 00:28:12.700 --> 00:28:15.319 And they drag Paul's two ministry companions 00:28:15.319 --> 00:28:18.000 there in Ephesus into the theater, 00:28:18.140 --> 00:28:19.120 Gaius and Aristarchus. 00:28:20.460 --> 00:28:22.319 Twice, Luke tells us that the crowd 00:28:22.319 --> 00:28:23.920 was characterized by confusion. 00:28:25.140 --> 00:28:27.259 Most of them didn't know why they were there. 00:28:27.480 --> 00:28:29.100 Classic mob psychology. 00:28:29.860 --> 00:28:30.740 Just follow the crowd. 00:28:30.840 --> 00:28:32.360 Let's see if something exciting is happening. 00:28:32.500 --> 00:28:33.759 They don't know what's going on. 00:28:34.480 --> 00:28:36.660 And they're not willing to listen. 00:28:37.960 --> 00:28:39.440 When a Jew named Alexander 00:28:39.440 --> 00:28:41.960 sought to make a defense to the crowd, 00:28:42.220 --> 00:28:43.960 they shouted him down, 00:28:44.579 --> 00:28:46.660 drowned him out by continuing to chant, 00:28:46.940 --> 00:28:48.519 great is Artemis of the Ephesians. 00:28:48.799 --> 00:28:50.900 They did that for two straight hours. 00:28:54.779 --> 00:28:56.500 No wonder that other Christians 00:28:56.500 --> 00:28:58.299 didn't let Paul go into the theater. 00:28:58.840 --> 00:29:00.340 They feared for his life, 00:29:01.120 --> 00:29:02.059 his violent mob. 00:29:02.059 --> 00:29:03.919 Even the Asiarchs, 00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:05.220 who are the magistrates 00:29:05.220 --> 00:29:07.240 who are charged with the city theater, 00:29:08.179 --> 00:29:09.759 didn't think that Paul should go in. 00:29:13.539 --> 00:29:15.480 Only after a couple hours 00:29:15.480 --> 00:29:17.279 of that chanting and shouting, 00:29:17.440 --> 00:29:19.039 the town's clerk is finally able 00:29:19.039 --> 00:29:19.879 to quiet the crowd. 00:29:20.480 --> 00:29:21.799 And then as he's dismissing the crowd, 00:29:21.879 --> 00:29:23.579 he says this in verses 35 to 40. 00:29:23.579 --> 00:29:24.319 Men of Ephesus, 00:29:24.759 --> 00:29:26.279 who is there who does not know 00:29:26.279 --> 00:29:27.419 that the city of the Ephesians 00:29:27.419 --> 00:29:29.399 is temple keeper of the great Artemis 00:29:29.399 --> 00:29:31.000 and of the sacred stone 00:29:31.000 --> 00:29:32.179 that fell from the sky? 00:29:32.679 --> 00:29:34.079 Seeing then that these things 00:29:34.079 --> 00:29:35.000 cannot be denied, 00:29:35.099 --> 00:29:36.059 you ought to be quiet 00:29:36.059 --> 00:29:37.299 and do nothing rash. 00:29:37.939 --> 00:29:39.720 For you have brought these men here 00:29:39.720 --> 00:29:41.099 who are neither sacrilegious 00:29:41.099 --> 00:29:42.460 nor blasphemers of our goddess. 00:29:43.599 --> 00:29:44.859 If therefore Demetrius 00:29:44.859 --> 00:29:46.079 and the craftsmen with him 00:29:46.079 --> 00:29:47.500 have a complaint against anyone, 00:29:47.619 --> 00:29:48.559 the courts are open 00:29:48.559 --> 00:29:50.139 and there are proconsuls. 00:29:50.519 --> 00:29:51.559 Let them bring charges 00:29:51.559 --> 00:29:52.399 against one another. 00:29:52.779 --> 00:29:54.359 But if you seek anything further, 00:29:54.460 --> 00:29:55.179 it shall be settled 00:29:55.179 --> 00:29:56.279 in the regular assembly. 00:29:56.919 --> 00:29:58.460 For we really are in danger 00:29:58.460 --> 00:30:00.200 of being charged with rioting today 00:30:00.200 --> 00:30:01.720 since there is no cause 00:30:01.720 --> 00:30:02.440 that we can give 00:30:02.440 --> 00:30:03.720 to justify this commotion. 00:30:05.119 --> 00:30:07.379 Paul and his fellow Christian laborers 00:30:07.379 --> 00:30:08.159 are vindicated 00:30:08.159 --> 00:30:10.379 by the town's clerk's summary, 00:30:10.559 --> 00:30:13.299 his judgment of the situation. 00:30:14.859 --> 00:30:16.899 Though they have indeed said, 00:30:16.899 --> 00:30:18.779 Paul and the other ministers, 00:30:19.179 --> 00:30:20.299 they did say that the idols 00:30:20.299 --> 00:30:21.259 made by human hands 00:30:21.259 --> 00:30:22.559 are not God's at all, 00:30:22.859 --> 00:30:24.220 but they haven't been 00:30:24.220 --> 00:30:26.180 unnecessarily confrontational 00:30:26.180 --> 00:30:27.059 or controversial. 00:30:28.559 --> 00:30:30.640 Even though Paul was greatly provoked 00:30:30.640 --> 00:30:31.680 by the idolatry, 00:30:32.299 --> 00:30:33.279 he didn't go around 00:30:33.279 --> 00:30:34.420 smashing idols, 00:30:34.960 --> 00:30:36.619 vandalizing the temple of Artemis, 00:30:37.240 --> 00:30:39.119 toppling statues of Artemis. 00:30:40.640 --> 00:30:43.039 They've simply and faithfully 00:30:43.039 --> 00:30:44.839 proclaimed the good news 00:30:44.839 --> 00:30:45.660 of Jesus Christ. 00:30:45.660 --> 00:30:51.800 It's not Christians 00:30:51.800 --> 00:30:54.180 who are guilty of throwing the city 00:30:54.180 --> 00:30:54.920 into commotion. 00:30:55.540 --> 00:30:58.060 It's Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen, 00:30:58.140 --> 00:30:59.360 the worshipers of Artemis, 00:30:59.460 --> 00:31:01.360 who are responsible for the commotion. 00:31:04.000 --> 00:31:05.279 Look at verse 26. 00:31:05.380 --> 00:31:07.259 Demetrius admits that Paul, 00:31:07.640 --> 00:31:09.100 all Paul was doing 00:31:09.100 --> 00:31:10.920 was persuading people 00:31:10.920 --> 00:31:12.600 to turn away from idols. 00:31:15.140 --> 00:31:16.680 Luke repeatedly tells us 00:31:16.680 --> 00:31:17.500 in the book of Acts 00:31:17.500 --> 00:31:18.980 that it was Paul's practice 00:31:18.980 --> 00:31:20.259 whenever he entered the new city 00:31:20.259 --> 00:31:22.259 that he would reason 00:31:22.259 --> 00:31:23.779 with the people that are there. 00:31:26.720 --> 00:31:28.259 He reasoned with them 00:31:28.259 --> 00:31:29.560 about Jesus, 00:31:29.720 --> 00:31:30.680 the lordship of Christ, 00:31:30.779 --> 00:31:31.279 his life, 00:31:31.420 --> 00:31:31.700 death, 00:31:31.759 --> 00:31:32.360 and resurrection. 00:31:33.880 --> 00:31:34.860 The Christians, 00:31:35.100 --> 00:31:36.080 throughout the book of Acts, 00:31:36.140 --> 00:31:37.759 have been eminently reasonable. 00:31:37.759 --> 00:31:41.500 It's the angry mobs 00:31:41.500 --> 00:31:42.579 that oppose them 00:31:42.579 --> 00:31:43.980 that cause commotion. 00:31:47.819 --> 00:31:48.879 And that contrast 00:31:48.879 --> 00:31:49.839 is highlighted by 00:31:49.839 --> 00:31:50.980 the repeated use 00:31:50.980 --> 00:31:51.940 of the word assembly. 00:31:53.180 --> 00:31:53.700 Twice, 00:31:54.299 --> 00:31:55.339 Luke uses that word 00:31:55.339 --> 00:31:56.240 to describe the mob 00:31:56.240 --> 00:31:57.740 in verse 32 and verse 41, 00:31:57.980 --> 00:31:58.440 but this is, 00:31:58.599 --> 00:31:59.259 that use of that word 00:31:59.259 --> 00:32:00.539 is actually quite ironic 00:32:00.539 --> 00:32:02.680 because it's the word 00:32:02.680 --> 00:32:03.839 that's used to describe 00:32:03.839 --> 00:32:04.700 the regular, 00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:05.839 orderly, 00:32:06.099 --> 00:32:07.579 legal assembly 00:32:07.579 --> 00:32:10.019 of Roman people. 00:32:11.019 --> 00:32:12.179 The regular assembly 00:32:12.179 --> 00:32:13.199 mentioned in verse 39. 00:32:14.419 --> 00:32:15.699 This was no such 00:32:15.699 --> 00:32:16.980 orderly assembly. 00:32:17.639 --> 00:32:18.639 This was an angry mob. 00:32:22.220 --> 00:32:23.740 And it's also ironic 00:32:23.740 --> 00:32:25.259 because the word assembly 00:32:25.259 --> 00:32:27.059 is the word that, 00:32:27.399 --> 00:32:28.359 the same Greek word 00:32:28.359 --> 00:32:29.779 that is most often used 00:32:29.779 --> 00:32:30.599 in the book of Acts 00:32:30.599 --> 00:32:32.099 dozens of times 00:32:32.099 --> 00:32:33.039 up to this point 00:32:33.039 --> 00:32:34.639 to refer to the church. 00:32:34.640 --> 00:32:34.700 church. 00:32:35.700 --> 00:32:36.580 The church 00:32:36.580 --> 00:32:38.280 is the assembly 00:32:38.280 --> 00:32:39.300 of God's saints. 00:32:41.480 --> 00:32:42.720 It's a congregation 00:32:42.720 --> 00:32:43.940 of believers. 00:32:45.340 --> 00:32:45.860 And so there's 00:32:45.860 --> 00:32:47.000 an implicit contrast 00:32:47.000 --> 00:32:47.540 here between 00:32:47.540 --> 00:32:49.400 the disorderly assembly 00:32:49.400 --> 00:32:50.200 of the Artemis 00:32:50.200 --> 00:32:50.820 worshipers 00:32:50.820 --> 00:32:52.060 and the peaceable 00:32:52.060 --> 00:32:52.560 assembly 00:32:52.560 --> 00:32:53.600 of Christ 00:32:53.600 --> 00:32:54.580 worshipers. 00:32:54.579 --> 00:32:57.980 the early Christians 00:32:57.980 --> 00:32:58.679 were repeatedly 00:32:58.679 --> 00:32:59.659 falsely accused 00:32:59.659 --> 00:33:00.119 of creating 00:33:00.119 --> 00:33:00.960 civil disorder 00:33:00.960 --> 00:33:01.740 and violating 00:33:01.740 --> 00:33:02.439 Roman laws. 00:33:02.539 --> 00:33:03.480 That was not the case. 00:33:03.980 --> 00:33:05.179 It's the persecutors 00:33:05.179 --> 00:33:05.779 of the church, 00:33:05.879 --> 00:33:06.139 rather. 00:33:06.240 --> 00:33:07.000 They were the ones 00:33:07.000 --> 00:33:08.099 creating civil disorder. 00:33:08.839 --> 00:33:09.519 The gospel 00:33:09.519 --> 00:33:11.199 was disruptive, 00:33:11.200 --> 00:33:14.000 but it was the gospel 00:33:14.000 --> 00:33:15.220 itself that did 00:33:15.220 --> 00:33:16.340 all the disrupting 00:33:16.340 --> 00:33:17.380 and the Christians 00:33:17.380 --> 00:33:18.259 themselves were 00:33:18.259 --> 00:33:18.920 actually quite 00:33:18.920 --> 00:33:20.200 undisrupted. 00:33:23.960 --> 00:33:24.660 Demetrius and 00:33:24.660 --> 00:33:25.640 the other silversmiths 00:33:25.640 --> 00:33:26.920 had legal recourse 00:33:26.920 --> 00:33:27.840 if Paul had committed 00:33:27.840 --> 00:33:28.519 any crimes, 00:33:28.660 --> 00:33:29.900 but he hadn't 00:33:29.900 --> 00:33:30.900 committed any crimes, 00:33:31.519 --> 00:33:32.740 which is why 00:33:32.740 --> 00:33:33.240 they resorted 00:33:33.240 --> 00:33:33.960 to mob action. 00:33:34.819 --> 00:33:35.340 I think Luke 00:33:35.340 --> 00:33:36.019 is trying to drive 00:33:36.019 --> 00:33:36.980 a point here to us 00:33:36.980 --> 00:33:37.900 about what Christian 00:33:37.900 --> 00:33:39.500 witness should look like. 00:33:39.500 --> 00:33:41.859 He says in James 00:33:41.859 --> 00:33:42.420 chapter 3, 00:33:42.500 --> 00:33:43.079 verse 17, 00:33:43.279 --> 00:33:43.859 that the wisdom 00:33:43.859 --> 00:33:44.720 that comes down 00:33:44.720 --> 00:33:45.319 from above 00:33:45.319 --> 00:33:46.579 is first pure, 00:33:47.319 --> 00:33:48.680 then peaceable, 00:33:49.400 --> 00:33:49.759 gentle, 00:33:50.660 --> 00:33:51.619 open to reason, 00:33:52.240 --> 00:33:53.160 full of mercy 00:33:53.160 --> 00:33:54.160 and good fruits, 00:33:54.720 --> 00:33:56.319 impartial and sincere. 00:33:58.500 --> 00:33:59.420 1 Peter 3, 00:33:59.519 --> 00:34:00.279 15 to 16, 00:34:00.400 --> 00:34:00.880 says this, 00:34:00.980 --> 00:34:01.980 always be prepared 00:34:01.980 --> 00:34:02.880 to make a defense 00:34:02.880 --> 00:34:03.380 to anyone 00:34:03.380 --> 00:34:04.019 who asks you 00:34:04.019 --> 00:34:04.579 for a reason 00:34:04.579 --> 00:34:05.099 for the hope 00:34:05.099 --> 00:34:05.799 that is in you, 00:34:06.420 --> 00:34:07.119 yet do it 00:34:07.119 --> 00:34:08.579 with gentleness 00:34:08.579 --> 00:34:09.840 and respect, 00:34:10.420 --> 00:34:11.779 having a good conscience 00:34:11.779 --> 00:34:12.719 so that when you 00:34:12.719 --> 00:34:13.360 are slandered, 00:34:13.480 --> 00:34:14.079 those who revile 00:34:14.079 --> 00:34:14.860 your good behavior 00:34:14.860 --> 00:34:15.380 in Christ 00:34:15.380 --> 00:34:16.360 may be put to shame. 00:34:17.799 --> 00:34:19.199 What's Luke telling us? 00:34:20.779 --> 00:34:21.699 Christian witness 00:34:21.699 --> 00:34:22.920 should not be angry 00:34:22.920 --> 00:34:24.059 or abrasive, 00:34:24.539 --> 00:34:25.440 but winsome 00:34:25.440 --> 00:34:26.799 and courteous. 00:34:28.799 --> 00:34:30.019 Christians should always 00:34:30.019 --> 00:34:31.219 be open to reason. 00:34:32.340 --> 00:34:33.699 We should practice 00:34:33.699 --> 00:34:34.420 active, 00:34:34.860 --> 00:34:35.880 attentive listening 00:34:35.880 --> 00:34:36.920 rather than shouting 00:34:36.920 --> 00:34:37.659 down people 00:34:37.659 --> 00:34:38.639 who disagree with us. 00:34:40.740 --> 00:34:41.599 Our witness 00:34:41.599 --> 00:34:42.320 should be characterized 00:34:42.320 --> 00:34:43.240 by gentleness, 00:34:43.720 --> 00:34:45.559 not violent mob action. 00:34:48.980 --> 00:34:50.260 When we depose 00:34:50.260 --> 00:34:51.480 the gods of this world 00:34:51.480 --> 00:34:52.680 by proclaiming 00:34:52.680 --> 00:34:53.200 the crucified 00:34:53.200 --> 00:34:54.180 and risen Christ, 00:34:54.740 --> 00:34:55.559 his gospel 00:34:55.559 --> 00:34:57.900 will disrupt society, 00:34:58.460 --> 00:34:59.260 its economy, 00:34:59.780 --> 00:35:00.619 and its policy. 00:35:00.619 --> 00:35:05.259 verse 35 00:35:05.259 --> 00:35:05.759 mentions 00:35:05.759 --> 00:35:06.900 the sacred stone 00:35:06.900 --> 00:35:08.059 that fell from the sky 00:35:08.059 --> 00:35:09.039 that the Ephesians 00:35:09.039 --> 00:35:09.599 worshipped. 00:35:10.639 --> 00:35:11.880 It's likely a reference 00:35:11.880 --> 00:35:12.719 to a meteor 00:35:12.719 --> 00:35:13.440 that fell 00:35:13.440 --> 00:35:14.940 maybe into Ephesus 00:35:14.940 --> 00:35:16.079 that people considered 00:35:16.079 --> 00:35:17.779 a gift from the gods. 00:35:20.440 --> 00:35:21.480 Just think about 00:35:21.480 --> 00:35:22.239 how sad 00:35:22.239 --> 00:35:23.679 and ridiculous 00:35:23.679 --> 00:35:24.239 that is. 00:35:26.019 --> 00:35:27.119 People created 00:35:27.119 --> 00:35:27.940 the image of God 00:35:27.940 --> 00:35:30.000 literally worshipping 00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:31.400 and bowing down 00:35:31.400 --> 00:35:33.019 before a rock. 00:35:37.260 --> 00:35:38.380 But that's 00:35:38.380 --> 00:35:39.820 really how foolish 00:35:39.820 --> 00:35:41.559 all of our idolatries are. 00:35:46.500 --> 00:35:47.639 Rather than stone 00:35:47.639 --> 00:35:48.619 that fell from the sky, 00:35:48.760 --> 00:35:50.280 we have the sun 00:35:50.280 --> 00:35:51.440 who came down 00:35:51.440 --> 00:35:51.920 from heaven. 00:35:51.920 --> 00:35:57.320 Jesus who reconciled 00:35:57.320 --> 00:35:58.400 us to God the Father 00:35:58.400 --> 00:35:59.420 by absorbing 00:35:59.420 --> 00:36:00.079 the penalty 00:36:00.079 --> 00:36:01.300 for our sins 00:36:01.300 --> 00:36:02.519 and averting 00:36:02.519 --> 00:36:03.619 the just wrath 00:36:03.619 --> 00:36:05.039 of the Holy Father. 00:36:08.700 --> 00:36:10.340 And because of Jesus 00:36:10.340 --> 00:36:11.840 revealed God's will 00:36:11.840 --> 00:36:13.119 definitively to us, 00:36:13.159 --> 00:36:13.980 because we have 00:36:13.980 --> 00:36:14.720 the risen 00:36:14.720 --> 00:36:16.559 and ascended Christ, 00:36:17.180 --> 00:36:18.300 we don't have to 00:36:18.300 --> 00:36:19.659 grope about in the dark 00:36:19.659 --> 00:36:20.740 seeking, 00:36:20.739 --> 00:36:22.079 grasping for anything 00:36:22.079 --> 00:36:22.779 to worship, 00:36:23.059 --> 00:36:24.179 any sign of 00:36:24.179 --> 00:36:25.559 the divine, 00:36:26.979 --> 00:36:28.119 even turning to 00:36:28.119 --> 00:36:28.619 idols, 00:36:29.819 --> 00:36:30.239 rocks. 00:36:31.839 --> 00:36:32.799 We have 00:36:32.799 --> 00:36:33.639 the Lord Jesus 00:36:33.639 --> 00:36:34.159 to proclaim. 00:36:37.199 --> 00:36:38.199 And because 00:36:38.199 --> 00:36:39.619 He has all authority 00:36:39.619 --> 00:36:40.539 in heaven and on earth, 00:36:40.879 --> 00:36:41.579 we don't need to 00:36:41.579 --> 00:36:42.699 clamor and fight 00:36:42.699 --> 00:36:43.839 for power. 00:36:45.699 --> 00:36:46.759 As Christians, 00:36:48.019 --> 00:36:49.059 in the meekness 00:36:49.059 --> 00:36:49.539 of wisdom, 00:36:49.539 --> 00:36:50.480 in the power 00:36:50.480 --> 00:36:51.239 of the Holy Spirit, 00:36:52.920 --> 00:36:53.719 let's proclaim 00:36:53.719 --> 00:36:54.360 the good news 00:36:54.360 --> 00:36:55.159 of Jesus Christ 00:36:55.159 --> 00:36:56.719 and then watch 00:36:56.719 --> 00:36:57.420 God work. 00:36:58.579 --> 00:36:59.239 Behold the work 00:36:59.239 --> 00:36:59.599 of God. 00:37:00.599 --> 00:37:01.519 Let's pray together. 00:37:01.519 --> 00:37:01.619 Amen. 00:37:15.500 --> 00:37:16.480 God, please, 00:37:16.480 --> 00:37:22.619 fill us with love 00:37:22.619 --> 00:37:23.240 for our neighbors 00:37:23.240 --> 00:37:27.179 that we might 00:37:27.179 --> 00:37:28.420 be compassionate, 00:37:31.920 --> 00:37:32.800 provoked by, 00:37:33.699 --> 00:37:34.059 grieved, 00:37:34.219 --> 00:37:35.139 aggrieved by 00:37:35.139 --> 00:37:37.960 the idols 00:37:37.960 --> 00:37:38.860 that lead them astray 00:37:38.860 --> 00:37:40.559 and keep them 00:37:40.559 --> 00:37:41.360 shackled 00:37:41.360 --> 00:37:42.300 to their sin. 00:37:42.300 --> 00:37:46.480 Lord, 00:37:46.960 --> 00:37:47.780 make us 00:37:47.780 --> 00:37:48.500 men and women 00:37:48.500 --> 00:37:49.280 who are resolved 00:37:49.280 --> 00:37:50.060 in the Spirit 00:37:50.060 --> 00:37:50.860 to do your will 00:37:50.860 --> 00:37:54.740 and fill us 00:37:54.740 --> 00:37:55.440 with faith 00:37:55.440 --> 00:37:56.260 in your power 00:37:56.260 --> 00:37:56.820 and authority 00:37:56.820 --> 00:38:00.460 so that we might 00:38:00.460 --> 00:38:00.960 be able to 00:38:00.960 --> 00:38:01.840 proclaim the gospel 00:38:01.840 --> 00:38:02.440 faithfully, 00:38:03.019 --> 00:38:03.920 even in hostile 00:38:03.920 --> 00:38:04.620 environments, 00:38:05.180 --> 00:38:07.340 knowing that you 00:38:07.340 --> 00:38:07.960 will act, 00:38:09.080 --> 00:38:09.580 knowing that you 00:38:09.579 --> 00:38:10.319 will save. 00:38:17.840 --> 00:38:18.779 In Jesus' name 00:38:18.779 --> 00:38:19.139 we pray. 00:38:19.860 --> 00:38:20.099 Amen.