What Won’t You Let Go? (AM Sermon Notes)
GIST: We shouldn’t allow anything to stand in the way of Jesus moving in our lives.
SCRIPTURE: Acts 19:21-34
This morning we’re continuing our discussion of Acts 19. Here we’ve seen Paul’s ministry in Ephesus and all God has done through him despite opposition. This passage opens by telling us that Paul now plans to make his way back to Jerusalem and then over to Rome. However, he doesn’t leave immediately, and we learn from his letters it was because he was receiving financial gifts from these new churches to take back to Jerusalem where the church was struggling under persecution. And before he can fully take his leave from Asia, he has another major conflict to face...of course ☺️. We’ve come to expect that. Now, I want to go ahead and read the entire context here and then work through some implications for us this morning.
“21 Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome." 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. 23 About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. 25 These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, "Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. 26 And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. 27 And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship." 28 When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 29 So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's companions in travel. 30 But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. 31 And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. 32 Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"”
The core of this massive riot speaks powerfully into our modern context, as well. Though there is much we could glean from this passage, what I want to draw special attention to this morning is what led to the riot in the first place. In essence, there were things these people would not let go. Are we any different? No, sadly, we’re not. In fact, whether or not you profess to be a believer, there are probably things in your life you’re not willing to give up to him. So, in our time together, I want to spend just a bit walking through their hang-ups...which might seem uncomfortably familiar ☺️. Then, we’ll hit a few takeaways. I basically have one point for us today— crazy, I know— and it’s our gist→ We shouldn’t allow anything to stand in the way of Jesus moving in our lives.
So, let’s look at the→
I. THINGS THAT STOOD IN THE WAY
I want to be careful not to draw this out unnecessarily here this morning. There are at least five things I noticed led to this riot erupting like it did here in Ephesus. The first and most obvious cause for the uproar was the Ephesians not wanting to give up their→
Wallets. Look at verse 25 again. “25 These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, "Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth.” Demetrius was a prominent businessman who made a living off of selling idols of Artemis. Had Paul somehow gone on a campaign against the selling of false idols? No. We’ll talk more about that this evening, but Paul just told people the truth about Jesus. However, when they were transformed by the gospel, they didn’t want to have that junk in their lives anymore, so sales were going down.
Do I have to even make the connection here between then and now? More than nearly anywhere else in the world, our country is so money hungry. We’re slaves to our wealth. We work for it, and we sure don’t want anyone else to mess with it. You might not think you’re a slave to money here this morning, but let me ask you this. If you had to give up your financial security for the sake of Jesus being known, would you? Now, you can say that just sounds irresponsible, or Jesus would never ask me to really do that, or...whatever other excuse immediately pops into your mind just like it would mine, but those are just that...excuses. Demetrius’ #1 beef with Paul was that he was impacting his bottom line! Of course, he had to package his complaint in a way that made other people care too. That’s why he immediately connects this financial complaint with what none of them wanted to let go of, which was their→
Traditions and Customs. Look at verse 26. “26 And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods.” Paul most definitely said this, and we know what he said was true. However, why was it so hard for them to swallow? Because they had grown up believing the opposite AND their whole lives revolved around precisely these kinds of gods. There is a reason these men were making a profit of these false idols; they were a huge part of this society.
The sale of false idols doesn’t have the same cultural appeal to us today. I would venture to say most people in this room have never had idols of this kind in their homes. That’s not to say no one in this community does. I know better than that. However, they’re not in the life-blood of this culture. But… we have our own kinds of traditional idols. There are things we have always done that have nothing to do with Jesus or His gospel. And honestly, some of them are completely innocent...but not all of them. I’ve made this observation before. I’m not picking on traditions. Some are awesome and 100% God-honoring. Some aren’t. We have to be willing to examine the things we do to see which are which. See most traditions are tied to the next thing I see in this passage not being released, and that’s→
Preconceived Notions. Things we’ve just… always believed. Look at verse 27. “27 And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.” What is the preconceived notion here? That the entire world worshiped Artemis. It wasn’t true. Artemis was a very popular Greek goddess. She was the goddess of the hunt and the goddess of the moon and a special guardian of young women. However, the version of Artemis they worshiped in Ephesus wasn’t even the popular form! Here she had been transformed into a highly sexualized fertility goddess. She wasn’t worshiped like this all over their immediate area let alone the entire world, but they had always accepted that she was, so they continued to believe it even if faced with evidence that pointed to the contrary.
There are many things that I have “always believed” that I later find out are completely wrong. In fact, it’s not uncommon for me to catch myself saying, “I had no idea! I always thought ____ was ____.” This is a silly example, but being red-green colorblind, I have revelations about stuff all the time. I bought a pair of shoes once I thought were green until about three years later when my wife told me they’d be grey the entire time. Apparently, I didn’t even know light-pink existed until I had little girls. I still can’t see it. It just looks white to me, but I’ve grabbed enough shoes and dresses that everyone else calls pink to know it’s a real deal ☺️. That’s not even touching on all the academic stuff, even as a teacher, I’ve realized I was wrong about over the years. There are skills I’ve taught that I later realized I’d misunderstood, and I’ve had to go back and correct that.
We don’t know everything, and just because we’ve always believed something to be true doesn’t make it so. In fact, just because the majority of the world believes something to be true, doesn’t make it so. This whole community was in an uproar, but that doesn’t make them right. We need to remember this. When you’re at school or work and the popular belief being spread or even taught is something contrary to what God’s Word teaches us to be true, we have to remember popular belief does not equate to credibility. Think about it this way. Much of what was “cutting edge” in scientific discovery 100 years ago seems completely ridiculous now. Many popular beliefs from even 50 years ago seem dated and silly to us now. Yet, every generation is arrogant enough to assume theirs is the generation that has all the right answers. In that same stretch of time, and the thousands of years before them ☺️, God’s Word hasn’t changed. Trust the God who created the universe more than the masses who are running from their creator. That actually leads into the next thing this crowd wouldn’t let go: their→
Need For Acceptance. In verses 28-32 we see the crowd gathering at what was actually a massive theater in Ephesus. Paul tried to go down there, but his friends prevented him for his own safety. Look at what happened here, and notice the reasons given for why the crowd is gathered. “28 When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 29 So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's companions in travel. 30 But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. 31 And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. 32 Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.” Here we have a classic depiction of mob mentality or peer pressure. Why were most of these people here? Because everyone else was! Man, how relevant is this today? Look at societal trends. Sins rage around us when they become the popular thing to do. Why do so many people have sex outside of marriage? Why are drugs such an issue? Why is homosexuality exploding around the world? Pop-culture tells us these things are not only acceptable but expected and to stand against them is to be behind the times! Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to pick on anyone here. Sin is a problem because it is destroying lives. As Christians, we have to stand for the truth, which means pointing people to the love of Jesus, even if that puts us at odds with what “everyone else” is doing.
The last thing I notice here is a refusal to let go of→
Prejudices. This one might be easy to miss. Look at verses 33-34. “33 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"” We don’t know much about this Alexander, but it seems like the Jews sent him forward to make sure the crowd knew that they weren’t the ones causing this problem, that Paul wasn’t one of them. However, the Gentiles in this area did not get along with the Jews because the Jews were monotheistic, they only believed in one God, and that contradicted their polytheism. They’re already stirred up, and then this Jew stands up to speak and they don’t even hear him out. They don’t want to hear him out. Why? Because he’s a Jew. They just start chanting until he goes away.
Guys, let’s be honest. There are some deep-rooted prejudices in our community. We’d be naive if we thought that attending a church (or reading a Christian blog) made us immune to those influences. People who don’t act like you, look like you, talk your language, or share your convictions are still people Jesus died to save! We cannot take God’s name in vain by claiming to be His, but hating those with whom we disagree. God is bigger than America. He’s bigger than your political party. He’s bigger than any personal preference we let get in the way of sharing His salvation!
Let that sink in ☺️, and let’s look at a few quick→
TAKEAWAYS
1. Realize that you have “sacred cows”. There are things in our life we have elevated beyond what they should be. In today’s passage, we saw these: money, traditions, preconceived notions, the need for acceptance, and prejudices. What could you add to this list?
2. Pray for guidance as you examine your heart. What needs to be there and what doesn’t? What are you allowing to get in the way of God moving in your life?
3. Remember, God is bigger than your “stuff”. Be willing to let go of the unnecessary and profane in order to embrace the necessary and righteous!
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