Resistance From Unseen Forces

the world as light and you said that whoever turns to you will come out of Darkness and into your light may you help us to see your presence throughout our study this morning and some very real things that we will face and we will find a Pathway to Victory through in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord of this church and my life and everyone that agrees with that can say and mine too amen amen have a seat if you would church and welcome welcome kids

have a super time some of you are already on your way and there’s good things for you as well this morning I What A Difference A Day Makes that was of course a song from the late 50s actually that described how my parents felt when I was born just kidding just kidding okay it was sung by a woman named Dinah Washington how many of you remember that song Yes okay and she’s actually just describing something most people know about when a special person comes into your

life and you were alone there’s this this beautiful sort of transfer transformation that takes place her words what a difference 24 little hours brought the sun and the flowers go ahead and look at somebody that you love and sing the rest of this okay where there used to be rain I’ll move along because it’s no folks that was not a dog howling that you heard there actually those words I you know it seems to me that sounds a lot like Oregon weather that we’ve experienced we

took a drive to the coast on Friday great great thing normal Springs you’d get there see the beautiful open Skies and in order to get there you’ll have to come and ask me afterwards I’ll show you on a video I took as we pulled over in I think it was eight inches of snow by then by the way we didn’t take the the road that goes high like over the 26th we went to six which is just a hilly road it’s not even a big deal

and we pulled over and I said you’re kidding me Debbie’s going good we get to spend the night at the coast so we had we had a great time but it what a difference a day makes it does so in weather and it does so in life it actually is a great description for what I want to talk about today because it it seems it makes it it really it’s an easy case to make for the fact that we we can go from Cloudy to Sunny

real quick and the reverse is also true is it not we can go from a glorious day hey let’s go maybe maybe golf today maybe mow the lawn something that you can’t do in the winter here without your mower disappearing in mud Beneath Your Feet I mean that’s too heavy so so I I know I exaggerate but that’s my yard anyway but you know what it’s like and so do I to go from a month up of the world look at you know that moment and

then and then you sink and you sink hard and fast and you think to yourself yesterday all my troubles seem so far away now this is not going to be a bunch of songs by me okay so relax everyone all right I will tell you this as a way of advertisement next time you hear there’s a hymn sing in this building there was one yesterday and we wanted it to keep going and going and going it was so good it was I don’t know 20 hymns

I don’t know maybe more 30 and how many 21 was close okay look at that and it was so good anyway enough of that all right my Bible’s open to Acts 19 because it is a picture of what a difference a day makes I’d like you to turn there as you’re turning in your Bibles and I hope everybody has them I I want you to recall something that we left off on last week in our study there’s power in the name you remember the study so

that was last week in Acts same chapter 19. And it was you’ll recall a very scary moment where a demon-possessed man had an altercation with count him seven sons of the Jewish high priest in Ephesus this is all taking place in Western turkey the southwestern turkey coastal city of Ephesus and these seven sons of the priest come up to this man who had a demon and they trifled with this demon they actually didn’t have any idea of the power they were about to encounter and somehow

it tipped over or ticked off the demon and from this man it went off it went postal we might say and verse 16 just to summarize it in a single verse the man who had the evil spirit jumped on the seven and overpowered them all and he gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding now in one sense you kind of go well you had it coming you bunch of jerks what were you thinking and I know somebody that

I really respected that thinks there’s great comedy in this picture but you and I know past the comedy and if you don’t today you will there’s something going on here that’s big and it’s not to be trifled with it’s a serious kind of situation and it has to do with a resistance from an unseen Force if you were a missionary from a third world country right now you would want to take the microphone and say well it’s not so unseen there it’s how we live that’s

what goes on and I’m going to argue that it’s probably not so unseen here though we don’t identify it as readily and obviously So Hear Me Clear you’re going to be distracted like you haven’t been distracted before when we get into God’s word if my if my prayer is ramping up to this presentation or any indication I I really feel God’s got something for us here and for all of us and it may not just be for you it may be for someone you love you’re

here think of yourself as representing them you’re about to take away some truth that can as Jesus said in John 8 32 you will know that truth and the truth will set you free set you free nothing nothing comes close to the freedom of a demon leaves a person and never comes back amen okay so we got to get there the situation here resulted in some pretty amazing immediate outcomes verse 17 says they were gripped with fear that’s what happens when you encounter something like this

there’s a moment of my my there’s chills I got my hair standing up on my neck we say it different ways but from the fear came same verse verse 17 a lifting up of Jesus his name was lifted up I’m I’m taken back to 1714 right now any of you there I’m just kidding okay it’s just a joke 1714 300 years ago almost right maybe it’s 1734 anyway I calculated it earlier it was a man who had the word of God open happened to be in

Hebrews a passage that he preached on and it was so powerful the Holy Spirit touched so many people that people left church that day and they fled into the streets crying out loud God have mercy on me Luke 18 The Sinner his name was Jonathan Edwards his sermon was sinners in the hands of an Angry God he he didn’t make it up but he presented in very graphic terms just how near the precipice many people live between life and not only death but Eternal separation from

a God that can fix your problem called sin people got it that day and I think they got it this day in Ephesus there’s fear in it and there was fear in that day people ran from church fearing for their lives for good cause not because the devil’s going to get them but because they didn’t have the credential they need to be with God in heaven for eternity the Lord Jesus Christ and his covering of their sin if you’re that person don’t leave here today without

that Assurance don’t do it and I I would be remiss if I didn’t mention you could read 18 and 19 but you know what the people in that city that was so full of Darkness did they gathered up all their books of incantations all of their demonic material and brought it to a giant fire and burned it up they said we’re done with this not only Clean Hands that came from a pure heart from a good heart amen by the way that’s how it happens still

don’t don’t try to clean up your act Surrender Your Heart Jesus will take care of your act okay I really believe that do y’all have some stuff to do you got some things to get over and get rid of but Jesus says I want access to your heart and I will address the habits of your heart the Holy Spirit does that okay so that’s good news for you don’t go around thinking I gotta get over this habit man I got a foul mouth I got a

problem with pornography I’ve got a I’ve got a a drinking problem a gambling Pro I don’t care what your problem is we could go on and on and fill the rest of this sermon with a list of problems not one of them will permanently leave you without help and that’s where God says I got it you come my way more more than that you let me come your way and enter into your life and it will transform you not in a nanosecond but little by little

that habit goes away all right they cleaned up their act and God’s still doing that today I love the outcome of verse 20. It’s like my favorite stopping point before we move on in this way the word of the Lord spread widely no surprise there right and grew in power have you ever heard the expression when strike while the Iron’s hot another expression from blacksmithing it’s the idea where you take a piece of iron and you superheat it in a fire and then move it quickly

over with its bright red move it to an anvil and beat it into the shape you’re trying to make it that works in blacksmith it’s also an idiom for this statement to act on an opportunity promptly with while favorable conditions exist there was a favorable condition that surfaced here and that’s how I read verses 21 and 22. Paul’s like okay great things just happen this mess just got cleaned up and he verse 21 after all this happened Paul decided to go to Jerusalem now just a

quick point of reference if you’re in Ephesus Jerusalem is due east a long ways okay but he’s going to pass through Macedonia which is north and west and Ikea which is north west and then South it’s really across the wanted to call it a pond it’s the Aegean Sea Ephesus you could look with a good set of binoculars actually more than that but you can get to the other side and you’re looking at Corinth and past it or Athens and past it Corinth okay so that’s

a little setting it’s important because he he’s going to go back to Jerusalem but he’s going to take the route he was on in his second missions trip and then he says after I’ve been there I must also then come back this way and head even further west and North to Rome which he does in his fourth trip look at verse 22. He sent two of his helpers In This Moment Timothy and erastus to Macedonia while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer

I wish we had another hour on that last he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer you know why because if you’ve been part of this series you remembered back to chapter 16 not once but twice Paul sought permission from the Holy Spirit to go where Asia Holy Spirit said not now not now bro keep moving I want you to go to Europe don’t stop in Asia and he’s like why have you ever had that moment you wanted to go someplace you had a

plan to go there it made sense to you and then the holy spirit says no not right now well the time came when right now worked and so he is here in Asia Turkey and he is actually planning to stay a little longer here so that’s what he did he sends these two and they go back to those cities in Macedonia their thessalonica and Philippi and Berea all those places we’ve spent some time we kind of went there and camped out a little bit it was

good and we’ll come back to him again in a future study so while he is I’m gonna just make it real time so it feels alive I’m guessing while he sent them on while he was packing his bags fair enough so they’re going there they’re going to check on those churches I’m I’m I got some packing to do suddenly trouble erupts in Ephesus read it with me and you’ll see what I mean about this time there arose a great disturbance about the way the way we

covered last time Jesus is the way the truth the life it’s about the gospel this person of Jesus that’s that’s the epicenter of this disturbance man thank you Lord okay so let me tell you something that’s the epicenter of the disturbance and the soul of a human being your heart’s going to go what do you want me to do I don’t want to give that up I don’t want to change that and that disturbance isn’t just a ancient city somewhere that’s a disturbance that happens people

come to Jesus and they surrender to Jesus and they often report wow the the battle got intense you’re going to find out why this morning the devil’s not exactly happy with your decision when you choose to turn to Jesus and turn away from the darkness amen it’s really true he doesn’t just go oh lost another one another one bites the dust I guess I’ll no okay stay with me now verse 23 about that time there arose a great disturbance about the way about Jesus a Silversmith

named Demetrius who made silver shrines of Artemis more on that in a minute brought in a lot of business as a Craftman there he was a wealthy business man he called them together and along with the workers in related trades think supply chain that we that’s we’re familiar with that today and he said you know my friends that we receive a good income from this business these shrines these silver shrines that we make we’re making bank here and you see and hear how this fellow Paul

has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and that’s happening all over the province of Asia in other words across the country he says that God’s made by human hands you see little G there are no Gods at all they’re in there there is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name in other words we’re going to lose our shirt financially but also that the Temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited and the goddess herself who is

worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world will be robbed of her Divine Majesty that is a Croc I read that and every time I read it I go you know dude you don’t care a rip about the honor of this false god Artemis care about money that’s what you care about you got hit in the wallet that’s what hacks you off okay my little commentary here we go so when these guys he’s got a gathering of them when they heard this they were Furious

and began shouting great as Artemis of the Ephesians seeing the whole city was in an uproar the people seized Gaius and aristarchus Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia and all of them rushed into the theater together Paul wanted to appear before the crowd but the disciples would not let him imagine the man Paul is just filled with fire here he’s like oh great there’s a big crowd and they hate me let’s go even some of the officials of the province friends of Paul sent him a quick

text and said hey don’t come you could die here ‘s people want to hurt you the assembly was in confusion some were shouting one thing some another look at this statement most of the people didn’t even know why they were there oh man this is good the Jews and the crowd pushed Alexander to the front and they shouted instructions to him go ahead and explain it get us through this this is getting ugly he motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people

but when they realized he was a Jew they said get out of here they all shouted in unison then for about two hours great as Artemis of the Ephesians and they went on great is the art his Artist Artemis of the Ephesians What A Difference A Day Makes a full-blown riot instigated no secret Demetrius business was hurting and as a result of the diminished interest not only in the city but all over the country they in other words their shipments were down no one’s the demand’s

over people don’t want eight-track tapes you know I mean it’s it’s you can pick whatever happens to relate to in your mind if the economic hit doesn’t arouse concern then then he pulls his phony baloney like like Pious attitude toward Artemis and tries to appeal to her devotees that way by the way that was the flash point verse verse 27 is the flash point and it and it leads to serious reaction by the people in their Fury they search for Paul and you and I just

read it they dragged two of his travel team a Gaius and aristarchus they dragged them in there and you don’t have to be creative to imagine the outcome’s not going to be good for them if the crowd has their way Paul of course doesn’t go there and you might wonder where’s the theater what kind of Theater what’s the seating capacity it’s massive and it still exists to this day 000 people packed into this joint no roof over it they’ve done that more modern times little awnings

and things like that but or large awnings but so they’re they’re gathered there it’s a packed house and now it changes the tone the volume you just heard when I said the words of the chant for what was it two hours Great is Artemis of the Ephesians and this thunderous crowd of of folks packed in here and there are two guys with crosshairs on them this doesn’t look good and then it it by the way it went on for two hours I’m going to say just

a quick thing in passing have you ever been in a situation where group think took over Portland had a lot of that in the last two or three years especially on his riots every day I know some of the people that went down there and said I said why why would you go down there I don’t know wow you’re not the first one that said I don’t know thousands of them joined here we’re told most of them didn’t even know what they were there for but

they were worked up in the lather and in in group think situations confusion abounds and bad decisions multiply what’s happening here too they could have pulled those guys apart limb by limb and God man that was Bloody that was so gross and awful say what did they do anyway see that’s how it works anyway enough on that two hours of this went on and then an unnamed city worker we’re not told what he is the highest rank I read anywhere of this man is Me Maybe

he was the mayor but he doesn’t even get a name in the text he’s just a guy verse 35 introduces here and he steps up and into the spot life the spotlight in this moment to calm the crowd if possible and he shows up with a calming disarming demeanor and delivers a short speech that had the effect of I’ll say it on the front end let’s read it now taming the tiger this was a very angry crowd and they were they were stirred up in no

small way verse 35 this clerk quietly stands up and he quiets the crowd and said fellow Ephesians doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the Temple of the great Artemis and of her image which fell from heaven what a story therefore since these facts are undeniable you ought to calm down and not do anything rash you’ve brought these men here though they’ve neither robbed the temples nor blasphemed Artemis our goddess if then Demetrius and his fellow Craftsmen have a

grievance against anybody these two are others the courts are open and they there are pro councils they can press charges if there’s anything further you want to bring up it must be settled in that setting in a legal assembly as it is we’re in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today right here in our midst in that case we would not be able to account for all this commotion since there is really no legit reason for it and after he said this

he dismissed the assembly he made a couple of comments calming statements that in my estimation make him they really distinguish him as a fairly competent mediator this art this Unknown man he argued that since the world knew that Artemis was special and Ephesus was the recognized City guardian of her Temple this false god Artemis why would you allow yourself to become so enraged and turned violent to defend Artemis who actually needs no defense it’s kind of what he’s saying here why go there why stamp out

any potential resistance it’s not necessary and then he raises a logical question would somebody tell me the wisdom of harming two innocent people you guys have it in for both of them you’re going to do away with two innocent people and and then he presents a better way of solving really this argument or whatever you want to call it that sealed the deal he said if there’s a real grievance that needs redress made me think of the People’s Court remember the TV show right don’t take

matters in your own hands he could have almost said that in verses 38 and 39. Take them to court it’s what he’s saying here don’t do it in the street don’t exact revenge or go crazy with this and then he adds one more very reasonable statement in verse 40. Hey guys be careful we are close to being charged by Rome who runs the show and need I remind you that we have not maintained peace and calm in this city and when that happens they come into

our city or any place with overwhelming Force to crush it and along the way there’s martial law and all kinds of other ways that they can suffocate a city for doing stuff like this here’s the deal it worked it worked verse 41 it’s kind of a yeah okay he’s right let’s go some of you that have been a part of this study you remember well we don’t have to go there just remember it right now in passing chapter four of Acts and then again in chapter

five of Acts the apostles at that time as Peter and John are told hey hush your lips no more this talk about Jesus they were brought in and told Hey listen guys we respectfully are we we don’t you’re no longer permitted it was in Jerusalem at the time to talk about Jesus you’re upsetting this city we don’t agree with you to begin with and you need to hush you need to put a sock in it remember their response chapter 5 verse we respectfully refuse for we

must obey God rather than any human authority and you know what happened then the Sanhedrin that was the group speaking blew a circuit they went nuts they lost control and they moved on them ready to kill them themselves and a man in the crowd one of them stood up he has a name that we remember isn’t it remember Gamaliel and he stands up and it’s a beautiful calming effect says guys there’s been all kinds of different religions that come and go and he points out a

couple of them they were strong and they were taken off like a rocket big numbers then their leader died where are they today they’re gone and he points out a second one then he presses his wisdom and says guys here’s the deal if these guys are just like them this thing will die out in no time it’s not going to go anywhere don’t you get no traction this is just a little hype but it’ll be over then we get back to we’re in charge comma but

gentlemen hear me straight If This truly is a thing from God there ain’t nothing you can do to stop it amen I just love saying that it’s just like you can apply that anywhere you want greater Is He Who is in you than he was in the world ask the servant of Elisha who flipped out when he saw were surrounded and we’re going down Elisha hey wake up come on we’ve got a problem here Elisha goes out sipping his morning coffee and says hmm look at

the numbers we got it what do you mean we’ve got it he says Lord open his eyes let him see what I see and there were warriors of God in much greater number than those from Assyria that came to mess around praise God that’s what’s going on here but there’s more to meet the eye in this conflict that’s what I want to spend the balance of a few minutes talking about okay so we’re done with acts right now but there’s something going on here that is

possible to miss and that’s the greater conflict between the Living God and the devil okay such conflict was real then and it remains no less real today remember last Sunday apparently many of you did not just here but in Far Away places because with great care you wrote wrote me and reached out and asked me how you doing Pastor I could sense you were hurting and I I regret not telling you everything’s okay with Debbie because many of you asked and she wasn’t here and you

sort of put together a a painful possibility it wasn’t but last Sunday involved something that in 43 years of delivering messages of of making messages and presenting them I’ve learned this to be true and that is that when you are about to bump into something in the pulpit can almost guarantee you’re going to be faced with that Steve I’m talking about myself in your life and there’s a whole list I started making a list of moments like that in 43 years of doing this and and

it’s an overwhelming list but remember turn the other cheek Jesus words more than once I preached on that and more than once I’ve had to really deal with the difficulty of turning the other cheek when some enemy comes after me like in days as I’m preparing to preach that message it’s just kind of a standard thing patience that’s an easy one that’s why I don’t preach on it ever I just ever don’t want to do that but seriously somebody’s late or somebody makes me late and

I’m just like ah come on and you know get let’s go and and then there’s money if you ever hear that I’m about to preach on money take all that you have in the stock market out because the Lord’s us like really Steve you because the Bible says a bunch about money more about money than Heaven and Hell combined it’s a big deal because there’s much potential harm if you don’t do it God’s way so I’ve learned that over the years sure enough boy we’re down

you know and you know hide your money in your mattress was my point on that one but here’s another one that gets really personal when I when I present a message on marriage I’m not kidding you Debbie and I will we’re on to it now but we will have some degree of a conflict often on the way to church that morning right so I’m going to talk about marriage it’s just not good and the Lord’s saying dude I want to start with you that’s how I

talk okay but he’s saying Steve that’s that’s that’s we got to start with your marriage and that’s a good thing so that’s the that’s the place to start and and spiritual conflict when you bring stuff like we’re talking about now up the devil takes aim and we’re told in First Peter 5 be of sober Spirit be on the alert for your adversary the devil prowls about as a roaring lion seeking someone to devour I love watching lions on Africa specials or wherever but I don’t want

that lion wanting me Okay so last Sunday the conflict was like the conflict today and it was a conflict that dealt with the spirit of God and last week it was an evil spirit in this man think devil when you read those words today’s conflict again Pitts the one true God and a false god Artemis think again devil the Bible describes the devil with these words Ephesians 2 verse 2 the commander of the powers in the Unseen World it’s where I got my title the devil

is the commander of powers in the Unseen World he is the spirit at working in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God Ephesians 2 verse 2. Interesting it finds its way into the letter that’s addressing these people and acts in it in Ephesus or Ephesians in the words of Martin Luther’s hymn A Mighty Fortress Is Our God one of our favorites the devil is described as the prince of Darkness and here are here are the words of that verse and though this world with

Devils filled should threaten to undo us we will not fear for God has willed his truth to Triumph through us the Prince of Darkness grim we tremble not for him his rage we can endure for Lo his Doom is sure one little word shall fell him boom now that word done can pick your word out finished through adios I don’t care what language you pick one little word shall fell him this is real to me a number of years ago I was elected to be a

an official in a local school district I was warned about what I was getting into that there’s much Darkness driving policy I was told in that District the words I heard I had not heard them before then were don’t poke the bear that was from somebody who was an official in that school district who actually loved Jesus and he says I’ve been here a long time and I just want to make you aware of what you’re getting into I did not go into that position with

the interest of poking the bear but I didn’t go into it to hide and not be a voice and so I did I spoke and and things happened and I discovered that the Prince of Darkness was in fact very grim in a school district that’s by policy lost its way and they practice if Isaiah 5 verse 20 all day long woe to you who call wrong right who call light darkness and on and on it goes I’ve heard something about cockroaches we don’t have them in

our home I’m really happy to report but the the Cockroaches somebody maybe it’s quib but it’s probably true that they’re going to survive a nuclear Holocaust that these are bulletproof little awfuls right they’re they’re terrible things I don’t know about that but I do know one thing about them they like they live in darkness don’t they remember one time I forget where we were and I came into the kitchen and flipped on the light and I was just like come on honey let’s go it was

bad but they quickly did what they scattered and they and they took to hiding again and and they were only temporarily hiding because they’ll be back why because they live there so too the devil knowing there is resistance from powers of Darkness sometimes Grim resistance what I’m going to share with you at the end here will cause things to turn out differently for you not maybe but certainly okay so here it is Jesus went toe-to-toe with the Devil if you were to take time in your

Bibles and go to Matthew chapter 4 or Luke chapter 4 easy to find both you would find the story of Jesus going toe-to-toe with the Devil he did that at the beginning of his ministry right after his baptism when he was led by the Holy Spirit Into the Wilderness and he faced the devil face to face it’s also true at the end of Jesus ministry when they’re in the upper room and they have communion they share Passover together that final meal on the last night of

his Earthly life and on that night that he was arrested he duked it out with the Devil the Matthew 4 story causes me to point to two principles that are transferable to you and me Jesus when face-to-face toe-to-toe with the Devil that’s happening though we may not always know it or be aware of it and secondly the devil left him verse 11 in Matthew’s telling of that Story of Temptation in the wilderness verse 11 says the devil left him and Angels Came From Heaven and ministered

to him it’s a beautiful picture of Jesus while battling the devil Jesus was demonstrating the meaning of the words in James chapter 4. It’s one is it one of his half-brothers that wrote that James Chapter 4 verses 7 and 8. When he said submit therefore to God resist the devil and he will flee from you draw near to God and He will draw near to you it’s exactly what happened to Jesus and that’s what I want us to do the rest of our morning you say

well it’s 10 after pastor we’re going to end this service differently than we’ve ever I’m going to have you take some time with the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit to come close and a time for you to accompanying to come before him with everything that’s going on in you and about you and near somebody that you know and love a family member or a friend we’re going to have song playing and we’re going to invite you if you want to stand you can stand if

you want to stay seated you’re free to do that if you who are in the house want to come down here and just kneel at the altar and stay here do that but for now I’m going to ask you to Bow your heads with me and let me lead us in prayer as the worship team just kind of gently resets let me say it clearly many of us have been in light be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might put on the full

armor of God Paul said our battle is not against flesh and blood but against evil forces and evil spirits and spiritual forces of wickedness in the Heavenly

Transcript machine-generated from the sermon audio, so it may contain errors. 6,238 words.