(majestic music) ("Every Praise") Good morning and welcome to First Baptist Church livestream worship. We are so glad that you have joined us today. We're gonna give God all the honor, the glory and the praise, every praise. ♪ Every praise is to our God ♪ ♪ Every word of worship with one accord ♪ ♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise is to our God ♪ ♪ Sing hallelujah to our God ♪ ♪ Glory hallelujah is due our God ♪ ♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise is to our God ♪ ♪ Sing it again, every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise is to our God ♪ ♪ Every word of worship with one accord ♪ ♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise is to our God ♪ ♪ Sing hallelujah ♪ ♪ Sing hallelujah to our God ♪ ♪ Glory hallelujah is due our God ♪ ♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise is to our God ♪ ♪ Oh, every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise is to our God ♪ ♪ Every word of worship with one accord ♪ ♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise is to our God ♪ ♪ We sing hallelujah ♪ ♪ Sing hallelujah to our God ♪ ♪ Glory hallelujah is due our God ♪ ♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise is to our God ♪ ♪ Oh, every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise is to our God ♪ ♪ Every word of worship with one accord ♪ ♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise is to our God ♪ ♪ Come on, sing hallelujah ♪ ♪ Sing hallelujah to our God ♪ ♪ Glory hallelujah is due our God ♪ ♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise is to our God ♪ ♪ God my Savior ♪ ♪ God my Healer ♪ ♪ God my Deliverer ♪ ♪ Yes He is ♪ ♪ Yes He is ♪ ♪ God my Savior ♪ ♪ God my Savior ♪ ♪ God my Healer ♪ ♪ God my Deliverer ♪ ♪ Yes He is ♪ ♪ Yes He is ♪ ♪ God my Savior ♪ ♪ God my Savior ♪ ♪ Oh, you know He's my healer ♪ ♪ God my Healer ♪ ♪ God my Deliverer ♪ ♪ Yes He is ♪ ♪ Yes He is ♪ ♪ Yes He is ♪ ♪ Yes He is ♪ ♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise is to our God ♪ ♪ Every word of worship with one accord ♪ ♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ You deserve glory ♪
♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ All my worship ♪
♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ For the rest of my days ♪
♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ Every praise ♪ ♪ Is to our God ♪ ("Way Maker") ♪ Oo ♪ ♪ We worship You ♪ ♪ You are here in this place ♪ ♪ You're worthy ♪ ♪ You are here ♪ ♪ Moving in our midst ♪ ♪ I worship You ♪ ♪ I worship You ♪ ♪ You are here ♪ ♪ Working in this place ♪ ♪ I worship You ♪ ♪ I worship You ♪ Sing with us. ♪ You are here ♪ ♪ Moving in our midst ♪ ♪ I worship You ♪ ♪ I worship You ♪ ♪ You are here ♪ ♪ Working in this place ♪ ♪ I worship You ♪
♪ Yes I do ♪ ♪ I worship You ♪ ♪ You are ♪ ♪ Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper ♪ ♪ Light in the darkness ♪ ♪ My God, that is who You are ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper ♪ ♪ Light in the darkness ♪ ♪ My God, that is who You are ♪ ♪ You are here ♪ ♪ Touching every heart ♪ ♪ I worship You ♪ ♪ I worship You ♪ ♪ You alone are here ♪
♪ You are here ♪ ♪ Healing every heart ♪ ♪ I worship You ♪ ♪ I worship You ♪ ♪ And You are here ♪
♪ You are here ♪ ♪ Mending every heart ♪ ♪ I worship You ♪ ♪ I worship You ♪ ♪ You are here ♪ ♪ Turning lives around ♪ ♪ I worship You ♪ ♪ I worship You ♪ ♪ Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper ♪ ♪ Light in the darkness ♪ ♪ My God, that is who You are ♪ ♪ You are ♪ ♪ Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper ♪ ♪ Light in the darkness ♪ ♪ My God, that is who You are ♪ ♪ That is who You are ♪ ♪ That is who You are ♪ ♪ That is who You are ♪ ♪ That is who You are ♪ ♪ That is who You are ♪ ♪ That is who You are ♪ ♪ That is who You are ♪ ♪ That is who You are ♪ ♪ Even when I don't see it, You're working ♪ ♪ Even when I don't feel it, You're working ♪ ♪ You never stop, You never stop working ♪ ♪ You never stop, You never stop working ♪ ♪ Even when I don't see it, You're working ♪ ♪ Even when I don't feel it, You're working ♪ ♪ You never stop, You never stop working ♪ ♪ You never stop, You never stop working ♪ ♪ Even when I don't see it, You're working ♪ ♪ Even when I don't feel it, You're working ♪ ♪ You never stop, You never stop working ♪ ♪ You never stop, You never stop working ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ God is working ♪ ♪ Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper ♪ ♪ Light in the darkness ♪ ♪ My God, that is who You are ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper ♪ ♪ Light in the darkness ♪ ♪ My God, that is who You are ♪ ♪ Oh, You always make a way ♪ ♪ Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper ♪ ♪ Light in the darkness ♪ ♪ My God, that is who You are ♪ ♪ That is who You are ♪ ♪ That is who You are ♪ ♪ That is who You are ♪ ♪ That is who You are ♪ ♪ That is who You are ♪ ♪ That is who You are ♪ ♪ Yes, that is who You are ♪ ♪ That is who You are ♪ Oh, way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, that is who You are. Oh, in the day in which we live, we need Him to be all of those things and more. And can I just tell you friend, He is all of those things. Father, this morning we lift our worship and our praise to You right now. Lord, I pray that it's a sweet sound to Your ear. Lord, I'm trusting that every person on the other side of this camera are singing, worshiping, praising You. Father, that they are knelt before You, at Your feet. Father, I pray right now for every household represented through our viewership today, God, that You would come into that home, Your love and Your power will permeate that household. Father, I pray that this morning especially at home that we will be free of distractions that we don't miss a thing today, that we hear from You, our holy and mighty God. Father, we thank You today for this awesome opportunity we have to lift our voices in praise. Lord, in the process I pray that our hearts are prepared for Your precious Word. And as Your messenger comes in just a few moments, God, I pray that it will resonate in each of our hearts today. Thank you for what You're about to do in this hour. We give You the honor, the glory and all the praise. In the holy name of Jesus. Amen and amen. I want you to know that we have something very, very special, especially for those who are part of the First Baptist Church family. You see we have a Faith Promise Missionary, where about six and a half years ago, seven years ago, she left Atlanta to serve as a missionary throughout Europe. She started out in Poland and she has spent the last six years or so in Austria. And can I just tell you that God is using her in a mighty way to share the Gospel through music. She is an extraordinary voice for the kingdom. So I want you to, let's welcome home to First Baptist Church, and for those of you who are meeting her for the first time you're going to be blessed by Beverly Minor. Beverly, you come and sing for us today. ("Oh Happy Day") ♪ Oh happy day ♪
♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ Oh happy day ♪
♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ When Jesus washed ♪
♪ When Jesus washed ♪ ♪ So glad He washed ♪
♪ When Jesus washed ♪ ♪ When Jesus washed ♪
♪ When Jesus washed ♪ ♪ All my sins away ♪
♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ What a happy day ♪
♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ Oh happy day ♪
♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ Oh happy day ♪
♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ When Jesus washed ♪
♪ When Jesus washed ♪ ♪ So glad He washed ♪
♪ When Jesus washed ♪ ♪ When Jesus washed ♪
♪ When Jesus washed ♪ ♪ All my sins away, yeah ♪
♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ What a happy day ♪ ♪ He taught me how ♪ ♪ To watch ♪
♪ Jesus taught me how to watch ♪ ♪ Watch and pray ♪
♪ How to watch and pray ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪
♪ Watch and pray ♪ ♪ And live rejoicing ♪
♪ And live rejoicing ♪ ♪ Every ♪
♪ And live rejoicing ♪ ♪ Everyday ♪
♪ Everyday ♪ ♪ Yes we can ♪
♪ Everyday ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, God I sing ♪ ♪ Oh happy day ♪
♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ My Lord, what a happy day ♪
♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ When Jesus washed ♪
♪ When Jesus washed ♪ ♪ When Jesus washed ♪
♪ When Jesus washed ♪ ♪ So glad He washed ♪
♪ When Jesus washed ♪ ♪ All of my sins away ♪
♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ Oh hallelujah, happy day ♪
♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ I never shall ♪
♪ I never shall ♪ ♪ Never shall forget the day ♪
♪ Forget the day ♪ ♪ Oh when all of the burdens of my soul ♪ ♪ Were rolled away ♪
♪ Were rolled away ♪ ♪ He made me happy ♪
♪ He made me happy ♪ ♪ I'm glad and free ♪
♪ So glad and free ♪ ♪ I'm gonna sing it, shout it ♪ ♪ He is everything to me ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ Yes He is ♪ ♪ Oh he taught me how ♪
♪ He taught me how ♪ ♪ Oh he taught me how to watch and pray ♪ ♪ To watch ♪
♪ Yes He did, yes He did ♪ ♪ Watch and pray ♪
♪ Yes He did ♪ ♪ Watch and pray ♪ ♪ And live rejoicing ♪
♪ And live rejoicing ♪ ♪ Every ♪
♪ Every day, every day ♪ ♪ Every day ♪
♪ Every day ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ It's a happy day ♪
♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ It's a happy day ♪
♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, happy day ♪
♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ Yes, when Jesus washed ♪
♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ When Jesus washed ♪
♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ Yes, it was a happy day ♪
♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ Sing it, sing it, sing it ♪
♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ I'm talking 'bout a happy day ♪ ♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ Happy day ♪ ♪ I'll never forget that day ♪ ♪ When Jesus washed ♪
♪ When Jesus washed ♪ ♪ When Jesus washed ♪
♪ When Jesus washed ♪ ♪ When Jesus washed ♪
♪ When Jesus washed ♪ ♪ All of my sins away ♪ ♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ All of sins away ♪
♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ All my sins away ♪
♪ Oh happy day ♪ ♪ What a happy day ♪ ♪ Hey ♪ ♪ Oh, it was a happy day ♪ ♪ It was a happy day ♪ ♪ It was a happy day ♪ ♪ Day ♪
♪ Oh happy day ♪ ("Soon And Very Soon") Oh help me sing this morning. ♪ Soon and very soon ♪ ♪ We are going to see the King ♪ Sing it again now. ♪ Soon and very soon ♪ ♪ We are going to see the King ♪ Oh yes we are. ♪ Soon and very soon ♪ ♪ We are going to see the King ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ We're going to see the King ♪ ♪ No more crying there ♪ ♪ We are going to see the King ♪ Did you hear that? ♪ No more crying there ♪ ♪ We are going to see the King ♪ I said there'll be no more. ♪ No more crying there ♪ ♪ We are going to see the King ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ We're going to see the King ♪ ♪ No more dying there ♪ ♪ We are going to see the king ♪ ♪ I said there'll be no more dying there ♪ ♪ We are going to see the king ♪ ♪ Oh yes, now no more dying there ♪ ♪ We are going to see the king ♪ ♪ Sing hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ We're going to see the King ♪ You know it, sing it with us. ♪ Soon and very soon ♪ ♪ We are going to see the King ♪ ♪ Oh yes we are ♪ ♪ Soon and very soon ♪ ♪ We are going to see the King ♪ ♪ Sing it again now ♪ ♪ Soon and very soon ♪ ♪ We are going to see the King ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ We're going to see the King ♪ ♪ Sing it again ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ We're going to see the King ♪ ♪ One more time ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ We're going to see the King ♪ ("Gospel Medley") ♪ Some glad morning when this life is o'er ♪ ♪ I'll fly away ♪ ♪ To a home on God's celestial shore ♪ ♪ I'll fly away ♪ Now let's sing the chorus together. ♪ I'll fly away, oh glory ♪ ♪ I'll fly away in the morning ♪ ♪ When I die, hallelujah, by and by ♪ ♪ I'll fly away ♪ Just a few more. ♪ Just a few more weary days and then ♪ ♪ I'll fly away ♪ ♪ To a land where joy shall never end ♪ ♪ I'll fly away ♪ All you've got now. ♪ I'll fly away, oh glory ♪ ♪ I'll fly away in the morning ♪ ♪ When I die, hallelujah, by and by ♪ ♪ I'll fly away ♪ ♪ Oh, they tell me of a home far beyond the skies ♪ ♪ They tell me of a home far away ♪ ♪ Oh they tell me of a home ♪ ♪ Where no storm clouds rise ♪ ♪ Oh they tell me of an unclouded day ♪ ♪ Oh, the land of cloudless days ♪ ♪ Oh, the land of an unclouded sky ♪ ♪ Oh, they tell me of a home ♪ ♪ Where no storm clouds rise ♪ ♪ Oh, they tell me of an unclouded day ♪ ♪ Will the circle be unbroken ♪ ♪ By and by, Lord, by and by ♪ ♪ There's a better home awaiting ♪ ♪ In the sky, Lord, in the sky ♪ ♪ I've got a home in glory land that outshines the sun ♪ ♪ I've got a home in glory land that outshines the sun ♪ ♪ I've got a home in glory land that outshines the sun ♪ ♪ Way beyond the blue ♪ ♪ Do Lord, oh, do Lord ♪ ♪ Oh, do remember me ♪ ♪ Do Lord, oh, do Lord ♪ ♪ Do remember me ♪ ♪ Do Lord, oh, do Lord ♪ ♪ Oh, do remember me ♪ ♪ Look away beyond the blue ♪ One more time. ♪ Well, I'll fly away, oh glory ♪ ♪ I'll fly away in the morning ♪ ♪ When I die, hallelujah, by and by ♪ ♪ I'll fly away ♪ ♪ When I die, hallelujah, by and by ♪ ♪ I'll fly away ♪ ("Say Amen") Oh, let's welcome Beverly back again now. ♪ This life is a journey ♪ ♪ We walk by faith ♪ ♪ And there'll always be the mountain in our way ♪ ♪ But right here in this moment ♪ ♪ May our strength be renewed ♪ ♪ As we recall what God has done ♪ ♪ And how we've seen Him move ♪ ♪ Is there anybody here who has found Him faithful ♪ ♪ Anybody here who knows He's able ♪ ♪ Say amen ♪ ♪ If there's anybody here who has seen His power ♪ ♪ Anybody here brought through the fire ♪ ♪ Say amen ♪ ♪ Anybody here found joy in the midst of sorrow ♪ ♪ Peace in the storm, hope for tomorrow ♪ ♪ And seen it time and time again ♪ ♪ Just say amen ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Sometimes through the darkness ♪ ♪ It's hard to see ♪ ♪ But just be brave and follow where He leads ♪ ♪ Greater is the one who's in us ♪ ♪ Than he who's in the world ♪ ♪ Child of God remember ♪ ♪ The battle is the Lord's ♪ ♪ Is there anybody here who has found Him faithful ♪ ♪ Anybody here who knows He's able ♪ ♪ Say amen ♪ ♪ Is there anybody here who has seen His power ♪ ♪ Anybody here brought through the fire ♪ ♪ Say amen ♪ ♪ Anybody here found joy in the midst of sorrow ♪ ♪ Peace in the storm, hope for tomorrow ♪ ♪ And seen it time and time again ♪ ♪ Just say amen ♪ ♪ Even in the valley of the shadow ♪ ♪ When you feel alone out in the unknown ♪ ♪ Just say amen, say amen ♪ ♪ Even when the storms are raging ♪ ♪ Just stand and know you're not forsaken ♪ ♪ Just say amen, say amen ♪ ♪ Come on and say amen ♪ ♪ Is there anybody here ♪ ♪ Tell me ♪ ♪ Is there anybody here ♪ ♪ Oh, Lord ♪ ♪ If there's anybody here who has found Him faithful ♪ ♪ Anybody here who knows He's able ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ If there's anybody here who has seen His power ♪ ♪ Anybody here brought through the fire ♪ ♪ Come on and say amen ♪
♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Anybody here found joy in the midst of sorrow ♪ ♪ Peace in the storm, hope for tomorrow ♪ ♪ And seen it time and time again ♪ ♪ Just say amen ♪ ♪ I've seen it time and time again ♪ ♪ Come on, amen ♪
♪ Just say amen ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Just say amen ♪ ♪ Come on and say amen ♪
♪ Just say amen ♪ ♪ Come on and say amen ♪ One of the reasons I love reading the Bible is not only because what it teaches us about God and who God is, but I love all the stories of the characters in the Bible, both in the Old and the New Testaments. The accounts of their lives and their journeys of faith are recorded for us by the Holy Spirit and preserved in this Book that we love so much. And when we read about their stories, the good, the bad and the ugly are all included there. There's been no purging of the record. They were real people like you and like me. When we read the accounts of their lives we realize that the people who've gone before us, especially during Biblical times, their lives were not easy. They were often surrounded by unrest and upheaval and confusion. They were met with opposition on not just a few occasions in their lives. And some of them even lost their lives because of the environments in which God allowed them to live and the battles that God called them to fight. One such character who rises to the top on my list of favorites is the Apostle Paul, perhaps the most influential Christian who has ever lived. The man who is responsible for most of the letters in the New Testament. And the man who through a radical transformation committed his heart to Jesus Christ, and literally took the Gospel to all parts of the known world in the day in which he lived. Paul too faced opposition. And Paul, in the Book of Acts, took several missionary journeys that are recorded for us. And one of his journeys took him to the ancient City of Ephesus where he stayed longer than in any other city that he visited. And it was during his extended ministry in Ephesus that the Gospel made such an impact on people's lives. The resistance rose up and the city spiraled, was catapulted into a riot. In fact, in the passage we're about to read the heading in my translation says, "The riot in Ephesus." So today's message as we take a glimpse into this account of Paul and the riot in Ephesus is a question: why so much chaos? I want you to turn with me in your Bibles to the Book of Acts. Acts chapter 19 and we're going to begin reading in the 23rd verse. And we'll read all the way through the 32nd verse of Acts chapter 19 beginning in verse 23. It says: And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way. And the Way is an expression that was used in the Book of Acts to describe the Christian movement, the Christian church. There was a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, and it brought no small profit to the craftsmen by what he did. He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: "Men, "you know that we have our prosperity by this trade. "Moreover you see and hear that not only in Ephesus, "but throughout almost all Asia, "this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, "saying that they are not gods which are made with hands. "So not only is this trade of ours "in danger of falling into disrepute, "but also the temple of the great goddess Diana "may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, "whom all Asia and the world worship." Now when these men heard this, they were full of wrath and they cried out, saying, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" And they started chanting it. So the whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, these were Paul's travel companions on his mission journeys. And when Paul wanted to go in to the people, the disciples would not allow him. And some of the officials of Asia, who were his friends, they sent to him pleading that he would not venture into the theater. Some therefore cried one thing and some cried another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not even know why they had come together. Is that not an appropriate passage for us to look at? Two thousand years old but as up to date as tomorrow morning's newspaper. We're looking at the impact that Paul and the Gospel of Jesus Christ had on this city. This city was a harbor city, and the great trading ships would come and go out of its harbor. And the streets were always bustling. The marketplace was full. I've visited there. I've walked on the excavated cobblestone streets of ancient Ephesus. And if you've ever googled it the image probably comes up of the restored facade of the city's library, which was an architectural wonder. But Ephesus was not known for its port. And Ephesus was not known for its busy marketplace, or for its library and the books that it housed. Ephesus was known as the headquarters for the temple of the goddess Diana. And much of the economy around Ephesus was built upon Pilgrims who would come and worship at the temple of Diana, who was, of course, a non-entity, a mythological figure. But she was considered to be the goddess of fertility. Fertility not only has overtones for agriculture and material increase, but it has overtones of immorality. When you study about the cult of Diana, it is filled with immoral reverences as was her male counterpart god, Priapus. The statues to both of which are still sold by merchants today to the tourists who walk the streets of the ruins of ancient Ephesus. So, what about all of this uproar? Well I'll tell you what happened. When people started getting saved, they started forsaking the worship of Diana. And that means that they stopped purchasing the little statues and shrines that the craftsmen were building as a means of perpetuating the Diana cult. But also as a means of providing food and for the needs of their families. So you can imagine the uproar when they started to perceive that there was a threat to the economy, a threat to their way of life because of the light of truth that was shining on the darkness. So what I want us to do today is I want us to think about the fact that there was this reaction from those whose trade and livelihood were at risk because of the Gospel. And there were the superficial reasons why the city had been thrown into a riot. But then there were the spiritual reasons which are always the most important. So I want you to write some things down as we walk through this passage together. And the first thing that I want you to write down is this, when it comes to spiritual matters there is no such thing as neutrality. There is no neutrality in spiritual matters. Let's just pull the covers back and call this what it is. This was a city that had a demonic stronghold about it. It was in the clutches of darkness. And imagine all of the dark, seducing spirits that lurked around that temple of Diana that summoned travelers from afar to be brought under the web of this deception and this cult to this mythological figure. I truly believe that it was demonic, it wasn't just some harmless building to some harmless myth called the goddess of fertility. This was darkness and evil and wickedness that was fueled by the forces of hell itself. You see, there's no such thing as something being in the middle. It's either about God or it's about Satan. And Jesus was a man who preached absolutes. He drew a strong line in His preaching, and in the demands that He placed before people about the choices they needed to make. And in Matthew chapter 12 in verse 30, Jesus said this, listen to these words, "Anyone who isn't with Me opposes Me, "and anyone who isn't working with Me "is actually working against Me." Jesus said, no one can straddle the fence in spiritual matters, especially when it comes to who He is. He says, "If you're not for me, you're against me "but you can't have it both ways, "you can't play it both ways." In spiritual matters there's no neutrality. It's either God or Satan, truth or a lie, righteousness or sin, light or darkness, heaven or hell, it's that simple. Earlier in the Book of Acts, Paul had visited the intellectual and philosophical capital of the world, the City of Athens. And there was another beautiful temple like that in Ephesus. It was called the Parthenon that sat atop the hill which was the focal point in Athens called the Acropolis. Everywhere he looked he saw statues to idols. And in Acts chapter 17 verse 16, this is how the writer describes what was stirring in Paul's heart when he looked around and saw the spiritual condition in Athens. It says: while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw, and notice what's underlined here, the city was given over to idols. Paul didn't just say, "Oh wow, "look at all of these interesting ways that people worship. "Isn't this beautiful to see "all of the different avenues that people have come up with "as their way to God." No, no, no. Paul was stirred in his spirit because he saw it in spiritual terms. He saw all of these artificial means of worship as substitutes for the True and the Living God. He said, "This place has been handed over "to the worship of idols." And it broke his heart. And it grieved his heart. So as was Athens, so was Ephesus. Now what we see here can be applied to what we face today. All this talk of tolerance in the cultures of the world, throughout the history of the world, it proves to be really shallow and meaningless whenever the light of God's truth shines on the darkness of evil and spiritual deception. Suddenly when God's truth shows up tolerance is discarded, because people love darkness more than light. So tolerance is a virtue as long as we're tolerating darkness. But when light shows up, tolerance ceases to exist. Jesus knew this well when He was talking to a man named Nicodemus in John chapter three. And He said that men do not come to the light because they fear it would expose their evil deeds. And He says the testimony of human civilization is this: that men love darkness rather than light. Well if it was true in Jesus's day, and it was true in Noah's day, it's true in Paul's day in Athens or ancient Ephesus. It is nonetheless true today. It is who we are as humans. We love darkness more than light. So if there's anything this upheaval in Acts chapter 19 proves to us it is that spiritual activity is real and there is no such thing as neutrality in spiritual matters. But here's the second thing I want you to write down today and that is this, human behavior reflects spiritual condition. It means that our choices, our actions, our behavior, even our speech, our words, are all a reflection of our spiritual condition in our heart. Why was Ephesus thrown into this free fall of chaos and riot? Because you have to look at the spiritual condition of its citizens. They were deceived, they were confused, they were under this demonic control, this death grip of Satan himself. And let's put it in the terms that we use today, they were lost. They were lost! We use the word lost to refer to being unsaved, those who do not have a relationship with the True and the Living God revealed in the Bible. And so people do what they do because they're in the spiritual condition that they're in. Jesus was speaking to His opponents in John chapter eight in verse 44, He said: "You are of your father the devil," but look at what He says next, "and the desires of your father you want to do." He was making it clear: that people do what they do because they are who they are; that people say what they say because they are who they are; that people think the way they think because they are who they are. And the question we must ask is: who is our father? Oh, I'm not talking about our earthly fathers. I'm talking about who is our spiritual Father. Jesus said to those who opposed Him, "You are of your father the devil." But Jesus came so that we could be born into God's family and God could become our Father. This riot, these men who had lost their minds, they seized some of Paul's companions, we read that a moment ago. They formed this huge crowd and a parade through the streets. And they were chanting and it was rumbling and ricocheting off the walls of all of the buildings that lined the main thoroughfare of Ephesus. And they walked into the great amphitheater of Ephesus built into the side of a hill that overlooked the beautiful harbor below. And just so you know, that theater is still there today. It has been excavated. It stands as a beautiful testament to the architecture and the ingenuity of the Romans. And when you look at it and realize that thing will seat 25,000 people, in Acts chapter 19 the Bible tells us they filled it up with people rioting, people chanting, people angry. And they were a very violent mob. Oh yeah, this is all in the Bible, I'm not making any of this up. We just read it. But here's the thing, they were reacting to the light of the truth of Jesus. They didn't want Jesus, but they needed Jesus. And that is true of people today. People need Jesus. The problem is people just don't want Jesus. And what I'm saying to you today is we have to look beneath the superficial symptoms of people's personal behavior. Whether it is individual behavior or mob behavior or group behavior or cultural behavior, and we have to strip it all down to say, "What is the real need of mankind?" Of whatever background, socio, economic, ethnic they happen to be, everyone is lost and needs to be saved. And I am concerned that Christians may be drawn away from the Biblical reality that we must always analyze things from a spiritual point of view. Not from a sociological point of view, or a cultural point of view, or a psychological point of view, but a spiritual point of view because people's souls are what matter most. That's why we need to know our Bibles. First, to see everything that's true of ourselves, and why we, why I, let me personalize, why I think as I think and say what I say and do as I do. I need this Book to help expose things that need to be different in my spiritual life because as my spiritual life goes so my behavior, my thoughts, my speech, my actions will go. But we also need to be immersed in Scripture not only for self-awareness but as a means of being informed and growing in the discernment of understanding why the people around us are doing things and saying things that they are doing. You see, the real issue in Ephesus wasn't the temple to the goddess Diana. The issue was they were unsaved. It was a dark and lost city. Paul did not focus his efforts on tearing down the temple to the goddess Diana. He just preached and won people to Christ. And discipled them in the Scriptures they had at that time. And then as their hearts were changed, their behaviors were changed. And now the city is in a free fall because of the advance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Don't ever fall for the line that when the Gospel's doing what it ought to do there will be peace on earth. When we read about Jesus, His disciples, we read the Book of Acts, everywhere the Gospel advanced there was always upheaval and confrontation and opposition. And in this case there was chaos. I wanna remind all of you and myself today of something that when it comes to the real issues that they faced in ancient Ephesus in Paul's lifetime or that we face in modern-day Atlanta, Georgia, what people need in the deepest part of their hearts, is a change of heart that only comes through a relationship with Jesus. When Jesus comes into your heart, He changes you. When Jesus comes into your heart He gives you peace within. There may never peace around you, but there can be peace within you. And a change of heart is something a government can never do. Laws cannot give us the change that we need in our hearts. Social pressures cannot do that. Living among the intimidating force of a hashtag culture on social media cannot do that. Intimidation, anger, mandates, none of those things can change human hearts. But I'll tell you who can, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. He is the only one who can change human hearts. Hey, Ephesus needed Jesus. Atlanta needs Jesus. And that's why our church is in Atlanta. And from wherever you're watching today, that is why your church is where your church is. That's why you are where you are. You see, think about it, God could've taken us to heaven right after He saved our souls. For me that would've been when I was 16 years old. But the reason that God saves us and leaves us here is because He wants to use us to help people meet Jesus Christ. We are left here to be His light. So what we're saying today is that people's behaviors are only indicative of their spiritual condition, their spiritual need. Let's remember that when we look at the behavior of people around us. Then I want you to write this down. God's truth causes unrest among the spirits. Unrest among the spirit. Now I'm gonna be honest with you, I'm not that comfortable talking about demonic spirits. I don't like focusing on it. And I certainly don't make it an obsession of my preaching or my ministry. But that does not change the fact that they exist. Sometimes I think people believe that when Jesus was raised from the dead and went back to heaven, was seated at the right hand of God, that demons just went back into some type of quarantine, something we're familiar with in our day and time. No they did not. They've never gone into isolation or quarantine or retreat. They are still active, they're alive and well. How many of them are there? I don't know. But it would be interesting to do a study through the Scriptures of demon presence and demonic activity. Here is Ephesus, it's in a state of furor led by this group of instigators. But you need to realize that these instigators and these who'd been whipped up into a frenzy who were all gathered into this theater who really were going to try to kill Paul if they could, they were simply pawns in the hands of spirits. You say, "Are you kidding me?" No, I'm not kidding you. I believe it with all of my heart that you could see the people in the theater, you could hear the chants, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians." But what you could not see were the spiritual forces at work in that riot. You see, the danger of being under the control of the enemy is that you become his pawn without even knowing it. Do you hear what I'm telling you? When people's lives are not surrendered to God, their lives are always vulnerable to the control of Satan himself. And oh how sad it is that people who've been given the gift of intellect and reason and logic, and then people who've been given the truth of God's Word that they would allow themselves to be played by forces of darkness. And that's exactly what was happening in Ephesus in Acts chapter 19. Well, we didn't read these verses but I'd like to just go back a little bit further prior to this big riot to show you a little bit more of the impact the Gospel had had in the City of Ephesus in verses 18 through 20. The writer tells us: many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. And also, many of those who had practiced magic they brought their books together and they burned those evil books about witchcraft in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. We couldn't even imagine what cost this would be in the equivalent of our modern-day currency. And verse 20 says: and the Word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed. So think about it, it wasn't just the silver statues that this man named Demetrius who was what you might call the president of the trade union, the president of the labor union for the silversmiths all of whom were in this guild to protect and preserve their industry. It wasn't just the loss of the revenues from the sale of these silver shrines and statues to Diana. Oh no, it was more than that. It was that the light was shining on every dark place. The city was in an uproar because Satan's playground was being disturbed. And it's worth noting just in those verses that we just read, that as the people in the City of Ephesus were being saved, it says that they came confessing their deeds. What does that mean? They were confessing in brokenness their shame over their sinful lives. They were repenting. And not only that, but it says they were taking all of the things that they should not have had in their homes and the influences like books on witchcraft and magic that apparently was widespread in this demonic stronghold of Ephesus, and they made a big stack and set fire to the books. I mean, this must have been some kind of a sight. And I am sure there were people there saying, "Oh these people have lost their minds. "These people have become radicals. "They're burning books out in the streets." But this is what happens when people get truly saved. They repent. They turn. In fact, that's what the word repent means. We don't use that word much anymore, but it literally means turn, you're going one way and you're following your own desires and the world and even the devil. And you hear the call of Jesus. And in order to respond to Him, you have to turn. That's what repent means. It means a change of mind, a change of direction. These evidences demonstrate that salvation had come to many people in Ephesus. And those who were entrenched in darkness resisted it fiercely. And what I'm telling you is that when God is at work the evil spirits become unsettled. They get stirred. Someone said, "When Satan feels the shot, "he starts to stir the pot." And that's exactly how we can explain it. You know it's interesting when you read about Jesus's interaction with demons, and one of my favorite such examples is when He went to cast the many demons out of the man out on the shores of the Sea of Galilee over on the western side, over on the eastern side rather. He was called the Gadarene Demoniac. Do you remember that the demons started talking to Jesus? And they pleaded with Him, "Please cast us into this herd of pigs." They were restless because Jesus was there. And when light, and when truth, and when Jesus shows up the spirits start stirring. And He cast them into the swine. And if you've read the story you know that they ran and jumped off of a cliff. Let me tell you what evil spirits are all about. They hate Jesus Christ. Oh yeah, the spirits of darkness hate Jesus. No neutrality there. The spirits of darkness hinder the preaching of the Gospel. I want you to remember, this is a good little outline for you to remember, they hate Jesus. They hinder the preaching of the Gospel. Why would they hinder the preaching of the Gospel? Because they know the Gospel sets people free. Government doesn't set us free, reforms don't set us free, upheaval doesn't set us free, revolution doesn't set us free! Only Jesus sets us free. But something else they do, they hide their identity. I hope you heard all of that. They hate Jesus. They hinder the Gospel and the preaching of the Gospel because they don't want people to get saved. But then they hide their true identity. They play their cards well. But people who know the Word and listen to the Spirit can spot the demon forces at work. I'm not trying to be arrogant or boastful, but God has given me the ability to see beneath the surface of so many things that go on, not just recently, but in my lifetime. And to see that many times there is a nugget of truth that has great merit and legitimacy but many times that nugget of truth can be exploited by spirits at work with a different agenda at hand. Wise and discerning are people who see things through spiritual eyes. Oh, how I pray that would be true of God's people. But here's the last thing that I want you to write down today and that is this. Anger and confusion are a deadly duo. Anger and confusion are a deadly duo. Write both of those words down. Anger and confusion. And when we look in verse 28 it says: when the crowd heard this, these men who were part of this trade guild and Demetrius played them and worked them into this frenzy, it says in verse 28: when they heard this, they were full of wrath. The New King James says, full of wrath. I mean, that's powerful language. And they cried out, saying, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians." So full of wrath. Why would someone be full of wrath over a simple message that Jesus saves, that Jesus is the Son of God, that Jesus demands that people trust Him if they want to go to heaven when they die? They were in fear. And here is what you need to remember that so much of wrath is rooted in fear. Don't miss that. These men and this city they were crippled by fear. The fear of the advance of truth and the difference that it might make in their lives. What should you and I do when it comes to responding to anger? Should we allow wrath to consume us? No. James said in chapter one verse 19 of his little letter in the New Testament, he said: my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and you know I like to paraphrase this passage to say, swift to hear, slow to text, swift to hear, slow to post, slow to comment. Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath. Verse 20 says, for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Human wrath is contrary to the righteousness of God. So in addition to anger or wrath, we see something else that marked this gathering. It's in verse 29. So the whole city was filled with confusion, there it is. It's underlined, confusion. And they rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, these were Macedonian men, they were Paul's travel companions. So you've got carnal and fleshly wrath that is wedded to confusion. These are a terrible combination, a deadly duo. And what I wanna remind everyone of today is what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 14:33 and that is that God is not the author of confusion. He's not. I want you to think with me about how Satan uses confusion among human beings. He loves to use things that pluck at people's heartstrings and inflames their passions. So he inflames passionate feelings. Then he separates our actions from reason. Then he sets us on a course of an undefined pursuit. And such misery needs company if it's going to survive. And so it must spread and others, that's exactly what happened here. Demetrius had anger and confusion, he drew the other silversmiths together, made them angry and confused, then they took it to the streets and before long, 25,000 people are in the theater ready to kill somebody, ready to destroy something. But I want you to notice verse number 32. This is very important for us to realize. Some cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and look what's underlined, most of them did not know why they had even come together. Most of them did not even know why. Oh, I want to, I wanna leave that on the screen so you can let that sink in. Most of them did not even know why they had come together. Oh, they were angry. They were chanting. They'd become violent but most of them did not even know why they were there. This tells us that 2,000 years ago in the ancient City of Ephesus there were people even back then who were willing to let themselves be manipulated without even understanding why they were feeling what they were feeling. Please realize, hysteria is the blitz of Satan. It's how he operates. It's shock and awe. And we have been living in recent times, in a state of hysteria that is fueled by the forces around us. And the media are Satan's media. Our phones are Satan's channel to our hearts. And there is not one moment of rest between a pandemic, economic upheaval and fallout, the fear of uncertainty in our future and our ability to provide a living for ourselves, keep our homes, feed our children. And now the never-ending social unrest that is causing the anarchists to cheer and to revel as we watch one of the greatest countries in the history of the world unravel at the seams. Oh, I believe it. It's the work of the enemy. So we can become angry simply because others tell us we should be angry. And we can take on the spirit that has possessed other people's hearts and lives allowing what we feel to override what we know. And we can allow confusion and fear to take over simply because we are overwhelmed by the flood of hostility and uncertainty. But listen to what Paul wrote and it's interesting, this City of Ephesus he would later write a letter to called Ephesians. He wrote it to the church in Ephesus. And in Ephesians four in verse 31, he said: let all bitterness, how much of it? All of it. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. That's what you do with anger. You give it to God. Then I love what he said to his young son in the faith, Timothy, in 2 Timothy one verse seven, he says, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind. That's how you deal with confusion is you recognize confusion as coming from below because God has given us a spirit of power and love and a sound mind. So what I want you to realize today there is an explanation for chaos and it's a spiritual explanation: do not be deceived. Father, I wanna thank You, thank You, thank You for allowing us to gather online this Lord's day, and to look into the ancient pages of Your Word, and to see that times have always been characterized by upheaval and unrest. But You have always given Your children the ability to overcome simply by trusting in what Your Word teaches us. We thank You that when so much is unsure You have given us a sure and certain Word to build our lives upon, our hopes upon, our future upon. In Jesus's name. Amen.
