Title: But Who Are You? (5)
Series: On a Mission-The Life of Paul
Author: Patrick Edwards
Text: Acts 18:18-19:41
Introduction
God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul's hands, so that even facecloths or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.
Now some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists also attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I command you by the Jesus that Paul preaches!" Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this. The evil spirit answered them, "I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul-but who are you?" Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them, overpowered them all, and prevailed against them, so that they ran out of that house naked and wounded. When this became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, they became afraid, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high esteem. ACTS 19:11-17
I love this passage; it's one of my favorites in all the New Testament. And not just because I did my PhD on demonology, nor just because it's funny these guys running naked from an evil spirit. In all seriousness it's the question this demon poses to the seven sons of Sceva: "I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul--but who are you?" A scene like this should humble us and cause us to take a good hard look at ourselves. Is my life one of such devotion to Jesus that the evil spiritual forces that plague this world and hate God's Kingdom recognize me as a part of that Kingdom?
And by that I don't mean 'Am I some sort of super Christian' because it's not our hands, it's not our works. Luke emphasizes that it was God who was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul's hands. And so, what was the difference between Paul and these would-be exorcists? They both employ the name of Jesus, but it's clear only one of them actually knows this Jesus.
Today's passage, then, I find s ...
Series: On a Mission-The Life of Paul
Author: Patrick Edwards
Text: Acts 18:18-19:41
Introduction
God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul's hands, so that even facecloths or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.
Now some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists also attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I command you by the Jesus that Paul preaches!" Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this. The evil spirit answered them, "I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul-but who are you?" Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them, overpowered them all, and prevailed against them, so that they ran out of that house naked and wounded. When this became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, they became afraid, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high esteem. ACTS 19:11-17
I love this passage; it's one of my favorites in all the New Testament. And not just because I did my PhD on demonology, nor just because it's funny these guys running naked from an evil spirit. In all seriousness it's the question this demon poses to the seven sons of Sceva: "I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul--but who are you?" A scene like this should humble us and cause us to take a good hard look at ourselves. Is my life one of such devotion to Jesus that the evil spiritual forces that plague this world and hate God's Kingdom recognize me as a part of that Kingdom?
And by that I don't mean 'Am I some sort of super Christian' because it's not our hands, it's not our works. Luke emphasizes that it was God who was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul's hands. And so, what was the difference between Paul and these would-be exorcists? They both employ the name of Jesus, but it's clear only one of them actually knows this Jesus.
Today's passage, then, I find s ...
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