Revival Power
You hear people talk about having a revival. They think a revival is a special speaker coming in to shout and stir up the Holy Ghost. Normal Sunday’s they sit in their pews so stale that they become mildewed.
You can have spiritual blessings and revival as regularly as the farmer can have corn, wheat, oats, or you can have potatoes and onions and cabbage in your garden. You have to be busy tilling and reaping. You can’t expect God to give you a crop if you don’t plow the ground and plant the seed. Until the Church resorts to the use of divinely appointed means, i.e. planting and reaping, it won’t see a revival.
Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
My sermon this morning is entitled Revival Power. We are continuing our walk through Acts in Chapter 19.
Message
Read Acts 19:11-22
Magic Vs. Miracle
This scene is no different than what we have been studying on Wednesday night with Moses going to the pharaoh demanding that the children of God be released from slavery. He would perform a sign, for instance his staff turned into a snake. Then the pharaoh’s sorcerers followed suit and their staff became snakes. Satan is the great copycat. But God has the final say. Moses’ snake ate the sorcerer’s snakes. God will not be mocked.
So here in Acts, we see the mighty power of God that was being worked through the hands of Paul. Even the rags that were used on Paul’s forehead to catch sweat and aprons tied around his waist while working were able to heal the sick, cure diseases, and cast out unclean spirits. Paul is being shown to be a true worker of God and revealing God’s true power.
Jewish exorcists saw what Paul had been able to do in casting out demons. They saw Paul cast these unclean spirits out by the power and name of Jesus Christ. Following true copycat fashion, they want to mimic what they see happening.
So the seven sons of Sceva attempt to cast out an unclean spirit through this coercion. The response of the unclean spirit is amazing. "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize-but who are you?" There are two different Greek words used by the unclean spirit, though most translations use the same word "know." But the unclean spirit is saying that he knows Jesus and he is acquainted with Paul, but who do you think you are?
Then, the man that had the evil spirit leaped on to the seven men, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they ran out the house wounded and naked. Verse 17 is important: this event became known to all the people who lived in Ephesus. This event caused many people to confess their evil deeds. Further, many brought their books and burned them in front of everyone. After seeing the true power of God, these people were wise to turn from their false ways.
This section of the story concludes by telling us that the value calculated from the books that were burned totaled 50,000 pieces of silver. Each piece of silver was probably worth one day’s wages. Therefore, if we calculate in our day and time one day’s wage multiplied by 50,000, we see that the cost of these books was at least 4 million dollars. This helps us see that the city was sacrificing quite a fortune by rejecting the ways of sorcery and magic. Thus, the Lord’s message prevailed and flourished in Ephesus.
Satan still mimics a move of God. We must be self aware of what we are doing in services where it seems like a move of the Spirit is happening. The sons of Sceva wanted to be noticed like Paul was and it backfired on them. Make sure that your actions are genuine: don’t fall out because everyone else is;don’t shake, rattle, and roll because there are others doing it; be authentic and the Lord will move on you in your own way.
The definition of revival is the improvement in the condition or strength of something. We grow in Christ by getting closer to Him, not by mimicking others around us.
Read Acts 19:23-41
2. The Power of God is Threatening
It seems that a little time passes by and another problem arises for Paul. To understand this problem, we need to understand the culture in the city of Ephesus. Ephesus had one of the seven wonders of the ancient world in its city: the temple of Artemis. Artemis was worshiped as the fertility goddess among the Greeks and Romans and was the principal deity in Asia Minor. The temple of Artemis was the tallest building of its time. The Temple of Artemis was also a major treasury and bank of the ancient world, where merchants, kings, and even cities made deposits, and where their money could be kept safe under the protection of deity.
People from around the world came to worship the goddess Artemis. The temple of Artemis attracted worshippers who, before returning to their homes, bought small shrines and images depicting Artemis. These artifacts, which were used as objects of worship in people’s homes, were made and sold by silversmiths in Ephesus.
There are three problems that are pointed out by Demetrius concerning the preaching of Paul. Verse 26 tells us that Paul had persuaded a considerable number of people that the gods made by hand are not gods. Demetrius states his three complaints:
Loss of money. Demetrius states that their prosperity is derived from the business of selling these silver trinkets for people to go home and worship Artemis.
Their business would fall into disrepute and be discredited if Paul was allowed to continue preaching to the crowds that these silver artifacts are not gods.
Demetrius realizes that if this teaching were to continue, Artemis may be despised and considered worthless by the people and her glory come to ruin.
Demetrius’ argument enraged the people and they cried out, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" The people rushed into the amphitheater and dragged out Paul’s traveling companions. The assembly was in confusion and did not give Alexander a chance to make a defense. For two hours the people of the city continued shouting, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
Thankfully, a city clerk was able to calm the crowd down. Since Paul’s companions had not done anything specifically against Artemis, like steal from the temple or blaspheme her name, and they were in an unlawful assembly in their uproar.
You can be sure, your revival fire that burns within you will be noticed by the enemy. If you are vocal in any fashion for holiness, your words will cause multitudes to rise up against you. The larger your following, the greater the stink. But just as in this situation, there are no valid arguments against the truth of Jesus Christ.
How many of us, knowing the cultural background of the city of Ephesus, would have even tried to evangelize the people? They are all worshippers of pagan gods.But rather than simply pass by this city calling it hopeless, Paul remained in the city of Ephesus and in the region for more than 2 years. We know that the apostle John spent most of his time preaching and teaching in Ephesus also.
3. The Need for Revival Power
A revival does two things. First, it returns the Church from her backsliding and second, it causes the conversion of men and women; and it always includes the conviction of sin on the part of the Church.
God Almighty never intended that the devil should triumph over the Church. He never intended that the world should walk roughshod over Christianity.
When is a revival needed? When the individuals are careless and unconcerned. If the Church were down on her face in prayer they would be more concerned with the fellow outside. The Church has degenerated into a third-rate amusement joint, with religion left out.
When is a revival needed? When carelessness and unconcern keep the people asleep. It is as much the duty of the Church to awaken and work and labor for the men and women of this city as it is the duty of the police department to rush out when there is a 911 call. What would you think of the police department if it slept while the town was destroyed? You would condemn them, and the church should be condemned if it sleeps and lets men and women go to hell. It is your business to be awake. The Church is asleep today; it is turned into a slumber party and has taken the devil’s opiates.
When you feel the want of revival and feel the need for it, you will have it. Men have had this feeling, ministers have had it until they thought they would die unless a revival would come to awaken their people, their students, their deacon boards…it causes them to fall down on their faces and renounce the world and the works and deceits of the devil.
When they break down and cry and pour out their hearts to God in grief, when the floodgates open, then I want to tell you the devil will have cold feet and he won’t want to be anywhere near the power this kind of revival brings.
4. Revival Demands Sacrifice
We all want the power that comes with a true revival, but how many of us are willing to sacrifice to get there?
Make a sacrifice of your feelings; make a sacrifice of your business, of your time, of your money; you are willing to give to help to advance God’s cause, for God’s cause has to have money the same as any corporate company. When you give your influence and stand up and let people know you stand for Jesus Christ and it has your endorsement and time and money. Somebody has got to get on the firing line. Somebody has to be willing to make a sacrifice. They must be willing to get out and hustle and do things for God.
When you are willing that God shall promote and use whatever means or instruments or individuals or methods he is pleased to use to bring a revival, it will come. The trouble is he cannot promote a revival if you are sitting in judgment of the methods and means that God is employing to promote a revival. God Almighty may use any method or means or individual that he pleases in order to promote a revival. You are not running it. Let God have his way. Don’t growl if He uses some things that you don’t like. You have no business to.
Break up your fallow ground, the ground that produces nothing but weeds, briars, tin cans and garbage. Fallow ground is ground that never had any growth in it. It’s caused by sin. There are acres and acres of fallow ground that have never been touched. Look over your past life, look over your present life and future and take up the individual sins and with pencil and paper write them down. Be specific.
If you found that your spouse was giving his/her love and attention to some other person and if you saw that some other person was encroaching on their mind and heart, and was usurping your place and was pushing you out of the place, wouldn’t you grieve? Don’t you think that God grieves when you push him out of your life?
If you don’t do your part, don’t blame God. You would never think of going out on the street without clothing. You would be arrested before you went a block. Yet how many of us put on the armor of God daily?
You never think of going without breakfast, do you? I bet there are some here who have come here without reading the Bible or praying for this meeting. The Bible is your sustenance!
You can measure your desire for salvation by means of the amount of self-denial you are willing to practice for Jesus Christ. Multitudes of people are willing to do anything that doesn’t require any self-denial on their part.
Seek first God and everything else shall be added unto you. Christianity is addition; sin is subtraction. Christianity is peace, joy, salvation, heaven. Sin takes away peace, happiness, sobriety, and it takes away health. You are robbing God of the time that you misspend. You are robbing God when you spend time doing something that doesn't amount to anything, when you might do something for Christ. You are robbing God when you go to foolish amusements instead of the Word of God.
Revival Power comes when we are willing to sacrifice it all to God if that’s what he desires.
What are you willing to give up?
Closing
We want the kind of anointing that the great men of the Bible had. We want a revival in the church that would fill every seat. But are we willing to sacrifice ourselves, our wants, our comfort, our riches, our relationships….to get there? That’s what God is asking today.
There is a price that needs to be paid to get to that place. Hours in prayer, Bible study, self denial, and holiness. A people who live a fasted life and who stay humble and kind. Those who step up to do the hard things even in the face of opposition and hate.
Do you desire a revival in your life? What are you willing to do to have it? What is God asking you to do? Today is the day to start!
