SFJ Bible Reading Plan

Acts 23

23:1 And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.” 2 And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?” 4 Those who stood by said, “Would you revile God’s high priest?” 5 And Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

6 Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.” 7 And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. 9 Then a great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party stood up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?” 10 And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks.

11 The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”

A Plot to Kill Paul

12 When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. 14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. 15 Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

16 Now the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. 17 Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.” 18 So he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, “Paul the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you.” 19 The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” 20 And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him. 21 But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him, who have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him. And now they are ready, waiting for your consent.” 22 So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.”

Paul Sent to Felix the Governor

23 Then he called two of the centurions and said, “Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night.¹ 24 Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to Felix the governor.” 25 And he wrote a letter to this effect:

26 “Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings. 27 This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen. 28 And desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. 29 I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. 30 And when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.”

31 So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32 And on the next day they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. 33 When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. 34 On reading the letter, he asked what province he was from. And when he learned that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.” And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod’s praetorium.

Footnotes

[1] 23:23 That is, 9 p.m.

(ESV)

Acts 22

22:1 “Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.”

2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language,¹ they became even more quiet. And he said:

3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel² according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. 4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.

6 “As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ 9 Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand³ the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10 And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ 11 And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.

12 “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. 14 And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; 15 for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’

17 “When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 19 And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. 20 And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ 21 And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

Paul and the Roman Tribune

22 Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.” 23 And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, 24 the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this. 25 But when they had stretched him out for the whips,⁴ Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?” 26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.” 27 So the tribune came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he said, “Yes.” 28 The tribune answered, “I bought this citizenship for a large sum.” Paul said, “But I am a citizen by birth.” 29 So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.

Paul Before the Council

30 But on the next day, desiring to know the real reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and he brought Paul down and set him before them.

Footnotes

[1] 22:2 Or the Hebrew dialect (probably Aramaic)

[2] 22:3 Or city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated

[3] 22:9 Or hear with understanding

[4] 22:25 Or when they had tied him up with leather strips

(ESV)

Acts 21

Paul Goes to Jerusalem

21:1 And when we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.¹ 2 And having found a ship crossing to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. 3 When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload its cargo. 4 And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. And through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5 When our days there were ended, we departed and went on our journey, and they all, with wives and children, accompanied us until we were outside the city. And kneeling down on the beach, we prayed 6 and said farewell to one another. Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home.

7 When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and we greeted the brothers² and stayed with them for one day. 8 On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9 He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied. 10 While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews³ at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” 12 When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”

15 After these days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. 16 And some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us, bringing us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.

Paul Visits James

17 When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. 18 On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19 After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law, 21 and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs. 22 What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; 24 take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law. 25 But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled,⁴ and from sexual immorality.” 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself along with them and went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them.

Paul Arrested in the Temple

27 When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, 28 crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” 29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. 30 Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. 31 And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. 32 He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done. 34 Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. 35 And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, 36 for the mob of the people followed, crying out, “Away with him!”

Paul Speaks to the People

37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? 38 Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?” 39 Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.” 40 And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language,⁵ saying:

Footnotes

[1] 21:1 Some manuscripts add and Myra

[2] 21:7 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 17

[3] 21:11 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time

[4] 21:25 Some manuscripts omit and from what has been strangled

[5] 21:40 Or the Hebrew dialect (probably Aramaic)

(ESV)

Acts 20

Paul in Macedonia and Greece

20:1 After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia. 2 When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. 3 There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews¹ as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. 4 Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. 5 These went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas, 6 but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days.

Eutychus Raised from the Dead

7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. 9 And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. 10 But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” 11 And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. 12 And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.

13 But going ahead to the ship, we set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for so he had arranged, intending himself to go by land. 14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. 15 And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chios; the next day we touched at Samos; and² the day after that we went to Miletus. 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.

Paul Speaks to the Ephesian Elders

17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. 18 And when they came to him, he said to them:

“You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; 20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, 21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.³ 22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by⁴ the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. 24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. 25 And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. 26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, 27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. 28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God,⁵ which he obtained with his own blood.⁶ 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, 38 being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.

Footnotes

[1] 20:3 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time; also verse 19

[2] 20:15 Some manuscripts add after remaining at Trogyllium

[3] 20:21 Some manuscripts omit Christ

[4] 20:22 Or bound in

[5] 20:28 Some manuscripts of the Lord

[6] 20:28 Or with the blood of his Own

(ESV)

Going Deeper

Exposing our Idols (10-25-14)

Grab your bible and let’s go deeper into Acts 19:23-41

1. How to discern Idols

The first thing that is important for us to see is how Paul always took on the idols of the people’s hearts.

One of the biggest tools in his bag as he preached the Gospel and planted churches and spoke to the lost was his ability to discern idols.   I believe it is essential that you and I have this ability too.

See, without discerning and exposing the idols of the heart in both you and I—and in those we share Jesus with—Jesus can became something new to add on; to coexist alongside the other things one worships instead of becoming everything or the main thing that drastically changed the life we once knew.

Let’s dig into today’s passage.

To understand Acts 19 we need to go back to Acts 17

Acts 17:16 “Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.”

1. Paul recognized the Idols. How good are you at seeing the idols in today’s culture?
2. He went to the Augora, the marketplace, to preach. It was the epicenter of the culture. But Paul’s reason for being there was more than that it was the place people gathered.  Paul is there to point out the idols that cast the very shadows over the market place.

Realize:   Every setting that is not based on the Glory and majesty of God is going to be based on something that has been put into God’s place.   In this, every community, every family, group, gang, team, neighborhood, city, class, country is looking for something to save it, to rescue it; something to put its hope, its meaning in: a form of idolatry.    Idolatry that must be replaced with the Gospel of Jesus.

The definition for Idolatry that I find most helpful is:  A substitute or counterfeit God – something in the creation that is inflated to function as God.  Or: Taking a good thing and making it an ultimate thing

So, what ever good thing that you have made an ultimate thing becomes the god you worship.

Beauty is a good thing, but when you raise it up as ultimate you worship:  Aphrodite.

Human reason is a good thing, but when science and thought becomes ultimate you worship Athena.

Money is a helpful thing that allows us to eat and be comfortable but when it becomes ultimate you worship: Artemis.

Enjoying the things of Life is God’s intention for us, but when wine turns to drunkenness and satisfaction is sought out in the temporary tasty meal or sexual interaction you worship Dionysus.

Now, none of you likely have a statue of Athena in your home that you bow down to.   But we don’t need a physical idol to worship! The key is what it reveals as our soul idolatry!

Do you see the Idols in your life?  In your vocation?  In your family or home?  In your social groups?   Only after you discern the idols of the heart can you begin to EXPOSE them for what they really are.

This brings us to point #2

2. How to expose idols

In Acts 19:26, Paul doesn’t just say there are many idols around but he says “among them there are no gods at all.”

It didn’t take much to stir the pot and expose the fact that the idols really do not hold any power to make life better.  So if belief in the idol means you expect to be saved by it and it really doesn’t have the power to ultimately save you, exposing this lie is essential.

Take Money for example:  It is the main idol the passage is focused on.  Artemis was the goddess of the hunt and fertility.   But over the years, she became the goddess of business.  Because she was the goddess of fertility, that meant she was the one they looked to for their crops to grow in abundance which directly affected the main profit stream of the day for much of the culture.

Acts 19:35 “And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky?”

A meteorite fell to the earth that many claimed looked like the statue of Artemis.  So they passed the word and people traveled from all over to come see it.  In that day it became a huge attraction.  So they built the temple of Artemis.  It was massive. So grand, it is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Everyone wanted to come see it.  It became the Disneyland of the day.  At Disneyland, there are 1800 different trinkets you can buy with Mickey’s face on them.   Merchants in Ephesus made a living selling trinkets of Artemis as well. That is what Demetrius did.

Acts 19:24 “For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis…”

The profits that people were making were good.  And so people would sacrifice to Artemis to get profits.  They believed that if she wasn’t pleased maybe business would go down.  How horrible is that?   But really it is not that different for our western culture too.

I grew up in a similar Ephesus called Orange County in the city of Irvine. It was and is still today a business hub in the world.   Tons of wealth.  One of the local High Schools advertises in Asia to draw wealthy Asian families to Orange County so that we can help train their children to be successful western profiteers.

In the culture of affluence I grew up in there was a ton of child sacrifice.  It was designed to be that way.  Both mother and father would hand off their children from birth through the next 18 years—not because they had too, but because they wanted a bigger ring on their finger or fancier car to drive.  Because the business demand in OC was fierce, and to keep up you had to pay a high price.  I had many friends who grew up in families almost without a mom or dad because of this.  They had great toys and went on fancy vacations but they had no one who really raised them.

We have to see our idols are killing us.  They can not give you salvation, nor the joy you hope they will give.  So, We have to expose them.  

For me, personally,  there is no one person I love more in this world than my wife, Jennifer.  And for that reason, she is potentially the most likely to become the idol I put in the place of God.  But it is not that I want to love her less, it is that I want to know the Gospel as the Good News that causes me to love Jesus MORE.   So that he is my deepest love and has my deepest affection.

Now, if we are going to truly expose our idols, it is really important to understand the different layers of idols in our lives.  A way to begin this road for yourself is to take some honest inventory of your life. You can do this yourself or invite a few people that you trust who know you well and can help you see what you maybe cannot see on your own.  Here is a taste:

In Tim Keller’s book “Counterfeit Gods” he writes:  “The idols of the Heart become spiritual addictions.  We take more and greater risk to get an ever diminishing satisfaction from the thing we crave until breakdown occurs.”  In recovery we think to ourselves, ‘what was I thinking? How could I ever be so blind?’  We wake up like people with a hangover who can hardly remember the night before.  But WHY?  Why did we act so irrationally?  Why did we completely lose sight of what was truly satisfying?  John Calvin said it best when he said, “ the human heart is an idol factory.”

As a pastor I have had the privilege of being invited to help in these recovery moments.  When the bottom falls out. When an idol doesn’t deliver.   Every time, the person says, “I didn’t see it.  Why couldn’t I see it?”

See, we must EXPOSE our idols because if we don’t they will EXPOSE us.  See,  a created thing will never be able to deliver on an ultimate level.

Finally, and this is vital to understand:

3. How to destroy Idols

First we must remember that idols live in the affections and desires we have for the things we have inflated to function as God.

So how do we destroy them?    We don’t!

Thomas Chalmers said it so well, “There is not one personal transformation in which the heart is left without an object of ultimate beauty and joy. The heart’s desire for one particular object can be conquered, but its desire to have some object is unconquerable. The only way to dispossess the heart of an old affection is by the expulsive power of a new one.”

The vital thing you must see when it comes to trying to defeat your idolatry is that you cannot destroy your idols.

The world’s remedy for addictive behavior, bad habits, hurtful loves, lust filled affections, etc. is to work hard to eliminate them.

You might be able to temporarily remove one idol, but your heart still must cast its affections on something.  So,  you will simply pick up another to fills it’s place.

Chalmers is saying here that you cannot defeat or remove your idols, you can only REPLACE THEM.  Idols of the heart cannot be removed, they can only be replaced.

So the question then is replaced with what?    The only thing that ultimately can satisfy and bring joy and life and identity and security and purpose is JESUS.  This is why in our ministry we must become far less concerned with telling people what to do or not to do. That just equals religion’s failed road to salvation, which is suck it up and try harder to do the right thing.

Temporary fixes and/or helpful habits do not cure the deepest disease and self-inflicted pain we struggle with in Life:   Our idolatry.  Only the expulsive power of a bigger and better target for our affections can eliminate the failed idols the heart has tried to cling to.

Soldiers: We have to focus on stirring our affections toward the Gospel—THE GOOD NEWS—to understand the fullness of the beauty and wonder of Christ. To fall deeply in love with him.  The key to being rid of the idols we worship is not really to love them less to but to love Christ more.  And in doing so, if the heart truly is that taken by Jesus, our clinch to over elevate God’s created things is rightfully place on God.

If my children are my idol,  he is not calling me to love them less, he is calling me to love them rightly.   The only way I can do that  is to be satisfied in the one thing that can truly satisfy; is to be saved by the one and only thing that can save me; is to be secured by the one and only person who can keep me secure; is to be purposed by the only one who can give me eternal purpose….  Jesus!

Jeremiah 2:11-13  “11 Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods?
But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit.
12 Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord,
13 for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”

Please hear this:   We have to never forget that the temporary victories of this life are not our ultimate victory. How easily we can get caught up in trying to use God as a mere idol to get to what we think our hearts really want (the created temporary wells of water that leak and never satisfy.)  Or we can grow our affection and enjoyment for the fountain of Living Water, which is God himself.  We have to forsake the wells and dig God.

When we get this, when we begin to really understand the Gospel and Christ power in and through us, it changes everything.  Like Paul in our passage today, we are emboldened to risk our lives to share the gospel and see the society truly changed as a result of the Gospel.

Acts 19:30 “But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. 31 And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater.”

When the idols are identified and exposed it is dangerous. Because on one hand idols are powerless as they are created things lifted up to an ultimate place.  But on the other hand idols wield unbelievable power of influence to swing us here and there.

Notice how Paul here is willing to risk his life to defeat the false worship of idols and replace it with the life giving Gospel.   WHY?     Because he understood the Gospel. The Power of Christ at work.  Jesus did the same thing. He put his life in the hands of an angry crowd who was resolved to have him killed yelling, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”   And they did.  And in doing so

Colossians 2:15  “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”

When the power and principalities unleashed all their fury and darkness upon Jesus on the cross, when he was wearing the weight of all of the world’s sin, he bowed his head into it and died.  And in doing so consumed it and by the power and supremacy of God conquered it.  He defeated the idols and the wickedness that fuels their worship. Only Jesus can do this in you.

In this Christ offers you and I deliverance from our condemned idolatry and victory in Him alone.  Jesus is the Expulsive Power that crushes the failed affections of your idolatry.  

By His grace and for His glory,

-Shepherd

Soldiers for Jesus MC

Bakersfield CA