November 2, 2014
Scripture:
We just sang “Thy glory and Thy royal throne, Thy boundless love has made our own” Read John 17:24. We have been giving glory to Him this morning for all He has done. His boundless love made Him come to earth so we could be where He is.
Hymn 343 Jesus is Our Shepherd
Prayer
J.T. Mawson was a gospel preacher in England. A certain couple heard him preach the gospel several times, but instead of accepting it, they always left feeling depressed. One day, Mr. Mawson came to visit them. He read some verses and prayed with them. As he was leaving, he reached for the door; but the wife said, “That’s the wrong door. It’s the pantry door.” J.T. replied “That’s just what I’ve been telling you. You are trying to go through the door of works, but it’s the wrong door. You need to go through the door of grace.” Both were saved that day. Jesus is the only door to salvation.
We’ve given our chapter different names; today we will call it the Fold and the Flock.
John 10:14 - 16, 27 - 30.
If you were a sheep, you would probably feel very safe with the wall of the fold around you. But that wall also keeps you from going out.
Last time we read, “I am the Door.” This time we have, “I am the Good Shepherd.” Instead of a wall about them, the sheep have Someone in the centre of them. He knows every single sheep, and they know Him. It is precious that the Lord Jesus—the One who can do anything and everything—knows each and every sheep. And His sheep can know Him as well as His Father knows Him. When David fought with the lion and the bear he took his life in his hands to save his sheep. Jesus laid down His life for us, His sheep. Anyone may enter the flock, whether they were of the fold (Jewish) or not (Gentile). All may come through the door to the Good Shepherd.
The sheep know the Shepherd’s voice and they follow Him. He gives them eternal life. And He says that His sheep will never parish. There will be no robbers, no bears, and no lions that can get to them. He gave His life for the sheep. He holds His sheep in His hands. That is safer than the fold. And not only are His arms around us, but His Father’s arms are around Him. No one can pluck us out.
Acts 19:21-41
There are various oppositions to the truth in this chapter: the Jews, the counterfeit exorcists, and today the Ephesus uproar.
Paul had purposed to go to Jerusalem and Rome, and meanwhile sent Timothy and Erastus to Macedonia. He himself stayed in Ephesus for a time. Ephesus was famous for an idol: the goddess Diana. It had supposedly been delivered to earth in a marvellous way, but once it was there it was up to the silversmiths to make replicas and shrines for it.
There began to be no small stir in Ephesus about “that way”. We’ve had this term mentioned before. “The way” was not a church or organization, but a way of life: the Christian life.
Demetrius the silversmith was the leader of the riot. Since he made shrines for Diana, he had begun to feel the effects of the gospel upon his wallet. He realized that business would become very poor if the gospel was widely accepted, so he called the guild of silversmiths together to talk about the issue. They turned out to be a powerful bunch.
Demetrius’ ulterior motive was wealth. He made out, though, that he was concerned for Diana. He told the silversmiths that Paul had convinced “much people” that idols were fake gods. He used the prominence of the Ephesian god as leverage to show the terribleness of such thought.
All the silversmiths began to cry out, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!”, and soon all Ephesus was filled with confusion. The people caught Paul’s companions, Gaius and Aristarchus, and headed for the theatre. Most of the crowd didn’t know why they had come together, though! Paul wanted to go in, but the disciples and some of the Asian rulers wouldn’t let him.
The Jews put Alexander forth, and he tried to make a defence to the people, but when they knew he was Jewish they cried out “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” for two hours. It was the town clerk that finally quieted them down, telling them that there was a proper way to deal with complaints, and it wasn’t by rioting.
We can see that the enemy was at work here, for Paul later told the Corinthians that they feared for their very lives during this time. The word of God had been prevailing, but that didn’t mean the disciples were out of hardship. The enemy saw that these young Christians were willing to burn their demonic books, and knew that the gospel would make an impact in the area.
This riot shows what a grip idolatry had on these people, even though idolatry goes against reason. We find that today. So much of what the world believes is unreasonable; but if the only other alternative is God…well, they’ll take unreasonable.
Chapter 20 follows right along after the uproar. Paul embraced the disciples and left for Macedonia. He had been at Ephesus for a while, and the book of Ephesians is surely a shining epistle. He had declared the word of the Lord, and yet the temple of Diana showed that some refused to believe. Others, though, had been like the Thessalonians: turning to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven. It makes us realize how blessed we are to have been brought up to serve that living and true God.
Hymn 369–I claim for my own, a King on the throne
Prayer