God was performing extraordinary miracles by
the hands of Paul. So that handkerchiefs or aprons
were even carried from his body to the sick.
And the diseases left them and the evil spirits
went out. As Paul is starting his ministry in
Ephesus, It's good for us to understand a little
about the nature of that city and what characterized
it, what it was like. We've already touched on
and talked briefly about the reality that it
was full -blown paganism. But with that came
a lot of spiritism. of demonic activity. With
that came a lot of what would have then been
called the dark arts. There are records, we have
lots and lots of records of what were called
the Ephesian writings. The Ephesian writings
were these small scrolls that had on them incantations.
and spells. And these would be rolled up into
a little tube, and they'd be hung around an individual,
or they'd be passed around, they'd be given out.
These were very, very common. It was well known
in the world at that time that Ephesus was an
epicenter for Spiritism and the occult. So as
Paul's coming in to Ephesus with the Gospel,
heralding the truth of Christ and the kingdom
of God, one might think that he was fearful approaching
Ephesus. One might think that there would be
greater hindrances and stumbling blocks to the
gospel in Ephesus. But that's not the case at
all. Paul enters into Ephesus heralding the gospel
in power. With boldness, we're told. Without
restraint. He's not fearful of what's in Ephesus.
He's not fearful of what's taking place in that
city. He's not fearful of what might oppose him.
He knows his Lord. And he knows the power of
God that is with him. And he knows... The Gospel.
So he comes into Ephesus. And we're told in verses
11 and 12 that God is with Paul in Ephesus. We're
told in verse 11, God was performing extraordinary
miracles by the hands of Paul. So that handkerchiefs
or aprons were even carried from his body. to
the sick, and the diseases left them, and the
evil spirits went out. Consider with me three
things from this text this morning. The source
of these miracles, the nature of these miracles,
and the purpose of these miracles. First, the
source of these miracles. The text says God was
performing extraordinary miracles. There would
have been the temptation, and there would have
been the possibility, and it probably took place,
that men and women in Ephesus would have construed
Paul as a magician, as a worker of magic. There's
the possibility that they saw him as this humanistic,
secular philosopher at times if they didn't know
him and his message or they didn't know what
was taking place. Luke wants us to be crystal
clear. Luke wants us to understand without a
shadow of a doubt that it was not Paul who was
working miracles in Ephesus. It was not the great
and mighty apostle who was bringing about these
extraordinary miracles. It was, in fact, God
himself. God was working. God was acting. Paul
himself, later on in his ministry, we read in
the book of Romans, chapter 15, recognizes this.
In Romans 15, verses 17 through 18, we read this.
Therefore, in Christ, in Christ Jesus, I have
found reason for boasting in things pertaining
to God. Meaning, Paul's boasting in things that
God himself has done. He'll only boast... and
that which is of God, that which is from God,
and that which has been effectually accomplished
and carried out by God. We read in verse 18,
For I will not presume to speak of anything except
what Christ has accomplished through me. Meaning,
I'm not going to boast in things I've done. I'm
not going to boast in things that have come from
me. I'm not going to boast in things that have
originated with me. Things of the flesh, things
of the man, things of him. No, Paul will only
boast in things that come from God, that have
been accomplished by God. And what does he say?
What does he say in verse 19? In the power of
signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit.
so that from Jerusalem and round about, as far
as Elricum, I have fully preached the gospel
of Christ. Paul is boasting in the power of signs
and wonders, in the power of the Spirit, brothers
and sisters, but why is he boasting in signs
and wonders? Why is he boasting in the power
of the Spirit? Because it's not of him. He recognizes
that these things do not find their source, their
power, their effectiveness in him. He knows that
these things are from and of God. Many would
like to attribute these things to Paul for their
own manipulative and carnal reasons today. But
Paul himself denies the reality that working
miracles is of God. We read in Acts chapter 13,
when Paul had a confrontation with a magician,
we'll start reading in verse 6. When they had
gone through the whole island as far as Paphos,
they found a magician, a Jewish false prophet,
whose name was Bar -Jesus. He was with the procouncil
Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man
summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear
the word of God. But Elimus, the magician, for
so his name is translated, was opposing them,
seeking to turn the procouncil away from the
faith. But Saul, and listen to this, this is
why I want you to hear, brothers and sisters.
But Saul... who was also known as Paul, filled
with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him,
meaning fixed his gaze on the magician, and said,
You are full of all deceit and fraud, you son
of the devil. You enemy of all righteousness,
will you not cease to make crooked the straight
ways of the Lord? Now behold, the hand of the
Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not
see the sun for a time. And immediately a mist
and a darkness fell upon him. And he went about
seeking those who would lead him by the hand.
Signs and wonders. But here's the thing. Paul
did not accomplish this. Paul did not bring this
about. What happened to Paul? The Spirit of God
came upon him. The Spirit of God filled him with
his presence and power, and the presence of God
was in him. The Spirit of God came upon Paul,
and he worked signs and wonders. That's how this
came about. And I dare say, brothers and sisters,
that every single time the apostle ever worked
signs or wonders, this is exactly what took place.
The Spirit of God would come upon him. It wasn't
Paul, brothers and sisters. It was God. God was
at work in... Ephesus. God was acting and moving.
This was divine and sovereign activity. Now this
is important because as we consider the gospel
and its progress throughout this period and throughout
Paul's missionary and throughout the book of
Acts, we have to recognize, brothers and sisters,
that it's not just a man laboring. It's not just
people doing things. It's not just men serving,
men preaching. There's more taking place than
that. There's divine activity at work. The reason
the gospel is progressing, the reason the church
is being built, the reason men and women are
being saved, is not because Paul is laboring,
though he's an instrument. It's because God is
in fact working in and through Paul. It's because
God is building his church. Because God is actively
at work to accomplish his own mission in Ephesus
and in the world. So God is with Paul in Ephesus
and God is the source. of these miracles. But
what's the nature of these miracles exactly?
This is the second thing we have to consider
this morning. The text says, so that handkerchiefs
or aprons were even carried from his body to
the sick and diseases left them and evil spirits
went out. It says that God was performing extraordinary
miracles by the hands of Paul. Now, we would
all agree, that miracles in general are extraordinary.
We would all agree that miracles in general are
rare and exceptional events. Even in the text
of Scripture, they are rare and exceptional events.
They are not common, ordinary things. But here's
what this text is saying. It's saying that even
among miracles, These were extraordinary. That
among miracles and wonders and signs, the things
that were taking place in Ephesus were exceptional
among those miracles. They weren't ordinary miracles.
They were extraordinary miracles. Now, there's
two distinct types that are mentioned. There's
the healing of the sick. And diseases being sent
or cast out. Men and women being delivered from
sickness. And then there's evil spirits that
are being driven out or cast out. It wasn't just
the people were being made healthy and whole.
It wasn't just the people were being delivered
from sickness and disease. It was that people
were being delivered from possession of evil
spirits, from demonic and dark powers in their
life, from bondage in their life that had overtaken
them. This is what's taking place. And how is
it taking place? It's not that Paul is coming
and laying his hands on them. It's not that Paul
is in their presence. But brothers and sisters,
seemingly, this is at a distance, and it's through
these two items that it's happening. The two
things that are mentioned, handkerchiefs, or
a handkerchief and aprons. A handkerchief could
be, and most likely, it was a rag that was used
for perspiration. And Paul probably hung it around
his neck. He either used it when he was working
to make tents, or... when he was teaching. It
probably is a perspiration rag that he wore around
his neck when he was teaching because it was
hot. It was warm. So he could just grab it and
he could wipe his face and wipe his neck. That's
most likely what it's referring to. It's literally
a face cloth. It's something very much like the
handkerchiefs that we have today. You could wrap
it up. You could put something in it. But here's
the thing. It was Paul's. It was with Paul. It
was on Paul's neck. It was a garment that had
his perspiration on it. It wasn't anybody. It
wasn't Joe's rag down the street. It wasn't Bob's
rag over there. It was the Apostle Paul's handkerchief.
But then there's also the apron. We don't know.
There's less certainty with regards to what the
apron's referring to. It could be one of two
things. It's either a type of work belt that
he wore around his waist when he was working
on tents, or, more likely, a belt that he wore
around his waist when he was teaching to hold
his tunic in place. Now, I tend to lean. That
both of these had to do with his teaching, his
instruction. That they were associated with what
he was saying. There's other people that say,
no, people were hearing about Paul. People were
finding about his ministry. They were hearing
about the signs and the wonders and the work
and the lives changed and the transformation.
They were hearing about his preaching. And they
were coming to him during the day. When he was
working during the morning hours, they were seeking
him out and they were taking these things. We
don't know exactly, but we do know it was through
these humble, meager means. These inanimate objects
that power was seemingly going forth and changing
lives. It's very reminiscent of the ministry
of the Lord Jesus himself. You remember when
the woman wanted to just touch the edge of his
garment? She just wanted to touch the edge of
his garment because she knew if she could touch
the edge of his garment that she would be healed
of her infirmity. But here's the difference.
The Lord Jesus, when that took place, he felt
power go out of himself. Now, when the Apostle
Paul was doing these things, I don't believe
he felt power going out because it wasn't him.
It was also very reminiscent of the reality of
Peter's shadow in Acts chapter 5. If you remember
when the gospel is growing and expanding, and
there was a time when Peter, the apostle Peter's
shadow, would just be cast on someone who was
sick. And what would happen? Those people would
be healed. Extraordinary miracles were taking
place. Paul wasn't present when these miracles
were taking place that we're referring to in
verse 12, I don't believe. People were being
healed not by his touch, not by his presence,
not by the laying on of hands, but they were
being healed because of handkerchiefs and aprons
that were associated with the apostle and his
teaching. It was simply the knowledge. That this
is associated with this man who has this message.
Who's always preaching about the kingdom of God.
This man who's always preaching about the Lord
Jesus Christ. This man who's always preaching
the need for repentance and faith. So men, women,
surely young people were being transformed. They
were being delivered and their lives were being
changed. As a result of Paul, his message, his
ministry. And the divine power of God at work
in his ministry. Now what's the purpose of these
miracles? Why are these miracles worked in Ephesus?
Why did God perform these things? What was the
purpose of them? What was the reason? Four signs
and wonders. Let me offer you a few. I think
there's a three -fold purpose in signs and wonders,
even in Ephesus, not just with the Jews throughout
the book of Acts. The first is to show the superiority
of God's power, which was with Paul and his message.
We think about all the different spirits and
powers, the authorities and dominions that were
taking place that existed in Ephesus. The dark
magics and the dark powers, the idols, which
had no power, but were linked to demons. We think
about these things and people would have ideas
in their heads about these powers, about these
authorities, about these dominions, and about...
the power that they possess and the power they
have. But what do we find here? We find that
the power that's with Paul, the one who's preaching
the gospel, has authority and sovereignty over
the body. The one, the power that's with Paul
that's preaching the gospel, he has sovereign
power that rules over demons and dominions and
dark spirits. He has power over nature. The power
with Paul in his ministry is superior to every
other power that existed in Ephesus and it's
being made known. It's being demonstrated and
showed off. God is showing his superiority in
Ephesus. We see in verses 13 -17. These seven
sons of Sceva. We'll go ahead and read that.
But also some of the Jewish exorcists. They went
from place to place. Attempted to name over those
who had the evil spirits. The name of the Lord
Jesus. Saying I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul
preaches. They were using the name of Jesus as
an incantation. They thought that if I just use
the name of Jesus that Paul uses. then I'll have
the same power that he has, that the power that's
with him will be with me. Oh, how they are wrong.
And the evil spirit answered, I'm sorry, verse
14, seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish priest,
chief priest, were doing this. So seven men were...
Using the name of Christ. And using Paul's message
for their own gain and their own purpose. Seven
sons. And the evil spirit answered and said to
them, I recognize Jesus. And I know about Paul.
But who are you? And the man in whom was the
evil spirit leaped on them and subdued all of
them. and overpowered them so that they fled
out of the house naked and wounded. The name
of the Lord Jesus Christ and the message of the
gospel is not something that is to be trifled
with. That's what's happening here. Men think
that they can benefit From the gospel and the
name of Christ. And so they take hold of it and
use it in a hollow, superficial, shallow, manipulative
way. And what happens to them? They're almost
beaten to death by the evil spirit themselves.
The power of God cannot be laid hold of, cannot
be harnessed by men. God works as he pleases.
God is sovereign. He does what pleases Him. He
does what is in accordance with His will. And
here in Ephesus, His will was to work signs and
wonders through the Apostle Paul. So it was to
show the superiority of God's power, which was
with Paul and his message. Then we see also,
I think, a second purpose. to show the authenticity
of Paul and his ministry. In 2 Corinthians 12
.12, we read, starting in verse 11, I have become
foolish. I have become foolish. You yourselves
compelled me. Actually, I should have been commended
by you. For in no respect was I inferior to the
most eminent apostles, even though I am a nobody.
So what the apostle is saying here is that the
claims of these fraudulent super apostles that
are saying that I'm not an apostle are not true.
He's saying, actually, I have the credentials.
Actually, I'm legitimate. I'm verified. I'm validated.
I'm confirmed. And how does he demonstrate this?
What are the signs of a true apostle according
to verse 12? The signs of a true apostle were
performed among you without, with all, perseverance.
By signs and wonders and miracles. A true...
authentic apostle, such as Paul, could work miracles
because the Spirit of God worked through them
to work miracles. Paul's saying, I'm a true apostle
because of my signs. They demonstrate it. They
confirm it. They validate it. That's exactly
why these signs and wonders are being worked
in Ephesus. They are confirming and validating
and bearing witness to the authenticity of Paul
and his ministry. Is Paul who he says he is in
Ephesus? That's what it comes down to. Is Paul
sent of God? Is he a genuine servant? and messenger
of the living God who's heralding the message
which really saves on behalf of the living God
that God saves through? Is Paul genuine? Is he
authentic? Yes, because of the signs and wonders.
They demonstrate it. They show the authenticity
of his ministry and of his person. He was trustworthy
in what he was saying about who he is as an apostle.
and about what he was doing in Ephesus. The people
could recognize and they could have comfort and
they could know this man. He's legible. He's
credible. Because the signs and wonders, the
extraordinary miracles that were taking place
around him, they were showing that he was true
to what he was saying about himself. And his
ministry. Now there's a third purpose. And I
believe this is the most important purpose. For
these miracles. This is to prove the veracity.
Of Paul's message. To prove the truthfulness.
Of the message that Paul was proclaiming. In
Ephesus. We have to recognize in this text that
something came before the miracles. Something
takes place that's the base, that's the foundation
of Paul's ministry. There's something that underlies
even these extraordinary miracles. There's something
that's more foundational. There's something that
the miracles themselves are supporting and pointing
to. There's his time in the synagogue and his
time in Tyrannus. The extraordinary miracles
accompanied his ministry of preaching and teaching.
This is important. His preaching and his teaching,
the ministry of the Word of God, did not accompany
The miracles. That's vitally important. What
accompanied what? What is significant? What is
the priority? The message. Paul's preaching,
his teaching, the ministry of the Word of God.
The miracles supported. The miracles accompanied
the ministry of the Word. We read in Acts chapter
8. Verse 6 of Philip. The crowds with one accord
were giving attention to what was said by Philip
as they heard and saw the signs which he was
performing. The signs and the wonders supported
the message. They were listening because of what
they were seeing. They were listening because
of what they were hearing. We read in Acts chapter
14. Verse 6 or verse 3. Therefore, they spent
a long time there speaking boldly with reliance
upon the Lord. He was testifying to the word
of his grace, granting that signs and wonders
be done by their hands. What does that text tell
us about the purpose? Of miracles. The purpose
of the miracles in Ephesus. It was the Lord himself.
Bearing witness to the truthfulness. The accuracy.
And the validity. Of the message that the apostles
spoke. As the word of God. That's what they did.
That's why God was doing these things. In Ephesus.
To show the veracity. And the accuracy. Of. The
message. Signs and wonders served the Word. Not
the other way around. And the economy of redemption
and the advancement of the church in the book
of Acts, brothers and sisters, signs and wonders
are not an end in and of themselves. They serve
another end. The goal of signs and wonders is
the word of the living God. That's why they existed.
What has primacy in God's plan for the advancement
of the church? Signs or wonders or the word of
God? The message. The message. One has priority
and God himself is bearing witness to that reality
in this text. God is saying the message is important.
Therefore, I work signs and wonders to demonstrate
the importance of the message. Why is it that
that's so backwards at times? Brothers and sisters,
why do people want to make the extraordinary
that which is normative and spurn that which
is normative because of the extraordinary? When
God himself says the message is significant.
The signs and wonders support and strengthen
and bolster and validate and confirm the message.
It's because of our sinful flesh, brothers and
sisters. It's because we're always chasing after
experience. It's because we're always chasing
after a high in some ways. It's because we're
always chasing after being emotionally worked
up. We want to feel something. But listen, brothers
and sisters, that is not antithetical to the
Word of God. In this, if the Word of God is rightly
proclaimed, if the Word of God is rightly preached,
and, brethren, there's no more signs and wonders.
If the Word of God is rightly preached, without
signs and wonders, you will feel something. God
will work in your soul. He will stir your soul.
He will change you and transform you. And we
don't have to have signs and wonders for the
Word to accomplish its will in our lives. Why?
Because of the flesh. Because of the sinful desire
of men for something more. For something they
can lay a hold of. Something they can touch and
feel and know through. Their senses. This necessarily
indicates. That God. Is demonstrating. His priorities.
And the accomplishment. Of his mission. The message.
Takes priority. Over the signs. And wonders.
God was working all of these things. God was
authenticating. Paul's ministry. God was showing
the superiority of his power to every other power
in Ephesus. And God himself was proving the veracity
of his own message that he has given to the apostle.
God is intimately involved in this work of growing
the church and changing lives through the gospel
in Ephesus. We're shown. The necessity, brothers
and sisters, of cultivating spiritual mindedness
concerning God and His work. Meaning this. We
are plagued by forgetfulness of God and His work
in our lives. We can't shake it. We can't get
rid of it. We can pray. Say, Lord, walk with
me. Talk with me. Keep me close to you. We can
pray and then we can get up and we can move on.
And five minutes later, we've forgotten the Lord.
We can come to church. We can fellowship. We
can sing songs. We can hear a message. We can
take the Lord's Supper. And the Lord has never
even entered our minds. Because we are plagued.
With forgetfulness of God. Therefore we must
cultivate. Spiritual mindedness. Meaning we are
cognizant. Of him. And his work in our lives.
We are cognizant of his role. In the work of
the church. We are cognizant and we are conscious
of what He is doing, what He wants to do, what
He will do, and what He has done in the life
of the church. It's not about us. Isn't that
what Luke wants us to see from this text? Doesn't
Luke want us to see that God was in fact working
in Ephesus, not just Paul? He wants us to understand
that God is active and working, and without Him,
the mission will not be accomplished. Without
His blessing, without His work, without His effective
power, there will be no success in the ministry
of the Gospel. Without His blessing upon the
work, upon the preaching of the Gospel, upon
fellowship, on our own study of the Word of God,
if the Spirit of God does not take the means,
the Word of God, if He does not do that, then
our sanctification, will not progress as it ought
to. We need His work in our lives and we need
to see it, brothers and sisters. How many times
do we hear conversations about the church and
the world? The church and the culture. And there's
a whole discussion. It can go on and it can go
on. But there's one thing that's completely and
totally missing out of that whole conversation.
God. His power. What He can do. What He has done
in and through the Gospel. Listen, we are carnal
minded. We think about ourselves. We view things
with reference to ourselves. We have to cultivate
our mind and our soul to think with reference
to the living God and His gospel and His power.
That's what we have to do. We have to work at
it, brothers and sisters. It's hard. We have
to train our mind, train our hearts, train our
thinking to do it. We have to practice it. We
have to pray and ask God for help in it. God,
help me to be with you today. Help me to be like
the psalmist and recognize that all my ways are
before you. That I'm always in your presence.
That I never leave you. Help me to understand
that and be conscious of that reality. Help me
not to move on past you today. Help me not to
simply think about myself and my situation, but
help me, Lord. to be spiritually minded regarding
you and your work in my life. We have to remember
that we have the message that God is pleased
with, that God delights in, and that God works
for. We have the message which Paul proclaimed,
brothers and sisters. We have... The message
that God accompanied in signs and wonders. Where
do we have that message? We have it in scriptures,
brothers and sisters. We have the message that
God recognized as true. That God worked on behalf
of. That God validated and confirmed. We have
the truth of the scriptures and that must be
our focus. Listen, if we have the Scriptures,
if we have the Word of God, if we have the message
that God blessed and God worked for and God worked
through, then we have to focus on that. We have
to give our time to that. We have to give our
mind to that. We have to give our hearts to that.
Not the things like miracles. We have to focus
on the Word of the living God. We can't expect
to spurn God's truth, God's message, and expect
God to bless us. If Paul was a false apostle,
God would not have worked on behalf of him. God
would not have blessed Paul. Brothers and sisters,
we have to love the message. We have to give
ourselves to knowing the Scriptures. The truth
of God's Word. We have to be the kind of people,
the kind of church, the kind of Christians that
God will bless and work through as a people.
We have to become faithful in our lives. We have
to pursue holiness and godliness. Because those
are the kind of folks that God works through.
That God works in. Those who are faithful to
Him. He will not accompany us with signs and
wonders. He won't accompany the ministry of the
Word of God with signs and wonders, brothers
and sisters. But listen. He can give His Spirit
in greater measure or lesser degree. He can bless
and He can not bless. He can work in larger ways
and smaller ways. And we have to put ourselves
in a place where we are faithful. In our lives
individually and as a church. By loving the Word
of God. That which is normative. Not that which
is extraordinary. If we gave ourselves to the
extraordinary, if we gave ourselves to that which
is insignificant in the scheme of redemption,
if we gave ourselves to that which God has not
ordained, to that which God has not given us
precedent in the Word of God, if we give ourselves
to that which is not helpful and edifying in
the life of the church or in our lives, if we
commit and give our lives to those things, brothers
and sisters, why in the world? Would we expect
the Lord to bless us? To work in and through
us? But listen. He's given us the message. He's
given us the Scriptures, the Word of God. Let
us give ourselves and focus on the Scriptures.
The normative things. Let us focus on the Word
of God. Let us focus on the ordinances. Let us
focus on worship. Let us seek to be faithful
in our lives. Let us seek to be faithful as a
church and as a body and see what the Lord does.
Because that's what we want, isn't it? We want
to be faithful. We want to honor Him and please
Him and glorify Him. And that's how we do it.
We're also exhorted to believe the message that
God confirms. I'm reminded of Hebrews chapter
2. We read this. For this reason, we must pay
much closer attention to what we have heard,
so that we do not drift away from it. For if
the word spoken through angels proved unalterable,
and every transgression and disobedience received
just penalty, How will we escape if we neglect
so great a salvation? After it was at the first
spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to
us by those who heard, meaning the apostles.
God also testified with them both by signs and
wonders and by various miracles and by gifts
in the Holy Spirit according to His own will.
What the author of Hebrews here is saying, listen,
If unbelief was punished under Old Covenant,
Old Testament revelation, then unbelief will
be punished and dealt out under the revelation
we have in Christ that's canonized in the Scriptures
more severely. And we can't escape it. It's been
confirmed. Brothers and sisters, The Word of
God is true. Understand that. Whether you believe
it or not, it is true. Believe it. Receive it.
Lay hold of the realities in it. Ask the Lord
for help in it. But if you do not believe the
Scriptures, then you reject Jesus Christ and
you reject eternal salvation. There is no hope
outside of what is revealed in the Holy Scriptures
for your never dying eternal soul and you know
you have one. Every single person has knowledge
of God, but you suppress it in unrighteousness.
Believe the Word of God. Believe the message
that God Himself put forth. And obey it. Come
to Christ in repentance and faith.