And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking
out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading
them about the kingdom of God. But when some
were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking
evil of the way before the people, he withdrew
from them and took away the disciples, reasoning
daily in the school of Tyrannus. This took place
for two years. so that all who lived in Asia
heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
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. But also some of the Jewish exorcists,
who 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. Seven sons of one Sceva,
a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 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 the evil spirit leaped on
them and subdued all of them and overpowered
them so that they fled out of the house, that
house, naked and wounded. This became known to
all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus,
and fear fell upon all, and the name of the Lord
Jesus was being magnified. Many also of those
who had believed kept coming, and confessing
and disclosing their practices. And many of those
who practiced magic brought their books together
and began burning them in the sight of everyone.
And they counted up the price of them and found
it 50 ,000 pieces of silver. So the word of the
Lord was growing mightily and prevailing. The
emphasis of... Our exposition today is going
to be in verse 20. So the word of the Lord was
growing mightily and prevailing. In this text,
I want us all to consider Luke's understanding
of the gospel and its work in Ephesus. I want
us to consider... Luke's view, his perspective
of what gospel success really, truly is. I want
us to consider in this text Luke's understanding
of the advancement, of the increase, the multiplication,
the growth, the spreading of the gospel in this
world. What does it mean that the church is established?
What does it mean that the kingdom of God come
forth and break forth into this world? What does
it mean, brothers and sisters, that God work
in this world? Luke helps us understand this.
He shows us clearly what his perspective of true
gospel progress and true gospel success is in
verse 1. Now, I think it's important for all
of us that know Christ, that we see gospel success
and gospel progress and the work of God the same
way that the inspired author sees gospel success.
So, if Luke has a certain perspective regarding
the Word of God, Regarding God's work in this
world. Then we should view it the same way. If
we want to truly understand how God works in
this world. Now there's several reasons that
this is really important. That we understand
the nature of gospel progress and gospel success.
It's important because we as fallen creatures
will always. have a tendency to measure and make
judgments and determine whether something is
effective or ineffective, successful or unsuccessful,
based on things which are tangible. Things which
can be seen and felt. Things which are known
by our senses. Things which are worldly. Things
which are quantifiable in a sense. Things which
are carnal. Things which are earthly. We always
have that tendency as people. Everybody. It's
part of our nature in living in this world. So
we need to understand Luke's perspective on this
in particular because of that. But we also need
to understand this because of pragmatism. And
because... of certain movements in Christianity
throughout the ages and throughout the world
today that are solely based on application and
doing in the world. Many times these movements
and these pragmatic movements will say, well,
it doesn't work, therefore our theology must
be... But here's my question. Here's my question.
What if our definition of success is wrong and
we're deducing incorrectly based off of that
false, wrong definition? That's important that
we understand the nature of true gospel success.
We've got to, brothers and sisters. But we also
need to understand this because if we have a
wrong definition of what it means for the gospel,
to succeed, and God to work in the world, then
there's many people who could think, well, God
is blessing me, God is working, God is using
me, God is present, God is in our midst. But
if they're measuring that based on the wrong
definition of success, then in reality, God very
well may not be in their midst. God very well
may not be blessing them, and God very well may
not. Be at work in that place. But you could
go the other way as well. If we don't understand
the nature of true gospel success. Then it's
easy to get discouraged. If we're basing it off
of the wrong thing. Or we have the wrong idea
of what it means. Meaning. Well I don't see this.
I don't understand this. I don't recognize that
God is doing this. Therefore. God isn't working,
but brothers and sisters, what if he is in fact
working, but your understanding of gospel success
and progress is wrong? It's vitally important
that we understand Luke's perspective on the
success of the gospel in Ephesus. And that we
understand it for ourselves. So that we're not
disheartened. discouraged and despairing, and
so that we are rightly confident and bold as
we ought to be as believers in Jesus Christ,
knowing that God is at work. So how does Luke
view the success of the gospel in Ephesus? First,
he attributes the success of the gospel. to the
word of the Lord. What does he say? So the word
of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.
What is the word of the Lord? Well, it's the
gospel message, brothers and sisters. It's the
gospel message that Paul was proclaiming, that
Paul was preaching in Ephesus. It's the gospel
message that... had Christ as its center. The
message of the kingdom and the Messiah and God's
work and God's coming and taking on flesh. It's
the word of God. It's the full counsel of God.
It's apostolic doctrine as proclaimed in the
apostles. This terminology of the word of the
Lord carries with it A couple different emphases.
It carries with it the emphasis of divine authority
and divine origin and divine agency. So what
is Luke saying about the nature of gospel success
by attributing the work in Ephesus to the word
of the Lord? Brothers and sisters, here's what
he's saying. He's saying this work, everything
we read about in verses 8 through 20, all of
this work, brothers and sisters, it's of God.
It's from God. It's because of the Lord. It's
of divine origin. It has a divine source to it.
And it has divine authority. It's rooted and
grounded in divine and authoritative revelation
of God. It's not. A human work. It's not a man
-made convention. It's not a man -word work or
a man -centered work that his breath is about.
One might be tempted to think that this would
be a summary of Paul's work. One might be tempted
to think that this would be a summary of the
great apostles' efforts and labors and service
in Ephesus. But it's not. The work is attributed
to the Lord and His divine word. The gospel success
has a divine and sovereign source and authority
to it. It's from God. It's not from man. It's
God working through the word of God in that place.
That's what it is. It's God, it's the risen Lord
Jesus Christ from heaven, working through His
Word, through the message that's proclaimed by
the Apostle Paul. It's not that it's Paul and
he's not involved at all. He is. But listen,
it's Christ from heaven working for His kingdom.
It's Christ from heaven working for His church.
It's Christ working. Paul doesn't emphasize man
in this. He attributes it to God so that God
gets the glory, so that God gets the honor and
the recognition. God's work is preeminently and
chiefly through his word. That means that in
this world, God works where, brothers and sisters?
In and through his word. That means that God
works in this church. Where? In and through His
Word. That means, brothers and sisters, that
God works in your family. Where? In and through
His Word. That means, brothers and sisters, that
God works in and through mission. Where? His
Word. That means that God works in individuals
and people. He works in individual Christians
who know Christ. He works in individuals. who
love Christ, He works in individuals who are
struggling and have difficulties in life. How
does He work in their life? In and through the
Word of God. So if we're not in the Word of God,
should we expect that God be working in His life
as He would be if we were in the Word of God?
We can't say, oh, God's not working in my life.
He's not doing anything in and through me. Well,
are you meditating on the scriptures? Are you
thinking about the word of God? Are you asking
God to reveal himself and manifest himself through
the word that he gave to us? Is God speaking
to you through his word regularly so that he
can work in you and through you because those
are the appointed means that he has given? to
do so. Brothers and sisters, God works in and
through His Word in this world, in the church,
on mission, and in our lives personally. No wonder
the devil is always out to supplant, to replace,
and to do away with the Word of God, to take
our focus and our mind off the Word of God. to
get our attention off of it, and anything else.
Isn't that exactly what he's been doing since
the beginning? What did he do in the garden?
He sought to supplant the Word of God. Has God
really said? The devil doesn't want us in the
Word of God. The devil doesn't want you in the
Word of God. He doesn't want God working in you
through the Word of God. He knows how to hurt
you. He knows how to bring detriment and pain
and suffering into your life. And that's to get
you out of the Word. Brothers and sisters, we
have to be in the Word of the living God. If
it's trivial, menial, insignificant, and leftovers
in your life, Don't expect to be what you ought
to be as a believer in Jesus Christ. If it's
trivial, menial, and insignificant in the life
of a church, that church should not ought to
expect that they will be full of life and vitality
and power and blessing of God. But brothers and
sisters, there's another side to it as well.
If a church or a person is... faithfully giving
themselves to the means that God has given to
us, then we have to, by faith, believe that He
is working in and through our lives, regardless
of whether we see it, whether we recognize it,
whether we understand it or not. Do you understand
that? If you are being faithful, and you are
in the Word of God, and you're actively submitting
your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ through the
Word of God, you're asking God, God, speak to
me through your Word. I want to know you better
through your Word. I want to know you more, and
I want to know you better in greater ways. I
want to know your presence in further and greater
ways. I want to know your work in my soul in
further and greater ways in my life. Listen to
me. If you're doing that, then you have every
reason to expect that God is going to grow you
in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Take heart, believer. Be bold. Be confident
in the Lord if you are giving yourself to the
means that He has divinely appointed to work
in this world. He's not left us alone. Listen.
He's not left us empty -handed. He has given
us the Word of God. And He will work in and through
the Word of God. Believe those promises. Appropriate
those specific promises by faith to your very
soul. So we see that Luke attributes the success
of the Gospel to the Word of God. So we see that...
Luke attributes the success of the Gospel to
the Word of God. It's not of man, it's not from
man, it's of God, and it's through His Word that
God works. That was true in Ephesus, and that's
true of us today, brothers and sisters. We have
to believe the promises regarding the Word, but
we have to also understand that if we're not
in the Word, and we're not giving ourselves to
the Word as we ought, then we shouldn't expect
that God is working in our lives as He would
be if we were in that Word. Secondly, we see
that Luke sees it as the Word growing mightily.
He says in verse 20, The word of the Lord was
growing mightily. Now, that's an interesting
way of putting it. How does the word of the Lord
grow mightily? How does it, we could say, blossom
in the world, in a place, in a people, in a person?
How does maturation come to the word of God progressively?
How is it strengthened and advanced? How is it
grown and spread in this world? I think Luke
helps us with this. I think that we can answer
that question in the following ways. The Word
grows mightily in Ephesus because the ministry
of the Word continued and increased in Ephesus.
Do you remember Paul went from being in the synagogue?
He was preaching and teaching. He was persuading.
And then he had to leave the synagogue. And where
did he go? The school of Tyrannus. And it was
at the school of Tyrannus that he gave himself
more extensively to the preaching of God's Word,
to the exhortation and the teaching of the people
in Ephesus, to seeking the conversion of sinners
in Ephesus. So we see that the ministry of the
Word itself grew. That the ministry of the Word
itself expanded and increased in Ephesus. We
could look at Acts chapter 12, verse 24, and
Luke alludes to this. He says in Acts chapter
12, verse 24, in another summary statement, He
says, but the word of the Lord continued to grow
and to be multiplied. Now, what is this text
summarizing? It's summarizing the reality that
the word of God continued to be promulgated,
that the word of God continued to go forth, that
the word of God continued to be proclaimed, that
it couldn't be stopped, but that it proceeded
forth in power by the apostle Peter in that.
specific instance. So the word in Ephesus was
continuing, but it was also increasing in that
place. We can also answer the question of how
did it grow in this way? True knowledge of the
word spread far and wide. If we look in Acts
chapter 19, verse 10, we read this took place.
for two years, so that all who lived in Asia
heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
What's it talking about? Knowledge of the Gospel
was spreading like wildfire. Knowledge concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ was spreading everywhere.
And people were... hearing it, and they were
being exposed to it, and some of them were understanding
it, and some of them were being converted by
it. They were coming to a greater and a better
knowledge of who Christ was and what he did.
Jew and Gentile all over Asia Minor. It was spreading
like wildfire in that area. We see also that
it grew because those... Saved by the word. Were
multiplied greatly. We read in Acts chapter 6.
Verse 4. In the life of the early church. Earlier
than where we're at now. I'm sorry in verse 7.
Acts chapter 6 verse 7. Listen to what this says.
The word of God kept on spreading. And the number
of disciples continued to increase greatly in
Jerusalem. And a great many of the priests were
becoming obedient to the faith. So how did the
word grow in that area, brothers and sisters?
How did the word grow in Ephesus? Listen, more
and more and more and more people were being
converted by the very word that was being spread.
The Gospel is being proclaimed. The Gospel is
going forth. And men and women were being converted
by that Gospel. They were coming to know the
Gospel. Their lives were being transformed and
changed by the Gospel. Those disciples were being
strengthened and edified and built up. So it's
not just that the word was being sounded forth
and people were hearing it with their ears, but
brothers and sisters, it's a reality that the
gospel is going forth in power by the apostle
and that men and women were being converted because
they were hearing it in their hearts and they
were being changed. They were becoming converts
to Christianity. The word of God caused them
to be born again to a living hope and made them
new creatures in Christ. And those disciples
weren't just growing in their head knowledge,
but they were growing deep and strong roots as
disciples in the Lord Jesus Christ. So the Word
of God was spreading. It was growing. The disciples'
knowledge of the Word was strengthened. The effects
and the power of the Word was going forth, being
enjoyed and experienced by many, many people
in that time and in that place. This is really
what we want. We want the Word to grow. This
is what you want in your life, and this is what
I want in my life. This is what we want in the
life of this church. This is what we want in
this place, in this area. This is what we want
in this people. And that's what we want in our
families, brothers and sisters. We don't want
mommy's opinion or daddy's opinion to grow. We
don't want the pastor's opinion to grow. We don't
want people's perspectives to grow. What do we
want to grow and to multiply and increase? The
word of the living God. That which is divine
and authoritative and powerful and life -changing.
That's what we want to increase and to spread
far and wide all over. But it's also what we
want to strengthen us and make us deep and strong
and rooted and grounded in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Causing us to know Him and love Him better. Is
the Word of God growing in your life? Ask yourself
that question. Is the Word of God increasing
in your life? Is the Word of God multiplying?
Is it flourishing in your life? Can you tell
consciously that the Word is bubbling? That the
Word is trying to come up and trying to come
out? Can you tell that it's affecting and changing
you, brothers and sisters? Or is it just a little
teeny tiny voice in the bottom that you suppress
and you don't listen to and you don't want to
hear because it's hard and it's painful and it's
discomfort? Brothers and sisters, the design
of the Word of God and the design of Christ for
His people is that the Word of the living God
flourish and thrive and grow in your soul. Don't
tell me. That the Word is growing in your life
if you spend five minutes in there a week. Don't
tell me that the Word of God is growing in your
life if you can't remember the last thing you
read. Don't tell me the Word of God is growing
in your life if you don't think about it at all
during the day. Brothers and sisters, it's in
the Word that the Spirit of God bears witness
to the risen Jesus Christ. If we want to know
Christ by faith more, we have to know His Word
in greater ways. Is it growing in you? What's
the Word of God doing in your life? How is it
challenging you? How is it confronting you? How
is it affecting you? How is it convicting you?
Is it revealing the presumptuous? hidden faults
of your hearts that not even you see? Is it showing
you the errors of your way? Is it showing you
the arrogance and the pride in your heart? Is
it showing you the immorality and the perversion
that lies deep down in your heart that not even
you knows about? Brothers and sisters, that's
what the Word of God does. And that's why it
needs to grow and increase and flourish and multiply
in your very soul. That's the design of our risen
Lord, to be sanctified and holy and godly in
our lives. That His Word dwell deeply within
us and dwell richly within us. That we hide it
in our hearts that we might not sin against Him.
Is the Word increasing in your soul? Not your
neighbor's soul. Not your brother or your sister's
soul. Not your mom or your dad's soul. Not the
person sitting next to you. Not the person sitting
on the other side of you. But is it growing in
your own soul? That's the question we each have
to wrestle with. Every single one of us. That's
the question we have to wrestle with every single
day as we think about the Word of the Living
God. What's it doing in your life? Because that's
the way God works in our life. That's the way
God strengthens us and encourages us. Now, amazingly
enough, in this text, we think about the word
growing and flourishing. But in this text, Luke
understands that the word isn't just growing.
That it's not just increasing, but what does
he say? He says that it's growing mightily. That
it's increasing and spreading mightily. That
word carries this idea of according to power.
So the word in Ephesus is growing according to
power. But whose power is the word? growing from.
What's divine power? It's the power of God that
works in and through the words of God. Maybe
it's alluding to the miraculous things that accompanied
Paul's preaching in Ephesus. Maybe that's why
he says that it's growing mightily. Maybe Luke
is alluding to the fact that There was visible
demonstrations and visible signs and wonders
and miracles that accompanied and associated
the message that Paul proclaimed. Or maybe, most
likely, I think what he's alluding to is the
fact that when the Word of God is effective and
powerful in any way, it's because the divine
and sovereign power of God is accompanying that
Word, the Spirit. Of God. The need. Today. Is
the same as it was. Then. The need. Is for the
word of God. But it's also brothers and sisters.
For the spirit. Of God. The word. By itself.
Is not enough. The Word by itself, when it's
spoken, and the Spirit of God does not bless
it, and the Spirit of God is not accompanying
it, and the Spirit of God is not with it, blessing
it, working in and through it. Brothers and sisters,
even the Word is vain. It must be the Word and
the power, the Spirit, at work with the Word.
I love this text, and I love this section of
Scripture. Because it reminds us that God worked
in a certain way in Ephesus. Through His Word
and by His Spirit. But brothers and sisters,
it also reminds us, and this is why it's so encouraging,
that that's still the way that God works. God
still works through His Word and by His Spirit.
And if He worked like that in Ephesus then and
there at that time, do you know what that means
for us today? Do you know what that means for
you today? Do you know what that means for the
life of our church? Do you know what that means
for Christianity and the world today? That means,
brothers and sisters, that God can do mighty
and powerful things just like He did in Ephesus.
He can do this very thing and ring the heavens
and pour down His Spirit. And He can convert
sinners. And He doesn't have to do it in small
groups. He can do it in big ways. He can do it
in one, two, three, hundreds or even thousands
of people. This is the nature of true revival
in the world. And history bears witness to it.
Brothers and sisters, I fear sometimes that our
understanding of the Word of God as the ordinary
means of grace has caused us to forget. The extraordinary
and supernatural power at work in and through
the Word to do extraordinary things in the life
of the church. There's nothing ordinary about
the Spirit of God and the power of the Spirit
that accompanies the Word of the living God.
He did it then. He can do it now. He can work
in such a way then, and He can work in such a
way now, and He has worked in such ways throughout
history. Do you long for God to move, for God
to work in mightier and bigger and greater ways
in your life, in the life of your church, in
the life of your family, in the life of your
town, in the life of your world? Brothers and
sisters, do you long for that? Do you hunger
and thirst for God to act? Do you hunger and
thirst and look for and pray for and long for
God to move in mighty ways to such a degree that
men and women look upon it and they say, that
must be of God. That's what we need. We need
God to act like He acted in Ephesus. That's what
we need in our lives, personally. And that's
what we need in our church. And that's what we
need in our world. God to act. God to move. God
to save sinners through His Word. To extend His
sovereign power in this world in mighty, mighty
ways. So Luke understands that the work in Ephesus
is of the Lord. And the success of the Gospel
is according to the Word of God. But he also
sees it as the Word growing mightily. Or the
Word growing and increasing, spreading, multiplying,
and flourishing according to the power of God.
But we also see that he understands the Word
to be prevailing. He says in verse 20, Also at
the end of the verse. So the word of the Lord
was growing mightily and prevailing. Luke now
portrays the word or the gospel in terms of its
impact in Ephesus and in the life of sinners.
When we think about the gospel impacting people,
we could think. Or the gospel being impactful
and effective and working and changing and transforming
things. We could think about all the miraculous
healings that took place in Ephesus. We don't
know how many there were, but we know that they
were present. We could think about the lives
that were changed as a result of those miraculous
healings. We could say the gospel is prevailing.
We could think about... The demons, the evil
spirits that were cast out. They were driven
out by the power of the living God. We could
think about that. We can say the word was prevailing.
And surely it was. We could think about the seven
sons of one Sceva. And that whole situation and
the true knowledge of God spreading far and wide
in Ephesus. and this fear, this reverence coming
over the city, and Christ's name being magnified
and exalted and revered among men. We could say
that the word was prevailing. But we have to
remember the word so. The very first word in
verse 20. So the word of the Lord was growing
mightily and prevailing. What comes directly
prior to... this summary statement. What happened?
What was transformed? What was so effective?
What was made to be so drastically different?
These people, these individuals who are converted
by the gospel, who used to be practitioners of
these evil arts, and now they've come to the
church and they confess their sins and their
participation, and... They burn their books.
So what is it that's been transformed and so
changed that Luke would say the gospel is prevailing
in Ephesus? It's the fact that sinners are being
converted to Christ and the church of Jesus Christ
is being established in the world. The gospel
prevails in the many converts, in the establishment
of the church. in Ephesus. You cannot tell me
that that is not what Luke is summarizing here.
He's summarizing the work of the gospel in the
life of people and the transforming, effective
power it brings. It changes dead men to be living
men. It brings men out of darkness into life
and it rewires everything. It makes them new
creatures in Christ. And this has certain effects
with it. And we see that take place in Ephesus.
When men and women are changed. When men and
women are transformed and really, really changed
by the Gospel. Meaning God takes out their old
dead heart and gives them a new heart and makes
them live according and in His precepts and in
His law. Because of Christ and the work of Christ
in the Gospel. When that happens, there are effects.
But those effects are indirect with regards to
the Gospel. They're indirect effects, we could
say, with regards to the Gospel and the purpose
of the Gospel. So we see, That Luke understands
the gospel to be successful in Ephesus. Why?
Because men are being converted. Because men
are coming to Christ. Men are coming to love
the Lord Jesus when they used to hate Him and
there was enmity between Him and Christ. He's
bringing men to Himself. and changing them individually
and personally, and establishing His church in
this place. That's the epitome of gospel success.
That's the essence of what it means for Christ's
kingdom to come in this life and this world now,
brothers and sisters, until the coming day of
Christ's return and is visible, tangible. Kingdom
is established. That's why we pray the way we
do in the catechism. That men would believe and
obey the gospel. Because Christ's kingdom comes
into this world by coming into men's hearts and
changing them and transforming them. So what's
the business of the church? What's the business
of the believer, brothers and sisters? What's
our mission? Our mission is to proclaim the Gospel
and to see men and women come to Christ. That
men and women would be converted to the Lord
Jesus Christ. That they would be born again.
That's what the church is about. That's what
the Gospel does. And there are certain indirect
effects that come as a result of that. We see
that later in the book of Ephesus. And we'll
talk about that later. That when men are changed,
the culture and society and the world are affected
and they are changed. It is impacted by the gospel
and the transformation of sinners, brothers and
sisters. But we don't start there. We don't start
there and work our way back, do we? What's the
mission of the church? Conversion of sinners
and the strengthening of disciples. The establishment
of the church. And the effects come as they will.
Brothers and sisters, history bears witness and
testifies to the reality that when revival comes,
reformation follows. Not permanently. but for
an indefinite period. But reformation doesn't
come until what? Revival comes. Life change doesn't
come until regeneration comes. Transformation
in our own life doesn't come until the Word is
implanted and we are converted. Brothers and
sisters, reformation comes following true, genuine
revival. That's the job, that's the business
of the church of Jesus Christ. To preach and
proclaim repentance of sins and justification
by faith alone that men can come to know the
Lord Jesus Christ by faith and repentance. That's
the function of the church and that's what Luke
sees the gospel as being successful.