About that time there occurred no small disturbance
concerning the way. For a man named Demetrius,
a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis,
was bringing no little business to the craftsmen.
These he gathered together with the workmen of
similar trades and said, Men, you know that our
prosperity depends upon this business. You see
and hear. Then not only in Ephesus, but in almost
all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned
away a considerable number of people, saying
that gods made with hands are no gods at all.
Not only is there danger that this trade of ours
fall into disrepute, but also that the temple
of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless.
and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship
will even be dethroned from her magnificence.
When they heard this and were filled with rage,
they began crying out, saying, Great is Artemis
of the Ephesians. The city was filled with confusion,
and they rushed with one accord into the theater.
dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's
traveling companions from Macedonia. And when
Paul wanted to go into the assembly, the disciples
would not let him. Also, some of the Asiarps,
who were friends of his, sent to him and repeatedly
urged him not to venture into the theater. So
then, Some were shouting one thing and some another,
for the assembly was in confusion, and the majority
did not know for what reason they had come together.
Some of the crowd concluded it was Alexander,
since the Jews had put him forward, and having
motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending
to make a defense to the assembly. But when they
recognized that he was a Jew, A single outcry
arose from them all as they shouted for about
two hours, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!
After quieting the crowd, the town clerk said,
Men of Ephesus, what man is there among all who
does not know that the city of the Ephesians
is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis
and of the image which fell down from heaven?
So, Since these are undeniable facts, you ought
to keep calm and to do nothing rash. For you
have brought these men here who are neither robbers
of the temples nor blasphemers of our goddess.
So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are
with him have a complaint against any man, the
courts are in session. and procouncils are available.
Let them bring charges against one another. But
if you want anything beyond this, it shall be
settled in the lawful assembly. For indeed, we
are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection
with today's events, since there is no real cause
for it, and in this connection we will be unable
to account for this disorderly gathering. After
saying this, he dismissed the assembly. There's
a common misconception regarding Christianity
in the world today, and it's nothing new to today,
but this misconception says that Christianity
is something that's helpful to one's life. It
offers them a means of escape from the difficulties
of daily life. If they would be a part of Christianity,
then their life is surely going to improve. They'll
become more moral. The Christian religion will
offer them therapy and help and aid, improvement
in their life to a degree. If you really trust
in the Lord, then probably most of the issues
in your life are going to fall to the wayside.
God's going to do good things for you. He's going
to prosper you. He's going to bless you. He's
going to remove all the major difficulties. He's
going to take care of everything in your life.
That's a misconception about what Christianity
is. The reality is Christianity is something
much greater. Christianity is something much
different than that. Christianity is greater
than that, and then it's not something we simply
add on to our life. It's not something that we
act as an appendage to our life. Christianity
is a work of God. That completely and totally
transforms a person. That changes them. That
radically reorients everything about them. Christianity
actually reconciles sinners. People, living,
breathing people on this planet who are made
in the image of God. Christianity actually reconciles
the gospel of Christ. God reconciles people,
men, to their creator who made them. So that
they can live in right relationship with the
God who made them. And as a result of that, that
God works in them. That God changes them and
transforms them. That God guides them and directs
them. He brings them through death. He doesn't
forget them. That God will receive them into
glory. That God will return and vindicate and
justify everything he's said and everything he's
done. And that God will give them the new heavens
and the new earth wherein righteousness dwells.
And they will be with him for all eternity. All
because of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ
on the cross. Christianity is much greater than
something that helps us, that aids us in life.
The cults do that, brothers and sisters. Mormonism
can do that. Jehovah's Witnesses can do that.
There's many other realities in the world that
can help us and can make our lives better, but
none of those religions reconcile a man to the
living God. That's what Christianity and the
gospel of Christ actually does. Now, just because
that's the reality of what Christianity is, that
doesn't mean that we're going to be free of difficulty
in our life. That doesn't mean that God is going
to take away all the mistreatment in our lives.
That doesn't mean that God's going to take away
all the valleys. That doesn't mean that God's
going to take away all the struggles and the
hardships and the rough things of life. Those
remain. Those stay in the life of the believer.
But the believer is enabled because of the gospel
to meet those things head on because of the work
of the Lord Jesus Christ in them and through
them because of what? He has done. They're able
to respond differently than the world to hardship,
to trials, to opposition, to suffering, to unjust
treatment, to mistreatment in our lives. Christians
are enabled because of the divine work of God
in the gospel. To live and act and respond differently
to everything than the world around them. The
Spirit of God dwells within them. Not in the
world. They are justified by Christ's righteousness.
They have been born again. They are being sanctified.
They will be sanctified until they are glorified.
Until they are brought into heaven and then Christ
will glorify them. Christians are different because
of the work of God. Christianity is different
because of the work of God. And because of that,
the church and believers respond differently
to difficulties, hardship, and many other things
in life. We're going to return to Acts 19 today.
In Acts 19, this may be our last exposition of
this chapter. We're going to cover the entirety
of this. And I want to cover two things today.
The source of this disturbance. And then the
character of this disturbance. So as we conclude
this, just to review a bit, we've seen this mighty
work of God in Ephesus, haven't we? We've seen
this. Great move of the Spirit of God. We've
seen the mighty preaching of the Apostle. We've
seen the church established and the church built.
And as a result of all these people being transformed
in Ephesus, Ephesus itself is starting to feel
the effects of the church in the world at that
time. Now, as the Gospel is doing mighty and
great things in Ephesus, it starts impacting
and affecting the lives of those in the culture,
in the world, and society around them. One such
man is Demetrius, who we read about in verse
24. A man named Demetrius. We know his background,
we know what he's doing, we know his role, we
know what comes of... We know what he does in
this, so we don't need to review that. But we
do need to consider the source of this disturbance.
It's very important for us to understand this.
So first, let's consider the source of this disturbance
in Ephesus. Or this unrest, we could say this
riot. However, we might define it or characterize
it. So in considering the source of it, I want
us to think about the ultimate reasons for this
unrest and for this disturbance in Ephesus. We
say, well, yeah, that's easy. It's Demetrius.
It's this man, this unbelieving man. But there's
more going on below the surface that's creating
this hostility. And we've already mentioned a
few of these, and we've touched on them briefly
in past messages, but I want us to think about
this again with clarity. What is it that's underneath
the surface? What is it that's unseen, that's
taking place, that's causing this disturbance?
That's causing this opposition to the gospel?
Yes, it's this man, Demetrius, but even more
than the man. What's going on in the man? What's
taking place under the surface of Demetrius?
What's taking place in his heart? What's causing
this man to act like this toward the message
of the gospel, toward the truth, brothers and
sisters? I think we all know the answer. It's
sin. It's a sin nature. Ephesians chapter 2 helps
us a great deal in understanding what's going
on, ultimately, that causes hostility towards
the gospel. We read in Ephesians chapter 2, Verse
1, And you are dead in your trespasses and sins,
in which you formerly walked according to the
course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, of the spirit that is
now working in the sons of disobedience. And
then listen to this, Among them we too all formerly
lived in the lusts of our flesh. indulging the
desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were
by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
That's pretty deep. That explains a good deal
about what's taking place in Demetrius that would
cause him to revolt against the gospel, to hate
the gospel. We read in Ephesians chapter 5, starting
in verse 7. Chapter 4 starting in verse 17. So
this I say and affirm together with the Lord
that you walk no longer as the Gentiles also
walk in the futility of their mind. And listen
to this. Talking about the Gentiles in Ephesus.
Talking about pagan worshippers. Talking about
Artemis worshippers. Being darkened in their
understanding. excluded from the life of God
because of the ignorance that is in them, because
of the hardness of their heart. And they, having
become callous, have given themselves over to
sensuality for the practice of every kind of
impurity and greediness. So what's going on underneath
the surface that would cause this man? To be
so hostile to the preaching of Paul. Brothers
and sisters, he's dead in his trespasses. Brothers
and sisters, he's the son of disobedience. Brothers
and sisters, he's a pawn of the devil. Brothers
and sisters, his mind is darkened. And he is
giving himself over to every form of greed and
corruption and wickedness in his heart. That's
what's the deal with this man. There's enmity
in him because the gospel is pushing back against
the things his heart so desperately longs for.
Because his heart so desperately longs for that
wealth and that prosperity that he covetously
desires. And the gospel is threatening that reality.
This is the ultimate cause. This is the ultimate
reason. For all hostility, opposition, denial,
rejection, and enmity towards Christ, the church,
and the gospel. It is true today. It will be
true of every generation. Sin in men's hearts
is the cause of opposition to the gospel. It's
the cause of this disturbance. in Ephesus. That's
true of even Christians, brothers and sisters.
Think about your own life as a believer in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Why is there a remnant of
hostility in your own heart as a believer towards
holy things, towards holy duties, holy activities,
towards the Word of God? Towards the preaching
of the gospel. Why, brothers and sisters, do
we as believers resist the things of God in our
lives? It's because of sin in our hearts. It's
because of the flesh. That's why we do it. Now,
that's true of believers, but that's very, very,
very true of unbelievers who don't know Christ.
They reject Christ. They reject the gospel. And
ultimately, they oppose the things of God. Because
they love the sin in their hearts and they don't
want that to be pushed, rattled, shaken, or threatened.
That's the ultimate cause of this. Now, on a
more surface level, it's this man, Demetrius.
It will always be a person. This unbelief, this
sin, this iniquity. These desires, these lusts
of the flesh will always make themselves manifest
and known through a person. That's what we see
take place in here. Demetrius is acting in accordance
with his heart. Demetrius is acting in accordance
with his nature. Demetrius is acting in accordance
with the sin in him. But at a more surface level,
we see that this is a man. who lived in Ephesus.
This is a man who was part of society. This is
a man who was a part of the cultic practices
and worships of the day. This is a man who was
a businessman in the world. This is a man who
had influence and sway in that world, in that
area, in that place. We see that in this text
so clearly. This was a man of... the world. That's
the source of this disturbance. It's in the world,
from the world, it's of the world. The place
where the devil loves to work so much. Now, why
is it important that we understand where the
disturbance comes from? Why do we need to know
so clearly That this unrest, this disturbance
arises from this man, Demetrius, from his sin
and his unbelief from the world. Because in positively
identifying where it comes from, we can now understand
where it does not come from. We can now identify
and we can now understand that the unrest, the
disturbance, the riot does not come from the
church. It does not come from the way. It does
not come from the believers, the Christians,
brothers and sisters. We see this clearly demonstrated
in this text in several ways. First, consider
the reality that it is directly attributed to
Demetrius, not Paul. Not the church, not Gaius,
not Aristarchus. It's attributed to Demetrius.
We also see this strange absence of the churches
mentioned throughout this narrative as a whole.
Yet we see them mentioned in verses 29 and 31.
But really, that's about it. I mean, think about
the size of this narrative. Think about, this
is the largest narrative in Acts 20 about Paul's
ministry, and there's just a little blurb about
Paul in it. Everything else is about the pagan
worshippers in Ephesus, the unbelieving men and
world that were outside of the church and had
no part in the church. So we see the strange
absence of the church, and we see in the end
of this narrative that the... City clerk literally
exonerates the church of any guilt or wrongdoing.
And where does he place the lawlessness? Where
does he place the guilt? Where does he place
the wrongdoing and the fault for this riot? Where?
With these men of Ephesus? With these unbelieving
men in Ephesus? What does he say? He says, for
you have brought these men here who are neither
robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess.
The church isn't breaking the law. The church
is not robbing our temples. They're not committing
sacrilege to the place where we worship our pagan
gods. They're not blaspheming against Artemis.
The town clerk knows this and understands this
clearly. So then if Demetrius And the craftsmen
who are with him have a complaint against any
man. The courts are in session. And procouncils
are available. Let them bring charges against
one another. But if you want anything beyond
this, it shall be settled in a lawful assembly.
And then he even talks about how they're in danger
of Rome coming down on Ephesus because they won't
be able to give any explanation. for this unreasonable,
unlawful assembly of 25 ,000 people in the theater.
Where does this disturbance and this unrest rise
from in Ephesus, brothers and sisters? It comes
from the world of unbelieving men, not from the
church of Jesus Christ. This is important. For
a few reasons. Because it shows us something
about the mission and the purpose of the church
in the world. What the church was doing and what
the church was not doing in Ephesus, doesn't
it? It shows us that the church was not going
around stirring up unnecessary riots. The church
was not going around stirring up unnecessary
disturbance and provoking the authorities under
which it lived, under which it preached the gospel.
The church was not doing this. What was the church
doing? The church was proclaiming the gospel
of Jesus Christ. The church was being faithful
to the truth of apostolic. It was gathering.
It was worshiping. The mission of the church
in the world in Ephesus and now is the faithful
preservation and proclamation of the gospel of
Jesus Christ for the establishment of churches
in the world and for the strengthening of those
churches. That God might be worshipped in all
the world. That's the mission. That's the purpose
of the church, and the world. The church and
Paul knew. They understood that the gospel directly
influences sinners. It transforms them, brothers
and sisters. When someone hears the gospel and
what Christ has done in his life, his death,
and his resurrection, when someone hears that,
and the Spirit of God applies that to their hearts.
When the Spirit of God seals them and dwells
them and starts to work in them, when the Spirit
of God starts to sanctify them, when He definitively
sanctifies them and breaks them with the dominion
of sin in their life, when the Spirit of God
comes into a person's life and regenerates their
heart, they are never the same. Ever. They are
completely and totally transformed. Their thinking
is different. Their morals become different.
The whole direction and orientation and way of
their life is different, isn't it? The gospel
has directly influenced them. The gospel has
directly changed them and impacted them and influenced
them and re... oriented the whole of their being.
We see this evidence all throughout Acts 20,
don't we? But the church also understood, and
this is what we see, the church also understood
that the gospel indirectly affects, impacts,
and changes society, culture, and the world around
them. Those are the results of the direct influence
of the gospel on sinners. But here's the thing,
brothers and sisters. This is what we need to
understand. What was the mission of the church?
What was the purpose of the church? Why was Paul
so actively preaching the gospel and calling
men to repentance? The mission of the church
was a proclamation of the gospel that sinners
might be converted and brought into the church.
The mission of the church was not the transformation
of Ephesus. That's important for us to grasp.
There are indirect results from people being
changed. Absolutely. It affects the world in
which we live. It affects the culture in which
we walk and we breathe. It impacts everything
around us. But brothers and sisters, the mission
of the church is not to change the world. The
mission of the church is to transform sinners
to the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
If we get the mission off, our methods, And our
tactics all get off. We give ourselves the things
we ought not to give ourselves. We act in ways
we ought not to act. We go about it in a different
way if we're trying to transform the world than
if we're trying to transform sinners through
the proclamation of Jesus Christ. We have to
know our mission. We have to know our purpose
in the world. Why do we say this? Why has this
got to be said? Why is this so vitally important?
Because it's so clear in the text of Scripture,
especially in the book of Acts. Because men will
go around saying things such as this that condemn
the church and condemn the people of God. They
will say things such as this. The problem with
the church today. is that it's not causing riots
anymore. Now, brothers and sisters, we've understood
Acts 19. The church was not the cause of the
riot. Now, these things may result because of
the church's faithfulness. And what do they mean
by that? There is some truth to that. The church
needs to be better and more faithful at proclaiming
the Scriptures. Absolutely. But if they mean
that the church is felling in its mission to
take the gospel directly to the world and the
culture and society and transforming it, then
we can't go with that. We have to know our mission.
We have to know our purpose. The preservation
and proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
for the establishment and strengthening of churches
in this world that He might be worshipped all
over the globe. These are important things. And
they're things that we have to address and we
have to discuss and they have to be brought forward
from the pages of Scripture. So we see this disturbance
comes about because the world, responds with
this antithetical attitude towards it because
the church is being faithful. And they respond
in hostility. The church was not the source.
The unbelieving world was the source of this
disturbance. Now consider with me also the character
of this disturbance. What do I mean by the character?
What was it like? What was the nature of this
disturbance? How would we characterize it? The
text actually characterizes it a great deal for
us. It characterizes it as a progressive thing.
A progressive movement of events in Ephesus.
Think about it. It starts with Demetrius. He
gives his speech to the craftsmen guild. It moves
to the guild. They start their chant. Then what
does it say? The city was essentially set on
fire. The city was in chaos and disorder. It
says that they were enraged. From there, they
grab Gaius and Aristarchus. And what do they
do? They rush in to the theater. which held probably
about 25 ,000 people to our knowledge today.
And then it's referenced as a gathering or an
assembly. It turns into a mob in Ephesus. So
it wasn't just Demetrius and a few guys. It started
out as Demetrius and a few guys, and then it
turned into the whole city going into disorder
and confusion. It's characterized as a progressive
event, but it's also described as being very,
very intense. It says that they were filled with
rage in verse 28. It says they did these things
with one accord. In a sense, it's almost as though
the crowd wasn't even discriminatory about what
was taking place. They were so much confusion
and there was so much intensity that they didn't
care who or what was there. Think about Alexander.
Why did the Jews come to this assembly? Well,
I think the Jews came to make sure that everybody
knew they weren't with the church. We're not
with Paul. So what did they do? They pushed this
man, Alexander. Alexander is going to make a
defense of the Jews. of Judaism. He tries to,
but they recognize that he's the same nationality
as the apostle, and that's it. He doesn't get
a word in, does he? No, they quiet him, and what
do they do? They continue to chant for two more
hours. It's an intense, chaotic scene that's
taking place. Why is Luke presenting it to us
the way that he is? What does Luke want us to
take away and see and understand from this narrative
about this mob? He wants us to see and understand
that this is the terrible result of unrestrained
carnality and pagan worship. He wants his readers
to know and to understand this is not what Christianity
is like. This is not what the church of Jesus
Christ is like. This is not what the gospel does
to a person. This is not how the gospel affects
the world and affects the culture and affects
society. This is not what believers in Jesus
Christ are like. This is what pagans are like.
This is what Artemis worshippers are like. That's
what he wants us to understand. That's what he
wants us to take away. That these people are
living out unrestrained sin in their life. He
wants us to see the terrible result of depravity.
There's vague similarities between this scene
and the children of Israel and the revelry. Whenever
Moses is up on the mountain, or the worshippers
of Baal, when they're seeking to disprove the
God of Israel with the prophets, we see that
Luke wants us to understand that this is the
result of unbelief. That this is the result of
the devil working to oppose the gospel of Christ.
The devil loves... chaos, and disorder. The devil
loves carnality, brothers and sisters. Don't
forget that. Why does Jesus teach us to pray
the way that we ought to pray? Why does Jesus
tell us and teach us and instruct his disciples
to pray for the protection of God from the devil
to keep us from sin? Because the devil knows
how to play on the nature of man. The devil knows
how to play on the thoughts and the desires and
the longings of men. He knows how to pull the
strings of their heart. The devil loves carnality,
fleshliness, immorality, disruption, chaos, and
disorder, just like we see in this text. The
world is the devil's playground. Now we see these
things. And they're all set in stark contrast
to Gaius, Aristarchus, Paul, and the Asiarchs,
aren't they? Here's the crowd going wild. Here's
the crowd with their unrestrained depravity and
carnality. And then here's these two traveling
companions of Paul. They were not justifiably
taken. Why did they get taken? It was guilt by
association. They were Paul's traveling companions.
They knew it. These men have been with Paul.
I've seen them with Paul. The one that's always
preaching about Christ. We've seen them. We've
seen them with the way. We've seen them with
the church. Take them. They lay hold of them
and they bring them in. To the crowd. They bring
them in to the amphitheater. They're treated
as innocent. Bystanders. Who are unjustly. Laid
hold of. And dragged. By the crowd. To suffer
the judgment. Whatever that would have been.
I think that these men, being from Macedonia,
most likely witnessed or heard of Paul's unjust
suffering in Philippi. If you remember in Acts
chapter 16, the events which took place there,
we read in Acts 16 verse 22, the crowd rose up
together against them. And the chief magistrates
tore their robes off them and proceeded to order
them to be beaten with rods. When they had struck
them with many blows, they threw them into prison,
commanding the jailer to guard them securely.
And he, having received such a command, threw
them into the inner prison and fastened their
feet in the stops. But about midnight, Paul and
Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise
to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
How does Paul and Silas respond to their unjust
treatment? How does Paul and Silas respond? Well,
I think the same way that Aristarchus and Gaius
respond. Dependence on the Lord, brothers and
sisters. Looking to Christ. Having their affections
set otherworldly. Having their affections set
on Christ. They didn't lose balance. Did they?
Even whenever this comes upon them. Paul and
Silas, they don't lose balance in their life.
They don't compromise their virtues and their
values, their faith. They don't give up everything
they've said they believe about Christ. They
don't forsake Christ. What do they do? They worship
God. They sing with joy in their hearts. Brothers
and sisters, they trust in the Lord in the face
of this unjust treatment. And I think that Aristarchus
and Gaius did the very same thing, being his
traveling companions from Macedonia. I think
they emulated the great apostle and his sufferings.
I think that they understood the situation they
were in that was out of their control. The situation
they were in was dire. And all they could do
was worship the living God who made all that
there is and trust in their Lord Jesus Christ.
Brothers and sisters, sometimes that's all we
can do is look to the Lord Jesus. I believe that
these two men suffered like Paul suffered in
Ephesus. How different these believers responded
than Ephesus. How different and distinct was
their response from the unbelieving pagans around
them? Totally different. Then we have Paul. Paul's
response in this text. Think about Paul's response.
He doesn't seem to be around when this is taking
place. And then, whenever the crowd assembles
in the amphitheater, Paul is anxious to go in.
Now, this is no small disturbance, remember?
This is a violent scene. And here's the aged
apostle. We don't know exactly how old. Probably
seven to nine years left on his life. He's aging.
He's been through a lot in his life. But here's
this bold -hearted. courageous apostle who loves
Aristarchus and Gaius, who loves those men. They're
his traveling companions. He spent a lot of time
together with them. He wants to go in. He wants
to go in to be with them, and most likely he
wants to go in and try and calm the crowd. Here's
this man who's selfless. He doesn't care about
his own life. He doesn't care about what's taking
place to him. He wants to go in and be with his
brothers in Christ. I'm reminded of Acts chapter
20, directly following this section, in verse
24, where Paul says, But I do not consider my
life of any account as dear to myself, so that
I may finish my course in the ministry which
I received from the Lord Jesus to testify solemnly
of the gospel of the grace of God. Why is the
crowd the way they are? Why is Demetrius doing
the things that Demetrius is doing? Ultimately,
it's selfishness, brothers and sisters. It's
selfishness. And then here we have Paul being
selfless in the midst of this opposition, in
the midst of this tumultuous crowd and scene.
How different. The Apostle Paul responds from
Ephesus. How distinctly different does he act
towards the threat of his life and that of the
other disciples than Ephesus and Demetrius does
towards his wealth, towards his prosperity. How
differently the Apostle... Then we have the disciples
who wisely and prudently restrain the apostle
Paul and his anxiousness to get into the crowd.
The wisdom and the prudence of these disciples
to restrain him back from entering in because
they know the world needs the apostle and his
preaching. They know the world needs the gospel
as... through the apostle. He was significant.
He was important. If he goes in there, he's going
to die. He's going to be torn to shreds. So what
do they do? They hold him back. And then we have
the Asiarchs. We don't know exactly what they
were. Most likely they were very high ranking
officials in the city. They knew how these things
operated. They knew how these things worked,
and they most likely knew how this was going
to be resolved by the town clerk. And they're
telling Paul repeatedly, don't venture in. Why?
Because he's going to die. We see the wisdom,
the prudence. We see the trust. of these disciples,
and we see the knowledge and understanding of
these Asiarchs at work against the background
of this unbelieving culture and society in Ephesus.
How different they all are in comparison, in
contrast, to the response of Ephesus. All of
it accentuates the differences in how they respond
to the opposition, the mistreatment, and the
difficulty between the church and the unbelieving
world. Brothers and sisters, we need Christians
and churches that know how to suffer well in
this world. We need believers in Jesus Christ
who know how to suffer like Jesus Christ. We
need men. We need women. We need young people
who count their lives as nothing, who are selfless,
who are wise, who are prudent in this present
evil age. We need men and women who are willing
to suffer for the sake of what is right. Men
and women who are willing to suffer for the sake
of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the truth of the
gospel, to suffer well. This is relevant for
every single person in here. This is relevant
for all of you who know Jesus Christ. Do you
know why? Because Jesus tells us in Matthew chapter
5 that a perennial mark Of the believer. The
perennial mark of the one who is a part of his
kingdom. Is to be blessed by persecution and
suffering. Blessed are those who have been persecuted
for the sake of righteousness. For theirs is
the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people
insult you. And persecute you. And falsely say
all kinds of evil against you. Because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven
is great. For in the same way they persecuted
the prophets who were before you. Brothers and
sisters, we're not all going to suffer the same
way. We're not all going to suffer the same time.
We don't all suffer the same way and at the same
time in the same capacity. But we all suffer
and have hardship. We all experience mistreatment.
We all experience opposition and antagonism in
our lives. Every single one of us is just going
to look differently. Every single one of us.
As we think about these things, there are times
when I'm greatly concerned about the church in
America. Why? Because of the... The glorious
privileges and rights that we enjoy. Because
of the many blessings and the prosperity and
the wealth that all of us enjoy as Americans.
As Christians in this nation. I worry about the
church and believers and their capacity to suffer.
Why? Because there are times, brothers and sisters,
where we get comfortable. Where we almost expect
ease. We continue to expect the same privileges.
We continue to expect the same rights. I'm not
talking nationally here. I'm talking about the
reality that we can at times fall into a cycle
of comfort in our lives to such a degree that
we forget the principles of Christian suffering.
We get so comfortable. It worries me. And if
the church is incapable, Of suffering will. Often
times that church. Will respond and act. And
react. To opposition. Difficulty. Suffering and
hardship. Mistreatment. How? In the exact same
way. As the unbelieving world. Not like the church
of Jesus Christ. Not like those who have been
bought by the precious blood of the Lamb. Not
like those who know their eternal reward in heaven.
Not like those who are in possession of eternal
life. Not like those who are indwelled by the
Spirit of God and have the truth and believe
in spiritual, invisible, and eternal realities.
We have to remember. That as believers in Jesus
Christ, we must suffer well to honor our Lord
in whatever capacity that is. In whatever way
that is now and in our lives to come. In this
world, that is. What does that mean to suffer
well? First, it means that we suffer unjustly.
We read in 1 Peter chapter 2. In 1 Peter chapter
2, he writes, For this finds favor, if for the
sake of conscience toward God a person bears
up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For
what credit is there if, when you sin and are
harshly treated, you endure it with patience?
But if when you do what is right, and suffer
for it, you patiently endure it and find favor
with God. True suffering, brothers and sisters,
suffering well means suffering unjustly. It means
we aren't bringing about the persecution. We
aren't dangling the carrot because we have a
murder complex. We aren't asking for it. We aren't
provoking it. We aren't looking for it. We aren't
trying to stir it up and bring it about. But
it's unjust. We live faithfully, and we're mistreated,
and we continue to live faithfully. It's always
unjust. We have to be careful. Because there's
a temptation always in suffering. in mistreatment,
in opposition, in friction. There's always the
temptation to what, brothers and sisters? To
sin. There's always the temptation to give in
to the carnality. There's always the temptation
to bite the stick the devil is dangling the carrot
in front of you. There's always the temptation.
To sin. We read in chapter 4 of the same book
in 1 Peter. Peter says this. In verse 15. Make
sure that none of you suffers as a murderer.
Or a thief. Or evil doer. Or a troublesome meddler.
But if anyone suffers as a Christian. He is not
to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this
name. Don't suffer for the wrong reasons. Don't
suffer because of the way we act. Don't suffer
because of our methodology and our behavior towards
the world. Our unbelieving friends and our unbelieving
neighbors. Don't suffer because of our treatment
of others. Suffering well means suffering unjustly.
But it also means maintaining Christ -like character
in suffering. If we turn back to 1 Peter 2, we
read these words. For you have been called for
this purpose, since Christ also suffered for
you. leaving you an example for you to follow
in his steps, who committed no sin, nor was any
deceit found in his mouth. And while being reviled,
he did not revile in return. While suffering,
he uttered no threats, but kept entrusting himself
to him who judges righteously. And he himself
bore our sins in his body on the cross so that
we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
For by His wounds we are healed. For we are continually
straying like sheep. But now you have returned
to the shepherd and guardian of your soul. Suffering
well, brothers and sisters, means being like
Jesus Christ, your Lord, your Master, and your
Savior. Listen. You are never going to be more
like Christ than when you are suffering for the
Lord Jesus. When you are bearing up for conscience
sake. Do you understand that? That was a large
part of his life. That's a large part of the
gospel, brothers and sisters. His suffering.
And those who follow him ought to suffer like
him. regardless of the situation, what it is.
Our response should be in Christ -like character.
The temptation arises in suffering to forsake
holiness, to forsake godliness. The temptation
arises To compromise our character. But brothers
and sisters, what are we called to? To imitate
the Lord Jesus Christ in his suffering. Ultimately,
we find that suffering well means looking to
the future and Christ's return and our reward.
We read in Hebrews chapter 10 and we'll close
following this. Starting in verse 32, but remember
the former days when after being enlightened,
and listen to the language of this, brothers
and sisters, consider what these Christians were
going through. Consider what they were dealing
with in their hearts. But remember the former
days when after being enlightened, you endured
a great conflict of sufferings. Partly by being
a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations,
and partly by becoming sharers with those who
were so treated. So he's saying that there's
two different ways these Hebrew Christians were
suffering. Some of them were suffering because
they were being public spectacles. They were
being shamed publicly. But he's saying that there
was another way. That there was a group of believers
who were being compassionate and sympathizing
with those who were being persecuted. And as
a result of their faithfulness to those Christians,
they then became persecuted. For you showed sympathy
to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure
of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves
a better possession and a lasting one. Therefore,
do not throw away your confidence, which has
a great reward, for you have need of endurance,
so that when you have done the will of God, you
may receive what is promised. For yet in very
little while, for yet in a very little while,
he who is coming will come and will not delay.
But my righteous one shall live by faith. And
if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in
him. Listen to what he says about believers in
Christ. But we are not those who shrink back
to destruction, but those who have faith to the
preserving of the soul. Suffering well means
looking... to the blessed return of the Lord
Jesus Christ and the reward and the glory that's
coming with that. If we'll look forward to what
Christ is going to do because of what Christ
has done on the cross, brothers and sisters,
not only will we endure and persevere to the
end, but we will be able to have confidence,
joy, and hope in the midst of our suffering in
this life. That's what we have to do if we're
suffering and experiencing hardship. Look to
Christ. Look to the vindication and the glory
and the reward that is to come and the pleasing
our Lord and our Savior. Brothers and sisters,
we see in this text, in Acts chapter 19, that
the world responds a certain... to having their
idols threatened. But we see that the church
responds very differently from the world when
it is opposed, when it suffers, when there's
hostility towards it.