PT-1 "Intro to Acts 19:8-20

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 6/8/2018 9:26 AM

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  PT-1 Intro to Acts 19:8-20

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 19:8-20

            Message of the verses:  “8 And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 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. 10 This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. 11 God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 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.  13 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." 14 Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said to them, "I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" 16 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 that house naked and wounded. 17 This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. 18 Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. 19 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 fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.”

            In John MacArthur’s introduction to these verses he writes some things about Satan and the influence that he has over mankind.  As we read over this section of verses we can see some of the activities that Satan uses against mankind and we will briefly go over some of these in this first part of our introduction to these verses.

            Why is Satan allowed to do what he does in influencing mankind?  Well we have to go back to the fall of man as seen in Genesis chapter three when both Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit which plunged the whole universe into sin.  Things are very much different in the entire universe since sin entered this universe.  It not only affected mankind, but also it affected the earth and all the things that God created in creation week. Paul talks about this in the 8^th chapter of the book of Romans.

            Now since the fall of the human race mankind has been in rebellion against God.  Having so (they think) torn God’s “fetters apart, and cast away [His] cords from [themselves]” (Psalm 2:3), they imagine themselves to be free.  In reality, they have become enslaved to sin as seen in John 8:34 and Romans 6:17 and Satan according to 1 John 5:19.  Our passage today is about the Ephesians and when Paul later wrote to them he told them what the effects of sin were “1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 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.”  I also think that will be good for us to look at John 8:34 and Romans 6:17, and then 1 John 5:19 which are listed above speaking of mankind being enslaved to both sin and Satan.

34 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.”  17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,” 19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”

            I want to briefly talk about how Satan manipulates fallen men by two ways as we conclude this part of the introduction to these verses.  The first way is that Satan influences their minds.  I am in the process of reading about “The Battle for the Mind” and that book has taught me much about my mind and how I am to use my mind, as all beliers are to have the mind of Christ.  As far as Satan influencing the mind we read in 1 Cor. 2:14 “14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”  Satan tries to blind “The minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:4).

            Satan next tries to exert a sinister influence over the fallen human will, though he cannot force it to act.  How does he do this then?  He does it by temptation both externally, through the evil world system and then internally through sinful human nature.  Jesus spoke of this in John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father.”

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Prophecy, mysteries, knowledge, and faith” (1 Corinthians 13:2).

Today’s Bible question:  “In the parable of the pounds, how much did the last servant gain?”

Answer in our last SD.

6/8/2018 10:09 AM