Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Acts: Enlarging Our Vision
By shouting the Greatness of God 06/28/09
Sermon Series: Acts: Enlarging our Vision
Title: By shouting the Greatness of God Text: Acts 19:21-41
Introduction:
Read: Ps 47:1-2 ‘Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth!’ (NIV)
Read: Ps 5:11 ‘But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.’ (KJV)
Read: Isa 58:1a ‘Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet...’ (NIV)
A trumpet is not a mellow instrument...it is an instrument which is blown for bold actions. Scripture says we are to ‘shout it aloud...to raise your voice like a trumpet.’
ILL: A little boy was riding his bike down the street shouting.
· He shouted taunts at all the dogs
· He shouted greetings to all of his friends
· Then he rode off shouting, "Whooo Eeeee! Yeh Yea Yea’
An elderly
gentleman stopped him and asked him what was wrong. The young boy said,
‘Nothin’ I just like to holler...’
Children like to holler, to yell, to shout, don’t they? That’s something Joshua and Jennifer are becoming keenly aware of...aren’t you?
In every culture, there are things that people get excited and shout about. I have seen people who in church were the most calm and subdued Christians, and yet once the ballgame starts,
· they’re jumping out of their seats,
· shouting and hollering,
· throwing food at the television,
· getting excited over something that in the grand schemes of things, means absolutely nothing.
I used to play the trumpet in High School. A few years ago I bought a trumpet and tried to get my ‘chops’ back...I found I couldn’t. I had forgotten how to play and to be honest, it wasn’t worth it to me to relearn.
The sad thing is, too many Christians have forgotten how to get excited and shout...not about the ‘big game’ but about the greatness of their God.
We used to shout God’s greatness all the time when we were young Christians, new to the faith. But, we’ve put away our trumpets and have forgotten how to play
· we have forgotten how to shout to God with a voice of triumph.
Even though, as Christians, we have something worth shouting about.
Transition: Open your Bibles to Acts 19:21 (pg. 848 in the Bibles under the chair in front of you.) For it’s there we will find we enlarge our vision of God by shouting His greatness.
I. Acts 19:21-22 The greatness of God’s guidance
Read: Acts 19:21-22
Paul’s ministry in Ephesus was very successful. Many were leaving their pagan religious backgrounds and placing their faith in Jesus. It seems Paul was beginning to think about where he will go next.
· Was it Paul’s idea where he would travel to next? Or was it God’s idea where Paul would travel to next? YES!
Let me explain. A look at a map would show that Macedonia and Achaia weren’t on the way to Jerusalem. And Jerusalem wasn’t on the way to Rome.
But Paul had his reasons for this itinerary. He was planning to go to Jerusalem by way of Macedonia and Achaia so that he could take an offering from the churches in those areas to the poor believers in Jerusalem.
Now, these verses are a great illustration of the greatness of God’s guidance in our lives.
· Paul had a plan in mind, but God was going to modify the plan, as later developments in Acts will reveal.
· And with respect to Paul’s visit to Rome, he will go there, but in a way, very different from that which he might have expected. .
Scripture tells us that God’s ways are not our ways, his thought are not our thoughts. YET...the great thing is...God lets us in on His ways, God reveals to us, His thoughts. Now that’s something worth shouting about.
Transition: Well, Paul sends Timothy and Erastus to Macedonia to prepare the way for him to come later. Paul decides to stay in Ephesus a little while longer.
II. Acts 19:23-34 The rejection of God’s greatness
Read: Acts 19:23-34
Demetrius was a silversmith who made small replica’s of the Temple of Artimis. Ephesus was the principle religious center for the worship of Artemis. And this time of the year was when Olympic like athletes gathered for the yearly games. The town was beginning to swell up with thousands of people, many of who were bennies, I mean tourists who would buy some of the mini temple replicas.
But, there was a problem...Paul and His evangelistic team, were converting many people to faith in Jesus. Do you know what that meant? A projected loss of revenue during tourist season...and that was just not acceptable.
So, Demetrius rallies the other merchants in Ephesus, for the purpose of having Paul and his men arrested and deported. Demetrious shouted out to the crowd of merchants that Paul was threatening their livelihood.
That was all they needed to hear...and they begin to shout
· ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’
· ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’
· ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’
over and over again.
This was not a sign of religious excitement and passion. It was a sigh that the merchants were more interesting the life’s bottom line than in life’s finishing line. Their shouts demonstrated a clear and unified rejection of the greatness of the One True and Ever Living God.
And it caught on...more and more people joined in, many not even knowing what was going on, but they shouted with everyone else ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’ ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’
You can imagine with Paul being the preacher that he was, he wanted to go and preach at the ‘theater’ not a movie theater but an arena where perhaps 20-30 thousand people had gathered for the games...but, the Christians in town wouldn’t let him because they knew he wouldn’t be heard.
‘Soon’, the text says ‘the whole city was in a uproar.’ People were shouting...about the greatness of the goddess Artemis and they were in danger of starting a riot.
Transition: All the while the shouts of the greatness of the One True and Ever Living God, were silenced...or were they?
III. Acts 19:35-41 God’s greatness...from unknowing lips
Read: Acts 19:35-41
The city clerk was like our modern mayor. He quiets the crowd and speaks...actually he would have needed to shout for a crowd this large to hear him. This, if I can paraphrase, is what he says:
· Come on, we all know that Artemis is great; so there is no need to get all bent out of shape. She will defend herself. Nobody is going to be able to overthrow a goddess as great as ours, so we don't need all this commotion.
· And by the way, the men that you are making charges against, have done nothing illegal.
· The courts are open, take the matter there if you really think you have a case...but trust me, you don’t.
· Come to your senses, we are sin danger of losing the freedom this city enjoys because of your irresponsible behavior. Go home and let it go.
When it comes right down to it...the city clerk had nothing more in mind than keeping the peace and not upsetting the powers that be....the Romans. He really does not care about the issues.
That’s what it looks like on the surface...but we have a great God and the Christian who dares to shout His greatness, will see that, God was working to use the city clerk to unknowingly do His will. God used government channels to quiet the crowd and keep Paul and his men safe.
If you are doubtful, remember back to Acts 18:12 where the Proconsul, a non Christian named Gallio, told a similar crowd in Corinth, basically the same thing. Our God is so great, He can use unwilling lips to effect His will. Now that’s something worth shouting about.
Conclusion
ILL: A small boy is sent to bed by his father. Five minutes later... “Da-ad...” “What?” “I’m thirsty. Can you bring me a glass of water?” “No. You had your chance. Lights out!” Five minutes later. “Da-aaad...” “What?” “I’m THIRSTY. Can I have a drink of water??” I told you NO! If you ask again I will have to spank you!!” Five minutes later... “Daaaa-aaaad...” “WHAT??!!” “When you come to spank me, can you bring me a glass of water?”
Babies and children shout to get their parents attention...am I right? But, have you ever thought that shouting might get God’s attention?
· When we shout about His greatness to the lost and dying world around us...
· When other Christians are struggling and need to hear of God’s greatness.
· That’s why I try to have opportunities for giving testimony to God’s greatness from time to time in our worship celebrations.
· Worship celebration...what do we celebrate? Well for one thing, God’s greatness.
Especially God’s greatness as it relates to our sin.
· Many try to live by God’s Word
·
May try to live a
good life
But we are
performance driven...it a ‘I’ve got to do this’ kind of religious life. And
because it’s our plan, there is no assurance of the forgiveness of our sin
and eternity in heaven. Truth is, our very best efforts at getting to heaven
fall short of God’s standard.
BUT...
· God’s way is ‘by grace through faith’
· God’s way is ‘whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved!’
· God’s way is ‘whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life!’
· God’s way gives forgiveness ‘if you confess you sins he is faith and just and will forgive your sins and cleans you for all unrighteousness.’
· God’s way gives hope ‘And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.’
· God’s way gives peace. ‘Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ’
· God’s way brings rest for the weary. ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’
Now that’s something worth shouting about.
Have you forgotten how to shout the greatness of God?
The next time you hear someone shout...in fact every time you hear someone shout, remember God’s call for all His children to Shout His greatness.
Read: Ps 47:1-2 ‘Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth!’ (NIV)
Read: Ps 5:11 ‘But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.’ (KJV)
Read: Isa 58:1a ‘Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet...’ (NIV)
We enlarge our vision of God by shouting His greatness.