Mountain Life Church/Life Pack/February 3, 2013

You DidWHAT?

You Did WHAT?Sermon Notes

February 3, 2013 Acts 19:11-20

“Miracles Glorify Christ “or ”The Word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.”From last week:

• Paul at Ephesus. God sent at the right time and Paul stayed there a total of 3 years.

• This was a thriving Church in the midst of a very vile and sorcerous culture.

SEVEN SONS OF SCEVASo after two and a half years of good Church growth, a strange thing happened.

13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We ]exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 14 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.

• A Jewish Chief Priest who has seven enterprising sons who are making some money in the exorcism trade. (Son of a preacher man) (Like Eli’s sons)

• Itinerate Jewish Exorcists. That is an oxymoron.• They do what works (or appears to) so demons

became. . .quiet. . . docile. . .co-conspirators in the scam. Using words and names to conger up spirits was their “power”.

Now think of the poor demoniac• He paid his hard earned money, wants relief, a little peace of

mind here PLEASE.

15 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 

Write any notes from the week here

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Table TalkTeensRead Acts 19:13-20

! ! Question One:

• Do you believe that evil spirits exist or not?!

Question Two: By calling on the name of the Lord Jesus, these practitioners found out that it was not enough to know the name of Jesus; they needed to know Jesus personally.

• Share why you need to know Jesus personally in order to battle evil spirits.

Question Three:In Acts 19:19, the books were filled with formulas, spells, and astrological forecast.

• By burning them, how did this act strengthen their faith?

Question Four:Burning the books indicated real repentance on the part of those who had practiced magic.

• What was the result of a cleansed church?

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This did not go as planned. • They thought , the NAME OF JESUS worked great for Paul.

Let’s try it. • “Hey guys, watch this. . .”• The Seven Sons of Sceva Exorcism Inc. dropped on the

Standard and Poor’s index drastically that day.• I can see their dad, Sceva: “YOU DID WHAT?”• Don’t you remember all the problems we had with that

Name? What were you thinking?

17 This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all,

• This was on the front page of the Enquirer, People magazine, it went viral!

• Think about the demonic guy, “Seven in one blow” Was he on all the talk shows? Did he go see Paul?

• His wife asks him “YOU DID WHAT?” Those seven guys are going sue us, charge you with assault, send in some goons.

• What happened to HIM? We don’t know. But it changed the neighbors.

REVIVAL BROKE OUT!• And the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.• This event caused people to know that the Name of Jesus was

powerful.• It also convicted people of their lifestyles.

 18 And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. 19 Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. 

• WHY? That was a lot of money.

20 So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.• What can cause that to happen?• A Sovereign Work of God• A huge crisis (9/11, School shootings, Major disasters)• A Spiritual Awakening • Can we seek that? Is that God’s will? Or does everything just

happen as a coincidence?• We can pray that whatever is happening in our culture that God

will bring revival as a result. AMEN.3

Life Group Questions for February 3, 2013

Message =You Did WHAT?

Ice  Breaker:    Tell  about  one  of  the  most  awe  inspiring  moments  of  your  life.

Read  Acts  19:  13-­‐‑20.

1. What  do  you  observe  about  this  passage?

2. Do  you  think  an  event  like  what  happened  to  the  sons  of  Sceva,  if  it  happened  in  Fort  Collins,  would  affect  people  the  way  it  did  in  Ephesus?    Why  or  why  not?    

3. Have  someone  read  Acts  19:  18  again.    The  verse  implies  that  the  believers  were  coming  forward  to  reject  their  evil  practices.    Tell  your  impressions  of  this.

4. If  believers  were  coming  forward  to  burn  their  idolatrous  items  in  our  culture,  what  do  you  think  they  would  bring?

5. Do  you  see  the  book  burning  as  something  that  Paul  and  Silas  commanded,  or  was  it  a  grass  roots  movement?    Tell  what  you  think  was  going  on  in  the  hearts  of  the  people.

6. Has  God  ever  done  such  a  work  in  your  heart  that  you  felt  that  you  had  to  rid  yourself  of  some  items?    Please  tell  the  group  about  it.

7. Take  time  to  pray  for  one  another  and  for  our  city  to  come  to  spiritual  awakening.

Table TalkElementaryActs 19:13-20

Day 1 - When you hear the name of "Jesus", what words/thoughts come to your mind? Love, forgiveness, grace, mercy, healing, and POWER are the first words that come to my mind. In this week's passage we learn that the name of Jesus was held in high honor (Acts 19:17). Read this week's passage (Acts 19:13-20).

Day 2 - As we read these verses, it's important to note that the Jews who drove out evil spirits did not know Jesus personally. Rather, they knew of the power of His name so they "tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus"...they were able to tap into His power.  But, when push came to shove, they had no relationship with Jesus. As a result, these men received a beating from the man who had the evil spirit (verse 16). Do you know Jesus? What does it mean to truly know Him? Many people I know, know the name of Jesus, but don't have a relationship with Him. So they know of Him, but do not know Him.

Day 3 - Let's take a moment to reflect on our faith in our Lord. What makes you different from someone who does not know Jesus? Are you different from your friends who don't know the Lord? Ask God to transform you into a courageous follower of Jesus Christ!

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Table TalkPreschool & Nursery:

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Personal Devotion PagesThe following pages are designed to help you enjoy a regular time alone with God. We have divided up the curriculum to help us grow wherever we are at in our relationship with God and in our knowledge of His Kingdom.

LEVELS: Since we are a Colorado church, we use skiing imagery to communicate the different levels of intensity and time involved in relating to God.

BEGINNER: If you are new in your relationship with God, we encourage you to try the exercises under this symbol:

INTERMEDIATE: If you have walked with God for some time and would like a little more challenge and more time involvement, try the exercises under this symbol:

ADVANCED: These exercises are for people who have walked with God for some time and display maturity in their relationship with Him.

These exercises provide a practical way to encounter God and His truth on a regular basis. There are no rules here. Please don’t hurry through the process. Slow meditation and memorization seems to soak in better than cramming.

Enjoy!

Day One1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.

2. Read  and  meditate  on  19:  13-­‐‑20.

3. Take  time  to  thank  the  Father  that  you  are  in  Christ.    Thank  Him  for  making  you  righteous,  holy,  and  acceptable  IN  CHRIST.    Thank  Him  for  giving  you  everything  you  need  because  you  are  in  Him.

Memorize  II  Corinthians  5:  17

Memorize  II  Corinthians  5:  17-­‐‑19

Memorize  II  Corinthians  5:  17-­‐‑21

Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices. A number of them who had been practicing sorcery brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars. So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect.

~Acts 19: 18-20

The deep repentance of the Ephesians was evidenced through the realization of sinful practices and the subsequent burning of idolatrous books.

Careful observation tells us that Paul did not tell these people to do this, nor did any of the spiritual leadership. There was no cultic coercion forcing people to remove these items from their homes. It was a grass roots movement. People were moved by the Holy Spirit to rid themselves of their old ways.

Observation also leads us to conclude that the people didn’t desire to make a profit off of their books by selling them to others. They were so convinced of the evil of these books that they refused to profit from their sale. They burned them in the streets.

As Americans, we may find these actions rather extreme. Typically, those with lukewarm commitment sees others who are passionate as fanatics who have been drinking the Kool-aid.

Father, by Your Spirit, will You lead me into total abandonment to You and to Your Kingdom? I surrender myself to You today!

Day Five

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Day Five1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.  

2. Meditate  on  Ephesians  1.

3. Ask  the  Holy  Spirit  to  speak  to  you  today  in  any  way  He  would  like  to  speak.    Give  Him  permission  to  say  things  that  you  do  not  want  to  hear.

4. Finish  your  Bible  memorization  today.

Day OneA team of Jews who were traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus. The incantation they used was this: “I command you by Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this. But when they tried it on a man possessed by an evil spirit, the spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul. But who are you?”

~Acts 19:13-15, NLT

In the Gospels and in the book of Acts, demonized people seem to serve as a compass needle when in the presence of Jesus or Paul. Whenever Jesus got near these people, they would submissively point the true north description of who He was. They would often say, I know who You are, the Holy One of God! Paul’s experience was similar (see Acts 16).

Yet, when these pretenders came into the house of this demonized man in Acts 19, he immediately pointed to true north. They were posers and he knew it. They had no authority to cast the demon out because the demon based all authority on a person’s relationship with Jesus. If someone was IN CHRIST, the demon had no choice but to depart. But if someone was not in Christ, but simply used Jesus’ name as an Abra Ka Dabra, the formula had no affect on the demon.

One of Paul’s greatest themes is our identity IN CHRIST. When a person becomes a believer in Jesus, his life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3: 2). Paul says we no longer live, but Christ lives within us (Galatians 2: 20).

From that point on, God - and the entire spiritual realm (Satan and his demons included) - see us IN CHRIST. Our authority over Satan is sealed by our new identity. His goal from that day forward is to convince us that our identity is based on our performance and our own righteousness. If he can convince us that we are NOT IN CHRIST, he has won the battle.

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Day Two1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.  

2. Read  Luke  12:  1-­‐‑7.    Ask  the  Holy  Spirit  to  show  you  any  and  all  hypocrisy  in  your  life.    

3. Take  time  to  thank  God  that  your  past  and  all  your  mistakes  are  completely  covered  by  the  blood  of  Jesus.    Thank  Him  that  your  past  is  now  HIS  past.    

4. Meditate  on  Ephesians  2:  1-­‐‑10.    Ask  the  Holy  Spirit  to  show  you  the  awesome  things  Jesus  has  done  on  your  behalf.      

5. Continue  memorizing  and  meditating  on  the  scriptures  for  this  week.

Day FourThe story of what happened spread quickly all through Ephesus, to Jews and Greeks alike. A solemn fear descended on the city, and the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honored. Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices.

~Acts 19:17, 18, NLT

The solemn fear descended on Ephesus and brought repentance with it. The fear of God brings a hatred of sin, but not just a hatred of the sin, but a turning toward God for help. This fear energizes what Paul calls, a sorrow that leads to life. This is a God inspired fear that causes us to see our sin in the light of God’s goodness, justice, and awesomeness. Suddenly, what we thought was no big deal, has become heartbreaking because we see our sin in the light of His holiness.

It has been some time since such a public fear of God has hit the American continent. We are in deep need of such a move of His Spirit again. When people lose the fear of God, they begin to worship the creation rather than the creator and evil actually becomes good in their eyes (Romans 1).

This passage in Acts is one of the first spiritual awakenings in the first century. Since that time, such awakenings have been relatively few and scattered between different ethnic groups. The American continent has been blessed with two major spiritual awakenings similar to the one in Ephesus.

Father, would you put it on my heart daily to pray for awakening in our city, our state, and our country! Lord, come and awaken our land!

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Day TwoKnowing our identity in Christ is the secret to all victory in the Kingdom of God.

Professor Randolph Kroeningski

The seven sons of Sceva were posers and the devil knew it. Though he is the Father of Lies and the Deceiver of the Brethren, he knows a sanctified soul when he sees it... and he’s real good at sniffing out a pretender.

However, Satan is so afraid of the authority of the believer that he will spend much of his day spinning lies in the mind of God fearing, born again believers who love Jesus - but are imperfect. He will try to convince them that, because of their track record, their past, their sin, their failures, their frailty, they are disqualified as true believers and therefore have no authority over evil.

This is why it is so important to understand grace and to continually meditate on the Word. Grace means that my past, my track record, and my failures are nailed to the cross of Jesus and now my life is hidden in Christ. My past is now His past, my future is His future, my track record is perfect, because His was. It’s so good that we struggle to swallow it!

If I am a poser, then the Word will condemn me and so will my own heart. I will stand before the throne of God without my defense attorney, Jesus of Nazareth. But if I have turned from my sin and turned to God, giving my life to Him, then I have nothing to fear.

Thank You, Father, thatI am IN CHRIST!

Day Four1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.    

2. Take  time  to  ask  God  to  bring  spiritual  awakening  to  your  family,  your  neighborhood,  and  your  city.

3. Ask  the  Lord  to  bring  you  into  personal  awakening.    Ask  Him  to  draw  you  to  a  more  vital  relationship  with  Him.    

4. Continue  meditating  on  and  memorizing  the  scripture  for  this  week.

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Day Three Day Three1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.    

2. Write  down  in  the  space  below  the  answer  to  this  question:  Who  am  I?    (See  if  you  can  base  your  answer  completely  on  scripture.)

3. Bring  at  least  three  friends  or  loved  ones  to  the  Lord  and  ask  Him  to  bring  them  to  repentance  and  faith.    Ask  Him  to  show  you  how  you  can  boldly  love  them  and  speak  the  words  of  Jesus  into  their  lives.      

 4. Continue  meditating  on  and  memorizing  the  scripture  for  this  

week.

Know thyself.~Plutarch

Plutarch had a great point, but only half the truth. I can only know myself once I know God. In your light, we see light, said David, and without a clear, concise worldview that comes from knowing God and knowing His Word, we can not truly know ourselves.

Most people spend their lives on the quest to know themselves. Most pursue this goal more than the goal of knowing God. Without a working knowledge of the goodness, mercy, and love of God, we will tend to emphasize our own righteousness. We will tend to see our identity through our accomplishments, or lack thereof. We will tend to see ourselves through a distorted lens.

But when I know the loving, kind, just God of the Bible, and when I know His Son, Jesus, the lens of the Bible gives me a clear perspective of who I am.

When I rest assured in the grace of God, I can begin to walk in victory over sin and temptation. My identity is not established by my track record, nor by anything I own or anything I accomplish. My identity is established by the finished work of Jesus on the cross of calvary.

When Satan and his minions see me, they tremble, because I am in Christ. They don’t see me, they see Him. That’s why when the sons of Sceva came into the house, the demonized man said, I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul, but I do not know you!

The demon knew Paul because the apostle was in Christ. Paul was well assured of this truth, which caused him to walk in great boldness and confidence. A confidence not found in self righteousness, but found in knowing that Jesus was his life.

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