God vs. Artemis
Acts 19:21-41
March 17, 2013
Last week, when we were studying Paul’s ministry here in Ephesus,
We talked about how God’s word spreads.
One of those ways was through Exclusive Capability.
We said that God’s word can do things that no false god can accomplish.
And for a moment we turned and read from the book of Jeremiah.
Tonight I want to pull that passage again to your remembrance.
TURN TO: JEREMIAH 10:1-16
And again we are reminded that
There is absolutely no need to fear a false god.
They are not real, they are man-made
And they cannot do anything, whether good or evil.
And the result is that throughout Scripture
We continually see God besting false gods,
By continually revealing His power as greater in every way.
Who can forget the plagues of Egypt?
Each of those plagues not only revealed the power of God,
But also the impotence of a specific false Egyptian god.
Hapi (Apis – the bull god) who was god of the Nile
God turned the Nile to blood
Heqet (goddess of birth) who had the head of a frog
God sent a plague of frogs to Egypt
Osiris (god of the crops)
God destroyed the crops with hail and locusts
Re (the sun god)
God sent darkness over the land
And there were more than that, but you get the idea,
God was revealing His exclusive power.
Or who can forget the day that the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant and put it in the temple of their god Dagon?
1 Samuel 5:2-4 “Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. When the Ashdodites arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and set him in his place again. But when they arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. And the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.”
Or who can forget the showdown between Elijah and Baal’s prophets?
Elijah even openly mocked Baal before his followers.
1 Kings 18:27 “It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened.”
And this was not uncommon.
Isaiah also mocked the false idols of Israel.
Isaiah 41:21-24 “Present your case,” the LORD says. “Bring forward your strong arguments,” The King of Jacob says. Let them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place; As for the former events, declare what they were, That we may consider them and know their outcome. Or announce to us what is coming; Declare the things that are going to come afterward, That we may know that you are gods; Indeed, do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together. Behold, you are of no account, And your work amounts to nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination.”
And this is important for us to recognize.
We live in a day when even believers
Are tempted to fear false gods who hold no power.
I think it is safe to say that even the governments of the world
Have grown to have a fear of Allah,
Quickly yielding to all the requests of Islam to keep from angering them.
And yet there is no need to spend time in fear of these false gods.
WHY?
Because they are never any match for God.
And that is evident again in our study of Acts as we see God vs. Artemis.
Once again we see a faithful missionary,
We see a furious mob, and we see God intervene.
And this again reiterates an important point to us.
Namely that the Christian is not to walk in fear of the enemy,
But is to walk in faith in God.
Opposition in this world is not a guarantee for a Christian,
But it is a guarantee for a faithful one.
Matthew 10:21-22 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”
John 15:18-20 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”
And that list could go on and on.
But as believers we are not to be discouraged by the enemy,
But rather encouraged by the greatness of our God.
We are to endure suffering
We are to persevere through trials
We are to serve God no matter what
We are to trust Him to prevail
2 Timothy 1:8 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,”
2 Timothy 4:5 “But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
1 Peter 4:1-2 “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”
The point is that it cannot be our goal just to stay out of trouble.
Our goal must be to be faithful, let God deal with the trouble,
For we have seen time and time again that He is more than able to do so.
As Adrian Rogers said:
“God doesn’t promise to get you out of trouble. God promises to get into trouble with you.”
God doesn’t pull us out of the battle, God enters the battle and prevails.
And certainly we can see that again here.
There are two main points that we will elaborate on a little.
#1 THE ONGOING MISSION
Acts 19:21-22
What I want you to see here is the ever present focus of Paul.
This is a guy who has faced opposition nearly everywhere he has gone.
He has been stoned, flogged, imprisoned, threatened,
And run out of several cities already.
But his focus going forward was not safety.
His focus going forward was still faithfulness.
I want you to see his focus to the mission work of God.
Even in these two verses we see three things that Paul is clearly focused on.
1) ENCOURAGE THE SAINTS (21a)
“Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia…”
It really isn’t spelled out here, but when you read his letters
Paul’s intentions here become extremely obvious.
We know that Paul now has a desire “to go to Jerusalem”
But first he wants to pass back “through Macedonia and Achaia”
Well, those two regions are due West and Jerusalem is due East.
It seems strange that having a desire to go to Jerusalem
That Paul would first travel through those regions.
Until you remember why Paul wants to go there.
Paul didn’t just want to visit the people in Jerusalem,
Paul wanted to supply a financial need in their life.
He probably wrote it the clearest in Romans:
Romans 15:25-27 “but now, I am going to Jerusalem serving the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Yes, they were pleased to do so, and they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things.”
Paul was a minister to the Gentiles,
But Paul also understood that the mission to reach Gentiles
Had come with tremendous sacrifice on the part of the Jerusalem church.
Furthermore Jewish believers in Jerusalem suffered greatly for their faith.
You can gain some insight into this when you read the book of Hebrews.
That writer is encouraging those believers to hang on and endure
(they are contemplating quitting because it is so hard),
Let me read you part of what they are dealing with.
Hebrews 10:32-34 “But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. 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.”
Those are the types of things the Jerusalem believers
Have been forced to endure.
Paul’s response was to get these Gentile churches
To rise up and meet this need.
In his first letter to the Corinthians (Achaia) Paul wrote:
1 Corinthians 16:1-4 “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come. When I arrive, whomever you may approve, I will send them with letters to carry your gift to Jerusalem; and if it is fitting for me to go also, they will go with me.”
By the time Paul writes the second letter to them,
He has already collected the offering from Macedonia (Philippians)
And is about to collect the one in Corinth.
2 Corinthians 8:1-5 “Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.”
Of course Paul would spend the rest of that chapter and all of the next encouraging the Corinthians to follow through with their offering also.
And so we recognize what Paul is up to.
Part of his mission is to encourage the saints in Jerusalem.
It is good old fashion brotherly benevolence.
And I think this is a point worth mentioning.
I am certainly not opposed to helping the lost in a benevolent way.
We have seen God open doors for us to speak the gospel to many lost people
Because of your willingness to help them.
But when we are talking about believers,
Benevolence is more than an opportunity, it is a divine expectation
Galatians 6:10 “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”
Furthermore this was the expectation of the church.
1 John 3:17 “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?”
We even listen to what Jesus said:
John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
And you get the point.
While we are eager to help the poor in general,
We are obligated to help poor believers.
That is part of the mission.
We go and help other poor believers, even with physical needs.
That is what Paul is doing.
He is focused on encouraging the saints.
Let me show you something else he is focused on.
2) EXPAND THE KINGDOM (21b)
“saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”
Here we are reminded of Paul’s ever increasing desire
To continue to expand the kingdom of God.
At first he was passionate about Asia.
But we learned in the last chapter that all of Asia had heard the gospel.
And since God had opened the door into Europe,
Paul now wants to reach Europe’s most powerful city; Rome.
Romans 15:20-21 “And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, so that I would not build on another man’s foundation; but as it is written, “THEY WHO HAD NO NEWS OF HIM SHALL SEE, AND THEY WHO HAVE NOT HEARD SHALL UNDERSTAND.”
Paul was expanding the kingdom westward.
But even Rome was not his only goal.
Romans 15:28 “Therefore, when I have finished this, and have put my seal on this fruit of theirs, I will go on by way of you to Spain.”
Paul always had the horizon in his sites.
He was pushing the boundaries, spreading the gospel, growing the kingdom.
And that, obviously, is the continual focus of the missionary.
Yes we love the brethren and meet one another’s needs,
But we are not a society that just sits around focused on ourselves.
We are also a mission organization that understands Christ’s mandate
To take His gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth.
It didn’t matter that every time he entered a new synagogue he ran the risk of being brutally opposed, he was still eager to take Jesus to the people.
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Encourage the Saints Expand the Kingdom
3) ESTABLISH THE CHURCH (22)
“And having sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.”
• We know Paul is eager to collect that offering and serve the saints in Jerusalem.
• We know Paul is eager to get to Rome and beyond with the gospel.
And yet, despite those desires, Paul stays right where he is.
WHY?
Because he is also eager to make sure that
The church in Ephesus is grounded and fully established.
He isn’t leaving until they are ready.
You may remember that the Corinthians had written Paul a letter while he was in Ephesus wanting him to come to them in the worst way.
They had all sorts of problems that they needed him to straighten out.
DO YOU REMEMBER HIS RESPONSE?
1 Corinthians 16:7-9 “For I do not wish to see you now just in passing; for I hope to remain with you for some time, if the Lord permits. But I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost; for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.”
Paul saw that Ephesus still had opportunities
And that Ephesus still had many adversaries.
He could not yet leave, it was not yet time.
And this is one of those places
Where Paul shows a TREMENDOUS BALANCE in ministry.
Our ministry is both to sinners and saints.
• We want to expose sinners to the gospel.
• We want to establish saints in the truth.
And Paul didn’t want to do either half-way.
While he had an urging to go and reach the lost,
He still felt an obligation to minister to the saved.
And we notice is that despite all the adversaries he mentioned,
They are not influencing his decisions in the least.
• He is not worrying about how to stay out of trouble…
• He is not concerned with maintaining some degree of safety…
• He is not seeking to preserve some degree of comfort…
Paul is only focused on his ongoing mission.
He has tunnel vision about the things of God,
And this certainly makes him a wonderful missionary.
Now that is the ongoing mission
#2 THE OPPOSING MOB
Acts 19:23-41
Paul knew there were adversaries, let’s look at some right here.
And these adversaries show up in the form of a mob.
Now we know about mobs.
• It was the mob that called for the crucifixion of Jesus.
• It was the mob that ran Paul out of Thessalonica.
If we want to go earlier than that, it was the mob
That often times caused Moses so much grief.
I mean, if we want to do a study we can find that mobs
Can often times be a very powerful and destructive force.
In the future it will be a mob that causes Paul to be arrested in Jerusalem.
So we are not underestimating the strength of this enemy.
But it is important that we see that God was more than able to deal with them.
1) THE FORMING OF A MOB (23-27)
Initially we see that “no small disturbance” has now occurred.
The cause?
(24-26) “…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 that 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.”
We have here a businessman,
And Paul has put a pretty significant dent into his wallet.
See Paul keeps preaching that “gods made with hands are no gods at all.”
Didn’t we see this in Lystra?
When the local priest of Zeus wanted to come
And make sacrifices to Barnabas and Paul
Acts 14:15 “and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, WHO MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM.”
And we even know from some of his letters
That Paul was successful in this.
1 Thessalonians 1:9 “For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God,”
Paul was a true servant of God, who understood that
Our goal was not just to get men to add Jesus to their shrine,
But to persuade men to forsake all other gods in favor of Jesus.
And Paul was successful.
And Demetrius understood that the more successful Paul became,
The less wealthy he would become.
For Paul had already “turned away a considerable number of people”
That was certainly his chief concern, but it WASN’T his ONLY concern.
He also was concerned that Paul would not just hurt his trade,
But kill the entire Ephesian economy.
(27) “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.”
I think we can agree that Artemis isn’t much of a god if Paul can so easily dethrone her.
But the reality was that the temple of Artemis
Was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.
This was a big time industry and draw to Ephesus.
It is not too drastic to suggest that the entire Ephesian economy
Was dependent upon this temple.
And now, Paul is seeking to dethrone her,
Which will certainly cut down on the draw to Ephesus, and hurt all businesses.
DO YOU SEE WHAT IS OCCURRING?
Paul’s preaching threatens the wallets of the locals.
That type of preaching will get a preacher in trouble anywhere.
If I talk to you about the despicable immorality that occurs here in Spur every fall under the guise of homecoming, and my preaching actually threatens homecoming, you can bet opposition will arise.
But what Paul was doing was even more drastic.
• It’s like going to San Antonio and telling us not to remember the Alamo.
• It’s like going to Yellowstone and clogging up Old Faithful.
• It’s like holding revival in Ft. Lauderdale and cancelling Spring Break.
• It’s like holding revival in New Orleans and cancelling Mardi Gras
• It’s like holding revival in Vegas and closing the casinos
What Paul is doing affects the wallet,
And he has gone too far in their eyes.
Demetrius has had enough and he is forming a mob.
2) THE FURY OF THE MOB (28-31)
Demetrius’s sermon obviously struck a chord, because the locals were “filled with rage” and quickly began to defend their pathetic deity.
We have all the makings here of an Islamic riot.
Zealots taking to the streets in heated fashion to defend their deity.
And soon this was widespread, for “the city was filled with confusion”
Soon an assembly was formed, and the mob grabbed the first believers they could find and drug them into the assembly.
Now Paul wanted to go in, certainly to address the mob and defend his friends, but none of the other disciples would let him.
They knew this to be a dangerous and volatile scene.
These lesser-known believers might survive, but Paul was in danger.
It just reiterates the deadly force and fury of this mob.
3) THE FOLLY OF THE MOB (32-34)
I’ve always found this verse humorous:
“for the assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know for what reason they had come together.”
It just speaks of the carnality of the human heart.
Men naturally draw to a a brawl, even when they don’t know why.
People love that sense of exhilaration to be able to give someone else a piece of their mind, even if they didn’t have a thought on the matter 5 minutes ago.
They are here and for two hours are shouting
“Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
I’ll bet the local pagan priests
Had never seen such dedication before this day.
All of a sudden the whole city is passionate.
Everyone is enraged and the situation looks bleak.
So at this point we recognize what the believers are up against.
• We’ve got hot-headed people,
• Fueled by greed,
• Motivated by rage,
• Growing into a large mob ready to defend their deity.
This is the type of stuff you see on the news in some third world country.
Typically we would see police in riot gear and evacuations taking place.
This is a bad scene.
But…
4) THE FAILURE OF THE MOB (35-41)
Here the town clerk starts speaking reason to the mob.
He calms their fears that Artemis could not possibly be dethroned.
(35-36) “Men of Ephesus, what man is there after 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.”
Incidentally he was wrong, for no one today worships Artemis of the Ephesians.
But he assures them Artemis isn’t going anywhere.
(The image was most likely a meteorite,
Precisely the type of event that would cause a mystical following)
He goes on to insist that these men are INNOCENT.
(37) “For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess.”
Furthermore if they were guilty, he assures the crowd that there are BETTER means of trying them available than a mob.
(38-39) “So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against any man, the courts are in session and proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another. “But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the lawful assembly.”
And finally he reminds the crowd of the DANGER they could be in for forming a mob.
(40) “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.”
And then we love the last verse.
(41) “After saying this he dismissed the assembly.”
In nothing flat, the mob was over.
I guess Artemis wasn’t all that powerful after all.
When up against the true god, she had no power whatsoever.
Just like at Corinth, God handled it without Paul having to say a word.
And again the point is that our focus
Cannot be on never offending the local deity…
Our focus cannot be on making sure
We don’t damage the local economy…
God is more than able to take care of all of those issues.
Our focus must always be on faithfulness to the mission.
• Encourage the Saints
• Expand the Kingdom
• Establish the Church
God is more than able to deal with Allah, or Buddah,
Or any of the 900+ Hindu gods.
At this time Allah was not threat, but Artemis was,
And God caused that riot to come to nothing.
In turn, Paul trusted God to do those things,
While he focused on the ministry.
And that is a good reminder for all of us.
(Not just those going on mission, but all of us)
Set your gaze on the mission, and walk in faith.
Don’t look at the opposition and walk in fear.
1 Peter 3:13-17 “Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.”
