Episode Transcript
[00:00:02] Welcome to the Chroma Church podcast.
[00:00:07] Okay, so find your Bibles. This is Acts 19, and we're going to read from verse 11.
[00:00:16] Now, God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick. And the diseases left them and evil spirits went out of them. 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.
[00:00:45] Also, there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, jesus, I know, Paul, Paul, I know, but who are you? I love this story. Then the man in whom the evil spirits leapt on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of the house naked and wounded. They got a good beating. That's what it means. This became known both to all the Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus. And fear fell on them all. And the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also many of those who had practiced magic bought their books together and burned them in the sight of all, and they counted up the value of them, and it totaled 50,000 pieces of silver.
[00:01:41] That's somewhere in today's money, between 1.5 to 5 million pounds.
[00:01:50] So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed. And everyone said, amen. Grab a seat.
[00:02:02] Right, so we're continuing our little journey through Acts. It's quite a long journey, actually.
[00:02:12] And I guess I want to ask you this morning, you know, what does it look like to get saved and what are you saved from?
[00:02:27] Romans 10 says, if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
[00:02:38] And this story we just read in Acts, I think is one of the most important windows and pictures of the saving power of Jesus Christ.
[00:02:53] Paul and later Timothy are going to establish a church in Ephesus that's going to become the model for church life. You know, by the time Timothy is in Ephesus and Paul writes to Timothy, church history. People believe there could be as many as 50,000 Christians.
[00:03:18] And this chapter in Acts is where it all starts. Paul in Ephesus last week we looked at 12 men are filled with the Holy Spirit. And those 12 men are going to see this city transformed. And Paul stays with them for a couple of years. Ephesus is a godless City full of immorality and witchcraft. I mean, it's like many cities, but it was known for this. And such is the transformation in the people's lives who encounter Jesus in this city.
[00:03:55] That here marriage and family life is going to be established in the foundations of the church and laid for all time. And we'll come back to that. And it's interesting that even now there's a number of people who professed atheism that are turning to Jesus. I see it coming up on social media sometimes. Well, actually people show me. But one of the reasons is they're realizing that without Christianity there is no moral order.
[00:04:33] That without the gospel of Jesus Christ, society fails. You cannot have moral order without the power of the Holy Spirit.
[00:04:47] And the only vehicle which can bring this change is the church.
[00:04:55] So the question is how?
[00:04:57] How is this, how does this come about? So I've just got three things I'm going to move quickly. Firstly, the gospel of the kingdom is preached.
[00:05:08] The rule and reign of Jesus Christ is preached. When the kingdom is preached, the sick are healed and demons are cast out and there is salvation and there is joy. That's the mark of the kingdom being preached. It is the demonstration of the power of the kingdom of God. God stretching forth his hand in power and performing signs and wonders is the mark of the kingdom. And I want to say the church devoid of healing and deliverance is no church. It's a club.
[00:05:47] It's just a nice gathering. It could just be the badminton society, you know, Jesus is clear. I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail.
[00:06:01] Jesus came to undo the works of the devil, 1 John 3:8. And we are commanded to pull down strongholds in the lives of men and women. 2 Corinthians 4. And you see, part of the journey of this church has been to re establish the healing ministry to the church. That's what we were just doing. Why? Because we've got hundreds of new believers and they need the healing, transforming power of the Holy Spirit in their lives. When you give your life to Jesus, that's just the first step.
[00:06:35] That's the start of an adventure.
[00:06:39] You know, when you come to Jesus, yes, He forgives your sins. They're moved as far as the east is from the west, but you also come under his rule and his protection. And so all of the benefits of his kingdom are now available to you. So when we pray for the sick, we do it as a church and we stay in this place of worship. Why? Because the Lord inhabits the Praises of his people. Psalm 22. And as we worship and as we praise, he walks amongst us.
[00:07:14] And the truth is the biggest challenge that we've experienced as we've been praying for people and pushing into this is unbelief. In fact, I would dare to say that one of the biggest challenge for the church is not sin. Jesus has dealt with your sin. It's unbelief.
[00:07:36] What do we believe?
[00:07:38] And what we have discovered is when we're in his presence, something happens.
[00:07:45] Faith starts to rise. And as faith in our lives starts to rise, miracles start to flow.
[00:07:54] That is why I go, don't sit down, keep engaged, keep worshiping. Because as we all together are in this presence of the Lord, people's faith starts to rise. You know, when you're sick, you don't always have faith, especially if you've been sick a long while and you've had everybody lay their hands on you. And so when you're standing up here, but you're in the presence of the Lord and everyone's worshiping around you, something starts to bubble up inside of us and faith starts to rise, which releases the miracle.
[00:08:29] So it's people are healed by their faith, but sometimes it's not their faith, it's somebody else's faith. You remember the guy who gets lowered down through the roof? I don't know if he had any say in it, but his four friends who cut a hole in the roof, laid him and lowered him before Jesus believed that Jesus could heal him. So when we gather as a church and we're in worship, our faith rises and it releases the healing power of the Holy Spirit. You see, the first place the kingdom needs to be preached is in the church.
[00:09:04] The rule and reign of Jesus is coming back to his church. Okay, number two.
[00:09:11] Firstly, we preach the kingdom. Secondly, the enemy is disarmed.
[00:09:17] Wherever the kingdom is preached, this rule and reign of Jesus, the demonic is disarmed. His power is taken away.
[00:09:28] Demons are not something to be scared of, but rather something to be free from. Let me say that again. Demons are not something you should be scared of. They're something you want to be freed from. Smith Wigglesworth in the early 1900s, maybe about 1910, 1920.
[00:09:52] Great preacher. And he had a visitation from the devil himself. He writes it in his journals. And he said he woke up one night and the devil himself was sitting at the foot of his bed. So he woke up, looked at him and said, oh, it's you, and went back to sleep.
[00:10:14] Okay, that was the level of concern. But he also believed that all sickness came from the devil, so that when people came forward for healing, he would punch them, because in his mind he was punching the devil. And as he punched them, sometimes they would fall, which is understandable. They were healed. And there are many, many accounts. Now that's not a model I want you to start working on. All right?
[00:10:44] But what he saw was that the devil was oppressing people. There was an anger. No, these are God's people. You can't do it. So his action, his faith, broke the power of the devil and they were healed.
[00:11:04] So these demons, they're fallen angels, antagonistic towards God's purposes. Ephesians 6:12 who roam the earth looking for opportunities to deceive and oppress people. Matthew 12:43 they're under the leadership of Satan himself. Matthew 12:25 we read that Jesus has bound Satan, he's called the strong man, so that we can plunder his house. Matthew 12:29 Demons think they have more time to than they do.
[00:11:41] Matthew 8:29 and Jesus has commanded us to cast them out. Matthew 10:7 he says this, and you go preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. It's another way of saying what he says. The rule and reign of God is here. Now, that's what you're to announce. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. That's the commission for each one of us, the church. So enter the seven sons of Sceva. He was, Sceva was a high priest whose name means left handed or cat handed. And that pretty much describes him. And what they did is they tried to use the name of Jesus to cast a demon out. Now, Jewish tradition, one of the ways you would exorcise people, one of the ways you would cast a demon out is you use the names of God. And the names of God are incredibly powerful when you know him. But then they're not a spell to be used, as the seven sons of Sceva find out. And so they are trying to get a demon out of a man. And this is what happens. The evil spirit answered and said, jesus. I know, Paul, I know, but who on earth are you?
[00:13:02] Then the man whom the evil spirit was leapt on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them. So they fled out of that house naked and wounded. Now, I love this story. Not because I'm pleased to see them get a bit of a beating. I just see so much of myself in this story. You know, most of the time we don't know what we're doing. I mean, we pretend we do. And I hear Christians saying, you know, I'm going to kick the devil's ass. Sorry, bottom.
[00:13:36] And I just think, no, you're not, you're not. Jesus is the deliverer. Jesus is the one who has bound the strong man. You're going to do what he tells you to do. And that's the key.
[00:13:53] Do you remember the disciples trying to cast the demon out of the kid? And Jesus is up the mountain, he's getting transfigured with John and James and Pete and the other disciples are down the mountain and a man has bought his son who keeps manifesting a demon. And he says he throws him into a fire. And so the disciples gather around to cast it. It's cast him out and they can't do it. So as Jesus comes down, he sees a commotion and he says, what's going on? The man says, I brought my son. Your disciples couldn't cast the demon out. And this is what Jesus says. The disciples say, why couldn't we do it? And he says, because of your unbelief.
[00:14:39] For assuredly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move from here to there and it will move and nothing will be impossible for you. Faith this size, nothing will be impossible for you. However, he says, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. What's he saying?
[00:15:04] Well, he's talking about relationship. You see, when if you're a prayer and a faster, you know Jesus, you're used to talking with Jesus and you have a relationship with him. And if you're going to do battle with this enemy, Jesus says, you're going to want to really know me and make sure I know you. You're going to walk with me.
[00:15:27] And when you walk and have a life that walks with me, my power is with you. You know, my first ever demon, I was 21, 22. We were up in Merseyside and we were doing an outreach amongst and we were preaching the gospel to them. We were praying for them. I mean it was all over the shop. We had no idea what we were doing, but lots of them were getting saved. And many of them are ministers in churches all over the country now. So it was a good season.
[00:15:54] But I remember one night a Hindu girl, I guess she must have given her life to Jesus. And as she gave her life to Jesus, we had this back room for praying for people, mainly because there was too many people in the other room. So if we wanted to pray for people, we took them in the back room. And as they brought her in the back room, she hit the floor and started slithering on the floor like a snake hissing and making all these strange noises. So, you know, I'm only. I'm only 22, but I was in charge. So somebody calls me in, and I'm. I walk in, there's this girl slipping on the floor. And look, I've read the books I've been on. I've been to the conferences, and they all say, you got to ask the demon what his name is. So I walked in with all the authority I could muster and go, what's your name in the name of Jesus? And she stopped slivering, which was a good sign. But she just looked at me and said, malcolm, it's a true story. It's a true story. And I went, what? I was expecting fear or pain or death. Malcolm.
[00:16:58] You know, I could never call a child Malcolm anymore.
[00:17:04] And. And then she said, I don't know. And then her voice changed. I don't know who you are. And I went, oh, no.
[00:17:12] I'm gonna get stripped naked and be beaten in front of everyone. Cause I do know my Bible, all right? And I'm like, oh, there's all these kids out there, and I'm gonna be bruised, and it's not gonna look good. But then she said, I don't know who Jesus is. And I thought, you liar. And the moment she said that, something went off inside of me because I knew she was lying. She might not know who I am, but I know she knows who Jesus is.
[00:17:39] And I said, yes, you do. And, look, I wish I could tell you that, you know, we cast the demon out, and, you know, she. She's got this amazing testimony. Now, the honest truth is, I. I mean, I just did my best. I've got no idea what happened, but all I know was the demon didn't get me. Okay? I wasn't stripped naked and beaten. But that day, I made a decision that I wanted the devil to know my name.
[00:18:13] Too many people want people to know them. They want men and women to know their name and be famous.
[00:18:19] But demons knew the name of the apostle Paul because wherever he went, he caused damage to their kingdom. And I determined that for the rest of my life, I was going to cause damage to his kingdom wherever I went, and that he would know my name.
[00:18:36] So what I want to ask you is, does the devil know your name for the right reasons? Because wherever you go, you cause damage to his kingdom. So preach the gospel. Disarm the enemy. Number three. A way to freedom, verse 18 says many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. Again. When I became a Christian, I decided I wanted to follow Jesus the whole way.
[00:19:09] I confessed everything.
[00:19:12] You know, how do you get truly saved? You confess with your mouth your secrets, your sins, your fears, bring them to the cross so that they can die with Jesus. You see, you don't want to get resurrected with a suitcase full of your old stuff. When we confess, when we bring it all to Jesus. There was another revivalist called Charles Finney and he would encourage all his converts to write out all their sins and then to burn them. Just confess everything.
[00:19:52] I don't know about that, but I mean, that's just what I did, that's what I was taught, you know, just list everything in your life that is contrary to Jesus and lay it in the light for everyone to see and get free.
[00:20:08] You see, how do demons hold us to ransom? Paul says this to the Ephesians. Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. Let me say that again. Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. Bring them into the light. If anything is a secret, if anything is in the darkness, bring it into the light and you break the power of, of it. You know, anger, dissension, just bring it in light. Are you struggling with anger? Confess it. Bring it in to the light.
[00:20:52] You know, just don't, you know, wherever you go, is there division? Confess it.
[00:20:59] Bring it into the light. Jealousy, you know, why does that person get blessed and I don't get blessed? Bring it to Jesus, Start to bless them.
[00:21:09] Self hate.
[00:21:11] You know, one of the biggest things that social media has brought to a generation is that they compare themselves with Photoshop and that there is a self hate of how people look and how they appear.
[00:21:31] Confess it. The scriptures are clear. You are wonderfully made. Jesus did not make a mistake with one of you. Even me, he didn't make a mistake. I am wonderfully made.
[00:21:49] I'm just growing handsome gracefully.
[00:21:55] Lust, adultery, fornication, bring it out into the open. It's the only way of freedom. Addiction. Don't get drunk on wine, Paul says, but be filled with the spirit. Bring it out. Determine to be free. You know, many of you, you know, people are coming into this church, you're giving your lives to Jesus and you're living together and now what do you do? Well, you really do need to take a good look at each other and go, am I going to spend the rest of my life with you?
[00:22:26] And if I am, I ain't going to marry you.
[00:22:29] Because the Bible is clear about marriage and covenants.
[00:22:36] Because look, marriage is a wonderful thing, but it's going to be tested. If the devil can divide your marriage, he will. And the only way you're going to stay together is by covenant called the three strands is not easily broken. Husband, wife, Jesus holding them together.
[00:23:00] You know, if it hadn't been for Jesus, Juliet would have probably have tasered me by now.
[00:23:05] You know, we've walked the journey 30 years this year we've had, you know. Yeah, I mean, I never. I never thought she was going to put up with me that long.
[00:23:17] We prayed for a couple 50 years. In the first service a couple of weeks ago, Jesus right in our midst. Look, whatever you bring into the light, his freedom comes upon you. While it's a secret, it has power over you. I met a lovely lady first service a few weeks ago. She'd been a Christian three weeks. She said my marriage is over and I've just been struggling. It's all I could do not to go back to drugs, she said. But I just knew if I could make it through. This was Saturday night. If I could make it through to church tomorrow, I would be okay. And I prayed for her and I sat next to some of my friends because there is a battle over her life. Everyone who gives their life to Jesus, the enemy doesn't want you to stay walking with Jesus. So this onslaught comes. You know, some of you have had babies, you know, Joel and Mitchell over there, you know, they don't leave him on the step of the church. They take him home and are really careful. Well, hopefully you don't really careful about this precious little life.
[00:24:37] Well, it's exactly the same when people give their life to Jesus, it's the most precious thing. But you're vulnerable and the enemy comes and attacks and we need to get alongside. That's why we do new life on Tuesdays, because there is a battle. Come and find how to defend yourself. The devil does not want you to stay free.
[00:24:59] When I got saved, I went through all my possessions. I got rid of anything that wasn't wholesome, including records. It was in the time of vinyls, you know, if it had a bad cover on, I just literally I smashed them all. I broke them all. Be worth a fortune now.
[00:25:14] Posters, little figures, weird masks. Anything that felt yucky in the bin. Yucky is the theological Word, in case you don't know, anything that just didn't feel holy went in the bin. You know, if you've been reading horoscopes, crystals, other gods, idols, yoga, drugs, burn them, burn them, get rid of it. And you say, you know, you might say, but I've got quite a collection. It's worth quite a lot of money. And they said that when they in Ephesus, they were bringing all of their magic books and gods and things that were leading them astray, you know, millions of pounds worth. And it all went up into smoke. Why? Because Jesus is worth it.
[00:26:00] Get rid of it. Anything that will take you away from him, get rid of.
[00:26:08] Because if you're going to come to Christ, you don't want the devil to have any hold on you.
[00:26:14] You died your old life and you step into a glorious new life. And then verse 20 says, so the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed. You see, so many Christians have carried a suitcase of their past into their new life. It's time to burn it.
[00:26:35] The Lord told me the altar is going to fill up because there's a season of freedom coming.
[00:26:42] People are going to bring, come to the front and confess, and he's going to bring freedom into their life.
[00:26:50] You see, as we preach the gospel of the kingdom, people come into the light and the demons have to leave.
[00:26:58] As you come under the rule and reign of his kingdom, your actions change.
[00:27:05] When the manifest presence of God is here, when the king is here, it is so much easier to walk in freedom right at the beginning. I want to just close with this. I said, the church at Ephesus was a model and set an example that changed the world.
[00:27:25] And the situation in Ephesus was that many of the men would have had multiple wives.
[00:27:33] And what does Paul do? You know? Well, you've come to Jesus. Now choose your favorite one, chuck the others out onto the street.
[00:27:43] That's what happened to the Samaritan woman. Remember the woman that Jesus met? She'd had five husbands. She'd been chucked out, probably because she couldn't have children. She was destitute.
[00:27:53] No, you see, the gospel transforms.
[00:27:59] Sanctification takes time.
[00:28:03] So when he instructs Timothy, he says, what I want you to do, Tim, is I want you to appoint men and women leaders who have one wife or husband that are of good character, not given to much wine, and of good reputation.
[00:28:20] And then what started to happen was the people started to imitate their lives.
[00:28:26] And as the people imitated these lives, transformation started to happen in Ephesus and what I would say to you this morning as we close. If you're a new Christian, look for people like this. Follow their example, confess to them, stay close to them.
[00:28:48] If you're an old Christian, look for new Christians, set an example, lead them to freedom and if the devil tries to attack them, make sure that he knows your name for the good reason and sort him out in the name of Jesus so that they can walk in freedom. This way the world starts to get transformed and we live in the shalom of the kingdom. All of the benefits of God's rule and reign and we hasten the return of Jesus Christ.
[00:29:29] Thanks for listening to the Chroma Charge podcast. If you enjoyed this message you can like and subscrib. You can also join us in person or online every Sunday at Cromer Church. For more information about us, including our ministries, events, worship and how to donate, visit our website at Cromer Church.
