July 14, 2010

Joshua 20-21
In the words of Drs. Hinson & Kroll, “For the sinner, to be found in the city of refuge was to be found in the only place of salvation. The correspondence between these cities and the Lord Jesus is striking.” I am guilty of breaking the law. I am worth of execution because of my sin. Yet I have fled to the city of refuge, found only in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Him I am safe for he is both the executioner and the city of refuge. He has received me and I am safe in Him.
The Lord gave them rest on all sides. 44The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. 45Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass. TLet us be diligent to enter into His rest.
11Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbeliefd. 12For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. 14Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Acts 19:1-20
Ephesus, the Roman center of power for Asia, was indeed quite a religious city. The temple of Diana (or Artemis as the Greeks would say) was there. The Ephesians wanted an impressive temple for her. So, they built a structure that was a replica of the Parthenon found on the Acropolis of Athens. But they made it much larger! Its foundation still stands today. It was 425' long and 220' wide and contained 127 pillars to support the roof and its colonnade was 60' high. Diana was the mother goddess of the earth. As happens in many areas where pagan religions abound, the city was also filled with much cultic activity. Within the city was a strong contingent of Jews. Even within that contingent was a strong contingent of people who had traveled back to the Holy Land, heard the preaching of John the Baptist and were baptized by him signifying their preparing themselves for the coming of the Messiah.
How would the glory of our Lord outshine the glory of such a religious establishment? The Lord doesn't deviate from the principles that He has established in the church thus far. His glory is going to shine through His people as they speak His glory and do His works. For three months Paul spoke the message in the synagogue. Twelve men from the disciples of John believed the message and turned to Jesus. Then the rest of the synagogue hardened their heart toward the message. Paul remained in that city 2 more years preaching the message of Jesus. The way it is written here it seems to imply that after the message was rejected by the Jews that Paul began doing the glorious works of Jesus. Seven unbelieving sons of a Jewish chief priest sought to use the name of Jesus to work the same works. The glory of the Lord will not be compromised. Their exorcism worked -- to their own detriment, for they did not have the authority and protection of the Lord. Their failure increased the glory of our Lord. The result? Many left their magic and occult to follow Jesus. The glory of the Lord was so evident to them that the burned their books. They didn't sell them. They burned them. They needed no profit from their past acts of darkness. All that was important to them was the glory of Jesus.
How much money are we talking here? 50,000 pieces of silver. Assuming that the piece of silver referred to here is the drachma, this would equal 50,000 days wages. Now that would be a different figure in different areas. Assume in our area that a days wage for a laborer is $80. That would equal about $4,000,000. That's a lot of money! Why not sell it and give it to the poor or for building a temple to Jesus or something else? Isn't this a waste? They needed no profit from their past acts of darkness. All that was important to them was the glory of Jesus. Selling the books would allow others to be enslaved by the powers of darkness. Selling the books would continue to give the enemy a foothold in the lives of others. They needed a clean break from the past and they needed to not provide a door for others to go where they went. This was a way to proclaim the glory of Jesus. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John