Sermon Summary
Big Idea: The Word is THE Way the LORD Wins!
Our next sermon in our studies through the book of Acts examines two episodes in the city of Ephesus. First, Paul attempts to preach the gospel in the synagogue until his message is rejected and he is forced to teach in a sort of school hall for the next two years. Second, the miracles that God did through Paul’s hand were so powerful that an ironic twist of events leads to the whole city of Ephesus fearing the power of Jesus. These two episodes are very different on the surface, but Luke makes it very clear that the Word of the Lord is what wins. The miracles are great, but the victory of the gospel is the reason God blessed Paul’s hand with miraculous power.
Sermon Outline
How can the Word of God spread all over Chicagoland?
Part 1: Six Steps for Revival?
Part 2: The Reals Steps for Revival
Saturate Ourselves with the Sufficiency of Scripture
Submit Ourselves to the Supremacy of Scripture
Sermon Text: Acts 19:8-20
And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
Application Questions
Do you want there to be revival in Chicagoland? If so, how does this happen?
How do we know that the Word of God wins, not by strategy or technique?
How is it helpful to know the work of the Spirit is like the Word?
How has the Word of God left caused you to fear and tremble in your own life?
What could help you to grow in your study and hunger for God’s Word?
What contributes to people not choosing the Word of God and studying with others? How could our lives change to make the Word a priority?
How might Acts 19:8–10 challenge you to study God’s word more?
What does it look like to grow in submission to God’s Word?
What is the significance that Paul is not active in this passage?
How has God’s Word led you and others to confess sin?
In what ways are you wasting time and/or giving your time to something or someone who is more dear than Jesus?
How have you been blessed by submitting to Jesus?
How does your life reflect submitting yourself to God’s Word?
In what ways could you grow in learning from the Word through Embassy?
How can our conversations grow in reflecting our love of the Word of God?
