Bill Acton :: Acts 19 - The Third Missionary Journey (Part 2)

Sermon Outline for Acts 19

The Third Missionary Journey (Part 2)

1. The Nature of Paul’s Witness in Ephesus – Act 19:8-20
   1. It was extensive – Act 19:10
   2. It was expanded – Act 19:10
   3. It was effectual – Act 19:11-20
      1. The gift of healing was present – Act 19:12
         1. This was not magic
         2. The cloth was a symbol
      2. The counterfeit
         1. The Jewish attempt to “join-up”
         2. The seven sons of Sceva
            1. They are overcome by the evil spirit
            2. Satan’s kingdom is divided
      3. Lives were transformed – Act 19:18-19
         1. The great bonfire
         2. They were free from bondgage
         3. The deceit of evil
            1. The promise of new power
            2. The call for yielding
      4. The Word of God grew and prevailed – Act 19:20
2. The Parenthesis – Act 19:21-22
   1. Paul’s plans
      1. To visit Macedonia and Achaia
      2. To go to Jerusalem
3. Opposition to the Witness – Act 19:23-41
   1. The city
      1. A center for witchcraft
      2. Superstition and demonism reigned
      3. Filled with occult leaders
      4. People lived in darkness and fear
   2. The occasion for the opposition – Act 19:23-27
      1. The effectiveness of the witness
         1. The darkness was challenged with the weapon of truth!
         2. The extensive teaching
      2. The loss of “idol-business”
      3. The concern for “Diana”
   3. The intensity – Act 19:28-34
      1. They were filled with wrath
      2. They were filled with confusion
      3. They incited a riot
      4. They were determined to stop the witness
      5. They rejected the Jewish spokesman
   4. The settlement – Act 19:35-41
      1. The city clerk’s recommendations
         1. Diana needs in defense
         2. The Christians have not robbed the temples nor blasphemed the goddess – Act 19:37
         3. Rome will not accept the illegal assembly
         4. Dismiss and work through the law
      2. The assembly is dismissed – Act 19:41
4. Application – Eph 6:10-13
   1. How the Christian lives
      1. By the authority of the Word
      2. In the power of the Spirit
   2. The strongholds around us
      1. Drugs and drinking
      2. Witchcraft – occult
      3. Perversion
         1. Men as women
         2. Women as men
         3. Homosexuality
      4. Crime
      5. Terrorism
      6. Family break-down
   3. The weapons of our warfare – 2Co 10:4-5
      1. Strong in the Lord
         1. Our strength is in Him – 2Co 3:5; Jhn 15:5
         2. Not in self
      2. The power of His might
         1. A deep, settled conviction that He is almighty in power
         2. That His almighty power is committed toward us
      3. The ties that inspire faith in His almighty power to us
         1. We are His by choice
         2. His by birth
         3. His by gift
         4. His by purchase
         5. His by conquest