20240602 Acts 19:8-41 Idolatry: “Gods made with hands are not gods”
“The acting chief financial officer of Freddie Mac, the
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, hanged himself in his basement. The
chief executive of Sheldon Good, a leading U.S. real estate auction firm, shot
himself in the head behind the wheel of his red Jaguar. A French money manager
who invested the wealth of many of Europe’s royal and leading families, and who
had lost $1.4 billion of his clients’ money in Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme,
slit his wrists and died in his Madison Avenue office. A Danish senior
executive with HSBC Bank hanged himself in the wardrobe of his £500-a-night
suite in Knightsbridge, London. When a Bear Stearns executive learned that he
would not be hired by JPMorgan Chase, which had bought his collapsed firm, he
took a drug overdose and leapt from the twenty-ninth floor of his office
building…. It was grimly reminiscent of the suicides in the wake of the 1929
stock market crash.”
This quote suggests that when stock markets crash,
individuals take their lives. These people did not have a history of
depression. Why is it then that men who would be considered brilliant and have
achieved so much, would rather die than see another day? I mean no disrespect
to the deceased or their families, but idolatry is the problem.
Idolatry is severe. Idols are powerful and can lead to
death. Ironically, their power is not real power. Their power lies in their
deception alone. When we are in real trouble, our idols who promised so much
will be of no help to protect us. They cannot. If we build our lives on a
foundation that is not supposed to carry the weight we place on it, the
foundation will crumble, and possibly our lives can follow.
Money can be an idol, but so can love and power. A young man
became so depressed after his girlfriend broke up with him and he had to take
six months off university. His romantic relationship could not withstand the
weight he placed on it. He had made an idol out of romance.
Two Christians went on a nature walk. Everything was going
smoothly until one of them shared who they had voted for in the 2020 US
election. The other completely lost it. He started yelling at him and told him
that they could no longer be friends. How can we explain such an overreaction
from a man who claims that Jesus is his all in all? He made an idol out of
political power. Money, Love, and Power are common idols among us.
In Acts, we study the history of the early Christian church.
We learn about the mission of the church. The church is making new disciples,
strengthening the disciples, and planting churches. Acts teaches that when the
gospel goes to non-Jews, it demands that they turn from idolatry.
With the account of Acts 19, Luke teaches us about idolatry.
Idolatry is anything more important to us than God. It is anything that absorbs
our hearts and imagination more than God. It is anything that we seek out, to
give us, what only God can give. Idolatry is misplaced hope.
Acts 19 describes Paul’s ministry in Ephesus. This is part
of the third missionary journey. Acts 19 shows that Paul’s gospel ministry was
so successful that it was changing society. People were turning from idolatry.
These conversions were affecting the economy. Those who made money from
idolatry were getting angry and this led to a riot.
We will study Acts 19 with three points:
- The
power of the gospel (Acts 19:8-20)
- The
power of idols (Acts 19:23-29)
- The
powerlessness of idols (Acts 19:29-40).
1. The Power of the
Gospel (Acts 19:8-20)
There are five ways in the text that we see the power of the
gospel.
The power of the
gospel in its successful spreading
According to Acts 19:10, Paul spent two years sharing the
word of God so that, “All the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord,
both Jews and Greeks.” Asia refers to the Roman province of Asia which is the
region around Ephesus in Western Asia Minor.
The power of the
gospel with its accompanying miracles
Acts 19:11-12 states that “God was doing extraordinary
miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and 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.”
For Us
There are periods in history in which miracles were very
common and others in which they were not. The Bible records the most miracles
in the times of Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, and Jesus and the
Apostles. Even in Paul’s own lifetime, we notice a shift. In Acts 19,
handkerchiefs that touched Paul had the power to heal. Ten years later, in
Philippians, Paul asks for prayer for the healing of Epaphroditus, his
co-worker who was very sick. Paul still expects supernatural healing, but it
seems that already by the time of the later New Testament books, the frequency
of miracles diminished. This does not mean there are no miracles. We still
witness the greatest miracle today, every time a person believes in Jesus. When
this occurs, a sinner dead in their trespasses is born again to the newness of
life in Christ! This is the power of the gospel and the main way we see God
performing miracles today. And we can say, Hallelujah!
The power of the
gospel in Acts 19:13-17
Seven Jewish exorcists try to use the name of Jesus to cast
out a demon. Because they were not Christians, the evil spirit attacked them.
They fled the house wounded and naked. This is a bizarre incident; the
important thing is its result. It leads both Jews and Greeks to extol the name
of Jesus. This event shows the supernatural power that is connected with the
name of Jesus. It also teaches that this power cannot be manipulated.
The power of the
gospel to unify
Acts 19:10, 17 states that both Jews and Greeks were hearing
and believing the gospel. Unity in Christ among diverse people has been a big
theme of Acts. Division characterizes our world, but the gospel unites divided
people.
For Us
In Belgium, the gospel unites Walloon and Flemish. There are
Christian Israelis and Christian Palestinians. In this room, we see the gospel
bringing together very different people. We enjoy diversity in age, culture,
ethnicity, upbringing, education, and even Christian backgrounds. When we
gather, we experience the unifying power of the gospel as well.
The power of the
gospel leads to life transformation (Acts 19:18-20)
We read that those who became believers were divulging their
practices, and a number who had practiced magic arts burned their books that
were worth a lot of money.
For Us
In our text, we saw that the Gospel led people to turn from
idolatry. The gospel is not just about what happens after you die. It is also
about the transformation of the Christian. We need to turn from our idols and
keep turning from idols.
I recently heard a Christian testimony of a woman in her
60s. She spoke about being the oldest child. Her dad was an alcoholic. Her mum
was very sick. From an early age, her identity was of one who cares for others.
Her life was all about “doing” for others. Late in high school, when she became
a Christian. She went from doing everything for everyone, to doing everything
for everyone in Jesus’ name.
In many ways, she was not transformed. She did not find rest
in Christ or joy in being with God. But because caring for others is a value in
Christian community, people assumed her service was a sign of maturity, not a
coping mechanism. She testified that she still had to grow in grace and turn
from the idol of people-pleasing and finding value in what she did. The
Christian message transforms us. Transformation can take time. Christians need
to learn about idolatry and turn from idols.
For some, following Jesus will mean giving away more money
so that it no longer has its pull on us. For others, it will affect our
romantic relationships. We must always treasure God more than romantic
fulfillment. For others, it will be learning to trust God with things that are
out of our hands. This kind of trust will actually decrease our anxiety. The
gospel actually changes us. This was the first point – the power of the gospel.
The Power of Idols
(Acts 19:23-29)
This is some context. Paul is in Ephesus. Ancient Ephesus is
known for the Temple of Artemis. Its ruins still exist today. The presence of
this temple meant that some made money from making shrines. Paul’s gospel
ministry was so successful that it was affecting the worship of Artemis. We see
the power of this idol.
Idols are powerful
because they can affect us externally
As people were becoming Christians, it was affecting the
idol business. In Acts 19:24, Demetrius was a silversmith who made shrines of
Artemis. He gathers others who benefited from shrine making. Demetrius says in
Acts 19:25, that it is through their business that they have made their wealth.
Artemis had made them money, but they realized that their livelihoods were at
risk. Idols are powerful because they can have a huge impact on our lives. In
this case, idols had the power to make money.
Idols are powerful
because they can affect us internally
The idol had such a strong grip on their hearts that they
are enraged hearing that Paul was teaching that "gods made with hands are
not gods” (Acts 19:26, 28). Anger often reveals our idols.
For Us
This is how the power of idols applies to us. Idols are
powerful. Sometimes they really do look like a shrine that you have in your
living room. Generally, for us, they will look like taking a good thing and
making it into an ultimate thing. They can be things that we can no longer live
without.
One way idolatry affects us is through addictions.
Addictions are powerful. They can be seen as idols we serve. Addictions drain
time, money, energy, and health. Addictions become gods who rule our lives. We
most often think of addictions to substances. We have broadened it to
pornography, and gaming, but some of us may also be addicted to our phones.
They control us.
Idols are good at disguising themselves. We can Christianize
our idols. We take good things like work and turn them into something we cannot
live without. Some of us find our identity in helping others. If we help people
in Jesus’ name, this idol will be hard to identify. We can serve the church so
much that we neglect other things. We can neglect our relationship with God. We
can neglect our own well-being or the well-being of others who depend on us. We
turn good things into ultimate things. Idols can be parental approval, children
doing well, looks, or a social cause.
I remember hearing Tim Keller say that in Boston they
worship intellect and knowledge (Harvard), in Washington DC it is power, and in
New York it is money. He said they even practice child sacrifice in New York.
He was referring to neglecting parenting duties for a glamorous, well-paying
career. John Calvin called the human heart an idol factory. Idolatry is
powerful, and idolatry ruins lives.
The Powerlessness of Idols (Acts 19:29-40)
Idols are powerful, and they are also so weak. Naked we come
into the world and naked we go to the dust. Nothing can change that. The
wealthiest people in the world will also die. The most beautiful people are
also anxious and insecure.
In the text, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen seem to be
aware of the weakness of Artemis. When people were turning away from her, they
were losing their business. Rather than turning to her, they turned to human
institutions, the courts. Idolatry leaves Demetrius and his fellow workers
without money. Artemis does not provide. In contrast to the living God who does
not need us, fake gods need to be made by people. Their power lies in how much
people pay attention to them. Artemis had such control over a large number of
people, but today in 2024, Artemis is unheard of. She was definitely not
eternal. Rather than promoting wholeness, unity, and well-being, Artemis
worship in the text leads to desperation, anger, and confusion. According to
Acts 19:28, the Ephesians were enraged at Christians and were crying out:
“Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Acts 19:29 describes the city as filled
with confusion. They dragged Christians into the theater. Once gathered, there
was more confusion (Acts 19:32). The scene had gotten so chaotic that the town
clerk had to warn them to calm down or, as a city, they may be accused of
rioting. This offense would have been met with repercussions from Rome.
For Us
Still today, idols can only fail us. I remember during the
last football World Cup hearing that whenever England lost a game, domestic
abuse went up. Idols like gods made by hands, or sports make terrible gods
because they are no gods at all. When so much well-being is connected to
something that can be taken away, it leads to despair, anger, anxiety, and
confusion. This is the powerlessness of idols to deliver.
Conclusion
Idols are everywhere and can be anything. So what do we do?
When we are aware of our idols, we can turn from them. We turn not just away;
we also turn to something. We turn to God. He reveals himself in the Bible. He
is so glorious that the only proper response is that we treasure Him. He offers
us all the good news for the forgiveness of sins for all those who turn to Him.
When God is the foundation for our lives, we will love Him and love people.
Our jobs will be jobs. Jobs will be avenues to contribute to
society. Jobs will be ways we can meaningfully provide for ourselves, our
family, and help those in need around us. Romantic relationships will be
enjoyed. Marriage will be a picture of the gospel.
Our homes will not be status symbols. They will be safe
places where hospitality, care, and discipleship are found. When we worship
God, even when we enjoy earthly comfort, we understand that eternal comfort
comes not from our possessions. It comes from Him who assures us that He has
our destiny in His hands. The antidote to idolatry is the worship of the living
God. He will not disappoint.
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