What Is the Right Response to Sin? (Acts 19)

Welcome back to the pod! Today we’re covering Acts 19, so open your Bibles. Here’s the question we’ll answer: What Is the Right Response to Sin?

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Q. What Is the Right Response to Sin?

• We all sin; it’s our response to sin that matters most
• See 10 Sinful Responses to Sin
• Minimizing Sin: “It’s no big deal.”
• Rationalizing Sin: “He deserved it.”
• Blame-Shifting: “She made me.”
• Codifying Sin: “It’s a condition, not a sin.”
• Worldly Grief: “Sorry I got caught.”
• Today in our text (Acts 19) we’re going to see two groups of people
• Who were confronted with their sin problem and had a choice to make 
• One group is an example of what to do
• The other group, what NOT to do
• The context for the chapter is one particular sin: sorcery
• But the lessons apply to everyone, everywhere

The Set Up

Acts 19:11-12 (NLT) 11 God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. 12 When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled.

• We’re in Ephesus, a renowned center of occult practices in the ancient Greco-Roman world.
• To the secular world, miracles look like magic
• We saw this with Peter and his shadow (Acts 5), Philip and Simon Magus (Acts 8) 
• The point: Jesus>magic (understatement)

Acts 19 (NLT) 13 A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” 

• Note: they weren’t followers of Jesus, but they were using his name as an incantation.
• Reminiscent of the "Ephesian Letters" (Greek: Ἐφέσια γράμματα, Ephesia grammata) – a set of words or symbols believed in antiquity to possess magical power. These were often inscribed on amulets, statues, or other objects. 
• The exact content of the Ephesian Letters is debated, but ancient sources suggest they were a group of six mystical words: Askion, Kataskion, Lix, Tetrax, Damnameneus, Aisia
• These words were considered meaningless in everyday language but were thought to hold esoteric significance, potentially tied to ancient rituals or the invocation of supernatural powers. Some scholars believe they were connected to the worship of Artemis of Ephesus, the city's patron goddess.
• These Jewish exorcists were using Jesus’ name like it was one of these six mystical words.

Acts 19:14-16 (NLT) 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this. 15 But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” 16 Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered.

• The Sons of Sceva attempted to invoke the name of Jesus without genuine faith in Jesus, treating it as a magical formula for their own gain. They did not believe in Jesus or recognize His authority as Lord; instead, they saw His name as a tool to enhance their reputation as exorcists.
• Essentially "taking the Lord's name in vain" (from the Third Commandment, Exodus 20:7)
• Acts 19:17 (Pillar New Testament Commentary) The ignominious defeat of the Jewish exorcists by the demon showed the Ephesians that 'Jesus' is a power that cannot be controlled: 'he will not act as a lackey for anyone who calls on his name.'

So that’s the backdrop for our two groups today. Magic vs. Miracles in Ephesus. Let’s meet our first group.

The First Group

Acts 19:17-19 (NLT) 17b A solemn fear descended on the city, and the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honored. 18 Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices. 19 A number of them who had been practicing sorcery brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars. 20 So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect.

• Acts 19:18 (Pillar New Testament Commentary) Apparently they were moved by the exposure and overcoming of the exorcists to realize that their own previous involvement with the magic arts now needed to be acknowledged. Perhaps they had kept scrolls in which spells were written as an insurance policy, in case their new-found faith proved to be inadequate in some situation! Burning the scrolls was a way of repudiating what they contained and represented a greater trust in God to deliver them from trouble and supply their needs.

Let’s summarize this group’s response to sin:

• They feared the Lord.
• We talked about this back in Acts 4: The fear of the Lord is a reverent awe of God.
• (acknowledged power and sovereignty)
• They confessed and disclosed their sin.
• I know the NLT say “confessed”, but the original Gk expands on it:
• exomologoumenoi kai anangellontes, 'confessing and disclosing'
• Confessed = to say the same thing (as God)
• Disclosed = exposed it to the light, truth. They didn’t…
• Minimize it: “It’s no big deal.”
• Rationalize it: “He deserved it.”
• Codify it: “It’s a condition, not a sin.”
• Blame-Shift: “She made me.”
• They disclosed it. Admitted it. Put it out there. 
• They destroyed their old ways. 
• Militant! This is war!
• Burned the incantation books in a bonfire
• These might have been the mysterious and magical “Ephesian Letters”. 
• Wasn’t just Worldly Grief: “Sorry I got caught.”
• They did something about it. 
• I have decided to follow Jesus… No turning back, no turning back.

The result:

Acts 19:20 So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect.

• The word of the Lord grew
• Mightily
• And it prevailed.  It overcame.  It tore down strongholds.  It grew.  It spread.

The Second Group

The second group we meet begins in verse 24.

Acts 19:23-27 (NLT) 23 About that time, serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way. 24 It began with Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. He kept many craftsmen busy. 25 He called them together, along with others employed in similar trades, and addressed them as follows: “Gentlemen, you know that our wealth comes from this business. 26 But as you have seen and heard, this man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren’t really gods at all. And he’s done this not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire province! 27 Of course, I’m not just talking about the loss of public respect for our business. I’m also concerned that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will lose its influence and that Artemis—this magnificent goddess worshiped throughout the province of Asia and all around the world—will be robbed of her great prestige!”

Notice their response:

• Instead of fearing God, they feared losing money. 
• Instead of confessing their sin, they pointed fingers.
• Paul’s the problem, not us 
• Paul persuaded and turned away…….
• Instead of disclosing their sin, they defended it.
• Vs 27  Temple of the great goddess, Artemis will be regarded as worthless and be dethroned if we don’t do something
• Instead of destroying their old way, they worshiped it even more.
• Acts 19:28 (NLT) 28 At this their anger boiled, and they began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
• Took action to maintain idols rather than destroy them.

The result:

Acts 19:32 (NLT) 32 Inside, the people were all shouting, some one thing and some another. Everything was in confusion. In fact, most of them didn’t even know why they were there.

• In Gk: “The assembly was in confusion”
• Assembly = ekklēsia
• Same word as church elsewhere in Acts!
• When you respond to sin with more sin…
• you join a different group, a different “church”: the world
• They have their own beliefs, values etc
• They go against God’s word, and anything goes
• The result: confusion 

Close

Q. What Is Your Response to Sin?

• Like the second group:
• Pointing fingers
• Defending your sin
• Ending up confused and in the world
• Or like the first group: 
• Fearing God
• Confessing and disclosing your sin
• Destroying your old way
• Experiencing the “powerful effect” of the message of Jesus