Latest / Journey Elgin / Journey Through Scripture- 1 Cor 16, Acts 19, 2 Cor 1
Transcript
- Phillip Thomas: Hey, it's good to see you today. My name is Philip Thomas, Pastor of Journey here in Elgin, Texas, and this is our journey through Scripture. As we continue to ⁓ go through the the New Testament, now we are past the Gospels into to Acts and the epistles that that Paul has written. So we are going to be in First Corinthians sixteen today, and so the last chapter of First Corinthians. Then we'll be ⁓ in Acts nineteen and then second Corinthians Chapters one and the first part of chapter two. Okay. So that's ⁓ First Corinthians sixteen, Acts nineteen, second Corinthians, chapter one, and a part of chapter two. All right. So as we ⁓ look at chapter sixteen of First Corinthians, he's Paul is wrapping up ⁓ his letter to Corinth and ⁓ he is ⁓ telling them kind of his future plans that he ⁓ wants to come and visit them again. ⁓ he's also talking about how he's collecting money to send down to those who need it in Jerusalem. ⁓ he mentions in chapter sixteen, verse eight, it says, But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many ad ad adversaries. So I was gonna say adversities, but it's actually adversaries, I guess a similar thing. And and so it isn't it interesting how he sees ⁓ adversaries or adversity ⁓ as open doors to him. And he we're gonna see that here in Acts, what was going on in Ephesus. and ⁓ then it ⁓ in verse 13 he says, ⁓ watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong, let all that you do be done with love. Thought that was interesting. Stand fast in the faith, be brave, ⁓ be strong. there's many times throughout scripture that it talks about how we need to be courageous, that we need to be brave, ⁓ because if not, we are going to just give in ⁓ to the easy path and we're going to give in to what the world says is right or what is what is wrong, rather than following a biblical truth no matter what ⁓ changes around us. And ⁓ that's just extremely important. I I I hope that you know that it's It's not going to be easy ⁓ to live your life for Christ. ⁓ you you do have to be brave. You have to be strong ⁓ and commit to to living for him. ⁓ then he gives he says, you know, ⁓ kind of g mentions a few people and you know gives his final greetings there in First Corinthians sixteen. Then Acts chapter nineteen, what we have is a riot. ⁓ Ephesus was a a very religious city, especially for the ⁓ pagan ⁓ goddess of Diana or Artemis. ⁓ she ⁓ Athena, there's different different names ⁓ for her. ⁓ but we see that ⁓ what the problem was is they had kind of become known for that. So there were people who basically sold merchandise or sold idols, like literal idols of the goddess. And now that people are turning to Christ and rejecting those pagan gods and pagan idols, ⁓ it's hurting business. And so shockingly, when pocketbooks are impacted, ⁓ people start lashing out. And so what you have is ⁓ you have all of these ⁓ shrines that are made to Diana. There's a man named Demetrius who was a silversmith, and he was getting very upset. He said, Men, you know this verse twenty five of chapter nineteen. Men you know ⁓ in Acts, sorry, Acts nineteen, verse twenty five. ⁓ men you know that we are have our prosperity by this trade. Moreover, you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying they are not gods which are made with hands. ⁓ so not only ⁓ is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana. ⁓ may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, whom all of Asia Asia and the world worship. Well, he was right in that. ⁓ but he wasn't going to go down without a fight. ⁓ and ⁓ and I I love just the impact that Paul is having or that the gospel message, it's not just Paul, but working through Paul. The gospel message is changing that culture where they are pushing those pagan religions out. ⁓ is pretty awesome. It's also kind of sad that we are welcoming those pagan religions back in, but that's for another time. ⁓ verse 28 ⁓ or 29 says the whole whole city was filled with confusion. So they started caught ⁓ causing confusion, just stirring up trouble. ⁓ it was basically that mob mentality. Let's just get people going. ⁓ so the whole fit city was filled with with confusion, rushed into rushed into the theater with one accord. ⁓ ⁓ seized a couple of Paul's companions. Paul wanted to go, but they begged him and they r did not let him go because they were afraid of where this may ⁓ head. But isn't it interesting? There are people that are they're going to the theater. That was where things were debated. ⁓ and there's a lot of people they don't even know why they're going. But there's just all this chaos and it just encompasses ⁓ the community and the town. ⁓ those who sow so chaos, they know what they're doing. They're trying to get their way when they don't have the truth on their side. That is the same as we see today. Those who sow chaos are usually doing it because they do not have the truth on their side. Most of them did not know why they had come together. And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. ⁓ then they got mad at at at him as well. ⁓ then in verse thirty five it says, Men of Ephesus, what man ⁓ is there who does not know that the city of Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess Diana and of the image which fell down from Zeus. Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rashly, ⁓ for you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of yours. ⁓ of your goddess. Therefore, if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a case against any one, the courts are open, and their consuls, let them bring charges against one another. But if you have any other inquiry to make, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly. For we are in danger of being called in question for today's uproar. There being no reason which we may give account for this disorderly gathering. And when he had said these things he dismissed the assembly. So this is kind of shocking. The pagan leader Who believed that Diana was a goddess said, This is not the way that we do things. We do things through an orderly and lawful way. and and he was confident that the truth would be told, would be ⁓ found out in his version of the truth. Well, sure enough, that's not what ended up happening. ⁓ but he actually stood up for ⁓ doing things the right way rather than sowing chaos. ⁓ Then you have just the very beginning of chapter 20. It says, after the uproar uproar had ceased, Paul called the disciples to himself, embraced them, and departed to go to Macedonia. So he knew things were getting hot and he it was safer for him to move somewhere else. Then we have 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians is kind of interesting. Some people say it could be a combination of four letters. There's a severe letter that Paul references. There's a couple of different things. ⁓ but we don't fully know. ⁓ it it it very well could be a ⁓ a compilation ⁓ of those letters, or it could be that there's some letters that we don't have. ⁓ it doesn't to me that's not really ⁓ all that significant. We can learn ⁓ quite a bit through this letter that Paul writes to the Corinthians. That this is a a group that Paul has ⁓ a a lot of issues with and is ⁓ finds challenging ⁓ to deal with the with the Corinthians. ⁓ he starts off Second Corinthians chapter one. ⁓ I I think this is it's just so important that we we hear these these types of words. Verse three of Second Corinthians chapter one. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in trouble. With the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings, which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation, and our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers in of sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation. We see all through scripture that following God, following Christ, proclaiming the gospel will lead to sufferings, will lead to tribulation. That that is just a ⁓ a a harsh reality, but it also leads to the consolations, the comfort of God. It also leads to the joy that is found in following Him, a joy that can only be found in the midst of ⁓ suffering. ⁓ we don't like to hear that, but that is the truth. Do not let the world's ⁓ definition of what suffering is and that it should be avoided at all cost, ⁓ lead you away from the truth that we find throughout scripture. ⁓ He talks about how they were delivered from suffering. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, verse nine, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us. From so great a death, and does deliver us, in whom we trust that he will still deliver us. Right? And verse twelve, for our boasting is this, the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God with more abundant towards you. ⁓ he ⁓ he then can continues to to talk about. ⁓ the things that he would like to do and how he would like to come, but he's not sure if he's gonna be able to come. ⁓ then he he says, you know, it may be difficult for me to come because I I'm I'm gonna be giving you some pretty harsh ⁓ teachings. You may not want to see me. So Paul is going through all of that. ⁓ then he talks about forgiving the offender because he knows that they're gonna feel like he has offended them and he's calling out some of th them. He says ⁓ verse four of chapter two, ⁓ Second Corinthians, for out of much affliction and anguish of my heart I wrote to you with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you. Then verse ten, now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sake in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices. Right? Unforgiveness, ⁓ allowing things to fester and not dealing with them gives Satan a foothold to destroy the unity, to destroy the effectiveness of any group. And so as we're gonna stop right there. ⁓ next time we're gonna pick up in the last half of second of the second chapter of Second Corinthians and we will go through ⁓ a part of chapter seven. of second Corinthians. So two through seven of Second Corinthians. We'll see ya then.