Would you turn back to Acts chapter
19, verse 23. At the same time, there arose
no small stir about that way. I've entitled this message. No
small stir about that way. And I think this is obviously
quite an understatement. This is an understated way of
saying there was a great riot because of that way. There was
a tumult because of that way. And I really think this is what
Paul was referring to when he said in 1 Corinthians 15 that
he fought with beasts at Ephesus. I used to think he was thrown
into a Roman Coliseum and had to fight off lions, and that
might be the case, but I read when preparing this message that
by law, at any rate, a Roman citizen could not die that kind
of death, and Paul was a Roman citizen, and these people cared
about the laws of Rome, as we'll see toward the end of this chapter,
so I think he's talking about the riot that took place, he
said, after the manner of men, I fought with beasts at Ephesus. And he's talking about these
people. Now the way spoken of is the
gospel. I love the way the Lord says,
I am the way. I love the simplicity of that.
There's nothing left to our imagination. There's nothing left for us to
think of anything else. I am the way. He didn't say I am a way. He
said, I am the way, the way that utterly excludes all other ways. And if the way is not preached
as the way that excludes, that negates, that denies all other
ways, the way is not preached. Period. Now, before the Lord
save Paul, I want us to see how He viewed this way. Look in Acts
22. This is when He's giving His
defense. He says, men and brethren and
fathers, hear ye my defense, which I make now unto you. And
when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them,
they kept the more silence. And he saith, I am verily a man,
which am a Jew born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought
up into this city at the feet of Gamaliel. and taught according
to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers and was zealous
toward God as you are all this day. And I persecuted this way,
this way, any who are of this way, any who believed this way,
I persecuted this way unto Anybody that believed Christ
is the way, I was out for their death. That is how strongly Paul
felt against this way. Now, back to our text. No small stir about that way. Now this is the narrow way. I
love understanding what that means. This way is so narrow
that if you have anything else, you can't go along this way.
That's how narrow this way is. If you have anything other than
Christ, you can't get through the gate and you can't walk along
the way. Do you have anything other than
Christ? Is there anything that you would plead before God other
than Christ alone? If you have anything else, you
can't walk along this way. This way is the way of righteousness,
Christ's righteousness as the only righteousness. I love that
parable you just read in Matthew chapter 12, verse 14. That's
talking about the way, the same thing, that wedding garment.
That wedding garment. You know, I was thinking, I wonder
if anybody else knew that this fellow had the wrong wedding
garment on except the king when he came in. He spotted it. I
don't know if anybody else spotted it. He spotted it immediately.
Friend, how camest thou in hither without a wedding garment? And
the man was speechless. He didn't know what to say. He
could have had one, but he rejected it, preferring his own. This
is the way of righteousness, the way of Jesus Christ's righteousness
as the only righteousness there is before God. This is the way of truth. Anything
else is a lie. This is the way of peace. Anything
else is a false peace. This is the way of salvation,
the way of Christ. And here's what I love about
this way. If you're in this way, you're
already there in the presence of God right now. What a way
he is. No small stir about this way. And I love the way Paul said
in Acts chapter 24 verse 14, after the way that they call
heresy, this way I'm speaking of. after the way they call heresy. Now, the reason they call it
heresy is because if they hear the way we preach, it excludes
the way they're trusting in. And that's why they say it's
heretical. And we're gonna see this from this passage of scripture. But
after the way they call heresy, so worship I. That's so abhorrent. Not, that's
the way I believe. That's what I believe. No. So
worship I, the God of my fathers, believing all things which are
written in the law and in the prophets. Now let's see what
led up to this statement in verse 21. After these things were ended,
Paul purposed in the spirit. He was led of God, the Holy Spirit
to do this, and he purposed it in the spirit. It was God the
Spirit that put this in his heart that when he had passed through
Macedonia and Achaia to go to Jerusalem, saying, after I've
been there, I must also see Rome. He intended on going to Rome.
He didn't know he was going to go there as a prisoner. And you'll
read about that in the next chapter. But he wanted to go to Rome.
He was going to go to Rome in bonds. So Verse 22, he sent into
Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus.
But he himself stayed in Asia for a season. Now, he trusted
these two men as faithful representatives of the gospel. Well, I want to
be that, don't you? Where Paul would trust me that
I would not be preaching anything but the gospel. He trusted these
men as representatives of the gospel. What a blessing that
is. But he himself stayed in Asia
for a season. And at the same time, there arose
no small stir, a big riot about that way. Now he tells us what
happened. For a certain man named Demetrius,
a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no
small gain unto the craftsman. Now, here's the picture. Diana. Diana's temple was in Ephesus,
and at the time, it was considered one of the seven wonders of the
ancient world. People came from all over to
see this temple and worship Diana. Now, Demetrius was a smart guy.
He knew what they were doing, so he made silver idols of Diana,
and he sold them. And every time somebody would
come there, they'd say, well, we kind of like somebody buying
a cross or buying a nativity scene or buying, you know, some
kind of religious relic. This man got wealthy from making
these silver shrines, these idols, this likeness of Diana. Everybody
who went to the temple, they'd buy one of those silver shrines.
He got rich. He knew what he was doing. A
certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver
shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen.
Now here, once again, is one of Luke's understatements. No
small gain means a lot of money. They made a lot of money through
this. This was a big business. Verse 25, now whom he called
together, these craftsmen, with a workman of like occupation
and said, sirs, you know that by this craft we have our wealth. Now, what precipitated this is
all of a sudden Demetrius saw a drop in sales, a drop in profit. All of a sudden, there weren't
as many people buying these silver shrines, like any good businessman
would do. He started researching into what's
taking place. What's messing up our marketing?
Why aren't we selling the idols we used to? We're gonna go bankrupt
like this. Well, he gives the reason. Now, you know by this craft,
we have our wealth. Moreover, you see and hear the
not alone at Ephesus. but almost throughout all Asia,
this Paul, here's the problem. This Paul hath persuaded and
turned away much people saying that they'd be no gods, which
are made with hands. This is why our sails are down. They're persuading people all
over the place that these gods we're making are not gods. And you know what that means?
That means we're phonies. That means in the people's eyes,
we're fakes, we're fraudulent. What we're doing has no value. And we're losing all kinds of
money out of this. I think that's almost amusing. The gods that are made with hands
are no gods. Duh. Exactly. A man-made god. As a matter of
fact, one of the versions calls this handmade gods. Obviously,
a handmade god, a man-made god, is no god at all. And what he's saying is our gods
that we're making, Ironic, like I said, a man-made God. They're
saying they're not gods at all, and thus we're losing money right
and left because of their stance on our gods. Now, I couldn't
help but think of Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar set up that idol,
remember? And he said, everybody worship
this idol. He set it up, I made this idol,
worship it. He wasn't telling them to worship
that idol, he was telling them to worship him. And anytime we
set up a man-made God, it's man that is worshiped, not God. And they were setting up man-made
gods and these fellas were saying, there be no gods which are made
with hands. And that will lead people to
conclude that what we do is fraudulent, phony, and deceitful, and we
will end up bankrupt. That is what comes from our man-made
gods. Now, doesn't that recommend itself
as ridiculous, a God made with hands? A God made with hands, a man-made
God. Doesn't that recommend itself as ridiculous? Turn with me for
a moment to Psalm 115, and this is quoted also in Psalm 135, Psalm 115. Verse 2, Wherefore should the
heathen say, Where is now their God? But our is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever he hath
pleased. Now that's the living God. Their
idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have
mouths, but they speak not. Eyes have they, but they see
not. They have ears, but they hear
not. Noses have they, but they smell
not. They have hands, but they handle
not. Feet have they, but they walk
not, neither speak they through their throat. They that make
them are likened to them. So is everyone that trusteth
in them. Now that's quoted in Psalm 135.
Turn with me to Isaiah chapter 40. Isaiah chapter 40. Verse 18, to whom then will you
liken God? Or what likeness will you compare
unto him? The workman melteth a graven
image, and the goldsmith spreadeth over the gold and casteth silver
chains. He that is so impoverished that
he hath no oblation chooses a tree that will not rot. He seeketh
unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image that shall
not be moved. Have you not known? Have you
not heard? Hath it not been told you from
the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
It is he that setteth upon the circle of the earth and the inhabitants
thereof are as grasshoppers that stretches forth out the heavens
as a curtain and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in. These
things are not God's, I'm God's, is what he's saying. Look at
Isaiah 44. Verse 9, They that make a graven image,
all of them are vanity, and their delectable things shall not profit
their own witnesses. They see not, nor know, that
they may be ashamed. Who hath formed a god, or a molten
and graven image, that is profitable for nothing? Behold, all his
fellows shall be ashamed, and the workmen, they are of men.
Let them all be gathered together, let them stand up. Ye that shall
fear, and they shall be ashamed together. The smith with the
tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth with hammers,
and worketh it with the strength of his arms, this God he's making.
Yea, he's hungry, and his strength fails. He drinks no water, he's
faint. The carpenter stretches out his
rule, he marks it out with a line, he fits it with plains, he marks
it with a compass, and makes it out to the figure of a man,
according to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house.
He eweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak,
which he strengthens for himself among the trees of the forest.
He plants an ash, and the rain doth nourish it. Then shall it
be for a man to burn. He'll take thereof and warm himself.
Yea, he kindleth it and baketh bread, and he maketh a god and
worshipeth it. He maketh a graven image, and
falleth down thereto. He burneth part thereof in the
fire, and with part thereof he eats flesh. He roasteth roast,
and is satisfied, yea, he warmeth it himself, and say, aha, I'm
warm, I've seen the fire. And the residue thereof, he makes
a God. Even his graven image, he falls
down unto it, and worships it, and prayeth unto it, and says,
deliver me, for thou art my God. He takes a log, He cuts it up,
he uses some of it for fire, he uses some of it to cook, and
he uses some of it to make a God. Look in Isaiah 45, verse 20. Assemble yourselves and come,
draw near together ye that are escaped of the nations. Now listen
to this statement. They have no knowledge that set
up the wood of their graven image. and pray unto a God that cannot
save. Now you have no knowledge, the
prophet says, if you pray unto a God that cannot save you unless
you let him. Unless you do something to enable
him to save you. That is a God that cannot save. A God that needs you to do something
before he can save you is a God that cannot save. And Isaiah
tells us they have no knowledge, no understanding to pray unto
a God that cannot save. Now, any concept of God that
is not the God of the Bible is a non-existent God. is no God at all. The God whose
character is described in this inspired book is the only God
and any God that is not like the God described in this book
is no God at all. A God that did not write the
Bible and tell us who he is from this book is no God at all. He's a non-existent entity. When you pray to a God that cannot
save, you're praying to a non-existent entity that can't do anything
for you at all. God wrote this book. Put it this way, for the prophecy
came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake
as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Now, according to this
book, God, the God that is, is the God who is one God in three
distinct persons, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy
Spirit and any God that is not that God is no God at all. God the Father elected a people
before time began to be saved. God the Son came in time and
worked out a perfect righteousness for those people and bore their
sins and put them away. God the Holy Spirit comes and
gives them life, creates life that was not there before, births
them into the kingdom God the Father, God the Son, God the
Holy Spirit, the salvation of God the Father, election, God
the Son, redemption, God the Holy Spirit, regeneration. A
God that is not that God is no God at all, is non-existent. The God of the Bible is a God
of purpose who decrees everything. declares the end from the beginning
and from ancient times the things that are not yet done saying
my counsel shall stand I will do all my pleasure known unto
God are all his works from the beginning and a God that is not
a God of absolute predestination just like that is no God at all
a non-existent Idle, concocted through the depraved imagination
of depraved men. He's no God at all. The supremacy of God. What do
I mean by that? He's so supreme. Now listen carefully. He is so supreme that he controls
the free and the uncoerced actions of men. Now you do what you want
to do. I do what I want to do. But God
is in absolute sovereign control, working His will in the free
and uncoerced actions of men. You see, He really is supreme. I think the passage about Him
being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God, you have taken and with wicked hands. Well, God purposed
it. You can't say that. Yes, He did
purpose it. Him being delivered by the determined
counsel and foreknowledge of God, that doesn't get you off
the hook. You with wicked hands have crucified and slain. You
did what you wanted to do. Remember what Acts chapter four
says, that both Herod and Pontius Pilate and the Gentiles and the
people of Israel were gathered together for to do whatsoever
thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. A God that's not that God is
no God at all. A non-existent idol. A God that's not absolutely sovereign,
creation, talked about this some this morning. He spaked the world
into existence. A God that's not sovereign over
providence. He controls everything that takes place. A God that's
not sovereign in salvation, that means your salvation is in His
hands. You don't have any control on
this. It's up to Him as to whether or not you'll be saved. Now,
that doesn't discourage me. Somebody says, well, what can
I do? I can sue for mercy. And I know this, there's never
been somebody who asked for mercy that God turned down, if you
actually asked for mercy. So this is not, when we say salvation
is in His hand, that's a good thing. Because if it wasn't in
His hand, there wouldn't be any hope for me and you. But thank
God, he delights in mercy. But as to whether or not you're
saved, it's in his hand. That's what God being sovereign
in salvation means. And a God that is not like that
is no God at all. A God that can change in any
way. It's not immutable. I am the
Lord. I change not Malachi 36. Therefore
ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. A God that's not immutable is
no God at all. He's non-existent. And you can
take this in so many different directions. And you can say that
you can see the way a preacher preaches that God loves somebody.
He really loves people. And yet he can turn around after
they don't repent and do whatever they think they're supposed to
do, he goes ahead and sends them to hell, even though he loves
them. He changes in his disposition towards them, changed from love
to wrath. That God's no God at all. There's
no such thing as a God like that. A God who can give you a sin
payment. in His Son and die for your sins,
and yet send you to hell for those very sins He died for.
That's no God at all. That's denying the very character
and justice and immutability of God. They have no knowledge
that pray unto a God that cannot save. We could just keep going
with this. God is as He's revealed in His
Word, and anything less, anything more, is no God at all. Now this really is simple. This
is simple, this is who God is. As he's revealed in this book,
and any God that's preached that does not line up with exactly
as this book describes him, this book that God himself wrote,
is no God at all. Now that's what's going on at
this time. Demetrius is upset. He's saying,
Paul's saying that these gods we've made are no gods at all. That's why sales are down. We're
going to go bankrupt with Paul's preaching. This is not doing
us any good. We need to do something about this. We're losing money.
We're losing the bottom line. So let's go on reading back to
our text. Verse 27. So that not only this, our craft
is in danger to be said it not, I mean, we're going to lose everything
like this. But also, the temple of the great
goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be
destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshipeth. Now here's
what's going to happen to this. The magnificence of Diana is
going to be seen to be nothing. Nothing more than an idol. This
great temple is going to be looked upon as a fraudulent thing because
of Paul's preaching. He's persuading everybody that
our religion, that our temple, that our goddess is no God at
all. We're going to lose everything
out of this. Really, this is the bottom line with these fellas.
They weren't so much concerned about Diana's magnificence being
destroyed. They were thinking about their
wallets being destroyed through Diana. When they heard, verse
28, and when they heard these things, they were full of wrath
and cried out, saying, great is Diana of the Ephesians. That exposes Diana. Great is
Diana of the Ephesians. The Ephesians are the one who
made her. She is a man-made goddess. Great is Diana of the Ephesians. And the whole city, verse 29,
and the whole city was filled with confusion. And having caught Gaius and Aristarchus,
men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel, they rushed with one
accord into the theater. And when Paul would have entered
in, And to the people, I guess to give his defense, the disciples
suffered him not. They thought, you'll get killed
if you go in there. And they would not allow Paul to go in. Now this theater is actually
standing today in the city of Ephesus. And it was a big coliseum
that would hold 25,000 people. And all these people had gathered
in there for this riot. Verse 31, and certain of the
chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desiring
him that he would not adventure himself into the theater. They
knew what would happen. He'd be put to death. He'd ruined
everybody's livelihood. Many people had been, remember
he'd preached there for two years. Two years. And everybody in Asia
heard the gospel. And who knows how many people
saw that Diana was a fraud, that she wasn't real, she was no god
at all. And they knew that Paul would be put to death for this.
I mean, he's ruining everything. Verse 32, some therefore cried
one thing and some another, for their assembly was confused.
And the more part knew not wherefore they were come together. I thought
that's the average church service, isn't it? confused, not even
knowing what's going on, not even knowing why they were there.
There we go. And they drew Alexander out of
the multitude, the Jews putting him forward, and Alexander beckoned
with his hand and would have made his defense unto the people. Now, he was a Jew. And he was
someone who I think could have been Alexander the coppersmith,
who ended up doing Paul much evil. You can read about that
in second Timothy chapter four. He said, Alexander, the coppersmith,
he was a Smith of some kind had done me great evil. So at first
he seemed to be for the gospel. And then later on he is not. And you see what Paul says about
him. If it's the same one, I don't know for sure. But they drew
Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward,
and Alexander beckoned with a hand, and he would have made his defense
of the people, but when they knew that he was a Jew, all with
one voice about the space of two hours cried out, great is
Diana, and there they'll go again, of the Ephesians. Diana of the
Ephesians. Now even they knew, this is our
God. We made this God, this God came
from us, and we're not gonna stand for this. Great is Diana
of the Ephesians. Now, there are, I've read several
writers who seem to think that Mary took the place of Diana.
They still had Mary worshiped, they still worshiped a goddess,
Mary, and she simply took the place of Diana at this place.
But at any rate, we have this riot going on for two hours.
Great is Diana of the Ephesians. And when the town clerk had appeased
the people, he stood there. Now remember, they're in this
temple that holds 25,000 people. There's roaring going on. Great
is Diana of the Ephesians. He stopped the people, he said,
ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not hatheth
the city of Ephesians is a worshiper of this great goddess, Diana,
and of the image which fell down from Jupiter. Here's where she
came from. She fell down from Jupiter right
here in Ephesus. And this is how we got her. Where'd
they come up with that? I don't know, but they did. Seeing
then that these things cannot be spoken against, you ought
to be quiet and to do nothing rashly. For you brought hither
these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet
blasphemers of your goddess." Now, wait a minute. No, they
weren't robbers of churches. They were not blasphemers of
Diana. They said she's non-existent.
She's no God. You see, if you preach the living
God, If you preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, it's
obvious that anything different from him, different from the
gospel that's not the gospel, is no God at all. And if I do not preach in such
a way that will make men conclude from that, if what he's saying
is true, the gospel I believe is false, the God I believe is
no God at all, if I don't preach in such a way as to draw, men
will draw that conclusion, then I'm not preaching Christ the
way. Now that was the conclusion they
reached from that. Wherefore, verse 38, if Demetrius
and the craftsmen which are with him have a matter against any
man, the law is open, and their deputies let them implead one
another. But if you require anything concerning
other matters, it should be determined in a lawful assembly." What we're
doing is illegal. Now we see here how afraid they
were of the Romans. This town of Ephesus, a large
city, was under Roman rule and Roman control. And they were
concerned that they were going to get in trouble because of
this riot that took place. Look what they say. "'For we
are in danger to be called in question for the day's uproar,
there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this
concourse, and when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly. It was over. Now, here is the thought I want to leave us with. Gods made with hands. Man-made gods. They're not God at all. A gospel that does not exalt
God the Father in eternal election, God the Son in successful redemption,
God the Holy Spirit in life-giving regeneration, a gospel that does
not exalt God in the trinity of his sacred persons, is no
gospel at all. A gospel that has men praying
unto a God that cannot save unless they do something is no gospel
at all. I love the way these Demetrius,
he saw his bank account getting thin. Something's wrong. I'm
not selling near as much silver shrines of Diana. What's happened? With this Paul, he's preaching
that what we're doing is nothing more than a God made with hands,
a man-made God, a handmade God, and it is no God at all. enable us to preach the gospel
in such a way that men will draw that conclusion. But this is
not just about men drawing a proper conclusion. May we preach a God,
may we preach a Christ, may we preach a gospel that can save
me. That God is God. That Christ is Christ, the Christ
that can save me with absolutely no contribution from me. That is God. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you that you
are God, that your other but there's none
like you and how we thank you for your word that reveals a man-made God that is no God
at all. But how we thank you that salvation
is of you. Lord, teach us what it is to
completely rest in Christ alone and to know that everything you
require of us we have in him. Lord, we know that a God that we could please by our
works is no God at all because our works are filthy rags. But
how we thank you for the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Enable
us to trust Him completely. And Lord, enable us to preach
Your gospel in this generation. Deliver us from our own thoughts.
Enable us to preach the gospel of God. And we pray that we might
see men and women brought to bow the knee to Thy Son and trust
Him only and completely. Bless us for Christ's sake. In His name we pray, amen. Dwight.