But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
Act 19:13-16
Do the demons know you?
This passage of Scripture gets me every time. It causes me to pause and wonder if the demons know me… and if not… why? They knew Jesus. They knew Paul. Yet these men who were trying to do good works, these men who were trying to help this man, on someone else’s relationship with Christ… were unknown to them.
Jesus was who Paul preached… they didn’t preach him.
The results of their attempt was there defeat and utter humiliation. These seven men who came “by Jesus whom Paul preaches” had no power… none… over the demonic forces of evil.
We cannot defeat evil by Jesus… we can only defeat evil IN Jesus.
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
John 15:4-6
Beloved are you abiding In Christ or are you still standing by? Are you simply by Jesus and those who preach Him because you see the power in them and you want that “power”, you want that influence, you want that feeling that comes for being recognized for helping others, but you have not surrendered and submitted yourself to Christ?
When we read further into Acts 19 we see that when these seven men returned naked and wounded and shared their story fear fell upon those who had believed and the name of Jesus was magnified. Then those who HAD believed KEPT coming and confessing and disclosing their practices. Those who had believed realized the importance of not just being by Jesus but being all the way IN Him. They needed to be more than mere knowers of Him… they needed to be preachers in Him.
These people had spent much money investing in gathering ideas and practices from men and their ideas of spirituality. Acts 19:19 says that the accumulated price of all the books they brought to be burned were found at fifty thousand pieces of silver.
Have you ever sat down and counted up the price of what you have spent on “magic books”? You know the steps to success, the steps to a better you, the how to get people to do what you want, the easy way to whatever…
How much money have you spent on the latest culture fad… even the latest “christian” craze. How much money have you spent on books and studies that teach you about someone else’s relationship with Christ compared to you simply spending time with Him yourself. You and Him and His Word… not someone else about them and His Word.
How often do you say, I wish I knew God like they do?
Well you can.
For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.
Deuteronomy 10:17
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For there is no partiality with God.
Romans 2:11
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In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.
Ephesians 1:13-19
Beloved, you know as much of Him as you want to know…
He’s waiting on you.