Whenever Christ is working powerfully to bring many into His kingdom, the enemy of souls is close at hand. In Ephesus, we see the first detailed account of the opposition Paul faced.
The message of Jesus Christ is inherently challenging - it calls us to examine our lifestyle, values, and priorities, and confronts us with our accountability for sin. This is why many resist the gospel. In this message, we consider four reasons why:
1) Jealousy for present interests: The men in this passage prioritised their trade in religious souvenirs above eternal matters. Have we, too, sold our souls to protect a certain lifestyle?
2) Wilful ignorance of the true God: These Ephesians were blind to the true God, holding to man-made gods and imaginary beliefs. Paul preached that they should turn to the one true God, glorious and powerful. Creation declares Him, Scripture reveals Him, and He is best known in the person of Jesus Christ.
3) Blind loyalty to tradition: Many hold a strong loyalty to the beliefs of their forefathers. While respect for family views is commendable, blind loyalty in spiritual matters can ruin our souls. Are we loyal to a false belief or merely to nominal religion?
4) Conformity to society: Most people are conformists, following the crowd and societal trends. This crowd in Ephesus was easily manipulated - are we similarly swayed?
We might dismiss these people from the past as foolish for worshipping man-made gods, but are we really any different? There is only one way to salvation - through the Lord Jesus Christ.
SERMON ACTIVITY
This MP3 sermon was last played: 9 hours ago | more »
Featuring a sermon puts it on the front page of the site and is the most effective way to bring this sermon to the attention of thousands including all mobile platforms + newsletter.
Text-Featuring a sermon is a less expensive way to bring this sermon to the attention of thousands on the right bar with optional newsletter inclusion. As low as $30/day.
