Do Believers Still Sin? (Acts 19: 8-20)

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Welcome :

Our scripture focus today is on Acts 19:8-20, where we'll explore the reality of sin in the life of a believer. We'll discuss whether a genuine Christian can continue to sin, including committing serious sins, and the biblical response to sin through confession and repentance.

Join me as we unpack this passage and discover the transformative power of genuine repentance and the importance of addressing sin in our lives.

Thank you for tuning in.

Episode Notes:

Key Points:

1. The Reality of Sin Among Believers:
2. Paul's Ministry in Ephesus:
3. The Incident with the Seven Sons of Sceva:
4. The Importance of Confession and Repentance:
5. Sin and Its Consequences:

Application:

• Recognize that believers can and do sin, but sin should be addressed seriously through confession and repentance.
• Reflect on areas of life where old habits or sins persist and take steps to confess and forsake them, trusting in God's grace for transformation.

Conclusion: Believers who sin are called to confess and forsake their sins, relying on God's mercy and grace. The example of the Ephesian believers in Acts 19 serves as a powerful reminder of the transformative power of genuine repentance and the importance of addressing sin in our lives.

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Transcript

Believers Who Still Sin. (Acts 19:8-20)

Transcript:

 Some Christians I’ve met seem to believe that the conversion experience should be so complete that believers could not possibly continue in sin. They think that a genuine Christian won’t continue to sin after they come become a believer. Some Christians believe that, not the majority granted, but some churches certainly seem to me imply it by what they expect of people. 

This question troubled me a lot as a young Christian. So today, I want to re-visit that simple question and ask: Is it possible for a genuine Christian, someone who has truly trusted in Jesus Christ, to continue in sin? Can a Christian practice sin? And let’s take it a step further: can a Christian commit serious sin?

To address this, I'd like to draw your attention to a fascinating and unusual passage in Acts 19, starting from verse 8. Let's read:

8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So, Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. 11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. 13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. 17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honour. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. 

(Acts 19: 8-20)

The first part of this passage describes Paul's time and ministry in general, while the second part focuses on Paul's ministry in a particular area of Asia Minor. It then goes on to specifically highlights some unusual and extraordinary miracles God performed through Paul.

So, let's walk through the passage and see what Luke has told us. 

First, we learn that Paul went into the local synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading the people there concerning the things of the Kingdom of God. 

As we read previously in Acts 17, Paul's usual practice was to go to the synagogue and use the Old Testament Scriptures, and demonstrate that the Messiah had to suffer, die, and rise again. He would then argue that Jesus fulfilled these prophecies and was therefore the Messiah.

However, Acts 19:8 mentions that Paul reasoned and persuaded concerning the Kingdom of God. 

So please note that not everyone believed Paul's message, not everyone will respond to the gospel today.

However Paul continued to speak boldly to them arguing from the scriptures The Old Testament, specifically the Hebrew Scriptures, clearly prophesies that the Messiah would be "cut off, but not for himself," indicating that He would die not to himself, but for the sins of others'.

Daniel Chapter 9 explicitly states this prophecy, written hundreds of years before it occurred. This prophecy is just one among many that provides overwhelming evidence that Jesus Christ is the Messiah.

By the way, over time many highly sceptical and intellectual individuals who challenged these prophecies through their study and investigations, have become Christians due to the compelling evidence they found.

However, some people harden their hearts against this message. They become obstinate and even antagonistic, attacking and slandering Christianity.

When Paul encountered opposition like this in the synagogue, he just left and instead went to and began reasoning daily in what is called the school of Tyrannus instead. 

This move symbolizes a shift from Paul teaching in a religious setting to a more secular, public one. The term "school" in this context refers to a building used for various activities, including philosophical discussions and teaching.

Interestingly, the word "school" originally meant "leisure" in ancient times, as the Romans had bathhouses, and the Greeks had gymnasiums where intellectuals would gather. This decision to be thee meant that those who attended must have made a freewill choice to be there, or at least remain there

For two years we are told Paul continued this daily teaching, which is what ensured that all of Asia Minor heard about Jesus the Messiah, both Jews and Greeks. 

This period is believed by many bible experts to also be the period of time when the seven churches mentioned in Revelation 2 and 3 were founded, indicating the extensive reach and impact of Paul's ministry during this time.

The text in verse 11-12 now shifts to description of some unusual miracles by the Hand of Paul

We see that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched by Paul were brought to the sick, healing diseases and driving out evil spirits. 

This is one of the most extraordinary accounts of miracles in the Bible. It tells us that when these items were taken to the sick, they were healed, and evil spirits left them.

However, it is important to note that the text itself describes these miracles as unusual (extra-ordinary- explain).

The Bible has spanned approximately 1600 years, from Abraham to the point of these events described here. 

Within this period, there are three major periods of miracles seen: during the times of Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, and now Jesus and the apostles. 

This suggest to me that miracles were not everyday occurrences but were special signs, often marking significant divine interventions. Some modern preachers may claim that miracle happen daily in their churches, but that doesn’t seem to me like a reflection of what the scriptural record suggests. 

The miracles in the Bible were always unique and significant, serving as signs of an apostle and evidence of God's power. While Paul definitely did perform genuine miracles even in these unusual circumstances, the emphasis even in this text is on them being unusual and for the specific divine purpose stated here.

So, they saw this healings and what we would today call exorcisms and said, 'Wow, we've got to get in on this.'

The text then tells us that some exorcists took it upon themselves to call opon the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits. 

I think this is hilarious—'We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.' Now, this isn't really far-fetched. In the first place, the city of Ephesus was a centre of the occult. Exorcism was practiced a lot there. There was an idea that the best exorcists knew the best names of secret spirits they could use. There was also a belief that the Jews knew the secret name of God. (That which we today know as (YHVH).

So, some of these people/exorcists who didn’t know the Lord heard just the name of Jesus being used for exorcisms and thought, 'Wow, we’ve got a new technique here.' So they went to demon-possessed people and said, 'We exorcise you by Jesus, whoever He is.'

I think what follows is one of the funniest verses in the Bible. Here’s what the demon said: 'Jesus we know, and Paul we know; but who are you?' 

The it tells us that the person who had the demon jumped on them, overpowered them, and it seemed overpowered them to the point of ripping their clothes off and they fled out of that house half-naked and injured. That must have been some kind of scuffle. They were beaten up, stripped of their clothes, and they ran away.

Next, we’re told that not surprisingly these events became the talk of the town among all the Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and many were awestruck, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extended throughout the region.

What's happening is simply this: Paul had the real thing, and then there were these imitators who tried to misuse the name of God and Gods power and word spread that Paul's works succeeded while theirs didn’t. and the name of the Lord was magnified.

Then we see in verse 18 that after this many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. They counted up the value of them, and it totalled fifty thousand pieces of silver. 

The people in the school of Tyrannus who had recently got converted saw this and were deeply affected. They then came, confessing and disclosing their secret occult practices. Many of those who were their it seemed still practiced magic—note that they were believers, but they now came and burned their old magic books. 

Were they Christians? Yes, No doubt about it. 

What do you have to do to be a Christian? Believe. 

Were they Christians? Yes. And what did they do? They practiced magic even after their conversion. And that’s significant.

Let me make an observation or two here that I think is very important. This is where I am going with this today

Just because you trust Christ does not mean you're going to be perfect. In fact, I can almost guarantee that you’ll probably still bring some old habits along with you. And one thing is for certain: you won’t reach perfection this side of eternity. 

So, Christians still sin, right? And Christians can commit serious sins. The way some preachers talk, you’d think we don’t commit many sins at all.

Let’s just look at some stark realities of what the bible tells us. Moses committed murder. David committed adultery and murder. Peter lied. These were significant sins. Today also Christians still commit serious and significant sins. That’s sad, but it’s true. 

Missionaries have told me that in areas where the gospel has been present for a long time, some people still participate in pagan rituals even though they’re Christians. My response to that is: We all still do that sort of thing in the west today. It just more subtle but many Christians continue to struggle and give up old habits or simply continue to worship the god of materialism.

My point is, believers sin. That's sad, but it's true. 

Now, having said that, look at the text. Because what these believers did next is what is important: They confessed their sin. 

I think this incident of the failed exorcism brought this issue to their attention. It seems likely they were new converts. I don't know how long they had been Christians but what I do know is that they were believers and they were practicing magic. When it hit them that this was wrong, what did they do? They confessed.

The original Greek word we translate as confess used here means to say the same thing. So, when we confess we are saying the same thing as God would  say about what we are doing.

To confess means I am saying, 'God, you’re right, and I’m wrong.' Instead of saying, 'I stretched the truth,' I say, 'God, I lied.' Instead of saying, 'I’m just doing what everybody else does,' I say, 'God, I committed sin.' You agree with God that it is serious.

Believers sin, and sin is a serious business. The reason God opposes sin is because sin does harm. God is looking out for your best interests. But let me tell you how serious sin is: Jesus Christ died because of sin. The wages of sin is death. That’s why God opposes sin. 

You can’t participate in sin without something dying in you. The wages of sin is death. This is serious stuff.

When you trust Jesus Christ, you become aware of this. You get confronted in the word of God with your sin and you are meant to say, 'God, I agree with you.'

Another reason sin is serious is that God disciplines His children. In another passage in 1 Corinthians 11 we hear about people who were partaking of the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner, and we are told that some became weak, some were sick, and some had even died. This is serious stuff. You don’t do this and get away with it. It's serious.

Let me show you another reason this is so serious. At the beginning of this passage, Paul preached the Kingdom of God. Remember that? The Kingdom is yet future. Let's turn to Galatians 5 to see how sin affects you now and later in the Kingdom.

Galatians 5:19-21 says.

'Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.'

Sin affects you now, and it affects your inheritance in the coming Kingdom. So, believers sin, but sin is serious business.

 But what did these believers in Ephesus do? They confessed their sin, they took action. They burned their magic books publicly. This was their way of renouncing their past practices and making a clean break with their old life. 

The value of those books is shown to be significant, showing the depth of their repentance. This public act of repentance had a powerful impact on the community, and the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed. 

So, this passage highlights the seriousness of sin and the importance of confession, and the transformative power of genuine repentance.

Now, does that mean if you sin you're not going to heaven? Is there a difference between entering the Kingdom and inheriting the Kingdom? I think so. 

Those are things that, if you practice them, you will give an account before the judgment seat of Christ and consequently not inherit the blessing of the Kingdom in the way that you might. This just means you won't be rewarded with your full potential inheritance.

Jesus said some are going to get back cities, some will get ten, and some will get none from the Gospel of Luke. This means sin has serious consequences, folks. It affects you now—the wages of sin is death, right? For the unregenerate and unrepentant it means death and eternal separation from God. For the saved it means something dies inside, and the longer you stay in it, the worse it gets and the harder it is to break free from that habit. And that affects your future in this life.

So, go back to Acts chapter 19. We are told they came and confessed their deeds and then they had a sort of occult book burning. They gathered all of their books and put them in a pile and set them on fire. They confessed and made an important decision to leave their sins behind them permanently

Now, I am not suggesting that we all have to a book burning. But I think you can agree that there are some things in your life that you need to get rid of.

In Acts 19, they were practicing magic and decided to get rid of it. Notice the amount of money they lost. Verse 19 says the total was 50,000 pieces of silver. That was a lot of money! They didn't say, "Okay, we’ll stop doing this, but let’s sell the books to get some of our money back." Why wouldn’t they do that? Because it might lead someone else into sin.

They confessed, acknowledged it was wrong, agreed with God, and stopped. They cast it into the fire at a great financial loss. 

Proverbs 28:13 tells us: 

"He who covers his sin will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy."

That's what you do with sin. 

This passage is an illustration of this principle clearly stated in Proverbs, confess it and forsake it by God’s grace.

I believe that today, we are not as sensitive to sin as we should be. There are even some preachers who now who say you shouldn’t use the word sin because it offends people. But sin offends a holy God. We have it pumped into our living rooms with TV, it's all over the Internet, and we just become insensitive to it, and we tolerate it.

If you tolerate sin, you are living in darkness and death. Tolerating sin in your life makes you insensitive to the Spirit of God. If you tolerate sin, you grieve the Spirit of God and are not walking in the Spirit.

If you allow sin to practice in your life, it takes control over you, and you end up wallowing in it. This needs to be dealt with.

Did you hear what the scripture today says?

Are you agreeing with God and stopping the sin in your life? 

What comes out of your mouth and life? 

Is it displeasing to God? 

Do you need to have a bonfire of the vanities in your life?

I'll leave that between you and the Lord.