Proclamation:
“God
did extraordinary miracles through Paul … Some Jews … 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.’
Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, ‘Jesus
I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?’
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.”
Acts 19:11-16 (NIV)
Explanation:
These
words were written by Luke, the physician, under the influence of The Holy
Spirit of God. Here Luke records that
while Paul was in Ephesus, he met twelve disciples of John, the baptizer, and
baptized them in the name of The Lord Jesus.
He laid his hands of them and they received The Holy Spirit. (Acts
19:1-7) The Lord God did extraordinary
miracles through Paul. Even the handkerchiefs
that he had touched cured the sick. (Acts 19:11-12) Certain Jewish exorcists tried to copy Paul
and invoke the name of The Lord Jesus to call out the evil spirits in
demon-possessed individuals but the evil spirit turned on them and beat up all
seven of them. This became known all
throughout Ephesus and the name of The Lord Jesus was held in high honor. (Acts
19:11-20)
Application:
If
you do not know Jesus, The Christ, or The Lord God, it is not wise to call on
His name. Only if you are not a
non-believer who is confessing your sinful nature and the need for Him as your
personal savior, should you call upon Him.
Otherwise, you probably should not call upon his name. He is not to be played with. Texting “OMG” when there is no relationship
with Him is also not a very wise thing to do.
Many people use His name in their casual conversation and in
profanity. We are not to use the name of
The Lord God in vain. (Exodus 20:7)
These seven men learned that the hard way. Hopefully, no one else will have to learn
this lesson painfully.
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