“Who Are You?”

Acts 19:11-20 NLT

Acts 19:11 God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. 

Acts 19:12 When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled. 

🌟Acts 19:13 A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, "I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!" 

🌟Acts 19:14 Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this.

Acts 19:15 But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, "I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?" 

Acts 19:16 Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered. 

Acts 19:17 The story of what happened spread quickly all through Ephesus, to Jews and Greeks alike. A solemn fear descended on the city, and the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honored. 

Acts 19:18 Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices. 

Acts 19:19 A number of them who had been practicing sorcery brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars. 

Acts 19:20 So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect. 

✨These individuals have no clue about the Lord or how his spirit works.

They observed Paul’s words and his work in serving the Lord and tried to use that to exert the power of God on their behalf.

No one can use the power of God first, because the power of God is his anointing that comes from him and flows through the person he has serving him for his purpose.

What the Apostle Paul has done in works of the Lord, first come about when the Lord called him into ministry.

Remember, Paul was persecuting God’s people. The Lord knocked him off of his horse and blinded him. 

And sent someone to talk to him and removed his blindness, but Paul needed to have a submissive heart to God, which he did, in order to serve the Lord.

From that moment on, Paul served God faithfully.  Some of his journeys resulted in ship wrecks, others resulted in people beating him, stoning him, and jailing him.  

Through it all he remained faithful to the Lord, resulting in his ministry. The healings he did, teaching, and other works were led by the spirit of God’s healing power flowing to Paul.

As it was with Paul, it is with all of us, it takes a personal connection, relationship with God. 

If Paul did not have a relationship with the Lord? He would not have had the anointing of the Lord to do any of the things he did in healing those people.

💫The sons of sveva, were trying to imitate what they observed in Paul. Which was rebuking demons in Jesus name. 

Many people try to imitate what they witness someone else do who is serving God. It isn’t that easy and it does not work that way.

They don’t know the hours spent with the Lord, building a relationship with him, and developing spiritual maturity.  

understanding his word.  All this leads to a holy life. 

The sons of sceva tried to exercise God’s power and they had no authority to do it. Their vessels were empty, no Holy Ghost power from God flowed through them.

Some people are in awe of this power and often look at the individual as having this power to do what he or she will.  

In truth, it is their walk of obedience in God and their humbled submission to him that allow his anointed power to works through us for his purpose.

You don’t have to be in ministry to have the Holy Ghost dwell in you. He dwells in all who have submitted their lives to serving God.

Mark 9:38-40 NLT

 [38] John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn't in our group."

 [39] "Don't stop him!" Jesus said. "No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me. 

[40] Anyone who is not against us is for us.

These scriptures show that living a faithful life with the Lord can result in his anointing working through you. Not everyone was in the group of disciples following Christ. But they were still followers.

The goal is knowing who you are in the Lord. And not following the example of the sons of Sceva.

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Another example is

Ananias and sapphira

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Acts 5:1-11NLT

[1] But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. 

[2] He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife's consent, he kept the rest. 

[3] Then Peter said, "Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. 

[4] The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren't lying to us but to God!" 

[5] As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. 

[6] Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him. 

[7] About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 

[8] Peter asked her, "Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?" "Yes," she replied, "that was the price." 

[9] And Peter said, "How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too."

 [10] Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 

[11] Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened. …

Regarding👇🏽paraphrase: the point is people saw what happened to them for their greed and dishonesty toward God. And fear swept over the people.

Don’t play with God. 

People think they can say and do things related to God and the things of God, knowing in truth that their heart is not in it and the Lord is not with them.  But they do it anyway to appear superior to other people.

Those Jews did not have the Holy Spirit in them, nor were they serving God. Or they wouldn’t have tried to cast a demon out the way they did,

Epic fail! 

 Ananias and sapphira were dishonest about the money they donated. They kept some back for themselves and presented the remaining money as though it was all they had. Greed, and dishonesty caused them to be dishonest. 

No one asked them or told them to donate. They did it because others were doing it. They wouldn’t have lost their lives if they had been honest when Peter asked if it was all they had. But Holy Spirit knew why they kept some back, greed and deception.

Why do we allow ourselves to fall so easily to temptation?  And temptation comes in all forms. In this case it’s about appearing to be something we are not.  

Allowing ourselves to demonstrate deception, using the Lord and that will never work in our favor. 

Closing Prayer:

Lord, we ignore your warnings because we want to satisfy the flesh. 

I pray that we pause and take a moment to weigh the options of what it means to continue in flesh versus, walking in the spirit. We should ask ourselves, ‘who are you?’ And who do you want to represent?

I pray we submit our lives into your hands and willingly seek a life of holiness. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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