Joel M Bradshaw

13Some 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.” 14Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16Then 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.

17When 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 honor. 18Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19A 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.  20In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.–Acts 19

1. We get the impression that these seven men didn’t really believe, but were just trying to be influencers in their day.
2. The demon took their command seriously and recognized that they had no allegiance to Jesus.
3. I love what the demon said about Jesus and Paul. They were his enemies! There was a spiritual reality to this that couldn’t be denied by a skeptic.
4. We know this because the Ephesian people responded the way they did.
5. They had appropriate fear, and they held the name of Jesus in high honor.
6. And many repented from their former ways by burning their sorcery scrolls.
7. Do you hold the name of Jesus in high honor? When’s the last time you openly repented of your sins?–JMB