Evil Spirit - Acts 19

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.

Why would a Jewish chief priest’s sons be trying to cast out evil spirits in the name of Jesus, whom they did not believe?  They obviously wanted the prestige of the power but didn’t want to yield their position to Jesus.  Paul is a miracle producing message of Jesus, so they try to emulate him but without believing.  This does not work.  I wonder how many people will try this after they die.  They will invoke the name of Jesus to be saved to heaven but they have never believed and accepted Jesus as the Son of God and His sacrifice for salvation.  We should be sure today that we are depending solely upon Jesus for salvation from our sins and nothing else.  It is Jesus or nothing.

The evil spirit talks to these men.  He says he knows Jesus and about Paul.  Isn’t it interesting how the evil spirits all know Jesus?  Yet they still oppose Him.  Doesn’t it seem like they would lay down their destruction and seek Him?  I believe that this is further proof of the finality of death to an eternal future.  The choice we make now is an eternal choice.  If we choose not to believe in Jesus, there is a place that is separated from God, a place of fire and brimstone and gnashing of teeth; it is hell.  If we choose to believe in Jesus, there is a place with a heavenly choir where everyone praises the living Lord and His Son Jesus and they live in communion with their God and God with His children.  This decision is real and it has consequences.

What surprises me about the evil spirits and demons written about in the Bible is they all know Jesus, Who He is, and they all obey His command.  They do not fight against His Word.  Yet, somehow, they are absolutely against His will.  There is this element inside of every human.  There is something deep inside that wants our will and not anyone else’s or God’s.  We are never closer to hell than when we are living completely in our will.  If someone is following God's commands but living in their will, that person is an evil spirit.  This is the description for the Jewish high council in Jerusalem and in this story, the sons of the Jewish chief priest.