One Message Series

ONE MESSAGE

Text: Acts 20:13-21

Introduction

1. Illustration: Brennan Manning wrote: “If Jesus would appear at your dining table tonight with knowledge of everything you are and are not, total comprehension of your life story and every skeleton hidden in your closet; if he laid out the real state of your present discipleship with the hidden agenda, the mixed motives, and the dark desires buried in your psyche, you would feel his acceptance and forgiveness.”

2. The message of the Gospel is very simple: repent and believe! Repent of your sins, turn to God, and believe in Jesus Christ.

3. This was the message of the early Church, it was the message of the Apostle Paul, and it needs to be our message today.

4. Read Acts 20:13-21

Transition: The first thing we notice in our text is…

I. The Urgency of Helping Others (13-16).

A. Hurrying to Get to Jerusalem

1. In the previous section, Paul spent a time of worship and preaching with the church in Troas. His preaching there was rather extensive, probably because he knew it would be his last time with them.

2. As the journey continues, Luke tells us in vv. 13-15, “Paul went by land to Assos, where he had arranged for us to join him, while we traveled by ship. 14 He joined us there, and we sailed together to Mitylene. 15 The next day we sailed past the island of Kios. The following day we crossed to the island of Samos, and a day later we arrived at Miletus.”

a. Paul sent the rest of the group by ship to Mitylene, while he went across land through Assos.

b. In reality, Paul’s trip on foot was much shorter than the trip the others took by boat.

c. Paul’s journey was only about twenty miles, while the others boat trip was farther because they had to travel around a peninsula which took longer.

d. Luke does not tell us why Paul decided to walk instead of going with the rest of his group. However, I think it makes sense that Paul needed some alone time with the Lord.

e. He knew, as we will learn later, that the Holy Spirit had warned him in advance what was coming for him, and it was going to very difficult for him.

f. Just like Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane, Paul was going to need all of the strength and encouragement he could get, and the only way to get that is to spend time alone with God.

3. If we are facing difficulty in life, we usually go to a spouse, relative, or friend. But what we ought to do is go to God with our concerns.

a. He is the only one who can change our situation or give us the strength to endure what we are going through.

b. “What a friend we have in Jesus All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer. O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer.”

4. Eventually, Paul meets up with the rest of his team, and they sailed together to Mitylene and eventually ending up in Miletus. Then in v. 16, Luke tells us, “Paul had decided to sail on past Ephesus, for he didn’t want to spend any more time in the province of Asia. He was hurrying to get to Jerusalem, if possible, in time for the Festival of Pentecost.”

a. This verse says that Paul didn’t want to go to Ephesus because he didn’t want to spend any more time in the province of Asia.

b. Now it wasn’t because he was mad at them, on the contrary, as we will see, he had great love and compassion for them.

c. But I think one of the things that the Holy Spirit revealed to him was the Church in Jerusalem was in desperate need for the offering that they were carrying with them.

d. He wanted to be in Jerusalem by Pentecost because it was one of the major pilgrim festivals, and since so many people would be there, it would be a great time to deliver the offering from the churches in Greece and Macedonia.

e. The Holy Spirit must have shown him how dire the need was, and he wanted to see that the need was met.

5. What a timely message this is for us right now. With all of the need for those decimated by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.

a. It is a time for us and other churches to be the Church.

b. It is so encouraging that churches and Christian organizations have stepped up to help those who are hurting and in desperate need.