Getting Ready for Our Final Goodbye (Part 1)
Acts 20:13-24
Sermon by Rick Crandall
McClendon Baptist Church - Dec. 5, 2007
*The rest of Acts 20 is an extremely important portion of Scripture. In these verses Paul reflects on the past and tries to prepare the church leaders of Ephesus for life without him. In vs. 25 he tells them that they will never see him again in this world. -- But Paul was ready for that final goodbye. How can we get ready?
1. First, we must be intentional about getting alone with God.
*Paul knew very well that Christians need to get alone with God on a regular basis. So in vs. 13, Luke says, “Then we went ahead to the ship and sailed to Assos, there intending to take Paul on board; for so he had given orders, intending himself to go on foot.”
*John Phillips explains that: “The distance between Troas and Assos was about twenty miles. Paul determined to walk that distance. He wanted to be alone. The others agreed to meet Paul at Assos, boarded a coasting vessel, and sailed away, rounding Cape Lectum and heading for Assos.
One of the problems of a busy life is the lack of time to be alone with God. Paul evidently felt the need for spiritual renewal. The third missionary had been extensive and strenuous. His visit to Jerusalem, which he felt could no longer be postponed, was one fraught with peril. Paul needed solitude in which to think over the past, prepare for the future, tune up his own soul, and be sure he was walking in God’s will. Then, too, he needed to give final instructions to the elders of the great Ephesian church. Already the winds of heresy were beginning to blow across Asia Minor, and within a generation Gnosticism would be in full bloom. Paul needed to think through the best way to bring together the Ephesian elders and pray about his last message to those men.” (1)
*Just like Paul, we need to be very intentional about having times alone with God. That may be a private retreat like we see here, but most often it involves a daily time of prayer, Bible study and reflection. This will not happen by itself, because we are all bombarded by distractions and a busy schedule demanding our attention.
*Erma Bombeck told about going to class on “Tidying-up Your Life.” Of course, she got there late, but here are some of the questions she saw on the board when she got there:
-Are candles in your house a touch of romanticism or because you forgot to pay your utility bill?
-Are you still living out of moving cartons when you have been in your home for 15 years?
-Do you often misplace things you use regularly – like door keys, glasses, or children?
-Do you forget important occasions like birthdays, appointments and Christmas?
-Can you open your closet door without hurting yourself? (2)
*Most of us have too much clutter -- not just in our closets, but in our lives. Most of us tend to be way too busy, so we have to be intentional about getting alone with God. Take time -- make time for personal Bible study and prayer.
2. The best way to get ready for our final goodbye is to be intentional about getting alone with God. -- And put the right priorities on your time.
*Of course you will not be able to get alone with God unless you do put the right priorities on your time. We have to recognize that we can’t be in two places at the same time. The choices can be hard, but we see Paul making one of these tough choices in vs. 14-16: “And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene. We sailed from there, and the next day came opposite Chios; the following day we arrived at Samos and stayed at Trogyllium; the next day we came to Miletus. For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost.”
*A.T. Robertson tells us that: “It was only a year ago that Paul had left Ephesus in haste after the riot. It was not expedient to go back so soon if he meant to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost.” (3)
-And remember that Paul had a good reason for going to Jerusalem. They were carrying a large collection of money for the poor Christians there. But the point is that he had to make a choice. We can’t be in two places at the same time, so the question is: “Are we making the right choices with our time?”
*Ed Young is the long-time pastor of Second Baptist Church in Houston. He is also a long-time friend of Cliff Barrows. When Cliff’s wife died several years ago, Ed was asked to preach the funeral along with Billy Graham.
*Dr. Young told of something that unexpectedly happened at the funeral. In the middle of his remarks about Mrs. Barrows, the aging Billy Graham paused to make an apology to all of those who were a part of his evangelistic team. As he looked out over the many families and the various generations represented, Billy began to cry. He then tearfully stated, “I want to take this moment to apologize to the families of all the members of my team and to apologize to my own children. We stayed away from home too long - many times months at a time in crusades and trips around the world. That was a critical mistake I made as a father and as an evangelist. I want to ask for my family to forgive me, and for the families of all the team members who traveled with me to forgive me.” (4)
*Even the best among us need to learn to make the right choices with our time, and it’s a hard thing to do, especially during the busy holiday season.
3. The best way to get ready for our final goodbye is to put the right priorities on our time. -- And determine to live with holy devotion.
*We need the kind of devotion Paul talked about in vs. 17-19, where Luke tells us that: “From Miletus (Paul) sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them: ‘You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews. . .’”
*Paul was totally devoted to Jesus Christ. This means a life of consistent service. As Paul told them, “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I ALWAYS lived among you, SERVING THE LORD.”
*It was a life of consistent service, but also a life of humility. Paul said that he was “serving the Lord with ALL HUMILITY.”
-Many years ago, F.B. Meyer said, “I used to think that God’s gifts were on shelves one above the other and that the taller we grew in Christian character the more easily we could reach them. I now find that God’s gifts are on shelves one beneath the other and that it is not a question of growing taller -- But of stooping lower.” (5)
*Humility is a huge part of our devotion to the Lord. As we see in Eph 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
*John Stevenson once said, “You cannot boast in your salvation. You cannot even boast in your faith. Boasting in your faith would be like boasting in the fact that you reached out to take a check from somebody. Suppose you have a tremendous debt but someone offers to pay it for you, writes out a check for you for $500,000, and you reach out and take it from him. How absurd it would be if you then went around saying to everybody, ‘Isn’t it wonderful that I had what it took to reach out and grab that check?’ The wonderful thing would not be that you had received the gift, but that it was given in the first place.” (6)
*Humility is a huge part of our devotion to the Lord, but so is tenacity -- determination, endurance, grit. In vs. 19, Paul is telling us that he tenaciously kept on serving the Lord, in spite of the fact that he had “many tears and trials which happened by the plotting of the Jews.”
*God want all of us to be devoted like Paul. Ron Hutchcraft told about a vacation his grandsons took a few years ago. And Ron said, “Our grandsons recently experienced the vacation of their young lives. Mom and Dad took them out West to see the Tetons, Big Sky country, and Yellowstone National Park. And God made sure they got plenty of memories -- the herd of buffalo that basically surrounded their vehicle. -- The moose that was right by the side of the road, the elk that posed patiently for all the pictures anyone wanted to take.
*But as impressive as all that was, nothing impressed them so much as this water that kept shooting high out of the ground. You guessed it -- it’s that amazing geyser known as Old Faithful. Our grandsons, Mr. 5-Year-Old and Mr. 2-Year-Old, couldn’t stop talking to us about it on the phone. In fact, our older guy told his mom, “I want a geyser.” We’re working on that for Christmas.
*Our grandson says he wants an Old Faithful of his own. So does God. He’s looking for some “old faithfuls” He can count on. See, faithfulness is so valuable because it’s so rare. Today people stick with a responsibility or a commitment as long as it feels good, as long as it’s fun, until the novelty wears off, or so long as I’m being treated right or appreciated. But our Lord modeled something much more noble -- seeing your job through, even when everyone deserts you, even when you want out, even when the world’s against you, even when they nail you to a cross. He is faithfulness. -- That’s why He wants faithfulness. The Book of Revelation says that when He makes His glorious appearance at His Second Coming, He will be the rider on the white horse who “is called Faithful and True” (Revelation 19:12).
*I hope that’s what they call you -- Or they will start to call you as you move from being one who’s in and out of commitments to becoming one of God’s “Old Faithfuls.” However small your assignment, however tired you may feel, however unappreciated you may be -- by people, that is -- stay faithful. (7)
4. The best way to get ready for our final goodbye is to determine to live with holy devotion. -- And make a maximum effort to share the good news.
*We see Paul doing this as always in vs. 20-21, where he said, “I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Then down in vs. 24, Paul said that he wanted to finish “the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus.” And what was that ministry? -- “To testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”
*In these verses we see Paul doing everything he possibly could to spread the good news about Jesus. He pulled out all the stops. Paul used three different words here to describe his effort to spread the gospel. He “proclaimed it,” he “taught it” and he “testified to it.” Paul also tells us in vs. 20 that he spread the gospel everywhere he went, both publicly and privately -- As he says “from house to house.”
*God wants us to be like Paul! He wants us to make our best possible effort. He wants us to do all we can to spread the Word of God. This is the Week of Prayer for International missions and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. The focus this year is on the 15 nations of the former Soviet Union, 284 million people.
*Here are some fast facts from our International Mission Board: We have 5,148 missionaries serving around the world as of last summer. (As far as I know, that is more than any other Christian organization.) In 2006, they started 23,486 new churches and baptized 475,072 new believers. That sounds great and it is. But the problem is that those 5,148 full-time missionaries are trying to minister in a world with 6.6 billion people. Right now there are 5,900 identified “Last Frontier” people groups, representing 1.6 billion people, where less than 2% are evangelical Christians and there is no active church planting going on.
*God wants us to do all we possibly can to tell people about Jesus -- Around the world and right here at home. Today I read a neat article about the Detroit Lions. Since 1990, they have been one of the NFL’s worst football teams with a record of 112 wins and 160 losses. They play the Cowboys this Sunday, and Bro. James hopes they lose again. But the good news for the Lions is about their quarterback Jon Kitna. Jon is a strongly committed Christian, who has brought some respect, a positive attitude and leadership in the locker room while being team captain. He is part of a team prayer group and hosts a Bible study for teammates and their wives. Best of all, about 20 of Jon’s teammates have given their life to Christ! Jon says, “My first responsibility to this team is to be a quarterback. -- But my priority in life is to be a man of God.” (8)
*God is using Jon Kitna right where he works to make a difference for Jesus Christ, and God can use us where we work, play and live. But we have to do all we can to share our faith. Pull out the stops for Jesus!
5. The best way to get ready for our final goodbye is to make a maximum effort to share the good news. -- And keep focused on your finish.
*Paul was certainly focused on his finish in vs. 22-24, where he said, “And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”
*Just like Paul, we must keep focused on our finish. This morning on the way to church I heard part of a testimony from David Ring on James Dobson’s program. David was born in 1953 in Jonesboro, Ark., the youngest of eight children. Dad was a Baptist minister, but he died in 1964. Even more painful was the death of his mother in 1968, after a battle with cancer.
*David has cerebral palsy, and he has never been able to speak plainly. He said that he could not walk like the other children and he could not use his hands and arms like everyone else. He suffered much because of the remarks of the other children. -When he became an orphan at the age of 14, no one wanted him, so he went from family to family never finding a home.
*David was in much pain, both physical and mental. He was constantly being ridiculed in public. He was told that no one liked him and that he would never amount to anything. He gave up on himself and felt others, including his family, had done the same. One sister, however, did not give up on Ring. She encouraged him to go back to church and school. Eventually, he returned to church and at a service in 1970, gave his heart and life to Jesus. Ring, who had felt like a nobody before, says he is now a "somebody for the Lord Jesus."
*Strengthened by his new relationship with the Lord, he went back to high school where he was voted Most Popular, Vice President of his class and manager of the football, basketball and track teams. In 1971, David was called by God into the ministry and he entered into full-time evangelism in 1973. He has preached to hundreds of thousands of people.
*This morning I heard him say in that halting voice, “I have pain every moment I am awake.” But then he said, “When I see my Lord the first thing I am going to say to Him is Why -- have you been so good to me? I have cerebral palsy but it doesn’t have me -- not for a minute. Count your many blessings and it will blow your ever-loving mind what the Lord has done for you.”
*David then said, “The thing I want to hear most from the Lord is: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.’” (Matt 25:21) (9)
*He is getting ready for his final goodbye.
-We must do the same.
*So be like Paul.
-Be intentional about getting alone with God.
-Put the right priorities on your time
-Determine to live with holy devotion
-Make a maximum effort to share the good news
-And keep focused on your finish
1. John Phillips, EXPLORING ACTS, p. 399
2. Sermon Central sermon “Creating a Great Home Climate” by Joey Nelson - 1 John 4:11
3. Word Pictures in the New Testament by Archibald Thomas Robertson - Acts 20:16
4. How To Father, Ed Young, Second Baptist Church, Houston, Texas, ACD1496 (Found in “In Other Words” - December 2007 #1) (IN OTHER WORDS... began in 1991 and is produced by Dr. Raymond McHenry, Senior Pastor of the Westgate Memorial Baptist Church in Beaumont, Texas. 6130 Barrington ~ Beaumont, Texas 77706 (800) 553-4697 www.iows.net)
5. Sermon Central sermon “God’s Requirements for Revival - Humility” by Rick Flowers - 2 Chron 7:11-15
6. Sermon Central sermon “Faith & Works” by John Stevenson - Eph 2:8-10
7. Adapted from KERUX ILLUSTRATION COLLECTION - ID Number: 10906 - SOURCE: A Word With You By Ron Hutchcraft #4368 - TITLE: The Grandeur Of An Old Faithful - AUTHOR: Ron Hutchcraft - DATE: 10/8/03
8. sports.espn.go.com NFL news story id=3036235 submitted by Waldo Barela (Found in Fresh illustrations by Jim Wilson - 11/27/07 - FreshMinistry.org)
9. Background information found in article: “David Ring to speak at Arbor Baptist Church” - St. Clair Alabama Timers - Gary Hanner - 03-04-2004 - (Also found in SermonCentral sermon “Thorns of Life” by Bill Butsko - 2 Cor 12:2-10)
