INTRO.- ILL.- There was an elderly man at home, upstairs, dying in bed. He smelled the aroma of his favorite chocolate chip cookies baking. He wanted one last cookie before he died. He stumbled down the stairs and crawled into the kitchen where his wife was busy baking cookies.
With his last remaining strength he crawled to the table and was just barely able to lift his withered arm to the cookie sheet. As he grasped a warm, moist chocolate chip cookie, his favorite kind, his wife suddenly whacked his hand with a spatula.
Gasping for breath, he asked her, "Why did you do that?" "Those are for the funeral."
22"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.
25"Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.
From these words, it sounds like Paul didn’t expect to be around much longer. He was thinking about possibly exiting this world.
When you leave this world, how would you like to leave?
ILL.- A few days before his death, Dr. F. B. Meyer wrote a very dear friend these words: "I have just heard, to my great surprise, that I have but a few days to live. It may be that before this reaches you, I shall have entered the palace. Don’t trouble to write. We shall meet in the morning."
ILL.- Hudson Taylor, founder of China Inland Mission, in the closing months of his life said to a friend, "I am so weak. I can’t read my Bible. I can’t even pray. I can only lie still in God’s arms like a little child and trust."
Leaving this world is not particularly a nice thought, is it? How would you want to leave this world if you had a choice? You would probably want your family with you, to love you, and comfort you as best they could.
ILL.- My mother, Juanita Shepherd, left this world quoting scripture. She lived the last 10 months of her life in a nursing home in Joplin, MO. Early Sunday, June 30, 2002, she was taken to the Freeman hospital. A lady from the nursing home went to be with mother. It was not job but she always said that no person should have to die alone. She and mother quoted the Lord’s prayer together and especially, the 23rd Psalm. She said that mother’s voice was weak but it was strongest when she came to that part, "And yea, thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for thou art with me..." She then said that probably 20 minutes before mother left this world she sort of went into a coma. No struggle. No pain. No fighting. No worry.
Now you know that this had to make me feel somewhat better. I committed and trusted my mother to the Lord and it appears that she, too, trusted the Lord to take care of her. THANK YOU, LORD! Bless you, bless you!
HOW WOULD YOU WANT TO LEAVE THIS WORLD?
PROP.- Let’s think about how Paul was going to leave this world and how this applies to our exiting this world.
1- He wanted to exit while serving the Lord
2- He wanted to exit while preaching strongly
3- He wanted to exit while compelled by God’s Spirit
I. HE WANTED TO EXIT WHILE SERVING THE LORD
17From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18When they arrived, he said to them: "You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews.
Paul served the Lord with great humility and tears. Life is tough and living the Christian life can be tough but it pays eternal dividends. We should always serve the Lord in humility because He is the one who gives the ability to serve. He alone deserves the glory for the good we do.
ILL.- General William Booth, the founder of the salvation Army, had lost his eyesight. His son Bramwell had to tell his father there would be no recovery. "Do you mean that I am blind?" the General asked. "Yes, this is apparently so," his son replied. The father continued,"I shall never see your face again?" "No, probably not in this world." "Bramwell," said General Booth, "I have done what I could for God and for His people with my eyes. Now I will do what I can for God without my eyes."
That’s the humble attitude of a true servant of the Lord. I will do whatever I can do with whatever I have or don’t have.
Some Christian people think they can’t serve because they can’t teach a SS class or play the piano or sing a solo. But that’s not true. There are many ways to serve the Lord and we all need to find out how we can serve!
ILL.- Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s, once appeared on the cover of their annual report dressed in a knee-length work apron, holding a mop and a plastic bucket. Here’s how he described that picture: “I got my M.B.A. long before my G.E.D. At Wendy’s M.B.A. does not mean Master of Business Administration. It means Mop Bucket Attitude.”
If Dave Thomas had a servant attitude for Wendy’s then what attitude should we have for the Lord’s church?
ILL.- The great violinist, Niccolo Paganini willed his marvelous violin to city of Genoa on condition that it must never be played. The wood of such an instrument, while used and handled, wears only slightly, but set aside, it begins to decay. Paganini’s lovely violin became worm-eaten and useless.
Use it or lose it. Serve or decay. It’s your choice.
Every Christian should serve in some form or another. Have you thought about how you can serve the Lord? And can you think of a better way to leave this world than by serving the Lord in some form?
ILL.- I heard about an elder in one church many years ago who prayed at the Lord’s table and then dropped dead with a massive heart attack. WHAT A SHOCK, but what a way to go?!
ILL.- I know of another man by the name of Otto Murphy who was a member of the Church of Christ of Bayard, IA, where I preached from 1969 to 1974. I am told that brother Otto went one Sunday to pick up a blind man for church and dropped dead at his house. What a way to leave this world!
How do you want to leave this word? Sitting in front of the TV or serving someone? Jesus came to serve!
II. HE WANTED TO EXIT WHILE PREACHING STRONGLY
20You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
24However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. 26Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.
ILL.- John Wesley used to ask his young men whom he had sent out to preach on probation two questions: "Has any one been converted?" and "Did any one get mad?" If the answer was "No," he told them he did not think the Lord had called them to preach the Gospel, and sent them home.
Apparently, Wesley thought that when the Holy Spirit convicts people of sin, they are either converted or else they don’t like it, and they get mad.
I don’t know if John Wesley was correct or not, but the element of rebuke should be a part of a sermon. And I appreciate John Wesley’s spirit in continuing to preach until he left this world.
ILL.- John Wesley preached his last sermon of Feb 17, 1791, in Lambeth on the text "Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near" (Isa 55:6). The following day he was very sick and was put to bed at his home. During the days of his illness, he often repeated the words from one of his brother’s hymns: I the chief of sinners am, But Jesus died for me! His last words were, "The best of all is, God is with us!" He died March 2, 1791. AND THAT’S HOW JOHN WESLEY LEFT THIS WORLD.
Just because we age it doesn’t mean we should give up or give in or quit serving and stop preaching.
Boyce Mouton is preacher friend of mine. He’s 73 years old and is still preaching at the First Christian Church of Carl Junction, MO (28 years) HE IS AN EXCELLENT PREACHER AND COMMUNICATOR OF GOD’S WORD.
Bob Stacy, 74 years old, of the Spring Hill Church of Christ, Middletown, OH. He preaches to a church of over 300 people and still does most of the calling or visitation even though they have two other ministers. Bob strongly believes that is only by God’s grace that he can continue to serve the Lord in ministry.
Carl and Nell Ketcherside lived in St. Louis. In their latter years of their 80’s they would go to the inner city of St. Louis in order to talk to drug users and prostitutes about Christ. That’s how they wanted to exit this world!
Ben Merold is the Sr. Minister of the Harvester Christian Church in St. Charles, MO. He went there in 1991 at the age of about 65, and the church was running less than 200. Now they have over 3000 members. Ben is 81 years old and still preaching but is planning to retire soon for fear his health may break.
Even though Ben may officially retire from his church I suspect that he will continue to serve until his dying day. What a way to leave this world!
III. HE WANTED TO EXIT WHILE COMPELLED BY GOD’S SPIRIT
22"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.
Paul was compelled by God’s Spirit. What a way to live and to die! Paul was compelled, perhaps meaning He was filled and moved by God’s Spirit. What dominates and controls your life? What moves you in life?
ILL.- At a busy dental office one patient was always late. The receptionist called to confirm an appointment, and he said, "I’ll be about 15 minutes late. That won’t be a problem, will it?" The receptionist said, "No. We just won’t have time to give you an anesthetic." He arrived early.
Motivation makes a difference in life. That patient was moved by the fact that he didn’t want to experience pain if he could avoid it. WE UNDERSTAND THAT.
What moves you in life? What cranks you up and turns you on? What fires you up for the day? What keeps you going?
ILL.- It’s like the bumper sticker: "I owe, I owe, so it’s off to work I go." Debt is a pretty good motivation for working.
Money is a big motivator in life for most people. People will do many things for money: work, steal, lie, embezzle, cheat, some sell drugs, some sell their bodies, etc. We know that we can’t live without money so we are motivated to get it in one way or another. And money is all some people live for.
What motivates you in life? Money? Raising your children? That’s a good Christian motivation. That is, raising your children to become decent, hard-working people and most of all, to become Christian people. THAT SHOULD BE A BIG MOTIVATION IN LIFE!
II Cor. 5:14 "For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died."
22"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there."
Paul was compelled, constrained and motivated by the Holy Spirit who lived within him. What about us? Or are we even aware that God’s Spirit lives within us and is at work in us?
ILL.- Preacher Dwight L. Moody was to have an evangelistic campaign in England. An elderly preacher protested, "Why do we need this ’Mr. Moody’? He’s uneducated, inexperienced, etc. Who does he think he is anyway? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?"
A younger preacher responded, saying, "No, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Moody." What about us?
Who’s in control of your life? Who moves you to do good, to serve? Or are you motivated at all? If you are not motivated to serve in some form then you perhaps you need to question your faith!
If you are not sensitive to God’s Spirit, to His leading in your life, then something is wrong!
ILL.- D.L Moody said, "I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God’s law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God. We must be emptied before we can be filled." THAT’S IT! We must be emptied of self before God’s Spirit can fill us and use us.
How do we empty ourselves in order to be full of God’s Spirit? You humble yourself before the Lord! You pray. You confess your sin. You ask for mercy. You ask to be filled with God’s Spirit and used by God’s Spirit!
I Peter 5:5-6 "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time."
That lifting up by God will include being filled with His Spirit and that’s how to exit this world in fashion! Enoch of old "walked with God and was not, for God took him." Gen. 5:24.
That’s how to leave this world! Apparently, Enoch’s walk with God was so holy, so good, that God just whisked him out of this world. We need to be so filled with God’s Spirit that when we leave this world death will not be a surprise nor will it be dreaded but rather welcomed! WHAT A WAY TO GO!
CONCLUSION----------------------------
ILL.- The preacher was preaching about going heaven and suddenly, he asked how many people wanted to go to heaven. Everybody in the church raised their hands except for one man. The preacher said, "Brother, don’t you want to go to heaven?" He replied, "Yes, but I thought you were getting a load ready to go now!"
Many people want to go to heaven if it’s as good as it sounds, but most people aren’t in a hurry to get there. WHY NOT? Why are we so earthly minded that we don’t want to go to heaven right now?
I dare say that something is lacking in our faith.
Rev. 21:3-4 "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
When you read this description of heaven, how can you not be somewhat desirous of going to heaven? We need to exit this world in fashion and the only way is by walking with God as much as possible. Having a daily, yes, even hourly walk and communication with Him. THAT’S THE WAY TO LIVE AND THAT’S THE WAY TO EXIT THIS WORLD IN FASHION!
