Good morning again Church! Judging by the dip in the temps, Fall has finally arrived! It seems like every season this year has been late! We had a late spring, summer just about never showed up, now it won’t leave! Some of you have mixed feelings about this. I know Bob is happy, as long as it is warmer, we are not spending money on Heating oil! But I know Ms Margaret, Ms Ricka, and myself can’t wait to see those snow flakes fly by our windows!
Seasons can be late and unreliable, but do you now what isn’t? God. God is never late. He is always right on time. Perfectly reliable.
As we jump back into the book of Acts we find Paul in chapter 20, Paul is wrapping up his 3rd missionary journey and is anxious to return to Jerusalem. He is behind schedule and running late to get back for the Festival of Pentecost. This feast was 50 days after the Passover feast, and he had already missed that important event, so he is rushing back to Jerusalem as fast as he possibly can.
But he has a number of stops on the way back that he has to make, a number of people he has to meet and give last minute instructions to. Paul knows in his heart that this is the last time he will see many of these people, because God has told him that he will have a tough road ahead.
Before we jump into the main body of our text, I want to encourage you to read this chapter, chapter 20, on your own and really spend some time in it. There is a lot to unpack. Obviously, we do not have time to hit on it all this morning. But there is great stuff here. We have long winded Paul preaching a poor young man literally to death, raising him back to life, and then preaching some more! I don’t want anyone here ever calling me long winded!
Throughout history, moments of farewell have often been the backdrop for some of the most profound and heart-rending speeches. Moments when leaders, knowing the weight of their impending departure, imparted wisdom and guidance to those they were leaving behind. One such leader, Sir Winston Churchill, the indomitable Prime Minister of Britain during World War II, once stood before his people during the bleakest days of the war and proclaimed,
“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” — Winston Churchill
These weren't just words for the masses; they were his personal mantra, guiding him through the darkest nights of the Blitz.
Similarly, but with eternal stakes, the Apostle Paul stood before the Ephesian elders, not facing the threat of bombs or an advancing army, but the knowledge that he would likely never see them again in this life. He had given them everything for the last 3 years—every ounce of wisdom, every teaching, every warning, and every encouragement. And now, as he prepares to depart, he delivers one of the most poignant farewells in all of Scripture, a charge that reminds us to never give in to the challenges of this world, but to persist in the faith and the calling that God has placed upon our lives. Let us journey together into Acts 20 and glean from the wisdom of Paul's emotional and passionate farewell.
We see Paul making stop after stop, encouraging, instructing, discipling, doing the work of the ministry! I want to look at what he deemed the most important things to share with these church leaders and see what we can learn from it today. I believe that though times change, maps change, cultures church, languages change. There some things that do not. God never changes. His Word never changes. His desires for His people never changes. His commands and His expectancy for our obedience never changes.
So what do we need to do, according to the Holy Spirit guided words of Paul, to persist in our faith and accomplish the calling of God? What do we need to do be successful in this life?
Let’s start with Verse 17.
Acts 20:17–21
ESV
17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.
18 And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia,
19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews;
20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house,
21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
The first things we see here from Paul is his passion. He was willing to serve the Ephesians with humility, through tears, through trials, with plots all around, he bravely and publically served those God had placed him around to serve.
That takes passion. That takes a true love of God and a true love of the Gospel message. Paul was committed to passionately proclaiming the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ to any and all who would hear.
He was unwavering in his commitment to declare the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, regardless of the hardships that that may come along.
Do you want to be a successful person? Do you want to live a life that matters? Do you want your life to count? Do you want to come face to face with God and hear those words,
Well done good and faithful servant?”
Then you need to learn to be passionate about the Gospel. Are you able to share your faith with others? If you are not, then you are not passionate about the Gospel.
Do you share the Gospel with others on a regular basis? If the answer is no, then you are not passionate about the Gospel.
When I run into a christian who tells me how much they love God, how much they love Jesus and how much they want to serve Jesus, bu they never talk to others about God, it is obvious that they do not know what they are talking about!
If I were to tell you that I was a HUGE New England Patriots Fan, THe best fan ever, the #1 fan! You would have expectations of me. If I told you that I was a #1 fan, but I couldn’t tell you who the QB was, or who the head coach was, or where the team played or where they practiced… If I could not tell you how to buy tickets to see a game or where on TV you could watch a game… If I couldn’t tell you the standings for the season, whether they were going to make the play offs or not… Would you believe that I am really a #1 fan? A Fan at all?
So many so called Christians today claim to know Christ, claim to know the Gospel, Claim to Love Christ, Claim to Love the Gospel, but they can’t take you to the ticket booth much less tell you the score.
Paul places emphases on the importance of continuing to speak God's truth no matter the environment or personal cost.
If we are going to be successful:
We Must Proclaim with Persistence
Folks, it is our job, our mandate, our calling to relentlessly share the Gospel, regardless of obstacles. This isn’t just the job of the evangelist. Or the Preacher. Or the Deacon. This is the job of every believer.
We must live like Paul and not be afraid to Proclaim the Gospel with Persistence
Acts 20:20–21
ESV
20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house,
21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
March 4, 1881 was a beautiful spring day in Washington D.C. James Garfield stood on the Capitol steps, placed a hand on the Bible, another on his heart, faced a crowd of thousands, and was sworn in as the 20th President of the United States. Like every Inauguration, it was a day ripe with patriotism, pride, and power. After the ceremony was over, a curious listener came up to James Garfield and asked, "Mr. President, what does it feel like to have the most honorable job in the world?" Garfield shook his head and said, "Sir, to be honest with you, I feel like I've been demoted." The man was confused and asked, "But Mr. President, what do you mean? You're the most powerful man on the face of the earth. You're the commander-in-chief of the United States of America. How in the world have you been demoted?" Garfield responded, "Sir, before I became the President, I was a gospel preacher, and there is nothing more honorable than that." When the 20th President of the United States grabbed the presidential anvil, he felt like he had stepped down.
Whitworth, Michael. Fit for the Pulpit: The Preacher & His Challenges (pp. 43-44). Start2Finish Books. Kindle Edition.
Look at what Paul said to the Romans about how he feels about the Gospel message.
Romans 1:16–17
ESV
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
See Paul’s passion? Do you share that passion?
The next thing I see about Paul’s message is also tied to his attachment to the Gospel.
Look with me at Acts 20:28-30
Acts 20:28–30
ESV
28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.
He was committed to Guarding the Gospel
He took the time to urge the Ephesian leaders to beware and to guard the message of truth, to beware of the wolves of this world. He cautioned them to be aware of the internal and external threats to the Gospel message that would directly effect Church health and the lives of God’s people.
This warning is every bit as important for us today.
WHAT ARE WE PREACHING?
By Dr. Larry Petton
WHAT ARE WE PREACHING?
False teachings abound whenever people do not know the truth. Many of our churches today do not teach the truth because many pastors do not know the Bible. In our seminaries, almost 50 percent of professors now teach that there was no virgin birth of Jesus, and that story was a myth given to us to "just make a point".
With the help of our mass media today, slick talkers are packaging their lies in some very convincing packages and selling it to tens of millions at one time. It is the largest wholesale misleading of people in the history of the world. And, it is imperative that we, as Christians, start paying attention to the truth of God in our world today.
A nationwide survey of church leaders by George Barna recently reported:
* * Only 53% of church leaders believe that moral truths are absolute
* * An amazing 43% of church leaders doubt the existence of the Holy Spirit
* * 33% of church leaders believe that Jesus never had a physical resurrection.
* * 27% of pastors have either never read the Bible all the way thru, or do not read it on a daily basis.
* * And, 19% of church leaders believe that Jesus sinned while alive.
If we are to be successful...
We Must Protect the Precious Truth
We must be vigilant against any threat, any effort to dilute the Gospel message. We have to look for those threats within the Church just as much as from without the church. There is one Gospel. Only One.
Any alteration, any addition, any subtraction from the Gospel and it ceases to be the Gospel. The Gospel saves. An Altered Gospel kills.
They Did Not Deny That Faith Was An Essential ...
By Sermon Central
They did not deny that faith was an essential part of salvation, but they added to it (works, circumcision, & other rituals). Many do the same thing today they believe salvation is by grace + …
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., was ill with a staff infection of the throat. A new medicine called sulpha-nil-amide was tried with amazing success. The publicity of the case caused the drug to be in great demand. A pharmaceutical company in Tennessee conceived the idea of preparing the drug in a liquid instead of a powder form. They dissolved it in diethylamide glycol. It proved to a costly and fatal. 61 people died.
A harmless lifesaving drug in one form became a poison in another form. It was not something that was taken away that made the drug deadly, but something that was added.
We must be vigilant against any dilution of or threats to the Gospel message. How can we do that unless we are familiar with the Gospel?
We Must Protect the Precious Truth
2 Timothy 4:3–4
ESV
3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,
4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
We are in danger of slipping away, of wandering off, of having itching ears, unless we know, and are consumed by, and love the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Paul also mentions another element that I believe is key to being successful.
His Commitment to his Calling
Paul's deep emotional connection to his mission and his calling are at the forefront of his farewell to the Ephesians. He says to them in verse 32...
Acts 20:32
ESV
32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
He so wants them to succeed. He wants them to be successful and for their lives to count, to matter. He wants to them to experience God in the same way that he has. To these same Ephesians he wrote ...
Ephesians 1:18
NLT
18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.
I believe that Paul is challenging these believers to stay faithful, to heed God's call, and to passionately pursue the mission God entrusts to them.
The same is true for us. If we are going to be successful...
We Must Pursue Our God-Given Purpose
I think we waste so much time asking the cosmos the big question. “What am I here for?” “What is my Purpose?”
The Purpose of Life
There's a guy named Hugh Morehead who 45 years ago began a hobby of writing to famous philosophers and scientists and authors and asking them, "What is the purpose of life?" The responses he got back were depressing at best.
Isaac Asimov wrote back, "As far as I can see there is no purpose to life."
Karl Jung, the Austrian psychiatrist, wrote, "I don't know what the meaning or the purpose of life is but it looks like as if there were something meant by it."
Arthur Clark, the author of 2001, wrote, "I'm afraid I have no concrete ideas of the purpose of life."
Albert Ellis, the psychiatrist who invented RET therapy said, "As far as I can tell, life has no special or intrinsic meaning or purpose."
Gerald Frank, "In the cosmic scheme, I see neither meaning nor purpose."
Edward Gorny, "I doubt if there is one."
William Gasp, "There is no meaning to life."
Thomas Nagle, "I'm afraid the meaning of life still eludes me."
With a sense of resignation Joseph Heller wrote, "I have no answers to the meaning of life and I no longer want to search for any."
?
Is there a purpose in life? Is there a meaning to life? Can we know why we are here? Thankfully there is an answer in the Word of God!
(From a sermon by Steve Trail, Building a Life of Purpose, 10/10/2011)
I say it is a waste of time, a foolish question, because we have long had the answer to this question. It has been given and given over and over by God to mankind through all the millennia. It was most recently recorded in God’s inspired Word and permanently settled by Jesus Christ Himself. What is the purpose of your life? To Love the Lord your God with All your Heart, Soul, and Mind. It is to love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Matthew 22:37–40
NLT
37 Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
This is your purpose. Everything else you do in life should pivot and revolve around these things. Your career, who you love, what you do for fun, how you spend your time. How you treat people, the very words you speak in seriousness or idle conversation, should be controlled by the premise of loving God and others.
Paul got this. He understood his purpose, and in doing so, he understood the importance of the Gospel. The Gospel = 1. We are doomed sinners headed for an eternity in a place called Hell, forever separated from God our creator. 2. God loves us so much that He came in the form of Jesus Christ to pay the penalty of our sins and requires us to believe and trust in Him and Him alone in order to be restored to His family. 3. We must turn from our sins and commit our lives to following Him in obedience and if we will choose to do so, 4. God will save our souls, give us incredible purpose, and use us to change the world one life at a time.
If you are a Christian here today, you have a purpose. If you are not a believer, your life here today has no purpose! But if you believe and trust in God for your salvation today, then you have a purpose, and that purpose is to allow the Love of God to saturate every single thing you do, say, or touch.
Again, Paul got this. This is what he is trying to get the Ephesians to understand. He wanted to them to Pursue Their God-Given Purpose. He wrote to them to reiterate...
Ephesians 2:10
ESV
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
What do you think these good works are? I promise you. These good works are sharing the message of salvation, the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Gospel with a lost and dying world.
You know, as we close up this passage this morning, I am left pondering what many of you think of this call to live out our purpose.
I would imagine, if I were a young person, that hearing this call, I could respond in one of two ways. Either I would be disappointed, “Man, there is so much I want to do other than serve the Lord… What if my dreams, wishes, and ambitions do not line with with what God has for me to do?” “How can I accomplish the things that I want to do and also be concerned with the Gospel?” OR I would be excited, “I am at the beginning of my life, I get to spend it all for God! I hope He uses every ounce of my Strength for His Kingdom.” To the first, I would simply say, don’t be foolish and chase after what you believe to be happiness while forsaking God’s path, God’s plan. Don’t lean on your own understanding, there is only pain and lonely sadness down that path. Trust instead in the path God has for you.
I would also imagine that there are people my age and older who have a few thoughts rolling around in their heads. Perhaps they go like this, “Man, I have already lived my life. Much of it has been lived not for the Gospel, not for God, not for Love of God, and certainly not for the love of my fellow man.” “I have watched 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 years go by, and I have lived them for me. What am I do to?”
If that is you this morning, let me encourage you. It is never too late to give your life to Christ. It is never too late to live your life for Christ. It is never too late to live the Gospel out loud for others to see and hear.
I promise, no matter your age, if you will surrender your ‘today’ and the rest of your ‘tomorrows’ for the cause of the Gospel, you will not regret it. If you are 95 years old today and live the next 5 years totally committed to the Gospel as your central purpose of life, in about 1 billion years, we will be celebrating in Heaven and you will have 1 billion and 5 years of memories and victories of living in obedience to the creator of the universe.
My point is this, don’t be fooled by the lie of Satan and spend all your time looking backward. Look forward. YOU will live forever. Plan on it! Invest in the only currency that give enteral returns. Invest in the Gospel. That is your purpose. That is where success lies. Will you Serve Him?
