Well, bye.
The Acts • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 1 viewNotes
Transcript
Leaving Ephesus
Leaving Ephesus
Paul has got it on his heart to go to Jerusalem.
Paul wants to pour into the people of that region as much as he can before he departs.
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
But there is some trouble brewing.
Demetrius (a silversmith) made shrines dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis (twin sister of Apollo)
He was making good money doing it.
Paul reportedly had a popular saying, “god made with hands are no gods at all.”
Bad for business.
Demetrius stirs up his fellow craftsmen and they stir up the city.
They are protesting (Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
So the people enter the theater and drag in, not Paul, but his companions Gaius and Aristarchus.
Paul tries to go there, but his disciples won’t let him.
Take Stock
The Jews are obviously against him, because Jesus robs them of their power and influence among the Jewish people.
Those that profit from the Greek gods are against Paul, because Jesus takes away their money.
What happens is that there is this riot against the followers of Jesus. Everyone is there to oppose Paul and his teaching, because it is having influence over the way people live their lives, but all the opposition has their own agenda.
So when a Jew stands up and tries to unite the crowd, they turn on him.
The town clerk finally shuts the whole thing down.
Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life. He is the Son of the Living God and like he told Peter, the gates of Hell cannot stand against it.
After this, Paul was about to set sail for Syria then a plot against him by the Jews was discovered so he delayed three months.
On the eve of him leaving one area, the believers were gathered together in an upper room and Paul started preaching about midnight.
A young man was siting on the window sill and fell asleep and fell three floors to his death.
Paul went down and embraced him and he was alive.
Glad I preach on the first floor
Farewell address
Farewell address
Paul leaves there and goes to Miletus gathers the elders of the church of Ephesus.
17 From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church.
18 And when they had come to him, he said to them,
“You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time,
19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews;
20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house,
21 solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
22 “And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,
23 except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me.
24 “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.
25 “And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face.
26 “Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.
27 “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.
28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
29 “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
31 “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.
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.
33 “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes.
34 “You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me.
35 “In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
36 When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.
37 And they began to weep aloud and embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him,
38 grieving especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were accompanying him to the ship.
Pour your self out for Christ.
Pour your self out for Christ.
24 “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.
He is also able to declare that he is innocent of the blood of all men.
25 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
The Velveteen Rabbit
The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces. He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away, and he knew that they were only toys, and would never turn into anything else. For nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it.
"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"
"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
"I suppose you are real?" said the Rabbit. And then he wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive. But the Skin Horse only smiled.
"The Boy's Uncle made me Real," he said. "That was a great many years ago; but once you are Real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always."
If you don’t believe in Jesus, then sacrifice is stupid.
If you think there is no life beyond this one, then enjoy it while you can.
But if you believe that there is life beyond this one, then store your treasures there.
Invest in the lives of those around you.
WARNING: You can’t fake it till you make it.
BURNOUT: Occurs when you try to do travel Christ’s road on your gas tank.
Beware the wolves
Beware the wolves
29 “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
The Solution
31 “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.
Remain Humble
10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
Proud people do not accept correction.
2. Examine yourselves
In 2nd Peter, he tells us that Christ, upon our election, has given us “Everything pertaining to life and godliness.”
He says applying all diligence supply moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, love.
9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;
11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
Are you blind or short-sighted?
3. Correct one another with love
15 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.
16 “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.
17 “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
10 Reject a factious man after a first and second warning,
17 Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.
1 Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.
7 “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”
Are you ready? Are we ready?