Acts 20:17-24 - He Sent to Ephesus and Called for the Elders of the Church
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Pastors are blamed for everything.
[ILLUS] listening to a podcast where a famous apologist was complaining about how few Christians knew how to defend the faith. He concluded that pastors were to blame and that pastors had to become apologists in the pulpit so that God’s people could become apologists to their neighbors.
Their is some truth to what he was saying, but pastors are always to blame.
[ILLUS] listening to American Family Radio and the hosts were complaining about the secular curriculum secularizing children in the public school system. They concluded that pastors were to blame. If only pastors would speak up and speak out, then all this secularization wouldn’t continue at such a rapid pace. So pastors not only have to be skilled apologists but insightful cultural commentators as well.
Again, there is some truth to what they were saying, but pastors are always to blame.
[ILLUS] greeted one of our sweet senior ladies who didn’t say hey or hello, but immediately asked as he came down the stairs in the foyer, “Why did you put so many steps in this church?” Her conclusion, blame the pastor.
This building was built in the 1960s, and I was born in 1980!
But even so, blame the pastor!
When that new family decides to go elsewhere, blame the pastor.
When someone else in the church says something mean about you, blame the pastor.
When the doorknob doesn’t work, blame the pastor.
When the thermostat is too up or too down, blame the pastor.
Pastors get blamed for everything…
…and… it kind of goes with the job…
…but it all this does raise an interesting question: what should pastors be doing?
Luke helps us answer that question by allowing the Apostle Paul to describe what he did when served as pastor in Ephesus.
[READING - Acts 20:17-24]
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.
[PRAYER]
[CONTEXT] Paul preached the Gospel, made disciples, and planted a church in Ephesus. He left the care of the church to other elders (i.e., pastors) as he made his way to Jerusalem to deliver aid and then hoped to go on to Rome and then Spain.
But thus far in his journey, Paul hasn’t made it very far. Although he has been away from the Ephesian church for a while, he is passing by Ephesus still trying to get to Jerusalem.
Paul decided to sail past Ephesus perhaps because he didn’t want his presence to stir up trouble for the believers in that city again or perhaps because he didn’t want to get caught up in all the emotions of having to say goodbye to all of the Ephesian believers once again or perhaps he just didn’t want to make the 30-mile trek from Miletus to Ephesus after all of his other traveling.
Whatever the reason, Paul didn’t go to Ephesus but called the elders of the Ephesian church to come to him.
[CIT] In the verses we will look at this morning, Paul began his farewell address to the Ephesian elders by challenging them with the memory of his ministry among them.
When he ministered among them…
…Paul served the Lord.
…Paul declared the truth.
…Paul testified to repentance and faith.
…Paul valued the mission.
And the Ephesian elders were to do the same.
[INTER] What should we expect pastors to do?
[ILLUS] I was once sat in a meeting between a pastor and some members of a church that was a bit awkward. Many of the members didn’t feel like the pastor was doing what he was supposed to do, but the church had no job description. They couldn’t fully agree among themselves what the pastor was supposed to be doing.
But the pastor came to the meeting prepared. He had printed those Scripture passages in 1 Timothy and Titus that list the qualifications for the pastor, and he had printed those Scriptures passages like this one in Acts 20 where the duties of a pastor are described.
After reviewing the Bible’s qualifications and the Bible’s responsibilities for pastors, one member of the church, a senior adult man, said, “That book is 2000 years old. How can it tell us what a pastor needs to do in our day?”
Brothers and sisters, the Bible is the only authority on what a pastor should be and what a pastor should do.
It speaks with divine clarity on what we should expect from our pastors; it speaks with divine authority on what our pastors need to do in our day.
[PROP] We had better pay heed to Acts 20:17-24 because by Paul’s example it shows us what a pastor needs to do in our day.
[TS] Let’s notice four of Paul’s PASTORAL ACTIONS…
Major Ideas
Major Ideas
Pastoral Action #1: Paul served the Lord (Acts 20:18-19)
Pastoral Action #1: Paul served the Lord (Acts 20:18-19)
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;
[EXP] There are several things we should notice about Paul’s service as pastor in the Ephesian church.
One, it was a humble service.
Paul had capital-A Apostolic authority, but he served the Ephesians humbly as their pastor.
Two, it was at times a tearful service.
Paul was not just a calloused deliverer of information; he genuinely cared for the Ephesians.
He rejoiced when they rejoiced.
He grieved when they grieved.
Three, it was at times a difficult service.
Sometimes the difficulty arose from inside the church and at others times outside the church.
Paul mentions in v. 19 a difficulty that arose from outside the church in the unbelieving Jews who plotted to kill him.
But, fourth, notice that it was most of all a service to the Lord.
At the beginning of v. 19 Paul said that he served the Lord in Ephesus.
This doesn’t meant that he didn’t serve the Ephesian believers; in another place Paul said that although he was free and belonged to no one, he made himself a slave of everyone to win as many as possible to Christ (1 Cor. 9:19).
But Paul’s service was above all a service to the Lord first and foremost.
[ILLUS] Lady at another church telling me that I have 200 hundred bosses.
[APP] Pastors must serve the Lord by serving churches with humility and tears even when its difficult. They must count themselves as slaves to win as many as possible to Christ, but they must never forget that they serve the Lord first and foremost. They serve to please Him.
This is the way all Christians should think about service.
Serve with humility.
Serve with tears.
Serve even when its difficult.
Count yourself a slave to win as many as possible but don’t forget that you ultimately serve the Lord.
You serve to please Him.
[TS]…
Pastoral Action #2: Paul declared the truth (Acts 20:20)
Pastoral Action #2: Paul declared the truth (Acts 20:20)
20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house,
[EXP] Here there are several things to note about Paul’s declaration of the truth.
First, we notice it was profitable.
Paul is referring to the profitability of Scripture. In 2 Timothy, Paul encouraged Timothy (who pastoring the Ephesian church at that time) to preach the Scriptures to them. He wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16-17…
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
If pastors would give anything profitable to their people, they must give them the Word of God.
Second, we notice that Paul declaration of truth was declaration (i.e., proclamation or preaching) and teaching.
To draw too fine a line between these pastoral practices is, I think, a mistake, but preaching is more a heralding forth while teaching is more a patient explanation.
Of course, preaching is more monologue and teaching might be a dialogue, but the pastor must do both as he feeds God’s people the Word of God.
Third, we notice that Paul’s declaration of truth was in public and in private.
No doubt much of Paul’s declaration took place in the hall of Tyrannus while he was in Ephesus, and much of his teaching took place in the homes of believers, but Paul spoke the truth of God’s Word whether in public or private.
Pastors must deliver the truth in public and in private.
And, finally, we notice that Paul’s declaration of truth was courageous.
Paul said that he “did not shrink from declaring to (the Ephesian believers) anything that was profitable,” (Acts 20:20a).
Not everything that is profitable from God’s Word is pleasant; sometimes the truth hurts even when it is seasoned with grace; sometimes people get angry.
Even so, Paul said that he didn’t shrink back; he courageously spoke the truth even if it meant that some would be displeased.
[ILLUS] Hugh Latimer was a Puritan preacher and a chaplain to King Henry VIII.
He once preached with great boldness before King Henry and the king was greatly displeased. He ordered that Latimer come back the next Sunday, apologize for the offense he caused, and preach a different sermon.
Latimer came back the next Sunday and, knowing very well that his life could be on the line, preached the same sermon again with even more boldness.
Latimer knew that he would ultimately stand before King Jesus, so he couldn’t shrink back from declaring the truth to King Henry.
For declaring the truth, Latimer would later be burned at the stake by King Henry’s daughter, Mary.
As he burned, he encouraged his fellow martyr, Nicholas Ridley, “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man. We shall this day light such a candle by God's grace in England as I trust shall never be put out!”
Latimer didn’t shrink back.
Paul didn’t shrink back.
[APP] Pastors today must not shrink back. We must declare the truth through preaching and teaching, in public and in private with courage.
We must understand that we will one day give an account to King Jesus, so we must shrink back from declaring His truth to anyone because we fear how they might respond.
But this is true of all Christians too! Don’t you know, Christian, that you too will give an account to God?
Jesus wasn’t just talking to pastors when He said, “If you deny Me before men, I will deny you before My Father in Heaven.”
We had better all pray for holy courage so that we don’t shrink back.
[TS]…
Pastoral Action #3: Paul testified to grace (Acts 20:21)
Pastoral Action #3: Paul testified to grace (Acts 20:21)
21 solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
[EXP] You noticed that although I said Paul testified to grace, the word grace isn’t mentioned in v. 21, but it is mentioned in v. 24 where Paul says that he “tesitf(ied) solemnly of the Gospel of the grace of God.” It’s the same testifying in both verses because repentance and faith in a person’s life only come about by the grace of God.
Paul testified to the Ephesians that only by God’s grace does one repent of sin and unbelief.
Paul testified to the Ephesians that only by God’s grace does one have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul even testified to these truths when wrote to the Ephesians in Ephesians 2:4-8…
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
When God saved us, we were still dead in our sins. We weren’t repenting. We weren’t turning away from sin and unbelief.
God’s sovereign grace had to enable us to repent.
Even when we were dead in our transgressions, God made us alive together with Christ for it is by grace that we have been saved!
And when God saved us, we were still unbelieving; God gave us the gift of faith in Jesus because in our wickedness we had no faith in Him.
In God’s sovereign grace, we heard the word of the Gospel, and as we heard that word, God gave us the gift of faith in Jesus.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ; for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God!
This is the grace that can save anyone—Jew or Greek, male or female, black or white, citizen or immigrant!
This is the grace that saved me and can save you!
This is the grace that saved Paul, so he solemnly testified it.
[ILLUS] We will hear Paul testify to this grace I believe five times throughout the rest of Acts. By the time we’re through, you may know his testimony better than you know your own.
But Paul always talks about his life before Jesus as the life of a zealous Pharisee of Pharisees, outpacing all of his contemporaries in following God’s Law.
This sinful pride led him to hunt, arrest, and even kill Christians who believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah who had lived, died, and rose again.
Paul was traveling to Damascus to track down some Christians. As went along, he wasn’t thinking about repenting from his sinful actions toward Christians or his sinful unbelief toward Jesus.
Perhaps he thought about what the Christians said regarding Jesus’ death, “He had no sin, but He died to pay the price of death for all our sins.”
If Paul did think about this, his response on the road to Damascus would’ve been, “What blasphemy to believe that the Messiah could be crucified! These followers of Jesus deserve to die!”
Perhaps Paul even thought about what the Christians said regarding Jesus’ resurrection, “Three days after they laid Him the tomb, He rose from the dead and appeared to so many of us before ascending to the Father’s right hand and sending the Holy Spirit to live within us.”
If Paul did think about this, his response on the road to Damascus would’ve been, “What foolishness to believe that anyone crucified could come back from the dead! What blasphemy to think that this Jesus would sit at God’s right hand!”
And then the glorious, blinding light of the resurrected Jesus put Paul’s face in the dirt, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4).
Although he wasn’t considering repentance and faith when he began his journey to Damascus, he found himself prostrate before the divine Christ!
And soon the scales of spiritual blindness would fall off and the Holy Spirit would enter in, and Paul would be saved!
This was Paul’s testimony of grace.
And he never stopped testifying!
[APP] We preachers must never stop testifying to the grace of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
We must testify to this grace from the Word of God!
We must testify to this grace from our experience of it!
But this is true for all Christians too; all Christians must testify to God’s grace in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Oh Christian, you may not do it from pulpit, but you must do it; you must testify of God’s grace in Jesus Christ.
It’s only by hearing that Good News that faith is born in an unbelieving heart and people are born again through faith in Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected.
[TS]…
Pastoral Action #4: Paul valued the ministry (Acts 20:24)
Pastoral Action #4: Paul valued the ministry (Acts 20:24)
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.
[EXP] Paul transitions in v. 22 from his past ministry in Ephesus to what lies ahead of him in Jerusalem. He doesn’t have all the answers, but Holy Spirit has shown that there will be bonds and afflictions wherever he goes.
A lesser man would’ve tried to avoid the bonds and afflictions, but Paul valued the ministry that Jesus had given to him, so he was solely focused on finishing his course and fulfilling his ministry.
Until he was martyred, Paul continued to solemnly testify to the Gospel of the grace of God.
When Paul neared the end of his life, he wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:6-7…
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;
Paul fought the good fight.
He finished his course.
He kept the faith.
When he closed his eyes in death, he soon heard those words that we should all long to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into your rest.”
[APP] This should be the aim of every pastor—to fight the good fight, to finish the course, to keep the faith, to hear Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Every pastor—this one included—should value the ministry above his own life.
If preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and making disciples of Jesus Christ means bonds and afflictions, then so be it!
But should this be true for all Christians too?
Should we all aim at hearing Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant”?
In that case, we had better value the ministry that He has given to us more than even our own lives.
I don’t have the ministry of an Apostle.
You may not have the ministry of a pastor.
But we all have a ministry of one type or another.
Yours might be the ministry of deacon or Bible teacher or nursery volunteer or greeter or choir member.
Yours might be the ministry of motherhood or fatherhood or aunt or uncle or the ministry of grandparenting.
Yours might be a ministry of friendship or encouragement or prayer.
Whatever ministry Jesus has given to us we ought to value it even above our own lives just as long as we finish the course, fulfill our ministry, and hear the Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
That’s true for pastors and all other believers too.
[TS]…
Conclusion
Conclusion
[PRAYER]