A Tale Of Two Messages
Notes
Transcript
Review
Review
Turn to Acts 20.
Acts chapter nineteen focused entirely on Paul’s three year ministry in the city of Ephesus. He saw God put His stamp of divine approval upon some new converts in the city - 12 men who were disciples of John the Baptist. God did not treat them as second class citizens in His kingdom.
Paul observed an act of supreme narcissism as some Jews tried to use the name of Jesus to accomplish their own interests. Many times we act as though God exists to serve us, when in reality it is just the opposite - we exist to serve Him.
But then Paul experienced an act of stirred up passions. The silversmiths in Ephesus lead a riot against the Christians which would require Paul to leave the city for his own safety.
Message
Message
Read Acts 20:1-12.
In 1859, Charles Dickens wrote his famous classic, A Tale Of Two Cities. It is an historical novel that follows a doctor as he lives through the horrors of the French Revolution. A Tale Of Two Cities tells a story that is set between two very different cities: London and Paris. Although I’ve never read the classic, I have heard its opening lines and perhaps you have also:
Dickens began the novel with these words:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”
Today I’m not going to tell you a tale of two cities, but rather in Acts chapter twenty we find Luke’s tale of two messages that Paul preached. As we read through this chapter, we find that Luke directs our attention to two messages: one that Paul preaches at Troas and the other that Paul preaches to the Ephesian pastors.
The first message is…
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A message that killed a man - Acts 20:1-12.
Perhaps one reason why Luke gives us such a detailed account of these messages or of their circumstances is that he was an eyewitness and heard them personally.
Read Acts 20:5.
Luke was not with Paul as he traveled in verses 1-3, but sometime before verse five, Luke joined Paul in traveling to meet the seven men that are named in verse four. The last time Luke had been with Paul was during the second missionary journey back in Acts 16:17.
Luke passes over a lot of history in verses 1-6. In these verses, Paul continues his third missionary journey, he writes 2 Corinthians and Romans, and he begins collecting an offering from the Macedonian churches to give to the poor Christians in Jerusalem. For further study, you could compare 2 Corinthians 8:1-11 and Romans 15:23-16:2.
The seven men that linked up with Paul were carrying the offering for the saints in Jerusalem. Paul’s objective was to deliver this offering to the Christian in Jerusalem and then to strike out for Rome. I want you to remember this: Paul was always moving forward and that is what I always want to be - both as a Christian and as a church. Paul was always evangelistic. He was always looking for new mountains to conquer. He was always looking for new spiritual growth in himself and others. He was always looking to take that next step in the will of God. By contrast, I fear that many Christians and thus many churches in America are not. They don’t have that mindset. I fear that the prevailing mindset is one that places little priority on the things of God. Christian, don’t be guilty of that crime against God.
Now, did Paul’s message really kill Eutychus? No, not really, but I put it that way to draw attention to what this story is all about. On this particular Sunday, Paul evidently had many important things to share with this church because he preached until midnight. It was crowded and probably hot. Meanwhile, this young man Eutychus slowly fell asleep and then slipped from the window ledge and fell down three stories, and immediately died.
Remember that according to Colossians 4:14, Luke was a doctor. He knew what he was talking about. He was the first medical responder on the scene of this tragic event. He says that Eutychus was picked up - perhaps they lifted up his head - and they saw that he had passed away. No doubt, the mournful wail of lament and sorrow began to be heard in that place. But Paul ran downstairs, laid himself down and hugged the broken corpse. Immediately life was restored and Paul attempted to calm the wail of the people.
Perhaps you’ve wondered, why did God include this story in this history of the early church? Obviously, the miracle is the focus of Luke’s account. Paul raised the dead to life again, just like Elijah and Elisha of old had done.
Application: Perhaps the clearest application is this: God, in His wisdom, sometimes gives grace to miraculously heal whereas at other times, He gives grace to sustain through suffering. In either case, God’s grace - His unmerited favor - is always enough for the need.
Several years after this event, Paul wrote his final letter that was included in Scripture. It was his second letter to Timothy. In 2 Timothy 4:20, Paul writes,
Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick.
This is probably the same Trophimus that is mentioned in Acts 20:4. Notice, God raised Eutychus from the dead, but He did not miraculously heal Trophimus of his sickness. Paul had to leave Trophimus behind because he was bedridden. Paul still served a miracle-working God, but God chose to show His favor to Eutychus by raising him from the dead while showing His favor to Trophimus by sustaining him in sickness. Christian, learn to rejoice in God’s grace - whether it is shown by healing of sickness or by sustaining through suffering. Don’t demand that God do for you what He does for someone else - it’s all of His grace anyway! He will give you grace that is sufficient for your need just as He will give grace that is sufficient for someone else’s need. Be thankful for the grace that He gives to you because He always gives what is best.
We see first of all, a message that killed a man, now secondly…
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A message that moved to tears - Acts 20:17-38.
In verses 13-16, Paul is on the move as he travels to Jerusalem. He decides against visiting Ephesus again as it probably would take too much time or it was too dangerous. Instead, when the ship docked at Miletus, only 30 miles from Ephesus, he called for the elders of the church. These are the same men who are called bishops or overseers in verse 28. Probably some of these men were the former disciples of John the Baptist that we saw in chapter 19.
There are three of Paul’s messages in the book of Acts that Luke gives a detailed record of what Paul said. This is the last of the three. It’s a message to a group of pastors - and we get to listen in.
Read Acts 20:18-21.
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A review of past ministry - Acts 20:18-21.
Notice the three things that Paul remembered about his ministry in Ephesus: humility, many tears, many temptations. That’s what stood out in Paul’s mind as he reflected on his three year ministry in Ephesus.
If you faithfully walk with God and serve God, you will be brought to the end of yourself and of your strength. You will come to a point where you realize that you can’t do it. You will shed a few tears and you will endure your share of testing.
Application: That’s real Christianity! That’s what the Christian life is all about! It’s realizing that you can’t do it! It’s realizing that tears and temptations are a part of the refining process! It’s realizing that you must cast yourself into the care of Almighty God and trust Him 100% to carry you through! It’s realizing that your only hope is Jesus!
So if you’ve had to humble yourself before God this year, or if you’ve shed a few tears in 2024, or if you feel like you’ve endured more than your share of temptations, then be encouraged: because it’s possible that you’ve been right where God wants you to be. Paul endured this suffering for three years in Ephesus. Why? Because that was God’s plan for his life.
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A description of the present situation - Acts 20:22-27.
Read Acts 20:22-27.
We’ll see this more next week, but the Holy Spirit is referenced several times in the context of Paul’s journey here towards the end of Acts. Paul, in his own heart, felt compelled to go to Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit clearly indicated to Paul that he would suffer greatly if he went to Jerusalem. Suffering was not what mattered to Paul, however. Not even the keeping of his life mattered. The only thing that mattered to Paul is found in verse 24.
Read verse 24.
Paul wanted to reach the finish line of his life with joy, having fulfilled the ministry which he had received of the Lord Jesus.
Application: Christian, that is God’s measure of a successful life. A successful life is found by walking with God as best as a person know and by fulfilling the mission that God has given that person to do. How can you be confident that you are doing either one? By immersing yourself in God’s roadmap.
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A challenge concerning future responsibilities - Acts 20:28-35.
Read Acts 20:28-35.
Take heed: to turn the mind to something, to be attentive
Watch: to be cautious, work hard at keeping your guard up
Paul told these pastors, “remember what you’ve been taught. Remember what you’ve learned from the Word of God.”
before they could provide for the flock they had to care for their own spiritual well-being.
Paul was saying, “pay attention to yourselves and then pay attention to the local church.”
Application: Husbands, fathers, by default you are in a position of leadership. Whether you like it or not, God’s put you there. That’s your job. So lead! But you can’t lead others where you’re not willing to go yourself. These pastors had to tend to their own spiritual life in order to properly care for the spiritual lives of those in the flock. Likewise, you cannot tend to the spiritual lives of your families if you are not spiritually healthy yourself.
But there’s another reason why it was so important for these pastors to tend to themselves. Look at verse 30.
Not only would outsiders try to come in and corrupt the Ephesian church, but also some of those very pastors meeting with Paul would eventually leave the doctrines that they had been taught and take others with them.
Application: One of the most damaging things that could happen to this church is if you walk away from the faith and the doctrines that you have been taught.
“But Pastor Tim, I’m not a pastor. So it’s not as big a deal. It’s not going to hurt anybody.”
No, you’re wrong. It will hurt somebody else besides yourself. It will discourage some other brother or sister and they will wonder if its worth staying faithful to Christ.
So be faithful to our Lord. Take heed to yourselves.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Several decades would pass, but eventually Someone Else would send a message to this church, the church at Ephesus. Here’s what He said:
Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Revelation 2:1-4 indicates that the Ephesian church were obedient to Paul’s instructions. They kept Paul’s doctrine and rejected those that called themselves apostles but were not. Their weakness was that they allowed their hearts toward God to grow cold. In that regard, they did not take heed to themselves.
2000 years later, Paul’s messages are still instructive for us today. Church family, resist wanting the favor that God shows towards others and instead be thankful for the favor that He shows towards you. Embrace the life that God has called you to - a life of humility, a life of tears, a life of temptations. Pay attention to yourselves, that you might finish this life with joy, having fulfilled the mission that God gave you to do.
A Tale Of Two Messages.