A life of Purpose and Focus
Acts (To Be Continued...) • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 25 viewsNotes
Transcript
Please turn to Acts 20.
If I were to ask you—what is your life all about? what would you say?
what is your life mission?
do you have a personal mission statement....
Yes…or no? and why or why not?
How intentional are you in living or not?
According to Inc., they list the lives of very famous people who have their own mission statement.
Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur....so they want to inspire risk-takers, innovators, entrepreneurs....
See if you can guess who said this…what famous celebrity, entrepreneur, influential personal....about their personal mission statement...
This person, a woman said this is her personal mission statement (back in 2018): “My mission is to be a teacher. And to be known for inspiring my students to be more than they thought they could be.” What famous woman said this?
Oprah...
This man said, “If something is important enough you should try, even if the probabl outcome is failure.” Who said this?
Sponge Bob… known for starting multiple companies like Tesla and SpaceX
Elon Musk...
whether you like Oprah or Musk…you can’t deny the impact and influence they have had.
what would yours be?
ever thought about it?
I want to look at the life of the Apostle Paul—who is spreading the Gospel across the Roman Empire almost 2,000 years ago.
the book of Acts is all about the unstoppable spread of the good news of Jesus Christ across the Roman Empire...
so as we read....I want you to pay careful attention to 2 things:
1. see if we can figure out what his mission is...
2. and along the way some characteristics or marks of his ministry—that flow out of his mission.
so let’s be on the lookout for his mission ultimately…and some marks of his mission along the way...
1 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia.
Paul just finished his ministry in the city of Ephesus, a city of over 200,000 people at the time—where a riot just broke out.
and now he is leaving for Macedonia.
on screen map: Here is Ephesus, there is Macedonia.
Acts 20:2–5 (NIV)
2 He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, (south of Macedonia)
3 where he stayed three months. (the church at Corinth where he wrote the letters of the Corinthians to) Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia.
so he had to change the plan…anybody have to change their plans this week? how did you handle it?
4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.
5 These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas.
So some marks of Paul’s mission:
1. Gospel Encouragement (vs. 1-2) especially encouraging the people he already knew, churches he already founded, not leaving them high and dry...
1 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia.
2 He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece,
Gospel encouragement--
so much ministry can and should happen by encouragement...
think of your own life—how many of you need encouragement today? how many of us came hoping someone or something would encourage us?
that’s important!
but what if you switched it around...
in fact, as you came here today, you may need encouragement, but who can you encourage…not just with a witty saying…but the Gospel of Jesus Christ. or the Word of God....
do you want your life to count? do you want to be on a mission?
encourage...
encouragement doesn’t cost much—it’s free.
it’s easy to do.
ever hang out with someone who is so encouraging...
who can you encourage by saying things like “I see you....I care for you…and most importantly God sees you and cares for you.
encouragement was a mark of Paul’s ministry…and should be ours.
Who is God leading you to encourage—even with just a brief text? maybe a Bible verse....
2. Building a Team (vs. 4-5)
building into all kinds of people - notice the list—they are from all over the Mediterranean world, a variety of people;
4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.
some we know more about like Timothy, but many we know nothing about. Still all very important—Paul poured into people; He was not a one man band… investing in and training up—Paul knew he was not irreplaceable. He knows he needed to pour into people. he is not a lone ranger...
are you tempted to do life and ministry alone…or are you building a team!
life is not just about you doing something—but who are you doing it with—and raising up with you?
3. Reaching people far and wide - Paul is actually getting a lot done here…not just up close but from a far
he wrote 2 Corinthians during this trip—his most personal, authentic, vulnerable letter. (most likely in verses 1-2) (it’s actually the 4th letter to them—we only have 2)
and then while actually in Greece, he wrote the book of Romans, the most theological letter —to people he had never met.
we know from 2 Corinthians, he is gathering an offering for fellow Christians in Jerusalem—he cares not just about the local church but the church afar…generosity is a big mark
his ministry is varied and diverse....
so some of the marks of his ministry...
so encouragement....
team building
reaching people far and wide--
let’s keep reading...
Acts 20:6–13 (NIV)
6 But we (notice 1st person plural—Luke the author of Acts is now with them)....But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. (notice—we learn some things about early church worship:
*on Sundays—no longer on the Jewish sabbath of Friday evening to Saturday evening) but Sunday—because Jesus was raised bodily from the dead
notice breaking of bread—reference to the Lord’s Supper but also a communal meal
and notice -Paul speaking, teaching, preaching—a lot!
meeting in homes...
it doesn’t mean we have to do everything like them—but we notice how the early Church was meeting—they didn’t require church buildings, or worship bands.
8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.
9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.
10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!”
11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left.
12 The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.
what do we learn?
it’s dangerous to sit in the balcony during church…remember that...
that story reminds us of other resurrection stories in the Bible—Elijah and Elisha in the OT—how they too stretched themselves out on a dead man and raised them to life.
it reminds us of Peter in chapter 9.
and certainly of Jesus and His miracles...
the same God is at work in chapter 9.
Paul’s marks..
4. Focused on the church....he cares about the people of God.
that one may sound obvious…but ministry is all about God and people.;
may we not lose sight that ministry is very people-oriented
it’s all about the church—which are the people
5. Focused on teaching the Word of God (more on that later)
Paul rudely gets interrupted by someone falling asleep and dying on him—but doesn’t let him stop the focus too long. preaching an all niter..
13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot.
14 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene.
15 The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus.
16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.
Anybody lost? with all the geography?
me, too.
Look on screen. at the start of chapter 20—he is in Ephesus—almost right in the middle of our screen in Asia---and he travels north up Asia, over to Macedonia, and then Achaia (modern day Greece is—and back to Miletus—just south of Ephesus)
let’s stand…here we will start to get into his mission, his aim, his focus...
Acts 20:17–21 (NIV)
17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.
18 When 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. (he lived with them 3 years)
19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.
20 You 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.
21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
notice 3 more marks...
HUMILITY
COURAGE with God’s Word
WILLINGNESS TO SUFFER
22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.
23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.
24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
you may be seated.
now we are getting into not just the marks of his mission—but the center—his actual mission.
look at verse 24 again.
24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
What is Paul’s mission? to testify—or show and tell the good news of the grace of God.
everywhere he goes...
that God had mercy on him as a sinner—A TERRORIST, A MAN offending God, on a path to hell, but God showed up, forgave him because of Jesus Christ’s work on the cross on his behalf…and even called him into ministry, transforming HIs life,
....and that same grace is available to others too—who according to verse 21…;
21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
repent...
and have faith in Jesus Christ...
repentance and faith are 2 sides of the same coin—we repent—turn from our sins and idols—to Jesus.
this is Paul’s mission—very different than Oprah’s or Musk.
we see him say it in other ways...
20 It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.
Paul wants to plant the Gospel and new churches in new unreached places....
Colossians 1:28 (NIV)
28 He (Jesus) is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.
and perhaps Paul’s most famous mission statement…is Philippians 1:21
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
(our junior Bible quizzers could quote it…)
for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain (why?)
22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!
23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;
his life—his mission was to spread the good news and glory of Jesus Christ, and if he dies—even better. b/c He gets to be with Jesus.
Paul’s mission was all about Christ…his life about Christ...
you cut Paul—he bleeds Jesus.
you try to keep him silent—he explode talking about Christ...
and if I were to ask you what your mission is in life—your focus---your mission statement…what would it be...
My fear is we are...
Aimless and distracted...I fear we waste so much time....
*you have probably heard the stats—but think about much time we spend on our phones...
According to recent data, the average person spends 4 hours and 37 minutes on their phone every day. That's the equivalent of over 1 day per week or 6 days per month. Across a year, that's approximately 70 days spent looking at a phone.
maybe you are using it for good things.. “I am just encouraging people...”
but my guess is we are pretty distracted...
pretty aimless...
don’t really have a focus or mission...
i fear we are...
2. Misdirected - our passions are focused on things that don’t ultimately matter in the scheme of eternity.
I talked about idolatry last week—an idol is anything that you put in the place of God or Jesus Christ.
we can spend a lot of time and energy and effort trying to live the American dream, or pouring it into a hobby...
or just simply—if we are honest—we are selfish. life is about me. as long as I am getting my way—that’s all that matters.
about my happiness..my pleasure…as long as I am happy...
but ironically people often find that if your #1 focus is your own happiness all the time—it makes you less happy…and you invest it in God and others, one of the byproducts is happiness and satisfaction
i fear we....
3. want life to be just “safe and comfortable.” so we give up to easily on hard things—in life.
whereas if we have a purpose—we are willing to suffer like Paul did....
athletes suffer for the purpose of winning a championship
musicians suffer long hours of tedious practice for the purpose of playing a piece perfectly...
what are you willing to suffer for? that shows your purpose...
i fear we...
4. Settle for the good but not the best...
I remember hearing an interview with one of my heroes from afar—Pastor Tim Keller…who started a church and pastored in Manhattan for several years…later in his life—he was being interviewed. and you have to understand this guys has written several books, spoken at world class Christian conferences, his church had grown to several thousand. very influential.
when asked about one of his regrets—he confessed that he had lived pretty unfocused in ministry. really?
always saying “yes...” to this opportunity or “yes” to that without thinking. those were good things…but were they they best for him. It was only in the last 10 years of his life…that he became more focused for Christ—only doing that for which he was uniquely called.
and boy, can I relate to that as a pastor. I get so many opportunities to help with stuff, say “yes” to this and “yes” to that—and many are good…but I have really been trying to discern—Lord, what is the best use of my time?
—Lord, how can I strategically use the time you have given me…for your glory.
—and I am not just talking about doing stuff....but being with Jesus. (I think of the story at the end of Luke 10…Mary and Martha-sisters…Martha was preparing a meal for Jesus, distracted busy—Mary was just as his feet learning. The most productive time if I can use that language is being at Jesus’ feet.
so what is your mission?
there is an urgency
25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.
pretty cryptic...
none of us know when our last days are—this could be our last day on earth, last week, last holiday season...
or the last time we can spend with certain people—because they and we are not guaranteed tomorrow...
am I really doing what God wants me to do...
am I a man on a mission---focused on God, laser-like…or am I consumed with trivialities...
I believe this sermon comes perfectly after last week’s sermon on idolatry.
go back to Philippians 1:21
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
for to me to live is _______. how would you answer that question? Is it Christ? or is it something else....
maybe this is a tangent—but one thing I have learned…in ministry....is this…I can’t control anything. I can’t control your reaction; I can’t make you do anything. The Spirit of God has to—so I need to plea with God. am I pleaing with God?
am I personally excited about Jesus Christ...
do I have a passion for His glory...
what should our mission be....
Our mission statement...
I believe as a Christian—generally speaking—our mission statement has to do broadly with giving God glory
31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
we use that word glory a lot—but is it increasing the spotlight on God—it is increasing worship of God—it is showing the magnificence of God?
and it involves spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
now, the details of that and the circumstances will look different from person to person…all of us are wired differently…some of us very differently...
doesn’t mean you have to preach or teach God’s Word publicly...
how do I fix cars and spread the Gospel to the glory of God?
how do I serve at this factory—to the glory of God and spread the Gospel?
how do I show God’s glory as a stay at home at parent and pour into my little ones, equipping them with the Good news of Jesus?
how do I love my family and friends to the glory of God and spread the Gospel?
how can I be a student to the glory of God and spread the Gospel?
how can I be a boss or a business owner to the glory of God and spread the Gospel? how can my business image God?
and the 3rd is Love
37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
that is love of God and neighbor...
God’s glory...
God’s gospel of Jesus Christ
God’s love—loving God and neighbor...
it also comes too from our identity...
and our identity:
we are image bearers of God - inherent dignity Gen 1:27 (we haven’t even done anything—and our value comes from God not us)
and dear children of God 1 John 3:1
for to me to live is ______ and to die is _________.
have you ever really thought about how you would answer that?
what is your mission? what are you living for?
Paul’s flowed from Jesus Christ....
many theologians have noted that Paul really felt led to go to Jerusalem---and that his journey reflected Jesus’ journey in the Gospels to Jerusalem.
notice the parallels:
according to theologian John Stott:
Like Jesus, Paul traveled to Jerusalem with a group of disciples
Like Jesus, Paul was opposed by hostile religious people (Jews) who plotted against his life
Like Jesus, Paul made 3 successive predictions of his coming suffering
Like Jesus, Paul said he was ready to lay down his life
Like Jesus, Paul was ready to finish his ministry and not be distracted from it.
Like Jesus, Paul expressed his abandonment to the will of God
We are not specifically called to go to Jerusalem like Paul...
but he was able to do this...
because Jesus did this for him.;
Paul knew the one who was the perfect image of God—Jesus Christ.
Paul knew the one who was all about giving the Father glory—Jesus Christ.
Paul knew the one who was all about doing what He was sent to do—to live and die and suffer on our behalf—Jesus Christ.
Paul knew the one who loved him dearly—who confronted him on the road—while he was on the way to arrest and persecute and harm Christians—he met the risen Lord Jesus who so identified with suffering Christians.
Jesus’ purpose was clear..
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
i think the thing that can help you get more purpose—more aim…is do you know Jesus more?
are you spending time in His Word?
are you taking out of a busy schedule—to listen and hear Him....
are you allowing Jesus to shape your purpose everyday—what if you woke up everyday—with a desire to let Jesus shape your day and purpose?
