Acts 20:29-38

Wolves in the midst of Sheep

Acts 20:29–38 “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. 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. I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.”

Continuing on from last week’s sermon, Paul now shifts his focus from what has been accomplished in the church, now focusing on what is to come after he departs.

To recap, he spoke on what he did to set them up for success:

He led by example, serving the Lord in all humility.

We spoke on how that meant laying aside any desire to make himself look good or receive praise.

2. He did not withhold anything profitable from them.

3. Taught all people who wanted to hear the Gospel.

4. Finally, to sum it up, he faithfully taught the full gospel as revealed in Acts 20:27 “for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.”

Acts 20:29–30 “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.”

We see here introduced to us, two different enemies which the church will face. One type comes from outside the church, and the other rises from within. The one comes from outside, and these it says will “not spare the flock.” They are called “grievous wolves”, the word “grievous” meaning powerful, or strong. Their intention from the beginning is to cause destruction within the church. Their primary goal is to inflict pain and hurt within the body of Christ, at all cost. To draw as many away from the faith as possible.

Matthew 7:15 ““Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

Not all who come in the name of the Lord are sent by the Lord. Be wary when people claim, “God said to me that you need to do this.” Many times, false prophets will abuse weaker believers for their own gain. Most cults did not begin as what someone might call a cult, but rather a group led by a strong charismatic leader, who ends up abusing his own congregation´s trust for his or her own gain.

The responsibility of a shepherd, from the perspective of the Lord, is seen clearly in Zechariah 11:17 ““Woe to my worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! Let his arm be wholly withered, his right eye utterly blinded!””

The second enemy comes from within. “Men speaking twisted things, to draw away disciples after them.” The main goal of these enemies is to amass a following. Pride is at the heart of their desire. Instead of serving the Lord in all humility, as Paul mentions just a few verses earlier, they choose to serve their own desires.

Consider the historic heresy of Gnosticism in the early church, which claimed deeper knowledge than what the apostles taught. Gnostics used eloquent speech and persuasive arguments, leading many believers into confusion. “Jesus didnt really die, God cant die,” “The Spirit of Jesus left the body of the man Jesus before the crucifixion because God cant die”

The ramifications were profound, as entire congregations were misled. The gnostic heresy was a serious issue throughout the churches, and remained for almost 100 years.

I said it last week, I´ll say it again: we must seek to serve the Lord humbly, which means getting rid of our pride.

Charles Spurgeon is quoted as saying, “He who does not serve God where he is would not serve God anywhere else.”

How true this statement is. If we are not faithful in the small tasks the Lord lays before us, why do we assume we would be faithful in the big ones?

And the fact that Paul says these will rise up from “among you” must have been heartbreaking to hear. An enemy from within can do far more damage than one from without.

In the battle of Thermopelae, it was Ephialtes, a fellow Greek, who betrayed King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans.

In the garden of Gethsemane, it was Judas who betrayed Jesus.

Satan loves to wreak havoc in churches from within, that is why we all must always be on our guard.

Acts 20:31 “Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.”

Be alert.

This command is found frequently throughout the Word of God.

In Matthew 25, Jesus speaks of ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom; five were wise and prepared with oil, while five were foolish and unprepared. It serves as a powerful reminder that being alert and ready is vital in our faith. It prompts us to evaluate whether we are spiritually equipped for when He calls us to action.

In the garden of Gethsemane, He tells his disciples to be alert and pray with him.

What does it mean to be alert?

This reminds me of a tale told about one of the campaigns of Alexander the Great. His army was camped out one night, and there was a young watchman who fell asleep at his post. Alexander liked to patrol the camp at night, and he came upon this sleeping watchman. Now the penalty for falling asleep at your post was death. Alexander the Great grabbed him by the throat and yanked him to his feet, saying, “What is your name, soldier?” The young man, startled out of his sleep, quickly said, “Alexander, my Lord.” At this, Alexander pulled him closer and growled, “Change your character or change your name.” and walked away.

To be alert means to be watchful, to be ready to react at any moment in time. Peter tells us to be watchful because our adversary, the devil, prowls like a roaring lion seeking to devour us. If you knew a lion was on the lookout for you, wouldn´t you constantly be on high alert?

So in the context of this verse, how can we be alert? By loading up with weapons and locking ourselves in our homes?

“I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears”

Paul´s alertness as a leader meant he was aware of what his church members were going through, and he admonished them when necessary. He confronted them, calling out their sinful acts, holding them to the same standard he held himself to, not for his own gain, but for God´s glory.

Note that he admonished them with tears. Tears are not there when you don´t care about someone. This again shows us just how much Paul loved his flock. He care about each one deeply, because God cares about each one of us deeply.

Paul asked them to have the same careful concern for the people of God that he himself had.

· It was a long-term care (for three years).

· It was a constant care (did not cease).

· It was a watchful care (to warn).

· It was a universal care (everyone).

· It was a heart-felt care (with tears).

Acts 20:32 “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.”

a. I commend you to God and to the word of His grace: Though Paul gave his all for the Christians in Ephesus for some three years, at the bottom line, he could only commend [them] to God and to the word of His grace. Paul knew there was trouble ahead for him, and some trouble ahead for the Ephesian Christians. Yet God and the word of His grace would see them through.

i. Programs can’t do it; the spirit of the age can’t do it; slick marketing can’t do it; entertainment can’t do it; reading the write books cant do it; only God and the word of His grace can build you up and give you an inheritance in heaven.

Acts 20:33–35 “I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ””

Like Paul, the Ephesian elders should not covet material things nor expect any from their congregation. These men were not full-time pastors as we might think of today, they were lay pastors who served others through hard work.

It is more blessed to give than to receive.

c. It is more blessed to give than to receive: His parting words, taken from a quote of Jesus’ unrecorded in the gospels, are perfect for all who would minister to God’s people. Leaders must be more concerned about what they can give their flock than concerned about what their flock can give them.

i. Without a heart of sacrifice there can be no real effective, eternal ministry – and it should be a glad sacrifice, knowing the blessedness of it all.

Acts 20:36–38 “And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.”

This again shows us that Paul was not just a robot who dispensed doctrine, but rather a warm, loving man who loved his congregation, and was greatly loved by them.

i. Given the strength of Paul’s warning to these leaders, it is fair to wonder how the Christian community in Ephesus fared after this. Some 30 to 40 years later, Jesus sent a letter to this church in Ephesus, found in Revelation 2. He complimented them on many things:

· Their hard work for the kingdom of God.

· Their endurance through difficult times.

· Their dealing with those who are evil, and with false apostles.

· Not giving up when they were weary.

ii. Yet despite it all, Jesus gave them a severe warning: they had left their first love (Revelation 2:4). Unless things changed in a hurry, Jesus wouldn’t even be present among them anymore.

iii. It may well be that in their zeal to fight against false doctrine – which they seemed to do well – they left their love for Jesus and their love for one another behind. It’s a great illustration of the principle that the devil doesn’t care which side of the boat we fall out of, just as long as we’re in the water and not in the boat.

Conclusion:

Acts IV. Life Application: Augustine’s Dream

This chapter ought to call us back to the basics, back to the priorities of Christian faith to which Paul gave his life. The twenty-fourth verse of