Take Heed

Introduction - My name is James Grandinetti. I am the new pastor of Liberty Baptist Church. I am excited to be here with you all this day. Last month was the first meeting I was able to attend and I enjoyed being able to here some passionate preaching and sing wonderful hymns. I want to thank you all for being very welcoming and gracious.

I also want to take a moment and commend you. I do not know you all, but I do know that you are standing for the Lord Jesus Christ at your respective local New Testament churches. I realize that not often is it that someone perhaps says thank you for your labour of love… thank you for your commitment to the Lord —- your demonstration of faithfulness and leadership… I am thankful and what a privilege it is to be here with you all.

Over the past several weeks after brother Ronnie asked me to consider delivering a message at this pastors fellowship, I have been praying and asking the Lord to direct me in His Word.

That prayer was answered… and the Lord has directed me to a passage in the book of Acts. Would you open your Bibles and look with me in the 20th chapter of Acts?

We will begin reading in just a few moments in this 20th chapter.

Paul as you know is enroute to Jerusalem. Along the way to Jerusalem on this last recorded occasion, numerous times the Holy Spirit of God testifies that bonds and afflictions await Him. (This is declared in verse 23 of this chapter.) (Also in Acts 21:11)

And yet Paul persists in His forward march of faith following after the Lord.

In fact, there is some unfinished business that the Lord had revealed concerning Paul back in Acts 9 after His conversion.

In verse 15 of Acts 9, the Lord in challenging Ananias to go to Paul and lay hands on Him speaks to Ananias and says these words, Acts 9:15–16 “15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

You would notice that the Lord states, that Paul would bear the Lord’s name before the Gentiles… He had done that….

He would bear the Lord’s name before the children of Israel… He had done that…— Paul’s policy and that of Scripture is to the “Jew first…” (Romans 1:16, 2:9-10)

But up until this point, I do not believe He had stood before kings.

And this of course would take place in Acts chapter 21-23 as He is bound and transported to Rome.

He stood before King Agrippa.

He stood before Festus.

He stood before Felix and then eventually in front of Caesar himself. (Philippians 1:13, 4:22; Acts 28:16-17)

I am reminded of Ephesians 2:10 which tells us “10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

The Lord has much for us to do—- does He not?

Let’s begin reading this record in verse 17 down through 32.

Acts 20:17–32 “17 And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. 18 And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, 19 Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: 20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, 21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. 22 And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: 23 Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. 24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. 25 And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. 26 Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. 27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. 28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. 32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.”

Would you pay particular attention to verse 28—- this precious council for those who God has set apart for shepherding work.

Let’s Pray.

There are of course some very strong phrases meant to wake us up and get our attention in the Word of God.

I think about the phrase, “I beseech you…” often found in the penned epistles of Paul….(Romans 12:1, 15:30, 16:17, 1 Corinthians 1:10, 4:16, 16:15; 2 Corinthians 2:8, 5:20, 6:1, 10:1-2, Galatians 4:12; Ephesians 4:1; Philippians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:1, 10, 5:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:1; Philemon 1:9-10; Hebrews 13:19, 22, 1 Peter 2:11; 2 John 1:5)

We are familiar with the passage in Romans 12:1–2 “1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

I think about the phrase “Verily verily…” spoken on a number of occasions by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ….

And I am reminded of how the Lord spoke to Nicodemus in that compelling in John 3 and said to that religious man —- and said John 3:3 “3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

But here is one such phrase… one I believe we ought to pay careful attention to.

As we stated earlier Paul is on his way down to Jerusalem. We do not know exactly how much Paul knew about the circumstances that were to take place…. But we read in verse 24, a wonderful declaration by Paul when he states… I know afflictions await, I know bonds await, “24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”

Friend, I am looking before me this day and I see men who have stood for truth… and I pray it is that we too would always state, “None of these things move me…”

I believe you and I are not too far off in this country from bonds and affliction.

And when and if that day comes save the return of the Lord, I pray every man of God who stands in gap would declare the same.. none of these things move me.

On the way however, Paul wisely strengthens those whom He had invested, and in this case He is speaking to the Ephesians elders.

And pulls them in and says —- notice it with me in verse 28…

Take Heed… you know if I could a title to this, it would be directly from the Word of God… There areas that Paul emphasizes that I believe would be wonderful reminders for us this morning.

I believe it is the duty of every preacher to Take heed to these two things:

I. Take Heed To Yourselves

Acts 20:28 “28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”

As we see these wise words penned by Paul…yea given to us by the Holy Spirit… we ought not to think that this is some self-centered command.

The spiritual work God has called us to requires spiritual power… That power comes from God.

I am reminded how the Lord commanded the apostles to “...tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” Luke 24:49

And so they tarried in prayer according to Acts 1:14, until we find the promise of the Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ given in Acts 2:1-3.

Spiritual power requires you and I to be dependent upon the Lord Jesus Christ… for even Paul discovered after He sought the Lord thrice, that God’s grace my friend His grace is sufficient… for in weakness… we come to the end of ourselves.. and in our utter dependence upon the Lord He is revealed as our strength.

To what then, is Paul speaking of….Take Heed to yourselves?

What word of encouragement or exhortation is this… coming from the broken man Paul?

He says all ministers… you must take heed to yourselves.

Last time we met — the brother declared of the right understanding of the Lord’s utterance in teaching His disciples to pray was to give ‘US’ our daily bread…

Only the Lord can provide fresh sustaining provision not just for ourselves, but to those to whom the Lord has entrusted to us!

And this is the secret?

We must ascend the mountain and be with God… if we are to be able to do anything…. to care for the flock of the Lord.

Friends, there are those who study for a message from the Lord… but have not spent secret time themselves with the Lord….

And what takes place?

The minister of God’s Word runs dry; empty of spiritual nourishment.

This divine order is declared in the Word of God.

Look with me for a moment in Luke 6:12…to see this principle given…the Word of God tells us, “12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”

All night the Lord continued in prayer up in mountain.. And does this not speak of the necessity even more so for you and I to spend time with our Savior?

But on that particular occasion in the 3rd chapter of Mark…. the parallel account …. we find some added detail. Let us turn and look at what the Bible says.

The Lord of glory calls unto Him those 12 “…whom He would…” to separate unto the gospel ministry as the apostles —- the sent ones.

And I ask the question….? What was their purpose?

We might say— they would be the ones who would continue the work after the Lord ascended to heaven and to that we would be partially true…This is found in Acts 1:1-2.

They did continue the work…. but it is the continuing work of Christ by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit….

But I believe there is an order given here… in Mark 3:14

The Bible says… listen carefully, “And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,”

He set them apart…. first … that they might be with him..

What a tremendous thing to know, and to be reminded of this morning —-that the Lord desires for you and for me to be with Him!

This is the exhortation of Paul. Paul tells these Ephesians elders… your up against some perilous times…you are going to be involved in some spiritual warfare…

But friends takes heed of this first thing… take heed to yourselves…..Then secondly, He gives this precious reminder:

II. Take Heed To The Flock

Acts 20:28 “28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”

A. “to all the flock” The Scope

I understand this and am learning it more and more, that some require more attention than others. Amen

I understand that some of the flock is mature and many are not… I understand that there is some whom we must chase down…

But the Lord says— take heed to all the flock…

There is a temptation— What is the temptation…. to not take heed to all the flock….. The temptation is to avoid the difficult ones, to keep up only with the easy cases.

There is a temptation to stay with the ninety and nine and not to go after the one.

But— we have a command from the top—through the instrument Paul… gentlemen take heed to all the flock.

There is a little flock— that God has entrusted to you.

There is the scope, but then we see:

B. “the Holy Ghost” The Sovereign

God Himself, has chosen you for this critical task.

What a high and holy privilege!

One dear friend of mine—- having been in the ministry a-lot longer than I have been—- said brother James… I want you to remember this… do not quit…. And then he said, you will discover what I am saying later…

Friend… you and I must be stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord…

We have the scope, the sovereign but then the:

C. “made you overseers” The Stewardship

God is going to call us to an account of this stewardship… There is no doubt about it.

Hebrews 13:17 “17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”

I am reminded often of this, that Paul described so much in the way of difficulty which He faced…

He was beaten, he was shipwrecked… He was whipped…. He was rejected… imprisoned… He was stoned… and yet… He lists all of those trials and temptations and then He states in 2 Corinthians 11:28 “28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.”

There is a stewardship involved in the care of the local church. See, the Holy Ghost has made you overseers. (A steward… one who temporarily holds responsiblity…) The Bible say in Titus 1:7 “7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; …;”

People believe that pastors are in the local church by popular vote. And it is true… that the church family extends a call to a pastor by a vote of the people… but Make no mistake, God determines who his overseers are…

No vote of man makes the man of God…

Only the Holy Spirit of God can “equip a man for the work [God has called Him to] and endow Him… with:

Character

Compassion

[the] Compulsion to take on the arduous task

This is the stewardship that God has entrusted to you. He hath made you overseers…

Then we see fourthly—- the service….

D. “to feed the church of God” - The Service

The only spiritual food fit for men who are members of God’s church is the Word of God.

We are to be students of the Scriptures. We are to deliver the precious manna from heaven…

We are not commanded to entertain people with the world’s devices, but rather we are to feed people with the WORD.

This is The Service to which we are called.

The very word used embraces more than just preaching and teaching the Word— it is an continuing active verb for shepherding.

A Undershepherd is to tend to the flock, to govern, to lead them to still waters and green pastures… A shepherd is to guide and is to guard….. He is to go before them… to fend for them… to fight for them…

Lastly we would do well to be reminded and recognize the seriousness of this matter… For:

E. “he hath purchased with His own blood” - The Seriousness

How serious is the nature of the duty in which we are engaged?

Purchased at such a price tells us that the Lord’s people are of infinite worth!

The infinite price of the flock.

How could one begin to even understand how precious is the blood that flowed — which made us white as snow….?

The seriousness is seen not only because of the infinite value so names, but secondly because of the

2. The imminent penetration of the false teachers.

I am reminded of how Dr. Paul Chappell recounted one of His favorite memories of Dr. Bobby Robertson who had invited him to preach at Gospel Light Baptist Church. Dr Chappell states, “I was outwardly admiring the facilities and inwardly being impacted by the fact that he, nearly in his eighties, had continued dreaming and building all these years.

We walked by a bulletin board that had a poster tacked up for a musical group that would be holding a concert nearby. The group didn’t sing the type of music Dr. Bobby would have thought appropriate for church or encouraging of Christian sanctification. He stopped to read the poster, ripped it off with a flourish, and said to me, “Brother Paul, you can’t ever stop watching and guarding the church.””

Friends, can I say that false teachers abound—- who privly wait to bring in damnable heresies…. and false teaching—- men who corrupt the Word of God…. and know not what they teach!

There is a seriousness involved because of the infinite price of the flock and the alwats imminent penetration of false teachers…

That little flock to whom the Lord has allowed us to watch over was purchased with the blood of Christ.

Two things gentlemen, the only message I could deliver to you today by the constraining of the Lord upon me…

Take heed to yourselves… Walk with the Savior… Spend time with Him —-be with Him… He desires to be with you…

Take heed to all the flock of God over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers…