Final Act: Act 1

Intro: Take a moment and reflect back on your life…10 years…20…30....what would you have told yourself? No imagine 5, 10, 30 years from now…imagine standing before Jesus in glory talking to yourself now…what do you think will matter at that moment?

TR: Paul’s ministry was great not because of unique power but because of unique focus on the goal…this resulted first in conformity to Jesus

Conformity to Jesus

Paul called the Elders of Ephesus to himself

He had spent 3 years with them previously and they were dear to him

Paul speaks to his testimony before them

Conduct

What amazing boldness to say to a group of people, “look at the work of Christ through me and that’ll speak for itself”

What is interesting is if you looked at how Paul lived you may have thought about him differently. I mean look at his track record.

He was a former murderer, turned national traitor, rioter, possessing a criminal record, and typically was viewed as an antagonist whereever he went.

There was literally just a riot that was formed around him by tradesman.

Yet here he is pointing to his lifestyle.

But there was a key phrase that I believe he used “from the first day”....there’s a slang term called “Day 1s”.

This is a term to refer to people in your life that were there from Day 1, holding it down for you.

Here Paul is saying from Day 1 with you all I was holding it down for Jesus. My conduct was consistent what was consistent about it?

Character

Paul considered himself a slave from day 1....wait that’s not what we expected.

“serving the Lord with humility”....two terms “slave” and “humility” that were abhorrent to the Romans.

He was a person of service. He didn’t pursue his own but his ambition was set upon the Lord.

I get amazed at how ambitious we are for everything but the Lord.

Stop for a moment and evaluate your calendars and your finances. What is your discretionary time and money spent on?

I remember doing transportation and I’d go to be at 10 and wake up at 2 a.m. to pick someone up from dialysis and then do a 16 hr day just to do it all over again. Then I got my nerve saying that when my alarm clock goes off for devotion in the morning “Jesus knows my heart”

What if your life was the sum total of your prayer and reading time? What would that amount to?

Paul was not the type to draw it in when tribulations came.

Literally the term “shrink back” is like a sailor pulling down the sails when the storm comes.

Trails are things which break your comfort, joy, and peace. Trials can be some of the most selfish times for us!

If you’re going to walk this walk you have to have courage because storms will arise.

Communication

Not only was Paul consistent in his ambition and humility he was consistent in his communication.

Paul didn’t pull punches if he thought it was profitable for you whether it be publicly or house to house.

Now before you take that to go and start speaking your mind to everyone here’s what it means to speak “profitably”

To speak with a mind toward the ultimate good (not the momentary good) How to bring someone together.

I remember when my mom passed I stated I didn’t know how to grieve and Laura Hoffman, who was still grieving her own loss reached out to me, and encouraged me to listen to my own sermons b/c the Lord used them to comfort her.

See the point that Paul was making wasn’t that he was so magnificent but rather that he followed the model of Jesus.

Paul here is courageously declaring to Jews and Greeks the need to change their mind about God and His Kingdom...

As you conform to the image of Jesus you will be more focused on the Kingdom and engaging things with a kingdom in view...

TR: However, when you are conformed to Jesus you will be constrained by the Spirit...

Constrained by the Spirit

“Behold” or pay attention, I’m going to Jerusalem and Paul’s permanent state was that of being compelled to go.

Yet here’s the problem I see, Paul just spoke of how he faced trails before and now he’s saying that the Spirit is compelling him to face more in Jerusalem...

What kind of faith is this?

I am afraid that all the grace that I have got out of my comfortable and easy times and happy hours might almost fit on a penny. But the good that I have received from my sorrows, and pains, and griefs, is altogether incalculable. What do I not owe to the crucible and the furnace, the bellows that have blown up the coals, and the hand which has thrust me into the heat?...Our troubles have always brought us blessings, and they always will. They are the dark chariots of bright grace....The tears of affliction are often needed to keep the eye of faith bright. - Quote from Spurgeon

Family, as we move forward you are going to be challenged…some of us think we’re ready yet we don’t know what awaits us.

That is the life of the believer....constrained by the Spirit continually. He just won’t leave you alone.

He won’t let you settle! Are you resting now? Or are you being compelled?

He loves you too much. He is the ultimate Day 1. Matter of fact with you being born again He’s the reason for your Day 1.

It’s been almost one year since my Mom died. My wife asked me the other day do I feel like I have people in my life that wouldn’t leave me since she passed. I had to think and say, “no not like my momma”. Yet when I think of it, in the moments between my momma’s watchful care…the Spirit of God was always there.

Although not indwelling me, no doubt He was loving me, directing my life in ways I could never have imagined. And then with great joy, at the right time, He caused me to be born again.

So while I don’t know what awaits me in the future what I do know is who I’m facing it with and that is my Day 1, the Holy Spirit.

Think about what your final act is going to be like…when you face that trail or when there’s a moment of truth in your life…do you have the confidence of Paul?

TR: Comformity to Jesus is being compelled by the Spirit of God and seen through our commitment to our Father...

Commitment to the Father

This passage asks you to do many things…be consistent, be a slave to Jesus, have humility, face trials with courage, and speak truth to those who don’t wish to hear it. Why?

Why do those things? Obedience? That’ll get you a little ways…ever try motivating a kid to clean his room with a hearty lecture on the nobility of obedience??

We do these things out of a heart for what we find valuable

Think of the things you’ve done and the things you currently do to afford things of value...

The most valuable thing to Paul was finishing the goal that was set before him which was to testify of the grace of God.

Paul made it clear that although he had faced afflictions he will do so again because the most valuable thing to him is finishing.

Imagine having the view of what you have been given as been so amazing that you’ll endure death for it...

See “value” will make you do some crazy stuff. It’ll carry you through some dark storms and lonely nights.

“value” of a family back home has gotten many men through war, made mothers give up their bodies for their children, and friends give their last dime to each other.

And many of us would DO IT AGAIN!!!

And yet…how much more valuable is the grace of God poured out on your life???

Some of us need to push all of our chips to the middle and realize the value in who possesses us.

The only thing of value isn’t our lives but instead that we finish the race with a character and conduct that testifies to the Gospel and the grace of God.

And that we finish by testifying about that grace to others!!!

I recently went hiking with Andrew and my oldest son Malachi. It was great but it was tough. We parked at one end of the trail and shuttled to the beginning so there was only one way to finish…by pressing forward!

At the end of the first day, Malachi’s ankles were bothering him and we had only done a small portion of the trip.

Yet I was driven to finish early so that I could rest a day.

So I decided to take some weight off of Malachi’s pack and put it on mine because they only way to finish was together.

And as we hiked not only did I have to carry more but the fastest we could go is at the slowest person’s pace.

Yet the value of finishing together and getting to rest with my family was so strong that the burden on my back was worth it!!

Paul is saying YES THE BURDEN WAS DIFFICULT…yet the yoke of Jesus is light…especially in comparison to what awaits me!!

Family commit yourself to this path!