Sermon Tone Analysis

“Farewell”

Acts 20:17-38

I know that today is a difficult day for most everybody here.

Saying goodbye is never easy when you have developed such a love and concern for the people to whom you are saying good bye.

The great prophet, Winnie the Pooh once said, “How Lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

While I mostly agree with Sir Winnie, I differ in my language of the moment.

Goodbye is such a final statement.

Goodbye indicates that we will never see each other again.

Goodbye, by definition, often leaves feelings of abandonment.

Farewell on the other hand leaves it open.

It leaves both parties with an anticipation that there will be a reuniting where both parties can share how their lives have been going.

Farewell is a communication given when a person departs from others.

It is often a wish for good health and wellbeing in the absence of the person.[1]

This afternoon when you leave, when that big UHaul pulls away from Greenfield, no one is saying GOODBYE.

We may never see each other again this side of Heaven, but we are guaranteed eternity in the presence of the King if we choose to call on His name, and if we make Him the Lord of our lives.

The Bible deals with farewells at great length.

So great in fact that right at half of the book of John takes place in the last week of Jesus’ life.

Most of that is Jesus preparing the disciples for His farewell.

This morning I am not going to use Jesus as the example for farewells.

I would have to read the last half of the book of John which would leave me no time to preach and us no time to eat.

Fortunately, there is another example of farewells in the Bible.

Paul says farewell often throughout the New Testament, which makes sense considering he travelled planting new churches, and everything he wrote was a letter which by default ends with a farewell.

One example, 2 Corinthians 13:14

Short, simple, To the Point.

But in Acts 20: 17-38 Paul gives a more lengthy explanation or discourse as he is saying goodbye.

In fact, in Paul’s farewell to the Ephesians, I believe Glad Tidings learn some things and can find some things to apply in the coming weeks and months.

Paul starts by getting the leadership team together.

He’s not even in Ephesus at the time, so he is giving his final farewell advice to the elders at a meeting in Miletus.

Remember that Ephesus wasn’t really a great place to be a Christian.

In the book of Ephesians we read some of the more militant language relating to the church.

In Ephesians 6 Paul talks about putting on the Whole Armor of God.

He talks about spiritual warfare.

But if we read the rest of the story, we see in Acts 19 that there were also great spiritual victories.

Acts 19 is the last episode of a group of people receiving Spirit Baptism in the book of Acts.

Of course, we know that it has continued throughout the New Testament age, and will continue until Jesus returns for His Bride.

The only reason I mention that is to point out that with great opposition comes great blessings…and you don’t necessarily have to have great faith.

You have to have a little bit, but Jesus said Matthew 17:20

ANYWAY…

Paul is on his way back to Jerusalem.

He summons the Ephesian elders to a meeting to encourage them and tell them farewell.

Look how Paul starts out…

I. Defense of His Ministry

a. Commitment

b.

Commitment means different things to different people.

The text book definition is: the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc.

With that definition we can assume that different people have different levels of dedication or commitment.

For example, take the young “man” that was writing a note to his girlfriend.

As he wrote he laid it on thicker and heavier as he went.

He wrote, “My Dear, I would climb the highest mountain, swim the widest stream, cross the burning desert, even die at the stake for you…”

You Truest Love,

John

“P.S.

I will see you on Saturday if it doesn’t rain.”

This wasn’t the kind of commitment we are talking about with Paul.

Paul’s commitment was the first part of the letter without the P.S.

Paul’s level of commitment involved, shipwrecks, snakebites, and stonings.

Paul’s level of commitment meant praising and worshipping in the midnight hour in spite of the heavy shackles, horrible stench, and wrongful imprisonment.

Paul’s commitment was kind of like the wasp Connor and I watched yesterday…

Paul’s commitment was never say die.

Paul’s commitment was, welp, I got stoned and left for dead in the last town, let’s see what happens here.

Paul’s level of commitment was first and foremost..

i. Commitment To God and God’s People Acts 20:18-19

1. Acts 20:31

2. Typical of Paul’s ministry where ever he went. 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8

3.

He understood God’s commitment to people, so Paul echoed that same commitment to the people God had given him charge over.

a. “IN CHRIST” Ephesians 1:19-20

ii.

Commitment To Sharing The Word of God Acts 20:20-21

1. Sharing is dependent on KNOWING the Word.

a. Psalm 119:11

b.

Hebrews 4:12

Henrietta Cornelia Mears (October 23, 1890 – March 19, 1963) was a Christian educator, evangelist, and author who had a significant impact on evangelical Christianity in the 20th century and one of the founders of the National Sunday School Association.

Best known as the innovative and dynamic Director of Christian Education at First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, California and in charge of the college and young adult people in the mid-1900s, she built a dedicated, enthusiastic staff, trained and mentored her teachers and implemented a graded, age-appropriate curriculum from “cradle roll” to adults.

Henrietta lectured and wrote passionately about Sunday school's power to teach others the Bible.

Within two years, Sunday School attendance at Hollywood “Pres” was averaging more than 4,200 per week.

She served in leading the Sunday School program from 400 to 6500.

Henrietta Mears taught the college age program herself.

Henrietta Mears was one of the most influential Christian leaders of the 20th Century.

She founded "Gospel Light"., a publishing company for many of her training materials, Forest Home, a Christian conference center nestled in a wooded setting of California's coastal range, and "Gospel Literature Internationals (GLINT)"., and profoundly impacted the ministries of Bill Bright and Vonette Zachary Bright (Campus Crusade), Jim Rayburn (Young Life) and Billy Graham(Billy Graham Evangelistic Association) and Louis Evans, Jr. who was the organizing pastor of Bel Air Church (where Ronald Reagan and many other stars attended) and led the congregation of the National Presbyterian Church, Washington, D.C. with her emphasis on Scripture and a clear Gospel message for young people.

Mears is believed by many theologians to have most directly shaped Bill Bright’s Four Spiritual Laws, which defined modern evangelism in the 20th century.

I think we can all agree that that is a pretty impressive resume, BUT LISTEN TO HER TESTIMONY… “Henrietta Mears has testified that one of the major influences in her life was Dr. William Evans, the father of Louis Evans, Sr., honored pastor of Hollywood Presbyterian in Hollywood, California.

She stated that “Dr.

William Evans had the complete Bible memorized in the King James Version and the New Testament also in the American Standard Version.

The young people would delight in giving him passages from either version to quote from memory.”[2]

GREATNESS COMES FROM KNOWING GOD, CARING ABOUT HIS PEOPLE, AND KNOWING AND TEACHING HIS WORD.

iii.

Commitment Beyond His Concern for Himself Acts 20:22-25

1. Paul understood from the beginning it wasn’t going to be easy Acts 9:16

2. Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Roger Youderian, Pete Fleming, and Ed McCully.

Waodani People… “end of the spear”

iv.

Commitment that Produced a Sense of Well-Being and a Clear Conscience Acts 20:26-27

1. Paul had been accused of being a coward, a freeloader, an opportunist, among so many other things, BUT PAUL SAID I AM INNOCENT OF THE BLOOD OF ALL MEN…

2. I PREACHED THE WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD

3. 1 CORINTHIANS 2:1-5

II.

Encouragement to Fellow Soldiers

a. Be Vigilant in Ministry Acts 20:28-31