Good morning. Glad to see you here this morning. This morning, we're going to be talking about ministry commitment, which on a morning like this is probably like preaching to the choir. You guys are here, you brave the elements to be here, so thank you. Glad you're here this morning. Open your Bibles with me, if you would, to Acts chapter 20. Acts chapter 20. Been talking these last few weeks in Acts about ministry commitment. Last week, we saw together four marks of a committed minister of Jesus Christ from the life of the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul. We saw in That text last week that Paul's ministry was marked. By manifest consistency, it was clear for all to see that Paul was a man who lived a consistent Christian life, he was a man who lived a consistent ministry life. That he wasn't some person who lacked integrity or that there was a disconnect between what he taught and how he lived. He was a man whose life was marked by humble service also. He understood that he was a servant of Jesus Christ, the bond slave of Jesus Christ, and therefore he didn't expect honors or great fanfare or demand certain things from people in terms of how they viewed him, but rather was simply a humble servant. It's also a ministry of bold edification, of teaching the word and of living the word, being an example of Christ before others and also a ministry of uncompromising evangelism. This morning, we're going to pick it up where we left off last week. Acts chapter 20, verse 17, read down through verse 27. We will focus this morning, however, on verses 22 through 27 of Acts chapter 20. So let me read for us from Acts chapter 20 and verse 17 down through the end of verse 27. Remind you a little bit of the context of this. Paul is in a place called Miletus. He is headed back to Jerusalem. He's gone around to all the churches that he helped found and he's gone and he's taken a contribution, a collection of money to help the saints in Jerusalem. We're going through a difficult financial crisis. Difficult famine going on there. So he's headed back to Jerusalem. He wants to get there as quickly as possible. He stops in Miletus instead of going over to Ephesus and paying a personal visit there, which he knows will become an extended stay for him. He asked the elders of the church at Ephesus to come over just 30 miles away to come over to him, where he could have one last time with them of instruction and encouragement and exhortation to these Ephesian elders. And so that's where we that's where we are in chapter 20 and verse 17. From Miletus, he that is Paul sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church, and when they had come to him, he said to them, you yourselves know from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews. How I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, bound in spirit. I'm on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. And this is the word of God. Lord, we thank you this morning for your word again. Thank you for your providence, allowing us to make it in safely to church. We pray for your continued safety for those who are headed home now from first service and Sunday school. Lord, we pray for those who are maybe still trying to make it in or running a little bit late that you'd protect them and protect us all as we leave and head for home later on this morning. We thank you that we are still able to meet, that it is good indeed to be together with brothers and sisters in the Lord and declare the great name of Jesus Christ. We've done so in song and we pray we would do now through the word. Lord, we ask that you'd be our teacher, that your spirit would guide us and open our eyes to see wonderful things from your word. Lord, that we would be open to the challenges you have for us this morning and that we'd be obedient. We would be your bond slaves this morning. We would receive what you have for us and obey. We thank you now and pray these things in Jesus name. Amen. Well, again, continuing on with this theme of ministry commitment this morning, we're going to see together three elements of ministry commitment, three essential elements to being a committed minister of Jesus Christ. Now, again, remember, we're not using that term technically the term minister. We're not using it of those who are pastors or missionaries. We're using it of all Christians. If you're a Christian, you're a minister of Jesus Christ. You're a servant of Jesus Christ. That is what you're called to. That's what I am called to. So we share we we stand on Common ground when it comes to that, and that's the way I'm using that term minister, and that's the way I'm thinking of ministry commitment. So as I go along today, don't think, well, yeah, that's for pastors, that's for missionaries or that's for seminary professors or something like that. Don't think of it that way. Say this is for me. This is what God has for me today and what he wants from me today. So the first element I want us to see about ministry commitment is the fact that true ministry commitment continues despite the dangers, true ministry commitment continues despite the dangers. Versus 22 and verse 23. Paul, in the first part of his message to the Ephesian elders, was focusing upon the past. Here, as he transitioned, this is the same speech that he's giving them as he transitions into this next section. He's going to talk about the present and the future. He's told him and called asked him to call to mind his ministry among them, how remember how it was with you from day one. This is the way I conducted myself among you. This is how I ministered. There were those who were accusing him and bringing up all kinds of things against Paul and trying to to bring harm to his ministry. And Paul says, look, you remember how I was. This is the way I live my life. Just remember how I was with you the whole time. Now he transitions into the present and the future. Notice what he says. Verse twenty through twenty two. And now behold, bound in spirit. I'm on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. He says, look, You remember how I was with you, but listen, right now. I'm telling you, the spirit is telling me that bonds and afflictions await me in the future when I head to Jerusalem. Paul had confidence, Paul had absolute confidence that the spirit of God was leading him to Jerusalem. He had no question that that was God's will for his life. And because the spirit was so clearly leading him, Paul was bound to obey. And so he was committed in his spirit to follow the spirit of God. He was bound to obey, even though he didn't know for certain what was going to await him. You know, that's true for all of us. None of us knows for certain what tomorrow holds. We don't know what this afternoon holds, what our drive home holds. We have no idea. We can't see the future like God can. Paul didn't know what was going to await him, but nevertheless, he was bound and determined to obey God no matter what the future might hold. Those of us who know Christ and know the word of God know that there are certain things we can bank on for the future. We know indeed that Christ has promised he'll one day return. He's promised that those who know him will reign with him, that we will be with him in glory and eternity. But beyond that, we just don't know what tomorrow brings. And therefore, there's a level of a walk of faith that we have to walk. And Paul was willing to walk that. And he says, I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm trusting Christ and I'm going to be obedient to him no matter what. Now, he didn't know specifics about what would happen to him, but he did know this, he did know that bonds and afflictions waited for him. How did he know this? He knew this because the Holy Spirit had told him. That's what he says. I don't know what's going to happen to me there, verse 23, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. He knew enough that he knew the future wasn't bright. It was really kind of a bleak Prospect, knowing that whatever was going to happen, it was going to involve personal harm to himself, was going to involve him being locked up and chained up. We know the reality that Paul knew this. By nature of his attitude, At the close of the book of Romans, he writes Romans to the letter to the Romans about this same time. If you look with me in Romans chapter 15, just go back a book. Or wait a minute, forward a book, get my get my order going here. If you go forward a book, go to Romans 15 and verse 30. Romans 15 and verse 30, he's closing his letter to the Romans and he says to them, This Romans 15, verse 30, I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the spirit to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me. He says, look, brothers and sisters, pray for me, pray for me. I need you to be praying for me. Why? He says that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea. Where's Judea? It's in Israel. That's exactly where Paul's headed. He asked the Roman believers to be praying for him that he might be rescued from those who are seeking his life, from those who are seeking his destruction. And he goes on and says that my service in Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints so that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company. Now, the God of peace be with you all. I mean, this is very much at the same time. Paul's heart is heavy with this thought of heading to Jerusalem, and yet he can do nothing else because this is what God's will is for him. And so we see that ministry commitment, true ministry commitment continues despite the dangers, despite whatever personal harm might come. To Paul, he was willing to continue on. In Chapter 21 of Acts, now back to Acts, we learn more about the details of these bonds and afflictions that would await Paul and he would learn more about them in the next chapter. We look at Chapter 21 and verse 10. Luke says that he's chronicling these travels and stuff. He says, as we were staying there, that is at Caesarea for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea and coming to us. He took Paul's belt and bound his own feet in hands and said, this is what the Holy Spirit says. In this way, the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. Now, you or I probably tempted to say, oh, Abort the mission. You know, scrub this one. Someone else can go to Jerusalem. Paul, you're too visible. You know, they've got wanted posters all over Jerusalem. They're looking for you. They want your head on a platter. You better bow out of this one. Send a messenger. Send someone else to do it. After all, this is a message from the Holy Spirit. This is what's awaiting you. But what does Paul do? Acts 21, verse 12. When we heard this, this is Luke again talking about his ministry companions. When we heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go to Jerusalem. Don't do it, Paul. Then Paul answered and said, what are you doing? Weeping and breaking my heart for I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking the will of the Lord be done. What a testimony of commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. This this man is willing to walk in the eye of the storm. He's willing to run into the burning building when everyone else is running out. This is a man who's committed to the Lord Jesus Christ and to his gospel. You see, Paul's ministry commitment didn't end as soon as the cost became too great. He was committed, even if it meant putting himself into a position of personal danger, of even life threatening danger. You see, like Jesus, the good shepherd, Paul was a faithful under shepherd. And he was not just a hireling. Jesus called himself the good shepherd, and he described himself. This way, in John, chapter 10 and verse 11, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd who is not the owner of the sheep, he sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he's a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. Paul was concerned about the sheep. He loved the sheep. And because of this, he was willing to face the dangers necessary to help the sheep. And if the chief shepherd had called him as an under shepherd to go in and face the wolves, he was willing to do it. That's a man with ministry, true ministry commitment. Now, I don't know about you, but, you know, God's probably not going to call me. to die for the gospel, he might. There are places on this globe where that's required. And where that happens and it happens on a daily basis. But probably you and I are not going to be called to that experience. I don't know what God's going to call you to, but I can tell you this, that God will shake you out of your comfort zone. He may be asking you to to be thinking about switching careers. He may be asking you to leave it all behind. and to pursue ministry full time, maybe as a missionary, maybe as a pastor. Maybe you're going to need to go and get training that's going to involve financial hardships. It's going to involve you pulling your kids out of the school. Your wife is going to have to be. Considering a new life somewhere else. But if we are committed to Jesus Christ, committed to serving him, We'll be willing to leave all behind and follow him. That's what we see in the life of Paul. True ministry commitment. That brings us to our next one. Not only is true ministry commitment. Continuing on in the face of danger and personal expense and. So forth, but true ministry commitment is fueled by sacrifice, self-sacrifice, true ministry commitment is fueled by self-sacrifice. You say, well, how could Paul do this? How could he run into the burning building? How could he, you know, run into the eye of the storm? How could he do that? What makes a man able to do that? How could he knowingly face danger and continue on toward it? How? Because Paul didn't consider his own life dear. Look what he says. Verse 24. I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. What does that mean that Paul didn't hold his life dear? Well, it doesn't mean that Paul had self-esteem problems. It doesn't mean that he was suicidal. It doesn't mean that Paul had a one disregard for the sanctity of human life. What it does mean is it means that Paul had died to self. That he had taken up the cross and was following Christ. See, it's an issue of values. Paul devalued his own life. And he prized more than anything, fulfilling the mission Christ had given him to accomplish. And if in the process of fulfilling that mission, that meant he was called upon to die. Then that was far greater. Then still having his life and failing to complete the mission Christ had given him. It's a value issue. It's what was valuable to Paul. Paul had placed his life upon God's altar and it sacrificed his desires, his wants, his will, indeed, if necessary, his own life for the sake of following Christ. And in doing so, once again, we see that the apostle Paul was following Christ's example. In Philippians 2, we read of this example of Jesus Christ. Paul says, have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped. He didn't have to hold on to and carefully guard and secure his position in heaven. He didn't regard that as something that he had to diligently protect. He gave it up freely. Paul goes on, but he emptied himself, taking the form of a bond servant and being made in the likeness of men, being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Do you see the parallels here between the attitude of Jesus Christ and the attitude of the apostle Paul? How they were willing to give up in order to gain. A more modern example of this, I believe this attitude of self-sacrifice, dying to self, laying aside. Your own ideas of your rights and. What you deserve. Dying to self and following Christ, the more modern example of that is, I believe, found in the person of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was a pastor in Nazi Germany during the rise of Adolf Hitler. Bonhoeffer recognized that Adolf Hitler and the Nazi movement from the beginning were a great threat and a great evil. And early on, when most Protestants in Germany were Hitler supporters, Bonhoeffer was warning and urging people not to Jump on the bandwagon. And as a result, he found himself to be very unpopular, even with other Christians and other pastors. As restrictions and then persecutions against European Jews grew, Bonhoeffer cried against it and warned the church and the German people of the emerging evil, but no one listened. Finding himself in danger, Bonhoeffer fled Germany for America. All the while feeling that his place was back in Germany, assisting Christians and shepherding through that horrendous nightmare that was going on in Germany at the time. So finally, in the early 1940s, he returned to the fatherland, turned back to Germany. Only to be arrested, taken to the extermination camp at Flossenburg. where he was stripped and hanged at the age of thirty nine. That's ministry commitment. That's taking up your cross and following Jesus Christ. That's walking back into the face of danger. Why did Paul count his life as of no value? He did it so that he might finish his course. He might finish the ministry that he had received from the Lord Jesus. He knew that if he didn't die to self, then at some point he was going to get off course, as all of us will if we don't die to self. We will get off course. We'll try to avoid some difficult areas. We'll try to take some shortcuts. And so the apostle Paul, knowing this and to avoid getting off course, considered his life as of no value to himself. What was of more value to him was completing the mission he'd been given. And what was that mission? It was really simple to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. To be a minister of the gospel, to be a faithful follower of Christ. This was his task. This is our task. This was his calling. This is our calling. This was his commitment. It ought to be our commitment. The commitment for him, for which he was willing to face danger and a commitment that was fueled. By self-sacrifice. It's been said that in a ham and egg breakfast, the chicken is involved, but the pig is committed. Right. Ask yourself this morning, what what part do I bring to this ministry that Christ has called me to? Am I a contributor? Or am I committed? Am I willing to forsake all and follow Christ? True ministry commitment continues despite danger, true ministry commitment is fueled by self-sacrifice. Finally, this morning, true ministry commitment results in a clear conscience. True ministry commitment results in a clear conscience. Paul says, behold, verse 25, I know that all of you among whom I went about preaching the kingdom will no longer see my face. Therefore, I testify to you this day that I'm innocent of the blood of all men, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. Paul had no expectation of seeing these brothers again. He had a long history with them, a long history of ministry, of preaching the kingdom with them and among them. But now the time has come for him to say farewell. And it's a poignant moment. Last moment for a leader to meet with his leadership team there in Ephesus. And in light of this solemn occasion, Paul reflects upon his ministry among them, and he can confidently say, I am innocent of the blood of all men. What does that mean? Well, it's an expression we hear it once in a while. It's an expression used to speak of the guilt of a person in the death of another. So, for instance, if someone goes out and murders someone. The blood of the person they murdered is on their hands, perhaps literally so since they murdered them. But it's used even more figuratively than that. If you were to go out and do something completely reckless or Something that would endanger someone else's life and someone actually died as a result of that, someone could say of you, their blood is on your hands. You share a level of guilt in what's become of them. So what Paul is saying here, he's using this in a spiritual sense. He's saying, look, if someone has been around, my ministry has fairly failed to truly respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ, then that is their own fault. You can't lay the blame at the feet of the messenger. You can't say the message was faulty. Paul had discharged his ministry properly. If they had failed to repent and believe, then the responsibility for that failure lies at their own feet. It's similar to what Paul had said at Corinth. There in Corinth, back in chapter 18, Acts chapter 18 and verse 5, says this, When Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, Your blood be on your own heads. I am clean. From now on, I'll go on to the Gentiles. See, the apostle Paul had a clear conscience that he had discharged his duty. Faithfully, that he'd been faithful to the task that the shepherd had called him to. That he had preached the message. Faithfully. In keeping with this idea, Paul further states that he did not shrink from declaring to them the whole purpose of God, the whole counsel of God, the whole will of God. Paul had preached it all. He didn't just preach what was popular. He didn't just preach what would be desirable. He preached it all. Our task is to be faithful, to believe all that the Bible teaches and to teach all that the Bible teaches. That's my task, but it's yours as well. To believe it all in the context of your own family, to teach it all in the context of your own family. Paul could confidently say that he had fulfilled the task Christ had given to him. He echoes this, the end of his life. He writes to Timothy in Ephesus. He says to Timothy, he says, I am already being poured out as a drink offering and the time of my departure has come. What's he saying? I'm just about ready to die. The end is near. I'm at the end of my life, I know that. And what can he say at the end? He says this. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith. What a blessing to come to the end of your life and to be able to say in clear conscience, in retrospect, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith. There's tremendous freedom in being faithful to what God has called you to do. There's a peace that comes from having your conscience clear that you're not bucking against Christ, you're not being a disobedient believer, but you're in full obedience to what he's called you to do. Peace in that Paul felt it, Paul knew it and experienced it. You know, God hasn't called us to go out and save people, that's his job. He simply called us to be faithful messengers, faithful witnesses to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We're called the plant and water. It's God who causes the growth. We're to be faithful to share the gospel and leave the results up to God, and that's a very freeing thing. We only do our part, we let God do his. That's what Paul had done in Ephesus. frees us to focus on being faithful. True ministry commitment results in a clear conscience. How's your conscience today? Are you listening to it? Have you been obedient to all that Christ has called you to do? Are you following his lead? Is Christ maybe calling you to do something that's maybe dangerous? Maybe costly? Maybe going to have a significant impact on you or your family? We'll take it to the next step. In order to be willing to follow Christ, even in the face of danger, you've got to put your life on the altar and sacrifice it. You've got to take up your cross and follow Jesus Christ. And be willing to smash all those idols, idols of comfort, idols of pleasure. Idols of the ideal life that you thought you'd always live. So you know what, Lord? I count all of that as of no value to me. I want to fulfill the mission you've given me. So I'm dying to myself. And I want to follow you. The blessing of that is the end of the day. You pillow your head. You can have the peace of a clear conscience that says, I'm doing exactly what the Lord Jesus Christ wants me to do. I'm following him. And ultimately, at the end of your life, you can say, along with the Apostle Paul, I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. And we can long and eagerly anticipate the words of our Lord. Well done, good and faithful servant. Want to share as I close this one last. Challenge to us all. Talking about the life of ministry commitment, consider also the effects of a life that's that fails to live to that level of ministry commitment. I've shared this one other time, I think it bears repeating. It's reported that while attending a university in London, Mahatma Gandhi. became almost convinced that the Christian religion was the one true supernatural religion in the world. Upon graduation and still seeking evidence that would make him a committed Christian, young Gandhi accepted employment in East Africa and for seven months lived in the home of a family who were members of an evangelical Christian church. As soon as he discovered that fact, he decided that here would be the place to find the evidence he was seeking. But as the months passed and he saw the casualness of their attitude toward the cause of God. As he heard them complain when they were called upon to make sacrifice for the kingdom of God, and as he sensed their general religious apathy, Gandhi's interest turned to disappointment. He said in his heart, no, it is not the one true supernatural religion I'd hope to find. It is a good religion, but just one more of the many religions in the world. That's the legacy of a life that lacks ministry commitment. I'm sure you'd agree that's not the legacy you want to leave behind. May the Lord give us the grace to be truly committed ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Lord, help us to do this, we pray. Lord, may we be willing to face danger. May we be willing to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of the gospel. Lord, make us obedient to whatever you want us to do. And we would truly be your bond slaves. That we might enjoy the peace. And the freedom of conscience that comes from being fully obedient to you. When we look on back on our lives and say. I finished my course. I completed the mission. I've kept the faith. Lord, make it so among us. We ask these things now in the name of Jesus. Amen.