I've come in just in time for the scripture reading. And this is a little bit of a longer scripture reading, but we're still going to do our best to read it together. It's from Acts chapter 20, verse 17. Acts 20, verse 17. Acts is in the New Testament after the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and before Romans. It can be found on page 1,710. 1,710 in the Pew Bibles. Do you read the whole thing in unison? Why don't we read the text itself in unison? So we'll read verse 28 in unison. So I'll read through the first portion and then I'll invite you all to read together with me. So I'll just read the first part on my own. Acts 20 verse 17, we give our attention to the reading of God's Word. This is detailing the story of Paul as he is on his way to Jerusalem and he stops a little bit south of Ephesus to speak to some of the elders of that church. Verse 17 of Acts 20. From Miletus, he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. When they come to him, he said to them, you know from the first day that I came to Asia in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews. how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews and also to Greeks' repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem. not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me, nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I receive from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God." And here we'll pick up our reading together. So let's read this section from 28 to 32 out loud together. Therefore, take heed to yourselves and to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. Know this, that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves, men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore, watch and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified as far the reading of God's word. Thank you for joining in that. That will be our focus, verses 28 to 32. This whole section is a sermon, or sorry, not a sermon, an instruction, a teaching from the Apostle Paul to the elders in Ephesus. At our home church, we've gone through this in a number of sermons, and today we have the opportunity to cover the last two of those sermons and cover verses 28 to 32 now, and in our second service, cover verse 33 to the end of the chapter. So we're going to pick it up in verse 28, and this is an address to the elders. And elders are the leadership of the church. They are those that God has called to lead in His name, the people of God in a certain area. But as we think about the call that God gives to the elders of the church, we realize that there's application and importance for every one of us. It has often been said that what the elders are called to do in the church is really what every Christian, in a sense, is called to do in their lives. that we confess in the Bible and also in our Atterberg Catechism that we're all Christians. We bear the anointing of Christ, and God has anointed us to be prophets, priests, and kings. We're all called to lead in some sense. We're called to stand for Christ in a sense. We're called to care for those we may have responsibility over. Whether we have a responsibility to a husband, or to a wife, or to a parent, or to a child. Whether we're in a Bible study and we're called to encourage each other in the church. As we come alongside and the Bible reminds us to encourage one another, to bear each other's burdens. responsibility to care for and encourage others. And so as we read this passage, there'll be a special focus upon the elders as Paul is speaking, but really it applies and will have application for all of us as God's people. Now to begin, I want to share a bit of a story and it's about a picture. In our church, I'm not the first pastor to serve the church where I am currently serving. They had a pastor before me by the name of Pastor Martin Vogel, and he served the church for 17 years. I think Pastor Prasad has been here perhaps longer than that, hasn't he? Yeah, so that's pretty impressive. But when Pastor Vogel left the church, he gave a picture to the church out of thanksgiving and out of love. But the picture was a little bit odd. It's still hanging up on the wall of our church. And the picture, you know, if you think of a Christian picture, if you go into a Christian bookstore and look for pictures, you may see a picture of an eagle, right, soaring over the mountains. Or you may see a picture of a cross or something of that nature. But this picture It's a picture of a man fast asleep. He's on top of a wall, and he's a watchman because on his chest is a trumpet or a bugle. And his hand is kind of flopped over the trumpet or the bugle, and he's kind of crunched up into the corner of the wall, and he's dead asleep. But on the other side of the wall, there's an army coming to invade the city he is supposed to be defending. And the quote under it is from Ezekiel 33, where God says, behold, I have set you as a watchman on the wall of Jerusalem. In that passage, God gives Ezekiel a commission, a charge, that when there is danger coming, Ezekiel must hear God's warning and give that to the people. And if he does not give them the warning, and they die, he will have responsibility for their death upon his hands. But if he gives the warning and they don't listen, well, that's their own fault. But it's a charge to be a watchman, a charge to be alert and on guard, knowing there are enemies that try to destroy the people of God. Here in Acts chapter 20, that is the idea of what Paul is communicating to the elders on the shore of the sea. He is saying to them, I am innocent to the blood of all men. I did not hold back from you, as he says in verse 26 and 27, the whole counsel of God. When God warned you, I let you know. When God comforted you and reminded you of grace, I told you what he said. I have done my job, I have been faithful. Now, he says, therefore, you also need to take heed. You also, as God's people, need to be alert, you need to be watchful, you need to be vigilant. And that's the focus of our sermon today. As we discuss and go through this passage, all kinds of principles are given for leadership. What does it mean to be a Christian? What does it mean to stand for Christ? What does it mean to lead in a church, in a Bible study, in our homes? What does this look like? And the principle Paul's hitting here is the idea of what we may call vigilance or watchfulness, being alert, being on guard. We're going to see the call here that comes to each of us to be on guard, to be watchful that we may stand faithfully for Christ, to be watchful so we can stand and lead others towards the Savior. We're going to see it in three points today. First, we're going to see who we must watch over. who we must watch over, secondly, why we must watch carefully, who we must watch over, why we must watch carefully, and third, how God will give success. And we see in verse 28, the first section, he tells us to watch over, and I just wanna make a little bit of a note here, he says this in verse 28, therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God." Now, one of the frequent illustrations and pictures the Bible uses to describe Christians is the idea of sheep. The idea of sheep. It's a very romantic idea. Sheep, isn't it? We see pictures, perhaps, of rolling grass, hills, and flocks of sheep, and the sun is setting. It all seems so perfect, and that's who we are. We are the sheep of God. Amen? But sheep are not known for their brilliance, and they are not known for their strength. In fact, sheep are a little bit known for being a little bit foolish at times. I don't know if you want homework this week, but I have some homework for you. It's very enjoyable homework. You get to go home, and you get to go on YouTube, and you get to type into YouTube these words. Sheep jumps into ditch. Sheep jumps into ditch. I don't know if you've seen the video yet, but it begins, and there's a few you can see there. I'll describe at least two of them. But the one, it starts off, and there's like a crevice in the ground between two stones. And there's a farmer standing on top of the crevice, and the only thing you see coming out of the crevice is this little spindly leg. And the farmer ties a strap around the leg. And then he begins to haul on this leg. And you wouldn't believe it's possible, but out of this little crevice pops a sheep. The sheep has fallen into the crevice and the farmer, it's tough work. He has to really ache his muscles and he pulls the sheep out and the sheep comes out of the crevice and it's obviously a happy sheep now. It kind of gives a little shake, it does a little jump and then it hops back into the air and goes headfirst into the same hole. Sheep are not known for their brilliance. When I tried to find that on YouTube, I found another one as well. In this one, the sheep is in a ditch, and the ditch is full of water, and the sheep can't get out. The farmer goes into the ditch. He gets water up to his waist. He is soaking wet. I don't know how heavy a sheep with water in its wool would be, but that farmer works, and he gets the sheep out of the ditch. He carries the sheep over a fence, and puts it back in a pasture. And the sheep runs a little bit further down, finds a drop in the fence, jumps it, and falls back into the same water. And this time, the farmer just walks away. It just shows him leaving the sheep. I don't know if he stayed that way or not. But sheep aren't known for their brilliance. They're not known for their strength. You know, when we have sports teams at our local schools, you may have like the Lions, the Hornets, the Cougars. Never have I seen the sheep, right? They get onto the court and everyone's like, go sheep! Bah! Because they're just not known for their strength. And God says, watch over my sheep. He has two categories that he calls us to watch over among the sheep. First he says, watch over yourselves. One of my favorite songs in the hymnal is the song Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. I don't know if you know the song at all. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, tune my heart to sing your praise. But it has a line in one of the stanzas that says this. Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. When you think of what it means to be a Christian, what Christian life is like, On our best days, we're just sheep, aren't we? We get stuck in those ruts, we get stuck in those ditches, God yanks us out, and against all common sense, we fall back into them again. I love the line of the hymn, because it says, prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love, and I love that confession. You may remember when Peter fell away from Jesus and denied three times that he knew the Lord, that after Christ was raised from the dead, Jesus met Peter on the shore of Galilee. And Peter once thought he was very strong, didn't he? He told Jesus, even if everyone else forsakes you, I will never forsake you. He thought he was so strong. And Jesus pulls Peter aside and he asks him a question three times. He doesn't say, Peter, are you strong? He doesn't say, Peter, will you never fall away from me again. He says, Peter, do you love me? It's in John 21. Peter, do you love me? Peter, do you love me? Peter, do you love me? And Peter says each time, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. I love the idea of that song, prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Because in our worst days, when we are struggling, when we are fighting sin, when we are weak, when we are depressed, if we're asked that question, but do you love Jesus? Do you love Jesus? Hopefully, by God's grace, we can say, not enough. Not enough, but yes, I love Him. Yes, I love Him. I struggle, I wander, I'm foolish, but do I love Jesus? Yes, I do. But I still struggle, even when I love Him. I still wander, even when I don't want to. And Paul says to the elders, listen, when you're in the church, there's no one who doesn't need someone watching over them. Because we're all prone to wander. And so he says to the elders, listen guys, watch over yourselves. Take heed, pay attention to your own soul. Intriguingly, Paul does the same thing to Timothy, his younger pastor who he is training. In 1 Timothy 4.16, Paul says to Timothy, Timothy, take heed, the very same words, take heed to yourself and to your doctrine. Watch your own life. Watch your own faith. Guard your own holiness. Watch what you believe. Do you stand by faith in Jesus Christ? Do you still rely upon the Savior? Have you begun to wander? Have you begun to grow hard in your heart? When God speaks, are you turning Him out? Are you ignoring the Word of God? Paul says, watch over yourself. Why? Because at best, We're all just sheep. We all struggle. So I want to ask a question from God's word then to you today. Do you watch over your own spiritual walk? And are you alert? Are you vigilant? Are you watchful over your own heart? In Psalm 139, David had a beautiful prayer. He said, search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxious ways. See if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. That was King David, a man described as a man after God's own heart. And he had to say to God, Lord, I know I sometimes go astray. Test me, search me, try me, test me. and lead me near to you. The first call of a Christian and certainly the first call of a leader is to recognize their own propensity or tendency to wander and to guard their heart, to guard your heart by the grace of God. But secondly, we realize that God puts his people together for a reason. When we become a Christian, God doesn't want us standing by ourselves, does he? He doesn't want you coming to Christ and then just trying to go through life all alone. No, he puts you in a church. And he gives you brothers and sisters in Christ. He gives you a pastor and elders and deacons. He gives you people in Bible study. Why? To encourage you and to walk alongside you in life, that we may be stronger together. And that's the second part of what Paul calls the elders to watch over. "'Take heed to yourselves,' he said, "'and to all the flock "'among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.'" Watch over them all. I don't know if you've ever seen it, but there's a number of, I mean, I'm watching too much YouTube. A number of cute videos with like a mother duck and little ducklings coming behind them. And sometimes you can see them and they're like going through a city like Toronto or a busy street and you see this duck walking with all these little ducklings behind him. It's always the cutest thing. It's amazing how there is a propensity for parents to watch over their children. how they want to make sure they're doing okay, how they guard them, protect them, and try not to forget a single one. Paul calls the elders to care for each and every member of Christ's church. Don't ignore them when they're really small. Don't forget them when they get old. When they can no longer come to church anymore because they're not feeling well, Take ye to all the flock. Watch over everyone. Why does God call his elders to watch over every single member of the church? Well, there's a hint there, among whom the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. You see, they are standing there, because that's where God has placed them, and God has placed them there to shepherd his people, and God doesn't forget a single sheep, does he? I love the cry when he says to take heed to yourself and to all the flock. I love that. But why are we called to do that? Because that's what God does for us, isn't it? If we go back to that story of Peter and Jesus on the water when Jesus says to Peter three times, do you love me? There was a story before that. After Peter said, Lord, even if everyone else denies you, I will never deny you. I am ready to go to death for you. And Jesus said, Simon, Simon, Satan has asked for you that he may sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. Is there a single sheep that Christ doesn't pay attention to? Is there a single soul that Jesus doesn't love? I love how in the church we stand for life, and we believe that all life is precious and made in the image of God, and sometimes that means in the church we have people who have different handicaps and struggles. The world, they're not as evident anymore. You don't see them as much, because the world uses abortion to try and take care of that, as they say. In the church, we see people with all kinds of different struggles, and praise God for it, because God loves each and every one of us. When we have struggles, God doesn't fail to watch over us. When we feel like he's forgotten us, he hasn't. And God says to the elders, and he says to Christians, listen, care for each other. Pay attention to each other. Encourage each other. Because you're mine. And I care for each and every one. It's a call for us to watch our own souls, but then we also have a responsibility for those sitting around us. We have a responsibility for those who are in the same church, in the same Bible study, certainly in the same family, certainly in the same district. If you're called as an elder or a pastor or a deacon, you have a responsibility to care for the people God has given you that is heightened. Do you know them? Paul says, I taught you publicly and house to house. I didn't just go from a pulpit, I came inside your home and I sat down at the table and I asked you how you were doing and I brought the word of God to you that I might care for you as Christ cares for his flock. And while that responsibility is certainly different within Bible studies and between members, it's still there, isn't it? So we're called to rejoice with those who rejoice, to weep with those who weep, to bear each other's burdens, Galatians 6, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Be watchful. Be watchful as a Christian. And do that for yourself and also for all of God's people. Secondly, why? Why must we be so alert? Well, we've had a few things that we've kind of hit so far. We've talked about how we have a little bit of sin in our own hearts and how that will make us tend to jump back into the same trouble. But there's a few things that come out further here in verse 28 and 29. So 28 says this, I don't know if you ever bought something that's really precious to you. I had a really neat thing happen to me recently. I like model ships. but I can't generally afford the good ones. You know, the real fancy ones. They're a little bit too much for me. And someone in my hometown of Brantford passed away. He was, what, 86 years old? And he had built model ships since he was five years old. He has his model ships in the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. He has some in a museum in Hamilton as well. He was an incredible shipbuilder. And when he passed away, his son put them for sale online. And I got the ad. And I bargained, and I got this incredible model ship that was beautiful for a good price. And I brought it home. And after that, no one could go anywhere near it. You know? You know? The kids are like, hey, dad, I ain't going to your workshop. I'm like, hey, be careful. That's where the ship is. Right? Now it's in my office, so it's a little safer in my office. But at first, I wasn't allowed to get it because my wife was going to give it to me as a birthday present. But my birthday didn't happen for another two months. So I said, honey, they might all sell. So she let me buy it. And I had to keep it hidden in my workshop until it was my birthday. So any time a kid went in the workshop, I'm like, I'll get it for you. I need to get something off the shelf. I'll get it. I don't want them dropping anything and breaking my model ship. I don't know if you have anything like that in your house, something you think is just precious, and you are careful with, because it means a lot to you. Why are we called to watch over the flock of God? Because God's people mean more to God than anything else, except his own glory. And he's glorified and caring for his people, so they go together. God cares for them. I spent $100 on that model ship. I think it's worth it. Christ gave his life. He gave his life to save each and every one of these stubborn, foolish sheep, didn't he? The ones he pulls out of the pit and they jump right back in. He died for. He suffered, and the death of Christ, it's not just dying, is it? People die for others in this world. You can have a car rushing down the road, and someone sees a child, and they run out into the road, and they push that child aside, and they get hit instead. It's a tremendously sacrificial act. It's a beautiful act. It's not to be thought little of, but sometimes that happens. Sometimes a human can die for another human. But Christ didn't just die for us, did he? No, it says he bought us, he purchased us by his blood. There's a story in the Bible of a purchase, and it's a crazy story. It's the story of a man named Hosea and a wife whose name is Gomer. If you're gonna name your child, Gomer's not the best name to pick. But if you did, it's okay, it can be redeemed, because Gomer was redeemed. But Gomer was a woman who constantly went to other men when she had her own husband. And she had such a wicked lifestyle that she actually, you know, we hear about terrible things like with the sex trade, and people who are kidnapped and forced, and she actually brought herself into that on purpose. She gave herself to that kind of lifestyle on purpose. The crazy thing about that story is that God told her husband, listen, I want you to go and I want you to buy your wife back. I want you to pay the price that is necessary to set her free. And so Hosea had to go and buy the wife who belonged to him for 30 pieces of silver that she could become his again. And that was a picture in the Old Testament of what God does with us as his people. We sell ourselves to sin. We put ourselves under the wrong things all the time. We serve the devil, and we serve our lust, and we serve our pride, and we serve our anger. And we give ourselves to these things. And what does God do to set us free? He doesn't just jump in the way of a car. He pays the price. He goes to the cross, and he takes the wrath of a holy God. Because God is holy. And when we sin against Him, it's not nothing. It's not, oh, it doesn't matter. No, it matters. You have just spat in the face of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And if you will fight and insult the King of Kings, you will have to pay the price. You will have to suffer under His just judgment for your sin. And Christ says, I love them so much that I will not let them suffer the price of their sin, but I will suffer it in their place. He bought you, says the Bible, with His own blood. more than any model ship, more than any heirloom that's been handed down for generations in your family, you belong to God because he bought you by the blood of Christ if you are a Christian. And if you're not a Christian today, if you're not under Christ's blood, then beloved, you need to understand that apart from Christ, you are still under the wrath of that holy God. It is not nothing to ignore God. It is not nothing to fight against God. It is not nothing to give your life into sin. When you do that, God is righteously and justly angry with you. And the Bible says, if you do not repent and come to Christ, He will cast you into everlasting hellfire, where the pain will be so great, the Bible describes it as the gnashing of teeth. But Christ can set you free. And every one of us who are saved in this room can tell you that is true. Because if we're saved, it's because Jesus went to the cross to bear our burden, to pay our price, to purchase us for God by taking the penalty of our sin upon himself. Why are we called to watch over ourselves? Because God loves you. and you belong to Christ. And he went to the cross to save you. You are precious in his eyes. You are loved in his eyes. Don't throw your life away. Don't forget the devil seeks after you. Be on guard because God loves you. You belong to him. And why should we watch over each other, each and every one? Because no matter how smart they are, no matter how pretty they are, no matter how rich they are, or how poor they are, They belong to Jesus. He bought them with his precious blood. You imagine me with my kids every time they're going to the workshop, hey, be careful. Don't break the boat. How much more Jesus Christ watches over his church. Guard them, protect them. I love them so much. I don't want anything to hurt them. he purchased with his own blood. Secondly, not only to watch over all the flock because Christ loves them, but secondly, because there's also enemies. Verse 29, for I know this, that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves, men will rise up, speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore, watch. And remember that for three years, I didn't cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. We watch because we are the church. These are the people God purchased through the blood of Christ, but also we're called to watch because there's an enemy. The Bible never speaks of Satan as an idea. Satan is a being, a wicked being. evil being bent on destroying the church. The Bible describes him in Revelation chapter 12 like a giant dragon seeking to consume those who hold to the testimony of Jesus. In 1 Peter 5, the Bible describes Satan like a lion prowling around and seeking whom he can devour, whom he can consume. In Ephesians 6, Paul says the church are there to put on the full armor of God because their battle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places. Why are we called to watch over the flock? Well, first of all, because God loves them, but second of all, because the devil hates them. There are wolves outside the door. When I was a student preacher, I came to a church that didn't have a pastor. I know you're praying for this church that doesn't have a pastor. And I went to a church that didn't have a pastor. They hadn't had a pastor for a while, and when I came in, the elders said to me, pastor, our seniors haven't had visits in a long time. Will you go, they didn't call me pastor, I was a student, but will you go and will you visit our seniors? I said, no problem. So I made a list of all the seniors, and I began going to all the seniors' homes. When I came into one of the seniors' homes, All over his living room were magazines from an organization called the Watchtower. Do you know what the Watchtower is? It's the head organization of the Jehovah Witnesses, a cult, a cult. This man had not had a visit from his elders in years, but the Jehovah Witnesses visited him every single week. Why are the elders called to take heed, to pay attention, to be watchful over the sheep of Christ? Because there's an enemy who wants to destroy them. We've had people sometimes we don't see in church for a little while. And we follow up, and we say, hey, how are you doing? How have you been? And maybe on the phone, it's just, oh, I'm fine, I just missed church a little bit, and they put you off, and they put you off, and when things get tough, and you go by and you visit them, you find out that for the last three or four weeks, they've actually been struggling in their walk with God. And they've fallen into an addiction, or they've fallen into some type of sinful living, or whatever it is, and all of a sudden, you realize that the reason they're not in church is because they're not doing well. They've been attacked by Satan and they haven't had their armor on and they've fallen. And God says, listen, I don't want a single sheep. Isn't that what Jesus said in John 10? Not a single sheep can be snatched from my hand. He loves each and every one. He wants to guard each and every one. And he uses you and I to help in that, doesn't he? That's why in Matthew 18, Jesus taught, when your brother sins, Go to him and strive to win him to Christ that his soul may be gained. If he doesn't listen, take two. If he doesn't listen to two, take the church, bring the elders in. Why was Jesus giving this instruction? Because he knows you and I are under constant fire. And every single one of us will fall. Every single one. There's no one here. There's no pastor. There's no member who is so strong they will not sometimes fall to the attacks of an enemy. But in Ecclesiastes, God said, two are better than one, because if one falls by himself, no one will help him up. If he's got a friend, the friend will help him. And then they go on to say, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. When you have brothers and sisters in Christ rooted around the Savior, beloved, what a blessing it is that when we fall, we get established again in the grace of God. We remember the cross. Remember, Satan cannot snatch us from the hand of God. That we may have slipped, we may have stumbled, but we are still belonging to Christ. Why are we to watch over the sheep? Because he purchased us with his blood, and the enemy can't steal us back. So why should we be watchful? Why should we be vigilant? One, because Christ cares for you. and he cares for every person in this church, purchased by his blood. He loves them. One commentator, I don't have the quote with me, I forgot the book. I don't remember who it is anymore, but he wrote something like this. It's as if Christ is saying to the Ephesian elders, would I die on the cross for them and you would not care enough to visit Would I leave the glories of heaven to save their souls and you won't travel down the road to see if they're doing okay? Would I suffer the wrath of God upon the cross and you won't care when they walk away? Shepherd the flock, be watchful. Do so because God loves them, do so because there is an enemy. And then finally, watch in hope. Watch in hope, because God gives success. Ephesus, where Paul is speaking to these elders, was the place where Paul spent the longest. How long has Pastor Prasad been here? How long have you guys been here? 2001, 23 to 24 years. So you guys gotta have a party or something when he's 25, all right? You gotta have a party because that's amazing. You know how long Paul was in Ephesus? Three years. Do you know that every one of the Christians who are elders in the church have become Christians in the last three years? in Ephesus, no likelihood. Maybe a four-year guy somewhere who heard it from someone else, but three years. And Paul leaves them. Pastor Mitch, he's stuck around. He's had some calls, he's had churches interested. Sometimes he just says no before they even get a call out, because he knows he's still needed here. After three years though, Paul said, I can move along. I hope Pastor Prasad stays here a long time. But if he leaves, do you know you'll be okay? Because Paul leaves Ephesus and he says this to them in verse 32. Now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. Paul knew the church in Ephesus, it would be okay. Because there is a God who is greater than Paul, who would watch over those people, who would care for them. And he had given them everything they needed to be strengthened in the gospel, and that was the word of his grace. Notice how Paul describes it. I commend you to God and to the word of his grace. a Bible that constantly points you back to the greatness of Christ, that constantly points you back to the love of the Father, that constantly reminds you of a gospel of being saved by faith in Christ. This is not of yourselves, says Paul in Ephesians 2, it is the gift of God. Paul knows that what's greater than every foe, what's greater than that devil who is a dragon or a lion or a wolf, and what's greater than our own hearts, is the grace of God in Christ. And a God who will never forsake and never leave his people. Amazingly, in the book of Revelation, there's a letter written to this very church that Paul is speaking to in Acts chapter 20. It's the first of the seven letters in Revelation chapter two. And we find out that after Paul leaves and a period of time has passed, the church in Ephesus, they're very vigilant. They watch out against false teaching. They guard themselves and their doctrine. They watch out for wolves rising up among them, but as they do so, they become so focused, perhaps on the externals, that they begin to lose, as is described in Revelation 2, their first love. Remember how we're all struggling? The enemies come from the outside, but they also come from within. Ephesus watches them so much from the outside, they kind of miss the brokenness of their own heart. When they do, Paul's not around anymore. Paul's already died and gone to be with Christ, giving his life for the gospel, but you know who hasn't died? Jesus Christ. In Revelation 2, Christ writes to his church as the living one, the one who died and is alive forevermore, and he writes to his church and says, listen, I know you. I know your works. I know your struggles, but I have this problem. You've lost your first love, so repent, come back to me. and do what you did in the beginning. Paul's ultimate hope for the church is not the elders. The ultimate hope of our souls, it's not each other. We should love each other. We should be so glad God has given us a family to grow in Christ with. We should love that. We should love praying for each other. We should love challenging each other to grow in Christ. We should stand with each other, encourage one another, but our ultimate hope is never the humans that God has put around us. It is the Savior, Jesus Christ. The God who doesn't fail to keep his word. the blood that never loses its power, the savior who never fails to pray for us. I commend you, says Paul, to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. Do you love the word of God? I hope you do, because the word of grace And it brings you to Christ. And through it, God builds you up and anchors you so one day you will know what it is to have the inheritance of everlasting life by grace, through faith, in Christ. So we don't labor in vain, do we? And we don't work for nothing. Because there's a great God who doesn't just start the salvation he gives to his people, but he finishes it. He carries them all the way. So may we know whose hands the sheep of God remain in. And may we be sure to commend each other to the word of grace that anchors us in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Be watchful, but know you have a savior who watches over you with such tenderness and love. And his eyes will never fail and his hand will always protect. And his doors will always be open to welcome the wandering home again in the grace of God. Let's join together in a word of prayer. Father in heaven, as we come before you this morning, this afternoon, we pray you will help us, Lord, to know the beauty of who you are, how you have loved us and all our weakness and all our foolishness. You've given your son to die upon the cross to save us. And therefore, Lord, when we live in this world, we pray you will help us to have our eyes set upon Christ. Give us that vigilance that we need to be alert, to be on guard against the enemy. But Lord, may we know the enemy is not just on the outside, but also on the inside. What we need more than anything is that grace of God, that faithful shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. the truth that is given in his word that can grow us and strengthen us and help us to mature in the faith and know what it is to have an inheritance that will not fade away. We pray you'll build up your church here. You'll give us a love for each other, a care for each other, and we'll care for all the flock of God. We pray you'll bless the elders here and the pastor and the deacons and give them faithfulness and diligence in their work. Help them be faithful watchmen who love the Lord and love his people. and therefore care for each and every one. But Lord, may our hope not be in them. May we know they're just a small, small reflection of that great shepherd of the sheep, Jesus Christ, that his grace will hold us. And therefore may our lives be lived for your glory. You grant us joy and strength in Christ and forgive all our sin we ask. Thank you for your mercy in Jesus' name, amen.