You should be turning your Bibles to Acts chapter 20, as we want to continue our chapter-by-chapter study through this historical book, foundational book, that really sets the framework for the rest of the New Testament epistles. And what we're going to see today in Acts chapter 20, taking just a portion of this chapter because it is so rich and pastoral in its implications, what we're going to see in the first 24 verses is the Apostle Paul as a faithful minister of God wrapping up the third missionary journey. It's his farewell, if you will. And as we've said before, and as we've even just seen recently with the Minnesota State Fair and evangelism there, the Lord sometimes closes doors of opportunity. but he opens others and he redirects our steps as we follow him in faith, follow the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what was happening in the life of the Apostle Paul. He had been blessed and fortunate, privileged to serve the Lord Jesus Christ through three missionary journeys. And now we're coming to the end of his third missionary journey. We're going to see in this section in verses 1 through 24, A faithful minister's farewell journey in verses 1-5. And then a faithful minister's farewell service in verses 6-16. And then a faithful minister's farewell message, which is the bulk of this chapter, which we'll split into two in the next two messages here, in verses 17 through 38. And we see that the Apostle Paul has a genuine heart for the lost and for believers. We see that he has a pastor's heart. We see that he's more than an evangelist, though he's all of that, and a missionary and an apostle. He's more than an apologist defending the faith. He also is a shepherd of sheep. We also see in this, however, through the example of the Apostle Paul, some lessons for us, even though we're not apostles, we're all ministers of Jesus Christ if we're saved, and thus we can learn what it means and what it looks like to be a faithful minister as well, and what genuine ministry looks like. Now, as we think of the third missionary journey of the Apostle Paul, if you've been with us in our studies in Acts, you know that this missionary outreach of the Apostle Paul has transpired over roughly one decade, in fact, not even, about nine years, from AD 48, now up to 57 AD, which is the date and time stamp for Acts chapter 20. And in the course of that, he has traveled some 12,000 miles, Numerous souls have been led to Christ, saints have been built up, churches established, disciples following the Lord Jesus Christ, and cities oftentimes in an uproar. So we'll get to that. And much of the Storyline centers around key cities in the ancient Mediterranean world, starting from Jerusalem, the gospel expanded, we know, and of course went to Antioch of Syria, and then the region around modern-day Turkey, which is known as Asia Minor in the scriptures, and then up into Macedonia, where you see Philippi, and then down into Achaea, or Greece, where you see Athens and Corinth, But I want you to know that from here on out with the book of Acts, chapter 20 is sort of a closing chapter to the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul. In fact, the rest of the book, chapters 20 through 28, revolves around Paul's journey to Jerusalem. He's going there from Asia Minor, Macedonia, Achaia. He's going to go down to Jerusalem where he's going to be arrested. and then imprisoned in Caesarea for a couple of years, and then eventually he's going on a voyage to Rome as a prisoner of Jesus Christ in a spiritual sense, but in an earthly sense. Circumstantially, he's a prisoner of Caesar in Rome to stand trial before the emperor himself on what charges? The charges of insurrection. And we know that from the book of Acts, as there are numerous recorded instances where Luke sets the record straight for Theophilus, who's no doubt working with Rome, probably as an intake lawyer right under Caesar to represent this case to Caesar. And that's why we have so much detail surrounding some of these instances where Paul preached the gospel, people got saved, churches were established, God did wonderful things, but then Luke records meticulous detail about the events. To set the record straight, now in Acts 20, we begin in verse 1 with this statement. After the uproar had ceased, Paul called the disciples to himself, embraced them, and he went away to Macedonia. Well, what uproar? Well, if you recall from our last study in Acts chapter 19, it ended with a riot in Ephesus. There was this amphitheater that is still there that's been partially reconstructed that held about 24,000 people. And we don't know that 24,000 necessarily were in the theater when Paul was, you know, basically they were hunting for him and looking to kill him. But nevertheless, Ephesus was in an uproar. And what were they chanting for two hours? Acts 19 says, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. Now, if you weren't with us last week, you might be wondering, well, who's Diana? Is that like Lady Di? Was she like some political ruler in Ephesus? No, she was the goddess, the patron goddess, so to speak, of the entire city. When people thought of Ephesus, they thought of Diana the Great. who was worshipped all around the ancient world. And then we know that a city official came along after two hours and said, look, if we don't stop this uproar that's been going on, this public outcry that's disorderly, we could be in trouble with Rome. So he quiets the crowd, everybody disperses, and thus, after the uproar had ceased, Paul called the disciples and he says, look, it's time for my ministry in Ephesus to end. I've been here three years. It's time to move on. So he goes to Macedonia. And we're going to see in verses 1-5 now some of the itinerary of the Apostle Paul condensed in summary fashion. He goes to Macedonia, that region up there on the map to the northwest, where you see the cities of Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, very famous New Testament cities. And now when he had gone over that region and encouraged them with many words, then he went down to Greece, or Achaia, where you see Athens and Corinth located. So following the riot in Ephesus, Paul left the province of Asia and returned to Macedonia. For what purpose? to strengthen and encourage the saints there. Now, if you've been with us in Acts, you've seen numerous passages, and I've put them here on PowerPoint and on your handout, if you want to go back, take the time to look at them. Repeatedly, we see Paul not only going into a city to preach the gospel, but when people get saved, he then seeks to teach them the Word of God, that they be built up in the faith, that their faith be strengthened and that they be encouraged. And in fact, he circles back repeatedly to those same churches because he wants to see them grow. And is there not a lesson in that in our Christian life? That God wants you to grow, dear believer. Yes, it's wonderful to be born again and be a member of the family of God and a child of God. But He also wants you to grow. He wants to specifically strengthen you, because in and of ourselves, we are weak. But we can be strong in the Lord as we grow in the strength that He provides as a believer. And in fact, this world has a way of beating us down, doesn't it? The longer we go on throughout this world, it seems like it's more and more against the Church of Jesus Christ, and that's just the way it's going. Scripture said prophetically that it would happen. But that doesn't mean that in our souls individually, or even as a local church, we should lose strength. We can have that. And the world is throwing everything, including the kitchen sink, at us. And that's why we need to be encouraged. Because oftentimes we can get discouraged, right? Think of that root word. It's courage. And oftentimes I come to the Scriptures in the mornings and just say in my devotional time, I need an infusion. I need your strength and I need some verses that will encourage my heart because I know what's coming today. It can be discouraging. And Satan knows that. In fact, many people hang up the spikes in the Christian life not due to doctrinal error, though that is something we're warned about repeatedly in Scripture, but oftentimes just due to discouragement and defeat from sin, from opposition in the world, whatever it may be. And so we need this. Paul knew that these saints needed this. And so he sought to build them up in the Lord Jesus Christ and by the grace of God. And notice, what was the means by which God used Paul to build them up? It was with many words. Many words, verse 2 says. Now, no doubt this wasn't just Paul having a gift of gab. You know, everywhere he went, let's all listen to Paul about Paul's opinions. No, it wasn't Paul's word per se. He was just a steward to deliver the goods, so to speak. A table waiter delivering the Word of God to people. Those were the words that were used to communicate. In fact, that's why in Acts chapter 20, he goes on to say in verse 27, "...for I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God." This isn't just my opinions I'm sharing. This is the Word of God. And then verse 32, he says, So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace. And what is the word of His grace able to do? It is able to build you up, to edify you. Many young men pick up barbells and dumbbells. To do what? To be built up. To grow stronger. And we need the Word of God, and particularly the Word of Grace, which we'll see more about next time in our study of this verse, that can build up the saints and give us an inheritance among all those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus. So what is the means God wants to use? Specifically, the Word of God with an emphasis on the grace of God. And that's what you've heard here over the years at Duluth Bible Church, if you've been coming for any period of time. That's in fact why we named the church in Milwaukee when I was there. When we were just starting as a Bible study and we grew to the point at which we became an independent local church, we voted on what we want our name to be. And Word of Grace Bible Church was the majority vote. But it was largely based on this verse right here. And that should be our thinking as well. So Paul was in Macedonia. He was seeking to build up and strengthen these saints. But what also was transpiring at this time when he was in Macedonia? Remember, he was taking up a collection for the saints in Jerusalem. Because the saints in Macedonia and Greece especially were Greek or Gentile. And Paul wanted to show the unity of Jew and Gentile together in Christ. And he wanted this to be an expression of the grace of God to the glory of God. So he took up this collection among the Macedonians. You want to read something encouraging? Read 2 Corinthians 8 and the example of the Macedonian believers who understood the truth that though we were poor and Jesus Christ was rich in heaven as the Son of God, He bankrupted heaven and brought all the treasures down here to earth for us, and blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Himself." And based on that thinking and that reception of grace, these Macedonians were motivated to give, and even though they were poorer than those down in Athens or Corinth, they gave more abundantly. than those in Greece." Now, something else Paul did, he wrote a letter at this time. He was not only taking up a collection for the poor Jewish saints in Jerusalem from the Gentile believers, but he was also writing epistles. He had a heart to reach people, and so he was writing. And in particular, we know that in 57 AD, while he was in Macedonia, he wrote 2 Corinthians. He was writing from up there in Macedonia down to the saints in Achaia in Corinth in particular. And you can read all about that in that epistle. And so he came to Greece, the region of Achaia. That was the Roman province there. And he stayed three months. And when the Jews plotted against him as he was about to sail to Syria and go back east, he decided to return through Macedonia. Apparently, it was too dangerous to travel the seas. So on foot, he went back to Macedonia. And Sopater of Berea accompanied him to Asia. Also Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians and Gaius of Derbe and Timothy and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia. In other words, he had a whole team with him. These were probably men who helped carry the collection, but who also were like bodyguards, perhaps, of the Apostle Paul, but also his fellow laborers in ministry, as his life impacted others. And you see, we don't live our Christian life merely as unto the Lord ourself individually. It's always with an outreach to others. And that was true of Paul. These men going ahead waited for us at Troas, which you can see right across the Aegean Sea there in the northern part of Asia Minor. And so next, Paul traveled to Corinth and Achaia for three months before backtracking through Macedonia to Troas in Asia. And what did Paul do during that time when he was down there in the south in Corinth? Well, again, he took up an offering for the poor saints in Jerusalem. And so he was taking a collection from the Macedonians, from the Corinthians, and he was going to bring it all to Jerusalem. And this gift was going to warm the hearts of the Jewish saints towards the Gentile saints. And Paul hoped it would bring unity between the two. But not only that, but while Paul was down in Corinth, what else did he do? He continued writing. He wrote the epistle to the Romans in 57 AD. And you say, well, that's all historical, interesting information, but so what? I'll tell you something fascinating about Paul that just shows his heart. In doing some reading on the typical length of letters that were written in that time, in the first century and that circulated around the Mediterranean world, they were usually very short, like one page or less. And yet Paul breaks the mold and he takes these papyrus scrolls and he writes 16 chapters in the Epistle to the Romans. You know, he'd be the kind of guy that if he had texting available today, you wouldn't just get, you know, a little emoji and maybe a thumbs up or a prayer. You'd get like a long email shoved into a text from the Apostle Paul. This was a guy who was full to overflowing with Jesus Christ and he wanted to impact other people. You see that in his writings. And so he wasn't in Corinth on vacation. Not that there's anything wrong with taking a vacation. But wherever he went, he was seeking to minister to people. Always thinking, how can I reach them for Jesus Christ and help them? Going on. We see, moving from a faithful minister's journey now to a faithful minister's farewell service, verse six, but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, using the Jewish calendar at this point, and in five days joined them at Troas. Now, who's we? Paul and Luke, evidently, joined with the rest of those guys who were sent ahead to Troas, where we stayed seven days. They were there for a week. And they waited until the first day of the week, which would be Sunday, when the disciples came together to break bread. Paul, ready to depart the next day, he was only going to be there for one full week. Apparently they were going to leave Monday morning. He spoke to them and continued his message till midnight. Now, we see here that Paul has in mind an itinerary. He wants to get to Jerusalem, but he's missed Passover. He's not going to make it there for the Passover feast, which was usually around early to mid-April or so. And so he still wants to get there for Pentecost, which came a little later in the spring, usually the end of May, according to our calendar. and he stayed in Troas for a week and held a farewell service when? On the Lord's Day. Now, as we think of the Jewish calendar, remember there were spring feast days and then there were fall feast days. In the spring you had Passover, immediately followed by unleavened bread, and then you had firstfruits, all of which depicted the Lord Jesus' death and resurrection and burial for us. And then 50 days after firstfruits or resurrection, you have Pentecost. So Pentecost was the feast day that Paul was gunning for to get there in time. That's when he wanted to present this love gift from the Gentiles to the Jewish believers. But notice it says in Acts 20 here that they gathered together on the first day of the week. And what day did the disciples gather for worship in the early church? Well, they didn't gather on the seventh day of the week, the Sabbath day, following an Old Testament pattern, like these Seventh-day Adventists do today, that denomination. Rather, they met on the first day of the week. Very interesting. In fact, we're told that in 1 Corinthians 16, verses 1-3. Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must also do, that on the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. Paul wanted the collection for the Jewish saints in Jerusalem to be orderly, not haphazard, He wanted some thought put into this, so that people could give as unto the Lord, not just paying a bill. That there be no collections when I come, and when I come, whoever you approve by your letters, I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. So it had to be somebody trusted from within the church. But notice they met on the first day of the week. We also are told in Revelation 1, verse 10, that John was caught up in the Spirit on the Lord's day. Now, what is the Lord's Day? It would be the day in which Jesus Christ rose from the dead, which would be Sunday. And that's why, since the very first century, traditionally, believers have met on the first day of the week, Sunday morning, like we're doing here. And by the way, it's probable that Even though the New Testament doesn't explicitly say it, you do the chronology, it appears that the day of Pentecost, when the early church was born, was on a Sunday as well. And so there's a shift from law and Sabbath-keeping to grace, in which now we meet on Sunday. But frankly, as Romans 14 makes clear, there's no one day that's any more holy than any other, and it's up to you If you want to observe a day or not, that's why there's no holy days within the Church of Jesus Christ or the Age of Grace. That would be going back to law, as many churches have done. And so we see some particulars here about this service. It happened on a particular day. They also did a particular activity when they got together. Verse 7 says, on the first day of the week when the disciples came together, to what? To break bread. They wanted to have the Lord's Supper together. This farewell service also included disciples gathering together for the Lord's Supper. And what does this passage in Acts 20 teach us about the frequency and meaning of communion? Well, we know that we can have communion. In fact, frankly, we can meet to worship on any day of the week. It doesn't have to be a Sunday. In Acts 2, verses 42 and 46, it says that they met daily in the temple and from house to house, breaking bread together as part of their worship. And that's a reference to having communion. And so the New Testament never prescribes how often we are to do this. We've chosen at Duluth Bible Church to do it once a month. Some Reformed Presbyterian churches do it quarterly throughout the year. Other churches, like the Roman Catholic Church, maybe Lutheran churches, do it every week. And so Jesus simply says, as often as you do this, Do this in remembrance of me." Or actually 1 Corinthians 11 says that. As often as you do this. And so it's our liberty before the Lord how often we do this. But apparently the early church was doing it here in Acts 20, once a week. It's never prescribed, it's described. But notice what it is called when they do get together. They break bread. What does that tell you about the substance that they're eating? It doesn't say they're getting together to break the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the denomination I was raised in, that wafer was viewed as something very sacred. Something mystical had happened to it. Even though the outward appearance resembled bread, we were told that spiritually it was the literal body and blood and divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. And though it didn't look like it, you had to take it by faith. And yet, what does Scripture say? They broke bread and ate bread together. It was still bread. And when you read 1 Corinthians 11, it's very clear there in Paul's longest explanation of what communion is all about. They gathered together and they broke bread. It's bread. It pictures Jesus Christ. It is not literally His body, which is in heaven. his physical body. And so those are some of the elements that we see here in this farewell service. But going on, we see the power of the Lord as well, and a rather humorous, but not so humorous, pretty serious situation with a guy named Eutychus. So it says, verse 7, that Paul continued his message until midnight. Apparently he was afflicted with long preaching, just like everybody else who gets in this pulpit. There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together, and in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus. Now maybe he was a slave, maybe he had worked all day, came to this evening service, and he was getting tired, maybe it was getting stuffy in the upper room, and maybe he said, I need to sit by the window. And while he was there, it says, he sank into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep. And as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story window and was taken up dead. Now there's some question as to whether Eutychus really died. This passage says he was taken up dead. He was dead. They lifted him up. He's dead. It wasn't like he still had some life in him, but they just didn't catch the signs. No, he was dead. So what's the moral to this story? This was the first incidence in church history of homicide by long preaching. Pastors beware. Long preaching is lethal. No. That would be a misinterpretation, right? Now, I think Paul was long in his preaching in this historical incident because this was his farewell message to them. He's gathered together. This is probably the last time he's going to see them. And so, not only does he preach till midnight, but the passage goes on to say that he ends up conversing and fellowshipping with them until daybreak, till they leave in the morning. And what happens to Eutychus, which, by the way, you know what his name literally means? It means good fortune. Some translate it, lucky one. The fortunate one. How very interesting. And he has good fortune, good favor by God's grace, because in verse 10 and on it says, But Paul went down, fell on him, embraced him, and said, Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him. By that I don't think he meant, hey, I hear a heartbeat. Hold on here. You misread the signals. No, what he meant is, God has given him back his life. Now, when he had come up, he had broken bread and eaten and talked a long while, even till daybreak. They stayed up all night long fellowshipping, and then he departed in the morning. and they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted." In other words, they were greatly comforted by this amazing miracle that the Lord had performed. So this farewell service was on the Lord's Day, they had the Lord's Supper, and present was also the Lord's power to raise Eutychus from the dead. And what is this reminiscent of, or should be, in our minds? The power of the Lord Jesus Christ to raise from the dead. On three occasions, the Gospels tell us of Jesus Christ raising people from the dead. And then in Acts chapter 9, we read of Peter doing the same. Now it's Paul's turn. So these mighty apostles and their ministry, God used them to raise the dead on certain occasions. And what purpose did this serve? Well, it confirmed that Paul was an apostle and a genuine one who had authority. 2 Corinthians 12, 12, we've already seen that. But it also reminds us, even when we come here to worship together, that if we are trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ and a yielded vessel, the Spirit of God can fill us and we can have the resurrection power of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what we saw in our last lesson from Acts 19. how positionally we've died with Christ. We're identified with Him in His death and His burial, but also in His resurrection. And we're seated with Him. Our life is wrapped up in Jesus Christ. And that means just as Jesus Christ rose from the dead, so we can have newness of life and walk in that from day to day, as Romans 6, 4-5 says. And even as we think of our physical bodies, which are tired, Paul says, I pray that God would give you the strength that raised Jesus from the dead, though it's not in your flesh, but He can give you that from day to day. You know, in many ways, we are just walking, living, running on borrowed strength, right? And I'm a testament to that firsthand. You know what else this reminds us of? That though our body may die and the outward man is perishing, it's winding down, getting ready for the grave, but really, what's going to happen from that grave if the rapture doesn't happen first? Your body's going to be raised from the dead. I love the simple statement of Jesus to the disciples in John 14, 19. Jesus said, because I live, you will live also. Keep that hope in mind, dear believer. It will empower you even as you walk in newness of life, Romans 6, from day to day. Now in Acts 20, the passage goes on to continue explaining more of the journeys of Paul. In four verses, he succinctly states several cities that Paul travels to. It says, then we went ahead to the ship and sailed to Assos, there intending to take Paul on board, for he had, so he had given orders, intending himself to go on foot. And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mytilene." Now, if you just ponder verses 13 and 14 a little bit, Paul sends the team ahead to Assos, but he's going to travel from Troas down to Assos, and then they're going to get on board at a city called Mytilene. The distance for Paul to walk by himself apart from the team was about 20 miles. It would take about a half a day typically in that time, a man walking. And so Paul basically said, I need a half day alone, me and the Lord. Maybe he thought he needed the exercise, you know, you're on a plane for a long time, or you're sitting in your car for a long time, and you just want to get out and go for a walk, right? Maybe he needed that. But I think more likely, He was thinking, I need time to process all that's going on and what I'm going to say to these Ephesians and those elders of Ephesus when we get to Miletus. Because that's going to be the thrust of chapter 20 now from verse 18 to 38. Paul probably was mulling that over, praying, Lord help me. This is the last time I'm going to see them. What can I say to these men who I've ministered with for three years, knowing this will be my last farewell message?" So they meet up at Assos, and it says, we took him on board, and we came to Mytilene. We sailed from there, and the next day came opposite Chios. And the following day, we arrived at Samos and stayed at and the next day we came to Miletus. For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost." And so you can see here all these towns that are mentioned along the western coast of Asia Minor. Why does Luke take four verses to tell us all these stops along the way? I mean, really, stop and think about it. When you saw all those cities mentioned by Luke, what did that do in your soul as we just read all those? Did you feel really stirred up? Really excited? Hey, now I can pronounce these names. Now I know the geography of the New Testament. Oh, yippee skippee. There's obviously more than a geographical point to all this. There's a spiritual point. Keep in mind the reason why Acts was probably written, and I've been saying this as we go through Acts repeatedly. Remember when Paul gets to Jerusalem, what's going to happen? Another public uproar. And who are they going to blame for it? That troublemaker. Everywhere he goes, notice what happens. Entire cities are in uproars. And it's not just us Jews, it's the Greeks and the Gentiles. See, that's proof to you, Caesar, this guy deserves to die. And Christianity needs to be expunged from the empire. That's what's at stake here. So I think that Luke meticulously records the events from Ephesus and the uproar in the theater there, all the way to Paul's journey to Jerusalem to show, hey, he's not trying to gather up insurrectionists each place he goes. Furthermore, you can go back and check his itinerary. 60 to 62 is when Paul is in Rome on trial. These were recent events in 57 AD. There were still witnesses in every place he went. And so now the focus shifts. The elders of the church at Ephesus are going to meet up with Paul down in Miletus along the coast so Paul can keep going on his way to Jerusalem. And now we see a faithful minister's farewell message in verses 17 through 38. And this is where we want to spend the rest of our time this morning and the focus of next week as well. Verse 17 says, From Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called for the elders of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them, You know. And how did they know? Because Paul ministered among them. He was an open book. 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." Now we're going to see several lessons from Paul's personal example of what it means to be a faithful minister for Jesus Christ. And obviously, none of us here are apostles. but we're all ministers and can be faithful ministers. We see from this passage that the priority of faithful ministry involves serving the Lord. Now, this is to flow out of a personal dependence and relationship upon the Lord, but the mindset was such that Paul mentions right off the bat, you know what characterized me. I was ministering. I was serving you. The verb that's used in this passage here, verse 19, serving, is duluo. That's the verb form. It comes from the noun form, a word that you've probably heard many times here, dulos, which is the typical term for a servant or a slave in the New Testament. And so the whole idea is duluo, to serve. to actively serve as a servant or slave. Paul's going to use this term later in Acts 27, verse 23, when he says, For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve. Now, that's a really important statement because, one, it shows relationship to Jesus Christ. Who had bought Paul with his own precious blood? Jesus Christ. And to whom, therefore, did Paul serve? Jesus Christ. Dear saint, don't forget that you have been bought at a price, the precious blood of Christ. You are no longer your own, 1 Corinthians says. Therefore glorify God in your body, soul, and spirit, which are His. That is a revolutionary thought in our minds when we grasp that we don't even belong to ourselves anymore. We belong to Him. In fact, as a new believer, that was one of the proofs in my mind that we are eternally secure. because I had heard for years growing up and then intermixing with many evangelical-type churches and Bible studies, who said, oh no, you can lose your salvation. You get saved by faith, but you've got to hang in there through faithfulness to stay saved. And they'd say, you still have free will, even after you're saved. And I'd say, oh yeah, I agree. You still have free will. But you know what happens? Something changed at the point of new birth. When I was born again and became a child of God, I was no longer my own. I belonged to someone else. My life was now in His hands. He purchased me, and I belong to Him. So even if in my will I intend to get out of His hand, John 10 says, no, no, no one will be able to escape from my hand. His intent is to give us eternal life that never perishes. But the point of this passage in Acts 20 and 27-23 is to show that he had a priority, Paul did, of serving the Lord. And you see, genuine faithful ministry involves not having a selfish mindset, but to serve who, first of all? The Lord. Serving the Lord, the passage says. And you know, the object of service here is very clear. It's the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't forget, first of all, whom you're serving, dear believer. It's not your local church. It's not your pastor. It's not yourself. It is not even others, other saints, other people who may be lost. It is, first of all, the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, it's very important to keep in mind this idea of who we're really trying to please. Because who are we going to be accountable to, ultimately? Paul in Galatians 1.10, after he comes out of the gate in Galatians 1, just on fire, he says, by the time he gets to verse 10, for do I now persuade men or God? Well, it's pretty obvious you're not trying to tickle our ears. You're trying to please God. Or do I seek to please men, Paul says, for if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. And every minister, whether it's a pastor or you in the pew, Part of this church, we must resolve in our mind that we are going to put Jesus Christ first in our priority of who we're serving and seeking to please. Because you will not be able to please everyone. I've learned that over the years as a pastor. It's not like that old country song. If you can't please everyone, you gotta learn to please yourself. Now that's the world's point of view. No, you're not going to please everyone, but you should seek to please Jesus Christ. Now, let me ask you, is there ever a place to seek to please others? Well, you just said we should only please Jesus Christ. No, I said, first of all, we should please Jesus Christ. But there is a place for others. after you're seeking to please Jesus Christ, as the overflow of seeking to please Jesus Christ. Because notice what Romans 15 says, verses 1-3, We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and this is in the context of liberties, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. For even Christ did not please himself. As it is written, the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me." So is there ever a place to seek to please others? Yes. If you're first of all serving Jesus Christ, foremost, and you're seeking to please others only if it's for their edification and to build them up in the Lord, not simply because you want to be thought well of. And no wonder Paul could do this because he had a mindset of humility. Verse 19 says, serving the Lord, how? With all humility. We see from this that genuine faithful service in ministry also involves a posture of humility. Humility. What is humility? Is it an attitude that says, I'm a piece of dirt. I'm worthless. I've sinned. I've failed. Therefore, I have no purpose. I may as well just end it all here. Or is it walking around all the time, very serious, very burdened, very busy, You know, sometimes over the years we've said here, busy Baptists, but you know, we can have busy Bible churchers too, who also have this attitude that, I'm just always angry, always sour. I'm serving the Lord. No, the posture of humility says, you know what? I know what I am. I know I don't deserve anything. In fact, what I do deserve is to go to hell. But God has not only not given me that, He turned around and blessed me with all spiritual blessings in Christ. I can't believe it! Wow! And He did so in kindness. What is God's grace? Yes, it is unmerited favor towards those who deserve the opposite, but it's also His kindness in giving that favor. He does so kindly to a jerk like me. And so, humility is an attitude that has a proper perspective of self in relationship to Jesus Christ and in light of the grace of God towards us. You see, pride will ruin a ministry and it'll ruin a church if we don't keep the focus on Christ and the grace of God. You know, some pastors often have a pedestal problem. They either think they're on that pedestal, or if they're not thinking that way, others in the church try to put them on that pedestal. It's kind of human nature, unfortunately. But as a matter of fact, I want you to know, as a pastor to you, I'm also one of your brothers, and I'm a man of like nature, just like you. I'm fallible, I sin, I need the grace of God from day to day, just like you. And hopefully, just like you, I'm just here to seek to grow, not because I am the standard, per se. That's Jesus Christ. Though I am seeking by the grace of God to lead by example and set an example for the flock." Paul did say, be imitators or followers of me as I am of Jesus Christ. And I would only expect you to follow me if I am following Jesus Christ. And that's the posture of mind we need to have. That's what Paul wrote to these Romans, remember? When he was in Corinth, he sent that epistle overseas to Italy, to the Romans. And he says in chapter 12, verse 3, "'For by the grace given to me, I say to every one of you, do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.'" So it involves humility of mind. Notice what else it involves, according to verse 19, Paul's example anyway, it becomes an example for us, also involved many tears. Faithful, genuine ministry involves personal concern for others, and at times sorrow. Did Jesus Christ have sorrow? According to Isaiah, he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Why? Well, because he was often rejected, he often saw what people were turning down and how it would harm them. He cared for people. And frankly, we could have all the truth Memorized from the Word of God and all our doctrines straight, but if we don't have a heart for people, we've missed it. That's this whole point in 1 Corinthians 13 about love. Truth is important. It's essential. But if we have love, our truth isn't going to be effective. in fulfilling God's purposes. In fact, I don't think a minister who just has truth but doesn't have a heart for people has the right to even be a pastor. This ought to involve a personal concern. Genuine faithful ministry for Jesus Christ ought to flow. First of all, out of an agape love that is personally received by each of us as ministers, and then we become the vessel through which that is shown and demonstrated to others, so that we are sharing with others the love with which we have received and applied for ourself, all by faith. And Paul had a deep personal love and concern for all those whom he ministered to. At times it brought him to tears. Now why did he cry? Well, he was a weak man. You know why he cried according to the Bible and he had tears? Because he was concerned about the spiritual well-being of others. We're told in Romans 9 verses 1-3 and Romans 10-1 that his heart's desire and prayer to God for his fellow Israelites is that they would be saved. He even wished himself, if possible, to be accursed from Christ for them. So he had a love for the lost that brought him to tears. He had a burden for carnal believers according to 2 Corinthians 2-4. And he had a burden for false teachers who he knew would divide the church. Which is what he says in verse 31 of this chapter. Therefore watch and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day. How? With tears. It wasn't just the warning and the warning and the warning. It was with tears. Because he knew it was coming in Ephesus. We can learn a lot from this. Verse 19 also says, not only were there tears, but there were trials, which happened to him by the plotting of the Jews. They were always scheming to seek to kill Paul. And so, faithful ministry oftentimes involves or potentially involves perilous trials. You see, effective ministry will often activate opposition. from unbelievers, from Satan and demonikos. You know, Satan doesn't like us breaking into his sphere of influence and threatening his domain as he's got a hold on all these lost people and their mindset. This is his world system. And when we come in and we share the gospel, the power of God unto salvation, that stick of dynamite, we blow things up as far as the order he's trying to create. And he doesn't like that. In fact, you want to be a true rebel as far as the world is concerned? Follow Jesus Christ and preach Christ. And see what happens. Just like with Paul. You see, genuine and faithful service to Jesus Christ isn't for glamour seekers wishing to make a name for themselves, but rather for those willing to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. And even if your motives are misjudged, as you serve through adversity, just like Paul did, just like the Lord Jesus did, both of whom entrusted their reputation to God, who sees all things, especially the heart. The Apostle Paul wrote in his very last epistle, 2 Timothy 3.12, that great promise that we often like to claim as believers, right? 2 Timothy 3.12, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus shall Suffer persecution. Now when's the last time you claimed that promise? It's there for a reason. Going back to this passage though, Acts 20 goes on in his farewell discourse to the Ephesian elders. He says, how I kept back nothing that was helpful. Other translations, like the New American Standard, the Old King James, say profitable. It's legitimately translated that way. But proclaimed it to you and taught you publicly and from house to house. Remember, the early church met primarily in homes. In fact, there's no record historically of the early church owning its own building until about the mid third century, middle 200s. And testifying to Jews and Greeks, to all. Now, let me ask you, why would anyone hold back anything in ministry that would be profitable for others? You say, well, this is a no-brainer. Oh, no, it's not. You know as well as I do. Sometimes ministry involves telling the truth and being a friend. Faithful are the wounds of a friend. And you're no friend if you bite your tongue and don't speak the truth when it's needed. There are times where it is appropriate to bite your tongue and wait, pray for someone. Love does cover a multitude of sins. There's times where you need to speak up, too. And sometimes it will cost you. I am really glad for pastors who preach the Word of God in season and out of season, who follow Paul's prescription in 2 Timothy 4.2, who reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with all longsuffering and doctrine. All that is needed. But there's a need to preach the Word of God regardless of the ramifications, right? Why? Because the Word of God is true. And any pastor who gets up to lead a congregation should be someone who is fully convinced that this book we hold in our hand is the Word of God, It is true, it is trustworthy, it is sufficient, and it is life-transforming. And I'm personally convinced of that, dear saints, and I want you to be as well, to have that same conviction, so that as a church we can row together, be of one heart and one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel. And what we see here is that Paul's preaching involved what was profitable for others. Profitable preaching. And what was the expected response to all of this? Well, we're told in the passage in verse 21, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. You say, well, that must be two responses then, right? Two things. No, it's actually one. I won't get into the technicalities here, but let me just explain that when you have This is technically something called a TSKS construction. Don't tune out on me. Don't do a Uticus on me here. This is similar to something called a Granville Sharp construction in the Greek text. But you can prove this grammatically, that the repentance, literally in Greek, and the faith are separated by a word called chi, normally translated and. And when you have one definite article, the preceding repentance, a noun that has the same case gender and number, if you will, with the other noun, in this case, faith, in Greek, separated by chi, all that forms a TSKS construction. What does all that mean? What it means is that the repentance and the faith are inseparable from one another. You can't have one without the other. This is not like a two-step system of salvation. This is saying that When you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you have repented. When you have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you have had a change of mind. The repentance, metanoia, or change of mind is inseparable. from faith in Jesus Christ. Trust or reliance upon the right object, namely Jesus Christ, and a change of mind towards God. And sometimes that change of mind might involve things like, well, I didn't really believe I was a sinner before. Hence, I didn't really see my need to be saved. Now I do. I've had a change of mind. I didn't see that the work of Jesus Christ was sufficient before. Now I do. I had a change of mind. and that's why I put my trust in Jesus Christ alone." So he's not saying here, do two things, not repent from your sins, clean up your life, and then believe in Jesus and you'll go to heaven. No, he's saying when you believe in Christ, you have repented or changed your mind. So that's the response that he's looking for here. Now he also says in this passage going on, verse 22 through 24, And see, now I go bound in the Spirit to Jerusalem. And by the way, bound in the Spirit refers to Paul's human spirit, not the Holy Spirit, which I'll mention later, because Paul's body was not yet bound. It would be when he got to Jerusalem and he knew it. So his spirit is bound. He's being very picturesque here. It's as though my spirit's in chains already because I know what's coming. not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city saying that change and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me, nor do I count my life dear to myself, he says. So what does genuine faithful ministry involve? In Paul's case, it involved personal sacrifice. And that usually is the case in our Christian life as well. As we have been called not only to believe on Him, Philippians 1.29, but also to suffer for His sake. As we are identified in a practical way in our Christian life with Jesus Christ, you know what happens? We end up fellowshipping with His sufferings, Philippians 3 says. And you know what's sandwiched in between Philippians 1 and 3? The mind of Christ, Philippians 2. Was Paul motivated by the mind of Christ towards others? Was he like a masochist? Did he want all this brought on himself? No, no. This was for others' sake. He was willing to have his life poured out as a drink offering for others on the sacrifice and service of their faith. And in so doing, he had the mind of Jesus Christ towards them. You see, the goal of genuine faithful ministry must not be self-preservation, for none of us is indispensable, including us as your pastors here at this church. But going on, he also says, verse 24, what was the outcome of all this, or this mindset of sacrifice? It was so that I may finish my race with joy and the ministry which I have received from the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul was looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of his faith. and was able to endure in the race as a result. And the Lord wants us to persevere, dear saints. You see, the goal of the Christian life is not merely to become a child of God, but to grow. It's not merely to be put on the track and run the race, it's actually to finish the race. And if we do, looking unto Jesus, enabled by his grace, filled with the Holy Spirit, the outflow, will be good works that are pleasing to him until the end and we will get a reward. That's what he underscores. And we know that if it's Jesus Christ beating in our heart, causing us to have the fruit of the Spirit. We can run the race not merely enduring, gritting it out, that's not our mentality, but we actually find joy as we go along and go through the trials and the sufferings that we face. What is the fruit of the Spirit? Love, joy, peace, etc. And right there in Acts 20, 24, Paul says, I want to finish my race, but not merely finish it. I want to have joy in the process. And the Christian life is truly joyful when we follow Jesus Christ, his way, and he's glorified. Now, the last thing we see in verse 24 is a particular purpose. Paul had of testifying as a witness to the gospel. Notice verse 24, he says in an infinitive statement stating reason or purpose, to testify about what? To the gospel of the grace of God. And that word for testify is the root word martyr, which means a witness and oftentimes with one's own life, but also it's in a heightened form. The preposition D is attached to it. And so it speaks of solemnly testifying. In other words, this was a message of such great importance that I'm going to use a unique word here, and that message was the gospel of the grace of God. Do you know that verse 24 is the only time that that phrase, gospel of the grace of God, occurs in the entire Bible? Gospels described as the gospel of Christ, the gospel of peace. My gospel, Paul says, only here is it called the gospel of the grace of God. Because grace is what characterizes this message. It is a message about God's riches at Jesus Christ's expense that he willingly gave to us, 2 Corinthians 8, 9 says. And this is foreign to our thinking. It's not how we typically think as human beings, but it is an amazing message, and it's all about Jesus Christ and what he has lovingly, willingly done for us. You know, oftentimes we think in our human nature, I have sinned so badly so often, how could I go to heaven? Or perhaps in our thinking, in our pride, we think, my sins really aren't that bad. Why wouldn't God let me into His heaven? Oftentimes that's the case as well. The good news of the Gospel of Grace is that all of our sin was placed on Jesus Christ, God's Son and substitute. He died for our sins. 1 Corinthians 15 says He died in our place because the wages of sin that we deserved is death, and they were paid in full by Jesus Christ. So our works can't save us. because he did it all and he raised his son from the dead the third day, 1 Corinthians 15, 3 and 4. But oftentimes Satan through religion comes along and seeks to confuse this issue, blind our minds to the truth and say, yeah, Jesus has something to do with it, let's throw him in the mix. But you still got to hold up your end of the bargain, you're 10%. And the Bible says, oh no, it's 100% Jesus. That is the gospel of God's grace. In fact, the mind of the average person in our world says you gotta have works in there somewhere, yet Romans 4, 5 says it's not doing works. Titus 3, 5 says the same. Some say, oh well, now you gotta add Jesus to the mix so it's Christ plus our works. And of course, scripture excludes that as well. It has to be Jesus Christ and him alone. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, not your own works or church or rituals, and you shall be saved. It's faith in Christ alone that saves. And when you understand that, you can see why. The good news that God has for you is that he's not asking you to clean up your act. He's not asking you to tip the scales, to get your good works to outweigh your sins. He says it's all taken care of. Would you simply trust my son? And if you do, you will receive the unmerited undeserved favor and kindness from me to you in the gift of eternal life. Have you received that today? That's what he wants. That's what Paul was solemnly preaching everywhere he went. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word today and for these rich truths and the example of Paul that he has left behind for us to follow and learn from. We pray by your grace that we would do that very thing. And we pray this in your son's name and for his sake. Amen.