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Reading Acts 20:22-27 where the Apostle Paul presents himself to the Ephesian elders as an example to follow as teachers. Visit wwutt.com for all our videos!
The Apostle Paul was not ashamed of any part of the Word of God, certainly not the Gospel, and not anything else in the Word of Christ, rightly handling the Word of Truth. And may we do the same when we understand the text.
You're listening to When We Understand the Text, committed to the sound teaching of the Word of God. Find videos and more at our website, www .utt .com. Now here's our host, Pastor Gabe Hughes.
Thank you, Becky. Well, as you might be able to tell, I'm playing catch-up again this week, having not prepared anything for this week prior to heading to the G3 Conference in Atlanta. We made a last-minute decision on our return trip that didn't get us home until late Sunday night, and I just didn't have the energy to then record the podcast.
So I think what I'm going to do to get back to even, I'm going to record 10 minutes for Monday and 10 minutes for Tuesday. You can listen to those back-to-back as a regular 20-minute devotional if you like, and then I'll do the full 20 minutes on Wednesday.
Fair enough? So we're back in Acts 20, and this is Paul's address to the Ephesian elders. I'll begin by reading once again in verse 17. Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church to come to him.
And when they came, he said to them,. And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.
But I do not account my life of any value, nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I receive from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again.
Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
I know that after my departure, fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock, and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things to draw away the disciples after them.
Therefore, be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease, night or day, to admonish everyone with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things, I have shown you that by working hard in this way, we must help the weak and remember the words of our Lord Jesus, how he himself said it is more blessed to give than to receive.
And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And there was much weeping on the part of all. And they embraced Paul and kissed him. Being most sorrowful because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again and they accompanied him to the ship.
So very briefly, let me go back over once again, the basic outline that Paul's message follows here. First of all, he holds out his own ministry as an example to these Ephesian elders. That's what we looked at last week, and that was verses 18 through 21.
What we're looking at today is verses 22 through 27, where Paul speaks of where the spirit is leading him to next, but still encourages these elders not to lose heart, for he will continue to preach with boldness just as they had witnessed him doing.
The third part is verses 28 through 31, where he warned of heresy and even that false teachers would arise from among themselves. And then finally, he encourages a proper attitude toward how we consider the things that we possess in this world and even to work hard with their hands and give to those who are in need.
So we come again to verse 22 today, where Paul says here, now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem constrained by the spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there. And I mentioned that back in Acts chapter 19, Paul had been told by the spirit that he was going to be going back to Jerusalem.
But look here at verse 23, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. If you remember back to Paul's conversion story in Acts chapter 9, the Lord said to Ananias, he was sending Ananias to go and baptize Paul.
And he said, go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel, for I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name. So even there, God was saying to Ananias, Paul is going to suffer for my name.
And here Paul is saying that the Holy Spirit testifies to him in every city. God had said this at the beginning of his conversion. And the Holy Spirit continues to remind Paul that imprisonment and afflictions await him.
And indeed, if you know the story, when Paul made it to Jerusalem, he was imprisoned and afflicted. So verse 24, but I do not account my life of any value, nor is precious to myself. Paul is not trying to save himself.
He is already saved. He is saved by the grace of God through the hearing of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. So there's no need for Paul to consider his life as needing saved. He is saved, sealed by the Holy Spirit, by faith in Jesus, having heard the gospel and now a proclaimer of the gospel.
So his concern now is with those who are not saved. And my friends, may we follow that example. For Jesus himself said in Luke chapter 9, I begin reading here in verse 23, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever would save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, of him will the son of man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the father and of the holy angels.
So here Paul likewise says, I do not account my life of any value, nor is precious to myself. If only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, who remember, gave his life for us.
As he said in the book of Mark, the son of man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. And following the example of his Lord Christ, Paul gives his life so that others may be saved.
Not that Paul has the ability to save others, but it is through the hearing of the gospel. He gives his life to that cause, to proclaim the gospel so that others may be saved. To testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
And that is the gospel, the good news of God's grace toward us. For we were all sinners who had gone astray, everyone to his own way. And the Lord has laid upon Christ the iniquity of us all. As it says in Isaiah 53, Jesus took our sin upon himself.
He took the wrath of God upon himself when he died for our sins on the cross, so that anyone who believes in him will not perish under the judgment of God that is burning against all unrighteousness of man.
But we have been atoned for by the giving of that blood, that atoning sacrifice. And the way that God has chosen to transmit all of the wonderful measure and blessings of his grace, he's chosen faith.
That we would have faith in Jesus and now we are saved. And it is by faith that we now enjoy the grace of God. And Paul goes on here, verse 25, and now behold, I know that none of you, none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again.
Among these guys here are those very disciples that Paul called to him and gave them the gospel and baptized them. And they went about for three years throughout Ephesus and Asia Minor preaching the gospel.
Some of those very men are right here as Paul is addressing them, saying, we'll not see each other face to face again on this side of heaven. And so, therefore, verse 26, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.
This is the watchman metaphor once again in Ezekiel 33, and we've seen Paul reference this before. The Lord says there, if I bring the sword upon a land and the people of the land take a man from among them and make him their watchman.
And if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning. His blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken a warning, he would have saved his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet so that the people are not warned and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity.
But his blood I will require at the watchman's hand. May we be so devoted to the full counsel of God, sharing the gospel with others that they may hear and believe, and that we devote ourselves to the whole word of Christ so that we may be approved workmen who have no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for what we've read today, and may we be bold with the gospel, sharing it with others, growing in our knowledge of these things so that we may be conformed to the image of the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Sanctify us in your truth. Your word is truth. Let us not be ashamed of it. Any part of it, but teach us to handle it rightly. For the day of trouble is near, and the judgment of God is coming. We pray and ask these things in Jesus' name, Amen.
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Join us again tomorrow as we continue our Bible study, When We Understand the Text.