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Back to the Bible Podcast
Episode 125: Acts 20:17-38
00:30:02
In this episode, we consider Paul's departing words to the Ephesian elders.
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Back to the Bible. Let it be our plea, God's Word alone, our authority, every word, every step in the name of Christ. Back to the Bible for the way of life. Welcome to this period of Bible study. We are delighted always to have the opportunity to share with you in a consideration of God's Word. And we hope that you find that the time that you spend with us during this period of Bible study to be profitable and we make it our aim. We have called the program Back to the Bible because it is certainly our desire to do just that, to go back to the Bible for what we believe, what we teach, for how we act, for how. And we hope that in this period of Bible study that you will be able to hear God's truth from His Word. There is, as best we can, know, no other way to find what God has to say to us. There are lots of people who claim authority. There are lots of people who claim continuing revelation. But the only thing that we have that has been revealed and confirmed in a way that we can reliably know what God has had to say to us is through the Bible. And so we make it our aim to go back to the Bible for it all. It may be that in our lessons that you have questions or comments about what we have said and that you would like for those to be addressed, that you would like to have answers to questions that you have. We would love to do our best to try to answer those with Bible answers. We are obviously limited, we're human beings. But if you have questions and we can find the Bible answers, then we would like to share those with you. And if we can't find the Bible answer, we want to investigate and study until we can come to some conclusion from God's Word. You can reach out to us through our website, backtothebiblepodcast.com backtothebiblepodcast.Com at that site you will find not only our episodes of each program, but you will also find contact forms to be able to reach out to us. You will find more information about the program and about what we're trying to do. There are extra resources, books that have been made available, and we're working to add even more to that if possible. And in addition to that, we have archived programs from my grandfather when he was the primary teacher on the Back to the Bible program and before he passed away, lessons from him. And it's just a sampling of the decades of work that he did in preaching and teaching. And you will find benefit in listening to those. So you can reach out to us and find more@backtothebiblepodcast.com if there's something there and you have a question about it or if you hear us say something in our program, we would love to try to address that. Of course, also, if you are looking for a group of people to meet with a congregation, a church that is going to be interested in going back to the Bible, we want to help point you in that right direction. Alright. So our study today comes from Acts chapter 20, beginning at about verse 17. So we have been looking at Paul's missionary journey, and this is what we have called his third missionary journey. It is very possible that there were other preaching things that he did along the way, but these are the ones that we have recorded for us. The first missionary journey was primarily in Galatia, what is today modern Turkey, in the southern central part of that country. And he went to the island of Cyprus first and then made his way to the southern coast and then up through Galatia, kind of doubled back through some of those cities, came down back to the coast and sailed back to Antioch. His second missionary journey would primarily be spent in Corinth. He will spend about 18 months in Corinth on that second missionary journey. Now, to be sure, he will do work in other places as well. He will start out going back through Syria and Cilicia and Galatia, encouraging those churches. And then he will make his way over to the coast of the Aegean Sea. And then he will get the Voice in chapter 16, the vision to go and to help the Macedonians, and so they'll go. And so when we read in chapter 16, 17, 18, his work in Philippi and in Thessalonica and in Athens, and then in chapter 18 in Corinth, that is all his second missionary journey. Now at the end of 18 and beginning of 19, he is making his way back to Jerusalem, and then he's going to come back to Ephesus at the beginning of 19, and he will spend, as far as we can tell, about three years there. So as far as we have recorded on his missionary journeys, he spends longer at Ephesus and than he does anywhere else. Now, of course, Antioch would have been the home congregation, that would have been the church from which he had been sent out and would go back to. So he had more time there at Antioch. But as far as congregations on his missionary journeys, the one that we have recorded anyway, that he spent the longest with was the church at Ephesus. Now Acts 19 will tell us that while he's at Ephesus, the text says that all Asia heard the word. Now, of course, that's talking about Asia Minor, which would be the western portion of what is today the nation of Turkey. Now we come to chapter 20. Because Paul had left Ephesus, had made his way over to Macedonia and Achaia. It seems as though he went to the city of Corinth, and. And now he's making his way back, and he's going north through Corinth and making his way over then eastward to Turkey, and he's going to go back to Jerusalem. Now, the writer of the book of Acts, Luke, is with him, and this is how he records it, beginning in verse 17. But we, going ahead to the ship, set sail for Issos, intending from there to take Paul on board. For so he had arranged it, intending himself to go by land. And when he met us at Hossos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene. And from there we arrived the following day opposite Chios. And the next day we crossed over to Samos. And the day following 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 in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. Let me just pause there for a moment and say a couple of things. One, a good Bible map wouldn't come in handy here because you would be able to trace the cities that Paul is going through on his way back to Jerusalem. But I also want you to note here that he is going around the coast and he's specifically not going to Ephesus. Now, I take it to be that the idea so that he doesn't have to spend time there is because if he goes to Ephesus, the connections that he has there are going to occupy him to an extent that he's not going to be able to get out and go back to Jerusalem. Now he is trying. He is in a hurry to get back to Jerusalem. I think that that is interesting, given that back up at the early part of Acts 20, he spends seven days in Troas, and he spends those seven days and then leaves immediately on Monday morning, because on the first day of the week they gathered together to break bread. I think that what we should see there is Paul's intention to be with them when they broke bread. And yet we should also see that he is in a hurry. And that combined together shows us that there is something significant about that first day of the week gathering. Now he's going to call verse 17 from Miletus, he's going to send to Ephesus and call to him the elders of the church. What happens here is that while Paul does not have the time to go and spend time with the group, that doesn't mean he's not concerned about the congregation. And so what he's going to do is he's going to meet with the elders of the church. These are going to be the pastors. They are the shepherds. They are the overseers of the Ephesus congregation. And he is going to verse 18, call them to himself. They are going to come to him, and he is going to speak to them. Now, there's a lot of content in this talk to the Ephesian elders that we need to hear closely, because Paul is thinking that he's not going to see them again. And so, with that in mind, what would Paul say to a local congregation that he believes is doing right? What would he believe that he needed to say to them? What would the Holy Spirit inspire Luke to write down with regards to what he said to that congregation? Listen to Paul here in verse 18. You yourselves know from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews. How I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that chains and afflictions await me. But I do not make my life of any account nor dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I receive from the Lord Jesus to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that all of you among whom I went about preaching the kingdom will no longer see my face. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. Be on guard for yourselves and for 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. I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. And from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be watchful. Remembering that night and day for a period of three years. I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace. Which is able to build you up and give you the inheritance. Among all who have been sanctified. I have coveted no one silver or gold or clothes. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to those who were with me in everything I showed you. That by laboring in this manner you must help the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus. That he himself said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. So Paul begins to speak to them in verse 18. And he says that he had been with them for three years, warning them. Now, I think as we look through this text, I think you will see three divisions in the speech. Verse 22. And now. Then you'll have verse 25. And now. And then verse 32. And now. Now the first section before verse 22. Paul is saying there that they knew the dedication with which he had served them in those years together. That through the whole time he was humble, he was diligent, and he was persecuted by the Jews. But that verse 20, he did not shrink back from his preaching and his teaching while he was there. And so he reminds them of his sacrifice and his boldness to teach them everything that they needed to hear. He was calling people to break off their commitment to sin and to idolatry and to give their allegiance to Jesus the King. And we see the response of that in chapter 19. He was solemnly testifying both to Jews and Greeks about repentance and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. That is, that they would turn away from sin and self and Satan. And that they would give their allegiance, give their loyalty, be faithful to Jesus Christ the ruler, Jesus the King. And now, verse 22. In this first division, Paul says, I'm leaving for Jerusalem. And I don't know what's going to happen now. He says that the Holy Spirit has warned him all the way along that he is going to face trials and suffering there. But Paul doesn't think of his life as worth saving if he thinks he can have an opportunity to serve as a witness to the good news of God's gift. I want you to hear that. That Paul is saying. I am going with the knowledge that suffering is waiting. Because my purpose is to testify to Jesus Christ. In verse 15 of chapter 9. This is at Paul's conversion. You have him on the road to Damascus and then he goes into the city. And you remember that the Lord spoke to Ananias and said that he needed to go find Saul. And Ananias said, you remember this is the Saul that was imprisoning people and even putting them to death. And in verse 15, the Lord said to him, go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to bear my name before the Gentiles and, and kings and the sons of Israel, for I will show him how much he must suffer for my name. So what Paul is saying here in Acts chapter 20 echoes what God had called him to do all the way back at the beginning, that he is going to suffer for his name. But Paul says in verse 24, I don't count my life dear to myself because he says, I want to finish my course. I want to do the service that I received from Jesus so that he could testify solemnly of the Gospel of the grace of God. So then in verse 25, and now, so let's follow the track, Paul says in the first little section there, I was bold and persecuted while I was with you, but. But I called you to repentance and faithfulness to Jesus Christ the King. And now he says, I'm headed to Jerusalem, ready for whatever it's going to cost because of my work in service to the Lord. Then we come to verse 25. And now Paul continued, he knew he wasn't going to have an opportunity to see them again. Now he's saying there, I know you're not going to see my face. That is, he's not going to be with them. They're not going to have an opportunity to reach out to him easily. He's not going to be able to come and check on them. He will perhaps see them again, but he's operating under the assumption that that's no guarantee. And so he had worked with them, not avoiding anything that they needed. For from the whole counsel of God, he had gone through everything in order that they would know all that God expected of them. And that is the call that Paul makes to them, that they don't have any excuse not to be doing right. He is innocent of their blood. That means he doesn't have any of that weight on him because. Because he has told them the truth. I want to think for just a moment from an Old Testament passage of Ezekiel in the book of Ezekiel, Ezekiel has to say some harsh things to the people of Israel and Judah. And when I say harsh, I don't mean that he is just Being mean, I mean that he has to tell them the truth. And In Ezekiel chapter 3 and verse 17, the Lord speaks to Ezekiel and says, son of man, I have given you as a watchman to the house of Israel, so you will hear a word from my mouth, and you shall warn them from me when I say to the wicked, you shall surely die. And you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live. That wicked man shall die in his iniquity. But his blood I will require at your hand. Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity. But you have delivered yourself. Again. When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered. But. But his blood I will require at your hand. However, if you have warned the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning and you have delivered yourself. Do you hear what the Lord is saying to Ezekiel? Ezekiel, it's your responsibility to go and tell them what they need to know, what they need to do. If they listen, you have saved them and you've saved yourself. But if you don't tell them, if they are lost, they are still lost, but you will be lost too. It doesn't take any of the weight off of them, especially in these situations where these people ought to have known better. But now Ezekiel is supposed to come with a warning. He is the one watchmen on the wall. He is to prepare them for what's coming. And if they don't listen and he has warned them, then they will still face judgment. But he will not. But here's the problem. If Ezekiel doesn't tell them what they need to know, then the text tells us that the blood is on him. He is guilty. Now, what Paul is saying here in Acts chapter 20 is that's not the case in this situation. Over in Ezekiel chapter 33, 4, then he who hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, but he did not take warning. His blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have escaped with his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned. And a sword comes and takes away a person from them. He is taken away in his iniquity. But his blood I will require from the watchman's hand. Do you see the language that's being used there in the book of Ezekiel? That is the same language that Paul is using in the Book of Acts to say, I have given you the warning. I have called you to repentance. I have called you to faithfulness. And so you need to understand that I didn't shrink back from it. I told you what you needed to know. And. And your blood is not on my hands. Your blood is not on my hands. Now you come back now to verse 28. He says, since all of that is true, be on guard. Be on guard for yourselves and for 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. I know that after departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. And from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them. So Paul is saying that there are false teachers that are coming. In fact, he says there would be some that would come even from among their own selves. Now, I want you to notice this. Paul says you are to be on guard for all the flock because God has made you the overseers. Maybe we would think of overseer as something like superintendent. They are the ones who are the supervisors of the local congregation at Ephesus. I want you to also notice that he refers to them as overseers. We know that they are the elders. And in addition to that, he says that they are to shepherd, they are to pastor the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. Now he's saying that they need to purchase shepherd the church of God among them. He says that in verse 28, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. I want you to see elders, overseers and shepherds. Sometimes those words, especially in the old King James, are translated as bishop and presbyter and pastor. Those words all refer to the same office. And that office, elders and pastors and shepherds and presbyters and bishops and overseers. All of those words are parallel. Obviously, they are emphasizing different aspects of an elder's work. But, for example, I am not an elder at the local congregation, where I am, which means I'm not the pastor, which means I'm not the overseer or the superintendent. Now, I do have the work of preaching and teaching, and I am watching out for things, but I'm not the overseer. I'm not the one who is responsible for the group in the same way that elders are. Now I will be in this situation. I am not like the apostle Paul. I'm not an apostle. But I will be tried for the degree to which I tell the truth and for the extent to which I preach the whole counsel of God. But I'm not the elder. I'm not the overseer. And we always see them in a multiple. And so sometimes people call me the pastor. I'm not the pastor, I'm not the shepherd. I am an evangelist. I'm a Bible teacher and I'm a preacher. And all of those things. Now, they needed to be remembering Paul's instructions. And they needed to be remembering it that he had preached it with passion, that he had had tears with them night and day intensity. And so he concludes there in verse 32. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace. The idea is that he is handing them over. He is entrusting them to God and his Word of his gift and of his favor. The idea here is that what Paul is doing is he is entrusting them that if they will love God and if they will listen to his Word, then that is the thing that could build them up and give them the hope of the Holy. Now he wants them to remember he wasn't in it for the money, but he worked to provide for himself and his partners. And they needed to learn from his work and from Jesus. Words. Now, these words that are written here are not recorded in the Gospel accounts. But he wants them to know that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Now we come to the end there in verse 36. When he had said these words, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And they began to weep aloud. And falling on Paul's neck, they were kissing him, being in agony, especially over the word which he had spoken that they would not see his face again. And they were accompanying him to the ship. He knelt down and he prayed. They were heartbroken at the idea that they would never see him again. And then they walked Paul to the ship. Now their farewell is so emotional because they owed Paul so much. He had come, he had taught them the truth. He had not shrunk back. He had been ready to face trial and persecution for their sakes. And now he was leaving with the confidence that he could face death with Christ as king. And whatever was coming, he was not afraid of it. Because he was ready to testify that Jesus was the Lord and the Christ. What courage, what faithfulness. And we need to model that in our own day of faithfulness to the word of God. We indeed want to go back to the Bible for it all. Until next time, we bid you a pleasant good day. Back to the Bible. Let it be our plea. God's word alone, our authority, every word, every step in the name of Christ. Back to the Bible for the way of life.