 With that said, we're going to be looking today at Acts chapter 20. We're going to be going from verse 17 concluding at the verse 38, the last verse found in chapter 20, and this is Paul's goodbye to the Ephesian elders. And so let's begin reading together. And I'll just read verse 17, lay the foundation, remind you of a few things, and then get into our study. We'll be looking at verses 17 through 38 though as we go through this particular study of Paul's final goodbye to the Ephesian elders. It says in verse 17, from myeletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. So Paul is on his way to celebrate Pentecost in the city of Jerusalem, and he had begun his journey from the northern north-western coast of what is today modern Turkey in a place called Troas, and he's been traveling south. And we saw that in his journey south that he had stopped in a place called Ossus, and Middle-Een, and Chios, and Samos, and he has come now to a place called Myeletus. Now Myeletus was located on the central coast of Turkey. It's situated about 20, rather 35 miles south of the city of Ephesus. Now he desired to be in Jerusalem for Pentecost, and because of that he had bypassed the city of Ephesus, and yet he still has ministry that he wants to perform, and so he wants to spend time, as we'll see, with the elders from the church of Ephesus. So notice how it says in verse 17 from Myeletus, he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. And so Paul is summoning these elders, and the elders would have been the spiritual leaders of local congregations. And that was his ministry method. We've already seen it as we've been going through Acts. He would plant a church where he'd train elders. In Acts 14 I'll give you an example. Verse 23 it says, when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. So his ministry was to plant churches and develop leadership very often. That's what had happened in the church of Ephesus. Now Paul knew that this would be the last time that he was going to see these men. So as their leader and as their pastor, this is really his final goodbye. So what would be his last message to these men? What would he say knowing that he would never see them face to face? Again, Paul knew that he wasn't going to be able to mentor them any longer. And so he's beginning to speak to them. Again, this is a ministry to church elders. This is a passage of Scripture that I've taught on a few occasions to elders in churches. There are things here that are things that we as leaders in the church should be aware of. And I'm going to speak in the way that I would ordinarily in some way speak to pastors and elders. I'm going to speak that way to you. But I'm also praying that the Lord will give me opportunity or at least wisdom to be able to make it practical for those of us who are believers who are learning things concerning the Lord and the way that God moves in the church. And so Paul is going to speak to these men because he's no longer going to see them. He's not going to be able to mentor them any longer. And he's breaking ministry down. And what I've done is I have broken into four essentials, the things that he has to say. And I'll point those out as we go through this. And so first he's going to point to the conduct of a minister. And he does so in verse 18 following. It says in verse 18, when they had 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. It begins with the conduct of the minister. How should pastors and leaders conduct themselves in the church and in the world? You see, leadership is often thought of in terms of position or certain responsibilities, but spiritual leadership is different. We view it in terms of people, not positions. We view it in terms of relationships, not responsibilities. And the goal of spiritual leadership is encouraging believers into spiritual maturity. When Paul was later to write to the church of Ephesus, these elders would be receiving this letter when he would write to the church of Ephesus. He said in Ephesians 4, 13 through 15, he said, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead he says, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head that is Christ. And so what does he have to say? What is he sharing with them about spiritual leadership? Well, in order to begin sharing with them about leadership in the body of Christ, notice how he uses himself as a pattern, which is again how I refer to it as the conduct of a minister. Notice again in verse 18, it says, when they had 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. So he speaks of a consistent Christ-centered life. He says that this is how I have lived amongst you. I've consistently lived in a certain way, which means that Paul didn't wear an apostle mask when he was with people and then the just ordinary guy mask when he wasn't ministering. Paul was consistently aware of who he was and Paul was constantly aware of those whom he served. And he was very careful in the way that he lived. He wanted to make sure that he would have a way of always having a word to share with them, to encourage them in their walks with God. When he wrote to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 3, he said it like this. He said, we give no offense in anything that our ministry may not be blamed. So Paul lived a consistent life. He says, you know from the first day that I came to Asia, how I always lived amongst you, what manner I always lived. You know the consistency of my life. Why? Why do you need consistency? Because consistency establishes credibility. Because in your consistency, you actually earn the respect of those whom you serve. Paul was a living epistle. And because he was consistent, he could encourage people to use him as an example. In Philippians 4 verse 9, he had written to them the things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me these do. And the God of peace will be with you. In 1 Corinthians 11 verse 1, he said, imitate me just as I also imitate Christ. So he said, I lived in a certain way in front of you from the very first day. And this is something I consistently did. I always lived in this way in front of you. You see, people learn to express their faith by watching other Christians as they serve him. It's been said, don't practice what you preach. Preach what you practice. And so his life was one of consistency. And so that is how people can watch and they can learn when we share about the Lord and how we live. Well, sometimes they may not know exactly what that looks like. And so when we live in a consistent pattern following the things of the Lord, people have an obvious example before them and it helps them. So godly lives are modeled and sincere Christians learn how to live in part by seeing how others live. And that's why Paul would tell a young man named Timothy to be an example. I had the opportunity recently, my wife and I, to have a lunch with a young pastor. He's 33 years old. He and his wife. And as an older man, he and I, you know, he wanted to have, you know, be together with us and to talk and to share and all of that. And that's part of what I was sharing with him. I was sharing with him as we're having lunch. I was sharing with him that it's important for you as a young man to earn the respect of those that you teach. I shared with him that I was 23 years old when I began to teach the Bible and my first Bible, quote unquote, students included my parents. And I said, how does a 23 year old man who came freshly out of a life of sin, you know, a life that was known for anything but Christ, how does that man inform and encourage and teach his own father? How does that happen? And I said it happens by being a consistent example of a believer because you earn the respect of the one that you're wanting to minister to. And so I was sharing with this young man, live in such a way that people can respect you. And you can, in that way, you can minister to them because they see that you're sincere. Now, when Paul was writing to a young man named Timothy, who was less than 40 years of age, who became the pastor of the church of Ephesus, when he wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4 verse 12, he said it like this. He said, let no one despise your youth, be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity. Be an example, be a living epistle, be a letter that is known and read by these people. You see, Paul had a living faith that he could, that he had, that he could encourage others to have. So as you live for Christ, you will establish credibility and you can become a model of a Christian. And so he says, you know from the first day that I came to Asia, when I first came to where you're at, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord, verse 19, with all humility, with many tears and trials, which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews. So he's reminding them that service is not simply to men, but it begins with the Lord. Notice in verse 19, serving the Lord. Christian service is not primarily man-centered. Christian service is God-centered. What we do is we love God with all our hearts. We love our neighbors as ourselves, but it begins with loving God. In Acts 13, verse two, it says, as they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, now separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Separate to me. So service begins with the Lord and it extends to people. And he describes how he served the Lord. Notice with all humility, many tears and trials, with all humility. Paul didn't Lord it over the people. Paul had a humble and a gentle heart. And that was an example to the people. They said, this is a humble man. He had visions. He had seen many things. He had done many things. He had ministered for a long time. He could have had an arrogance about him, an experience that could actually have produced a kind of a lording and over mentality. He could have had that, but he didn't. He said, I served you with humility, but not only that. I want you to see this. He said, I also served you with humility, tears and trials. This was a time when men would not show tears because men showing tears was really humiliating. And it was simply an unmanly thing to do for a man to show tears and weakness. You know, just last night, I was watching the news, and one of the news commentators mocked any man, he said, who shows tears. It was just a wrong thing to do. It's not something men are to do. And Paul said, even in face of a culture that rejects a man showing emotion, I showed it before you. My heart was open before you. I revealed myself to you, and you saw this with the humility that was required to actually show tears to you in a time when Stoics and others like that said, no, you never show what's inside. You never expose the hand. You never do that. You keep it to yourself. Don't cry. Don't show emotion. Don't do that. Paul said, no, I did that. In 2 Corinthians 2, verse 4, he said, I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart. And he says with many tears, not to grieve you, but to let you know the depth of my love for you. I was aware of how it could appear, but I opened my heart nonetheless, and I showed you that it's okay for a man to have emotions that are deep and to be exposed before you. As an example, you are elders. You need to be touched by the infirmities of the ones that you minister to. And if Jesus Christ wept for our cities as well as individuals, you ought to have a heart that is known for the compassionate love and concern for others. That's what ministers are supposed to do. Somebody once teased me because on occasion may show emotion like every week and said, basically, I don't know why this guy cries in the pulpit. It was at a pastor's conference, and pastors were saying that, and it came back to me. So I shot him. And my response has always been the same. You don't know why I cry. I don't know why you don't. I don't know why you don't. Because a true minister, Paul, who is a very strong man, and you'll see more of that in a moment, said, I was with you with humility. I was with you with tears and afflictions and trials. You know this about me. You see, they were aware of the things he had endured at the hands of unbelieving Jews. And from the beginning of his walk with the Lord, Paul had been persecuted and especially by those who were Jewish. In Acts 9.29, it says he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews, but they were attempting to put him to death. Acts 13, verse 50, the Jews incited the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their district. Acts 14, verse 5, an attempt was made by both Gentiles and the Jews with their rulers to mistreat and to stone them. Acts 14.19, Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. Acts 18, verse 12, while Galio was proconsol of Ikea, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat. You're aware of the various things that I've gone through. It says in verse 21, 20, rather, I kept back nothing that was helpful, proclaimed it to you, taught you publicly from house to house, testify to Jews and also to Greek repentance toward God, faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. So the things that I have endured, the things that I've gone through is an example. They are an example for what you should be prepared for. Again, in 2 Timothy in chapter 3, verse 12, he said, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. And so he's sharing with them not only what he's gone through, but as a model. This is what you should use as your model and be aware of it. Serve the Lord with humility. Be open and do so with many tears and realize that there are trials which will happen to you even as they happen to me by those who are adversaries of the gospel. But in spite of that, verse 20, he said, I kept nothing back. But that was, he said, that which was helpful, he proclaimed to them. So he did not hold back from them what was important for them to have. He faithfully and he diligently gave them whatever would strengthen them in the Lord. Now, what was the most helpful thing that he shared with them? Verse 21, testifying to Jews and also to Greeks repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. What is the most important thing? Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord. This is what he did for them. And this is what they were to do for others. They were to keep the simple message simple. They were supposed to speak the things that were basic. They were supposed to know what was, what the Word of God says and in giving them a thorough study, and we'll see this in a moment, they would be doing the right kind of thing. And that's why he spoke of repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And that was the center of his message. And so as he says that, verse 22, 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. I go bound in the Spirit. I'm impaled by the Holy Spirit to go to Jerusalem. In chapter 19, verse 21, that verse reveals that Paul purposed in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. This is something he knew the Spirit was leading him to do. But as he says in verse 22, he did not know the things that would happen to him there. But one thing he did know, verse 23, the Holy Spirit testifies in every city saying that chains and tribulations await me. He was getting words, prophetic words as he was ministering and preparation that you are going to go through jail, chains, and you're going to go through affliction. This is what's going to happen. One thing I know, so God was preparing him and he's willing to do whatever it takes. And as he's sharing about that and has spoken concerning himself as a man, he's also going to now commit them because he wants to show them the commitment of a minister. The one thing I know, chains and tribulations await me. And God had worked in his life to prepare him to be willing to do whatever it would take. He's committed. Notice verse 24, 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. None of these things move me. Paul knew that he would greatly suffer. He already had been prepared all the way from when he first came to faith in Christ and God had told a man by the name of Ananias to pray for him. It's found in Acts chapter nine. And when Ananias was being instructed by the Lord, God had said to him that Paul, this man will suffer many things for my name's sake. And Paul knew that. Paul knew that he would go through various things, painful things, trials of affliction. He knew all of that and he said, none of this moves me. None of this is going to keep me from doing that, which I need to do. Why is that? Because it's so important that people hear the gospel and are saved. Next week or so we're going to be looking into chapter 21. Notice what he says in verse 13 when they're telling him that they're concerned about him. He says, what do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to go not only to be bound but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of our Lord Jesus. Why are you trying to stop me? Why are you breaking my heart with your tears? You need to know I'm willing to do whatever God has called me to do. And that's why in verse 24 he says, none of these things move me. My heart is to see people saved. I want people to know the Lord. That's why I go, he's saying, from place to place. And elders, you need to be willing to do the same. You need to be willing to go through whatever you need to go through in obedience to Christ because a message in people is that important. He says in verse 24, I want to finish my race with joy and the ministry, he says, that I have received. I want to do this with faithfulness. So that gives us insight into the knowledge that Paul had of his time coming to an end. And his desire and commitment is to finish faithfully. And he wants to do so with joy, with the joy of salvation. You see, he received ministry and he wants to be faithful to the end of it. In 2 Timothy 4, 7, and 8, he said it like this, he said, I fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I've kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day. And not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. I have fought the good fight, finished the race, kept the faith. That's the heart of not only a minister, that's the heart of a believer. You're in the fight. You're going to finish it and you're going to receive that crown. And he said, that's where my commitment is. And elders, you know that I have gone through pain. You know that the chains and tribulation are awaiting me. And he said, and I'm willing to embrace that, which is necessary for me to be faithful to the end. He says now in verse 25, and indeed now I know that you all among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God will see my face no more. And therefore I testify to you this day that I'm innocent of the blood of all men, for I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. My work in this area is complete. I don't anticipate seeing you ever again. And as far as I can see, this is my last goodbye to you. And I want you to know that I've been an example of giving my all to serving the Lord. I've done this as an example, and you men, you need to do the same. And because of that, verse 26, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. You see, Paul had received the ministry of evangelizing. He had faithfully done so. He had faithfully discharged his commission. He was free of what is called blood guilt. And because of this, if people were lost forever, it was not his fault. He was not to blame for that. He had consistently and faithfully discharged his commission. He had evangelized faithfully and therefore was free from the blood he says of all men. He said, I have preached to the Jews. I have preached to the Gentiles. I have called them to repentance. I've called them to faith in Jesus Christ. And what is it that gave him confidence that he'd be free? Well, in verse 27, I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. I've told you that A to Z, I've taught you. I haven't avoided. I haven't shunned. I haven't avoided the hard issues. In verse 20, it said, I have kept nothing back. I have taught you all that I could about Jesus Christ. And that reveals that Paul didn't hesitate to share the unvarnished truth of the gospel. He didn't concern himself with popularity. He didn't concern himself with fear of offending others. Even if what he had to say was difficult to hear, he faithfully would share it. He thoroughly taught them the essential doctrines. He taught them how to minister. He taught them about salvation. He taught them about who they were in Christ. He taught them what to do. In his letter to the Ephesians, he would give us a deeper look into what he had taught. And that would also give us the insight that they were receptive to teaching. When he says, I have not shunned, you can pour into somebody who's willing. But when somebody is unwilling, you don't really spend that much time with them. When somebody is unwilling to learn, you will not spend that much time. If they want to know, they'll ask. If they don't want to know, then you leave them alone. These people were willing to hear. These are people who wanted to know. I've been in ministry for a long time. I taught my first Bible study in 1973. So I've been in ministry serving the Lord as a teacher for 51 years. And I can tell you, and then the years that God has given to me to be able to do what I do, I can tell you there are those who are not interested, and there are those who are nothing but interested. And for me, my joy as an elder in the body of Christ, my joy is pouring into those who want to know. But there are those who want to just to argue. There are those who just want to be something important. And I've told John, you've got to stop that. No, it's just, there are those who want to know, and they'll ask. And sometimes they'll even walk with you and ask questions because they're hungry. That's why it's easier to pour into them. It's not that he's telling them to suspend their discernment. No, of course not. But they respected he was a teacher. They knew the things of God. Paul was an apostle, and he says, I haven't shunned to declare into you because you have been open. I'll show you something in a minute about this, but you've been open. So I was able to give to you the entire council of God from the A to the Z. I was with you three years, and you saw that I was willing to spend a lot of time with you, mentoring you, teaching you, sharing with you. That's why I can now leave you because I've done those things. I haven't held anything back. I've taught you the essentials. Now these are men who are leaders in the church. They're supposed to have a hunger for truth. They're supposed to have a hunger for proper teaching. And as far as they appeared at that moment, they seem to have that hunger. So he tells them, I have taught you thoroughly. You see, teaching the whole council of God is the duty of every minister. It's God's word that reveals the way of holiness, provides light and darkness. And that's why we teach first by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book. Somebody once said today, if you say you believe God's word provides you with all the spiritual insight necessary for a healthy and satisfied life, even Christians will consider you simplistic and simple-minded. And we have that today in the body of Christ where people will think, oh no, there's got to be something outside of the word of God. There's got to be something within our culture. And they move into a wrong direction. He said, no, I kept you. I took you from the A to the Z. I taught you the word. And in teaching you the word of God, I was teaching you how to live for God. And when a situation arises, you'll have a biblical foundation which you can draw from the wisdom from God's word to be able to know how to act in this particular situation that you encounter. There are people who are always seeking for something new and they don't realize that you don't go deeper than your foundations. And so Paul laid a foundation solid in the word of God because it's a word of God that equips them. When you read your Bible, the longest Psalm and the longest chapter in scripture is Psalm 119. In Psalm 119, there are 176 verses. And 168 of those verses give praise to the word of God. And so we're going to go through every one of them right now. Let me give you an example. Psalm 119 verse 9, how can a young man cleanse his way by taking heat according to your word? Psalm 119 verse 11, your word, have I hidden my heart that I might not sin against you? Psalm 119, 105, your word is a lamp to my feet, a light to my path. Psalm 119, 130, the entrance of your words gives light. It gives understanding to the simple. Psalm 119 verse 41, let your mercies come also to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your word. Today, some churches are built on theater. They're built on the pastor's pet doctrines, prophecy, healing tongues, prosperity, spiritual gifts, politics, music. And because they don't receive thorough teaching, the sheep are actually starved. Paul said, I haven't shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. And because you're thoroughly taught, act upon what you've learned. And so these are the things that I want you to know so you put these things into practice. Why? Because you're going to have combat. He now begins with the combat of the minister. And he's saying you are in spiritual warfare. Therefore, in verse 28, 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. And now he's letting them know about the combat. He's speaking to them because they're in spiritual warfare. And he's stirring their hearts and he's stirring the hearts of the elders that they might have a concern for the flock. And he begins by pointing to the condition of their own souls. Notice how he says, take heed to yourselves. If you're lax in your own walk, you cannot be on fire for those in your charge. Your own walk must be closely guarded. You cannot lead anyone to where you're unwilling to go yourself. And if you're going to be an effective leader, guard your heart. 2 Peter 1 verse 10, Therefore brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble. First Corinthians 9, 25 through 27, everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last. But we do it to get a crown that will last forever. And therefore, I do not run like someone running aimlessly. I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and I make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. Guard your heart. Now, as you guard your heart, staying in the Word and being careful about those things that you set your heart upon, you will also, verse 28, take heed to all the flock. Now, notice the Holy Spirit made them overseers. It's a Holy Spirit who did so. It's interesting in verse 28 how he speaks concerning this because he says the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. That word overseers, an interesting word. It literally means watchers. It's a Holy Spirit who has placed you to watch over the flock. You are the watchers of the flock. And by the way, you didn't get elected by men. You were called by God because ordination is from above. It's John 15, 16 that says, you haven't chosen me. I've chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit that your fruit should remain. You aren't selected by some committee. You are called by God and men will recognize the call because of the lifestyle that you have. But you need to understand that you take heed to yourself. You need to discipline yourself because you yourself may lose the ability to minister because of a bad life. So make sure you care for yourself. But also remember that you're to take heed to all the flock. You have an oversight. You're a watcher. You have responsibility. And you're to shepherd. That word shepherd means to furnish food. It means to feed and tenderly care for. You're to do this. Now in Jeremiah 315 God said this. He said, I will give you shepherds according to my heart who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. You see in verse 28, this is the church of God which he purchased that says with his own blood. How did he do that? Well, Jesus gave up his life on the cross and he redeemed us. Peter in 1 Peter 1 18 and 19 says knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from aimless and aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish without spot. How were you redeemed by the death of Christ who poured out his blood? Remember that God has called you. He has made you watchers. You're to feed the church of God but it belongs to him. So don't own the sheep. Care for them. Now Paul, why are you saying this 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. He spoke of them as being shepherds. Now he speaks of wolves and he calls them savage. The word savage speaks of that which is violent or cruel. It speaks of viciousness. He's speaking of the vicious false teachers. When God is moving the enemy begins to destroy if he can and he often incites various forms of opposition and resistance. Notice verse 29 how he says for I know this that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you. There will be outside oppression. There will be people who are coming in for the purpose of destroying you. They are savage and they're attempting to steal from you that which has been deposited in you. These are outsiders. These are people who come in to the church in order to destroy. You may or may not know this. I think all of you do but perhaps you don't. But the people who are out there in the parking lot when you came rolling in this morning and you have people who are standing out there and are helping you to find a space it's not as if you can't find your own space. Part of the reason they're there obviously so courteously be of help to you. Sometimes people who roll in don't they've never been here before so they can serve to be help for you to find places to go and all of that. But also what some of you may not know is over the years we've had people come into that parking lot and they have come and they've put little tracks or they've put in their church bulletins. And many times what it is is it's a bulletin that is really one that's like a track that will say these are the things we believe and they want you to follow after them. And they will. That's why we have people out there who are walking and watching because we've had them putting things on the on windshields. So they come in from the outside. We have found these kinds of things in the church pews where they're leaving things hoping that somebody will pick it up and read it and follow their own doctrines. And so he's saying there are going to be people who are outsiders who are going to attempt to enter into the church and create problems. So be prepared for this. But verse 30 also from among yourselves men will rise up speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after themselves. Well when the enemy attempts to destroy sometimes he begins by joining joining the church in order that he might destroy it from within. And when people in the church do something of that like that it creates confusion. People sometimes who are leaders in the church can speak perverse things. It speaks of perverse. It means to twist to turn aside from the right path to bring corruption. And early in the history of the church this was taking place. We've been looking at the book of Jude and in Jude verses three and four the writer said beloved while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation. I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed who long ago were marked out for this condemnation ungodly men who turned the grace of our God into ludeness deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. So he's saying this is going to happen guys. He's saying savage wolves are going to come in among you not sparing the flock but from among yourselves men will also rise up. And so he's saying be careful and finally in verse 31 he goes on to say therefore watch and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. Watch remember I warned you. Watch beyond the alert for these things to happen. Remember I taught you the A to Z so you should be able to discern. Third I warn you guard the sheep protect the sheep love the sheep administer to the sheep and I was so serious about this for three years I taught you the same things over and over again with depth so you'd be prepared. And because of that 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. I commend you and I'm commending you to prayer. I'm commending you to the word of God and now he closes with the conscience of the minister. How are you supposed to live verse 33? I have coveted no one silver or gold or apparel. Yes you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities and for those who are with me. I have shown you in every way by laboring like this that you must support the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he said it is more blessed to give than to receive. A ministry that is honoring to God focuses on giving not getting and those who are genuine ministers do not do it for monetary gain. In 2nd Corinthians 2 17 he said we are not as so many peddling the word of God but as of sincerity as from God we speak in the sight of God in Christ. You know that with my own hands I worked and not only did I supply my needs but I also helped other people because it is more blessed to give than it is to receive and then he says this in verse 36 and we'll roll to a conclusion. When he had said these things he knelt down and prayed with them all and they all wept freely fell on Paul's neck and kissed him. Sarwin most of all for the words which he spoke that they would see his face no more and they accompanied him to the ship. Paul's goodbye I commend you to God I'm trying to find the proper way to close I'll make it a bit personal the Lord gave me opportunity the honor and opportunity 42 years ago in July it'll be 43 to plant this church these are the things that I've attempted as a pastor to be faithful to the center of it has always been an attempt to live for the Lord as an example of a believer the center of it has has been attempting to teach the word of God verse by verse chapter by chapter book by book and over these 42 years I've said a lot of goodbyes in a life you will always discover that there are many hellos but there are also many goodbyes sometimes people don't care enough about you to say goodbye to you and sometimes that could be awkward because a minister like myself and others we pour our hearts into the ministry we we pour our hearts into the study of the word of God we pour our hearts in the attempt of of giving to the the sheep that God has entrusted to our care the very best that we can and so over the years and you can't imagine over the years almost 43 years some of you haven't been alive that long over those years you see a lot of people coming you see a lot of people go and and some people when they leave they say God bless you I love you I'm moving on other people you just run into them in a restaurant or a supermarket or or some place like that in the city sometimes they'll approach you and and and say hello sometimes they will put their hair I had this has happened when Marie and I have been together where this woman put her hair over her face trying to hide from me so I wouldn't see her that was a good thing to have hair over her face the awkwardness the difficulty you can have Paul was saying goodbye and one day I will one day I will and my heart's prepared whenever the Lord says go it's time to go because I can say I have not shunned to declare unto you the entire counsel of God from A to Z I've taken this church from Genesis to Revelation some books many times so I can say I'm free from the blood of all men I can say I've done what God called me to do I can say wherever he takes me I'm ready to go and I've told John I get emotional forgive me but then again Paul did why can't I I've told John and he didn't like hearing this but it's true I said one day John he was in my office trying to take over I said you got to stop this get your books off my shelf John but I've sat with him in meeting after meeting after meeting over the many years that he's been on staff with us now and I pointed to the door of my office that leads to the parking lot and he said it with it's a fact I said one of these days I'm going to walk out of that door John and I'll never come back one of these days John loves me he gets emotional when I say that but it's true but I have poured into people everything I could right and that's what a minister is supposed to do and we do that because we love God and we do that because we love our people how do you think Paul felt when he was sharing you see in the church today it's a plague it's been called the church on wheels I'll go here as long as I get what I want and then I'll go to this place that will fill me at areas that I need and instead of being planted rooted grounded they're constantly uprooting themselves and the fruit isn't there always looking for the next thing always looking for the what I need right now and failing to realize that you don't go much deeper than your foundation and if you have a foundational knowledge of the things of God you can build on those things but if your life is built on sinking sand when the difficulties arrive you're going to be demolished and that's why we build on the sure rock of Jesus Christ and that comes through the teaching of the word of God and that's why every pastor should not shun to declare unto the entire congregation the word of God why because the storms come but when the storms come you have a solid foundation you hold fast to the one who hold fast to you and you know that and that comes through the word and so Paul Paul is there with these men and as he's looking at them we don't know how many there were but there's a group of men he's giving his last words to them he loves these men and many of them loved him it says that again verse 36 he knocked down he prayed with them and they all wept freely and fell on Paul's neck kissed him sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke that they would see his face no more as I was sharing first service I looked into one of the rows in the back and and I pointed out a man in our fellowship who was the one who opened his doors to our our first bible study our church began in his house David signs and he was sitting back there and I said that David's bible they showed it to me years ago years ago from Genesis to Revelation is marked up by the bible studies that he has sat in in this fellowship for all of these years his bible is marked up with notes he said I left it home because I went and spoke to him after service he said I I've left that bible home that's the bible I leave at home and I've got another bible I now come in I'm marking and I said when I said one day I'll walk at the door and I'll never come back I saw his head go down and he started to cry he said don't go I talked to him afterwards I'm not ready for you to go pastor every pastor hopes that those that he loves so much would at least care for him but you don't minister for how much they love you you minister because of how much you love Jesus and you love them and that's how it works that's how it works Paul is speaking to a small group of men but in that group were men who would betray him in the group were men who would betray him he gives their names you see it in 1st and 2nd Timothy hymen is philetus alexander men who had they're sitting there listening along with Timothy who became the pastor of the church and there are these men and they're listening and and and they're crying they're probably we're crying too and they're all holding Paul but they later on were named in scripture as people who undermine the work of God 2nd Timothy 2 16 through 18 shun profane and idle babblings they will increase to more ungodliness their message will spread like cancer hymen is and philetus are of this sort who have strayed concerning the truth saying the resurrection's already passed they overthrow the faith of some he had a name these people he mentioned them by name and the church knew who they were how do you think Paul felt when he was speaking knowing that within the confines of this group of men that he loved so much men who came and wept when he said you'll see my face no more it reminds me of when Jesus and the last time he was with his men sharing Passover how that he said one of you who are eating with me here at this table will betray me and they one by one said is it I Lord is it I is it I and Judas himself said is it I looking at them knowing you're going to divide the body of Christ I spent three years pouring into you and we knew get the opportunity you'll do that Paul's last letter that he ever wrote was a letter to Timothy 2nd Timothy again Timothy was a pastor of the church of Ephesus and he said in this letter in the fourth chapter he said Demas who was a friend and traveling companion has forsaken me having loved this present age departed for Thessalonica in 2nd Timothy 4 16 and 17 he said at my first defense no one stood with me all forsook me may it not be charged against him but the Lord stood with me strengthened me so that the message might be preached fully through me and that all the Gentiles might hear also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion a man whose ministry spanned many years who traveled as extensively as he could planting churches ministering to people making sure to follow up with them to come to see how they are imparting more information more knowledge more love he's there speaking to these men for the last time and they begin to weep and that they begin to hold them and they begin to cry upon them and amongst them were people who were one day going to betray the gospel how do ministries end sometimes they end like Paul he said all forsook me no one stood with me there were a handful of people that he could name who remained faithful to a man who had been faithful to them we don't see a lot of emotion in this and I'll close with this what we see is a matter of fact approach to life there are those who love christ there are those who love the one that god is used in their life to help them to know christ and there are others who could care less because what's in their heart is not for the things of the lord at all and as he's looking and sharing he knows that over the years that I've pasted this church I've had a few I've had a few but you don't minister to be loved you minister because you love because he first loved you and Paul when they're kissing him and holding him it was time to go and again one day I'll do the same I'll leave because that's the way it is all ministers have shelf life and eventually mine's gonna come but not now it's not time not time