If you would like, you can open
your Bibles to the 20th chapter of Acts and just hold them there
in your hand. I'll be referring to several
verses in this 20th chapter. But just a few comments to introduce
the message. It's a fact, no question about
it, it's a fact that every preacher will someday preach his last
sermon. That's a fact. I've recently obtained a tape
of the last message Brother Farrell Griswold brought to his congregation
in Birmingham on a Wednesday night before he died on Saturday. I'm just certain that he had
no idea when he stepped to the pulpit, opened the Bible and
placed his notes down, preaching on the subject, incitements to
praise God, that that would be the last time he would ever address
that congregation. I'm just certain that never entered
his mind. And yet it ought to, it ought
to be on my mind, you who teach Tomorrow morning when you get
up to go down to your office or job, it should enter your
mind that this may be the last breakfast you'll ever have with
your family, the last time you'll ever see your wife and children,
the last day you'll ever spend at the office. That day is coming,
there's no question about it. We know that, but how many of
us ever give that any consideration whatsoever? Richard Baxter said
this, I preach as one who may never preach again. I wonder
if every preacher in this city tonight had any idea that this
message was the last message he'd ever preached. I wonder
if he'd have spent a little more time in there preparing it. I
wonder if he'd have spent a little more time praying over it. I
wonder if he'd care what the deacon board thought of it. I
wonder if he'd pay any attention at all if the ladies' missionary
society didn't like it. I wonder if he'd care at all
if they had 200 in Sunday school or 100. I wonder if he'd get
up and start rebuking the people who are not there. No, sir, our
conduct, if we entertain our next hour of activities in
the light of death, judgment, and eternity, our conduct will
be a heap different. I'm just confident it would.
And yet, is that not the way it ought to be considered? Baxter
said, I preach as one who may never preach again. Mike, you
may never be called on to sing again. This may be your last
message in song to God's people. Cecil, you may never teach another
class after this morning. I may never preach another sermon
to this congregation after tonight. I preach as a dying man to dying
men. What weightiness, what heaviness. If we were wise, this may be
the last time you'll ever greet that friend. If we were wise,
everything that we do would be done in the light not only of
death, judgment, and eternity. but in the light of our relationship
with Christ. Now that's the way it is. Everything
we do, our motives, our attitudes. Some of you got sorry attitudes.
And you'd change that attitude if you were going to die in an
hour, wouldn't you? Huh? You'd change it. You'd straighten
up. And our deeds and our attitudes
and our motives And all that we do ought to be determined
by the fact we're sons of God who may be called into the presence
of the King in the next ten minutes to give an account of our stewardship,
to give an account of our activities, to give an account of our lives.
And that's very real, that's very real. But we're so bound,
I know this, we're so bound by the flesh. We're so bound by
the comforts of this world that we lose sight of these things. We lose sight of those things
that are valuable, those things that are eternal. We're living
in a world and using God instead of living in God and using the
world. That's our problem. We're living in the world and
we're using God. We're religious. We've got our
doctrines, we've got our creeds, we've got our catechisms, we've
got our activities, religious activities, we've got our professions.
We got our security, we got our insurance policy, and we're going
to heaven when we die, but we're living in this world. That's
the way we think. That's the way we act. Everything
we do is relative to the world. We're living in the world and
using God. We got God waiting in the wings. We ought to be
living in God and using this world. That's exactly right. Exactly, I turn to 1 Corinthians,
I said hold your Bible over in Acts 20, but I want to show you
a verse over here in 1 Corinthians, and this is what I long to experience
in this ministry, this business of the ministry, more than anything
else. It says here in 1 Corinthians
7, verse 29, now listen, I want to live in God and use whatever
he gives me to use. I don't want to live in that
mess and try to use God, try to fall back on God when I need
Him. It says here in verse 29 of 1 Corinthians 7, but this
I say, brethren, the time is short. It remaineth that both
they that have wives as though they had none, and they that
weep as though they didn't weep. And they that rejoice as though
they didn't rejoice, and they that buy as though they possess
not, and they that use this world as not abusing it for the fashion
of this world, is passing away. In other words, what he's saying
here is that our relationship with God ought to be such a relationship
that even our wives or as we didn't even have any while, as
far as God's concerned, as though we didn't even have one. Or our
trials and sorrows, our sicknesses or trials and problems and burdens
and obligations of this life, our relationship with God ought
to be considered in this fashion as if we didn't even have any
trials or burdens or responsibilities or obligations. But we've got
that thing backwards. And our joys, our joys, like
even our children and grandchildren and our anniversaries and birthdays
and all this sort of thing, our joys on the earth and our fellowship
activities, our relationship with God ought to be considered
in this vein as if we didn't even have any joys. You see what
he's saying? Didn't even have any. And this
is what our Lord meant. One other verse. Turn to Luke
14. This is what our Lord meant here in Luke 14 and what so many
have failed to grab hold of, to lay hold of. This is what
he meant exactly. Now, bear in mind what Paul said,
the time is short. You know, Ronnie was quoting
a verse tonight back there in the study, Ronnie Lewis. He said,
man at his best state is altogether vanity. I've used that a lot
and you've used it a lot. That word is a branch. Man at his best state in that
right is only a breath. You know what a breath is? That's
it. That's all we are. We cram an awful lot in a breath,
don't we? That's all we are. And we ought,
our relationship with God ought to be considered in this vein
that as if nothing else, everything else was just temporary. Nothing
else really mattered. Nothing else really mattered.
And that's what our Lord meant when he said in verse 25 of Luke
14, there went great multitudes with him, and he turned and said
to them, if any man come to me, any man come to me, and this
coming to Christ is embracing Christ, believing Christ, receiving
Christ, and hate not his father and mother and wife and children
and brethren and sisters, yea, his own life also, he can't be
my disciple. Now that's the foundation of
discipleship, that's the relationship with Christ. I'll give you an
example of that. Walter Gruber, our good friend
in Mexico, had a good job in Houston, Texas, worked for Armco
Steel. Had five children, two boys and
three girls. The smallest one was, I guess,
a few months old. He felt impressed of God to go
to Mexico, that way down, not just across the border so he
could get back home every few days, but clear down as far as
you can go into Mexico in the poorest place in Mexico, Yucatan,
the rockiest, poorest, poverty-stricken place in Mexico. So he quit his
job. He quit his job. He sold his
house. sold all his possessions and
loaded his family in a little van. And people said, you're
crazy. You are crazy. You're not treating
your family right. You're not treating your mother
and father and mother-in-law and father-in-law right. You're
going to lose your children. You're not treating your wife
right. He said, I feel led of God to preach the gospel. And it's time is short and it's
time that those who have wives be as if they didn't have one.
You consider your wife before you consider what God would have
you do. You don't know the Lord Jesus
Christ in a saving relationship. That's exactly what he said.
You can't be my disciple. You can't do it. It remaineth that those that
have wives as though they didn't and those that weep as though
they didn't weep at all. We're not sorry. Those that rejoice
as though they didn't rejoice. This is what this book says.
I know we've got a different type of religion. We've got a
different brand of religion. We've whittled her down so anybody
can come in. But he headed for Mexico, I think
on less than $200 a month support. And they lived, they slept in
hammocks for a year. He said, didn't you want to come
home? I'm just sure a lot of times he thought I'd rather be
in Mama's feather bed. And sitting on boxes and eating
beans and tacos or tortillas for a year, and Betty went down
to 96 pounds. They both got that amoeba dysentery,
and it was tough, wasn't it, Charlie? But this is what I'm
saying. I'm just simply saying that that's
not our brand of religion. Not our brand of religion. But
it's God's breath, it's God's breath. And we're living, we're living
in the world and we're using God, we're using God. And we ought to be living in
God and using this world. Not many people know when their
course is run, when it's finished. Not many people know when their
journey is almost over and when the end is in sight. But Paul
did. He knew that right here. He knew this was the last time
he was ever going to preach. This was the last visit he was
ever going to make with these people. This was the last message
he would ever bring. And you know that makes it interesting.
That makes it particularly interesting to me. I'm not telling every man in
this congregation to quit his job and sell his house and head
for Mexico. I'm just giving that illustration. I'm simply saying
that every one of us, male and female, in our relationship with
Christ encounter that on a lesser scale all the time. We encounter
that on a lesser scale. We put the wrong things first.
And you know we do, and I know we do. You know we do, and I
know we do. And the time is short. That's
what he's saying over there in 1 Corinthians. The time is short.
Our life on this earth is like a weaver's shuttle. You know
how fast it moves in changing the thread, making a rug. Just
like the days pass like that. It's like a post. That is a,
that's the rider that carries the mail. Goes from post, gets
on another horse, and gets on another horse, and gets on another
horse, and the journey's over. That's life. It's over. It's
like a flower, he said, like a vapor, like the breath when
you go out in the morning in the cold morning and blow your
breath. That's what James says life is, a vapor, a mist. And
it's so brief. And I tell you, it doesn't matter
how many friends you've got and who knows your name and how much
money you've got and how big a house you've got and how fine
a car you drive and how much education you've got. It matters
whether or not you know Christ. Do you know him? Do you love
him? Does he know you? Does he know you? I was talking
to a man down in western Kentucky one time. He had such an unhappy
marriage. Oh, it was such an unhappy marriage. Wealthy Wealthy man. Outstanding citizen. He and his wife were in everything
in the community. All the different political organizations
and country clubs. Had a boat in the yard and a
great big house and plenty of money. And Daddy was fixing to
die and leave him several thousand dollars and just everything.
He sat and looked at me and he said, tears in his eyes, he said,
I tell you, I'd live in a one-room log cabin down by the Ohio River. I'd exchange everything I have.
If I could have a wife and a happy life, I'd live right down there
in that cabin." Now he'd experienced that in the flesh. I'll tell
you this, I'd rather live in a log cabin on the high river
and have peace and joy in my soul knowing Christ than the
best this world has to offer, to know Christ. to know Him and
the power of His resurrection, to win Christ and be found in
Him. These trinkets are useless and tasteless and without any
value. They really are. We're going
to have to learn that. The passion of this world fadeth
away, and it's fading rapidly in the time short, and it's time
that every one of us got serious about this God business, or get
out of it, one of the two. And that's the only way you can
be with Christ. It's either totally, totally separated to the gospel
of Christ or totally separated from it. There's no play in both
sides against the middle. I just know that. I know that. Christ said, if you not fire
me, you're against me. If you gather not with me, you
scatter abroad. But we want to gather all these
trinkets and just hang on to God some way. And it won't work. This is Paul summed up his life
among these people. before he left them, and he said
in verse 19, I'll give you four or five things. He said, verse
19, I've served the Lord, I've served the Lord with all humility
of mind. Now, several key words there. Number one is the word serve.
I've served the Lord. I've served the Lord. I didn't
serve self. I served the Lord. And you know,
as we serve the Lord Jesus Christ, we're His bond slaves. We're
willing to serve anywhere. We're willing to serve without
recognition. A servant doesn't ask his master. He doesn't dictate
to his master about where he'll serve or what he'll do. He just
serves. He's a bond slave of Jesus Christ.
I've served the Lord. My service is unto him. I'm not
serving myself. I'm not serving myself. I'm serving him. And he says,
I've served him with humility. Humility. We're nothing. Absolutely
nothing. He said one time, who is Paul?
Who is Paul? And he really felt it. Who is
Cephas? Who is Apollos? Well, we're nothing but instruments
of God's grace, nothing. Though I be not one whit behind
the chief apostle, I'm nothing, nothing, nothing. Who maketh thee to differ? I
serve the Lord with humility, but here's the key. It's a humility
of mind. Now brethren, here's where it
is, right here, here's the whole thing. As a man thinketh in his
heart, so is he. We can profess humility, we can
claim humility, we can act humbly, but God looks on the heart. There's
where humility reigns. It's mine, the humility of mine.
I know, Paul said, I'm nothing. I'm not just saying that, I know
it. I've served the Lord with humility of mind." That's what
dictates our action, is how we think in our hearts. This type
of humility is of grace only. A man can read about humility
and do all the different things that humility requires, but this
kind of humility of mind is of grace only. It's of God only,
and all the rest is sham and hypocrisy. I can wear humble clothes and
have a proud heart. I can assume a humble disposition,
you know, I don't know how to do that, you know, however you
do it, and still be so proud in spirit. I can even say humble
words, well, praise the Lord, well, glory to God, well, hallelujah,
and be as proud in here. So this is what Paul, this is
what would covet. Paul said, I've served the Lord. I'm a servant. I'm not a master,
I'm a servant. I've served the Lord. The Lord
is the one whom I serve. And I've served him with humility,
but that's been a humility of mine. Now watch, I'm conscious
of my imperfections. We're conscious of everybody
else's. Paul was conscious, he was conscious that it's the grace
of God that enabled him to minister the gospel and it's the grace
of God that kept him. And he was conscious also that
his gifts were borrowed. Wouldn't it be silly for a fellow
to borrow somebody's brand spanking new automobile and drive down
the street and be proud? He's in a borrowed car. And I'll
tell you this, everything I have is borrowed. Huh? I'm in a borrowed
body. I've got a borrowed voice that's
doing the talking right now. Dan sang pretty while ago, but
that's not yours, that's God's voice. You borrowed it. He just
let you have it. That's right. Isn't that right?
Why should we be proud riding in a borrowed car? You know what
I have? Nothing. I have nothing. I brought nothing into this world.
Nothing. That's what I am. Nothing. We
put all these titles after our names, you know. We ought to
write after our names, nothing. John Howsam, nothing. Nothing. Well, that's what he's
talking about, and we need that. And brethren, that's not theologically,
that's got to be experience. I've served God with humility
of my mind. I know I'm nothing. I know I'm
nothing. And then he said in verse 20
and 21, I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you. I've
showed you and taught you publicly from house to house. Now watch
this. Two essentials of good preaching. Testifying, he said,
I've kept back nothing profitable to you. I've gone from house
to house. I've preached wherever God opened the door. I've showed
you publicly the Jew and the Greek repentance toward God and
faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. There's the two essentials that
make up good preaching right there. and in whom my hope lies. That's the two things. God's
greatness and glory and majesty and redemptive purposes to a
weak and unworthy and worthless creature. Repentance toward God. You know, repentance is toward
God. It's against God whom we've seen.
It's God against whom we've seen. David said, against thee have
I sinned. Our repentance is toward God. It's not repenting toward
myself. I'm sorry I got myself in such
a mess. I'm sorry I got myself on drugs.
I'm sorry I got myself on alcohol. I'm sorry I ruined my body. I'm
sorry I ruined my health. I'm sorry I broke your heart.
I'm sorry I sinned against you. I'm sorry I did this. That's
earthly sorrow that brings death. You'll never truly repent until
your eyes are lifted from this flesh and the people around you
to the throne of a holy God against whom you've sinned. And Lord,
I'm sorry I've sinned against you." All sin is against God. You don't sin against anybody.
You sin against God. That's exactly right. You do
folks wrong, but sin is against God. It's against God. And it's not only repentance
toward God, it's not only concerning what we've done, it's what we
are. That's the reason repentance is continuous. It's continuous. Even in my best, in my most prayerful
state, what I am is obnoxious to God outside of Christ. And
I repent not only for what I've done. A lot of folks think, well,
I've had a good day today, I hadn't done much, but you are much.
I haven't done much evil, but you are much evil. When God looks
upon you, even in your stillest moments, even in your sleep,
there's no goodness in your flesh. We need to repent when we're
asleep. And repentance is not only toward God with godless
sorrow for what I've done and for who I am, but even over my
righteousnesses, which are filthy rags. Even my best deeds are
not acceptable to God because there's too much flesh in them.
And it's continual. It's continuous and it's continual. David said, my sin is ever before
me. S-I-N. My sin, my state, nature
is ever before me. And I repent. I repent. Repentance is a change. Somebody
said, but oh, what a change. Oh, what a change. It's a change
of mind toward God. It's a change of mind toward
myself. It's a change of mind toward
Christ. It's a change of thought, and that repentance is toward
God, and then it's faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, complete faith
in Christ, no matter how small or how great the faith, it's
all in Christ. You see, faith has one object,
and that's a person, Christ. Faith has one reason, and that's
a person, Christ. Faith has one food, it feeds
on a person, Christ Jesus. The gospel of God's grace and
glory can be summed up no better than this, faith in our Lord
Jesus Christ. I look nowhere else, sink or
swim, I go to Him. I mean totally, that's the reason,
I know some of you are not sure whether I'm right on this or
not, I'm confidently persuaded that I am. That we stand before
God, our acceptance, if we are accepted, will be totally considered
on the base of who somebody else is and what somebody else did.
And who I am or what I've done, how long I've been converted,
how many sermons I've preached, how much money I gave, churches
I've built, revivals I've held, good thoughts I've had, kindness
and so forth or whatever, whatever, whatever, won't even be considered
in that day. Not even brought up. Not even
brought up. Not even consented because my
best deeds I'll have reason to be ashamed of in His presence. You talk about, well, I loved
on earth. Did you love like He loved? Well, no. Well, you're
ashamed of it. You ought to have. But I forgave
somebody. Did you forgive like Christ forgave?
No. Well, you ought to be ashamed.
Don't hang that old rotten rag out there in front of the Lord.
Wouldn't you be ashamed to come in that splendor of His glory
and presence with all of the satin and gold and silver and
beauty of His holiness and presence and power, and you bring in your
old rag, your old rag, that sermon you preached last week. Here's
my rag, Lord. Well, that's out of place, and
the fellow holding this is out of place. Get them both out of
here. Get them both out of here. If he had any sense, he wouldn't
have brought it. How'd you get in here without
a wedding garment? You've got an old moth-eating rag on. Oh
my goodness of life. Some folks think because they're
tired, God's going to pay attention to it. You didn't give like Christ
gave. Don't you bring that rag in his presence. He gave himself. He was rich
and became poor. He gave everything. You didn't
give nothing. Nothing. And you're going to
bring that rag and ask God to reward you for it? He'll reward
you with damnation. And with all those that think
like you think. I'm sure of that. I'm just as confident as I'm
standing here that the only reason God let me live is for Christ's
sake. The only reason God let me breathe right now is for Christ's
sake. The only reason God Almighty let me say His name just is for
Christ's sake, without sending me to hell. The only reason God
Almighty put up with this outfit here for 30 some odd years is
for Christ's sake. The only reason any of us is going to be raised
out of the grave is for Christ's sake, and the only reason any
man, woman, boy or girl is going to stand in God's presence is
wholly, completely for Christ's sake, and for no other reason. If you don't get in there, you're
not getting in. And I'll tell you, God's greatest wrath and
anger is going to be upon those who are in competition with His
Son. He made a feast to honor His Son, and He ain't going to
honor you. That's all there is to it. No
way, shape, form or fashion. Paul said, I preach that to you.
Repentance toward God. True godly sorrow. True unworthiness. True stripping, laying bare,
naked before God Almighty. And faith only, small as it is
or great as it is, toward our Lord Jesus Christ. The end and
object and sole reason and food for my faith. It's Jesus Christ. I just, I'm sure that's it. And
you can take all, read my little article in there from Spurgeon
on denomination. You can take all your denominations
and all your programs and activities and creeds and catechisms and
all of your little deeds and your Sunday School classes and
your Bible readings and all that stuff and just pile it up and
light a match to it. The sooner you do it, the better.
And get your eyes on Christ. and come like the harlot, Rahab,
the woman at the well, old Zacchaeus, and all the rest of that crowd.
In my hands no price I bring, simply the cross of Christ I
claim. Could my tears forever flow? Could my zeal no respite
know? These for sin cannot atone. Christ
must save and Christ alone. The better you think you are,
the farther you are from God. And perhaps those who feel tonight
the most unworthy are nearer to God than anybody here. Watch
out when you start feeling spiritual, you're in trouble. Watch out
when you start feeling good, you're in trouble. That's exactly
right, because in this place there dwelleth no good thing.
Watch out when you think you've gotten pretty close to God now.
God's right next door, I can reach out and shake hands with
Him. You're about as far from God as you've ever been. But
now when these old sinful eyes are turned on Christ and they
have mourned over their sins and grieved, blessed are they
that mourn, they're going to be comforted. Blessed are they
that hunger and thirst, they're going to be filled. Blessed are
the meek, they're going to inherit the kingdom of God. Blessed are
the peacemakers, they're going to walk with God as children.
That's right. Then Paul went on. I've got to
hurry and quit. Paul went on and he said in verse
22, don't know what the future holds. Verse 22, he said, Now,
behold, I go bound in the Spirit to Jerusalem, that was the capital
of a religion, not knowing the things that shall befall me there,
except I have heard that the Holy Ghost witnesseth to many
preachers and prophets in every city, saying that when I get
to Jerusalem, they're going to bind me, put me in prison, and
they're going to kill me. But I'm telling you this, verse
24, he said, that doesn't move me. That doesn't change me. Because I don't count this life
in the flesh on the earth dear to myself. It yet is not dear. Christ is dear. Eternal life
is dear. Eternity with him is dear. He
said, in fact, I am in a straight betwixt the two. I have a desire
to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. This life's
not dear." He said, I have some things that are precious to me.
He said, listen, I want to finish my course with joy. I want to
finish my course with joy. I want to finish this path that
God's given me to walk, I want to finish it with joy. He said,
secondly, I want to finish my ministry, the ministry or dispensation
of the gospel God gave to me. If he gave me the privilege to
witness to one person, I want to finish that and get going.
If it's in his will, I preach to thousands, I want to wind
that up and get going. I want to finish my ministry,
the dispensation of the ministry God gave me, which I have received
of the Lord Jesus. And thirdly, he said, I want
to testify of the gospel of the grace of God. Boy, I tell you,
the Apostle Paul didn't stutter when he identified his gospel,
did he? He didn't stutter. He didn't
stammer. He didn't say, well, I preached. I preached something
acceptable by everybody. No, sir, he said, I want to preach
the gospel of the grace of God. That's what I want to preach.
I don't want to preach the gospel of works, free willism, Arminianism,
all these other isms. I want to preach the gospel of
the grace of God. And clearly, so that everybody
knows exactly what I'm saying, and he said in verse 26, listen
to this, and I'm going to give you this and wind it up. He said
in verse 26, I take you to record this day. I'm pure from the blood
of all men. That is, he took that, I think,
from Ezekiel 3, when God said to Ezekiel, I've made you a watchman
now to the people. You warn them and preach the
truth to them. and they die in their sins, you're free from
their blood. I won't require their blood at
your hand." But he said, if you don't preach the truth to them,
and they die in their sins, I'm going to charge you with the
responsibility. That's exactly what he said. I'm going to hold
you responsible. You know what he said? He said,
if you don't warn them, you don't tell them the truth, and they
die in their sins, I'm going to hold you responsible. And
Paul is saying here, I'm not responsible for your condition
because I told you the truth. Your blood's on your own head.
That's what he said. I've told you the truth. I've
stood and pointed you to the city of refuge. I've stood and
pointed you to Christ our Passover. I've stood and pointed you to
Jesus Christ, the water of life. I've stood and pointed you to
Christ. To Christ. He said, I'm free
from your blood. I'm free from your blood. Verse
27, I haven't shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
I want to ask you seven questions, just like that, just do with
them what you want to, concerning this gospel of the grace of God,
the counsel of God. Is God sovereign in all things
but redemption? Do you think that over? Is God
sovereign? The world says he's sovereign
in creation and all the... Is he sovereign in everything
but redemption? Secondly, is man utterly ruined,
utterly, utterly ruined, or partially disabled? Thirdly, is salvation a gift
or an offer? Is it a gift, is eternal life
a gift or an offer? Now which is it? Fourthly, is salvation by
revelation or education? One or the other. It's not both. Fifthly, did Jesus Christ actually,
actually totally redeem somebody, or did he partly do it? Partly
redeem. He didn't do both, I know. Let me ask you this. Is salvation
effected by God bringing a man to repentance and faith, Or is
salvation effected if men will come to repentance and faith? Which is, is salvation effected,
brought to pass, by God bringing us to repentance and faith, or
is it brought to pass if we will come to repentance and faith? In the last place, are we kept
by the power of God through faith? Or do we keep ourselves by our
own efforts in the grace of God? That's what Paul said. I haven't
shunned or declared to you these things, these vital issues. Ninety
percent of the pulpits in America wouldn't touch that with a 40-foot
pole. Because you know what would happen Monday morning, don't
you? You'd have deacons meet, Monday night that is, and the
preacher would get fired. Because you're not going to disturb
this generation's and rock this generation's little boat and
refuge of lives. They're not going to have it.
But I'll tell you, if we take the word, the truth of God's
gospel of grace, we'd shoot a hole in it just in one statement and
sink their little refuge of lives. And it may be somebody would
come out of there hollering, help, Lord. That'd be something,
wouldn't it? Somebody, my rest of them, would
go down with it. They wouldn't desert that ship if it was on
the bottom of the ocean. But did somebody come out and
say, that wasn't any good, was it? That refuge was a refuge
of lies. Maybe the Lord has one that will
hold me up. Last of all, Paul said, verse 28, now listen. Don't
forget he was leaving them, never to preach to them again. He said,
I'll give you this word, take heed therefore to yourselves.
Take heed to yourselves. Examine yourselves whether you
be in the faith. And you elders, he's talking to them, first he
tells them to take heed to themselves. Don't ever quit examining yourself.
Don't ever take for granted. Don't ever say, well, I'm a preacher,
therefore I'm saved. Judas was a preacher and he wasn't
saved. Demas was a preacher and he wasn't saved. Alexander was
a preacher and he wasn't saved. The popes are preachers and he's
not saved. So take heed to yourself. And
take heed to the flock over which God has made you an overseer,
a leader. Feed them. Feed them. Feed them
what? Feed them the Word of God. Watch
out for their spiritual well-being and welfare. You're responsible
for them, and you feed them the Word of God. Make sure that they're
fed the Word of God, for this church is a church which God
loves because He purchased it with His own blood. He loved
it and gave Himself for it. It's important to Him. Let me
tell you something. Suppose your neighbor came over and said,
my mother passed away suddenly. Suddenly. My mother died. My
little girl and my little boy, three years old and four years
old, I'm going to leave with you for the day and the night.
Would you take care of them for me?" Oh, he said, I'd be glad
to. I tell you, you'd watch over those two children. You wouldn't
let them out of your sight. You'd feed them. You'd bathe
them. You'd put them to bed. You'd make sure they weren't
afraid. You'd make sure they were warm, you'd make sure they
didn't get cold, you'd probably get up two or three times during
the night and check on them. Because somebody's entrusted
you with the care of their most precious possession. God Almighty
has entrusted some of us preachers and elders with the care of his
most precious possession, his church, purchased by the blood
of his Son. Pretty important, isn't it? And
he said, you take heed to yourself and to the flock over which he
has given you charge. and feed them, and feed them.
He purchased that flock with his own blood. Listen, because
he said, I'm telling you, I know this, verse 29, after I leave,
grievous wolves will come in, not sparing the flock. There's
some folks out there that will move in on you, and they'll move
in with error, they'll move in with false doctrine. They won't
spare the flock, they're grievous wolves. They don't love the shepherd,
therefore they don't love the flock. One who loves the shepherd
loves the flock. But those grievous wolves love
themselves, and they want to feed on the wool. They want to
feed on the fat. They don't want to feed the sheep.
They want to feed on the sheep. That's these hucksters on television.
They're not interested in feeding the sheep. They want a wool coat
to wear and get it out of your hide. That's what they want.
They want to share you so they can buy them a $100,000 automobile
or house somewhere in Florida. They don't stop at a hundred,
it's half a million now, isn't it? I like to tickle Scott Richardson
one day. We was preaching somewhere, and
I guess he was living back in the past. He said, Go on, if
you want to spend $125 on a suit, waste your money. I said, Scott, you can't buy
a pair of pants hardly for that now. But these folks, they're not
interested in feeding the flock. They're feeding on the flock.
They're feeding on the sheep. You know, hooksters and merchandisers
are sold, and folks are keeping them in business. I wish God
had put every one of them off the air. And if it took a government
watchdog to do it, I wouldn't object to it. Somebody getting
all upset about the government stepping into these non-profit
organizations, I wouldn't care a bit in the world if it put
them out of business. You say the true church should suffer,
it always has. But God's always got His message
out. You don't have to worry, God doesn't depend on the government
to get his message out or television either. If he wanted to, he'd
send some angels down here to tell it. And he said, but here's
the terrible thing, verse 30, he says, but of your own selves
shall men arise. This is what's sad. Of your own
selves shall men arise, speaking things they ought not speak,
perverse things. Why do they do it? For God's
glory. Why do they do this? for the
betterment of the flock. Why do they rise and speak perverse
things? In order that they might unite
the hearts of the people together in the worship? Oh, no. They
say that, but they rise up among you and speak perverse things
and divide the flock so that folks will follow them. That's
exactly right. If they can get three people
to agree with them, they're happy as they can be. better if four
or five or six or seven follow. But they don't speak to unite
the hearts of the people. They don't speak for the glory
of God. They don't speak for the unity of the congregation.
They don't speak for the joy of the congregation. They speak
out to get somebody to come after them. That's exactly right. And that's what's terrible. So
he said, you watch, you watch. Remember, I warned you three
years. And now here's the one I want to close with. And I should
close, he says in verse 32, and now brethren, this is so beautiful,
I commend you to God. I commend you to God. Oh, what's
going to happen in the home if the father dies? Well, I commend
you to God. What's going to happen in this
church when Paul's leaving? I commend you to God. You're
in his hands anyway. And I commend you to the word
of his grace. Those are our two pillars. our bulwarks, and those are our
two hidings, God and His Word. I commend you to God and I commend
you to His Word. Feed on it, feast on it, live
on it, and God will strengthen you by which you are able to
grow the Word of God.