I want you to open your Bibles
this morning to the Book of Acts. I'm going to be bringing you
a message from the 20th chapter of the Book of Acts on the subject,
A Faithful Minister of Jesus Christ. I think this is a very
important subject, and I want you to listen very carefully
to the whole message, A Faithful Minister of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we'll be using as our text
the 20th chapter of the Book of Acts. Now all things on this
earth must finally come to an end. The great preacher Richard
Baxter once said, I preach as one who may never preach again. I preach as a dying man to dying
men. And our Lord Jesus Christ spoke
of a man one time who had filled his barns with plenty. He had
a good crop that year. He was successful. And he was
lying upon his bed one night, and he said, I have much goods
laid up for many years, and I have more goods coming in. I believe
I'll tear down my barns and build bigger barns, and then I can
say to my soul, eat, drink, and be merry. But the Lord Jesus
Christ said that God spoke to him that night and called him
a fool. He said, thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required
of thee And then who shall these things be that you've accumulated? In other words, the Lord called
the man a fool who only lived for the present and gave no thought
to death and judgment. All things on this earth must
come to an end. My ministry must come to an end.
My work must come to an end. My life must come to an end,
and so shall yours. Well, the scripture that I'm
using for a text this morning is the end of Paul's ministry
in a certain place. The Apostle Paul had ministered
to the church at Ephesus. He had preached to them for many
years. He had written to them, he had preached to them, he had
sent Timothy to them. He had been a minister to these
people and now his ministry had come to an end. We know that
looking at the latter part of the chapter in which it says,
they would see his face no more. In other words, Paul's ministry
to them had come to an end, he was leaving them And it says
in verse 38, they would see his face no more. In other words,
this was Paul's farewell sermon. This was the last sermon that
he would preach to this congregation and to the elders of this church.
Now, I think it would be a great blessing to every preacher and
indeed every believer and every church member if we'd read this
sermon at least once a week. I believe if we would read the
20th chapter of the Book of Acts at least once a week, it set
our priorities straight. And it would show us again the
work of a faithful minister and a faithful church of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now this farewell message, and
this is what it is, it's the last time Paul would preach to
these people, the last words that he had for them. He was
leaving and he would never come again to their congregation. He'd never preach to them. He
said, you'll see my face no more. And this does not sound like
one of today's farewell messages, because Paul didn't spend his
time boasting of the converts that he had won while he preached
to them, nor did he spend his time talking about the books
he had written, or the many sermons that he had preached, or the
churches that he had organized. He certainly was not seeking
their praise or a testimonial to his service for God in their
community. Rather, he summed up his ministry
among them, and I believe in this chapter he sets a pattern
for every faithful minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and,
too, a pattern for every church that would glorify the Son of
God. Now, there are five statements
in this message. which gives us a summary not
only of Paul's ministry, but what ought to be a summary of
my ministry, and the ministry of every preacher of the gospel
in every church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Will you take your Bible
and open it there to the 20th chapter of Acts, and let's look
at these five statements. I believe these are Paul's five
points in the message. His last sermon, his farewell
address, He was leaving these people never to come again, and
he sums up his ministry among them, and I say as he sums up
his ministry, he certainly sets a pattern for my ministry and
yours and every other believer's. Now the first thing he says in
verse 19, he says, I have served the Lord with all humility. Underscore that, verse 19, I
have served the Lord with all humility. Pride anywhere. is an abomination to God. The
Scripture says in the book of Proverbs, six things doth the
Lord hate, yea, seven are an abomination to him. And do you
know what the first sin mentioned? Do you know what the first sin
is? That God hates a proud look. And then the Scripture says,
pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before the
fall. Again, the Scripture says, God
resisteth the proud and gives grace to the humble. Pride anywhere,
whether it be because of our race, or because of our face,
or because of our place or position, or because of our grace. Pride
anywhere is an abomination to God, but especially in the ministry. Spiritual pride is loathsome
to God. It is disgusting to God. Paul
says in 1 Corinthians 4, 7, Who maketh thee to differ? What do
you have that you did not receive? What do you know that you were
not taught by God? What are you that God did not
make you? Everything we have is the gift
of God Almighty. Here the apostle, all the way
through his writings, he says, by the grace of God I am what
I am. Again he said, I am not worthy
to be called an apostle. Again he said, I am less than
the least of all the saints. And then in one of his farewell
books to Timothy, He said, Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners, of whom I am the chief. My friends, there are
three important things that every believer needs to remember, the
first of which is this. Let every man who names the name
of Christ be conscious of his own sins and his own imperfections. Now, I know we're mighty conscious
of everybody else's sins and everybody else's imperfections
and infirmities, and we're quick to condemn them and to criticize
them, but we need to be aware of our own imperfections and
our own sin all the time. The Apostle said, O wretched
man that I am, sinners of whom I am the chief. He said, I'm
not one whit behind the chief Apostle, but I am nothing. I'm nothing. And then everyone
who names the name of Christ ought to be conscious, not only
of our own sins and our own imperfections, but we ought to be conscious
that our gifts and our graces are not our own at all. They're
borrowed. They're God-given. Whatever we
know, God taught us. Our minds are enlightened by
the Holy Spirit, by His grace. Our hearts are made to love.
You say, but I love God and I love His people. His love is shed
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. We didn't produce that
love. We love Him because He first
loved us. We're taught to love by God's
grace. We're enabled to love by God's grace. And then our
lips speak. You say, I speak for God. I teach.
I know something about the Scripture. That's because of His grace.
That's because of His mercy. And I'll tell you, He who gave
these gifts can remove them just as easily as he gave them. Our Lord said a man can receive
nothing except it were given him from above. God despises
pride. Pride is the number one sin.
Pride, someone said, is the granddaddy of all sin. Pride goeth before
destruction and a haughty spirit before the fall. And pride ought
not be found in the heart of any believer, especially any
minister of the gospel. The third thing that every Christian
ought to remember is our dependence is upon the Holy Spirit. While
we don't even know the things for which we should pray, except
the Spirit of God teach us, we don't even know the things that
are to be prayed according to the will of God, except the Holy
Spirit should reveal the will of God to us. It's the Spirit
that convicts men of sin. We don't. It's the Holy Spirit
who reveals Christ through the preaching of the gospel. We don't.
It is the Holy Spirit of God who leads men into all truth. We do not. It's the Holy Spirit
of God who glorifies Jesus Christ. We don't. It shouldn't be difficult
for us to wait before God and before men, too, with great humility. We shouldn't be amazed that God
would even use us. We shouldn't be amazed that God
Almighty would even condescend to take notice of us. This is
what David, the great psalmist felt when he cried, Oh God, who
am I? And what is my house that you
should show such mercy to me? Who am I? And what is my house? And that's the way every true
minister of the gospel feels. And that's the way Paul began
this last message to these dear people whom he loved. He said,
I've served the Lord with great humility. I have labored among
you I have ministered among you and have done it with a consciousness
of my own sins, my own imperfections, with a consciousness that my
gifts and graces were all God-given, with a consciousness that he
who gave those gifts could take them away just as quickly as
he gave them. Why, he said, I keep my body
and bring it into subjection, lest while preaching to others
I myself become a castaway. And I remember that my dependence
is on the Holy Spirit. He said, I may plant and Apollos
may plow and someone else water, but God gives the increase. He's the Lord of the harvest.
That's the first point in this message. Wouldn't it be something
if every one of us learned this, not in our heads, but in our
hearts, to be able to give and to witness and to teach and to
preach and do whatever we do only for the glory of God and
not out of any vain ambition. And not for any vain show, but
only for the glory of God. The second point in this message
is verse 20. Now this is a point I want to
emphasize very strongly, and I want you to listen very carefully,
most carefully. In verse 20 he said, I've kept
back nothing that was profitable unto you. I've kept back nothing
that was profitable. It may be offensive. It may be
hard to hear, like the Pharisees said to Christ. That's a hard
saying. Who can hear it? It may be contrary to your traditions
and ceremonies, but I've kept back nothing. I've kept back
nothing profitable unto you. Now, my friends, I believe it's
very tempting to some people in this day who desire to build
great religious programs and great religious empires and great
religious followings to give people what they want to hear
rather than what they ought to hear. This is one of the problems
with preaching today, is that many preachers in their great
desire to build a large following or a large program or a large
religious empire, rather than giving people what God says and
what they ought to hear, we're tempted to give them what they
want to hear and to get along with them. avoid offending people
and driving people away. Our Lord preached and thousands
walked off and left him. One time, over 5,000 people walked
away and he turned to his own disciples and he said, will you
also go away? Well, they said, Lord, to whom
shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. My friends,
listen to me. Natural men are religious by
nature. I don't care where you go, you'll
find political People are political by nature. They like government. They like to be involved in government.
People are social by nature. And wherever you go, you'll find
that people are religious by nature. No matter where it is,
anywhere in the world, you'll find religion. You'll find that
people are religious. And everybody has his own ideas
about God, and about death, and about eternity, and about judgment,
and about heaven, and about hell. And it's not difficult to capitalize
on this sentiment. and on this religious emotion.
And it's not difficult just to confirm men in their false refuge,
just go on and appeal to their sentiment, go on and appeal to
their emotions, and go on and appeal to the direction that
they're going. But true ministers of the gospel
know that though men, natural men, are religious by nature,
their ways are not God's ways, and their thoughts are not God's
thoughts. Their thoughts are religious.
Their thoughts are sentimental, their thoughts are emotional,
and many times their thoughts are moral, according to man's
standard. But their ways are not God's
ways, and there's a way that seemeth right unto men, but the
end is death and destruction. And we must preach to people
not what they want to hear, but what God says in his word, what
people ought to hear. Our Lord didn't come preaching
to the Pharisees what they wanted to hear, to the Sadducees what
they wanted to hear, what would please them, what would appease
them, what would get along with them, but he preached to them,
thus saith the Lord God. And here in this verse, Paul
says, I have kept back nothing, no matter how offensive, no matter
how condemning, no matter how contrary to your ways and your
thoughts, I've kept back nothing profitable unto you. Now watch
this, in the next verse, verse 21. He then declares the two
essentials that are profitable. He said, I have not shunned to
declare unto you repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Those are the two essentials.
Repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
what he said. No man has ever come to God apart from these
two things, repentance toward God faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. What is repentance, preacher?
Well, first of all, repentance is toward God. David said, O
Lord, against thee have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight.
Repentance is not toward men. It's not just making restitution
to some person that you've offended. Repentance is toward God. We
realize our sins have been against God. And repentance is born of
a godly sorrow. Not sorry that we got caught,
not sorry that we had to pay the price, not sorry that we
upset the apple cart, but sorry because we've offended a holy
God. Godly sorrow. That's what worketh
repentance. Earthly sorrow bringeth death.
And not only is repentance toward God, and not only is it born
of godly sorrow, but repentance does not have in mind one particular
sin only. Genuine repentance is over the
nature of sin. Not only what we've done, but
what caused us to do it. Our nature. Our evil hearts. Not only the act that was performed,
but the attitude and spirit that promoted that act. That's real
repentance. A man hasn't yet grieved over
sins until he's grieved over sin. The nature of sin, the principle
of sin, the root of sin, that is within our hearts and our
souls and our minds. And then repentance is continual.
It doesn't stop with one act of repentance. We have repented,
we are repenting, we shall continue to repent. We do know we're sinners,
we grieve over sin, we repent of sin, we continue to grieve
over our sin. What is faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ? Well, faith has one object, that's Christ. Faith has one
foundation, the word of God, and faith continues like repentance
to grow. My faith, the author said, has
found a resting place, not in device or creed. I trust the
ever-living one. His blood for me shall plead. Enough for me that Jesus saved. This ends my fear and doubt. A sinful soul, I come to him. He'll never cast me out. We must
not preach. that any man can know God apart
from genuine repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. A genuine
godly sorrow over sin, being stripped that we might be clothed,
being slain that we might be made alive, being broken that
we may be healed, and being slain that we may be resurrected by
the power of the Son of God. Repentance toward God, faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now watch the third point. In
verse 27, he says, I have not shunned to declare unto you all
the counsel of God. Now, my friend, we may not preach
with the power that we desire, and we may not preach with the
earnestness with which we ought to preach, and we may not preach
with the effectiveness with which we'd like to preach, and we may
not preach with the wisdom, but let no man ever For the glory
of God and for the good of our hearers, let no man ever charge
us with failing to declare all the counsel of God. Let no man
charge us with failing to preach what we know the Word teaches.
Let no man charge us out of fear or covetousness or ambition with
failing to preach all the counsel of God. If I please men, I'm
not the servant of Christ. If I seek the favor and honor
and glory of men, I'm not the servant of Jesus Christ. Now,
my friends, the Scripture declares that God is sovereign, God is
almighty, God is omnipotent in creation, in providence, and
salvation. The Word of God teaches that.
And that's what I must preach. whether it offends or not. I
must preach that God is absolutely God and doeth according to his
will in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of
this earth and giveth it to whomsoever he will. Let God be God. That's
what scripture says. I am God. He says I form the
light and I create darkness. I create good and I create evil.
I the Lord do all these things. God is God. He's sovereign. And
the word of God teaches The depravity of man. Man is born dead in sin. He has a nature of evil. And
he's not only a sinner by birth and nature, but he's a sinner
by choice and practice. And from the sole of his feet
to the top of his head, there's no soundness in him. There's
none good, no not one. There's none that seeketh after
God. I know folks like to say there's a little good in everybody.
Not spiritual good. Not spiritual light, not spiritual
truth. The scripture says we're dead
in trespasses and sin. The scripture says we're without
hope, we're without help, we're without God, we're without Christ,
we're without strength in this world. That salvation's a miracle,
that it's a work of God, that it must be something God does
for man, not something man does for himself or for God. And then
the word of God teaches a covenant of grace. that the Lord God of
heaven gave his Son of people. He determined in his mercy to
save a people for the glory of Christ, and he gave his Son of
people. And Christ came into this world and effectually redeemed
them. Christ is the Redeemer alone, and he redeemed us alone. Salvation is the unaided work
of the Lord Jesus Christ. The royal bath of mercy in which
black souls are washed from their sins was drawn from the veins
of the Son of God. And no blood of noble martyrs
or noble confessors has entered that stream. There's a fountain
filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins, and sinners
plunged beneath that blood lose all their guilty stains. The
royal banquet of mercy is served up by one host, the Lord of Glory. He is the unaided Savior. He
redeemed his people. He didn't try to. He didn't make
an effort to. He didn't make a down payment
on their salvation. He bought and paid for it and
ransomed them. The debts paid for all who believe. The Scripture declares that the
Holy Spirit effectually calls men to Christ. My sheep hear
my voice and they follow me. The Scriptures declare that the
redeemed will persevere. That salvation is not a temporary
thing. Eternal life is not for six months
or six years or even 60 years, but forever and forever. And not one for whom Christ died. will perish in the flames of
hell. Not one for whom Christ died shall ever be brought to
judgment. Not one for whom Christ died will ever be called upon
to die because he paid their debt. They are redeemed. They
will persevere. He will keep them. Paul said,
I haven't shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of
God. I kept back nothing profitable unto you. And then watch this
fourth point in verse 32. He said, I commend you to God.
and to the word of his grace." That word, command, is commit.
Here's what Paul is saying. He's saying to this congregation
that he's about to leave, preaching his last sermon to them, his
farewell address, a pattern for every one of us. He says, I commit
you to God. I commit you to God to save you.
I commit you to God to protect you. I commit you to God to provide
for you. I commit you to God to keep you.
You're not my children, you're God's children. You're not my
people, you're God's people. And your relationship to God
is not a union with a group of men, it's a vital living union
with the Lord Jesus Christ. And I commit you to Him. He will
provide. The Lord will provide. The Lord
is our banner. The Lord is our refuge. The Lord
is our strength. I will not fear, David said,
what man can do. I commit you to God. And notice
the next thing he says there, and I commit you to his word,
his word, which is able to build you up. Now, I don't have a pamphlet
to present to you how to live the Christian life, how to be
filled with the Spirit, how to be baptized with the Spirit and
the gifts. I don't have any how-to pamphlets,
but I have a Bible, and I commend you to the word of God. The Word
of God is able to strengthen you. The Word of God is able
to sanctify you. Wherewithal shall a young man
cleanse his way? By taking heed to the Word of
God. The Word of God is able to give you faith and build up
that faith. Desire the sincere milk of the
Word, Peter said, that you may grow thereby. Faith cometh by
hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Paul said when he was
leading these people, I commit you to God. I do not trust you
in the hands of a man. I do not trust you in the hands
of a denomination or a preacher. I commit you to God, and I commit
you to His Word, which is able to strengthen you and establish
you and build you up. My friend, bury yourself in God's
Word. Saturate your heart with the
Word of God. Commit it to your memory. Study the Scriptures.
Everything you need is in the Scriptures. You don't need all
the writings of men. You need the writings of God.
The Word of God is able to strengthen and to comfort you and to meet
every need. Now notice the last thing, verse
33. Paul said, and I've coveted no
man's silver, gold, or apparel. Do we dare say that in this day?
We're making too much noise about money, calling in, sending in
money, mail your checks, mail your money orders, buy a brick,
an album, buy a book, buy something else, send you money. If you
can't write, just send you money. I'm sick of it. The Apostle Paul
says, we're the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he'll
meet our need. My God shall supply all your
needs according to his riches and glory by Christ Jesus. We
don't need the support of men. We need the love and grace and
support of the living God. He'll supply our needs. He'll
comfort our heart. He'll bless our ministry if it's
His ministry. Do we dare say that? Say that
next Sunday. I covet no man's gold, silver,
or apparel, praise, honor, or fame, or anything else. I commit
you to God and to His blessed Word.