Message - The Living One - Week 28: Ephesian Farewell

Awake Us Now

God’s word is compelling and so very practical. It thoroughly equips us and it still speaks to us today.

Today’s story takes place in the town of Miletus where Paul is speaking to leaders of the church sharing the difficult challenges and testing he experienced in his three years of mission work in Ephesus. He shares how he humbly did the work God gave him even in the most despairing times he humbly hung on tight to God who brought him through it all.

What can we learn from Paul’s speech? 1. Humble Service - we are called to humility before our awesome and mighty God, recognizing all we have and are comes from Him and that we are all in the same condition - sinners. We need a Savior and only God can save us. Humility is needed in understanding this. We are called to serve God in humility and to humbly server others to use our gifts, time, talents, abilities and opportunities that God gives us to serve Him and bless others. Our lives are to be lives of Humble Service.

Paul goes on to summarize what he taught while in Ephesus: that all must turn to God in repentance and have faith in Jesus. He taught the full counsel of God, not just the popular things but also the things that weren’t. He did so without camouflaging God’s word or avoiding those things that could be heard as upsetting. He spoke the full truth to all.

Repent and believe the good news is the heart of the Gospel message - come back to the living God in the way we live and walk with a change of heart and mind through Christ.

2. Steadfast Truth - Speaking the truth in love - that we need to repent before God. Martin Luther says, “When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said repent, He willed that entire life of a believer be one of repentance.” Repentance is a calling - a daily calling to turn back to God, to daily recognize the importance of walking with Jesus. We are not called to simple religion, we are called to a relationship with God through faith in Jesus, God’s Son, who died, rose and is coming again! We are to live in this truth and to share that truth with others As the story continues, Paul shares how he will go where God leads even though he does not know what lies ahead. He shares how the Holy Spirit has warned him that prison and hardships are coming but even in the face of this knowledge, Paul follows willingly where the Holy Spirit compelled him to go, regardless of danger and threats ahead.

3. Spirit Directed - we too have a calling from God - to know Him, to rejoice in Him, to receive hi forgiveness in Christ, to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to allow the Spirit of God to guide and direct our lives. It’s not always easy or comfortable, but it is for our benefit and God’s glory.

We are called to listen to the Holy Spirit, walk in the Holy Spirit, to follow the Holy Spirit, to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal and show us God’s goodness.

Paul’s story concludes with him stating his life’s aim is to complete the task the Lord Jesus had given him - the task of testifying to the Good News of God’s grace.

Pastor shares a personal story regarding this verse, a conversation with a college professor and the place he had this verse inscribed prior to his wedding day. This verse had a profound effect on Pastor life and he shares the impact of visiting the city of Miletus several years ago and being where Paul had spoken these words of Acts 20:24.

Without Jesus we are lost - when Jesus breaks into our lives we are changed!!

4. Life’s Commitment - we are to live our lives committed to Jesus. We are to live our lives for Jesus and “finish the race,” the course of our lifetime as planned by God.

Our life is a “race.” Towards the end of Paul’s life he writes the following in 2 Timothy 4:7 - “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” That is our calling, too!

We are to run the race with endurance, to follow Jesus as our Savior and Guide, to honor, worship and praise our Heavenly Father, to listen to the Holy Spirit as He speaks into our hearts, to follow where God leads NO MATTER THE DIRECTION. NO MATTER THE COST.

Scripture: Acts 20:17-24, 2 Timothy 3:16-17

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