Acts: A Pastor's Warning

Well, if you have your bible's turned with me to

Acts chapter twenty, Acts chapter twenty. This morning we'll pick

back in our series, Act chapter twenty. We're gonna start

in verse Well, we'll kind of begin back at the

beginning and kind of work our way through. So let's

go to Act chapter twenty, and we'll start in verse

eighteen and just read on this morning. Over the last

few weeks, the Lord's let us Act chapter twenty. I believe, divinely,

I think this is the Lord's timing. For months, we've

been praying that God would raise up among us leaders

who would lead his church, people, that God would raise

up to be elders, people, that God would raise up

to be pastors, that we and God, maybe God would

raise up missionaries my prayer, and that God would raise

them up among us, that they would grow among us,

that we would be able to mentor them and send

them out. Something we've been praying as a church corporately

every Thursday at one o'clock, that God, may you might

grow us, that we might go. And I hope that

as we've come to Acts chapter twenty, I really believe

the Lord's a leading using these series as of messages

to prepare our hearts for what He's doing. And I

hope and my prayer has been that God would use

these series of messages to call some out. That God

is calling some right here among this morning, some part

of our church. That God would raise up you, that

God would call you, and you would sense the calling

of God upon your life, and that God would use

these messages to reaffirm his calling upon you. And so

last a few Sundays ago, we looked at a pastor's calling,

What does it mean to be called by God? Last

week we looked at a pastor's surrender, what does it

mean to follow God's call and follow the Lord's leading?

And today we're looking at a pastor's warning. So come

to this passage of scripture. Paul is is. He's with

the elders at Ephesus. He's gathered them together at a

little town called my autist Ol, coastal town, and he's

sharing with them, and he's preparing them. He's leaving. He's preached.

He was a pastor in Ephesis for three years, and

after three years he's leaving. He's going to Jerusalem. And

he's gathered these elders together and He's giving them messages

to encourage these elders, these leaders. And so today we

come to the last part of that final words from Paul.

You know, as I've had the privilege the last few years,

we have two teenage daughters, and they're not teenagers anymore,

but I remember their teenage years. We would teach them

how to drive.

And I was the one that was designated in the

family that.

I was going to help as they got their permit

dad to get a certain amount of hours, and I

was designated by Brandy to be the driver who would

drive with them all those hours. You know, as I

would ride with them when they first started driving, I had,

you know, a plan, and I was as we were

riding and we were collecting those hours every night for

we would or every day, we would go out practically

and spend about thirty minutes driving. And I would take

that time as they were learning to drive, and as

I was with them driving to kind of give them

warnings to try to prepare them. And I would warn

them about things to look forth, warning to things to

prepare for. And then these warnings they were instructions, some

of the instructions of things that they were to follow

And some of the things were things for them to

look out for. And for instance, I would tell them, hey,

you make sure before you change lanes to check your

what blind spots? Right? I would explain to them, you know,

the right lane is for slow drivers, that is you,

The left lane is for fast drivers that is not you, right,

And so I would give them those instructions. But I

would also tell them warnings. Right, you got to look

out for the crazy drivers. There's some people out there

don't know how to drive, and there are around you.

If you see them, let them buy you right. If

you if you check your be attendant to your car,

check ushi, there's engine lights on, what's the temperature gauges

look like? And if it gets too hot, pull over,

and so the different things I would do that, And

why did I do that? Why did I give them

these warnings Because I knew there was a coming a

day that I wasn't gonna be with them. I wasn't

gonna be with them, I wasn't gonna be in the

car with them. They're gonna be out on their own

and they would have to navigate the road by themselves,

the drive by themselves. That is really the heart of

this message. Today, Paul's gathered these elders together who spent

three years with them. He's taught them, he's guided them,

he's instructed them, he's warned them. Now God is leading

him to leave this church and go to Jerusalem, and

he knows he will never see them again, he will

never ride with them again, he will never minister with

them again. And he gives them practical warnings to prepare

them to how to lead the church without him. And

so this morning, as we come to this passage of scripture,

I just encourage you those who God's calling is and

you're praying about this, you feel that the Lord's leading

you to be an elder, or Lord leading you to

serve as a teacher, or Lord's leading you to serve

as a deacon, or the Lord leads you to maybe

be in a missionary, a volunteer in some way. I

encourage you this morning to consider, how can I apply

these warnings to my life, to the leading that God's

calling me to. That may be a deacon or teacher,

or a volunteer, or maybe that's you this morning as

you're listening, God's given you a leadership bra as a mom,

as a Dad. You have children in your home or

as a grandparent, maybe God's given you a leadership position

at your school where you go, or at your workplace

or in your community. Today I ask you today as

we listen to how Paul instructs these elders and how

to lead the church and they're responsibility. I pray today

the Lord would lead you to consider today, how am

I leading and how am I faithful to what God's

called me to. Let's stand together and let's read God's word.

We'll pick back up just so you could see the

whole picture. In verse eighteen, he says that when he

came to them, he said to them, you yourself to

know how I lived among you the whole time, from

the first das set foot in Asia save the Lord,

with all humility and with tears and with trials that

happened to me through the plots of the Jews. How

I did not shrink from declaring you anything that was

profitable in teaching you in public from to house, testifying

both of the Jews and the Greeks, and repentance toward

God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now behold,

I'm going to Jerusalem constrained by the spirit, not knowing

what will happen to me there, except the Holy Spirit

testifies me that in every city imprisonment infliction awaits me.

But I do not account my life of any value

nor precious to myself. If only I may finish my

course and the ministry that I received from the Lord

Jesus Christ, to testify to the gospel of the grace

of God. Verse twenty five is where we want to

pick up this. And now behold, I know that none

of you, among whom I have gone about proclaiming the

King of God, will see my face again. Therefore I

testify to you this day that I am innocent of

the blood of all of you, for I did not

shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.

Pay careful attention to yourselves, to all the flock in

which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care

for the Church of God, which he obtained with his

own blood. I know that after my departure, fish wolves

will come in among you, not sparing the flock, and

from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted

things to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore, be

alert remember that for three years I did not cease

night or day to amonish everyone with tears. And now

I'll commend you to God and to the word of

his grace, which is able to build you up and

to give you an in heritage among all those who

are sanctified. I coveted in no one silver or gold

or a peril yourselves. Know that these hands ministered to

my necessity into those who were with me. And all things,

I've showed you that by working hard in this way,

we must help the weak. Remember the words of the Lord,

how Jesus, how he himself said, it is more blessed

to give than to receive. And when he said these things,

he knelt down and he prayed with them all, and

there was much weeping on the part of all. They

abreshd Paul and kissed him, and being sorrowful for most

of all because of the words he had spoken, that

they would not see his face again, and they accompany

him to the ship. Let's pray together, Lord, we love you.

We thank you Lord for your word. Today, Lord, I

pray that there would be those among this congregation, those

are watching on light, that God you would call, You

would call some to be pastors, son, to be elders, deacons,

so to be teachers, so to be leaders in their home,

leaders in their school, leaders in their workplace. And God,

as you call Lord, I pray today they would follow, Lord,

you surrender, Lord to your call. Hey, Lord, as they

lead and how you call them, Lord, I pray they

would be faithful to follow your instructions, to heed to

your warnings.

And so Lord, today we come today gather together as

a body of believers, desperate Lord, not from my words,

but yours, Lord, longing to hear your warnings for us.

So prepare our hearts and prepare our minds.

Lord, I offer Lord this message as an offering to you. Lord,

may be pleasing Lord to you. May the words of

my mouth and the meditations of heart be pleasing Lord

to you today. And Lord, may you be honored and

pleased with our service today. So, Lord, we seek you today,

use this service to speak to our hearts and your name.

We pray, Amen, you may be seated. As we come

to this series, we've been looking at just this calling

of a pastor an elder. First week we let the

pastor's calling, and if you remember in that message, Paul

begins in verse eighteen, as he begins talking about the

calling of God that God called upon him and is

calling upon them. One of the key elements of being

a pastor or being a leader that God calls is

the importance of being an example. And Paul has talked

to them reminded them how important that they are to

be an example. As he begins his warning, he really

this gives this warning in kind of two different ways.

He one gives them a warning by showing Giggs example,

then he gives them instructions, and then the latter warning,

he uses his life as an example to them again

as he began this morning, you you see, he reminds

them of again of his example, something that he had

done as he was with them. As he ministers them,

he tells them in verse twenty four, I'm in twenty

five that he will not see them again. He reminds them,

among you going about proclaiming the King God, so that

will see my face again. So he reminds them, you

won't see my faith again. So here's some warnings. Verse

twenty six he says, Therefore, I testify you this day

that I am innocent of the blood of all of

you is Paul's giving his warning. The first warning that

Paul gives this church or these Ephesian elders, he gives

them the warning of first, be faithful, be faithful, and

Paul gives his life as an example of faithfulness. He

says to them, I want you. I know I won't

ever see you again, and I want to warn you

to be faithful. The things that I want you to

see and thinking about being faithful is I want you

to see my faithfulness. And he reminds them of his faithfulness.

He says in verse twenty six, I testify to you

this day that I am innocent of the blood of

all of you. He is interesting. He uses these imagery

of like a sacrifice. You can imagine for these Jews

in the past, they had gone to worship in the Sabbath,

and they would take a sacrifice to one of their

best lambs, and they would take it into worship and

they would offer it, and they would offer it as

a sacrifice, and they would use the blood to as

an offering to the Lord. Paul uses this imagery that

his ministry to the church there has been an offering,

and he has served them, and his ministry has been

in service to them, and he's given it all to

the Lord. He's worshiped the Lord through his ministry, and

he's given a pure sacrifice to the Lord. You know,

you think about ministry and sometimes there's different roles in ministry.

There's different task in ministry, and I don't know what

God's called you to. God's called me as an elder,

as a pastor, and there's comes of different parts of that.

And one part of my ministry is preaching the Word

of God, and that's one of the things I do.

But there's many many different things that I do as

being a pastor, and that means caring for folks, seeing

them in the hospital, caring for them in times of need,

caring for them for crisis and maybe it's a relationship

crisis or whatever it may be. Just caring for just

the direction of the church, and leading the elders and

leading the deacons. There's just so many different parts of

that and it's busy. I know, as I joke earlier

a few weeks ago that some people think the pastor

only works one day a week. I do work more

than one day a week. I work on Wednesdays too,

So it's but so it's very, very busy, and sometimes

because of the busyness of ministry, it can become like

a professional, like just this is something I do. Well,

I'm going to do this on this day and this

on that whatever it day may be, and we can

go through the motions where it's just like we're just

working a job. Paul explains to them, is as you

I warn you, brothers, I warn you in ministry to

be faithful and see your worship, see your ministry as

an act of worship. Paul understood that his ministry and

caring for the flock of God was not a job,

was not a profession, was an act of worship to

the Lord. Can I encourage you teachers, group group leaders, deacons, elders, greeters,

children's workers, youth workers, primetime workers. Sometimes you can get

in the right race of doing what you do for

the church here at Beth as that it can become

a job, a task. Well, I got to go to

church tomorrow and I gotta do the greeting. Oh, they've

put me on the list this Sunday to take care

of the children. I guess I'll endure. No, no, no, no, See,

your Lord, you've called me to something, and I get

to go work in that children's ministry, I get to

go teach in that growth group class. And Lord, as

I go, I want to give it as an offering

to you. Lord. I don't want to do it as

a heart of this is something I have to do. Lord.

I want to give it as an offering as sacrifice

to you God. So I encourage you today just that

Paul wants them to see, remind them of his example

of faithfulness, faithfulness to give his ministry as an act

of worship to the Lord. Another part of this for Paul,

Paul says, I'm innocent of blood of all you. He

says to them, not only there was this act of worship,

but listen, it's a pure act of worship. What does

he mean by that? And Ezekiel chapter three, God gives

a warning to prophets, and in that warning he says

that if I speak a word to you as a

prophet's and there's some people in sin and Israel, and

I'm coming against the judge them of their sin. And

he said, if you don't warn them of the judgment

of you, don't warn them of their sin and my

coming judgment, And they die in their sin, the blood

of them, their blood will be on your hands. But

if I tell you you need to preach against their sin,

and I tell you that judgment's coming, and you tell

them and they don't repent, and they die in the

judgment of their sin, he says, you'll be innocent of

their blood. Paul's using that imagery not only as ministry,

an act of worship to the Lord. It's not a job,

it's not an occupation. It's not something I have to do.

I do this because I want to worship the Lord

and what God's called me to, but to I do

it in such a way that I don't hold anything back.

I don't shrink back. But I've given them all what

God's told me to tell them. I've been faithful. And

Paul says this as a pastor's warning, be faithful in worship,

be faithful in preaching, in declaring the whole counsel of

the God's word. This is what he says. In verse six.

He says, Therefore, I testify you this day that I'm

menacing to the blood of all you, for I did

not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.

Can I tell you, Sunday school teacher, be faithful to

preach the word of God even when it's not comfortable.

Can I tell you, Deacon, be faithful to the word

of God even when it's not comfortable. Can I tell you, elders,

be faithful to teach the word of God even when

it's not popular. Can I tell you Karence, be faithful

to the word of God even when it's not comfortable.

To that teenager, be faithful to the word of God. Students,

even when your peers do not agree with what you believe.

Be faithful to the word of God. Don't shriek back

from the word of God. Got I tell you it's

the temptation for us all. There's not one person listen

to me. There's not one person in this room that

doesn't feel the pressure of what God's word in comparison

to what the world says today. You have this tendency.

We all have this tendency. We know what God's word says,

but we have a whole world that believes something different.

And you have peers, you have loved ones, you have

family members who don't believe the word of God like

you do, and they will whatever it may be come

upon your life and you sometimes want to dibble, dabble

around it, beat around the bush and don't deal with it.

Can I tell you we live in a world today

where we need to be standing on the word of

God and not shrinking back for what God says. Not

hide what God's word says, but stand upon the word

of God. It's a temptation for all of you. It's

a temptation for me. You say, Pastor, this is difficult,

but I tell you, it's just a temptation for me.

When I was a young pastor, I was thirty one

years old. I became a pastor of a church in

South Carolina, Spring Branch Baptist Church, and I began wrestling

with preaching every Sunday and preaching what God's Word says,

and realizing now I was coming to topics that were uncomfortable,

topics that I knew people in the church would struggle with.

And one topic, I'll be honest with you, and I

may have told you before, I avoided for five years.

I did not preach on it. Never once from the

pulpit for five years that I had ever addressed this subject.

You know what it was? Abortion would preach on it.

Why Because I knew there's people in the church that

did not agree with it and struggled with it, who

were maybe pro choice, and I was afraid of offending them.

After a few years, I went to a conference with

a pastor pastor friend of mine, and I went to

a seminar and we've talked about the sactuy human life.

We talked about what's happening in our world. And God

convicted my heart that I was being silent about the

evil that was in our world. And that next Sunday

I did, and from the air on every year after,

I will stand upon the word of God, what God's

word says about life, even when they're those who may

not agree with it or may not like it. I

tell you that story because listen, you have that same

issues in your life. It may not be abortion, it

may be something else, and it may be a tendency

for you to shrink back on issues or topics in

your life that you don't feel comfortable addressing with family

members or loved ones or neighbors. Can I tell you

we are coming to a place today. We need to

be faithful to God's call. We need to be faithful

to the warnings. We need to be faithful in our

active worship, in serving the Lord as an act of worship,

but we need to be faithful in preaching today. I

want to ask you why there are subjects of your avoid, teachers,

family members. What hot button issues in our world today

that have silence sho abortion, homosexuality, tithing, boy nobody likes

a preacher talk about tithing. It will be cold in here.

And what we do is series on tithing, cohabitating, premartal sex.

These are all issues that our world has put so

much pressure on that we as a church feel like

we can't stand upon the word of God and what

it says. We need to be faithful and be faithful

in worshiping and serving the Lord and giving our worship

I mean giving our services an active worship. But we

need be faithful in preaching, which is seen only the

all says Paul's pastor's warning, that warning to be faithful,

but secondly, wanting to be attentive, listen to what he

says in verse twenty eight. In verse twenty seven, he says,

do not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel

of God, but listen to what he says, but be

careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock in

which the Holy Spirit's made you never see to care

for the Church of God, which obtained by his own blood.

He notly gives them a warning through his example how

he's been faithful to and he's innocent of their blood.

He's been faithful to preach the word of God, not

hold it back anything what God's word says. He's also

been faithful to give his service as an act of worship.

But he also gives them warning here through and exhortation.

He tells them, like I was telling Caroline and Chloe, Hey,

you got to look out for the things that are happening.

You got to look out for maybe your car overheating.

You look for the warning signs of them may happen.

And here he gives these these warnings. It's an instruction,

and he says, there, listen to the words. He used

the idea of pay careful attention. You're got to be

looking out for this. And then he goes into what

does he he want them to pay close attention? He says, first,

play close attention to your lot, to yourselves. As a leader,

you must look over your life. Is it being the

example that God called you to be? Or you living

to be that man of God that God called you

to be? Or God are you leading? Are you living

your life to be that woman of God that God's

called you to? Look over yourselves? Watch over yourself, make

sure you're being that example. But also secondly, he says,

very close attention to all yourselves, but to the flock

in this imagery. He loves this passage because of the

imagery that Paul uses to talk about the overseers and

the imagery of an overseer as a shepherd who oversees

the flock. And he says, you as overseers, you're as pastors, elders.

God's given you a flock, and you need to be

attentive first because it's a sacred calling. And listen to

the imagery of this passage. She said, pay close attention

to yourselves, to all the flock in which the Holy

Spirit has made you an overseer to care for the

Church of God, which he obtained by his own blood.

He reminds them that God's called the God's calling upon them.

Pay attention, be attentive, Be attentive because you've been called

by God. Remember when you were in school and elementary

school and the teacher would get ready to take the

class to art class or take them to the lunch room,

and she looking and said, who's going to be the

line leader? You remember that everybody be so excited to

be twenty of you in there, and you maybe she'll

call me, right and she choose you. And then if

you're going to be the line leader, that means that

you got to the front of the line and you

led them right. Everybody in the class that if she

only chose one, everybody class was going to follow that

line leader to the lunch room or to the art class,

whatever it mean. And you love to be chosen. Just maybe,

just she would choose you. Here, fall says to these elders,

be attentive, Why listen because the Holy Spirit called you.

It's chosen you called you by God to be example

that you might lead the flock. You are the shepherd

that God called and the sheep are to follow you

the shepherd, and God's called you to that. This is

a calling that God has done. This is not your choice,

This is not something you desired, This is not something

you wanted. This is something not you sought. No God

called you. The Holy Spirit put a calling on you.

I told you a few weeks ago. I was seventeen

years old on a Sunday night at first Baptist in

the intrail when God called me. This is not something

I sought. God put a calling upon me. And listen,

God and his Holy Spirit is calling some of you today.

You would say, I'm not sure if I want to

be this leader. I'm not sure if I want to

lead in this way. Listen. May not something you desired,

not something you may salt, or you may pursue, but

God is calling today. Would you be attended to the

calling of God upon you? He I love this that

he says to be attentive because it's a first sacred calling.

I love this imagery that Paul says to these elders

that this is a sacred calling. Why is it sacred

because Jesus bought the church with his own blood. Listen

to the imagery of this passage. It says, pay closial

attention to yourselves, to all the flock, which holy spirits

made you a neverseer to care for the Church of God.

Would he obtain with his own blood? You remember that

old hymn, Oh the Blood of Jesus, Oh, the blood

of Jesus, it washes white as snow. What can wash

away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. You

know today that the blood of Jesus is precious. It's

precious because it cleanses you of your sins. Right And

you would say today as we sing that song, Oh

the pleacious blood of Jesus that washes away all my sins.

But can I tell you that same precious blood that

washes you from your sins is the same precious blood

that God gave his son that he might have this church,

that he may establish his church. And so today, as

we think about being an elder and following God's calling,

we must understand that the flot that God gave us

is valuable to God, why because he bought the church

with the blood of his son. Be a tentive or

the sacred calling. But also we need to be attentive

because he explains that there's for the fierce attacks. He

describes this shepherd, this elder, that God's calling this overseer.

He uses the term in this passage to oversee the church,

the flock of God, to oversee the flock of God

that Jesus bought with his blood. But look at word

verse twenty nine says, for I know that after my departure,

fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock,

and from among you your own selves, where rise men

speaking twisted things to draw away the disciples after them.

Paul tells them to be a tentive be attentive, because

you God's given you a calling by the Holy Spirit,

and God's called you to lead his church that he

bought with the blood of his son Jesus. He says. Secondly,

here be attentive because for the fierce attacks Paul knows

that he leaves false teachers are going to rise. He

even goes as far as says, among those elders they

are there in Mildus, some will arise from among those elders.

You know what that tells us. Sometimes we think the

attacks that are going to come to divide the church

will be taxed from outside the church. On the contrary,

Paul says, the tacks that are seeking to divide the

church in Ephesus or not attacks from outside, but actually

attacks from within. He even describes these attacks that and

what they will these fierce wolves, or these false teachers.

What they will seek to do? He says in verse thirty,

from among you yourselves will rise men speaking twisted things

to draw away the disciples after them. He says, there

will be false teachers that will come. There's gonna be

fierce attacks that will come to the church after I leave,

And they're going to become from false teachers who will

come from among the church. And what will they seek

to do? They will seek to twist the word of God.

The idea there is to pervert is to twist something.

It means to make something that is true and twisted

to something that is not true. It's the idea of

twisting the word of God. And he explains that false

teachers are based upon people who look like Christians, talk

like Christians, but the deadly poison in their bite is

how they twist the word of God. And Paul warns them,

he said, be attentive for these fierce attacks. Can I

encourage you today that false teaching is just as deadly

today as it was two thousand years ago, And it's

just as destructive as it was for today as it

was for le early church. And we listen to me

we as elders, we as leaders, you as church people,

must be attentive for the false attacks from false teaching

that's in our world today. You must recognize what is

a false teacher and how they are deceiving and trying

to twist the word of God. What's their purpose? You

ever wonder what's the purpose of a false teacher? What's

their end goal? Then Gold is to leads you away

from the God. It's it's then Gold is lead you

away from God's church. Paul says that listen what he

says from among you, your own selves, women or I

speaking twisted things to draw away the disciples after them,

it will leads you astray. Just the other day, ten

or an hour, going to get supplies for youth camp,

and we were going into Walmart and there's a just

down the street, there's a cult and and they were

in Walmart and they were strategically proselyting and and it

was very interesting. We heard them. As we were walking out.

There was a Christian who was ahead of us, and

he was saying, well, he's asking about their method is

do you want to go to a Bible study? Sounds

like a Christian right, sound like Christian thing to do.

Go to a Bible study. You're going to study the Bible,

you would think, right, that's how they start. And then

the first thing was he says, well, i'm a I

think the guy we didn't hear all the conversation, but

he started talking to him. We hear him say something

about church. He says, well, you worship on Sunday And

the guy said yes. He says, well, that's not in

God's word. So he asked the guy. He says, it's

not in God's word anywhere that you should worship on Sunday.

And so that he was stumbling. He said, well, tell

me where it is, and he says, it's nowhere. And

this is what the false teacher says. There's nowhere in

the New Testament where the church worships on Sunday. And

the guy was stumbling because he couldn't think on top

of his head where it was in the Bible where

you worship on Sunday. So he's stumbling over that. But

I tell you that to tell you that, to tell

you false teachers take the word of God and twist

it and make you think that you don't understand the Bible.

That they have a better understanding the Bible. And you

should not listen to what God's word says, but you

should listen to what they think and listen. They are

tactfully seeking to deceive, not just on church, but the church.

Can I tell you we must be attentive, you know.

Dedrich Bondheffer was a grew up in Germany, was called

by God to serve the Lord at age fourteen to

be a theologian in nineteen I'm twenty seven at age

of twenty one. He spent some time as a pastor

and a German congregation. Not long after that, in nineteen

thirty three, Hitler would come to power as a Chancellor

and then eventually become present lead Germany, and through Hitler's

anti Semitic rhetoric and action, Deedrit Bondhlfer, along with Karl

Box and others together as pastors, would stand against false teaching.

This is what they would declare in nineteen thirty four,

the a declaration that says this we repudiate the false

teaching that the church, that the Church can and must

recognize yet other happening empowers and personalities the truth as

divine revelation alongside one word of God. They stood against

the false teaching of Hitler. Can I tell you we

must be members and we must be leaders who recognize

the false teaching in our world, and we must stand

against it, even if it's going to mean persecution and

even our lives. We must be attentive, just as others,

and Paul was attentive that false teaching was coming, and

it's going to seek to tear the church apart. We

must be prepared, we must understand, we must be attentive. Lastly,

this morning a pastor's warning to be faithful. We're to

be on guard. The lastly, we would be a giver.

Paul goes back to his example. He reminds them of

his life and how he has served them as a church.

Look at verse twenty eight with me, he says, I'm sorry,

not twenty eight. Verse thirty one, He says, therefore, be alert.

Remember that three years I did not cease night and

day to amonish every one of you with tears. And

now I commend you to God and to the word

of his grace, which is able to build you up,

to give your inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

You know, Paul, as he finishes up. It's interesting. I've

preached through the Book of Acts once before, and that

was when I was at Spring Branch when I was

thirty one. I preached it for five years. I was

pastor there five years, about somewhere in about a year

before we came to chapter twenty. In this passage, God

began moving our heart. Brandy and I heart that the

Lord was leading us to leave that church. And I'm

not I'm not making this up. You can ask Brandy.

As God began opening up the doors and leading us away,

one of the last sermons was this sermon. God in

my last few Sundays at that church at Spring Branch

was leading us to Acts third twenty and on God's

perfect timing. You know, one of the struggles as a

pastor when God calls you to a church and you

really pour your life into them for five years, and

the Lord leads your way and tells you that he

wants to lead you to another place. You cannot imagine

that the struggle on your heart will what will happen

to them after I leave? Who's going to make sure

they're going to be okay? Who's going to guard the

church from false teaching? Who's going to make sure they're

preaching the word faithfully, who's going to care for the week,

who's going to do these different things, all these different

things you worry about. And I say that to say

I was there and many many years ago at Spring Branch,

I was leaving, and I was right here in this

passage of scripture, and that's exactly where Paul is. He's

leaving them. He's loved them, he's cared for them, he's

preached to them, he's spent night and day with them,

he's prayed over them, he's prayed over them. And now

he's leaving, and he's wondering what's going to happen to

the flock? What's going to happen to your church? And

Paul I love this passage of Scripture because towards the

end he he he says, pastors, be faithful, but be

on guard about lastly, be a giver. And Paul gives

them something the best he knows is he's worried about

how what's going to happen to this church as he leaves,

he gives them the only thing he knows that will

sustain them. And this is what he says. He says

and now I commend you to God, to the word

of his grace. You know, a few weeks ago we

had some families come up and it was baby dedication,

and they took their their babies and they brought them

before the church, which and they held those babies up

and they said, Lord, this is your child. Lord, I

give them to you. God. Will you divinely care for God?

Will you divinely protect them? You know when Paul says,

I commend you to the grace of God. You know

what Paul saying, Lord, this church and God, I give

them to you. God, will you divinely protect them? God?

Will you divinely care for them? God? In the days

to come when I'm not there, They don't need me.

They need your grace God upon their life. Can I

tell you Church, Can I tell you leaders? We need

to come to a place where we are saying, God,

we give our church to you. I will ask you

growth group leaders, When was the last time you've taken

the role of your class and prayed over every name

in that class and said, God, these are your flock,

your members. God, You've allowed me to be a shepherd

and teach them. But God, they're yours. And God, I

give them to you. God me, you have your will

and your way in them. God, I tell you, youth leader,

when's the last time you've done that of your class?

Children's leaders? When's the last time you've done that of

your class? Can I tell your parents, when's the last

time you said? Lord? These children? I'm trying to figure

out how to raise them. But God, I give them

to you what they needed to you, Jesus Lord, whatever,

I pray that. As we think about a pastor's warning,

we think about ports of being faithful, we think of

ports of being on guard. But I think it's important

that we be a giver and we give them what

they need. And that's not us. They need God's grace

in their life once you see. Lastly, give them care.

Not only we be a giver, we give them grace,

but secondly, we give them care, and that's caring for them.

Paul describes in this passage verse thirty three, I covered

another one silver or gold or peril yourself. Know these

hands ministered to my necessity of those who are with me,

He describes. In all things, I've showed you by working

hard in this way, we must help the weak and

remember the words of the Lord Paul talks about and

reminds them be faithful. He reminds them not be faithful,

but be attentive. But lastly, be a giver. Give your

flock over to God the grace of God, that God

would divinely lead them and care for them. But lastly

care for the flock. You know, I never forget these

words by submitary professor one day, that people don't care

how much you know until they know how much you care.

Can I tell you church growth group leaders, deacons, elders, pastors,

future leaders. Maybe you're trying to share the Gospel with

your neighbor, with the family member. They don't care how

much you know until let until they know how much

you care. Mh. Yeah, the old hen because he lives,

I will face tomorrow. You know why of that past

that's that him especial to me. It's because of a

man named Joseph ENSI. Joseph Ends was one of the

first church members. I was learning to be a young

pastor and learned how to care for people. And he

had cancer, and I'd been in and out of the

hospital with him, and he'd been sick, and and I

went to his house and he was just a few

hours away from me and the Lord. And I remember

walking in and I was trying to figure out how

do I care for the family, how do I care

for him? And I walked in beside Joseph's bed. It

was just me and him. I put held held his

hand as he was just struggling to breathe, and I

was like, Lord, I don't know. I don't know what

to say to this man that's dying. I knew he

knew the Lord. And I looked over as I was

trying to figure out, I had a minister to him,

and there beside his bed, his wife had stitched whatever

it's cross stitch because he lives. And there by side

his bed, I think, good thing. You couldn't hear, probably

by that point, but I say, because he lives, I

can face the more. You know, I saw his son

a few weeks ago and they still remember the day.

Did I say because he lives? To his family? You

see a church people leaders, elders, pastors, deacons, Sunday school leaders.

They don't care how much you know until they know

how much you care. Listen, we need leaders called by

God following God to say, Lord, I want to be faithful. Lord,

I want to be a tendant to the flock you've

given me. But God, I want to give my life

to your luck and I want to care for them

and hard days and good days.

I want to work.

Hard to care for those who are weak. What is

the passage says it is more blessed to give than

to receive. As we finish up this morning, I'll ask

you today, how's the Lord speaking to you? What is

the warnings that God's called you as a leader, maybe

a leader of your home, maybe a leader of a

ministry here, maybe a leader as a deacon or elder,

or growth group leader, whatever it is, children's leader, youth leader.

How are you being faithful to God's warnings to be faithful,

to be a tentive, and to be a giver. Let's

pray together, Lord, we love you. We thank you Lord

for your word. Today. God, I thank you for your

calling upon me. God, I thank you for your faithfulness. Lord.

I thank you today that you're still calling men, You're

still calling people to follow you. And Lord, I pray

today that as you call individuals to follow.

You in some role, Lord, I pray they would hear

your call. I pray they would surrender to your call.

And Lord, I pray they'd be faithful. I pray they'd

be a tentive, And Lord, I pray they'd be a giver. Lord,

we love you, We thank you Lord for this day.

We pray, Lord, your word speaks. We pray that you

would lead us to respond.

And Lord, we thank you for what you've done here

in this place. In your name, we pray Jesus to