Sermon Manuscript

[Video:  “Miracles - Bumper” - 0:30]

Good morning!  Welcome to The Fountain!  If I haven’t had a chance to meet you my name is Joshua Hahn and I am the Senior Minister here.  If you’re brand new to our church we want you to know that The Fountain is a place where you can belong, grow, and make a difference.  And if you’re visiting us for the very first time you probably drove into our parking lot this morning and wondered, “What is going on here?  Why is there a house being built in the front of this church?”

Great question!  Let me explain.  Yesterday was a big day at The Fountain.  Because we, as a church family, partnered with an organization called Help Build Hope and Habitat for Humanity to build walls for a home that will be given to a family in need in Martinsville, Indiana.  So on Friday night we had about 20 volunteers show up to cut and prepare lumber.  Then on Saturday morning we had nearly 100 volunteers show up to help put those walls together.  Groups of 10-12 people followed a preset of instructions to build the walls in sections and then as they were finished the walls were brought to the main location where they were fitted together.  It was a process that took about 4 hours.  But in the end we had built the structure that you saw as you drove in this morning.

And so before we go any further I just want to publicly thank a few people.  First of all, I want to thank Tim and Tracy Wiers who led the build from Hope Build Hope as well as Dawn Bradshaw who was our Habitat for Humanity representative.  Second, I want to thank a few key leaders from our church family:  Robin and Terry Beaumont who are our Directors of Missions and John Thompson who led this project for our church family.  John is gifted at all things construction and has spent his entire career in construction.  He has also been part of several Help Build Hope builds.  And finally, I want to thank our volunteers because without you this could never, ever, have happened.  

So if you were here on Friday or Saturday and participated in this event would you stand up so that we can thank you?  Can we give them a hand?  (Applause)  Yes, let’s give these servants a hand!  What a great job!   Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you for representing Jesus and this church family so well over the past two days.  When we say at The Fountain that we are a place where you can “make a difference” this is what we mean!  Because we believe that together we can make a difference in our cities, our community, our country, and our world all in the name of Jesus.  And today we celebrate that truth!  Alright.  You may be seated.

Well, if you were here yesterday you know that one of the most powerful moments of the day took place when we were all given an opportunity to write Bible verses on the walls of the home.  And as I walked around I noticed the many, many, verses that people wrote.  Many of which I knew but many of which I had to look up.  But it was powerful to see that because each of the verses people wrote meant something to them.  They were prayers spoken through God’s Word and messages given to the family.  Prayers that would cover them and surround them just as those walls covered and surrounded them.  And messages we wanted to leave with them so they would know how much they are loved by us and loved by God.

And today we’re going to examine a passage of Scripture in which a man does the same.  His name is Paul.  And like our Help Build Hope build yesterday he had spent time and effort and energy into building up a particular group of people and investing in them.  But then God told him he was going to leave and that his life was coming to an end.  So Paul met with them and gave them one final message.  Like those verses written on the walls of the home.

So let’s examine his final words to them and see what we might learn from them.  Because within them is a reminder to them of the life-changing, miraculous message of the Gospel.  A message which has the power to change both our lives now and how we will view our lives when our lives come to an end.

If you have your Bibles, turn with me now to the book of Acts chapter 20.  Today we are going to be in verses 17-38.  If you would like to follow along with us online you can do so by using our app.  It’s called Church Center.  And if you download it and click on Sunday Services followed by Message Notes you will find helpful tools and resources for our time together this morning.

As you turn there, let me remind you that today we are in week four of a series of messages called Miracles:  Nothing is Impossible where together we’ve been examining some important miracles within the book of Acts.  Miracles, by definition, are events which cannot be explained through natural causes and which point us to God.  They point us to the God of the Impossible who can do anything at any time, anywhere.  So far we’ve examined the miraculous power of God through the miracles Paul performed, saw a miraculous deliverance from God when He saved Paul and others from a riot, and then watched as God performed a miraculous healing of a young man through Paul last week by raising him up from the dead.  Incredible.

But after Paul raised Eutychus from the dead he boarded a ship and traveled to several locations before arriving at Miletus.  Verse 17 then says this.  We read:

17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. 18 And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; 20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, 21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. 24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. 25 And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. 26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, 27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. 28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and 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. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” 36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, 38 being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.

Alright.  So let’s put some pieces together here and recognize what’s happening.  Remember.  Paul had spent roughly three years in Ephesus.  So he knew the church well.  However, he was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem so he sailed past Ephesus and landed in Miletus which was about 30-40 miles south of Ephesus.  He then called upon the elders of Ephesus to come and see him.  And when they arrived he spoke to them in a loving and intimate manner.  He began with several reminders.  He reminded them of how he had lived among them in verse 18.  Then he reminded them of how he had served with them in verse 19.  He had served with humility despite the fact that the Jews had plotted against him.  He then reminded them in verse 20 of how he had also declared boldly the Gospel both in public and in private or “house to house”.  Telling both Jews and Gentiles of the need to repent and put their faith in Jesus.  So Paul begins with a series of past reminders.

Then he transitions into a series of statements of present conditions.  He says that he is now going to Jerusalem and that when he arrives he knows something is going to happen to him but he doesn’t know what.  He says in verse 23 that the Holy Spirit has told him in every city that he has gone to that “imprisonments and afflictions await”.  Wow.  Can you imagine?  So Paul had been to a city called Assos and then Mitylene and then Chios and Samos before coming to Miletus.  And at every city the Holy Spirit said the same thing.  “You’re going to prison and you’re going to face persecution.”  Incredible.  And yet Paul was OK with that.  Because in verse 24 he says he doesn’t count his life as being anything of value or anything precious to himself.  His only goal is to “finish the race” and “finish the ministry” that Jesus had given to him.  And to testify to the gospel of grace.  He then finishes by saying this in verse 25:

25 And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again.

Wow.  So Paul says, “I know that none of you will see my face again.”  His life is coming to an end and these people, whom he loves, will never ever see him again.  A very difficult message about his present conditions.

But Paul then finishes with some future predictions.  He says beginning in verse 26 that he is innocent and has proclaimed to them the full counsel of God.  But beginning in verse 27 he warns them.  He says, “Pay close attention to yourselves and to the church.  The Holy Spirit gave you this responsibility and Jesus bought it with His blood.  But I know that after I leave wolves will come in and try to destroy the flock.  These wolves will not come from outside but from within.  And they will teach things contrary to the Gospel and point people to themselves.  So be on the alert!  And remember how for three years I watched over you and protected you and built you up so that you would receive your reward from God.  And never once did I ask for money.  Not silver or gold or even clothing as payment.  In fact, I did what I did in order to show you how to live and to set an example for you.  And I did this in order to teach you what Jesus Himself had taught us, that “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

So Paul began with past reminders, then spoke of present conditions, and finally ended with some future predictions.  And after he was finished he prayed with them and they wept for him.  They hugged him and kissed him.  Because they knew this was the last time they would ever see him.  And afterwards they then accompanied him back to the ship.  The ship that would take him to Jerusalem and the ship which would take him away from them once and for all.

It must have been a difficult moment.  A moment in which Luke watched Paul speak once more into the lives of church leaders in Ephesus whom he had lived with and learned with and loved.  A moment in which Paul spoke openly and honestly about the past, present, and future.  And a moment in which they saw Paul just as courageous and just as confident as they had ever seen him before.  Because Paul was confident in his ministry and in the message of the Gospel.  He was not ashamed of it.  

In Romans 1:16, Paul wrote:

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Wow.  I love that verse.  One of my favorites.  Because when you are not ashamed of the Gospel then you can be confident in its power to save lives.  And when you are confident in its power to save lives then you will not care about how people view you, treat you, or what they say or do to you.  You will not care and you will be confident no matter what you face in life.

So how do we get there?  How can we learn to be confident at the end of our lives?  This morning I want to share with you 5 priorities that I see within Paul’s message to the elders in Ephesus that I believe instilled confidence in Him.  Confidence that enabled him to be strong during the final, difficult, days of his life.  Five priorities we need to make in our lives if we want to have the same type of confidence.

First, share the Gospel with as many as possible.  When Paul reminded the elders of his past with them he began by reminding them of how he had served the Lord with humility and did not shrink from declaring the Gospel both publicly and privately.  He spoke to Jews and Gentiles both in the marketplace and in the home.  Constantly speaking of the need for people to repent and turn back to God and to put their faith and trust in Jesus.  Paul was confident and knew he had used his life well because he had shared the Gospel with as many people as possible.  And the same is true for us.  We will be confident at the end of life when we have done the same.

Second, follow the Holy Spirit throughout your life.  After Paul reminded the elders of his past he then spoke of his present.  He told them about how the Holy Spirit had been leading him and telling him that in every city he was heading for both imprisonment and persecution.  Yet, he was willing to go.  He was willing to put himself in danger.  He was not concerned about his life or his legacy or his ministry.  He was only concerned with his obedience.  He was confident because he had followed the Holy Spirit.  The same is true for us.  If you can look back on your life and see obedience to God’s Spirit and His leading you will be confident too. 

Third, testify to God’s grace with those you know.  Paul said in verse 24 that he wanted to finish the task of testifying to the gospel of the grace of God.  The Gospel is God’s offering for all to receive His grace.  Grace is unmerited favor.  And God gives us grace every single day.  But we need to share that with others.  We need to remind one another of the grace of God in all of our lives.  And as believers we need to testify or confirm to the grace of God in our own lives.  Speaking of God’s grace and acknowledging it within our lives will help us to be confident.

Fourth, warn others about spiritual warfare.  After speaking of the past and present Paul then spoke of the future.  He warned the elders in Ephesus about wolves that would come and try to destroy the flock.  As shepherds they were going to need to defend and protect their people.  It was spiritual warfare.  We, too, need to warn others about the spiritual wars taking place around us.  We all know of people who are right now playing with darkness.  People who are right now turning away from their faith.  They need to be reminded of the spiritual battles that are taking place.  Recognizing spiritual warfare and warning others will enable us to be confident.

And then fifth and finally, leave an example worth following.  Paul finished his message by reminding the elders that he had shown them how to help the weak and taught them to live out the saying of Jesus that “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”  Paul had spent three years with them, living with them, teaching them, serving with them, and showing them how to follow Jesus.  He had given them an example worth following.  Now it was their turn.  Now they were going to have to make their own choices and to give as he gave.  Paul knew he had given them a model worth following and it enabled him to have confidence and speak confidently to them.

You see when Paul shared his final words to the elders in Ephesus he did so confidently.  Why?  Because he had made several priorities in his life and lived them out.  Paul shared the Gospel with everyone he knew.  He followed the Holy Spirit no matter where he was led.  He testified to the grace of God within his own life and warned others about the spiritual dangers ahead.  But he also left an example worth following.  And because he did he could approach the end of his life with boldness and confidence.  Confidence knowing that the message he had preached and the message he had proclaimed was miraculous.  It was a miraculous message which changed his life and could change their lives too.

Speaking of changed lives, yesterday was a day which changed the lives of all who volunteered.  We arrived at the church around 8 AM to pick up t-shirts and get ready.  Earlier in the morning it had rained and so I was a bit nervous as to how things would turn out.  Then when we gathered in the Youth Wing to go through the details our fearless leader Tim Wiers tried to set our minds at ease by giving us an overview of the process.  He described how each group would be given sheets with all of the instructions and how each of the pieces we needed would be located in different piles and where we could find them.  And then he said he needed a few more leaders to lead the building of the walls.  So I looked at my wife and she said, “Don’t even think about it.  You don’t know what you’re doing.  You haven’t done this before.”  How’s that for a vote of confidence?  But when he finished and asked who would like to be a leader only a few hands went up so I looked at her again and she said, “Alright.  Go ahead.  Just make sure to get someone to help you.  Grab Paul Hubbard to help you.”  So I did.

And after we prayed we all went outside where the leaders gathered around the only finished wall to go through some more detailed instructions.  Then we left that meeting to go and get our instructions for the first wall.  And Tracy gave me what has to be the easiest wall in the home.  It was just two boards with a middle piece and a couple of ends.  I don’t know if Debbie had talked to her before or what?  But it was almost embarrassing as I brought it over to my team and they looked at this wall that John Thompson could probably put together blind folded.  But we did it.  And then the next one they gave us was much, much, harder.  And so was the one after that.

And it was so much fun!  Our team was great.  We had a woman named Donna who was in her 70’s who told me her husband was in construction all of his life.  That was great.  Because I kept telling our group, “OK.  Donna knows what she’s doing.  She’s the one in charge!”  And she would laugh.  And then we had Elaine Wilhelm whose husband Jerry had passed away earlier this year.  She was also in her 70’s and I did Jerry’s funeral.  Jerry was a guy who loved to serve so it was almost like he was there because it’s exactly the type of project he would have loved.  And then we had the Hubbard family.  Paul, Meghan, and little Hensley.  And they were all great.  Paul’s a certified mechanic and is amazing.  He’s very good with his hands.  And Meghan was a hard worker.  And little Hensley loved, loved, loved, driving those nails in.  So Paul would get one started and then leave a little for her.  And she would grab that hammer and hit it over and over again.  Tap, tap, tap.  It was so much fun!  Our team was great and had a great time.

But as we would finish one wall and begin the next I would have opportunities to look around.  And it was enough to bring tears to your eyes.  Because the whole parking lot was filled with servants of Jesus.  People who loved the Lord and had given their Saturday morning away to serve.  To be the hands and feet of Jesus so that Erica and her family could have a home.  And as we finished each wall we had opportunities to write on them.  Some wrote encouraging words.  Others wrote Bible verses.  Hensley drew pictures.  And I wrote different notes on different walls.  But on one of them our passage for this morning came to my mind.  Paul’s last words to the elders in Ephesus.  Because in verse 35 Paul’s final words to the church was that “In all these things I have shown you that by working hard we must help others and remember the words of our Lord Jesus who said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

It is more blessed to give than to receive.  Paul had seen that take place within his own life over and over again.  He had poured out his life for three years into the church in Ephesus and in the end he could say, “Yes, Jesus was right!  It is more blessed to give than to receive.”  And for those of us who served yesterday.  For each and every person who this morning is wearing a purple shirt I think we could say the same.  “Yes, Jesus was right!  It is more blessed to give than to receive.”  Why?  Because when you give, you humble yourself, and you become a servant.  You become like Jesus.  You become like your Lord and Savior.

And as Paul came to the end of his life he knew that what he had taught the church in Ephesus was true.  It is more blessed to give than to receive.  And he knew that the Gospel message he had given them contained within it the power of God for salvation and that it was the best gift he could ever give.  And he knew that at the end of his life he would never, ever, ever regret the time he spent in furthering the Gospel.  He would never ever regret the time he spent “picking up the lumber” and “hammering the nails” and “building the walls” and “writing the messages”.  He would never regret the time he had spent serving Jesus and furthering His Kingdom.

He was as confident of that truth as he had ever been.  And that’s our challenge today.  So…

Find confidence to finish life well by living in the power of the Gospel.

Let’s pray.

[Prayer:  For God to help us to be confident and live in the power of the Gospel.]

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