Shepherding God’s Flock – part 3
Acts 20:17-38 (20-21)
April 14, 2013
As you know we are studying this section in the book of Acts where Paul gives a pastor’s conference to the elders of the Ephesian church.
I don’t know if I’m studying it more for you or for me,
But either way the truths here are vitally important ones.
To Recap:
• Paul is in a hurry to get back to Jerusalem with the offering
• He sailed past Ephesus, but called for the elders to meet him
• And once they arrived he immediately started instructing them.
#1 PAUL’S EXAMPLE OF HOW A SHEPHERD LIVES (17-21)
1) HOW I SERVED
• With Humility
• With Genuine Concern
• With Endurance
So Paul is lifting up himself as an example of how to be a good shepherd.
You have to be humble,
You have to be genuinely concerned,
You must be willing to endure.
Well tonight we move on to another of Paul’s examples
Of how he lived and served as a shepherd.
2) HOW I SPOKE (20)
Tonight we talk about Paul as a preacher.
One of the things that I absolutely love about this church,
Is that you are a people who have a love for preaching.
One would think this should be a common occurrence in every church,
But it most certainly is not.
Somewhere along the line churches started making distinctions
As to the type of man that would lead them.
And they started throwing these men into one of two categories.
1) Preacher
2) Pastor
The preacher was viewed as one who pounded the pulpit
The pastor was viewed as one who does a lot of visitation
And one of the fall outs to this type of distinction was that
It opened the door for a man to be considered a good pastor,
Even if he wasn’t a faithful preacher.
BUT THAT ISN’T TRUE
If Scripture teaches us anything about pastors or shepherds
It is that it is impossible to pastor without preaching.
Ezekiel 34:1-2 “Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?”
These men were bad shepherds because they did not feed the flock.
Namely they did not correctly address the spiritual issues of the flock.
A man may indeed become very popular with people by being present for every event that occurs in a person’s life, but if that man is not faithfully distributing God’s word to the flock, then regardless of how happy the flock may be, they are in reality starving to death.
I’ve always liked the answer given by the apostles
When the grumbling about feeding the widows broke out.
Acts 6:1-2 “Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.”
Many today would look upon the apostles as having chosen poorly.
When I was first starting my pastorate, I had an old pastor tell me, “Rory, people will forgive a bad sermon, but they won’t forgive you not visiting them in the hospital.”
He was basically telling me that if it came down to sermon preparation
Or a hospital visit, to choose the hospital.
That is just the opposite of what the apostles chose.
• They understood the necessity of preaching.
• They understood that the flock needs feeding.
• They understood that God’s Word must be allowed to work.
This is certainly God’s plan for the preacher.
Ephesians 4:7-13 “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.” (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”
All of those gifts deal with distribution and proclamation of God’s word.
• Apostles revealed the word
• Prophets proclaim the word
• Evangelists spread the word
• Pastors apply the word
• Teachers explain the word
And the result is fully equipped saints who are unified in the Lord.
They have a full knowledge of the Son of God, have become mature,
And are starting to look like Jesus.
Now, I’ll be real honest here.
There is a reason why we have such division in the church today.
(both denominational and even inside single congregations)
TWO REASONS:
1) People can’t agree on what they believe
2) People are selfish and immature, unwilling to unify
BOTH OF THOSE ARE THE DIRECT RESULT OF
A LACK OF PREACHING IN THE CHURCH.
TAKE THE SELFISH PEOPLE
James 4:1-2 “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.”
People fight and quarrel and divide
Because they are selfish and want their way.
WHAT DO THEY NEED?
Well, they need to grow up and be more like Christ.
(“Have this attitude which was in Christ Jesus”)
How do they do that?
They sit under preaching of the word of God,
Let it quicken their soul, and guide their life.
What did we read the result of preaching was in Ephesians?
“until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”
TAKE THOSE DOCTRINAL DIFFERENCES
• One believes in security of the believer
• One thinks it depends on the endurance of the believer
• One believes salvation requires repentance from sin
• One believes all good people are going to heaven
IS SCRIPTURE VAGUE ABOUT SUCH THINGS?
Certainly not!
But it is the lack of preaching doctrinal truth
That keeps people in the dark about the truth of Scripture
And thus the church never unifies.
Paul said that all of these preachers would bring the church to “the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God”
The lack of unity today is a direct result of the lack of preaching.
PREACHING IS IMPORTANT, IT UNIFIES AND MATURES THE CHURCH.
Ezekiel knew that, so did the apostles, and so did Paul.
You need preaching to turn the sheep
Into what God wants them to be.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
In short, preaching matters.
Which explains Paul’s commands to his young protégé’s
1 Timothy 4:13 “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.”
2 Timothy 4:1-4 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”
And so that is the example of preaching
That Paul now lifts up to these Ephesian elders.
He has reminded them of how he served,
Now he reminds them of how he spoke.
And in verse 20, he gives us four characteristics
About how he spoke the word of God to them.
HE SPOKE POWERFULLY
“how I did not shrink from declaring to you”
I like the imagery here that Paul uses in his language.
The term “shrink” makes you think of one cowing down in defeat.
It makes you think of a person who knows what needs to be said,
But is too afraid to actually say it.
• Instead of causing a rift
• Instead of making a wave
• They just “shrink” back and stay quiet.
Adrian Rogers said, “Sometimes silence is golden, sometimes it is just plain yellow.”
Well Paul certainly wasn’t yellow.
He “did not shrink from declaring”
• They could be debating him in the synagogues
• They could be mocking him in the Aeropagus
• They could be threatening him in the courts
And still Paul boldly spoke.
Romans 1:16 “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.”
Scripture alone has the answers to eternity.
Scripture alone has the answers of how to obtain God’s righteousness.
Scripture alone has the answers of how to be pleasing to God.
Fear has never been an acceptable excuse to keep from preaching.
2 Timothy 1:8 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,”
The shepherd has to understand that
He has a duty to proclaim the word of God.
Regardless of the congregation…
Regardless of the animosity he may face…
Regardless of the opposition…
He cannot decide just to quit preaching.
Later in this same passage, Paul says:
Acts 20:26-27 “Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.”
There it wasn’t that Paul just kept preaching, but Paul preached it all.
• He even preached on those less than popular subjects.
• He touched on the topics that he knew people wouldn’t like.
• He spoke the things that he knew would step on toes.
But he didn’t retreat, he preached it anyway.
The shepherd has to do this.
He spoke powerfully
HE SPOKE PROFITABLY
“I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable,”
Certainly this encompasses the Scriptures.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
And I find this to be a very important truth
That all shepherds need to know.
There is a great difference between preaching and profitable preaching.
Profitable preaching would be that which:
• Explains the Scripture in such a way so as to
• Quicken your spirit,
• Encourage your faith,
• Convict your sin,
• Lead you into a fuller knowledge of God.
Unprofitable preaching may be
• Entertaining,
• Interesting,
• Even stimulating,
But if it does not produce Christ-likeness and sanctification,
Then what was its profit?
It is like comparing junk food to health food.
I would definitely rather eat junk food,
But that isn’t what my body needs.
The same is true for preaching.
Paul knew there were profitable things and unprofitable things.
He focused on the profitable.
And he told other preachers to do the same.
1 Timothy 1:3-7 “As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.”
Paul was very clear there.
(And incidentally, since Timothy was in Ephesus, it would seem that the elders Paul is currently speaking to did not fully heed his warning)
But in Ephesus there were teachers who were teaching
What Paul called “strange doctrines”
It all centered around “myths” and “endless genealogies”
And the result was “speculation” not Godliness.
And Paul reminded Timothy that all of our instruction has a goal.
All preaching has a goal.
It isn’t enlightenment
It isn’t entertainment
“the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
If your preaching or teaching is not producing a love for God
And a devotion to God, then it is not profitable preaching.
But it was a problem in Ephesus and apparently one that lingered,
For even in Paul’s second letter to Timothy:
2 Timothy 2:14-18 “Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.”
There we see that these men had “worldly and empty chatter”
And instead of producing that sincere devotion Paul spoke of,
Their preaching was actually leading “to the ruin of the hearers”,
“further ungodliness” and it was upsetting people’s faith.
It must be profitable preaching.
My favorite passage in this regard
Actually comes at the end of his first letter to Timothy.
1 Timothy 6:20-21 “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge” — which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.”
Paul actually spoke of men who preach what appears to “knowledge”
Or at least very intellectual,
But in reality they have “gone astray from the faith.”
The point being that whatever they were preaching may have been interesting, and intellectual, but it wasn’t the truth of God’s word and so it wasn’t profitable.
I heard a preacher at a pastor’s conference:
At one point he made the statement, “if you are one of those preachers who has grown your church from 100 down to 50, the move out of your momma’s basement and kiss a girl for once.”
It was useless
It was pointless
It had no value
That is not preaching.
A shepherd must feed the flock,
But he must also feed them what truly nourishes them.
It was because of this reality that Paul told Timothy:
1 Timothy 4:6-7 “In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following. But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;”
Your preaching must profit those who hear in their spiritual walk.
That is how Paul preached.
I speak powerfully
I speak profitably
HE SPOKE PUBLICLY
“how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly”
This could really tie in with the fact that Paul did not shrink back,
But in that regard, he understood that there is a part of preaching
That must be done publicly.
Paul told Timothy:
1 Timothy 4:13 “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.”
The Scripture was intended to be publicly preached.
There is a unity that develops when an entire congregation
Can sit under the same preaching.
Furthermore it is impossible for the shepherd to know how to specifically speak to each individual sheep, and so at times he speaks to them all, and the Holy Spirit takes God’s word and quickens it to their soul.
The shepherd must be willing to stand and publicly proclaim God’s word.
But there is a flip side to this that we see next.
HE SPOKE PERSONALLY
“teaching you publicly and from house to house”
On one hand the shepherd keeps a broad view
And preaches what is profitably publicly to the entire flock.
But that does not negate the necessity of personal preaching as well.
There are many times when individual sheep need individual messages.
These may not be formal sermons with points and introductions,
But are personal moments of applying scripture
To the specific situation of an individual.
At times this preaching is fun, especially when it is an uplifting encouraging type word.
And at times this preaching is not fun, especially when it comes in the form of addressing sin in the life of a believer.
But the shepherd must be willing to do it.
You cannot preach a sermon to an entire congregation
Which is really meant for one person.
When a public word is needed, private preaching won’t do.
But when a private word is need, public preaching is not acceptable.
You may remember what Aquila and Priscilla did for Apollos:
Acts 18:24-26 “Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.”
Earlier I read to you about Paul asking Timothy
To instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines.
The very emphasis there was that Timothy would personally address
The teaching ministry of each of those specific men.
And you take all of this together and you see how Paul spoke,
And how a shepherd is supposed to speak.
Powerfully – not shrinking from the truth
Profitably – giving scripture and nothing else
Publicly – addressing the whole church and not afraid to speak
Personally – not shying away from those one on one meetings
This is how a shepherd cares for and feeds his flock.
And Paul wants these elders to follow his example.
So as Paul urges the Ephesian elders to follow his example, we have seen that example in two main ways.
How He Served
How He Spoke
Let me show you quickly the third example that Paul has for them.
3) HOW HE SHARED (21)
Verse 20 addresses how Paul spoke to the church,
Verse 21 addresses how Paul spoke to those outside of it.
Part of being a shepherd is searching for the lost sheep.
Certainly Jesus gave us this example.
God has a large flock, some of the sheep are in the fold,
Some have yet to be found.
A good shepherd will continue his search for the lost sheep.
And that is the example Paul gave here.
The first thing we notice, is that it was a job he took very seriously.
He said he was “solemnly testifying”
This is seriousness.
It was important to him to call out the sheep.
2 Corinthians 5:20 “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
Acts 26:27-29 “King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do.” Agrippa replied to Paul, “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.” And Paul said, “I would wish to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains.”
You can hear Paul’s seriousness in regard to the gospel message.
• Paul also understood that this was to be extended beyond Israel.
“to both Jews and Greeks”
• And Paul understood the message he was to preach to call them.
“of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Those two realities are the foundational pillars of the gospel.
• Man is sinful and has offended God, and therefore must repent.
• God in His mercy has provided atonement for that sin in the blood of Jesus, whom the sinner must trust and submit to.
Repentance and Faith
Acts 2:38 “Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
• To go out and preach repentance without faith in Jesus is legalism
and will not save.
• To preach faith in Jesus without repentance is to completely
nullify the need for Jesus.
And to preach neither is not to be an evangelist at all.
Paul’s example was a consistent one.
He wanted men to repent and to trust in Christ.
And he preached that to everyone.
So here we are, the elders have come to Paul
And the first thing he gives them is
HIS EXAMPLE OF HOW A SHEPHERD LIVES.
A Shepherd serves with humility, true concern, and endurance.
A Shepherd speaks powerfully, profitably, publicly, and personally.
A Shepherd shares the true gospel as he searches for all lost sheep.
This is what is expected.
Next time we’ll here Paul reveal what these shepherds
Can expect to receive for such a ministry.
Acts 20:18-21 “And when they had come to him, he said to them, “You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
