WEBVTT 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:13.539 From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to 00:00:13.539 --> 00:00:17.100 him the elders of the church. And when they had 00:00:17.100 --> 00:00:20.780 come to him, he said to them, You yourselves 00:00:20.780 --> 00:00:24.039 know from the first day that I set foot in Asia 00:00:24.039 --> 00:00:27.780 how I was with you the whole time serving the 00:00:27.780 --> 00:00:30.920 Lord with all humility and with fears and with 00:00:30.920 --> 00:00:33.820 trials which came upon me through the plots of 00:00:33.820 --> 00:00:37.820 the Jews. How I did not shrink from declaring 00:00:37.820 --> 00:00:42.770 to you anything that was profitable, and teaching 00:00:42.770 --> 00:00:47.329 you publicly and from house to house, solemnly 00:00:47.329 --> 00:00:52.890 testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance 00:00:52.890 --> 00:00:57.530 toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:00:59.009 --> 00:01:04.290 Periodically through the book of Acts, we find 00:01:04.290 --> 00:01:09.650 various little summary statements. of the work 00:01:09.650 --> 00:01:13.549 and the progress of the gospel and the church 00:01:13.549 --> 00:01:19.609 as it moves forward throughout the book. These 00:01:19.609 --> 00:01:25.670 short summaries attribute the success of the 00:01:25.670 --> 00:01:30.450 work and the ministry to the word of the Lord, 00:01:30.549 --> 00:01:35.049 and ultimately and consequently to the Lord himself. 00:01:36.359 --> 00:01:42.280 So one of those is Acts chapter 6, verse 7. We 00:01:42.280 --> 00:01:45.439 read this in Acts chapter 6, verse 7. Listen 00:01:45.439 --> 00:01:50.040 to what it says. The word of God kept on spreading, 00:01:50.359 --> 00:01:54.040 and the number of disciples continued to increase 00:01:54.040 --> 00:01:57.400 greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the 00:01:57.400 --> 00:01:59.640 priests were becoming obedient to the faith. 00:02:00.420 --> 00:02:05.319 Notice that the... Success of the gospel, the 00:02:05.319 --> 00:02:09.659 victory of the gospel, is attributed to the word 00:02:09.659 --> 00:02:14.419 of the Lord. We read another similar statement 00:02:14.419 --> 00:02:25.099 in Acts chapter 12, verse 24. But the word of 00:02:25.099 --> 00:02:29.840 the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied. 00:02:31.560 --> 00:02:34.599 Notice it doesn't specifically say the church, 00:02:34.680 --> 00:02:37.740 though there are those statements, but the word 00:02:37.740 --> 00:02:40.800 of the Lord, the word, the message, the gospel, 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:45.780 the truth, is what multiplied and increased and 00:02:45.780 --> 00:02:50.719 spread throughout the world. Now, we also find 00:02:50.719 --> 00:02:53.900 one of these statements in Acts chapter 19, while 00:02:53.900 --> 00:03:00.639 Paul is in Ephesus. In Acts chapter 19, We read 00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:06.879 this in verse 20. So the word of the Lord was 00:03:06.879 --> 00:03:14.300 growing mightily and prevailing. So while Paul 00:03:14.300 --> 00:03:20.979 is in Ephesus, while he is conducting ministry 00:03:20.979 --> 00:03:23.919 and he is administering the ministry of the word 00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:29.909 in that place, the Lord... blesses that ministry. 00:03:30.169 --> 00:03:35.229 The Lord works through the ministry of his word. 00:03:35.729 --> 00:03:40.189 Now, our text today, we're going to focus on 00:03:40.189 --> 00:03:45.050 chapter 20, verses 20 through 21, which read 00:03:45.050 --> 00:03:50.509 as follows. How I did not shrink from declaring 00:03:50.509 --> 00:03:55.909 to you anything that was profitable and teaching 00:03:55.909 --> 00:04:00.719 you publicly. and from house to house, solemnly 00:04:00.719 --> 00:04:04.599 testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance 00:04:04.599 --> 00:04:08.340 toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:04:08.819 --> 00:04:13.099 Now Paul is reviewing his preaching, teaching 00:04:13.099 --> 00:04:18.819 ministry while in Ephesus. That's what he's doing 00:04:18.819 --> 00:04:21.579 in these two verses. He's saying this is what 00:04:21.579 --> 00:04:24.339 the ministry of the word looked like in Ephesus. 00:04:24.500 --> 00:04:27.579 Now what do we know previously? from Acts chapter 00:04:27.579 --> 00:04:31.620 19, that God blessed the ministry of His Word 00:04:31.620 --> 00:04:37.180 in Ephesus. We know that God made His Word prevail 00:04:37.180 --> 00:04:42.399 and successful in Ephesus. And so here in Acts 00:04:42.399 --> 00:04:47.279 chapter 20, we get this glorious glimpse into 00:04:47.279 --> 00:04:52.079 Paul's ministry, his preaching and teaching ministry, 00:04:52.199 --> 00:04:55.939 and we get this glorious glimpse. Of what a ministry 00:04:55.939 --> 00:05:02.319 looks like that God owns himself. We get this 00:05:02.319 --> 00:05:04.879 glorious glimpse of what it looks like for God 00:05:04.879 --> 00:05:10.100 to bless a ministry. And what a ministry looks 00:05:10.100 --> 00:05:17.199 like that God does bless. And we know this because 00:05:17.199 --> 00:05:22.240 he did according to Acts chapter 19. So when 00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:25.519 we think about the text today in verses 20 through 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:29.920 21, we can think about it along this question, 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:35.019 along this line of thinking. What kind of ministry 00:05:35.019 --> 00:05:41.540 does the Lord personally own? And say, that's 00:05:41.540 --> 00:05:45.819 mine. I will be involved in that. I will have 00:05:45.819 --> 00:05:48.560 my hand upon that. I will bless that. I will 00:05:48.560 --> 00:05:53.550 work through that. What kind of ministry does 00:05:53.550 --> 00:05:58.269 God place His hand upon and give His Spirit to 00:05:58.269 --> 00:06:02.709 in greater measure and greater degree? What kind 00:06:02.709 --> 00:06:06.689 of ministry does God bless? That's what we'll 00:06:06.689 --> 00:06:11.029 consider today. We first see, according to verses 00:06:11.029 --> 00:06:15.829 20 -21, that if we were to have this kind of 00:06:15.829 --> 00:06:18.790 ministry, that if anybody is to have this kind 00:06:18.790 --> 00:06:22.819 of ministry, then the word ought to be proclaimed 00:06:22.819 --> 00:06:28.500 with boldness and solemnity. Notice Paul says 00:06:28.500 --> 00:06:35.480 in verse 20, how I did not shrink from declaring 00:06:35.480 --> 00:06:40.779 to you anything that was profitable. Then we 00:06:40.779 --> 00:06:43.980 also read a little bit later in verse 27, for 00:06:43.980 --> 00:06:48.620 I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole. 00:06:48.810 --> 00:06:54.149 whole purpose of God. But we also read in verse 00:06:54.149 --> 00:07:01.329 21, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks. 00:07:01.670 --> 00:07:06.110 This word solemnly is used several more times 00:07:06.110 --> 00:07:11.629 throughout this discourse of the apostles. So 00:07:11.629 --> 00:07:14.949 what does it mean that Paul proclaimed the word 00:07:14.949 --> 00:07:19.420 with boldness? It means he did not withhold. 00:07:20.779 --> 00:07:27.540 He did not restrain or edit or revise the truth 00:07:27.540 --> 00:07:35.120 of God to soften it or to make it more palatable 00:07:35.120 --> 00:07:40.639 for the sinner. He gave all of God's truth all 00:07:40.639 --> 00:07:45.699 the time, brothers and sisters. He never carved 00:07:45.699 --> 00:07:51.899 off the edges. He never softened the rough areas 00:07:51.899 --> 00:07:57.079 that people get cut by. He did not shrink back 00:07:57.079 --> 00:07:59.639 from the truth, brothers and sisters. He stood 00:07:59.639 --> 00:08:02.879 firm and there was a willingness to proclaim 00:08:02.879 --> 00:08:09.300 the truth at any cost. Now, Paul struggled with 00:08:09.300 --> 00:08:13.860 this. We know that the apostle struggled with 00:08:13.860 --> 00:08:16.860 this throughout his ministry. What man would 00:08:16.860 --> 00:08:20.430 not? Other than the Lord Jesus Christ. And I'm 00:08:20.430 --> 00:08:25.209 sure. That the pressure even got to him. Though 00:08:25.209 --> 00:08:28.529 in his perfection. He always dealt with it. And 00:08:28.529 --> 00:08:31.129 he always proclaimed the truth. As he ought to. 00:08:32.009 --> 00:08:36.070 The apostle had to ask. The church at Ephesus. 00:08:36.169 --> 00:08:39.570 At the end of Ephesians. To pray for him. That 00:08:39.570 --> 00:08:42.909 he would be bold. In the proclamation of the 00:08:42.909 --> 00:08:45.990 truth. Why did he have to do that? Because he 00:08:45.990 --> 00:08:50.019 struggled. With boldness in his ministry and 00:08:50.019 --> 00:08:55.779 declaring the whole purpose of God. Because when 00:08:55.779 --> 00:09:00.840 the truth is proclaimed, not everybody receives 00:09:00.840 --> 00:09:06.860 it equally well. Paul knows this, brothers and 00:09:06.860 --> 00:09:11.779 sisters, from first -hand experience. Why did 00:09:11.779 --> 00:09:18.370 the Jews so severely hate? And persecute the 00:09:18.370 --> 00:09:22.610 Apostle Paul. Because he proclaimed. The truth 00:09:22.610 --> 00:09:28.669 of the gospel. Clearly. And forthrightly. He 00:09:28.669 --> 00:09:33.950 didn't. Trim it up. And edit it. Or revise it. 00:09:34.090 --> 00:09:38.289 Or change it. To make it more receptive. With 00:09:38.289 --> 00:09:42.629 the people. No he was willing. To proclaim it. 00:09:43.110 --> 00:09:47.740 But also we see that the word. And Paul's ministry 00:09:47.740 --> 00:09:51.679 was proclaimed with solemnity. Now, this word 00:09:51.679 --> 00:09:55.360 is attached to the word testifying in verse 21. 00:09:57.659 --> 00:10:01.559 And that's because this part of it is embedded 00:10:01.559 --> 00:10:05.860 in that word. The word testify or bear witness. 00:10:06.460 --> 00:10:10.039 In a sense, the translators are adding in this 00:10:10.039 --> 00:10:14.919 idea of solemnity because of That word. Bear 00:10:14.919 --> 00:10:19.860 witness or testify. And that word. Bear witness 00:10:19.860 --> 00:10:24.419 or testify. That is used in verse 21. Carries 00:10:24.419 --> 00:10:30.620 the idea. Of accountability. Weightiness. And 00:10:30.620 --> 00:10:34.919 burden. Because of the subject matter. That is 00:10:34.919 --> 00:10:40.559 being communicated. So it's seriousness. It's 00:10:40.559 --> 00:10:45.710 reverence. Brothers and sisters. He provides 00:10:45.710 --> 00:10:51.389 us in this text, in a sense, with the manner 00:10:51.389 --> 00:10:58.070 that a person is to deal with the eternal things 00:10:58.070 --> 00:11:03.990 of God. There ought to be boldness and a willingness 00:11:03.990 --> 00:11:09.230 to communicate all the truth. And there must 00:11:09.230 --> 00:11:14.759 also be a seriousness when dealing with... the 00:11:14.759 --> 00:11:20.279 truth of God's holy word. How else is appropriate, 00:11:20.779 --> 00:11:24.740 brothers and sisters, to deal with the eternal 00:11:24.740 --> 00:11:31.720 gospel? How else is appropriate to handle the 00:11:31.720 --> 00:11:35.080 very word of the living God who is so holy and 00:11:35.080 --> 00:11:39.639 sovereign and perfect and righteous? If God says, 00:11:39.779 --> 00:11:42.539 here's my word, I give it to you, I entrust it 00:11:42.539 --> 00:11:46.139 to you, use it. Speak it, proclaim it, and it. 00:11:46.740 --> 00:11:51.340 But don't change anything. Leave it the way that 00:11:51.340 --> 00:11:58.659 it is. Announce this message. There's great warning 00:11:58.659 --> 00:12:02.440 in the prophets, brothers and sisters, for the 00:12:02.440 --> 00:12:07.259 consequences of adding to or removing things 00:12:07.259 --> 00:12:11.539 from the word of the Lord. And so we find that 00:12:11.539 --> 00:12:14.460 Paul dealt with the word with grace. boldness 00:12:14.460 --> 00:12:17.320 and solemnity. And why? Because the temptation 00:12:17.320 --> 00:12:25.100 is always going to be present to please men over 00:12:25.100 --> 00:12:30.559 God and the proclamation of the truth. That will 00:12:30.559 --> 00:12:32.820 always be present because there's sin in us and 00:12:32.820 --> 00:12:35.879 because there's sin in those hearing the gospel. 00:12:39.019 --> 00:12:42.590 We have to remember that when that temptation 00:12:42.590 --> 00:12:48.509 arises, that we're actually removing the profit 00:12:48.509 --> 00:12:53.730 that is intended for the hearers and replacing 00:12:53.730 --> 00:12:59.629 it with some form of temporary ease and pleasure. 00:13:00.990 --> 00:13:07.269 Eternal good and edification, as opposed to temporary 00:13:07.269 --> 00:13:14.480 pleasure and satisfaction. Or ease of sorts. 00:13:15.159 --> 00:13:19.580 Now we also see that it's not just that the word 00:13:19.580 --> 00:13:21.840 should be proclaimed with boldness and solemnity. 00:13:22.500 --> 00:13:25.759 But we find that the word ought to be taught 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:31.879 and preached in a comprehensive ministry. Now 00:13:31.879 --> 00:13:36.759 we see this in this text very, very clearly. 00:13:37.240 --> 00:13:42.200 Notice. What Paul says in verse 20, teaching 00:13:42.200 --> 00:13:48.879 you publicly and from house to house. This word 00:13:48.879 --> 00:13:53.220 teaching carries with it the idea and the nuance 00:13:53.220 --> 00:13:58.899 of instruction and the communication of information 00:13:58.899 --> 00:14:03.279 and knowledge in an orderly capacity, in a structured 00:14:03.279 --> 00:14:07.480 manner, in a way that's understood. It has to 00:14:07.480 --> 00:14:11.940 do with clarity, brothers and sisters. Preciseness 00:14:11.940 --> 00:14:19.639 in proclamation of the truth. God is a God of 00:14:19.639 --> 00:14:28.919 order. Not confusion. Therefore, God's word is 00:14:28.919 --> 00:14:34.600 orderly. It is not chaotic. It is not random. 00:14:34.820 --> 00:14:37.399 The Word of God and the revealed will of God 00:14:37.399 --> 00:14:41.379 is orderly and structured and systematic, brothers 00:14:41.379 --> 00:14:44.820 and sisters. Therefore, the proclamation of the 00:14:44.820 --> 00:14:47.700 Word of God must be taught in an understandable 00:14:47.700 --> 00:14:51.059 manner and fashion so that people can understand 00:14:51.059 --> 00:14:57.620 it with their minds. Because God is orderly and 00:14:57.620 --> 00:15:02.919 His Word is orderly, teaching, must be present. 00:15:03.440 --> 00:15:10.519 The Word, in a sense we could say, indicates 00:15:10.519 --> 00:15:16.019 that the truth is meant to be understood with 00:15:16.019 --> 00:15:20.799 the mind. So because God has ordained that the 00:15:20.799 --> 00:15:25.500 truth of the Scriptures be taught, it teaches 00:15:25.500 --> 00:15:30.639 us that God intends for His truth To be understood 00:15:30.639 --> 00:15:34.580 and comprehended with the mind, brothers and 00:15:34.580 --> 00:15:42.259 sisters. Christianity requires the use of the 00:15:42.259 --> 00:15:46.840 mind. When you come to church, you don't leave 00:15:46.840 --> 00:15:52.720 your mind outside. When you sit under the preaching 00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:55.240 of the word, you don't leave your mind at home. 00:15:55.820 --> 00:15:58.679 Brothers and sisters, bring your minds to church. 00:15:59.690 --> 00:16:06.049 What if I told you, you cannot worship God without 00:16:06.049 --> 00:16:12.029 engaging your mind? You can't, brothers and sisters. 00:16:12.590 --> 00:16:18.950 If your mind is not engaged in the truth, then 00:16:18.950 --> 00:16:22.289 you cannot worship the living God. He requires 00:16:22.289 --> 00:16:26.330 that he be worshipped in spirit and truth, brothers 00:16:26.330 --> 00:16:31.029 and sisters. an encouragement for all of us. 00:16:31.450 --> 00:16:34.149 And one of the great struggles of being a minister, 00:16:34.289 --> 00:16:37.789 as my fellow pastors can bear witness to, is 00:16:37.789 --> 00:16:43.750 focusing our minds prior to preaching. Focusing 00:16:43.750 --> 00:16:47.990 our minds on the task at hand. Brothers and sisters, 00:16:48.169 --> 00:16:52.929 it's trying to discipline and focus our minds 00:16:52.929 --> 00:16:56.080 on the task at hand. Is it not? Is there not 00:16:56.080 --> 00:17:00.000 all kinds of places that your mind can run off 00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:05.579 to? Is there not all kinds of places that your 00:17:05.579 --> 00:17:09.200 mind can go and leisurely stroll about and in 00:17:09.200 --> 00:17:13.259 ten minutes you return home? Brothers and sisters, 00:17:13.380 --> 00:17:15.319 I'm not the only one that deals with this, am 00:17:15.319 --> 00:17:22.960 I? If we are to worship God, we must engage our 00:17:22.960 --> 00:17:29.119 minds. So as we sing songs on the Lord's Day, 00:17:29.220 --> 00:17:34.200 what do you need to do? Engage your mind in the 00:17:34.200 --> 00:17:38.059 truth that is being proclaimed. When you sit 00:17:38.059 --> 00:17:39.980 under the preaching of the gospel, what do you 00:17:39.980 --> 00:17:43.099 need to do? You need to shut everything else 00:17:43.099 --> 00:17:45.940 and engage your mind in the truth that is being 00:17:45.940 --> 00:17:49.700 proclaimed. What do you need to do when we're 00:17:49.700 --> 00:17:53.430 praying? Shut out everything else. And engage 00:17:53.430 --> 00:17:56.589 your mind on the fact and reality that you are 00:17:56.589 --> 00:17:59.430 by faith coming to the throne of the living God. 00:18:00.769 --> 00:18:09.230 We must engage our minds. Teaching shows us this. 00:18:10.450 --> 00:18:15.890 One of the greatest things that we learn from 00:18:15.890 --> 00:18:19.789 Paul's ministry is that it is God's good design. 00:18:21.160 --> 00:18:27.819 that God's people grow largely through understanding 00:18:27.819 --> 00:18:33.700 the truth, brothers and sisters. If you want 00:18:33.700 --> 00:18:36.480 to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord 00:18:36.480 --> 00:18:41.160 Jesus Christ, then that means understanding the 00:18:41.160 --> 00:18:45.740 truth about who Jesus Christ is and what He has 00:18:45.740 --> 00:18:51.750 done for you and for sinners. And as we continue 00:18:51.750 --> 00:18:56.529 to understand and comprehend the truth, we are 00:18:56.529 --> 00:19:00.670 continually changed and transformed more and 00:19:00.670 --> 00:19:05.730 more into the likeness and image of the Lord 00:19:05.730 --> 00:19:11.490 Jesus. We are sanctified by the truth. So Paul 00:19:11.490 --> 00:19:14.789 preached the word. Paul taught the word while 00:19:14.789 --> 00:19:18.809 he was in Ephesus. There was clarity. There was 00:19:18.809 --> 00:19:22.779 order. and there was precision in his declaration. 00:19:23.240 --> 00:19:29.579 But we also have to recognize that the mere communication 00:19:29.579 --> 00:19:36.299 of the truth is not sufficient for a well -rounded 00:19:36.299 --> 00:19:41.920 and comprehensive ministry. There must be more 00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:45.960 than the mere communication of the truth in an 00:19:45.960 --> 00:19:52.200 orderly, clear, and precise way. There must be 00:19:52.200 --> 00:19:57.460 preaching as well. Paul uses two other words 00:19:57.460 --> 00:20:05.160 to describe his ministry while in Ephesus. He 00:20:05.160 --> 00:20:09.119 says this in verse 20. How I did not shrink from 00:20:09.119 --> 00:20:18.240 declaring or announcing or proclaiming. to you 00:20:18.240 --> 00:20:21.799 anything that was profitable. And he says in 00:20:21.799 --> 00:20:28.799 verse 21, solemnly testifying or bearing witness 00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:35.460 to the truth. Now these two words are more associated 00:20:35.460 --> 00:20:40.680 with preaching than they are with teaching. Whereas 00:20:40.680 --> 00:20:44.400 we could say that teaching is the explanation 00:20:44.400 --> 00:20:47.079 of the truth. and it's God -given, it's good, 00:20:47.160 --> 00:20:49.759 it's right, it is required, it is necessary. 00:20:51.819 --> 00:20:58.559 Preaching conveys the weight, the significance, 00:20:58.759 --> 00:21:04.359 and the importance of the truth that you are 00:21:04.359 --> 00:21:09.779 teaching and explaining. It shows the gravity 00:21:09.779 --> 00:21:16.410 of the realities that you are proclaiming. Preaching, 00:21:16.430 --> 00:21:23.289 brothers and sisters, is the persuasion of the 00:21:23.289 --> 00:21:27.970 truth that you are teaching and instructing in. 00:21:28.170 --> 00:21:33.349 We could say that teaching aims at the mind. 00:21:35.730 --> 00:21:39.750 And that leaves the heart and the will still. 00:21:41.250 --> 00:21:43.650 Teaching aims at the mind and understanding. 00:21:44.910 --> 00:21:51.109 Preaching aims to move the heart of man. Preaching 00:21:51.109 --> 00:21:56.849 aims to move the will and to address the conscience 00:21:56.849 --> 00:22:02.789 of the hearer through holy persuasion, theological 00:22:02.789 --> 00:22:09.170 persuasion of the truth. So Paul bore witness 00:22:09.170 --> 00:22:15.069 and he declared the truth. This word for... Testifying 00:22:15.069 --> 00:22:18.329 is used periodically throughout Scripture, and 00:22:18.329 --> 00:22:22.910 it's a fascinating word. It carries connotations 00:22:22.910 --> 00:22:28.130 with regards to covenant agreements and we could 00:22:28.130 --> 00:22:33.630 say almost legal code. So there's something that's 00:22:33.630 --> 00:22:39.630 legally binding. There's something that is covenantally 00:22:39.630 --> 00:22:43.569 obligated about the proclamation of the truth. 00:22:44.089 --> 00:22:48.569 Think about an ambassador that has been sent 00:22:48.569 --> 00:22:54.970 by a king. They've been saved. They've been entrusted 00:22:54.970 --> 00:22:58.509 with the truth. The king says, here's my truth. 00:22:58.890 --> 00:23:00.950 Announce it. Don't change it as we've already 00:23:00.950 --> 00:23:05.210 alluded to. Announce it and proclaim it. Teach 00:23:05.210 --> 00:23:09.569 everything on it. Teach it all. Explain all of 00:23:09.569 --> 00:23:14.829 it clearly. But I want you to know, That you 00:23:14.829 --> 00:23:18.069 must also seek to persuade and convince those 00:23:18.069 --> 00:23:23.930 people who hear this that this is true. That 00:23:23.930 --> 00:23:27.549 these realities are true as you yourself know 00:23:27.549 --> 00:23:31.750 they are true. Because you have experienced them. 00:23:33.269 --> 00:23:37.490 Proclaim that truth. In a nutshell, brothers 00:23:37.490 --> 00:23:42.869 and sisters, this is preaching as we see it. 00:23:43.160 --> 00:23:46.940 In Paul's ministry. He declared and he testified. 00:23:47.319 --> 00:23:51.660 About the truth. And the authenticity. And the 00:23:51.660 --> 00:23:58.119 veracity. Of the message of the gospel. The word 00:23:58.119 --> 00:24:01.680 must be taught. And it must be preached. For 00:24:01.680 --> 00:24:04.779 a well -rounded and comprehensive. Ministry. 00:24:04.880 --> 00:24:15.339 To exist. We think about. What we are expounding 00:24:15.339 --> 00:24:26.420 right now. God's Word. Eternal realities. What 00:24:26.420 --> 00:24:30.720 is the appropriate way of communicating such 00:24:30.720 --> 00:24:35.680 grand realities? What is the appropriate way 00:24:35.680 --> 00:24:41.039 of listening to such grand, glorious, eternal 00:24:41.039 --> 00:24:47.740 realities? How do we handle God's word, not our 00:24:47.740 --> 00:24:50.779 own, brothers and sisters? That's really what 00:24:50.779 --> 00:24:55.859 is in question here. How do we relate to the 00:24:55.859 --> 00:25:01.680 truth of God? And what is the proper way of handling 00:25:01.680 --> 00:25:07.019 it and dealing with it? And proclaiming it and 00:25:07.019 --> 00:25:14.019 teaching it and communicating it? It ought to 00:25:14.019 --> 00:25:17.359 be taught and preached among the people of God. 00:25:17.440 --> 00:25:21.019 And we see this clearly in Paul's ministry throughout 00:25:21.019 --> 00:25:25.599 Ephesus. Now we also see that the word ought 00:25:25.599 --> 00:25:30.279 to be proclaimed publicly and privately. And 00:25:30.279 --> 00:25:35.640 we see this in verse 20. How I did not shrink 00:25:35.640 --> 00:25:39.900 from declaring to you anything that was profitable 00:25:39.900 --> 00:25:44.819 and teaching you publicly. And from house to 00:25:44.819 --> 00:25:53.839 house. Now we think about Paul's ministry. What 00:25:53.839 --> 00:25:56.319 is Paul referring to when he speaks publicly? 00:25:57.599 --> 00:26:00.420 In Acts chapter 19, we know what he's talking 00:26:00.420 --> 00:26:05.240 about. The synagogue and the school of Tyrannus. 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:11.059 He was publicly disseminating the truth of the 00:26:11.059 --> 00:26:16.319 gospel. He was... openly proclaiming the reality 00:26:16.319 --> 00:26:19.940 concerning the kingdom of God to all that would 00:26:19.940 --> 00:26:23.200 hear, to all that would come, to all that would 00:26:23.200 --> 00:26:26.839 come and learn about the cross of Calvary and 00:26:26.839 --> 00:26:29.680 the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was openly 00:26:29.680 --> 00:26:34.380 proclaiming it and his name was associated with 00:26:34.380 --> 00:26:36.480 it, brothers and sisters. We know this because 00:26:36.480 --> 00:26:39.819 the demons knew about it and the people in Ephesus 00:26:39.819 --> 00:26:43.680 knew who Paul and his gospel were. That's how 00:26:43.680 --> 00:26:49.819 openly Paul proclaimed the ministry of the word 00:26:49.819 --> 00:26:53.619 in Ephesus. I think we get a great picture of 00:26:53.619 --> 00:26:59.839 this in chapter 19, verse 10. We read in verses 00:26:59.839 --> 00:27:04.980 8 through 10 of chapter 19. There were in all 00:27:04.980 --> 00:27:10.140 about 12 men. Then we read in verse 8. And he 00:27:10.140 --> 00:27:12.140 entered the synagogue and continued speaking 00:27:12.140 --> 00:27:16.980 out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading 00:27:16.980 --> 00:27:22.359 them about the kingdom of God. So there's Paul 00:27:22.359 --> 00:27:26.880 proclaiming the word openly to Jews, but also 00:27:26.880 --> 00:27:30.059 to the believers and God -fearers that may have 00:27:30.059 --> 00:27:34.500 been present in the synagogue. Then we read, 00:27:35.400 --> 00:27:38.740 In verse 9, but when some were becoming hardened 00:27:38.740 --> 00:27:42.400 and disobedient, speaking evil of the way before 00:27:42.400 --> 00:27:45.359 the people, he withdrew from them and took away 00:27:45.359 --> 00:27:48.880 the disciples, reasoning daily in the school 00:27:48.880 --> 00:27:53.480 of Tyrannus. There he continues in this civic 00:27:53.480 --> 00:27:56.859 center, in a sense, to proclaim the truth openly 00:27:56.859 --> 00:28:01.059 and publicly to that community and to the believers. 00:28:02.730 --> 00:28:07.710 This took place for two years. So that all who 00:28:07.710 --> 00:28:11.369 lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both 00:28:11.369 --> 00:28:15.430 Jews and Greeks. That is a remarkable statement, 00:28:15.670 --> 00:28:21.490 brothers and sisters. So that all who lived in 00:28:21.490 --> 00:28:26.710 Asia heard the word of the Lord. Why? Because 00:28:26.710 --> 00:28:32.259 it was openly proclaimed. of Danasia heard the 00:28:32.259 --> 00:28:34.900 word of the Lord because it was publicly announced. 00:28:35.799 --> 00:28:41.339 The Lord used the open proclamation to spread 00:28:41.339 --> 00:28:44.359 the kingdom and to spread the gospel and to build 00:28:44.359 --> 00:28:49.519 the church. Now what does he mean when he speaks 00:28:49.519 --> 00:28:54.539 about house to house? Now this would be more 00:28:54.539 --> 00:29:00.099 of the private or the personal side of Paul ministering. 00:29:00.480 --> 00:29:05.799 the word to that community and that church. There's 00:29:05.799 --> 00:29:10.160 varying thoughts on exactly what he is referring 00:29:10.160 --> 00:29:13.259 to in this, but I think we can narrow it down 00:29:13.259 --> 00:29:19.740 to two things in particular. Paul went about 00:29:19.740 --> 00:29:23.500 preaching in homes that had churches planted 00:29:23.500 --> 00:29:28.440 in them, or there were house churches. So in 00:29:28.440 --> 00:29:32.200 a sense, It was an extension of his public preaching. 00:29:32.420 --> 00:29:35.079 We know at the end of 1 Corinthians chapter 16 00:29:35.079 --> 00:29:39.200 that there were house churches in Ephesus. This 00:29:39.200 --> 00:29:42.079 would have been probably because there was too 00:29:42.079 --> 00:29:46.059 many believers to have them all present in one 00:29:46.059 --> 00:29:50.480 single locale in that pagan city. Therefore, 00:29:50.599 --> 00:29:53.220 they planted various churches in the city or 00:29:53.220 --> 00:29:56.259 the region in people's homes, and the apostle 00:29:56.259 --> 00:30:00.369 would go about preaching in those. somewhat similar 00:30:00.369 --> 00:30:03.549 to what he would do in the school of Tyrannus 00:30:03.549 --> 00:30:08.049 and in the synagogue. However, it was a more 00:30:08.049 --> 00:30:12.230 intimate and personal setting. However, I don't 00:30:12.230 --> 00:30:15.589 think that fully explains it. We read in Acts 00:30:15.589 --> 00:30:21.269 chapter 2 a very similar statement regarding 00:30:21.269 --> 00:30:31.180 the church. We read in Acts chapter 2, Starting 00:30:31.180 --> 00:30:36.880 in verse 43. Everyone kept feeling a sense of 00:30:36.880 --> 00:30:41.140 awe. And many wonders and signs were taking place 00:30:41.140 --> 00:30:44.680 to the apostles. And all those who had believed 00:30:44.680 --> 00:30:48.740 were together and had all things in common. And 00:30:48.740 --> 00:30:50.779 they began selling their property and possessions 00:30:50.779 --> 00:30:54.200 and were sharing them with all as anyone might 00:30:54.200 --> 00:30:59.920 have need. Day by day. continuing with one mind 00:30:59.920 --> 00:31:05.079 in the temple, that's the public, and breaking 00:31:05.079 --> 00:31:08.599 bread from house to house. They were taking their 00:31:08.599 --> 00:31:13.200 meals together with gladness and sincerity of 00:31:13.200 --> 00:31:16.420 heart. So what do we find in Acts chapter 2? 00:31:16.500 --> 00:31:20.269 That the church... was meeting and fellowshipping 00:31:20.269 --> 00:31:24.289 regularly because of this sense of awe regarding 00:31:24.289 --> 00:31:26.849 what God was doing in their midst, regarding 00:31:26.849 --> 00:31:29.430 how God was working in their life. And so what 00:31:29.430 --> 00:31:31.329 did they do? They got together and they had meals 00:31:31.329 --> 00:31:33.750 and they talked about it. And what did they want 00:31:33.750 --> 00:31:37.930 to do there? They wanted to hear the Word. They 00:31:37.930 --> 00:31:40.049 wanted to be taught the Word. They were hungry 00:31:40.049 --> 00:31:43.269 for the Word. They longed for the Word. They 00:31:43.269 --> 00:31:47.519 desired the Word. So what took place? The apostles 00:31:47.519 --> 00:31:52.420 would go from house to house and they would exhort 00:31:52.420 --> 00:31:54.299 and they would admonish and they would teach 00:31:54.299 --> 00:31:58.279 those disciples which so longed for the ministry 00:31:58.279 --> 00:32:02.799 of the word in their life. So we find that as 00:32:02.799 --> 00:32:07.299 the church lived and existed in its normal routine 00:32:07.299 --> 00:32:11.299 in a sense, and as the apostle lived and dwelt 00:32:11.299 --> 00:32:15.309 among them, he went about personally teaching, 00:32:15.529 --> 00:32:20.609 exhorting, and admonishing, and applying God's 00:32:20.609 --> 00:32:25.589 word among them. So we find this public aspect, 00:32:25.930 --> 00:32:29.289 but we also find this personal, more intimate 00:32:29.289 --> 00:32:32.490 aspect, where the ministry of the word is applied 00:32:32.490 --> 00:32:39.869 to smaller, more intimate groups. Not just publicly 00:32:39.869 --> 00:32:44.589 and corporately, or formally. but on a smaller 00:32:44.589 --> 00:32:49.910 scale as well. We think about this, and we have 00:32:49.910 --> 00:32:53.430 to conclude, brothers and sisters, that the Word 00:32:53.430 --> 00:32:58.710 of God is fit to be proclaimed, to be taught, 00:32:58.930 --> 00:33:07.250 to be preached in every situation, in every venue. 00:33:08.049 --> 00:33:13.920 Why? Because God's revelation is open to all. 00:33:15.059 --> 00:33:19.640 God's revelation is public. It is meant to be 00:33:19.640 --> 00:33:22.180 proclaimed. It is meant to be taught. It is meant 00:33:22.180 --> 00:33:24.660 to be discussed. It is meant to be talked about. 00:33:25.539 --> 00:33:28.460 So we are doing the corporate right now, brothers 00:33:28.460 --> 00:33:33.500 and sisters. What about the personal and intimate 00:33:33.500 --> 00:33:40.319 application? Will we seek the Word? privately 00:33:40.319 --> 00:33:45.380 and personally? Will we talk about the Word amongst 00:33:45.380 --> 00:33:50.900 ourselves today in Fellowship Mill? Will we exhort 00:33:50.900 --> 00:33:53.839 and encourage and strengthen and build up each 00:33:53.839 --> 00:33:57.259 other in the Word as we leave this place and 00:33:57.259 --> 00:34:03.119 go forth into our lives? When we speak with someone 00:34:03.119 --> 00:34:07.700 on the phone, will we encourage them in the Word? 00:34:08.780 --> 00:34:10.780 When you interact with somebody you see at the 00:34:10.780 --> 00:34:12.840 grocery store, do you interact with them and 00:34:12.840 --> 00:34:14.860 encourage them and edify them and strengthen 00:34:14.860 --> 00:34:19.539 them in the Word? Brothers and sisters, the Word 00:34:19.539 --> 00:34:25.500 is fit to be the center, not just of our lives, 00:34:25.519 --> 00:34:29.960 but of our speech as well, of our minds, of our 00:34:29.960 --> 00:34:34.880 discussions, of all that we are. So we find in 00:34:34.880 --> 00:34:37.480 the early church, There was a prominent public 00:34:37.480 --> 00:34:40.420 aspect in the ministry of the Word. But there 00:34:40.420 --> 00:34:43.699 was also a personal and more intimate aspect 00:34:43.699 --> 00:34:49.420 to the ministry of the Word as well. The Word 00:34:49.420 --> 00:34:54.880 also is to be proclaimed in all of its breadth 00:34:54.880 --> 00:35:02.199 and in its gospel simplicity. If a ministry is 00:35:02.199 --> 00:35:05.860 to have this comprehensive, well -rounded, view 00:35:05.860 --> 00:35:10.340 or perspective that the apostles did. We see 00:35:10.340 --> 00:35:19.039 this in chapter 20, verses 20 through 21. First 00:35:19.039 --> 00:35:23.280 we get the broad aspect or the broad scope of 00:35:23.280 --> 00:35:27.699 what he taught, what he instructed, what he preached 00:35:27.699 --> 00:35:30.420 on. He says, I did not shrink from declaring 00:35:30.420 --> 00:35:34.650 to you anything that was profitable. Then we 00:35:34.650 --> 00:35:38.969 see in verse 27, For I did not shrink from declaring 00:35:38.969 --> 00:35:43.409 to you the whole purpose of God. This is the 00:35:43.409 --> 00:35:47.590 broad aspect of the ministry of the Word that 00:35:47.590 --> 00:35:51.489 Paul teaches on. The whole purpose of God. In 00:35:51.489 --> 00:35:55.050 the Greek, it's called boule. The whole boule 00:35:55.050 --> 00:35:58.929 of God. We can think about Ephesians chapter 00:35:58.929 --> 00:36:05.130 1, verses 1 through 13. where Paul gives the 00:36:05.130 --> 00:36:08.670 progressive plan or the mystery of the gospel, 00:36:08.889 --> 00:36:13.050 the plan for the world, brothers and sisters. 00:36:13.369 --> 00:36:17.369 It's the whole redemptive scheme and purpose 00:36:17.369 --> 00:36:22.369 of God in its entirety. So we could say that 00:36:22.369 --> 00:36:27.030 Paul, while he was among the Ephesians, brothers 00:36:27.030 --> 00:36:30.150 and sisters, he worked through the entire revealed 00:36:30.150 --> 00:36:36.210 will of God. From creation to the end of the 00:36:36.210 --> 00:36:40.949 world. And the redemption of all things. To how 00:36:40.949 --> 00:36:43.809 a person comes to know Christ. To sanctification. 00:36:44.170 --> 00:36:48.469 To glorification. To the whole plan. He walked 00:36:48.469 --> 00:36:53.250 through every single aspect of it. He's talking 00:36:53.250 --> 00:36:57.829 about the purpose of all things. The end of all 00:36:57.829 --> 00:37:01.300 things. And how the world comes to that place. 00:37:01.400 --> 00:37:05.539 And what Christ has done to redeem all things. 00:37:06.400 --> 00:37:10.980 So it's this broad, broad aspect of the whole 00:37:10.980 --> 00:37:16.699 purpose or revelation of God. But we also see 00:37:16.699 --> 00:37:19.960 that Paul, the essence and the heartbeat of his 00:37:19.960 --> 00:37:24.739 message, was the tip of the spear when it comes 00:37:24.739 --> 00:37:30.320 to the gospel. Faith. and repentance. What do 00:37:30.320 --> 00:37:35.099 we read in verse 21? Solemnly testifying to both 00:37:35.099 --> 00:37:40.219 Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and 00:37:40.219 --> 00:37:46.500 faith in Jesus Christ. So Paul proclaimed the 00:37:46.500 --> 00:37:49.840 whole will of God, but he also, brothers and 00:37:49.840 --> 00:37:54.539 sisters, preached conversion by the gospel to 00:37:54.539 --> 00:38:00.900 Jews and Greeks. He preached the elaborate nature 00:38:00.900 --> 00:38:04.599 of God's revealed will and purpose for the entire 00:38:04.599 --> 00:38:07.500 world. But what was the heartbeat and the essence 00:38:07.500 --> 00:38:10.599 of the message? It was what Christ has done to 00:38:10.599 --> 00:38:15.079 accomplish all of these things. Faith and repentance. 00:38:15.639 --> 00:38:21.840 So now we can see why Paul's ministry was the 00:38:21.840 --> 00:38:25.849 way it was. Why did Paul... deal with the word 00:38:25.849 --> 00:38:28.590 with boldness and solemnity, brothers and sisters, 00:38:28.710 --> 00:38:31.510 because he's dealing with the message that God 00:38:31.510 --> 00:38:35.210 has given him about Christ. Because he's dealing 00:38:35.210 --> 00:38:38.269 with never -dying souls. Literally, the gospel 00:38:38.269 --> 00:38:41.530 has to do with eternal life and eternal death. 00:38:41.670 --> 00:38:45.010 What is more or greater significance than that? 00:38:48.230 --> 00:38:53.900 What should bring more gravity? then those realities, 00:38:54.119 --> 00:38:58.800 money, jobs, career, anything in this life, our 00:38:58.800 --> 00:39:01.320 physical well -being, our health, our wellness, 00:39:01.480 --> 00:39:05.760 what, brothers and sisters, please, what is more 00:39:05.760 --> 00:39:09.500 significant than eternal life and eternal damnation? 00:39:11.920 --> 00:39:17.219 Nothing. Every single person in this room is 00:39:17.219 --> 00:39:20.340 a never -dying, eternal soul, and you have a 00:39:20.340 --> 00:39:23.789 fate somewhere. Heaven or hell. You will be with 00:39:23.789 --> 00:39:26.690 Christ and in Christ for all eternity. Or you 00:39:26.690 --> 00:39:29.170 will be in hell and you will suffer under the 00:39:29.170 --> 00:39:36.289 wrath of God justly for all eternity. How could 00:39:36.289 --> 00:39:40.010 Paul not deal with these truths and these realities 00:39:40.010 --> 00:39:46.829 with a degree of solemnity? With boldness. He 00:39:46.829 --> 00:39:50.809 knows they're true. Now we know why the truth 00:39:50.809 --> 00:39:56.070 must be taught and preached. Because we're not 00:39:56.070 --> 00:39:59.769 talking about coffee. Because we're not talking 00:39:59.769 --> 00:40:02.789 about clothing. We're not talking about temporal 00:40:02.789 --> 00:40:05.769 things or things that perish right here. We're 00:40:05.769 --> 00:40:12.849 talking about eternal spiritual realities. God's 00:40:12.849 --> 00:40:15.650 truth is orderly. The message He has given to 00:40:15.650 --> 00:40:19.170 us is structured. And systematic. And it ought 00:40:19.170 --> 00:40:24.530 to be taught. But it's not possible. Brothers 00:40:24.530 --> 00:40:28.369 and sisters. For a person to know and taste of 00:40:28.369 --> 00:40:32.010 the grace of God. And to enjoy these realities 00:40:32.010 --> 00:40:35.889 in a vital growing capacity. And to speak of 00:40:35.889 --> 00:40:45.070 the gospel lightly. Why? Does he do so publicly? 00:40:46.349 --> 00:40:51.489 And privately. Because he wants Jew and Gentile 00:40:51.489 --> 00:40:54.369 to hear the gospel. He wants men to come to Christ. 00:40:54.590 --> 00:40:58.010 He wants men to believe the message that he has 00:40:58.010 --> 00:41:03.250 been entrusted by the risen Lord. Why, brothers 00:41:03.250 --> 00:41:05.690 and sisters, does he apply it in a more personal 00:41:05.690 --> 00:41:07.710 and intimate setting? Because it is the message 00:41:07.710 --> 00:41:14.269 that men's sanctification depends upon. He knows 00:41:14.269 --> 00:41:18.230 that if you are to grow in grace, He knows that 00:41:18.230 --> 00:41:22.050 if saints are to be matured, if they are to grow 00:41:22.050 --> 00:41:25.369 up in Christ, if they are to grow in holiness 00:41:25.369 --> 00:41:27.949 and godliness in their life, it's dependent on 00:41:27.949 --> 00:41:30.889 their understanding and their reception of the 00:41:30.889 --> 00:41:34.570 message of the gospel that He has been given. 00:41:36.210 --> 00:41:40.730 And He has a responsibility to proclaim all of 00:41:40.730 --> 00:41:45.460 it, and the specifics of it with regards to the 00:41:45.460 --> 00:41:50.820 Lord Jesus Christ. This is the kind of ministry, 00:41:51.059 --> 00:41:57.940 brothers and sisters, that God owns. This is 00:41:57.940 --> 00:42:00.260 the kind of ministry, brothers and sisters, that 00:42:00.260 --> 00:42:03.980 God blesses and works through those who see the 00:42:03.980 --> 00:42:07.340 sufficiency of His infallible, inerrant Word 00:42:07.340 --> 00:42:14.389 and trust in it and it alone. We know how to 00:42:14.389 --> 00:42:16.630 honor His Word, don't we, brothers and sisters? 00:42:18.909 --> 00:42:23.969 Paul has told us. He's walked us through how 00:42:23.969 --> 00:42:30.590 to honor it. And God, I believe, is pleased to 00:42:30.590 --> 00:42:34.989 bless the church and the ministry that honors 00:42:34.989 --> 00:42:36.630 His Word.