the very first day. Remember that? Remember how
you dried the tear in your eye with the first
one? And when the last one went out, you said
with Martin Luther King, Jr., free at last, free
at last. New chapters. We all turn them over
all the time. In the book of Acts, we come to
such an occasion in this 20th chapter. Luke,
the historian and physician, does a great service
for the church as he writes by the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit and records a number of Paul's
spoken messages. He does this with some detail.
For example, in the 13th chapter of Acts, he
records a message that Paul gave to Jews and
to Gentile God -fearers in a city called Antioch,
located in a province of Pisidia, which is modern
-day Turkey. Because he recorded that message,
we have a good idea of how Paul approached his
Jewish listeners when he presented the gospel
to them. Then again in chapter 17 of Acts, Luke
rather records for us Paul's message on Mars
Hill on the Areopagus, this place where the intellectuals
of that day gathered in Athens near the Acropolis
in order to hear new ideas and debate philosophical
concepts. And in that chapter, we have a presentation
of Paul's message. And we understand from that
how he approached those who were pagan in their
background and had very little idea of what the
Old Testament taught about God. In chapters 22,
24, and 25 of Acts, we have Luke's record of
Paul's defense of himself before various authorities.
He shared his testimony, what God had done in
his life. But here in the 20th chapter of Acts,
we have Luke's record of Paul's farewell comments
to some church leaders. It says in verse 17,
and from Meletus, he sent to Ephesus and called
to him the elders of the church. Paul was on
a journey back to the city of Jerusalem. Things
were about to change in Paul's life. A new chapter
was about to open, a chapter of imprisonment
and confinement and arrest. And as he is heading
back toward Jerusalem, he is touching base with
many of the churches that he has founded on previous
journeys. He did not go to the city of Ephesus,
probably because he would have been mobbed by
the believers there. But he also may have been
mobbed by the pagans there who hated Paul and
by certain Jews who sought to take his life.
And so he went to the city of Miletus on the
coast and asked that the elders come there to
meet him, which they did. He bids them farewell
in this meeting. And as he does this, he leaves
an example to us as to how to bid a healthy farewell.
There are good goodbyes and then there are bad
goodbyes. Some time ago I heard about a guard
at a Nazi camp from World War II who was dying.
He had become greatly convicted that what he
had done there was wrong and so he sought out
some survivor of the Holocaust who could come
to his bed and hear his confession. as he died.
And so someone was found in the city where he
was who could do that. This person went to his
bedside and the guard poured out his repentance
over what he had done and confessed to this man
that what he had done was terribly wrong and
asked him to forgive him. And the survivor of
the Holocaust only sat there. and could not bring
himself to forgive the man and just walked away.
There are unhealthy farewells, but Paul gives
us an example of what a healthy farewell is all
about. It is my desire, deep desire, to follow
this model as we say goodbye in this ministry
at Grace Church. I want to say farewell to you
in a way that will impart God's grace to you,
those whom I love. And so as we look at Paul's
example, I think you will note with me several
elements that are involved in a healthy goodbye.
By the way, you can apply a good deal of this
to the goodbyes of your life. Just think about
it as we work our way through and follow his
example of a healthy goodbye. A healthy goodbye
in the first place includes recounting past experiences
together. Paul says in verse 18, 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 in 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."
In saying a healthy goodbye, the first thing
that Paul does is to recount with them some past
experiences. When you and I say goodbye, it helps
us to remember the journey that we have shared
in common. Notice that twice, Paul uses that
word how, H -O -W. In doing this, he sort of
divides his thoughts in two directions as he
recounts past experiences. In the first place,
he talks about how he was with them serving the
Lord. He is thinking of their times of service
together. Now, if you read the book of Acts and
understand what happened in Ephesus, you understand
why a lot of what Paul says recounts suffering.
Because the time in Ephesus was a very difficult
time with a lot of affliction, a lot of persecution
of Paul personally and of the believers there.
But as he looks back, he wants them to remember
with him those times of service. When they joined
arms, they linked hands in serving the Lord Jesus
Christ together. And then secondly, he recalls
how he was declaring and teaching and solemnly
testifying. Notice the verbs that Paul uses.
In lots of different ways and manners, Paul says,
I taught you the word of God. And so he wants
them to remember with him those times when the
truth of the word of God was laid before them.
And he reminds them then of the very heart of
the gospel message that he had preached. A message
that is good for Jew and Gentile, he says, and
it is this, repentance toward God and faith in
our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul is there giving us
the very essence of the gospel itself. It involves
a repentance toward God, a change of mind and
heart toward God. So that instead of rebelling,
against God or running away from God, one changes
direction, one changes his mind about God. And
then understanding what God has done for him,
he then believes on the Lord Jesus Christ and
trusts that Christ's death on the cross was sufficient
for his sins. And he believes that Christ rose
literally from the dead. And in doing that, the
person becomes a child of God. That is the heart
of Paul's message. And as Luke writes briefly,
what Paul is saying on this occasion, Paul points
us all in the direction of the message he had
preached. A healthy goodbye involves recounting
past experiences together, times of service and
times of teaching. As I look back over the 18
years that I have been with you, one of the Sundays
that stands out to me is our very first Sunday
together. I wonder if those of you who were here
on the first Sunday, March 1 of 1981, would just
stand a moment. If you're able to do that, would
you stand? It's a long time ago, and I have the
same feelings you do. All right, look at this.
We have a number who are in this service. Thank
you for doing that. I remember that first Sunday
together with you was about 100 of us gathered
to worship the Lord in that auditorium. And I
remember how God then began to bless and over
the coming months how quickly we grew. I remember
being on vacation. I think it was 1981, wasn't
it? When we were in Kentucky on vacation driving
to church and we were listening to the CBS News
and they said that a tornado had just struck
Roseville, Minnesota. I said, come on, you've
got to be kidding me. And sure enough, they confirmed
that that's what had happened, that there was
some damage, no deaths. Later that night, I called
back to find out what had happened, and the tornado
came right across through here, took out our
trees over here, opened it up beautifully for
parking. Remember that when we parked on the
lawn over there? Until the asphalt was put in?
I remember when in 1983 we relocated to the Northwestern
College campus for a whole year. How many of
you were part of that? Would you lift your hand?
Do you remember back when we did that? It was
a big challenge. Every Sunday we had to set up
for church and we used almost all the classrooms
at that time as well as Maranatha Hall for a
whole year to worship while they deconstructed
and constructed on this site the building that
we're in now. And I remember canvassing neighborhoods
together when many of us would go out into the
northern St. Paul area, south of here as well
as in Roseville. We canvassed the area. And another
occasion when we gave out the Jesus videos. I
recall the series that we did on Romans back
in the mid -1980s. Some of you may recall that.
As together we struggled with the truth of that
tremendous epistle. And for about two years,
as I recall, we just went through it chapter
by chapter and paragraph by paragraph, seeking
to apply its great truths to our lives. And more
recently, the series that we studied together
on spiritual warfare and how God taught us how
we're to fight the battle that we're in against
our spiritual enemies. And all the time emphasizing
the same message that Paul talks about here,
the grace of God. I'm glad we began this morning
by singing, Amazing Grace. We call ourselves
Grace Church, Roseville. And that name was chosen.
when we began with a particular reason, and that
reason is that that's the message that we preach
here, the message of the grace of God. And that's
the spirit and the attitude that we have sought
to inculcate in our congregation, in our hearts
from the very beginning, the spirit and the attitude
of grace, of God's grace in us and for us and
grace toward one another. We've had some special
times together. times of celebration and joy.
I'll never forget this summer when we celebrated
the elimination of our long -term mortgage and
times of sorrow as well when we have laid to
rest people that we've loved, who've been a part
of our congregation. Here's what I hope that
you'll remember after I'm gone. And that is that
I have sincerely loved you. and have taught you
the Word of God as best God has given me the
ability to do that. I have sought to bring to
you the person of the Lord Jesus Christ that
you might fall more deeply in love with Him and
grow in your intimacy with Him. As I look back
upon our shared experiences together, I say as
Paul did to the Philippians, I thank my God upon
every remembrance of you. Well, a healthy goodbye
also includes relating personal convictions,
as Paul does in the next verses, verses 22 to
24. He says, and now, he's not going to dwell
in the past anymore. He says, and now, behold,
bound in spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem,
not knowing what will happen to me there, except
that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me
in every city. saying that bonds and afflictions
await me, but I do not consider my life of any
account as dear to myself, in order that I may
finish my course and the ministry which I receive
from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the
gospel of the grace of God." And so a healthy
goodbye includes this idea of relating personal
convictions as Paul does here. He shares his
heart with them. In doing so he talks about his
own personal future. The Lord had spoken apparently
through prophets in the church to tell Paul what
was ahead. And Paul is confident that God is
going to carry out his plan and that's all that
Paul is really concerned about because he mentions
not only his future but his values to them and
he makes it very clear that one of his highest
values is to fulfill God's course for him. When
he speaks about that, he uses athletic imagery.
He says, I want to finish my course. I want to
finish the race that God has given me. Fulfilling
God's personal assignment was right at the top
of the list for Paul in his life. I want you
to know that I feel the same way as I leave you.
That I am leaving, as Paul says here, bound in
spirit. Jeanette and I are both absolutely convinced
that this is the will of God for our lives. He
has given us great peace about that. And he has
given us absolute peace about the fact that he
is going to lead you as a church onto greater
things in the future. We feel bound in the spirit
by that, not bound in a bad way, but just convicted,
deeply convicted in the spirit that all of this
is working out the plan of God. And I join with
all of you, I hope, in saying that the will of
God, God's race for me, is right there at the
top of the list. I don't want to run off the
course somewhere along the way or get disqualified
stepping out of bounds. I want to stay in the
course that God has marked out for my life. I
have to believe that all of you share the same
deep desire. Those are deep personal convictions
to us. And that as we run this course, God is
going to proclaim through our lives in those
circles of influence that He gives us. He is
going to solemnly testify of the gospel of the
grace of God to others. What a wonderful thing
that when God directs our paths in new directions,
we have the privilege of sharing the gospel with
new people, of having new spheres of influence
where we can go and represent Jesus well. That
is a great privilege as well as responsibility.
A healthy goodbye relates personal convictions.
When you say goodbye to your son or your daughter,
they're heading off to college, tell them what
your convictions are. Let them know what your
dreams and your hopes for them are. Let them
know what's important to you. That makes for
a healthy goodbye. And it will cement something
into them that all the pressures of college will
not be able to erase. In saying a healthy goodbye,
Paul also includes recognizing present realities.
And we need to do that as well. Some people say
goodbye almost in a fantasy world, pretending
as though things are not what they really are.
You see this most often when people are saying
goodbye to someone who is near death. It's an
unwillingness to face the reality with them of
the finality of this. It's well, I'll see you
later or it is You're going to get well We need
to face realities when we say goodbye Paul says
in verse 25 behold I know that all of you among
whom I went about preaching the kingdom Will
see my face no more 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." Paul tells them that
separation is imminent, and he expects that that
separation will be final. Now, it does indicate
in the rest of the New Testament that may not
have been the case. That Paul, in fact, did see
them again. But as far as Paul knew at this point,
the reality was, this is it. I'm not going to
be back with you again in this world." And so
he recounts for them the fact that he felt that
his responsibility for them was now finished.
He says, I am free from the blood of all men.
I have not shrunk from declaring to you the whole
will and the purpose of God. I've done what I'm
supposed to do. Now, I'm not going to stand here
today and say, you will never see me again. because
I don't feel that way. I hope that's not the
case. But you won't see me in this role again
after we say goodbye. And it will be a while
before you see me because it is my conviction
that a former pastor needs to stay former long
enough for his successor to get established.
When he comes back, he needs to come back at
the express invitation of the new pastor so that
there's no undermining of the position and the
loyalty to that new pastor. So it may be a while
before I see you once we say goodbye, unless
of course we run into each other on the street
or you come to visit us in San Jose, but I won't
be back in this role. And I leave you with...
Some sense of satisfaction that I believe that
I've done what God wanted me to do. I say some
sense of satisfaction because it's not complete.
There are things I wish I had done better or
differently along the way. But nonetheless, I
leave believing that I have done what God wanted
me to do here. And in the same sense as Paul,
I feel relieved of that responsibility. Those
are the present realities, and we need to recognize
them and talk about them. That's part of a healthy
goodbye. In verses 28 to 31, we see that a healthy
goodbye involves realizing potential challenges.
Transitions, as you may know, often bring vulnerability
to problems. When a young man or young woman
transitions out of their home to a new place
to live or new job or to college, it makes that
young person vulnerable to certain challenges
and temptations until they get their own home
established or they get their feet planted or
they buy their own convictions. In most transitions,
there's a certain vulnerability that takes place
in the process of them. And Paul expects that.
He says in verse 28, Be on guard for yourselves
and for all the flock among which the Holy Spirit
has made you overseers. To shepherd the Church
of God which He purchased with His own blood.
I know that after my departure, savage wolves
will come in among you, not sparing the flock.
And from among your own selves. He's talking
to the elders now. From among your own selves
men will arise, speaking perverse things to draw
away the disciples after them. Therefore, be
on the alert, remembering that night and day,
for a period of three years, I did not cease
to admonish each one with tears." Paul expected
spiritual attack upon the church in Ephesus.
From without, he expected savage wolves who would
come in and attack the flock. And he says, even
from among the leadership, I'm concerned that
there will be those who will arise to draw away
disciples after themselves. You see, transitions
do not occur in a vacuum. Transitions, like all
of life, occur when there are spiritual pressures
to bear. And the enemy is always looking for
a weak point. He's looking for an opportunity
for a beachhead by which to attack the work of
God. Now Paul is addressing leaders in particular.
And it is leaders in particular who must guard
the church against these kinds of attack. And
so to be on guard for themselves and then for
all of the flock. But the truth also is that
every one of us bears some responsibility for
the welfare and the unity of the church. Let
me tell you what I'm concerned about. After 30
years of working in churches, I know a little
bit about the dynamics of people. When there
is a perceived vacuum in authority in a church,
it is not unusual to find some who will want
to manipulate that for their own personal agendas.
If you've had much experience in churches, you
know that to be true. there are often people
who are kind of lurking back waiting for that
vacuum and then who step forward in order to
draw away disciples after themselves or to press
their own issues. They have hobby horses that
they want to ride and they want others to get
on the horse with them. And so I want to urge
you to Be on guard during this transition period.
Understand that it is a vulnerable time in a
sense for Grace Church Roosevelt. And beware
of those who would seek to take advantage of
this time by bringing in doctrinal aberrations.
Or who would use it with gossip against leaders
trying to undermine or to draw away people to
follow them. Or those who would sow seeds of
unrest or of distrust. Now, I have no particular
group or person in mind in saying that. I'm only
saying it in principle. But I'm saying it also
aware of the reality of human nature. And so
it's very important in this final goodbye for
you and me to realize the potential challenges
that exist at a time like this. And that we simply
ask God to make each one of us a sentinel, to
guard the unity of the Spirit. in the bond of
peace. To be on the front lines and the moment
we pick up that there's somebody who's creating
disturbance, that we go to that person and say,
look, this is not the time for it. Or go to someone
who's in charge and say, you need to be aware
that this is happening. So that we nip in the
bud those kinds of things that the devil can
use to bring division and hurt to the body of
Christ in this time of vulnerability. A healthy
goodbye talks about those kinds of things honestly
and upfront. It recognizes the reality of them.
And then in verse 32, the apostle Paul gives
us this model that a healthy goodbye involves
releasing others to providential care. Paul has
already told us how precious the church is to
Christ. He shed His blood for the church. He
purchased us with His own blood, verse 28. The
church is so precious to Jesus that He will never
forsake it, ever. Never will He leave it. And
so in verse 32, the apostle entrusts the church
to God with these words. He says, 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." The word
commend literally means to place alongside something.
Or it means to deposit, like you would deposit
money in an account. Paul is saying here, and
now I deposit you with God. What is he doing?
He is acknowledging his release of them to the
Lord. He entrusts them to God and to God's Word,
which he says is able to build you up, which
is able to give you the inheritance that belongs
to you. Paul in leaving the Ephesians knew that
their church had a great potential for the future.
And as he commits them to God, this is just written
into the very language that he uses. As I say
goodbye to you, I'm convinced that Grace Church
Roseville has a future. This is the end of one
chapter. It's the beginning of a new chapter.
And God has some wonderfully gifted man that
He is now preparing to come here and to lead
you into the future. who is going to help you
to write that next chapter of what He wants this
church to become. That's exciting to me. The
Lord will not abandon His people, His church.
And having said that, I want also to say, neither
should the people abandon His church. There's
usually a tendency in a time like this for people
to say, well, it's time for me to visit around
a little bit. I think I'll go see a this church
or that church. It's closer to home or I've heard
about what they're doing. And I suppose that's
a tendency all the time, especially in a metro
area where we have so many options. Folks, this
is not the time to do that. If you want to do
that at some point, then let God lead you in
it. But this is not the time to do it. This is
the time to pull together. Just as God is not
forsaking His church, neither should you. This
is the time more than ever before to say it's
important that I be there. It's important that
I keep on giving. It's important that I get involved
in serving. It's vital that I pray for my church.
And by the way, that is the most important key
in the months ahead. The success of the coming
transition Will depend upon your praying more
than any other single element. I Can't underscore
that enough So use the opportunities that you
will have to pray together For God's blessing
and his leadership and his guiding over the coming
months Here's what I'm trusting I'm trusting
that the Lord is staying with you I'm trusting
that He's going with us, of course. But because
He is God, He's also able to stay with you. And
He's able to lead you into that future. And by
the power in Himself, and by the effectiveness
of His Word of grace, He is able to build you
up so that the interim period is not a time of
decline and deterioration. But it's a time of
building up. It is a wonderful thing when churches
go into an interim time and they actually grow.
They grow. That happens. That is not that unusual.
And when it happens, it's not a slight to the
former pastor. Oh, now he's gone. The church
can grow. That's not what it means. I'll tell
you what it often means. It means that the church
has suddenly... owned this transition and they've
become revitalized by the fact that they know
that there's vulnerability and they know that
they need God's blessing and God's leading in
a deeper way than before. And so they begin to
pray more intensely and earnestly and as a result
of that intensified prayer, God blesses and the
church grows. I'm trusting God to be able to
do that here at Grace Church, Roseville. And
likewise, I'm trusting you to remain loyal to
the church. Loyal in prayer, loyal in service,
loyal in your giving, loyal in your support for
one another and your leaders, loyal in your encouragement
of one another. As I say goodbye to you, as Paul
does here, I commend you to God and I release
you to His providential care. And then, finally,
in saying a healthy goodbye, Paul includes a
reminding of particular responsibilities. Verses
33 to 35. He says, I have coveted no one's silver
or gold or clothes. Yourselves know that these
hands minister to my own needs and to the men
who were with me. In everything I showed you,
that by working hard in this manner, you must
help the weak. And remember the words of the
Lord Jesus that He Himself said, it is more blessed
to give than to receive. That quotation is not
recorded in the Gospels anywhere. It suggests
to us that in addition to the inspired writings
of the New Testament, there were other oral traditions
that were passed down of some of the things that
Jesus said. And Paul here latches onto one of
those and by the Spirit includes it in the inspired
word, where Jesus said it's more blessed to give
than to receive. Have you experienced that? I
know you have. It really, truly is a happier
experience to give to someone than it is to receive
a gift, isn't it? It creates a bubble of joy
in your heart. It's like Drinking a whole glass
of 7 -Up all at once and just feeling that effervescence
down inside. To give to someone who is in need
is just a great joy in your heart to be able
to do that. So Paul reminds them of this particular
responsibility. They were to follow his example
in generosity and to help the weak. And here's
what I want to urge you to do by way of a particular
responsibility. I want you not to become paralyzed
by this transition. On the other hand, what I
want you to do is to focus in the coming months
on serving Christ and others. In the midst of
change, it's easy just to shrink back and say,
I'm not going to do anything. I'm just going
to wait and see what happens. And become paralyzed.
What I want to urge you to do is to focus on
serving Christ, to be a giver to others. Not
someone who's receiving, but someone who's giving.
And you know if you do that, if you do that,
your life is going to be so fulfilled and rich
and blessed in the coming months. And the time
of this transition, be it a year or longer, whatever
God takes, and let Him take the time He needs
to prepare you and prepare the candidate that
you'll vote on. But that time period will go
more quickly than you can possibly imagine if
you're really focusing on serving, being busy
serving the Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Healthy goodbyes don't just happen. They are
intentional. They are created. by the steps that
you and I take. They take place when you and
I purpose in our hearts to honor God and to do
what is right and to do our part. Will you today
purpose to do your part? Will you do that for
the church's sake? Will you purpose in your heart
to make this a healthy farewell for your sake,
your family's sake? Will you, determined in your
heart, will you, with an intentional act of your
will, make this a healthy farewell and transition
for Jesus' sake? Because you see, ultimately,
it's His name. It's His glory that is involved
in this. Some of you have been very, very kind
in words to me and to my family. And I thank
you. from the bottom of my heart for those words.
I feel very unworthy of many of the things that
have been said. But let me say this, if you have
appreciated my ministry in the years that we
have been together, the very highest compliment
that you can pay me is to apply in my absence.
what I have sought to teach you and to exemplify
by the grace of God. That's the very highest
compliment that you can pay me. And as you seek
to do that and to focus on serving Christ and
others in the months ahead, this is going to
be a farewell that will be noted in heaven. And
it'll bring blessing to the earth and joy to
your lives. and a great future for this church.
May God make it so. Let's pray. I'm going to
ask you to respond this morning. And I'm not
trying to put undue pressure on you, but sometimes
it's just good for us to make a move physically
as we say that we're going to do something. So
if you today... would respond to this message
and say, God, help me to do my part. I want to
make this a healthy goodbye. I want it to be
a good farewell and transition. And therefore,
I'm going to seek to do my part. And I'm going
to be focusing on serving you, Lord, and serving
your people. And I'm going to be praying and
trusting you. If that is your intention, if that
is your purpose, then I want to invite you to
signify it by just standing quietly to your feet
and saying so. Now, if you're from another congregation
visiting this morning, perhaps this isn't the
right response for you, or maybe there's another
reason that you shouldn't stand. Oh, God help
you to do this. Amen. God, by your Holy Spirit,
will you come and fill every heart responding
to this message. And enable us, I pray, each
one of us to do our part to make this the kind
of a parting that will bring honor and glory
to Jesus Christ and blessing to His Church. We
commit ourselves to you just as Paul and these
Ephesians did. And as we even shed tears in saying
goodbye over the next couple of weeks, we nonetheless
shed them with deep thankfulness in our hearts
for what we have experienced together. and with
deep trust in you for what the future holds,
knowing that it holds blessing as we walk with
you. In Jesus' name, Amen. And all God's people
said, Amen. We're dismissed.