Paul delivers a farewell sermon to the elders of the Ephesus church, summarizing his ministry among them, forewarning of future difficulties, and exhorting them to faithfully shepherd God's people. He recounts his sincere service despite opposition, predicts his coming imprisonment and trials, and urges the elders to protect the flock from false teachers who will distort the truth for their own gain. The elders weep at Paul's pending departure, knowing they will not see his face again.

1. Acts 20:18-38
Delivered
“Paul’s Farewell Sermon”
February 4, 2018
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA

2. What’s the number one thing?
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3. The Glory of God!
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4. 1 Corinthians 10:31
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do
it all to the glory of God.
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5. February Memory Verse
Isaiah 40:28
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.

6. Pray for the Pastor Search Committee
• Doug Gunn, Chairman
• Lenora Bigler
• Dottie Hudson
• David Maron
• Jim Merritt, Jr.
• Elizabeth Rich
• Mallory Rosamond
• Don Waller
• Jeff Zachary

7. Pray for Bill Boteler as he recovers from heart
surgery.

8. References
•MacArthur, John, The MacArthur Study Bible (Word
Publishing, Nashville, TN, 1997).
•Stott, John R. W., The Message of Acts (Downers
Grove, IL, InterVarsity Press, USA, 1994).
•Allen, Jason, The SBC and the 21st Century (B & H
Academic, Nashville, TN, 2016) pp. 261-262
•Unless otherwise stated, scriptures are quoted from
the ESV.

9. Introduction to The Book of Acts
•Luke is considered the author of The Book of Acts.
•Luke was writing as an historian and not a theologian.
•He records the points of the sermons of Peter and
Paul but provides no deep theological discussions.
•Paul provides the theology of the events and sermons
in his letters and epistles.

10. Introduction to Acts 20
•Paul is on his 3rd missionary journey and headed back
to Jerusalem.
•He was trying to get there by the day of Pentecost.
•Paul stops off in Miletus, about 30 miles from
Ephesus.
•He summons the elders of the Ephesus church to
come to him (3-day journey).

12. Paul’s 3rd Missionary Journey
•Calculated to be 3,307 miles (land & sea).
•Minimal travel time was 92 days.
•Cost is calculated to be 481 denarii.
• One day’s wages = one denarius.

13. More Introduction to Acts 20
•This is the only sermon in Acts which is addressed to a
Christian audience.
•The church leaders are called elders, pastors and
overseers – functional roles, not specific offices.
•Luke was present for this sermon; verse 21:1 is written
as “we.”

14. Paul’s Farewell Speech Acts 20:18-35
•The Past – His ministry in Ephesus: Acts 20:18-21.
•The Future – His future suffering: Acts 20:22-27.
•The Present –His exhortation to the elders: Acts
20:28-35.

15. Paul’s Ministry in Ephesus
Acts 20:17-19
17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the
elders of the church to come to him. 18 And when they
came to him, he said to them: "You yourselves know
how I lived among you the whole time from the first
day that I set foot in Asia, 19 serving the Lord with all
humility and with tears and with trials that happened
to me through the plots of the Jews;

16. Paul’s Ministry in Ephesus
Acts 20:20-21
20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything
that was profitable, and teaching you in public and
from house to house, 21 testifying both to Jews and to
Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our
Lord Jesus Christ.

17. What is Paul defending here?
•A smear campaign had been started against Paul in
Ephesus and Thessalonica accusing him of insincerity.
•He wanted to defend the sincerity of his motives.
•He focuses on 4 aspects of his ministry:
1) His humility.
2) His tears.
3) His trials by Jewish leaders.
4) His faithful preaching-teaching ministry in public and
private for Jews and Gentiles.

18. Paul’s Future Sufferings
Acts 20:22-24
22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem,
constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will
happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit
testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and
afflictions await me. 24 But I do not account my life of
any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish
my course and the ministry that I received from the
Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

19. Paul’s Future Sufferings
Acts 20:25-27
25 And now, behold, I know that none of you among
whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will
see my face again. 26 Therefore I testify to you this day
that I am innocent of the blood of all, 27 for I did not
shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.
• Note: Paul has a clear conscious that he preached the
gospel and bears no responsibility for those who rejected
the gospel.

20. Paul’s Parallel to Jesus’ Last Journey to
Jerusalem
•Both travelled with a group of disciples.
•Both were opposed by hostile Jews who plotted
death.
•Both made predictions of sufferings to come.
•Both declared a willingness to lay down their life.
•Both expressed abandonment of their will to do the
will of God.

21. Paul’s Exhortation to the Elders
Acts 20:28-30
28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the
flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers,
to care for the church of God, which he obtained with
his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure fierce
wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
30 and from among your own selves will arise men
speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples
after them.

22. Paul’s Exhortation to the Elders
Acts 20:31-33
31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years
I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with
tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the
word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to
give you the inheritance among all those who are
sanctified. 33 I coveted no one's silver or gold or
apparel.

23. Paul’s Exhortation to the Elders
Acts 20:34-35
34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to
my necessities and to those who were with me. 35 In all
things I have shown you that by working hard in this
way we must help the weak and remember the words
of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more
blessed to give than to receive.'"

24. Summary Points of Exhortations to Elders
•The Ephesian pastors were to “shepherd the flock”,
which means lead the flock to pasture and feed it.
•The church was purchased with the blood of Jesus.
•Some translations use “which he bought with the
blood of his Own” instead of “which he obtained with
his own blood”.

25. Summary Points of Exhortations to Elders
•The big threat to the church will be false teachers,
described as “fierce (savage) wolves.”
•These false teachers will come from within the church.
•By distorting the truth, they will induce people to
forsake truth and follow them.

26. Why does Paul mention his working a job
while preaching?
•He wanted to set the example for bivocational pastors
who preach and also work outside the church.
•He wanted to set the example of giving to the needy.
•Peter explains in 2 Peter 2 that false teachers are
driven by greed (love of money) and expect others to
generously provide for them.

27. Bivocational Pastors in the Southern Baptist
Convention (SBC)
•35,000 out of 46,000 Pastors in the SBC are
bivocational.
•Greater than 50% are bivocational.
•A newer term for bivocational pastors is they are in a
“Marketplace Ministry.”

28. Age of Pastors in the SBC
•Workforce (secular term) issues in the SBC.
•55% of the Pastors in the SBC are older than 55 years.
•10% are less than 35 years.
•Will there be a shortage of Pastors in the future?

29. Church Membership in the US
•46% of churches have less than 100 members.
•37% of churches have greater than 100 members and
less than 500 members.
•Frank Page thinks that bivocational pastors is the
future for churches.

30. A Tearful Farewell
Acts 20:36-38
36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down
and prayed with them all. 37 And there was much
weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and
kissed him, 38 being sorrowful most of all because of
the word he had spoken, that they would not see his
face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.

32. A 2nd look at Acts 20:29-30 – False Teachers
Acts 20:29-30 ESV
29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in
among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your
own selves will arise men speaking twisted (perverse) things,
to draw away the disciples after them.
Acts 20:29-30 NIV
29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in
among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your
own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to
draw away disciples after them.

33. Why are false teachers so dangerous?
•Satan will use all methods to keep people from
knowing the love and truth of Christ.
•False teachers appear to or claim to speak for God but
are speaking for Satan.
•False teachers are often hard to detect and are
deceptive.
•2 Corinthians 11:14 NIV
14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as
an angel of light.

34. Three Types of False Teachers
1. Heretic – openly defies the truth; rejects God’s
truth.
2. Apostate – knows the truth of God but has turned
his/her back on the truth.
3. Deceiver – deceives others quietly; the wolf in
sheep’s clothing.
• Note: They all have the same goal of leading people
away from Christ, but their methods are different.

35. What did Jesus say about recognizing false
teachers?
Matthew 7:15-17 NIV
15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in
sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious
wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do
people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from
thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit,
but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

36. What did Jesus say about recognizing false
teachers?
Matthew 7:18-20 NIV
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree
cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear
good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus,
by their fruit you will recognize them.
• Fruit = actions, character, attitude, thinking, lifestyle and
especially obedience.

37. Peter gives descriptions of false teachers
2 Peter 2:1-2 NIV
1 But there were also false prophets among the people,
just as there will be false teachers among you. They will
secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying
the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift
destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their
depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into
disrepute.

38. Peter gives descriptions of false teachers
2 Peter 2:3 NIV
3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with
fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been
hanging over them, and their destruction has not been
sleeping.

39. False teachers among the people
• Their methods are misrepresentation of the truth and
consequently, deception.
• Satan’s method is to infiltrate the groups of believers.
• 2Corinthians 11:12-13 NIV
12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut
the ground from under those who want an opportunity to
be considered equal with us in the things they boast about.
13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers,
masquerading as apostles of Christ.

40. “They (False Teachers) will secretly introduce
destructive heresies,”
•Heresies = self-designed religious lies which lead to
division and faction.
•Destructive = Greek word for “damnation.”
•Galatians 5:19-21
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality,
impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft;
hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,
dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies,
and the like.

41. Destructive Heresies Today
•Toleration –making a virtue out of tolerance of
unscriptural teachings in the name of love and unity.
•1 Timothy 4:1-2 NIV
1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will
abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and
things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come
through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have
been seared as with a hot iron.

42. Other Heresies
•Denial of the authority of the Scriptures.
•Denial of the virgin birth.
•Denial of the humanity and deity of Christ.
•Denial of the resurrection of Christ.
•Many paths lead to God and salvation.
•God just wants us to be happy.
•God did not create the universe and he is not in
control.

43. “even denying the sovereign Lord who bought
them”
•This phrase is a reference to the sovereign Lordship of
Christ in the life of a believer.
•The greatest error of a false teacher is that he/she
does not submit to the Lordship of Christ.
•They will not submit to the “rule of Christ” in their
lives.
•“bought them” is a term from slavery indicating
ownership or lordship.

44. “Many will follow their depraved conduct and
will bring the way of truth into disrepute.”
•Many will profess to be Christians but deny Christ’s
lordship over their lives.
•Their “fruits” or behaviors will show their
disobedience.
•They cause the world to view Christians as hypocrites.
•They will take as many down with them as possible.

45. Jesus about false teachers
Matthew 7:21-23
21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter
the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will
of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will
say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your
name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many
mighty works in your name?' 23 And then will I declare
to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you
workers of lawlessness.'

46. “In their greed these teachers will exploit you
with fabricated stories.”
•The underlying motive that Satan uses for false
teachers is greed.
•The false teachers’ motive is not love of truth but love
of money.
•In today’s world the triad is money, power & sex.
•Today the summary word appears to be “self” in that
everything is now about “me” (Me, Myself and I).

47. Greed is idolatry
•Colossians 3:5 NIV
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your
earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil
desires and greed, which is idolatry.
• Greed = the desire to have more of something than you
need.
• Idolatry = Anything that takes the place of God in your life.

48. What about the “Prosperity Theology?”
•Believe that financial blessing and well-physical health
is the will of God for them.
•Faith, positive speech and donations to church will
increase one’s material wealth.
•The Bible is a contract between God and humans;
with enough faith he will deliver security and
prosperity (Name It and Claim It!).
•The focus is on self-happiness and not salvation.

49. Bottom Line – A False Teacher will shy away
from this truth of the gospel.
• To get to the “crux” of the matter of Jesus’ person and
work, we go immediately to the cross.
• 1 Corinthians 1:23
23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews
and folly to Gentiles,
• 1 Corinthians 2:1-2
1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come
proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech
or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you
except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

50. Closing Scripture – Galatians 2:20

51. Next Sunday
Acts 22:3-8; 15-22
The Testimony
February 11, 2018
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA

52. The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
John 3:16
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that
whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal
life.”
John 14:6
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”

53. The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
Romans 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23a
23a For the wages of sin is death,
• Death in this life (the first death) is 100%.
• Even Jesus, the only one who doesn’t deserve death, died in this life
to pay the penalty for our sin.
• The death referred to in Romans 6:23a is the “second death”
explained in Revelation 21:8.

54. The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
Revelation 21:8
8 “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for
murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars,
their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur,
which is the second death.”
Romans 5:8
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.

55. The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
Romans 6:23b
23b but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Revelation 21:7
7 “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his
God and he will be my son.”
• Romans 10:9-10 explains to us how to be conquers.

56. The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
Romans 10:9-10
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is
justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Romans 10:13
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be
saved.”

57. The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
Have questions or would like to know more?
Please, contact First Baptist Church Jackson at 601-949-1900
or http://firstbaptistjackson.org/contact/