Yesterday’s Lesson For Today

Listen to Pastor and International Bible teacher, Dr. Michael guess that he begins this challenging leading the way audio there is no more that you may personally is whether you want is all over 100 years old and makes no difference will play publicly or privately we can witness and we can testify on behalf of the gospel on the Lord Jesus Christ. But one people's lives right away is your conduct as we travel through life.

People of our lives. Distance in life circumstances make us apart for the season, but as you heard from Dr. Michael is the life you live is often the most part influencing those in your circles of influence. You can listen to the entire looking when life's got you down series online@ltw.org and connect with other relevant content from leading the way, like candid conversations with Jonathan USF, a weekly podcast giving you a biblical view of culture the website again is LTW.org, but since you're here.

Listen with me now to Dr. Michael you Seth and I accepted 19. There was a huge dryer in the city of Ephesus on this ride was instigated by a businessman by the name of the mattress and his business was a silversmith he was making trinkets for the goddess Artemis in the beginning of chapter 20 Paul leaves Ephesus and there he goes to Musso Dona then took Carl and Fabrice back to Musso Dona Vento Troy unwanted against across who meets with the believers on Sunday to celebrate the Lord's supper and then nighttime. They began to preach, who breached for five hours. Now I know what some of you are thinking Michael is going to try this. In fact, Paul's five also among brothers. Boy who's between seven and 14 the so the Greek word means.

As a young boy between seven and 14 those off to sleep for cabin. His name was Utica's and he was sitting on the windowsill on the third floor and he fell and he died in through the power of the Holy Spirit of the apostle Paul comes in raising from the dead and believe me when I tell you that while I tenaciously hold onto the truth of the gospel as preached by the apostles, never try the methodology. In other words, relax. I will not preach for five hours. Some of you might think that it feels like five hours.

That's because of your attention span has nothing to do with my length of time.

Well, in reality, the five also among the breach was not a monologue as much of it was a dialogue.

The record is very clear and that there was a time for questions and answers and give-and-take as he spoke of course still doing after he raise the boy from the dead.

Obviously what happened at the time as the Bible tells us the fumes from the lamps and the stuffiness of the atmosphere in the room because difficult to fall off and die, but interrupting his sermon long enough.

Paul goes down raises the boy from the dead, then goes back to strict old dorm as Rocco preach a phone people and tell us where obviously like a sponge. They were soaking up the truth as they were coming out of the mouth of the apostle Paul. The next day, Paul leaves Truax asked and he goes to Miletus and Melinda's. He realized if he goes back to Ephesus is going to take time not on the time but will probably go and ask him to stay. So what he does and later she sent a messenger to Ephesus and asked the messenger to bring the leaders of the church from Ephesus and come and meet him in the liters now Miletus is about 20 miles as the crow flies, but with the winding roads and everything else it would take about three days from the time the messenger left went to Ephesus brought the leaders and come back and fair of the apostle Paul gives them that warning that I want to talk to about. In fact, there are three things that Paul's exhortation are absolutely relevant to every person listening to me right now. First his life as a role model in verses 18 to 21.

Secondly, his obedience to the Lord was unconditional.

In verses 22 to 27 and thirdly his warning was for vigilance. Verses 28 to 35 honest look at the first thing that Paul talks about here when his warning. These church leaders that his wife is a role model. Look at the verses 18 to 21 of acts 20 listen to me very carefully. I wanted to listen intently particular parents. There is no more powerful of an impact that you can make them personal example. Whether you are 10 years old or 100 years old. It makes no difference, parents can instruct their children all day long.

Preachers can preach great sermons. Teachers can teach Brandon play business leader can have all the skills but the life of example is far more impacting than all of that put together, we can tell our children what they should and should not do and we should, we can tell our children what is good and what is bad, but your life. Mom your life. Bad your life. Parents will impact your children far far far far more than the words you speak we can proclaim the truth publicly or privately we can witness and we can testify and we can speak on behalf of the gospel and the Lord Jesus Christ. But what will impact people's lives in right away is your conduct Christian if a Christian is lying and cheating and getting drunk just like everybody else.

You will have no impact upon your surroundings. People in general are looking for is this please listen carefully.

Are you living your lessons what children and people in general are watching very carefully for our use of the same person in public as you are in private.

What children on people in general are scrutinizing is whether your walk matches your talk. And Paul said in acts 20 verse 18. He said you know underline the word no. You know it's a very important word how I live the whole time I was with you from the first day I came into the province of Asia you know that's powerful that's important. That's very significant. You know I'm not telling you something you did not know but you know what is Paul saying is saying you have my words but you also examined my life here saying you listen to my teaching, but you also watch my decisions or my action. You heard me talk but you also saw me walk you down the instructions that I've given you, but you also have scrutinize my behavior and you saw how the two match how the two together and you yourself can testify to that. And you can testify to the fact that there is no discrepancy between what I say in the way I live, you observed that Walker saw is what you brought that you might not like it but that's how it is little consistent acts 2020. Paul said I serve the Lord with great humility and with tears. You know what I am grateful that the apostle Paul mentioned tears here because it really used to bother me that often gets moved to tears when I'm preaching about salvation, longing to see men and women saved from eternal damnation into heaven. How I moved to tears when I think of the grace of God that is given to me, unworthy as I am, at least now I feel that if Paul was not ashamed of his tears. I should leave it. You see, Paul was a role model not just in his words, but in his life. Secondly is obedience to the Lord was unconditional. Look at verses 22 to 27 of acts 20.

Obviously, the apostle Paul and this is not for everybody but the apostle Paul with his apostolic authority is apostolic power. He was able to look up through his prophetic eyes and he saw that he is going to face in Jerusalem more opposition then more persecution what he was facing in Jerusalem. What is awaiting him in Jerusalem was more readings and more unrest and we will see that in fact happened exactly as he predicted what was facing him in Jerusalem was more false accusations and discouragement what was going to be even beyond Jerusalem.

His dream of going to role is being fulfilled that when he gets to Rome is going to meet his death. Whether the apostle Paul was able to see his prophetic eyes that one coming. His gray head on the chopping block and then gets chopped them roll down the Appian Way we don't know but obviously that's what happened but you know what, listen carefully, none of that really matter to the apostle Paul letter. These sorts of prophetic I would see in the next message that's another profit actually witness to that and affirm that this is gonna happen, but that didn't matter once he knew that God was calling them to go. That's the end of the matter. What a far cry. This is for modern-day Christianity.

What a far cry where people say I am willing to follow Jesus. If he makes me healthy and wealthy.

I am willing to become a church member only if I get all the perks of being associated with the church. All I am willing to serve, but only if I can implement my agenda while I am willing to get involved, but only if it is convenient if it's not going to conflict with my sports activities is not going to conflict with my social activities is not a conflict with my lifestyle.

All this in my beloved friends listen to what Paul said in verse 24.

I want to weep literally of acts 20 is that I consider my life worth nothing to me. If only time I finished the race, and complete the task, the Lord Jesus Christ has given me the task off testify to the gospel of God's grace. What is a mean is what Paul is saying compares the task of making Jesus known my wants mean nothing. My desires unknot at the forefront. My comfort is not my priority. My personal goals are not the issue. My likes and dislikes are incidental.

Why why Paul why is all this we live in such a society, and the life of comfort and pampering and we get our wants and needs and everything else on top of it while I Paul he says because my life is not my old because my life does not belong to me. My life belongs to him. I wonder how many of us can truly say this today. It's a fact. It is true whether you acknowledge it or not. Your life is not your own. If you belong to Christ. But how often do we really think about that believe that practice that walked by that is life as a role model is obedience to the Lord was unconditional. Thirdly is warming was for vigilance.

Look at verses 28 and following you. Every time I deal with the issue of vigilance. I can't help but think what a rare commodity it is today.

Vigilance is such a rare commodity on church Sunday. If it doesn't rain on meeting or if I need the church to pray for me this well if it's convenient and beneficial. I will have a real life of prayer only from desperate. That's not vigilance. Beloved friends. That is not vigilance.

Being vigilant is always double edge sword.

It's always double-edged.

Paul tells us here.

He says on the one hand you guard against the effect of the enemy in your own life. On the other hand, you warn others against the attack of the enemy.

On the one hand, you do not neglect your personal prayer life annual study of the word on your walk with God on the other hand, you warn others of the danger of neglecting their prayer life in the study of the word. Bottom line, don't commit the sin that you want others not to commit is a Paul said. First, keep watch on yourself, and only then you can truly minister your family and minister to others so you can adequately care for others.

If you neglect the cultivation of new homes sold actually saying to these leaders is one thing that often say to young parents when they come and meet with me with their baby often hold the baby and I say this baby is not yours. This is the Lord's baby and he has given you. This baby to manage for him. You know, reality is nothing that really we have hours of the possessions that the children of the jobs we have not the company's will. Nothing is really ours is God's. I member the story when John Wesley's house burned down and somebody came running to him.

This is Mr. Wesley Mr. Westwick, your house was burned to the ground. He said good that's God's house number one and number two is best for me to worry about. And Paul is saying to the Ephesians here. His saying that you must understand that the church is not yours. It's wrong for Jesus Christ it's Jesus's church, not ours. God has called also leadership to manage it for him throughout history. You see people coming generation after generation who made a botch of it made a mess of managing the church, what is God doing just exit out of her hand gives us another group is another group and then they mess it up because it's another group.

Why is Paul warning the church leaders to watch out and be vigilant, both for themselves and for others is what he said. He said there are whoops everywhere are ready to come and devour the sheep. Where do you think the moves were that Paul is talking about to become what whether in the church. The church there hiding on what they think they're ready to mislead God's people to listen carefully beloved friends.

There are wounds in your children's schools. There are wolves in the churches there are, whoops, and your children clubs. There are wounds in the vile music awards in the file but there are wolves in the vile movies and you are to be vigilant for you herself first and then for them in ancient near East wolves where the chief enemies of the sheep the morning they were constant threat. In fact, she poor defenseless against wolves and that is why shepherds could not afford to take their eyes off the sheep, not even for one minute and you know we used to say about false preachers and false teachers in the church.

We used to say there are wolves in sheep's clothing of their head that a dear friend of mine from Sydney Australia is of Michael you living in the past he should now the rooms have taken the sheep's clothing off and they could not care less. They have become so brazen that they took the sheep's clothing off. There are some people who would say, in fact, they cringe when they hear falsehood being exposed and refuted under say that is a negative approach. Don't expose false teaching nonexposed false teachers don't expose false churches don't expose them just preach the truth. Paul did both and you and I must do both.

Not one or the other is what he said. He said he preached to them the whole counsel of God. That's everything in the Scripture that they need to know he did it publicly, an exhibit from house to house, but here is warning them about the whoops that are ready to come and undermine the truth beloved friends listen. It is not negative to say. This is why. And this is wrong. It is not negative to say this is the truth. This is falsehood, it is not negative to say this is biblical but this is not biblical but I wanted to listen to something else.

I'm going to tell you the interview would testify to what I'm saying that vigilance is costly vigilance is troublesome. Vigilance is hard.

Vigilance is exhausting. Vigilance will not bring you a popularity award vigilance will bring false accusations.

Vigilance will cause misunderstandings, vigilance will isolate you and alienate you all information my increase was such overwhelming volume of the gospel of Jesus Christ never changes and that is why the Bible speaks again and again and again and again and again about the importance of holding on the importance of being vigilant importance of being on the alert importance of receiving ground you do thank you for listening to leading the way audio with pastor Arthur and International Bible teacher, Dr. Michael you sent United Way you turn on the radio or television, you can't miss someone talking about the stock market soared inflation numbers and when those numbers are up or down.

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