Acts 20:13-27 A Fine Example
Good morning! Turn with me in your Bibles to Acts chapter 20, verses 13-27, page 929 in the pew Bibles.
As you are turning there, I’d like to ask you a question. Has there ever been somebody in your life that you looked up to and wanted to be like? A mentor, or teacher, or friend, somebody that, in your mind, got things right and you wanted to be like them?
I know that nobody is perfect except Jesus, and He may have been your answer to the question, especially if you are trying to impress the pastor! Other than Jesus, there are no perfect examples, but there are, and have been in the past, people worth imitating.
Hebrews 13:7 says, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”
2 Thessalonians 3:7-9, 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. 9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.
1 Corinthians 4:15-16, 15 For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me.
And lastly, 1 Corinthians 11:1, Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
Let’s pray.
As we consider Acts chapter 20 this morning, we are going to focus on the example set by the Apostle Paul. After all, he wrote three of the four quotes I just read, and I believe he was one of the leaders who spoke the Word of God mentioned in Hebrews 13.
So let’s read our text for this morning and see if we can discover any of the patterns that we are to follow.
13 But going ahead to the ship, we set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for so he had arranged, intending himself to go by land. 14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. 15 And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chios; the next day we touched at Samos; and the day after that we went to Miletus. 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.
Again, this is kind of just a travel log. Really the only thing of interest here is the fact that Paul walked to Assos while the rest of his team went by boat. Maybe he just wanted some time alone with the Lord. We don’t know. He also didn’t want to stop in Ephesus because it would most likely seriously delay him in reaching Jerusalem. Again, we don’t know for sure.
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; 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. 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. 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.
Can you see attributes of a servant of God worth imitating there in that paragraph?
Humble, patient, faithful, courageous, diligent, trusting, loving, confident, persevering, content, self-sacrificing…
There is another list very similar to that one that Paul wrote about in Galatians 5:22-25, 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
That was how Paul lived his life after coming to faith in Christ, that was the fruit that the Spirit of God cultivated in Him, and by exercising them he lived by the Spirit and kept in step with the Spirit. This really had to do with his heart attitude and how it was reflected in his behavior and lifestyle.
This was really a farewell sermon from Paul to the Elders of the Ephesian church. He was on his way to Jerusalem not knowing what would happen to him there, but you can tell, he thought it was going to be bad. Regardless, he felt compelled to go.
I think that his statement at the end there in verses 26-27 should be what we all aspire to be able to say with a clear conscience: 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.
He could confidently say that he had done all the good he could among them, and preached the gospel to everyone that he could there, both Jew and Gentile. If anyone rejected the gospel, their blood was on their own heads, he did all that he could.
No regrets, he left it all out there. That’s an example that we should follow.
Paul was just a guy, saved by grace through faith in Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, and called to preach the gospel, just like us.
And right in the middle of this passage, there is a short but beautiful summary of the gospel with one remarkable detail that we would do well to not ignore.
20 …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.
Repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Repentance and faith, two sides of the same coin, and you can’t have one without the other.
Preaching faith without repentance is superficial at best, deadly at worst. Jesus said Himself that He came to call sinners to repentance.
At the same time, repentance without faith is devoid of any comfort or hope. It only results in despair or self-righteousness in an effort to make the redemption in Jesus unnecessary.
You simply cannot have one without the other and be saved.
So let’s define our terms so we don’t get, or stay, confused.
What is repentance? A complete change of mind. Literally turning 180 degrees from sin to God.
And what is faith? It’s not simply believing historical facts, it’s trusting in the person and work of Jesus. Trusting that He is who said He is, and did what He said He would do.
And what is necessary to have both?
As far as repentance is concerned, we must first recognize our sin and sinfulness.
David wrote in Psalm 51,
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
The second part you can almost hear in David’s words, along with acknowledging our sin comes sorrow for our sin.
If we continue to sin and it doesn’t prick our conscience at all, it is evidence that we may never have really repented of our sin in the first place.
And if we say we have no sin, 1 John 1:8-10 says,
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
We must recognize our sin, feel sorrow for our sin, and, the third step toward repentance, the desire to be forgiven of our sin.
But if we stop here it doesn’t mean that we are saved. We cannot simply turn away from the acts of sinning and just try not to sin anymore. We will never be a good enough person to earn forgiveness. After all, when a person is saved, what are they saved from? The righteous wrath of God, justice for our crimes, the eternal penalty that we deserve.
It’s not enough to just tell God, “sorry,” and move on with our lives and hope for the best. When we repent, when we turn away from our sin, we must turn in faith to Jesus Christ.
Just like repentance, faith has three pieces.
First, it begins with the knowledge that Jesus, the Redeemer has come. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish but would have everlasting life. (That’s John 3:16 in case you’ve never heard it before.)
Along with the knowledge that Jesus really did live comes joy that he lived among us, that God took on flesh and dwelt among us.
And thirdly, confidence in Jesus’ reconciling, sanctifying, saving death on the cross and His resurrection. In His grace, He took our place.
Matthew Henry wrote, “We must by repentance look towards God as our end; and by faith towards Christ as our way to God. Sin must by repentance be abandoned and forsaken, and then Christ must by faith be relied on for the pardon of sin. Our repentance towards God is not sufficient, we must have the true faith in Christ as our Redeemer and Savior, consenting to Him as our Lord and God. For there is no coming to God, as penitent prodigals to a father, but in the strength and righteousness of Jesus Christ as Mediator.”
This was all wrapped up in Paul’s simple summary, that is what he, and we, were called to proclaim. As Alistair Begg said, “Letting everyone I meet know all about the Good News of God’s amazing grace.”
And that grace is available through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
Amen.
