God has an encouraging word for you and me today through the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton and this edition of The Encouraging Word. Last words that matter. That's today's message with Dr. Don Wilton and as we study, know that we're here for you.
866-899-WORD on the phone or theencouragingword.org online. Now today's message with Dr. Don. Paul was about to go to Jerusalem and he knew that that would be his final journey. And so when he ended up in this place called Miletus on his final journey, he was about to leave and go to Jerusalem. God had spoken to him. Paul knew that he was going to die. He knew this was it. This was his final journey. Paul knew that this was the final thing that he could ever say to the people that he loved most.
He knew that whatever it was that he was saying would really matter. There was no time for wasting words here. And you know the story and if you were to look at Miletus here, on this section of the Aegean Sea, and you were to draw a circle around it, ironically Miletus really is almost right in the center of Paul's world. It's just a point of interest.
This Greek city here called Miletus, just below Ephesus. And just before he boarded that ship to make his final trip to Jerusalem, knowing full well that that's where they killed Jesus. And he was a Jesus man. He had something to say.
Knowing full well that he would not have another opportunity to say it. Let me read it to you. Open your Bibles to Acts chapter 20. I'd like to begin reading at verse 22, Acts chapter 20. And beginning at verse 22, Paul makes a statement.
He said, And now I'm going to Jerusalem. Constrained by the Spirit and not knowing what will happen to me there. Except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions wait for me. But I do not consider my life of any value.
Nor as precious to myself. If only I may finish my course in the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will ever see my face again. Therefore, I testify to you this day that I'm innocent of the blood of all. Because I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. So pay careful attention to yourselves, people, and pay careful attention to the flock. In which the Holy Spirit has made you leaders, influencers to care for the church of God, which he obtained by his own blood. Because I know that after my departure, fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. And from your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things to draw away the disciples after them.
Therefore, be alert. Remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one of you with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
I coveted no one silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who are with me in all things. I've shown you that by working hard in this way, we must help the weak and we must remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he gave himself. And he said, it is more blessed to give than it is to receive. And when he had said these things, he knelt down and he prayed with them. And there was much weeping on the part of all. And they embraced Paul and they kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken. And that they would not see his face again.
And so they accompanied him to the ship. Just amazing. I want to speak to you for a few moments on last words that really matter. They do. They not only matter, but they speak volumes. I found that even at funeral services, haven't you? Funeral services speak volumes to the person's life. I love the phrase that we use for so many of our beloved who have gone to be with the Lord. We call it a celebration of life.
I love that. A celebration of life. I love listening to people who get up and talk about fathers and mothers and sons and daughters and husbands and wives. In their tears and in their grief, speaking perhaps most eloquently to the things that are being said that really matter. So what was it about Paul's last words? What did he say here? I'd like to just give these to you. I do want to say that each one of these probably comprise a written book in and of themselves.
So you would need to beg my pardon today. I think Paul probably understood that. I mean, there's just so much to each one of these things that he said. But as I began to study this great passage and I began to see Paul after his incredible ministry and the love that he had for people. And above all, the love that he had for the Lord Jesus Christ.
I found myself just feeling that love. It was as though Paul by the Holy Spirit had reached up with his hand and put his hand on mine. I personally felt as I have read and reread this passage that I was sitting next to him and that he was putting his head into the nape of my neck. God began to speak to me about my own life and about us and about who we are and the world in which we live. What did Paul say to the church? What did he say to these leaders? What is he saying to you and me? Number one, to remain steadfast.
I think if you begin to unpack verse 22 through verse 25, Paul was in essence saying, look, I want you to know. I have been about the father's business and I've traveled from city to city. I've experienced great blessings, but I've also been persecuted. But I want you to know that what is paramount is that you stick to the assignment that God has given to you. The spiritual dropout rate is alarming. I see it even as a pastor. Probably one of the saddest things that I see from time to time is people who come into fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ and who once served him with a whole heart, became victims even of circumstances, of an unkind word, of a public stoning. And I can understand that there is a rationale and there's a reason.
And Paul, I think, was looking at his own life and he didn't say this, but I would not have been in any way upset with him had he said, you know, I had every reason. To just slow down, just stop, take a seat. Remain steadfast. Stand up.
Keep going. This is Jesus whom I serve. Number two, I think what Paul said in verse 24 is make certain you keep the main thing the main thing. I like that.
We've tried to recommend that to ourselves all these years. I think in verse 24, which is such a powerful verse that we've looked previously, I consider my life nothing excepting the assignment that God has given to me to testify concerning Jesus. Have you given your life to the Lord Jesus?
You know him. He sets us free. Forgive you for your sin. Give you hope beyond the grave. He'll hold your hand all the way. I don't know about tomorrow, but I know who holds my hand.
Do you know that? I want to invite you to give your life to Christ. You can do it right now. You can be in Montana, California, Oregon, maybe you're in Massachusetts. Pick up the phone.
I got friends right now. This is the main thing. Give your life to Christ. What was Paul saying? Number three, he was urging them to declare the whole counsel of God. It's what he said in verse 27. I did not shrink from declaring the whole counsel of God.
What a powerful word there. You know what that says to me? Don't pick at God's word.
Don't be selective. Here's what's going on in our world today, folks, from one church to the next, from one preacher to the next, from one denomination to the next, we're saying, you know what? I'm going to take this part of what God says, but not that. The Bible, this book, the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, all of it is God's word. God inspired, Holy Spirit breathed.
This is truth. You can't leapfrog over scripture. You don't take little pieces and say, well, this applies and this is out of date and that doesn't mean this. Context in scripture is very important. It's why many of us see something in the Bible and we take it out of its context. You've got to understand what it is saying. That's why Bible study is so valuable, isn't it? It's why we want you to study the word of God and seek God's face and the Spirit of God will give you understanding.
But Paul said, don't, whatever you do, declare the whole counsel of God. Number four, to pay attention to themselves. You know, this is an interesting thing. When he gets down right there into verse 28, he says, pay attention to yourself. So watch me today. You ready for the question? We're going to talk about keeping the main thing, the main thing, and we're going to talk about remaining steadfast. And we're going to talk about in a little while about wolves and sheep and everything that one can imagine.
But how are you doing? You know, I personally felt like when I got to that part, it's like. Now, Don, you just be very careful. You stand up there and speak to all those people. You make sure your own life is what it needs to be in the presence of the Lord. You know, Peter in First Peter, chapter two and verse one, he says, among many other things, if you're a believer by the Spirit, you need to rid yourself of hypocrisy.
And this is what he's talking about here. Take care of yourself. Examine your own heart before God. Someone said one time, every time you point the finger, there's another three or four pointing straight back at yourself. We very quick, even in Christian circles, to point out everybody else's. Be careful about pointing fingers at everybody else's sin in order to justify your own self-righteousness.
And this is a strong word here. So what is Paul saying in his last words? Pay attention to yourself. He's calling you and me individually, and then he moves on from there and he says, not only pay attention to yourself, but watch out for others. Watch out for others.
Watch out for the people. He calls them the flock. It's a beautiful picture here, the shepherd, the flock. The Bible calls us, the people of God, sheep.
The Bible tells all of us like sheep have gone astray. All of us need nurturing. All of us. It's very much like parents watching over their children. Beautiful picture, isn't it?
It's a beautiful picture. We watch out for one another. Thank you for watching out for me. Thank you for being concerned. Thank you for watching out for one another in a deeply spiritual matter. It matters. And God gives to us as God's people varying capabilities and giftedness within the context of our leadership.
To be able to utilize what God has given to us to provide great blessing to others that may not be fully aware. Or maybe prone, much like in a similar way, much like children approaching a busy street. The child can be whatever age and parents are still going to say, my daughter, no, you stand here and hold my hand, do not run. Because as a parent, you know that there's traffic there.
And that can present a terrible danger to a child who doesn't mean to run out there. And you folks need to be watched over. Spiritually, I need to be watched over. That's the value of being in life groups and accountability groups. The value of being part of a body like this. It's watch over each other's marriages.
Health, well-being, pain, hurt. Number six, he said, be aware of satanic attacks. You know, that's such a powerful statement that he makes there in the second part. He says, I just want you to be so careful as you watch out for the people that you are fully aware that Satan is alive and well.
By the way, he doesn't always announce himself. The attacks of Satan, his tactics are very subtle. It's happening all across America today. It's happening in churches today. In schoolrooms and boardrooms.
It's happening in government circles. The devil has a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. And he turns to people, right here, this is his last word. And he says, excuse me, you claim to follow Jesus.
You're a man, you're a woman who is of means spiritually. Stand up and watch out for people. Don't be afraid to stand up and call a spade a spade. Because there are wolves and they come even from in your very midst and they will rise up and they will use every kind of power of persuasiveness to pull people away. I tell you scams on television today are rampant.
I pray especially for our senior adults. These robo calls and people raising money. I know of people as I speak to you that have paid thousands of dollars to scams that come in the form of emails. Come in the form of phone calls in mail that arrives at your post box every day.
Wanting money for this and supporting that. That is so subtle. You'd think it came from one of your own children. People fall for it. They'll put your name on there and make you feel like you were personally selected by the White House for a particular reason.
And if you just send them $100, you're the person that's going to change America and you fall for it. That's human nature. We just get sucked into this vacuum. How much more so when it comes to the spiritual things of life. Put in parameters in your spiritual life. Be careful who you listen to. Don't fall out of your window and just listen and gobble up whatever it is you see on television, whatever it is that you listen, whatever anybody says, just because it looks good and sounds good.
Don't be swayed by crowds and don't be swayed by power and positions. Root yourself in the word of God. And Paul, he knew that he was about to die. And he turned to these people and he said, watch out for yourselves and watch out for one another. And be aware that Satan has got your number and he doesn't like you and he doesn't like God and he doesn't want Jesus. And he's going to do everything he can to destroy you.
He wants your money. Number seven, he said, study and pray. Verse 32 is such a powerful verse, he says, and now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is the very means by which you're built up. The very means by which you are set apart. And what is he trying to say here just before he heads to Jerusalem?
Knowing that they will never see him again. Study and pray, study the word of God, study to show yourself approved under God. Seek God's face, let God soak you up.
That's what we're doing. I commend you today. I commend you for having your Bibles. I commend you for reading the scripture, I commend you for your quiet time, I commend you for your disciplines. I commend you for seeking God's face. These are disciplines.
They don't come about easily, not for any of us. We all battle with these things. It's a discipline, it's a self discipline. We've got Bible study groups now that are all over the place where these self disciplines are being made readily available with one another that we can build one another up in the word of God. And then finally, but not conclusively, he says to them, be free of self interest. That essentially is verse 33 through 38. Be free of self interest.
Can you imagine this as his last word to these people? He says, listen, set yourself free from anything that serves yourself. And this is how you do it. Again, another dissertation. Always be satisfied with what you have. Don't covet what other people have. Just be satisfied. You're the best person.
You're a wonderful person. Be satisfied. Strive for the best. Do your best.
Build for the best. But be satisfied. Don't spend your life. Watch me. Don't spend your life always trying to find the elusive somebody else's dream. Young people don't spend your life constantly trying to find what somebody else has. Be the best you.
God will bless you for that. The way you rid yourself of self interest is by working hard. Don't you love that phrase there? He uses, I have shown you that by working hard.
I love that statement. Don't be afraid of hard work. Jolly hard work. The more you work hard, the more satisfied you'll be. The more you will enjoy the time that you have. You'll value your home a lot more when you work hard. You'll value the motor car that you drive when you work hard. You'll value your accomplishments.
You'll value everything. You put in the time and the effort and the work. Roll up your sleeve and go to work. Get off the couch. Stop lounging around doing nothing. Get motivated. And it's a discipline. You have to set the alarm to get up sometimes. And sometimes you don't feel like doing something.
Do it. And you come back with such a sense of blessing in your own life. It's what he's saying here. How do you be free of self-interest? Help those who are weak.
That's what he talks about. Help people who are weak. Just make a decision even today as God speaks to you that you're going to find someone who needs help this week and you're going to help them.
How do you like that one? Just make a decision today that you love the Lord. You're going to find someone. You're going to say, Lord, just put someone in my pathway that just needs help. And then you go help them.
Don't call someone and say, excuse me, I'm calling you to see if someone would go. Folks, do you know how many calls we get from wonderful people who say, listen, there's this thing over here. We're just wondering if you got someone over there or maybe you could send someone to go and help. Yes, we will.
And yes, we do. But excuse me, what's the matter with you? Can you feel that? Right?
That's what he said. Just get out there and help somebody. Help a person across the road. Stop and minister to someone. Go and pay someone else's bill at the restaurant. Find a widow by herself invited to come to your table. Just walk next door and say, man, can I do this? Just do, just do so.
Just find somebody. It'll knock your socks off. You'll come out of there and say, well, I thought I was helping them and you come away with this. It's a spiritual thing. It's a spiritual thing.
God will bless you. You don't do it because of that. You do it because you love the Lord Jesus. How do you free yourself of self-interest? Just give more than you receive.
Are you doing that? Just go and do a little tally right now of your tithes and your offerings. Are you giving more than you receive?
How's your bank balance look these days? I had someone walk up to me this morning, say, man, I want to give this to help somebody. Just do it. Tithe, just get on board. Give God what belongs to God. Give your offerings.
Get engaged. That's what he says. It's more blessed to give than it is to receive. It's just the law of God. And then the final one he says here, he says, if you want to, here, my last word, this is the final thing. He said, just share in the unspeakable gift of God's team of precious people. I think that was the final statement he made because right there, he said, when he'd said all these things, they knelt down and they prayed.
They all got around. You know, I look out today. That's what I see.
I see just a bunch of people who are willing to gather around and kiss one another on the cheek and share in one another's lives and pray, share together, worship together, do things together, love on one another. I thank God for you. Listen, that's the church. I know I'm probably putting words into his mouth, but I think in essence, he was saying, listen, man, don't neglect the local church that God's given you.
How about it? What a powerful message from the pastor, and he'll be back in just a second, but we want you to know that we're here to pray with you and for you. 866-899-WORD.
That's 866-899-9673 or online at theencouragingword.org, and here's Dr. Don again. Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ? Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now? Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner, and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross. Today, I repent of my sin, and by faith, I receive you into my heart. In Jesus' name. My friend, I welcome you today into the family of God.
This is exciting news. So if you've heard not just the voice of our pastor, Dr. Don Wilton, but the Lord's voice compelling you, inviting you, welcoming you home, let us talk with you, pray with you. Our phone number is 866-899-WORD.
That's 866-899-9673 or meet us online at theencouragingword.org. We are not in a good place in America. What would God say to us today? Without God, we can do nothing to stand strong in a country turning away from the path God has laid out for us. As our nation endures tragedy after tragedy, it is so important that we follow the second greatest commandment and love our neighbors unconditionally. With your gift of support to the Encouraging Word this month, you will receive Dr. Wilton's powerful sermon, God's Message to America, along with the bonus book, When a Nation Forgets God, by his long-time friend, Erwin Lutzer. These resources will engage, enlighten, and encourage you in your walk with Christ.
