Welcome to Worship
October 10, 2021
8:30am
I will bow down…and will praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness. —(Psalm 138:2)
Preparing Our Hearts for Worship: Rev. Bill Archer
Worship Song: Because of Your Love
Worship Team
Prayer: Rev. Peggy Peek
Redland Happenings and Welcome: Rev. Peggy Peek
Worship Song: Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me
Worship Team
Worship Meditation: Be Thou My Vision
David Wang, violin
Scripture: Acts 20:1-38
Sermon Series: Acts – The Cure Goes Viral
Sermon Title: Paul’s Bucket List
Rev. Mark Adams
Sermon Notes:
“Ananias, this man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings…” —Acts 9:15
17 - From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.
18 - When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia.
19 - I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.
20 - You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.
21 - I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
22 - “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.
23 - I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.
24 - However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
25 - Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.
26 - Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you.
27 - For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.
28 - Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
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.
31 - So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
32 - Now I commit you to God and to the Word of His grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
33 - I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.
34 - You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.
35 - In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
36 - When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.
37 - They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him.
38 - What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship. —Acts 20:17-38
1.) Give priority to the
.
“I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” —Acts 20:19ff
2.) Give priority to
.
“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” —Acts 20:28-31
“Ephesus, I hold this against you. You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” —Revelation 2:4-5
Paul said there were three ways they needed to be on guard against falsehood.
a. First, they must “keep watch over themselves.”
“The true Christian’s nostril is to be continually attentive to the inner cesspool.” —C. S. Lewis
b. Second, they must—we must—be on guard for “perils from without.”
c. Finally, we must be on guard for “perils within the flock.”
3.) Give priority to the
.
“I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.” —Acts 20:20
“For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.” —Acts 20:27
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” —2 Timothy 3:15
“tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” —Ephesians 4:14
“They were created by Eastern European troll farms that stole content from legitimate pages and reposted it on their own pages. It was all part of an elaborate effort that used engaging content to attract large and unsuspecting audiences to pages that were also used to distribute partisan political stories—designed to influence voters, and divisive stories about hot-button issues like race and sexuality designed to pit American against American.” —MINISTRY WATCH
“A lot of Christians are not using discernment when engaging on social media. Christ cared about the truth. It reflects poorly on Christians and Christian thinking when we believe this [nonsense]. It’s depressing.” —Christ Martin
Time of Decision and Commitment: Surrender
Worship Team
Benediction: Rev. Mark Adams