“And now I know that none of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will ever see me again.” Acts 20:25 CSB
What words are important enough to be our last words?
•
Now from Miletus, [Paul] sent to Ephesus and summoned the elders of the church. When they came to him, he said to them, “You know, from the first day I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time … ” Acts 20:17–18 CSB
Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1 CSB
o My
“… serving the Lord with all humility, with tears, and during the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews.” Acts 20:19 CSB
“I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that I worked with my own hands to support myself and those who are with me. In every way I’ve shown you that it is necessary to help the weak by laboring like this and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, because he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:33–35 CSB
o My
“You know that I did not hesitate to proclaim anything to you that was profitable and to teach you publicly and from house to house. I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus.” Acts 20:20–21 CSB
“Therefore I declare to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, because I did not avoid declaring to you the whole plan of God.” Acts 20:26–27 CSB
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman over the house of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, give them a warning from me. If I say to the wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him—you don’t speak out to warn him about his wicked way in order to save his life—that wicked person will die for his iniquity. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood.” Ezekiel 3:17–18 CSB
o My
“And now I am on my way to Jerusalem, compelled by the Spirit, not knowing what I will encounter there, except that in every town the Holy Spirit warns me that chains and afflictions are waiting for me. But I consider my life of no value to myself; my purpose is to finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.” Acts 20:22–24 CSB
But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith. Philippians 3:7–9 CSB
•
“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Men will rise up even from your own number and distort the truth to lure the disciples into following them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I never stopped warning each one of you with tears.” Acts 20:28–31 CSB
Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit who lives in us. 2 Timothy 1:13–14 CSB
•
“And now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.” Acts 20:32 CSB
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:14–17 CSB
After he said this, he knelt down and prayed with all of them. There were many tears shed by everyone. They embraced Paul and kissed him, grieving most of all over his statement that they would never see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship. Acts 20:36–38 CSB
Memory Verse
“And now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.” Acts 20:32 CSB
Next Steps
• I will be an example worth following.
• I will fortify myself in God’s truth for the road ahead.
• I will focus on the essentials of knowing God, reading and applying His Word, and praying with His people.