Paul's Great Goodbye

one of my high school teachers used to twist a familiar saying

instead of saying "one last kick of the can," he'd say "one last kick at the cat"

he obviously wasn't an animal lover, but I always thought his version was slightly more picturesque than the usual one

well, I've got three last kicks at the cat here at Park Lawn

some pastors take the opportunity to share everything they ever wanted to say but never had the courage to, for fear of getting fired

somebody said, "Nothing changed after our pastor resigned, except his sermons became a little more frank"

that's not going to happen here – I've never held back!

but I’m going to begin a short and unusual series on saying goodbye

saying goodbye can be difficult and drawn out, or it can be elevated to an art form

I’m all for elevating this process of saying goodbye to an art-form, so this week and the next two Sundays, I’d like to look at three of the greatest goodbyes recorded in Scripture

saying goodbye has some obvious benefits

it allows us to reflect on where we’ve been together

it helps us to appreciate one another, and reminds us not to take our relationships together

it reveals the true nature of the relationship we’ve had together

and it allows both of us to stand on our own, to see what we’re really made of

saying goodbye can also be difficult

I guess it all depends on who you’re saying goodbye to

some pastors resign and the service is extended for half an hour for a spontaneous outburst of praise choruses!

but the apostle Paul models for us what it means to say a healthy goodbye

please open your Bibles this morning to Acts 20 as we examine one of the greatest goodbyes in the Bible

I just completed a course on the apostle Paul

it’s easy to develop a picture of Paul that is inaccurate

it’s certainly easy to think of the apostle as a prickly and distant character

but here we see Paul in a different light – as a human being, caught in the very difficult process of saying goodbye to loved ones in a church, maybe for forever

Paul was traveling to Rome, against the better judgment of many of the early Christians, and passed near Ephesus, a city he had visited earlier

he couldn’t pass by without calling for the leaders of the Ephesian church for a very emotional farewell

as I looked at this passage, I’ve discovered three characteristics of a goodbye that could be applied to our situation here today

three lessons, if you will, on how to say a good goodbye

LESSON NUMBER ONE: SAYING GOODBYE MEANS APPRECIATING OUR PAST RELATIONSHIP

as Paul meets the Ephesian elders, the first thing he does is reminisces on their past relationship together – particularly the integrity of his own ministry among them

read with me:

(Acts 20:18) 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.

(Acts 20:19) I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews.

(Acts 20:20) 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.

(Acts 20:21) I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

when saying goodbye, it’s easy to look back at the past

Paul points out that he wasn’t reluctant to jump in when he started, but says "from the first day" that he ministered the same way among them

his motive was simple: he wanted to serve the Lord (verse 19)

he wasn’t in it to make money, and he wasn’t in it for his ego

his only motive was to serve the Lord

the manner of his ministry was also simple

the entire time he was with them, he lived a consistent life, and served the Lord with humility and tears

and his message was well known to the Ephesians (verses 20-21): he didn’t hesitate to preach anything, but told sinners to repent and have faith in the Lord

he had ministered to both Jews and Gentiles, and preached a balanced message, not hesitating to include anything that would be of benefit to the congregation

in short, Paul had an exemplary ministry while he ministered in Ephesus

the thing I like about Paul is that he didn’t have to hang his head in shame when he left them

Paul could look back and praise God for an effective and credible ministry while he was among them

were there problems? of course! just read Acts 19

I guess you could call a riot a bit of a problem!

but Paul could look back without shame or regret, and praise God that his motives, manner, and message were beyond question while he was among them

I learn from Paul an important lesson here

it’s important as we say goodbye to each other these next few weeks that we appreciate our past

I’ll never forget the first time I stepped into this church – the feeling of warmth and enthusiasm that I sensed immediately

I won’t forget my first sermon here, the first baptism

I also won’t forget the first time I ran into problems here, and yes – like any pastor – I’ve received some scars

there have been good times, and there have been times I’ve pulled out my hair

but like Paul, I can look back at our time together and say, "Praise God for what we’ve been able to accomplish here!"

it’s time to reflect on the seven years we’ve had together, and to appreciate the relationship he’s allowed us to have

and please here me: I appreciate you and what you have done

but Paul also teaches us a second lesson

LESSON NUMBER TWO: SAYING GOODBYE MEANS WE ACCEPT GOD’S LEADING ABOVE OUR OWN DESIRES

(Acts 20:22) "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.

(Acts 20:23) I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.

(Acts 20:24) However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

(Acts 20:25) "Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.

(Acts 20:26) Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men.

(Acts 20:27) For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.

Paul says in verse 22 that he is "compelled by the Spirit" to leave for Jerusalem

it didn’t make a lot of sense

everywhere he visited, the Holy Spirit told him through prophesies that jail was waiting for him ahead

I don’t think anyone really wanted Paul to leave

probably even Paul experienced the occasional doubt

but I love verse 24:

(Acts 20:24 NLT) But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about God’s wonderful kindness and love.

Paul is saying, in effect, "I don’t care if I end up in jail – I have to go where the Spirit takes me. I don’t know what is going to happen, but I know I’m following Jesus."

and you can read between the lines and sense that Paul is reminding the Ephesian elders that even if they don’t want him to leave, they had better accept God’s will

I could preach a whole sermon on sensing God’s will, but what I know is this: when God calls, you had better listen

and just as we sensed very clearly that God led us to Park Lawn, we have sensed very clearly that it is time to move on

I don’t want to get too mystical, but I really believe that God brought us to Park Lawn for a reason

and I also believe that now he’s led us somewhere else for a reason

and it’s comforting to know that God is somehow preparing Park Lawn Baptist Church for something better than you’ve experience before

because God has a reason for leading us away, and we wouldn’t be leaving if we didn’t believe that

it’s never easy to leave people you love, but Paul teaches us obedience is more important than our own preferences – it’s even more important than our own safety

jumping ahead for a minute to the end of Paul’s message, we see how the people reacted

(Acts 20:36) When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.

(Acts 20:37) They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him.

(Acts 20:38) What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

nobody wanted Paul to leave, but if Paul is compelled by the Spirit, he had better go

and if we are compelled by the Spirit as well to move on, we had better go!

lesson number one: saying goodbye means we appreciate our past relationship

lesson number two: saying goodbye means that we accept the Spirit’s leading

there’s one more lesson we discover in this passage:

LESSON NUMBER THREE: SAYING GOODBYE MEANS WE CAREFULLY PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE

(Acts 20:28) 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.

(Acts 20:29) I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.

(Acts 20:30) Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.

(Acts 20:31) So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

(Acts 20:32) "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.

Paul brought his message to a close by warning of the dangers they would have to deal with

and I need to tell you that there are very real dangers ahead in Park Lawn’s future

Paul warns about two dangers

there are dangers outside the church (verse 29) – false teachers, who like wolves want to come in and ravage the church

there are dangers within the church (verse 30) – sometimes people within the church can destroy the church

Paul pleads with the Ephesian leaders to be on the lookout, and protect the church after he’s gone

Paul once again, in verses 33 to 35, emphasizes that his ministry was not one of laziness or greed for money

Paul doesn’t want others who minister for selfish motives to come into the church and destroy it after he leaves

Park Lawn, I could go on for hours about the dangers that lie ahead for you

there is a danger that you could become complacent and comfortable, and lose your vision and courage

you could fail to live up to the purpose that we’ve defined for ourselves – to bond, to grow, to serve, and to win

that could be thrown in the wastebasket and forgotten

there is a danger that you won’t think imaginatively about the future, and that you won’t take this time to dream new dreams of what God wants to accomplish in this church and in this area

there is a danger that you won’t reach the lost people of this area for Christ

there’s a crying need for strong, effective leadership

leadership that doesn’t come from Paul in Ephesus, or from the pastor in this church

leadership that will survive the removal of one person from the church

leadership that will think boldly and creatively of the possibilities ahead, and that will carefully avoid the dangers that could destroy the church

the time for my leadership in this church is over

but the time for your commitment and vision for this church is not

but Paul’s desire for the Ephesian church is my desire for Park Lawn Baptist Church:

(Acts 20:32 NLT) And now I entrust you to God and the word of his grace – his message that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself.

my greatest desire for Park Lawn is that God would build you up and give you an inheritance with all God’s people

I desire that Park Lawn become a prevailing church, so that even hell can’t withstand its force

I pray that God would protect and nurture God’s people in this church so that the best years of ministry – the greatest number of baptisms, the greatest intimacy with God – so that the best is still ahead

Paul teaches us quite a bit about saying goodbye

he’s reminded us to appreciate the time we’ve had together; to accept the Spirit’s leading; and to carefully prepare for the future

I’m excited, because we’re both on the threshold of a new adventure

with God’s help, and God’s future leading, who knows what blessings lie ahead?

saying goodbye isn’t easy, but with the lessons we learn from Paul’s goodbye, it’s a little bit easier

there's one more great goodbye we’ll cover next week

but for now, I hope you’ll pray with me that our time together will reflect the words written on an old burial plaque 300 years ago

"In the year of 1653, when all things sacred were throughout the nation destroyed or profaned, this church was built to the glory of God by Sir Robert Shirley, whose singular praise it was to have done the best things in the worst times"

may it be said of us that, like the Apostle Paul and like Sir Robert Shirley, we built our ministries to the glory of God by having done the best things in the worst times

let us appreciate the time we’ve had together, accept the Spirit’s leading in the present, and look forward with great care and anticipation to the future that lies ahead

may the best years of my ministry, and the ministry of Park Lawn Baptist Church, still lie ahead

let us pray

DashHouse.com

Sermon Index

New! Sermon Audio

Subscribe to DashSermons

Paul's Great Goodbye (Acts 20:17-38)