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A Word to Preachers By Henry Mahan

Acts 20:17-35

One rare meeting of pastors, pastors and elders and preachers.
This meeting was called by the Apostle Paul.
He brought these men together to speak to them.
That interests me a great deal.
Secondly, Paul had been the instrument which the Lord used to reveal the gospel to these men.
Most of them heard the gospel from Paul.
He talked about three years laboring among them.
Three years they heard the gospel.
So they were special to him.
And he was special to them.
And then the third reason why these verses are especially interesting to me
is because this is the last time that most of these men
would ever hear Paul preach or see his face.
You look at verse 25.
He said,
And now, behold, I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God,
shall see my face no more.
Verse 36,
And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with them all.
And they all wept sore and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him,
sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake,
that they should see his face no more.
This is the last final time that he would speak to these men.
That gives special weight to these words.
And then let me turn to this scripture quickly.
And Paul said over here in 1 Timothy 1 16 that he was a pattern.
His conversion was a pattern to those who would afterwards believe.
He said in 1 Timothy 1 16,
Howbeit for this cause I obtain mercy,
that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering for a pattern
to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
So if his conversion is a pattern to those who will believe,
to us and all who preceded us,
then is not his ministry a pattern for our preachers and elders
and those who witness and those who support the ministry
and those who engage in the business of witnessing and teaching
any type of ministry.
If he's the pattern of the longsuffering and patience of Christ in salvation,
then is not his ministry a pattern?
I think so.
We can pattern our ministry after his.
I'd much rather do that, hadn't you?
And then I'd like to tell you another reason why this chapter is especially interesting to me
is because today's preaching and ministry is so far removed from this.
I'm so sad, aren't you, that I'm so sad at what's happening in my day to the churches and to the ministry.
I honestly confess unto you that I'm embarrassed, most cases,
to be introduced in most places as a preacher.
I really am, because most preachers are an embarrassment to the gospel and to God.
It's a shame.
Just so sad.
I'd like to go back to this and read it again.
So let's look at verse 18.
And he says here in verse 18,
And when they would come to him, he said to them,
You know, from the first day that I came into Asia,
after what manner I've been with you at all seasons,
you know my manner of life, my objective,
serving the Lord with all humility of mind, serving the Lord.
Paul talks about serving the Lord.
I've served the Lord.
How does one serve the Lord?
God said if I were hungry, I wouldn't ask you.
If I needed anything, I wouldn't ask you.
He said the cattle on the thousand hills of mine,
the silver and gold that hadn't even been taken from the earth is mine.
I don't need anything.
Well, how do we serve God?
Our Lord gave us a lesson in that.
He said I was hungry and you fed me.
I was sick and you visited me.
I was in prison and you visited me.
I was naked and you clothed me.
And the believers said, Lord, when did we ever see you hungry
and naked and in prison and these things you're talking about?
And he said in as much as you've done it to the least of these,
you've done it to me.
So we serve him best when we serve his people.
That's when we serve him.
When we serve his people, for Christ's sake.
We're his servants to his people.
Let me show you that.
I want you to turn to this over in Colossians chapter 3.
That's the reason that, one of the reasons I love you all so much, this church.
I'm just so thankful to God that he has, Colossians chapter 3 verse 17,
that he has enabled us to reach out to others,
other pastors and churches and missionaries and preaching the gospel
and to the Ramey home and the Estep home and the community kitchen
and the social services and feed the hungry
and people come by here every day and get medicine for folks.
I just love this.
I just, I'd like for us just to have an open hand.
Don't you like that?
I just, Martha just takes so many,
if you don't know how many people that look to this church
and to this secretary and how many people we're able to reach out to.
And our Lord said, that's when you serve me.
In Colossians 3, listen to this, in verse 17.
And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as it is fit in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives.
Be not bitter against them.
Children, obey your parents in all things.
This is well pleasing to the Lord.
Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh,
not with eye service as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, hearing God.
And whatsoever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord, not unto men,
knowing, now listen, that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance,
for you serve the Lord Christ.
See that? You're serving him.
You're serving him.
When you minister to and serve his people, you're serving him.
That's what Paul said, I've served the Lord.
And what's the next thing is, I've served him with humility of mind.
This is deeper than an outward false humility or so-called meekness.
It's a humility of mind, a humility of mind.
You know, Paul is so clear on that.
He said on one occasion, he said, I'm not worthy to be an apostle.
Pride has no place in the ministry of the gospel, in serving the Lord.
Pride has no, self-serving.
That has no place.
Paul said, I'm not worthy to be an apostle.
On another occasion, he said, I know myself.
I'm less than the least of all the saints.
Pick out the least of the saints and I'm less.
And Christ came into the world to save sinners, he said, of whom I'm cheap.
That's a humility of mind.
I know my imperfections and you know yours.
I know that all my gifts are borrowed.
All my gifts are borrowed.
They're not mine, they're his.
He loaned them to me.
He made me a steward.
You know, we talk about being stewards of God.
We're stewards of his grace.
We're stewards of his gifts.
We're stewards of his possessions.
They're not ours, they're his.
And he blesses us that we might be a blessing.
He blesses us that we might be a blessing.
He makes us a channel of blessings.
I know that my gifts are borrowed
and I know that I am what I am by his grace.
And I know I'm here for a little while to minister to my generation.
I'm here to be a blessing.
That's what we want to be. That's humility of mind.
I'm serving the Lord with humility of mind.
It's attitude.
The right attitude.
All right, let's read on. He says this,
But with many tears Paul was a man of great tears,
like Jeremiah the weeping prophet.
He said on one occasion,
I have great heaviness and continual sorrow for my brethren according to the flesh.
I pray for them.
I weep over them.
Many trials which befell me by the lying in a weight of the Jews.
You know, Paul went through a lot of trials,
but most of his trials were brought upon him by religious people.
Most of them. That's true.
Most of the time the Apostle Paul suffered at the hands
of religious people who despised his message.
That's what he's talking about here, about the trials by the lying,
which befell me by the lying in weight of the Jews.
Now watch verse 20.
And he said, I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you.
I kept back nothing.
I said that this morning.
Paul was a man of great compassion,
of great feeling and great love for others,
but his fear of God kept him from being afraid of men.
You hear people say, well, I'm not afraid of anybody.
Well, maybe you aren't.
Maybe not.
But I'll tell you what will keep you from being afraid,
and that's the fear of God.
Fear of God will overcome any fear of man.
When we fear God, we don't fear what men can do to us.
He said, our Lord said this,
fear not them which hurt the body.
After that, have no more that they can do.
I'll tell you whom you shall fear. Fear Him.
Fear Him who's able to cast you body and soul into hell.
So when we stand to preach or teach or witness,
our fear of God overcomes our fear of man.
And then Paul, Paul's love for Christ
was greater than his love for himself.
This is the thing that,
this is the thing that leads you to,
to serve Him and to labor in His vineyard
and to please Him.
It's because your love for Him is greater than love for yourself
and really greater than your love for your family or your friends.
He that loveth father, mother, brother, sister, husband or wife more than me is not worthy of me.
Your love for Him is greater than your love for others.
You love them. You can't describe how much you love them.
But when it comes between him and them,
I hate to choose that. I hate to have to make that kind of choice.
I hate to. That's so terrible.
But it's really no choice.
It's really no choice because he's first.
And then Paul, that's the way he felt.
That's the reason he said, I've kept back nothing profitable to you.
He said, if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of.
Necessity is laid upon me.
Woe is unto me if I don't preach the gospel.
These elders don't even have any conflict about whether I'm going to preach anything or not.
If God shows it to them, I'm going to preach it.
You have to. Necessity is laid upon me.
His desire to please God overruled His desire to please me.
We like to please people.
There's nothing in this world that I enjoy more than someone saying,
Now I believe that. I love that.
Oh, that's a rich, wonderful gospel you're preaching.
Oh, I enjoy that.
For someone to say, I don't believe what you're saying.
That hurts. I hate that.
I just, that's so sad.
And it doesn't make you happy at all.
Somebody says, well, I don't care what people think. I do.
I really do care.
But I'd rather please Him than them.
I hate to make the choice.
Don't you, you understand what I'm saying?
That's the reason Paul says, I've kept back nothing.
I've held back nothing.
Though it wounds, and though it hurts, and though it convicts,
and though it smites the flesh, and strips us, and puts us in the dust,
and shuts our mouths, and sends division, causes division.
But our fear of Him overcomes our fear of men,
and our love for Him is greater than our love for people.
And our desire to please Him far outweighs our desire to please them.
Isn't it wonderful when we can please both?
Isn't that wonderful?
I like to preach to you.
I've gone places where, oh boy, it's tough to preach.
Here it's easy.
And his knowledge, what's this now, his knowledge of himself,
and of God's grace to him,
kept him from ever, ever,
becoming ambitious for set glory.
Oh boy. No.
So he could say, I kept back nothing profitable to you,
but I've showed you and taught you publicly,
from house to house, publicly and privately,
I got the same message.
I've showed you and taught you, publicly and privately,
publicly and in your homes.
Same message. What is that message?
Listen to verse 21.
Testifying both to the Jews and to the Greeks.
Two things.
Repentance toward God,
and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Somebody says, which comes first, repentance or faith?
They come at the same time.
Repentance and faith are like this piece of paper.
You don't have a piece of paper unless you got both sides.
You can't have a piece of paper without one,
with just one side.
You can't have repentance without faith.
You can't turn from your idols unless you turn to him,
and you can't turn to him unless you turn from your eyes.
Isn't that right?
That's what it says over here, what repentance is,
in Psalm 51. Turn over there a moment.
Psalm 51.
Here's repentance.
Here's repentance.
It's turning from my idols to the living God.
It's a plea for mercy.
It's a confession of sins.
It's a change of mind.
Isaiah says it's a change of mind.
It's a change of thoughts.
It's a change of attitude.
Change of direction.
Change of manners.
Psalm 51, David said,
Have mercy upon me, O God,
according to thy loving kindness,
according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.
Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly, thoroughly from mine iniquity.
Cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions.
My sin is ever before me.
Against thee and thee only have I sinned
and done this evil in thy sight,
that thou mightest be justified when thy speakest,
and be clear when you judge.
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity,
in sin did my mother conceive.
That's repentance and faith.
That's justifying God
and confessing my sins.
I tell you this about repentance and faith.
Four or five things.
Number one, where you find one,
you'll find the other.
Where you find faith, you find repentance.
Genuine repentance toward God.
An acknowledging of our sins,
a confession of our sins.
And secondly, both are the gift of God.
Both repentance and faith are the gift of God.
It's the goodness of God that leads us to repentance.
Isn't that what he said?
The goodness of God that leads us to repentance.
And faith is the gift of God and out of works,
lest any man should boast.
Thirdly, both repentance and faith are heart work.
Isaiah said, let the wicked forsake his ways
and the unrighteous man his thoughts,
and let him return to God.
That's repentance.
Heart work. Faith's a heart work.
Fourthly, now watch this.
Both repentance, that has to do with the thoughts,
with the mind.
Both repentance and faith acknowledge God's right
to do with his own what he will.
You've got to come to that place.
You've got to come to that place.
We'll be saved on his terms.
Let God be God and every man alive.
That's right. That's genuine repentance.
Let God be God and every man alive.
Then the next thing about repentance and faith,
they both continue.
You see, repentance, listen to me a minute,
repentance, sorrow for sin, confession of sin,
a weariness with sin, a desire to be washed from our sins,
faith in Christ.
These are not isolated acts.
The fellow says, well, I repented.
No, repentance is not an isolated act.
It's a state of being.
I have repented. I am repenting.
I'm still repenting and I shall repent.
Repentance is not an isolated.
If a man's not still repenting, he never did.
Isn't that right?
And faith, faith is not an isolated act.
Faith is a state of being.
I have believed. I am believing.
I will believe.
If I don't continue to believe, I never did.
I have been saved. I am being saved.
My salvation is nearer than what I believe.
It's life.
It's not just an experience.
It's life.
Old Pastor Dodd used to talk about,
he always preached repentance and faith,
repentance toward God and faith in Christ.
He said this,
if I die in the pulpit,
I desire to die preaching repentance toward God
and faith in Christ.
If I die out of the pulpit,
I desire to die practicing repentance toward God.
And faith in Christ.
Hall said that's what I preach.
John Flabel had this to say.
Now this helped me a great deal years ago.
John Flabel said repentance,
and repentance is something you could talk about
for a long time.
And when you define it, you kill it.
If a man is repented, he understands it.
If he hasn't repented, he doesn't understand it.
But here's what he's saying about repentance.
He said,
we haven't repented until we repent of what we are.
What are we?
We're sinners by nature.
That's what we are.
That's our character.
That's our nature.
It's so much easier to sin, isn't it?
This pledge, it just comes natural with us.
It comes natural.
That's what we are.
Secondly, we repent of what we've done.
We have sinned and come short of his glory.
Thirdly, we repent of what we haven't done.
We haven't loved God with all our hearts, minds, souls.
We haven't loved our neighbors, have we?
And then fourthly, he said this.
To truly repent is not only to repent of what we are,
what we've done, what we haven't done,
but to repent of our religious exercises,
which is so full of self-righteousness.
Oh, my, my, my.
You know what I'm talking about?
Isaiah did.
He said, even our righteousness is a filthy rags.
There's so much self.
So much.
Don't you wish you could do what you do totally for the glory of God.
Self is not in there anywhere.
Nowhere.
Just do it for the glory of God.
Not do it to be seen of men, not do it to be bragged on,
not do it for any reason but to glorify God.
That's what I'm talking about.
I've never done that.
Not totally.
Not totally.
I'd like to be able to.
Someday I will.
Someday I will when I'm like him.
Now let's look at verse 22 quickly and listen to this.
And now behold, he said,
I go bound in the Spirit to Jerusalem,
not knowing the things that shall befall me there.
Say that the Holy Ghost witnesses in every city
saying that bonds, that is chains and afflictions await me,
but none of these things move me,
neither count I my life dear unto myself,
so that I might finish my course with joy
and the ministry which I've received of the Lord Jesus
to testify of the gospel of the grace of God.
What's he saying here?
Just paraphrasing.
I go to more trouble.
I've had trouble.
I go to more trouble.
Because this world is not a friend of grace.
This world is hostile.
Hostile to the grace of God.
And the Spirit of God revealed to him
that he could expect more trials.
In fact, martyrdom.
But he said these things don't move me.
I do not count my life dear to myself.
I do not count my life or anyone else's life above Christ.
I desire to finish what I began.
My ministry and my stewardship.
Isn't that what he said?
Look at verse 24 again.
None of these things move me,
neither count I my life dear unto myself,
so that I might finish my course,
my ministry,
which I have received of the Lord.
I have a, you have too, I have a ministry.
God brought me to Ashland, Kentucky.
Darts and I had been married January, February, March.
Three months.
Fifty years ago, we came to Ashland.
God gave me a ministry here.
And one day I'll finish it, my ministry.
That's what Paul, God gave him a ministry.
And he said, I don't count my life dear unto myself.
Whatever lies ahead,
I'm determined to finish my ministry,
which he gave me.
And I really believe, I just,
I watch men bounce from this place
to that place to the other place
and I just wonder,
did God give them that ministry
and why aren't they still there?
Why aren't they still there?
Finishing that ministry.
Remaining faithful to that ministry.
Paul did.
Paul did.
No matter what impressed him to quit,
Paul did.
Paul did.
No matter what impressed him to quit,
he never quit.
He never threw in the towel.
He was determined to finish his course.
And I'll tell you,
over in 1 Corinthians 3,
if you'll turn over there just a moment,
you, this, this thing ministers,
preachers, elders,
deacons, church members,
people in the ministry,
all of us in the ministry,
God's ministry,
we're serving Him by serving others,
by serving where He put us.
We're going to give an account.
Our ministry is going to be tested.
Now 1 Corinthians chapter 3
is written to preachers.
And Paul said in verse 11,
For other foundation can no man lay
than that is laid,
which is Jesus Christ.
That's the foundation, Christ.
He's the chief cornerstone.
Now if any man build on this foundation,
gold, silver, and precious stone,
what are those things?
They're all latched in.
They all stand the tent.
Gold, silver, precious stone.
These are all permanent works.
Lasting works.
Gold, silver, precious stone.
But there's another
type people build on this foundation.
They build on that foundation on Christ,
wood, hay, and stubble.
What's significant about that?
It's temporary.
Wood, hay, and stubble.
It won't stand the test.
It won't stand time, fire, or the test.
It's going to perish.
Gold, silver, and precious stone
are going to remain.
The wood, hay, and stubble are going to perish.
God has ministers.
Christ is the foundation.
Paul, the apostles,
Paul and the apostles laid that foundation.
Now we follow them.
We ministers follow these apostles,
prophets of God,
and we build on that foundation.
I don't lay the foundation.
Christ is the foundation.
That's laid.
That gospel's recorded.
Here it is.
It's recorded.
It's written.
All I'm doing is ministering.
I'm an under shepherd of the shepherd.
I'm building on that foundation,
and there's some fruits of this ministry,
your ministry, this ministry,
here in this congregation,
and it's either wood, hay, and stubble,
or it's gold, silver, and precious stone.
How are we going to know the difference?
Read the next verse.
Every man's work shall be made manifest.
It's going to be revealed.
It's going to be tried.
The day's going to declare it.
What day is that?
That's the day of the Lord.
Remember in Matthew 7,
those people said, Lord,
we preached in your name, did many wonderful works,
cast out demons.
We just ran all over the country
doing all these things, you know, hoped to do,
and he said, I never knew you.
You workers of iniquity.
Well, the day's going to declare it,
the day of judgment,
but there's another test.
Listen.
It'd be because it shall be revealed by fire.
What's the fire, trials?
Peter said, Brad,
count it not strange,
fiery trials that come upon you.
Trials.
Trials in the church,
trials in the home,
trials in personal life,
trials, trials, trials.
They're fiery trials.
They're hard trials.
They're burning trials,
and they take folks with them.
Those fiery trials.
They can't stand the...
I said one time, if you can't stand the heat,
get out of the kitchen,
and that's what people do.
They get out of the kitchen,
but not the gold, silver, and precious stone.
It loves the fire.
It gets better.
The fire burns up the wood, hay, and stuff off.
The fire makes the gold a little more precious.
That's right.
Burns off the dross and leaves pure gold.
So this ministry is going to be tried.
It will be tried in the day of judgment.
It will be tried every day by trials, fire.
Then I'll tell you another thing that tries it,
and that is verse 14.
He said, and the fire shall try every man's work.
Verse 14, if any man's work abides,
which he hath built on that foundation,
you receive a reward.
That reward is a reward.
It is the joy of the Lord.
You are my reward.
That's what Paul said.
He's my reward.
But time and the word.
The day of judgment will try our ministry.
Trials, fiery trials will try our ministry.
Time will try our ministry.
That's right.
Time continuing in the fire.
And the word will try our ministry.
Be tested.
If any man's work shall be burned,
he'll suffer loss,
but he himself shall be saved,
so as by fire.
You mean they're ministers
whose entire ministry will
almost grow up in flames before them?
That's right.
That's right.
Paul said I keep my body
and bring it into the fire.
I keep this subjection
lest while preaching to others
I become a castaway.
I want to finish this ministry.
That's what he said here.
I want to be faithful.
God gave it to me.
I've received of the Lord Jesus
to testify of the grace of God.
And when it's over,
it'll be over.
And you'll be able,
all of you will be able to say,
in hand I finished my course.
I finished it.
I didn't quit.
I finished it.
I kept the faith
that laid up for me
a crown of righteousness
which the Lord will give me
in that day and those who love his appearance.
Don't quit.
I'd say to any true preacher
of the gospel,
any true missionary,
any true servant of God,
Walter Grubler is a good illustration of that.
Thirty years.
Mexico is not an easy place to live.
It's a tough place.
Tough place.
But that dear man
and dear woman
amid all the trials and conflicts
and heartache and loneliness
and heat and sickness
and amoeba and all that he's
he's there.
And God's blessed him.
And the work's been tried by
Bill Clark.
I keep naming these men.
Go back through history.
God put them somewhere in this state.
Somebody said my work's finished.
Not unless his is.
My work be good to be finished.
The quicker the better.
But his work.
I'm not doing my work.
And I'm not through to history.
And you and I pray that
he'll never be through here
for a long time.
That's right.
That's what I'm praying for
being through these young people
right here.
I hope he doesn't close the door.
Let me finish and one of these
men pick it up.
This is what Paul says here now.
Let me go on here.
I'll let you go in a minute.
And now behold I know that
you all among whom I've gone
preaching the kingdom of God
shall see my face no more.
Wherefore I take you to record
this day that I'm pure from
the blood of all men.
I preach the gospel.
I've not shunned to declare unto
you all the counsel of God.
Now then he gives them a warning.
Listen to this.
Take heed to yourselves.
Examine yourselves.
Don't ever quit taking inventory.
Don't let us think because
we've been up here all these
years that we ought to quit
examining ourselves.
Examine yourself.
Take heed to yourself
and take heed to the flock.
Take heed to this congregation
that loves you and you love them
over which God the Holy Ghost
has made you an overseer.
You're responsible.
You men are responsible.
We're responsible to do what?
To feed the church of God
that he purchased with his own blood.
I'm responsible.
To get up here unprepared
to preach and teach is inexcusable.
I'm responsible.
It's like a mother neglecting
to feed her children.
That's irresponsibility.
That's not being responsible.
Feed the church of God.
Feed them what? The Word.
Teach them.
I know this that after I'm gone
grievous wolves will enter in
despairing the flock.
There's always somebody waiting
led by Satan to creep in
and pounce upon God's flock.
Therefore, he says,
and of your own selves,
men will rise up
speaking things that aren't true
to draw attention to themselves
and disciples after themselves.
Therefore, watch.
Watch.
Be alert.
Stay in the Word.
Stay in the Word.
Stay in the prayer closet.
Watch.
And remember by the space
of three years I cease not to warn
every one night and day with tears
and our brethren.
Listen, I love this.
I commend you
to two things.
I commend you to God
and to his Word,
the Word of his grace
which is able to build you up.
God and the Word of his grace
and to give you an inheritance
that is sanctified.
Now listen, I've coveted no man's
silver, gold, or apparel.
God's true preachers
are not covetous.
They are not covetous.
They don't covet
other men's possessions.
Don't you follow a man
that does.
Don't you do it.
And you yourselves know,
verse 34, Paul says,
that these hands have ministered
under my necessities
and to keep from bringing reproach
on the gospel and to keep people
from saying, well, he's in it
for the money. He said,
I don't take anything. I work.
I'll build tents.
He did that.
I've showed you all things
how it's so laboring
you ought to support the weak
and to remember the words
of our Lord Jesus,
how he said,
it's more blessed to give
than to receive.
You're that way.
God's given you that grace.
You're so gracious
and so generous.
God's blessed you.
Stay that way.
Continue in the faith.
God's given us a ministry.
God's given us a stewardship.
Let's be faithful stewards.
All right.
I hope that's a blessing.
I hope it's a blessing to you.
Let's sing a closing hymn
for Brother Mike.
I don't know what number it is.
509, the Sands of Time,
number 509.
Brother Tom Hardy
will be preaching here
Wednesday night
like he's coming here
Wednesday night at 7.30.
Let's stand while we sing.