Mission & Faith
Sermon Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Faith, Hope & Love
Acts 20:17-38 (ESV)
17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. 18 And when they came to him, he said to them:
“You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; 20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, 21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. 24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. 25 And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. 26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, 27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. 28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, 38 being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.
Sermon Outline
Mission, motivated by the conviction that it is more blessed to give than to receive (v35), is a key component of a faith that is:
1. Grand
v32 “I commend you to God and the word of his grace”
v24 “I do not account my life of any value… the ministry… to testify to the gospel of the grace of God”
2. Courageous
v20 “I did not shrink back”
vv22-23 “not knowing what will happen to me there, except…. imprisonment and afflictions await me”
3. Authentic
v18 “you yourselves know how I lived among you…”
v33-35 “In all things I have shown you…”
4. Personal
v37 “there was much weeping… sorrowful most of all… that they would not see his face again”
v28 “which he obtained with his own blood”
Questions for Reflection
What are some ways you are naturally generous? What kinds of things do you willingly and gladly share? What kinds of things do you keep to yourself? Why?
In what ways is it more blessed to give than to receive? What does this mean? How does this work?
Is it selfish for generosity to be motivated by a personal desire for more joy and satisfaction? What other motivations are there?
Do you have a desire to tell other people about the gospel? To the degree that you do, why? What motivates you? What keeps you from wanting to tell others?
Do you share whatever God has given to you (talents, time, money, resources)? How do you share? With whom? What could make you more generous?
How does fear work against mission? What fears hinder your reaching out to others as a Christian?
What are effective ways you can share the gospel with others?
What are effective ways you can help people in need?
How can you avoid burnout in serving others? What causes it? How is the word of God’s grace able to sustain a missional life?
Prayer of Confession
Our generous God, you give us far more than we deserve. While you have provided us with something great to share, we confess we have not been faithful in our sharing. We are constrained by our own fears, we grapple with our own hypocrisy, our effectiveness has suffered because we have kept ourselves distant from others. Concerned too much with ourselves, we have not grasped how grand the gospel is. Forgive our ingratitude, our covetousness, our lack of love, our weak faith. Help us to see your grace and generosity with such clarity that we are transformed into people of grace and generosity. Lead us, your servants and ambassadors. Amen.