The title for me this morning is Keeping Back Nothing. It's lifting a phrase right out of the text, and it's Paul in a nutshell. Paul in his care for the people of God kept back nothing. And in doing that, he laid down a pattern for the shepherds of God's people. So we have a claim to this.

The word to us today is that we keep back nothing in the care of God's people. So please turn to Acts 20. The last thing that you need from a man like me is pastoral tips. It wouldn't be that helpful and you would be free to take it or leave it. What I bring you and what I need and want for myself is apostolic pattern and apostolic commandment.

That is indisputably and abundantly helpful and unquestionably binding. So I thank God for the Bible and for straightforward, plain dealing with texts of Scripture. That's really what I hope to do during our time. Paul in our text calls for the Ephesian elders. Paul has a deep background in the Ephesian church.

He appears briefly in chapter 18 and verses 19 through 21. He's reasoning with the Jews in the synagogue. They ask him to stay longer but he won't consent because he's determined to be in Jerusalem by the feast. But in 19 verse 1, Paul is back in Ephesus. He speaks boldly in the synagogue for three months.

Some there speak evil of the way. And so when they speak evil of the way, He actually withdraws the disciples from the synagogue and he reasons daily in the school of Tyrannus for two years. He reasons daily in the school of Tyrannus for two years. Talk about seminary. Sign me up for that seminary.

He works many miracles confirming his apostolic preaching as being as from God. And finally there's a riot in Ephesus because the preaching of Christ is hurting the idol making business. Praise the Lord. In chapter 20 verse 1 he departs to Macedonia. In our text, chapter 20 verse 31, Paul says that he was with them for three years.

Here's the point. Paul summons elders from Ephesus that know him well and that he knows well through many circumstances over a long time, assuming you're willing to grant that three years is a long time. So the men that Paul is summoning, he knows them well and they know him well. They've been through many circumstances together over a long period of time. So with Bibles in hands please stand follow along as I read Acts chapter 20 verses 17 through 31.

From Miletus, he, Paul, sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them, you know from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials, which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews, how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And see, now I go bound in the Spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, Except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me, nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy in the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And indeed now I know that you all among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God will see my face no more.

Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men for I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also, from among yourselves, men will rise up speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore, watch and remember that for three years, I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.

God, I thank you for this text that is full of apostolic pattern for the leaders of God's people and full of apostolic commandment for us. I pray that you would press these truths on our heart, convince us of them, and send us out ready to labor in your fields. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Fifteen verses is a lot.

I hope to simply do three things knowing that I'm going to leave a lot of things unsaid and I'll content myself with that. I hope to do these three things. Number one, consider Paul's manner of life. Number two, consider Paul's ministry of the word. Number three, consider Paul's specific admonitions in verse 28.

Really the text is a crescendo into 28 where he says, Shepherd the church of God which he purchased with his own blood. That is the punchline. Okay, let's consider Paul's manner of life. Look at verse 18. These are the first words that he speaks.

You know from the first day that I came to Asia in what manner I also lived among you." Paul begins by pointing at his manner of life and he's getting at them that He wants them to follow. This is a 1 Corinthians 11, one moment. So right, what he wrote to the Corinthian church, 1 Corinthians 11, one, imitate me just as I also imitate Christ. I have my eyes on Christ. I'm following Christ.

I'm laying down a pattern of good conduct for you to follow Paul laid down an example of growing Christ like lists worthy of imitation He could point to his life to these men who knew him well. It's one thing to say this to people who don't know you. It's another thing to say it to men who have lived with you night and day for three years. You have to swallow hard before you say follow me as I follow Christ, the men who know you that well." Paul could look these men in the eye and say, live like this. I want to give you from the text marks of Christ's likeness in Paul's life.

We could go back, I don't have the time, but you could go back and look at each one of these marks of Christ's likeness and prove with ease that Jesus is actually the ultimate expression of all of these things. All of these things that you see in the life of Paul, you see first and better in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. These are marks of Christ's likeness in Paul's life that we should imitate. I'm going to give you five of them. Look at verse 17, the first verse of our text range from Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church.

So the first mark of Christ's likeness in Paul's life that we should imitate is not about something Paul says, but about something that Paul does. Number one, Paul prioritizes the development of local church leaders. He's not going to Ephesus. He's going somewhere else. He lands at a spot that's close enough to Ephesus to summon these men to get time with them knowing that this is his last opportunity and he will not miss it.

He will seize it. Paul prioritizes the development of local church elders. Throughout the text, from the start of the text to the end of the text, we see that Paul's heart beats for the Lord's blood-bought people. He wants them served well, protected well, lavishly cared for. Who does that?

Elders do that. It's our work to serve the Lord's people, to protect the Lord's people, to lavishly care for the Lord's people. What a kingdom that the ones who are greatest, raised to the highest attainments of life and doctrine are not to be served but are to serve. They exist for the people, the people don't exist for them. What a kingdom This is.

Paul calls for them so that they will serve well the people of God. They will protect well the people of God. They will lavish care on the people of God. This past Monday I attended the Tri-State Particular Baptist fellowship. I don't even know what three states is supposed to be, but I'm in one of them apparently, and I went to it and it is mostly white-haired brothers.

White-haired brothers. White white-haired brothers. Whiter than White, white-haired brothers, whiter than Scott's hair. Brothers, this is us tomorrow. This is us tomorrow.

Our life is a vapor. Our time serving the Lord's people is like the flower of a field. It's here today and it is gone tomorrow. So there's an application here for us. We may not be apostles, we are not apostles, summoning elders from afar to come and hear our wisdom, but we are charged with building healthy churches that serve and protect and provide lavish care for the Lord's people, and so it is not sufficient for us to simply run from fire to fire, we have to have an eye to the future.

If you've been in the ministry at all, you know what I'm talking about. Running from fire to fire can consume from early in the morning to late at night if you let it and deprive you of something that we have to have our eye on the future. You can be the best pastor in the world. Great, congratulations, what's next? Tomorrow you'll be the white haired man at the pastors meeting.

Who is in the pipeline? What am I doing to develop them am I prioritizing the development of elders for the Lord's people look at verse 18 And when they had come to him, he said to them, you know from the first day that I came to Asia in what manner I always lived among you. First day to present time. All of it. This is number two.

There was one Paul. There was one Paul. First day Paul, now three years later day Paul. One Paul, not good day Paul, bad day Paul. Good circumstance Paul, bad circumstance Paul.

Good mood Paul, bad mood Paul. There was one Paul. Look at verse 19, the very next verse, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews. This was the one Paul from the first day till he's face to face with them three years later even in extreme difficulties this characterized Paul he served the Lord with all humility. He was not self focused.

That's the only way you can be, it's the only way I can be one Jason, is to not be self-focused. If I'm self-focused, then every circumstance is going to put me, is going to make me a different man. The only way to be one Paul, one Jason, one Michael, one Scott is to be focused on Christ serving the Lord with all humility, not full of self, full of a desire to be useful to his master. There was one Paul. According to Paul who could say this to men who knew him well who were in his life and knew the truth about Paul.

Look at verse 20. How I kept back nothing that was helpful but proclaimed it to you and taught you publicly and from house to house. This is number three. Paul was an in season and out of season preacher. I'm pulling language from 2 Timothy 4 verse 2 where Paul writes to Timothy, Preach the word in season and out of season.

Paul's preoccupation for years at a time was the proclamation of truth. Paul was preoccupied with the proclamation of God's truth. Preaching is a vital part of pastoring. It's not a separate category. It's a subset.

A key vital part of good pastoring is good preaching. It's the food for the sheep. Verse 24, he's describing coming persecution. I don't know what's going to happen. All I know is I go from city to city and in every city the Holy Spirit is telling me, chains and persecutions await me.

I know that much. Then he says this in verse 24, but none of these things move me, Nor do I count my life dear to myself so that I may finish my race with joy and The ministry which I received from the Lord to testify to the gospel of the grace of God This is number four Paul was an immovable runner He's going from city to city The Holy Spirit's telling him the same place. Chains of persecution await you. He's unmoved. He's a runner running a race that will not be bumped off course even by an ominous sense of what is coming.

This is number four. Paul was an immovable runner. I imagine in my mind a runner running a straight line to the finish. He will not be moved off course. Always forward motion.

You find in your life many times, three steps forward, two steps back. Paul was a forward motion man. I'm not saying that he didn't have setbacks in his life but I picture a runner that will not be moved off course. Not even his life is dear to himself. Not even self-preservation will move this man off of his course.

His course. Verses 29 through 31. For I know this, that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also, from among yourselves, men will rise up, speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch and Remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.

This is number five. Paul was a tireless watchman and shepherd. Tireless! Three years night and day with tears. Not emotionally detached, he was weeping over what he knew the future held for these elders in this church.

Night and day, He was a tireless watchman and shepherd. He was a combination of Ezekiel 33. In Ezekiel 33 God says through the prophet, I've raised you up to be a watchman if you blow the trumpet To warn the people you'll deliver your hands from their blood. Paul is actually in verse 26 pulling that language from Ezekiel 33. Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men, for I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.

I saw the danger coming and I blew the trumpet for your souls." I'm innocent. There's no blood on my hands. So Paul is a combination of Ezekiel 33 and the watchman who blows the trumpet when he sees the danger coming and Ezekiel 34 the good portion of that chapter that speaks of God as shepherd protecting his people. He is watchman, he is Shepherd who's on the lookout for predators and will risk his life to ward off predators. That's a quick sketch of Paul's manner of life among those he evangelized and disciples.

How did Paul live, how did Paul spend, invest his three years in Ephesus, at least with establishing a pattern of life characterized by those five elements of Christ-likeness? We should imitate that. I'm not taking the time to say here's the element, here's some applications because I think they're obvious and I'm really trying to get to the next part. Okay, let's consider Paul's ministry of the word. Having considered Paul's manner of life, let's consider Paul's ministry of the word.

I'll give you four things that we find here. Verse 20, I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you. So I don't want to reshape that at all. That's just number one. Paul kept back nothing that was helpful but proclaimed it.

He didn't hold it back. He discharged it. Paul was not simply a great repository of truth. When you read his letters, he was a great repository of truth, but it was not simply that. He dispensed it at every opportunity.

How do we know? Because he says that he was dispensing it at every opportunity. But what if it wasn't politically correct? Paul kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it. What if it wasn't what his listeners wanted to hear?

Paul kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it. What if it brought Paul into contempt? Paul kept back nothing that was helpful but proclaimed it. What if it was culturally unacceptable and it was culturally unacceptable? See the riot.

Paul kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it. What if it was a hard saying? Remember John 6, the crowds are swelling for Jesus, swelling, swelling, swelling. John 6, hard sayings, and he's back down to just the disciples and he's wondering if they want to stay. Peter says, where would we go?

You have the words of life. What if it was hard sayings? What if it was gonna make the crowds dissipate to nothing? Paul kept back nothing that was helpful but proclaimed it. If it was helpful, by God's definition, not by man's, then Paul declared it.

Again in verse 20, and taught you publicly and from house to house. That's number two. Paul's ministry of the word greatly transcended the pulpit. Paul had a ministry of the word for three years in Ephesus. It greatly transcended the pulpit.

It included the pulpit. I bet Paul was great in the pulpit. You know Paul was great in the pulpit. It transcended the pulpit. It went way beyond the pulpit.

It went to your house. And your brother's house. And his brother's house. Acts chapter 4, Acts chapter 6 verse 4, Acts chapter 6 verse 4, the apostles are finding themselves pulled in many directions, pulled away from their core responsibilities. They appoint deacons and they say, but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

We will give ourselves continually to prayer to the ministry of the word. What if local churches had men who gave themselves continually to prayer in the ministry of the word? What would our churches look like then? I hope we will know. Yes, Paul had a public teaching ministry.

Praise God for Paul's public teaching ministry, but he was not nearly done when he came out of the pulpit. Paul was just getting started With the proclamation of helpful things from God's word when he came down out of the pulpit, he was just getting started. Paul went house to house and brought the truth of God to bear on every matter in life, even in your house. This is a pattern for us. We can lay claim, we should lay claim to that, or better yet, maybe that lays claim to us.

I taught you publicly and from house to house. Verse 21, testifying to Jews and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Testifying to Jews, also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. This is number three. Boiled down, Paul had a single sermon.

Not that Paul was a one sermon preacher. I'm not saying that. It might sound like I'm saying that. I'm saying if you boil it down, If you boil down the peripheral things to the essential non-negotiable things, Paul had a single sermon. Repentance, the forsaking of unworthy things, repentance from toward." Repentance from unworthy things towards a God of all worth and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

What did Paul preach to the Jews? Repentance and faith. What did Paul preach publicly? Repentance and faith. What did Paul preach from house to house to house to house to house?

Repentance and faith. Question. Was this an early church Billy Graham crusade? When the stadiums are full, you just keep riding that horse. You keep the crusade going until the crowds start to diminish.

Is that what's happening? They kept coming and so he just kept preaching Christ died for sinners. Was it just three years of evangelistic sermons? I believe the answer is this. The heart of all preaching is an urgent appeal to forsake wickedness and self and the world and the flesh to turn to God and to entrust ourselves again and again and again to the Lord Jesus.

The heart of all preaching is that. You should be a one sermon preacher too, like Paul, repentance and faith. We all know that is at the heart of evangelistic preaching, but I believe that is also at the heart of the most doctrinal preaching to the most advanced saint. Brothers, repentance and faith must be at the core of the most doctrinal sermon to the most advanced saint. You don't forsake repentance and faith to go preach doctrine to saints.

No, it's at the heart of the preaching. If we aren't standing in the pulpit to tell people to turn away from all the competing affections and to throw themselves upon Christ and throw themselves upon Christ and when they're done with that to throw themselves upon Christ, what are we in the pulpit for? We never graduate from our need for that. No Christian ever graduates from the need for that. It doesn't mean that all preaching is the same.

I know it's different. I'm sure Paul preached differently at different times. At the heart of it was repentance and faith. Verse 24, the end of verse 24, Paul says that his ministry was to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. I think that's just a continuation of a thought.

Paul, what's your ministry? Well I preach repentance and faith. It's been given to me to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. That's it. There's good news.

We are a needy people, but God is a God of grace, and if we turn and throw ourselves upon Christ, he will receive us. Does that just preach to unbelievers? I don't think so. I'm a believer. I need to hear that every day of the week.

I've been in the Lord for a long time. I know a lot of doctrine. You know what refreshes my soul? When a preacher gets after me to forsake worthless things, to turn to God who is worth everything, and to throw myself upon Christ. Again after 30 years?

Yes, more than ever! Repentance and faith is so much more than just evangelism to the unregenerate. We need it, we need it, we need it. If we still need it, how much more the people who sit and hear us preach. Become a one sermon man, repentance, forsake the unworthy things, self and the world and the flesh.

Turn to God, throw yourself upon Christ. Look at verse 27. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. This is number four. Paul preached deep and wide.

Paul's scope in his preaching was the whole counsel of God. You say, ah, but I'm already committed to sequential exposition. I work carefully through book of the Bible after book of the Bible, chapter 1, verse 1, and next section, and next section. Ah, yes, but what books are you picking? What books are you picking?

All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. This is why we preach the whole counsel of God. This is why Genesis and Revelation and everything in between needs to be touched on as often as we can get to these different places. We need the histories, amen. We need the poetry, amen.

We need the prophets, amen. We need the gospels, amen. We need the letters, amen. Well, at least if you want to be complete and thoroughly equipped. When we only preach Paul's letters, thank God for Paul's letters, But when we only preach Paul's letters, we are stunting our own growth as preachers and the growth of the people who are hearing us.

They need the histories and the poetry, the wisdom literature and the prophets and the gospels. Okay, let's consider Paul's specific admonitions to elders in verse 27. Verse 27. This is all a crescendo into Paul looking at these elders who know him well, who he knows well, to say this in verse 27. I have, oh, excuse me, it is verse 28, verse 28, scratch that, verse 28.

Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the church of God which he purchased with his own blood. Let me read it again. Therefore, because of all that I just said about my pattern of life and about my ministry of the Word, therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." There are two direct, specific admonitions here. Take heed, shepherd the church of God. First take heed to yourself and to all the flock.

Question, if Paul were to be a fly on the wall observing your personal patterns with even access to your thoughts, would he find that you have the vigilance over your life that he intended when he said, take heed to yourself? Paul had access to just observe all that you do and even the thoughts of your mind. He observed for a while, would he say that the vigilance over your life, the intensity of that vigilance over your life matched what he had in mind when he said take heed to yourself? Are you careful over your life? Are you examining your life?

Do you know the pathways that wind and end up at sin so that you give them a wide birth. Vigilance over your life. Holiness. Holiness. Take heed to yourself.

He actually starts there. Before he gets to care for the people of God he says you better watch your life, take heed to yourself, be vigilant over your life because it is the wellspring for your ministry. I forgot who quoted Baxter, many a sermon has had its throat cut by how the life is lived. Question, if Paul were to be a fly on the wall, observing your pastoral patterns, how you allocated your time, how frequently you were actually with the people. Would he find that you had the vigilance over the church that he intended when he said take heed to all the flock.

It's what he sees in your pastoral patterns, the vigilance that he wanted to press on us by saying take heed to all the flock. Second, he says, shepherd the church of God. A lot has already been said about shepherding. I was so thankful as it was being said because I knew I had more than I could say anyway. So insert all that here.

Everything that Anthony said the other night about 1 Peter chapter 5, insert here. Shepherd the church of God. At the foundation of this, though, is a blood-bought people who are dearly loved by a chief shepherd. This is what the whole thing is about. This is what Acts 20 is about.

There is a blood bought people. How precious are they? Precious enough to buy with blood. They are dearly loved by a chief shepherd who raises up men to maturity among his people, not that the people would serve him, protect him, lavishly care for him, but that these men would exist for new converts, people who are growing in the faith. They would give themselves as under shepherds to the chief shepherd to care for them to protect these people of God that he bought with his own blood.

They would receive the lavish care that he wants for them. Notice Paul and Peter are using the same language. Shepherding language, care, protection language. Paul and Peter are just in lockstep. When you overlay, we don't have time for this, but do it.

Overlay Acts 20 on 1 Peter 5 and you see guys that are singing off the same sheet of music. In conclusion, Paul kept back nothing. Paul kept back nothing. How does God want his precious blood bought people cared for? By men who keep back nothing.

In verse 20 when he says I kept back nothing that was helpful but declared it to you. He's talking about bringing the word of God to bear, but the text reveals, outside of that verse, the text reveals that this was actually true, not just of what he said, but of his whole life. Paul kept back nothing, not just in what he said, but in how he lived among these people for years at a time. In 2 Corinthians 12 verse 15 he says, I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls. Very gladly spend and be spent be poured out for your souls.

Why? Because God loves you, He purchased you with His blood, He wants you to be lavishly cared for. So I'll spend and be spent, I'll be poured out for your souls. 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 8. We were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives because you had become dear to us.

So here in Thessalonians, 1 Thessalonians 2, 8, it's not singular, I did this, it's we. Paul was part of a missionary team who brought the gospel but not just the gospel. They were pleased also to impart their own lives because they become dear to them. That's what God wants. That's the target for elders.

Spend and be spent. And be spent be poured out. Why not? You're free. You're clean.

Your eternal future is secure. Your eternal future is secure. What are we pacing ourselves for? Why? God wants his blood bought people to receive lavish service, lavish protection, lavish care.

I want to close with these four questions. I could develop them, but then it wouldn't be like punching you with them. I'm not going to develop them at all. I'm just going to leave you with the four questions. Know this, in developing I got punched first, if that makes you feel any better.

Number one, Is it possible that your manner of life is holding back the progress of the people you are serving? Number two, Is it possible that your ministry of the word is too tepid, too lukewarm, too dispassionate, too lecture-like, too academic, too restricted to the four walls of your church, not defined by a passionate call to repentance and faith, doesn't include the whole counsel of God which was given to make the man of God complete thoroughly equipped. Number three. Is it possible that You are just a preacher when you have been called to be a shepherd. There's a difference.

May shepherds be powerful preachers. Preaching is a subset of shepherding. The church needs shepherds. Who can preach like crazy? Number four Is it possible that the people you are serving are vulnerable and exposed to Personalities and or doctrines that are going to harm them.

Because you're passive. Paul warned them night and day with tears about personalities and doctrines that will harm the people of God. You're there to stop it. You exist to stop it. So do I.

God, thank you for the wisdom you've given to us. Thank you for apostolic pattern and apostolic command. Save us from pastoral tips when we have your word. We give you honor. We want to honor you by finding our practices and our preaching rooted so deeply in your word.

I pray this in Jesus' name. Help us, we pray in Jesus' name, amen.