To see Jesus become greater in your life (Acts 20)

Cornerstone Mission Church, November 16, 2008

The account of John the Baptist, who saw Jesus Christ, realized for who Jesus Christ really was, and was determined to see Jesus become great. He said it like this, “The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and if full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:29-30. And, he further said in verse 31-36, “The one who come from above is above all… The one who comes from heaven is above all... For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” John’s theology of believing in the Son from above whom God has placed everything in his hands wasn’t a theoretical religious concept only on paper. Believing in Jesus had massive impact on his self understanding. In the paraphrase by Eugene Peterson in Message, John was most happy to see Jesus moving into the center moment while he slipped off to the sidelines.

“Jesus must become greater, I must become less.” Jesus must take the place of honor in my life, must become prominent, while I take the backseat and remain in his shadow. He must be the voice my reason, passion, purpose. His life must be infused in me and take over every fiber of my being so that I cannot make sense of who I am, what I envision, hope, dream, and what I do everyday apart from Jesus Christ. I can only make sense of my life only in Jesus’ life. I am glad Jesus takes the center stage of my life. This is what John meant by believing in Jesus. Believing that leads you to eternal life is the sheer conviction that Jesus must become greater, while you and I must become less.

Now, this isn’t exactly the way the people of today like to talk about themselves, is it? We live in times when self discovery, self expression, self promotion, self indulgence is everything. It is the age of Narcissism. You will readily hear, “Discover yourself. Discover your inner strength. Be yourself. Be all that you can be. Be uniquely you. Love yourself.” But, you don’t often hear people talking like John the Baptist did, in sheer determination that someone else must become greater while they themselves become less. To feel passionate about some else taking prominence in your life, literally taking over your life, while you feel indifferent about your self importance doesn’t quite fit the mantra of “Love yourself.”

Can it be ‘loving yourself’ if you can only see your own true worth through the worth of someone else, your success only through success of some else, your happiness only in someone else’s happiness? Or does this sound like crazy irrational and dangerous obsession by someone who suffers low self esteem?

Jesus must become greater; I must become less. Is this the way you and I talk? Certainly, this was the way Paul talked about his life in Acts 20 in different words. He said in Acts 20:24, “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.” Again just like it was for John, when Paul talked considering his life worth nothing to him, he wasn’t being philosophical, theoretical, hypothetical, or poetical. This is the man who kept on doing the things that got him into trouble and got him beat up and imprisoned. Yes, there were times when God protected him like when he was in Ephesus. For God said to him in Acts 18:9-10 to keep on speaking and not be silent for he was going to be with him and no one was going to attack and harm him. But this was not the norm. Acts 20:23 reflects more of the norm for Paul, “I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.”

To speak of his life as worth nothing to him, he meant he would gladly lay down his life because there was the cause that was greater than him, the cause that defined him, the cause that motivated and moved him, the cause that was so great in worth and value that he would willingly risk his life. And, that cause was the person of Jesus Christ and his message of God’s grace. Paul couldn’t envision building his life apart from building on the Cornerstone. Paul was all wrapped up in the life of Jesus. This is what we want to see happening in us.

Context

In chapter 19, Jesus Christ Paul proclaimed in Ephesus caused uproar that could have ended in mob-violence, but by God’s provision it didn’t which allowed him to stay for couple years. Acts 20:1-6 describes Paul’s itinerary for the part of his third missionary journey. By piecing together from Paul’s letters to Corinthians, after leaving Ephesus, he went to Troas and then to Macedonia (2 Cor. 2:12-13). And, here in Macedonia, possibly at Philippi, he wrote his 2 Corinthians. His stayed in Macedonia area scholars say that may have lasted couple years. It was about this time that he began taking collection of money to give as a gift for the poor in the church in Jerusalem.

From Macedonia, he went to Greece probably Corinth spending the winter three months. He was ready to sail to Syria and eventually get to Jerusalem and bring the collection of money to the Jerusalem church. But, it came to his attention that Jews made a plot against him. So, instead of sailing which would have been an easy trap for the Jews who wanted to harm him, he went back to Macedonia, to Philippi and from there sailed to Troas.

And, if you ever wonder why Christians meet on Sunday for worship, you see one of the clues to this in Acts 20:7, “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.” Since he was leaving next day, he wanted to talk to them as much he could. So, he kept on talking until midnight. Well, probably the upstairs room was crowded and with the lamps burning, air was stuffy and stifling, and the flickering flames created a hypnotic effect. Not surprised to see Eutychus sinking into a deeper sleep as Paul talked on and on. The poor fellow fell down three stories to his death. Paul miraculously revived this young man to life just as Peter raised dead Tabitha to life in Acts 9. Verse 11, Paul went back upstairs and ate midnight snake with others and went to talking until daylight.

After this short stay in Troas, Paul traveled to Assos Mitylene, Kios, Samos and finally Miletus. He skipped visiting Ephesus, a place where he stayed several years before. Verse 16 explains why. He was basically in hurry to get to Jerusalem by the day of Pentecost.

But, he couldn’t simply bypass by the church of Ephesus and not encouraged them as he did with others in areas he had already visited. So, we see Paul sending for the elders of the church. For Paul encouraging others was huge part of who he was; one of the motivations behind Paul visiting the Christians in these areas was to encourage them, encouraging in a sense of exhorting them, urging them to let Jesus take the center stage of prominence, that they must see Jesus increase while they become less.

The strategy to see Jesus become greater in your life.

As I pointed out Luke records how Paul was all about encouraging others. We see him encouraging others in v. 1 and v. 2 and now from v. 18 to 38, we see him encouraging the elders, the leaders of the church of Ephesus.  Here are the ways Paul himself experienced Jesus becoming greater in his life, encouraged others to follow, and we can imitate for ourselves. 

• Experience the gospel of God’s grace

Paul says in verse 32, “Now I commit you to “God and to the word of his grace.” Paul said he didn’t think he could come back and visit them again since he was not sure if he would live or die in Jerusalem. So, in the prospect of him not being able to come back to encourage them, what would sustain them? Simply, it is God who would sustain them. And, commitment to God cannot be understood apart from commitment to the gospel, the word of his grace. Paul says that this commitment to God, to the goodness of his word of grace is what will enable you to be built up. One of the two prongs of our church mission is to build our lives on Jesus Christ. Building up only happens when you and I take the commitment to the word of God seriously.

Paul also says that only by committing to God and to his word, you will be able to embrace your true identity. It gives you and inheritance among all those who are sanctified” in verse 32. It is the inheritance of being children of the living God, the ruler of the universe, the King. Seeing Jesus becoming greater in your life while you become less is about your true identity only in Christ. Who you are doesn’t make sense to you unless God explains to you who you are in Christ. Your purpose in life doesn’t make sense unless it the purpose God gives you in Christ. And, this knowing your true identity happens when you commit to God’s word, through which God can get it through you who you really are in Christ and shape you to live for his will.

• Be bound by the Spirit

v. 22, “Compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem.” This is how Paul described the force of the Holy Spirit working in him. It is the force of binding that he couldn’t ignore although he knew by the Spirit that only imprisonment and hardships awaited him if he were to go to Jerusalem. To see Jesus become greater in our lives means we experience the binding of the Holy Spirit. And, to be bound by the Spirit, it requires spiritual reorientation each day. Each day, you must remind yourself through the word of God, who you are, and what you are destined to become, a person who makes much of God and makes little of yourself. When you orient yourself to the word of God, the Holy Spirit convicts your heart, compels you to God’s will.

• “Be on your guard” (v. 31)

... said Paul to the elders of the church of Ephesus. There are two aspects of being on your guard. Watching over yourself and watching over others. Both require understanding that the road to the promised land is not easy. Itt requires determination to finish the race, complete the task with vigilance. How do you let down your guard? When do you stop watching over yourself and over others? Isn’t that when you stop counting on God to come through for you and for others? Isn’t that when you stop relying on God for his help, his protection, his guide? Isn’t that when you stop praying? There is no such thing as being on guard for yourself and for others without coming to God, the only one who can guard you.

• Pray intimately (v. 36)

We see Paul and the elders on their knees embracing each other with affection. If you want to see Jesus become greater in your life. You need to experience this kind of intimate prayer with other brothers and sisters. So, if you have not come to pray on Wednesday when we pray corporately. Come and experience praying intensely.

• Live transparently

We see this in Paul’s life. He said in v. 18, “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you.” For few years, Paul rubbed shoulders with the people he ministered to. He let his life speak for itself. When you don’t aim for transparency, you cannot see Jesus becoming greater in your life. This is because Jesus is the Light. The Light shines and darkness must be dispelled. When you embrace secrecy, hiding, darkness, you reject the Light, you reject Jesus. So, it is important to foster transparent, authentic, what you see is who you really are kind of life.

• Serve the Lord (v. 19)

With humility, with tears (“never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” V. 31), and with faithfulness Paul served the Lord.  To see Jesus becoming greater in your life, you must choose who you are going to serve.  To serve yourself is to see yourself become greater.  To serve Jesus and his cause is to see Jesus become greater in your life.  You cannot serve both yourself and Jesus. 

• Proclaim the gospel of God’s grace

Paul was a man who was completely gripped by the gospel of God's grace in Jesus Christ and only thing that made sense to him was to see more people become gripped by God's grace in Jesus as he was.  He wanted to see Jesus become greater in other's lives as it was for him.  For Paul, this was the worthy cause to devote his whole life to it even it meant risking his own life in doing so.  To see Jesus become greater in his life meant ensuring Jesus' message gets out.  We see his commitment to the gospel of God's grace that transformed his entire life. 

Verse 20, “not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you"; verse 21, “turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus"; verse 24, “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"; verse 27, “I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God." 

• Give generously (v. 35)

For Paul, the goal of his hard work was not to increase wealth, but to help others.  Jesus didn't withhold, but gave himself completely, generously, and sacrificially.  To see Jesus become greater in your life, as Paul did, requires you to give generously of yourselves as Jesus did.