I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.For I know that after my departure, vicious wolves will enter in among you, not sparing the flock.For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.I know that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock;
6 sermons cite this verse
… For I know this, Paul is speaking, that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. False leaders. Also from among yourselves, men will rise up, speaking, there's the word, perverse things. Why? To draw away the disciples after themselves. Create their own little churches. Factions, splits, divisions that are unbiblical. There are some that are biblical. If I start teaching false doctrine and leading you astray, you should run. but when somebody says, well, I think he should wear, last week he had the robe. I like the robe better than this. He should wear the robe. You weren't even here last week. There was nobody here last week. Last week was the 4th of July, and nobody came to church. So anyway, I wore a robe. You should have been here. I wore to make a point that I'm not going to tell you about, because you should have been here. But I don't like you in the jacket. You should wear the robe. …
… Paul had warned them that this would come. Look at Acts 20, verses 29 and 31. He says, I know this, that after my departure, this is when the apostle Paul is on his way to Jerusalem. He knows he's gonna be arrested, and he stops, and he asks all the Ephesian elders to come meet him. So this is what he says. He says, after my departure, that savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also, from among yourselves, men will rise up, notice, speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31 is marching orders. Therefore, watch and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. Paul says, hey, when I was among you for three years, I told you every single day that people are going to follow after me, they're going to come and spread destructive heresies. They're going to draw people away after themselves. They're going to move them towards themselves rather than towards Christ. And so Paul says, watch, be careful. …
… And Paul knew that would be the case when he was leaving Ephesus and he met with the elders at the town of Miletus. He said, I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. He just knew that's the tendency. Spiritual entropy. You know, we start just losing that fire that we once had. So. on that day, go back to verse 1, they read from the book of Moses, they're reading the Bible again, in the hearing of the people, and in it is found no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the congregation of God, because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, I love this part, our God turned the curse into a blessing. Remember that. When people curse you, and they will, who cares? They called a curse down on me. So? the point here is God takes and he'll reverse the curse. …
… saying to the Ephesian elders, you have the responsibility of that stewardship now that I've passed the truth on to you. And I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. And from among your own selves, men will arise speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I didn't cease to admonish each one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I did everything I could. I held back nothing. I gave you the word. You now have the word, and you're responsible to pass it on to those in your charge. So Paul's humility is first expressed in the fact that he was content to be a servant, a third-level galley slave, if you will. There's a second feature in his expression of humility, and it's in verses 3 to 5. He was content to be judged by God. …
… He says, Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock, which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, be shepherds of the church of God. God's church, which he bought with his own blood. Holy Spirit, God, Jesus, all in the same verse. The whole Trinity is involved. The power of God. The unconditional love of God. He says, verse 32, Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace. One translation of grace could be unconditional love. That's God's love for you. He loves you unconditionally, wholeheartedly, continually. This is not our church. This is God's church. and it's been a succession from John Collins, John Collins, Prebenry John Collins, retired as vicar here in 1985. And 37 years later, he's still going strong. So there's hope for all of us. 37 years. He's 97 and very godly. And he handed over to Sandy Miller, who is still going strong. He's 82. It's good to be a vicar of HTB. They live a long time. One lived to 104, I think. …
…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…