Even from your own number, men will rise up and distort the truth to draw away disciples after them.Men will arise from among your own selves, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.and from among your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
3 sermons cite this verse
… 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. …
… 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. …