The Word Made Plain

Tony Clark: Currently Pastor Tony is teaching a study in the book of Acts.

Tony Clark: Please open your Bible to Acts chapter 20 verses 32 through 38.

Tony Clark: All right, let's dive into Word of God together. Turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 20. As we continue our verse by verse study through the Word of God, we find ourselves in chapter 20. God's will, we will continue in First Samuel on Wednesday nights. And we're just so thankful God has given us this word.

Tony Clark: I'm excited to give this word because I know God personally invited each of you to hear this particular word. I'm always amazed when people say, "You know, I've been inviting people, they, you know, they haven't come yet." I said, "Don't worry." There's a certain message that I'm going to give that's going to be tailor-made just for them.

Tony Clark: And when I give that message, they're going to come to you, "Oh, what time services are again?" And then that will be the message that gets them.

Tony Clark: And so maybe for some of you here today, maybe you're here for the first time, maybe you're here for the second time, this is the word that God has for you here today.

Tony Clark: So, Acts chapter 20. Looking at verses 32 to 38, and the title of this message is Your Last Words, Part Three. Your Last Words, Part Three.

Tony Clark: Now, for the past few weeks, we have been studying the last words of Paul to the Ephesian elders because according to verse 25, they will see his face no more.

Tony Clark: In part one of this, this study, we saw how Paul told them to always remember that in ministry that they were ultimately serving the Lord in verse 19 and not serving people. That whatever ministry you're doing, you're doing it for an audience of one, and that is for the Lord himself. And that they will shed some tears and experience some trials in ministry.

Tony Clark: He let them know in part two of this in these series of messages that he was free from the blood of all men because according to verse 27, he had not declared, he had not shown to declare to them the whole counsel of God. So, he said in verse 28, "Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd or tend to the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood."

Tony Clark: Now, Paul finishes up his message to them, and we pick it up in verse 32. Look what it says there. It says, "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among those who are sanctified."

Tony Clark: Now, I want to draw your attention to the phrase, so now. The phrase so now shows that Paul is about to bring his message to a close. He, he closes with telling them that he is commending them, number one, to God. The Greek word for commend is `paratistimi`, and it means to place alongside. It carries the idea of depositing for protection.

Tony Clark: Putting it in a bank for safe keeping, like a safe deposit box is the idea being conveyed here. In other words, Paul was telling them that they belong to God, and he is placing them in God's care for safekeeping, for his protection. Oh, this is so good to be able to understand this because this frees me.

Tony Clark: Because you've heard me say many times, there's too much codependency in the church. The people codependent on the pastor, the pastor codependent on the people. Hey, I already told you, you're God's people. And so you're placed in his hand for his safekeeping and for his protection.

Tony Clark: Please don't forget, once again, that you belong to God. Understand that. I understand, I get it when people of my ilk, pastor friends, you know, my people at the church. I get what they're saying. I don't say it, but I get what they're saying. But you belong to God. You're his people.

Tony Clark: Remember how verse 28 says that he, the pronoun, going back to the antecedent, which is God, he referring to God, purchased you with his own blood. Jesus died for you. No pastor died for you. No church leader. You belong to God.

Tony Clark: So Paul was saying, "I'm leaving and you will see my face no more, but it's all good because I am commending you to God for him to take care and to protect you." And so Paul commended them, number one, to God, and then number two, to the word of his grace. Oh, please don't forget this truth. You need God and his word.

Tony Clark: You just don't need his word. You just don't need God. You need God and his word. Notice how Paul calls God's word, the word of his grace. The grace of God, which is defined as God's unmerited, undeserved favor or kindness towards sinners. This undeserved favor is seen throughout the Bible.

Tony Clark: Whether you believe it or not, it's seen even in the Old Testament. Just to name a few, in Genesis 6:8, it says, "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Lot talks about receiving God's favor in Genesis 19 and verse 19. So, this divine favor or grace is throughout the Bible. Oh, we see it in the New Testament. It's how we're saved.

Tony Clark: Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." So, this word of grace is what Paul was commending them to, and what we need as well. Why? Why? Because verse 32 goes on to say, "It is able to build us up."

Tony Clark: That means that programs won't do it. Slick marketing and advertising can't do it. Entertainment can't do it. Self-help sermons and pop psychology can't do it. Only God and his word, the word of his grace, they're able to build us up. Self-help Christian books that flood the market today can't do it either. God and his word is what's going to build you up.

Tony Clark: If you need building up and I need building up, you know what that implies? It implies that we're torn down. And yes, torn down by the storms of life, torn apart by difficult relationships. And we're torn down and torn apart by hurtful, harmful things said to us as children and we're still troubled by those things, and here we are as adults.

Tony Clark: And so we need God's word to build us up. So God's word, number one, it builds us up, and number two, it gives us an inheritance among those who are sanctified. In First Peter 1:4 it says, "To an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you." So, if we have an inheritance reserved in heaven for us, then the word of his grace gives us the assurance that we will make it to heaven to get it.

Tony Clark: Oh, I was just thinking about this this morning. I came across Ephesians 1, it's not on the screen, in verses 13 and 14, it says that we have been sealed by God's Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance. Philippians 1:6 says, "Being confident of this very thing that he who has begun a good work in you will be faithful to complete it to the day of Jesus Christ."

Tony Clark: Hebrews 12:2 says, "God is the author and the finisher of our faith." So, if you're here and you feel torn down and beat up by life, then spend time in God's word because it will build you up. If you just put social media down for a moment. Put your phone down for a moment and pick up the word of God. Social media is not going to build you up. It's going to do more than it's going to tear you down.

Tony Clark: Oh, sure, there are folks that will put great verses up and some great things. I try to post verses or things that some great men of God have said in the past. Sure, those help. Those will make us feel good at the moment. But what's going to build us up is the word of God.

Tony Clark: Now, the Greek word for build up is `oikodomeo`, and it's an amazing Greek word. It was used to refer to building a house. I bring this up because life has destroyed the house of our life, and you need to be built back up. It is the word of God, and you spending time reading, meditating, and studying it, that you will find yourself being put back together or built up by God and the word of his grace that you've been commended to.

Tony Clark: The more you read the word of God, the more you will fall in love with the God of the word. Who purchased you with his own blood. And like Humpty Dumpty, he will put you back together again. You know why I bring that up? I bring that up because many of you came here fractured, torn apart, beat up by life.

Tony Clark: And after sitting under the verse by verse teaching of the Word of God, as the weeks went by, the months went by, the years went by, you find yourself put back together again. You find yourself being built up again. I've already told you, hey, God bless those who are who are giving topical messages and you know, kind of self-help kind of messages. God bless them out there, and God is is blessing their ministry. God bless them.

Tony Clark: But see, you need a steady diet of the verse by verse teaching of the Word of God that's going to build you up. I don't want you leaving in here feeling good for a moment. I want you to leave here being built up by the Word of God. And this is what we're committed to doing here so God can put you back together again. Many of you torn up, fractured, beat up.

Tony Clark: And you can leave out of any most churches and feel good for a moment. Well, we want to give you something you're going to take with you the rest of the week. We're going to give you something that's going to build you back up. That's it, it's only the word of God and the God of the word that that's going to happen. Look at verses 33 and 34.

Tony Clark: He says, "I have coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities and for those who were with me." Now, in these verses, we see Paul revert back to his personal integrity that he started this speech with in verses 18 through 20. Here he says in verse 33, he says, "I have coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel."

Tony Clark: Now, the Greek word for coveted is `epithumeo`, and it means to set your heart upon. It means to long for, to long after. To be materialistic or greedy for gain. Luke 16 and verse 14 says, "Now, the Pharisees who were lovers of money."

Tony Clark: Paul, prior to getting saved, was a Pharisee, which were the conservative religious leaders of the day. He used to covet, which is a violation of the Ten Commandment, which says, "You shall not covet or want something that belongs to someone else." When God saved him, he knew that coveting was wrong.

Tony Clark: He testifies of it in Romans 7 and verse 7. He says, "I would not have known sin except through the law." He says, "For I would not have known covetousness unless the law said, 'You shall not covet.'" Oh, as a Pharisee, he knew this commandment in his head, but he didn't practice it in his heart.

Tony Clark: Oh, let me, let me ask you this. Are you coveting something that belongs to someone else? You know the Tenth Commandment, yes, it says, "You shall not covet," but then God went on to expound on what that means. He said, "You shall not covet your neighbor's house, his wife, his servant, his ox or donkey or anything that belonged to your neighbors."

Tony Clark: However, we covet a person's husband or wife. Their well-behaved children. We covet those who can afford maids and butlers. That's what he mean by male and female servants, maids and butlers. You know, we covet people's bank account. We talk about with anger and derision and with our nose up, what they can spend their millions on. Because we wish we had it to spend.

Tony Clark: I just saw, you know, we got the little, a little Alexa in the kitchen area that got the little TV screen on it. And you know, it shows stuff that's going on in the world, and I just happened to walk by and I saw, you know, over in Spain, somebody spent 29 million on a painting. And I, and I just laughed because, you know, God has me see things like that when I'm going to be talking about stuff like this.

Tony Clark: He has me see these things, and I said, 29 million. On a painting. And I said, "Well, what I can spend 29 million." I just, the church would be out of debt, and you know, we just, you know, we would just, boy, I tell you.

Tony Clark: You know, Paul said, he said, "I have coveted no one's silver or gold." We covered, we covet people's cars. That's what the Tenth Commandment meant by ox or donkey. We covet, we covet their cars. In other words, we covet everything God told us in the Tenth Commandment not to covet. We do it.

Tony Clark: Paul says, "I coveted no one's silver or gold, watch this, or apparel." Oh, how we covet people's clothes, their shoes, their jewelry, and the list goes on and on. Paul said, "I didn't do that." God cured Paul of coveting, and he says it here.

Tony Clark: See, when you realize that you have been commended to God and to the word of his grace, he will break you of things that are not right. Now, how? How would God do this? By teaching us, here it is, for you note takers, by teaching us contentment.

Tony Clark: Paul would later write in Philippians 4 and verse 11, he says, "For I have learned in whatever state I am to be content." And as we can see, contentment is a virtue that is learned. How? The very next verse, Philippians 4:12 tells us. "I know how to be abased and how to, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need."

Tony Clark: Oh, what a powerful verse because in it, we see from Paul's own words how covetousness was broken in his life. He said, "God allowed him in whatever state he was in to be content." How? In the classroom of life. He learned. Contentment is learned. How to have a lot and how to have it all taken away from him.

Tony Clark: How to abound and how to suffer need. But through it all, he was learning to be content in whatever state he was in. Oh, there are a lot of you, a lot of people here today who need to hear this next statement slowly. In whatever state you're in. Virginia. To be content.

Tony Clark: I say this because this duty station, this job or this living arrangement here, it's it's been difficult for you. It's been difficult. And God is teaching you to be content in whatever state, the state of Virginia, that you're in. My dear friend in Lynchburg, Virginia, I'm going to have him come and share with us, you know, some maybe in May or something.

Tony Clark: But he taught me this very early on. We were, we were on staff together in California, the church in California, and he came here, he started the church one month before, two months before I did. He started Calvary Chapel Lynchburg in August of '94, I started here in October of '94. And so, you know, I, you know, I used to tell people in California, I used to tell folks, you know, it's going to take an act of God to get me to leave California. Sunny, sunshine, palm trees, beaches and stuff, it was always sunny, you know, it just never rained and just just sunny, blue skies. You can plant anything you want to plant outside, it's going to be sunny out.

Tony Clark: I just loved it out there. You got to understand, I came from the hood. I came from Gary, Indiana. I came from the hood, and we ain't seen nothing like that. I tell people, "Take an act of God to get me to leave California." So, it did, and and. So, I came here. So, for months, and watch it, and even years, I longed to go back to California.

Tony Clark: And so I was talking to him one time, "Man, you know, I can't stand it here, man. Virginia, man, you know, it just stink, and you know, Virginia, the people are rude, and you know, people have attitudes, and I tell him, man, this plain, I'm ready to go back to California." And he said, "Let me tell you something." He said, "You remember Paul said, 'In whatever state I am to be content.'"

Tony Clark: He said, "Whatever state." And that hit me like an arrow going through my heart. I said, I said, "That's good, bro." "That's good." And I say that because there are many of you who are in the military. You come here and, you know, and you and you know, you don't like this duty station here, whatever, you're on Eustace, you're at Langley, you whatever, and you don't like it. And you're talking, "Get me out of here, get me out of here."

Tony Clark: In whatever state, you got to learn how to be content. This is, this is, this is critical. I had to learn this lesson. See, he is teaching you to be content here before he move you anywhere else. Watch this, singles, you will not find Mr. or Mrs. Right until you learn contentment in being a single.

Tony Clark: Not until. If you're if you're so occupied with finding Mr. and Mrs. Right, you would never find them. Because God needs to teach you contentment. Can you be content with being alone? And not until you can answer that sincerely to God.

Tony Clark: Now see, here's the thing. We already know you don't have the gift of being single. You're looking for Mr. and Mrs. Right. So that's not the issue. The issue is trying to find Mr. and Mrs. Right, and God will elude them from you, keep them from you. Until you learn how to be content with being a single.

Tony Clark: Watch this, not until you learn how to use your singleness for God. You don't have any constraints. You don't have anybody at home, "Where you been?" "You're 10 minutes late." "Where you been? You said you'd be back at four. Where you been?" You don't have that mess to deal with. You don't have to answer to anybody. Who you got to answer to? You go home and just chill.

Tony Clark: Pick up and go as you please. You ain't nobody answer to. You don't have anybody calling you up, "Can you get a, get a gallon of milk on the way home?" "I ain't get, what do you mean get a gallon? Didn't you you just went to Walmart. What's going on?" You don't have those conversations. You know you're out of milk? You go get you some. You don't have anybody calling you up, making you detour.

Tony Clark: You don't have that mess? Not until you use your your contentment. For the Lord. Contentment is learned. And it's the key to being set free from covetousness. Because you learn to be content with what you have. Oh, somebody needs to hear that. Need to hear that again.

Tony Clark: Not until you learn contentment. It's not until you're content with being in that apartment before God opens up a house for you. See? You complain, "And the neighbors and he got their music, he banging on the door, banging on the walls." Not until. Now you, not until you learn to contentment being in that apartment.

Tony Clark: See, Paul said, "I learned how to be abased, I learned how to abound. I learned how to have a lot, I learned how to suffer need." All of that was the classroom of life. That was the lesson plan of life that that was going to break him from covetousness. Because he had a lot, then he had nothing. He was raised up, he was put down.

Tony Clark: God was teaching them in all these phases, "Just be content where you are." Maybe you're in a good season right now. Be content with that. Amen. It can all be gone.

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