A Farewell Address (Part 1 of 2)
Truth For Life Daily Program
Alistair Begg
4.8 • 4.5K Ratings
🗓️ 30 April 2025
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Shakespeare wrote that “parting is such sweet sorrow.” In Paul’s final farewell to the Ephesians, we witness this sentiment in action. Explore Paul’s departing speech, and learn what weighed foremost on his heart. Listen to Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Thank you. You've no doubt heard the quote, parting is such sweet sorrow. |
| 0:30.6 | It's a line from Shakespeare, from Romeo and Juliet. |
| 0:34.1 | And today on Truth for Life, we'll see that sentiment in action as we witness the apostle Paul's |
| 0:39.2 | final farewell as he leaves the Christians in Ephesus. As Alisturbeg walks through Paul's |
| 0:45.3 | departing speech, we'll learn what weighed foremost on the Apostle's heart. |
| 1:01.6 | Father, with all of these thoughts in our minds and much more besides, we turn now to the Bible, |
| 1:09.5 | and we pray that you, by your spirit, will be our teacher. Help us, oh God, we pray for Jesus' sake. Amen. If you imagine that you gathered your children around you, |
| 1:16.6 | and they and you both knew that this was the last occasion that you would ever be together. |
| 1:25.6 | What would you say? If you had one opportunity to speak to them |
| 1:31.1 | for the final time knowing it, surely you would pay particular attention to what you said. |
| 1:38.7 | There would be no time for trivialities, no time for vague generalities. The words would have to be chosen purposefully. |
| 1:45.9 | They would have to be stated as perfectly as they possibly could be. And you would want |
| 1:52.7 | to ensure that you left them with words ringing in their ears that would be of benefit |
| 1:59.3 | to them not only for time but also for eternity. |
| 2:03.6 | Well, the departure of an earthly father leaving behind his earthly physical children |
| 2:11.6 | is equally matched by the departure of a spiritual father leaving behind his spiritual children. And it is this scene |
| 2:20.7 | which Luke records for us, beginning in verse 25, a scene that is full of pathos, it is marked by |
| 2:26.9 | emotion. The words are marked with deep significance on account of their setting. Paul is taking his leave of the leaders of the church |
| 2:37.6 | in Ephesus. It's emotional. It's significant. It's purposeful. It is unrepeatable. And you would |
| 2:45.9 | have noted in the reading how their emotions spill over in verse 37, weeping, embracing, kissing, grieving |
| 2:54.6 | over the fact that they knew that he would not be with them in this way ever again. |
| 3:02.4 | And so provided for them was their last opportunity to pray together this side of heaven. |
... |
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