Please turn with me to the text for this morning sermon,

Acts chapter 20 versus 26 and 27.

We will be picking up on Paul's testimony before the Roman governor of his ministry, his own testimony

of how he ministered the word.

Acts Chapter 20 versus 26 and 27, Paul speaking.

Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole Council of God.

In the preceding two weeks now, we have looked at two units of scripture in this passage. Versus 18 to 21 was a look back on Paul's ministry in emphasis

when he circulated among the elders there

and he talked about how he served them with toil and with tears and trials and loneliness giving himself as an example to the

elders now and then last week we looked at verses 22 to 25 and instead of

looking back he looked forward into the future and he said I don't really

care what happens to my life if only I can finish the race that God has given me to run and finish the ministry that he has appointed for me to do.

So there's a backward look, there was a forward look there was a forward look and now we come today to two verses

26 and 27 as he continues his address to these elders in Myelitis from

Ephesus and it is in a sense another look backward about his faithful ministry there but it's also a comment about his present innocence with regard to those people.

But I want to kind of put a parenthesis in here and draw out a lesson. parent

a lesson from something that surprises me about the way Paul is talking.

We are over halfway through the message when we get to verse 28 and

verse 28 which is what we'll look at next Sunday is the beginning of the

exhortation and the warning up till now what has he done?

He has done nothing but talk about himself. Isn't that amazing? I mean that just struck me. You're halfway through your message and you've talked

about yourself the whole time. Now I love Jonathan Edwards preacher from 250 years ago in New England. I love his theology and I love his preaching and I love his preaching and I get tremendous help from reading his sermons.

...