Be On Guard
What does your dad do? Years ago they used to have an annual “take your kid to work” day. I don’t think they do that much anymore. But maybe they should. I remember when my dad brought me to work with him. Dad worked for the railroad. And so he showed me the computer where he did his work. He explained to me how it was his job to make sure that the grain got on the cars here and then traveled to there. And I thought to myself, “how boring.” Then, as he was explaining this, a train went by the yard office. The ground began to shake. And a guy, without thinking, picked up his coffee cup from the desk so that it didn’t spill. The ground shook. The horn blasted. And a few minutes later everyone went on with work as if nothing had just happened. And I thought to myself, “who would work here. This is a scary place to work.” I look back and appreciate that day because, for one day in my life, I got to walk in my dad’s shoes and look at the world through his eyes. And this morning God’s word give us the same opportunity. In these words here in the book of Acts one shepherd of God’s flock gives real and true wisdom to other pastors. And so today, we have the privilege of walking in their shoes. In our opening verses we read: “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28 CSB17)
If you want to understand what it is to be a pastor, read these words. A pastor is a man who is “on guard.” For his own sake and for his own flock that he shepherds, he is a man that is continually on guard. And what exactly is he on guard against? “29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Men will rise up even from your own number and distort the truth to lure the disciples into following them.” (Acts 20:29–30 CSB17)
As we read these words we need to understand that in them Paul is saying goodbye. He is saying goodbye to a group of people he had gotten to know for about two years. And that was a long time for Paul. So he urged the pastors he was saying goodbye to to be on their guard. Why? Savage wolves would come in and not spare anyone. And they will tear apart the flock—not from the outside, but from the inside. This is an important part of God’s word to understand. For there are people on the outside of God’s church who want to tear apart God’s church. Take for example Bill Nye. Bill Nye is a science teacher who has a TV show for children. And he has publicly said that Christianity and science cannot go together. He has even gone so far as to say that if you parents teach your children God’s word, you are committing child abuse. But what Paul mentions here is much, much worse. For worse than the wolves that are on the outside of the church are the ones that are on the inside. And Paul gives us the reason: They will not spare anyone. Bears, for example, will kill some of the flock, but not all of them. For they are smart enough to realize that if they eat them all, there won’t be any next year to eat. False teachers within the church have no restraint.
So it should not shock or surprise you that your pastor is guy who is constantly on guard. Whenever theres someone who twists God’s word, there your pastor is to warn you about it. Whenever there’s someone who says that it’s our work to earn our forgiveness, where the bible says that it’s God’s work, there your pastor is to warn you. Whenever there’s someone who says that getting faith is your work, when the bible says that it’s God’s work, there your pastor is to warn you.
But what’s the problem with all of this? The problem is that a pastor might warn his flock about a wolf who twists God’s word. But what does the flock do? The flock concludes, “Yeah, not everything that other pastor preaches is good, but there’s so much that’s good.” And slowly, over time, their understanding changes from the truth of God’s word to the twisted teachings of people.
So if you ask the question, what is it like to be a pastor, there’s your answer. A pastor is a guy who is constantly on guard. He’s on guard against wolves. But he’s also on guard in another way: “31 Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I never stopped warning each one of you with tears. 32 “And now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.” (Acts 20:31–32 CSB17)
Paul encourages these pastors to be on guard. First, against the wolves. But here he changes the verb. This word carries with it the idea of being completely awake and aware.1 Your pastor is awake and aware so that he can find and use every opportunity to share God’s word. Notice already, in these words you can see what your pastor is not. Your pastor is not your life-coach, your cheerleader, your manager, and your magician. He is the man that the Holy Spirit chose to share God’s word with you.
And just why is it so important for us to understand that this is the work that a pastor does? Paul gives us two reasons: First, God’s word is able to build us up in our faith. Second, God’s word is able to give us forgiveness. Notice that God’s word is not truth that you need to work on. No, instead, it is truth that works on you.
And here too we see our sin. How often do we treat God’s word as if it’s homework. I need to go to church to learn some stuff from God’s word—or at least not forget the stuff I already learned. It’s homework to us. And, like all homework, the only value in homework is the value we put into it and get out of it.
And that’s why you have a pastor. He is the one who is on guard to share God’s word with you. And what is the main point and preaching of God’s word. We find that answer here in these words: God bought you with his own blood. And when your pastor shares that message with you, God’s word does something. The Holy Spirit uses that powerful word to build you up in the faith so that you believe it. And the Holy Spirit uses that word to give you forgiveness. And so, for those times our pastor warned us to watch out for false teaching and teachers and we ignored him, that sin is forgiven by God’s blood. And for the times we thought that the only power that there was in God’s word was the power we brought to God’s word, that sin is forgiven by God’s blood.
Be on your Guard. That is what Paul says to the pastors he is saying goodbye to. And he says it twice. So if you want to understand what it is to be a pastor for a day, start here in these words. He is the man who is constantly on guard against the wolves within the church. He is the man who is constantly on guard to share God’s powerful word. Amen.
1 “ⲅⲣⲏⲅⲟⲣⲉⲓⲧⲉ” (Acts 20:31 GNT-ALEX)