Paul was long preaching"
Acts 20:1-12
Many times preachers are put into awkward situations. Acts 20 records one of Paul's strange and awkward situations. Paul's unique situation is full of practical instruction and is presented in a graphic, pictorial manner.
Paul is on his way to Jerusalem, on that final journey that eventually ended in his martyrdom in Rome. On they way they stopped off at Troas, and arrived there on Monday; for we are told they remained there seven days and left the morning after the first day of the week, the day of Paul's memorable meeting. I want us to see what truths we can glean from Paul's memorable meeting.
I. The Meeting That Is Emphasized
Acts 20:7 “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.”
They came together on the first day of the week. This was Sunday, the Lord’s Day, the day of the week that Jesus rose from the dead. We see that on this day, the disciples came together.
It was Sunday, and we see them going to Church. We do not find them offering excuses, but we find them coming together. We find them attending Church. As we look at their coming together a couple of truths are brought to our attention. First, we see:
A. The Place of Our Meeting on the Lord’s Day
Again I point out that verse seven says they came together on the first day of the week. In verse 9 we have a reference to the “third loft.” Apparently these believers were meeting on the third floor of a certain building. The early believers did not have nice Church buildings such as we have today. They often met in homes. In this case, it would appear they gathered in a room on the third floor of this building. It would seem this was their Church. It was in this place we find them on Sunday. They were found at Church.
Some of you may remember a few years ago when the Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore after 30 years of being in Cleveland. Among the many Browns fans interviewed, one man said, “Now me and my family will have no place to go on Sunday.”
May I say that every Christian has a place to go on Sunday. That place is Church! When Sunday comes around, saved people, God’s people are to be in Church. I have heard people say, “Sunday is the only day I have to rest.” I would like to say that Sunday is not your day, but the Lord’s Day. On His day we are to do as He commanded and assemble together as believers.
We read in Hebrews 10:25: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching”
Hebrews 10:25 indicates that some were becoming slothful in their Church attendance. The word to them was that they should not forsake the assembly. In other words, they were not to miss Church. When we miss Church we are being disobedient to God. God’s command is that we be in Church on Sunday.
When Sunday comes around, Christians are to be in Church.
B. The Purpose Of Our Meeting On The Lord's Day
When we look at their gathering we see two reasons why they gathered.
1. They gathered to honor the Lord.
We read in verse 7 they came together “to break bread.” The breaking of the bread refers to what we call the Lord’s Supper. In the early Church it was their custom to receive the Lord’s Supper every Lord’s Day to commemorate and celebrate the death of the Lord Jesus.
In the breaking of the bread we see that when the Christians came together it was because of the Lord Jesus and for the Lord Jesus. They assembled with the purpose of remembrance and reverence. They assembled with the purpose of contemplation and celebration.
We often look at Church in terms of what we get out of it. I am sure you have heard someone say, “I didn’t get anything out of the service today.” It is true that we come to Church to get something, but there is a far greater purpose in coming to Church and that is to give something. Coming to Church is more than our getting from the Lord. It is our giving to the Lord.
2. They gathered to hear the Word.
We read in verse 7 that “Paul preached unto them.” They gathered together that they might hear God’s man preach the Word of God unto them.
Now as a preacher I love to point out the length of Paul’s sermon. We read in verse 7 that Paul “continued his speech until midnight.” Many commentators believe his preaching had lasted about six hours. I am glad the Holy Spirit used the word “continued.” It means, “to stretch, to extend, prolong.” Here is Bible for long sermons! Amen!
I know you have heard about the fellow who got up during the pastor’s sermon and started to leave. The pastor stopped him and asked where he was going. The man replied, “I’m going to get a haircut.”
The preacher said, “Why didn’t you get one before you came.”
He answered, “I did!”
Someone has said, “He that thinketh by the inch and speaketh by the yard, ought to be shown the door by the foot.”
Another has said, “The mind can't absorb what the seat cannot bear."
Still another has said, "The recipe for a good sermon contains plenty of shortening."
Getting back to my point, one of the reasons the early Christians gathered was to hear the preaching of God’s Word.
As Christians we need to hear God’s Word preached. It is one of the reasons we need to attend Church. We need weekly to sit under someone who takes the Bible and tell us what God says. Some sermons may be long and some may be short. Yet, the issue is not the length of the sermon but the content. We need to hear and we are instructed to hear the preaching of the Word of God. That is one of the purposes we assemble together as Christians.
“Paul was long preaching" - maybe it was due to the
Sightlessness of the Sinner
Carelessness of the Saint
Preciousness of the Sacrifice
“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition form your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."
II. The Misfortune That Is Exemplified
Now in this assembly was a young man named Eutychus. His appearance there is very commendable. Of all the places you could choose to be at midnight, the assembling yourselves at church knows no rival. There is no better place to be on Sunday than in the house of God.
However, Eutuychus is sitting in the window while Paul is preaching. His name means "fortunate or well off." Being well off is always a danger, whether in the material or the spiritual realm. Prosperity is very apt to lead to self-confidence and carelessness. When believers are well off, they are apt to fall, as this young man did.
He was sitting in a window, which is very dangerous spot to be in, especially when this window is on the third floor.
“And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.”
A. Why Was He Sleeping
We read in verse nine that Eutychus was “sunk down with sleep.” The words “sunk down,” mean that he was overcome with sleep. Paul had been preaching for a long time and his eyelids became heavier and heavier. (If someone went to sleep under Paul’s preaching, I feel much better.) Finally, he went sound to sleep.
Now, why did Eutychus go to sleep in Church? I don’t think it was a case of Paul being a boring preacher, but it may have been a case where Eutychus was bored.
If you have a soul for the food, you will get the food for your soul.
There are many sleeping members present on Sunday. They are not physically asleep (some may be) but spiritually asleep. When it comes to spiritual things, they are not as interested as they should be and therfore they are sleeping.
Perhaps each of us should ask ourselves, "What really keeps me awake?" It amazes me that Christians who slumber during one hour in church somehow manage to stay awake during early-morning fishing trips, lengthy sporting events, or late night TV specials.
We could eliminate a lot of our attention problems in church if we better prepared for the church services. We often abuse the Lord's day by spending all our energies on the world on Saturday night, and as a result are not our best on Sunday morning. Sunday afternoon is often a spent in such a way that ruins the Sunday night service. Sunday afternoon should be a time of rest and not for worldly amusements. If we did then we would more alert and attentive in the church services. We should not waste away our spiritual opportunities by not being prepared for them.
B. Where He Was Sitting
We read in verse 9 that Eutychus was sitting in a window. Now, if you are going to sleep in Church you certainly don’t need to be sitting in a window, especially when that window is on the third floor. Eutychus went to sleep sitting in the window and we read in verse 9 that he “fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.”
Notice carefully that he did not fall to the inside of the Church. He fell to the outside of the Church. To put it in very simple words, Eutychus fell out of Church. I have known many that fell out of Church. Sleeping eventually leads to falling out the window.
When there is a lack of interest on one’s part in spiritual things (spiritual sleeping) there is a great danger of falling out of Church.
Now why did Eutychus fall outside rather than inside? It is very simple. He was leaning more to the outside than he was the inside. When a Christian is leaning more to the world than eternal things, there is always the danger of falling out of Church.
Nobody just up’s and decides they are going to get out of Church. No, it begins with spiritual sleeping, losing interest in the things of God. When other things in life interest us more than the things of God, leaning toward the world rather than God, we will find ourselves falling out of Church or to say it another way, getting out of Church. Like Eutychus, I know of people that used to be in Church, but somewhere they fell out. They began “sleeping” and it was not long before they were out of Church.
Are you in danger of falling out the window? Have you let a job, vocation, or some activity capture your heart to the point that you have no time for God? Have you let something woo your heart away from God and the things of God? It’s a dangerous condition to be in. Like Eutychus you can find yourself falling out of the Church.
Why is it do you that Eutychus fell "out" instead of falling "in"? Simply because that is the way he was leaning.
When believers begin to sit further and further to the edge of the of the assembly place, we may be noticing an indication of a soon spiritual departure.
III. The Ministry That Is Explained
Paul went down and fell on this fallen young man. Isn't that amazing! Eutychus has just fallen all the way from the third floor, and now Paul falls on him some more. You would think he had enough, and that Paul was only adding insult to injury. But please note that Paul went down first, before he fell on him. He did not fall on this foolish young man from his own superior elevation on the third floor, but he went down to the young man's level and then fell on him.
I have had many strange things happen in Church, but have yet to have someone fall out of the balcony or a window. You can sure that the tone of service suddenly changed when someone shouted, “Eutychus has fallen out the window.” Yet, a tragedy became a scene of triumph. Notice that we see:
A. A Work of Restoration
When someone falls out of Church, what is to be our response? We read in verse 10 that
“was taken up dead.”
We read that Paul “fell on him” and embraced him. He then said to those gathered around him, “Trouble not your-selves; for his life is in him.” Here was one that fell out of the Church, and someone reached out to him, and he was restored back to life.
When people fall out of Church we are to reach out to them and seek to restore them. The Bible says in Galatians 6:1,“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”
"embraced him" -- suggest that he fervently pressed him to his bosom. It is amazing what love will do. Are there not many fallen one lying within our reach who might be restored if only they were embraced by a concern and compassionate Christian?
It seems that all too often churches leave the fallen ones alone. No, we are to go to them and seek to restore them. There is to be a work of restoration.
We read in verse 11 that he was “come up again.” In other words, he was brought back into the church. As church members we are to work to get those out of church back in church. For those out of church, you need to get back in.
Not only do we see that there was a work of restoration.
B. A Work of Consolation
Notice verse 12: “And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.”
There was not only restored members, but also revived members. You can be sure that when Eutychus got back in the service, he didn’t go asleep again. You can be sure he was wide-awake. Furthermore, you can be sure the service was electrified when he walked back in. The Bible says they “were not a little comforted.”
The word “comforted” speaks of being “invited” or “drawing near.” Not only was Eutychus restored, but everyone else was wide-awake as well. Everyone was affected by what happened. You could say that everyone was revived, and they were not a little revived.
In fact they were so revived, we read in verse 11 that Paul continue preaching for “along while, even till the break of day.” Many are worried about getting out at 12:00 on Sunday. When you get revived it will not matter to you when you get out.
In this day when people are so time conscience and living lives that are so full of everything but God, we need such a reviving. In fact, when we come to Church it should be a time of restoration and revival.
Conclusion:
C. H. Spurgeon once said about this passage, "Remember, if we go to sleep during the sermon and die, there are no apostles to restore you."
May God change our attitude toward the preaching of the Word of God.
May we manifest an attitude like Paul when we see others fall.