Gtcotr/ss091612
Our
text today will come from Acts 20.
25
years after Jesus was crucified, the Apostle Paul was nearing the end of his
third missionary journey. It was about the year AD 56/57.
Acts 20:6 But we sailed
away from Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days joined
them at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
That
year Paul spent Passover in Philippi and left almost immediately afterwards and
sailed to Troas, a city bordering the Aegean Sea on the extreme Northwestern
coastline of modern day Turkey, the land then
known as Asia Minor. Troas was a well favored port city only perhaps 4
to 5 miles south of the ancient city of Troy.
Acts 16
8 So passing by Mysia,
they came down to Troas.
9 And a vision appeared
to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying,
"Come over to Macedonia and help us."
Troas
is the same city where only a few years earlier Paul and Silas received a
visionary call to take the Gospel to Europe. Now he only had a little time and
was quickly passing through Troas on his way to Jerusalem to attend the Feast
of Pentecost. Since there are only 7 weeks between Passover and Pentecost, and
1 week had already passed, Paul felt himself on somewhat of a tight schedule.
However, he did not want to miss this opportunity to speak to the Church he
loved in Troas.
Acts 15:41 And he went …
confirming the churches.
Acts 18:23 …
strengthening all the disciples.
Paul
was wholly given to planting Churches in every city and maintaining
relationship in hopes of returning to confirm the Churches and strengthen the
disciples gathered in those Churches. As the commissioning Apostle of these
Churches, no one else warranted such honor and authority among the works as did
he. Paul was undeniably their Father in the faith.
“I robbed other churches, taking
wages of them, to do you service … in
journeys often … in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in
hunger and thirst, in fastings often … besides the other things, what comes
upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.” (2 Corinthians 11)
At
some points when necessity dictated, Paul would remind the Churches and their
leaders how he had labored, the price he personally paid and even how he had taken
wages of others to help them, and travailed in prayer like one giving birth, so
that Christ might be formed in them.
Now
at this point, headed to Jerusalem for Pentecost and knowing that the Holy
Spirit had witnessed that he would never again be allowed to visit these
Churches in person, Paul spent a whole week, 7 precious days in earnest
petition, and endeavoring to give his best to this Church he loved.
Acts 20:6 But we sailed
away from Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days joined
them at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
The
major reason why Paul stayed 7 days in Troas is because the journey from
Philippi took perhaps 3 days longer than expected. Evidently Paul arrived in
Troas either very late on Sunday night or at some point on Monday. Whichever,
Paul did not make it to Church and he was unwilling to leave Troas without first
attending Church the following Sunday. He wanted to take the occasion to speak
to the whole congregation at once.
Now
we come to our text --- have you found Acts 20
in your Bibles or on your Smart Phones, iPads, computers or in your scrolls
perhaps? If not, you can read along on the screens behind me as we begin
reading with verse 7. I will give commentary along the way so, “Life Shape”
disciples, keep your pen and notebook ready … you don’t want to fall asleep.
Remember,
the title of our message this morning is, “Fortunate”.
Acts 20
7 Now on the first day
of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to
depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.
·
Confirms Sunday was
Church day for New Testament Believers
·
Eucharist – the
Lord’s Supper – Communion, taken by these disciples – perhaps after a congregational
meal which was often observed by many Churches in those days.
·
Midnight - shows
Paul had much to say but that he waited until Church to say it … corporate
teaching is the NT model.
·
Troas is situated 40
degrees N latitude - during May sunset is at about 7pm and sunrise at 5 – they
were 10hrs in Church
8 There were many lamps in
the upper room where they were gathered together.
·
It is still
important that the things of the Church are not done in darkness or secret as
was often reported … but out in the open for all to see and know
9 And in a window sat a
certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was
overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third
story and was taken up dead.
·
Young man – Youth –
could be between 8 and 28, “child”
·
The lamps made it
very hot in that 3rd story upper room
·
The window offered
visibility, comfort, and perhaps distraction
·
The sentence
structure suggest progression of this sleepiness – “carried away with” – he must have wrestled
with his tiredness, then began to sink deeper and deeper and was finally
overpowered by it.
·
God does not stop
just because someone gets tired …
·
Don’t be too hard on
the boy, after all, it was normal sleep time --- but sometimes we have go
beyond normal to get what God is ready to give us – or at least to not distract
others from getting what God has for them …
·
Realize - it is
Luke, the Gentile Believer and companion of Paul who was also much loved and
well respected Physician who is giving this account and who reasonably would
have declared this boy dead.
·
The young boys name
is Eutychus … which means: “Fortunate”
·
How can this boy be
fortunate? … because -
10 But Paul went down, fell
on him, and embracing him said, "Do not trouble yourselves, for his
life is in him."
·
Fortune may not
always lie in your own doing but rather in the fact that there is someone else
who knows God and who has compassion on you even though you might have been
sleeping when you should have been listening.
·
Not only did Paul go
down and throw himself on his dead body, as did prophets before him, Paul also
ministered to the lamenting crowd of friends and family who needed to hear
words of comfort as he told them not to make too much about this … no doubt he
spoke in faith.
11 Now when he had come up,
had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he
departed.
·
Although there was a
tragedy in the midst of a very important season in which there was not enough
time as it was … Paul did not allow this event to distract him from his mission
and his normal needs of life.
·
After prayer and
some words of comfort, Paul let somebody else take care of the young man and he
went back to his primary objective – teaching and strengthening the
congregation with the time he had left.
12 And they brought the young
man in alive, and they were not a little comforted.
·
As Paul was
departing they brought the boy back upstairs and into the Church meeting alive.
·
His healthy return
brought great comfort to the whole Church.
So,
what can we learn from these scriptures which we can readily apply to our lives
today?
1. It is not always best to seek your own
comfort, even in Church.
2. Recognize the progression of disconnection
before you fall asleep.
3. Thank God if you are fortunate enough to have
someone who is connected with God who also cares about you and your family. (Thank God for those
who connect with Him on our behalf.)
