I invite you to turn this morning to the book of Acts, the book of Acts chapter 20. After some time, we're returning to our study in the book of Acts. We're looking at the first 12 verses this morning of Acts chapter 20. The well-known, well, I don't know if it's well-known, we'll find out, account of Eutychus. And that is found on page 1182. You'll notice that I titled the sermon, A Sermon So Long It Killed Someone. I'm not talking about feeling like you want to die during a long sermon that I'm sure has happened in this place, especially when we do installation sermons as pastors. But I want to think a lot about why in the world would this be such an important passage? What is the Holy Spirit teaching us with this? What does he want us to understand by this very strange occurrence of really a young boy falling out of the window and dying as Paul is preaching. And that's what we're going to explore a bit, and you'll see how it ties to the supper this morning as we are able to come to the table. Let's give our attention to the word of the Lord beginning at verse 1 of chapter 20. After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia. When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. There he spent three months. And when a plot was made against him by the Jews, as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. Sopater, the Berean, son of Herphus, accompanied him and of the Thessalonians. Aristarchus, Secundus, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and the Asians, Tychicus, and Trophimus, these went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas. But as we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and in five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days. On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered, and a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down and bent over him and taking him in his arms said, do not be alarmed for his life is in him. When Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while until daybreak and so departed. And they took the youth away alive and were not a little comforted. And there ends the reading of God's word. Well, as we come to the table of the Lord this morning, I was giving a lot of thought about how good the Lord has been to us, and I wonder how much we realize the benefits and the blessings He is really giving us and how He is strengthening us through this life. These are the thoughts I had as I worked through this particular passage, especially as the table is set in front of us. And I say that because what is in front of us is really a section of Scripture giving us a window giving us a window into how uh the apostles how they viewed the ministry of the word and sacrament and what they thought of it as it was going forth to the ends of the earth how confident in that were they in the word in the sacrament what did they really believe about the word in the sacrament this is what acts has been showing us this is what acts has been doing for us hasn't it they're showcasing for us the lord's help the lord's grace the lord's strength how he is preserving his church through all kinds of opposition through all kinds of hardship through even the struggles of death the sorrows of this life really acts is um acts has been a book teaching us about the holy spirit's work and fulfilling obviously what jesus said that the gospel will go to the ends of the earth the holy spirit showing us how he is doing that through means that make no sense to us through means that seem utterly foolish to us it means that we think would never work and over and over this is what this book keeps showing us the simplicity of uh the ministry of word and sacrament it's just over and over and over bearing down on us pressing down on us this great important truth. Especially in the most difficult of struggles that are set in front of us in the book of Acts, that no matter the circumstances, they still didn't waver in them. I want you to think about this for a minute here. They were shockingly committed to word and sacrament. And that makes this passage really helpful for us this morning as we anticipate coming to the table of the Lord. We have a really fascinating, kind of confusing, obscure passage that we come to this morning, but I want to consider it with you briefly here as we look at again a window into the apostolic ministry and how this was to be something teaching us what Christian ministry is to be. This is, I think, one of the great besetting sins of the church today. We've not looked carefully enough at what Acts is telling us what to do in the ministry, and that's why everyone is doing their own thing everyone's doing what's right in their own eyes when it comes to christian ministry but the lord has most certainly given us direction with regard to this he's given us a whole book to show us what the apostles did and how it worked so this is really an important section and i want to consider this this um this section with you today looking at paul's purpose uh in the mission in the ministry how paul handled a great problem that then came as he was doing word and sacrament ministry and how he was unwavering in his perspective through it all. So you notice there, purpose, the problem, and the perspective. You'll notice in the first six verses of chapter 20, what we have here is a sort of outline of Paul's missionary travels. There's much that could be made of this, and a lot of time could be given studying the detail. but i believe what luke is is really emphasizing for us is after this third missionary journey of paul paul is traveling from place to place and he is revisiting many of the churches that had been established under his ministry with many helpers it wasn't just paul and solo you'll notice that here many men were were mentioned who were great helps to the apostles and they were out helping as the churches were being planted and the churches were growing. In many ways, what is being shown to us is Paul following now the very footsteps of Jesus who desired and had set his face to go to Jerusalem. Paul, if I could show you the parallels here, it's fascinating that we see that Paul is following right in the footsteps of his master. What's fascinating is the window we get into the purpose for what he's doing that's what i want to focus on uh here at the beginning of these verses that paul would go back and he would visit many of these churches that were founded by him and founded by many of these faithful men in the ministry and he had one thing on his mind when he went which gives us a good balance when it comes to ministry you see ministries that become so outwardly focused that they they lose the sheep and then you have the challenge of becoming so inwardly focused that you forget that there's anyone out there. This is a very healthy balance that we see. The apostle, while he's absolutely concerned to take the gospel to the ends of the earth, he is also very concerned to minister to the sheep. And that is really important to say, well, what was Paul's ministry like to the sheep? And this is what we have here in all these churches that he would continue to visit. You'll notice here, the key to this is really a word that is chosen as two bookends here in verse 1 and a word that occurs in verse 12 that ends this section. The word that he chose to close off the section. After Paul had left the riot in Ephesus, we read here in verse 1, you'll notice here, after encouraging him, he said, farewell, he departed for macedonia when he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement much encouragement he came to greece you'll notice uh in verse 12 that after he leaves troas luke chooses the same word it's not translated the same way but it's the same word that he says there, they were not a little comforted or encouraged there at the very end. It's a word you know. It's a word that is not unfamiliar to us. It's the word that we run around saying when we speak of the Holy Spirit's ministry. The paraclete. It's a beautiful word. It's speaking of the comfort. We know it in reference to the Holy Spirit as He is our helper, our comforter, the one who is coming to help us. And what we're seeing here is the very thing that Jesus said would happen when he is ascended and the comforter would come, what that ministry would look like. And Paul is showing us that here, that Paul is fulfilling that. Here the Spirit is comforting the churches. That's the bracket here. That's the bookends of this particular passage, as the Holy Spirit is working through the ministry of Paul. So you have to study this and say, what then does the ministry of the Holy Spirit look like? That's a crucial question. Because this is what was shown to us in Acts 2 at Pentecost, that a lot of people focus on all the wrong things at Pentecost, but we looked at what the Holy Spirit came, what immediately happened was some major long sermon. You'll laugh in a minute. Through Paul, the ministry of the Holy Spirit was being shown. But look at what it is. You'll notice here that he went through the regions and he gave encouragement. If I could give you some Greek lessons here, I would show you in direct connection with this word, paraklesis, you'll notice here, what it says in the Greek is much word. He went around giving much word. That's a very literal way of saying it. He went around giving them much word, much word, much word. What Paul was doing was, he was coming to these churches that he had planted, and in all these places that the Spirit had raised up a church, he kept giving them the word. He kept encouraging them with the word. It was the single focus of his ministry. He had one thing on his mind when he went to a place, and it was to open the Scriptures and expound from the Scriptures and give them much word. Much word. Not just the word, much word. paul was absolutely committed to teaching and preaching the word of god as much as he possibly could just to keep dispensing it what does that tell you well i think initially it tells you that people are always looking kind of for the wrong thing in our day aren't they we have a lot of talk about the holy spirit we have a lot of talk about the holy spirit and his ministry and wondering where his power is and wondering where it is. And still to this day, I think we struggle in Reformed churches with the same old charge, the same old struggle of people who after a while, they sit under much word and they start saying, you know, I want something more. I want to feel more. I just don't feel alive. And so they evaluate things sensual. They evaluate things sensually by what they're feeling with the kind of question, the great question that often comes out is, what kind of emotions are you getting? What kind of things are happening in you? And how do you feel? All surrounded with, you know, the music. This is our great concern. I mean, it doesn't go away. This is it. This is how people judge the church today. I get it all the time still. I wouldn't have to keep talking about it, I didn't constantly get it. Acts has been repeatedly showing us a spirit-filled ministry, but not the way the American church thinks about a spirit-filled ministry. It's repeatedly showing you a ministry that is much word, much word, much word, relentlessly, never giving up in it, even with all the opposition against it. Not as, not, I still, I was thinking the other day, where have we studied, now 20 chapters in Acts, Where have we studied what the early church did with regard to church music? Nothing. It's not here. So you have to step back and say, the reason is because there are matters of priority. There are matters of what is most important. There are matters of what is most important for people's souls, because people are dying. We don't think this way in the American church. So what is it showing us here? Paul understood that the church was in constant need of much strengthening, much building up, much encouragement through much word. Over and over and over, Acts has been teaching us this and showing us this. The first section is giving us a window into Paul's and these other men who were so committed, who were absolutely committed to giving the word at the cost of their own lives. did you notice there in verse 3 that it says a plot was made against paul again by the jews as he was about to set sail for syria you know what that means they were going to kill him and throw his body over on in the sea so it'd have been the end of the apostle they were planning to kill him and you stop and say over and over you keep thinking about the great commitment of these men of these people to go out to the ends of the earth for one great purpose it is to give much word what kind of word well i'll come back to that you'll notice here that they were gathering together we get another little window into something else they were gathering together in verse 7 that they were absolutely committed to gather together on the first day of the week another important inclusion for us the one thing we hear today all the time is we don't have to gather together as christians we don't have to come to worship we don't have a sabbath and it's interesting you know that the literal translation of this is on the first of the sabbaths now there may have been no greek word for sabbath in the new testament but that's fine it doesn't really matter in god's providence it was the first of the sabbaths that they gathered and you'll notice here that as they gathered for the sabbath they were gathering on the first day of the week, as you've always heard and as you know, because this was the day that Jesus was risen from the dead. It was changed of necessity. There's this early Christian document called the Didache that was written right about this time period. And it tells us what these early Christians thought of the Sabbath. According to the divinely, I quote, instituted day of the Lord, having been gathered together you break a loaf and you eucharistize having beforehand confessed your failing so that your sacrifice may be pure ad 60 so we have documents of what they did we know what they did what we find is that these early christians were gathering on what was known as sunday they're gathering together and you'll notice here as they're gathering they're worshiping the lord and they're receiving from his servants much word as they gathered together to break bread and to hear and receive the word it's a very simple ministry this is why we call it word and sacrament i went back and forth on this in acts 2 38 through 42 whether the breaking of bread there was the lord's supper but i can't get away from it here that i have no doubt that as paul is here in this short time period, one week in Troas, that they had the supper together. I want you to picture this. Here's the apostle carting around big scrolls of the Old Testament, laying them down on a table in front of them, and opening up the scrolls, rolling the scrolls out, and preaching Jesus. They didn't have Bibles. This is their first time hearing this stuff. Oh, they're glued. they want it he's spreading it out on these parchments doing what peter was doing jesus a man attested of god by mighty works and wonders and science showing this all throughout the old testament proving this from the old testament now my question is as i was working through this is why is this so necessary why is this so necessary for you what are we doing here today why are we here. I think that leads us so beautifully here to the problem now that is before us. We've seen what Paul is doing here. We've seen his purpose in ministry, and now you see the problem that unfolds to help us with this great purpose and perspective. Notice it. In verse 7, on the first day of the week, when we were, Luke is narrating here, gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them intending to depart the next day he's here a week he comes to this sabbath day this first day of the week the first of the sabbaths we know that for them in this culture sunday was a work day so they had all gotten off work they had all come to this upper room all this sounds a little bit familiar doesn't it they had all come to the upper room the place is packed out they have been at work all day says there are many lamps in the room obviously they don't have electricity keep in mind no electricity and no heat some of you have been moaning about that for a few weeks you need to knock that off all right we read that paul prolonged his speech until midnight now keep in mind this is probably about six o'clock they gathered in the room what we have is one long sermon probably began at six preached four to five hours for some of you you ran out of mints three hours ago think about this for a minute immediately after this we read that there was this youth sitting up in the windowsill most likely between 8 and 14 years old a young boy he's sitting up there and he sinks into a deep sleep as paul is preaching and notice the emphasis still longer luke is pressing this on on us it is still longer and being overcome by sleep he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. Now, it's hard not to have some, obviously this is serious, but it's hard not to have some fun with it first. For some reason, as one pastor said, Paul never got the memo that American sermons, as we have them, Paul never got the memo that they should be 20 minutes and you should be out of there. The language here is that he started sinking into a deep sleep. I don't know if you know what that looks like from the pulpit. but it's very discouraging. You end up going like this at first, and then it's... And you sit there and think, am I failing? As you're in the land of Nod, I'm preaching. What's interesting here is that the scripture, Luke is playing this up. It's now midnight. He talks still longer. What's wrong with this guy? I mean, what an insensitive man. I thought to myself, the very things that the Holy Spirit is pressing us here and the things that we laugh about is exactly why he's making the point. I mean this. He is pressing us on this point. He knows, the Holy Spirit knows very well in the history of the church how God's people have struggled to listen to the Word and how they view the Word. Not thinking much is really going on. Luke is doing something for future generations to think about this, to help us, to help the church with this. Look at the hunger that the Holy Spirit had created in these people for the Word. It's so jam-packed in there, a boy is in the windowsill. We moan today about the state of the church, how bad things are. And of course, I think it starts with pastors who refuse to preach. But as one pastor said, any reformation of the church has always come by the Holy Spirit putting this kind of relentless, intense spirit willing to lose their lives for the gospel. Notice what he says here. There will not be any great reformation in our churches or in our lives personally if such a thirst is absent. If we're content to hear one sermon a week lasting 20 minutes, then we're displaying a condition of spiritual sickness. Until we cultivate an appetite for the exposition of Scripture, we will never grow as Christians. Instead of being among those who want less exposition, we should be those who desire more. Is that a wrong statement? It's a right statement. Maybe today we just haven't been clear as to still all these years why we need it. Maybe that's it. Today's preaching, typically as I read the new modern books on preaching, It's all analyzing today how much people can handle in our soundbite culture. Evaluating things physiologically and thinking about, well, there's environmental factors such as lighting and temperature and furniture, and a room too dark makes us sleepy. And listeners who sit very in the far back aren't definitely going to get as much as those who sit in front. And we analyze all of this, nothing heavy, 20 minutes of light. 20 minutes of laughs. Did you get anything? Really? Until what happens? The laughs stop. Until the laughs stop. What do I mean? Someone dies. I want you to put yourself in this scenario with me for a minute. I don't know how you can. I've been preaching for a while. Coming on hour four. I'm expositing the riches of Christ. I'm speaking of His sacrifice and His love for you. I'm trying to demonstrate from all of the Scripture, this is your Savior who's come to rescue you and has eternity planned for you and He's given everything to you. I'm showing Jesus, imagine we're in the new building and out of the balcony, all of a sudden a yell happens. No! loud audible screams hits the pavement and dies right in the middle of the service you know how mad you would be at me do you know how mad you'd be at me insensitive I hate to drag one of our members by name but I know he can handle this I was preaching Joe Horton's memorial service and I was preaching Psalm 16 and as I was preaching, it's the only time it's ever happened in my ministry. I hear, Lyle! And I look. And everyone in the room thought Lyle was dying. And if you know the sense we felt at that moment, if anyone was in that service, it was devastation. I didn't know what to do. Nobody knew what to do. We were all really panicked. The good thing was, Lyle just needed water. But what if it was more serious? All the feelings that we had at that moment, the worry that came over us, over our brother, did anyone hear the word after that? Did anyone talk about what was said after that? I had just been preaching Jesus and the resurrection. And the whole service stopped. It wasn't Lyle's fault. In God's providence, he did something. The despair, the panic, death, all of the sudden zapped the whole service. And whatever encouragement we have and we have been receiving is immediately replaced by the greatest amount of discouragement that could happen in this life. in this service. Do you see that? Whatever encouragement was being given was completely taken by discouragement. I've come to preach. The congregation gets hit with something painful. You know how hard it is in that moment? I don't want to. This is my worst nightmare in the ministry to come up and preach in the midst of that. Everything got real serious. We don't really want to hear stories from the pastor anymore. We don't really want the praise band anymore. I want a song of lament now, which are full in the Psalter. Everyone goes rushing down the stairs. And they come out, and there is a lifeless body of a boy on the floor. Luke's a physician. Oh, he's dead. He says it. Paul rushes down. And like Elijah, puts his body over him. and he says don't be alarmed his life is there there are only five resurrections in the new testament that i count this is a huge moment eutychus is one what would we do if a boy from our congregation we would take him if this happened we'd take him out and let's say that he the miracle of a resurrection happened we'd end the service and we'd be all filled with happiness and we'd have coffee time and we would just be all talking about this. Well, what happens? The resurrection here is important. But it's interesting what Paul does. And when Paul had gone up and, verse 11, right after this, broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while until daybreak. you did what? Right after raising Eutychus, the Lord Jesus did through Paul. He says, upstairs, right now. The table's spread. He gives them the sacrament and he preaches until daybreak. He speaks with them the gospel. What a sermon illustration he had. The best sermon illustration he could have ever had. You know that all your hardship, all the death that you're experiencing, all the pain that you're going through, all the things that derail, all the things that disorient and confuse you, when it comes upon you like a flood and you didn't even expect it, are solved through a resurrection. Not Eutychus's, but Jesus's. Can you imagine what Paul preached after this? We've got to go back upstairs. On the night, I would imagine it went like this, on the night in which he was betrayed, he took bread. For I received from the Lord what I delivered to you. The Lord Jesus, on the night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and he said, this is my body which is for you. What? My body. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way he took the cup after supper, saying, we're in the upper room. We're in the upper room here with Paul. You see it? This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim my death until I come. And then Paul speaks of Jesus until daybreak. I have no doubt. Here's the point. God did something incredibly merciful that day. He raised Eutychus, yes, as a confirmation of the Word, but teaching them and us something so much more important. You say, well, if we just had all of our problems solved right now, if our loved ones who died were raised right now, then everything would be great. You're not listening. One is raised right now for you. One went to the cross and got off it, and went down into the grave and got up. And you know what that means? That means that it's absolutely certain, just a matter of time, that all who've died are going to be raised in the Lord, who love Him, who believe Him. This isn't about the length of a sermon today, is it? It's challenging us as to what we believe is happening right now. Right now, right now. It's the word and the sacrament that's God's grace to you in this life, in the midst of death, that there you see the preaching of the cross, and there you hear the resurrection of Jesus that gives you all the comfort and actual, actual strength for all of life's afflictions. This should tell you something today about how you view the ministry. Right now is a preparation for what you will do when this day comes upon you of intense sorrow. You have one place to go. It's right here. What God is saying to us is there's real abiding lasting comfort in this through the word and through the ministry of the sacrament word and sacrament together but our attitude hasn't been that the word is meant to show you his son what a sermon illustration and then we get to go and feast on a feast that feeds our souls as we receive it in faith to tell you all of these promises are yours and you will be raised to and your loved ones the one thing we do in sorrow is what stay away but i hope this changes your whole perspective this is the ministry that comforts in the face of death you're given a risen savior who offered you his body and his blood in answer to all your sorrow and he declares to you today truly truly i say to you whoever hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life and does not come into judgment but is passed out of death into life for god so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, Eutychus, but have everlasting life. That's what this declares. And this so comforted them that the last words is, as they took the youth away live and it ends where it started, they were not a little comforted. They were lifted up. He helped them that day, the Lord, more than they ever imagined. You're invited now. Amidst all of life's hardships, amidst the death all around you, all the suffering, all the tears, all the pain. Some of you really feeling the pain of losing your pastor. The Lord has spread a table for you. The Lord loves you. And the Lord's given you an answer. He's raised his son. And it's just a matter of time before all who believe are raised. Because Jesus is risen, you who believe will rise too. And that means, if that's the case, since he's risen, there's absolutely nothing, not even death, first thing Paul says in Romans 8, that can separate you from the love which is yours in Christ Jesus. So come, partake with a believing heart and receive the food and drink for your souls that it would be a great encouragement to you today. Amen. Heavenly Father, You are so good to us. We confess our own attitudes at times are terrible to Your Word and what You've done for us. But we hear today what's being offered and what's been given the best. Thank You for giving Your Son who lived, who died, and who was risen by the power of God that we might have these promises and go forward with great comfort comfort your sheep oh lord and give them your son in jesus name we pray amen