3rd Nov 2010

Acts 20:7-12 – Eutychus Raised from the Dead at Troas

• “Miss it; Miss out”
• My first thought reading this story was; anyone who falls asleep during one of my sermons and I’m going to make sure they stay dead!
• However on reflection, I guess I need to examine the story a little more J
• It is Saturday night. The Jews have been enjoying the Sabbath and when it finishes [when the first three starts are seen in the sky] the gentiles would often join them for teaching and fellowship.
• Eutychus may have therefore joined the Jews after their Sabbath rest but not his.
• He may have been working hard at a manual job all day.
• Remember there are no FYI’s in the word of God and the mention of many lamps being lit is there for a reason, it helps us understand the situation…
• Many lamps indicates four things:
• Lots of heat.
• Lots of smoke
• Lots of stuffiness
• Little oxygen
• It is very likely that Eutychus was sitting on the window sill in order to get a little fresh air. He was probably very tired but doing everything he could to stay awake.
• It didn’t work.
• He fell to His death and Paul was used by God to bring him back to life.
• Miss it and miss out.
• I’ve often heard the phrase ‘Do it Scared’ – a piece of advice I agree with. Yesterday my whole family went for our immigration shots. For Lynn and Levi jabs are a breeze, but for Joel and I they are traumatic. Joel was terrified and I was not much help to him. Yet after initially telling us he would not go through with it; he volunteered to go first.
• What shows most courage? Not being afraid or being afraid but doing it?
• What shows most commitment? Not being tired or being tired and committing to see something through anyway?
• Sabbath is partly in place so that we will not get too worn out but sometimes things still get on top of us.
• God honored Eutychus’ commitment. He was tired but he was obviously desperate to hear God’s word and therefore he got to be raised from the dead. What an experience. In his commitment to see something out, he got to experience something very special indeed.
• God honors our commitment. He sees it and when we are totally exhausted either physically, emotionally, spiritually or mentality… He will revive us.
• Today I will pray for a commitment to see things through and if I do, who knows what I will get to see.