He is Life!

Comforted by the Good News of Life

(Acts 20:1-16, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, March 10, 2013)

[20:1] After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia. [2] When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. [3] 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. [4] Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus.

Paul's time in Ephesus was over. It was his intention to visit the churches in Macedonia and Achaia, and then to travel from there to Jerusalem with the collection that the Lord had raised up for the needy believers there. See 2 Corinthians 8-9.

We are told that Paul brought the churches much encouragement. Christians need courage. We are also told that not everyone in Greece was eager to see Paul again. Some wanted him dead. Others, including traveling companions from the various regions where the message of Christ had been preached, were giving their all for this message to be proclaimed everywhere. What a contrast! Some were committed to killing the messenger to stop the message. Others were ready to give their lives so that the world might know that the Lord of the Resurrection had come.

[5] These went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas, [6] but 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. [7] 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. [8] There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. [9] 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. [10] 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.” [11] And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. [12] And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.When Paul came to the port city of Troas, the apostolic team stayed there for seven days. Toward the end of that time, on a Sunday, the day of the week that Christ rose from the dead, the church gathered to break bread. This gathering “together to break bread” on the first day of the week is what the church has now been doing for many centuries. But Paul's morning service seemed to blend directly into his evening service. That was unusual.

People in the church in Troas wanted to hear what the apostle had to say, and Paul wanted to use all the time that he could, knowing that he might never return this way again. (Acts 20:25) Among those listening was the young man Eutychus sitting in a third story window who fell asleep and then fell to his death. What a discouraging end to this week of ministry!

But the death of Eutychus was not the end. Paul went down and took the young man in his arms and declared this good news to the crowd, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” But Paul was not finished teaching! He stopped only for some food, and then kept on going until daybreak. The next morning, as Paul was leaving, the church of Troas took Eutychus away, not a dead corpse to be buried, but a young man alive by the power of God! But how many more people in the church in Troas found that the Word that Paul had proclaimed for those many hours had become a word of life in their souls, springing up unto eternal life? They would remember the miracle. A boy found life in the arms of the apostle. How deep the Father's love for them, and for us, through the cross of Jesus Christ.

[13] But going ahead to the ship, we set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for so he had arranged, intending himself to go by land. [14] And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. [15] And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chios; the next day we touched at Samos; and the day after that we went to Miletus. [16] For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.

Meanwhile, the apostolic team continued on in their goal to reach Jerusalem with a collection for the church there. The Gentile believers in Macedonia and Achaia were eager to give to their new Jewish brothers and sisters. This gift too was a well of living water coming from Christ in heaven and traveling through places like Philippi and Thessalonica.

The feast of Pentecost would be a perfect time for the wealth of the nations to flow into Jerusalem. Some twenty-five years earlier, when Christ laid down His life and picked it up again, the Spirit of the Lord was poured out upon the apostles and the small number of believers in Jerusalem. During the next two decades, that spirit-filled, apostolic church became the beginning of a new movement of resurrection life that was changing the world.

The Word of Christ was going everywhere. Miracles were being performed that testified in new regions the power of the Word from heaven. People were giving their lives to the King who gave His life for them. They were willing to give their money so that people in the church in Jerusalem would have enough to eat.

We are still a part of that apostolic movement. Churches stretched from Jerusalem to Irian Jaya have found spiritual life through the preaching of the Word of Christ. All throughout the world people are singing to Him with joy. How about you?

The Word is still apostolic. We have an authoritative Word for us from heaven recorded in the Scriptures. Our souls are less likely to find eternal life based on our own goodness than a man is likely to rise again alive who falls from a third story window. God has picked us up in His arms as His own dear sons and daughters, and He has been carrying us upstairs to live with Him for many centuries now. Even poor people who don't have enough themselves have been giving away millions upon millions with the heartfelt desire that others might celebrate Pentecost blessings together with the church around the world.

Everywhere we go, our song is the same: “I've got a river of life flowing out of me! Makes the lame to walk, and the blind to see. Opens prison doors, sets the captives free! I've got a river of life flowing out of me! Spring up, O well, within my soul! Spring up, O well, and make me whole! Spring up, O well, and give to me, that life abundantly.”

We have one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all.” We have life through the Word of our risen King, Jesus. He is Life.

Old Testament Passage: Numbers 21:16-20 – Spring up, O well!

Gospel Passage: John 4:7-14 – … springing up to eternal life

Sermon Text: Acts 20:1-16 – Paul's travels and ministry from Ephesus to Greece and back again on the way to Jerusalem, including an unusual night in Troas

Sermon Point: A true apostle and an apostolic church faces danger at every turn, but we bring the Spirit-filled Word of life.