How to Have a Happy New Year: Lessons from a Sleepy Eutychus
by Tom Mason, pastor of Kost Church
from November 2008 Issue of the Philogian

Who hasn't heard jokes about sleeping in church?  As a pastor I hear them all the time!  Have you heard the one about the man who said “I wouldn't go to church except I need the rest!”  Or... the one about the preacher who dreamed he was preaching and woke up and found out he was!

In Acts 20 there is a story about a man named Eutychus who fell asleep in church.  Over the years he has become the poster-child for sleepy Christians.  But I think we can learn some great lessons from his story.

The year 2008 is almost over.  Soon the year 2009 will be upon us.  Every year we usually start the same way, wishing each other “Happy New Year!”

So I got to thinking about our friend Eutychus.  What can his life teach us about having a happy new year?  Let me outline four ideas.

But first of all, do you remember his story?

The Apostle Paul was on his third missionary journey.  He was traveling through Troas and decided to meet with the Church and teach God's Word.  He got long winded.  Really long winded.  So long winded, poor old Eutychus was sitting in the window and got sleepy.  As Paul talked on and on... Eutychus fell into a deep sleep.  This wasn't smart,  because he lost his balance and fell three stories to his death.  Now what? Well, Paul miraculously raised him back to life.  So the next thing was... go back to the church meeting and finish the sermon!  Can you imagine living in the first century church?  Death is not a valid excuse for missing the rest of the pastor's message!   So Paul kept the message going till daybreak.  Then he finally gave the “Amen”.  I imagine the closing hymn was “Praise God from whom all blessings flow”.  What can we learn from this?

First, Eutychus was sleepy because he may have been bored. 
Most Christians are not blatantly disobedient.  Though we are trying to follow Jesus we may still be bored. 

What makes us feel sleepy as Christians?  I am sure there are many reasons but for me it normally comes down to one basic thing.

When I fail to see the truth that Jesus is the Alpha and Omega of the Christian life, I tend to get sleepy.  When I forget that the whole point of living is about Him, I begin to slowly nod off to sleep.  Paul wrote to the Colossians that “Christ is all and in all”.  He said to the Philippians that to him “to live is Christ”; to the Galatians, “Christ lives in me”.  I agree with the author WH Griffith Thomas that 'Christianity is Christ'. 

Frankly there is nothing more boring than me trying to 'crank up' my Christian life.  And there is nothing more adventurous than following Jesus and watching Him work through me!

How about you?  Are you bored?  Christianity without Jesus is a sure path to falling asleep as a follower of Christ.

And notice, secondly, Eutychus' boredom led to his downfall.
We live in a culture that does not want to admit personal responsibility for our behavior.

But the Bible does not let us off the hook so easily.  The reason Eutychus fell three stories had nothing to do with anyone else other than himself.  To change the metaphor “he fell asleep at the wheel.”
 
Dr Henry Brandt used to say, “People and circumstances do not cause your spiritual condition, they reveal it.”

What ever you happen to believe about God's sovereignty or human free will, we all must choose Christ to begin our life with Him and we must continue to respond to Him to grow and become productive.  Paul said to the Colossians, “As you received Christ Jesus as Lord so continue to live in Him.” 

Sometimes I feel like shuffling my responsibilities away and blaming others for my personal wrong choices.  When I do this I am less of a Christian and less of a human being.  God made me to make choices.  His Word points me to Him who is the greatest treasure of all.  Knowing Him is worth the rugged choices of self-denial that leads me to a deeper relationship with Him.

If you want to make changes for 2009 and see real progress, you will certainly need a deeper work of Christ in your life.  But how does He work deeply in you?  In and through your choices!  As you choose to make a Biblical response in all of life's choices, slowly, but surely, you will see happy results flowing from your life.  

But then, thirdly, the Lord raised Eutychus from the dead
The Bible tells us in Ephesians that we are born spiritually dead.  In the gospel God unites us to the Lord Jesus Christ in such a way that His death becomes our death and His resurrection becomes our resurrection.  This is deep truth but it is at the heart of the gospel. 

The older I get the more grace and mercy have become life-giving truths for me.  On what basis should we surrender ourselves to God to live fully for His glory?  The answer is “the mercies of God!” (Romans 12:1) 

Years ago I heard Major Ian Thomas, from Capernwray, say about Christian living: “I can't … He never said I could... He can and always said He would!”

The only way Eutychus could rise up after falling three flights to his death was through the grace and power of God being released in his life. 

Ephesians 1 tells us all about this risen power available for Christians.   Paul wrote in Philippians 3 that his supreme ambition was to know Christ and the power of His resurrection. 

The one clear obvious lesson I keep re-learning is how weak I really am outside of Christ. I don't enjoy being weak, but the challenges of being a pastor in 21st Century America is way over my head.  I find the promise in 2 Corinthians 12 to be a constant source of joy, that “when I am weak then I am strong”.  There is a great nugget of truth in Psalm 28:7 that summarizes this truth: “The Lord is my strength and shield (that's who He is), my heart trusts in Him (that's how to respond to Him), and I am helped (that's the fruit!)” 
 
Jerry Bridges, from the Navigators, says we need to “preach the gospel to ourselves everyday”.  The good news is forgiveness of sins through Jesus' death on the cross.  But the gospel offers new life and power, too, through the same Lord Jesus who indwells us by His Holy Spirit.  His indwelling life keeps you wide awake!

This next year can be different.  You don't need to live a boring Christian existence.  Discovering the resurrection life of Jesus in you is what you need to live differently. 

Finally, Eutychus learned to pay better attention. 
After his resurrection, they all went back to the upstairs meeting and Eutychus stayed awake for the duration. 

How can we increase our powers to pay attention to God's Word?

Two verses have been so helpful to me in this regard.   The verses are the two questions Saul of Tarsus asked the Lord when knocked off his horse on the road to Damascus.  Saul asked “Who are You Lord?” and, “What do you want me to do Lord?”  (Acts 22:8, 10). 

This can radically change your reading of Scripture.  What if you decided to pick a Bible Book (Any one will do as Jesus said all Scripture points to Him -- see John 5:39-40; Luke 24:27, 44) and read it each day asking those two questions.  What can happen?

First you will pay better attention.  But also you will meet the Lord Jesus in the pages of Scripture and as you apply the Word to your life, changes will come your way!

The new year can be a happy one and Eutychus can help us see how to make changes that help us become less sleepy and more like Jesus.  Or to borrow from our friends at Caribou Coffee, “Life is short... stay awake for it!”

 

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