From the MESSAGE BIBLE it reads Acts 20:7-12…

 ^7-9We met on Sunday to worship and celebrate the Master's Supper. Paul addressed the congregation. Our plan was to leave first thing in the morning, but Paul talked on, way past midnight. We were meeting in a well-lighted upper room. A young man named Eutychus was sitting in an open window. As Paul went on and on, Eutychus fell sound asleep and toppled out the third-story window. When they picked him up, he was dead.

 ^10-12Paul went down, stretched himself on him, and hugged him hard. "No more crying," he said. "There's life in him yet." Then Paul got up and served the Master's Supper. And went on telling stories of the faith until dawn! On that note, they left—Paul going one way, the congregation another, leading the boy off alive, and full of life themselves.

Have you ever heard the phrase or found yourself saying “I’m Bored To Death!?!”

Well that’s my topic today, “The Danger in Being Bored To Death.

Eutychus here, is going to teach us to be Careful what we say...because it could very well come true

 

 

“I’m Bored To Death”

 

 

As I was meditating on what to say this morning to and for our youth of today, I came across our ole friend, Eutychus, who dared to fall asleep in church.  And I tell you, as long as there are churches, there will be humorous stories about some person who falls asleep in church.  We have them in Pine Grove, and I’m sure you have them here…don’t look around now, cause you might be sitting next to a sleeper. 

 

Have you ever fallen asleep in church before?  At the movies, in the beauty shop, in class, on the city bus, and then wake up head bobbing, neck sore, coughing from the embarrassing snores; strangers staring at you, friends laughing at you, saints trying to give you a mint or a fan? 

 

We smile at it now, but everyone has ‘rested their eyes’ publicly once or twice, and ‘woke up’ saying Amen, preach pastor…and truth be told, had no clue what was going on.  Trying to fake us out, like you reading the bulletin…the whole sermon; right ok.  And don’t let it be a hot summer day, and the air conditioning broke down, we just might as well put a cot in the pew and call it a day.

 

Young people, we lead such busy lives these days.  We’re up early in morning for school, and go til late at night, sometimes into the next morning….watching videos, playing the Wi, talking on the phone,…oh I’m sorry, I mean texting, and updating our status on Facebook.  All day trying to function to the best of our ability; then suddenly it comes…ole man boredom, or sleepiness.   Yes, at the most inopportune time: in school, while the teacher is teaching; in Sunday School, while the lesson is being given; in study, while trying to study for the exam or read your lesson; at home; just when we start reading God’s Word, and get this one; in church, as the preacher is preaching their heart out. 

 

That’s when we hear those dreadful words, “I’m Bored!”  Wonder why we never get bored or sleepy at the baseball game, at the dance, while texting and twitting, while listening to ‘drop it like it’s hot.’  Rarely in these instances, but surely, the minute you pick up a book, here it comes.  Do you really mean bored, You’re bored?   My mom used to say, if you that bored, then, go in there and clean up that kitchen then, take out the trash, mow the lawn…let’s see how bored you are then.  Then we change to “Make Me Sick, Can’t Wait Till I Get Grown.”

 

We read these verses and wonder, “Why is THAT in the Bible?  A little fella falls asleep in church; a preacher preaches for hours, until the break of dawn.  Noting heavy about that, no depth of meaning on the surface, just a number of interesting verses of good reading; until we dig deeper.   Somebody need to say, everything in the Bible is good….

 

Let’s look here, as the Apostle Paul continues on his missionary journey, from town to town, encouraging and enlightening the saints, in Troas.  As he prepares to leave to go to the next town, he gathers with the saints, on what was the first day of the week, to observe the Lord’s Supper; just as we do on the first Sunday of the month.   With only one night left, he began preaching for what seemed to have been, hours.  The text says he preached originally until midnight, can you imagine, four to five hour sermons?  And to think, we start getting fidgety after 15 minutes….stay with me now :o).   So you know these saints were serious about their salvation and anxious to hear the Gospel.  They wanted to hear God’s Word, to share their faith, to strengthen and support each other, so they stayed, listened and learned.  After all, there were no computers, no internet, and no telephones, then.  This was the only way the other churches found out what each other were doing.

 

You see it was not like it is for us today, we have Ph’ds, theologians and scholars, right in our very mist; and our pews these days are just as educated as our pulpit.  But, in that day, it was not often that someone like Paul came to town, to illuminate the scriptures, so the opportunity was rare and highly anticipated, and even greater, since they were preparing to pay special homage to the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Little did they know that they would be a part of an actual resurrection, in that of our young lad, Eutychus. 

 

Who was this Eutychus anyway; all we’re told is he was a young man, probably 12-14 years old, sitting in the window sill, listening to Paul preach, in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing and the unthinkable happens.  He falls asleep and tumbles out the window, and down three stories, to his death, giving a whole new meaning to the common phrase, “I’m Bored To Death.”

 

But let’s put a pin here, cause I really can’t hate on Eutychus.  I can picture an upper room, just jammed with people.  It’s at the end of the day, and very hot, as the scripture says (v 8) the room had many lights, and back then, that meant candles and oil lamps, which gives off great heat and light.  And Paul himself admits, he is no eloquent speaker, but yet, he preaches on and on through midnight. 

 

When you think about it, the conditions were just right, for anybody, net lone, young Eutychus to begin feeling drowsy anyway.  He probably tried to stay focused, probably tired at the end of the day from working in the field.  Looking out the window, trying to grab a little fresh air to stay awake.  Head probably jerking on and off.  He probably turned back and forth in the window sill, trying to stay awake, hoping that after all this time, surely Paul’s message would come to an end.  But he kept preaching, and a sleeping Eutychus falls out the window, three stories, to his death.

 

Can you see the instant chaos, of the family, the parishioners, and the on-lookers as this young lad falls to his death?  Luke the physician, also the writer of Acts, says the lad is taken up dead (vs 9).  Paul quickly comes down in (v10), lays on the boy, and reassures the people that he will be alright, returns to preaching in (v 11), this time until dawn, and in (v12) the boy and his family is said to have stayed to the end of service (the saints of ole use to tell us, don’t leave before the benediction, you miss out on a blessing), and went home greatly comforted by this great resurrection of a miracle.  I bet you no one else from that crowd of witnesses ever went to sleep in service again.

 

So you may ask, what’s my point in all of this, well, my point is NOT, don’t sleep in open window sills, or preach sermons that last five or six hours; BUT IT IS to note, that we need to SEE that while our young people are NOT literally falling out of the window sills of our churches today, they are walking out of the front doors.  They may come curious about this Christianity, but some of our overall practices, and applications and methodologies leaves something to be desired in their eye sight.  Our young people HEAR us saying one thing, but doing another, and then using that same tongue to glorify God.  They witness us dabbling in this and that, and then lifting those same hands in worship to a risen Savior. 

 

Church we need to be on point with our mission.  Folk would argue that the message of Jesus Christ is exciting on its own.  You don’t need any gimmicks.  Just preach Jesus and people will respond.  And I agree that nothing compares to the salvation Christ gives, for it is truly the Good News, and Christ’s message is Constant!  But my friends it is not the message that is in question here, it’s how we put hands and feet to this message, in an every changing time, that sometimes bores our young people to death, and they go right out the same door they came in; saying I thought it would be different in the church. 

 

Many people DON’T realize that their spirituality can slip to a place where they are metaphorically sleeping in a window, as it relates to their readiness to receive God's Word and then be doers thereof.  How dangerous it becomes when we allow ourselves to sleep during these opportunities.  In Revelations 3:20, Jesus "stands at the door and knocks" but are we awake? Are we ready to receive him?  Ah….here is another angle, young people, you’ve got to do something too.  We don’t know if Eutychus was over there pouting that he had to go to church, and stay all day, mad cause he saw other kids outside playing.  We don’t know, but we do know how we sometime come to church…..

We all have shared that feeling of tiredness and disinterest.   Yet in the passage, Paul comes to the boy, outstretches himself on the boy and revives him back to life.  In this we see, a picture of our crucified Lord, outstretched for us, and are reminded that we can be renewed by His outstretched life on the cross, and finished work at Calvary. 

 

In the Garden of Gesethame the disciples fell asleep when they were suppose to be praying, yet Jesus knew that their spirits were willing but the flesh was weak.  We are falling asleep at the wheel, when it comes to the care of our children; getting to common with them; often times letting them rear themselves.  We might say at least, Eutychus showed up. But showing up is not enough young people. Christ wants us to be about our Father’s Business; just as Jesus taught in John 6:4, we too, must work the works of him that sent us, for the night cometh when no man can work. 

 

The implication here is that renewal comes to us when we are at our weakest, and Christ wants to empower us and reenergize us by the working of the Holy Spirit from within.
It is interesting to note here that "Eutychus" means "fortunate" and so are we, just as fortunate, to receive the Father's touch to renew our passion to His Word, breaking up those fallow grounds, so we can run this race, that is set before us.

 

We hear no more of Eutychus, in the Bible, other than he was resurrected anew, and went home with a happy family.  Church for him and that community, it was probably a new experience from then on.  I’m sure their hope was renewed, their trust and belief was restored from this one encounter with the Master’s touch.  And Christ can do this very same thing for us.  He can make us a new; morning by morning new mercies I see, great is His faithfulness towards us, while, we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

 

The songwriter says, Living he loved me, dying he saved me, buried he carried my sins far away; rising he justified and freed me forever, one day he’s coming back glorious day.  That won’t apply to you, if you don’t make Jesus your choice.   How many window sills do you have to fall out of or doors do you have to walk back out of, before you finally surrender to the all-wise, all knowing, and ever loving Savior.

 

Jesus went to Calvary, to save a Sinner like you and me, showing his love.  They hung him high and stretched him wide, he hung his head and for you and I he died, that’s love.  But that’s not how the story ends, for in three days he rose again…now that’s the love of Christ to stay awake through any storm, any crisis, any recession, any financial problem, any wayward child, any peer pressure, any death of a loved one, any foreclosure! 

 

Let Jesus turn your boredom into gladness…sorrow/joy, pain/gain, gloom/sunshine