10-8-17 Eutychus, Wake Up!

Scripture: Acts 20:7-12

Have you ever been bored?

Have you ever been boring?

Preachers struggle with this all the time. I heard a very inspiring sermon this week at the ABC Annual Gathering in Columbus preached by the president of Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. It was engaging – never boring. Some of us preachers were discussing it after and some wondered why they can’t be that engaging. I pointed out that people like him speak in various locations and only need 3 sermons for an entire year and by the 5^th time they don’t need notes and it seems effortless. That is not the same as preaching nearly 50 times a year and wanting to make each one valuable and engaging.

          Ed Towne said, “O God, let me preach with enthusiasm because of what Christ did, not because of what the crowds think . . . because of the salvation we have, not the size of the group we have. Use me, O God, not because it’s the hour for the message, but because you’ve given me a message for the hour.”

Bruce W. Thielemann said, “Surely the preacher’s greatest sin is to put people to sleep with the greatest story ever told.”

Francis de Sales said, “The test of a preacher is that his congregation goes away saying, not “What a lovely sermon!” but “I will do something.”

If you are bored with my preaching – I may have a problem.

If you are bored with your life in Christ – you may have a problem.

Life in Christ ought to be the greatest adventure.

Eccl 1:1-9

The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:

"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, "Look! This is something new"? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow. I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men! I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Acts 20:7-12

On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "He's alive!" Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

Luke 24:13-35

Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.

17 He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?" 19 "What things?" he asked. "About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see."

          25 He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?"  27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

          28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them.

          30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"

          33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

          When someone dies we can become despondent. However, with Jesus death, it was not the end of life but the beginning. After resurrection, Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father where he intercedes for us, mediates blessings to us, and serves as our great high priest to offer eternal life.

Jesus center of the Bible from beginning to End

Genesis 1:1     In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

John 1:1-4     In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

John 1:14     The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

Revelation 22:20-21     He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.

Some people assume that being a Christian is boring because they’ve heard that Christians have to give up all the “fun” things in life. It’s true that Christians give up some things, but it’s not the fun. Christians give up their sin, their self-destructive behavior, their addictions, their negative attitudes and their ignorance of God. In return, they receive “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). They “live as children of light” in a dark world (Ephesians 5:8). The mistakes of their past no longer have a stronghold in their lives. They no longer live for themselves but for the One who died for them. They serve others and make a difference (Romans 14:7; Philippians 2:4). They are becoming everything that God created them to be. It is virtually impossible to be bored in such a life.

The only thing in this world that has eternal value is a relationship with Jesus Christ. A growing, committed Christian will find that life is never boring. There’s always another step of faith to take, another relationship to build, another person to serve.

Is the Christian life supposed to be “boring”? Absolutely not. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

This story shows us how easy it is for us to try to make Jesus fit in our "box"—to conform to our preconceived ideas. The truth is, when we can't see Jesus for who he really is, the problem is always on the receiving end, never on the revealing end.

Life in Jesus can’t be boring – it was he who washed the disciples feet, the ones who fell asleep when he needed them, who tried the wrong things to save him, who scattered and left him, who denied knowing him. It was Jesus was whipped 39 times, had torns crushed into his brow, carried a heavy wooded cross, had nails driven through his hands and feet, who died on a cross for others.  Does that sound like life with him would be boring? He is the same one who Control of Nature
Calmed the storm –    Fed 5,000 –  Walked on water –  Fed 4,000 –  Fish with coin  -

Fig tree withers –  Huge catch of fish – Water into wine –

Healing of Individuals

Man with leprosy –  Roman centurion’s servant –  Peter’s mother-in-law –  Cast out demons -  Man with palsy –  Woman with bleeding –  Two blind men - Canaanite woman’s daughter

blind men - Crippled woman –  Man with dropsy –  Ten men with leprosy –  The high priest’s servant –  Nobleman’s son at Capernaum – Sick man at the pool of Bethsaida

Raising the Dead
Jairus’ daughter –  Widow’s son at Nain –  Lazarus

The same Jesus who was raised to life so that we might have life and have I to the full.

THE GREAT ADVENTURE

Saddle up your horses, we've got a trail to blaze

Through the wild blue yonder of God's amazing grace

Let's follow our leader into the glorious unknown

This is a life like no other, whoa whoa this is the great adventure.