Eutychus Raised from the Dead,

Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders

Acts 20:1-38¹

June 29, 2008

[Prayer]

Today’s message is from Acts 20:1-38, the entire chapter. In the NIV it’s divided into three sections: The first section is about the apostle Paul’s leaving Ephesus and going back to Macedonia and Greece to encourage the Christians in the various towns there. The second tells of Paul’s raising a young man named Eutychus from the dead. And the third section is about Paul’s final message to the Ephesian elders. I am planning on spending the most time on the third section.

Remember, as always, as we read the passage, that we are reading the word of God. It’s what God, through his Holy Spirit, made sure was recorded so that we can read it today. It’s what he wants us to know about him.

And also, as always, I encourage you to read your Bibles every day. I read that the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has published a survey of 35,000 individuals. The survey concerned their religious beliefs (the religious beliefs of the people surveyed). One of the results was that 57 percent of evangelicals—evangelical probably comes closest to describing what we believe and teach here—57 percent of evangelical believe that many religions can lead to eternal life. Many religions! If you look up the word evangelical in the dictionary (my dictionary, anyway), it says that it means: “of, or relating to, or maintaining the doctrine that the Bible is the only rule of faith and that salvation is attained chiefly by faith in the redemptive work of Christ.”

Have you read the Bible? Who’s it about from beginning to end? Jesus is there from beginning to end! Doesn’t it say somewhere, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved?” It sure does! It says so in Acts 4:12. Then how can evangelicals who supposedly hold that the Bible is the only rule of faith and that salvation is attained chiefly by faith in the redemptive work of Christ think that there are many religions that can lead to eternal life? So read your Bibles every day. Study and meditate on the word of God. (Meditate means think carefully about, by the way, not as in ‘transcendental meditation’.)

Now let’s read the passage—Acts 20:1-38:

Through Macedonia and Greece
^{1When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said good-by and set out for Macedonia. ²He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, ³where he stayed three months. Because the Jews made a plot against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. ⁴He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. ⁵These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. ⁶But we sailed from Philippi after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.

Eutychus Raised from the Dead
^{7On 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. ⁸There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. ⁹Seated 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. ¹⁰Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” ¹¹Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. ¹²The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders

^{13We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. ¹⁴When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. ¹⁵The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Kios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. ¹⁶Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.
^{17From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. ¹⁸When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. ¹⁹I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews. ²⁰You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. ²¹I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
²²“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. ²³I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. ²⁴However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me— the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.
^{25“Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. ²⁶Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. ²⁷For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. ²⁸Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. ²⁹I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. ³⁰Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. ³¹So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
^{32“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ³³I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. ³⁴You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. ³⁵In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
^{36When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. ³⁷They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. ³⁸What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship. (Acts 20:1-38)

Well, it’s been three weeks since we’ve preached in Acts. You remember that in chapter 19 (the chapter just before this one) Paul had started what was almost a riot by teaching that Artemis, the favorite goddess of the Ephesians, was no god at all. (The riot probably had more to do with economics than with religion.) According to verse 1 of today’s passage, after the uproar had ended and things had settled down, Paul was getting ready to leave Ephesus to go back to Macedonia to visit the churches there.

By the way, speaking of ‘the uproar’, do you remember back a few chapters that when they were in Thessalonica they were referred to as “these men who have turned the world upside down”? (The NIV doesn’t put it that way, but the King James and the ESV and others say, “these men who have turned the world upside down.”) Do you remember that—“these men who have turned the world upside down”? Well, the message of the gospel definitely turns the world upside down. The message of the gospel says that what the world worships as gods are really no gods at all. There is only one true God. The world says that each of us is the center of the universe. The message of the gospel says that God is the center of the universe. (How can there be more than one center of the universe?) The world calls good evil and evil good. (Do you want an example? Abortion!) The message of the gospel calls good good and evil evil. Jesus Christ is good. He is our Lord and our savior.

Now, to get back to the passage, verses 2 and 3 tell us that as Paul traveled through Macedonia he spoke many words of encouragement to the people. We need to encourage each other and build each other up in Christ. I’m going to read some scripture—first from 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 and 18:

^{16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸Therefore encourage each other with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

And 1 Thessalonians 5:5-11:

^{5You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. ⁶So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. ⁷For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. ⁸But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. ⁹For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁰He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. ¹¹Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:5-11)

Do those words sound encouraging? Let’s encourage and build each other up in Christ.

According to the last part of verse 3 in today’s passage, because of plot that Jews had made against him, Paul went back through Macedonia again, presumably giving them even more encouragement. Paul hadn’t been planning on it, but it was apparently in God’s plans.

Verse 4 says that Paul had been accompanied by a number of men from all over the place—Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. I imagine that all of them were engaged in the work of encouraging the churches. We read a lot about Paul. But it was not just Paul alone and a few others who were with him, but many people who were spreading the gospel all over the Roman Empire. (And by the way, what do you think about the Roman Empire? It was really the Roman Empire that provided the roads and the ships that allowed travel and the gospel to be spread far and wide.)

Verse 6 says that they all met together at Troas. Notice that Luke, the author of Acts, says, “we,” “We sailed from Philippi...and joined the others at Troas. Luke was a first-hand witness of the things he is describing.

Now let’s go on to the next section starting at verse 7. They are all together now at Troas. They came together on the first day of the week with all the church to break bread. (Luke is probably using the Jewish convention of starting the days at sunset or at 6:00 PM in terms of the way we reckon time rather than according to the way the Romans would have done it. The first day of the week would have started on Saturday evening according to our reckoning.)

Paul kept talking until midnight. There were many lamps burning. It was probably stuffy—not too much oxygen. A young man named Eutychus fell asleep and fell out of the third story window. When they got down to him he was dead.

But Paul threw himself on Eutychus, put his arms around him and declared, “Don’t be alarmed. He’s alive.” He was raised from the dead! (Eutychus, by the way, means ‘good fortune’.)

You know, we read quite a bit about God raising people from the dead in the Bible. Elijah and Elisha raised people from the dead. Jesus raised several people from the dead (maybe many people—they just aren’t recorded). And Peter and Paul each raised at least one person from the dead—maybe many more, too—God did many miraculous signs through each of them.

And, you know what else? In spite of what some people say, God still does many miraculous signs—including raising people from the dead (and I’m talking about in their physical bodies, not the resurrection when Jesus returns). I’ve never witnessed it first hand, but if you want to know, just ask Kim!

Anyway, after the incident with Eutychus, they went back upstairs and broke bread—I think maybe the Lord ’s Supper—what they had come together to do. After that, Paul went back to preaching and preached until dawn. He had much more to say. (Maybe he also told Eutychus to make sure and stay awake before he started!)

Do you think Paul believed it was important for him to say what he had to say—to preach all night? He had probably been up all day and still preached all evening and all night! Later in today’s passage Paul told the Ephesian elders that he had not hesitated to proclaim to them the whole will of God. We should not hesitate to proclaim the whole will of God either. (I know that God gives different gifts to different people, evangelists, pastors and teachers and so forth. But if I say that, everyone will say, “Oh, I’m never going to proclaim to anyone the full will of God because God hasn’t given me the gift to do it.” But, I think God gives ‘temporary’ gifts at appropriate times.)

Now let’s go on to the last section. �Starting at verse 13, they were traveling by ship and sailed past Ephesus because Paul was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem. When they stopped in Miletus Paul sent for the Ephesian elders to talk to them one last time. (He wrote to them again later, by the way.)

So, let’s look at verses 17 through 21 now. I’ll read them:

^{17From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. ¹⁸When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. ¹⁹I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews. ²⁰You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. ²¹I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. (Acts 20:17-21)

Paul lived his life as an example for others to follow. He was able to say to the Corinthians, “I am not seeking my own good, but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Cor. 10:33b, 11:1) (See. That’s for the whole church, not just the leaders. “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.” Paul was writing to the entire Corinthian church.) And I don’t think Paul was boasting or being arrogant in saying he followed the example of Christ. He had once boasted (and had persecuted the church). But I thing his boasting days were over (although I have to say that Jesus had to make sure that the thorn remained in his flesh to keep him from becoming proud—2 Cor. 12:7-9).

Paul said (in today’s passage) that he had not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful. The most important thing was people must turn to God in repentance and have faith in Jesus. There are many people who say that they have faith in Jesus, but do not repent and turn to God in repentance. They need to be warned. (And I have to say that although I’m telling you this right now, I’ve been very negligent in warning people. We need to pray for each other!)

And just as there are many people who say they have faith in Jesus, but there is no repentance and no turning to God, there are many people who try to repent without turning to God and without having faith in Jesus. They want to make themselves righteous first. They need to be warned, too. (Some just don’t know that Jesus will never turn away anyone who comes to him. They say that they are not worthy—and they aren’t. None of us are. But God is able to make us worthy through the blood of Jesus!)

Now let’s look at verses 22 through 24:

^{22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. ²³I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. ²⁴However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me— the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. (Acts 20:22-24)

Paul was being compelled (literally, bound). He could do nothing else but go to Jerusalem. In chapter 21 we will see that a prophet came to him and told him and all those around him that, in Jerusalem, he would be bound and handed over to the Gentiles as a prisoner. Some people say that, because of the prophecy and because of the warnings, it was a mistake—not God’s will—for Paul to go to Jerusalem. But Paul knew that he must go to Jerusalem and face imprisonment and hardships. Because of his imprisonment Paul got the opportunity to preach the gospel—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace—in Rome, and to testify before Caesar.

Now let’s look at verses 25 through 27:

^{25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. ²⁶Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. ²⁷For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. (Acts 20:25-27)

Paul knew that this was the last opportunity that he would have to talk to the Ephesian elders face-to-face. But he was able to say to them that he had told them everything that was necessary for them to know—the full will of God. This is the responsibility of teachers—to proclaim the full will of God. But James says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that teachers will receive stricter judgment. That’s kind of scary. (The NIV says “presume to be teachers”, but the Greek doesn’t say “presume”.)

Paul was able to say that he had proclaimed to everyone the full will of God. What is the full will of God? Well, this is probably a copout, but I can summarize it by quoting the apostle Peter:

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

“Not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. That was 2 Peter 3:9. Let me continue and quote the next three verses—2 Peter 3:10-12:

^{10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. ¹¹Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹²as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. (2 Peter 3:10-12)

“The full will of God” is an urgent message. We can’t hesitate to proclaim it. When Paul said that he was innocent of the blood of all men, he was probably referring to what the Lord had said to the prophet Ezekiel. Listen while I read it. This is from Ezekiel 33:7-10:

^{7 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. ⁸When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. ⁹But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.” (Ezekiel 33:7-10)

This is a serious responsibility.

Now, let’s look at verses 28 through 31 in today’s passage:

^{28Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. ²⁹I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. ³⁰Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. ³¹So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. (Acts 20:28-31)

“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.” Overseer is the same Biblical office as elder. If you are an elder, you are an overseer. The primary job of an elder is to teach the truth of the word of God and to make sure that false teachings don’t creep in—really, that false teachers don’t creep in. These false teachings are not teachings taught by those who belong to the world and are outside the church. And they are not teachings that are taught in error by people who are sincere Christian teachers and simply need to be corrected in some aspect of their teaching. These are teachings by “savage wolves” who will not spare the flock!

There are some that teach their false teachings purely for profit and don’t care that they are destroying those that are truly seeking God. Some of the ‘gospel of health and wealth’ teachers that Tom frequently talks about fall into this category. (But others, I believe, are sincere, but simply mistaken.)

Paul says that some will distort the truth in order to draw disciples away after themselves. In this case it may be a matter of pride and prestige rather than profit, but it is still desructive.

I could talk about these things for a long time. There are many examples. There is a book called “Boundaries”. It was first published in 1990. Ten years later in 2000 it was the number one best-selling “Christian” book. It’s still being sold in Christian outlets today and is apparently still popular. It has a lot of scriptural quotes, but promotes false and destructive teachings. Anyone who has read and studied the Bible would be able to see that contradictions are everywhere. (Kim read part of the “Boundaries” book. Ask her. She said it was absolute garbage. I agree.) It appeals to selfishness. The authors even say that it isn’t about selfishness, but they were wrong. I believe the motive for the books publication is profit.

There are also teachers that promote sexual immorality. Even back in biblical times Jesus rebuked the “angel” of the church at Thyatira for “tolerating that woman Jezebel” who called herself a prophetess and was leading Jesus’s servants into sexual immorality and idolatry. People do the same thing today. They are false and destructive teachers.

And remember the 57 percent of evangelicals who say that there are many religions that lead to eternal life. Where did they get that teaching? And why is it appealing? It’s appealing because you don’t have to make yourself uncomfortable by warning people who are following a false religion that will probably be offended at your warning.

Here’s a quick test. If the teaching appeals to the flesh and to selfishness instead of to your love for Jesus Christ, it’s a false and destructive teaching. It needs to be stamped out before it spreads. (But to those who are misled by it, we must speak the truth in love.)

Now let’s look at verses 32 through 35:

^{32 “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ³³I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. ³⁴You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. ³⁵In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:32-35)

Paul committed the Ephesian elders to God and the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. “The word of God’s grace”. Even if a teaching sounds unselfish, it may still be wrong. You test it against the word of God. And if it teaches that salvation is through anything but God’s grace (rituals, good deeds, or whatever), it’s false and it’s destructive. It will lead to hell. Test everything against the word of God.

Now I’ll read the last three verses:

^{36When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. ³⁷They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. ³⁸What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship. (Acts 20:36-38)

Paul is now on his way to Jerusalem with just a few more stops. Then he will be put in prison and eventually will get to Rome. He will get to testify before Caesar, the ruler of all the Roman Empire. God will be glorified! Amen!

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Cor. 13:14)

Please pray for Tom and me as elders. (Tom is not an elder on paper yet, but I believe the Holy Spirit has made him an elder.) This is a hard teaching for us. Please pray.

[Prayer]}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

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