Acts 20:1-16

Well, good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Welcome to coffee and devotions This is where every day you and I we get together We get into the god's word and we grow in our love for the lord together in this year 2022 we'll go all the way from acts To philemon and this morning we're at acts chapter 20 the first 17 verses.
It's so good to have you this morning Let's go ahead and pray. We'll have some coffee and we'll get into the lord's word Father, thank you for this morning. Thank you for the incredible way in which you have moved your people, spread your word. We thank you that nothing can stop the advancement of your gospel in Jesus's name. Amen. Let's have some coffee and then we'll get into Acts chapter 20. We got a bunch of traveling to do this morning. Acts chapter 20.
Like I said, lots of traveling. We're going to be looking at a whole bunch of different places. By the way, I'm going to encourage you to go ahead and later on find a Bible atlas and go through. This is one of my favorite things I've been doing yesterday and today was going through and looking at Bible atlases and finding out all these different places. Because of copyright issues, I can't do that online with you guys. If we were at Chalk and Talk at church, I would show you in the afternoon all these places that Paul is stopping. Feel free to look at an atlas and find where these places are, it's fun.
Alright, well, after the uproar had ceased, this is in Ephesus, Paul called the disciples to himself, embraced them, or he said goodbye to them, and departed to go to Macedonia. Now when he had gone over that region, and encouraged them with many words, he came to Greece, and stayed three months. And when the Jews plotted against him as he was about to sail to Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. And Sopater of Berea accompanied him to Asia.
Also Aristarchus and Secundus of Thessalonica, and Gaius of Derbe and Timothy. and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia. These men, going ahead, waited for us at Troas. So Luke has joined them now. But we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and in five days joined them at Troas, where we stayed seven days." So Paul has left Ephesus and he's gone to Greece, and most likely he's in Corinth, Greece's region, not necessarily other places. This is Achaia. And so Paul goes there and he's there for six months.
He's ministering and he's caring for people. But it seems like he wants to get back. So he's gone through Macedonia, he's strengthened the churches and the places he had gone and places like Philippi and Thessalonica and also Embraer and now he's down in the south most likely at Corinth. Now he's going to make his way back to Syria, but there's some plotting of the Jewish people. It seems that he finds his life in danger, and so he decides to go back, retracing his steps through Macedonia. So he goes back the other way, and he's picking up travel companions as he goes, and it seems as if he's saying, hey, you guys go on to Asia.
I'll meet you there. Remember, when we're speaking of Asia, we're talking about what's now modern-day Turkey. This is a province right across the Aegean Sea from Greece today and Macedonia today. That's where Ephesus would be. Anyways, Paul goes there, but he stops in Philippi. And when he's there, it seems like this could possibly be the place where Luke is from because in verse 5 it says, these men going ahead waited for us at Troas. So they waited at Troas. Well, Luke and Paul maybe some other people we don't know but at least the two of them are at Philippi now This is one of the places where the us comes back in the we come back in Luke has rejoined the journey and so They go, and this is interesting in verse 6, but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread. It seems that Paul is still very much a Jew. He's still very much Jewish.
He's celebrating these I don't think he's celebrating them. I don't think he's celebrating the Passover in the way that he used to. But I think when he's celebrating the Feast of Unleavened Bread and as he's celebrating these Old Testament ceremonies, he's not doing so because he wants to follow the law. Actually, it's very different than that. He talks about the ceremonial law in the Book of Galatians and how it's never going to save.
But in his mind, these are remembrances. He is remembering who the Lamb truly is. And so there's this transition that's happening, that Paul is still celebrating this, and he's got it in his mind. He wants to get to Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost. And that gives us 50 days. He's got 50 days to get from Philippi all the way to Jerusalem. And so he travels pretty fast and has a set mind to do that. So let's go ahead and pick up where he goes after that.
After he had stayed seven days, verse 7, Now, on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. Talk about a long sermon. He preaches from the daytime all the way till midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together.
And in the windows sat a certain young man named Eutychus. who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep, and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up, dead. But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him. Now when he, that's Paul, when Paul had come back up, had broken bread and eaten, he talked a long while, even till daybreak he departed, and they brought the young man in alive. And they were not a little comforted.
Well, what's going on in this part of the story? Paul's God, he's only got a short amount of time and so he's going to use all the time he has. Let me say that I hope that most preachers don't do this, but I have heard of times where a missionary will be in a closed country and they're only there for a day or two and the saints will gather together and they will meet. And they'll meet for hours upon hours upon hours and hours with only small breaks in between. And when do they meet? They meet on the first day of the week. It seems like this is their normal time to meet. They meet on the first day of the week and this is where the whole day is filled with teaching them. All the way till midnight.
And what happens to this man Eutychus? Well, you can imagine becoming weary by the time it's midnight. and falling into a deeper, deeper sleep, and he falls down, and he dies. He falls out of the third story window, and Paul goes down, and he throws himself on him, he falls upon him, he embraces him, and it's as if he's Elijah. It's as if he's one of these Old Testament saints again. It's as if he's truly one of the apostles like Peter who could say to Tabitha, arise.
And Eutychus arises and he goes back up into the upper room and he teaches continually until daybreak. So for hours and hours more beyond that. Now, it's interesting that we want more about the details here. We want more about the miracle. We want to know what did Eutychus think? How did this happen? Things like that. But what is the focus on? The focus is on the teaching. The focus is on the message. The focus is on there has been one sent by God with words for the people and they needed to hear them. I do think it's interesting just to note if you've ever gotten drowsy during a sermon, well, you're not the first one in church history here. This happens, and the Lord is still gracious with them.
Let's go ahead and finish on with some travels as Paul continues down the Aegean coast. Then we went ahead to the ship and sailed to Asos, there intending to take Paul on board, for so he had given orders, intending himself to go on foot. And when he met us at Asos, we took him on board and came to Mytilene. We sailed from there, and the next day came opposite Chios, The following day arrived at Samos and stayed at Trogilium. The next day we came to Miletus, for Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.
So here we find that Seems like Paul's got some stuff to do still in Troas. This is on the northern part of what we'd now call Turkey, right on the northwest corner. And he's there and he tells the guys, hey, you go ahead and go on the ship and I'll meet you at Asos. It's about a 20 mile walk from Troas down to Asos, but this ship is going to have to go all the way around a land jet there. But the plan works. We don't know what Paul's doing in Troas. Maybe he's attending to Eutychus. Maybe he's teaching more. Maybe he has supplies to buy. Maybe he wants to do some last-minute evangelization. Don't know exactly, but the plan works.
He meets them at Asos and the disciples pick him up and they start heading down south, south, south, south. If you've ever looked at this area on a map, it's really a lot of little islands. spread across down the western coast of what's now modern-day Turkey, then we would call it Asia, and they're working their way south. And interestingly, he bypasses Ephesus, that town he had just spent over three years ministering, well sorry, over two years ministering, probably close to three years, and and he bypasses them. Why?
He's got a mind to get to Jerusalem. He's going to get there for the Feast of Pentecost, and he's only got a certain number of days to get there. And so, this is the plan that he's taking. This is the sale that they're making, and he's on his voyage to Jerusalem. Things are going to radically change once we get into chapter 21, but what's all this been about?
Well, We need to remember that these are the acts of the apostles, but this is the Holy Spirit moving. This is God in his providence pushing the message forward. Paul is going on a strengthening tour and a teaching tour. Paul is preaching to the churches and caring for the saints. He is a shepherd of God's people, and he is caring both for the people and carrying the message of God.
So, calling, what are we called to do in response to these words? Or are you listening to the message of God? Maybe some of you, maybe some of you need to be sensitive to the calling of the spirit as he works in your heart. Maybe some of you have been sensing this desire to go and share the message with others.
Maybe you think, well I'm not a missionary, but I would go with somebody who could teach me. Would you be one of the traveling companions? Would you be one of the helpers? Would you be a Luke? Would you be a Timothy? Would you be one of those from Thessalonica or from Derby? Would you be the Gaius?
Would you go and support the work? Maybe you've been called to travel to a foreign land. If you don't know how to do that, let me know. Check out something like RP Global Missions or RP Home Missions. Maybe it's just that you're a member of the congregation, like Eutychus. Do you have a hunger and a thirst for God's word? Would you be willing to submit yourself to the teaching of the Lord and to feed upon his word day and night? Is it a joy to you? Is it a delight to you? Weary? Maybe. Tiresome? Sometimes. But is it your desire to sit at the Lord's feet?
Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word, and we thank you for your providence. We thank you that your hand guided Paul through all these different places, that you surrounded him with other Christians. that He had support and He had care. We thank You for the church that was there in Troas and dedicated to Your Word, even to the wee hours of the morning. Lord, we pray that You would give us a hunger and a thirst for Your Word. And Father, I pray for any of those who might be listening today as they are thinking about Your Word and are thinking about possibly the desire to go and share your word in a foreign area. Lord, I pray that you would not let that desire grow cold in their hearts, but that they would be spurred on towards knowing and following you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Well, may the Lord bless you today. May your day be full of good work for God's glory. May you enjoy every moment being thankful always to the Lord. And I'll see you tomorrow. Bye.
Thanks for listening to this week's message from God's Word for You, a ministry of Sharon R.P. Church in rural southeast Iowa. We pray that the message would be used by God to transform your faith in your life this week. If you'd like to get more information about us, feel free to go to the website, SharonRPC.org. We'd love to invite you to worship with us. Our worship time is 10 a.m. every Sunday at 25204 160th Avenue, Morning Sun, Iowa, 52640. May God richly bless you this week.