We've come through a major riot. We've seen the Apostle and his companions beaten, tossed in jail, set free, beleaguered, badgered, judged and condemned for the message they promote. If we are to take to heart the account of the early Acts of the church, then let us not lose heart or give up because things get hard in our path of life.
As we enter Chapter 20 this morning, we find a passage where Luke, the author of the Gospel by the same name,seems to interject himself more into the narrative. You can feel that he was present and that none of this was told to him second hand. Sometimes as historical account is being given, there truly is not much to expound upon. The opening verses of Chapter 20 read very much that way. It is truly and simply historical and does not give a preacher much to comment on. That can make for a boring sermon. Maybe the tone is there intentionally as we move into the middle section where we see a young man doing exactly as it has been suggested by the title this morning - falling asleep in church. Lastly, we will see Paul giving many instructions and direction to the Ephesian church as he plans to head toward Jerusalem. Lets take a read over the opening of the chapter.
As I mentioned, there is not much "expoundable" material here. What we are lookin for is someting of a moral nature. Maybe, something of a supernatural flare. Something God is truly at work or the human condition is being stetch and flexed to become more like Jesus. There are plenty of pieces and parts through out the scriptures where what we read are a simple list of names and dates and places with little to actually comment about. Paul does have a slight irritation again with some Jews ho make him change course and go back through Macedonia, familiar and friendly territory to the Apostle where he has already been at work. Other than that, nothing much to see here.
The next paragraph has plenty we can take apart and discuss. I want you to notice a different feel to way things are described. The good doctor, Luke, seems to bring a bot more of his person feeling into narrative. Most of the way through Acts, we could say we have read historical account of where the apostles have been and what they have experienced, but we truly have not given much consideration to the idea that Luke is recording much of it first hand. He is a witness to the events and their scribe. Until Chapter 20, we might not have thought much about his presence in the midst of the account. Now, we actually get that feel of him hearing and listening to Paul's preaching with the first hand feel of being there in the moment. Lets pick up at verse 7.
I, myself, have first hand knowledge of what it must feel like for people to think you are going "on and on." It was the Easter season of 2001. I had been asked to give the sermon for the college youth group and the morning service in Brown Chapel on the campus of Muskingum University where my wife was attending. For some reason, one of the leaders in the group (I believe her name was Susan) was also sitting with the choir up on the platform. As I was preaching my sermon, I kept looking her way as my view covered the whole crowd that morning. Every glance in her direction was met with this hand gesture of wanting me to move along, faster, quicker, get it over with, she seemed to be saying. I actually spoke to it at one point "I'm trying to preach a message here. It'll be over when it's over."
We have a choice here. We either believe Luke and think that Paul is a long boring preacher -or- we think that Paul has something to say and he'll be "over when it's over." From Paul's own accounting of himself, in his own writings, the Apostle emphasized that the gospel message is powerful through the Holy Spirit, not through impressive rhetoric. He wanted people to know that their belief was a miracle produced by God, not by his speech. "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power" (1 Corinthians 2:4) Paul, however, seemed to be self-conscious about his speaking abilities. He spoke in terms that show he was self-conscious about it, even while asserting that his message was powerful and derived its effectiveness from God, not his own skills. He admitted to being "unskilled in speech" and having a "contemptible" speaking style, while simultaneously emphasizing that his message of the Gospel was clear, powerful, and the work of the Holy Spirit. He explained this apparent contradiction by stating his faith was not to be placed in human eloquence but in the power of God, which he believed his detractors did not understand. In 2 Corinthians 11:6, Paul states, "And though I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge," indicating that while he may have been a poor orator, he was not lacking in understanding or the ability to make his message understood.
We spent some time early in Acts speaking to the matter of "kicking the buck" toward Jesus. Getting the attention and focus off of ourselves and onto the Lordship of Christ. Even though Paul may not be the world's greatest preacher, he seems to write with exactly that emphasis. "Follow me, as I am following Christ." he would push to the Corinthians. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit to move through a message and bring it home so as to conclude with a response from the people. While Paul may have been flat and boring, as Luke suggests in this passage, it takes the young man, Eutychus, falling from the window and his subsequent resurrection (being prayed over by Paul) to show people the power of God. My friend and fellow pastor, AJ Bernard referenced his own brand and style of preaching where he said he preached of the Prodigal Son for two weeks and got no response. On a historical note, Billy Graham spoke for 7 1/2 minutes on the same subject at a crusade meeting one evening and the people came in droves. It begs the question, "How can we speak effectively so that God can move through our words and bring people closer to Himself?"
Connecting to what we were previously focused upon - being effective speakers for Christ; we should not miss the idea suggested in verse 13. Did you catch it? Paul has charted a boat to go from they were in Troas in order to get to the city of Assos. But, the boat was not for him. It was for his companions. He goes on foot. Why? Simply to have some time with the Lord. We need to go alone with Jesus. We need time to pray and get our hearts and souls in the right place before we move on to - the next task, the next person, the next job out there in front of us. Too often we don't take the time. And, many times, we don't see any fruit from our labors. We too wrapped up in our own initiatives, in ourselves, in what we want and think. We don't spend the time to get into the focus of what Jesus wants. The harvest suffers. Our churches suffer. Our families suffer. Because Jesus is not the first and foremost in our lives. He is a part and a piece. But, not First. For Paul, nothing else matters. There are cities to visit. There are sermons to preach. There are churches to start. Staying in touch with Jesus and being in a right relationship with Him is what Paul knows matters the most. He will not allow anything to come between himself and his Savior.
As we approach the ending of this chapter, I can't help but wonder if the idea for the letters that this great Apostle will write come from this very place. He calls the leaders in the Ephesus church to himself. Paul is currently in Miletus, which is approximately an hour down the coastline. Sources say it a quicker trip by boat. It's around 35 miles away. which means word would have had to travel to the church leader, by foot and maybe pen and paper. Then, they have to pack up and go to see Paul. Then, they have to travel back home. It is the very language that Paul uses with these church leaders in the closing words of this chapter that seem to suggest another form of communication might be its on its way. The way Paul gives them encouragement and instructions is in the same kinds of words he would write to them later about. Verse 24 seems exactly like what we have read in his letters.
24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
Can we do that? Could we follow that example? Could we be that close with Christ?
What would our churches look like if we did? What would our families look like if we did?
How should we live knowing that Jesus wants to be first in our hearts?
Lets put Jesus at the center of all we do.
Blessings
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