Acts 20:7-12 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.
From our text we see that Paul was preaching on the third floor of a particular building in Troas. The room he was in was well lit, and no doubt the lights were giving off much heat. The text doesn't say, but I suspect the room was packed in attendance. Perhaps Eutychus sat in the window in order to provide another seat for the adults present. The point is the room was hot and most likely packed with people making it uncomfortable to the flesh. Eutychus, a young man in attendance, sitting in a window, went to sleep, fell out the window, and died from the fall. In summary, we have a young man in the house of God, who was there for a while, fell away, and died!
This same scenario happens again and again in our churches today. We have young people in church who stay for a while, go to sleep spiritually, fall away, and in service to God are dead. Why? Perhaps we can get some clues from our text. First, let's look at what the problem was not.
It wasn't because he:
1. Was in church. There were many others in church that night who did not fall.
2. Was keeping the wrong company. He was in the midst of God's people.
3. Lacked a good man of God who would preach it right. He wa listening to the Apostle Paul, a great man of God who was uncompromising with the truth.
The fact is he went to sleep, fell, and died in church, among God's people, listening to a great man of God. Dear parent if that could happen to Eutychus, it could happen to your children. It's not enough to take your children to church! It's not enough to surround your children with church people! It's not enough to place your children under the preaching of a great man of God! It's just not enough!!! It's good and necessary, but it's just not enough.
What was the problem? What should have been done to have protected Eutychus? How could this potential tragedy been avoided?
Older
Top
