How to not fall out of a window and die
• Have you ever fallen asleep in an inappropriate place?
• I can remember when I was in college, I used to be so tired all the time. Its hard work hanging out
• I had this 8am class, spring quarter, I would literally wake up, go to breakfast, go to the class and sleep for an hour
• Why did I even go? I could have just slept in.
• I got a D- the lowest grade you could get and still get credit- I didn’t care
• In the Army 5 years later I was sitting in a Board and some Major asked me about it
• You never know what can happen when you fall asleep.
• This AM want to preach from Acts 20:7-12 READ
• Eutychus- the name means “good fortune”
• I’m not sure how fortunate he was- but that’s what his name was
• Its easy in your Christian life because you’re doing more than other people to get a sense of contentment
• We are on a journey together- a journey of being refined by the holy spirit and growing to become more like Christ
• That process is not easy- its not for the faint of heart
• But together, we can live this life growing and learning and loving. To become more like Christ
• I’m titling this message- how not to fall out of a window and die- lessons from Eutychus
• What can we learn from the story of Eutychus? How can we not fall out of a window and die?
1. Make sure you stay close
• Having proximity to what God is doing is the first part of growing in Christ
• A lot of people don’t make their relationship with God a priority
o In Vs. 7 we see On the first day of the week
o The early church gathered on the first day of the week
o This was the custom and the norm- they got together
o It was normal to break bread and be together- they spent time with one another.
o I don’t know what time Paul started- but he kept talking until mid-night That’s a sermon!
o So many people talk about church length- we can work for 40 hrs, watch a movie for 3, but cant sit in church for 1.5 hrs?
o The bottom line is that the church, the early church made getting together the priority in their life
o It wasn’t a priority, it was THE priority
o I’m kind of old school- but I think that as we are a called out people, a peculiar people that we are called to spend time with the people of God as much as we can
o God moves in our fellowship time with one another.
o Now I understand that by making the choice to preach on this- some of you are saying- I thought I was close?
o If you are not close I am talking to you! If you are far away I’m talking to you!
o If you are in his lap I’m encouraging you to stay!
o Here is part of my personality- I always ask- “how can we make this better” I bring that to everything I do- including my relationship with Christ
o The hard part about that is that at times it may seem as if I’m a relentless task master- I’m not- I just like to make things better- to be constantly improving them.
o FOR PROXIMITY= The best place to be is as close to Jesus as possible
o Today- in the superbowl- the first time in history they are selling tickets outside the stadium
o The Tucson Weekly reports-
o The NFL will sell a $200 ticket to the game, but it comes with a catch. Fans will have to sit on the grass on the East Side of the stadium and watch the game on the huge outside HD TV screens
"We've never done this before," Brian McCarthy, the NFL's vice president of corporate communications, said Wednesday
The offer has been extended to Cowboys Club Seat season ticket holders, and must be purchased in blocks of four. Those who purchase the block of tickets receive a free parking pass, four Super Bowl programs and four scarves-
o Forecast for superbowl in Dallas? 30 low 40 high chance of snow and rain LOVE THOSE SCARVES!
o Why would you pay to sit outside? And why would you want to be near Jesus but not next to him
o Here was Eutychus beginning problem- he had positioned himself in a way that he wasn’t close to where Paul was preaching- to where the move of God was going on!
o He had chosen to sit somewhere away from where Paul was- not in proximity- not in the middle
o Not the floor- not the wall- A window
o Out of all the places that he chose, it was a DISTANCE away from where Paul was
o There are some people who will always choose to be spectators to what God is doing
o Sure, he was THERE but he wasn’t on the INSIDE of where God was moving- he had positioned himself on the edge
o On the fringe
o Some people find comfort on the fringe- staying where its seemingly safe- where they don’t have to get involved- where they are not known
o Staying on the edge of where God is moving is not where you want to be
o You want to be in the middle of it
o The worst part was- is that on some level, I would guess that E. thought that he would be safer from a strong move of God if he kept his distance- “ I don’t want to be where I’m not in control”
o This clearly wasn’t the case
o Society is perpetuating the spectator mindset
o We are encouraged to “watch” and not participate
o We’ve talked about this a bit lately
o Watch life don’t do it
o Watch sports don’t play it
o In the fifth grade- My buddy Matt and I had this idea that we wanted a school dance-
o Went to principal- worked to get it approved- the day before the dance- I was so excited
o Then it occurred- I had never danced and didn’t know- everyone was looking at matt and I- I had to dance
o We want to watch what God is doing- we don’t want to take part in what he is doing
o Christianity was never intended to be a spectator sport- its getting involved
o If there is not something that you are actively involved in in the church- you’re spectating
o I understand that your attendance here is appreciated, but honestly, only you know at what level you’re interested or involved
o I wonder if E. was even paying attention?
o You want to be as close as possible to what God is doing-
2. Make sure you don’t fall asleep
• Now ‘falling asleep’ can be a euphemism for many things in life-
• Are you asleep at the wheel?
• For some people- its not just a proximity problem- its an attention problem!
• You can’t even pay attention to what God is doing when you’re there
• Sing the songs, but don’t worship
• Listen to the sermon don’t apply it
• Talk to someone but don’t love them
• Serve someone but do it begrudglingly
• DON’T FALL ASLEEP- it could cost you your life
• There was a guy I went to High School with-
• He and his brother and I were all on the FB team together
• 3 boys and their dad going camping- 3 in the back asleep
• Driving a van over the mountains- the middle son fell asleep
• Because he fell asleep- his dad went into a coma- came out of it with permanent brain damage
• His brothers were traumatized
• Think about the 16 year old that was driving- the guilt and shame from falling asleep
• I can’t imagine the amount of times that he told himself since then- if only I hadn’t fallen asleep
• I thought about how Eutychus must have felt as he fell- what went through his mind-
• As he was falling- aaaa why didn’t I sit on the floor…. Aaaaa why didn’t I sit closer
• DON’T FALL ASLEEP
• Adam fell asleep and it cost him a rib!
• Samson Fell asleep and he lost his hair!
• Proverbs 20:13 Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare.
• Here’s the point behind the point-
• You’ve got to take your relationship with God seriously- its not something that should be lacksidaisical
• Mark 13:35-37 (New International Version, ©2010)
• 35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
• In mark 14- Jesus goes to pray in the garden of gethsemane and he comes back to find his disciples asleep- he asks couldn’t you stay awake for an hour???
• We’re all going to have a story
• What will yours be? – I slept through life- I always say- I can sleep all I want when I’m dead.
• That you fell asleep?- you missed everything that life had- cuz you wuz sleeping?
• Not falling asleep literally is something that you can train yourself to do
• When I was in the military- over 6 years- through every fireguard- every duty- I never once fell asleep
• It wasn’t easy- it was hard
• At 4 in the morning- no one is awake- no one would know- I could sneak a few
• But I would know- and it aint right
• I didn’t want go down as a guy who fell asleep
• In basic training a guy named Bonesteel did- and we all had to get up and do fireguard with him
• Don’t fall asleep!- do whatever it takes- I knew a guy who did his devotions standing on the edge of tub so if he fell he would crack his head-
• Romans 13:11 KJV And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed
3. Make sure you hang out with people full of the holy spirit
• The point of this story- much to the chagrin of many preachers is not a story about not falling asleep in church- its about proximity to Jesus and redemption!
• Now part of this story is that Eutychus, even though he clearly wasn’t paying attention, even though he wasn’t close to the action- was still hanging out with the Christians
• Sometimes we seem to think that just because we’re not ‘feeling it’ we shouldn’t come to church or shouldn’t go and fellowship- don’t believe that lie!
• Not the case- you can just be a by-stander and still receive some blessings!
• Don’t believe the Devil when he tries to encourage you to stay away from what God is doing just because you’re not in the mood. Or you’re not there yet.
• I always tell myself that I don’t want to miss church because what if that’s the day that rocks!
• This story- It’s a story about redemption- of how God can save anyone
• We can agree that Eutychus wasn’t the shining example of a person who was fully devoted to Christ
• But here’s a good part of the story-
• Even though Eutychus had made some bad choices
• Even though he hadn’t been positioned to hear Paul
• He was brought back to life in spite of his bad choices
• It’s a miracle!
• How awesome is it that when he fell out of the window that was basically he fault- Paul stops his preaching and runs down a performs a miracle on his life.
• How awesome is that?
• The scripture that came to my mind was- Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
• Romans 4:4-6 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works
• God’s redemption comes to us in the midst of our sin- in the midst of our brokenness
• Even if we are dumb enough to fall out of a window- because we fell asleep God still wants to bless us
• Now I’m not saying to go and sit in a window and fall asleep and die so God can bless you
• But I am saying that you have a choice in what you do and how you do it
• I’m encouraging you that if you did, God can still perform a miracle in your life
• Stay close to Jesus- Don’t fall asleep- but understand that if you do- God is still going to be there to pick you up.
• You can make a choice to stay close to Jesus
• You can make a choice to not fall asleep
• You can make a choice to spend time with people who have the ability to help you when you fall
• IN closing, Here is a verse that encourages me John 10:27-42
• Please bow your heads-
