What Will Be Your Legacy? (2 Of 2)

But it is more than just a man sleeping in this passage of scripture. This man named Eutychus was sitting on a window sill while Paul preached a very lengthy sermon, and he fell out the window and died.

• We ministers are indeed thankful for this passage of scripture, because when we see men and women sleeping in church, it makes us feel better to know they also slept when Paul preached.

• We ministers also are thankful for this passage because it took Paul five hours to put one man to sleep and today most ministers can put a half- dozen to sleep in a thirty minute sermon.

• I have never had that happen while I preached, but I have seen some that almost got whiplash when they were sleeping in church and woke up.

Sleeping in church seems to be an age old problem in church services.

Illus: A minister decided he was going to do something about a man that often slept during his sermons.

While the man was sleeping, the pastor said, “All who want to go to heaven, please rise.” Everyone stood up except the sleeper.

Then, he walked over to where the man was sleeping and SCREAMED OUT, “All who wish to go to hell, STAND UP NOW!”

Only the sleeper stood up. The sleeper looked around and saw he was the only one standing, he said “I don’t know what we’re voting on, Reverend, but it looks like you and me are the only ones for it’.”

Illus: Dr. Odell Belger was preaching one night and a man went to sleep during his sermon. His Nephew was sitting beside him, and when he went into a deep sleep, he poked him in the side to get him to quit snoring. The man thought the preacher had called on him to pray, so he stood up and closed the service in prayer. He was embarrassed when he discovered he had prayed in the middle of the sermon.

Paul also had to deal with sleepers during his sermons.

Look at Acts 20:7-12, we read, “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.”

What happened in this passage of scripture is something that most of us have never experienced in a church service.

WHAT HAPPENED?

• They did not have electric lights as we have today in our evening service, they used lanterns to be able to see.

• The church building was packed and some had to sit on the window sills.

• Paul was going to leave them the next day, so he decided he would share everything he wanted to tell them.

Paul probably set a record for the Guinness book of records that evening. He preached from around 6 0’clock until midnight. That’s a five hour sermon, and you think my sermons are long! After he raised Eutychus from the dead, they had a communion service, and the Bible tells us he preached until the crack of dawn and he departed.

Illus: A pastor, known for his lengthy sermons, noticed a man get up and leave during the middle of his message. The man returned just before the conclusion of the service. Afterwards the pastor asked the man where he had gone. "I went to get a haircut," was the reply. "But," said the pastor, "why didn't you do that before the service?" He said, “I didn’t need one before service!”

Eutychus fell out of a three story building during a church service and it killed him, but God used Paul to bring him back to life.

It would have been interesting to see what was placed on his tombstone when he died later. Why would it be interesting? Because sometimes a man’s whole life can be written on his tombstone.

Illus: These things were actually found written on tombstones:

• A man had written on his tombstone, "I made a lot of good deals in my lifetime, but I sure went in the hole on this one."