Title: I Have Life/Acts 20:7-12
Content Life is in me/Acts 20:7-12
The church community of Troas gathered on the first day after the Sabbath. This day is the Easter of Jesus. There was a ‘breaking of bread’ in the middle of the meeting. A communal meal follows. Before that, there will be a worship service with a sermon. Today, the congregation gathers. Tonight went on until midnight because I had to leave early the next day. After the worship service was over, the young man Eutychus sat on the window sill and fell asleep while falling asleep.
Like Eutychus, who fell asleep while falling asleep, there are times in our lives when we cannot overcome our sleepiness and faint. Life may be lost due to various reasons, such as inexperience, poor health, poor economic conditions, accidents, or exhaustion from hardships.
But life belongs to the Lord. As we said today, there are times in our lives where we too feel as if we have lost our breath while sitting on the third floor of our lives. On the other hand, there are times when you are in a situation where you feel like you are dead. When you work for a long time, there are times when you experience failure at the age of a young man. There are times when I wonder if I will ever be able to get up again because of a seemingly severe disability. There are times when we give up and despair. All of this is like the young Eutychus, who fell from the third-floor silkworm because he could not overcome the drowsiness of life. What is the message from the Lord in today's Word?
1. It is the fact that all people will face the wretchedness of death (v. 9).
The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It goes on to say, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). That's right. The wages of sin is death. The cause of drowsiness is sin. If you can't beat sleepiness, you're falling. So, didn't I say that life is hard? We must never be vigilant as we go along the dangerous path of life.
But if you fall asleep while falling asleep, there is no need to be discouraged. The reason is that everyone will stand before the judgment seat at least once. Eutychus actually died. We too will surely die someday. This is God's economy. In this way, God loved mankind who could not overcome the limit of death and made the Messiah look forward to the future. “Who will save us from this body of death?” is the question of all of us.
2. The believer must be sure of the actual resurrection of the dead (verse 10).
Paul said, “Don’t talk. I have life.” Here we are reminded of the resurrection and eternal life that those who belong to the Lord will one day experience. This is the evidence that comforts the church (verse 12). The church has been through many persecutions and tribulations until now. Without resurrection and eternal life, faith means nothing to us. The resurrected Eutychus is proof of that. This is God's comfort for the church. Christmas, when Jesus Christ came to this earth, was completed by the solution of all mankind's sins, crucifixion, death, and resurrection.
Paul looks back on his life. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith; from now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:78).” No matter how impossible it is, believers should be able to enjoy the joy of being assured of eternal life while professing their faith in the resurrection.
3. The church must be able to cry out to the world, “There is life.”
Saints! Are you also sleeping? No, did you fall asleep already? Look around. Isn't it a world where everyone is sleeping? Didn't everyone come to a point where they died? Do we not even know where we are going in the ‘quick-quick culture’? Seeing Eutychus fallen, Paul hugged him and said, “Don’t talk. Life is in me” (verse 10).
Shouldn't the church be like a beacon that brings life to its neighbors and the world who are dozing off, falling apart, and talking? We must embrace the world and find life with our tears. Even if everyone gives up and despairs, the church must proclaim to the world that there is hope as the ark of salvation. Paul overcomes the trials of the church through the gift of showing signs. It further strengthens the faith of the church. Let us also overcome trials for ourselves and others by developing our gifts through Jesus Christ.
The new year is bright. Have you experienced the same failures of the past year as falling asleep and falling into the misery of death? This is a limitation that everyone must face. In the midst of this, believers must be filled with the assurance of resurrection through Jesus Christ, who came to this earth and saved us from the body of sin and death. Furthermore, the Church must keep the hope of strengthening her gifts and preaching the Gospel to the end to become a true alternative to shouting “There is life!” to the world.