On Being Alert
Introduction: I was undecided for some time as to what to do with the first part of Acts 20. I didn’t want to skip it, for it has been said that the church service Paul conducted at Troas is one of the most encouraging incidents in the Bible for pastors, because it demonstrates that even when the great Apostle Paul spoke, people fell asleep.
I suppose, however, that the average layman could read something sinister into a decision to preach a six-week series on Eutychus. So, I have opted for a course that strikes something of a balance between the interest of the clergy in this text and the legitimate fear of the laity that the passage will be used against them. I have chosen to speak on the subject of “alertness in the Christian life.”
The Boys Scouts have a famous motto, at least it was their motto when I was young: “Be Prepared!” A very similar exhortation is repeated frequently in the Scriptures regarding a number of different issues: “Be on the Alert!” While those words aren’t found in Acts 20:6-12, I believe the concept is. Then we will look at three other areas where the believer is exhorted to be on the alert. Let’s read Acts 20:6-12:
We sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and reached them at Troas within five days; and we stayed there for seven days.
7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were gathered together. 9 And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting on the windowsill, sinking into a deep sleep; and as Paul kept on talking, Eutychus was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third floor, and was picked up dead. 10 But Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said, “Do not be troubled, for he is still alive.” 11 When Paul had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left. 12 They took away the boy alive and were greatly comforted.
Alertness to the Word of God (20:6-12)
Paul is about to complete his third missionary journey as we come to Acts 20. He has traveled through Galatia and Phrygia and spent nearly three years in Ephesus, after which he briefly visited the churches in Macedonia and Greece. Verse 6 notes his arrival in Troas on the western edge of Asia Minor, now known as Turkey. He stays there a week.
One of the interesting things about this visit to Troas is the insight it gives us into the worship practices of the early Church. This is the first clear indication in the New Testament that the Church had changed its day of worship from the Sabbath to Sunday in honor of the day on which our Lord was resurrected. Second, we note from verse 7 that they gathered together to break bread, indicating the communion had a key part in their worship practices. Third, they probably met at night, for it is highly unlikely that Paul preached from morning until midnight. (In fact, some of us are probably thinking that he had nerve enough to preach from evening to midnight).
The fact is that the early Church probably had most of their services on Sunday night due to the fact that so many of their members were slaves, who had to work all day. And finally, we note that preaching played a major role in the early church’s worship, for the word “talk” in verse 7 means to deliver a speech or, probably in this case, preach a sermon. A different Greek word is used in verse 11, which does mean that he talked or conversed with them until daylight.
At any rate, while Paul was preaching, perhaps into his fourth or fifth hour of discourse, a young man named Eutychus was sitting on a third-floor windowsill. In verse 8 Luke informs us that there were many lamps in the upper room where the service was being held. Ancient lamps or torches, as they may have been, sucked oxygen out of the air at a significant rate.
So, in essence what we have here is a disaster waiting to happen. First, you’ve got a four-hour sermon; second, there’s a stale, smoke-filled, room; third, a young man, who perhaps had worked all day from dawn to dusk before arriving at the service, realizes he’s getting sleepy and moves to the windowsill to get fresh air. And finally, poor Eutychus, nods off and falls out of the window. The fall kills him, as we see from verse 9, where Dr. Luke pronounces him dead.
Now what’s the moral of this story? I came across the following poem in a church newsletter. It’s called “Poor Sleepy Eutychus.” (It was adapted from a poem in the book, “Pillar of Pepper.”)
Poor sleepy Eutychus a sittin’ without squirmin’.
Perching on a window ledge to hear an endless sermon.
Now his eyes are droopy, sittin’ way up high.
Poor sleepy Eutychus is just about to die.
But Saint Pau. keeps on a’preachin’ to our hero snoozin’ hard.
Then Eutychus leans into the air and crashes in the yard.
But Paul is an apostle, quite unlike other men.
Down he runs to Eutychus and gives him life again.
So if you’re gonna sleep in church, don’t from a window fall,
Cause this man up front a’preachin’ is not Apostle Paul.
But to be very honest, the reason this story is included in the book of Acts probably has nothing to do with the problem of falling asleep in church. Rather it may be included to show that God cares even for the weary, and in addition, to communicate that the Apostle Paul had the power of the Holy Spirit on his ministry even to the point that he could raise people from the dead.
I admit that Eutychus is not a symbol of sloth and laziness. Nevertheless, I think it is not twisting Scripture to say that this passage has something to say to us about alertness. In fact, the incident says more to us about the need for watchfulness than it had to say to Eutychus, for the simple reason that when we hear the Word preached it’s usually for no more than 35 minutes, the temperature is reasonably well controlled, the lighting comes from mercury lamps that take no oxygen out of the air, and the furthest we can fall if we do nod off is two feet to the floor, admittedly an embarrassment, but hardly fatal. (A certain woman I know who shall remain nameless, did actually almost fall out of her pew once, and I wasn’t preaching. In fact, I was sitting next to her and had to help her save face by acting like she had had a heart attack. It was a riot!)
My point is this: Eutychus’ predicament we can understand; but if we cannot pay attention to the teaching of the Word for 35 minutes, then there is indeed something wrong with the way we are coming to Church. You know, I have sat where you sit, and I know from experience how difficult it can be at times to stay awake in church. So instead of just preaching at you, I’d like to offer some practical suggestions that I have tried or seen tried, which I think will help. Let me do it in the form of a covenant I have written and called the Eutychean Covenant:
1. I will get sufficient sleep on Saturday night so that my mind is fresh for the Lord’s Day. (Even good things like Suppers of Eight can be a problem. Last month it was at our house and we scheduled it on Friday night because I hate Saturday night activities).
2. I will prepare my heart before I arrive at Church by praying that God will speak to me while I’m there. (Perhaps this should start earlier in the week or at the very latest at breakfast on Sunday morning).
3. I will concentrate on the Scriptures and the sermon, knowing that this is one of the principal ways that God speaks to His children. (Concentration is largely a matter of the will. You can control your thoughts if you want to).
4. I will bring my Bible every Sunday and keep it open to the passage the Pastor is preaching from, looking at it regularly to see if it really says what the Pastor says it says.
5. I will interact mentally with the Pastor, affirming him when he’s right, questioning him when I don’t understand, and challenging him when I think he’s wrong (all silently, of course, at least until after the service).
6. I will interact with the Lord, asking him during the sermon how this applies to my life and how I can use it during the coming week.
7. I will take notes on the Sermon Supplement of key ideas that I should store away for the future.
8. I will write down questions from the message that I want to pursue in my own private study or ask about after the sermon.
9. I will keep my Sermon Supplements in a notebook as a running record of what God has taught me through the preaching ministry. (I’ve been doing Sermon Supplements for about 12 years. A few years ago the janitor of First Free in Wichita brought a notebook into the church office which he had found in a pew. It had no name in it so he put it in the Lost and Found. I saw it there and what it contained did my heart a great deal of good. For in that notebook I found about five years’ worth of Sermon Supplements, each one carefully marked with notes and personal comments. I wasn’t too surprised when I discovered that the notebook belonged to Dorothy Watkins, a great listener. There was about as much chance of Dorothy falling asleep in church as there was of me singing a solo).
10. I will review my notes at least once in the three days following the sermon to cement the ideas I received. (This is simply a time-tested learning technique that works in any college classroom. If you review within three days your learning will increase dramatically).
Now I would like to say to you that if you follow the Eutychean Covenant, I believe sleeping in church would rapidly become a thing of the past, even if you’ve had a problem with it before. And really, it should be a thing of the past, shouldn’t it? If we really believe that we are dealing with the very Word of God, the love letter that almighty God has written to His children, then it certainly deserves our full attention.
I should also in the same breath admit that it is incumbent upon pastors to be well prepared and enthusiastic about what they are doing, which certainly helps the audience to pay attention. The founder of Young Life, Jim Rayburn, was well-known for a statement he made to the effect that “it is a sin to bore a kid with the Gospel.” I might paraphrase it this way, “It’s a sin to bore the people of God with lousy preaching.” I’ll do my best to avoid the latter; you do your best to be alert to the Word of God.
Now the Scriptures indicate not only that we should be alert in heeding God’s communication to us in his Word but also in our communication with Him through prayer.
Alertness in prayer (Matt 26:36-46)
The principal passage we will use for this theme is Matt 26:36-46.
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and told His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 And He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with Him and began to be grieved and distressed. 38 Then He *said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.”
39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” 40 And He *came to the disciples and *found them sleeping, and He *said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? 41 Keep watching and praying, so that you do not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass away unless I drink from it, Your will be done.” 43 Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. 45 Then He came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up, let’s go; behold, the one who is betraying Me is near!”
The disciples are in the Garden of Gethsemane with Christ during Passion Week. Three times Jesus asks them to pray while He goes off a short distance to pray alone, and three times he returns to find them sleeping. Once again, we have little trouble feeling sympathy for the Eutychuses among the disciples, for praying all night is an experience few of us have ever attempted. Even their inability to pray for one hour seems understandable when we honestly consider how many times in our lives we have prayed for a solid hour. The fact is that for many Christians ten minutes of concerted prayer at one time is a spiritual battle rarely won.
But did you notice why alertness is so important when it comes to prayer? In verse 41 Jesus says, “Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Who among us is not subject to the temptations of the flesh? For some it may be immoral actions, for others immoral thoughts, for still others it may be gossipy speech, and for still others it may be pride. But certainly, all of us are faced with temptations. And Jesus is telling us that the greatest weapons we have against temptation are not psychological techniques or hard-nosed resolutions or how-to books, but alertness and prayer.
Unfortunately, there may be nothing harder for the average Christian than keeping his mind on what he is doing when he is praying. In Colossians 4:2 the Apostle says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.” How quickly our minds wander, how quickly we fall asleep! Some of us may need to radically change our posture or our procedure in prayer. Praying out loud from a prayer list while walking may be the only way for some to stay alert in prayer. And if that is the only way, then that is what should be done. I’ve even wondered if perhaps the reason Daniel prayed publicly before an open window is because such a habit prevented him from forgetting what he was doing.
Not only are we to be alert in listening to God’s Word and alert in prayer, but we are also to be alert in spiritual combat.
Alertness for spiritual combat. (Acts 20:28-31)
This concept is also found in Acts 20, but since I’m going to address the passage in some detail in my next message, I will refer to it only briefly here. Let’s read verses 28-31a, where Paul is in the middle of his farewell address to the Ephesian elders: “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves, men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore, be on the alert.”
In line with what we learned last week about the schemes of the Devil, Paul here tells the Ephesian elders that there will be those outside the church and within the church who will undermine its ministry. And this state of affairs demands that the leadership be alert. That doesn’t mean paranoid. This is not a justification for a reign of terror by the leadership in which people are under constant scrutiny and surveillance lest they hold a view or do some activity that is unacceptable to the pastor or elders of that church. But it does mean that doctrine or behavior that is clearly contrary to the Word must not be swept under the rug.
Last Sunday I was talking to a good friend of mine who pastors a United Presbyterian church here in St. Louis. He is an evangelical, but he finds himself in a denomination that is not. He was bemoaning the fact that at the last Presbytery meeting a pastor was accepted as a member who is a committed universalist. A universalist believes that everyone is saved and that the task of the evangelist, preacher or missionary is to tell them they’re saved so they can enjoy the fact. Now nothing is clearer from the Bible than the fact that all men are not saved. But somewhere along the line the doctrinal alertness of the United Presbyterian Church has suffered some serious lapses.
I can think of several spiritual battles in the OT where alertness is highlighted as a most important part of the believer’s walk. I call them spiritual battles, but they were also physical battles. One was Gideon’s fight against the camp of the Midianites. Gideon had gathered a strong group of volunteers together to go up against the camp, but the Lord told him there were too many volunteers because the Israelites might become boastful and claim that their own power delivered them.
So Gideon dismissed 22,000 who were afraid and planned to go into battle with the remaining 10,000. But the Lord claimed that there were still too many, so he told Gideon to send them down to the water for a drink. 9,700 of these thirsty soldiers knelt down by the river and drank, but 300 scooped the water with their hand, lapped it like a dog, and kept their weapons in their other hand. It was these 300 instead of the original 32,000 that Gideon took into battle. It seems reasonable to conclude that God would rather have a few good men who are alert and watchful than a host who are careless and inattentive.
Then I think of the example of Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. So dangerous were Tobiah and Sanballat, enemies of the work, that half the people had to hold weapons while the other half worked. And even those that worked had to hold a weapon with one hand and work with the other. The last verse of Neh. 4 reads: “So neither I, my brothers, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us removed our clothes, each took his weapon even to the water.”
If alertness in physical battle is important, how much more alertness in spiritual battle! It shouldn’t surprise us that Paul ends his great discourse on the spiritual armor of the believer in Eph. 6 with these words: “Be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.”
Alertness in awaiting the Second Coming (Matt 24:36-44)
A final area in which alertness is essential is in regard to the Second Coming of Christ. Turn with me, if you will, to Matthew 24:36-44. In this passage Jesus is discussing the signs of the end of the age and of His coming. Particularly does he stress the fact that the time of His coming is unknown to anyone but the Father; thus the need for alertness. Let’s begin reading in verse 36.
“But about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 At that time there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.
42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43 But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 For this reason you must be ready as well; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
Now turn over to Mark 13:33, where another point is made on the same subject. Let’s read verses 33-37:
“Watch out, stay alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is. 34 It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay alert. 35 Therefore, stay alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36 so that he does not come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 What I say to you I say to all: ‘Stay alert!’”
Four times the word “alert” is used in those five verses. What is the significance of the need for alertness when Jesus comes? After all, those that are His children are going to be His at His coming, whether or not they are ready, aren’t they?
I would answer by saying that I believe there is a two-fold significance to the warning about the need for readiness. In the first place, Jesus is addressing His disciples, but among those disciples was one who was only a professor of faith, not a possessor of it. That is true in nearly every gathering of believers. There are undoubtedly those here this morning who are playing religious games, affirming faith in Christ, but in reality, refusing to repent of their sins and refusing His Lordship over their lives. There may even be some who are intending to get things right with God at some point in the future after sowing a few more wild oats. Jesus says you don’t know when that day will be and it may catch you completely off guard. Be prepared now!
But in the second place, I think Jesus’ words have application to true believers as well. Let me ask the ladies something. How many times have you been mortified when an unexpected guest arrived to find your house? You don’t want them to see it looking like it always does, so you apologize all over the place for the toys on the floor, the dirty clothes on the chair, the dishes on the cupboard. Does that guest cease being your friend because your house wasn’t clean? No, but a bit of your self-worth is damaged by the fact that you weren’t ready for company.
Or let me use an even more painful example that the men can relate to as well. Suppose a dear loved one dies unexpectedly. What are the first thoughts that go through our minds when facing such a situation. Isn’t it, “Why didn’t I do the nice things I intended to do for him? Why didn’t I visit her last month when I had the opportunity? Why? Why? Why?” What we are expressing by those questions is regret that we weren’t prepared for that person to leave.
If these are our reactions to the visit of an ordinary guest or to the loss of a loved one, how much more should we be alert to the possibility that today we may meet the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And how can we be prepared? I would think that involves keeping short accounts with Him, having our sins confessed, fulfilling the responsibilities he has given us, including sharing our faith with those He has brought across our paths, and having our priorities straight.
The Apostle John indicates that some are going to be ashamed at His coming, perhaps because they are going to have to admit that the most important thing in their lives has been the pursuit of the almighty dollar or the pursuit of pleasure, and that Jesus Christ has actually played a very small part in their lives. Others will be ashamed because they failed to share the Gospel with some they worked with or lived with for years. Listen to Paul’s words in this regard as recorded in I Cor. 15:34: “Become sober-minded as you ought and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.”
Conclusion: Friends, alertness is not a natural state of mind. Sleep, daydreaming, and mental relaxation are much more natural for us. We have to work at being alert, and that is why the Scriptures exhort us so extensively about it. We must be alert to the Word of God, alert in prayer, alert for spiritual combat, and alert in awaiting the Second Coming. May God help us to be awake and alert. In the words of 1 Thes 5:6: “So then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.”
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Alertness
Eutychus
Prayer
Spiritual battle
Second coming