Chapter Twenty — Part Three: The Book of Acts
By: Pastors Rodney & Adonica Howard-BrownePublish date: 09/11/2022
Foundation Scriptures:Acts 20:7-12
1. Longest Sermon.
a. Acts 20:7 KJV — 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.
b. They ate together, fellowshipped, and Paul began to preach—continuing until midnight.
c. This was Paul’s longest sermon on record and was at least 6 to 10 hours long.
d. Paul was packed and ready to depart in the morning, so this was his last opportunity to minister to them before leaving.
e. Acts 20:8 KJV — And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.
f. They did not have church buildings, but they met wherever they could—in this case, in an upper room, on the third floor.
g. It’s not all about the building, God can meet us wherever we are—indoors or out—in a fancy building, a humble shack, or an upper room.
h. There were many lights, or lamps, in the upper room.
i. Perhaps it felt a bit warm in there—because a young man called Eutychus went and sat in the window.
2. Eutychus.
a. Acts 20:9a KJV — And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep…
b. Eutychus’ name means “fortunate” or “good fortune” and he was very fortunate in the end, as it turns out.
c. Because he fell into a deep sleep at an open window.
d. Acts 20:9b KJV — …and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep…
e. Since Paul preached a long time, Eutychus sank down with sleep—meaning that even though he may have fought sleep, it overcame him.
f. Sank down (Greek katapherō) — to bear down; bring down; cast down; to be weighted down by; overcome; carried away; to sink into sleep; drop asleep.
g. Acts 20:9c KJV — …and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.
h. Eutychus fell out of the window, three floors up, and was killed.
i. They picked him up—lifted him up—dead; with no life in him at all.
j. Dead (Greek nekros) — one that has breathed his last; lifeless; deceased; departed; one whose soul is in heaven or hell; destitute of life; without life; inanimate.
3. Raised from the Dead.
a. Acts 20:10 KJV — And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.
b. Paul went down and fell on him—laid his own body on him—and raised him from the dead.
c. There is scriptural precedent for this method of resurrecting the dead.
d. Both Elijah (1 Ki. 17:17-24) and Elisha (2 Ki. 4:33-35) brought back the dead in this same way.
e. 1 Kings 17:21-23 AMPC — And he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord and said, O Lord my God, I pray You, let this child’s soul come back into him. 22 And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah, and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. 23 And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the [lower part of the] house and gave him to his mother; and Elijah said, See, your son is alive!
f. 2 Kings 4:32-36 AMPC — When Elisha arrived in the house, the child was dead and laid upon his bed. 33 So he went in, shut the door on the two of them, and prayed to the Lord. 34 He went up and lay on the child, put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And as he stretched himself on him and embraced him, the child’s flesh became warm. 35 Then he returned and walked in the house to and fro and went up again and stretched himself upon him. And the child sneezed seven times, and then opened his eyes. 36 Then [Elisha] called Gehazi and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she came, he said, Take up your son.
g. To raise someone from the dead, requires one to be operating in the gift of working of miracles, together with the gift of healing (1 Cor. 12:7-11).
h. Because God would have to resurrect the person as well as heal them of whatever had caused their death in the first place.
4. Do Not Be Troubled.
a. Paul told them: “Don’t trouble yourselves—make no fuss, no ado—because he is alive” (Acts 20:10b).
b. Trouble (Greek thorybeō) — make ado; trouble oneself; to make a noise or uproar; be turbulent; to disturb; throw into confusion; to be troubled in mind; to wail tumultuously.
c. When things appear to go wrong—like this young man’s death—we are tempted to react negatively.
d. But if we know God’s Word and His promises and His power, we can also rest in His peace—knowing that He has the answer for anything that circumstances, or the devil, throws at us.
e. First, look to God for His leading, and then obey Him.
f. Paul did not panic; he did not react—but he responded.
g. He took authority over the spirit of death and raised the young man from the dead.
h. Acts 20:11 KJV — 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.
i. Paul went back upstairs and continued to eat and converse with the believers, until the sun came up—and then he departed, even though he had been up ministering all night.
j. The anointing refreshes you—as you minister to others, you are also refreshed.
k. Acts 20:12 AMPC — They took the youth home alive, and were not a little comforted and cheered and refreshed and encouraged.
l. What the devil meant for bad, God turned around for good, and for a testimony.
m. So, they left, greatly comforted, and encouraged.