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Well, please turn with me in 
your Bibles to Acts chapter 20. Acts chapter 20. I'll begin reading in verse one. 
After the uproar had ceased, Paul called the disciples to 
himself, embraced them, and departed to go to Macedonia. Now when 
he had gone over that region and encouraged them with many 
words, he came to Greece and stayed three months. And when 
the Jews plotted against him as he was about to sail to Syria, 
he decided to return through Macedonia. and Sopater of Berea 
accompanied him to Asia, also Aristarchus and Secundus of the 
Thessalonians, Gaius of Derbe and Timothy, and Tychicus and 
Trophimus of Asia. These men, going ahead, waited 
for us at Troas, but we sailed away from Philippi after the 
Days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days joined them at Troas, 
where we stayed seven days. Now, on the first day of the 
week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, 
ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his 
message until midnight. There were many lamps in the 
upper room where they were gathered together. And in a window sat 
a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. 
He was overcome by sleep, and as Paul continued speaking, he 
fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul 
went down, fell on him, and embracing him, said, Do not trouble yourselves, 
for his life is in him. Now when he had come up, had 
broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, 
he departed. And they brought the young man 
in alive, and they were not a little comforted. Then we went ahead 
to the ship and sailed to Asos, there intending to take Paul 
on board, for so he had given orders, intending himself to 
go on foot. And when he met us at Asos, we 
took him on board and came to Mytilene. We sailed from there, 
and the next day came opposite Chios. The following day we arrived 
at Samos and stayed at Trogilium. The next day we came to Miletus, 
for Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would 
not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hurrying to be at 
Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. From Miletus 
he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. 
And when they had come to him, he said to them, you know, from 
the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always 
lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with 
many tears and trials, which happened to me by the plotting 
of the Jews, how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but 
proclaimed it to you and taught you publicly and from house to 
house, testifying to Jews and also to Greeks, repentance toward 
God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And see, now I 
go bound in the Spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will 
happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in 
every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But 
none of these things move me, nor do I count my life dear to 
myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry 
which I receive from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel 
of the grace of God. And indeed, now I know that you 
all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see 
my face no more. Therefore, I testify to you this 
day that I am innocent of the blood of all men, for I have 
not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. Therefore, 
take heed to yourselves and to 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. For I know this, that 
after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing 
the flock. Also from among yourselves men 
will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples 
after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember, 
that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone, night 
and day with tears. So now, brethren, I commend you 
to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build 
you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 
I have coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. Yes, you 
yourselves know that these hands are provided for my necessities 
and for those who are with me. I have shown you in every way, 
by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember 
the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, it is more blessed 
to give than to receive. And when he had said these things, 
he knelt down and prayed with them all. Then they all wept 
freely and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him, sorrowing most 
of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his 
face no more. And they accompanied him to the 
ship. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in Heaven, we thank You for the written Word of the living and 
true God. We find ourselves to be most blessed and most privileged 
that God spoke, that He has revealed Himself, that He has given us 
this inscripturated Word. And we pray that You would guide 
us now by the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit as we seek 
to learn from this passage. We ask that You would encourage 
and strengthen our hearts We ask that you would bless those 
who are dead in their trespasses and sins, awaken them, cause 
them to see their great need before a holy God, and cause 
them to hear of Christ and Him crucified, Christ and Him resurrected, 
and Christ able to save to the uttermost all who draw nigh unto 
God through Him. Forgive us again for all sin 
and transgression, wash us in that precious blood of the Lamb, 
and bless this time for your glory and honor. And we ask through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, this, in fact, is 
a long chapter, and the latter half is taken up with what I 
would call the first pastor's conference. Paul calls these 
Ephesian elders to himself, and he instructs them, he exhorts 
them, he encourages them on how they are to function in their 
local churches. We will, God willing, look at 
that section next week. We'll take up the first 16 verses 
this morning. But just by way of reminder, 
it's been a few weeks since we've been in the book of Acts. This 
section is dealing with a missionary journey of the apostle Paul. 
We remember that he was engaged in three of them. The first one 
we find took place in Acts chapter 13 and 14, took place in AD 47 
and 48. The emphasis there was on Galatia, 
the region of southern Galatia and churches that were established 
at that particular time. The next missionary journey is 
recorded in Acts chapters 15 to 18. It took place in A.D. 49 to A.D. 52. And we can most 
associate his ministry there with Corinth because he spent 
a great deal of time in Corinth. And then this third missionary 
journey begins in chapter 18 and continues to chapter 21, 
verse 16. It took place in the years 53 
to 57. It's coming to a close in our 
passage this morning, not completely, but he's on his way back to specifically 
Jerusalem, and we will see the significance of that as we move 
through the data this morning. So I want to look first of all 
at the journeys in Greece, Macedonia and Greece in verses 1 to 6, 
and then secondly, the ministry in Troas verses 7 to 16. So in 
the first place, let's look at this trip to Greece in verses 
1 to 3 in Acts chapter 20. Notice, after the uproar had 
ceased, Paul called the disciples to himself, embraced them, and 
departed to go to Macedonia. Now, the uproar refers to what 
we saw last time in Acts chapter 19. There was a riot. There was 
this great animosity directed toward the Apostle Paul and toward 
believers. And we saw that there was this 
great confusion in the city, this great chaos. Thankfully, 
because there was a man that had some semblance of common 
sense, he was able to settle the city down. But it wasn't 
because of the uproar that Paul left Ephesus. He had already 
purposed in the spirit, according to 1921, to pass through Macedonia 
and Achaia and to go to Jerusalem, saying, after I have been there, 
I must also see Rome. If you look in our section in 
chapter 20 at verse 16, for Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus 
so that he would not have to spend time in Asia, for he was 
hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. 
So that was under the spirit, the direction of the trajectory 
that the Apostle Paul had in terms of closing down this third 
missionary journey. So it wasn't the uproar that 
caused him to leave Ephesus, but rather the author is simply 
highlighting that in connection with that, Paul now departs from 
Ephesus. And the first place that he goes 
to is Macedonia. Says in verse 2, now when he 
had gone over that region and encouraged them with many words, 
he came to Greece. So in Macedonia, he would have 
visited the saints in churches that he had previously planted. 
So Philippi, Thessalonica, and Derbe. These would have been 
churches that he would have visited so he could encourage the saints. 
In fact, that's what we find there in verse 2. It says that 
he encouraged them with many words. That is the emphasis of 
the Apostle in this missionary strategy. He's not out to entertain, 
he's not out to be a self-help guru, he's not out to make you 
feel better, but he's out there to encourage you with the Word 
of the Living and True God. This is the Apostle that writes, 
as his last official command to the Church in 2 Timothy 4, 
preach the Word. Be ready in season and out of 
season, convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. 
He gives two reasons for that admonition. One, the time will 
come when men will not endorse sound doctrine. So you meet that 
opposition with the true preaching of God's doctrine. And secondly, 
because Paul himself was going to die, so he wanted the men 
that came after him to be faithful. And again, not to be entertainers, 
not to be self-help gurus, not to be celebrities among the people 
to whom they minister, but rather to be faithful proclaimers of 
God's Word. 1 Corinthians 4, the apostle 
underscores what is absolutely crucial to pastoral ministry. 
He says, moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found 
faithful. Not famous, not sensational, 
not the bestest guy that ever lived on the face of the earth, 
but faithful in terms of preaching the truth as God had called them 
or God has called them to do. So the apostle goes through Macedonia 
and he encourages many people in that part of the region. And 
then notice he comes to Greece. Most likely this is representative 
of the entire province called Achaia. So the apostle visits 
churches in Macedonia, specifically Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea, 
and then he comes to Greece. Notice what it says at the end 
of verse 2. He came to Greece and stayed three months. Again, 
he didn't stay three months just to have sort of encounter sessions 
or therapy. He stayed three months to preach. 
to teach, to guide, to direct, to instruct, and to open up the 
scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, well the New Testament 
he didn't have at this point, but to expound that Christ was 
in fact the Messiah promised, or Jesus was in fact the Messiah 
promised, in the Old Testament, and that he must suffer and die 
and be raised again the third day. Notice what cuts that short 
according to verse 3. And when the Jews plotted against 
him as he was about to sail to Syria, he decided to return through 
Macedonia. Again, this is a constant emphasis 
on the other side. If the faithful preachers are 
preaching, the enemies of God Most High are trying to stop 
them. They're trying to silence them, and they're plotting against 
Him to try and neutralize or liquidate Him so that He can't 
go on preaching that Jesus is in fact the Christ. Now, there's 
possibly two reasons why, or one of two reasons as to why, 
they were plotting to attack Him. Paul is in the prospect 
now of gathering money so that when he goes back to the church 
in Jerusalem, he can present that money to them. And so Paul 
had some dough on him. Most likely that accounts for 
why he's traveling with a larger party of men. so that he doesn't 
get robbed, so that he doesn't have anybody take that money, 
because it's earmarked to help the church in Jerusalem, because 
they are suffering, they are impoverished, and so the Gentile 
churches are kicking in contributions to aid and assist them. But it 
could also be because they hated him, because he preached that 
in fact Jesus was the Christ, and of course the Jews opposed 
that, and as they called out, crucified Jesus, so they would 
call out, arrest Paul, and silence him, and stop him, from this 
horrible thing of preaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Probably 
while he's in Greece at this time, he writes the book of Romans. As well, in this time frame, 
in the third missionary journey, he writes 1st and 2nd Corinthians. 
And then we find this trip to Troas listed for us in verses 
4 to 6. And in verse 4, it indicates 
the various companions that were with Paul. Various men from various 
regions that are mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament. We're not 
going to look at every sort of reference to Tychicus or every 
reference to the various men involved. But as I said, they 
were most likely messengers of the churches where Paul had preached. that had contributed to the relief 
for the persons in Jerusalem, and they traveled together. So 
that in chapter 21, when Paul meets James, he not only has 
a sack of money for him to alleviate the downtrodden and poor in Jerusalem, 
but he's got the fruits of ministry from the four great provinces 
at that time God had saved from every tribe, tongue, and people, 
and nation. So in chapter 21, verse 17, when they get to Jerusalem, 
it's not just the money that James sees, but it's also the 
men that God has conquered by sovereign grace. Turn over to 
Romans chapter 15, just so you can see this emphasis on collection 
for the saints in Jerusalem that had need. Romans chapter 15. specifically at verses 25 and 
20. Well, back verse 22. For this 
reason, I have also been much hindered from coming to you, 
but now no longer having a place in these parts and having a great 
desire these many years to come to you, whenever I journey to 
Spain, I shall come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey 
and to be helped on my way there by you. If first, I may enjoy 
your company for a while, but now I am going to Jerusalem to 
minister to the saints. Remember, he's writing Romans 
or he's written Romans on that third missionary journey. He 
knows that at the end or cessation of the third missionary journey, 
he's going to go to Jerusalem. He's going to bring that money 
to Pastor James and the church at Jerusalem. And he's going 
to bring these various companions so that Pastor James can see 
the blessing of God upon the missionary enterprise and the 
inclusion of Gentiles in the great covenant promises of God. 
So verse 25, But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the 
saints, for it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to 
make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who 
are in Jerusalem. It pleased them indeed, and they 
are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been 
partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to 
minister to them in material things. So you see what Paul 
says? As a result of what happened in terms of the Jews, the Messiah 
comes and comes to bless not only Jews, but Gentiles. Now 
these Gentiles reciprocate by taking up collections in their 
churches and by sending it by way of Paul and the messengers 
from the churches to Jerusalem to aid those brethren who were 
hurting physically or temporally. Turn to 1 Corinthians 16. Same 
sort of emphasis. 1 Corinthians 16, beginning in 
verse 1. Those of you who see me wiping my head with a washcloth, 
I forgot a handkerchief this morning, so I had to grab one 
out of the kitchen cupboard. I'll make sure I take it home 
and launder it so that you don't ever have to meet it in the kitchen 
at a fellowship lunch or some such thing. But notice in 1 Corinthians 
16, 1, now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given 
orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also. On the first 
day of the week, let each one of you lay something aside, storing 
up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. 
And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters, I will 
send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. But if it is fitting that I go 
also, they will go with me. 2 Corinthians chapter 8. The 
very emphasis in this passage is on the saints in Corinth are 
being called upon to offer up money to aid the suffering saints 
in Jerusalem. And so at the end, in chapter 
8, at verse 16, he says, But thanks be to God who puts the 
same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus, for he not 
only accepted the exhortation, but being more diligent, he went 
to you of his own accord. And we have sent with him the 
brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches. 
And not only that, But who was also chosen by the churches to 
travel with us with this gift, which is administered by us to 
the glory of the Lord Himself and to show your ready mind, 
avoiding this, that anyone should blame us in this lavish gift, 
which is administered by us, providing honorable things, not 
only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. 
And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have often proved 
diligent in many things, but now much more diligent because 
of the great confidence which we have in you. If anyone inquires 
about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning 
you. Or if our brethren are inquired about, they are messengers of 
the churches, the glory of Christ. Therefore show to them and before 
the churches the proof of your love and our boasting on your 
behalf. So this is the emphasis, this 
is the reason for these companions with Paul. They're going to Jerusalem 
to bring money to the saints in Jerusalem, and as well to 
display the great scope of the apostles' ministry among the 
Gentiles. Now practically, it illustrates 
for us intra-church communion and fellowship. We're not islands 
unto ourselves as local churches. We're not strictly independent, 
cut off from all other church contexts. We ought to be gracious. We ought to be compassionate. 
We ought to be kind. We ought to be generous. We ought 
to be benevolent. We ought to be giving money or 
resources or those things that will alleviate the suffering 
saints in other churches or in other parts of the world. We 
see that in the book of Galatians, where we're to do good to all 
men, but Paul further qualifies it by saying, especially to those 
who are of the household of faith. There ought to be a general benevolence 
that characterizes the people of God, but there also ought 
to be a specific benevolence that characterizes the people 
of God, with reference to their own family, their own blood-bought 
family, those we are in fellowship with, those we call brother and 
sister, those we call mother and father if they're older than 
us in the faith, and we want to esteem them and respect them. 
There ought to be that compassion on the part of Christ's churches, 
not only to look out for themselves, but to look out for others. And 
so you have this great illustration in this third missionary journey 
with reference to that reality. You'll also notice that now the 
author, Luke, starts to include him among the party. We see him 
refer to we and us. There are sections where Luke 
is with Paul, and so these are the we sections or the us sections 
in the book of Acts. When we last saw Luke, he was 
left in Philippi, according to Acts chapter 16. Well, back in 
Philippi, he rejoins the party. And now notice in verse 5, these 
men, the others, going ahead, waited for us at Troas. But we 
sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, 
and in five days joined them at Troas, where we stayed seven 
days. So Luke is with Paul and Elise. 
But the rest of the party went on. Why they stayed back, the 
text doesn't tell us. Commentators speculate, but I 
don't want to get into all of that. For whatever reason, they 
stayed back, but then later on they meet in the city of Troas. And that brings us to verses 
7 to 16. The first thing I want us to 
see is the meeting of the church in verses 7 and 8. I'm going 
to slow things down a little bit because I think that this 
is something we ought to observe. Notice the meeting of the church. There are several elements of 
worship given to us in verse 7. Now, as we've looked at this 
book of Acts, there are some things that are simply descriptive. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit 
on the day of Pentecost is not something that the church today 
is going to experience again. Not in the manner, not in the 
way that it was done, where there was this tongue speaking, where 
there were people gathered from every nation, and they heard 
in their own language the wonderful works of God Almighty. It's a 
description of what obtained. But along the way, if we're conscious 
and we're looking at how the church worshipped, and we're 
attuned to that, we will see some prescriptive elements. So, description certainly tells 
us what was happening. Prescription is what should be 
happening, and I suggest that verse 7 is an instance of what 
should be happening in churches today. In fact, go back to Acts 
2. I mentioned that the bulk of 
it is a description of what took place. But again, if we have 
our thinking caps on, and we're thinking biblically and logically, 
we can see the church at worship, and this then serves to prescribe 
for us how we ought to engage. In other words, if our desire 
is to go back to how the early church did it, then these provide 
windows for us to examine how the early church did what they 
did. So notice in 2.40, after the supernatural phenomena, the 
outpouring of the Spirit, the speaking in the tongues, the 
prophesying, Peter stands up, he preaches the person and work 
of Jesus, and then we see this in verse 40. And with many other 
words, he testified and exhorted them, saying, Be safe from this 
perverse generation. Then those who gladly received 
his word were baptized, and that day about 3,000 souls were added 
to them." Now note 42. It describes what they did, but 
in light of the rest of the Bible, in light of the rest of the New 
Testament that prescribes how we are to worship, this serves 
as a great exemplar for the church today. My argument is simply 
this, the Pentecostals and the Charismatics who capitalize on 
the outpouring of the Spirit in the first part of the chapter, 
and then neglect what is described in terms of the church at worship, 
have missed it by a long shot. They have inversed it completely. They are looking for the supernatural 
phenomena that occurred in fulfillment of Joel's prophecy, that's not 
going to occur in fulfillment of Joel's prophecy today, and 
they neglect the elements of worship that the church engaged 
in. Notice in verse 42. And they 
continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship 
in the breaking of bread and in prayers. Again, it serves 
as a great window for us to look in and see how the church worshipped 
in that first century context. Now, you may be thinking, oh, 
Butler, you're making a big to-do about nothing. No, the worship 
of God Almighty is the highest prerogative and privilege of 
the creature of God. We were made to worship Him. How are we supposed to worship 
Him? Does He leave that up to us? 
No, He does not. Does He say, whatever way you 
hanker after me, you just go ahead and you act upon those 
impulses. Whatever way you may perhaps 
witness pagans approaching their gods, go ahead and ape them and 
do the same. No, we are to do what God calls 
us to do in the manner in which He calls us to do it. So again, 
just as an illustration, preach the word. Paul tells Timothy, 
be ready in season and out of season. There's the command, 
there's the readiness prescribed, but then the manner, convince, 
rebuke, exhort. Paul doesn't say, stand before 
men with hands in pocket and your latte on the platform and 
tell them stories and try to make them feel better. No, preach 
the word. Convince, rebuke, exhort. So 
if worship of the high king of heaven is our highest end, which 
it is, then we need to approach that God in the manner that is 
consistent with his word. And so these windows on the church 
at worship in the book of Acts, they're not necessarily prescriptive, 
but they tacitly are. They give us a view on how Paul 
and how his companions approached the High King of Heaven. Now 
this verse, verse 7, doesn't list all of the elements of worship, 
but it lists four necessities. four essentials that we ought 
to have in our churches today. Notice in the first place, the 
day appointed for worship. It says, now on the first day 
of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, 
Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued 
his message until midnight. What was the day they, the church 
in Troas, came together for worship? It was the first day of the week. 
Remember, and this is specific at the end of verse 6, the apostles 
spent seven days in Troas. That would have included Saturday, 
it would have included what was called the Jewish Sabbath, but 
we see that the church at this early point in Christian history 
is meeting on the first day of the week. Our confession of faith 
says this concerning the day of worship. As it is the law 
of nature that in general a proportion of time by God's appointment 
be set apart for the worship of God, so by His word in a positive 
moral and perpetual commandment, binding all men in all ages, 
He hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a Sabbath 
to be kept holy unto Him. In other words, God as God made 
creature as creature, and God as God wrote it in the heart 
of creature to worship Him. The law of nature reveals that. 
The reality is that is an inescapable conclusion. Men may try to resist 
it, men may try to reject it, men may try to say, oh no, that's 
not the case. But we know, according to God's 
Word, that man is made in His image, and as a result, via creation, 
that law is written on his heart. It is inescapable. The reality 
is, is that men know that they ought to be worshiping this true 
and living God. That's what the Scripture says. 
They may say, oh no, I'm an atheist. Oh no, I don't care about God. 
Oh no, I have no desire to worship God. But the Bible tells us otherwise. They know God is, according to 
Romans 1, because God has made himself manifest. He has made 
it evident. His perfections are seen through 
the created order. It resonates upon man who bears 
the image of God. The problem isn't that God hasn't 
revealed himself. The problem is, as Paul continues, 
is that they suppress that truth and unrighteousness. They know 
God exists, but they suppress the truth. They try to bury it. 
They try to stamp it down. They try to run from it, but 
Scripture tells us they cannot do so. So there is this general 
necessity to worship God, but then the confession goes on. 
It says, which from the beginning of the world to the resurrection 
of Christ was the last day of the week, and from the resurrection 
of Christ was changed into the first day of the week, which 
is called the Lord's Day, and is to be continued to the end 
of the world as the Christian Sabbath, the observation of the 
last day of the week being established." Notice this. Verse 7, Acts 20, 
now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together, 
they did this as a pattern. They did this as an act of obedience. They did this in concert with 
the teaching they had received from the apostle and from his 
companions. Notice as well, the first day 
is established because it is the day that Christ rose from 
the dead. That is conspicuous in a study 
of the gospels. It is the first day of the week 
that Jesus rose from the dead. Secondly, it is the day identified 
by the apostle Paul in Hebrews chapter four, verses nine to 
10. Now, some of you are probably gonna look there and say, Paul 
doesn't say the Christian Sabbath or Lord's day is now Sunday. 
But he does. In a theological argument, in 
Hebrews chapter 4, he argues for the change of the day from 
seventh-day Jewish Sabbatarianism to first-day Christian Lord's 
Day worship. As well, we have the pattern. 
We have the example of the church at worship, Acts 20, verse seven, 
being an indicator of that. 1 Corinthians 16, when does Paul 
tell them to set aside money for the saints in Jerusalem? 
On the first day of the week. Revelation chapter one, the apostle 
John is on the island of Patmos for the word of God and the testimony 
of Jesus, and he's in the spirit on the Lord's day. Interesting 
word that is used there, the Lord's Day. The only other place 
we see that particular statement, kuriake, is in 1 Corinthians 
11, when it's called the Lord's Supper. Doesn't God own all suppers? Doesn't God own the supper you're 
going to eat tomorrow night? Certainly, but the supper we 
participate in tonight is sacramental. It is an ordinance given by God 
to the church, and therefore it is different, it is distinct, 
it is special, it is separate unto Him. The same with the day. Isn't the Lord the Lord over 
Monday to Saturday? Yes. But He is the Lord over 
this day in a special way. It belongs to Him. It is possessed 
by Him. It is owned by Him. And as a 
result, the church meets together on that first day of the week. 
John Owen made this observation, he says, I doubt not, but in 
seven days that the apostle abode there, he taught and preached 
as he had occasion in the houses of the believers. But it was 
the first day of the week when they used, according to their 
duty, to assemble the whole body of them for celebration of the 
solemn ordinances of the church, synecdochally, that means the 
part put for the whole, expressed by breaking of bread. So Owen 
says the seven days that Paul's there, he's preaching and teaching 
for sure. But on that first day of the week, they gather together 
for corporate worship, and it's therein they participate in the 
breaking of bread, which is most likely, and I'll argue that in 
a moment, the sacramental aspect of worship. So the first thing 
to observe in terms of the elements of worship is the appointed day. 
Secondly, note the corporate nature of worship. Verse seven. Now on the first day of the week, 
when the disciples came together, That is crucial, brethren. That's 
why our brother commenting on Romans 13 said that the state 
needs to stay in the state's lane. There are pastors right 
now arguing that it's not required for the people of God to actually 
come together in order to worship God. Funny, that's not what the 
Bible says. In fact, there's a strict prohibition 
against forsaking the assembling of ourselves together in Hebrews 
chapter 10. There are elements involved in 
the worship of the Lord God Most High that we simply cannot obey 
online. Brethren, it is absolutely crucial 
that the people of God be allowed to see each other. It is crucial 
that the people of God be able to sing with one another. It 
is crucial that the people of God be able to take the bread 
and drink the wine together. There is an absolute necessity 
and requirement for God's people to be in God's house on God's 
day, worshiping and glorifying and praising Him. I suspect these 
new pastors are going to have to take pen to Bible and change 
some things. David said, I was glad when they 
said unto me, let us tune in online to worship the living 
and the true God. Let us not forsake the assembling 
of ourselves together unless the possibility, 98% or 2% possibility is out there 
that I may contract the disease and die. Brethren, this is going 
to have to be a major rewrite and those who are legitimizing 
and authorizing that the church stay at home, they're not listening 
to the sacred text. They're not listening to scripture. 
Now, again, if you are at risk, if you are vulnerable, Pastor 
Butler is not telling you to go out and contract the Wuhan 
virus. I am not suggesting that you ingest food that somebody 
infected. You eat it so that you get it 
as well. I mean, that's what we used to do with reference 
to chickenpox. You'd find out your neighbor's kid had chickenpox. 
You'd send your kid over there to have a sucker, share a sucker 
with them to get it and to get it done. But that's not what 
I'm suggesting. What I am challenging is the 
malaise that we find in Christianity today. The weak needness, the 
spinelessness, the jellyfish, the sort of men about us that 
say, we're going to suspend our meetings until 2021. Why? What possible rationale do you 
have to suspend the worship of the living God until 2021? Take 
the appropriate recommendations. Take the appropriate precautions. 
Which brethren in this one? Ain't too tough. Wash your hands 
and don't cough and sneeze all over one another. I think we 
can all obey that. I think that's pretty simple. 
In fact, I think that's how most of us lived before we ever heard 
of the Wuhan China virus. Brethren, we need to understand 
that to forsake the assembling of ourselves together is an affront. It is an offense. It is not sanctioned 
by God the Lord. And therefore, as we look at 
chapter 20 and verse 7, the appointed day for worship and the nature 
of worship is that it was corporate. The people of God came together. 
Again, we need that community. We need that fellowship. We need 
the sorts of things that God has stipulated in His Word as 
to what we need. Have you ever had that experience 
where you wake up on a Sunday morning and you feel the spiritual 
vitality of a dead cold fish? And then you kind of think, well, 
you know, maybe maybe for the for, you know, whatever reason, 
I shouldn't go today. And the devil gets in there and 
says, yeah, you shouldn't go. And then you go, you overcome 
it by the grace of God. And as soon as you get here, 
what happens? Your heart melts because you see the people of 
God. Your heart melts because you're warm with the encouragement 
of the saints. You open up the hymn book and 
you praise God in song. You hear the brother pray and 
it sort of verbalizes the things that we have thought through 
during the week. You hear the preaching of the Word of God 
and it's like the Balm of Gilead. Yes, you can listen to the Word 
of God online. I am not saying that you cannot, 
but something is different in the house of God. If I say something 
offensive to you and you're at home, it's very easy to click 
me off. Again, I think it takes guts 
for somebody to stand up in a public worship service and leave. I 
have personally witnessed that happen over the years. I'm not 
saying it's an impossibility, but it's not as prevalent as 
somebody who says, boy, I don't like where he's going with this 
particular application, so I'll just pause it, go fill my coffee 
cup, and perhaps when I get back, he'll be further along, and then 
I will listen to him. You see, brethren, that is not 
ultimately a good thing. Pastor A.N. Martin describes 
what happens in preaching. The Spirit comes upon the preacher, 
and then the Spirit affects the people of God. So you've got 
this sort of triangle going on. There's a dynamic. Martin Lloyd-Jones, 
that great preacher in London, England, was completely against 
taped sermons. If you look online, you'll find 
the Martin Lloyd-Jones Trust, where there's a whole host of 
his taped sermons. And you'll say, well, thankfully, 
at least some of his people thought they should tape them instead 
of him. But it was for that reason. One person once read a sermon 
by George Whitefield, and it was a printed sermon, and they 
said, there's not a whole lot going on in this sermon. And 
the response came to him, it's hard to put the Holy Spirit and 
fire on that paper. There is something that obtains 
in the act of preaching when the people of God are blessed 
by the Spirit of God, they're in the house of God on the day 
of God, that God is pleased with. The Lord says, according to Psalm 
87, He loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places 
of Jacob. Not that He hates the dwelling 
places of Jacob, but He loves it when His people are gathered 
together. There's a whole categorization 
or classification of Psalms called the Psalms of Ascent. That's 
when the pilgrims were marching to Jerusalem to worship the living 
and true God, and they sang and chanted these psalms along the 
way. There's something about the corporate 
body of God's people assembled together that brings great glory 
and honor to Him. So yes, for particular reasons, 
there might be an instance, there might be a case where if we have 
to step over bodies during the midst of public worship, we might 
say, you know what, we might use the online feature at this 
point. But brethren, that is not normative. 
That is not the way it's supposed to continue for months and for 
months and for months. So when we look at this, we need 
to appreciate the corporate nature of worship. Thirdly, and I've 
already referred to this, the sacramental aspect of worship. 
When it says to break bread, now it could just mean they had 
a common meal together. It could just mean they had a 
common meal in conjunction with the supper, as we see take place 
in 1 Corinthians 10 and 11. But it could mean that they were 
there to have the supper. On that first day of the week, 
the people of God gathered together and engaged in this sacramental 
aspect of Christian worship. They ate the bread and they drank 
the cup in remembrance of our Lord Jesus. In fact, F.F. Bruce describes it this way. 
The reference to the meeting for the breaking of the bread 
on the first day of the week is the earliest text we have 
from which it may be inferred with reasonable certainty that 
Christians regularly came together for worship on that day. It's 
kind of a lot of flowery language to say what he wants to say. 
He's not in the Reformed tradition. I mean, he might be now because 
he's in heaven, but he wasn't then. So he probably had to hedge 
his bets a little bit because he was a scholar, writing for 
scholars, and if you take confessional positions at times, scholars 
say, well, how dare you? Brethren, thank the Lord God 
Most High for the confessions of faith, for the creeds of Christendom. 
Thank the Lord God Most High that those men hammered out lasting 
documents of Christian doctrine that are helpful for the church 
even in our day and age. But he does get it right. He 
says, the reference to the meeting for the breaking of the bread 
on the first day of the week is the earliest text we have 
from which it may be inferred with reasonable certainty that 
Christians regularly came together for worship on that day. The 
breaking of the bread was probably a fellowship meal in the course 
of which the Eucharist was celebrated. Again, verse 7, small in compass, 
but very instructive. If we look through that window 
and ask the question, how did the early church worship? Did 
they have puppets? No. Did they have ponies? No. Did they have programs? No. Did 
they have jugglers? No. Did they have the pastor 
repelling from some wire? No, that's not what they had. 
They gathered together on the day of God, they engaged in the 
sacramental aspect of worship in terms of the breaking of bread, 
but then notice fourthly and finally in terms of an element 
of worship, there was preaching. There was the preaching of God's 
holy word. Again, all of the things commanded 
by God, which we call the elements of worship, are absolutely crucial. We can't neglect giving. We can't 
neglect singing. We can't neglect reading. We 
can't neglect praying. We can't neglect preaching. The 
church that falls on days where preaching isn't a primary emphasis 
is the church in a bad state of repair. Storytelling and entertainment 
will not do. The people of God need the Word 
of God. Man shall not live by bread alone, 
but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. And the 
pastor as cheerleader is simply not the New Testament model. 
The pastor as the expositor of Scripture, the pastor as the 
one who labors in the Word and in doctrine, That's the model 
that we find in the pages of the New Testament, and that's 
what we find here. Now, on the first day of the 
week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, 
ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his 
message until midnight. Think about that, until midnight. It's a long sermon, isn't it? 
It's a long time to be at it, isn't it? It's a long time to 
expound the Holy Word, but that's what they did. Now notice that's 
part of the window I don't think we've looked through and seen. 
I always apologize if I get close to 1230. Brethren, we ought not 
to worry about our physical tummies when the Word of God is being 
proclaimed. The Lord is good, and you need 
the spiritual nourishment. Think about this. How much time 
do you spend in the world? How much time do you hear the 
world's songs? Do you hear the world's jokes? 
Do you hear the world's TV shows or films or whatever it may be? 
And you've got, what, two hours of preaching on the Lord's Day, 
morning and evening? And that's assuming that you 
come on morning and evening. There's a big disparity in terms 
of the hours spent outside of the house of God versus the hours 
spent inside of the house of God. So, I guess my practical 
point is, if the minister goes an extra five minutes, cut him 
a little bit of slack. Let him rest in peace and not 
think that he's committed grievous sin by going long or whatnot. But it's the proclamation of 
the Word. Romans 10, 17 tells us, faith comes by hearing and 
hearing by the Word of God. We see in James 1, 18, he brought 
us forth by what? By the Word of truth. You see, 
all of the stories and all of the entertainment and all of 
the gurus who stand up there to itch the scratching or scratch 
the itching ears of people that don't know any better doesn't 
avail anything. It's the word of truth that the 
people of God need. I hope you all agree, kind of 
look at me like, at least some of you are, but the bottom line 
is that's the emphasis that we find here in Troas. Now, Look at verse eight. I just want to illustrate something. 
The approach to worship that I'm espousing is what's called 
the regulative principle of worship. You've heard me speak of the 
elements of worship. Elements of worship are those 
things commanded by God. God commands us to pray in church. 
God commands us to give in church. God commands us to preach in 
church. God commands us to read in church. God commands us to 
sing in church. Those are things absolutely requisite. So they are called the elements 
of worship. There are also things like circumstances 
that are not commanded, but we may engage in. And I think verse 
8, it doesn't give us, I don't think Luke is telling us to show 
the distinction between elements and circumstances, but I'm going 
to use it to illustrate. Notice in verse 8, there were 
many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together. 
That's a circumstance. We might say we have, you know, 
the Trinity Psalter hymnal. Others use just the Trinity hymnal. 
Are they in violation? Are we in violation? Those are 
circumstances. Those are things that are neither 
required or commanded, but are incidental. or are indifferent. They may assist us. Does every 
church need to have a pulpit that looks like... No, it's a 
circumstance for worship. It's the elements that we have 
to capitalize on. It's the elements that we have 
to improve upon. That means use. It's the elements 
by which we judge whether a worship service is in fact a worship 
service or not. So we need sacraments, we need 
preaching, we need discipline, we know all the things that Scripture 
enjoins upon us. So when we look at this passage, 
again, I don't think that's Luke's purpose, but it's illustrative 
of the point. The elements are in verse 7, 
there are circumstances in verse 8. There were many lamps in the 
upper room where they were gathered together. So there you go, with 
reference to the meeting of the church, but notice the miracle 
of healing in the church. If I were to ask you what the 
name Eutychus means, I hope you'd answer, fortunate. just because 
of what happens, but that's really what Eutychus means. And was 
he a fortunate fellow? He certainly was. And we can 
praise God for his grace upon Eutychus. Notice what happens, 
the death of Eutychus in verse nine. And in a window sat a certain 
young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. 
He was overcome by sleep, and as Paul continued speaking, he 
fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. The obvious 
illustration is don't ever fall asleep during preaching. That 
was a joke, brethren. We are not disembodied spirits. It happens. Paul continued his 
message until midnight. Likely, Eutychus worked that 
day and was tired. Eutychus was overcome by sleep. So no, the application isn't 
never fall asleep in church. The application is simply this. 
God knows our frames. He pities us and knows that we're 
but dust. The fact is, this guy dies. That 
is not indicative of the judgment of God. The fact is, is that 
Paul, by God's grace, raises him from the dead. So God's not 
angry with Eutychus, and neither would I be angry with Eutychus. 
It's sort of like this COVID thing. If it breaks out and you 
get it, then you're blamed for having gotten it. Well, thanks 
a lot. We're going to blame Eutychus 
for falling out of a window and dying? No, we're not going to 
blame Eutychus for falling out of a window and dying. But he 
does fall out of a window and die. Some suggest he wasn't really 
dead. Those are theological liberals. 
They've got problems with all the supernatural in Scripture. 
They have more in alignment with the Sadducees, who denied the 
supernatural, than they do with biblical Christianity. But we 
see specifically what the situation is in verse 9. And in a window 
sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into 
a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep, and 
as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story 
and was taken up dead. Now, the miracle of healing is 
found in verse 10. But Paul went down, fell on him, 
and embracing him, said, Do not trouble yourselves, for his life 
is in him. Now we see Jesus resuscitate 
dead people in his ministry. You see it in the gospel narratives. Jairus' daughter for one, Lazarus 
for another. We see Peter in Acts raise up, 
not Peter, but God through Peter, raise up Dorcas who had died. 
And now we see Paul do the very same thing. But it's reminiscent 
of the prophet Elijah in 1st Kings 17 and the prophet Elisha 
in 2nd Kings 4. As Paul falls on them, just like 
those prophets of old fell on the widow's son and the Shunammite's 
son, and God resuscitated them. God brought them to life again. 
So it's not Paul. It's not Elijah, it's not Elisha, 
it's not Simon Peter, it's God working through these men as 
his agents to bring about his purpose and plan in the restoration 
of Eutychus to physical life. And then that brings us to the 
departure of Paul, verses 11 and 12. Verse 11 describes Paul's 
activity. Now, when he had come up, had 
broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, 
he departed. So notice this, he had come up, 
broken bread, that's probably an early breakfast. That's probably 
regular food. That's probably the equivalent 
of bacon, eggs, or Wheaties, or whatever it was they were 
eating at this particular juncture. So now when he had come up, had 
broken bread and eaten, and talked, there it is again, long while. 
There it is, long while, and we're just content with 30 seconds 
of quick briefing and, oh, how are you? Great, great, everything's 
great, off we go. And we talked a long while. Matthew Poole has 
an incidental statement concerning this. This was of long continuance 
and speaks the patience and zeal of Christians in those times 
and will rise up in judgment against a careless and negligent 
generation. When as soon as the amen is said, 
we run out to our cars. Again, you may have a reason. 
There might be some gastrointestinal issues you need to accommodate. 
There might be a burning chicken at home. There might be some 
reason for you for a quick departure. But the normal ebb and flow of 
the people of God is they like each other. They want to talk 
to each other. They want, when there's no COVID 
or the fear of breathing and choking all over each other, 
to hug one another, to shake each other's hands. Because God 
knows that we are persons that are social. And so God has answered 
to that particular necessity in giving us churches with like-minded 
brethren who agree on the things most surely believed among us 
so that we can discourse and traffic in those things for mutual 
edification and for the peace of God to be upon. the people 
of God. So there was this long continuance 
among the people of God. The people are comforted in the 
reality that Eutychus is alive. Verse 12, they brought the young 
man in alive and they were not a little comforted. And then 
the last statement describes the journey from Troas. Verse 
13, then we went ahead to the ship and sailed to Asos, there 
intending to take Paul on board. For so he had given orders, intending 
himself to go on foot. Why he decided to go on foot, 
I don't know. about 20 miles south of Troas 
to Asos. Some suggest that he needed some 
time alone with God to meditate and contemplate. Again, we have 
no reason or no way of knowing for certain why Paul went on 
foot and these other brothers sailed. And then verse 14, when 
he met us at Asos, we took him on board and came to Mytilene. 
We sailed from there and the next day came opposite Chios. 
The following day, we arrived at Samos and stayed at Trogilium. 
The next day, we came to Miletus." They're working their way down 
the coastline on the Aegean, because Paul wants to make it 
into Jerusalem by the day of Pentecost. It would be a 610-mile 
journey, ultimately, I think, from Miletus down to Jerusalem. So Paul is constrained with reference 
to time. That's why he avoids Ephesus. 
Verse 16, for Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus. Some suggest, 
well, it was because of the uproar or the riot. I don't think it's 
that at all. I think that he knows if he goes 
to Ephesus, if he's in Asia, he's going to be detained longer 
than he had anticipated, and he won't make it to the Day of 
Pentecost in Jerusalem. So it's not some diabolical fear 
that he's going to die at the hands of murderous men in Ephesus. 
That's not it at all. It's pragmatic. So he wants to 
make sure that he is where he wants to be, according to verse 
16. So he sails past Ephesus, and then from Miletus, verse 
17, he calls for the church's elders from Ephesus, and there 
he instructs them on how they are to function. And again, the 
Lord willing, we'll look at that section next week as it's very 
instructive for church life and ministry. Just a couple of thoughts 
in conclusion. In the first place, the doctrine 
of the Lord's Day. This isn't a suggestion, it's 
not a recommendation, it is inscripturated. There needs to be a high esteem 
and a regard for the day that the Lord has made. God has carved 
out one day in seven where we can leave all of our worldly 
appointments, all our worldly thinking, and we can enter into 
His courts and be taken up with the glory of God. We can be taken 
up with discourse about God, conversations with brethren about 
God, worship of God, all those things. The Lord has given us 
an entire day for this, and oftentimes we as Christians regard it as 
something burdensome or something grievous. Oh, come on, God wants 
me to sanctify the entire day? There are Protestant churches 
aping the custom of Rome. There were churches at least 
several years ago having a Saturday night service. Go to Saturday 
night service so you have your whole Sunday to yourself. Well, 
that was a practice common when I was a young papist. You'd go 
to Saturday evening mass so that you could do whatever you wanted 
on Sunday. That Protestants are aping that 
shows an utter disregard for the day of the Lord. for the 
Lord's Day Sabbath, for that one in seven wherein God carves 
out a portion of time so that we can come among the people 
of God and worship. The doctrine is founded, as I 
said, on the teaching of the Lord Jesus, the teaching of the 
Lord Jesus, the abiding validity of God's law, Matthew 5, 17 to 
20, His disputation concerning Sabbath, observance with the 
Pharisees, as well we see, as I said, the day of His resurrection, 
the theology of Hebrews 4, 9 and 10, and then the practice of 
the early church. That is God's Word relative to 
this subject. Secondly, we need to be regulated 
by Scripture in our approach to God. Brethren, if you properly 
reflect upon your life before a holy God, you have to conclude 
that you are not or you do not have the capability to rightly 
understand how you enter into his presence. In other words, 
if God doesn't educate us, if God doesn't inform us, if God 
doesn't tell us, we're not smart enough to figure it out. We need 
the written word of the living God, because what we're doing 
is coming as sinful people before a thrice holy God. How do we 
do that? Well, we better listen to God. 
How do we come before Him? We better listen to God. Is God 
okay with us having a rock band? Is God okay with us having a 
Metallica-like band shredding on the guitar in the worship 
of the living God? If that's what God wants, He 
certainly didn't command it. We go based on what God commands 
in the regulative principle of worship. It's a very simple principle. Nothing more, nothing less, and 
nothing else than God has commanded. In worship, we pray the Bible, 
we sing the Bible, we read the Bible, we preach the Bible, and 
we see the Bible in the sacraments of baptism and the supper. We 
are not smart enough and we are overly sinful to ever prescribe 
how it is we stand before a holy God. The Prophet Habakkuk says 
that his eye is too pure to approve of any evil. The Prophet Habakkuk 
tells us that this God with whom we have to do is holy and righteous 
and glorious and just. Do we just wander into his presence 
the way we wander into the presence of one another? Absolutely, positively 
not. Deuteronomy 12, 32, classic Old 
Testament expression of the regulative principle, but also 1 Timothy 
3. 1 Timothy 3, the Apostle Paul 
makes this statement to Timothy. He says, these things I write 
to you, though I hope to come to you shortly, but if I am delayed, 
I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself 
in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, 
the pillar and ground of the truth. Why does Paul write to 
Timothy? Because I want you to know how you ought. There is 
an oughtness attached to worship. And we do not have the liberty 
under God to tamper with that oughtness. We obey Him. We are 
subject to Him. And then Hebrews chapter 12, 
another classic New Testament passage on this subject. Verse 28 in Hebrews 12, Since we are receiving a kingdom 
which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve 
God. Notice that next statement, acceptably with reverence and 
godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire. Do you know what we see 
in churches today? What's acceptable to you? That's 
how we'll tailor our worship. The acceptability in Hebrews 
12 isn't upon the worshiper, but it's upon the worship. Worship 
must be acceptable in the sight of God, not in the sight of focus 
groups, not in the sight of surveys that have asked people what they're 
looking for in their new church. No acceptable worship is God-defined 
worship, and the church does well not to be creative, not 
to be innovative, but to be obedient to the living and the true God. 
Third observation coming from our passage is the missionary 
strategy of the Apostle Paul. He wasn't a maverick and he wasn't 
a lone wolf. He wasn't the sort of guy that 
said, I can do this on my own. No, you saw there in 2 Corinthians 
8 how favorably he speaks of Titus. You hear in Acts chapter 
20 all these various companions from the various major provinces 
of the then known world. You see Luke is his traveling 
companion. Paul was not a maverick for Jesus. He was not a lone wolf. There's 
too much of that as well. Brethren, I understand there's 
introverts and there's extroverts to be sure. We can't undo what 
God by nature has created us to be. But if we happen to be 
introverts, we need to make sure we're not lone wolves. We're 
not those who cut themselves off from all association with 
everybody around them. We need each other. We need the 
sanctification that being around others promotes and produces. 
And not simply, oh, I'm around him so I can see how not to live. 
That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about bumping into 
one another once in a while, hopefully we'll pair off or shave 
off some of the rough edges. We're not in this alone, we're 
in this together. And then finally, I want us to 
focus on the power of God in the passage. The power of God 
not only in the salvation of Paul and in the employment of 
Paul in the missionary enterprise, Not only the power of God in 
the miraculous healing of this man Eutychus from the dead, but 
the power of God to take 12 men and to turn the then-known world 
upside down. The power of God is the gospel. the blessed news that Christ 
Jesus came into this world, sinners to save. We should marvel, we 
should be amazed, and we should stand in awe at God's power in 
resurrecting Eutychus from the dead. But more importantly, we 
ought to stand in amazement that God saved the Apostle Paul, the 
chief of sinners. God saved Timothy. God saved 
Aristarchus. God saved Gaius of Derbe. God 
saved Secundus. God saved these men that were 
committed to pagan ways. These men that had an axe to 
grind with the true and living God, they're conquered by sovereign 
grace. They had heard the gospel. By 
grace, they believed the gospel, and they had been brought out 
of darkness into marvelous light to proclaim the excellencies 
of God Almighty. That power is available today. If you drop dead during this 
sermon, I cannot promise you physical resurrection. But if 
you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, I can promise you spiritual 
resurrection. I can promise you that all that 
the Father gives me will come to me. And the one who comes 
to me, I will certainly not cast out. The glory of the Christian 
gospel is not sinners accepting Jesus into their hearts. The 
glory of the gospel is that God is in Christ Jesus reconciling 
the world to himself. So if you are not a believer 
this morning, if perhaps these journeys in Macedonia and Greece 
seem altogether unfamiliar and something unimportant, hear this. You are a sinner before this 
God. You are a sinner before one who is holy, holy, holy. You have violated, you have transgressed 
His law. He's given us 10 statements concerning 
our conduct and each one of them we have stomped on. Each one 
of them we have spit on. He has called us to live in a 
particular way. We haven't done it. He has forbidden us to live 
in a particular way. We have done it. We have sinned 
before this holy God, but the way of escape, the way of salvation, 
the way of redemption is through this God's Son, the Lord Jesus 
Christ, who came into this world, sinners to save. And he does 
this in a most glorious way. He lives in obedience to his 
Father's law. He does everything that is commanded 
by the Father, and there's a reason for that. He dies as a sacrifice 
and as a substitute on the cross, and then He is raised again the 
third day. We need His life of obedience, 
and we need His death at the cross. Why? Because we are sinners, 
and sinners need not only to be forgiven, but sinners also 
need a righteousness. And it's the life of Jesus that 
answers to that righteousness. When we believe, all of Christ's 
righteousness is imputed to us, and it's received by faith alone. 
So that we are cleansed, we are clothed now in a garment that 
is pleasing to the Father. But if we ask, what about all 
those sins committed? That's where the blood of Jesus 
Christ, His Son, comes in. It cleanses us. And this is the 
blessed thing from all sin. Imagine a gospel that preached 
the forgiveness of some sin. That'd be no gospel, would it? 
That's not good news. That would imbibe or entail some 
degree of self-atonement. But we sing in our hymn book, 
and we're going to hopefully sing it tonight at the supper, 
Jesus paid it all. stamped in full, it is finished, 
and we are the benefactors and the recipients of God's gracious 
salvation in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, let 
us pray. Our Father, we thank you for 
your word, and we thank you for the clarity that we find here 
in Troas concerning the church at worship. Thank you for the 
clarity that we find in these missionary journeys in terms 
of the emphasis on preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, and 
thank you, Lord God, for what you did in this first century 
context. Thank you that you saved from 
every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and thank you that 
you continue to do so even now, such that when we get to the 
book of Revelation in chapters 5 and 7, there is a great multitude 
assembled that no man can number. So, Lord, bless that word as 
it goes forth today. May it go conquering and to conquer. 
May it run swiftly and be glorified. And may you bless those in this 
place who are still in their sin. Open their hearts, show 
them their sin, and show them Jesus Christ is the only Redeemer 
for sinners. And we ask this in His most blessed 
name. Amen.