Hello and welcome to the show today. As you may know, we have been in the book of Acts; and if you were with us last week, you will remember that we saw that Paul and Silas have just been thrown into prison because of their having driven a demon out of a girl who (with the aid of that demon/a python spirit, as the actual Greek text says) was able to tell the future. With the hope of making profit off her now gone, her handlers/owners (who didn’t care one whit about her, by the way) stir up the crowds and have Paul and Silas s...
Hello and welcome to the show today. As you may know, we have been in the book of Acts; and if you were with us last week, you will remember that we saw that Paul and Silas have just been thrown into prison because of their having driven a demon out of a girl who (with the aid of that demon/a python spirit, as the actual Greek text says) was able to tell the future. With the hope of making profit off her now gone, her handlers/owners (who didn’t care one whit about her, by the way) stir up the crowds and have Paul and Silas severely beaten and thrown into a maximum security prison.
They Couldn’t Sleep— Now I don’t know how you would feel after having all this happen to you. Paul and Silas obviously didn’t feel good. They are in pain from their having been severely beaten; they have been humiliated and are now sitting in a filthy dungeon. On top of that [Their feet were fastened in stocks designed to induce painful cramping by spreading their legs as wide as possible.] And so they obviously cannot sleep. But instead of moaning and groaning; instead of complaining; instead of cursing the ones who did this to them (as any of the other prisoners might have; and maybe some of them were) it says in…
Acts 16:25 (ESV)— 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,
How Christians Suffer— And let me tell you, there is nothing more powerful to a non-believer than observing the way that Christians suffer; because there is no other way to explain it than by the Spirit of God. It is the Spirit who can transform us and empower us to show love and hope in the direst of circumstances, focusing our attention on the eternal reward rather than the temporal suffering. Paul himself writes in…
2 Corinthians 4:16-17 (ESV)— 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
Yielding Themselves— So Paul and Silas are not losing heart, but focusing instead on the eternal; and maybe even more so on the invisible presence of Jesus right there in that prison with them. And as they are yielding themselves into the will of God and focusing themselves on the presence of Jesus with them, they are experiencing joy and peace; so much so that they can even pray and sing hymns. Now it is when we place our faith and trust in God like that that then the unthinkable can happen and God is willing to move most powerfully. And we see this here, as it says in…
Acts 16:26-27 (ESV)— 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. {Now the jailer’s house was probably located next to the prison, and so the earthquake no doubt rocked his house as well, waking him up. And it says…} 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
An Almost Suicide— [He knew all too well that a Roman soldier who allowed a prisoner to escape, no matter what the cause, paid with his own life (cf. Acts 12:19; 27:42). {And so} Rather than anticipate facing the humiliating and painful execution that would surely follow, the jailer chose to kill himself immediately.] But a voice calling out of the darkness stops him. It says…
Acts 16:28 (ESV)— 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”
All Remained— And interestingly, this included all the prisoners (who were probably in the same dungeon). None of them had attempted to escape. Why? We don’t know. Maybe they were afraid of the consequences should they be re-captured. Maybe they were afraid of aftershocks. Or maybe their respect for Paul and Silas caused them to want to stay. We don’t know. I’m also interested in why Paul and Silas didn’t choose to try to escape, especially when they would have recognized this as a mighty moving of the hand of God. But for some reason, they and the others choose to remain. Perhaps Paul and Silas sensed God wanting them to remain. Whatever the reason, the jailer is amazed. It says in…
Acts 16:29-34 (ESV)— 29 And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. {And obviously seeing this earthquake as being divine confirmation of their message, it says…} 30 Then he brought them out {(no doubt after re-securing the prisoners)} and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. {And this, even if it was not done out in the open, would have quickly gotten around because no doubt a lot of people had gathered in that area because of the earthquake. Now furthermore it says…} 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them {(showing hospitality, just as Lydia had done)}. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.
His Life Given Back— And you can really sense his joy. Moments before he had been facing death. And now his life has been given back to him. And he (recognizing that this was a gift of God) does what each and every one of us who knows of Jesus’ salvation ought to do; he gives his life right back to God. And in so doing he obtains eternal life, which makes him rejoice all the more.
Celebrate— Do you rejoice daily in your salvation? You should. There is nothing better than experiencing in your own life the redemption of Christ Jesus. Because of that empty tomb and our being received into the family of God, every day ought to be a celebration; because (no matter what we are facing) we have become inheritors of a great and glorious Kingdom and are one day going to walk the those streets of gold hand in hand with God. And so let us remember to celebrate. Now it says in…
Acts 16:35 (ESV)— 35 But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.”
Not Gonna Go Quietly— And they were no doubt hoping that Paul and Silas would, having learned their lesson, limp quietly out of town. But it says in…
Acts 16:36-37 (ESV)— 36 And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.”
Paul’s Stand— And so we see that Paul kind of has a Clint Eastwood moment and decides he's not going to go quietly. But contrary to how this might first appear, this is not because he wants to exact some kind of revenge. Keep in mind that he has just become the shepherd of the church there in Philippi. And if he were to leave quietly after having been treated so wrongly (and illegally), it would have set a dangerous precedent for how future missionaries would be treated; not to mention the potential mistreatment of the church there in Philippi by those same magistrates. And he knew full well that [To inflict corporal punishment on a citizen was a grave violation of Roman law, all the more so since it had been done without trial. The consequences, both for the magistrates and for the city, were potentially very serious. The magistrates could have been removed from office, and the emperor could have rescinded Philippi’s privileges as a Roman colony.] And so he takes a stand for justice and demands that they at least escort them out, showing them the respect due to Roman citizens.
Standing for Justice— And you know, often we get into our minds that being a Christian means we have to let people walk all over us; that we need to always take abuse with a smile. And we have been led to mean that that is what Jesus meant by “turn the other cheek” or “if anybody takes your cloak”; that kind of thing. But God is a God of justice just as much as He is a God of love. And if we only remain passive and don’t stand against injustice, then we are not just allowing abuse on ourselves, but are also allowing a behavior to continue that might spill onto somebody else. And Paul recognized that, which is why he chose to take a stand. And it proves very effective.
Acts 16:38-40 (ESV)— 38 The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. 39 So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. 40 So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.
Satan Thwarted Again— And so once again we see how Satan’s plans to infiltrate and persecute the church in Philippi only resulted in another family being added to it and it’s gaining the protection of the city rulers.
God’s Can Use The Bad— And so this morning I want to leave you with the message that God is with you in every situation you face. And though Satan might try to infiltrate your heart; and when that fails persecute you from every other direction, if you remain faithful to God, God will make all the bad merely the seed for some of His greatest blessings. But we have to trust in Him; and rejoice even in the midst of the darkest circumstances, knowing that He truly is working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Let’s trust in Him. Amen.
