PRAISE AND WORSHIP OPEN DOORS
Acts 16:19-34
THE
DECEPTIONS OF SATAN
Paul and
Silas were on a missionary trip in Philippi preaching the Gospel of Jesus
Christ.
There was a
young girl slave girl who had a spirit to predict the future, making money for
her masters.
She began
following them shouting “these men are servants of the most high God, telling you
the way to be saved.” After several days Paul was troubled and called the
spirit out of her.
On the
surface, it would appear that the slave girl lent her reputation to promote the
Gospel.
You would
think Paul would have been pleased to have someone in the pagan city
Announcing
their mission to the public.
Perhaps Paul
became annoyed that attention was drawn to the slave girl rather then
The
preaching of the Gospel. Instead of aiding the Gospel, she had become a
hindrance.
God does not
tell us the reason for Paul’s troubling, therefore we can only speculate.
Let me
suggest that the spirit the slave girl had was from Satan. Her predictions were
used for the profits of pagan men. Her spirit kept her in slavery. The Spirit
of the Lord brings freedom. The Spirit of the Lord will never be used for evil
gain. The world cannot receive the Holy Spirit for it is foolishness to them.
TROUBLE
FOLLOW THOSE WHO PREACH THE GOSPEL
V:19 When
the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone,
they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the
authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These
men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs
unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice."
A. The Gospel will not always be
accepted by men/women.
1. Satan deals in lies and deceptions.
2. The owners of the slave girl only
acted when their potential for
Profit was lost.
3. The owners cared for themselves not
the welfare of the girl.
B. The text does not tell us that the city
was in an uproar or what customs
Paul and Silas preached that was unacceptable to the Romans
1. What we do know is the owners of the
slave girl were angered
Because of their lost
revenue.
2. They took the law into their own
hands by dragging Paul and Silas
Before the magistrates.
3. The owners of the slave girl made
allegations to support their
Action.
4. It was a trial by public opinion,
mainly the owners of the slave girl.
5. The real problem to me is having my
daughter or anybody’s daughter treated like a slave.
6. One sin leads to many other sins.
7. God does not tell us what happens to
the slave girl.
8. One thing we know is she was exposed
to the Word of God for several days.
9. Since the Word cannot return void,
she was affected by it.
10. She lost the ability to profit men. But
the Word transformed
Her life to spiritual profitability.
SUFFERING
IS PART OF THE MISSON OF CHRIST
V:22 The
crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered
them to be stripped and beaten. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they
were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.
24 Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their
feet in the stocks.
A. All you got to have is one person to
stir up a crowd against you.
1. Working for God will sometimes cause
hardships in your life.
2. According to the text, Paul and Silas
didn’t get a chance to tell their side of the story
Before they were punished
and jailed.
3. Why would a Holy God allow this to
happen to His humble servants?
4. The effect on the slave girl is one
reason.
5. God arranges times and events in our
lives to draw us and others to Him.
B. Paul and Silas were in pain and
bleeding from the beating.
1. They were thrown into a dark inner
cell and chained to the wall by their feet.
2. They were heavily guarded so there
was no way to escape.
3. They were unfairly treated like the
worst criminals.
4. Sometimes God has to force us into
places we would not normally go to
Get the Gospel to people
who need it the most.
5. Enduring forced punishment
strengthens our faith.
THE POWER
OF WORSHIP
V:25 About
midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other
prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent
earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the
prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke
up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to
kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted,
"Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"
A. We hear no complaints from Paul and
Silas.
1. We hear of no resistance of Paul and
Silas against their unfair and harsh treatment.
2. The text teaches us what to do when
unfairly treated.
3. The text teaches us to remain
faithful in difficult situations.
4. The text teaches us that God has a
plan for our hardships.
B. If Paul and Silas had begun
complaining it may have eliminated their desire to pray
1. The text does not tell us what Paul
and Silas did between the time they entered the
Jail and midnight.
2. It is possible that they were in
silent prayer.
3. Maybe they considered the events of
the day.
4. Maybe they were getting adjusted to
their wombs.
5. Maybe they were considering how to
make themselves joyful in their
Present situation.
C. At midnight, the start of a new day,
they began to pray and sing out loud.
1. The sound of their voices ringed out
throughout the prison.
2. God gave them a ready audience for
church services.
3. When you start praying and sing out
loud, you never know how you are encouraging the lives of others.
4. The text says an unlikely audience,
the prisoners were listening.
5. Notice there is no mention of the
Roman guards listening.
D. Paul and Silas praying and singing
caused God to unleash His power
Over the elements
1. A violent earthquake shook the jail
so hard that locks on all
Jail cells open up.
2. Paul and Silas praying and singing
calmed all the prisoners
So they stayed in their
cells and didn’t try to escape.
3. The Word of God in prayer and song is
powerful.
E. The jailer woke up assuming all the
prisoners had escaped.
1. He knew his faith was death, so
decided to kill himself.
2. Paul knowing the jailer's intention
spoke up, we are all here.
3. Even in pain having been judged
unfairly, Paul had compassion
For the jailer.
4. When God’s in charge of your life,
you will do the right thing.
THE
PURPOSE OF YOUR TROUBLES
V:29 The
jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.
30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be
saved?"
A. The purpose of Paul and Silas
imprisonment was realized
1. A jailer having heard the Word and
witness the miracle asked to be saved.
2. Here is the answer to what Paul and
Silas were probably doing between the time they entered The jail and midnight.
a. They were preaching the Gospel while
in pain and chained to the wall.
b. They seized the opportunity to preach
to the lost.
c. The jailer dozed off and went to
sleep doing the message.
d. The jailer got the message of
salvation before he went to sleep.
B. Let me suggest that when the jailer
awoke and found the doors open
And the prisoners in their cells, his gratitude flowed to obedience to
God’s call to repentance.
1. God in His sovereignty purposes our
trials so He gets the glory.
2. God is glorified when one soul is
saved.
SALVATION
THE SUCCESS OF THE MISSION
V:31 They
replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your
household." 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the
others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and
washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34
The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was
filled with joy because he had come to believe in God — he and his whole
family.
A. The church is built, one person at a
time. The jailer first, then his whole household.
1. Faith in Jesus is the only
requirement for salvation.
2. Romans 3:28
For we maintain that a man is justified by
faith apart from works of the Law.
3. Paul and Silas preached Jesus to the
jailer and his household.
B. The jailer showed his gratitude by
taking Paul and Silas to his house and cleaning
Their wounds.
1. Paul and Silas obedient to the
commands of Jesus baptized the jailer and his family
2. We should never put our own needs
before the Gospel.
3. When God is first, He will supply our
needs.
4. Jesus brings joy into the lives of
all believers
The mission
of the Gospel is to affect the lives of all those the Word falls on.
Let's review
the results of the Mission
Paul and
Silas were prevented from taking the Gospel to Asia and redirected
To Philippi
by the Holy Spirit.
At Philippi,
He met Lydia a seller of purple cloth on the Sabbath and baptized
She and her
household were in a prayer meeting.
From there
Paul and Silas met a demon-possessed slave girl who
Followed
them several days before Paul called the demon out of her.
The owners
of the slave girl angry at the loss of profit took them to
The Roman
soldiers who beat them and threw them in jail
The Word was
preached to the jailer and all prisoners.
The Jailer
and his household were baptized.
God has a
plan for your misery. It
all starts with prayer and Worship.
Look again
at the number of lives affected by obedience to the Gospel
Lydia and her household
The slave girl
The owners of the slave girl
The Roman Soldiers
The Jailer and his household
The prisoners in the jail
My questions
to you is this:
Is one life
saved worth your trouble?
Should
prayer move you to act on behalf of another person?
Should you
start a worship service in the midst of strangers?
Rev. M. Mitchell
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