1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,840 at the book Acts Tonight, Acts chapter 16. 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:07,680 Acts chapter 16, and I wanna make sure to say, 3 00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:09,960 while you're finding your way there, 4 00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:12,840 I wanna say on behalf of people 5 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:16,080 that you may never have the opportunity to meet 6 00:00:16,080 --> 00:00:19,720 on this side of heaven, I wanna say thank you. 7 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:21,960 I wanna say thank you for giving 8 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:25,280 so that my family and I can go on your behalf. 9 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:27,420 Thank you for continuing to give 10 00:00:27,420 --> 00:00:29,040 so that we can go to Scotland 11 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:31,280 and tell people about Jesus. 12 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:33,400 We can't do it without you. 13 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:36,120 Thank you for your share in that. 14 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:41,320 In Acts chapter 16, Paul and his missionary team, 15 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:45,440 which at this time includes Silas, Timothy and Luke, 16 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:48,240 they had wanted to journey into Asia, 17 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:50,480 but the Holy Spirit wouldn't let them go. 18 00:00:50,480 --> 00:00:54,120 It was not the right time in God's plan 19 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:55,800 for the gospel to go in there. 20 00:00:55,800 --> 00:01:00,040 So as I'm sure they prayed and sought guidance 21 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,360 on where to proceed next, God sent a vision 22 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:04,680 to the apostle Paul. 23 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:06,840 Acts chapter 16, verse nine. 24 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:11,320 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. 25 00:01:11,320 --> 00:01:14,600 There stood a man of Macedonia and prayed him, 26 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:18,920 saying, come over into Macedonia and help us. 27 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:20,760 And after he had seen the vision, 28 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:24,560 immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, 29 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:28,560 assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us 30 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:30,680 to preach the gospel to them. 31 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:33,680 So Paul and his team, they shift course. 32 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:38,400 And because they shift course and head to Macedonia, 33 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:41,400 the gospel enters the continent of Europe 34 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:43,320 for the very first time. 35 00:01:43,320 --> 00:01:45,640 And what I'd like to do is dive into our text 36 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:47,560 in Acts 16 a little bit more 37 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:51,520 and see the effect that the gospel had in Europe. 38 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:54,440 Acts 16, carrying on in verse 11. 39 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:58,720 Therefore, loosing from Troas, 40 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:01,520 we came with a straight course to Samothria 41 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:03,520 and the next day to Neopolis 42 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:05,880 and from there, thence to Philippi, 43 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:08,800 which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia 44 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:09,880 and a colony. 45 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:13,760 And we were in that city, abiding certain days. 46 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:17,160 And on the Sabbath, we went out of the city by a riverside 47 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:19,520 where prayer was wants to be made. 48 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:22,440 And we sat down and we spoke under the women 49 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:23,960 which resorted thither. 50 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:26,440 And a certain woman named Lydia, 51 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:30,240 a seller of purple of the city of Thyatira, 52 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:34,320 which worshiped God, heard us whose heart the Lord opened 53 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:36,120 that she attended under the things 54 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:37,840 which were spoken of Paul. 55 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:40,640 And when she was baptized and her household, 56 00:02:40,640 --> 00:02:42,320 she besought us saying, 57 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:45,440 if ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, 58 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:47,800 come into my house and abide there. 59 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:49,840 And she constrained us. 60 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:53,920 So as Paul makes his way into Europe for the first time, 61 00:02:53,920 --> 00:02:57,520 he has just received the Macedonian call, all right? 62 00:02:57,520 --> 00:02:59,520 We sing about the Macedonian call 63 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:01,360 whenever we sing, send the light. 64 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:02,560 That's what we're singing about. 65 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:04,040 This is what we're singing about. 66 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:07,600 This vision God gives him to change course 67 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:10,000 and head into Europe. 68 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,640 Now, as they arrive in Philippi, 69 00:03:13,640 --> 00:03:15,600 every time they would come to a new area, 70 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:17,440 their typical strategy was 71 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:20,240 they would go to the local Jewish synagogue 72 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:22,000 and they would preach about Christ. 73 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:27,000 But apparently, Philippi was such a densely Roman city, 74 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:30,120 they were, there were not even enough Jewish men 75 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:32,920 to constitute the forming of a synagogue. 76 00:03:32,920 --> 00:03:36,160 So on the Sabbath, they hear about a place 77 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:40,160 down by the river, which people would go to and pray, 78 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:41,840 right outside the city. 79 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:45,680 So Paul and his team essentially come upon 80 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:49,040 what is basically a women's Bible study. 81 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:52,280 And that is where they come across the individual 82 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:56,200 who becomes the first recorded convert in Europe, 83 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:58,200 a woman named Lydia. 84 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:04,320 Now, the Bible tells us that Lydia is a seller of purple 85 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:05,840 from Thyatira. 86 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:08,520 Now, when it says that she's a seller of purple, 87 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:12,840 don't picture that Lydia just kinda makes some purple crafts 88 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:14,360 as kind of a side hustle, right? 89 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:17,080 And she sets up tables and craft fairs 90 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:19,200 and she sells some of the things that she has made. 91 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:20,760 That's not who Lydia was. 92 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:24,800 We know this because of the price in the value 93 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:27,520 of purple dyed cloth at this time. 94 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:31,960 Purple cloth, purple dye was the most expensive 95 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:34,760 and valuable type of cloth you could find, 96 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:38,360 which is why it was reserved mainly for royalty. 97 00:04:39,260 --> 00:04:41,480 The text tells us more about Lydia. 98 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:44,760 It tells us that she's from Thyatira, 99 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:47,320 but that she has a house in Lydia. 100 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:50,080 What this also lets us know about Lydia 101 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:53,600 is that she is more than likely very wealthy. 102 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:55,500 She's done very well for herself. 103 00:04:56,460 --> 00:05:00,920 I think Lydia in today's term is essentially 104 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:04,800 the CEO of a fashion empire. 105 00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:07,600 In today's terms, she's the type of woman 106 00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:10,800 that she would have a house in New York City 107 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:13,960 and in Los Angeles and in Paris, France 108 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:15,840 and in Finlay, Ohio, you know, 109 00:05:15,840 --> 00:05:18,040 all the capitals of world fashion. 110 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:21,120 That is where she's gonna have a house, okay? 111 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:23,800 The text tells us more about Lydia. 112 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:27,120 The text tells us that she is what the Bible calls 113 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:29,440 a God-fearer. 114 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:33,520 This means that she's rejected the pagan practices 115 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:38,040 of the time and she knows there's something more out there. 116 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:39,320 At this time in her life, 117 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:42,920 she seems to want to know more about this God, 118 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:45,280 but there is no one to teach her. 119 00:05:45,280 --> 00:05:48,360 Again, there are not even enough faithful Jewish men 120 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:51,600 in her city to open up a synagogue. 121 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:53,680 Here's what I think about Lydia. 122 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:57,720 I think Lydia is somebody who saw the world around her. 123 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:02,400 She is somebody that had as much wealth and success 124 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:05,440 as a person could have at that time, 125 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:07,580 but it hadn't brought her peace. 126 00:06:07,580 --> 00:06:10,220 It hadn't brought her peace. 127 00:06:10,220 --> 00:06:13,500 She knew there had to be more to life 128 00:06:13,500 --> 00:06:15,660 than her wealth and success. 129 00:06:16,860 --> 00:06:20,420 She knew there had to be more to just being wealthy 130 00:06:20,420 --> 00:06:23,300 and I think she had probably gone as far as her knowledge 131 00:06:23,300 --> 00:06:27,380 could take her, but it hadn't brought her peace. 132 00:06:27,380 --> 00:06:30,300 She knew something of this God. 133 00:06:30,300 --> 00:06:32,620 She'd at least heard of him, 134 00:06:32,620 --> 00:06:35,020 but nobody was there to fill in the gaps 135 00:06:35,020 --> 00:06:37,740 of what she was missing. 136 00:06:37,740 --> 00:06:41,340 I think Lydia has probably done the best she can 137 00:06:41,340 --> 00:06:43,340 with the knowledge she has, 138 00:06:43,340 --> 00:06:45,660 but she knows she's missing something. 139 00:06:45,660 --> 00:06:49,900 And so she finds herself at a place of prayer 140 00:06:49,900 --> 00:06:53,140 and I would even wonder if she's probably praying 141 00:06:53,140 --> 00:06:56,900 that God could send someone to teach her 142 00:06:56,900 --> 00:06:59,500 and then along comes Paul. 143 00:06:59,500 --> 00:07:02,460 And Paul begins to talk to her in the other's present 144 00:07:02,460 --> 00:07:06,580 and he begins to fill in the gaps of what they're missing. 145 00:07:06,580 --> 00:07:10,460 He explains to them that God gave the law 146 00:07:10,460 --> 00:07:15,100 to reveal to us that we have all fallen short of his glory, 147 00:07:15,100 --> 00:07:18,060 but that atonement was made possible 148 00:07:18,060 --> 00:07:21,420 only through what Jesus Christ did on the cross. 149 00:07:21,420 --> 00:07:24,620 And the Bible tells us that through this conversation 150 00:07:24,620 --> 00:07:27,500 with Paul, God opens her heart 151 00:07:27,500 --> 00:07:30,460 and she commits to become a follower of Jesus Christ. 152 00:07:30,460 --> 00:07:34,380 She found the peace she had been looking for 153 00:07:34,380 --> 00:07:37,460 because that is the effect of the gospel. 154 00:07:37,460 --> 00:07:39,860 The gospel brings peace, 155 00:07:39,860 --> 00:07:43,860 peace that can only come through the power of the gospel. 156 00:07:44,860 --> 00:07:47,660 And so this church in Philippi, 157 00:07:47,660 --> 00:07:50,180 this is how it's first planted 158 00:07:50,180 --> 00:07:53,980 through the conversion of a high society businesswoman 159 00:07:53,980 --> 00:07:56,500 who was looking for peace in her life. 160 00:07:56,500 --> 00:07:59,420 But as we read on, we're gonna see the roots of this church 161 00:07:59,420 --> 00:08:04,420 they get a bit more complex, verses 16 through 18. 162 00:08:05,220 --> 00:08:08,420 And it came to pass as we went to prayer, 163 00:08:08,420 --> 00:08:12,420 a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination, 164 00:08:12,420 --> 00:08:15,420 possessed by a demon she met us. 165 00:08:15,420 --> 00:08:18,420 And she brought her masters much gain 166 00:08:18,420 --> 00:08:21,420 by soothsaying or by fortune telling. 167 00:08:21,420 --> 00:08:26,420 The same girl followed Paul and us and she cried saying, 168 00:08:26,420 --> 00:08:29,860 these men are the servants of the most high God 169 00:08:29,860 --> 00:08:33,140 which show unto us the way of salvation. 170 00:08:33,140 --> 00:08:35,660 And this she did many days, 171 00:08:35,660 --> 00:08:40,660 but Paul being grieved turned and said to the spirit, 172 00:08:40,660 --> 00:08:43,620 I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ 173 00:08:43,620 --> 00:08:48,020 to come out of her and he came out that same hour. 174 00:08:48,020 --> 00:08:50,740 So we've met Lydia already. 175 00:08:50,740 --> 00:08:55,420 This little girl, she stands in stark contrast to Lydia. 176 00:08:55,420 --> 00:09:00,420 I imagine that Lydia is probably a very much in control, 177 00:09:00,660 --> 00:09:04,380 type A personality like most CEOs, 178 00:09:04,380 --> 00:09:07,860 whereas this girl is impoverished, 179 00:09:07,860 --> 00:09:11,160 she's enslaved and she's being exploited. 180 00:09:12,140 --> 00:09:14,300 Lydia is somebody who is out there 181 00:09:14,300 --> 00:09:17,500 intellectually seeking the truth. 182 00:09:17,500 --> 00:09:21,140 This girl is actually walking around proclaiming 183 00:09:21,140 --> 00:09:22,820 the way of salvation, 184 00:09:22,820 --> 00:09:26,180 but she's doing it under demonic control. 185 00:09:26,180 --> 00:09:28,900 I mean, while Paul meets and engages Lydia 186 00:09:28,900 --> 00:09:30,660 in an orderly group meeting, 187 00:09:30,660 --> 00:09:32,620 Paul and this slave girl meet 188 00:09:32,620 --> 00:09:35,700 because she's following him around, screaming her head off, 189 00:09:35,700 --> 00:09:38,100 disrupting everything he's trying to do. 190 00:09:38,100 --> 00:09:41,820 As in control a person as Lydia was, 191 00:09:41,820 --> 00:09:46,660 this girl is as far out of control as a person can be. 192 00:09:46,660 --> 00:09:48,780 Now, every time I've read this text, 193 00:09:48,780 --> 00:09:52,700 I have always wondered why the demon controlling 194 00:09:52,700 --> 00:09:56,980 this girl allow her to follow Paul proclaiming, 195 00:09:56,980 --> 00:10:00,460 these men are the servants of the most high God, 196 00:10:00,460 --> 00:10:03,300 which show unto us a way of salvation. 197 00:10:03,300 --> 00:10:05,780 On the surface that's helpful, right? 198 00:10:05,780 --> 00:10:08,300 That's exactly what they're trying to do. 199 00:10:08,300 --> 00:10:10,300 So why is the demon doing this? 200 00:10:10,300 --> 00:10:12,060 And I think there's multiple reasons. 201 00:10:12,060 --> 00:10:15,580 It could be that they were doing it for hope of gain, 202 00:10:15,580 --> 00:10:19,520 that maybe she thinks Paul would reward her 203 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:21,780 for her help, for her public proclamation. 204 00:10:21,780 --> 00:10:23,620 She's being helpful. 205 00:10:23,620 --> 00:10:26,180 It could also be that maybe the demon thought 206 00:10:26,180 --> 00:10:29,100 that if this girl walked around saying things 207 00:10:29,100 --> 00:10:31,040 that could help Paul, then maybe Paul 208 00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:33,220 would not expel the demon. 209 00:10:33,220 --> 00:10:35,860 Maybe they thought to discredit Paul, 210 00:10:35,860 --> 00:10:38,420 making people think that he and Silas were working 211 00:10:38,420 --> 00:10:41,300 with unclean spirits themselves to bring confusion 212 00:10:41,300 --> 00:10:42,660 to what they were preaching, 213 00:10:42,660 --> 00:10:45,380 or honestly she could have just been demonically 214 00:10:45,380 --> 00:10:46,980 mocking the gospel. 215 00:10:48,300 --> 00:10:50,700 I even think that it's possible 216 00:10:50,700 --> 00:10:54,180 that in whatever few moments of lucidity 217 00:10:54,180 --> 00:10:57,740 and clear thought a possessed person had, 218 00:10:57,740 --> 00:11:00,300 she was crying out for help. 219 00:11:00,300 --> 00:11:02,380 And this was the only way she could do it. 220 00:11:04,180 --> 00:11:08,540 Now, we read that Paul doesn't cast the demon out right away. 221 00:11:08,540 --> 00:11:11,340 The text says that she had been following them around, 222 00:11:11,340 --> 00:11:15,900 screaming for days, until Paul was grieved 223 00:11:15,900 --> 00:11:17,100 and he cast it out. 224 00:11:17,100 --> 00:11:19,660 Now, when it says grieved, we kind of think, 225 00:11:19,660 --> 00:11:20,780 well he took pity on her. 226 00:11:20,780 --> 00:11:23,180 Actually the word, if you look at the original word, 227 00:11:23,180 --> 00:11:26,220 it means that Paul actually became so annoyed 228 00:11:26,220 --> 00:11:28,260 he cast the demon out of the girl. 229 00:11:29,140 --> 00:11:31,340 What took him so long? 230 00:11:31,340 --> 00:11:34,580 I mean, it's possible maybe he didn't recognize 231 00:11:34,580 --> 00:11:36,540 at first that she was possessed. 232 00:11:36,540 --> 00:11:39,940 Maybe he thought that this girl was just genuinely 233 00:11:39,940 --> 00:11:42,140 trying to help, right? 234 00:11:42,140 --> 00:11:44,980 You probably have all known a person in your life 235 00:11:44,980 --> 00:11:47,580 that it seems like you were the last person 236 00:11:47,580 --> 00:11:50,180 to realize they were a bit crazy, right? 237 00:11:50,180 --> 00:11:51,940 They always seem to try to be helping you 238 00:11:51,940 --> 00:11:53,940 and everybody else knew they were a bit off 239 00:11:53,940 --> 00:11:56,020 but you were the last one to get the message. 240 00:11:56,020 --> 00:11:58,540 How many of you guys have ever known somebody like that? 241 00:11:58,540 --> 00:12:00,580 Okay, how many won't raise your hand 242 00:12:00,580 --> 00:12:02,740 because you're sitting next to him right now? 243 00:12:02,740 --> 00:12:04,860 Okay, yeah, exactly. 244 00:12:04,860 --> 00:12:07,380 For whatever reason it was, 245 00:12:07,380 --> 00:12:10,540 Paul sees the hopelessness in this girl 246 00:12:10,540 --> 00:12:14,460 and he takes pity on her and he frees her 247 00:12:14,460 --> 00:12:15,860 from this demon's power. 248 00:12:15,860 --> 00:12:20,860 Now, when Paul met Lydia, Paul, Lydia was looking for peace. 249 00:12:21,940 --> 00:12:24,580 When Paul meets this girl, 250 00:12:24,580 --> 00:12:28,860 this girl truly is the epitome of hopeless. 251 00:12:29,860 --> 00:12:33,860 What could be more hopeless than her life? 252 00:12:33,860 --> 00:12:37,860 Even if she wasn't possessed by a demon, 253 00:12:37,860 --> 00:12:39,940 she was still a slave. 254 00:12:40,940 --> 00:12:43,060 Her master's user to make money 255 00:12:43,060 --> 00:12:45,460 because this demon allows her to be possessed 256 00:12:45,460 --> 00:12:47,460 allows her to be seen as a fortune teller 257 00:12:47,460 --> 00:12:49,740 and the Bible doesn't tell us this 258 00:12:49,740 --> 00:12:51,620 but I would imagine that if they were willing 259 00:12:51,620 --> 00:12:53,060 to exploit her in that way, 260 00:12:53,060 --> 00:12:55,580 it probably was not the only way they abused her. 261 00:12:56,580 --> 00:13:01,580 She had no hope until Paul showed up with the gospel 262 00:13:02,220 --> 00:13:03,980 because another effect of the gospel 263 00:13:03,980 --> 00:13:06,580 is that the gospel brings hope. 264 00:13:06,580 --> 00:13:10,180 The gospel brings peace and the gospel brings hope. 265 00:13:11,260 --> 00:13:13,500 Now, the power of the gospel, 266 00:13:13,500 --> 00:13:18,420 it allowed Paul to engage Lydia intellectually 267 00:13:18,420 --> 00:13:20,100 to help her find peace. 268 00:13:20,100 --> 00:13:24,260 That same power enabled Paul to engage 269 00:13:24,260 --> 00:13:28,740 this slave girl spiritually to bring her hope. 270 00:13:28,740 --> 00:13:29,940 She needed hope. 271 00:13:31,220 --> 00:13:33,780 Let's read on in verse 19. 272 00:13:33,780 --> 00:13:37,060 And when her master saw that their hope 273 00:13:37,060 --> 00:13:41,060 of their games was gone, they caught Paul and Silas 274 00:13:41,060 --> 00:13:43,140 and they drew them into the marketplace 275 00:13:43,140 --> 00:13:45,180 under the rulers and they brought them 276 00:13:45,180 --> 00:13:46,740 to the magistrates saying, 277 00:13:46,740 --> 00:13:50,900 these men being Jews do exceedingly trouble our city 278 00:13:50,900 --> 00:13:53,340 and they teach customs which are not lawful 279 00:13:53,340 --> 00:13:57,340 for us to receive, neither to observe being Romans. 280 00:13:57,340 --> 00:13:59,940 And the multitude rose up together against them 281 00:13:59,940 --> 00:14:02,580 and the magistrates rent off their clothes 282 00:14:02,580 --> 00:14:04,620 and commanded to beat them. 283 00:14:04,620 --> 00:14:07,580 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, 284 00:14:07,580 --> 00:14:09,420 they cast them into prison, 285 00:14:09,420 --> 00:14:12,540 charging the jailer to keep them safely 286 00:14:12,540 --> 00:14:14,780 who having received such a charge, 287 00:14:14,780 --> 00:14:16,820 thrust them into the inner prison 288 00:14:16,820 --> 00:14:20,340 and made their feet fast in stocks. 289 00:14:20,340 --> 00:14:22,420 Now, of course the owners of this girl, 290 00:14:22,420 --> 00:14:24,660 they're not pleased that they can't make money 291 00:14:24,660 --> 00:14:25,860 off of her anymore. 292 00:14:25,860 --> 00:14:29,300 So they rile up a mob and they have Paul and Silas 293 00:14:29,300 --> 00:14:30,940 brought before the city leaders 294 00:14:30,940 --> 00:14:33,580 who have both of them beaten, whipped, 295 00:14:33,580 --> 00:14:37,020 stripes on their back and that is where we meet 296 00:14:37,020 --> 00:14:39,660 the third person I wanna look at tonight. 297 00:14:39,660 --> 00:14:41,780 We meet the Roman jailer. 298 00:14:41,780 --> 00:14:45,860 Now in verse 23, the magistrates told the jailer 299 00:14:45,860 --> 00:14:48,620 that we want you to keep Paul and Silas secure 300 00:14:48,620 --> 00:14:50,260 or keep them safe. 301 00:14:50,260 --> 00:14:52,460 Basically, I think what they were looking for 302 00:14:52,460 --> 00:14:54,780 is they had taught these troublemakers a lesson. 303 00:14:54,780 --> 00:14:57,060 They were gonna throw them in prison overnight 304 00:14:57,060 --> 00:14:58,300 and let them out the next day. 305 00:14:58,300 --> 00:15:01,100 I think that's kinda what they were thinking about. 306 00:15:01,100 --> 00:15:03,260 However, we read this jailer though 307 00:15:03,260 --> 00:15:06,860 as somebody who takes his job very, very seriously. 308 00:15:06,860 --> 00:15:11,020 The jailer ends up throwing them into the inner prison 309 00:15:11,020 --> 00:15:13,540 which is where you would put the very worst 310 00:15:13,540 --> 00:15:14,580 of the worst offenders. 311 00:15:14,580 --> 00:15:18,660 It would be the super max part of the facility back then. 312 00:15:18,660 --> 00:15:20,900 And if that wasn't enough, he already locks them 313 00:15:20,900 --> 00:15:22,780 in the inner part, the worst of the prison. 314 00:15:22,780 --> 00:15:27,020 If that wasn't enough, he locks their feet in stocks, 315 00:15:27,020 --> 00:15:29,500 literally puts their feet up in stocks 316 00:15:29,500 --> 00:15:32,900 which would really force them to have no choice 317 00:15:32,900 --> 00:15:36,860 but to lean back on their beaten backs, right? 318 00:15:36,860 --> 00:15:41,860 And notice, the jailer isn't told to treat them this way. 319 00:15:41,900 --> 00:15:43,980 He's just told to keep them safe. 320 00:15:45,380 --> 00:15:48,940 But he instead decides to basically torture them 321 00:15:48,940 --> 00:15:51,140 and make their life even more miserable. 322 00:15:51,140 --> 00:15:54,620 So we're not dealing with a very nice man at this moment. 323 00:15:55,740 --> 00:16:00,020 And to be honest, if I were Paul or Silas in this situation, 324 00:16:00,020 --> 00:16:04,580 I would imagine that I would just be totally, totally spent. 325 00:16:04,580 --> 00:16:06,980 I would be emotionally and physically 326 00:16:06,980 --> 00:16:09,040 and spiritually spent. 327 00:16:10,660 --> 00:16:15,500 Their backs are bleeding from this beating they've received. 328 00:16:15,500 --> 00:16:17,860 They're black and blue all over. 329 00:16:17,860 --> 00:16:22,300 And all that they were doing was telling people about Jesus. 330 00:16:22,300 --> 00:16:26,500 And now they find themselves in a maximum security cell 331 00:16:26,500 --> 00:16:29,180 with their feet locked in stocks 332 00:16:29,180 --> 00:16:34,700 all because this jailer takes his job a little too seriously. 333 00:16:34,700 --> 00:16:37,860 But listen, you need to understand this. 334 00:16:37,860 --> 00:16:41,540 Anyone who decides to become active in God's work 335 00:16:41,540 --> 00:16:45,380 in the spread of the gospel is going to take some hits. 336 00:16:46,700 --> 00:16:49,580 You're not always gonna see them coming. 337 00:16:49,580 --> 00:16:51,420 They're very rarely going to come 338 00:16:51,420 --> 00:16:53,820 from who you would expect them to come from, 339 00:16:53,820 --> 00:16:55,580 but they will come. 340 00:16:55,580 --> 00:16:58,620 In some cases, those hits may come physically, 341 00:16:58,620 --> 00:17:02,460 but in most cases, they're gonna come emotionally. 342 00:17:02,460 --> 00:17:06,260 And they'll leave scars and marks that you can't see. 343 00:17:06,260 --> 00:17:09,100 So when your missionary's asking you to pray for them, 344 00:17:09,100 --> 00:17:12,140 we mean it, pray for us. 345 00:17:12,140 --> 00:17:16,420 When your pastor asks you to pray for him and his family, 346 00:17:16,420 --> 00:17:18,820 he means it, pray for them. 347 00:17:20,060 --> 00:17:22,660 So after the beating they've just received 348 00:17:22,660 --> 00:17:25,980 for really doing nothing wrong, Paul and Silas 349 00:17:25,980 --> 00:17:29,620 would have every reason to just lay there in their misery, 350 00:17:29,620 --> 00:17:32,180 but we're gonna read that they do something else. 351 00:17:32,180 --> 00:17:33,780 Verse 25. 352 00:17:33,780 --> 00:17:38,780 And at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed 353 00:17:39,060 --> 00:17:44,060 and sang praises unto God and the prisoners heard them. 354 00:17:45,380 --> 00:17:49,780 Prayer and praise are powerful weapons. 355 00:17:49,780 --> 00:17:52,260 In fact, they may be two of the most powerful weapons 356 00:17:52,260 --> 00:17:55,860 God has given us in this battle he's put us in. 357 00:17:55,860 --> 00:17:58,780 When you find yourself under attack, 358 00:17:58,780 --> 00:18:01,580 remember these weapons, remember prayer, 359 00:18:01,580 --> 00:18:03,340 and remember praise. 360 00:18:03,340 --> 00:18:06,180 And why it's so important for you to face these battles 361 00:18:06,180 --> 00:18:10,300 with prayer and praise is because of the end of verse 25. 362 00:18:10,300 --> 00:18:15,140 As they prayed and sang praises, the prisoners heard them. 363 00:18:16,940 --> 00:18:19,020 They weren't locked in there with the prisoners, 364 00:18:19,020 --> 00:18:21,220 the prisoners were locked in there with them. 365 00:18:21,220 --> 00:18:25,900 People will see how you respond to what the Lord 366 00:18:25,900 --> 00:18:27,660 allows you to go through. 367 00:18:27,660 --> 00:18:30,220 And they will hear and they will see. 368 00:18:30,220 --> 00:18:32,460 So it's important we stay faithful. 369 00:18:33,420 --> 00:18:35,060 Verse 26. 370 00:18:35,060 --> 00:18:37,660 And suddenly there was a great earthquake 371 00:18:37,660 --> 00:18:40,620 so that the foundations of the prison were shaken 372 00:18:40,620 --> 00:18:43,220 and immediately all the doors were opened 373 00:18:43,220 --> 00:18:45,620 and everyone's bands were loosed. 374 00:18:45,620 --> 00:18:47,060 And the keeper of the prison, 375 00:18:47,060 --> 00:18:49,900 awaking out of his sleep, seeing the prison doors open, 376 00:18:49,900 --> 00:18:52,660 he drew out his sword and he would have killed himself 377 00:18:52,660 --> 00:18:55,340 supposing that the prisoners had all fled. 378 00:18:55,340 --> 00:18:57,780 But Paul cried with a loud voice saying, 379 00:18:57,780 --> 00:19:01,020 do thyself no harm for we are all here. 380 00:19:01,020 --> 00:19:03,220 Then he called for a light and spring in 381 00:19:03,220 --> 00:19:06,700 and came trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas. 382 00:19:06,700 --> 00:19:08,140 And he brought them out and he said, 383 00:19:08,140 --> 00:19:11,900 sirs, what must I do to be saved? 384 00:19:11,900 --> 00:19:14,540 And they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 385 00:19:14,540 --> 00:19:17,820 and thou shalt be saved and thy house. 386 00:19:17,820 --> 00:19:19,980 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord 387 00:19:19,980 --> 00:19:21,940 to all that were in his house. 388 00:19:21,940 --> 00:19:24,260 And he took them the same hour of the night 389 00:19:24,260 --> 00:19:27,340 and washed their stripes and he was baptized. 390 00:19:27,340 --> 00:19:29,780 He in all his straight way. 391 00:19:29,780 --> 00:19:31,900 And when they brought him into the house, 392 00:19:31,900 --> 00:19:35,940 he set meat before them and rejoiced believing in God 393 00:19:35,940 --> 00:19:37,100 with all his house. 394 00:19:37,100 --> 00:19:41,340 This is just one more of the incredible conversion stories 395 00:19:41,340 --> 00:19:44,220 that show the people that this church in Philippi 396 00:19:44,220 --> 00:19:46,020 was made up with. 397 00:19:46,020 --> 00:19:48,140 It's no wonder that years later, 398 00:19:48,140 --> 00:19:50,300 Paul would write a letter back to this church. 399 00:19:50,300 --> 00:19:51,900 We call it the Book of Philippians. 400 00:19:51,900 --> 00:19:54,140 And he would say, I thank my God 401 00:19:54,140 --> 00:19:56,420 upon my every remembrance of you. 402 00:19:56,420 --> 00:19:58,820 These are those remembrances. 403 00:19:58,820 --> 00:20:02,020 He remembers the way the Lord reached Lydia 404 00:20:02,020 --> 00:20:04,060 and the way the Lord saved that slave girl. 405 00:20:04,060 --> 00:20:06,340 He remembers the beatings 406 00:20:06,340 --> 00:20:10,220 and he remembers the way the Lord reached this jailer. 407 00:20:10,220 --> 00:20:13,340 Now this jailer, he's nothing like the other two people 408 00:20:13,340 --> 00:20:14,700 we've looked at. 409 00:20:14,700 --> 00:20:16,980 This is not a guy who's out there looking 410 00:20:16,980 --> 00:20:19,340 for the spiritual side of life. 411 00:20:19,340 --> 00:20:22,340 He's somebody who does his job and he does it well. 412 00:20:22,340 --> 00:20:24,340 And probably like a lot of people today, 413 00:20:24,340 --> 00:20:27,820 he began to identify his life with his job. 414 00:20:27,820 --> 00:20:30,900 His career was his only reason for being. 415 00:20:30,900 --> 00:20:32,860 So when this earthquake starts 416 00:20:32,860 --> 00:20:36,300 and he thinks all the prisoners have fled to his mind, 417 00:20:36,300 --> 00:20:38,500 his career's over so his life is over. 418 00:20:38,500 --> 00:20:40,700 He might as well kill himself. 419 00:20:40,700 --> 00:20:43,300 I mean, to be honest, in Roman times, 420 00:20:43,300 --> 00:20:46,260 if a prisoner were to escape a guard's custody, 421 00:20:46,260 --> 00:20:48,620 that guard was to be given the sentence 422 00:20:48,620 --> 00:20:50,420 of whatever that prisoner had. 423 00:20:50,420 --> 00:20:52,780 So if this guy was in charge of that whole prison 424 00:20:52,780 --> 00:20:55,740 and all those guys had changed and escaped 425 00:20:55,740 --> 00:20:58,180 and some of them had to be capital offenders, 426 00:20:58,180 --> 00:21:02,180 this guard knew he was in for a long, painful death. 427 00:21:02,180 --> 00:21:05,380 So rather than face that, he pulls out his sword 428 00:21:05,380 --> 00:21:07,500 and he gets ready to kill himself. 429 00:21:09,100 --> 00:21:11,740 But as he does that, Paul speaks up 430 00:21:11,740 --> 00:21:15,700 and he tells this man a better purpose for his life 431 00:21:15,700 --> 00:21:19,780 than just his job, a more fulfilling purpose for his life. 432 00:21:20,660 --> 00:21:22,260 He tells him about the gospel. 433 00:21:23,100 --> 00:21:26,300 And we read that the change in this man, 434 00:21:26,300 --> 00:21:28,500 it is almost instant. 435 00:21:28,500 --> 00:21:31,820 As soon as he comes into contact with the gospel, 436 00:21:31,820 --> 00:21:35,540 he is changed because the third effect of the gospel 437 00:21:35,540 --> 00:21:38,020 is that the gospel brings change. 438 00:21:38,020 --> 00:21:42,300 It brings peace, it brings hope, and it brings change. 439 00:21:42,300 --> 00:21:44,500 He goes from torturing these men 440 00:21:44,500 --> 00:21:46,580 to them calling them sirs. 441 00:21:46,580 --> 00:21:49,820 And he asks them, what must I do to be saved? 442 00:21:49,820 --> 00:21:51,500 And then the Bible tells us 443 00:21:51,500 --> 00:21:53,980 that he takes them into his own home 444 00:21:53,980 --> 00:21:57,060 and he begins to clean their wounds. 445 00:21:57,060 --> 00:22:01,980 And we read that the change in this man is so drastic 446 00:22:01,980 --> 00:22:04,300 that the Bible says his entire household 447 00:22:04,300 --> 00:22:06,620 become believers that night. 448 00:22:06,620 --> 00:22:08,860 Now ladies, imagine for just a moment 449 00:22:08,860 --> 00:22:10,580 that you're this guy's husband, right? 450 00:22:10,580 --> 00:22:12,700 Or you're this guy's wife, I should say. 451 00:22:12,700 --> 00:22:15,260 You're this guy's wife and you're upstairs in bed 452 00:22:15,260 --> 00:22:17,500 and in the middle of the night you hear a commotion. 453 00:22:17,500 --> 00:22:21,300 And so you come on downstairs and you walk in 454 00:22:21,300 --> 00:22:24,940 and you see this prison guard husband 455 00:22:24,940 --> 00:22:27,660 cleaning the wounds of two prisoners. 456 00:22:27,660 --> 00:22:30,900 And most likely he's doing it in your kitchen. 457 00:22:31,980 --> 00:22:36,260 And he's probably using the good towels to do it with. 458 00:22:36,260 --> 00:22:37,780 And I didn't even know what good towels were 459 00:22:37,780 --> 00:22:39,140 until I got married. 460 00:22:39,140 --> 00:22:41,300 There's towels you don't use, okay? 461 00:22:41,300 --> 00:22:43,380 I mean, of all the people you don't want them 462 00:22:43,380 --> 00:22:45,140 to bring their work home with them, 463 00:22:45,140 --> 00:22:47,840 a prison warden is pretty high on that list. 464 00:22:48,860 --> 00:22:53,860 But this particular prison warden had been changed. 465 00:22:53,860 --> 00:22:57,900 He had been changed by the power of the gospel. 466 00:22:57,900 --> 00:23:00,100 And because he had been changed, 467 00:23:00,100 --> 00:23:03,060 his eternal destination was changed. 468 00:23:03,060 --> 00:23:06,900 And because he was changed, his family was changed. 469 00:23:08,820 --> 00:23:11,220 So this is how this Philippian church begins 470 00:23:11,220 --> 00:23:13,420 with a fashionista business woman, 471 00:23:13,420 --> 00:23:15,460 a demon possessed slave girl, 472 00:23:15,460 --> 00:23:18,580 and a mean as fire Roman soldier. 473 00:23:18,580 --> 00:23:20,420 You know, probably not your traditional church 474 00:23:20,420 --> 00:23:23,820 planning dream team, but the Holy Spirit of God 475 00:23:23,820 --> 00:23:26,860 works in incredible ways to redeem 476 00:23:26,860 --> 00:23:29,260 even the most unlikeliest of people. 477 00:23:29,260 --> 00:23:31,180 And the thing we need to understand 478 00:23:31,180 --> 00:23:34,420 is that same powerful gospel message 479 00:23:34,420 --> 00:23:37,340 that showed up in Europe that day, 480 00:23:37,340 --> 00:23:40,340 it is the same message we have tonight. 481 00:23:40,340 --> 00:23:42,780 And just like back then, there are people 482 00:23:42,780 --> 00:23:47,320 in your life right now, like Lydia who need peace, 483 00:23:47,320 --> 00:23:49,460 they're only gonna get it from the gospel. 484 00:23:49,460 --> 00:23:53,740 There are people enslaved like that girl who need hope, 485 00:23:53,740 --> 00:23:55,660 and they're only gonna get it from the gospel. 486 00:23:55,660 --> 00:23:58,380 And there are people in your life who need change, 487 00:23:58,380 --> 00:24:01,620 and they're only going to get it from the gospel. 488 00:24:01,620 --> 00:24:05,060 Whose responsibility is it to take the gospel to them? 489 00:24:06,220 --> 00:24:07,980 It's ours. 490 00:24:07,980 --> 00:24:11,420 I'm doing the best I can on your behalf in Scotland, 491 00:24:11,420 --> 00:24:14,620 but I need you to work on my behalf here in Finley, 492 00:24:14,620 --> 00:24:16,700 because that's what God has asked us to do. 493 00:24:16,700 --> 00:24:18,900 Thank you so much for your investment in our ministry. 494 00:24:18,900 --> 00:24:28,900 Pastor Ben.