Sermon 01/12/03 pm

Jim Huskey, Walking Through Acts # 23

We drove down our peg after the conversion of Lydia, and we have the

beginnings, as least as far as we know, of the church in the city of

Philippi - a church that was to be instrumental in the work of Paul

from that time. That's not all that would occur, however, in this

trip to Philippi. Remember, Lydia had encouraged Paul and those with

him to go into her home, which they did. There were some other events

that would occur that have some very significant lessons.

"And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed

with a spirit of divination men us, which brought her masters much gain

by soothsaying; the same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying,

These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the

way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being

grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of

Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour."

Acts 16:16-18. Now there are a lot of things concerning incidents like

this that we don't understand with respect to evil spirits and spirits

of divination that inhabited people evidently during those days, and

evidently for a purpose. Usually we find those spirits being cast out

by those endowed with miraculous powers, and the end result would be

that poeple would be led to believe. Now here we have an interesting

situation. This woman had a spirit of divination, she brought her

masters gain by soothsaying. Paul got tired of her advertising them

as gospel preachers. I guess you could say that there are some sources

of publicity that you just don't particularly want; so he cast that

evil spirit out of her and that laid the groundwork for one of the more

familiar incidents in the book of Acts. I want you to notice what led

to that.

Beginning in verse 19 of Acts 16, we read, "And when her masters saw

that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and

drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, and brought them to

the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble

our city, and teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive,

neither to observe, being Romans. And the multitude rose up together

against them; and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded

to beat them." Acts 16:19-22. Now let's just stop here for a minute.

The REAL problem is, Paul got into their pocketbook when he cast out

the spirit of divination. It didn't have a thing in the world to do

with teaching customs that were unlawful for Romans to observe. It

wouldn't sound as good, however, if they brought them before the

magistrates and said 'these men have gotten into our pocketbooks.' You

remember the same thing is going to happen later when they have an up-

roar in Ephesus involving those people who made the little idols for

those people to worship. When Paul came in there teaching regarding the

true God and saying there were no idols made with hands that had any

value whatsoever, they brought them in, saying, 'these men are teaching

against God, in particular, against our god, Diana of the Ephesians.'

Why didn't they just say, 'they've hurt our business.' Well, that

didn't sound as good. But let's go a step further. Let's look at the

charge that they made against Paul here in chapter 16 of Acts. "These

men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, and teach customs

which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being

Romans.' verses 20,21. Was that true? NO!!!!! Why? Paul was a

Roman citizen!!!! Not only was he a Roman citizen, he was a free born

Roman citizen. It was that same Paul, I believe, who, in the book of

Romans, chapter 13, beginning versse 1, wrote, "Let every soul be

subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God; the

powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the

power, resisteth the ordinance of God; and they that resist shall

receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good

works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power?

Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same. For

he is the minister of God to thee for good...." Rom. 13:1-4. So even

though the charge would sound better, it was an untrue charge. But

it accomplished, at least temporarily, what they hoped it would

accomplish.

One of the things we're going to notice before this incident is over

is that, it would be better if we have all the facts before we take a

course of action. Now remember, Paul is brought into the marketplace

before the rulers and magistrates; and these are Romans. 'They teach

customs which are not lawful for us (Romans) to observe.' It would

have been wise for the magistrates to have found out a little bit

more about these people with whom they were dealing before they took

the course of action which they took. It doesn't hurt to have the

facts before we make up our mind and take a course of action. A lot

of folks have gotten in trouble, not having all the facts at hand.

They commanded to beat them. "And when they had laid many stripes

upom them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep

them safely; who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the

inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks." Acts 16:23,24.

You'd think they had some REAL criminals on their hands, wouldn't you??

That tells you what a lot of things are about - money!!!!!!!!!! It's

about getting into folks pocketbooks. "And at midnight Paul and Silas

prayed, and sang praises unto God; and the prisoners heard them. And

suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of

the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and

every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking

out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his

sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners

had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself

no harm; for we are all here." Acts 16:25-28. Now let me just pause

here for a moment. The jailor had been given a charge; he had

prisoners committed to his hand. Basically the rule was, if one was

given prisoners to keep and they escaped, it was that guard's life or

their life. So, rather than face the disgrace, he was going to take

his own life right there and then. Now the jailor did not realize

the kind of people he had in his prison, either. The typical situation

was, if the doors were open and the bands were loose and the jailor was

asleep when all this started, the prisoners would be gone. But I want

you to notice a couple things. Paul told him 'do yourself no harm, for

we are all here.' Remember, the prisoners heard Paul and Silas singing

and praying at midnight. I'm assuming that, since the foundation of the

prison was shaken and the doors were opened and the bands were loosed,

there were likely other prisoners in the jail because we read that the

prisoners heard them. But isn't it interesting that NONE of the

prisoners were gone. Paul says, 'do thyself no harm, we're all here.'

Immediately the jailor recognized that this is a different type person

than those with whom he had been dealing. The record says, "Then he

called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down

before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said Sirs, what must

I do to be saved?" Acts 16:29,30. I'm sure the jailor was not

completely ignorant of the things that had taken place in the city of

Philippi. He had to have some idea of what these men had done. If

nothing else, word of mouth travels fast. Remember this girl with the

spirit of divination had been going around following Paul and telling

others, "...These men are the servants of the most high God, which

show unto us the way of salvation." verse 17. She's not doing that

anymore. She's not advertising anymore. Something has happened. I'm

certain a lot of people had to have known and it is not unlikely that

the jailor was at least in part aware of some unusual things with

respect to these men. I don't know if he heard them singing and praying

or not. I know he was asleep when the earthquake occurred. I don't

know if he heard them talking to other prisoners, I don't know if he

had heard some of the things they were teaching in that city. I do

know when these things occurred as they did, he came in with a very

important question - 'sirs, what must I do do be saved?' I guess I

could do like a lot of preachers do and read verse 31 and quit. Verse

31 says "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou

shalt be saved, and thy house." That's were a lot of preahers stop.

There's just one problem. The story doesn't stop there. That's not the

end of the incident. It's like buying a book that's got thirty chap-

ters and reading over to about chapter 15 and saying, 'I've read the

book now.' No, you've read part of it. You don't have, as Paul

Harvey would say, the rest of the story. Far too many who are standing

in pulpits and teaching in Bible classes don't finish the rest of the

story when it comes to the Philippian jailor and his family.

First of all, keep in mind that this is a city of Macedonia, a Roman

colony. These people, for the most part, are Romans. As far as we

know, this is the first so-journ into that area where the gospel has

been preached. Paul had converted Lydia and her household and had

stayed there. How much good they had done in the intervening time

before this occurs we don't know. Evidently the damsel following them

around had been going on several days. Just to tell this man to

believe on Jesus and stop right there might be a little ludicrous if

we look at the whole situation. What does he need to believe about

Jesus? Well, if he's never heard the gospel, he doesn't know what

to believe about him in the first place. Now, remember, if we just

take verse 31 and stop right there, we're telling a man to do something

without him knowing what he needs to do about it. 'Believe on the

Lord Jesus Christ, and thou house, and thou shalt be saved.' Saved

from what??????? Verse 32 says, "And they spake unto him the word

of the Lord, and to all that were in his house." Oh!!!!! Now, he is

in a position to know WHAT to believe. But if we just take verse 31

and stop right there, we're telling a man to do something that he

really, at that point in time, would not have the information to know

HOW TO DO. What do I believe about him? Do I believe he's the

Son of God? Do I believe he's the coming King? What do I believe

about him? It was necessary that the word of God first be preached.

That's why, kids, Jesus said, "Go into all the world and do what???

preach the gospel to every creature. (then what can happen?) He that

believeth and is baptized shall be saved." But until we go and preach

the gospel, he cannot believe and be baptized, can he!!! That's why

Jesus gave the order. What do we do? We go preach, then people can

believe and be baptized. Well, guess what!!!! He preached to them

the "word of the Lord." What happened? "And he took them the same

hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he

and all his, straightway (immediately)." verse 33.

Now let me raise another interesting point here. There are those who

teach that baptism is not all that important. Let's get the situation

in view here. We've had the potential for a jail break in the middle

of the night, it didn't materialize. The jailor has taken the

prisoners, has heard the gospel, and here in the middle of the night,

amid all the other things that have been going on, he and his family

are baptized. Remember this started at midnight - when the earthquake

occurred. They're baptized in the middle of the night. Now, we saw

that on Pentecost. We saw this man riding down the rode in his

chariot, an official of Queen Candace of Ethiopia, whose riding in

a chariot and he's reading from Isaiah. Philip is sent to joint himself

to that man, the man asked the question of whom the prophet speaks, of

himself or of some other man, Philip is invited up into the chariot,he

opens his mouth and begins at the same scripture and preaches to him

Jesus, they come to a certain water, the eunuch says here's water, why

can't I be baptized, he interrupts his journey, gets out of the chariot,

is baptized. Here is a jailor and his family, in the middle of the

night they hear the word of the Lord and are baptized. Now anybody

with 'one eye and half sense' can figure out the very time frame of

these events tells you there was something awfully important about

what they were doing. There just "ain't no other" explanation. We

just saw the reason. Jesus said, 'he that believeth and is baptized

shall be saved.' That's the reason. Wasn't that what he asked Paul?

'Sirs, what must I do to be saved.' He's found out what he must do

and he did it. "And when he had brought them into his house, he set

meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house."

Verse 35.

Now let me show you something else very interesting. What happened

to Paul and Silas and the others after the jailor had set food before

them and was rejoicing with them???? They went back to the prison.

How do I know??? "And when it was day, the magistrates sent the

serjeants, saying, Let those men go. And the keeper of the prison

told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go;

now therefore depart, and go in peace. But Paul said unto them, They

have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us

into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? Nay verily; but

let them come themselves and fetch us out. And the serjeants told

these words unto the magistrates; and they feared when they heard that

they were Romans. And they came and besought them, and brought them

out, and desired them to depart out of the city." Acts 16:35-39.

Now that's something you don't see every day - an official coming and

begging someone to leave prison. You remember what I said earlier????

It's better to have ALL the facts. Had Paul decided to press the

matter, the magistrates themselves could have been carried before the

Roman court and prosecuted because there were certain rights that

Roman citizens had. One could not be beaten without a trial. One

could not be put into prison without a trial. They had violated Paul's

rights as a Roman citizen. He said, 'so now, they can come and face me,

to bring me out.' Remember, they were charging that Paul was violating

Roman law, teaching customs that weren't lawful for the Romans to

observe. Now Paul is explaining to them some things that are not

lawful for the Romans to do, also. So the very ones who helped

engender this process were the ones who were doing things that it was

not lawful for Romans to observe - not Paul.

"And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of

Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and

departed." Act 16:40. Paul made his point, and then left. Paul

later will raise this point again when he is on trial, because the

captain of the guard will come and Paul will say 'they put us in

prison, being Romans.' The guard is going to say 'with great sum of

money I purchased my freedom.' Paul will say, 'I was free born.'

So this is not the only time Paul is going to call upon his Roman

citizenship and his right as a Roman. Why??? He's the very same one

who tells us 'be in subject to the powers that be.' Rom. 13. No, the

only ones violating the law on this occasion were those who put Paul

in prison and they never did say what the REAL reason was. That's

usually the case in most incidents like this.

There are some powerful lessons that come out of this 16th chapter of

the book of Acts.