Sermon Central
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One Of Those Days
Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on May 9, 2010 (message contributor)
Summary: Have you ever had "one of those days?" One of those days; when there was a hint that things were not going to go well? One of those days when one bad thing after another seems to hit you?
During our New Testament reading ... we heard a story concerning Paul's adventure ... in Greece.
Paul and Silas were on a missionary journey ... in the area of Philippi ... and initially things seemed to be going ... pretty well.
One day, however, ... things began to change.
A certain woman, ... who was a fortune teller, ... began to follow Paul and Silas declaring, BIBLE "These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation." END (Acts 16:17)
Now, at first ... this may have seemed like a good thing ... free advertising.
But this did not just happen once or twice; ... we are told she kept up this chant for ... "many days." (Acts 16:18)
What might have appeared at first ... to be a good thing ... was becoming a nuisance ... a distraction.
Finally, ... Paul cast the demonic spirit from her ... and she was delivered.
Of course she also lost her powers ... of telling the future.
This woman was being used by certain influential men in the community ... to make money.
When her masters saw what Paul and Silas had done ... they seized them ... and dragged them ... to the marketplace.
And things just go from bad to worse for Paul and Silas.
They were brought before a makeshift court ... were stripped, ... beaten severely ... and thrown into the inner prison ... where their feet were fastened in stocks.
This turned into what you may call ... a bad day.
Have you ever had ... "one of those days?"
One of those days; ... when there was a hint ... that things were not going to go .... well?
One of those days ... when one bad thing after another ... seems to hit you?
One of those days when you have just told someone, ... "Well, at least things can't get any worse." ......... But they did?
Let me share some true examples ... of what I am talking about.
And some of these people probably earned the right to a bad day.
1.A man in London, Ontario, ... was so mad after being given a speeding ticket ... that he raced away from the officer, ... rubber burning.
The officer nabbed him a second time for speeding ... and added a third ticket ... for making unnecessary noise.
2.Surprised while burglarizing a house in Antwerp, Belgium, ... a thief fled out the back door, ...... clambered over a nine-foot wall ... and dropped down ....... into the city prison.
3. A woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen, ... shaking frantically .... with what looked like a wire running from his waist towards the electric kettle.
Intending to knock him free from the deadly current ... she found a large piece of wood and whacked him on his arm, ... breaking his arm in two places.
What a shame, he had only been listening to some tunes ... on his IPhone.
The text in Acts clearly indicates that the Apostle Paul and Silas were having .... "one of those days."
Beloved ... Bad days only get worse ... for those who do not know Christ
What about you?
Have you ever had a bad day? A bad week? .... I have!
In fact, ... if I am not serving Christ ... or if I am not in His will, ... those days ... can get to be pretty stressful.
But thank God, ... if we confess our sins, ... He is faithful to forgive us ... and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
Yet an unrighteous man ... really does not have much hope ... of things ... getting significantly better.
The Prophet Amos describes an unrighteous man: BIBLE "An Unrighteous man is one who runs from a lion meets a bear, and then when he gets to house, he leans on the wall in exhaustion, only to have a snake bite him." END (Amos 5:19)
Now that's ... a bad day.
And for those who are not ready to meet the Lord, .... days will be ... even worse.
The Scriptures state in Revelation: "they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." (Revelation 20:10)
While it is true ... that even a Child of God ... can have a bad day, ... a bad day ... will not have the last word.
God has the last Word ... and His Word says in Psalm 30: BIBLE "weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:5)
Again, ... in Romans we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him, to those who have been called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
