Still True
Acts 16:16-32
Sermon by Rick Crandall
McClendon Baptist Church - July 25, 2007
*Mary and I had a good time visiting her family last week in West Virginia, and while we were there, we made a visit to her daddy’s grave. The cemetery moves up a beautiful, steep hill behind a little country church that was founded in the late 1700s. Mary’s dad lies near the top of that hill, maybe 4 or 5 stories above the roof of the church. It’s the kind of setting that makes you feel connected to our past.
*One thing that made me feel more connected to the past was seeing the headstone on her grandfather’s grave. Mary’s grandfather was born in 1868 -- Not her great-grandfather, her grandfather was born in 1868. (He was actually 50 when Mary’s dad was born.)
*Tonight we will take a look at a story that seems long ago and far away, but the past is not nearly as far away as it seems. Much has changed in 2,000 years, but the most important things are still true.
1. First, we still have an invisible enemy.
*We still have the same enemy at who was work in vs. 16-17. Luke wrote:
16. Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling.
17. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.’’
*We still have an invisible enemy. How does he work? Well, he can still possess nonbelievers -- (especially those who seek him). And he can still pretend to be a believer’s friend. The devil can pretend to be your friend. And he still promotes his lies by linking them to the truth.
*We have an invisible enemy, but most Americans don’t believe that today. According to the 2007 Barna Group Tracking Survey, only 24% strongly believe that Satan is a real spiritual being. (1)
*Satan is a real spiritual being whether we believe it or not! D.W. Whittle told the old story of a man who didn’t believe in the devil. Years ago he went to revival preacher Charles Finney and said: “I don’t believe in the existence of a devil.”
*The preacher answered, “Don’t you? -- Well, you resist him for a while and you will believe in it.” (2)
*David Holwick says:
-Your devil is too small if he is merely a personification. Satan is more than a symbol. Jesus believed in him.
-Your devil is too small if he is consigned to long-ago times and faraway places. Job 1:7 tells us that Satan roams over the whole earth. John 12:31 and John 14:30 call him “the ruler of this world. . .”
-Your devil is too small if you decide he is not capable of performing miracles. The Bible says he can in 2 Thess 2:9 and Rev 13:13
-Your devil is too small if you assume he leaves Christians alone. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” The Devil tried to tempt Jesus, and he will try to tempt you. He cannot steal your salvation, but he can ruin your spiritual effectiveness. (3)
*And he will try. As Priscilla Shirer says, “The enemy knows he can’t destroy you, but he will spend the rest of your life trying to distract you.” (4)
*We have an invisible enemy -- But the good news is that he can still be defeated by the power of God! In vs. 17&18, “This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, ‘These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.’ And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And he came out that very hour.”
*Most of us might not feel too confident commanding an evil spirit to come out in the name of Jesus. But if the need ever arises, God will give you all the confidence you need! And here is some rock-solid truth for you from the Word of God: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:6-7)
*That’s what we have to do, because we still have an invisible enemy.
2. The 2nd truth for today is that greed is still an insidious problem.
*Greed -- It’s insidious, sinister and dangerous. We see some of its bitter fruit in vs. 19-22:
19. But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.
20. And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, "These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city;
21. "and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.’’
22. Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods.
*Greed is misguided. It leads us to treasure meaningless things and trash the things that matter. Greed can lead to a mob mentality, just as it did here. Greed can cause misery, just as it did here. This is why in 1 Timothy 6:6-10, Paul wrote about proud, corrupt teachers who thought that “gain is godliness. . .” Paul warned Timothy to get away from teachers like that. Then Paul said that:
6. . . . Godliness with contentment is great gain.
7. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
9. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
*In my lifetime, Howard Hughes was a living example of the bitter fruit that comes from greed. At one time he was the richest man in the world -- But an article Leadership Journal, described Howard Hughes this way:
-All he ever really wanted in life was more. He wanted more money, so he parlayed inherited wealth into a billion-dollar pile of assets.
-He wanted more fame, so he broke into the Hollywood scene and soon became a filmmaker and star.
-He wanted more sensual pleasures, so he paid handsome sums to indulge his every sexual urge.
-He wanted more thrills, so he designed, built, and piloted the fastest aircraft in the world.
-He wanted more power, so he secretly dealt political favors so skillfully that two US presidents became his pawns
-All he ever wanted was more. He was absolutely convinced that more would bring him true satisfaction.
*Unfortunately, history shows otherwise. Howard Hughes concluded his life emaciated; colorless; sunken chest; fingernails in grotesque, inches-long corkscrews; rotting, black teeth; tumors; innumerable needle marks from his drug addiction. Howard Hughes died believing the myth of more. He died a billionaire junkie, insane by all reasonable standards. (5)
*Howard Hughes may have been one of a kind, but greed is a common temptation. Is it a problem for you? Are you hungry for the things of this world or the things of God? How important is your stuff to you? Can you live without your toys? Greed is still an insidious problem.
3. The 3rd truth for today is that we should still be inspired to praise God.
*Paul and Silas were beaten bloody for the Lord, but they were still inspired to praise Him in vs. 23-25. The NKJV says,
23. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.
24. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
*They were “praying and singing hymns to God.” The KJV says they “sang praises unto God” -- Hymns of praise, if you will.
*One of the most famous of these praise hymns was Psalm 118, which includes these wonderful verses:
1. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! Bec His mercy endures forever.
4. Let those who fear the Lord now say, "His mercy endures forever.’’
5. I called on the Lord in distress;
--The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
6. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?
8. It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man.
14. The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.
15. The voice of rejoicing and salvation Is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
17. I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the Lord.
19. Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, And I will praise the Lord.
21. I will praise You, For You have answered me, And have become my salvation.
22. The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.
23. This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.
24. This is the day which the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.
28. You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You.
29. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
*Yes Paul and Silas were beaten, yes they were hurting, but they were still praising the Lord -- And so can we!
*If we know Jesus, if we are saved, then the good always outweighs the bad in our lives. On our worst days, we still have great reasons to praise God. And our praise can still tower over our problems. Let’s keep praising the Lord.
*King Duncan told the story about a preacher named Eugene Smith. Eugene never sang much because he didn’t have much of a voice and couldn’t read music. But one year, on Easter Sunday, his daughter persuaded him to sing along with the choir when it came time for the “Hallelujah Chorus.” And Eugene really got caught up in the last part when they were singing all of those “Hallelujah’s.”
*He said that as they were singing all of those Hallelujahs, he got carried away. And he was just about to sing a couple more when all of a sudden the choir stopped, the director stopped and the organ stopped. Eugene said that they stopped too soon, and added, “Since that time I’ve been going around with a couple of Hallelujahs inside of me just waiting to get out.” (6)
*King Duncan said that’s the way to live and to die -- With Hallelujahs just waiting to get out. We should still be inspired to praise God.
4. The 4th truth for today is that we still have an infinitely powerful God.
*We see Him at work in vs. 26-28:
26. 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 chains were loosed.
27. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open. Supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.
28. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.’’
*There are at least two great miracles in these verses. The first is the earthquake that opened all the doors, and loosened all the chains, without knocking down the walls or hurting the prisoners. God had to be shaking that prison!
*But I think the second miracle was even greater: That none of the prisoners had escaped. The only way I can explain it is that God grabbed hold of their hearts when they heard the praises of God’s people. God grabbed hold of their hearts when they heard the good news about Jesus Christ:
-That Jesus died on the cross for our sins...
-That He rose again from the dead...
-And that He will save all who turn to Him in faith.
*God Almighty is just as powerful today as ever! He can still shake the world, and He will. He can still open locked doors, and He will. He can still loose the chains that bind us, and He will.
*We still have a miracle working God! -- And He still cares about His children!
-He knows the things that are hurting you tonight.
-He knows the things that are holding you down.
--And He is here to help you.
*When G. Campbell Morgan was a young Christian he used to visit several elderly ladies once a week to read the Bible to them. One day when he came to the end of Matthew’s Gospel, the future preacher read Jesus’ words, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age."
*Then Morgan said, "Isn’t that a wonderful promise?"
*One of those ladies quickly replied, "Young man -- that is not a promise. It is a fact!" (7)
*We still have an infinitely powerful God. And He is right here to help us.
5. The 5th truth for today is that we still have invaluable opportunities to share Christ, just like Paul and Silas did in vs. 29-32.
29. Then [the jailer] called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.
30. And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’’
31. So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.’’
32. Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.
*We still have opportunities to witness like that for the Lord today! Here is an email James got from Mitchell in Romania this morning:
*“Just wanted to give you an update on our trip so you can pass it along at church tonight. We have been to three different villages and have seen about 290 people. Each of the people who wants a personal witness get one. We have seen many accept Jesus and their Lord and Savior.
*Our translators or some of the young people from the church and the young men helping me and Justin are excellent.
*Computer about to run out of juice so I guess I better go. Please ask everyone to continue to pray for us (some are very home sick at this point).”
Mitch
*It’s happening in Romania, and it’s happening right here. One the Sunday before we left, Wendy’s 15-year-old niece was here on a visit from Colorado.
-I think they had to twist her arm a little bit to get her to come to church that morning. Maybe they had to twist her arm a lot, but she did come.
*That afternoon she started asking questions, and Wendy led her niece to the Lord! After church that night I got to help her with assurance of her salvation. What a joy! -- For me, for Wendy, for her niece, and for Heaven!
Conclusion
*Let’s keep telling people about Jesus as long as we can! -- Because the most important things are still true.
1. Barna Online 5/21/07 Found in “The Church Leaders Intelligence Report” July 18, 2007 (Compiled and edited by Gary D. Foster.)
2. SermonCentral illustration contributed by: Evie Megginson
3. #1287 - David Holwick - "PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS" Eph 6:10-13
4. Priscilla Shirer (Bible teacher, motivational speaker, author) Facts & Trends, July/August 2007, p.34 (Found in “In Other Words” - July2007_2) (IN OTHER WORDS... began in 1991 and is produced by Dr. Raymond McHenry, Senior Pastor of the Westgate Memorial Baptist Church in Beaumont, Texas. 6130 Barrington ~ Beaumont, Texas 77706 (800) 553-4697 www.iows.net)
5. Bill Hybels in Leadership, Vol. X, #3 (Summer, 1989), p. 38 (Found in SermonCentral sermon “Mastering Your Money” by Joel Smith - Matt 6:19-33)
6. As told by Gil Bowen, “More Than Conquerors,” www.30goodminutes.org/csec/sermon/bowen_3625.htm (Found in christianglobe.com sermon “Yes” by King Duncan - John 20:1-9)
7. Story by Warren W. Wiersbe found in SermonCentral sermon “Strengthening Your Faith in Troubled Times: Unwavering Faith” by Marilyn Murphree - Matt 8:5-13 - May 4, 2003
