Text: Acts 16:25-26
25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26 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.
Subject: “The Lockdown That Became A Breakthrough”
My brothers and sisters ... today we revisit a Bible classic. It’s one of the most famous and well known bible stories the Christian world has ever known.
We have here an account of prayer and praise unto the Lord that caused things to be shaken, and doors to open. In fact, in this case all doors were opened and everyone’s bands were loosed.
Ladies and gentlemen ... you need to understand that your prayer and praise are powerful spiritual weapons. Sometimes we have days when it isn’t easy to get our praise going.
I don’t know anyone who’s never had a perfect day. The truth is ... no such day exists. Life is a mixture of pleasant days and painful days. Up days and down days. Happy days and crying days.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there isn’t someone watching me right now who’s saying in agreement “My Lord” because already it’s been “one of those days”.
— ‘One of those days’ is when there’s a hint that things are not going to go well?
— ‘One of those days’ is when one bad thing after another seems to hit you.
— ‘One of those days’ is when you just want to run away and hide from everything and everybody! We’ve all had them. If you haven’t had one yet, I hate to tell that “you’re overdue for a go through”.
For Paul and Silas it’s ‘one of those days’. Actually ... it started several days prior. Scripture informs us that Paul and Silas were missionary partners on a ministry journey through Greece. They were in the area of Philippi ... and initially things seemed to be going well. However, one day ... things took a terrible turn!
A young woman ... who was a fortune teller, ... began to follow Paul and Silas as they went from place to ministering declaring, "These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation."
Now, at first ... this may have seemed like a good thing. It was free advertising. But this didn’t just happen once or twice; we’re told she kept up this chant “for many days." And so, what appeared at first to be a good thing ... became nuisance; a distraction. This young girl got on Paul’s nerves. Spec. Anyone watching ever had someone get on your nerves?
The record says that when Paul had had enough of this child he cast the so-called fortune telling spirit; which was really a demonic spirit from her ... and she was delivered! Oh bless the Lord!
BUT WATCH THIS: when she also lost her powers ... she cost the men who owed her a lot of money. Yes ... that’s right ... I said ‘the men who owned her’. You see, this young woman was being used by certain influential men in the community. She was being pimped! Lord have mercy!
When her masters saw what Paul and Silas had done ... they seized them and dragged them to the marketplace — and things went from bad to worse!
They were brought before a makeshift court ... were stripped, ... beaten severely ... and thrown into the inner prison ... where their feet were fastened in stocks. Oh my brothers and sisters ... talk about a bad day!
Spec. Have you ever had a day when things seem to go from bad to worse? What do you do? Glad you asked. Paul and Silas give us the answer.
The Scripture states that "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them."
KNOW THIS: The victory in overcoming bad days ... comes down to this simple equation: "Prayer plus Praise Equals Deliverance." Let me say it again: "Prayer plus Praise Equals Deliverance".
First we must begin with Prayer. Start by calling upon the Name of the Lord. A Simple prayer from the heart; a time of one on one with the Lord.
The hymnologist said it best: “Jesus is on the main line, tell him what you want! Call him up! Call him up! Tell him what you want!”
Jesus said in John 10:27 — "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me“.
In Matthew 11:40, he said: "My yoke is easy and my burden is light. Saith the Lord".
Have you ever used the term "take it easy on yourself?" You know, ... as Christians ... we need to do that!
Have you ever been in a situation which caused you such great distress that you didn’t know where to turn? I stopped by to tell you that you can give your burdens to Jesus. He’s already made the Sacrifice. He’s already paid the price.
Sometimes our bad days are bad days simply because we didn’t take it to the Lord in prayer.
There was a man named Joseph Scrivens. Scrivens became keenly aware of the power of prayer. It sustained him when all seemed lost in his life.
You see, Joseph's fiancée drowned the night before their scheduled wedding. Soon thereafter, ... when his mother was ill, ... he wrote his mother a letter and enclosed the lines of a new poem he had written. We know the words of this poem as the Hymn ... "What A Friend We Have in Jesus."
In the first verse Joseph expressed this ironic truth: “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear; all because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer.”
Oh my brothers and sisters ... prayer is our open line to God's presence( an open line in time of need.
[illus]. I heard a story that says, once upon a time a son went to jump on the bumper of his dad's truck. He thought it’d be fun to hitch a short ride across the yard. His daddy didn’t see him. He slid down and was being dragged for several yards before his dad heard him screaming.
The father ran around behind the truck where his son was still holding on to the bumper. He could see that he was OK ... just a little scraped up on his knees and legs .... but he had to ask the obvious question, “Why didn't you let go?" The son replied, “Because I figured that sooner or later you’d hear me or see me!”
My beloved ... God is always looking and hearing us! Don’t let Satan drag you through life feeling like you’re all alone; leaving you to be battered and scarred. Keep crying out to Jesus!
How do you turn around a bad day? — Pray!
When a storms comes pray and God will sustain you.
Secondly, Continue with Praise.
After Paul and Silas prayed, they began to sing hymns of praise to God. They prayed and trusted God. I mean ... what else was there to do but speak the language of faith!
The eyes of man would have tried to convince Paul and Silas ... that their situation had not changed ... and there was nothing to sing about. But through eyes of faith they saw that God had not forsaken them!
My Beloved .... Prayer plus Praise ... Equals ... Deliverance. Even though it had been a bad day up to this point, even though they were in prison ... chained in the stocks, ... God was with them!
Praise ... whether it’s in song or in word! Praise is that language of faith.
— It takes faith to praise God .... when the day has been bad.
— It takes faith .... to sing praises to the Lord for what He’s done ... while all around you ... it doesn’t look like the Lord ... has done anything.
... But once we’ve prayed and put our problems in God's hands ... what else is there to do ... but praise him? To do anything less is to suggest that either God didn’t hear, ... or God doesn’t care. If you believe He hears, and you know He cares, then praise Him!
The record says that as Paul and Silas sang, ... the prison was shaken, ...... the doors were opened .... and they were delivered!
Now Beloved, ... that's a pretty good day! God was truly working all things together for their good.
I’m about to get out of here, but before I take my seat I have 3 points to pin on this pericope that I want you to see because I believe they have the potential to turn “a lockdown into a breakthrough.”
Point #1: I WANT YOU TO SEE THE PAIN OF THEIR PRISON EXPERIENCE.
I told you a few minutes ago that these men were obediently serving the Lord when they found themselves in this mess.
Note: It’s always a shock to the spiritual system when you suffer as a saint. Paul and Silas were beaten, probably with a cat-of-nine tails.
My friends ... when the prison experiences of life come, they tend to beat us down and leave us in torment. If you haven't been there yet, you will be some day!
The first question is "Why?" The answer is "Why not?" As we pass through this life, we can expect our share of difficulty and trouble. We tend to forget that the trials of life are God's chosen method for developing us into the image of His Son.
These brethren were “cast” into the prison. The word "cast" means "to throw something without regard to where or how it lands."
They were just tossed into the prison without any care for their well-being. The jailer then "thrust" (same word) into the inner prison. This refers to the dungeon, where it would have been dank, dark, dirty and discouraging.
That sounds life life sometimes doesn’t it? There are times in life when the Lord "shuts you up" in some prison. When this happens, it’s never pleasant!
During those time, it may seem that He doesn't care what you’re facing. It may seem that He’s just tossed you aside without any regard for your well being.
But I assure you ... that’s not the case! If you’re His, then He’s working out His perfect plan for your life. You’re in that prison because the Lord loves you and has something special planned for you.
Well ... as if it weren't enough to beat these men, throw them into prison and cast them into the dungeon, the jailer placed their feet in stocks which prevented any movement on their part at all.
Oh my God ... the prison experiences of our lives often serve to shut us down spiritually. God's purpose in it is to use us more greatly for His glory.
... But, the devil and the flesh seize the prison experiences of life as an opportunity to force us into inactivity spiritually. I submit that someone watching me has been feeling like you’re incarcerated, but I stopped by to tell you to get ready for a breakthrough!
Point #1: I WANT YOU TO SEE THE PAIN OF THEIR PRISON EXPERIENCE.
Point #2: I WANT YOU TO SEE THE PRAISE IN THEIR PRISON EXPERIENCE.
We may wonder how anyone could praise the Lord under such circumstances. Yet, it’s clear that your attitude in your circumstances determines your latitude in your circumstances.
NOTICE ... they didn't start at midnight, but continued praying and praising UNTIL midnight.
My brothers and sisters ... don’t wait until your midnight gets here to start talking to God. Do it while the sun is out!
And I love the want they handled their situation. Instead of pouting, these men prayed. They rolled their burden onto the shoulders of the Lord.
This is a valuable lesson for us — when we’re shut up in one of life's prison experiences; when we’re on lock down, we need to learn to call upon the Lord!
I wish we would all learn the lesson that prayer should be our first resort! If we could learn to resort to prayer, we’d never retreat to worry!
And as they prayed before the Lord, He began to lift their hearts. Soon, they were filled with praise and they began to sing songs to the Lord!
CATCH THIS: As the Lord helped them, they forgot about their whereabouts and began to worship!
My friends ... one of the surest ways to overcome your prison experience is to learn the secret of praising God in the midst of your pain. We see this truth modeled in the life of Job. Most of you know Job’s story ... he lost everything; his house, his health, his children, his wealth. Later, we see Job sitting in a pile of ashes, scraping himself with a broken piece of pottery.
Is it possible that those ashes were the remnants of his continual sacrifices to the Lord? But now he has nothing left to offer God, but himself.
He’s locked up in a prison experience, but his heart is free and he can still praise the Lord! I told you a few minutes ago, anyone can praise God when all is well in their life! But, it takes massive faith to praise His name when the bottom falls out from under you!
In fact, if you really want to gage the depth of your commitment to the Lord and your love for Him, just see how you react when the pressure is on in your life! That’s where the real you is most clearly seen!
Point #1: I WANT YOU TO SEE THE PAIN OF THEIR PRISON EXPERIENCE.
Point #2: I WANT YOU TO SEE THE PRAISE IN THEIR PRISON EXPERIENCE.
Finally, point #3: I WANT YOU TO SEE THE PRODUCT OF THEIR PRISON EXPERIENCE.
CHECK THIS OUT: Their time in the prison wasn't wasted time. The Lord used these events, as He does all the events of life, for His Own glory and purposes.
I’m about to quit here, but here were these two old boys beaten to bloody pulps, locked in the nastiest place imaginable, with their feet locked in stocks, which, by the way, forced them to sit in the mire and the muck of the prison, and still they’re able to praise the Lord!
What a testimony to the grace of God! What a challenge to the church!
Just a reminder: the world is watching you as you go through the prison experiences of life! As they watch you, they could care less about your joy when things are going well. But, just let tragedy come into your life, and they’re all eyes and ears! They want to see if what you have is as real in the valley as it is on the mountain!
There’s no better testimony to the grace of God than a saint who can shout when the pressure is on! It says "My God is real!" It says, "My faith is real!" It says, "My relationship with God makes a difference in my life!"
Satan meant the jail to be a terrible lockdown, but God turned it into a terrific breakthrough for when God shook the jail, the book says that all the cell doors flew open and everyone’s bands were loosed!
CLOSE: I’m out of here like last year. This story would be a great ending right there, but there was a breakthrough coming for those who weren’t prisoners.
The Bible says that the jailer and his family heard the prayer and praise service! They heard the Gospel and believed! They got a breakthrough too!
Ladies and gentlemen ... you never know what the prison experiences of life are doing to those around you. As the world watches you walk in victory despite your problems, they’ll be stirred by your faith. That’s why it’s essential that believers learn to patiently endure the trials of life.
My friends, we can either fight against what God is doing and suffer, or we can rest in what He’s doing and have the victory. The choice is yours! I say ... it’s better to have a lockdown that becomes a breakthrough than no breakthrough at all and remain stuck!
Jesus died on Calvary in order that you and I might be free! He died on a Friday ... early ... ad lib.
“The Lockdown That Became A Breakthrough”
EPILOGUE:
Satan had tried to put an end to Paul and Silas’ ministry. He tried to cause them to be weary of their cause and doubtful of their Lord. But they knew what to do and they knew who to look to and God turned it around.
I wonder ... what will you do at midnight? Midnight is a milestone so to speak. The night is half over and with each minute we get closer to the dawn. The question we face is; can we make it until day break? The answer depends on what we do at midnight, what decision we make, and did we prepare while it was yet day.
For Paul and Silas ... they continued doing at midnight what they had been doing when it was light ... singing and praising!
Oh brothers and sisters ... don’t let your midnight steal your song or your praise. While in lockdown, don’t let the situation lock your lips. Your Lockdown Can Become A Breakthrough!
INVITATION/PRAY
