Read Acts 16:16-34
Pray
Paul was the best at not letting what was going on around him detour him from his mission.
Paul was the guy you gave the job to and let him do his thing.
He was Loyal, determined and focused.
I want us to unpack this scripture this morning and pull from it some life lessons.
I say that with conviction. These should be the things we implement in our lives that change us, that change others!
We start off in verses 16 – 24.
We are going to learn life lesson #1 from Paul. Read 16-21
Life lessons from Paul:
1. Put evil in its place!
We see in these verses that a Fortune Teller is following them around proclaiming that they were servants of the Most High God.
Well what’s wrong with that? Isn’t that the truth!
Paul knew that she was of evil spirits and he knew that if he agreed with her or allowed her to stay around that it could appear that he is linking the gospel with evil.
How many know that truth and evil don’t mix!
Paul knew that the best thing he could do was get rid of the evil that was around him.
He commands the evil spirit out of her.
He had had enough! In the name of Jesus he dealt with the evil at hand.
Most people wouldn’t have seen a problem with letting her hang around.
- She is harmless
- How many of you know that it doesn’t matter what it is, if it’s evil, its trouble!
- She’s not a Christian and you’re dating her, its trouble.
- The music your listening to that only has a little cussing in it, its trouble.
- Those people you hang around that do things that aren’t of God but you
think are harmless, their trouble.
- Some of the sitcoms you watch that glorify Sex outside of marriage and
Gays and Lesbians, but man they are so funny. They are trouble!
This world is full of evil and it follows us around everywhere we go.
We have to figure out if we really believe in this thing we call “a relationship with God” and begin to put evil in its place!
Some of us need to have a Paul moment and just say, GET OUT!
Its over, I’m going to a new level spiritually with my God!
I no longer want to MAN-ipulated by this world – I want to be GOD-ipulated!
What will it be church? Evil can be fun! But truth and evil don’t mix!
ILL – Jesus skit – Wanting Jesus to stay– Finally nail Him to a cross in order to get Him to stay behind!
Some of you don’t want Him off there; you want your sin more than you want God in your life!
Its time the Church stood and said in the Name of Jesus Christ – Get OUT!
After Paul did that and the evil spirit left her, her bosses were not happy!
They had lost their money maker!
How many of you know people don’t always like it when you change things, even when it’s for good!
Don’t mess with somebody’s wallet or you’re going to get hurt.
Paul just ruined their 401K and they are mad as fire about it.
That’s another thing I love about Paul.
He doesn’t care!
He knew that by doing this, people were going to be upset; he could possibly loose his life over it.
But understand this:
Paul always chose his relationship over his reputation.
All that matters to Paul is that the mission gets accomplished!
We need some more Paul’s, and less washed up, weak, worried about what the world thinks Christians.
Its time Church!
Its time to put evil in its place,
which should be no place in our lives!
Lets continue – Verse 22-25
The Second life lesson we have to get from Paul is this:
2. When your environment changes don’t you!
They got so mad from loosing their hope of making money that they had Paul and Silas drug to the authorities and then stripped, beaten and thrown in jail.
Paul and Silas’ environment was changing fast!
How did they deal with it?
(Verse 25a) Paul and Silas prayed. Think with me.
If you had just been publicly humiliated, stripped, beaten, and placed in stocks in the recesses of a dark prison, what would you pray?
I’m afraid I’d be praying,
"Lord, why did you allow this to happen to me?
What did I do wrong?
Don’t you care about me?
Don’t you love me?"
That was not what Paul was praying at all. How do we know?
First because the word translated "praying" here is not a word for petitions and requests.
You know what it is? The term suggests the attitude of worship and adoration.
Paul and Silas were praising God in their prayer even with their backs bleeding and their feet in stocks like some kind of dangerous criminal!
That was Paul!
He said in Romans 8:18, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."
He also wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:16–17: "Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."
Paul is saying this is worth it! My God is worth it!
I believe that they thought of the words of Jesus in The Beatitudes in
Matthew 5:10–12 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
They didn’t let their surroundings change who they were!
We need to get this church! Our lives take a little turn for the worse and we are ready to turn on God!
How could you let this happen to me God?
Or
Our environment changes – we get around some non-Christians and suddenly we have to use language they use, we have to drink because they are, we have to gossip because they are.
Come on church, isn’t it time we got some backbone and stood strong even when our environment changes around us?
This two timing Jesus thing has to stop!
I mentioned the Website Myspace a few weeks ago and have gotten quite a reaction about it.
Some of you wanting to know if I happen to see your site or not and when did I see it.
Let me make this crystal clear – It doesn’t matter what I saw, I saw plenty to know there is a major problem, what matters is GOD SEES!
This is going to be a revelation to some people, even when you set it to private, GOD CAN STILL SEE!
I mention this because I saw this kind of thing happening there.
When people were talking to other church people they were so nice and polite and encouraging.
But when they got with their worldly friends they changed as well. I was blown away at what people who call themselves Christians would say for everyone to read.
I kept thinking, “If they are going to say that for the world to read, what do they say when the whole worlds not listening?”
Church, we have to quite changing like the wind with our Christianity!
Its time to stand for God no matter where you are who you are with!
If your environment keeps changing you, maybe you need to think about changing your environment!
I believe we need to do what Paul did, and that is look at the big picture!
It’s worth it! I will not waiver in what I believe; I will stand for my God!
We have got some weak Christians out there, we need some more warriors!
Let’s continue verse 26 - 28
The Third life lesson we have to get from Paul is this:
3. Be patient and let God break your chains!
How many of you are guilty of trying to change your circumstances instead of letting God change it!
I believe that we forget what the Psalm writer wrote:
Psalm 46:10
"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
In fewer words – Don’t forget who I am!
Be patient! I know what I am doing! You just praise and serve me, and let me take care of your life!
The reason we get so frustrated with life is too many times we are trying to play God!
Ecclesiastes says that there is a time for everything!
God is capable of breaking those chains in your life, but you have to give Him the opportunity to do it!
You don’t see Paul and Silas here trying to look for the key on the wall!
They just praised God and let Him do what He wanted to do with them.
And in cool, amazing God style He shook the whole prison and set them free!
God can break those chains in your life, whatever you are going through right now, just hang on and trust!
There is a plan, there is a purpose!
Paul and Silas had no idea what God was going to do when they got thrown into prison.
But they were patient and they didn’t waiver, and God came through!
Now, once God breaks these chains in our lives that is not the end!
Let’s continue with Verses 29 - 34
The Forth life lesson we have to get from Paul is this:
4. Once you have been freed, go free others!
Church we have to understand this point.
God lets us go through things in life that, lets face it, stink!
But as the song we sing says, the Joy comes in the morning!
You see once you have been freed from something and the people around you saw how you handled it, they are going to want what you got!
What you have is a testimony!
God did something in your life and you need to share it! Not just with your Christian friends but with the world!
Too many of you have testimonies of what God did in your life and you gave God a thank you and that’s it!
You see the mistake they made was putting Paul in a inner cell, which means that the other were probably all around him.
You should have stuck him in the corner somewhere and put tape on his mouth, because you give Paul an audience and if he aint dead he is gonna praise God!
Paul knew who he served and the power of who he served.
He wanted to offer that freedom to anyone and everyone! He was about the mission, 24/7!
What are you about?
Have you accepted that free gift, seen God work in incredible ways in your life and then been silent about it?
People need to know, they may look like they are having a great time, they may say they are having a good time, but trust me; I do enough counseling to know they are miserable!
They need Jesus! You hold the key!
Don’t you sit there after you have been freed and keep your mouth shut!
That is the most selfish thing we can do!
You know they are going to HELL, they may not realize it!
Somebody may want to clue them in!
I don’t want them to get mad,
I don’t want them to hate me,
I don’t want to loose their friendship.
Come on, what kind of a friend are you if you are going to let them go to HELL!
You have been freed, free others!
Listen again to Verse 34!
True freedom brings JOY!
We have some Joy to spread! Some freedom to offer!
Let them stick you in the middle of 4 offices of all atheist; they don’t know what they just did!
We’re fixen to save some people!
That should be our attitude, not put me with all the Christian people so we can talk about churches and who we do and don’t like and can’t believe was there Sunday!
Let’s set some people Free Church!
This isn’t a game; this is eternity we are talking about!
Let’s get that attitude of Paul that looks beyond the here and now and claims the future!
Paul said in:
2 Corinthians 4:8-10:
8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
Oh I feel like having church up in here!
It time we traded in those foolish ways,
those shameful ways,
those things that have made us both physically and spiritually sick and picked up the Joy the Lord!
How many know that’s where our Joy comes from!
I don’t know what you need to trade in this morning!
I don’t know what you need to let go of!
I don’t know what chains you need to let God break this morning!
I don’t know what environment you need to bow up in!
I don’t know what evil you need you to tell in Jesus name to get out!
But one thing I do know is if you will say yes to Jesus He is more than able to conquer them all!
We are going to have a time of invitation.
If you need trade in your old life and get a new one with Jesus this is your chance!
If you have never accepted Him as Lord and Savior, come forward and be set free today!
If you have accepted Him but kept Him quit,
have been impatient,
been so wishy washy that no one knows who your serving including you,
come and trade that lifestyle in for Joy of the Lord!
Come put that evil in its place, which is at the foot of the cross where it has already been defeated!
How many know the Devil doest want any Joy in here this morning!
He wants you to walk out that door just as chained to your sin as you walked in!
But I got good news! God is still in the lock-smith business!
If you need him, for anything this morning, come forward as we stand and sing!
