Lydia Series

INTRODUCTION

• When you think about teams and athletes considered dark horses, one common thread you find is that when the opportunity came knocking, they were ready to take advantage of the opportunity presented to them.

• When I pondered this thought, a couple of names came to mind from the NFL; one is in the NFL Hall of Fame, and the other will be soon.

• The two names that came to my mind were Kurt Warner and Tom Brady.

• The expectations for neither of these men were very high when they entered the NFL, but when their opportunity came, they were ready.

• I remember the hopes for the 1999 Rams were high when starting Quarterback Trent Green went down with a season-ending knee injury from a hit from Rodney Harrison of the Chargers.

• I remember Coach Dick Vermeil stood before the media and said the team would stand with Kurt.

• I am not sure anyone believed it; who was Kurt Warner?

• Well, Kurt tuned one of the best seasons ever by a Quarterback.

• Kurt Warner had a passer rating of 109.2 with 4,353 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in 16 games in 1999.

• He was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl.

• He won his first MVP award, his first Super Bowl MVP award, and his first championship.

• Tom Brady took over for an injured Drew Bledsoe; the rest was history.

• Today’s dark horse is a lady we see mentioned in the New Testament.

• The Bible verse Acts 16:12-15 is set in the book of Acts, which is a historical account of the early Christian church and its expansion after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

• The specific passage describes the events that took place during the Apostle Paul's second missionary journey.

• Historically, during the first century AD, the Roman Empire had control over the region where the events of Acts 16:12-15 occurred.

• This region, known as Macedonia, was part of the larger province of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey).

• The Roman Empire allowed a certain level of religious freedom, but it also strongly influenced the region's cultural, social, and political aspects.

• In Acts 16:12-15, Paul and his companions, including Silas, arrived in the city of Philippi, which was a leading city in Macedonia. Philippi was a Roman colony, meaning it was settled by retired Roman soldiers and held a special status within the empire.

• The passage mentions that Paul and his companions went to a place of prayer by the riverside, where they met a group of women.

• Among them was a woman named Lydia, who was described as a worshiper of God.

• Lydia was a purple cloth dealer, indicating she was likely a wealthy businesswoman.

• Purple cloth was considered a luxury item in that era and was associated with royalty or the wealthy elite.

• Today, we will see how this dark horse, Lydia, made the most of her opportunity!

• Let’s turn to Acts 16.

• We will start with verses 11-13.

Acts 16:11–13 (NET 2nd ed.)

11 We put out to sea from Troas and sailed a straight course to Samothrace (SAMOTH RACE), the next day to Neapolis (KNEE A POLIS),

12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of that district of Macedonia, a Roman colony. We stayed in this city for some days.

13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the side of the river, where we thought there would be a place of prayer, and we sat down and began to speak to the women who had assembled there.

SERMON

I. An opportunity given.

• As I mentioned in the introduction, Philippi was a Roman colony city.

• The NET calls it a LEADING CITY.

• Philippi enjoyed benefits because they were a Roman colony.

• The citizens were proud of their city and status as a Roman Colony.

• Their status provided the city with three benefits.

• 1. They could self-govern.

• 2. The citizens of the city were free from paying tribute to the Emperor.

• 3. They enjoyed the rights that those who lived in Italy enjoyed, including wearing Roman dress, a shared language, coinage, as well as shared holidays with Rome.

• In the city of Philippi, the apostle Paul and his companions arrived with a clear purpose - to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

• God had orchestrated their journey, leading them to Philippi, where a divine appointment awaited them.

• As they gathered near the riverbank, they encountered a group of women, and as we will see, this group included Lydia.

• This encounter was an opportunity given by God Himself.

• Paul would usually enter a city and then find the local synagogue, where he would build relationships and teach.