A NEW DAY
ACTS 16:25-35
PAUL AND SILAS IN PRISON
16ONCE WHEN WE WERE GOING TO THE PLACE OF PRAYER, WE WERE MET BY A SLAVE GIRL WHO HAD A DEMONIC SPIRIT
SATAN DOESN’T CARE WHERE YOU ARE GOING; HIS SOLE PURPOSE IS TO DERAIL YOU FROM YOUR DESTINATION, BECAUSE IF HE CAN GET TO YOU, BEFORE YOU GET THERE . . .
SHE PREDICTED THE FUTURE. SHE EARNED A GREAT DEAL OF MONEY FOR HER OWNERS BY FORTUNE-TELLING.
THIS GIRL WAS PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY, AND SPIRITUALLY ENSLAVED. BECAUSE SHE WAS BOUND – OTHERS BENEFITTED FROM HER SKILLS . . .
17THIS GIRL FOLLOWED PAUL AND THE REST OF US, SHOUTING, "THESE MEN ARE SERVANTS OF THE MOST HIGH GOD, WHO ARE TELLING YOU THE WAY TO BE SAVED."
SHE SPOKE TRUTH UNDER FALSE PRETENSE . . .
18SHE KEPT THIS UP FOR MANY DAYS. FINALLY PAUL BECAME SO TROUBLED THAT HE TURNED AROUND AND SAID TO THE SPIRIT, "IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST I COMMAND YOU TO COME OUT OF HER!" AT THAT MOMENT THE SPIRIT LEFT HER.
19WHEN THE OWNERS OF THE SLAVE GIRL REALIZED THAT THEIR HOPE OF MAKING MONEY WAS GONE, THEY SEIZED PAUL AND SILAS AND DRAGGED THEM INTO THE MARKETPLACE TO FACE THE AUTHORITIES.
ECONOMY OF THE DAY
STRIPPED, BEATEN, JAILED, and BOUND BY THEIR FEET. . .
(GO TO SERMON)
25ABOUT MIDNIGHT PAUL AND SILAS WERE PRAYING AND SINGING HYMNS TO GOD, AND THE OTHER PRISONERS WERE LISTENING TO THEM. 26SUDDENLY THERE WAS SUCH A VIOLENT EARTHQUAKE THAT THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE PRISON WERE SHAKEN. AT ONCE ALL THE PRISON DOORS FLEW OPEN AND EVERYBODY'S CHAINS CAME LOOSE. 27THE JAILER WOKE UP, AND WHEN HE SAW THE PRISON DOORS OPEN, HE DREW HIS SWORD AND WAS ABOUT TO KILL HIMSELF BECAUSE HE THOUGHT THE PRISONERS HAD ESCAPED. 28BUT PAUL SHOUTED, "DON'T HARM YOURSELF! WE ARE ALL HERE!"
29THE JAILER CALLED FOR LIGHTS, RUSHED IN AND FELL TREMBLING BEFORE PAUL AND SILAS. 30HE THEN BROUGHT THEM OUT AND ASKED, "SIRS, WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?"
31THEY REPLIED, "BELIEVE IN THE LORD JESUS, AND YOU WILL BE SAVED—YOU AND YOUR HOUSEHOLD." 32THEN THEY SPOKE THE WORD OF THE LORD TO HIM AND TO ALL THE OTHERS IN HIS HOUSE. 33AT THAT HOUR OF THE NIGHT THE JAILER TOOK THEM AND WASHED THEIR WOUNDS; THEN IMMEDIATELY HE AND ALL HIS FAMILY WERE BAPTIZED. 34THE JAILER BROUGHT THEM INTO HIS HOUSE AND SET A MEAL BEFORE THEM; HE WAS FILLED WITH JOY BECAUSE HE HAD COME TO BELIEVE IN GOD—HE AND HIS WHOLE FAMILY.
35WHEN IT WAS DAYLIGHT, THE MAGISTRATES SENT THEIR OFFICERS TO THE JAILER WITH THE ORDER: "RELEASE THOSE MEN."
SERMON
V.25 MIDNIGHT
DARKEST MOMENT OF THE NIGHT
LAST MOMENT OF THE NIGHT
ENDING OF THE OLD/BEGINNING OF THE NEW
FOUND PRAYING/SINGING
TELL SOMEONE:
DARKEST MOMENT – PRAYING/SINGING
LAST MOMENT . . .
WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW IS THE BIRTHING/BREAKING FORTH OF A NEW DAY
V.26 PAUL/SILAS MOVED GOD THROUGH THEIR PRAYING/SINGING . . . PRAISE
GOD MOVED – VIOLENT EARTHQUAKE
FOUNDATION OF THE PRISON WAS SHAKEN
DOORS – OPENED
CHAINS – LOOSED
YOUR PRAISE WILL MOVE GOD TO ACT IN SUCH A WAY, THAT THE FOUNDATION OF THINGS HOLDING YOU – LOOSE YOU, BINDING YOU – SET YOU FREE
YOUR PRAISE – SHAKE YOU FREE DOORS – OPEN / CHAINS – LOOSED
GO FREE!
JAILER AWOKE – SAW THE PRISON DOORS OPEN – KILL HIMSELF (PENALTY – DEATH . . .)
V.28 – PAUL – HOLD UP “DON’T HARM YOURSELF, WE ARE ALL HERE.”
THAT BOTHERED ME – TREATED, BOUND, AND GONE THROUGH – GO FREE – BUT PAUL REMAINS AND NOW WANTS TO SAVE THE ONE WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF BINDING HIM.
ANSWER V. 29&30
JAILER HEARING THAT PAUL, SILAS & THE CREW – STILL THERE
CALLED FOR A LIGHT
RUSHED IN
FELL DOWN TREMBLING BEFORE PAUL/SILAS – RECOGNIZE THEY WERE NOT ORDINARY MEN
V.30 HE BROUGHT THEN OUT AND ASKED THEM “SIRS, WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?”
THAT’S WHERE I RELAIZED WHY PAUL/SILAS DID NOT GO FREE – SET FREE, BECAUSE THEY UNDERSTOOD THAT YOU’RE NOT FREE IF OTHERS AROUND YOU ARE STILL BOUND.
GOD SAVED YOU – REACH OTHERS
SAVED YOU – HOOD
DELIVERED YOU FROM AN ADDICTION – BUT WOULD NOT ALLOW YOU TO ABANDON ALL YOUR OLD ASSOCIATES . . .
TURNED YOUR LIFE AROUND – KEPT YOU AROUND . . .
STILL HAS SOME WORK FOR YOU TO DO
V.33 THE JAILER THAT WAS PLACED IN CHARGE OF WATCHING PAUL/SILAS AND KEEPING THEM UNDER HIS CONTROL AFTER HE AND HIS HOUSEHOLD WERE SAVED, WASHED PASUL/SILAS WOUNDS.
THINGS THAT WERE INTENDED TO HARM YOU, GOD IS GOING TO USE TO HEAL YOU
JOSEPH PAUL/SILAS YOUR TESTIMONY . . .
V. 35 WHEN IT WAS DAYLIGHT . . .
RELEASE THOSE MEN
RELEASE YOU . . .
