THE ENVIRONMENT OF CHOICE
Acts 16:11-40 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us. 16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 This 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." 18 She 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. 19 When 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. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice." 22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly 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. 27 The 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. 28 But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.
30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household." 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized.
34 The 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. 35 When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: "Release those men." 36 The jailer told Paul, "The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace." 37 But Paul said to the officers: "They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out." 38 The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. 39 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left.
INTRODUCTION: THE PASSAGE BEFORE US THIS MORNING PRESENTS US WITH SEVERAL SCENARIOS, EACH OF WHICH PRESENTS PAUL AND BY INFERENCE US WITH THE OPPORTUNITY OF CHOICE. IT IS IMPORTANT TO MAKE NOTE OF THE PRINCIPLE THAT CHOICES HAVE CONSEQUENCES. IN OTHER WORDS, CHOICES SET INTO MOTION A SERIES OF EVENTS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE CHOICE.
I. THE CHOICE OF COMMUNICATION – VERSES 11-15
a. THE MOMENTUM IN MOVING
i. AS WE SAW LAST WEEK – GOD HAD DETERMINED THE PATH BOTH NEGATIVELY AND POSITIVELY
ii. JUST REMINDER, GOD’S CLOSED DOORS ARE PART OF HIS PLAN FOR US AND HIS DIRECTION IN OUR LIVES. CLOSED DOORS ARE NOT NEGATIVES, BUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO BE SUBMISSIVE TO THE WILL OF GOD.
iii. WHEN PAUL GETS THE “GREEN LIGHT” PAUL MOVES WITH BOTH SPEED AND CONFIDENCE
1. HERE IS AN AREA FOR US TO CONSIDER; KNOWING GOD’S DIRECTION, HOW DO WE RESPOND?
2. WHAT IS OUR ATTITUDE IN RESPONSE?
b. THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMMUNICATE THE GOSPEL COMES WITH THE RESPONSE TO THE MOMENTUM!
i. FIND LYDIA – WORSHIPPED GOD , BUT DID NOT KNOW CHRIST AS SAVIOR
ii. PAUL TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY (HE MADE A CHOICE) TO SPEAK TO THIS WOMAN
iii. LYDIA RESPONDS TO THE MESSAGE
1. GOD IS SOVEREIGN IN SALVATION
a. OPENED HER HEART
b. APART FROM THE ACT OF GOD, WE HAVE BLIND HEARTS – WE CANNOT SEE OR COMPREHEND SPIRITUAL THINGS
c. THE RESPONSE TO THE GOSPEL IS SEEN IN THE ACTIONS OF LYDIA
i. HER FAMILY IS EXPOSED AND BELIEVES
ii. THE EVIDENCE OF HER SALVATION IS SEEN IN HER HOSPITALITY
iii. THE UNDERSTANDING OF BLESSING – “IF YOU CONSIDER ME, …”
II. THE CHOICE OF COMPANIONS – VERSES 16-18
a. PAUL AND HIS COMPANIONS PICK UP A COMPANION – A SLAVE GIRLS WHO IS POSSESSED
b. EVIDENCE OF POSSESSION
i. SIMILAR PATTERN TO WHAT HAPPENED TO JESUS
ii. MATERIAL BEING COMMUNICATED WAS TRUE AND ACCURATE
iii. SPIRIT COMES OUT AT THE NAME OF CHRIST AND BY INFERENCE THE CHARACTER OF THE GIRL IS CHANGED
c. THE CHOICE
i. IF PAUL HAD ALLOWED THIS TO CONTINUE, THE WRONG ASSOCIATION WOULD HAVE BEEN CREATED
ii. AGAIN, WHAT SHE WAS SAYING WAS RIGHT AND TRUE, BUT IT IS WHAT WAS BEHIND WHAT SHE WAS SAYING THAT WAS THE ISSUE.
1. SHE WAS POSSESSED
iii. TO ALLOW THIS TO CONTINUE AS IS WOULD HAVE LINKED SALVATION WITH SATANIC FORCES.
iv. PAUL CHOSE TO DEAL WITH THE SITUATION BY DEALING WITH THE “COMPANION”
d. IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE MINDFUL OF OUR ASSOCIATIONS
i. EVERY ASSOCIATION WE HAVE HAS AN IMPACT OR CONSEQUENCE, AND WE NEED TO BE PROACTIVE IN OUR ASSOCIATIONS.
ii. IN FACT, ATTITUDES, ASSOCIATIONS, AND ACTIVITIES ALL COMMUNICATE SOMETHING AND THEY ARE ALL OUR “COMPANIONS”
III. THE CHOICE OF WORSHIP (SORRY COULD NOT COME UP WITH A “C” WORD)
a. CHAINED
b. IMPRISONED
c. BEATEN
d. TRUMPED UP CHARGES
e. PAUL MAKES THE CHOICE TO WORSHIP – BASED ON HIS MOTIVATION
i. DEALT WITH THE FRUSTRATION OF SITUATION IN A CHRIST LIKE FASHION
ii. EMBRACED THE WORDS OF JESUS
Matthew 5:11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
iii. WHEN WE CARE MORE ABOUT OUR ECONOMIC WELLBEING THEN THE GLORY OF GOD THAT IS A CLEAR SIGN OF IDOLATRY, GREED AND WORLDLINESS!
f. THE CIRCUMSTANCES DO NOT DETERMINE OUR ABILITY TO PRAISE GOD, OUR CHOICE DOES!
IV. THE CHOICE OF COMPASSION
a. OUTSIDE MY STUDY THERE IS A SIGN THAT SAYS, “BECAUSE NICE MATTERS”. IT IS THERE BECAUSE IT DOES
b. UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION
i. PAUL AND COMPANY ARE IN PRISON
ii. THEY HAVE BEEN BEATEN
iii. THEY HAVE BEEN IMPRISONED
iv. THE REASON – LOSS OF PROFIT
v. THE CATALYST – ROME’S CURRENT RELATIONSHIP WITH JEWS (JEWS HAD RECENTLY BEEN EXPELLED FROM ROME
c. GOD DOES A MIRACLE
i. PAUL AND COMPANY ARE FREE TO GO
ii. PAUL AND COMPANY STAY – CHOICE OF COMPASSION
iii. THE RESULT, ..
d. ENCOUNTER WITH THE JAILER
i. THE JAILER LOOKED FOR THE HUMAN WAY OUT – KILL HIMSELF
1. INTERESTING THOUGHT – WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE WE ARE TEMPTED TO LOOK FOR THE HUMANISTIC WAY OUT INSTEAD OF SEEKING GOD FOR THE ANSWER!
ii. AT THE CALL OF PAUL – THE JAILER BRINGS A LIGHT – HOW APPROPRIATE, LIGHT TO THE PERSON WHO CAN SHOW HIM THE LIGHT!
e. AGAIN THE RESULT OF THE CHOICE OF COMPASSION IS SALVATION
i. SIMILAR THINGS HAPPEN AS DID WITH LYDIA
1. HOSPITALITY
2. SALVATION DECISIONS
V. THE CHOICE OF CONFRONTATION
a. PAUL CHALLENGES THOSE WHO HAD IMPRISONED HIM WITH THE VERY LAWS THEY BROKE
b. THERE WAS A CHOICE – SUBMIT, OR CONFRONT
c. PAUL CHOSE TO CONFRONT – REASON IS THE WELFARE OF THE CHURCH
d. THIS PUBLIC DISPLAY WOULD PROTECT THE CHURCH FROM FURTHER HARM.
WHAT I WANT YOU TO SEE HERE IS THAT IN EACH AND EVERY SITUATION, PAUL HAD TO MAKE A CHOICE.
IN OUR CHRISTIAN WALK WE WILL ALWAYS BE CONFRONTED WITH CHOICES – TO COMMUNICATE, TO BEFRIEND, TO WORSHIP, ETC.
GOD HAS GIVEN US THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE. WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL TO DISCERN THE RIGHT CHOICE IN THE SITUATIONS GOD BRINGS TO US
