December 10, 2000 Acts 16:6-34
“Good news of great joy!”
INTRODUCTION
It was a night like any other. The shepherds were out in the fields with their flocks. Everyone except maybe the shepherd keeping watch had already bedded down for the night. The lambs were curled up next to their mothers. The shepherds were wishing that they were at home with their wives and children. Maybe they were even hoping for a little excitement. Tending sheep could be a boring thing. Every day was the same. Lead the sheep to grass and water. Bring them back to the fold at night. It got kind of old. Sheep weren’t the greatest conversationalists in the world, and all that the other shepherds could talk about was . . . sheep and sheep-stuff. “Have you seen Molly’s wool? Isn’t it a nice shade of dirty white?” “What about Henry’s horn? It’s grown at least another 32nd of an inch?” “How many babies do you think Dolly is going to have? I bet she’s going to have a bunch!” Sounds like real manly stuff doesn’t it? Real exciting. So maybe that’s the reason that these shepherds stayed out in the field that night rather than go home to the fold – just something a little different to break up the monotony. Little did they know that the greatest event in all of history was going to happen that night. And they had not the slightest idea that they were going to be a part of it. [read Luke 2:8-10] (Luke 2:8-10 NIV) And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy . . .
I would say that the monotony of that night and the monotony of their lives was broken up in a big way. The angel proclaimed that the source of all joy was coming that very night. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a pivotal Christian thinker of our time, said, “Joy is the surest sign of the presence of God.” . . . If God really is the center of one’s life and being, joy is inevitable. If we have no joy, we have missed the heart of the Good News and our bodies as much as our souls will suffer the consequences. – Bruce Larson, There’s a Lot More to Health Than Not Being Sick as quoted in Tales of the Tardy Oxcart. P. 322
The trouble with many men is that they have got just enough religion to make them miserable. If there is not joy in religion, you have got a leak in your religion. - Billy Sunday SERMON, NEW YORK 1914
Joy is the flag that flies over the castle of our hearts announcing that the king is in residence today. – Walter B. Knight, Knights master Book of New Illustrations.
Joy is the enjoyment of God and the good things that come from the hand of God. If our new freedom in Christ is a piece of angel food cake, joy is the frosting. If the bible gives us the wonderful words of life, joy supplies the music. If the way to heaven turns out to be an arduous steep climb, joy sets up the chair lift. – Sherwood Wirt, Jesus, Man of Joy as quoted in Tales of the Tardy Oxcart. P. 323
The angel proclaimed to the shepherds in the field that this joy would be a joy for all people. A few moments ago, we sang the song “Joy to the world”. This is a joyous time of year, as long as you stay away from shopping arenas. Everybody is supposed to be joyful – full of joy – during this season. But some of you may be asking yourselves, “If this is the joyful season of the year, and joy has come to the world, and everyone else seems to be experiencing it, why aren’t I? What about me? When do I get my share of this joy?” The angels came to the shepherds at night, when it was the darkest. Maybe that describes you. Right now, your life is dark. You can’t see straight because of the struggles and the pain that you are facing. Let me give you this word of encouragement: just as God proclaimed joy to these shepherds in the middle of their night, so He can proclaim joy in your life in the middle of your night.
This morning, I want us to take a look at joy. It won’t be an exhaustive look. We won’t try to cover everything the Bible has to say about the subject. We’ll just have time to deal with a few facets of this jewel. But hopefully it will be enough to enable you to step a little bit more lightly when you leave this place today. Turn with me please to Acts 16. We’re going to examine an event in the life of Paul so that we can see where his joy came from and how he passed that joy to others.
1. Joy is maintained when you have confidence in what you are doing. (vs. 6-10)
What – preach the gospel (vs. 6,10). Paul knew exactly what his purpose for existence on earth was. He had been called to preach the good news of Jesus Christ. So long as he was fulfilling his purpose, he could have joy.
One of the things that we have done with our church constitution is that we have spelled out what the purpose of New Life Baptist Church is going to be.
- Worshipping God in a manner that is in agreement with the Bible which includes the Lord’s Supper and Baptism by immersion.
- Evangelizing the lost (that is, leading unsaved persons into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ)
- Training saved persons how to grow in their knowledge of God and how to live in constant obedience to Him.
- Nurturing fellowship among our brothers and sisters in Christ, and
- Serving Christ, fellow believers and our community at large.
Worshipping, evangelizing, training, fellowshipping, and serving – that’s what our reason for existence is. When we keep on doing that, then we, as a church, can have joy. When we stop doing our purpose, then our joy will fade because we’re not doing the right “what”.
But there’s also the possibility of doing the wrong “what”. If you’re doing the wrong “what”, you’re not going to have any joy. The greatest joy-stealer of all is sin in the life of a Christian. When David, the 2nd king of Israel committed sin against God through adultery with Bathsheba, he didn’t lose his salvation, but he lost the joy of his salvation. (Psa 51:8 NIV) Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. (Psa 51:12 NIV) Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. If you are not experiencing joy in your life right now, you need to check out your heart to see if there is some sin that is breaking off the fellowship between you and God. If joy is found in the presence of God which is what the Bible teaches and sin cannot exist in the presence of God, then is it any wonder that when you’re living in sin, you can’t have joy!
Who – the Holy Spirit (vs. 6,7). Paul knew that his source of joy was the Holy Spirit. (Gal 5:22 NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, . . . So long as He followed the Holy Spirit, so long as he allowed the Holy Spirit to control his thoughts and actions, he could have joy no matter what his circumstances might be.
Where – tried different areas, but every door was blocked. Finally, through a series of “no’s” from the Spirit and a vision at night, they knew where they were supposed to go. The “where” is important, but it is the least important part of it all. If you’ve got the right “who” in control, and you’re doing the right “what”, then the Lord will take care of the “where”. But it is the “where” that gets us the most bent out of shape. “I can’t be joyful in this family where I live.” “I can’t be joyful in this job where I work.” “I can’t be joyful in this church where I worship.” Wherever you are, you can still do the right “what” – declare the message of God and serve Him – and you’ve still got the right “who” to lead and guide you. Regardless of the “where”, you can still have joy.
A Hindu trader in India once asked a missionary, "What do you put on your face to make it shine?" With surprise the man of God answered, "I don’t put anything on it!" His questioner began to lose patience and said emphatically, "Yes, you do!" All of you who believe in Jesus seem to have it. I’ve seen it in the towns of Agra and Surat, and even in the city of Bombay." Suddenly the Christian understood, and his face glowed even more as he said, "Now I know what you mean, and I will tell you the secret. It’s not something we put on from the outside but something that comes from within. It’s the reflection of the light of God in our hearts. See: Psa 34:5; 2 Cor 3:18; 2 Cor 4:6
We’re getting ready to look at an incident in Paul’s life where He was placed in prison. But before we do, I want you to look at another time in Paul’s later life. It’s in the book of Philippians, which, by the way, I would recommend to anyone who is struggling with this issue of joy in their life. Paul has been imprisoned. He’s writing a letter to the church at Philippi, the church which began here in Acts 16. Because Paul is in prison, he can’t preach on the outside. But others have taken up his task, some for noble reasons and some for not so noble. How does Paul react to his “where” – the situation he finds himself in? (Phil 1:18 NIV) But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, The “where” wasn’t the deciding factor in Paul’s life or in the missionary’s life. It was the “what”.
Moving to a different place, a different school, a different marriage or a different job won’t give you joy. It might make it easier for the joy to show through, but it won’t give it to you if it is not already there. Changing who you serve and how you serve wherever you are is the only thing that will give you joy.
2. Joy is enhanced when you see success in what you are doing. (vs. 11-15)
Once Paul and his friends knew where they were supposed to go, they got in a boat and started on their journey toward Philipi. When they got there, they quickly saw some success to their efforts.
Converts (Lydia and her household – possibly and overseas selling agent for her company in Thyatira)
- Worshipped God before Paul ever arrived; Paul was in the right place at the right time doing the right thing; she was primed and ready; there are people like that around you too. The reason that you never find them is because you never approach them with the good news of Jesus.
- Lord opened her heart
- She received the things spoken of by Paul (namely the message of Jesus)
- She and her household were saved and baptized (encouragement – those who live for Jesus in their household, family or workplace will have a tremendous impact on their unbelieving family members; challenge – you can reach your family better than anyone else can if they see reality in your faith)
- In order for Paul to see success, he knew that he had to go where the people were rather than waiting for the people to come to him. (v. 13 – “a place of prayer” [NIV]; “where prayer was customarily made” [KJV])
- Lydia was probably a person of some influence in the community. Purple was the rich man’s color. A seller of purple would have known all the town leaders, and they would have known her. She could have introduced Paul to the authorities and gotten him an audience with them.
- Evidenced her salvation through her works (i.e. she invited Paul and his companions to stay with her in her home) – for a pastor or any Christian worker to see a person give their life to Christ is a great encouragement. But when we get to see that person begin to serve the Lord and grow in their faith, that is the icing on the cake. That is what gives evidence that the work that God used us to do is going to last and is going to affect still more people.
Comforts – Lydia inviting Paul and his group into her home was the second evidence of success for him. Paul was a tentmaker by trade. I imagine that up to this point, he had been staying in a tent of his own making. But now, because of the hospitality of one of his converts, he was able to enter into a safe home, probably able to sleep on a comfortable bed and provided with warm meals. First, Paul had converts; now he had comforts. Things were looking really good here in Philipi. Paul’s goal was to win converts so that he could start a church. Already, he had one household, and that particular household had the financial means that they would need in order to help fund this new ministry.
Ike Reighkard, the former assistant pastor of 1st Baptist of Atlanta, believed that God was calling him to start a new church in the Atlanta area. One day, an elderly lady who had gotten wind of Ike’s desire asked him to come and join her for a meal. Over the food, this lady listened to the ideas and heart of this man who wanted to serve God. Then she asked him a question: “How much money will you need to get a work like this started?” Ike started listing some of the persons that he would like to have on board with him, the place that he would like to meet for church, the equipment that they would need. She pulled out her checkbook, wrote a check and handed it to him. It was a check for $100,000. That gift was a great encouragement to Ike that what he was getting ready to do was truly from God. Success like that and success like Paul saw were great enhancements to their joy.
I want you to understand something before we move on. Notice that second point on your note sheet. I want us to examine two of the words in that statement. “Joy is enhanced when you see success in what you are doing.” It doesn’t say, “Joy is based on success” or “You have to be successful in order to be joyful”. Joy is enhanced by success. All of us want to be successful. I don’t think there is a one of us that have as their life’s ambition to be a miserable failure. But whether or not we are successful in any particular area of our lives must not be the determining factor of whether we have joy or not. Joy is based on the presence of God in your life, not the presence of success. The more you are aware of God’s presence, the more you are in intimate relationship with Him, the more joy you have. Hold your place where we are, and turn to the book of Psalms. (Psa 16:11 NIV) You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. The temptation is to think that verse is only talking about the presence of God in eternity, in heaven. But I don’t have to wait until heaven to practice the presence of God. I can be at His right hand right now. (Psa 43:4-5 NIV) Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God. Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
The other word I want you to notice is the word “see”. Whether or not you ever see success, God’s promise to you if you meet certain conditions is that you will be successful. What are the conditions – that you immerse yourself in the word of God, let it become the controlling factor in your life and allow the thoughts of God recorded there to become your own thoughts. (Josh 1:8 NIV) Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Psa 1:2-3 NIV) But his delight [or his joy] is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. You want to be a success in God’s eyes? Then get into His Word. Let it fill you so completely that when someone jabs you, a stream a Living Water flows out. Then, whether you are success in man’s eyes or not, your joy will be strong. And your joy needs to be strong, because it is going to be tested.
3. Joy is tested when you face opposition in what you are doing. (vs. 16-28)
If there is a bad side to being openly successful, it is that some people are not going to like it. Opposition is going to show its head when you start showing success on someone else’s turf.
- (vs 16) they were not looking for a confrontation. All that they wanted to do was to go and pray and perhaps find some more people that they could tell about Jesus. A fight came looking for them. Have you ever been there?
- (vs 17) her message was accurate. Why did Paul have this kind of reaction?
She may have said it in a mocking way
Her constant following of them might have caused others to associate them with her.
Her constant loud interruption would have hindered them from delivering the message of salvation or talking with people on an individual basis.
She might have scared people away – I don’t usually walk up to people and say, “I’m a messenger from God, and you need to get saved!” I try to build a relationship first.
In order for God to bless, evil has to be dealt with.
- (vs 18) for one or more of these reasons, Paul finally reached the point where he could ignore this problem no longer. The verse says that he was “so troubled”. Other translations say things like “greatly annoyed” and even “grieved”. Paul’s joy was starting to be stifled. Someone was trying to steal his joy. When someone comes in to try and steal your joy, what do you do? Do you slam the door in their face? Do you punch their lights out? Do you just try to ignore them? Look at what Paul did. “In the name of Jesus Christ. . .” When someone tried to steal Paul’s joy, he called on the name of Jesus. Can I suggest that you do the same? By calling on the name of Jesus, Paul not only dealt with what was stealing his joy but also what was stealing her joy. “At that moment the spirit left her.” I’m sure that she was real glad of that, but not everyone was.
- (vs 19) masters were upset because their means of making money was gone. They cared nothing about the girl; only what she could no longer do for them.
- Their reaction was to take out their anger on Paul and Silas.
- (vs 20-21) trumped up some charges about Paul and Silas creating a riot and unrest in the city
- (vs 22-23a) then they beat them
- (vs 23b-24) and then they jailed them. Apparently, they gave special instructions concerning Paul and Silas and an extra warning to make sure that they were secure and could not escape. So the jailer put them in the deepest, darkest part of the prison. Prisons then were nothing like prisons today. The only light, if there was any, would have been torches in the hallways. There were no doctors to treat the wounds that had been inflicted on Paul and Silas. The bacteria, and rats and worms that would have been in that place would make any person’s skin crawl. For the 2nd time in less than a day, something was threatening to steal Paul’s joy. Someone was standing in opposition to him. How’s he going to react?
- (vs 25) Once again, Paul and Silas’ reaction to opposition – their reaction to someone who was attacking their joy was to call on the name of Jesus. NOTE: Their imprisonment gave them access to persons that they normally would not have encountered – prisoners, the jailer. Difficulties in our lives force us to interact with people – sickness causes us to interact with doctors and health-care professionals. (ex. Ernie witnessed to several nurses when he went in for his bypass surgery 2 years ago)
- (vs 26) Then God reacted. Praise to God caused Him to destroy what held Paul and Silas captive. NOTE: How many prison doors were opened? All of them! Everyone’s chains were loosed. My praise breaks not only my own chains but hose of people around me.
- (vs 28) Praise to God – a response of joy – caused change not only in the other prisoner’s situations but also in their lives. Paul said, “We are all here.” If there had been no internal change in the lives of the other prisoners, the first thing that they would have done when they saw that the prison doors were opened would have been to run for their lives and maybe to take time to give some torture to those who had tortured them. But they didn’t do that. They stayed. Their hearts had been changed. They knew that Paul and Silas had something that they needed. And they needed what Paul and Silas had a lot more than they needed their freedom.
Twice now, someone had attempted to steal Paul’s joy. And both times, Paul had responded by calling on the name of Jesus. And both times, other people had been set free because Paul refused to succumb to the temptation to retaliate, complain, or get bitter. He chose rather to praise. How do you react to people or events that threaten to steal your joy?
Massena, one of Napoleon’s generals, suddenly appeared with eighteen thousand men before an Austrian town which had no means of defense. The town council had nearly decided to surrender when the old dean of the church reminded them that it was Easter and begged them to hold services as usual and to leave the trouble in Gods hands. This they did; and the French hearing the church bells ringing joyfully concluded that an Austrian army had come to relieve the place and quickly broke camp. Before the bells ceased ringing, all the Frenchmen had vanished.
The incident has often been duplicated in individual lives. They have rung the joy bells in the face of pain, and sickness, and poverty, and fear, and loneliness, and all other trials. Then the joy bells have conquered. Speedily, the foe has slunk away. Speedily, the bell ringers have found themselves in possession of the field. For no enemy is quite so strong as faith companioned with good cheer. --Amos R. Wells
4. Joy is found when you are set free from what you were doing. (vs. 27, 29-34)
When you first read this record, it looks like the only persons who were imprisoned were those behind the locked doors in the jail. But actually, almost every person in this record was imprisoned to one thing or another.
- Lydia imprisoned to ignorance. Once she had the right information, she could respond in faith and be set free from her sin. She responded with joy.
- Slave-girl imprisoned to two masters – her human masters and her demon master. She was set free through the name of Jesus. The passage doesn’t tell us how she responded, but every other person in the Bible released from demon-possession responded with great joy. We can assume that she responded the same way.
- Masters imprisoned to greed and selfishness. They never received release as far as we know. They remained imprisoned.
- Prisoners imprisoned by bolted doors. We know that Paul and Silas were eventually set free. But what about the other prisoners? Were they put back in prison once the doors were fixed? We don’t know. But regardless of whether they were put in irons again or not, they were no longer prisoners. Now, they were free on the inside because they had responded to the message that Paul and Silas gave.
- Jailer imprisoned by fear. He had placed Paul in the deepest part of the prison because of his fear of the authorities. He had almost killed himself because of his fear of what the prisoners or the authorities might do to him. But then he asked the most important question that a sinner – a seeker after joy – can ever ask: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” That night, joy came to that man and his family because he was set free from his fear and his sin. Now, he could live in the presence of God. Now, he could have joy.
CONCLUSION
A pastor who lived in the late 1800’s recorded an incident that occurred in one of his meetings that taught him a great lesson in leading souls to Christ.
“A lady connected with one of the city churches, but residing in that place, found she was not the humble, happy Christian she once was. She came to me, asking how she might obtain anew the joy of salvation; she felt she loved Jesus, but so faintly that the warmth and power of that love were gone. The conflict was long and severe. On one occasion, she said to me:
"My husband has become skeptical. He rejects the Bible. It is of no use to speak to him. I have scarcely any hope of his being converted. But, oh, that I could enjoy the Savior’s love as I used to!" At length the desire of her heart was granted, and all the joy of her first love to Jesus was restored to her. And now, though she had been a Christian, and a kind, careful wife and mother, she seemed almost like another person The false representations of religion were ended. Its sweetness and happiness shone in every feature of her face, gave melody to the tones of her voice, and added a new charm to all she did. She went about the house singing the songs of Zion. Anything that was not sinful, that would make her husband happier and her home pleasanter, she cheerfully performed, saying but little, however, about the change in her feelings; she did not need to, it was so apparent. Her husband saw it, and compared her present state with her past. Somehow this led him to look into his own heart. The conviction was forced upon him that religion was a reality, and one he could not do without.
Some four days after this change in his wife, I called on him, to learn why he rejected the Bible and religion. I asked him to be frank with me, and tell me if he had no desire to be a Christian. He replied: "Mr. Earle, I have said nothing about it to my wife; but, sir, I feel I am a lost sinner, and if you will pray for me, I will kneel down with you right here." And, pointing to his wife, who was at that moment passing through the room, with the tears on her bright face, he continued: "That woman, my own dear wife, has had more power over me for a few days past than everything else put together. She has been a professor of religion for years, but I knew she did not enjoy religion, and I said if that was all there was in religion, I did not want it. But for the last few days she has looked and acted almost like an angel; and, sir, I cannot stand it; there is a power in her sweet, happy face that melts my heart I cannot withstand the attraction of such a religion."
And all this because the joy of salvation was restored to the heart of that Christian wife! Oh, the power of Christ’s love when it burns and glows in the heart! And perhaps some pious wife who reads these pages, has gone alone to the table of our Lord for many long years, just because her love to Jesus has been feeble and faint, and consequently her representation of religion unattractive and false. Some of these parents have not seen their children converted, for no other reason than that they have not had the joy of salvation filling their hearts and running over in their lives; they are Christ’s own redeemed ones, but do not live as becomes his family, every member of which ought to be a wellspring of joy, pouring streams of gladness into every heart within reach. -- A. B. Earle, From: "Incidents Used ... In His Meetings," published in 1888
INVITATION
It was night when the angels came to the shepherds in the field. It was dark when the earthquake tore open the doors of the prison. Many of you are going through some dark days in your life that are threatening to steal your joy. Don’t let them! You do what you’re supposed to do, you follow who you are supposed to follow, you allow Him to take you wherever He wants, and then just watch what God will do through you to set men free.
