The Great Adventure
Acts 16:11-40
August 11, 2002
Intro:
A. [illustration, James Dobson, New Man, October, 1994, p. 36.]
This is an exert from an article that James Dobson wrote in 1994 about Stephen Hawking, whom I believe has since died…
Stephen Hawking is an astrophysicist at Cambridge University and perhaps the most intelligent man on earth.
He has advanced the general theory of relativity farther than any person since Albert Einstein.
Unfortunately, Hawking is afflicted with ALS Syndrome (Lou Gehrig’s disease).
It will eventually take his life.
He has been confined to a wheelchair for years, where he can do little more than sit and think.
Hawking has lost the ability even to speak, and now he communicates by means of a computer that is operated from the tiniest movement of his fingertips.
Quoting from an Omni magazine article: He is too weak to write, feed himself, comb his hair, fix his glasses--all this must be done for him.
Yet this most dependent of all men has escaped invalid status.
His personality shines through the messy details of his existence.
Hawking said that before he became ill, he had very little interest in life.
He called it a "pointless existence" resulting from sheer boredom.
He drank too much and did very little work.
Then he learned he had ALS Syndrome and was not expected to live more than two years.
The ultimate effect of that diagnosis, beyond its initial shock, was extremely positive.
He claimed to have been happier after he was afflicted than before.
How can that be understood? Hawking provided the answer.
"When one’s expectations are reduced to zero," he said, "one really appreciates everything that one does have."
Stated another way: contentment in life is determined in part by what a person anticipates from it.
To a man like Hawking who thought he would soon die quickly, everything takes on meaning--a sunrise or a walk in a park or the laughter of children.
Suddenly, each small pleasure becomes precious.
By contrast, those who believe life owes them a free ride are often discontent with its finest gifts.
B. What do you do when life doesn’t meet your expectations?
1. When life doesn’t turn out the way you expected, do you throw in the towel?
2. When marriage turns sour, do you give up?
3. When careers take alternate routes, do you turn in your keys?
4. When your body looks a lot worse than you had thought, do you just let it go to pot?
5. What do you do when things don’t go the way you expect?
C. Today we continue in Acts 16 where we find the apostle Paul in the Macedonian city of Philippi and nothing goes according to expectations.
I. Expectation: going to pray
Acts 16:11-13a, 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.
A. After receiving what we refer to as the Macedonian vision, Paul and his companions begin travelling through the region of Macedonia.
1. Last week we looked at verses 6-10 of this chapter where Paul was trying to go into the regions of Phrygia and Galatia in order to preach the gospel in those places, but the HS kept them from going there.
2. Then Paul received a vision of a man from Macedonia standing on the shore begging him to come over to Macedonia to help them.
3. So Paul and Silas and Timothy and Luke set out for some of the cities in Macedonia.
4. Last week we talked about the vision that Paul had been given by God for his ministry and we talked about the vision that God has given for our ministry here at Somerset.
5. Today we see Paul beginning to fulfil his vision by moving through the cities of Samothrace, Neapolis, and Philippi in the region of Macedonia.
B. The rest of this chapter takes place in the city of Philippi.
1. Luke tells us that Philippi is a Roman colony.
2. He tells us that it is the leading city in the region of Macedonia.
3. And he tells us that they stayed there several days.
4. We also know that Philippi is the city to whom Paul later wrote the book of Philippians where he emphasized the importance of having an attitude of rejoicing.
C. And Luke tells us that on the Sabbath day, they were expecting to go to the place of prayer.
1. If they were expecting to go to the place of prayer, we can assume that they were expecting to spend some time in prayer.
2. It was a Sabbath day and they went outside the city gate to the river.
3. There, Luke says, they expected to find a place of prayer.
4. There was evidently no synagogue inside the city.
5. The Romans had ordered the expulsion of all Jews from their cities and since Philippi was a roman colony, this had probably been enforced there.
6. There had to be at least 10 male Jews in order for there to be a synagogue and so as Paul inquired about Jews in town, he was probably told, "There aren’t many Jews left here, but if there are any, you’ll probably find them about a mile west of town, down by the riverside."
7. Only the mention of women, indicates that there weren’t ten male Jews and therefore they simply went down by the riverside to pray because there was no place of worship.
8. Knowing there was no synagogue, Paul probably expected to go down to the riverside to pray with whatever Jews were there.
9. However…
Actuality: evangelism
Acts 16:13b-15, 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.
A. Instead of spending time in prayer, Paul spent some time in evangelism.
1. Lydia was down at the riverside when Paul and the others arrived.
2. She believed in God already and Paul got the chance to tell her that Jesus is the Messiah.
3. She responded to Paul’s message and they baptized her right there in the river.
4. She and the members of her household were baptized there that day in the river.
B. Not what Paul had expected.
1. Paul had expected to go down to the river to pray.
2. But Paul got the opportunity to share the gospel and Lydia and her household were saved and baptized.
II. Expectation: useful slave girl
Acts 16:16-17, 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."
A. This was a high-profile person in the community.
1. She was well-known in the community for being able to predict the future.
2. She was evidently pretty accurate because she was making a great deal of money doing fortune-telling.
3. We can assume that she was well-respected or else people wouldn’t be handing over their money to see what she had to say.
B. I’m sure that it appeared that this girl could be useful in their evangelistic efforts.
1. Here she was, a well-known prophet in the community shouting that these men were servants of the Most High God.
2. She was telling people that they were telling the way to be saved.
3. It appeared that this was a public endorsement of these men.
4. It appeared that she was giving them some free publicity.
5. However…
Actuality: demon-possessed slave girl
Acts 16:18, 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.
A. Paul recognized that this girl wasn’t right.
1. Even though it may have appeared that she was doing them a favor, she had a big problem.
2. She was demon-possessed.
3. I find it ironic that this supposed fortune-teller was herself UNfortunate because she was demon-possessed.
4. The fortune-teller was herself UNfortunate!
5. And the HS within Paul caused Paul to feel so troubled about her that he finally turned around and commanded the evil spirit to come out of her.
6. And at that moment the spirit left her.
B. People may have expected that this girl was going to be useful to the evangelistic team, but Paul was very troubled by her.
1. Paul knew that even though it appeared that she was doing something good, she was actually demon-possessed.
2. Folks may have expected this young girl to be useful to Paul, but she was actually demon- possessed.
III. Expectation: thankfulness
A. At this point, people might think that there would be thankfulness abounding.
1. People might think that there would be gratefulness for what Paul had done for this girl.
2. She had been tormented by an evil spirit and you would expect people to be grateful that she had been freed from it.
B. After all, who would want someone to continue to live with an evil spirit in them?
1. Surely people would be happy about this.
2. Surely we would expect everyone to be thankful for this.
3. However…
Actuality: jail and beating
Acts 16:19-24, 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.
A. Clearly the owners of the slave girl were not happy about what Paul had done.
1. They were very upset that she no longer was able to do fortune-telling.
2. They were very upset that she could no longer make them any money.
3. (This is not the point of this sermon, but what does this text tells us about fortune-tellers? Yes, this is the Bible’s and God’s position on ALL fortune-tellers.)
4. The owners of this girl were clearly NOT happy that this UNfortunate fortune-teller was now fortunate enough to have this demon cast out of her.
B. In fact, they were so upset about this that they seized Paul land Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities.
1. They brought them in and told the authorities that they were throwing the city into an uproar.
2. They said Paul and Silas were advocating customs unlawful for Romans to accept or practice-possibly they were referring to the outlawing of Judaism.
3. Then the crowd joined in the attack and the officials ordered Paul and Silas to be stripped and beaten.
C. After they had been severely beaten, they were thrown in prison.
1. The jailer was commanded to guard them carefully-we’ve already learned what happened to other guards after Peter had escaped from prison in the past.
2. Garreth Reese speaks of their treatment in this inner cell, "The two heavy pieces of timber would be opened, the legs of the prisoners stretched widely apart till their muscles began to hurt, and the timbers clamped shut. Clamped in such a spread-legged position they would be unable to walk, and they would be forced to lie with their backs or faces on the ground. Their wounds have been unattended since the beating with rods."
D. People may have expected everyone to be happy about the exorcism of this unfortunate girl, but actuality was far from thankfulness for Paul and Silas.
IV. Expectation: jail praise service
Acts 16:25, About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
A. Paul and Silas have the same predictable attitude again.
1. Paul has not been one to cry over spilt milk in the past.
2. Paul has always had a positive, thankful attitude no matter what.
3. It should be no surprise that Paul and Silas would be singing praises to God while in this circumstance.
B. It is easy to understand how Paul could write so assertively in his latter letter to the Philippians that they should rejoice in the Lord always!
1. Paul didn’t just write those words flippantly, he had already practiced what he preached.
2. Paul and Silas had been severely beaten and locked in the stocks and they were rejoicing!
C. But I’m sure that Paul and Silas weren’t expecting anything else to come of this.
1. I’m sure they were simply rejoicing that had been counted worthy to suffer for the Kingdom of God.
2. I’m sure they were simply expecting to sing some songs of praise because they had hit Satan hard enough that he hit back.
3. However…
Actuality: evangelism
Acts 16:26-34, 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.
A. Their praise service shook the foundations of heaven.
1. And when the foundations of heaven were shaken, God reached down and shook the foundations of the prison.
2. The doors of the prison suddenly flew open and everybody’s chains came loose.
3. Wow! Wasn’t that some sort of lucky fortune for Paul and Silas?!
4. Absolutely not! This was not some freak accident or circumstance—this was an act of God brought about by soul-stirring praise service in the midst of awful events!
B. And instead of just having a simple praise service that night, Paul and Silas also had an evangelistic service.
1. When the jailer woke up and fund the prison doors open, he drew his sword to kill himself.
2. He knew the punishment of Roman soldiers for escaped prisoners and he very quickly decided that he would just kill himself and get it over with.
3. But Paul told him not to do it because they had not escaped.
4. They got some lights in the inner cell and found Paul and Silas inside and asked them what he must do to be saved.
5. They told him to believe in the Lord and he would be saved!
6. Surprisingly, the jailer washed their wounds.
7. Surprisingly, that night the jailer and his household were saved and baptized.
8. Surprisingly, that very night the jailer took them from the jail to his house and fed them a home-cooked meal.
9. This is not what would have been expected on that night.
10. The actuality of the night’s events were far from what anyone could have expected.
V. Expectation: further punishment
A. Now the truth is that Paul and Silas were still technically under arrest.
1. The jailer probably snuck them out during the night and snuck them back in before morning.
2. He couldn’t let them escape because he would be killed.
3. They were still under arrest in a Roman prison.
B. The expectation that night would have been to wonder what the Roman officials were intending to do with them after they had been beaten and thrown into jail.
1. They still expected further punishment.
2. However…
Actuality: release
Acts 16:35-36, 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."
A. When it was daylight, they were set free by the officers.
1. When the morning came, they were told they were free to go.
2. The jailer told Paul they could leave.
B. They expected to be imprisoned further or punished in some way, but they were told they were free to go.
1. They expected further punishment, but they were told they could go in peace.
2. The actuality was far from what they could have expected.
VI. Expectation: freedom
A. Now we might expect that since they were released, they would go their way and probably continue to preach just as they had in the past.
1. We might expect they’d do exactly what the jailer said they could do: "Go in peace."
2. We and everyone else would now expect Paul and Silas to just be happy to get out.
B. They got their "Get out of jail free" card and we would expect them to take the opportunity to get out of there before something else happened.
1. After their severe beating and a night in the inner cell, we would expect them to get out as quickly as they could.
2. However…
Actuality: turning of the tables
Acts 16:37-40, 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.
A. Instead of turning in their "Get out of jail free" card, Paul turned the tables on the Roman officials.
1. Paul makes three punishable charges against the officials who wanted to release them.
a. The most important words in his charge are the words, "we are Roman citizens."
b. It was illegal to beat a Roman citizen and it was done out in public.
c. It was illegal not to give a Roman citizen an opportunity to defend themselves and this too was public knowledge that they hadn’t received a trial.
d. And third, it was illegal to throw a Roman citizen in jail without a trial.
e. If Paul wanted to press charges, these Roman officials could face severe punishment for such blatant violations of the law.
2. So Paul says, "I’m sure they would like to quietly release us and go in peace."
3. Paul says, "After all they have publicly done to us, they can come down here themselves and publicly release us."
4. Paul says, "After they have publicly humiliated us, they can come down here and humiliate themselves."
5. So the officials got right down there and tried to appease Paul and Silas so they would not press charges against them.
6. I’m sure that Paul wanted the church to have a better standing in Philippi than Paul and Silas simply leaving town.
7. Having the Roman officials come down and publicly release them and appease them would change the whole perception of the Christians in the community after Paul and Silas left town.
B. Clearly the expectation was that when Paul and Silas got their "Get out of jail free" card, they would count their blessings and move on down the road, but they thought more of the church than themselves and they turned the tables on the Roman officials.
VII. When we’re lead by the Spirit, actuality rarely meats expectations.
A. Listen to what Paul said and felt about the Philippians when he wrote to them later…
Philippians 1:3-8, I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
1. Paul clearly had some deep-seating feelings about the Philippians.
2. Clearly, his time with them made some deep impressions on him
B. As Paul writes this letter to the Philippians, he is in jail again…
Philippians 1:12-14, Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
1. Paul wanted to remind them that he is in jail again like he was when he was in Philippi.
2. But he really wasn’t as concerned about himself as he was about them.
C. And now listen to what his instructions are for them now…
1. Philippians 1:27-30, Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved--and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
a. Paul tells them that whatever happens, they must conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
b. Paul may get out of jail or he may not, but they should conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
c. The Philippians may be persecuted and imprisoned, but they must conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
d. Paul said they would suffer, but they must conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
e. Paul said that when actuality doesn’t meet expectations, they must conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
2. Philippians 4:4-7, Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
a. Now Paul tells them that they need to REJOICE, no matter what happens.
b. He did it in Philippi in the jail and he knows what he’s talking about.
c. Rejoice and be anxious about nothing—but instead just pray about everything.
d. And when we rejoice and pray, the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard our hearts and minds.
e. Do you see this is a choice? When actuality doesn’t match expectations, we must choose to rejoice anyhow!
Conclusion:
A. What would you expect if you were a member of Paul’s team and learned that God had given specific directions to go to Macedonia to preach the gospel to them?
1. I think I would have expected a brass band to welcome us and thousands lined up waiting to repent.
2. Whom did they find awaiting them in Macedonia?
3. One woman outside of town, a demon-possessed girl, a beating, and a jail.
4. But God has said, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. 9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:8-11)
B. What do you do when things don’t turn out the way you expected?
C. [illustration, Brian L. Harbour, Rising Above the Crowd.]
The year was 1920.
The scene was the examining board for selecting missionaries.
Standing before the board was a young man named Oswald Smith.
One dream dominated his heart.
He wanted to be a missionary.
Over and over again, he prayed, "Lord, I want to go as a missionary for you. Open a door of service for me."
Now, at last, his prayer would be answered.
When the examination was over, the board turned Oswald Smith down.
He did not meet their qualifications.
He failed the test. Oswald Smith had set his direction, but now life gave him a detour.
What would he do?
As Oswald Smith prayed, God planted another idea in his heart.
If he could not go as a missionary, he would build a church which could send out missionaries.
And that is what he did.
Oswald Smith pastored The People’s Church in Toronto, Canada, which sent out more missionaries than any other church at that time.
Oswald Smith brought God into the situation, and God transformed his detour into a main thoroughfare of service.
D. What do you do when things don’t turn out the way you expected?
1. We’ve all had disappointments in life just like the apostle Paul.
2. And most of us have allowed our hearts to harden a little because of those missed expectations.
3. In fact, none of us have learned the lesson of rejoicing in all circumstances like the apostle Paul did.
E. Have you given up trying to do great things for God because life didn’t meet your expectations?
1. Has life beaten you up so much that you’ve just given up on doing great things for God?
2. Have you failed too many times and think that God just doesn’t care about you?
3. My friend, He still loves you!
4. He’s never left you!
5. He’s kept His Word to never leave you!
6. When things don’t seem to go our way, we need to roll with the turns of life!
7. We need to pray about them and give them to God!
8. And we need to persevere in working for the Kingdom as we rejoice!
9. And I’ll say it again, rejoice!
10. And listen to what Jesus says to us in Matthew 5:12, Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
