“There’s Victory In Jesus”
Acts 16:25-34
INTRODUCTION: The last few weeks haven’t been easy for most of us … we have been through, and survived 2 hurricanes. For SOME of us, it has been even worse:
• Billy Bass – Heart Cauterization.
• John Ross – Back Surgery.
• Michelle Smith – Surgery.
• Donna Tooke – Shoulder Surgery.
• Jo Smith – Ovarian Tumor.
• Susie Roberts – Death of her Mother.
• Jennifer Allen – 4 weeks in hospital.
• Dianne Lovett – Hospital.
Life is tough! BUT … it should come as no surprise. WHY? BECAUSE … Paul PROMISED us that life would be tough. 2 Tim. 3:12 – “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” Never get the idea that, just because you’re a Christian, bad things won’t happen to you. If you’ve been a Christian for very long, you know that just isn’t true.
Paul & Silas found this out, when they went on their missionary journey. MAYBE … they expected the world to receive them with open arms. If they did, they were sadly disappointed.
Paul & Silas went into Thyatira, ready to preach and witness for Christ. They found a woman possessed with a spirit of divination. Because of her demon possession, she was given a revelation of the future. Certain men used her demonic gift to make money off of her.
Paul, through the power of the Holy Spirit, cast these demons from her. Of course, it made the men mad, because they lost their income. A good way to make somebody mad, is to touch their wallet! When you touch someone’s wallet, you touch a touchy spot!
Paul & Silas were brought before the magistrates … beaten & whipped … cast into prison … feet placed into the stocks. Paul & Silas were having a BAD DAY!
DITTY: “How do you know you’re having a bad day?”
Let’s take a look at our text.
16:22-24 – Can’t you just visualize these 2 men? Their backs were a mass of blood & dirt … the PAIN they must have been in! They were thrown into the “inner prison” … dark, damp, rats, cold. They couldn’t even get up and walk around.
What a great opportunity to GRUMBLE … AMEN? Don’t you LIKE to grumble? … be honest now! There’s nothing quite like a good PITY PARTY! We wouldn’t blame Paul & Silas a bit … they had a good reason to GRUMBLE, complain & feel sorry for themselves.
• Weren’t Paul & Silas in God’s will? YES, they were.
• Didn’t God sent them to Thyatira? YES, He did.
• Didn’t they walk through the door that God had opened to them? YES, they did.
• Shouldn’t everything have gone smoothly for them? NOPE!
WHY NOT?
• MAYBE … they only THOUGHT it was God’s open door.
• MAYBE … they PRIED it open.
NO! Just because things don’t go the way you want, doesn’t mean that you’re out of God’s will. “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
They had an opportunity to doubt God … to question His love … to get mad at God. BUT … What did they do?
16:25 – they “prayed”! NOW … that’s not such an unusual thing to do when life knocks you on your back. That’s what we USUALLY do. No matter WHAT … no matter WHERE … we can ALWAYS pray. Paul & Silas were in fellowship with the Lord, so their prayer line was always open.
NOW … THIS is what has always amazed me … they “sang praises unto God”.
• Ephes. 5:20 – “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”
• Philip. 4:4 – “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”
They weren’t rejoicing in their CIRCUMSTANCES … they were rejoicing in the LORD! God doesn’t expect you to rejoice about all the bad things that happen to you. “All right …Cancer! My house just burned down … Fantastic!” NO! How could Paul & Silas REJOICE over their circumstances? BECAUSE … they knew God was in it … God was in charge/control … God had a plan and a purpose for it all. Wasn’t it Paul who wrote Romans 8:28?
Look at the TESTIMONY it was to the other prisoners … “and the prisoners heard them”. How do YOU REACT when things don’t go your way? What kind of a TESTIMONY are YOU when tragedy strikes? While the other prisoners were moaning & groaning … cursing & swearing … Paul & Silas were PRAYING and SINGING! They were having an old fashioned “shouting” service. WHY? BECAUSE … they had the JOY of their salvation. They had “victory in Jesus”.
What did they know that we need to learn?
• No situation is helpless, as long as we trust in the Lord.
• No hardship is totally without some blessing.
• Whatever happens to us is screened through the wise providence of God.
Let me ask you this … When are you the best TESTIMONY for Christ?
• When things are going great for you … OR …
• When things are tough?
It’s EASY … and EXPECTED … to praise God when life is good. That’s not much of a testimony. BUT … when you’re going through the same problems that everybody else is going through (or worse) … people will take a close look at you to see if your Christianity is REAL or not. They look to see if your FAITH is real. They look to see if your CHRIST is real. THAT’S when you have a real TESTIMONY! AND … it’s EITHER a GOOD testimony for Christ … OR … a BAD testimony for Christ.
RIGHT NOW, Paul doesn’t know what’s going to happen to him. He doesn’t know what God has planned in all this. MAYBE … God wants them to have a “Prison Ministry”. All he knows is … GOD IS IN CONTROL! That’s why he’s rejoicing.
16:26 – “suddenly” – Paul & Silas didn’t know WHAT to expect … BUT … they knew WHO to expect … AMEN? Just because your circumstances aren’t to your liking, doesn’t mean that God has forgotten you. He knows all about what you’re going through. God has never taken His eyes off of you. AND … Paul & Silas knew this … BECAUSE … they never took their eyes off of God! God is just waiting for you to focus on Him … so He can do His thing.
You can lock Paul & Silas in prison … BUT … you can’t lock their God out! The prisoners weren’t the only ones who heard the prayers & singing of Paul & Silas … GOD heard them too! AND … God sent an earthquake.
16:27 - ALL the doors were opened … ALL the bands were loosed (16:26). When the jailer realized what happened, he panicked. Under ROMAN LAW, he was responsible for the prisoners. If any escaped under his watch, he would have to take the prisoner’s place. Rather than spend the rest of his life in prison as a prisoner, he would rather be DEAD!
NOTICE – “supposing”. He just ASSUMED they all had escaped. BUT … he “supposed” WRONG! – 16:28.
“Supposing” can be a very costly thing, can’t it?
• Jesus was 12 years old … Mary & Joseph were leaving Jerusalem after the Passover. Luke 2:44 – “But they, SUPPOSING him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.” It took them 3 days to find Jesus. Their “supposing” could have been costly.
• The Disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, when a storm came up. Jesus had stayed on shore. Mark 6:49 – “But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they SUPPOSED it had been a spirit, and cried out:” If they hadn’t recognized Jesus, it could have been costly. BUT … Jesus got in the boat, and calmed the storm.
“Supposing” can be COSTLY! When it comes to your SALVATION, “supposing” can be costly. When it comes to where you will spend eternity, you need to be SURE. 2 Tim. 1:12 – “I KNOW whom I have believed, and am PERSUADED that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” 1 John 5:13 – “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
Are you a Child of God? Are you saved, and going to Heaven? Have you trusted Jesus as your Savior and Lord? “I SUPPOSE so” just doesn’t cut it. It can be COSTLY. You need to KNOW! Your eternity depends on it. Because the jailer “supposed” everyone had escaped, he almost took his life.
16:28-29 – When the jailer lit the lantern, he discovered that NOBODY had escaped … EVERYBODY was still there. I can understand Paul & Silas not running … BUT … why didn’t the rest of the prisoners? I don’t know … OTHER THAN TO SAY that GOD WAS IN CONTROL! It goes beyond human nature. It shows us that God was at work. If I had been one of the prisoners, I would have been out of there faster than a monkey in an alligator pit! If I had been Paul & Silas, I would have said a quick “Thank you, Jesus”, and headed for the hills. BUT … Paul & Silas knew that God had a PURPOSE for all this.
Prisoners usually fell down and trembled before the jailer. HERE, the jailer falls down and trembles before the prisoners. WHO is in charge? God is … ALWAYS!
16:30 – What made the jailer turn to Paul & Silas? What impressed him about the God that Paul & Silas had been praying to and singing about? ANSWER: Their TESTIMONY during difficult times. “You’ve got a great God … What do I need to do to know Him?”
What did he see in Paul & Silas that made him want what they had?
• He saw that their relationship with God didn’t depend on their circumstances.
• He saw the CONSISTENCY of their focus on Jesus.
• He saw their THANKFULNESS to God, no matter the circumstances.
AND … he wanted that too!
What do people see when they look at you & me?
• A COMPLAINING heart … when things aren’t going our way?
• A WAVERING faith … depending on the circumstances?
Before the lost will ever WANT the Jesus you claim to have … they have to see Jesus being lived out in your life. They need to see a THANKFUL heart.
What did Paul & Silas tell him? 16:31. “Don’t fall down and tremble at OUR feet … fall down at the feet of Jesus!” They pointed him to Jesus – 16:32
• NOTICE … the jailer was a CHANGED MAN – 16:33-34. Jesus will do that to you!
• NOTICE … Jesus changed his whole FAMILY … “thy house” … “his house” … “all his”.
CONCLUSION: Is there anything in your life that needs CHANGING?
• HOW ABOUT … some HABITS that need to be changed.
• HOW ABOUT … your MARRIAGE.
• HOW ABOUT … your TESTIMONY.
• HOW ABOUT … your “joy in the Lord”.
• HOW ABOUT … the way you REACT to problems and circumstances.
• HOW ABOUT … where you will spend ETERNITY.
God is still in charge … He’s still in control. God can set you free. You can always trust Him to be there for you in every circumstance. You can rejoice in the Lord … ALWAYS. You will find “Victory In Jesus” … ALWAYS!
STAND – PRAYER
HYMN - #475 – “Victory In Jesus”
OUTLINE FOR HANDOUT:
“There’s Victory In Jesus”
Acts 16:25-34
INTRODUCTION:
- The Christian isn’t exempt from problems and trials –
2 Timothy 3:12.
- Paul & Silas were having a bad day – Acts 16:22-24.
16:25 – They PRAYED and SANG PRAISES – Ephesians 5:20, Philippians 4:4
- They knew God was in charge … in control.
- They were rejoicing in the LORD, not their CIRCUMSTANCES.
- They were a TESTIMONY to the other prisoners.
- You are a better testimony when things are tough.
- Others will see that your faith, Christ, and testimony are REAL.
16:26 – They didn’t know WHAT to expect, but WHO to expect.
- They never took their eyes off of God … God never took His eyes off of them.
- God is waiting for you to focus on Him.
16:27 – “supposing” can be a costly thing – Luke 2:44, Mark 6:49.
- Don’t “suppose” when it comes to your salvation … where you will spend eternity – 2 Timothy 1:12, 1 John 5:13.
16:28-29 – God was at work … no one escaped.
- God is always in charge!
16:30 – Paul & Silas had a good testimony.
- The jailer saw their relationship with Jesus, their consistency, and their thankfulness no matter the circumstances.
- The jailer wanted what Paul & Silas had.
- What do people see in you and me that would want them to know our Christ?
16:31 – They pointed the jailer to Jesus – 16:32.
16:33-34 – The jailer was a changed man.
- He had an influence on his whole household.
CONCLUSION:
• Is there anything in you that needs changing?
• God is in control … He can set you free.
• You will find “Victory In Jesus” … ALWAYS!
