Now you have a slave girl who's only recently been delivered by the power of Christ, and now you throw into that mix this callous old guy who's turned into a teddy bear.
He probably still hasn't stopped smiling since the time when he discovered the way of salvation. The church is now flying a flag on the continent of Europe, ladies and gentlemen. The flag is the flag of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It is the flag of amazing grace. When Paul and Silas ended up in prison, God used them to bring salvation to their jailer. He asked this question, what must I do to be saved?
Are you prepared to answer that? Being a jailer was a cruel profession and he was likely a cruel man, but the change in his life was dramatic. Salvation is God's gift and all the jailer needed to do was believe.
That message hasn't changed. Unlike all the religions of the world that demand obedience as the price of salvation, Christianity demands nothing but belief. Stephen will teach you more in this message called Amazing Grace. Paul confronted the slave girl who had been the voice of the python, predicting future events through the god Apollo by means of the serpent, the python, which was their symbol.
This was the religion of Philippi and much of Europe. The confrontation that we studied took place in Acts chapter 16 where Paul and Silas robbed the coffers of Apollo's temple and the priests will certainly not stop at anything less than an explosion of anger. Let's pick our story back up there with verse 19. And when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. And when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, these men are throwing our city into confusion being Jews and are proclaiming customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe being Romans. And the crowd rose up together against them and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them, Paul and Silas, that is, and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely. And he, having received such command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. Now, the Bible does not exaggerate and so you get a picture here of this callous prison warden who will treat Paul and Silas like hardened criminals. He's told to guard them and he will now throw them into the inner prison. That is the maximum security section of the prison. This is the dungeon.
You could render it the hole. This is where those hardened criminals would be placed. And then on top of that, this callous individual places their feet in stocks so that now they can't curl up on their side and sleep through the night. They certainly can't lie on their backs, which is what they'd have to do because their backs are bleeding. They're beaten.
Well, let's find out what they did. Verse 25, but about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God. And the prisoners were listening to them.
I'll bet they were. Imagine this loss of blood, hunger, terrible thirst. What do you say we sing? And so they prayed that as they offered, they cast their burden on him and they sang, they cast their worship on him. And the prison walls now will echo with the sounds of newly composed hymns from this early church. They will begin singing in harmony. It's sort of resonating around where we know that because the prisoners can hear. So it's echoing through that prison emanating from the dungeon. They expect to hear those hardened prisoners coming from the dungeon, blasphemy and cursing and railing and shouting, but they're hearing a duet. How do you sing at midnight?
Let me give you a couple of things to add. You don't sing without an act of compliance. Paul and Silas knew that God was in control, so this could not have happened without God's permission. So in order to sing to a God who allowed such a thing requires compliance with what God happens to be doing, right?
It also involves mature character. Galatians five tells us that the fruit, the developing ministry of the spirit within us produces love, what? Joy.
Joy could be defined as contented composure regardless of circumstances. Maybe you're in this midnight hour, differing circumstances, but you're here. It might be physical illness, pain, difficult circumstances of some sort. Maybe it's betrayal by a close friend or abandonment by a friend or maybe even a spouse.
Maybe your midnight is the ridicule of unsaved relatives who mock you or coworkers who slight you. Maybe it's the simple absence as it were of the heavenly father. Would you ever consider singing in a time like that? Maybe it was easier for Paul to sing because Silas was with him.
I think it probably was. They were in that dungeon together, and so they buoyed one another's faith. I happen to believe that the church family should do the same thing. That is when we get together, you know what our singing does, our worshiping does? It sort of buoys the faith of all of us around each other. The writer of Hebrews said that we provoke one another, we encourage one another into love and good works by the meeting of ourselves together. We buoy one another's faith, so I thought we'd do an experiment. Why don't we sing, and we'll just turn out the lights to represent the difficult time that you're going through, and let's praise God as they did.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see. Through many dangers, toils, and snares. Through many dangers, toils, and snares. I have already come.
I have already. Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far. Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far. And grace will lead me home. And grace will lead me home. God is so good. Can you sing that? God is so good.
Even in the midnight hour? God is so good. He's so good. We can sing that because he's planned it all. He's planned it all. He's planned it all.
He's planned it all. He's so good. And even in the darkness, singing by faith, he loves me so. He loves me so. He loves me so. He loves me so.
He's so good to love me. You know, I found it interesting in studying this, if we can indeed make something of consecutive events as they appeared in this narrative, it wasn't until midnight that Paul and Silas began to sing. You know, that just made me wonder. I wonder if it took them that long before they could.
Maybe they had a conversation with each other that was a little more frustrating, a little more anxious. They were men, but maybe somehow as the time ticked away, as it reached the darkest hour of the night, but maybe after having a few words with the Lord in those prayers, they were finally able to comply, surrender, submit to a sovereign God that had led them there to place them in this deep dark pit. And then they could sing of their love.
Will you? Back in the text, it's interesting to me that it is only after this demonstration of praise that you have a demonstration of power. You see, they were praising God in advance. And that's what you have to do in that dark hour, don't you?
You have to magnify the Lord at midnight, which means that you honor and worship him without having an answer. It was then at that point, the text tells us that suddenly there came a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken. That implies to us that it is only the prison house, not the entire city or the region. It's as if God has that prison house in his sovereign hand, and now he's just going to start shaking it. And immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened.
Now imagine this, don't go too quick, even though you've heard this in Sunday school and church, think about this. Imagine it's midnight at a state penitentiary. Suddenly the building begins to violently shake for whatever reason you're in there. And then all of a sudden the security system works in reverse so that now all the gates slide open and all the doors open wide and all that's left for this prisoner, including yourself, to run and escape is just a brief dash in the dark.
That's what was happening here. Verse 27, and when the jailer had been roused out of his sleep, now hold on a minute because that tells us a lot about him. He slept through the concert. His little dwelling we know would be attached to the prison house.
And because the prisoners were all able to hear, this man was also able to hear, but this callous prison warden couldn't care less what those kooks were singing from the dungeon. Maybe he stuffed cotton in his ears, but he would go to sleep. It would take an earthquake to rouse him from his slumber.
Ladies and gentlemen, his descendants live among us today. Maybe you're praying for an earthquake to occur in the life of someone you know. Maybe it is you that needs an earthquake to rouse you from your spiritual slumber. Will it jarred him out of bed? He looks down the hallway and maybe out a window and he sees the prison house doors wide open. Verse 27, the latter part says he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. Well, why would that cause him to want to kill himself? Because the Roman code of Justinian declared that if a prison warden allowed criminals to escape, that he would suffer the sentence that his prisoners had been delivered. That tells us then that men were in this prison house condemned to die. There were men on death row here and because they had escaped under his administration, he would now suffer their penalty. He would die.
Rather than drag it out to a long court proceeding and public humility, I'll just take care of it now. And this old man, this man filled with himself, unable to be jarred by the gospel, but now realizing he's staring death in the face, takes his sword and he's about to fall on it. And at that moment, the Bible tells us, verse 28, that Paul cried out with a loud voice saying, do yourself no harm for we are all here. So he called for lights and rushed in and trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas. And after he brought them out, he said, sirs, what must I do to be saved?
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the greatest question anybody could ever ask. The jailer had heard about the priests evidently he'd heard about the slave girl. We know that because he uses the same Greek word for salvation that the slave girl had used when she announced that they were bringing away of salvation.
He had evidently heard about the exorcism. He had evidently heard the news that these men supposedly followed a God that had greater authority than Apollo, but he could have cared less until now he's asking, what do I have to do to get in touch with your God? What do I have to do to get what you have?
Because you have something that I don't have. What must I do to be saved? John Taylor Smith was the honorary chaplain to Queen Victoria and the chaplain general of the British Army during World War I. John Smith used to ask all the candidates for the chaplaincy, basically the same question. And he's being interviewed and I'll let his interview speak for itself. Now I want you to show me how you would deal with a man, he would say to this candidate for the chaplaincy. We will suppose that I am a soldier and I've been wounded on the field of battle. I have three minutes to live and I am afraid to die because I do not know Christ. Tell me, how can I be saved and die with the assurance that all is well with my soul? He told the interviewer, if the applicant began to beat around the bush and hem and haw and talk about the church and the ordinance and so on, I would say, that will never do.
I have only three minutes to live. Tell me what I must do to be saved. As long as John Taylor Smith was chaplain general, unless a candidate had the answer to that question, he did not become a chaplain in the army, period. My friend, you can graduate from some rather prestigious seminaries in our country and not know the answer to that question. There are pulpits filled today in our city and our country with men who cannot answer that question. Hem and haw and work this and that and talk about the church and all sorts, sign this and you have three minutes to live because it's the greatest question in the world anybody can ever ask.
The answer is the most important answer you'll ever hear. And I don't know how many people I've talked to in this church, in their homes, had the delight and privilege of praying to receive Christ. I could tell you, raised in church, religion did nothing but muddy it. Church did nothing but confuse it. Let's clear away the confusion. Verse 31, and they said, believe in the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved, you and your household.
That's it. No lecture, no religious mumbo jumbo, no card to sign, nothing about how his parents raised them, no self image test, no exhortation towards some sacrament or some system of religion, no requirement of baptism or the church, ladies and gentlemen, is not even mentioned here. Believe in the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved, you and your household. And I want to suggest this answer provides us with several wonderful things.
Let's take longer than three minutes to just explain it. Number one, Paul's answer provides, first of all, it's the simplest invitation. What must I do to be saved? And the text tells us they answered. In other words, Paul and Silas are still talking in unison.
They're still singing a duet. What must I do? It's as if they said do, you don't have to do anything. Jesus Christ has done it all. All you have to do is place your faith in him alone. Verse 32 tells us they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all that were in his house. They have been only explained what it meant to believe what faith was all about. But it's the simplest invitation because it's an invitation not to do anything, but to receive the finished work of Jesus Christ. You know, I've had dozens of people tell me after I finished explaining the gospel to them, I didn't know it was that simple. I had the privilege of praying with a gentleman in his dining room raised in the church and he said to me as I finished, I didn't know it was that simple. That's why Paul reiterated in Romans, if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works for if it were on the basis of works, then it would not be grace. Then grace would not be grace.
Other people would say, well, that's, that's a little too demeaning. You know, I'm a good person. Surely God will, will put that toward my account. I've never killed anybody. You telling me that that nothing I've done is acceptable.
That's exactly right. You are not saved until you come to the point where you recognize the fact that not only can you do nothing, but you have nothing to do that would be acceptable to him. That's why the Bible calls us sinners. Not a very nice word, but that's who you and I are sinners. Sinners need a savior. And that's why the perfect one is the perfect savior.
And that's why this invitation you'll notice is exclusive in its destination. He is the only savior. Believe in the Lord Jesus.
Now the politically correct language of our day has given way to tolerance. That doesn't then appreciate the exclusive nature of Christianity's truth. Truth by the way is exclusive. When I was a kid in math class, I learned that truth the hard way. There's only one right answer and I never got credit for two plus two equals four and a half. I was either all right or I was all what?
Wrong. Jesus Christ says, I am the only way, double positive in the original language, the only truth, the only life. And then if you have any question about whether or not he is exclusive in his definition of salvation, he says, and no one comes to the father except by me.
You are either all right in him or all wrong in anybody else, including yourself. I found it interesting to read in my recent issue of world magazines, an article that talks about one of the religions that's sweeping the West, especially the tolerant nature of this religion is finding its way into the hearts of many in the Hollywood establishment. The tolerance is the spiritual correct language of today. And Buddhism is making its way. In fact, there are two movies that basically characterizes Buddhism as a compassionate religion. And of course, the unspoken message is that that is juxtaposed to Christianity, which is intolerant. And if you don't think they have an agenda, I found it very interesting to read that the director who was being interviewed said that after each day's shooting, the Tibetan monks who had traveled to the set would pray every day over the cast and the set and the message of the movie.
And then they would lead the crew and the cast in Buddhist songs. You say, Stephen, it's only a movie. Oh, no, it isn't.
And if you went, you just wasted your nickel. It is evangelism. It is the evangelistic mission of the East to win its new mission field called the West. And the tolerant nature of our public is open and vulnerable to that religion which says we are tolerant and we are open. They are also without hope, because their only hope is that you can somehow be reincarnated into a better life form and then be reincarnated again and again and again and again and again.
In Southern California alone, this article went on to say a Buddhist temple is constructed and completed every two months. Earlier in the book of Acts in Chapter four, Peter was preaching and he said there is salvation and no one else for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved for those who place their faith in the only Savior. Third, you are given an everlasting promise. Believe in the Lord Jesus and you might be saved. No, you shall be saved. And I want to spend an entire session on this at a later time and delve deeper into the gospel.
But I want you to notice, fourthly, here from this passage, the greatest legacy. Paul says, Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household. Now, a lot of people stop here and come up with all kinds of covenant promises for household salvation. All you have to do is just keep reading.
Don't put a period there. And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house. In other words, everyone in this man's household will hear the gospel that night. Later on in this paragraph, we'll learn that they all believe in the gospel they hear. His wife, if he had one, his children, if he had them, they all heard the gospel. And this is the greatest legacy you can give your family.
This crusty, callous prison warden who booted those men into the dungeon and slept through the concert, who could care less about those men, now wants those men to come into his home and tell his household. If he had a wife and children, tell them what it means to be saved. Dear sir, the greatest legacy you can leave is not how much money you had, how many square feet your house had, but whether or not your children and your wife knew you knew the gospel, and should your child come to you and ask you the way to heaven, you can answer that and you don't have to say call pastor so and so. Do your children hear you pray for them? Have you ever prayed with them?
Do they know that you know Jesus Christ, that's the greatest legacy I know personally, if I led 10,000 people to faith in Christ in the city that could not compare to four kids. You have to understand this jailer wants his household to hear because verse 32 tells us he takes these criminals into his dining room and he does something else verse 33 took them that very hour of the night and wash their wounds and immediately was baptized he and all his household. Can you see this guy who could care less about people and all of a sudden he said, Paul, your back looks terrible.
Silas all you guys really must be hurting. Would you mind if I just clean you up and he goes and he gets a base in the water and a towel and he very gingerly begins to clean these guys up. This man is a different man. He's been saved. I want you to look at the church in Philippi now this congregation down by the riversides growing in that we have this cultured wealthy lady who ate with three forks and three spoons and all that stuff. Now you have a slave girl who's only recently been delivered by the power of Christ and now you throw into that mix this this callous old guy who's turned into a teddy bear.
He probably still hasn't stopped smiling since the time when he discovered the way of salvation. The church is now flying a flag on the continent of Europe ladies and gentlemen. The flag is the flag of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It is the flag of amazing grace. God's amazing amazing grace. The grace that God extended to the early church in Europe is the same grace that God extends to you today. Have you responded to God's offer?
If not maybe today will be the day that you join with all of us who are recipients of God's amazing grace. This is Wisdom for the Heart with Stephen Davey. We've gone back to our vintage wisdom archives to bring you this series from Acts and today's lesson is called Amazing Grace. Stephen first preached this message back in 1997 but the truth of God's word rings just as true today. Before we end today's time together I want to make you aware of a resource we have on our website. We have a short document entitled God's Wisdom for Your Heart. It's an easy to understand explanation of the gospel message. If you'd like to know more about the amazing grace Stephen discussed today navigate to wisdomonline.org. There's a menu across the top and in the about section is a link that simply says the gospel. I'll also let you know that we make printed copies available in bundles. That way you can share this resource with others. Please join us back here next time on Wisdom for the Heart. you
