I invite you to please turn in your Bibles this morning in front of you to the book of Acts. The book of Acts, we will be looking at chapter 16 this morning. Beginning at verse 16, we will read this well-known account of the Philippian jailer. 1177, again, in your Bibles in front of you. This is the word of the Lord beginning, we're reading today, at verse 16 of chapter 16. As they were going to the place of prayer, we were met, as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune telling. She followed Paul and us, crying out, these men are servants of the most high God who proclaim to you the way of salvation. And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. and it came out that very hour and when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone they seized paul and silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers and when they had brought them to the magistrates they said these men are jews and they are disturbing our city they advocate customs that are not lawful for us as romans to accept or practice the crowd joined attacking them and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods and when they had inflicted many blows upon them they threw them into prison ordering the jailer to keep them safely having received this order he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God and the prisoners were listening to them and suddenly there was a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's bonds were unfastened when the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open he drew his sword and was about to kill himself supposing that the prisoners had escaped but paul cried with a loud voice do not harm yourself for we are all here and the jailer called for lights and rushed in and trembling with fear he fell down before paul and silas then he brought them out and said sirs what must i do to be saved and they said believe in the lord jesus and you will be saved you and your household and they spoke the word of the lord to him and to all who were in his house and he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds and he was baptized at once he and all his family then he brought them up into his house and set food before them and he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in god and when it was day the magistrate sent the police saying loose let loose let those men go and the jailer reported these words to paul saying the magistrates have sent to let you go therefore come out now and go in peace and paul said to them they have beaten us publicly uncondemned men who are roman citizens and have thrown us into prison and do they now throw us out secretly no let them come themselves and take us out the police reported these words to the magistrates and they were afraid when they heard that they were roman citizens so they came and apologized to them and they took them out and asked them to leave the city so they went out of the prison and visited lydia and when they had seen the brothers they encouraged them and departed and there ends the reading of god's word well i want to this morning pick up on the theme that we worked with last week where chapter 16 is is really showing us the sovereignty of the spirit and directing the ministry and how sovereign the spirit is over all of this remember we looked at to where they would go to whom they would go and how it would go the results were all his and now we have that picked up again in chapter 16 in the same sort of way, where the Spirit is still again showing us that Paul and Silas and Timothy and Luke, they are all on his calendar going to his appointments, fulfilling exactly what he had set apart them to do. And this has been greatly encouraging for us to understand all of life, the sovereignty over of the Spirit, over the beginning of our lives and the ending of our lives and even all the points in between as we looked at to remember why the spirit is doing all of this why the spirit is working why he has um so committed to this project and you think of the great truth that it's before you that you just read that he cares a lot to bring and will accomplish bringing salvation to the ends of the earth he is saving a people the lord is to himself well here we are we're still in philippi the lord has done something remarkable he has sent paul timothy and silas to a few women we know down by the river who were praying and now the lord by this time has opened up lydia's heart for the message to the message what a wonderful section to show the sovereignty again of the spirit and salvation he is sovereign he opens the heart This is what he's doing throughout the book of Acts. And, of course, she then, in response, opened up her house. And we know this is how the churches in the early church formed, in the homes, as homes were opened up and hospitality was shown. But the Spirit is not done in Philippi. He is carefully building and constructing his church. As we were going, you'll notice here, continuing on, paul now makes his way back to the place of prayer jump right into this at verse 16 you'll notice that uh what he says there right at the beginning as we were going to the place of prayer we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune telling she followed paul and us crying out these men are servants of the most high god who proclaim to you the way of salvation luke's recording all of this luke is giving us the account of this what an interesting moment here in philippi remember there was no synagogue here it's it's a dark place in terms of there's no knowledge of the true god they're heading back to the river where prayer is being made and a little slave girl who had the spirit literally of a python it's a reference to a snake of classical mythology that had to do with apollo who was thought to be embodied as a snake this was a possessed girl a little girl she was under demonic influence and demonic control she's following paul and the group for several days and all along she keeps standing right behind yelling out with the top of her voice these men are servants of the most high god and they proclaim to you the way of salvation over and over and over and over it's not untrue is it this is quite a moment you have somebody who's doing the work for you aren't they why keep yelling this out continuously why does satan want to have the truth commanded this way of what is truth of what is absolutely true that they are servants of the most high god and that they are proclaiming the way of salvation why why do that what is the what is the purpose in this i think it's interesting here to see how paul handles this isn't it it doesn't really say he had compassion it says he's really annoyed he's really bothered by this he is agitated as greatly as he can be agitated by this girl out behind him yelling this out continuously for days he's had enough and so he calls out and he responds and says i command you in the name of jesus christ to come out of her to the spirit and it comes out what is the strategy here i want to explore that just for a second with you you ever heard christians beat on the same drum over one issue all the time all the time. What's the effect? Well, you know the effect. It actually has the effect of diluting their message. Nobody listens to it after a while. Satan's strategy is similar. He loves that. He loves to take a truth and work to undermine it through marginalization. He loves the truth and continues to see it that way, use it that way to proclaim the way of salvation over and over and over you say well that's not wrong yes it's not wrong people um ask me all the time they come up and say pastor you know what we need more in the escondido urc it's more amens during the sermon and i say well if you really feel moved to do that that's fine but don't do it after every line right we don't risk that problem here we just don't risk that problem do we when you hear too many amens nothing right nothing is really quite worthy of saying amen that's the strategy when you dilute the truth with annoyance which satan has done with many things look at look at today the doctrine of the love of god we don't even understand the love of god and yet it's proclaimed all the time that's the single great doctrine that's talked about the single great attribute of God that is proclaimed everywhere. Who doubts the love of God? God loves you. God loves you. God loves you. Great. That's the effect. It's made talking a lot about the love of God a challenge to pull people out of the apathy now of hearing about it. Well, after all these days, Paul can't take it any longer. Whether that's the right way to look at it, I think it's one way to look at it. He looks at the girl and he says, in the name of Jesus Christ, come out. And at that very hour, the Spirit comes out. But this led now to another great problem that Paul probably didn't think a lot about when he did it. In fact, it seems to be kind of a great moment of irritation. He had had enough and he commands it and the Spirit comes out and now he didn't think about the consequence of this the consequence was there were a lot of merchants in philippi making a lot of money off this little girl through fortune telling they were making and they were cashing in she was she was being used that way and once paul shut all this down now you had a bunch of furious merchants in philippi and from here that's where this goes we read that they realize when they realize that all their livelihood was gone from the from from this this fortune-telling young girl they seized them they dragged them and they brought them before the marketplace and the authorities remember in in the roman world when you were put on trial it was right in an open marketplace right before authorities who had sort of open uh decks where they would stand out and make judgments you'll notice here that everything comes with it they racially abused them these are jews they discredited them for being jews they lied about them saying that they were disturbing the peace of the city and that they were breaking they said our customs as romans it gets worse a flash mob happens so much so that they strip them naked they beat them with rods and don't pass over that lightly if you think this was just a few slaps you're all wrong they it says they inflicted them and beat them publicly with rods police officers in those days were a force to be reckoned with you didn't talk back to the police you said nothing because they would walk around with fascis that's a bundle of rods and they were called rod beaters lictors in roman and roman lingo they would beat you and after they were beaten then to top it all off this is all unjust by the way they were thrown into prison cast into prison put in the middle of it and fastened with stocks in the stocks chains on them and you stand back from this and this whole thing has spiraled out of control in the worst possible way with something i'm sure they stood back and said what in the world just happened right i mean how did it get to this we're out visiting philippi the spirit sends us here we wanted to go to asia and this is where we end up over something that feels so stupid now if you're looking at it with earthly eyes those are the kind of things you're going to come up with it seems to be that the holy spirit notice he's not mentioned in this section he was mentioned in the previous section and sending them to to philippi but now where's the spirit where is the holy spirit he surely could have prevented all of this the last issue before us was one last time of how we looked at all of life. Remember, we looked at the sovereignty of the Spirit in directing the calendar and the times and the boundaries of people's dwellings and where the ministry, where the boundaries of the ministry will be. He's even directing that. But here, it's quite a moment to study providence, isn't it? I was thinking just of the importance of lord's day 10 and the beautiful truth that that we love in the heidelberg catechism what do you understand by the providence of god providence is the almighty and the ever-present power of god by which he upholds as with his hand heaven and earth and all creatures and so rules them that leaf and blade rain and drought fruitful and lean years food and drink health and sickness Prosperity and poverty, all things in fact, come to us not by chance, but from his fatherly hand. Well, how does that knowledge of God's creation and providence help you? Well, you can be patient in adversity. Why? Because he directed it. Thankful in prosperity, because he directed it. And for the future, you can have good confidence in our faithful God and Father that no creature will separate us from his love, even when I'm beaten. for all creatures are so completely in his hand that without his will they can neither move nor be moved this whole thing this whole thing is under the spirit sovereignty keep seeing this in acts he's the actor here and that helps us to understand again this great truth that it's easy when when things are going well for us to think well that's the spirit's blessing upon us and then when things are not going well to fall apart and not realize what exactly the spirit is doing who does in these moments how does he work what is he doing then what a disappointing series of events that ever could have happened to the apostle only if we have forgotten what jesus said that through much tribulation we enter the kingdom. We tend to think this way only of the great people in the Bible like Paul and these sort of people. But not so much about us. And we're learning He's sovereign over every aspect of our own lives. I said last time when we think this way and learn to think this way it's going to change the whole course of life and actions for if this is not of the Lord then i'm going to bitterly fight i'm going to be confused i'm going to see every turn of events as something that happened by chance because it's not built into my calendar and my plans but if this thing is of the spirit then there's got to be a purpose in it a great purpose in it that i don't see but it's got to be and that's where they are this is exactly what paul would say to the philippian church later You know that? This church. When he was imprisoned in Rome, they were so confused. How could God let the great apostle Paul go into prison and in chains? And they were discouraged that their beloved pastor was being treated this way, beaten, and they were discouraged. They had to provide the relief for him, to feed him. And by the end of the book, Paul will be on trial in Rome facing execution. Remember what he said to the Philippian church? I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to do what? Advance the gospel. So that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. I mean, that's how he's painting the picture to the people in Philippi. Listen, all of life is so under his control. It doesn't matter whether I live or die, I belong to him. He's ordained it all. So then whatever I have is specifically appointed for me. He's that sovereign. He's that in control. Now this is where I think we then have to focus on how they handled it. i i i have some s's for you and the first s here is silence what do i mean when everyone looked down at verse 36 after this whole philippian jailer event and to notice what what has happened after they have beaten them wounded them stripped them down thrown them into prison the magistrates come and notice what they say here therefore come out now and go in peace but paul said to them they have beaten us publicly uncondemned men who are roman citizens they've thrown us into prison and do they now throw us out secretly no let them come themselves and take us out the police reported these words to the magistrates and they were afraid when they heard they were roman citizens so they came and apologized to them paul had roman citizenship you didn't do this to roman citizens you didn't do these kind of things to roman citizens they were unjustly beaten stripped imprisoned and when you did this in rome as authorities you were in trouble if you did it to a roman citizen the authorities took that seriously now here's my question it's after the fact why not say beforehand when they're being cuffed and beaten we're romans nothing nothing why raise it after all this has happened well the the initial answer to that is they were thinking a lot of the philippian church it was not to get justice in this account. It was to say, be careful how you treat us as Christians. Their eye is on the church. But he didn't say a thing when it came to the face of his own injustice. When he could have shut it down. You see the point? He raises the injustice. There was complete social injustice after the fact he raises it with the goal of helping the church. What an injustice. What an injustice. Beaten with rods, racially slandered. You're just a bunch of Jews. They're Jews. Stripped. Cuffed. Thrown in prison. Made slaves. Do you ever find the apostles crying out against all the injustices and the systemic oppression of Rome? Systemic oppression? This was racial. This was unjust. To the max. All aimed at Jews. And they could have stopped it. They could have. What's in their heads? The gospel should overturn all this right now. That's what should happen, right? It's not in their heads. I see so many Christians today fighting over injustice. This is the big, hot topic right now. But they're not thinking through what the Scriptures tell us to do with it. Never stop and think that as Christians, if we're going to talk redemption and redeeming things, that maybe we should start talking about redeeming injustice. How so? well you could look a lot like jesus how about this for it is a gracious thing when mindful of god one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly for what credit is it if when you are when you sin and are beaten for it you endure if you're just enduring it with all complaining you think you're accomplishing anything but if when you do good and suffer for it you endure that is a gracious thing in the sight of god for to this you have been called because Christ also suffered for us. If He would have opened His mouth, you wouldn't be forgiven. Leaving you an example so that you might follow in His steps. Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth when He was reviled, did not revile in return. When He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued to entrust himself to the one who judges justly when, on that day, in the resurrection. He himself, because he stayed silent, bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds, you've been healed. So Paul gave careful thought to this situation and said, You know, there's got to be, by the Holy Spirit, a much bigger purpose to this than my rights and me. There's got to be. For the Spirit has planned something here. I've been beaten, I've been stripped, I've been racially slandered against, I've been thrown in prison. There's got to be something to this as a Christian. See, if I impose my rights as a Roman citizen now, and fight for all my human dignity. Now, I might try to overturn what the Spirit's doing. So what's he doing? What's he doing? I'm going to be silent in the face of this injustice. Silence. Second S. Instead of fighting and yelling and getting angry, we find them in prison doing what? Singing. i love this um we read he put them in the inner into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks and about midlight paul and silas were praying and singing hymns to god and the prisoners were listening to them what a way to handle it i can't help but to see that the um the very practice of what he would later say the philippian church do not be anxious about anything i can't help that he learned it right here do not be anxious about anything but everything with prayer and supplication a worshipful approach to god with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving you can be thankful in prison and stocks when you've been beaten when that happens with thanksgiving make your requests known to god and the peace of god which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in christ jesus so that they're singing silent in the face of oppression singing before god in the face of persecution And without realizing this, what are they doing? Without realizing, here's the third S. They're serving their neighbor. Dr. Clark and Dr. Godfrey will probably be happy that most likely they were singing psalms in prison. And he could talk about that in Sunday school. Can you imagine hearing the salvation of the Lord sung in this? This is what they knew. This is what they knew. The Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs would go back to what they knew as they're applying it. Lo and behold, the serving happens because the prisoners are listening. What a witness. Imagine the confusion. They had never seen anyone like this ready for death. So at peace, so content, so resting in the Spirit's providence and guidance. I'd just love to be able to live this way. This is the fight. That they had come to a place in life of saying, if I die, I go to be with the Lord. Whether I live or die, I belong to the Lord. But if God's going to have us here, then he's got something good for them. Philippians, right? But back to the thought. Here we are. They've come to look at everything under his sovereignty and the Spirit has a purpose. He's promised to build his church. He has a plan. They're merely servants to his purpose and plan to suffer for the kingdom and all of a sudden as they're singing a great earthquake happens and the doors happen to fly open there's the chance to run and beat this oppression right nope when the jailer awoke and saw that the prison doors were open he drew his sword and was about to kill himself supposing that the prisoners had escaped there's a little jailer there who's just doing his job a man nobody knows we don't even know his name he's an absolute nobody that the spirit has his eye on it would have been natural to assume that the gods were displeased so that when the jailer saw the earthquake and the doors fly open he knew that the Roman authorities would kill him in an execution for allowing them to get out so he pulls out his sword and he's ready but paul cried out with a loud voice do not harm yourself for we're all here and the jailer called for lights and rushed in and trembling with fear he fell down before paul and silas then he brought them out and said sirs what must i do to be saved here it is here's the moment here's the moment the spirit put them through all this that had they acted like we see today they would have missed it it just came to light this was the purpose of their imprisonment right here a man is sitting there on his knees tell me what do i need to do to be saved who could put that together who could put that together the spirit as with Lydia had orchestrated all of it a man with sword drawn ready to die Paul says no what a moment how does he know about salvation well two things have happened in this whole thing a little slave girl was running around proclaiming it and then God saved her through Paul's annoyance and then this jailer is hearing them sing about it how do I be saved at this very moment the most important question has been penned for you in scripture that everyone should ask how can I be right with this holy God how can I be delivered from the wrath how can I be saved Paul looks at a man broken, humbled, scared doesn't even have to say repent, the man is so broken he is crushed what does he say believe believe in the lord jesus and you will be saved you and all your household believe and they spoke the word of the lord to him and to all who were in his house believe place your trust and your confidence in jesus fall upon him rest in jesus the christ and and you'll be saved right now not tomorrow right now you will be saved we read that as paul preached the gospel that night his heart was open the philippian jailers he took them in and bandaged them and cleaned them and helped them and they were baptized that night he and all his household and isn't it a great verse he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in god whole thing was a gift the jailer saw that that god had sent these men and put them in the stocks for him i have two applications in closing then this morning first you should realize that you are dying and a greater judge stands over you for breaking his law and that should bring you at some point in your life to a far greater fear than the philippian jailer had over roman authorities who would put him to death when he failed at securing a prison you failed at keeping the law of the holy god of heaven and earth without forgiveness you have nothing but a fearful expectation of judgment which will devour the adversary what are you gonna do this question becomes our question what must i do to be saved and you should be able as the gospel has been proclaimed to you right now look at all the course of your life all the twists and turns all the things that have happened that the holy spirit directed you to be here right here right now and me to proclaim the gospel to you so that as you ask the question what must i do to be saved i give the very same answer believe in the lord jesus christ and you will be saved you and your household that if you believe the gospel you're saved it's done it's happened what does that tell you about the spirit's work here's the love of god that god so loved the world that he gave his son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life delete and you're saved from the wrath to come of a much greater authority second if you're a believer the spirit has come after you think about it the spirit has come after you he's considered you and now he's opened your heart recognize that like all servants of the lord your life now is what not your own but it belongs to the Lord. Remember what we've learned here. Whatever happens in life, the tribulation now belongs to you. Through much tribulation, you enter the kingdom. For what purpose? Same as Paul said. So that the gospel would be advanced. That's the greater purpose for which you now exist. No bitterness, no reparations, but thankfulness and love, forgiveness because of His great grace to you. We read here that they all shared a meal together. I'd like to think that was the supper, but I don't know. But I know this is. And this is the meal He's given to declare to you today, whoever believes your sins are forgiven and I want to reassure you today by my Spirit of our communion and fellowship that we have in the body of Christ. This is the Gospel. May you be refreshed in His greater work of the Spirit to go to this kind of depths for you to make known to you salvation. That's how good He's been. Let's thank Him in prayer. Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wonderful Word and thank You again for showing us. your great sovereignty and care to bring us salvation, to pull us out of the darkness, to deliver us from the bondage, and to demonstrate true love. Let us always trust your great purposes are working out and that whatever is happening, you're accomplishing it. But for now, thank you that the great purpose you have for us at this moment is to come, believe the gospel, and to be renewed in the gracious promises through the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. In whose name we pray, amen.