It’s Going to Be Ok …
We don’t bow;
We don’t bend; and We don’t burn!
Gtcotr/ws102319
We
are going to begin our study of the 16th Chapter of Acts this
evening with a passage from the book of Philippians. Seeing that much of the 16th
Chapter of Acts deals with the time and events that took place when Paul and
Silas first visited the city of Philippi, it’s only reasonable that we include
some portion for perspective’s sake.
Paul
and his companions: the prophet Silas from Jerusalem; young Timothy from Lystra;
and the beloved physician/historian, Luke of Antioch, arrived in Philippi in
the year AD51/52. They were only in Philippi for a matter of days, perhaps 3
weeks at most, before Paul and Silas were arrested, stripped naked in the town
center, beaten and thrown into a dark dungeon with their feet held fast in
stocks. It seems young Timothy, half Greek and half Jew, along with Gentile
born Luke, were spared the humiliation, the beating and the prison.
10
years later, AD61/62, Paul decides to write a letter to the Believers in the
Church at Philippi. Quite a lot had happened to the Apostle Paul on his
continuing missionary journeys since first arriving at Philippi a decade earlier.
He describes just a little in:
2 Corinthians 11:25 Three
times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked;
a night and a day I have been in the deep…
One
of the three beatings with rods to which he refers happened in Philippi. Paul
had not forgotten what it had cost him personally to preach the Gospel in that
city. He had also earlier written to the Church in Thessalonica:
1 Thessalonians 2:2 But even
after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you
know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much
conflict.
Now,
a decade since he won those first Philippians to Christ, Paul writes to them
from his Roman prison. In that time, things had only gotten worse for Followers
of Christ. There had been a new surge of persecutions levied against Christians
and the Churches throughout the Roman Empire. He knew the Philippian Believers
remembered what he went through in their city to bring Jesus to them, and he
knew they would understand the challenges that lay before them as well. Paul
encourages the Believers in:
Philippians 1 NLT
28 Don’t be intimidated in
any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be
destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself.
29 For you have been given
not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of
suffering for him.
30 We are in this struggle
together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still
in the midst of it.
“The
privilege of suffering for Him?” Yes! We are in this struggle together. The
world hates God and they hate His Son, Jesus. If you love Jesus, the world will
hate you too. It is no secret. All who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer
persecution. But, Don’t be intimidated in any way by
your enemies … you are going to be saved, even by God Himself.
Now,
let’s turn our attention to our main text for this evening: (Note:
Catch everyone up on the events leading to verse 19)
·
Paul
saw a man in a vision saying “come over to Macedonia” …
·
Arriving
at the city of Philippi, Paul met a woman named Lydia …
·
Some
Jewish men owned a slave girl who had a demon spirit …
·
Paul
casts the “python” spirit out of the woman, angering the men.
·
When
they realized they were going to lose money, they seized Paul and Silas and
dragged them to the city authorities … let’s read:
Acts 16
19 But when her masters saw
that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them
into the marketplace to the authorities.
20 And they brought them to
the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our
city;
21 “and they teach customs
which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.”
22 Then the multitude rose up
together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded
them to be beaten with rods.
23 And when they had laid
many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer
to keep them securely.
24 Having received such a
charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the
stocks.
25 ¶ But at midnight Paul and
Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening
to them.
26 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 chains were loosed.
“Don’t
be intimidated by your enemies … you are going to be saved, even by God
Himself.”
At
midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns … most likely songs from
the Psalms of David. Perhaps an angel reminded them about:
Psalms 119:62 At midnight I
will rise to give thanks to You, Because of Your righteous judgments.
All
those who lived in Philippi knew the price Paul had paid to bring the Gospel to
their city, their nation and ultimately to the whole Roman Empire. They
understood it could be intimidating and so did Paul. However, no matter the
personal costs, it still paled in comparison to the price paid by our Lord and
Savior Jesus. Life can be tough, but we are tougher still!
Here
are 5 things we need to focus on in our
difficult times:
1.
Keep praying and praising the Lord …
2.
The prisoners are listening …
3.
You are going to be saved …
4.
Deliverance will come suddenly …
5.
God will use you to save others.
Acts 16:32-34 And they shared
the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household … And
immediately he and all his family were baptized …having believed in God
with all his household.
Don’t worry … Everything is going to be ok.
You are going to be saved, delivered, set free and increased. Remember: We
don’t bow; We don’t bend; and We don’t burn!
