WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.839 Tonight will be from Acts chapter 16, verses 11 to 40. 00:00:06.879 --> 00:00:13.580 Once, when we were going to a place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. 00:00:14.460 --> 00:00:17.580 She earned a great deal of money from her owners by fortune telling. 00:00:18.260 --> 00:00:21.260 This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, 00:00:21.760 --> 00:00:25.940 These men are servants of the Most High God who are telling you the way to be saved. 00:00:26.900 --> 00:00:28.719 She kept this up for many days. 00:00:29.379 --> 00:00:33.259 Finally, Paul became so troubled that he turned round and said to the spirit, 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:37.179 In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to come out of her. 00:00:38.019 --> 00:00:40.280 At that moment, the spirit left her. 00:00:41.399 --> 00:00:45.359 When the owners of the slave girl realised that their hope of making money was gone, 00:00:45.859 --> 00:00:50.079 they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 00:00:50.780 --> 00:00:53.420 They brought them before the magistrates and said, 00:00:53.420 --> 00:01:01.500 These men are Jews and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice. 00:01:02.460 --> 00:01:05.599 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, 00:01:05.599 --> 00:01:08.899 and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. 00:01:09.819 --> 00:01:12.979 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, 00:01:13.259 --> 00:01:15.579 and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 00:01:17.140 --> 00:01:22.739 Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 00:01:22.739 --> 00:01:27.859 About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:29.819 and the other prisoners were listening to them. 00:01:30.599 --> 00:01:34.939 Suddenly, there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. 00:01:34.939 --> 00:01:40.079 At once, all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:43.959 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, 00:01:44.099 --> 00:01:48.640 he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 00:01:49.400 --> 00:01:50.359 But Paul shouted, 00:01:50.700 --> 00:01:52.579 Don't harm yourself, we're all here. 00:01:53.680 --> 00:01:58.340 The jailer called the lights, rushed in, and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 00:01:58.959 --> 00:02:00.659 He then brought them out and asked, 00:02:01.019 --> 00:02:03.579 Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 00:02:03.579 --> 00:02:05.140 They replied, 00:02:05.679 --> 00:02:09.460 Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household. 00:02:10.300 --> 00:02:14.000 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 00:02:15.500 --> 00:02:19.199 At that hour of the night, the jailer took them and washed their wounds. 00:02:19.400 --> 00:02:22.079 Then immediately he and all his family were baptized. 00:02:23.060 --> 00:02:26.219 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them. 00:02:26.699 --> 00:02:30.180 He was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God, 00:02:30.539 --> 00:02:32.000 he and his whole family. 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:38.419 When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order, 00:02:38.639 --> 00:02:39.520 Release those men. 00:02:40.300 --> 00:02:41.460 The jailer told Paul, 00:02:41.680 --> 00:02:44.780 The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. 00:02:45.340 --> 00:02:46.240 Now you can lean. 00:02:46.639 --> 00:02:47.280 Go in peace. 00:02:47.280 --> 00:02:49.879 But Paul said to the officers, 00:02:49.879 --> 00:02:55.840 They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. 00:02:56.379 --> 00:02:58.659 And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? 00:02:59.199 --> 00:02:59.599 No. 00:02:59.960 --> 00:03:02.420 Let them come themselves and escort us out. 00:03:03.479 --> 00:03:05.920 The officers reported this to the magistrates, 00:03:06.259 --> 00:03:10.439 and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. 00:03:10.439 --> 00:03:16.060 They came to appease them and escort them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. 00:03:17.219 --> 00:03:20.859 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house, 00:03:21.079 --> 00:03:24.199 where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. 00:03:24.620 --> 00:03:25.300 Then they left. 00:03:25.300 --> 00:03:32.680 Turn with me in your Bibles once again to Acts chapter 16. 00:03:33.820 --> 00:03:40.060 I want to read from verse 11 to verse 15, 00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:45.660 and then we'll think about the whole of chapter 16 from that point on. 00:03:45.660 --> 00:03:53.100 Here is the moment where the gospel begins to break through in pagan Europe. 00:03:53.099 --> 00:03:57.079 So Acts chapter 16 at verse 11, 00:03:57.199 --> 00:04:01.740 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, 00:04:01.979 --> 00:04:03.599 and the next day on to Neapolis. 00:04:04.199 --> 00:04:07.639 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony, 00:04:08.079 --> 00:04:10.799 and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. 00:04:11.639 --> 00:04:13.099 And we stayed there several days. 00:04:13.439 --> 00:04:16.680 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, 00:04:17.180 --> 00:04:19.699 where we expected to find a place of prayer. 00:04:19.699 --> 00:04:24.000 We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 00:04:24.479 --> 00:04:27.000 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, 00:04:27.680 --> 00:04:30.459 a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, 00:04:30.759 --> 00:04:32.319 who was a worshiper of God. 00:04:32.899 --> 00:04:37.159 The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 00:04:37.680 --> 00:04:40.800 When she and the members of her household were baptized, 00:04:41.579 --> 00:04:43.360 she invited us to her home. 00:04:43.360 --> 00:04:46.580 If you consider me a believer in the Lord, she said, 00:04:46.939 --> 00:04:49.000 come and stay at my house. 00:04:49.480 --> 00:04:51.180 And she persuaded us. 00:04:52.580 --> 00:04:57.980 So we've been looking for the last few weeks at Paul's missionary journeys, 00:04:58.240 --> 00:05:01.879 journeys that began from Antioch, 00:05:01.939 --> 00:05:05.680 the church in Antioch, Paul's sending church. 00:05:05.680 --> 00:05:13.220 So for this evening, I want us to imagine that we are Paul's sending church in Antioch. 00:05:13.300 --> 00:05:16.199 So we've gathered together for worship once again, 00:05:16.199 --> 00:05:22.540 and we are preparing to hear a letter that's come in from the mission field, 00:05:22.960 --> 00:05:24.720 written by Dr. Luke, 00:05:24.899 --> 00:05:28.160 to tell us about the progress of the mission. 00:05:28.160 --> 00:05:36.320 Imagine how we would feel the sense of excitement as we read of these individuals 00:05:36.320 --> 00:05:38.800 and the way God was working. 00:05:39.320 --> 00:05:40.520 Imagine the praise. 00:05:40.940 --> 00:05:44.800 Imagine how encouraging it would be to us as a young church, 00:05:45.180 --> 00:05:48.700 surrounded by a largely hostile culture, 00:05:49.080 --> 00:05:53.280 to be reminded of the fact that God is building his church. 00:05:54.620 --> 00:05:56.660 Acts chapter 16 is an interesting one. 00:05:56.660 --> 00:05:57.720 There's been lots of momentum. 00:05:57.880 --> 00:05:59.600 Acts is a really action-packed book. 00:05:59.700 --> 00:06:01.700 Lots of momentum in the last few chapters. 00:06:02.520 --> 00:06:05.439 We see the gospel advancing in towns and cities. 00:06:05.600 --> 00:06:07.320 We see opposition to the gospel. 00:06:07.900 --> 00:06:09.760 But it's kind of like wide scale. 00:06:10.500 --> 00:06:13.000 It's, yeah, wide screen. 00:06:13.100 --> 00:06:18.860 But here, Dr. Luke deliberately slows down and zooms in. 00:06:19.620 --> 00:06:22.800 Now the attention is not simply on the city of Philippi. 00:06:22.800 --> 00:06:28.560 And now he's looking at these individuals that Paul and Silas and the others met 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:33.139 and whose lives were changed by their encounters with Jesus. 00:06:33.840 --> 00:06:42.220 So Dr. Luke deliberately records for us three of the earliest converts to Christianity in Europe. 00:06:43.220 --> 00:06:45.660 So if we were sitting here in Antioch, 00:06:45.660 --> 00:06:53.720 this prayer letter would be telling us of the first time that people had turned to faith in Jesus in Europe. 00:06:54.380 --> 00:06:58.700 And so I want us to have that mindset and for us to think, 00:06:58.880 --> 00:07:03.860 what lessons are there for us in the mission that we are engaged in? 00:07:04.080 --> 00:07:10.140 And as we pray for mission in Edinburgh and Scotland and Europe and indeed around the world. 00:07:10.139 --> 00:07:20.019 The first lesson I think that we would probably draw instinctively is we'd be reminded that the gospel is powerful. 00:07:20.839 --> 00:07:26.000 Here we see once again God's gospel breaking through barriers. 00:07:27.219 --> 00:07:36.639 So at first sight, Philippi in Europe doesn't sound like a very promising place for the church to take root and grow. 00:07:37.019 --> 00:07:39.319 Let me give you a few reasons for saying that. 00:07:39.319 --> 00:07:44.279 So when they arrive in Philippi, Paul's usual practice, we discovered this, 00:07:44.319 --> 00:07:46.860 his usual practice when he finds a new mission center, 00:07:46.959 --> 00:07:49.500 he'll go to where the Jews are gathering, 00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:53.259 where people are still anticipating the coming of their Messiah. 00:07:53.360 --> 00:07:56.980 And he'll say from scripture, the one you're waiting for is Jesus. 00:07:57.199 --> 00:08:00.279 But when he comes to Philippi, that can't happen. 00:08:00.939 --> 00:08:05.159 Verse 13, on the Sabbath, we went outside the city gate to the river 00:08:05.159 --> 00:08:07.860 where we expected to find a place of prayer. 00:08:07.860 --> 00:08:12.139 So we know there is no synagogue in Philippi, 00:08:12.240 --> 00:08:17.220 which means there must have been less than 10 Jewish men in the city of Philippi. 00:08:17.759 --> 00:08:21.759 The law was if there was 10 Jewish men, they were allowed to have a synagogue. 00:08:22.280 --> 00:08:26.780 So there'd be at least 10 families or at least 10 individuals waiting for the Messiah 00:08:26.780 --> 00:08:28.740 who Paul could begin to engage with. 00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:30.439 That doesn't happen here. 00:08:30.439 --> 00:08:35.000 So he needs to go to this alternative to this place of prayer. 00:08:36.100 --> 00:08:39.340 Another way in which we see that this is not a very promising, 00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:43.100 this is a hard ground for the gospel, in verse 16. 00:08:43.940 --> 00:08:45.879 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:51.039 we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. 00:08:51.740 --> 00:08:54.840 She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune telling. 00:08:54.840 --> 00:08:58.800 So this is a city where evil spirits are prominent. 00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:04.040 This is a culture where the presence of evil can be felt, 00:09:04.740 --> 00:09:07.840 and where even worse than that, people are actually profiting, 00:09:08.500 --> 00:09:12.440 making money from the work of evil spirits. 00:09:13.379 --> 00:09:15.780 Doesn't seem very promising for gospel work. 00:09:15.779 --> 00:09:22.159 And then we can go down to verse 22 as another example. 00:09:23.679 --> 00:09:29.659 So the owners of the slave girl, once she's changed and she's unable to predict the future, 00:09:30.159 --> 00:09:33.480 they call or they haul Paul and Silas to the marketplace. 00:09:34.120 --> 00:09:37.459 In verse 22, the crowd join in the attack against Paul and Silas, 00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:41.819 and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. 00:09:41.820 --> 00:09:46.000 After they'd been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison. 00:09:46.080 --> 00:09:47.860 So here is wide-scale opposition. 00:09:48.600 --> 00:09:53.120 So the slave owners, they don't want the gospel. 00:09:54.200 --> 00:09:58.460 It seems like a lot of people in the city gather together to oppose it, 00:09:58.580 --> 00:10:04.260 and the magistrates are also standing against Paul and others 00:10:04.260 --> 00:10:07.060 who would want to share the good news of Jesus, 00:10:07.240 --> 00:10:10.820 attacking them, imprisoning them without trial, 00:10:10.820 --> 00:10:14.100 as they'll discover despite the fact that Paul is a Roman citizen. 00:10:15.580 --> 00:10:18.940 It doesn't seem like a very promising ground for God to do a work. 00:10:19.700 --> 00:10:23.580 But the wonderful thing is God has his saving plan, 00:10:23.980 --> 00:10:27.440 and Dr. Luke draws attention to the fact that out of this darkness, 00:10:28.540 --> 00:10:31.500 God is working to call followers to Jesus 00:10:31.500 --> 00:10:35.360 out of this moral and spiritual darkness. 00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:38.200 Now, that's a very basic point, 00:10:38.279 --> 00:10:41.800 but I think it's one that we can never hear often enough. 00:10:42.940 --> 00:10:47.460 It's significant for us today in terms of how we pray 00:10:47.460 --> 00:10:48.700 when we think about mission, 00:10:49.519 --> 00:10:53.500 because we will know of situations and missionaries 00:10:53.500 --> 00:10:56.080 who are active and churches who are active 00:10:56.080 --> 00:10:59.420 where the church is small and fragile 00:10:59.420 --> 00:11:01.740 and surrounded by hostility. 00:11:01.740 --> 00:11:06.120 We will know of people working and situations 00:11:06.120 --> 00:11:10.039 where evil spirits are a part of life, 00:11:10.980 --> 00:11:15.840 where the demonic is a huge feature of the culture. 00:11:16.399 --> 00:11:19.299 Thailand, Haiti, parts of Africa, many other places. 00:11:19.500 --> 00:11:23.039 We know of situations where the government 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:25.639 and those who are in authority 00:11:25.639 --> 00:11:28.940 want to crack down on Christianity 00:11:28.940 --> 00:11:33.200 and would love to make sharing the gospel illegal. 00:11:34.580 --> 00:11:36.820 We can think of so many places in the Middle East, 00:11:37.080 --> 00:11:41.000 in North Africa, in China, in North Korea. 00:11:41.960 --> 00:11:44.980 So in other parts of the world, we can pray 00:11:44.980 --> 00:11:47.880 because we know that other people are having 00:11:47.880 --> 00:11:49.580 these kind of experiences, 00:11:49.920 --> 00:11:51.480 but the gospel is powerful, 00:11:51.840 --> 00:11:54.560 and God is still seeking to build his church. 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:58.579 But for us here, I think it's important for us 00:11:58.579 --> 00:11:59.819 to take heart for Edinburgh, 00:12:00.359 --> 00:12:02.839 to take heart for Scotland and the UK. 00:12:03.899 --> 00:12:06.979 Here we are discovering that Jesus' power 00:12:06.979 --> 00:12:09.759 is greater than all the forces of opposition. 00:12:10.259 --> 00:12:12.839 Here we are discovering the gospel can break through 00:12:12.839 --> 00:12:16.019 a pagan culture as Europe was then, 00:12:16.539 --> 00:12:18.559 and bearing in mind that Jesus is the same, 00:12:18.639 --> 00:12:20.539 yesterday, today, and forever, 00:12:20.539 --> 00:12:25.719 we are invited as God's people to be confident in him, 00:12:26.719 --> 00:12:30.719 to trust that God is concerned for his glory, 00:12:31.139 --> 00:12:34.079 that God is concerned to build his church, 00:12:34.319 --> 00:12:37.139 that God is calling men and women and boys and girls 00:12:37.139 --> 00:12:39.000 to faith in him, 00:12:39.179 --> 00:12:43.639 and we are called to be part of that mission enterprise. 00:12:43.639 --> 00:12:48.720 So I wonder if, as we think about that, 00:12:48.799 --> 00:12:53.019 it's time for us to repent and believe, 00:12:54.019 --> 00:12:56.439 perhaps to say to God, 00:12:56.539 --> 00:12:59.139 I do believe, help my unbelief. 00:12:59.199 --> 00:13:01.659 It can be hard to keep our faith 00:13:01.659 --> 00:13:07.620 in the powerful gospel of God's grace in Jesus 00:13:07.620 --> 00:13:09.799 when we meet with so much apathy, 00:13:09.980 --> 00:13:13.120 when we see hostility, 00:13:13.120 --> 00:13:14.820 or just people who don't seem interested. 00:13:14.960 --> 00:13:16.360 We can lose heart. 00:13:17.100 --> 00:13:19.240 We can be fearful. 00:13:19.840 --> 00:13:23.179 But here is an invitation to believe 00:13:23.179 --> 00:13:25.519 that he's still building his church 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:28.779 and he can still use us for his glory. 00:13:29.340 --> 00:13:31.659 And so we see the gospel is powerful 00:13:31.659 --> 00:13:33.679 and it breaks through barriers. 00:13:33.679 --> 00:13:35.919 We see that God is powerful 00:13:35.919 --> 00:13:39.019 and he opens people's hearts. 00:13:39.440 --> 00:13:41.460 I think another thing that we would see 00:13:41.460 --> 00:13:44.120 as we gather together to read this letter, 00:13:44.259 --> 00:13:46.600 as we listen to Dr. Luke's words, 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:50.240 we'd be struck by the significant transformation 00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:52.540 that's happening in the lives of these individuals. 00:13:52.879 --> 00:13:56.580 And we'd be struck by the way Dr. Luke records it 00:13:56.580 --> 00:13:58.460 because he makes plain 00:13:58.460 --> 00:14:01.320 that it's the work of God that brings lasting change, 00:14:01.320 --> 00:14:03.400 that it's as people believe in Jesus 00:14:03.400 --> 00:14:05.360 that their lives are transformed. 00:14:05.360 --> 00:14:08.980 We're reading of conversions 00:14:08.980 --> 00:14:10.800 and we're being reminded 00:14:10.800 --> 00:14:13.500 that someone coming to faith in the Lord Jesus, 00:14:13.700 --> 00:14:16.620 that's God's work and not ours, 00:14:16.980 --> 00:14:21.220 that we respond to the work that God does. 00:14:21.740 --> 00:14:23.840 Let's see that in Lydia's case. 00:14:24.980 --> 00:14:26.360 Lydia, who it seems like, 00:14:26.659 --> 00:14:29.039 is the very first convert in Europe. 00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:31.459 What do we know about Lydia? 00:14:32.419 --> 00:14:35.539 In verse 14, we meet Lydia. 00:14:36.099 --> 00:14:37.819 She's a dealer in purple cloth. 00:14:38.379 --> 00:14:40.699 She seems to run some kind of fashion house. 00:14:40.759 --> 00:14:43.439 So she is a wealthy lady. 00:14:44.319 --> 00:14:48.299 We discover too that she was a worshiper of God. 00:14:48.740 --> 00:14:51.099 So she is somebody who's not Jewish, 00:14:51.419 --> 00:14:53.779 but she's become a convert to the Jewish faith. 00:14:53.879 --> 00:14:54.919 She's not living as a Jew, 00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:57.579 but she's reading the scriptures. 00:14:57.580 --> 00:15:00.160 She's praying to the God of the Bible. 00:15:00.600 --> 00:15:03.740 And so she gathers with other like-minded people 00:15:03.740 --> 00:15:04.980 to pray on the Sabbath. 00:15:05.460 --> 00:15:07.460 And what happens at the end of verse 14? 00:15:08.080 --> 00:15:10.420 We're told the Lord opened her heart 00:15:10.420 --> 00:15:13.340 to respond to Paul's message. 00:15:14.759 --> 00:15:15.960 So in modern terms, 00:15:16.020 --> 00:15:17.460 we would describe her as a seeker. 00:15:18.460 --> 00:15:20.500 She's reading, she's praying, 00:15:20.620 --> 00:15:21.940 she's putting herself in the place 00:15:21.940 --> 00:15:23.280 where she can hear more. 00:15:23.820 --> 00:15:26.720 But still, it's God by his spirit 00:15:26.720 --> 00:15:29.879 that causes her to believe in Jesus as Savior. 00:15:30.320 --> 00:15:31.600 Maybe this is the first time 00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:34.639 she's discovered that all the promises 00:15:34.639 --> 00:15:36.399 of God in the Old Testament 00:15:36.399 --> 00:15:38.720 are fulfilled in the coming of Jesus, the Savior. 00:15:39.740 --> 00:15:41.759 That he is the promised king. 00:15:41.840 --> 00:15:44.420 That he is the true Passover lamb. 00:15:44.800 --> 00:15:46.980 That he is the suffering servant 00:15:46.980 --> 00:15:49.019 of Isaiah chapter 53. 00:15:49.019 --> 00:15:52.539 And God enables her to trust, 00:15:52.759 --> 00:15:54.419 to believe in Jesus. 00:15:54.620 --> 00:15:56.419 And we see evidence of her conversion. 00:15:56.899 --> 00:15:59.779 First of all, in her baptism, verse 15, 00:16:00.319 --> 00:16:02.559 when she and the members of her household 00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:03.299 were baptized, 00:16:03.879 --> 00:16:05.279 she invited us to her home. 00:16:06.220 --> 00:16:07.120 So there's baptism, 00:16:07.340 --> 00:16:09.980 this outward sign of an inner change. 00:16:10.620 --> 00:16:12.659 She's now a member of God's family. 00:16:12.659 --> 00:16:15.299 And just as Jesus called the disciples 00:16:15.299 --> 00:16:17.959 to baptize people in the name 00:16:17.959 --> 00:16:19.579 of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 00:16:19.659 --> 00:16:21.379 now that she's believing, 00:16:22.299 --> 00:16:23.100 she's baptized. 00:16:23.699 --> 00:16:25.259 And then she shows hospitality. 00:16:27.019 --> 00:16:28.759 She invited us to her home, verse 15. 00:16:28.819 --> 00:16:30.480 If you consider me a believer in the Lord, 00:16:30.600 --> 00:16:31.980 come and stay at my house. 00:16:32.039 --> 00:16:34.699 So Paul and Silas and the others, 00:16:34.779 --> 00:16:36.039 they've now got a mission base 00:16:36.039 --> 00:16:37.819 in Lydia's house. 00:16:38.379 --> 00:16:39.720 But we see how that develops. 00:16:39.720 --> 00:16:43.680 By verse 40, read verse 40 with me. 00:16:44.120 --> 00:16:46.360 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, 00:16:46.460 --> 00:16:47.620 they went to Lydia's house 00:16:47.620 --> 00:16:49.259 where they met with the brothers 00:16:49.259 --> 00:16:50.500 and encouraged them. 00:16:50.560 --> 00:16:53.680 So it seems like the church begins to meet 00:16:53.680 --> 00:16:55.960 and gather at Lydia's house. 00:16:56.740 --> 00:16:58.240 So she's opening up her home, 00:16:58.320 --> 00:16:59.460 she's using her resources 00:16:59.460 --> 00:17:03.440 in order to allow God's church to grow. 00:17:03.960 --> 00:17:06.339 Here is evidence of a transformed life. 00:17:07.620 --> 00:17:09.120 Now, with the next person we meet, 00:17:09.119 --> 00:17:10.919 in a sense, couldn't be any more different 00:17:10.919 --> 00:17:12.299 to Lydia. 00:17:12.879 --> 00:17:14.879 Where Lydia was wealthy and influential 00:17:14.879 --> 00:17:17.019 and seeking after God, 00:17:17.459 --> 00:17:20.559 we meet this slave girl in verse 16. 00:17:21.079 --> 00:17:22.719 A slave girl who had a spirit 00:17:22.719 --> 00:17:24.319 by which she predicted the future. 00:17:25.139 --> 00:17:26.579 She earned a great deal of money 00:17:26.579 --> 00:17:28.739 for her owners by fortune telling. 00:17:29.239 --> 00:17:30.359 This girl followed Paul 00:17:30.359 --> 00:17:31.279 and the rest of us shouting, 00:17:31.399 --> 00:17:33.239 these men are the servants 00:17:33.239 --> 00:17:34.319 of the Most High God 00:17:34.319 --> 00:17:36.719 who are telling you the way to be saved. 00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:37.880 So she's poor, 00:17:38.680 --> 00:17:39.680 she's exploited, 00:17:39.860 --> 00:17:41.180 she's a slave twice over 00:17:41.180 --> 00:17:43.059 because she's a slave to this evil spirit 00:17:43.059 --> 00:17:46.240 as well as being a slave to her owners. 00:17:46.779 --> 00:17:49.480 There is this sort of striking situation 00:17:49.480 --> 00:17:50.799 where she is, in a sense, 00:17:51.140 --> 00:17:52.620 witnessing to the truth 00:17:52.620 --> 00:17:55.420 of Paul and Silas' message. 00:17:56.480 --> 00:17:58.100 But it's perhaps likely 00:17:58.100 --> 00:17:59.480 that the evil spirit 00:17:59.480 --> 00:18:02.180 is trying to discredit their ministry. 00:18:02.180 --> 00:18:03.299 Everybody, I think, 00:18:03.360 --> 00:18:05.019 would know this girl. 00:18:06.039 --> 00:18:07.860 So as she comes alongside 00:18:07.860 --> 00:18:08.960 Paul and Silas 00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:10.960 and as they're listening to her 00:18:10.960 --> 00:18:11.779 and they're listening to him 00:18:11.779 --> 00:18:12.960 and they've got the same message, 00:18:13.380 --> 00:18:14.440 perhaps the evil spirit 00:18:14.440 --> 00:18:15.720 is hoping to discredit 00:18:15.720 --> 00:18:17.980 what Paul and Silas are saying. 00:18:18.620 --> 00:18:19.360 But what we discover 00:18:19.360 --> 00:18:21.299 is that Paul becomes troubled. 00:18:21.480 --> 00:18:22.240 In verse 18, 00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:24.640 he's grieved by her situation. 00:18:25.140 --> 00:18:25.840 So he turns around 00:18:25.840 --> 00:18:26.799 and said to the spirit, 00:18:27.180 --> 00:18:28.420 in the name of Jesus Christ, 00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:29.840 I command you to come out of her. 00:18:29.839 --> 00:18:31.000 At that moment, 00:18:31.879 --> 00:18:32.859 the spirit left her. 00:18:33.500 --> 00:18:35.119 So we read the Gospels 00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:36.419 and we discover 00:18:36.419 --> 00:18:38.439 spiritual opposition to Jesus. 00:18:38.659 --> 00:18:40.419 We discover so many 00:18:40.419 --> 00:18:42.480 who are possessed by evil spirits 00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:43.659 and evil spirits 00:18:43.659 --> 00:18:45.699 who know that Jesus is the Lord 00:18:45.699 --> 00:18:47.359 but they hate him for it. 00:18:48.220 --> 00:18:49.059 And we see that Jesus 00:18:49.059 --> 00:18:50.299 is able to drive them out 00:18:50.299 --> 00:18:51.000 with a word 00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:52.899 because he is greater. 00:18:53.339 --> 00:18:54.079 And here again, 00:18:54.179 --> 00:18:56.879 we see that there is no context. 00:18:57.059 --> 00:18:59.139 As Paul drives the spirit out 00:18:59.140 --> 00:19:00.880 in the name of Jesus, 00:19:02.120 --> 00:19:04.580 instantly the spirit leaves. 00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:07.000 There is no contest spiritually. 00:19:07.500 --> 00:19:09.460 Jesus always wins. 00:19:09.620 --> 00:19:10.420 He is greater 00:19:10.420 --> 00:19:12.680 than the power of evil. 00:19:14.320 --> 00:19:15.960 And then we see God's power 00:19:15.960 --> 00:19:18.180 in the life of the prison jailer. 00:19:19.560 --> 00:19:21.020 So verse 23. 00:19:21.560 --> 00:19:23.940 So when the owners realize 00:19:23.940 --> 00:19:25.259 that they can't make money anymore 00:19:25.259 --> 00:19:26.440 and they cause this fuss 00:19:26.440 --> 00:19:27.900 and they bring Paul and Silas 00:19:27.900 --> 00:19:28.720 into the marketplace 00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:30.600 and they are arrested, 00:19:32.019 --> 00:19:33.140 end of verse 23, 00:19:33.680 --> 00:19:34.960 the jailer was commanded 00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:36.980 to guard them carefully. 00:19:37.740 --> 00:19:39.220 Upon receiving such orders, 00:19:39.660 --> 00:19:40.980 he put them in the inner cell 00:19:40.980 --> 00:19:42.820 and fastened their feet 00:19:42.820 --> 00:19:44.160 in the stock. 00:19:44.160 --> 00:19:46.140 So here is a professional. 00:19:46.320 --> 00:19:47.240 He's going about his business. 00:19:47.360 --> 00:19:48.420 He's been told to make sure 00:19:48.420 --> 00:19:49.200 that these prisoners 00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:50.140 don't escape, 00:19:50.540 --> 00:19:51.820 that they don't cause any bother. 00:19:51.940 --> 00:19:52.660 So he puts them 00:19:52.660 --> 00:19:54.540 in the inner cell. 00:19:54.980 --> 00:19:57.000 But while they are in prison, 00:19:57.779 --> 00:19:58.900 the jailer receives 00:19:58.900 --> 00:20:01.440 some remarkable impressions. 00:20:02.740 --> 00:20:03.580 Verse 25. 00:20:03.900 --> 00:20:04.860 About midnight, 00:20:05.800 --> 00:20:07.300 Paul and Silas 00:20:07.300 --> 00:20:08.519 were praying 00:20:08.519 --> 00:20:10.600 and singing hymns 00:20:10.600 --> 00:20:11.840 to God. 00:20:11.839 --> 00:20:14.099 So the prison jailer 00:20:14.099 --> 00:20:14.679 gets to hear 00:20:14.679 --> 00:20:16.279 this remarkable testament. 00:20:17.500 --> 00:20:18.859 Here they've been flogged 00:20:18.859 --> 00:20:19.299 and beaten 00:20:19.299 --> 00:20:20.919 and put in incredibly 00:20:20.919 --> 00:20:22.099 uncomfortable stocks, 00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:24.199 but they're singing praise 00:20:24.199 --> 00:20:25.559 to God. 00:20:26.299 --> 00:20:27.619 And not only that, 00:20:27.959 --> 00:20:28.759 this jailer, 00:20:28.859 --> 00:20:31.199 he witnesses God's power. 00:20:31.539 --> 00:20:32.879 He witnesses God's power, 00:20:33.000 --> 00:20:33.559 first of all, 00:20:33.639 --> 00:20:34.339 in an earthquake. 00:20:35.019 --> 00:20:35.539 Suddenly there was 00:20:35.539 --> 00:20:36.919 such a violent earthquake 00:20:36.919 --> 00:20:38.439 that the foundations 00:20:38.439 --> 00:20:39.779 of the prison were shaken. 00:20:39.779 --> 00:20:42.039 And then he sees God's power 00:20:42.039 --> 00:20:43.019 in the fact that 00:20:43.019 --> 00:20:44.319 despite this earthquake, 00:20:44.619 --> 00:20:45.740 none of the prisoners 00:20:45.740 --> 00:20:47.259 escape. 00:20:48.139 --> 00:20:49.660 Going on in verse 26, 00:20:49.740 --> 00:20:50.960 at once all the prison doors 00:20:50.960 --> 00:20:51.599 flew open 00:20:51.599 --> 00:20:53.119 and everybody's chains 00:20:53.119 --> 00:20:53.619 came loose. 00:20:53.660 --> 00:20:54.460 So you're expecting 00:20:54.460 --> 00:20:55.740 prison break. 00:20:55.839 --> 00:20:56.259 Of course, 00:20:56.359 --> 00:20:57.639 especially when there's no chains 00:20:57.639 --> 00:20:58.799 and there's open doors. 00:20:59.599 --> 00:21:00.379 The jailer, 00:21:00.779 --> 00:21:02.000 knowing that this escape 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:03.440 is more than his life's worth, 00:21:03.859 --> 00:21:04.879 the jailer woke up 00:21:04.879 --> 00:21:05.440 and when he saw 00:21:05.440 --> 00:21:06.700 the prison doors open, 00:21:06.700 --> 00:21:08.200 he drew his sword 00:21:08.200 --> 00:21:09.539 and was about to kill himself 00:21:09.539 --> 00:21:10.740 because he thought 00:21:10.740 --> 00:21:11.799 the prisoners had escaped, 00:21:11.900 --> 00:21:12.559 but Paul shouted, 00:21:12.720 --> 00:21:13.700 don't harm yourself, 00:21:13.880 --> 00:21:14.600 we are here. 00:21:14.700 --> 00:21:15.740 This is not natural, 00:21:15.860 --> 00:21:17.120 this is the power of God. 00:21:18.180 --> 00:21:19.380 And it seems like the jailer, 00:21:19.500 --> 00:21:20.539 having listened to Paul 00:21:20.539 --> 00:21:21.319 and Silas, 00:21:21.920 --> 00:21:23.140 credits it to them 00:21:23.140 --> 00:21:24.900 as the men of God. 00:21:25.480 --> 00:21:26.759 So here he finds himself 00:21:26.759 --> 00:21:27.980 at the lowest point 00:21:27.980 --> 00:21:28.460 in his life 00:21:28.460 --> 00:21:28.980 when he's ready 00:21:28.980 --> 00:21:29.819 to kill himself 00:21:29.819 --> 00:21:31.000 and now he calls 00:21:31.000 --> 00:21:31.440 for a light 00:21:31.440 --> 00:21:32.500 and he falls before 00:21:32.500 --> 00:21:33.400 Paul and Silas 00:21:33.400 --> 00:21:34.720 and he asks that question 00:21:34.720 --> 00:21:35.700 in verse 30, 00:21:36.420 --> 00:21:36.759 sirs, 00:21:36.819 --> 00:21:38.100 what must I do 00:21:38.100 --> 00:21:39.700 to be saved? 00:21:42.100 --> 00:21:42.980 And they replied, 00:21:43.220 --> 00:21:45.039 believe in the Lord Jesus 00:21:45.039 --> 00:21:46.759 and you will be saved, 00:21:47.299 --> 00:21:49.019 you and your household. 00:21:49.160 --> 00:21:50.539 Here is a reminder 00:21:50.539 --> 00:21:51.880 of the extent 00:21:51.880 --> 00:21:52.880 of God's grace. 00:21:53.000 --> 00:21:55.200 It is open to anybody. 00:21:56.180 --> 00:21:58.180 This working class guy 00:21:58.180 --> 00:21:59.120 who had no thought 00:21:59.120 --> 00:22:00.299 for Paul and Silas 00:22:00.299 --> 00:22:01.039 and their message, 00:22:01.420 --> 00:22:02.180 this guy who'd been brought 00:22:02.180 --> 00:22:02.740 so low 00:22:02.740 --> 00:22:03.259 that he was about 00:22:03.259 --> 00:22:04.279 to kill himself, 00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:06.980 God speaks to his heart, 00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:08.600 God convicts him 00:22:08.600 --> 00:22:09.259 of his needs 00:22:09.259 --> 00:22:10.519 and he hears 00:22:10.519 --> 00:22:12.519 that Jesus is the saviour 00:22:12.519 --> 00:22:14.100 for him. 00:22:14.880 --> 00:22:15.380 And again, 00:22:15.460 --> 00:22:16.100 there's evidence 00:22:16.100 --> 00:22:17.180 of his conversion. 00:22:17.680 --> 00:22:18.100 We see it 00:22:18.100 --> 00:22:19.100 in his hospitality. 00:22:19.779 --> 00:22:20.839 No longer is he keeping 00:22:20.839 --> 00:22:21.860 Paul and Silas 00:22:21.860 --> 00:22:22.600 in the stocks. 00:22:23.960 --> 00:22:24.700 Verse 33, 00:22:25.100 --> 00:22:26.160 he takes them home 00:22:26.160 --> 00:22:28.819 and washes their wounds. 00:22:29.420 --> 00:22:30.960 He gives them a meal 00:22:30.960 --> 00:22:32.220 in verse 34. 00:22:32.220 --> 00:22:35.000 And he and his family 00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:36.759 are baptized. 00:22:39.019 --> 00:22:41.799 So if you read this prayer letter 00:22:41.799 --> 00:22:43.240 from Dr. Luke 00:22:43.240 --> 00:22:45.019 from the field in Philippi, 00:22:45.100 --> 00:22:46.440 what impression are we getting 00:22:46.440 --> 00:22:47.740 of the mission of the church? 00:22:48.200 --> 00:22:50.600 We're getting this impression 00:22:50.600 --> 00:22:53.160 that God is building 00:22:53.160 --> 00:22:54.380 his church in Europe. 00:22:54.960 --> 00:22:55.720 And he's doing that 00:22:55.720 --> 00:22:56.480 by his power 00:22:56.480 --> 00:22:57.519 and he's doing that 00:22:57.519 --> 00:22:58.460 by his grace. 00:22:58.460 --> 00:22:59.960 And we're learning, 00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:00.660 again, 00:23:00.759 --> 00:23:01.400 that anyone 00:23:01.400 --> 00:23:02.759 who believes in Jesus 00:23:02.759 --> 00:23:05.460 can and will be saved. 00:23:07.039 --> 00:23:07.720 And again, 00:23:07.779 --> 00:23:08.380 there are lessons 00:23:08.380 --> 00:23:09.880 for us to reflect on. 00:23:11.039 --> 00:23:12.039 Here is one of them. 00:23:12.100 --> 00:23:13.559 The gospel creates 00:23:13.559 --> 00:23:15.120 one church 00:23:15.120 --> 00:23:16.799 from many backgrounds. 00:23:17.600 --> 00:23:18.319 You couldn't get 00:23:18.319 --> 00:23:19.640 a more diverse 00:23:19.640 --> 00:23:21.039 beginning to a church 00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:22.259 than what we have 00:23:22.259 --> 00:23:22.940 in Philippi. 00:23:22.940 --> 00:23:24.440 this wealthy woman, 00:23:24.920 --> 00:23:25.880 this slave girl, 00:23:26.299 --> 00:23:29.720 and this working class man. 00:23:31.580 --> 00:23:33.380 But their diversity 00:23:33.380 --> 00:23:35.220 speaks to 00:23:35.220 --> 00:23:37.320 the power of the gospel. 00:23:38.259 --> 00:23:39.340 It speaks to 00:23:39.340 --> 00:23:41.000 the believability 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:42.680 of the church. 00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:44.200 When the only thing 00:23:44.200 --> 00:23:45.340 that a group of people 00:23:45.340 --> 00:23:46.420 have together, 00:23:47.660 --> 00:23:48.480 the only thing 00:23:48.480 --> 00:23:49.400 that we share in common 00:23:49.400 --> 00:23:49.960 is the fact 00:23:49.960 --> 00:23:51.519 that we love Jesus, 00:23:51.519 --> 00:23:52.500 that we've been saved 00:23:52.500 --> 00:23:53.259 from our sin 00:23:53.259 --> 00:23:54.559 through the finished work 00:23:54.559 --> 00:23:55.639 of Jesus on the cross, 00:23:55.720 --> 00:23:56.680 then that creates 00:23:56.680 --> 00:23:57.619 a believability 00:23:57.619 --> 00:23:58.839 where we're not just together 00:23:58.839 --> 00:23:59.460 because we're 00:23:59.460 --> 00:24:01.980 the same sort of social type. 00:24:02.519 --> 00:24:03.500 It's not like 00:24:03.500 --> 00:24:05.839 every other social club. 00:24:05.920 --> 00:24:06.359 People think 00:24:06.359 --> 00:24:06.759 that the church 00:24:06.759 --> 00:24:07.720 is like a social club, 00:24:07.839 --> 00:24:09.680 but it's not like that 00:24:09.680 --> 00:24:10.539 because we all come 00:24:10.539 --> 00:24:11.480 from different backgrounds, 00:24:11.639 --> 00:24:12.359 different places, 00:24:12.539 --> 00:24:13.660 different educations, 00:24:14.420 --> 00:24:16.319 but we're brought together 00:24:16.319 --> 00:24:18.259 because we love Jesus. 00:24:19.980 --> 00:24:20.859 Every year, 00:24:21.519 --> 00:24:22.420 we get an invite 00:24:22.420 --> 00:24:23.519 slipped through the door, 00:24:23.879 --> 00:24:24.559 an invitation 00:24:24.559 --> 00:24:26.819 to our local bowling club 00:24:26.819 --> 00:24:28.059 and their summer fest. 00:24:29.059 --> 00:24:30.039 I used to like bowling, 00:24:30.559 --> 00:24:31.460 carpet bowling 00:24:31.460 --> 00:24:32.160 as a teenager, 00:24:32.900 --> 00:24:34.139 wildlife and sky. 00:24:35.940 --> 00:24:37.539 But one year, 00:24:37.639 --> 00:24:38.139 we decided, 00:24:38.359 --> 00:24:39.359 yeah, we'll go to this. 00:24:39.579 --> 00:24:41.279 We'll see our neighbours, 00:24:41.440 --> 00:24:42.519 we'll get to know folks. 00:24:43.359 --> 00:24:43.960 And so we took, 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:44.639 the boys were still 00:24:44.639 --> 00:24:46.299 fairly little at this point, 00:24:46.660 --> 00:24:47.400 so we decided 00:24:47.400 --> 00:24:48.259 to walk along the road 00:24:48.259 --> 00:24:49.259 and we'd go to 00:24:49.259 --> 00:24:50.480 the bowling club fest. 00:24:50.519 --> 00:24:51.160 Well, we got as far 00:24:51.160 --> 00:24:51.720 as the gate 00:24:51.720 --> 00:24:53.019 and we looked in 00:24:53.019 --> 00:24:54.299 and we saw nice tables, 00:24:54.859 --> 00:24:56.180 nice white tablecloths, 00:24:56.519 --> 00:24:57.299 everybody very prim 00:24:57.299 --> 00:24:57.819 and proper, 00:24:58.220 --> 00:24:59.079 everybody the same kind 00:24:59.079 --> 00:25:00.240 of age and stage in life. 00:25:00.559 --> 00:25:01.119 And we decided, 00:25:01.599 --> 00:25:02.240 perhaps, 00:25:03.240 --> 00:25:04.759 not for us. 00:25:05.160 --> 00:25:06.079 That invitation 00:25:06.079 --> 00:25:07.700 didn't seem to fit. 00:25:08.019 --> 00:25:09.059 It said we were welcome, 00:25:09.500 --> 00:25:10.119 but it seemed like 00:25:10.119 --> 00:25:11.079 we would kind of stick out. 00:25:11.079 --> 00:25:13.379 But when anybody 00:25:13.379 --> 00:25:15.500 is invited to a local church, 00:25:16.119 --> 00:25:17.279 it should never be like that. 00:25:17.359 --> 00:25:18.699 There should be that sense 00:25:18.699 --> 00:25:19.759 that whoever we are, 00:25:19.859 --> 00:25:20.939 whatever our background, 00:25:21.439 --> 00:25:22.799 whatever our faith background, 00:25:23.740 --> 00:25:24.919 we should be able to come 00:25:24.919 --> 00:25:26.379 and feel welcome 00:25:26.379 --> 00:25:27.759 and able to hear 00:25:27.759 --> 00:25:30.019 the good news of Jesus. 00:25:30.960 --> 00:25:32.119 So the gospel creates 00:25:32.119 --> 00:25:33.679 one church from many backgrounds 00:25:33.679 --> 00:25:34.439 and we see that 00:25:34.439 --> 00:25:36.419 in their stories. 00:25:37.439 --> 00:25:38.519 Now we see it in 00:25:38.519 --> 00:25:39.679 how they came to faith. 00:25:39.680 --> 00:25:40.240 For Lydia, 00:25:41.380 --> 00:25:42.539 she was a seeker. 00:25:42.660 --> 00:25:43.660 Her need, in a sense, 00:25:43.740 --> 00:25:45.180 was intellectual. 00:25:45.360 --> 00:25:46.620 She needed to know 00:25:46.620 --> 00:25:49.060 that the good news promise 00:25:49.060 --> 00:25:49.759 in the Old Testament 00:25:49.759 --> 00:25:50.779 had been fulfilled 00:25:50.779 --> 00:25:52.860 in the coming of Jesus, 00:25:53.400 --> 00:25:54.279 the Son of God 00:25:54.279 --> 00:25:55.460 and the Savior of the world. 00:25:56.380 --> 00:25:57.340 For the slave girl, 00:25:57.740 --> 00:25:58.860 her need was very different. 00:25:59.000 --> 00:25:59.820 It seemed like she had 00:25:59.820 --> 00:26:01.120 lost her identity 00:26:01.120 --> 00:26:02.420 because she was possessed 00:26:02.420 --> 00:26:05.160 by evil spirits. 00:26:05.259 --> 00:26:06.720 So she needed to be set free 00:26:06.720 --> 00:26:08.980 so that she could be herself. 00:26:09.680 --> 00:26:10.740 in Christ. 00:26:11.580 --> 00:26:12.779 And then it seems like 00:26:12.779 --> 00:26:13.600 the jailer 00:26:13.600 --> 00:26:15.900 has a moral need. 00:26:16.700 --> 00:26:18.360 It's interesting that he asks, 00:26:18.580 --> 00:26:20.160 what must I do to be saved? 00:26:20.860 --> 00:26:22.700 Commentators suggest 00:26:22.700 --> 00:26:23.920 here is an example 00:26:23.920 --> 00:26:24.440 of somebody 00:26:24.440 --> 00:26:26.400 who's got a stricken 00:26:26.400 --> 00:26:28.200 moral conscience. 00:26:29.240 --> 00:26:30.580 Different points of need, 00:26:31.160 --> 00:26:32.779 different social situation. 00:26:32.779 --> 00:26:35.619 somebody of great power 00:26:35.619 --> 00:26:36.399 and influence, 00:26:37.079 --> 00:26:39.379 somebody of no significance 00:26:39.379 --> 00:26:40.500 at all to most, 00:26:41.099 --> 00:26:42.000 somebody who's brought 00:26:42.000 --> 00:26:43.619 to the very lowest point 00:26:43.619 --> 00:26:44.099 where they want 00:26:44.099 --> 00:26:45.339 to end their own lives, 00:26:45.819 --> 00:26:47.339 and they all discover 00:26:47.339 --> 00:26:49.279 God's grace to them 00:26:49.279 --> 00:26:50.339 in Jesus. 00:26:51.619 --> 00:26:52.019 I wonder, 00:26:52.160 --> 00:26:53.240 do we see 00:26:53.240 --> 00:26:54.519 or hear something 00:26:54.519 --> 00:26:55.680 of our story 00:26:55.680 --> 00:26:56.779 in them? 00:26:56.779 --> 00:26:57.420 them. 00:26:58.460 --> 00:26:58.960 Have we come 00:26:58.960 --> 00:26:59.559 to appreciate 00:26:59.559 --> 00:27:01.319 that same grace 00:27:01.319 --> 00:27:01.940 and power 00:27:01.940 --> 00:27:02.519 and love 00:27:02.519 --> 00:27:03.920 that they received 00:27:03.920 --> 00:27:05.619 is also available 00:27:05.619 --> 00:27:07.139 for us, 00:27:07.480 --> 00:27:08.279 for you, 00:27:08.799 --> 00:27:09.480 this evening, 00:27:10.039 --> 00:27:10.740 through faith 00:27:10.740 --> 00:27:12.119 in the Lord Jesus. 00:27:12.119 --> 00:27:14.659 The last thing 00:27:14.659 --> 00:27:15.759 to say about 00:27:15.759 --> 00:27:16.879 the power of God 00:27:16.879 --> 00:27:18.079 in opening people's hearts 00:27:18.079 --> 00:27:19.879 is that what's clear 00:27:19.879 --> 00:27:20.259 in the way 00:27:20.259 --> 00:27:21.639 that Dr. Luke writes it 00:27:21.639 --> 00:27:22.799 is that God saves, 00:27:23.239 --> 00:27:25.979 but we must respond. 00:27:27.500 --> 00:27:28.339 The message 00:27:28.339 --> 00:27:30.259 of the Bible 00:27:30.259 --> 00:27:32.079 is that God 00:27:32.079 --> 00:27:33.379 has completed 00:27:33.379 --> 00:27:34.479 a work of salvation, 00:27:34.619 --> 00:27:35.599 that by ourselves 00:27:35.599 --> 00:27:37.519 we are sinful, 00:27:38.119 --> 00:27:39.739 we choose to walk away 00:27:39.739 --> 00:27:40.419 from God 00:27:40.419 --> 00:27:41.279 and his love, 00:27:41.279 --> 00:27:42.220 and we are unable 00:27:42.220 --> 00:27:43.099 by ourselves 00:27:43.099 --> 00:27:44.359 to ever find 00:27:44.359 --> 00:27:45.420 a way back to God. 00:27:45.940 --> 00:27:46.920 So if we are ever 00:27:46.920 --> 00:27:48.160 to know and enjoy God, 00:27:48.279 --> 00:27:49.660 God must do something 00:27:49.660 --> 00:27:50.799 and that's what he did 00:27:50.799 --> 00:27:52.519 in sending his son, 00:27:53.059 --> 00:27:53.379 Jesus. 00:27:53.539 --> 00:27:54.480 So Jesus comes 00:27:54.480 --> 00:27:56.180 to be perfectly obedient 00:27:56.180 --> 00:27:57.559 where we are disobedient 00:27:57.559 --> 00:27:58.700 and he comes 00:27:58.700 --> 00:28:00.079 to die on the cross 00:28:00.079 --> 00:28:01.440 to take our sins 00:28:01.440 --> 00:28:02.460 and the punishment 00:28:02.460 --> 00:28:03.359 that that deserves 00:28:03.359 --> 00:28:04.299 on himself 00:28:04.299 --> 00:28:06.059 to give us forgiveness 00:28:06.059 --> 00:28:07.799 and eternal life 00:28:07.799 --> 00:28:09.660 and that's a completed work 00:28:09.660 --> 00:28:11.039 that we are called on 00:28:11.039 --> 00:28:11.720 to believe in, 00:28:11.759 --> 00:28:12.720 to believe in Jesus 00:28:12.720 --> 00:28:14.619 as Savior. 00:28:15.480 --> 00:28:17.279 It's a gift of grace. 00:28:17.379 --> 00:28:17.740 It's something 00:28:17.740 --> 00:28:19.740 that we must receive. 00:28:19.980 --> 00:28:20.639 It's not something 00:28:20.639 --> 00:28:21.180 that we earn. 00:28:21.279 --> 00:28:21.779 It's not something 00:28:21.779 --> 00:28:22.920 we work towards. 00:28:23.180 --> 00:28:24.019 It's a gift 00:28:24.019 --> 00:28:25.119 that we receive 00:28:25.119 --> 00:28:26.460 and it's also, 00:28:26.599 --> 00:28:27.559 as we discover from this, 00:28:27.619 --> 00:28:28.119 it's a gospel 00:28:28.119 --> 00:28:29.039 that we must share. 00:28:30.039 --> 00:28:30.839 But let's think about 00:28:30.839 --> 00:28:31.559 how we see this 00:28:31.559 --> 00:28:32.519 in Lydia's story. 00:28:33.019 --> 00:28:34.379 In Lydia's story, 00:28:34.460 --> 00:28:35.299 verse 14, 00:28:36.339 --> 00:28:37.319 it says to us, 00:28:37.319 --> 00:28:39.299 the Lord opened her heart. 00:28:39.379 --> 00:28:41.159 So there's God's work 00:28:41.159 --> 00:28:41.779 in salvation. 00:28:41.939 --> 00:28:43.019 But how does he do it? 00:28:43.759 --> 00:28:44.740 He does it 00:28:44.740 --> 00:28:46.599 through Paul's preaching. 00:28:48.139 --> 00:28:49.799 So God chooses 00:28:49.799 --> 00:28:51.939 the means of preaching 00:28:51.939 --> 00:28:53.500 in order to carry out 00:28:53.500 --> 00:28:54.639 his work of salvation. 00:28:56.439 --> 00:28:57.559 And it says, 00:28:57.659 --> 00:28:59.359 the Lord opened her heart, 00:28:59.859 --> 00:29:01.399 but she obviously then 00:29:01.399 --> 00:29:03.659 had to still believe. 00:29:03.660 --> 00:29:05.519 So she says in verse 15, 00:29:05.840 --> 00:29:07.080 if you consider me 00:29:07.080 --> 00:29:09.620 a believer in the Lord. 00:29:10.380 --> 00:29:11.920 So there is response. 00:29:12.920 --> 00:29:14.259 God works in salvation, 00:29:14.440 --> 00:29:15.259 but we are called 00:29:15.259 --> 00:29:17.740 to share the gospel 00:29:17.740 --> 00:29:19.620 if we're Christians, 00:29:20.019 --> 00:29:20.720 and we're called 00:29:20.720 --> 00:29:22.759 to believe the gospel 00:29:22.759 --> 00:29:24.900 if we're not Christians. 00:29:26.220 --> 00:29:27.560 And so all of us 00:29:27.560 --> 00:29:29.200 are being invited constantly 00:29:29.200 --> 00:29:32.100 to respond to the gospel, 00:29:32.099 --> 00:29:34.599 either to believe in Jesus, 00:29:34.719 --> 00:29:35.639 to forgive our sin 00:29:35.639 --> 00:29:36.619 and to be our savior, 00:29:37.000 --> 00:29:38.879 or to have faith, 00:29:38.959 --> 00:29:40.179 to speak and act 00:29:40.179 --> 00:29:41.599 for his glory 00:29:41.599 --> 00:29:42.279 so that others 00:29:42.279 --> 00:29:43.639 might meet Jesus 00:29:43.639 --> 00:29:44.379 for themselves. 00:29:46.439 --> 00:29:48.259 One last thing to notice 00:29:48.259 --> 00:29:50.319 as we think about this 00:29:50.319 --> 00:29:52.139 missionary letter, 00:29:53.139 --> 00:29:53.879 and that's to see 00:29:53.879 --> 00:29:55.579 that God's providence 00:29:55.579 --> 00:29:58.459 serves his saving plan. 00:29:59.959 --> 00:30:00.699 Imagine again, 00:30:00.779 --> 00:30:01.500 this is the first time 00:30:01.500 --> 00:30:02.859 you're reading this prayer letter 00:30:02.859 --> 00:30:03.680 from Dr. Luke. 00:30:04.259 --> 00:30:05.819 I wonder how we would feel. 00:30:05.920 --> 00:30:07.400 Would there be a groan 00:30:07.400 --> 00:30:09.140 when the angry crowd 00:30:09.140 --> 00:30:10.480 attacked the missionaries? 00:30:11.140 --> 00:30:12.059 Would we be thinking 00:30:12.059 --> 00:30:12.579 to ourselves, 00:30:12.720 --> 00:30:14.420 ah, what a waste 00:30:14.420 --> 00:30:16.240 when they are thrown 00:30:16.240 --> 00:30:17.220 into prison? 00:30:19.180 --> 00:30:20.420 But as the story goes on, 00:30:20.460 --> 00:30:21.519 we see how God 00:30:21.519 --> 00:30:22.920 is able to use that. 00:30:23.319 --> 00:30:24.539 The God of providence 00:30:24.539 --> 00:30:26.000 is able to work good 00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:28.220 even out of evil, 00:30:28.380 --> 00:30:29.799 out of injustice, 00:30:29.799 --> 00:30:31.259 out of torture 00:30:31.259 --> 00:30:32.079 and hatred 00:30:32.079 --> 00:30:33.279 and hostility. 00:30:35.980 --> 00:30:37.339 And isn't that the story 00:30:37.339 --> 00:30:38.039 of the cross? 00:30:39.519 --> 00:30:41.259 That the greatest injustice 00:30:41.259 --> 00:30:42.680 that has ever been carried out 00:30:42.680 --> 00:30:43.220 in the world 00:30:43.220 --> 00:30:45.279 is that men and women 00:30:45.279 --> 00:30:46.359 wanted the death 00:30:46.359 --> 00:30:47.039 of the perfect, 00:30:47.259 --> 00:30:48.339 sinless son of God. 00:30:48.839 --> 00:30:49.799 But God, 00:30:49.899 --> 00:30:51.539 in his providence, 00:30:51.659 --> 00:30:54.319 had planned for that. 00:30:54.319 --> 00:30:56.399 And he used 00:30:56.399 --> 00:30:57.759 the death of Jesus 00:30:57.759 --> 00:30:59.079 in order 00:30:59.079 --> 00:31:00.419 that men and women 00:31:00.419 --> 00:31:01.399 and boys and girls, 00:31:01.779 --> 00:31:02.879 as Fergus was praying, 00:31:03.200 --> 00:31:03.740 might be turned 00:31:03.740 --> 00:31:05.059 from enemies of God 00:31:05.059 --> 00:31:07.559 into friends of God. 00:31:08.139 --> 00:31:09.720 And that's what we see 00:31:09.720 --> 00:31:13.299 in sort of verse 25 onwards, 00:31:13.500 --> 00:31:14.319 that the arrest 00:31:14.319 --> 00:31:16.220 of Paul and Silas 00:31:16.220 --> 00:31:17.539 allows them 00:31:17.539 --> 00:31:18.740 to be ambassadors 00:31:18.740 --> 00:31:19.700 for Christ 00:31:19.700 --> 00:31:21.200 in chains. 00:31:21.200 --> 00:31:23.200 They have this 00:31:23.200 --> 00:31:25.340 incredible witness 00:31:25.340 --> 00:31:26.259 at midnight 00:31:26.259 --> 00:31:27.980 praying and singing 00:31:27.980 --> 00:31:29.140 hymns to God 00:31:29.140 --> 00:31:30.120 where we would expect 00:31:30.120 --> 00:31:30.880 groans, 00:31:31.740 --> 00:31:32.700 we get songs, 00:31:33.360 --> 00:31:34.759 where we would expect 00:31:34.759 --> 00:31:35.680 curses, 00:31:36.440 --> 00:31:38.500 we hear blessing. 00:31:41.759 --> 00:31:43.200 They sound just like 00:31:43.200 --> 00:31:44.240 Jesus on the cross. 00:31:45.860 --> 00:31:47.299 Didn't shout insults 00:31:47.299 --> 00:31:47.880 and curses 00:31:47.880 --> 00:31:48.759 back at the crowd 00:31:48.759 --> 00:31:49.380 that were baying 00:31:49.380 --> 00:31:49.980 for his blood 00:31:49.980 --> 00:31:50.900 and mocking him. 00:31:51.300 --> 00:31:51.560 Rather, 00:31:51.660 --> 00:31:52.100 he prayed, 00:31:52.300 --> 00:31:52.600 Father, 00:31:53.140 --> 00:31:54.100 forgive them. 00:31:54.660 --> 00:31:55.260 They know not 00:31:55.260 --> 00:31:56.140 what they're doing. 00:31:57.340 --> 00:31:58.980 And in God's providence, 00:31:59.480 --> 00:32:00.880 their powerful witness 00:32:00.880 --> 00:32:01.820 is used 00:32:01.820 --> 00:32:02.880 to bring 00:32:02.880 --> 00:32:04.080 the jailer 00:32:04.080 --> 00:32:05.320 to faith. 00:32:07.020 --> 00:32:08.360 I read this week 00:32:08.360 --> 00:32:09.820 a story 00:32:09.820 --> 00:32:10.220 from the 00:32:10.220 --> 00:32:11.580 Scottish Bible Society 00:32:11.580 --> 00:32:12.840 from a woman 00:32:12.840 --> 00:32:13.880 taken captive 00:32:13.880 --> 00:32:14.960 by Al-Qaeda 00:32:14.960 --> 00:32:16.520 in Syria. 00:32:17.640 --> 00:32:18.540 For two years, 00:32:18.539 --> 00:32:19.940 she'd been kept 00:32:19.940 --> 00:32:20.500 in darkness 00:32:20.500 --> 00:32:21.980 with her daughter 00:32:21.980 --> 00:32:23.879 for two years. 00:32:24.440 --> 00:32:25.299 They'd been tortured 00:32:25.299 --> 00:32:26.579 and been told 00:32:26.579 --> 00:32:28.299 if you turn to Islam, 00:32:28.599 --> 00:32:29.759 we'll let you go free 00:32:29.759 --> 00:32:30.720 immediately. 00:32:32.879 --> 00:32:33.399 Well, 00:32:33.399 --> 00:32:34.379 she said at some point 00:32:34.379 --> 00:32:35.079 a guard 00:32:35.079 --> 00:32:36.639 found a Bible 00:32:36.639 --> 00:32:39.519 and the guard 00:32:39.519 --> 00:32:40.980 wanted to hear 00:32:40.980 --> 00:32:41.940 the Bible. 00:32:42.579 --> 00:32:43.659 And so she began 00:32:43.659 --> 00:32:44.500 to share 00:32:44.500 --> 00:32:45.559 her faith. 00:32:45.559 --> 00:32:46.919 and she said 00:32:46.919 --> 00:32:47.419 that she had 00:32:47.419 --> 00:32:47.899 the joy 00:32:47.899 --> 00:32:49.159 before her release 00:32:49.159 --> 00:32:50.399 to hear this 00:32:50.399 --> 00:32:51.579 from her prison guards. 00:32:51.579 --> 00:32:52.720 We have learned 00:32:52.720 --> 00:32:53.579 to love Jesus 00:32:53.579 --> 00:32:55.159 because of you. 00:32:56.339 --> 00:32:57.059 And there again 00:32:57.059 --> 00:32:57.960 is the providence 00:32:57.960 --> 00:32:58.599 of God. 00:32:59.359 --> 00:33:00.200 The worst 00:33:00.200 --> 00:33:01.619 of evil 00:33:01.619 --> 00:33:03.139 being turned 00:33:03.139 --> 00:33:04.159 in God's hand 00:33:04.159 --> 00:33:05.579 into grace 00:33:06.240 --> 00:33:06.579 and salvation 00:33:07.139 --> 00:33:08.740 for prison guards. 00:33:08.740 --> 00:33:10.799 And so I think 00:33:10.799 --> 00:33:11.599 this is a reminder 00:33:11.599 --> 00:33:12.299 to us 00:33:12.299 --> 00:33:13.980 never to underestimate 00:33:13.980 --> 00:33:14.680 the power 00:33:14.680 --> 00:33:16.680 of personal testimony, 00:33:17.759 --> 00:33:18.680 to recognize 00:33:18.680 --> 00:33:19.200 that the way 00:33:19.200 --> 00:33:20.779 we approach 00:33:20.779 --> 00:33:21.779 and experience 00:33:21.779 --> 00:33:22.900 suffering 00:33:22.900 --> 00:33:23.839 can speak 00:33:23.839 --> 00:33:24.559 powerfully 00:33:24.559 --> 00:33:25.779 to others, 00:33:26.660 --> 00:33:27.940 that our lifestyle 00:33:27.940 --> 00:33:29.039 matters 00:33:29.039 --> 00:33:30.460 when we have 00:33:30.460 --> 00:33:31.700 integrity at work, 00:33:32.160 --> 00:33:32.880 when we avoid 00:33:32.880 --> 00:33:33.359 gossip, 00:33:33.740 --> 00:33:34.500 when we deal 00:33:34.500 --> 00:33:35.759 well with suffering. 00:33:35.759 --> 00:33:37.799 that speaks 00:33:37.799 --> 00:33:39.279 to people 00:33:39.279 --> 00:33:39.980 who are watching. 00:33:40.900 --> 00:33:41.920 When we share 00:33:41.920 --> 00:33:42.460 Jesus 00:33:42.460 --> 00:33:44.039 as our hope 00:33:44.039 --> 00:33:45.299 in the middle 00:33:45.299 --> 00:33:46.339 of hardship, 00:33:47.359 --> 00:33:48.099 it's a powerful 00:33:48.099 --> 00:33:48.579 testimony 00:33:48.579 --> 00:33:49.220 that's really 00:33:49.220 --> 00:33:50.200 hard to refute. 00:33:53.000 --> 00:33:54.019 Somebody once 00:33:54.019 --> 00:33:54.559 said that the 00:33:54.559 --> 00:33:55.799 providence of God 00:33:55.799 --> 00:33:57.319 is not a heavy 00:33:57.319 --> 00:33:57.779 hammer, 00:33:58.500 --> 00:33:59.339 it's a soft 00:33:59.339 --> 00:33:59.759 pillow. 00:34:02.460 --> 00:34:03.440 Humanly speaking, 00:34:03.599 --> 00:34:04.180 sometimes our 00:34:04.180 --> 00:34:04.920 circumstances 00:34:04.920 --> 00:34:05.900 can seem hard 00:34:05.900 --> 00:34:06.620 and bleak 00:34:06.620 --> 00:34:07.800 and we may 00:34:07.800 --> 00:34:08.340 be tempted 00:34:08.340 --> 00:34:10.039 to turn on God 00:34:10.039 --> 00:34:11.079 and to accuse God 00:34:11.079 --> 00:34:11.539 and to ask 00:34:11.539 --> 00:34:12.780 questions of God 00:34:12.780 --> 00:34:14.760 and there's a place 00:34:14.760 --> 00:34:15.260 for that 00:34:15.260 --> 00:34:17.360 but there's also 00:34:17.360 --> 00:34:18.400 a place 00:34:18.400 --> 00:34:20.000 for recognizing 00:34:20.000 --> 00:34:20.519 that God 00:34:20.519 --> 00:34:21.539 is with us, 00:34:21.880 --> 00:34:22.400 that God 00:34:22.400 --> 00:34:23.639 has planned 00:34:23.639 --> 00:34:24.400 these things 00:34:24.400 --> 00:34:24.820 and God 00:34:24.820 --> 00:34:25.840 is able to use 00:34:25.840 --> 00:34:27.019 even our suffering 00:34:27.019 --> 00:34:28.019 for our good 00:34:28.019 --> 00:34:29.619 and also 00:34:29.619 --> 00:34:30.760 for the good 00:34:30.760 --> 00:34:32.340 of others, 00:34:32.940 --> 00:34:33.300 that the 00:34:33.300 --> 00:34:33.760 providence 00:34:33.760 --> 00:34:34.380 of God 00:34:34.380 --> 00:34:35.500 is a comfort 00:34:35.500 --> 00:34:36.000 to us 00:34:36.000 --> 00:34:36.560 and it's also 00:34:36.560 --> 00:34:37.660 important for us 00:34:37.660 --> 00:34:38.660 in that sense 00:34:38.660 --> 00:34:39.180 of mission 00:34:39.180 --> 00:34:39.600 that we are 00:34:39.600 --> 00:34:40.100 called to, 00:34:40.180 --> 00:34:40.780 whatever our 00:34:40.780 --> 00:34:41.700 circumstances, 00:34:42.640 --> 00:34:43.800 God can use us 00:34:43.800 --> 00:34:44.420 to seek to 00:34:44.420 --> 00:34:44.980 extend 00:34:44.980 --> 00:34:46.120 his kingdom. 00:34:46.680 --> 00:34:47.280 But if the only 00:34:47.280 --> 00:34:47.860 thing that we 00:34:47.860 --> 00:34:48.460 can do 00:34:48.460 --> 00:34:49.760 is to pray 00:34:49.760 --> 00:34:50.780 then we're doing 00:34:50.780 --> 00:34:51.480 a wonderful 00:34:51.480 --> 00:34:52.140 thing 00:34:52.140 --> 00:34:53.560 for God's 00:34:53.560 --> 00:34:54.360 kingdom. 00:34:55.640 --> 00:34:56.260 So that's 00:34:56.260 --> 00:34:57.000 the beginning 00:34:57.000 --> 00:34:58.160 of the story 00:34:58.160 --> 00:34:59.000 of gospel 00:34:59.000 --> 00:34:59.780 breakthrough 00:34:59.780 --> 00:35:01.420 in Europe. 00:35:02.340 --> 00:35:02.620 And wouldn't 00:35:02.620 --> 00:35:03.180 it be amazing 00:35:03.180 --> 00:35:03.660 for us 00:35:03.660 --> 00:35:03.940 to have 00:35:03.940 --> 00:35:04.380 that same 00:35:04.380 --> 00:35:04.920 story to 00:35:04.920 --> 00:35:05.320 tell in 00:35:05.320 --> 00:35:06.200 21st century 00:35:06.200 --> 00:35:06.580 Europe, 00:35:07.519 --> 00:35:08.440 to recognize 00:35:08.440 --> 00:35:09.100 that God 00:35:09.100 --> 00:35:09.680 is at work 00:35:09.680 --> 00:35:10.640 saving lives 00:35:10.640 --> 00:35:11.260 and planting 00:35:11.260 --> 00:35:11.760 churches 00:35:11.760 --> 00:35:12.500 and renewing 00:35:12.500 --> 00:35:13.120 established 00:35:13.120 --> 00:35:13.680 churches. 00:35:14.620 --> 00:35:15.400 And praise God, 00:35:15.460 --> 00:35:15.900 that's what we're 00:35:15.900 --> 00:35:16.580 seeing in our 00:35:16.580 --> 00:35:17.320 city and in our 00:35:17.320 --> 00:35:17.860 country. 00:35:18.660 --> 00:35:19.380 But there's much 00:35:19.380 --> 00:35:20.840 more to be 00:35:20.840 --> 00:35:21.220 done. 00:35:22.080 --> 00:35:22.560 There are some 00:35:22.560 --> 00:35:23.320 parts of Scotland 00:35:23.320 --> 00:35:24.120 that are ready 00:35:24.120 --> 00:35:24.900 to be labeled 00:35:24.900 --> 00:35:25.900 unreached 00:35:25.900 --> 00:35:27.119 people group 00:35:27.119 --> 00:35:28.599 and that we're 00:35:28.599 --> 00:35:29.760 so far removed 00:35:29.760 --> 00:35:31.059 from the 00:35:31.059 --> 00:35:31.820 knowledge of God, 00:35:31.900 --> 00:35:32.460 the knowledge of 00:35:32.460 --> 00:35:32.880 the Bible, 00:35:33.360 --> 00:35:34.360 from the good 00:35:34.360 --> 00:35:35.280 news of Jesus. 00:35:36.320 --> 00:35:36.960 But God 00:35:36.960 --> 00:35:38.139 is powerful. 00:35:39.139 --> 00:35:40.079 The same God 00:35:40.079 --> 00:35:41.160 who opened the 00:35:41.160 --> 00:35:41.980 door to pagan 00:35:41.980 --> 00:35:43.579 Europe all those 00:35:43.579 --> 00:35:44.360 hundreds of years 00:35:44.360 --> 00:35:45.940 ago is the same 00:35:45.940 --> 00:35:47.119 God today. 00:35:47.639 --> 00:35:48.539 His grace is 00:35:48.539 --> 00:35:49.240 great and God 00:35:49.240 --> 00:35:50.139 still has people. 00:35:50.260 --> 00:35:51.639 He still has us 00:35:51.639 --> 00:35:53.519 as his church 00:35:53.519 --> 00:35:55.480 that he can use 00:35:55.480 --> 00:35:56.699 in order to 00:35:56.699 --> 00:35:57.500 witness, 00:35:57.780 --> 00:35:59.199 to draw people 00:35:59.199 --> 00:36:00.320 to Jesus. 00:36:02.420 --> 00:36:04.260 So he calls us 00:36:04.260 --> 00:36:06.240 to know Jesus, 00:36:07.300 --> 00:36:08.740 to depend on 00:36:08.740 --> 00:36:09.139 Jesus, 00:36:09.559 --> 00:36:10.380 and then to go 00:36:10.380 --> 00:36:11.539 in his strength 00:36:11.539 --> 00:36:12.800 that we would 00:36:12.800 --> 00:36:14.179 make disciples.