WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.759 Good morning, my name's Archie, I'm the pastor in training here, and we're going to be looking at Acts chapter 16, so do keep that open, it'll be really helpful for you. 00:00:08.820 --> 00:00:12.300 It's obviously quite a long passage, so do have it open in front of you. 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:18.199 I wonder, what's the first thing that you do in the morning? 00:00:19.240 --> 00:00:29.000 I'm sure most of us have great aspirations to be the sort of person, you know the sort of person, up at 5am, no Bible before breakfast. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:42.320 No breakfast before Bible, no progress before prayer, quick workout, protein shake, 20 minutes in the latest CEO's autobiography, all before cycling to work. 00:00:42.700 --> 00:00:49.179 I think we'd all like to be like that, the reality is, if we're not hitting snooze, the first thing we do is probably go to our phone anyway, isn't it? 00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:56.060 Probably straight on social media, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, probably depending on what age you are. 00:00:56.060 --> 00:00:57.859 It's often the first thing I do. 00:00:58.920 --> 00:01:01.859 But I want you to imagine with me that you're a Jewish man. 00:01:02.920 --> 00:01:06.359 It's somewhere in the middle of the first century, so like 2,000 years ago. 00:01:07.299 --> 00:01:09.960 And can you imagine the first thing that you might do in the morning? 00:01:11.460 --> 00:01:15.300 Well, if you're a good, faithful Jew, you're leading your household in prayer. 00:01:15.299 --> 00:01:21.659 And we know that this is a prayer that they'd have prayed, a prayer that you'd likely have been praying would be this. 00:01:22.679 --> 00:01:24.179 Thank God I am not a woman. 00:01:25.560 --> 00:01:27.420 Thank God I am not a slave. 00:01:28.579 --> 00:01:30.579 Thank God I am not a Gentile. 00:01:30.920 --> 00:01:32.539 That's just someone who's not Jewish. 00:01:33.900 --> 00:01:36.259 That's actually a prayer that they prayed. 00:01:36.260 --> 00:01:40.859 And it's a prayer that gets us right to the heart of this passage this morning. 00:01:40.980 --> 00:01:50.219 A passage where Paul's ministry takes him to Philippi, where a woman, a slave, and a Gentile all encounter the gospel. 00:01:51.900 --> 00:01:54.660 We're in this series in the book of Acts. 00:01:55.860 --> 00:01:58.760 My clicker's not working, so Dib's just going to have to do it for me. 00:01:59.240 --> 00:01:59.719 There you go. 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:00.700 We're in the book of Acts. 00:02:00.700 --> 00:02:05.120 It's the second half of a two-part volume from this doctor called Luke. 00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:06.480 It's written in the first century. 00:02:06.740 --> 00:02:12.240 It provides an account between the book of Luke and Acts, an account of Jesus' life, his death, his resurrection, 00:02:12.800 --> 00:02:17.800 and then the explosion of the church as he works by his spirit through his people. 00:02:18.980 --> 00:02:23.900 But the big problem for the church in the first century, we saw it in chapter 10 with Peter's vision. 00:02:24.520 --> 00:02:28.620 We saw it in chapter 15 just a couple of weeks ago with the debate in Jerusalem. 00:02:28.620 --> 00:02:30.520 The big problem, here's the problem. 00:02:31.539 --> 00:02:32.319 Who gets in? 00:02:34.199 --> 00:02:34.879 Who gets in? 00:02:35.119 --> 00:02:36.119 And how do they get in? 00:02:36.239 --> 00:02:39.119 What is this church as it rapidly expands? 00:02:39.219 --> 00:02:41.459 What is this church going to look like? 00:02:42.639 --> 00:02:44.599 Well, we're in chapter 16 this morning. 00:02:44.739 --> 00:02:46.339 Who belongs to this church? 00:02:46.859 --> 00:02:49.259 It is precisely who they least expected. 00:02:50.239 --> 00:02:55.060 A businesswoman, a slave, and a Gentile jailer. 00:02:55.060 --> 00:03:00.939 And so would we be asking ourselves then this morning, who belongs here? 00:03:01.819 --> 00:03:03.560 In a church like this. 00:03:03.620 --> 00:03:06.379 Not just who would we be willing to welcome through the door. 00:03:06.439 --> 00:03:08.319 I trust there's no one that we would turn away. 00:03:08.319 --> 00:03:13.519 But who are we really working to bring along into the life of the church? 00:03:13.579 --> 00:03:16.819 Who are we prepared to get alongside as brothers and sisters? 00:03:16.959 --> 00:03:18.280 Who are we doing life with? 00:03:18.280 --> 00:03:22.240 Is it those who we'd least expect? 00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:24.979 Look around. 00:03:26.319 --> 00:03:28.800 Who belongs here? 00:03:28.800 --> 00:03:35.240 Let's just keep that question mulling away in our minds as we dive into this passage together. 00:03:35.420 --> 00:03:41.520 And before Paul meets these three characters, before Paul gets to Philippi, well, he has to get to Philippi. 00:03:41.520 --> 00:03:46.719 In chapter 15 with Michael two weeks ago, we saw this watershed moment. 00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:47.840 They're still in Jerusalem. 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:52.260 A bunch of early Christian leaders, Peter and Paul and James, they meet. 00:03:52.360 --> 00:03:58.760 And they're trying to agree, as the gospel goes out to the Gentiles, what would be required of them. 00:03:58.780 --> 00:04:03.060 And they agree that they shouldn't be required to follow the ceremonial laws of Israel. 00:04:03.180 --> 00:04:04.660 In other words, no circumcision. 00:04:04.659 --> 00:04:16.219 And so at the end of chapter 15, Paul, he'd set out to return to the churches in Syria and Cilicia, the churches he's already visited, and share that decision with them. 00:04:16.259 --> 00:04:19.920 You can catch up on all of that on YouTube or our website. 00:04:20.819 --> 00:04:27.879 But this morning, as he continues that journey, two things, I think, that we see that Paul and his pals are relentlessly committed to. 00:04:28.720 --> 00:04:31.639 Gospel growth and divine direction. 00:04:32.339 --> 00:04:34.360 Gospel growth and divine direction. 00:04:34.360 --> 00:04:35.420 It's what they're all about. 00:04:36.120 --> 00:04:40.360 And so heading to Derbe and Lystra, there are loads of place names here. 00:04:40.639 --> 00:04:42.000 Maybe this map is helpful. 00:04:42.120 --> 00:04:46.980 There's also actually a map in your pew Bibles on the back page, which might be helpful to you as we go along as well. 00:04:47.060 --> 00:04:49.840 I find Bible maps really interesting and super helpful. 00:04:49.980 --> 00:04:50.600 Maybe you do too. 00:04:51.160 --> 00:04:57.040 But while they're in Lystra, see in verse 1 of our passage today, they meet Timothy. 00:04:57.600 --> 00:05:01.660 And in verse 2, we see that Timothy is a guy that the local Christians, they speak well of him. 00:05:01.660 --> 00:05:07.200 And then we see in their interactions with him just how committed they are to gospel growth. 00:05:07.340 --> 00:05:08.040 Did you see it? 00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:09.420 Did you notice it? 00:05:09.480 --> 00:05:11.340 I mean, surely you noticed it. 00:05:11.380 --> 00:05:12.680 It's the circumcision thing, right? 00:05:13.240 --> 00:05:14.940 I mean, how could you not notice that? 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:16.140 He's an adult man. 00:05:16.800 --> 00:05:20.900 In verse 3, Paul wanted to take him on the journey, so he circumcised him. 00:05:20.899 --> 00:05:23.379 I mean, that's alarming, isn't it? 00:05:23.399 --> 00:05:31.000 And it's especially alarming given what we've seen in chapter 15, where Paul argues against circumcision. 00:05:32.359 --> 00:05:37.979 But Paul isn't being inconsistent here because he's not circumcising Timothy for the sake of his salvation. 00:05:38.779 --> 00:05:40.239 It's not a requirement. 00:05:40.419 --> 00:05:42.620 No, we see why he does it in the rest of verse 3. 00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:44.239 Have a look at that. 00:05:44.240 --> 00:05:47.079 Because of the Jews who lived in that area. 00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:49.699 For they all knew his father was a Greek. 00:05:49.980 --> 00:05:53.100 It's not for the sake of salvation, but for the sake of sensitivity. 00:05:54.040 --> 00:05:56.680 This is their commitment to gospel growth. 00:05:56.800 --> 00:06:00.920 See, back in verse 1, Timothy, he has a Jewish mum, but a Greek dad. 00:06:01.660 --> 00:06:05.920 And so this is for the sake of sensitivity to the Jewish sense of national pride. 00:06:06.120 --> 00:06:07.900 Misplaced though that pride may have been, 00:06:07.899 --> 00:06:17.019 He circumcises Timothy so that the Jews with whom they wanted to share the gospel would not be blinded by hatred for Timothy's mixed heritage. 00:06:17.239 --> 00:06:20.259 This is their commitment to the gospel growing. 00:06:22.120 --> 00:06:30.099 And so straight away in verse 4, they continue this mission to carry that decision from chapter 15 to the other churches in that area. 00:06:30.219 --> 00:06:31.639 Now they're with Timothy as well. 00:06:31.639 --> 00:06:39.680 And as a result, in verse 5, have a look at verse 5, the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. 00:06:39.779 --> 00:06:40.759 We've seen this before. 00:06:41.099 --> 00:06:43.759 It's just another bookmark in Luke's account. 00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:49.120 As if to say, in amongst all the detail of this narrative, do you see what this is really all about? 00:06:49.899 --> 00:06:57.740 By his divine direction, God is growing his church and strengthening the faith of his people by his gospel. 00:06:57.740 --> 00:07:01.480 And then they head west. 00:07:01.600 --> 00:07:07.340 They head west into Asia Minor, which is modern day Turkey, pursuing still gospel growth. 00:07:07.500 --> 00:07:10.660 Again, you can follow that in the map behind me or in your Bibles. 00:07:10.819 --> 00:07:13.379 But then we get these two strange instances. 00:07:14.500 --> 00:07:18.160 As if to highlight their commitment to divine direction. 00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:24.860 First in verse 6, they're kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 00:07:24.860 --> 00:07:33.560 And then in verse 7, they try to enter Bithynia, but the spirit of Jesus, which I think is just another way of saying the Holy Spirit, would not allow them. 00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:40.540 And so it seems as though Paul and his companions receive some sort of divine direction from God. 00:07:41.420 --> 00:07:43.580 Indeed, Paul is then given a dream in verse 9. 00:07:43.580 --> 00:07:50.400 A vision of a man of Macedonia standing before him and begging him, begging him to come to Macedonia. 00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:54.159 And then in verse 10, have a look at verse 10 with me. 00:07:55.219 --> 00:08:03.159 After Paul had seen this vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. 00:08:03.959 --> 00:08:06.599 Just notice briefly that Luke is now using the word we. 00:08:07.039 --> 00:08:09.239 He seems to have joined the journey at this point. 00:08:09.819 --> 00:08:14.759 You can imagine he's now got plenty of time to gather all the information that he needs to write these books. 00:08:15.139 --> 00:08:18.759 You can picture him maybe with his moleskin notebook out, gathering all their experiences. 00:08:18.759 --> 00:08:22.480 But then see how this divine direction works. 00:08:23.719 --> 00:08:27.980 Because they conclude in verse 10 that they ought to go to Macedonia. 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:36.899 In other words, it seems that they must have deliberated, discussed, and decided between them what to do with the divine direction that they've received. 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:40.379 And I think that might just be a really helpful way for us to think. 00:08:40.379 --> 00:08:48.379 As we seek to discern divine direction in our own lives, what do we feel that the Holy Spirit is saying to us? 00:08:49.559 --> 00:08:52.360 How does that measure up with what we read in scripture? 00:08:53.539 --> 00:08:57.679 And what are our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in our lives saying? 00:08:57.679 --> 00:09:02.679 I think we often expect divine direction to be like a clear, audible voice. 00:09:03.839 --> 00:09:04.000 Right? 00:09:04.120 --> 00:09:06.019 Loud noises, sparks flying. 00:09:06.539 --> 00:09:10.939 Or maybe on the other end of the spectrum, we just think basically it's that sound in our heads. 00:09:11.019 --> 00:09:12.099 It's what I want to do. 00:09:12.219 --> 00:09:13.859 Must be what God is telling me to do. 00:09:13.860 --> 00:09:17.860 But I think generally this is the way that it normally works. 00:09:18.580 --> 00:09:21.120 We have an intuition that the Holy Spirit is speaking to us. 00:09:21.200 --> 00:09:24.659 We weigh it against scripture and we ask for wisdom from our Christian brothers and sisters. 00:09:25.560 --> 00:09:29.500 Through these very normal things, God is providing divine direction to his people. 00:09:31.740 --> 00:09:36.759 So Paul and his companions, they make their way to Macedonia then, which is in northern Greece. 00:09:36.759 --> 00:09:41.740 In verse 11, we see they go via Troas and Samothrace and Neapolis. 00:09:42.419 --> 00:09:45.319 Again, check out that map if you're as much of a geek as I am. 00:09:45.620 --> 00:09:46.899 And they make it to Philippi. 00:09:47.819 --> 00:09:50.960 And three people we're going to encounter in Philippi. 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:55.899 Thank God I am not a woman, a slave, or a Gentile. 00:10:00.580 --> 00:10:05.000 Just notice what they do when they get to Philippi in verse 12. 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:06.080 It's the Sabbath. 00:10:06.899 --> 00:10:07.919 It's their day of rest. 00:10:07.960 --> 00:10:08.600 And where do they go? 00:10:08.679 --> 00:10:09.820 They go to the river. 00:10:11.159 --> 00:10:12.320 Why do they go to the river? 00:10:12.419 --> 00:10:13.820 That's just where Jews met. 00:10:14.240 --> 00:10:17.740 It's where Jews met when they didn't have a synagogue because they needed the water for rituals. 00:10:17.840 --> 00:10:19.399 We might be asking, why did they not have a synagogue? 00:10:20.460 --> 00:10:24.139 Well, you needed at least 10 men to form a synagogue. 00:10:24.919 --> 00:10:28.120 I wonder what that says about who belonged in the ancient world. 00:10:29.080 --> 00:10:31.700 Thank God I am not a woman, they prayed. 00:10:31.700 --> 00:10:41.140 And yet, at the end of verse 13, it is the woman that Paul and his pals go towards and speak to. 00:10:41.820 --> 00:10:44.020 This is their commitment to gospel growth. 00:10:44.620 --> 00:10:50.900 It's just interesting, I think, followers of Jesus affirmed the dignity of women in a way that was just very unusual in the first century. 00:10:51.420 --> 00:10:53.900 And one of them, see in verse 14, read it with me. 00:10:53.899 --> 00:11:01.240 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. 00:11:02.699 --> 00:11:07.879 Thyatira was a merchant city in modern-day Turkey with a thriving fabric trade. 00:11:08.299 --> 00:11:15.779 Lydia then seems to be living in Philippi, probably importing this purple cloth, some of the most expensive fabric in the ancient world. 00:11:15.779 --> 00:11:19.339 I guess importing it into Greece and beyond into the rest of Europe. 00:11:20.379 --> 00:11:24.059 And next we see again in verse 14, she's a worshipper of God. 00:11:24.379 --> 00:11:29.220 That just means she's not ethnically Jewish, but she's quite a big fan of the Jewish God. 00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:33.319 And then, and I love this, see at the end of verse 14. 00:11:34.759 --> 00:11:38.720 Then the Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 00:11:39.659 --> 00:11:42.839 We hear nothing here of how Paul shares the message. 00:11:42.840 --> 00:11:47.100 The emphasis is not on that at all, but it is clear. 00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:49.700 It is God who stirs hearts to respond. 00:11:50.580 --> 00:11:52.420 It is God who opens blind eyes. 00:11:52.800 --> 00:11:55.540 This is divine direction that actually saves people. 00:11:56.879 --> 00:12:01.700 Maybe you're here this morning and maybe you've wrestled with your own story of how you came to know Jesus. 00:12:02.740 --> 00:12:05.740 As you read the New Testament and what jumps out at you, 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:10.519 it's those ridiculous stories, dramatic stories like Paul on the Damascus Road. 00:12:10.519 --> 00:12:15.319 Dramatic stories like miraculous encounters with Jesus in the Gospels. 00:12:16.039 --> 00:12:18.899 But friends, I take it this is a much more normal way of things. 00:12:18.980 --> 00:12:20.159 Do you see what happens here? 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:22.939 Lydia hears the message. 00:12:23.679 --> 00:12:25.639 The Lord opens her heart to respond. 00:12:26.620 --> 00:12:28.519 It's hear and believe. 00:12:29.220 --> 00:12:30.899 Hear and believe. 00:12:30.899 --> 00:12:34.500 And then in verse 15, she gets baptized. 00:12:35.139 --> 00:12:39.100 We've got a baptism service coming up soon, if that's something you're interested in. 00:12:39.500 --> 00:12:44.220 And her household, I think we can assume that the Lord has also opened their hearts to respond to the message, 00:12:44.299 --> 00:12:45.539 and they all get baptized too. 00:12:46.639 --> 00:12:49.459 Paul's commitment to gospel growth and divine direction, 00:12:49.459 --> 00:12:51.819 it really seems to be paying off at this stage, doesn't it? 00:12:51.820 --> 00:12:54.360 And then she invites them. 00:12:54.440 --> 00:12:57.620 Do you see, if you consider me a believer, come and stay at my house. 00:12:58.600 --> 00:13:03.540 Do you see her willingness out of her brand new identity in Christ to use what she has? 00:13:04.200 --> 00:13:07.980 To offer hospitality to her new brothers and sisters. 00:13:08.180 --> 00:13:09.600 And friends, we can do the same. 00:13:10.760 --> 00:13:17.220 Using what we have to provide for and facilitate the belonging of our brothers and sisters in Christ. 00:13:18.040 --> 00:13:19.740 This is the power of the gospel. 00:13:19.740 --> 00:13:24.139 It's starting to bring together this unlikely group of people. 00:13:25.060 --> 00:13:27.100 Picture that group of people in Lydia's house. 00:13:27.180 --> 00:13:28.320 I mean, who belongs there? 00:13:29.180 --> 00:13:32.240 You've got Paul, this guy who used to murder Christians. 00:13:33.340 --> 00:13:36.440 You've got Timothy, a half Greek, half Jew. 00:13:37.139 --> 00:13:41.320 You've got Lydia, a businesswoman, and all the various members of her household, 00:13:41.460 --> 00:13:44.299 all united in Christ by his gospel. 00:13:45.960 --> 00:13:49.379 And while they're staying with Lydia in verse 16, 00:13:49.740 --> 00:13:52.399 my clicker just isn't working. 00:13:52.600 --> 00:13:52.960 Can you? 00:13:53.060 --> 00:13:53.460 Oh, there we go. 00:13:53.759 --> 00:13:55.639 While they're staying with Lydia in verse 16, 00:13:55.720 --> 00:13:57.600 they're heading back to the place of prayer, 00:13:57.759 --> 00:13:59.899 and they meet, see this slave girl. 00:14:00.919 --> 00:14:01.960 Thank God I'm not a woman. 00:14:02.480 --> 00:14:04.259 Thank God I am not a slave. 00:14:04.259 --> 00:14:10.399 Not only a slave, but she also had a spirit by which she predicted the future, 00:14:10.539 --> 00:14:12.720 presumably a demonic spirit. 00:14:13.460 --> 00:14:17.980 And by that means she earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune telling. 00:14:19.120 --> 00:14:23.740 So not only is she a slave physically, but it seems spiritually a slave too. 00:14:23.740 --> 00:14:27.180 And when she encounters Paul and these Christians, 00:14:27.320 --> 00:14:31.180 do you see what the spirit causes her to say or to shout in verse 17? 00:14:32.019 --> 00:14:36.940 These men are servants of the Most High God who are telling you the way to be saved. 00:14:37.960 --> 00:14:40.320 And she's right, isn't she? 00:14:41.680 --> 00:14:45.120 This is, it seems strange that she'd be right, 00:14:45.240 --> 00:14:48.879 but this sort of thing is standard behavior from a demonic spirit. 00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:53.620 Jesus encountered a number of these spirits who knew exactly who he was 00:14:53.620 --> 00:14:56.519 and who proclaimed true things about him. 00:14:58.019 --> 00:15:02.840 And I just wonder if this is the case, that you can know true things, 00:15:03.580 --> 00:15:06.620 that you can believe them even to be true. 00:15:06.820 --> 00:15:09.259 You can even proclaim them to be true. 00:15:10.320 --> 00:15:14.039 But maybe that's just not quite the same thing as believing in Jesus, 00:15:14.039 --> 00:15:18.939 in the good news and trusting in him with your eternity. 00:15:20.779 --> 00:15:23.579 Can I urge you this morning to think that through, 00:15:23.699 --> 00:15:25.740 to really be trusting in Jesus, 00:15:26.360 --> 00:15:29.399 to throw your very selves at the foot of the cross this morning. 00:15:30.639 --> 00:15:33.120 For even the demons believe that it's true. 00:15:34.259 --> 00:15:35.579 But what will you do with that? 00:15:38.059 --> 00:15:42.279 So this situation, it puts Paul in a serious catch-22. 00:15:42.279 --> 00:15:45.019 Whatever he does with this slave girl. 00:15:45.579 --> 00:15:49.339 Perhaps that's why he allows this slave girl to follow them around and shout at them. 00:15:49.639 --> 00:15:51.919 In verse 18, he does that for many days. 00:15:52.659 --> 00:15:55.120 And of course, he desires that she would be free. 00:15:56.319 --> 00:16:00.379 But he's also, I think, probably worried about the implications of her freedom. 00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:05.559 How are her owners going to respond to losing such a profitable slave? 00:16:05.559 --> 00:16:10.339 And eventually, he becomes, as our translations put it, 00:16:10.459 --> 00:16:12.739 so, or maybe you have greatly annoyed. 00:16:12.939 --> 00:16:15.059 And I actually think that's quite an unhelpful translation, 00:16:15.239 --> 00:16:18.359 because it's not like Paul is annoyed in the same way you or I get annoyed 00:16:18.359 --> 00:16:19.919 when we get cut up at a roundabout. 00:16:20.979 --> 00:16:23.899 Instead, I think that word carries a more nuanced meaning. 00:16:24.359 --> 00:16:25.719 It's like Paul is greatly troubled. 00:16:25.879 --> 00:16:27.859 He's grieved by what is going on. 00:16:27.899 --> 00:16:29.799 As he's caught in this catch-22, 00:16:29.799 --> 00:16:32.740 none of the options seem good to him. 00:16:34.219 --> 00:16:37.740 And then he eventually succumbs to what I guess must have been divine direction. 00:16:38.359 --> 00:16:42.039 And in the name of Jesus, he commands the spirit to leave. 00:16:42.719 --> 00:16:45.620 Through Paul, Jesus sets her free. 00:16:46.899 --> 00:16:48.459 I love Jesus' heart here. 00:16:49.159 --> 00:16:49.819 Do you see it? 00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:53.519 His heart for this vulnerable, exploited slave girl. 00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:56.059 And then he sets her free. 00:16:56.179 --> 00:16:58.759 Maybe you have a heart for this sort of person too. 00:16:59.779 --> 00:17:04.500 Do you know there are more slaves alive today than there ever have been in the rest of human history? 00:17:06.240 --> 00:17:08.220 Do you have a heart for that sort of person? 00:17:10.139 --> 00:17:12.579 Jesus desires that they would be set free. 00:17:13.940 --> 00:17:19.559 Or maybe you feel yourself to be vulnerable or exploited in some way. 00:17:20.779 --> 00:17:21.960 Know this this morning. 00:17:21.960 --> 00:17:25.860 Jesus, his heart for you. 00:17:26.960 --> 00:17:29.299 Jesus is in the business of setting people free. 00:17:30.460 --> 00:17:32.400 And the text isn't explicit here. 00:17:32.440 --> 00:17:36.640 But this story, it's sandwiched between these two explicit stories of conversion. 00:17:36.799 --> 00:17:41.440 And I think it's probably fair to assume then that this slave girl puts her trust in Jesus. 00:17:42.380 --> 00:17:45.680 That she becomes part of the church in Philippi. 00:17:46.980 --> 00:17:48.420 Thank God I'm not a woman. 00:17:49.460 --> 00:17:50.840 Thank God I'm not a slave. 00:17:51.960 --> 00:17:53.200 Picture it with me then. 00:17:53.259 --> 00:17:54.720 They're back at Lydia's place. 00:17:55.779 --> 00:17:56.779 Who belongs? 00:17:57.960 --> 00:18:00.940 Now with Paul and Timothy and Lydia and all her household. 00:18:01.059 --> 00:18:04.360 You've got this just super vulnerable ex-slave. 00:18:05.360 --> 00:18:07.019 And who's caring for her? 00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:13.900 Who's providing for this ex-slave who's been freed from slavery and exploitation? 00:18:13.900 --> 00:18:16.540 She's probably left to fend for herself. 00:18:16.700 --> 00:18:18.160 Useless now to her masters. 00:18:18.660 --> 00:18:20.280 Just think about how vulnerable she is. 00:18:20.360 --> 00:18:21.980 Who is caring for her? 00:18:23.740 --> 00:18:27.920 Well, I imagine it's got to be this budding community of believers, right? 00:18:28.360 --> 00:18:30.060 Meeting in Lydia's house. 00:18:30.059 --> 00:18:35.179 Except Paul and his pals aren't going back to Lydia's, are they? 00:18:35.240 --> 00:18:38.819 Because Paul was right to be worried about the slave girl's owners. 00:18:39.720 --> 00:18:47.839 See, in the second half of verse 19, as those owners lose their hope, they seize Paul and Silas and drag them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 00:18:47.839 --> 00:18:52.279 We'll get to our third character, the Gentile jailer, shortly. 00:18:52.439 --> 00:18:57.139 But just before we do, notice the swift brutality of the Roman justice system. 00:18:58.179 --> 00:19:02.919 In verse 20, they're accused of creating an uproar and promoting unlawful customs. 00:19:03.939 --> 00:19:06.859 You know, Roman law actually provided relative religious freedom. 00:19:07.740 --> 00:19:09.539 Worship whoever you like, they said. 00:19:09.819 --> 00:19:12.399 Provided you were also prepared to worship the emperor. 00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:17.179 Which, of course, Christians, maybe even uniquely, weren't. 00:19:18.699 --> 00:19:22.839 And so Rome was just institutionally closed to the Christian gospel. 00:19:24.339 --> 00:19:30.899 And by verse 22, the whole crowd is joining in in this condemnation. 00:19:32.279 --> 00:19:34.359 Deb, if we could have the next slide, please. 00:19:34.919 --> 00:19:37.879 And just zoom in on the end of verse 22 with me. 00:19:39.079 --> 00:19:43.039 The magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 00:19:43.299 --> 00:19:47.359 I think it's tempting when we read something like this to just sort of glance over a phrase like that. 00:19:48.740 --> 00:19:52.859 But I want us to see this morning the suffering that Paul and Silas go through here. 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:55.659 To really imagine it. 00:19:57.059 --> 00:19:57.359 Right? 00:19:57.399 --> 00:19:58.799 They're publicly stripped. 00:20:00.859 --> 00:20:02.059 Brutally beaten. 00:20:02.579 --> 00:20:03.339 It's awful. 00:20:03.339 --> 00:20:07.099 And then they're thrown into a Roman prison. 00:20:07.480 --> 00:20:11.459 The kind of place that would make today's prisons, if you've ever seen one, feel like a hotel. 00:20:14.119 --> 00:20:16.240 Institutionally closed to the gospel. 00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:19.680 And then we meet our Gentile jailer. 00:20:20.160 --> 00:20:22.400 This guy is probably an ex-Roman soldier. 00:20:22.539 --> 00:20:23.759 A hard sort of man. 00:20:24.059 --> 00:20:26.059 Knows a thing or two about securing a prisoner. 00:20:26.180 --> 00:20:26.380 Right? 00:20:26.519 --> 00:20:29.319 And in verse 22, he puts them in the inner cell. 00:20:29.539 --> 00:20:33.059 And he even fastens their feet in stocks and chains. 00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:35.579 Do you see what Luke is emphasizing? 00:20:35.579 --> 00:20:39.339 These guys are not going anywhere. 00:20:39.339 --> 00:20:47.399 It looks like that commitment to gospel growth and divine purpose has just outright failed now, doesn't it? 00:20:49.240 --> 00:20:51.959 I met a friend for coffee earlier this week. 00:20:52.039 --> 00:20:52.720 A guy called Ali. 00:20:52.779 --> 00:20:53.599 Ali's great. 00:20:53.720 --> 00:20:56.919 He's totally committed to gospel growth and divine direction himself. 00:20:57.379 --> 00:20:59.619 And he recently just returned to teaching. 00:20:59.879 --> 00:21:01.519 He'd been praying about it. 00:21:01.599 --> 00:21:03.099 Seeking wisdom from friends. 00:21:03.099 --> 00:21:06.859 He'd spent quite a long time actually trying to find a job back in teaching. 00:21:07.939 --> 00:21:12.379 And after much prayer, eventually, he did get a job here in Edinburgh as a maths teacher. 00:21:13.619 --> 00:21:18.719 And just a month into this new job, a group of girls in his class found out that Ali was a Christian. 00:21:18.879 --> 00:21:21.119 And they started grilling him about his faith. 00:21:21.679 --> 00:21:24.019 As he tells it, they really covered every topic. 00:21:24.199 --> 00:21:30.480 And it was as he was starting to explain what Christians believe about hell that he started to worry. 00:21:30.480 --> 00:21:35.480 The next day, he got a phone call from the deputy head teacher. 00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:39.539 And the girls had continued their conversation in the next class. 00:21:39.860 --> 00:21:41.579 And that teacher had reported it. 00:21:42.440 --> 00:21:46.180 And so he arrived at the deputy's office, his palms definitely sweating. 00:21:46.680 --> 00:21:53.019 And she sits him down and explains that she's going to have to check out their code of conduct and decide what to do with him. 00:21:53.980 --> 00:21:54.960 She left him hanging. 00:21:55.099 --> 00:21:56.460 She'd be in touch, she said. 00:21:56.460 --> 00:22:02.720 It looked as though his commitment now to gospel growth and divine direction had failed. 00:22:04.120 --> 00:22:06.500 I wonder how you'd respond in that sort of situation. 00:22:08.259 --> 00:22:11.900 In this place that's institutionally closed to the gospel. 00:22:13.500 --> 00:22:16.460 You've been earmarked as a religious troublemaker. 00:22:16.460 --> 00:22:19.640 And you're waiting to hear the verdict. 00:22:20.460 --> 00:22:23.279 That's the sort of situation that Paul and Silas are into. 00:22:23.799 --> 00:22:25.960 How do they respond in verse 25? 00:22:28.120 --> 00:22:31.160 They're praying and singing hymns to God. 00:22:32.259 --> 00:22:36.680 You know, Ali told me that he actually felt surprising peace about this situation that he'd ended up in. 00:22:37.600 --> 00:22:44.180 He was incredibly grateful to God for the opportunity that he had had, even in his short time there, to share the gospel with these girls. 00:22:44.180 --> 00:22:51.180 But Ali, he immediately started getting in touch with his Christian friends, asking them, like Paul and Silas did, to pray. 00:22:52.460 --> 00:22:56.400 Pray that the deputy and head teachers would be personally open to the gospel. 00:22:57.539 --> 00:23:00.400 Pray for that other teacher and the girls that they would be too. 00:23:00.960 --> 00:23:06.860 Pray for his job security so that he might have ongoing opportunities to share the gospel with those people. 00:23:06.859 --> 00:23:10.319 And this is the God of the universe. 00:23:11.439 --> 00:23:14.559 He will achieve his purposes by whatever means. 00:23:14.979 --> 00:23:17.479 You see in verse 26, read it with me. 00:23:17.480 --> 00:23:23.599 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. 00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:28.559 At once all the prison doors flew open and everyone's chains came loose. 00:23:30.059 --> 00:23:35.059 And the jailer, he wakes up, he realizes what's happened and he's ready to fall on his sword. 00:23:35.380 --> 00:23:39.140 He knows that the penalty for such a neglect of his duty would be execution. 00:23:39.140 --> 00:23:43.420 Then in verse 28, Paul shouts, we're still here. 00:23:43.660 --> 00:23:44.900 We haven't gone anywhere. 00:23:45.740 --> 00:23:49.440 And so seeing this miracle, seeing in this miracle something worth exploring, 00:23:50.100 --> 00:23:54.580 do you see the question that the Gentile jailer then asks in verse 29? 00:23:56.280 --> 00:24:00.020 Says, what must I do to be saved? 00:24:01.700 --> 00:24:03.700 Next day, Ali's back at school. 00:24:04.040 --> 00:24:04.800 It's lunchtime. 00:24:04.900 --> 00:24:06.759 He receives another phone call from the deputy. 00:24:06.759 --> 00:24:09.079 She brings him into her office. 00:24:09.220 --> 00:24:12.039 She's now got the code of conduct there on the desk in front of her. 00:24:13.319 --> 00:24:15.680 We're going to have to get the head teacher in for this conversation. 00:24:16.180 --> 00:24:17.299 It's not looking good. 00:24:18.819 --> 00:24:20.059 In comes the head teacher. 00:24:21.220 --> 00:24:24.579 But the deputy explains, and Ali isn't getting fired. 00:24:25.940 --> 00:24:28.400 Because the deputy explains that they've all agreed, 00:24:28.519 --> 00:24:31.420 according to the code of conduct, he hasn't actually done anything wrong. 00:24:32.240 --> 00:24:33.480 She's spoken to the girls. 00:24:33.480 --> 00:24:36.620 They didn't feel like he was forcing his faith on them. 00:24:37.160 --> 00:24:41.860 And everyone involved was actually quite impressed with his willingness to speak about what he believed. 00:24:42.480 --> 00:24:45.039 And with his sort of graciousness through the whole thing. 00:24:46.360 --> 00:24:50.000 You see, the school might have been institutionally closed to the gospel. 00:24:51.079 --> 00:24:54.579 But everyone involved was individually open to it. 00:24:54.579 --> 00:24:59.439 So would we pray for Ali's ongoing witness to those at his school? 00:24:59.839 --> 00:25:02.500 And would we pray for opportunities like that ourselves? 00:25:03.599 --> 00:25:09.000 And I think if we do, that even where institutions that we're involved in are closed to the gospel, 00:25:09.139 --> 00:25:13.980 whether that's at work or your school or the gym you go to, the football club, the local choir, 00:25:14.379 --> 00:25:16.220 whatever it is, wherever you are, 00:25:16.220 --> 00:25:19.259 even if it is institutionally closed, 00:25:20.799 --> 00:25:26.620 would we invest in relationships and pray that we might see personal openness to the gospel? 00:25:27.900 --> 00:25:31.579 Pray that people would ask the same sort of question as the Gentile jailer. 00:25:31.620 --> 00:25:32.519 Do you see what he's asking? 00:25:34.039 --> 00:25:36.079 What must I do to be saved? 00:25:37.480 --> 00:25:40.319 The Roman Empire may have been institutionally closed to the gospel, 00:25:40.440 --> 00:25:42.319 but do you see the personal openness here? 00:25:42.319 --> 00:25:45.299 And do you see the beauty in the way that Paul responds? 00:25:45.659 --> 00:25:46.319 What does he say? 00:25:48.220 --> 00:25:50.319 Believe in the Lord Jesus. 00:25:52.119 --> 00:25:53.259 What must I do? 00:25:53.480 --> 00:25:55.720 He doesn't say, here's what you must do. 00:25:56.299 --> 00:25:59.639 He says, look at the man that's already done it all for you. 00:26:00.879 --> 00:26:03.619 In verse 22, they share the word of the Lord with him. 00:26:04.819 --> 00:26:07.480 Maybe you're here this morning and this is what you need to know. 00:26:08.480 --> 00:26:12.159 Maybe you're not a Christian and you want to know what it means to be a Christian, 00:26:12.160 --> 00:26:13.220 to be saved. 00:26:13.860 --> 00:26:17.240 Maybe you are a Christian and you've slipped into that familiar pattern. 00:26:18.460 --> 00:26:21.320 You're here this morning feeling distant from God, 00:26:22.240 --> 00:26:25.240 feeling a sense of guilt, of inadequacy, 00:26:26.740 --> 00:26:29.560 thinking that if you can just clean up your act, 00:26:30.519 --> 00:26:32.660 you know, read my Bible a bit more, pray a bit more, 00:26:32.759 --> 00:26:34.800 turn up to church a bit more often, 00:26:35.420 --> 00:26:38.779 shoehorn myself into that spiritual place as we sing together. 00:26:38.779 --> 00:26:41.799 If that's where you're at, 00:26:42.440 --> 00:26:44.539 well, you're really asking, what must I do? 00:26:45.779 --> 00:26:48.940 And Jesus says, look at what I've done. 00:26:50.079 --> 00:26:52.379 Living the perfect life in your place, 00:26:52.799 --> 00:26:53.879 dying in your place, 00:26:54.019 --> 00:26:55.279 trust in me, 00:26:55.559 --> 00:26:57.559 look to my righteousness, 00:26:57.920 --> 00:27:00.000 see my relationship with the Father. 00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:03.819 All that I have is yours. 00:27:06.279 --> 00:27:07.440 Look at what I've done. 00:27:09.440 --> 00:27:12.539 So the jailer, he and his whole household, 00:27:12.660 --> 00:27:15.000 they respond to this incredible good news. 00:27:15.619 --> 00:27:17.799 And so in verse 33, they're baptized. 00:27:18.140 --> 00:27:19.859 Just notice the order of events there. 00:27:20.640 --> 00:27:21.819 The gospel is proclaimed. 00:27:22.259 --> 00:27:24.160 It is responded to in faith. 00:27:24.160 --> 00:27:25.460 And then they are baptized. 00:27:26.360 --> 00:27:28.759 And as they go to the Gentile jailer's house 00:27:28.759 --> 00:27:30.900 and share a meal together in verse 34, 00:27:31.180 --> 00:27:32.279 and they're free. 00:27:33.340 --> 00:27:35.040 Right at the end of the passage then, 00:27:35.259 --> 00:27:37.620 they return to Lydia's house. 00:27:38.740 --> 00:27:40.019 Who belongs here? 00:27:41.380 --> 00:27:42.660 Thank God I'm not a woman. 00:27:43.720 --> 00:27:44.940 Thank God I'm not a slave. 00:27:46.100 --> 00:27:47.600 Thank God I'm not a Gentile. 00:27:48.900 --> 00:27:51.560 Let's go back to that scene in Lydia's house. 00:27:52.060 --> 00:27:52.980 Who belongs? 00:27:52.980 --> 00:27:55.059 You've got Paul, 00:27:55.360 --> 00:27:56.960 the guy who used to murder Christians. 00:27:57.700 --> 00:27:58.740 You've got Timothy, 00:27:58.880 --> 00:28:00.259 the half Greek, half Jew. 00:28:00.680 --> 00:28:01.900 Lydia, a businesswoman, 00:28:02.059 --> 00:28:03.839 all the various members of her household. 00:28:04.019 --> 00:28:06.259 You've got this vulnerable ex-slave, 00:28:06.420 --> 00:28:07.799 the hard man, Roman soldier, 00:28:07.940 --> 00:28:09.779 and all the various members of his household. 00:28:11.180 --> 00:28:13.500 And I want you to imagine this conversation with me. 00:28:13.539 --> 00:28:14.940 We don't know that this happened. 00:28:15.039 --> 00:28:15.819 I'm making it up. 00:28:15.900 --> 00:28:19.160 But imagine Lydia has a young teenage son. 00:28:19.759 --> 00:28:21.480 And he's in complete awe 00:28:21.480 --> 00:28:23.519 of this Gentile jailer hard man. 00:28:24.200 --> 00:28:26.039 And so as the jailer walks towards him, 00:28:26.059 --> 00:28:27.539 he has no idea what to say. 00:28:27.960 --> 00:28:30.019 And so he asks the awkward question, right? 00:28:30.059 --> 00:28:31.000 The small talk. 00:28:31.559 --> 00:28:32.720 So what brings you here? 00:28:32.720 --> 00:28:36.660 I heard the message about Jesus, 00:28:37.299 --> 00:28:38.500 and I believed. 00:28:39.200 --> 00:28:40.120 What about you? 00:28:41.279 --> 00:28:43.339 I heard the message about Jesus, 00:28:43.880 --> 00:28:45.000 and I believed. 00:28:45.960 --> 00:28:47.680 Conversations all over the room. 00:28:47.779 --> 00:28:49.259 I heard about Jesus, 00:28:49.779 --> 00:28:51.000 and I believed. 00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:53.420 Earlier this week, 00:28:53.519 --> 00:28:54.779 a Christian friend of mine, 00:28:54.940 --> 00:28:56.380 she works for a church as well, 00:28:56.420 --> 00:28:57.960 and she was sitting in Starbucks 00:28:57.960 --> 00:28:58.960 on her lunch break. 00:28:59.160 --> 00:29:00.160 And when this guy, 00:29:00.279 --> 00:29:01.059 he came in, 00:29:01.119 --> 00:29:03.740 and he sat just uncomfortably close to her. 00:29:04.259 --> 00:29:04.819 And this guy, 00:29:04.920 --> 00:29:06.839 he could not have been more different from her, 00:29:06.880 --> 00:29:08.220 just like the way that he dressed, 00:29:08.339 --> 00:29:09.980 the way that he carried himself. 00:29:10.759 --> 00:29:12.140 And as she sat there, 00:29:12.339 --> 00:29:14.240 he was eating really loudly, 00:29:14.400 --> 00:29:15.319 as she put it, 00:29:15.319 --> 00:29:16.680 and she was just getting increasingly 00:29:16.680 --> 00:29:18.080 uncomfortable and annoyed. 00:29:19.500 --> 00:29:21.220 But then as she got up to leave, 00:29:21.299 --> 00:29:23.600 she realized that this whole time, 00:29:23.660 --> 00:29:24.500 he'd been sitting there 00:29:24.500 --> 00:29:25.779 reading the Gospel of John. 00:29:26.640 --> 00:29:28.360 And she was just so convicted 00:29:28.360 --> 00:29:29.920 that she got chatting to him, 00:29:30.080 --> 00:29:31.400 and it turned out that he was heading 00:29:31.400 --> 00:29:32.759 to a Bible study that evening. 00:29:32.900 --> 00:29:34.240 He'd never been to one before. 00:29:35.380 --> 00:29:37.140 And someone had said that he should start 00:29:37.140 --> 00:29:38.500 reading the book before he went. 00:29:39.519 --> 00:29:42.120 He was the last person that she'd expected. 00:29:43.000 --> 00:29:45.600 Just so different to her in every way. 00:29:46.680 --> 00:29:48.060 And so for us, 00:29:48.160 --> 00:29:49.860 even as I stand here, 00:29:51.080 --> 00:29:52.620 I wonder when we say 00:29:52.620 --> 00:29:54.340 people are welcome in this church, 00:29:54.420 --> 00:29:57.880 do we really mean welcome if... 00:29:57.880 --> 00:30:02.140 Welcome if you're like us. 00:30:03.680 --> 00:30:05.320 Or yes, you're welcome, 00:30:05.440 --> 00:30:06.960 but you can only come so far. 00:30:08.440 --> 00:30:11.779 How do we bring people into belonging with us? 00:30:12.539 --> 00:30:14.620 What barriers do we put up? 00:30:14.619 --> 00:30:17.139 Not just in terms of welcoming them 00:30:17.139 --> 00:30:17.879 into the building, 00:30:18.019 --> 00:30:19.619 but are we prepared to go out of our way 00:30:19.619 --> 00:30:20.339 to do life, 00:30:20.439 --> 00:30:22.099 to bring into belonging 00:30:22.099 --> 00:30:23.579 those Christian brothers and sisters 00:30:23.579 --> 00:30:25.539 who are just very different to us? 00:30:27.519 --> 00:30:28.819 Who belongs here? 00:30:30.599 --> 00:30:31.619 Well, as Paul puts it, 00:30:31.659 --> 00:30:33.539 as he writes to the Galatian church, 00:30:34.199 --> 00:30:36.779 there is neither Jew nor Gentile, 00:30:37.339 --> 00:30:38.599 neither slave nor free, 00:30:38.839 --> 00:30:40.299 nor is there male and female, 00:30:40.299 --> 00:30:44.379 for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 00:30:45.639 --> 00:30:47.659 Friends, in Christ Jesus, 00:30:48.039 --> 00:30:49.940 we belong here. 00:30:51.119 --> 00:30:53.259 I heard about Jesus and believed. 00:30:53.960 --> 00:30:54.680 What about you? 00:30:54.680 --> 00:30:54.700 What about you? 00:30:54.700 --> 00:30:56.240 How do you do? 00:30:58.039 --> 00:30:58.480 What about you? 00:30:58.480 --> 00:30:59.620 What about you? 00:31:00.220 --> 00:31:01.840 What about you 00:31:01.840 --> 00:31:02.720 who believe to be called 00:31:03.620 --> 00:31:06.440 a Witness quare es 00:31:06.680 --> 00:31:07.880 or a jungle hell 00:31:08.039 --> 00:31:08.460 South? 00:31:08.580 --> 00:31:11.840 A Brah plain 00:31:12.100 --> 00:31:12.860 you 00:31:13.059 --> 00:31:13.940 can find the telling 00:31:14.100 --> 00:31:14.880 things 00:31:15.660 --> 00:31:16.299 you 00:31:16.299 --> 00:31:16.420 can find 00:31:16.420 --> 00:31:18.299 you 00:31:19.380 --> 00:31:20.059 who 00:31:21.559 --> 00:31:21.720 you