Peace: A Presence in the Midst of Prison
Notes
Transcript
16 One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”
18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her.
19 Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. 20 “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. 21 “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.”
22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.
25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! 27 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”
29 The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” 32 And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. 33 Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. 34 He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.
35 The next morning the city officials sent the police to tell the jailer, “Let those men go!” 36 So the jailer told Paul, “The city officials have said you and Silas are free to leave. Go in peace.”
37 But Paul replied, “They have publicly beaten us without a trial and put us in prison—and we are Roman citizens. So now they want us to leave secretly? Certainly not! Let them come themselves to release us!”
38 When the police reported this, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39 So they came to the jail and apologized to them. Then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city. 40 When Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to the home of Lydia. There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more. Then they left town.
A GREAT Passage to remind us what peace is...
Some brief thoughts on the passage
This young slave girl is being extorted for her evil spirit.
She was used, and probably abused, by her masters for the financial gain she offered them.
She would follow Paul around and declare that Paul and Silas were servants of God Most High. Eventually Paul got frustrated enough that he called the spirit in the girl to leave.
The issue? Now that the girl does not have the evil spirit she cannot make money for her slave masters. Her deliverance has a financial implication for those who were her master. And, they do not like this different arrangement!!
The masters decide to have their own view of justice rule the day. They grab Paul and Silas , drag them before the authorities, create a mob, and convince the city officials to have Paul and Silas beaten, and thrown into prison. Paul and Silas were Roman citizens and SHOULD have had judicial benefits of being Roman Citizens (for example - some sort of trial, not just a mob rule).
This entire things was a miscarriage of what justice was supposed to be (and what justice SHOULD be).
But, that didn’t rob the peace of Paul and Silas!
We are told that around midnight their peace and joy shone through...
Around midnight… When things are the darkest
When Paul and Silas had every reason to be upset
When they could have sulked and pouted
When they could have shared their “woe is me” stories and discussed how unfair their life was and how improper they were treated by the people of Philippi.
In the midst of all that they COULD have done… Paul and Silas CHOSE to sing!!
Things changed when they sang...
An earthquake caused the prison doors to come off their hinges
All the prisoners had their shackles released
The jailer was going to take his life thinking the prisoners escaped
But, NO ONE escaped!
Through this experience the jailer, and his family, accepted belief in Jesus Christ.
How can Paul and Silas respond the way they did in the midst of their circumstances? In the midst of being treated terribly, misunderstood, and a miscarriage of justice, what would cause them to respond the way they did?
PEACE that leads to Joy!
A TRUE peace!
What is peace?
We have a poor definition and understanding of peace. We often define peace as the absence of conflict, or a time where nothing is going wrong etc...
This is NOT peace
Peace is NOT the absence of conflict, but the presence of God and Christ in the midst of the conflict.
Paul and Silas didn’t have peace because everything was going fine. Paul and Silas had peace in the midst of the conflict. That peace led to joy. They were able to sing NOT because everything was going well. They were able to sing because they had a peace and joy that was NOT dependent upon their circumstances, BUT WAS FULLY DEPENDENT UPON THEIR GOD AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST IN THE MIDST OF THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES.
The Hebrew People had this understanding of peace.
The Hebrew word for peace is Shalom… this conveys the idea of God’s presence, and wholeness restoring completeness and order to the world. The idea stresses that in the midst of the brokenness of the world, God is present with His people, guiding them and directing them towards wholeness and restoration. Thus there is peace NOT because everything is hunky dory, there is peace with the promise that God is at work in our situations bringing about the new and the restoration of the world.
This is why this same Paul can write to the church in Rome
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
This peace is available to ALL today!
Ultimate peace comes from being made right with God through Christ
1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
This peace comes to those who are steadfast and remember God’s presence in their life circumstances...
3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
As we keep God, and our relationship with Christ at the forefront of life God promises to keep us in peace.
Peace comes from changing our perspective to see God in the midst of our struggles
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Later to the church in Philippi, Paul writes words that encourage the church to change their perspective in the midst of their woe is me life. They are instructed not to worry over anything, they are encouraged to look for what is noble and honorable, and good, and true.
And, in doing this they are promised a Peace that will Pass all understanding. A peace that can only come from God’s presence.
True peace is not SIMPLY a gift from God - it is the VERY PRESENCE of God in the midst of our circumstances...
16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.
The Lord of peace
The Lord known, defined, characterized, qualified, as the one of PEACE. Peace is NOT simply a quality of God - Peace is a part of the character of God. Therefore, to have God is to have Peace!
Back to the Hebrew people for a moment...
When they would go to the temple, the place where God was present, before they left they were blessed with words that would give them peace. As they left that place to go through their life they were blessed with God’s presence and God’s peace...
22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: 24 “ ‘ “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” ’
We are God’s dwelling place. We, together, are the Temple of the Lord.
16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?
5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.
IF we are the Temple of the Lord, then God should be known to be in our midst. If God is known to be in our midst we should be people who embody peace.
IS God known to be in our midst?
Does peace flow from us?
How can we be people of peace in the midst of our circumstances?
How can we embody peace to our world in the midst of their circumstances?
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.