Praising in the Prison

If you have a Bible, go ahead and grab it. We’re going to be looking at Acts 16:16-34 this evening and I’m excited for it because this is easily one of my favorite stories in the entire book of Acts. Last week we were introduced to a man named Silas who becomes Paul’s missionary partner following his falling out with Barnabas and earlier in chapter 16 we are introduced to a young Christian named Timothy who would go on to be one of Paul’s closest friends, really his successor. By verse 11 of chapter 16, Paul has himself a pretty good looking group of missionary partners between himself, Silas, Timothy, and even Luke who we know to be the one that authors the Gospel of Luke and this book of Acts so this is an impressive group of ministers. As Paul is in the midst of his second missionary journey, he finds himself beginning in verse 12 at the city of Philippi and that name should sound familiar because that is the same city that Paul would address in his letter to the Philippians which we looked over this past Spring. Paul’s time in Philippi is eventful and fairly successful but as we are going to see, it is not without its own brand of troubles and you will see what I mean in just a moment as we look at these verses. Let’s open up in prayer and then we will look at Acts 16:16-34

Acts 16:16–34 ESV

As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

Paul’s Predicament

So, what is Paul’s predicament? How do he and Silas end up in prison? If you look at these verses, it is sort of strange that the people of Philippi would have a problem with what is going on. As Paul is ministering, he is being hasseled by a slave girl that is possessed by a spirit and this girl follows them around for days and she keeps saying the same exact thing. At first glance, you might look at what she’s saying and think, “What’s the problem?” because she is technically saying the truth. She cries out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” All of that was very true! She even uses the write terminology that was consistent with the Scriptures. Nothing that she says is factually incorrect so what is the problem? You see Paul recognized that this demon possessed girl was causing much more harm than good. It may have been subtle but it was incredibly dangerous. Satan was using this girl to potentially cause great harm to the Church. John MacArthur said of this, “The father of lies speaks the truth when it suits his purposes, disguising himself and his emissaries as angels of light. Some of his most effective and diabolical work is done in the name of Jesus Christ. He often uses a little truth to ensnare people in a false system of religion. Since the demon-possessed girl was agreeing with the Christian preachers, the natural assumption would be that she was part of their group. She would then have been in a position to do unspeakable harm to the cause of Christ.” One of the greatest dangers of false religions is how closely they can resemble the truth and that is what Satan intends as he masterminds these false beliefs. That’s why you can look at Islam and see that there are several similarities between what a Muslim believes and what a Christian believes, there are people mentioned in both the Quran and the Bible like Adam, Moses, and Jesus Himself but a Muslim is no more saved than an Atheist! Paul recognizes this issue and he casts the demon out of her. The girl’s owners are furious because that was their biggest source of income and so they drag Paul and Silas before the rulers of the cities and they accuse them of teaching customs that were not lawful for the Romans and that claim is what gets them thrown in prison. They aren’t thrown in prison because of a good deed done to a slave girl. They are thrown into prison because they are accused of pushing Anti-Roman practices and the last thing the leaders of Philippi want is for one of the big bosses from Rome to come and ask why they are allowing such practices to take place and that is how Paul and Silas find themselves in this predicament and in a Philippian jail cell.

How do we praise in the prisons?

How is it that Paul and Silas were able to have such a tremendous attitude as they were stuffed away inside this awful prison with their legs in the stocks? How is it that they could be beaten and forced into such an uncomfortable position and still be able to pray and praise the Lord? Let’s not minimize what these men are going through. They aren’t just chilling in a holding cell. They are bound, bloodied, and bruised. To have their feet fastened in stocks was designed to put their legs in such an awkward position that no matter how you sat, there would be pain and discomfort but despite Paul’s predicament, he is praying and praising and this really becomes the norm for him. In every prison cell that Paul would come to in his life, he praises the Lord. Look at his letter to the Philippians, it’s a joy-filled letter. Look even at his final letter to TImothy, it is sorrowful but also rejoicing! Some people may look at what Paul and Silas are going through and think, “Oh, they must have known what was about to happen because that’s the only way that they could act in such a way!” But I don’t think that is entirely true. I don’t think that Paul and Silas were praising God because they had some insider information that the Lord would spring them from prison. No, I think what made Paul and Silas act in this way is because they knew that regardless of what happened, God was still God. He was still worthy to be praised. They recognized that God deserves our prayers and our praise whether we are in the jail house or the church house. You’ve heard me say before that our circumstances, no matter how dire they may be, never get to dictate our worship. You do not need perfect circumstances to follow Christ faithfully. If you are waiting for everything in your life to be perfect before worshipping and following Christ, you are always going to be exactly where you are at right now. Now it is easy for us as Christians to praise when things are working out great right? It’s easy for us to be thankful when it seems like nothing in life is going wrong but don’t we often forget God when things are going great? Doesn’t God often use our moments of pain and desperation to point us back to Him? Remember what C.S. Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures but shouts to us in our pains.” Was that what Paul was thinking as he sat in that dark, damp prison? Perhaps but I think even more than that Paul understood that the same God that was sovereign over his freedom was sovereign over his imprisonment. Paul’s high view of God directly impacted his capacity for worship. Paul understood that God was just as worthy of being praised in the hard times as He was in the good times and this great love and awe that Paul had of his God brought out this great desire for worship. One thing that Paul and Silas recognized is that prayer and worship is for their benefit and for us as Christians, it is one of the greatest resources that we can have because both aspects extend beyond circumstances. Their is a dual usage in our worship. Matthew Henry, a great commentator and pastor in the late 1600’s said, “The singing of Psalms (worship) is a Gospel ordinance, and ought to be used by all good Christians; and that it is instituted, not only for the expressing of their joys in a day of triumph, but for the balancing and relieving of their sorrows in a day of trouble.” Do you hear what Henry is saying there? He’s saying that worship is a cause of tremendous joy and it is often used by Christians as an expression of the Godly joy that they have in their hearts but that isn’t the only use for it. Worship is also able to be a tremendous source of relief in the midst of our deepest trials. Does this mean that Christians are just stoic, impersonal, unsympathetic people? Not at all, we are obviously capable of producing a number of different emotions. Does this mean that Christians are just pi in the sky people and that we put on a happy face and get over things? Not at all. What it does say is that the greater our desire to know and glorify God; the greater our capacity for joy regardless of the circumstances. There’s a reason why Christians throughout the centuries have gone to their deaths praising and rejoicing. There is a reason why Paul is able to praise in the prison cell. There is a reason why the Bible is full of imperfect people who go through moments of great sorrow with praise on their lips and that is because they recognize the God who is there is really and truly there and He is worthy to be praised regardless of human circumstances. One great example of this is the book of Psalms. Turn practically anywhere in that worship book and you will see the saints of old who are dogged down with imperfect circumstances praising the Lord. One specific example is from David in Psalm 30. David says in Psalm 30:4-5 “Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” and then in Psalm 30:8-12 “To you, O Lord, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy: “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!” You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!” Notice that David doesn’t deny the reality of suffering or the reality of pain. The mourning doesn’t cease to exist but it is turned into dancing. Now I have been to a lot of funerals in my lifetime and not once have I ever seen a dance party break out at one. What does David mean then? He means that God alone is capable of taking us from the absolute pits of existence and place us in a position of great joy. How does this happen? By inviting us in to glorify and enjoy Him forever. That is what it means to praise God. That is what Paul is doing. He is being caught up with a great desire to express that which his heart longs for regardless of the fact that he is still in prison! Paul’s circumstances didn’t pass away yet he praised God anyway! John Calvin wrote, “Our condition in this world, I confess, involves us in such wretchedness, and we are harassed by such a variety of afflictions, that scarcely a day passes without some trouble or grief. Moreover, amid so many uncertain events, we cannot be otherwise than full of daily anxiety and fear. Whithersoever, therefore, men turn themselves, a labyrinth of evils surrounds them. But however much God may terrify and humble his faithful servants, with manifold signs of his displeasure, he always besprinkles them with the sweetness of his favor to moderate and ease their grief.” So, for my Christians in here, how can you apply this into your life? How can you apply Acts 16:25 into your life because I know that there are many Christians in here that circumstantially are not in a good place right now? I think one thing to do is not to live like the problem isn’t there. I think you don’t go out and live a life of pure obliviousness. I think what you do is you look at those circumstances and say, “here are the reasons why you won’t be the priority of my life.” And then you think to all that God has done. You go back and you read the Psalms and you look at the praises that come from that book and sing them into your own life. “Well, I don’t feel like singing.” Then start praying! It is amazing how much time you can spend in prayer when you are focusing on praise and thanksgiving. Your prayers will be very short in comparison to the vast greatness of the God who hears every single one. I think you need to remember that while their is pain in the night, joy will come in the morning. Our life on this planet is one long night and there is a new and joyful morning that we are coming to that will never end and we will see firsthand the One that will wipe our tears away. As Paul sat in that prison cell, he was able to see that God truly loved him and when you realize the depths and heights and width of God’s love for you and His greatness, you will never find a moment where praise won’t be possible. I wish we could spend more time on this but I want us to narrow in on the rest of what Luke writes in this chapter in verses 26-34.

What Must I Do to Be Saved?

This whole situation is a remarkable turn of events. There are things that happen in these verses that you cannot bring down to chance. Anyone present would readily admit that something miraculous and divine occurred. This is no maverick, random earthquake. This is a God-appointed event that seems almost entirely located at the spot of this prison. Something that might be worth noting is that practically any time that an earthquake is referenced in Scripture is in reference to God’s presence and His judgement. It’s as if in this moment, God Himself was delivering the not-guilty verdict to Paul and Silas. But Paul and Silas aren’t the only one’s that have been set free, every single prisoner is set free. Now for the jailor this is the worst possible thing that could happen and that is why he tries to kill himself. He knows that if a single prisoner that is held captive by the Roman empire escaped, he would be held accountable by the highest law in the land. It wouldn’t just be his life for their life, it would be his family, his possessions, everything would be laid bare and taken from him. In a way, this jailor is doing the noble thing because if he is dead, his family won’t have to pay for what has happened. Right before he is about to end his life though, guess what happens? Paul cries out and says, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” This too is incredible! These criminals, and we don’t know how bad they are or what their crimes were but we know it must have been bad because they were being held in the deepest part of the prison, these criminals have no reason to stay in the cells. The doors are open, the bonds are let loose, they’re free to go and who is gonna stop them? But not a single one leaves that cell. Why do I think this happened? I think it is because they have come face to face with God Himself. I think they have heard the prayers and the hymns of Paul and Silas, they have recognized that their God has brought about their freedom, and they are glued to the ground in awe of what God has done. Do I think that every prisoner was saved? I’m not sure but I do think that there was not a single person there who did not taste and see that the Lord was good and was all-powerful. There wasn’t a single person there who was left wondering about who the God of Paul and Silas was. God does some of His greatest work while we are in the midst of the prisons of our lives. Finally, in verse 30, Paul gets the question that every minister dreams of being asked: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved.” I don’t think the jailor was asking Paul how to be saved from the Roman empire. I think the jailor heard about Jesus Christ, heard about the God that Paul and Silas were singing of, and had seen God move in judgement and wanted to know how he could be saved not temporarily, but eternally. Not physically but spiritually. And Paul gives him a simple answer: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” That’s probably the most straightforward answer that you could give but it is true. Paul didn’t need to use 1000 words when 10 did just fine. These 10 words changed the life of this man and Luke makes it clear that Paul didn’t just say these 10 words and leave him there to figure it all out. We read in verse 32 that the apostles spoke the Word of the Lord to him and to his household. In this section of scripture, we see 2 great deliverances: We see Paul and Silas delivered from the prison and we see the deliverance of not just this Philippian jailer but his entire household is delivered from the bondage of sin and self. Their is no greater deliverance than when God delivers a man or a woman from the enslavement of his or her sin. One commentator also said that in these verses we see 2 deliverances and 2 washings: the jailer washes the wounds of Paul and Silas and Christ washes away the sin of the jailer and he is physically washed as he is baptized. What I want to say quickly in closing is that if there is anyone here tonight who has not been saved, then there is something in here that you truly needed to hear. If you have not believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, then you are shackled to sin and the time will come when God will move in judgement of your sins and you will either have to answer for the wrongs you have done, you will have to answer as to why you have rejected God, and unlike the jailer, you won’t have anyone that will step in and say, “I am still here.” You will have to answer for your own crimes, atone for your own sins and failures but unless you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are lost. But even now in the darkest moment of your life, when all hope seems lost, Jesus Christ says to you, “Do not harm yourself, I am here.” You do not have to pay for the things that you have done. Jesus Christ has stood in your place to take the punishment that you deserve and all you have to do is believe in Him and you will be saved. Tonight may be the night where the darkness of your heart has been lit up by the Gospel and tonight may be the night where you cry out, “What must I do to be saved?” Well, the answer lies before you: you must be born again. Adrian Rogers said, “When this poor pagan said, “What must I do to be saved?” They didn’t hold up good deeds. They didn’t hold up good works. They held up Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ, master, mediator, Messiah. Believe on Him.” The Holy Spirit may be shaking your heart up right now harder than an earthquake on a prison cell and if He is doing a work in your heart today, the only thing that I can place before you that will be worth any salvation, any comfort, any joy is Jesus Christ. Let’s pray together and then we’ll worship.