Sermon Tone Analysis

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

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.