Breaking Down Prison Doors
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 303 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
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.
Nothing should imprison the child of God.
Do you feel like you are in prison today?
Are you not sensing that breakthrough that God has promised?
Background - Second Missionary journey, Macedonian call, Philippi, the slave girl with spirit of divination.
What is true freedom that the Lord Jesus talks about?
Paul and Silas were thrown to jail but they were not the real prisoners in that jail.
True freedom does not depend on circumstances.
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,
It was easy for Paul and Silas to complain and rightfully so:
to people (tell of their negative plight to the prisoners, they were listening, misery loves company)
to authorities (injustice, they were Roman citizens)
to God (we are doing your work Lord! You redirected us from going to Asia to go to Europe, then this is what we get?)
Paul and Silas were in pain. When you’re in pain, the midnight hour is not the best time to be doing praise and worship.
By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
“Songs in the night come only from God; they are not in the power of men.” - Charles H. Spurgeon
2. True Freedom is not about self.
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.”
One thing about grace, it is about the welfare of others and not ourselves.
We have received grace and we are to give grace.
Grace and forgiveness come together. They harbored nothing against the jailer.
Paul also cared about the other prisoners - “we are all here, everyone is accounted for!” there may be a few other prisoners..”is everyone ok?” Paul must have asked.
The earthquake:
When the power of God is truly at work, the spiritual breaks through the natural.
(healing, praise and worship sessions)
God is always at work.. we can just suddenly see a breakthrough, things may be so bad around us but in an instant the Lord can orchestrate a great awakening - Damar Hamlin
3. True Freedom is a life wholly given to Christ.
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.”
Paul and Silas: they are all about the Gospel of Christ. They could have responded, get us out of here first! “What planet are you from”, the jailer must have asked.
Preaching the Gospel is not a duty, it should be a natural response of what the Lord has done in our lives!
The jailer: trembling with fear, he knew something awesome has taken place.. the Spirit of God is already at work.
His first question: What must I do to be saved? Because Paul and Silas must have been showing the great love of God...
Never quit talking about Jesus to people, they may reject you now but someday, they may have no one to turn to except you..
Their response: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Household - this is not automatic salvation for the household, it is not salvation by proxy — explain
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.
Happy ending. I believe the other prisoners were saved too.
In closing.. true freedom is freedom indeed.. which means freedom in every sense of the word.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
The word “indeed”. - free in every way
You feel you are imprisoned by the circumstances and the people around you. This person in my life is holding me back..learn from Paul and Silas.. If you have wholly given your life to Jesus — nothing or no one should really hold you back! stop blaming others..
If you have wholly given your life to Jesus — nothing or no one should really hold you back!
Some people feel they are prisoners of their past..
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
We have heard this before: “I have such a bad memory of that place.”
This should be what Philippi was to Paul - A place and experience he would have consigned to forgetting about forever.
But no, it became not about the authorities there, the people, the physical beating — it became about the spiritual victory.
Later when he was imprisoned in Rome, Paul wrote to the church of Philippi, the most heartfelt and joyful of all his letters:
Just a few examples of what he wrote:
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Now brother and sister - This is true freedom!
Let us pray.
