The Promotion of Hope! ( Acts 16.25-34)
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About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened.
When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped.
But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”
The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.
Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.
At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay.
He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.
Intro:
“Our lifetime contains the only possibility for us to play an active part in God's plan of salvation for others.”
Wayne Cordero
........... once we get to heaven, we will never see another person who is not a Christian!
(pause)
and.......
....... as believers in Jesus Christ, we have the capacity to speak the words with complete faith,
“It is Well!”
(slight pause)
Even......
......... in conditions that do not look well.
(pause and expound)
Freedom......
......have you ever been in a situation where someone was going through a hopeless experience and you were not sure if promoting Hope made sense?
(pause)
I have...........
(Pause)
I have been in positions where I knew the room was not Faith - driven......
........and the realistic outcomes were saturated with hopelessness
and.......
.........I wondered if there was anything I could say in that moment
......that would carry enough power to promote Hope?
(pause)
But then the Holy Spirit reminds me......
If this is a situation that only God can do.......
.......Baker you do the promoting
......and let God handle everything else!
(pause)
Jesus told Peter.......
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
And some of you have stopped promoting Hope........
(slight pause)
because........
.............the world makes us think we need another option
(pause)
But........
..........the Hope I'm talking about is the kind that reinterprets life in light of Gods promises.
And......
God has a covenant of faithfulness with us through Jesus Christ.
(pause)
And so maybe God wants you to speak life to a dead room......
......because you represent the Hope that Jesus is the Resurrection, the Truth, and the Life!
(pause and expound)
Freedom......
......Stop downplaying Jesus!
(pause)
Biblical Barrel -
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Look @ somebody and say.....
“Turn the Lights On!”
(Pause)
Barrel :
I saw a clip of a preacher the other day saying how he walked into a barbershop to get his hair cut.......
.........he had an appointment with his barber, but his Barber had to cancel.
....... so he ended up getting his haircut by young lady by the name of Julie.
..... he went on to describe. Julian said how she had all of these tattoos and piercings in her hair was all over the place.
(pause)
He said.......
........ what is sit in the chair? He made up his mind he wasn't gonna say nothing because they do not have nothing in common.
(pause)
But she asked him where do you work......
........... and after he told her that he was a preacher, and she started telling him about how she had been down to the facility where he works at, in their bookstore
....... and with tears in her eyes, she begin to describe how her mother was cancer, stricken, and how she was seeking God for answers
........ she went on to say how she had gotten a Bible, but she didn't know anything about the Bible, but she was searching for answers for God to give her hope.
(pause)
And right then and right there.........
....... that preacher begin to apologize to that young lady, and tell her how he had prejudged her, and how he wanted to begin having Bible studies with her to help her to understand the word, and begin growing a relationship with Christ!
(pause)
And in essence what I believe this man of God understood is that.....
.......every single day we are given opportunities to promote Hope through Jesus Christ
and....
......these are opportunities that we can't afford to miss!
(pause and shift)
Watch the text.....
.......because what we are getting ready to discover is that
.....opportunity comes in all shapes and sizes of life experience
(pause)
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
According to verse 23 and 24.....
Paul and Silas are found in a maximum security Phillipi Prison........
.....they are under 24 hour surveilance in the innermost part of the facility
(slight pause)
........they have been beaten unmercIfully with rods across their backs
and.......
........their legs are stretched widely apart with these devices called “Roman stocks”
Not only do these torturous mechanisms prohibit escape....
......but they also create bruises on the feet and ankles causing enormous painful wounds.
(Pause)
And the text says......
At midnight they still found Hope!
(pause)
Under excruciating circumstances...........
......and suspended between hopelessness and oppression
(pause)
The Bible says.....
They talked to God.
and.......
They celebrated Gods worth with honor and adoration.
(pause)
Freedom.....
I don't know if you see this or not.......
......but Paul and Silas are “Promoting Hope!”
(slight pause)
And the reason that they are able to open their mouths @ midnight.......
.....is because in my spiritual imagination,
.......they are convinced concerning their personal hope in God!
(Pause)
See......
........they could have allowed their location to set the limits
..........they even could have looked at their painful experiences and decided to not say nothing
(pause)
But see when you are Convinced Freedom.........
........you may be lockdowned
....... but you never shut down!
(pause and expound)
Freedom......
......here's why it's important for us to be Convinced.
(slight pause)
Because the text says.....
“and the prisoners heard them!”
(pause)
Paul and Silas are........
In a Maximum Security holding area.......
Under 24 hr surveillance...........
Bleeding from the chains locked around their ankles.......
and.........
the other prisoners are over hearing them from their own personal cells!
(pause)
and according to scripture.......
they don't overhear them crying from the pain of their situations
they don't overhear them saying,
........this is a hopeless situation and things couldn't be worst!
(pause)
but on the contrary........
what they hear is.......
Paul and Silas,
Talking to God (Illustrate)
Celebrating who God is to their lives (Illustrate)
(pause)
And here it is Freedom......
because if Paul and Silas are never heard......
.......it's just another night in prison!
(pause)
Another night of...........
Hoplesseness
Pain
Regret
Loneliness
Fatigue
Struggle
Defeat
Worrying
But according to this text......
In my spiritual imagination.....
Paul and Silas said.......
.......it's too Dark in here!
(pause)
And in the middle of the night they started.......
Promoting a Hope.....
.......that Refused to go unheard!
(pause)
Freedom.......
.....I wonder if there's anybody in here that realizes
“You are being Overheard!”
(pause and expound)
There are individuals in your life right now.......
.......that are going through the same experiences you are going through.
(pause)
And you get to determine........
Will this be just another day in the life of getting through,
or.......
Am I getting ready to open my mouth and......
“Promote a reason to be Victorious!”
(pause)
Keys to Promotion
Our predicaments should not press pause on Hope promotion.
.......should actually propel our Hope higher!
(pause and expound)
Our position is determined by what we choose to believe.
.......Paul and Silas were free before they were free!
(pause and expound)
Now watch verse 26...
Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened.
Freedom......
I don't think you understand how powerful ProMotion really is!
And.....
.....the question you got to ask yourself is
.......when does the Power show up?
(pause)
because.......
.......the timing of the power being introduced
......is directly connected to the ProMotion that precedes it!
(pause)
Maybe that's why we used to sing that song......
I don't have to wait until the battle is over....
....to Shout NOW!
(pause)
Because we had a theology that says,
Lets Promote God NOW.......
......and let God handle our Later!
(Pause)
The text says.....
The earth started shaking.........
When they promoted Hope in God!
(pause and expound)
The text goes on to say.......
....immediately all the doors were opened
....and everyone's bands were loosened.
(pause)
Two words that can't be missed....
All
Everyone
(pause)
The text does not say.......
......that the other prisoners joined in with what Paul and Silas were promoting.
But......
......what it does say, is that......
(slight pause)
As a result of Paul and Silas Promoting Hope........
Not only did the powerful outcome change their personal situations......
.......but the blessing of liberation affected the entire prison!
(pause)
and I don't know about you but in my spiritual imagination.....
Not only did the prison cell doors open
but.......
the kitchen doors opened......
the bathroom doors opened.......
..........the main doors to all the entrances and exits of the prison
(pause)
Freedom......
Im trying to get you to see how.....
God responds to ProMotion
because........
Master Keys unlock everything!
if you want to see God do something mind blowing........
......start promoting Hope
to the point that God gets the glory!
and......
....watch God start unlocking doors on a Masterkey level!
(pause and expound)
Look @ verse 27....
When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped.
According to the text......
The jailer is aroused out of his sleep because of the earthquake and quickly discovers........
........ain't nothing the way it was when I laid down!
(pause)
and based on his job description and responsibilities as a jailer......
.....if the prisoners escape
.....he is supposed to be put to death
(pause)
and so based on this........
.......he decides to take his own life.
(pause)
But Freedom I need you to see that.....
......Hope can't be Real Hope
......if half of us come out better
.....and the other half comes out worse!
(pause)
If I come out of this smelling like a rose.......
.....and you come out of the same place jacked up because of it
(slight pause)
Is that really hope?
(pause)
Now the Roman law said.......
.......he should be destroyed
But the God that Paul and Silas was praying to said.....
“Hold tight everybody........
......I see another opportunity!”
(pause)
“When I loose you..........
........Stay where you at”
(pause)
and in verse 28........
Paul started Promoting Hope again!
Look at it......
But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”
Freedom.....
the reason this verse is so powerful
........Is because in this next season of promotion
......God says
.......Our voice has to be loud enough to stop others from bringing harm to themselves!
(pause)
Somebody has to be able to promote Hope loud enough
so that it suggests to others..
“No........it ain't over!”
As a matter of fact...........
“We all getting ready to make it out of here better!”
(pause)
Freedom....
Im not all that surprised that.......
.....Paul and Silas stayed
(pause)
But what amazes me.........
........is the level of influence that they have with these other prisoners!
(pause)
Because instead of leaving out of the open doors...
....they convinced everyone that God was still working on something!
(pause)
Now watch this......
The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.
Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Freedom.......
......Hope is so strong
.....that when folk figure out,
(pause)
......wait a minute,
This is what should have happened to me.....
but,
There is a Hope being promoted.....
that says......
This is what’s possible For me now!
verse 30
Here's the next Key Freedom...
Productivity through prayer and singing created a Pathway for God to be Promoted to the lost
And I came to tell somebody
........our proverbial prisons
.....should really be called pathways!
(pause)
Because......
......every single day we hit a new pathway
........every single day we get a new opportunity
(Pause)
And what I hear God saying is........
You just do the promoting.........
.....until I tell you what to do next!
(pause)
Freedom......
my Bible tells me that......
Paul and Silas offered Christ to this jailer and he surrenders his heart to Jesus through Repentance and Faith
They went back to his house and promoted more Hope through the Word of God
.......and his entire house was saved!
And in my spiritual imagination,.
the same jailer that participated in locking them up in verse 23
.....is in verse 33
.........using water to wash their stripes
.........and getting baptized in the same water.
(pause)
Because Hope says.....
If you Promote me.......
.........I'm BIG enough to SHAKE everything UP!
......and set all the captives FREE!
(pause)
And by the time I'm done.........
YALL will be sitting down together in verse 34.....
Breaking bread at the dinner table.......
Talking about.........
How good God really is......
..........And Rejoicing His Holy name!
(pause)
And I don't know how you feel about it.......
But folk can say what they want to about me rejoicing........
(slight pause)
Hoping in God is something worth getting excited about