Paul and Silas In Prison

Intro

Have you ever had something come up in your life and you weren’t sure how it was going to turn out?

Maybe you had to move or start at a new school.

Maybe you had to show up to a new school or a new church and you didn’t know anybody there at all.

Kind of scary stuff sometimes, things about our future that we aren’t sure about, right?

We all go through times like this sometimes, and often we have no idea of how things are going to turn out.

During times like these, it can even feel like life is totally out of control.

Today I want us to look at an incredible story where things got scary and uncertain for Paul and Silas, yet God was in control, and He changed the outcome of everything through rescuing them from prison.

Lesson

Paul and Silas went through some tough times, didn’t they?! They were beaten by a crowd of people with rods, and then thrown into prison.

Doesn’t sound like the best day of their lives, does it?

Notice however what Paul and Silas began doing while in prison. It’s late, midnight to be exact, and the Bible tells us that they began praying and singing hymns to God.

And suddenly, the miraculous happens.

A great earthquake violently shakes the foundations of the prison, so much that all the doors open and everyone’s chains were released.

The jailer was terrified, and knew that things weren’t going to end well for him since everyone in the prison had gotten free under his watch, so that he wanted to die.

But Paul cried out to him with a loud voice, don’t harm yourself, for we are all here.

The jailer asks Paul and Silas a simple, yet really important question:

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Have you ever wondered that question?

What must I do to be saved?

The question, however, is ultimately not about what you should do, but about what Jesus has done for you. Notice what Paul and Silas told the jailer.

They didn’t tell him to go sell his possessions and give to the poor.

They didn’t tell him to be a nice guy and don’t get angry with other people anymore.

They didn’t tell him to never think a bad thought ever again.

They told him:

Acts 16:31 ESV

31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

What did he do? He believed!

Paul and Silas told this to everyone in his household, and during that night the jailer washed Paul and Silas’ wounds and then he and his family were baptized.

He then fed Paul and Silas, and he rejoiced with his family that they had believed in God.

Application

What can we learn from this story?

Well first: God is in control, even when things get scary or uncertain.

Even after Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison, God was in control, and He rescued them from prison.

Second: God can use us even in the midst of uncertainty to point others to Him.

God used Paul and Silas to share the good news of Jesus with the jailer and his family that night, and because of God using them and by the power of the Gospel, he and his family were saved!

What should we do?

We should remember that God is with us, even when it gets scary, even when it feels uncertain.

We should also use any opportunity we get to point others to Jesus, even in tough situations in our lives. God can use the difficult things in our lives to point others to Him when they see how we react.

When Paul and Silas were in prison after being beaten, and they were praying to God and singing hymns to Him, people noticed. Then when the earthquake hit, they knew something was up. Paul and Silas were quick to point the jailer to Jesus as the way to be saved.

We can praise God even when times are difficult and we can also share the good news of Jesus with others, even when it’s not easy to!