Breaking The Chains of Darkness

Last week, we read that a slave girl who had a demonic spirit who making her masters much profit by fortune-telling, began to follow Paul and his missionary team for many days, shouting that these men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation. Paul became greatly annoyed, not wanting to give the impression to the public at large that this slave girl was affiliated with their missionary team in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, he turned to the spirit, and said, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” Luke writes that the spirit came out at that very moment.

The Reaction From Her Masters

Acts 16:19 “But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market place before the authorities,”

The masters had purposely enslaved this girl for their financial gain. The chains of darkness of slavery that held her in physical bondage and the chains of darkness of demonic spiritual bondage now has been broken by name of Jesus Christ, and instead of thanking God that this slave girl was delivered from demon possession they were enraged that their means of making a profit off of her was gone and they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market place before the authorities.

People who are driven by the forces of darkness, who seek after money at the expense of people, will come against anyone who will stand in their way from making money. 

The Bible tells us that the love of money is the root of all evil. Paul writes in his letter to Timothy, in 1 Timothy 6:9–10 “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

The mistreatment of Paul and Silas

Acts 16:20–24 “and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion,” The slave girl’s masters purposely made false accusations against Paul and Silas. They hadn’t caused any confusion to the city of Philippi they were simply sharing the gospel with people they met and they had delivered a demon possessed girl which ended these men from making a profit. Since they couldn’t level a charge against Paul and Silas, for causing them to lose the ability to profit off of a slave girl, they were met with hostility. In retaliation, the accusers resorted to a different tactic: they invoked race and religion, telling the magistrates that Paul and Silas, being Jews, were proclaiming customs—another word for religion—that were not lawful for Romans to accept or observe. This was a critical statement because although the Romans allowed Judaism to be a legal religion within their empire, the Romans prohibited the Jews from making converts of Roman citizens.

The accusation that Paul and Silas were proclaiming a monotheistic religion, that there was only one true God, and this wasn’t lawful for the Romans to accept or observed, for the Romans were polytheistic, they worshiped many gods, this included Emperor worship which was a key part of Rome state religion, they regarded emperors and members of their families as gods, and this caused the crowd to joined together to attack Paul and Silas, and the chief magistrates, tearing their garments off of them, proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods.

The men who were ordered to beat Paul and Silas were called Lictors who were Roman officials who served as attendants to the magistrates. They carried fasces, a bundle of rods and were responsible for carrying out physical punishment. (see picture).

v.23 And when they had inflicted them with many wounds, which would have left Paul and Silas bruised and bloodied, they are then thrown into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely, who, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. This was to ensure that they couldn’t escape, so they thought. For God is about to break the chains of darkness.

Acts 16:25 “But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” 

Don’t miss this. Paul and Silas have been falsely accused, severely beaten, and thrown into jail, feet chained to stocks not knowing what may become of their lives at the hand of evil men, they are in the midst of their darkest hour, but instead of complaining they are praying and singing hymns of praise to God!

Many of you are complaining and criticizing when you are going through our darkest hour instead of praying and singing praises to God. How Paul and Silas acted during the midst of their darkest hour ought to serve notice to you that your praise to God isn’t contingent upon when things are going great, but you need to rejoice even when you’re facing trials. Do what Scripture commands in

Philippians 4:4“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”

James 1:2 “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials,”

1 Peter 1:6–7“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Please understand that the genuineness of your faith is proven not when everything is going perfect in your life, but it’s proven when you are rejoicing in the Lord during the darkest times in your life. This shows that you have faith in God’s sovereignty, and that there is no circumstance that is beyond His control.

Job, who was stricken with boils, lost his wealth, his servants, and his children yet, he never cursed God and never lost his hope in God. Job said,

Job 13:15 “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless, I will argue my ways before Him.”

As a believer no matter what circumstances in life that has come your way, you must “know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28).”

While Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, v.25 (b) says, “and the prisoners were listening to them.”

When you are going through your dark times people are watching to see how you will respond during your dark times and it will serve as either a discouragement or an encouragement on how they view Christianity and the God you say you have faith in.

Acts 16:26 “And suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the jailhouse were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened.”

As the prayers and praises to God went up, suddenly the blessings of God came down in a great earthquake, so powerful was this earthquake that it shook the very foundation of the jailhouse and immediately all the doors were open and everyone’s chains were unfastened. What a mighty God we serve. He has the ability to open doors that have been locked and break every chain of darkness that has a person bound.

Acts 16:27 “And when the jailer awoke, the magnitude of the earthquake awaken the jailer, and he saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.”

The jailer was scared to death that all the prisoners who he was commanded to secure in the jail had escape, and he knew that as a Roman soldier if a prisoner had escape he was responsible to pay with his own life. The fear of facing a Roman trail and a public execution became to great for him to imagine, and he is now bound by the chains of darkness having the feeling of having no hope at this very moment and he decided to commit suicide.

Breaking the chains of darkness of attempted suicide

Acts 16:28 With his sword in his hand and ready to kill himself the voice of  Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!”” Paul, who God had set free by breaking the chains that had him bound, is now breaking the chains of darkness of attempted suicide by this jailor by letting him know don’t harm yourself, there is nothing to fear, for we are all here. Many times when God breaks the chains of darkness that had you bound, He does so that you can be of some help to break the chain of darkness that has someone else bound.

Then we see the breaking of chains of spiritual darkness

Acts 16:29–34 “And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” God broke the chains of self-righteousness, and God placed it upon this jailor’s heart ask Paul and Silas what must I do to be saved.

And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your house.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his household. And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. And he brought them into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly with his whole household, because he had believed in God.”

God used a earthquake to break the physical chains to save Paul and Silas, but also to break the spiritual darkness to save this jailor and his whole household to believe in God.

Deeds of darkness need to be brought to light

Acts 16:35–37 “Now when day came, the chief magistrates sent their policemen, saying, “Release those men.” And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The chief magistrates have sent to release you. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” But Paul said to them, “Having beaten us in public without trial, men who are Romans, they have thrown us into prison. And now are they sending us away secretly? No indeed! But let them come themselves and bring us out.”

I love Paul. They openly arrested Paul and Silas, didn’t allow them to have a public trial, give their side of the story, nor allow cross-examination of their accusers, and then to be beaten publicly. No, Paul wasn’t having it. He and Silas were Jews, but they were also Roman citizens, and he knew the magistrates were in the wrong in the way they handled them, and he wasn’t going to allow them to usher him and Silas out of that prison secretly. Paul wanted a public apology, he wanted their deeds of darkness brought to light, which would have given him and Silas an opportunity to publicly share their testimony and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

v.38-39 And the policemen reported these words to the chief magistrates. They were afraid when they heard that they were Romans, and they came and appealed to them, and when they had brought them out, they kept requesting them to leave the city. The magistrates knew that Paul and Silas could have brought charges against them for how they were treated as Roman citizens, and they wanted them to leave the city quietly.

But Paul and Silas had other plans.

v.40 “And they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia, and when they saw the brothers, they encouraged them and left.”

I can only imagine the words of encouragement that Paul and Silas shared with Timothy, Luke, and the brothers and sisters in Lydia’s house. I’m sure Timothy and Luke who were Gentiles, probably asked Paul and Silas why they didn’t tell the magistrates that they were Roman citizens when they were arrested.

The logical answer is that God didn’t put it on their heart to tell them that they were Roman citizens. God had purposed their arrest, beating, and deliverance by an earthquake to break the chains of darkness to deliver the gospel of Jesus Christ for a jailer and his household for their salvation. This lets us know that God will use unconventional methods to accomplish His will to break the chains of darkness to save lost souls.