Having a Child-Like Faith

Introduction

This morning we are in Acts 16:16-34. And I’ll admit that this passage of Scripture is very personal to me, because it was Acts 16:31 that led my son to accept Jesus as his savior. We operate the AWANA ministry on Sunday nights during the school year, and, at the conclusion of the 2024-2025 school year, we allowed the students to present what they learned. Cash verse said this,

Acts 16:31 NKJV

So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

And from that verse, Cash understood that salvation comes by trusting in Jesus.

There isn’t a mathematical formula to figure it out, there isn’t a philosophy class that’s required, all that’s needed for salvation is to trust in the promise that God made to us.

And what is that promise?

The Bible says, Romans 10:9

Romans 10:9 NKJV

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

It’s more than a feeling, it’s more than a sign, it’s a promise.

My little boy, my little child, when he heard the truth of God’s word, responded to that promise in faith, and he and I prayed together like this, “Dear Jesus, tonight I am trusting in You, I am trusting that You rose from the dead, and that you’ll bring me to Heaven with you. Tonight, I confess You as my Lord, thank You for saving me.”

You don’t need a degree or the mind of a scholar, all you need to trust in Jesus is a child-like faith.

What is a Child-Like Faith?

Why is it described like that? Does that mean that we become gullible and just believe whatever the preacher says? Does it mean that we have a blind faith where we just accept Jesus for no reason? No, absolutely not. Here’s what Jesus says and why we call it a child-like faith.

Mark 10:15 NKJV

Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”

Think of a child and what they have to offer

When a little baby is born, and as they grow into a little child, everything that they have is given to them.

They can’t provide for themselves, and that’s why they need parents.

In the same way, when a person trusts in Jesus, they can’t bring anything with them that assists in their salvation. They can’t supplement their faith with logic or reason, they can’t supplement their faith with emotion and feeling. They can simply trust. They can simply trust in Jesus to save them just as a little baby trusts that his mother is going to feed and care for him.

That’s why it’s called a child-like faith…because it is embracing Jesus with empty hands and a heart full of trust.

So, when you trust that Jesus is Lord, when you trust that he died on the cross for sin, when you trust that He rose from the grave and is the salvation of man, there are many things that will happen in your life, and three of those things we’re talking about this morning.

I. Strongholds are Broken

Paul and Barnabas have parted ways because of a disagreement over John Mark. As Paul embarks on his second missionary journey, he heads for Derbe first and then to Lystra…and in Lystra, Paul finds his protege, a young man named Timothy. Timothy becomes John Mark’s replacement in the ministry of Paul, and will eventually pastor one of the largest churches in the ancient world, the church of Ephesus.

From Lystra, they traveled through Asia, until Paul received a vision from a man (possibly Luke) in Macedonia, asking Paul for help.

Once they made plans, they end up in Philippi, they take a few days to rest and to make plans on how to evangelize the city…then they get to work.

In their work, they find a woman named Lydia…a successful business woman, a Gentile woman, praying at the riverside on the Sabbath. This likely means that there were less that 10 Jewish men in the entire city of Philippi, because 10 men was the minimum requirement to start a synagogue. And there is Lydia, she’s a Gentile woman who believes in God and has converted to Judaism.

So, they begin to witness to this group of women, and Lydia accepts Christ as a little child would, with empty hands and a heart full of trust. Then, in obedience to her new faith, she was baptized, and asked that Paul and his company stay at her home. One, to care for them…two, to learn from them.

Now we get to v. 16, and Paul and his team go out again to the places of prayer to continue evangelizing the city of Philippi.

They come into contact with a girl possessed by a demon, who is under the stronghold of Satan.

Acts 16:16–18 NKJV

Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour.

This girls was out of her mind, because she was possessed by a spirit of divination. That word translated “divination” is the Greek word from where we get the English word for python.

In ancient Greece, it has to with mythology, but it was also a term that referred to a ventriloquist.

The reason that they described her has having a spirit of divination (python) is because she was the puppet of this evil spirit that has possessed her, and she was its mouth piece.

And what she was doing, and what this demon was doing, was following the Apostle Paul and his company around, and she was shouting at the top of her lungs, advertising what Paul was doing.

While this might seem like a good thing at face value, it’s really a demonic attack on the ministry of Paul and an attempt to stop the gospel from being preached.

So many times what Satan will do is use his servants to identify with the people of God, pretending to be one of them, and when they have associated themselves with the message of the truth, when they have gathered a following, they begin to lead people away into sin and oppression.

And once Paul has had enough, he performs what we know as an exorcism.

I believe in demon possession. I believe that there are a lot of fakers that would like you to think that they are fortune tellers or that they are a “python”, that they are a ventriloquist for evil spirits, but there are a lot of real ones too, and they practice this divination, and they lead people away from the truth.

What happens here, once Paul performs his exorcism, is this girl is restored to her right mind, and she’s not being used as a puppet anymore. I would imagine that she comes to a saving knowledge of Jesus, because how can you witness power of God in your life, and then not believe in the power of Jesus’s name?

The Stronghold of Possession

You see, this girl was burdened by a stronghold. She was enslaved by darkness, and she was in bondage to something that lived inside of her. She was possessed by this power.

There was nothing she could do, there was no power that she could exert to get rid of this possession from evil…but there was a power that could free her, and it was the power of Jesus Christ.

Look what Paul says

“In the name of Jesus Christ, come out of her.”

And when the power of Christ was imputed to her, darkness was eradicated and her chains of oppression were broken. The stronghold in her life was erased. By faith, Paul cast out this demon, and we can imagine, that by faith, this girls has now accepted Jesus as her savior.

But this girl isn’t the only person possessed by the tools of Satan. Many of you in here today are just a puppet of Satan’s plans. You might not be controlled by a spirit of python, but you are controlled by all kinds of various sins.

Here’s how the Bible describes humanity.

2 Timothy 3:2–5 NKJV

lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.

And if you are controlled by anything other than Jesus Christ, then you are nothing more than a puppet of Satan.

1 John 3:8 NKJV

He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

That’s what Jesus did in the life of this girl, He destroyed the work of the devil. Where there was the stronghold of possession, it is now broken because of the faith found in Jesus Christ.

And those of you possessed by sin, there is only one name that has the power to free you from your chains…the name of Jesus.

So, not only is there the stronghold of possession, there is the stronghold of oppression.

The Stronghold of Oppression

Acts 16:19 NKJV

But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.

These men were not interested in the humanity of this girl, they were only interested in the profit that she provided. They were spiritually prostituting this girl because of her demonic possession, using her as a fortune teller for their own gain.

So, not only was she possessed by Satan, she was oppressed by man’s love of money.

In the Bible, what you will find is that the gospel is primarily concerned with elevating people to a place of dignity and right standing with God.

What you will find about man is that they are primarily concerned with elevating material things above the dignity of people.

1 Timothy 6:10 NKJV

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.

And the issue here is that these men loved money in such a way that they would actively oppress and enslave this young girl for personal gain.

Now, the Bible doesn’t say that money is the root of evil, it says that the love of money is the root of all evil. Because when a man loves money, he will stop at nothing to get it. He will sacrifice his family for the job site. He will step on people to collect his bag. And even when he gets rich he’ll just keep hoarding and hoarding and hoarding, never satisfied.

And let me tell you, there are a lot more of you in here that operate this way than you realize. You have more and make more than you ever thought possible, and even now the only thing on your mind is how can I get more.

Just remember something…it’s not your lack of money that is oppressing you, it’s your lack of contentment that is oppressing you.

So that’s it, isn’t it? The issues in our lives can always be traced back to our personal discontentment.

Discontent with our self and how we look or who we are, discontent with our spouse, discontent with our job, our status, our possessions, you name it, the problem is discontentment.

But through faith in Jesus, He can break the stronghold of whatever discontentment is oppressing you, and He can bring you fulfillment and joy in your life.

Matthew 6:31–33 NKJV

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

That doesn’t mean we ought not plan for the future, it simply means that God knows what we need, and if we will live in obedience to Him, if we will dwell on His presence and His provision, we won’t be oppressed by incessant need to consume. We will be satisfied with His presence.

In this story so far, we’ve seen possession, oppression, and now we’re going to see the strong hold obsession.

The Stronghold of Obsession

Acts 16:20 NKJV

And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city;

First, they bring out the race card.

They grab Paul and Silas, the Jews, they leave Timothy behind, and they drag them to the marketplace (the Roman forum or court), right there before the magistrate of governor, and the first thing out of their mouth was, “These men are Jews.”

So, you think that we are a culture obsessed with race? Racism is the result of sin. They had nothing to charge these men with and the very first accusation they bring is that they are Jews…which isn’t an indictment, it’s racism.

Second, they accuse them on the basis of economics

They say, “these men exceedingly trouble our city”.

They weren’t troubling them before when the girl was crying out, but as soon as they lost their income stream, they went after Paul and Silas.

Thirdly, they accuse them based on their religion

They say, in v. 21, “they teach customs which are not lawful for us to receive or observe.”

Basically saying, “they speak of worshipping God but refuse to worship Caesar”. They implied that Paul and Silas were trying to start a religious revolution or overthrow of the government.

And because the world is obsessed with race, economics, and religion and is not concerned with truth, these two men who are bringing truth into the darkness are now going to be punished for their faithful Christian witness.

Acts 16:22–23 NKJV

Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.

When the Bible says that “they had laid many stripes on them” it literally translates to “they plagued them with whippings.”

Acts 16:24 NKJV

Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

The inner prison is nothing more than a hole beneath the normal cell.

It was a place that was sealed off from receiving light, a place with little ventilation.

Typically, it was a chamber that stood adjacent to the sewers of the city and so the air quality was greatly reduced.

and they were fastened in stocks, which were most likely fastened to the wall and used to stretch out the torso, which was now lacerated from the beating the just received.

So, now it’s dark, hard to breath, and the pain from the beating is unbearable.

But, when you have a faith in the Lord Jesus, when you have trust in Him as a child has trust in their parents, not only are strongholds broken, but hopelessness is erased.

II. Hopelessness is Erased

Acts 16:25 NKJV

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

Despite the circumstance, and despite the hopelessness, their trust in Jesus erased all that and caused them to sing out to God.

Even in their hopeless condition, even in the darkness of that inner prison, the truth of the Gospel was shining through, and shining through in such a way that others people were paying attention.

Now, that’s the hope of the gospel. Everyone in the world is possessed by sin, they are oppressed by sin, and they are obsessed with sin.

But when the truth of the gospel shines through the darkness, the hopelessness of the world is erased.

Let me show you it’s power.

Acts 16:26–27 NKJV

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 chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.

Now, why was this guard going to fall on his sword? Literally, he was going to take his sword, and he was going to fall on it and take his own life.

Because according to the civil law of Rome, because he lost his prisoners, he was to be flogged and he was to be publicly executed where all of his friends and family can witness his shame and his failure. So, because of his now hopeless estate, he is just going to take his own life, instead of bearing the shame of his new reality.

But let’s look at the power of the gospel to erase hopelessness.

Acts 16:28–29 NKJV

But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.

In an instant, his life when from hopelessness to hopeful, when the man of God cried out and said to Him, “We have a way to release you from your punishment, we are all here, and you don’t need to take your own life.”

People all over the world are waking up to the hopelessness of their current condition. The money hasn’t made them happy, the sex hasn’t made them happy, the drugs and the alcohol haven’t made them happy, and there isn’t a depression pill in the world that can deal with the heart of the matter.

But do you know what the Bible says about hopelessness?

John 16:33 NKJV

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Jesus says that by His miraculous birth, that by His sinless life, and that by His death, burial, and resurrection, that He has overcome all of the possession, all of the oppression, and all of the obsession of this world.

John 10:10 NKJV

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

There’s that Philippian jailer, and in that moment, when the law of the land was bearing down on him, and his new reality was death, a voice cried out and said, “Stop! I have come to offer you life!”

Well, friend, that’s exactly what Jesus did for us.

The law of God was bearing down on us…everyone of us stand guilty before a Holy God because of the things we’ve done and because of who we are…

But here comes Jesus, our advocate, our salvation, and He says, “Stop! I have come to offer you life! Believe in Me, and I will give you life!”

That’s because, when you come to Jesus with empty hands and a heart full of trust, having the faith of the child, your hopelessness is erased.

And friend, once you realize that Jesus has made a way to erase your hopeless condition, if you will just trust in Him, you will see that His salvation will be given.

III. Salvation in Given

Acts 16:29–31 NKJV

Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

This jailer went from secure, to hopeless, to saved in the matter of an hour.

And when he asked, “What must I do to be saved?” The simple reply was, “believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.”

Salvation isn’t anymore complicated than that. You can’t earn it, you can work for it…it’s simply a trust in the power and the authority of Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8–9 NKJV

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

That’s why it’s important to understand that salvation is given, because it is only something that can be given to you, you cannot earn it.

You must come as a little child to receive the grace of God, with empty hands, and a heart full of trust.

And friend, when salvation is given to you, it becomes contagious.

Just like a light shining in the inner tomb, the light of Jesus that now live in you, goes before you to shine in the darkness around you.

That’s why Paul said that his whole household would be saved…not because salvation can be passed from father to son, not because when one believes everyone is saved, but because that father and that man would now be a witness of the power of God. And when people’s eyes are open to the power of God, when they’re strongholds get broken, when they’re hopelessness is erased, and when they trust in the Lord Jesus with the faith of a little child, salvation is given to them…

Final thing…

Acts 16:32–34 NKJV

Then 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 stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.

This jailer is now compassionately washing and cleansing the outward wounds of his brothers in Christ. This is a picture of genuine repentance, that this jailer making right the things he previously got wrong.

Conclusion