Acts, Paul and Silas Jail

25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;

  26 and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened.

Into

- Macedonia

o Philippi, roman colony

- Paul and Silas

o Locked up

§ Beyond tired

· Battered, bruised and bleeding

o The people of Philippi and its governors had their way with Jesus’ disciples

                  It is here we see

- Paul and Silas in prison for restoring the life of a slave girl,

o Possessed, with a spirit of divination

§ Its Upon setting this captive free it sparks an uproar in Philippi

· The slave girl provided means for:

o Financial gain

· She was of no value:

o to the slave master anymore

o to the world anymore

o but to almighty God she was everything

§ TO THE ALMIGHTY US TODAY HERE ARE EVERYTHING

§ This world and its various masters are focused on the same thing today

· Greed

· Status

· Material possessions

o These were the driving factor that led to persecution

o Contrary to:

§  righteousness

§ Good

§ Freedom

Ephesians 4:17-19

17            So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.

18            They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

19            Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

o This world would pollute the minds of those far from God

This is the reason why we see our brothers in prison

- The word says its about Midnight

o Its quiet

o Its dark

o Most people at this time of day are fast asleep

o Its here we see Paul and Silas in a lowly state

§ Their society broke them physically

· They were bound

o Their legs were placed in “stocks”

§ Not chains or shackles

§ Instruments of torture

· Not designed with comfort in mind

· Not designed to just bind their prisoners

· They were designed to be a constant reminder of their bondage

· They were so uncomfortable from the beating

o Their flesh wanted to be comfortable so bad!

§ ~~~~~~~

§ We can only imagine their discomfort

· In the midst of all this most people of the world would grumble and complain

o We don’t like:

§ Uncomfortable

§ As followers of Christ we need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable!

o I believe Paul and Silas understood this

§ Paul himself writes in

o Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus WILL be persecuted.

§ Not a matter of IF but WHEN

· We need to be sure we have a strong foundation ready for the storm, ready for persecution

o Built on:

§ the chief cornerstone

§ prayer

§ fasting

§ reading

§ spending time with God

o We’re not building on sand but on the rock!

· Paul and Silas had a foundation built on the rock

o Despite their:

§ Storm

§ Circumstances

§ Overwhelming hurt

· They knew who the rock they built their faith on was

o PAULS TRIP TO JERUSALEM

Acts 21:10-14

  10      As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

  11      And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ”

  12      When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem.

  13      Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

  14      And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, “The will of the Lord be done!”

o The idea of bondage and death weren’t enough to move Paul off that rock

o He had his foundation built on the rock as was not moving!

- In that prison cell in that moment Paul and Silas sought after the chief cornerstone of which their:

§ Lives

§ Faith

§ Desires

o They began to:

§ Glorify God almighty

§ Pray

§ Sing

· Paul and Silas understood

o “To live is gain to die is Christ”

§ If I live I get the chance to glorify my God for the rest of my life

§ If I die even better!      

· I get to spend an eternity with Him!

And those around began to hear

- The Word does not tell us how the prisoners responded

- We have to ask ourselves, how would have we responded!?

o Those around Paul and Silas began to listen to the joyful sounds coming from men that appears from the outside completely destroyed.

o One can imagine what the jailers thought

§ Some may think that those guys are absolutely crazy

§ While others, maybe a select few saw upon hearing the praises

§ Found hope

· maybe an ounce of hope

· in a place there was no hope

o In these moments our witness to God means all the more

§ When we praise him in our darkest hour some may say

· How does this person have so much hope in a hopless situation

· How are they giving glory and honor in a doom and gloom situation

§ Then there are those that may say

· I want that peace that they have

o Despite the chaotic storm they have a peace

· I want that joy that they have

o Despite the doom and gloom circumstances they haven’t been robbed of joy

§ Those listening, and those seeing, may happen to be seeking more

· We may not notice those around us looking into the situation

o That’s OK

§ Our focus in the moment is to keep our eyes on God

· those around us looking in Find God

o Through us

o And Through us draw closer to God

§ make no mistake someone that’s looking for hope may find hope through your:

· praise

· through your worship

And when God and all His glory show up in the situation

- lives forever change

- the foundations of the mountain begin to move

- chains begin to break

- the captives are set free

o things begin to happen in our lives

o things begin to happen in the live of those around us

- consistent in the valley and on the mountain top

o when we’ve built that foundation proper

§ theres no storm

§ no valley

§ no situation

§ MOVING US!

The issue is when we take our eyes off of God

- When we focus so much on that mountain

o Begins to look a little bigger then what it actually is

- Saying this I cant help but think of Moses in the wilderness with Isreal

o Isreal was told the promise

o Was reminded the promise

§ On the way to the land they knew there would be a mountain

· The land being inhabited was not news

CLOSING

- No matter:

o How dark of situation

o How hurt we may feel

o How alone we may feel

§ Let us keep seeking the face of God