Wrong Place, Right Time

Have you ever been in the wrong place at the right time and it changed someone’s  life?

ILLUST – meeting Christine for the first time – wrong place – office / right time – meeting her

- we discovered later that we probably saw each other several times before; in the right places, but at the wrong times.

I’m not sure why you’re here tonight – maybe you feel you’re in the wrong place, but I trust that God has you here at just the right time.

I want to take a look at a story of another person who was in the wrong place at the right time and it changed the life of a whole family.

Paul – whose life had been transformed by the gospel is now traveling all over starting new churches and telling anyone who will listen about Jesus. He’s already completed one journey and now he is on his second. After being stopped by the Holy Spirit from going to certain places, God directs Paul to preach the gospel in Greece, so (it says) Paul and his companions immediately set sail for Greece, stopping in Philippi, which is where this story picks up. 

Acts 16:16–34 “16 As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. 19 But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21 They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. 23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,

26 and 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 bonds were unfastened.

27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.”

This story is about a family / household totally transformed by the gospel.

3 things about the gospel:

It's God’s work not ours. (is God at work)

God’s Work Came unexpectedly

▪ At the end of a very bad day – It came after they were lied about, attacked, beaten, and arrested. That’s a bad day.

Yet the very next statement (v 25) says they were praying.

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,

▪ Would you dare to believe that God is at work – even in your very bad days?

When you recognize God’s work in your life, it allows him to work through your life.

God literally shook the earth for his servants.

God’s Work Came relationally

▪ Came through willing servants - Gods work through His servants

▪ The gospel was shared to the jailer because these guys were ready and willing to be used by God anytime

▪ What would have happened if they grumbled instead of singing hymns?

▪  The prisoners "heard" them. What do your coworkers hear from you at work during a bad day? Maybe that's why you haven't seen the gospel at work.

God’s Work Came powerfully

▪ God sent an earthquake to rock the jailer’s world.

▪ Sometimes God needs to rock our world to get our attention. How about you?

▪ The gospel answers our deepest need

▪ The jailer thought his deepest need was his status / job.  He was prepared to commit suicide

The need for salvation - to be made right with God - was his deepest need. Gospel

3 The gospel is simple yet profound

Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

◦ He, like the other prisoners, probably heard about Jesus as Paul and Silas talked, prayed, and sang in prison.

◦ The answer to the jailer's question was the same for him as for his children. He, a soldier, would not need to do anything different to be saved, than an innocent child.

◦ "Believe in The Lord Jesus"- Caesar no longer 'lord' - Switch your allegiance and make Jesus everything in your life.

◦ The gospel is simple enough for a child, yet profound for even the greatest scholar.

◦ The gospel is easy to hold, yet hard to grasp.

3 The gospel makes a difference in your life (produces fruit)

And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

Called for Obedience

▪ Their response to the gospel was obedience. They were baptized.

▪ Jesus could command our obedience. Instead, he engenders our love when we realize all that he has done for us. He wants you to love him. How do you show a king that you love him? You obey him. That's why we obey. Not because he demands it, but because we offer it.

Transformed their Love

▪ The guard and his household were changed. You can tell because at the beginning of the story he was guarding them in prison, and at the end of the story he is feeding them in his house.

▪ "They will know you are my disciples by your love for one another"

Gave Them Joy

▪ The priorities of the jailer's life had changed. He went from desperate (ready to kill himself) to joy.

▪ He had been worried about his job, and now he is rejoicing with his family.

▪ He still needs to explain all this to his supervisors, but his focus has changed.

Maybe tonight you feel as though you’re in the wrong place – physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

Is God at work in your life tonight?

You’re not sure why you’re here. You are still in your faith journey. You see others singing when they should be crying and you want to know what the difference is in their life.

OR you’ve trusted in Jesus but you are at the end of a very bad day/week/month /year. You are not where you expected.

The gospel is still powerful.

Jesus is still able to shake the earth and free you.

He still calls you to obedience. HOW?

Still able to transform you. HOW?

Still able to give you joy. HOW?

Tonight IS the right time. Today is the day of salvation.