Keeping the faith in troubled times.

Paul and Silas are in the city of Philippi which in Macedonia. They preaching the gospel of Jesus there, things a going good. But there was a young lady, possessed by a spirit. She was a fortune teller.

Keeping the faith during troubled times Acts 16:22-30

Keeping the faith during troubled times

VS 17

VS 1

Acts 16:17 KJV 1900

17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.

Intro: Moving ahead in Acts: Paul and Barnabas has returned from their first missionary trip. Now it is Paul and Silas. (Elab why it’s not Paul and Barnabas)

This sounds good, but it was a testimony coming from an evil spirit. Jesus never appreciated or accepted the testimony of demons. He came to destroy the works of he devil.

Paul and Silas are in the city of Philippi. (The book of Philippians)

a. Paul did not want the testimony of a demon either. So him rebukes her. VS 18

a. While they are there preaching the gospel of Jesus they encounter a young lady possessed with a spirit, and made a lot of money for her masters fortune telling.

b. Now that the demon spirit was no longer in her she no longer had the power to be a fortune teller. The ones that made money off of her were anger. They had lost an investment.

VS17

2. Now this may sound good, but it is the testimony of a demon. Jesus never accepted the testimony of demon.

Mark 1:34 KJV 1900

34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

Mark 1:34

Mark 1:34 NASB95

34 And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.

Jesus would allow the testimony of demons and Paul would accept it either.

VS 18

3. Now that the demon spirit is no longer in her fortune telling days are over. Her masters had lost their money maker and they are made.

VS 20

4. “exceedingly trouble our city”

NASB “throwing our city into confusion”

a. It is the devil that stirs things up, it is the devil that is the author of concussion.

b. These men had lost a means of making easy money.

c. Paul and Silas are bought before the Magistrate (men that had authority)

d. Now they are to be beaten.

Dealing with the troubled times. VS 22-24

When troubled times come. VS 22-24

VS 22

c. And now they are bought before the courts.

The crowd rose up together against Paul and Silas. (Mob violence) No real trail, just a mob of people.

a. The magistrates, the ones who should have told the mob to disperse, the men who should have given them a fair trail, tore off their robes, and ordered them to be beaten with rods. The people didn’t turn on them until the master of this young lady lost money.

b. Troubled times can come at you in all kinds of ways, people, situations, sickness. Sometimes when you are not expecting it.

2. We will see what happens to Paul and Silas during troubled times. And how we too can keep the faith during troubled times.

c. But take heart! God has a purpose in allowing His children to deal with difficulty. His purpose is to use these times to reshape us into the image of His Son, and, in the process, allow us to show a lost world the difference a relationship with God can make in one's life.

d. You see, the Christian faces the same kinds of problems in this world that everyone else encounters - Christians have to deal with disease, losing their job, raising their kids, working through marriage problems, getting an education, losing a loved one, dealing with change, and living in a nation that is, at times, severely divided. Christians face many of the same kinds of troubles that everyone else does. The only difference is that they have a God to turn to in troubled times.

e. For Paul and Silas, it was real bad.

Going through the troubled times. VS 22-24

VS 23

VS 22-

Acts 16:24 NKJV

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

This was not the only time Paul had been beaten.

Acts

2 Corinthians 11:25 KJV 1900

25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;

2 Corinthians 11:24–25 KJV 1900

24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;

II Corinthians

II Corinthians 1

VS 22

Paul and Silas beat with rod. Beat with anger.

a. Beaten with the hope that the would leave town and give up.

It was a mulitude of people that rose up against them.

c. Beaten with the hope that they would no longer do God’s work.

d. The jailer is given strict orders to to keep them securely.

VS 24

2. God's design is for Christians to keep the faith in troubled times. And God uses our "tests" to allow us to present a "testimony." But how? Let's see what we can learn from the example of Paul and Silas. To bear testimony in troubled times . .

These were very strict orders.

a. “inner prison” Not much if any light. Damp an cold, musty, they were in chains, and would have stocks put on their feet.

b. Think about their wounds. Beat with rod’s meant open wounds. Look at VS 33

c. They must have been in a lot of pain. They were suffering. They were in troubled times.

d. God’s design is for Christians to keep the faith in troubled times. And God uses our "tests" to allow us to keep the faith which will present a "testimony." But how? Let's see what we can learn from the example of Paul and Silas. To bear testimony in troubled times .

God’s design is for Christians to keep the faith in troubled times. And God uses our "tests" to allow us to present a "testimony." But how? Let's see what we can learn from the example of Paul and Silas. To bear testimony in troubled times .

VS 24

Praying and praising during troubled times VS 25

We’re not told what time Paul and Silas were thrown into Prison, so we don’t how long they had been there when midnight roles around.

a. First they prayed. They could have griped and complained. That’s what we do sometimes when troubled times come, or things just don’t go our way.

b. But when need to do as Paul and Silas did, pray. God had them there for a reason. Elab the jailer and his family.

c. When we go through troubled times, there is reason.

d. Through prayer, God can use troubled times I have to deal with to change you in whatever way is necessary to enable you to respond to the difficulty in the right way and reflect Christ to a lost world.

e. Every day of our life’s is a time of need, sometimes we don't always realize it. But when we find ourselves facing troubled times, I become more aware of my need of the Lord.

e. Every day of our life’s is a time of need, sometimes we don't always realize it. But when we find ourselves facing troubled times, I become more aware of my need of the Lord.

f. We need to realize our need for God, and pray. Prayer, true prayer will bring praise.

“They prayed and sang praises”

OGL “Praised God in a hymn” This must have been a sight to see and hear.

a. Every problem we face, every troubled time we go through is an opportunity to prove God's power.

b. Through praise, we acknowledge the power of God.

Every problem is an opportunity to prove God's power

c. Praise focuses our attention away from our problems to God's sovereign power. It causes us to be reminded that God is on His throne and that He is in control.

Through praise, we acknowledge the power of God. Praise focuses our attention away from our problems to God's sovereign power. It causes us to be reminded that God is on His throne and that He is in control. Through praise, we are enabled to surrender to His divine purpose and abandon ourselves to His sovereign will.

d.Through praise, we are enabled to surrender to His divine purpose and abandon ourselves to His sovereign will.

2. Praise is also a declaration of faith by which we declare the greatness of our God.

a. Through prayer we can tell our God how big our problem is; and through praise, we can tell our problems how big our God is.

b. Through praise, we show and keep to our faith in an all-powerful God who is worth serving, despite the problems we face, because we know that His power is greater than any problem, and that His purpose for our life transcends any difficulty we might encounter.

Romans 8:18 KJV 1900

18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

c. Through praise, we can present a positive testimony in troubled times.

d. Paul and Silas’ praise was a testimony throughout the prison.

“and the prisoners heard them”

Means they were listening to them”

a. When we spend more time complaining then we do praising, who is listening?

b. When we spent more time praising then we do complaining who is listening?

c. Which one is going to be a better testimony?

The results of praying and praising during troubled times.

VS 26

They had God’s men locked up, but they couldn’t lock out God.

a. While they are praying God causes a “great earthquake”

b. Why an earthquake?

Hebrews 2:3–4 KJV 1900

3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; 4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

c. This showed the power of God. Elab

c. They didn’t h

Hebrews 2:3-4

d. This was evidence of the power of God to those that were there. I am not sure if Paul ans Silas were expecting an earthquake or not.

e. The foundation was shook, the doors open and the stocks that were on their feet and the chains came off.

f. By the way, you don’t have to have something like this happen to feel the power of God in your life.

2. Elab on what is going on in the prison.

VS 27

Jailer, the keeper of the prison was taken a nap. After all with men behind locked doors, chained and their feet in stocks, there was no way to escape.

b. But now the doors are wide open.

c. When it says the jailer would have killed himself. It means, he was about to kill himself, because he taught they were gone.

d. He would have been put death if this would have happened. Elab

e. Now Paul and Silas could left, took off. But God had just done something great, God had showed His power, and now Paul was going to share His grace.

f. We will go through troubled times. God will get you through troubled times. It is His grace that gets you through troubled times.

g. Since God show us grace, we need to share that grace.

VS 28

1. It was dark, unless there was some light that came through Paul could see that this man was going kill himself. So how did he know?

a. This could very well be divine intervention. Elab

b. Paul cry’s out, don’t harm yourself, we are all here.

c. Paul is showing grace himself here. Paul could have let him kill himself, but he took a bad situation that he was in, one that God had turned around and showed grace, kindness, compassion.

d. That will go a long ways. For his troubled times were not just about concerns about himself, but about others too.

VS 29

It’s dark so he needs a light to see if everyone is still there. Elab

a. He rushed in,(didn’t just walk in) he was trembling with fear.

b. Think about had just happened with him. Paul and Silas’ singing didn’t wake him, it was the earthquake.

c. He falls down before Paul and Silas.

VS 30 (VS 31-33)

This was a man under convection. He may have heard Paul preach.

a. If Paul would not have been beaten and thrown into prison this man would not have been saved.

b. His life was changed, and the lives of his family. And I;m sure many others.

c. A church was started there.

2. Don’t let troubled times trouble you. God has a plan. If you pray and praise during these times, you will see God’s plan work in the lives of others, through your testimony.