"Beaten but not Broken"

Illustration;

This king and his servant. Everything was always good. "Thats good"

Whether it was good or bad.

One day hunting and servant loaded the gun wrong blew the kings thumb offsaid, "Thats Good"

King put him in prison.
Years Later King hunting and was caught by natives they we're going to eat him. (No thumb)
Didn't eat the King because he wasn't whole. Let the servant out of prison. Apologized

Servant said, "That's Good"
How can you say that? Servant said, "If I hadn't been in prison I would have been with you."

Slide;

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

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Intro;

Are you having trouble in the world telling whats good and whats bad in your life? No light at the end of the tunnel?

Does it seem like you keep trying to open doors and God keeps closing them?

The more you try to do for the Lord the more the world gets in your way?

Today we'll see how the Lord works in supernatural ways. Way's you may not have looked at before.

No matter how hard you try.
No matter great your intentions.

You can never match the work of the Holy Spirit.

No person, no group of people, no organization can match the work of the Holy Spirit.

Last week;

The Spirit prohibited Paul and Silas from going to Asia.

God was opening a better door.

What may be a closed door to one place is an opening to another.

Don't get discouraged when you don't get...

Promotion.
Relationship.

Trust God, He has somthing even greater in mind suited just for you.

The world has a saying, "It could be worse."

God says, "It can be better."

I want to ask you one thing today. " Are you being beat down?"

Slide: "Beaten but not Broken"

Your circumstances might have you down, but your situation is not hopless.

Slide:

Acts 16:24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

NKJV

Introduce;

NickVukicic
Life Without Limbs

The Lord done amazing things

Not in spite of his disabilities.
Because of his disabilities. His Burden ended up being his Blessing.

Play Clip;

Ask this question again;

Are you a "Are you getting beat down?"

Are you a Slave to the World or a Servant of the Lord?
What's the difference?

Slave; A person held in servitude to another.
Servant; A person held in servitude to another.

Slave is unwilling, brought under subjection/beat down.
Servant is willing, brought under protection/built up.

A week earlier Paul was at the rivers edge w/ Lydia where she heard the gospel, her whole family was saved and baptized.

Now he's in jail.
Shackles on his feet.
Dungeon of inner prison.

Lets see how he got there!

Slide; Acts 16: 16 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.

NKJV

Slave girl.
Possessed with a spirit of divination. Fortune-telling is the practice of predicting the future, usually of an individual, through mystical or supernatural means and often for commercial gain. It often conflates with the religious practice known as divination.

Demon fortell the future.
Brought her masters much profits.

Fortune telling billion dollar market (Spirit not of God)

"Spirit of divination met us"

Hindered our way.

Slide; Acts 16:17 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.”

NKJV

No sooner did Paul began a good work and Satan sends along his demons.

Illustraton;

You notice how no sooner do you become a christian/life seems to get a little harder?

Relationships go south.
Employeement dries up.
Kids start acting crazy.

Feel like the whole worlds agains you.
All your prayers go unanswered.

Many times God will say no to certain prayers in order to direct you to a road that will lead you to greater accomplishments.

Sometimes God alternitives sharpens your discernment/strengthen your faith for later.
Sometimes God just wants you to wait and listen.

God spoke to Paul v.9.

v.9 And a vision appeared to Paul at night.

Somtimes instead of looking we need to be listening.

Slide; Acts 16:18 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.

19 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.

NKJV

Paul was greatly annoyed.

He's trying to do good.
Everytime he turns around theres this woman. (Everytime he goes to the rivers edge.)

She's speaking the truth. Paul doesn't want it promonted by Satan.
It's like our dear friend Fred Phelps. He has taken some truth and mixed it with his beliefs.

That's what Satan does.

If he can't discredit the message, he discredits the messanger.

He's great with deversions and distractions.
Satan can't stop you from doing the will of the Lord but he can stumble you.

v. 19 her master saw their hope of profit...

The world beats you down with it's hope of profit.

"He who dies with the most toy's, wins"
"Get it while the getting good."
"You only live once."

I agree w/ that one. " You only live once, but it's forever!"

The world offers hope of profit.
Christ offers a hope of promise. that whosoever should not perish.

Slide; Acts 16:20 And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city;

21 and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.”

NKJV

Rome permitted the peoples of its colonies to have their own religions but not to proselytize Roman citizens.

New catch phrase "Political Correct"

That's good for you but not for me.
I'm going to live my life my way.
Just go with the flow.

Illustration;

Last night, circle 8 group
Down at the local saloon/cold ones.

The world tells you theres no ultimate Truth
Christ promises, through your Trials and Troubles there will be Treasures.

Slide; Acts 16:22 Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods.

NKJV

How many times have we seen that in scripture?

Then the multitudes rose up together!

Crowd was in this fever pitch.
Out of control.
Tore off their cloths.
Beat them w/rods.

No Trial.
No witness.
No waiting.

They beat them to appease the popular rage.

Slide; Acts 16:23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.

NKJV

Inner prison.

Bleeding wounds.
Damp and cold dungeon.
No light. Frought with Pestilence
Rusted chains from other prisoners/died in them.

Conclusion;

And we end up where we began.

Slide; Acts 16:24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

NKJV

An instrument of torture
Made of wood, bound with iron.
Holes for the feet and arms.
Uncomfortable position.

Let's be honest for a second. How's the world treating you today?

Job
Money
Relationship

I'm in inner prisondarkno light.
" I don't know what to do."

Prayer and Praise!

I don't feel like singing!
I just lost my job!
My spouse just left me.
I have a terminal illness.

I'm all bound up.
I can't get lose.
Don't see how. I've been beaten down for too long.

Slide; Acts 16: 25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

26 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.

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The foundations...

All you knew...
All you were taught...
All the world will tell you...

Nick refused to be beat down.
You can refused to be beat down.
Satan is a discourager/Christ is the deliverer.

v.26 and everyones chains were loosed...Everyone that ask.

Prayer;