Opening Jesus' Authority

Acts 16:25–34 NIV

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

Introduction: Paul the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch.

19 - Everyone Must Serve Someone.

Lyrics from Bob Dylan - https://www.bobdylan.com/songs/gotta-serve-somebody/

Things people are serving in this passage.

Women possessed by evil spirit. “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!”

Her owner who was exploiting her demonic possession - Serving profits

“These men are proclaiming customs that are not permitted for us to accept or to practice, Because we are Romans!”

Magistrates had them flogged.

The Jailer had to serve the Magistrates orders.

Slave girl served her owner/the demon, the owner served his idolatry/other gods incl. money, the Philippian rulers served the gods, and the Jailer served the town rulers. - Paul and Silas serve Jesus, and Jesus blew everything up.

1. While Paul and Silas were in prison, an extraordinary thing happened: there was an earthquake. The earthquake was so strong the doors of the jail were broken and the cells opened up. But contradicting expected behavior, Paul and Silas restrained the prisoners, and everyone remained in their cells. Why is this important? Because the actions of the jailer show us that he was faced with a great failure. His honor was on the line (in an honor-shame culture), and if the prisoners had escaped, then death was his only response (Acts 16:26–28). Have you ever been publicly embarrassed? Have you ever messed up in such a way that you cannot see how things can ever be fixed? Have you ever felt that hope was lost? That nothing could ever be the same again? That’s how the jailer felt in that moment when he saw the open cell doors in the jail.

Play handcuffs illustrating that we are slaves to who we serve.

But...

20 - Jesus has ultimate Authority.

1. The details that follow show the heightened emotions the jailer was experiencing. He calls for the lights, rushes in, and, “trembling,” falls down at the feet of Paul and Silas. At some point, he stands and escorts the prisoners out of jail and asks them a question: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:29–30). Why did he ask them that question? The jailer is in an emotional state: he has just survived an earthquake, his honor has been preserved, his job (and probably identity) are unexpectedly secure, though he had been within a hair of losing them all. And in this moment, suddenly the only thing he cares about is the ultimate thing: his salvation. How can he be saved? How can he be delivered? In the face of so much temporary turmoil, the jailer wants to know how he can experience something that is eternal.

If Jesus cares about saving him physically, politically, He is wondering how he can also be saved Spiritually as this is what Paul has been preaching.

1. But why did the jailer ask Paul and Silas how to be saved? We don’t know for certain, but it’s probably safe to say he asked them because he had just watched them demonstrate their faith in two visible and powerful ways. The first was their worship. Before the earthquake, but after their imprisonment, “about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25). Most likely, so was the jailer. Remember, the context of this worship is they were unexpectedly attacked by a mob; the Scripture says they were beaten multiple times (v. 23) and then thrown into prison where their feet were chained to stocks (v. 24). Their response? “Let’s pray to God and worship him by singing songs!” One can’t help but wonder if they had black eyes and broken lips and were covered in dried blood as they sang these hymns. Yet they lived out their faith in Jesus by giving him glory even when they were in “the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4).

21 - Opening the Door of Jesus’ Ascension - He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Paul and Silas are following Jesus’ authority here. - other times Apostle’s left - Peter as the Angel guided him. Paul and Silas submit to authorities under the authority of Jesus.

22 - We are saved by faith alone, but that faith is lived out. When the opportunity for escape came, instead of saying, “Well, God must not want me in jail, so I’m out of here,” they recognized the God-given authority of their jailer and the magistrates who had put them there and stayed when they had the opportunity to escape. James wrote that faith without works is dead (James 2:17). True faith cannot be anything other than lived out. And so Paul and Silas lived out their faith in worship and by honoring the authorities, and when the jailer saw it, as Tim Keller says, “He was probably asking: ‘what do you have that makes you so? without it, I can’t survive!’” (Tim Keller, Evangelism: Studies in the Book of Acts [New York: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2005], 87–91). The result of Paul and Silas’s answer is incredibly touching. The jailer washes their wounds, is baptized (along with his household), and then takes them into his home and feeds them (Acts 16:33–34).

- Doing Ministry in the Hospital, (Paul in Prison as an illustration) - Progression - Meetings/Walkie-Talkies, to Faith, Hope and Love, to people in the Hospital.

Benjamin - Blessing an unhappy Nurse who did not want to be there.

Paul and Silas served the Lord, take off handcuffs, even though they were chained, they were free, and even when they were free they served Christ.

23 - Salvation comes by trusting Jesus as Lord.

- Noticing that the authority of Jesus is not gently and lovingly applied - It is recognized not forced upon - Verna - The Lord is a gentlemen.

That Jesus is Lord ultimately means you submit to having Jesus influence and guide you in all aspects of your life.

Look at how it has grown Paul and Silas by having Jesus as their Lord. They are able to sing praises to the Lord even in their troubling Time.

Look how Faith in God influences others around you. All of the other prisoners were listening to Paul and Silas’ worship, they perhaps knew it was for the Gospel (casting out a demon) they were in Jail. Somehow as a result they did not leave in the midst of the earth quake either.

The Jailer and household - Baptized as a symbol of the reality of Jesus in their life. He is now ultimately free from his chains to the government (ie he shows hospitality to Paul and Silas) but now serves Jesus.

Many of us tend to think we're not saved if we don't have that "great earth-shaking moment of conversion. We need to know that it doesn't happen that way for everyone. For some it does, but Trusting is all you need. This is a Trust that puts your allegience in Christ above all other allegiences. You are not any more or any less saved if you do, or if you do not have that earth-shaking experience.

24 - Application Points:

Trust Jesus with your life.

To be saved

To grow in true freedom and a relationship with Jesus.

To point others to Christ.

25 - Here is the result:

Jailer and family were saved.

the magistrates realized Paul and Silas were OK. - So the Gospel blessed the place.

Reconciliation - Paul and Silas as Roman Citizens - the Magistrates had to submit now to Paul and Silas and apologize.

Conclusion:

God Guides: “God’s Guidance Changes a Merchant” - pg. 46

Reference the Reformed Confessions: The Reformed Confessions are statements of faith written to clarify the Gospel at times when the Church was in crisis. Heidelberg Catechism: Q&A 1, 20-23, 46-51, 61 Belgic Confession: Articles 22 Canons of Dort: Head I: Articles 2-7; Head II: 6-7; Head III & IV: Articles 13-14