We Will Not Go Quietly Into the Night
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· 290 views11/14/2021, PM Worship
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good evening and welcome back!
This evening we are going to be looking at the Acts of the Apostles.
Specifically, we are going to be in Acts 16, verses 35-37.
And we are going to be talking about NOT GOING QUIETLY INTO THE NIGHT.
Many times in our Christian walk, situations and circumstances will arise in which Satan is attempting to silence us and destroy out witness for Christ.
He would like nothing better than for us to retreat back into our church and never let the light of God shine through us in our community.
We see it in our world today with all the "politically correct" things that are going on.
And to be clear, what I mean by “politically correct” is others trying to dictate your thoughts and beliefs and ostracizing you if you think just a little differently than they do.
They try to shun you and drown God out with everything they can.
They do everything they can to oppose God and when God's people stand up, God's people are treated like everything they do or say is evil.
They can do no wrong and we can do no right in the world's eyes.
And this is where Paul and Silas find themselves at in our Scripture for this morning.
Our Scripture picks up as they, along with Timothy are traveling Philippi sharing the Gospel with people.
We pick up toward the end of a situation where Paul and Silas found themselves on the wrong side of the people in town.
They had actually done a good deed, but it had been twisted and tainted and they suffered greatly for it.
That's just like Satan isn't it.
Take something good and try to make something evil out of it.
At any rate, our story (and I always hesitate to use the word "story" because that implies that what we read is fictional, "a story."), picks up in the aftermath of their ordeal.
So, Acts 16, starting in verse 35, Luke writes . . .
Scripture Focus
Scripture Focus
When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.” But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”
Torment of the Enemy
Torment of the Enemy
Now, in order to understand how Paul and Silas ended up in the mess they ended up in, we have to go back a little bit and pick up some of the backstory.
If you back up to verse 16, of that chapter we find out this . . .
Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.”
So, here are Paul and Silas and they are traveling through the city spreading the Word of God and this Demon Possessed girl starts tagging along behind them.
This girl was not only demon possessed but she was a source of income for her "owers."
Do we see how messed up this situation already is?
Here we have these guys taking advantage of this girl making a dollar off of her because of the demons inside of her, she is able to "soothsay" or tell the future.
She is like these psychics and mediums we have today.
The only difference is that today, most of them choose to invite the devil in.
There are no longer human masters over them, but rather Satan himself.
They are lured in by the almighty dollar and sell their soul to Satan for the chance to make it big or make some money.
Now, with that said, a lot of what we see today is fake, but make no mistake, through some evil power this girl was able to tell the future, and that still happens today as well.
It's evil though and we need to stay away from it!
At any rate, here we have this demon possessed girl, telling the future, making money for her masters and for some reason she decides that she is going to follow Paul and Silas around and torment them a little.
The devils inside of her couldn't stand the fact that these men were sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, so they determined that through this girl, they were going to be a thorn in their side and were going to do whatever they could to mock God and cause them trouble.
So, the girl begins to follow them around saying, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved."
Now, that was true, wasn't it?
Of course it was. However, she wasn't doing it in a way that she was giving a testimony or sharing facts.
She was mocking them, making fun of them.
It went more like, "these two guys claim that they serve God and can tell us how to get saved" and "they are better than the rest of us. We're all evil and bound for hell and THEY are going to show us how to get saved."
You see the derogatory tone?
It's that same attitude and spirit that we see going on in the world today.
Here's an example.
The world says there is no God.
A few years ago, they even hung a billboard up in Lexington to make their point.
Did anybody throw a fit? NO, it was just "their right."
It didn’t even make the news until one of the Lexington churches responded with a billboard of their own.
It was actually the LaFayette Church of the Nazarene who purchased their own billboard.
The first billboard read "Don't believe in God? Join the club." and gave a web address of some atheist group.
The one that LaFayette put up read "We Believe in God. Join the right club!"
It was so controversial that it was on Channel 27 news and the comments people posted online were just horrible.
All because a group of Christians were trying to take a stand for God.
And it's no different when you talk about things like same sex marriage, abortion, praying in public.
Anytime you go around trying to stand up what is right or share the gospel, WATCH OUT, the devil is coming!
It's nothing new, the Scripture actually tells us . . .
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
He's looking for the weak to devour and destroy.
He is trying to quiet the people of God.
He is trying keep the gospel hidden!
And he is also trying to divide the church from within.
Folks, listen, my job is not to convince you to believe like I do about anything.
My job is to share what the Bible says and let you “work out your own salvation, with fear and trembling.”
My job is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and invite you into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
You are going to believe what you are going to believe.
On somethings you will be right.
On others you will be wrong.
Just like on some things, I may be right and on others I may be wrong.
But what matters is do we have a relationship with Jesus Christ?
Do we strive to live according to His will?
Victory Over Evil
Victory Over Evil
If that is the case, then the enemy cannot divide us and everything else will work it’s way out.
But division is exactly what the devil was trying to accomplish here through this girl with Paul and Silas, but there came a time when enough was enough . . . .
She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.
The Bible says that "she kept this up for many days," so Paul and Silas had been putting up with this for a while and I would assume it got pretty old that every day when they went out trying to do good and trying to spread the gospel, this evil followed along behind them mocking them.
The Bible says it got to a point that it "troubled" Paul.
The New Living Translation said that Paul "got so exasperated" or so aggravated at all of this that,
He turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!”
Paul got tired of hearing what the devil was spewing and was fed up with the evil that was coming out of this child, so he did something about it.
Paul took authority over this demon, not under Paul's power but in the name of Jesus Christ, who gives us ALL POWER and ALL AUTHORITY . . .THAT SAME AUTHORITY THAT EACH OF US AS CHRISTIANS HAVE BEEN GIVEN, BY THE WAY.
When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
And . . .
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
The question is, If Christ has given us that authority, why don't we take it and use it?
Why do we continue to cower and give in when the devil puts a little pressure on us?
What are we so afraid of anyway?
Now, the authority that Christ gives us is not something to brag about or go about flaunting like we are somebody.
It is a weapon in the Spiritual Warfare that we are all engaged in.
God has given us weapons, we have to choose to use it.
What good is a soldier that leaves his gun at home? None.
What good is a Christian that does not utilize the weapons that God equips him with? You answer that one.
So Paul uses that authority and casts this demon out of this girl and the Bible says he came out the same hour.
Retaliation of the Enemy
Retaliation of the Enemy
The devil wasn't done though.
He didn't just give up and go away.
His source of torment was removed and a victory won for Christ, so he has to counter attack!
He uses the girl's two masters and the towns-people as his instrument of attack.
When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
The Bible goes and says that when the two masters saw that their source of income was now dried up and taken away, they got pretty angry.
The caught Paul and Silas and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers and brought them to the magistrates.
When they get Paul and Silas there, they begin to make up lies and half truths about them, these men being Jews do exceedingly trouble our city (In other words they are telling us things that make us feel uncomfortable-Our SOULS ARE BEING CONVICTED)
They teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither observe, being Romans.
They were claiming that Paul and Silas were teaching them things that were against the law.
What things?
What proof of wrong doing did they have? NONE.
However, instead of hearing the whole story, like we do many times today, the people react with a knee jerk reaction.
These guys are telling us stuff we don't like, or doesn't tickle our ears, so here's our chance to take care of them.
Before Paul and Silas could even defend themselves, the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes (Paul and Silas' clothes) and commanded to beat them.
And many stripes were laid upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely (Not let them escape) who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
So, here Paul and Silas are; naked, beaten, and thrown into the inner prison.
Bad shape, right?
The Devil's won, right?
Not, so much . . .
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 everybody’s chains came loose.
So, at midnight in the inner part of the prison, they take to praying and singing, HAVING CHURCH!
So much so all the prisoners heard what was going on.
In response, God sends an earthquake that shakes the prison, flings open the doors and loosens their bands.
Now we know the rest of the story, the jailer rushes in and is going to kill himself because he thinks that the prisoners have all escaped, but Paul and Silas stop him, which results in a question . . .
He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
And their answer . . .
They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
Never Be Silenced
Never Be Silenced
Which does result in the salvation of the Philippian Jailer, AND HIS HOUSEHOLD.
So, even when Satan tries to humiliate you, beat you, and seclude you to quiet the gospel, IT WILL NOT BE HIDDEN, IT WILL NOT BE SILENCED!
The next day, the town officials sort of come to their senses, thinking that the beating and imprisonment from the night before would be enough to (1) appease the people, and (2) shut Paul and Silas up.
Oh, how wrong they could be . . .
When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.” But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”
So, they send word to the Jailer to let Paul and Silas go and he goes and tells them that they were ordered to be released.
Now, most of us, would have ran out of that jail just as quick as we could get out of there, beaten and humiliated.
But, let me remind you of the words of Christ . . .
If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
Paul and Silas knew that they were in the right.
They knew they had done nothing wrong.
They were not one bit ashamed.
They stood tall and this was their response . . .
But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”
I don't think so, if they want to release us, let them come down here and do it themselves, Oh by the way, let them know that we are Roman Citizens as well!
This brought fear into the magistrates because as Roman citizens they had certain rights and they had just trampled all over them.
Do you know as an American Citizen you have certain rights?
One of those rights is freedom of speech, another one is freedom of religion.
YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO WORSHIP GOD.
YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO SHARE THE GOSPEL.
YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES.
These are your rights, DO NOT BACK DOWN, DO NOT GO QUIETLY INTO THE NIGHT.
Christ has given you the authority, Christ has given you power and the weapons.
Christ has given you the responsibility as well . . .
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Altar/Challenge
Altar/Challenge
The Question is, what are you going to do with these rights?
What are you going to do with these responsibilities?
Are you ashamed of the gospel?
Are you afraid to make any waves, upset anybody?
Has the devil silenced you?
Where do we stand today?
Let’s pray . . .