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Main Idea
We have a responsibility to display godly character in every circumstance.
We are at the third layer of the salvation sandwich and will see the final pattern of prayer, person, and result.
As God providentially guides His people, they reflect seven godly characteristics: prayer, praise, comforting, proclaiming the gospel, joy-filled hospitality, justice, and encouragement.
Let’s discover those together as we read the passage.
Passage
Acts 16:25–40 ESV
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 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. 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. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. 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.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 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.
But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.
Outline
I – Prayer, Praise, and Exhortation (vv. 25-29)
II – Proclaim the gospel (vv. 30-31)
III – Joy-filled Hospitality (vv. 32-34)
IV – Justice (vv. 35-39)
V – Encourage (v. 40)
I – Prayer, Praise, and Exhortation
Praise amidst persecution
Put yourself in their situation. How would you react?
Their perceived circumstances didn’t deter them. They put their trust in a sovereign God.
So, they devoted their time to prayer and singing hymns. They were prisoners for Christ, not Philippi.
Perhaps this is why Paul could say what he did in Phil. 1:29:
Philippians 1:29 ESV
For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake…
If all the elements of the Christian life were Thanksgiving dinner side dishes, suffering isn’t one we’d get double portions of. I’ll fill my plate with salvation, grace, forgiveness, fellowship, and a double portion of spiritual power. But suffering is like the fruitcake in the back corner that nobody touches because it’s gross.
This scripture, the story today, and many other scripture passages remind us that our suffering is beneficial and effectual. It is culminating into something good for you and glorifying to God.
Be like Paul and Silas. Trust God and praise Him no matter what you are going through.
As a result of their praise and adoration…
A supernatural earthquake releases the prisoners
Earthquakes were common, but this was supernatural:
1) all doors opened
2) nobody left (this event had a huge impact on the prisoners as well as the Jailer).
3) The jailer’s fearful reaction
4) earthquakes happened at Jesus’ death and resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 4:31.
The Jailer sees no way out
Going back to the Jailer’s reaction – he was fearful.
Fearful of the earthquake.
Fearful for his fate. If you let a prisoner escape on your watch, their fate became yours.
An immediate death would have been better than the shame, ridicule, torture, and death awaiting him at the hands of the Romans.
Paul exhorts the Jailer
Knowing this, Paul exhorts him. Think about it!
Paul – a man beaten and thrown in the stocks, is the one to encourage a Roman government employee in a time of crisis.
Before we even get to the redemption of the Jailer, we are forced to look inwardly. When was the last time you praised God in a storm… that you thanked Him for the trail you are facing?
Romans 5:1–5 ESV
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
God’s providence draws out godly character in His people. Prayer, Praise, and Exhortation are the first three, but there are four more to go.
II – Proclaim the gospel
The Jailer’s reaction
Seeing that everyone was still there and receiving Paul’s exhortation, there was only one question he had to ask as he kneeled before them.
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Clearly, God opened his heart through these circumstances just as He opened Lydia’s heart as she listened to Paul.
Don’t you find this question curious? As a Roman government employee, why would he ask about salvation? That isn’t a natural response. Did he hear Paul preach to the crowd when the demon-possessed girl proclaimed salvation? What made him ask that question? Do you see the irony of a free man asking a prisoner about deliverance? Paul and Silas radiated the freedom of Christ in human chains.
He recognized that the God of Israel was at work in the earthquake, in the praise of His people, and in the supernatural way that every prisoner remained in their cells. This man saw God in Paul and Silas. Their character reflected the glory of the Father himself.
Because the law of God is written on our hearts, there is an innate understanding that we are lost and in need of salvation, and only one thing can draw that out…
The gospel is proclaimed
Whatever the cause for the question, Paul was ready with the answer.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus (not Caesar as Lord), and you will be saved, you and your household.” There is only one way of salvation for all people, and that is in Jesus Christ.
The power of the gospel proclaimed through faithful believers is a primary way God draws people to Himself in this passage.
Anyone who comes to Jesus Christ broken and humbled will find salvation.
And when we receive the Holy Spirit, His fruit comes to bear.
III – Joy-filled Hospitality
The Jailer brought the message to his household
Here again, the sovereign work of God in dead hearts extends to an entire household. The Jailer’s faith isn’t what saves his family. It is God’s grace displayed through the Jailer that draws everyone else to Himself.
In the jail, Paul gave the gospel in a nutshell, but when the Jailer brought Paul and Silas to his house, they spoke the word of the Lord again to everyone, so everyone heard the testimony of the Jailer and then heard the gospel for themselves, and evidently, everyone believed!
Instead of thinking of this as one person’s faith saving another, consider it the power of your testimony and the household leader’s significant effect on the rest of the family.
That same night, everyone was baptized without delay, again showing the pattern of believer’s baptism in the book of Acts, outwardly demonstrating the inward reality of new birth.
The Jailer shows Christian hospitality
While this happens to the Jailer’s family, I don’t want us to miss his actions. As a newly redeemed man, he immediately shows Christian hospitality.
There are a few parallels to the Jailer and Lydia. They both received Jesus as Lord (we don’t know if that happened to the slave girl). They are both Gentiles, and they both invite the men into their homes. This repeated series of actions should be an indication to us of how redeemed people act.
The joy of salvation manifested in joyful hospitality. The Jailer:
1. Brought them into his house
2. Washed their wounds
3. Gave them food
4. Rejoiced with them
A redeemed life reflects the nature of its Redeemer. I grew up thinking I was a Christian because I remember going to the front and saying a prayer when I was seven. From seven to eighteen, I thought I was a believer, but a primary indicator that I wasn’t a believer hit me as a senior in high school when I began realizing that I was not demonstrating any of the fruits of the Spirit. I was acting just like everyone else. If you have been raised to spiritual life, you should live differently than you did before. You should talk differently. You should act differently.
We don’t know what this Jailer was like before he accepted Jesus as Lord, but we certainly get a clear picture of what he was like afterward! He witnessed these two men proclaim Christ in the streets and praise Christ in the stocks. So, when the Holy Spirit of God regenerated him, he immediately started to act like a new person!
How are you doing? Do you act differently than your unbelieving friends or family? A redeemed life reflects the nature of its Redeemer.
Prayer, Praise, Exhortation, Proclaiming the Gospel, and showing joy-filled hospitality are the Christian virtues we have seen thus far. But there are still two more to go!
IV- Justice
The good news from the Jailer was not good news to Paul
At some point during the night, the Jailer snuck Paul and Silas back into prison, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it was at their request so that their new friend wouldn’t get in trouble.
After the Rulers and Magistrates were able to sleep on the evening’s events, they decided to let Paul and Silas go. The Jailer eagerly informed the men and even bid them peace as they left, but Paul didn’t react how he imagined he would.
Instead of being happy about it, Paul was upset!
Paul demands a public apology
We could write this off as Paul being a hothead, but we would miss the big picture if we thought that way.
Instead of accepting the current situation, Paul demanded a public apology. That’s pretty bold, considering he was beaten by these same people!
But, if we dig a little deeper, we will realize that Paul actually has a case. As a Roman citizen, both Paul and Silas had a right to due process. It was against Roman policy to strip, beat, humiliate, and imprison Roman citizens without a fair trial. How often have you heard someone say in America, “You can’t do that! I’ve got rights!” That was true for them, too.
Paul was appealing to justice, which is one of the two foundations of God’s throne (Ps. 89:14). We can demand justice as Christians because we have a Judge and Lawgiver who has established His standards. While we should turn the other cheek to a personal offense, we should be equally determined to uphold God’s justice and standards in the public square. Paul was not about to let them be ushered out the back door in secret.
But that’s not all Paul was doing. He wasn’t just seeking out justice for the wrongs done to him and Silas. He was also protecting the small Christian community in Philippi. By forcing the Magistrates to acknowledge their wrongful treatment, they were protecting everyone else from suffering the same injustices in the future. This demonstrates Paul’s boldness and defense of one of God’s attributes and his loving care as a teacher, mentor, and shepherd.
There is a lot of injustice in our world today. I know it can be difficult to see the line between grace and justice. As Christians, we forgive and extend grace to others because that is what God has done for us. But don’t forget that justice is a godly attribute. God has, is, and will continue to judge in perfect holiness and justice, and we are responsible for standing on His established foundation. We can look at things like abortion and definitively call it evil because God said he knows the unborn in the womb and has made them in His image. We can demand justice and life for the unborn. We can do the same for a host of wickedness happening in our nation and our world today because God is a God of justice, and we are not called to be doormats or dismiss these injustices. We are called to be Ambassadors who uphold our King’s righteous standards.
That is six characteristics down and one more to go.
V- Encourage
Paul and Silas encourage the church
Once these men are released, they make a beeline to Lydia’s house.
Remember, they are the ones who have just experienced the beating, humiliation, and imprisonment. If anything, they should be the ones comforted by the church, but that isn’t who they are.
Instead, they go to Lydia’s house because that is where the gathered church is… and they (Paul and Silas) are the ones to encourage the church!
Conclusion
What an encouraging way to end the story and finish our salvation sandwich. The vision of the Macedonian man came to pass in the lives of a wealthy businesswoman, an oppressed slave girl, and a Jailer. A town with no synagogue and a small group of God-fearers has now been sown with gospel seeds, and these faithful few will carry on the ministry and proclamation of the gospel when these four men leave.
God fulfilled his plan to establish His people in Macedonia. His providence is in full view.
But, equally as important, we see how God’s providence draws out godly character in His people. God’s sovereignty has been on full display multiple times, but here, we see man’s responsibility in full swing.
Our circumstances will change. There will be mountaintop experiences, and there will be deep, dark valleys. Though our circumstances will ebb and flow, our commitment to live out the fruit of the Spirit and emulate the characteristics of our Heavenly Father should never change. In a horrible situation today, we see Paul, Silas, and the Jailer live out seven Christian virtues. Prayer. Praise. Exhortation. Proclamation. Hospitality. Justice. Encouragement.
My exhortation to you is to spend twenty minutes in silence before God this week. During that twenty minutes, I want you to look at your life and see if you can point out any godly characteristics or fruit of the Spirit. Once you do that, ask the Father in faith to help you represent him more faithfully and joyfully this week.