Serving a God who sets us on fire...

Servants of the Most High God

(Acts 16:16-40, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, October 14, 2012)

[16] As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. [17] She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” [18] And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have note love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” Love is the fulfillment of the law. Love is what sent Jesus Christ to this world, and ultimately to the cross. And love is a very hard thing to do. It is the preeminent fruit of the Spirit.

Paul and his companions have come over to Macedonia in response to a plea for help that came to him in a night vision. The whole team concluded that God was calling them to preach the gospel in this new region. They met Lydia there and established a center for ministry in her home. As they were going to the place of prayer outside of the city, they met a pitifully needy young woman with an evil spirit. This woman was enslaved by evil men who like to use everyone and everything for their own purposes, and are ready to indict anyone who stands in the way of their success.

There were, no doubt, many people in Philippi who needed love. Paul was trying to stay focused on what He was supposed to do. He understood His mission of mercy as primarily a teaching and preaching mission. Here was this unfortunate abused woman plaguing him with this true statement: “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” Yes, but they did not need her help right now, and they did not want her following them with this message for many days. Paul was vexed. So he finally cast that evil spirit of divination out of her in the name of Jesus Christ.

[19] But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. [20] And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. [21] They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” [22] The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. [23] And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. [24] Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

That was the loving thing to do. Should he have done that in the beginning? To attack the evil that infests a city is to provoke a fight. Everything in its right time. Apparently that time had come, but what a hornet's nest! The abusers were mad enough to see these trouble-makers stopped in the name of their own version of Philippian public decency.

What was their charge against them before the magistrates? 1. These men are Jews, and you know they have unseemly beliefs about a singular god. 2. They are disturbing Philippi with a message that would lead to radical changes in life if it were embraced by the people there. 3. They advocate practices that are illegal according to Roman law. Really? Name three, and bring witnesses. If only Paul had Romans 13 to read in his own defense, but it had not yet been written. Nonetheless, they were outsiders, and they were beaten and thrown into jail.

[25] About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, [26] 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.

But God, who is Love... But God who is rich in mercy... But God who is a major supporter of the message of Jesus Christ, was not content with the disposition of this matter by the magistrates. Paul and Silas really were servants of the Most High God. He stepped in with His solution.

First he enabled his servants to be more than patient in affliction. He caused them to rejoice in tribulation. They were praying and singing to him with their feet in stocks in the most secure area of the prison. People were listening. Then the Lord broke open the prison with a very selective earthquake and He unfastened the chains off of every prisoner.

[27] 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. [28] But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” [29] And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. [30] Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” [31] And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” [32] And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. [33] 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. [34] 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.The warden was ready to take his own life rather than face the punishment that would come upon him for the loss of his prisoners. Who saved his life? Paul, the prisoner. First the fact is loudly stated, “We are all here.” But the salvation was much bigger than that. Had this man been listening to the hymns and prayers before he went to sleep? “What must I do to be saved?”

What must you do to be saved, not from Roman authorities, but from the God who sets the prisoners free? You must do something that you can only do by a gift from God. Believe. That is what saves whole families out of the mess of paganism. The hero of love who died on the cross for our sins is also the object of our faith. Just as we can truly love only by the gift of His Spirit, we can believe only by that same Spirit. He is the Author and Finisher of salvation. He gives faith and He gives love. We should hear that Word today and respond to it by asking for help.

[35] But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” [36] 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.” [37] 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.” [38] The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. [39] So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. [40] So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.That will not immediately take all our troubles away, but it will be the plan of God for us that leads to a permanent peace, not with the magistrates of the world, but with the Sovereign Ruler of heaven and earth. This God is the great hope and encouragement of His church.

1. What started the controversy in Philippi?

2. What is most striking about the events that took place in the jail?

3. What happened the next day?

4. What can we say about the true servants of the Most High God?

OT Passage: Exodus 3