Sunday Service - August 9, 2026 - Acts 16

Brie and Jacob actually were here with me just a moment ago, but Jacob actually woke up with a really big tummy ache, and I said to him, okay, son, this church is looking forward to seeing Bree more than me, so you're coming with us today. And so he has soldiered through it, so I'm thankful for that. Thank you, Jacob, wherever you are, for doing that.

But as Thomas said, we have a special relationship with Richfield Baptist. Bree's parents, Bob and Karen Hausman, served in this church for many years. In fact, some of you still remember Greeter Bob. And I think some of you ended up at this church because Greeter Bob remembered your name the next week when you visited again. And Bree was raised in this church. She was actually baptized in that baptistry behind me.

And so, we have a very special place in our hearts for Richfield Baptist. We are absolutely delighted to be back. We hope to make this a regular thing. Maybe after today, Thomas will decide whether this will become a regular thing. But thank you again for having us and welcoming us so warmly. Let me lead us in prayer as we turn to the Word of God. Father, the message of Jesus is good news, and it's able to set us free. Please help us understand what that means.

And we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, if you closed your Bibles, turn with me again to Acts chapter 16. Acts chapter 16. I think the text... It might be on the screen behind me. If not, you can look at it in your Bibles. Now, we are picking up in the middle of a story.

And Paul's in the city of Philippi in the province of Macedonia. And the first person to become a Christian in that city was a woman named Lydia, a seller of purple goods. And we'll come back to her at the end. And today, we're going to meet two others in Philippi, the slave girl and the jailer.

And we're going to see that Jesus changes lives, and he sets people free. And because Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, whatever he did for them, he can also do for us. So here's our first point today. Jesus sets us free from slavery. Now, we're looking at verses 16 to 18, and the main character is a slave girl, and she is doubly enslaved, enslaved by evil spirits, and enslaved by human masters. But in the name of Jesus Christ, this girl is set free. Let me read again from verse 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.

She followed Paul and us, crying out, these men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation. And this she kept doing for many days, Paul having become greatly annoyed. And by the way, I love the fact that Paul gets annoyed. If this were Jesus, it would say, being moved with great compassion. Okay, but Paul isn't Jesus, he's human like the rest of us. So Paul being 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. Now, let's talk about the elephant in the room. The Bible is supernatural. It talks about evil spirits. I take it this girl was able to tell the future. She made her owners a lot of money. Verse 16 says, she brought her owners much gain by fortune telling. And so she has this ability to know things that cannot be explained by science. Now, 10 years ago, I'd have to do a lot of work defending this in the secular West, but I wonder if our culture is starting to move away from that. You might say moving in line with the rest of the world.

And there's an openness to the spiritual, to the supernatural, to this idea that science doesn't explain everything. Because as it turns out, secularism doesn't work. It's bankrupt. It's unable to serve as a foundation for life because it has no meaningful answers to the big questions, no real solutions to the problem of evil, and nothing to say in the face of tragedy and death.

And people are beginning to see that, and they're looking for better answers. Can I just say, Jesus has the answers we're looking for. And this little story is proof of that. Evil trembles at the name of Jesus, and darkness flees in the light of the gospel. Paul turned and said to the Spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to come out of her, and it came out that very hour.

Now, maybe you've never been enslaved by an evil spirit, but even in the West, we know what it's like to be slaves. I used to work in finance, and you know what? You can be a slave to your job. I remember one Saturday evening after dinner, probably around 8 o'clock, and I was still in the office. I'd been there all day, and then I looked up and I saw one of our managing directors, and he was still in the office, and he'd been there all day. And I remember thinking to myself, well, that's my future, isn't it? That's going to be me in 10 years. I'll have a wife, I'll have kids, and I'll still be in the office. And you know what I did?

I put my head down and kept working because I thought, well, this will make me happy. This will give me what I want. And so fine, if 10 years isn't enough, I'll give 20 years of my life, whatever it takes to make it to the top, whatever it takes to get what I want. Basically, I made a pact. I made a bargain with my career. And I said, I'll give you my time. I'll give you my life. I'll give you everything I have. And in exchange, I want you to make me happy.

I want you to make me somebody, somebody that counts. And if I ever get in trouble, I want you to bail me out. Okay, that was the bargain I made with my career. And all of us have made some version of that pact, some version of that bargain. And whatever that is, that thing becomes the Lord of your life. It calls the shots. It controls your choices. It sets the priorities. It even demands sacrifice.

And that thing Whatever it is, it could be money, beauty, success, even family, that thing becomes the Lord of your life and you become a slave. And we all have some version of this, something that controls us, something that we have made our Lord. And if you don't know what that is, the people around you will. especially the people you sacrificed along the way.

We're all serving something. We're all slaves to something. Something is calling the shots. Something is controlling our choices. And let me tell you this, if it's not Jesus, it's going to distort you and ruin you and make you less than human. You'll end up serving yourself instead of others. You'll end up using people instead of blessing them. Any other master will make you less than human. Any other Lord will make you a slave. But Jesus can set you free. And that's the point of the slave girl. Jesus can set us free. One of the reasons I became a slave to work is that I felt this need to prove myself, to show the world that I was somebody. And it's going to sound like I'm bragging, but I'm just telling you my story. And graduating summa cum laude from Harvard wasn't enough. Being top of my class at Goldman Sachs wasn't enough. Working for the next Warren Buffett wasn't enough.

I was driven, you might say enslaved, by this need to prove my worth. But Jesus set me free from all of that and he did it through this. It was his word that set me free because through this book, this is what Jesus said to me. He said, let me tell you what you're worth. You are worth dying for. That's what you're worth. So be free of that and come and follow me. And we all have some version of this going on in our lives, but Jesus can set you free. So Jesus gives us freedom from slavery. And second, Jesus gives us freedom in suffering. Let's pick it up from verse 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. And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, these men are Jews and they are disturbing our city. They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice. The crowd joined in attacking them and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods.

And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. Okay, so Paul and Silas have been falsely accused, beaten without trial, and thrown into prison. And then, when they get to prison, the jailer puts them in the deepest, darkest cell, and he fastens their feet in stalks, which apparently are quite painful because they chase the skin around your ankles and splay your legs in a very uncomfortable position.

The jailer's being a little mean. He maybe had a bad day and he's taking it out on the prisoners, but for whatever reason, he's treating them with cruelty. I mean, these guys have just been beaten with rods. They're in no condition to make a run for it. There's no need to put their feet in the stalks. So, how would you respond if you've been savagely beaten for the gospel, and you're sitting in a deep, dark dungeon, and the guard is using you for taser practice?

Well, have a look at verse 25. About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. Okay, I don't know about you, but if I'm lying awake at night, I am not in the mood to sing. Okay, I'm not happy about anything. In fact, I'm quite grumpy about still being awake. But these guys, not only are they awake, they're also bruised and in a moderate amount of pain, but here they are singing hymns to God.

One challenge I've taken from this text is to start memorizing hymns. I mean, what if I end up somewhere without a hymn book or a phone? Will I have anything to sing? Will I have any songs that can warm my heart and remind me that God is good? Now, none of us are in a deep, dark dungeon today, but maybe it feels like that. Maybe it feels like you're in the pits. Can I say, from personal experience, but also from Scripture, sometimes what you need is to sing. Sing a hymn to God. Sing a song that reminds you of His goodness. And even better, come to church and sing His praises together.

Now, it won't answer your questions. You'll still be left asking why. It won't even take away the grief. Sometimes the songs touch you where it hurts, but they'll remind you that God is good, that He sees our pain, and hears our cries, and counts our tears, and the day is coming when He'll wipe them all away.

You may not always feel like singing, but if you believe in Jesus, you have a right to sing. You have many reasons to sing. You're a child of God, born again by the Spirit, and you have a Father who loves you, a brother who died for you, and the Spirit who is with you. You have a right to be joyful. You have a reason to be hopeful. You have many reasons to sing. Let's pick it up again from verse 25.

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." Now, let's pause there for a moment. I don't think we're meant to sympathize with the jailer. And yes, his life is forfeit. If the prisoners are gone, they're going to kill him. So he's thinking he might as well get on with it. But I don't think we're meant to sympathize with him. This guy has been mean.

He put them in the deepest, darkest cell, and he fastened their feet in stalks. You know, apparently tasers have this setting called drive stun. So instead of shooting the probes, you just stick the taser on someone and turn it on. That's what the jailer's been doing to his prisoners. He set his taser to drive stun, and he put it on their feet.

He's not been the kindest of jailers. If I were Paul, I keep quiet or just walk out of the prison. And if the guy kills himself, well, so be it. But look at verse 28. Paul cried with a loud voice, do not harm yourself for we are all here. You know, it's amazing what the gospel does. It gives you the ability to repay cruelty with kindness. Gives you the strength. to forgive those who hurt you. It's the ultimate self-denial, renouncing your rights to pay someone back.

And then verse 29, 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 he said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Now, if you're asking that question, you are this close to being a Christian. What must I do to be saved? The problem is many people never ask that question. They're too busy living life, too distracted by their phones, too rich in material possessions to see their spiritual poverty. So why did the jailer ask the question?

Well, he's hit rock bottom. He's about to lose everything. He thinks his life is over. But there are Christians in the prison with him, the ones he put in the stocks, the ones who have been singing all night. And Paul and Silas are the only Christians he has met, and he knows two things about them. They respond to suffering with joy, and they respond to cruelty with kindness. And those two things are enough to get him to ask the question, what must I do to be saved? Whatever you have, that's what I want. Whatever makes you able to do those things, that's what I need in my life. Now, here's a challenge for all of us.

What would your friends think about Christians if you were the only Christians they had met? Would they come to the same conclusions? They respond to suffering with joy, and they respond to cruelty with kindness. Never underestimate your impact as a Christian. Never underestimate what God can do through your quiet endurance and steadfast kindness.

It's just a matter of time before someone around you hits rock bottom, and your life, your example may be the reason they ask, What must I do to be saved? And the answer is right there in verse 31. And they said, believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household. I know sometimes we don't know what to say when people ask us questions. Well, how about this? We can use this word for word. Believe in Jesus and you will be saved. Now, some texts tell us a lot about Jesus. This one tells us what happens when you follow him. Let me read to the end of the paragraph, starting at verse 32.

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 notice how the kindness is contagious. And he was baptized at once, he and all his family. And he brought them up into his house and set food before them. Now, listen to this. He rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

So when you believe in Jesus, it eventually leads to joy. Now, it's not a straight line. It doesn't happen overnight, but it always happens in the end. And believing in Jesus eventually leads to joy. And it's not the superficial stuff you see in the ads.

Okay, this is real and lasting joy. The kind of joy that makes you sing in the middle of the night. The kind of joy that makes you able to forgive those who hurt you. The kind of joy that makes you so rich that you can be generous to others. Believing in Jesus eventually leads to joy. So Jesus gives us freedom from slavery, and freedom in suffering, and lastly, the freedom of family. And notice that Paul uses his rights to protect the church. Let me read from verse 35.

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. 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.

And so they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. Now, notice what Paul does next. Instead of leaving the city, where does he go? Okay, they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers or the church family, they encouraged them and departed. Okay, so the magistrates have messed up. They've beaten a Roman citizen without trial. At a minimum, they could lose their office and maybe face trial themselves. So they're trying to cover it up.

But Paul says, no, I want a public apology, and I want you to do it in front of the church. Now, I'm reading between the lines, but at the end of verse 39, the magistrates asked Paul to leave the city. And Paul says, fine, I'll leave, but first, you're coming with me to Lydia's house. And then verse 40, while the magistrates are there, he encourages the church, okay, which is another way of saying that he preached a sermon to them. And we know that Paul could preach for a very long time. People fell asleep and died while he was preaching. Some of you might be doing that now.

But the point is this, Paul uses his rights to protect the church. He forces the magistrates to make a public apology and to do it in front of Lydia's house. And so now the whole city knows that the church is legally protected. This baby church in Philippi has official recognition from the magistrates of the city. So Paul and Silas leave town bearing the marks of their beating, but they leave the church with a different mark, the seal of Roman approval.

And this is the kind of family you'll find in the church, people who use their rights to protect others. It's the most Jesus-like thing you can do, to use what you have to keep others safe. Now, the best word in verse 40 is the word brothers. And in Greek, that word just means brothers and sisters.

So the people meeting in Lydia's house are family. And in this chapter, we have met three people in Philippi. Lydia herself, the slave girl, and the jailer. And these three are radically different people. So Lydia is an upper-class woman. She's a seller of purple goods. So she sells rich clothes to rich people. I mean, where would you guys go to buy nice clothes in Richfield? Okay, nobody knows. Let's say it's Main Street. Okay, she owns one of those boutiques on Main Street.

She's also from Asia, a place called Thyatira. So she's not a native of Philippi. She's an immigrant in the city, and she's a worshiper of God. So she's a monotheist. She fears the Jewish God. The slave girl is on the opposite end of the spectrum. She owns nothing, not even herself. She's a victim of child trafficking. Her owners are exploiting her, and she's possessed by an evil spirit. So she's an antitheist. She's opposed to the very God that Lydia worships. And then we have the jailer, and he's somewhere in the middle. He's probably a retired soldier.

He has a middle-class government job, and he's a Roman citizen, a native of Philippi, and he's a pagan. He worships many gods. So, these three in Philippi cover the entire spectrum, religiously, ethnically, culturally. You have an Asian, a Greek, and a Roman. You have a monotheist, a polytheist, and an antitheist.

You have a boutique owner on Main Street, a trafficked girl in the red light district, and a middle-class ex-military guy. I mean, it's hard to imagine three people more different from each other, but verse 40, They're called brothers and sisters. The people who meet in Lydia's house are family. Do you see what the gospel is able to do? A boutique owner, a trafficked girl, and a policeman. It kind of sounds like the beginning of a joke, but boutique owner, a trafficked girl, and a retired Roman soldier are together in the church. that meets in Lydia's house, and the gospel has made them family. They are brothers and sisters in Christ.

There's a traditional Jewish prayer, and it's still used by some people today, and it goes like this. Thank you, Lord, for not making me a Gentile, a slave, or a woman. Boy, Aved, Isha, Gentile, slave, woman. And if you were a Jewish man, you didn't want to be any of those things. But a woman, a slave, and a Gentile are worshiping side by side because a Jewish man told them about Jesus.

Okay, this is what the gospel can do. It's the most unifying power in the history of the world, and it has the power to bring us all together. Church family is one of the greatest blessings of being a Christian. Now, I'm not saying that the church always gets it right, but I am saying that the church has the power to get it right.

And this is the place where you should find all kinds of people who have asked the same question, what must I do to be saved? And what you will find are people who are free, free from a world that wants to make us slaves. And they respond to suffering with joy, they respond to cruelty with kindness, and they use their rights to protect others all because they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. So believe in Jesus. and join the family of God, the only people in the world who are truly and forever free.

Let's pray. Father, we thank you that Jesus is the one who sets us free. And he sets us free to live for you, the only one who can satisfy us. He sets us free from our circumstances so we're no longer controlled by them. And He sets us free to be family as we were always meant to be. And so we thank you for the freedom that we have in Christ. Help us to live that out to the glory of His name and the salvation of the world. And we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.