THE LIVING WORD TRANSCRIPT
PROGRAM AIR DATE: 7-8-18
LESSON TITLE: “THE PHILIPPIAN JAILER”
WELCOME
TODAY WE ARE BLESSED WITH A WONDERFUL GIFT FROM GOD, THE BIBLE. THIS BOOK IS GOD'S LIVING WORD. IN ITS PAGES, WE ARE TOLD “FOR THE WORD OF GOD IS LIVING AND POWERFUL AND SHARPER THAN ANY TWO-EDGED SWORD.” IT IS IN THIS BOOK OF BOOKS THAT WE FIND THE ANSWERS TO ALL OF MAN'S QUESTIONS AND NEEDS. THIS MORNING YOUR AREA CHURCHES OF CHRIST WELCOME YOU TO A PROGRAM COMMITTED TO THAT PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY AS WE PRESENT THE LIVING WORD. NOW HERE IS YOUR HOST, RAY SULLINS.
GOOD MORNING! THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY FOR GOD’S LIVING WORD. I HOPE EVERYONE HAD A GREAT WEEK. AND I HOPE YOU ARE READY TO BEGIN THIS NEW WEEK WITH A DAY OF SERVICE AND OFFERING TO YOUR GOD. AS ALWAYS, IT IS OUR COMMITMENT THROUGH THIS PROGRAM TO PROCLAIM THE SIMPLE TRUTH OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST WHICH IS CONFIRMED FOR US IN THE BIBLE. I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE YOUR BIBLE’S HANDY AND I HOPE YOU ARE READY TO WORSHIP GOD TOGETHER AS WE SING PRAISES TO HIS NAME AND STUDY FROM HIS WONDROUS WORD. NOW LET’S BEGIN BY TALKING TO OUR FATHER IN PRAYER!
PRAYER: OUR GOD AND FATHER IN HEAVEN, WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS DAY AND THE GREAT BLESSINGS OF LIFE, THE PRIVILEGES THAT WE HAVE TO BE CALLED YOUR CHILDREN, AND TO BE SERVANTS IN YOUR KINGDOM. FATHER, WE KNOW THESE THINGS ARE ONLY POSSIBLE THROUGH THE GREAT GIFT OF JESUS AND THE SACRIFICE HE MADE AND THEREFORE FATHER WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE ALL THINGS WE NEED, NOT ONLY SPIRITUALLY, BUT ALSO PHYSICALLY IN THIS LIFE. FATHER, MAY WE GIVE YOU OUR VERY BEST AT THIS TIME AS WE IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH DO WHAT YOU HAVE COMMANDED. IN JESUS NAME WE PRAY, AMEN.
WE WANT TO BEGIN OUR SONGS OF PRAISE THIS MORNING BY SINGING A HYMN WHICH REMINDS US OF THE GREAT BLESSINGS AWAITING THE FAITHFUL WHEN THIS LIFE IS OVER. SO, AT THIS TIME WON’T YOU JOIN IN WITH THE CONGREGATION AS WE TOGETHER SING, “THE LAST MILE OF THE WAY.”
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
IF I WERE TO ASK YOU WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY? SOME MIGHT SAY SUMMER, WHILE OTHER SAY WINTER, AND STILL ANOTHER MIGHT SAY FALL. I LOVE ALL OF THE SEASONS FOR THEIR UNIQUE AND SPECIAL QUALITIES, BUT PERHAPS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL OF ALL IS SPRING. WHEN SPRING COMES, ISN’T IT LOVELY TO SEE THE MANY TREES AND FLOWERS BEGINNING TO BLOOM. NEW LEAVES AND MAGNIFICENT FLOWERS ARE ALREADY BEGINNING TO SHOW THEMSELVES ALL AROUND THIS AREA. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL CREATION THIS WORLD IS AND WHAT A BLESSING IT IS FROM GOD.
ISN’T IT WONDERFUL TO FINALLY BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF OUR HOUSES AND ENJOY THE WARM WEATHER AFTER SO MUCH COLD! IT SEEMS LIKE AFTER HAVING BEEN COOPED UP FOR MONTHS WHAT A BLESSING IT IS WHEN SPRING COMES. A TIME FOR THINGS THAT ARE NEW AND FOR NEW BEGINNINGS. HOWEVER, WITH THIS NEWNESS COMES A LOT OF WORK: YARDS TO BE KEPT, GARDENS TO BE PREPARED, FLOWERS TO BE CARED FOR. IF YOU’RE LIKE ME THOUGH, MANY OF THESE THINGS ARE ENJOYABLE AND SOME OF THE TRUE PLEASURES IN THIS LIFE.
THE BIBLE TALKS A LOT ABOUT GROWING THINGS AND HARVESTING. IN FACT, MANY OF THE GREATEST PARABLES AND ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE BIBLE, USE STORIES WHICH REFER TO THE PROCESS OF PREPARING, PLANTING, GROWING AND CULTIVATING SOME TYPE OF HARVEST.
ONE OF THE MOST FAMILIAR VERSES IN THE BIBLE ALONG THESE LINES IS FOUND IN 2 CORINTHIANS 9:6, THERE IT SAYS, “BUT THIS I SAY: HE WHO SOWS SPARINGLY WILL ALSO REAP SPARINGLY, AND HE WHO SOWS BOUNTIFULLY WILL ALSO REAP BOUNTIFULLY.” EARLIER IN THE TEXT, PAUL HAD BEEN BOASTING TO THE MACEDONIANS AND OTHERS ABOUT HOW GENEROUS THE CORINTHIANS WERE IN GIVING AND HELPING OTHERS. SO HE SENT SOME OTHERS BEFORE HIS ARRIVAL TO MAKE SURE THEY WOULD BE PREPARED TO HELP AGAIN SO THAT HIS BOASTING WOULD NOT BE IN VAIN. THUS, PAUL REMINDS THEM THAT THOSE WHO GIVE SPARINGLY WILL ALSO GET SPARINGLY AND THOSE WHO GIVE BOUNTIFULLY WILL ALSO GET BOUNTIFULLY.
ISN’T THIS THE ATTITUDE THAT GOD WANTS US TO HAVE OF BEING GOOD GIVERS! IN THE NEXT VERSE, 7, OF THE SAME OPENING, PAUL ADDS THIS, “SO LET EACH ONE GIVE AS HE PURPOSES IN HIS HEART, NOT GRUDGINGLY OR OF NECESSITY; FOR GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER.” GOD TRULY LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER. ANOTHER GREAT VERSE WHICH HELPS US TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPER GIVING IS FOUND IN LUKE 6:38, THERE WE READ, “GIVE, AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU: GOOD MEASURE, PRESSED DOWN, SHAKEN TOGETHER, AND RUNNING OVER WILL BE PUT INTO YOUR BOSOM. FOR WITH THE SAME MEASURE THAT YOU USE, IT WILL BE MEASURED BACK TO YOU.” HAVE YOU FIGURED IT OUT YET? IT’S BETTER TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE, BECAUSE THE MORE YOU GIVE AND DO FOR GOD THE MORE YOU WILL RECEIVE FROM HIM.
LET’S ALL TRY TO BE BETTER GIVERS FOR THE LORD’S SAKE. WHETHER IT IS GIVING OF TIME, EFFORT, OR MONEY, LET’S GIVE GOD OUR BEST, NOT THE LEFTOVERS. KEEPING IN MIND THAT WE ARE BLESSED BY GOD, ACCORDING TO WHAT WE GIVE TO HIM AND OTHERS!
THIS MORNING WE HAVE A GUEST SPEAKER WITH US WHO MUST OF YOU KNOW. WE ARE HAPPY TO AGAIN HAVE TREY SULLINS WITH US TO LEAD US IN OUR MAIN THOUGHTS FROM GOD’S WORD. BROTHER TREY IS THE MINISTER FOR THE OMAHA CHURCH OF CHRIST IN OMAHA, ARKANSAS. WE THANK HIM FOR BEING WITH US. TODAY, WE CONTINUE OUR SERIES OF STUDY WHICH IS HELPING US TO ANSWER THE QUESTION, “WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?” OUR SPECIFIC TOPIC OF STUDY TODAY WILL FOCUS ON “THE PHILIPPIAN JAILOR.” SO, PLEASE CONTINUE WITH US THIS MORNING, AND AFTER OUR NEXT SONG TOGETHER BROTHER TREY WILL RETURN WITH THIS STUDY FROM GOD’S WORD. THE NAME OF OUR NEXT HYMN, “MY HOPE IS BUILT ON NOTHING LESS!”
LESSON
TREY SULLINS
GOOD MORNING AND THANKS AGAIN FOR JOINING US. OUR THEME OF THESE PAST FEW WEEKS HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT FINDING THE ANSWER TO THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION THAT WE COULD EVER ASK OURSELVES IN LIFE. THAT IS THE QUESTION OF WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED? OF COURSE, WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT VARIOUS EXAMPLES THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE AND SEEING HOW PEOPLE HAVE ASKED THIS QUESTION AND HAVE FOUND THE ANSWERS THROUGH GOD'S WILL. IN ACTS CHAPTER 17 IN VERSE 30, WE FIND THAT ANSWER BEING MENTIONED AGAIN. BUT WHY DO WE NEED TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION SO MUCH? WELL, IF WE THINK ABOUT OUR SOULS AND HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE TO US, HOW IMPORTANT THEY SHOULD BE TO US, WE REALLY CAN UNDERSTAND WHY WE NEED TO KNOW.
IN MATTHEW CHAPTER 16 AND IN VERSE 26, JESUS THERE, WHEN TALKING ABOUT OUR SOULS, SAYS THAT THEY ARE FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY POSSESSION WE COULD EVER HAVE IN THIS LIFE. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT ALL THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD, JESUS SAYS IF YOU WERE TO GAIN THE ENTIRE WORLD AND YET LOSE YOUR SOUL IT WOULD STILL BE A LOSS TO YOU. SO OUR SOULS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN ALL THESE THINGS AND THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION, WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED? BECAUSE WHEN WE DO THAT WE HAVE PROTECTED OUR SOULS AND WE ARE GAINING OUR SOULS INTO A MUCH BETTER PLACE THAN THEY COULD BE WITHOUT HAVING THE ANSWER TO SUCH A QUESTION AS THAT. AND OF COURSE, FINDING IT THERE THROUGH ONLY GOD'S WILL. AS WE COME UP TO ACTS CHAPTER 16 IN VERSE 30 THOUGH, WE HAVE TO FIRST UNDERSTAND HOW WE GET THERE. SO BEGINNING THERE IN ACTS CHAPTER 16 AND VERSE 16, IF YOU'D LIKE TO TURN THERE WITH ME, AS WE START TO SEE THE ACCOUNT HERE PLAY OUT YOU HAVE PAUL, SILAS, LUKE, TIMOTHY, AND MAYBE SOME OTHERS, A WHOLE GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE GATHERED HERE AS THEY ARE GOING THROUGH THIS JOURNEY. AND AS THEY ARE GOING OUT AND PREACHING AND TEACHING THE WORD OF GOD TO THOSE WHO NEED IT, AND AS THEY'RE DOING THIS THEY COME ACROSS THE CITY OF PHILIPPI. AND IN THIS CITY THERE IS A CERTAIN GIRL WHO WAS A SLAVE. AND THIS GIRL HAD THE ABILITY TO SOMEHOW MAKE TELLINGS OF THE FUTURE OR POSSIBLY FORTUNE TELL IN SOME WAY OR ANOTHER. NOW IT'S UNCLEAR COMPLETELY AS TO WHETHER THIS WAS A SPIRIT THAT WAS ALLOWED BY GOD FOR THE SAKE OF THE MIRACULOUS EVENT HAPPENING OR WHETHER THEY WERE SIMPLY FAKING IT. THE BIBLE WOULD SUGGEST THAT THIS WAS AS THE FIRST MENTIONED THERE THAT THIS WAS SOME KIND OF SPIRIT THAT WAS ALLOWED BY GOD SO THAT PAUL COULD SHOW GOD'S POWER OVER THAT SPIRIT BY CASTING IT OUT OF HER.
IN EITHER CASE, WE COME ACROSS THIS EVENT HERE HAPPENING THAT AS THESE MEN IN THIS GROUP ARE GOING AROUND AND TEACHING THOSE WHO NEED IT THAT THIS GIRL WAS FOLLOWING THEM AROUND. IN ACTS CHAPTER 16 AND IN VERSE 17 THE BIBLE THERE SAYS, “THIS GIRL FOLLOWED PAUL AND US AND CRIED OUT SAYING, ‘THESE MEN ARE THE SERVANTS OF THE MOST HIGH GOD, AND PROCLAIMED TO US THE WAY OF SALVATION.’” SO THIS GIRL IS FOLLOWING THEM AROUND AND SHE'S CONSTANTLY SAYING THIS STATEMENT ABOUT THEM, CONSTANTLY TELLING PEOPLE OVER AND OVER AND OVER ABOUT HOW THESE ARE SERVANTS OF GOD. NOW, HER MESSAGE THERE THAT SHE SAYING ISN'T A BAD ONE WHICH YOU CAN SEE HOW THAT WOULD PROBABLY GET A LITTLE ANNOYING OVER AND OVER, OVER SEVERAL DAYS. HAVE YOU EVER HAD SOMEBODY REPEAT SOMETHING REPEATEDLY AND REPEATEDLY TO YOU OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND THEN EVENTUALLY YOU START TO GET A LITTLE ANNOYED RIGHT? WELL, THAT NEXT VERSE IN VERSE 18 PAUL TELLS US THAT EXACT OR THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT PAUL GETS THAT EXACT THING. SAYS HE WAS, “GREATLY ANNOYED” AND SO HE TURNS AROUND TO THIS GIRL AND COMMANDS THAT SPIRIT TO LEAVE THIS GIRL. AGAIN SHOWING US THE POWER OF GOD OVER THE SPIRITS, THE POWER OF GOD OVER EVERYTHING THAT IS IN CREATION.
SO THIS SPIRIT LEAVES THE GIRL AND OBVIOUSLY SHE WAS A SLAVE GIRL. SHE WAS THERE BEING USED BY HER MASTERS FOR MONETARY GAIN. THEY WERE USING HER TO MAKE THESE TELLINGS OF THE FUTURE OR DO SOME FORTUNE-TELLING SO THAT THEY CAN MAKE MONEY OUT OF THIS. SO WHENEVER THEIR CHANCE AT MAKING MONEY IS GONE WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY DID? THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT THEY GET PRETTY UPSET ABOUT IT. THEY'RE GOING AFTER NOW PAUL AND SILAS AND SO THEY TAKE THEM BY FORCE. THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT THEY TAKE HIM TO THE LEADERS OR TAKE HIM TO THE AUTHORITIES KIND OF LIKE THE POLICE THERE AND TELL THEM THAT THESE MEN ARE DISTURBING OUR CITY. THEY ARE MESSING WITH OUR CITY! AND SO THESE PEOPLE THERE TAKE THEM THINKING THAT THEY'RE JUST JEWS AND THEY TEAR THEIR CLOTHES, THEY BEAT THEM, AND EVENTUALLY THERE IN ACTS CHAPTER 16 AND VERSE 24 IT SAYS, “HAVING RECEIVED SUCH A CHARGE, HE PUT THEM INTO THE INNER PRISON AND FASTENED THEIR FEET IN THE STOCKS.” SO AT THE END THERE, FINALLY AFTER ALL THESE THINGS HAPPENED TO THEM, THEY'RE THROWN INTO THE INNER PRISON. NOW THE INNER PRISON WAS A PLACE MOST LIKELY MORE LIKE A DUNGEON TYPE OF SCENARIO THAT WE WOULD CALL IT TODAY. SO IMAGINE A PLACE THAT'S POSSIBLY VERY LITTLE LIGHT FROM THE OUTSIDE COMING IN, HARDLY ANY FRESH AIR COMING IN, A VERY NASTY, A VERY DARK, AND VERY DINGY PLACE THAT THEY ARE THROWN IN. AND REMEMBER, THEY'RE ALL THROWN IN THERE EVEN THOUGH THEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG! THEY WEREN'T REALLY DESERVING OF SUCH A PUNISHMENT AS THAT. CERTAINLY NOT DESERVING OF BEING BEATEN AND THEY'RE EVEN THEN THROWN INTO PRISON. SO YET HERE THEY ARE.
NOW YOU CAN IMAGINE YOURSELF IN SUCH A PLACE LIKE THAT. WHAT WOULD BE GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND? YOU MIGHT HAVE ALL KINDS OF THOUGHTS TODAY AND WOULD PROBABLY BE THINKING, ‘WELL, WHOM I GOING TO GO AFTER AND SUE BECAUSE THIS ISN'T RIGHT?’ BUT WHAT DO WE FIND THEM DOING IN THE TEXT? ACTS CHAPTER 16 VERSE 25 WHERE WE BEGAN OUR MAIN STORY FOR OUR LESSON. RIGHT NOW, IT SAYS, “BUT AT MIDNIGHT PAUL AND SILAS WERE PRAYING AND SINGING HYMNS TO GOD, AND THE PRISONERS WERE LISTENING TO THEM.” DOES THAT NOT SHOW US AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF FAITHFULNESS TO GOD? THAT EVEN IN YOUR DARKEST MOMENTS AFTER BEING OR GOING THROUGH ALL THESE HORRIBLE THINGS YET YOU DON'T DESERVE IT WHAT ARE THEY DOING STILL TRUSTING IN GOD? STILL SHOWING GOD THAT THEY UNDERSTAND ALL HIS WILL WILL BE DONE ANYWAY? THEY'RE ARE NOT WORRIED ABOUT THE SMALL EVENTS IN LIFE AND THEY UNDERSTAND THAT GOD IS GOING TO CARE FOR THEM. YOU NOTICE THOUGH THAT THEIR TRUST IN GOD SPREAD TO OTHERS. IF YOU LOOK THERE IN VERSE 25 IT SAYS, “THE PRISONERS WERE LISTENING TO THEM.” SO OTHERS WERE HEARING THIS EXACT SAME THING. THEY WERE HEARING THEM PRAYING AND HEARING THEM SINGING. NOW YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT THESE OTHER PRISONERS MIGHT BE BEING IN AN INNER PRISON. THEY COULD BE ALL KINDS OF BAD TYPES OF PEOPLE. YOU CAN THINK OF ANYWHERE FROM THIEVES ALL THE WAY UP TO MURDERERS. WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY FROM THE SCRIPTURES WHO WAS THERE BUT THEY'RE NOT IN THERE JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE GOOD PEOPLE THAT'S FOR SURE! THEY'RE IN THERE MOST LIKELY BECAUSE OF BAD THINGS THAT THEY'VE DONE. BUT THESE PEOPLE ARE LISTENING. THEY ARE HEARING THIS PROCLAMATION OF GOD. THEY'RE HEARING THIS TRUST IN GOD. THIS FAITHFULNESS IN GOD AND WE'RE GOING TO SEE THE RESULTS OF SUCH HERE IN JUST A MOMENT.
VERSE 26 TELLS US THAT, “SUDDENLY THERE WAS A GREAT EARTHQUAKE…THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE PRISON WERE SHAKEN; AND IMMEDIATELY ALL THE DOORS WERE OPEN AND EVERYONE'S CHAINS WERE LOOSED.” SO WE FIND THERE IT HAPPENS THAT OF COURSE THIS HAS TO BE SOME KIND OF MIRACULOUS EVENT, THAT EARTHQUAKES OF COURSE HAPPEN EVEN STILL TODAY BUT WHEN EARTHQUAKES HAPPEN WHAT DO YOU FIND? YOU FIND DESTRUCTION AND CHAOS. YOU DON'T FIND SPECIFIC EVENTS SUCH AS DOORS UNLOCKING AND OPENING OR SHACKLES UNLOCKING AND FALLING OFF OF PRISONERS. THOSE THINGS DON'T HAPPEN IN EARTHQUAKES AND YET THEY DID AT THIS ONE. THIS OBVIOUSLY WAS A SIGN. IT WAS A WORK OF GOD TO SHOW FORTH THE EVENTS THAT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN HERE. SO ANYWAY THE CHAINS ARE LOOSE, THE DOORS ARE OPEN. NOW REMEMBER ALL THESE PRISONERS ARE THERE WATCHING AND HAVE BEEN SEEING THESE MEN DOING THESE THINGS OF SINGING AND PRAYING UP UNTIL MIDNIGHT. THEY SEE THIS EVENT. WHAT DOES IT MAKE THEM DO? WELL WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT. THEY OBVIOUSLY KNOW THAT SOMETHING IS UP HERE. THEY OBVIOUSLY KNOW THAT THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE INVOLVED. IT'S NOT SIMPLY A RANDOM EVENT BUT IT HAS TO BE A MIRACULOUS WORK OF GOD.
NOTICE IN VERSE 27 IT SAYS, “AND THE KEEPER OF THE PRISON, AWAKING FROM HIS SLEEP SEEING THE PRISON DOORS OPEN, SUPPOSING THE PRISONERS HAD FLED, DREW HIS SWORD AND WAS ABOUT TO KILL HIMSELF.” SO THIS MAN, THE KEEPER OF THE PRISON, THE JAILER, AS WE CALL THEM OFTEN, IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THESE MEN IN THE PRISON AND UNDER ROMAN LAW IF THESE GUYS GOT OUT HE WAS THE ONE TO TAKE THE BLAME FOR IT. AND HE WAS THE ONE WHO WOULD POSSIBLY LOSE HIS LIFE AND RECEIVE OTHER PUNISHMENTS BECAUSE OF THOSE MEN OR THOSE PRISONERS ESCAPING. BUT YET IN THAT VERY NEXT VERSE, VERSE 28, PAUL SAYS OR, “BUT PAUL CALLED IN A LOUD VOICE SAYING, ‘DO YOURSELF NO HARM, FOR WE ARE ALL HERE.’” NOW THINK ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON HERE. PAUL AND SILAS ARE PRISONERS. THEY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ESCAPE AND RUN AWAY IF THEY LET THIS JAILER KILL HIMSELF BUT THEY STOP HIM. AGAIN, DO YOU SEE THE TRUST AND THE FAITHFULNESS IN GOD AND HIS MESSAGE? WE'LL CONTINUE AND WE'LL READ THE REST OF THE ACCOUNT AND THEN WE'LL GO BACK AND KIND OF BREAK IT DOWN A LITTLE BIT. THERE BEGINNING IN VERSE 29 IT SAYS, “THEN HE CALLED FOR A LIGHT, RAN IN, AND FELL DOWN TREMBLING BEFORE PAUL AND SILAS.” VERSE 30 SAYS, “AND HE BROUGHT THEM OUT AND SAID, ‘SIRS, WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?’” SO THEY SAID, ‘BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND WILL BE SAVED, YOU AND YOUR HOUSEHOLD.’ THEN THEY SPOKE THE WORD OF THE LORD TO HIM AND TO ALL WHO ARE IN HIS HOUSE. AND HE TOOK THEM THE SAME HOUR OF THE NIGHT AND WASHED THOSE STRIPES AND IMMEDIATELY HE AND ALL HIS FAMILY WERE BAPTIZED.” VERSE 34, “NOW WHEN HE HAD BROUGHT THEM INTO HIS HOUSE, HE SET FOOD BEFORE THEM AND HE REJOICED, HAVING BELIEVED IN GOD WITH ALL HIS HOUSEHOLD.”
YOU NOTICE HOW THIS WHOLE EVENT PLAYS OUT? BECAUSE THEY SAVED THIS MAN'S LIFE, BECAUSE HE UNDERSTOOD THERE HAD BEEN SOMETHING ELSE HERE THAN JUST AN EARTHQUAKE. THIS HAD TO HAVE BEEN AN ACT OF GOD DUE TO THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED. HE UNDERSTOOD THESE MEN WERE NOT SIMPLY LIARS. THEY WERE'NT SIMPLY GOING AROUND TRYING TO SEEK FAME. THEY WERE OBVIOUSLY WORKING FOR THE MOST HIGH GOD. YOU NOTICE THIS QUESTION THERE. ‘SIRS, WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?’ HE ASKS THAT IMPORTANT QUESTION. ‘HOW DO I SAVE MY SOUL? I UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON HERE IS NOT NORMAL AND I NEED TO GET RIGHT WITH GOD.’ THIS MAN PROBABLY ALSO HAD HEARD THESE GUYS PREACHING OR RATHER PRAYING AND SINGING ALL UP UNTIL THIS POINT AS WELL OR AT LEAST AT SOME POINT HAD HEARD IT. AND SO HE WANTS TO KNOW. THEIR ANSWER IN VERSE 31 SAYS BELIEVE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND YOU'LL BE SAVED.
NOW YOU SEE AT THAT POINT HE IS TOLD HE MUST BELIEVE. NOW IT'S OBVIOUS FROM THE TEXT THAT HE CANNOT YET BELIEVE. HE DOES NOT YET HAVE FAITH. ROMANS CHAPTER 10 VERSE 17 TELLS US THAT LIFE OR FAITH COMES BY HEARING AND HEARING BY THE WORD OF GOD. SO HE HAD TO HAVE FIRST HEARD THE WORD OF GOD TO HAVE FAITH. BUT HE IS TOLD HE MUST BELIEVE IN ORDER TO BE SAVED. WE FOLLOW IT UP THERE IN THE NEXT VERSE. AND IT SAYS, “AND THEY SPOKE THE WORD OF THE LORD TO HIM AND ALL WHO WERE IN THE HOUSE.” THEY PREACHED JESUS TO HIM.
NOW AS WE FINISH UP HERE THINK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS. THIS MAN WAS TOLD TO BELIEVE BUT YOU SEE THEIR BELIEF SIMPLY WASN'T ENOUGH FOR HIM TO BE SAVED. HE HAD TO FOLLOW THROUGH. HE HAD TO DO OTHER THINGS IN ORDER TO BE SAVED. AND IMAGINE THIS SCENARIO. IF SOMEBODY TOLD YOU RIGHT NOW, THEY SAY, ‘LISTEN, YOU HAVE THIS TERRIBLE DISEASE AND YOU NEED TO GET SOMETHING DONE ABOUT IT OR YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE YOUR LIFE.’ AND THEN YOU SIT THERE AND SAY I BELIEVE EVERY WORD YOU'RE SAYING AND BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT DISEASE WILL GO AWAY. DOES THAT MAKE ANY SENSE? OF COURSE IT DOESN'T. AND SO IS THE CASE WITH JESUS CHRIST? JESUS SAYS YOU HAVE A TERRIBLE DISEASE THAT IS CALLED SIN. AND UNLESS YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT YOU WILL LOSE YOUR SOUL. REMEMBER THE MOST PRECIOUS THING THAT WE HAVE IS OUR SOULS. WELL, AS WE KEEP MOVING HERE THROUGHOUT THE TEXT WE SEE THEY TEACH JESUS TO HIM. THEY EXPLAIN THE GOSPEL MESSAGE OF JESUS CHRIST, THAT WORD THAT HE BROUGHT TO US AND ALL THESE SO IMPORTANT THINGS. AND THEN WE SEE THE JAILER DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT. THERE IN VERSE 30 IT SAYS OR IN VERSE 30... YES, VERSE 30 IT SAYS THAT HE ASKED THAT QUESTION. IN VERSE 32 WE SEE THAT THEY TEACH HIM SO HE HEARS THE GOSPEL MESSAGE. VERSE 31 SAYS THAT HE BELIEVED OR WAS SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST AS THE SON OF GOD AND OF COURSE BELIEVE THAT MESSAGE THAT THEY TAUGHT HIM. WE FIND HIM THERE SHOWING SIGNS OF REPENTANCE AS HE WASHES THEIR STRIPES SHOWING CONFESSION ALSO BECAUSE WITHOUT CONFESSING HOW WOULD THEY HAVE KNOWN THAT HE TRULY BELIEVED IN THAT MESSAGE AND IN JESUS? WE FIND ALSO THERE THAT HE WAS BAPTIZED IN THAT ACCOUNT AND IT ACTUALLY SAYS IT IN VERSE 33 THAT IMMEDIATELY HE WAS BAPTIZED. HE DIDN'T WAIT. HE DIDN'T SCHEDULE IT FOR ANOTHER DAY BUT HE WENT IMMEDIATELY. AND YOU SEE, HE HAD TO DO ACTIONS AND THEN WHEN HE DID ACTIONS NOTICE WHAT VERSE 34 SAYS. IT SAYS, AND “HAVING BELIEVED IN GOD WITH ALL HIS HOUSEHOLD.” FINALLY, AFTER ALL THESE THINGS, HE WAS SAVED. ASK YOURSELF THE QUESTION, HAVE YOU TRULY BELIEVED IN GOD UNTO SALVATION TODAY?
CLOSING COMMENTS
WHAT A WONDROUS TIME WE HAVE HAD TOGETHER IN PARTICIPATING IN THE THINGS OF GOD. I HOPE WE ALL HAVE BEEN ENCOURAGED THROUGH OUR TIME SPENT TOGETHER. PLEASE REMEMBER, YOU ARE INVITED TO JOIN US EVERY SUNDAY MORNING AT 7:30, AS WE COMMIT OURSELVES TO THIS SERVICE OF GOD.
NOW LET ME ASK IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT TODAY’S LESSON? MAYBE, YOU WOULD LIKE A FREE TRANSCRIPT OR A FREE CD OF THIS PROGRAM? POSSIBLY, WE COULD ASSIST YOU WITH FREE BIBLE MATERIALS OR FREE BIBLE CORRESPONDENCE COURSES? NO MATTER WHAT YOUR NEED IS, PLEASE CONTACT US AT THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS:
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HOW EXCITING IT IS TO SEE THE CONVERSION OF THE JAILER AND HIS FAMILY. MAY WE LEARN TO OPEN OUR EYES AND SEE WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT SHOW US IN HIS WORD, SO THAT WE MAY FOLLOW SUCH PERFECT PATTERNS UNTO SALVATION AND ETERNAL LIFE. HAVE YOU RESPONDED TO GOD’S GOSPEL PLAN OF SALVATION?