"Thankful" from Acts 16:16-36

TODAY I AM COMMENTING ON ACTS 16:16-36.

At Thanksgiving we are supposed to be thankful, but at times we feel like the man who fell off of a skyscraper.  As he passed the 10th floor he was heard to say “So far, so good! So far, so good!”

You may be as tired as I am of people moaning and groaning about how bad 2020 has been. It’s almost become a cliché, but like every joke or internet meme, there is certainly a lot of reality in our complaints.

Paul and Silas were once confronted with a situation in which they seemed to have nothing for which to be thankful.  Let’s see how they reacted in Acts 16:16-36.

FIRST, THEY HAD VILE CIRCUMSTANCES:

Verses 16-24 tell us,

Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She 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.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed 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.

When her owners 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 with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

Paul and Silas were ministering in Philippi. They had won Lydia and her household to the Lord, the first of an untold many European converts to Jesus. They’d done good work like casting a demon out of a slave-girl.

They were in the midst of a vital, powerful ministry, but they were upsetting the powers that be, human and spiritual alike.

Robbed of profit, the slave-girl’s masters were enraged.  Robbed of a soul, Satan was enraged.  So, they decided to take their revenge. 

Paul and Silas were dragged to the magistrates and accused of being troublemakers. These accusations were false, but the mob had its way and Paul, and Silas, had their rights as Roman citizens violated. In other circumstances, Paul was wise to claim his rights, but he did not have a chance at Philippi. They had a right to a trial but were afforded no trial. Instead, they were beaten with many stripes, imprisoned, and bound in stocks.

NEXT THEY DEMONSTRATED A VITAL FAITH:

Under these circumstances, what would most people Do? Cry and whine? Give up and die? Become angry and curse God? Cop out and change sides?

What did Paul And Silas do? They prayed! They sang hymns! They praised God! They witnessed to the other prisoners! Acts 16:25 says, 

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

What possessed these men?  They had faith in God.  They knew Him to be powerful and trustworthy.  They also had faith in each other. They knew what they’d been through together.

One of my favorite quotes comes from a letter General William T. Sherman wrote to General Ulysses S. Grant after the Civil War: “I knew, wherever I was, that you thought of me, and if I needed you, you would come.”

Paul and Silas knew their God and they knew each other, and they had the confidence that comes from such solid relationships.

What is the underlying principle here? Romans 8:28 tells us,

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

This means that anything that we can imagine, God can use to bless us. Even being accused falsely. Even being beaten and thrown into prison.

FINALLY, THEY HAD A VIGOROUS BLESSING:

Verses 26-36 tell us the rest of the story,

Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

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.” 

When things are at their worse, that is when we often see God’s power, which in this case was demonstrated by the earthquake which freed all the captives. Just like the Cavalry showing up in the nick of time, everyone was rescued. 

And I think we should note here that God granted this temporal salvation to all in the prison, not just Paul and Silas.  I believe this indicates that all can be blessed if we accept God’s intervention.  Of course, the Jailer and his family were saved and baptized, and Paul and Silas had their wounds treated.

Although the situation faced by Paul and Silas appeared to be grim, God’s plan was clearly revealed:

Paul and Silas obeyed God and did ministry.

Paul and Silas were falsely accused, brutalized, and falsely imprisoned.

Paul and Silas praised God and witnessed by their faith. Then they and all the prisoners were released by God’s power.

The Jailer and his family were saved, and Paul and Silas were released, and God received the praise and the glory!

What Should We Do If We Think We Have Nothing For Which To Be Thankful?  

We need to look a little closer, because God might be trying to bless us!

We need to look a little closer, because God might be trying to use us to bless someone else!

We need to look a little closer, because God might be about to demonstrate His power!

We need to look a little closer, because God might be about to deserve our greatest respect, devotion, love, and praise!

CONCLUSION: 

This Thanksgiving may we all look a little closer and be truly thankful for all God is and all He has done in our lives! 

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt