We All Have a Story to Tell: A Man & His Family, 3/8/15

Sermon Sunday, March 8, 2015/We All Have a Story to Tell

A Man and His Family Acts 16:16-34 NIV

¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ 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.” ¹⁸ 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. ¹⁹ 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. ²⁰ They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar ²¹ by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” ²² The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. ²³ After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. ²⁴ When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. ²⁵ About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ 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. ²⁷ 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. ²⁸ But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” ²⁹ The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” ³² Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. ³³ At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. ³⁴ 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.

Series on transformation

Part 1 to this story – fortune telling slave girl

This poor girl is the victim of human trafficking

We don’t know much of this but it happens all over the world

It is horrible

We should not be so quick to forget the plight of those in need

This is an example of how people use others

The Gospel of Jesus should interrupt society’s ideas of commerce.

The gospel should cause us to question how we go about making a living

They were attacking important commerce

the missionaries are attacked

everyone joins in….

PART 2 of the story- Paul + Silas arrested

Irony   –   Paul went from imprisoning Christ followers TO BECOMING an imprisoned Christ follower

Publically beaten & flogged

Thrown into jail w/o a trial – even though ROMAN CITIZENS

in stocks –

AWAKE- SINGING - Waiting on God

How often do we not get our way

stuck in a long line

don’t get the best service at a restaurant

maybe my Sunday school class didn’t get the room we wanted.

Maybe my ministry didn’t get as much attention as something else

And we sound the alarm

that we’re not being treated fairly?!!?!?!?!?!!!

As American Christ followers….

We seem to be so concerned about what our rights are and making sure that we get everything we deserve.  

Do we miss the bigger picture b/c we’re concerned about our inalienable rights as Americans?

Have we become entitled?

Do Christians have rights? Do they get to make demands of god?

What ever happened to going the second mile?  Turning the other cheek?

Taking up one’s cross

[taking up my cross is not my bad knee]

Paul and Silas have forfeited their rights when they answer the call of Jesus to be disciples and then go out on missionary journeys.

The Christian faith is not about us sitting in a pew……..

There are places for you to go, and people for you to love

They didn't deserve to be in jail.

They had every opportunity to leave the jail cell.

As Roman citizens – get a trial

but they don’t bring that up

Paul & Silas don't leave the jail right away because they recognized they were in the middle of a god moment.

Imprisioned, praying, singing, telling the story, and now an earthquake.

They are in the middle of a god moment and they have a chance to make a difference.

How many times did we miss opportunities for the greater good to take place because we are concerned about our comfort.

The jailer……..

He is about to take his life.  He has a really bad boss, who is going to be really mad

You ever had a bad boss?  Don’t be one.

It all finally gets to the jailer……he makes a decision

The songs, the prayers, now the grace of not leaving……..

A man that's ready to end his life ends up hearing the message.

He gets to the point where he doesn't see anything worth living for and is exactly in a place where Jesus can do the most work in his soul!

Have you ever felt like you have come to the end of it?

Philippian jailer, and his house

The nature of corporate vs personal decisions. 

We have a way of thinking

We think that everyone thinks like we do.

We often misunderstand the bible because we ask in to answer our questions from our situation in life

Instead of considering the issue from their situation in life.

The bible was written with a situation in life in mind and it was that of 30 ad not 2015

Changes in thinking pre and post reformation

that swung many minds toward individual decision

Philippian jailer makes the decision for his household to follow Jesus, too

Clan mentality  --  The man of the house decided for the entire household back then. 

It’s the way it was.  He became a Christ follower and his family did by default

The historical practice of children being included in a household’s embrace of our Christian faith – infant baptism

You opinion is a viewpoint.

Every viewpoint is a view from a point.

Transformation means changing  the way you look at a thing

Opening your eyes

Seeing for the first time

Waking up

what Paul & Silas did – affects an entire family!!!!

What does it take to reach a person?

The songs and hymns don’t get to him.  The preaching doesn’t get to him.

It takes an earthquake

Conclusion

What does it take to reach a person?

What turned in your heart that made you choose for Jesus?

Something small or big?

Various experiences

Some always knew they were a Christian

Someone else heard a sermon and decided

Others had an encounter w god- no preacher involved.

Maybe for you it took an earthquake

God is not offended.  He takes you any way that you come to him.

The jailers story effected his family

We All Have a Story to Tell

about God coming into our lives

part of this sermon series is hearing some of the stories of our members lives

Show Tracy’s video

·        “We came for our kids and we benefited”

·        “Over time, God can really influence your life”

·        “It doesn’t’ have to be a wow moment; it sort of seeps into your being”

Transformation means changing the way you look at a thing

Opening your eyes

Seeing for the first time

Waking up

What turned in your heart that made you choose for Jesus?

Maybe you thought that decision was in the past.
but maybe there is something new that you can give to him

Maybe there is an attitude that you need to let go

Maybe there is a person that you need to forgive

Maybe you need to stop knowing everything and just trust in God

I said it last week

If being a Christian is giving all that you know of yourself to all that you know of god

Then we never arrive.  There is always this moving towards, a growing closer to

Do you know him?

Are you moving towards him?

The savior waits for you to chose him every day

And you are not the only beneficiary of your chosing to grow in grace

Your family, your friends, the server at the restaurant, every human being that you come into contact with is blessed when you choose Jesus.