Sunday Sermons
Do Yourself No Harm
Do Yourself No Harm
Why the Apostle Paul endure the discomforts of First Century travel to sail from the Roman Province of Troas to the Roman Province of Philippi (16:-12). Paul had made this arduous trip to Philippi in obedience to the vision he had seen in which a man of Macedonia pleaded for help (16:9). How interesting that when he arrives, rather than an assembly of hungry souls waiting for a Bible class, Paul and his companions discover just a few people, Lydia and her family, gathered for prayer by the river side (16:13). These few honest and open souls are receptive to the gospel Paul brings to them and are converted (16:14-15) to the life-giving words that would change the destiny of the souls for eternity. What else can we learn from this beautiful story?
- Just as in Lydia's case, God will not overwhelm me or force me to pay attention to the gospel. When God’s message of good news is preached it is up to each of us as individuals to realize its value, and give focus accordingly (16:14).
- God opens my heart by the combination of the gospel itself and my mind honestly being attentive to it (16:14). In fact, whenever the gospel is taught something does happen to the human heart. Isaiah 55:11 reminds us "So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." You must decide: Will I allow God's word to open my heart or harden it (Acts 2:37; 7:54).
- People who really listen to the gospel and whose hearts are receptive, accept and obey the command to be baptized (Acts 2:41; 16:15).
- Luke 15:7 reminds us, "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." The conversion of a single individual or an entire family, as is the case of Lydia's conversion, is a precious and grand celebratory event in the eyes of our God.
Help that is Not Appreciated
As Paul seeks to find others who have good hearts he encounters a slave-girl who is possessed and is bringing those who own her a sizable profit, as people are resorting to her for fortune-telling. Paul casts out the spirit, angering the greedy and selfish owners of this girl, for with the demon gone, so was any hope of exploiting her for future profit (16:19). Is there anything more pitiful than when people feel threatened when someone starts changing their life for the better as a result of the gospel? Too often these improvements in another's life are unwelcomed by unrepentant onlookers, as it exposes their own real need of change (1 Peter 4:4).
From Bad to Worse
Without even a trial, Paul and Silas are assumed to be trouble-makers, guilty of violating Roman law or custom (16:20-21). As a result, they are beaten with rods without limit to the number of blows that could be struck, with an object most likely similar in size to a present-day broom stick handle. Subsequently their feet are placed in stocks. “These stocks had more than two holes for the legs, which could be forced wide apart in such a way as to cause the utmost discomfort and cramping pain. It was not the jailer's business to take any thought for his prisoner's comfort, but to make sure that they did not escape” (Bruce p. 336). The "inner prison" (16:24) mentioned in this verse, we would call "maximum security", usually a room, sometimes underground in which there would be little or no light or fresh air.
What Happened?
At such a moment Paul could have been both confused and discouraged. How could he have seen a heavenly vision of a man from this region asking for help, and yet now this? In such a moment it is so very easy to think, “God, why is this happening to me when I am the one who is trying to do what is right?” How inspiring Paul and Silas's absence of complaining, discouragement or disillusionment. As Christians they already knew that persecution was part of the package (Acts 14:22) and were thus unshaken by this painful experience.
A Chance to Shine
Far from being distraught, what we see instead is, Paul and Silas's singing praise to their faithful and merciful God (Acts 16:25) in such a way that the prisoners were “listening to them”. Note this with respect to the word "listening" in this text, for it “is a rare verb" and means "to listen with pleasure as to a recitation or music” (Robertson p. 260). The other prisoners found such singing refreshing and encouraging. May we all never forget that someone is often listening, and someone is always watching how we respond to the trials of life. The devil tries to convince Christians that they don’t matter, they have no influence and that no one is paying attention to them, but the older I get I find that whether the seek such or not, Christians often find themselves noticeably at the center of attention. Non-Christians may find someone who does not drink, curse, or gamble to be intriguing, for the uniqueness of being free of such vices. The person who is polite, kind in their words, encouraging and morally upright really does stand out in our present world (Philippians 2:16). And how encouraging that Paul and Silas did not feel that their mistreatment gave them a “timeout” from being faithful or having a good attitude. I am afraid at times that we place many “exceptions” and “extenuating circumstances” around our need to be faithful. If God expects us to conduct ourselves as faithful Christians even after a day in which we may have been beaten many times with rods, thrown into prison, and our feet placed in stocks—certainly nothing exempts us from behaving in a Christ-like manner. Our excuse “I had a hard day” looks incredibly weak in light of this chapter. Evidently the jailor had been listening as well (16:29-30) . When we act in a manner that the world doesn't expect, we are giving the gospel message an opportunity to be heard.
The World’s Dead End Solutions
Acts 16:27 “He drew his sword and was about to kill himself”: This jailer was held personally responsible for all these prisoners, and if they escaped, he would pay the penalty that they were to face. “It was a very common thing, even considered to be an honorable thing, among Greeks and Romans, for a man to commit suicide when he was encompassed with dangers from which he seemed to be unable to escape” (Reese p. 588). Too often the world tries so haphazardly to solve a problem, and sometimes the best solution it can come up with is death. We see this in such the common yet incredibly tragic practices as abortion, suicide, and euthanasia. God always has a better answer.
The Gospel Offers Life
Acts 16:28 “Do yourself no harm”: Why should Paul care about what happens to this Roman jailer? Many Jews of that time would have said, “The fewer Romans the better”. Yet becoming a Christian had removed prejudice and revenge from Paul’s heart (Colossians 3:11). I am impressed that the gospel is the message that says to mankind, “Do yourself no harm”. When we try to encourage people to either give up or abstain from any sin, we are in effect saying, “Stop hurting yourself”. For every sin in some way contributes towards the destruction of our own well-being and happiness (Proverbs 6:32; Romans 1:27-32).
On God’s Terms
In Acts 16:30 the jailor asks with eagerness, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”: This and other passages clearly teach that there is something that the sinner must "do" when it comes to obtaining the forgiveness of sins. We should note that Paul and Silas did not correct the jailor saying something like, “there is nothing you can do”. Neither did Peter. (Acts 2:37) In fact, Jesus agreed that the sinner must "do" something to be saved. (Acts 9:6 “but arise, and enter the city, and it shall be told you what you must do”).
The Need to be Taught
Acts 16:32 “And they spoke the word of the Lord to him”: Unfortunately, some stop reading at verse 30, and leave with the impression that this man was saved at the point of mere mental assent. “Those who catch at these words of Paul to the jailor, and draw the conclusion that salvation is by faith alone, leave the jail too soon. They should remain till they hear all—till they hear Paul tell the man to...be baptized, till the design of baptism is explained to him, till he is baptized, till he is found rejoicing greatly immediately after his baptism” (Acts. McGarvey p. 103).
Acts 16:32 “And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house”: “There is no salvation by proxy in the New Testament. Salvation is an individual and personal matter. So the words ‘and your house’ cannot mean that all the other people in the house would be saved automatically if just the jailer believed. They must believe too if they would be saved” (Reese p. 591).
Having Believed in God
The jailer demonstrates repentance by wanting to relieve the suffering of Paul and Silas— suffering to which he himself had contributed (Acts 16:33). The jailer is never told to pray the sinner’s prayer, for preaching the word of the Lord included teaching concerning baptism (Acts 8:35-36; 8:5,12). He was baptized immediately, indicating the necessity of baptism (Mark 16:16). The explains why rejoicing is not mentioned in the text until after this man is baptized (Acts 8:39), for not until this man is baptized, does God say, they ‘believed in God” (16:34). Obviously the expression “having believed in God” includes the heartfelt response of repenting and being baptized (Ephesians 2:5-9; Colossians 2:12).
Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net
