Christ is Life Podcast

Today, in this section that we're going to be looking at, we are going to learn a lot about suffering, about when suffering hits, how we are to react, what to expect when we're living life in the Spirit. How should we expect him to lead us when we encounter times of suffering? But it's not just when we encounter suffering. We're also going to learn today how the Holy Spirit's going to lead us when we encounter others who are experiencing suffering in some way, and what he wants to do in and through us about the situations that they are in. And so I'm so excited to dive into this. But before we do, let me just quickly remind you where we're at. We're in the section on Acts, where Paul is on his second missionary journey. They've been launched out from the church at Antioch, and right now, we've got Paul, we've got Silas, we've got Timothy, and we have Dr Luke, who is the author of the book of Acts, and they have been led by the Holy Spirit to Macedonia, into this area called Philippi, where they shared the gospel with this rich business woman we learned of named Lydia. We're told that the Lord opened her heart to the gospel, to the good news of Jesus Christ, how her sins could be forgiven based on the finished work of Jesus Christ, and she put her faith and trust in him, had her life transformed and changed forever, and then she opened up her home, and that became the church at Philippi. And what we're told after this happens is that Paul and Silas and Timothy and Dr Luke continue to stay in Philippi and develop the disciples and share the Gospel. And now in this section, Luke is going to share about an important set of events and circumstances, situations that happen as they continue to live there in Philippi during this season. Here's what Luke says in chapter 16 of Acts, beginning in verse 16, he says, 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. And so we learn a couple of things about this person that Luke is describing. Right off the bat. We learned, first of all, of course, that she is a female slave, that she has owners, that she is nothing more than a piece of property to them,
she
has been devalued to the point of not being seen as a human being, but that of a slave, a female slave, which is even more degrading in this particular culture that they were living in. And so we think about her being oppressed in this way, in bondage, in in chains, and being stuck in the situation that she was in. But then the second thing that we're told is that she had a spirit by which she predicted the future. Now, when you read this the way that the NIV has translated it here, you just kind of think, Okay, well, she's got this kind of spirit, and that could be a good thing, necessarily. But what we miss is that the way this is written in the original Greek is, is that this means she had a Python spirit, or a spirit of a Python, which in this particular context was a reference to the snake of classical mythology, which guarded the Temple of Apollo. And so what we're talking about here is an evil spirit. What we're talking about is that not only was she a slave to those who owned them, these human owners, she was also a slave to the enemy Satan, had a hold on her life. She was in bondage to this spirit of the evil one that was dwelling in her in this moment. And so talk about walking down a road of suffering, being born into this world and having this evil spirit take over, and these people put you in chains and in bondage and exploit you to make money off of you, to get rich off of you. She can't rescue herself. She can't do anything about the situation, and so let's look and see what happens next. Verse 17, Luke says 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, and finally Luke 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. And at that moment, the spirit left her. Now when we see this written here and we talk, Luke says that Paul became so annoyed with. With her. The Greek word that's used here can be translated annoyed, but he's not using it here in the sense and in the context that we're looking at here, as if he just had this outburst of irritation. He was just so irritated with her and what she was doing, he kind of lost his temper in the moment, and then cast this demon out of her because he was just irritated emotionally with her. I don't know what we're talking about here is that that that that the Holy Spirit opened up Paul to be irritated about the situation that she was in, the injustice, the unworthy treatment that she was being exposed to as someone who was created and made in the image of God, who was now in bondage to this evil spirit and to these slave owners. And so what we're really seeing happen here is that the Holy Spirit, out of a out of a heart for this girl, led the Apostle Paul to become annoyed in this way, to free her from the situation that she was in. And we see that he didn't do it in his own power and his own strength. He said, This is in the authority in the name of Jesus Christ and His resurrection power. And of course, this evil spirit has no real authority, no real power, compared to the resurrection power of Jesus. So he only could obey. That's the only thing that he could do. And so at that moment, the spirit left her, she was free. But the other thing we recognize is that, because that happened then, now these human owners didn't really have a need for her anymore, and she would be freed from them as well. And so what we see is that the Holy Spirit led Paul to see this injustice that this girl was being exposed to, used him to do something about the bondage and free her from the situation that she was in. And what I'm hoping that we'll see is that this is the way the Holy Spirit worked in and through Paul as he depended upon the spirit was living life in the Spirit. And what we need to know first and foremost, as we walk through this passage is that he will do the same through you and I, as we make ourselves available to him and keep our eyes on Him. This was the story of Gary Haugen in the late 1990s Gary Haugen was a lawyer in the United States. At that time, he was living a comfortable life right here in the United States of America, doing just fine, when all of a sudden he began to notice and be exposed to and realize how many injustices in that there was this pattern of injustice all around the world, especially in regard to the most poor of poor areas around he noticed that there were kids and there were adults who were being trafficked and entrapped in The in the sex trade and in the slave trade, and that they really couldn't do anything about the situations that they were in, and the governments weren't doing anything to step up and help them in the situations that they were in. And being a Christian with the Holy Spirit dwelling in him and living life in the Spirit, he got annoyed. He got annoyed in the same way that Paul got annoyed and said, This is not okay. These are people that are made in the image of God, and it is not okay that they're trapped in slavery and experiences the injustices of the world in this way, and we've got to do something about it. People told him he was crazy. There's nothing that you can do about it. It's an impossible situation. It's just the way things are. There's too many obstacles to overcome. Listen, you've got a good job, you're comfortable, everything's fine here. You don't need to go down this road. But he could not let it go. He became so annoyed that he quit the job that he was doing, and he began to form what's known as the International Justice Mission. And it's been almost 30 years now that the IJM has been in place, and they are celebrating the fact that almost 500,000 victims have been brought to freedom, that over 8400 perpetrators have been convicted at this point, and that there are over 431,000 justice officials in places all around the world who have been trained to fight for those people who are trapped in unjust situations in these particular kinds of areas, because life in the Spirit means that he will use us to see people in unjust situations and use us to set them free. It may not look exactly like Gary Haugen in starting a whole mission to combat all of these things going. Going around the world, or it may in your case, you never know. But our job is to be open and available, to see those who are vulnerable people in our schools and in our jobs and in our community, and to have our heart moved by the Holy Spirit for them to go, this is not okay. Treating people in this way is not okay, and he's empowered me to be able to do something about the situation that they're in. And so in the name and authority of Jesus Christ, I walk in His power and in his strength to use me to face whatever situation that is. This is what life in the Spirit looks like, partly, and we need to be open and available to that now, when we enter into those kind of things in the same way that Paul and them entered into these things, we should expect opposition. We should expect setbacks, and that is exactly what we see happen in their lives. Next verse 19 says, 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 notice that they don't tell the truth. They don't walk in and say, You know what? These men just took away our ability to exploit this girl and use her for the purpose of getting rich, because that's what they were doing. They were playing upon this spirit of anti semitism that existed in this particular day and age and in this particular culture that they were in, and they were getting them worked up about the disorder and the way they were disturbing life, and it it worked. Look at verse 22 the crowd joined in the attack and against 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. Okay, so let's pause right here for just a moment and kind of, kind of put ourselves, put yourself in the shoes of Paul and Silas. They've they've listened to the Holy Spirit. Okay, never you're in their shoes. You You've listened to the Holy Spirit. He's put it on your heart to go on this missionary journey, to strengthen churches, to share the gospel and the good news with other people. You trusted him with that so you stepped out onto this journey. You left your home, you left all things behind you to go on this journey, to be used high by him, to pour into other people. You go. And along the way, you felt the Holy Spirit leading you to this particular area. You said yes to that. You stepped in. And now you see a slave girl that's trapped in this situation. You sense the Holy Spirit putting on your heart to do something about it. And you go, Okay, I want to help her so you allow Jesus to do something about the situation that they're in. And as a result of your obedience and trusting God and helping someone else out, you get severely beaten with rods. You get thrown into jail, and you have your feet fastened in stocks, which would have made it extremely uncomfortable, in amount of discomfort and pain in the situation that you were in. I mean, if it was me, I'm sure if it was you, you would be confused, you would be depressed, you would be angry, you'd be ready to give up, going, God, I stepped out in faith to do this with you, and this is the way you pay me back. Thanks for nothing. Let's see how Paul and Silas respond. Verse 25 about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoner prisoners were listening to them, how in the world is that possible? How in the world is it possible to have been beaten with rods, thrown into the inner prison and have your feet fastened in stocks and to be praying and singing hymns to God in this moment. I'll point your attention to one verse that the apostle Paul wrote back to the church at Philippi, this area, after he was arrested another time under his writing back to them. And he simply says this in Philippians, 121 for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. In other words, he's saying, Christ is my life. Christ is my everything. Christ is my joy. He's He's my peace. And so you can. Beat me with rods. You can put me in prison. You can fasten my feet in stocks and put me in an incredible amount of discomfort and pain. But you cannot take away my joy. You cannot take away my peace. You cannot take away my abundant life, because those things are found in Christ and I am in union with Him. This is what he's saying. This is what He's declaring. The Holy Spirit is allowing him to pray and sings because he sings because he's experiencing the joy that he has in Christ, the peace that he has in Christ, the life that he has in Christ. And notice that as they're able to respond in this particular way, what we're told happens, that through this happening and the Holy Spirit leading them in this way, that other prisoners were listening, they noticed what it is that they were doing. In other words, you can sense that the Holy Spirit was doing something in them, in their suffering, to bring them joy and to bring them peace and experience. And it came out in this outward way here, but God was at work, even in that not just for them, but for the other people who were present, to get their attention, because he had something that he wanted to do in their lives, to change their lives. And so God, what we see was at work in their suffering to get the attention of those who were unsaved and yet to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. And we continue to see that as we go on, look at verse 26 suddenly there was a violent such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and 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. And the jailer called for lights rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas, and then he brought them out and asked, Sirs, what must I do to be saved this? This guy can't believe it, like Who in the world stays in prison whenever there's been a way, opened up for you to be able to escape. No one would do that. And so he recognizes that this is just crazy, and that these guys have been praying to this so called God and singing to the so called God, probably preaching at different times that he didn't just tell us about this, sharing this good news about Jesus. And so he goes, okay, okay, you've got my attention now, like, like, what must I do to be saved? And notice that he, like many of us around here and around the world, if we don't yet know Jesus, think there's got to be something I've got to do. I mean, what do I have to do? I mean, what are the steps that I have to take? What are the behaviors that I need to get rid of and begin to master? What are the things that I can point to where I'll know I'm justified before God because of these certain things that I did? But look at how Paul and Silas reply verse 31 they replied, Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household notice that there's there's nothing other than believe. There's nothing other than faith. There's no addition to believe. There's no other words. There's no believe, and there it's just believe, and there's no description of certain believing faith another that's not really believing faith. It's just believe, put your faith and trust in Jesus, and you will be saved. This is the gospel. This is the good news. It's not something to do, it's something to receive. And he receives it. And then notice this his household does too. Verse 32 then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all others in his house. And so when you see what Paul was saying, Paul and Silas, hey, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you and your household will be saved, you go, Well, that's pretty cool. If I come to believe in Jesus, then not only I get saved, but my whole households get saved as a result of me getting saved. That's not what he was saying. That's not how that works. We saw in the very next verse that he had to explain the Gospel to everyone in his household too, and once they heard the good news and that their sins could be forgiven and they could have new life in Christ, they too believed. They responded in faith and received it in their lives as well. Verse 33 at that hour of the night, the jailer took them and washed their wounds. Then he immediately or then immediately, he and all his household were baptized, and the jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he was filled with joy. Joy because he had come to believe in God, he and his whole household, you will never experience a joy like the joy of having your sins completely forgiven, in having received new life in Christ, the abundant life that you were always created to have since the day that you were born, but you could never really fully find and be satisfied in because that kind of life, that kind of joy, can only be found in and through Jesus Christ. And so we see this joy, this happiness, this excitement about his salvation and being baptized to show all of his sins have been washed away, and the old him is dead, buried in and gone, and they have received this new life in Christ, verse 35 when it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with The Order, released those men. And the jailer told Paul, the magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave, go in peace. But Paul said to the offers, they beat us publicly without a trial, even though we're Roman citizens, and they threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No, let them come themselves and escort us out. The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they had heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. Now, now, now. What is this all about? What's what's going on here? Well, what's what's going on here is, is that it was illegal to treat Roman citizens the way that they were treating Paul and Silas. And what we learn is that they were Roman citizens. Question becomes, why did they not bring this up sooner. I mean, if this is true and it was illegal to do what it is that they were doing, then how come Paul and Silas didn't bring this up sooner in order to let them know we're Roman citizens, and then they could have escaped all of this suffering that they just went through in this moment we're not told specifically. Could be that magistrates just didn't really give them an opportunity. They just started to react in this way, and Everything happened so fast, and they just began to beat them and all of these things. But my guess is that Paul and Silas didn't bring it up because they knew that God would be at work in and through the suffering that they were about to experience. How so? Because, first of all, they had seen that happen in Jesus' life. They saw the King of kings and the Lord of lords subject himself to the suffering that he experienced on the cross and the good that came out of that so, wow, God works in suffering in that way. All throughout the book of Acts, we've seen the disciples suffer, and they've used phrases like, oh my gosh, we we were counted worthy of suffering for the name of Jesus Christ, like the same way that he suffered. We were we're counted worthy of being able to suffer in that way. Because we see the good that can come out of the suffering, and maybe good will come out of this is well, and so I think this is more likely why they didn't bring it up. Why are they bringing it up now? Then I don't think it's because of Paul. I don't think he's like trying to, you know, get back at them and get some kind of revenge after it is that happened to him. The Holy Spirit doesn't lead us in those ways. I think what we're seeing here is a concern for the church. The church at Philippi Paul's established this church, and he knows they're going on the rest of their missionary journey at some point. And so he knows that things could be really bad for them, the way that they were just treated in this way. And so if he brings up the fact that they were Roman citizens, this was against the law, and they'll go, oh, we could get in big trouble. Like these guys could get in big trouble for treating them the way that they were treating them, or what they did to them, knowing that they're Roman citizens. And so now they've kind of got some leverage on them, like going, if we don't really say anything in this way, there's this understanding that you're going to treat those who are part of our church a little bit differently, even when we leave. And so I think that's most likely what Paul was up to, and the reason the Holy Spirit was leading them in this way. But I want you to notice as we finish this up, what Luke says happened in verse 40. It says after Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house where they were they met the brothers and sisters and encouraged them, and then they left guys, this is absolutely incredible to me. I mean, what we're being told here is just amazing. I mean, think about this again. I mean, Paul and Silas. Were the ones that were beaten, I mean severely beaten. They are the ones thrown in jail. They were the ones that had stocks fastened to their feet, and yet they show up at the church and the rest of the church isn't ministering to and encouraging them, and going, it'll be okay, and all of that, they're going, No, no, they're the ones who are encouraging the rest of the church, and you just put yourself in their shoes and think about what he was probably saying. I mean, Paul was probably just couldn't contain himself, like, oh my gosh, you are never going to believe what the Holy Spirit just did in and through our suffering. I mean, a jailer and his entire family just got saved. There was this huge earthquake that God caused, and we could have escaped, but the Holy Spirit led us not to escape, and he used that to get the attention of the jailer, and the jailer heard the good news, and he said yes to Jesus, and then he went to his family, and we got to tell them about Jesus, and now they're all saved, and now we're going to have the opportunity to add more people into the church and celebrate what it is that God is doing. They're going isn't it amazing that God was at work in our lives to bring us joy and us peace and us life, that we can even pray and sing in the jail that day. But above and beyond that, he somehow worked in and through our suffering and what we were just a part of, to have this entire family now guaranteed eternal life in Heaven and like, can you just believe that? I mean, can you imagine how they were encouraged? Oh my gosh. This is so encouraging. It helps those in the church now see suffering in a different way. They're like, going, Oh, this. This isn't about if I enter suffering that God's not good. It's just not about like, should I should I doubt God's goodness? Should I? Did I do something wrong? Why am I being punished in this way? It's like, oh, what God could be at work in my suffering to help me experience peace and joy and life and help me to see that it's not found in my situations and circumstances, and work outwardly somehow, so that someone else might be in heaven one day because they saw the way I suffered and the way Jesus worked in and through me and my suffering, and so it would certainly encourage them and help them to see suffering in a different light as well. What do we learn today? What do we what do we see for us? And this was a result for them. We've already talked about it in some ways. Let me, let me highlight the first one. We've already kind of talked about life in the Spirit. It means that he will break our heart for the injustices that some people face and empower us to do something about it. This is what we saw in and through Paul and the slave girl being trapped and enchained to this evil spirit and these these human slave owners. And so we asked the question this morning, if this is the way that you worked in and through Paul to see the injustice that someone was experiencing, to to do something about it. Then, then, what does that look like today? What does that look like in my life as a as a teenager in high school? What does it look like in my life as someone going off to college, as a as a young adult, as a parent in the room, a grandparent, someone who's here and working or retired, and what does it look like for the Holy Spirit to show me the injust injustices that people are facing around my community, my sphere of influence, and to trust you to lean in and actually do something to help vulnerable people out and rescue them from the situation that they're in. I'm open, I'm available. Spirit use me in that it also saw the suffering that we experience, not just other people and helping them, but life in the Spirit means that he will use our sufferings to get other people's attention and change their lives. It reveals to us, in a practical way, how we deal with the sufferings that we face. Listen, there's plenty of scriptures about how God meets us in our suffering. He comforts us in those moments we find love and just, oh, thank you that I don't have to walk through this alone. And He grieves with you, and he's he's just in it with you. Scripture certainly points to God doing that. But at the same time, it's not all about oh, I just need God to be with me through this. I need him to get me out of it as quickly as I can. The prayer changes to become, oh, I have seen you work in and through their suffering and lead it lead other people to accept the gospel and now be in heaven. And so there's some way that you work in and through my suffering to draw other people to yourself. And so I'm not going to be so quickly to necessarily get out of the suffering. I'm not going to recognize that this is something the enemy has caused, and I need to make sure that I fight against that and get out of it and onto this other thing where I can proclaim the victory. You know what? Spirit if you want me to stay in the suffering and experience your joy and your life and right here, because you're going to use. Somehow to gain the attention of someone else that's going to change their life forever. I think if you and I approach it that way, and we get to heaven one day and we see someone in heaven, and their story is that they came to know Christ in the middle of your darkest pain and your suffering, and when life was really difficult and hard, that you and I will both go, Oh my gosh, it was so worth it. So worth it to go through that right there, to know that you're in heaven and that your life and your family's life has been impacted for all of eternity. And so this is the way that we approach it. Our prayer is, God, God, don't let me miss what you want to do in me, but also through me. In the midst of suffering, I don't want to waste my suffering. Don't let me waste my suffering. Holy Spirit. Use it for my good and for your glory. And then finally, as we saw the the jailer receive salvation today, it practically shows you what do you have to do to be saved? Maybe you've never taken a step of faith. You can't remember a point in time where you've been counting on your own good works, or, you know what? All people just go to heaven. Surely all people, I'm not a bad person, not as bad as those guys who are in jail and stuff. I mean, don't we grade on a curve here and you go, no, no. It said nothing about anything you've got to do. It's something you have to receive. And if you can never point to a time in life where you've actually received it, where you've put your faith and trust in Jesus, then maybe that's the way this applies to you today. Maybe this is the response he's leading you in to believe, to put your faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins and for eternal life. And if that's you, I want to give the opportunity to do that in this moment.