The Public Impact of the Private Life

 "David said to Saul, your servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Your servant slew both the lion and the bear:”

Have you heard, or know of, a person(s) who is always doing good? They give to charities and other worthy causes. This person(s) might be involved in the community and help out their neighbors.

They might have a great reputation and considered to be upstanding in character, moral, ethical and be very outgoing and friendly, always wanting to make things better for those around them.

 We may assume that such a one(s) to be Christian(s) and they may well be a Christian(s) and it is hoped that such person(s) is  a Christian(s), for Christians are to do good and be upstanding people and embracing values such as family integrity, honesty and concern for other. 

 But good works, morals, ethics and values are not the sole property of Christianity. We can find persons doing good who are not Christians. Buddhist, Hindus and even atheist do good works and be can be person(s) of high character and integrity, warm and friendly.  These qualities are seen in the lives of non-Christians as well.

Not Good Enough

Morals, ethics, good works, character and values are all very good things, and it is good that good is done. But they are not of themselves good enough.

All these things apart from Jesus Christ, and that which is not born out of our relationship with him, are only temporary and for this life alone and have only limited impact.

It is good to do good, but good apart from Jesus is, for the here and the now only. However, what emerges out of a relationship with Jesus Christ can transform a people’s lives around us forever and have impact beyond the confines of this world. Even if it is a simple act of kindness of just giving a cool cup of water, for if this good work comes out of the Holy Spirit in our lives then it has power to change a life for all time and forever.

Evidence of Jesus

 What should be evident in the life of a Christian is the residency of our Lord Jesus Christ .The Christian life is to reflect the truth that our Lord Jesus  is living, and that we are in participation with Jesus, joining him in his ongoing eternal ministry. 

The Ministry of Jesus did not end at his Ascendance into the Heavens, nor did Jesus abdicate it to humanity, that is the Church, but rather Jesus brings us into what he has and is continually doing in the lives of those around us.

In Private

The Christian life is more than just, "doing” it is "being”, that is, being who we are meant to be in Jesus Christ and being in a relationship with him. Knowing him, spending our time in relationship with him.

 It is important that in our private moments, when none but our Lord's eyes are upon us, that we are focused on Jesus, for it is in our private life, our prayer and reading of the word of God which gives impact to our public life. It is this time spent in private communion with our Lord that we are transformed and made ready to go forth among the people around us. 

What we do in private will have a public impact.

David Prepared for the Time and the Time Prepared for David

We can see this in the life of David as he watched over the flocks of his father Jesse. It was in these times alone with only the Lord, that God was transforming David from a shepherd to a warrior and then to a King.

As David cared for the sheep and thought upon the word of God, he was equipped to deal with the challenges of governing a nation. It was in these private moments , out of sight of the world at large, that  God made David into a person whose impact upon the world would be felt for generations.

David was prepared for the time and the time prepared for David.

  The Lion and Bear   

It was in David's times apart from the public eye that David dealt with a threat to the flock under his care. Two predators, a Lion and a Bear, came against the flocks, and David fearlessly confronted them, giving him confidence of God’s providential oversight of his life.  David recounted this to King Saul as he offered to go and do battle with the Philistine giant Goliath.

"David said to Saul, Your servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Your servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God. David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine." 1Sam:17:34-37

David came to know his God in the moments of his private life,  so when that moment  of time arose to confront Goliath ,who threaten the freedom of Israel and spoke blasphemy against the great God of Israel , David  was prepared to face him and defeat him even as more seasoned warriors and King Saul were dismayed.

"Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongs to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he had an helmet of brass on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. And he had greaves of brass on his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him. And he stood and cried to the armies of Israel, and said to them, Why are you come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and you servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall you be our servants, and serve us. And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid." 1Sam:17:1-11

David came to know his God and grew in godly confidence. David with the guidance of God learned how to face the challenges, and as a result, the threat against the people of God, embodied in the person of Goliath, was defeated. The men of Israel's armies withdrew from the sight of the Giant Goliath, but not David having faced the bear and lion in private, he now would face the imposing giant Goliath in public and defeat him.

"And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. And the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who kills him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.

And David spoke to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"  1Sam: 17:24-26

David knew that his God would stand with and for him and that victory would come not through his own "efforts" but from his God alone. As a result, the threat(s) which confronted the nation was overcome and defeated and Israel was made secured for a time.

"And the Philistine came on and drew near to David; and the man that bore the shield went before him. And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog, that you come to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. Then said David to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day will the LORD deliver you into my hand; and I will smite you, and take your head from you; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day to the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands.

And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew near to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took there a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell on his face to the earth.

So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.Therefore David ran, and stood on the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled"1Sam:41-51

Knowing Him

David's private life was spent in preparation, it was out of the sight of others in obscurity with his God that he was developed into all that he became. In private David dealt with and killed the bear and lion. David's life has had generational impact and led David to the very throne of Israel.

It is when we spend our private lives in Communion with the great God that we too can be prepared for that which our Lord may have for us.

In the moments of our private lives, when we are out of sight of the public, in obscurity that we need to face the bear(s) and lion(s) of our own lives which prepares us and makes us ready to take on the great giants and Goliaths which we may face.

Be Still

The private moments that David spent with God were largely in quiet and in peaceful contemplation upon the word of God and who that word reveals God to be. In these still times David came to know his God, not just know about him, but knew him.

" "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Ps: 46:10

It is in the times alone, in our private moments with our Lord that he will touch our lives and prepare us for our service to him.

Our Lord Jesus may be working in the midst of each of our lives to face a Goliath threat that may arise in our lives or the lives of those around us.

A Time Comes

As the years pass and evil days arise in the future, of us, all the people of God, may be called on as never before to share the Gospel regarding Jesus Christ, and the public impact  which we have may be prepared in the private moments which we have spent coming to know, in a deep personal communion , our Lord Jesus Christ.

": but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits." Dan: 11:32b

God may be preparing his people for a time, and a time for His people, to have a public impact which we may have never thought possible, doing great exploits of lifting the name of Jesus Christ high over all the earth, impacting many here and now and on into eternity.

We may face a Goliath challenge, and through Jesus Christ we will prevail and our private life will have a very public impact. 

Benediction: May we each and all spend our private moments with our Lord Jesus being prepared to have a public impact, today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen.

Rev. Todd Crouch, Norman, Oklahoma 

Worship

 Worship

 “I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises" Heb: 2:12

 
 Worship, is a highly personal act that we preform together. Even in a gathering of many our Lord still meets us as individuals. Worship is an expression of our grasping who the great God is and deepens and grows out of our relationship with the Creator God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Worship, helps us to understand our proper practical relationship with our God. Worship, helps us to be re-calibrated and be renewed spiritually.

Worship 

From the very beginning the people of God have always worshiped. After being called by God. Abram the Patriarch and the “father of the faithful” built an alter and worshiped the Lord.

"Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him."Gen:12:6-7

Old Covenant

Under the Old Covenant, which the Lord had made with the Children of Israel, there were elaborate sacraments, rituals and ceremonies, a specific day of the week, Holy days and times of worship, all presided over by a sanctified priesthood who ministered first in the Wilderness Tabernacle then at the glorious Temple of God at Jerusalem.

The structure of worship was highly formalized, but the end was always the same; that God's people of Israel would come to know the Creator God and serve Him alone.

In whatever way  worship is conducted, the most important thing is, that, the God of the Holy Bible be the object of all our worship both public and private.

 "I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me"Isaiah:45:5

 

A Book of Worship

All through the pages of the Scriptures we see Patriarchs, Prophets, Priest, Kings, Apostles and everyday people worshiping the Great God. Sacrifices offered, prayers uttered and hymns are sung,  all in an expression of worship and adoration toward and for the Great God.

Spirit and Truth

The New Testament its self gives us very few specifics regarding the liturgy or “format” of worship of the first century Apostolic Christian Church. The very first Christians had been Jews and had been familiar with the Temple worship at Jerusalem and the Synagogue system that was found in the small towns and communities scattered around Palestine and the Roman Empire.

For a time, the early Christians began to meet together, at first, in the Temple courts. 

"Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Acts 2:46-47

"One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon."Acts:3:1

 However, it became obvious to the early Christians, either by revelation or necessity, that they could not stay in the Temple courts or the Synagogues. Christians then began to meet when and where they could, often meeting of the first day of the week (Sunday) in order to have a weekly reminder of the Resurrection of Jesus. The early Christians, by the late first century came to call the first day of the week, The Lord’s Day.

The Christian Community sought to worship in "Spirit and in Truth" with now a focus upon our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus himself stated that the worship of the true God would be more than just prescribed rituals at a given place and time, but rather, would transcend all such conventions. That the worship of the Great God would be "in Spirit and in truth".

Jesus in His discussion with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well in the village of Sychar speaks of this worship "in Spirit and in truth”.

"Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship. Jesus said to her "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is here , when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and in truth" . The woman said to Him, "I know that the Messiah is coming (He Who is called the Christ). When He comes, He will tell us all theses things". Jesus said to her,"I who speak to you am He". Jhn: 4:20-26

 Jesus, in this conversation with the Samaritan woman regarding worship, connects the revelation of his Messiahship to the proper worship of God, that is, when we come to believe in Jesus, we are then free to worship the Father as he always intended us to do, that is "in Spirit and in truth" in the person of Jesus. We are no longer bound to a given place or time to worship, as Jesus said " neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father." We are now in a relationship with God not in a religion.

Revelation and Worship, Theology and Doxology

This speaks to us that when we come to believe in Jesus, when we see who Jesus is, and that in Jesus alone we have the most complete perfect revelation of the Great God, and we come to see that Jesus is fully God and yet fully human, the one who saves us, then we are truly free of "religion”.

This truth was addressed by the Theologian Karl Barth when he said "right Theology leads to right Doxology".

Right Theology centered upon our Lord Jesus always will lead us to a right worship of God in the person of his Holy Son Jesus and this leads us ever deeper into this relationship with the Triune God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Worship in Jesus

In the epistle of Hebrews, written to the Jewish Christians, who before their conversion and coming to faith in Jesus, saw their relationship with God through the  view of the Old Covenant centered at the Temple of God at Jerusalem, and derived their identity from that relationship. Now, their identity was to be found in Jesus, not in a ceremonial religion.

The Holy Spirit moves the author of the Hebrews Epistle to address this very thing. The Holy Spirit constructs, using Old Testament Scriptures, the "Divine Conversation “that God has within himself, and then the author elaborates upon this "Divine Conversation ". 

Speaking of worship, The Holy Spirit inspires the quote from Psalm:22:22 to speak for Jesus regarding the worship found in the Christian Church. This verse teaches us a powerful truth regarding worship, our’s and, more so, the humanity of Jesus' worship of the Father.

" He says,: “I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises. “And again, “I will put my trust in him. “And again he says, “Here am I, and the children God has given me" Heb:2:12-13

This tells us, that it is Jesus who truly leads us in worship when the body of the Church comes together, and who, through the inspiration of the Spirit preaches, that is "declares your name" and who, as well, leads in the adoration and lifting up of Hymns to God "in the assembly I will sing your praises.".   It is Jesus' perfect worship of the Father, as our divine High Priest which we are participating in, and with him.

Only Jesus can worship the Father perfectly. Jesus, in his humanity lives perfectly and worships perfectly. Our worship would not be able to be thus. Only Jesus can do this, for he is fully God yet Fully human. We, in union, through his humanity, are able to worship.

The Open Door in Heaven

While on the Island of Patmos St. John the Apostle sees a door standing open in Heaven and hears the invitation "come up here". St. John then finds himself, by way of this open door, in the heights of Heaven, there St. John witness the Heavenly worship of the Great God Rev:4:1-11.

Jesus is that Open door through whom we gain access to and join in with the Host of Heavens worship of the Great God. In John 10 Jesus tells us he is the Door, or gate through which we enter.

Jesus is there in Heaven and by Jesus alone we join in worship God. This also tells us that when we worship, even if we are few in numbers, as humanity may count numbers, we are in fact, surrounded by an innumerable company of heavenly worshipers of God and from our Great God's eternal vantage point we are seen to have joined as part of an eternal host of worshipers.

Drawn to Worship

Jhn: 6:44 tells us that "no man come to me unless the Father draw him”. This “being drawn” to Christ is not just at our moment of conversion, but all our lives. This means, that through the Holy Spirit we are always being drawn to Jesus all our lives,  led by the Holy Spirit to worship our God in the person of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit will gently, relentlessly lead us to come to our Lord. It is the Holy Spirit who will lay it on our hearts to come and worship, to pray to read the word of God to come into the midst of the Church and gather to join in worship. 

We of our own selves would rather attend our own pursuits. St. Paul wrote "there is none who seek after God" Rom: 3:11. If we are worshiping the Great God, it is because we have yielded to and chosen to respond to the Holy Spirit's lead to do so. 

 In Spirit

When we worship, the Holy Spirit will speak to us regarding the very Son of God; Jesus Christ and give us an ever-deepening revelation about Jesus, and in doing so, we receive a deeper revelation of the Father whom Jesus came to reveal to us.

“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me" Jhn:15:26

 The Holy Spirit will speak to us about and glorify our Lord Jesus.

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” Jhn: 16:13-15

Jesus is the perfect revelation of God, "he who sees me sees the One Who sent Me" Jhn:12:45

 "Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves."Jhn:14:6-11

When we come to our Lord Jesus to worship, we come to all of God the Father, the Son the Holy Spirit. "for in him all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form" Cos:2:9

Our Priesthood

All who are Christians are called to be a Priesthood to our God. Our lives should be lives of worship which honors our God and reflects the transformation which we have in Jesus Christ.

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."1Pet:2:9-10

St. Paul wrote to the Christians at Roman, that living lives of worship is reasonable and our responsibility as Children of God who have been transformed through Christ.

 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Rom: 12:1-2

Our lives should declare the praises of God in how we live and conduct ourselves. Worship in an ongoing part of our lives it does not just begin and end when we come together, but always in how we live is an act of worship. Eternal life is not just a state or duration of life but rather a quality and way of life that brings glory to God.

Gather Together

Heb: 10:25 admonishes Christians to "not forsake the assembling of yourselves together”. The Greek word for Church, Ekklesia, comes from the classic Greek of Athens, it refers to a summoned assembly of the people who came together to govern. This body had two words that were to govern all their proceedings, Isonomier meaning Equality and Eleutheria meaning Freedom. That is, all had the equality and freedom to participate in this gathering of the Ekklesia. 

 When the church comes together all should be able to participate the worship of God. It is God himself who summons us to gather and worship in freedom each using their gifts for the good and building up of the whole.

When we gather, Jesus Christ by way of the Holy Spirit, makes his divine presences known. Jesus gives a greater revelation of who he is. 

The Early Church understood through the Scriptural narratives that when the Disciples came together after the resurrection, that Jesus was there in their gathering together also. They understood that, through his post resurrection appearances, Jesus was establishing for us, that when the church is together, he is there also, this is true even for us today and forever. John: 20:19-28, Mark:16:14, Luke:24:33-49, Matthew:28:16-20

When we Christians gather to praise him, our Lord makes himself known to us in a unique way. Psalm: 22:3- tells us that "God inhabits the Praises of His people." 

Our praises of him does not "work up" his presences, but rather, it shows us what is already true, that Jesus is with us. 

God Works in The Worship

At the very outset of the creation, the Angelic Host sang praises as God brought the natural universe into being. 

"Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? "Job: 38:4-7

If God created the natural universe at the Angles' songs of praise, what might our Lord created, while we, who are Children of God sing praises to him? 

We are doing far more than just singing songs or socializing we are involved in the workings of God; beyond anything we might have ever imaged. God works as we worship.

Worship is a vital part of the Christian life. We are called to join in and Worship the Great God. the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Benediction: May we each and all worship the Great God in the person of his Holy Son Jesus Christ that we might come to know him ever deeper, today tomorrow and forevermore. Amen

Rev.Todd Crouch, Norman, Oklahoma
 

Mid-Night Worship

 "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them" Acts:16:25.  

         It was an unlikely time and place for a worship service, but the location did not 

trouble St. Paul and Silas. They had just been arrested unjustly beaten and imprisoned yet here they sat worshiping the Great God.

Still bleeding and in pain and given the surroundings the two men did what to most, would seem a contradiction, they lifted their voices and worship God.
After rebuking a spirit of divination, that worked through a slave girl and causing a loss of revenue for this girl's master St. Paul and Silas were falsely accused, severely beaten and then cast into prison at Phillippi.

"The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks" Acts:16:22-24

 Here, the two Christian ministers were, while on the way to a prayer meeting, they encounter a young woman with a spirit of divination. When St. Paul turned and rebukes the spirit casting it out of the girl.  The girl's master seeing only a loss of income stirs up an assault on the two men of God.

They were beaten, falsely accused and locked in a secure cell in the very depths of the prison, bound in chains.  But in this dismal place, at midnight, the darkest part of the night, they lift their voices in praise to God and glorified Jesus Christ.

"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them" Acts:16:25.  

This was their response to the circumstances, they did not fall into self-pity nor did they focused upon the pain they were in, instead they worshiped.

As they lifted their voices glorifying Jesus Christ the other prisoners heard them and listened to them sing hymns and Psalms. The other prisoners noticed and heard their faith expressed in praises to God. It witnessed to the prisoners of the courage Christians can have in the face of hardship. St. Paul and Silas' minds were not on themselves but rather on Jesus.

They understood that Jesus was there with them, Jesus is the strength they needed to face this or any time of hardship. They worshiped their Lord, without shame or reservation. They Knew there was nothing to fear.

   As it says in   Heb: 13:5-6 “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. ”So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”"  

 God's Response 

As St. Paul and Silas praised the great God, at the darkness part of the night, when mornings' light was still far off, God responses to their worship and shakes the Earth.

"Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose". Acts: 16:25

 The door of their cell is broken off its hinges, the chains are broken, but they do flee, that is they do not need to escape the situation, for they are already free. The freedom that St. Paul and Silas had is true freedom found only in Jesus. They, in truth, were the freest men in the prison they had a freedom which goes beyond circumstance.

 The Jailer under who's charge they were in, sees what has happened and assumes they have fled and moves to end his life, and is to his amazement, is stopped by St. Paul.

 "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!” Acts: 16:27-28

Realizing that they are still here in spite of the obvious opportunity to escape was not taken, the jailer sees the faith in these men to stand and face hardship, sustained by the faith of the Lord they serve. 

The Jailer is over whelmed and is moved to conversion and a desire to know this Jesus who has moved so mightily in their lives.

"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 family 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 family" Acts 29-34

All Have Trials

Just as St. Paul and Silas were on their way to a prayer meeting and found themselves in a very difficult situation, we too can find ourselves with challenges, that imprison us, but how do we respond?  Difficult times will come upon us all, hopeful we won’t find ourselves facing what Paul and Silas did but we all will face trails of some sort.

 "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you:" 1Pet:4:12

We can face many things in this life, but how do we respond? Paul and Silas in truth demonstrate how we all should face difficulties from which there seems no way out, even when there is no comfort at hand, we truly are in the "inner prison", just as St. Paul and Silas found themselves. We can be, at the midnight our of our trail, that is, when all seems dark, it is now at these moments of trials that we should worship and praise God and give Him glory.

At Mid Night

When it seemed the darkest, at mid night, the darkest part of the night when the hopeful dawn was yet far off their voices rose up in the night and songs of praise echoed in the cold prison corridors, Acts tells us that the other prisoners took note of how they dealt with the situation, that tells us others notice how we face hardships in life“the prisons were listening to them” as they sang and praised God.

The two ministers turned to the Lord, “the prisons were listening to them”- as they sang and praised God. This tells us, people take notice of how we handle trails and test. 

God came and answered- He responded to their worship and praise of God.

 God Moves to Deliver

When it seemed hopeless the Great God delivered St. Paul and Silas and came to save them, God shook the earth. What God did was to show what was true, that He was with them already.

It is when things seem the worst that God can come to the inner prison of our trails and test and shake the earth its self and show forth His deliverance in our lives.

  When we lifted up our voices and praise God it demonstrates that He is present "God inhabits the praises of His people" Ps: 22:3

We see here, what is acted out, in Psalm 18: Our God intervening with power as He saves His people.

Real Freedom

 The chains fell off and the doors were open- but they did not run- they were already free this is the freedom that comes only through Jesus Christ- this is the freedom that Jesus came to bring us.

"He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed," Lk:4:18b

This freedom releases us from so much, we have hope and even peace which surpasses understanding or even reason, it frees us to glorify our Lord always.

The Jailer Converted

When the Jailer awoke, he saw what had happened he asked the two ministers "What must I do to be saved?" the Jailer is like those around us who are moved by how Christians can face difficult times and are moved to ask about our faith, which sustains us in our trials. When others see how we are handling our trails and test, God can use it to call others to Christ.

St. Peter tells advises us to rejoice even in hardship, for we have hope in the Son of God, remember this; that no matter how bad the circumstance is in life, it is for this life only and will not follow us into eternity all because of Jesus, this alone can set our hearts free to give glory to God. 1Pet: 1:6

We should praise Him out of the midst of our trails. Jesus will come to us to strengthen us to encourage us that we can encourage others our deliverance is in Him not circumstance and He can use us to share the Gospel about Jesus Christ even in mid-nights of our lives.

Benediction: May we each and all give our Lord glory even in the midst of our hardship, today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen

 
Rev.Todd Crouch, Norman, Oklahoma