Latest / The Five Minute Bible Podcast / Acts 16 - Devotion

Transcript

Acts 16 - Devotion · The Five Minute Bible Podcast

• 0:00
  Welcome to five Minute Bible in our journey through the New
• 0:02
  Testament in each episode, we take just a few minutes to focus
• 0:06
  on one chapter of the New Testament.
• 0:08
  Exploring the truths. God is teaching us through His
• 0:11
  Word and expanding our view. Of who he is.
• 0:14
  Before you listen, make sure you've gone straight to the
• 0:17
  source, either by reading today's chapter of the Bible
• 0:20
  yourself or listening to today's read along episode in this
• 0:23
  podcast feed. If you haven't done that yet,
• 0:26
  feel free to pause and do that now.
• 0:28
  And when you're ready, let's dive into God's Word together.
• 0:44
  In Acts chapter 16, we see Paul on his second missionary
• 0:47
  journey. For the majority of this
• 0:48
  chapter, Paul spends his time in Philippi where he plants the
• 0:51
  church that would eventually receive the letter that we now
• 0:54
  know is the book of Philippians. In Philippi, Paul and his team
• 0:57
  mate Silas are imprisoned. This imprisonment comes after
• 1:01
  Paul casts out a demon from a slave girl that under the
• 1:03
  influence of the demon makes her masters a great profit by
• 1:07
  fortune telling. These slave masters do not
• 1:10
  appreciate their income stream drying up and so they seize Paul
• 1:13
  and Silas and bring them to the authorities to have them beaten
• 1:16
  and thrown into jail. Now here's where it gets
• 1:18
  interesting. Listen to what happens to Paul
• 1:20
  and Silas in jail, and then we'll see how God's sovereign
• 1:24
  plan is at work here in Acts chapter 16.
• 1:27
  Listen starting in verse 25. But about midnight Paul and
• 1:30
  Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the
• 1:33
  prisoners were listening to them.
• 1:35
  And suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the
• 1:37
  foundations of the prison house were shaken, and immediately all
• 1:41
  the doors were opened and everyone's chains were
• 1:43
  unfastened. When the jailer awoke and saw
• 1:45
  the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill
• 1:48
  himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
• 1:51
  But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, Do not harm
• 1:54
  yourself, for we are all here. And he called for lights and
• 1:57
  rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul
• 2:00
  and Silas. And after he brought them out,
• 2:02
  he said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
• 2:06
  They said, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved,
• 2:09
  you and your household. And they spoke the word of the
• 2:12
  Lord to him, together with all who were in his house, And he
• 2:14
  took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds.
• 2:17
  And immediately he was baptized, he and all his household, and he
• 2:21
  brought them into his house and set food before them and
• 2:24
  rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole
• 2:27
  household. Now we've already in the book of
• 2:29
  Acts seen God orchestrate A jailbreak.
• 2:32
  And at first glance this well timed earthquake that unfastens
• 2:35
  the prisoners change and throws open their cell doors seems like
• 2:38
  just that. But something deeper, something
• 2:40
  better is going on here. Make no mistake, God is the one
• 2:44
  who sends this earthquake. He is over all things.
• 2:46
  All of creation is in his hand. He has total absolute authority
• 2:51
  and sovereignty both in heaven and on earth.
• 2:54
  But God is doing something much bigger here than just releasing
• 2:57
  Paul and Silas. God is after a Philippian jailer
• 3:00
  in his family. God is building his church,
• 3:03
  building his Kingdom, because Paul and Silas don't escape.
• 3:07
  In fact, they make sure that no one does.
• 3:09
  And that act of mercy toward the jailer who was preparing to kill
• 3:13
  himself because he certainly would be killed if he allowed
• 3:15
  these prisoners to escape. That act of kindness causes the
• 3:19
  jailer to ask Paul and Silas point blank, sirs, what must I
• 3:23
  do to be saved? Do you see God's sovereign plan
• 3:26
  at work to build his church and to include this Philippian
• 3:30
  jailer? And then we see that beautifully
• 3:32
  simple response from Paul and Silas to the jailer's poignant
• 3:35
  question. Acts 1631.
• 3:37
  They said believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you
• 3:41
  and your household. Just believe.
• 3:44
  Put your faith and hope and trust in Jesus Christ, make him
• 3:47
  the Lord of your heart and life, and you will be saved.
• 3:50
  There are no strings attached, no penance, no good works, no
• 3:53
  financial contribution. Paul and Silas don't even ask to
• 3:56
  be released. Just believe and you will be
• 3:59
  saved. Simple faith in the Savior who
• 4:02
  has already done all of the work for you.
• 4:05
  Have you given your heart to Jesus?
• 4:08
  Have you experienced the simple faith of the Philippian Jailer?
• 4:11
  Have you met the Lord? The invitation is open to you
• 4:14
  today. Believe in the Lord Jesus and
• 4:18
  you will be saved.