Singing in our Struggles
Acts of the Apostles • Sermon • Submitted
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· 31 viewsBig Idea: What causes your heart to sing?
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Big Idea: What Causes your Heart to Sing?
Big Idea: What Causes your Heart to Sing?
Our heart learns to sing when it is turned toward the Glory of God alone in the darkest moments of our life.
Is your Heart tuned to sing His praise?
Note: What do people turn to when things are at their darkest?
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened.
SERMON ILLUSTRATION
Haitians Devastated by Earthquake Keep Hope in God
On January 12, 2010, a massive and devastating earth quake struck just outside Port-au-Prince, the capital city of Haiti. Countless buildings in the city collapsed and over a hundred thousand lives were lost. The already shaky power grid was effectively destroyed, along with every other form of infrastructure. That night, with aftershocks rolling through the ground, almost all the residents of the city and the surrounding countryside stayed outside, torn with grief and fear. The residents of the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere had little access to the easy-everywhere life of technology even before the earthquake, and now, with their world in ruins, they had none.
An article on NPR summarized it this way: "For the Western hemisphere's poorest country, the earthquake that hit Haiti in January [2010] was an especially cruel blow. Despite this, it's hard to find a Haitian who doesn't profess a belief in a loving God."
And they sang. When you don't have technology, you still have song. When you've lost everything, in fact, you still have song. All over the hills of Haiti those first terrible nights, under the starlit sky, the voices of the people of Haiti rose up in grief and lament, in prayer and hope.
They had something we have almost lost—and they still have it, as anyone who has visited a Haitian church or family knows. We can have it in our homes, and in our churches too, if we choose not to let technology do the singing for us.
We serve a triune God who sings and wants us to tune our hearts towards his. What if I can’t sing? do you have a voice? then you can sing praises to God? The congregation of a Church is the ultimate choir.
God designed you to sing and gave you everything you need to sing as well as he wants you to. He’s far less concerned with your tunefulness than your integrity. Christian singing begins with the heart, not the lips (Eph. 5:19).
19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
Supporting Idea: Paul’s constant concern was to remove any stumbling blocks or hindrances for tuning peoples heart towards Christ.
1. A song of Believers in Growth
1. A song of Believers in Growth
1 Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.
Note: Supposedly during Paul’s first trip to Derby and Lystra Timothy had been converted. Timothy was a mixed race of Jew and Greek. For some reason he had not been circumcised at birth, however, Jews would have gotten their Jewishness through their mother. Apparently the reason for Timothy being circumcised was to guard against the Jewish people considering him a Jew who rejected God’s covenant.
God plans our growth, it is strategic and planned for us.
The main evidence that we are growing in Christ is not exhilarating prayer experiences, but steadily increasing, humble love for other people.
A believer see’s growth when they are more concerned for the others.
A believer see’s growth when they are more concerned for the others.
Are you more concerned about doing whatever it takes to be inoffensive except in relation to the Cross?
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
What this does NOT mean is that we are to compromise with the world in order to fit in. Some have used Paul’s statement “I have become all things to all people” as an excuse to live worldly lives, assuming that unrepentant sinners will be impressed and want to come to Christ. Paul never compromised God’s moral standards set forth in Scripture; rather, he was willing to forgo traditions and familiar comforts in order to reach any audience, Jewish or non-Jewish.
We will find out next week for example that Paul developed a rapport with the Greeks in Athens before telling them about Jesus. He stood in the middle of many idols but, did not initially come out and condemn them but commented on their extreme devotion.
There are several ways that we become “all things to all people.”
1) Learn to listen
1) Learn to listen
Most people tend to be too eager to share our own thoughts, especially when we know the other person needs to hear about Jesus. One common mistake is to jump into a conversation before we really hear what the other person is saying. We all appreciate being heard; when we learn to listen to listen to someone else, he or she is more likely to listen to what we have to say. By listening first the other person becomes a person we care about rather than simply a mission field project or target we must convert.
2) Be Kind
2) Be Kind
This should go without saying, but, unfortunately, we can forget kindness in the passion of the moment. This is especially true about what we throw on social media. Online anonymity leads many people, even those professing to represent Christ, to make rude or hate-filled comments. Getting in the the last word does not mean we won the argument or earned the persons respect. James 1:19-20 admonishes us to be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of a man does not produce the righteousness of God.
3) Be sensitive to culture.
3) Be sensitive to culture.
Trained missionaries know that before they can reach a culture group, they must understand the particulars of that culture. The same is true for every believer, even if we never leave our own city. Western culture is rapidly changing, and in many placed our Judeo-Christian principles no longer are accepted or even exist. We do not have to approve of every part of a culture to understand it or reach those immersed in it. By first listening to discern where people are spiritually and then finding common ground with them, we may be able to reach those hungry for a truth they have never heard.
4) Deal with Prejudice
4) Deal with Prejudice
Prejudices of every kind have existed since the beginning of time. Despite how hard we try, we all carry some form of prejudice against certain other people groups. Admitting to God our own pride and repenting of judgmental attitudes and lack of love should be an ongoing process for Christians wanting to follow Paul’s example of being all things to all people. As a former Pharisee, he had to deal with his own prejudice against Gentiles in order to spread the gospel to the people Jesus had called him to go.
When we strive to follow Paul’s example and become all things to all people, we must be willing to humble ourselves, let go of our “rights,” meet people where they are, and do whatever Jesus calls us to do. He died to save them. We must love them enough to tell them that in ways they can understand.
2. A Song of Believers in Obedience
2. A Song of Believers in Obedience
6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8 So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
We often think that freedom means doing whatever we want, when we want.
But true freedom comes from only one place:
True Freedom comes from Obeying the Lord.
True Freedom comes from Obeying the Lord.
9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Acts (B. A Song of Believers in Obedience (vv. 6–10))
SUPPORTING IDEA: In thinking through the future of our lives, we must always be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading and God’s call to stay or go.
9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.
A Believer knows obedience when they run towards the open door for ministry
A Believer knows obedience when they run towards the open door for ministry
In his commentary on this passage, Matthew Henry notes that every human is both “a reasonable creature, that has the faculty for contriving for himself” and “a depending creature, that is subject to the direction and dominion of his Maker.” We must maintain that human beings have freedom to make their own decisions, while at the same time their choices are under the sovereign determination of the Lord.
The term translated as “ordered” or “established” in Psalm 37:23 is from a Hebrew verb that can also mean “to guide, direct, or make reliable.” In other words, the person who has committed his way to God will have his steps made sure by God. He will guard them and ensure that they are solid steps.
Matthew’s Gospel ends with Jesus saying to his followers, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore …” (Matthew 28:18-19a). Jesus isn’t just a Savior; he’s the Lord. In other words, he’s the one who calls the shots. But remember that obedience stems from worship. The worship and love of Jesus always precedes faithful obedience to Jesus.
It’s like in the beginning of the film The Princess Bride. When Princess Buttercup would ask Wesley to do something, all Wesley would say was, “As you wish.” And soon Buttercup realized that what Wesley was really saying was, “I love you.” His joyful obedience to her commands flowed out of his great love for her.
It’s the same way with Jesus. The more you love him, the more you want to obey him. The more you will say, “As you wish.”
NOTE: Now the missionaries stood at the pivotal port between two significant land masses of the ancient world - Asia Minor and Europe. They faced two gigantic waterways - The Aegean and Black Seas. No one knows the identity of the man in Paul’s dream however, it is absolutely clear that God directed their plan and route of this missionary trip.
Formerly a Greek kingdom Macedonia came under strong Athenian influence as early as five hundred years before Christ. There Aristotle came to tutor Alexander the Great after the death of Plato. The Bible records several Macedonian Christians such as Gaius and Aristarchus, likely Luke himself came from Philippi in Macedonia.
3. A Song of Believers in Fellowship
3. A Song of Believers in Fellowship
11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
Note: The missionary team did not appear to plunge immediately into ministry. Apparently in cities there were no Jewish synagogues, believers gathered underneath the skies near the water. By Jewish law a synagogue could not be started with fewer than ten male heads of households to form the congregation.
In Tune with God--and Each Other
A.W. Tozer wrote:
Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So, one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become “unity” conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship
When you came to Killeen or a new city what is the first thing you look for, do you look for believers meeting to pray and worship together. Twenty years after Pentecost and hundreds of miles from Antioch, Paul and his companions quietly sat with the woman and discussed spiritual matters. Luke does not find it necessary to explain that they shared the gospel message, by this point it should be assumed.
A believer experiences genuine fellowship when light pierces the darkness.
A believer experiences genuine fellowship when light pierces the darkness.
NOTE: The text tells us that “the Lord opened her heart to the gospel.” Paul told the people at Corinth that people rejected the gospel because their minds had been darkened.
4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
The first convert in Europe was a Jewish worshiper of God, a Gentile who worshiped with the Jewish women by the river. Lydia was not only a Gentile and a proselyte, but also a business woman. The Hellenistic district of Lydia had garnered it’s fame for dying industry, especially royal purple.
NOTE: Look at the genuineness of Lydia’s conversion, her whole household comes to faith. We have every indication that the Church began to meet at her home. We also have reason to believe that Lydia became a major contributor not only to the ongoing work in Philippi, but to the missionary activity of Paul.
4. A Song of Believers in Persecution
4. A Song of Believers in Persecution
16 As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. 19 But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21 They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. 23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”
Acts D. A Song of Believers in Persecution (vv. 16–28)
SUPPORTING IDEA: Sometimes, just when things seem to be going great, the bottom drops out. In those times, too, we trust God and sing in the midst of our struggles.
Do we just sing praises to God in the Good times, when everything seems to be going our way? What happens when the bottom seems to drop out?
God Turns Persecution into Opportunity
John Rucyahana, the Anglican bishop of Shyira, Rwanda, served as a pastor in Uganda during the brutal reign of dictator Idi Amin. Amin targeted 200,000 political opponents, Christian leaders, and members of certain ethnic groups for extermination.
One day the government soldiers came for John. He remembers, "One put the cold barrel of a gun against my ear and held his finger on the trigger. They put me in a vehicle and made me sit on a sack of explosives. As we began moving, I thought, Even the slightest jolt, and I'm dead."
The soldiers finally released John, figuring they had successfully intimidated him and that he would no longer speak out.
What the oppressors meant for evil, though, God used for good. Two days after John's harrowing brush with death was Sunday. That day, John walked into the cathedral to find it packed—people were standing in the aisles. People had heard what happened and had come to find out what he would say. Would he speak out for Christ?
John did speak for Christ, only this time to a larger group than he could ever have gathered on his own
Remember that God uses persecution to advance His Gospel
Remember that God uses persecution to advance His Gospel
The Python, a mystical serpent of the Greeks, guarded the temple of Apollo. By A.D. 50, they used the word python to describe a possessed person through whom they python gave prophecy. Pagan generals would commonly consult people with a “pythian spirit” before marching off to war; owing such a python-possessed slave girl would be a gold mine for her master.
The term Pythian spirit” also was used in that day to speak of ventriloquists, so Paul and his friends encountered a most unusual demonic scene. The slave girl followed them day after day, speaking in strange voices yet telling the truth about their ministry. Since she was demon possessed we should hardly be surprised that the demon (s) recognized the truth.
Since she told the truth why not just appreciate such a valuable public relations?
NOTE: Paul perhaps was annoyed because the scene that the possessed girl was drawing began to take peoples attention away from the gospel that was being proclaimed. A familiar New Testament exorcism in familiar words. There is nothing that would lead us to believe that the girl immediately was assimilated into the Church. The writer Luke is more concerned with what happens next.
Like the owners of the pigs Jesus sent off of the cliff, the slave girls masters are seeing dollar signs. Paul and his rag tag band has just taken away his income. The charge that was brought was that their illegal religion was threatening the Pax Romana, the opening line identifies these men as Jews.
A Believer knows that their persecution brings opportunity for witness.
A Believer knows that their persecution brings opportunity for witness.
Here we have the most beautiful picture, beaten, bleeding missionaries, their feet in stocks, literally turn this prison into a sing-sing- that grim state facility in Ossining, New York. It ears no connection whatsoever to this account, but the fascinating name helps form our picture. Not only did they sing and pray, but the rest of the cell block heard them and listened.
NOTE: Never forget that the world is watching when you go through your suffering. How do we respond when the bottom drops out!
Now God visited Philippi with another one of his open-door miracles. This time, rather than the quiet angel of chapter 12, we see a violent earthquake. All the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains are broken loose.
Now the reaction of the jailer, the escape of his prisoners would have sealed his death. However, rather than escape both Paul and Silas were still in their cell, and somehow had convinced some of the rest of the prisoners to do so as well.
God’s intent at this point was not the physical deliverance but the spiritual deliverance
How Clay Turns into Gems under Pressure
Geologist Dr. James Clark recounts visiting the Soviet Union a few years after Communism dissolved. He was asked to preach at a small Russian Baptist church that lived through a long season of persecution. Some in the congregation had been in prison because of their testimony in Christ. Others had husbands or relatives that had suffered or had even been killed for their faith. Dr. Clark decided to use the following geological illustration:
Clay is actually composed of many microscopic clay mineral crystals, which not even a light microscope can see. But under pressure the clay minerals are not crushed or made smaller. Rather, they grow larger. The minerals change into new larger biotype grains forming slate, found on many homes. With even more pressure, the minerals become even larger. And some are transformed into garnets, which are semi-precious gems.
Clark said:
I explained to the congregation that this geological process illustrates how pressure and suffering can be used to refine, purify, and mold a person into a more beautiful soul. I will never forget what I saw when I looked at the congregation. It seemed like the whole congregation was sparkling. The babushkas' (old women) eyes were gleaming bright with tears recalling past suffering. What makes a gem so attractive? It's the reflection. And these dear women and men were reflecting God's glory through the suffering they had endured.
The metamorphic rock story doesn't end there. With even more pressure applied, a new mineral forms called staurolite. The name is from two Greek words meaning "stone cross." The twin variety forms deep under high mountains in the shape of a cross. A reminder of Christ's ultimate suffering for us all.
5. A song of believers in Faith
5. A song of believers in Faith
Acts E. A Song of Believers in Faith (vv. 29–34)
SUPPORTING IDEA: The message of salvation by grace through faith, once proclaimed by Peter to a Centurion in Caesarea, now comes to another member of the Roman army in a dark and broken prison in his dark and broken city.
29 And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.
WE have not trouble understanding why the jailer showed gratitude to Paul and Silas; they had literally saved his life by not leading a mass exodus of prisoners.
WHAT COULD HE HAVE POSSIBLY MEANT BY “WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED.”
Heart-Stirring Sermon Outlines 16. The Question Many Professing Christians Cannot Answer (Acts 16:30, 31)
There are many problems in life and many questions that may never be answered. I trust that each hearer will give heed to this message and be able to give the correct answer to it.
As I visit in homes and ask people, “Are you saved?” these are the replies that I receive from many professing Christians.
1. “I have been baptized.”
2. “I am a member of a church.”
3. “I used to be saved.”
4. “Well, I hope so.”
5. “I try to do the best I can.”
6. “I just don’t think you can know for sure.”
7. “I’m not afraid to die.”
8. “I feel that I am just as good as other people.”
Are these your answers to the “big question” that faces you eternally? I hope not, for you may be able to give all these answers and still be lost and on your way to an eternal Hell.
The big question many professed Christians cannot answer is: “Am I Saved?” God gives us six definite ways to know we are saved.
1) Saved people keep His commandments
1) Saved people keep His commandments
3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
2) Saved people possess the Spirit of God
2) Saved people possess the Spirit of God
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
3) Saved people love their brothers
3) Saved people love their brothers
14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
4) Saved people work for God.
4) Saved people work for God.
18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
5) Saved people do not habitually sin
5) Saved people do not habitually sin
6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
HERE IS HOW WE KNOW A TRUE CONVERSION TOOK PLACE
The jailer recognized “lost” condition
He believed on the Lord Jesus Christ
He made restitution - “washed their stripes,”
“And was baptized … straightway,”
He “rejoiced,”
CONCLUSION
We have seen the gladness of Lydia and the joy of the jailer and his family. We have sensed the dependence upon God felt by this group of people with whom Paul and Silas met before leaving town.
Acts III. Conclusion: The Joy of the Lord
A. B. Simpson, founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, once penned these words:
The joy of the Lord is the strength of His people,
The sunshine that banishes sadness and gloom,
The fountain that bursts in the desert of sorrow,
And sheds o’er the wilderness gladness and bloom.
The joy of the Lord is our strength for life’s burdens.
It gives to each duty a heavenly zest.
It sets to sweet music the task of the toiler,
And softens the couch of the laborer’s rest.
KEY PRINCIPLES
*When God sends us somewhere to minister, he has someone ready to listen.
*God’s people can rejoice in the ugliest and most painful circumstances.
*The size of a congregation is irrelevant in measuring God’s effective work in a city or town.