God's Mercy is for All People
Series: For All People
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 1st August 2021
Passage: Acts 16:1-40
00:00:00 --> 00:00:06 Well, good morning everyone. Great to connect with you again this morning and thank you so much
00:00:06 --> 00:00:12 to Jackie and to Jolene. You have basically got the whole message for this morning and just put
00:00:12 --> 00:00:17 in a snapshot for me, which is just brilliant, but it'll be great just to dive a little bit
00:00:17 --> 00:00:24 deeper into Acts 16 and what the implications might mean for us. It was about three decades
00:00:24 --> 00:00:31 ago now. I was sitting in the church office in a country church when I responded to a knock at the
00:00:31 --> 00:00:38 door. I opened the door and there standing before me was a man who was intoxicated. He was in fact
00:00:38 --> 00:00:47 quite messed up. He slept the night down by the river. His face was covered in dry blood from a
00:00:47 --> 00:00:52 fight that he had had through the course of the evening with others sleeping down there.
00:00:52 --> 00:00:59 And he knocked on the door because he wanted a sandwich and a cup of tea. I sat down, I got
00:00:59 --> 00:01:04 to the food and I sat down beside him while he ate his sandwich and he drank his tea and we talked
00:01:04 --> 00:01:12 and he recalled how his life was a mess up from all sorts of different reasons, but he wasn't looking
00:01:12 --> 00:01:17 to change. He wasn't looking really for a conversation. He just wanted the food and to be gone.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:24 His life was a mess, but he was on one level content with where it was at that point.
00:01:25 --> 00:01:32 Now, as I talk with him, I had this thought in my mind that even to this day that I'm ashamed of,
00:01:33 --> 00:01:43 and that is the thought that I cannot imagine this man being in church. The thought that if I started to
00:01:43 --> 00:01:49 speak to him about a greater hope right now in Jesus Christ, he just wouldn't get it. He wouldn't
00:01:49 --> 00:01:59 understand it. I just thought this man was not the Christian type. I'm ashamed to say. My sinful
00:01:59 --> 00:02:09 prejudices were in full swing on that day and in that moment. So what do you think the Christian type is?
00:02:09 --> 00:02:19 What sort of people are Christians in your mind? What sort of people get drawn into the Christian faith?
00:02:20 --> 00:02:26 Well, we're up to Acts chapter 16, as you have just heard, and we see here in this chapter that in fact
00:02:26 --> 00:02:36 God's mercy is for all people. That is, there is no Christian type. So get your Bibles, open up to Acts 16,
00:02:36 --> 00:02:42 the St. Paul's app if you've got it. Open that up. You'll see I've got some points there to get
00:02:42 --> 00:02:50 through. It's Acts 16, and we're ready to go. So first of all, God's mercy is to three people in Acts 16.
00:02:51 --> 00:02:58 The first person we're introduced to is Lydia in verses 11 to 15. There are a few things that we know
00:02:58 --> 00:03:07 about Lydia straight up. She is from the city of Thyatira, which was part of Asia Minor in those
00:03:07 --> 00:03:15 days, and we know that she's a businesswoman. She is a dealer in purple cloth. Now, cloth, which was
00:03:15 --> 00:03:23 dyed purple and then from there turned into clothes and other items, was very expensive. The whole process
00:03:23 --> 00:03:30 was very, very detailed. It was expensive cloth, and it was really only the wealthy people, the rich
00:03:30 --> 00:03:39 people who could afford it. Purple cloth was therefore in their culture a sign of wealth. You wear
00:03:39 --> 00:03:46 something purple, you are a wealthy individual. It's the sort of thing that the royalty bought and the
00:03:46 --> 00:03:55 the elite in society purchased. Lydia, therefore, is a person who sold beautiful clothes to beautifully
00:03:55 --> 00:04:03 rich people. Lydia is the equivalent, if you like, in our day of the owner of a chain of high-end
00:04:03 --> 00:04:09 boutiques in ritzy suburbs of cities. She was also, we are told here, a worship of God. Now, that's a
00:04:09 --> 00:04:16 technical term in the New Testament, which means that she is a God-fearer. Now, these God-fearers were
00:04:16 --> 00:04:22 Gentiles who had left behind their other religious practices and their paganism, and they started
00:04:22 --> 00:04:29 reading the Jewish Bible, the Old Testament, and starting to seek the Bible, the God of the Old
00:04:29 --> 00:04:37 Testament. And so Lydia is, therefore, an admirable person, a decent person, a pious, and a successful
00:04:37 --> 00:04:45 person. So how does God's mercy come to her? Have a look at verse 13 with me.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:53 On the Sabbath, we went outside the city gates to the river where we expected to find a place of
00:04:53 --> 00:05:02 prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. So the setting here
00:05:02 --> 00:05:10 is a low-key discussion. It's not a church service. Paul is not preaching, but the key is at the end of
00:05:10 --> 00:05:22 verse 14. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. Now, the word respond there means
00:05:22 --> 00:05:29 she is attracted to. The Lord opened her heart to be attracted to Paul's message. Lydia, that is,
00:05:29 --> 00:05:36 didn't just believe. She didn't have an intellectual assent to what Paul said, but she found what Paul said
00:05:36 --> 00:05:45 to be wonderful, to be beautiful. We also know broadly the content of what Paul was saying to
00:05:45 --> 00:05:55 this group of women, because back in verse 10, Luke tells us what their task was. After Paul had seen the
00:05:55 --> 00:06:04 vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the
00:06:04 --> 00:06:15 gospel to them. So what Lydia was attracted to is the core, the central message of the Christian faith.
00:06:15 --> 00:06:22 The gospel, the good news is that Jesus Christ, the eternal son of God, came into the world that he had
00:06:22 --> 00:06:31 made, died for our sins and turned God's judgment away from us. But this Jesus rose again on the third
00:06:31 --> 00:06:38 day, eternally triumphant over evil, so that there is now no condemnation for those who put their trust
00:06:38 --> 00:06:48 in him, but only the prospect of everlasting eternal joy in his presence. And so Lydia wasn't just
00:06:48 --> 00:06:57 convinced that that message was true, but she saw it as beautiful. She was attracted to it. It was
00:06:57 --> 00:07:07 wonderful to her. Jesus, in fact, it was wonderful to her. God had opened her heart in such a way that Jesus
00:07:07 --> 00:07:19 looked magnificent. This is a woman whose business was beauty. She sold beautiful clothes to beautiful people,
00:07:19 --> 00:07:28 beautiful people, and she had never seen a beauty like this before. Jesus, Jesus was magnificent.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:36 Jesus gave her life, and she gave her life to Jesus.
00:07:39 --> 00:07:45 And then we move into verse 16, and we see another recipient of God's mercy. It's verse 16.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:52 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl, a female slave, who had a
00:07:52 --> 00:08:00 spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune
00:08:00 --> 00:08:08 telling. Now, we know a lot about this person. Firstly, she is young. It says female slave, but the word
00:08:08 --> 00:08:16 used in the original language means that she is young, a young slave. She's a girl is who she is. She's a kid.
00:08:17 --> 00:08:23 Her parents must have sold her. She's been rejected by her family. She's enslaved and oppressed
00:08:23 --> 00:08:31 and economically exploited by her owners. But she's also enslaved with inner demons too.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:37 We know from the original language that she had what was called the spirit of the python.
00:08:38 --> 00:08:45 Now, that doesn't mean much to us, but the ancient reader knew exactly what that meant.
00:08:47 --> 00:08:55 It means that this girl belonged to a group of people that were odd, very odd.
00:08:55 --> 00:09:03 They spoke loudly. They acted weirdly. They cried out. They shrieked. They spoke in different voices.
00:09:03 --> 00:09:09 This young girl would all of a sudden speak with a voice of a mature man. They were very troubled,
00:09:09 --> 00:09:17 very broken people, and they were isolating society. And yet, on so many occasions, what they predicted
00:09:17 --> 00:09:22 about the future actually came true. And so people were, at the same time, intrigued by them.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:29 And so if Lydia is an owner of a high-end boutique for the rich, this girl is a drunk, addicted prostitute,
00:09:30 --> 00:09:37 exploited by her pimps, living in a seedy suburb of the city, but also able to predict the future.
00:09:40 --> 00:09:44 Repulsive, and yet in some level, we're attracted to her.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:49 How did God's mercy come to her? Verse 17.
00:09:49 --> 00:09:53 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting,
00:09:53 --> 00:09:59 These men are servants of the Most High God who are telling you the way to be saved.
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 And she kept this up for many days.
00:10:03 --> 00:10:07 Now notice that she knows exactly who Paul and his team were,
00:10:07 --> 00:10:10 and nobody else knows who Paul and the team are.
00:10:11 --> 00:10:15 She knew who they were and that they were coming to tell them the gospel.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:19 She knew that they were coming to tell them the way to be saved.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:27 She was impeccably accurate, even though the source of that accuracy was, in fact, evil.
00:10:28 --> 00:10:31 And then we read this in verse 18.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:38 Finally, Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the Spirit,
00:10:38 --> 00:10:47 Now, the Apostle Paul here looks really impatient and really unloving with this girl.
00:10:48 --> 00:10:49 That's because he is.
00:10:50 --> 00:10:54 That is, you know, he's not Jesus after all.
00:10:54 --> 00:10:54 We know that.
00:10:55 --> 00:10:59 But it also shows us that this little encounter is not a made-up encounter.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:04 This is not the way that you would write a legend.
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 You would write it this way.
00:11:09 --> 00:11:10 If it was a legend, you'd say,
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 Paul, deeply moved by compassion,
00:11:14 --> 00:11:16 turned and looked on the girl with mercy,
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 and said,
00:11:17 --> 00:11:18 You poor, troubled soul.
00:11:19 --> 00:11:20 But that's how you'd write legend.
00:11:21 --> 00:11:22 But that's not what's happening here.
00:11:23 --> 00:11:25 Paul got irritated.
00:11:25 --> 00:11:26 He was fed up.
00:11:27 --> 00:11:28 And he said,
00:11:28 --> 00:11:30 In the name of Jesus Christ,
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 I command you to come out of her.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:35 And at that moment,
00:11:36 --> 00:11:37 the Spirit left her.
00:11:40 --> 00:11:43 So Lydia gets a Bible study down by the river.
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 This girl gets a power encounter.
00:11:49 --> 00:11:53 Lydia needed to see that Jesus is more beautiful and magnificent and fulfilling
00:11:53 --> 00:11:57 than her money and her purple clothes.
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 This girl needs a new master.
00:12:02 --> 00:12:03 She needs a new lord.
00:12:04 --> 00:12:06 A new boss over her life.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:08 And she gets that.
00:12:11 --> 00:12:15 The third person we encounter here
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 is a Roman jailer.
00:12:17 --> 00:12:20 Now this person comes on the scene
00:12:20 --> 00:12:22 because the owners of the slave girl
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 are pretty ticked off
00:12:24 --> 00:12:26 by the income loss
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 that Paul has now
00:12:27 --> 00:12:29 inflicted upon them
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 by healing the slave girl.
00:12:31 --> 00:12:32 Paul and Silas
00:12:32 --> 00:12:34 are handed over to local magistrates
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 who order them to be beaten
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 without a trial.
00:12:37 --> 00:12:39 And then in verse 23,
00:12:39 --> 00:12:40 we read this.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 They were thrown into prison
00:12:43 --> 00:12:46 and the jailer was commanded
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 to guard them carefully.
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 When he received these orders,
00:12:52 --> 00:12:54 he put them in the inner cell
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 and fastened their feet to the stocks.
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 So what do we know about him?
00:13:01 --> 00:13:02 The first thing we know
00:13:02 --> 00:13:03 is that he's a jailer.
00:13:04 --> 00:13:06 And that means that he is most likely
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 an ex-Roman soldier.
00:13:08 --> 00:13:13 When the ranking soldiers retired,
00:13:13 --> 00:13:14 they generally moved
00:13:14 --> 00:13:17 into civil service roles.
00:13:18 --> 00:13:20 He was what we would call
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21 in our society
00:13:21 --> 00:13:24 nowadays working class.
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 His home is comfortable,
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 but his home is,
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 how do I put this,
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 a long way from the harbour.
00:13:31 --> 00:13:33 We can also see
00:13:33 --> 00:13:35 that he was a brutal guy.
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 Verse 23,
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 he is commanded
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 by the magistrates
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 to guard Paul and Silas carefully.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 In verse 24,
00:13:46 --> 00:13:46 he says,
00:13:47 --> 00:13:49 he put them in the inner cell
00:13:49 --> 00:13:51 and fastened their feet
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 to the stocks.
00:13:52 --> 00:13:52 That is,
00:13:53 --> 00:13:54 he didn't wash their wounds,
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 he didn't bandage them up,
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 he didn't do anything
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 that you would consider
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01 carefully looking after them.
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 He didn't do anything for them.
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 He was asked
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 to watch them closely.
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 Instead,
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 he put them
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 into the deepest dungeon,
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 away from the light,
00:14:11 --> 00:14:12 away from the air.
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 And he also puts them
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 in the stocks.
00:14:15 --> 00:14:15 The stocks,
00:14:16 --> 00:14:18 spread your limbs out
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 past what was considered normal.
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 It induced
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 incredibly painful
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 muscle cramps.
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 It was unnecessarily cruel.
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28 It was a form of torture.
00:14:28 --> 00:14:31 This is a guy
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 who Paul
00:14:32 --> 00:14:34 just frankly
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 could not sit down with
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 like he did with Lydia
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 and talk with
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 about the gospel.
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 He had to show
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 the good news
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 of Jesus Christ
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 in his life.
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 And so this jailer
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 notices two things
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 in the lives
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 of Paul and Silas.
00:14:49 --> 00:14:51 He sees
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 in the face
00:14:52 --> 00:14:53 of suffering
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 a peace
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 and a joy
00:14:56 --> 00:14:58 and in the face
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 of cruelty
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 a kindness
00:15:00 --> 00:15:02 and a forgiveness.
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 Verse 25.
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 About midnight,
00:15:07 --> 00:15:07 Paul and Silas
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 were praying
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 and singing hymns
00:15:09 --> 00:15:09 to God
00:15:09 --> 00:15:11 and the other prisoners
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 were listening to them.
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 They were listening.
00:15:14 --> 00:15:16 The word actually means
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 they were fascinated,
00:15:18 --> 00:15:20 amazed by Paul and Silas.
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 Now this is a culture
00:15:22 --> 00:15:25 where if you are in grief,
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27 you wail.
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 If you are angry,
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 you curse.
00:15:32 --> 00:15:32 That is,
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 you express
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 the inner emotions
00:15:35 --> 00:15:37 in very verbal,
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 verbose ways.
00:15:40 --> 00:15:40 And here we have
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 Paul and Silas
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 expressing peace
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 and joy
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 in quite tangible ways.
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 They were singing
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 praises to God
00:15:49 --> 00:15:51 rather than cursing.
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 And the jailer
00:15:53 --> 00:15:55 would have either
00:15:55 --> 00:15:55 heard it,
00:15:56 --> 00:15:56 he certainly
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 would have experienced it.
00:15:59 --> 00:15:59 The joy
00:15:59 --> 00:16:00 and the peace.
00:16:01 --> 00:16:01 But the jailer
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 also experienced
00:16:03 --> 00:16:03 a kindness
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 and a forgiveness.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:05 Have a look
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 in verse 26.
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 Suddenly there was
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 such a violent earthquake
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 that the foundations
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 of the prison
00:16:10 --> 00:16:10 were shaken.
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 At once all
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 the prison doors
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 flew open
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 and everyone's
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 chains came loose.
00:16:18 --> 00:16:18 The jailer
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 woke up
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 and when he saw
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 the prison doors
00:16:21 --> 00:16:21 open,
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 he drew his sword
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 and was about
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 to kill himself
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 because he thought
00:16:26 --> 00:16:26 the prisoners
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 had escaped.
00:16:29 --> 00:16:29 This jailer
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 was not going to
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 wait for his own
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 execution for failing
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 to secure the prisoners.
00:16:33 --> 00:16:36 And in that moment
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 as he draws his sword
00:16:37 --> 00:16:39 Paul calls out
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 don't harm
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 yourself.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 We are all here.
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 So not only
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 does Paul and Silas
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 not leave themselves
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 but somehow
00:16:51 --> 00:16:51 they managed
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 to keep the other
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 prisoners
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 with them as well.
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 They had an opportunity
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 in this moment
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 to pay back
00:16:59 --> 00:17:01 for the treatment
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 that they had received.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:04 they didn't take it.
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 And in that split
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 second moment
00:17:08 --> 00:17:08 it moved
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 this jailer.
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 Verse 29
00:17:11 --> 00:17:11 the jailer
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 called for lights
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 he rushed in
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 and he felt
00:17:14 --> 00:17:14 trembling
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 before Paul
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 and Silas.
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 Not the other prisoners
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 he knew it was
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 Paul and Silas
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 these are the guys
00:17:20 --> 00:17:20 here
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 these are the guys
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 who are different.
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 He says
00:17:25 --> 00:17:25 sirs
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 what must I do
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 to be saved?
00:17:27 --> 00:17:30 they overcame
00:17:30 --> 00:17:30 evil
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 with good
00:17:31 --> 00:17:33 they overcame
00:17:33 --> 00:17:35 mercilessness
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 with mercy
00:17:36 --> 00:17:38 with unkindness
00:17:38 --> 00:17:38 with kindness
00:17:38 --> 00:17:40 they forgave him
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 and he
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 was
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 amazed
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 they saved
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 his
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 life
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 and now
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 he wants
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 his life
00:17:50 --> 00:17:50 to be truly
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 saved.
00:17:52 --> 00:17:54 He knows
00:17:54 --> 00:17:54 that Paul
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 and Silas
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 have something
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 that he does not have.
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 It's got to do
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 with their God.
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 They have a power
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 in their lives
00:18:04 --> 00:18:04 that produces
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 peace
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 and joy
00:18:06 --> 00:18:06 and kindness
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 and forgiveness.
00:18:08 --> 00:18:08 He doesn't have it
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 doesn't have any of it
00:18:10 --> 00:18:12 and he wants it.
00:18:13 --> 00:18:15 What must
00:18:15 --> 00:18:15 I do
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 to be saved?
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 He wants
00:18:18 --> 00:18:18 a relationship
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 with the God
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 that they've been
00:18:20 --> 00:18:20 praying and singing
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 praises to
00:18:21 --> 00:18:23 but notice the question
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 what
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 must
00:18:25 --> 00:18:25 I
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 do
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28 to be
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 saved?
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 He assumes
00:18:30 --> 00:18:30 that he needs
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 to do something
00:18:31 --> 00:18:31 here.
00:18:33 --> 00:18:33 Paul's answer
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 is very simple
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 in verse 31
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 believe
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 in the Lord
00:18:37 --> 00:18:37 Jesus
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 and you'll
00:18:38 --> 00:18:38 be saved.
00:18:39 --> 00:18:39 Believe
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 in what
00:18:40 --> 00:18:40 Jesus
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 has already
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 done
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 for you
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 and you
00:18:44 --> 00:18:44 will be
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 saved.
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 Once again
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 Paul has
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 demonstrated
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 the gospel
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 to this jailer.
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 that's what
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 he's done
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 all the way
00:18:54 --> 00:18:54 through here.
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 He has
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 demonstrated
00:18:56 --> 00:18:56 the core
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 message of
00:18:57 --> 00:18:57 Christianity.
00:18:58 --> 00:18:58 Now did you
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 notice that
00:18:59 --> 00:18:59 little incident
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 in verses
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 35 to
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 39?
00:19:03 --> 00:19:03 Paul is
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 released
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 but he
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 doesn't go
00:19:06 --> 00:19:06 quietly.
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 It's very
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 odd.
00:19:10 --> 00:19:10 It was
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 against the
00:19:11 --> 00:19:11 law
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 to throw
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 a Roman
00:19:13 --> 00:19:13 citizen
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 into prison
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 without a
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 trial
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 and Paul
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 is a
00:19:19 --> 00:19:19 Roman
00:19:19 --> 00:19:19 citizen
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 and he
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 has not
00:19:21 --> 00:19:21 had a
00:19:21 --> 00:19:21 fair
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 trial.
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 So now
00:19:24 --> 00:19:24 these
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 magistrates
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 are running
00:19:26 --> 00:19:26 scared.
00:19:27 --> 00:19:27 Their
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 livelihood
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 and even
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 their lives
00:19:30 --> 00:19:30 are on
00:19:30 --> 00:19:30 the line
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 here.
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 So you've
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 got to ask
00:19:34 --> 00:19:34 yourself the
00:19:34 --> 00:19:34 question
00:19:34 --> 00:19:36 why did
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 Paul
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 not speak
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 up before
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 he was
00:19:40 --> 00:19:40 thrown
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 into prison?
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 When the
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 magistrates
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 were standing
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 there and
00:19:46 --> 00:19:46 they're getting
00:19:46 --> 00:19:46 beaten,
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 why did
00:19:47 --> 00:19:47 they not
00:19:47 --> 00:19:47 just put
00:19:47 --> 00:19:47 their hand
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 up and
00:19:48 --> 00:19:48 say hey
00:19:48 --> 00:19:48 guys Roman
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 citizen,
00:19:50 --> 00:19:50 you know,
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 against the
00:19:51 --> 00:19:51 law.
00:19:53 --> 00:19:53 Why did
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 he raise
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 that issue
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 afterwards
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56 and not
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56 before?
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 One
00:20:02 --> 00:20:02 reason is
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 he's
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 identifying
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 with the
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05 church in
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 Philippi who
00:20:06 --> 00:20:06 will not
00:20:06 --> 00:20:06 have the
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 same
00:20:07 --> 00:20:07 privileges
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 that he
00:20:08 --> 00:20:10 has got
00:20:10 --> 00:20:10 and will
00:20:10 --> 00:20:12 suffer the
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 same way
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 he was
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 suffering
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 now.
00:20:15 --> 00:20:17 But more
00:20:17 --> 00:20:17 importantly
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 the main
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 reason is
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 that this
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 jailer needs
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 him to go
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 to prison.
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 This jailer
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 needs him to
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 go to prison
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 so that he
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 could be
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 saved because
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 the jailer
00:20:29 --> 00:20:29 is not
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 free.
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 Paul needed
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 to surrender
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 his physical
00:20:33 --> 00:20:35 freedom so
00:20:35 --> 00:20:35 that this
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 jailer might
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 know true
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 salvation and
00:20:38 --> 00:20:38 freedom.
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 Paul gave
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 up his
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 freedom so
00:20:42 --> 00:20:42 that the
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 one who
00:20:43 --> 00:20:43 thought that
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 he was
00:20:44 --> 00:20:44 free
00:20:44 --> 00:20:46 could in
00:20:46 --> 00:20:46 fact be
00:20:46 --> 00:20:46 truly
00:20:46 --> 00:20:46 free.
00:20:48 --> 00:20:48 Paul and
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 Silas were
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 in stocks
00:20:50 --> 00:20:50 in the
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 dungeon but
00:20:51 --> 00:20:51 they were
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 singing.
00:20:53 --> 00:20:53 That is
00:20:53 --> 00:20:53 their
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 incarceration
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 and their
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 suffering
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 could not
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 take touch.
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 It could
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 not take
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 away the
00:21:00 --> 00:21:00 freedom and
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 the joy that
00:21:01 --> 00:21:01 they already
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 had in
00:21:02 --> 00:21:02 Jesus.
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 The reason
00:21:03 --> 00:21:03 why Paul
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 was happy
00:21:04 --> 00:21:04 to go into
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 prison because
00:21:05 --> 00:21:05 he was
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 already free.
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 The jailer
00:21:08 --> 00:21:08 had the
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 keys to
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 the chains
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 but he
00:21:11 --> 00:21:11 was not
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 free.
00:21:12 --> 00:21:14 he needed
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 rescuing.
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 He needed
00:21:17 --> 00:21:17 to be
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 saved.
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 And it
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 was only
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 because Paul
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 kept his
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 mouth shut,
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 surrendered
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 his body
00:21:26 --> 00:21:26 to the
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 magistrates,
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 then to
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 the crowd
00:21:29 --> 00:21:31 and finally
00:21:31 --> 00:21:31 to the
00:21:31 --> 00:21:33 prison that
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 this jailer
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 found true
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 freedom.
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 Only then
00:21:38 --> 00:21:42 and in
00:21:42 --> 00:21:42 that sense
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 the
00:21:43 --> 00:21:43 apostle Paul
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 was walking
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 in the
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 footsteps of
00:21:45 --> 00:21:45 his
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 savior Jesus
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 Christ.
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 Jesus
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 was beaten
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 so that we
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 could be
00:21:51 --> 00:21:51 healed.
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 Jesus
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 was put on
00:21:53 --> 00:21:55 trial so
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 that we
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 could be
00:21:56 --> 00:21:56 free from
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 condemnation.
00:21:58 --> 00:21:58 Jesus
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 was restrained
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 by nails
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 to a
00:22:01 --> 00:22:03 cross so
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 that we
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 might find
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 liberation
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 from death.
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 He was
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 executed for
00:22:08 --> 00:22:08 our sin
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 so that we
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 would be
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 set free
00:22:10 --> 00:22:12 from sin
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 and death.
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 He chose
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 not to
00:22:16 --> 00:22:16 speak up.
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 He chose
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 not to
00:22:19 --> 00:22:19 call down
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 legions of
00:22:20 --> 00:22:20 angels.
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 He chose
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 not to
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 plead his
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 cause.
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 As a
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 lamb is
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 silent, so
00:22:28 --> 00:22:28 was Jesus
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 Christ in
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 front of his
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 accusers.
00:22:31 --> 00:22:31 And he
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 chose it
00:22:32 --> 00:22:32 for us.
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 And we
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 see
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 this is
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 the immediate
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 impact
00:22:40 --> 00:22:42 on this
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 jailer.
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 Belief in
00:22:45 --> 00:22:45 Jesus
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 transforms
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 this jailer.
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 Firstly, we
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 see upon
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 release coming
00:22:50 --> 00:22:50 out of the
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 prison, he
00:22:51 --> 00:22:51 showed
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 compassion and
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 care and he
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 washed their
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 wounds.
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 Secondly, he's
00:22:56 --> 00:22:59 baptized as a
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 public declaration
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 that he is now
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 lined with the
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 Christian faith and
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 the Christian
00:23:04 --> 00:23:04 community.
00:23:04 --> 00:23:06 Christianity is
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 both personal
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 but it's
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 never private.
00:23:09 --> 00:23:09 It is
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 personal but it's
00:23:10 --> 00:23:10 never private.
00:23:11 --> 00:23:13 And thirdly, he
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 got what Paul and
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 Silas had.
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 You see it
00:23:16 --> 00:23:16 there?
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 He was filled
00:23:18 --> 00:23:20 with joy
00:23:20 --> 00:23:22 because he had
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 come to believe
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 in God.
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 He is now
00:23:25 --> 00:23:25 finally free.
00:23:25 --> 00:23:27 God's
00:23:27 --> 00:23:40 mercy is
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 in fact for
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 all people.
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 They are a
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 snapshot if you
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 like to show how
00:23:45 --> 00:23:45 very different
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 people come to
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 put their faith in
00:23:47 --> 00:23:47 Jesus Christ.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 Three very
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 different people.
00:23:50 --> 00:23:52 One was from
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 Asia, one was
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 a Greek, one
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 was a Roman.
00:23:55 --> 00:23:57 Economically, they
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 are upper class,
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 middle class and
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 low class.
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 One was
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 spiritually open,
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 one was
00:24:03 --> 00:24:03 spiritually hostile
00:24:03 --> 00:24:05 and one was
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 indifferent.
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 One was
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 logical and
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 gentle, one
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 was apathetic and
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 brutal and one
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 was troubled and
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 oppressed.
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 The good news of
00:24:16 --> 00:24:18 Jesus Christ is
00:24:18 --> 00:24:20 for everyone and
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 everyone needs the
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 good news of
00:24:22 --> 00:24:22 Jesus Christ.
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 Jesus Christ is
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 for you.
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 There is no
00:24:23 --> 00:24:26 such thing as a
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 Christian type.
00:24:28 --> 00:24:30 The gospel can and
00:24:30 --> 00:24:32 has changed anyone
00:24:32 --> 00:24:34 from the morally
00:24:34 --> 00:24:36 respectable religious
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 person through to the
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 serial killer, from
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 advanced cities to
00:24:39 --> 00:24:41 jungles, from palaces to
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 refugee camps.
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 How has it done
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 that?
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 Because it's true.
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 true.
00:24:46 --> 00:24:48 The gospel is true for
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 everyone.
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 We live in a culture
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 that says, well, if it's
00:24:51 --> 00:24:53 true for you, then it's
00:24:53 --> 00:24:53 true for you.
00:24:54 --> 00:24:56 But Christianity doesn't
00:24:56 --> 00:24:58 do anything with you.
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 It doesn't help you in
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 any way.
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 Unless what Jesus says
00:25:02 --> 00:25:04 about himself, his
00:25:04 --> 00:25:06 perfect life, his death
00:25:06 --> 00:25:06 for our sin, his
00:25:06 --> 00:25:08 resurrection and reign
00:25:08 --> 00:25:10 over all things is
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 actually true.
00:25:11 --> 00:25:13 If it's not true, it
00:25:13 --> 00:25:15 is powerless to bring
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 transformation and
00:25:16 --> 00:25:16 change.
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 Powerless to set you
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 free.
00:25:21 --> 00:25:23 If it's not true, it
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23 doesn't work.
00:25:25 --> 00:25:28 But if it is true, it
00:25:28 --> 00:25:28 works for everyone.
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 There is no religion in
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 the world as culturally
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 diverse as Christianity
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 because it's true.
00:25:35 --> 00:25:37 Every world religion has
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 the majority of its
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 people in one or two
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 continents.
00:25:40 --> 00:25:42 Except for Christianity.
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 Approximately 20% of
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 Christians are in
00:25:46 --> 00:25:46 Africa.
00:25:47 --> 00:25:49 Another 20% in Latin
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 America.
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 Nearly 20% in Asia.
00:25:51 --> 00:25:53 A little more than 20%
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 in Europe.
00:25:54 --> 00:25:54 And a little less than
00:25:54 --> 00:25:56 20% in North America.
00:25:59 --> 00:26:01 That's spread and
00:26:01 --> 00:26:03 impact across all kinds
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 of different areas and
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 cultures and people
00:26:04 --> 00:26:04 groups.
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 No other religion is
00:26:06 --> 00:26:09 even close to being that
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 well distributed.
00:26:10 --> 00:26:12 Because it is true for
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 all people.
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 There is no Christian
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 type.
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 There is no greater
00:26:20 --> 00:26:22 unifying power on the
00:26:22 --> 00:26:24 face of the earth than
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 the good news of Jesus
00:26:25 --> 00:26:25 Christ.
00:26:26 --> 00:26:28 It brings diverse groups
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 of people together.
00:26:29 --> 00:26:31 I love the last verse of
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 this section.
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 After Paul and Silas came
00:26:34 --> 00:26:36 out of the prison, they
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 went to Lydia's house where
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 they met with the
00:26:38 --> 00:26:40 brothers and sisters and
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 encouraged them.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:44 This is the new Christian
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 church of Philippi.
00:26:45 --> 00:26:47 It is all those who have
00:26:47 --> 00:26:49 believed in Jesus Christ.
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 Who are they?
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 At the very least we know in
00:26:52 --> 00:26:54 this new church is Lydia.
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 It's in her house.
00:26:55 --> 00:26:58 Lydia, the slave girl and
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 the jailer.
00:26:59 --> 00:27:03 worshipping Jesus side by
00:27:03 --> 00:27:06 side as new description
00:27:06 --> 00:27:09 brothers and sisters in
00:27:09 --> 00:27:09 Christ.
00:27:11 --> 00:27:15 Friends, how much clearer does
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 the Bible need to be that
00:27:16 --> 00:27:18 heritage, social class,
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 gender means nothing?
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 Nothing.
00:27:25 --> 00:27:27 None of it's a hindrance or a
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 barrier to Jesus.
00:27:29 --> 00:27:32 There is no Christian type.
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 And so for the Christians
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 tuning in, listen to me right
00:27:36 --> 00:27:36 now.
00:27:37 --> 00:27:41 God can and does work in the
00:27:41 --> 00:27:43 most unlikely individual.
00:27:46 --> 00:27:48 Just like me.
00:27:48 --> 00:27:50 Just like you.
00:27:52 --> 00:27:54 It's what I'd forgotten.
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 All those years ago sitting
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 on that front step of the
00:27:58 --> 00:28:00 house with that intoxicated
00:28:00 --> 00:28:03 man that that was me
00:28:03 --> 00:28:03 spiritually.
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 I'd forgotten that.
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 But if you're not a
00:28:10 --> 00:28:12 Christian yet, this all
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 simply means that God's
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 mercy is for you.
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 The good use of Jesus
00:28:16 --> 00:28:19 Christ is for you.
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 I don't know,
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 I may not know you
00:28:22 --> 00:28:22 personally.
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 You may have just tuned in.
00:28:25 --> 00:28:27 But I do know that you
00:28:27 --> 00:28:29 are the Christian type.
00:28:30 --> 00:28:32 The gospel can change
00:28:32 --> 00:28:32 anyone.
00:28:33 --> 00:28:35 Jesus was beautiful enough
00:28:35 --> 00:28:37 for Lydia, powerful enough
00:28:37 --> 00:28:39 for the slave girl, and
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 liberating enough for the
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 jailer.
00:28:43 --> 00:28:45 He's got what you'd need
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 right now too.
00:28:46 --> 00:28:50 There is no Christian type
00:28:50 --> 00:28:53 and who knows what you'll
00:28:53 --> 00:28:55 become when you see Jesus
00:28:55 --> 00:28:59 as beautiful, powerful, and
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 liberating for you and your
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 life.
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 Amen.