Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.He called for lights, sprang in, fell down trembling before Paul and Silas,Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,And he called for lights and sprang in, and, trembling for fear, fell down before Paul and Silas,
6 sermons cite this verse
you and your household. Amen. Amen. All right. Now, Psalm 77, verse six, Psalm 77, verse six, the psalmist wrote, I remembered my songs in the night. I remembered my songs in the night. Title of my message today is hold on to your song. Hold on to your song. I come with a word of encouragement for someone today who finds themselves in a midnight hour. The word of the Lord for you is hold on to your song. Give your neighbor my title as you take your seat. Hold on to your song. I know there's so many OGs here and people have been a part of the church for a while, but there's always some new people joining us, maybe in the room or joining us online. So will you just indulge me for a moment while I show a picture of my family real quick? We got a picture of my family up here. That's my beautiful wife, Anna. 16 years we've been married. My oldest son, Zion, Elias, and Olivia right there. …
About midnight, Paul and Silas were doing what? They were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Every major breakthrough in the book of Acts is coming after the people of God are in prayer. They were utterly dependent on the power of God, and it drove them to their knees because they knew, they knew they would never see the power of God apart from dependent prayer before Him. You know why they knew that? Because Jesus had told them that. John chapter 15, verse 5, apart from me, you can do nothing. Church at Brook Hills, apart from the power of God, we can do nothing. and if we believe that, it will drive us to our knees in prayer. They were utterly dependent on the power of God. Second, they were utterly desperate for God's grace. They were utterly desperate for God's grace. Over and over again in the book of Acts, we see evidence of the grace of God. …
acts xvi. 29, 30. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? we have here and in the context an account of the conversion of the jailer, which is one of the most remarkable instances of the kind in the Scriptures. The jailer before seems not only to have been wholly insensible to the things of religion, but to have been a persecutor, and to have persecuted these very men, Paul and Silas; though he now comes to them in so earnest a manner, asking them what he must do to be saved. We are told in the context that all the magistrates and multitude of the city rose up jointly in a tumult against them, and took them, and cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely. Whereupon he thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And it is probable he did not act in this merely as the servant or instrument of the magistrates, but that he joined with the rest of the people in their rage against them, and that he did what he did urged on by his own will, as well as the magistrates’ commands; which made him execute their commands with such rigour. …
1. God makes them sensible that his displeasure is very dreadful. Before they heard often about the anger of God, and the fierceness of his wrath; but they were not moved by it. But now they are made sensible that it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. They are made in some measure sensible of the dreadfulness of hell. They are led with fixedness and impression to think what a dismal thing it will be to have God an enraged enemy, setting to work the misery of a soul, and how dismal it will be to dwell in such torment for ever without hope. Isaiah xxxiii. 14. “The sinners in Zion are afraid; tearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?” Other sinners are told of hell, but convinced sinners often have hell, as it were, in their view. They being impressed with a sense of the dreadfulness of its misery, is the cause why it works upon their imagination oftentimes; and it will seem as though they saw the dismal flames of hell; as though they saw God in implacable wrath exerting his fury upon them; as though they heard the cries and shrieks of the damned. 2. They are made in some measure sensible of the connection there is between their sins and that wrath, or how their sin and guilt exposes them to that wrath, of the dreadfulness of which they have such lively apprehensions, and so fear takes hold of them. They are afraid that will be their portion. And they are sensible that they are in a miserable and doleful condition by reason of sin. Many things in the Scriptures make it evident that this is God’s method. The account we have of our first parents confirms it. They had a sense of guilt and danger, before Christ was revealed to them. They were guilty, and were afraid of God’s wrath, and ran and hid themselves. They were terribly afraid when they heard God coming. And doubtless their sense of their guilt and fear, when they were brought before God, and were called to an account, and God asked them what they had done, and whether they had eaten of that tree, whereof he commanded them that they should not eat, prepared them for a discovery of mercy. God made them sensible of their guilt and danger before he revealed to them the covenant of grace. And it is probable that their reflecting upon what God said about the seed of the woman bruising the serpent’s head, soon wrought faith; that it was not long before that discovery God made of a merciful design towards them, was a means of true consolation and hope to them. Joseph’s brethren were brought into great distress for fear of their lives before Joseph revealed himself to them. Those who were converted by Peter’s sermon, were first pricked in their hearts in a sense of their guilt and their danger. Acts ii. 37. And Paul, before he had his first comfort, trembled, and was astonished. Acts ix. 6. And continued three days and three nights, and neither ate nor drank, which expressed his great distress. The jailer, before he was converted, was in terror. He called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas. Acts xvi. 29, 30. Christ’s invitation is made more especially to the weary and heavy laden; which doubtless has respect, at least partly, to labouring and being weary with a sense of guilt and danger. We read when David was in the cave, then every one who was in distress, was gathered unto him. 1 Samuel xxii. 1. This doubtless was written as typifying Jesus Christ, and the referring of those who were in fear and distress unto him. The expression of flying for refuge, by which coming to Christ is signified, implies, that before they come, they are in fear of some evil. They apprehend themselves in danger, and this fear gives wings to their feet. Proverbs xviii. 10. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower.” The voice of God to a sinner, when he gives him true comfort, is a still small voice. But this voice is preceded by a strong wind, and a terrible earthquake, and tire, as it was in Horeb when Elijah was there. 1 Kings xix. 11, 12. “And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” …
7. In his next discourse, that to the Heathens at Lystra, (14:15ff.) we do not find so much as the name of Christ: The whole purport of it is, that they should “turn from those vain idols, unto the living God.” Now confess the truth. Do not you think, if you had been there, you could have preached much better than he? I should not wonder if you thought too, that his preaching so ill occasioned his being so ill treated; and that his being stoned was a just judgment upon him for not preaching Christ! 8. To the gaoler indeed, when “he sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” he immediately said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ;” (Acts 16:29, 30; ) and in the case of one so deeply convicted of sin, who would not have said the same? But to the men of Athens you find him speaking in a quite different manner; reproving their superstition, ignorance, and idolatry; and strongly moving them to repent, from the consideration of a future judgment, and of the resurrection from the dead. (17:24–31.) Likewise when Felix sent for Paul, on purpose that he might “hear him concerning the faith in Christ;” instead of preaching Christ in your sense, (which would probably have caused the Governor either to mock or to contradict and blaspheme,) “he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come,” till Felix (hardened as he was) “trembled.” (24:24, 25.) Go thou, and tread in his steps. Preach Christ to the careless sinner, by reasoning “of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come!” …
"Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 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 chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors opened, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do yourself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas. And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, and your house. And they spoke unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, immediately. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house." Acts 16:24-34. …