All right, go with me back over
to Acts 16. Acts chapter 16. This is the story of of the conversion
of the Philippian jailer. If I'm not mistaken, the last
time I preached from this was at Caleb and Bobby's baptism
in Pikeville. I think it was this. Wonderful
story. We see salvation in this story
very clearly, don't we? The great question is asked here
in this story. It's asked and it's answered
right here in this story. What must I do to be saved? The question of all questions. What must I do to be saved? We're going to look at the whole
story. I was going to look at bits and pieces of it. It starts
with a woman who is possessed with the devil. But this is all
one story. And I want us to see something
wonderful in the whole story. It does begin with a woman who
was possessed with the devil. You know what we see in that?
An unclean thing that is made to be clean. In the name of Jesus
Christ, come out. He came out. Made to be clean
by the power of God. That's salvation. You know we're
all as an unclean thing, but God. And then we see those that were
bound in prison, Paul, Silas, and a bunch of other people.
They were bound in prison, in chains. And we see God move mightily. He sent an earthquake, shook
the foundations of the whole prison. The pins started popping
out of the walls. Chains started falling off. Doors
started opening up. He set every prisoner free. That's salvation, isn't it? That's
salvation. You shall know the truth, Christ,
and the truth shall make you free. Free. And then we see a man who is
absolutely opposed to the gospel. We're going to see a jailer who
beat these men and thrust them in the inner prison. absolutely
opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ and him crucified. And
we're going to see God strike fear into him. Absolute fear. And he fell down trembling, saying,
Sirs, what must I do to be saved? I'm lost. That's what he was
saying. All of a sudden, fear came into
him. And he said, I am lost and I
need to be saved. That's the cry of life. That's
what it is. If God brings a man to that point,
that's a pretty good evidence that he's already been saved.
I'm lost. Save me. That's a pretty good
sign. Does a baby cry in order to live
or because it's already alive? What must I do to be saved? I'm
a sinner. I need a savior. Well, then we
see that every bit of this is through the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ. They said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. What does that mean? That means
believe in His life. Believe in His death. Believe
in His miracles. Believe in everything He is.
Rest on Him. And this is the truth. If a sinner
will rest, just stop, stop working and rest on Christ totally. Trust that He did everything
that was needed to save this sinful soul. Christ did it all. Rest on Him. Trust Him that He
did everything that needed to be done to redeem your soul.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, thou shalt be saved. You know
that? There is nothing I have ever
done that makes me think God will save me. I don't have any
hope in anything I've ever done. You know what all my hope is?
is that the Lord Jesus Christ has made me cast it all on Him. Just trust in Him. So this is a wonderful story
of salvation. In looking at this, I saw something
that encouraged me so much. This was such a help to me. Such a help to me. And the reason
I say that is because of the news. The news is killing me,
it's crushing me. I don't like the news and I try
not to watch the news. But this was a help to me. I
pray this will be a help to you. I pray this will be a blessing,
an encouragement. What we're about to look at applies
to our everyday life. It applies to Monday morning.
This is an encouragement. Here's the message tonight. Here's
the title of this message. It's called Providence and Predestination. That's the title of this message.
Providence and Predestination. Providence means forethought. It means to consider in advance. It means to look out for beforehand. That's Providence. Predestination
means to limit in advance. I love that. That's predestination.
It's limiting in advance. It's to predetermine. With the Philippian jailer, with
every single child of God, with me, with you, every single child
of God, God considered each one of them in advance. Every single one. It amazes me to think of the
Lord dwelling on me for just a minute. Me. Of all creation. All people. We know that he thinks
on his people, but is it not amazing to think that he thinks
on you? He considered each one of us
in advance. For every single child of His,
He looked out for them beforehand. You've already been looked out
for. He had forethought toward them. And He predetermined everything
about them. There is no chance Thursday morning
holds not one ounce of chance. I love that. He limited them
straight to Jesus Christ. Every single one. That is so
encouraging to me. This is the story of this Philippian
jailer. It begins with a woman who is
possessed by a devil. This random woman, so it seems.
Look at verse 16. And it came to pass, as we went
to prayer, a certain damsel, possessed with a spirit of divination,
met us, which brought her master's much gain through soothsaying."
She was a fortune teller because of this demon, and they were
making good money. The same followed Paul and us
and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the Most
High God, which show unto us the way of salvation. Do you
disagree with what that unclean spirit said? You disagree with
that? I don't. Sometimes error is blatantly
obvious. Sometimes it's so close, if it
were possible, even the elect would be deceived. But this was
an unclean spirit speaking through this woman. You might hear a
lot of men say things that sound fine. It sounds okay. But the
question is always this, what think ye of Christ? They might
say a bunch of true facts, they might say a bunch of true statements,
they might have some doctrinal things right, but let's cut through
all that stuff and get to what think ye of Christ. Verse 18
says, This did she many days, she followed them, crying out,
these are the servants of the Most High God. This did she many
days, but Paul being grieved, turned and said to the spirit,
I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.
And he came out the same hour. And when her master saw that
the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas and
drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers and brought them
to the magistrates saying, these men being Jews do exceedingly
trouble our city. and teach customs which are not
lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. And
the multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates
rent off their clothes, tore the clothes off of Paul and Silas,
and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes
upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to
keep them safely, who having received such a charge, thrust
them into the inner prison and made their feet fast in the stocks. Now here's what struck me about
all this. This is what was amazing. This is amazing. Had the Lord
God not allowed that unclean spirit to enter into that woman. You remember they all said, well,
can we go into those swine? And he suffered them to go into
that. God allowed that to happen. What a bad thing. But had the
Lord God not allowed an unclean spirit to enter this woman, she
would have never followed Paul and Silas, grieving them. Never. And Paul would not have
cast an unclean spirit out of her. And her masters would not have
gotten angry with Paul and Silas. And they would not have thrown
them in prison. And that jailer would have never
heard them praying and singing praises to God. And he would
never have seen the mighty hand of almighty God set all the prisoners
free. And he would never have fallen
down in fear and trembling, crying, what must I do to be saved? And
he would have never believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Every
bit of this was providence and predestination. Every single
bit of it. starting with an unclean spirit. Go with me over to Genesis chapter
50. This is Joseph speaking to his
brothers. Genesis 50 verse 20, he said,
but as for you, you thought evil against me. They took him and
sold him. As for you, you thought evil
against me, but God meant it unto good. to bring to pass as
it is this day to save much people alive. Now I'm going to read
that again and maybe God will let our little hearts enter into
it. As for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good to
bring to pass as it is this day to save much people alive. That's why God does everything. Every single thing. That's why God does everything. Everything He does is for the
salvation and good of His people. Not one thing is a wasted act. Everything is on purpose. He
has one purpose. It's the glory of Jesus Christ.
and it's the salvation and good of his people. Every single thing
he does is for the salvation and good of his people, even
if it appears to be evil. Joseph said, you meant it for
evil, God meant it for good. I wish that that would well up
inside me. I wish his word would be a wellspring
every time I turn on the news. You all mean it for evil. Yes,
you do. God means it for good. Go over
to Psalm 37. Psalm 37 verse 23 says, The steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he
shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with
his hand. I have been young, and now am
old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed
begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth,
and his seed is blessed." All of our steps have been ordered
by the Almighty God. Every single one of them. Does
that not give us a little bit of comfort in this crazy life
we're walking through? Is this not crazy? It's like I feel like I'm watching
history repeat itself in a bad way. Our heavenly father
has considered everything about us in advance, every single thing. He looked out for us beforehand. And in this purpose, his unchanging
purpose, he predetermined every step. Every single step, and
I know I'm worried about my next step, but I don't need to be. All I have to do is wait until
he moves my leg. Our end is going to be good,
and there is none good but God. That's our end. Our finish point
is God. All that mess is just going to
be cut away. It's going to fall away. If we
are in Christ, every single thing that happens to us in this lifetime,
every single thing is for our good and salvation or for the
good and salvation of somebody else. Every single thing. Now, this poor girl, she was
possessed. I'm sure that was not an enjoyable
experience. And I don't know if God saved
her, but if God did save her, Knowing what she knows now, you
know, we will all one day know as we have been known. We'll
see the tapestry. We'll see everything about our
life, everything that happened. Knowing what she knows now, do
you think she's happy that she went through that? If God saved her and she saw
everything that took place from that, knowing that God saved
souls through the means of it, do you think she's happy that
she went through that? Absolutely. If you could see the end result
of whatever it is you're going through, if the Lord would let
you see the salvation of a soul or the good of one of his sheep,
God sparing a soul from eternal hell because of what you're going
through, through the means of whatever it is you're going through,
wouldn't that give us a little comfort as we go through it? Paul and Silas, they were whipped,
they were beaten, they were beaten, they were beaten. Their flesh broke open with lacerations. They were covered in dried blood. The reason I know that is because
down in the story, it says that jailer started washing their
stripes, the stripes he put on them. He and some other men took
turns putting stripes on them. And these rough men, I bet you
they, I bet you it wasn't a little tap. They were thrust into prison,
sitting there just covered in that dried blood. After seeing what God did, they
had the story, they went back to Lydia's house. After seeing
everything that God did, do you think Paul and Silas were happy
that it happened? You remember who was it? Peter
and John maybe. They were beaten. They went away
rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for Christ's
sake. The story closes with Paul and
Silas going back to Lydia's house, comforting all the brethren.
They showed up, and I guarantee you they said, oh, we're so glad
you're out of that prison. They said, brothers and sisters,
you're not going to believe what God just did. That's how they
comforted them. You're not going to believe what
God just did. That's why Paul said what he
did in Philippians 1. Go over with me to Philippians
chapter 1. Now he's writing this to the
Philippians. That's Lydia, her house, the
Philippian jailer, his house, maybe some of the prisoners that
were in there with him. Philippians 1 verse 8 says, For
God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels
of Jesus Christ. I love you. Verse 12, But I would,
you should understand, brethren, that the things which happened
unto have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel."
I was told that one time, and I believe it now. Paul said,
I'm in here for one reason only. It's for the furtherance of the
gospel. He's saying, you remember, you of all people ought to know.
He's writing to the Philippian jailer. You ought to know. Every
bit of this was predetermined for the good and salvation of
God's people. It doesn't matter how bad it looks. It does not
matter. The news is just killing me,
and they do mean it for evil, but God is in control. God is in control. Every single
thing that happens is for the good and salvation of God's children. Who's in control? Our President,
or God? Whichever president. Who's in
control? Congress or God? Trust God. And I'm talking to
Gabe Stoniker right now. Just trust God. Trust Him. He is allowing every bit of this
to happen for the furtherance of the gospel. Go with me back
to Acts 16. Verse 23 says, When they had
laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging
the jailer to keep them safely, 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 bands were
loosed. And the keeper of the prison,
awaking out of his sleep and seeing the prison doors open,
he drew out his sword and would have killed himself, supposing
that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice
saying, do thyself 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? Now what would you have done
when all those prison doors opened up? Would you have run or would
you have stayed? What would you have done when
all the prison doors opened up? What would you have done when
the one who had just beaten you and thrust you into prison hurt
you, hurt your brother? He's about to take his own sword
and kill himself. What would you have done? Just
kept silent and let him thrust that on into his heart? Or would
you have cried out, do thyself no harm? What would you have
done? Paul was the perfect servant
of God to be at this place at exactly this moment in time.
The steps of everyone there could not have been more perfectly
ordered. There was no other man that could
show as much compassion to this jailer as Paul. No other man. Everything that
God allowed to happen to Paul was for the good and salvation
of God's people. Paul was a man who beat God's
people. Paul was a man who whipped God's
people. Paul was a man who thrust God's
people into prison, and God shook Paul. And he struck fear into
Paul, and Paul fell down Trembling. And he said, Lord, what would
you have me to do? Can you imagine Paul watching
this man fall down, trembling, crying? Sirs, what must I do
to be saved? Can you imagine the grace that
was flooding back into Paul? Just remembering what mercy God
had on him. He's thinking, I'm watching this
all over again. Same story. You know, we all have the same
story. 18 years before this happened
to Saul of Tarsus. 18 years. God's providence with
Paul 18 years before that brought him to this place and this time. This is interesting to see. Let
me show you this. Go back to chapter 9, Acts chapter 9. Acts chapter 9 verse 1 says,
Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples
of the Lord, went to the high priest. Verse 3, as he journeyed,
he came near Damascus, and suddenly there shined round about him
a light from heaven. Verse 4, he fell to the earth.
Verse 5, he said, Who art thou, Lord? Verse 6, he trembling and
astonished, said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? That
happened in the year A.D. 35. That's when that happened, the
year 35. Now look at chapter 9 verse 32. Peter was going around preaching,
came to pass as Peter passed throughout all quarters. That
was in the year AD 38, three years later. From the beginning
of chapter 9 to the middle of chapter 9 is three years. And
then chapter 13 verse 2, It says, As they ministered to
the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas
and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. Paul was
officially called to the ministry in A.D. 45, ten years after God
revealed himself to him. And then chapter 15 verse 36,
some days after Paul said to Barnabas, let us go again and
visit our brethren, that's when they split. That was in AD 53,
and that's where we are right here, 18 years later. 18 years. Paul's seeing the same thing
God showed to him. Same mercy being showed to the
Philippian jailer. Chapter 16 verse 29 says, 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 thou shalt be saved and thy house. Those last three words give me
such hope. And I didn't say that. God did. You know that? That's not my
opinion. I believe God will save your
house. That ain't my opinion. God said that. And thy house. God said this promise is to you
and your children. I'm clinging to that. I am clinging
to that. May God be merciful to our children. I don't care how young they are,
and I don't care how old they are. May God show, may God shed
his grace on thee. Crown thy good with brotherhood.
Verse 32 says, They spake unto him the word of the Lord, and
to all that were in his house. They preached the gospel to everybody
that was in his house. Verse 33, And he took them the
same hour of the night, and washed their stripes. and was baptized. He and all his straightway, they
confessed the blood of Christ alone. That's why you're baptized.
And I'm quite positive that when Paul preached the gospel to them
in their house, he made this very clear. They were confessing
Christ alone, the blood of Christ alone. And he took them the same
hour of the night and he washed their stripes. You know, that's
such a picture of I was picturing this jailer sitting
there washing both of their stripes, just grieving, knowing I put
those stripes right there. There's a song that a man named
Ed Hale wrote. He says, I'll be looking for
scars up in heaven, scars that love held on the tree, scars
that turn judgment to mercy for a hell-deserving sinner like
me. When we see those scars, the glorious part of all that
is knowing I put those scars there, those precious scars there. Well, verse 33, he took them
the same hour of the night and washed their stripes, was baptized
he and all his straightway. And when he brought them into
his house, he said, meet before them and rejoiced, believing
in God with all his house. When it was day, the magistrates
sent the sergeant saying, let those men go. You know, God was
finished. They got these men, they said,
beat them, put them in the inner prison, and make them fast in
the stocks. As soon as God's work was done,
they said, let them go. No trial. God's work was finished. God
put it on their heart, let my people go. They let them go. Verse 36, the keeper of the prison
told this saying to Paul, the magistrates have sent to let
you go now therefore depart and go in peace. But Paul said unto
them, they have beaten us openly, uncondemned being Romans. and
have cast us into prison, and now do they thrust us out privately?
Nay, verily, but let them come themselves and fetch us out.
And the sergeants told these words unto the magistrates, and
they feared when they heard that they were Romans. And they came
and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to
depart out of the city." Paul was from Tarsus. And that was
the capital of the Roman province called Cilicia. He was from a
Roman province. So he wanted them to know, you
have broken the law, not us. This thing is law keeping. Verse
40, and they went out of the prison and entered into the house
of Lydia. And when they had seen the brethren,
they comforted them and departed. They comforted them. They told
them about everything that had happened. And that's all we're
doing right now, just telling about everything that happened.
They reassured them that God is in control, and that's all
we're doing tonight. We're just reassuring us God
is in control. All things worked together for
good. We always say that. We always
say that. They told them, they got into
Lydia's house and they said, yes, you see all these stripes?
That jailer beat us. He threw us in prison, but God
saved the jailer. And then that jailer took us
to his house and he wanted us to preach to his family and then
God saved his family. God has been so merciful in all
this. And you all should really go down there and meet that jailer
and his family. I think you all could worship
God together. Lydia was the first person in the church there, now
Lydia's house. And the jailer, now the jailer's
house, they're starting to get a nice little group going. The
first church at Philippi. This is the same story of every
congregation. It starts with the Lord moves
on one and then some of their house and on another one and
some of their house. The Lord is so good, isn't he?
Thank God for providence, predestination. It's all ordered and sure. All
right, let's stand together.