Known unto God

Q: What does the Bible say about God's knowledge of our lives?

The Bible teaches that God knows all His works from eternity, providing comfort and assurance for believers. Acts 15:18 states, 'Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world,' highlighting God's omniscience and sovereignty. This means that God is aware of every detail of our lives, from our birth to our future. Unlike humans, who often have to adjust their plans due to unforeseen circumstances, God's plans are never altered by anything outside of Him. The message from the sermon is clear: we find solace in knowing that our trials and tribulations were anticipated by God, and His guidance is available to us through Scripture during our struggles.

Q: How do we know God is in control during difficult times?

We know God is in control because Scripture assures us that all events are known to Him, signifying His sovereign rule. The assurance of God's control over our lives can be derived from passages such as Acts 15:18. The narrative reveals that even when circumstances appear chaotic or confusing, God’s sovereign hand is orchestrating events for His glory and our good. This truth is exemplified in the story of Esther, where God’s providence is evident even when His presence is not explicitly mentioned. Furthermore, Paul and Silas’ experience in prison showcases unwavering faith in God's control, demonstrating their trust in God's divine plan despite their suffering. Recognizing God's sovereignty equips us to face adversity with confidence.

Q: Why is trusting God's plan important for Christians?

Trusting God's plan is crucial for Christians as it fosters peace in trials and strengthens faith. For Christians, trusting in God's plan is vital because it provides a foundation for peace amid life's uncertainties. In the sermon, the concept of divine knowledge and control is emphasized—‘known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world’ (Acts 15:18). This indicates that every aspect of our lives is known and orchestrated by God. Trusting His plan alleviates anxiety and fosters a restful spirit, knowing that God's purposes ultimately serve our good. As exemplified through the trials of Paul and Silas, unwavering trust leads to praise and boldness even in hardship.

Q: How does the Bible provide comfort in times of confusion?

The Bible offers comfort by revealing God's overarching plan and the assurance of His presence in our struggles. The Bible serves as an essential source of comfort during times of confusion and distress, especially when we face situations that challenge our understanding. Acts 15:18 helps assure believers that God's purpose extends beyond awareness; it instills hope that He is actively involved in guiding us. The experiences of biblical figures, such as Esther and the early church, exemplify how God’s providential care is woven through history, often unseen but always at work. By immersing ourselves in Scripture, we can discern God's faithfulness and find solace that He understands our circumstances even when we do not.

Q: Why should we seek guidance in the Bible?

We should seek guidance in the Bible because it provides divine wisdom for life's situations and challenges. The sermon emphasizes the importance of seeking guidance in the Bible as it is the complete revelation of God's will. Acts 15 reflects how early church leaders turned to Scripture for direction amid conflicts regarding doctrine. Similarly, believers are encouraged to seek understanding and clarification through God's Word, which is applicable to every situation we face. The Bible not only clarifies our doubts but also reassures us of God's unchanging nature. Hence, engaging with Scripture equips us to navigate the complexities of life with divine wisdom, confidence, and assurance of God's purpose.

Trusting that the Lord will answer our prayers, I'd ask you to turn to the Acts chapter 15 and reading verse 18. Acts chapter 15 and reading verse 18. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Acts 15 and verse 18. known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.

I want to start with a slight digression and just to mention before we come into the context and the full meaning of this verse that those three words are the words that you will find If you go to the war cemeteries, some in this country, but most of them in France, you'll see them on some of the graves there.

In fact, quite a lot of the graves, just those words known unto God. And it was Rajad Kipling who was given the task of designing and overseeing the setting up of the war graves for the soldiers who had been killed in battle. And many of them sadly could not be identified. And it was he who I believe was shown really that these words from our text known unto God and when I first saw those I thought really of the Lord knowing people and that sense is in the text known unto God but it does go deeper than that but Next time if you go to the war graves and my children studied them when they were at school and we went on a visit, there was a school trip which we couldn't go on so we went as a family and went to the places and it is right to remember those who died while fighting for country and for freedom known unto God. But I want to come especially to the context of this verse.

And the thoughts that have been on my mind, and may the Lord help me and guide me as we seek to express them, is the wondrous thought, the wondrous knowledge that everything that happens in our lives is known unto God. For us, we often have to change our plans or modify them Perhaps as we are involved with other people, they might react in ways that we didn't expect them to react. And perhaps we realize that we might have got something wrong, and so we have to change something. Or it might be that if we're doing some kind of project, some creative project, perhaps building something or making something, and as we start into it, we realize that what we thought would work didn't work. And so we have to come up, think of something else. to pray that the Lord would show us something else. All of our lives we have to really react to what happens to us and what we see to us and plan for it and seek the Lord's help and guidance.

And I think, I speak from my own knowledge of myself really, that it is very easy to forget that God is completely different from us. and that everything that happens in our life is already known unto God, and the Lord knew it from eternity. He knew it, every detail of our lives, your life, and my life, before the world was made, before we were born, before even our grandparents were or great-grandparents or great-great-great-great-grandparents were born or lived. The Lord knew every detail of our lives and so nothing happens outside of his knowledge. The Lord never has to change his plans because something unexpected has arisen like it does in our lives as it does for us. The Lord knows as well every detail of all of the events in our lives, our lives collectively, but also our lives individually as well.

And as we look at the context of this verse, we see that there is much comfort, first of all, to be had from the Bible because of this. And these words in our text, they were spoken by James. James, who I think in another place was described as one who seemed to be a pillar, one who was a leader, if you like, one on whom the church in Jerusalem relied. And he was the one really who spoke the verdict as to what Paul and Barnabas and the Christian church should do in response to these men who had come from Judea really spreading a false gospel. And I noticed that James, he sums up really what's happened in speaking or reminding him of how Simon Peter had spoken of what God had done for the Gentiles.

And that, of course, refers to when Peter went to visit Cornelius. And you will remember how the Lord gave him a vision of the unclean animals let down from heaven in a sheet. And Peter was told to arise and eat, and Peter said, not so, Lord. And then God said, that which I have cleansed, call not thou unclean. And that was how Peter was shown very directly that the Gentiles also were the Lord's people, and the gospel was to be preached to them.

And so James summarises that but he also goes back to God's word and in verses 15 and 16 and 17, James is saying this and he's actually quoting from Amos, to disagree the words of the prophets as it is written. And that was what really I think struck me about this because, and I think it must have struck James as well really at the time, because he could go back to the prophets, he could go back to the prophecy of Amos where these words are found in chapter 9 and in verse 11 and 12.

And I'll just read those. In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen and close up the breaches thereof and I will raise up his ruins and I will build it as in the days of old that they may possess the remnant of Edom. Edom was not just the descendants of Esau, but was also used as a word for the Gentiles as well, a more generic word for the Gentiles or the non-Jews. That they may possess the remnant of Edom and of all the heathen which are called by my name, saith the Lord that doeth this. And James having the situation having arisen in his lifetime, I think, I think around six or 700 years after those words that were written in Amos, James saw that he could look back into God's word and see that there was a text, if you like, that was suitable and appropriate and gave him guidance and gave all the church guidance for the situation that they were in.

And that's why he quotes it. And it's slightly different because it's in a different translation. But he says, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David which has fallen down, and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up, that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.

So James could look back into the Bible and find in the Bible that guidance And as he did so, that realisation that, of course, what was unexpected to him wasn't unexpected to the Lord. And all of the things that were happening to him and in his lifetime and to the church, the young church that was in Jerusalem, all of that was known unto God. And so that, I say, that struck James. I'm sure James would have been far more aware of that than I am anyway, but it came back into his mind at least, that wonderful sense of the Lord already knew about this and the Lord has already given that guidance and has already spoken in his word. This is what is happening, this is the explanation of it and therefore this is what we should do and this is how we should understand it. And that's why he then said, known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.

Well as the Lord may help then, I want to try to look really a little at how the The Bible therefore can be such a comfort to us when there are things that arise in our life that are unexpected to us and might be things that cause us distress or anxiety or fear or confusion or perplexity. When the things arise that we don't understand why it's happened this way, when we expected it to happen that way, how the Bible can be a comfort and how the Bible can give us guidance and can explain, as it were, what is happening to us. As the Lord may help, I want to spend some time trying to do that.

But then secondly, I want to look especially at what, therefore, how should we behave when there are those times when it is not going as we expected it to. When the law seems to Forgive me for saying this, but the Lord does something that we don't agree with. And then in spite of perhaps our prayers and sometimes our rebellion as well, the Lord seemed to persist in keeping on that same course, as it were. And we cannot understand it. And we look for it to change. How should we then behave while that is happening when we don't understand it, when perhaps it might seem to be very dark around us?

And it is all really coming back to this, this trust, this knowledge that God knows and knew from before the beginning of the world what we would be going through. And every detail, sometimes it can be just the little details, can't it, that cause us much distress or much perplexity. Sometimes they may seem to be like the last straw, as it were, as we say, that breaks the camel's back. May the Lord help us to come back to this thought, perhaps it's just a reminder really isn't it, that known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Well I want to then look at some of the occasions in the Bible really where First of all, it did seem as if it was not evident what the Lord was doing. And those who perhaps were in distress and perhaps could not see how the Lord was working.

One of those is in the book of Esther. And the book of Esther is remarkable in one sense because there is no mention of God in there. But I think that's deliberate because you can You can see that, well, of course it's deliberate, but I think the reason for that is because God is in the background in the book of Esther. And as you look in the book of Esther, you will see that the Lord is working in the background all the way through in so many different details. Just a few things then from the book of Esther that I wanted to draw your attention to. some of the little details that we see in there.

First of all, the overview, of course, is that Esther, who was a Jew, was raised to be the the queen of King Ahasuerus. And that came about because of his really his wrong request to Vashti to appear before the people that he was having a feast with. She refused. And so she was deposed, and so Esther then came to be chosen as the king's queen.

And then, what I especially want to just draw attention to, only very briefly, is the timing of the book of Esther. I may have mentioned this perhaps on earlier occasions, I can't remember now, but just a quick reminder then, in chapter three, for example, Haman decides, because Mordecai won't bow to him, he decides that he's going to destroy all of the Jews.

And to get the timing right in accordance with his own misguided beliefs, he has this system of chants, of lots. And so he throws the lots to see when is the right month and when is the right day. And in the Lord's providence, they cast the lots in the first month of the year and the Lord overruled those lots so that it would be in the 12th month that the destruction of the Jews would be carried out. Again, you see the King's, the Lord's overruling hand in that.

And then again, we see that Esther, now we see why Esther has been raised up to that place. The Lord raised her up in the background, as I said, and as Mordecai, who had that faith, Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world, that this was all in the Lord's plan. Mordecai was the one who said, who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom or such a time as this? Mordecai had that faith to know that the Lord was in control of all the details.

And so Esther had to venture into Kigahasuerus. And I often, I used to wonder when I was younger, why didn't, when she went in to see Ahasuerus, he held up the golden sceptre so that she would not be killed. And it was a sign of that royal favour. Why didn't Esther say there and then what was happening and what she needed from the king? And she didn't. She said, she invited him and Haman to come to a banquet and then to another banquet on the next day.

And again, the Lord is at work there because we see the beginning of verse six, on that night could not the king sleep. There is the Lord giving that King Ahasuerus insomnia, the Lord working in the details. And then we see that as he asks for something to help him to go to sleep really, he commands the book of the records of the chronicles to be read. And of course, he reads in there about what Mordecai did to prevent the plot of assassination against him. And he realized that he had never been rewarded.

And then we see in verse four of chapter six, now Haman was coming to the outward court of the king's house. That little word now, again, there's the Lord's timing in this. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Even with that timing, Haman came in.

And of course, Haman then was the one that was forced to take Mordecai around the city and publicly doing him honour, a real humiliation for Haman. And so, just mentioning there's much more that might be said in that wonderful book, but just mentioning that, that is some of the ways in which we can see that the Lord is in control.

But if we think of perhaps how it would have seemed to Mordecai and to Esther. Mordecai, I believe, had that faith, but still it was enough to make him rent his clothes and put sackcloth and ashes on, appear like that in that ritual mourning, even in front of the king's palace, because of the gravity of what had taken place, that threat really was to exterminate all of the Jews. And then we see Esther, how really this was a burden to her, wasn't it?

That she was, it fell upon her, she was the one who had to go and make that appeal to King Ahasuerus. And how she was tried with doubt, how she was, she was so fearful, wasn't she? That the rule is that if anybody goes into the king without him inviting them, then they will be put to death. Clearly a protection against assassination. But she went, she then said, she realised she would have to go. She had no choice about it. There was no salvation anywhere else.

And so I do want to mention at this point, if there are those who, in whom the Lord is working, who have been brought to know a little of that knowledge of their sins and to begin to see that the only way that they may be saved is through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Perhaps you might share some of the fears of Esther. Perhaps it might seem as if all this has arisen in your heart and you don't know whether it's of the Lord or not. You don't know whether the Lord is working there. Perhaps it's you being presumptuous, you think. Perhaps it's just in your mind. Perhaps you've been mistaken when there have perhaps been times in the services when it seems as if the minister was speaking to you. Perhaps that's been a mistake. Perhaps they are your thoughts and your fears. And how can I come before a holy God? How dare I to come before a holy God?

Well, may the Lord help us to come back to that the wonderful truth that there is in our text, known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. And so none of this is a surprise to God, as it were. It would be a surprise to us, wouldn't it? If someone, a stranger came up to us and asked us for help, we wouldn't be expecting it. But the Lord, there are no strangers who come to the Lord.

I often mention it, so I probably have mentioned it before, but think of Zacchaeus, a stranger, one to whom Jesus was a stranger. He'd just heard of him. He wanted to see him. He wanted him enough to make the effort to climb up that tree. But as far as he knew, he had no relationship with the Lord. But when Jesus stopped under that tree, he looked up and said, Zacchaeus. He knew him by name. He wasn't a stranger.

He didn't look up and say, who are you? What do you want? Why are you up the tree? He said, Zacchaeus, and he went on to say, I have an appointment with you, Zacchaeus. I have been doing this. This is my work. This is why you climbed the tree. It felt like you doing it. It felt like just your curiosity, perhaps, but it wasn't. It was me working in your heart so that I could meet you. Zacchaeus, come down, for today I must abide at thy house.

And so the Lord, known unto God, are all his works from the beginning of the world. And how wonderful then, may that be a comfort to think, that the Lord knows those in whose hearts he is working. The Lord knows this. The Lord knows every detail about them. And no thoughts that arise in our hearts, the fears even, the doubts, they are not unknown to the Lord. Esther's situation was not unknown to God, and the fears and the doubts that arose in her heart. And perhaps she was praying that the Lord would send for her. Perhaps she was praying that the king would send for her, that Ahasuerus would send for her to come to him. And that would make it much easier, wouldn't it? It would take away that fear. I don't know.

She had those three days of prayer and fasting, didn't she? And she asked Mordecai to join with her then. And we don't know what she was praying, but perhaps she was praying that. She hadn't been called to come in unto the King for 30 days, a whole month.

Perhaps that's what she wanted. Perhaps you may be praying that, that the Lord might, as it were, make it easier than it seems. But the Lord didn't. In the end, Esther had to go, had to go. And she had to go trusting, trusting that the The Lord would overrule, she had to go trusting that the king would indeed be constrained to hold out that scepter. And perhaps that is how the Lord is working in your heart, that he is going to constrain you to come like that, having to trust that there will be mercy for you. Well, if that is the case, may the Lord make that an encouragement.

Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. And all his works, it doesn't just mean the work of creation, all of the things that are around us. It means, of course, that work of grace as well. And that work of grace that is in the heart, that is the work of God. And it is known of God.

It's so much more of a comfort, isn't it, to know that if someone, as it were, has invited us, if someone is, just for example, if somebody were to invite us to go to lunch, then we would go with that confidence that as we knock at the door, they'll be pleased to see us and let us in. It's very different from going up to a completely unknown door, knocking on it, hoping that someone will give you something to eat. But, Sometimes I believe we may get it wrong. We may think that when there is that work of grace within us, that it is all of us, that it is only of us.

But it isn't. It is the Lord working. And where the Lord has begun that work, when he constrains you, as it were, to get on your knees and ask him for grace and for forgiveness and for mercy and for the Lord to reveal himself to you, then he will answer that prayer. Because he has put that prayer in your heart. known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Now, there are, of course, many others that we could think of as we look in the Bible, but may the Lord help us then just to speak a little more generally about this.

It does seem to me that there was much instruction in this about where there are those disagreements that might arise. perhaps a bit of background to this chapter, you can read about it in, more about it in the epistle to the Galatians, which I think Paul wrote, sorry, these men that came down from Judea and said, you must be circumcised or you can't be saved. They were especially vocal in Galatia and Paul wrote to them, to the Galatians, warning them against them and seeking to bring them back to the gospel. And I do feel the wonder of this, this, may we never lose sight of this, just slightly in passing really, but this wonderful gospel, that it is only, salvation is only through the grace of God. As soon as somebody says that, yes, it is through the grace of God, but you must do this, or you must do that, otherwise you can't be saved. As soon as somebody says that, then that is departing from that wonderful gospel of grace.

And that is what these people were doing, the men who came down from Judea. You notice, perhaps later on, when it spoke about in verse five, there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed. Now that means that they did believe. on the Lord Jesus, that's what that word means, that's what that phrase means, which believed. But they also said it's needful to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

And I believe there's a warning there as to how old habits, old misconceptions can die hard as the expression goes. Sometimes we can still be subject to those misconceptions that have been ingrained into us, perhaps in our upbringing sometimes, without realising it.

And these Pharisees, they were the Lord's people, they believed, but still they had not fully seen that salvation is by grace alone. So may the Lord help us. May there never be anything preached from this bullpit. I never preach anything else. May you and I never believe anything else. And may the Lord keep us on our guard against anything which is something other than Jesus Christ only.

Now these men had come from Jerusalem, we see from what James said that they hadn't been sent, they had gone off their own back. When there was these disputes and discussions that arose, as we see in verse two, in response to what they said, then we see that there was then that agreement that they should go up to Jerusalem to speak to the apostles and the elders that were there to ask them how to respond to this question. And as much to instruction, really, as I was thinking about this, first of all, they all came together to discuss it. There was not, as it were, just that in this case, because it was already very public, it wasn't a private offence, it was a public offence, everyone was involved and I think some of it perhaps we don't see, in verse 7 it said when there had been much disputing, I don't know quite what that disputing was, but you can see that it wasn't an obvious, it might seem obvious to us, but it wasn't obvious to the people there and often we can look back on disagreements in the past and it seems very clear to us what the right answer should have been, but it isn't at the time. And I'm certain that when we have disagreements, then people will be able to look back and see clearly what the right thing was, but we can't at the moment.

But Peter stood up and he then spoke of what the Holy Spirit had done. He went back as it were to that time when he had been so clearly shown. Now I was thinking about this, known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. It's remarkable, isn't it? How the Lord spoke so clearly to Peter in that matter of Cornelius. And it is remarkable that all the details, or so many of the details, are recorded for us in that book of the Acts.

We have that, the description of the vision, we have Peter's response in the vision to it. We see that Peter, in him, was ingrained that thought, really, was that it isn't just salvation by grace, although he approved that, but there was still that thought, it must be to clean and unclean. And the Lord was showing him that showed him in that vision that that was not the case, and he so clearly showed.

We also see how obedient Peter was, that he immediately went with those men, and I think it says, he went nothing doubting, nothing doubting. He had been shown by the Holy Spirit what was right, and he went doubting nothing. When the Lord speaks to us, when the Lord makes it plain to us, may he also help us to set aside wrong doubts, wrongful doubts, When we know what is the mind of the Holy Spirit, when the Lord makes it plain to us, may we also be as obedient as Peter was. He went doubting nothing. And so Peter recited this, he reminded them of this.

And you notice in verse 12 that the audience, the multitude kept silence. And you notice also how Peter finishes really with a re-explanation of that salvation is by grace. And just a small thing, I do like the way that Peter speaks very humbly at the end of what he says in verse 11.

If you just think about that for a moment, but we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, I expected him to say, they will be saved as well as we are. almost in the assumption that because we're who we are, we're the apostles and so on, we know that we're saved and they're going to be saved as well. But he puts it the other way round. And I think there's something very humble about that. We shall be saved even as they.

And that to me speaks of the depth of the really in Peter of that, really that understanding and that reliance on that salvation by grace. I know that Peter wasn't infallible and Paul had to speak to him about this. I think it's mentioned in the Galatians. I don't know if this is part of this whole episode or not, whether it was before this or afterwards.

But clearly in that verse we see that Peter knew that salvation was by grace. And when he said that, the multitude kept silence. And then Barnabas and Paul were able to add to what Peter had already said. But then James, within the face of this difficulty, in the face of this discussion, as it were, went back to the Bible. He went back to the Bible.

And may the Lord help us to do that. I do feel guilty of this. Sometimes I expect, as it were, if there's something that I feel I need instruction on or don't understand or guidance on, almost expect to pray and then the words, as it were, will drop into my mind straight away. And sometimes they do. Sometimes the Lord is gracious like that. But I have to say this and I feel hypocritical as I say it.

The Lord did speak, didn't he, as he spoke to Joshua about to be always reading that law, to always be reading that book of instruction so that he would know, so that he would know what it said. And sometimes it is that we have to seek. We don't know what the Lord's will is, not because it isn't in his word, not because it's not in the Bible, but because we haven't found it yet, because we haven't sought for it. And sometimes the Lord would have us to seek, to teach us that we must seek in the Bible.

Now, James, he turned to the Bible and he could take comfort from this. He only had the Old Testament, of course, we have the New Testament as well. But I do believe that in the Lord's Word in the Bible, it is a complete book. There is nothing that can arise in our lives that is not covered in this, that is not covered in any situation. There's no situation that can arise which is not covered in God's Word, in the Bible. And so may the Lord help us to search the scriptures with this conviction that no none to God are all his works. So because God knows them, he knows what needs to be in his word. So may the Lord help us to search these things.

And then when James gave that verdict, he did lay some things upon them, but they were things, as I understand it, that were peculiar really to the church at Antioch and also the Gentiles there. I think fornication was considered to be something that wasn't a sin. There was, I think, again, as I understand it, there was a laxity about the or misconception and people being led astray by the problem with the meats that had been offered to idols. That comes up again in Paul's epistles. And so James wisely directed them to those things which were necessary for them at the time. It was not, as he were, that he was picking out some of God's law and saying, must keep this and not others. He was particularly using it as that guidance for their situation.

So it seems to me there's much to learn from that. But then secondly, I wanted to come on to this, how should we then behave when we are in the middle of a situation that we cannot understand and it seems to have arisen as it were. Sometimes we say something happens by accident. Sometimes perhaps we might keep ourselves from saying it, but we can easily say something's happened by chance, or even think that, when of course it hasn't. And perhaps we don't understand, why has the Lord done this when it could have been so different? If it had been different, then not only would perhaps my life have been better, but surely it would have been more to his honour and to his glory. And how do we behave then when we don't understand what the Lord is doing. Well I want to just really especially draw your attention to really two words in Acts 16 verse 25. Acts 16 verse 25 those two words are at midnight. At midnight.

Now midnight for Paul and Silas it was I think more literally midnight than ours is. It would have been six hours, six of their variable hours because they were based on the sun, six hours from sundown and six hours before dawn. So it would literally have been the middle of the night when they were furthest from the light, if you like, and they possibly could be furthest from day that they could be. And at midnight, and I believe that does represent that sometimes when we cannot understand what the Lord is doing or why he has done it, they can be some of the darkest times. And it was at midnight, at midnight. If you look at those at midnight in the rest of the Bible, I believe there are, it does have a certain significance.

It was at midnight that the destroying angel went round and stole the firstborn when the children of Israel were in Egypt. It was at midnight in the parable of the 10 virgins, five wise and five foolish. It was at midnight that the bridegroom came. furthest from the light, if you like, in the middle of the darkness. That was when the bridegroom came. And similarly here, we have at midnight in that darkest time.

And I believe what Paul and Silas did there is a pattern for us. Again, I have to ask you to forgive. It does feel quite difficult to speak about this because of our own felt hypocrisy in some ways, perhaps in many ways. But at that darkest time, when everything seemed to have gone wrong, what did Paul and Silas do? They prayed and sang praises. I found that quite hard and searching to think about really. I started reading verse 16. And if you like, it would seem that everything started going wrong there. That was when the damsel were following Paul and Silas and probably Luke as well, and whoever else was with them.

And she identified, she said, these men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation. And Paul eventually turned round and said, I command in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. Now, the Lord had blessed Paul's words. As the Lord spoke there, the Holy Spirit constrained that spirit to come out of that girl. And so the Lord was working. The Lord was using the apostle Paul. But then what happens? Paul and Silas are taken to the marketplace. The mob rise up against them. Verse 22, the multitude rose up together against them.

They're easy to read through those words, but imagine what that would be like. It's very hard to imagine, isn't it? What it would be like to be in front of a crowd which is hostile. And that's what it was. It's far worse than being just in front of the magistrates. What if the crowd goes out of control?

What will they do to Paul and Silas? It doesn't bear thinking about, does it? And so, and I think the multitude did have an influence. That's why the magistrates said to strip Paul and Silas and to beat them. So all this is going wrong. And how unfair as well. Paul was a Roman. He was entitled to a fair trial. It was illegal for them to beat him without a fair trial. But he didn't say any of that.

It wasn't what was expected. It wasn't fair either. If you'll forgive me for using that word, but it wasn't right. It feels like something that surely that could have easily been rectified, but it wasn't. And then they were thrown into prison and not just into prison, but into the inner prison and they were uncomfortable. Their feet were in those stocks, so they couldn't move.

And that's when they prayed and sang praises unto God. That does seem to me to be a pattern to that example, really, that Paul and Silas, they must have known, they must have had such faith in this truth that known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world, that none of this had happened, as it were, as we would say, by accident or by chance or taken God by surprise. What faith they must have had and how that faith showed. Very searching words. Sometimes we just think that we do well if we're submissive to the Lord's will. Even if it's not holy with the right spirit.

But Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God. They praised God. Praised God for being in the darkest time of the night. Praised God for being in the dark. Praised God for being in the prison. Praised God that their feet were in the stocks. Praised God for having been beaten.

Hard to think about, isn't it? And then we know what happened next, but they didn't at that time. We know then that there was that earthquake. We know then that the Lord was using all of this, but he used their prayers and their praises because it says the prisoners heard them.

Why didn't the prisoners all break? Why didn't the prisoners, as we say, run off when their bands were loosened? How did Paul know that the jailer was about to kill himself? in the dark? These are questions that we cannot answer, but I believe that perhaps part of the answer might be, and sorry, the other question is, why did the jailer come to Paul and Silas?

I believe he had heard them as well, praising and praying to God. And so the Lord used those prayers and those praises As I said, these are not easy things to preach and they're not easy things to practice. And may the Lord help us at least to pray. And there is a thought, isn't it, that if the Lord has brought us into something like Paul and Silas, there will be others watching.

The prisoners were watching them and they would have been watching them like a hawk, wouldn't they, I imagine. These are those men that have set themselves up to preach the wonderful gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, salvation by grace, that love, that trust that everything that the Lord does is right, that belief that known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Let's see what happens now that they're in prison, now they've been beaten, now they're in pain, now their feet are held in the stocks. And what did they see? They heard them praying and they heard them singing praises unto God.

I'll leave it there, but may the Lord help us each to pray about this as we may need to. Amen. May the Lord help us once again in proposing a singing on Gadsby's, number 267, a rejoicing in folk Children of the Heavenly King, as you journey sweetly since, sing your Saviour's Word in praise, glorious in his works praise. In number 267, tune 500 at 11. Children of the Heavenly King, as ye journey sweetly, sing. Sing your safeness-worthy praise, glorious in His words and ways.

We are traveling home to God In the way the fathers drove They are happy now, aren't ye? Soon their happiness shall see ♪ Holy man is he, be glad ♪ ♪ Christ your Advocate is made ♪ ♪ You to save your flesh assumed ♪ ♪ Brother to your souls becomes one ♪ Proudly little flock and blessed, You on Jesus' throne shall rest. There your seat is now prepared, There your kingdom and reward. ♪ Will not, brethren, joyful stand ♪ ♪ On the borders of your land? ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ, your Father's Son, ♪ ♪ Bid you and his maid go home. ♪ Would submissive make us go, Gladly leaving all below? Only thou, only thou be, And we still will follow thee.

Dear Lord, as we consider these examples for us in thy word, help us to remember, dear Lord, that Paul and Silas were only able to pray and praise because of thy Holy Spirit. O Lord, do give us that same Holy Spirit we pray. Help us to pray for it. Now, O Lord, please forgive all that has not been right in thy sight and take it from our minds, but please bless all that has been from thee. The grace of the Lord Jesus. the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen.

Known unto God

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's knowledge of our lives?

How do we know God is in control during difficult times?

Why is trusting God's plan important for Christians?

How does the Bible provide comfort in times of confusion?

Why should we seek guidance in the Bible?

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Known unto God

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's knowledge of our lives?

How do we know God is in control during difficult times?

Why is trusting God's plan important for Christians?

How does the Bible provide comfort in times of confusion?

Why should we seek guidance in the Bible?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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