So hold your place in Acts 16. I want us to look together this morning at this passage of this scripture. This Philippian jailer, this may be a passage you're familiar with. And then again, it may be the first time you've heard of this man, regardless. Whether you've heard it many times or for the first time, I pray it would be a blessing, a blessing to each one of us.

And I was thinking about this. You know, sometimes we read these stories in God's word. And maybe we think a little of it and we enjoy it and think, well, that's a good story, right? And they truly are. But this book is filled with good stories. But I want you to think about this this morning. This is a true story. This really happened. Paul and Silas. for preaching the gospel, they were actually cast into prison. That really happened. They were taken and cast into prison. And while they were there, while they were in that prison, they crossed the path of this old prison guard, this jailer, this one who had worked very, very hard to make their stay incredibly miserable, that this actually happened.

Paul and Silas, they had healed a girl. If you just read back just the beginning of this chapter, killed this girl. And what happened after that, they were, the magistrates, the leaders, those in charge, they commanded that Paul and Silas be beaten and cast into this prison. And when the jailer heard this, when the magistrates brought these men to that jail, And when he heard of it, he thrust them into the prison. And that word thrust, it means to throw something or to let something go and not really caring where it falls, where it lands. He thrust them into the prison and made their feet fast in the stalks.

These are real people. These things really happened. That jailer, these things really happened to him. Of all places, he wasn't in the worship service. He was at work. He was doing what he did every day. I don't doubt for a minute this jailer was a, just by the brief description I read of him, he was a hard man. He was a sinful man. I can identify. Can you identify with this man?

Paul wrote, In Ephesians 2 verse 12, turn there with me, turn to Ephesians 2. Ephesians 2 verse 12. at that time. Ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope, and without God in this world. Do you look at this man, do you look at this jailer And just for a split second wonder, could God have mercy on a man like that? Maybe you ask this question, could God have mercy on a man or a woman like me? Could we be in a worse place. Being without Christ. That's where he finds us. Without Christ. Aliens from the commonwealth of Israel. Strangers from the covenant of promise. Having no hope. No hope and without God in this world. Could there be a more terrible description of a place to be.

And this jailer, there's nothing to indicate that he was even seeking the Lord. Turn back to our text, again, Acts 16. Again, this is a true story. This actually happened. This passage, just like all passages in Scripture, It's a declaration of Christ. These words are also written, listen, for our learning. Romans 15.4 says, whatsoever things were written aforetime, they're written for this reason. They're written for our learning. That we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have Hope. Hope. OK, Act 16. Now, my Bible, maybe yours says the same thing. I look at the top of my Bible at the heading, and it says this. It says, Paul and Silas at Philippi. And then it says this, the jailer converted. The jailer converted. Here in just a few verses of scripture, we read of the conversion of this jailer. Now again, he woke up that morning and he went to work. He's going about his day just as he does every day, working in that prison, doing what he always did, but this day. This day is going to be different. This is going to be a day unlike any day he's ever seen. This is a day of mercy. The Lord's going to show mercy on this jailer. He's going to accomplish his purpose in saving him. And listen, not just him, if I read this correctly, him and his family.

The jailer converted. Now, conversion. Conversion is the turning of God's elect to Christ. Turning a man to Christ by the power of his grace. And listen, it's a willing turn. He's gonna be made willing. Listen, a rebel, he's a rebel, he's gonna be turned to Christ. He's gonna surrender. He's gonna surrender to his dominion, to his power. And this turning, it's a turning caused by the free grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. We turn to Him because He has turned us. This is illustrated in Jeremiah 31. Jeremiah 31 said this, I've surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus, Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. And this is the prayer, turn thou me, and I shall be turned. For thou art the Lord my God. Surely after that, I was turned and I repented. And after that, I was instructed, and I smote upon my thigh. I was ashamed. Yea, I was confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still. Therefore, my bowels are troubled for him. And listen to this, I will surely Have mercy on him, saith the Lord. The Lord said, I'm going to show mercy. I'm going to have mercy on him. Ephraim was an object of God's mercy. He was turned, all that we would be turned. Turned from our idols, turned from the things of this world, Turn from ourselves, turn to serve the true and living God.

Turn me. In Psalm 80, this request is brought before the Lord a number of times. Oh, that he would make it our cry. What was the cry? Turn us again. Turn with me, turn over there to Psalm chapter 80. Psalm 80. We won't read the whole Psalm, but just look at a few of these verses. Look at Psalm 80. Look at verse 3. Turn us, O God, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. Go down to verse 7. Psalm 80 verse 7. He says it again. Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. Verse 19, the very last verse of Psalm 80. Again, O Lord of hosts, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.

This jailer, this jailer, he's gonna be turned, converted. A jailer, of all people, a jailer converted. Now back to Acts 16, Acts 16. Lord willing, I'd like for us to see just six things in the conversion of this jailer here this morning. Six things written in this passage. Now follow along with me. Again, verse 25 and 26. At midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God, and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly, suddenly there was a great earthquake so that the foundation of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors opened and everyone's bands were loosed.

First point is this. We see a foundation shaken. What is a foundation? It's that which we stand on, isn't it? that which we take confidence in, that which causes us to feel secure. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, he said, other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Every other foundation is going to have to be shaken. It's going to have to be torn down. It's going to have to be destroyed. There is only one true foundation. He alone is our wisdom. He alone is our righteousness. He alone is our sanctification. Christ alone is our redemption. He by himself. There is but one foundation.

The Lord God spoke over in the book of Isaiah and he said, behold, I lay in Zion. For what? For a foundation. A stone. It's a stone. It's a tried stone. It's a precious stone. It's a sure foundation. And he that believeth shall not make haste. And this is a foundation. Listen. The foundations of this world are going to be shaken. They're going to be removed. But this foundation, it's not going to be shaken. It's not going to be moved. It's going to stand forever. It's an eternal foundation. Who is it? It's none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.

Second. We read here of the necessity of light. We must have light. You know, the absence of light is darkness. You take the light out, there's nothing but darkness. We must have light. Look with me again, still in our text, look at verse 27. The keeper of the prison, awaking out of his sleep and seeing The prison doors opened. He drew out his sword, and he would have killed himself, supposing the prisoners had fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, do thyself no harm, for we're all here. Then he called for a light. He called for a light. And he sprang in, and he came trembling, and he fell down before Paul and Silas.

He finds us in darkness. He shows us we're in darkness. I need light. I must have light. Back in the book of Genesis, we read that the darkness covered the face of the deep. And Almighty God spoke these words. He said, let there be light. We must have light. You know, without light, there's no life. No life apart from light. Oh, that the Lord would deliver me from darkness. That he would deliver me from my ignorance. Give me the light of the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, who is the express image of His person, He's God in human flesh. He's the sum and substance of the gospel. We must have Christ, who is our light.

In Acts 26, we read that Christ should suffer and that He should be the first that should be risen from the dead, and that he should show light unto the people, unto the Gentiles. Light to reveal my sin. Light to reveal my great need. Light to show me the way. You ever tried to walk a path in just total darkness? It's impossible. We must have light. We must have, listen, God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God Where is it found? In the face of Jesus Christ. Christ, who is my light.

Well, look at verse 30. Verse 30 of our text. Again, Acts 16. Here we see, third, a great need revealed. A great need revealed. It says, and he brought them out, and he said, sirs, what must I do to be saved? I have a great need. Just like this jailer, we have a great need. I need salvation. I need to be saved. Left to myself, I'm lost. Left to myself, I'm dead in trespasses and sin. Lord, don't leave me there. Please don't leave me there. Don't leave me in my sin. What must I do? What must I do to be saved? Think about this. Just a few hours earlier, this jailer, he despised Paul and Silas. He was doing everything he could to make their lives miserable. But now he sees himself in a different light. He sees himself lost and perishing. He now wants to hear their instruction.

I wonder if he had heard what that damsel, remember that damsel that was possessed with a spirit of divination had said to Paul and Silas, or said about them. Look back at Acts 16, look at verse 17. It says, 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." That for which he had thrust them in prison, he now desires to know. Show me. What must I do? What must I do to be saved?

Well, let's read on. Back to our text. Here's the fourth thing. The gospel preached and revealed. Look at verse 31. They said, believe. The simplicity of the gospel. Believe. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved in thy house. And they spake unto him the word. They spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that was in his house, believe. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Not just some facts. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He's the Messiah. He's that one that was come in the flesh. He suffered. He died. He rose again. He's now in heaven, exalted, seated at the right hand of God. You know, all these things are true. All these things are true. I want to look to Him and Him alone for salvation. For the salvation of my soul, to trust in Him, to commit to Him. What am I committing to Him? The care of my immortal soul. And in return, expecting. Expecting peace, pardon, righteousness, eternal life from Him. There is no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved.

Then we read that these men spake unto him the word of the Lord. The word of the Lord, the gospel of God's grace in Christ Jesus. He's the author of it. It's what God's Word said. He's the subject matter of it. It's the Word of salvation. It's the Word of reconciliation. It's the Word of peace. It's the Word of life. The Word of righteousness. The Word of faith. The Gospel of Christ. It is the power of God. unto salvation. They spake unto him the word of the Lord.

And just as, listen, just as Philip, remember that Philip preached to that Ethiopian eunuch? That's the same thing happened here. Paul and Silas spake the word of the Lord to this jailer. And not just to him, but to what we read here, everyone that was in his house. Every one of them whose foundation had been shaken. They figured out this which we're standing on is not good ground. It's not a sure foundation. It's not a true foundation. And when they spake the word of the Lord to him, he believed. How do we know that? How do we know that this man believed?

Well, fifth point here. There was a public confession. He didn't leave them in doubt, did he? Acts 16.33, he took them the same hour of the night and he washed their stripes and he was baptized. He and all his house. A public, a public confession. That jailer, he and all his, he and his whole family were baptized. Why baptism? Baptism is how we identify with Christ. We identify with him in his death, in his burial, in his resurrection. Baptism pictures, listen, a death and a burial. A picture of the believer's death and burial with Christ. We read this, being crucified with Christ. We're buried with him in water. Making this confession, we're dead to sin. I'm dead to the law. Baptism is a picture of the believer being buried with Christ. And in that baptism, we show my sins have been washed away. How? By anything I've done? No. By the Savior's death. When he died as my substitute, he put away my sin. Baptism's a picture of His resurrection. We don't stay down under that water, do we? We come back up. It's a picture of His resurrection. As we died with Christ, we're raised together to walk with Him. And as our Savior was risen from the grave, so was every believer. And that confession of faith in Christ, we come up out of that watery grave, and we show publicly, publicly, He's my Savior. I'm resting in Him.

Baptism is for believers. One condition required for baptism. Faith. I believe. Baptism is the answer. Scripture says it's the answer of a good conscience toward God. And it's the believer's first act. First public act of obedience to Christ. He's my Lord. He's my King. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. Think about that. Here's that old jailer converted. His foundation shaken. He sees a need of light, a great need revealed to him, the gospel preached to him, a public confession. That jailer was baptized.

And then last, in the conversion of this jailer, we see a new man. When a man repents and returns to God, he's going to, listen, return, he's going to turn. I need to turn from my ways to God's way. As Brother Henry used to say, he's going to be under new management. A new man. Quickly, let's look at this. A new man, a new man with a new master, a new man with new manners. This jailer, I mean just hours prior, had thrust these men into prison and put their feet fast in the stocks. Is he a new man? What's he doing now? Those stripes that he most likely laid on him, he's now washing. This one that was so bold, he now comes trembling. And they're going into his house. He brings them into his house. Look at verse 34, Acts 16, 34. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them. And he rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. Rejoicing in the good news of peace and pardon. Rejoicing in the good news of life and salvation through the gospel. No doubt they rejoiced in the Lord Jesus Christ.

You know, the same was told of that eunuch when he was baptized. How did he go on his way? He went on his way rejoicing. True story. With a mighty good ending, isn't it? A jailer converted, made willing. And this is true of all his people. His people, what's scripture say? His people shall be what? Made willing. When? When is that going to happen? The day of his power, isn't it? All right. Isaac, come lead us in a closing.