Welcome back to Encounter God's Truth from Whitcomb Ministries where we believe that God's Word is true from the beginning to the end. Our goal is to present timeless truths for changing times. We're concluding our study of Paul and Silas to Europe this week in Acts 16. We pick up with Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke in the city of Philippi where they face some rather extreme circumstances. Dr. John Whitcomb will explain their situation to us, sharing some important lessons we can learn from these incidents, which we can apply in ministry today. This particular program, like all of our past broadcasts covering more than 13 years, can be found in the archives at sermonaudio.com slash Whitcomb. You'll also find a commentary on the book of Acts from Dr. Whitcomb and his co-author, Pastor George Zeller of Middletown Bible Church in Middletown, Connecticut, at WhitcombMinistries.org. That's the church where Dr. Whitcomb first delivered these messages at the Independent Fundamental Bible Conference. We so appreciate their fellowship at this endeavor of bringing this teaching to you now on radio and the internet. I'm Wayne Shepherd, encouraging you to open your Bible now to Acts chapter 16. Here's Dr. Whitcomb with a final portion of a sermon on Paul and Silas to Europe. Have you noticed throughout the book of Acts, the function of women is frequently focused on and emphasized by Dr. Luke? And here's a case, of course, as well. So her house became sort of this worship center for not only born-again people, but of course, Christian believers among these Gentiles and Jews. And it came to pass as we went to prayer, now here comes another woman on the scene that is very influential in how the gospel is going to spread through the city of Philippi. Now this is one of the strangest things of all that we've read so far in the book of Acts. This is amazing. Please help me out on this one. Friends, it came to pass as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us. Literally in Greek, a python. Now that is a snake. And you see, the Greeks had a legend. Over here in one of the mountains of southern Macedonia, northern Achaia, Apollo had a temple, a shrine, where people come and worship him. And he had a serpent that protected him, a python. And one tradition says that Apollo killed the snake. And so people who were demon-possessed, you see, were thought to have this python in them. This is a weird, weird tradition, mythology, that the Greeks had. And there were obviously demon-possessed people that really could do supernatural things, remember. We're gonna see that especially later on in the book of Acts. But when Jesus was here, more than once, a demon-possessed person would come up to Jesus and say what? We know who you are, you son of God, you've come to torment us before the time. Presumably alluding to what happened to the demons at the time of the flood who were flung down into what, Tartarus, in pits and chains of darkness until the great day of judgment of God, and have no further access to the world. But that was a specially evil group of demons, apparently. Jude and 2 Peter talk about angels that kept not their first estate, but went after strange flesh, says like Sodom, and they were consigned, and no further access to human beings. But the ones that were not cast out, cast down, came to Jesus and said, do not cast us into the abyss before the time. We know who you are. Demonic theology is in many points very biblical. They know the triunity of the Godhead, the deity of Christ. I mean, think of what demons know about him. And so this woman was a demon-possessed person. And she met us, Luke says, and she brought her masters much gain by soothsaying, telling people about the special things that only a supernatural being could know and so on. And this damsel followed Paul and us and cried saying, now how do you like this for an endorsement program, a promotion program for the ministry? These men are the servants of the Most High God, which show us the way of salvation. You say, amen. A free promotion program for the gospel. And it must have attracted enormous attention all over the city. We'll point this out in a few moments as to the possible implication of this, okay? And this she did, how long? Many days. I mean, apparently the whole city was aware of the fact that Paul and Silas and Timothy and Luke were a special team that came from God. Now, which God is the question? They're supernatural in their origin, their message, okay? But Paul being grieved, I mean, he, Paul is so frustrated, friends, to be endorsed by whom? Demons, thank you. So was Jesus. You know what Jesus did to demons that said those things to him? He cast them out of people. He was the infinite exorcist. And Paul, in like manner, cast the demon out of her. Okay, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour, the demon got the message and said, I'm out of here, thank you. So no longer could she say anything that had what? Supernatural aspects to it. You know, friends, it's so hard to find cases like this today, isn't it? I'm not saying there aren't any, I'm just saying it's hard to find them. Because most demons today, may I make this suggestion? don't do things like this anymore. You know what they do? They do things more effectively than that. Paul said so to the Corinthians. He says, Satan is like an angel of light, and therefore it's no great surprise if he should transform himself into a messenger of righteousness, you see. He wants to win people by more subtle, more impressive forms. just like he began human history by appearing to Eve not as a roaring lion, but as a very attractive animal, you know, glossy skin and nice colors. fascinating movements in the serpent's body, and out of that mouth came a forked tongue. Oh, has God said you can't eat of all the trees of the garden? A very nice, friendly introduction, like, oh, you poor little thing, I mean, I'm sorry for you, and I'm sorry to hear that your God doesn't give you what you deserve. Very subtle, very, very gracious, you see, and effective, effective. So I think today, if I may offer this suggestion, demonic people are often very educated people, very eloquent people, very impressive looking people who stand behind pulpits and stand behind desks in great theological seminaries and influence millions of people in theological blasphemy and perversion, okay? I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ, come out of her. And he did. And when her master saw that their hope of their gains was gone, oh, does that remind you of Mark chapter five? Thousands of pigs suddenly disappeared into the sea of Galilee and their owners were like very displeased with Jesus and said, please get out of here. You've destroyed our means of livelihood. Now, Jesus normally didn't go around the promised land destroying people's property, but what was wrong with those particular people? They claimed to be Jews, but were in open defiance of the dietary restrictions, you see, that God laid down in the law of Moses, and they were judged. But here, notice this. Let's be honest about it, at least. The hope of our gain is gone. We don't care about this woman. We care about our pocketbooks. So they caught Paul and Silas and drew them into the marketplace under the rulers and brought them to the magistrates, the Greek word, stratagoi, usually two men in charge of the legal aspects of the metropolis. saying, these men being Jews, now for some reason in Philippi, Jews were a small minority, but they were a suspect group. They were assumed to be, you know, kind of insurrectionists or against the government, against the Roman Empire or something. These men being Jews do exceedingly trouble our city. and teach customs which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe. Watch this. Being Romans, we have a special relationship with the Roman Empire, with the Roman government, see, with the emperor in Rome. So we're very special here. But these obstreperous Jews are causing great problems in our city. Well, that did it. That did it, folks. So the multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrate read off their clothes and commanded to beat them. Now they didn't do it, but they told their policemen to do it, as we'll see in a moment. 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 that was a very painful form of torture. Their backs all bent over, bleeding, friends. I think just about that moment Silas was saying, who was that that called us to come over and help in Macedonia? Paul, who gave us this message? Are we in the right place? I think that I will go back to Jerusalem. No. What happened? At midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God, and the prisoners heard them. Now, this has to go down in history, friends, as one of the most magnificent exemplifications of what Paul wrote later to this church at Philippi. You remember these words in Philippians 4.4. Rejoice always And again I say, rejoice in every circumstance, rejoice. Now here's what he means, it's serious, no matter what's happened to you, rejoice. All of us have problems, potential problems, no people have serious problems and God says, trust me dear child, I know all about it, I planned it, it's part of my program for you, I don't make any mistakes. Now that's easier said than experienced. But that's true, rejoice, rejoice. I'm very impressed. Are you impressed with this? My. Well, the prisoners were impressed. They'd never heard any fellow prisoners doing this kind of thing in their lives. And may we say that God was pleased and responded with sort of like an amen from heaven in the form of a what? Of an earthquake. By the way, the same thing happened back in Acts 4.31. After the release of the apostles, they all gathered together for prayer and thanked the despotes, the ruler of the world, and all of a sudden the house was shaken with an earthquake. Now, if that is an indication of whether our prayers are really answered, each morning by nine o'clock, we've met here for 15 minutes each morning from 8.45 to nine, the building should have shaken. If we're in the apostolic sign miracle era, But we're not, thank you. Amazing. Endorsement from the third heaven for this believing, fervent, effectual, joyful prayer. So the foundations of the prison were shaken and immediately all the doors were open and everyone's bands were loose. Now trust me, that was a miracle. Not even an earthquake can do all of that. That was a specially guided earthquake. Well, the one man was very unhappy. Who was he? The jailer. He is saying, that's it for me. Because he knew the law. If any of your prisoners escape, you will die in their place. Remember, that's what happened when Herod said back in chapter 12, how come you men let Peter loose? Well, they gave all kinds of excuses. He said, I don't believe a single one of you. You're dead. And they died. They were killed. OK? So the keeper of the prison, awakening out of his sleep, seeing the prison doors open, drew out his sword and would have killed himself, supposing the prisoners had fled. And Paul cried out with a loud voice saying, do thyself no harm for we are all here. Everything's fine. Thank you. We're having a great time down here in this dungeon. So 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, I wonder how he knew enough to ask that question. Saved from what? Now, here's my opinion. He had heard this demoniac woman for days going around the city saying, these men have what? have a special commission from God, and what? They show unto us the way of salvation. Now, for a Greek, salvation, you know, could have some other idea, freedom, or prestige, or prominence, or liberty, or whatever, but something about those men, see, she said, is special. He may have heard that. Maybe he also had heard them singing and heard some things about Jesus Christ coming out of that dungeon. We don't know exactly what he had heard. But at least, friends, he knew enough to say, I've got a problem, an enormous problem, an infinite problem, and I want to know how to get out of it, and how can I be saved? Oh, friends, what a wonderful opportunity for him to set up a psychological counseling program. Or let's have a lecture on works of righteousness which you may do to qualify to go to God's holy heaven. How long would that lecture last? Forever, see? Or let's discuss the differences between Israel and the church. No, what did he say? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved and thy house. Powerful. Friends, you can ask yourself the question, how is this jailer really saved? Not by works of righteousness, which he had done, but what? believing the gospel of the grace of God and his provision through Christ's death, burial, and resurrection from the dead. So you just, if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you'll be saved. So he must have told him what Jesus had done on the cross and how he was raised from the dead. When he said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, of course, the man hadn't the faintest idea who the Lord Jesus Christ was or what he did or why you have to believe in him, but the essence of the gospel focused on what Jesus did, not on a thousand other issues that might have been discussed, you see? And I say, well, Lord, I'm just so impressed with the simplicity of the gospel if it's properly presented, the simplicity. So they've spoken to him the word of the Lord, And to all them that were in his house, and he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes, he was baptized just like, remember, Lydia was. He and all of his, that is his whole household, that doesn't mean that little babies were baptized, it means every adult that could do what he did, namely believe, was hereby saved and baptized and therefore entered into a what? A local expression of the universal body of Christ, a local church was started. And when it was day, well, excuse me, let me go ahead and mention in verse 34 again, when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, food, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. You see how it was that those people were saved by believing in God as he did, okay? Just as clear and simple as that. And when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants. Now here, literally, technically, the rod bearers. These are the ones that actually had beaten him. And the magistrates sent these jailers, called here sergeants, and said, let those men go. Now, why did they say that? We're not told. There was something suspicious that came to the attention of these magistrates in the way this whole thing was handled. It was a mob operation. And Romans don't operate that way. And people in Philippi, Philippians, were supposed to look and act like Romans, not like enraged, chaotic mob scenes. No. So the Roman officials must have thought through this whole operation and said, you know, we don't have any valid basis for having treated those men the way we did. Let them go. OK? Now, so the keeper of the prison said to Paul, well, the magistrates have sent to let you go, so now depart and go in peace. But Paul said to them, they have beaten us openly, uncondemned being Romans, and have cast us into prison. And now do they thrust us out privately, secretly? Nay, verily, let them come themselves and fetch us out. Now that's for the sake of what? The reputation of this precious assembly of believers in Philippi, this was not a part of some dangerous cult that's ready to overthrow the government. No, they are vindicated. And the sergeants told these words to the magistrates and they feared when they heard that they were Romans. why the emperor could have punished that city and its leadership for doing a thing like that to Romans. The Roman government was very protective of Roman citizens. We'll see how this saved Paul's life later on, being a Roman citizen, okay? And so I say, well, Lord, thank you for your prophet. Why didn't they say so in the first place before they were beat? Because they were shouted down by the mob and they weren't even given a chance to speak, that's why. It was completely illegal action that the Roman government was ashamed of in retrospect, okay? And I say, well, Lord, I'm just amazed at how you took care of your little, tiny, fragile church at Philippi. I'm just amazed how you took care of them in this way. By the way, would you like to join me in asking another question here? Why were not Timothy and Luke beaten up and put in the dungeon too? You say, well, they saw what was coming and escaped. No. I think it's because they looked and acted and talked like Greeks, but Paul and Silas looked, talked, and acted like what? Jews. I think that's why. And so Timothy and Luke couldn't do anything. They were just excluded from the whole operation, pushed aside, and were probably desperately discouraged to see what would happen to their fellow workers, you see. Maybe they heard them singing at night from the dungeon. I don't know. I'm going to ask Timothy and Luke about that someday, aren't you? Tell us what you folks were doing during this operation here, OK? But we do have evidence. that Luke did not leave Philippi State. Now watch how it concludes. Verse 39. And they came and besought them. Oh, we're so sorry. If we'd only known you were Roman citizens, why didn't you tell us? I mean, we're just ashamed. We're terrified. Don't tell anybody. Just go away. Get out of here. And so they went out of the prison and entered into the house of Lydia. She's the hostess, you see, of the church there at Philippi, the little baby church. And when they had seen the brethren, which I'm sure includes Luke and Timothy, they comforted them and departed. See, they departed. Not we, they did, so Luke stays. And probably for years he remained as sort of maybe the pastor of this church in Philippi. And then later on, years later, when Paul completes his journey down here and comes back on a third journey and comes down here, it comes back and picks up Luke again years later. And Luke, of course, joins him in his final trip to Jerusalem and then to Rome. So I say, well, Lord, just thank you for this precious insight into how the gospel began to move toward us with painful confrontations and afflictions along the way, but no compromise of the precious gospel of the Lord Jesus, apart from which nobody can be saved. Let's pray. Father, now, I just thank you for this wonderful portion of the Bible. Not an easy passage to understand in every case, but help us to search the Scriptures daily to see if these things are really so. And we just pray, Father, that your will might be done in our searching of Scripture and our understanding of your revelation. I pray in Jesus' name, amen. That was Dr. John Whitcomb concluding with prayer after he finished his message on Paul and Silas to Europe. You're hearing his teaching from volume six of an ongoing series titled Acts, Witness of the Early Church. Our program is called Encounter God's Truth, and I'm your host, Wayne Shepherd. I want to remind you that you can find Whitcomb Ministries on Sermon Audio at sermonaudio.com slash Whitcomb, and on Facebook at facebook.com slash Whitcomb Ministries. Before we close, I want to thank Middletown Bible Church once again for allowing us to share these messages with you, and we also express our gratitude to all the radio stations and internet outlets that graciously carry our broadcast. And thank you for listening today. May God bless you until our next Encounter with God's Truth.