to the book of Acts chapter 16. We're studying the life of Paul on Wednesday nights, and we're on his second missionary journey. As he started this journey, he and Barnabas had a disagreement, and so they parted ways, and Paul had to pick a new partner, and he chose Silas, and they were commended by the church in Antioch to go on this journey. They went through the region of Galatia that they had been through, Paul had been through on his first missionary journey, and they confirmed the churches and strengthened the believers there, and then they began to move into new territory. And they were trying to go into Asia, and the Holy Spirit wouldn't let them do that. They tried to go to Bithynia, the Spirit wouldn't allow them to do that. And so as they came to Troas, Paul had a vision, a man of Macedonia saying, come over and help us. They talked about it and agreed that this was indeed God's leading, and the Lord opened the door for them to go to Philippi, and they began their pioneer ministry and the second journey in Philippi. And so we've been looking at what Luke records, what the Holy Spirit tells us about that ministry in Philippi. We saw the conversion of Lydia, And we have also looked at the deliverance of this demon-possessed damsel who had a spirit of divination, and Paul cast the demon out of her. And so as we think about this, Jesus said, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I may have shared this with you, but for so many years as I would think about that verse, I saw the church as being on the defensive. and hell is being on the offensive. And one day it dawned on me that it's just actually the opposite, that the gates of hell speak about the fact that Satan has his kingdom, as it were, and it's a walled city with gates, and the church is assaulting Satan's dominion, Satan's kingdom, and Satan is opposing it, and yet he's not gonna be victorious. The gates of hell cannot prevent the church from going forward. Satan is doing all that he can to keep men from becoming a part of the body of Christ, keeping men from salvation. Paul would write to the Corinthian church, if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the God of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. Satan does not want men to be saved. And so whenever the gospel goes forward, Satan opposes, and that's what happened at Philippi. The gospel is enjoying success. Lydia and her household were saved. Others that are unnamed in the book of Acts were saved. So Satan mounted his opposition. As we were looking at this, we began this thought of opposition that fell by last. Wednesday evening by noting the fact that the first tool that Satan used was confusing association, as this damsel was possessed with the spirit of divination, was saying, following Paul and Silas and Luke and Timothy, and was saying, these men are the servants of the Most High God which show unto us the way of salvation. That was true. But the problem was, she was demon possessed and everybody knew it. And so as she's declaring what is truth, but knowing that she was demon possessed, and this is new territory. These are people who have never heard the gospel before. And so in their minds, they would associate the message of Paul and this demon possessed damsel as being together the same thing. And so it would be confusing. And so that's why Paul was grieved in his heart and commanded the demon to come out of her in the name of Jesus Christ. and the demon came out and it brought an end to Satan's efforts to confuse people by that association with demonic activity. And so when that opportunity or that tool was lost to Satan in Philippi, he turned then to oppose the church through direct persecution. And that's what we wanna think about tonight. And I want to note, as we go through this, I want to begin by just noting the accusation. So let's start back in verse 18. again, cast this demon out of her, commanded the demon in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her and he came out of her at the same hour. And verse 19 says, when her master saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas and drew them into the marketplace under the rulers and brought them to the magistrate 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 so here is the accusation. that they make that these men lose their income and so they are ready to attack. They prosecute Paul and Silas. And by the way, as they go to the magistrates, they were bothered by the fact that they had lost their income. But when they go to the magistrates, they don't say, hey, this guy Paul cast the demon out of this girl and she can't tell fortunes anymore and we're upset because we've lost our income and we want you guys to deal with Paul and Silas. We want you to arrest them and imprison them. They messed us up. They don't say that. They make a false accusation. They come in and say something entirely different. They brought accusations that would be acceptable to the rulers and the people by saying, they are Jews that exceedingly trouble our city. Let me just note here, the devil will attack God's people in many different ways. One way or another, the devil's gonna attack God's people. And what we find is often the case, and Paul dealt with this in previous opposition that he faced, false religionists will oppose the truth because it exposes their error. The Jews were the false religionists of that day. Jesus had come and brought an end to Judaism, to the law, to Moses, and now he's bringing in salvation by grace through faith in Christ, and Paul goes out preaching that message, and no longer do you need to be circumcised and keep the law, just believe on Jesus Christ and be saved, and the Jews didn't like that message. They didn't believe that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah. They didn't accept him as their Messiah, by and large. And so they opposed the ministry of Paul. And Paul got run out of town and he got persecuted in his first missionary journey by the Jews as he went into the synagogues to preach Christ. And they didn't like the message, so they attacked him and opposed him. And so we see that even today. Faults, not only the cults, but even within professing Christendom, the liberal wing, if you will, of Christianity, which is really, it's not really Christianity at all, but the church, the liberal wing of the church that embraces another gospel is often the source of opposition and persecution to those that preach the true gospel. I mean, it's been that way down through the history of the church, that many times it is the church that attacks the church. It is the unbelieving church, the liberal, false church that attacks those who preach the truth. And we saw Paul dealing with that. But the unbelievers oppose the truth because it exposes their sin. They don't want to hear a message that says that we're sinners and that we need a savior. And even in this story, the government opposes the truth that Paul is preaching because it threatens their power. And so as we see the accusation is made, the first thing that these guys say, and again, they're bringing a false accusation. But what they say is, first of all, they say these men being Jews. So the first thing they accuse them of is being Jews, which It's anti-Semitism. And it's interesting because it is a new twist for Paul. Again, up until this time, it has been the Jews that have opposed Paul and persecuted him and driven him out of city after city after city. And now, Paul's being accused by the Gentiles because he is a Jew. So instead of being persecuted by Jews, now they're persecuted because they're Jews. But secondly, they said these men are teaching things contrary to public policy. They're teaching customs. The word customs is the idea of a habit or a practice. These guys are coming in and they're teaching things that we don't agree with, that don't fit in with our lifestyle, with the way we live and the things that we believe. And again, you'll see the same things going on today that went in on that day. The unbelieving world believes that, hey, it's okay to get drunk. Immorality is accepted in our society. It's just a way of life. Homosexuality, abortion, divorce, cohabitation, drug abuse, these are things that our society practices and accepts. And when we preach the gospel, we're opposed to those things because those things are sin and they are practices that condemn men to God's judgment. When we preach the gospel, the gospel exposes them in sin and calls them to repent and to believe on Christ as Savior, and society doesn't like that. We don't want to hear that. As a matter of fact, I thought it was interesting as I was preparing this message and I ran across this article on the Fox News website, but it was about persecution of believers in Finland, a member of parliament, Paivi Rassanen and a Lutheran bishop, Juhana Pajola, are on trial in Finland, even now, this is current. They're on trial in Finland for their faith. They've been harassed for three years, and this is kind of like the end result. They've been brought to court. Rassanen, a 62-year-old medical doctor and grandmother of seven, faces three charges of so-called ethnic agitation for expressing her belief in the teachings of the Bible by having published a pamphlet on marriage in 2004, taking part in a discussion on a radio show in 2019, and for a tweet with a picture of a Bible passage. The article said, for this, she faces up to two years in prison if convicted. Bishop Pajola faces a single charge of ethnic agitation for merely hosting Raastinen's booklet on his church website. And that's it. If he's convicted, he faces also two years in prison. This week, the prosecution continued its final arguments by stating that the Bible cannot overrule Finnish law, and the use of the word sin can be harmful. So even today in Finland, which is a free country, but these guys are being prosecuted because they're upholding biblical truth. And this article went on to say, the threat is not just in Finland. Last year, the US House of Representatives passed the Equality Act that would effectively outlaw disagreement on matters of sex and gender ideology. So in other words, When we stand upon the biblical truth that men are men and women are women, that there's two genders and only two, and we preach that, and we teach that, and we stand for that, that the Equality Act could be used against us, we could be tried and prosecuted for standing on biblical truth, even here in America. The article went on to say, this poses a clear and dangerous threat to any American who adheres to and dares publicly profess widely held orthodox religious beliefs on marriage, sexuality, or what used to be commonly accepted beliefs about the biology of men and women. Just last week, the House passed the Global Respect Act, which would allow for visa sanctions to be placed on foreign individuals perceived to be out of step with the left's new and radical gender ideology. In other words, if you don't agree with us about gender ideology and about marriage and about other like things, if you take a position that the Bible takes, if you stand on the word of God, then you are open to the possibility of being prosecuted. That's in America. That's a possibility in America because of laws that have been passed recently. Satan is still using the same methods that he used 2,000 years ago. We talked last week about associations, and even today there can be confusing associations that people who profess to be believers, but their lifestyle is not consistent with biblical morality, and yet they're being held up as role models of Christians. So that's happening today, and now there's a very real possibility that in America, and certainly it's happening in other parts of the world, where believers are being prosecuted for simply holding true the truth of God's word, and it doesn't fit in with public policy, it doesn't go along with the views of society. And so, Christians are being persecuted. He went on to say, these guys went on to say, not only are they teaching customs that are not lawful for us to receive, neither observe being Romans, but they trouble, exceedingly trouble, our city, verse 20 says. That phrase exceedingly trouble suggests that in their minds, Paul and Silas were on the verge of instigating a riot. One writer said the charge that their religious teaching was unlawful has a familiar ring. It's a charge many missionaries had to face. It's still heard in many lands where powerful religious and political systems hold sway. Those seeking to spread the gospel in communist lands and lands where Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam hold sway are familiar with the charge. To preach in the face of organized opposition of the establishment calls for a special measure of courage, and Paul and Silas and his companions had that. These men do exceedingly trouble our city. Actually, they were bringing the truth that would bring blessing to the city. but the unbelievers didn't want to hear that. I was reminded of what Ahab said to Elijah after, at the end of the drought when Ahab, Elijah was told by the Lord to go now present himself to Ahab and tell him, and they had an encounter with him there on the top of Mount Carmel. But when Ahab saw Elijah after that period of time, Ahab said to him, are thou he that trouble with Israel? You're the one that's stirring up all this trouble for us? And Elijah said, if I can paraphrase it, he said, no, actually, that would be you, Ahab. What it says is, he answered, I have not troubled Israel, but thou and thy father's house, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and has followed Balaam. And that's what the world would say to us today as believers. Are you the guys causing all this trouble? Because you won't go along with us and all the things that we believe and wanna do, and you won't go along with that, and you're the ones that are stirring up all the trouble. And we would say, no, actually, that's you. Now, we wouldn't say it with that spirit, I understand. We would hopefully say it in a loving spirit, but no, we're not the ones that are causing the problem, you guys are. Because if you would follow the Lord and his teachings, there would be blessing. Matter of fact, in America, we have a history of God's blessing. I firmly believe that so much of what is going on in America today is just simply God's judgment against us as a nation because we are all of a sudden embracing all this foolishness and sinfulness and ungodliness. And if you read how God has worked in the past, in the Old Testament, you see the same things going on today that God has used as means of judgment in the past. The fires, the floods, the drought, all these things that are happening. the ungodly leaders who are moving us away. God has used these things in the past as means of judgment upon his people and in the nations. And God is doing the same thing today. I firmly believe that that's what's happening in America today. And I think, you know, as if things continue down the path they are going, there will be days when in America, and we've seen it to some degree even already, that Christians are going to be brought to court and prosecuted simply for standing on the truth of the word of God. And so what was the result of that? That's the accusation, these men are Jews, and they're teaching customs that's not lawful for us to receive, nor observing Romans, and they're exceedingly troubling our city. And so the result of the accusation was persecution. And please note that this persecution was unjust. It says in verse 22 that the multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates ran off their clothes 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. It was unjust. A mob demanded their punishment, and the officials agreed. There was no trial, just punishment. Not only that, but we know because of what Paul says later that they were Roman citizens and it was against the law to do to a Roman citizen what was done to them. And it's important that we understand that because it is reflected in the response of Paul and Silas to this. It was an unjust act that was committed against them. They were stripped of their clothes and they were beaten severely with rods. This is one of three times Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11 that he was subjected to caning. That's what happened. It was a caning that took place, a beating with rods. Paul had five times he had received the 39 lashes with a whip by the Jewish people, but the Gentiles beat him with these rods, these like canes. You remember back in 1994, there was a teenager by the name of Michael Fay was convicted in Singapore of vandalism and he was sentenced to caning. That's what Paul and Silas are facing, same thing, okay? And let me just share this with you because it kind of gives us a more modern-day picture of what went on. This guy, Michael Fay, was to get six strokes out of Mercy. I guess they reduced it to four. Fay said the caning, which he said took about a minute, left a few streaks of blood running down his backside. He said the skin did rip open. There was some blood. He said, I mean, let's not exaggerate and say it's not just a few drops or the blood wasn't gushing out. It was between the two. He said it's like a bloody nose. Faye said that prison officials told him that he shouted when they first began to beat him, I'm dying. Faye said the wounds hurt for about five days, after which they itched as they healed. He said the first couple of days it was very hard to sit, and the caning left permanent scars. And I share that with you because that's what Paul and Silas endured. So they're beaten with these rods. They probably were given more than four stripes. because they were beaten with many stripes, verse 23 says. So they probably received a lot more. And so their backs, maybe their backsides, are beaten, and the flesh is broken, and they're bloody. And they, you know, Faye said he couldn't sit down for a couple days, and it hurt for five days. And, you know, after that, Paul and Silas are then taken into the prison. They're put into the very inner prison. Their feet are put in the stocks. They don't have any choice but to sit down. It was very uncomfortable. Understand that. This is what Paul and Silas endured. They would be very uncomfortable, very, it would be very painful. It was unjust. But this is what they endured. And by the way, the rest of their lives, they carried the scars of that caning. And Paul got it three times. I mean, this wasn't just one time. Paul experienced that three different times. He was, five times, he got the 39 stripes. So you can imagine what Paul's back looked like. I mean, we've seen the pictures of the slaves in slavery days that were whipped and the scars that were on their backs. Well, that's what Paul looked like. That's why Paul would say, you know, I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus, because he suffered those things for Christ. So it's a very unjust and a very cruel punishment that they experienced. And yet, how did they respond? And I think this is a key to understand as we look at this story, that they responded with praise. that, and again, these men that accused them wanted revenge. They gave, they made false accusations. Paul and Silas faced swift injustice, and yet they're not bitter, they're not angry, and they patiently endured it. At midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God, and the prisoners heard them. I don't know about you, but I'd have a hard time at that point, praying and singing the praises of God. The flesh would naturally want to complain and grumble and talk about maybe vengeance. But at least, you know, the way we get out of here, buddy, we're going to, we're going to throw the, we're going to sue the pants off these guys or whatever. They were simply following the pattern of their master. Peter wrote, servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and the gentle, but also to the froward. But he said, this is thankworthy. If a man for conscience toward God endures grief, suffering wrongfully. These guys are suffering wrongfully. But Peter writes, what glory is it if when you be buffeted for your faults, you take it patiently, but if when you do well and suffer for it and you take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. This is what God wants. That kind of response, even to injustice, patient, enduring of it. For even here unto where you called, because Christ also suffered for us. Leave in us an example that you should follow in his steps, who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth, who when he was reviled, reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened not. But he committed himself to him that judgeth righteously, who his own self bare our sins and his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sin should live under righteousness by whose stripes you were healed. By the way, Paul was never a prisoner of Rome. in his mind, Paul never said, he never wrote Paul the prisoner of Rome, it was always Paul the prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul always accepted the mistreatment that he endured, the persecution that he faced for preaching Christ, he always accepted it as coming from the hand of God, that it was all part of God's plan, it was all necessary. Matter of fact, I ask the question, why did they patiently endure it? Why did they endure all this and end up singing praises of God and praying at midnight? Why did they do that? Well, they did it, first of all, because it was the will of God. They accepted it as part of God's plan. To resist or to complain would be an offense against God because nobody could do anything to them except what God allowed. Paul couldn't face this, he wouldn't have had to endure this had not God allowed it. One of the things we need to remember today, and we need to keep in mind, especially if things continue down the path they're going, and we as Christians face more serious opposition, perhaps even persecution for our faith, we need to understand that the world cannot do anything to us that God doesn't allow. Matter of fact, nobody can do anything to you but what God allows. Matter of fact, let's just even take it out of the realm of persecution and just think about calamity in general. There are no random acts of violence in the life of a believer, okay? Because sometimes we think, you know, there's all this violence out there in the world and, I mean, I might one day be in a subject of a random attack. No. If it occurs in your life, it's because God has a purpose in it, God has allowed it. And it's not gonna happen unless God allows it. You can bank on that. God is in control, he is sovereign. It doesn't mean that he won't allow it. He may allow, he does allow believers to suffer and to be, to experience violence sometimes. It happens in the life of believers. So I'm not suggesting tonight that it won't happen to you, but I'm saying it won't be random if it does. It will be what God has purposed for your life because it's what's best for you and it's what's best for others. If it wasn't, God wouldn't allow it because God is good. And the Bible is very clear that all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purpose. Not just the good things, but even the bad things. And so they're enduring this because they're receiving it at the hands of God. Again, Paul was never a prisoner of Rome, he was a prisoner of Jesus Christ. And if he had complained and resisted, it would have been to complain and resist against God. And Paul was very clear as he was leading people to Christ, he told them that suffering was a part of the believer's life. He wrote to the Thessalonian church, encouraging them that they not be moved by his afflictions. He said, for yourselves know that we were appointed thereunto. All this suffering, this persecution that we're enduring, this is what we have been appointed to. For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation even as it came to pass, and you know. We told you this was part of it. When they went back to the churches in Galatia, Lystra, and Iconium, and Antioch, and they confirmed the souls of the disciples, they exhorted them to continue in the faith, and that we must, through much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God. They said, this is part of the Christian life. Tribulation, trouble, even persecution is just part of it. And Peter would write in 1 Peter 4, 19, let them that suffer according to the will of God, that sometimes it is God's will that we suffer. And when we do, we're to commit the keeping of our souls to him and well-doing as unto a faithful creator. Paul endured it because it was the will of God and Paul was determined to fulfill God's will for his life no matter what it cost him. When he was headed to Jerusalem where he would end up being arrested and spend the next four years in prison, he stopped in Asia and spoke to the elders of the churches there. And he said, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will befall me there, except that, save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither I count my life dear unto myself so that I might finish my course with joy and the ministry which I've received the Lord Jesus to testify of the gospel of the grace of God." Paul said, I want to finish my course. I want to do everything that God has called me to do. And that means going to Jerusalem, even if it means suffering and imprisonment and even death. I'm willing to endure that because that's what God has for me. I want to complete the work that God has for me to do, and I'll suffer whatever's necessary to do it. And it was essential not only to fulfill the will of God, but to complete their ministry. Paul said to Timothy, I endure all things for the elect's sake that they may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. Paul said, I'm enduring these things so that men might be saved. And he wrote to the Corinthian church, if we're afflicted, it's for your consolation and salvation. which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings as we also suffer. I'm suffering, and God consoles me, and then I can be a blessing to you. But he said, if I suffer or I'm comforted, it's for your consolation and salvation. Everything I'm enduring, Paul says, is ultimately for your good. And Paul would write to the Philippian church from a Roman prison. I want you to understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out, brethren, to the furtherance of the gospel. so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places, and many of the brethren of the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear." Paul said, I'm in prison, but the result of that is the gospel's going forward. It's necessary that suffering is essential to the progress of the gospel. And we're not gonna get into it tonight, but as a result of Paul and Silas being in prison, you know the story. you're no doubt are familiar with it, and we'll talk about it in some detail next Wednesday night, but the jailer and his handmaid got saved because Paul and Silas were unjustly persecuted and imprisoned and responded to that with joy and rejoicing. If they had responded to it with grumbling and complaining, that jailer probably wouldn't have got saved. But their testimony of joy and rejoicing was part of what brought that jailer to Christ. And so they prayed and sang praises to God loud enough so that all in the prison could hear. They chose to rejoice in the Lord despite their sufferings. And so Paul could write to the Philippian church. Interesting that he wrote these words to the church where he endured these things, but he wrote to the Philippian church, rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. Rejoicing is a choice we make. Peter, who suffered like things as Paul and was ultimately crucified for Christ, for his preaching of the gospel, said, beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you, but rejoice. inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's suffering, that when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy. If you be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the spirit and the glory of God resteth upon you. Someone said it's a good thing to rejoice in the Lord. Perhaps you have tried this and the first time seemed to fail. Nevermind, keep right on. And when you cannot feel any joy, when there is no spring and no seeming comfort and encouragement, still rejoice and count it all joy. Even when you fall into diverse temptations, reckon in joy and delight, and God will make your reckoning good. In other words, if you just choose to rejoice, then you will eventually feel like rejoicing. The Holy Spirit will sustain you in your bold advance and fill your heart with gladness and praise, and you'll find your heart all exhilarated and refreshed by the fullness within. God, if you just make up your mind to praise the Lord and rejoice in the Lord, the act of rejoicing will be followed by the feelings of joy. One writer said, let us sing even when we don't feel like it, for thus we may give wings to leaden feet and turn weariness into strength. So they're unjustly persecuted and they respond with joy and rejoicing. And so as we close tonight, let me just ask, do you have a heart to finish your course? Paul said, I'm going to finish my course. I don't care what it costs me. Do you have a heart to finish your course? Do you care enough about the souls of others to risk sharing the gospel with them? and what prevents you from sharing the gospel, from witnessing to others. And if you struggle with it, pray that God will give you the heart and the courage to be a faithful witness for him. We are his workmanship, Paul wrote to the Ephesian church, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them. We have a course that God has set out for us. Paul said, I want to finish mine and I'll do it whatever it costs. Do we want to finish the course that God has for us? Do we want to do those works that God has ordained us to do, including reaching the souls of men with the gospel, even if it costs us? The price we pay in America today is not persecution. It may be rejection. It may be mocking. It might be a loss of a job or something like that. But are we willing to pay that price if that's what it takes? to finish our course and to share the gospel with others. Paul was, and Paul's an example for us, and ultimately it's following the example of Jesus Christ. Let's stand together for prayer. Our Father, help us to take up the challenge tonight, and Lord, help us to realize that we cannot produce the boldness or the faithfulness to witness for you in and of ourselves. That it isn't just ultimately making up our mind to do it and gritting our teeth and doing it. We certainly have the responsibility to act. But Lord, that action needs to flow out of a heart that is being stirred by your Holy Spirit and empowered and strengthened so that as we open our mouths, that we do so in the power of the Spirit, with the filling of the Holy Spirit. And Lord, as we do that, our ministry is effective. Lord, help us not to put confidence in the flesh, but to trust you and to seek from you that which we need. And so, Lord, tonight we pray for courage and for boldness and for determination to be a faithful witness for you. not to shrink back in fear, to be willing to pay whatever price it costs to finish our course and to be a witness to those that you bring across our path that need to hear the gospel. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.