This morning, I'll be preaching from Acts 16, verses 25 through 40. I've entitled this message, Opened Doors. For now, let me just read a couple of the verses there in the middle of our text, the beginning of our text, I should say. But about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. And suddenly there came a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we delight to come into your presence this morning in the name of your Son, Father, we are thankful for all of the blessings that you have bestowed upon us in his name, all that was accomplished through him on our behalf. Lord, it is our desire that we would worship you this morning in his name, and particularly now as we fellowship around the word, Lord, I pray that you would speak to our hearts that your Holy Spirit, Lord, would take the words from the pages recorded for us here, Lord, in this passage and apply them to our hearts. Lord, that if there are any here that are yet without Christ, that through the preaching of the word, Lord, they might hear the gospel, that their eyes and ears would be opened, their hearts as well, Lord, and that they too might receive Christ in faith. And Father, for the saints that are here this morning, I pray that somehow, Lord, through the message here this morning, Lord, that they might be edified and encouraged in their faith. We lift all of these things up in the precious name of Christ. Amen. You may be seated. So we're all familiar with doors. I don't know if we've ever given much thought to what doors are. As I thought about it, this is sort of the most succinct explanation I could give to them. Doors are barriers that regulate a passageway. Doors are barriers that regulate a passageway. They may be used to either restrict entry or they may be used to restrict exit. They may be opened, they may be shut. They may be locked or they may be unlocked. As such, we see doors often used metaphorically or as symbols. in a variety of ways. When circumstances hinder our paths, we might say the door has been shut. Or when circumstances are suddenly altered and allow us to proceed in a way that we couldn't previously, we might say the door has been opened. In fact, we actually see this metaphor used frequently in scripture. And let me give you just a few examples of that. In Acts 14, 27, Paul and Barnabas, as they're reporting to the church in Antioch, what God had been doing through them during their first missionary journey said this, Luke writes this, when they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all the things that God had done with them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. Or, Paul writing to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 16 verses 8-9 says this, But I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. And then John writes in Revelation 3, actually recording the words of Jesus in the letter to the church of Philadelphia. I know your deeds. Behold, I've put before you an open door which no one can shut because you have a little power and have kept my word and have not denied my name." Now, what I find interesting in these various biblical examples here is the implication that it is the Lord God himself who opens doors of opportunity. And while there are indeed a number of sorts of doors that God might open up for his people, the most significant one is the prison door that holds men fast in the guilt and condemnation of their sin. It is God who opens this door. And we see this truth very vividly illustrated for us today in the passage at hand. So consequently, the theme I've proposed for our passage this morning is this. It is the power of God by which doors are opened, chains are unfastened, and prisoners are set free. It is the power of God by which doors are opened, chains are unfastened, and prisoners are set free. I have three main headings this morning. First, a miraculous release. concerning verses 25 and 26, and then a household saved, 27 through 34, and finally a peaceful departure, 35 through 40. So before we jump back into the text, let me just, again, provide a little bit of review, so kind of refresh our minds here of the context. After Barnabas and Mark sailed from Antioch to Cyprus, separating themselves from Paul, Paul took Silas and he headed Northwest to visit the churches, revisit, I should say, the churches in the region of Galatia. Now, while in that region, in the city of Lystra, Timothy joined the team there, and by the spirits leading, they made their way to Troas along the Aegean Sea. Thank you, Gary, for that correction. By the way, Just because I pronounce a word here in the text does not mean that's the correct pronunciation. You probably knew that already, but I just I'll just throw that out there. So let me know if I say something wrong. I'm assuredly I will and haven't many times. So apparently while they're there in Troas, it would seem that Luke has joined them because of the fact that going forward as he's recording the narrative here, he's using personal pronouns saying, we did such and such. And so by this, we believe that Luke is now with them. After receiving a vision about a man saying he needed help in Macedonia, they sensed the Lord's call to Macedonia, and so they sailed west across the Aegean Sea to Neapolis, and then they traveled southward on what's called the Agnation Way to the city of Philippi, which was a Roman colony and was probably, had a population of somewhere between five to 10,000 people at that time. So then on the very first Sabbath day that they were there, the missionary team sought out a meeting place of the Jews, which they anticipated would be just outside the city and alongside the river. And while there, they found some women that had gathered to pray. And we see that the Lord had opened the heart of a woman named Lydia to the gospel. And after Lydia's household was baptized, she prevailed upon this team to stay at her home during their time in Philippi. Shortly after this, there was a slave girl possessed by an evil spirit who practiced divination for her owners and she did so for a profit for them. And she went around following this team, loudly proclaiming, that they were bondservants of the Most High God declaring the way of salvation. And after days of this, Paul became very annoyed and he finally turned around and he released the girl from the possession of this demon in the name and authority of Jesus. Now, while this was good for the girl, it was bad for business. And so the owners of the girl, being very irate at what had happened and having lost their ability to make profits as they had previously, they dragged Paul and Silas before the magistrates in the marketplace, the marketplace which is also called the Agora, sort of the city square, that's where everything took place in the midst of the city, and they leveled charges against them. And however, rather than to represent the truth of the matter, what they did was to invoke the anti-Jewish bias of the Romans by pointing out that these men were Jews, and then they charged them with disturbing the peace and teaching unlawful customs, which were really actually very void of truth, these accusations which they brought. The crowd that gathered and the magistrates were readily won over by the accusations and the rage of these men without ever taking time to hear them from Paul and Silas to give a defense. And they were subsequently stripped, beaten, placed in a jail and in stocks. And that's where the story then picks up today in our text. So again, reading from verse 25 and through 26, but about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God and the prisoners were listening to them. And suddenly there came a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken and immediately all the doors were open and everyone's chains unfastened. So it's my understanding that a prison in those days, in that sort of Roman context, would have been located adjacent to the agora. And oftentimes, the prison would contain both an outer cell. And in that outer cell, there might be some smaller cells where they could contain prisoners. But that also was the place where the jailer himself would often reside or sleep. and perhaps had a house then that was adjacent to this. And then there was this inner cell. And the inner cell would have been a passageway into an area that didn't have any windows. It would have been very dark and dank. And that would be the place where they would secure prisoners, particularly those that they were wanting to inflict punishment upon, such as placing them in stocks as they had with Paul and Silas. And the way in which our narrative is described by Luke, I would assume that the other prisoners that are mentioned in the text are likely located in that inner cell also. This would have been a large room with multiple prisoners, perhaps chained to the wall by various means. So Paul and Silas, Here in the midst of this very severe and unjust punishment, we find as it approaches midnight, praying and singing hymns of praise to God. I just want to say, short as that statement is, it contains a picture that's more precious than gold. I hope you see that. Now, I'm going to come back around again to this in our application, but I hope you feel the impact of that remark and that spiritual pattern that's given to us here. I had Wes read a passage from the Bible. out of 1 Peter 2, and actually a lot of 1 Peter would likewise apply, but here we see them actually living out the very instructions in the likeness of Christ and how God would call us to suffer. And while Paul and Silas are worshiping, there's this intrigue, apparently, by the other inmates. It says that the prisoners were listening to them, So in other words, they weren't mocking them. They weren't telling them to be quiet. They're listening. And we don't really know what was going through their minds. Perhaps they were thinking, who are these guys? What God is it that they worship? How can they possibly be so joyful in these present circumstances? Anyhow, while worshipping God, suddenly there's an earthquake that shakes the very foundations of the prison in such a manner that all the doors are opened. and all of their chains fall off. Now, there's mixed opinions about whether or not it was the earthquake itself that released the chains. We know that when Peter was released from prison, it was an angel of the Lord that set him free, and he just tells us the chains just fell off. It doesn't really make any difference in the end. Clearly, this was the hand of God in releasing them. So this brings us then to the second heading, the household saved, verses 27 through 34. So picking up in 27, when the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried out in a loud voice saying, do not harm yourself for we are all here. And he called for lights and rushed in and trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas. And after he brought them out, he said, sirs, what must I do to be saved? So the earthquake obviously rattles the jailer out of his bed. And from wherever he was in the context of this, probably this outer prison cell, he had sufficient light to see that all of the doors had been open. And therefore he assumed that all the prisoners had bolted, which one would have anticipated under the circumstance. And so what he does is he takes and draws his own sword to run himself through, to take his own life. And the reason that he does this is because he knew what fate would await someone who had had their prisoners escape under the Roman law. And it would be far better just to thrust himself through with his sword than to perish at their hands. Furthermore, in that culture, actually suicide did not have the stigma that it does in ours, and rightly so. There had been a number of famous Romans who had killed themselves with their own sword, and so it was actually an acceptable practice, in some cases might even have been deemed brave or commendable. But meanwhile, we have Paul and the other prisoners situated in the interior of the prison. And perhaps because they're in the darker portion looking outward to where there was a little more light, they were able to see and perceive what was happening with the jailer. And so Paul quickly intervenes and he hollers out to the jailer, do not harm yourself for we are all here. so the jailer puts his sword away and then he calls for some servants to bring him some torches and he goes into that inner room and he finds they're all of the prisoners that in spite of the fact that they've been released from their chains and in spite of the fact that the doors are all open, there they are waiting and looking. And so I wanna pause here and ask the question, why didn't? the prisoner's bolt. Why were they still there in that inner cell with Paul and Silas? And I think the most reasonable answer for this is that these men who had been listening so intently to Paul and Silas praying and singing realized that the God that these men worshiped just intervened on behalf of the worshipers. And I believe there was this sense of awe and dread that fell over them, such that bolting didn't seem like a very good plan. I like what David Brown writes in the Jameson Fawcett Brown commentary. He says, under the resistless conviction that there must be something supernatural in the instantaneous liberation without human hand, such wonder and awe should possess them as to take away for the time Not only all desires of escape, but even all thoughts on the subject. They're just still trying to make sense of what happened. They're dazed. They're in awe. So when the jailer realizes that the prisoners are all still there, he's overwhelmed. He was just moments from taking his own life in the throes of this terrible situation. As the saying goes, his life had just passed before his eyes. And furthermore, It would seem that much like the prisoners that had accompanied Paul, there was this dreadful sense of the presence of God Almighty who had made himself known, who had intervened on behalf of these two men that he had secured in the stocks by loosening them from the stocks from the chains and opening the doors. And though he himself was maybe not expressly guilty in the unjust trial, no doubt he had probably himself handled them roughly when putting them into the prison in stocks. And so he comes trembling and he falls down before them. And then after this, he brings Paul and Silas out of the confines of the prison cell and he says to them, sirs, What must I do to be saved? So, it's good to stop here a moment and think back. For the several days leading up to this, there was this demon-possessed girl who's been following Paul and Silas up and down the streets of Philippi shouting out, these men are bondservants of the Most High God who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation. Now, Again, however obnoxiously she had been doing that, and of course, we have Paul eventually casting the demon out. She had been speaking truth, and what she had been saying is becoming manifestly true. And he recognizes that this demon-possessed girl was saying something that was actually true. Therefore, This question is really born out of the spiritual crisis. He knew that not only did the one true God exist, but that he was unfit to meet him and that he himself was destined for judgment. The wrath of God, as it were, was hanging over his head. And the sense of dread often accompanies those who by the spirit are brought into the manifestation of God's presence. an awareness of who God is. And he also knew that these men consequently were his messengers and the ones who were proclaiming the way of salvation. So continuing in verse 31, they said, believe in the Lord Jesus. This is an answer to his question. Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household. And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house. And he took them in that very hour of the night and washed their wounds. And immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. And he brought them into his house and set food before them and rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household. So clearly we can see here the love that Paul and Silas have for this man. They bear no grudge against him. And seeing the manner in which he's humbled himself and earnestly sought salvation, they gladly point him to the way, that is the only way. They say, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your household. Now, the command to believe in the Lord Jesus by bringing them to salvation was something that was offered both to him and for his household as well. And likewise, it's a promise of salvation to all who do believe. So let me pause here and ask the question. So we might not just readily pass by this. What does it mean then to be saved? Ultimately, salvation is a deliverance from peril. And that peril for every man and woman born into this world, the sons and daughters of Adam, is separation from God. It is spiritual death that leads to eternal judgment. It is the peril of sin and death and hell. And Jesus is the way of salvation. So it would appear from the text that at some point, the jailer then takes them into his house, again, likely adjacent to the prison. And Paul and Silas then begin to speak the word of the Lord, meaning that they continue to explain the message of the gospel and of Christ to the jailer and to his household. And then following this, he took them where there must've been, the jailer did, where there must've been a pool of water. And first he washes the wounds of Paul and Silas. They've been beaten, so they've got these open wounds, these open sores now on their backs. And then following this, Paul and Silas in turn baptize him and the rest of his household. And then after this, which was perhaps a very unique baptismal service, the jailer, and this is in the wee hours of the night, of course, the jailer then brings them back into his house and provides for them a meal. and shares table fellowship with them, and Luke says this, and rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household. So it's one of those moments that, and there's lots of these, Or you kind of wish there was some sort of drone camera that took video footage of this so we could watch this take place and what that would have been like just to see in that room this family that's just been saved, fellowshiping around a meal there in the home of this jailer. What a precious, precious sight that would have been. And this brings us to the final heading, a peaceful departure, verses 35 through 40. So picking up in 35, now, when the day came, the chief magistrates sent their policemen saying, release those men. And the jailer reported these words to Paul saying, the chief magistrates have sent to release you, therefore come out now and go in peace. So it would appear from this text here that following the fellowship time that they had there in the jailer's home, he must have returned them again into the prison. along with the other prisoners and shut the door. And on the following morning, the magistrates are moved by some fashion to have Paul and Silas released. So they send their policemen to convey this to the jailer. I want to pause then and think about that for a moment. was it that they were moved to have them released. So one possibility would be simply that they felt like justice had been satisfied by virtue of the beatings and the overnight imprisonment. But I think it's more likely that they had given further consideration to their rash judgment, and it had become quite uneasy about the manner in which they had processed the case. And now I want to kind of wash their hands of it as quickly as possible. I think this was probably accentuated by the fact that there had been an earthquake in the night. No doubt they would have felt the earthquake too. And earthquakes are often associated, whether for us as Christians, but even for pagans, that there's some sort of divine displeasure that's taking place, right? And so they're probably feeling pretty uneasy right now about what had happened. Like, hmm, maybe that wasn't a good idea. Maybe we acted rashly. So they send their policemen. Likely, these policemen were the very same men who had actually done the beatings themselves. And they take them or send them to bear the message to the jailer. And he, in turn, passes this along to Paul and Silas and says, the chief magistrates have sent to release you, therefore come out now and go in peace. Paul, who discerns the situation, turns the tables. Verse 37, that Baal said to them, they have beaten us in public without trial, men who are Romans and have thrown us into prison. And now are they sending us away secretly? No, indeed, but let them come themselves and bring us out. In his response, Paul points out that they are Roman citizens. We know for sure Paul is, and it's suspected as well, if Silas is Silvanus in his letters, that he too is a Roman citizen. So they both being Roman citizens have been beaten, they've been imprisoned, and all of this without any trial. And what this means is the magistrates have violated Roman law and in doing so they have actually made themselves vulnerable to even worse punishment than what was inflicted on Paul and Silas. And so he tells the magistrates they must come and escort them out personally from prison. Now, we might ask ourselves, what was the motive for Paul here? And I think this is important. It's an important question for us to wrestle with. Was he being vindictive against these men on account of the unjust suffering he had received? Was it sort of a power play to show that he really had the upper hand? If so, that doesn't really align well with other biblical instructions that we have from Jesus and the apostles. For instance, what we read earlier out of 1 Peter 2, Peter writes, for this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God, a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience, but if when you do what is right and suffer for it, you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. So we know that Paul is human. And we saw that incident that emerged between he and Barnabas with this conflict. And so it's not as though Paul is above making mistakes, but I really don't think that was his motivation here. I don't think his motivation, in other words, was driven by pride and personal offense. I don't think that's what's beneath it. But I think rather what we see in Paul here is what I would call a loving shrewdness. that is actually very much in keeping with what Jesus had advised when he said, behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. So be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. In other words, I believe what motivated Paul here was actually a love for the believers in Philippi and a very earnest desire to see that more of them in that community would come to faith. So let me explain. If the Apostle Paul serves as the representative of the gospel, and he's seen in the public as a scoundrel, that those who have come to faith, first of all, they themselves are going to be at undue risk of persecution themselves. And furthermore, that there's going to be unnecessary rejection of the gospel message if it's been associated with criminal behavior. The gospel is offensive on its own and it doesn't need unnecessary and unfounded malignancy. And so by having the magistrates come and escort them out of prison personally, This would be made obvious then, particularly as they lead them out of the prison through the agora, where the trial had taken place, it would be obvious to the public that the magistrates had not acted in good faith. And then this would go a very long way in clearing misperceptions concerning the charges that had been leveled against them. And again, I believe this was a shrewd act on the part of Paul, driven by a love for the city of Philippi, especially for those of the faith community. He wasn't seeking personal vindication here, but he was seeking for the cause of Christ to be vindicated, to be vindicated from false allegations. Matthew Henry takes this view as well. So regarding this situation, he writes, Paul, though willing to suffer for the cause of Christ and without any desire to avenge himself, He did not choose to depart under the charge of having deserved wrongful punishment, and therefore required to be dismissed in an honorable manner. It was not a mere point of honor that the apostle stood upon, but justice, and not to himself so much as to his cause. And when proper apology is made, Christians should never express personal anger nor insist too strictly upon personal amends. The Lord will make them more than conquerors in every conflict. Instead of being cast down by their sufferings, they will become comforters of the brethren." So I hope you can see that perspective here in the text. So continuing in verse 38, the policemen reported these words to the chief magistrates. They were afraid when they heard that they were Romans and they came and appealed to them. And when they had brought them out, they kept begging them to leave the city. They went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia. And when they saw the brethren, they encouraged them and departed. So the words of Paul sent back to the magistrates actually strike fear in their hearts. because they know that they have acted very foolishly. And should Paul choose to report them, they would find themselves in dire straits. So they do what's prudent in that situation, and they humble themselves, and they go before Paul and Silas, and they lead them out. But notice that they're also at the same time begging Paul and Silas to leave the city. Now, it's interesting that they would beg them to leave the city because actually in having them leave the city, as they would be traveling south on the Ignatian Way coming to Thessalonica, there, Thessalonica being a provincial city, they could have reported these Romans to the governor. And so there's a risk that they're taking here in asking them to leave the city. So why are they begging them to leave? Well, I think one possibility is that dread has fallen upon them. They are really unsettled by all the events that have occurred. And the fear of the power of God that's sort of resting upon Paul and Silas made them very uneasy. And for them, it was just better. They weren't going to surrender to that power. They're not looking for salvation. So just, would you just kind of move on down the road? You're making me really uneasy here. We see that there is a power that's present with you and we don't like it. So just if you could just kind of move along. Schnabel in his commentary suggests that the reason that they're asking to move on was actually because the men that had previously owned the slave girl, probably wealthy men because they were making much profit from her services, were likely leading men of the city. And so here the magistrates find themselves in an awkward position because now they're sort of reversing the sentence that they had given in order to appease these prominent men. And this is a dilemma. They don't want to alienate themselves from these prominent men in the city. And so it seemed most prudent that they could just get Paul and Barnabas out of the city, then that would be helpful. So I don't know what was motivating them. It might have been both of those things. But either way, they're between a rock and a hard place, and so they just asked Paul and Silas to move on. So the missionary team decided that it would be best for them to actually to do so, and they acquiesced to this request. But first, they go back to the house of Lydia in order to say their farewells to the brethren there. And Luke concludes this episode saying, they encouraged them and departed. So the team comes then with some final words of encouragement, and then at that time they head out on the Ignatian Way southward to the city of Thessalonica. Now, there's a couple of points worth mentioning here at the close of this message. First of all, at this point, Luke is gonna actually stop using the personal pronouns when describing their movements until we have Paul and Silas return again to Philippi, which was about eight years later on their next missionary journey. And so the implications that Luke probably stayed on there in the city of Philippi during that interval. The other point to mention is the ongoing relationship that we're gonna see now between Paul and the church and Philippi. Schnabel writes, we learned from Paul's letter to the Corinthians in Philippi that the Philippian believers had entered into a partnership in the gospel. from the first day until five or six years later, supporting Paul and his missionary work right after he had left the city when he was active in Thessalonica and then when he left Macedonia and traveled to Achaia. So here in this city, everything that's just taken place that we've read through here in chapter 16. We're gonna see that there's this bond that's forged between Paul and the believers there in Philippi. And again, we know that Lydia was being a seller of purple fabrics. likely was well-to-do and had resources, and I would assume that she was a prominent part of that financial support then that's going to go to Paul so that he can continue to do his ministry in other places where he doesn't have support. So with that, let's go ahead and move then to some applications. The first application is this, rejoicing in trials brings glory to God. Rejoicing in trials brings glory to God. Again, what an amazing example we have with Paul and Silas. Particularly, they suffered and it was, but it was so unjust. I mean, they didn't even get a trial. There is nothing right about what had happened to them. They were, They were brought before the public and humiliated. They were stripped, beaten, imprisoned, placed in stocks, and yet they spend the night praying and singing hymns. In other words, as Justin pointed out, they were singing praises unto God in the worst of circumstances. And I would just say the manner in which they suffer really, to me, looks and smells and feels like Jesus, right? These are men who knew Jesus. These are men who were being like Jesus in the manner in which they suffered. And no doubt it was the effluence of the Holy Spirit within them, His Spirit. And in so doing, When we live like that, we are told that God is glorified. God is made big. God, the focus is turned on Him. That His goodness, everything that is good about God is made evident to anyone who looks on. So we can think of some passages that sort of spell this out to us. James writes, consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. In other words, you too will look like Christ. you will be like Christ and you will bring glory to God. And Peter writes in 1 Peter 4, verses 12 through 16, beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you. But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, Keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled in the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. Make sure that none of you suffer as a murderer or thief or evildoer or troublesome meddler, but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. Rejoicing in trials brings glory to God. Secondly, God often opens doors by shaking the foundations. God often opens doors by shaking the foundations. While none of us enjoys turbulence in life, we see over and again that in scripture and in history, God often uses such times to open doors that previously had been shut. And we can see this in a number of ways. The earthquake that shook the foundation of the prison doors, or shook the foundations of the prison rather, opened the doors to the prisoners. And the moment of utter crisis for the jailer was used by God to open the door of his heart. And God will often bring us either individually or even collectively through great tribulation and trials that he uses to open doors that might otherwise have been shut fast. And we can also see this in communities that have been devastated by various afflictions. Either by war, famine, or some other disaster. Often times there's an openness to the gospel in those places. Simply because the foundations have been shaken. I had an opportunity to have a meal with Russell Zimmerman and his family. And for those of you that don't know Russell, he's a wonderful testimony, but he and his wife are preparing to go to Jordan. They've been in Jordan before, and they've already learned some of the language, but they're gonna try to get more of the Arabic mastered. And they're in Jordan, they were ministering to Syrian refugees who had fled Syria. and the city where they were at was not far from that border. Their hope is to go back and then to move into Syria, into Damascus, actually, or Aleppo, one of those cities, as the Lord leads, and begin a ministry of building, if you've ever seen any pictures, it is a war-torn area. It is a disaster. But to try to build clean, nice, simple, affordable housing, as an avenue by which to bring the gospel into that area. And he says he has a friend that he had met in Jordan previously that says, there is a great openness there among those people because the foundations have been shaken. And the doors are open right now. So he sees this as a season where the harvest is being prepared and it's time to go and to move into that area. And I hope we as a church can be engaged with them ourselves as well. They leave mid-May, be praying for them. They leave mid-May with their family, they have four young boys. So not a small thing. Anyway, God often opens doors by shaking the foundations. Thirdly, our homes should be a kingdom haven where Christ is believed upon, honored, and adored. Our homes should be a kingdom haven where Christ is believed upon, honored, and adored. I just want to read again verse 34 regarding this jailer. This is a man who's been alienated from God. Right, this is a Roman, Greek, you know, probably a really rough, anyone who's a prison warden, they're probably pretty tough. This is a tough hombre, right? You have to be for that kind of role. So this is this guy, and God does this amazing work. And through this great crisis, opens his heart, and he believes the gospel. He turns, and the man who's been inflicting you know, prisoners with harsh things, bathes Paul in silence. He washes the wounds. And then after getting baptized, he opens his home up and he brings his whole family and they sit around the table having this fellowship. It's just beautiful. Let me just read the verse, I guess. And he brought them into his house and set food before them and rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household. What a beautiful picture we have of the Philippian jailer just preparing this table for the apostles with his household, all of them having joined with him in faith and baptism in Lord Jesus. It is the will of God that having come into the faith of Christ that our homes should be like this. They ought to be kingdom havens where we join together in faith and fellowship with joyful hearts to the Lord. No matter where we've been in the past, whatever the past, that's gone. This is something new. My home is now a kingdom haven. and I'm gonna bring people in, I'm gonna bring other believers in, and we're gonna fellowship and worship the Lord here. It's a great picture for us. With that thought, let me just close by reading the last verse from an old hymn, A Christian Home, which ends this way. Oh Lord our God, our homes are thine forever. We trust to thee their problems, toil, and care. Their bonds of love no enemy can sever. If Thou art always Lord and Master there, be Thou the center of our least endeavor, be Thou our guest, our hearts and homes to share. Let's close in a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we're just so grateful again, Lord, I can't say it enough, for Your Word, and Lord, that... that through the inspiration of your spirit and these men that availed themselves, Lord, for your purposes, recorded these events, that we might profit from them, Lord, that we might be edified, that we might see and know who you are and what you've done in the hearts and lives of others. Lord, we thank you for that. And we pray, Lord, would you help us, each father in our lives, to grow in our faith, Lord, in such a way that we would emulate Christ as we see Christ manifested in the manner in which these Paul and Silas are living out their lives and suffering, Lord, for your name's sake. Father, give us hearts of faith. that we'll be able to emulate them. And Lord, make us sensible to where you have shaken foundations, Lord, that we might be ready to receive those, Lord, who have hearts that have been opened, that have doors have been opened, Lord, and to be ready to give a reason for the hope which lies within us, Lord, at any time, that we might point and direct people to the way of salvation, which is through faith in Christ. We pray these things in his name. Amen.