The Midnight Miracles

Acts 16:16-40
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, February 21, 1999
Copyright © 1999, P. G. Mathew

Introduction

In the Bible we read, “Be not deceived; God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Gal. 6:7-8).

People are always mocking God. We read in the book of Genesis how the people of the earth mocked God before the flood. But God cannot be mocked, so he sent a flood and destroyed all the people of the earth, sparing only Noah and his family. Later, the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah mocked God, so he destroyed these cities, sparing only Lot and his daughters. Pharaoh and the Egyptians mocked God, asking “Who is the Lord that we should obey him?” and God brought defeat and destruction to Egypt after bringing his people out. Later, God’s own people, the nation of Israel, mocked God, his prophets and their revelation. But God cannot be mocked and so he sent, first, the Assyrians and then the Babylonians to destroy his people and send them into captivity.

When God’s Son Jesus Christ came, the Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots, and Herodians all mocked him. But, again, God cannot be mocked, and in 70 A.D. he destroyed his own people. Even today our country and culture mocks God. But God cannot be mocked, and therefore destruction is coming.

As we consider this passage of Scripture, I pray that we will not mock God. Instead, may we honor him, listen to him, and pay heed to his word, that we might do it.

Three Miracles

In God’s providence, the gospel was brought to Europe by the apostle Paul. Paul preached to a group of women gathered by the river in Philippi, and God opened the heart of Lydia so that she and her household came to believe in Christ. The first church in Europe was established in Lydia’s house and Paul stayed in Philippi for some time, continuing to preach the gospel.

In this passage we see opposition coming against Paul’s preaching. Satan opposes the gospel, sometimes through demon-possessed people, sometimes through government entities, sometimes through business enterprises, and sometimes through the apostate church itself. He will do anything to defeat God and his purposes.

However, God cannot be mocked. All those who are ordained to eternal life shall hear the gospel, honor it, believe it, be saved by it and rejoice greatly in it. All Satan’s opposition is, in the final analysis, ineffective because no government, no corporation, and no other human beings can oppose God’s eternal decree.

There are three miracles recorded in Acts 16:16-40 which demonstrate God’s triumph over Satan’s opposition. The first two miracles are the miracle of exorcism and the miracle of an earthquake, which both contribute to the final miracle, the eternal salvation of a Philippian jailer and his household.

The Miracle of Exorcism

There was a slave girl in Philippi who was possessed by a snake spirit–a python spirit, as we read in the Greek. This girl would go into a trance and then the demon would speak through her, predicting the future. This phenomenon was extremely profitable to her owners because in those days the Greeks and Romans did nothing important without first hearing from an oracle. A commander going on a military campaign, an emperor who was about to make an important decree, or an ordinary citizen making an important decision would always consult an oracle to find out what the future held. Thus, this slave girl was very valuable to her owners. The text tells us “she earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.”

This clairvoyant slave girl was in double bondage. She was a slave of her masters as well as a slave of the python demon. She was a tool of the business corporation and a tool of Satan.

At some point during the missionaries’ stay in Philippi, the path of the demonized girl crossed that of Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke. Verse 18 tells us the girl followed them for many days while the demon in her shouted continually, “These are the servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.”

Such demon activity is not unusual in the lives of God’s people. We see such activity in the life of Jesus Christ himself. In Luke 4:34 Jesus encountered a demon-possessed man in the synagogue who shouted to Jesus at the top of his voice, “Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” which, of course, is a true statement. In Luke 4:41 we read, “Moreover, demons came out of so many people, shouting, ‘You are the Son of God!'” And in Luke 8:28, in reference to a man who was possessed with a legion of demons, we read, “When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?'”

Demons know who Jesus is, and speak the truth about him. However, Jesus did not want demons to testify concerning him. God wants his own people to be witnesses of Jesus Christ and his gospel, not demons.

Like Jesus, Paul did not want publicity from demons, so he cast the python spirit out of the slave girl. In verse 18 we read, “Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!'” Paul was acting in the name and authority of Jesus Christ, just as Peter had done when he healed the congenital cripple of Acts 3. Do you remember that? Peter said, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk,” and the crippled man leaped up and began to walk and praise God.

What happened after Paul commanded the demon to leave the girl? It came out instantly and the slave girl was delivered of her bondage. Why? Because Paul was acting under the authority of Jesus Christ–the Son of God, the Holy One of God–who has received all authority in heaven and on earth.

Whenever Jesus told demons to come out, they would come out, and Jesus gave this power and authority to his apostles and disciples also. Paul and Peter could cast out demons and heal the sick because they were acting under Christ’s own power and authority. What is the basis of that authority? That Jesus Christ is God. At his command the whole universe sprang into existence; thus, it is no wonder that in the name of Jesus demons will come out.

The Salvation of the Slave Girl

This first miracle, the miracle of exorcism of the demonized girl, demonstrated God’s triumph over the opposition of Satan. But within the miracle of exorcism, we find a greater miracle: the salvation of a sinner. It is my conclusion that this slave girl experienced a double miracle–the miracle of having the demon cast out of her as well as the greater miracle of being saved by Jesus Christ.

In Luke 10:20 Jesus told his disciples, “Do not rejoice in that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” It is my view that Paul not only cast the demon out of the slave girl, but also led her in the way of salvation which he and those with him were declaring.

The gospel is the way of God unto salvation, as we read in Acts 18:25-26. It is the only way, and in fact, the early church members were referred to as people of the Way. It is also called the way of peace, as we read in Luke 1:70, the way of truth, as we read in 2 Peter 2:2, and the way of righteousness, as we read in 2 Peter 2:21. This way is found only in Jesus Christ, as Jesus himself declared in John 14:6 when he said, “I am the way.” He alone is the way of salvation, truth, righteousness, and peace. There is no other name by which we can be saved.

Oh, what a miracle this slave girl experienced! As a slave, she was the lowest of the low, a most miserable human being. She owned nothing; rather, she was owned–enslaved by the corporation and enslaved by the python spirit. But God loved her and showed mercy to her, and now all her trances, confusion, and violence disappeared. The Holy Spirit came into her and she was filled with truth and peace. I am sure that she, like the crippled man of Acts 3, began to walk and leap and praise God for this great salvation.

What about you? Have you been led in God’s way of salvation, or are you under the influence of demons, like this girl had been? Even today many people are demonized. Are you a drunkard? Are you a drug addict? Are you continually engaging in immorality? If so, you may be under demon influence.

Let me make it a little more clear. Are you a greedy person, always wanting to make more money? You may be under demon influence. Are you a stubborn, rebellious person, never submitting to anyone but yourself? You may be under demon influence as well. Now, modern psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychics may not tell you that, but it is true.

The gospel of the Jesus Christ will set demonized people free. The Lord Jesus Christ came to save sinners–terrible, miserable, wretched sinners. Thus we can read in Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

The Miracle of the Earthquake

The second great miracle we find in this passage is the miracle of the midnight earthquake, which occurred when the apostles were in prison. How did the apostles find themselves in prison?

When the Philippian businessmen saw that their slave girl was no longer under the influence of the python spirit, they became angry with the apostles. Why? They worshiped money and had profited greatly from this girl when she was in her demonized state. What mattered most to these people was money, and I am sure they would be firm believers in our modern slogan: “It is the economy, stupid.” They probably had their own slogan: “Mammon saves.” But now, through the ministry of Paul, they could make no more money from this girl.

The apostles had ruined the lucrative business of these slave owners, so the owners arrested Paul and Silas and dragged them to the agora, the center of the city’s social life, to stand before the chief magistrates of the city, the praetors. These business people were not rejoicing that the slave girl had been healed and was now calm, restored, and in her right mind. They didn’t care about her well-being at all. To them, she was just a tool for making money, and now her money-making ability was gone.

Notice the difference between the owners’ attitude toward the slave girl, and that of Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Christ, not corporations or government, or the apostate church, who is the lover of sinners. Look at modern liberal churches which refuse to preach Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. They purposefully withhold the one thing that will truly set sinners free even while preaching many other things.

The masters were unhappy because they could no longer make any money off of the slave girl. As they stood before the authorities, they came up with a charge against the apostles. Did they tell the authorities that the apostles had brought healing to this demonized girl? Oh, no. They came up with a politically correct charge which they knew would infuriate the authorities.

The Philippian businessmen told the Roman authorities that these Jewish visitors were teaching a religio illicita–an illegal religion. “These men are. . . advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice,” they said. And as a result, they added, “These men are. . .throwing our city into an uproar” (vv. 20-21). The apostles were disturbing the pax Romana, in other words. Additionally, the owners were appealing to the racial snobbery of the Philippian authorities. Philippi was a Roman colony whose residents, mostly Romans, were proud of their heritage and their government. They thought they were superior to everyone else. “These inferior Jews have come here to trouble us and teach us a religion that is illegal,” the slave owners were saying. Do you see the anti-Semitism in their charges?

Let me tell you, today we encounter not only anti-Semitism, but also anti-Christianity, anti-Bible, anti-fundamentalism, anti-politically right, anti-Catholic, anti-Jesus Christ, anti-Christian morality, and anti-Ten Commandments. These are the politically correct attitudes we face today.

The Apostles Are Imprisoned

Whipped up by the slave owners, the crowd rose up against Paul and Silas, as we read in verse 22. The magistrates were also carried away by all the excitement and so failed to carry out justice according to the laws of Rome. With no formal inquiry, the magistrates tore apart the clothes of the apostles, exposed their bare backs, and ordered them to be beaten. (PGM) The lictors, men who carried a bundle of rods and an axe to execute the commands of the magistrates, began to beat the apostles severely, laying upon their bare backs many stripes by their rods. Afterwards, the jailer thrust the apostles into the innermost cell of the jail and fastened their feet in the stocks for maximum security.

What do these events tell us? Not only had the slave girl been demonized, but the corporate people were demonized, the magistrates were demonized, the lictors were demonized, and the crowd was demonized. All of these people had come under the influence of Satan to oppose God and his messengers, the apostles.

I am sure both Paul and Silas had cried out, “Civis Romanus sum!–I am a Roman citizen!” as Paul did on a later occasion in Jerusalem. But the magistrates and lictors did not pay any attention to their cries. They were blatantly ignoring the laws of Rome.

To fetter a Roman citizen was a crime and to scourge him was a scandal. A Roman citizen had the right to travel anywhere within the Roman empire under the protection of Rome, the right to not be subject to local legislation, and the right to appeal to Caesar. In fact, Roman governors were forbidden to kill, scourge, torture, condemn or even put a Roman citizen in bonds without a trial. A Roman citizen was protected against arbitrary punishment. But because of the excitement, the magistrates became confused. They gave the orders to strip Paul and Silas, flog them severely, thrust them into the innermost cell and put their feet in the stocks, even though Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.

Joy in Jail

When Satan is working to oppose the gospel, he will cause government authorities to ignore the law and injure God’s people. Just as the apostles were punished and imprisoned two thousand years ago, so also Christians today are punished and imprisoned for the sake of Christ. But we see something else in this passage that is true today: The Lord Jesus Christ is always with his people, and that knowledge gives Christians great security and peace.

Despite the intense pain in their backs and limbs, I am sure the apostles slept well in their maximum security cell. Why? They knew God was with them, just as he had been with Joseph in the prison in Egypt. The Bible says God gives sleep to his people. I conjecture that they slept as well as Peter had when he was imprisoned and bound with chains to two soldiers.

God is always with his people, especially in times of trouble and persecution. The Holy Spirit was with the apostles just as he had been with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. After Nebuchadnezzar had thrown these three young men into a fiery furnace, he looked at them and saw four people, including one who looked like “the son of the gods” (Dan. 3:25). In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus promised to be with his disciples always, even to the end of the age, which includes all times of trouble and persecution. He is with us by his Spirit as our sympathizing high priest.

Verse 25 tells us around midnight the apostles began to pray and sing to God. When God is with us, the darkest prison becomes a paradise. That is why Paul could write in Romans 5:3, “We rejoice in our sufferings.” In 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 Paul said, “We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” In 2 Corinthians 6:9 he said Christians were “known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” Paul knew God was with him.

Not only that, as Paul and Silas sang and prayed, the rest of the prisoners were listening to them with great delight, as we read in the Greek. In their suffering these apostles were witnessing to God and his salvation by their praise and prayers. Let me assure you, only when grapes are crushed does the refreshing juice come out. The suffering of Christians will produce the life of God which then can benefit others.

These apostles were not groaning or complaining about being in prison. Rather, they were singing the praises of God, as Paul exhorts us to do in Ephesians 5:18, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Christian living is Spirit-filled living. It is a life of praising, singing, and giving thanks to God no matter what the circumstances. It is a life in which one can have great joy in the midst of intense suffering.

In Psalm 42:8 we read, “By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me–a prayer to the God of my life.” And in Psalm 30:5 we read, “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may endure for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” Paul and Silas could worship and praise God at midnight in the prison because God was with them.

An Earthquake with a Purpose

As Paul and Silas were worshiping God, suddenly there was a great earthquake, so violent that the text tells us “the foundations of the prison were shaken.”

In Acts 4:31 we read about another earthquake. The disciples had been praying about the persecution they had experienced, and when they finished, there was an earthquake. God had heard their prayers and said, “Amen” through the shaking. Here also, while these apostles were praying, there came another divine “Amen,” meaning “I am going to do something about it.” The prayer of a righteous person availeth much. Through these earthquakes God was telling his people, “I have heard your prayers and I will respond right now.”

This was an earthquake with a purpose, but it was not the typical purpose of devastation and misery which usually accompanies earthquakes. What was the purpose of this earthquake? Salvation.

This earthquake was designed by God to bring about the miracle of salvation for the Philippian jailer and his household. Despite all the efforts of Satan to oppose the spread of the gospel in Philippi, God had a plan for some people in Philippi to be saved, and the jailer was among them. In Acts 13:48 we read that all who are ordained, appointed, of God to salvation will hear the gospel, honor it, believe it, and receive eternal life. No python spirit, no frustrated corporation, no power of Rome, no crazy crowd or anti-Christian spirit can prevent the purposes of God from being fulfilled.

God had ordained the salvation of this jailer from all eternity, so he sent his apostles to Philippi, to the river, to the agora and to the innermost cell of the prison of Philippi. There this jailer thrust Paul and Silas into the cell, put their feet in stocks, and locked the door. With his prisoners thus safely secured, the jailer fell asleep.

But God’s ways are different than man’s. Remember how the Romans and Jews made the tomb of Jesus secure? They sealed it with a Roman seal and posted a guard, but it wasn’t safe. Remember how Peter was “safely” secured in prison? In Acts 12 we read that he was put in the innermost cell and chained to soldiers.

When the great earthquake struck, the foundations of the jail were shaken, all the doors flew open, and the chains fell off every prisoner. The jailer awoke, panic-stricken. Assuming that all the prisoners for whom he was responsible had run away, he took his small sword out and was about to plunge it into his chest, intending to kill himself.

The Miracle of Eternal Salvation

But God loved this Philippian jailer and wanted him to live so that he could experience the miracle of eternal salvation. When Paul saw the jailer was about to kill himself, he called out, “Don’t harm yourself! We all are here!” Suddenly the jailer realized he was in the very presence of God.

The miracle of this earthquake pointed the jailer to the author of the miracle, the Most High God. In the earthquake everything he trusted in had crumbled, but stripped of all earthly confidence, the jailer was brought to faith in eternal God, the Judge of all the earth.

Through this miracle God confronted the Philippian jailer. The jailer was convicted of his sins just as Peter had been convicted of his sins by the miracle of the great catch of fish, as we read in Luke 5. What was Peter’s response upon realizing the deity of Christ? “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” he told Jesus. In other words, Peter was saying, “What I am seeing here is God!” The jailer also came to a great understanding: “God is at work and he is after me.”

Conviction of sin is a gift of God. Repentance is also a gift of God, as is faith and a real assessment of our true condition. No one will repent until he faces God and is gripped by him. Until that happens, he will be arrogant, proud and argumentative. He will trust in his education, his wealth, his mind, his citizenship–in anything but God.

The jailer was convicted of sin. This rough Roman citizen, this retired soldier, this racially prejudiced person came trembling before the apostles. Before, he had been convinced he was superior to these men, but now he addresses them as lords.

The Most Important Question

“Sirs,” the jailer asked, “what must I do to be saved?” That is the most important question we can ask, no matter who we are.

Perhaps the jailer had heard the slave girl’s declaration, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” Perhaps he had heard other discussions of the gospel of Christ in the city of Philippi, especially after the conversion of Lydia and her household. Now God had given this rough Roman soldier the gift of repentance and for the first time in his life he began to think, “I am doomed! I am lost! I am under the wrath of God. How can I get out of this? What must I do to be saved?”

Every sinner must ask this question. Have you asked it? If not, I implore and beseech you to ask. Why? Money cannot save you. The empires of the world cannot save you. Racial background cannot save you.

Paul gave a clear answer to the jailer: “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved–you and your household.” And verse 32 tells us, “Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.” I am sure Paul told these people about Jesus, that he is the Son of God who became flesh, who lived a perfect life and went around doing good. I am sure he explained that Christ was crucified for our sins and on the third day was raised from the dead for our justification. I am sure he said that Jesus is now ascended into the heavens and seated on the throne as Lord of all, having all authority in heaven and on earth, whose kingdom is forever and ever–a kingdom infinitely greater than the Roman empire.

I am sure Paul also told the jailer and his family that Jesus is coming back again with power and great glory. Why is he coming? To judge everyone who refused to believe in him, honor him, and obey him; and to bring fullness of salvation to those who have trusted in Jesus Christ alone and usher forth his kingdom.

Eternal Salvation

When God gave the jailer repentance, he also gave him saving faith. In verse 34 we find the Greek word, pepisteukôs, in perfect tense, which means he came into a state of faith, saving faith, that is permanent. This jailer was eternally saved, in other words. Many people believe in Jesus Christ only for temporal benefits, but such people are not saved.

This jailer experienced true salvation by Christ alone by grace alone through faith alone plus nothing. When he asked the question, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul told him to do nothing but believe. Some people want to do something to earn their salvation, but that is not true salvation. We must only believe. “Jesus paid it all; all to him I owe,” as we sing in the hymn.

The jailer and his household were saved instantly and they were saved forever. This is the miracle of eternal salvation. How do we know he was saved? There is evidence of salvation given in this passage. The love of the Spirit of God was shed abroad in the jailer’s heart. He brought Paul and Silas out from the prison and washed their wounds.

Then Paul told the jailer he must be baptized, and he and all his family were baptized. The jailer cooked a great meal and set it before the apostles, and the Bible says he and his house rejoiced with exceeding joy. That is the joy of the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Holy Spirit–love, joy, peace–was evident in this jailer and his family because this was real salvation. It was a great miracle–the miracle of miracles!

I am sure the jailer and his family joined the new church of Philippi, joining Lydia, the Asian woman of wealth and influence, as well as the Gentile slave girl, probably, a low-class person who had been delivered from double bondage through the ministry of Paul. All were children of God in the Lord Jesus Christ.

What about the business people who had owned the slave girl? They were not in the church of Philippi. Why? They did not believe in Christ. What about the magistrates? They also were not there because they refused to hear the way of salvation. These people were demonized–blinded by money, racial pride and power. They were like the rich people of Gadara who, when Jesus drove a legion of demons from a man, came to Jesus and prayed to him, “Get out of this place! We love pigs! We want to possess the whole world and lose our soul! Don’t tell us about the way of salvation. We don’t care. We love pigs!” Such people have no interest in joining the church.

What About You?

All those who are ordained to eternal life shall hear the gospel, honor the gospel, believe the gospel, receive eternal life, experience exceeding joy, and be brought into the house of God. The church of Jesus Christ consists of people of all races and backgrounds.

What about you? Are you blinded by money, by power, by racial superiority, or by beauty? If you are a young person, are you blinded by your youthfulness? Are you blinded by the false religions of the world? Are you blinded by modern psychics, psychiatrists, psychologists, and philosophers? Are you blinded by your “superior” wisdom?

Are you one who says, “Don’t tell me about Jesus Christ and about my soul. I want to be in the whole world and lose my soul”? But what will it profit if you gain the whole world, yet lose your soul? Will you see your real need, that the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men?

Praise be to God, the righteousness of God has also been revealed to us in the Lord Jesus Christ. This was the way of salvation for the Philippian jailer, and it is still the way of salvation for us today. Yes, the flood of God’s wrath is coming, but you can save yourself by entering into the ark, which is Jesus. I urge you to do so, to kiss the Son and you will be safe.

May God have mercy on us all! May he perform this miracle of miracles, that all who are ordained to salvation will be saved, that they may be part of God’s holy church to rejoice forevermore. Amen.