Acts 16:31 (ESV)
31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
I came across an illustration I want to share with you this morning and no, it has nothing to do with 1987 song by Starship or the movie Mannequin. I know some of you when you saw the title this morning probably started thinking about one or both of those. You can go and listen to the song or watch the movie later if you so desire.
Instead, I want to tell you about Clint Courtney. You’re probably like who is that? Don’t worry, you’re not the only one who has ever asked that question. He was a baseball player who played for a lot of different teams as a catcher, back in the 1950’s. Even though he had a reputation which preceded where he went, he was one who never made it into the Hall of Fame. During the course of his career he earned the nickname of “Scrap Iron.” Clint was hard, weathered, and just plain old tough. He didn’t break any records, just bones. He didn’t have a lot of power or speed on the base paths. As for grace and style, he made the easiest play look rather difficult. But arm him with a mitt and a mask, Scrap Iron never flinched from any challenge.
Batters who often missed the ball would catch him on the shins. Foul tips would nip his elbows. Runners fiercely plowed into him, spikes first, as he defended home plate. Though often doubled over in agony and flattened in a heap of dust, Clint Courtney never quit. Invariably, he’d be slow to get up, but he would shake off the dust, punch the pocket of his mitt once, twice, and then nod to his pitcher to throw another one. The game would go on and Courtney with it. Scarred, bruised, clutching his arm in pain, but yet he was determined to continue. Nothing was gonna stop him. Some made fun of him calling him insane. Others simply remember him as a true champion. No matter what, nothing was gonna stop him.
You could probably compare Paul from our Acts reading to Clint Courtney. Paul and Silas, being followed by this slave girl who had a spirit which allowed her to predict the future, kept shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved” (Acts 16:17). It’s a great message to be proclaiming, but she would relentlessly yell this for days and eventually it just got to Paul. Annoyed, Paul snapped and commanded by the name of Jesus that the evil spirit would come out of her. It did, the spirit listened … and then Paul and Silas’ problems really began.
You see, once the spirit left this slave girl … she could no longer predict the future. Her owners, they weren’t too fond of this idea because this was how they made their money. Now that they were out of an income, they were going to have to find some other way to make a living. But in the meantime, they thought that since it was Paul and Silas who cost them their livelihood, something needed to happen to them.
The slave girl owners drag Paul and Silas to the marketplace and put them up before the magistrates. They said, “These men are Jews and they are disturbing our city. They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice” (Acts 16:20-21). We’re told that the crowd joined in in attacking Paul and Silas. The magistrates tore the clothes off of Paul and Silas and gave orders to have them beaten with rods. Beaten to maybe within an inch of their life, orders were finally given to have Paul and Silas thrown into prison. They are thrown into the inner most cell, had their feet shackled, and were given a personal security guard. (Acts 16:22-24).
In the deep darkness of night, beaten, battered, and bloodied … I wouldn’t expect to hear anything from Paul and Silas out of fear of getting another round of beatings. But nothing was gonna stop them. No, instead Paul and Silas were praying out loud, they were singing hymns to God. Not only that, all the other prisoners were listening to them. In the depths of their prison cell, Paul and Silas were proclaiming the gospel, they were proclaiming the good news of Jesus, and they had a captive audience.
All except for the jailer who was suppose to be watching over them that is, he was leaning back in his chair sound asleep. In the midst of Paul and Silas’ singing, this earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. All the cell doors were flung wide open, everyone’s shackles were undone, and everyone had a chance to escape. Waking up to all this, the jailer had assumed that all the prisoners left and he was ready to kill himself.
But from the depth of the prison Paul cries out, “Stop, do not harm yourself, for we are all here” (Acts 16:28). The jailor calls for lights, rushes in, and falls down in front of Paul and Silas, trembling with fear he asks, “What must I do to be saved?” “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” (16:29-31)
Nothing kept Paul and Silas from praising God. Being beaten and locked away in a prison cell for who knows how long couldn’t even stop them. The message of forgiveness, salvation, and the eternal presence of God won by Jesus was just too good to let anything shut them up.
You know, when I first read this text in preparation for this morning, I couldn’t help but think about our current condition. For the last two months now I have felt like I have been living in a prison of sorts. I’m sure you have been feeling the same way. All this working from home, doing school from home … it’s enough to drive any sane person to insanity.
And even though the restraints have been loosened a little, the feeling, at least for some is still the same. Now instead of wandering around inside the prison cells of our homes, with face masks on and proper social distancing being followed we are able to get out into the prison yard and mingle some.
But you know … through all of this … nothing gonna stop us from proclaiming the gospel. Nothing gonna stop us from proclaiming the good news of Jesus and the peace and freedom he brings into the lives of believers. Through it all, the church at large has found ways, whether it has been through services being put online like ours are, whether it is through radio, YouTube, Facebook devotions, good ole fashion snail mail or social media … the message of God’s love and presence is still reaching the ears, the hearts, and the minds of God’s people.
Peter in our second reading says that Christians should always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15). Paul and Silas from the midst of a dark prison cell made a defense of the hope which was in them through prayer and singing hymns to God. You and I can do the same thing and we need to do the same thing, in season and out of season.
Jesus promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to his disciples. That same Holy Spirit they received at Pentecost has been given to you as well. God dwells within in you! Because of that, we like Clint Courtney, like Paul and Silas, like the disciples of Jesus, we have nothing fear. The Holy Spirit gives us confidence … even in our youth.
Graduation ceremonies are happening this week for our local schools. Obviously they are not being done the way which everyone had originally planned on, but they are happening. Instead of walking across a stage, our graduates are driving through the school circle driveway.
If our students have been able to finish up this school year without being in the building, if teachers have been able to teach through electronic means, if churches have been able to proclaim the gospel, the good news of Jesus from empty buildings … what is there to stop our graduates, our children, our seniors, or you or me from living out and proclaiming the good news of Jesus? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
I encourage you, be bold in our faith. Don’t try to hush or suppress the Holy Spirit but let him sing, let him proclaim, let him speak! With the Holy Spirit, with God, nothing is impossible. As Paul would tell the Romans in his letter to them … “if God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect, against you and me? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raise—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger or sword, or corona virus or stay at home orders? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:31-39).
Nothing, nothing is gonna stop us! Nothing is gonna stop Jesus! Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, now and forever. Amen.