A CONVERSION (ACTS 16:25-34)

1) On February 9^th of this year a US submarine rammed a Japanese fishing boat.

2) The commander of the sub (Scott Waddle) is being held responsible for the incident.

3) This tragedy has some resemblance to a story found in Acts 16.

4) There was a man who was a jailor. His job was to keep prisoners in prison.

5) One evening there was an earthquake.

6) This earthquake is described by the word great (Acts 16:26a).

a) This jailor lived in area where earthquakes were common.

b) However, this earthquake displayed some special qualities.

c) It was sudden and it was violent.

d) The earthquake was so bad that the text says:

e) The foundations of the prison house were shaken,

f) And all the doors to the jail cells were opened,

g) The prisoner’s bands (restraints) “were loosed.”

7) We do not know what the sub commander thought when he realized his vessel had sunk a ship.

8) We do have a pretty good as to what the prison keeper was thinking after the earthquake.

9) Let’s take a second look at verse 27.

a) The jailor was ready to take his life.

b) He woke up and because he saw that the cell doors open he “drew his sword.”

c) He was going to kill himself based upon the assumption that his prisoners had escaped.

d) The word “escaped” is in the perfect tense.

e) This man believed that his prisoners had escaped and they were still fleeing.

f) His prisoners, in his mind, were gone. They were long gone.

g) This tells us something about the jailor.

h) This man took responsibility for his actions.

i) He wasn’t going to blame any escapes on the earthquake.

j) He wouldn’t pass the blame off on someone else (perhaps a hired guard).

k) He took responsibility for what he believed was an escape.

l) If this man can be faulted we must dock him a few points for hastiness.

m) He jumped to a conclusion without having all the facts.

n) Because this man drew a premature and wrong conclusion a Christian intervened.

o) The apostle Paul cried out to the jailor with the words recorded in verse 28.

i) Paul spoke with a “loud voice.”

ii) The great earthquake and the loud voice are the same word in the original text.

iii) Thus, the picture is one of Paul shouting to the jailor.

iv) J.B. Phillips translates this as, “at the top of his voice.”

v) Since most preachers have a good set of lungs Paul probably made an impression.

10) THE JAILOR STOPPED TO EVALUATE THE SITUATION (VERSE 29).

a) As we examine these words is there anything that strikes us as odd?

b) This man is “trembling” and he is in a state of fear. Why?

c) Someone might say that the man was trembling because of the earthquake.

d) He feared that the quake would cause additional damage.

e) This is not the explanation implied by the text.

f) The jailor had his wits about him.

g) He woke up and he realized that the prisoners might have escaped.

h) He realized he was responsible for his prisoners and their escape would be a serious problem.

i) He apparently decided to deal with this matter by taking his life.

j) Before he ends his life he hears that everyone is present and he calls for the lights.

k) Here is a man who is in control of the situation.

l) The text describes a man who is mentally alert and able to function.

m) Something besides the earthquake caused this man to fear and tremble.

n) What was it? Verse 29 gives us the answer.

o) This man “fell down before Paul and Silas.”

i) Remember who this man was. He was a jailor.

ii) This man was the fellow who was supposed to keep people locked up.

iii) He had cast Paul and Silas into the inner prison, verse 24.

iv) These men had been given the opportunity to escape but they didn’t take it.

v) When the jailor was ready to kill himself one of these prisoners had stopped him.

vi) Can we imagine what would happen in a modern prison of this scene were repeated?

vii) If the doors to the outside were opened and guards wanted to kill themselves,
How many prisoners would refuse to leave and say to the guards, “Don’t take your life”?

viii) This is what had happened to this man.

ix) The jailor’s life had been saved by someone he had recently incarcerated.

11) This man’s experience caused him to fall down before two preachers and ask a question.

a) Verse 30.

b) There have always been those who have little interest in obtaining salvation.

c) Salvation is something that might be important some day but not now.

d) Salvation is viewed as an important item when we get old or close to death, but not now.

e) We don’t know how old the jailor was but we know he had a frightening experience.

f) He now wants to know what he must do to be saved.

g) How did this man know that these preachers could tell him about salvation?

h) The answer can be found by looking at our day and itme.

i) Those who work in law enforcement or corrections have an idea of what is going on in town.

j) Paul and Silas had been preaching for some time.

k) These preachers had been taken before the city rulers (16:19b).

l) Going before the city rulers, just like now, becomes part of the local news.

m) The jailor had surely had received some information about Paul and Silas.

n) After his experience in the jail he wants to know about salvation.

o) Some have alleged that the jailor wanted to know what he needed to do to save his job.

p) The salvation he wanted was job security.

q) This explanation runs contrary to the story.

r) This interpretation also makes little sense. All of the prisoners were present.

s) Instead of losing his job jailor may have been commended for not losing any of the inmates.

t) When these preachers spoke about salvation they didn’t discuss job security.

u) Just as people in our day get close to death and think about the next life so it was with this man.

v) This man asked about God and salvation.

w) The preachers said that the jailor needed to “believe in Jesus” (Acts 16:31).

12) THERE ARE SOME GOOD PEOPLE WHO ARE FAMILIAR WITH THIS ACCOUNT AND THEY SHARE VERSE 31 WITH THOSE WHO WANT TO BE SAVED.

a) This is good. People must believe in Jesus if desire to be saved.

b) We cannot be saved by believing in Buddha, Mohammed, or any other religious character.

c) Jesus claimed that He is the way to the Father, Jn. 14:6.

d) Though we must believe in Jesus, salvation requires more than believing some facts about Jesus.

i) Let’s back up to the 10^th verse in Acts 16.

ii) READ verse 10

iii) The gospel was preached. Who is it preached to? Verses 13-14.

iv) There were people who were interested in the gospel.

v) A woman named Lydia had such an interest that she “gave heed” to what Paul had to say.

vi) Another man who was willing to hear the gospel was a jailor, Acts 16:30.

vii) Have we ever noticed how similar two verses in Acts 16 are?

viii) Let’s compare verse 14 with verse 32.

ix) “Things were spoken by Paul” (verse 14).

x) “They spake the word of the Lord unto him, with all that were in his house” (verse 32).

xi) Do people need to believe in Jesus—verse 31? Yes!

xii) Are there “things to be spoken” unto those who believe in Christ? Yes.

xiii) What did Paul say to Lydia, the jailor, and the jailor’s family?

xiv) The Bible doesn’t specify what was taught.

xv) We are, however, given this little detail.

xvi) Information was given to the jailor (verse 32) and verse 33 says, READ

13) The jailor believed in Jesus, other information was given to him, and he was then baptized.

14) This is what happened with Lydia as well.

15) The jailor’s baptism contains some interesting facts.

16) The earthquake occurred about midnight according to verse 25.

17) “The same hour of the night” (about 1 in the morning, verse 33), this man was baptized.

a) Why baptize someone at 1 in the morning?

b) Why be baptized immediately (straightaway) as this man was?

c) The answer is found in Mk. 16:16.

d) To be saved we must believe in Jesus.

e) We must be willing to live as the Bible describes.

f) We must be willing to confess Christ as Lord, and we must be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.

g) This is what the jailor did.

h) After this man was baptized notice what is said (verse 34).

i) The words rejoiced greatly come from a single word in the Greek text.

i) The definition of this single word is significant.

ii) EDNT (1:8): “The word designates the joy and exultation over the salvation which God
has given and promised through Jesus.”

j) This word describes people who have joy because they have been saved.

k) This definition harmonizes with Acts 2.

l) Some are very familiar with Acts 2:46.

m) The word translated “rejoiced greatly” is used in Acts 2:46.

n) Day by day Christians met with each other and these Christians had gladness (same word).

o) This word describes the great joy that Christians have.

p) When does the Bible say the jailor received the great joy possessed by Christians?

q) It was after he was baptized.

r) He believed, he was baptized, and when he returned to the house he rejoiced greatly.

s) The use of this term plus the definition of the word shows that baptism is required for salvation.

t) This man “believed in God” (verse 34b) and He did what God required.

u) If we are a Christian fellowship Christians who should create in us gladness & joy, Acts 2:46.

v) If we are not a Christian we can be like the jailor. We can have gladness and joy.

w) This comes by doing what Lydia, the jailor, and his family did.

x) Are we ready to obey the word of the Lord?