Sermon:
June 17, 2001
Sunday Night Alive!

Scripture:
Acts 16:25-34

In Philippi, a city in Macedonia, Paul and Silas cast a demon out of a slave girl who was a fortune-teller. This caused the girl’s masters to have Paul and Silas brought before the local authorities, beaten with rods, and thrown in prison, lock, stock, and barrel ...

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened.  When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.” Let us pray…

This Father’s Day sermon is addressed to fathers, but I think that it applies to anyone wanting to make an impact on those around them. And don’t worry. It’s not about advice giving. As John Wilmot, the Earl of Rochester said, “Before I was married I had three theories about raising children. Now I have three children and no theories.” Instead, the issue is this: As a Christian father, have I taken my faith home with me? Why is the evidence of my faith so scarce on the home front? How can I make the biggest impact on those around me?

Being a perfectionist may not work. Pat Morley, a very successful businessman, author, Christian speaker, husband and father, tells a story on himself in his book, The Man in the Mirror:

I’m a perfectionist by nature. I like things to be just so. This doesn’t mix well with tiny creatures drooling over everything in sight. When our two children were toddlers, I was always uptight about the new scratches which showed up daily in our coffee table. This was a real point of contention with my wife, who could care less about such matters. My blood boiled when I spotted a new nick in the luster of the smooth-grained wood.

Finally Patsy couldn’t take it anymore and said, “You leave my children alone!  I’ll not have you ruining a million dollar child over a $300 table!’” 

Always having to be in control may not work either. Another devoted father was teaching his son how to operate the lawnmower. The dad was walking alongside his son shouting precautions and tips. His wife called to him from the door, and while they were talking the mower got away from the boy, cutting a swath two feet wide through a beautiful flower bed. As the father was chewing out his son, the mother called out again. This time she said, “Remember John, we’re raising children, not flowers.” Ouch. Two strikes against the dads!

On the other hand, therapists say that a father has the biggest influence on the self-esteem or lack of esteem of his children. A lot today is depending on fathers, and nearly half the homes in the U.S. do not have a father living in them. What is true for children’s self-esteem is also true for faith. Billy Graham has learned that for families in which a child came to Christ first, 25% of them saw the entire family become Christians. When the wife came first, 40-50% of the families all accepted Christ. But when the father came to faith in Christ first, the entire family came to Christ in 60% of the cases. 

A minister asked a group of children in Sunday school class, “Why do you love God?” He got a variety of answers, but the one he liked best was from a boy who said, “I guess it just runs in our family.”

If only that were us! The problem is, to our forefathers the Christian faith was an experience. To our fathers it was an inheritance. To our generation it is a convenience. And to our children it is a nuisance. We have to become pro-active. What is it that ignites passion from one generation to the next?

Last week I was listening to Dr. Laura on my drive to do hospital visits. A Jewish woman was calling her, very upset and wondering what to do because her son announced he was marrying an Episcopalian girl. It had shattered the mother’s dreams for her son and their family. Dr. Laura found out that the family only attended synagogue on the holy days, and they weren’t very passionate about it. “Of course things get watered down from parent to child. Unless you are passionate about something, your children won’t see it as important at all, based on their experience with you.”

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Acts 16:31.  It’s not a guarantee, but it’s a powerful promise! What a powerful impact the father brings to the family’s faith, or lack of faith. The account of the Philippian jailer is a great example of how you and I can make the biggest impact on our homes and those around us. He was teachable, willing to ask for help in his faith. He was passionate and felt a sense of urgency for his family. He was also willing to bring his faith home, worshiping and celebrating. Let’s look at his encounter with Paul and Silas.

Some would say there were three miracles that day. First there were two men, beaten unmercifully, locked up in prison in the inner ward, their feet fastened and legs forced into a cramping position, their futures uncertain because of the hostility of the authorities and the racism of the people – praying and singing! It’s not too surprising that they were praying, but singing? And they were loud – the whole prison heard them.

Picture the scene.  Silas says to Paul:

“Brother Paul, we’ve just had the tar beaten out of us. How are you?”

“I’m in major pain.”

“Will they beat us again? What are we going to do?”

“First, Silas, we’ll pray. Then, let’s sing!”

“Sing?”

“Yes. Sing. Remember what Jesus said, ‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be happy, for great is your reward in heaven.’ I’m feeling so darn blessed right now, I don’t know what to do except sing!”

How strange that must have sounded in that place. Who knows what hardened cases were in that prison? Who knows what was going on there? The other prisoners must have heard the commotion in the city, and maybe even the beatings; but then to hear the name of Jesus, and psalms, and hymns of praise? It must have at least made them curious.

Then, there was the earthquake. The foundations were shaken. The doors were opened, and everyone’s chains fell off. The earthquake awoke the sleeping jailer. He saw the prison doors open, and drew his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing the prisoners had fled.  After all, what else would prisoners do, given the chance? He was disgraced. The prison seemed empty. He would be held accountable. His last charge had been to keep the two Jews secure.  Now they were gone, not to mention the others. He would die one way or another; better to die now than face arrest, torture perhaps, and crucifixion or some other public form of death. And here’s the third miracle.

Just before he thrust the sword through himself, Paul called out with a loud voice, “We’re all still here! Don’t do it!” The jailer ran into the prison. It was true! He fell down before the two Christians. Some power greater than any he had ever known had kept each prisoner riveted, restrained in his cell. Whatever the explanation, it was connected with Paul and Silas. 

There was something about them. Perhaps the jailer knew the real reason for their arrest. Maybe he had heard the message of their mission around town. Maybe they had responded with kindness to his threats and rough treatment when he locked them up. Perhaps he heard their singing before he went to bed. All he knew was that his narrow escape from death was somehow related to these two men. Greater than the shaking of the prison was the shaking of this man to his very soul.

The man was now thoroughly convinced. He had been brought into contact with a quality of life superior to any he had known. His first reaction was to bring them to where he could get a better look at them. His second reaction was to ask them how he could be saved. He knew he didn’t measure up. He knew that he wouldn’t have saved them, had the roles been reversed. Maybe it was that death had stared him in the face. Whatever it was, he knew he was lost and he needed to be saved. He asked the men, “What must I do to be saved?” He became willing to surrender, to ask for help. He was teachable.

Do? All the doing has been done. Done by Jesus by his perfect life and sacrificial death.  “Believe!” That was the word now. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”  It’s as simple as that. Believe: not in a creed but in Christ, not in a statement of faith, not in baptism, not in good works, not in rite or ritual – but in the Lord Jesus Christ, the awesome, living, dynamic person who is alive forevermore and is mighty to save. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”

The jailer immediately brought his prisoners into his house. He was passionate. It was time to move! His sense of urgency and passion was for nothing other than caring for his family and sharing his faith with them. His first thought had been his own soul. His second thought was for his family. His wife. His children. They would be thinking the worst. They knew the strict Roman code. If one prisoner escaped, the jailer’s life was forfeit. He must hurry home and the two Christians must come. His family must hear the news; they, too, must be saved.

All the hearts of the household heard and took in the words of life, and their hearts were opened to the Gospel. The Holy Spirit worked through them and the family to bring the whole household to Christ.

The jailer’s first act as a Christian was to take the sponge and water and gently wash away the blood and grime and tend his prisoners’ wounds. He could not set them free but he could ease their pain. Picture that scene: the tough jailer gently ministering to the physical needs of his prisoners as they, a moment before, had ministered to his spiritual needs. That’s what the Gospel does. God changes lives.

He was baptized, and his whole household with him. Then they ate together. Think how hungry Paul and Silas must have been. Paul and Silas rejoiced, the jailer rejoiced, his family rejoiced.  They had experienced God.

Notice that they didn’t wait until Sunday at the church to break into worship. They worshiped in their home. The jailer was willing to bring it all home. Prayer, worship, and celebration were all right there at his home.

Before her death, Morrow Coffey Graham wrote a little book about her experiences as the mother of Billy Graham, the man who would preach the Gospel to more people than any other in history.

My husband and I established a family altar the day we were married and we carried that through. In the breakfast room I always kept a scripture calendar with a verse for the day. Each morning we read that, too, and prayed to the Lord. Often as I packed the children’s school lunches, I could hear my husband talking to the children. He helped them memorize literally hundreds of Bible verses.

Family altars – a daily time of prayer and Bible reading - in your home. It sounds pretty strange.  It sounds pretty awkward. Yet if there’s one thing I’ve learned and am still working on, it is being intentional. If we are not intentional in spending time with our children, teaching and sharing, they will fall for anything. Wall Street and Hollywood spend trillions of dollars in order to get my children’s attention for things like sugared water (pop) and shoes. But I’ve got one thing a trillion dollars can’t buy. I’m their dad! At least for a little while, I’m better than Superman in their eyes. Still, though, it’s stiff competition. I have to be just as exacting and creative in reaching my children.

I need to create a family altar. After all, a family altar can alter a family. Do you pray for children around you? Have you claimed the promise of the jailer, to be teachable, passionate, and willing to bring it home? Have you shared what’s most important with those who are most important to you?

If someone were to ask a friend or child of yours “Why do you love God?”, could they give the answer: “I guess it just runs in our family”?

Let us pray:  Heavenly Father, you have loved us with a perfect love. Help us now as those who need your guidance to reach out to our loved ones, that they may experience you through us.  Help us to establish our homes with altars to you, that we might glorify you with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength. Bless each of our homes with your caring and love. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.