In the sermon titled 'Refusing the Convenient for the Good of the Church,' Trent Moody discusses the actions of Paul and Silas as depicted in Acts 16. After an earthquake that opened the prison doors, Paul and Silas chose not to escape for their own convenience but instead returned to the prison. This decision was made to protect the Philippian jailer and to set a precedent that preaching the gospel was not illegal. The magistrates, who had beaten and imprisoned Paul and Silas without a trial, were afraid upon learning they were Roman citizens. Paul’s refusal to leave quietly was not out of personal vindictiveness but to ensure the church's good reputation and to prevent future persecution of Christians. The sermon emphasizes Paul's love and sacrifice for the church and urges believers to prioritize the church's welfare over personal convenience, reflecting on how such actions can encourage and strengthen the church community. The message draws heavily on the book of Philippians to highlight Paul's motivations and commitment to the gospel and the church.

Now, when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them, and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household. And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, saying, Let those men go. So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul saying, the magistrates have sent to let you go, now therefore depart and go in peace. But Paul said to them, have they beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison, and now do they put us out secretly? No, indeed, let them come themselves and get us out." And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans.

And then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out and asked them to depart from the city. So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia. And when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed. Would you pray with me? Our Heavenly Father, we want to thank you and praise you dear Lord for your goodness and for your mercy to us.

Lord, you have given us the living word of God. Lord, we have not come with a desire to hear from the wisdom of man, but we have come to hear the very words of God. And Lord, we so pray that your spirit would do that great work that only he can do. That is to quicken dead souls, that is to teach us all the things that you would have us to know from this passage. Lord, you have laid this passage before us as our passage of instruction for this day and you've done it for your glory and you've done it for our good and Lord I pray that you would please help me help me Lord to to lay out before your people that which will be a help to them.

That it would be an encouragement, Lord, that it would exhort us to righteousness and godly living. That it would be also very inspiring to us to see the great love of Jesus Christ and the life living out in the life of the Apostle Paul and Silas and others Lord who have gone before us and I pray oh Lord that you would truly indeed bless this time and we ask it in Christ's name. Amen. You may be seated. I'd like to have like for you to have this text in 2 Timothy 2 verse 10 in your mind and if you would, this passage that I'm going to read to you, I really desire that you in a sense will carry this with you through the entirety of this message today.

In 2nd Timothy 2 10, the Bible says this regarding Paul, therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." Let me read it again. Therefore, Paul says, I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." So I want you to mark that and pull it with you in your mind throughout this message. As we begin, I did pull in from the last time when we preached in the book of Acts because in the book of Acts there is so much narrative here, there's so much that is drawing from what just took place and what's going to take place. I'm hoping to bring our attention back into the context of this passage. And if you'll note in your outline there that you have in front of you, amazingly this morning there's one point.

When I was in Bible College, one of our professors gave us this great advice and he said every sermon should have at least one point, and I agree with that this morning. We want to have one point at least this morning that we can grab hold of and take with us. And if you'll see they are refusing the convenience for the good of the church, or the convenient for the good of the church. So what I hope to do in this last section of Acts chapter 16, And I kind of led you on to believe that we would be in Divert Chapter 17, but that just is not going to happen this morning. We'll be there next time.

But one of the things that I wanted to lay out for us is the details that we are given here that seemingly, they seem somewhat insignificant, but I hope to bring forth the meaning for us and I hope to draw out for us in this narrative an accurate and helpful application for us this morning that you can really set your teeth in or that you can really grab ahold of and take it with you throughout this week and really throughout your life. Our text picks up right after the verses where you would think in verse 34, you would think that would be such a great ending to a chapter into regarding the Philippian jailer. Let's read it again. Now when he had brought them into the house, he set food before them and he rejoiced having believed in God with all his household, period. But it keeps going.

There's actually more to this story that God in his sovereignty and in his good pleasure desired for us to know and to understand, one about who he is, but also that we would learn from the example of the apostle Paul and really from Silas here that we would learn from them and that we would grow in our understanding of what God would have us to do. So this is not the ending of the chapter, verse 34, but we have this great text before us and somewhere between verse 34 and verse 35, Paul and Silas had made their way back to the ruins of the prison. Did you make that out? Did you catch that? Look in verse 34.

Now when he brought them into his house, But then in verse 35, and when it was day, the magistrate sent the officers saying, let these men go. And if you'll look in some of the other places of context, verse 37 for instance, he says, let them come themselves and get us out. Paul and Silas between verse 34 and verse 35 had made their way back to the prison and to some degree were still in bonds or in chains. Maybe not in chains but they were at least within the prison or what was left of it after the earthquake had done its damage to this prison. And so it speaks to us this morning of something of the character of Paul and Silas.

And so I'm not sure whose idea it was to go back and let's go back to the prison. You've cleaned us up, you've given us food to eat, and now we're going to go back and sit in the prison. It shows, I believe, the character of the apostle Paul. You see, it's interesting because I'm confident that Paul and Silas were careful to do all things for the sake of the elect. You remember the verse I told you to carry with you.

Paul says, therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. You see they must have returned to the prison because if they had not returned to the prison and had thus made their escape from the jailer's house, what would have happened to this Philippian jailer, this no-name jailer. Remember I mentioned this last time, this man who we have no name for but yet so much is written regarding and how God had brought Paul and Silas here to this prison so that this man would be born again. Not only this man but also the entirety of his household that God would save this man and all in his house who believed. It was truly a great working of God.

And so Paul and Silas made their way back to that prison for the sake, I believe, of this Philippian jailer, but as we will see, I believe for more reasons as well. And so I want to begin, and as we look through this passage of Scripture, I'm going to ask some questions that I hope to answer and help to expand our thinking a little bit upon this passage of Scripture and then as we get through this text I'm going to take us to the book of Philippians just for us for in conclusion of this text so that we can see some of the answers I believe will be pulled from that book of the Bible, that epistle, that will help us understand fully what Paul was doing here in Acts chapter 16. So the question is this, why did the magistrates now want them to leave? Seemingly less than 12 hours ago they had grabbed these men, they had stripped them of their clothes, and they had had them beaten. They had put their feet in stocks in the inner prison.

What is it that changed their minds so quickly? I don't believe that it was conviction. I do believe, however, that we are going to see what it was, and I believe that the only thing that happened from that time, according to these officers and the magistrates, between when they were put into the prison after being beaten and in stocks to the time this morning it says here in verse 35 and when it was day so practically at daylight they came to them warning them to be let go and so I believe that the only thing that took place between those two times that would have so dramatically moved these magistrates to change their minds is the earthquake that God had sent to destroy this prison, to throw open all the doors, and to throw off the chains of all the prisoners. And we'll talk about that in just a moment of what the meaning of that is and why that would have moved them. But before we do it, I want to look at another thing.

And when it was day, verse 35, the magistrates sent the officers. Literally these officers were one who carries a rod or a staff. This is fascinating in my mind. It would seem that these were the same ones who beat them with rods. Just in the just a few verses earlier they were beaten with rods and they they had called these men to do that.

I could imagine that the sight of these officers would have led to some uneasy feelings of Paul and Silas. It seems as if they would have known what was going on because of the the sound carrying throughout the jail, but at this time their message was not with rods but with words. They had come with a message. The first message was to beat them and to strip them of their clothing. The second message was let them go.

What is it that happened between these two time periods? What provoked this change of heart? Because remember they did change because in one point they're beating them, the next moment they're wanting them to leave. Did they suddenly gain a conscience? I kind of doubt it.

What was it? Had there there had been no trial to prove their innocence? Were they convinced of their innocence that they should be let go? The only thing again that can come to my mind that makes sense is this earthquake that not only shook the prison but shook them. I believe it shook them in this sense.

One commentator, Barnes, writes, "'It is evident from the narrative "'that it was not contemplated at first "'to release them so soon, "'but it is not known what produced this change and purpose in the magistrates. It is probable however that they had been brought to reflection somewhat as the jailer had by the earthquake and that their conscience had been troubled by the fact that in order to please the multitude, they had actually called strangers to be beaten and imprisoned without a trial and contrary to Roman law. An earthquake, he says, is always suited to alarm the guilty, and among the Romans it was regarded as an omen of the anger of the gods and was therefore adapted to produce agitation and even remorse. I believe that it was the earthquake that God had sent to release Paul and Silas that did this very thing so agitate them that it caused them to want to get rid of Paul and Silas instead of to keep them bound. But as Barnes points out, it's not unusual for crowds, as we saw earlier in the passage in this chapter, that the crowds will stir up actions that are later regretted when they realize, because typically when a crowd is stirred up, the law is nearly always broken in some form or fashion, even the law of the Romans, even the laws of the secular state.

And so we see in verse 19, back in verse 19 of chapter 16, that the slave girls masters drugged them to the marketplace, to the authorities. Verse 22 we read, the multitude rose up together against them and then the magistrates again tore off their clothes and had them beaten with rods. They obviously did not know Exodus 23 which speaks this, you shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. You shall not follow a crowd to do evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute, so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice." If they had known the law of God, perhaps they would not have broken the law of God.

But justice surely had been broken. Justice was not served. It had surely been perverted and in this case and now through the earthquake though I don't believe fully understood in the right sense of the Lord God Almighty sent this earthquake to to rebuke them for what they had done and to release them, release Paul and Silas, but I believe they understood it enough to sense there was a fearful mistake that they had made regarding these men. They had done no wrong. They had not broken the law.

They had not done what they said. They were not doing this teaching customs which are not lawful for us being Romans to receive or observe. This was not true. This was a false testimony. But as wicked rulers often do, they sent someone else to let them go when actually they should have been the ones to come and let them go.

So what did they do? They told the jailer to tell them. They sent the officers, officers you go tell them. The officers told the jailer you go tell them and they told them and they told this jailer. And you know it's interesting as you look at this passage you see the jailer he comes in as if in verse 36 so the keeper of the prisoner of the jailer reported these words to Paul saying and I have to say it in this voice because it just seems the text demands it, the magistrates have sent to let you go.

Now therefore depart and go in peace. He's coming with good news. They're letting you go. Isn't that wonderful? Well, how was Paul going to respond to this good news?

You know it's interesting the magistrates, they believe that it would have been good news. The officers no doubt thought that it would have been good news. The jailer thought that it would have been good news. The officers no doubt thought that it would have been good news. The jailer thought that it would have been good news for Paul and Silas, but was it good news for Paul and Silas?

Why was Paul unwilling to depart? That's really the question that has been burdening my mind and my thinking this week as I've considered this passage. Why was he so unwilling? You know at first glance it seems as if it is some personal thing with Paul. If we're not careful, we could read into it an attitude that Paul most likely, I don't believe, had.

Let's read the passage in verse 37. But Paul said to them, they have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed. Let them come themselves and get us out.

My temptation is to read it with what I would say if I was in Paul's shoes and I was down there in the prison and now they're sending officers and I would say they've beaten us? Openly? Uncondemned Americans? No way! They're not getting away with this.

They have thrown us into prison. Now they put us out secretly? No way! I'm calling the newspaper. No indeed!

Let them come and get me out. We'll see how that goes. That would have been my attitude, but I do not believe it was Paul's. Will you go with me back to the verse that I asked you to drag with you through this message and what does it say? Paul's testimony of himself, therefore I endure all things, why?

For the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. And thus my one singular point that I'm hoping we glean from this and hold on to is that refusing the convenient for the good of the church. I want to challenge each of us as we walk through this that we consider those things in which like the Apostle Paul and like most importantly the Lord Jesus Christ himself, he refused the convenient for the sake of the church. If that is the case, and that is my premise this morning, that he was doing that very thing, how should we interpret and understand this passage, specifically this part here where Paul said, no, let them come and get us out. It seems again as if he was he was doing something to be somewhat to stick it to them, but I want you to understand in Paul's statement here we're going to kind of walk down through this and see what all is said here.

There's a lot in this one verse here that Paul is wanting to get us get to for us to understand. He says this, they have beaten us publicly or openly, uncondemned men that are Romans. That's basically the gist of it. One man remarks this, that almost every word in this reply contains a distinct allegation. He said it would be difficult to find a frame of a sentence more superior to it in point of energetic brevity.

Oh, would I learn that lesson. May the Lord help me. Energetic brevity in my message. And that's what he said was done here, that Paul was saying all of these words had so much energy in them and they got to the point. Cicero relates that there was a Roman citizen at one point in time scourged in Manasseh and that in the midst of the noise of the rod Nothing was heard from his mouth but these words, I am a Roman citizen.

I am a Roman citizen." You see it is written, it is a dreadful deed to bind a Roman citizen. It is a crime to scourge a Roman citizen. It is almost parasite or the killing of a parent to put him to death. What these magistrates were doing and what they did to Paul and Silas was against Roman law. But how would that help Paul now?

He's already been imprisoned, he's already been beaten, he's already been used spitefully. How would it now benefit Paul to be able to say, no, you come get us out. Now, if he had pressed the issue, it could have benefited him in at least one sense in thinking that because you have done this, now you will be the one who is perhaps in prison or beaten or even put to death. But I see nowhere in the scripture where Paul has that type of attitude and therefore I'm not going to go there because I don't believe that that is the gist of the passage. I don't think that is what he's doing.

You know, there was physical pain, but the physical pain would not be healed by making the magistrate squirm because of his injustice. He was beaten openly. You see, this was no private matter. Paul and Silas, it says, were beaten openly. They were beaten in front of the crowd.

There was a multitude, it says in verse 22, then the multitude rose up together against them and the magistrate tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods and when they had laid many stripes on them They threw them into prison Commanding the jailer to keep them securely This was a public affair. It was no private matter. This beating was done in the square. It was done in front of everyone before all. And what was the impression that must have been made?

The impression was no doubt that these men are guilty of law breaking. They have done some great crime in order to strip them and to beat them right in the middle of the public square in front of everyone to see. So part of what I believe Paul was getting at in his refusal of the convenient for the good of the church was to demonstrate that what they were doing in preaching the gospel was not illegal and in fact was not scandalous in that sense against Roman law, but he was actually doing that which God commanded. He was proclaiming the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, he was setting captives free and he was proclaiming the lordship of Jesus Christ. But next he makes this statement, Uncondemned Romans.

They were Uncondemned Romans because a Roman citizen was absolutely given the right to a trial by his his peers. There was a process by which should have taken place. Not having a proper judicial process was a crime in itself. Implying here is one un-condemned man, or two men in this case, who were taken unlawfully and beaten and imprisoned. Now the significance of this is this, that in the first century Roman law strictly protected citizens from corporal punishment.

Not only that, especially without a trial, and a right that was established by law some nearly 500, over 500 years before this in 509 BC, this was established. These laws exempted Roman citizens from degrading and shameful punishment, from such things as whipping, scourging, and crucifixion, and established the right to have a trial before people or some form of tribune. Therefore, such penalties could be applied back on to the person who did it, to that magistrate that did that very thing. And then he says they have thrown us into prison. Again, this was seen as a sin of guilt or at least implicating guilt on their behalf and on their part and was not to be done without a trial.

So was Paul simply demanding his rights as a Roman citizen or was there more? Think with me just for a moment about 1st Peter and what Peter writes regarding those who have been beaten or suffered wrongfully in chapter 2 verse 19. For this is commendable, Peter says, if because of conscience towards God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently. But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his steps, who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth, who when he was reviled, he did not revile in return, when he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously, who himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we having died to sin might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray but now have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls." I believe that Paul had this same mentality as he was experiencing this grave difficulty in this trial of being beaten, wrongly accused, and thrown into prison. I believe that what is at stake here was not simply that Paul was going to stick it to the magistrate, but that Paul being Paul, He looked to the bigger issue at hand. Again, back to our verse, you remember it, I believe that his eyes were always on kingdom work. He's not a perfect man.

I'm not here to present the Apostle Paul as if he is another Christ. He is a man who had sinned grievously as his own testimony declares, but he was also a man that we know had given himself up to the Lord Jesus Christ. The love of Christ compelled him, And I believe that is what compelled Paul to refuse the convenient for the sake of the church. And I want to fill this out some more. I believe that Paul was not just considering the significance of the present moment, but I think he was considering future circumstances and instances where other believers would be persecuted for their faith, and I believe that he wanted to at least give these men, these magistrates, pause before they ever acted so rashly again and to be drawn away with the revilings of a multitude.

And I believe that this is part of what he was doing. Calvin notes this. He says, but we must mark that he meant nothing less, but that he might ease the brethren somewhat afterward, that the magistrates might not be so bold as to rage so freely against the good and innocent brethren. Because he had gotten his head under their girdle, " I love how they used to talk about that, That is so funny to me. Because he had gotten their heads under his girdle, he translated his right to help the brethren that they might be born with.

This was the cause for which he did chide them. And so Paul did wisely use the opportunity of offering him as we might neglect nothing which may take for the bridling of the enemies that they take not to themselves so much liberty to oppress or to vex the innocent. For as much as the Lord bringeth to our hands, such help is not in vain." Those are the things that we need to be considering brothers and sisters. If we are ever in some form of trial or difficulty, in some sense, be it very less than this no doubt in our time, the struggles and the difficulties that we face are not even to be compared to what Paul and Silas were dealing with. But if we could live with such a mind that we are considering not ourselves only, but also our other brothers and sisters around us presently and also those who would come in the future.

And therefore we take strong stands against bad laws and against bad people doing bad things, wanting to press in upon the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ so that we can secure the liberties and the rights of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ going forward. And I believe that is what Paul was doing. So the question next is this, and as you know I keep asking these questions hoping to answer them and I believe that the drawstring will be pulled in the end, so bear with me. In verse 38 and 39, why were the magistrates afraid? Well, we touched on this already a bit, but let's read it.

It says, and the officers told these words to the magistrates, these words of Paul, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans, and then came and pleaded with them and brought them out and asked them to depart from the city. Again, violating the rights of a Roman citizen as they had done without even so much as a trial was considered a serious offense against Roman law and against a Roman citizen and the overall civic identity which they carried about as Romans. They desire to have peace and a special privilege for those who were considered Roman citizens. And so of this course, this man, this magistrate, or these magistrates, plural, include part of the punishment would include execution for doing this to a Roman citizen. One of the things that we see here that they were afraid but they were not repentant.

You know, one of the dangers of the human conscience is this, to be afraid of things but not repentant. That when we are faced with the fact and the reality of God, we are fearful but not repentant. These magisters here did not move from that fear to repentance to salvation. You see the greatest good would not be that they would drive them from their city. In their minds that was the greatest good that can happen.

They wanted to hush this thing down. They wanted to cover it up so no one else heard about it so that they would not be then punished. And they thought in their mind the greatest act that could have happened was let's keep this quiet and let's move them on. But they totally missed what the greatest thing could have been. The greatest thing that they could have ever done is say, men and brethren, what must we do to be saved?

Men and brethren, would you continue to proclaim the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, not only here in this prison, but in all the city? And not only in this city, but across the whole Roman world would you proclaim this gospel, because it sets captives free. But these men were so blinded by their own self-interest that they could not even discern the greatest need of their soul. They pleaded with them. Interestingly, this word is the same word used in Titus chapter 2 verse 6 where it says, exhort the young men.

They exhorted them or pleaded with them to depart. They wanted Paul and Silas to leave so that the abuse would not be discovered. Not so that they could be redeemed or to set right what they had done wrong. They were not as concerned about justice and restitution as they were about saving their own skin. You see, they did not fear the judgment of God as much as they feared the judgment of men.

There's a verse about that. It's found in Luke chapter 12, and Jesus says, and I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do to you. But I will show you whom you should fear. Fear him, who after he has killed has power to cast into hell. I say to you, fear him." Reality check just for a moment.

How many of us are more concerned about what others think of us than what God knows of us. How often are we concerned about what others think of the things that we do or say or watch or wear. When the real question is this, what does God think about it? May we have such a heart that we would not be like these magistrates, but that we would live our lives before the face of God like the Apostle Paul, who was willing, he said, to even pour himself out as a drink offering. He was willing in 2nd Timothy here, as we read, He says, I endure all things for the sake of the elect.

Why is it brothers and sisters that we do the things we do and don't do the things we don't do? Is it truly for the sake of the elect? Is it for the glory of God? Or is it for our own glory or for some other reason that we have that that just really doesn't make sense and is not really Christian? I want us to consider these things as very important because I believe they are important to God.

Like too many there's more concern about what man thinks than what God thinks. But let's move on to verse 40. What is it that now made Paul depart? In verse 40, it says, so they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia and they and when they had seen the brethren they encouraged them and departed. You know it would seem that Paul in this instance wanted to make a point not a problem.

He could have pressed the issue with someone over the magistrates. He had witnesses galore that saw what everything took place, all that took place with him and how they were they were stripped and beaten and thrown in prison with no trial, Paul could have pressed the issue. You know sometimes the best thing that we do is not press the issue if the sake of the gospel is at hand. If there's a greater good that can be done for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ and for the sake of the elect, and I believe that is what motivated Paul in this instance. He was not simply concerned about his rights as much as he was about the rights of the Lord Jesus Christ over all the earth.

So what made Paul depart now? You see, he used his Roman citizenship but not to the fullest extent. He could have pressed but he chose instead not to. He went on as we learn in chapter 17 and we'll see next time he went on to other cities to preach the gospel. But first, Paul had a stop to make.

Lydia's house. We remember Lydia. We spent some time with Lydia and her household and think about all the good that has come through the preaching the Apostle Paul in this place for the sake of Lydia and for her household and then for the Philippian jailer. And we know here what a great good this was done. He went to Lydia's house, and those who were brethren who were there, this small little church, they wanted, it says, to encourage them.

Well, a couple things here that come to my attention. They went to Lydia's house. You know often sometimes the greatest good we don't always see. Little seeds of the gospel. Here this afternoon we're going to be going out, we're going to be knocking on individual doors of individual households and we're going to speak to them and engage them with gospel conversation.

We're going to desire for them to know the Lord Jesus Christ, to be able to hear us and to listen to the things that we're going to say and by God's grace that they would believe the gospel and turn from their ways. But you know what? There may be none today. There may be one today. And the point I think that Paul gets here is that he was not discouraged though the congregation be small.

He was not discouraged that something small, some little seed that was planted in a huge field, he was not concerned that only a few seeds took root, but he was glorifying God that any of the seeds bore fruit, and they were growing up. Notice, it's not only Lydia, but the brethren. This seed which he had sown is growing though it be so small. But no wait, what about the Philippian jailer? But no wait, What about his household?

And so God was beginning to do a small work, but then we turn over to the book of Philippians, and we see, oh wait, they have elders and deacons now when he writes to the church at Philippi. This thing that started small has now grown into a fully functioning church by God's grace. Do not despise the day of small beginnings of small things. God does his greatest work in the small things. Look for that and look for it even today.

But I want us to consider something. I believe that this statement here, they encouraged them and departed. This last statement brings into focus the point that I have hoped to make here and in our application from this narrative text of Scripture. I want us to consider Paul's desire to encourage the brethren. It's truly amazing that a man can be beaten and imprisoned, he can be stripped, he can be bound with chains, he can be thrown into the inner prison and yet find the energy and strength of character to take that opportunity and to take the time to encourage others.

Let's put ourselves in Paul's shoes just for a moment. What would be your first thing that you would want after being released from prison, after you were put there illegally and unlawfully? And maybe you're all different from me, but I know what I would be thinking. I would want the church to hear about all my woes. I want y'all to feel sorry for me.

Do you know what I just went through? I would probably want another big meal too because you know he's hungry. He's been there. You know, think about the reality of that. What is your response when you go through some difficulty?

We're so eager, let me tell you about what happened to me and then you tell them but then what do they do? Well let me tell you what happened to me though we go back and forth about who had it worse. Oh that's so encouraging. No, Paul is like he wanted to go there, he left the prison from being beaten and all the stuff and he's going there for a specific purpose to encourage the brethren. Perhaps our trials and our difficulties and our persecutions that we face, perhaps they're not for us to garner sympathy.

Perhaps we experience them so that we could encourage others to faithfulness and Christ-likeness. Think about your difficulties, think about your trials. You see they came here. Think about the sympathy and the pity that we would normally want to have. But here these men come to bring encouragement.

Paul had this mindset that he desired and I pray would be my desire and I pray that it would be true in me that by God's grace I would use every trial, every difficulty, every persecution for the encouragement and the benefit of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not so that my name would be written down somewhere, not so that someone would feel sorry for me, but so that Christ would be glorified. Could we all pray this? Lord, help us to use every difficulty for the good of the church and for the glory of the name of Jesus Christ. Now let's tie this all together.

I want to bring us to the benefit of this narrative in our lives practically because it seems at first glance this narrative is simply included to give us a history and a context of what happened in the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul and his missionary journey, but I do want to bring it in a little bit more. And so if you wanted to turn to Philippians, you can. I'm gonna read you the text and I'll tell you where they are. You can just write them down. You can read it later.

But I believe and I hope convincingly enough to challenge and encourage you and me that our love and consideration of other people would grow evermore. That we would be encouraged, that we would gain this perspective. I want us to turn to the book of Philippians so that the title of this message, so that we would be willing to do what's written right there on your paper, that we would refuse the convenient for the good of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. So I believe that some strong arguments can be made for why Paul acted the way he did and our text in this book of Acts, but I believe the answers are found in the book of Philippians and go ahead and turn if you'd like to Philippians chapter 1 and we're going to look at verse 3 and following. Paul's care and concern, you see, for these believers is what some would call unnatural, and I would agree with that.

His love and care for the church was unnatural. It was supernatural because it was born by the love of Jesus Christ in his heart. The love of Christ, the Bible says, compelled him. It was this unnatural or supernatural love that flowed from Him or from Christ through Paul into the church. Listen to what Philippians says, what Paul says.

Paul writes this in Philippians 1 3, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine, making requests for you all with joy for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now." When was the first day? Lydia, which then included the Philippian jailer, which included their families and their households. When he wrote the book of Philippians, he was considering the first day that he met them. He was considering the trials and the difficulties that he had. And what does he say?

He says, I am confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work and you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ, just as it is right for me to think this of you all because I have you in my heart. So again, what was his motive in staying? He had them in his heart. His purposes was for their good, not his. I had you in my heart, he says, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel you all are partakers with me of grace for God is my witness how greatly I long for you with all the affections of Jesus Christ did you hear that he longed for this for these believers with all the affection of Jesus Christ.

This whole concept has rocked me in how I view the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to love you. I do love you. I want to love you way more than I love you now. Paul was willing to give up all the convenient for the sake of the church.

It begs the question, what am I willing to give up? What convenience am I willing to give up for the sake of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ? What convenience am I willing to give up for you? What convenience are you willing to give up for them? This is the love of Christ that was being shed abroad in the heart of Paul.

I greatly long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. And verse nine, and this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense to the day of Christ being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God." And verse 12, but I want you to know brethren that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard and to all the rest that my chains are in Christ." Remember what we talked about? He was concerned that the gospel would not be looked down upon and here he says he now knows that all the palace guard, not the palace guard in Philippi, but he's talking about others. They know now that his chains are not because he broke the law, his chains are because of Jesus Christ. Can I press upon you, may the only change you ever feel be because of Jesus Christ?

As Christians, that should be our desire. And then he says, and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Who wasn't that feared in this passage? The magistrates feared. Paul wasn't fearful.

Paul was the one who was wanting to go forward and to proclaim the gospel. And now not only he, but also all of those have become more bold to speak the word without fear, even though they may experience chains. And so, listen again what Philippians 1-8 says, For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. So Let us consider our text and acts in light of this passage. Why did Paul not leave the prison when he had two opportunities to do so?

One when the prison doors flew open and the chains fell off in the earthquake, and two when he was over at the jailer's house. He did it because he knew that if he had done that, if his motivations had been for himself, he would have left. But his affections that he had for Jesus Christ and for the elect of God drew him to go back to the prison and not take the easy way, not take the convenient, but to press in and to love the church of the Lord Jesus Christ and so he lived his life in light of what it says in Philippians 2, 1-4. Turn there, 2-1-4. I want to press you hard here.

Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, you think Paul knew if there was consolation in Christ? If any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind, And then listen, let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit. But in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interest, but also for the interest of others. Do you believe that Paul had this process, this decision-making process, always in his mind and everything that he did he was considering even in the point of being imprisoned?

Do I leave or do I stay? What would be best for the Gospel? What would be best for the glory of Jesus Christ? What would be best for the Philippians? What would be best for Hope Baptist Church?

Are all your decisions boiled in this pot of what brings glory to Christ and what is good for the body of Christ. He's doing this very thing. What if you were considering in every decision that you made that you did not do anything through selfish ambition or conceit? What if verse 4 was true of me and you let each of you look out not only for his own interest, but also for the interest of others? What if we lived like that?

I believe that that is the example that Paul was setting and I believe that that is what Christ wants us to learn this morning, that we would be willing to refuse the convenient for the good of the church. His decisions were not primarily for his best interest. He was thinking of others. What would happen in your marriage if you did that? What would happen in your family?

What would happen in this church? What would happen in your work and in every relationship that you have and I'm sitting there preaching right to myself this morning I want you to know that what would happen in my marriage what would happen in my family what would happen in in my church if I did that can you imagine It seems like I may be taking this a bit far, but would you consider with me Paul's words in Chapter 2 of Philippians, verse 12. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Listen to what he says, do all things without complaining and disputing.

That you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights in the world holding fast the word of life so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Yes and if I am being poured out, " listen to what he says, and yes, if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. What if we live like that? What if I was glad to pour myself out for you? A drink offering.

What do you do with a drink offering? It was poured out. His life was poured out. He lived for the glory of God. He lived for the good of the church.

Not only that Paul wanted to be an encouragement to the Philippians, but I believe that what he said in the beginning of the book of Philippians that he was a bond servant of Jesus Christ. He understood that God did not put him on this earth to serve his own self-interest, But the interests of Christ. He goes on and we can look back in Philippians 1, 27. He says, Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him but also to suffer for his sake.

Having the same conflict which you saw in me and now here is in me. Did you know that the same way in which you were granted on behalf of Christ to believe, Paul says it has been granted to you to suffer for his namesake. Why? For your own self-interest? Or for the good of the church?

That's why Paul suffered. What benefit did Paul personally get by suffering? He poured himself out for the church. How important is the church of the Lord Jesus Christ to you? Look around you.

How important are these people to you? Do you love them fervently with a pure heart? Oh brothers and sisters let us love one another for love is of God because God is love. Really we could go throughout the whole book of Philippians and take this long testimony of Paul's great love for them. A love that is born out of Christ's great love.

But what do we hope to learn from this passage? That we too, whether in joy or sadness, whether in suffering or success, whether in life or in death, that we would learn the love of Christ and that love would flourish towards one another. That we would abound in our love for one another, that we would abound still more in our love. Sacrificial and costly love for the brethren, and that's what Paul says again in verse 9 of chapter 1, and this I pray that your love may abound still more and more. So some application thoughts, if you will, They'll be put up on the screen during our lunchtime.

Three things I want you to consider. How might you begin to change the way you make decisions that you would take into account Not only your interest, but the interest of others How are you going to have to rewire your brain? How are you going to read redo things? So that you begin to change the way you make decisions that you would take into account not only your interest, but the interest of others? And like live that way.

And like live that way. Number two, consider how your suffering may be for the future aid and encouragement of others and not for your own interest. We could say self-pity, we could say you know sympathy, give me sympathy please. Do you realize what I went through for you? But no, it's actually for the benefit of others.

So consider how your suffering may be for the for the future aid or encouragement or benefit of others. Number three and lastly are you willing to suffer some inconvenience for the good of God's elect? I don't know exactly what shape or form that may be. It may look different. For Paul, it was what he went through.

For you, it may be different, but are you willing to suffer some inconvenience for the good of the church? Ask yourself, that's a question I want you to meditate upon, how might I like yield or refuse some convenience for the good of these people that I am in covenant with? Let's pray and ask God to help us. Our Father in heaven, we so thank you that you have called us to be a people who are separated, a people who are distinct, that we are your people. We are the people that you have placed your and set your love upon.

We're the people for whom Christ died and shed his blood. And Lord as we consider one another today I pray that you would help us to truly begin to live out what we have seen in this text and in the book of Philippians that you would help us to look out for the interest of others. That our love for one another would excel still more. I'm so delighted Lord to be in this church to see the love that you have poured into these people. And Lord, increase it.

Would you increase it Lord? Father we desire and we pray and ask these things for your glory and we ask it also for the good of your people And this we pray in Christ's name, Amen.