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Well, you can turn with me in 
your Bibles to Acts chapter 16. Acts chapter 16. Our focus this morning will be 
on verses 16 to 34, the conversion of the Philippian jailer. Also 
consider the imprisonment of Paul and Silas. If they hadn't 
gone to prison, they wouldn't have been the means to point 
this man to the Lord Jesus Christ. So we see God's providence in 
action, where he governs all his creatures and all their actions 
for his glory and for their good. So I'll read beginning in Acts 
16 at verse 16. Now it happened as we went to 
prayer that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination 
met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. 
This girl followed Paul and us and cried out, saying, These 
men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us 
the way of salvation. And this she did for many days. 
But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, I command 
you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came 
out that very hour. But when her masters saw that 
their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and 
dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. And they 
brought them to the magistrates and said, These men, being Jews, 
exceedingly trouble our city, and they teach customs which 
are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe. 
Then the multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates 
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. Having 
received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and 
fastened their feet in the stocks. But at midnight, Paul and Silas 
were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were 
listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, 
so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and immediately 
all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed. 
And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing 
the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew 
his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with 
a loud voice, saying, Do yourself no harm, for we are all here. Then he called for a light, ran 
in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought 
them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? So they 
said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, 
you and your household. Then they spoke the word of the 
Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them 
the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately 
he and all his family were baptized. 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. Amen. Well, let us 
pray. Our Father in heaven, thank you 
for the written word of the living and true God. Thank you for the 
Book of Acts and what it teaches us concerning disciple making 
and church planting, and how wonderful it is to see the power 
of the Holy Spirit at work in the Book of Acts and the founding 
of the early church. As well, God, we thank you for 
the missionary enterprise of the Apostle Paul and his companions, 
and the great distances they covered, and the truth that they 
brought to various parts of the world. And God, help us to be 
faithful in light of these things, and help us as well. to continually 
and always point sinners to the Lord Jesus Christ. May that be 
our response to those who say, what must I do to be saved? Believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ. God, be merciful and bless the 
preaching of the word now. Fill us all with your Holy Spirit. 
And again, forgive us for all of our sin and transgression. 
And we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, here in Acts chapter 
16, the Apostle Paul is on the second missionary journey. Remember, 
the first missionary journey, he primarily targets the churches 
of southern Galatia. Here he goes back through those 
particular places, and then he adds new places. He spends the 
bulk of his time in this second missionary journey in the city 
of Corinth. After that, there's a third missionary 
journey where he spends the bulk of his time in Ephesus. But here 
in chapter 16, very specifically, he has come to the city of Philippi. There's obviously a book by that 
name, and it is quite intriguing that the early members of the 
church in Philippi were a woman that was quite an accomplished 
businesswoman. That lady was called Lydia. Then 
you have this slave girl who has this demon cast out from 
her. And then you have this jailer who with his household belief 
and are baptized. So the early members of the church 
in Philippi, a businesswoman, a slave girl, and a jailer. Well, I want to look first at 
the imprisonment of Paul and Silas in verses 16 to 24. And then secondly, the conversion 
of the Philippian jailer in verses 25 to 34. So let's look at their 
imprisonment. Notice in the first place, this 
exorcism. of a python spirit. It's an interesting 
passage. Notice in verse 16, now it happened, 
as we went to prayer that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit 
of divination met us. So she was possessed and that 
possession was with what was called a serpent or a python. And basically it was the serpent 
or dragon that guarded the Delphic Oracle. It lived at the foot 
of Mount Parnassus and was slain by Apollo. Later the word came 
to designate a spirit of divination, hence our English versions, then 
also of ventriloquists, who were believed to have such a spirit 
dwelling in their belly. So notice in the first place 
that this woman is possessed, but notice as well that she is 
profitable, not for herself. She is a slave to masters that 
are exploiting this particular possession that she has. She 
is under a horrific situation, spiritually speaking. She is 
under the powers of darkness. And what do we have but two men 
who capitalize or men who capitalize upon that and try to make money 
with her? Notice the statement in verse 
16b, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. And then notice in 19a, but when 
her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, there was 
no love for her, there was no concern for her, there was no 
kindness for her, there was no compassion for her, but rather 
they seized upon this girl that had been possessed by this spirit 
and they use her for a money-making enterprise. But then notice as 
well with reference to this girl, she's a proclaimer. Look at verse 
17, this girl followed Paul and us. Luke is one of the parts 
of us there. This girl followed Paul and us 
and cried out saying, these men are the servants of the Most 
High God and proclaim to us the way of salvation. And this she 
did for many days. This happens in the gospel narratives 
as well. Persons that are subject to demonic 
possession cry out to the Lord Jesus Christ things like, what 
have we to do with you, son of the living God? John Stott says, 
nor is it strange that the evil spirit should have cried out 
in recognition of God's messengers. For Luke has documented the same 
thing during the public ministry of Jesus. But why should a demon 
engage in evangelism? Perhaps the ulterior motive was 
to discredit the gospel by associating it in people's minds with the 
occult. I don't think that's a far stretch. 
He's aping true preaching in order to bring true preaching 
into discredit and disrepute, to associate it with this python 
spirit. Now notice the response of the 
Apostle Paul in verse 18. He is greatly annoyed by this, 
and I don't think it's because of the girl. I don't think he 
just has an issue with this young woman, but they're trying to 
minister. They're trying to preach the 
truth. They're trying to proclaim Jesus as the way to salvation, 
and this girl keeps crying out what she's crying out. So in 
verse 18b, it says, Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the 
spirit, he felt burdened as the result of someone's provocative 
activity. To be greatly disturbed or annoyed 
is what the verb means there. He's upset, not again because 
of this woman, but rather because of what this demon is doing via 
this particular woman to bring discredit upon the gospel of 
our Lord Jesus. See, that's how you know the 
apostle Paul. That man, if you caught him, 
he bled gospel. When he writes to the Corinthians, 
if there's anything that would detract from the message that 
he had preached to them, he would condemn it. Not in his own interest. Not, oh, Paul the Apostle, the 
mighty reverend doctor, sir. That wasn't his attitude. Remember, 
I've shared with you in 2 Corinthians, Paul takes a defensive posture 
throughout that epistle. Defensive in terms of his own 
self and ministry. Not so that persons will hold 
him in high regard, but so that persons will not discredit the 
message that he is preaching. And the same thing is true in 
this instance. He doesn't have an axe to grind 
against this poor, pathetic girl that is possessed by a python 
spirit. Rather, he has an axe to grind with the demonic activity 
that is trying to associate true gospel preaching with the activity 
of demons. So notice what he does. He rebukes 
the demon. This she did for many days, but 
Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said, notice to the spirit, 
I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. The power for the exorcism is 
not Paul's, but Christ's. Notice what he says. I command 
you in the name of Jesus Christ. It doesn't say I command you 
in the name of the Apostle Paul. I'm on the second missionary 
journey and I've been doing... That's not what he does. It's 
the name of Jesus Christ that vanquishes the foes of the gospel. It is the name of Jesus Christ 
that deals the death blow to Satan and to all of his minions. It's the name of Jesus. who brings 
healing to this particular girl. It's the name of Jesus who brings 
healing to all of us. Go back to Acts chapter four 
for just a moment to see something intriguing about that name. Acts 
chapter four at verse 12, the apostle Peter says, nor is there 
salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven 
given among men by which we must be saved. You may not be possessed 
today by a Python spirit. You may not have that particular 
issue in your life, but if you're not a believer in Jesus Christ, 
it's just about the same. It's just about the same net 
effect in terms of your place before a thrice holy God. And 
so the way of healing is through the name of Jesus Christ, to 
believe on him, to look unto him in faith, to turn from your 
sins by God's grace, and to receive the gift that God gives to needy 
sinners. It is most blessed, most wonderful, 
and most excellent what Paul does in this instance. And notice, 
I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. 
And he came out that very hour. It wasn't a series. It wasn't, 
I'll see you next week. We'll come back together and 
I'll make that same pronoun. No, it's an immediate thing. 
Some of these hucksters in the professing church that cast out 
demons, they don't do it this way. They do it in their own 
name. They do it as their own designee. They do it in a series of conferences. They do it in a series of meetings. 
I remember going one time many years ago to a conference in 
Vancouver at a rented hotel conference room for that very purpose. I didn't go as a willing participant. 
I simply went to see what was happening on the other side of 
the tracks. I don't mean Vancouver, I meant 
theological tracks. It was weird. I don't know how 
better to say it, but it was weird. Bizarre, outlandish, incredibly 
odd, and blasphemous. Because greater is he that is 
in you than he that is in the world. This man's whole ministry 
was predicated on the falsehood that Christians can be demon 
possessed. So it was Christians that had 
to undergo this therapy session and go through the incantations 
and go through the self-healing led by this guy and having purchased 
his DVD set, or back then it was probably CDs or cassette 
tapes, I'm dating myself here. But you had to go through a process 
in order to achieve what this man said you were going to achieve. 
Which again, at the very entrance of it, was faulty. Christians 
are not demon-possessed. We are spirit-possessed, the 
Holy Spirit. Greater is He that is in you 
than he that is in the world. So it's odd, it's nonsensical, 
it's strange, and it's weird, and for whatever reason, professing 
Christians are still attracted to that. People of God need to 
wake up. They need to read their Bibles. 
They need to commit themselves to sound theology. And if they 
did so, a lot of these hucksters would be out of business. It 
is the case that they're making lots of money because there's 
a lot of willing dupes that want to pay them to give them this 
so-called wisdom on how to deal with demon possession. Paul commands 
in the name of Jesus and the spirit flees from her. That's 
the reality of dealing with exorcism. Now notice the anger of her masters. Again, I can't say enough bad 
things about these characters. Can't say enough bad things about 
these wretches. Here is this poor pathetic girl 
possessed by a spirit. Paul the Apostle casts out, in 
the name of Jesus, this spirit. What are they upset about? No 
more money. It's going to affect our bottom 
line. No more cash flow. And of course 
it's on that basis that they then cry out for the civil magistrate. Oh, these men are troubling our 
fair city. Really? It troubles the fair 
city to cast a demon out of a young girl? No, they're troubling your 
pocketbook. They're troubling your bank account. 
They're troubling your wallet, they're troubling your lucrative 
business. Notice in verse 19, when her 
master saw that their hope of profit was gone, the same verb 
is used. Notice at the end of verse 18, 
and he came out that very hour. When her master saw that their 
hope of profit came out. Bruce says, when Paul exercised 
the spirit that possessed her, he exercised their means of income. She could no longer tell fortunes. 
Again, these men are horrible. They're just bad dudes. They're 
capitalizing on a girl's misery and they're making money at it. There really is nothing new under 
the sun, brethren. I mean, the sorts of things that 
we see today, they're wicked, but it's not as if the Roman 
Empire didn't have wickedness either. It's not as if the Babylonian 
captivity didn't have wickedness either. It's not the case that 
there was no wickedness at the time of Moses and the prophets. 
There's always been wickedness and the gospel has always been 
the answer. So notice, the prophet is gone 
and the missionaries are seized. Verse 19. When our masters saw 
that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas 
and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. That's as 
vicious and as hard as it sounds. Then they'd say, come on with 
us, fellas. We want to introduce you to the magistrate. We want 
to have tea, we want to have crumpets, and we want to discuss 
your current conduct in this fair city. They seize them and 
drag them into the presence of the magistrate. Now notice their 
statement of accusation at verse 20. They brought them to the 
magistrates and said, these men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble 
our city. Again. How did they exceedingly 
trouble the city? What was it that they've done? 
What was it that they've produced? What hardship did they introduce 
into the city of Philippi in this first century context? What 
is it? It is intriguing that they offer 
up this baseless accusation and then notice the magistrates run 
with it. Where's the whole concept of 
due process? See, in the Roman Empire, they 
were supposed to be committed to law. They were supposed to 
be committed to the rule of law and to concepts like due process. 
That's absolutely vacant in this passage. These men are treated 
horribly. The apostle is treated like a 
wretch for having done the good thing of casting out the spirit 
from this particular woman. So notice, they are the Jews 
who trouble the city and they teach things that are unlawful. 
Look at verse 21. They teach customs which are 
not lawful for us being Romans to receive or observe. Again, 
that's not accurate. One man who is very familiar 
with the state of jurisprudence in the Roman Empire says officially 
the Roman citizen may not practice an alien cult that has not received 
the public sanction of the state, but customarily he might do so 
as long as his cult did not otherwise offend against the laws and usages 
of Roman life, i.e. so long as it did not involve 
political or social crimes. Where's the political crime in 
casting out a spirit from this poor pathetic girl? Where's the 
social crime in casting out the spirit from this poor pathetic 
girl? You have to appreciate there's 
no crime here. There is simply an allegation. 
There is simply a charge. There is simply a guilt by association. They're Jews and they are stirring 
up our city. They are teaching things that 
it's unlawful for us as Romans to believe. Brethren, history 
is not away from or apart from this kind of conduct, even in 
our own day. It's the same sort of thing, 
guilt by association. Well, these people are troubling 
the city, so they're bad, they're evil, they're horrible. Let's 
gang up on them. Notice what happens. The punishment 
imposed in verses 22 to 24. Then the multitude rose up together 
against them, and the magistrates tore off their clothes. Not the 
magistrates tearing off their clothes. Sometimes commentators 
take it that way in light of Matthew 26. Remember when Jesus 
is standing before the high priest, and the high priest adjures him, 
is he the son of the living God? And Jesus says, it is as you 
say. He affirms it. So what does the 
high priest do? He tears his clothes. He rents 
his garments. He thinks he's in the presence 
of blasphemy. And so this is the humiliation 
process. So some have read it this way, 
that the magistrate tore, that's not it. They tore the garments 
off of Paul in silence. So notice, verse 22, the multitude 
rose up together against them, the magistrates tore off their 
clothes, and commanded them to be beaten with rods. Commanded 
them to be beaten with rods. Now, when it comes to this beating 
with rods, the apostle expresses in 2 Corinthians 11 that he was 
no stranger to this. He had had this inflicted upon 
him. In fact, let's look there for just a moment, because I 
think what we see in this passage is something of backbone in a 
Christian minister. 2 Corinthians chapter 11. Specifically at verse 22. It's 
one of those passages I mentioned earlier where Paul is defending 
himself. He's defending himself against 
men who came in on the heels of his ministry and suggested 
to the church at Corinth, well, he's not really interested in 
you. He's only interested in his own money. He's not really 
interested in you. He's only interested in his own 
prestige. He's not really interested in 
you. He's just all about Paul. So that's why Paul defends himself, 
again, not to show that these detractors are right, but to 
silence them and to show the Corinthians that if they hold 
him in disrepute, then they're going to reject the message. 
And Paul doesn't want the Corinthians to reject the message of the 
cross, so he engages in a personal bit of apologetics, a defense 
of himself. So notice in verse 22, Are they 
Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? 
So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? 
So am I. Are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool, I 
am more. In labors, more abundant. In 
stripes, above measure. In prisons, more frequently. 
In deaths, often. From the Jews, five times, I 
receive forty stripes minus one. That's a reference to Deuteronomy 
25 verse 3. See, Deuteronomy chapter 25 gives 
the law, the legislation, on the punishment of a criminal. 
Now, when you look at that particular passage, that criminal needs 
to be treated with dignity, even though he's a criminal. And one 
of the ways we know he's treated with dignity is because you're 
not to exceed 40 lashes. You're not to exceed 40 lashes. That is to dehumanize this man. And even though he's a criminal, 
we don't dehumanize him. Even though he's a criminal, 
we treat him with respect. Even though he's a criminal, 
he's an image bearer of the living and true God. See, people have 
this concept that the Old Testament is barbaric. The Old Testament 
is antiquated. The Old Testament was great for 
the nomadic hordes roaming around on the deserts. I would suggest 
that our present law is far more barbaric than what you find in 
the Old Testament. You have present law that sanctions, 
endorses, and at times publicly subsidizes the murder of babies. You have the public law today 
that's okay with euthanasia. If you're elderly or you're infirm, 
go ahead. We're going to help you to get 
out of this life. That's barbarism, brethren. Going 
to prison for 40 years to be treated like a... to be sodomized 
by other criminals. There is more humanitarianism 
in the death penalty than there is with life in prison. Now, 
I think that when it comes to the Old Testament, we should 
be a lot better readers, because in Deuteronomy 25, the infliction 
of corporal punishment upon a criminal offender who has been convicted 
in lawful court, using the rules of evidence, was given no more 
than 40 lashes. So, back to our passage. There's 
a point here. Three times I was beaten with 
rods. That's most likely the civil 
magistrate in the Roman Empire. Now I ask you, do you think that 
they gave a care at all about Deuteronomy 25.3? You're a civil 
magistrate in the Roman Empire and you've got a criminal. What 
are you going to do? You're going to beat him with 
rods. Is there any legislation that prohibits you from violating 
his rights and going over 40? No. We have no understanding 
in terms of how many times Paul had actually been beaten with 
these rods. So back to the text, once I was 
stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have been 
in the deep, in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils 
of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the 
Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, 
in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren. in weariness 
and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings 
often, in cold and nakedness, besides the other things, what 
comes upon me daily, my deep concern for all the churches, 
who is weak, and I am not weak, who is made to stumble, and I 
do not burn with indignation." Now, brethren, I suggest that 
this says something amazing about the Apostle Paul that he would 
undergo that. But it says something even more 
amazing about the Lord Jesus Christ, that Paul would willingly 
go through that for him. In the language of the bride, 
in the Song of Solomon, Christ is altogether lovely and he's 
chief among 10,000. He's worth being beaten with 
rods for. He's worth being beaten with 
whips for. He's worth going to prison for. 
He's worth going to the lion's den for. He's worth disenfranchisement 
from friends or family or government. He is worth all that because 
he is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, and the savior 
of sinners who loved us and who gave himself for us. So back 
to Acts chapter 16, we see one of those instances where the 
apostle was inflicted or given a beating with rods. And then 
according to verse 23, when they had laid notice, many stripes 
on them, they threw them into the prison, commanding the jailer 
to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, 
he put them in the inner prison and fastened their feet in the 
stocks. Brethren, I gotta tell you, if 
I get a cold, I'm one of those guys that lays on the couch and 
asks for seven up and saltines. Honey, I'm just miserable and 
I'm weak. Can you serve me? You know, that's 
the kind of man I am. Sorry, you gotta learn bad things 
about me from time to time. I can't imagine having been beaten 
with rods and having been inflicted with many stripes and then being 
put into an inner prison and then having my feet locked in 
stocks. Again, this isn't cushions and 
pillows and for your comfort, we've brought, that's not what's 
happening. What did they do wrong? They 
cast out a demon from a slave girl. That was their crime. That was their sort of rebellion 
against the empire. That was the situation in which 
they find themselves. Notice, having received such 
a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their 
feet in the stocks. Now, we turn to the next section, 
the conversion of the Philippian jailer. And here I want to look 
first at the jailer's problem, verses 25 to 30. But before we 
look at the jailer's problem, we have to notice the missionary's 
disposition. If I'm the guy whining on the 
couch, asking for saltines and seven up, look at what Paul and 
Silas are doing. But at midnight, Paul and Silas 
were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were 
listening to them. Now brethren, there's a what 
we should do and what we probably would do. This is what we should 
do, but can we possibly envisage that this is what we would do? Oh yeah, I've been beaten with 
many stripes. My feet are now placed in the 
stocks. I'm in the inner prison to make 
sure I have no chance of flight or escape. And in that posture, 
and it's midnight, I should also tell you that about myself. The 
older I get, the earlier I want to go to bed. 12 midnight is 
way too of an unholy hour for me to even think about. But let 
alone after having been beaten, after having been wrongly accused, 
after having been put with my feet in the stocks, to then at 
midnight to have the energy to sing and to praise God most high, 
that's what these men were about. Again, it says something incredible 
about the men, but it says something more incredible about the Savior. He's worth it, brethren. In Acts 
chapter 5, the apostles are beaten, and they leave from that place 
of beating, and it says they went with joy, or they went out 
boldly, and they were rejoicing that they had been beaten for 
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's kind of a religion that 
is contrary to us today. It's kind of a religion that 
we really don't have any tap roots with. The moment there's 
difficulty, the moment there's challenge, the moment there's 
hardship, the moment there might be something just a little untoward, 
we're ready to run and we're ready to hide. Not these brothers. These brothers are not gonna 
shrink back from declaring the whole counsel of God. They're 
not gonna shrink back from preaching the way of salvation through 
faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. John Stott said, not groans, 
but songs came from their mouths. Instead of cursing men, they 
blessed God. See, brethren, that's a lesson. 
Again, don't want to be too autobiographical here. That's a lesson I would 
need. Because I would want to be on that phone calling my attorney 
to get me out of this situation. I would want to be cursing men 
instead of blessing God. But we see just the opposite 
approach. Instead of cursing men, instead 
of crying foul, instead of invoking their citizenship, which Paul 
is not a stranger to doing, but at this particular vantage point, 
he doesn't do that. He is simply praising God most 
high. Tertullian, the church father, 
made the observation, the legs feel nothing in the stocks when 
the heart is in heaven. This is a great illustration 
of that principle. At midnight, Paul and Silas were 
praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening 
to them. Now notice the jailer's problem. 
There's an earthquake, verse 26. Suddenly, there was a great 
earthquake. Wasn't that lucky? Wasn't that 
fortuitous? Wasn't blind fate just smiling 
upon the believers on that day? No, God governs all His creatures 
and all their actions. He typically uses ordinary means 
to fulfill His decree. There are instances, though, 
where He uses miracle. There are those where He chooses 
to work above, apart, or without means. I would suggest this is 
a miraculous earthquake with a specific purpose. So there 
is the earthquake in verse 27. So suddenly there was a great 
earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and 
immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains 
were loosed. Let's just suppose it just happened 
to be a day when there was an earthquake. that as far as I 
know, and I've been in a few, because I lived in Southern California, 
never did shackles pop open when there was an earthquake, never 
were feet loosed when there was an earthquake, never were doors 
opened in a prison when there was an earthquake. It takes a 
lot to provide a naturalistic interpretation of this particular 
passage. It really is the lengths that people will go to try to 
say, oh no, God isn't who God says that He is. Yes, God is 
who He says that He is, and there's an earthquake, and as a result 
of the earthquake, immediately all the doors were opened and 
everyone's chains were loosed. Now notice the fear of the jailer. Verse 27, the keeper of the prison, 
awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing 
the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill 
himself. This happens in chapter 12 at verse 19. When the angel 
busts Peter out of jail, the guards who allowed it to happen, 
who were on duty at that time, were executed. In terms of the 
Roman state, J. A. Alexander says, self-destruction 
was considered by the Romans as not only lawful, but a duty 
or a virtue under certain circumstances. In the shipwreck later in Acts 
chapter 27, when the ship wrecks, what do the guards plan to do? 
They want to kill all of the persons that were prisoners. 
Why? Because if they escaped, they 
were going to get killed by their supervisors. So this Philippian 
jailer has a real issue. He has a real understanding. 
He has a real practical problem. If all the prisoners under my 
charge escape, then I'm going to have to stand before my supervisor 
in the morning, and he's going to order my execution. It is 
that simple. Now notice the reassurance given 
by Paul in verse 28. But Paul called with a loud voice 
saying, do yourself no harm for we are all here. You have to 
appreciate God's providence. Look at how these two disparate 
persons were brought together on this day. Look at the way 
God plants the church in Philippi, Lydia at the riverside, the casting 
out of this demon from this slave girl. And now he is brought into 
contact with this jailer, a jailer who knows the score, that in 
the midst of the earthquake, in the midst of the open doors 
to the prison, in the midst of the shackles of unloosened themselves, 
all these persons are gonna escape. And when they escape, I'm going 
to be executed. So the apostle Paul says, don't 
do yourself any harm. Don't do it. We're all here. 
No one's gone anywhere. Could you imagine being that? 
What do you mean you're all here? The doors are open. Your shackles 
are off. Why didn't you run for it? That's 
the time you run for the fence when those sorts of things converge. 
Not when the sorts of things converging include the salvation 
of a sinful man who stands in need of Jesus Christ. Providence 
is a beautiful and a wonderful thing. Now notice, verses 29 
to 30. Then he called for a light, ran 
in, and fell down. Notice, trembling before who? 
Paul and Silas. Why Paul and Silas? Why didn't 
he fall down trembling before some of the other guys? Why not 
John or Bill or Frank? Why doesn't he fall down before 
those men? because he knows there's something 
about those men. He knows there's something unique 
about Paul and Silas. And I would suggest he knows 
that because he lives in the city of Philippi. I would suggest 
he knows that because it wasn't like Vancouver and he would have 
had some inkling as to who these particular men were. Remember, 
he's the man that oversees the prison. So they would come and 
bring these men to him and he would put them in the stocks. 
But there would have to be some charging order. There'd have 
to be some expression as to who they were and what they did. 
I mean, the equivalent of mug shots would have had to been 
taken. You just didn't throw people into jail in complete 
denial of Roman jurisprudence. But it is intriguing. He calls 
for a light, he runs in, and he falls down trembling before 
Saul, Paul, and Silas. And he brought them out and said, 
Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Now, this is the million-dollar 
question, right? Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 
This is what every evangelist, every zealous Christian, every 
pastor, every blood-bought child of God, whenever they talk to 
people, wouldn't you love to hear this? You're on an airplane 
and you happen to talk about, oh, I'm a Christian. Wouldn't 
you like them to say, sir, what must I do to be saved? Has that 
ever happened to you? Probably not. That's not the 
typical response. This is the, you know, the fastball 
right down the plate. This is the man ready to rock 
and roll. This is everything where it ought to be. Similar 
to the rich young ruler who comes to Jesus and says, Sir, what 
good thing must I do to inherit eternal life? Again, wouldn't 
you like a crack at that ball? We have to deal with people that 
just don't want to have anything to do whatsoever with religion. 
We can't even begin to talk about religion or politics because 
everybody loses their minds. Wouldn't it be nice if everybody 
lose their minds and they could actually discuss things like 
grown adults and even disagree like grown adults? and not cancel 
each other, not destroy each other, and not ruin each other? 
Could it possibly be that image bearers could conduct themselves 
in that manner? I'd like to think so. But back 
to our text, look at what we find. Sirs, what must I do to 
be saved? He asks the most important question. The fact that he comes to Paul 
and Silas indicates to me, he's not talking about save from my 
superiors. He's not talking about being 
saved from my supervisor. He's not talking about being 
saved in terms of my own earthly bacon. He's talking about, sirs, 
what must I do to be saved from damnation? What must I do to 
be saved from hell itself? The jailer likely was familiar 
already, as I've suggested, with the gospel. Look at verse 12. 
And from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that 
part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city, 
notice, for some days. And then drop down to verse 17. 
This girl followed Paul and us and cried out, saying, These 
men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us 
the way of salvation. And this she did for many days. It's quite feasible. The jailer, 
on his way to work, passed by and heard this from this python 
spirit in this poor, pathetic girl. And then notice as well, 
specifically in verse 18. And this she did for many days, 
but Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the Spirit, I command 
you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came 
out that very hour. Again, it's not that there was 
no gospel in Philippi. It's not that this man didn't 
have some inkling. It's not that this man didn't 
have some clue. But even if so, let's suppose this. He is a sinner 
made in the image of God who knows that there is a God. So 
Romans chapter one tells us that if you, you might be an unbeliever 
here today that says, you know, I just don't believe in God. 
There's a lot of people out there that say, I just don't believe 
in God. Do you know what God says? God says, you do believe, 
or you do know, but you work very hard to suppress that truth 
and unrighteousness. Because what can be known of 
God is made evident through the created order. And in Romans 
1, Paul details that. So even if this man hadn't heard 
the girl, even if this man hadn't heard Paul, even if this man 
hadn't heard the name of Jesus Christ, he knew there was a God 
and he knew he was not in a good state before him. It reminds 
me of John Owen, the Puritan. He says, when men are under any 
dreadful providence, thundering, lightnings, tempests, and darkness, 
they tremble, not so much at what they see or hear or feel 
as from their secret thoughts that God is nigh and that he 
is a consuming fire. I think that's a very perceptive 
observation that we don't always give a lot of credence to. Men 
know in their heart of hearts that there is a God. And men 
know in their heart of hearts, typically, that they're not right 
with that God. And so this jailer comes to Paul 
and Silas, and he says to them, sirs, what must I do to be saved? Now notice the missionaries' 
response. In the first place, they make 
this declaration. So they said, believe on the 
Lord Jesus Christ. Think about that. Sirs, what 
must I do to be saved? Well, you need to try harder 
in your life. You need to be more virtuous 
toward your wife. You need to be more kind and 
patient with your children. All of those things were most 
likely true. But Paul and Silas point him 
to the Savior. See, Christianity isn't a self-help 
program. Christianity isn't simply behavior 
modification. Try a little bit harder, be a 
little bit better, do a little bit more, and on that grand day, 
God will say, well done, good and faithful servant. That's 
not what happens. They say believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ. Look in faith. And they are thus 
consistent with our Lord's teaching. For just as Moses lifted up the 
serpent in the wilderness, so must also the Son of Man be lifted 
up, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have 
eternal life. So you see, the apostle understood 
the doctrine of justification by faith alone. He understood 
what Jesus taught, that it's not more works, it's not more 
action, it's not more vigorousness on your part, but it's faith 
in the Savior. the one who lived in obedience 
to the law of his father, the one who died as a sacrifice and 
a substitute on the cross, and the one who was raised again 
the third day. See, the gospel isn't about you. The gospel is 
about our Lord Jesus Christ, His life, His death, His resurrection. The Bible tells us it's good 
news, not good advice. Again, not self-help, not therapy, 
not some sort of moralism, but rather it is faith in Jesus for 
salvation unto everlasting life. The moment that a sinner looks 
to Christ in faith, that moment, the sinner is forgiven of his 
sins. That moment, that sinner receives 
a righteousness by which he may enter into heaven. That is the 
doctrine of justification by faith alone. And that is precisely 
what the apostle underscores in his response. So they said, 
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. So it's not just believe. Sometimes 
you hear that. Well, it doesn't really matter 
what you believe in. It's all about your faith. We 
are pathetic when it comes to these sorts of things. Our fundamental 
default disposition is always man-centered. Of course it has 
everything to do with the object of faith. If you believe in a 
rock, however good that belief may be, that rock can't save 
you. Your faith is only as good as 
the object, and Christ is the object. He's altogether lovely. He's chief among 10,000. His 
life, His death, His resurrection is all that a guilty sinner needs. 
So they say, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and then notice 
the promise that is made there, and you shall be saved. Now, 
you may be, if he so feels, it might possibly be the case in 
another hundred years, the moment you believe, you are saved. The moment you look, you are 
saved. That's why in our church, we 
don't say, come on forward, we're going to have an altar call. 
Every head bowed, every head bowed, every eye closed. No, 
no, no, no. Believe the gospel where you 
sit. Believe the gospel where you are. Believe the gospel when 
you hear it. Remember Jesus to that woman 
at the well. He said, if you knew who it was that was offering 
this water, you would have asked him and he would have given it 
to you. So many times persons do not act in light of the knowledge 
and information that they have. If you know or have heard or 
do believe in some small sense that Jesus is who Jesus says 
he is, then believe in him for salvation. That's the emphasis 
of the apostle in this part. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and you will be saved. And then notice, you and your 
household. Verse 32 then amplifies for us. So that's the initial contact. 
Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and you shall be saved, you and your household. And then notice 
in verse 32, then they spoke the word of the Lord to him. 
and to all who were in his house." Yes, this teaches a household 
baptism. And yes, all the participants 
in this household heard the word of God, they believed the word 
of God, and then they were baptized by the apostle with reference 
to their entrance into the Christian life. Then they spoke the word 
of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he 
took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. 
So you have that expression of kindness. This is how you know 
that the man has believed, right? We're not saved by faith plus 
works, but those works are the fruits and the lively evidences 
of the faith that is there. This is James's point in James 
2. James is not different from Paul. James does not teach faith 
plus works in order for salvation. But James is teaching, along 
with the Apostle Paul, that those who believe the gospel of our 
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will not only have that justifying 
faith, but it's accompanied by all other saving graces. So that 
they live now in light of that, and that's what happens with 
this Philippian jailer. It says in verse 33, he took 
them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. They 
had been beaten to a pulp. They had been bloodied. They 
had been bruised and battered. And now this man cleanses them. He could have cleansed them earlier. 
Well, what happens? The great change comes. He believes 
the gospel. He's justified freely by his 
grace. He is forgiven and he receives the righteousness by 
which he'll enter into heaven. And so he responds in kind. Chrysostom 
says he washed them and was washed. Those he washed from their stripes, 
himself was washed from his sins. When you're washed from your 
sins, when you're saved by grace, you live a life of sanctification. You pursue those things that 
are pleasing to your blessed God. In the language of Jesus 
in John 14, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. And 
with reference to the love here, you see it expressed. Notice 
the end of verse 33, and immediately he and all his family were baptized. 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. Again, brethren, the 
Pedos who bring this up as an instance of household baptism. Yeah, absolutely, positively. We see that, we affirm that, 
we cheer that. He believes with his household. Therefore, they're baptized in 
the name of the triune God. And with reference to that expression 
of love, again, it's not that he has faith in Jesus, sirs, 
what must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. 
And now his works come along and seal the deal. No, the works 
come along because Christ had saved him. You see this in Galatians 
chapter 5. For in Christ Jesus, neither 
circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but faith working 
through love. Machen says, love according to 
the New Testament is not the means of salvation, but it is 
the finest fruit of it. A man is saved by faith, not 
by love, but he is saved by faith in order that he may love. That's what happens with this 
Philippian jailer. And in conclusion, just a couple 
of thoughts, and then we'll move into the water of baptism. But 
in the first place, be astounded at the grace and the goodness 
of God. Let's just say for a moment, you are gonna build a new organization, 
a new society of people. You could pick from any sort 
of persons in that society. This is an odd combo, a businesswoman 
in the first century, a slave girl who had a demon cast out 
and a jailer. You know, usually we wouldn't 
do that. We'd want, you know, the heavy 
hitters in the community. We'd want the magistrate. We'd 
want, you know, the doctors. We want the lawyers. We want 
those guys to make up our church. What does Paul say in the epistle 
to the Corinthians? Not many wise, not many noble. It's not the glorious things 
of the earth that are inevitably the objects of God's salvation. The typical manner is that it's 
the wretched ones on the earth. Remember, Jesus didn't come to 
call the righteous but sinners to repentance. And so your qualification 
to be saved by grace through faith in Jesus is not that you're 
a lawyer, it's not that you're a doctor, it's that you're a 
sinner. And if you're a sinner, listen 
to the language of the apostle and believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ and you shall be saved. As well, we should appreciate 
something about these missionaries. The persecution was instigated 
by wretched men who made money off of a slave girl who was possessed 
with a spirit. They were arrested falsely, false 
charges. They weren't troubling the city. 
They had every right to do exactly what it was they were doing, 
but they submit to this. They understand that this is 
the will of the Lord. Just as good things are the will 
of the Lord, for his people, there are at times, and I know 
this is a tough pill for us, there are bad things that are 
the will of the Lord for his people. I would submit that in 
terms of the physical, in terms of the earthly, in terms of the 
temporal, this is just about as bad as it gets, being falsely 
charged. being falsely beaten, being falsely 
arrested. And yet in God's providence, 
this was the mechanism by which he brought the apostle Paul to 
the Philippian jailer, to tell this man, believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. How many of us, as we 
survey passages of Scripture like these, do we just scratch 
our heads for a moment and go, wow, that's pretty amazing the 
way this happened. That's pretty amazing the way 
that God orchestrates that. It's pretty amazing that we have 
two persons whose paths we're probably never going to cross 
unless Paul is beaten, dragged, and then thrown into jail. As 
well, we have the courage of the missionaries. And I think, 
as I've said twice now, that emphasizes not only their courage, 
but the magnificence of Jesus. But in terms of baptism, this 
is a baptism passage. Look at verse 33. And he took 
them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And 
immediately he and all his family were baptized. It's an important 
ordinance or sacrament. It is commanded by Jesus in the 
Great Commission. Go therefore and make disciples 
of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father 
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. So it's important. Well, 
we see in this the subjects of baptism. It's those who believe 
the gospel. It's those who, when directed 
to Jesus Christ, believe on him. Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. Well, 
who gets baptized? Those saved by grace through 
faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And then in terms of the baptism 
itself, it is the response to what God has done. When Noel 
and Mac and Clemens go into that water, there's no magic. There's 
no sacramental efficacy. It's not that their sins are 
actually being washed away. Christ's blood does that. Christ's blood cleanses us from 
all sin. That tank is emblematic, symbolic, 
representative of what Christ has done in their hearts. And 
notice, it isn't a reward for exemplary behavior. Okay, Noel 
and Mac and Clemens, you've all done well for this past few months, 
therefore you get the reward of baptism. That's not why these 
brothers are going into the water today. These brothers are going 
into the water today because they've been conquered by sovereign 
grace. These brothers are going into the water today because 
they've been shown their sin by the power of the Holy Spirit. 
These brothers are going in the water today because they've been 
directed to the Lord Jesus Christ and belief in Him. And when they, 
by grace, have believed on Him, they're forgiven of their sins, 
they're given a righteousness that avails with God. These brothers, 
probably, if I know their hearts, as I suspect I do, can't wait 
to get into the water. Again, not as a work, to earn 
their favor with the Lord, but to demonstrate to all of us what 
the Lord has done in their hearts. what the Lord has done in their 
lives, what the Lord is able to do for any other guilty sinner. That tank preaches the forgiveness 
of sins, not through water, but through blood atonement. That 
tank tells every sinner there is hope to be had in our Lord 
Jesus Christ. That tank represents what God 
Most High does in the Christian gospel. In the language of our 
confession, baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament, ordained 
by Jesus Christ to be unto the party baptized, a sign of His 
fellowship with Him in His death and resurrection, of His being 
engrafted into Him, of remission of sins, and of giving up unto 
God through Jesus Christ to live and walk in newness of life. 
It's not a reward, it's not a work, it's not something that you have 
to do in order to be saved. Some in the history of the church 
have taught that. No, it represents in a powerful and symbolic way. There is imagery, there is representation. There's Romans 6 there. They 
die with Christ, they're buried with Christ, and they rise with 
Christ. That emblem is absolutely crucial 
in baptism. Some suggest the mode isn't that 
important. The mode is important. That immersion 
represents that union with Christ in life, death, and in resurrection. And the apostle underscores that 
in Romans chapter 6. Now, in terms of some encouragement 
to the brothers, I always like this quote from C.H. Spurgeon. 
If I've preached your baptism, I may have quoted Spurgeon on 
that same occasion. But I think it's very indicative 
or very much a beautiful illustration of how we should approach the 
doctrine or the practice of baptism. He says, May 3rd in the afternoon, 
I was privileged to follow my Lord and to be buried with him 
in baptism. Blessed pool, sweet emblem of 
my death to all the world. May I henceforward live alone 
for Jesus. Accept my body and soul as a 
poor sacrifice. Tie me unto thee. In my strength, 
I now devote myself to thy service forever. Never may I shrink from 
owning thy name. Witness ye men and angels now 
if I forsake the Lord. I vow to glory alone in Jesus 
and His cross, and to spend my life in the extension of His 
cause in whatsoever way He pleases. I desire to be sincere in this 
solemn profession, having but one object in view, and that 
to glorify God. Blessing upon Thy name, that 
Thou hast supported me through the day of it. It is Thy strength 
alone that could do this. Thou hast, Thou wilt. Thou hast 
enabled me to profess Thee, help me now to honor Thee, and carry 
out my profession, and live the life of Christ on earth. Amen, brothers. That's my exhortation 
to you. Be faithful men, be godly men, 
all of us should be reminded by this baptism of the glory 
and the majesty and the beauty and the excellence of Jesus Christ. It isn't us that commends ourselves 
to God, it isn't our works, it isn't our virtue, but it's solely 
and alone grounded upon the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. and as baptized men and women, 
we live in light of that reality and seek by His grace to pursue 
holiness and those things which are pleasing in His sight. If 
you're not a believer here this morning, listen to Paul's words 
to this Philippian jailer. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and you shall be saved. Let us pray. Our Father, we thank 
you for your word, and we thank you so very much for the power 
of the Christian gospel. We see it in the conquest of 
Lydia, and of this slave girl, and of this jailer. We see it 
in the founding of the church in Philippi. We see it in the 
power of the Holy Spirit to come upon men and women. We see it 
in the confession of faith made by these sinners, and the grace 
of God Most High magnified. We thank you for the life and 
the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And we pray, 
God in heaven, that you would bless these men, bless these 
brothers, bless Stephanie and these new additions to our church 
life. And may we seek to encourage one another, to exhort one another 
daily while it is called today, lest we be hardened through the 
deceitfulness of sin. And may we as well shine as lights 
in this crooked and perverse generation and give us the boldness 
and the courage to hold forth your word of truth. And we pray 
this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. Well, if 
the brothers would go change their clothes, we'll meet in 
the baptistry. And then Steve, could you come 
up and lead a hymn? It will be hymn 433. Before we begin singing, if you 
have vet children in the nursery downstairs, if you don't mind 
giving relief to the workers down there so everyone can participate 
in the baptismal service. So 433 I believe is it? I'll 
ask you to please stand. ♪ Amazing grace, how sweet the 
sound ♪ ♪ That saved a wretch like me ♪ ♪ I once was lost but now am found ♪ ♪ 
Was blind but now I see ♪ ♪ And grace my fears relieved ♪ 
♪ How precious did that grace appear ♪ ♪ The hour my worries 
relieved ♪ ♪ I am already gone ♪ ♪ His grace 
has won, He's taken us home ♪ ♪ And grace will lead me home ♪ ♪ The 
Lord has promised to do so ♪ And when this passionate heart 
shall fail, then Lord, so I will just fail. We've been there ten thousand 
years, bright and shiny as the sun. We know the best ways to 
seek the truth. I'm just going to read a passage 
before I actually ask you the questions. I wanted to read a passage. I 
don't typically do this, but in this instance I would like 
to. It's from 1 Timothy 6. It may not seem to be an apparent 
baptismal text, but I'll explain. In 1st Timothy chapter 6 at verse 
11, the apostle says, but you, O man of God, flee these things 
and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness, 
fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life to which 
you were also called and have confessed the good confession 
in the presence of many witnesses. So Timothy was Paul's young ministerial 
companion, not young in terms of 20, probably a, a 40-year-old, 
a 30-year-old, somewhere in there. But Timothy was set apart at 
a young age. The apostle commends Timothy's 
mother and grandmother for having catechized him, having taught 
him the truth as it is in Jesus. I think it's common in the Christian 
life to sort of see the person that, you know, the profligate 
sinner, the man that has gone out into the world, he's done 
horrible things, he's been a vicious, wicked sinner. God saves him 
and we all rejoice. Well, the same power that God 
uses to save the wicked, profligate sinner is the same power he uses 
to save young men who are brought up in a Christian home. and who 
faithfully attend church. My heart is warm, brethren, to 
see God's power in the effectual call of a young man brought up 
in a Christian family, brought up in a church, and who has made 
that determination to side with the Savior in the waters of baptism. This is as much a demonstration 
of the effectual call as these other two wretches that'll be 
coming up. I'm kidding. It's just glorious, it's wondrous, 
and it's awesome to see. So by way of reminder in terms 
of baptism, what this signifies, is that it is an ordinance of 
the New Testament ordained by Jesus Christ to be unto the party 
baptized, a sign of his fellowship with him in his death and resurrection, 
of his being engrafted into him, of remission of sins, and of 
his giving up unto God through faith, through Jesus Christ, 
to live and walk in newness of life. Now, I give the opportunity 
for the persons baptized to either A, make a testimony, or B, for 
me to ask questions, and then they answer in the affirmative. 
So Clemens has asked that I ask the question, so I will do that 
now. Do you believe that there is one true and living God who 
exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Yes, I do. Do 
you believe that you have sinned against God and justly deserve 
his punishment for your sins? Yes. Do you believe that Jesus 
Christ, the Son of God, lived in obedience to God's law, died 
as a sacrifice and substitute for sinners, and rose on the 
third day? Yes. Do you believe in Jesus 
Christ alone to save you from your sins? And do you commit 
to walk in obedience to God through faith in Jesus Christ? Amen. 
All right, you can turn that way. I'm gonna call folks, so 
we're gonna have to make sure I don't bang your head. All right, 
I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
of the Holy Spirit. And then Mackenzie Cross, Mack, 
is gonna give a brief testimony. You go ahead. Yeah, go ahead. So 
my name's Mackenzie Cross. I'm from Brandon, Manitoba. I 
grew up in a Christian home, and I always assumed I was a 
Christian because I knew of Jesus and acknowledged his existence. 
But I still lived in a life of sin, wrongfully thinking I was 
saved. Almost two years ago I heard the frightening chapter Matthew 
7. Not everyone who says to me, 
Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the 
will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, 
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons 
in your name, and done many wonders in your name? And then I will 
declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who 
practice lawlessness. I then realized I was suspended 
over eternal damnation, and there was no foundation on which I 
stood. This was the greatest thing to ever happen to me. Suddenly, 
the fear of God filled every fiber of my being, and repentance 
was granted to me. I then knelt at my bed, cried, 
admitting I was a sinner and needed a Savior, which He graciously 
gave me, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He removed my heart 
of stone and gave me a heart of flesh. Since that day, everything 
has changed, and I now long to be a faithful servant, soldier, 
and slave to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, Jesus 
Christ. Amen. I baptize you in the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And then there's Noel and Joy. 
It's been a pleasure to meet them over the last several months. I think it was as a result of 
the pandemic that they first came to our church. Joy, of course, 
has been baptized here. I think this church is new to 
them in terms of doctrine. in terms of the Reformed faith 
and that sort of thing. But what I don't think is new 
to them is Christ and Christ's people and church life. So it's 
a real blessing and a privilege to see Noel follow Christ and 
then follow Joy in the waters of baptism. And so I have the 
questions for him. Do you believe there is one true 
and living God who exists eternally as Father, Son and Holy Spirit? 
I do. Do you believe that you have sinned against God and justly 
deserve his punishment for your sins? I have. Do you believe 
that Jesus Christ, the son of God, lived in obedience to God's 
law, died as a sacrifice and substitute for sinners and rose 
on the third day? Yes. Do you believe in Jesus 
Christ alone to save you from your sins? I do. And do you commit 
to walk in obedience to God through faith in Jesus Christ? I will. 
Amen. All right. I baptize you in the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 
How about if I pray? Our Father, our hearts are full 
of love and worship and praise to you. We know, God, again, 
this isn't a reward for good behavior. It's a symbol, a sign, 
an element, a representation of what Christ has done in the 
gospel for these brothers. We thank you for their addition 
to our church. We thank you for this local church. 
We pray that you would cause us to walk in the fear of God 
and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. And may we glorify you. 
May you bless the proclamation of your word here and elsewhere. 
May sinners everywhere hear those words. Believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ and you shall be saved. We ask in his most blessed name. 
Amen. Well, let's stand and sing the 
doxology in praise to God. Page 568 in your handbooks. Okay, y'all can stand right there 
and sing with us. Praise Him, all creatures, here 
below. Praise Him, above the heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Father, go with us now. Cause your face to shine upon 
us. Cause us to know your nearness is our good. Help us to keep 
the Sabbath day holy and bring us back together tonight that 
we may worship and serve and glorify you. And we ask in Jesus 
name, amen. Please be seated.