January 10-12, 2015 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Acts 16:25-34 “LOOK AT THE POWER OF GOD!”

BAPTISM OF JESUS

January 10-12, 2015

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Acts 16:25-34

“LOOK AT THE POWER OF GOD!”

1.     Opening doors.

2.     Opening hearts.

Acts 16:25-34 (NIV 1984) “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword  and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself ! We are all here!" 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household." 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God--he and his whole family.”

          Another day, another group of prisoners. They were all the same. Everyone was innocent. Always getting god once they saw the inside of a prison cell. The jailer did have to admit that two of the latest batch were a little different. The fortune telling slave girl in town had told everyone that they were servants of the LORD, the most high God. Then the one called Paul had done something and the slave girl didn’t know people’s secrets anymore. That’s when it all broke loose. Her owners got mad. There had been a near riot. Paul and his friend Silas had gotten beaten up pretty good and flogged by the magistrates. You would think that would be enough punishment but the city fathers wanted them jailed. The city fathers paid the bills so jailed they were, in the deepest cell with feet in the stocks. The jailer had never lost a prisoner before and he wasn’t about to start now. Another day, another dollar. Time for bed.

          What the jailer didn’t realize was how much the most high God loved him and that the LORD had arranged a little wake up call for him. Have you ever gotten a little wake up call from God? They come. He loves us. It might be in the form of an accident or near accident. It might be a serious health issue for yourself or a family member. Sometimes God just needs to get our attention. Like he did with the jailer. “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword  and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.”

          The jailer saw the power of God, the power of God to open doors. A powerful earthquake. Being the responsible jailer that he was he ran to check on his prisoners. How could all the doors be open? What a disaster! Roman law was clear. If you let a prisoner escape you took his place. The jailer was as good as dead or so he thought. He might as well end his life himself.

          But God had plans to give him life.  “Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself ! We are all here!" 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" God’s wake up call did its work. He opened the doors to wake the jailer up. Now he opened the jailer’s heart. The jailer realized he needed saving. His question shows he was still stuck with human reason. What must I do? If it is to be it is up to me! How often don’t we think we are the solvers? Paul set him straight. It was not a matter of what he did but rather trusting what Jesus had done. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household."

          More doors would open. “Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized.” Look at the power of God. He opened hearts through the power of His word and through the power of Baptism. This is why this reading is appointed to be read when the Baptism of Jesus is observed. While Jesus was baptized to fulfill all righteousness He gave Baptism to us to use to give us His righteousness. The Apostles understood this. Jesus had made it really simple, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” So where the Apostles went they baptized and taught. You see it again and again in Acts. The Ethiopian eunuch sees water and wants to be baptized. Earlier in Acts 16 after the Lord had opened the heart of a woman named Lydia and brought her to faith she has her whole household baptized. Why did the jailer have his whole family baptized? He recognized the power of God at work.

          Do we? You know in the short time the Lord has allowed me to be a pastor I have found that people who have not heard about Baptism before and they are going through the Bible Classes and hear about Baptism, that’s what they want. Just like you see in Acts. I’m guessing it was much like that for the Chinese students at Wisco mentioned in the bulletin. They rejoice to know what God does for them. Then there are those Christians who just can’t seem to come to grips with the power of God. You know them as your friends, relatives and neighbors who go to churches named Baptist or non denominational. They are the ones who raise their eyebrows and question when you talk about having your newborn baby baptized. They hear and read about what God says Baptism does, they hear Jesus clear command to baptize all people but then they think too hard. They can’t figure it out. There must be something I have to do in this. It can’t be that simple. So they don’t baptize children and understand Baptism as something a person does to show they believe in Jesus rather than the power of God working on them. To me that’s kind of like saying I don’t understand how a computer works so I’m not going to use it. Or I don’t get how this cordless phone called a cell phone works, I can’t believe that it can actually send and receive voices so I won’t use it. A little foolish.

          But how about us? We know the power of God at work in Baptism. We make sure we have our babies baptized. But then sometimes do we forget about the power of God in Baptism? That’s kind of like knowing that a cell phone works and will allow you to make and receive calls but then never actually using it. Just letting it be a decoration. Listen, at your Baptism God named you His child. He clothed you with Christ Jesus so that when He looks at you He sees Jesus. Do you understand what this means? You are not in a performance based relationship with God. There is nothing you can do or have to do to make Him love you anymore than He already does. You are as loved as you can possibly be. Remember that when you don’t feel loved or are going through hard times. It’s only for eternal good. He already has declared you to be righteous in His eyes, when He looks at you He sees the perfect righteousness of Christ so you can strive to obey His commandments out of love and thanks instead of fear and guilt. At your Baptism He connected you to Jesus’ death to defeat sin and His resurrection to new life so that yes, you can say no to sin, you can fight it, even those addictive ones or habitual sins can be resisted. You don’t have to give in and the Devil can’t make you do anything. He can only tempt you and with the new life of your Baptism you can choose to serve God instead of self.

          And that can open other doors for you. You saw it with the jailer. “The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God--he and his whole family.” Before God’s power worked on him the jailer had the important job of keep prisoners off the streets. Now He was a Christian jailer. He found ways to advance Christ by helping Paul and Silas. His life was filled with joy. Brothers and sisters, there may come times in life that you feel insignificant.  “I’m just a janitor, just a cop, just a mom, just a retiree, just a…” you fill in the blank. I can assure you that nothing is further from the truth. Through Baptism you are the child of God who gets to be filled with joy if you want and can express that joy in serving others as Christ has served you. That’s the power of God. Amen.