"A Contrast of Powers" - a Message from Acts 16:25-37

Hello Friends,

Have you ever felt like a situation was hopeless? ...like you were stuck and there was no avenue of release or relief?

Paul and Silas are in jail, and most would have thought that they were finished.  But God, in his infinite sovereignty, unleashes his power to do mighty things, leading to the conversion of the jailer and his family.

This is a story of two contrasting powers:  God's and the World's.  God's power is rooted in his eternal being, his otherness.  The World's is rooted in its ability to control. It's based on Law, not Love.

I believe this is a crucial message to every believer who wants to live in the freedom of God's grace regardless of our circumstance.  Listen to the message and respond as the Lord leads.  And may God bless you as you invoke his power in your life to glorify Him.  Let me know what you hear.

- Kirk McCormick

 “A Contrast of Powers”

Contrast 1 - Prayer and Praise are more powerful than prison.

Acts 16:25a - “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God...”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon - “Songs in the night come only from God; they are not in the

power of men.”

Contrast 2 - Testimony is more powerful than trouble.

Acts 16:25 - “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.”

Tertullian - “The legs feel nothing in the stocks when the heart is in heaven.”

Contrast 3 - Love is more powerful than Law.

Point:  Law is not a means by which people escape the prisons of life… Law keeps us there.

** So this makes v. 27 make sense -

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.

Acts 16:31 - “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved - you and your household.”

Point: Belief is our response to the Love of God…

…Belief that God wants the best for me…

…he cares for me…

…he has a plan for me.

CONCLUSION

OVERALL POINT:  This story shows the Contrast of Powers:

1.  The World’s power that only restricts us…

,..does not free us from the prisons of life…

…does not help us in times of trouble

2. And God’s love…

…that enables us to Praise him no matter the circumstances…

         …the gives HOPE

         …that enables us to BELIEVE and be Saved.