95 Acts 16:35-40 PAULS DEPARTURE FROM PHILIPPI Introduction: In our previous text the Philippian jailor and all his household were saved and baptized. In our text today we see Paul and most of his mission team depart from the city of Philippi and move on to another field of labor. But when they leave, they leave behind a church of the Lord Jesus Christ which was not there when they arrived. I. A message from the magistrates to the jailor instructing him to set Paul and Silas free V. 35, “And when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go.” Now this is a drastic turn about by the Roman magistrates at the city of Philippi. On the evening before, they had been very anxious to find these men guilty of the false charges which had been made against them by the owner of the slave woman out of whom Paul had cast a demon. They has ripped the clothes off their backs and ordered them beaten with a rod. They had done this without a trial being held. Charges had been made, but not one witness had been heard. No verdict of any kind had been rendered. But the magistrates had ordered them beaten unmercifully and thrown into prison with instructions to the jailor that he should make certain that these men did not escape. It had been because of that order to the jailor that the jailor had placed them in the innermost cell and placed their feet in stocks, which would add to a great deal of pain to them. But the very next morning as soon as it was daylight they sent word to the jailor ordering him to set them free. There has still been no trial. The charges surely have not been dropped by the slave owners. Even if they had been inclined to do so, they surely had not done so this early in the morning. Why would these magistrates set the accused prisoners free without a trial and without the charges being dropped? Surely it was not because they had thought the matter over and decided that the charges by the slave masters had been false. There had to be some other reason for their decision to order the jailor to set them free. Why? The answer to that question seems to be obvious. The earthquake had something to do with their decision. The earthquake had everything to do with their decision. You see, the earthquake shook not only the jail where Paul and Silas were imprisoned. It shook the entire area. Since Luke does not tell us about the damage done in the city and surrounding area, we have no way of knowing just how much damage was done, but we do know enough about earthquakes to know that since this was a great earthquake it did a great deal of damage in the whole area. Perhaps the homes of the magistrates themselves had been severely damaged. Perhaps even some of their families had been killed or injured. Perhaps much of the city lay in ruins. We just have no way of knowing. Perhaps they feared that an aftershock would do even greater damage. It seems apparent that they already felt a twinge of their conscience because of the mistreatment of these two men. It seems to most definite that they assumed that their mistreatment of Paul and Silas was the reason that the earthquake came. They knew that these men were Jews and they must have feared that they had made the God of the Jews angry by their treatment of them. They had heard many stories about the power of the God of the Jews and they were not at all anxious to stir His anger any further. So in order to prevent any greater damage to themselves or to their city, they sent the sargents bright and early to the jail ordering the jailor to set these two preachers free. V. 36, “And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace.” The jailor took this as very good news. He was well pleased to hear it. He most certainly did not wish to hold them any longer and must have already wondered in his mind what he might do to try to get them set free. To him, this news was a God-send, So he immediately told them that they were free and that they should go. He not only told them that they could go, but he added his own best wishes for them as they would go. He said, “Go in peace.” He wished them well. They had been a great blessing to his own life and to the lives of all who were within his household. He was now saved and on the road to heaven because of these two men. All of his family and all of his slaves were now saved and on the road to heaven because of these two men. How could he wish anything but good for Paul and Silas? He genuinely wished them well. II. Paul’s refusal to go V. 37, “But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast [us] into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.” Paul refused to leave the prison upon just a message from the magistrates delivered by the sargents. This must have been a surprise to all. It must have been a surprise to the sargents. It must have also been a surprise and a disappointment to the jailor. He just wanted Paul and Silas to be set free. It may have also been a surprise to Silas and I suspect that at first it may have been a disappointment even to him. I suspect he would have been willing to just go. But the biggest surprise to all was the news that Paul and Silas were Romans. Paul said that the magistrates had openly beaten himself and Silas who were Romans and they had beaten them even though they had not been found guilty of a crime. They had not even had a trial. Now Paul was not saying that he and Silas were of Roman blood. They had already been identified as being of Jewish blood and Paul was not trying to deny that. What Paul was saying was that they were Roman citizens. Paul’s father or grandfather or perhaps great-grandfather or someone in his ancestry had either earned Roman citizenship by some outstanding service to the Roman government or else had purchased Roman citizenship at a great financial cost. I suspect that it was purchased because family was wealthy. At any rate when one obtained Roman citizenship the children who were thereafter born were also Roman citizens and right on down. Over in chapter 22 we learn that Paul was a freeborn Roman citizen. That is, his father ahead of him was already a Roman citizen and, therefore, he was Roman citizen from his birth. We have no way of knowing how Silas because a Roman citizen, but we know that he was because said that the magistrates had beaten Roman citizens, plural. Both he had Silas were Roman citizens. III. Paul and Silas personally escorted out of jail by the magistrates V. 38, “And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans.” I am sure that upon learning that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens the sargents did not waste any time getting back to the magistrates to tell them the news. Not only were these two men Roman citizens, but they refused to leave the prison without being publicly escorted out of the prison by the magistrates who had ordered them to be beaten and locked up. When the magistrates heard this news, they were afraid. I suspect that they were frightened as much by this news as they had been frightened by the earthquake the night before. If the Roman senate or the Roman Caesar should ever hear about their mistreatment of Roman citizens they would be in big trouble. It was bad enough that they had ordered any prisoner beaten without a trial, but to do so to a Roman citizen would almost certainly mean death and the confiscation of all their property. They, themselves, would be killed and their families would be left paupers. So without delay the magistrates made their way to the Philippian jail. V. 39, “And they came and besought them, and brought [them] out...” The magistrates not only came to the jail, but they went inside to the innermost cell and personally escorted both Paul and Silas out of jail. This must have been a humiliating experience for them, but they swallowed their pride and did it. They had to. They faced serious charges if they didn’t. Now I cannot help but wonder: What was Paul’ motive in requiring the magistrates to go through this humiliating experience? Did Paul do this just so that he could have the pleasure of humiliating them? I really do not think so. To do so would have been seeking to get vengeance and I have a higher opinion of Paul than to think that he would do this in order to get vengeance. The Bible teaches that vengeance belongs to God, not to man. I surely do not think that he did to get vengeance. The only thing that I can come up with is that Paul did this for his own safety and the safety of Silas. Legal charges had been made against them publicly and there had been to trail to pronounce them either guilty or innocent. A great crowd of people had watched them beaten and would recognize them if they were to see them again. Therefore, they were subject to being seized again and having to suffer more abuse at the hands of the citizens of the city. The only way that they would be safe in the city was for the citizens of the city to know that the magistrates had set them free. The news that the magistrates came to the jail and personally escorted Paul and Silas out of jail surely let everybody in the city know that they had been officially set free. This kind of thing did not happen often and was surely known throughout the whole city very quickly. IV. The departure of Paul and his mission team (V. 39), “...and desired [them] to depart out of the city.” The magistrates evidently feared that if Paul and Silas stayed in the city this would pose new danger for themselves. The owner of the slave girl might come back to them insisting that the charges against them be renewed. Either that or someone else might try to bring charges against them. Either way it could mean that the news of their mistreatment of Roman citizens could get back to the city of Rome. This they most certainly did not want. Therefore, the magistrates asked Paul and Silas to leave their city. However, they were careful to be very polite in doing so. They did not wish to say anything which might cause Paul and Silas to take the initiative themselves and report them to Rome. Of course, they never did. V. 40, “And they went out of the prison, and entered into [the house of] Lydia...” We are not told whether or not Paul and Silas told the magistrates that they would leave the city. However, in the later part of this verse we will see that they do. They leave without any lengthy delay. There was, however, a small delay. When they left the jail, they did not immediately leave town. Instead, they went to the home of Lydia, where they had stayed prior to their arrest. (V. 40), “...and when they had seen the brethren...” Now this statement immediately brings a question. Lydia had been their first convert in the city of Philippi. The jailor and the members of his household had been their last converts in the city. But in between the conversion of Lydia and the jailor and his household, there had apparently been other converts whom Luke had not mentioned up to this point. How can we account for these additional converts. Let me remind you that back in verse 18 Luke tells us that the slave woman who was demon possessed followed after them many days crying out after them saying, “These men are the servants of the most high God.” It was apparently during that period of many days that the brethren mentioned in this verse had been converted. Who they were and how many of them there were we are not told. But the point that I want to make here is that at the time Paul and Silas left the city they left a church behind. Their mission in this city was accomplished. Lydia plus the brethren in this verse and now the new converts, the jailor and his household, had all been saved and would carry on the work of the Lord in this city after Paul and Silas and Timothy would leaven. (V. 40), “...they comforted them, and departed.” The members of this new church would most certainly have been deeply disturbed at the arrest and beating of Paul and Silas. They very much stood in need of seeing them and knowing for certain that they were alright. That is, they were alright except for sore backs. It would be comforting to see Paul and Silas unexpectedly walk in. It would also be comforting to know that they had not been injured in the earthquake. It would be comforting to know that they had been released by the magistrates and that all charges against them had been discounted by the court. But now their mission was accomplished and they would leave. That is, Paul, Silas and Timotheus would leave. Luke would remain with the young church to be what we might call interim pastor until God would provide them another. Perhaps you will remember that after Luke’s arrival at Philippi he had referred to the mission team in a way which included himself. He used pronouns like “we” and “us.” But in this verse where he tells about the departure of the team he says “they.” It was “they” who comforted the brethren and it was “they” who left. Luke was not in the group who left. We will see in the next chapter that Timothy did leave with the group, but Luke stayed behind. He would teach them doctrinal truth and train them in how to carry on church work. He would likely stay long enough to teach and train a new pastor for them right out of their own membership. The Lord was looking out for the well-being of the young church even though the Apostle Paul was leaving. V. Lessons relating to my own departure from Pleasant Hill I cannot believe that it is mere coincidence that I came to this text right at the time that I am in the process of leaving Pleasant Hill. I am convinced that God had it time so that I would come to this text right at this time. I think that He arranged it this way so that you could see some lessons from this passage of Scripture concerning my departure from here. First, let me point out to you that it was God who directed the way for Paul and his mission team to go to Macedonia and to Philippi. Paul had been at Troas when he had the vision of a man from Macedonia saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Philippi was the first city in Macedonia in which he sought to do mission work. There is no doubt that God led him there. On the first Sunday in February, 1968 I received a unanimous call to come and be the pastor of this church. It was much like the call which Paul had received to go to Philippi. It was this church saying to me, “Come over to Pleasant Hill and help us.” There is no doubt in my mind that as Paul was led by the Holy Spirit to go to Philippi, even so I was led to come here to be the pastor of this church. Another lesson which we can observe from this text is that the Lord blessed the efforts of Paul and his team at Philippi. They were able to win one soul on their first sabbath day that they were in the city. Then, too, they won many souls to Christ during those days that the demon possessed woman followed after them. They won souls not because of her, but in spite of her. In spite of the fact that the demon sought to hinder their work they won souls. They won souls in spite of the fact that they were arrested, beaten and thrown in prison. They were able to establish a church in that city in spite of the Devil’s effort to prevent it. Another lesson which we can observe is that God provided for leadership in the young church at Philippi after the departure of Paul. I have shown you evidence from the text that Luke did not leave when Paul and the others left. We are to conclude that he stayed behind to be the spiritual leader of this church at a time when they needed leadership. Let me assure you that God is equally interested in providing spiritual leadership for you after I am gone. I am grateful that we have Bro. Brian Etheridge in our church at this time. I certainly do not know who will be your next pastor. Only God knows. But you already have a good man who will fill in and preach for you until it is time for you to once again extend a call and say, “Come over to Pleasant Hill and help us.” There is another lesson which I hope you will see. God had a time for Paul and his team to go to Philippi and God had a time for them to leave. Even so, God had a time for me to come to Pleasant Hill. I feel just as confident that God had a time set for me to leave. For thirty-three years I have known that someday I would leave --- either in life or in death. For thirty-three years I have tried to be sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit so that I would know when that time would come. I have always been ready to leave if the Lord was ready for me to leave. I have always been ready to stay if the Lord was ready for me to stay. That has not changed. I would be willing to stay if I were convinced that the Lord wanted me to stay. I am convinced that the Lord wanted me to stay this long. I would have already been gone if that had not been the case. But I am now convinced that it is the Lord’s will for me to go. I probably will not pastor again. There is another field of labor in which I will seek to carry out the work that the Lord has me to do. Yet I must continue to be open to the leadership of the Lord and, therefore, I cannot say that I will never pastor again. In the meantime, I will attempt to do some writing and will be available for revival services if I should be called upon to do so. I will also leave the door open in the event the Lord wants me to serve as pastor or interim pastor some where.