Sermon Prepared by James McCullen
Email Preach Him with Dr. Jim

HOW ABOUT YOUR HEART
ACTS 16:13-26

        HOW IS YOUR HEART? Physically? Spiritually?
 

1.    IS IT AN ENSLAVED HEART? v 16-18

A.    A heart Enslaved by ... Sin.. v 16 (she didn't start enslaved)
        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.
 

B.    A heart Enslaved by a .. spirit.... v 16

4436. Puthon, poo'-thone; from Putho (the name of the region where Delphi, the seat of the famous oracle, was located); a Python, i.e. (by anal. with the supposed diviner there) inspiration (soothsaying):--divination.

Deut 18:10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, NKJV

Deut 18:10 "There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, NASU

C.    A heart Exorcised by the Savior... v 18 (spoke to the spirit)
        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." 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.

    1. Note command!
    2. Didn't immediately cast out demon. -- why?

ILLUSTRATION:
Couple in West Virginia - - He was Demon Possessed

18 year old girl in West Virginia;
    a. Dope, sex, drugs, dealing in drugs, demon control
    b. Obsession with Rock Music.
    c. Evaluation of the Catholic Church

Two friends of mine dealing with one demon possessed.
 

APPLICATION:

        22 TIMES UNCLEAN SPIRIT -- 18 in gospels

        12 TIMES DEMON POSSESSED -- all in Gospels

        1 POSSESSED WITH A SPIRIT -- only here

        22 times demon in Gospels
 

Satan Entered Judas. John 13:2, 13:27

John 13:27 Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly." NKJV

John 13:2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him, NKJV
 
 
 

2.    IS IT A GREEDY HEART? v 19-21

A.    A Greedy heart placing Money before people. v 19
        19 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. 20 And they brought them
        to the magistrates, and said, "These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city;

        1. All they see is dollar signs.
 

B.    A Greedy heart placing More's before people. v 21
        21 and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe."

        1. Anti-Semitism

Illustration: TOPIC: Greed INDEX: 2133 SUB TOPIC: DATE: TITLE:
Giving with glad and generous hearts has a way of routing out the tough old miser within us. Even the poor need to know that they can give.

Just the very act of letting go of money, or some other treasure, does something within us. It destroys the demon greed. (Richard J. Foster, Money, Sex & Power)
 
 
 

3.    IS IT AN OPEN HEART? v 13-15

A.    Note this Lady before the Lord opened her heart. v 13-14
        13 And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was
        customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. 14 Now a
        certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira,
        who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.

    1. She was An Interceding Lady. v 13
        a. Praying for Men to lead a synagogue.
        b. Praying for the Messiah to Come.
        c. Praying for God to reveal Himself.

    2. She was An Inquisitive Lady. v 14
        a. Worship  b. Listening
 

B.    Note this Lady after the Lord opened her heart. v 15
        15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, "If you have
        judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." So she persuaded us.

        1. She is An Immersed Lady. v 15 a
            a. Household equals servants.(probably not Family)
                1.) All over 12 years of age.

        2. She is An Insistent Lady. v 15 b
            a. A successful sales lady. -- large house
                1.) Church started here.

ILLUSTRATION: Reference "...and the Lord opened her heart..."
Story of little boy lost in Northern snow storm. Father and others looked all night. At the break of dawn the father kicked what he thought was a log. It was his son all snug in the snow. The boy jumped up and said "oh daddy I found you, I found you".

The father put his arms around his son and almost hugged the life out of him and said "Oh yes son you found me, you found me"

APPLICATION:

EVERY CONVERSION REPORTED IN SCRIPTURE -- AN ADULT CONVERSION.
 
 
 

4.    IS IT A PEACEFUL HEART? v 22-26

A.    A Peaceful heart in the face of Punishment. v 22-23a
        22 Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their
        clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. 23 And when they had laid many
        stripes on them, . . . "

        1. Beaten, back swollen, sang songs of praise.
 

B.    A Peaceful heart in the face of Prison. v 23 b -25
        ". . . they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Having
        received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
        25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were
        listening to them.

        1. Prison, inner prison, and stocks.
        2. Body in chains but their spirit is free.

C.    A Peaceful heart in the face of Pulsations of the earth. v26
        26 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.

        1. First sacred concert in Europe.
            a. Brought the house down.

ILLUSTRATION:
Young girl tossed around from home to home, sexually abused, came to church. Pastor's wife found her to be bright and desirous of a change. Got her enrolled in a Baptist College. She was invited by a fine young Ministerial student to attend a banquet. President was outraged. She asked is there anything in that Bible that could make me fit to go out with that boy. In tears the President led her to Christ. She went back to her home town and led her first boy friend to the Lord and he took her to the banquet.
 

CONCLUSION:         HOW ABOUT YOUR HEART
 

IS IT AN ENSLAVED HEART? v 16-18

IS IT A GREEDY HEART? v 19-21

IS IT AN OPEN HEART? v 13-15

IS IT A PEACEFUL HEART? v 22