Sermon Manuscript

[Video:  “Summer Road Trip - Bumper” - 0:30]

Several years ago our family headed out west for a summer road trip.  We were going to visit my brother and his family in Seattle and drive down the Oregon coast.  And it was a great trip!  We visited Cannon Beach where we saw these huge boulders and hiked around Crater Lake.  Which is the deepest lake in the United States.  Nearly 2,000 feet deep.  And then we went to the Redwood National Forest in northern California and saw some of the biggest trees you will ever see.  Fully grown redwood trees average about 200-300 feet tall.  That’s as tall as a 25 story building.  It was incredible!  And the park ranger told us that the tallest tree - which you could only visit by helicopter - was 380 feet tall!  Amazing!  And we spent some time in Seattle, Washington, with my brother Jeremy, whom we call Squirm, and his family.  Great trip!

But probably the part of the trip I remember most was what happened when we were in Oregon and ran into a traffic jam.  We were on a road that was supposed to take us to the Oregon coast and suddenly we were stuck.  The problem was that this was the only road to the coast and we were going to have to sit there for hours or find a new way.  So we checked on our phones and Apple Maps told us that there was another route if we went through the mountains.  So we did.  Big mistake.  Because as the sun was setting and it was getting darker we were climbing higher and higher into the mountains and had no idea where we were going.  The roads were terrible.  And at a couple of places we felt like we were about to drive off the cliff.  Never fun in the daytime let alone at night!  And as we traveled we kept seeing these “hippy camps”.  Camps where we saw these people hanging out in the middle of nowhere and we were pretty sure nothing “legal” was probably happening there.  Have you ever felt that way?  So we kept going up and up and up and then finally down and down and down.  For several hours.  And I was driving.  My hands were gripping the steering wheel so hard that I’m surprised it didn’t break!  Finally we came to an opening just as the sun was going completely down, popped out, and for the first time in hours saw civilization!  It was one of the most glorious sights I have ever seen!  And it was a road trip that our family will never, ever, forget.

We’ve all been there.  Right?  Every family has “road trip” stories.  Like that story of when the wrong turn became a new adventure.  Or Dad chose to ignore the GPS.  Right?  Or the story of “the last gas station” when someone said, “We don’t need to stop.  There will be another one soon.”  Or the story of the flat tire or driving through the night or when the arrival felt like a huge victory and mom just said, “We’re here.”  Right?  Road trip stories.

Maybe that’s why we all love road trips?  Because GSTV or Gas Station TV, the company that places those ads at the gas station pumps, performed a survey in May of 2026 and found that 72% of all Americans plan to go on a road trip this summer.  72%!  That’s over ⅔ of our country and it represents roughly 250 Million Americans!  So 250 Million Americans plan to go on a road trip this summer.  To places like national parks or famous highways or coastal trips like to Florida, the Outer Banks, or Maine.  And the reason that those road trips are so popular is that they create memories that will last for a lifetime.

So today we begin a series of messages called Summer Road Trip where we are going to go on a road trip as a church family.  We’re going to pack up our bags and jump in the station wagon or minivan or SUV and head out on the highway.  “Looking for adventure in whatever comes our way” as the song says.  We’re going on an adventure in God’s Word and together examining six traffic signs which will help us to become more and more like Jesus.  Sound like a plan?

Alright.  Let’s get started.  If you have your Bibles, turn with me now to the book of Acts chapter 16.  Today we’re going to be in verses 16-24.  If you would like to follow along with us online you can do so by using our app.  It’s called Church Center and we use it each week.  Each week we provide resources for our time together including today’s passage and our outline.  You can find them by opening up the app and clicking on Sunday services followed by Message Notes.

Last week we mentioned how Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke traveled from Troas to Philippi.  And on the Sabbath they went to a place of prayer outside of the city near a river.  And it was there that they converted a woman named Lydia and her family.  Lydia then became the very first convert in Europe.  And at the end of the passage we saw how she insisted upon serving Paul and the others saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord then please come to my house and stay!”  And she “prevailed” upon them.  So they did.  They began staying at Lydia’s home.  Ministering to Lydia and her family and those who came to visit her.  And eventually the church in Philippi was formed.  

But Paul also continued to go back to the place of prayer by the river each Sabbath.  And in verse 16 we read what happens next.  Luke writes:

16 As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. 19 But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21 They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. 23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

OK.  So as Paul and the others were going to the riverside to the place of prayer they were met by a slave girl who had a “spirit of divination” and who made her owners rich by fortune-telling.  Now, a couple of points about this encounter.  First of all, we have to remember that slavery was normal in the Roman Empire.  Some historians estimate that as many as 10-30% of the entire population were slaves.  That means that 1 out of every 10 people were slaves and maybe as many in some parts to 1 out of every 3.  Slavery was everywhere and so while slavery stands out to us it was common in the first-century.  Even children who were slaves.  And this slave girl, we are told, had a “spirit of divination”.  In other words, she was “demon-possessed” and had a demonic spirit within her which caused her to be able to perform fortune-telling.  People would come to her and pay lots of money to have their fortunes told.  This young girl was able to foretell the future and uncover hidden knowledge.  She acted like a medium for the spirit world.  Today, modern equivalents to this would be fortune tellers, psychics, tarot card and palm readers, mediums, astrologers, and channelers.  Channelers receive messages from spirits and are particularly popular in the New Age Movement.  And so this young slave girl meets Paul and the others and begins following them around.  Day after day.  And saying, “These men are servants or slaves of God.”  Kind of interesting that a slave girl is pointing out other “slaves”.  “These men are slaves of God and they are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!”

But what’s interesting here is that Paul doesn’t do anything for quite some time.  Because Luke says in verse 18 that this happened for “many days”.  Maybe even a few weeks?  Until finally Paul becomes angry and “greatly annoyed”.  And in verse 18 he reaches his breaking point and says to the evil spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.”  And that same hour the evil spirit does come out of her.  “That very hour”.  A phrase used in the Bible to describe a short period of time and anything from “immediately” to a short period but not necessarily “60 minutes”.

Fascinating.  I mean.  What a cause for celebration!  A demon-possessed young slave girl is set free!  Free from the pain and suffering brought upon her by this wicked and evil spirit!  Free from the oppression brought upon her by her owners and her “customers” and everyone who simply wanted something from her and to use her!  She was completely set free at that moment!  And suddenly she was just a little girl again!  I mean.  Can you imagine the joy of her parents when they found out?  Can you imagine the joy of her friends when they found out?  This little girl was suddenly able to be “normal” again.  To go to school and to have friends.  To have hopes and dreams about her future.  To know that she was no longer possessed by that evil spirit.  Free.  Completely free!  It’s hard to imagine just how life changing that moment was for her!

But unfortunately not everyone was happy about that change within her life.  Because we’re told that when her owners found out that their moneymaker and their “cash cow” or “golden goose” was gone they were upset and angry.  So angry that they “seized” Paul and Silas.  Which means they “grabbed hold of them” by force and “arrested” them.  They then “dragged” them into the marketplace and brought them before the magistrates.  Magistrates, by the way, are judicial officers with limited authority.  They were the first step of a legal proceeding and helped the Roman government to be more efficient.  So they weren’t judges who could preside over major cases but they could help with minor issues.

And here the owners say to them, “These men are Jews and they’re disturbing our city.  They advocate costumes that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept and practice.”  So notice what they’re doing.  They’re pointing out that Jews and not Romans.  And they’re stating that the message they bring about salvation through a new King, King Jesus, is against the law.  Because there’s no king but Caesar.  They’re also not talking about the miracle Paul just performed!  They’re not talking about how a wicked and evil spirit was just removed from a little girl!  Nope.  Not concerned about that.  Only concerned about their pocketbooks and how that miracle hurt them financially.  So they want Paul and Silas punished.

And they will be.  Because the crowd then attacks them.  The magistrates tore their clothes off of them and gave orders to have them beaten with rods.  They are then beaten with rods and given what Luke describes as “many blows” in verse 23.  Finally, they are thrown into prison and the jailer is ordered to keep them as safe as possible.  So he puts them in the “inner prison” which apparently was the area of the prison which was in the middle and was the most dark, the most damp, and the most secure place.  So that they could not escape.  One resource I found said that many Roman prisons had their “inner prison” underground.  So it could have even been underground.  And then finally their feet are placed into stocks which were wooden devices which kept them from escaping and forced the legs into painful positions.

That’s where we need to stop for now.  Next week Seth is going to share what happens next.  But for our purposes today I want us to think about what we learn from their story.  From Paul and Silas who performed a miracle but paid a big price for doing so.  It’s like they were driving down the highway on a summer road trip together when they saw this sign - a yield sign.  A yield sign indicates that you must slow down and stop if necessary in order to give the right of way to other vehicles or pedestrians.  In other words, you must allow others to go first and allow them to go in front of you.  You yield to them by putting them ahead of yourself.  And the same is true spiritually.  We must yield our lives to Jesus.  Just as Paul and Silas did here.  They put Jesus first and were so focused upon Him and building up His Church that it led to a moment where they had to be beaten, imprisoned, and placed in stocks because of it.

They had to be beaten for broadcasting the Good News of the Gospel.  They had to be imprisoned for imploring people to turn their lives over to Jesus.  They had to be punished and placed in stocks for proclaiming the way of salvation.  And yet they were more than willing to suffer.  They were more than willing to be afflicted and persecuted.  Because they had given their lives to Jesus and they were willing to suffer for Him.  They had yielded their lives to Him.

So what about you?  How willing are you to suffer for Jesus?  How willing are you to yield your life over to Him?  Have you yielded your marriage and your family to Him?  Have you yielded your job and your finances to Him?  Have you yielded your personal time and your hobbies over to Him?  In other words, are you “all in”?  Are we, as Christians, like Paul and Silas?  Do we have the same dedication as they did?  Have we fully yielded our lives over to Jesus?

I want us to think about that this morning.  What do we learn from Paul and Silas about how we can yield our lives over to Jesus?  Here’s three actions that they took which I believe we can take as well.  Three actions which will help us to yield our lives over to Jesus as they did.

And the first one is this:  Stay focused on the mission God gave you.  One of the aspects of this story that intrigues me is how long the slave girl followed them.  It’s a subtle detail.  Luke just says that she followed them for “many days”.  But how long was that?  A weekend?  A week?  What if it was several weeks or a month?  Day after day following Paul and Silas and Luke and Timothy.  Day after day she just keeps saying, “These men are servants of the Most High God and they are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.”  I mean at first that was a good thing.  They must have been glad to have someone announce such truths.  But the longer it went the more they began to ask, “How long do we have to endure this?”  Until finally Paul said, “Enough’s enough.”  And he removed the demonic spirit from her.  But they were so focused upon the mission they had been given that it took awhile for them to finally act.

And I think about our lives and how easy it is to get distracted.  We live in a world full of distractions.  Phones, computers, iPads, and so many other devices and people all trying to get our attention.  And yet they were focused.  They were yielded.  They knew that God had called them to Philippi.  They knew that Lydia and many lives were being changed for Jesus.  And while the slave girl annoyed them they remained focused.  I don’t know about you but I want to see that same type of dedication in my own life.  I want to yield my own life to Jesus in such a way that nothing can keep me from the mission.  And if you and I want to accomplish all that God has for us then we’ve got to stay focused.  So stay focused on the mission God gave you.

Second, recognize the spiritual battles all around you.  One of the things this story teaches us is about the spiritual world that we often forget about.  There is a real spiritual realm in which battles take place every day.  Angels and demons are real.  God is real and so is Satan.  And as the slave girl followed them and as they listened to her they must have been reminded of that truth.  Of the reality that within their world there was a battle taking place.  Paul and Silas and the others must have been reminded of that truth day after day as they listened to her.

And white I would not want to see people in our country who are demon possessed, I do wish as Christians we thought more about the spiritual realm.  I wish we would recognize that all around us are spiritual battles.  There is a spiritual battle taking place right now within your marriage.  There are spiritual battles taking place right now within your spouse’s life, your children’s life, your grandchildren’s life.  There are spiritual battles taking place at home, at work, and in our church.  Today.  Not in the future or in the past.  Today.  Satan is alive and well.  And 1 Peter 5:7 says that “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”  Not knip at our heels.  Not cause us to stumble.  Satan was to “devour” you.  He wants to “destroy” you.  He wants to “obliterate” you spiritually.  And he can and he will if you let him.  God will protect you if you remain committed to Him and place your faith and trust in Him but if you do not I promise you Satan will come, attack, and seek to destroy.  He does not mess around.  And the carnage that we see in our own lives and in the lives of other people we love and even believers is living proof.  So if we are going to yield to Jesus we need to live like Paul and Silas and the others.  And recognize the spiritual battles taking place all around us.

Third and finally, be willing to face persecution if necessary.  Be willing to suffer.  Because Paul and Silas did.  They were willing to let others attack them.  Here they were beaten with rods, thrown into prison, and stocks were placed upon their feet.  And while next week we’ll see that something amazing will take place as we stop and consider what is happening in this moment we see a willingness to suffer.  A willingness to face pain head on.  A willingness to recognize that even though the truths you bring can change and transform a person and give to them a hope and a future and ultimately Eternal Life not everyone wants that.  Not everyone wants to give their lives to Jesus.  They want to go to heaven.  Most people want that.  But when asked to give their lives to Jesus they say, “Nope.  Not interested.  Not me.  Not today.”  And they can become offended because they know they are sinners, upset because they know they are not right before God, and angry at the very person who offered them salvation.  Then they can react and fight back and bring persecution into your life and mine.

And we have to be ready.  We have to be willing.  We have to know that there will come a day in which we will be asked to suffer for Jesus.  And when that comes, when our “Paul and Silas moment” takes place we will find out once and for all if we are truly yielded to Jesus.  Because it’s easy to follow Jesus when everyone likes you and everyone follows Him.  It’s much more difficult when people do not and will not.  When they become angry at us and persecute us.  But if we want to yield our lives over to Jesus then we must be willing to face persecution if necessary.  Or more likely “when necessary”.

Let me wrap up this morning in this way.  Do you remember that famous scene from the movie European Vacation where Chevy Chase and his family travel to Europe and go on a summer road trip.  And they are driving through London when they come upon a roundabout.  So they go into the roundabout and they are on the inside of the circle.  And Chevy Chase is excited and so he says, “Look kids!  Big Ben!  Parliament!”  And then he starts into the roundabout.  They then go around a few times and he says, “I can’t get left.  Look kids!” and his kids from the back seat say, “We know!  Big Ben and Parliament!”  Then it turns dark and everyone is asleep and he just can’t get left.  Do you remember that scene?

If so, it’s interesting.  Because I did some research on roundabouts.  The history of roundabouts goes all the way back to the 1700 and 1800s.  In fact, one of the world’s oldest roundabouts is in Paris near the Arc de Triumph if you’ve ever seen it.  It has a dozen or so lanes feeding into it.  It’s massive.  But what’s interesting is that while research showed that roundabouts had many benefits including better traffic flow, reduced speeds, and less crashes they didn’t arrive in the United States until the 1990s and 2000s.  But as you’ve noticed they’re now showing up everywhere.  Right?  They’re all over New Palestine and they’re in Indianapolis and up in Carmel.  They are everywhere!  Today thousands have been built across the United States.  And roundabouts work because they keep cars moving but they only work when people yield to one another.  Right?  Because when no one yields you end up doing what Chevy Chase did and going around and around in circles.

Well, I think that’s a great analogy to our lives.  Many times within our lives we are going around and around and around.  Never getting anywhere spiritually.  That is until we finally yield our lives over to Jesus and allow Him to go in front of us.  And when we do so the Scriptures teach us that God can take us on an amazing journey through life with Him.  Like God did for Paul and Silas and Luke and Timothy.  But the key to going on that journey to become more like Jesus is learning how to yield to Him.  It’s seeing that Yield sign and pulling back so that He can pull ahead.  And that’s our challenge for this morning.  To recognize that we cannot begin our summer road trip to becoming more like Jeus until we first yield to Him.  The open road is calling and God wants us to go but the key is for us to learn how to yield as Paul and Silas did.  So…

Begin your journey with Jesus by yielding your life to Him.

Let’s pray.

[Prayer:  For God to help us yield to His Son and to suffer when necessary for Him.

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