Subject One Hundred Thirty-two

THE SALVATION OF THE JAILER

Scripture: Acts 16:19-34

1. A hard man
   1. The one who was saved was a keeper of the prison, a jailer. All jailers are hard men, otherwise they would not be able to keep the prison.
   2. Some jailers may be a little soft-hearted, but this one thrust Paul and Silas into the inner prison, even making their feet fast in the stocks, above that which was commanded by the officer.
   3. A hard man is a hard-hearted man.
2. God’s way of dealing with the hard-hearted man
   1. God makes him hear the gospel. The prayers and praises offered to God by the two apostles became the gospel when they reached the ears of the jailer. He never knew anything about God; but when he heard the two apostles praying and singing, he got some realization of God. Dear friend, can you say that you have never heard the gospel before? When you heard people joyfully praying and singing to God, you heard the gospel.
   2. By means of an earthquake. This hard-hearted man heard the gospel, but his heart was not touched at all. So God had to cause the earth to shake. The foundations of the prison were shaken, all the doors were opened, and every prisoner’s bands were loosed. After you hear the gospel, your heart is still very hard. Eventually God has to cause your wife to get sick, your business to go bankrupt, the loss of your job, or your contracting of tuberculosis. When God shakes you in this way, you will get saved. Sometimes you will encounter a real earthquake or hurricane. When the hurricane blasts and the earth quakes then you will truly believe in God.
3. The result of God’s dealing
   After the shaking, the hardened heart was softened. Many are saved through this kind of shaking. The gospel of God is the Word of God and the shaking of God is the action of God; after He speaks, His action follows.
4. How to be saved
   1. After being shaken by God, the hard-hearted jailer was softened and said immediately, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
   2. And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house.”
   3. Then the jailer and his whole house were baptized.
5. The result of being saved
   1. The jailer received forgiveness of sins and obtained life.
   2. Having received the Lord, the jailer and his house were filled with joy.