Aftershock | From Captivity to Freedom - Davide Colletta

in a series called Aftershock. And this series has been about earthquakes, about biblical earthquakes. So the first we talked about on Good Friday was the first earthquake, which was when Jesus breathed his last on the cross and the veil of the temple was rent, was split into from top to bottom,

signifying that we now have access to the presence of God. And interestingly enough, on that day, at the same time, Old Testament saints, well, saints of old came up out of their tombs

and started roaming the streets of Jerusalem. The second earthquake that we talked about was when the angel came down to roll away the tombstone that had been placed over the place where Jesus

had been laid to rest. The third earthquake that we're gonna talk about today finds its epicenter in a prison, in Acts chapter 16, where it talks about Paul and Silas,

Paul and Silas who are the main characters of our story today. Now let me make some general statement. This is a general statement. Okay? None of us, I think, enjoy facing problems and struggles. Would you say that that's a true statement? I don't think any of us do. Now why is that? Because in so many ways problems,

issues, struggles that we face, they cause in us tension, panic, frustration, disappointments, anger, both sometimes at ourselves and others that could be the object of why we feel the tension of the moment. As a result we try to the best that we can as best as we can. We try to avoid facing problems because they

They develop in us, I think, an uncomfortable situation in our hearts and in our lives. We don't like to face issues. Now one thing I know for sure, that while we try to avoid them, avoidance is never the right solution when it comes to problems.

You can't avoid things forever. Sometimes you get a face up to it. So of course, I would rather not face up to any issues in my life personally. I like to be able to have green pastures and peace and hums, great, all life is beautiful.

There's absolutely no problems, but that actually does not happen the way we think it should be. ago, this gentleman by the name of Bruce Wilkinson wrote a book called The Prayer of J. Baz. Prayer of J. Baz. J. Baz is a man that's mentioned in the Bible in 1 Chronicles chapter 4 all of three times,

three times. Now, J. Baz, the name J. Baz, means, he caused us pain. That's an interesting name. And the reason why more than likely his name was because of Spain, Jebez, is because his

mom had a difficult childbirth experience when he was born. Now Jebez in chapter 4 and verse 10 of 1 Chronicles said, pray this prayer, which is an interesting prayer. He said, Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory.

Let your hand be with me. listen to this, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain. That's pretty good. I was sharing this with my hairdresser this week and he said to me, it's like you can actually pray a prayer like that. I said yeah you can, you know

what the cool thing about it also is? Is that God granted J-Bez exactly what we prayed for. I'm like, okay, you can actually pray that kind of prayer. And God may or may not hear. But here's the thing. I think all of us would really love to pray those types of prayers. I think all of us would really like to be free from pain and be blessed

and enlarge our territory and gain more and just all of the blessings, right? But here's the truth. We might as well be praying, God, don't let me grow. We might as well be praying, God, I don't need to learn anything in this life.

I don't need any struggles. I don't need to trust you. I got this. I got it all by myself.

I got it. Because problems create attention in all of us, issues that we have to face at some point or another. Here's what James chapter one verses two to four says.

It says, consider it all joy. What? The trials that you're going through. Really?

It actually says pure joy. Like pure joy that struggles, that troubles, the difficulties. Why is that? Why should trials bring joy?

Because he continues, James says, the testing of our faith produces perseverance, and when the work of perseverance is complete, we will not be lacking anything. So wait a minute, God, you're saying that you're like you blessed Jebes, but for me, I've got to work through my issues, my circumstances, my illness, my lack of finances, my struggles

with my family, my issues with my friends, my problems at work, the pastors and people that have turned me off, all of this. Yeah, why? Because they actually produce something in us.

a fruit that comes out of the issues and the struggles that we go through. You see, when we try to escape trials and pain, we also won't experience what we, I think, understand and called maturing, maturing into the man and the woman that God is working for each and every one of us to be. And He's got to do a work in us, and sometimes it comes

through trials and pains and difficulty. Do I like and know? I don't like it. And I think it's okay to pray for safety and strength and wisdom, but going through the trial forms the character of Jesus in us. You say, what are you talking about the character of Jesus? Look at Jesus on the cross. He had perseverance. He had courage. He had determination. He

He had passion, the Bible says that he set his face like flint. I'm gonna do this. And why did he do that? Because of you and me.

Because we were his inheritance. Now, our text is taken from Acts chapter 16. And I'm gonna focus on one verse, but I'm gonna give us the context of the chapter, okay?

I'm gonna read verse 26, which talks about what happened in that moment, but we're gonna recap up to that moment in a minute, okay? So suddenly verse 26 says, there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.

I love this because it just happened in the prison, all the way to the foundations, nothing outside. Well, that's what you call a targeted encounter. And once all the prison doors flew open, it doesn't just say that they got unlocked.

No, I'm like, this is like strong language. They flew open and everyone changed came loose.