Why Not Now? NIGHT ONE

Stan Hood

 

MIDNIGHT RIDER

On his April 18, 1775, “midnight ride,” Paul Revere warned that British troops

were moving to take supplies critical to the pro-independence, patriot militia

in the colony of Massachusetts. While riding in and around Boston on

horseback, the silversmith-turned-revolutionary alerted clergy at Boston’s Old

North Church to hang two lanterns, a sign the British would arrive by sea.

Paul Revere was a midnight rider who turned the Revolutionary War. It was his

bravery that inspired men and women to have faith in the cause.

 

PAUL’S MISSIONARY JOURNEY IN ACTS 16

Paul received a vision to leave Troas and go to Macedonia. Once he arrived in

Macedonia, he settled in the capitol city of Philippi. Paul and Silas and their

companions conducted a riverside revival. After which, there was a series of

conversions to Christianity. Romans heard the message and were baptized.

One woman named Lydia stood out. Her family demonstrated their

conversion.

 

While getting to know the people, around verse 13, there was a woman

possessed with an unclean spirit following the mean around. Out of

frustration, Paul commanded the unclean spirit to come out of her. The spirit

came out that day and at that moment the local economy went into a deficit.

The girl’s masters and multitude got together and charged the men of God

with disturbing the peace. They beat them and threw them in prison. They

told the jailer to watch them close and don’t let them go.

 

ATTACKS ARE A RESULT OF SUCCESS

1The missionaries were attacked because they put God first. I want to tell you

Southeast, you are not under attack because you did something wrong. You

are under attack because you did something right. You ought not to be in

trouble with God. You ought to be in trouble over God. When the church is

being the church, there ought to be some tension between the believer and

the world. It’s the world who should be upset by your witness. There’s

something wrong if the church is the only people you clash with. Our love for

the Lord should bind us together. But the world should not be comfortable

with our praise.

 

AT MIDNIGHT

After all that, we arrive at Acts 16:25. They’ve been beaten, bloodied, bound

and bruised. They are in the inner prison, maximum security, yet they decide

to pray and sing at midnight. Midnight is the middle of the night. Sounds

obvious but let’s look closer. Midnight says it’s a new day but it’s still dark! It

suggests that just because it’s dark, it doesn’t mean God isn’t doing

something new. Just because you can’t see Him doing it, doesn’t mean the

Lord isn’t doing anything.

 

Darkness is a time of development. It’s not a time to cry or be depressed.

Midnight suggests there’s something new on the horizon. Midnight is the

measurement of time that begin a new day with yesterday’s darkness. (Pastor

Tolan Morgan). God doesn’t always bring the darkness but He can use the

darkness to do something new in your life. He didn’t abandon you. He just hid

you in the darkness long enough to heal you.

 

THE PURPOSE OF PAIN

Paul and Silas’ arrest was designed to break their spirit and send a message to

other believers that living for Jesus wasn’t worth it. So, they had to have praise

and worship to send a message to the enemy that he failed. Sometimes you

2have praise God to remind yourself of what you still have. “You took my job

but I still have my joy. You took my mate but you didn’t take my faith.”

Whatever your prison is might be present but it has no power because it failed

in breaking your spirit. The whole point of putting someone in prison is to

silence them.

 

Your praise must be consistent. It was easy to praise God at the river when

souls got baptized. They were free then. It was easy pray at the river. But can

you shout in the prison. God wants to see if there’s power in your praise when

you’re bloodied and beaten. Can you do it heathens don’t want to hear it. Will

you be on the job who you are at church? Do you experience the power at

home by yourself? Your praise must be consistent.

 

THE MIDNIGHT RIDER

Paul and Silas are in jail for the crime of preaching. All they did was share

their faith and they are in jail with murderers and thieves. Believers are not

spared from the same problems as unbelievers. We just respond differently.

Some people are in a holding cell where they are being watched. The

preacher and his assistant are shackled to the floor in maximum security.

Several groups are watching to see how they handle it.

 

Fallen angels want to know how much damage they inflicted. That’s why it’s

important to praise God at all times. It will keep demons out of your business.

Busybodies can’t determine your pain level when you’re praising Jesus.

I can hear the raspy baritone of Paul singing “Praise Him, Praise Him, Praise

Him, Praise Him – Jesus, blessed Savior. He’s worthy to be praised.

And then I can hear the smooth tenor of Silas – “From the rising of the sun

until the going down of the same. Jesus, blessed Savior. He’s worthy to be

praised.

 

Somewhere between this dimension and where guardian angels standby,

heaven got happy and couldn’t remain silent any longer. Several of them

jumped on invisible horse and rode through like thunder and caused an

earthquake.

 

Can you hear the angels “Jesus…Jesus…Jesus”

When you call on Jesus, shackles fall off.

When you call on Jesus, pain goes away;

When you call on Jesus, you can smile again.

When you call on Jesus, kids come home.

When you call on Jesus, the enemy has to flee.

When you call on Jesus, anger goes away.

When you call on Jesus, prison doors open.

 

THE PRISON GUARD

The midnight rider woke up the whole prison. When the jailer saw the

prisoner’s free, he took out his sword to kill himself. But Paul stopped him and

offered Christ.

 

THE REAL MIDNIGHT RIDER

Revelation 6 talks the four horsemen of the apocalypse. They are a part of the

seven seals that lead to the second coming of Christ. The horsemen

represent four stages of the church. He who has an ear let him hear. At the

end of it all, King Jesus will come in your midnight despair and deliver us from

this prison called earth. He’s the ultimate midnight rider. Ride on King Jesus.

Ride on! Ride when the government is acting up. Rider when there are wars

and rumors of wars. Ride when sickness claims the saints of the living God.

Ride when racism, sexism and classism threaten to destroy the church. Be

our midnight rider!