Lessons from Paul's Prison Epistles

I'd like to begin with a question. Have you ever been affected by all the talk in the news or maybe friends or whoever talks that concerns doom and gloom? It just seems that there's so much negative news out there. It can affect a person's state of mind. And we realize there are a lot of things that happen that are negative. And yet, we shouldn't become people with a mentality like doom and gloom. That everything is dark or negative, that you become discouraged, and you say, what's the use?

Nothing's going to turn out right anyways. This is an attitude that we have to confront, that we have to deal with, and not let it conquer us. We have to overcome it. And the Bible warms us of a spirit where, just look at the world, look at all things around me, what's the use? And things are so negative. God is not that way.

We're not here to have that type of a spirit. We are to overcome the world, not let the world overcome us and inject its wrong spirit. Notice in Proverbs 17 verse 22 what it tells us about the importance of our mindset, our attitude. It says, Proverbs 17, 22, A merry heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.

It can actually affect a person's health. It can affect their attitude. And in Proverbs 15 verse 15, it says, Everybody lives their days in and out, but one person, it seems like because the person is depressed, downhearted, it looks like the days just drag on.

Whereas another person has a positive attitude, knows God is there, he knows what he's doing, and he has a continual feast. Does that mean everything is turning out great for him? No. But he just has the attitude. I'm not going to get down. I'm going to enjoy what God has given me every day of my life. I'm going to take advantage as fully as I can. Because we know Satan loves a person that is depressed, that is looking at everything darkly, and can get angry and bitter, and that is just like red meat for a lion.

As it tells us in 1 Peter 5 verse 8, this is the analogy that the Bible uses about Satan, 1 Peter 5 verses 8 and 9. It says, Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

He can smell a wounded animal. He can see a weak animal. And then it goes on to give us a solution. It says, resist him steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. So there are all kinds of things that can happen.

There's doom and gloom around, and we can let it infect our attitude, our outlook on life, and it can affect others as well. Well, here is the key that we find in the Bible. There might be a lot of doom and gloom around, but through being close to God, we can still control our attitude about it. So let's look at two biblical examples to encourage us when there is an attitude of doom and gloom around us, and how we can apply the right biblical perspective about it, and also help others to have the right attitude as well, to help them get over temporary setbacks.

We are all going to have temporary setbacks. The path to God's kingdom is not just a smooth road and with all nice little oasis along the way. No, it's going to have rough terrain. It's more like an obstacle course that you have to run with patience, and no, there are going to be some temporary setbacks, but those can be overcome. It reminds me of what happened in World War II, where Hitler and his allies started with the war, and basically, for the first two years, they basically won just about all the battles.

And slowly, they were able to hold them back, and then eventually turn the tide of the war. But they had temporary setbacks, but they didn't say, well, we can't defeat the enemy, let's just all give up. Sue for peace? No, they didn't. They had a fellow named Winston Churchill, who said, we are not going to surrender in face of all the odds.

And he said, we will resist. And he was able to inspire his people to resist. And eventually, things turned around. So our first example is that of Jesus Christ. Now, in Isaiah 53, it was prophesied that he would suffer many things.

You talk about having to deal with doom and gloom all the time. Notice in Isaiah 53, starting in verse one, it says, Who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Who is God going to reveal? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground.

He has no form or comeliness, and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.

And we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised, and we did not esteem him. So he didn't have it easy at all. From the very beginning, he was hounded, and Herod was trying to kill him, as he was a little infant. And all through his life, he was despised, went through many things. And especially in his last days, when he knew what he was going to face, he had to be a sacrifice for mankind, for the forgiveness of sins.

Especially in that last Passover, when he met with his disciples, notice that he didn't get angry or bitter about what he was going to go through. He had an attitude of love and even joy in the face of all the difficulties he was going to face. Notice in John 13, verse 1, this was a time of the Passover supper, as Enrique Vidal mentioned, that Jesus Christ was destined to die during that Passover day.

And as that day began in the evening, the previous evening, it says in verse 1, Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come, that he should depart from this world to the Father, having loved his own, talking about his disciples, who were in the world, he loved them to the end. He still loved them, no matter what he had to deal with.

He could have again realized all the darkness that was enveloping him at that time and just gotten despondent. But he didn't. Notice in chapter 14, in verse 27, he knew he was going to die, a terrible death, and yet he says in John 14, verse 27, Peace I live, leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. He was still thinking more about them than he was about himself. And he had inner peace because God's Spirit was without measure, full in him. And it gave him that peace of mind. He knew he was doing this voluntarily, but it was going to be for the welfare of all of mankind. Notice in verse 28, he says, You have heard me say to you, I am going away and coming back to you. If you loved me, you would rejoice because I said I am going to the Father, for my Father is greater than I. Greater in position and power. Verse 29, And now I have told you before it comes that when it does come to pass, you may believe.

He had that inner peace. He was encouraging his disciples. In chapter 15 in verse 9, this is the following chapter in verse 9. He says, As the Father loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. Just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full. So Jesus had peace. He had joy. Even facing the worst trial that you could imagine.

So although there was a lot of doom and gloom around him, he didn't let that doom and gloom infect his attitude. Notice in chapter 16, next chapter over, verse 5 through 7, he says, But now I go away to him who sent me, and none of you asked me, Where are you going? But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. He saw. They were anxious. They were depressed. And yet he was encouraging them, saying, Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send it to you because it is the power of God to spirit.

So he was saying, Look, I have to first go through all of this sacrifice, all of these sufferings. I need to pay the price so your sins can be forgiven, so you can be cleaned and then receive God's Spirit. They could not receive God's Spirit until Jesus Christ paid for their sins. So he says it is to your advantage that all of this is done. So again, we see this attitude of love, of concern. Notice verse 20. He says, Most assuredly I say to you that you will weep and lament when you see Him dying, but the world will rejoice and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come. But as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore, you now have sorrow, but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice and your joy no one will take from you. So he knew that he would die, but after three days and three nights, he would be resurrected. And then he would appear to his disciples during those forty days, and they were so excited. So sometimes before good things happen, some negative and difficult things will occur. But remember, Jesus Christ does the heavy lifting for us. We cannot do it for ourselves. Notice in Hebrews 12, verses 1 and 2. Hebrews 12, verses 1 and 2. Here it describes what he was thinking when he was suffering all of these things. It says in verse 1, Hebrews 12.

So for the joy that was set before him, it wasn't anything that he was going to enjoy. The joy was what he was doing for all of us. That he was willing to sacrifice himself and being God in the flesh. His sacrifice is more than all the sins that the world has ever produced. If you put it on a scale, his life is worth infinitely more than all the sins that the human beings have created. And for the joy of knowing they would receive forgiveness and one day have God's Spirit in them, renewing their minds and one day reigning under him in that coming kingdom. And just what a privilege it is to understand these things. But it means we need to have an attitude like he had. We can't let our problems overwhelm us and turn us negative or angry.

There's a scripture in Revelation 21, which again shows us the final result of what Jesus Christ sacrificed. Revelation 22.

Revelation 21, verse 2. It says, then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. It's going to be so beautiful. Just think, if you rule with Christ and everything has been prepared, and then you see God the Father coming down in that New Jerusalem. And it says, and I heard a loud voice from heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor cry. So he's talking about those sad moments that people went through things. Some of them don't understand why things happen, why he allowed it. But here, he's going to wipe away every tear. He's going to explain in the plan of salvation why, and he knows that it will work out for good in the end. The difference between God and us is so huge when you compare. Here, God created the entire universe. And for God, it's just this ball of matter and energy. And inside this ball of matter and energy, he set up a clock, the time scale that's inside this universe. But he's not subject to that clock. He is beyond that. He has existed for all time. And so he knows so much better than we that live inside this ball of matter, time, and energy. And so he says there will be a time when he will personally talk with all of us and explain everything that happened because he hasn't recorded. That's a promise from God. Sometimes things happen, and people were taken at a time when worse things could have happened in the future, as Isaiah 57 1 says. Isaiah 57 verse 1. The Bible gives many reasons for why things happen.

But again, we don't know of all of them. What God the Father will ultimately tell us is the right answer. In Isaiah 57 verse 1 it says, the righteous perishes, and no man takes it to heart. Merciful men are taken away while no one considers that the righteous is taken away from evil.

There are many things that could have happened if that person would have lived on. That would have been worse for him, for the rest. God knows.

So that's the first example of Jesus Christ overcoming that doom and gloom mentality. The second example we have is the Apostle Paul. Of course, it is striking in the Scriptures to see how he overcame an attitude of doom and gloom. Still, he maintained a positive and godly attitude. He wrote four of the epistles that we have in the New Testament while he was chained to a soldier inside a prison or a rented house. He went through many imprisonments in his life. Sometimes he wrote some of these epistles under those circumstances. Notice in 2 Corinthians 6.

He says, In much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tummels, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings, by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report, as deceivers and yet true, as unknown and yet well known, as dying and behold we live, as chastened and yet not killed, as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, as poor, yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things. See, one thing was on the outside. The other thing was on the inside. How could he do it? Well, he had God's Holy Spirit working powerfully in him.

In Acts 9, verse 13, God singled out Paul to be one of his chief tools, his chief instruments to carry out his will. Acts 9, starting in verse 13.

God is here with Ananias. Ananias is scared because at that time Saul, the name previous to his conversion, was persecuting the church. And so Ananias said, Lord, I have heard from many about this man. How much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name. But the Lord said to him, Go, for he is a chosen vessel of mine, to bear my name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake. So Paul would go through so many things, but God knew what he was doing. He was going to strengthen him. He was going to perfect him to be a powerful tool in his hands. Paul could do this because he could see the big picture. He could see beyond the present moment, and he saw the future. God's kingdom is coming. God was calling him and many others to be part of that glorious kingdom.

Notice in Romans 8, verse 18, we talk about seeing the big picture, not narrow picture of a person's own problems. In Romans 8, verse 18, he said, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

The big picture. Yes, he was many times imprisoned in jail, but he knew, well, this is a temporary setback. God is working with me. He knows what he's doing. I have to have faith and trust in him and do my part to be close to him and not get negative or despondent.

In verse 28, this is a golden rule that we all need to remember. It says, And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. God has a plan. He is the potter. We are the clay. He begins molding us. And so we're all going to go through different trials and tests.

But again, he says, in the end, you will see that all things worked out for good. He has that vision, just like Paul told us. In 1 Corinthians 10 verse 13, this is another one of these principles of not letting that doom and gloom type of attitude invade us. In 1 Corinthians 10, 13, Paul says, Other people go through these things, But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it.

So he's going to be there with us. He's not going to abandon us. There's another translation, the Good News Bible translation of this verse. It says, Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. All kinds of things. Health problems, relationship problems, economic problems, all of these things happen to people. He says, But God keeps His promise, and He will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm at the time you are put to the test.

He will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out. But you see, we have to ask God for that strength. We have to ask Him to show us what is the way out, because sometimes it's right there, and we don't recognize it, and the opportunity passes, and we don't do anything about it. It's like that old story that this dam broke, and all the water started pouring down this valley, and a person comes by on a horse and says, The dam is broken.

Get out! Get out! And the man says, Oh, I'll trust in God. He will rescue me. And then the water kept rising, and the man went, and it was up to about six feet, and he was out there, floating, and this boat comes by, and he said, Get in!

Get in! The water is rising more. He said, Oh, God will take care. I'm trusting Him. And then finally he's on the roof, and a helicopter comes and throws down the rope ladder. Hang on! The water continues to go. He says, I will trust only in God. And so the water came. He drowned. And then when he was resurrected, he went to God, and he said, God, what happened?

I trusted in you. And God says, Look, I sent you the man on the horse. I sent you the boat, and I sent you the helicopter. So you have to be with your eyes open to the opportunities available. Sometimes he will provide the rope. He will provide that. But maybe we just want him to just carry us miraculously and invisibly to another place. So he will provide a way out. Now, Paul's attitude is so remarkable when you consider that he wrote four of the epistles to the brethren while in prison.

Some type of prison. We don't know exactly because he was in prison so many times. It could have been either in the Philippian prison or in Caesarea where he was two years in prison or in Rome where he was two years in prison. But let me describe a little bit what prisons were like when the Apostle Paul lived.

And we can have an example of this in Acts 16. In Acts 16, believe me, you didn't want to be in one of these prisons. It wasn't the nice cushy prisons that we have today which are all nice metal and you get stainless steel, a little place for water and you have a little toilet for yourself. That was not the case in those days. In Acts 16, you didn't have hot meals either. Let's go to verse 20. This is in Philippi.

And it says, And they brought them, Paul and Silas, to the magistrates and said, These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city. And they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.

Then the multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. They didn't even undress them properly. They just tore their clothes to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.

Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in stocks. Stocks were wooden devices where they put their feet in these holes. It opened up, and then it closed on their feet, and then, of course, it was secured. So you couldn't run. You couldn't get out. Well, you can imagine if Paul would have written one of his letters during this time. And what kind of letters do you think maybe we would have written? Brethren, I'm in deep trouble. This dungeon is horrible, dark, it smells bad, and woe is me.

You think God would have inspired that to be part of the Bible? Of course not. What were they doing? Were they just lamenting and asking God, you know, why? Why didn't you miraculously intervene and save us? Their backs were ripped, bleeding, swelling of the body. But notice verse 25. But at midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. Think that would be our attitude?

Would you be praying and singing? I think some would. If we were close enough, realizing God's the only one that can rescue us under these circumstances. And the prisoners were listening to them. So the prisoners were pretty close by. Remember, these were in stocks. They probably didn't get fed at all. They were hungry, thirsty, and in pain. And yet they knew that God was there, and they were singing hymns. Probably the Lord's Prayer, Psalm 23, and others. And boy, were their prayers and hymns answered. God intervened at that moment. Suddenly, there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately, all the doors were open, and everyone's chains were loosed. An earthquake doesn't loosen chains that way. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword, and was about to kill himself, because the Romans had a law. If you let the prisoners escape, you pay the consequences. You're going to be tortured. And so to avoid that torture, probably being nailed to a stake or something like that, he was about ready to kill himself. In verse 8, Paul called with a loud voice, saying, Do yourself no harm, for we are all here. Paul was saying to them, Wait! This is God acting. And the prisoners recognized it had been a miracle, because even the stalks had all popped open. And then he called for a light, so you can see it's pretty dark in there. He ran in and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. He recognized this was a miracle from God, and his life has been spared. And he brought them out and said, Sir, what must I do to be saved? Such a tremendous miracle. His life had been spared. And he said, These are men from God. So they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household. Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. They hadn't been washed before. You didn't do that with prisoners at that time. There wasn't any committee of protection of prisoners. He washed their wounds, and immediately he and all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them, so probably hadn't been fed either. And he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household. God was doing a miracle. What looked so doom and gloom like wasn't that case at all. Because now in Philippi, you had these people attending church. They were part of the congregation. And that Philippi church was one of the ones that supported the Apostle Paul more than all. Don't you think that jailer would have gone to church and told them the stories and strengthened the brethren's faith? And then when Paul would need him, he said, I wouldn't be here. I was about ready to commit, you know, Harakiri. Kill myself. And here I am, and God has called me to his kingdom. That's how things can change.

The Roman historian, Salus, mentioned about a Roman dungeon typical of its day. And it was known, quote, for its neglect, darkness and stench, which he said gave it a hideous and terrifying appearance. And yet Paul and Salus were singing hymns and praying to God. In Acts chapter 28 verse 16, we see another occasion where Paul is again arrested, chained to a prison guard. Acts 28 and verse 16, it says, now when we came to Rome, because Lucas was there, Luke was there, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard. But Paul was permitted, especially he was a Roman citizen, to dwell by himself with the soldier who guarded him.

And then it goes on to say in verse 28, therefore, let it be known to you, Paul says, that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles and they will hear it. And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves. Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concerned the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding. Being a Roman citizen, he was still chained to a guard, but he could receive people and receive some of the tithes from the brethren, so he could pay for his rented place and preach the gospel of God. And at least some of those epistles were written from there, because he mentions that those in Rome greet you and also the household of Caesar, which had to do with the household of the emperor who had become converted. So there are four what they call prison epistles written by Paul. The first one was Ephesians. The second is Philippians. The third one is Colossians. And the fourth one is Philemon.

And what did Paul write to the brethren? For instance, the Philippian brethren, where he had been in that dank, stale, smelly prison. The epistle to the Philippians is called the epistle of joy, not of woe is me and complains, and oh, the world is so terrible. And just, you know, after you listen to him, you just want to slit your veins because there's nothing else you can do. Everything's going to turn out bad.

Messages should never be that way. Notice Philippians chapter 1. Philippians chapter 1 and verse 3. Here's how Paul, writing in prison, he says, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. He's thinking about them. Always in every prayer of mine, making requests for you, all with joy. For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing that he who has begun a good work in you, he who begins a good work, will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. God is going to be there through thick and thin. No matter what the difficulties are, he is there. He is permitting it. He is testing.

And he's perfecting us through what we go through in life. Notice in verse 12. He says, But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard and to all the rest that my chains are in Christ. And most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

So he's saying, he looks negative. You have your pastor in jail. But guess what? There's a witness and there are miracles going on. And this is for the furtherance, for the advancement of the gospel. People are being called. They're being converted. Notice in verse 18 and 19. It says, What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached. And in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.

That was what still was in his heart. He says, For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. God was working things out. Notice in chapter 3, verse 1, it says, Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. So rejoice means to be filled with joy despite the circumstances. I'm sure a lot of people would have said, Well, what did Paul do wrong? Why is he there? Why is he not at church?

And Paul is saying, God is working things out. Rejoice. It's for the furtherance of the gospel. In chapter 4, verse 1, he says, Therefore, my beloved and long for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord. Beloved. Verse 4, Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice. Does this sound like a man who had gone through all these imprisonments and all the sufferings and he could still bring from his very depths of his being love, kindness, encouragement? So what lessons can we learn as we wrap this message up? First, we see that Paul was more concerned about others than self. He was praying for others, concerned about what they were going through.

Wanting to fellowship with them and help them. And we can have the same attitude. Once we take our eyes off of ourselves and begin to help others, see the problems of others and try to help them in their situations.

All things start to change. Secondly, Paul saw the big picture that all will eventually turn out for good in the end. With God giving us strength and most of all, his perspective. Asking God, give me your perspective.

I want to have your perspective. How should I deal with my situation according to your will? Not my will. That is so important. And we can turn the lemons of life into nice, sweet lemonade. Eventually, it can be nourishing. It can be totally different having an attitude. When we turn negative things and start looking at it as temporary setbacks. But we're still going toward God's kingdom.

We're still serving God. We are going to grow from the experience. Whatever it is that we have gone through. Thirdly, another lesson. Always asking, what lesson can I learn from this? Don't let trials and difficulties just fall by the wayside and not learn. What can I learn from this? How can it make me into a better person? What is God trying to show me? The Apostle Paul had to learn all kinds of things because of what he experienced.

There in 2 Corinthians 12 verses 7 through 9. Let's read that quickly as we wind down the message. It says in verse 7, So he learned that that thorn in the flesh was keeping him from his vanity, getting the best of him. It made him more humble. Sometimes that's part of life. And then we have the example of Job. James 5, I'll end with this scripture. James 5. In verse 10, it says, My brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering and patience.

Indeed, we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord, that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. So, yes, Job was puzzled by the trial, and yet he did not turn against God. He persevered in his sufferings, knowing there was an answer.

And when he saw it, he realized that he could be a better person, that he learned a very important spiritual lesson. I remember in Mr. Armstrong's autobiography, he mentioned that the day that his father was baptized, they all rejoiced, and that very evening his father had a heart attack and died.

But instead of turning bitter or angry, he went into a period of prayer and meditation until he found the answer in Scripture, that he would again see his father in the kingdom healed, healthy, a spirit being that he could enjoy fellowship for eternity. He kept his attitude positive and healthy and helped others suffering such tragedies. There are certain things that are not going to be resolved until God's kingdom comes. We know, but that is an answer.

When we see that person again, totally healed, that same person that we loved, and that we're going to be able to live with them forever in God's kingdom. We're going to think about what happened in this earth for a couple of years as the worst tragedy that could have happened ever in history. We're going to realize God is going to wipe away the tears from our eyes when we see the glorious future ahead.

So, to conclude, life is going to throw many lemons in our way, and there are going to be some that are going to be filled with doom and gloom. But we can turn those lemons of life into healthy, liquid lemonade that we can drink.

Knowing that being in God's side and having his perspective about life, we will, in the end, win because of him. And all things will ultimately turn out for good.