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Lydia
by The Very Rev. Frank F. Limehouse, III
Year C, 6 Easter, Acts 16:9-15
May 9, 2010
unedited
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
I'm getting a little old it seems to me to be taking on new hobbies, but a couple of months ago Jane shopped around on the Internet and found a good deal on a ski boat. For years we've owned a little cottage on Lake Hartwell in Clemson, SC - always admired the view, but other than a canoe and a couple of kayaks, we've never owned a boat. At any rate, as with our pets, Jane does the choosing and I have naming rights. The boat should have a name- a biblical name if I'm doing the naming. I narrowed it down to Bathsheba or Jezebel. That changed last week as I began to study for this sermon. Not that you particularly care or need to know, but I want you to know the boat will be named Lydia.
Lydia came to me, and comes to us this morning by way of the 16th chapter of Acts, the only place her name is mentioned in the New Testament. She is, however, a very important character in the history of the church because she is the very first Christian convert in Europe. In this sermon I want to first put her conversion in historical context so far as we have it in Scripture, then ask what we see going on here theologically and then determine what I pray we can take home with us, what we can learn from this remarkable story of Lydia's conversion.
First the historical context: At this juncture Paul, Silas and Paul's young protégé Timothy were spreading the Christian gospel through the region of Phrygia and Galatia and would have gone to Asia, but, according to this, we see God had other plans. They were called instead to go into Macedonia. (It's really interesting to trace this journey in a Bible atlas.) From Troas they sailed to the isle of Samothrace. Samothrace is famous for its towering mountain reaching 5,500 feet high and for the statue of the Winged Victory, a second century B.C. marble sculpture discovered in 1863. This is interesting because “sailed straight for Samothrace”, as I have learned, is a nautical expression that means the wind was at their backs. In other words, it was a quick and easy sail for these men to go from Samothrace to the mainland and into the port city of Philippi, a Roman colony. Philippi is historically famous from the fact that it is the place where the armies of Mark Antony and Octavian defeated Brutus and Cassuis in the second Roman civil war in 42 BC.
Now when Paul visited a new city it was his practice to attend the local Jewish synagogue and preach, but apparently due to lack of Jewish population, there was no regular synagogue at Philippi. We know from Jewish history there had to be at least 10 male Jews to constitute a synagogue. We see in our text, however, that there were a number of religious women, either of Jewish birth or Gentile converts, who met at the riverside for prayers on the Sabbath. So Paul and his buddies decided to go to this site on the riverside to preach. Among these women was the woman name Lydia “from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God.” Thyatira was known for its dyeing industry and particularly for purple dye that was cherished by the Romans. Lydia, obviously a convert to Judaism at one point in her life, had come to Philippi as a successful trader in that dye.
Bottom line: As Paul preached, “The Lord opened her heart to give heed to what was said by Paul.”
What do you think was said by Paul; what do you think she heard and received that day in her heart? Well, we know from the Book of Acts what was always the one and same subject of the apostles' preaching- that Jesus was crucified and hung on a cross to bring sinful men and women to God, and that on the third day he was raised from the dead. It was always the old, old story of Jesus and his amazing love for sinners. Lydia would have that day accepted Him as her Substitute and experienced the amazing sensation of her sins being taken away and of being an heir to His eternal kingdom. As a result she and her household were baptized, the first converts in Europe. As we know from Paul's epistles, Philippi in due time, became one of Paul's most beloved congregations.
That's the historical context. Theologically speaking, we can be reminded of a couple of things. First, what an extraordinary instance of Divine sovereignty we have in this story! Providence brought Paul to Philippi. Listen to this again: “And they went through the region of Phry'gia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come opposite My'sia, they attempted to go into Bithyn'ia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them…”. Then, in a dream, the Lord directed Paul to Macedonia.
The Bible makes a big deal of God's providence throughout, but specifically here we see the Holy Spirit leading Paul, Silas and Timothy the whole way. They didn't desire or even care about sailing to Macedonia and preaching there. But God intervened. And they were led to Philippi and to the riverside that Sabbath Day.
And Lydia? Providence also brought her to Philippi for her business. She would have never heard Paul preach in Thyatira. The city of Thyatira was in that part of the country into which Paul was forbidden to go.
And notice the other big thing about Lydia's conversion. It is written, “The Lord opened her heart to give heed to what was said by Paul.” Could it be any clearer that God had ordained (“predestined” is a word we should not be ashamed to use) that Lydia would come to know Jesus and become a sister in Christ, an adopted child of God? And yet God used Paul's preaching to be the instrument of her conversion.
I can't tell you why some people listen to God's word and it's like going into one ear and out the other. In frustration, Spurgeon used to say, “How I wish you had only one ear!” But the truth of the matter is whether it's a flawed buffoon like me or an evangelical giant like Charles Spurgeon, it's the Holy Spirit who does the work. It's God who opens the heart. I can tell you without reservation both from my own experience as a preacher and also from our text from Acts chapter sixteen and throughout the Bible, it would have been all for naught that day in Philippi if the Holy Spirit had not been present and active like a two edged sword. “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit” (1Cor.12:3).
So what should we take home from Lydia's story, or we should say, from God's story of bringing Lydia into the fold? Is there a word from God for you personally today? If you are a believer, if you've come to know Jesus for who He really is- the Messiah who suffered for you, the Just for the unjust, the Righteous for the unrighteous, and unlocked for you the gates of Heaven- if you're there, then surely we are reminded to give God the glory. He opened your heart. It might feel like your faith was generated by your steadfast attention to the gospel and great willingness to come; but, no, give
God 100% of the glory, not 95% or even 99% of the glory, but give God 100% of the glory.
And if you're not there, if you're still unsure about the Christian faith and of what Jesus accomplished by His death and resurrection, then perhaps God is working on you right about now. Listen, quite honestly, I know some folks are put-off by my evangelical preaching. But you know, I can't worry about it. The question is, am I preaching God's Word? To quote St. Paul, “What we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord” (2 Cor. 4:5).
I know this, those who don't have the gospel sealed up in the heart are missing the Pearl of a Great Treasure, the One Thing Needful in life and for Life. And so if God is still working on you to give heed to the gospel of Jesus, I'm going to pray especially for you now.
May we all, as we are seated, close first in a moment of silent prayer…
Come Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove, with all thy quickening powers; Open our hearts as you opened Lydia's, for Jesus sake. Amen.
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