September 2026 Sermon Series

The Courage To Do It

Part 4:

Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Nashville  |  September 27th, 2026

Scripture: Acts 16:22–26 (KJV)

²² And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.

²³ And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:

²⁴ Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

²⁵ And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

²⁶ And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

Watch the full Sunday service: youtube.com/@mtzionnashville/streams

Prayer:

Lord, our spirits are open now. God, we’re ready to receive what You have for us. Now open up our hearts, that we might be blessed, and we give You glory and praise. And it’s already done, that somebody’s life be changed forever. In Jesus’ name. Somebody say amen.

I.          INTRODUCTION

Today, as we come to the conclusion of this series, we have learned the power of courage and what it means to do what God has aligned us to do:

• The courage to stand up
• The courage to speak up
• The courage to get up

Today I want to talk about the courage to represent. Because when you represent, it means that you stand in the place of another. You literally speak with their authority. You carry their name and reflect their character into places where they’re unable to be present physically.

Every time you and I walk out, we must recognize that we are Kingdom representatives. We represent more than ourselves. Everything you post, everything you say, how you act when you sit next to someone, how you deal with someone in the grocery store, how you deal with someone who cuts you off on I-65 at 2:00 in the afternoon, has a lot to do with whether you understand the responsibility that comes with being a Kingdom representative. It is important, because there has to be continuity between what we do in here and what people see us do out there. If there is no continuity, then we discredit our testimony. Paul puts it this way. He calls us ambassadors:

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ,

as though God did beseech you by us.

2 Corinthians 5:20 (KJV)

An ambassador, then, does not speak of himself, does not operate on his own agenda, and does not change his message based on the mood of the country he has been sent to. He represents the government that sent him, even when the culture he is standing in does not agree with him. And that’s a word for somebody today, because God has called us to represent Him even when culture may not agree with what He says we should do. It is difficult sometimes, standing in a world that doesn’t want to stand. It’s difficult being a voice in a world that doesn’t want to hear truth. But it is important for us to understand that God has given us an assignment and a mantle to represent Him, to be Kingdom representatives. And today I want to help you understand that’s exactly what we are.

In Acts chapter 16, Paul had been forbidden to preach in Asia, and he received a vision:

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night;

There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying,

Come over into Macedonia, and help us.

Acts 16:9 (KJV)

And so then Paul and Silas obeyed, and they landed in a place called Philippi, capital of Macedonia. Now, it is important to note that Philippi was a Roman colony, and it was proud, proud of its Roman identity, its customs, and its culture.

Their first convert, however, was Lydia. Paul preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, and Lydia, who was an entrepreneur (she must be studied by all entrepreneurs), was a seller of cloth, royal cloth, fabrics, and she made much money. But when she heard Paul and Silas preach, she was converted, because there was power in the name of Jesus Christ. Now, the Bible says of Lydia in verse 14 of chapter 16 that the Lord opened up her heart. And so everything seemed to be aligning. Can you imagine that? Paul and Silas are now squarely in their assignment. Everything is aligning. The ministry is beginning to take root.

Until they meet this person in verse 16. The Bible says there was a certain damsel, a certain damsel, a young girl between her late teens and early 20s, who was possessed with a spirit of divination. And Paul says, she brought her masters much gain through soothsaying, or fortune-telling. People would line up for miles just to get their fortune told. They would pay her masters much money, and they would exploit this girl for personal gain. And when Paul cast the demon out of the girl, then all hell breaks loose.

In verse 19, when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers and the magistrates, tore off their clothes, commanded them to be beaten, threw them in prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And now watch this: they did not end up in prison because they were out of the will of God. They’re in prison because they were in the will of God. They were not locked up because they misrepresented God. They were locked up because they were representing Him.

And somebody needs to hear this today, because I need you to understand: the attack that you are experiencing is not because you have missed God, not because you’re outside of the will of God. The attack you’re experiencing is because you are squarely in the will of God, doing what God has called you to do. And today I want to show you what it looks like to have the courage to represent.

II.          PURPOSE WILL ALWAYS ATTRACT PERSECUTION

Here’s what I want you to get today. Purpose will always attract persecution. Let’s be very clear, people of God. Paul was walking in his assignment. When God first called Paul on the Damascus Road, his name was Saul. He had a conversion experience in Acts chapter 9, and this word was spoken over him when he was called, in verse 15. Ananias says to Paul:

He is a chosen vessel unto me,

to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

Acts 9:15–16 (KJV)

God begins to speak this word about who Paul would be. In the same breath, in verse 16, God speaks of his suffering. Did you see that? The same conversation that announced his purpose was going to come to pass, it’s the same verse that announced his persecution was going to be a part of it. His assignment and his attack would always travel together.

And I think you need to understand, Paul got it clearly. That’s why he mentored Timothy, and he tried to tell his mentee:

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus

shall suffer persecution.

2 Timothy 3:12 (KJV)

Notice: if you live godly in Christ, you will suffer persecution. Do you know the enemy is always threatened by people who walk in purpose? And you need not be naive, because you are experiencing attack because the attack on your life is a direct result of the assignment upon your life. And if the devil isn’t bothering you, it means you and the devil are running in the same direction. But whenever you turn your back on the devil, and you are moving and you are progressive, you will soon discover somebody chases you. And when you are moving and doing what God has called you to do, get ready, because persecution will come with your purpose. Jesus tried to help us understand that, right? He tried to tell His disciples:

In the world ye shall have tribulation:

but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

John 16:33 (KJV)

He never promised a life without opposition. He just promised us victory in the middle of it.

It was Joseph. Joseph had a great assignment on his life, given him young. He had a dream, and he was going to do great things for God. But in chapter 37 of Genesis, verse 24, his own brothers took him and cast him into a pit. David was picked on by his brothers, but would go on to do great things in Israel. But watch this:

And Saul sought him every day,

but God delivered him not into his hand.

1 Samuel 23:14 (KJV)

Nehemiah, minding his own business, and God told him to build the wall and rebuild the wall. He did this, and:

But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall,

he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.

Nehemiah 4:1 (KJV)

Every time purpose shows up, pressure is right behind. Some of you have been confused, because the very moment you got serious about God, that’s when you started experiencing attack after attack. The moment you started tithing, that’s when your transmission went out. The moment you started coming to church, that’s when folks in your house started tripping. The moment you started praying more, that’s when you started experiencing more spiritual attack. But can I tell you, you want to give God glory, because your persecution is nothing but confirmation that you are where God wants you to be. Look at somebody and say, “All the hell the devil’s taking me through, all the attacks I’m experiencing in this season, it’s nothing but confirmation.”

A.    You’re Too Anointed to Avoid It

And let me help you understand something, people of God: you’re too anointed to avoid it. Acts chapter 16 and verse 17 says that the young woman who had the divination, the fortune-telling spirit, followed Paul and Silas, and she cried out, and she said these words:

These men are the servants of the most high God,

which shew unto us the way of salvation.

Acts 16:17 (KJV)

And the Bible says she did this for many days. Now, what she said was true, but the spirit that said it was not of God. And this is a deep revelation, because Paul understood the devil will sometimes tell you the truth if it helps build his platform.

But in Acts chapter 16 and verse 18, Paul was grieved, and he turned. One translation says he was greatly annoyed. He was not annoyed at the girl; he was annoyed at the spirit operating in her and the men who were making money off of her bondage. And she was young, a young woman being exploited by a spirit on the inside of her and a system on the outside of her. And Paul refused to walk by and let this system operate in her another day.

And that’s what the anointing does. The anointing will always make you uncomfortable and will always annoy you whenever you are in the presence of something that is misaligned with the will and purpose of God for your life. And some of you think you’re tripping when you walk in somebody’s house and you say, “It just don’t feel right in here.” You better believe it. You better believe, when you meet somebody and all of a sudden you say, “Something is a little off,” you better believe it’s giving you an indication. Anything that is not aligned to the will of God, it will always annoy. And some things ought to annoy you. You’re never comfortable around anybody who is being exploited, anybody that’s being oppressed, anybody that’s being abused. I’m never comfortable around that. That’s what the anointing of God does.

And watch this: what happens when deliverance disrupts somebody’s economy? Because they’re not angry because the girl is hurting; they’re angry because healing affected their income. As long as she’s bound and profitable, nobody complained. But the moment she gets free, the system becomes furious. Sometimes representing means having enough courage to confront not only what has a person bound, but to confront the systems beneath it that helps keep them bound. And Paul turned to that system, and Paul turned to that spirit, and he said:

I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.

And he came out the same hour.

Acts 16:18 (KJV)

I think you missed that. Paul said, “I command you to come out of her in the name of Jesus Christ,” and the Bible said that same hour he came out. Paul did not negotiate with the demon. He did not hold a panel discussion. He did not say, “Let’s have coffee and talk about it.” He did not say, “Can we set up a Zoom call?” Paul said, “No, I’m gonna deal with this right now. Devil, you are coming out.” See, I’m trying to help you understand the authority that we have as believers, so you’re not sitting around here like some Christian softy, sitting around letting the devil just run through your house and run through your job and run through your mind.

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions,

and over all the power of the enemy:

and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Luke 10:19 (KJV)

Jesus says in Mark chapter 16:

And these signs shall follow them that believe;

In my name shall they cast out devils.

Mark 16:17 (KJV)

Church, you’ve got to recognize we are not a powerless people who are serving a powerless God. We have authority, because we got heaven and earth backing us up. You’ve got to stop co-opting your authority to other people. You feel like you can’t cast out demons, and you’ve got to have the pastor or the deacon or the elder or somebody else come lay hands on you or come cast out demons. You better recognize the authority you have as a believer. I’m not coming to enable you; I came to empower you.

Somebody shout, “I have authority!” I got authority to cast every devil out of every one of my children. I got authority to walk on that campus and declare the name of Jesus. I got authority to lay hands on myself and believe God for my own healing. I got enough authority to believe that there is power. You’ve got to understand the authority you’ve got. Go wipe your nose, take your hand, and say, “In the name of Jesus!”

Because let me tell you something: the same authority that was in the hands of Jesus was also in the mouth of Jesus. Can I preach like I feel it sometime? He used His hands, and sometimes He used His mouth, but they were all the same. There were times when He laid hands, and there were other times He spoke. And sometimes, when your hands can’t get there, your mouth can get there. Your baby’s in school, and you may not be able to get to him, but you can say, “In the name of Jesus.” Somebody knows what I’m talking about. Sometimes you’ve got to do a drive-by prayer. Who am I talking to? I have authority. I have authority. I ain’t playing. I ain’t playing with the devil, y’all.

Let me throw this out for free; let this sit with you this week. Paul is anointed. The devil is in the girl, and the devil follows Paul and Silas with language that Paul and Silas are familiar with. And everybody that’s trying to be in your crew using Scripture is not always on God’s side. You better hear me. Just because you can quote Scripture, and just ’cause you follow me around, don’t mean you’ve got an invitation into my house. Because I know the anointing will always reveal truth to me. Tell somebody: it may take a while, but the anointing will show you what’s real and what’s not.

B.    Don’t Let the Attack Break You

But don’t let the attack break you. Look at what it cost them. They cast a demon out, and verse 22 says the multitude rose up together against them, the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded that they be beaten in public. Verse 23 says they laid many stripes upon them. This was the Roman rod, y’all. The Roman rod. Paul wrote these words:

Thrice was I beaten with rods.

2 Corinthians 11:25 (KJV)

They were stripped of their clothing, stripped of their dignity, stripped of their rights, stripped of their reputation in front of the whole city. Then verse 24 says the jailer thrust them into the inner prison. Not just the regular prison; he put them in the hole and made their feet fast in the stocks. Everything about this scene was designed to humiliate them, to silence them, to break them.

But here’s what I want you to know: they were beaten, but they weren’t broken.

• They were bruised
• They were bleeding
• They were bound

But when midnight came, they were still breathing. I want to talk to somebody today who’s still breathing, because as long as you’ve got a pulse, it means that God ain’t done with you yet. Years later, Paul would put it this way:

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed;

we are perplexed, but not in despair;

Persecuted, but not forsaken;

cast down, but not destroyed.

2 Corinthians 4:8–9 (KJV)

That ain’t theory, y’all. That’s called a testimony. Because I want you to better understand, when you look at some of the stuff you’ve gone through, you look at some of the diagnoses, some of the divorces, some of the betrayal, some of the layoffs, the funeral you never expected you were going to have to deal with, and some of you have survived it today. And people look at you right now and have no idea some of the trauma you had to go through, and you been here looking like you ain’t even been through it, and they’re trying to figure out, “How did you survive?” Today we have come to tell you how we survived it. Because Isaiah says:

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.

Isaiah 54:17 (KJV)

I need somebody to shout, “No weapon!” It doesn’t mean the weapon was not formed; it just means the weapon’s intent did not come to pass. You are not a victim of what tried to break you; you are a survivor. Survivors carry a sound the rest of the prison needs to hear.

III.          PRAYER GIVES YOU STRENGTH TO PERSEVERE

And here it is. Watch it. Here it is. Prayer gives you strength to persevere. How did you make it? Prayer. Verse 25 opens up with those famous words: “At midnight Paul and Silas prayed.” Before we hear about the song, before we hear about an earthquake, before we hear about open doors, we start hearing about prayer.

And I want you to hear something. I want you to get this: they did not have the strength to break out, but they had sense to cry out. There are a lot of people who want to say… You need to understand, prayer works like this: sometimes you’re expecting God to get you out of a situation, and God is trying to change you within the situation. God changes us within it. And sometimes the first answer to your prayer is that God changes what’s happening on the inside of you before He changes what’s happening around you. Sometimes nothing around you changes, but God changes you on the inside, and all of a sudden now you’ve got a situation: same prison, same chains, same midnight, but you’ve got a stronger prisoner.

Let me tell you what prayer does. Prayer gives you strength to persevere when every natural resource has run dry. Jesus said these words:

Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.

Luke 18:1 (KJV)

That tells us, y’all: if you don’t pray, you gon’ faint. Let’s break it down. You see, a lot of people make fun of prayer: “That’s all they want me to do is pray. Every time I go, they all just say pray. Pray, something else will be…” That’s what culture has done. It has so minimized prayer, because nobody ever taught you the power of prayer. The Bible says:

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

James 5:16 (KJV)

Everything we’ve got is a result of prayer. Who am I talking to? Somebody can testify: I’m in the house I’m in because I prayed. Somebody: I’m in school because I prayed. My money came in when I needed it to come in because I prayed. I was on my back in the hospital, and somebody prayed for me. Somebody ought to give God glory. Who knows there is power in prayer? Nehemiah prayed. Daniel prayed. Jesus prayed. Hannah prayed. There was a certain strength in prayer. Wait a minute, let me break it down:

• There is a revelation that happens in prayer
• There is resilience you get from prayer

Let me see if I can educate some of you. I know we’re in an AI, iPhone, and Android generation, so many of you may not have any context for this, but Google it. There was a thing in every neighborhood at one time called the phone booth. Now, I know you have no idea what I’m talking about, but just stay with me. It was probably about six-foot-five in height, and it was square, and it had glass on all sides, and it had a phone inside. The doors opened up, and it had a little, you know, like a little iron or wire kind of cord, and it had a phone, and it was attached to a phone book. And depending on what neighborhood you were in, the phone book was either attached or missing. Somebody knows what I’m talking about.

Nevertheless, the phone booth. If you wanted to make a call, you had to go into the phone booth, put a quarter in, and dial a number. Now, when it got dark, at midnight, when you couldn’t see the phone book or you couldn’t see the number, you’re trying to figure it out in the dark. But the way to see it is you had to get in there far enough and close the door, because when you closed the door, the light (somebody here knows), the light would come on. And that’s how prayer works. People of God, you’ve got to get on up in there sometime. You’ve got to shut some stuff down, and the light… and God will speak to you, and God will start showing you stuff you’ve never seen before. Who am I talking to? Is anybody here today?

But wait a minute: that’s the revelation, but there’s also resilience. Because last time I checked, Clark Kent used the same phone booth. And when Clark Kent went into the phone booth, he was natural; he came out of the phone booth Superman. Which meant that he went in one way, but he came out another way. And somebody can testify: I may go in in the natural, but when I come off my knees, I come out with supernatural power. Prayer works for me.

A.    Keep Your Connection in Your Crisis

So keep your connection in the crisis. They’re in a prison. They’re in the inner prison, and yet they’re in a place where, statistically, they’re not supposed to even see anything, but they still have a connection. Their ankles are tied up, but they still have access. Their feet are tied up, but they still have faith. Then I’m gonna keep my connection, even in the dark. And some of you right now, you’ve got to recognize that these are seasons, but God says, “Don’t lose your connection.” I don’t care how tough life gets for you; don’t you lose your connection.

Because some of you right now, if you lost your Wi-Fi signal, you’d have an existential crisis. Some of you, if your phone gets to 1%, you will leave a meeting, step out of class. You will be like, “I’ve got to get my phone. Is there a charger?” f your phone goes off, you can’t function no more. That’s how it ought to be. Some of you right now, you go through life and you are at 1%, and you’re watching me right now, and you’ve been running away from God: running away from church, running away from your prayer life, running away from worship. But baby, some of us got sense enough to know the reason why we tuned in, and the reason why we watch, and why we’re in this place today: because life has drained us to 1%. And I came here today because I need I need to get plugged in. I need a charge. I can’t make it without Him. I can’t move without Him. Am I talking to anybody here today? Don’t lose your connection.

B.    While You’re Praying, God Is Moving

Watch this: while you’re praying, I want you to remember something. God is always moving. While they’re in there praying, God is not a God who’s passive and static. God is a God who’s moving. He’s already shown us that He’s a God who moves. When Peter was locked up in prison, God already gave us an example: the angel of the Lord, when the church was praying at Mary’s house, the angel of the Lord was already moving. While you’re praying, somebody say, “God is already moving.” Come on, say it again. Say, “God is already moving.”

People of God, I want you to understand something. This is so powerful: While I’m praying, God sees and he is making something happen on my behalf. I already know that God is up to something. And so right now, while you’re praying, sometimes you’ve just got to wait it out and know that when you pray, that very moment you’re praying, God is actively moving in your situation to make a thing come to pass.

IV.          PRAISE UNLEASHES POWER

Here’s the final thing: praise unleashes power. Now, this is just for a few people. Now, the Bible said they sang praises unto God, and the prisoners heard them. OK. prayer connected them to God; praise unleashed power in the prison. And the prisoners heard them. OK, I know you’re not getting it, because in my opening I was very specific about telling you it was a Roman colony, a Roman culture, and so it’s a Roman jail. In Roman jail cells, the walls are thick. They’re not in a general-population prison; they’re in these pods, whereby the walls are thick between each pod. And so the fact that Paul and Silas sang meant that their voice, or their praise, was audible enough that it permeated the stone walls, so that people who were similarly situated heard something positive coming from two men who were locked up in the same situation.

I can only imagine the stories of those who were in the prison, who were telling stories of gloom and doom, those who were telling stories that were so depressing. But somewhere, permeating the brick walls, they heard praise coming forth, and praise was permeating the walls. There is no shame in praise. Some people might try to say they are just quiet, but when we saw you at the concert, or saw you at the game, we couldn’t tell what denomination you were. We couldn’t tell if you were Baptist or Pentecostal. All we knew is you were out there making noise. So when you think about what God has done in your life, and what you need God to do in your situation, somebody ought to understand: a closed mouth don’t get fed. I need you to look at your neighbor and say, “If you won’t do it, I’ll do it for us all.”

A.    Your Praise Triggers a Supernatural Response

The Bible says that when they began to praise God: (I’m gonna give you 30 more seconds, because God’s waiting on your sound; I said God’s waiting on your sound), The Bible said when they began to praise God, the Bible says suddenly there was an earthquake in the prison. Can I tell you something? Praise releases a “suddenly.” And that’s something somebody needs in your life. You don’t need it to happen next week. You don’t need it to happen next month. You need it to happen suddenly. I’m looking for somebody that needs a sudden breakthrough. Open up your mouth and give God glory.

• God is about to turn it around suddenly
• God’s about to bring healing suddenly
• God’s about to bring your tuition in suddenly
• God’s about to approve that grant suddenly
• God’s about to approve you for that house

Anybody here got a “suddenly”? Praise my God!

B.    Your Praise Breaks Chains of People in Proximity

But wait a minute. I know what’s happening. Some people are still looking at you, and they’re saying, “I wish you’d sit down; you make too much noise.” And, “See, that’s why I don’t like going to church, because those people are too rowdy.” But can I tell you something? Your praise breaks the chains of people in proximity. Because the Bible says that when they praised God, everybody’s chains came off. Which meant that everybody in proximity got a blessing because two people praised God. I’m the person on the pew who can say that when I praise God, I connect. I see your chains coming off. I feel chains falling off. Chain of sickness, chain of death, chains of depression falling off. Somebody open up your mouth and give God glory!

But I got one more praise. Look at your neighbor and say, “I got one more praise.” Come on, tell him, “I got one more praise.” Here is the final praise, y’all. The Bible says that when the soldier who was in charge of watching them thought that the prison doors were opened, and saw that the chains had come off, he was very aware that under Roman rule, if you let prisoners escape, you would be executed. And so he decided, “I’m gonna take my own life.” But when Paul saw him, Paul said, “Do yourself no harm, because we are all here.”

I need you to look at your neighbor, take him by the hand, and tell him: after everything you’ve been through, tell him, “You’re still here.” Tell him, after the mess that they took you through, you’re still here. After the divorce, after the lie, after the shame, after the setback, after the breakup, after the bankruptcy… Somebody ought to give God praise! When I think of the goodness of Jesus and all that He’s done for me, my should cries Hallelujah! I thank God for saving me.

And what I believe, people of God, is that if we start praising God in here, God’s about to shake up Nashville. God’s about to shake up this city. I need you to grab somebody by the hand on both sides and tell them, “I feel a shaking. I feel a shaking. God is shaking up my campus. God is shaking up my neighborhood. God is shaking up everything, and every devil’s got to go.” Now, somebody ought not wait until the battle is won.  I need you to open up your mouth and give Him glory!

Represent. Represent God on your campus, at your school, on your job, represent. They’re not supposed to like you. They don’t even know why they don’t like you, but we know. It is because of your assignment. They don’t like you, but you’ve got to keep on doing what you’ve got to do. How’d you make it? Because I prayed through it. Somebody was praying for me. Somebody’s praying for you. My praise ain’t no plaything, y’all. It ain’t no plaything for me. This thing is real. When I look over my life, all I can say is, “God, You’ve been good.” Has God been good to anybody here?

Listen, I don’t care what you’ve gone through. When God wants to break your chains, He’s ready to bring you into purpose and blessing. I see Royce up here singing, and y’all know Royce’s testimony, how we prayed Royce through. And now Royce just got accepted into Berklee School of Music. Prestigious Berklee! Man, I’m so proud of you. I mean, this is what God will do. Because after you come through all of what you go through, it’s got to go up from here. Go up from here.

V.          CLOSING INVITATION

There’s somebody right now. Listen to me. Just as His goodness is running after you, I need you to come to this altar. If you need a relationship with Jesus Christ, if you need to rededicate your life to Jesus, if you say, “Pastor, I heard this word, and I need it. I need a church home for me and my family,” all you have to do is give your life to Him.

I believe chains have fallen. I believe it’s time for you to make that decision. Come on. I need you to move right now. I need you to come. The Bible says:

To day if ye will hear his voice,

harden not your hearts.

Hebrews 3:15 (KJV)

Have a blessed rest of your week with the Lord! ❤️