This is the manuscript of the sixth sermon in a series on prayer as we at Christ Church continue in the Holy Spirit directed season of corporate prayer.
Scripture
Acts 12:1-10 NIV It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.
Text
Acts 12:5 NIV So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
I. INTRODUCTION
Before Jesus ascended back to the Father after his resurrection, He told His disciples to go from Jerusalem to the remotest parts of the world as His witnesses.
Acts 1:6-8 NIV Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
If twelve apostles and a hundred or so disciples were going to reach the world, they had better get busy. But the first thing they do when Jesus ascends to heaven is lock themselves up in a room, shut themselves off from everything, and pray for the power of the Holy Spirit. They understood that they needed supernatural power for superhuman work.
Acts 1:4-5 NIV On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
The most important lesson we can ever learn about prayer is that we are absolutely dependent on God. We can do lots of things on our own, but the impact and fruit of our work is “nothing” unless Jesus empowers us.
John 15:5 NIV says “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
There are people who say that we shouldn’t have prayer meetings because of what Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 6:6 NIV But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
But they completely ignore the Book of Acts. In Acts 1, the disciples didn’t go their own way and pray for the Holy Spirit to come down – “they all joined together in prayer.”
Acts 1:12-14 NIV Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
Acts 2 tells us that they met daily in their homes and were devoted to prayer.
Acts 2:42-47 NIV They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
They gathered at the Temple at the regular times of prayer
Acts 3:1 NIV One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon.
When the early church prayed, powerful things happened. Jesus told his disciples that their prayers could move mountains.
Mark 11:22-25 NIV “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
We never see mountains moving in Acts, but we do see a couple of buildings shaken on their foundations.
In Acts 4, the disciples get their first real taste of persecution. When the authorities commanded them to stop preaching, they refused.
Acts 4:13-20 NIV When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.” Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
They refused and the church started praying.
Acts 4:23-24 NIV On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.
They prayed and the building was shaken. They prayed and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. They were filled with the Spirit, and they preached the gospel with even greater power.
Acts 4:31 NIV After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Paul and Silas had been arrested in Philippi as the result of Paul casting a demon from a young girl. Read the story in Acts 16:25-38. The Bible tells us that as Paul and Silas were praying and singing there was an earthquake.
Acts 16:25-26 NIV About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.
If this building moved at one of our Sunday prayer sessions, or service we would either have a lot more or a lot less people at the next session.
There are more than a dozen times in Acts where it tells us that people were amazed, in awe, or in fear of what God was doing in and through his church.
Acts 2:43 NIV Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.
Unbelievers were afraid of getting too close to the followers of Jesus because they didn’t know what God was going to do next.
Contrast that to today. Unbelievers today are more likely to yawn and stretch when they think of what goes on in the church. But, the power to leave even unbelievers amazed at what God is doing is still there – if we ask for it.
There’s a story about Mother Theresa who was crossing the border into Israel when a guard asked her if she was carrying any weapons. That was a strange question for a nun wearing a habit, but she looked the guard in the eyes and defiantly said, “Yes, I have my prayer books.”
We want the power of God, but sometimes we forget where the power comes from. We think it comes from preaching, our singing, from our strategies and purpose statements, or from our new buildings and facilities. We are fooled into thinking that we can change the culture if we elect the right people to political office. Those types of power are pretend power compared to the power the followers of Jesus have.
A praying church is a powerful church, and a powerful church is a productive church, and a productive church is a moving church with unlimited power. We here at Christ Church should pattern ourselves after the churches of the first century. Why? Because it was the first century church that added over 3,000 souls to the Kingdom of God in one day.
Acts 2:40-41 NIV With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
Although the first century church met with heavy opposition, they followed prayed and worshiped God and God blessed them.
The church that doesn’t pray forfeits the blessings and power of God. If we want to see this church soar to higher heights, we must be a praying church. If we want to see lives changed and souls saved, we must be a praying church. If we want to have an impact in this community, we must be a praying church. There is real power in a praying church.
Let’s take a closer look at our scripture for today from Acts 12:1-10. Herod Agrippa had killed James the brother of John and when he saw that it pleased the Jews he went after Peter, the leader of the church. There are people today that don’t want to see the church progress and they will do whatever they can to stop us that's why it is imperative that we stay in constant prayer.
So, Herod has Peter arrested and jailed. Herod figured if he killed the leader of the church it would die. So, Herod ordered the guards to watch Peter. The text says that while Peter was in jail the church was holding a prayer meeting on his behalf.
Acts 12:5 NIV So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
The church prayed and kept on praying until God dispatched an angel to rescue Peter.
Acts 12:7-10 NIV Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.
Herod plotted Peter’s death, but God plotted his deliverance. Herod made him a captive, but God made him a conqueror. Herod held him in prison, but the church was holding a prayer meeting.
The church came together with one purpose and on one accord. They were not there to have a business meeting but to pray. They were not there discussing the issues of the day but they were there to pray.
They knew that they were helpless physically against Herod and his army but they were not helpless spiritually. The bible tells us that passionate intense prayer is powerful.
James 5:16 AMP Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) is able to accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].
The Bible also tells us that there is no weapon that can prosper against God’s children.
Isaiah 54:16-17 NIV “See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to wreak havoc; no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord.
A praying church does what we have been talking about for the last month and that is if a church prays persistently, purposely and prays positively it is a church that prays for results.
Here at Christ Church, we must continue to pray, and we can expect God to answer our prayer.
We don’t need to time-travel back to the first century to become the people that God wants us to be, but we do need to learn to pray like the early church prayed. When we follow their example in prayer, God will work powerfully – even when our prayers are less than perfect
Prayer can:
Inspire the discouraged
Uphold the weak
Assure the frustrated
Bless the burdened
Provide help of the hurting
Rest for the weary
Redemption for the rebellious
Let’s pray,
Glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, please give us spiritual wisdom and insight and flood our hearts with light. Help us to understand the incredible greatness of Your Holy Spirit’s power for us who believe You – the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Help us to comprehend that this power is living and breathing in us and help us activate this power for Your Kingdom.
Your Holy Spirit lives in us, and through His power, we are Your representatives. Jesus, You said that we would do the same works that You did, and even greater, through the power of Your Spirit. As we make ourselves living sacrifices, pour out the power of Your Holy Spirit on us and enable us to do Your works on earth. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment