Does God Answer Prayer? Acts 12
Let’s take our Bibles … turn to Acts 12 …
… We are going to read a fairly large section … an entire chapter … v.25
… 2 stories … we will focus on one … but there is a couple things
… in the 2nd story that help tie this message all together
… The Title of this morning’s message … “Does God Answer Prayer?”
It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 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. 4 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.
5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
6 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. 7 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.
8 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. 9 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. 10 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.
1 11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”
12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”
15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”
16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.
18 In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19 After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.
Herod’s Death
Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. 20 He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.
21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22 They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
24 But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.
25 When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from[a] Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.
2 These 2 stories are Amazing stories …
Great stories for the early church … after the persecution had broken out
… James was killed with a sword
Great stories of God’s Power … Angel of the Lord … coming to deliver Peter
… from his Prison cell …
Great Stories about the Justice …
… When Herod … worms eating Him from the inside out
… I am just not so sure they were great stories for James’ family
… James mother … Father … maybe even his brother … John
… at least initially
Maybe the story about Herod being eaten with worms …
“The Lord rescued Peter from Prison” …
… Awesome
… Why didn’t He rescue James? …
“The Lord Rescued Peter from Prison … It was Awesome!”
3 … where was He when James was in prison …
“The Lord Rescued Peter!” …
… He was sleeping so hard! … The Angel of the Lord had to strike
… Chains fell off …
… Lead Him out of the Cell … But He didn’t rescue James …
The Bible is an Amazing Book …
… It gives us glimpses into God’s Power … God’s Love …
… God’s purpose for mankind kind
… God’s plan of salvation …
But it also … leaves us with a lot of questions … a lot things
… we don’t understand …
Things like … “The Lord rescued Peter … but He didn’t rescue James”
… and what about these guards …
… they were just doing their job …
“I know if the lost the prisoner they were assigned to guard …
… they would be executed …
… God is the one who helped Peter escape …
… this is not really fair … they were “Outnumber” … out matched
… What happened to them? … Where will they spend eternity?
4 A lot of things we aren’t going to understand … this side of Heaven …
… There are a lot of things that don’t make sense …
… there are a lot of things that leave me questioning …
One of the things I have picked up recently … in talking with people
… about all the things going on … With ISIS …
… the mass murders … beheading …
… woman being abducted …
Things happening with … economy … morality …
One of the Things I have picked up … “Evil is winning” …
I am not a Bible scholar … I am not a expert Historian …
I believe that it what it was like … Acts 12
Sometimes when we read the book of Acts …
… we talk about the exciting things that were happening …
“The Holy Spirit was poured out … tongues of fire”
… the lame man was healed …
… Acts 4 … “The place was shaken” …
5 … story after story …
But if you would have picked up a newspaper … went online …
… It would have looked like evil was winning …
… … Evil seemed to be in control
Here we have a Story of Peter being rescued … James was killed
… many other Christians were killed … arrested …
I love this story about Herod Agrippa …
… “Wouldn’t give Glory to God” … eaten with worms … yes!
… “Aren’t there are few people that qualify for that today?”
But Caesar ruled in Rome … Moral depravity was everywhere
… The palace in Rome … was like a brothel …
… Men dressed in Drag … committed homosexual acts with men
… young boys …
… The church suffered persecution …
To the world … It looked like Evil was winning …
But v.24 says …
“But the Word of God continued to increase and spread.” Acts 12:24
6 Matthew 16:18 … Jesus said …
“I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it!” Matthew 16:18
I believe one of Satan’s strategies … to defeat God’s purpose
… Is to keep us from praying …
… as individuals … as a church … as a nation
When we get discouraged … when we feel defeated …
… when we feel like evil is winning …
… We stop praying …
1. Prayer is the key to advancing God’s kingdom here on earth.
In Matthew 16:19 … Jesus said to His disciples …
“I give you the keys to the kingdom of Heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19
… We have the Keys … Heaven is waiting for us …
… we have this tremendous privilege …
… we this tremendous authority …
I think … when we get to heaven … we will be shocked …
… destiny God has given us as children …
7 There is something about prayer … that goes beyond our understand
… there is something about learning to pray …
Prayer is not about getting God to do what we want Him to do …
Prayer is about Getting us to partner with what God’s wants to do …
Prayer changes things … But 1st Prayer changes us …
1. Prayer is the key to advancing God’s kingdom here on earth.
2. Prayer is the key to defeating Satan’s schemes in your life, family, and community.
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. Acts 12:5-7
God had the master key … to the chains on Peter’s wrist …
… God has the master key to the chains in our life
… the chains in our families life
Why is so hard to pray?
… You set a time … everything comes against it …
8 When you kneel … “nothing” …
Some people have a hard time … “opening their mouth”
… there is so much resistance … self-doubt … guilt
Prayer is the most resisted activity on the planet …
… there reason … Satan doesn’t want you to pray!
… Satan is terrified at the sound of your prayers …
… Prayer is the key to defeating Satan’s schemes in your life, family, and community.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Cor 10:4-5 (NIV)
Prayer is powerful … the weapons of our warfare
Tearing down argument … “logisimai”
Strongholds … fortress that the enemy has built …
Pretension … pride … proud thoughts … exalted against God
3. Prayer is our 1st priority as the Church.
9 “‘My house will be called a house of prayer, Matthew 21:13 (NIV)
What would our church look like … if we were a house of prayer?
What would your life look like … if it was a house of prayer?
… “My heart is Christ’s home … His house”
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NIV)
Paul says … I urge then … 1st of all … 1st priority …
Prayer is our 1st priority! Prayer is our 1st Priority as a church
This is where Paul gives us some instruction …
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Ephesians 6:18-20 (NIV)
Pray in the Spirit.
Praying in the spirit … is not a casual prayer
… it is not a memorized … repetitious prayer
10 Praying in the spirit … is entering into the spiritual realm
… it is partnering with God …
… it is praying His word …
On Wednesday night … my BS here …
… One of the brothers … talking about praying all night
.. he was a young Christian … a friend was troubled
… ask him to pray …
… they went to a place … they spent the night in prayer
He didn’t know how to pray … Catholic back ground …
… prayed what he knew in about 10 minutes …
… He was done …
… Knees got tired …
… got up … followed his friend …
… eventually … He got in the spirit …
… God started showing him how to pray …
Praying in the spirit … is entering into the spiritual realm …
… getting away from just your natural mind
… it is being led by the spirit …
11 People who learn to pray in the spirit … fall in love with prayer
Doesn’t mean it is easy … it is work … takes time …
When you pray in the spirit … you sense God’s heart
… you pray God’s word …
… you pray from your heart
… you pray with vision …
… sometimes you fight a spiritual enemy!
… you see things from a spiritual perspective!
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)
We like to think of that verse as the spirit praying for us …
… when we don’t know how to pray …
… it can apply to that …
… Sometimes I don’t know what to say …
But sometimes the Spirit shows us what to pray as he intercedes for us
… There is a partnering with God … there is vision
12 Sometimes were are interceding through the gift of tongues
… which is a language given by the Spirit …
… sometimes I ask for an interpretation …
Prayer is the key to advancing God’s kingdom here on earth
Prayer is the key to defeating Satan’s schemes
Prayer is our 1st priority as a church …
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