Sermon Tone Analysis

! Introduction:

I.                  The Power of God in Our lives

 

A.

The Power of Obedience & Unity.

1.

The Obedience of the Disciples– Acts 1:12-14

 

a)       The Disciples Were Obedient to Christ’ Word (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-8)

/1)           //They Returned to Jerusalem /

(a)         /Note:/ the disciples were in “one place” (Acts 2:1), in the city of Jerusalem precisely where Christ told them to go and wait upon the coming of the Holy Spirit

(b)        Their obedience took tremendous courage because; Jerusalem was the very center of opposition against Christ.

/(1)        /It would have been much easier to go elsewhere and wait upon and serve God there.

/(2)        /But Christ made His will known to the disciples & the disciples had /“committed their lives to obeying Him.”/

/(3)        /If we want to receive the fullness of God’s Spirit in our lives, /obedience/ is an essential.

If you love Me, keep My commandments.

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever----the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

(John 14:15-17 NKJV)

If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

(John 14:23)

 

2.

The Unity of the Disciples – Acts 2:1-4

 

a)       The Day of Pentecost – /They Were All With One Accord In One Place/

/1)           //One Accord: the same mind or spirit; oneness of mind and heart./

(a)         It means to be one in spirit and purpose.

/(1)        /The believers, all 120 of them in the upper room, were of the same spirit, of the same mind.

/(2)        /The idea is they were after the same thing, the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

They were focusing and concentrating their thoughts and energies upon seeking God for the promise of His Spirit.

(b)        The word is used only eleven times in Scripture, ten of those times are found in Acts, one is found in Romans.

·                  One accord in prayer (Acts 1:14; Acts 4:24).

·                  One accord in one place (Acts 2:1).

·                  One accord in daily worship and the Lord’s supper (Acts 2:46; Acts 5:12).

·                  One accord in obedience (Acts 8:6).

·                  One accord in a business meeting (Acts 15:25).

·                  One accord is needed to glorify God (Romans 15:6).

(c)         The phrase “one accord” is also used to refer to the unity of unbelievers and enemies of the gospel (Acts 7:57; Acts 12:20; Acts 18:12; Acts 19:29).

B.      The Power of Prayer

 

1.

One Crucial Reason the early Christians were on-fire for God

 

a)       They Continued Steadfastly…in prayers (Acts 2:42)

/1)           //Acts Reveals the Nature of Prayer in Empowering the New Testament Church./

(a)         The church was waiting prayerfully for the power Jesus promised them, and then the church was born (Acts 1:12-14; 2:1-4).

(b)        When persecution threatened to stamp out the infant church, believers went to prayer, and then spoke God’s Word with boldness (Acts 4:23-31).

(c)         The growing church appointed additional leaders so the apostles could focus on prayer and preaching (Acts 6:1-4).

(d)        In response to Peter’s prayer, Tabitha was restored to life (Acts 9:36-43)

(e)         The prayers of Cornelius & Peter resulted in the gospel being preached to Gentiles for the first time (Acts 10:1-48).

(f)          Constant prayer by the church resulted in Peter being miraculously delivered from jail and possible execution (Acts 12:5-17).

(g)        Missionaries were sent out and elders appointed with prayer and fasting (Acts 13:1-3; 14:21-23).

(h)         Paul & Silas were miraculously delivered from jail, and the jailer and his family were converted, as a result of prayer (Acts 16:16-34).

/2)           //Consider What the Epistles have to say about Prayer:/

 

Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; (Romans 12:12)

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints---- (Ephesians 6:18 NKJV)

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; (Philippians 4:6 NKJV)

Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; (Colossians 4:2)

Pray without ceasing, (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NKJV)

 

(a)         Prayer should be second nature to a child of God, just like breathing.

/(1)        /Wherever we go, we should always be praying about everything that happens.

/(2)        /We are teaching this to our son & daughter at an early age.

C.

Principles of Prevailing Prayer – Acts 12:1-25

 

Wicked King Herod is persecuting the church, having already executed James the brother of John & put Peter in prison no doubt wanting to do the same.

Peter had been in prison once before (Acts 5:17-21) but had been miraculously released by an angel of the Lord.

To prevent another escape, Herod locked Peter behind two gates, chained him to two guards, and surrounded him with 14 guards.

By all human reasoning there was no way Peter could escape.

What did Peter’s fellow believers do?

We find the answer in /v.5, “but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church./

Though every door was locked shut, one door remained open: the door into the presence of God (Heb 4:14-16)

 

1.

Pray to God – v.5

 

a)       Sometimes Our Prayers Fail to Honor Him as God

/1)           //How do You View Your Heavenly Father?/

(a)         Do you think of God as a divine Santa Claus whom we bring a list of wants?

(b)        Do we treat Him like our butler or maid by ordering Him to get the things we want?

(c)         Do you view God as a heavenly vending machine, thinking all we have to do is push the right buttons, claim certain verses & He is required to dispense whatever we want?

/ /

/Paul had the right attitude when he prayed:/

For this reason /I bow my knees/ to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, (Ephesians 3:14 NKJV)

 

/2)           //Sometimes God is not even Involved in Our Prayer (Luke 18:9-14)/

(a)         God’s people must have the right attitude (2 Chron.7:14)

/3)           //Jesus Gave Us the Model Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)/

(a)         When we pray, our goal is to align our will with God’s will.

/(1)        /Jesus prayed this way (Matt.26:39).

/(2)        /If we lack wisdom in understanding God’s will, we are to ask (James 1:5).

(b)        Why is it so important to pray in His will (1 John 5:14-15)?

/(1)        /Jesus had this in mind in (John 15:7; 14:13).

q   This verse could be literally translated: /“If you are maintaining a living communion with Me, and My words are at home in your life, I command you to ask at once something for yourself, whatever you heart desires, and it will become yours”/

/(2)        /The Psalmist also had this in mind (Psalm 37:3-4).

b)      Persecution Often Causes People to Pray – v.5

/1)           //Because of Peter’s Circumstance’s, the Church Prayed Constantly & Earnestly.

/

(a)         God used this difficulty to bring the Church to its knees to intercede on behalf of Peter.

(b)        God will use our difficulties to bring us to our knees as well.

/(1)        /Let's face it, we often pray the hardest and most consistently when we are facing trials and difficulties.

/(2)        /And we often learn the most about God's faithfulness and our own weaknesses during these times of intense intercession.

God has a plan for our trials!

2.

Pray without ceasing – v.5

 

a)       Constant Prayer was being offered for Peter.

/1)           //The Phrase “but prayer” was the turning point in the story.

/

(a)         The angel fetched peter out of prison, but it was prayer that fetched the angel.

(b)        We see this principle in the book of Daniel (Dan.10:12).

/(1)        /Just as Daniel “set his heart to understand” & “to humble himself before God,” the church also humbled themselves & prayed with passion, “they prayed with agony” from the depths of their heart until they got an answer.

/(2)        /If we want to impact our world with the power of God, we must be willing to invest some time in fervent prayer as the early Christians did.

q   Prayer stirs fellowship & communion with God.

q   Prayer brings about a greater knowledge & understanding of God.

q   Prayer causes a person to trust as well as worship & praise God.

q   Prayer is the way man is to communicate with God.

·         /Ask, seek, & knock (Matt.7:7)./

·         /Watch & pray, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (Matt.26:41)./