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This morning we are picking back up in our study of the book of Acts.
If you’re new to our church, it would be helpful for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”.
What that means is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking books of the Bible, and then studying them from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, in order to better understand what God’s Word is saying and means in our lives today.
With that said, we are currently walking through the NT book of Acts. A book written by a first century disciple named Luke who wrote this book for two primary reasons:
#1, to give us a history of the church. How it started, who was involved, and the circumstances that surrounded it.
#2, to give us a template for how Jesus intends for us to accomplish the mission of taking the gospel to the entire world.
So, if you haven’t been with us, I would encourage you to go online to www.mcf.life where you can listen to previous messages leading up to today.
Today however, we are picking back up in .
If you weren’t with us last time, In chapter 11 Luke introduced us to the Gentile church in Antioch. A great church in a pagan city that was rapidly advancing the gospel, and as we’re going to see in chapter 13, the church that would became the launching pad for the Apostle Paul’s ministry.
But as we move into chapter 12, Luke is going to take us back for a moment to the church at Jersualem. Back to where it all started.
Because while everything is going great in Antioch, challenges have arisen in Jerusalem. Challenges that are aimed at destroying the church.
And so, in order to set up where Luke is taking us this morning, I want to begin by asking you a question that I think will help us build some framework for the message today:
Question - Have you ever had something happen in your life that just kind of knocked you off your feet? Something that took the wind out of your sails. Something that was so disheartening and devastating, that you didn’t know what to do?
For example:
Maybe out of nowhere, your spouse asked for a divorce.
Or maybe the school called and said your son or daughter had been experimenting with drugs.
Or maybe you went to work one day, and your boss let you go.
Or maybe you go that phone call that a loved one or friend had passed away.
And what I mean by that, is a season or moment when all seemed lost. A situation where you felt helpless and there appeared to be no hope. Have you ever been in a place like that?
I think if we’re honest we’ve all experienced moments like that. Moments where the floor fell out beneath us and we didn’t know what to do.
And the fact is, there are going to be more days like that in the days too come. Remember, “Momma said there would be days like this...”.
The question then is, “How do we handle those days? How do we get through the tough days and seasons of our life when we face what seems to be a devastating or impossible situation, and we don’t know what to do?”
Question #2 - When you’ve going through that season, how did you overcome it?
Question #1 - Does it concern you when you see a fellow Christian being persecuted for their faith?
My hope today is to answer that question, and as
For example, a few years ago when Jack Phillips, a Colorado Cake shop owner was sued because he refused to decorate a cake for a gay wedding, did that concern you?
Or did it concern you, when Barronelle Stutzman, owner of Arlene's Flowers and Gifts in Richland, Washington, was sued as well for holding to his faith when he refused to provide flowers for a gay wedding. Did that concern you?
Or maybe in a conversation at work, you mentioned you didn’t believe in gay marriage, and somebody verbally attacked you and accused you of being homophobic.
Does it bother you when fellow Christians are persecuted for their faith?
Or maybe somebody made fun of your faith.
Question #2 - When such persecution like this takes place, how do you think Christians should respond to it?
Or maybe you made it known you were pro life, and somebody took you to town on Facebook.
I think if we all think about it, we’ve all been in a situation like that. A situation where somebody tried to discourage or silence our faith.
Question #2 - When such an attack takes place, what’s your first response in dealing with the persecution?
In other words, what’s the proper or Biblical way to deal with persecution when it comes our way?
For example:
Question #2 - When such persecution takes place, what’s your first response to dealing with the persecution?
Is the proper response to fight back?
Is the proper response to wage a war of words on Facebook?
Is the proper response to claim first amendment rights and counter sue?
Is your response to counter their law suit and take them to court?
What’s the proper or Biblical response when our faith is under fire?
Question #3 - If you were ever in a situation where you were being severely persecuted or threatened for because of your faith, and you didn’t have your first Amendment rights? What would you do then?
Question #3 - In the face of persecution, what do you think the proper response should be?
What would you do?
Now, at this point you might be thinking, “Ok Pastor, interesting questions, but didn’t all that cake and flower stuff turn out ok? And wasn’t justice served? And honestly, pastor, is that something we really need to be concerned about. I mean we live in America after all. I don’t think we need to worry about losing our first amendment rights.”
In other words, how should a Christian respond to persecution? What steps should be taken? How should a Christian respond when their faith is under fire?
To be honest, I think that’s one of the major problems in the American church today. The fact that somehow we think our rights will always protect us. That our rights will prevent anything bad from happening to us as Christians.
The reason I ask you these questions, is because as we come to today, the Jersualem church is under attack. A severe attack. An attack meant to wipe out the church.
To be honest, an attack unlike we’ve ever experienced as American Christians.
An attack I hope we never experience, but one we should be aware could happen. Because the truth is, not much has changed since the 1st century. For thousands of years Christians have been persecuted and attacked for their faith.
Now, at this point you might be thinking, “So what was the attack Pastor? Sounds pretty bad.”
At this point you might be thinking, “So what was the attack?”
It was, and we’re going to get to it in a moment, but that’s not going to be our focus this morning. Because while the attack is significant, it’s their initial response to the attack that is even more significant, and in a way gives us a great example for how we should initially respond when persecution comes our way.
And as a result, that’s what we tend to hold onto and look to when persecution arises. That because we’re in American, we’re somehow exempt from extreme levels of persecution.
Specifically, how a Christian should initially respond when their faith is under fire.
Because how the Jerusalem Christians responded to the persecution is what is most important in this next story, and what I believe sets the example for how Christians should initially respond to whatever persecution they are facing.
And the fact is, much hasn’t changed since then. Because Christianity is still under attack today. We see it all around us as Christians are ridiculed, hassled, threatened, and sued for their faith.
Because the truth is, as American Christians we live in a bubble world.
And that my friends is a mistake. Because whether you realize it or not, there is a war going on in our culture. A fight for the soul of our country. And I hate to say it, but the church is losing ground. And if you don’t believe me, just turn on your television.
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Jesus says as a Christian, you will have trouble. You will have times where you are persecuted for your faith. It comes with the territory.
can take it to facebook. while we live in a bubble world, the persecution of Christians and the church isn’t going away. In fact, it’s only going to get worse. Jesus himself said, we will be hated because of Him.
And just like then, it requires a response. It requires us to do something.
And so if we think that because we’re in America that we’re somehow exempt from such persecution, think again.
Because whether you realize it or not, there is a war going on in our culture. A fight for the soul of our country. And I hate to say it, but the church is losing ground. And if you don’t believe me, just turn on your television.
Now, please hear me, I’m not saying that to be negative or discourage anyone, it’s just a fact. Because the fact is, we are living in a post christian nation.
In addition to that, as we discussed last Sunday, we have a real enemy out there, and his name is Satan. And his #1 priority is to take Christians out and destroy the church. To do whatever he can to discourage, derail, and destroy us.
All that to say, to be a Christian and think that you’ll never face severe levels of trials, tribulation, attacks, or persecution goes against everything Jesus said. Because Jesus was pretty clear when he said, “In this world you will have trouble.”
And to think that you’ll always have your rights to fall back on,
That being the case, we need to know how to handle persecution and overcome the attacks of the enemy when they come. Because they will come.
Which leads us back to the church at Jerusalem.
when it comes, especially persecution that may affect our very lives. Which leads us back to the church at Jerusalem.
As we come back to today, my hope is that we can maybe discover an answer to that question. Because in , it’s one of those days for the Jerusalem Church, as they face a devastating situation. A situation that has taken the wind out of their sales.
To be honest, an attack unlike we’ve ever experienced as American Christians.
So, what happened?
We’re going to get to it in a moment, but let me say this, what happened isn’t going to be our main focus today.
we’re going to get to it in a moment, but that’s not going to be our focus this morning. Because while the attack is significant, it’s their initial response to the attack that is even more significant, and in a way gives us a great example for how we should initially respond when persecution comes our way.
Because while what happened is significant, it’s their response to what happened that is even more significant, and in a way gives us a great example for how we should respond when we face dark days.
So, “How did they handle it? What was their response?”
Did they turn to Facebook?
Did they proclaim their religious rights to the government?
Did they make protest signs and do a march down the public square?
Did they sue?
Nope, none of those things.
So, what did they do?
So, with that as our basis, here’s how I want to approach this passage today.
And so as we approach this passage today, I have three goals:
And so as we approach this passage today, I have three goals:
First, we’re going to read through the entire story and find out what happened.
Second, we’re going to walk back through the passage, and we’re going to look at two responses in this story.
The first response we’re going got look at is the response of the Jersualem Church. How they responded to their trial.
The second response we’re going to look at is God’s response to the situation.
And my hope is as we look at both of these responses, we too can learn how to respond when challenging days come, and we don’t know what to do.
Finally, from that, we’re going to determine what the best response is when we face dark days.
So, let’s get started as Luke introduces us to the situation. Beginning in verse 1 we read:
1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword, 3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.
6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. 7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. 11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. 13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” 16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. 17 But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.
18 Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 19 And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.
Goal #1 - To highlight the challenge they were facing.
1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword, 3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.
6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. 7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. 11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. 13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” 16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. 17 But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.
Goal #2 - To look at how they responded to the challenge.
Goal #3 - To determine how their response applies to our lives.
As you can see this is quite a story. So, let’s start from the top as Luke introduces us to the challenge the church at Jerusalem was facing. Beginning in verse 1 he says:
1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church.
1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword, 3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.
Acts 12:1
Luke doesn’t waste anytime in giving us the circumstances surrounding this challenge. Notice first what he says. He says:
1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword,
1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church.
Couple things I want to notice in this first verse:
First, Luke says this all started with a man named Herod.
So, a great first question would be, “Who is this Herod?”
So, a great first question would be,”Who is this guy?”
The Herod Luke is referring to was a man known as Herod Agrippa I, who was the grandson of Herod the Great.
You may recall Herod the Great was the Herod who tried to kill Jesus in . The one who killed an entire village of children under the age of 2 trying to get to Jesus. That’s Herod the Great.
And apparently the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, because fast forward a few decades, and now his grandson is still seeking to snuff out those who follow Jesus.
So, that’s who this Herod is. He’s the grandson of Herod the Great.
Second, Luke says he laid “violent hands on some who belonged to the church”.
The term here implies that the attack was premeditated, and was meant to bring great injury to certain people who belonged to the church. Meaning, this attack is serious business. Somebody is going to die.
Which leads us to another question, “Why is Herod trying to take the church out?”
Was it because he hated Christians. Was it because he’s trying to be like his Grandfather? Was it because the church said something negative about him?
How about none of those reasons: So, what’s the reason?
The truth is, Herod was a politician. And according to the Jewish historian Josephus, Herod was all about pleasing the people he ruled over. In other words, he wanted them to like him.
Kind of sounds like what we’re dealing with today in our government, doesn’t it?
And what that tells us is, sometimes bad things happen, not because we did something wrong and now we’re being punished.
Sometimes bad things happen because we live in a fallen world where evil people do evil things. And Herod is an evil person.
And so apparently, at some point, Herod must have asked himself, “How do I get these Jews to like me? How do I get them to willfully submit to my rule?”
And its at that point, like the Grinch who stole Christmas, he has an awful idea. A wonderful, awful idea! And He says, “I know just what to do! I’ll kill some Christians.".
Because there would be no better way to please the Jews, than to destroy the Christian movement. The movement that had swept the city of Jersualem. The movement that was causing the religious leaders, Herod’s friends, to lose their influence and power.
And so to gain their favor, Herod decides to go after the church. And Luke says he does it by targeting certain people who belong to the church? So, who were the people he targeted? Luke tells us about one specifically. In verse 2 he writes:
2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword,
Luke says, in order to gain favor and please the Jews, he decides to kill a Christian named James who was the brother of John.
So, who is James the brother of John?
Nope, none of those reasons: So, what’s the reason?
The truth is, Herod was a politician. And according to the Jewish historian Josephus, Herod was all about pleasing the people he ruled over. He wanted them to like him.
So, at some point he asked himself, “How do I get these Jews to like me? How do I get them to willfully submit to my rule?”
And then he had an idea. Because there would be no better way to please the Jews, than to destroy the Christian movement. The movement that had overtaken the city of Jersualem. The movement that was causing the religious leaders to lose their influence and power.
And there would be no better way to do that, than to destroy the Christian movement. The movement that had overtaken the city of Jersualem causing the religious leaders to lose their influence and power.
And so to gain their favor, Herod decides to take out one of the top ranking Christian leaders. Which leads us to a second question:
Question #2- Who is James the brother of John, and why did he pick him?
So, who is James the brother of John? If you haven’t figured it out yet, he’s one of the original 12 disciples. We read about him in Mark 3:
If you haven’t figured it out yet, James is one of the original 12 disciples that Jesus selected. We read about him in :
16 He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); 18 Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
So, this is a big deal, because if you’ll notice, James is listed as the number 2 disciple on the list, right behind Peter.
In fact, when Jesus went up on the mount of transfiguration to display his glory, he only took three disciples with him, and James was one of them. In we read:
1 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
So, James is a top disciple, and Herod knows this. And so Herod’s thinking is, if he takes a top Lieutenant like James out, it will give him a lot of political clout and popularity among the Jews.
And so he has James arrested and killed with the sword, which means one of two things. Either he had him beheaded or he had him run through.
So, did Herod’s plan work? Did it win him favor? It sure did. Because listen to what happened next:
Acts 12:3
3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people.
3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread.
But it didn’t stop there.
Luke says Herod got positive feedback from the killing of James, and it worked so well, that he decides to take out another Christian.
But this time, he goes for the jugular. He decides to arrest the Apostle Peter. Jesus’s #1 disciple. This will really give him favor.
And so just like he did with James, Herod arrests the Apostle Peter and makes plans to kill him.
But unlike James, Herod has to wait before he can kill Peter. And he has to wait because there’s a holiday going on. Luke writes:
4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people.
And the plan was, to arrest him and bring him out before the people, and then kill him following the passover.
Now, you might ask, why does he wait until after the passover?
Luke says he waits because the Passover has just started, which is a major Jewish holiday. And to execute somebody during the passover would be seen as a desecration to the Jews.
And so Herod has no choice but to wait until the Passover has ended to execute Peter, because he doesn’t want to lose the favor he has gained.
In the mean time though, Luke says to make sure Peter doesn’t go anywhere or that nobody tries to rescue him, he assigns four squads of soldiers to guard him. A detail that would have consisted of 16 Roman soldiers.
All that to say, this isn’t a good situation and from all external indicators, the church in Jerusalem is in big trouble. This would have been a very discouraging and terrifying moment in the life of the early church as one apostle is dead, and another is on the chopping block.
I mean just imagine if the Gove
And while I’m sure this was a shock to the Jersualem church, it shouldn’t have surprised them. Because Jesus said there would be days like this.
In fact, he put it like this:
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Jesus said, “It’s not going to always be butterflies and roses. There are going to be some dark days ahead.”
It’s also going to be true when the enemy comes against us. When he relentlessly attacks our marriage. When he goes after our kids. When he attacks us mentally, physical, or spiritually. In those moments it’s easy to think all is lost. It’s easy to get discouraged and think the end is near.
And the fact is, while that’s true for all people, it’s especially true for the Christian. Because as we learned last week, we are in a spiritual battle. The enemy is working hard to take you out and destroy what God is doing in your life. As a result, there are going to be days where it feels like the wheels have fallen off the wagon.
Days when the enemies attack is relentless.
Days when your marriage seems hopeless.
Days when your heart is breaking for your kids.
Days where sickness and disease overwhelm you.
Days when it seems like addiction is winning the day.
Jesus said there will be days like this.
The question then is, “What should be done? How should we as Christians respond when we have days like this?
This leads us to the first response. The response of the church in Jersualem. Because when all seemed lost, they responded. So, what did they do? Let’s find out. In verse 5 Luke writes:
Luke tells us. Listen to what he says:
When all seems lost, the best response is to pray.
Listen to what the Jerusalem church did when they learned James had been killed, and Peter was sitting on death row. In verse 5 Luke writes:
5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.
Luke says, when all seemed lost, the church in Jerusalem did one thing.
In other words, their solution to this horrific situation was to pray. And not just pray, but earnestly pray. In the Greek, it’s the idea that they prayed with unceasing activity and with a high degree of intensity.
The Church’s Response - They prayed earnestly for the situation.
Now, you might be thinking, “Ok pastor, isn’t that kind of a no brainer? Isn’t that what we all tend to do when we’re in a jam and we don’t know what to do?”
Yes, that’s exactly what most of us do. But what I want you to see, is that they prayed in a way that very few do.
So, how did they pray?
Look again at what Luke says. He says, “…but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.”
Based on what Luke just told us, I’d like to suggest they prayed in two specific ways, and I would state the first one like this:
They prayed with unceasing intensity.
Notice Luke says it wasn’t just prayer, it was earnest prayer.
Here’s what I want to point out about this statement, Luke says they prayed earnestly.
#1, Luke says they prayed earnestly.
So, what does that mean?
The word “earnest” is translated from the Greek word “ektenos”
Definition - It’s the idea of an unceasing activity that comes with a high degree of intensity.
What that means then is, they didn’t pray, “God please help Peter, Amen”, and then go about their day.
No, this was a prayer of longevity and desperation.
This wasn’t a prayer that wen
This wasn’t a prayer
They prayed, “God please help Peter. God you please intervene. God you have to do something. God you’re the only one that can.”
This wasn’t they prayed continually and with great passion. They stormed heaven.
And they just didn’t pray it once or just for a few minutes. This was a prayer that went on, and on, and on, as they unceasingly cried out to God for Peter for an undesignated amount of time.
It was the kind of prayer, that if you walked in the room, you’d be like, “What is going on in here.”
Why did they pray like this? Because they knew God was the only one that could do anything about this. They knew God was the only one with the power to intervene. They knew without God, Peter was a dead man. So they unceasingly and with great passion cried out to God for His help.
To be honest, I’m not sure to many American Christians pray with this kind of fervor. And I’m not trying to be negative here. I just don’t think many American Christians take the time to pray like this.
Instead, I think what we do, is we pray for a few minutes, and then we move on.
We pray for a few minutes, and then return too worrying about our circumstance.
We pray for a few minutes, and then we hope for the best.
. We pray, and we hope for the best. But not very often, or maybe never, do we storm heaven. Rarely do we get on our knees and cry out to God until He answers.
We pray for a few minutes,
But rarely, or maybe never, do we get desperate enough to set undesignated time and unceasingly cry out to God, believing He’s the only one that can help.
And as a result, I think a lot of Christians miss out on what God would and could do in the situation they are facing.
To be honest, I think that’s why some marriages end in divorce.
I think that’s why some sicknesses are never healed.
I think that’s why some of our kids walk off the deep end.
I think that’s why our country continues to fall apart.
I think that’s why we sometimes miss out on what God could and would do.
And please hear me, I’m not saying that every marriage would get reconciled if a person just prayed harder.
I’m not saying that every person would get healed if we just prayed more intensely.
What I’m saying is most times when our marriage is dying, we don’t pray like it’s dying.
What I’m saying is most times when somebody needs to be healed, we don’t pray like God’s the only one that can heal them.
What I’m saying is most times when we need an answer, we don’t pray like God is the only one that has the answer.
Are you tracking with me?
So, why don’t we pray like that? What keeps us from praying with earnest?
I’d say there’s a few reasons:
For some, the statements, “I’m praying about it or I’m praying for you” isn’t something they do, it’s just something they say.
#1,
It’s an automated ritualistic response they’ve conditioned themselves to say.
The fact is, they don’t pray, they just say they do.
For others, prayer is just one of many possible solutions, but it’s not the primary solution. In other words, prayer is just one of the options on the table.
In other words, prayer is one of the options on the table when life goes sideways, but it’s typically not the primary option.
Let me give you an example of what I mean by that.
James 5
Example - Let’s say you wake up tomorrow morning and your child has a fever of 103. Let me ask you something mom and dad, “What’s your first response to that fever?”
Is it too earnestly pray for their healing? Or, is it to give them some Tylenol and call the doctor?
It’s ok, you can be honest. It’s the latter, right? You give them Tylenol and you call the doctor. That’s your first response to their need.
Now, please hear me, I’m not saying you shouldn’t do that. There’s nothing wrong with giving your child Tylenol and making a doctors appointment. A wise decision.
What I’m saying though is, maybe the first thing you should do, before you do anything else, is put your hands on your child, and earnestly pray that God would heal them.
And not just do it once, but continue to do it as you give them the Tylenol.
Continue to do it as you make the doctor’s appointment.
Continue to do it as you drive them to the appointment.
Continue to do it as the doctor prescribes an antibiotic.
Continue to pray like the only thing that can actually heal them is God.
Now, at this point, some of you might be thinking, “Come on pastor, that sounds a little radical. My kid’s going to think I’m a nut. I’m not sure God expects us to do that. Can’t we just say a prayer and move on?”
You can, but you might miss out on something God wants to do.
Because this is exactly what Jesus was talking about in a parable He told in .
The parable involves a widow seeking justice from an unrighteous judge. Listen to what Jesus tells us:
1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
In this parable Jesus is making a couple of important points.
The first point is, just like the widow, God wants us to be persistent in coming to Him. He wants us to continually seek Him. He wants us to see Him as the primary solution.
Second, Jesus wants us to know, that if an unrighteous judge will give justice after being pestered to death, how much more will God, who is righteous, give justice to those who continually cry out to Him.
The point being, God wants to be the primary solution. But we need to believe He is and can be.
Now, does that mean there aren’t other solutions that we should consider or try in the midst of our challenge or circumstance?
No, sometimes there are common sense solutions we need to seek out.
But why not make God the primary before anything else. Why not go to Him first. And then let Him lead you from there.
Everybody with me?
One more reason we fail to pray with earnest.
Here’s the problem though for a lot of Christians. Instead of being persistent in our prayer, we often become impatient. Instead of pressing in deeper, we decide to move on.
Why do we do that? This leads us to one more reason we fail to pray this way.
We fail to pray this way because we put God on a timeline.
In other words, we want answers to our challenge now.
And unfortunately we’ve been conditioned to think this way in a microwave world where instant results are always expected.
And I think part of the problem is, we think answered prayers only come if we believe hard enough. Like if I believe really, really, really hard, God will answer.
But God doesn’t always work on our timeline.
So, what happens is, instead of being persistent in our prayer, we become impatient. Instead of pressing in deeper, we decide to move on.
What I want to suggest to you, is that some answered prayers only come when you pray with earnest. When you pray, and pray, and pray, and keep praying until God answers.
And sometimes, God doesn’t answer right away. Sometimes He answers weeks, months, and even years later. In fact, it might even be a prayer he doesn’t answer in your lifetime. But He does answer.
Why does He wait? Probably because He has a plan we’re unaware of. Probably because His timing is better than our timing.
But the key for you and me, is to keep praying. To keep believing. To keep trusting. To believe God’s Timeline and His answer are best.
So we pray to that end, as we pray with earnest. Because according to Jesus, God responds to those kinds of prayers.
Jesus puts it like this in :
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
Matthew 7:7
The three key words in this passage are Ask, Seek, and Knock, and they are in the present tense, suggesting that this is a persistent prayer over an extended period of time.
All that to say, when word got back to the church that James was dead and Peter was sitting on death row, they didn’t just pray and go about their day. Instead, they started praying with intense fervency knowing that God was the only one that could help. And knowing if they pressed heaven, God would answer, and He did.
Which leads us to the next response, God’s response. Look at what happens next:
Acts 12:6-
2. They prayed that God would do the impossible.
What I mean by that, is that they prayed that God would do something they couldn’t.
Because what they were praying, is that Peter would be delivered. Delivered from a prison that was being guarded by 16 trained soldiers. Delivered from a man who had just killed James and was bent on killing Peter. They were praying for the impossible, something only God could do.
Again, I think this is the challenge for a lot of American Christians.
Because for the most part, I’m not sure we always pray for the impossible.
For example, going back to the example of your child having a fever. Let’s just be honest, when you pray for God to heal your child, while you should pray that, you’re not praying for the impossible. Because the truth is, with some antibiotic, some treatment, and time, your child is going to get well. That’s not praying for the impossible.
Praying for the impossible is praying that God can heal a marriage that has been devastated by infidelity.
Praying for the impossible is praying that God can heal a sickness that medicine can’t touch.
Praying for the impossible is praying that Nancy Pelosi and President Trump become friends.
Praying for the impossible is praying for something
6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. 7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. 11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. 7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. 11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.
But here’s the deal, sometimes His answers aren’t always what we thought they’d be.
So, how did God respond to earnest prayer? I would state it like this. When the church earnestly prayed to God:
Because as the church earnestly prays for Peter,
God’s Response - God did the unexpected and the impossible.
I want you to think about what Luke says happened here, because it’s amazing.
I’m just telling you, if you want to see God move, you have to consistently and persistently seek Him.
Luke says as the church earnestly prayed, God heard their cries for Peter, and He responded by doing something totally unexpected. Something that would have been impossible for anybody else to do. He responded by sending an angel to break Peter out of prison.
I’m just telling you, if you want to see God move, you have to consistently and persistently seek Him.
Is that not super cool, that God would respond by orchestrating a supernatural prison break. I think that’s amazing!
But isn’t that just like God, to do something unexpected. To do something impossible. To do something miraculous. To do what only He can do.
Now, you might be thinking, “Ok Pastor, that’s cool, but why are you making such a big deal about it?”
I’m making it a big deal, because while we know God is capable of doing such things, I’m not sure we often expect Him too, and I think were surprised and skeptical when He does.
Because let’s just be honest, when we read this,
Let me show you what I mean by that as we look at the response of Peter and the church to this miraculous moment.
Notice what Luke tells us. He says as the angel wakes Peter up, gives him instructions, and leads him out of the prison, Peter thinks its a dream. Luke writes:
9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him.
9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
Luke says as this was all happening, Peter was thinking, “Ok, this has to be a dream. There’s no way I’m waltzing out of here unnoticed with gates miraculously opening in front of me. Yup, whatever they fed me last night is doing a number on me right now. This is a dream. This really can’t be happening.”
That’s what Peter was thinking. That it was a dream. But it wasn’t a dream. Because Luke writes:
11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
Luke says as Peter stands in the street, he finally realizes, “Ok, that wasn’t a dream. An angel did come into the prison, wake him up, and supernaturally lead him out. That really happened.”
All that to say, Peter’s first response to this miracle is, this is a dream. This can’t be happening.
But he’s not the only one struggling with the miracle. Because look at what Luke tell us next:
Acts 12:12
12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. 13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” 16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed.
A couple things I want you to notice about what Luke has just told us.
First, Luke says when Peter arrives at the house of Mary, the house is full of people praying for Peter.
I just want to point that out, because it reinforces that they were earnestly praying for God to work. That they just didn’t say a little prayer and move on, but they had organized a prayer meeting and were crying out to God for Peter.
Second, I want you to notice how they responded when Peter showed up.
Because Luke says when Peter got to the house, he started knocking on the door. And at that point a servant girl named Rhoda goes to answer. And when she says “Who’s there?” She recognizes the voice of Peter as Peter says, “It’s me, Peter.”
And Luke says she’s so excited, that she runs into the room where everybody is earnestly praying, and she announces, “Peter is outside”.
Now listen again to their response:
15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!”
Luke says their first response to the news was, “No way! That can’t be true. What have you been smoking Rhoda?”
Is that not peculiar to you? That here you have a group of Christians earnestly praying for Peter to get delivered, crying out to God, and then somebody runs in the room and says, “Peter is outside”, and they say, “You’re crazy. It can’t be!”.
In fact, not only do they not believe it’s him, they start coming up with crazy explanations for what Rhoda say’s has happened. And one of their explanation is that, “It is his angel!” Which is kind of weird. So, why would they say that?
What it reflects is a Jewish belief that each person has a guardian angel as his or her spiritual counterpart. And it was believed that one’s angel often appeared immediately after the person’s death as a sign of their death.
The way would we would say it is, “I’ve seen his or her ghost”.
So, I want you to think about this for a second. In this moment when they are earnestly praying, and God responds, and their told Peter is outside, instead of believing it’s actually him, they’re more inclined to believe that it’s his ghost. That Peter must be dead and his ghost has shown up to let them know. That’s where they went with this.
You know what this highlights? It highlights the fact that while we pray for God to do the unexpected and the impossible in our lives, most times we don’t think He will, and we’re surprised when He does. Because look at what Luke says happened next:
16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed.
Acts 12:16
Luke says they were amazed. They couldn’t believe it. They couldn’t believe that God actually responded in an unexpected and impossible way.
To be honest, I’ve seen this happen many times among believers.
For example, I’ve watched as people pray for the salvation of a certain person in a community. Somebody who is really out there and has made mess of their life.
And then all of a sudden that person gets saved. They come to know Jesus. And their life is radically transformed.
And the people praying for them get all excited and they start telling other Christians and people in the church about how “so and so” has had a radical experience with Jesus.
But instead of celebrating, they get skeptical. They say something like, “So and so got saved? Really? Uh, never thought that could happen. Are you sure we’re talking about the same person? Are you sure you’re not talking about his brother. Because I can see that. But so and so, that’s crazy. That would take an act of God.”
And you’re right, it did take an Act of God, exactly what we prayed for, and yet we are surprised by it.
I’ve also seen people who are praying for somebody to be healed from something like cancer, and then God works, He miraculously heals that person. And those praying start celebrating. And they start telling others.
They’re like, “So you guys divorced each other
But then I hear other people say things like, “Wow, that’s amazing! I can’t believe the cancer is totally gone. That’s crazy. Are they sure they really had cancer to begin with? Maybe the doctor misdiagnosed them or something. Because that’s unbelievable.”
Unfortunately that’s where too often go. Trying to explain away or rationalize what God has done. Surprised that God actually did the unexpected and impossible.
Can I just tell you, we shouldn’t be surprised when God does the unexpected or impossible in our impossible situation.
That instead we should be expectant that He will do the unexpected and impossible. Expectant that He will respond in a way we could have never imagined or orchestrated ourselves.
That instead of saying, “I can’t believe it”, we would say, “I knew it! I knew it would just be a matter of time. I knew somehow and in someway God would work in this situation. That God would respond to my plea for help.”
Because that’s how God wants us to live. Believing that in those dark moments when we don’t know what to do, He hears our cries for help. Trusting that He will respond. Knowing that He has a plan for our circumstance.
Let me ask you something this morning, “Do you believe God can do the unexpected and impossible in your situation?”
Let me ask you something this morning, “Do you believe God can do the unexpected and impossible in your situation?”
Do you believe He can somehow and in someway restore your marriage?
Do you believe He can somehow and in someway work in your son or daughters life?
Do you believe He can somehow and in someway deliver you or a friend from drug and alcohol addiction.
Do you believe He can somehow and in someway provide a solution to the circumstance you are facing?
I hope you do, because that’s the kind of God we serve. But here’s the deal, if you want him to work in an unexpected and impossible way in your life, you have to be willing to ask Him too.
So, as we close this morning, I have two challenges I want to leave you with this morning.
17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
Challenge #1 - If you’re facing what seems to be an impossible circumstance or situation in your life that has left you thinking, “What in the world am I going to do?” My first challenge to you is to see God as the answer to your circumstance. To recognize that He’s the only one that can help.
Challenge #2 - If you’re willing to look to Him as the primary solution, my challenge is for you to seek Him in earnest prayer.
When
Now, you might be thinking, “Ok Pastor, so what does that look like?
I don’t know, it’s probably going to look different for all of us, but here are a few suggestions:
Suggestion #1 - Get up an hour early and spend the first hour of your day crying out to God. Make seeking God for your need your first priority.
Suggestion #2 - Join us on Wednesday night at the church as we spend an hour seeking God. The fact is, this could be a transformational hour for you, because when you pray with other believers, that’s when God really shows up. Remember, Luke said when Peter showed up, the people were gathered together praying.
Suggestion #3 - Instead of spending your evening watching Netflix or Hulu, go find a private place, and spend the time you would have watched tv crying out to God.
Suggestions #4 - Take a vacation day from work, and devote the entire day to God. Devote the day to prayer and fasting. Spend the entire day crying out to Him.
Now, some of you might be thinking, “Wow pastor, a couple of those suggestions sound pretty radical. I’m not sure what I think about that.”
I guess my response to that would be, “If you want God to do something radical in your life, then it starts with you being radical with your time. It begins as you earnestly seek Him.”
I close with this story from an article I read yesterday about a woman named Shelia Walsh. If you recognize the name, it’s probably because Shelia is a well known contemporary Christian vocalist and speaker.
In the article Shelia shares how after many years of trying to get pregnant, she finally conceived, only to have the doctor tell her, that from initial testing, her child was going to be born with a deformity, and the best bet would be to terminate the pregnancy.
After getting this news she writes:
“For the next couple of weeks, I was tormented with one thought: I had begged God to give me a child, and now He was going to take him away before we had a chance to love him. Why?
I felt as if I were falling into a dark hole. Some days I felt angry, others I was overwhelmed with sorrow. One day turned the tide for me.
I woke up early and drove to the beach, as we were living in Southern California at the time. The beach was deserted; my only companions were seagulls.
I took off my shoes and walked to the edge of the water and prayed. I prayed like I had never prayed before, out loud to the wind and the waves and the birds.
Jesus! My heart is aching. I don’t understand this at all, but I just want to declare here and now that we are in this together. I’ve always needed You, but I know right now that I need You more than I ever have. I don’t know how this will end, but I’m not letting go of You for one moment. You didn’t promise me happiness, but You did promise You would never leave me. I’m not letting go. I’m not giving up. You and me—we’re in this together.
Something shifted inside me. I had no idea how long I could carry our son, but I became relentless in my prayers, not for a perfect outcome but for the presence of a perfect Father. At 35 weeks, my doctor called. I held my breath.
She told me that the day my results had come back the results of another 40-year-old patient had also come back. My results had gone into her chart and hers into mine.
There had never been anything wrong with our son. I fell to my knees and thanked God, but then I prayed for the other mother who would be getting a very different phone call.
I believe in the sovereignty of God, and I’ve often wondered if I was allowed to carry her burden for a while. I don’t know the answer to that, but I do know that when my heart was breaking, I learned to hold on to God as I never had before in my life.”
I don’t know what your circumstance is, but I know we serve a God who wants to do the unexpected and impossible in our lives. My prayer for you is, that today would be the day that changes everything for you. The day that you begin to earnestly seek God, and believe that he can truly do the unexpected and impossible in your life.
Let’s Pray
