The Power of A Praying Church

 A Praying Church and God's Power

Book of Acts Chapter 12

Our lesson today is about prayer.

If we are truly the children of God, then we know that our prayers to our Holy God are necessary.

In its simplest form prayer is having a conversation with our Heavenly Father.

We cannot talk to our Heavenly Father unless we have God the Holy Spirit living within us for, He will not hear us.

The one exception being the sinner's prayer.

The ears of God are always open to the cries of the oppressed, especially those oppressed of the Devil. 

We will not get an answer to any prayer that is not prayed in the name of God the Son, Jesus Christ!

Joh 16:23  And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. 

Joh 16:24  Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. 

Why is prayer so necessary?

Jas 4:1  From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 

Jas 4:2  Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 

Jas 4:3  Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 

Prayer is the source for receiving all things from God but especially help in our time of need!

Having a good prayer life is how we draw near to God because it is by prayer, we show our faith!

Heb 10:21  And having an high priest over the house of God; 

Heb 10:22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 

Heb 10:23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 

If our faith is wavering, we will not get an answer to our prayers.

Most of the attacks we have seen so far against the Church has been from the chief priests and elders of Judaism, but today we see where the politicians have decided to join in ridding the world of the Church.

We see some of our own politicians trying to do the same thing in our nation today and all around the world.

The Kings of the Jews were appointed by Rome during this time and most all of them were wicked rulers.

This grandson of Herod the Great, who was as wicked as his father and his grandfather found that he could gain favor with these wicked Jews if he persecuted the Church, especially the Apostles.

Now when I say the Jews, I am not talking about the people but only those that hated the Church and hated the truth of Jesus Christ.

So he rounded up James the brother of John and murdered him, for James had done nothing wrong except to preach Jesus Christ.

This pleased those wicked Jews so much that Herod decided to murder Peter and he had Peter arrested.

We should be able to see that the Apostles of the Lord Jesus had been free to go where they pleased.

The politicians had to be very careful with these type things because much of the people were on the side of the Apostles of Christ.

Herod had to pick the right time to kill Peter.

Peter was guarded by sixteen soldiers to make sure he did not escape.

These four-man units extended from battle formations.

Peter may have been in prison, but the Church had determined that the best thing to do for him was to pray.

Prayer should not be the last thing we think to do but the first thing we think to do.

Prayer is our greatest weapon against this evil, wicked, world.

We must keep in mind that there was great persecution taking place against the Church and believers were afraid for their lives in Jerusalem.

The Church at Jerusalem had become an underground church meeting behind closed doors and in hidden places.

The Apostles would still go in and out of the Temple but even this was about to end.

The whole Church was praying for the release of Peter.

*****Act 12:5  Peter therefore was kept in prison: but "prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him".

Prayer for Peter was earnest and it was continuous, and probably in many private houses.

Peter was guarded by sixteen soldiers, probably four at a time and around the clock. The politicians were still embarrassed about the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. They had never found the body of Jesus Christ.

They either had to accept the truth or make up some lie about our risen Savior.

We might ask ourselves why the Church met in earnest for Peter, yet we do not read of the same thing for James.

The only conclusion we can come to is that it was time for James to home to be with the Lord, but it was not time for Peter, the work of James being complete.

Now we must not get confused with this James the brother of John, and another James who is step-brother to the Lord Jesus Christ who will become the Pastor of the Jerusalem Church.

Maybe the Church had not gathered for James as they had for Peter, but we know that the Lord is no respecter of persons and James would be far better off than Peter and Peter's work was not yet done.

Both of the wrists of Peter were chained to one of the wrist of two different soldiers at all times.

*****Act 12:6  And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. 

We will see that Peter knew what had happened to James but even being chained to two different soldiers and more soldiers standing guard, Peter was so content that he could sleep and sleep peaceably.

The whole Church was praying.

The Church was doing all it could, praying specifically for Peter's deliverance.

The Church was praying fervently, earnestly, and continuously! 

Crying out to God for sovereign deliverance of Peter.

This is the type of praying that we do not do enough of. I know I do not and not many of us practice fasting.

Peter's only hope was truly for God to intervene!

Here on the night before he was to be executed Peter was so at peace that he could sleep even in his situation.

We see that the Lord Jesus Christ was meeting the needs of his servant Peter!

You see it is God's "Grace" that gives us the strength and the peace to endure the persecutions of this world!

We cannot face the trials of this life without the peace that comes from our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

This is because we have confidence in the truth of God.

Isa 26:3  Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. 

Isa 26:4  Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: 

And behold the Angel of the Lord.

*****Act 12:7  And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. 

Next, we see a pattern of God's miraculous work along with Peter's obedience.

Peter could not have been delivered without his own obedience to the Lord and the Lord's ministering angel!

We will notice as we read through this passage that this angel did not do for Peter what Peter could do for himself.

God will never do for us what we can do ourselves!

Peter had to obey the commands of this angel.

Anytime we find ourselves in communication with the Lord, the Holy Spirit, our Heavenly Father, or one of His angels, we need to obey any commands we receive.

We will also notice that once Peter was delivered and out of danger, he was left on his own to work out his own deliverance.

Php_2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Peter would return to the Church before seeking a better place to serve the Lord and escape the politics of Jerusalem.

Peter should seek the Lord in making any other decisions.

God's deliverance involved only what Peter could not do for himself!

We should understand that Peter was full of confidence that he would live to be an old man but Peter still had to do his part.

Joh 21:18  Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but "when thou shalt be old", thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. 

Joh 21:19  This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. 

We can see that Peter did not think he was old at this time.

Peter was so sound in his sleep that this angel had to awaken him.

The angels are not only ministering spirits, but they are for the deliverance of God's people.

Psa 34:7  The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. 

A bright light shone in this prison though it was a dark and dreary place.

These guards who kept Peter must have been struck into a deep sleep by the Lord.

This angel awakened Peter by giving a blow to his side.

This angel helped Peter to rise up because Peter was between two guards and said "Arise up quickly" and then those chains that bound Peter just fell away silently.

Then the angel said for Peter to dress himself.

*****Act 12:8  And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. 

Act 12:9  And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision. 

Notice Peter was told to dress himself for Peter did not know what to do except to obey this angel.

We should understand that when we are helpless then God will help us, but God will not do what we can do for ourselves.

Peter had not awoken to the reality of what was going on around him and he still felt he was just seeing a vision or as if he was dreaming.

Peter continued to follow this angel.

As we follow this story in the Bible, we must cling to the fact that all these things were happening because of prayer by this Church.

To think otherwise would be to think wrong.

When we pray and we see the results of our prayer we must praise the Lord for what He has done.

We may not see immediate results to all our prayers, and we must remember, going home to Heaven is still far better than remaining in this world.

As long as we have a work to complete, we will remain upon this earth.

*****Act 12:10  When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him. 

Act 12:11  And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews. 

We can just imagine Peter following this angel quickly through this prison and when those iron gates open under their own power, Peter began to realize the truth that he was being freed from prison.

It was only after they passed that first street in the city that Peter came to himself and this angel departed from him to go wherever the Lord would send him next.

Peter realized that none of this was a dream and that he was actually free.

Peter than fled the city because it would not be long before Herod would be seeking him again.

There is a lot of typology in this passage.

God's deliverance of His people from the chains of sin.

The slumber of the Jews to the Word of God just two examples.

Peter was now fully awakened realizing what had taken place and Peter knew where the Church might be gathered.

*****Act 12:12  And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.

What do we know about this Mary?

This Mary was a sister to Barnabas.

Col 4:10  Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister's son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;) 

This Mary was also the mother of John who we know as Mark who became very profitable to the Apostle Paul after a rough start.

2Ti 4:11  Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry. 

We know that it was Peter who led Mark to the Lord.

1Pe 5:13  The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son. 

This is the only clear mention of this Mary in the Bible, but we can see that she was a dear sister to the Church.

She must have been a widow for her husband is never mentioned,

She evidently was the owner of much property and a huge house large enough for the Church to gather safely in her home.

This maybe the place that is called the "upper room".

The best thing that can be said about this mother was the fact that she was a godly mother who helped her own her son to become a missionary.

Her home had a gate like many of the places we see classified as places of the rich.

Luk 16:19  There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 

Luk 16:20  And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 

*****Act 12:13  And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. 

Act 12:14  And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. 

Act 12:15  And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel. 

Peter knocked at the door of the gate and a young lady named Rhoda came to the door.

We do not know if Rhoda saw Peter at this time but we do know she recognized his voice. 

Out of her excitement she forgot to open the door of the gate and ran as fast as she could to tell the Church that Peter was free.

Peter also realized he was in great danger exposed to the people in the streets if someone saw him.

When Rhoda said that Peter was at the door, those within thought Rhoda was crazy and told her so.

It is a fact that we as the Church do not realize that God answers every prayer that reaches Him in Heaven.

Most of us do not give God the credit for answered prayers so, when we pray we probably do not pray with enough faith that our prayers will be answered.

This is what was happening at Mary's house.

Maybe they prayed for James as they were praying Peter.

The one thing that makes a prayer happen is "faith"!

Mat 17:20  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 

Mat 17:21  Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. 

Someone finally goes to check to see if it really was Peter at the door and it was.

*****Act 12:16  But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished. 

Act 12:17  But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place. 

Peter was left standing at the door, still knocking, still worrying that someone would come by and see him.

Peter was now a wanted fugitive.

As soon as the door was opened Peter stepped in. He was comforted and all their doubts disappeared, and everyone was full of joy.

Peter quickly gave an account of his miraculous deliverance.

James the stepbrother of Jesus was now the Pastor at the Church in Jerusalem and James needed to know the Peter had been freed because of prayer.

James’ father was Joseph while the Holy Spirit cause the birth of our Savior.

Mary was the mother of them both.

We all need to believe this truth!

Peter then departed and the Bible does not tell us where Peter had to go for his safety.

We should clearly understand that the Lord God of Heaven does certainly answer every prayer that gets to Him.

Our job is to live our lives so that our prayers are always answered.

God will still answer in a way that suits Him according to His plan, but He will answer.

God is not ever going to say yes to every prayer we pray.

We are not always going to get an answer that we want.

God will answer every prayer of faith at His own terms.

No matter how God answers our prayers, we are to offer our thanks.

In fact, we just as well thank Him before time, because if we are living righteously then we know our prayer will be answered.

Not many remember to give God thanks for what He has done as He answers our prayers.

Whatever God does in response to our prayers will always be the right thing to do!

God must always get the glory for everything that He does!

Peter's church friends and family were excited that Peter was free but Peter's enemies were just the more confused.

We live in a confused world today because the Word of God is rejected.

Amen

Jesus Teaching Us How To Be A Christian

 Jesus Changed Things like a King

Book of Matthew Chapter 6

Last week in Chapter 5 we read of the inward holiness of all those whose home would one day be in Heaven.

These are all those who know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

We should clearly understand that our journey to Heaven begins when we accept the Lord Jesus Christ into our heart and begin our walk of sanctification with the Lord.

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 

2Co 6:18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 

To come out from amongst them is to repent!

You see what we do with our Christian life does matter to the Lord.

God expects us to be kind to one another.

God expects us to do good in the world.

God expects us to get personally involved in the goodness we learn from the Lord Jesus Christ.

God expects us to be personal witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In fact we are not being Christians unless we do these things.

Our fleshy nature must show an inward holiness because we are filled with the Holy Spirit.

All our intentions must be pure!

We must be pure in our giving.

We must be pure in our prayers.

We must be pure in our fasting.

We must be pure in our desires.

We must be pure in our actions while we are barely being seen!

*****Mat 6:1  Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 

Most people see the word "alms" as relating to giving, especially the giving of money, but the Greek word "eleemosune" actually means "acts of kindness", "acts of compassion", "acts of righteousness".

Alms giving is doing good toward others without seeking a reward for your actions or drawing any notice to yourself.

Alms giving is a Christian duty and comes second only to witnessing for Christ and living in obedience to the Lord.

In fact living in obedience to the Word of God includes the giving of alms!

Mat 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 

When we accept this as being the truth and it is, then we must be alert to the deception of the giving of alms by those who put on a show as they make a big deal out of the giving of alms as many of the Pharisee and Sadducee did in the time of Jesus.

It happens today when buildings are built, and someone’s name is placed upon it and many such things as this. Pews are in someone’s name.

*****Mat 6:2  Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 

We have not talk about that word "therefore" in a while so let us not forget the meaning of the word.

Therefore means: For that; for that or this reason, referring to something previously stated.

In other words pay close attention to what was said in verse 1 when we read verse 2.

If we broadcast our alms giving, seeking glory for ourselves, then we are hypocrites then what we have done will not get a reward in Heaven.

In fact hypocrites do not even make it to Heaven!

Hypocrite is someone claiming to be Christian in their beliefs, but their actions prove otherwise.

Our Capitol city of our nation, is full of professing hypocrites.

The modern-day, Church is full of professing hypocrites.

Anyone denying the truth of the Scriptures is a hypocrite if they claim to be Christian, meaning like Jesus Christ.

Singers who refuse to sing in Church unless they are guaranteed a certain amount are hypocrites. They know the church uses love offerings as a gift, or alms giving.

Evangelist, who refuse to preach unless they are guaranteed a certain amount, are hypocrites.

Pastors who are called to preach but reject a church because of the salary offered are hypocrites.

Church members who claim Jesus Christ but pick and choose over the Gospel they will commit to are hypocrites.

Those who would rather have a reward here on earth rather than Heaven's Glory are all hypocrites!

Then the Lord Jesus gives us the remedy.

*****Mat 6:3  But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 

The more secretive we are in our charitable giving the better the reward in Heaven!

We know it is impossible that our left hand not to know what our right hand is doing but the Lord is saying no one else needs to know!

Our charitable giving is personal and individual.

Our charitable giving should always be for the promoting of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We should not dwell on our giving, if it is not given for the joy of giving it is not given for the right reason.

Once we have given our alms for the right reason then we have placed it in the hands of God, and we should forget about it and allow God to do His work!

*****Mat 6:4  That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. 

The only person who knows all "ALL" our secrets is our Heavenly Father. There is nothing we can hide from God!

When we have followed these guidelines in our giving, then the Lord will many times reward us in this life where many will see how God has blessed us.

The truth is a true relationship with the Lord can be seen as coming from the heart and a devotion to God in absolute sincerity.

We cannot increase the size of our Mansion in Heaven.

We cannot increase our wealth in Heaven because wealth has no meaning in Heaven.

We can know that there are rewards other than these things that God has for those who are true to Him!

Any time we appear as a hypocrite we will lose rewards that we could have gained.

A Heavenly reward is out of this world!

We all need some help in our prayer life and there is no such thing as being prayed up!

*****Mat 6:5  And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 

Mat 6:6  But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 

Do we pray with a motive?

Prayer is having a conversation with God! Sure there is a place for corporate prayer but if you are like me, much of what I talk to God about is just between He and I!

It is important for good godly men to pray in the Church.

It is important for good godly women to pray in the Church.

It is important for others to pray while we pray.

It is important for our children to hear us pray.

But still, the majority of our prayers should be between us and God and we must always end our prayers in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

If we do not take our prayer life seriously, we certainly become hypocrites.

We do not have to have a reason to begin a conversation with our Heavenly Father!

He always wants to hear from us!

When we are speaking to our Heavenly Father, we can speak to Him about anything and we do not always have to make a request of Him.

This is the prayer the Lord is speaking of here in this passage. One on one prayer with the Living God.

Hypocrites pray to be seen of men.

This does not mean that when we have altar call all those who go to the altar go to be seen of men.

This is a perfect time to pray because it normally takes place at the end of the message that is given to the Preacher.

This is a time when a heart is touched and just wants to talk to the Heavenly Father.

What Jesus describes is something else entirely.

A hypocrite may stand up while the message is still being preached and disturb the message claiming a movement of the Holy Spirit. This is not to say that this could not happen but there must be a movement of the Holy Spirit.

Anytime we draw attention to our conversation with God then we are praying to be seen of men.

God expects us to pray even though He already knows what will happen in our lives.

To pray shows that we trust that God can change the outcome of certain things, which He can.

We must certainly understand, God will never go against His written Word!

There is nothing we can say to God that will make Him change His plan that begin before creation.

The most important thing we can pray for is "forgiveness"!

We hold the most important gift God has given us, which is the freedom to choose!

The most important prayer is to pray for the forgiveness of our sin.

God will not hear any prayer until He has first heard this prayer!

Psa 66:18  If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: 

Our greatest challenge in our prayer life is to make sure our Heavenly Father will hear our prayers!

This is the right motive for praying!

If our prayers are heard by our Heavenly Father, then we have prayed a good prayer.

We must live our lives so that our prayers are always heard by our Heavenly Father!

We must remember the answer to our prayers comes by the will of God for our lives.

We cannot change God's will for us except by refusing.

When we are praying in public when we should be praying for that public and not for ourselves.

Our prayer life should consist of public prayer, but we must establish all prayers in our closet prayers!

We must be willing to spend some quiet time with the Lord!

We should be willing to go to God at any time and before every situation that affects our lives.

Praying is not to chant over and over!

Our prayers should be in the language that we use every day. God understands every language!

No one language, except foul language, is more important than another!

*****Mat 6:7  But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 

Mat 6:8  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 

Vain repetitions mean at least two things:

1) Saying the same words over and over again as in a chant. These prayers do not come from the heart and God is not listening.

2) Using certain religious words or phrases thinking God hears just because we are using religious talk. Wrong, God hears a one-word prayer if it comes from a sincere heart. Such as "Help".

Ecc 5:2  Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. 

Ecc 5:3  For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words. 

We should never just rattle on without thought of what we are saying! Knowing this we must certainly not ever stop and close out our prayer until we have given God a chance to speak.

After all we are praying to receive and answer most of the time.

It is also OK to pray to God when we are not expecting and answer. We are His child, and every true father likes to speak to his children.

God already knows our needs and He promised to meet our needs.

There are times when we may feel He is not meeting our needs, but our most important task is to be living in the Will of God.

If we are not living in the will of God, then why should He meet our needs?

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 

Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 

Then the Lord says our prayers should be something like this:

*****Mat 6:9  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 

Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 

Mat 6:11  Give us this day our daily bread. 

Mat 6:12  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 

Why can we call the Creator of this world Our Father?

1) With respect to Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, all those who choose to believe the Work of Christ toward our salvation.

Joh 1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 

Joh 1:13  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 

2) Because we are "Born Again" into the family of God and filled with the Holy Spirit.

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 

Rom 8:15  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 

Rom 8:16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 

Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 

3) Because we have received the free gift of "Grace". God's Riches at Christs Expense we can call God our Father.

2Co 1:2  Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 

4) Because we have chosen to live by the Will of God and not our own will, God is then our Father.

Gal 1:3  Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 

Gal 1:4  Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, "according to the will of God and our Father": 

Gal 1:5  To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

If we do not acknowledge God as our Father, then why would He even listen to us?

A wise earthly father does all he can for his children even if he does not grant all his child's request the child still calls him their father.

We must respect our Heavenly Father as also God with all Power but with all Goodness also!

There is no other way to have a conversation with our Heavenly Father if we do not acknowledge Him and we must reverence Him for who He is, the Almighty Living God!

Then we can proceed with our prayer.

*****Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

The Kingdom of God is greater than all the kingdoms of this world.

1Co_2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

If we cannot believe in a Heavenly Kingdom, then why take the time to pray.

Mar_11:23  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and "shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass"; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Heb 11:3  Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. 

Heb 11:10  For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Rev_3:12  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

Rev_21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

If we cannot believe these things and have a desire to be with our Heavenly Father in His Kingdom, then we are wasting our time praying to the One True God.

Our Heavenly Father holds power over all His creation, and we need to live according to His will on this earth!

If we cannot do the will of God, we cannot be in the family of God!

Mar_3:35  For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

*****Mat 6:11  Give us this day our daily bread. 

We must desire the "mercy" of God!

We must take no thought for tomorrow we need God's mercy day by day!

That daily bread is not just the food we eat but also that Heavenly Manna.

Mat_4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Luk_4:4  And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

We do have a specific need for our sustenance, but we should never be praying for luxuries.

We must include Jesus!

Joh_6:33  For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

Joh_6:35  And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Joh_6:48  I am that bread of life.

Joh_6:51  I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

*****Mat 6:12  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 

We must understand that sins are debts, shortcomings in our service due to God.

We in debt to duty, worship, and most of all obedience to the Lord.

Obedience is where Adam failed!

We must understand that forgiveness is a favor that comes by God's "Grace" through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our hearts must be free of ill-will toward all others!

We must first be forgiving to those who have sinned against us before we pray for our own forgiveness.

Mat 5:23  Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 

Mat 5:24  Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 

We must understand that God supplies His "pardon" to us only according to these terms!

Our Heavenly Father promises to pardon us if we are obedient in all these things!

We cannot deal falsely with God and expect answer to our prayers!

*****Mat 6:13  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 

God will never tempt us Himself!

Jas 1:13  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 

Jas 1:14  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

As Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to face temptation, we will also face temptation, but He will also deliver us out of that temptation.

2Pe 2:9  The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: 

God will always make a way to escape that temptation! It is the worship of false gods that will cause God to lift His hand of protection away from us!

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 

1Co 10:14  Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. 

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who made a way for God to deliver us from temptation.

Gal 1:3  Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 

Gal 1:4  Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: 

All God requires of us is to pray and to pray for forgiveness!

King Jesus has already solved the sin problem for each believer!

1Jn 3:8  He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 

God is in the business of saving souls!

Psa 121:7  The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. 

Psa 121:8  The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. 

That word "Amen" says we understand what we must do, (our part) and the God promises to do His part.

2Co_1:20  For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

However we word our prayers, they need to based, upon these things of this prayer as taught by Jesus Christ our Savior.

Why would He defend us if we reject His teaching!

We must be just as forgiving as we expect our sinless God to be!

*****Mat 6:14  For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 

Mat 6:15  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 

What is the truth? If we cannot find it in our heart to forgive someone who has done us wrong, then we cannot be saved because our heart is still wicked.

Jer_17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

We cannot say we believe if we do not possess the trait of "mercy"!

Without "mercy" a loving God would have completely destroyed this world.

Psa 86:15  But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. 

Psa 86:16  O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid. 

God would not be God if, He was not merciful!

How can we expect to be accepted into the family of God if we do not show that same "mercy"?

What will God do to those who refuse to forgive? Listen to what Jesus says.

Mat 18:33  Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 

Mat 18:34  And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 

Mat 18:35  So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. 

Mat 18:33  Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 

Mat 18:34  And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 

Mat 18:35  So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. 

To be forgiven:

1) We must confess our sins.

2) We must have faith in God and believe he is capable of forgiving such unworthy sinners.

3) We must repent, we must turn away from our wickedness, forsake our sins, and turn to God believing in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ to save our souls.

4) We must forgive "all" those who wronged us. Hard feelings and anger are sins that must be confessed to show we are sincere in seeking the forgiveness of our Heavenly Father.

When we refuse to forgive then we become a judge of another person's sin:

Luk_6:37  Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

Without these things we cannot be saved and do not be fooled by naysayers!

God makes a promise to forgive to all those who also are willing to forgive.

We are all still sinners, but those sins will be forgiven upon request.

Rom 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 

Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Rom 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

It all goes back to that forgiving heart that shows "mercy"!

*****Mat 6:16  Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 

Mat 6:17  But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 

Mat 6:18  That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. 

We have seen this word "fast" in some of our recent lessons and we can see that Jesus takes for granted that we as Christians will have a time when we need to fast to prove to God, we are serious about some request.

The most dangerous fast is the fast that is wrong!

Fasting as a "hypocrite" is wrong!

Why do we fast?

1) We fast to gain a sense of God's approval and of self-approval. This is wrong!

2) We fast to fulfill some religious act. This is wrong!

3) We fast gain religious recognition. This is wrong!

4) We fast to genuinely meet God for some special purpose. This is the only reason to fast!

Our heart must be pure!

Mat 15:8  This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; buttheir heart is far from me. 

We must desire the knowledge of God!

Hos 6:6  For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. 

We must not act super-spiritual!

We must never be over-confident in ourselves, our confidence must be in the Lord.

Our fasting experience is our own and not to be broadcast.

We must never act like we are suffering from our fasting experience.

If we cannot give up a couple of meals for the Lord what does that say about us!

The more secretive we are with our fasting the closer we are to an answer from God!

No one else needs to know about our fasting it is between us and a Holy God.

We must fast to God alone, there is no other reason to fast!!!!!!!

We fast when we are feeling a call from God a call to get alone with God and discuss His calling.

We fast to prove to God He is most important to us.

We fast because our needs come from Him as He promised.

We fast because we are serious in our request.

We fast to break the bondage of our habits.

We fast to remain physically fit to serve the Lord.

We fast because God and God only, has the answers to our request!

Amen

Teach Me To Pray

The Certainty Of Christ's Prayer

Book of Luke 11


Some people just do not understand that prayer is our means of having a conversation with God!

It was by the cross and the veil was rent into that we have direct access to the throne of God!

We waste our breath in prayer if we do not first believe, in faith, that God is who He says He is and can do what we read about in the Word of God.

If we do not believe that God will answer prayer, then why pray at all?

Our prayers must be sincere!

Heb 10:22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

The disciples of Jesus asked Him to teach them how to pray because prayer was a daily thing for our Lord and it can be said that Jesus truly prayed without ceasing.

It is an absolute fact, the more we pray the closer we will get to God.

Jesus said if we pray in His name, God will answer every prayer that reaches into His throne room.

Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

So let's let Jesus teach us how to pray.

*****Luk 11:1  And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

The Lord Jesus Christ spent much time in prayer. Prayer was not unknown to these disciples.

They had witnessed prayers at the Temple and in their own synagogues.

They had heard the long winded prayers of the Scribes and the Pharisees.

They had known the prayers of John the Baptist, who had taught his own disciples how to pray.

There was something about the way that Jesus prayed that got their attention!

**Christ Jesus prayed often and He emphasized that prayer was one of the greatest needs of each believer. Jesus insisted that His prayers were the source of His strength.

**Jesus prayed as a Son to His Father in a close and very personal relationship with Him. Jesus taught that we that believe are to have the same close and personal relationship with our Father who is in Heaven.

To be saved is to be adopted into the family of God.

**John the Baptist had taught his own disciples to pray and all these that followed the Lord Jesus knew that He was the Master teacher and could teach them also, it was a reasonable request.

Even in prayer the Lord Jesus is our example!

*****Luk 11:2  And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

The Lord Jesus Christ will teach anyone to pray, anyone who is sincere and anyone who wants to begin a successful prayer life.

**Jesus begins with "When we pray".

We must accept that Jesus is teaching us a "model prayer" and not a prayer that should be repeated over and over again, even though nothing is wrong with praying this prayer as it is written.

As we all have different needs and are going through different trials, so then every prayer will be different.

This model prayer is also meant for use of all the children of God no matter their age group.

This prayer is a guide for all of us who need to have a personal relationship with our Creator and our God!

**Thank God for being "Our Father"

We are to have a close personal relationship with our God!

This relationship is to be a family relationship, the relationship of of a child to his parent.

This is the relationship we have after we have been "Born Again" into the family of God!

Joh 1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

We must always thank God for being our Father!

We must always thank God that we are part of His family!

This is our assurance that we will spend eternity with not only all other believers but even our own earthly family if they will also trust in the Lord Jesus.

It is this model prayer that will open our eyes to the right way of looking at things.

Remember just a few lessons back, God was teaching us to have the right attitude.

Thank God we have a Father who cares about each and everyone of us!

Once God is our Father, that can never change!

Joh 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Joh 10:28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
Joh 10:30  I and my Father are one.

**Thank God for "In Heaven"

Heaven is a real place!

Heaven is the eternal real world, while this place we live now is only a temporary place.

Heaven is incorruptible and undefiled and it will never fade away!

Heaven is where God our Father resides and we will one day be with Him there in that place called Heaven.

Jesus said:

Joh 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

And God's truth is:

1Co 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

We truly do not have a clue just how wonderful Heaven is going to be!

**We need to praise God for "His name is Hallowed".

God's name is to set apart from all other names.

Our God is holy, and righteous, and pure, and loving, and kind, and merciful, and gracious.

God is to be praised for who He is!

We do not hallow God, if we speak of Him in an irreverent fashion.

We do not hallow God when we take His name in vain.

In fact we do not hallow God unless we worship Him in spirit and in truth!

Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

We do not hallow God unless we honor God in our own households!

If we do not have sense of God's majesty and God's holiness we will never hallow God's name!

AND, We do not hallow the Almighty God if we do not have a devout response of "faith" in Him!

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

God's attributes are "His Name"

God has made Himself known to us by His Word but also by His Created Works!

We do not hallow the name of God if we do not trust in His power to direct and overrule all things, good and evil!

Holy is the name of God!

Isa 57:15  For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Only after we have praised God in our prayer are we to make request of Him!

**We need to pray for God's Kingdom to come.

In this sense we are praying for the spreading of the "Gospel" of Jesus Christ throughout this world.

We are praying for God's spiritual kingdom to come into all our lives and the "Gospel" has been spread throughout this world.

This is a prayer to personally receive the "Gospel"!

This is a prayer to personally promote the spread of the "Gospel"!

This is a prayer to persevere in prayer for the success of the "Gospel"!

God says to pray for Him to come but we must remember, when Christ returns to this earth, He will set upon His throne. He will rule and reign upon this earth for 1000 years.

This is the Kingdom that will ultimately be established in fulfillment of the covenant with the Jews.

Before that happens. His will needs to be done in all our lives just as it will be in Heaven.

There is the Spiritual Kingdom, which is God's authority over all the souls of believers.

There is the Visible Kingdom, the Church, which is visible to all mankind.

There is the Heavenly Kingdom which comes after the rapture of the Church!

**Thy will be done as in Heaven

It should be very obvious to us all that God's will is not done on earth as it is in Heaven.

We are all unworthy to receive the "Grace of God"!

God's will for us all is faith and holiness.

We cannot please God without faith.

We are to live holy because our God is a Holy God.

The Lord's Prayer indicates the right way of looking at things!

The Lord's Prayer is a prayer that this world we now live in would be filled with the knowledge of God!

The Lord's Prayer is a prayer that the "Grace" of God will rule in every heart!

The Lord's Prayer is a prayer that God, by His Grace, will remove all spiritual blindness and cause us all to know His will for each of us!

It is God's will that all the world be saved.

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

*****Luk 11:3  Give us day by day our daily bread.

We are certainly to pray for the necessities of life and we are to do that on a daily basis.

This is food for within and without. We need to fed spiritually and physically.

The Lord's Prayer is a prayer to be filled as much spiritually as physically!

We must learn that we are dependant on the Lord for both these things.

The needs of the body while on this earth are great, but the truth is, the needs of the soul are far more important!

God will supply our daily needs.

God will supply those needs that are necessary for us to spread the "Gospel".

God may even sometime supply some our wants, but our needs will always supersede our wants.

There are some rewards for those who serve the Lord but the greater rewards are in Heaven.

*****Luk 11:4  And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

We need to spend some time discussing the forgiveness of our sins with our Father!

Our sins are a debt that we owe!

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Our sins are the very reason God had to send His Son to pay that great debt!

Notice we are to pray specifically for the forgiveness of our own sins.

We have a debt to God that we had no means to repay.

But we are also to pray for the forgiveness of the sins of our family, our neighbors, our community, our state, our nation, and our world!

Sin is the most serious matter and the most tragic matter to ever occur in our world!

We need to pray this daily because we are still in the flesh and without a doubt, we sin daily!

Our old sins are already under the blood and it is unnecessary to continue to ask for the forgiveness of those sins!

God does not remember those sins anymore!

Jer 31:34  And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

God does not want us to remember those old sins anymore!

Heb 10:17  And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Heb 10:18  Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

Jesus said that part was finished when He was on the cross!

Until we meet Jesus, we will still come up short of His glory and Jesus is teaching us to pray for this reason!

As God has forgiven our sins then we are to be forgiving of all others.

This is a condition of our own forgiveness!

Mat 6:14  For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Mat 6:15  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Eph 4:32  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

We should realize that every confession of sin is always fulfilled with a pardon!

**Lead us not into temptation.

First, God will never tempt us!

Jas 1:13  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
Jas 1:14  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

We are to have a sincere belief in the providence of God!

It is when we trust in ourselves when temptation can overcome us!

We must have the faith that God is able to deliver us from all evil.

**"Deliver us from evil"

Satan the Devil is real!

We are to avoid all occasions of evil.

We are to give no place to the devil.

We should understand that "evil" is anything and everything that goes against the Word of God!

The Devil is above all, the evil one and the great opposition to the goodness of God!

Worldly afflictions come and go and are indeed grievous so long as they last and they require our prayers.

Sin is evil in it's nature and high treason against Heaven!

Sin will enslave us!

Sin is a painful thing. Sin is its own punishment to our bodies and sin will destroy the soul!

Sin is worse than death, though death might kill us, but it could not curse us!

The sin of God's people are even greater than the sins of the world because we sin against the "Mercy" and the "Grace" of God that He has already shown to us!

We should pray for God's deliverance from evil because God has more "Grace" than He does "wrath"!

Rom 5:20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
Rom 5:21  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

And Jesus says we must be sincere and persistent in our prayers, we may have to make many request to fulfill the will of God.

*****Luk 11:5  And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
Luk 11:6  For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
Luk 11:7  And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
Luk 11:8  I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

What the truth of our prayers?

When we get into the throne room of God through our prayer, then we must refuse to leave until we get an answer.

How is this possible?

We must be sincere in our need, fervent in our request, constant, persistent, persevering and enduring when we are in contact with our Lord!

Micky Mouse prayers will not move the hand of God!

We need to ask until we get what we need, or that God says no.

Sometimes the greatest blessing we can get is when God says no to something we think we need!

And, Sometimes we have to be somewhat like a pest to move the hand of God!

Jesus gives us the answer to our problems in prayer.

*****Luk 11:9  And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Luk 11:10  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

"Ask and it shall be given" We should continue to ask until we receive, but if asking is not enough, Then

"Seek, and ye shall find", But in seeking and we do not find what we need, Then

"Knock, and it shall be open unto us"

The words "ask, seek, and knock" are verbs which means these are things we must do in a continuous action.

We are to keep on with these things until we know for sure we have God's answer.

God must know we are sincere!

God knows: Jas 1:8  A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

The one thing we must consider is, "That God is always willing to give us the things that will fulfill the will and the purpose He has for us!

No matter the circumstances of our life, God will meet our needs!

No matter what we think sometimes, if our prayer can reach the throne room of God, we will get an answer even when it may be a "no" answer.

Deu 4:29  But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

**There are other reasons that God does not answer our prayer immediately.

1) Prayer teaches us to have a close personal relationship with the Lord our God!

God loves to hear from us and He may hold back to keep us talking and sharing our needs with Him.

1Co 1:9  God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

2) Prayer teaches to have patience and hope in God and His promises.

1Jn 5:14  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
1Jn 5:15  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

3) Prayer demonstrates how deeply we trust God and how much we depend upon Him.

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

4) Prayer teaches us to love God as our Father.

*****Luk 11:11  If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
Luk 11:12  Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
Luk 11:13  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Prayer teaches us that God is not evil, God is like a loving Father.

Not one man upon this earth is a righteous man.

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

But most men who are also fathers will give to their children when asked.

If all men are evil and God is "Good", it is impossible for God not to give as our Heavenly Father.

Mar 10:18  And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

The greatest gift that our Father in Heaven gives us is the "Gift" of the Holy Spirit!

We have the presence of God living within our hearts and bodies.

When God dwells within those that have called on Him for salvation, then everything that is good is assured!

God is always with us and never far away and He knows us by our fruit!

Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

And we can be sure that God will answer our prayers!

Jer 33:2  Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name;
Jer 33:3  Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Prayer is the greatest tool in the arsenal of the Christian, yet in most cases we all lack in a proper prayer life!

The truth is our Father in Heaven is not a dead beat dad who cares very little for his children, God is a true Father who cares for His children.

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Questions?

Let's Pray!

The Power Of Prayer

The Power Of The Praying Church

Book of Acts Chapter 12

In today's lesson we will see what happens as Satan loses one battle after another in trying to stop the Church.

The persecution of the Church began immediately after Pentecost. Christ Jesus had been persecuted and He had said all of His followers would be persecuted.

There is no doubt that we can expect persecution from false religion because Satan tries to hide the truth of God from all false religion!

Most all mankind, if not all, are seeking a god in their lives.

Most of mankind has moral values and they realize that plants cannot have moral values and though animals can show signs of affection and a degree of learning they also do not have moral values.

If man is then the highest level of life then most people believe that there must have been a Creator, a God!

The others just reject the truth!

Satan has taken advantage of these thoughts in all of mankind and uses all his power to try to stop the truth of God.

In Jerusalem the persecution of the Church began with the religious leaders who instilled a hatred of Christianity into most all Jews. They had failed and now the Church had expanded outside Samaria and was making it's way to the uttermost parts of this world.

But now another enemy comes on the scene. Government officials had been used by these religious leaders to aid in this persecution but now an evil ruling government took it own it's own to try to stop the spread of the Christian Church.

All during this period of persecution it seems that the Apostles had been exempt but that was about to change.

If we believe in "types" then we should be aware that these things are happening before our eyes even in America and in a great part of the world.

We have one truth that we can place our faith in and these are the words of Jesus Our Lord:

Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; [and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it].

And God also says:

Isa 54:17 [No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper]; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

This the truth of the Bible.

The "strength" of the Church and the "Power" of the Church comes through "Prayer" and we can see this again today. We have a God that listens to His people!

Let's begin:

*****Act 12:1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.

This Herod was Herod Agrippa 1. He was the grandson of Herod the Great who was ruler when Jesus was born in Bethlehem and had murdered all the babies up to two years old.

Herod the Great had even murdered Agrippa's own father Aristobulus. It was this Agrippa's sister, Herodias who had married within the family to his and her uncle Herod Antipas who had murdered John the Baptist.

And it was the son of this Herod, Agrippa II and his sister Bernice, who also later witnessed the trial of Paul before Festus, before Paul was sent to Rome. He also had another sister named Drusilla who was married to Felix who had kept Paul in prison in Caesarea for so long a time.

Herod Agrippa I would do everything he could to make himself popular with the Jews to help him maintain his influence in Rome.

The Pharisees had a special admiration for this man so he decided to do away with the leaders of the Church.

*****Act 12:2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

James became the second recorded martyr, after Stephen, in the New Testament and the first of the Apostles to die for preaching the Word of God.

This James was the older brother of the Apostle John and we already know he preached vigorously and could stir up a commotion with his boldness.

Mar 3:17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:

James was beheaded which was one of the four capitol punishments of the Jews and considered to be the most shameful and the most disgraceful. This beheading was usually reserved for deceivers and all the Apostles were considered deceivers by the Jews.

Jesus had told this James that he indeed would suffer from the same cup as He!

Mar 10:38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?

Mar 10:39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:

*****Act 12:3 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)

Act 12:4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

This was all the encouragement that this Herod needed to proceed in murdering all the Apostles! If the murdering of James made them happy then surely by killing Peter would delight them even more. We can see that this King Herod fed off this feeling of power over the people.

God permitted the killing of James and God permitted the arrest of Peter. They placed Peter place under heavy guard but Herod knew he needed to wait until after the festival of unleavened bread was complete before he killed Peter.

The last time Peter had been arrested he had miraculously escaped, so this time 16 soldiers were assigned to watch Peter around the clock with two soldiers being chained to him at all times. There was no way for Peter to escape this time, or so they thought.

Of course this observance of "Easter" was a day that the Christian church observed, as the Jews still observed it as "Passover".

We could ask ourselves why James had to die and not Peter, but all we can say is that it is still God's plan and it is He that sits on the throne!

It is the throne of Heaven that is in control and not any throne that is on this Earth, just as we will witness one day soon when the Anti-Christ tries to sit on the throne of Jesus.

*****Act 12:5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: [but prayer was made without ceasing] of the church unto God [for him].



We must never under estimate the "power" of the praying church! Notice, it was not time to have just a general prayer in the church. It was time to have a specific prayer for the Apostle Peter, that he would be released and be able to continue in God's work.

We will see that there is an obvious relationship between the prayer for Peter's release from prison and the angel's releasing him.

This prayer was probably not made in a single gathering place because of fear after James was killed but they gathered in homes and in little groups, each group praying earnestly and from the heart and without ceasing.

This prayer was specifically for Peter!

*****Act 12:6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.

We can see that there was no way for Peter to escape by any, so called, normal means.

But we can also see that Peter was asleep. We will see that the Apostle Peter was sleeping so soundly that the angel had to awaken him by punching on him and lifting him up.

In spite of his circumstances and knowing he was to executed on the following morning, Peter had the peace of a man who knows that Heaven is his home and he was about to go there. This is the peace of God that we all should have.

The Bible says:

Psa 121:7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

Psa 121:8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

And God tells each of us these words:

Psa 127:2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: [for so he giveth his beloved sleep].

God tells us that it is foolish to worry about our circumstances. We should be resting for the work ahead.

Remember, Peter had also been promised by Jesus, that he would live to be an old man:

Joh 21:18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: [but when thou shalt be old], thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.

Now we might not know how old that would be but Peter was not that old at this time!

*****Act 12:7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

What are some of the things that angels do?

1.) They minister to God the Father.

2.) They ministered to Jesus Christ, God the Son.

3.) They minister to every believer:

a.) They can offer physical protection:

Psa 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

b.) They can help provide a need in times of peril as they did to Elijah:

1Ki 19:5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.

1Ki 19:6 And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.

c.) They can offer encouragement as they did to Paul:

Act 27:23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

Act 27:24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

d.) They can give us direction as they did to Philip:

Act 8:26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.

And as they had to Cornelius about Peter:

Act 10:3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.

e.) Angels may one day carry us home to Heaven:

Luk 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and [was carried by the angels] into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

f.) And in this lesson we see they assist in answered prayer!

But Angels will one day also minister to all unbelievers!

Mat 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

Mat 13:42 [And shall cast them into a furnace of fire]: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

In order for Peter to be saved, from this peril, he had to do what this angel told him to do!

*****Act 12:8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. [And so he did]. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.

Even in the middle of a miracle, we are expected to be civil and do the things that we can do. Peter needed to dress himself and put on his own shoes because it was time to get out of jail.

We are to do the things God has given us power to do and God will do the things that we are powerless to do!

And then we are to obey "the one" that God sends!

*****Act 12:9 And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.

Peter felt like he was having a dream and that dream came with a vision.

His chains had just fallen off.

The soldiers were not aware of anything that was happening.

Locked cells and gates were just opening up.

Unbelievable things were happening that could not be explained so Peter felt that they must not be real.

*****Act 12:10 When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.

These two wards were places inside the prison where guards were stationed and that iron gate was the entrance, or in Peter's case, the exit from that prison where he had been kept.

Prisons were not outside the city walls at this time!

These gates just opened on their own. They did not have to open for the angel, so they were opening for Peter's escape.

This angel did not leave Peter until Peter knew which way he could go to escape and it was at this time that Peter realized he had been saved from death!

*****Act 12:11 And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

Peter knew he had been delivered from the hand of Herod and from the Jewish leaders.

Peter was no longer confused!

Peter knew that his own people the Jews had expected him to be murdered just as James had been.

BUT, even the government could not stop what God had in store for Peter.

AND, the "power of prayer" is a force that is also unstoppable. These are lessons that we all seem to have forgotten.

The Bible says:

Psa 41:1 Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.

Psa 41:2 The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: [and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies].

*****Act 12:12 And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.

This probably a Mary we have not yet met, and more probably, a sister to Barnabas we have just recently met.

When Peter had gained control of his senses, he realized that his brothers and sisters may be gathered together and most probably in a place familiar with them all.

Peter knew this place and this family very well and had led Mark to the Lord:

1Pe 5:13 The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; [and so doth Marcus my son].

This was most likely the same upper room where they had been praying on the day of Pentecost.

The same room where they had observed the Lord's Supper with the Lord.

It is very possible that Mark and even Barnabas had been in that house with them both of these times.

*****Act 12:13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.

Act 12:14 And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.

It is most probable that while this church, that met in Mary's house was still praying, the answer to their prayer had appeared at the door!

Rhoda was so overwhelmed that she neglected to open the door, though she recognized the voice of Peter.

Peter had to keep knocking while the church could not believe their prayer had been answered.

*****Act 12:15 And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.

Act 12:16 But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.

They had been praying earnestly but they had no faith that their prayer would be answered.

This a great lesson for us all!

There are indeed guardian angels assigned to each believer:

Psa 34:7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

These people knew that Peter was not to be executed until the Passover or after it, so they were not referring to this as Peter's spirit or the ghost of Peter.

And this could not ave been an angel or he could have walked right on in that house.

The lesson we learn here is that though they believed in fervent prayer, they had their doubts that God would answer such a prayer.

The Bible teaches us:

Mar 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, [Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief].

When we doubt that our prayers will be answered then most times they will not!

As a child of God the Father, He has given us the "power" to come directly to His throne at any hour and with any need.

We are wasting our time and His time if we do not believe that Our Father can do the impossible, as this simple illustration we are given in this passage!

Remember Herod had murdered James, the brother of John.

He had intended to do the same to Peter.

The early church was driven to it's knees and God, not only answered their prayer and released Peter, but God began to turn the tide against this Herod and these Jews.

More than just saving Peter happened that day because of prayer!

The Bible says:

Jas 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. [The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much].

In other words there is endless power in the fervent prayer of "faith"!

*****Act 12:17 But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord

had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he

departed, and went into another place.

The Apostle James was already dead, so this James was the half brother of Jesus, and even at this time this James was taking more responsibility in the church at Jerusalem and this James was also the writer used of the Holy Ghost to write the Book of James!

Peter disappears for a period of time at least until after the time of Herod's death.

We will see very little of Peter throughout the remaining chapters but we will begin to see a whole lot of the Apostle Paul.

We know that Peter gathered his wife and went on the road preaching the gospel:

1Co 9:5 Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, [and Cephas]?

In fact Peter is on the short list of some that preached to the church of Corinth after it was established:

1Co 1:12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; [and I of Cephas]; and I of Christ.

The Bible does not give us any evidence that the Apostle Peter ever visited Rome, and in fact, if Peter had establish a church in Rome then the Apostle Paul would not have had his yearning to go to Rome:

There is proof of this:

Rom 15:20 Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, [lest I should build upon another man's foundation]:

The Bible encourages us to be in earnest prayer for those Christians locked up for preaching the "Gospel" and to have enough faith that God will use these people to grow the church.

Heb 13:3 Remember them that are in bonds, [as bound with them]; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.

Prayer can change lives and it is vastly important that we realize the power of prayer!

Herod who was the ruling government was shaken up by what happened!

The military was shaken up and blamed and at least 16 soldiers who then lost their lives!

Herod commanded a great search be made, but Peter could not be found!

Herod decided it would be best if he left Judea and he went back to Caesarea but he could not hide from God and in a short time his own life was ended because he did not give God the glory!

Questions?

Let's Pray!