Our God Cannot Be Stopped Series

INTRODUCTION:

When I became a Christian, I quickly began to realize that my life was never going to be the same. And one of the ways that my life changed, is now my life is lived on two-time schedules: my time schedule and God’s time schedule.

My time schedule is that I want things to happen and I want them to happen now. I want to have control over how time moves in my life. When I was a child, I did not want to wait to Christmas to open my gifts, I wanted to open my gifts on Christmas Eve. When I was in school, I wanted school to end for me so that I could get on with “real” life and making money. And now that I am nearing retirement, I want the days to go quickly so “Anne and I can start enjoying our old age.” Those of you who just retired or about to retire, didn’t you count the days?

And then there is God and His time schedule. And to be honest with you, God and I are not in sync. It is like God operates in a completely different time zone then me. I want to ask Him, “Why do you have to wait to the last minute to do something in my life?” God, I want You to hurry up and fix my problems, and You want to wait to the last minute. Is there something you are trying to teach me?

And so, I began to study some last-minute miracles God performed that were recorded in the Bible to see what He wants to teach me. And the things that I have learned, I want to share with you in a series I am starting today that I am calling “Right on Time God”.

SCRIPTURE:

Acts 12:1-16 (NKJV)

1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church.

2 Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

3 And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread.

4 So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.

5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.

6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.

7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, "Arise quickly!" And his chains fell off his hands.

8 Then the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals"; and so he did. And he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me."

9 So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

10 When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people."

12 So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.

13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer.

14 When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate.

15 But they said to her, "You are beside yourself!" Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So, they said, "It is his angel."

16 Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.

LESSON FROM THE FIRST MIRACLE

WE SHOULD NEVER GIVE UP HOPE EVEN IF TIME IS TICKING AND WE ARE DOWN TO THE LAST FEW MINUTES WITHOUT ANY WAY OUT OF OUR MESS IN SIGHT BECAUSE OUR GOD CAN NOT BE STOP.

This passage of Scripture, we just read, shows me four reasons why I need to hang on to hope when I am going through something in my life, and I see no way out of it, and what makes it worse, time is running out.