THE SECRET KEY
10-17-10, New Liberty Christian Church, Veedersburg, IN with Pastor Rich McQuinn
TEXT; PHILIPPIANS 4:1-23
INTRODUCTION: It was the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that got Paul into trouble and started his journey to Rome. It is in Rome that Paul writes to his beloved church in Philippi. A city, a church, a people that he dearly loved.
Do you remember how he got there? Acts 16 tells the complete story and the exciting witness. Paul did not travel into that city by chance. No travel agency directed him to a nice hotel, palm trees, ocean view, all you can eat buffet and a clean germ free bed to sleep on. Instead it was under the direction of the Holy Spirit and the need for a New Testament church to be born.
There was a talented girl that kept stalking Paul and Silas as they preached. She kept interrupting them as they presented the Gospel. Paul rebuked the spirit living inside the girl and the spirit left. Her handlers were angry and had the preachers arrested and thrown in jail. It was midnight when Paul and Silas were having a prayer meeting------after-----they have been beaten. Can you believe it? A prayer meeting. They were praying and singing. The music and words bounced off the rock walls. Everyone in the jail could not help but to listen to their singing. What has gotten into these guys?
You may remember that there was a giant earthquake and the jail was torn apart and Paul and Silas were free, but they did not leave. Their prayers in a difficult time were answered immediately. We know him only as the Philippian jailor, but he took these men of God to his own home, washed their wounds and gave them plenty to eat.
One more thing you should know at least. The jailor immediately asked the question that the world is still asking. The question that your family may be asking you, or your neighbors, or a complete stranger. What must I do to be saved? Acts 16:30.
If someone asks you this same question today, would you know the answer? Could you tell them how to get to Heaven? Would you be able to pick out the Bible Verses and teach them the plan of Salvation? Paul told them what to do in verse 31. You should read it and see what happens next.
Paul has now written a magnificent letter to the church he help start. Chapters 1, 2, 3 are from a father image man whose heart is filled with joy and love for this church. He is so proud of them his heart could burst. It was one of his greatest joys of the ministry.
Now in chapter 4, he sums up his writings and gives them encouragement to go on witnessing in the name of Jesus the Christ.
Do you know what witnessing means? It is not someone who necessarily stands on the busiest street corners with a huge Bible in his hand and reads aloud from it so all can see him and hear him. It is not necessarily those who travel in twos and go door to door and passing out literature. Witnessing can be both of these, but more to the fact it is the example you set by your every day life.
Do people know you to be a liar, a cheat, a person who does not keep his word, or a straight shooter one that is filled with love for his neighbors and tries to help them no matter what color their skin is or what nationality they belong to? Your good witness can go along way for THE KINGDOM!
Paul in the last chapter expresses pure joy once more. Rejoice in the Lord Always and again I say Rejoice. Vs 4 Be full of joy, you have a lot to be thankful for. He goes on to thank them for their sacrifice of offerings that they have sent to Paul while he was in prison. He gives them his heart and his love.
I like that! When a Pastor can leave a certain church work behind and move on. He remembers the great things that happened and are still happening and I believe that he is super proud to be a part of starting a new church work and watching it grow. Amen!
I have to tell you that Paul teaches all of his congregations with the same message.
The call, the message of salvation, repentance, witnessing and praying. I do not believe that any preacher, pastor, minister, what ever you refer to us as behind our backs, is not worthy of his calling unless he teaches every congregation the plan to get to heaven and how to effectively pray. Paul has taught them to pray, he has demonstrated how to pray and now he is saying to them that he is praying for them.
Do you know how to pray? Ever taught someone how to pray? How long do you pray? What do you pray for? Do you pray believing or just wishing? Do you respect the person you are talking with? Do not let satan rob you of a great relationship with the Son of the Living God. Do not risk the sweet fellowship of communing with Jesus. He IS THE LORD and He wants to hear from YOU.
I. WE ARE COMMANDED TO PRAY!
Do you remember that gospel song---Have a little talk with Jesus? Let us tell Him all about our troubles. He will hear our faintest cry and He will answer by and by……
It was Abe Lincoln that said, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I have no where else to go. My only wisdom has come from the silent times when I wrestle with the Lord in prayer”.
Why do we leave this secret weapon on the shelve until something serious comes along to bite us. We pray when we get afraid, we pray when bad thing are about to happen, we pray when our loved ones are in trouble, we pray during our times of great weakness, when we are flat on our bellies and no place to go. We are down to our last bit of energy and …………………God shows up! He has been waiting to talk to us for a long time, but we were too busy.
Paul tells the Christians to Pray without ceasing. In our text he tells them to be grateful when they pray. He tells his church to pray and do not worry. Always give thanks when you pray. Verse 6
Jesus in His ministry to us, tells us to pray. Ask anything in His Name, believing!
Is praying just a magic moment for you to use when you are in a tight spot? Which would you take from me, if I offered to you with no strings attached, a dollar bill or a million dollars? You would all ask be to handed over to you the million dollars, right?
Please do not treat prayer like a dollar. Treat it like a million blessings that God wants to give to us all, but we have to communicate with Him.
The song writer Elisha A. Hoffman tells us like it is: I must tell Jesus
I must tell Jesus all of my troubles
He is a kind and compassionate friend
If I but ask, He kindly will deliver
He makes of my troubles
And quickly an end
I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus
I can not bear my burdens alone
I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus
Jesus can help me and Jesus alone.
II. THERE IS A PATTERN TO FOLLOW
Please keep in mind who you are talking to. Make sure you are mindful that you are having a conversation with the Creator of the Universe. He is stopping what He is doing and listening to your prayer. He wants to know what is going on inside you, even though He knows that already. He wants you to tell Him.
You start out with Praise. Praise to the Lord the Almighty the King of all creation.
Come joyful to His presence.
Jesus in the Garden prays to His Father. He respects Him. He hallows His name. Jesus knows the Father and He prays deeply to Him even though it is a real tough prayer time. He glorifies the Father through prayer.
After we open with a song of our heart, or praise to the King, we ask what we want. We need action, we need bread, we need guidance, wisdom, money to pay our bills, a guardian angel to protect us from evil monsters, etc. Do not be afraid to ask anything.
Jesus tells us that God delights in our asking and even asking a hundred times.
Paul tells them to rejoice when they talk to God. Show your thanksgiving attitude even when things in your life stink. He knows that.
Don’t you think God knew the trouble that Paul and Silas were in when they were striped of their closes, beaten and thrown in to jail? Any one of us would have had a different prayer to our Father. “I was preaching in YOUR name, I was casting out evil spirits in YOUR name and this is where you lead me?” That would be us.
Not Preacher Paul. What ever circumstances you find yourself in, don’t make a fuss, just rejoice and praise the Lord in all things.
It is ok to pray for yourself, AFTER you have prayed for OTHERS and after you have PRAISED the Lord.
Do you remember the prayer of Jabez from I Chronicles 4:10?
Oh, that you would bless me indeed
And that you would enlarge my territory,
That Your hand would be with me
And that You would keep me from evil,
That I may not cause pain!
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And God granted him what he requested.
CONCULSION:
There is so much more that we could explore in this subject of secret key to praying, but we move on. Paul tells them that he is continually praying for them. This gives them encouragement to keep going. He thanks them for praying for him as well. Then he again talks about grace. The blessings of God given to all of us
Let’s end this book of praise with a story I received just this past week. I do not know the author, but I know the story because I know the Master.
From Isaiah 65:24 BEFORE THEY CALL, I WILL ANSWER
This is from a medical missionary’s private notes while he served in Africa.
One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward: but in spite of all that we could do she died. She left this life with a present to us: that being a tiny premature baby and a crying two year old daughter. We had difficulty keeping the baby alive because we had no incubator and no electricity to run an incubator even if we had one.
We lived on the equator; nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool blanket that the baby would be wrapped in.
Another helper went to the campfire to stoke it up and then fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it burst. Rubber perishes easily in tropical climates.
It was our last hot water bottle and there is no way to get another one for this baby.
There are no drugstores in the middle of deep Africa.
The doctor writes that he told the helping ladies to put the baby between them during the night so that their body warmth would help the baby stay alive. Keep the drafts away from the little one.
The next morning, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I did this every day. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problems of keeping the baby warm enough. I mentioned the hot water bottle and how it exploded due to its age. The baby could die if it catches cold chills. I also told them about the two year old sister who kept crying because of the death of her mother.
During the prayer time, one ten year old girl, Ruth, prayed out loud with her usual blunt method. “Please God; send us a hot water bottle TODAY. It will be no good tomorrow; the baby that you sent will be dead coming back to you. It has to be TODAY.”
She continued and asked for a dolly for the two year old to have. This way she will know that you really love her.
I heard their prayers. I could not say Amen. I did not believe…………….I know He is great and I know He can deliver, but not TODAY and not in the heart of Africa.
Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching the nurses, a message was sent that there was an auto at my front door. No one comes to visit us! By the time I got to my home, the auto was gone, but there on the table was a box weighing 22 pounds. I almost burst into tears. I have been in Africa for 5 years and NO one ever sent me anything. I didn’t even recognize who sent it, but it was sent 5 months ago.
I sent for the orphanage children to come and help me open the box. We slowly untied each knot, to save the string. We carefully unwrapped the box, folded the paper and saved that too. Some forty pairs of eyes were glued on that box. What could possibly be in there?
From the top were forty brightly colored jerseys. One for each child. They yelled with excitement as they tried them on. There were bandages for the leprosy patients, some medical supplies, a box of raisins and crackers. I reached down deeper and praise God I pulled out a hot water bottle.
I cried. I did not believe that God would do this or even that He could. I limited HIM.
Ruth was sitting on the front row and she leaped up and ran to the package. She yelled out that if God had sent this water bottle then he has sent a dolly too. She never doubted. Sure enough there was a little fancy dressed dolly.
A faithful Sunday School teacher whom I have never met, five months ago heard the nudges of the Holy Spirit and put a hot water bottle in a box----to be sent to the Equator. Some one else put a little dolly in for an African child. I cried again and again. My, what a powerful God we serve!-------------------------
Please do not doubt this secret key to your life. Prayer is the key that unlocks heavens doors. Spend time in prayer. Pray for the needs of others, and for your needs.
Don’t give up, keep asking, and keep rejoicing
AMEN and AMEN
