OPEN: Back in 1540 Martin Luther was very distressed.
His good friend and assistant, Friedrich Myconius, was sick and was expected to die within a short time. From his bed Myconius wrote a tender farewell letter to Luther.
When Luther received the message, he immediately sent back this reply:
"I command thee in the name of God to live because I still have need of thee in the work of reforming the church -- the Lord will never let me hear that thou art dead, but will permit thee to survive me. For this I am praying, this is my will, and may my will be done, because I seek only to glorify the name of God."
That’s some pretty wild praying.
Have you ever prayed a prayer like that?
Do you think you’d feel comfortable praying like that?
Me neither.
It almost seems like Luther was BOLDLY approaching the throne of God and making a demand of God.
(PAUSE)
But wait a minute. Hebrews 10:19-22 tells us that since Jesus has made the ultimate sacrifice for us “…we have CONFIDENCE to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
We have confidence to BOLDLY enter into the most Holy Place. Into God’s very throne room. And we can enter there boldly only because of the blood of Jesus Christ. No one else but a Christian is given that permission. No one else has the right to come into the very presence of God and speak to Him.
And more than that, God gives us permission to pray Bold and Wild Prayers.
Jesus said "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20
That seems fairly bold to me.
It seems a fairly WILD thing to ask of God.
Do you think God would actually answer a prayer like that?
ILLUS: Back in 1874, there was a small group of believers in Swan Quarter, North Carolina that decided it was time to build a permanent church building to hold services in. The church committee picked out a perfect site for a church building. It was in the heart of town on its highest spot of their village. After much prayer they approached the owner of the lot, (a man named Sam Sadler) and asked to purchase the land.
But Sadler wouldn’t sell.
Though disappointed, the congregation accepted other property in town (offered as a gift) and began to build their building. It took over a year to construct and it was a modest structure set on brick piers. Even before it was finished people began to worship in it.
Just before they dedicated their new church building (Sept. 16, 1876) a huge storm swept the community. Rain fell and the wind blew well into the next day and the wind was so fierce and the tide rose so high that the force of the water moved the little church building off its foundation… and it began to float down the road.
It went straight down the road to a corner and bumped into a general store.
The building took a sharp right turn and floated for about 2 city blocks until it reached the corner of what is now Church Street.
Then it moved slightly off course, took another turn to the left and crossed the Carawan Canal and eventually settled (pause)
Well… well do you think it settled?
Exactly in the center of Sam Sadler’s property.
Sadler was so convinced he’d seen the mighty hand of providence at work that he sold his land to the church. And when the building was dedicated years later, it was called "Providence". It still stands today - on the property to which God moved it on that day.
(http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~jmack/photos/providen.htm)
Now, I don’t know if that church building’s unusual journey was the result of prayer or not, but I’m convinced that God had a little fun with Mr. Sadler that day.
And I believe that God caused that to happen so that we would understand we have a God for Whom NOTHING is impossible.
ILLUS: I have seen God do mighty things. I have seen prayers answered so many times in ways that amazed me that I could probably spend a whole hour this morning just telling you about them. But instead, I’m going to focus on just one story – because it concerns this church and it illustrates how I responded to God’s providence that day.
Years ago, our church building was broken into. At first I didn’t realize it. I came in the church building over here by the side door and went directly to my office (which is next to that door). The office door was open as usual, and I sat down at the computer and began to do some office work. Then I looked over at the office door… and noticed part of it was missing. It struck me as a bit odd, but the closer I looked, the more obvious it was that the door had been kicked in.
As I checked out the rest of building it was obvious somebody had broken the entrance door to the building and had done a little mischief. They hadn’t stolen much. The computers were still in place. The speakers you see at the side of the room here had just been purchased and were sitting on the floor ready to be installed. And there were any number of other items they could have stolen, but didn’t.
I called the police and they came to investigate. Then we called the insurance company.
This was back when Brad Taylor was our youth minister, and I walked over to his youth room to talk to him about what had happened. And as we talked – and I don’t know what led me to say it – I looked at Brad and said “you know, these guys are gonna get caught one of these days. And when they did, wouldn’t it be intriguing if we got the chance to talk with them about Jesus?”
Brad agreed, and we decided right there and then to pray for that very opportunity.
And guess what?
The next day, the thieves got arrested.
They only had one phone call, and guess who they called?
They called us. They wanted to ask our forgiveness for breaking into our building.
So I went over to the jail and explained that – of course we forgave them. That’s what we do. But even more than that, we teach people about God, His Bible and Jesus. Would they like to have a Bible study with me?
Why sure, they said.
And over the next few months I studied and prayed with them. And when they got out, we baptized one of the men, and both of them began going to the church their family went to.
And you know what? I was amazed at what happened.
I was surprised at what God did in answer to our prayers.
You know, as a preacher, I probably ought not confess this to you, but I’m almost always surprised when God answers my prayers.
Now, that brings us to our story this morning.
James, the brother of John (two of the original twelve disciples) had just been put to death by King Herod. And when Herod realized how popular that execution had been he decided it was time to eliminate Peter as well. And so Peter was arrested in put under heavy guard in prison.
No one was going to get to Peter. No one would be able to break into that jail and take Peter away… because Herod wouldn’t allow it.
But then the church began to pray.
Acts 12:5 tells us “… the church was earnestly praying to God for (Peter).”
The Greek word translated here in the NIV “earnestly praying” means “they were praying without ceasing”. Their prayers were constant before the throne of God.
And God heard their prayers.
God sent an angel to bring Peter out from his prison.
One man noted: “The angel fetched Peter out of prison, but it was prayer that fetched the angel.”
(Thomas Watson, quoted in Something Happens When Churches Pray, W. Wiersbe, p. 85)
Now, this is perhaps the oddest and wildest story about prayer in all of the Bible.
1st, we have Peter under arrest.
He’s in a locked prison cell guarded by 16 armed soldiers.
The next day he’s going on trial for his life… but everybody knows what the verdict will be.
Peter is going to die.
Now (quiz time) what does the Bible say Peter was doing while he’s in prison?
He’s SLEEPING!!
Acts 12:6 tells us “The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.”
How on earth could Peter possibly sleep on the night before he’s about to be condemned to death?
Well, Peter had been to one of best sleep therapists… the world has ever known.
The Gospel of Mark 4:35-40 tells us that “when evening had come, (Jesus) said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him.
And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But (Jesus) was in the stern, ASLEEP on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” (ESV)
How could Peter sleep the night before he was to be condemned?
Because HE BELIEVED
For Peter to be able to sleep there in prison was a sign of his faith. In fact it was probably the greatest compliment he could give Jesus.
I believe that when Peter prayed he just left everything before God’s throne. Then he closed his eyes and went to sleep.
Why? Because it didn’t matter to Peter whether he lived or died the next day. The way he had it figured… he couldn’t lose.
That’s Paul wrote to the Philippians about his possible death when he faced his own execution
Paul wrote: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two:
I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain…” Philippians 1:21-25
Paul knew he might be executed, but if he did, he wasn’t worried.
If he died he’d go to be with Jesus, which was something he really desired. But if he got to live, he’d get the opportunity to build and strengthen Christ’s church.
And that’s why Peter could sleep.
He figured that either way, there was no way he could lose.
And so… he slept.
But now, notice something here.
Just because Peter believed God COULD rescue him didn’t mean that he believed God WOULD rescue him.
“an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so.
"Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him.
Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.” Acts 12:7-9
Peter thought he was seeing a vision.
The whole thing seemed so WILD, so outlandish, so unheard of, it NEVER crossed Peter’s mind that he might actually be getting out of jail.
ILLUS: Some years ago a motivational speaker named Ron Culberson had heard a story about a woman who’d been pulled over for speeding. She handed the policeman a Monopoly card. Guess which Monopoly card she handed him? (PAUSE)
That’s right. A “get out of jail free” card. And the policeman didn’t give her a ticket.
Culberson wondered if the story was true, and decided to do his own experiment to find out if it would work for him. So he began carrying a one of those cards in his car just hoping for a chance to see if it would work for him.
The first time he was pulled over, his wife was with him. When she saw him pull the card out of the glove box, she spoke in very clipped tones: “DO NOT GIVE HIM THAT CARD”
Culberson was intimidated enough by her tone that he put the card back in the dash. But, the next time he was pulled over his wife wasn’t there. As the policeman approached his car, Culberson had a folder on his lap from a meeting he’d attended. And on this folder, he’d laid out his license and his registration… and his “get out of jail free” card. The policeman shined his flashlight into Culberson’s car, and saw the Monopoly card.
There a moment of silence, and then the policeman said “Get out of jail free card… that’s hilarious.” And the policeman let him go with a warning!!!
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cI-e3ieqX8)
That shouldn’t have happened. It was WILD. It was outlandish. It was unheard of. It shouldn’t have worked. But it did.
In the same way, Peter got HIS get out of jail free card.
It made no sense, it was absurd. It was unheard of. It should have happened. But it did.
But it wasn’t until he’d made it out of the jail and into the city itself that “Peter came to himself and said, ‘NOW I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me…’”
You see, God surprised Peter by what He did.
And God will sometimes answer our prayers in such a wild and powerful way that it takes us by surprise as well.
But the story doesn’t stop there.
“When this had dawned on him (that he was free), he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.” Acts 12:12
Peter was supposed to be tried and executed the next day. There’s a large crowd of Christians at Mary’s house … praying for God to deliver him. And here comes Peter…in answer to their prayers.
And what happens?
“Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, ‘Peter is at the door!’
‘You’re out of your mind,’ they told her.
You’re crazy.
He can’t be here.
He’s in jail.
Have you totally lost it, Rhoda?”
“When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, ‘It must be his angel.’
But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were ASTONISHED. Acts 12:13-16
They didn’t believe Rhoda.
Peter couldn’t be free. He was in jail. He couldn’t get out. This was impossible.
But wasn’t this what they’d been praying for? (pause)
Yeah…
But even when they realized Peter was free, they were still astonished.
So, were these folks foolish and ignorant?
Had they just been going through the motions of prayer?
Did God look down on them because of their “lack of faith”?
Oh no.
There’s nothing in this story that speaks of condemning these people for their doubt at this point. God told us this story, so we’d understand that these folks were not that much different than you and I. They were just like us. They were surprised because God had done something wild and unexpected. And they were astonished. They were amazed.
And once it dawned on them what God had done they were so excited that they shared their excitement with others.
And God told us that entire story in Acts 12 so that we’d know that He wasn’t disappointed with Peter or that prayer group. They had been faithful in prayer. They’d just had no idea what God had in mind.
But once they saw Peter - the result was praise and worship. And they began to share with others that they had a God for whom NOTHING was impossible
But the point here was this… they prayed.
They prayed together.
And their prayer gave them power that NOT EVEN a King could oppose.
A prayer that is wild and powerful is one that we simply pray.
If we pray - and pray specifically - then we tap into the very power of God.
So, I’m this morning I’m going to challenge us to pray a WILD prayer.
Next Sunday night we’re having our Tent Revival. It’s always been modestly attended (usually around 100 people). And it’s always been well received.
But this year I’m convinced that God is about to do something powerful.
Let me tell you why.
ILLUS: How many of you have noticed the road construction that’s been taking place in front of our church building? (The road has been dug up for 3 or 4 weeks, and getting into our drive has been a challenge).
The couple weeks that happened, I put a couple of yard signs for the Tent Revival against the pylons, so that people would know where to turn in to our drive. Silly me, it never occurred to me that somebody would actually read them. One of those Sunday Nights, Trampas (our young adults minister) happened to pull into the drive to get some materials for his class that night, and found a man parked in the parking lot.
“Isn’t there a tent revival tonight?” the man asked.
Obviously, there wasn’t, but Trampas began to talk with the man. He’d been looking for a new church to go to and his attention was captured by our sign… and there he was. Trampas gave him some church materials and invited him to come some Sunday.
I’m pretty sure, that man is going to show next Sunday night at the revival.
ILLUS: How many of you have noticed the road construction that’s been taking place in front of our church building? The work crews laid the first layer of asphalt just last week. Anybody want to hazard a guess as to when the final layer of road will be laid?
If I was a betting man, I bet it’ll be this week. Just in time for us to have a smooth road leading in to our Tent Revival.
ILLUS: Lastly, I’m part of a series of preachers who take turns on Sunday Mornings, preaching on the local Radio Station. We each get to preach once every 3 or 4 months. We don’t get to pick the Sunday we’ll be on the air… it’s all assigned.
Guess when I’m scheduled to preach on the radio next? (next Sunday)
Guess, what I’m going to talk about while I’m on the Radio next Sunday? (the Tent Revival).
To my way of thinking, these things are not coincidences. I’m convinced that God has something powerful planned for this next Tent Revival. BUT… I’m convinced what He does will be influenced by whether or not we think it is serious enough for us pray for.
So, here’s what I’m going ask you to do.
If you put a sign in your yard, place your hand on that sign, and begin to pray that it influences the hearts of those who see it, so that they are driven to want to be here that night. Take a few of the invitation cards and give them to your friends. But before you hand them that card, put your hand on it and pray that it will influence them to want to be here that night.
Before you go to bed each night, and when you get up in the morning, pause and pray that this revival will be more than just a religious exercise. That it change lives, that it will begin the process of healing families, and it will lead people who don’t belong to Jesus to make that decision that night.
We’ll have the baptistery filled and ready.
I’m convinced that if we are faithful in this we will see God answer our prayers in a powerful and wild way because of your prayers for this revival.
CLOSE: I want to close this morning’s message by returning to the story of Martin Luther.
I only told you part of what took place.
Now, I’ll tell you “the rest of the story.
If you’ll recall, Luther wrote these words to his dying friend:
"I command thee in the name of God to live because I still have need of thee in the work of reforming the church -- the Lord will never let me hear that thou art dead, BUT WILL PERMIT THEE TO SURVIVE ME. For this I am praying, this is my will, and may my will be done, because I seek only to glorify the name of God."
When Myconius received Luther’s note, he had already lost the ability to speak. But from that day on, he gained back his strength and was soon off his death bed.
Myconius lived six more years.
And died two months after Luther.
That’s the power of prayer.
But you can’t have that kind of power in prayer until you belong to Jesus
INVITATION
