Prayer Meeting in the Jerusalem Church
Chuck Sligh
November 30, 2014
NOTE: A PowerPoint presentation of this sermon is available upon request by emailing me at chucksligh@hotmail.com.
TEXT: Please turn in your Bibles to Acts 4 (TO BE READ LATER)
INTRODUCTION
The first church in Jerusalem understood the importance of prayer. We see this earlier in the book of Acts:
• Acts 1:14 – “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication…” – In the very beginning the Jerusalem disciples are in prayer.
• As they tarried for the anointing Spirit Acts 1:24 starts like this, “And they prayed…”
• After Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost we read, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42)
• Acts 3:1 says, “Now Peter and John went up togeter into the temple at the hour of prayer…”
In today’s text, we have a biblical prayer that teaches us several valuable lessons about prayer. As we just saw, prayer played a normal part in the regular activity of the Jerusalem church.
But in Acts 4, it was borne of necessity. In Acts 3:1, Peter and John healed a lame man in the name of Jesus. That was what got the Jewish leaders all riled up—they healed him in the name of Jesus. They thought they had put the matter of Jesus to rest when they had had Him crucified. Now, suddenly Jerusalem is astir with rumors of Jesus’ resurrection; then of strange happenings on the day of Pentecost, followed by a rousing sermon by Peter and 3,000 people converted to the risen Jesus; then rumors of house churches springing up; and now this miracle by Peter and John—strangely reminiscent of the miracles that rabble-rouser Jesus did when He was still alive.
The Jerusalem religious leaders acted quickly by calling for an inquisition of Peter and John. But they were between a rock and a hard place. They could not deny that a notable miracle had taken place, but neither, in their perverted minds, could they let these men go around preaching about Jesus. So they brought Peter and John back before them and threatened them with punishment if they continued to preach and teach in the name of Jesus.
Well, Peter and John were not in the least intimidated. Infused with Holy Spirit power, Peter boldly proclaimed, “…We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20) With no actual crime to punish them for, they had to let them go.
We pick up the narrative now in Acts 4:23-31 – “And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. 24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: 25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? 26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. 27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, 28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. 29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, 30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. 31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.”
When they heard the good news of Peter and John’s release, they had an instantaneous prayer meeting, and in examining this time of prayer, we learn some important things about prayer.
I. NOTICE FIRST THAT THEIR PRAYER WAS SPECIFIC. – Verse 29 – “And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word.”
Do you see it?—They prayed SPECIFICALLY for boldness. They didn’t pray a generic prayer, like: “Lord, help us through these trials.” They asked for something specific—for boldness in the face of persecution.
Most of our prayers go like this, “Lord bless the CHURCH, bless THE PASTOR, bless THE MISSIONARIES and bless ME…Amen” We pray generic, general, indefinite prayers for God to bless this and bless that and bless this and bless that until sometimes I wonder if God just doesn’t feel “blessed out”!
Pray definitely and specifically. A great way to aid in more concrete, specific prayer is to use an ongoing prayer list.
II. SECOND, THEIR PRAYER WAS IN THE WILL OF GOD.
In verse 29 they prayed “And now, Lord, behold their threatenings:…” They were well aware of the problem that was before them.
But look at their prayer in the rest of the verse. I think this is really remarkable. Notice that they did NOT pray for DELIVERANCE from their persecution— Rather, they prayed for more boldness in the FACE of it – “…and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word…”
One of the keys of effective prayer is praying in the will of God. 1 John 5:14-15 says “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”
Now Jesus said, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” (Matthew 5:10)
The believers in Jerusalem may not have LIKED the persecution they were experiencing, but they knew that God was allowing it. To pray for deliverance would not have been in the will of God for them!
So they didn’t pray a selfish prayer, but a COURAGEOUS prayer. Their heart’s desire was to serve God in HIS holy will.
III. NEXT, NOTE THAT THEIR PRAYER WAS FOCUSED NOT ON SELF BUT ON THE CAUSE OF CHRIST – verses 29-30 – “And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, 30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.”
Their prayer was not self-centered or selfish. Their desire was to advance the cause of Christ.
Look at the end of verse 29 – “…that with all boldness they may speak thy word…” Their goal was to see that the name of Jesus was lifted up.
When I read this, I’m reminded of Paul, who had the same single-minded focus in his life. The book of Philippians is one of the most joy-filled books in the Bible. The words “joy” and “rejoice” and variations of those two words are found 18 TIMES IN THE 4 SHORT CHAPTERS of Philippians. Yet when he penned Philippians, Paul was writing from a Roman dungeon, FACING EXECUTION—and not only that, he was also facing REJECTION and CRITICISM from the believers in Rome. He was getting both enemy attacks as well as intentional friendly fire!
What was his prayer in the midst of these trying times? Did he cry, “Lord deliver me from this wretched prison!” or “Lord, PLEASE don’t let them kill me!” or “Please vindicate me in the eyes of the brethren”?
No, he prayed for none of these. He told the Philippians, “Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.” (Philippians 1:4-5) His prayer was focused on OTHERS and filled with THANKSGIVING.
About the brethren’s rejection of him, Paul said in Philippians 1:18 – “What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.” Isn’t that amazing? He said, “Even those who are against me are preaching Christ, and so long as that’s so, I don’t care about my reputation.” His feelings about their rejection of him were secondary to whether or not it helped or hindered the spreading of the Gospel.
Regarding his impending execution he said in Philippians 1:20-21 – “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” – He wasn’t concerned about his future or comfort, but that CHRIST would be glorified, whether it be by him continuing to live or by his martydom.
That is just SO INCREDIBLE! Today, we’re so SELF-oriented. God help us to be more GOD-CONCERNED and preoccupied with the spread of the Gospel and the cause of Christ on this earth.
Too often, there’s a selfish, self-centered, comfort-oriented attitude in our prayer lives: We pray, “Lord, ‘gimme this and ‘gimme that, and deliver me from this and deliver me from that, and do this for me, and help me with that—me, me, me.”
When was the last time your prayer centered, not on you or your needs, but ON THE CAUSE OF CHRIST? When did you last really pray specific prayers FOR YOUR CHURCH? When did you last pray FOR THE CAUSE OF WORLDWIDE MISSIONS? When was the last time you prayed for A NEIGHBOR TO GET SAVED?
I know your own personal needs need prayer, but be sure to also get your mind off yourself and your own personal problems and spend some time in prayer for the advancement of the Kingdom in your Jerusalem and throughout the world!
IV. LASTLY, NOTE THAT THEIR PRAYER WAS ANSWERED – Verse 31 – “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.”
They prayed for boldness—and they got it!
The end of the verse says, “they spake the word of God with boldness.”
These folks got their prayers answered!
Why is it that there are so many promises of answered prayer in the Bible, and yet we seem to see so few real answers to prayer in our own lives?
Let me quickly share FIVE HINDRANCES TO ANSWERED PRAYER:
1) First is a lack of relationship with God.
Jesus said in John 9:31, “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.”
God answers the prayers of HIS children if they meet the other conditions of prayer, but makes no promise to answer the prayers of those who are not His children born to God by faith.
Illus. – Suppose my neighbor’s son comes over to my house and says, “Mr. Sligh, would you buy me a bicycle?” I’d look at him and say, “Hey, go ask your own dad.”
Until you become a child of God by being born into His family, and He becomes your spiritual Father, you have no right to ask anything from Him, nor does He promise to answer your prayers.
2) Second, disobedience and sin result in unanswered prayer
John tells us in 1 John 3:22: “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”
In contrast, the Psalmist says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” (Psalm 66:18)
An illustration of this is when Peter tells husbands to live with their wives with understanding lest their prayers would be hindered. (1 Peter 3:7)
This is why at the beginning of my prayers, I ask for forgiveness for my sins so that fellowship is restored and God will listen to my prayers.
3) A third reason for unanswered prayer is a lack of close fellowship with Christ, causing you to pray out of God’s will.
Jesus said “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” (John 15:7)
So if you aren’t “abiding in Christ”—that is, living in close fellowship with Him, you may pray out of God’s will, and God will not answer your prayers, for John tells us that only “if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.”
4) Fourth is a lack of faith.
Jesus said in Matthew 21:22 – “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”
Of course, we must also meet the other conditions for answered prayer, but one thing is certain: faithless prayer equals unanswered prayer.
James says that if anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask God for it. But he adds this: “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:6-8)
Faith is the indispensable ingredient of prayer, for we are going to GOD with our request, and we are told in Hebrews 11:6 that “…without faith it is impossible to please him…”
5) Finally, we often don’t have our prayers answered because we “ask amiss.”
James 4:3 says “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
To “ask amiss” means praying for things you have no business praying for—things to fulfill selfish or fleshly desires—like praying to win the lottery! Again, it’s praying outside of God’s will to fulfill your own personal desires instead of GOD’S WILL in your life or GOD’S WORK on earth. God is not at our beck and call to just jump when we say jump and meet our every little whim to fulfill our selfish desires. God answers the prayers of SPIRITUAL people!
Illus. – I remember when I was fourteen years old I found out that in the state of Tennessee I could get a license for a motor scooter. Wow! That’s a scary thought, isn’t it? Anyway, I began to earnestly pray for a motor scooter. I begged God, “PLEASE let me get a motor scooter. PLEASE.”
I became obsessed with getting a motor scooter and daydreamed all the time about riding around on my little motor scooter. For a few weeks, church was basically useless to me, because as soon as the pastor started preaching, I started daydreaming about my wonderful little motor scooter all the way through the sermon. As he droned on, so did the little scooter in my mind!
So after much prayer and fasting, I asked my parents if I could get a motor scooter. They looked at me and said, “Are you out of your mind? You’d kill yourself the first WEEK.” No amount of begging my parents, or praying to God got me a motor scooter.
Obviously, God didn’t answer my prayers because they were the prayers of a foolish little boy asking amiss…and I probably wouldn’t be here to preach to you today.
Looking back, I’m glad God didn’t answer my prayer, for if He had, I believe I would most certainly WOULD have killed myself on it! In NOT answering my prayer according to MY will, God was being merciful to me.
God help us to pray and to pray effectively by avoiding these six hindrances to prayer.
Illus. – George Muller started an orphanage for the homeless children of England, and resolved to run it solely by asking God for their needs. The first home was dedicated in a rented building on April 21, 1836. Within a matter of days, 43 orphans were being cared for.
Muller decided to run his orphanage with the following guidelines:
• No funds would ever be solicited.
• No debts were ever to be incurred.
• No money contributed for a specific purpose would ever be used for any other purpose.
• All accounts would be audited annually.
• No ego-pandering by the publication of donor’s names.
• No “names” of prominent people would be sought for the board or to advertise the institution.
• Finally, the success of the orphanage would be measured not by the numbers served or by the amount of money taken in, but by God’s blessing on the work, which Muller expected to be in direct proportion to the time spent in prayer.
When the first building was constructed, Muller and his friends remained true to their convictions. The public was amazed when a second building was opened six months after the first. They kept concentrating on prayer and eventually there were five new buildings, 110 workers and 2,050 orphans being cared for.
George Muller not only counted on God to provide, but he believed that God would provide abundantly. For over 60 years Muller recorded every specific prayer request and the results. Muller was responsible for the care of 9,500 orphans during his life. These children never went without a meal. Muller never asked for help from anyone but God. $7,500,000 came to him over the course of his life and he vows it was all in answer to believing prayer.
God answers the prayer of His children who meet His conditions for prayer.
CONCLUSION
Christian, how is your personal prayer life right now? Are you spending time daily in meaningful prayer? Maybe it’s time to recommit yourself to prayer.
When you pray, do you pray in the will of God and for the advancement of God’s Kingdom upon this earth, or are your prayers largely selfish and self-centered? – Maybe it’s time to be more focused in our prayer life; to think through as you pray; to monitor your prayer so that it revolves around Christ and His Kingdom first and foremost.
Remember this also: Sin will close the Lord’s ear to your prayers. Could it be that there is some unconfessed sin in your life right now? If so, whatever the Lord may be speaking to you about, why don’t you just take care of that right now?
