Sermon series - 6 qualities for spiritual health
2) I am a person of Prayer.
- Last week I began a series to help us grow in our spiritual health.
- It all begins with totally loving God.
- As I see it, this Love closely mirrors the love & affection we would have with our
dads, but on a much greater scale.
- In this Love we have, reverence/respect, & fear.
- In these qualities we recognize the power of our earthly dads.
- If we mess up we’re sure dad will give us what we deserve!
- By that is a healthy fear, because dad’s only doing it for your betterment.
- In the reverence/respect, we from an early age learned our place. We
answered to dad, because we knew he has the authority.
- The greatness of this Love shows the next crucial part of our spiritual health.
- To be a person of prayer.
- If you Love your Father, surely you will want to talk to Him!
- Let’s open our Bibles to Acts 4:23-33.
- As we read this, put yourself in the position of the 5,000 that are asking for boldness.
- Imagine you are taking to your Dad, & telling Him I just can’t talk to people.
- Here’s the setting,
- After Peter & John heal a lame man, from birth. They are detained by the priests, the
captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, they were held overnight, & questioned
the next day.
- After their release, they go to the people (about 5,000) who saw the miracle &
believed.
- Listen to the response, & then see what took place, because of God’s deliverance.
Acts 4:23-33
23 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.
32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
- Think of this moment! The very drive & power that came from this event was, & is still
today, earth changing.
- Prayer
- From my key verse, verse 29, comes a misleading idea.
- The baptism of the Holy Spirit.
- The thought is you have to pray for the Holy Spirit to come into you, after you
are saved.
- People justify this by saying, the 5,000 believed when they saw the miracle,
Q- But What did they believe in?
- At That moment, it wasn’t that Jesus was their Savior.
- Then verse 24 comes in,
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:
- This is the recognizing moment!
- They heard how Peter & John preached Jesus boldly unto the priests, but were still
released.
- They recognized God’s Love, Jesus is God. He’s God the Son, the second member
of the Trinity.
- They all come together, in submission, in verse 29.
29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
Q- Do you see the submission of a sinner?
- Lord I cannot save myself, but You have saved me.
- The tax collector bowed his head, & smote his chest as he said, God be merciful
to me a sinner.
- This was the sinner’s Prayer!
- It was the moment their hearts were opened, & Jesus was let in.
- I know we look for just the right words to say, but words alone won’t save us!
- There’s the Power of prayer.
- When we’re talking to our Heavenly Father It doesn’t matter what words we use,
He knows our hearts!
- Immediately after they said the words, they audible confirmed their hearts, the Holy
Spirit filled them!
- Now People say “if you get boldness when the Spirit comes in, then I must not be
saved!”
- Look at what happened!
- They were saved, filled with the Spirit, & the earth quaked! If I were in that
moment, you bet your bottom dollar I’d be bold.
- I would be telling everyone, “Hey, when I got saved God shook my whole
world!”
- The shaking was Father God giving His children what they needed & asked
for.
Matthew 7:7-8
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
- These people, with great desire, were seeking a way to know, & honor God the same
way the Apostles were.
- It’s the same emotion felt when you are lost, & you are on the edge of your seat
contemplating making Jesus your Savior.
- The questions,
Q- How do I do this?
Q- How could God use a sinner like me?
Q- Why would God want a sinner like me?
- These questions hound us!
Q- Do you know who you’re asking all those questions to?
- Yeah, it’s God.
- Whether you realize it, or not. Your prayer for salvation began before you started
up the aisle to pray with the preacher.
- Prayer knows no bounds!
- Whether we are standing, sitting, or on our knees prostrate forward. The
moment we are thinking about God, we are standing in the throne room of
God!
- Just as Isaiah stood in the throne room, undone, & a sinner. God was
ready to cleanse him, if he would let Him.
- Isaiah’s realization I’m undone. Is the sinner setting on the edge of their
seat.
- When they get up, & start to walk. The Angel is coming with the
flaming coal from off the altar.
- Jesus is ready to cleanse, & complete, His creation.
Q- How does prayer help us in our Spiritual Health?
- Easy, all the infirmities inflicted upon us from sin, won’t stick to us!
- When we’re cleansed, we are welcome to speak to the King, the Great Physician,
the Healer, the Comforter whenever we want.
- As I close, because of this cleansing from prayer, all that is wrong within us, &
around us, will be gone. When we see Him!!!!
- I know there are a lot of barriers that keep us from getting close to God.
- Fear, mistakes, sin keep us from wanting to talk to Him.
- At this moment picture a loving Father, & ask yourself the question,
Q- Could I do anything that would warrant Him to not want to talk to you?
- No, He’s always home, ready to talk.
> Calling God (www.varietyreading.carlsguides.com)
Hello God, I called tonight
To talk a little while.
I need a friend who'll listen
To my anxiety and trial.
You see, I can't quite make it
Through a day just on my own.
I need your love to guide me,
So I'll never feel alone.
I want to ask you please to keep
My family safe and sound.
Come and fill their lives with confidence
For whatever fate they're bound.
Give me faith, dear God, to face
Each hour throughout the day
And not to worry over things
I can't change in any way.
I thank you God for being home
And listening to my call,
For giving me such good advice
When I stumble and fall.
Your number, God, is the only one
That answers every time.
I never get a busy signal,
Never had to pay a dime.
So thank you, God, for listening
To my troubles and my sorrow.
Good night, God, I love You too,
And I'll call again tomorrow!
- In our Spiritual Health we’re only as healthy as our relationship is with God.
Q- When was the last time you talked to Him?
