THE POWER OF A PRAYING CHURCH
Acts 12:1-17
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: WHERE JESUS WAS BORN
1. A backwoods Texan asked a woman to marry him and she said, “We can’t get married unless you’re a Christian.” So he went to a Catholic church and said he wanted to join.
2. The priest said, “Well, you have to go through a class first and learn things – about the Bible, doctrines of the church, etc. Like do you know where Jesus was born?” The Texan ventured, “Dallas?” The priest, disgusted, said, “You better go to the Methodists.” So he did.
3. The Methodist preacher too quizzed him on a few facts, including where Jesus was born. He ventured, “Tyler?” The Preacher said, “Maybe you better go to the Baptists!” He did.
4. He told the Baptist preacher how he got run off 2X for not knowing where Jesus was born. The Baptist preacher said, “I can tell you that; Jesus was born in Palestine.” The man said, “I knew it was somewhere in East Texas!”
B. WE SERVE A JAIL-BREAKING GOD!
1. February has been designated “Month-at-the-Front.” The “Front,” in a war or battle, is where the opposing troops are actively fighting each other. For us, the “Front” is the altars. Every Sunday this month we’re going to be doing battle there!
2. Our God is in the business of setting captives free! He brought the Israelites out of the land of slavery, into the Promised Land. In the Book of Acts, God three times busted His apostles out of jails, once with an earthquake.
3. In today’s account, God sent an angel to break him out, but we’ll see, it was because the Church was praying that God worked the miracle! Let’s read:
C. TEXT
1 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church….2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3 ...he proceeded to seize Peter also….4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. 5….Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. 6 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. 7 Suddenly 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. 9 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. 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself....When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. 11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.” 12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!” 15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.” 16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 [Then] Peter…described how the Lord had brought him out of prison.
I. THE ARREST OF PETER
A. WHY PETER?
1. Peter was the main person God was working through to save the Jews. Peter, James, and John were Jesus’ three most intimate disciples.
2. WHO do you think the devil most wants to bring down? The leaders! "Smite the Shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered."
B. STRONG GUARD OVER PETER
1. When you read about the number of guards & precautions, you get the idea that Herod was worried about keeping Peter behind bars! The Christian leaders had gained respect for their ability to escape -- they had escaped before (Acts 5:18-23).
2. 16 soldiers, two chains, and three gates were between Peter and freedom. What’s between you and freedom? Herod could have had Peter chained to sixteen HUNDRED soldiers, and it wouldn’t have made any difference! YOU CAN’T STOP GOD!
3. How vain are fences, walls, and bars to shut in God's chosen! THERE WAS NO PRISON THAT COULD HOLD PETER IF GOD WANTED HIM FREE!
C. OFTEN ROLE REVERSAL: PRISONER & TYRANT
1. Verse six says "Peter was sleeping" (Msg. “Slept like a baby”) but I bet Herod was walking the floors!
2. Herod's plan was – to condemn Peter to death, but God's plan was – to release Peter and condemn Herod!
II. THE CHURCH AT PRAYER
Luke’s Greek construction (vs. 5, BUT…the) points out not only the Tyrant’s attack, but a pivotal event that would overthrow Herod’s plans – a remarkable prayer meeting!
A. WHAT KIND OF PRAYER? FERVENT PRAYERS:
1. MOTIVATION. James had just been killed and Peter was scheduled for execution. The Church were intensely concerned about losing Peter too.
HUMOR: SOME PEOPLE THINK PRAYER DEPENDS ON THE VOLUME OF YOUR VOICE. Like the Guy in a library walks up to the librarian and said, “I’ll have a cheeseburger and fries, please.” The Librarian responds, “Sir, you know you’re in a library, right?” Guy says, “Oh, sorry. [in a whisper] I’ll have a cheeseburger and fries, please.” WITH THE EARLY CHURCH, IT WASN’T THE VOLUME, BUT THE INTENSITY!
2. PARTICIPANTS. Notice, the MASSES weren’t there, but a select group. When Peter was freed, he wondered where he should go and remembered the place where TRUE BELIEVERS were meeting. Don’t fret if prayer meetings are small; they’ve always been small, but God still answers them!
3. TIMING. The timing points to its being earnest prayer. They were praying all night, “without ceasing.”
4. DEPENDENCE. These believers believed in the REAL POWER of prayer. They didn't call a meeting to devise a plan for Peter’s escape, or to bribe the guards, or to establish a PAC (political action committee) to lobby Herod to lay off. Instead, they called a prayer meeting to beseech God. Don't say, "What can prayer do?" but "What can it NOT do?", for all things are possible to him/her that believes!
B. 3 EXTRAORDINARY POWERS OF PRAYER SEEN HERE
1. POWER TO RELEASE GOD’S WILL IN THIS WORLD
a. God, as the Impartial Judge, awaits an advocate to intervene on people’s behalf.
b. Ezek. 22:30-31 says, “I sought for a man among them [to]…stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore, have I poured out mine indignation upon them…”
c. God wanted Peter spared, but He was waiting for the Church to intercede. If they hadn't prayed, Peter might have died; if we don't pray, those we love may not be delivered.
2. POWER TO OBTAIN ANGELIC ASSISTANCE
a. Heb 1:14 tells us that angels are spiritual beings sent to serve the heirs of salvation.
b. The Lord Jesus told us that Angelic support could be gained by prayer; “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” Mt. 26:53. (6,000 X 12 = 72,000 angels!)
c. When the Church prayed, angels were released to bring deliverance to Peter. It can happen today.
3. POWER TO TRANSCEND THE LAWS OF NATURE
a. Our world is normally governed by the laws of nature. Certain laws can override other laws (for example the law of gravity can be transcended by the law of lift, to fly).
b. God, as Sovereign, has often overridden natural laws in Biblical history – Noah’s flood, destruction of Sodom, Israel crossing the Red Sea, Joshua stopping the sun, etc. When He does this, we call it a miracle.
c. The Early Church was up against a problem there was no natural solution to. They prayed for the miracle of Peter’s deliverance.
d. Many miracles happened in this account: Herod’s delay till after Passover; all the guards seemingly unconscious; the chains all fell off; the gates unlock & open by themselves, etc.
e. Jesus said, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” Matt. 21:21-22. The Church prayed and Peter was removed from the prison.
C. SUMMARY
1. ONLY A PRAYING CHURCH…Can change the world, and Control the destinies of nations!
2. The Early Church WAS A CHURCH HELL COULDN’T HANDLE! They were a church who was FULL OF THE SPIRIT, who KNEW THEIR AUTHORITY, and KNEW HOW TO PRAY.
III. PETER’S DELIVERANCE
A. A PICTURE OF US BEING SET FREE
1. “LIGHT SHONE” (vs. 7). There was hardly a darker place than where condemned criminals suffered their punishment – yet God illuminated it!
2. “STRUCK PETER, WOKE HIM UP.” Paul described us as “dead in sins and trespasses.” God sometimes has to strike us to wake us up.
3. “CHAINS FELL OFF.” In the presence of God sin and bondage lose their power. Chains, impossible to break without God, became powerless to bind Peter – with God. “Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.”
4. BROUGHT OUT. No gates, bars, or soldiers could keep Peter in that prison! Not all of Caesar’s Legions could have done it!
B. HIS HUMOROUS RECEPTION BY THE DISCIPLES
1. RHODA. Many are known for their intelligence or great feats; Rhoda is known for being a little clueless. When I get to heaven, I have one question I want to ask her; "Why didn't you open the door?"
2. IMAGINE YOU’RE RHODA: I, your Pastor, have been arrested by an evil monarch, whose planning to execute me first thing in the morning. I've obviously made a prison break and I’m fleeing for my life. The tyrant's thugs are probably right behind me. Would you leave me locked outside the door while you conduct a discussion group on how I might have escaped? I hope we don't have any Rhodas in this church!
3. UNBELIEF OF THE DISCIPLES
a. Now if all that wasn't bad enough, Sweet Rhoda goes in to tell the people of Faith and Power who are still … praying, binding and loosing, claiming Angelic intervention … that Peter is outside:
b. When they hear that Peter is at the door, far from shouting "PTL! or Glory!", instead, they say, "You're Crazy!"
c. They add this wonderful faith-filled thought, "If Peter’s out there, he must be dead and his disembodied spirit has come to haunt us!"
d. Aren't you glad they put this in the Bible? They were people just like us.
4. MEANWHILE, PETER…is still outside knocking, wondering if he'll be arrested before he gets in.
5. CONCLUSION OF THE STORY.
a. Herod executes the jailers – Peter’s escape was at great cost to them.
b. Herod made a speech, and when he didn't give glory to God for the praise he received, he was eaten by worms and died. Yet Peter was still alive! GOD IS THE GOD OF DELIVERANCE!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: YOU MUST STEP OUT TO LEARN TO FLY
1. There’s no situation you can get into that God can’t get you out of. Some years ago, when James Brown was learning to fly, his instructor told him to put the plane into a steep and extended dive. He was totally unprepared for what happened next.
2. After a brief time the engine stalled, and the plane began to plunge out-of-control. It soon became evident that the instructor was not going to help him at all. After a few seconds, which seemed like eternity, James’ mind began to function again. He quickly corrected the situation.
3. Afterward, he turned to the instructor and began to vent his anger at him. He very calmly said to James, “There’s no position you can get this airplane into that I cannot get you out of. If you want to learn to fly, go up there and do it again.”
4. James said, “At that moment God seemed to be saying to me, ‘Remember this. As you serve Me, there is no situation you can get yourself into that I cannot get you out of. If you trust me, you will be all right.’” [James Brown, Evangeline Baptist Church, Wildsville, LA, in Discoveries, Fall, 1991, Vol. 2, No. 4.]
5. As someone said, "We can’t discover new oceans unless we have the courage to lose sight of the shore." [Andre Gide]
B. ALTAR CALL
1. Earlier you were handed a “Ready For Freedom” prayer sheet. There were six suggested areas for you to fill in the blank and come to the altars & pray about. Now is that time!
2. Some of you need Deliverance. Ex. 3:7-8 reveals to us THERE WILL NEVER BE DELIVERANCE WITHOUT A CRY FOR DELIVERANCE! “The Lord said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people….heard them crying out….So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians.’”
3. You have to be SICK OF YOUR SIN, tired of your old life, fed-up with your unhappy state, desperately wanting God to change who and what you are. If you will cry out to God for a change, He will come on the scene and deliver you! Let’s PRAY!
