When Prayers Are Answered Series

“When Prayers Are Answered”

Acts 10:1-23

Several weeks ago I received a card from a preacher, which attended Liberty Baptist Bible Collage where I am the Dean of Students.

Intrigued I opened the letter and there was a card that was signed by several people who I have never met and a hand written portion that simply said: “Praying for you.”

The pastor’s wife is a student of the collage and I wrote that I had received the note and was very encouraged.

She told me that her husband was concerned because the Lord put me on his heart and he wanted to let me know that he and others were praying for me.

The back story: What he did not know but the very days he was praying for me I was having some difficult decisions to make and I found great peace as the Lord gave me direction. HMMM I wonder if I asked the hour they were praying, would there be a crossover???? I think that there would be.

I love to hear when the Lord directs a person to go and speak to someone; but what I am even more excited about is hearing of the back story from the other side how God made this all happen.

That is our passage today.

I. When Prayers Are Asked

Acts 10:1-2 “There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, 2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.”

We seem to have a problem…. In our text we see that there is a Roman solder that has been praying and directing his prayer to the God of the Jews.

It has been the practice for centuries from the Jews that those who are not Jewish are nothing more than “dogs.”

And that is not in a pet like we have today.

I our text we see that he is an officer “centurion”

Centurion - One who was the commander of a division in the Roman army, consisting of 100 men.

A captain of 100.

We get our number 100 from the Greek word Century or 100.

Devout - pious, dutiful, godly

One that feared God with all his house, - As he exercised his reverence it was practiced with his entire house.

(Interesting that one person could be the influence to an entire house).

Feared - phobeo (fob-eh’-o) to reverence,

Which gave much alms to the people - as exhibited in giving alms, charity, a donation to the poor,

Prayed to God always - to ask, to beg

II. When Prayers Are Announced

Acts 10:3-6 “He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. 4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. 5 And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: 6 He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.”

Angel of God - Angel = messenger

We have no idea which angel this is probably because if we did we would desire to pray to the angel instead of calling upon the LORD.

Vs. 4 “…he was afraid” - it is interesting that Cornelius was a man of prayer and yet reacted in fear when he was confronted from “an angel of God.”

Memorial - to remember, to call to mind

God has heard your prayers and it is now time for you to understand.

III. When Prayers Are Acknowledged

Acts 10:7-8 “And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually; 8 And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.”

Simply put Cornelius called his servants and directed them to go and find Peter.

IV. When Prayers Are Ambiguous

Acts 10:9-16 On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: 10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, 11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: 12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. 14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. 15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. 16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.”