Normal or Supernatural – 11

 Normal or Supernatural – 11

Subject – Constant Prayer

By Rick Welborne

Acts 12:1-6 (NKJV)
¹  Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church.
²  Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
³  And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread.
⁴  So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.
⁵  Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.
⁶  And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.                                                                                  

--I think all of us have a tendency to love adventure movies where someone is captured and a hero comes along and rescues the person. Usually pretty girls.

--I used to laugh at the King Kong movies where there always appears to be this weird relationship between Kong and the main actress in the movie. Wow, how abnormal is that.

--Now I have a daughter that seems like every animal she is around loves her. The latest horse she brought home is like a baby dinosaur. Over 17 hands. It follows her like a puppy. Not so strange. 

--The New Testament has one of these amazing stories where a rescue took place and it was with the Apostle Peter who was locked up in prison. He was in a mess.

--This story brings out or highlights in our lives an area that is truly lacking. It brings out a weapon of spiritual warfare that is hardly ever used by the church. Constant prayer. 

--Commentators tell us that this story happens in Jerusalem about 15 years after Jesus had died and had risen from the dead. The church is growing and Peter and the others have stayed there.

--Paul and some of the other apostle have gone out from Jerusalem to spread the gospel. Things are starting to heat up. The second martyrdom happened. The first was a deacon Stephen.

--Herod has James (the brother of Jesus) killed and because it pleased the Jews, he went after Peter and has him locked up in prison. He was happy his approval ratings were going up. Politicians!

--The Bible tells us that constant prayer…earnest prayer was going up for him and there are multiple interpretations to what this earnest praying that was going up for him meant. 

--One translation said that the church shut down all the other business going on and a steady stream of prayer was going up for Peter…it was fervent, it was intense, it was focused.

--It was not a prayer meeting where they were praying for twenty different things. The people understood their leader, their senior pastor was locked up and he was in much trouble. The apostle looks like he may die. 

--And please notice that it appeared to be a very hopeless situation, no governmental official to go to or no bail that could be paid. No court or no plea bargain…there was nothing that they could do but pray.

--They had no money to pay off a judge or a guard. They had nothing like that. A truly hopeless situation. How many of you know that when God allows us to go into these situations, He is getting ready to do great work.

--There are times that life and even God will make sure that you do not have crutches or anything else to lean on except for Him. Prayer and God. God and prayer. 

Quote - Anything God can do; prayer can do.

 --Why? Because prayer is our link to God. The prayer of faith is the link to God’s power. Nothing is impossible with God…nothing is impossible when we pray.

--That night Peter was in jail waiting to be brought to a trial, a phony trial, sleeping between two guards. They actually had 16 guards watching him…four at a time. Six hour shifts. They wanted to keep this boy in jail. --They had two chains on him in a filthy cell with no light.

Acts 12:7-11 (NKJV)                                                                                                                                               ⁷  Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, "Arise quickly!" And his chains fell off his hands.
⁸  Then the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals"; and so he did. And he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me."
⁹  So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
¹⁰  When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.
¹¹  And when Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people."

--What a rescue…what a deliverance. Am I right? Wow! I want us to notice a couple of things about this rescue. I want us to see the awesomeness, the glory, and the power of what prayer can do.

E. M. Bounds – There are only two kinds of people on the earth, people who pray and people who don’t. 

--I think that is how God looks at it too. We can say there are those who are born again and those who are not. Those who are saved and those who are unsaved.

--When Ananias was sent to Saul who was persecuting the church he wanted a sign that He was okay…what did he tell him? Behold he is praying. A sign he was seeking God.

--The Bible tells us that prayer is kept in bowls in heaven? How important must our prayers be?

Revelation 5:8 (NKJV)
⁸  Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

--Imagine how important to God your prayers must be. Every prayer ever uttered by Christians have been kept in bowls. Even after we die, our prayers will still chase down the prodigals.

--How many of you remember Cornelius in the book of Acts? An angel came to him and said that God has seen your kindness to the poor and He has heard your prayers.

--He did not pray in Jesus Name because he was not a believer. He sent for Peter to come and to tell them the good news about Jesus. He prayed so much that it moved God to do something on his behalf.

--God’s Word has so many promises in regard to prayer: Prayers to help us go from normal to supernatural. 

Psalm 50:15 (NKJV)                                                                                                                                                ¹⁵  Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me." 

--So many times in the day of trouble, we do everything but call upon the Lord. We worry and call friends. We have a pity party, we get grouchy, and we get irritable. But we do not call on Him Who can save us.

Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV)                                                                                                                                            ³  'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.' 

--Didn’t Jesus say My House shall be a house of prayer? Not singing, not preaching, not anything else. When Jesus saw the money changers using His House as a place to make money…He made a whip. He was angry.

--When we pray God says that He will open the windows of Heaven and pour out blessings. When you call I will answer. God understands prayer that does not even use words. A sigh, a tear, a groan.

Romans 8:26 (NIV)
²⁶  In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

--Don’t strive to be a good public pray-er but strive to pray from your heart…be honest…be sincere. Most American churches struggle to get people to come out for prayer though people admit it would help them.

--It is so hard to get people to pray yet God has promised to rescue us when we pray. Have you ever had your back up against a wall and had no place to turn but to God in prayer? No hope! Like this story with Peter.

--Peter is in a prison where if he gets help, it will be from the church. If he gets food or clothes, it will be from them. About the only option he is looking at with Herod is death. So hopeless except that the church is praying.

Matthew 7:7-8 (NKJV)
⁷  "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
⁸  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

--The disciples are in a situation where everything seems hopeless but they remember what Jesus said…Ask and it will be given, seek and you shall find, knock and it will be opened. Normal becomes supernatural.

--Paul said that first of all men and women should pray, lifting up holy hands without wrath or doubting. Prayer should be the first thing. The church is full of knowledge but little prayer is going on.

--Imagine the prayer going up for Peter…Rescue our pastor, please don’t let them kill him, Oh, God, set him free. Can you imagine the tears? They didn’t pray just for a couple of minutes…they continued in prayer.

1. When people pray something from heaven shows up.

--There was an angel…a light showed up in the prison. When we pray here, God responds from heaven. We have not because we ask not. We need something supernatural from God. 

--Too much of what we have today has the smell of flesh instead of the touch of heaven. Quiet churches can be so predictable but so can the ones with everyone running around. We need heaven’s touch.

--If we control the services we leave no room for Holy Spirit to come. He has to work in our schedule not the other way around. Maybe you are here needing something from heaven…pray until heaven shows up!

2. When people pray God wakes people up.

--When the angel came to Peter, what did he do? He smote him in the side and woke him up. When God’s people pray…God wakes up those who are sleeping. Do you know anyone like that?

--Listen, we can go through all the motions of church, church life, going on vacations, living life and still be sleeping spiritually. We are so unaware of the battle spiritually going on around us. Wake up!

Ephesians 5:14-18 (NIV)
¹⁴  for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."
¹⁵  Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise,
¹⁶  making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
¹⁷  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.
¹⁸  Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 

--People are sleeping…we must pray until they wake up. Our son was sleeping. We had to pray until he woke up. We had to call until God answered…until Josh responded. Normal becomes supernatural. 

--Finney, before he would go to the next town to preach, would have people praying. Brother Nash traveled with him but was seldom in the meetings. He was praying and people were converted. Dynamic duo.

3. When people pray chains fall off.

--Chains are restrictive. If you have chains on your legs, you can’t run. When we pray personally we find a freedom we did not have before. A new ability or freedom to witness…no longer restricted.

--When we pray God sets people free. Listen, your prodigal can’t be worse off than Peter. I know with the opioid crisis we wonder if they can be free. They can! Pray! I was there before it was popular.

4. When people pray doors are opened. 

--Pastor, the door is not opening…pray! There’s a battle! Pray!

1 Corinthians 16:9 (NKJV)
⁹  For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.

--When God’s people pray…doors are opened just like for Peter. God opened the door and set him free. We don’t need a battering ram…we do not need to force it…God will open the door. Pray!

--Pray until the normal becomes supernatural.