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June 28, 2021 6:00 am
Let me ask you something. What's the most difficult situation you're facing right now.
What is it that so far out there. It would take a miracle. Maybe at your marriage problems when your kids are situation with your boss. I hope that you, I don't know what it is but we can talk today about how to bring God's supernatural power into your impossible situation stay with welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge Chip Ingram, Living on the Edges of international discipleship ministry featuring the Bible teaching of shipping in just a minute will begin chip series called the power of prayer for the next several programs you're going to learn how to hunt her connection with God. If your prayers feel dry.
This series will help you bring God's supernatural power directly into your life over that you have a Bible open it now to acts chapter 12 for chips message how to bring God's power into your impossible situation. I like you to think of a metal chalkboard in your mind like you to think for a second. What's the most impossible situation I would like to see God change what relationship, what finances what about me that you can't change and try to change it hasn't happened. It's impossible what just jot down the chalkboard of your mind. Got because I want you to read this passage and hear what God is going to say on the basis of him actually wanting to move in and out of hospital situation.
Now granted sometimes God says no and I understand all that but what I like to suggest is that God would like to say yes a lot more than any of us would ever dream. Let's pick up the situation in acts chapter 12 verses one through 19. It was about that time the King Herod arrested some belong to the church, intending to persecute them again James the brother John put the death with the sword and when he saw that that please the Jews.
He proceeded also to seize Peter. This happened during the feast of unleavened bread, and after arresting him he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each 16 guys the guard one guy Herod intended to bring them out for public trial after the Passover.
That's the situation. Verse five.
So Peter was kept in prison.
Sounds pretty impossible, doesn't it. Your brand-new multiplying church. Your against the entire Roman army. The fighting force of the land that controls the known world, and they have 16 soldiers surrounding your leader morning to find at night they put him in a cell and I have one man on one side and one on the other, and they have them change they don't want this elegant way so Peter was kept in prison but out of the church respond. The church was earnestly praying unto God for him. They didn't have any weapons. They did have the armies they send me an impossible situation is a beloved leader greatly is by God. We will earnestly pray specifically for Peter unto God for his deliverance.
Let's find out if God hears the prayers of people. When the church gathers that night before Herod was to bring them to trial. Night before his execution. Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains and Sentry stood guard at the entrance.
Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared in a light shown in the cell he struck Peter on the side and woke him up quick cannot be said and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. Then the angel said to him, put on your clothes and sandals and Peter did so wrap your cloak around you and follow me. The angel told him Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea what the angel was doing was really happening is little groggy right now he thought he was seen a vision they pass the first and the second guards.
They came to an iron gate leading to the city it open for them by itself and they went through it when they walked the length of one street suddenly the angel left him.
Then Peter came to himself, you know you can almost see him rubbing his eyes. The cold air hits his face now Peter, first of observation. How many of us would be asleep on the night before execution is skies resting in Christ. Secondly, how many of us if there was a crisis in this church. How many of us in the middle of night 2 AM 3 AM with think to themselves all. If I'm here.
I'm sure there's a prayer meeting going on praying for me to see the early church was built around an actual commitment to corporate prayer crisis problem need prayer. It's all through the Scriptures and so Peter ends up meeting were a large group is already praying he knocks on the outer entrance and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized his voice. He gets so excited and overjoyed. She runs back without opening it explains Peter that that are your your mind. They told her when she kept insisting it was so they similarly must be as angel, but Peter kept on knocking when they open the door and saw him, they were astonished God had done the impossible.
Peter motioned with his hands for them to be quiet and then he described how the Lord had brought them out of prisons and they told him, tell James and the brothers about this and he left for another place an impossible situation. The church responds in prayer. God responds through setting angel for deliverance. The faith of those people I met grew a little bit that night just so it could be in the annals of history. The author, Luke writes in the morning. There was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what become Peter con Epilog you back at the ranch. What happened in prison after Herod had a thorough search made for him. He didn't find him. He cross-examined the guards in order that they be executed and Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed for a while. It's a pretty simple story is about a way, this isn't about signs and wonders. This isn't about apostolic issues.
This isn't about gifts. This is about things that may have happened in the first century, the don't necessarily normatively happened today.
This is about an impossible situation and a group of people who took it seriously and prayed. No one I like to suggest is that there's four key principles we can learn from the early church so that we can bring God's power into our impossible situation, and all four of those I think are found in verse five. Put back the page or look in your Bible. Notice the impossible situation is Peter in prison but now look at these four phrases, but here's the first phrase number one.
The church, the gathering of God's people.
Number two was earnestly praying is continuous action and that word is a very specific word that will look at number three, they prayed on to God and number four they prayed for him. I like to take these in order of I think priority is there here, but in priority of learning how to pray to bring God's power supernatural power into your impossible situation.
The first thing I think we learned is that we must learn to pray on to God alone word to her unto the little preposition in Greek means before or before the face of God. It means motioned towards access to or nearness at something. Now some of you this point of St. Chip who do you think were praying. I mean, we pray to God what you mean. We must learn to pray on to God you and I like to suggest this is been most profound difference that I've learned my own prayer life. I like to suggest that maybe 50 to 75% of the time in your prayers and mine. We don't really pray on to God. Now I don't mean your praying for some false God but I like to suggest that most of the time when were really not conscious that when we pray our focus is on our words, our focus is on what we are saying.
Our focus is on other people in the room and how they might think about what we are saying or our focus is on pure autopilot.
Have you listen to your kids and sells praying groups how these little phrases keep popping up all Lord keep us safe. Protect all those that that that you know what I mean and I think what this passage means that the early church did.
When I prayed unto God is, they came and they knew and more conscious of. They were in the very presence of God and their focus was on to whom they were speaking and they were absolutely certain that they were talking to him, nothing in the difference think the difference is that about in your head and just letting your your your mouth start to go if you stopped and somehow like the picture in Revelation 5 or Isaiah 6, you realize choose the throne room of God and their seraphim flying holy, holy, holy, and he's in unapproachable light and is all-powerful and then combined with that, the Lamb of God and his goodness and his tenderness in his love and his desire to bless and draw you near what in your mind before you said a word. You realize, to God I tell you, it will transform your prayer when you consciously become aware and take time to focus on who is your speaking to all the sudden the size of your problems begin to shrink in your emotional struggles begin to shrink because it's like bringing you know Penny and nickel and dime issues to a multi-multibillionaire can he change a relationship like that. Can he peel a body like that. Can he turn the situation around at work, praying unto God is coming unto God with an awareness of who he really is. Before you say a word and then being certain that you're actually talking to him RA Torrey writes in his book I wrote down the quote we should never under one syllable of prayer either in public or in private until we are definitely conscious that we have come into the presence of God and we are really speaking to him. Can you imagine if you will, regardless of your political persuasion if the president of the United States, all the heads of Europe all the hands of the entire world. The top 10 or 12 nations came and formed a tribunal to have the power to push buttons. They have all the control of all the resources and they said we are going to give you an audience with the leaders of the top 12 countries in the world. You can ask what everyone for no guarantees of how long you will be allowed to talk, but these people have the power to do anything you want.
How would you prepare for that meeting. Would you just flippantly walk and say, gosh I guys.
I'm sure glad to hear, let me come talk to you and you not know what I really need that youwere in. I'll tell you what I think carefully about every word that can come out of my mouth before those people and if they gave me a chance to ask for something I would've pondered. What's the most important thing I really want from and if we would do that before humans.
How much more do we need to come before God recognize who he really is and really aware that your speaking to him I will transform your prayer life really been trying to practice this and you not trying to ponder his attributes. I remember reading about Martin Luther and how he would that read through's carefully the Lord's prayer and then recite the 10 Commandments in a number of things just to remember who God wasn't in my heart I just never get we can't come to get a jumpstart. I just couldn't get close to God and my Bible was open. It was where I was normally reading and Psalm 121 was open. I thought just glance of Psalm before I pray I need to remember who God is.
I glanced down this as I lift up my eyes to the hills from where does my help come my help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He won't let your foot slip. He who watches over you never slumbers nor sleeps and goes on talks about his goodness will be your shade at your right hand and how he longs for you to come in and he'll protect you and love you and all the sudden the lights came on, I realized God wants me to talk. This is a safe place. This is one is holy and infinite, and powerful, and yet he desires Chip Ingram to come today and talk is like the heavens open. Let me ask you, are you praying unto God. Are you really aware of who you're speaking to, and are you certain that as you speak your really talking that raises a couple questions doesn't some of you might say will. Gosh, maybe who will maybe maybe God just works this way for people like chipper for pastors or missionaries or whoever else. How can I know that I could come into God's presence and then how can I know for sure that God is really going to hear me let me give you the assurance. It has nothing to do with your status. It has nothing to do with your merit the basis of our assurance before God's throne is the work of Christ on the cross. The way that you can know and I can know and every single person on this earth who knows Jesus in a personal saving way that when you come before God, you have access for the very throne room of God. Look at the verse I put down Hebrews 1019 it says. Therefore, brothers, we have confidence to enter the most holy place for the holy of holies, for God's power in were the most intimate expression of his person is and how do you get there by the blood of Jesus your merit your absolute guarantee that you can come into the presence of the Almighty Creator of the universe isn't because you've been a good boy or good girl today.
It's by a blonde Christ. The problem the case may from God is my sin. And when he died on the cross he paid for your sin. When he rose from the dead and seated at the right hand of God, he pioneered a trail that you and I have absolute confidence right before the throne of God on the basis of not your spirituality but on the basis of his finished work on the cross as powerful people you can know for sure. On the second question that may come up is the what if there's some issues in my life that need to be taken care of. Great first John 19 first John teaches that not only did he do that once and for all but the blood of Christ keeps on cleansing.
If there's an issue between you and another person, or God confess your sin, and he says he'll cleanse you and forgive you and then he'll draw near second issue is what that's how we have basis. But how does it actually work you know and I know at least in our experience, some of those of you that a walk with the Lord for a while. There's times where were you pray and I can explain it, but there's times of such intimacy with God, with your eyes shut. I feel like I can almost reach out and touch in his other times when I pray that I'm trying as hard as I can try to be, then there is like.
I'm not sure my prayers make it to the ceiling. You know what I'm talking about and I don't any desire to praying I feel dry. I know I ought to, and I know I should want to I don't feel close to God. I had these big dry feelings and when you do that, how can we know and how can we break through what's the means of access. The Scriptures very clear here. The means of access into God's presence 24 hours a day is by his spirit.
You see, the Scripture teaches. We pray to the father we pray on the basis or through the sun and we pray in the spirit it's the spirits ministry you what his ministry is his ministry in prayer is to take you by the hand and me by the hand and personally escorted us to the very throne room of God to make God's presence real in our hearts and in our experiences. It's true in reality there's no barriers between us and God.
Because of the work of the cross. But in our experience often doesn't John out and so it's the work of the Spirit to do that, notice the verse here from Ephesians 218 it says, for through him.
Christ, we have access and that word means introduction into God's presence to the father how by one spirit the other day I was praying. I'm trying to find this to my life and I had one of those bounce off the ceiling times what you do you just say you what I've often done cannot be candid with you upright a few generic prayers and said well I guess I'm just not into it too much today and pray more later today, which I usually don't do oral pray tomorrow harder, which I usually don't.
That's when you need to pray the most and you know what the spirits ministry the promises.
The promises that you can sit quietly and say Lord I know that I can't pray apart from the Holy Spirit's ministry and you promise that he will leave me by the hand and take me to the very throne room of God and make God real in my experience, and so you can sit quietly and say God the Holy Spirit. Will you please right now. Take me to the throne room of God and make the experience and the reality of God real in my heart and then sit quietly believe and expect that God will do that and you know what he will took me about 10 or 12, maybe 15 minutes.
I struggled my struggle and I finally prayed that I sat quietly and in all the old books the old books about people who really prayed they have a little phrase you don't hear much is called breaking through or praying through. There's many a time, it may take 10 to 15 minutes, maybe even a little bit more the kind of breakthrough in most must quit before we break through until heaven opens up in the spirit of God assures you in and God wants to do that and he wants us to pray unto God, the majority this message is on this because if we don't do this, the rusty things don't matter much to believing first who it is that were talking to and being assured that were actually talking to him. The basis is the blood of Christ, the means of access is the Holy Spirit, and I would encourage you before you utter a syllable in prayer, either publicly or privately, you stop and say God I want to remember who you are and I want to make sure that I'm speaking to you, not to the people in praying or not just get my prayers.
You will experience a radical transformation in your life. The second thing he says that we need to do is that we need to pray earnestly the word earnestly. Here is the compound word and has two parts. The first cleaning out in the second half of this word means stretch the idea of our English word, we get the word pretension is translated in first Peter 122 is deeply or fervently. It's a word used in Luke 2244 where Jesus is praying and then he sees the disciples and he goes back to pray and it says therefore, in any he prayed more earnestly, as he was doing battle.
The idea here is focused intent and passion.
It's coming to God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. Think I need business I want what I'm asking of you. I'm not going through the motions. Those of you that have had children to member. Time one of your little children when the temperature went on into and then the temperature went about 103 and then went 204 at how your your prayers changed never sat there with a tiny little baby that's burning up or when you're little kids all tell you what, you don't pray to the Lord. We would really like if it's in your will, according to your sovereign plan to bless this child according to your divine purpose is baloney.
You hear a mom or dad next to that baby won't God. God save my child what he saying he's going to come to God like we only need to come to who are really talking to earnestly the word needs to be stretched out your soul be stretched out before God's sake. God hear our cry, and even the evidence of when you really mean business level of your perseverance.
The third thing we need to learn to do is we need to pray corporately.
We need to pray unto God, we need to pray earnestly we need to pray corporately that I get that from the little phrase the church earnestly prayed unto God for him, the church. The meaning of the word of the church means the assembly or the gathered ones.
The Equus Io. The church was born.
It grew and it exploded in the context of a commitment and belief that the body of Christ gathered for intercession is the most powerful force on the earth. I dare you to read through the book of acts and prove me wrong.
The early church believe that the most powerful force on this earth to in the body of Christ gathered and approached Jesus and the father and the power the Holy Spirit and they asked in unity and if you don't believe me do a quick sketch. The early church was born, where out of the prayer meeting. Chapter 1 of acts when Jesus ascended he said pay you go wait and go pray right.
Chapter 2 Pentecost came during what they were praying. Chapter 3 the first miracle where were Peter and John on their way to Peter and John are on their way to prayer meeting when they do the miracle chapter 4 they get beat up, thrown into prison. Then they get let out and they come back to the church when they say, who are we to get to suffer like this for Christ and then they prayed for more effectiveness and the ground shook by chapter 6 the whole structure of the church changed. They had elders and deacons. Why one simple reason because the leadership said we must give ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. What was Cornelius doing when God revealed himself to him is pray. What was Peter doing when God revealed himself in chapter 10 to go talk to Cornelius.
He was praying, where the first missionaries come from acts 13 what what were they doing when they called Poland's Barnabas out there pray historically and globally.
You'll find every great movement of God is tied with people who begin to lay hold of what's true about prayer. You can look at the Wesley brothers, Jonathan Edwards. You can go back to the Reformation or you can go over to Korea today where God is moving marvelously and you'll find the churches or in the morning five in the morning six in the morning.
Hundreds of thousands of people pray daily corporately application. I think we present church. You know, in terms of rural corporate priority coming together to pray for week but it would seem to me if our church believe in prayer we had the kind of crisis there'd be about 300 people there on Tuesday night for corporate prayer instead of 30. Now if you got a commitment and it's God's will.
Don't come but if you want to see God work in a supernatural way that check you on Tuesday and must get before God must believe what the New Testament says and let's call out to him and you will be a part of the work of God except the final point. Not only is it unto God and earnestly and corporately, we must pray specifically did you notice it's for him.
I think that we pray a lot of vague generalities about God's will, working out all things in our every want to work and I know your sovereign in any of that's true. I think were bailing out. Oh God, whatever you want to happen when you want to have as a father or a parent allow mileage your kids at all. Mother and father whatever you want for for for dinner is fine with me.
It's just great. Whatever you want to give me for my birthday is apparent what you want to know son and daughter what you want to bring specific joy in your heart is apparently doing function you'll never see God's power until you start praying specifically, I put my top 14 things specific things impossible in the life of members of my family for my life.
This church right specific things down with throne of God the eternal God of the universe doesn't want to bring our into your possible be right back with his application. This message how to bring God's power into your impossible situation from this series the power of prayer, whether you're a new Christian or a seasoned follower of Christ. Prayer is absolutely essential to our relationship with God is how we communicate with them as his children, we are given free access anytime, anywhere. But how does that actually work in this series, you'll discover the steps to developing a dynamic prayer life. How to remove common roadblocks to answer prayer and what it means to pray with confidence for limited time the resources for the power of prayer are discounted and the MP3s are always free for additional ordering and pricing details, visit LivingontheEdge.org or give us a call at 8883336003 hapless nurse top special offers go to power in our prayers is something we hear about or read about. But most of us hardly ever experience know you were kind emits a boater remember till you come across a book that really changed your perspective. Could you take a minute and talk about the will. Dave, I have to confess I am one of those Christians even as a pastor that I aspire, do not I read this passage in acts and you all through the Bible a just God's power.
I mean, one of my professors his great line was power falls where prayer prevails and I believe that I've seen.
It happened that was very intermittent in my life to be very honest. And I remember it was a season is a pastor and put the needs got overwhelming and I felt so deeply inadequate and I happen to have a little break and my wife and I would often go up to little cabin some friends had on Lake daughter and I would sit out on this little dock near the water and I was just asking God. Lord I week, we need your power I the pastor I'm in desperate need of the kind of power that I'm reading about and my wife had told me probably for a year chip. You had a really read this book. Chip you got a really read this book Chip. You gotta really treat his book well yet yet honey thank you thank you thank you thank you it was a old old book by a man name are a Tory called the power of prayer and for some of you that name is like oh yeah, that was the guy that worked with DL Moody and helped launch Moody Bible Institute and traveled around the world and for many of you are a Tory as you've never heard that in your life. It was a very old book on the power of prayer and my wife.
I won't embarrass her too much. She prays like no one that I know I don't mean that she prays more or better than other people. I'm sure there are others that pray more deeply and longer and more powerfully than her. I just never met them and I lived with this person who prays at a level and sees answers at a level my whole life. I just wanted to be more like her so. Finally, on the stock and I to myself, you know, maybe I should list and so I read this book and it was like oh my, I mean I just got nailed but I got nailed in a good way.
It was like oh this is how you do it. This is how it works. This is how to experience the super natural power of God in prayer for regular people like you and me who wish that we pray deeper and longer and better and saw more answers. This series is for us. I think you can love bites for the trip will we do hope you lick plans to be with us for this entire series as we unpack what it means to pray with power. If you have it was a program you can always listen on the Chip Ingram up horrid LivingontheEdge.org okay Chip, let's get to that application. As we close today's program.
I want you to lean back where ever you are and I want you to really ask yourself what is the most impossible situation you're facing a find sometimes even as followers of the Lord Jesus.
We we just assume will that's impossible. It'll never change, and yet all through the New Testament we see God work in miraculous ways.
Not saying he's always going to do a miracle in every situation, but he has and he may just want to intervene in a way for you and sometimes I think, well, I've prayed about that.
I've asked nothing happened. And so, let's just pause for a moment I want you to really think what we learn today. First, are you really praying unto God, you know, we all get tired and we just say words are you really recognizing who in fact you're praying to his power, his Majesty, his love as second unit. Are you praying earnestly, I know with me. There's times where I hear words coming out of my mouth but there's not an earnestness. There's not a passion there's not a sense of hope. God, I really want this from you and I really mean it.
If third you don't have you brought people into your life to pray with you. There's amazing power all through the New Testament in church history movements of God.
Have you asked two or three people, or even the whole church say let's come together and ask God to intervene and then finally, are you praying specifically, one of the big house in my entire life was stopped praying, old Lord, you know, bless so-and-so or help my kids did turn out rider would you give me a better marriage and I started praying very specific things and I got to see God do very specific answers.
So let's go on a journey together and really learn how to get answered prayer a reality in our lives. It'll couple of the points the Chip just made our right off his message notes go to LivingontheEdge.org and click the broadcasts tab hapless nurse top fill in the notes just before we close Otis a thank you to those who make this program possible through your generous financial support from today's program helpful but have never supported us financially. There's never been a better time than right now. When you give a gift to Living on the Edge. It'll be matched dollar for dollar, thanks to some very generous friends of the ministry making a donation is easy just go to LivingontheEdge.org Donate only up or give us a call at AAA 83336003 that's AAA 333-6003 on behalf of Chip and everyone here. Thank you in advance for your generosity. Until next time. This is the very thing thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge