WEBVTT 00:00:09.860 --> 00:00:12.679 Hey everyone, this is Josh from Encounter Church 00:00:12.679 --> 00:00:15.279 Henley and thanks so much for tuning into our 00:00:15.279 --> 00:00:19.000 podcast. Our prayer is that through this podcast, 00:00:19.019 --> 00:00:20.879 you can have an encounter with Jesus that will 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:24.359 change your life. And now get ready for an inspiring 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:28.839 message from our preaching team. All right. Beautiful 00:00:28.839 --> 00:00:31.500 hills, cold summer's morning, tractor. It's my 00:00:31.500 --> 00:00:34.799 job to drive this. Basically, it's a tractor 00:00:34.799 --> 00:00:37.799 with a big trailer on the back that catches the 00:00:37.799 --> 00:00:39.939 grain that's picked up from the header. Now, 00:00:39.939 --> 00:00:42.179 if you don't know what a header is, it's this 00:00:42.179 --> 00:00:49.679 guy. Now. I was near the entrance to a particular 00:00:49.679 --> 00:00:52.020 paddock that we would be harvesting, and I was 00:00:52.020 --> 00:00:54.259 getting myself situated in the tractor, getting 00:00:54.259 --> 00:00:57.359 all comfy, seatbelt on, systems going, and then 00:00:57.359 --> 00:01:00.100 I heard a call from my uncle on the UHF, which 00:01:00.100 --> 00:01:03.219 is like a walkie -talkie thing, and he was asking 00:01:03.219 --> 00:01:05.299 me to come over to the header because he was 00:01:05.299 --> 00:01:08.099 ready to offload the grain that he had collected. 00:01:08.920 --> 00:01:11.819 Now, while I've driven a tractor or two in my 00:01:11.819 --> 00:01:14.719 time, I was not so used to driving them in paddocks 00:01:14.719 --> 00:01:18.239 with hills. I grew up on the Wakefield Plains, 00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:21.700 so you would assume flat. Well, think again. 00:01:22.200 --> 00:01:24.659 I didn't think too much of this particular hill, 00:01:24.739 --> 00:01:27.500 which was my first mistake, and I send it straight 00:01:27.500 --> 00:01:30.879 up what I thought was a moderate hill, maybe 00:01:30.879 --> 00:01:34.159 more like a mound. But on my way up, the tractor 00:01:34.159 --> 00:01:38.159 started to slow down. It didn't sound so hot 00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:42.209 and then started to roll backwards. I'd never 00:01:42.209 --> 00:01:44.829 been in this situation, so I slammed on the brakes, 00:01:45.109 --> 00:01:48.230 and because a tractor is heavy, I had to stand 00:01:48.230 --> 00:01:50.390 up with my full weight on the brakes to keep 00:01:50.390 --> 00:01:53.269 it manually in limbo from the top and the bottom 00:01:53.269 --> 00:01:58.230 of this hill. Going backwards isn't great for 00:01:58.230 --> 00:02:01.209 a tractor, and even less so for someone who doesn't 00:02:01.209 --> 00:02:03.469 know how to go backwards without breaking something. 00:02:04.329 --> 00:02:08.610 I was properly stuck. Not just a little bit stuck, 00:02:08.849 --> 00:02:12.620 I was properly stuck. I couldn't bear the shame 00:02:12.620 --> 00:02:15.000 of using the UHF to call for help from my uncle 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:17.840 since with how those work, all of the farmers 00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:20.060 in nearby paddocks would also hear me calling 00:02:20.060 --> 00:02:24.639 for help. So I called my friends who was working 00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:27.060 in another paddock nearby. They jumped in the 00:02:27.060 --> 00:02:31.879 tractor and got us safely down the bottom. Being 00:02:31.879 --> 00:02:35.879 stuck ain't so hot. In that moment, I pretended 00:02:35.879 --> 00:02:39.719 I wasn't stuck. I sounded so very calm when I 00:02:39.719 --> 00:02:43.659 called my friend. But really, I was stuck. I 00:02:43.659 --> 00:02:45.599 couldn't press the brakes down for much longer 00:02:45.599 --> 00:02:47.939 and was desperately waiting for them to come 00:02:47.939 --> 00:02:52.259 in, do their pharma magic and get us safe. We 00:02:52.259 --> 00:02:55.419 like to think that we're strong. We like to think 00:02:55.419 --> 00:02:58.439 that we could never really be that stuck. But 00:02:58.439 --> 00:03:02.599 in reality, sometimes stuff happens and we find 00:03:02.599 --> 00:03:05.539 ourselves exactly where we don't want to be. 00:03:06.280 --> 00:03:09.659 Our Western culture insulates us from our stuckness 00:03:09.659 --> 00:03:12.479 and keeps us at an arm's distance from anything 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:15.860 that could really hurt us or suggest anything 00:03:15.860 --> 00:03:20.060 other than invincible. We like this. It feels 00:03:20.060 --> 00:03:23.139 really good to be self -sufficient, to want for 00:03:23.139 --> 00:03:28.379 nothing, but really, it's a facade. Rarely are 00:03:28.379 --> 00:03:31.479 we reminded of our humanness and of our weakness. 00:03:32.280 --> 00:03:36.099 But when we are, we recognize that our need is 00:03:36.099 --> 00:03:41.500 far greater than our strength. In Acts 12, we 00:03:41.500 --> 00:03:45.340 find Peter properly stuck. Personally, I read 00:03:45.340 --> 00:03:47.280 these stories and I forget sometimes that if 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:49.620 I was in the same situation as Peter, it wouldn't 00:03:49.620 --> 00:03:52.479 just be a cool story with a meaningful ending. 00:03:52.979 --> 00:03:55.139 I'd actually be stuck. It would not be good. 00:03:55.580 --> 00:03:58.639 Being in prison is not a good place to be. But 00:03:58.639 --> 00:04:02.819 how did he get there and why? This passage is 00:04:02.819 --> 00:04:04.960 in the book of the Acts of the Apostles which 00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:07.919 comes right after a gospel accounts of the life, 00:04:08.199 --> 00:04:11.939 death and resurrection of Jesus. Now those who 00:04:11.939 --> 00:04:14.000 have gone to an Easter service or two in their 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:17.420 time would know that Jesus was persecuted by 00:04:17.420 --> 00:04:20.420 the high Jewish religious officials, the Pharisees, 00:04:20.639 --> 00:04:23.959 and sentenced to death on the cross. He hadn't 00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:27.079 committed a crime, but simply the Pharisees wanted 00:04:27.079 --> 00:04:30.240 him gone as they thought he was defaming God. 00:04:30.410 --> 00:04:37.990 when really he was and is God. Now, how often 00:04:37.990 --> 00:04:42.629 do you think about the Roman Empire? Probably 00:04:42.629 --> 00:04:46.449 all the time, right? If not, here's some background 00:04:46.449 --> 00:04:49.149 that you might need to know. At this time in 00:04:49.149 --> 00:04:52.029 history, King Herod Agrippa I was the ruling 00:04:52.029 --> 00:04:54.470 king of Judea, which is where this story is set. 00:04:55.170 --> 00:04:57.850 And within Judea lived both Jewish and Roman 00:04:57.850 --> 00:05:00.899 people. King Herod is said to have been fairly 00:05:00.899 --> 00:05:03.519 well liked by the Romans but essentially wanted 00:05:03.519 --> 00:05:06.480 to gain political favor with the Jewish because 00:05:06.480 --> 00:05:08.459 he didn't have that yet since he wasn't Jewish. 00:05:09.860 --> 00:05:12.879 So how did he go about doing that? Persecuting 00:05:12.879 --> 00:05:15.860 the church. The Jewish people liked it when they 00:05:15.860 --> 00:05:17.899 did this to Jesus when he was persecuted too. 00:05:18.780 --> 00:05:21.959 We read that King Herod already killed a key 00:05:21.959 --> 00:05:24.199 figure in the early church, the Apostle James, 00:05:24.339 --> 00:05:26.680 by the sword, which is a polite way of saying 00:05:26.680 --> 00:05:29.120 that he chopped his head off. And this pleased 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:32.360 the Jewish people, so he arrested Peter and intended 00:05:32.360 --> 00:05:35.620 to do the same with him. Let's pick it up from 00:05:35.620 --> 00:05:41.579 Acts 12 verse 4. Then he imprisoned him, Peter, 00:05:42.060 --> 00:05:44.860 placing him under the guard of four squads of 00:05:44.860 --> 00:05:48.389 four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring Peter 00:05:48.389 --> 00:05:51.730 out for public trial after the Passover. But 00:05:51.730 --> 00:05:54.410 while Peter was in prison, the church prayed 00:05:54.410 --> 00:05:58.629 very earnestly for him. The night before, Peter 00:05:58.629 --> 00:06:01.949 was to be placed on trial. He was asleep, fastened 00:06:01.949 --> 00:06:05.329 with two chains between two soldiers. Others 00:06:05.329 --> 00:06:08.649 stood guard at the prison gate. We'll get to 00:06:08.649 --> 00:06:11.310 the church praying earnestly in a second. But 00:06:11.310 --> 00:06:14.430 first, I need you to understand just how stuck 00:06:14.430 --> 00:06:17.639 Peter is. Now, I don't know much about prisons 00:06:17.639 --> 00:06:19.819 nowadays. A prison ministry team can tell you 00:06:19.819 --> 00:06:23.100 all about it. Chat to Mel Huxwell. But this was 00:06:23.100 --> 00:06:26.120 the equivalent to a maximum security prison of 00:06:26.120 --> 00:06:28.959 the day. Here's a photo of where some scholars 00:06:28.959 --> 00:06:32.480 think he could have been put. This is the Fortress 00:06:32.480 --> 00:06:36.519 Antonia. But we don't actually know. Now, it 00:06:36.519 --> 00:06:39.100 was normal in this period to be cuffed to one 00:06:39.100 --> 00:06:41.819 soldier. But for Peter... They chained him to 00:06:41.819 --> 00:06:44.600 two, with more people guarding him outside of 00:06:44.600 --> 00:06:48.600 his area in multiple squads. Let's get a tally 00:06:48.600 --> 00:06:51.699 going. Peter has a lot of soldiers watching him, 00:06:52.019 --> 00:06:56.100 16 actually, four squads of four soldiers. He's 00:06:56.100 --> 00:06:59.699 bound between two chains, sleeps between said 00:06:59.699 --> 00:07:02.819 soldiers, is in this big jail fortress place, 00:07:02.959 --> 00:07:06.259 and it's the night before he's set to go on trial. 00:07:06.589 --> 00:07:09.329 And this isn't a trial like we have nowadays. 00:07:09.730 --> 00:07:13.730 The accused has no rights in this trial. So basically 00:07:13.730 --> 00:07:17.410 whatever King Herod says goes. And at least with 00:07:17.410 --> 00:07:22.949 James, the King says kill him. There is no hope 00:07:22.949 --> 00:07:27.329 for Peter. None at all. Escape is impossible. 00:07:27.990 --> 00:07:30.810 He's about to die. Herod's track record says 00:07:30.810 --> 00:07:34.509 so at least. The Jewish people hate him. Death 00:07:34.509 --> 00:07:39.170 is imminent. What do you do in this situation? 00:07:40.529 --> 00:07:43.850 Apparently, Peter sleeps, which is either a powerful 00:07:43.850 --> 00:07:47.050 example of his faith in God, or he's wrecked 00:07:47.050 --> 00:07:49.089 with grief, and the only thing that he can think 00:07:49.089 --> 00:07:52.949 to do is sleep. But what does the Church do? 00:07:54.470 --> 00:07:57.889 Even in the most hopeless of situations, it says 00:07:57.889 --> 00:08:03.810 the Church prayed very earnestly for him. Earnest 00:08:03.810 --> 00:08:07.439 prayer. Other translations of the Bible call 00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:11.480 it fervent prayer or intense prayer, unceasing 00:08:11.480 --> 00:08:17.860 or persistent prayer, earnest prayer. What would 00:08:17.860 --> 00:08:24.060 it take to drive you to earnest prayer? Personally, 00:08:24.379 --> 00:08:27.139 the first time that I can remember truly calling 00:08:27.139 --> 00:08:29.800 out to God in earnest prayer was about seven 00:08:29.800 --> 00:08:32.899 or eight years ago. I was a year or so into high 00:08:32.899 --> 00:08:35.279 school and just stepping into the real world 00:08:35.279 --> 00:08:37.539 when it comes to emotions and real life struggles. 00:08:38.679 --> 00:08:41.039 My best friend at the time was a guy who happened 00:08:41.039 --> 00:08:43.980 to live a fair distance away from me and we'd 00:08:43.980 --> 00:08:46.240 chat on the phone and text fairly often and kept 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:49.720 each other up to date about our lives. Over time, 00:08:50.200 --> 00:08:51.960 I noticed that he seemed to be acting a little 00:08:51.960 --> 00:08:55.139 off and so I asked, as we often would, how he 00:08:55.139 --> 00:08:58.940 was going. Eventually, after some persistence 00:08:58.940 --> 00:09:02.320 and not accepting I'm fine, as the answer, he 00:09:02.320 --> 00:09:05.100 shared with me that he had been suffering with 00:09:05.100 --> 00:09:07.919 some quite severe mental health issues and was 00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:12.039 starting to consider giving up. As a teenager 00:09:12.039 --> 00:09:15.220 hearing this, I had no idea what to do with that. 00:09:15.919 --> 00:09:19.779 I was hurt. I felt scared. I love my best friend. 00:09:20.200 --> 00:09:23.200 And hearing the depths of his pain was heartbreaking. 00:09:24.259 --> 00:09:27.179 I asked him, am I the only person who knows about 00:09:27.179 --> 00:09:31.950 this? And it turns out For the most part I was, 00:09:32.070 --> 00:09:34.230 apart from the medical staff who had supported 00:09:34.230 --> 00:09:36.389 him in an attempt on his own life previously. 00:09:38.110 --> 00:09:41.470 I began to talk to this friend constantly. And 00:09:41.470 --> 00:09:43.610 now while it is good to stay in touch with someone 00:09:43.610 --> 00:09:45.490 who's having these thoughts and good to talk 00:09:45.490 --> 00:09:48.629 directly with them about it, this was too much. 00:09:48.909 --> 00:09:52.990 It was almost constant communication. I heard 00:09:52.990 --> 00:09:55.029 the depth of his struggle and because I love 00:09:55.029 --> 00:09:57.309 him a lot, I couldn't bear the possibility of 00:09:57.309 --> 00:10:00.139 him not being there anymore. So while I encouraged 00:10:00.139 --> 00:10:02.820 him to seek help and loved on him the best I 00:10:02.820 --> 00:10:07.580 could, my capacity was waning. It was almost 00:10:07.580 --> 00:10:10.340 a daily night shift in communication supporting 00:10:10.340 --> 00:10:13.440 him and after many 2 to 4 a .m. nights of texting 00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:19.940 I was wrecked. But I couldn't just sleep. What 00:10:19.940 --> 00:10:22.240 if he texts me in the night and I didn't respond? 00:10:23.340 --> 00:10:25.799 In a moment of complete weakness I broke down 00:10:25.799 --> 00:10:29.320 before God. I sank to my knees. and I prayed 00:10:29.320 --> 00:10:31.980 the most earnest prayer that I can remember ever 00:10:31.980 --> 00:10:35.840 praying to God. There weren't many words. All 00:10:35.840 --> 00:10:39.679 I can recall really saying is, please, God, help 00:10:39.679 --> 00:10:44.259 me. But in that moment, I felt God's presence 00:10:44.259 --> 00:10:47.759 enter the room. It's hard to describe if you 00:10:47.759 --> 00:10:50.120 haven't felt it before, but it's like someone 00:10:50.120 --> 00:10:53.039 was sitting there next to me. Like the gravity 00:10:53.039 --> 00:10:55.500 around me had shifted and there was this holy 00:10:55.500 --> 00:10:58.460 warmth that I so desperately desperately needed. 00:10:59.340 --> 00:11:02.220 I felt in that moment that my friend was safe 00:11:02.220 --> 00:11:05.519 and that in my weakness and surrender to God 00:11:05.519 --> 00:11:09.059 that he was watching over him. I felt I could 00:11:09.059 --> 00:11:12.519 sleep in peace knowing that God saw my helplessness 00:11:12.519 --> 00:11:15.399 and I was no longer alone in supporting my friend. 00:11:16.259 --> 00:11:19.559 I was delivered and praise be to God my friend 00:11:19.559 --> 00:11:24.159 is still alive today. But let me ask you again, 00:11:24.779 --> 00:11:28.639 what would it take to drive you to earnest prayer? 00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:33.000 Although we wish it didn't, sometimes it takes 00:11:33.000 --> 00:11:36.139 us trying everything else in our human power 00:11:36.139 --> 00:11:39.899 and knowing that some things only God can fix. 00:11:41.159 --> 00:11:43.620 And hopeless as it was, the church interceded 00:11:43.620 --> 00:11:47.399 in prayer for Peter. When we find ourselves stuck, 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:51.720 what should we do? In our weakness, we must pray. 00:11:52.679 --> 00:11:57.360 Okay, so what happens to Peter? Acts 12, seven. 00:11:57.860 --> 00:12:00.500 Suddenly there was a bright light in the cell 00:12:00.500 --> 00:12:03.320 and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. 00:12:03.960 --> 00:12:06.340 The angel struck him on the side to awaken him 00:12:06.340 --> 00:12:10.019 and said, quick, get up. And the chains fell 00:12:10.019 --> 00:12:12.980 off his wrists. Then the angel told him, get 00:12:12.980 --> 00:12:16.019 dressed, put on your sandals. And he did. Now 00:12:16.019 --> 00:12:18.080 put on your coat and follow me, the angel ordered. 00:12:18.440 --> 00:12:21.799 So Peter left the cell following the angel but 00:12:21.799 --> 00:12:24.720 all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn't 00:12:24.720 --> 00:12:27.379 realize it was actually happening. Now I read 00:12:27.379 --> 00:12:29.220 this and I picture it like when you slept in 00:12:29.220 --> 00:12:31.259 as a kid and the sun started to come through 00:12:31.259 --> 00:12:33.200 the window but you're not really up and your 00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:35.340 mum's coming in, you've got to get ready, throwing 00:12:35.340 --> 00:12:37.700 the clothes. Peter's not doing anything here, 00:12:37.899 --> 00:12:41.100 it's the angel. They passed the first and second 00:12:41.100 --> 00:12:43.659 guard posts and came to the iron gate leading 00:12:43.659 --> 00:12:47.080 to the city. And this opened for them all by 00:12:47.080 --> 00:12:50.559 itself. So they passed through and started walking 00:12:50.559 --> 00:12:53.879 down the street. And then the angel suddenly 00:12:53.879 --> 00:12:57.779 left him. Peter finally came to his senses. It's 00:12:57.779 --> 00:13:01.179 really true, he says. The Lord has sent his angel 00:13:01.179 --> 00:13:04.440 and saved me from Herod and what the Jewish leaders 00:13:04.440 --> 00:13:09.580 had planned to do to me. Praise God. Peter is 00:13:09.580 --> 00:13:12.019 delivered by the hand of God and through the 00:13:12.019 --> 00:13:16.500 intercession of the church, Peter is saved. How 00:13:16.500 --> 00:13:19.620 powerful is our God? I think we need to be reminded 00:13:19.620 --> 00:13:22.419 sometimes that the God we worship isn't a moral 00:13:22.419 --> 00:13:26.399 idea or a meditative state. Our God is the creator 00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:29.740 of the world, redeemer of humanity and sustainer 00:13:29.740 --> 00:13:32.850 of all that is good and holy. He has the power 00:13:32.850 --> 00:13:35.950 to do all things and change even the most hopeless 00:13:35.950 --> 00:13:39.610 situation. He moved in power then, he will move 00:13:39.610 --> 00:13:44.169 in power today. Verse 12, Peter, when he realized 00:13:44.169 --> 00:13:46.929 this, went to the home of Mary, the mother of 00:13:46.929 --> 00:13:49.549 John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer. 00:13:49.950 --> 00:13:52.169 He knocked at the door in the gate and a servant 00:13:52.169 --> 00:13:55.769 girl named Rhoda came to open it. When she recognized 00:13:55.769 --> 00:13:58.870 Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that instead 00:13:58.870 --> 00:14:01.759 of opening the door for him, She ran back inside 00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:03.700 and told everyone Peter's standing at the door. 00:14:04.360 --> 00:14:06.080 I love that she keeps him hanging. Like they 00:14:06.080 --> 00:14:07.840 could be officials chasing for him any second 00:14:07.840 --> 00:14:11.799 now, but anyway. Verse 15, you're out of your 00:14:11.799 --> 00:14:14.419 mind, they said. And when she insisted, they 00:14:14.419 --> 00:14:18.139 decided it must be his angel. In other words, 00:14:18.200 --> 00:14:22.200 he must have died. Meanwhile, Peter continued 00:14:22.200 --> 00:14:24.779 knocking. And when they finally opened the door 00:14:24.779 --> 00:14:28.169 and saw him, they were amazed. He motioned for 00:14:28.169 --> 00:14:30.529 them to quiet down and told them how the Lord 00:14:30.529 --> 00:14:33.110 had led him out of prison. Tell James and the 00:14:33.110 --> 00:14:35.730 other brothers what happened, he said, and then 00:14:35.730 --> 00:14:39.450 he went to another place. I find this passage 00:14:39.450 --> 00:14:44.029 deeply comforting. The church is deep in intercession, 00:14:44.289 --> 00:14:46.450 still in non -stop prayer in the middle of the 00:14:46.450 --> 00:14:49.990 night, yet when Peter comes knocking, couldn't 00:14:49.990 --> 00:14:54.149 be Peter, they didn't expect him to rock up. 00:14:54.269 --> 00:14:56.750 The church is moved to pray, they know prayer 00:14:56.750 --> 00:14:59.250 is powerful, but there's still a sense of, well, 00:14:59.710 --> 00:15:03.129 couldn't really be him, could it? These people 00:15:03.129 --> 00:15:06.149 of the early church aren't spiritual elites. 00:15:06.669 --> 00:15:09.350 They have the same spirit living in them as we 00:15:09.350 --> 00:15:12.970 do. Yet their doubt did not stop them from praying 00:15:12.970 --> 00:15:17.190 for what they know is impossible. The passage 00:15:17.190 --> 00:15:19.629 goes on to say that at dawn, there was a great 00:15:19.629 --> 00:15:22.210 commotion amongst the soldiers about what had 00:15:22.210 --> 00:15:25.340 happened to Peter. Herod Agrippa ordered a thorough 00:15:25.340 --> 00:15:28.480 search for him, and when he couldn't be found, 00:15:28.759 --> 00:15:31.080 Herod interrogated the guards and sentenced them 00:15:31.080 --> 00:15:34.720 to death. Afterward, Herod left Judea to stay 00:15:34.720 --> 00:15:39.200 in Caesarea for a while. So Peter is miraculously 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:41.620 delivered by the hand of God, and Herod, his 00:15:41.620 --> 00:15:47.500 pursuer, flees the city. How can this be? Only 00:15:47.500 --> 00:15:52.129 by the power of God. You see, we don't have any 00:15:52.129 --> 00:15:54.789 idea how long the church prayed for Peter. It 00:15:54.789 --> 00:15:57.669 says he was arrested during the Passover, and 00:15:57.669 --> 00:16:00.250 would be brought out for trial afterwards. So 00:16:00.250 --> 00:16:01.629 he could have been stuck in that awful prison 00:16:01.629 --> 00:16:03.990 for one day, or he could have been in there for 00:16:03.990 --> 00:16:08.429 seven. But what we do know is that while Peter 00:16:08.429 --> 00:16:12.809 was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly 00:16:12.809 --> 00:16:17.450 for him. Church, there's prayer, and then there's 00:16:17.450 --> 00:16:20.500 earnest prayer. Whether it was going to take 00:16:20.500 --> 00:16:23.879 one day or a week, the Church committed to earnest, 00:16:24.279 --> 00:16:26.919 non -stop prayer for Peter. This is not some 00:16:26.919 --> 00:16:29.159 type of well -meaning wish up to God. Instead, 00:16:29.200 --> 00:16:32.419 this is face on the floor, desperate, weeping, 00:16:32.600 --> 00:16:35.799 intercessory prayer for Peter to be saved. This 00:16:35.799 --> 00:16:39.600 is prayer that costs something. This time of 00:16:39.600 --> 00:16:41.820 prayer wasn't going to stop when it hit 9pm and 00:16:41.820 --> 00:16:44.980 everyone's a little bit hungry. This is earnest, 00:16:45.340 --> 00:16:49.590 fervent prayer for Peter to be saved. that would 00:16:49.590 --> 00:16:52.590 continue until Peter was set free of his chains. 00:16:53.450 --> 00:16:56.549 Friends, if you're really desperate for something, 00:16:57.129 --> 00:17:00.929 you will pray. This is life or death prayer, 00:17:01.029 --> 00:17:06.990 and there is power in prayer. 1 John 5 says that 00:17:06.990 --> 00:17:09.670 this is the confidence we have in approaching 00:17:09.670 --> 00:17:13.369 God, that if we ask anything according to His 00:17:13.369 --> 00:17:16.789 will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears 00:17:16.789 --> 00:17:20.269 us, whatever we ask, we know that we have what 00:17:20.269 --> 00:17:24.630 we ask of Him. James 5 puts it like this, Are 00:17:24.630 --> 00:17:27.789 any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. 00:17:28.950 --> 00:17:31.589 Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 00:17:32.470 --> 00:17:35.230 Are any of you sick? You should call to the elders 00:17:35.230 --> 00:17:38.690 of the church to come and pray over you, anointing 00:17:38.690 --> 00:17:42.410 you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a 00:17:42.410 --> 00:17:45.670 prayer offered in faith will heal the sick and 00:17:45.670 --> 00:17:49.549 the Lord will make you well. And if you've committed 00:17:49.549 --> 00:17:52.809 any sins they will be forgiven. Confess your 00:17:52.809 --> 00:17:55.490 sins to one another and pray for each other so 00:17:55.490 --> 00:17:59.289 that you may be healed. Listen to this bit. The 00:17:59.289 --> 00:18:02.450 earnest prayer of a righteous person has great 00:18:02.450 --> 00:18:06.950 power and produces wonderful results. There's 00:18:06.950 --> 00:18:10.839 that mention of earnest prayer again. I'm not 00:18:10.839 --> 00:18:13.180 normally a big King Jimmy Bible fan, but listen 00:18:13.180 --> 00:18:17.460 to this. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous 00:18:17.460 --> 00:18:21.440 person availeth much. When we find ourselves 00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:26.519 stuck, what should we do? We must pray. A God 00:18:26.519 --> 00:18:30.019 is powerful. He's the creator, redeemer and sustainer 00:18:30.019 --> 00:18:32.440 of all. This is not simply a question of should 00:18:32.440 --> 00:18:35.900 we pray? The answer is obviously yes. But prayer 00:18:35.900 --> 00:18:40.039 changes things. As I said before, I believe we're 00:18:40.039 --> 00:18:42.400 seeing the cracks of our culture's narrative 00:18:42.400 --> 00:18:46.240 of invincibility. We're seeing wars rumored long 00:18:46.240 --> 00:18:48.680 ago, we're struck with sickness and see that 00:18:48.680 --> 00:18:52.079 we're mortal. The things that once satisfied 00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:55.640 just don't anymore. Our generation is hungry 00:18:55.640 --> 00:19:00.259 for something or someone greater. The self -medication 00:19:00.259 --> 00:19:03.240 through distraction only lasts so long before 00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:08.799 we recognize our weakness. We desperately want 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:12.440 to see God's will done on earth. True justice, 00:19:13.339 --> 00:19:16.799 true love and the end of weeping and sorrow. 00:19:17.319 --> 00:19:21.119 But we must be people who engage in earnest non 00:19:21.119 --> 00:19:24.990 -stop prayer. This is exactly why we have a 24 00:19:24.990 --> 00:19:27.430 -7 prayer ministry at Encounter Church. This 00:19:27.430 --> 00:19:30.529 is why we have a room dedicated to non -stop 00:19:30.529 --> 00:19:33.230 prayer. This is why we have our periods of non 00:19:33.230 --> 00:19:36.549 -stop prayer together in a fast approaching global 00:19:36.549 --> 00:19:39.869 week of 24 -7 prayer in September. These aren't 00:19:39.869 --> 00:19:43.029 simply good discipleship activities. We believe 00:19:43.029 --> 00:19:46.529 that God is active in the prayers of His people. 00:19:47.170 --> 00:19:52.680 We must intercede for our world. We must choose 00:19:52.680 --> 00:19:56.700 to earnestly, unceasingly pray that our world 00:19:56.700 --> 00:20:01.819 would know Jesus. You see, in Peter's stuckness, 00:20:02.460 --> 00:20:05.059 the church prayed and God saved him from the 00:20:05.059 --> 00:20:08.160 hands of his enemy. There was no way out for 00:20:08.160 --> 00:20:13.220 Peter unless God intervened. He was totally stuck. 00:20:14.440 --> 00:20:17.240 In our lives, we feel this sense of stuckness 00:20:17.240 --> 00:20:20.140 too. Maybe there's someone in your life who is 00:20:20.140 --> 00:20:23.400 just really hard to deal with. Or there's a relationship 00:20:23.400 --> 00:20:26.799 that just isn't reconciled. Maybe you feel stuck 00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:29.920 in your physical or your mental health. Maybe 00:20:29.920 --> 00:20:32.740 when things get quiet, you're on your own, you 00:20:32.740 --> 00:20:38.180 recognize something is missing. This hurts. But 00:20:38.180 --> 00:20:40.799 you see, our ultimate stuckness as people isn't 00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:44.880 prison or human suffering. It is with sin. We 00:20:44.880 --> 00:20:47.640 read that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous 00:20:47.640 --> 00:20:53.240 person availeth much. But on our own, we aren't 00:20:53.240 --> 00:20:56.799 righteous. Peter might have worn chains, but 00:20:56.799 --> 00:21:00.799 our ultimate chains were sin and death. Now for 00:21:00.799 --> 00:21:03.079 the Christian in the room who is already walking 00:21:03.079 --> 00:21:06.740 in the light of Jesus, don't check out now. The 00:21:06.740 --> 00:21:09.160 gospel is still as important now as it was when 00:21:09.160 --> 00:21:11.579 you first accepted it. And for the person that 00:21:11.579 --> 00:21:15.210 this is completely new to, Hold tight. Let me 00:21:15.210 --> 00:21:18.150 share with you the reason for which I live, the 00:21:18.150 --> 00:21:22.349 reason we all live. You see, humanity from the 00:21:22.349 --> 00:21:25.930 dawn of creation questioned if God is really 00:21:25.930 --> 00:21:29.710 who He says He is. Humanity fell in disobedience 00:21:29.710 --> 00:21:33.650 and continued to do so throughout history. We 00:21:33.650 --> 00:21:35.529 see the effects of this in our world with the 00:21:35.529 --> 00:21:38.829 evil around us and the brokenness done by us 00:21:38.829 --> 00:21:43.859 were done to us. In our brokenness, we need saving. 00:21:44.680 --> 00:21:48.799 We need someone to deliver us from our sin. Scripture 00:21:48.799 --> 00:21:52.440 says that the wages of sin is death, but the 00:21:52.440 --> 00:21:56.480 gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our 00:21:56.480 --> 00:22:00.519 Lord. For many years, it was prophesied as to 00:22:00.519 --> 00:22:03.180 who this deliverer would be, how they would arrive, 00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:06.660 and what they would do. There are over 300 prophecies 00:22:06.660 --> 00:22:10.480 in the Bible about this coming Savior. And then, 00:22:11.019 --> 00:22:15.359 Jesus was born. Even in His birth alone, He fulfilled 00:22:15.359 --> 00:22:19.180 many, many prophecies. Jesus lived a righteous 00:22:19.180 --> 00:22:23.140 life. One completely free of sin, totally man, 00:22:23.559 --> 00:22:27.180 totally God. Jesus Christ the Messiah loved like 00:22:27.180 --> 00:22:30.400 no one else before Him. Yet the Jewish religious 00:22:30.400 --> 00:22:33.779 officials didn't believe it. He was then persecuted 00:22:33.779 --> 00:22:36.640 by those officials, sentenced to death by a Roman 00:22:36.640 --> 00:22:39.680 governor, nailed to a wooden cross and died. 00:22:41.160 --> 00:22:43.940 Moments before his death, Jesus prayed, my father, 00:22:44.039 --> 00:22:46.480 if it is possible, let this cup of suffering 00:22:46.480 --> 00:22:50.339 be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to 00:22:50.339 --> 00:22:54.460 be done, not mine. Jesus knew the suffering he 00:22:54.460 --> 00:22:58.069 was about to endure was great. Yet Jesus submitted 00:22:58.069 --> 00:23:01.630 to the will of the Father out of love, knowing 00:23:01.630 --> 00:23:04.109 that ultimately something greater was to be done 00:23:04.109 --> 00:23:08.630 in this moment. Jesus' death was the perfect 00:23:08.630 --> 00:23:11.869 sacrifice for our sin, forever creating a way 00:23:11.869 --> 00:23:15.849 for us to be forgiven and to walk in this forgiveness. 00:23:17.269 --> 00:23:19.849 Three days after his death, Jesus rose from the 00:23:19.849 --> 00:23:22.490 grave and proved that death does not have the 00:23:22.490 --> 00:23:25.869 final word for all who believe in him. Jesus 00:23:25.869 --> 00:23:31.329 is our ultimate deliverer. Our access to God 00:23:31.329 --> 00:23:34.589 and our ability to join in His plan for our world 00:23:34.589 --> 00:23:37.849 is only possible because of what Jesus did on 00:23:37.849 --> 00:23:41.710 the cross. We have the authority to pray with 00:23:41.710 --> 00:23:45.029 boldness because of the sacrifice that Jesus 00:23:45.029 --> 00:23:49.009 made for us. For this is how God loved the world. 00:23:49.319 --> 00:23:52.319 He gave His one and only Son so that everyone 00:23:52.319 --> 00:23:55.460 who believes in Him will not perish but have 00:23:55.460 --> 00:23:59.140 eternal life. God sent His Son into the world 00:23:59.140 --> 00:24:02.279 not to judge the world but to save the world 00:24:02.279 --> 00:24:05.819 through Him. Friends, this is the reality for 00:24:05.819 --> 00:24:09.380 those who live in Christ Jesus. Your prayers 00:24:09.380 --> 00:24:13.019 are powerful and effective because of the righteousness 00:24:13.019 --> 00:24:15.839 God has bought for you salvation through His 00:24:15.839 --> 00:24:21.779 Son Jesus. So even when we're weak, we must pray 00:24:21.779 --> 00:24:25.819 because God's power is made perfect in weakness. 00:24:47.359 --> 00:24:49.920 Thanks again for listening. God bless you.