Prayer that Breaks Every Chain

Transcription

1 Prayer that Breaks Every Chain Acts 12 Sunday, April 15, 2018 Five years ago, Will Reagan wrote the song Break Every Chain. It was then produced by VaShawn Mitchell and it was first released on Timiney Figueroa s first album. The lyrics go: There is power in the name of Jesus, To break every chain, break every chain, break every chain Each of us have some kind of chain in our life that binds us. The chain can be physical, emotional, habitual or even spiritual. There can be one single chain that has you bound in an area of your life, but most likely there are several intertwined chains. We don t like to talk about them very much, so we keep them out of the sight of others as much as possible. The question is: What chain or chains are there in your life that need to be broken? Have you prayed about it? Have you asked others to pray about it? You know, that s one of the purposes of our Sunday night Gathering on the second Sunday of the month. The elders of the church are there to pray for people, and oftentimes chains are broken. The key to unlocking every chain that can bind us is prayer, but if we refuse to use the key, the chains will continue to bind. As a matter of fact, prayerlessness seems to give place for added chains. Albeit, the prayers of the church for the release of Peter from King Herod s prison lacked greatly when it comes to faith, but I can assure you that it was according to the will of God. Why am I so sure? Because Jesus had told Peter that he would die by crucifixion. Herod was planning to behead Peter, just like he had already done to James. Page 1 of 9

2 Throughout the Bible there are many examples of God answering prayers. Prayers of ordinary people that were powerful prayers: Moses prayed and God spared Israel from judgment. Joshua prayed and God caused the sun to stand still. Hannah prayed and God gave her a baby boy. Solomon prayed and God gave him wisdom. Elijah prayed and God sent fire down from Heaven. Jonah prayed and God brought him out of the belly of the whale. Peter prayed and God raised Dorcas from the dead. Now I know what you re thinking those people were powerful prayer warriors - that s not me. I m not like Moses or Joshua or Hannah or Solomon or Elijah or Jonah or Peter - I m just an ordinary person. I m not in the same category as the great heroes of the faith. Yes you are. You and I are ordinary people, and so were they, but they believed and trusted in a very extraordinary God. You and I are also meant to trust and believe in the same extraordinary God. The God who is the same, yesterday, today and forever. The God of the possible and the impossible. The God who delivers, the God who saves, The God who heals, the God who sets the captive free, The God who can and does exceedingly more than we can ever hope or think or imagine. You need to know this verse Ephesians 3:20 (NKJV) 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, We need to trust the God who loves us and cares for us and blesses us every moment of every day. We need to trust the God who answers prayer. Page 2 of 9

3 So what chain or chains are there in your life that need to be broken through prayer? What miracle do you need to pray for? What miracle do you need the church to pray for? As I shared at the beginning, Suzie has melanoma cancer - a very lethal skin cancer. She s been on an emotional rollercoaster ever since her doctor told her. Even before we had 100% confirmation from the biopsy, I asked Brandi to put my wife on the prayer chain. I asked the Beckets. (Bob pastors The Dwelling Place, and his wife, Susan, has cancer. Our elders went over there to pray for Susan. The prognoses was changed for her and she received a new lease on life.) I knew that they would pray. I included a few friends and the Senior Study this last Thursday. Suzie had an appointment to see her specialist at the City of Hope who told her that in her case, the cancer didn t grow deep as it does normally. Although tomorrow she goes in to have it surgically removed, but they won t need to remove any lymph nodes. The will leave her with a sizeable scar to make sure there are clean edges around the cancer, but beyond that she will be cancer free. Was that already in the works, or was it caused by prayer? Was Peter s release already in the works? God wants us to be dependent upon Him. We ve grown so independent, but things will crop up to remind us that that is NOT the case. There is no problem that cannot be solved. There is no burden that cannot be lifted. There is no storm that cannot be calmed. There is no sorrow that cannot be comforted. There is no hurt that cannot be mended. There is no fall that cannot be lifted. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven. There is no thirst that cannot be quenched. There is no hunger that cannot be filled. There is no mess that cannot be turned into a miracle! There is no chain that cannot be broken! Page 3 of 9

4 Let me draw your attention to Acts chapter 12 as an example of physical chains removed as a result of the church praying together in agreement. Acts 12:1 7 (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. 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. The church, God s people, prayed and the chains fell off, and God set Peter free from prison. As God s people we need to pray in the midst of problems. As God s people we need to trust God in the midst of problems. We need to be confident that God can break the chains that bind us. Satan may try to bring disruption to our lives but God has a plan for your life. Satan s plan is death and destruction; God s plan is peace and hope. LISTEN Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Of all the Keep Calm signs today - how about one that says Keep Calm and Know I Am God. Page 4 of 9

5 In the midst of problems we can keep going. In the midst of problems we can say: 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NKJV) 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. The Church PRAYED THROUGH the problem. It wasn t time to quit, to run, to hide. Herod was on a rampage - who would be next? - - It was time to pray. Not just the prayer warriors, not just the intercessors - the church. Everyone prayed and God answered. The people prayed at John Mark s mother s house and God answered in the prison where Peter was sleeping. By the way, who is John Mark and who is his mother? We haven t been introduced to them before. They are not the fishermen who were called to follow Jesus. They are not the women who found the tomb empty. They are just common folk who believed in Jesus and were called Christians and who were among others just like them, praying for Peter. They prayed at one place and God answered at another place. Often when we pray, we can pray for something or someone that is somewhere else and we have faith that God will answer. We can pray for people who are in the hospital and trust that God will answer. We can pray for Missionaries, and believe God blesses them. Hey - Here s a thought - we can pray for Sacramento and Washington DC. Boy, do we need a healing in those two places!!!! Page 5 of 9

6 But when we pray for something closer to home, in our own everyday lives, we don t always expect God to answer do we? Why is that? Why do we have faith God will do that for someone else or over there, but lack faith that He can do the impossible, in our own lives, right here, right now, even before you leave church this morning? Remember in Matthew 21:22 Jesus said Matthew 21:22 (NKJV) 22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive. That is as much a promise for us today as it was for those Jesus to whom first said it. Yet when it comes to circumstances and situations or chains in our own lives, doubt seems to creep in doesn t it? Doubt and faith are mutually exclusive. If you have faith in the promises of God, doubt will flee. If you allow doubt to occupy your mind, it will blot out faith. Actually, we are not any different from the church that prayed for Peter. They prayed for Peter in prison, but they were shocked and amazed when he actually showed up at the door. Acts 12:13 15 (NKJV) 13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 When she recognized Peter s voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. 15 But they said to her, You are beside yourself! Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, It is his angel. The people prayed, but it seems they did not expect God to answer. Their response was: You re out of your mind! they said. When she insisted, they decided, It must be his angel. The people refused to believe her. I wonder how long Rhoda pleaded with them to believe God had already answered their prayers. Page 6 of 9

7 The Bible says that meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed. Peter motioned for them to quiet down and told them how the Lord had led him out of prison. So what can we learn from this? Maybe we need to trust God more. Maybe, instead of thinking God can answer prayer, we need to be confident that God will answer prayer! Maybe individually and corporately as His church, we need to have more faith in God when we pray. More faith that God will answer. Church, we need to expect great things of God. Circumstances and situations and problems may come and as a church we need to pray about them. We need to pray until something happens. God will provide the light in the darkness. He can answer every prayer, He can break every chain We can pray, believe and receive, or we can pray, doubt and go without! In Acts 4:23-31 there is a wonderful account of a church that chose to pray, believe and receive: Acts 4:23 31 (NKJV) 23 And being let go (Peter and John ), they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25 who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? 26 The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the Lord and against His Christ. 27 For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. 29 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants Page 7 of 9

8 that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus. 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. When they prayed the building shook. When they prayed they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. When they prayed they spoke the word of God with boldness. When they prayed they were united in heart and mind. When they prayed God moved in power. God s power is released in and through a praying church. The Early Church prayed and prayed often and we should always do the same. But there is a problem in many churches today - prayer has lost its importance and the prayer meeting is the least attended activity in most churches. In churches throughout this land, it s hard to find more than a handful of people who are actually willing to find the time to meet together to pray. They might find time to do something social, but prayer finds itself far down the list of priorities. We live in a generation that needs to re-learn the importance of prayer, because to really grow in faith, to grow closer to the Lord, to listen to His voice, we need to pray. In Acts we see what happens when the whole church really prays - we see what happens when the church is obedient to God s promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV) 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. What do we pray for when we pray? Do we really seek God s face? Do we really humble ourselves before Him? Do we really repent of the things we do that are wrong in God s sight? Page 8 of 9

9 Do we really expect God to hear and answer? Do we pray for people in this community to be saved? Do we pray for the salvation of our friends and family? Do we pray for the chains that bind people to be loosed? When we pray those prayers do we believe that God will answer? Maybe... Listen When you pray, do you pray that God will bless you and make you a blessing to others? When you pray, do you pray for the leaders of this church? When you pray, do you pray about the finances of this church? When you pray, do you pray that God will build His church? A Praying Church is a church focused on God. A Praying Church is a worshipping church. A Praying Church is a giving church. A Praying Church is a church where people grow in the Lord, and love and serve each other for God s glory. A Praying Church is a church where spiritual gifts are evident. A Praying Church is a church that knows God is the answer to every problem and that God can break every chain that binds its members. A PRAYING CHURCH IS A POWERFUL CHURCH! A Praying Church prays, believes and receives. The Church in Acts proves this. There is power in the name of Jesus, Power to break every physical, spiritual or emotional chain. Page 9 of 9