Powerful Prayers

What if we finally realized that our walk with our Creator is not a walk in the flesh?

If we measured our time in the flesh and compared it to the time we will spent with God after our flesh is withered and Gone. Its measurement would be terribly insignificant.

I think that the believers who prayed together after Peter and John release from the Sanhedrin in acts 4 understood this. So their prayers and following actions reflected their faith in a limitless God who provides limitlessly those who call on him, seeking to bring about the desires of His Kingdom.

For the next Few weeks I would like to review some powerful Prayers we find in the bible and reveal what those who prayed these prayers knew about God.

I believe that prayer is the bridge that we walk on in the flesh to reach the God we serve who is spirit. I believe that our prayers though sincere have been limited to what we know. So we pray for the sick to Get better, We pray that those out of work Get a Job. We pray that those who are ejected from their homes find shelter.

Those are honorable requests. God is a God of Supplication he hears and answers our prayers.

But he is able to do so much more. What if he is Just waiting for us to break free from this concept of physical need blinded by our flesh. and opening our eyes to the great battle before us that is spiritual in nature.

The Prayers we will study will examine the people who prayed to the unseen God and received Help that reached in the battle they are fighting against the spirit while living in the flesh.

We will start our study in Acts 4:23-31

A little Back Ground

This account falls in to place just after the day of Pentecost. The church is exploding. Pentecost added over 3000 people to the faith and the end of Acts 2 shares that “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47)

The next account is Peter entering the Temple to pray. John is with him and upon entering the temple by the gate called “Beautiful” they meet a Cripple man. The bible tells us here that he was a cripple since birth (v.2).

People with such disabilities are treated in this culture as a little less than a human. No one would hire them, so their only source of income was based on the generosity of others.

We are told that this man had been cripple for over 40 years. It is most likely that this man was well recognized by all who would come in to the temple.

As Peter and John enter in the Temple this man asked for a hand out from all who passed him. As Peter passed Him begged from him. At this Peter stops and calls for the man’s attention. The bible says that the man “the man gave him his attention”. And what Peter said next would change his life forever.

This man was just looking for some loose change but what Peter had to give him was worth so much more. More than he could have possibly expect.

This cripple man was operating in the temporal but what Peter had the power to give him was of eternal quality.

Peter said look at us. I think there were two reasons Peter asked this cripple to look at him

1. Peter and John were fishermen turned preachers and they were poor. So the wanted him to see that had nothing of monetary value to give this man.
2. He was about to tell him something that was very important and life changing. So he wanted him to pay attention.

Peter looks straight at him says “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”(Acts 3:6)

It says here that Peter then reached down and helped him to his feet. v.7 says “instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.”

Can you imagine this for a second.

This man’s legs were emaciated and his feet were useless and curled up. It ways immediately his feet and ankles became strong. Right before their eyes Peter, John and all who witnesses this saw mussels form on his calves and quadriceps ankles and feet.

This man had never walked before a day before in his life. No one had ever taught this man to walk. But immediately this man is walking and jumping. This is an extraordinary miracle.

The people came running in to see this man who they all recognized to be the cripple who would always beg at the beautiful gate. Now here he was standing, walking jumping around. Shouting to the top of his lungs as if Publishers Clearing house prize patrol had just handed him a check for 10 million dollars. This was quite o scene. Peter takes this opportunity to explain that it is through the power of Jesus of Nazareth that this man stands before them healed.

The story moves on to chapter 4 and we see that the crowd is moved that thousands put their faith in Christ.

The Sanhedrin is disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead (Acts 4:2), so they pull Peter, John in to question them. They put them  in jail them until they can meet with them.

These Jewish rulers find themselves with a dilemma. The problem was not that they performed a miracle but that they had done this miracle in the Name of Jesus and they were claiming that he was raised from the dead.

Imagine for a moment Peter and John here in front of these High ranking officials of the church and they speak as if they were seasoned lawyers. Clearly this is evidence that the Holy Spirit is giving an uncommon ability.

This is what took place in v8-22 of chapter 4

⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹ If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, ¹⁰ then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. ¹¹ He is

“‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone.^[a]’^[b] (Psalm 118:22  and Psalm 2:1,2)

¹² Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

If we stop here for a moment after Peter’s speech we quickly notice that this not the same Peter we saw in the temple courts as Jesus was taken in to custody. The Peter we know vehemently denied even knowing Jesus and called cursed on himself. This was the first run in that the early church had with the religious leaders since Jesus crucifixion and now the Peter we see here is miraculously transformed into this public defender of Christ. Here we see Peter is speaking boldly and confidently.

This Peter makes some rather audacious claims about Jesus.

• It is the name Jesus of Nazareth that is responsible for this man’s healing
• God raised Jesus from the dead
• Jesus is the “Stone that the builders rejected who is the capstone” barrowing a prophecy from the Psalms.
• That it is ONLY in the of Jesus name that man can be saved.

Peter is standing in front of the same people who sentenced Jesus to death and who made similar claims about himself and now one if his disciples stand before them. Peter had to know that his life was quite literally in danger yet this doesn’t stop him in this unrelenting profession of who the Christ is. After Peter’s words this what we see next.

¹³ When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. ¹⁴ But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. ¹⁵ So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. ¹⁶ “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷ But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”

¹⁸ Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. ²⁰ For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

The Sanhedrin basically smacks Peter and John on the hands and let them go. But Peter again speaks up and boldly states you decide whether we should obey You or God. But “we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Make no mistake of it, this burnt the beans of this self-righteous group of religious men But there was nothing they could do. V. 21-22 continues…

²¹ After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. ²² For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.

Peter and John leave the temple and they are pumped! They know the Power of God was on them and they couldn’t wait to tell their friends. That is where our text picks up.

They tell a group of people and the result is one of the most powerful prayers we see in the new Testament.

Let’s take a look at this awesome prayer. In v. 23-31

²³ On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. ²⁴ When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. ²⁵ You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:

“‘Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
²⁶ The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.^[c]’^[d]

²⁷ Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people^[e] of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. ²⁸ They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. ²⁹ Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. ³⁰ Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

³¹ After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

The person praying here is not identified but the result is unmistakably God’s response to this powerful prayer. What makes this prayer so powerful that God Responds with such an obvious way?

Lets briefly break down this prayer and see what is said

Recognized God as sovereign

They addressed God in this prayer as “Sovereign Lord” The word Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided.

This is who God is. It is important when we approach God in prayer that we are submissive to this thought of him. He is there simply is no other above him. When we humbly approach him we recognize who he is and who we are.

Recognized God as creator

Next they recognized him as the creator of all things. There is something about remembering our origin and the origin of all things, that puts things in the right perspective when we pray. Time after time in scripture we are called to consider the creation and remember the one who created it.

It is a simple perspective corrective. When we recognize God as our creator we are ultimately submitting to this supreme authority. If he is our creator then he has the right to tell us want to do.

I believe that this the effort of evolution. If man is here by chance then he is not accountable to anyone other than himself. This thought is purely satanic. And has its origin in the pits of hell.

They Reminded God that he has been both sustainer and in control

Not that God needs us to be reminded but when we pray it is a good practice to state in recollection the things God has done, through biblical history and through events where we have seen him work in our lives. This states that you believe in the God who fulfilled these things it offers more boldness to our requests.

They remembered the things David said about God’s anointed Holy one. And they remembered that Herod and Pilate’s efforts were in vain if God had not allowed them to do what only God could allow.

Remembering the great works reminds us that we are indeed addressing a great God capable of doing great things. It gives us confidence to ask anything from a limitless God who has all things under his control.

I love the reminder Paul gives us in Galatians 3:20-21 where he boldly states…” ²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

When we pray may we, like these first century Christians confidently remind God the great things he has done.

Asked God for Boldness

Now, after having their confidence built in remembering the Great things our God had done they make their requests known to God.

The first request is for boldness.

I think Fear is one of the most commonly used weapons of the enemy. Fear has a crippling effect on us and produces doubt which then turns in to faithlessness.

Often God reminds this people not to fear.

Paul reminded Timothy in 2 Tim 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Boldness smashes timid spirits and replaces it with the confidence Peter displayed as he stood before the Sanhedrin and boldly proclaimed the truth of Our risen Christ

Asked God for Miracles

Nest they asked God to use miracles to help them proclaim the truth.

I wonder if God is just waiting for us to exercise our faith and ask him got the big impossible things that only he can do.

These people did and God moved. He moved in such a big way the earth moved under their feet.

After this prayer God demonstrates miraculous signs that strengthened the church.

In ch 5 Annaisis and sephria  drop dead before the apostles because they tried to cheat God also in this chapter many were miraculously healed

Ch 8 Philip casts out demons and then miraculously disappeared  after he baptized the Ethiopian eunuch. The list of miracles goes on and on

This powerful pray had awesome results that stretches in to our generation today

Oh may we pray with such fervency. That our prays give us confidence to unrelentlessly proclaim the truth we are trusted with.

God Answered

God was clearly pleased with their prayer and he responded by shaking the house where they were staying.

I don’t know if it was an earthquake, or just the place shook where they were. Bur the prayer had an earth moving effect.

Where our prayers bounce off the ceiling, this prayer rocked their world and the effect was them boldly proclaimed the Gospel.

If you notice God answered their prayer, He not only shook the place where they were meeting but he filled them with the Holy spirit and they did indeed speak the word of God boldly.

Bold prayers make bold Christians. It is contagious. When someone prays with this confidence and such audacious requests before God we not only stand back and notice but we are charged up and ready to go out and do what we are made to do.

May we pray Powerful prayers like these first century Christians and turn the world upside down for Christ.