Even If!

 When I had left Taiwan in August 2020, it was because I had become sick.  I had been in the hospital for a long time; Thirty-five days, actually.  Churches all over the world had been praying for me, at the time, but I continued to get sicker.  I started out with one thing, but it developed into Covid and then into pneumonia.   I had tubes down my throat and all kinds of IVs.  I was in intensive care and my doctors were telling my family, to have my daughter come back; even they thought I would die. 

All of my friends in Taiwan thought I would die; everyone but me.  I just kept thinking, “When I get out of here…”  I had other plans, and death didn’t really fit into them.  I don’t know that I had great faith, maybe it was just the lack of oxygen to my brain.  It was a huge trial for me, but somehow, I managed to stay optimistic.  One Friend told me: 

“You were dying!  You won’t admit it, but I saw it with my own eyes.”

Yet, here I am…still alive.  It’s an actual miracle, I’m sure of it.  God delivered me, just like Meshach, Shadrack and Abed-Nego.  That’s what I want to post about today – God’s deliverance from trials.

Daniel 3:15-25 NKJV

Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?" Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up." Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore, because the king's command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king." "Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."

People Have Always Struggled

How many times in your ife have you faced things that you thought were insurmountable?  How many times have you faced circumstances that seemed impossible?  When lie throws things at us we try to solve those problems in our own ways, don’t we?  We think we have to find a solution by our own intellect.  The Bible calls it our own understanding, but is that what God is thinking?  Is that what God is looking for from us?  Look at what the Bible says:

Proverbs 3:5 NKJV

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;

Trust in God, lean not on your own understanding.  Some things are beyond our ability to figure out.  Look at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, how could they figure out a way to escape their circumstances?  They’re tied up; they’re being tossed into a fiery furnace.  There’s no way they can solve this dilemma with their intellect.  They have to trust in God.

What about you?  Maybe you’re facing fiery trials in your marriage, in your finances, maybe even in your health.  Where are you looking for deliverance?  Is it in the world?   

“The government will save me!”

There was a huge hurricane that just recently made landfall in North Carolina.  Western North Carolina was destroyed by the hurricane and then flooding that followed.  People were waiting for the government, but it took a week before the government showed up. Meanwhile, people had no food, no electricity, no communications.  Hundreds, maybe even thousands died waiting for the government to save them.  Former President Ronald Reagan once said: 

“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: “I’m from the government and I’m here to help!”

That’s kind of a funny thing for a president to say, but it points out that if you’re looking for help from the government to help, they can let you down.

Are you looking for deliverance from inside yourself?  If you are, then let me ask you a question.  Have you ever been wrong before?

Are you looking for answers from science?  You know they used to think all the planets orbited the earth. But not now…Science can also be wrong.

The only one who’s never wrong  is Jesus.  He’s the creator of everything.

John 1:1-3 NKJV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

If He created everything, then He understands how it works, and He can solve any problem you’re facing. 

God is With Us!

In Exodus 33, God is telling Moses that He wants him to lead His people to the Promised Land.  Moses is nervous, though, and He demands of God, “Who will you send with me?” 

Exodus 33:12-13 NKJV

Then Moses said to the LORD, "See, You say to me, 'Bring up this people.' But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.' Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people."

He doesn’t want to face this all alone.  He knows that he’s not up to it, but look at God’s answer:

Exodus 33:14-15 NKJV

And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Then he said to Him, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.

God said, “I will be with you!”  Moses said, “If you don’t go, I don’t want to go either!  That should be our prayer when we’re faced with some daunting circumstance.  “I can’t do this without you God…I need You to help me through this!”  God says He will be with us through trials!

Look at this example in Acts Chapter12:

Acts 12:5-10 NKJV

Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 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. 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. Then the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals"; and so he did. And he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me." So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

Peter was in prison.  Herod planned to kill him.  Peter was chained between two guards.  There were two others standing outside the doors.  It would have been impossible for Peter to escape by himself.  Even if he was able to escape the chains, he would still have to get by the guards at the door.  This was an impossible situation, but God was with him.  God moved supernaturally and sent an angel to help him escape.  God used the angel to cause the chains to fall off.  He helped him to pass by the guards at the door unseen and brought him to the place where the others were praying for him.  God did all of this for Peter and He will do it for you, as well. 

There’s one more thing that I think is important to see.  God delivered all of these people.  All of them were in the will of God; all of them had faith that God would deliver them. 

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego said to Nebuchadnezzar, “God will deliver us!”

Moses said, “If you’re not coming with me, then I don’t want to go!”

Peter, even though, he thought it might not be real, got up and followed the angel!

All of these are expressions of faith, but did God solve all of their problems immediately? No, even though they had faith in God, they still had to go through the trial. 

Meshach, Shadrach and Abed-Nego still had to face the fire!

Moses still had to stand in front of Pharaoh and say, “Let my people go!”

Peter still had to go to prison!

In the end God brought them through it.  We sometimes have to face difficult circumstances, but we are not alone.

Daniel 3:24-25 NKJV

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king." "Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."

The three men weren’t alone in the furnace, Jesus was there with them.  I think that’s extremely encouraging.  We think we’re all alone when things go wrong.  We think no one else is going through what I’m going through.  “I’m out here in this wilderness all by myself,” but we’re not.  We are never alone.  Jesus said, “I will not leave you nor forsake you.”  Don’t you think that’s comforting?  When I have to face something uncomfortable, I’m always glad when my wife is with me.  She can give me the confidence to face things, sometimes. 

When I have to face impossible situations, I’m glad that Jesus is with me, like He’s promised.  He gives me strength and confidence. 

Philippians 4:13 NKJV

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Jesus has the strength, and He can loan it to me!  We can have faith in Him. 

Prayer is Key!

James 5:16b NKJV

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Prayer is the key to deliverance from all of our trials.  This is why in our church services we pray for our fellow believers.  We pray for those who are sick.  We pray for those who have needs.  We pray for our leadership.  We’re calling on God to help us.  We’re calling on Him to be a part of our lives.   We’re looking for His blessing, leadership and guidance.  We need him in our lives and circumstances. 

When I got sick, it was during CFM Prescott Bible Conference.  Someone mentioned it to our fellowship leader Pastor Greg Mitchell, and he made an announcement during the prayer requests that I needed urgent prayer! Remember, everyone thought I was dying. 

People all over the world watch that conference on the internet.  So, everyone joined in that prayer.  I got a text from a friend in Panama that said, “The whole world was praying for you last night!”

I really believe that all of that prayer was key to me surviving that sickness, because I know that God answers prayer.  When Peter was in prison all the saints in Jerusalem were praying for him.

Acts 12:5a NKJV

Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. (emphasis mine)

Look at what the Bible says about prayer:

Matthew 21:22 NKJV

And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

It doesn’t say that Some of the stuff you ask in prayer, I might do for you. It says, “Whatever you ask in prayer, believing you will receive.”  It may not be immediate.  Peter was rescued from the prison just before Herod had him killed.  The Hebrew men were in the furnace before being rescued. 

God was faithful to deliver them and answer their prayers.  God is the same yesterday, today and forever.  That means He is still faithful to answer prayer  We can believe God to deliver us because God is faithful still!

Eight Ways to Hear From God

I was ordained into the ministry in 2001:  Sixteen years ago.  What’s interesting is that throughout all those years, in two separate nations, two distinctly different cultures, I’ve heard people saying all the exact same things. It’s because there are certain things that are just human nature.  They’re cultural universals; all people regardless of culture have certain traits and attitudes that are built into their psyche.  You just can’t get away from it.  Because of that certain things have been repeated, over and over, in my ministry.  I haven’t been surprised by anything in a long time. 

Today, I want to post about one of those issues that surface from time to time.  People won’t come to me with this because they don’t think it’s a problem.  In fact, I believe that most people think that this attitude is an indication that they’re more spiritual.  So, I want to use this scripture as a jumping-off point:

Hebrews 1:1-2 (NKJV)
^1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ² has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

I Want to Hear Only from God

The inspiration for this is something that I overheard, recently.  We all know that God speaks to us through sermons, but sermons are generally inspired by what’s going on in the church and congregation.  God doesn’t wake me up with a thundering voice.  He doesn’t show me a vision while I’m eating my lunch.  When God speaks to me I usually feel uneasy about something someone has said or done.  Other times, I’m inspired about the direction that the church is taking.  I begin to turn over in my mind, what I’ve seen or heard.  I will often make the joke, “I think I feel a sermon coming on.”  That’s how it is, I get that sermon feeling.

There are a number of ways that I can gauge how well people in the church are doing in their Christian walk:  Through their lifestyles, through their attendance, involvement, giving, and relationships within the church.

Certain statements can be a red flag, because on the surface it might sound totally spiritual, but there’s something behind it that isn’t God.  It’s actually a cop-out to fully committing to your church, and the people of God.  The person making that statement may not even realize it – The statement is, “I only come here, to hear from God!” 

There is something that’s implied here and that is that if they’re not hearing from God then they’re going to leave.  I believe that, if I’m not hearing from God, then I’m in the wrong church.  The problem is that sometimes you confuse hearing from God with hearing you want to hear.  That’s the question, today, how do you determine whether of not you’re hearing from God? 

In my own experience, people have left our church saying, “I’m not hearing from God, so it’s time to move on.”  People have said, “I had a different experience in another church.”  People have said, “God has led me to leave this church and go to another.”  I’m not saying that it’s never legitimate to leave a church.  Things happen, people fail, even pastors can fail.  If your pastor is immoral, or stealing from the offering, by all means get out of there.  Nothing good is happening there. 

But I think we need t remember and be aware that God placed you in your church.  You didn’t find it by accident; you were placed there and God placed you there for His purposes, not yours.  His purpose is not to start you on a tour of your city’s churches.  He has placed you there as a part of a body; a complement to other talents and abilities, both material and spiritual, that can be used by Him to build His church.

What happens to people sometimes is that they’re looking for preaching on specific topics.  Someone who left our church, called me up before her family left and said, “You never preach on the love of Jesus. You always preach on sin and tithing.”  I preach eight to ten times a month, but that person came to three sermons a month and her husband, even less than that.  They really didn’t know what I preached, because they only heard a small percentage of sermons.  Okay, well I preach a lot on sin, but sin is the biggest obstacle to people getting into heaven.  My job as a pastor is to get them into Heaven.  This couple’s reason for leaving is that they weren’t hearing from God.  But you know how I see it?  Maybe that was what God wanted them to hear.

I think our text says something that we all need to hear, “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke…”  At various times in various ways – That word “to vary” means different.  So, at different times in different ways God spoke. 

God doesn’t speak to us, only through sermons that are preached.  God has a number of methods that He uses to speak to us; a sermon is only one way.  In fact, in thinking about that, I came up with seven other ways that God speaks to us.  God reaches out to us “in various ways at various times”.  I really think we limit ourselves when we say, “I only come to her the preaching, because I only come to hear from God.”  I want to look at the various ways that God speaks to us.

Eight Ways to hear From God

I made a list of eight ways God speaks to us.  It’s like God is talk, talk, talking, all the time, but we’re not always listening.  Most of the time we listen to sermons, although I know some of you need to read texts, look at your social media, take phone calls, and say wonderfully witty things to your neighbors, but at any given moment at least a couple of people are listening.

God Speaks through Preaching

1 Corinthians 1:21 (NKJV)
^1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

God has always spoken to His people through preaching.  This is how God reaches the lost: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel…” (Mark 16:15) God is able to touch people through the words of a preacher.  It’s not about talent, great oratory skills, or persuasive words.  It’s about God moving and touching people through the MESSAGE – His words through the preacher’s lips.  I’m not preaching what I think; I’m preaching God’s word.  Preaching is the first way that God speaks to us.

God Speaks through the Bible. 

The Bible is called the Word of God, after all.  “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” (2 Timothy 3:16)  I know, I know men wrote the Bible but they were inspired men.  That word translated as inspiration literally means – Divinely Breathed In.  God put that word there.  They received it from God.  It isn’t something that they made up, it was God-breathed.  How do you speak?  You speak through exhalation.  God speaks through the Bible.

God Speaks to us through Prayer

“Come boldly before the Throne of Grace for help in time of need..” (Hebrews 4:16)  We come to the Throne of Grace; the place where God is and cry out for God to move in our lives – and He responds.  It may not be words that He uses, although it often is, it may be actions that speak.  You know the saying, “Actions speak louder than words.”?  Have you ever been moved by seeing something happen:  A child rescued, an unmerited kindness, someone saved?  I get tears in my eyes from these kinds of things – It’s almost embarrassing – They speak to me.

God Speaks to us through Visions and Dreams

“Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams…”  (Acts 2:17)  God does speak through dreams and visions.  God will show you the future.  God will reveal things to you about yourself.  He’ll speak to you about what to say to encourage, or give you things to preach. 

These four things are obviously the work of God, of course He works through those things, but He works in less obvious ways as well.  God can speak to us through other people.

God Speaks to us through Godly Counsel

I don’t know everything; my wife will tell you that.  She’s seen my lack of knowledge firsthand. I don’t have limitless knowledge, but I do have a bit of wisdom.  I have asked and received wisdom when I needed it.  “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God…” (James 1:5)  Wisdom comes from age and experience, but wisdom also comes from God.  I pray and listen for God’s answer.  I know God’s voice.  I can tell you if what you’re struggling with is from God or not.  “God wants me to be rich,” nope that’s not God.  “God wants my obedience to His call,” yep, that’s God. 

God Speaks to us through Relationships

This is a hard one for people.  “I want to hear from God not what these other people think.” Sometimes, God uses a brother or sister in the church to open your eyes to an attitude or an issue of pride.  “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”  (Proverbs 27:17)  If I could say something to some of you, “Get over yourself.  It’s not all about you.”  You’re not the only one hearing from God.  Maybe you didn’t like what was said, “Oh boo hoo hoo.”  Maybe God’s trying to speak to you – “You’ve got a pride problem.  I didn’t save you for you; I saved you for other people.”  God can speak to us through our relationships, and sometimes, He rebukes instead of encouraging.

God speaks to us through Fellowship

“…They were all with one accord in one place.”  (Acts 2:1)  One accord means together in mind and spirit.  They were on the same page together.  Look at this:

John 20:19 (NKJV)
^20:19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you."

Jesus didn’t meet with each of them alone, after He rose from the dead.  He always spoke to them when they were together..  Christianity was never intended to be a solo pursuit.  Jesus’ plan included a church; people together.  The church isn’t a group of rugged individuals it is a collection of like-minded people:  It’s called Fellowship.

God Speaks to us through Life Itself

Usually, when things go wrong I life we say, “I need to hear from God.”  Sometimes, life going wrong is hearing from God.  God uses adversity and hardship to change us and mold us.  In Jeremiah 18, when the pot was marred/flawed the potter smashed the clay and made a new pot. “Arise and go down to the Potter’s house and there I will cause you to hear my words.”  (Jeremiah 18:2)  He is the potter and you are the clay.  Can you hear Him speak?

Getting All That God Has For You

Do you really want to hear from God?  Some are reading this and may be angry, sometimes God rebukes.  Others are saying, “Oh, this is just what I needed to hear.”  Either way I want you to know that this is a godly message.  The question is, “What are you going to do with what God has said?” 

Do you want all that God has for you?  Then it’s time to fully commit yourself to your church.  Here’s a way to start:

Acts 2:44-47 (NKJV)
^2:44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, ⁴⁵ and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. ⁴⁶ So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

This is a description of the first century church.  Isn’t it interesting that it doesn’t say anywhere, “hearing from God!”  It was just assumed that you’d hear from God if you really wanted to.  “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.”  ( Luke 11:9)  Hearing from God, isn’t pastor’s responsibility; it’s your own responsibility.  If that’s true and you’re “coming only to hear from God” and you’re not hearing from Him then you’re missing it.  “I have to leave the church because I’m not being fed.”  It’s not that you’re not being fed; it’s that you’re not eating.

Look at Acts 2 again.  This is the design of the church, “Continuing daily of one accord.”  Our church is Pentecostal.  We’re not Baptists or Lutherans.  We’re not Calvinists or Hyper-gracers.  It’s not about “me and God.”  It’s about us and God. 

God never showed up to referee doctrine.  Figure out what you believe and who you follow.  I’m not saying those others aren’t godly, I’m just saying I would choose what God has chosen for me. 

“Breaking Bread from house to house.”  They had relationships:  They thought that it was important to spend time in each other’s company. I’ve heard people say, “I just want to come to church; I’m not interested in that other stuff.”  According to this, that other stuff is part of God’s plan.

You can’t be a lone ranger for Christ.  Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.  You can’t break bread from house to house and stay home alone.

I thank God for my brothers and sisters in Christ.  They encouraged, they exhorted and they rebuked.  In short, they helped me stay saved.  I could get pretty squirrelly on my own – believe me!

“Sold all their possessions, divided them among all, as any had need.”  They were involved in each other’s lives and problems.  We’re not going communist, this was written in a different time and different situation, but they cared for each other.  They helped one another.  They were there for one another.  It wasn’t about me getting my needs met.  It was about others getting their needs met.  Outreaches, musical groups, drama events, those things are about being there for other people:  Helping other people to come and find Jesus.  This is what was commanded to all of us.  Get involved in what your church is doing.

Finally, a relationship between you and God is about more than you and God.  If it wasn’t God would never have established the church structure.  “Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together…” (Hebrews 10:25)  This is the Bible saying be a part of your church.  Does it sound like a suggestion?  It isn’t.    The reason that Jesus used the church structure is simple.  It’s because it’s the best way for people to stay saved and make it to Heaven.  We need each other.  Jesus spoke to them when they were together.  Do you want to hear from God?

God is Sovereign

Recently, I posted about faith, [Pray in Faith January 20, 2016; Faith is Action February 2, 2016], it seems that some people have come to the conclusion that, “If I have faith then God will, without fail do whatever I ask.” I want you to know, ttough, that it isn’t always like that. God is God – He’s sovereign.  God may not always respond to what we ask in the way that we want.  Today, I want to post on God’s sovereignty:

Daniel 3:15-18 (NKJV)
^3:15 Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?" ¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."

The Faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

This is a pretty familiar portion of scripture, but let me fill in what’s happening here.  This takes place after Israel has fallen to Babylon.  The best of the young people have been taken there to serve King Nebuchadnezzar and to work in his government.  Among those taken were Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 

Nebuchadnezzar gets the idea that he’s a god, so he builds a huge golden statue of himself, and he commands that when the music is played that everyone will bow down and worship his statue.  So, the music is played and everyone bows down.  As you look over the people everyone is bowing; everyone...but these three men.

They are brought before the king and he gives them a second chance.  “I’m going to play the music again, and this time you better bow down.”  The music plays again and everyone except Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego bow again.

The king confronts them:  “Let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the golden image you have set up.”

They’re standing firm in their faith in God.  They’ve been taken to Babylon – But they haven’t lost faith in God.  This isn’t the first time they’ve defied the king. 

When they first arrived in Babylon they were separated apart from others and given delicacies from the king’s table to eat, but Daniel and the three didn’t want to violate God’s commands, regarding food and what could not be eaten.  They stood firm and refused the delicacies.

So, they were faithful men.  In times of trouble they would pray to God and remained in God’s will rather than adjusting to Babylon’s culture, and because of their faith, God helped them and blessed them.  He helped them to stay within His food requirements.  

Another time He gave Daniel the answer to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.  He answered their prayers in that matter; saving their lives.  They have been faithful, prayed in faith, and God has given them the answer to their prayers.  All of that goes with what I said in those other posts.  I preached that if we had faith God would move on our behalf, and we can see from His response to these men that that’s true.  God will respond to our faith.  Our faith is a catalyst to God’s response:

Matthew 21:21-22 (NKJV)
^21:21 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. ²² And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

If you have faith and do not doubt… whatever you ask in prayer, believing you will receive.  This is a promise…BUT, dies that mean that God will give us anything we ask?  There’s a clue to the answer of that question in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s response to the king.  Look at this in our text:

Daniel 3:17-18 (NKJV)
^3:17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."

They said, “our God whom we serve is able to deliver us, but if not… But if not?  What happened to that promise?  If you pray without doubting you will receive.  This says that God may or may not grant your petition:  It’s up to God.  God is the one who decides whether or not He’ll bless.

God Will Bless Whom He Will Bless

This is because God is a sovereign God.  That word sovereign means one who holds supreme power.   So, God has the power to make a decision about your prayer.  We’ve seen that Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego had faith.  Their prayers were prayed in faith, but they left open the possibility that God may not deliver them.

Exodus 33:19 (NKJV)
^33:19 Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

This is God’s statement on His sovereignty.  I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.  God’s saying, "I’m going to do what I’m going to do."  It’s totally up to God – God gets to decide.

When we come to God, we bring our needs and our wants, but we should never lose sight of which one of us is God.  We can complain, “I went to God in faith.” – “I showed God my need.” – God should have given me what I wanted!” – Except God is God not you.  You’re not God.  This may come as a shock to some, but it’s JESUS Christ not Santa Christ.

So why wouldn’t God give you what you’re asking?  There’s a number of reasons why God would withhold your desire.  The first is That what you’re asking isn’t God’s will.

Job 23:13-14 (AMP)
^23:13 But He is unchangeable, and who can turn Him? And what He wants to do, that He does. ¹⁴ For He performs [that which He has] planned for me, and of many such matters He is mindful.

God has a plan for your life.  There is a specific plan.  God has a method and a destiny for your life.  We can ask God for something and not get it because it goes against God’s plan for your life.

I’ve known people who have asked God for a husband or a wife and still remain unmarried.  Sometimes, they’re asking for a specific person, that may not be the person that God has in mind, for what He has planned for THEM, so it goes against God’s will for their lives.  We don’t always know what God is trying to do.

The second reason is that what you’re asking may destroy your destiny.  That thing you’ve asked for may be the thing that pulls you out of God’s will.  I’ve known people that have gone out and taken jobs that took them away from church and right our of God’s will.  The problem is that not everything we think we want is the best thing for us.

God knows His plan for you.  God also knows what’s best for you and for seeing His plan through.  We don’t always even know what God is trying to do in us.  God may be trying to work something out of us, cause us to see something differently, or to behave in a different way, and what you’re praying for may derail that.  God doesn’t think like us.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV)
^55:8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. ⁹ "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

We’re limited by our senses.  We don’t know what’s in the future.  We don’t understand how things are interconnected.  We don’t always see the cause and effect of what we’re asking.  But God does; He does know all of these answers and God wants only good things for us.  God isn’t going to give us something that’s going to damage us.  It all comes down to trusting God.

Can you Trust God to Know What's Best?

Can you trust God to know what’s best for you?  Do you believe that God is always a good God?  I’ve heard people say, “I’m losing faith in God because He’s not giving me what I’m praying for.”  Prayer isn’t a way of getting what we want, but the way to become what God wants us to be.

Do you really want the best that God has for you?  I sometimes think we say that we want all that God has for us, but then we short-circuit God’s plans for us, by demanding that God give us what we want.

We have to be able to trust that God really has our best interest at heart; that He has plans for us and that those plans are the best thing for us.

One thing that I see happening is that people are getting angry at God when they don’t get what they want, but God isn’t a genie in a bottle that’s bound to give us our wishes.  God gives according to HIS wishes.  It’s a misconception to think that God exists to serve us.  God created us to worship Him.  We exist to serve God.  God is gracious.  God is loving.  God gives us the things that are best for us.  We don’t always know what’s best for us, but God does, because God CAN see the future.  He does know how things interconnect.  He can see cause and effect.

So, let’s go back to our text for another moment.  Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego tell Nebuchadnezzar something that’s a really important lesson for us in verse 18 of our text:

Daniel 3:18 (AMP)
^3:18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up!

Basically, what they’re saying is, “We believe that God will give us what we ask, but if He doesn’t we’re going to serve God anyway.”  Even if God chooses not to deliver them they’re going to serve God anyway.

It’s so discouraging to see people fall out of the will of God and out of the blessing of serving God, because God was doing something different than they wanted God to do.  I’ve seen it happen so often recently.  People are allowing Satan to lie to them, and He’s ripping them off.  The devil’s a liar.

So, we pray in faith believing that we’ll receive.  We pray with the expectation that God will move.  We take the action of our faith, to see it happen, but when it doesn’t, does it mean that God doesn’t care?  It may mean that God cares enough not to give you everything you ask.  I don’t give my kids everything they ask for because I know that some of those things aren’t good for them.  God is the same way, so another part of faith is having the faith to trust that God is doing what’s best for you in His answer to your prayer.

When we’re praying it’s best to remember which one of us is God.

Believe it or not – You are NOT God.

A Tale of Two Kings

Do you know that God sees things in a different way than we do?  We look at the outward but God sees at the heart. Let me show you the difference between how we see a person and how God sees them. 

God has sent Samuel to anoint the next King of Israel and He has chosen one of the sons of Jesse the Bethlehemite, but He didn’t tell Samuel which one.  So, Samuel has Jesse bring his sons, David’s brothers, in one at a time. 

So here’s Eliab, David’s oldest brother:

1 Samuel 16:6-7 (NKJV)
^16:6 So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him." ⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Samuel is looking at Eliab and from Samuel;’s perspective Eliab is kingly.  He’s convinced that God wants him to anoint Eliab king, but God says, “The Lord doesn’t see as man sees.”  God doesn’t look at our looks, and our height, or any of the things we look at.  He says, “God looks at the heart.”

Today, I want to contrast two kings:  The first two kings of Israel.  I want to show you what God is looking for and how we miss those things because of our limited vision.

1 Samuel 8:1-5 (NKJV)
^8:1 Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. ² The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. ³ But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. ⁴ Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, ⁵ and said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations."

God’s Plan for Israel

Let me start today, with the back story on this scripture.  God led His people out of Egypt.  That took place centuries before our text and from the time they came out God had a plan for ruling His people.  He used judges for five hundred ten years – Leaders who judged based on God’s commands.  This way God was ruling His people.  That was always God’s intention – To rule His people.

Genesis 17:8 (NKJV)
^17:8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

God’s telling Abraham that this is His plan when He brings the people into the Promised Land, and for the first five hundred years after they left Egypt that’s exactly how it was. 

God was in charge and He chose those who would speak for Him to be judges over His people.  Moses, Joshua, Gideon, even Samuel, they led Hid people in war4 and peace.  They were responsive to God’s will, but there were problems, as well.  Eli was a judge over Israel but His sons who were priests were not living integrally.  They were perverted and dishonest.  They robbed the people of their offerings and their blessings.  They slept with women in the tabernacle.

1 Samuel 2:22-24 (NKJV)
^2:22 Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. ²³ So he said to them, "Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. ²⁴ No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make the Lord's people transgress.

One of these two would have been made judge after Eli, but God short-circuited that.  God had already chosen someone to follow after Eli.  That was Samuel and you can see in First Samuel how God placed him into Eli’s household.  You can see that even as a child Samuel was responsive to God’s call:

1 Samuel 3:10-14 (NKJV)
^3:10 Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel answered, "Speak, for Your servant hears." ¹¹ Then the Lord said to Samuel: "Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. ¹² In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. ¹³ For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them. ¹⁴ And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever."

At the time Samuel was a child.  But God has set him in place to be the next judge of Israel.  In fact, he would be the last judge of Israel, because there would come a time when the people would demand for themselves a king like other nations.

It’s always interesting that people have never changed.  We’re not always content to let God call the shots in our lives.  Even as Christians we want to be like everyone else.  God calls us to be a peculiar people.  That word peculiar means distinct or different from everyone else – separate from other people, bit we’re uncomfortable with that.  We want to be accepted by people.

We’re also unwilling to completely trust God with our lives.  This is what’s happening in Israel at this time in our text.  If the people are living under judges they must completely trust God, even when it seems like God isn’t paying attention.

Imagine what it would have been like to watch Eli’s sons, knowing what they’re capable of and knowing also that they’ll be your next leaders.

Samuel as judge was righteous and God-fearing but he also had sons who were not.  They were thieves and extortionists – Look at the text:  Samuel’s sons did not walk in Samuel’s ways. They stole; they took bribes; they perverted justice, and they were next in line to judge Israel.  They problem maws that, even though Israel left Egypt behind they never left sin behind.  The people were fed up and demanded a king.

The People’s King

So God gave them a king – I want you to see his description:

1 Samuel 10:23-24 (NKJV)
^10:23 So they ran and brought him from there; and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. ²⁴ And Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?" So all the people shouted and said, "Long live the king!"

Saul was tall and handsome – He looked like a king.  The people would have chosen a man like him for king themselves.  God gave them the kind of king theywere looking for.  People have a tendency to look for someone they see as kingly.  We do this in elections – Does He/she look presidential?  Can I see this person as the leader of our country?  Saul looked like a king – So the people were satisfied, but Samuel had tried to warn them, about what it would be like tio be under a human king.

Samuel did warn them:

1 Samuel 8:11-18 (NKJV)
^8:11 And he said, "This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. ¹² He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. ¹⁴ And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. ¹⁶ And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. ¹⁷ He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. ¹⁸ And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day."

The people were convinced that was what they wanted.  Saul did all of these things – and these were things that the judges had never done.

The final thing about Saul is that he was disobedient.  He became “full of himself.”  He rose up in pride.  Samuel, as he told Saul that God would take the kingdom from him even said to him, “When you were little in your own eyes.”  We look at people and see the outward things; the things they present, their looks and countenance, but we don’t always see their heart.

So, I want to contrast Saul with David.  David was a man after God’s own heart.  David was the man that God would choose for His people.

1 Samuel 16:1 (NKJV)
^16:1 Now the Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons."

God said I have provided MYSELF a king.  David is the kind of man that God would have chosen to lead His people.  God even called him, “A Man after my own heart.”  Remember God warned Samuel that He doesn’t see what we see, He looks at the heart.  He sees what’s hidden there.  He see character and integrity.  He looks for humility. 

So, this time God chose the youngest – a shepherd.  He’s not the one that Samuel would have chosen, but the one with a shepherd’s heart.  This is the kind of man that God would choose to lead the people. 

Was David perfect?  Not by any means.  He committed adultery.  He murdered the woman’s husband.  He sinned I big ways, but what makes David a man after God’s own heart is that he was humble enough to repent – to recognize when he was wrong and correct it.  God chose David to rule His people and David was the greatest king of Israel. 

So, What’s the Point

God sees in a way that you and I can’t.  Sometimes, we can see a bit of someone’s character but only God really knows what’s in a person’s heart.  So, I wonder sometimes, why do we block God’s wisdom from our relationships?  Why don’t we trust God enough to let Him help us in our relationships? 

We make judgments by our standards:  “My wife must be beautiful.”

“My husband has to be rich AND good-looking.”  We don’t always look for the right things in a person.  “She’s so beautiful – she couldn’t possibly be mean as a snake.”  “He seems like such a nice guy – He couldn’t be a liar and a cheater.”  God knows!  He cans see past the straight teeth and beautiful smile.  He can see the ugliness of the heart.

I've seen so many people choose their spouses on the wrong things; so many that have made mistakes in judgment because they relied on their own feelings and judgments.  I've known people that have married people that have taken them out of the will of God.  These are people who had a desire to do something for God but made a wrong choice in marriage.  The sad part is that they never consulted God on that decision.  God knows, He sees the heart.  Why trust your emotions when you can have the wisdom of God to help you.

In the Book of Genesis – God is creating marriage and He creates a woman for Adam out of his own body.  She’s a part of him – She’s made up of the same things and the Bible says that God brought the woman to Adam.  God knew what Adam needed.  He could see his heart.  He could see that it wasn’t good for him to be alone and he brought the best person for Adam.

Too often I see people leaving God out of their relationships.  Pray; ask God if that person is right for you.  We need to let God be part of the process in our decision-making.  He knows what’s best for us.  Israel endured Saul, because they didn’t trust God’s decisions on how to best lead them.  Israel triumphed under David because God chose for them.

Pray in Faith

I have to tell you, I’m inspired by the Book of Acts.  I’ve been doing a pretty in-depth study of it lately, and it’s inspiring.  It’s a history book.  These are things that actually happened.  We can see those events that happened in that day and apply them to our lives.  Why shouldn’t we be able to experience God’s power in the same way that they did? 

Today I want to turn to Acts Chapter 12 and look at an event, a historical event to see what God did there, so we can apply it to our lives and circumstances:

Acts 12:5-16 (NKJV)
^12:5 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. ⁸ Then the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals"; and so he did. And he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me." ⁹ So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. ¹¹ And when Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people." ¹² So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. 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." ¹⁶ Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.

What do you do When There’s a Need?

Here’s the back story on what’s happening.  Herod – This is King Herod’s son Antipater, also known as Antipas, in trying to impress the Jews killed James, John’s brother. The sons of Zebedee. 

When Herod saw how happy that made the Jews, he reached out and arrested Peter.  This was done during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.  He did that because there were so many Jews present for the festival; he was looking for maximum benefit.  Hi intention was to execute Peter, and gain even more favor with the Jews.

So you can see there is great need here.  Peter was the leader of the early church in Jerusalem at the time.  The church was fearful; hiding themselves away to avoid the persecution.  Most of the church had scattered.  This is taking place after Paul went to Damascus with the intention of bringing people back to prison in Jerusalem.  So, this is an extremely difficult time for the church.  The people need a leader right now and their leader is in prison awaiting execution.

They were powerless to cause a change on their own.  They were too weak.  They were persecuted.  There was nothing they could do to get Peter released, well, there WAS one thing – They could pray...and they did.  The Bible says “constant prayer was offered for him.” 

I wonder how often we feel like the early Christians.  Do you ever feel that events are moving on their own and that you’re powerless to change them?  For example, you get diagnosed with a terminal disease:  You’re company is struggling financially and may lay you off:  You’ve had a car accident and you can afford the expenses.  All of these things look like impossible situations, just like what the church faced in our text. 

What’s your response to this kind of pressure?  I watch people; I know that the first response of a lot of people is to panic; a fear response.  “What shall I do to fix this?”  “How can I make this better?”  Fear, worry, depression – these are our first responses.  Look at what the early church did, they prayed.  The problem is thjat when we do pray, we pray a few times and then we back off.  “I guess this is God’s will,” or, “God must be angry at me to let this happen.”  What does it say about how the early church prayed?  “Constant prayer was offered to God for him.” 

James 5:16 (NKJV)
^5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

This scripture says that effective is fervent prayer.  That word fervent in one sense means glowing hot, or with great intensity or feeling.  At our church, I’ve been opening and closing in prayer lately, because I’m trying to teach them to pray.  Sometimes, people are so calm when they pray.  “Oh, heavenly Father, we ask you today…”  This isn’t fervent prayer – Remember fervent prayer is effective prayer.  This isn’t fervent prayer so it’s not effective prayer.  The Bible says come BOLDLY before the throne of Grace, to find mercy and HELP in time of need.  (Hebrews 4:16)  

Bold prayer initiates a move of God.  Bold (fervent) prayer can cause a change in circumstances; A supernatural move of God.  In Acts, chapter 12, God caused an earthquake and sent an angel to release Peter from the prison. 

We need a supernatural move of God.  Supernatural means something outside of the natural:  Something greater than a natural turn of events; a literal showing of God’s power.  That’s what's necessary to change circumstances.  What seems impossible to us, God is able to do.

To the early church Peter’s release from jail seemed impossible.  He’s sleeping between two soldiers, he’s chained up, there are guards at the gate, no one’s getting out of that, but Peter was released – The impossible was done, by God through the power of prayer.  What do you do when there’s a need?  Pray!

God Responds to Prayer

Job, in the midst of his suffering, asks this question:

Job 21:15 (NKJV)
^21:15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?'

What do we profit if we pray to God?  God is moved by our prayers, sometimes it seems like He doesn’t hear us, but I believe that when we pray without a load of hidden sin in our lives that He always hears us.  Then we say if He hears us, why doesn’t he respond? 

First, we don’t know what God has to move in order to answer our prayer.  You pray for finances – Maybe God has to create a new job for you, or put someone in place that will give you a chance.  Sometimes, God isn’t the hold up…we are.  We may lack the confidence to apply and follow through.

Second, there can be demonic interference.  Daniel had a vision (Daniel 10).  He prayed and fasted for God to show him what the vision meant, but for three weeks there was no response.  He heard nothing from God.  He continued in prayer.  Finally, the angel came to him and what did the angel say?

Daniel 10:11-13 (NKJV)
^10:11 And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you." While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling. ¹² Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. ¹³ But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.

The answer was delayed by the Prince of Persia.  This isn’t a person, this is a spiritual being, a demonic force that was resisting the answer of God.

Third, the answer may be to wait.  We always want God’s response when we want it.  “Hey God, I don’t want to wait.  If I wanted it later I would have waited to demand…uh… I mean ask.  God knows our needs much better than we do.  God knows best when the answer to our prayer will be the best response for us. “I want a husband or wife, right now God,” but God says, “You’re too selfish and immature.  It would be bad for you and him/her.  If you wait I’ll make every dream come true for you both.”  That’s how God thinks.  All good things come from God – Be patient.

Fourth, sometimes the answer is No!  Sometimes it’s even No Way!  If you’re asking for something outside of God’s will, God’s not going to give it to you.  “God, I know you have a calling on my life, but I want to do something else instead.  Please make it happen, God.”

Guess what, it isn’t going to happen unless you do it yourself, like Jonah did, but look how that turned out.  If you do that I hope you like seafood, because that’s what you could become…just like Jonah did.  There is a bright side, though.  Jonah got right with God, and the fish spit him up – right on the shores of God’s will.

Looking for the Answer

There’s one final thought I want to show you from our text.  The church prayed, God moved and Peter is miraculously released.  God takes him safely through the streets to the place where the church is gathered together, praying for him.  He knocks on the door.  A child answers, recognizes Peter’s voice and runs to get the leaders, “Peter’s here!  Peter’s here!”, but NO ONE believes her.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen that.

People come to me in pain.  I pray for them and God miraculously heals them.  I ask them, “How does it feel?”  Here’s the answer, “It doesn’t hurt…right now.”  God moved but they didn’t recognize God’s deliverance.   I think this is a pretty common experience for people.  God moves on their behalf and they don’t see it as an answer to prayer. 

The little girl tells everyone Peter’s here and what do they say?  “You’re a nut!  You’re out of your mind!  You’re crackers!”  They couldn’t see it.  They didn’t expect God to answer.  They prayed but they didn’t expect God to answer.  Oh, how many times have I seen that? 

People pray for the Holy Spirit but they don’t get filled – because they don’t expect to.  I wonder what they’re expecting.  What kind of experience are they looking for?

The only one in our text that really got what God was doing was a little girl.  She’s the only one who saw the miracle that God did for what it was; a supernatural answer to their prayers. 

God can move in any way He wants:

He can use another person;

He can use an angel or a bunch of angels;

He can just change circumstances

Matthew 17:20b (NKJV)
^17:20 So Jesus said to them, "... if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."

God moved the mountain,; He brought Peter out, but the adults didn’t think it could really happen, so they missed the move of God.  It takes faith like a child to expect God to move.

 Matthew 18:2-3 (NKJV)
^18:2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, ³ and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Children trust God.  One of the women in our church found a parking place at the hospital after driving around a while.  She said, “Oh good, Grandma blessed us.” Her two-year old son immediately said, “No! Jesus blesses.”  That’s child-like faith.  He knows where blessing comes from.  It’s adults who forget and I want to warn you.  Your lack of faith will destroy your children’s.  You have to be careful, they take their lead from you.

When you pray, pray with an expectation of God moving.  When He does you’ll be able to recognize His answer.  Pray fervently; pray boldly; pray with expectation.  Praying with expectation is praying with faith.  God created the universe with a word – I think He can meet your needs – If YOU can believe He can.  When the answer comes don’t be surprised – Be thankful.  

Burn Baby; Burn!

We always talk about Revival as if it’s a fire:  A burning, all-consuming fire.  That’s the image isn't it? 

There’s a legend that travels throughout fellowship.  I've heard about it.  I know some people who claim to have been there, but to me, it’s one of those legends that you hear sometimes.  Here’s the story, Evangelist Harry Hills was preaching a revival somewhere.  I’m not sure what the city was where he was preaching, but the revival was marked with a number of powerful miracles, words of knowledge and other things.  The church was rocking. It was a very powerful time.  All of a sudden the fire department shows up, because people had called them that the church was burning.  They saw flames rising out of the roof of the church, and so they called the fire department.  When they arrived there was no fire, it was Holy Ghost revival. 

Like I said, to me, this is the stuff of legends.  I don’t know whether or not this is true, but I've heard it a number of times.  The point is that revival is always associated with fire.  Look at our songs, Revival Fire; Burn in Me; It’s that Holy Ghost and fire; The Word of God is Like a Fire, popular worship songs.  That’s as good a description as any, because it does feel like a fire.  It’s a burning desire to see the will of God play out through people coming to Jesus.

In this post, I want to look at that image of revival as a fire burning out of control.  A fire, a forest fire burns in three stages.  The first is ignition; a spark ignites the dry grass.  The second stage is a blaze; the fire begins to grow in intensity.  The third stage of a forest fire is conflagration; the fire is burning out of control.  I want to apply this to the pioneer church or the church that is on the edge of revival.

Acts 9:32-35 (NKJV)
^9:32 Now it came to pass, as Peter went through all parts of the country, that he also came down to the saints who dwelt in Lydda. ³³ There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed. ³⁴ And Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed." Then he arose immediately. ³⁵ So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

The Ignition Point

When a fire has burned, the investigators come out and try to understand what caused the fire.  How did it start?  Was it arson?  The first thing they look for is the ignition point:  The place where the fire started.  The fire will ignite and begin to burn in one direction, widening out as it burns.  So there is literally a “V” that grows out from the ignition point.  The firemen follow the “V” back to the ignition point, in order to look for evidence about the way the fire ignited.

In our text it may seem like a little thing that Peter has done.  We see him dealing only with one lame man:  A man who has been bedridden for eight years, but this is the ignition point.  This is the place where the fire began to burn.  This is the beginning of the fire in that place.  Look at the last line in our text, “So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.” 

This is where revival started in Lydda.  Lydda was approximately twenty-five miles north of Jerusalem.  It’s located on the crossroads of the highway that leads from Egypt to Syria, and the highway that leads from Jerusalem to Joppa.  This is a key place.  There were many people who traveled those highways engaged in trade and other things.  It’s key because revival could easily travel to other places from this location. 

Here it is… It starts with one man healed.  It starts like a huge forest fire at one small ignition point.  If you had been there, it would have seemed to be one small thing; a guy gets healed.  That's it, one man is healed of an affliction, but it is the beginning of a city turning to the Lord. 

In the beginning of revival, it’s unseen.  It’s working in the hearts of people.  I've read about the second Great Awakening, this is a revival that took place in the United States between 1820 and 1840.  According to Wikipedia, this revival “enrolled millions of people in existing evangelical denominations and led to the formation of new denominations.”  In other words, millions of people were saved.

Look at this from Christianity.com

“The second Great Awakening had a greater affect on society than any other revival in America.”

It started quietly as a movement in 1790, thirty years before it exploded into revival.  It was unseen; it was a quiet movement that existed mostly in the prayers of the people. 

A preacher named John Erskine published a fervent plea for prayer, and a man named Isaac Backus answered that plea.  John Erskine and Isaac Backus were the ignition point for the greatest revival in American history.  In 1792, they began to pray.  They started this revival, but it was unseen.  It wasn't a huge burning fire, it wasn't even a small blaze; it was a spark in these two men’s hearts.  That’s how revival starts.

If you were to look at Taiwan right now, it doesn't look like a revival.  There’s no huge burning fire, carrying revival across this nation.  No, there’s only one small congregation in Taoyuan City and another in a small city called Pingzhen:  Two pastors praying for growth and impact in their cities.  In 1792, that was the ignition of powerful change in one nation, and in 2014 it can be the same thing  in your city.  Our congregation can be the ignition point.  In Lydda, it was one man praying for another man that started a fire burning there. 

There’s one other aspect that’s need for fire to ignite, and that’s fuel – dry grass, ready to be ignited. In Southern California, there’s very little rain.  Most of the rain that does fall, falls in the months of January and February.  By August grass that grew up in the rains of January and February is dead and dry.  It will easily ignite from a spark, a match, or a cigarette butt casually thrown on the ground. 

Fire usually ignites in the dry areas.  It doesn't ignite near the water.  It takes place in the areas that are dried out:  The areas where the ground thirsts.  It’s the same for revival fire.  Revival fire ignites in hearts that are dry and thirsty.  Look at something David says:

Psalms 63:1-2 (NKJV)
^63:1 A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. ² So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.

Look at what he’s saying.  He’s painting a picture of a dry place.  His soul is thirsting for God.  A dry and thirsty land where there’s no water.  It’s the same as the image of a land before a fire takes place.  His heart is dry; it’s missing the water of life.  It’s a perfect picture of the place where a fire would ignite.

What does he do?  He goes looking for God.  He goes into the sanctuary to find God, to find His power and glory.  Is your heart full of God or are you thirsty for God?  Is your heart a dry place, or is it a river of God’s living water?  Are you seeking God’s power and glory…the igniters of fire in dry places?  Those things are the things that will bring revival. 

In our text people saw a man healed:  A man that they knew.  They could see all that had transpired.  They found God’s power.

When Jesus’ friend Lazarus died, his sisters sent for Him, but Jesus tarried.  He told His disciples:

John 11:4 (NKJV)
^11:4 When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."

They witnessed the glory of God and the fire of revival ignited in that place.

John 11:45 (NKJV)
^11:45 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.

The same thing happened in Lydda.  A man was healed by the power of God.  The people witnessed the glory of God.  “All who dwelt in Lydda and Sharon turned to the Lord.”  One healing was an ignition point.

The Blaze

There’s a point in any forest fire where the fire can still be easily contained.  I once watched a fire that had started in some dry grass; it quickly got past one person’s ability to contain it.  The wind was blowing a little and the fire grew quickly.  It began to blaze along the side of the road and the fire department showed up.  Within 45 minutes the fire was surrounded and put out.  If the fire department hadn't shown up when they did, the fire would have gotten out of control and started to really burn, but there was a time that the fire department could come and extinguish the fire while it was still a small blaze.

In a revival this is a critical moment.  The fire is a manageable size, and guess what, there are people who don’t want to see a great fire of revival begin to burn.  They want to put it out while it’s still manageable.  Have you seen this?  These are people who want to control what God is doing.  They’re looking to keep things small.  We see them all the time.  They don’t want to get too much of God.  They resist His calling on their lives. 

“I don’t want to be in church, too much.”

“I don’t wan to give a full tithe.”

I don’t want to be prayed for…to be healed.”

I don’t want to let anyone too close.”

We try to contain it when it’s small.  When it’s just starting to grow in our heart.  We worry we can’t control it.  We’re afraid things might get out of our control.  Can I tell you something?  Some people need to get a little out of control.  Some people are worried about what would happen if they got turned on for God. 

When I first got saved I thought it was an intellectual exercise.  I was the great analytical personality.  I looked at everything like this, “Hmmm, how does that work?”   If there was something I didn't understand I had to figure it out, according to what I already knew.  Things were happening to me that I couldn't explain, though.  Things were happening that didn't fit into my experience.

I couldn't analyze it all.  I saw people get healed, I mean really healed.  I saw people give up careers to serve God.  I saw people gladly leave their homes and their jobs and their friends to move to other nations.  None of it fit my frame of reference.  I couldn't come up with an answer for why.  That’s always the big question of the truly analytical…why?  The search for that answer is like dropping a big, wet blanket over revival.  The blaze gets smothered and the fire goes out.

Why do some people get healed, but others don’t?  I don’t know.  Why does God want us to speak in tongues?  I don’t know.  Wouldn't it be easier if we knew what we were saying?  Maybe it would, I don’t know.  Why does God think like He does?  I don’t know.  Why did God rig it so that Jesus had to die in order for us to be forgiven?  I.  Don’t.  Know.  What I do know, though, is that that word "why" kills faith, because you’re looking for answers within you that you don’t have.  Why does God let bad things happen to good people?   I don’t know, but I believe that God loves us.  I believe that God has our best interest in mind.  I believe the best answer for all of mankind’s problems is Jesus.

You need to let the fire grow in you.  Revival changed the course of history in the first century:  That fire started in some hearts in Jerusalem, then spread to Lydda and Sharon, then Joppa, all the way to Rome and finally, around the world.  That revival could have easily been snuffed out as a small blaze that had begun in Jerusalem.

Acts 8:2-3 (NKJV)
^8:2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. ³ As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.

In fact that’s the devil’s strategy.  That’s what he tries to do, but it can backfire on him.  Saul was tormenting the church; people were forced to scatter for their own safety.  That could have extinguished the blaze right there.  It could have killed the revival, but people went to other places and began to preach the Gospel showing God’s power and glory and others came to Jesus in those places.  Samaria was one place:

Acts 8:4-6 (NKJV)
^8:4 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. ⁵ Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. ⁶ And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.

Antioch was another:

Acts 11:20-21 (NKJV)
^11:20 But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. ²¹ And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

The power and glory of God built into a blaze.  It could have easily been controlled at this point, but it went out of control, because people didn't keep wondering why; they just believed and let God move them.

Conflagration

The third stage of a fire is conflagration.  In this stage the fire is burning out of control.  It consumes everything in its path.  What’s really interesting about forest fires is that they can create their own weather systems.  Winds begin to blow out from the center of the fire from the rising heat and expanding air.  The winds blow out from the center and push the fire out farther out.  It actually causes the fire to spread faster than it was. 

Revival is the same way.  If we allow it to ignite and burn, and it gets away from us, it will grow out of control and revival will push itself.  The first century revival spread around the world.  It became something that powered itself.  It grew on its own, that’s how it could continue to grow long after the leaders of the early revival had all died off.  Nobody can strategize that type of growth.  Revival just takes off. 

That first revival started with one hundred-twenty people praying in an upstairs room, hiding for fear of the Jews, and it spread into a worldwide revival.  The Gospel has been heard in every country of the world, today.  It exploded like a raging forest fire. 

Taiwan is a crossroad.  We can reach the whole world from here.  Your city can be a crossroad, too. I believe that this revival can start, right now.  I believe that any church service or outreach could be the ignition point for revival.  We can be ignited today, or maybe revival can begin to blaze in more hearts this very week.  Take time today, to fervently pray for revival in your heart; in your church; in your city.  Purpose it in your heart to come to every service and seek God.  Don’t throw a wet blanket on the flames; let it build in your heart.  Invite someone to church and let it build in his or her heart, too.  Get out of control and let revival burn out of control.  Let’s steal the cry of 1968’s revolution, “Burn, baby; Burn!”

Disclaimer:  Recently, a woman saw our flyer, looked shocked and said, "You're trying to burn the world up."  Obviously, I'm not advocating that we start a huge fire and let it destroy things.  The call isn't for destruction, its for Revival!