As we return to our study this morning in the book of Acts, there is one great purpose this morning in this particular passage that is in front of us, and it is to encourage the church when it faces great times of opposition in from the world and in the world to pray. That is the single great goal of this particular passage this morning. In fact, it really does give us a model prayer to look at and to study when we are in the trenches and hardship of life. It's teaching us something about prayer that is so important. And I really enjoyed studying this particular passage because my guess is, if we're looking at this from experience, there's a kind of frustration among us as believers over the discipline of prayer. it's hard enough to do it well isn't it it's hard enough to do it period and this is the thing that we see we are constantly focused on in the christian life we just said it's a chief means of gratitude chief way of gratitude to thank the lord to be thankful and and we would probably admit together that we are not nearly as disciplined in this great christian discipline as we should be maybe we're accustomed that the elders we know when they come are going to ask about our personal prayer lives it's an area of struggle isn't it we don't often in the midst of this think about what the scriptures are teaching us and what the scriptures are showing us about prayer and one i believe of the most helpful passages in all of the bible i hadn't really considered too much about over and thought much about in the course of my ministry is acts chapter 4 because we see prayer here in action, if you will. We see prayer in the trenches. We see prayer in the church, how it functioned and how God answered. And we can learn so much from this as we continue to carry forward this same deposit of truth in the same very struggle as these very brothers and sisters years ago. And in this way then, this morning, we're looking at prayer that pleases God. Prayer that pleases God in the church. And this should, I hope by the time we're done, encourage us to look at prayer in a more helpful manner and in a way that encourages us in this great Christian discipline. So we see this this morning here in the circumstances that led to their prayer. You'll notice that there were certain circumstances that led to this prayer. Then we can look at the content of this prayer and then the response of God to their prayer. So that's how we'll break this down and consider this this morning, this short section from Acts chapter 4. I want you to think with me for a minute of the context. If you've heard the sermons that preceded this, you'll know that there was quite a surrounding circumstance that led them here in Acts chapter 4 to this place of prayer. Many of those who were here in front of us in Acts chapter 4 are brand new to Christianity. Remember that the Lord has been adding to the church daily those who are being saved. This is a glorious time in the church. This is a glorious moment. This is the greatest renewal the church has seen. This was the time of Pentecost. The Spirit had been poured out. Everything was so new and fresh. They're hearing the gospel for the first time. That's why I raised that church. in some ways that's exactly what they were hearing and and now receiving and the excitement and the joy you could sense in that place they were receiving the forgiveness of sins by this ministry they understood their need this was the body of christ and we're learning about it in action we're seeing it here here in our study of the book of acts that the same power that was in the ministry of jesus when he walked on this earth we're seeing now what jesus said greater things you will do when the spirit comes and we're seeing the spirit's ministry the ministry of the spirit at work here to testify of jesus the glorious thing is people are responding it's a glorious time for the early church isn't it you get a sense of enjoyment you get a sense of it's simple it's freeing it's happy they love their family it wasn't a burden they love their fellowship we're going to see next time there were a few that held back but they were willing to give and care for one another this was their family they devoted themselves to certain things they were really devoted to this cause they were devoted to the doctrine to the prayer to the fellowship to the giving all that but now something terrible has happened now something terrible has happened at least as they initially saw it peter and john in the previous sections remember had healed a man in solomon's portico the the beggar the lame beggar. And they had healed the man in the name of Jesus. It was a glorious event. Well, not long after that, here came quite a group against them. The Sadducees, the rulers, the elders, Annas, Caiaphas, John. And they had seized Peter and John. And not only did they lay hands on them, but they threw them in prison overnight. In fact, in the last chapter, verse 21, verse 17, We read something rather shocking that these men all got them together, not knowing quite how to deal with them, and we'll see, this is going to get worse, they severely threatened them, severely. This is where we are. That's verse 23 now, we enter the scene of what has happened, and this is where we pick up this morning that when they were released, they went to their friends and reported what Now, you need to put yourselves in their shoes for a moment. Here come Peter and John. You're a brand new believer. You're a brand new Christian. The Lord is adding to the church daily. The church is flourishing. Here come Peter and John. Everything has been going well. We're now in chapter 4 of Acts, And now things are turning and changing. Everything has been going well in that people are hearing the gospel. There is growth. They've been committed. They've been devoted. What do you think the devil wants to do at this moment? What do you think the devil wants to do at this moment? Disrupt the whole thing. There's a reason the apostles, when they were talking about the advancement of the gospel in the ministry, Paul would say, listen, we are not ignorant of Satan's devices. He has devices. everything he could do to stop this he's doing now so here come the apostles back to their friends to the group to the church these new converts brand new to the faith and here's what they report it didn't go well it didn't go well notice the apostles reported what the chief priest said to them. Don't miss that, that back in the previous chapter, verse 21, the people were glorifying God and they had seen the Lord's miracle on this man. There was great excitement. There was great joy. So from that standpoint, the whole thing was very successful, but that's not what they're talking about. They've come back. I would imagine they're very discouraged at this moment. Think about Peter. He's back in front of them and imagine what he said. Just imagine what it went like for a minute the chief priests the elders the religious leaders of israel arrested us and we were severely threatened we were told we better never speak in jesus's name again that was in the last chapter what do you think that threat sounded like you are not allowed anymore to preach in his name that's over for you guys you understand you remember the crucifixion remember what we did to jesus we will do that to you too you think we can't stop it no more he is not the messiah and we looked at last time the implications of what they would have had to do had they accepted that is repent but they would not so they have to put it out because the whole thing implicates them. You need to think about this from the perspective of these brand new believers now. What a discouragement. What an absolute discouragement. What the devil wants to do, as he often does, is raise doubts in their minds as to the truth of what they have accepted and what they had believed. Think about it. There were all sorts of sex at the time and false messiahs running around and they had dealt with these guys they had dealt with these movements they had tried to put them out and many of these new converts had never seen jesus they'd never seen him they're in the same position as you this is a moment of real crisis in the early church isn't it because you would think the romans if uh would come to stop this paul will be dealing with that later on in the book of Acts. But the remarkable thing about this particular section in the book of Acts is who is challenging them. These are the chief priests. These are the elders. These are the Sadducees. This is Annas. This is Caiaphas. These are the strongest figures in Judaism. These are the strongest figures among the Jews. You believe this? We put you out. We will put you out. Listen, this kind of threat has led many to a real crisis of faith. You're starting to think about this for a minute. You're starting to think about what you're involved with. What if we're wrong? We're just this little group in the midst of the entire world of people who don't believe this god is he really for us are we the um are we the only alone wise ones why don't why do we see what they don't just think of the doubts that begin to come into the the head of new baby christians at this moment and these are the guys in power we're following the message of fishermen you feel the crisis a little bit here what's your struggle i mean we've been talking luther and talking about all this for the last month so we might as well again think about it he's standing there in front of popes and rulers and cardinals and magistrates am i alone wise i wonder if these thoughts have ever crossed crossed your mind. Have they? If it's possible, am I wrong? Am I wrong about all this? Are we wrong about all this? Is this whole thing a sham? I wonder if you've ever been here. I wonder if you've ever struggled with it at all. I might be just in the normal course of your lives living a very good good life, a blessed life, a comfortable life that you struggle with that. Now put yourself here. Would you not start thinking these things if they're saying no more or else? Would you really start valuating whether you really believe it? Wouldn't you? I think you would. I think you'd have to. I really don't want to face persecution. See, now I'm at the place where I either accept this to be true and I'm going to die for it, or I'm jumping ship. That's where they are. This is a crisis in the church. Think about it today with a shallow Christianity if the authorities came in and said, no more are you to preach Jesus in this place in an exclusive way or else. Would you still come? Would you? Would you still come? I think it's a fair question, isn't it? It's kind of clearing away superficiality at that point, isn't it? How many would be done? How many? how many we can hardly get here now who are in the church and some we don't even see what do you think they're going to do christianity untested comfortable never ever having to go beyond the simple acceptance of what you've been raised with to be tested as to whether you really believe it in the heart here you are here you are here we got here are you willing to die for it what we're picking up from the text is they're scared. I don't blame them. I would be too. We know from the early church that many who were loosely attached to Christianity did scatter like roaches at this time. Now, it's at this point that the Lord clearly wants to show us how they made it through. That's the purpose of this passage. That's why I love this passage. How did they make it through this? If something, and you can certainly personalize this. There's no doubt you can do that even though it's not the intention of the text but it is the principle of prayer it's giving us an answer in the moments of real crisis isn't it that's why i love this when your faith is shaken when the tests come and they will come when you feel like it's all falling apart and sometimes it will what is the first thing emphasized that we come to in this particular text that spontaneously happened? They didn't have to plan it. They didn't have to organize it. What was the automatic response to the crisis of their faith? Well, you see it in verse 24. I love it. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God. Prayer, for us, seems to be most effective. It seems to be most effective when the circumstances are right, right? When we're alone, right? When we're alone and we have set aside a block of time that's most convenient out of our busy schedules, coffee in hand, journal out, the birds are singing, right? That's how we think of prayer. That's when we think it works. Prayer is most effective in our minds when you have found a time of convenience that you can remove distraction out of your busy lives to talk to God. Well, maybe that is working for you. But that's not the way the Bible paints it. That's not what the Bible shows us about prayer. Prayer becomes, in the Scriptures often, the greatest lifeline when faith is rocked to the core. When you have no answers. When you're driven here, when you're tested, when you're tested, when you're faced with the dilemma of running from everything, that's where we are. When it seems that everything you've ever believed is called into question, when you can't handle it. Listen, listen, I'm going to come back to that thought. When you can't handle it, when your outlook on everything has become soured, Then when you say, I can't handle this, that our biggest problem has been exposed that you've been trying to do it alone. Notice the beauty of this here. That with their brothers and sisters, they lifted up their voices together. Everything about the early church is together. Everything about the early church is a people. Together. And that's where the Lord wants us. Important is prayer is personally, and I'm not diminishing that. The scriptures at these kinds of moments give us a far more togetherness plan, if you will, of emphasis on prayer. And here's why the passage is so incredibly helpful because the Lord is telling you this morning something very beautiful if you'll listen to it, that you're not on your own to figure any of this out. You're not on your own to figure any of this out. you're not on your own to deal with this stuff. He promises to answer his people when they call out to him together in these kinds of distresses. He'll give you an answer. But I want you to notice what happens then. So that's where the content of their prayer really becomes helpful as we look at what they did in this spontaneous moment of corporate church prayer. Look at it. Verse 24. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them. Where do they begin? Sovereign Lord. They are immediately filled with fear. And they are coming to the Lord and addressing Him as sovereign over all this stuff. everything that he made he's sovereign over in fact he's the one who made it now why does his sovereignty his predestination it comes out here and specifically mentioned his creation power why does it matter at this moment i think this is a real key to prayer isn't it what why are you training you why are you training your children to believe things about the attributes of god why are we sending them off to sunday school why does that matter and why should you adults be in Sunday school? Because the truth should matter to your mind. Look what they're doing. Everything has come upon them that is screaming at them, God has lost control of it all. God is against you. He's not in charge of much. Why would this be going on? How does any of this show that God's sovereign? Isn't it an amazing moment that they're starting here? From an outward perspective, none of this says anything about the sovereignty of God. From an outward perspective, this all says God looks like he's buried in a hole somewhere. It's all discouraging. It's confusing. It's uprooting. It seems to say that God is not much involved with this at all. Maybe I should be a deist. Some people have. This is a really important moment. that they were continuing in the doctrine in Acts chapter 2 for a reason. I love this point to think about the importance of the church and what it does. What you put in your mind now about God is a deposit for the future. What you put in your mind about God now, what you're learning about God now, is for the future. This is why Thessalonians warns that those who are going to be deluded by the coming apostasy and caught up in it are those who don't receive a love for the truth today. So notice what's being said here. Sovereign Lord. The whole thing right now is threatening to be undone in the church. The whole movement is threatening to be put out. And notice that they're calling out to the Lord in this way. You have at this moment come face to face with the truth of your confession and what you believe and you have a choice in light of what you're facing and here's the choice here's as simple as it goes the choice goes like this either this whole event is outside of god and escaped him and he's not regarded me and that will lead me to no prayer that's one choice you could make that's one avenue or you could say this whole thing is in god's sovereignty and is his plan it's absolutely the sovereignty of god that this thing is showing me that this thing has happened the god who made everything heaven and earth the sea and all that is in them that he actually is in control of this too this he's sovereign over this he planned this a lot of struggle isn't it because this is in the heart of the test really hard to accept and i want you to notice what begins to happen to their prayer they're framing it with praise in their hearts this is when what you have intellectually accepted about god and believed about god and and what you put in your minds of what we confess in our confessions and what we believe about god and have studied through a long time in the course of our lives is now really put to experience in the test and taken right to the heart if he's the creator of all if he is sovereign that means everything's ordered by him and you see this perspective begins to fill out the content of their prayer notice how look what comes into their minds verse 27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant jesus this is not new first off whom you anointed both herod and pontius pilate along with the gentiles and the peoples of israel to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place wow they've threatened us with the same death as jesus that death was no mistake we know that that was not something lord that caught you off guard no no no you anointed him for that you set him apart for that and when those wicked men stood up to condemn him and to crucify him they did what was in your hand which you had predestined to come to pass wow see what's happening they they're looking the minds are ransacking the scriptures this is why we learn the scriptures their minds are ransacking the scriptures and guess what they're going to psalm 2 right in the middle of their prayer is a quote from the psalms look look look what it says we're having all this happen but your word told us this would happen by the mouth of your servant who the holy spirit said by the holy spirit why did the gentiles rage and the people's plot in vain the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers were gathered together against the lord and against his anointed here's what what i love about this particular psalm is it's as if and this is so crucial to prayer so so stay with me here i believe it's greatly going to encourage and help you this morning that their minds are being transformed through the Scriptures as they are praying. I think we can miss that. Something's happening here. I don't think we give enough credence and enough place to the actual growth. Listen to me. The actual growth that happens in the discipline of prayer together. This is theology embraced and learned through the struggle and the avenue of prayer. for they're taking what they know to be true and they're applying it to what they're facing and their hearts are being strengthened by it their hearts and this is this was the heart of their growth in the early church i wonder if we're not growing today because we're not gathering to pray as we should i wonder praying the scriptures in light of what is facing and what we know and exalting God and his wonderful attributes and talking about his sovereignty and praising him for it. Can you imagine how that would refresh your minds for everything you're facing? This is the spirit working, by the way, in Acts of what Paul described in Romans 8, that he is interceding with help because they don't know what to pray and he's giving them Psalm 2. That's what he's doing. Most of the time we're simply praying, help Grandpa, help them, help that, help this. And we've not done this. This is on-site training. This is where growth came. You don't get it in a classroom. In other words, you get it in the classroom, but when you pray, these things become alive in the midst of the hardship. So you're building it in your minds in the classroom, and then the Spirit is taking that through prayer and strengthening you. You get this in the trenches when you're faced with something you can't handle. and it seems to say god has abandoned you it's here that um the spirit takes the work of jesus and identifies you with that work that's what just happened um it is not true we often say from that one verse in corinthians that i think is misunderstood we often run around saying god will never give you more than you can bear i've said it it's easy to say that's not really true Paul even said we're so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we're despaired of life itself he said that at one point I can't handle this it's way beyond me he will never give you more than he can bear understand that he's taking it that's what he's doing you're not strong enough to bear it he is this is why Paul would say but that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. We belong to him. He's the Lord of our lives and whatever the church is facing, whatever it is that we're facing, he's still on the throne. He's still seated. As a matter of fact, Psalm 2 is mentioned because what is he doing with all these people who are hurting them? Laughing at them. Laughing. It's the one time we get a good laughter from God in the scriptures, don't we? We're such slow learners. This is exactly the reason the Bible says not only that we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, character produces hope. Hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit whom he's given to us. These things are realized through prayer as the mind has been instructed in the truth what an encouragement this morning that the spirit is actually showing his work and his power through prayer now what has this done to their understanding let's explore that for a minute then we'll close what has this done to their understanding it's directed their request hasn't it what would be the easy thing to pray here take it away lord make him stop that's the first thing we do and there's a reason paul's prayer was inspired in second corinthians chapter 12 that when he had this thorn in the flesh when he was given something very bad uh in his body the first thing he's begging take it away take it away take it away three times and then he stopped when he realized something through prayer so many people never get away from that request and and and that is the reason they're unable to say and begin the prayer with sovereign lord you see sovereign lord when you begin to say sovereign lord your entire perspective has changed through the whole thing and and and your life and my life our lives were never ours to begin with you didn't own your life your life was purchased it was in the lord's hand for a reason it is his purpose for a reason it's his determined purpose so notice their request and now lord look on their threats and take them out no that's not that's not what he said today look on their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness while you stretch out your hand to heal and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant, Jesus. Boldness. Would you give us boldness? This is not about preserving our lives. This is about your word, Lord. Notice that we're not talking about when the Lord gave them boldness. We'll look at it in a minute that there was tongue speaking. They spoke the word of God clearly. Give us strength to handle this. Give us strength to handle this for one great purpose that your word would shine forth from us and that we would speak it isn't that wonderful because what you've seen happen from the beginning of the situation to the end of the situation is the anxiety has been removed it's gone it's just been taken and now next time they get beaten before they they're going on trial again here uh in chapter five they get beaten they run away rejoicing what what what essentially just happened is philippians chapter four i've always loved that passage and i it's the greatest encouragement um because i know that many of you when you have things that are in front of you um the thing that we say is how are you telling me not to be anxious but you listen to the passage itself you're missing what the passage itself is saying be anxious for nothing but in everything with prayer and supplication it's it's the very thing sovereign lord you made everything you uphold everything you're sovereign with thanksgiving thank you for all these blessings make your requests known to god that are in line with that and then what's he going to do for you he's going to change your perspective the peace of god which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in christ jesus he just changed your whole perspective the anxiety the fear is taken that's what he that's what he's promising to do not so much change a circumstance which he might that's philippians once you listen listen to uh which is the backdrop to this hezekiah's prayer when sennacherib was coming at him threatening him this mighty army uh these syrians they were coming and listen to hezekiah's prayer which ties with this which i think is in their minds oh lord the god of israel enthroned above the cherubim you are the god you alone of all the kingdoms of the earth you have made heaven and earth incline your ear oh lord and hear open your eyes oh lord and see and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, and they have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O Lord, our God, save us, please, from his hand, whose hand is in control, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know you see it oh lord god that you are god alone then isaiah the son of amos sent to hezekiah saying thus says the lord the god of israel your prayer to me about sennacherib king of assyria i have heard you can study what happened to that guy in every test of your faith couldn't you use the structure of this prayer couldn't you sovereign lord you made the heavens and the earth the sea and all that is in them this thing that has happened it's in your hand and in your plan which you predestined to take place we remember through this the life of your son they all plotted the worst things against him history had never seen such abuse but they did whatever your hand had planned and predestined we belong to him we follow his life so lord look upon us in this terrible thing that has happened and give us strong faith give us boldness that your word would shine in us is that not a prayer for you in every circumstance you know what happens here god answers verse 31 and when they prayed the place where they were assembled together was shaken and they were all filled with the holy spirit and spoke the word of god with boldness god answered he shook the ground under their feet that was to take away their fears and remember the ground of those who are opposing could open any time he's in control he has a purpose in this and his purpose is that his word would go forth that's his purpose for the church that nothing um anyone says or do does can stop that word that word above all earthly powers and and so to confirm that that they were all filled with the spirit and went out again and spoke the word of god with boldness again there it is again that's being filled with the spirit it's to speak the word of god with boldness he strengthened them now i encourage you and apply this apply this a few ways this morning to close the sermon first as a church i believe we need to be more in prayer together and you with one another together i think that's so important we've got to get away from this private thing i've heard too much from the older generations we're just private about our faith there's nothing private about your faith nothing this is part of our growth in the trenches when life is hard and we're facing things that we can't handle the tendency always always because i know it's from me is to seclude ourselves i don't want to see anyone today i can't deal with this yeah you can't deal with it that's why you need your family we need to have that kind of relationship here and love for one another that there's that kind of confidence to be able to talk to each other in these hardships. And I fear we don't have it yet as we should. No church does. So don't seclude. Don't isolate. Don't be alone. God never made you to be alone. He should have taught you that in marriage as he gave you a companion and the general rule of it. Because when you're alone, you're going to sink into emptiness and a prayerless life. That's the truth. The Lord is encouraging you to realize He most delights to answer us together. He does. That means you're going to have to open up more to people. You're going to have to open up more. You're going to have to trust your brothers and sisters. And you're going to have to be able to give them a lending ear without judging them. Aren't you? You're going to have to give yourselves to grow in the truth. That means we're going to have to be more in classes and put the truth of God in our minds. and know the scripture so when we're growing in these moments together the spirit is taking these things applying these things and growing us as we together call out but if you're disconnected from any growth in the christian life and refuse to do that you're going to have a hard time in this second he encouraged it encourages us to remember when things come upon us that we can't handle it's god's strength that upholds you you can't do it it's the lord's way of through this making you look more like his son and the church to advance the gospel so the prayer shouldn't always be lord take it away but maybe it should be more of use this lord train me lord to understand your word more and and make it an opportunity for prayer and give me the strength and boldness that i need through this giving me peace in it not to hide my life in hardship but to let your word so shine in me and through me that i might speak your word in the hardship to be a blessing to somebody else the christian life is most effectively lived in the trenches and that there in the trenches the soil is most cultivated for growth than in that in that place in that very place where god's people are together lifting up their voices in prayer saying sovereign lord you made all this you made us take the gospel of your son and advance it and make it successful to the ends of the earth for that's why we're here that's why you placed us here hopefully that gives you this morning some real encouragement to be here we're doing it twice on sundays we're corporately gathered maybe we should value more and i need to take more seriously congregational prayer and maybe we should think about having more gatherings of prayer together with each other that this prayer might be heard and we continue to grow and enjoy what we should the lord jesus christ loves you the lord jesus christ died for you and the lord jesus christ has freed you and he's given you a place in his kingdom that his gospel may continue to go forward look at life this way and i can assure you as you pray to him together the peace of god which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in christ jesus let's pray Sovereign Lord, you made heaven, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them. You've carried us the whole way. Whatever thing that has come upon us, that is far beyond us and your church, we realize that it's your strength and your power that can bear this and deal with this. But we also know that you have a perfect plan, predestined. That the message and the gospel of Jesus would go to the ends of the earth. And we're not going to look a lot different than him if we're followers. So when we're tried and when we're tested, may we as a people learn to pray more together. May we value togetherness as a people and take away the rugged individualism that fills our hearts living in an American culture. And let us as a church grow more together, seeing that when hardship and testing and trial comes, that all of this is in your perfect plan. So whatever it is, give us boldness that we might be filled with your spirit, that the word of God may be proclaimed in this place, from this pulpit, and from our mouths as we speak the wonderful things that you have done for us. Thank you for hearing us this morning. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Thank you.