Sermon Series
|
Audio / Video PowerPoint Text Recommend Subscribe Help
Streaming Audio: Download mp3 [left click to stream, right click to 'save as' for ipod or CD listening.] Or, use the controls, below, just like you would a VCR. Double-click the "Play" arrow to begin. This page must remain open to continue listening. To browse the internet while you listen, open a new browser window by clicking on "File", then "New", then "Window".PowerPoint Presentation:Click here after starting sermon audio to bring up slides and visual aides which go along with the sermon. [May take 1-3 minutes to open.] Once the first slide appears you can follow along with the message and use the arrow keys to advance the slides. How to edit and use
PowerPoint Viewer can be used to view our pps slideshow files if you do not have PowerPoint.
Please help keep this ministry free by honoring our system...
Please Choose:
Help spread the Word by using the recommendation links, above...it's a proven system that keeps this ministry free!
Grace Notes Sermon Ministry:
NOTICE! Our sermons are free to download, copy and paste, edit and use as you see fit...but only our free subscribers get the newest messages, featured sermons, and some gifts we shower on them from time to time!
The Power of a Prayer Meeting Acts 4:23-31
Peter and John have
been arrested/threatened not to preach Christ...but the Lord has told them
TO! [torn between God and man.]
When released,
where did they go? Tavern?
Belly up to bar?
No...they had a prayer and praise meeting!
Psalm 145:1-21
I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever
and ever. [2] Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for
ever and ever. [3] Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his
greatness is unsearchable.
Here's the secret:
“oh, what peace we often forfeit...”
They headed for
their own people [law of affinity:
we're attracted by those like us...birds of a feather flock
together!]
You can tell a lot about
those a person runs w/...or runs to.
joke--drunk
picked up by preacher on road, taken home, "please meet my
wife"/no!/please.../why?/I want her to see what kind of company I'm keepin'!
Well, Peter and
John ran to their own company.
It's a shame when people
get into trouble and don't run to the church...may we make our church one
they can run to!
Away w/ selfish
Christianity that comes to church only for what I can get...did it
ever occur to you that there are some who need what you can give?
Just like last
week, that's the people...now the prayer.
Here's 4 things
that can revolutionize our prayer lives:
Once again, this
was a
1. United Prayer--they dropped to their knees and joined hands and
prayed TOGETHER. [tho' we all
should have private prayer lives, we should pray as a
family...meals...bedtime...family devotions...crisis...hospital, etc.]
We'll be united or we'll be untied!
As a church the
same is true!
2. God-Centered Prayer--did not focus on their prob's, but on God's power!
v. 24 recognized God as Creator
When we do this, it
puts our prob's in perspective...reminds us that He can handle our prob's.
Read the most powerful
prayers in scripture, you'll see they're not problem-centered, but God
centered!
Nehemiah 9--He was
in serious trouble, but spent minutes praising things about Who God IS,
before making his request!
Isaiah 42:10--he
talks about God's power/guidance/control/faithfulness prior to his requests.
David--Psalm
145:1-3 I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. [2] Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. [3] Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
Revolutionize your
prayer life...take out some moans and add some amen's...delete the hows? and
replace w/ hallelujahs! Shove
gratitude up front in the groan's seat!
ill.--John
Wesley riding horse thru countryside, overcome by thieves who took every
cent he had on him. That nite he
prayed [recorded prayers in a journal].
"Dear God, thank
you for 3 things: tho' they took
my money, they didn't take my life...tho' they took ALL my money, it wasn't
much...most of all, thank you that it was I who was robbed, and not I who
did the robbing!"
What a God-Centered
prayer!
3. This was also a scriptural prayer
Based on scripture
Quote the Bible when you
pray [hide it in your heart, recall it]
v. 25-26
This is Psalm 2--a prophecy made hundreds of years before Christ of
how the kings of the earth would conspire against Him...but in the middle of
it all, God would be in control [laughing].
Then they pray the
interpretation:
v. 27 they all gang up as
predicted...
v. 28 and they were your puppets,
Lord!
v. 29-30
they apply it to their situation now.
Lord, you were in control when the rulers crucified Jesus, and you're
in control of ours.
They pray
Scripture/claiming scripture/praying based on the Bible...so can we, and so
we ought to!
ill.--needed money
for taxes, prayed acc'd to story of Peter [go fishin']
Mt. 17
How should we pray
tonite? Biblically!
Souls: Lord, you're not
willing for them to perish!/Lord, you added unto the church daily.../you're
the great physician who touched blind eyes.../bro’t prodigal home, do it for
our son!
united,
God-centered, scriptural...
4. This was a totally unselfish prayer
v. 29 amazing!
they didn't pray for deliverance/for God to crush their heads!/call
fire down on council/for protection, but that they would be able to still do
what they are supposed to despite it all!
We don't pray like
that...we pray for God to get us out of situations, not deeper!
We say, oh God, kill 'em!
Smite w/ hemorrhoids like asteroids/may the fleas of 1k camels...
Philip Brooks:
don't pray for an easy life, pray for God to make you stronger!
Don't pray for tasks equal to your power, but for power equal to your
tasks!
ill.--6
year old boy got a sweet tooth/slipped finger into the barrel, then into his
mouth/owner scolded him: 'unsanitary'/kid was embarrassed, left/few days
later his tongue guided him there again/did same again…was caught again/this
time man took him by arm and escorted him out firmly…spanked him/you'd think
he'd learn his lesson, but 10 days later he did it again, but before he
could get it to his mouth, owner caught him red handed/he picked him up,
turned him upside-down and, yes, dipped him in head first/last thing you
could hear as he was lowered was a prayer, “Lord, give me a tongue equal to
this opportunity!”
Again, there's the
people, the prayer, and then the POWER!
v. 31 They prayed right, and they
received! Boldness/power.
This is the 3rd time they
had been filled w/ the Holy Spirit...still novices, but God worked!
ill.--a
church bought a new organ for thousands of dollars.
They hired a professional to come intro. the organ w/ a concert/came,
but no sound/someone: let's
pray!/custodian walked over and realized power switch was off/turned it on,
handed note to organist while all still praying:
"after the prayer, the power will be on!"
And that's the message for GBC!
Grace Notes Sermon Ministry:
NOTICE! Our sermons are free to download, copy and paste, edit and use as you see fit...but only our free subscribers get the newest messages, featured sermons, and some free gifts we shower on them from time to time! Help keep this service free by recommending it using the links above the sermon
|
|
All Sermons and PowerPoint Slideshow Presentations ©Copyright Jerry Shirley and Grace Notes Ministries® unless otherwise credited. These resources are yours to use freely, but only in public worship services or private study groups and devotions. They may not be sold, republished or retransmitted in any form without written permission.