1 00:00:01,835 --> 00:00:04,838 Acts 12:1–19 2 00:00:05,755 --> 00:00:08,792 About that time, Herod the king laid violent hands on 3 00:00:08,792 --> 00:00:10,427 some who belonged to the church. 4 00:00:10,427 --> 00:00:14,631 He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword, and when he saw that 5 00:00:14,631 --> 00:00:18,435 it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. 6 00:00:18,468 --> 00:00:21,037 This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 7 00:00:21,037 --> 00:00:22,439 When he had seized him. 8 00:00:22,439 --> 00:00:26,076 He put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers 9 00:00:26,076 --> 00:00:30,313 to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. 10 00:00:30,313 --> 00:00:31,881 So Peter was kept in prison, 11 00:00:31,881 --> 00:00:36,136 but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. 12 00:00:36,152 --> 00:00:38,354 Now when Herod was about to bring him out 13 00:00:38,354 --> 00:00:42,075 on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers 14 00:00:42,075 --> 00:00:47,313 bound with two chains, and centuries before the door were guarding the prison. 15 00:00:47,430 --> 00:00:52,635 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone 16 00:00:52,635 --> 00:00:53,470 in the cell. 17 00:00:53,470 --> 00:00:57,907 He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, get up quickly. 18 00:00:57,991 --> 00:01:00,160 And the chains fell off his hands. 19 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:04,230 And the angel said to him, dress yourself and put on your sandals. 20 00:01:04,431 --> 00:01:05,915 And he did so. 21 00:01:05,915 --> 00:01:09,753 And he said to him, wrap your cloak around you and follow me. 22 00:01:09,836 --> 00:01:12,238 And he went out and followed him. 23 00:01:12,238 --> 00:01:16,159 He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, 24 00:01:16,476 --> 00:01:19,162 but thought he was seeing a vision. 25 00:01:19,162 --> 00:01:23,116 When they had passed the first and the second guard, 26 00:01:23,116 --> 00:01:26,152 they came to the iron gate leading into the city. 27 00:01:27,070 --> 00:01:32,108 It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street. 28 00:01:32,108 --> 00:01:35,111 And immediately the angel left him. 29 00:01:35,311 --> 00:01:40,433 When Peter came to himself, he said, now I am sure that the Lord has set his angel, 30 00:01:40,433 --> 00:01:44,387 and rescued me from the hand of Herod, and from all that 31 00:01:44,387 --> 00:01:46,039 the Jewish people were expecting. 32 00:01:46,039 --> 00:01:49,392 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, 33 00:01:49,442 --> 00:01:52,428 the mother of John, whose other name was Mark, 34 00:01:52,512 --> 00:01:56,082 where many were gathered together and were praying. 35 00:01:56,082 --> 00:02:00,270 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda 36 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:04,958 came to answer, recognizing Peter's voice in her joy. 37 00:02:05,041 --> 00:02:06,476 She did not open the gate, 38 00:02:06,476 --> 00:02:09,963 but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 39 00:02:10,630 --> 00:02:13,199 They said to her, you were out of your mind, but 40 00:02:13,199 --> 00:02:17,637 she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, it is as angel. 41 00:02:18,521 --> 00:02:21,591 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened 42 00:02:21,641 --> 00:02:25,311 they saw him and were amazed, but motioning to 43 00:02:25,361 --> 00:02:27,747 them with his hand to be silent, 44 00:02:27,747 --> 00:02:31,317 he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. 45 00:02:31,634 --> 00:02:35,588 And he said, tell these things to James and to the brothers. 46 00:02:35,672 --> 00:02:38,591 Then he departed and went to another place. 47 00:02:38,591 --> 00:02:41,711 Now in day came, there was no little disturbance 48 00:02:41,711 --> 00:02:45,398 among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 49 00:02:45,398 --> 00:02:48,868 And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, 50 00:02:48,868 --> 00:02:52,522 he examined the centuries and ordered that they should be put to death. 51 00:02:52,555 --> 00:02:56,593 Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there. 52 00:03:01,097 --> 00:03:01,514 Well 53 00:03:01,514 --> 00:03:04,601 welcome to the weekend here at Christ Community Chapel. 54 00:03:04,634 --> 00:03:05,835 My name is Zach. 55 00:03:05,835 --> 00:03:07,187 I'm one of the pastors here, 56 00:03:07,187 --> 00:03:11,157 and we are so glad that we get to be part of your weekend. 57 00:03:11,191 --> 00:03:14,510 Hey, before I start the sermon and dive into the passage 58 00:03:14,510 --> 00:03:18,715 that we just read, I have what I think is some exciting news. 59 00:03:18,748 --> 00:03:24,120 We've just received confirmation to say this is firm-ish. 60 00:03:24,153 --> 00:03:28,758 All construction news is firm-ish, but we've received confirmation 61 00:03:28,758 --> 00:03:32,195 that the chairs in the sanctuary should be coming in on time 62 00:03:32,195 --> 00:03:37,433 so that the first weekend of December, we will be in the new sanctuary. 63 00:03:37,467 --> 00:03:40,069 How exciting. 64 00:03:40,069 --> 00:03:42,956 Now that sanctuary holds 65 00:03:42,956 --> 00:03:45,959 more people than any space we've ever had. 66 00:03:45,959 --> 00:03:49,395 And so here's what we're going to do, at least to get started. 67 00:03:49,429 --> 00:03:53,116 We're going to keep all of our service times 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 on 68 00:03:53,116 --> 00:03:56,920 Thursday, 9:15, 10:30, and 11:45 on Sunday. 69 00:03:56,920 --> 00:03:59,973 But we're going to move everyone into the sanctuary. 70 00:03:59,989 --> 00:04:04,611 So instead of having multiple services at each hour, we're going to all be 71 00:04:04,677 --> 00:04:07,630 because I just think it'll be good for us to be all together. 72 00:04:07,630 --> 00:04:10,633 We've been all over the place for a long time. 73 00:04:10,667 --> 00:04:12,001 I want us to be all together. 74 00:04:12,001 --> 00:04:13,720 We'll see how long we can do that. 75 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:15,555 But that's that's where we're going to start. 76 00:04:15,555 --> 00:04:18,758 And so here's what that means for all of our services. 77 00:04:18,758 --> 00:04:23,279 That'll be just fine, except for maybe 10:30 on Sunday. 78 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:25,932 So if you're watching this, you typically come to 10:30 on Sunday. 79 00:04:25,932 --> 00:04:27,150 Let me say this. 80 00:04:27,150 --> 00:04:31,788 You're going to want to get here early, because if you get here five minutes late, 81 00:04:31,788 --> 00:04:36,075 you're really going to be 55 minutes early for the 11:45 82 00:04:36,075 --> 00:04:40,029 service, okay, because every seat is going to be taken. 83 00:04:40,029 --> 00:04:40,797 So if you 84 00:04:40,797 --> 00:04:46,119 if you want to make it more comfortable, consider just going to 9:15 or 11:45 85 00:04:46,119 --> 00:04:49,522 and not having to fight the crowd because 10:30 will be full. 86 00:04:49,589 --> 00:04:52,792 But again, I think it's just going to be good for us to all be together. 87 00:04:52,842 --> 00:04:55,194 I really, really am looking forward to that. 88 00:04:55,194 --> 00:04:59,399 All right, let's pick up in acts 12 chapter, chapter 12, 89 00:04:59,432 --> 00:05:00,667 verses one through 19. 90 00:05:00,667 --> 00:05:02,602 If you have a Bible, you can turn their. 91 00:05:02,602 --> 00:05:04,671 Otherwise it'll be on the screen behind me. 92 00:05:04,671 --> 00:05:07,507 This is week nine of our sermon series. 93 00:05:07,507 --> 00:05:10,626 Going through the early part of the book of acts. 94 00:05:10,626 --> 00:05:15,281 We've been calling it room for more, and the reason for that is pretty simple. 95 00:05:15,315 --> 00:05:16,749 Two reasons actually. 96 00:05:16,749 --> 00:05:20,236 One is, it is impossible to read the book of acts 97 00:05:20,236 --> 00:05:25,108 and not come to the conclusion that God is always making room for more. 98 00:05:25,558 --> 00:05:29,195 God is wanting more and more people to hear 99 00:05:29,195 --> 00:05:32,715 and respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ. 100 00:05:32,732 --> 00:05:36,753 And if we're going to be a biblical church, a New Testament church, 101 00:05:36,803 --> 00:05:39,522 a church that is joining God in his mission, 102 00:05:39,522 --> 00:05:42,842 we also are going to always be making room for more. 103 00:05:42,842 --> 00:05:45,712 We will never gather in here 104 00:05:45,712 --> 00:05:49,515 without at least partially thinking about those that are out there. 105 00:05:49,549 --> 00:05:52,118 That's just because that's who God is. 106 00:05:52,118 --> 00:05:53,202 Here's the second thing. 107 00:05:53,202 --> 00:05:56,756 It's also impossible to read the book of acts, at least for me, 108 00:05:56,756 --> 00:05:59,759 and not realize I need to make room for more 109 00:05:59,759 --> 00:06:02,829 in terms of what I think God wants to do and can do. 110 00:06:03,279 --> 00:06:06,799 I've grown up in church, and somewhere along the way I've settled for kind of 111 00:06:06,833 --> 00:06:10,837 just a nominal, average experience of church. 112 00:06:10,837 --> 00:06:14,240 I don't expect too much, but when I read the book of acts, 113 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:15,508 it is clear to me 114 00:06:15,508 --> 00:06:20,196 that the local church is meant to be the most exciting place on the planet. 115 00:06:20,229 --> 00:06:24,867 God wants to do incredible things, and we as a church 116 00:06:24,867 --> 00:06:29,906 are just growing in our desire to say, God, if you want that, we want that. 117 00:06:29,922 --> 00:06:30,873 If you're on the move. 118 00:06:30,873 --> 00:06:31,958 We want to be here. 119 00:06:31,958 --> 00:06:33,276 We want to be part of it. 120 00:06:33,276 --> 00:06:37,196 So much so that this sermon series is culminating for us 121 00:06:37,230 --> 00:06:40,633 on November 15th in what we're calling a healing service. 122 00:06:40,950 --> 00:06:44,387 We're just inviting people to come and to be prayed with for other people 123 00:06:44,387 --> 00:06:48,307 to come and pray over them, because we're saying we just want to look 124 00:06:48,307 --> 00:06:51,961 in the book of acts and look at our church and see the same thing. 125 00:06:51,994 --> 00:06:52,628 That's it. 126 00:06:52,628 --> 00:06:56,032 I want to look at the Bible, look at our church and see the same thing. 127 00:06:56,032 --> 00:06:59,152 So we're we're moving towards that two weeks away 128 00:06:59,152 --> 00:07:02,388 now, and with two weeks to go before the healing service, 129 00:07:02,388 --> 00:07:06,592 I cannot think of a better passage for us to spend time in the next chapter 12. 130 00:07:06,642 --> 00:07:08,277 I'm so, so excited. 131 00:07:08,277 --> 00:07:10,680 So let me introduce you to my outline for points. 132 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:14,033 And they go like this I want to show you why we pray, 133 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:20,123 how we think prayer works, how prayer actually works, and how to get it right. 134 00:07:20,156 --> 00:07:21,390 Okay, why we pray, 135 00:07:21,390 --> 00:07:25,912 how we think prayer works, how prayer actually works, and how to get it right. 136 00:07:26,078 --> 00:07:29,148 Let's start with the first one. Why we pray. 137 00:07:29,315 --> 00:07:31,384 I just want to own that. On this first point. 138 00:07:31,384 --> 00:07:33,469 I'm being a little simplistic. 139 00:07:33,469 --> 00:07:37,473 There are lots of reasons people pray you know that, and I know that. 140 00:07:37,507 --> 00:07:42,795 I guess the question I'm asking is, what's the most fundamental reason people pray? 141 00:07:43,079 --> 00:07:47,200 Like like what is the most guttural reason that people pray? 142 00:07:47,233 --> 00:07:51,838 And I think you'll agree once I say, and certainly the Bible bears this out, 143 00:07:51,871 --> 00:07:56,108 that the simplest reason people pray is that they 144 00:07:56,108 --> 00:08:01,030 they come up against something in life they cannot handle by themselves. 145 00:08:01,747 --> 00:08:04,116 Human helplessness 146 00:08:04,116 --> 00:08:08,120 is the experience that leads us to prayer. 147 00:08:08,154 --> 00:08:12,308 You know, most of my day, most of yours, we encounter things we're used to, right? 148 00:08:12,358 --> 00:08:13,559 We we have the answers. 149 00:08:13,559 --> 00:08:15,595 We move through on autopilot. 150 00:08:15,595 --> 00:08:17,547 We're able to navigate things. 151 00:08:17,547 --> 00:08:20,600 But but every now and then, we come up against something 152 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:24,036 that we know we don't know what to do with. 153 00:08:24,036 --> 00:08:26,956 And then is usually when we pray. 154 00:08:26,956 --> 00:08:30,276 And by the way, when I say we, I don't just mean Christians. 155 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:31,561 You might be here this weekend 156 00:08:31,561 --> 00:08:33,913 and you might be the furthest thing from a Christian. 157 00:08:33,913 --> 00:08:36,716 You might be the furthest thing from a person of faith. 158 00:08:36,716 --> 00:08:41,521 But here's what I guess you have at least once in your life, tried to pray. 159 00:08:41,671 --> 00:08:45,358 And when you did, here's what I bet was happening. 160 00:08:45,358 --> 00:08:48,160 You were facing something you didn't have answers for, 161 00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:49,512 and you might have thrown up a prayer like, 162 00:08:49,512 --> 00:08:50,997 I don't even know if you're out there. 163 00:08:50,997 --> 00:08:52,515 I don't even know if I think you're real. 164 00:08:52,515 --> 00:08:56,002 But just in case, I need help. 165 00:08:56,052 --> 00:08:57,853 Look, you know this. If you've been coming. 166 00:08:57,853 --> 00:09:00,673 I had a back injury in early September. 167 00:09:00,673 --> 00:09:02,074 It devastated me. 168 00:09:02,074 --> 00:09:07,079 I now know when you hurt your back, you either shut it down and you get shut down. 169 00:09:07,163 --> 00:09:08,431 I chose the second one. 170 00:09:08,431 --> 00:09:09,031 Okay? 171 00:09:09,031 --> 00:09:11,434 I remember there being a day I was getting worse and worse. 172 00:09:11,434 --> 00:09:12,552 My leg was hurting. 173 00:09:12,552 --> 00:09:15,071 I told my wife, I'm going to lay on the bed and just. 174 00:09:15,071 --> 00:09:16,155 Just rest a little bit. 175 00:09:16,155 --> 00:09:18,841 And I laid on my bed diagonally on my stomach. 176 00:09:18,841 --> 00:09:22,111 This is not an exaggeration and then didn't move for eight days. 177 00:09:22,828 --> 00:09:23,763 I just laid there. 178 00:09:23,763 --> 00:09:25,481 And I can tell you 179 00:09:25,481 --> 00:09:28,668 one of the main things I did while I was laying there as I prayed 180 00:09:29,151 --> 00:09:32,955 because I didn't know what to do, and I would ask God, God, would you heal me? 181 00:09:32,955 --> 00:09:36,042 And then I would say, if you're trying to teach me something, what is it? 182 00:09:36,042 --> 00:09:39,078 And then I would say, I'm really, really ready to learn it. 183 00:09:39,078 --> 00:09:41,831 Like right now I've never been more ready. Right? 184 00:09:41,831 --> 00:09:46,869 Because because I didn't I mean, I'm very type A in a prayer. 185 00:09:46,919 --> 00:09:47,653 I'm just being honest. 186 00:09:47,653 --> 00:09:50,473 Being vulnerable with your prayer doesn't come naturally to me 187 00:09:50,473 --> 00:09:52,074 because I like to meet a challenge. 188 00:09:52,074 --> 00:09:53,793 That's the way I'm wired. 189 00:09:53,793 --> 00:09:58,881 So but in that moment, laying on my stomach is like, I'd zero answers. 190 00:09:59,198 --> 00:10:01,917 And it was the most natural thing in the world to pray, 191 00:10:01,917 --> 00:10:05,321 because human helplessness is what leads to prayer. 192 00:10:05,354 --> 00:10:06,789 Have you been there? 193 00:10:06,789 --> 00:10:09,275 Do you know what I mean? By the way? 194 00:10:09,275 --> 00:10:11,761 That's what's happening in acts chapter 12. 195 00:10:11,761 --> 00:10:13,229 Look with me at the first five verses. 196 00:10:13,229 --> 00:10:16,232 I want you to see the helplessness that is motivating this prayer meeting. 197 00:10:16,232 --> 00:10:17,316 Here's what it says. 198 00:10:17,316 --> 00:10:20,636 Acts chapter 12, verse one says this about that time 199 00:10:20,953 --> 00:10:26,509 Herod, the king, laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 200 00:10:26,959 --> 00:10:30,429 He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. 201 00:10:30,429 --> 00:10:35,835 And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. 202 00:10:35,918 --> 00:10:37,920 This was during the days of Unleavened Bread, 203 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:41,674 and when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him 204 00:10:41,674 --> 00:10:44,760 over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, 205 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:48,197 intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. 206 00:10:48,197 --> 00:10:51,434 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer 207 00:10:51,434 --> 00:10:54,720 for him was made to God by the church. 208 00:10:54,770 --> 00:10:56,956 Here's the context, the situation. 209 00:10:56,956 --> 00:10:59,959 So Herod has decided to attack 210 00:10:59,959 --> 00:11:03,879 the early church, and he kills James, one of the apostles. 211 00:11:03,879 --> 00:11:06,349 And then that improves his approval rating. 212 00:11:06,349 --> 00:11:10,202 And he realizes, oh, man, one way to gain popularity is is to kill Christians. 213 00:11:10,202 --> 00:11:13,839 So then he arrests Peter, who's the most famous Christian at this time. 214 00:11:13,839 --> 00:11:15,558 And he's like, great, I'm going to kill him. 215 00:11:15,558 --> 00:11:18,194 That'll make my approval rating go even further. 216 00:11:18,194 --> 00:11:20,596 He puts Peter in prison and it's a holiday. 217 00:11:20,596 --> 00:11:23,632 So he's waiting after the holidays, getting maximum television ratings. 218 00:11:23,683 --> 00:11:27,670 You know, he puts Peter in prison and he has four squads of soldiers. 219 00:11:27,670 --> 00:11:28,387 Guard Peter. 220 00:11:28,387 --> 00:11:31,874 Because you remember the last time they imprisoned a Christian, it was Jesus. 221 00:11:31,874 --> 00:11:33,109 And he got away. 222 00:11:33,109 --> 00:11:35,361 So they're like, we're going to put four squads of soldiers. 223 00:11:35,361 --> 00:11:37,363 That's not going to happen this time. 224 00:11:37,363 --> 00:11:39,799 And the church has no answers. 225 00:11:39,799 --> 00:11:40,916 They don't know what to do. 226 00:11:40,916 --> 00:11:42,034 James is dead. 227 00:11:42,034 --> 00:11:44,954 Peter is their leader. It looks like Peter is going to die. 228 00:11:44,954 --> 00:11:50,760 And so they do what you do when you don't have any answers, they pray. 229 00:11:51,827 --> 00:11:52,762 I want you to stand. 230 00:11:52,762 --> 00:11:57,516 That part of doing a healing service, for example, is a recognition 231 00:11:57,516 --> 00:12:01,954 that we so often find ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, 232 00:12:01,954 --> 00:12:04,640 relationally, spiritually in situations 233 00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:07,643 where we're broken and we don't know how to fix it. 234 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:10,029 What do you do with that? 235 00:12:10,029 --> 00:12:11,197 What do you do? 236 00:12:11,197 --> 00:12:14,200 Well, here in acts chapter 12, they pray. 237 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:15,835 That's when you pray. 238 00:12:15,835 --> 00:12:18,320 How human helplessness leads to prayer. 239 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:21,273 By the way, human helplessness leads to desperation, right? 240 00:12:21,273 --> 00:12:24,276 I mean, when I was praying, laying on my stomach, on my bed, 241 00:12:24,310 --> 00:12:27,797 I wasn't like, hey, God, you know, if you're not too busy. 242 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:31,517 I mean, I was saying, God, remember me, 243 00:12:31,600 --> 00:12:36,322 the pastor, you know, it's like laying my credentials out there. 244 00:12:36,322 --> 00:12:37,072 They need me. 245 00:12:37,072 --> 00:12:40,042 God, I gotta get, you know, it's really not me I'm asking for. 246 00:12:40,042 --> 00:12:41,160 Its them, you know? 247 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:41,393 I mean, 248 00:12:41,393 --> 00:12:46,232 I was praying prayers of desperation, but that that begs the question, doesn't it? 249 00:12:46,232 --> 00:12:50,753 Because when you get helpless and when you get desperate, yes, you'll pray. 250 00:12:50,803 --> 00:12:54,356 But in the back of your mind, what you're asking is not just should I pray? 251 00:12:54,356 --> 00:12:57,193 You're asking, is there any chance this prayer will work? 252 00:12:59,195 --> 00:13:02,198 Is there any chance this is going to work? 253 00:13:02,715 --> 00:13:04,667 That actually leads me to my second point. 254 00:13:04,667 --> 00:13:08,471 Not just why we pray, but how we think prayer works. 255 00:13:08,988 --> 00:13:11,273 Tell me if you resonate with this. 256 00:13:11,273 --> 00:13:12,391 Here's how I think. 257 00:13:12,391 --> 00:13:13,876 We think prayer works. 258 00:13:13,876 --> 00:13:15,828 I have, you know, I have five kids. 259 00:13:15,828 --> 00:13:18,831 Last Christmas, my in-laws got us. 260 00:13:19,198 --> 00:13:22,835 I got them in the Cedar Point, like all season pass. 261 00:13:22,868 --> 00:13:24,436 You know, where you tell yourself 262 00:13:24,436 --> 00:13:26,722 you're going to go like eight times, you go twice. 263 00:13:26,722 --> 00:13:27,556 They know what they're doing. 264 00:13:27,556 --> 00:13:29,074 That's how they they make their money. 265 00:13:29,074 --> 00:13:31,477 And and my youngest kid is Ella. 266 00:13:31,477 --> 00:13:33,679 She's seven, but she looks like she's four. 267 00:13:33,679 --> 00:13:35,831 Okay. She's very short, very short. 268 00:13:35,831 --> 00:13:38,200 And we didn't know if she was going to get to ride. 269 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:39,001 And he rides. 270 00:13:39,001 --> 00:13:42,388 So a week before the first time we're going to go to Cedar Point. 271 00:13:42,438 --> 00:13:43,873 Everybody's coaching her. 272 00:13:43,873 --> 00:13:46,108 You know how to stand really straight, 273 00:13:46,108 --> 00:13:50,396 what shoes to wear, how many socks you can put underneath your foot. 274 00:13:50,429 --> 00:13:52,314 You know, just trying to to booster. 275 00:13:52,314 --> 00:13:56,402 And then we get there and we're walking up to the first roller coaster, 276 00:13:56,402 --> 00:13:59,522 and you have to be 48in tall to, to ride it. 277 00:13:59,522 --> 00:14:00,840 And it's close, right? It's close. 278 00:14:00,840 --> 00:14:04,159 And what I know is we're really at the mercy of like the 15 year 279 00:14:04,193 --> 00:14:06,362 old who's policing this. Right. 280 00:14:06,362 --> 00:14:09,598 And so we get up to the first one and we're like, 281 00:14:09,632 --> 00:14:11,517 oh, is she going to be tall enough? 282 00:14:11,517 --> 00:14:12,718 Is she going to be tall enough? 283 00:14:12,718 --> 00:14:16,388 Because we know if she's not tall enough, there's nothing we can do. 284 00:14:16,989 --> 00:14:19,642 You know, I think that's how we think prayer works, 285 00:14:20,593 --> 00:14:21,911 that when we pray to 286 00:14:21,911 --> 00:14:26,882 God, God has a measurement, the measurement of faith. 287 00:14:27,483 --> 00:14:32,187 And if we have enough faith, if we have 48in of faith, 288 00:14:32,438 --> 00:14:34,390 then we'll get our prayer answered. 289 00:14:34,390 --> 00:14:36,392 And if we don't, we won't. 290 00:14:36,392 --> 00:14:39,395 And so every time we pray, God gets out his measurement, 291 00:14:39,428 --> 00:14:43,032 his measuring stick, and he says, let's just see if you believe enough. 292 00:14:43,082 --> 00:14:45,551 Let's see if you have enough faith. 293 00:14:45,551 --> 00:14:47,753 And if we do, maybe we get lucky. 294 00:14:47,753 --> 00:14:51,240 And if we don't know chance, where does that come from? 295 00:14:51,991 --> 00:14:53,592 I think it comes from two places. 296 00:14:53,592 --> 00:14:55,394 One is it comes from projection. 297 00:14:55,394 --> 00:14:56,595 You know what that is? 298 00:14:56,595 --> 00:14:59,081 If we were God, that's how we would do it. 299 00:14:59,081 --> 00:15:00,799 Someone would ask us for help we like. 300 00:15:00,799 --> 00:15:02,001 Well, I don't know. 301 00:15:02,001 --> 00:15:03,802 How much do you think I can do it right? 302 00:15:03,802 --> 00:15:05,037 We get out our measuring stick. 303 00:15:05,037 --> 00:15:07,389 So if we're like that, we think God would be like that. 304 00:15:07,389 --> 00:15:11,110 But the second place it comes from, if I can just nerd out for a minute, 305 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:14,163 is something called the word of Faith movement. 306 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:17,750 You don't realize this, but the preachers on TV, they belong 307 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:18,801 to the word of Faith movement, 308 00:15:18,801 --> 00:15:21,987 the the preachers who who are in the news because they have private jets, 309 00:15:22,388 --> 00:15:24,990 you know, people who who they tell you to have more faith. 310 00:15:24,990 --> 00:15:27,993 And somehow faith always involves writing them a check. 311 00:15:27,993 --> 00:15:28,827 Right? Okay. 312 00:15:28,827 --> 00:15:31,280 What they they teach in the word of Faith movement 313 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:33,749 is that they'll come in and do a healing service. 314 00:15:33,749 --> 00:15:38,554 And what they say is healing is available to everybody who believes enough. 315 00:15:38,671 --> 00:15:41,840 And if they pray for you and you don't get healed, 316 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:43,509 what they'll say is it was your fault. 317 00:15:43,509 --> 00:15:46,512 You didn't believe enough, should have had more faith. 318 00:15:46,629 --> 00:15:49,481 And that idea because it's on television. 319 00:15:49,481 --> 00:15:53,002 Because we all probably have an aunt or a grandma or grandpa who believes that. 320 00:15:53,002 --> 00:15:57,439 And it's kind of it's kind of worked its way into our psyche. 321 00:15:57,473 --> 00:16:00,042 The problem with that way of thinking, though, 322 00:16:00,042 --> 00:16:03,195 is if the only passage of the Bible I had was acts 12, 323 00:16:03,195 --> 00:16:05,831 it would be enough to know that's not true. 324 00:16:05,831 --> 00:16:07,833 So. So Peter's in jail, right? 325 00:16:07,833 --> 00:16:09,201 They have a prayer meeting. 326 00:16:09,201 --> 00:16:10,803 It's bust Peter out of jail. 327 00:16:10,803 --> 00:16:12,638 Prayer night. Right. 328 00:16:12,638 --> 00:16:17,076 But what I want you to see is what happens when Peter gets out. 329 00:16:17,109 --> 00:16:19,028 Okay? Look at look with me at acts chapter 12. 330 00:16:19,028 --> 00:16:20,479 We're going to skip over the miracle. 331 00:16:20,479 --> 00:16:23,482 We'll come back to that acts chapter 12, verse 12. 332 00:16:23,515 --> 00:16:25,317 The he here is Peter. Okay. 333 00:16:25,317 --> 00:16:28,320 When he realized this Peter, when he realized, oh man, 334 00:16:28,354 --> 00:16:31,357 I got out of prison, he went to the house of Mary, 335 00:16:31,357 --> 00:16:34,193 the mother of John, whose other name was Mark, 336 00:16:34,193 --> 00:16:36,428 where many were gathered together and were praying. 337 00:16:36,428 --> 00:16:40,232 So he goes where the prayer meeting is natural place to go. 338 00:16:40,232 --> 00:16:43,235 And when he knocked on the door of the gateway, 339 00:16:43,352 --> 00:16:49,041 a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer, recognizing Peter's voice in her joy. 340 00:16:49,074 --> 00:16:51,310 Gotta love this. She didn't open the gate. She leaves. 341 00:16:51,310 --> 00:16:55,314 Peter there, runs in and reports that Peter was standing at the gate. 342 00:16:55,347 --> 00:16:58,200 Now listen, this is Bus Peter out of jail. 343 00:16:58,200 --> 00:16:59,435 Prayer night. 344 00:16:59,435 --> 00:17:00,069 Okay. 345 00:17:00,069 --> 00:17:04,239 These are the people who really believe God can get Peter out of prison. 346 00:17:04,239 --> 00:17:06,675 They're there at the prayer night praying about it. 347 00:17:06,675 --> 00:17:09,762 So, you know, when Rhoda, sweet little Rhoda, gets there 348 00:17:09,762 --> 00:17:11,997 and she goes, God did it. 349 00:17:11,997 --> 00:17:13,082 Peter's at the gate. 350 00:17:13,082 --> 00:17:15,067 They're going to be like, yes! 351 00:17:15,067 --> 00:17:17,202 Awesome, I knew it. 352 00:17:18,470 --> 00:17:21,640 No, look what happens, Rhoda. 353 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:24,109 Sweet Rhoda says he's out. Verse 15. 354 00:17:24,109 --> 00:17:27,679 They said to her, listen, you are out of your mind. 355 00:17:29,314 --> 00:17:32,151 But she kept insisting that it was so. 356 00:17:32,151 --> 00:17:34,870 And then they kept saying, it is his angel. 357 00:17:34,870 --> 00:17:37,439 What they meant was he's dead. That's his ghost. 358 00:17:37,439 --> 00:17:41,710 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him listen. 359 00:17:41,710 --> 00:17:43,078 And they praise God. Nope. 360 00:17:43,078 --> 00:17:46,081 They celebrated. Nope. They were amazed. 361 00:17:46,115 --> 00:17:47,516 Listen, Peter. 362 00:17:47,516 --> 00:17:49,668 They get what they were asking for. 363 00:17:49,668 --> 00:17:53,388 When the proof that God has answered their prayers comes to the door, 364 00:17:53,472 --> 00:17:56,475 they go, no! 365 00:17:56,792 --> 00:17:58,026 You're crazy. 366 00:17:58,026 --> 00:18:01,029 So here's my question how much did they really believe 367 00:18:01,029 --> 00:18:04,032 God was going to do it? 368 00:18:04,149 --> 00:18:05,601 I'm just being logical, right? 369 00:18:05,601 --> 00:18:06,752 If the answer to 370 00:18:06,752 --> 00:18:09,321 your prayer is at the door and you go, I don't believe it. 371 00:18:09,321 --> 00:18:10,873 No way. Zero chance. 372 00:18:10,873 --> 00:18:15,477 Then what I know is, look, some of them believed, you know, not like some people. 373 00:18:15,511 --> 00:18:18,714 I mean, like they believe 20%, 40%. 374 00:18:18,747 --> 00:18:21,200 They believed enough to go to the prayer night. 375 00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:24,203 They believed enough to ask, 376 00:18:24,236 --> 00:18:29,274 but they disbelieved enough to doubt it even when it was standing at the gate. 377 00:18:29,842 --> 00:18:31,360 You see, here's the problem. 378 00:18:31,360 --> 00:18:38,600 If God requires 48in of faith, then Peter would have died in jail. 379 00:18:40,803 --> 00:18:43,272 If that's how prayer worked. 380 00:18:43,272 --> 00:18:49,511 There's no miracle in this story because they don't have 48in of faith. 381 00:18:50,963 --> 00:18:53,148 Of course, that begs a different question, doesn't it? 382 00:18:53,148 --> 00:18:56,869 Well, then, how does prayer work? 383 00:18:57,402 --> 00:19:00,038 If it isn't that we have enough faith that 384 00:19:00,038 --> 00:19:03,108 that somehow we measure up, then how does prayer work? 385 00:19:03,192 --> 00:19:06,311 Well, to answer that, let's leave acts 12 just for a second. 386 00:19:06,311 --> 00:19:09,114 We'll come right back and go to Mark chapter nine. 387 00:19:09,114 --> 00:19:10,516 I love this story. 388 00:19:10,516 --> 00:19:15,988 In Mark nine, there's a dad who comes to Jesus to ask him to heal his son. 389 00:19:16,071 --> 00:19:17,789 His son is demon possessed. 390 00:19:17,789 --> 00:19:19,241 And it's it's pretty nasty. 391 00:19:19,241 --> 00:19:22,594 I mean, his son is going to die if Jesus doesn't do something. 392 00:19:22,594 --> 00:19:23,795 And I want you to notice 393 00:19:23,795 --> 00:19:27,833 the interaction he has with Jesus when he asked Jesus for the miracle. 394 00:19:27,833 --> 00:19:30,469 This is Mark nine verses 22 to 24 to be on the screen. 395 00:19:30,469 --> 00:19:32,321 Here's what it says. 396 00:19:32,321 --> 00:19:34,523 This is the dad talking, and it has often 397 00:19:34,523 --> 00:19:39,077 cast him into fire and into water to destroy him. 398 00:19:39,077 --> 00:19:42,714 Listen. But if you can do anything, 399 00:19:43,715 --> 00:19:45,801 have compassion on us and help us. 400 00:19:45,801 --> 00:19:49,188 And Jesus said to him, if you can, 401 00:19:49,788 --> 00:19:52,791 I just want to stop 48in of faith. 402 00:19:53,192 --> 00:19:55,827 No, the dad goes 403 00:19:55,827 --> 00:19:57,996 if you can. Jesus is offended. 404 00:19:57,996 --> 00:19:59,398 He goes, if you can listen to what 405 00:19:59,398 --> 00:20:03,318 Jesus says, all things are possible for one who believes. 406 00:20:03,518 --> 00:20:05,988 Sounds almost like the preacher on TV, right? 407 00:20:05,988 --> 00:20:07,990 Except for here's what happens. Listen to what the dad says. 408 00:20:07,990 --> 00:20:11,243 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, 409 00:20:11,243 --> 00:20:14,229 listen, I believe. 410 00:20:14,396 --> 00:20:17,032 Help my unbelief. 411 00:20:17,032 --> 00:20:18,317 Do you see what he's saying? 412 00:20:18,317 --> 00:20:22,154 He's saying, Jesus, I got like 35in of faith, man. 413 00:20:22,838 --> 00:20:25,674 I mean, I believe a little bit or I wouldn't have come, 414 00:20:25,674 --> 00:20:28,510 I believe enough to make a fool of myself in public. 415 00:20:28,510 --> 00:20:32,147 I believe enough to beg, to cry, to plead. 416 00:20:32,147 --> 00:20:35,634 But what he's saying is, is Jesus, this is a dad and a vulnerable moment 417 00:20:35,634 --> 00:20:39,187 going, Jesus, if the only way you're going to heal 418 00:20:39,187 --> 00:20:43,308 my son is if I have 48in of faith, then I have no hope. 419 00:20:43,358 --> 00:20:48,797 I will be the reason my son isn't healed, because I believe kind of. 420 00:20:48,797 --> 00:20:50,599 But I don't believe all the way. 421 00:20:52,351 --> 00:20:55,354 Here's what happens verse 27 422 00:20:55,637 --> 00:20:59,157 But Jesus took him him as the little boy by the hand 423 00:20:59,708 --> 00:21:03,228 and lifted him up, and he arose. 424 00:21:04,513 --> 00:21:07,516 In other words, Jesus did the miracle 425 00:21:07,833 --> 00:21:10,802 because let me teach you something. 426 00:21:10,802 --> 00:21:13,789 The hope of prayer 427 00:21:14,039 --> 00:21:17,042 is not the strength of our prayer, 428 00:21:17,676 --> 00:21:20,679 but the strength of the one we're praying to. 429 00:21:21,630 --> 00:21:26,551 Just going to say that again, the hope of prayer is not the strength 430 00:21:26,752 --> 00:21:31,156 of our prayer, but the strength of the one we're praying to. 431 00:21:31,189 --> 00:21:32,758 Listen, I grew up in church. 432 00:21:32,758 --> 00:21:34,276 I know what we do. 433 00:21:34,276 --> 00:21:35,477 We ask God for something. 434 00:21:35,477 --> 00:21:39,598 We spend 30s asking him for it, and then 30 minutes explaining 435 00:21:39,598 --> 00:21:42,200 why we're okay, that we know he's not going to do it. It's no big deal. 436 00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:43,468 We understand. 437 00:21:43,468 --> 00:21:46,188 And that's not even bad theology, 438 00:21:46,188 --> 00:21:50,242 but it's theological wrapping for our doubt. 439 00:21:50,676 --> 00:21:55,230 But this man just comes to God and he says, I believe, sort of 440 00:21:55,914 --> 00:21:59,835 I believe kind of I believe mostly I believe, help my unbelief. 441 00:21:59,835 --> 00:22:01,036 And he gets the miracle. 442 00:22:01,036 --> 00:22:06,358 The prayer meeting for Peter is full of people who believe 36in worth. 443 00:22:06,358 --> 00:22:08,110 They don't have 48in of faith. 444 00:22:08,110 --> 00:22:10,028 But here's what happens in acts 12. 445 00:22:10,028 --> 00:22:11,880 They pray. Here's what God does. Verse six. 446 00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:13,832 Now when Herod was about to bring him out 447 00:22:13,832 --> 00:22:17,669 on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers 448 00:22:17,669 --> 00:22:22,357 bound with two chains, and centuries before the doors were guarding the prison. 449 00:22:22,357 --> 00:22:25,510 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone 450 00:22:25,510 --> 00:22:28,947 in the cell, and he struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, 451 00:22:28,947 --> 00:22:29,948 get up quickly! 452 00:22:29,948 --> 00:22:32,034 And the chains fell off his hands. 453 00:22:32,034 --> 00:22:35,754 And the angel said to him, dress yourself and put on your sandals. 454 00:22:35,754 --> 00:22:36,922 And he did so. 455 00:22:36,922 --> 00:22:39,958 And he said to him, wrap your cloak around you and follow me. 456 00:22:39,958 --> 00:22:41,443 And he went out and followed him. 457 00:22:41,443 --> 00:22:43,879 Listen, he did not know what was being done by 458 00:22:43,879 --> 00:22:46,915 the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 459 00:22:46,915 --> 00:22:49,918 Peter doesn't have 48in of faith. 460 00:22:50,118 --> 00:22:51,520 Doesn't matter. Doesn't matter. 461 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:52,721 Look, look what happens. 462 00:22:52,721 --> 00:22:55,440 Verse ten, when they had passed the first and the second guard, 463 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:57,592 they came to the iron gate leading into the city. 464 00:22:57,592 --> 00:23:01,630 It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along the street. 465 00:23:01,630 --> 00:23:03,115 And immediately the angel left him. 466 00:23:03,115 --> 00:23:07,269 And when Peter came to himself, he said, now I am sure I wasn't. 467 00:23:07,269 --> 00:23:10,188 Now I am sure that the Lord is in his angel, 468 00:23:10,188 --> 00:23:11,790 and rescued me from the hand of Herod, 469 00:23:11,790 --> 00:23:13,558 and from what the Jewish people were expecting. 470 00:23:13,558 --> 00:23:14,843 Listen to me. 471 00:23:14,843 --> 00:23:18,480 Acts chapter 12 is included in this book to let you know. 472 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:19,831 The hope of prayer 473 00:23:20,999 --> 00:23:24,002 is not that you have 48in of faith. 474 00:23:24,202 --> 00:23:27,722 It's that the one you come to with however much faith you have, 475 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:31,760 is able to do what you're asking him to do. 476 00:23:32,360 --> 00:23:34,880 So that leads me to my fourth point. 477 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:36,798 How do we get it right then? 478 00:23:36,798 --> 00:23:37,716 How do we get it right? 479 00:23:37,716 --> 00:23:40,836 And I just want to teach you this lesson. 480 00:23:40,952 --> 00:23:42,354 I just want you to understand something. 481 00:23:42,354 --> 00:23:45,991 If God never does another thing for us, 482 00:23:46,992 --> 00:23:49,828 he's done enough. 483 00:23:49,828 --> 00:23:51,279 I need you to hear that. 484 00:23:51,279 --> 00:23:54,749 What he's done in Jesus through Jesus life, death and resurrection. 485 00:23:54,749 --> 00:23:56,151 Forgiving our sin. 486 00:23:56,151 --> 00:23:59,604 Rescuing from his judgment, guaranteeing us eternity. 487 00:23:59,638 --> 00:24:00,672 Friends, listen to me. 488 00:24:00,672 --> 00:24:03,675 All healing is temporary. 489 00:24:04,042 --> 00:24:06,194 All healing is temporary. 490 00:24:06,194 --> 00:24:09,347 I hope on November 15th, God heals some people. 491 00:24:09,397 --> 00:24:12,117 I hope he does. We're going to we're going to ask him. 492 00:24:12,117 --> 00:24:16,721 But even if he does, the people he heals will one day die. 493 00:24:16,788 --> 00:24:19,708 You see, our problem is not that we ask God for too much. 494 00:24:19,708 --> 00:24:21,593 It's we ask him for too little. 495 00:24:21,593 --> 00:24:23,795 We measure his love. And whether he gives us 496 00:24:23,795 --> 00:24:26,715 the temporary thing when he's given us the eternal thing. 497 00:24:26,715 --> 00:24:28,350 So the healing service 498 00:24:28,350 --> 00:24:30,152 is going to be a night of worship and prayer 499 00:24:30,152 --> 00:24:32,320 and listen, we're going to sing at the beginning. 500 00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:34,356 And then afterwards, even if God does nothing, 501 00:24:34,356 --> 00:24:37,359 we're going to sing because he's done enough. 502 00:24:37,442 --> 00:24:39,227 He doesn't have to prove himself to us. 503 00:24:39,227 --> 00:24:40,962 We know his mercy. We know his love. 504 00:24:40,962 --> 00:24:41,746 We know his goodness. 505 00:24:41,746 --> 00:24:45,717 But because we know those things, we're going to ask. 506 00:24:45,750 --> 00:24:46,468 In other words, 507 00:24:46,468 --> 00:24:50,238 we're going to come to God with absolute confidence in his character 508 00:24:50,722 --> 00:24:54,643 and a little less confidence and whether or not he will display 509 00:24:54,643 --> 00:24:57,679 his character in the exact way we're asking him to. 510 00:24:57,829 --> 00:25:00,315 The Apostle Paul puts it this way in Ephesians chapter three. 511 00:25:00,315 --> 00:25:00,715 Love this. 512 00:25:00,715 --> 00:25:01,283 You're going to love it. 513 00:25:01,283 --> 00:25:07,355 Here's what he says now to him who is able to do far more abundantly 514 00:25:07,355 --> 00:25:11,993 than we ask or think, according to the power at work within us. 515 00:25:11,993 --> 00:25:12,677 To him 516 00:25:12,677 --> 00:25:16,398 be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, 517 00:25:16,398 --> 00:25:16,998 forever and ever. 518 00:25:16,998 --> 00:25:21,553 Here's what Paul says to him who is able to do more than we ask or think. 519 00:25:21,603 --> 00:25:25,357 You see Paul saying, God is always able 520 00:25:26,241 --> 00:25:29,077 and we will always think too little of him. 521 00:25:30,478 --> 00:25:31,596 He'll always be a little more 522 00:25:31,596 --> 00:25:35,834 than we ask or think because we're we're broken people living in a broken world. 523 00:25:35,834 --> 00:25:38,436 We'll never think big enough. 524 00:25:38,436 --> 00:25:39,988 But I'm November 15th. 525 00:25:39,988 --> 00:25:41,640 We're going to try. 526 00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:44,042 We're going to try, 527 00:25:44,042 --> 00:25:46,027 and we're going to come with 24in 528 00:25:46,027 --> 00:25:49,347 of faith, or 36in of faith or four inches of faith. 529 00:25:49,347 --> 00:25:53,201 It's not going to matter because the one we're asking is able. 530 00:25:53,201 --> 00:25:55,237 In fact, when you come to the healing service, 531 00:25:55,237 --> 00:25:58,240 well, if you want healing, we'll we'll ask you two questions. 532 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:00,508 Here they are. You have them in advance. 533 00:26:00,508 --> 00:26:02,827 We're going to ask you, what do you want God to do? 534 00:26:02,827 --> 00:26:07,082 And then we're going to ask you, how will you glorify him if he does it? 535 00:26:07,749 --> 00:26:09,551 Because that's what we're after. 536 00:26:09,551 --> 00:26:11,670 God, we want to see your glory. 537 00:26:11,670 --> 00:26:14,873 We want our neighbors and our friends and families to see your glory. 538 00:26:14,923 --> 00:26:16,441 We want them to know you're real. 539 00:26:16,441 --> 00:26:19,494 We want them to come to us and say, explain to me what I just saw, 540 00:26:19,494 --> 00:26:22,497 and then we want to tell them about Jesus. 541 00:26:22,998 --> 00:26:23,398 The friends. 542 00:26:23,398 --> 00:26:25,517 Listen, that's in two weeks tonight. 543 00:26:25,517 --> 00:26:26,751 Here's what I'm saying to you. 544 00:26:28,003 --> 00:26:30,155 Stop letting 545 00:26:30,155 --> 00:26:33,158 your little bit of faith keep you from God. 546 00:26:35,226 --> 00:26:38,196 Stop staying away from him 547 00:26:38,196 --> 00:26:41,199 because you don't think you're tall enough. 548 00:26:41,283 --> 00:26:44,069 That's not how prayer works. 549 00:26:44,069 --> 00:26:47,122 Come to him and say, I believe. 550 00:26:47,238 --> 00:26:48,640 Help my unbelief. 551 00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:50,358 In fact, I'm going to end this a little different. 552 00:26:50,358 --> 00:26:52,360 Nate, are you in here? Will you come up? Nate's going to play for us. 553 00:26:52,360 --> 00:26:53,878 Would you just bow your heads? We're going to pray for him. 554 00:26:53,878 --> 00:26:55,747 Going to pray for you. I'm going to pray for you. 555 00:26:55,747 --> 00:26:58,433 He's going to play. I'm going to pray because I'm just convicted. 556 00:26:58,433 --> 00:27:01,436 I wish I'd done this at 530, but I missed it 557 00:27:01,870 --> 00:27:05,040 that some of you need to acknowledge before God, 558 00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:06,591 just in your own heart, in your own head. 559 00:27:06,591 --> 00:27:08,476 God, I have stayed away from you 560 00:27:09,561 --> 00:27:12,547 because I didn't feel like I measured up. 561 00:27:12,998 --> 00:27:17,352 I thought prayer was about me and how much faith I had. 562 00:27:17,352 --> 00:27:20,839 And so now, for the first time in a long time, 563 00:27:21,323 --> 00:27:26,277 I'm coming to you with a little bit that I have, I believe, help my unbelief. 564 00:27:26,311 --> 00:27:27,312 I'm just going to give you space. 565 00:27:27,312 --> 00:27:29,681 I'm going to give you a minute or two to pray, 566 00:27:29,681 --> 00:27:31,599 do your own business with God, and then I'll pray us out of it. 567 00:27:31,599 --> 00:27:34,602 We'll go to communion. 568 00:28:59,387 --> 00:29:01,790 God, every time I read Mark nine, I'm 569 00:29:01,790 --> 00:29:04,793 struck by the desperation of that dad, 570 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:09,314 Jesus, you said to him, all things are possible if you believe. 571 00:29:09,314 --> 00:29:12,317 And in that moment he was crushed 572 00:29:13,351 --> 00:29:14,352 all the way. 573 00:29:14,352 --> 00:29:16,755 I believe all the way walking to you, Jesus. 574 00:29:16,755 --> 00:29:18,873 He was trying to get the 48in. 575 00:29:18,873 --> 00:29:20,041 He was trying. 576 00:29:21,443 --> 00:29:23,228 He did not want to be the reason 577 00:29:23,228 --> 00:29:26,231 his son wasn't set free. 578 00:29:27,432 --> 00:29:29,751 But in that moment, you weren't challenging him. 579 00:29:29,751 --> 00:29:31,035 You were loving him. 580 00:29:31,035 --> 00:29:31,836 You were teaching him. 581 00:29:31,836 --> 00:29:34,839 You were teaching us. 582 00:29:36,307 --> 00:29:40,361 The power of prayer is not in the strength of the one, 583 00:29:40,562 --> 00:29:45,316 the one praying, but the one being prayed to and God in this room. 584 00:29:45,316 --> 00:29:48,036 I know there are people who know that desperation. 585 00:29:48,036 --> 00:29:51,039 It's been a long time since they talk to you, 586 00:29:52,190 --> 00:29:56,361 because they knew they did not have the 48in of faith. 587 00:29:58,163 --> 00:29:59,514 God, my prayer is right now. 588 00:29:59,514 --> 00:30:03,551 They would know you have been waiting for them to come back. 589 00:30:05,353 --> 00:30:07,789 It has never been 590 00:30:07,789 --> 00:30:10,792 about how high their faith can stack. 591 00:30:11,442 --> 00:30:13,678 It has always been 592 00:30:13,678 --> 00:30:16,231 about the one who is able to do more 593 00:30:16,231 --> 00:30:19,000 than we ask or imagine. 594 00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:20,518 We believe God, 595 00:30:21,603 --> 00:30:24,189 help our unbelief. 596 00:30:24,189 --> 00:30:26,558 In the name of Jesus we pray. 597 00:30:26,558 --> 00:30:27,392 Amen.