WEBVTT - Never Stop Knocking 0:00:09.480 --> 0:00:11.559 And I want to turn that around before we get 0:00:11.560 --> 0:00:14.360 into the sermon, and I want to say how thankful 0:00:14.400 --> 0:00:18.159 I am for you, and you are an answer to 0:00:18.200 --> 0:00:22.000 prayer is what you don't realize. We started praying for 0:00:22.040 --> 0:00:25.840 you before we ever had our first church service, that 0:00:25.920 --> 0:00:29.240 the Lord would send us people who first of all, 0:00:29.240 --> 0:00:34.040 that he would send people that needed Jesus. And do 0:00:34.120 --> 0:00:42.480 you qualify it? I'm like, God, send people who need 0:00:42.479 --> 0:00:46.080 you in their life as much as I do. And 0:00:46.120 --> 0:00:48.640 then we prayed that he would send us people. You 0:00:48.640 --> 0:00:51.640 remember the scripture where Jesus said the harvest is plentiful, 0:00:52.560 --> 0:00:56.160 but the laborers are few. And so we asked the 0:00:56.160 --> 0:00:59.200 Lord to send people who would not just want to 0:00:59.240 --> 0:01:01.520 pull up to the all you can eat crab like 0:01:01.560 --> 0:01:06.920 buffet and and just and just consume, but would really 0:01:06.959 --> 0:01:10.800 want to bring to God an offering. And that's prayer, 0:01:11.080 --> 0:01:15.640 that's giving, that service, that's worship. But you know who 0:01:15.720 --> 0:01:18.319 you are, the thousands of you that actually make it happen, 0:01:19.480 --> 0:01:22.080 that don't just come and go. I wonder if Best 0:01:22.120 --> 0:01:24.520 or Steven's preaching today or is it one of them guests. 0:01:24.600 --> 0:01:26.400 Some of them are pretty good. I don't luck all 0:01:26.440 --> 0:01:31.760 of them, but they're all right, but some people just 0:01:31.800 --> 0:01:36.440 show up in their life. It doesn't matter who's preaching, 0:01:41.319 --> 0:01:46.280 because I know and you know that it's not about 0:01:46.280 --> 0:01:50.880 a preacher a personality. It's about the purpose that God 0:01:50.920 --> 0:01:55.840 has given us to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ 0:01:57.320 --> 0:02:01.280 into all the world. So all right, get it out 0:02:01.280 --> 0:02:04.520 of your system. Twenty one seconds, I mean twenty two, 0:02:05.440 --> 0:02:17.760 twenty twenty two, twenty two seconds. I'm ray, praisey woke. 0:02:18.440 --> 0:02:24.960 It's our proc full out the cander. I a list 0:02:33.600 --> 0:02:36.040 the Scripture of the Lord gave us for today. Stay 0:02:36.040 --> 0:02:40.800 standing is from Acts chapter twelve, one of the coolest 0:02:40.840 --> 0:02:44.799 Bible stories that you ever will read. Now. They're all inspired, 0:02:45.440 --> 0:02:49.320 but some of them are more intriguing than others, at 0:02:49.400 --> 0:02:53.480 least to me. This passage I preached to you back 0:02:53.520 --> 0:02:56.880 in twenty nineteen. The only reason I know that because 0:02:56.880 --> 0:02:58.960 I forget. You know, I don't always hunt to the 0:02:59.000 --> 0:03:05.040 next sermon, because someday happens every seven days. But I 0:03:05.120 --> 0:03:09.760 do write down when I preached certain things. The sermon 0:03:09.800 --> 0:03:17.000 I've preached in July twenty nineteen was from this passage 0:03:17.040 --> 0:03:21.040 called Knock Knock. All right, well, this is sort of 0:03:21.080 --> 0:03:24.520 like a sequel, But I see it differently now in 0:03:24.560 --> 0:03:29.160 the context of just what we're celebrating today and kind 0:03:29.160 --> 0:03:32.760 of the redefinition that the Church is going through in 0:03:32.800 --> 0:03:35.320 the world is going through. So I hope that you'll 0:03:35.320 --> 0:03:39.880 find an admonistion. I think I believe by faith, you 0:03:40.080 --> 0:03:48.840 will find an encouragement for yourself through this today. Verse one. 0:03:49.000 --> 0:03:51.880 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some 0:03:51.960 --> 0:03:57.440 who belonged to the Church, intending to persecute them. He 0:03:57.480 --> 0:03:59.800 had James, the brother of John, put to death with 0:03:59.800 --> 0:04:03.520 the sword. When he saw that this met with approval 0:04:03.600 --> 0:04:09.640 among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter. Also. This 0:04:09.760 --> 0:04:14.680 happened during the festival of unleavened Bread. After arresting him, 0:04:15.200 --> 0:04:19.479 he put him in prison, handing him over to be 0:04:19.760 --> 0:04:26.760 guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. He must 0:04:26.800 --> 0:04:31.880 be powerful to be under this much attack. You must 0:04:31.960 --> 0:04:41.080 be powerful to be up under this much attack. Wow. 0:04:41.320 --> 0:04:46.000 Verse five. Ah. So Peter was kept in prison. But 0:04:46.200 --> 0:04:51.280 the church, but the church, But the church, But the church. 0:04:51.800 --> 0:04:59.680 But the Church was earnestly praying to God for him. 0:05:00.000 --> 0:05:01.839 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, 0:05:02.240 --> 0:05:05.520 Peter was sleeping between two soldiers down with two chains, 0:05:05.680 --> 0:05:09.159 and Sentry stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:12.279 of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell. 0:05:12.520 --> 0:05:16.040 It's the last minute, down to the wire, sudden death, overtime, 0:05:16.200 --> 0:05:19.960 and here comes the angel. He struck Peter on the side. 0:05:20.000 --> 0:05:23.680 What kind of angel hits you while you're asleep, blond side, 0:05:24.920 --> 0:05:28.160 and woke him up. Quick, get up, he said, and 0:05:28.200 --> 0:05:31.240 the chains fell off Peter's wrists. Then the angel said 0:05:31.279 --> 0:05:33.839 to him, put on your clothes and sandals. You can't 0:05:33.920 --> 0:05:36.440 leave naked. Cover up. I got somewhere for you to 0:05:36.480 --> 0:05:39.280 go touch somebody, say, get dressed for what's next. Get 0:05:39.360 --> 0:05:42.160 dressed for what's next. Get dressed for what's next, and 0:05:42.240 --> 0:05:45.640 Peter did, so, wrap your cloak around you and follow me, 0:05:45.800 --> 0:05:48.200 the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, 0:05:48.320 --> 0:05:50.160 but he had no idea that what the angel was 0:05:50.200 --> 0:05:52.599 doing was really happening. He thought he was seeing a vision. 0:05:52.839 --> 0:05:55.279 They passed the first and second guards, came to the 0:05:55.320 --> 0:05:57.960 iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them 0:05:58.000 --> 0:06:04.280 by itself, and then they win through it. They went 0:06:05.000 --> 0:06:07.560 through it. That could be about you. How many of 0:06:07.600 --> 0:06:11.240 you went through it? You don't even have to tell 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:16.240 me what it was, but you went through it. Irongate 0:06:17.000 --> 0:06:19.800 opened by itself, and they went through it, and when 0:06:19.800 --> 0:06:23.480 they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the 0:06:23.520 --> 0:06:30.000 angel left him. Then Peter came to himself and said, 0:06:30.600 --> 0:06:37.279 now I know, now I know without a doubt that 0:06:37.640 --> 0:06:40.760 the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from 0:06:40.839 --> 0:06:46.160 Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping 0:06:46.480 --> 0:06:53.240 would happen, everything my enemies thought would happen, but it 0:06:53.279 --> 0:06:57.640 didn't work. That's what Peter said, How many of you 0:06:57.640 --> 0:07:01.080 have the same testimony that no weapon that was formed 0:07:01.120 --> 0:07:11.400 against you? And when this had dawned on him, he 0:07:11.520 --> 0:07:13.920 went to the house of Mary, the mother of John 0:07:14.360 --> 0:07:18.240 also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were 0:07:18.240 --> 0:07:21.600 praying just a few more verses, stay with me. Peter 0:07:21.760 --> 0:07:26.120 knocked at the outer entrance. A servant named Rhoda came 0:07:26.160 --> 0:07:29.680 to answer the door, and when she recognized Peter's voice, 0:07:30.200 --> 0:07:36.520 she was so overjoyed and excited she ran back without 0:07:36.560 --> 0:07:43.240 opening it and exclaimed, Peter's at the door. Peter's at 0:07:43.280 --> 0:07:47.120 the door, y'all, Peter's at the door. Shut up. Rhoda 0:07:47.200 --> 0:07:51.400 were praying for Peter. But Peter's at the door. You're 0:07:51.400 --> 0:07:57.000 out of your mind, they told her, and she kept insisting. 0:07:57.280 --> 0:08:00.360 She kept insisting, there's a pattern in this past I'm 0:08:00.360 --> 0:08:06.000 about to show you. When she kept insisting that it 0:08:06.080 --> 0:08:10.160 was so, they said it must be his angel because 0:08:10.160 --> 0:08:15.760 he's already dead by now. Wow, more faith to believe 0:08:16.440 --> 0:08:21.640 that his angel came to the door than that God 0:08:21.840 --> 0:08:27.920 actually answered their prayers for him. But this is the 0:08:28.000 --> 0:08:35.200 verse I'll stop on. Peter kept on knocking, y'all like that. 0:08:36.320 --> 0:08:38.640 I love that Peter kept on knocking. And when they 0:08:38.640 --> 0:08:42.560 opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. So 0:08:42.960 --> 0:08:45.120 I'll give you three titles for this message, depending on 0:08:45.160 --> 0:08:48.160 what kind of sauce level you want. If you want 0:08:48.480 --> 0:08:52.040 the mild message, title is called waiting for an Answer. 0:08:53.240 --> 0:08:55.120 That's if you're a first time guest and you need 0:08:55.200 --> 0:08:59.200 something kind of appropriate to right now. If you want 0:08:59.240 --> 0:09:02.240 something a little bit more, just a little bit more 0:09:02.559 --> 0:09:09.559 attitude on it, it could be called God's Gonna shock You. Yeah, 0:09:09.640 --> 0:09:14.439 sound like y'all want to the tongue torch. Sweet sixteen 0:09:14.559 --> 0:09:23.240 anniversary tied on? All right? Hear this? Never stop knocking? Never. 0:09:24.520 --> 0:09:30.200 If there's one thing I've learned. If there's one thing 0:09:30.280 --> 0:09:33.840 it taught me getting up here in this pulpit to 0:09:33.920 --> 0:09:38.880 preach Jesus Christ, crucify, buried, risen from the dead and 0:09:39.080 --> 0:09:42.520 soon to come again and present in this moment is 0:09:43.000 --> 0:09:48.880 never stop knocking. So put it in the chat. Never 0:09:49.800 --> 0:09:53.840 stop knock it. Put some knuckles in the chat. I 0:09:54.000 --> 0:10:01.480 will never stop knocking, you said Lord, asking it will 0:10:01.520 --> 0:10:04.520 be given seeking we will find knocking. The door will 0:10:04.520 --> 0:10:09.600 be open. We're asking in this moment that you would speak, infuse, 0:10:09.720 --> 0:10:14.240 and impart faith and courage like only you can. We 0:10:14.400 --> 0:10:16.319 thank you that we're standing in front of an open 0:10:16.360 --> 0:10:21.040 door this day. We bless you for it. In Jesus' name. Amen, 0:10:22.240 --> 0:10:26.360 you may be seated. I made y'all stand a long time, 0:10:26.400 --> 0:10:34.080 didn't I That's all right? Love you. Christian good Man. 0:10:35.520 --> 0:10:38.760 He's been with me almost all sixteen. I met him. 0:10:39.400 --> 0:10:41.679 Listen to this when I was sixteen. I've known him 0:10:41.720 --> 0:10:46.520 that long. A isn't that crazy? Asked him to start 0:10:46.720 --> 0:10:51.800 a church with me. He said, nope, he did. We 0:10:51.800 --> 0:10:54.400 were actually not the start. We were kind of already started. 0:10:54.440 --> 0:10:56.839 I said, Chris, come out here and be my worship leader. 0:10:57.240 --> 0:10:59.320 When the church started. I'm gonna tell you a few 0:10:59.400 --> 0:11:02.960 old men today, just once a year. But I was 0:11:03.000 --> 0:11:07.160 the worship leader, singing songs like these are the days 0:11:07.240 --> 0:11:14.480 of Elijah declaring the word of the Lord, and these 0:11:14.559 --> 0:11:20.000 are the days of somebody else in the Bible. It 0:11:20.600 --> 0:11:23.520 was too much, though, like trying to lead worship. Plus 0:11:24.040 --> 0:11:26.400 I knew that God would send people. I asked Chris. 0:11:26.440 --> 0:11:30.280 He said, nope, I'm going to Nashville. I told him, 0:11:30.280 --> 0:11:32.760 why don't should come here, build a church and make 0:11:32.920 --> 0:11:39.640 Nashville come to us. That's true, isn't it. They're looking 0:11:39.679 --> 0:11:41.520 at me like I'm some kind of liar up here. 0:11:41.559 --> 0:11:44.480 You didn't say that I did. I say, you can 0:11:44.480 --> 0:11:47.319 go to Nashville and maybe you make it, or maybe 0:11:47.320 --> 0:11:54.240 you're a roofer in three years, and come here and 0:11:54.320 --> 0:12:01.440 build a church, write songs for people that they can 0:12:01.480 --> 0:12:04.600 sing that will make them. And the first songs that 0:12:04.640 --> 0:12:07.720 we wrote here sucked, but they've gotten better and better 0:12:08.600 --> 0:12:14.520 and better. Never stop knock him because he told me no. 0:12:16.120 --> 0:12:22.199 But I just you know, I have techniques that here 0:12:22.240 --> 0:12:26.200 we are now that dude's been nominated for multiple Grammys. 0:12:27.240 --> 0:12:34.679 You know what I'm saying, He said, Can I change 0:12:34.679 --> 0:12:39.319 my answer? I said, yeah, I'm desperate. I'll still take you. 0:12:39.880 --> 0:12:45.120 I have no pride. Everybody I started, well, it's kind 0:12:45.120 --> 0:12:50.560 of a contrast. We're skinner. Yeah. I had him on standby, 0:12:50.559 --> 0:12:53.520 come here, because I was like, I told him to 0:12:53.559 --> 0:12:59.200 be on standby. I told him be ready to preach today. 0:13:00.600 --> 0:13:02.680 But I'm using to preach. But he's not. He's not 0:13:02.720 --> 0:13:05.880 gonna have to say anything. I asked him. I said, 0:13:06.040 --> 0:13:08.280 I'm going to start a church. And here's the kicker. 0:13:09.320 --> 0:13:14.160 I don't know where, and it is what he said. 0:13:14.840 --> 0:13:19.840 I'm going with with, not not I'm going with you 0:13:21.880 --> 0:13:25.080 just some Minnesota grammar. I guess that's how they talk 0:13:25.120 --> 0:13:34.480 in Minnesota. Bad grammar, great faith. I'm going with Now, 0:13:34.520 --> 0:13:37.360 this guy chunks, come here. Can you make it up 0:13:37.400 --> 0:13:41.680 the stairs? Y'all? He's only like forty five, but he's 0:13:41.720 --> 0:13:47.720 got so many injuries. This is like my this is 0:13:47.800 --> 0:13:50.040 like my euro man. I love him so much. He's 0:13:50.120 --> 0:13:52.080 like my guy. If he ever told me he would 0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:53.880 stop doing it, I would tie him up and not 0:13:53.920 --> 0:13:56.200 let him leave. I'll put him in the trunk. But 0:13:56.280 --> 0:13:58.760 he was different. I said, I want you to start 0:13:58.760 --> 0:14:01.640 the church with me, and he was, I'll pray about it. 0:14:03.920 --> 0:14:06.000 You remember that list. You pulled me in the Sunday 0:14:06.000 --> 0:14:08.640 school room and you had a list. Now, now, how 0:14:08.640 --> 0:14:11.040 about this? And how about that? How about that? He 0:14:11.120 --> 0:14:16.840 wanted answers, Right, I need some answers. What about this? 0:14:16.960 --> 0:14:21.640 And what about that? Bo was amazing because even though 0:14:21.680 --> 0:14:26.520 I couldn't answer give him any of his answers that 0:14:26.600 --> 0:14:33.400 he wanted. In the absence of answers, he chose faith 0:14:34.360 --> 0:14:36.880 at the last minute, like in the passage where the 0:14:36.920 --> 0:14:39.640 angel showed up on the night. Couldn't you have showed 0:14:39.720 --> 0:14:41.800 up three nights before I was about to get my 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:45.160 head cut off. Angel? But sometimes at the last minute, 0:14:45.320 --> 0:14:47.440 and I had already given up on you. And Holly said, 0:14:47.480 --> 0:14:51.880 wait for him. He's worth waiting for. He's worth waiting for. 0:14:52.840 --> 0:14:55.360 He's supposed to be your guy's worth waiting for. I said, 0:14:55.600 --> 0:14:57.360 I need an answer. How many of you have been 0:14:57.360 --> 0:14:59.360 in a position lately where you say I need an answer. 0:15:00.200 --> 0:15:02.520 I need an answer from God. I need an answer 0:15:02.560 --> 0:15:07.000 from someone, he said. He said, I'm praying about it. 0:15:07.080 --> 0:15:10.560 I said, I need an answer by noon on Thursday. 0:15:11.040 --> 0:15:12.840 I gotta have an answer because I got to move 0:15:12.840 --> 0:15:14.400 on because God has called me to do this. And 0:15:14.440 --> 0:15:15.440 if you want to do it with me. I really 0:15:15.440 --> 0:15:16.400 want you to do with me, but you don't do 0:15:16.400 --> 0:15:17.680 it with me. I gotta find somebody else, and the 0:15:17.760 --> 0:15:19.480 w me my second choice. But I gotta do it 0:15:19.480 --> 0:15:20.800 because God told me to do it. You got to 0:15:20.960 --> 0:15:30.800 noon Thursday, eleven fifty seven am on that Thursday, my 0:15:31.080 --> 0:15:35.920 motorola ring. This is this is an anniversary. So we're 0:15:35.960 --> 0:15:39.760 just telling old stories. And I said, I said, hey, 0:15:40.360 --> 0:15:44.280 he said I'm in. We're in, and he and Amy 0:15:44.320 --> 0:15:54.360 have been with us ever since. That's cool, y'all give 0:15:54.400 --> 0:15:56.000 them a little bigger hand than that. For all the 0:15:56.000 --> 0:16:13.080 faith that it puts. People go on pretend like y'all 0:16:13.080 --> 0:16:15.600 are those two guards that Peter was chained to. All right, 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:19.640 for a moment, just go with me here and think 0:16:19.680 --> 0:16:24.160 about what kind of faith it took for Peter in 0:16:24.240 --> 0:16:31.560 the passage to sleep while they were deciding whether or 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:36.520 not he would live. And think about who Peter was 0:16:37.600 --> 0:16:40.080 and the kind of personality that he had in other 0:16:40.120 --> 0:16:44.120 passages of scripture, and realize what a miracle it is 0:16:44.960 --> 0:16:48.280 for the same disciple who ran down into the stern 0:16:48.360 --> 0:16:51.160 of the ship one time in a storm and said, Jesus, 0:16:51.720 --> 0:16:55.800 why are you sleeping? We're about to die and you 0:16:55.960 --> 0:17:01.240 don't care. Think about the transformation that has happened in 0:17:01.320 --> 0:17:05.320 these years and the spirit that has empowered Peter to 0:17:05.400 --> 0:17:10.080 be able to sleep between two guards. Actually it was 0:17:10.160 --> 0:17:14.440 sixteen guards, wasn't it that I read that right? It was? 0:17:14.560 --> 0:17:18.560 It wasn't a sweet sixteen It was four squads of 0:17:18.720 --> 0:17:25.160 four soldiers that sixteen guards, sixteen people for one Peter. 0:17:26.920 --> 0:17:33.840 What kind of power was in Peter? What kind of 0:17:34.040 --> 0:17:39.320 power is in you? Because you've been through some things 0:17:40.840 --> 0:17:46.959 and you've been asking God for answers. Faith is the 0:17:47.000 --> 0:17:56.440 ability sometimes to lay down and sleep and let Faith 0:17:56.520 --> 0:18:04.280 answer the questions. I'm picturing Peter's sleeping, and I'm realizing 0:18:04.560 --> 0:18:08.600 in scripture that this is not the first time that 0:18:08.640 --> 0:18:14.320 we've seen Peter asleep in the Bible. In the garden 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:17.679 of Gathsemone, y'all remember it. Raise your hand if you 0:18:17.680 --> 0:18:21.400 remember the garden of Gethsemone, that place before Jesus went 0:18:21.440 --> 0:18:27.480 to the cross where he gave his father an unqualified yes. Now, remember, 0:18:27.720 --> 0:18:31.000 he asked God, if it's possible take this cup away 0:18:31.000 --> 0:18:34.080 from me as he went to pay the price for 0:18:34.160 --> 0:18:36.760 your sin, my sin. As he went to take on 0:18:36.800 --> 0:18:39.720 the punishment that we rightly deserved. As he went to 0:18:39.760 --> 0:18:43.040 be the sacrifice to atone for our sin, not trying 0:18:43.040 --> 0:18:45.200 to use a bunch of fancy words, just to let 0:18:45.240 --> 0:18:48.000 you know that, he canceled the debt that was stood 0:18:48.000 --> 0:18:52.439 against us. But it cost him. It cost him, And 0:18:52.480 --> 0:18:55.720 as he considered encountered that cost, he prayed, and he 0:18:56.000 --> 0:19:00.240 asked God, if there's any other way take this cup 0:19:00.280 --> 0:19:04.720 from me. God did not answer by removing the cup 0:19:04.960 --> 0:19:10.120 of suffering. He answered by filling Jesus with the strength 0:19:10.560 --> 0:19:14.639 to endure what he had to do. And so for 0:19:14.720 --> 0:19:18.760 the joy set before him, he endured the cross, despising 0:19:18.800 --> 0:19:21.680 its shame, and then sat down at the right hand 0:19:21.680 --> 0:19:31.320 of God. So if Jesus is seated, I can sleep Helvy, 0:19:32.080 --> 0:19:35.639 my goodness, I feel like preaching to this, Oh, I 0:19:35.640 --> 0:19:38.760 can sleep through anything. When I know that he's seated, 0:19:39.000 --> 0:19:42.040 I can sleep through anything. I can rest through anything. 0:19:42.240 --> 0:19:45.280 You know. In the garden of gethsemone, while Jesus prayed, 0:19:45.280 --> 0:19:48.280 Peter slept, and he said, wake up. My soul is 0:19:48.320 --> 0:19:52.160 in anguish. He's sweating like drops of blood, and Peter's sleeping. 0:19:52.359 --> 0:19:54.800 He said that the spirit is willing, but the flesh 0:19:54.880 --> 0:19:58.760 is weak. Peter was sleeping out of weakness in the garden, 0:19:59.359 --> 0:20:02.720 but he's not I'm sleeping out of weakness in Acts 0:20:02.800 --> 0:20:09.639 chapter twelve. He's sleeping from a place of knowing that 0:20:09.880 --> 0:20:15.520 I am seated in heavenly places with Jesus. And if 0:20:15.560 --> 0:20:20.920 I'm seated with him, it doesn't matter what Herod has planned. 0:20:21.560 --> 0:20:27.000 It matters what God has purpose for my life. That's 0:20:27.080 --> 0:20:33.640 how he slept, all right. I need to sit y'all 0:20:33.680 --> 0:20:35.919 down before LB tackles me on this stage. I'm good 0:20:35.960 --> 0:20:37.680 with y'all. I might call you back. I might not. 0:20:37.800 --> 0:20:40.920 I hadn't decided yet. But no matter what, we come 0:20:40.960 --> 0:20:43.960 to this text in Acts chapter twelve looking for we 0:20:44.080 --> 0:20:52.880 certainly find an incredible picture of persistence. Persistence. On one hand, 0:20:52.920 --> 0:20:58.199 the passage is about peace. That Peter has peace to 0:20:58.320 --> 0:21:00.960 sleep on the worst night of his life. And y'all, 0:21:01.119 --> 0:21:07.040 they didn't have lu nesta in Acts chapter twelve. Isn't 0:21:07.040 --> 0:21:12.800 that the sleep medicine. Peter didn't even have a white 0:21:12.840 --> 0:21:15.960 noise on his iPhone to put on the white noise 0:21:16.000 --> 0:21:23.280 that I'm thinking that this is a passage about peace 0:21:24.920 --> 0:21:29.760 and persistent. Can remember that the church was earnestly praying. 0:21:31.400 --> 0:21:35.280 I think the word earnestly is important because we let's 0:21:35.280 --> 0:21:37.760 be honest, and I know there's like five prayer warriors 0:21:37.760 --> 0:21:41.160 in this room, but for the other thousands of us, 0:21:41.840 --> 0:21:46.440 we passively pray. Okay, I'm gonna say it stronger because 0:21:46.480 --> 0:21:53.359 y'all are real fake right now, we worry out loud 0:21:53.400 --> 0:21:59.720 and call it prayer too strong. I'm backing off, backing 0:21:59.720 --> 0:22:08.880 off a dance celebration. We we give God our grocery list, 0:22:08.960 --> 0:22:14.600 like he's in Stacart. Holly said last week or whatever 0:22:14.600 --> 0:22:17.280 week she preached, she said that was such a good thing, 0:22:17.359 --> 0:22:19.879 she said, she said, telling God what to do is 0:22:19.920 --> 0:22:26.960 not praying. I was like, who are you? I like 0:22:27.080 --> 0:22:29.320 what you just said, and you are right, and I 0:22:29.359 --> 0:22:33.320 had done that and it's exactly right. And you know, 0:22:34.720 --> 0:22:38.000 the church is praying for Peter, but it doesn't say 0:22:38.040 --> 0:22:44.919 what they were praying about for Peter. And remember, although 0:22:44.920 --> 0:22:49.800 the passage gets kind of funny, it doesn't start funny. 0:22:48.920 --> 0:22:53.080 It It not only takes place in the time of famine. 0:22:53.440 --> 0:22:55.480 There was there was a feminine xt chapter eleven you 0:22:55.520 --> 0:22:59.040 can read about. But if this is chronologically, If if 0:22:59.080 --> 0:23:02.119 this is chronological, the next thing in sequence than at 0:23:02.160 --> 0:23:05.240 the same time that the church in Jerusalem is recovering 0:23:05.240 --> 0:23:11.440 from famine, Herod is persecuting the church, and he has 0:23:11.880 --> 0:23:18.119 just killed James. Do you think the church prayed for James? 0:23:21.800 --> 0:23:26.280 So understand when it says they are earnestly praying for Peter. 0:23:28.000 --> 0:23:35.080 That takes more faith when you've just lost James. Have 0:23:35.160 --> 0:23:37.480 you ever had to pray and ask God and believe 0:23:37.520 --> 0:23:41.919 God and trust God when he didn't answer the last 0:23:41.920 --> 0:23:46.640 thing that you prayed for. That's hard, whether we will 0:23:46.680 --> 0:23:51.280 admit it or not. Our faith deteriorates when our expectations 0:23:51.280 --> 0:23:58.000 are not met. I wrote a book called Sunstand Still 0:23:58.800 --> 0:24:03.320 early in the church. Y'all didn't even read that one. 0:24:04.200 --> 0:24:08.600 Go get that book and you will hear. You will 0:24:08.640 --> 0:24:15.600 hear my version of faith before I lost my dad 0:24:15.640 --> 0:24:19.320 to als. I don't take it back. I believe God 0:24:19.359 --> 0:24:22.480 can do anything. I haven't changed what I believe about God. 0:24:23.920 --> 0:24:28.240 It's just that on the other side of some unanswered prayers. 0:24:28.320 --> 0:24:32.160 Because you don't think I asked God to heal my dad. 0:24:33.720 --> 0:24:35.840 You don't think I asked him for a miracle and 0:24:35.880 --> 0:24:41.040 sat by his bed and watched him breathe his last breath. Anyway, 0:24:42.600 --> 0:24:45.800 and then it becomes a challenge. The next time you're 0:24:45.840 --> 0:24:49.919 faced with something that seems impossible, you are tasked with 0:24:50.840 --> 0:24:55.680 having to believe God on the other side of your 0:24:55.760 --> 0:25:02.760 last unanswered prayer. I think what really draws me into 0:25:02.800 --> 0:25:05.800 this text for our anniversary on this day because I 0:25:05.840 --> 0:25:08.120 prayed a lot about it. I mean, I think I've 0:25:08.119 --> 0:25:10.520 got sermons for the next year, just that I went 0:25:10.520 --> 0:25:13.840 through looking for this one for today because I wanted 0:25:13.840 --> 0:25:16.280 to see God, what do you want me to say 0:25:16.320 --> 0:25:20.040 to our church? What do you want me to say 0:25:20.440 --> 0:25:22.280 to them as individuals? What do you want me to 0:25:22.280 --> 0:25:24.639 say about the moment that we're in kind of on 0:25:24.680 --> 0:25:28.960 the other side, maybe of a pandemic. Maybe my favorite 0:25:29.000 --> 0:25:32.639 word of twenty twenty and twenty twenty one and twenty 0:25:32.680 --> 0:25:36.760 twenty two is maybe now I got that, maybe faith 0:25:37.800 --> 0:25:40.840 that in maybe this or maybe that. And the problem 0:25:40.920 --> 0:25:43.440 is as a leader, people want answers, and we don't 0:25:43.440 --> 0:25:50.240 have any right now. In the absence of answers, what 0:25:50.440 --> 0:25:56.080 grows could be either one for you could be cynicism. 0:25:56.480 --> 0:26:00.480 Some of you have gotten really really mean the last 0:26:00.560 --> 0:26:04.159 two years because in the absence of answers, you have 0:26:04.200 --> 0:26:08.480 allowed anger to grow. I'm mad that I can't control it. 0:26:08.760 --> 0:26:10.880 I'm mad that nobody will tell me what to do. 0:26:11.200 --> 0:26:14.159 I'm mad that I'm wearing a mask and they're not, 0:26:14.280 --> 0:26:16.240 or they're wearing a mask and I'm not. I'm mad 0:26:16.280 --> 0:26:18.320 that I don't know whether to wear a mask. I'm 0:26:18.359 --> 0:26:20.120 mad that you're looking at me because I'm wearing a mask. 0:26:20.240 --> 0:26:21.720 I'm mad that you're looking at me because I'm not. 0:26:21.960 --> 0:26:24.680 I'm mad because I can't figure out with somebody tell 0:26:24.760 --> 0:26:34.520 me what to do. I need answers. When's the church 0:26:34.600 --> 0:26:36.720 going to open back up? I heard that for a year. 0:26:36.920 --> 0:26:44.439 I was like, it's still open. It's still open. I 0:26:44.520 --> 0:26:48.240 said that all through the pandemic. What you mean when 0:26:48.359 --> 0:26:51.040 is oh, oh oh, We've never been through anything like 0:26:51.119 --> 0:26:54.400 this before. Herod was cutting off heads in the church 0:26:54.480 --> 0:27:02.440 for vail. We are we are so silly, we are 0:27:02.560 --> 0:27:06.280 so silly. We think it's the first time that there 0:27:06.280 --> 0:27:09.919 has ever been unanswered questions in the history of the 0:27:10.000 --> 0:27:14.399 Christian faith. That's one reason I like this passage is 0:27:14.520 --> 0:27:20.359 because they're still praying in the face of a prayer 0:27:20.359 --> 0:27:31.800 that God just didn't answer. The miscarriage, the end of 0:27:31.840 --> 0:27:38.439 the relationship, the addiction that they went back to the 0:27:38.520 --> 0:27:43.280 relapse give us a little different shade of meaning, doesn't 0:27:43.280 --> 0:27:46.359 it When I said the church is earnestly praying to 0:27:46.480 --> 0:27:50.199 know that James just had his head cut off and 0:27:50.240 --> 0:27:54.320 there's no expectation that anything different will happen to Peter. 0:27:55.640 --> 0:28:01.399 That's a dangerous place because in that place, if the 0:28:01.520 --> 0:28:06.080 devil knocks in that place and tries to tell you 0:28:06.800 --> 0:28:09.760 this is how it will always be, you can't really 0:28:09.800 --> 0:28:12.879 believe all that stuff that you were singing about mountains 0:28:12.920 --> 0:28:16.840 moving and chains breaking. God doesn't really do that stuff, 0:28:17.119 --> 0:28:20.000 or he does it for other people or not for you. 0:28:20.320 --> 0:28:27.200 It can deteriorate your faith. I am impressed by how 0:28:27.480 --> 0:28:31.560 this church in Acts twelve and this global body of 0:28:31.600 --> 0:28:35.320 believers that I'm speaking to around the world never stop 0:28:35.400 --> 0:28:40.959 knocking in the midst of a global pandemic. That's amazing 0:28:41.000 --> 0:28:43.360 to me. It might not be amazing to you. But 0:28:43.600 --> 0:28:46.440 I have other friends who pastor churches, and they're not 0:28:46.480 --> 0:28:50.280 pastors anymore because while they were pastoring in the pandemic, 0:28:50.480 --> 0:28:54.960 their church wasn't supporting them. I don't have that deestimony. 0:28:55.400 --> 0:28:57.360 That's why I can cry if I think about it, 0:28:57.760 --> 0:29:03.560 Because y'all kept knocking that blesses my heart. Do you 0:29:03.600 --> 0:29:08.320 know what that means to me? To know we'll go online, 0:29:08.760 --> 0:29:11.560 we'll go in the building, we'll do whatever we have 0:29:11.680 --> 0:29:14.920 to do, We'll do whatever needs to be done. And so, 0:29:15.280 --> 0:29:18.840 what can the devil do with the church that won't 0:29:18.840 --> 0:29:23.560 stop knocking even if James Head gets caught off? Question? 0:29:24.640 --> 0:29:28.600 What can the devil do with a believer that won't 0:29:28.640 --> 0:29:33.200 stop believing even when the worst case scenario is on 0:29:33.280 --> 0:29:38.320 your doorstep? What can the devil do with the faith 0:29:38.800 --> 0:29:46.160 that can't sleep but to a sixty soldiers, never stop, 0:29:46.680 --> 0:29:53.680 Never stop, because sometimes you've got to knock and say, God, 0:29:53.720 --> 0:29:58.440 it's me again. Remember me. Sometimes you gotta get on 0:29:58.520 --> 0:30:03.000 God's nerves. Sometimes you gotta call God until you think 0:30:03.000 --> 0:30:06.640 he's about to block your number. Sometimes you gotta stalk 0:30:06.680 --> 0:30:10.320 the Holy Spirit. Ah, don't take your joy from me. Ah, 0:30:10.560 --> 0:30:12.719 I will not. I'll prove it to you with the Bible. 0:30:12.920 --> 0:30:17.360