Let us turn to God's Word in
this chapter that we've read the twelfth chapter in the book
of the Acts of the Apostles and for a little while just drawing
your attention to verse 5 and the last part of verse 12 Acts
12 5 Peter therefore was kept in prison But prayer was made
without ceasing of the church unto God for him. And then the
end of verse 12, many were gathered together praying. The last couple of weeks on Lord's
Days, we've been looking at the second chapter here in this account
of the ministry of the apostles after the resurrection and the
ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. We consider something of the
content of the preaching of Peter on that auspicious day. And here
again we read of Peter and Peter now being persecuted by the wicked
king Herod. And in the words that we've read,
we really have an account of an early church prayer meeting. It's not the first time, of course,
that we read of prayers being made by these New Testament believers,
because previously in chapter 4, We have the account of how
there was a great giving of thanks on another occasion after the
release of Peter and Paul there in chapter 4 verse 24 following. These two men are released by
the authorities and returned to their company and then we
have the prayer that was prayed on that occasion how they lift
up their voice to God with one accord and said Lord thou art
God which is my heaven and earth and the sea and all that in them
is and so on through to verse 30 we have the prayer and then
in verse 31 when they had prayed the place was shaken where they
were assembled together and they were all filled with the Holy
Ghost and they spake the word of God with boldness. They were
a prayerful assembly of people, and as there was preaching, so
there was much praying. And here, I think, in chapter
12, we might say that we have the first prayer meeting that
is recorded with regards to this church at Jerusalem. the early
church gathering together for a prayer meeting and so I want
us to take up that theme as we think about their prayer on this
occasion dealing with some four headings first of all to remind
ourselves of the necessity of prayer and how God deals with
his people in such a fashion of course that time and again
they're driven to prayer what else could they do? Here is Herod
persecuting the apostles, he killed James, the brother of
John, and this had greatly pleased the Jews, and so now he takes
Peter also. Doubtless, he intended also the
death of Simon Peter. But the consequence is that the
church is driven now to prayer The prayer was made, we're told,
without ceasing of the Church unto God for Him. Oh, there is a necessity for
us to pray. May not always to pray, says
the Lord Jesus Christ. And though we need to pray, we
need to pray, of course, as those who are God's creatures, God
who has made us, not we ourselves. Says the Psalmist, we're poor,
dependent creatures. God holds our breath in His hand
and He could take away our lives in one moment of time. He is
the One in whom we live and move and have our being. We are to
pray to Him then as creatures of His hand. We are to pray to
Him and make our confessions as those who would acknowledge
that we have fallen short of His glory. We are sinners. We
have sinful natures, and we feel it, and we are to confess it.
We are guilty not only of having a sinful nature that we've inherited
from Adam and Eve, but we are those who also do sin, actively
sin, and we are to make our confessions. If we say that we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess
our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned,
we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. How pointed are
the words of John there at the end of that opening chapter in
his first general epistle. We need to come then not only
as creatures but as sinners and to acknowledge and to confess.
Always to come as seeking sinners, seeking after that great salvation.
God has said ye shall seek me and find me when you shall search
after me with all your hearts. What a privilege is prayer because
there we come to know and discover something more of the wonder
of God. He is a merciful God. He is a
merciful God even to great sinners. Do we not have the example in
the ministry of the Lord Jesus where he speaks of those two
men who go to the temple at the hour of prayer. We think in particular
of the public and so hated, so despised by the Jews and yet
What a prayer was his! We've commented in time past
on the man, his feet, his feet were such penitential feet, he
felt his sin, he stood afar off, we read there in Luke 18, he
stood afar off, he felt so unworthy. His eyes were penitential too. Feeling his sin, he could not
lift up his eyes to heaven. His eyes are cast down to the
ground. He has a penitential hand. He has a penitential heart. He strikes upon his breast, says
the Lord Jesus Christ. And then his lips, what penitential
lips in that man. God be merciful to me, a sinnery
Christ. There is one who is a true confessor
of his sins, a true seeker after God. And we're to be pious. And we have these examples, of
course, in the early history of the Christian Church in the
Acts of the Apostles. And when we come to the Epistles,
how Paul, when he comes to those portions where he will exhort
the churches and give instruction and direction to the Thessalonians
he says pray without ceasing to the Colossians continue in
prayer watching the sign with thanksgiving to the Philippians
be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgivings let your requests be made known unto God all the
necessity of prayers and then there is that encouragement that
we have to pray. God has not yet ascended the
great white throne. He has not come to judge the
living and the dead. He's not seated then upon the
throne of judgment. As we gather together tonight
we know on the authority of Scripture that He is seated yet upon the
throne of grace. He is seated upon the throne
of grace, and we are bidden, aren't we, to come boldly to
the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace
to help in time of need. Oh, what a throne is this! What
a meeting it is! As I said, when we come to pray,
it's not just that we have the ear of God, but we learn something
about God. As we come to pray with Him,
we call upon Him, we address Him, in accordance with what
the Lord Jesus Christ said we ought to say when we come to
prayer. Our Father, which art in heaven. Oh, we remember where
He is and yet we can't address Him in that intimate fashion
and call upon Him as our God and our Father. And it's the
plural pronoun, isn't it? It's obviously a corporate act
there in the instruction that Christ is given, not my father,
but we say our father. And we come together for corporate
prayer, to pray for one another, to pray for the people of God
and the cause of God. We address Him then as our Father,
we desire to meet with Him and know Him in that blessed capacity. Like as a father pitieth his
children, the psalmist says. So the Lord pitieth them that
fear Him. He knoweth our frame, He remembers
with dust. We can come and pour out our
souls and tell Him all our complaints. We are to come boldly to the
throne of Christ. always to come with all words.
Take with you words. Turn to the Lord. That's what
the prophet instructs us to do. And as we address God as Father,
so we come through the mediation of His blessed Son, one God,
one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus. The
only way of entrance and access, the way, the truth, the life,
says Christ. That's what He is. No man cometh
unto the Father but by and he's touched with the feeling of our
infirmities tempted in all points like as we are says the Apostle
therefore well that's the deduction he makes when he remembers the
reality of the Lord Jesus Christ human nature the real man who
feels for us he knows our humanity his was a sinless humanity He
was tempted in all points like as we are, but he's without sin.
But when we come we know that he is one who feels for us and
understands us. He's not only God, he's also
a man, he's the mediator. to meet with the Father through
the mediation of the Son, and to know that gracious ministry
of the Spirit. Is He not the Spirit of grace
and of supplications, the One who helps our infirmities, the
One who makes intercession for us with those groanings that
cannot be uttered? And so, in prayer we come to
know God. We know Him. through him, that
is, through Christ, we both have access by one Spirit unto the
Father, says the Apostle. And what does prayer do? It serves
the purpose of God. It's God's own institution, God's
own ordinance. I will yet for this be inquired
of, he says. He will have the house of Israel.
He will have the church to inquire of him. I will yet of this be
inquired of by the house of Israel. I will increase them with men
as a flock, or with a pride." That's a remarkable, remarkable
verse that we have in Isaiah 45, 11. Ask me of things to come,
says God through the prophet, and concerning the work of my
hands, command ye me. Ask me of things to come, concerning
my sons, concerning his children, and concerning the works of my
hand, he says, command ye me." Oh, we're to come then with that
boldness. We fear presumption, but let us not shrink from heeding
what God says. He bids us to come and speak
with him plainly, and to address him with confidence as we come
by and through the mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ. All of
these elements should be there in our
praying. We recognize the necessity of
our prayer, how we are to be those who would pray, and we
see that God gives us many encouragements to pray, and we're to receive
that encouragement from Him, and so we're to come with some
fervency. In the third place, there's fervency.
It's without ceasing. That's what we're told concerning
these who are praying for Peter. Prayer was made without ceasing
of the church unto God for him. The margin gives an alternative
reading. It says it was instant and earnest
prayer without ceasing. It was instant and it was earnest. The word the truth actually has
the idea of fervency and intensity in their praying. And in many
ways when we look at Peter at this time, his behavior gives
us an illustration. When he comes to himself in verse
11 and realizes that this is no vision, this is a reality,
how the Lord had sent his angel and delivered him out of the
hand of Herod, and all the expectation of the Jews. When he had considered
the thing, we read at verse 12, he came to the house of Mary,
the mother of John, whose name was Mark, where many were gathered
together, praying. And as Peter knocked at the door
of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. Here he
is knocking at the door, and this young woman appears, but
she doesn't admit Peter for gladness it says she ran in and told them how
Peter was standing there at the gate she doesn't let him in so
what does Peter do? well we're told how Peter continued
knocking so he knocks She comes, she doesn't open, and what does
he do? He continues knocking. Isn't
he an illustration here of what it means to be earnest in our
prayers? How we need importunity. The
Lord tells that parable, doesn't he, in Luke 18 of the unjust
judge and the importunate widow, who keeps on pleading with him.
keeps on pleading with them, she will not take no for an answer. That's how we're to come, fervently.
Or shall not God avenge his own elect? The Lord says there in
that chapter. Avenging them who cry unto him
day and night, because of all the abominations that are done
in the land. He will hear their crying. And yet, it goes on, doesn't
it? When the Son of Man cometh, shall
he find faith in the earth? Do we have that faith that is
evidenced in fervency? Not just knocking, but continuing
to knock as we see Peter knocking here. Peter continued knocking
until the door was opened and the Lord gives us that exhortation.
Ask and it shall be given you. Seek and you shall find. Knock
and it shall be opened unto you. Everyone that asketh receiveth,
he that seeketh findeth, to him that knocketh it shall be open,
the shalls, the wills, the certainty of answers to prayers. Oh, what's the remedy to our
troubles? There's a line in one of Joseph Hart's hymns, the remedy
is before the pride. The verse isn't found in in God's peace, although the
hymn is, but it's one of those hymns that certain verses have
been omitted. And sadly that verse has been
omitted. I like that line, the remedies before the pride. And so often we're slow to pride. And yet it's so necessary. We have every encouragement in
the Word of God. We have the example of those
who were so fervent So determined, isn't that the mark of an Israelite?
When we think of Jacob at Peniel, back in Genesis 32, when he would
not let the angel go. That's when he became Israel,
a prince with God, in prayer. Are we really God's spiritual
Israelites? But then here, what we have,
of course, is answer to prayers. Answer to prayers. Peter's in
prison. Peter therefore was kept in prison.
The prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
And we're told there in that twelfth verse, many were gathered
together praying. It was a prayer meeting. And though they prayed and received
an answer, we see that they were so surprised. They were even
overwhelmed at the answer. When this young woman comes and
tells them Peter's at the door, what do they say to her? They
want mad. They want mad. He's not Peter.
Maybe it's his angel. That's what they say. And then
at verse 16, when the door is opened, and they saw him, they
were astonished. They were astonished. Oh, you see how God surprises
His people with the answers He gives to His people in their
praying. He's able to do exceedingly abundantly
above all that we ask or think. Do we really believe that? Do
we really believe that? God is able to do it. And they
had forgotten how God on a previous occasion had granted such a miraculous
deliverance. In chapter 5, at verse 17 following, we're told how the high priest
rose up, and all that were with him, which is the sect of the
Sadducees, and were filled with indignation, and laid their hands
on the apostles and put them in the common prison, But the
angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors and brought
them forth and said, Go stand and speak in the temple to the
people all the words of this life. And when they had heard
that, they entered into the temple early in the morning and taught
But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and
called the council together, and all the senate of the children
of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. But when
the officers came and found them not in the prison, they returned
and told, saying, The prison truly found we shut with all
safety, and the keeper standing without before the doors. But
when we had opened, we found no man within." Oh, God had done
remarkable things previously, but they'd forgotten. And I'm
sure we can say that there have been times when the Lord has
heard and answered our prayers, and we forget. We forget that
He's a God who is able to do these things. Nothing's impossible
with Him. Sadly, they're really unbelieving, aren't they? They
don't believe when they see Peter, or when they first of all hear
from this young woman, Rhoda. They don't believe. And yet,
without faith, we're told it is impossible to please Him. He that cometh to God must believe
that He is, and that He is the rewarder of all that diligently
seek Him. In spite of their unbelief, in
spite of our unbelief, sometimes maybe we think, well, we can't
pray because we don't really believe. Do I really believe
that God can do the thing I'm asking Him to do for me? Well,
someone said, try what unbelieving prayers can do. We have to pray
in the teeth of unbelief sometimes. Or the devil will close our mouths
if he's able. And our God, in His mercy, did
answer them so remarkably. Here is Herod, at the beginning
of the chapter, stretching forth his hands to vex the church killing
James, one of the apostles, laying hold upon Peter, putting him
in prison. It's the time of unleavened bread.
It's the time of the Passover. It must be the year after the
Lord had died at that time. The year has passed. And there
are these believers, remarkable things have happened, many have
been converted as we see in the previous chapters. Thousands
have been converted. And here is Herod wanting to
please the Jews. And he does all of this against
the church. And what do we read at the end? Solemn words there
at verse 20 when he's It is with those of Tyre and
Sidon. They come with one accord to
him, having made blasters the king's chamber in their friend,
desiring peace with him, because their country was nourished by
the king's country. And upon a set day Herod arrayed
in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto
them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a
god. The lot of a man, and immediately the angel of the Lord smote him,
because he gave not God the glory, and he was eaten of worms, and
gave up the ghosts. Or the Lord deals with the enemies
of his people by terrible things in righteousness. Wilt thou answer
us, O God of our salvation? says the psalmist. Do we believe
that God will indeed hear And as God hears, God will answer.
And God will accomplish for us all His goodwill and pleasure.
Oh, the Lord help us in to pray, and to pray in that spirit of
expectation, knowing that we cannot seek His face in vain. Oh, the Lord bless His word to
us. Now let us sing His praise before
we address Him again in prayers. We're going to sing the hymn
966, the true nativity, 858. Happy are they to whom the Lord,
His gracious name makes known, and by His Spirit and His Word
adopts them for His own. He calls them to a mercy seat,
and hears their humble prayer. and when within his house they
meet they find his presence there 966 June 858