Sovereignty and prayer

Q: What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty in prayer?

The Bible teaches that God's sovereignty governs all aspects of life, including prayer, emphasizing that He is the creator of all that exists. God's sovereignty is a foundational concept underscored in Scripture, particularly seen in Acts 4, where the disciples acknowledge God's control over all events. They begin their prayer by recognizing Him as the Creator, stating, 'Lord, Thou art God, which made heaven and earth...' (Acts 4:24). This establishes the framework for understanding that prayer is not about changing God’s mind, but rather about aligning ourselves with His sovereign will. As C.S. Lewis said, 'What we do in prayer is not so much about sending requests to God, but allowing God to send us into His plans.' Thus, recognizing God's sovereignty in prayer enables believers to find peace and boldness in their requests, knowing they are under His providential care.

Q: How do we know God's sovereignty is true?

God's sovereignty is affirmed throughout Scripture, where He is depicted as the ultimate authority over creation and human affairs. The truth of God's sovereignty is woven throughout the entirety of Scripture. Acts 4 highlights this theme as the disciples recount God's predetermined plan amidst persecution, saying, 'For to do whatsoever thy hand and counsel determined before to be done' (Acts 4:28). This illustrates that even the actions of those opposing God serve His divine purpose and demonstrate His ultimate authority. Furthermore, passages like Romans 8:28 affirm that, 'We know that all things work together for good to them that love God,' reinforcing the belief that God's sovereign rule encompasses every detail of life. Thus, believers can trust that nothing occurs outside of God's sovereign plan.

Q: Why is prayer important for Christians?

Prayer is important for Christians as it serves as a means of communication with God and aligns their hearts with His will. Prayer holds significant importance in the life of a Christian. As illustrated in Acts 4, when faced with persecution, the apostles and the early church turned to prayer as a unified response. They lifted their voices in one accord to call upon God, recognizing His sovereignty over their circumstances. Prayer is not merely a ritual but a vital expression of faith, revealing our dependence on God. Furthermore, it provides a channel through which believers seek guidance, strength, and comfort in turbulent times. As Heb. 4:16 emphasizes, we are encouraged to 'come boldly unto the throne of grace,' allowing us to receive mercy and grace in times of need.

Q: What should Christians ask for in prayer?

Christians should ask for boldness to proclaim God's word and for God's will to be done in their lives. In Acts 4, the early church provides a profound example of how to approach prayer. Rather than asking for comfort or peace amid threats, they prayed for boldness to speak God's word: 'Grant unto thy servants that with all boldness they may speak thy word' (Acts 4:29). This reflects a commitment to God's mission over their own safety. Christians today are encouraged to approach prayer with a similar mindset — seeking not merely personal requests, but asking how they can glorify God and fulfill His will. By prioritizing God's purposes in their prayers, believers can cultivate a deeper relationship with Him and become instruments of His grace in the world.

Q: How does God's sovereignty affect how we pray?

God's sovereignty assures Christians that their prayers align with His divine purposes, granting them peace and confidence. Understanding God's sovereignty profoundly impacts how believers approach prayer. Acts 4 demonstrates this as the early church acknowledges God's control over their persecution while earnestly seeking boldness to proclaim the gospel. Recognizing that God has predetermined all events encourages Christians to approach prayer with confidence, knowing that their requests are under His sovereign authority. This perspective allows for greater freedom in prayer, as believers trust that God will answer in perfect accordance with His will, whether that means granting their requests or providing different outcomes. Ultimately, this understanding fosters a deeper relationship with God and an assurance that He listens and responds to prayers according to His divine plan.

The book he is reading, Sovereignty
of God by Arthur Pink, and the chapter on sovereignty in prayer,
he said, was really, really a blessing to him. And I got to thinking
about that, and got to thinking about God's sovereignty in us
praying. God's sovereignty in us praying. And what we have
here, and I'm going to read a few verses here in Acts chapter 4.
and hopefully deal with a few things about prayer out of this
chapter. It says here in verse 1, as they spake unto the people,
the priest and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees
came upon them, being grieved that they taught the people and
preached through Jesus the resurrection of the dead. And that's what
we want to hear. And they laid hands on them and
put them in hold until the next day, for it was now evening time. Howbeit many of them which heard
the word believed, and the number of men was above about five thousand. And it came to pass on the morrow
that the rulers and elders and scribes, and Annas the high priest,
and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred
of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when
they had set them in the midst, you got this crowd of men sitting
around, these people of power and authority, and they set them
out there in front of them. They asked them, but what power,
by what name have you done this? Now, they're talking about the
healing of the lame man in Acts chapter 3, when he's sitting
there at the gate, beautiful, as they were going into the temple.
And remember, he was asking alms, and Peter looked on him and said,
silver and gold, have I none? But what I do have I give to
you in the name of Jesus Christ. Rise up and be made whole." And
immediately he raised up and began to leap and praise God.
So that's what they're talking about. What power and name have
you done this? Then Peter, filled with the Holy
Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people and elders of Israel,
if we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent
man, by what means he is made whole? being known unto you,
all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and all he charges of again, whom
you crucified, God raised from the dead, even by him doth this
man stand before you whole. This is the stone which was set
at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none
of the name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be
saved." Now watch what they said. Now, when they saw the boldness
of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and
ignorant men, they marveled. And they took knowledge of them
that they had been with Jesus. And beholding the man, now watch
this, beholding the man which was healed standing with them,
they couldn't say nothing against it. Thou shouldst the man that
had been lame all these years standing there with them. And when they commanded them
to go aside of the council, they conferred among themselves. What
in the world are we going to do? Oh, it's obvious a miracle
has been done by them, and everybody in Jerusalem knows it, and we
can't deny it. But that is spreading no further. Let's just nip this
in the bud right here before it turns any further. They strangely
threatened them that they speak henceforth to no man in this
name, and they called them and commanded them not to speak at
all nor teach in the name of Jesus Christ. Now, down in verse
23, And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported
all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. And
when they had heard that, they lifted up their voice with one
accord, and said, Lord, Thou art God, which made heaven and
earth, and the sea, and all that in them else, who by the mouth
of thy servant David hath said, Why did the heathen rage, and
the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood
up, the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and
against his Christ. For of the truth against thy
holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius
Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered
together, for to do whatsoever thy hand and counsel determined
before to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings,
and grant unto thy servants that with all boldness that we may
speak thy word, by stretching forth thine hand to heal, and
that signs and wonders be named by the name of thy holy child
Jesus. And 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." Now, what we have here, we have the first
persecution, first persecution of the Lord's people, of His
people, His church, after the resurrection, ascension of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Our Master had already warned
them about this. He said, if the world hates me,
they're going to hate you. If the world persecutes me, they're
going to persecute you. And this all started because
they healed that impotent man there in Acts chapter 3. And
the apostles took this opportunity. took this opportunity to preach
the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified, salvation by Him and
salvation by Him and Him alone. And I want you to notice that
this persecution wasn't by the civil authorities. It wasn't
by the public. It wasn't by people out in the
world. It was by the religious men of that day, the religious
authorities of that day, the ecclesiastics of that day. the
religious leaders with all their counsel. They can't ever do anything
without giving a great big counsel together. And that was over 11
people standing. And at one time, they had such
great numbers, and they'd get all these men around in all their
hound-muckety-muck, and that's like, you know, when they have
the cardinals and they all meet together. And they go to decide
this and decide that with all their red robes and silly-looking
hats. But here they are, and they all
get together. And let me tell you something. They didn't care
if they went to the temple. It didn't bother them for going
to the temple. They didn't care if they preached even. What they
did care about is what they preached and who they preached. They said,
lest for them never ever to preach in this man's name again. That's
what they said. They don't care. If you ain't
preaching Jesus Christ and his resurrection, we don't care what
you preach. And that's what they told him.
He says, don't, whatever you do, they can't do that priest. Isn't that what it says in verse
2 here, being grieved, that they taught the people and preached
through Jesus the resurrection of the dead. And then they said
in verse 7, when they sent him into this, what power, what name
have you done this? To make a man himself, don't
speak no more to any man in this name, they said in verse 17.
Don't do it. And they threatened their very
lives. Here's the thing about it. They threatened their very
lives if they continued to teach and preach in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Threatened their lives. These
religious leaders were dead set to stomp out Christianity, to
put the name of Jesus Christ out of business, and the followers
of Jesus Christ out of business, and clear it from heaven and
earth, and all of their fathers. That's why the scripture says,
we will not have this man reign over us. And beloved, it's almost
getting that bad name. There's, I mean, Christianity
is mocked and ridiculed by everybody and every place nowadays. Now
they, if you mentioned that you believe in creation, you're neanderthal. If you believe that Jesus Christ
is the only way of salvation, they'll say you're intolerant.
You don't have any love. And everything now, if it's not
way far to the left, it's the Christian far right. And there's
a place in Houston, Texas at the VA down there where they
bury men, and they will not let you use the name of God or Jesus
Christ. And they are being sued because
that woman, if you have a funeral down there, follow it to Texas
to bury a veteran. or was going to be buried there,
nobody would be able to use the name of God or Jesus Christ,
no religious references in the funeral service. The director said, we're going
to change policy around here. And you imagine that. And we're coming to the place,
we're going to be in about the same boat if we live long enough.
Going to live long enough. And I'll tell you what, beloved,
they may preach another gospel by another spirit and another
Jesus, but God helpin' us, we're not gonna. And I'll tell you
something, beloved, the book of Acts is the history of the
early church and the apostles. And it's a pattern, it's a model
for us to follow. And if we find ourselves in trouble,
and if we find out what our message is to be, we need to look at
the book of Acts. And what did Peter and John and
the church do here when this first persecution of the gospel
came? What did they do? Well, I'll tell you what they
didn't do. Start with some negatives. I'll tell you what they didn't
do. They didn't look at one another when they left there and said,
I'll tell you what we done. I'll tell you what we did wrong. We
rushed it. We said too much too soon. We
bombarded the people with too much information. We should have
used a little more diplomacy. Let's just lay low for a while,
let the commotion settle down, then we'll start preaching again."
No, no, no, no, no. They didn't use worldly lit wisdom
or carnal reasoning. Paul says, Christ didn't send
me to baptize but to preach the cross, not with wisdom of men's
words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
These fellows never said that. And John didn't look over to
Peter and said, I know what we did. We make too much of the
resurrection of our master. And you know these Sadducees,
these religious leaders, don't believe in the resurrection.
I tell you, we'll have to tone down our message. Don't preach
things that people don't like. We'll speak in generalities.
We'll be ambiguous. Don't preach about the supernatural
miracle power of Christ. Then folks will like us and the
church will grow. Well, if we'd have just went,
this wouldn't have happened. If we'd have just went to the
world and got some advice, if we'd have went to some successful
businessmen and found out how they made their businesses grow,
and if we'd have went to some people who know how to market
things and put out a survey and found out what we ought to say
and what we ought to do and what they like and dislike, we wouldn't
be able to reach an altitude to people. But here we are, we're
in trouble. You reckon they'd done that?
What did they do? Look what it says in verse 23.
Here's what they did. Here's what they did. And being
let go, they went off and sulked in the corner and said, feel
sorry for yourself. No, says they went to their own
company. They went to the Lord's people.
They went to God with all of the believers that they were
worshipping with, that they were preaching to, and enjoyed fellowship
with. No, no, they went to their own
company. They went to their own people.
And it wasn't just apostles and just preachers. They gathered
with people like you and me. They came back to folks like
you and me. And they, and this says here,
and they reported all that the priests and elders had said unto
them. They told them everything could happen. And, oh beloved,
they went to the church. They went to God's people. And
they went down there and sat down. And not just apostles and
not just preachers. People think that a certain group,
that leaders should deal with everything. That ordinary believers
have no part, have no say, have no power. Let me tell you something.
There's no such thing as an ordinary believer. No such thing. I mean, if you're a believer,
you're a saint. If you're a saint, you're a believer.
And God got the nuts, hey, and that's the thing about it. Everybody
was involved in this. Everybody, Peter and John went
and told us about that. But they went to their own company.
You know why? Because that's the people God's
using. That's the people you get comfort
from. That's the people that you get encouragement from. And
there's never, never been a revival started in a cathedral, never
been the Spirit of God come from some great big dignitary. And
beloved enough, I told the men back there in the study, I said,
I'd love to see a stirring. I'd love to see a revival. I'd
love to see something happen. It's been so long since anybody's
got converted. It's been so long since we've
seen anybody that's had any real, real interest. And it seems like
there's such a coldness and we have such a lack of influence.
And oh, we have such a lack of spiritual power that people don't
pay any attention to us. But is that just my problem?
How do you feel about it? Do you feel like the church sometimes
is cold, that we need this God give us some influence, give
us some power, give us a healing, stir us up, give us a revival? Oh, that's why they went to their
own company. And they laid their burden on
the company, and the whole company shared this together. And then
look what they've done. Look what they've done. And verse 24, and when they heard
that, when they heard everything that they had to say, watch what
it says, they lifted up their voice unto God with one accord. And I want you to notice here.
I don't know how many people's here. It said over there about
5,000 men believed. I don't believe there were 5,000
people here. But there was a good company of believers. And they
lifted up voice, voice. And don't say voices. Didn't
they say they lifted up their voices? They lifted up their
voice, singular. And ain't that the way we do?
When we have a burden on somebody in the congregation, we have
a burden for somebody. We all, with one voice, with
one cry, with one singular person, is that we're one. And we call
on God to do, to do, to meet, to strengthen, to save, to encourage,
to meet the need. And oh beloved, that's what happens.
They lifted up when they heard what happened, they started praying.
And when the apostles came and told them what had happened,
how they were threatened their lives and couldn't preach in
Jesus' name, how did they react? We need to get a committee together.
See what we can do. Then I'll make a motion. Can
I get a second? No, they shouldn't do that. No,
they lifted up their voices, one accord, to God. They prayed. They prayed. That's what they did. They prayed. Why in the world would you pray?
You're in trouble now. What else are you going to do?
Would you do anything else when you're in trouble, when you have
a need? What do you do? That's what these fellows did.
They prayed. They're just a handful of ignorant, unlearned people.
There was no great names among them. No people of any money,
no people of any influence, no people of any power, just insignificant
people. And the authorities and the powers
that be, the people of substance and power was against them. Everybody
who was anybody was against these people. But they had sense enough
and spiritual sense enough to see that nothing they could do
or would do could change the situation whatsoever. And they had only one hope, one
place to turn, one thing to do. They lifted up their voice in
one accord to God. They prayed. They prayed. And let me ask you if you feel
this way. I don't know. I feel this way sometimes. I
don't take life as serious a thing, serious as I should. But do you
reckon there's a term that we use so lightly, so glibly, so
thoughtlessly to say, let us pray? We'll pray about it. We'll pray about it. Eleanor came to me this morning
and said, Remember Donna. Remember Donna. You know why? She wanted me to mix with the
church so all of us with one voice could call on God for her. She's been here many, many, many
times over the years. And in lots and lots of services.
But she's weak. Somebody has to be with her all
the time. And that's why she's sick. And we all cry on the corner. She said that's what we could
do. So we could pray. So we could pray. We can't heal
her. God can. We can't give her strength. God
can. We can't give her any help. God can. We can't give her any
hope. And God can. But, oh, it's so easy for us
to talk about prayer. But, oh, how difficult is it
to pray? Do you ever find it difficult
to pray? I think we have to be put in pretty deep trouble sometimes
to really, really know what it is to pray. And, oh, what do we know about
it? Well, we've got an example here
for us. We've got an example. When you're in trouble, you're
at the end of your rope. There ain't nothing to do but
call on God. Psalm 50 and verse 15 says, Call upon me in the
day of trouble, and I will hear thee, and I will, I will deliver
thee in the day of thy trouble. Now look what else happens here. How did they pray? They prayed.
When they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one
accord. And oh, beloved, here these fellows
are threatening them, don't you go preach anymore. But here these
people, they began to pray. How did they pray? Well, for
one thing, they wasn't praying about it. No, no. They wasn't in no hurry about
it. They weren't calling on God in a hurry, with excitement.
No, no. No, no. They took their time.
They approached God. And they began to say, look what
they said here. When they heard in verse 24,
they heard that, they lifted up the voice of one accord, and
here's what they said, Lord, Oh, they took their time. They're
in tranquility. They're calm before they have
time to talk to God in tranquility. And here they say, Lord, Lord,
your God, which has made heaven and earth and the sea and all
that then is. They didn't rush into the presence
of God. They didn't start talking about
their troubles. They didn't start talking about, telling about
how mean people had treated them, how mistreated they were, or
how their heart broke, or how anxious they were, how nervous
they were. No, no, they stopped, and they began to consider God. Oh, my. When we go in God's presence,
we should never, ever, I've told you this, I've told you this,
and I hope we'll learn it, I hope I'll learn it. Never start with
us. Never start with us and what's
wrong with us. God knows us, and He knows what's
wrong with us. But we need to acknowledge Him
to be who He is. And as we begin to call on Him
and acknowledge Him to be who He is, then we'll start calming
down immediately when we start saying, Lord, thou art God. And
not only that, but You created the heavens and the earth. And
they would think it's in the sea. We begin to acknowledge
Him, worship Him in reverence and awe. Remember who God is,
no matter what the problem, no matter how desperate. We don't
never, never start with ourselves and our problems. We're coming
into God's presence. Come before Him with reverence
and godly fear and pour out, and here's what they did, adoration
and praise and hard worship. That's where they started out.
Oh, let me show you something. Keep Acts 4 in Ecclesiastes. That's the little book right
before the book of Isaiah. Ecclesiastes, the book right
before Isaiah. Song of Solomon is before Isaiah,
and then Ecclesiastes right before Song of Solomon. Ecclesiastes
5. That's why David said, Be still,
be still, and know I'm God. Oh, they began to address God in His glory, God
in His power, God in His sovereignty, God in His greatness, God in
His majesty. And it's said here in verse 5,
Ecclesiastes, to keep thy foot when thou goest to the house
of God. Be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of
fools. For they consider not that they
do evil, You know, the only sacrifice that God will accept from us
is sacrifices, and they're spiritual sacrifices that we offer to God
through Jesus Christ. It's through Him and by Him and
because of Him we approach. And God says that we offer spiritual
sacrifices acceptable unto God. David calls them the fruit of
our limbs, even our prayers. And so, you know, we come and
we give the sacrifice of a fool. And we start saying things about
God and to God that we ought not say. Be not rash with your
mouth. Don't be quick. Don't be rash. Don't let things come out of
your mouth too quick, too hard, too fast. And let not your heart
be hasty. Tell her anything before God.
Why? For God's in the heaven and you're
on the earth. Let your words be few. You know
when Elijah prayed and he caused rain to fall from heaven, you
know how long his prayer was? Sixty-three words. It didn't
take him fifteen minutes to pray. Oh, my. You remember when Esther
was fixed to go into the presence of King Hazariah. And if you
went in the presence of the king and he didn't stretch forth his
scepter to you, you're going to die. Well, Hester came there
and she humbled herself in his presence, bowed down in his presence,
and acknowledged him to be the king, the sovereign, the one
with all the authority, the one with all the glory. And you know
what he done? He held that scepter out. And if you have to do that in
the presence of an earthly king, How much more should we do that
in the presence of our Sovereign Lord, the Lord of Glory? And
all beloved, they started this prayer with worship, praise,
and adoration. And in doing that, they remind
God, Lord, Thou art God. You made heaven. You made earth
and the sea and all that in them is. Oh my. You know, I'll tell you something
we ought to do. And God Himself told us to do
this. God said, remind me. Remind me. You think God told
us to remind Him of something. Want me to show you that? Isaiah 43, 26. Let me show you
that. And that's what they do. They
start reminding God. They start telling God things
that they know about Him and that He knows about Himself,
that yet they acknowledge this about Him. Isaiah 43, 26. Look what God said here. Put me in remembrance. Remembrance
of what? Of my glory, of my greatness,
that I'm the one that blots out your transgressions. I'm the
one that made the sacrifice to save you. I'm the one that provided
the salvation. I'm the one who has all the power. I'm the one, the Holy One, the
Creator of Israel, your God, your King. I'm that one. And
put me in remembrance. Let's plead together. Declare
thou that thou mayest be justified. Oh my, put me in remembrance.
And that's what they do. Lord, you're the one. You're
the one. And this is the right thing to
do. This is the wise thing to do. And here's the situation. They have no power. But God has
all power. They're helpless, but God isn't
helpless. And in addressing God as He is, they lost their fear. And they said, you know, this
is the way they felt, if God be for us, who can be against
us? If God be for us, who's going to be against us? And what is
their enemies? What are these men, their enemies,
compared to the Creator of the heaven and the earth and this
universe and the seas and everything? What is them men compared to
their God and what He's done and can do? And what a wise,
glorious thing to do when we go to God in prayer, to always
remind ourselves of who God is, who He is, why He is, what He's
accomplished, what He's done, what He's doing. And for us to
not start with Him, we're just wasting our breath. For me, I
feel that way. And I tell you, not only do they
see God, and they dressed Him, worshiped Him in praise and adoration,
but they saw and they acknowledged God's eternal will and purpose
being carried out. Look what it says in verse 25. Who by the mouth of thy servant
David hath said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people
imagine of any things? The kings of the earth stood
up together against the Lord, And against his Christ, for of
a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed,
both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people
of Israel, were gathered together, what for? To do whatsoever thy
hand and counsel determined before to be done." This ain't slipped up on us.
That's what they're saying. This hasn't slipped up on us.
Men crucified the Lord of glory, the heathen raged, the people
imagined vain things, they raged up against God, against Christ.
And in this prayer they were calling on and acknowledging
that God made everything and reigns over everything and orders
everything that happens in this life. That's what they're saying.
By the mouth of thy servant David. And what they're acknowledging
is that even these enemies are in your hands. The kings rose
up against your Christ. The rulers rose up against Him.
The Gentiles rose up against Him. Israel rose up against Him.
And why do they do that? Because it's what you determined
for them to do. That's what you've done. And
they said, why are we in this trouble? That's what you determined
before to be done. And this attack on the saints
did not take God by surprise. And boy, I'll tell you that,
Lord, these are your enemies. These are your enemies, and they'll
do nothing for what you will allow them to do. Not a thing
in the world. And when they prayed, they understood
that the problem wasn't really their problem, but it was God's
problem. It's not my problem. They said, Lord, they saw that
these people really weren't against them. Who were they against? against God and against His Christ. Against God and against His Christ. Ain't that what He says? They
gathered together against Christ and against God Himself. In verse
27, for of a truth, against thy holy child Jesus, they gathered
together to do what your hands consider to be done, counsel
to be done. And, O beloved, who have they been? They were God's
enemies. They were Christ's enemies. And
since they couldn't get to God, they couldn't get to Christ,
they could get to John. They could get to Peter. They
could get to these saints, but they couldn't get to God. And
oh, beloved, it's against you, Lord. It's against your Son,
your anointed, that they're after. It's you they want to put out
of business. This is your fight. This is your fight. And boy, what a lesson. What
a lesson. It's not our church. It's not
our organization. It's the Lord's church. And we're
the Lord's people. I'm just a member in this church
that Christ purchased with His own blood. I'm just a member
in His body. And to hurt the church, to hurt
His people, is to be against God, to be against His Christ.
That's why the Lord said, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It's hard for you to kick against
the pricks. And oh, now, now they're going to turn now and
start talking about themselves. Lord, Thou art God. Thou hast
made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that endureth
is. And by the mouth of Thy servant David, You said, Why did the
heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? I guess
Thy be Lord, and Thy Christ, as they gathered themselves together.
Now they come to themselves, and all they said, and they just
done what you determined to be done. That's all they done. God had, God all through the
Old Testament, told exactly how Christ would die and who would
be the ones to crucify Him. And all those folks got around
the Lord Jesus Christ, and they was all doing exactly what God
determined to be done. When Judas dipped his bread in
that salt and went out and sold Jesus Christ for thirty pieces
of silver, God prophesied that in the Old Testament, and Christ
told him he was going to do it before he ever done it. He said,
go do what you got to do and get it done. Nothing ever takes
God by surprise. It surprises us, but remember
that nobody is against you, really not against you, but against
Him. And you take And you go to him and say, Lord, it's not
me they want to put out of business. It's you. It's you. Now they
come to themselves. And all up to now, God, with
whom they asked to do. And now what in the world do
you reckon they're going to ask for? Oh, Lord, please give us some
peace. Give us a little rest. Give us some tranquility. Give
us some comfort. Give us some consolation. Now,
you know what they said? Verse 29, And now, Lord, behold
their threatenings. They threatened us, told us not
to preach or teach any more in His name. But, O Beloved, what
did they say? They didn't ask for rest or peace.
You know what they said? Grant unto thy servants that
with all boldness they may speak thy word. That's all we want. We're not going to quit preaching,
but all we want, you behold, they're threatened. Not asking
for peace, not asking for tranquility, not asking. They weren't concerned
with themselves, and they were willing to suffer whatever came,
but they were more concerned about the name of God, the name
of Christ and His blessed Son. And give us boldness, give us
authority, give us strength to preach the glories and the power
and the authority of your Son. That's what they're saying. That
with all boldness we may speak to your hand. And then do this,
Lord. Stretch forth your hand to heal. Start healing some healed
people around here. Let people know that your Son's
got the power like He done for this lame man. Raise Him up.
Let Him leap and shout for joy. And that signs and wonders may
be made, how? By the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ, your Holy Child. That's what we want. Everything
you do, do Lord, do for your glory. Everything you do, do
for the glory of your Son. That's all we care about. And
all beloved, listen. And I'll tell you what happens
when they begin to pray like this. You see, they was in trouble,
but they They acknowledged God's sovereignty in this, and they
prayed and said, Lord, we're in this situation because you
determined before this to be done. And we're not backing our fingernails
to the quick, and we're not cowering over in a corner. And what happens
when you pray like that? What happens when you believe
like that? And verse 31, And when they had prayed, The place was shaken where they
were assembled together. And they were all filled with
the Holy Ghost. And watch what happened. God blessed them. And
they spake the Word of God with all boldness. The place was shaken. Oh, God's
able to do this. That's your answer. I don't know
what it means by that, it's play shaking, but I mean, I believe
the building actually trembled. I believe the glory of God came
down and that building shook and trembled, and they saw the
glory of God and the power of God, and they went out and started
preaching immediately and spake the word of God with boldness.
God said, yes, I'm great, and you're acknowledged, and here
I'm going to show you. And oh, you keep that and look with me
over in Hebrews 12, 27. There's coming a day when God's
going to shake You know, he shook that place. And remember, he
shook the jail and got Paul and Silas out of it. Look in Hebrews
12, 27. Our Lord will shake everything
that can be shaken someday. And that building was shaken,
and I'll tell you, the people stood. But look what happens
here. It says in verse 25, See that
ye refuse not him that speaketh, for they escaped not who refused
him that spake on earth. Much more shall not we escape
if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven, whose voice
then shook the earth when he spoke on the mountain. Now he
hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only,
but also heaven. And this word, this word that
God said, I'm going to shake everything. Yet, what's more,
it signifies the removing of those things that are shaken.
Everything that can be shaken will be removed. Religion, if
you can be shaken, you'll be shaken. He said he'll win over
the gardener, he'll win over the weeds, remove the chaff. And those things that are in
the world will be shaken, religion will be shaken, politics will
be shaken, everything that can fall will fall. as of things that are made, that
those things which cannot be shaken, God can't be shaken. His elect can't be deceived. They cannot never be lost. He
said, I'll give them eternal life and they shall never perish. The will of faith will never
be shaken. Christ's covenant will never be shaken. God's sovereignty
will never be shaken. But only the things that cannot
be shaken. Guess what? They'll remain. How long they gonna remain? Forever. And then it says back over here
in our text, not only was the place shaken, but they were assembled
again. And they were filled with the Holy Ghost. Filled with the
Holy Ghost. The Spirit gives us assurance.
The Holy Spirit enables us to believe. The Holy Spirit makes
us fearless. Strengthens us for the battle.
And it's by the Holy Ghost that God's love shed abroad my heart.
And that's what happened to these men, these believers here. And
then in verse 32, look what it says. Oh, ain't this something? And the multitude of them that
believed were of one heart and of one soul. Oh, my. Oh, boy, wouldn't that be something?
God put us in that kind of trouble that we pray like that? One heart,
one soul only. Oh, one heart, one soul. Become
one. And that's how we have unity
of spirit. That's how we have the bond of peace. Calling on
the same God. Acknowledge Him to be the Lord
of heaven and earth. Acknowledging His sovereign will.
Everything that's done in this world, He's determined for it
to be done by His own hand. And whatever falls out to us
tomorrow, whatever falls out in the next year, it's God's
hand, it's God's will. And we're going to still say,
Lord, You're God of heaven and earth. Just enable us to speak, fill us with Your Holy Ghost,
and shake me until I can't be shaken anymore, until I'm steadfast
and unmovable. Amen. Oh, gracious, gracious God in
heaven, blessed be Your holy, glorious, blessed Name. Who is
like unto You in glory and power and majesty? Who is like unto
You, O God, in grace? Oh, Lord, You come down and You
consider us and You speak to us and You reveal Yourself to
us and You make Yourself known to us. Oh, you encourage us,
you strengthen us. Oh, Lord, you're God, and there
beside you there is none other. Lord, this world is yours, and
we acknowledge it. We acknowledge that we're yours,
and do with us as seemeth good in your sight. And Lord Jesus, we thank you
for every prayer you hear. for every time you meet our needs
and strengthen us through our trials and our afflictions and
our burdens. And we praise you and bless you
and thank you. And O God, help us always, always
be mindful of your glory. We ask this in Christ's name.
Amen. Amen.

Sovereignty and prayer

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty in prayer?

How do we know God's sovereignty is true?

Why is prayer important for Christians?

What should Christians ask for in prayer?

How does God's sovereignty affect how we pray?

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Sovereignty and prayer

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty in prayer?

How do we know God's sovereignty is true?

Why is prayer important for Christians?

What should Christians ask for in prayer?

How does God's sovereignty affect how we pray?

Sermon Transcript

About Donnie Bell

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