Christ of Every Crisis | Part 1

Are you in the midst of the crisis. Listen closely to Adrian Rogers all those read about your losing bears just may be a sign that you don't understand the situation for bravery that you do understand some things that I'm sharing with you today from the word of God. Welcome to the word featuring dynamic teaching and insights from Adrian Rogers you in the midst of the unexpected crisis troubles come and go every day. Every so often we come up against ferocious circumstances.

Everything seems to be lost. The book of acts is full of these kinds of stories in which God drew the church near and revealed himself when everything seemed hope in acts chapter 12. The early church was facing a genuine crisis as Herod unleashed violence. If you have your Bible turn to acts chapter 12 right now is Adrian Rogers begins this message.

Christ, of every crisis turned acts chapter 12 ways and I want us to think about the Christ of every crisis that we all have troubles brought troubles. They come every day but ever so often we come to a crisis.

I made an industrial-strength crisis and we really don't know where to turn unless we turn to the Lord and crisis may come unexpectedly. It may come to ferocious just out of the blue, I mean a full blown crisis somebody said if you can keep your head when all those read about your losing bears just may be a sign that you don't understand the situation may be that you do understand some things that I'm going to be sharing with you today from the word of God. Chapter 12 verse one. Not at that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church and he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it please the Jews. He proceeded further to take Peter also then were the days of unleavened bread, and when he had apprehended him. He put him that is Peter in prison and delivered him to the four Koreans of soldiers to keep him intending after Easter I live means at the Passover to bring him forth to the people. Peter therefore was kept in prison, but prayer was made without ceasing of the church on God for him and when Herod would have brought him forth the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains and the keepers before the door Person and behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him and the light shines in the prison, and he smoked Peter on the side and raised about say is up quickly and the chains fell off from his hands, and the angel said to him goodbye self vinyl my sandals.

So he did and he said to him Kasei government about the and follow me, and he went out and followed him and wished not a new not that it was true which was done by the angel, but thought he saw a vision and when they were past the first and second Ward.

They came onto the iron gate which leave if under the city, which opened them of his own accord and they went out and passed all through one street and forth with the angel departed from him.

Now stop there with take up the reading here a little later but let me give you the background again reiterate what happened. Herod was a wild, a ruthless baby wicked and a vile man. He wanted to torture to vex to disturb the church.

He had already taken James the brother of John and it put them to death.

A solid place the multitude he said all right I'll get the big guy get Peter and to put Peter in prison, so that the Passover I bring him out, and I'll make him a foot short at the top. I'll take off his head. Herod was absolutely ferocious, vile, wicked and cruel. Now that's the situation, and it was indeed a great great crisis. How do you handle a crisis. What do you do in times of crisis.

I wanted you before thoughts today put them down because you will need. You may need them right now some of you will listing me right now are the very mixed of genuine crisis, but if not you will be number one, we should respect. Respect the mystery of God's providence of God's providence as you look in this chapter, there is one word that comes through. It is providence that is going to see the hidden hand of God. God is going to be working in a mysterious way and inexplicable way.

God is going to be in the shadows arranging things, moving things that people cannot see and that may be very true in your life right now God is working but you cannot see God working you may be in the middle of chaos right now. Nothing safely making sense.

Everything that you thought you had nailed down is coming loose and the devil is pulling nails. I listen to. Just because it doesn't make sense to you doesn't mean that it does not make sense.

Many of us have many questions as we look at this chapter we would say well why did God let Herod the king anyway is in God.

God God S.

Gleick, Herod, be the king but I would gotta turn him into a frog and why.

Why should James be killed and Peter released/does God have favorites is God capricious as God lost control and why all these things happen.

A friend I want to tell you something we do not live by explanations life is not a problem to be solved it is a mystery to be lived and you have to back off sometimes and just simply say what I'm going to call the hidden hand of God, and you need to respect that there watch the painter paint a picture but a skull is on campus. Sometimes I get great recreation watching this old man who paints while you watch he can and one half hour do a beautiful painting.

Some of you seen these old guys got some sort of a accent out of the what kind it is. But this is the I put this on this and he just flashing the colors on that campus and he's mixing.

This is not think a little more yellow you and is just basically their annual II look I see manic good. How does he do that it just everything just turns out good and then the guy will reach in and he'll get some colors and engulfs all your put some bagels flashing thing on the mavens will be a tree in the foreground. I said Mr. you really messed up. Let's see how you will get out of this and then all of a sudden it just comes together is a masterpiece. Sometimes we look at what God does is God puts his colors on the campus we say Lord you really and then all of a sudden God just got our you have messed things ever felt that way. God, how did you let this happen now it makes sense to me when I watch that man do it would make sense to him and just because things are not making since you do not think that they don't make sense.

Just because you can see God working, God is not working.

Here's Herod's ungodly power. Here is James death. Here is Peter's release yet all these things are working together, we call that the sovereignty of God. We call that the providence of God, and you just put their new margin. Romans 828 and we know we know we can.

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, the called according to his purpose.

Now most of us most of us had the idea that we go through life and that life is all good and then like it's bad when he gets good again generally is not that way. Life is not like 40 miles of good road and then 10 miles of bad road and 60 miles. A good road. No, just like life is more like a railroad track one rail good and one rail bad and the good and the bad same be running parallel give notice that there seems to be certain problems in life and we can always just make them work out together.

Good and bad same to Ron on parallel tracks. Now it was going to stand that. So where are we wanting to get to the time of life will be to bad things happen you know, so I'll be glad when all this is over, and so then we can do what will you do if you're in school I'll be glad in schools over that I can start doing what I want to do if the children will be glad when the children are grown so that I can do what I want to do when I'm sick.

I'll be glad when I get well so that I can begin to serve God of the wall. The good and the bad. They are there and they are working together.

Sometimes we would like to just live life without the bad. Here's a girl who marries a boy. The parents they don't marry him, sweetheart. The boy doesn't have the character he doesn't have what it done what we believe it takes to make a good husband, but she says she loves him. She's going to marry her and so the parents try to make the best they can, of the situation.

They want to love their prospective son-in-law. They get married and little baby comes along and after a while he turns out to be a philanderer.

It turns out the be that person. The parents were afraid that he might be and he leaves her well I won't ask you mother if you could, would you just turn the clock back as I know they will get married would you do it. Be careful how you answer because if you say yes you have to give up a grandbaby that little baby that you come blossom season life mysterious is a life mysterious best bad things the good things God and the crucible of his wisdom. He mixes these things together for his glory.

And we know that all things work together for good.

Only by explanations friend you will never ever explain God live my promises and so you never get all figure out you know if your kids you want. Why does God put the vitamins and spinach and not an ice cream. Let God be God. You should respect. Listen to this.

The mystery mystery of God's providence. Allow God to be God.

And just because it doesn't make sense to you, doesn't mean it doesn't make sense if you crisis don't demand understand okay number two you should request the ministry of God's people about what is the ministry God's people. It is prayer look now in verse five Peter therefore was kept in prison, but prayer was made without ceasing the church under God for him is a hurray verse on prayer look at it again. Peter therefore was kept in prison, but prayer was made without ceasing of the church, under God, for him. Now this seems to be no hope for Peter. Peter is in the maximum-security prison is guarded on the outside with two guards by the door. There 16 guards regarding Peter. He must've been fairly important for 16 personal guards to guard him and besides all of that he's chain guard on the sand and is chained to guard a left hand about a man who is in a pickle.

He's a pickle.

And on top of that he is sentenced to death and wicked king says soon I'm going to execute you now that friend is a crisis.

You may think you have a crisis but Peter is really the crisis. There seems to be no hope for Peter. Nor is shot every door except one mess want to go straight up. That was the door they could not shut crisis. There's always prayer and when there is no hope.

On the horizontal level.

There's always hope all the vertical level and I want us to look at this prayer and I want us to pull over Parker for a moment because when there's the mystery of God's providence is the ministry God's people. Now watch I want to say first of all what I would call the frequency of the prayer. Look at verse five. Prayer was made with out ceasing.

Now they prayed and they did not stop praying and they may ask why does God answer our prayer.

Peter's kept in prison and God doesn't seem to be in a hurry to get him out. But God is trying to teach them a lesson about prayer. One of the great lessons about prayer is persistent, but I was his ass he cannot, but he literally says keep on asking people seeking people knocking and in Luke chapter 18 verse one. The Bible says and Jesus make a parable unto them to this end, that man ought always to pray and not to faint.

That is not to stop praying and you need to learn that God's delays are not denials okay is a frequency prayer and then also noticed fervency of the prayer got it fervency the prayer this word without ceasing may be translated intensely. They were praying intensely, I want what we know about intense prayer. They one thing when you're in a crisis. You learn to play with intensity.

Don't I love Jeremiah 29 verse 13 where God says, and you shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. One of the things that I'm trying to cure myself of is casual prayer below the Bible calls prayer wrestling Romans chapter 15 verse 30 Paul said now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ sake, for the love of the spirit that you strive together with me in your prayers to God forming that you strive together never thought prayer is driving as wrestling how much genuine agonizing that we do in prayer if you really get Indiana session. You find out. The devil will fight you and oppose you prayer is work. I'd rather preach for an hour than to pray for half an hour so far as the labor that it takes for genuine prayer is the frequency of the prayer. This fervency of the prayer. Sometimes we don't feel like pouring so we say will not bring friend if there's ever a time when she need to pray is when you don't feel like any pray to you, do feel like. But pray pray not only frequently but fervently. And then there's the Fellowship of the prayer. The Bible says that it was made of the church looking verse five again prayer was made without ceasing of the chair.

That is, they came together to pray did Jesus say were two or three of you are gathered together in my name their mind the midst of them, and of any two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it will be done for them of my father which is in heaven. God is pleased with his children pray. But God is more pleased when his children pray and fellowship. There's nothing that will bind us together as a church more than praying, if you ever had a prayer partner you know that your heart, and his heart are her heart are linked together.

There times when God comes when the church raised that is glorious and wonderful is what we call the Fellowship of prayer. This prayer was made of the church for Peter and then I want you to notice the faith of the prayer the prayer was under God, it was under God. Prayer was made on the God they were not praying to one another. They were not trying to impress one another so many of our prayers are little memorize prayers are heard about a young lawyer just got his degree open up this brand spanking new law offices. He didn't have any clients but bidding really have a secretary but had a shingle out front foot falls in the hallway thought his first client was coming to pick up the phone, like he was busy and I said hello yes no I'm sorry I can't do know, I know.

Perhaps next Thursday I have it to be Corporation case coming up up on Wednesday and so forth. But perhaps we can arrange it and put the phone down.

By this time the man was standing in front of his desk. He said yes or goods or what maybe for you is a blonde from the telephone company I can hook up your telephone many times our prayers that way trying to impress somebody else for there's no one on the line. These people they were trying to impress anybody out.

They would ask their prayer was to God, you know, today I think the reason we don't pray with frequency and fervency is because we think we know that prayer is perhaps the worst thing about us is not a preciousness but Opera may we have our machinery.

We have our plan. We have our methods. We have our pastors we have our choirs. We have our Bible Fellowship. We have our buildings we have this we have that and so we come to church is a wealth we do we let it heal of the devil's the devil stands in the corner and smirks and he says you can have your buildings. You had to choirs you have your fellowship. You can have your preacher, you can have all everything you want you you have your Bible study as long as you leave out the power of God becomes with fervent prayer that will not take no for an answer. The devil mocks our schemes last set organizations ridicules our talents, but he feared our programs. Now these people don't praying peers in prison they going to pray they don't have money to bribe Herod for getting out of prison they don't have political influence, but they going to pray my laugh, but friend the devil someone is wisely said the devil's when he sees a week of signing up on his knees. Prayer is under God and God isn't God and God controls the universe we need to learn that that when we speak and when were praying we are praying to God and so is the faith of the prayer and then there's the focus of the prayer looking verse five again. The Bible says. Therefore, prayer was made without ceasing of the church, under God, what's this for him. They were praying full. It was a prayer not only with intensity, but specificity what did you pray for this morning. Some of our prayers are so vague. If God would answer them we wouldn't know if God didn't answer then we would have to admit Lord save the loss this morning.

What if somebody does say is that well. I played somebody save me and I was present on site you know that was your prayer I know is my prayer somebody else's prayer we would have these vague general prayers. At least when there praying for Peter Mansour came they knew was an answer prayer is that right. It was made for him.

Write about it when you visit somebody and they say to you, don't come see us sometime. I'll come see you sometime. They don't mean that about a way to say this man. I guess in the fine mistakes you've ever seen in the freezer, cajole, combine next Saturday at five and will have a cook at they mean. That's with specificity what you praying for what you asking God for when you say hello. I want to do this. I do that God would answer prayer. Would you see there's the focus of the prayer.

It was for Peter and John answered now when you're in a crisis respect, the mystery of God's providence coming up on Monday were getting your part two of this important message but maybe today there is some crisis in your own heart, a relationship that you have and you'd like to share a prayer request with us at love worth finding. It's one of our great honors to come alongside you, and pray with you and for you if you can go to our website@lwf.org/radio and scroll down to our prayer wall. There you will find the option to submit a prayer request or pray for others, or both. Resource is one of our favorite ways to keep the ministry in the community praying continually for one another's needs. Let us hear from you today after like to order a copy of today's message in its entirety. You can call us at 1877 love God, to order Christ of every crisis. This message is also part of the insightful series living supernaturally for the complete 13 message collection: 1877 love God or order online@lwf.org/radio or you can write us at love worth finding box 38, 600 Memphis, TN 38183. You can also purchase our new Bible studies, much like this message in our online store for information on that. Simply go to LWF.org/radio. Thank you for studying and God's word with us today if you like.

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