Part 5: You’ve Got A Package At The Door Synopsis of 9/29/24 Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III
Acts 12:1-16 1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. 2 Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. 3 And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. 4 So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. 5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. 7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. 8 Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” 9 So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. 11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.” 12 So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. 13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. 15 But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is his angel.” 16 Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. I. INTRODUCTION A. One of the things you will discover about God is he specializes in deliverance. Deliverance by itself is not the true blessing. The true blessing is in how God does it. B. God always has a way of showing up and showing out no matter how bad things are. God brings us out at the right time. The old saints would say, he might not come when you want him to, but he’s always on time. C. In this series, we have been talking about doors and destiny. Today take your spiritual antennas up a little higher. We are going a little deeper. D. Some of the players in the sermon today are Peter the apostle, James the brother of John, some of the early church martyrs, and Herod Agrippa I. This sermon also focuses on people who understood the power of prayer. E. Around 40 or 41AD, Herod Agrippa I was Roman appointed by the Emperor. He was made king of Judah. F. The Jesus crowd was getting bigger, because Jesus had risen. The religious leaders wanted to put a stop this movement. G. Who was Herod Agrippa I? He is one part of a family dynasty that ruled Judah under the backing of Rome. 1. Herod the Great was his grandfather. This Herod (the grandfather) was the one that wanted to kill Jesus when he was born. He was the Herod that tried to get the Wise Men to tell him where the baby Jesus was, so he could kill him. 2. Herod Agrippa I was known for wanting to gain favor of the Jewish Council. H. Jewish Council: 1. Among them were the Sanhedrin. In the Jewish culture, this was the highest governing council. They were in charge of judicial and political matters. This is how we get the concept of Council today. 2. Among them that sat on the council were: a. The Chief Priest. b. The Elders from the community. c. The Scribes, who were experts on Jewish Law which was found in the Torah. 3. The Sanhedrin had 71 members on this Council. The 71st was the High Priest, like a President. 4. The Pharisees – They were observers to the law. They were great interpreters of what the Law actually said. 5. The Sadducees – They were aristocrats of those who went by what was written in the Law. I. It is important to understand that the Jewish Community really believed in trials to seal one’s fate. For example, when they arrested Jesus, they didn’t have a quorum, so they didn’t have enough people there for it to be legit. Jesus’ charge was he said he was the Messiah and for some reason, they couldn’t get all the Sanhedrin together. This is why we it was called a kangaroo court. J. Acts 12:2 says that Herod Agrippa I had already killed James and now has Peter. This was the one that Jesus left in charge of the Disciples, so Herod was excited that he has now captured Peter. He knew that if he killed Peter, he could apprehend the Jesus movement. He decided to wait until after the Passover to kill Peter. K. They took Peter to the inner part of the prison. In this hole, Peter is being guarded by a quadrant of soldiers which is 4. Peter is not guarded by just one quadrant; he is guarded by 4 quadrants of soldiers. What are they so afraid of? L. In addition, two soldiers were chained to Peter, so any movement made by Peter would be known. M. Peter is supposed to die the next day after the Passover. Peter is on death row, and he is sleep. What does Peter know that makes him able to sleep and not be worried? N. While Peter is in prison, the Church is at Mary’s house, praying for Peter’s wellbeing and his release. They wanted him to get a breakthrough. No matter how bad your situation is, God will not only deliver your package, He we deliver it to your door. O. Peter represents that thing the enemy has tied up. Just like Peter, we have areas in our lives that are bound. If you don’t have anything tied up, just keep living. P. Herod Agrippa I was after certain believers, not all believers. If you are not intimidating to the enemy, then he is not concerned by you Q. Herod has already killed James and now he has Peter. What is it about Peter that has the enemy wanting to get to him? What is it about you that makes the enemy want to skip everyone to get to you? R. The church was at Mary’s house. You might think you have your crew, but know that your real crew will pray for you when times get tough. II. WE’VE ALL GOT A PROBLEM THAT’S TIED UP A. The Enemy Is Only After Legitimate Threats 1. The enemy is only after those anointed by God. Know that this comes with the territory. 2. If you are anointed, know that you will always be a target. a. Those that advocate for the gospel. i. No body wants to share anything but bad news. When you tell people that you don’t have to be on the bottom or that they should be the borrower and not the lender, the enemy will try to silence you. b. Those who have the ability to stir up the gifts of others. 3. Peter is on death row and in the third part of the prison. Peter is on death row. It looks bad right now.
B. It May Look Bad But Remember God Has A Plan 1. Peter has work to do and will not die in that jail cell, because he still has work to do. Know that you will not die right here. 2. You can’t die as long as God still has work for you to do. You have to keep yourself from being anxious. III. IT’S GOOD TO HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE PRAYED UP A. Trouble Reveals Your Tribe 1. It’s good to have people in your life who are prayed up. 2. You have to do life in the community. The enemy will put you in isolation, so that he can interrogate you. 3. Say what you want about church. We are not perfect, but if you find yourself in ICU, it won’t be the people that you kick it with, that will be praying for you. It will be somebody from the Church. You need a full community to cover you. 4. The people of God were praying for Peter. B. Intercession Interrupts The Plan Of The Enemy 1. When you hear the word intercession, think about the words interrupted or interception. a. For example, the football team looks like they are about to score, but then someone out of nowhere intercepts it. The point is, it looked like it was going one way, but it ended up going another. b. Imagine a large company, under attack from a cyber threat. It’s like a Hacker trying to steal valuable data. If left unattended, it could lead to a big loss. There is a cyber team, constantly monitoring the network. Their job is to attack and disrupt any attack from succeeding. To do this, they set up countermeasures from achieving their plans. i. They don’t wait on the company. Cyber Teams don’t wait to get permission from the company. They attack immediately and block the attack! Intercessors are like security teams. They stand in the gap to protect the believers. They step in and block that thing that is trying to attack the believer, and the believer might not even realize that they are under attack. 2. We have to protect our intercessors. Grandmother was somewhat like a intercessor for some of us. She could tell when something was going on with our lives. She could tell when someone wasn’t right for you and she could tell when you were going through something, because they interceded for us. 3. Intercessors are fervently praying. Intercessors block the plan of the enemy. Real intercession can invoke Devine Intervention that disrupts the plan of the enemy. Everyone can’t pray like this. 4. Intercessors can get heavens attention and cause things to happen, because they prayed. IV. NO MATTER WHAT DON’T GIVE UP • The Church were interceding and praying for Peter. Intercessors are selfless. They forsake their own prayers to pray for you. • Weeping endures for the night, but know that joy comes in the morning A. God’s Got Angels Protecting You 1. Intercessions will show you that angels will protect you. Everyone doesn’t have the ability to call angels. We were created a little lower than the angels according to the scriptures. 2. Because we pray to the Father through the Son, Jesus serves as an Intercessor for us. 3. Peter has been imprisoned by a man name Herod Agrippa I. he has already killed James, the brother of John. He wants to impress the Sanhedrin Council. Peter is being guarded by 4 quadrants of solders and there are two chained to him. 4. The Church was interceding on Peter’s behalf. They were trying to invoke an interruption against Peters fate. 5. Through their intercessions, they invoked an angel and the bible says an angel of God goes into the jail cell with Peter. There was a light shinning in the prison and the angel appeared and tapped Peter to wake him up. 6. With a soldier at every gate, and 4 quads around him, and two chained to him, how come no one saw the light or heard anything when Peter was leaving? When God gets ready to get you, you will be out of it, before the enemy gets the memo B. Get Up, Get Your Stuff—You’re Coming Out Of This 1. The chains are not going to come off, unless you stand up. 2. Peter stood up, but he was chained to a guard. He stood up, the chains fell off, and the guard didn’t even know. 3. The angel told him to put his clothes on and his sandals. a. When they arrested you, they would strip you. The angel wasn’t going to let him leave without his stuff. 4. Peter doesn’t know if he is awake or if he asleep when he interacts with the angel. Peter is in the third part of the jail. 5. Peter walks out with the angel. He walks through the gates. When Peter came in, many were locking doors. God opened the doors for him to come out. Just like Peter, I see doors opening for you! 6. There is a guard at the door and the guard doesn’t even see him. V. WHAT YOU PRAYED FOR HAS ALREADY SHOWN UP A. God Will Not Only Get You Out Of It, But On The Other Side Of It 1. The angel walked with Peter while he was on the enemy’s territory, but when he got to the other side, the angel was gone. 2. What will Peter do now that he’s out? Peter decided to go to Church, the people that prayed him out of this. You don’t start your week without showing up in Gods house! B. Answer The Door 1. The answer to the Churches prayer, is at the door. While they are praying, a knock hits the door. a. You got to believe that before you get off your knees, God can get you what you’ve been praying for. 2. There was a servant named Rhoda that answered the door. She said to the Church, “what we’ve been praying for is at the door”, but they didn’t believe her. 3. We think revelation comes to those who have titles. This time it came to the servant. If you serve God in this season, God will give you a revelation that something is about to happen. 4. Your breakthrough is at the door, your wholeness is at the door, your spouse is at the door, everything you need to do is at the door! 5. Give God glory, before it happens! You’ve been asking the Lord to do it for you! 6. The devil should have killed you while he had you. Remind everyone that you are still alive. 7. Give God glory for what he is about to do. You‘ve got to get the door!!
Revelation 3:19-21 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
I. INTRODUCTION
It is important to understand that God desires relationship with you. Even if you have been in a setting, where people said you were not deserving, God wants you. He wants all that He has placed inside of us, to come to fruition.
What is certain, God is right there. He is there waiting on you to let him in.
So many people go through life looking for things, not realizing what they need is close to them.
Everything you need is at the door. Your healing and your breakthrough is at the door! Your peace and your joy is at the door!
In the last few weeks, we have been talking about the 7 Churches of Asia Minor. Today we will be talking about the church This is the only church that did not receive any positive commentary in John’s letters from God.
They were the lukewarm church. Rather than being spiritually passionate, they were passive. They were accused of being too familiar with God. God said they either had to be hot or cold. Their lukewarm state made God sick!
Even though they were lukewarm, God still gives them a chance to repent. He urges them to change their spiritual condition.
God wants you to be prosperous, but he doesn’t want us to forsake Him for our blessing. Christ wants a deeper relationship with all of us. Many people are willing to serve God, but once they receive what they asked God for, they give all their time and attention to that blessing, while turning their back on God.
God:
Request for Hospitality – He wants us to have a relationship with you.
Seeking Access or Permission – The Lord will never mess with free will. It is up to you to let Him in. he will not force Himself on you.
An Opportunity for Relationship – There is so much that waits for you when you get into relationship with God.
Urgency or Persistence – Even when you were out there doing your dirt, God was still knocking.
Invitation to Opportunity – A whole new level of life is waiting on you.
II. RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST PROVIDES DISCIPLINE
There is no relationship with Jesus, without accountability. God wants you to hold up your end of the covenant.
To be in covenant with God:
We have to first submit to his word – When you go on a job and they give you a manual, you have to comply with what is written in that manual. The employers is not going to change their manual to suit you. Their manual tells you how they operate and how you are supposed to operate.
You have to serve His will.
We have to surrender in worship. – Some people can’t worship, because they like to be worshipped.
Sharing our witness. – We have to be willing to share our witness. We must tell people how good God is.
A. God Loves Us Too Much To Let Us Lose It
All of us have sinned and come short of the glory.
God essentially saved you from yourself. God will cause you to become disoriented sometimes, to save us from ourselves.
Ever had your car not start? This is an example of God saving you from yourself. God kept you from being in a bad situation, because your car not starting, kept you from being at the wrong place, at the wrong time.
God loves us so much; He won’t let us lose our family or our career.
B. It May Hurt Now, But It Will Help You Later
God chastens us, because He loves us. God’s chastening is meant to be a deterrent and turn us away from bad things.
Story: A lot of us can relate to getting whippings from our parents. They used to say it was for our own good and that it would help us up the road. Although we didn’t see it then, most of us are thankful for it now.
Sometimes God whips us to disrupt our plans, for our own good!
III. REPENTANCE FROM YOUR PAST DEEDS
This Church in the story was zealously passionate, but God needed them to repent. If you are truly sorry, why are you still doing the same thing?
Repentance is:
Recognition of Sin. – If you don’t think it is wrong, you won’t repent. You have to first acknowledge it.
Sorrow for Sin – If you can do dirt and not feel bad about it, then you don’t have the Holy Spirit.
Confession – We can openly admit our sins to God.
Commitment to change-
Seeing transformation
A. This Is The Season To Get You Together
It can be triggered by a bad event or something else. This is the moment when you realize that this is the season to get your life together.
This is the moment that you are done with the foolishness and done playing games!
B. Don’t Go Back To The Buffoonery
This zeal is about moving forward. At this moment, you’re not going to let the enemy rob you of your best. Buffoonery could have cost you your job, your name, or your family. How much more would we have if not for the buffoonery?
We want to pause and give God thanks for delivering us from the buffoonery. I’m reaching forward to the things that God has promised me!
Once you repent, maybe you will hear the knock. Before you weren’t able to hear God’s knock, because you had too many people knocking at your door.
IV. RECEIVE HIS PRESENCE AT THE DOOR
Now you’re at a place where something new can happen in your life.
Its almost like a person wearing strong perfume or cologne. You can smell something there, even if you don’t see it.
A. What You Need Is At The Door
Once you realize you need God, you will know what you need is at the door.
B. He Enters By Invitation Not By Force
The Lord does not force His way into our lives. Some people are too salty. They go overboard on sharing. They are on spiritual mode so much, it runs people away instead of drawing them.
Sometimes we try to force Jesus on people. This doesn’t draw people. Jesus doesn’t knock the door open or kick it down. He comes in by
You have to get to a place that you want him to come in.
V. REJOICE IN THE PROMISES OF YOUR DESTINY
Jesus says, when He comes in, He’s going to dine with you.
He overcame and because He’s an overcomer, He sits by his father.
A. Prevail Over Hell
Jesus says you’re an overcomer, because He has overcome the world, you will over come too.
Remember Jesus told the disciples, “Greater things will you do…”
B. After Every Victory There Is Promotion
Because you overcome, that means God can trust you. Every time you come out of battle; you will give God glory!
If you remember the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, you know that they were thrown in a fiery furnace and the Lord brought them out. Afterwards the king promoted them and he made a decree for all the kingdom to start worshipping their God.
When Paul is snake bit, he gets promoted. Those waiting to die, asked him to lay hands on them, so that they may be healed. This was the same hand that was bitten.
If would think back, you will probably remember that God has taken you higher after every adversity you have had.
When you let God in, since He is an overcomer, your whole life will experience elevation and promotion.
Story:
Bishop tells the story of a time where he was going through a tough season. He had been at a convention all day and had to preach that night.
It was about 3pm in the afternoon and he had to be picked up to go preach by 6:30pm. He was so tired, that he just wanted to go to the hotel and crash for a couple of hours. He didn’t even want to take the time and get something to eat. He was willing to settle for the
He got in the elevator and just as it was about to close, he heard a faint voice from down the hall say, “Can you hold the door?”. Bishop wanted to act like he didn’t hear it, but the Holy Spirit convicted him, so he put his hand in the door and held it for him.
Bishop saw him push the button for the 27th floor and Bishop was kind of glad, because he was getting off on floor 17. He thought it would be good, because the guy wouldn’t be stopping between floors.
The guy said that Bishop looked tired. Bishop replied back to him, telling him that he was tired and had to go back to speak that night. He even told him that he was just going to hit the mini bar and go to sleep. The guy said, “don’t do that!” He asked Bishop to come on the 27th floor with him.
The guy was a CEO of a big company and there was a floor that was on the Club Level of the Hotel. This guy had access to it. So, when they got off on this 27th floor, there was a big spread of food that was supplied for special guest for free. Almost anything you wanted was there! There were even waiters coming around with food and drinks on a tray.
Bishop was about to settle for the mini bar, but since he answered the door, he got access to all that he needed. He was If he hadn’t let the man in, he would have missed out on his blessing.
Are you missing your blessing by not answering the knock? God won’t force you to let Him in. He will only come in if you answer the door and let him in.
Revelation 3:8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.
I. INTRODUCTION
One of things that God values is Faithfulness is our unwavering commitment and trust to God.
We have obedience to his word even in the midst of changing times. Faithfulness comes by faith, and faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the word of God. Obedience to God’s word produces
The more you trust God, the more God can trust you with.
This is about a season of open doors. God is ushering you into a season of open doors. God has taken note of your faithfulness and is about to open doors on your behalf.
Revelation is an apocalyptic book written by the apostle John. Most of the leaders of the early church were executed. John, on the other hand, was exiled to the island of Patmos.
John began to write to the churches. The church of Philadelphia was a small church. When he writes Philadelphia, there is no condemnation in the letter. Unlike his letters to some of the other churches, John’s letter to Philadelphia was all positive.
There were Jews and Messianic Jews. The regular Jews struggled with Jesus being the real son of God. The messianic Jews believed God was the Christ, the son of the living God. This caused them to have problems with Rome. They were prohibited from coming into the synagogue because of this belief, but God opened doors for them anyhow.
Despite all the opposition, they didn’t stop declaring His name. Living in a culture where they really didn’t want you to praise the name of the Lord, they praised the name of the Lord anyway. God reminded them that God sees your work.
II. THE RECOGNITION OF YOUR WORK
Areas where they were showed faith:
Faithfulness despite limited strength.
Obedience to God’s word.
Perseverance and endurance.
Seizing evangelistic opportunities
When you are truly excited about Jesus, you should share with others.
Why should we make sure our work is done right? It’s because:
A. Your Ministry Matters
All ministry matters no matter how big or how small. Remember the scripture that talks about all the members of the body being important?
When you do ministry, it produces fruit. We are trying to get you out of fixing to do it and move you into actually doing something.
B. Your Fruit Gets God’s Attention
God will hold us accountable for what he places in our hands. Matthew 25:14-30 NKJV says “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’- Whatever God gives to you, it should be better when He comes back for it.
If God gives you money, you should multiply it. In other words, you should always end up with more than the Lord gave you.
We must be fruitful with the talents he has blessed us with. Gen 1:28 NKJV says, “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.””
God is going to assess everything that He put into your hands. God will hold you accountable for what He put you over. We want to hear Him say “Well done our good and faithful servant”
It is your outcome that gets God’s attention, not your income.
Fruit doesn’t lie. People don’t have to like you, but they can’t refuse seeing your fruit.
John 15:8 NKJV says “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”- God is glorified when you produce fruit. What did you do with the gift God put inside you? We must live full and die empty.
Produce without excuse. God said he knew their works. This was the works of the church of Philadelphia.
III. THE REPOSITIONING TO A NEW THING
Once you are fruitful, God will reposition you for something new and fresh
God will arrange things to put you into position to be blessed.
Even doors have evolved over time.
Remember the wooden doors that used to be hard to open? What about revolving doors?
Then there’s the sliding door.
And what about the revolving door, where only one person can go in at a time? This door takes a little time to get through, but it is part of a process for crowd control.
Then you have the electric door. You can open it from your app on your phone.
You even have the touch-less AI door. You don’t have to touch it at all. All you have to do is be in position.
A. Your Next Blessing Is Closer Than It Has Ever Been
The reason things have been rough in your life is because you are close. Your blessing is closer than it’s been!
Your open door is about:
God’s providence
Proximity
It’s personal
B. The Enemy Can’t Close What He Does Not Control
When God opens a door, no devil in hell can close it!
All parts of the door are important. You can go without a lock, or maybe even a doorknob, but you can’t have a door without a hinge.
It is important for us to stay hinged. When we become unhinged, like the door, we are not able to operate the way we are supposed to.
How do we end up unhinged?
Prayer – Without prayer, we lose our ability to be poured back into. You can’t minister empty.
Obedience – We have to follow God’s plan.
Trust – We have to trust that no matter what it looks like, God has everything under control.
Just ask the Lord to keep you hinged.
People will try to shut you out. If a door closes on you, it just means that this wasn’t your blessing. When God opens and closes the door, He is working on your behalf. Man will manipulate doors that they open for you.
Remember the church at Philadelphia was small, but they were strong in their faith.
IV. THE REALITY OF YOUR WEAKNESS
Faith comes with a cost. Faith can be draining.
It is not unusual to show up on “E”.
A. God Knows When You’re On “E”
God will give you what you need.
B. You Can’t Pour Out Without Being Poured Into
We go to church, like you charge up your iPhone. We plug into a power source to recharge our phone and in like manner, we go to church as a source to get recharged.
Moses went to Mt Sinai to get poured into. Jesus went to the Garden and even up on the mountain to pray. He needed recharging.
Airplane personnel will tell you to put your oxygen mask on first, before helping someone else put theirs on. You can’t help anyone if something happens to you, so you have to take care of yourself, before you are able to help anyone else.
Everyone is going to come to the end of their rope, where they need God’s help.
People think you do what you do in your strength, but it’s really the strength of God. Somebody else couldn’t do all that you do, because God anointed you to be able to do what you physically could not do.
V. THE RESILIENCE OF YOUR WITNESS
It’s what he gives us that allows us to remain resilient. Though the church of Philadelphia had little strength, he allowed them to
A. Keep Standing On His Promises
The Bible has 7000 promises in it. Here are a few
Promises:
Promise of Provisions – Phil 4:19 says “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
Promise of Peace – Isaiah 26:3 NKJV says “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.”
Promise of Strength – II Corinthians 12:9 NKJV says “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
Faithfulness is tied to faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. The word of God will last forever!
God’s Word is like a meat pizza. We want a lot of meat on it. When it comes to God’s word, I want extra toppings!
B. Keep Lifting His Name
God told Abram that He was going to make his name great. We always want a title, but God didn’t say He was going to make your title great. He said he was going to make your name great!
Revelation 3:5 NKJV says “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” – Lord let my name be in your book!
The Bible says that the church of Philadelphia, didn’t forsake His name.
Remember it was Rome that killed Jesus, and the traditional Jews didn’t see Jesus as the son of God. It was the Messianic Jews that believed that Jesus was the son of God.
Can God trust you if he blesses you?
The attributes of his name. – God’s name encompasses everything we need.
The authority of his name. – God has authority over the demons in our home.
The awareness of his name – His name is the reason I have what I have. He is the reason we are where we are in life.
Story:
When Frankie Beverly came to Nashville to give a concert, Bishop didn’t have a ticket, so he called him. Frankie told him that he would take care of him. He told him to go to a certain door when he got there.
When Bishop and his wife got to the venue, they saw this massive line. They decided to do as Frankie said and go to the certain door that Frankie told him about.
When he got there, they asked for Bishop’s name. Bishop told him and they let him in, because his name was on the list. Bishop didn’t have to worry about a ticket or the line, because someone had prepared a door for him to go through. God does the same for us. It doesn’t matter what your situation looks like. God has prepared a door just for you. God will open doors for you!!
Matthew 7:7-8 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
I. INTRODUCTION
One thing essential to a Christian Life is faith and pray. Hebrews 11:6 NKJV says 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
When faith is present, we have to have the determination to believe God will deliver what we pray for. It demonstrates our position to keep knocking until the door is open.
This word today is about prayer,faith, persistence. Keep praying until the door opens. Just because it takes a while, doesn’t mean God won’t come.
This deals with seeking and knocking.
This text was written by Matthew referred to as Levi was a Tax Collector and Tax collectors weren’t normally liked. They were somewhat considered corrupt.
Jesus passed by Levi’s booth and asked him to follow Him. Levi dropped everything to follow him.
Jesus was showing us how to take the outcast and bring them into leadership. No matter where you are in life, God has the power to change you.
Matthew writes under the backdrop of hospitality. God is not one to leave you in the cold. God will make what you requested available.
Matthew 5,6, & 7 are a group of teachings that take place on the mount, hence the sermon on the mount. After chapter 4, he brings the disciples together and teaches them things that they needed in order to minister.
Chapter 5 is called the Beatitudes, because we have to focus on who we are, before we go out and do ministry. We must be who called us to be, before we do to what He told us to do.
We have to ask God to help us be better, before we do better.
Back in this day and time, they would teach from the Torah. They felt the the Torah was an ongoing journey of teachings.
Jesus says here, “If you ask it shall be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door would be open”.
It starts like this:
II. PRAY HIS PROMISE
You can’t just ask God for anything, and he do it for you. It is about alignment and
A. Believe What His Word Says
When I pray, my prayer is rooted in faith. I know by faith, when I pray, it will be available to me. I don’t have to see it first.
When I pray God’s word, that means that I know His word.
When I pray, I know:
I have access to it.
This also means that I know God can perform it.
This means I can ask without apology.
Praying is like having an app to a restaurant. When you download the app, you can order in the app, even though you are not at the restaurant. When you download the Word into your life, you know you have access to it. You don’t have to be in a particular location to receive it.
B. Declare His Word Back To Him In Prayer
Because God’s word is in alignment with His will, I can ask for what’s on the menu. Therefore, I can’t pray for anything that is outside His will
You can ask for ribs at chick filet, but you won’t get it, because you can only order what’s on the menu. In like manner, you can only pray for what’s on the menu. The 66 books in the bible is the menu. What you pray for must be on the menu.
If the menu is in you, you can declare it, and when you get where you’re going, God will already have your blessing prepared for you.
Ask what God’s word is. If you don’t know what God’s word is, then you don’t know what to pray for.
Always seek God’s will for your life.
III. PURSUE HIS PLAN
When pursuing God’s plan, we have to ask, “Is this the door you want me to go through?” or “Is this the lane that you want for me?”
Just because it looks good on paper, doesn’t mean it’s God’s will for you.
A. Ask God To Reveal His Plans
Jeremiah 29:11NKJV says 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Three ways God reveals his plans
By Scripture – Psalm 119:105 NKJV says 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
The Holy Spirit – John 16:13 NKJV says 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. – The Holy Spirit is intelligent. He is your sixth sense. He tries to lead you and guide you.
Circumstances – Romans 8:28 NKJV says 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His – God will use life events. You know that it was a lesson in it and a blessing in it.
It is not about how big the opportunity is. It is about what is up the road. He knows our end before our beginning. Make sure it is His will for your life before you do it.
God never gives us something for our right now. It’s for our not yet.
B. Align Your Plans With His
Whatever your plans are, they must submit to God’s plans. Sometimes you will have plans, and God will disrupt them.
You have to come to a place where it is about God’s will and not your own.
It is about:
Focus – Colossians 3:2 NKJV says 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. – What you are focusing on my not be God’s will for your life right now.
Faith – Hebrews 11:6 NKJV says 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. – Even if I don’t see his hands, I still know that its whats best for me.
Flexibility –Proverbs 19:21 NKJV says 21 There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand. – I’m willing to yield my plans to God’s plans. Always be flexible for what God wants to do in your life.
IV. PERSISTENT IN YOUR PETITION
This is about Knocking doesn’t get on God’s nerve.
There are two types of times:
Chronos time – This kind of time deals with days, months, and minutes. This is what we deal in from day to day.
Kairos time – This is not about minutes. It is about moments. It is about Gods timing.
For example, if you go to a train station, you will see the map. It may be complicated, but it is a map about getting you somewhere you need to be, at a time you need to be there.
When the train shows up, just because it shows at a certain time doesn’t mean everyone will board it at the same time. We are concerned about when we are getting aboard. It was Job that said, “I will wait until my change comes”. When God shows up, it is in his time, not ours, but when he shows up, it will be on time!
God shows up in His time, which is always on time.
It is about Perfect Timing.
A. Remember God’s Timing Is Not Ours
Creation didn’t happen the way we see time today. Remember that a 1000 yrs in our time is as one day for God. Understanding this, know that everything God did, He did so for what was about to happen next.
Day 1 – God made light. We needed light for things to live.
Day 2- God made the sky, waters, and the air. God knew that this would be necessary to grow things.
Day 3 – God made the land, seas, and vegetation, such as grass and trees. God knew this would be necessary to feed something that would be coming soon.
Day 4 – God made the sun, the moon, and the stars. God knew the celestial bodies would regulate the seasons.
Day 5 – God then made the sea creatures and bird. He knew that these creatures would provide food for people that only ate certain things.
Day 6 – God made the land animals and humans. God knew ahead of time we needed the vegetation to eat and animals to provide meet for us to eat.
God did all of this in order, because he was preparing for something that was coming later. Sometimes, we want to skip steps or take shortcuts, but when we do, we miss out on things that we will need to sustain us.
God is putting things in order for a reason. For example, when God says “Be fruitful and multiply”, he wants us to achieve the fruitful part, before multiplying, otherwise, we produce other stuff that isn’t fruitful. Ecclesiastes 3:11 NKJV says 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
Move in sequence. Allow things to come in the order and season that God plans for them to come. This allows us to have:
Patience and Trust – James 1:3-4 NKJV says 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces [a]patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be [b]perfect and complete, lacking nothing.– The things that God allows to come your way is just building you up.
Preparation and growth – Preparation allows us to move in a situation and grow from it.
Understanding delays and denials – We have to understand that delays and denials are for our good. It is not meant to tear us down, but instead allow us to end up were we are supposed to be.
Trust in God’s sovereignty – Trust that God knows what He is doing, and He knows what’s best for us.
B. Keep Praying And Don’t Give Up
Don’t stop trusting God. Whatever he says He will do, He will do. Don’t give up!
V. PRAISE HIM FOR WHAT HE PERFORMS
Knock and the door shall be open.
A. God Will Do What He Said He Would Do
Performers have to become something different than what they are to perform. It’s like you have to become something different to be successful. For example, one might use a stage name. God doesn’t have to become anything, because He already is all that we could ever need.
God will do what He said He would do
Numbers 23:19 NKJV says 19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
1 John 5:14-15 NKJV says 14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. – God hears you!
B. Testify To What You’ve Seen Yourself
You’ve seen God open doors. God has you on the right service today.
God wouldn’t send this word, if He wasn’t going to make good on what He
Story:
Bishop ends by telling the story about his Ring Camera. He had a friend that wanted to borrow something out of his house, but Bishop was not at home. Bishop and his friend had talked on the phone, so Bishop knew his friend was on the way over his house.
With the Ring camera, Bishop can not only hear him and see him, he also can unlock his door. When he heard his friend coming, he unlocked his door remotely, so that his friend could go in and get what he needed.
Here’s the point. What Bishop’s friend needs is in the house. Bishop didn’t have to be present to open the door. Bishop’s friend just needed to be in position, at the right time in order to access the house and get what he needed.
Just like this story, God can unlock doors for you and He doesn’t have to be present when He does it. He can do it from anywhere at any time! Keep knocking on the door!
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