ACTS of Prayer

Okay, go back to the start. The title of my sermon today is Acts of Prayer. Acts of Prayer. Now, before we go into this, I'd like to say this is the last of the messages I'm giving on prayer. I've already completed two or three. I did this because people had requested it when I asked you what you wanted to hear about, and it also gives us great preparation for the spring holy days, which will be here in about six weeks. And so I usually do not start on those messages still about before, but it's always good to have prayer. And anybody who's ever played any sports can relate to the statement that I read that a Christian without prayer is like an athlete without shoes. Makes it a lot harder, and you don't stay in very long. And so prayer is very important. I hope that you all can understand that. And so I'll be looking at a progression or order that may help your prayer life, because most of us have been praying for some time, but we kind of need some... sometimes to change it up. It can become very stale, and it can become repetitious. So as we enter into the holy day season, I hope this will help those who would like to have something to remind them, to keep them on track. Because prayer, as many people think, in the world today, is not just for priests. It's for all of us. We have a high priest who helps us with our prayer, as the Scriptures tell us, but in other religions, they wait for their priest, or whoever his title may be, to be the main one that prays. And I have that when I travel all across the Caribbean and other places. People will see my Bible or see in a hotel room, come by and say, oh, you must be a preacher. You must be a pastor. Yes. Pray for me. I always say, do you pray for yourself? And some of them say no. They have been taught it's not necessary. As long as you have a priest that will pray for you, or confess your sins. Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. As some goes. But that's not what Jesus Christ taught his disciples. It's not what God even talks about in the Old Testament. So I'd like to look at that today, because I'd like to use the acronym A.C.T.S. A.C.T.S. as a hopeful reminder, but I also want to touch on something very special here today too. A meaning acclamation, C meaning confession, T meaning Thanksgiving, and S meaning supplication. It's this acronym that can help you keep track at times of how your progression of prayer takes place.

I know last time I was here we read and we also did in what we read in coming weeks, as we go through a Bible study in Acts, but in Matthew. But Matthew 6 verse 9 said, "...hollow be thy name." Which means what? Hallowed means what? Holy. Holy is God's name. I want to stress that today that perhaps we can, as we enter our prayers, we can realize just who we're praying to. And sometimes it can be, has been for me, monotonous, repetitious. Sometimes I'm not in a state where I need to pray.

I'm not where I feel comfortable. And sometimes I have to read some scripture before I enter into prayer with God. I think it's a good lesson for us too. But let's look at acclamation. Let's look at acclamation. We hear of people who are of great acclaim. Are we acclaimed? These singers or athletes and we make over that they are so magnificent, don't have enough adjectives for them. So I would like to look at acclamation from the biblical perspective.

So if you have your Bible, I'm gonna have you join me in Isaiah. Isaiah. Incredible verses here. Imagine yourself coming face to face with God or seeing the throne of God. We can't, can we? Realistically we can't. I mean it's just beyond our comprehension. But yet I've seen people that when I worked in Tennessee I worked for some country western singers.

And actually would be and someone would look at them with such acclaim. Oh you've met him or you've met her or wow this is this. No, they put their pants on just about like I do. They probably can afford more expensive pants than I do.

But it's amazing how people make over other people. And some may be special. As a matter of fact I don't want to embarrass my niece here today but I'm going to anyway. My brother Mark and sister-in-law and Neville and had three boys then they had a girl. Well, and so I would spend we live right near each other and I would take the boys out and rough house play some sports when they were growing up.

And then I would take them in to get something to eat and we just have eating contests till so which one got sick. They weren't real fond of that with me. But whenever I would take them, Neville and the mother would come and she just had no concern. Okay, bye boys, see you. But when I had to deliver Morgan, the girl, she would come out and lecture me. This is special cargo. Keep your speed down, make sure the seat belts are buckled. So it was like Morgan was up here and her brothers were kind of down here a little bit.

Bring that so hopefully you can relate to the scriptures that I am will read because Isaiah got a glimpse of the magnificence that is up there, way up there. So if you will, go with me to Isaiah 6. I'll be reading from the New King James Version. Isaiah 6 and verse 1, in the year that King Uzziah died, 740 BCE, in case you want to write that down.

You remember he's the king that should have lived longer but he decided to take the priest's place and went in and tried to burn incense and God struck him with leprosy. And he had leprosy for the rest of his life and had to be segregated from all of his family.

So this in that year King Uzziah died. Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on the throne high and lifted up. Notice the words, high and lifted up. Now was he here? He was seeing this vision of there but he saw what it actually looked like up there. And he realized when he saw God, his vision, God is way up here and he's way down here. Or he felt that way.

Let's read the other verses. And said, and the train of his robe filled the temple because as we know Solomon's temple was a replica of what is actually up there. It is actually coming down eventually. So he was able to see and you might remember kings. They used to have long robes. Now we think of a long train when the woman gets married and she's got this train at that wedding.

But kings used to have this robe that went and even had people walking behind to pick up the robe so it wouldn't touch the ground. Well here it says, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Can you imagine that? The temple was 90 foot by 30 foot, 2,700 square foot. Imagine a 90 foot robe. So you can imagine this filled the temple. So he's seen something even though Isaiah was a advisor to the king, to multiple kings, he's never seen anything like this.

This is way up there. Above it stood Sarafan. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face and with two he covered his feet and with two he flew. This had to be an awesome sight.

And one cried to another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. Interesting in Hebrew that when you mention something three times, it's supposed to represent the holiest. So the Sarafan, these angels are proclaiming God to be very, very the most holy. Imagine seeing that glory. He was able to see some of this and he writes it down for us and he says, the whole earth is full of his glory. That's what the Sarafan, that's what the angels say. Why? Because he made everything, everything that's here. He made it.

Verse 4, and the posts of the door were shaken, the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, the Sarafan. So it was this loud, booming voice that when they said, Holy, Holy, Holy, even the doors shook. Imagine the sight, imagine the sound.

God wanted us to know that. That's why he put it in his divine scriptures. That's why he showed Isaiah so that Isaiah saw it, but we can have a picture of that.

And the house was filled with smoke. Imagine. Remember the temple when Solomon dedicated it.

It got so much that it ran the priest out.

So we're getting a glimpse of this incredible thing here. Then Isaiah said, Woe is me, for I am undone, or as my margin says, destroyed.

Why? It says, because I am a man of unclean lips. I've said some things that probably never should have said. I thought things. I've said things. I realize I am in the presence of the holy of holies.

Uh-oh. I don't deserve to be here. I don't deserve to see this. It is so holy, he is having to realize that someone needs to get me out of here, because I don't deserve to be here. And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. I'm around humans, and now he realizes God, up here, are humans. God, humans. God, us. That's how big this statement is.

For my eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts.

In all his imaginations, Isaiah, who was a prophet of God, that served under these kings, had never seen anything like this. Not even close.

Verse 6, then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal, which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. You remember in Solomon's temple, which is that replica? There is an altar here where it's burnt, where things are burnt.

And why is that? It's about cleansing. This is what he's seeing. And this seraphim, can you imagine this creature? Because it had to be weird. Six wings, eyes, flies over, and once takes the coal out of the fire, and goes and wants to put it on your tongue. And I'd be going, no, no, no, no, no.

But he didn't. And he touched my mouth with it. I'd be going, I'd be going, and said, behold, this has touched your lips.

Your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is purged, just like the cleansing that has laid down. That's what the altar was about sacrificing animals. And then Christ became that sacrifice. And when Christ died, it didn't just cover our sins. It took them away, because he's in holy territory here.

Imagine that. Can you?

Well, in case we didn't get it, God decided to show John. What it was like up there. By the mouth of two witnesses, is the matter established? Yes. So let's establish this matter of acclamation. See, I don't think that he had any issue holding God up after this. As a matter of fact, go with me. I don't have this on the slide, but go with me to Isaiah 57. It's a little later in the story. Isaiah 57, verse 15.

Isaiah 57, verse 15. Here he says, For thus says the high and lofty one. Remember what he said earlier when he saw it? Now he's proclaiming, For thus says the high and lofty one, who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy, holy, holy, the most holy of everything, I dwell in the high and what? Holy place.

With him who has a contrite and humble spirit. To revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Isn't this amazing? He's explaining that this high and lofty one is wanting to dwell with us, those with a contrite heart. So go over with me to the book of Revelation. Book of Revelation, one of my favorite chapters in Revelation. Has been for years. My Bible is so marked up because this is a glimpse of the throne room of God. And John has the opportunity to see it, just like Isaiah. Let's go to verse 1. After these things I looked and behold a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking to me, saying, Come up here, and I will show you all things which must take place after this. Verse 2, Immediately I was in the Spirit. Was he seeing this as a vision?

Sure points that way.

Or was he in spirit and went up there? I had a few people argue with me when I brought that. I said, I don't know. I don't know. I mean, he saw a vision of these things happening.

The one thing I'm not going to say is God couldn't turn him into spirit and take him up there. Why?

He was gone and do anything. Nothing's impossible for God. So I'm not about to say God can't do it. So I don't know. But I was always thrown by because people said, Well, he was in the Spirit. No one has ascended up into heaven. Well, Christ made that statement, but that was made before this was written. Could he have gone up there? Well, no. Come up here. What does it mean? Well, I look in chapter 11 of the two witnesses, and when they're put to death and then he raises them back up, he says, Come up here, and they go up in there. So I don't leave anything to chance with God.

I give him all the opportunity. Someday we'll find out everything. But for now, I just know that he saw this. How he saw it, where he saw it, I don't know. But I just believe God has such power that I don't limit him in anything. Sometimes we can have such a perception of, Well, this is what I've always learned. This is what I always thought.

Well, you just remember, God always tells me, My thoughts are not your thoughts. My thoughts are so much higher than yours. Why? Because I'm high and lifted up, and you're not. But let's, let's, I don't want to digress. Let's go there. Immediately I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne set in heaven, and one set on the throne.

And he who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius, or a ruby stone, as the NIV says, in appearance. And there was a rainbow around the throne in the appearance like an emerald. Kind of a green. So there's these incredible, vivid colors. He can only describe from stones, precious stones. So this throne is something to see for John. And then it gets kind of freaky.

That's why I'm not sure we're ready to handle it, if God gives us a vision of exactly what's up there.

Because it said, around the throne were 24 thrones. Here's this throne, here's 24 thrones. Around these thrones. And on the thrones I saw 24 elders sitting.

Humans? Well, humans can't live up there. Okay. Dead people that went up and became alive? No. Well, everybody here is waiting in the graves, until Christ comes in the first resurrection, first of the first fruits. I saw 24 elders sitting clothed in white robes, and they had crowns of gold on their heads. So, angelic beans, robes and crowns, and wow, that'd be an awesome sight.

And from the throne proceeded lightning, stunterings, and voices. Seen it in movies. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God, which you can go back and look at Revelation 1, and you see those seven spirits are the seven angels over the seven churches. But it's amazing these burning. Burning. Everything's like it's 3D up there, because it is such an amazing sight.

Before the throne, there was a sea of glass.

Isn't that mentioned later on in Revelation, that the saints are going to be gathered on a sea of glass? Hmm. Hmm. Revelation 15, there is a sea of glass. Like crystal.

And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in the front and in the back. That's freaky looking, and I haven't even seen it. But just describing it, it's like we haven't seen it. It's nothing for God, because there's a spirit realm. We haven't seen yet.

The first living creature was like a lion. The second living creature like a calf, and the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. Boy. And the four living creatures, each having six wings, seraphim, were full of eyes around and within. What does that mean? I haven't seen it yet.

I just know it's awesome. It's an awesome sight. And they do not rest day or night saying, Holy, holy, holy, Hebrew? No, this is Greek. In the original manuscripts, all of them. It says, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, nine times. Meaning what? This is a holy place. That's what the manuscript says in Greek. Nine times is saying it's pronounced holy. Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the 24 elders fall down before him who sit on the throne and worship him. Worship him. When we pray, brethren, we are like these 24 angelic elders. We're worshiping God. We're bowing and saying, we're here, you're here.

At least that's what he wants us to do.

There are times we don't always do that, do we? We may take our prayer life a little lightly.

These angelic beings don't because they're in that presence. But he says you're coming before the throne of God when you pray. Wow.

And worship him who lives forever and ever and cast their crowns before the throne, showing the crowns don't mean anything compared to God. They're all under him. And they are saying, you are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things. And by your will they existed, and they were created. You're going to say, wait a minute, it says exist. That wasn't in the original translation. Existed is in all the manuscripts. And existing is in all the manuscripts.

Existed because God has always been high up.

What an awesome, awesome sight. What an awesome opportunity for us to put ourselves there every day before all those angels and Almighty God.

C, confession. So should we start with a claiming just how God, great God is? Christ did, didn't he? Our Father who, what? Are in heaven. Holy is your name. He did it, shouldn't we?

And then it talks about confession. Confession. Romans 10 and verse 10. Romans 10 and verse 10. Read this. Threw me a little bit. It says, For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. And I'm going, well, I kind of understand that. And then I said, I probably need to look at another translation which I like to do. And so I went over to the New Living Translation. And I'd like you to just hear this. He says, For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. It needs to be said. That's what he's saying. We can't go, I know God loves me. I love him too. I don't think that would go very well. I've been married 38 years to this woman and saying, I told you when I married you that I loved you. Now why do I have to say it anymore?

And once enough, when I stop loving you, I'll tell you. No! But isn't that kind of like God? I mean, he wants to hear from us, and he wants to hear that we're not perfect. Because you have to remember, here, here, here, here, we're so low. It gives glory to him that we recognize he's there and we're here. Powerful, powerful. Go with me to 1 Peter. 1 Peter 3. Talking about this confession.

Confession. You confess our sins. Why? He knows what we did. He wants to hear it. As they say, confession is good for the soul. Yes, it is sometimes. Quite a few times.

Anybody who's married knows you need to confess sometimes. I goofed up. Right?

God wants to hear it. I goofed up. No better, but I still goofed up. Verse 9. 2 Peter 3. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness. I love Peter's writings. It's so basic, it's just like, here it is. I'm a fisherman. I'm not Paul. You know? I just lay it out there. Not slack, as other people call slack. But his long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that three-letter word is huge. All should come to repentance. Everybody needs to repent. That's all God wants. God is so forgiving, but it starts with asking for it.

And Peter knew that. You just read the Gospels. You'll see Peter's flaws, don't we?

You know, it makes me wonder later when Peter is resurrected and reads this, he goes, do you really have to put all that in there? The three roosters? Come on. Was that necessary?

Yeah, it is, because of what he did.

Go with me over to Psalms 32 as we talk about this confession. Psalm 32. Look over here. Get in the book of Psalm. Psalm 32, verse 5, it's Psalm of David, as he kind of shows us. I acknowledge my sin to you, and my iniquity I have not hidden.

Kind of a good example, right? Because he already knows what we did. There's some things you don't mind spitting out. There's others you have a hard time.

David says none of you probably have committed as many sins as I did. All in a row.

But he said, this is what I do. I acknowledge my sin to you, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

Huh? Uh-oh. Selah. Selah? Why put Selah in there? Well, he asked the Hebrews, a lot of them, they didn't even know.

Because Selah means Selah, means forever.

Put forever on the end of that verse, and it just shows how great God is. And you forgave the iniquity of my sin forever.

Kind of neat, isn't it? But it was actually put there. Selah means to pause in the text, to drink it in. It's like a speaker that uses dramatic pause. He does it to make the point.

To make you think. This was David putting it in there, that this is an important saying, especially when it comes to confessing God. Confessing to God.

As a matter of fact, before the Passover, most of us will probably go to Psalm 51. David's confession. In great detail, it helps us sometimes to realize the mindset we need. It's always good to read Psalm 51 before Passover.

Sometimes it's good because it makes us realize we're not the only ones that sin. Not the only one that needs to confess.

So let's go to the T. A-C-T-T. Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving.

Most of us, when we think of Thanksgiving, we think of what?

Alex, you got football.

We got food. Sounds like the Super Bowl, doesn't it? It's your place.

That's what most people think, and it's the only time they ever use Thanksgiving.

It's one day we get to be gluttons and lazy and very little time is put into thanking God. Thanksgiving. What does it mean? The act of giving thanks? That's part of this prayer. It's part of your prayer life, giving thanks.

A prayer, as Webster's calls it, a prayer of expressing gratitude. There used to be a Southern saying, oh, let us all bow our heads if we give thanks. What? It was a way of blessing the food. We're giving thanks because, even though people prepared it, you wouldn't have it if it wasn't for God. You wouldn't have anything.

Are we thankful? It's an important part of our prayers.

It's part of the Acts. Go with me to Psalm 50. Psalm 50, verse 12. God is saying this. I love how he says it. God says, if I were hungry, I would not tell you. He doesn't have to tell us anything. He doesn't need us. We need him. He said, if I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is mine and all its fullness. I have it all.

And when you think of this powerful God, if it wasn't for his mercy, he could just blow it all up. Couldn't he? I'd be like, it's a lamp.

Okay. And then right to it, Jesus would make another ant.

That's what he could do with the earth. But it's only because of his promises, his love for people, that it's not like that. But we need to think about that sometimes. We need to be thankful. I certainly do.

Let's go on. Will I drink the flesh of bulls? Oh, wait a minute. Will I eat the flesh of bulls? Oh, what? Well, that's what the priests do. When they sacrifice, they got to keep the meat. They got to eat high on the beef, not hog. And they had plenty of beef and goats and lambs and everything. That's what they get. God says, I don't need that. Or drink the blood of goats, the blood that was poured out from those goats, especially on a tomelet and sprinkled.

I don't need any of that. That's for you.

He's reminding us where we are, high and lofty.

Offer to God thanksgiving.

Giving thanks. Offer to God thanksgiving and pay your vows to the most high.

He's telling us what we need to do. And if you do that, guess what he says next?

Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I, high and lofty one, will deliver you. And then you shall glorify me.

If you're sick, don't ask God to heal you so you can just feel good. Ask him to heal you so that he can be glorified, and that you know.

You know where it came from.

Is he this God that needs to be talked about? Oh, well, look how big I am. Look how great I am. No, but he wants it. He wants to see if you will do it. And part of that begins and ends with prayer.

That's your prayer life.

Psalm 95 and verse 2, I don't have that up there. But it also says, let us come before His presence with thanksgiving.

I could give a sermon just on thanksgiving and use all the scriptures, and it would take up the entire time. I'm just touching on it to remind us. Acclamation, confession, thanksgiving, important to God. It helps us. It's important to us so that our prayers are not wasted. Talk a little bit about that during Bible study today.

I hope I have some of your help.

Finally, go to the New Testament, Philippians 4. Philippians 4. Many of you know this verse. It's something we talk about. Philippians 4 and verse 6. Be anxious for nothing. You see it everywhere. Be anxious for nothing, and yet what are we anxious for?

You're anxious for me to get over with this sermon so you can have some of that food back there. And I don't blame you.

Be anxious for nothing but in everything. Most things, no. Everything by prayer.

And supplication, which we're about to get into. With thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. So Paul's telling the Philippians, you want to answer prayer? This is how you do it. Don't forget to thank him. Because he can do it, and he wants to do it. Is it best for us for him to answer every prayer? Yes. No. No. Does he want to answer every prayer with yes? Absolutely. Are we doing our part? Are we thankful enough? Most of us aren't. No, how many of you? I grew up, and I can honestly say, I wasn't thankful for a lot of stuff.

I've always had a roof over my head. I wasn't thankful for that. Well, my dad's supposed to have a roof over my head. I got three meals a day of good food, but my mother's supposed to do that.

As we're younger, we don't think about those things. But as we get older, we are so very thankful for the many blessings that we had that our parents gave us. Let us not forget at our age what our parent, what our father has given us.

He wants to hear it, and he needs to hear it.

I remember telling my father and mother when I was in my 20s or 30s or whatever, after movie, I would get married, had a house and realized I had to pay bills and all this kind of stuff. I was like, whoa! And I just sat down one time and just said, you know, I've never I never thanked you enough for that. And they go, what are you talking about? Well, I don't need it. God doesn't need to be thanked, but I'm sure glad I did it.

Sure, I'm glad I did it. And I never want to tire of thanking him. Thanking this morning for getting us here and for getting us home safe because it's his Sabbath day and he's over it. And besides, God is all-knowing, so he's not smarter than I am. And I know how bad a 95 is, so I know God does too. And the driver's around here in South Florida. Pat, be careful while you're here.

And if you don't hear a horn blow, you're not driving correctly. People from South Florida understand that. Let's go. Last one. Supplication. Supplication, well, what is that? Well, it's basically to plead. You can Google it yourself and it says to plead humbly. Be in need and even beg. Supplication is begging. Why? Because it shows this and this, doesn't it?

Psalm 6. You will go back with Psalm 6. As I wrap this one up, I let Chris know, wait a minute, he's doing it right this time. Psalm 6. Psalm 6, verse 6.

David, another perp, David, and he says, I am weary with groaning. All night I make my bed swim, which means the tears are just flowing. I drench my couch with my tears. My eye wastes away because of grief. It grows old because of my enemy. Depart from me all you workers of iniquity, for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord has heard my supplication.

Begging. Pleading. And then what does it say? The Lord will receive my prayer. You want your prayers heard? I don't want to waste mine. He heard it. He hears it because we didn't say, well, God, I need this. No, God. If it's your will, I could really, I need something. I need this. You see the tone?

There's a guy on, Mike, you know, Sheridan Drive, where we would go, and there's this guy that stands down there as stoplight every time, and he's just like, we'll want anything. Will, you know, can you give me anything? Lord bless. And he's a homeless guy that looks like he's 15 pounds overweight. And so I had protein bars for a while, and I would always carry him and hand him out. He didn't want it.

He threw it down. Okay. How about us? With God? Has God wanted to give us something, but we threw it down?

Because it's not exactly what we were looking for. That supplication is having the right mindset going to God.

One last verse.

Let's go back to Ephesians.

Ephesians 6. Ephesians 6 and verse 18.

Here Paul tells Ephesians all about the armor of God, and we've heard multiple sermons on the armor of God, the sword, and everything else. But he finishes up with that incredible text, and he says in verse 18, praying always. We need to pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. That means, well, wait a minute, how do I pray? Because it says sometimes we don't even know what to pray for, but the Spirit has to.

Help us.

So, get ourselves in line before we come before the Almighty throne.

Make sure that it's right up here, and it's right here, and we're being guided by the Spirit. Sometimes we have to say, God, help me to pray. Sound familiar? Mm-hmm. And supplication in the Spirit being watchful to this end with all perseverance means it's going to take... we're not going to get everything when we want it.

We're going to have to persevere sometimes. And supplication for all, not part, all the saints. A-C-T-S, Acts. It's a progression. It's a progression of prayer.

For the axed, the ax of praying. It's a tool, not the tool, a tool to help us pray.

Lie will be done.