My Favorite Story, July 19th, 2026

I'm not sure a tech party can buy a LP but those are ones there. Will think they're awesome. Check this out, super simple interface. Oh even cheaper. Right, if you're collecting LP and completion has already stopped, 1 trillion, now it's worth it. There's a lot of stuff in here you can be considering but you have a lot of fare for serious money man. Still on the way at the completion area, the premier favor column. Well good morning fellowship. Say good morning to the chapel and to those who are joining us online, somewhere around the state, somewhere around the country, somewhere around the world, we're glad that you're here with us this morning. And if you have your Bibles, I want you to go to Acts chapter 12, Acts chapter 12 is where we're going to find ourselves in this my favorite story series. And if you don't have a copy of God's word and it's not on your smartphone or device or whatever, then we'll have it on the screen for you as well here in just a few moments. If we haven't had a chance to meet yet, maybe you're new this summer to fellowship, kind of visiting with us and guests with us, we're so thankful. My name is Brandon Bernard. I'm one of the teaching pastors here at fellowship and so thankful for all that God's doing in this place called fellowship. It really is a great place to call home. And so I just hope that you can get connected here and God will

strengthen you and encourage you in your time here. We have been in this series called my favorite story. And so I hope that you've had a chance to hear these different stories and your faith has been encouraged and you've been inspired and challenged and stretched and all those kinds of things. And, and so this morning we're going to, we're going to dive in and we're going to see one of my favorite stories in the Bible. You know, I have been preaching for 37 years, uh, started when I was three. And, uh, so I, uh, I, you know, when you say, Hey, preach your favorite story, it's like, Oh, you know, I mean, I, I've been preaching for so long and there's so many great stories in the Bible. And so I have several favorite stories, if that's even possible. Right. And so just thinking about my favorite story, but you know, I wanted to, even though I'm technically not preaching on it this morning, I mean, I kind of am, but I'm not, I want to show you my absolute, without a doubt, favorite story in all the Bible. Okay. It's found in Matthew chapter 28. You don't have to turn there. It's on the screen. The angel said to the women, do not be afraid for. I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He's not here for he has risen.

As he said, come see the place where he lay. So let's make this really clear. My favorite story in all the Bible, without a doubt, 100% is this, the fact that Jesus Christ came and he died a horrible death on the cross in our place for our sins. And God raised him from the dead. And because he defeated death, we can have life in him. That is my favorite story without a doubt, because if it doesn't happen, then none of this matters. Right. And so this is my favorite story without a doubt. And so I want you to know that. But as I think about that, I also want to preach Acts chapter 12, because it's one of my favorite stories. And you know, when you look at, when you look at the book of Acts, if you haven't read it lately, I want to encourage you to read it. It's a great book. I mean, read with your kids, your grandkids. I mean, read with a roommate, a friend, whatever. It's, it's a great book. It's so inspiring. So many stories, so many amazing things, some miraculous things that happen. It's just a great, great book. And so I would encourage you to read it. But when you read the book of Acts, there's something that you need to know, something that's called normative and descriptive. Okay.

So I don't want to lose you. I don't get too heady here, but normative and descriptive. So when you read the book of Acts, there are things that happen to Acts that are normal for believers in Jesus Christ, normal for the church. Okay. So the more you read it, the more you realize, okay, these are normal things that happened for the church back then, and they happen for the church now. They're just normal. So in other words, in the book of Acts, people are praying together. They're, they're breaking bread together. They're fellowshipping. They're, they're, they're reading the word together. They're, they're experiencing baptism together, something that we're going to experience today. They're going to experience communion together, the Lord's supper. So you see that those things were normal for the church back then, and they're normal for the church now. Do you understand that? So it's just normal for believers who gather together as a church family. These are normal things that happen, but then there are things that happen in the book of Acts that are what we call descriptive, and they're just describing something that God did in that moment. Oftentimes it's supernatural. It's a miracle.

It's something that you look at and kind of go, I don't know that I can explain that other than to say that this is something that God decided to do in that moment. It's just describing that. So one example of that would be, you know, there's a, there's a moment where Peter, his shadow falls on someone who's sick and that person is healed. That's not normal. Okay. That's not normal. Now, can God do that today? Sure. He can. But he could do that, there's no problem. But does it happen normally? No, it doesn't. So I think you get the gist. Like there are things that happen that are normal for the church. There are things that happen that are just, you just describe what God did in that moment. And one of the reasons that I love Acts chapter 12, one of the reasons it's one of my favorite stories is because it contains both. Like there's some things that you read in Acts chapter 12 that you kind of go, man, that's what we as believers are supposed to be doing. That's what we're called to do. And then there's some things in Acts chapter 12 that you look at and go, wow, that's cool.

Like God just decided to do something miraculous, supernatural, and it's amazing. And we give him praise for it. So that's one of the reasons that this is one of my favorite stories. And so I want you to look with me in Acts chapter 12, beginning in verse one. I'm gonna read through verse 24, but I want you to hear what the word of the Lord says. Beginning in verse one, chapter 12. It says, about that time, Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. That's not a good start, okay? Herod the king laid violent hands. That's exactly what it means. Violent hands on some who belong to the church. He hated the church. He hated Jesus. He hated that movement. He laid violent hands on them. So this Herod the king, okay? Some of you are familiar with the Christmas story. That was Herod the great, right? That was Herod the great. This is his grandson. Herod the great, but this is his grandson who's doing this. In verse two, it says, he killed James, the brother of John, with a sword. And when he saw that it pleased the Jews,

he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of unleavened bread. This is not a good man. He had James, the brother of John, beheaded with the sword. He was not playing around. Now, I think most of you know that Jesus had 12 disciples. He had three disciples that were in his inner circle. You normally say it in this way, Peter, James, and John. James and John were brothers. They were the sons of thunder. That was their nickname, right? Because their dad, sons of thunder. This is the James that's talking about. He was beheaded for his faith in Christ, for the way that he was sharing the gospel with others. And it says that when Herod saw how it pleased the Jews, he's like, man, this made them happy. Because the Jews didn't like Jesus. They didn't love Jesus. They didn't want his movement to spread. They didn't want that to happen. And so when Herod saw how much that the Jews were excited that he killed James, he's like, well, you know what? If they like this, I'll do it again. I'll give them more of that. So he arrested Peter with the intent to do the very same thing. He was gonna kill Peter just like he killed James. Herod was an approval addict and he wanted to do what the people loved.

Verse four. When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. See, there it is. He was intending to bring him out to the people to do the exact same thing that he'd done to James. And he put four squads of soldiers on Peter. Now, I need to tell you that a squad is made up of four soldiers. So four squads of four soldiers each. So you're talking about 16 soldiers for one man. 16 soldiers for one man. Now, I know that they serve four watches in the day, so you probably had four on one, but you have 16 soldiers to guard one man. This is how serious Herod is about this. Do not let this guy loose. Keep an eye on this guy. I've got plans for him. And this is very important to my reign. This is very important to my rule. You guys watch over him. Four squads, four soldiers each. Which by the way, I wanna say this too from a historical standpoint back in those days. If someone escaped on your watch, if you were the guard and someone escaped while you were a guard, do you know what happens to you?

Yeah, you don't get the pink slip, okay? You're not fired. And they don't look at you and go, hey, let's try not to lose people. Okay, let's try not to do that. Like that's not what's happening. Back in those biblical times, if someone was escaping on your watch, you died. It cost you your life. Not playing around. This is real. And look what happens in verse five. So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. So we see that the church, the people of God, the people who are following Jesus, they begin to pray earnestly, fervently, passionately for Peter, for God to rescue, for God to get glory, for God to push back evil, for God to have his way, for God's kingdom to come. Like they're praying for Peter. They're praying for God to be glorified in all this. So that's what the church is doing in this moment. Verse six, now when Herod was about to bring him out on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains and centuries before the door were guarding the prison. Now I wanna stop right here because I think this is interesting.

Peter is about to get his head chopped off. He's headed for the same fate that James had. And what's he doing? Sleeping. I think that says something about Peter's faith. I don't wanna read too much in the text, but I think it says something about Peter's faith that he has a calm assurance, he has a confidence in the Lord. He's sleeping, he's chained between this soldier and this soldier. soldier, his hands are chained, there's guards that are on him, and he is sleeping. Can you imagine, I picture the church, oh God, please help Peter, help him not to be worried at all right now. Like he's out, like he is, he's in a deep sleep, man. We're gonna see that he's in such a deep sleep that he literally has to be poked in the side to be woken up. Verse seven, and behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, get up quickly, and the chains fell off his hands. Okay, this feels miraculous. An angel just shows up and lights up this dingy, dirty, grungy cell, and the angel just shows up. I don't know how that happened. You say, theologically, how'd that happen? Here's my theological answer, I don't know.

I don't know if he was beamed in, I don't know if he walked in, I don't know if someone escorted him, I don't know, but what we know is an angel shows up, lights in the cell, and he pokes Peter in the ribs, basically, in the side, and tells him to get up. Tells him to wake up. He says, get up quickly, and the chains fell off his hands. There's another miracle, that's supernatural. The chains just fell off. Did he pick the guards lock, like, did he get the key? What happened? I don't know, it just says they fell off his hands. It's a miracle, supernatural. All right, so then it says this, and the angel said to him, dress yourself, put on your sandals, and he did so, and he said to him, wrap your cloak around you and follow me. He basically says, man, get up. He's like, put your clothes on, put your sandals on, we're getting out of here, put your coat around you, follow me. This is prison break, right? And so you look at verse nine, and he went out and followed him. I love this. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real. He thought he was seeing a vision. Peter's like, this is the best dream of my life.

Like, this is like, I'm being set free from prison. I'm putting my coat on, I'm putting my sandals on, we're walking out of the jail. Like, this is amazing. He thinks he's seeing a vision. He thinks he's having a dream. Verse 10, when they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord. They went out, went along one street, and immediately the angel left them. Okay? So he passes one set of guards, and a second set of guards, and then they get to the iron gate, and it opens by itself. Now, this is amazing to me. I just told you what happens if someone escapes on your watch, okay? Like, if someone escapes, you die. So this is no small feat. I don't know if they were asleep, I don't know what happened, but it is no small thing to say they passed one set of guards and another set of guards. I don't know how it happened, but when I let my mind run wild, I guess it's because the age that I am and the way that I grew up and the time that I grew up in, but sometimes when I picture this story,

I mean, it feels like a Jedi mind trick to me, you know? It's like, they're walking like, you don't see us, you don't see us. Like, it's kind of like one of those things where, it's like, how did this happen? I don't know, but it did. They get past the guards, and then they get to the gate. Look, this is not your garden gate. This is not some little sweet little picket fence that you have. This is an iron gate leading to the city. This is for protection. This is a massive gate. And the scripture says that it opens by itself. By itself. Look, I don't need to tell you this, but I'm going to anyway. This is pre-garage door opener days. Look, this is, how did this get open? God opened it. Remember when God shut the ark? He can do it. He opens the gate, and they walk about a block, basically, from the prison, and the angel is like, see ya. Like, he's gone. How did that happen? I don't know. Did he just keep walking?

Hey, you stay here, I'm gonna go. Did he get beamed up? I don't know, but he leaves. He's gone. And now you've got Peter, escaped convict, a block from the prison, and look what it says. Verse 11, when Peter came to himself, I'm sure that was a great moment, man. He thinks he's having a dream, and then he wakes up when he comes to himself. He says, now I'm sure the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all the Jewish people were expecting. You think so? Yeah, he did. This is basically Peter going, I'm free. And then he has that moment like, ooh, I'm free. Like, I gotta get out of here, right? Verse 12, when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. Hey, look, this isn't like the modern day prayer service where a few people attend. There's a lot of people there. Many people were gathered at Mary's house, and they're praying, seeking the Lord, praying for Peter, praying for God to do something amazing. And when Peter is a block from the prison, he's like, where can I go?

Where am I gonna go? And immediately he says, I'm going to Mary's house. I'm going to her house. I'm gonna go there because I know they're praying. I probably can get a good meal there. It's a safe place there. I know the believers are gonna be gathered there. I'll be encouraged there. That's where I'm going. Now, I wanna take a time. Now for just a second, I wanna speak to the believers in the room. By the way, I know there are some unbelievers probably who are here and joining us online this morning. And man, thank you for being here. Thanks for joining us. It means a lot to us. And I believe God wants to speak to you today in this message, I really do. But I wanna say something to the believers right now. I wanna take a little time out and ask you, are you this kind of person? Because when Peter's like, where am I gonna go? Where is it safe? Where is somebody gonna be praying for me? Where can I be encouraged? Where can I go? I'm gonna go to Mary's house. Look, when someone in your life needs prayer, whether it's a co-worker, it's a friend,

it's a family member, they may be a believer, they may not be a believer. When someone needs prayer, when someone needs a safe space, when someone needs a vulnerable place to share, when someone needs a meal, when someone needs some encouragement, when someone needs something like that, do they think of you? Man, I need someone to pray for me, I'm gonna call him, I'm gonna call her, I'm gonna text him, I'm gonna text her because I know that they're gonna pray for me. I know they're gonna encourage me. I know they're gonna be able to share the word with me. I know that I'm gonna find a safe space with them. Are you that kind of person? Because I can tell you this, I pray that fellowship is filled with men and women and students who are those kind of people. Someone says, I need somebody to pray, I'm gonna call them. That's the kind of people that we wanna be. So he goes to their house. Here's where it gets kind of fun too. It says, and when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. Oh, Rhoda, I can't wait to meet little sweet Rhoda. I wanna have a conversation with her. She sounds fun.

She sounds bubbly. She sounds like she's on the greeting team. She sounds like she's just, you know, she says, hey, like she sounds like fun Rhoda to me, you know? So he gets to the gate, it's the door. I don't know if there's a peephole, it's dark, you know? And I don't know if he's saying, hey, it's me, Peter. I don't know if he's saying that, but we know she recognizes his voice. So it's not like she can either see him, but she recognized, she knows his voice. And look what happens, this is pretty funny to me. Verse 14, recognizing Peter's voice, in her joy, she did not open the gate, but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. I think that's funny. It's like, hey, it's me, Peter. Hey, hey, let me in, it's me, Peter. She's like, oh, it's me, it's me. Like she gets excited, right? She's so excited that it's Peter, she forgets to let him in. In her joy, she's like, oh, and she runs in, right? She goes into the house. I don't know what's, I know they're praying. I don't, I don't know if they're sitting. I don't know if they're standing. I don't know if they're kneeling. They may be doing all of that in the house.

I don't technically know exactly what they're praying. We don't have that, but don't you think it's gotta be something like, I mean, they're like, oh, God, would you please just help Peter, Lord, deliver him, rescue him, push back Herod and the evil he's wanting to do. God, we know you can do anything, God. There's nothing impossible for you. Like they're praying something like that. She comes running in. She's like, Peter's at the gate. I just picture them being in mid-sentence. Oh, God, there's nothing impossible for you. Peter's at the gate. They're like, no, he's not. No, he's not. Look what it says. Look what it says. It says, they said to her, you're out of your mind. They're like, Rhoda. Like, she's out of her mind. Sweet little Rhoda. She doesn't know what she's talking about. She kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, it's his angel. They're having this conversation. Like, Peter's at the door. He's like, no, he's not. You're crazy. Yes, he is.

No, he's not. Yes, he is. Well, it must be his angel. Like, they're having this whole conversation right there. I don't think it's a lack of faith, necessarily. I just don't think they expected God to answer like that. Certainly not that fast. But look what it says in verse 16. But Peter continued knocking. I bet he did. He's like, uh, hello, hey. He keeps knocking. And it says that they opened, and when they saw him, they were amazed. I mean, it's like raucous. They're like, yeah! They're like, they're so excited. We know they got loud because in the very next verse, it says, but motioned them with his hand to be silent. He's like, here's the thing. Shh, shh, shh. Oh. And he describes how the Lord had brought him out of prison. And he said, tell these things to James and to the brothers. Now, when he says James, he's clearly not talking about the one that was beheaded, okay? He's talking about Jesus' brother, James. Jesus' half-brother, James,

he was the leader of the church in Jerusalem. He's like, hey, tell James, I've been released. God's done a miracle. Let them know. Verse 18. Now, when the day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. You better believe there wasn't. Where's Peter? I don't know. You know, I don't know. You don't know? What do you mean you don't know? Verse 19. After Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and he ordered that they should be put to death. See, I told you. He was not playing around. Where's Peter? I don't know. Well, that's too bad for you because you're gonna lose your life. You go on to the next part. It's kind of a little different part of the story. It says, now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They came to him with one accord, having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain. They asked for peace because their country depended on the king's country for food.

On an appointed day, Herod put on his royal robes and he took his seat upon the throne. He delivered an oracle. Ration to them. He was a great speaker and the people said this in verse 22 the people were shouting the voice of a God and not a man and Immediately an angel the Lord struck him down because he did not give God the glory and he was eaten by worms and he breathed his last I Mean sometimes the Bible goes pg-13 are honest, right like this He died and he's eaten by worms verse 24 But the Word of God increased to multiply This is why it's one of my favorite stories This guy doesn't give God glory and God takes him down and the very next verse is this But you know what the Word of God kept growing kept multiplying kept spreading So in a few short moments that we have let's talk about this what can we learn from this story? Okay, you can see in your notes there. What can we learn from this story? Here's the first thing. I think we learn persecution is real Persecution is real Suffering and hardship are expected in the life of a believer Herod laid violent hands on those who were leading the church some who were leading the church look persecution is real People are against the gospel People are against Jesus. They're resistant to Jesus They're resistant to him being the only way to God's people are hostile towards followers of Jesus. Do you understand this? People are against Christianity people are against the gospel Persecution is real. It's happening all around the world There are people right now that are losing their jobs. They're being beaten for their faith. They're being ostracized from their family They're being ostracized from their village some of them are losing their very lives because they are Believing in Jesus and preaching the good news of the gospel in the areas There are they are being persecuted fiercely and just because you and I may not feel persecution here as much as they feel it There doesn't mean we can ignore it

It's happening it is real I read a book Some time ago by John Piper called spectacular sins. It's an interesting name for a book spectacular sins and In that book, I was challenged many many ways, but one of the things he said in that book was this People who don't like Christians are all around us It's only a matter of time to the reality of the rest of the world comes home and all the while we are called by Christ to go to them to go to the people who persecute us to go to them and do what love them Sacrifice for them bring the gospel to them. The Great Commission is not child's play. It's costly It's very costly then listen to what he says the coddled Western world will sooner or later give way to great affliction And when it does whose vision of God will hold? Where are Christians being prepared for great global sorrows because they're coming Where is the Christian mind and the Christian soul being prepared for the horrors to come? Christians in the West are weakened by wimpy worldviews and wimpy worldviews make wimpy Christians Wimpy worldviews make wimpy Christians Persecution is real John 15 20 Jesus said remember the word I said to you a servant is not greater than his master if they persecuted me they will persecute you It's gonna happen 2nd Timothy 3 12 indeed all Underline it circle it put a star by it all all all all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be Persecuted it's going to happen Now he's not telling us that we'll fear that But that we will embrace that and understand that God will get us through that and we you don't need to go looking for persecution But it's gonna happen And it's gonna happen severely for some and it's gonna happen less severely for others We don't know that But it's gonna happen first Peter 4 12 and 19 beloved do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you

Detest you as though something strange were happening to you Do you see that for all the believers in the room? None of us should be walking out of the doors today and kind of going I can't believe that sufferings coming I can't believe that sufferings happening. I can't believe that's happening. None of us need to walk out here and go I just didn't know that I didn't expect that. I'm so surprised. I'm so shocked None of us as believers need to walk out thinking that we need to absolutely understand that it is Real and it's coming and look what it says in verse 13, but rejoice it doesn't say complain. It doesn't say fret It doesn't say worry about it says rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory Is revealed therefore let those who suffer according to God's will and trust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good That you keep on going Let's be really clear, the suffering that we're talking about here is not really the suffering that comes from illness. It's not the suffering that kind of comes from the choices we make. Some of the suffering that we endure in our life, it's because we've sinned and we're getting that. Some of the suffering we endure is because we live in a fallen, broken world. Understand that this suffering in general, Acts chapter 12, is talking about someone who's spreading the gospel, someone who's proud of Jesus, someone who's not ashamed of the gospel. Persecution is real. Second thing is this, prayer is powerful. Okay, I'm not telling you anything you don't know, but what do we learn from the story? What we learn from the story is this, prayer is powerful, it's powerful. The people of God, they started praying earnestly.

That word is in there for a reason. It's not just some kind of half-hearted prayer. It's earnestly, it's fervently, it's passionately. There's some intentionality to it. They're gathered together, it's powerful. James 5, 16 in the New Living Translation says this, confess your sins to each other, pray for each other so you may be healed, and then it goes on to say, the earnest prayer of a righteous person. Look, we're not perfect, but a righteous person who's seeking the Lord, seeking to obey his commands, seeking to walk in his ways, seeking to live by his grace and for his glory, the righteous person who's living right, has great power and produces wonderful results. Prayer is powerful. Are we a praying church? Are we a praying church? Well, the answer is this, only if you're praying. If we're a praying people, then we're a praying church. Prayer's powerful. Charles Spurgeon had something to say about this passage. He said this, let us not say what can prayer do, but what cannot it do, for all things are possible to him that believes. And then he goes on as only Spurgeon can, and he says it this way, it's clear that these friends fully believe that there is power in prayer. For Peter being in prison, they did not meet together to arrange a plan for getting him out. Some wise brother might have suggested

the bribing of the guards, and another might have suggested something else, but they did away with that planning and they took themselves to praying. He goes on to say, I do not find that they met to petition Herod. It would have been no avail to ask that monster to relent. They might as well request a wolf to release a lamb, which he has seized. No, the petitions were made to the great invisible God. It looked as if they could do nothing, but they felt they could do everything by prayer. Prayer is powerful. Here's the third thing we see, pride is fatal. So persecution is real and prayer is powerful and pride is fatal. Like it destroys. It destroys the soul. Seeking our own glory over God's glory is destructive to our soul. It's not how God designed us to live, but it sure is how sin directs us to live. It's fatal. I wanna speak to the unbeliever who's among us today. Thanks for being here, but I need to lovingly tell you this, pride is fatal. If you continue on the journey you're on right now, your pride will destroy you for all eternity. And if you go, if you die in the condition you're in right now, you will spend all eternity in hell.

And that simply means that you'll be apart from God forever. Pride is fatal. If you think you don't need God, if you think that you can make it on your own, if you think that you can stand before a holy God and plead your case on your own, you are wrong. Pride will destroy you. It's the root of every sin that every one of us commits because we want things to be our own way. We wanna be number one. We wanna be the one that sits on the throne of our heart and it's fatal. And as an unbeliever, I would plead with you today, repent of your sins and repent of your sins repent of your sins and realize that only Jesus Christ can save you. That pride is fatal. Proverbs 16, 18 says, pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. I do wanna speak to the believer in the room too because there are many believers who struggle with pride. That you've allowed pride to creep in. You're a glory thief and you want glory. You wanna take glory over God's own glory. You wouldn't say it that way, but you live that way functionally. And I know, I see a glory thief in the mirror every day. I know that. And for you, let me tell you what pride does in your life.

See pride, now if you habitually do it, then I think it proves you're not a believer. But if you're struggling with it on and on and on, I still think you can be a believer. But what happens is pride will quench the spirit in your life. Pride will grieve the spirit in your life. Pride will destroy relationships in your life. It will bring damage in a lot of things that you do. Like pride will bring about destruction in your life. It's fatal. It's real. Fourth thing is this, God's purposes will prevail. God's purposes are gonna prevail. Like no one's stopping God. No one's stopping the gospel. No one's stopping his plan from taking place. You're not gonna stop it. The devil's not gonna stop it. The world's not gonna stop it. Nobody's gonna stop the gospel from spreading, from multiplying, for God accomplishing his purposes. He will prevail. The word of God increased. multiplied, it was taking root in their own heart and spreading to others, like it's gonna prevail. That's what this story teaches us. Job 42.2, Job suffered a lot in his time. And here's what he said at the end of his life. I know that you can do all things,

and no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Here's a man who suffered intensely because of his faith in God. He suffered intensely because the Lord gave freedom for the enemy to come do some things, and at the very end, Job says, I know you can do all things, and I know that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. It cannot be stopped. You know, some of you are old enough to remember this, but I remember when people would say, man, they took prayer out of school, right? Which they did technically, I guess, in the public school, but you can't take prayer out of school. You can't take prayer out of places. You can pray anywhere you want to. You can pray to God with your heart. You can pray anywhere you want to. Here's a little newsflash. You can actually pray with your eyes open. Preferably, when you're driving, you can pray with your eyes open. Like, it's something you can do. They can't stop you. They can see that you're there. They don't know that you're going to the throne of God with your eyes open. You can pray anywhere. No one's gonna stop that. They've tried to shut down churches in other countries.

They've imprisoned believers in other countries. They've removed Bibles in other countries, but let me tell you something. Nothing will stop the gospel, nothing. It's gonna keep going. It's gonna keep multiplying. It's gonna keep spreading. It's not gonna be stopped. All right. That's what part of the story teaches us. So what do we do with that? How do we walk out of here today? Well, I got a few things to tell you about that. First one is this. Be prepared. Look, be prepared. Persecution's real. Prayer's powerful. Pride's fatal, right? God's purposes prevail. So how are we gonna walk out of here today? Well, be prepared. Understand that we're in a battle. Understand that we're in a war. There's an enemy who is after us, is working against us. Be prepared for that. Look, we gotta quit walking out of our houses, so to speak, in our bathrobes and our house robes and start clothing ourselves in the armor of God.

We got way too many people who think we're on a cruise ship when we're actually on a battleship. We're in a war. Satan hates us. He's after us. Look what it says in 1 Peter 5, 8 through 11. Be sober-minded. Be watchful. Don't be lazy. Be aware. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. That's a great visual. The enemy, the devil, he seeks for someone to devour. And let me tell you something. Your spouse is not the enemy. Your kids are not the enemy. Your parents aren't the enemy. Your grandkids aren't the enemy. Your grandparents aren't the enemy. Hollywood's not the enemy. Social media's not the enemy. The culture's not the enemy. Satan is the enemy. And he hates you. He doesn't care if you're young. He doesn't care if you're old. He doesn't care if your marriage is on the rocks. He doesn't care if your marriage is amazing. He hates you.

He hates us and he's after us. He's out to destroy. You better believe it. And we cannot afford to be unprepared. We gotta be prepared for that. Look what it says. It says resist him firm in your faith knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. Look, we can resist him. It can be done. We can resist him. Knowing that your brothers and sisters throughout the world, they're suffering. And he says, and after you've suffered a little while. I wanna stop right there. After you've suffered for a little while. Let me tell you something. Suffering for a little while. God determines that. You may suffer for two weeks. You may suffer for two days. You may suffer for two years. You may suffer for 20 years. You may suffer for 80 years. And I do not mean any disrespect. And I say this with all the humility that I can. But listen, even if you suffer for 80 years, that is only a dot compared to all of eternity.

He says, after you suffered a little while, you don't determine that. God determines that. After you suffer for a little while, listen to what happens. The God of all grace who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself. I love that. He's not outsourcing. He's not farming it out. He's saying, I got this. I got this myself. And here's what he's gonna do. He will restore, he will confirm, he will strengthen, and he will establish you. And to him be the dominion forever and ever, amen. Listen, we may suffer for a little while. And I don't want you to fear it. Look, it's gonna be hard. It's gonna be miserable. There's gonna be tears. There's gonna be questions. There's gonna be frustrations. There's gonna be all kinds of things. But listen, he says, you're gonna suffer for a little while. He's telling you to be prepared for that. Know that it's coming. And he's gonna be with us. He's gonna walk with us. And at the right time, he's gonna strengthen,

confirm, restore, establish you. He'll do that. All right, be prepared. Here's the next thing. Be prayerful. Be prayerful. Let's be a prayerful people. Let's not just say it. Let's actually be that. Let's be a praying people. And listen, sometimes people aren't praying people because you feel inadequate. You feel like you don't know how to pray. When you feel inadequate at something, you don't do it as often. If you don't feel like you can cook, then you kind of shy away from cooking. If you don't feel like you know how to fish, then you don't go fishing. If you don't feel like you can ride a bike, you don't ride a bike. If you have some kind of fear, you don't feel adequate in knowing what to do, then a lot of times you don't do it. It just paralyzes you. And there are so many people who are believers who don't know how to pray because you're like, I just don't know how to do this. And so because you don't know how to do it, you kind of shy away from it

or you have a real watered down version of it. But we got to be prayerful. And as we say that, let me just say, encourage you. I want to encourage you, like be a pray now person. Be a pray now person. You know what that means? It means you pray right then. Someone says, man, hey, will you pray for me? Yep, yep, let's do it right now. I promise you the first time you do it, they'll be like, wait, right here? Yep, right here. You just asked me to pray for you. I know, but I thought you'd do it when you get home. Well, I'll do that too, but let's do it right now. Let's pray right now. You mean right here in front of everybody? Yep, or we can go in the corner right there. Let's do it right now. Let's pray. Be a pray now person. Just pray for them. Send them the text right then. Make the call right then. In that moment, pray for them in that very moment. Make a decision to be that kind of person. Listen, exercise that muscle in your life. And then when you pray, let's pray some scripture saturated prayers. Can we do that?

Let's pray some scripture saturated prayers. Because some people are like, man, I don't know what to pray. Well, let me tell you something. Got a little cheat sheet for you called the Book of Psalms, amazing. There's other prayers in the scriptures too, but it will help you learn how to pray. Let's pray some scripture saturated prayers. You say, what do you mean by that? Here's what I mean. I don't want to offend anybody, but man, sometimes when people pray, here's what people pray. Hey, God, would you be with so and so? Oh, okay. Well, man, it's nice that you would pray that. Hey, God, would you be with them? Would you be with her? I get it. I'm thankful. God can translate, okay? He can. But don't you want something with a little more grit than that? Don't you want something with a little more grit than that? How about this? Hey, God, I know that she's worried and she's anxious and she feels really overwhelmed right now, but would you help her not to worry about anything?

Would you help her to pray about everything? Would you help her to let her requests be known to you, God? And would you give her a peace that will pass all comprehension, that will guard her heart and her mind in you, Jesus? Do you feel the grit in that? It's got a little more moxie to it. Oh, God, would you help them? Would you help them to know that you're Lord? Would you help them not to be dismayed? Would you help them not to be discouraged? Would you strengthen him? Would you help him? Would you uphold him with your righteous right hand? It's Isaiah 41.10. Look, let's pray with some moxie. And the way we do that is through scripture-saturated prayer that takes a little work. If you don't know how to do that, we'd love to help you know how to do that. 1 Thessalonians 5.17, pray without ceasing. Let me just translate that for you. It means never stop praying, never stop praying. Always be praying. 1 Timothy 2.1, first of all, then I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings be made for all people. This says pray for all people, intercede for all people. It means you don't just pray for the people who look like you, the people who vote like you,

the people who live in your neighborhood, the people who are the same economic status as you. It says pray for everyone. It goes on to say this, Ephesians 6, praying at all times in the spirit with all prayer and supplication to that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for the saints. Be prepared, persevere, keep praying. Says it over and over again. I'd love to stay there, but I need to keep moving. Third thing is this, give God glory. Hey, stop being a glory thief. Stop wanting life to be all about you. Give God glory. He's worthy of it. He's worthy of all praise. He's worthy of all glory. He's worthy of all honor. Give him the glory he deserves. You praise God by singing to him. You praise God in the way that you give. You praise God in the way that you serve. You praise God in the way that you spend time in the word. You praise God in spiritual community, the dGroups that we have. We praise God in multiple ways. We give him glory. Give him glory. Quit seeking your own praise and seek the praise of God.

Psalm 96, ascribe to the Lord. That means to give it passionately, to give it wholeheartedly. Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the people. Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. Give it to him. Bring an offering. Come unto his courts. Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. Tremble before him, all the earth. Look, I don't know how your praise and worship's going in your life, but I guess that all of us could use some boost in it, right? That we bless the Lord at all times. Give God glory. Here it didn't. Here it didn't. Don't be that. Psalm 96, I just read that. Let's hear the last thing. I'll encourage you to be encouraged, okay? Be encouraged. Be encouraged. Look, this story is an encouraging story. I don't want you to feel beat up today. You're like, sure, funny way of doing it. Yeah, I don't want you to be beat up today. I want you to be encouraged, I do. Philippians 1, 6, for I am sure of this,

that he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Look, God's not done with you yet. He's not done with me yet. He's still working on our story, right? And God wants to keep using it. I want you to be encouraged today. I want you to know that persecution's real. I want you to know that prayer is powerful. I want you to be able to live these things out. And here's what I want you to know. Here's what I want you to be encouraged with. We do know that there was one who suffered, who was persecuted for our sake. He took our sins upon himself. He was our substitute. We know that he was prayerful in all his actions. We know that he gave glory to God in word and deed. And as we read about this miracle rescue today, here's what we know, that there is one who provided another miraculous rescue. It was the day that Jesus saved us from our sins. It's the day that he woke us up from our slumber, he released the chains that were holding us prisoner, and he opened the gates to set us free. Jesus Christ, the one who was persecuted for our sake, the one who was delivered up for our sake, the one who's rescued us by putting our faith and trust in him.

If you don't know him today, we'd love for you to know him. Tear off that bottom part of the bulletin. Let us know you want to know Christ. Put it in the giving box. Stop by our connection center today if you have time. Come down here at the front at the end of the service. We want to be able to talk to you if you don't know Christ. We'd love to be able to share him with you today. I want you to bow your heads and close your eyes. Wait for a second. What is God saying to you today? As we prepare here in just a moment to take communion, like what is God saying to you today? Have you been living in fear about persecution or just living in ignorance about it? Maybe God's waking you up today. Say, look, wake up, wake up. Be sober, be watchful. Resist the devil, resist him. Is he saying, hey, let's pray some scripture-saturated prayers. Let's be a person of prayer. Is he saying, hey, give me glory, give me glory? Not yourself, give me glory. How is God encouraging you today? Maybe you're living faithfully today and if you are, man, just receive his grace. Receive his grace and keep moving forward. And if you're not, receive his grace and keep moving forward.

What is God saying to you today? Father, thank you for this moment. Thank you for your word. Thank you for the story. Thank you that you're still working on our story, Lord. Thank you that you know what you're doing. And I pray that you would give us courage, give us boldness, Lord, give us grace. Make us prayerful. Help us to give you glory in everything. And Lord, encourage our hearts today because your purposes will always prevail. And we ask that your purposes will be accomplished in us today. It's in Christ's name we pray, amen. Thanks again for listening to the word of God. We are blessed to reach you throughout the week through whatever platform you're listening on. If you're needing prayer or you want to talk to someone about your walk with Jesus, reach out to us at fellowshipar.com slash contact. Have a great week.