Saturday, December 26, 2015
Bible Lesson: Intercessory Prayer: Peter Prays For The Restoration Of Dorcas.
Bible Lesson: Intercessory Prayer:
Peter Prays For The Restoration Of Dorcas.
Bible Text:
Acts 9:36-42 NLT
36 There was a believer (a certain
disciple KJV) in Joppa
named Tabitha (which in Greek is Dorcas. She was always doing kind
things for others and helping the poor.
37 About this time she became ill
and died. Her body was washed for burial and laid in an upstairs
room.
38 But the believers had heard that
Peter was nearby at Lydda, so they sent two men to beg him, “Please
come as soon as possible!”
39 So Peter returned with them; and
as soon as he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room. The room
was filled with widows who were weeping and showing him the coats and
other clothes Dorcas had made for them.
40 But Peter asked them all to leave
the room; then he knelt and prayed. Turning to the body he said, “Get
up, Tabitha.” And she opened her eyes! When she saw Peter, she sat
up!
41 He gave her his hand and helped
her up. Then he called in the widows and all the believers, and he
presented her to them alive.
42 The news spread through the whole
town, and many believed in The Lord.
Why do bad things
happen to good people?
In this world, we
will not know very often, but God is in control, and has His reasons.
In this case, can
there be any doubt that her resurrection was to bring many sons to
glory, for “many believed in The Lord.”
Now some poor
disbelieving soul may lament, “Oh she was not really dead....”
But “she became
ill and died. Her body was washed for burial and laid in an upstairs
room.”
So for some hours
they wept, for Tabitha had died and was stiff.
Rigor mortis
(Latin: rigor "stiffness", mortis "of death") is
one of the recognizable signs of death, caused by chemical changes in
the muscles after death, causing the limbs of the corpse to stiffen.
Rigor mortis occurs three to four hours after death.
(Wikipedia)
38 “.. the
believers had heard that Peter was nearby at Lydda, so they sent two
men to beg him, “Please come as soon as possible!”.
Distance between
Lydda and Joppa, some 15 miles, and would have taken the messengers 3
hours, and Peter another 3 hours.
Was Tabitha dead?
Yes.
Acts 9:39 NLT
So Peter returned with them; and as
soon as he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room. The room was
filled with widows who were weeping and showing him the coats and
other clothes Dorcas had made for them.
Read this verse
several times and see what it tells you. (Dearly beloved, who pray
for this old Pastor, thank you for doing this.)
Well, what did you
see?
Hebrews 9:27 KJV
And as it is appointed unto men once
to die, but after this the judgment:
We are “not,”
saved by works, be they religious works for secular, but that
does not mean that the life of the Christian is not to be filled with
Godly works, bringing God glory!
Ephesians 2:8,9
KJV
8 For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is The Gift Of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should
boast.
Matthew 5:14-16
KJV
14 Ye are the light of the world. A
city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle,
and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light
unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before
men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father
which is in heaven.
Hebrews 9:27 KJV
And as it is appointed unto men once
to die...”
Unless The
Bridegroom, comes for His bride,...we have an appointed time for
death.
And when that time
comes, what if anything, what legacy, what gift to humanity, will we
have leave behind?
Tabitha, had left
behind, gift after countless gifts of hours of her loving, Godly work
for others, and it was not forgotten.
Mark 9:41 KJV
For whosoever shall give you a cup
of water to drink in My name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I
say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
Revelation 14:13
KJV
And I heard a voice from heaven
saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in The Lord
from henceforth: Yea, saith The Spirit, that they may rest from their
labors; and their works do follow them.
40
“...Peter asked them all to leave the room; then he knelt and
prayed....”
This is why the
Apostle Paul told us.....
Hebrews 10:25
NLT
And let us not neglect our meeting
together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially
now that the day of His return is drawing near.
We, need each
other, we together, not apart, are the body of Christ.
The day will come,
when you will need the prayers of someone for yourself, or for others.
Those Godly,
praying people, we meet and know in the church of Jesus Christ.
Acts 9:40-42 NLT
“...Turning to
the body he said, “Get up, Tabitha.” And she opened her eyes!
When she saw Peter, she sat up!
41 He gave her his hand and helped
her up. Then he called in the widows and all the believers, and he
presented her to them alive.
42 The news spread through the whole
town, and many believed in The Lord.
Peter prayed, and
the resurrection power of Christ, raised Dorcas to newness of life.
And why did He do so? Can there be any doubt that He did so, so that
she could continue her Godly works of caring for others!
Will The Living God
hear your intercession for others? He will if you are His
child!
Our
God Hears And Answers Prayer:
Joshua 10:14 KJV
13 And the sun
stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged
themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of
Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not
to go down about a whole day.
14 And there
was no day like that before it or after it, that The Lord hearkened
unto the voice of a man: for The Lord fought for Israel.
I Chronicles
16:11 KJV
Seek The Lord
and His strength, seek His face continually.
Nehemiah
9:27 KJV
“...in the
time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them
Job
22:27 KJV
Thou shalt make
thy prayer unto Him, and He shall hear thee..."
Psalm 6:9 KJV
The Lord hath
heard my supplication; The Lord will receive my prayer.
Psalm 55:17 KJV
Evening, and
morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear
my voice.
Psalm 65:2 KJV
O thou that
hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.
Psalm 66:19 KJV
But verily God
hath heard me; He hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
Psalm 88:1,2 KJV
1 O lord God of
my Salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:
2 Let my prayer
come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;
Psalm 91:15 KJV
He shall call
upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will
deliver him, and honor him.
Psalm 99:6,8 KJV
6 "...they
called upon the Lord, and he answered them.
8 Thou
answeredst them, O Lord our God: thou wast a God that forgavest
them..."
Psalm 102:17 KJV
He will regard
the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.
Psalm 122:6 KJV
Pray for the
peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
Proverbs 15:8,29
KJV
8 The sacrifice
of the wicked is an abomination to The Lord: but the prayer of the
upright is His delight.
29 The Lord is
far from the wicked: but He heareth the prayer of the righteous.
Isaiah 38:5 KJV
“...I
have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears...”
Isaiah 56:7 KJV
"... for
Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
Isaiah 58:9 KJV
Then shalt thou
call, and The Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say,
Here I am...:"
Isaiah 65;24 KJV
And it shall
come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they
are yet speaking, I will hear.
Jeremiah 29:13
KJV
And ye shall
seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your
heart.
Jeremiah 33:3
KJV
Call unto Me,
and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which
thou knowest not.
Zechariah 13:9
KJV
And I will
bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver
is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on My
name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is My people: and they
shall say, The Lord is my God.
Joel 2:32 KJV
And it shall
come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of The Lord shall
be delivered..."
Matthew 5:44 KJV
But I say unto
you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them
that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and
persecute you;
Matthew 6:6 KJV
But thou, when
thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy
door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which
seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Matthew 7:7,8
KJV
7 Ask, and it
shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you:
8 For every one
that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that
knocketh it shall be opened.
Matthew 18:19,20
KJV
19 Again I say
unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any
thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father
which is in heaven.
20 For where
two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the
midst of them.
Matthew 21:22
KJV
And all things,
whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Matthew 26:41
KJV
Watch and pray,
that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but
the flesh is weak.
Mark 11:24,25
KJV
24 Therefore I
say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe
that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
25 And when ye
stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your
Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Luke 11:9,10 KJV
9 And I say
unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 For every
one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him
that knocketh it shall be opened.
Luke 18:1,7,8
KJV
1 And He spake
a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and
not to faint;
7 "...don’t
you think God will surely give justice to His chosen people who cry
out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off?
8 I tell you,
He will grant justice to them quickly! But when The Son Of Man
returns, how many will He find on the earth who have faith?”
Luke 21:36 KJV
Watch ye
therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape
all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before The Son
Of Man.
John 14:13,14
KJV
13 And
whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that The Father
may be glorified in The Son.
14 If ye shall
ask any thing in My name, I will do it.
John 15:7,16 KJV
7 If ye abide
in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it
shall be done unto you.
16 Ye have not
chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go
and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that
whatsoever ye shall ask of The Father in My name, He may give it you.
John 16:23,24
KJV
23 And in that
day ye shall ask Me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Whatsoever ye shall ask
The Father in
My name, he will give it you.
24 Hitherto
have ye asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye shall receive, that
your joy may be full.
Romans 10:12 KJV
For there is no
difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all
is rich unto all that call upon Him.
Ephesians 2:18
KJV
For through Him
we both have access by one Spirit unto The Father.
Ephesians 6:18
KJV
Praying always
with all prayer and supplication in The Spirit, and watching
thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Philippians 4:6
NLT
Don’t worry
about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you
need, and thank Him for all He has done.
Colossians 4:2
NLT
Devote
yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.
I Thessalonians
5:17 KJV
Pray without
ceasing.
I Timothy 2:8
KJV
I will
therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without
wrath and doubting.
Hebrews 4:16 KJV
Let us
therefore come boldly unto The Throne Of Grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 10:19
KJV
Having
therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by The Blood
Of Jesus,
James 1:6 KJV
But let him ask
in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of
the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
James 4:8 KJV
Draw nigh to
God, and he will draw nigh to you
James 5:13-16
KJV
13 Is any among
you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
14 Is any sick
among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them
pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of The Lord:
15 And the
prayer of faith shall save the sick, and The Lord shall raise him up;
and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess your
faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be
healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much.
I Peter 4:7 KJV
But the end of
all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
I John 3:22 KJV
And whatsoever
we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do
those things that are pleasing in His sight.
I John 5:14,15
KJV
14 And this is
the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing
according to His will, He heareth us:
15 And if we
know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the
petitions that we desired of Him.
Revelation 8:3-5 NLT (Prayers heard and kept)
3 Then another
angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a
great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of
God’s people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne.
4 The smoke of
the incense, mixed with the prayers of God’s holy people, ascended
up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out.
5 Then the
angel filled the incense burner with fire from the altar..."