Acts chapter 12, I want to begin reading at verse number 12. Your Bible should read, And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose surname was Mark. Where many were gathered together praying and as Peter knocked at the door of the gate the damsel came to hearken named Rhoda and when she knew Peter's voice she did not open the gate for gladness but ran in and told how Peter stood before the gate and they said unto her you are mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, it is his angel.
But Peter continued knocking. And when he had opened the door, and when they had opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. But he beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison.
He said, Amen. Go show these things unto James and to the brethren. And he departed and went into another place. Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers.
What was become of Peter. I want to snatch our subject out of verse 16. And tag this text, keep knocking. You may be seated in the Lord's Church. Would you touch one person and tell them, don't give up. Keep knocking.
William James, who is recognized as the father of American psychology, once said that beliefs are really rules for action. It was his conviction from a psychological perspective and from a philosophical perspective that we only act because we believe. As a matter of fact, we act based on what we believe. That our beliefs are really rules for action.
And so the question is not what are you doing? The question is what do you believe? Because your actions are therefore guided, influenced, and impacted by what you believe.
This text this morning, ladies and gentlemen, challenges us in the area of relationship of beliefs to actions. You and I, ladies and gentlemen, act a certain way because we believe a certain thing. And antithetically, we don't act a certain way because we don't believe or have a particular persuasion. We see in this passage, ladies and gentlemen, that in the infancy of the church, Recorded in the annals of the Acts of the Apostles by the agency of the Holy Spirit and the authority of the Lord Jesus that everything they did or did not do was influenced by what they believed.
All they had as an infant group of believers was faith in the risen Jesus Christ, the power and the authority of the Holy Ghost, and therefore what they heard and therefore believed. One of their church leaders in the person and personality of Peter At the onset of this chapter has been arrested for the third time. They have increased security on him because he has a habit of getting out of jail.
They've put 16 men to one man. But they had no guard or security against heaven. Heaven stepped in to Peter's prison while he was sleeping, chained to soldiers inside and outside of his dark, dismal, damp dungeon.
They locked Peter down but they couldn't keep his guard out. Heaven dispatches a deputy. Come and visit Peter in jail. Shines a light. Those who had been strapped to Peter were knocked unconscious.
This angel wakes Peter up on the night before he was to be executed, tells him to put his clothes on. They go through the second, third and third ward only to get to the street and the angel leaves him. And verse 12 says, when he had considered the thing, he decides.
to go seek refuge and support at the house of Mary, the mother of Mark, Barnabas'sister. From the text, she is well off because she has a house large enough to house the church. Text says many were there praying. She didn't have a little house. She had a big house.
Family was financially affluent. She was rich and a Christian. And she allowed the church to come and have prayer.
Verse 5 says they made prayer unto God for Peter. That's what verse 5 says. And prayer was made by the church unto God for Peter.
Who prayed the church? Who were they praying to God? Who were they praying for? Peter. Peter gets free and he had to take some time to reflect.
and reminisce and recall and remember this extraordinary breakout initiated by God. And when he had considered the thing, that word consider means to see completely. Sunido in the Greek it means to see completely or to see all together. Catch that church. He did not see it until he was out of it.
Because oftentimes ladies and gentlemen you don't understand what you're in while you're in it. But a sign that you're out of it is that you understand it. Oh, I wish I had some saints around here.
And so maybe, ladies and gentlemen, we need to consider at the onset of this passage that deliverance... is not official until the one who's been delivered knows they're delivered you can have folk to tell you you've been delivered all you want to but if until you know you've been delivered You can comprehend and understand what you were in once you got out of it, which is a sign you are no longer in it. You see, ladies and gentlemen, might I suggest to you that you cannot tell your testimony until you're out of the test. Because as long as you're in the test, your testimony is under development. But one sign that you know you're out is that you fully understand why you were in it.
And look at what he did once he understood what had happened to him. Look at what he did. The first thing he did was go to a place.
where they were calling on the name of Jesus. I'll try it again you missed it. When he considered what had been done unto him the first order of business on his list was to go to a house of prayer.
The text says that they were at Mary's house praying and the first thing he did once he knew he had been delivered was to go to the house of prayer. Ladies and gentlemen, gentlemen if nothing else you ought to be in church because of what God did for you in the street when you sit and think about all the things he's done for you before you ever walked in this church that's the reason why you got dressed this morning. That's the reason why you gassed up your car to come to the house of prayer. Not because of what God did for you in the house, but what he did for you out in the street. It ought to bring you to the house of prayer.
As a matter of fact, when you get in here, you ought not to be sitting. Your mouth ought to be saying something. Your hand ought not to be down to your side.
Your joy ought to be elated and lifted up when you consider a thing. You in here because he brought you out. Would you tap your neighbor and tell your neighbor you missed the whole sermon?
You are in here because he brought you out. And since I'm out, I might as well go to his house and link up with some other people who know how to call on his name. Can I sum up verse 12 for you? When I think about the goodness of Jesus and all, not some, not a little bit, but all he's done for me, I've got to get to his house. and give him praise and I can't let somebody sitting next to me who don't want to praise him take away my praise because you haven't been in my prison you haven't been in my situation and now since I'm in here I've got to give him glory when I consider all that he's done for me You wasn't sick like I was sick.
You wasn't depressed like I was depressed. You wasn't in prison like I was in prison. You didn't have bills with no money like I did.
I got some people in here who know what it's like to transition from prison to the Lord's house. I've got some people in here who know what it's like to walk in God's house and say ain't no way I'm gonna sit down today. God's been too good to me when I consider what he brought me through.
Oh, I came to get on somebody's nerve today because God has brought you through too much when you consider first place y'all to go is to a house of prayer. He gets to that house of prayer. And if y'all can read the Bible, he doesn't knock on the door of the house, he knocks on the door of the gate, which means Reverend Hudson there's some space and distance between the acoustics of the knock and where the people are.
I'm gonna try it one more again because you don't want to help me preach it. He's not knocking where they are. He's knocking on what they were in.
And the acoustics of his knock carried so far that Rhoda, Lord have mercy, heard the knock. Rhoda, the text says, is a damsel. That word gives us some insight on not only who she was but what she was. That word damsel in the Greek it literally translates a female slave.
who is in the early the late childhood of her life translated ladies and gentlemen she is somewhere between 15 and 19 she is a female and a slave she's got three things working against her she's a female she's a slave and she's too young and all three of them work against the validity of her voice Based upon her being young, female, and slave, as far as their concerns, she is only good for service but not speaking. And Peter knocks on the door and the one person whose voice they don't trust... is the very one who responds to the knock and this is a critical situation ladies and gentlemen because this is not just about the voice of Peter this is about the validity of one who had no voice she goes to the door and knocks responds to the knock and the Bible says she knew his voice Maybe she was around in Acts chapter 2 when Peter stood up and preached the first post-pentecostal sermon and 3,000 people got saved. Maybe she was around in Acts chapter 3 of Peter's defense when that lame man got healed and he had to go to jail and stand and be interrogated on that lame man being healed.
Maybe she was around in Acts chapter 5 when Ananias and Sapphira dropped dead and he had to stand and preach and walk in the street and his shadow healed people who were sick. Maybe she was around. When Peter stands and still speaks and maybe he's made some visitations. to the house. Maybe he's at this house because he's been there before.
All we know is that she knew Peter's voice. And she's so overwhelmed with emotion she didn't open the door. She ran back in to tell the people that Peter is at the door.
I'm going to try this one more game. She knows his voice. Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe she asked who is it. Because by the time of the text it's after midnight. It's way after hours and the saints are locked in Mary's house.
Because they are scared that Herod is going to continue his successful tirade of killing Christians. They're not gonna answer the door but they heard the knock she asked who is it some kind of way he identified himself maybe he said it's me Peter. She runs back in she doesn't open the door she runs back in to tell the people Peter's at the door and they tell her you're mad. Lean in child of God. That word that that word mad there may no mean me it means to be insane that you are out of your mind can y'all help me because I'm slow if I come tell you that what you've been praying about is at the door and you tell me I'm crazy which one of us is really crazy You down on your knees talking to God, asking God about Peter, and I come and tell you that what you've been praying about is knocking at your door.
And you tell me, which one of us is really crazy? Let me sneak my face in here and tell you theologically, sometimes, some of y'all are too spiritual that you miss when God is working. I knew you weren't gonna say nothing then because while you down on your knees praying God has already answered your prayer you need to get up off your knees and stop asking the question and respond to the answer because God has already moved Be very careful that you don't allow your super spirituality to cause you to miss when God is knocking at your door. Hold on. Something is interesting here because the tension of the text is...
Rhoda is the very person that is standing in between their request and God's response. But they will, they will, they missed God's response because they didn't believe in the messenger. Let me try one more time because you're trying to get you're trying to get deep on me Her message was right What they've been praying about is at the door, but because she's a female She's young and she and she's a slave her voice cannot be trusted And oftentimes ladies and gentlemen, god will exercise your faith by sending your answer through somebody you don't respect Touch your neighbor and tell your neighbor you can't tell God how to bless you. He'll send the right message through the wrong person but you got to get past how people look, how they act, because God can use anybody.
Tell somebody God I use can serve can use anybody. Your question to me is pastor why did they call her insane? Hold your boy right here. Reigns they called her insane. Because their response to Rhoda revealed that though they were praying for Peter they were not praying for his deliverance because had they prayed for his deliverance they wouldn't have called her insane.
Because whatever you praying for you expect Y'all acting slow y'all must ain't got a prayer life. Whatever I pray for I expect it for it to happen It won't be a surprise when it does So they were praying for Peter but they were not praying for his deliverance because they had already presumed that Peter was going to be Herod's next casualty. He already killed James.
He already vexed certain of the church and they had already resolved Peter not coming out so let's just pray that he stays faithful in death. because had they believed that he was going to get out they wouldn't have responded the way they did can I tell you what's the theological point here these people prove in Acts chapter 12 That God can do the unbelievable. He is just not limited to what you believe he can do.
Even if you don't believe it, he got the power to do stuff you don't even believe he can do. We didn't pray that prayer because we didn't really believe that Peter could get out but God got him out. Have I got a witness here? Can I tell you the other reason why?
They said she was mad. They said she was mad because they're telling on themselves of how they always felt about Rhoda. If I tell you that what you've been praying for is at the door and your immediate response is that I'm crazy It actually says you've always thought I was crazy I'm gonna try it one more time because y'all acting slow Ladies and gentlemen when God uses you it will reveal how people really feel about you got the word from God that Peter is at the door and you call me crazy don't worry about folk until God start using you and how they really feel about you will come out because when God put an assignment on you People who always knew you can't handle it So they start to see you in a negative light because God has now got an assignment on your life As long as you doing what they want you to do you ain't crazy But when you start relaying messages that God has given you now you crazy Can I tell you a third reason why they said she mad?
Dr. Jackson, they said she's mad because they didn't hear what she heard. You wasn't at the door when I got to the door. You didn't hear the knock that I heard. You didn't hear the voice that I heard.
And watch this y'all. Y'all missed it. The Bible says she couldn't open the door cause she was in the house. she was glad of the voice she heard. You missed it.
She got happy not of what she saw but what she heard and here's the question which one of us is operating in real faith? You down there praying and I'm telling you your answer's at the door and you ain't getting happy But I saw I didn't hear the face. I didn't see the face I saw the voice and all it took was for me to hear something and I got happy because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. See, when you really got faith, you ain't got to see it to believe it. If you get a word from the Lord, it'll shout you off of what you heard.
Would you grab your neighbor and tell your neighbor, neighbor, don't let nobody talk you out of what you heard God tell you. Don't you let nobody talk you out of stuff that God told you because they wasn't there when God told it to you. So don't you let nobody rob you of the joy you got off of what you heard. Sometimes Life doesn't get fixed immediately. I just need to hear something good.
Have I got any help in here? And when I hear something from the Lord, that's the cue of my joy. People will call you crazy because they didn't hear what you heard. You heard God put a business in your spirit.
You heard God place a call and anointing on your life. You heard God move on your heart to operate in some particular other matter that will make people challenge your mind. But you got to start with the heart. Stay true to what God told you and don't let folk who don't walk in faith talk you out of your faith Which one of us is really crazy? Rhoda's not the one crazy You're trying to transfer your crazy onto me Because it's crazy to be praying to God about a particular person and they come knock at the door and you don't get up.
They discredited the soundness of her mind in an effort to discredit the soundness of her message. They said she is crazy therefore whatever she says is crazy. Listen to what they say they said she crazy that's only Peter's angel.
I got a question I want to ask you y'all good Bible scholars I want to ask you a question That word angel there is angelos in the Greek. It means messenger. The Jews believed a superstition that all of God's people had a guardian angel who could take on the form of the person they're guarding. That was their superstition. So when they said that it is his angel it was their way of reducing Rhoda's truth to a superstition.
Reigns I want to ask you a question. Now y'all got to help me I'm a little slow. Let's just say it was his angel.
I just got one question. Since when has an angel had a problem getting through closed doors? Even if it was his angel. Peter got out because an angel came through a closed door.
The three Hebrew boys got out because Jesus stepped in a fiery furnace and came through a closed door. door you got in this church today because Jesus stepped in your clothes house touch your sleeping body got you up out the bed thank God the God I serve is not blocked by a closed door angels don't break in they just come in Aren't you glad all day and all night you got angels watching over you? But it wasn't his angel.
It was him. Lord have mercy, hold your boy here. While they're in there debating, who at the door, Peter kept knocking.
Okay. Read, this gonna help you. Peter is knocking at a door. Because he doesn't even know that they're rejecting him on the other side. He's not aware that they are struggling with where he is because they're keeping him where he was.
Do you got some folk like that in your life? They can't handle where you are because they study trying to keep you back where you was to fit their own purposes. And they won't go to the door, but it's really him. Because they're struggling with the report of Rhoda and not the reality of Peter. But Peter kept knocking.
And the only reason why they went to the door is because Peter kept knocking on a door of rejection. I want to talk to some people in here that's got some door knocking faith. They haven't opened the door for you yet, but you're still standing there. Opportunity is on the other side of this door and I'm gonna knock till somebody answer cuz I'm not gonna let a closed door push me away would you touch your neighbor tell your neighbor keep knocking you don't even know what's going on on the other side God is shielding you from some stuff so you can stand there and keep knocking I'm gonna stand here and knock till somebody open this door You can't push me away easy. I wish I had about 500 of y'all.
I'm gonna make 501 who testify you've got to some places in your life because they didn't push you away easy. They was trying to get rid of you. You was like, no, I'm gonna keep knocking.
They was trying to get you out the job. No, I'm gonna stand here and I'm gonna keep knocking. Because until you actually tell me no, I got opportunity on the other side of this door.
And I'm gonna knock till somebody respond. High five three people, tell them keep knocking. Don't give up, keep knocking.
Don't make a closed door make you quit knocking. You keep knocking until somebody responds. Because sometimes God puts a closed door in your face to stretch your faith.
Sometimes you got to stand there and labor and say you ain't going to open today, I'll be back tomorrow. Because they that wait. Upon the Lord shall renew Feel like preaching today Anybody gonna wait on God? You just stand there and keep knocking.
The door shall be open. I don't know who that word was for. Don't you give up.
Don't you give up on your own life. I rebuke every spirit of depression and suicide. If you see me or hear me, you keep knocking. Just because God didn't open it today, don't mean it won't ever be open.
You keep knocking. But Peter kept knocking. But Peter kept knocking.
Oscar, that's a faith that won't quit. That's a prayer life that won't stop. That's a praise that won't shut up.
That's a hallelujah that won't be quiet. Do I got any knockers in here today that I made up in my mind after I leave this church? I'll be back tomorrow.
I quit. Melvin, here it go. I feel my soul flaring up so I got to quit. I feel my soul flaring up, I got to quit. Peter Knox, only the preacher's gonna get this point.
Peter Knotts and the reason why Rhoda didn't let him in. because according to providence it wasn't rota's assignment to open the door it was rota's assignment to stop prayer and the goal of rota uh clay was to get people to stop praying so that they could go open a door they didn't believe could be open they go open the door and they see peter And Demetria when they see Peter the text says they're getting ready to be astonished and they want to go embrace him. Peter puts his hand up and said hold on, hold on, time out. Before you embrace me let me tell my testimony.
I want to tell you last night they arrested me. They hooked me up to 16 soldiers and strapped me down in a dark, damp dungeon, took all my clothes off and made me be strapped to two men. I went to sleep. The reason why I went to sleep is because before Jesus left, he told me I would die old. So ain't no need to be worried about what the enemy gonna do to me right now because I'm sleeping on the word of God.
I'm not an old man yet, so whatever he gonna do to get me out, I'm sleeping on the word of God. Is there anybody here made up in your mind? Don't worry, be happy.
Don't even sweat what the enemy doing. If you're standing on God's word, whatever the weapon has formed, it won't prosper. I'm going to sleep.
At time, while I was asleep, somebody woke me up. It was an angel of the Lord. Told me to put my clothes on, put my shoes on, put my belt on, time to go. I got up out that prison, cause God didn't want me to come out naked.
Because sometimes God won't just bring you out, he'll bring you out covered. Y'all must ain't never been in no trouble, so let me talk to about 20 of y'all. The reason why you shouting ain't just because God brought you out, it's because he brought you out and didn't expose you in the process.
Dude, I got about 50 people in here who testify that when God brought me out, he covered me on the way out. God brought me out you know told me put my clothes on put my belt on put my shoes on let's go and uh Mikey brought me out man but I wasn't awake when he brought me out I was sleepwalking Verse 11 says he didn't even know what had happened to him until he got outside the gate. So God just didn't bring me out and covered me. God brought me out without me putting in any logistics to the plan. Because ladies and gentlemen, sometimes God don't want your input because you're going to ruin your own deliverance.
I can't get no help in here. Do you know God is so good to you, he won't let you mess up your own deliverance. It brought me out man, I was I was sleepwalking I didn't know what had happened He just tapped me on the shoulder, the mat, told me get my clothes on, put my shoes on, put my belt on, let's go Got through the first war, got through the second war, got outside the gate and I came to myself I want to tell y'all my testimony Cause, uh, Chapman, I knocked on that door and when they opened the door, they didn't open the door to the house, they opened the door to the gate. That's what the Bible say.
Which means he stopped them at the gate to tell them his testimony. Y'all know what that means? Okay, that's okay, I'll tell you what it means. It means Darius Duncan that Peter never knocked on the door to go in.
He never went in the house because they met him at the door of the gate. He didn't knock to go in, he knocked to get them out. Cuz the mean they're the one in prison Whenever you lock yourself in a room cuz you scared to come out you the one in prison and Peter knocked on the door to pull them out of prison cuz he's the one free.
They're the one bound I told you I felt like preaching today, you ain't believing. Can we close this sermon together? I need you to find one neighbor on either side of you and tell them neighbor I'm gonna knock on your spirit until you come out I'm gonna knock on your spirit today until the joy of the Lord overtakes you Cause God has sent me to knock on you, to pull you out of fear, to pull you out of prejudice To pull you out of tradition, to pull you out of bondage Anybody in here ready to pull your neighbor out of fear?
Tell them for God has not given you the spirit of fear but of love power. Thank you Holy Ghost and a sound mind. Fear is not of God especially when he brought you out. I'm done.
I got to quit. Thank y'all. I'm just glad to be in the service one more time here.
here's the clothes here's the clothes carol reed i'm gonna try to be cool when i say this i look okay today thank you appreciate you here uh uh uh here's the clothes verse 18 says and by the time daybreak came the soldiers was trying to figure out what happened to peter I'm in the Bible? I'm in the Bible? Okay.
Okay. Here's what that means, Valerie. Here's what it means.
It means that by the time Peter got to that house, it's the day breaking. What that mean, right? That's what that mean, right? Y'all can tell time, can't you?
It means the day break. What that means, Kareem, is that Peter got out of jail At night, went to the house to get other people free. Slow. Peter came out of a dark place. Overnight came to the house to get other people that was bound and get them free Peter got out of jail Overnight in a dark place go to the house to get other people free Does that sound like somebody y'all know?
One Friday on Calvary's Hill, they killed my Jesus. But early Sunday morning, before daybreak, he gets up out of a dark place, goes back to the house to set the people free that was bound. I'm trying to hear from some free people.
Do I got any free people in the room who will thank God that he got up to set you free? Grab hands with your neighbor. Grab hands with your neighbor. Grab hands with your neighbor. Father in Jesus name, the hand I hold is on the verge of something great.
And all I want you to do for my neighbor whose hand I hold. is give them the power to keep knocking. They're getting tired. They're getting fatigued.
They're getting frustrated. But Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus. their arm is getting tired of knocking on closed doors but father i ask that you will reward their patience that you will reward their persistence and that you will reward their faith the lord opening closed doors and in the meantime keep giving them the power to keep knocking and thank you lord that as we knock on the doors of opportunity you are preserving on both sides of the door what you have for us in jesus man now everybody in here who's made up in your mind you gonna keep knocking If you made up in your mind you gonna keep knocking Open your mouth and give him the glory That he's gonna give you the power To keep knocking I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back.
I'm fully persuaded that I will let nothing separate me from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And if God be for me, who can be against me? It's highly possible and probable this morning as we're all standing.