He and God Had a Deal

 I just finished preaching another funeral for a person I never met. This has been a regular ministry in my life for decades. There are numerous people out there not connected to a church or a preacher. Their loved ones die and somebody has to preach that funeral. God has seen fit that I do it repeatedly. It is not my favorite thing to walk into a room of complete strangers and have to talk about death and eternity. It is part of the calling on my life. I have preached numerous funeral services for people I did not know. In fact, of all the funerals I preached over the past twelve months up here in the Texas Panhandle, I can't say I knew any of them. I've preached more funerals in this past year than I did in our previous church in five years. 

I met with the family yesterday and took notes as I listened to stories about the deceased man. He was 86. His wife died 13 years ago. It was not an easy road for him. I gathered as much information about the man as I could. In situations like that I am most interested in one thing. Did the person trust Jesus as their Savior at any point in their life. I was told that he was alright with God. He and God had a deal. 

If that deal did not include repentance and turning to Jesus for salvation, then no deal was ever made. God doesn't make exceptions to John 14:6. The only way to heaven is through Jesus. He continuously offers mercy and grace while people are living. Once people die it is too late. Their fate is sealed. It's not based on good works. Eph 2:8-9. We are only saved through the gift of grace trusting in Jesus. 

I hope the deceased man today understood that and surrendered his soul before it was too late. I preached a pure gospel message. No sugar coating. Right along the Roman Road of Rom 3:23, Rom 5:8, and Rom 6:23. We don't like death. We don't even like to talk about death. It is a reality. We all have to face it at some time or another. Heb 9:27 records the truth that we all have appointed day to die. I saw that at the cemetery looking at grave markers. In one family, a son died at 26 and a brother or a father died at 40. Very young for both. Whether we live to a ripe old age of 90 plus or younger, we all have an expiration date. After that comes judgment. We all face God to give account for our actions. Only the grace of God reconciles our indebtedness because of sin. That is the only deal God ever makes. Nobody gets off the hook. God cuts no special deals or makes any other special provisions. It is grace alone, in Jesus alone, through faith alone. I hope it is the deal you have going with God. 

Astonished by the Power of Prayer

Most people pray at one time or another. Not all people pray expecting to get answers. Most of us know the disappointment of praying earnestly for God to intervene in our circumstances. We get accustomed to not receiving what we ask God to do. This begs the question whether we pray believing or whether we just make wishes when we pray.

In Acts 12, King Herod arrested Peter. He had him surrounded by 16 soldiers at one point. One night as Peter slept chained between two guards, an angel showed up. The angel woke Peter, made the chains fall off, and led him out of the prison past the guards. The iron gate leading outside prison suddenly opened. Peter followed the angel in the street and then the angel vanished. 

While Peter was in prison, many people were gathered praying for him. We are not told specifics about what they prayed. I imagine they prayed for his protection, strength, and deliverance. Peter showed up at the home where they were praying. He knocked on the door until the servant girl Rhoda recognized his voice and in her joy ran to tell the others. She didn't let Peter in, so he kept on knocking. When Rhoda told them Peter was outside, they thought she had lost her mind. 

I find that interesting. They prayed for Peter, but did they believe that God would really deliver him? I don't think they expected Peter to get out of prison. God answered their prayers in dramatic fashion. It does not seem they actually believed God would help. Isn't this the way we pray at times. We voice the words expressing our desires, but do we really anticipate God's miraculous intervention?

I'm disappointed when God does not answer. This past Wednesday night I asked God to save some people at our student gathering. I presented the gospel. Several students indicated they were unsure where they would spend eternity. Nobody responded. I sat in disbelief. 

There have been other times when God has saved several in answer to prayer. I've already reported in previous posts that eight times we have received blessing vehicles from God in answer to prayer. Many testify God has healed them through prayer. Revivals have been born through prayer. Peter got delivered from prison in response to prayer. 

God still astonishes in answer to prayer. So keep praying. Keep P.U.S.H.ing. Pray Until Something Happens. Sooner or later God will astonish you too with something grand. When the time is right, when it is His will to do so, and when He can get the most glory, He will astonish over and over again with the power of prayer.