Keep Knocking! - Pastor Tolan Morgan

Acts chapter 12 I wanted to get in 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 Peters 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 hold their peace declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison he said 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 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 but 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 there for God had 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 the you and I and ladies and gentlemen act a certain way because we believe a certain thing and antithetical II 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 put sixteen 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 coming visit Peter in jail shines a light those who had been strapped to Peter were knocked unconscious the saying awakes Peter up on the night before he was to be executed tells him to put his clothes on they go through the 2nd 3rd and 1st 2nd and 3rd 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 that verse five says they made prayer unto God for Peter that's what verse five says and prayer was made by the church unto God for Peter who prayed the church who were they praying to God who was 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 Sunni toe 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 [Music] because oftentimes ladies and gentlemen you don't understand what you're in while you're in it [Applause] but a sign that you're out of it is that your understanding well 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 tried 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 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 and 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 res 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 or to be elated and lift it 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 [Applause] 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 [Applause] can i sum up verse 12 for you when I think [Applause] about the goodness of Jesus not some not a little bit but all these done for me I 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 cuz you haven't been in my prison you haven't been in my situation analysis I'm in here I've got to give Him glory when I couldn't sit him oh [Applause] [Music] 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've got some people in here who know what is like the transition from prison to the Lord's house I've got some people in here who know what is like to walk in God's house it's a ain't no way I'm astounded a god been too good to me when I consider what he brought me through oh I came to get Oh somebody nerve today cuz God has brought you through to Matt's [Applause] when you consider first place you oughta go hard it's to a house of prayer it 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 whether people are I'm a travel Morgan cos 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 not carried so far that road oh lord have mercy heard the knock Rhoda the text says is a Demi's of that one word gives us some insight on not only who she was but what she was that word that word damsel in the Greek and 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 than 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 knocks response to the knock and the Bible says she knew his voice maybe she was around in Acts chapter two when Peter stood up and preached the first post Pentecostal sermon and 3,000 people got saved maybe she was around and Acts chapter 3 of Peters defense when that lame man got healed and he had to go to jail and stand and be interrogated on that lame man been here 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 wooden 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 Peters voice and she's so overwhelmed with emotions she didn't open the door she ran back in to tell the people that Peter is at the door i'ma 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 going to answer the door but they heard the knock she asked who is it some kind of way he identified herself 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 Peters at the door and they tell her you're mad lenient our God that word that that word mad there may not mainly it means to be insane that you are out of your mind can y'all help me cuz 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 I'm 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 man cuz why you died 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 is already moved be very careful that you don't allow your super spirituality that caused you to miss when God is knocking at your door [Applause] [Music] something is interesting here because the tension of the text is Rhoda is the very person that is standing in between their requests and God's response but they will they will they missed God's response because they didn't believe in the messenger [Applause] let me try one more time because you trying to get you trying to get deep on me her message was right what they've been praying about is active door but because she's a female she's young and she and she's a slave her voice can not be trusted and oftentimes ladies and gentlemen God will exercise your faith by sitting your answer to somebody you don't respect touch your neighbor to your neighbor you can't tell God how to bless you he'll send the right message to the wrong person but you got to get past like people look because God can using it body [Applause] tell somebody god I use conserve can use anybody your question to me is pastor why did they call her insane who holds a 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 cuz had they prayed for his deliverance they wouldn't have called her insane cuz whatever you praying for you expect y'all actin slow ya'll must ain't got a prayer life whatever I pray for I expecting for it to happen it won't be a surprise when it does so they were praying for Peter but they were not pray for his deliverance because they had already presumed that Peter was gonna 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 cuz hat they believed that he was gonna 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 freckles 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 [Applause] 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 access says you've always thought I was crazy [Applause] i'ma try one more time cos all acting slow ladies and gentlemen when God uses you it will reveal how people really feel about you I got the word from God that Peter is at the door and you call me crazy don't worry about folks 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 do it what they want you to do you ain't crazy but when you stop relaying messages that God has given you now you crazy [Applause] can I tell you third reason what he said she mad dr. Jackson they said she's mad cuz they didn't hear what she heard you wouldn't act 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 cuz she was glad off of the voice she heard you missed it she got happy not over 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 answers 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 cuz 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 interception off of what you heard would you grab your neighbor until your neighbor neighbor don't let nobody talk you I know what you heard God tell you don't you let nobody talk you out of stuff that God told you cuz they weren't there when God told it to you so don't you like nobody rob you of the joy you got over what you heard [Applause] 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 cuz 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 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 own to me cuz 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 [Applause] they discredited the soundness of her mind in an effort to discredit the soundness of a message they said she is crazy therefore whatever she says is crazy listen what they say it says she crazy that's only Peters angel I got a question want to ask you y'all good good Bible scholars I want to ask you a question that word angel there is anger loss 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 rodas truth to a superstition raised I want to ask you a question now y'all gotta 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 hey Peter got out cuz I ain't came through a closed door the three Hebrew boys got out because Jesus stepped in a fiery furnace and came through a closed door you got in this church today cuz Jesus stepped in young close houses touch your sleepy body got you about the bed thank God the God it's not black clothes don't angels don't break in they just come here aren't you glad all day and all night you got angels watching over you [Applause] 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 Oh Peter is knocking at a door cuz 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 cuz they're keeping him where he was [Music] do you got some folk like that in your life they can't handle where you are cuz they study trying to keep you back where you want to fit their own purposes and they won't go to the door but it's really him cuz they're struggling with the report of Rhoda and not the reality of people but Peter Kip and the only reason why they went to the door it's because Peter kept knocking on a door of rejection I want to talk to some people here that's got some door-knocking faith [Applause] they haven't opened the door for you yet but you still standing it I know opportunities on the other side of this door and I don't not just somebody answer cuz I'm not gonna let a closed door push me away would you touch your neighbor to your neighbor keep knocking you don't even know what's going on on the other side God is shielding you from some stuff until you can stand and keep knocking I'm gonna stand here not just somebody open this door and you can't push me away easy I wish I had about 500 of y'all I'm gonna make 501 who testifies you've got to some phrases in your life cuz they didn't push you away easy they was tryin 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 must stand here and I'm gonna keep knocking cuz until you actually tell me no I got opportunity on the other side of this door and I'm oh not to somebody respond [Applause] have five three people tell them keep knocking some don't give up keep knocking don't make a closed door make you quit knocking you keep knocking til somebody responds cuz some time God puts a closed door in your face just stretch your faith sometimes you got to stand there later and say you ain't go open the day I'll be back tomorrow feel like preaching [Applause] you gotta go wait home 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 did open it today don't mean it won't ever be open you keep knocking but Peter kept knocking but Peter kept not Oscar that's a faith that won't quit that's a prayer life that won't stop that's a phrase that won't shut up that's a hallelujah that won't be quiet do I got even knockers in here today I lead his church I'll be back tomorrow [Applause] [Music] I quit Melvin he'd go I feel my soul flaring up so I got to quit Hilma sold flan if I got the crazy Peter not only the preachers gonna get this point Peter knots and the reason why Rhoda didn't let him in because according to Providence it wasn't rotas assignment to open the door it was rolla's assignment to stop prayer [Applause] and the goal of Rhoda clay was to get people to stop praying so that they could go open a door they didn't believe could be opened they go open the door and they see Peter and Demetria when they see Peter the text says that getting ready to be astonished and they want to go embrace him Peter puts his hand on me said hold on hold on time out before you embrace me let me tell my testimony I won't 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 cuz 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 it anybody made up in your mind don't worry be happy don't even sweat but the enemy do it if you're standing on God's Word whatever the weapon has forbid war profit I'm going to sleep at time all right I was sleep somebody woke me up it was the angel the Lord Charlie and put my clothes on put my shoes on put my belt on time go I got about that prison because God didn't want me to come out naked cuz sometimes God won't just bring you out he'll bring you out covered [Applause] ya'll 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 cuz God brought you out it's cuz he brought you out and didn't expose you in the process do I got about 50 people in here who that's the fact that when God brought me up he covered me on the way out God brought me out you know chill him put my clothes on put my belt on put my shoes on let's go and Mike he 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 till 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 cuz ladies and gentlemen sometimes God don't want your input cuz you're gonna 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 [Applause] it brought me out man I was I was sleepwalking I didn't know what had happened he'd you tapped me on the shoulder man told me get my clothes on put the 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'm gonna tell you on my testimony cause 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 him his testimony you don't know what that means okay that's okay I'll tell you what I mean it means Darius Duncan that Peter never knocked on the door to go in [Applause] [Music] he never went in the house because they met him at the door of the game he didn't not to go in he not to get them out cuz the knee they're the one in prison [Applause] whenever you lock yourself in a room because you scared to come out either one in prison and neither 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 that you ain't believe can we close this sermon together I need you to find one neighbor on either side of you and tell their 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 plus 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 pour your neighbor out of fear tell them for God has not given you the spirit of fear but of love power will fake your Holy Ghost and a sound mind fear is not a 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 Carrie I'm gonna try to be cool when I say this I look okay today Thank You ppreciate you're here 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 mean about okay okay here's what that means that would hit what I mean it means that by the time Peter got to that house it's the day breaking what I mean right that's what I mean right y'all be tell time kitchen it means they break what that means Karen is that Peter got out of jail at night went to the house to get other people free small 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 other people free that was I'm trying to hear from some free people do I got any three people in the room who a thank God that he got out to set you free [Applause] grab hands with your neighbor grab hands with your neighbor grab hands with your neighbor father in Jesus name the hand our hole 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 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 who owned both sides of the door what you have for us in Jesus name 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 pilot to keep knocking [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] 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 and be against me it's highly possible and probable this morning as we're all standing

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Views: 36,172

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Keywords: Knocking, Doors, Millworks, Pastor Tolan Morgan, FBBC, Fellowship, Fellowship Bible Baptist Church, Dr. Tolan Morgan, Rev. Tolan Morgan, Tolan Morgan, Lowe's, Home Depot, The Home Depot, Doorknobs, Preachers, Pastors, Pastors in Michigan, Preachers in Michigan, Preachers in Detroit, Pastors in Detroit, Detroit, Atlanta, Macon, Warner Robins, Bible, Holy Bible, King James Version

Id: SIa65bs3-NQ

Length: 51min 33sec (3093 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 11 2019