"God Stuff Is Real!"

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." And immediately the fig tree withered away. Now when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?" So Jesus answered, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and cast into the sea,' it will be done. And all things,whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive," Matthew 21:18-22
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Then He killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. So when He had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him to Passover. Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, "Arise quickly!" And his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals"; and so he did. And he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me." So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. And when Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.  Acts 12:2-11
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I realize that, like me you have probably read both of these accounts many times over the years but today the Lord has highlighted a couple of phrases and a single thought from them. In reading both accounts I wonder if you noticed what I noticed? It is something that both accounts have in common. I think that some of you right now are saying the word Prayer to yourselves. After all in the first account Jesus is telling his disciples, And all things,whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." and in the second we see that, 'constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church';  but prayer is not what today's message is about. Instead it is about these two phrases. 'Now when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?" and 'So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.'

In the first one we see the disciple response at the tree withering away so fast. What was it? They marveled! They marveled and asked, "How?"  How is it possible that the tree withered away so fast? They disciples had been around for a while now. They had seen so many signs, wonders and miracles at this point so why are they marveling and asking, "How?" when they had heard Jesus speak to the tree. They had heard Him say to the tree, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." What did they expect? He would say it and nothing would happen? They had seen Him speak to the wind and the waves. They had seen Him turn water into wine. They had seen him raise a dead boy in a funeral procession back to life. They had seen him feed thousands with a small boys lunch. They had seen so many wonderful amazing things happen because He had the authority to make them happen. WHY are they amazed that the tree withered?

How about the second account of Peter in prison? An angel shows up. Fills the room with light, strikes Peter on his side to wake him. The chains fall off.  He tells him to get dressed, put his shoes and cloak on and then tells him to follow him. He takes him past two guard posts, and I love this line, 'they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord' and the whole time Peter doesn't know that it is real because he is thinking he is seeing a vision or as some translations put it; he thinks he is dreaming. He doesn't even realize that it is really happening. The angel leaves him after they go down one street and suddenly Peter figures out he is no longer in prison. After the angel is gone. That is when he recognizes that God is at work in the situation? That is when he realizes that the God stuff is real? Why? Why wouldn't he have recognized sooner. Why wouldn't he have know that the angel was real? Why would the disciples be amazed that the tree did what Jesus told it too? Its not just the disciples either!

Take a look a little further down in this account. Get your Bible and read verses 12-19 and see what happens next. Did you see it? Did you see that a young girl named Rhoda recognized Peter's voice, was totally overjoyed, went running to tell the others that their prayers were answered, that Peter was at the gate and what happened?  They didn't believer her! They had been in constant prayer for Peter and when he was standing right there at the gate they didn't believe the answer had come.

I don't know about you but I want to be like that young girl named Rhoda. I want to be so overjoyed at the God stuff that I forget to open the gate. It said that 'because of her gladness,' when she recognized it was Peter at the gate that she forgot to open it for him. She just went running to tell the good news! The others didn't believe her and argued with her telling her it wasn't real until they had to go open the gate themselves because Peter kept knocking! 

God's people shouldn't be surprised that God does the things He does. God's people shouldn't be surprised that He answers prayers. God's people should know that He will do what He says He will. We should know that if He says to a tree, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." that it will immediately withered away.We shouldn't assume that the only way He will visit us is with a dream or a vision. We should know that He can send angels, break chains, make us invisible to two guard posts and four squads of solders, and even swing wide iron gates if He wants to. We should know that the God stuff is real! We, His people, who are called by His name should not be surprised when He shows up and all the God stuff like signs, wonders, and miracles happen!  We should not be surprised when God is God in the situation!

We should know that He is God and that there is none like Him!