Hey good Wednesday evening we welcome you again to the battles broadcast studio here at the Pinnacle Church of Christ I make that sound like a thing but it really is want to tell you the quick story that one of our dear sister uh bud and Charlene battles were very
Generous in helping us to get our new studio up and going and we’re thankful to God for uh their generosity and their forward thinking they have gone on uh to Glory but their Works do follow them it’s amazing that Shakespeare said the evil that men do lives after them I
Would say so does the good so does the good and the good that bud and and Charlene battles did they they’ve given the opportunity for thousands and thousands of people to hear the word of God we’re thankful for them and we’re thankful for you for tuning in to this
Uh question and answer time concerning God’s word so what are we talking about this evening well the question is an interesting one it is does God hear the prayers of people who aren’t Christians and the short answer to that is yes God does but the Bible tells us some things
About that that we need to understand first of all I I think the question is predicated on an idea that there are worthy people and unworthy people that there are holy people and Unholy people that there are Christian people and pagan people here’s maybe a better way
To look at this all of us are sinners all of us are saved by the grace of God and the Lord is the god and father and creator of all people true not just the Israelites not just the Jews in the time of the the New Testament the first
Century not just Christians today but God is the creator of all and the father of all yeah God’s a good god um I think we need to as I always say kind of Define the terminology Chuck to make sure that we know uh what we’re dealing
With the question on the on the onset is pretty generic does God hear everybody when they pray um yeah he does but there is a special relationship with the children children of God and God hears not auditory capability but he listens he he understands especially when the
Children pray me let me let me give you the backdrop on this question it’s not a unique one that started with us um back in the Bible it was the Pharisees they were trying to trick Jesus uh the man was born blind it healed him and and
They were trying to get the man to say you you remember the story that Jesus didn’t do it he said hey Jesus did it and they said this this is John chapter 9 uh verse 31 now we know God heareth not Sinners but if any
Man be a worshipper of God and doeth His will him he heareth and there we have it now again this is these the Pharisees talking not Jesus but there’s the thought that God doesn’t hear people if they’re distant and away well well maybe that’s a little similar to the advice
That job’s friends gave him and they said you know only bad things happen to bad people and a lot of bad stuff has happened to you so therefore you’re a bad person yeah just because somebody says it does not necessarily make it it so and and if the
Passage that John brought up in John chapter n they start giving this guy the third degree they bring his parents in and interrogate them they start talking to friends and family and finally the guy said well look I’m not as religiously astute as all of you but I
Know this I was blind and now I see so look Einstein what’s your explanation for this and the idea is that God was going to help somebody that wasn’t part of their little group or their tribe right as it were yeah and I think you know just a further Define when we talk
About unbelievers um I like to say nonel I think there’s a subtle difference but it is important an unbeliever um is someone who perhaps has been presented with the truth but then they choose I don’t I don’t think no that doesn’t matter no I don’t believe that that doesn’t make a difference a
Non-believer is a person who perhaps doesn’t know what to believe but when presented with the truth they will say yeah I believe that you know you can add to that that there’s a lot of misund understanding about what prayer is about in the first place I mean frequently in
The public setting if some something bad happens to somebody you hear someone say we’re praying to you now you’re not praying to that person you’re praying for them prayer is addressed to God through the mediator the man Jesus Christ okay that’s the the proper form and the proper aspect of prayer but the
Idea that God doesn’t listen uh to his Humanity God does listen to him Ann Lamont said something that stayed with me she said I have two favorite prayers that I go back to all the time one is thank you thank you thank you and the
Other is help me help me help me okay so if someone says that God is listening to them and God hears them I think so and so what I’m getting from this as we kind of approach this and and maybe peel back the layers of the onion is that um we
Understand God hears everything God is omnison God is omnipresent God is omnipotent so it’s not a question of can God he he he hears everything but it’s kind of like your new little grandbaby and and what does she call you papa p pig skin pig skin the baby calls you pig
Skin well she can’t talk yet but the 5-year-old calls me pig skin and the others are going to call me pig skin we we’ll go with pig skin CU Mama named him pig skin I’m going to call call exactly so pig skin pig skin hey pig skin hey
Pig skin pig skin hey hey hey pig skin hey pig skin Pig yes yeah it’s not that you can’t hear that’s right but there’s a difference between hearing the Sound hearing the noise and devoting full attention and so in the same way I believe God hears all the prayers but
Only those that have that relationship now now look I’m not the judge God looks at the heart we look at the outside and so there is such a thing as an honest Seeker uh Jesus at one time told a bunch of people who were not Christians not
Believers right uh they were not far from the kingdom of God they weren’t in the Kingdom they weren’t in the Kingdom they weren’t far but they were close honest Seekers trying to get right I think God does hear that prayer but a person that’s living a crazy life living
Far away from God doesn’t care a thing about God could care less but then they get in trouble and they say oh oh God help me help me I’m not sure there I don’t have a problem with that at all and you could even extrapolate to say uh
That someone that thinks Muhammad is God’s final spokesman okay is that the same thing as thinking that Jesus is God’s final spok no it’s not so there are differences of that there’s no question about that Jesus says I’m the way the truth and the life and no man
Comes to the father but but by me so Jesus is the mediator we need to recognize that there’s a section of scripture in Acts chapter 10 that I think might shed a little bit of light on this entire subject here’s what it says at cesaria there was a man named
Cornelius a centurion of what was known as the Italian cohort a devout man who feared God with all his household gave alms generously to the people and prayed continually to God about the 9th hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him
Cornelius and he stared at him in Terror and said what is it Lord and he said to him your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God and now send men to japa and bring one Simon who is called Peter he is lodging with
One Simon a Tanner whose house is by the Sea when the angel who spoke to him had who had parted he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him and having related everything to them he sent them to japa now there’s several things to
Unpack here as you just said a person that doesn’t care about God a person that is just given wholly to sin is that the same thing as a person who’s trying to know God and no it’s not and it uses the term in these few verses twice
Devout devout he was devout he loved God he wanted to know more about God he prayed to God he gave alms what Cornelius would be would be called a god-fearer God because he worshiped uh the god of the Jews even though he was a gentile and he wanted to to live the
Right way he wanted to be a good man he was generous he was kind to others and people were impressed with his manner of Life can we use the term yes honest Seeker absolutely as you said he’s not far from the kingdom of God now he had
Not converted to Judaism correct he had not been baptized into Christ and therefore become a Christian but he was on the right path his heart was leaning exact in that direction and that matters okay like you said a person that’s going out on a bank robbing spree and then the
Cops are closing in oh Lord please help me get away well I I don’t I I wouldn’t hold my breath uh waiting on an answer to that prayer you’re probably going to be in the post yeah but for the person that’s trying to do right they’re trying to be honest
They’re trying to help their fellow man God listens to them again we use this scripture a lot but in the Epistle of James draw near to God draw near and He will draw near to you you’ve got to be making that attempt to reach out to God
And God appreciates that so so the hearing of the prayer is really conditional upon the heart of the one doing the pray praying is that fair I want to be careful here because we are not the judge we can’t judge of intents of another heart in
Terms of explaining this and and and I think that there’s several passages we use the one again in Acts um Philip and the Ethiopian unich uh this man was not a a believe he was an Ethiopian don’t know exactly what he he he practiced religiously but somewhere along the line
He had heard about Jesus and so he was he was trying to understand they had the Scrolls which would have been the oldest isah and he was trying to figure it all out wasn’t there yet but was trying to get there and so um the the the adage is
Always in the Churches of Christ when there’s an honest seeker and an honest teacher God providentially will arrange the circumstances for the two to meet well that happen so um um this man is reading and and he asked him do you understand what you’re reading how can I
Unless someone explains it to me absolutely and so as he’s being explained the the the meaning of the scriptures and being told about Jesus he here see here’s water I’m ready to be baptized what does hinder me from being baptized and so he became a Believer at
That point there’s a case of an unbeliever or maybe I should say non-believer but when he was explained when he was taught he he became a Believer and he obeyed the gospel so in that sense I think God does hear but it’s predicated upon the condition of
The heart well and it’s interesting God hears the prayer of the Ethiopian God hears the prayer of Cornelius this Italian Soldier but God arranges things in such a way that he leads them to take the next step that they need to take which for both of them was baptism
Baptism and it doesn’t say that that that they’re fine and they since they believe that they didn’t do anything about it what what it doesn’t say is that they prayed the sinners prayer that saved right there it doesn’t say that it doesn’t say they accepted Jesus into
Their heart I mean I I I suppose they did but it’s interesting when it says in Acts chapter 8 that Philip began with that very passage which was Isaiah the suffering servant that very passage and told him the good news about Jesus if you look at the very next verse the very
Next verse he sees a body of water and says look here’s water why shouldn’t I be baptized and wait a minute wait a minute hold the phone none of the verses say anything about baptism we went from Isaiah the Old Testament the Old Testament to this
Guy asking to be baptized can we rightly infer brother Phillips that part of the good news of Jesus includes instructions about baptism absolutely to become a child of God absolutely how how else could you come to that conclusion and the same way with Cornelius what does what does God say in
Answer to this prayer okay first of all your prayers and all come up as a memorial before God now here’s what you need to do send these two guys over here and go over here to japa and ask for this guy named Simon Peter gospel preacher who he’ll come over and visit
You so you know so God goes to work on Simon Peter Simon Peter shows up and he says look he said I’m here now so what’s the deal what what what did you ask me for and he starts explaining to this and Peter is kind of impressed with what’s
Going on and he says something really significant he says now of a truth I perceive that God is no respector of persons but accepts men and women from every nation who fear Him and do what is right back to that idea that we talked about again a person that fears God a
Person who’s devout a person who’s trying to live the right way if you want God to listen to you reach out to God and make a good faith attempt to be the kind of person that God wants you to be yeah I don’t have any business
Uh hurting other people and and being uh irreverent and and being profane and being dishonest and being unfaithful to my wife and being hateful to my brother and then oh God please listen to me God’s not going to listen to a person who doesn’t listen and that’s the thing
That I think somehow gets thrown out into the the the general uh populace that God is almost like a Genie in a Bottle whenever we need you know pray God and and appears and poof he’s going to grant our wishes doesn’t quite work that way as you know again we talked
About in a previous segment somewhere Common Sense has to enter into the picture absolutely obviously those who have established a relationship now when we talk about establishing a relationship you you just quoted uh the passage out of uh John Jesus said I’m the way the truth and life No One Cometh
Unto the father establishes a relationship but or except through me but in the same sense what you just said a moment ago about Cornelius or the Ethiopian unich their heart is leaning in toward God and God knows that we can’t see uh the the person’s heart but
God can and so he hears that individual because their heart is leaning toward now there’s something else they must do in order to solidify that relationship but I think that as we look at that question about does God hear yeah he hears he hears everything but that doesn’t mean you’re saved until
You complete the process by obedience to absolutely think about there are three there more than three but there are three occasions that Jesus deals uh with folks in the gospels who are not Jews who are not necessarily Believers and think about this a syrop phenician woman Lord please my daughters in Dire Straits
And Jesus ignores her Lord please help my daughters in Dire Straits and I was only sent to the lost sheep of the House of Israel Lord please help my daughter’s in trouble it’s not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs Jesus is kind of messing with this
Woman okay he ignores her and then he deflects and then he insults her and then you know and she says hey even the dogs get the crumbs that fall from the table and I think at that point Jesus probably laughed and smiled he said woman you got me there great is your
Faith go in peace your daughter has been healed okay sometimes God God listening to these prayers but he’s waiting to see do do we believe do we have faith are we making a good faith attempt to reach out to him there was another time when there was another soldier in Luke’s gospel he
Says you know L Lord I need your help well you know I can come over here say no Lord I’m a man under Authority and man in Authority all you got to do is say the word and Jesus said I haven’t seen Faith like this in all of Israel
Even among the Israelites so you got occasions like that then you got the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4 this is a woman that doesn’t even follow the religion of the Jews she’s following a syncretized mongrelized faith that the Jews do not even recognize she has the
Audacity to try to tell Jesus well we know that we wor here and you worship there and he’s like look lady we worship what we know cuz salvation is of the Jews you know what you’re worship you don’t really know what you’re doing but here’s the thing you can know if you
Want to know again there’s that idea dra draw near to God and He will draw near to you I think even now there might be someone watching this this lesson and you’re thinking I haven’t been baptized into Christ I don’t have a church home
But I believe in God and I want to know more about God and I would like to know more about the Bible pray to God ask God to help you ask God to guide your path because frequently in human history when someone reaches out to God God just defitely start starts directing them
Nudging them where they need to go absolutely and you can you can take that to the bank that’s going to happen yeah but the question isn’t does God hear our prayers God hears everything God probably Hears A lot of things that he wish that he hadn’t heard but God will
Hear you when you reach out to him and then as John said the next step is up to you it’s it’s instructive that the Ethiopian was baptized it’s constructive that that the Centurion is baptized okay well why is that because they did the things that God had asked them to do
It’s a part of God’s salvation plan and starts as Chuck is saying rightfully so with the heart a person who is an honest Seeker is one who when shown from the word of God what God requires in order for us to be in that relationship with
Him is willing to do those things and these individuals were and nothing has changed in all that time God still wanting you to do what he says to take advantage of his salvation plan I think it is true that God many times providentially uh nudges Us in the right
Direction somewhere where you can find an honest teacher who will give you book chapter and verse by the way what is an honest teacher honest teacher is a person who will give you book chapter and verse for those things that are so that you can check them out for yourself
But uh as we kind of wrap this whole thing up yeah God hears um more importantly God listens when it’s coming from a sincere heart you I I think back when Pinnacle started six years ago and we were in U we were in a rented roller skating rink and you
Know that worked out as about as well as a rented roller skating rink could I suppose for a church we were a little bit uh we were the Holy Rollers we were the Holy Rollers we didn’t really have much space for Bible class or parking or
Anything else but we made the best of it but we knew that we were going to have to secure a new facility and it wasn’t going to be one of these monuments to our own colossal ego we just wanted a place where we could have church and be
The church and be a blessing to the city if I prayed this one prayer John one time I must have prayed it a thousand times Lord make your will and your plan apparent just direct us in the way that we should go we looked at probably
Probably 50 places we had 75 ideas you might get this you might get this and we ended up in a place that nobody could have even imagine that we would have been but what a place it is and what an impact it’s having and I think it does
Not yet appear the great things that we’re going to be able to do as we continue to hold fast to the teaching and the word and uh use these gifts and facilities for the glory of God great point so the question is are you asking
God for help are you reaching out to God are you praying for him wherever you are in your life you continue to do that but then you have the attitude when God reveals the next step to you when he shows you what the next stage is be
Willing to follow him there was a great song from this uh band a few years ago Called Death Cab for Cutie now think about that name I figured that’s not in your smooth jazz channel on satellite radio but the the song was called I will follow follow you into the dark and one
Of my favorite things about uh we see about Father Abraham in the Old Testament Abraham wasn’t perfect Abraham occasionally doubted Abraham had a tendency to fudge the truth on at least a couple of occasions but the one thing that Abraham did when God said look I’m
Taking you to this place he said I’m in I’m going and that needs to be the attitude that we have so as we reach out to God and pray God knows what we need even before we ask but make sure that you’re ready to follow God even into the
Dark if that is necessary let’s close as we go to God In Prayer father we’re thankful for all the blessings that you give us we’re thankful for the fact that when we call upon you we know that you hear and we know that you listen and
Father even for those who are outside of the church outside of the Ark of Safety father help them to understand that you can be found if they will but seek you father help us to draw near to God as you’ve promised to draw near to us and
Father when you Reveal Your Will to us through the scripture and elsewhere we follow we pray that we might be brave enough and that we might be determined enough that we follow your will and not our will father be with all of those uh who are seeking you today and help them
To find you in Jesus name we pray amen amen hello I’m Chuck monan for the Pinnacle Church of Christ Where We Are living and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ we’d like to invite you to come over to our new digs on one shackle for drive and there’s an easy way to
Remember this location the Bible tells us there is one Lord One Faith one baptism and there’s one shackle for drive now that last part’s not in the Bible but that’s where we are we’ve got a wonderful new facility we’ve got new folks streaming in each week we’ve got
Young Folks and old folks and Rich folks and poor folks and black folks and white folks and every other kind of folk in there you will be at home at the Pinnacle Church you will be welcomed you will be treasured you will be loved and you’ll find a place where you can put
Your abilities your talents and gifts to work in the service of our savior so we invite you to come out this Sunday to the Pinnacle Church of Christ you’ll be glad that you did
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