The Father refuses to give us up. Christ did not leave the Cross and so He shall never leave us. We may be in the mud, but our God digs us out and keeps us for Himself. (Hosea 11:8; Romans 5;1-11; Jeremiah 2:1-7; Isaiah 49:14-16)

Speaker(s): Josh Harris. Erhan Okay, Zsombor Szuk, Thomas Schaller
Sermon 12450
6:30 PM on 1/29/2023

P. Schaller –

How many of you have had at any time in your life you have had an answer to prayer? Okay. How many prayers
have been answered by, yes, in the year? How many answered prayers? Give me a number?
Twenty. A hundred thousand. What kind of prayers have been answered? Healing. Now, I just
got some reports from some of our people who have cancer and we’re praying for them. Debbie
Paragello. Carolyn Peters and others. What do you think about that? Amen. Amen. Yes.
How about in the year, do you ever stop and think about what happened from Convention time
to the present? How many prayers have been answered? How many conferences have we had.
P. Brent and Lucy are here from Columbia, South America. Good to see you. How many
conferences, how many meetings, how many salvations, how much joy, how much safety, how
much protection? Isn’t it a good question?

Here in Mark 9, just as we have a day of prayer today. Prayer and fasting for those that want it
and at any time fasting is for you and I. Anytime as God puts it on our hearts. Jesus in this story,
the disciples were dealing with a demon possessed child. They couldn’t heal the child. The
parent came to Christ. vs. 23. I wonder if we kind of got a hold on it in a fresh way if we
understood what this is that we are part of. What God has put us in and what kind of authority
that we have. And how many prayers are answered by God. How many for our children,
grandchildren, housing, finances, job, health. How much happens in our community. How much
on this property.

God has given us such great people and you are one of them. You are one of them. You are in
it. You are born again. You are in the kingdom and we wrestle not against flesh and blood but
against principalities and powers. Demonic powers that are in the world. How many of them are
under our feet every day. Every day they are under our feet.

Where are they? I kind of think of the devil can’t always find us. Where is that written in the Bible
that the devil cannot always find you? We are hid with Christ in God. He can’t have us.
Remember Jesus, they wanted to get him but they couldn’t. It wasn’t his hour.

I feel the same way about us. Right now, God has given us a good run. We’re in a good run. It’s
not always guaranteed. Remember Paul said to the Ephesians I cease not to pray. I don’t stop
or cease praying for you. I’m thinking of Hungary in my own heart and how much Hungary is
important to me in my heart. We’re going there for Eurocon and not to stop praying for them and
other missions so that they would comprehend, understand, be enlightened in their hearts and
minds. How many of those prayers are answered. Isn’t it good?

If you read the story here with me, vs. 24. That’s a very good prayer. Lord, I believe but help my
unbelief. Lord, I’m going to throw my unbelief away and just believe you. Maybe put my unbelief
kind of package it and put it up on a shelf. Say that’s my unbelief up there. Right now, I’m not
dealing with it. I’m going to believe you. I’m trusting you. Help me.

vs. 25. Casting out demons is in our gospel, isn’t it? Casting out demons is something Jesus
Christ did when he came. But if you look at the back of your Bible here in the Old Testament,
you don’t really see casting out demons. Actually, Saul had an evil spirit and David played music
but it doesn’t say that David cast the demon spirit away. But he just played the music and the
evil spirit departed. Saul I believe was a believer but still an evil spirit bothered him like it can
you and I.

Has anybody here had an evil spirit trouble you? I wonder. It can happen. Don’t we learn
warfare? Don’t we learn to live by faith? Don’t we learn to put things before God that God is able
to bind the enemy? Don’t we learn that if you resist the devil, he will flee from you? Don’t we
learn about prayer and that we have authority in prayer over evil spirits? And that we are the salt
and the light in the world, and that prayer is a privilege given to us. Isn’t it?

The story goes this way, vs. 26. You know, in a liberal church, I don’t know if they read this part
of the Bible. I don’t know if they believe in the devil or demon spirits. There it is. They are real.
They operate in the world, and then Christ has his disciples like you and I. vs. 27. Imagine
having a child possessed of the devil. Possessed of a demon spirit and your child you go to bed
at night and he throws himself into the fire. He foams at the mouth in vs. 20-22.

That’s what the church is here in the world for. The church is here to help people, isn’t it? It’s
here to do something about the evil that is in the world. We are the people. We are mighty
people. We are the people. We are frail but we are flesh and blood but we are spirit. We have
power with God. We have power over the demons. We have power in this world. The devil, I
think he knows this about us. He would like to divide us, Psalm 2. Let’s break their bands
asunder. The kings of the earth rise up against the church in vs. 1. “Wherefore did the heathen
rage and the people imagine a vain thing against the Lord and his anointed.” The Lord and his
anointed.

That’s us. You are his anointed and they imagine things about us that are not true. But that’s
okay. That’s the work of the evil that is in the world but it is not in us. We have love in us. We
have faith in us. We have the Spirit of God in us. We have the calling of God in our lives and
hearts.

Look at vs. 27-28. What a good question. Like maybe when we come to church, we ask God
privately these things, you know. In our hearts. Or when we are driving to church. Lord, why is it
I cannot cast him out? Or we drive to church, Lord, why is it I can’t get victory over this bad
habit? Lord, why do I have so many doubts and fears in my life? Why can’t I get along with my
brother or my sister? Isn’t it a beautiful thing. They couldn’t do something and when they got
Jesus in private, they said to him honestly, openly, opening up your heart to God and saying to
God, why am I powerless? Why I can’t get the victory over this? Why couldn’t we cast out the
demon?

And he answered, vs. 29. “This kind can come forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting.” What
an answer. He will come out. That demon will come out but it’s going to take some effort on your
part. It will take some prayer and some fasting.

I don’t know what the fasting part means exactly, but I know that Paul fasted often. We know
that Jesus fasted. We know that the early church at different times did. We know that it helps
our concentration. When our blood sugar levels drop, we get better concentration in our brain.
Brain waves change a little bit. Physiologically, you can say something about it, but spiritually
there’s something about it. Maybe some focus or concentration or faith. It’s not works but some
faith in God. God, I’m serious about this. This has got to change. This cannot happen. I am
asking you. This prayer, isn’t it. The power of God. The exercise of faith. Prayer.

I think our church – I have been thinking about it the last days and I’m walking around this
property and I’m saying Lord, there’s no way this would happen except there is prayer. There’s
no way this would be of you, Lord, except your people are praying. There’s no way we could
have what we have around the world and many countries and many disciples and quality
people. There’s no way except your answering prayers. You’re answering prayer and you’re
doing it and you’re helping us.

And if you think maybe – and we all do think this way – maybe he hasn’t answered my prayer
yet. He hasn’t answered my prayer. Just wait. It can happen. Or maybe he has or maybe in a
different way. Maybe he answered your prayer and you don’t know it. Maybe he is doing
something way beyond what we could even ask or think but he’s doing it.

How could we have people going – I taught a class today in the high school. Didn’t the high
school people do good in the music tonight? Precious people. Young people. It’s beautiful.
Learning faith. Learning faith. Walking by faith. Singing by faith. Serving by faith.

I was thinking of how the Lord has early morning prayers. I know in Fed Hill, they 6:15 I think
Friday morning. I told Justin I want to come. Anybody want to go down to Fed Hill early morning
Friday? You are welcome. They are going to have prayer there and then go out for breakfast or
whatever. Prayer.

Many of us when we met Dr. Stevens for the first time, the first thing he said come to the prayer
meeting in the morning. I think it was at 5. It was really early. He did it. He did it. He was always
there but to lead the church in that. That’s a beautiful thing. What do we have because of all the
prayers that are prayed and not only many but one prayer that’s prayed. The prayer of a
righteous man. The prayer of a guy that’s saying I’m believing you. I’m leaving it there. I’m
believing you. I’m believing it there. Thank you, Jesus for answering me. It’s a good word.
Demons will come out of people. Salvations will happen. Buildings will be bought. We’re buying
one now in Uzbekistan by God’s grace. Money is going to be supplied. People will be employed.
The mission will go on. Workers will live by faith. A disciple will not count the cost but he will act
in faith and do something because of prayer.

How will missionaries go to the field but by us going to the Lord of the harvest in prayer. Why
would God put that in somebody’s heart to lose their life? Give their life over to Christ. Give it
100%. All to Jesus. Everything. Everything. My future, housing, everything. Give it all to Jesus
and trust him with all my heart and walk by faith in God and God saying I will take care of you. I
will take care of you and he does. We come back saying, yes, he does. Yes, he does. And he’s
answered in so many ways.

I’d like to ask P. Taggart a personal question in front of everybody. How did you get your wife, P.
Taggart? Really? Beautiful. Well, that’s why I called on you! I knew you’d give the right answer.
Yeah. I mean, how do you get, you know, friends. And how do you find a church? How do you
find depth of heart? How do we get healed and how does it happen?

I was in Israel one time and I met this British man. I think he was 78 years old. He said I have a
cancer but I’m not worried cause 15 years ago I had a cancer and God healed me. He gave
some time frame. I don’t remember the detail. He said this is the third time and I just believe
God will heal me. I believe it can happen that God can heal us. I know you believe that, too. I
love to celebrate it tonight as we talk about it and think about it.

Turn to one other text please. Acts 10 and we’ll finish with this. This is when Peter was sent to
Cornelius’ house. Acts 10:44, it’s I think about a 30 mile walk from where he was in Joppa up to
Caesarea. It might have been a little longer. A day and a half of walking. Cornelius sent for
Peter cause the angel said to Cornelius who was a Gentile send for Peter. Send for the
missionary.

That happened in Ghana. We were on radio off of an island in West Africa and the Ghanians
were writing letters to Dr. Stevens. Please send a missionary. Please send somebody. I think we
had 86 letters. One day, P. Scibelli was in Lenox from Springfield. I was the missions director
and I didn’t know what to do with these letters, so I gave them to him. I said, could you read
these and tell me what we should do with it? And God spoke to his heart. Send for Peter. Send
somebody. Please, come. Please, send somebody from Greater Grace. Send somebody.
Please, come. That’s what happened here.

vs. 44. It happened. The Holy Spirit visited. It filled the room. These Gentile people who came to
listen. Cornelius’ friends and relatives. And Peter spoke and the Spirit filled the room. I’m sure it
happened to many in this room where you’ve gone somewhere. It’s a divine mission. It’s a divine
appointment. People are waiting there. They’re waiting for you to come. You know, some people
wait days to come.

A recent trip P. Scibelli took to Nepal, he had to change his plans and people had come. They
waited another four days or five days. They were waiting for P. Scibelli to come. It’s a beautiful

picture. And then when he ministers, does the Holy Spirit fall on those people in the room? Is
this something when the Children’s Evangelism Fellowship in the city of Baltimore have our
people – Colleen Collins and P. Hadley and the whole group – and they go to these children and
they start to speak and the Spirit speaks to children in Baltimore. Amazing thought.

Why? Answer to prayer. Prayers are prayed. God sends people. They are sent. They are sent.
They have joy when they go. They are on a train. They are on a bus. They’re just sent. They
can’t be stopped. God’s sending them. He has authority in heaven and earth and he’s put his
hand on them and he sent them. He put them in school. They followed disciples. They live by
faith and God’s sending them. Isn’t that amazing. Wow. We’ve seen it happened.

Let’s finish reading. Acts. 10:45, they were astonished. We had these two girls in Hungary when
we first went there. They were like 14, 15. Young girls. They were so affected. Now, years later,
they’re like adults and they have families and so on. I talk to them sometimes. There’s no way it
can be explained. They are astonished. They are astonished at what they hear. They are
astonished at the atmosphere in the room. They don’t know what it is. They are astonished at
the conversation after. They are astonished when they get on the bus and go home and they
come back the next day. They are amazed at it. This is God and his work. This is an answer to
prayer. This is the authority of God in the gospel. This is the mission.

This is why we went to Bible school and why we assemble here three days a week and maybe
more. This is why we have a little prayer altar at home. Maybe a chair or a bench or somewhere
in the house where you shut the door and it’s quiet and you just are quiet waiting on God. You
put your phone in another place. You forget about that for a while and you just kind of go in faith
and prayer. You say a prayer in your car. You pull into a parking lot early morning and just park
and sit in the car because it’s quiet and you say a prayer. You meet sisters and brothers and you
are kind of just stirred up in faith and rejoice a lot. And say halleluiah and just be before God
and say a prayer. And God answers that prayer. Isn’t that amazing?

Let’s finish it. vs. 45-46. Meaning, in Acts 2 Pentecost they spoke in tongues. Now, the Gentiles
are speaking in tongues. What? They are Gentiles. God is visiting the Gentiles. God is saving
the Gentiles the same way he did us. God is with the Gentiles. This is nothing less than the
authority of God. God is in the room and God is doing the work and it’s an incredible thing, isn’t
it? They are amazed. The Jews are amazed that the Gentiles have the same salvation and
same new birth, the same presence and the same work of grace.

I feel that it is amazing sometimes when you are in the Philippines or you are in China and they
get saved the same way and you go, oh yes. Of course. No matter where. North Korea. Cuba.
Vietnam. Any place in the world it’s the same power and same Spirit. Amen.

I just thought to ask P. Scibelli to come up and lead us in prayer. However he leads. However he
wants to do. Short or long or whatever. We can pray with him and we can pray that God will do
some things with us tonight here and help us understand the theme of prayer a little more.
Maybe you have something in your family or in your heart. A need or a burden or something.
Let’s just bring it to the Lord in prayer for a few minutes.
Also, by the way, we have some financial need in our church. We’ve been tracking it but we are
a lot of money down in the red. So, like that we want to bring that to God. Like $86,000 in the
red and even more actually depending on how we calculate it. We’ll keep you updated but that’s
another need. That’s not a problem to God. Amen. And his people and obedient to people and
answer to prayer, Lord. P. Scibelli, come on up.

P. Scibelli –

Just a couple things. I remember having this great vision that I prepared for for two
years to go to Milan, Italy. And P. Stevens said to me when he just shared with me the gospel
about the need in Africa, that there was nobody really there and nothing from the ministry. I said
that’s great but I’m not really interested at all. He said to me, well, I’ll just pray.

Guess what happened? I ended up in Africa. Bye, bye, Italy. That was an answer to prayer.
Even before I got saved, by wife who was born again before me and my brother who was also
saved, they prayed can you do something with this person. I was like right off the edge in life. I
got converted. I just got converted January 6, 1976 in my house reading Acts 9. I got saved.
Answer to prayer. So really, prayer. Speaking with God.

When I think about prayer, I think about the throne of grace a lot. When we are praying, we’re
praying to the great high priest, 4:14. “Seeing we have this great high priest.” Jesus. He who
saves. God saves. The Son of God. Perfect deity who is tested and tempted in all things such
as we are without sin. He was the Son of Man. And number five, when I come to him, I find
grace to help in time of need. Say this with me. He’s my helper. He’s my helper. He’s my helper.
That is amazing.

As we pray tonight, we pray believing and we know who we are praying to. The direction of our
prayer and it is so important and so key. Satan trembles at the youngest, newest believer
praying to an Almighty God. He fears that. That’s why prayer meetings are not the most popular
thing in Christianity.

So, when we pray tonight, as you pray you can get on your knees, stand up, walk around, sit
there. Let’s just believe God tonight. I believe he said. I believe. I have the basic foundational
truths and I believe. But help my unbelief. There’s areas but maybe I won’t say it to other people
but do I really believe God in these areas of my Christian life. For my brothers and sisters. For
healing. For change in people’s lives. For addicts.

I was thinking today of drug and alcohol problems and I was praying today in a prayer meeting
and after, Lord, why can’t we have one or two homes that people would be called to and we
would operate them as Christian homes for people? We used to call it – we had a couple of
them. We used to call them the Life House. It takes God raising up a man. I just was praying. I
don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know what God’s will is in this area but I do know just
to be able to help people.

So, let’s bow however. Stand. Walk. Kneel. Whatever you are free to do and really have a great
time in prayer. Really trust God. Really believe him tonight. Maybe there’s things you have
prayed for. They have been on your mind. Things you haven’t prayed for. We believe God. Paul
said it in Acts 27. I believe God it will be even as he told me. (Prayer)

P. Schaller –

This is the benediction, Psalm 22:3. You can put that up in the screen for me. I want
to leave you, dismiss you with confirmation for what P. Scibelli prayed and what we spoke about
tonight. I believe some things are stubborn. Things are stubborn and they’re not leaving. I
believe that that demon that was in that boy and Jesus came and he did it, but with the disciples
it was stubborn. It wouldn’t go out.

I believe there can be something in your life that is stubborn. Just stubborn. Not going out. So,
here’s a couple words. I had a friend who had a habit smoking cigarettes, and he prayed about it
and God just made him sick when he had the smoke. He quit. He didn’t want to but he did
because it made him sick. Another case a man drinking. He couldn’t stand the smell of the
alcohol. He quit. He stopped drinking. It just happened. God did it. Did God do it? God did it.
Some things are stubborn.

I want to talk to the men and the ladies here tonight. There’s pornography and this is stubborn,
bad habit. It is not your friend. It is not your friend. Stop it. Stop it. Say it with me. Stop it. Stop
doing it. Stop doing it. Say no more. It’s over. I’m not going to look at it. I’m not on the internet.
I’m not on my phone. My wife has my phone all the time whenever she wants to look at it. In my
heart, my mind, my pastor, my overseer, my mentor. I’m going to quit it. I’m going to stop it. I’m
going to do it by faith cause God has something more for me.

If I fail, there is the grace of God. I confess it but I move on and I stop it. It cannot possess me or
control me. Look at Psalm 22:3. Maybe if I could praise God, if God would inhabit my praises, if
could praise God; let God arise and his enemies be scattered. Also, the dullness and the
morose attitude – P. Scibelli pointed to it. The heaviness of life. David danced with all his might
before the ark. One of our brothers said if you study the word, I think he said it this way. David
didn’t do anything – the only time he did something with all his might was when he danced
before the Lord. I feel like dancing tonight. I do. I feel like dancing. I feel like praising God.
There’s no heaviness. There’s just lightness. That Jesus has delivered us from all our enemies.
Redeemed our life from destruction. He has healed us from all our diseases and we forget not
all his benefits in Psalm 103.

So, at the end of the service if anyone wants to come up and dance with me, come on up. I’m
serious. Come on up right now. We’ll do it right now. We’re going to close in a minute. Get up
here. You want to come up and dance with me? Come on. Let’s go. I’ll show you how I’m going
to do it. Oh, yeah. We got it. Oh, yeah. We got it. The Lord is good. Amen. What does he do?
He inhabits the praises of his people. Amen. So, in Jesus’ name, would you stand with me right
now and just say it doesn’t cling to me anymore. It’s over. I’m believing God. In Jesus’ name.
(Prayer)

Please enjoy these sermon notes from the messages preached at Greater Grace Church in Baltimore. These notes are provided to aid in your study and understanding of the Word. Note that these notes do not represent complete, word-for-word transcriptions. Also, they may contain omissions as well as some errors in spelling and structure, etc., as we attempt to provide them as soon as possible. Our hope is that these notes serve as a way to help you search and connect with messages on related subjects and passages. Thank you for your interest in the ministry of Greater Grace.