A great blues song originally recorded by Ray Charles in the 1950's and comes off his "Sinners Prayers" album which was released to showcase some of Charles earlier songs that had an edge to them. Here in this track Ray Charles and BB King sing and play together in a great rendition of this classic song.
Ray Charles:
Ray Charles passed away on June 10, 2004, at his home in Beverly Hills, California. Ray Charles was a pioneer of soul music, integrating R&B, gospel, pop and country to create hits like "Unchain My Heart," "Hit the Road Jack" and "Georgia on My Mind." A blind genius, he is considered one of the greatest artists of all time. During his lifetime, Charles recorded more than 60 albums and performed more than 10,000 concerts. Born in Georgia in 1930, Ray Charles was a legendary musician who pioneered the genre of soul music during the 1950s. Often called the "Father of Soul," Charles combined blues, gospel and jazz to create groundbreaking hits such as "Unchain My Heart," "Hit the Road Jack" and "Georgia on My Mind." He died leaving a lasting impression on soul, blues, rock and roll and contemporary music.
BB King:
On May 14th, 2015, at 9:40pm, B.B. King passed away and the world became a smaller place. This is Buddy Guy’s statement on the passing of his friend. Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time ranked him third, behind only Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman. He learned the guitar as a boy, and after army service during the second world war busked to earn money, hitchhiking to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1947 where he was taught by, and played blues guitar with, his cousin Bukka White. From touring black bars and dance halls in his early career, he would end up headlining at New York’s Carnegie Hall, recording with the likes of Clapton and U2, with whom he collaborated on the 1989 track When Love Comes to Town. At the height of his career he was touring the world with his trademark Gibson guitars and performing 300 nights in a year. King won 15 Grammys, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and was awarded the National Medal of Arts. He died and like Ray Charles left a lasting impression on soul, blues, rock and roll and contemporary music.
Lord have mercy, lord have mercy on me.
Lord have mercy, lord have mercy on me.
Well if i've done somebody wrong,
I used to have plenty of money, the finest clothes in town,
But bad luck and trouble overtaken me, bound to get me down.
Please have mercy, lord have mercy on me.
Well if i've done somebody wrong,
lord, have mercy if you please.
Keep on working now, child.
Lord every morning.
Well if i've been a bad boy, baby,
i declare i'll change my ways.
I don't want bad luck and trouble to follow me all my days.
Please have mercy, lord have mercy on me.
Well if i've done somebody wrong,
lord, have mercy if you please.
The main theme that is in this track this morning is that of Prayer -"Lord have mercy on me" In other words "Lord come and help me" Prayer that is borne out of suffering. This is the theme also of the scripture that we will be reflecting on this morning from the Apostle Luke and his follow on work from his gospel "The Acts of The Apostles" Acts 4:23-31. In this prayer Peter and John face trial and suffering and their response is prayer.
The church in Jerusalem had taken off like a rocket. It was even experiencing some popularity in response to the power of God (2:47). This was all real, but it was also the calm before the storm. Chapter 4 begins a new chapter in church history: one that deals with pressures from without. Peter and John were incarcerated, interrogated and threatened as a means of intimidation. The horizon looked ominous. Clouds were gathering. The cross of Christ was behind them. The same men who crucified Jesus had now confronted and commanded these men to cease and desist from doing what Jesus had commanded them to do. The enemies of Jesus were very much visible. Jesus was not. How would they respond? - They prayed.
Acts 4:23-31 serves as a wonderful stimulant to the church as she faces the pressures, problems and persecutions that attend the church committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. When the church takes His person and work seriously then pressures from without (as from within—chapter 5) will be experienced. And when we ask, what shall we do? we should answer in the same way that this early church did: - We should pray.
Remember that Peter and John, having recently healed the paralysed man, had just been instructed by the Sanhedrin to stop preaching the gospel. With this order ringing fresh in their ears, they returned to the church and reported all that the Sanhedrin had said to them. “And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them” (v. 23).
Luke begins this section by informing us that Peter and John were “let go.” In accordance with Jewish tradition, the Sanhedrin issued the apostles their first (and only) warning before more drastic measures would be taken. This contrasted somewhat with God’s law in Deuteronomy 13:1-5, which stated that a proven false teacher was to be executed without warning, but nevertheless it remained Jewish tradition. The Sanhedrin remained hostile, despite the boldness of the apostles (see vv. 17-21) and the undeniable evidence of fact (v. 22). They had been backed into a corner, but still they came out swinging.
Though they were “let go,” Peter and John were aware that their troubles were not necessarily behind them. And yet they remained bold in their witness. Being released by the Sanhedrin, “they went to their own.” The phrase “their own” is, in the original language, a possessive pronoun. It indicates that the church belonged to Peter and John. It is the same phrase used to describe those who belonged to Jesus—both Israel as a unique covenant nation (John 1:11) and believers as a unique, covenant people (John 13:1). Peter and John felt a similar sense of belonging with the Jerusalem church, and so they immediately returned to the church upon their release. Their first “port of call” when in trouble was the church.
Returning to the church, Peter and John immediately “reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.” The phrase “reported” means “to declare” or “to announce.” The “chief priests” would include the current high priest, the captain of the temple, the temple overseer and perhaps some temple treasurers. It was another way of describing the temple elite. The “elders,” properly speaking, described the heads of the tribes, and so it was a work used of political leadership. Peter and John had been threatened by some powerful men, and they immediately reported this to the church.
Immediately upon receiving the report, the believers “raised their voice to God with one accord” (v. 24). As Peter and John turned to the church when they were under pressure, the church turned to the Lord of the church in their corporate pressure. John Stott notes, “Here is the Christian koinonia in action. . . . Having been bold in witness, they were equally bold in prayer.” They raised their voice “to God.” They did not protest to politicians. They did not complain to one another. They corporately responded with and in faith. Let’s pause to note that a prayerful response always trumps a panicked response!
They lifted their prayer to God “with one accord.” The phrase speaks of “the same mind,” “with one passion,” “one purpose,” “unanimously.” This was neither the first (Acts 1:14; 2:1, 46) nor the last (Acts 5:12; 15:25) time that the church would be united in purpose. The ESV says that “they lifted their voices.” I prefer the NKJV at this point, which tells us that they “raised their voice.” The idea is that everyone in the congregation simultaneously and individually began to pray, There was corporate outpouring and cohesiveness. The church was united in purpose as well as in perspective and in prayer.
The church addressed God as “Lord.” The Greek word here translated “Lord” is used only a handful of times in the New Testament. It is the word despotes, from which the English word “despot” is derived. We tend to think of a despot in a negative sense, but in truth the word simply describes an absolute master or ruler, one who has complete authority over his servants. Paul used the term in 1 Timothy 6:1 to describe “masters” of slaves. It was the term by which Simeon called on the Lord in Luke 2:29. The martyrs who cried to God for vengeance in Revelation 6:10 addressed him using this word. The principle is simply this: There is only one way to properly pray: recognising that we are His people and He is our God; recognising His absolute sovereignty.
God is sovereign when things are going well and when we suffer. When the Roman Catholic authorities once threatened Luther, and warned him that if he persisted in his reformations he would ultimately be deserted by all his supporters, they demanded, “Where will you be then?” Luther displayed a wonderful understanding of the Lord’s absolute authority when he replied, “Then as now, in the hands of God.” The church cried to God with confidence because they understood who God is.
This church recognised that it was God “who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them.” They recognised God as Creator and, conversely, recognised themselves as creatures. This distinction is crucial for true prayer.
They remembered that God is “provident.” They understood that all things—including the pressure that they were feeling at that very moment—happened only with the permission of God. They understood that they depended on God. And therefore they did not carelessly laugh in time of danger, but instead were driven by that danger to crave help at the hands of God.
In short, these prayer believers believed that God had a plan and the power to do it. So with their vision of God clarified, and themselves humbled before him, they prayed.
Acts 4:23-31 serves as a wonderful stimulant to the church as she faces the pressures, problems and persecutions that attend the church committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. When the church takes His person and work seriously then pressures from without (as from within—chapter 5) will be experienced. And when we ask, what shall we do? we should answer in the same way that this early church did: - We should pray.
Remember that Peter and John, having recently healed the paralysed man, had just been instructed by the Sanhedrin to stop preaching the gospel. With this order ringing fresh in their ears, they returned to the church and reported all that the Sanhedrin had said to them. “And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them” (v. 23).
Luke begins this section by informing us that Peter and John were “let go.” In accordance with Jewish tradition, the Sanhedrin issued the apostles their first (and only) warning before more drastic measures would be taken. This contrasted somewhat with God’s law in Deuteronomy 13:1-5, which stated that a proven false teacher was to be executed without warning, but nevertheless it remained Jewish tradition. The Sanhedrin remained hostile, despite the boldness of the apostles (see vv. 17-21) and the undeniable evidence of fact (v. 22). They had been backed into a corner, but still they came out swinging.
Though they were “let go,” Peter and John were aware that their troubles were not necessarily behind them. And yet they remained bold in their witness. Being released by the Sanhedrin, “they went to their own.” The phrase “their own” is, in the original language, a possessive pronoun. It indicates that the church belonged to Peter and John. It is the same phrase used to describe those who belonged to Jesus—both Israel as a unique covenant nation (John 1:11) and believers as a unique, covenant people (John 13:1). Peter and John felt a similar sense of belonging with the Jerusalem church, and so they immediately returned to the church upon their release. Their first “port of call” when in trouble was the church.
Returning to the church, Peter and John immediately “reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.” The phrase “reported” means “to declare” or “to announce.” The “chief priests” would include the current high priest, the captain of the temple, the temple overseer and perhaps some temple treasurers. It was another way of describing the temple elite. The “elders,” properly speaking, described the heads of the tribes, and so it was a work used of political leadership. Peter and John had been threatened by some powerful men, and they immediately reported this to the church.
Immediately upon receiving the report, the believers “raised their voice to God with one accord” (v. 24). As Peter and John turned to the church when they were under pressure, the church turned to the Lord of the church in their corporate pressure. John Stott notes, “Here is the Christian koinonia in action. . . . Having been bold in witness, they were equally bold in prayer.” They raised their voice “to God.” They did not protest to politicians. They did not complain to one another. They corporately responded with and in faith. Let’s pause to note that a prayerful response always trumps a panicked response!
They lifted their prayer to God “with one accord.” The phrase speaks of “the same mind,” “with one passion,” “one purpose,” “unanimously.” This was neither the first (Acts 1:14; 2:1, 46) nor the last (Acts 5:12; 15:25) time that the church would be united in purpose. The ESV says that “they lifted their voices.” I prefer the NKJV at this point, which tells us that they “raised their voice.” The idea is that everyone in the congregation simultaneously and individually began to pray, There was corporate outpouring and cohesiveness. The church was united in purpose as well as in perspective and in prayer.
The church addressed God as “Lord.” The Greek word here translated “Lord” is used only a handful of times in the New Testament. It is the word despotes, from which the English word “despot” is derived. We tend to think of a despot in a negative sense, but in truth the word simply describes an absolute master or ruler, one who has complete authority over his servants. Paul used the term in 1 Timothy 6:1 to describe “masters” of slaves. It was the term by which Simeon called on the Lord in Luke 2:29. The martyrs who cried to God for vengeance in Revelation 6:10 addressed him using this word. The principle is simply this: There is only one way to properly pray: recognising that we are His people and He is our God; recognising His absolute sovereignty.
God is sovereign when things are going well and when we suffer. When the Roman Catholic authorities once threatened Luther, and warned him that if he persisted in his reformations he would ultimately be deserted by all his supporters, they demanded, “Where will you be then?” Luther displayed a wonderful understanding of the Lord’s absolute authority when he replied, “Then as now, in the hands of God.” The church cried to God with confidence because they understood who God is.
This church recognised that it was God “who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them.” They recognised God as Creator and, conversely, recognised themselves as creatures. This distinction is crucial for true prayer.
They remembered that God is “provident.” They understood that all things—including the pressure that they were feeling at that very moment—happened only with the permission of God. They understood that they depended on God. And therefore they did not carelessly laugh in time of danger, but instead were driven by that danger to crave help at the hands of God.
In short, these prayer believers believed that God had a plan and the power to do it. So with their vision of God clarified, and themselves humbled before him, they prayed.
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