God is the Source
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A. Rapport for the time
Size of Mississippi river in Memphis crosses some ___________________Yrds. But did you know in Minnesota you can walk over the Mississippi river? Everything that is found after the source gets larger and larger as different river pour into the Mississippi river.
B. Reading of the text
1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church.
2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword,
3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread.
4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people.
5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.
6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison.
7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands.
8 And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”
9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him.
11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.
13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer.
14 Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate.
15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!”
16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed.
17 But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.
18 Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter.
19 And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.
C. Review of the text
D. Relevance of the text
I. Earthly Power
I. Earthly Power
1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church.
2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword,
3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread.
4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people.
5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.
Part of understanding this passage is to know that it is out of order. “About that time” refers to the time when Antioch church was preparing its relief offering for the church in Jerusalem
27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.
28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius).
29 So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea.
30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.
We have King Herod Agrippa I. He was the grandson of Herod the Great. Agrippa’s Father had been executed in 7 B.C. by his grandfather because he feared that he might take his throne. So King Herod Agrippa I comes from a long line of people that will do anything they need to do to get power and to stay in power.
Emperor Caligula had made Herod the King in A.D. 37
Emperor Claudius in A.D. 41 had put him in power over Judea and Samaria making him King of the Jews in ruling Judea, Samaria, Galilee, the Transjordan, and the Decapolis.
Ultimately he will keep his power by pleasing the Jews and them wanting him to stay in power. That is how we come to come to the passage this am.
Laid violent hands
This is a King trying to both establish and Keep his authority of the ones that he rules over. He kills Jame the brother of John by the sword. What is amazing is that Herod has killed James by using instructions from Scripture.
12 “If you hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you to dwell there,
13 that certain worthless fellows have gone out among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known,
14 then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you,
15 you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction, all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword.
This means James was accused of leading people to follow false Gods. James the brother of John died because of His sharing Christ as savior and Lord and upsetting those who wanted nothing to do with Christ.
3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread.
Killing James pleased the Jews who believed only in themselves and not in a relationship with the Lord and this leads Herod to want to please them more. From an Earthly man trying to keep power this makes perfect sense. If they thought it was great you took out James how happy will they be when you take out the loud mouth leader of the group Peter. He takes him into custody but it is during the days of Unleavened Bread which is the Week after Passover.
4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people.
5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.
6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison.
King Herod is determined to keep Peter in Prison. He has obviously heard from the Sanhedrin what happened when they had apostles in Jail back in Acts 5.
17 But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy
18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.
19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,
20 “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.”
What they do to Peter sounds a bit much if you didn’t know what happened with the apostles in Acts 5.
6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison.
Peter has to sleep with two soldiers bound to him in chains and two more at the prison door to be assured their was no way of escape. And then 4 groups of 4 soldiers guarded Peter this way so that the group could stay alert at all times. This is the solution of one who has Earthly power and understands nothing of the power of God.
T.S. We have seen this earthly power in action let us see heavenly power in action.
II. Heavenly Power
II. Heavenly Power
A. God has plans for Peter
A. God has plans for Peter
7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands.
This would not be called an escape plan by Peter and the disciples. We have followers that are praying for the deliverance and safety of Peter. Peter is asleep being chained to two guys.
Could you have been asleep
James is dead by the sword
Chained to two men
2 guards at the door
You are guaranteed to lose your life in your own power in this situation.
Yet you are asleep..WOW
Oh that we would have this kind of faith. This type of rest can only come from the Lord.
8 And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”
9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him.
11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
You have to love vs. 11.
Who set Peter free? What did Peter have to do with it?
Would we even have a good reason as to why he has been set free?
B. Peter’s visit to the Prayer warriors
B. Peter’s visit to the Prayer warriors
12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.
Luke is doing it again…He is introducing John Mark to us. He will be significant
25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark.
5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them.
13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem,
This next portion of scripture is just fun! It is so real life.
13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer.
14 Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate.
Just to be clear if I ever show up to your door after being in prison because they planned on killing me for sharing the Gospel…LET ME IN!
15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!”
16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed.
17 But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.
She has lost her mind
It has to be his angel..we would say you must have seen his ghost.
Why would they not believer her
Also, was this not the very thing that they prayed about?
Acts (2) Peter’s Miraculous Deliverance from Prison (12:6–19a)
They found it easier to believe that Peter had died and gone to heaven than that their prayers had been answered
Do we ask for things and yet don’t believe they are possible?
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
He informs them in vs. 17 to inform James..whom we are introduced to here and He would be the leader of the church in Jerusalem from this point forward. James is the oldest of Jesus’ brother.
C. Peter Goes to Caesarea
C. Peter Goes to Caesarea
18 Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter.
19 And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.
Application:
Prayer---asking and receiving
We have been redeemed not of ourselves it is God. He is the source.
But beloved not only is he the source at the beginning he is the source yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Living in the Kingdom is difficult but God is more than capable of caring for you and I.