Jailbreak
Acts • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewThe persecution of the early church is similar to the persecution that God's people will go through in the last days. We can learn through these stories how to be prepared.
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One day, while my son Zac and I were out in the country, climbing around in some cliffs, I heard a voice from above me yell, "Hey Dad! Catch me!" I turned around to see Zac joyfully jumping off a rock straight at me. He had jumped and them yelled "Hey Dad!" I became an instant circus act, catching him. We both fell to the ground. For a moment after I caught him I could hardly talk.
When I found my voice again I gasped in exasperation: "Zac! Can you give me one good reason why you did that???"
He responded with remarkable calmness: "Sure...because you're my Dad." His whole assurance was based in the fact that his father was trustworthy. He could live life to the hilt because I could be trusted. Isn't this even more true for a Christian?
Tim Hansel, Holy Sweat, 1987, Word Books Publisher, pp. 46-47.
We do this,
go through life
celebrating and crying.
Disciples believed
if it happened
God let it
Trust Him...
Nothing more...
About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church.
Herod - Different
Jesus Childhood
Jesus Death
Wanted to make
Jews happy.
Pretending to be Jew
persecuting Christians.
He killed James the brother of John with the sword,
James was leader of Church
First disciple martyred
and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread.
Why does God
let James die
Save Peter?
Furthermore
we tell and retell story
of Peter’s deliverance
No stories about
James dying?
Both God’s will...
Hard to accept
God knows what
will glorify him most
in each situation.
Just Trust Him!!!!
David, a 2-year old with leukemia, was taken by him mother, Deborah, to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, to see Dr. John Truman who specializes in treating children with cancer and various blood diseases. Dr. Truman's prognosis was devastating: "He has a 50-50 chance." The countless clinic visits, the blood tests, the intravenous drugs, the fear and pain--the mother's ordeal can be almost as bad as the child's because she must stand by, unable to bear the pain herself. David never cried in the waiting room, and although his friends in the clinic had to hurt him and stick needles in him, he hustled in ahead of him mother with a smile, sure of the welcome he always got.
When he was three, David had to have a spinal tap--a painful procedure at any age. It was explained to him that, because he was sick, Dr. Truman had to do something to make him better. "If it hurts, remember it's because he loves you," Deborah said. The procedure was horrendous. It took three nurses to hold David still, while he yelled and sobbed and struggled. When it was almost over, the tiny boy, soaked in sweat and tears, looked up at the doctor and gasped, "Thank you, Dr. Tooman, for my hurting."
Monica Dickens, Miracles of Courage, 1985.
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.
16 soldiers
Escaped before
Not this time.
After Passover
afraid to during passover.
sympathy of people
Powerful sermon
Appeal
Teaching Jesus
So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.
James already killed
Prayer for Peter
A television program preceding the 1988 Winter Olympics featured blind skiers being trained for slalom skiing, impossible as that sounds. Paired with sighted skiers, the blind skiers were taught on the flats how to make right and left turns. When that was mastered, they were taken to the slalom slope, where their sighted partners skied beside them shouting, "Left!" and "Right!" As they obeyed the commands, they were able to negotiate the course and cross the finish line, depending solely on the sighted skiers' word. It was either complete trust or catastrophe.
Acts 12:6 (ESV)
Now when Herod was about to bring him out...
Public execution
Assigned day
Everyone knew about it.
No theater,
No Movies
This was entertainment
Crowd would be there.
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.
Think about this,
Peter knows
executed next day
What are believer doing
staying up prayer for him.
asking for deliverance
What is Peter doing?
sleeping...
How could he sleep?
complete trust in God.
Last Days and Faith
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.
Peter is awake
but not awake.
Not sure,
is this a dream
a vision
or real life.
Stares at Angel
obeys his commands.
Gets up
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.”
Get’s dressed.
perhaps hardly realizes
was just chained
now not chained.
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.
Imagine mind of Peter
real?
dream?
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.
Gates automatically open
on their own
garage door opener
Complete silence
Peter is still confused
until standing outside
familiar street
angle disappears
left alone
still pinching himself.
Finally realizes
this is not a dream.
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.”
What to do now?
Go talk to the other Christians.
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.
People were gathered
praying for Peter.
All night prayer session
please deliver Peter.
Acts 12:13–15 (ESV)
And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 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. 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!”
Knocks door
Rhoda so excited
forgets to open door.
Runs to tell everyone
they say she is crazy.
Isn’t it ironic
they are there praying
for his deliverance.
But once God does deliver him,
they don’t believe...
Which one is it?
you have faith for deliverance
or not?
Do we believe our own prayers?
A tale is told about a small town that had historically been “dry,” but then a local businessman decided to build a tavern. A group of Christians from a local church were concerned and planned an all-night prayer meeting to ask God to intervene. It just so happened that shortly thereafter lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground. The owner of the bar sued the church, claiming that the prayers of the congregation were responsible, but the church hired a lawyer to argue in court that they were not responsible. The presiding judge, after his initial review of the case, stated that “no matter how this case comes out, one thing is clear. The tavern owner believes in prayer and the Christians do not.” (Why Christians Sin, J. K. Johnston, Discovery House, 1992, p. 129).
Commanding God
Commanding God
A noted clergyman was asked by a colleague why the loud, vehement praying of his earlier days had given way to a more quiet, persuasive manner of speech. The man laughed. “When I was young,” he said, “I thought it was the thunder that killed people, but when I grew up I discovered it was lightning. So I determined that in the future I would thunder less and lighten more.” (Maxwell Droke in the Encyclopedia of Illustrations #9558)
Peter Sleeps in trust
James dies in faith
Don’t command God
But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed.
The whole time,
Peter still at door
knocking away...
Finally let him in,
end of that prayer meeting.
place is in uproar.
excitement
confusion
joy
fear
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.
He tells them the story,
then he leaves town.
Execution Day
Execution Day
Can you imagine
next day
soldiers confused
everyone there for execution
Herod calls for prisoner.
Not there...
Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter.
They knew,
their life on the line.
But none know
how he escaped.
Acts 12:19 (ESV)
And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death...
Herod is angry
plans foiled
please Jews
Failed
Interrogated guards...
knows miracle...
But refused to accept
rejects God’s leading
kills guards
cancels execution entertainment
The Lost are Lost by choice
We were on our annual Christmas trek to Chicago. Each year we brought our family to spend time with Grandpa and Grandma and visit the museums. This year we decided to finish our Christmas shopping at suburban Woodfield Mall. In the midst of all the fun and excitement, one of us noticed that little three-and-a-half- year-old Matthew was gone. Terror immediately struck our hearts. We had heard the horror stories: little children kidnapped in malls, rushed to a rest room, donned in different clothes and altered hairstyle, and then swiftly smuggled out, never to be seen again...We split up, each taking an assigned location. Mine was the parking lot. I'll never forget that night--kicking through the newly fallen snow, calling out his name at the top of my lungs. I felt like an abject fool, yet my concern for his safety outweighed all other feelings.
Unsuccessful, I trudged back to our meeting point. My wife, Martie, had not found him, nor had my mother. And then my dad appeared, holding little Matthew by the hand. Our hearts leapt for joy. Interestingly enough, Matthew was untraumatized. He hadn't been crying. To him, there had been no problem. I asked my father where he had found him. "The candy counter," he replied. "You should have seen him. His eyes came just about as high as the candy. He held his little hands behind his back and moved his head back and forth, surveying all the luscious options." Matthew didn't look lost. He didn't know he was lost. He was oblivious to the phenomenal danger he was in. This is a candy-counter culture, where people who don't look lost and don't know they're lost live for consumption.
Joseph M. Stowell, Moody Monthly, December, 1989, p. 4.
Acts 12:19–21 (ESV)
… Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.
… On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them.
Herod goes to speak
festival
political resolutions
speech
dressed royal robes
Caesarea by Sea
Phillip Preached there
Cornelius Lives there
Christians there
exposed to truth.
And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!”
Crowd says
this is a God
not a man.
Amazing speech
beautiful clothes
hypnotized.
Many in crowd
Crucify Him
The media of the day.
Hypnotized by Media
Mind control
media today.
Peer Pressure
Hypnotized by Boredom
Highway Hypnosis
Serious and immediate
consequences
Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.
Died there
in front of everyone
Public execution
his own...
But the word of God increased and multiplied.
Imagine the stories
Peter freed
Herod dies in front of everyone...
People begin to think,
need to know more about
this Jesus...
Once there was an old man who lived in a tiny village. Although poor, he was envied by all, for he owned a beautiful white horse. Even the king coveted his treasure. A horse like this had never been seen before; such was its splendor, its majesty, its strength.
People offered fabulous prices for the steed, but the old man always refused. "This horse is not a horse to me," he would tell them. "It is a person How could you sell a person? He is a friend, not a possession. How could you sell a friend?" The man was poor and the temptation was great. But he never sold the horse.
One morning he found that the horse was not in the stable. All the village came to see him. "You old fool," they scoffed, "we told you that someone would steal your horse. We warned you that you would be robbed. You are so poor. How could you ever hope to protect such a valuable animal? It would have been better to have sold him. You could have gotten whatever price you wanted. No amount would have been too high. Now the horse is gone, and you've been cursed with misfortune."
The old man responded, "Don't speak too quickly. Say only that the horse is not in the stable. That is all we know; the rest is judgment. If I've been cursed or not, how can you know? How can you judge?"
The people contested, "Don't make us out to be fools! We may not be philosophers, but great philosophy is not needed. The simple fact is that your horse is gone is a curse."
The old man spoke again. "All I know is that the stable is empty, and the horse is gone. The rest I don't know. Whether it be a curse or a blessing, I can't say. All we can see is a fragment. Who can say what will come next?"
The people of the village laughed. They thought that the man was crazy. They had always thought he was a fool; if he wasn't, he would have sold the horse and lived off the money. But instead, he was a poor woodcutter, an old man still cutting firewood and dragging it out of the forest and selling it. he lived hand to mouth in the misery of poverty. Now he had proven that he was, indeed, a fool.
After fifteen days, the horse returned. He hadn't been stolen; he had run away into the forest. Not only had he returned, he had brought a dozen wild horses with him. Once again the village people gathered around the woodcutter and spoke. "Old man, you were right and we were wrong. What we thought was a curse was a blessing. Please forgive us."
The man responded, "Once again, you go too far. Say only that the horse is back. State only that a dozen horses returned with him, but don't judge. How do you know if this is a blessing or not? You see only a fragment. Unless you know the whole story, how can you judge? You read only one page of a book. Can you judge the whole book? You read only one word of a phrase. Can you understand the entire phrase?
"Life is so vast, yet you judge all of life with one page or one word. All you have is a fragment! Don't say that this is a blessing. No one knows. I am content with what I know. I am not perturbed by what I don't."
"Maybe the old man is right," they said to one another. So they said little. But down deep, they knew he was wrong. They knew it was a blessing. Twelve wild horses had returned with one horse. With a little bit of work, the animals could be broken and trained and sold for much money.
The old man had a son, an only son. The young man began to break the wild horses. After a few days, he fell from one of the horses and broke both legs. Once again the villagers gathered around the old man and cast their judgments.
"You were right," they said. "You proved you were right. The dozen horses were not a blessing. They were a curse. Your only son has broken his legs, and now in your old age you have no one to help you. Now you are poorer than ever."
The old man spoke again. "You people are obsessed with judging. Don't go so far. Say only that my son broke his legs. Who knows if it is a blessing or a curse? No one knows. We only have a fragment. Life comes in fragments."
It so happened that a few weeks later the country engaged in war against a neighboring country. All the young men of the village were required to join the army. Only the son of the old man was excluded, because he was injured. Once again the people gathered around the old man, crying and screaming because their sons had been taken. There was little chance that they would return. The enemy was strong, and the war would be a losing struggle. They would never see their sons again.
"You were right, old man," they wept. "God knows you were right. This proves it. Your son's accident was a blessing. His legs may be broken, but at least he is with you. Our sons are gone forever."
The old man spoke again. "It is impossible to talk with you. You always draw conclusions. No one knows. Say only this: Your sons had to go to war, and mine did not. No one knows if it is a blessing or a curse. No one is wise enough to know. Only God knows."
We do this,
go through life
celebrating and crying.
Disciples believed
if it happened
God let it
Trust Him...
Nothing more...
Lessons
Lessons
God is in Control
Pray and Trust
Sometimes God Delivers
Sometimes He Does Not
Accept God’s Infinite Wisdom
Don’t Demand or Expect Deliverance
Appeal
Appeal
Trust God
Serve Him
Let the Chips Fall where they may
Praise God no matter what