But the Church Prayed

An Impossible Situation

Herod the king was half Jewish and half Idumean. His mother was Jewish and his father was Idumean. He was deeply interested in the Jewish culture and desired to be accepted by the Jews. However because He wasn’t fully Jewish he did not get full acceptance from the Jews. This is why he had James put to death and Peter arrested. The Bible says Acts 12:1-3

Acts 12:1–3 (NASB95)

Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to mistreat them. And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword. When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now it was during the days of Unleavened Bread.

So when Herod arrested Peter he assign four guards to keep him from escaping. To put this in the perspective the most vicious criminals were only assigned two guards. Not only did He assign four guards but he chained both of his arms Herod wanted to make sure that Peter did not escape because he thought that by killing Peter He would certainly be accepted by the Jews.

Peter knew the intent of Herod. He was in a bad spot. One that seemingly would be disastrous for him.

Impossible situations today

You may find yourself in an impossible situation like Peter. Though the possible ramifications may not be as severe they certainly feel like it. You may see no hope in your situation. I want to tell you today that there is hope in Christ.

In the last two weeks we have had two suicides in the community that Rachel and I live in. These were influential leaders in our community that found themselves in a hopeless situation and believed the lie that Satan whispered to them that there was no hope for them. Unfortunately they listened to the lie and took their own life.

If you are here this morning and you find yourself thinking that you are in a hopeless situation, don’t believe the lie. There is hope in Christ! Please talk to someone! It can be your closest friend, someone in the church, me, or a counselor. Do not believe the lie that Satan is telling you!

Satan’s agend is 1 Peter 5:8-9

1 Peter 5:8–9 (NASB95)

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.

He seeks to devour you and destroy you. Do not listen to him, but instead resist him.

Listen to Jesus in John 10:10

John 10:10 NASB95

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Jesus has come to give you life abundantly. This promise should bring you hope. The temporary difficulty that you may be facing may be the very thing that brings you close to the Lord.

If you find yourself in an impossible situation put your hope in Christ and talk to someone that can help you, pray for you, or counsel you. Do not do something that cannot be fixed. Suicide is never the right answer!

But the Church Prayed

We see Peter in a terrible situation. But the church does as well. They do the most powerful thing that they can do. Acts 12:5

Acts 12:5 NASB95

So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.

The Greek word for fervently here is ektenes. Its meaning is taking a muscle to its limits. In workout language it is going to failure. This is going so far that you physically cannot go any further. This is how diligent the church was praying for Peter. They were praying to the point of exhaustion. They had such a deep love, care, and concern for Peter that they prayed fervently.

Church, that is what we are to do for one another! We need to have such a care for one another that we are willing to pray to the point of exhaustion. When someone is hurting and going through something that is beyond their ability to control, will you be willing to pray fervently for them? This will take time, energy, emotion, and spiritual exhaustion. These are the prayers that matter and get the attention of the Lord.

When we commit to pray for someone we should not take it lightly. If we commit, we should be willing to give everything in prayer and not just a token request. I believe prayer is the connection that brings the resources of heaven down to earth. As we pray let’s be mindful of this and recognize that the resources from heaven will always be more than adequate to handle the troubles of this world!

God’s Answer To the Church’s Prayer

Acts 12:6–7 (NASB95)

On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And his chains fell off his hands.

Peter’s Escape

The obvious thing we see here is the deliverance of Peter from his seemingly hopeless situation. God sent an angel of the Lord to miraculously deliver Peter from prison.

The church prayed and God sent His resources. Notice that the church did not tell the Lord how to deliver Him, they just prayed for him. God had resources that we know nothing about to bring about His will.

The angel of the Lord shown his light in the cell, kept the guards asleep, unfastened the chains of Peter, got him past the guards, and opened the city gate for Peter to escape. This seems impossible. but let me remind you of Matt. 19:26

Matthew 19:26 NASB95

And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Here Jesus is speaking of salvation, but i believe the principle is the same when we face impossible situations. God is able to more than we can imagine. Eph. 3:20

Ephesians 3:20 NASB95

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,

Peter’s Peace

Though the obvious answer to the church’s prayer is the deliverance of Peter, I want us to pay attention to the posture of Peter in this situation. HE IS ASLEEP! How could he sleep in such a situation like this. He is expected to be killed the next day. However, the church prayed and Peter rested. Peter knew that this would not end in his demise because Jesus told him that he would live to be an old man. He had not reached the age of an old man. John 21:18

John 21:18 NASB95

“Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.”

Jesus told Peter this after his resurrection. Peter had faith in what the Lord promised and it was this promise that brought Peter peace in the midst of this seemingly hopeless situation.

Friends, I want to remind you of the love of God and his wonderful promises to us. May we find these promises a source of peace in the middle of our difficult time.

Herod’s Demise

After Peter’s escape Herod killed the guards that were in charge of Peter. When he didn’t get to execute Peter and gain approval of the Jews he left Jerusalem and went down to Caesarea. While there he gave an address to the people to gain their favor. The people began to proclaim that Herod was a god. Again God sent an angel to kill Herod for receiving the praise of the people and not giving the glory to God. Then he faced the humiliating death of being eaten by worms and dying.

God has a way of dealing with people that try to stop His will. This should give us hope that there is no one more powerful than God and when we are working to accomplish His purpose not even a king can stop us.

The Gospel Spread

Acts 12:24 NASB95

But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.

God was going to use Peter to continue to spread the gospel. He took extreme measures to make sure that it happened.

I would like to share God’s purpose for us because he will take extreme measures to make sure that it happens. Matt. 28:19-20

Matthew 28:19–20 (NASB95)

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”