Breakdown, Breakout, Breakthrough

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is with love and joy that I share the Word of God with the saints of Durbin Memorial Baptist Church. Our church exists by grace, for glory, in love.

Until I was 26 years old, I had never been on an airplane. There was a man at my church at the time who had his pilate’s license. I was talking to him about preparing to go on my first flight for Cassidy and I’s honeymoon and he said he could get me up in the air sooner to break me in. I jumped on the opportunity. We drove down to the London Kentucky airport and hopped in a little 2 seater cesna airplane. We flew up I75, toured around familiar parts of Lexington, turned back around and looked over Cumberland falls. It was an awesome time.

Thinking back on it, one of the interesting things that happened, other than my nausea when that little plane hit big turbulence, but was interesting was all of the communication that my friend and pilot was having with the local air-traffic controllers. The London Kentucky Airport isn’t exactly the busiest airport in the world, yet particularly when we were taking off and getting ready to land there was constant communication and guidance to ensure that we were going to be safe throughout our trip.

Now, my experience in the cockpit was on a day of beautiful weather. And even then I recognized how important the air traffic controller was, but I can only imagine how vital they are in bad weather. You see, from the cockpit of the plane, you can only really see what’s directly in front of you. But the Traffic Controllers have additional radars and communication with all the other planes in the sky. In bad weather, pilots rely completely on their instruments and controller instructions to avoid collisions and land safely. During IFR (Instrument flight rule) conditions like fog, storms, or at night, pilots must obey ATC instructions precisely. A pilot might not even see the runway until the last few hundred feet before landing. Without a controller’s voice, disorientation can set in fast in bad weather. The Air Traffic Controller is vital for the pilot in all situations and that is especially evident in the times of a storm.

Which brings us to the big idea for our sermon this morning.

Big Idea:

Even when it seems like everything is falling apart, God is sovereign over opposition, working behind the scenes, and ensuring His purposes will prevail. We rely on Him to get us through the storm.

Pilots rely on unseen people in the tower who guide planes safely in and out of chaotic skies. From the cockpit, it can feel like you're alone in a storm. But someone sees the whole picture.

If you haven’t already, open your Bibles to Acts 12. For the last few weeks, we have been walking through the internal conflict in the early church. They were divided over expanding the church beyond the early jewish believers and opening to people from all nations. They have come to trust that God’s salvation is for all types of people from all backgrounds and have had the holes in their holiness addressed and repaired in that area. Today, we will see not internal conflict, but external.

“In Acts 12, it looks like everything is going down in flames—leaders imprisoned, others executed, the church under attack. But behind the scenes, the ultimate Controller is guiding events toward a divine outcome.”

Let’s look through these events to see how God is working through all things and prevailing, even in the storm. We will begin with the breakdown. Read with me verses 1-5.

I. Breakdown – When God’s People Are Pressed (Acts 12:1–5)

Acts 12:1–5 ESV

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.

Exposition:

The situation has changed drastically between the lasts verse of chapter 11 and the first verse of chapter 12. Chapter 11 ended with the church working together to make sure that members are fed and cared for when a famine would reach the area. Now things have taken a violent turn. Herod Agrippa the First is laying violent hands on the church. We’ve recently had a lot of discussion on Herod in the Men’s Bible study, and when you see this name pop up in Scripture, it’s easy to get confused. Herod is the family name of the ruling dynasty in that area for the time. The Herods were Jewish by ancestry, but supported and worked for the Roman rulers. To boil it down maybe over simplistically, they were in charge of keeping the Jewish areas in line for the Roman empire. And it was a family affair. The position would pass down from generation to generations. At Jesus birth, there was Herod the Great, at the death of John the baptist there was Herod Antipas his son, Here there is Herod Agrippa the First, then by the time you get to the end of the book of Acts you’ll see Agrippa II. What we need to recognize as we are reading our passage today is that this family has been in constant opposition to God all throughout their existence. Here, Herod is working to please the Jewish leaders who deny Jesus as King by persecuting the early Church.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen persecution in the book of Acts. However it is a new strategy. When Saul was standing against the church, he went house to house, looking for followers of Christ. Herod, here, opts to attack the leaders of the church in hopes of breaking the morale of the church. He starts with James, the brother of John, striking him down with the sword. This James was one of the three people closest to Jesus during his earthly ministry. He was with John and Peter to witness the majesty of Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration. His testimony and witness would have been held in high regard in the early church. While others had been martyred for faith in Christ like Stephen, this is the first time the church would grieve over an apostle. This pleased the Jews that denied Christ and so Herod presses on to imprison the apostle Peter with four squads of soldiers to guard him and prevent any shenanigans.

All of this was a massive blow to the church. This had the potential to be a massive breakdown in the growth of the church. Can you imagine what this felt like for the church? One of their most trusted leaders executed. Another imprisoned. Would they be next? Would the movement die with its leaders?They are left with only one thing to do: pray.

Let’s make some Key Observations:

Opposition is going to happen. Persecution is certainly possible. However, opposition is not evidence of God’s absence. We will see that throughout the remainder of this text.

Then we see that James is martyred while Peter will be saved? In our own lives we may go through situations that our cohorts do not. Does that mean that God loves them more than us? Does God love Peter more than James? Certainly not! When you recognized that all God’s people enjoy His presence for all of eternity, the difference in temporal deliverance is certainly not an indication of the degrees of love God has for his people. If we think about Paul, he said he desired to depart and be with Christ, knowing how much better it will be with Christ and glory, than living in this world of sin. My point is that we ought not to question the love of God by comparing our circumstances and outcome to others. Jesus lived and died and rose again to save you and seal you for glory! If you know that truth, you are blessed beyond measure!

Then we should note the church turns to fervent, earnest prayer—stretched-out, desperate prayer. Praying without ceasing. This same adjective is used to describe how Jesus prayed in the garden so deeply that his sweat became like drops of blood raining down to the ground. Church, when is the last time we prayed like that? I know we have needs, are we taking them before the God of our Salvation? Are we praising Him through tears and relying on His provision?

The situation the church was in could be likened to a pressure cooker.

A pressure cooker works by using heat and pressure to prepare food in fast and efficient manner. The early church is under intense pressure, things are heating up, but this is the time when faith is often deepened, dependence on God grows, and the Lord works even through the discomfort to prepare the masterpiece of His church!

What does this mean for our application?

Well, we need to know that sometimes God allows the pressure to build— to build our faith and display His power!

When you face breakdown moments—don’t interpret pressure as abandonment.

Ask: “How can I respond in prayer instead of panic?” Father, how are you growing me in this moment? Deepen my faith!

Church, are you earnest in your prayer in the face of pressure?

The early church in our text this morning was on the brink of breakdown, next we will see a break out. Look to verses 6-19.

II. Breakout – When God Moves in the Dark (Acts 12:6–19)

Acts 12:6–19 ESV

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.

Exposition:

So it is the night before Peter is going to be on trial and Peter is sleeping. We’ve talked about this before, particularly during our Christmas series, but there is a natural connection between peace and sleep. This isn’t to say that every time anyone who struggles with sleep is not at peace, but rather that when we are not experience peace that often struggle with sleep. Peter shows no signs of restlessness. He isn’t biting his nails, or pacing around, or even trying to grease the palms of the prison guards to make his escape. No, he’s sleeping because he knows that whatever outcome happens in this situation, God is still good. Someone said, “Peter was guarded by soldiers, but his heart was guarded by God.

Peter was as such peace in his deep sleep that he didn’t even notice the ANGEL enter and fill the entire cell with bright light. Kinda like my wife when its my turn to take the baby at night, the angel had to strike Peter on the side to wake him up! Peter wakes up and the chains fall off. Peter, unsure if this was a vision or actually happening, follows the angel and they walk past the guards, they get to the gate and it opens for them. This is an important moment to note that everything happening here is bigger than Peter. We’re not reading about Peter’s great escape plan, we’re reading about God’s great power! Peter admits this in verse 11 when he says, “The Lord has sent his angel and rescued me!” All glory in this situation is God’s!

Peter, full of joy and praise to God, runs to the house where the church was gathered in prayer, and is met by Rhoda. She’s so overjoyed that she doesn’t even let him in. She tells the folks, “Peter is here!” And they think she’s crazy! But Peter just keeps knocking! They finally get the door and are amazed. The church was not expecting God to work this out this way. They had still been praying and they can’t believe it when their prayer is answered!

Herod and company are also surprised.

Let’s make some Key Observations:

God operates beyond natural means—this story is a real example of supernatural intervention. None of this is “normal.” While God most often works through natural processes, we cannot assume that God is limited by nature. He is the author of nature and Lord of All. As Christ calmed the waters of the seas with the sound of His Voice, we are reminded that God can act in anyways He chooses and that His action is always in line with His will.

Peter’s calm sleep reminds us that we can trust God is in control.

The prayer meeting believed in God—but didn’t expect this answer. We can be tempted to put a limit on the power of God. But when we look back we can often laugh like the church in Jerusalem at how short sighted we were and how God was working for our good and His glory all along. "Even when we sleep, God doesn’t. Even when we can’t see the path before us, God does and leads us through it?”

This past summer, my family took a vacation to Florida. As we were driving down the interstate, just past Atlanta, I got a notification on my GPS that there was a severe thunderstorm ahead. It asked if I wanted to reroute, add an hour to our trip, and avoid the storm ahead. In the moment, I ignored the notification. I didn’t want to add time and I know how to drive in the rain. So we kept going. And I kid you not, we came across the worse storm I have ever driven through in my life. Spoiler alert, you’re looking at me today, so we made it through. But I don’t know if I can describe the magnitude of this storm. As we entered through it, the entire sky was black, not dark, black. The rain was coming down at a rate that made me think a hurricane made its way to inland Georgia! The winds were blowing extremely hard. It was bad enough that I even turned my cautions on, and I never do that. In that moment, barely seeing a few feet in front of my face, I couldn’t do anything else but follow the GPS, stay the course, and ride through the storm. There are times you might not see the road, but the GPS knows the way. In our text this morning, Peter didn’t initially see the plan, the church didn’t know what to do, but in every moment they followed the Lord step by step—trusting His direction and brought them through.

As we think about this in the context of our day to day lives we need to understand:

We are going to go through difficult times. But know that God is bigger than and working through our difficulties. There is no situation so daunting that it outside of the control of our God. We’re called to be obedient throughout the storm, following the GPS of God’s Word and Spirit. Knowing that He has it handled even when we don’t know how.

Church, do you expect God to work in your darkness? I know how easy it is to lose sight of this and turn inward. But don't stop praying just because it feels like nothing’s happening. The verse I come back to so often is Romans 8:28 “28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” God is not dead nor doth He sleep, He is working in this very moment and if you know Him as Lord you can be rest assured that it is for your good!

So church, when the answer knocks at your door—open it! When we are praying in line with the Will of God, we will see the revealed will of God in our lives. We don’t ought not to expect God to bend our will, answering everything exactly like we think it should happen, but we ought to know and trust that God will answer in line with HIS will and that His will is better than we could imagine.

Which leads us to the final portion of our text this morning, read with me verses 20-25.

III. Breakthrough – When God Turns the Tables (Acts 12:20–25)

Acts 12:20–25 ESV

20 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. 21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22 And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23 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. 24 But the word of God increased and multiplied. 25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark.

We’ve seen in the beginning of this text that the situation was dark. It had the potential to breakdown the early church and stifle it’s growth. But then God orchestrated a magnificent breakout, and here we see the major break through, when God turns the tables of the whole situation.

Church, God will not share His glory—and His kingdom will not be stopped.

Exposition:

You see Herod thought that he was too big to be messed with. We know that Herod was upset with the prison guards for allowing Peter to escape, but Herod moved on to ruling over the area. We read here about a political situation between Herod and the people of Tyre and Sidon. They come to some form of an agreement and Herod brings the area together to make a big speech. The historian Josephus gives even more details about this event. Herod gathered the people in the famous arena in Caesarea. He wore a glistening silver robe, and began speaking with ultimate authority. The people throw flatteries at Herod and say, “ This is the voice of a God, not a man.” Herod loves the crowd’s worship. He knows his lineage. He knows the power he holds. He knows he can imprison and kill anyone he sees fit. Herod is a self-exalting glory hog, basking in his moment.

Then an angel strikes for the second time in our story. First was the gentle nudge to wake Peter up, this time a crushing blow that would cause Herod’s demise.

No one is so powerful that they are beyond the judgment of God.

We began this chapter seeing Herod’s attempt to stifle the church. We end with his demise and the glorious break through in verse 24, “But the word of God increased and multiplied.”

Saul and Barnabas and Mark would gather again in Jerusalem and prepare for more missionary journeys, increasing the multiplication of the kingdom.

Let’s make some Key Observations:

Earthly pride meets divine justice. Herod’s power is temporary. He may have thought that he had everything under his control, but he messed around and found out that it is God who’s got this whole world in HIS hands. This is something that all of us must recognize before it is too late. You can’t be the lord of this world. That position is taken by Christ Jesus! The only right way to live in this world is to live in submission to Him!

Because God defends His glory and opposes the proud (James 4:6). When we understand the great control that God has over His creation, it ought to humble us. We see that He is bigger. His plan is better. And His plan is working even when I can’t see how. Just because my perspective is limited by circumstances, doesn’t mean that God is not at work. So we, then, are humble. We understand God’s got this. We don’t puff up with pride and think ourselves bigger than God, we rely on Him knowing that while He opposes the proud, He gives grace to humble!

An church, don’t overlook the fact in our text this morning and in our world today that despite political pressure and persecution, the gospel advances. God is working out His plan of redemption and while things may seem bleak in the moment, take heart in knowing the gospel is still advancing! It’s still going forward! The gospel cannot be stopped.

This week I attended the meeting of the Central Kentucky Network of Baptists. There I heard from a pastor of an international congregation here in Lexington. Due to the sensitivity of the situation, I only feel comfortable sharing some details here with the livestream rolling. However, he shared with us that the country in which his congregation originally hails has outlawed preaching of the gospel. Churches are being shut down. Pastors are discouraged. Things are looking dim. Do you know what this pastor’s response to that is? He’s going to go there, and hold a pastor’s conference to encourage them to press on for the glorious prize that is before them. He is holing on to the hope that gospel will continue to advance, even under difficult circumstances and is following the Lord to do his part in fighting the good fight!

I don’t know what is going to happen with the gospel presence in that country in the next season of life. However, I do know that the gospel cannot be over thrown and that God will not be mocked. He opposes the proud and give grace to the humble. One day every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Savior and Lord and this whole earth will be redeemed. Those who stand in the way of the advancement of the gospel, should they not repent, will certainly regret that decision. And those of us who know and cherish the gospel, have been entrusted with the joyous responsibility of continuing to share it. So Church, let’s get to sharing.

Live with a kingdom mindset. Your faithfulness may feel small now, but God's Word multiplies over time.

Don’t envy those in power—fear God, not man. All men, great and small, will stand before the Lord in judgment, and that judgment will not be dependent upon how much power we had on earth, but rather if we know the power of God to bring salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. As Alistair Begg says, “When we stand in judgment, our only defense as to why we should be granted entry to heaven is because the man on the middle cross said I could come.”

This life isn’t about us, it’s all about Jesus. Ask yourself, “Where is pride creeping into my life? Am I pointing to myself—or to God?”

Conclusion:

As we come to a close, From breakdown to breakout to breakthrough, Acts 12 reminds us:

God’s hand is steady, even in the storm.

Prayer isn’t our last resort—it’s our first weapon.

His Word cannot be chained.

“You may feel surrounded, but you are surrounded by the God who delivers. And when He moves, not even iron gates can stay closed.

So do you know God? If so, then stay in prayer and push forward for the glory of God.

If not, He has made Himself known. And He has displayed His great grace to save small people like me and you, by sending the Son of God, Jesus Christ, to live and die and rise so that who so ever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. Do you see your need for Him? If so, respond in faith today. Make it known. I can promise you, He is worthy to be served.

He is working through our Breakdowns, Breaks us out of the bondage of our sin, and His Word will continue to break through the darkness and bring Him glory. Do you stand with Him?

Let’s pray.