Acts 12 - God Always Wins

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Acts 12 ESV

About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 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. So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. 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. 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. 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.” 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. 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. 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.” 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. 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!” But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. 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. Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 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. 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. On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 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. But the word of God increased and multiplied. And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark.

Introduction

Peter had a wake up call

Went to the Gentile home of Cornelius

For the first time, the Holy Spirit fell on Gentiles

Peter had to explain to the Church in Jerusalem - they still held prejudices!

But truth prevailed - When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

Acts 11:18 ESV

When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

Acts 11:18

The Jewish Church now accepted that the gospel was not just for all the Jews in the world, but for the whole world

What follows then is the spread of the gospel into more Gentile territories and the establishment of the Church in Antioch, which would become Paul’s base for much of his missionary work

When the apostles heard about the great work of the Holy Spirit there and so many people coming to faith, they sent Barnabas there

Barnabas then sent for Paul, and together they led the church and taught them

And the church there began to grow - both spiritually and in maturity and in number - and Luke actually says that this was where believers were first called Christians

So great was their growth that when a famine affected the whole world...

… the Christians in Antioch were gathering whatever they could and sending aid and relief to the Christians in Judea

Such grace! And what a reversal...

Gentile Christians aiding and supporting the Jewish Christians...

and the Jewish Christians gladly accepting and receiving aid

all boundaries and barriers broken

the Church is one.

but in Jerusalem…

1. These are Dark Days...

About this time - Herod is laying violent hands on the Church

James is martyred

Herod

raised in Rome from the age of 4 - sent there by his mother

Grew up in close friendship with the Roman imperial family - especially Claudius and Gaius

When Gaius became Roman Emperor, he gave Herod the title of king over the territories of Syria - later included Gallilee and Judea

So Herod, though of Jewish decent and given the title of king over Jewish lands, was firmly in the pocket of Rome

But in spite of that he was liked by the Jews - something he tried to retain by persecuting Christians

About this time

when the church was growing

the gospel has come to Gentiles

church established in Antioch

they were the first to be called Christians ()

The church has been established about a year

meanwhile the whole world was experiencing a famine

but the Church in Antioch sent help to their brothers in Judea

The gospel being displayed - Gentile believers sending aid to Jewish believers

a glorious time for the Church

Meanwhile, the Church was suffering

The famine

Herod was actively & violently persecuting the Church

He killed James the brother of John with the sword - beheaded

Why does Luke give us so little information about James’ martyrdom?

James was an apostle and together with Peter and John were part of the inner circle

Yet Luke only devotes a single line in his book on his martyrdom - literally just reporting his death

Yet compare that with Stephen - Luke devoted 75 verses to his death and the circumstances

He devotes more time and space to Peter’s jail term than to James’ beheading

Why is that?

Stephen’s martyrdom was a huge turning point in history

It was the catalyst that started the great persecution of the Church in Jerusalem...

…and the spread of the gospel out of Jerusalem

That is where Luke’s interests are

By contrast, James’ death wasn’t a turning point and had no effect on the move of the gospel

It was a symptom of what was already the norm for the Church in Jerusalem

These were the circumstances of the Church - they were dark days

Peter is imprisoned

When Herod saw that the execution of James pleased the Jews, he was keen to keep them happy

So he arrested Peter as well - another apostle and one of Jesus’ closest disciples

Herod was a man who loved to look good in man’s eyes

He was meant to be Israel’s king - in the OT that meant being their spiritual leader as well

But Herod was not a servant of God, he was a servant of Rome and a servant of man

He loved to receive praise and be held in high esteem by man

This was something that was very prevalent in Jewish leaders - they feared man more than God

It was something the Jesus

John reports in his gospel in that many of the Jewish authorities actually believed in Jesus...

…but because they feared the Pharisees, they didn’t dare let it be known..

…and John says in verse 13 that it was because they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

In contrast, Paul says in that if he is seeking to please man, he would not be a servant of Christ

We must never judge whether a spiritual leader is a faithful servant of God by how popular their ministry is

In fact, popularity among the majority of the population - especially the secular population - may be a sign that man is not a servant of God

Herod was definitely doing well in the popularity stakes among the Jews, and he was actively persecuting the Church

Seeing that violence against the Church was exactly what the people wanted, he persisted and had Peter arrested

You might ask why the attacks on James and Peter would have been so pleasing to the Jews?

A lot of time has passed since Stephen - at least a few years

At least a year or 2

The apostles never left Jerusalem in that time - why the sudden spike in attacks against them

Is it any coincidence that this sudden new increase in persecution of the apostles happens after Peter’s recent visit to the Gentile Cornelius in Caesaria?

Remember the elders and leaders in Jerusalem had taken a long time to come around to the idea of even sharing the gospel with the Gentiles

Peter had to be convinced in a vision

Even then, he understood he could enter a Gentile home but not that the gospel was for them too

He then had to go back to Jerusalem and to the church elders and convince them

Having retained part of their prejudice against the Gentiles, they had at least some toleration from the Jews

Maybe news has spread that the apostles are receiving food and aid from the Gentiles in Antioch

Now Herod attacks the apostle James first - the lead elder of the church in Jerusalem

and then seeing the popular reaction to this, he now arrests Peter - the one who just been to Antioch and who was fraternizing with the Gentiles

His intention is to keep him under arrest until after the passover, after which, Peter will face the same fate as James

Desperate prayer

The church is then in tough times

There is a famine...

They’re relying on the charity of the Gentile church in Antioch to survive

The Jews have turned against them because of their fraternizing with the Gentiles

James, the leader of the church has been martyrd

and Peter has been arrested and faces the same fate

He’s now in jail, under 24hour guard by 4 guards, and chained to 2 of them at all times

The situation looks bad and is bad

The church does the only thing it can do - which is to pray

Clash - Herod’s political authority and control vs God’s sovereign control

Who has the upper hand?

Who will win?

The days look very dark for the Church...

Herod

The church is under attack again

James has been murdered

Peter is in jail under 24 hour guard and due to be murdered next

The Jewish population is in full support of this

no Christian is safe

2. …but God is Sovereign

Peter is rescued

God answers their prayers by sending an angel

The chains fall off Peter’s hands and the angel tells him to get dressed

Notice Peter responds without hesitation - he’s learning!

Not like when he received the vision of the food - where he said “surely not Lord”

He thinks he’s having another vision - surely I am dreaming!

Peter is freed from his chains, is led out passed all the guards, and out through the iron gate which opened on its own - and he was free

All because the Church was praying for Peter

in what seemed like impossible circumstances, the Church prayed to almighty God, and God answered them

What impossible things are we going to ask God for?

Could we pray for this church to grow in spite of our weaknesses?

Could we pray for our facilities to be used for God’s glory?

Could we pray for all of the city’s orphans to find homes?

Could we pray for all the men of our city

“ The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

Are we trusting in the might of the Lord, or are we, His church, trusting like Herod did - in political authority, or our own wit and strength

James 5:16 ESV

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

A lack of prayer is indicative of a lack of faith in God - it is telling that subconsciously, you don’t truly believe God can answer

All of us have needs and fears and worries -

Luke says that earnest prayer for Peter was made to God by the church

In his gospel, Luke says that Jesus himself prayed earnestly while in the garden, just before His crucifixion

In God says put watchmen on the tower and let them not rest nor give God rest until he answers

Paul says “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”

How much time have you spent praying earnestly to God for your impossible situation?

Or did you give up long time ago?

You ask not because you believe not

Do you believe God can do anything?

Do you believe that God is sovereign?

I tell you something - if what you are praying for is in accordance with his will and for His glory - God will answer you

Persist in prayer - ask, and you shall receive

And because God is sovereign and faithful and cares about His glory, He will answer -

- EVEN if your prayers and your faith are imperfect

Just like the prayers of the Church here were imperfect

You might ask - how can you say that the prayers and faith of the church here were imperfect?

They prayed - they were faithful - they believed in God.... Right?

Not really...

Imperfect prayer is effective

In verse 12 - Peter goes to the house of Mary, the mother of John, where Luke says many were gathered and were praying

no doubt they were still praying for Peter

So Peter knocks on the door, and a servant girl comes to answer

And we know that she knew Peter, because Luke says when she heard Peter’s voice she recognized him immediately

But this is where I think this whole thing becomes quite comical

She hears Peter’s voice, recognizes him, and runs back inside all excited to tell everybody Peter is free and he’s there!

And then they go ahead and have this whole argument where they’re saying she’s mad, it can’t be Peter, she must have seen his angel (his ghost?)

And she’s arguing back and saying no its really Peter he’s there

And this whole time that they’re arguing, poor Peter is left standing outside!

So Peter shrugs his shoulders and knocks on the door again and keeps knocking until they eventually come and open the door

And Luke says when they opened the door they were amazed to see him!

Now doesn’t that tell you something about the Church and their prayers...

They had been praying earnestly for Peter to be released...

And yet when the servant girl tells them that Peter has not only been released, but he is standing at the door...

…they don’t believe her

… they tell her she’s lost her mind and gone mad

… that she’s seen a ghost

Do you see this? They struggled with their faith too

They were praying and asking God to release Peter, but they didn’t really believe He would

It came as a shock to them that God actually gave them what they asked for!

But you see, God is so faithful to honor His Word and faithful to the glorify of His name, that He even answers prayers that are weak and lacking in faith

I want you to know something - if you are praying for the church and the leaders

and you are praying for the church to grow and the gospel to be made known

and you are praying for the lost

and you are praying for the opportunity to witness and for the courage and wisdom to be able to do so

Then you are asking God for things that He also wants

And you can be certain that God will answer those prayers!

He may not answer exactly as we hoped or thought, but He will answer!

Even if our prayers are awkward and juvenile and weak and lacking in faith...

…God answers our prayers

- NOT because our prayers are eloquent, or well spoken, or follow the right formula...

not even because we are asking with enough faith...

…but because He loves His glory and He loves His children

because He is faithful and good and kind

and because there is not a maverick molecule in the universe that is not under the authority and sovereign control of God

The Church is in dark days, even today

but the Church will emerge victorious

Not because the Church is strong,

but because the Church has a strong - an almighty, sovereign God!

We do not ever need to rely on human strength...

… or political authority… nor should we ever

… our hope is in God

Herod is removed

But God doesn’t just release Peter - He removes Herod

Again Luke provides us with a strong contrast

In contrast to the church who is relying on the might of God to bring about their victory...

Herod is ruthless in exercising his political authority and strength

And as is so often the case with ungodly men who have a position of power, they seek to exercise that power in violence and greed and vanity

When Herod found out that Peter had escaped his impenetrable fortress with the 24hour guards, and iron gate, and 2 guards chained to him...

… he had them executed.

His ruthlessness in the exercise of his control and authority is also seen in how he dealt with the people of Tyre and Sidon

He was angry with them, and so he was withholding food supplies from them - a shrewd and evil thing to do during a worldwide famine

The people are not in the Church, they are unbelievers. They don’t have a God to turn to

So they do the only thing they know to do - turn to Herod and plead with him

And so by using his political power to manipulate and control people, Herod gets the whole population of these cities to bow to him and they call him a god

Something that Herod doesn’t object to - why?

Because that’s actually how he sees himself

Herod was out there playing god, as if he had a right to give and to withhold.... to let live and to kill

He trusted in the strength of his own might, his title, his connections...

He was his own god

This is exactly what we are doing when we fail to entrust ourselves and our needs to God

When we are trusting in our own strength, or political parties, or democracy, or our human leaders, or our pastor, our parents, our children, our friends, our family, our money, etc

If we are trusting in anything other than the Lord Himself to deliver us, then we are trusting in another god

We are committing idolatry

Lack of prayer is synonymous with and a tell-tale sign of idolatry

When Herod received glory and praise from the people as a god, he received it gladly and did not object - because to him it was appropriate

And because of that, Herod was struck down by God and died, and was eaten by worms - because (v23) “he did not give God the glory”

Idolatry is no small sin in God’s eyes

Neither is opposition to His Church, because God ca

The Gospel spreads

But in contrast to Herod’s fate, what happens to the Church?

“But the word of God increased and multiplied.”

In dark days for the Church, and in spite of fierce persecution and impossible circumstances, the Church not only survives, but thrives

Acts 12:24 ESV

But the word of God increased and multiplied.

The Church’s witness to Jesus continues and increases and multiplies - the Church of Jesus continues to grow

Acts 12:24

The odds were stacked so heavily against the church and in Herod’s favour in the beginning

Herod appeared to be holding all the aces

He had the political authority and jurisdiction to do whatever he wanted

He had James executed

He had Peter arrested and under 24 hour guard by 4 guards, 2 of whom were constantly chained to Peter, locked behind a huge iron gate

He had the popular approval of the people

He wielded his authority ruthlessly and was treated as a god

On the other hand is the Church,

weak in faith,

somewhat unbelieving in imperfect prayer,

with no worldly authority and no popular support

Impossible circumstances!

And yet the victory for the gospel and the continued relentless growth of the Church was inevitable

Why?

Because Jesus is the true KING

and God is sovereign

and in the end every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord!

And that is not a wishful hope - it is a certain hope!

We can take everything to God in prayer...

and then like Peter

Conclusion

What do we conclude from this radical reversal?

God’s ultimate aim is to glorify Himself through the spread of the gospel

He wants the whole world to know who He is, what He has done in Jesus Christ, that He should receive the glory and praise for which He is worthy

We can therefore be assured that because God is sovereign and Jesus is the true King...

that when we are praying for each other and for the Church in accordance with God’s will, He will answer

We can also conclude that Jesus is a loving and caring Shepherd of His sheep and deals decisively with those who oppose the gospel

Even if it feels like all those who are opposing the gospel and the Church now are winning and hold all the aces...

we are assured of final victory because Jesus continues to work in the world today

The growth of the Church in persecuted countries

Missionaries leaving everything behind to go into the worst of places

Churches being planted at a growing rate all over the world through networks like Acts 29

The internet giving gospel preachers a worldwide audience so that they are able to reach millions with their sermons

And I guarantee you - all of this is being achieved by the powerful working of God’s hand and the weak and imperfect prayers of the Church

Friends, our hope is in Jesus Christ our King

and this is not a wishful hope - it is a certain hope!

It means that prayer is

We should be praying bold prayers - no matter the odds and no matter the needs

A church that has a strong faith is a church that prays

There is no peace

Look at Peter in the jail cell. He’s chained to 2 guards, surrounded by others, locked in a cell behind an iron gate and he’s to be executed in the morning

Are you going to get much sleep in a sutiation like that?

But when the angel comes into the cell how does she find Peter? Fast asleep

He has peace

He knows the church is praying

He himself has more than likely been praying

And he is trusting in the sovereign Lord’s good and perfect will

What peace we can have when we have taken our prayers to the Lord!

What peace we have, knowing that God answers, and that God is sovereign

That God always wins