Acts 12: Getting Your Faith Legs

intro

Intro- re: sea legs?

Ever heard the phrase “getting your sea legs?”

“Illusion of self-motion—vestibular illusion—subjective vertigo—

** Cf Virtual Reality rollwer coaster

Explanation—no one just starts to live by faith. We grow into it. Much like getting used to sea legs or similar

*** We start small and grow into it—because it’s like getting used to operating in a new terrain or with new awareness.

Acts 12:1–19 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. 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.

Imperfect Prayer Still Received An Answer

notice limits—

- vague approach (crazy”)

- low expectations (“amazed”)

(Cf how • extreme we will go in doubt—easier to believe ghost at door than God did miracle), and also high emotions

Uncertain Obedience Still Led to Results

—cf how real visions are—cf memory from rooftop— sleepy / drowsy seems to create image of how Peter was the entire time

Each step continued God’s activity while it contributed to the believers’ faith

*** Reinforced the faith AND the way faith gets worked out

Cf James—hearers / doers

James 1:22–25 ESV

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

clarifies what the Truth means

• Clarifies what believing / understanding is (not just knowing

• Some know more than do—that’s deceptive

◦ Caused pendulum reaction discounting knowledge

◦ God’s will—“All SCR...that the man of God...”

◦

***

Exploration

Knowing isn’t believing until it becomes living

(process turns knowledge into faith—even as faith is required for it to begin—it goes from a general faith in God to faith in God for this / in this)

*** What happens when they follow faith impulse in the general? It turns into practical faith in the particulars

** whoever is FAITHFUL in few things... she progression, but also activating faith to be persistent

Matthew 25:23 NLT

23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

Proverbs 30:21–23 ESV

21 Under three things the earth trembles; under four it cannot bear up: 22 a slave when he becomes king, and a fool when he is filled with food; 23 an unloved woman when she gets a husband, and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress.

Cf slave who becomes king—using someone else’s tools

Proverbs 30:21–22 ESV

21 Under three things the earth trembles; under four it cannot bear up: 22 a slave when he becomes king, and a fool when he is filled with food;

Cf David putting on Saul’s armor

Gideon- strength that is yours

three impulses to follow—

Impulse to pray

Impulse to obey

Impulse to gather (operate in concert)

Exhortation—

When you act it out you build it in

** Reinforcement from the details (cf details of Peter’s journey—every one gets retold to church— every one becomes fodder for their faith—and ours—every one critical for Luke to retell many years later (didn’t even know Peter then—but details carry meaning)

Cf Jordan crossing—12 stones—real crossing—one for me in that stack!!

Events communicate meaning—THIS IS GOD

Stick inside us

John Mark—imagine how his mind saturated

• Consider first gospel writer

Mark 16:14–18 ESV

14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

• Cf

• *** Even after failure and missing out, he still had these things in his heart