The Church Is Sent to Trust God

Last week we spoke about Faith. This week is pretty much a continuation of that, it is to trust God.

Recap - But we are going to be in the Book of Acts

What has happened in Acts so far

The Helper, the Holy spirit that was promised descended at Pentecost

We see people were getting healed

The apostles are preaching in public, this is after Jesus was crucified for doing the same thing.

The Pharisees were getting upset and trying to stop the apostles, including arrests and acts of intimidation.

Paul persecutes the church and Jesus appears to him and he becomes a believer.

The gentiles are hearing the gospel.

There are a lot of great things happening really fast which is amazing right after the death and resurrection.

Now more serious persecution is about to take place.

1. Praying Fervently in a Time of Fear

Acts 12:1–5 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.

Q: What do we observer about Herod from this passage?

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

No trial, no justice, just took a persons life because he wanted. And when he saw that he was praised for it, he want to keep going and arrested Peter.

James was one of the closest disciples to Jesus, and so was Peter. They both saw Jesus being transfigured and yet James is easily killed and Peter is imprisoned.

Q: Why did God allow James, one of His most loyal followers to die to soon? Did he need to die that quickly?

Before Jesus ascended to heaven he gave the great commission.

I will come back to this

Q: What can we learn from the early church in their response to Peter’s arrest?

“but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.”

That word earnestly is also used when Jesus was praying in the garden of Getsemane, right before being arrested.

Luke 22:44 ESV

And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Before in the garden, when Jesus was being arrested, their response to the soldiers was to physically attack them, to wage a physical war.

Peter cut off one off the eat of one of the soldiers. Their response here modeled Jesus, they are fighting a spiritual war.

Lets keep going.

Someone read verses 6-11

2. Recognizing God’s Work in a Time of Rescue

Acts 12:6–11 ESV

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.”

Q: What just happened here?

Peter is in prison, chained to two guards, 1 on either side. Herod did this to make sure that Peter couldn't escape so the security level was very high.

Herod arrested Peter but he didnt kill him immediately. He kept him in prison so that he could have Peter executed for the Jews to see. We find Peter asleep.

Q: If you were in prison and were about to be killed the next morning how well would you be able to go to sleep?

I have trouble going to sleep when I have something big or important the next day.

The fact that he was sleeping so soundly I think is a testament to his trust in God

This isnt the same Peter that abandoned Jesus as he was about to be arrested or cut off the soliders ear. This is a Peter that has been strengthened by God Himself, to trust Him fully.

He was in such deep sleep that the angel had to hit him to wake Peter up.

Chains fall off, doors unlocked, all the guards still asleep and they walk out.

While Peter thinks he is having a vision.

Have you guys seen the show Prison Break?

These guys spend countless hours drawing maps of the prison,

Learning the guards schedules and making precise plans how to get out.

They count own until that day even if it take years.

This isnt that story, not even close.

In a way this is almost funny. You are in prison, the thing you want most is to escape yet the angel had to instruct Peter in everything. “get up”; “put your coat on”; “tie your sandals”; “follow me.” Obviously, this was not Peter’s great prison escape plan.

When they got out of the city the angel left and Peter finally realized that everything he just saw was real.

Lets keep reading the account.

Someone read 12-20

3. Disbelieving in a Time of Deliverance

Acts 12:12–19 ESV

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.

Q: What do we see here?

Another weird and kinda funny interaction.

The believers were there praying, Peter knocks at the door. The servant girl answers, recognizes Peters voice and runs to tell everyone without letting him in. Then they dont believe her.

Rhoda comes, in “Guys you cannot believe it, Peter is at the door.”

They pretty much respond, “ Don’t bother us, we are praying for Peter to be rescued.”

She kept telling them and they thought it was his angel. Even as they prayed with strong faith they couldn't at first actually believe that it was true.

They finally opened the door, everyone was amazed, probably celebrating and they now realize that their prayers were heard and God delivered Peter from death.

Isnt it weird that God can answer prayers and when it happens we still dont believe that its real.

Why does this happen?

I dont think that its because they didnt believe that it can happen. No one would be spending countless hours praying for something they think is impossible. I think its because often when we pray we have an expectation of how God will answer that prayer.

Maybe they expected for Herod to find Peter innocent and let him go possibly change his mind last minute.

This is what we get wrong about trusting God, we will only consider to trust when things happen our way.

Q: What about back in the prison. What happened?

Everyone was amazed that this one guy was able to escape from the hand of the best trained soldiers and from the strongest prison known to man at that time.

The soldiers who were guarding Peter were put to death.

Lets take a step back. In this account we have two very different events.

1 - James is killed. A horrible and sad story where a believer’s life is taken away

2- Peter is imprisoned and an angel miraculously rescues him.

Why do we have two very different endings? Both men were believers, yet one made it and the other didnt. Why? And what does this teach us about trust?

I'm going to give you an example of what people usually mean when we say trust.

Car Tow

My sisters car recently broke down a few days ago in the Walmart parking lot. She told me about it and I went with her and took a look to see if there was something that we can do to fix it. Now it was already 6:00PM so all the Auto Repair shops were closed and she needed to go to work in the morning. So what can we do, the car wont move and its stuck in this parking lot.

I then remembered that there is a auto repair shop across the street. How could I get it there? Well I cant start it and getting a tow truck to move such a short distance would cost a bunch of money.

I thought, I can get some tow rope, tie her car to another one and pull it across the street to the repair shop. I told Cosmina and she agreed and gave me the keys. At that point she put the trust of her vehicles outcome in my hands.

If in the process when towing it across the street something happened and another car hit it or I towed it incorrectly and destroyed the engine or transmission. Cosmina’s trust in me would be gone because I didnt improve the situation but made it worse. There was a specific expectation.

This is how trust works between everyone. I know the outcome that I want and Im very certain that this person will make this thing that I want happen

This kind of trust if applied to God we will end up not trusting Him. Why? Because it is dependent on the outcome that we want and what we believe it best.

Do we trust God if we are in Peter’s shoes and get delivered from prison but if we are in James position we dont trust God because we get killed? Was God’s plan successful with Peter but it failed with James?

No, God’s plan is not ultimately tied to us living a long and pain free life. The trust that Jesus had in the Father lead him to be betrayed, wrongfully convicted, beaten with a whip, had a crown of thorns put on his head, carried his cross and was crucified. Yet that exhibit of faith lead to the greatest thing that God has ever done in all of creation.

END

How can anyone believer tell someone to trust God when that person have seen sexually abused by someone they know.

God see you in your pain and says. “I know what you are going through, I know what has been done to you and the pain that you are going through. I am not far from you. I have come on this earth and was despised. I healed the sick, gave sight to the blind and made the lame walk. I came to offer eternal life and for that I was betrayed by my friends, I was unfairly convicted of crimes I did not commit. Lies were told about me. I was tied a post and beaten with a whip. A crown of thorns was thrust on my head. I carried the piece of wood that I was to be executed on up to a hill for all to see my humiliation. Then the nails were driven into my hands and into my feet. In my last breath I asked God to forgive them for they did not know what they were doing”

You can trust God because he knows your pain and has come to take it all way. God will judge evil and the horrible things that happened to you, all the pain and suffering will be a distant memory when you are at the feet of the throne of God.