Sermon Tone Analysis

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Introduction

This is one of my favourite Bible stories to tell to children.

It has suspense, drama, plotting, excitement and a great story line.

It involves a ruler, guards, prison, captives, Angels, and even a child.

If you have take the time to prepare for this morning by reading the text sent out in the bulletin you know what the story is about.

Turn with me and we are going to look at Acts chapter 12.

If you have just tuned in or visiting, we have been travelling through the book of Acts to discover the beginning of a movement we have come to call the church.

I wonder if Charles Dickens was reading this when he sat down to pen his classic.

Someone was dead....

I often hear at church conferences that the church, the gathering of the saints have gotten so far off track that if we were to be like the first church things would be so much better for the church.

Although this statement may have some truths I am not sure many of us would be willing in this country in which we live would want to have a target on our person because we are followers of Christ.

Folks, I often get in my emails from people who I am connected with across the country and there are many warning signs that Canada is turning in a direction that is not favourable for Christians.

The faith that was once broadcasted from our government is no longer present, but turning into what this passage is talking about, we are not there… the question remains are we heading there?

I’m not sure but I do know that this text is a reminder of the power of God is far greater than any country or ruler of that government can ever be.

The Church has faced opposition

One thing is for certain.

The church has always faced opposition.

When Christ was here walking among the people, there were many that received his word, but for some it became quite offensive and dismissive.

Christ’s message was then given to the church, His followers to go into the world and proclaim and from that moment the gathering has faced opposition.

There are two types of opposition Public and Spiritual.

Both of these will be seen in our text this morning.

Both of these opposition are what we face in the world today.

Public Opposition

In this text the public opposition to the followers was that of a king.

Let me give you the background of this king

The Herod of Acts 12 is Agrippa I (born in 10 B.C.), the grandson of Herod the Great and the son of Aristobulus.

After his father’s execution in 7 B.C., he was sent with his mother Bernice to Rome, where he grew up on intimate terms with the imperial family.

In his youth he was something of a playboy, and in A.D. 23 he went so heavily into debt that he had to flee to Idumea to escape his creditors.

Later he received asylum at Tiberias and a pension from his uncle Herod Antipas, with whom, however, he eventually quarreled.

In 36 he returned to Rome but offended the emperor Tiberius and was imprisoned.

At the death of Tiberius in 37, he was released by the new emperor Caligula and received from him the northernmost Palestinian tetrarchies of Philip and Lysanias (cf.

Luke 3:1) and the title of king.

When Herod Antipas was banished in 39, Agrippa received his tetrarchy as well.

And at the death of Caligula in 41, Claudius, who succeeded Caligula and was Agrippa’s friend from youth, added Judea and Samaria to his territory, thus reconstituting for him the entire kingdom of his grandfather Herod the Great, over which he ruled till his death in 44.

Knowing how profoundly the masses hated his family, Herod Agrippa I took every opportunity during his administration in Palestine to win their affection.

When in Rome, he was a cosmopolitan Roman.

But when in Jerusalem, he acted the part of an observant Jew.

What is worst than an angry king is a king who is out to prove something.

It is interesting that this king didn’t have a problem with the followers of Christ, but wanted to gain popularity with the Jews of the time.

Peter was one of those Jews who had become a follower of Christ.

The scripture doesn’t tell us but you can tell by Peter that this public opposition was not deterring him from Following the Risen Lord.

He found himself in a prison with the news of a friend another disciple had been killed by the same person who placed him in this cell.

He is bound to two soilders and two outside watching gaurd.

Take a moment and put yourself in his situation.

What would your reaction be?

As a follower of Christ, where is your hope?

Your trust?

When public opposition to the Gospel comes your way, how do you respond?

Peter’s example is one of courage for us today.

Courage to sit in a cell chained to guards, guards watching and yet his faith remained.

I wondered what he would be saying to those guards?

Was he explaining the he wasn’t a flight risk, that he was willing to do whatever it took to follow Christ.

Afterall, it wasn’t Peter that brought about the command of the guards, it was his opposition.

While in prison, the apostle was guarded by “four squads of four soldiers each,” probably on shifts of three hours each (cf.

Vegetius De Re Mili 3.8), with two soldiers chained to him on either side and two standing guard at the inner entrance to the prison (cf.

v. 6).

Evidently Agrippa planned to make of Peter a spectacle and warning at a forthcoming show trial.

And he did not want to be embarrassed by Peter’s escape.

When you find yourself in a situation where you are being opposed for your faith.

Remember, it is not you they are after, to make a specktical.

It is the one we serve.

Spiritual Opposition

The second type of opposition that we as believers will be under is a spiritual opposition.

The well known verse found in Ephesians, Paul reminds us as believers that our opposition is often unseen

I could well image that Peter knew that it was the message of truth that was untimately under trial as he sat in the prison.

The other week I was in Kamloops waiting to pick Heather up at the airport and had a free Saturday night for myself.

I choose to attend a Sat night service at one of the churches in Kamloops and the speaker was talking about peace.

How to have peace in the world we live in today.

Peace that seems to allude everyone as we see wars and battles among us.

One thing he said really stood out to me and got me thinking.

As we consider spiritual opposition, how often do we give the devil too much credit.

It seemed to be a theme that week as Chuck Swindol on the radio seemed to give the same message.

But How much credit do we give the arch enemy of God himself.

The created being, credit by God that fell away from God’s grace and leads an army of others to thwart God’s plan here on earth.

That is the battle we fight.

But how much credit do we give this finite being.

The speaker pointed out something that we all know in our minds, but sometimes not in our practice.

“The Devil is not omnipresent, when we say, the devil made me do it we are giving him too much credit.”

He is one and can’t be everywhere at all times.

The speaker went on to say that

“The devil would want to spend most of his time, delegating and and yet I would image that he was travelling alongside Jesus every moment of his walk on this earth.”

There is no denying it, there is spiritual opposition that we need to be aware of as we live out our faith.

Peter’s Opposition

Peter’s opposition was at this point in the text his jail cell.

Notice what Verse 5 states,

Earnest prayers

The church, the gathering, the believers were on their knees with passion for God to do an amazing event.

How do you pray

How do we as a church pray?

I believe there is much earnest prayer in this congregation.

We gather at various times throughout the week to pray.

In small groups of three and regular meetings, we pray through the means of the prayer chain and offer prayers to people through the ministry of the prayer quilt.

We offer corporate prayer each Sunday morning in our segment of Children’s and Elder prayer.

We come into the presence of God’s throne when we offer our prayers on behalf of people.

I’m not saying this to pat ourselves on the back, but to recognize that fervent earnest prayer needs to be ongoing.

Have you ever wondered what they prayed for?

Where they praying for Peter’s release?

Where they praying for his strength to endure the trial of being sent to prison?