ACTS 12 WHEN RULERS OPPOSE GODS WORK2016 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Acts 12 When Rulers Oppose Gods Work

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2016.

Well, this evening, as we look at Acts chapter 12, we're going to look at the whole chapter, and we'll begin, though, looking at just verses 1 through 4, and then get into our passage together. Verse 1 of Acts chapter 12 says, "'Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church.'"

Then he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the days of unleavened bread. So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. Here in Acts chapter 12, we see things kind of take a different direction, right?

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And so the church decided we want to take an offering and, you know, give a blessing to the church in Jerusalem to help provide for the needs.

And so they sent Saul and Barnabas with this financial gift from Antioch down to Jerusalem. And so in chapter 12 now, we're back in Jerusalem and we're seeing the things that are unfolding there. So it's kind of like a meanwhile back in Jerusalem because Luke here on is going to be really focusing from Antioch and then the missionary trips that go out from there, where primarily we were focused on Jerusalem and the surrounding regions at first, and

Now he's kind of shifting gears, but as he was moving away, he comes back to this chapter to really focus on Jerusalem and the things that are happening here in this chapter. Now, as he goes forward, the ministry is changing focus as well. Of course, there's still the church in Jerusalem, but

But the account that Luke is providing for us in the book of Acts shifts gears from the Jews to the Gentiles. We saw really that open door to the Gentiles in chapter 10 and furthered in chapter 11. And now it's really going to be just focused on the Gentiles for the rest of the book of Acts. Whereas up to this point, we've really been focusing on the ministry to the Jews. We also see a change because this is the final chapter where Peter is mentioned.

Peter's involved here a little bit. And then after that, we're going to focus on Saul and Barnabas and the work that God does through them. And so really focusing on the Apostle Paul for the rest of the week.

of the book. And so it's a really kind of a transitional chapter where we get a glimpse of what was happening in Jerusalem while this transition is taking place. Now, what was happening in Jerusalem was really strong opposition against the church. And it's something that we have seen before already in the book of Acts in that there was persecution and opposition against the church. But there's a change in that this time it's not the religious leaders who

When rulers oppose God's work.

And as we look at this chapter, we'll see the kinds of things that happen or might happen when there is this type of opposition from a political background or from a political angle against God's work, against Christians, against the church. And that's something...

important for us to consider, you know, as we look at this tonight, because we, of course, continue to see this kind of opposition going on. Opposition, of course, is an expected part of the Christian walk, except for

Maybe you and I don't expect it that much. We kind of get surprised many times still when there is opposition to the things of the Lord. But it is, according to the Bible, something that we ought to be expecting in our Christian walk, that there is going to be opposition.

I would suggest that that's the normal experience for most Christians throughout history and around the world, that there is real opposition to the faith and to the work of God, but we live in a very, you know, blessed society where we don't see that as much. And we start to see, you know, little glimpses of it, and maybe we will see more of that kind of opposition, especially political opposition as we go forward, but

But we, you know, kind of that remains to be seen. We don't know what God has in store for us. But to prepare us for that, he has us here in Acts chapter 12. So we know what to expect when rulers oppose God's work. And there's five points we'll look at as we work our way through the chapter. We're going to start in verses 1 through 4. And here's point number one. God may allow his people to suffer.

Here's something for you to wrestle with in your mind. When rulers oppose the work of God, God may allow for his people to suffer under their hand. This is a hard truth for many people to accept, but it's clearly the reality seen and taught in the scripture.

It's not, you know, some weird, unique thing that's never happened. It's something that you see consistently throughout the Word of God. Rulers oppose the work of God and fight against the work of God, and God's people suffer along the way. Check out verse 1 again. It says,

So Herod the king, he's the Roman ruler over that region. And he decides, you know what? I want to harass the church. I want to give them a hard time. I want to persecute them. I want to, you know, cause them pain and suffering. And so he begins this campaign to harass the church. Now this is Herod Agrippa.

You might remember his grandfather. His name was Herod the Great. And it gets a little bit confusing when you start looking at the Herods because they're all named Herods. They all come from that family descending from Herod the Great. But Herod the Great had many wives. A couple of the wives had the same name. And so that confuses things. And so then there's all these siblings and they all go around and then they marry each other's wives. And it gets really confusing very fast when you look at the Herods. But here's the quick summary.

He is the grandson of Herod the Great. Herod the Great is the one who tried to kill Jesus at his birth. Remember the Herod who got freaked out because there was this prophecy about the king that would be born in Bethlehem. And so he asked the religious leaders there, well, where'd they say the king was going to be after the Magi showed up? Oh, in Bethlehem. And so, okay, let's destroy, let's kill all the babies in Bethlehem.

two years old and younger, and try to wipe out this supposed king that had been born. That was Herod the Great. This is his grandson, Herod Agrippa, who is now ruling over the area, and he has similar kind of opposition to the work of God, and so now he's coming against

the church. Now, it runs in the family. His uncle also ruled for a time. That was Herod Antipas. And Herod Antipas is the one who killed John the Baptist. You remember John the Baptist spoke out against Herod Antipas because he was married to his brother's wife,

And so I told you, you know, there was that mixing and matching. And so there was that going on, and John the Baptist was bold enough to speak out against it. And so Herod Antipas put him in prison. And then you might remember the occasion where the daughter danced and

Herod offered her anything that she wanted. And she asked her mom. And her mom said, the head of John the Baptist, because he spoke against us. And so that's what he got, or that's what she got. And John the Baptist was killed by this guy's uncle, Herod Antipas. And so here's Herod Agrippa. So it kind of runs in his family. He's a friend of the Jews. He knows all about Judaism. He even celebrates the feast. The Jews really liked Herod Agrippa, because he would, you know, uh,

facilitate and help them celebrate the feast where other Roman rulers in the region, you know, kind of didn't really care one way or the other or didn't help them or didn't, you know, support them in celebrating the feast. But Herod Agrippa helped them and celebrated the feast with them. And so the Jews, for the most part, liked Herod Agrippa because, you know, he was kind of like helping them and supporting them in the Jewish religion.

Well, now they're going to like him even more because he's going to be fighting against the church. And so verse 2 says, So in this harassing the church campaign that he begins, he goes so far as to kill James, the brother of John. It says,

And that was a way to refer to James being beheaded with the sword. In prior times, they had done beheadings with the axe, but during this time period, they did beheadings with the sword. And so he was beheaded by Herod at this time.

Now, this is James you might be familiar with because he's one of the guys that Jesus always had with him. You remember there was those three guys that Jesus had with him more than the rest of the disciples? He had his 12 disciples, but there was those three guys, Peter, James, and John.

who Jesus would include in special times away from the rest of the disciples. Things like the transfiguration. Remember, he's on the mountain. Jesus becomes bright white shining and has an appearance there with Moses and Elijah. And it's this incredible experience on the mountain. And Jesus made sure to include Peter, James, and John for that experience. And

the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus goes with his disciples to pray. He leaves his disciples, but then he takes Peter, James, and John a little bit further, and he says, hey guys, pray with me. And so he brings them a little bit closer into what is happening there in those final hours of his life. And then also throughout his ministry, there would be times where he would

include Peter, James, and John in a healing that he was doing while the other disciples waited outside with the rest of the people. And so there were these three that Jesus, for some reason, for his own purposes, decided, I want these guys closer. Now, some have suggested, you know, the ones who are the most troublemakers, you keep them close so you can keep a close eye on them. So maybe that was true. You know, Peter, he seems like he could stir up trouble. But

But for whatever reason, this guy was one of those who was close to Jesus. And this is James, the brother of John. You'll know John is the, you know, the guy who wrote the Gospel of John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. And so it's the brother of John that we're talking about here. He's the first of the disciples to be put to death.

Now, knowing what you know about the disciples or the apostles and these three that Jesus specifically kept close to him, you could think that James would have some special protection from Jesus.

that he would, you know, last a lot longer, that he would have protection from these kinds of things happening in his life. But we find that he's actually the first of his apostles to be put to death. And again, that's why we have this as point number one this evening. Let it be a truth that you grasp hold of and accept. God may allow his people to suffer.

Even his favorite people. Now, God doesn't actually have favorite people, but you get the point here. He was, you know, one of those who was faithful to the Lord, who was close to the Lord. He was walking with the Lord, and yet God allowed him to suffer. Even though this harassment is unjustified.

James hasn't provoked Herod. He hasn't, you know, oh man, I was in the flesh and so I kind of messed up and, you know, Herod's paying me back for it. There's nothing like that at all. This wasn't any fault of James whatsoever. This oppression is unprovoked. It's wrong. It's unfair. But God allows for this to happen. And that is a reality of life that you and I, we maybe don't like to think about too much, but we need to learn to accept that

God may allow his people to suffer. Now, there are those who would teach the opposite of that, that Christians should never suffer, and if you're faithful to the Lord, you're not going to suffer. But that's not consistent with what the Bible teaches and describes and demonstrates for us. Here's an example in Acts chapter 12. James is put to death, and for the worst reasons. This move against the church is

was purely a political move. It wasn't even like Saul of Tarsus, okay? You can kind of respect Saul of Tarsus, right? He was convinced that he was serving God, that he was doing the right thing, and so he persecuted the church as a result of his conviction, you know, that he needed to serve God, and this was the right way to do it. Herod wasn't making a decision about whether or not

You know, Christianity was the way or whether or not he was serving God. This was a political move. He was seeking political standing. He was seeking popularity. Check out verse 3. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the days of unleavened bread.

And so here we get some insight into the heart of Herod. He was looking to please the Jews. He wanted to have good standing. He wanted to have their support. And so for his political motives and purposes, he decides, all right, that went really well. And the people really liked it. And so I'm going to do more things like that because, well...

It pleased the Jews. And so he arrests Peter and he intends to execute Peter as well. And so here James has been put to death. Peter has been arrested, scheduled for execution. Again, we see God may allow his people to suffer. If here in the United States, if our next ruler decides to harass Christians even more,

And for political reasons, not even for, you know, religious reasons, but just to bump up their popularity, we need to understand that God may allow for his people to suffer in that. And all that to say, I think something important for us to think about is, okay, God may allow his people to suffer, so let's not freak out about it if it happens, when it happens. There's a lot of

opportunity for us to freak out about stuff. But let's take a step back and recognize God allows things to happen in this life that we would cry out against and say is unfair and unjust and not right. And yet we need to continue to maintain and understand that God is on the throne. He is in control. He is in charge. And so we can rest in him and trust in him.

And sometimes we kind of get worked up over things that maybe we ought not to be so worked up about. There's a bill that's being pushed through in California right now that threatens state funding for religious colleges. You probably have seen a little bit about that posted here and there. Now, quick disclaimer, I'm not saying that it's not worth fighting for.

I'm not saying that we just, you know, sit back and let everything happen and we don't, you know, try to do anything and we don't, you know. But what I'm saying is let's not freak out and conclude that Jesus must be coming soon because of these kinds of things that are happening in the world around us. It's kind of like we're just spoiled brats sometimes.

That we're so used to just, you know, everything being kind of so nice and pleasant for us that when there's any kind of opposition that, you know, we get freaked out. We get worked up more than maybe is justified when you consider the rest of the believers around the world. It's kind of like, I'm going to pick on Richard a little bit because he's not here. So, you know, when we first met Richard, when he first started attending the church, he

Something's happened over the years. He's changed a bit. But when we first met him, he was very particular about his clothes and his shoes. And everything was matching. Everything was styled to match. And so he had different shoes for every shirt. And it was all coordinated and all worked together. And then there was a little spot. Everything stops.

I got to clean this spot on my shoe because this is an emergency, right? And so he had this very protective, my clothes got to look right. He would on purpose, I don't know if he's watching online and

shouting at the computer screen. But he would, you know, make sure that the seatbelt in the car didn't go, you know, directly against him so that it wouldn't wrinkle his shirt while he was on the way to the different events. I mean, he was just very particular, right? And we can chuckle about that, right? And then, you know, later on, you know,

He's got stains on his shirt. And I'm just messing with him. But we could freak out like, oh, no. There's a spot on my shoe. That's what he used to do. He doesn't do that anymore. But we could freak out about that and make a big deal and throw a big fit. And the rest of everybody else is looking like, it's just a spot on your shoe. It'll wash off. It's OK. And how we can kind of think about that in regards to, listen,

If we freak out about, well, if this bill passes, then we're not going to get extra free money from the state to be able to go to school. Yes, I could see that's a hard thing for many people, but that's not an indication that Jesus is about to come and the world is ending. I mean, free money not coming, it's a different thing. You guys understand that

that Christians suffer. He allows his people to suffer many times, and people die for their faith, and are imprisoned for their faith, and there's, you know, that kind of thing that's been happening since the very beginning, and we need to understand and recognize that it's not the end of the world when we don't get extra benefits, and blessings, and privileges, that sometimes we're going to suffer as part of the plan of God, and as part of the work of God. Now, on

On top of all that, I would say this. For James, this is the best part of the whole chapter. We haven't even got into the rest of the verses yet. There's going to be a miraculous deliverance for Peter and all that. James wouldn't have it any other way. He is now in eternity. He's in glory. He's probably, you know, entering into the presence of God, thinking in his mind, you

I hope the Christians back at home aren't praying for resurrection, you know, reattaching my head and trying to bring me back to life, you know. He's happy. He's in the presence of God. And so what we might consider tragedy on this side of eternity, recognize James wouldn't have it any other way. He wouldn't say, oh, I don't know why God did this. You know, I wouldn't want God to do it this way.

he's in eternity in the presence of God. It's the best part of the chapter for him, the best part of the book for him. Now he's in the presence of the Lord. And so we need to understand God may allow his people to suffer. And that's a part of the Christian life. That's a part of the Christian walk. And as we enter into eternity, we will be able to be appreciative to the Lord, even for the suffering that he has allowed in our lives.

I think we need to have the attitude of the apostles in Acts chapter 5 as they were persecuted by the Sanhedrin. It says,

And it needs, you know, it requires a shift in our thinking, in our mentality, not expecting, well, as a Christian, you know, God's going to give me the American dream. But as a Christian, my main priority is to honor the name of Jesus.

And if the best way to do that is for me to suffer, then I will suffer because I want to honor the name of Jesus. And that's the highest priority. Not my comfort, not what I want, not my wishes and desires and goals. Verse four. So when he had arrested him, talking about Peter, he put him in prison and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. So Herod continues this harassment. He arrests Peter now.

And he intends to execute him, but he can't because it's during the Passover. And again, he...

Likes to hold on to many different aspects of Judaism. And one of the things that the Jews held to is that there was no executions during feasts. And so people couldn't be tried. They couldn't be executed for crimes according to the Jewish laws. And so Herod held on to Peter and said, okay, well, after the Passover, then we'll put him down.

Now, he kind of goes overkill in guarding Peter. Maybe he heard about Acts chapter 5 where Peter escaped from jail before. And so he puts four squads of soldiers to keep him.

A squad was four soldiers. So 16 soldiers were guarding Peter. Probably, you know, in different shifts, four at a time. But normally, you know, a prisoner would be chained to one soldier. Peter was chained to two soldiers. And then there would be two more soldiers just watching the two soldiers chained to Peter, you know. So like making sure abundantly that no way was Peter going to escape. Okay.

But of course, God's going to have other plans. And so here is Peter in prison, and again, making the point, God may allow his people to suffer. No matter how much we suffer for Christ, it's worth it. Even if we have to sit in prison for a time, even if we have to be beheaded, it's worth it, no matter how much we suffer for Christ.

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4.17, our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. That the suffering that we experience here, we get to exchange it for an exceeding weight of glory in eternity. And so it's worth it, no matter how much we suffer here in this life.

Well, moving on in verses 5 through 11, we have point number two, and that is God may miraculously deliver his people. So in the case of James, we have him suffering and ultimately dying for Christ. We have Peter sitting in prison. But now as we go forward in verses 5 through 11, we're going to see God deliver Peter out of prison. And of course, it brings up the question in our mind, why does God deliver some and

And allow others to suffer and die. And of course, there's no solid answer for that because God doesn't tell us

Here in this passage, he doesn't tell us exactly why he does one with one and the other with another. And then in the rest of life and the things that we face today, we don't have God telling us why he allows this in this person's life and doesn't allow it in somebody else's life. He doesn't tell us. But we can trust God. We can know that God has his plans and his purposes and he's working all things out for good.

What if, think about this for a second, what if my death is more effective for the gospel than my life? What if my death would be more effective in reaching people than my life would be? And so God might say, hey, I'm going to take you into eternity early.

Because, well, there's going to be a great work that I'm going to do by bringing you home early. What if my suffering is more effective for the kingdom of God than my deliverance?

Maybe you're battling issues in your life, illnesses perhaps, or, you know, relationship struggles, or work struggles, or financial things, and we wonder, we want out, you know, why are you allowing this, God? And, you know, why won't you take me out of this already? And why won't you, you know, fix this or resolve this? But what if that's more effective for you and for people around you

If that just continues for the rest of your life, that the rest of your life, you're going to be in the suffering that you're in, in the condition that you're in. Well, what if that's the case? You see, our objective as believers now is to further the kingdom of God, not to further our comfort, to further our desires and wishes. God blesses us, but at the same time, it's not the primary thing.

And so God may choose to allow some to suffer and he may choose to deliver some. And that's his prerogative. He gets to choose and make that decision.

Well, here in the case of Peter, we get to see his deliverance in verse 5. It says, So here you get to see the guards in action.

Peter's chained to two guards, one on each side, and then there's two other guards watching the door. So very secure this prison is. But here we'll find that soldiers are no obstacle for God. It wouldn't matter if there was a hundred soldiers there watching Peter for what God wants to do. Verse 7 says,

Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison. And he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, Arise quickly. And his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him, Gird yourself and tie on your sandals. And so he did. And he said to him, Put on your garments and follow me. Here is Peter in prison, heavily guarded, and

But an angel appears, and it says a light shone in the prison, and Peter is sleeping pretty peacefully because an angel showing up with a bright light isn't enough to wake him. The angel kind of has to strike him on the side, and I don't know how this actually happened, but in my mind, you know, there's kind of like this prodding, like the angel's like, hey, wake up, you know, kind of like

Like, you know, pushing him a little bit. Like, hey, you know, kicking him. Like, hey, wake up, Peter, wake up. Like, a little bit forceful in what's happening. And even, like, you can see as he walks him through. Like, hey, get up quickly, he says. Arise quickly. And the chains fell off his hands. And so Peter, like, you know, you know how it is sometimes when you wake up out of a deep sleep. And, you know, it just kind of takes a little bit to get your bearings. And so he's like, get up, get up. And he's like, okay, okay, I'm getting up. I'm getting up. What's going on? All right, put on your shoes. Put on your shoes.

Okay, okay, you know, I can maybe like a parent, you know, like getting their kid ready real quick. Like, hurry up, come on, come on, put on your shoes. Okay, put on your garment. Okay, now come follow me. That's the progression that we see here with this angel. Like waking Peter up and telling him, you know, put on your shoes, put on your garment, let's go. And he's leading him out of the prison. In verse nine, it says, so he went out and followed him and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. Okay.

So now Peter says,

He's following this angel, doing what he's told, but the whole time he's thinking, man, this is a strange dream I'm having. I mean, it's kind of cool, you know, having this angel here and these doors, you know, just opening magically and the guards are sleeping and I'm just walking right past them. And he's thinking, wow, this is pretty cool. But he's just thinking he's seeing a vision. He's thinking this isn't real. This isn't actually happening. But he's thinking, man, this is a strange dream I'm having.

But remember, he had the vision a few chapters earlier of the blanket coming down with the different animals. And God said, arise, kill, and eat. And God had a message for him in that vision. And so I can imagine Peter just kind of thinking, all right, hey, Lord, so what do you want to say about this through this vision? What kind of deliverance do you want to talk about? Are you talking about delivering my soul? And I don't know what Peter might have thought. But he thought he was seeing a vision that

They go through the first and the second guard posts. They get out the iron gate that leads to the city. Now, they were probably in the fortress of Antonia, which is right next to the Temple Mount, right in the heart of Jerusalem.

So that's probably where he's at. He gets out of the main gate of that fortress, and it says the angel leads him down one street. So kind of like around the corner, out of eyesight. So, you know, when the alarms start sounding and they start shining the lights everywhere, you know, they're not going to see Peter. And then the angel immediately departs from him. And so Peter's there all alone, and

Not sure what's really happening. Is this really for real? Is this happening? What's going on? Now verse 11, and when Peter had come to himself, he said, now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people. Outside the gates, one street over, it's all becoming real to Peter. And he says, wow, God really did deliver me.

That must have been just an incredible experience, an incredible feeling, just like overwhelmed and amazed. Look what God has done. He's delivered me out of this situation using these supernatural means, these crazy circumstances. They're heavily guarded, several gates, you know, several obstacles to go through, but God just kind of walked them through and doors opened on their own and

I'm sure Peter was blown away that God would deliver him, especially to that degree, to that extent. Gates were no obstacle for God. Chains were no obstacle for God. Soldiers were no obstacle for God. And that's still the case. God is still able to work miraculously to deliver his people.

When there's opposition, when there's persecution, God may choose to do that. Now again, he may choose to allow us to suffer or he may choose to deliver us. That's his choice. He gets to choose. He is the Lord. He is the king. He knows what's best. He does what's best. And so we submit ourselves to him. But there is that opportunity. There is that choice that God has that he might deliver his people radically, supernaturally, against all odds.

Well, another thing that happens when rulers oppose God's work, as we continue on now, verses 12 through 17, we have point number three. Something that happens is God's people pray. There's something that happens when we face opposition that gets us to pray against

Perhaps like we weren't praying before. And so we see the church here in Acts chapter 12 really focused on prayer. I'm going to back up for just a moment and look again at verse 5. It says, And so the church was offering constant prayer for Peter. They were asking God to deliver Peter constantly, constantly.

It was ongoing, and it probably refers to, you know, every time they prayed, they were asking for God to deliver Peter, but also that they were having specific prayer meetings for the deliverance of Peter. And so it was this ongoing thing. They were praying, praying, praying. Every day they were praying for God to deliver Peter. Every day they were asking God for mercy in the situation that Peter was in. Verse 12 now.

It says, So here Peter, after he's kind of come to his senses, he realizes, oh wow, I've been delivered. He goes to this house, the house of Mary. Now,

We don't know exactly where this is. We know that it's there in Jerusalem. There's a lot of speculation about this. It's probably the house where Jesus had the Last Supper with his disciples. It was the house of Mary, who is the mother of John Mark. You guys will become familiar with John Mark as we go further in Acts. He joins up with Paul and Barnabas in their missionary journey, and he's part of that. He is also the guy who wrote the Gospel of Mark.

and hangs out with Peter later on in Peter's life. And it's believed that Peter is the one who spoke out the gospel of Mark, and Mark recorded it as Peter was sharing it. And so there's this guy, John Mark, who's a young man at this point, but he's part of the church, and it's at his house that there's this big gathering. And Peter goes to this house. Now, as he goes to this house...

You know, there's some accounts in the Bible that say,

I just wish so much I could have been there to see it unfold or to maybe just kind of see an instant replay, you know, if God would just kind of show us on the screen. Lord, do you want to do that? Show us on the screen right now? I guess not. Okay, but imagine it. I mean, this is like really incredible. Verse 13, it says, and as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. When she recognized Peter's voice because of her gladness, she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate.

So Peter goes. He shows up. He knocks on the gate. Rhoda answers and says, who is it? Oh, it's Peter. I've been delivered from prison. And she's so excited, she forgets to open the gate. She forgets to let him in. And she just goes running back, telling the crowd, hey, everybody, Peter's here. He's been delivered. And he's here. Can you believe it? And it's so amazing. She ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. You know, sometimes you get so excited that you don't know

You forget to do some very basic things, right? It's like when I proposed to Kim on that Wednesday night here in the sanctuary. I got down. I proposed. She said yes. Everybody's cheering. And then Kim's like, you're supposed to put the ring on my finger.

oh, you know, some of the basic things you miss when you're really excited about stuff. And so she doesn't open the gate. She just leaves Peter outside, exposed, vulnerable, in danger, you know. And she's in there trying to convince everybody that Peter has been delivered. But they don't believe her. Check out verse 15. But they said to her, you are beside yourself.

Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, it is his angel. So there's this exchange that goes on. And we don't have a full account of it. But it says that she kept insisting that it's so. So they're saying, no, you're crazy. You're, you know, what are you talking about? No, no, no. I'm serious. No, Peter is really there. He's here. He's been delivered.

You're crazy. Why are you saying that? I can imagine them saying something like, you know, settle down and be quiet so we can go back to praying for Peter to be delivered. Stop interrupting us and shouting all these things about Peter's deliverance. We need to pray for Peter's deliverance. But she kept insisting and kept insisting. And so they finally said, well, maybe it's an angel. Maybe his guardian angel looks like him or sounds like him, or maybe he's been put to death. And, you know, you kind of have a vision of his spirit and they didn't believe her.

There she is insisting. There they are praying, but they didn't believe her. Verse 16, now Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. They didn't believe her, but they kept hearing knocking at the gate. And so someone else had to go check finally. What is all this racket? What is all this noise? And they go and check, and there Peter is. It's really true, and it says that they were astonished.

This is a really interesting passage to consider as you talk about prayer, because one of the things that we often go through in our minds, and sometimes it's taught about prayer, is you have to believe, you have to have faith, and God works when you have faith and when you believe. And yet here we have the church praying, really with not very much belief, right? Not very much faith. They were so insistent on praying for Peter's deliverance,

And yet they refused to believe when it was announced that Peter was delivered. And so they were astonished because this prayer had been answered. I like what Warren Wiersbe has to say about this. He says, it's always right to pray. Even if your faith is so weak, you are surprised when the answer comes. Keep knocking. God opens doors. Sometimes our faith is weak and we pray for things that

We don't actually think God is going to do or that God can do. But Warren Wiersbe encourages us, it's always right to pray. Don't discourage yourself and think, I don't have much faith, so I'm not going to pray. No, go ahead and pray. Even if you're going to be surprised if the answer comes, keep on knocking. Keep on seeking. Keep on lifting up your needs to God because God does open doors. And there's something about opposition.

Something about, you know, us being pushed out of our comfort zone, pushed out of our bubble that gets us to pray like we didn't pray before. And even if it's not fully believing everything that we're praying for, it's good to be praying. It's good to have that fellowship and that communication with God. And so we need to be praying just like this church was praying. Verse 17. Verse 17.

So they're all excited. They're probably cheering. He's like, shh, you know, they're going to be looking for me. Keep it quiet. Keep it quiet.

But he says, I want to tell you what the Lord did. Here's how God delivered me. Go pass it on to James. Now, this isn't obviously the James that has just been beheaded, but James, the brother of Jesus, who had risen up and become a really important leader in the church at Jerusalem. And we'll see him again in Acts chapter 15. So go tell James, one of the leaders there of the church in Jerusalem, and the rest of the brethren. And then I think it's interesting here in verse 17, it says, he departed and went to another place.

Just as a little follow-up side note from Sunday, we talked about God working in seasons and doing unique things or using unique methods that God doesn't only do one thing, that we have to, you know, be seeking the Lord and hearing from God because God does a variety of things in different ways at different times. Now, the last time that Peter was released from prison, God told him to go right back into the middle of the people and preach the gospel, right?

So when the religious leaders arrested Peter and then God delivered Peter, God told Peter, go back to the temple and preach the gospel. So right there in the midst of the crowd, right in front of everybody, you're going to be found out again. The religious leaders are going to see you there definitely, but go back there and preach the gospel. Do the thing that got you arrested in the first place, back in the place where you were first arrested. So go back there. Don't worry about them, but go back and continue the work and

That's what the Lord told him to do in Acts chapter 5. But notice this time, that's not what Peter does. That wasn't always God's plan. That wasn't always what God wanted. This time he went to another place. We don't know where he went. He kept it secret. He was quiet about it. And so there's some times where God wants Peter to be bold and right in front of, you know, the authority's face, do the thing that God told him to do. And then there's other times where God

When he delivers Peter, he wants him to just go quietly to another place, to move on and continue to follow the Lord, but in another place without making a big deal about it. And again, just a little, you know, side note from Sunday that we need to be paying attention. We can't just assume, oh yes, I was in this place, you know, back a few chapters ago in my life.

and this is what I did, and this is what I was supposed to do now. But that's not the case. We need to be seeking the Lord today for what's happening in our lives today and following his instruction today because he may want to do something different than what he did last time when we were in this situation. Well, when rulers oppose God's work, God's people pray. Now, as we think about, as I shared earlier, that...

you know, the church experiences opposition. Christians experience opposition. That's happening worldwide, all over, even today. And it's happened throughout all the church history. As we look at this

example of God's people praying, I was reminded of Hebrews chapter 13 verse 3, where here we're instructed, remember the prisoners as if chained with them, those who are mistreated since you yourselves are in the body also. Here the author of Hebrews gives instruction to those who are not facing that kind of opposition, but it's an exhortation to remember them as if you're chained with them.

And I think that's an interesting challenge. I think that's a good thing for us to meditate on and consider and let the Lord maybe stir you up a little bit about that. Because if you're chained in prison with somebody...

you can imagine your prayer life would probably be pretty dynamic and pretty intense at that time. But it's so easy when you're not chained there with somebody. It's out of sight, out of mind, and we don't pay much attention to those who are suffering. And so it's a good reminder to stir up and remember that.

Now, it doesn't necessarily have to be, you know, someone in prison or missionaries in prison around the world, but we can also remember those who are suffering, those who are sick, those who are hurting, those who are going through difficult times, as if we're in the situation with them. And to have that compassion for one another and to pray for one another is really, I think, the point that God wants us to have that heart for one another, to pray as one.

We go through things together independently, but together because we are the body of Christ. Well, moving on to verses 18 through 23, here we have point number four, and that is God deals with the rulers. When rulers oppose God's work, God may allow his people to suffer.

He may miraculously deliver his people. God's people will be praying whenever that opposition is going on. But here's the truth that we can also hold on to. God will deal with those who bring opposition to the work of God, to believers in Jesus. Verse 18, then as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter.

So in the morning, there's no small stir, it says. In other words, it was great chaos. The soldiers were like, what in the world happened? They were trying to figure out what happened to Peter. Now,

Herod, as he searches for Peter and can't find him, he examines the guards. He's questioning them. They're on trial now because Peter is missing. And the end result is Herod puts them to death. Now, this was the normal punishment for Roman soldiers. If you are a Roman soldier entrusted with guarding a prisoner and that prisoner escaped on your watch and

Well, you would receive the punishment that that prisoner was going to receive. And so if it was, you know, the lashing or the beating or whatever, that's what you would receive. Or if it was death, then you would be executed. And so it was a great incentive for the Roman soldiers to make sure they did their duty so that they didn't receive the punishment that that prisoner received. And so here they are now.

Now, in a sense, they were innocent. Innocent because...

you know, they didn't fall asleep. It was a miraculous thing that God did. But at the same time, I was thinking, you know, it's kind of cool. They had one last chance to receive the gospel before their death, being chained to the apostle Peter and knowing, you know, what his chains were for and knowing that he was an apostle of Jesus Christ. And so even then in their death, that was, you know, maybe they were innocent in it. But

and they were maybe themselves not opposed to the things of Christ, but they had that confrontation with the things of God right there before their last moments. Verse 20, Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus the king's personal aid their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food by the king's country."

So now we're continuing to follow the arc really of Herod, Herod Agrippa. So it began with him and his opposition against the church. And now after Peter has disappeared, he's moved from Judea, where Jerusalem was, up to the coast where his kind of the capital was, Caesarea.

And at that time, the people of Tyre and Sidon say, hey, this is a good occasion because something had happened. There was some drama that happened between them. And so, you know, they weren't getting along. But the people of Tyre and Sidon were dependent upon the region of Herod for their food. And so...

You know, they can't let that continue. So they got to make amends. And so they see this as their opportunity, now that Herod's back up in that territory, to make amends. And so they defend this guy Blastus, and they start to try to, you know, bring peace between them. Verse 21. So on a set day, Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. And the people kept shouting, "'The voice of a God and not a man.'"

And so here's Herod upset with these people. They come to make peace. And so he's kind of, okay, well, let's have a day to gather together. I'll give a speech. Maybe if you cheer loud enough.

I'll be friends with you again. We can have peace, you know, between our region and your region. And so this is kind of the idea that's going on. And so on a set day, they set a day and he arrayed himself in royal apparel and he gave a speech, an oration to them. And the people responded saying, the voice of a God and not a man. Now, the historian Josephus, he's not a Christian or anything, but he, as a Jew, records this event saying,

And he describes it with a little bit more detail, but the same details, essentially, that it matches. That Herod was there at the outdoor theater in Caesarea, and he stood before them arrayed in a silver robe, a robe made out of silver.

And so he describes it as he wore that silver robe that the sun shone on him because it was an outdoor theater. And so it would glisten and it would shine. It was, you know, it looked brilliant from the stands where the people were gathered. And so as they see kind of him glowing, as they see the reflections and this bright light, then they're shouting out the voice of a God and not a man. And they're ascribing deity to him.

Well, Josephus also goes on to say that immediately Herod experienced stomach pains.

And after experiencing these stomach pains, they were so severe that his attendants had to carry him out of the theater, and he was on his sickbed for the next five days until he died. And then Luke gives us a little bit more insight in verse 23. It says,

So you see kind of the combination of these two accounts where the angel of the Lord struck him, and so he had stomach pains immediately. Luke explains this was because of some worms that were there. And so he was in pain. It caused his death. It's not a nice picture to think about. But the reason is the most important thing found in verse 23, because he did not give glory to God.

So they're saying, the voice of a God and not a man. And he's saying, yes, yes, I know. Yes, I am wonderful. Thank you. Thank you. You're very wise. And so God deals with them. He is a ruler who has oppressed God's people, who has worked against God's people, who has put God's people to death. And God says, I'll take care of that. He deals with the pride, with the arrogance, with

Herod, who has opposed the work of God because he did not give glory to God. We see that all throughout the scriptures. You can think about Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, as he looks over the kingdom and says, wow, look at this great kingdom that I've built for myself with all my great glory. And then God causes him to become like an animal for seven years to teach him, hey, you didn't do this. You don't have the glory or the credit for this. It's a good reminder for us to give glory to God.

Maybe you're not a king who has oppressed Christians, but remember that God will not share his glory. If you're successful, give God glory. If you're smart, give God glory. If you're good looking, give God glory.

Let God be glorified and make sure that you don't accept that and take the credit for what God has done because God takes that seriously. God will not share his glory with another. When rulers oppose God's work, here's what we can know. God will deal with them. It may be like this. It might be another way. You know, God does a variety of things in a variety of ways.

but God will deal with those who rule and oppress God's people. In his timing, no ruler will get away with oppressing God's people. Well, we finish it up in verse 24 and 25 for point number five, and that is God's work continues. Here's another thing that we need to grasp hold of and just recognize. When rulers oppose God's work, you know what happens? God's work continues.

No ruler can stop the work of God. No ruler can stop what God wants to do. Check out verse 24. But the word of God grew and multiplied. So here's Herod trying to put a stop to it.

For political reasons, he's persecuting the Christians, persecuting the believers and putting James to death, imprisoning Peter. He's wanting to put a stop. He's helping the Jews put a stop to Christianity. But what happens? The word of God grew and multiplied. So again, going back to, hey, let's not freak out when we experience opposition and

Because no matter how much opposition a president or a Congress or our courts or our society brings against the work of God, the work of God cannot be stopped. The word of God cannot be stopped. And in fact, in times of opposition and persecution, what we tend to see throughout the scriptures and throughout history is that's when the word of God grows and multiplies the most.

God does a great work in the midst of opposition and persecution, and his work continues. Verse 25, and Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John, whose surname was Mark. Now, this kind of wraps up from the end of Acts chapter 11, where the disciples in Antioch had sent relief down to Jerusalem by the hand of Barnabas and Saul, and they were

Now they're down there in Jerusalem. They kind of see all this unfold. They come back now from Jerusalem with John Mark. And then that leads us into Acts chapter 13, where we'll pick up next week. And we'll get to see, you know, the beginning of the missionary journeys of Saul and Barnabas. They take John Mark with them. And so it kind of ties it all together. They're back in Antioch now. But notice, they're back in Antioch now.

The word of God multiplies, continues. The work of God continues. They're back in Antioch, and now it's going to lead into the greatest missionary journeys that the church has seen yet.

And the gospel spreading further to the reaches of the Roman Empire all the way back to Rome through the ministry of Saul and Barnabas. The word of God, the work of God continues even when there's great opposition against God's work. And so when rulers oppose God's work, here's some things we can know. God may allow his people to suffer.

We should kind of expect that. We should expect to suffer. Jesus said we will have tribulation. He didn't instruct us to build our kingdom here in this life. He instructed us to build his kingdom. That's what we're to be a part of. That's to be our agenda. And that may involve suffering. We might have to suffer for the name of Jesus.

God may miraculously deliver his people. Now, although we expect to suffer, we anticipate that, we also look to God for deliverance. It's okay to ask God for deliverance. And we can know and trust that if God wants to deliver, he's able. He's not limited by guards or chains or soldiers. He can deliver in any circumstance, however he chooses. When rulers oppress or oppose God's work,

God's people pray, and we ought to be praying. Even when we don't believe necessarily that we'll see the results of that prayer, it's good to pray, to keep seeking the Lord, to keep drawing near to the Lord and presenting our hearts before the Lord. It's what he calls us to do.

When rulers oppose God's work, we can know and rest assured that God will deal with those rulers. They're not going to get away with it. Even if it looks like they're getting away with it for a time, God's got their number. He knows exactly where they're at. He knows exactly how to deal with them. And he will deal with all that injustice that goes on. But here's the thing to know through the midst of all that. Whenever there's opposition...

It doesn't stop the work of God. God's word will grow and God's work will continue so we can rest and trust in God. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, as we consider these things this evening, I pray that you would prepare us, Lord, that we would be ready, Lord, and just willing to suffer for your name's sake, to suffer for the sake of the kingdom of God, Lord, to set aside, to lay aside our comforts and our desires and our goals and dreams and hopes and wishes. Lord, I pray that you would help us to make your glory the priority of our hearts and lives, Lord, that we would truly seek you first in your kingdom, your righteousness, and

Lord, trusting you and walking with you. I pray, God, that you would teach us to do that. Lord, knowing that you will continue your work. And Lord, our opportunity is to be part of that. Lord, help us to be part of that, not to be on the sidelines while others who seek your glory and seek for you to be glorified in their lives get to participate. But Lord, help us to join in that, to seek you, to walk with you.

Lord, regardless of the cost. And Lord, help us to trust in you in the midst of that. Lord, in the midst of where we're at as a nation and all the things that are unfolding and the months that lie ahead, Lord, help us to trust in you and rest in you, to not freak out, but Lord, to know that you are on the throne. And Lord, that doesn't mean we don't fight, that we don't battle, that we don't do things and fulfill our obligations and responsibilities.

Lord, in the end, we throw all those things at your feet and we say, you be glorified. Whatever that takes, whatever's necessary, Lord, we want you lifted high and your kingdom advanced. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of his word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.