Acts 12:1-25, Trust in the God of saving
Acts 12:1-25, Trust in the God of saving
1.t was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2.He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3.When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 4.After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. 5.So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. 6.The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7.Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. 8.Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him. 9.Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10.They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. 11.Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating." 12.When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13.Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14.When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!" 15."You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel." 16.But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17.Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell James and the brothers about this," he said, and then he left for another place. 18.In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19.After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed. Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there a while. 20.He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. Having secured the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king's country for their food supply. 21.On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22.They shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man." 23.Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. 24.But the word of God continued to increase and spread. 25.When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.
<Sermon>
The Jerusalem Church experiences God’s miracles amidst crisis. King Herod kills James and imprisons Peter to kill him as well. When the church prays earnestly, an amazing miracle occurs. The Lord sends an angel to break Peter out of prison. Peter goes to the praying brothers and informs them of God's salvation. King Herod ordered the guards who were guarding Peter to be killed and went to Caesarea. During his speech, King Herod failed to give glory to God, so an angel of the Lord struck him and killed him. Meanwhile, the word of the Lord prospers even more. Please come true to our church!
1. Satan attacks the church (1-5).
Herod made Peter imprison and is going to kill him tomorrow. He made sure to keep Peter under double strict surveillance. The worst has come to the church. James was martyred, and Peter was also going to die tomorrow. What the church can do at this time is to cling to God. This is because prayer is the only solution. Prayer is the best choice and the best weapon we can make during suffering. Prayer is the path to salvation that makes us realize our weakness and leads us to God of power. Dear saints, if we work, we can work as much as we can. However, if you pray earnestly to God, God will work. The greatest ability that God has given to the church and believers is to overcome Satan's schemes through the power of prayer. When we are in crisis, God works if we pray together. Unfortunately, many believers use prayer as a last resort after all else fails. Prayer should be the church's first resort in times of trouble. You must pray first. The sufferings that Jesus experienced also come to Jesus' disciples. However, just as Jesus received glory through suffering, the suffering we experience can be transformed into glory because we have co-workers praying with us. At this time, the church prays earnestly. V.5, So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. No matter what difficulties we face, I hope we can overcome through faith and prayer for one another.
2. God intervenes emergencyly (6-10) He saves us through miracles.
As they pray, God sends an angel to rescue Peter. Even under the fierce surveillance of soldiers, God miraculously brings him out (6-10). The glory of Jesus’ resurrection is revealed through Peter. Herod imprisons Peter and tries to kill him, but Jesus rescues Peter, just as God led the Israelites out of Egypt during the Passover. The sight of Peter sleeping in chains is reminiscent of ‘death.’ Tomorrow Peter will die. The sight of soldiers and guards surveillance him also reminds us of the scene where Jesus was lying in the tomb(6). The appearance of the Lord's angel and shining light into the prison symbolizes the glory of resurrection. The chains symbolizing sin and death were taken from his hands. The angel tells Peter to put on his clothes and follow him(7-8). Peter passed the double guards without incident, and the iron door of the prison opened by itself (9-10). Just as the resurrected Jesus went in and out of a closed door without difficulty, Peter was able to get out of the prison door with the guidance of an angel. This experience of Peter is also the glory of resurrection promised to us. When Jesus returns, we will all be resurrected in glory. The incident of escaping from prison must have been an experience that gave Peter the boldness to preach the gospel. Remember that God’s path to salvation is always open. In this way, the authority and glory of the Lord are promised to the disciples of Jesus. We also have the authority of the resurrected Jesus Christ. If you firmly believe in the power of resurrection, no matter what difficulties you face in the world, you can overcome them without fear and enjoy glory. Amen. Peter realizes that the angel's guidance was real, and confesses to God that he has escaped the hands of Herod and the plot hatched by the Jews. Verse 11. Both James and Peter were important leaders of the early church. According to God's will, one became a martyr early on, and Peter preached the gospel longer. We cannot judge which situation and method is right for the gospel. We must simply submit to God's sovereignty. Peter goes to Mark's mother's house and meets the saints who were praying(12). It was quite late when Peter arrived the house. Nevertheless, many believers were gathered together and praying. It reminds us of the words Jesus told Peter to stay awake and pray in the Garden of Gethsemane before he was crucified. Peter probably remembered that time and emphasized it to his believers on a daily basis. Today, our church must stay awake and pray more than ever. Let us stay awake and pray for the life and recovery of the church.
3. After praying, let us believe in the answer and live in praise (10-25).
Just like the disciples who did not believe that Jesus was resurrected, the church members did not believe that Peter was released from prison at first. Peter knocks on the door of the house where his disciples were gathered to pray, and a girl named Rhoda comes out to greet him. The first people to witness the resurrection of Jesus were women, and the first people to witness Peter being released were also women. Rohda forgets to open the door, so she runs inside and tells him that Peter is standing outside the gate. People don't believe this and say, "You're crazy." Aren't they praying for Peter? So Peter came back. But what do people say? When a girl named Rhoda tells them that Peter is outside, he says he is crazy. They don't believe it. Isn’t this what we are? The girl continued, “No. he really came. “I heard him.” Then the praying saints make a little concession and say, “Then it must be Peter’s angel.” We learn a valuable lesson here. We see disbelief, not believing what one prayed for. Our problem lies in not praying, and in praying and not believing in the answer. There is prayer, but faith is lacking. We don't trust God at the critical moment. Then, we do not believe in God, but in money. Believe in knowledge and do not believe in God. In Mt.6:5-8, Jesus said not to pray hypocritically or repeat prayers that are insincere in an attempt to impress others. When Peter went to prison, they must have prayed earnestly for his release. They seem to have anticipated Peter's martyrdom. They also didn't think God would respond so quickly. They probably thought there wouldn't be a response. God was so urgent that he responded quickly. When they prayed together earnestly, God was preparing as if He had been waiting and then He began His work.
Dear saints, as we pray, we sometimes feel discouraged as to why our prayers are not answered and why we have to wait so long. Elijah prayed earnestly for rain, but there was not a single cloud in the sky. Once, twice, three times... there was no response even six times. How long did Abraham wait to have his son Isaac? From the age of 75 to 100, he made us wait 25 years, waiting and praying. God guides our entire life. He gives us wisdom and experience, uses it well, and accomplishes God’s will. God guides our life path with all plans. The future of us, our church, and our nation is in God’s hands. If we obey and wait in anticipation, God will make it happen in His timing. God does great things for us. Trusting and obeying is not something that only doctors do. It's not something that only rich people with tens of millions of dollars do. It's not just healthy people who do it. This is possible for anyone if their heart is held by the Lord. We all believe that God is doing great things. Let us pray for this. I bless you to believe, pray, and obey that God will definitely accomplish this. As Peter continues to knock on the door, he comes out and is very surprised to see Peter, which is consistent with the appearance of his disciples who saw the resurrected Jesus in person (15-16). Even the way Peter leaves after telling the story of the incident to Jesus' brother James and his brothers is similar to Jesus' actions after the resurrection (17). In this way, the Lord recreated the cross and resurrection through Peter. It shows how amazing the glory and power of a disciple who walks with the Lord is. The teaching that Jesus died but came back to life, and the teaching that we too will live again and live forever, cannot be believed based on common sense. But that amazing glory is given to us right here and now.
Empty tomb and empty prison (18-19): The next day, the jailer checked and was surprised. Peter disappeared from prison. The room was empty. The tomb where Jesus was buried was also empty. The soldiers launched a search operation, but it was in vain, and the soldiers who stood guard were executed because the prisoner escaped.
God strikes Herod (20-23): Herod is a wicked man who killed James, an innocent servant of God, for his own greed. On a designated day, he puts on his royal robe and delivers a speech before the people of Tyre and Sidon. At that time, people respond by saying, “This is not the voice of a man, but the voice of God.” However, King Herod did not return to God the praise and glory that only God deserves. In the end, the angel of the Lord attacked him and he was eaten by worms and died. God struck him. Let us quickly give glory to God. The angels of the Lord are active in both salvation and death. He rescues Peter from prison and kills the proud King Herod. He also sends poisonous bugs to Herod, causing him to bite and kill the king. This is because God answered the church's prayers, saved Peter, and revealed God's power by killing the arrogant Herod. This would have given courage and strength to the church that lost Apostle James through God's intervention. Even if the believer encounters something unfair while doing righteousness, we are blessed to leave it to God, pray to Him, and live victoriously. The amazing things that happen in our lives today are not the result of our own abilities, but God’s special intervention and miracles. We should give glory and be thankful for what God does.
The Word prospers and the minister continues to work (24-25): Meanwhile, the Word of God prospers and increases. It repeats in 6:7, 9:31, and 19:20. Even in the midst of persecution and tragedy, the gospel continues to advance unhindered. The Church of God is thriving even during persecution. The Kingdom of God will not be disturbed. The return of Barnabas and Saul (25). After delivering relief money from the Antioch church to famine-stricken Jerusalem, Barnabas and Saul return to Antioch.
Dear saints, even today, the devil tests and persecutes us to make us spiritually collapse. Let us earnestly join together and pray for our families and churches. Let disaster and illness pass. Let God’s victory overflow within us. Let us experience God’s emergency intervention. Let us believe, trust, and obey as we pray. Let us give glory, praise, and be thankful only to God. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
