WORMS WITH INTESTINAL FORTITUDE!
Or Man vs. God
ACTS 12:20-24
Introduction:
What you just witnessed is a parody on pride. (I entered the sanctuary with "Eye of the Tiger" playing over the sound system, high-fiving a few members hands as I made my way to the pulpit)
This is not too far off of what is happening in many of our churches today. Every Sunday the “show” is grander: with music that rivals any secular concert, lights that are worthy of a Super bowl half-time show and preachers that are full of charisma, energy and wit. We are seeing more prideful entertainment in our churches today than we are experiencing humble worship.
While I took some liberties with exaggeration, the tragedy is that the oldest sin, pride, remains our oldest enemy and is not confined nor limited to the unsaved but has crept its way into Christianity even to the precious, once revered, pulpit. It is pride that asks “what about me? It is pride that demands “do something for me”. It is pride that proclaims “look at me”. It is pride that says “the people love to hear me sing” and pride that states “I am changing lives with my sermons”. And it is pride that coils back and attacks when it is rebuked with statements like “it is not about YOU!”
We have leaders in the white house, movie house, school house, police house and, tragically, the church house that have positioned themselves on a pedestal so high they are obsessed over and worshipped as gods. We have churches full of believers that think if the Holy Spirit ever resigned, they will be next in line to be a part of the Trinity. Folks walking around with resumes full of education and experience, with a cover letter written in pride, criticizing those who are working: throwing up the red flag when things don’t go their way and wresting over control and power while the church watches THE POWER write ICHABOD on the door of the church on His way out.
About 4,000 churches shut their doors each year. 53,000 church members walk out of church every week. 2.7 million Professing Christians who used to be faithful to church are inactive today. In 1900 there were 27 churches for every 10,000 people, in 2000 there were 11. And, 50 percent of churches in America have not seen any new members in over two years!
I believe that pride is at the very heart of this dilemma. And if you agree that pride is at the root of the issues of power and control struggles in church, then statistics would agree with me.
I was listening to David Dabbs the other day and he was saying that in the past churches he has been a part of the deacon ministry was about making decisions, having meetings, and conducting the churches business. He stated that he was excited to be in a church where the deacon ministry was primarily about ministry. A place, where as a deacon he was not burdened down with managing the people, but boosted up with ministry to the people.
I believe that much of the success and failures of our country and church falls in the laps of our leaders. Leaders, who are called to be an example, set the bar high, live with integrity, serve with humility and lead with boldness and courage.
That being said let us look at a leader that was swelled up with pride, a pride that ultimately brought judgment from God upon him.
Please turn your Bibles to Acts chapter 12 verses 20-24 and stand with me in reverence to the reading of the Word of God.
1. A Man Full of Potential (vs. 20): Up until now this man has done nothing wrong. I mean, while it may be rather eccentric to dress up in a silver suit of armor engraved with symbols, there is no difference, in my opinion, with having the money to wear an Armani suit and a Rolex watch. There is nothing wrong with having money it is when the money has you that it becomes a problem. He was not wrong in meeting with outlying leaders, playing the political game and employing his gifts of administration.
Of course I am isolating this incident, I am well aware of his agenda to exterminate Christianity, an agenda he held in common with Saul who later became Paul. And, as a man full of potential:
• People were Watching Him: Herod stood as a King with potential in that he had an eager audience of Jews that were counting on him to rid the world of the Christian threat and lead them out of any external governmental persecution. The people were looking for a great leader and boy did they bet on the wrong horse. Other cities, such as Tyre and Sidon, were impacted and influenced by what happened under Herod’s reign. Oh there were many people watching Herod. And, there are many people watching you and me today. Do not be fooled into thinking your actions, reactions and inactions are going unnoticed! I know of Christians who are walking around today, very pious, thinking they have a testimony of power and love when in reality that testimony was shattered by harsh words, ungodly deeds, unrepentant sin, bitterness, anger and un forgiveness. Do not be fooled, people are watching.
The Bible says, “Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.” –I Pet. 2:12.
Herod stood among a watching people with the opportunity to do good works, and for God to be glorified in his works.
• People were Counting on Him: Herod was a leader. As a leader not only were people watching him, but people were counting on him. Counting on him to make a difference. Counting on him to be different. Proverbs 16:10 says “A divine sentence is in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judgment.” And not only are people watching you, but they are counting on you. Counting on you to make a difference by being different. The unsaved are counting you for hope. This world has seen average Christianity too many times. They have seen those “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” –II Tim. 3:5.
Those that come to church on Sunday, singing there is Power in the Blood only to live like hell the rest of the week. Those that rejoice about being forgiven, yet remain unforgiving. Those that celebrate the fact that they have been shown mercy and grace, yet give none out. Those that have been saved from sin yet use their salvation s a license to continue to wallow in its ugliness. Those that recognize a Lord that promises to never leave nor forsake them yet they take that faithfulness and are more faithful to their jobs, hobbies and relationships than to honoring their Lord. And those that appreciate a Heavenly Father that created them to be the object and expression of His love and walk away becoming more obsessed with Hollywood then their Lord. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” –I Pet 2:9
Oh this world has seen average Christianity and the lost remain lost. Yet there is still hope. The unsaved are still watching and counting on that man, woman, boy or girl that will be different and make a difference. As we look at the leaders in our country and our churches, no wonder we are in such a mess. Our leaders are lying, stealing, cheating, embezzling, whore mongering, gossiping, backstabbing, molesting children, committing adultery and living in sin with lives in leadership marked with hypocrisy. Again, no wonder our country and churches have no power and are in such a state of turmoil. Herod was a man full of potential.
2. A Man Full of Pride (vs. 21):
We love recognition, a pat on the back a well done. And, while there is nothing wrong with desiring to be acknowledged, there is something wrong with where we seek and receive that acknowledgment (man or God). Herod was soaking up the glory of the sun with his silver armor and soaking up the glory of the SON with his silver pride. Oh the person that struts through the house of God swelling up with pride as he overhears people talk as he/she walks by. “Oh that person gives so much money to this church”, “I don’t know what we would do without that person, it is people like them that hold this church together”, “they know the Bible more than some theologians: oh to have such wisdom”. You can almost hear their thoughts as they strut around “You know it baby” “I am something else, aren’t I” and “This church does need me”. It was this kind of pride that caused Herod to move his throne to the coliseum and dress in silver armor. Boy did he enjoy his earthly rewards.
There Herod stood dressed up, looking pretty, shinning in the sun, speaking with perfect acoustics in the coliseum with his silver tongue. Wow, what a sight that must have been! He really was a man full of pride and:
3. A Man Full of People (vs. 22): Herod was a man that loved an audience and an audience he had. With the coliseum full of people adoring him he stepped up led them.
• He had his Circle of Influence: They say that ninety percent are followers and only ten percent leaders. An easy statistic to believe when you hear of how many scams folks buy into, rumors people believe, cults people sell out for and personalities followed. Herod was part of the ten percent eager to lead and the crowd he faced that day represented the ninety percent willing to follow. And while Herod had a circle of influence, you have one as well.
You may not have thousands of “friends” on Facebook or a coliseum full of people, however everyone has someone that will follow. Herod should have harnessed his influence to bring honor to God, something we, as believers, should be actively engaged in. The Apostle Paul said for those in his circle of influence to “Be followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” –I Cor. 1:11
The people, Herod’s circle of influence, chanted saying “it is the voice of a god, and not of a man.” (vs. 22)
• He had his Influence in a Circle: Instead of Herod leading people to Christ, being different to make a difference, he led them astray. The problem? He had his influence in a circle. It was all about horizontal relationships: his people and himself and did not include the vertical relationship: His Lord. Oh how we get into trouble when we are so wrapped up in our own little world that we neglect our Father and His will. Even when we perceive we are doing good works, like the church of Ephesus, we get so busy doing the Lord’s work that we forget why we are doing the Lord’s work. You see, Herod was not in trouble for what he did, he got into trouble for what he did not do! Herod did not incite the people to call him a god, but “because he gave not God the glory” (vs. 23a) he led the people astray.
4. A Man Full of Worms (vs. 23): Theologians and scientists have speculated, and I do not disagree, that what Herod suffered with was what is called the Guinea Worm, indigenous to this area. The Guinea Worm, when fully mature and ready to lay eggs, seeks water outside the body and heads for the nearest skin exit on the body (hands, feet, stomach, legs, arms, neck…). Then a boil forms on the surface of the skin and when this boil is exposed to water, out comes the worm, as long as three feet. (SHOW PICTURE OF GUINEA WORM EXITING).
Even though Herod held the position of King. Even though he had on the finest silver armor that money could buy. Even though he felt safe under the shelter of his power, popularity, and prestige, he was never out of reach from the righteous arm of God. A lesson learned by folks like: Cain, Ahab, Jezebel and the main character of the story this morning, King Herod. God “is no respecter of persons” –Acts 10:34b
Our God is:
5. A God who will Always Receive Full Glory (vs. 24): There is a thing called free will. God did not create a utopia full of robots that blindly submit and obey. No, you are free to do as you will, or as He wills, it is up to you. Yet let me warn you, while it may seem like the evil are prevailing, like the Herod’s are shinning and the Devil is winning, there is coming a day where every wrong will be made right, “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” –Rom. 14:11 Herod learned this lesson the hard way. Please be sure your knee is bowing and your tongue confessing now in worship as opposed to then in judgment.
As Paul Harvey used to say, “And now the rest of the story”…I shared with you a little about the Guinea Worm already, however there is much more to the story. You see, someone like Herod would get some water to drink from the river or perhaps swim or bath there. A very small water like flea that had swallowed a Guinea Worm egg would be ingested through the mouth or nose and make its way to the intestines. There the egg worm egg would hatch, mate with other eggs that had been ingested and start to grow. From the time the eggs are ingested to maturity, when they are ready to exit the body, is about a year. The year before Herod was struck by the angel of the Lord he was very busy and eaten up with worms, I mean pride, on a campaign to exterminate Christianity and offer up Peter’s head on a platter. The night before Herod stood before the crowd, full of pride, he had Peter arrested and thrown in jail to be executed the following morning. And, we know the story, the church prayed, Peter was released by an angel of the Lord and Herod was so furious that he had his jailors executed. (On a side note, according to Josephus, when Herod stood among the people the light of the SUN dazzled the people and ultimately resulted in death, whereas in chapter 12 verse 7 we see that “a light shined in the prison”, it was a light from the SON that ultimately resulted in life!)
For a year, these worms had been living in Herod, eating him up without his knowledge. Oh the grace of God! He is “longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” –II Pet. 3:9 And yet, as R.G. Lee would say, we all have a Payday Someday and Herod was no exception. When the Bible says that the angel of the Lord struck him immediately, it was as if the angel commanded the worms to exit all at once.
You may be here today not right in your relationship with your Lord or with other believers. Your pride may be in the way of you making either or both relationships right. However, understand today that even though there may be no symptoms that you can see and everything seems to be ok, in God’s time you can count on Him getting all of the glory.
