Are You Expecting A Miracle?
Text: Acts 12:1-19
Introduction
1. Illustration: Faith expects from God what is beyond all expectation. — Andrew Murray
2. Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)
Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.
3. If faith is the confidence that what we hope for is actually going to happen, then why are we surprised when it does?
4. If we truly believe that what Jesus said is true, "yes ask me for anything in my name and I will do it," then why are we dumbfounded when he gives us what we ask for?
5. The answer to both of those questions is because we are human, and God does things that are beyond the limits of human imagination.
6. The story of Peter's miraculous escape from jail illustrates that...
A. Disappointments Make It Hard To Believe
B. God Still Answers Our Prayers
C. Are We Going To Expect A Miracle?
7. Let's stand together as we read Acts 12:1-19.
Proposition: Let's trust God for a miracle!
Transition: The hardest thing about expecting a miracle is...
I. Disappointments Make It Hard To Believe (1-5).
A. Killed With A Sword
1. In spite of all the persecution heaped upon the Church so far in Acts, they had experienced miracle after miracle. In fact, we can easily see that they had come to expect it.
2. At this point they probably thought that the persecution had come to an end.
A. However, this was not the case, and it probably never will be until Jesus comes back.
B. Like one of my mentors once told me, "There will always be demons to slay!
3. This was the case in the early church. Just when they thought the persecution was over, Luke tells us, "About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church. He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword."
A. Because Herod Agrippa I was educated in Rome and became a friend of the Roman emperors, Gaius (Caligula) made him king of part of Syria in A.D. 37.
B. Then, two years later, after exiling Herod Antipas, who killed John the Baptist, Gaius added Galilee and Perea to Agrippa's rule.
C. In A.D. 41 the emperor Claudius gave Agrippa Judea and Samaria, uniting practically the whole territory, once ruled by Herod the Great, under him.
D. When Herod Agrippa I became king over Judea and Jerusalem he did everything he could to gain and hold the favor of the Jews.
E. Apparently, he also saw and heard enough from the Jewish leaders to know of their fears and frustrations with respect to the apostles and the Church.
F. He undoubtedly heard how the Sanhedrin had threatened the apostles, who simply continued to preach about Jesus.
G. Somewhere in the early part of his reign over Jerusalem, then, he decided to take steps to show he was a king who could do more than threaten. So he arrested some from the Church "intending to persecute them."
H. Among them was the apostle James, brother of John (together, the sons of Zebedee). With Peter, James and John constituted the inner circle of Jesus' disciples while He ministered on earth.
I. Luke does not give any details, but there does not seem to have been a trial. James was given no opportunity even to witness to his faith.
J. Herod simply had him "put to death with the sword." To the Jews this would mean Herod considered James no longer a true Jew but an apostate (Horton, Acts: A Logion Press Commentary, 220-221).
4. Now Herod was like many of us. You know if a little Nyquil makes feel good, then a lot of it will makes us feel fantastic! So "When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter. (This took place during the Passover celebration.) 4 Then he imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring Peter out for public trial after the Passover."
A. The execution of James "pleased" the Jewish leaders and their friends. They had not forgotten how the apostles defied them.
B. Moreover, since most of these leaders were Sadducees, they did not like the teachings of the Christians; they wanted them stopped. They were probably aware also of the spread of the gospel among the Gentiles.
C. When Herod saw how pleased they were, "he proceeded to seize Peter," the most outspoken of the apostles, intending "to bring him out for public trial after the Passover."
D. Why Herod decided to wait until "after the Passover" season before bringing Peter out to the people we are not told.
E. Perhaps Herod wanted to show them how strict he was in keeping the Passover. Or, he may have wanted to wait until most of the crowd went home to prevent there be a riot he could not control.
F. Others suggest he wanted the people's whole attention for the display he intended to put on.
G. Whatever the reason, Herod put Peter in prison under a heavy guard. He had surely heard how the apostles had escaped from prison before, so he was taking no chances, using four squads of four soldiers each.
H. This meant one squad for each of the four three-hour "watches" of the night. Two chains bound Peter to the two soldiers on each side of him; two guards in front of the door were on watch over the prison. In the natural Peter's situation did look hopeless (Horton, 222).
5. However, Luke tells us something very important here, "But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him."
A. In the meantime, the Church "was earnestly praying to God for him."
B. We can be sure they prayed that he would be sustained and be able to give a witness as well as be delivered.
C. The night before Herod intended to bring him out for trial, sentencing, and execution, Peter was sleeping soundly.
D. He must have committed his case to the Lord; even though he expected to face execution the next day he could sleep peacefully. He had Christ with him.
E. It would only be more of Christ if he died. The early believers were so full of the Lord they did not fear death (Horton, 223).
F. Philippians 1:21 (NLT)
For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.
G. As long as God is on the throne and there is prayer there is always hope!
B. God's Answer
1. Illustration: Disappointment - His appointment,
Change one letter, then I see
That the thwarting of my purpose
Is God's better choice for me.
His appointment must be blessing
Though it may come in disguise
For the end from the beginning,
Open to His wisdom lies...
Disappointment - His appointment
No good thing will he withhold
From denials oft we gather
Treasures from His love untold.
Well, He knows each broken purpose
Leads to fuller deeper trust
And the end of all His dealings
Proves our God is wise and just. (Phil Keaggy).
2. Even in disappointment God still answers prayer!
A. Romans 8:28 (NLT)
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
B. We can be sure that there will be disappointments in this life.
C. We can be sure that there will be days when we want to throw up our hands and quit.
D. There will even be days when we think that God has abandoned us.
E. But in those moments we must cling to the words of Scripture that God will never leave us or forsake us.
F. In those moments we must remind ourselves of the words of Scripture God has a plan for us to give us a future and a hope.
G. In those moments we must remind ourselves of the words of Scripture that God will meet all our needs according to his riches in glory.
H. In those moments we must remind ourselves that God still answers prayer!
Transition: Yes, my friends...
II. God Still Answers Our Prayers (6-11).
A. It's Really True!
1. Now Peter had seen more than his fair share of miracles.
A. Jesus Resurrection
B. Pentecost
C. Healings
D. Escape from prison
E. This really shouldn't take him by surprise!
2. So look what happens next, "Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. 8 Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered. 9 So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening."
A. The days of the Passover season came and went without any hint of deliverance.
B. Then, "suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared" and stood by Peter. A light "shone in the cell" so Peter could see what to do.
C. The angel then "struck Peter [sharply] on the side," woke him up, and told him to get up quickly.
D. At the same time, "the chains fell off Peter's wrists." After obeying the angel's command to put on his cloak as well as his tunic and sandals and to follow him, Peter went out.
E. But during all this time he did not realize that what was happening was really true.
F. "He thought he was seeing a vision." The guards also were not conscious of what was happening, nor did they see the angel (Horton, 224).
3. So they start out of the jail, "They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him. 11 Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!”
A. After passing through two gates with their guards (which shows Peter was in the innermost prison), the heavy iron gate allowing entrance into the city (street) "opened... by itself."
B. Then, after the angel led him "the length of one street," the angel "suddenly... left him" (and disappeared).
C. Not until the angel left and Peter found himself alone out in the street did he "come to himself" and realize this was not a dream or vision.
D. The Lord had actually sent His angel to rescue him from Herod's power and from the expectation of the Jewish people, that is, from the expectation that Herod would do to him what he had done to the apostle James (Horton, 224).
4. Despite the disappointment of seeing his friend and brother in the Lord killed, Peter realizes that God isn't through with him yet, and that he still answers prayer!
B. Honey God Still Answers Prayer
1. Illustration: My friend Alton Garrison, Assistant General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, is the son of a Pentecostal Pastor. His Dad had been suffering for sometime with Alzheimer’s. He weighed 98 lbs soaking wet and had been reduced to a fetal position. As Alton visited his Dad in the hospital he sat in the waiting room praying. His mother walked in and asked him, "What are you doing?" His response was "I'm praying for Pop!" To which his Mom replied, "What for, he doesn't answer! I prayed for God to heal him and he didn't heal him. I asked God to take him and he won't take him." Then she said something to totally stunned him, she said, "Don't you ever pray in my presence again!" He drove home that night and prayed for his Mom. He had feared that she had lost her faith, but God showed him that what she had lost was her hope. Several days later, she sat in his hospital room like she had done for so many days. Suddenly, he eyes cleared, he lifted his head off of the pillow, he looked right into his wife's eyes and spoke for the first time in months. He said to her these words, "Honey, God still answers prayer!" Later she told her son, "God let him preach one more sermon just for me!"
2. If you're hurting today, understand that our God still answers prayer!
A. Jeremiah 29:13-14 (NLT)
If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14 I will be found by you,” says the LORD. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”
B. God knows what you are going through today.
C. God cares about what you are going through today.
D. God understands your hurts and fears.
E. God does have a plan for you, and they're good plans.
F. Lay your hurts, fears and concerns on the altar of prayer and God will answer, because "Honey, God still answers prayer!
Transition: Now the question becomes...
III. Are We Going To Expect A Miracle (12-19)?
A. You're Out Of Your Mind
1. If it wasn't bad enough that Peter was surprised by the miracle, it also surprised another unbelievable group of people, the ones praying for a miracle!
2. After being set free from prison, Peter "When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer. 13 He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it."
A. "When this had dawned on him," Peter went to the house of Mary, John Mark's mother.
B. There a considerable number of believers had assembled and were praying.
C. Notice that after several days, people were still praying day and night for Peter.
D. Faithful prayer marked the Early Church and kept them in touch with God.
E. Mark's mother's house was a large one, with a passageway from the street into the inner part of the house where the believers were gathered.
F. The fact that a slave girl, Rhoda (Gk. Rhodē, "rose bush"), answered the door when Peter knocked shows that it was a wealthy home as well.
G. It was obviously the regular meeting place for a large group of believers. Peter knew he would find people there.
H. Undoubtedly, he also felt a special kinship with this group because Mark was his convert and one to whom he had given special training (Horton, 225).
3. Now this next part is really funny. Don't ever let someone tell you there's no humor in the Bible, because there is. It says, "When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!” 15 “You’re out of your mind!” they said. When she insisted, they decided, “It must be his angel.”
A. When Rhoda answered, the sound of Peter's familiar voice so filled her with joy that in her excitement she did not open the door.
B. Instead, she ran in and announced Peter's presence to the assembled believers.
C. They told her she was "out of [her] mind" (Gk. mainē, "raving mad, absolutely crazy"). But she "kept insisting that it was so."
D. Then they began to say it was "his angel." Some of the Jews had a tradition that a guardian angel could take a person's form. There is absolutely no biblical ground for such a teaching, but Luke records their opinion here to show they thought Peter was already dead.
E. Though they were praying day and night for his deliverance, they could not believe it had really taken place.
F. It had been several years since the apostles had been delivered from prison. But it was not the passage of time alone that dulled their faith.
G. The shock of James's death made them wonder if perhaps the Lord might let Peter be killed too. Jesus had indicated to Peter that he would die a martyr's death when he was old.
H. However, Jesus did not say how old, and Peter was probably older than the other apostles.
I. Actually, the Bible makes no explanation of why God allowed James to be killed at this time and rescued Peter.
J. We can be sure that in His divine wisdom he knew James's work was done and Peter was still needed on earth. God does all things well! (Horton, 225-226).
4. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, or more precisely, the door, "...Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed. 17 He motioned for them to quiet down and told them how the Lord had led him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers what happened,” he said. And then he went to another place."
A. While all this discussion was going on in the prayer group, Peter was still standing out front knocking.
B. Probably he did not knock too loudly lest he wake the neighborhood and someone sound an alarm. But finally they opened the door, and the sight of him nearly made them all fall over with astonishment and amazement. He was no ghost. He was really there.
C. Apparently they started to cry out excitedly. But Peter waved his hand to silence them and "described how the Lord had brought him out of prison."
D. Then he asked them to report this to James (the brother of Jesus) and to "the brothers," that is, leading believers associated with James, possibly elders of other local house groups.
E. No doubt others were meeting for prayer under the leadership of James and other elders of the Church. James would get word to the rest about Peter's deliverance.
F. Then Peter, knowing that by dawn Herod's men would be searching for him, left and went to another place (probably a house in Jerusalem that was not so well known as a Christian meeting place).
G. He did not tell anyone where he was going so that they could say honestly that they did not know where he was.
H. From this also we can see the increasing place of leadership given to James. This may be partly due to the fact he was Jesus' brother.
I. But Jesus had other brothers; there is no evidence that any of them drew attention to their relationship to Jesus or that they tried to capitalize on it in any way.
J. Both James and Jude in their epistles refer to themselves simply as servants (slaves) of the Lord Jesus (Horton, 226-227).
5. But wait, there's more to the story. "At dawn there was a great commotion among the soldiers about what had happened to Peter. 19 Herod Agrippa ordered a thorough search for him. When he couldn’t be found, Herod interrogated the guards and sentenced them to death. Afterward Herod left Judea to stay in Caesarea for a while."
A. At dawn there was more than a little disturbance among the soldiers as they tried to find out what had become of Peter.
B. Though Herod had "a thorough search" made for him, he was not to be found. Then Herod brought the guards in for a preliminary examination.
C. However, he did not give them a formal trial; instead, he had them summarily executed. (Roman law punished a guard with the same punishment the escaped prisoner would have received).
D. What a contrast between the power of prayer that brought deliverance to Peter and the power of Herod that brought death!
E. After that, probably in anger, disgust, and disappointment, Herod left Judea (that is, Jerusalem) and went to coastal Caesarea, the other provincial capital, and stayed there.
F. Perhaps feeling he had been disgraced in Jerusalem, he never returned in the three or four years before his death (Horton, 228).
B. Believe, Receive, Expect
1. Illustration: We should be like the 3-year-old boy (that Paul Harvey told about) who went to the grocery store with his mother. Before they entered the grocery store she said to him, "Now you’re not going to get any chocolate chip cookies, so don’t even ask."
She put him up in the cart & he sat in the little child’s seat while she wheeled down the aisles. He was doing just fine until they came to the cookie section. He saw the chocolate chip cookies & he stood up in the seat & said, "Mom, can I have some chocolate chip cookies?" She said, "I told you not even to ask. You’re not going to get any at all." So he sat back down.
They continued down the aisles, but in their search for certain items they ended up back in the cookie aisle. "Mom, can I please have some chocolate chip cookies?" She said, "I told you that you can’t have any. Now sit down & be quiet."
Finally, they were approaching the checkout lane. The little boy sensed that this may be his last chance. So just before they got to the line, he stood up on the seat of the cart & shouted in his loudest voice, "In the name of Jesus, may I have some chocolate chip cookies?"
And everybody round about just laughed. Some even applauded. And, due to the generosity of the other shoppers, the little boy & his mother left with 23 boxes of chocolate chip cookies.
2. Always remember these two things about prayer: be persistent, and be expectant.
A. James 1:6-7 (NLT)
But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
B. When you pray expect God to answer!
C. Why should God answer your prayers if you don't believe He's going to?
D. Why would you pray if you think it's just a waste of time?
E. Believe that God can and will answer your prayers.
F. However, we must also persevere in prayer...don't give up!
G. God may not give what you ask for when or how you ask.
H. Understand that He is a sovereign God, and He knows what is best for us
I. His timing and His will are perfect, but keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking and God will answer!
Transition: Believe, persevere and expect!
Conclusion
1. The story of Peter's miraculous escape from jail illustrates that...
A. Disappointments Make It Hard To Believe
B. God Still Answers Our Prayers
C. Are We Going To Expect A Miracle?
2. Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)
Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.
3. Have you been disappointed lately?
4. Honey, God still answers prayer!
5. Believe for a miracle and expect a miracle!
