The Folly Of Fighting God
Acts 12:1-25
With 24-hour cable news channels we have become accustomed to constant coverage of national and international events. Whether that is election coverage, violent crimes, natural disasters, or a high profile court cases - we have instant information at our finger tips. Personally, however, the times I’ve been glued to cable news the most has been in the midst of a war. Whether that was Desert Storm or Iraqi Freedom or the war in Afghanistan – something about our fighting young men and women going to battle draws me in to want to watch every minute I can.
Well, there is a war that has been waging throughout the history of mankind. It’s a war between God and his holy angels and elect men and women against Satan and all of his demonic hosts and fallen men. Although the outcome of the war has never been in doubt, the battles are no less real.
This war began on the angelic level when Lucifer, the highest of all created beings, rebelled against his Creator. He was cast from heaven along with 1/3rd of the angels who rebelled with him. From that moment until the present the great cosmic war between God and his adversary the Devil has been raging. Throughout the centuries the war has engulfed countless humans. Unless we understand the reality of this war we will not accurately interpret the things that are happening in our world today.
On the human front the battle began when Adam and Eve rebelled against God’s design in the Garden of Eden by eating the forbidden fruit at the instigation of Satan. From that moment the war of the ages has waged in the human realm. It has resulted in centuries of men shaking their fists at God, denying his existence and proclaiming his death. Every generation more men get caught up in the battle and they pit their impotence against God’s omnipotence, only to find themselves crushed and destroyed.
History is strewn with the wreckage of those who have been foolish enough to fight against God. Here are a few examples you may be familiar with:
Friedrich Nietzsche. He was a 19th century German philosopher who absolutely despised Christianity. He called it “the religion of weaklings.” It amazes me that I still hear modern philosophers quote him today. It’s as if they forgot the tragic way Nietzsche’s life ended. Fighting against God eventually pushed him over the brink and he spent the last several years of his life insane.
Here’s another one, Novelist Sinclair Lewis. He won the 1930 Nobel Prize for literature. He also attempted to match his impotence against God’s omnipotence. He wrote the novel Elmer Gantry which mocked Christianity. The leading character was an evangelist who was also an alcoholic and an unceasing fornicator. Sinclair Lewis’ fight against God cost him his sobriety and he died a hopeless alcoholic in a clinic near Rome.
Another Nobel-Prize winning author, Earnest Hemingway, consider himself living proof that someone could successfully fight God. He boasted of leading a decadent life without any apparent consequences. The guilt of his sins eventually caught up with him and he put a shotgun to his head and killed himself. Fighting against God cost him his life.
There are many biblical examples of those who tried vainly to battle against God. Pharaoh is the first of many kings or other rulers in the Old Testament who thought because of their elevated earthly power they could somehow match against God's eternal power only to discover truth that Isaiah declared: Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. Isaiah 40:15, 17
In the New Testament era there is one family of rulers that stand out in the battle against God - the Herods. The patriarch of the family was known as Herod the Great - a pretty humble title, right? He was the Roman ruler of Judea, and then all of Palestine from 47 BC to just after Christ's birth. The Roman Senate dubbed him "King of the Jews." He was a bloodthirsty ruler who even had one of his wives, her mother and three of his sons put to death. Most notably he is known for all the innocent young male children near Bethlehem as he sought to kill the true King of the Jews - Jesus.
Herod Antipas ruled Galilee during the time of Jesus' ministry. He is the Herod that had John the Baptist put to death and also who questioned Jesus just before his crucifixion, but Jesus would not answer any of his questions.
In this chapter Luke will introduce us to Herod Agrippa I who ruled from AD37 - AD 44. He was the grandson of Herod the Great. Paul would later stand trial before his son, Herod Agrippa II.
Herod Agrippa, who is mentioned in this passage, ruled the Jewish state differently than his predecessors. He was always seeking to win favor with the Jews - even though he was a Roman occupier. As such, he became very popular among the Jews.
He would participate in the Jewish festivals in Jerusalem and would join in with the celebrations. In one feast where they brought the first fruits in a procession to the temple, the Mishnah says, "When they reached the temple mount, Agrippa the king would put his basket on his shoulder and would enter as far as the temple court." Now this kind of activity made him wildly popular among the Jewish people. This was amazing for someone in the dynasty of the Herods, it was so unlike his predecessors. Why did he do it? He had an insatiable appetite to be liked by the Jewish people. This would eventually put him at the very center of the cosmic battle between God and Satan - and he would be on the losing side as he put his power up against the power of God.
This morning in Acts 12 we're going to see three aspects of this battle...
I. Herod Used PEOPLE As PAWNS
Herod's motive was to keep the love of the Jewish people coming. His theme song would have been, "I wanna be loved by you!" It stroked his ego, it puffed up his pride. This was the motivating force behind all he did. So when the Christians came along and began to rock the boat, he reacted. He dealt harshly and severely with the Christians. He begins to use the leaders of the Christian church, the very apostles of Jesus Christ, as pawns in his pursuit to curry the favor of the Jewish people. Let's start our reading of the text in verse 1: 1About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2He killed James the brother of John with the sword,
Let's stop right there for a moment. In a great economy of words Luke the historian records the first martyrdom of an apostle. In fact, he's the only apostle whose death is recorded in the Bible. James was one of the inner three of Peter, James and John. He's always listed before John. This is the James and John whose mother came to Jesus and asked that they sit on his right and left when he comes into his kingdom. This is the James and John that Jesus dubbed "Sons of Thunder" because of how zealous they were. This is the James and John that had the high privilege of witnessing the transfiguration of Jesus. And Herod has him beheaded with the sword.
I don't know if we can fully identify with or relate to the pain and sorrow that must have swept through the church in Jerusalem when they learned of James' execution. Emotions of grief mixed with fear at what lay ahead for the believers there. But Herod's rampage was not over: 3and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 4And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people.
Again, Herod is driven by his lust for popularity among the people. When he sees that killing one apostle makes the people love him, he decides, well, let's make it two apostles - that will double the love. So he uses people as pawns in his game of pride and popularity. Peter is arrested, and no doubt Herod's intention was to kill him just as he had killed James.
But the Jewish calendar fell on the feast of Unleavened Bread. That feast is a 7-day feast, and Passover is a 24-hour celebration within that 7 day period. Herod would have been very familiar with this timetable and knew it would be against Jewish law to execute anyone on Passover. But he also knew that Jerusalem would be filled with devout Jewish pilgrims, and making a spectacle of Peter at that time would ensure maximum coverage to his prideful pursuit of self-exaltation. He would have his showy trial of Peter right after Passover, but just before all the crowds left Jerusalem.
Peter guarded by four squads of soldiers by Herod's order. That seems a bit over the top for one unarmed preacher. Additionally, as we'll read in a moment, he was bound in chains, with a soldier on his left and a soldier on his right and sentries standing guard at the door. Surely no one could escape such tight security!
Again, I don't know if we can fully identify with the emotional turmoil the church in Jerusalem must have been going through. James is beheaded and Peter will no doubt shortly experience the same fate. And there's nothing they can do about it – nothing that is, except pray. So while Herod used People as Pawns, here's what the church did...
II. The Church Accessed POWER Through PRAYER
5So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. Do we even know the power that is accessible to us through the provision of prayer? I don’t think we do. Here's the deal: Satan can have control of the entertainment industry, the political systems, the educational institutions, the military, the state, the media, the internet, publishing companies, newspapers, earthly kingdoms, the cool factor, the it factor, the wow factor, all the riches, all the might, all the power brokers, all the banks at his disposal – he can and he does.
John 12:31 says he is the ruler of this world.
Ephesians 2:2 says he is the prince and power of the air.
2 Corinthians 4:4 says he is the god of this age.
Ephesians 6:12 says he is the cosmic power over this present darkness.
1 John 5:19 says the whole world lies under the power of the evil one
You’ll remember when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. One of the temptations Satan made to Jesus was that he would give Jesus all the kingdoms of this world if he would bow before him. How could Satan promise all the kingdoms of this world unless he had authority over all the kingdoms of this world? And he does. That includes the American kingdom.
All the combined power of the world pales in comparison to the power that is accessed through prayer. Prayer is mighty because prayer connects us to God in heaven. And he who sits in heaven laughs at the miniscule, microscopic power of this world; he who sits in heaven does whatever he pleases.
Let’s notice what happens when the church prays. Peter is literally touched by an angel. Let’s continue reading in verse 6: 6Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison.
Well, Peter was sleeping. That’s pretty amazing when you think about it. The eve of his execution and Peter’s asleep. Of course, he fell asleep on the eve of Jesus’ execution as well so it makes sense. One thing Peter is very good at is sleeping. Look at v. 7:
7And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. 8And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him.11When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
Talk about the upset of the century! You’ve got the earthly power of Herod with the Roman Military at his disposal and the will of the Jewish people in Jerusalem behind him and he is upset by a cowering yet praying church! Let’s keep reading…
12When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. 13And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. Now this is where the account by Luke takes on a comical tone – and I think it’s obvious that Luke is intending to share the humorous part of this event:
14Recognizing Peter's voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. Instead of opening the door and letting Peter in, Rhoda overwhelmed with excitement and joy just runs back to the prayer meeting inside. “You’re not going to believe who’s outside – it’s Peter. You know, the apostle Peter who we’ve been praying God would deliver from prison – he’s outside, he’s been delivered! 15They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” Apparently they held the belief that everyone has an angel connected to them – something like a guardian angel.
16But Peter continued knocking, He hears Rhoda’s footsteps run away *knock knock – “hello, anybody there, it’s me, Peter.” He's got to be thinking, This is weird. The angel can get me out of prison but can’t get me into the church… and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. 17But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.
This was a different James. James the brother of John had been put to death, this is James the half-brother of Jesus who had become a leader in the Jerusalem church.
How did such a remarkable deliverance come to pass? I mean an outside observer of this matchup between Herod and the church would conclude that there would be no contest. But at the end of the day you have Peter freed, the church amazed and encouraged, and Herod is scrambling for answers: 18Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. In other words, they are freaking out! 19And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.
How did this happen? When you get to the end of verse 4 this is not how you think the story is going to end. But of course the difference is v. 5
5So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. What made the difference? Prayer was the difference. Why is prayer the difference? Because prayer is our lifeline to God. Notice three things about the prayer that was offered by the church.
A. It was INVOLVED prayer
…many were gathered together and were praying
They were gathered together as the church, many of them were involved together in this prayer. This was a corporate prayer, not a private, individual prayer time.
They came together as a congregation to pray for the severe situation. Now we know the importance of a private prayer time, your personal quiet time. We know Jesus went alone to a private place to pray. But it’s much easier in the NT to find examples in the early church of involved, corporate prayer than individual, private prayer.
And remember, when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, the first word of his instruction was plural – “Our father…” He could have taught them to pray “My Father” but Jesus instruction on prayer was intentionally plural, it was corporate minded prayer. The default position of prayer is praying with our brothers and sisters, together, involved prayer.
But this is uncomfortable for many of us. We find it difficult to speak intimately to God in public, in front of others. Usually men have the greatest difficulty. But just because it’s difficult it doesn’t make it any less necessary that we join together in times of prayer as a people. If that’s here on Sunday mornings, or at our Wednesday night Bible study and prayer meeting, or in our small groups, or in our D-groups. We ought to be a people that join together in prayer. And that's exactly what we're going to do today at the end of this service we are going to pray together.
What we see in the church here is that …many were gathered together and were praying It was involved prayer. But here’s the 2nd thing about their prayer…
B. It was IMPERFECT prayer
The prayer that was made by the church was made “for Peter.” We can assume the prayer was for his faith to remain steadfast, for his protection, but certainly they were praying for his release, for his deliverance. And yet Peter doesn’t seem to be expecting a deliverance. He’s got a bright light, his chains fall off, the iron gate opens on its own, and he’s standing out in the street saying, “I don’t know if this is really happening.”
How about the church – let this be an encouragement to all of us who have small faith. You have the church praying for Peter, and he shows up and tells Rhoda, “It’s Peter, God delivered me.” She tells the gathered church and They said to her, “You are out of your mind.”
They’re praying for Peter to be released and when he is they don’t even believe it actually happened. It was an imperfect prayer – so we can be encouraged by that even when we have small faith.
There must be two sentiments we hold in tension when we pray. On the one hand we pray like Jesus prayed, “Not my will but yours be done.” There’s no guarantee that just because we desire it and pray it that this is the way God’s going to answer it. But the other sentiment is something else Jesus said, “with God all things are possible.”
In our prayers together we must hold these two sentiments in tension. Not my will but yours be done and with God all things are possible. If you only have the one “all things are possible with God” than you’re not realistic about how God answers prayers and accomplishes his purposes. But if you only have the other, “Not my will but yours be done” you’ll never pray bold prayers or big prayers or expectant prayers. You’ll never have even small enough faith like the church here to pray, “God, would you release Peter.” Peter’s here – NO WAY! Even when your faith is small and imperfect you can still pray big time prayers like this church prayed. Third
C. It was INTENSE prayer
earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church
Circle that word “earnest” on your outline. It means fervently, intense. The Greek word ektenos is only used 3 times in the NT, and two of those times it’s used to describe prayer. Luke uses it here in Acts 12 to describe this church’s prayer, and Luke uses it in his gospel describing Jesus' prayer in the garden: And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Luke 22:44 Intense prayer. Our prayer is often dull because there’s so little intensity to it. We pray as if no one is listening, we pray as if nothing will happen from it, we pray as if nothing is at stake, we pray without passion and purpose.
If we actually believed that God responds to our prayers, that he acts upon our prayers, that we can pull down heaven through our prayers – our prayers would be much more fervent, much more intense, much more earnest.
You all know I love the sport of wrestling, and I love serving as the chaplain for UTC’s wrestling team. Part of that role means I go on road trips with the team, I go to every home match. I give the guys words of encouragement before they wrestle, I try build them up after they lose. But I also am a huge cheerleader during the matches. If you want to see your pastor in a different light, come to a home match and watch me this next season. Somehow I have the crazy belief that if I yell loud enough, if I cheer with all my might, that I can somehow affect the outcome of the match. What’s really crazy is that I do it when I’m watching it on TV.
But listen, I don’t know how it all works together with God’s sovereignty and his purpose and my prayers. But I know, when I pray, I can affect the outcome of the match. Not a human wrestling match, but the cosmic, spiritual wrestling match. “We wrestle not against flesh and blood…”
In fact let's look at Ephesians 6 where Paul talks about this cosmic wrestling match: 10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19and also for me
We can look at those weapons of our warfare and think, "They're awesome, but I do I use them? How do I employ them effectively? How do I wield them? It's done in prayer. And the indication from this text and the bulk of the New Testament is that this kind of intense, fervent, spiritual prayer is done in the context of the church. It's corporate prayer. That's where the battles are fought and won.
Are you ever gathered together with God’s people for the purpose of fervent prayer? Surely there are things we have to pray about. And when we pray, we can pray with confidence, we can pray with assurance, we can pray knowing that God is sovereign, he is in control, he rules and reigns and will accomplish all His good pleasure. And that leads to the third thing we notice from this text today...
III. God Fulfilled His PURPOSE As PLANNED
But the word of God increased and multiplied.
We can have the tendency to think, "Ok, Herod killed James but God freed Peter. Ok, the score is 1 to 1. 1 point for Satan and 1 point for God." But that's not the case at all. The score is 2-nothing - God. Was God ruling and reigning when James was executed? Was he still on his throne? Absolutely he was. If God can release Peter from the chains he was bound to, made the guards to go blind, open the iron gate and free Peter from his imprisonment on the eve of his execution, he could have done the same thing for James.
But he didn't do it - why? Because Jesus had told James in Mark 10:39, "You will drink the cup that I drink." It was time for James to drink the cup; it was the Lord's appointment; it was time for God to be glorified through his death.
The score is not 1-1, it's 2-0. God didn't fumble the ball with James and score a touchdown with Peter. If it seems God has turned the ball over for a couple of downs it's because he knows a better way to win the game.
So even when it looks like there are setbacks; even when it looks like Satan is winning and the culture is shifting and the church is shrinking - don't you believe for one millisecond that God is not up to something great! He is!
God fulfilled his purpose just as he planned - even through the life of Herod and his self-exalting acts of brutality.
Notice how Luke describes the folly of fighting God as he concludes the account of Herod Agrippa vs. God. 20Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king's country for food. Here's the setup to the conclusion: Tyre and Sidon are coastal cities in Syria and they depend on the breadbasket of Galilee; they are beholden to the good graces of Herod who rules Galilee for them to have enough to eat. Of course this plays right into Herod's lust for power and exaltation among people. So when they come to him to plead for food, he decides to make a spectacle out of it. Look at verse 21:
21On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. Notice how the people give him exactly what he was looking for: 22And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” Finally, he thinks, people are giving me the credit I deserve. I am a god and I hold the power of life and death in my hands. 23Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.
His desire for self-exaltation eventually cost him his life. The folly of fighting God. God always gets the last word; God always wins. If you oppose Jesus, you lose. You fight God, you lose, every time.
In verse 24 Luke records how God wins: 24But the word of God increased and multiplied. God turned the tables entirely on all that Herod was trying to do by killing James and arresting Peter—he made the Word of God grow and multiply.
But Luke had the perspective of time and was able to look back and see how God's purposes were fulfilled and accomplished. Sometimes when we're in the thick of it we lose sight of that truth. Even now as we see the moral disintegration of the culture happening before our eyes it's hard for us to see that God wins in the end; it's difficult for us to see that when things look their worst God is up to something big. And that leads to my last thought:
Last Thought: Though there may be temporary worldly TRIUMPHS, God will ACCOMPLISH all His purpose through His church.
