Disclaimer:
Due to the large amount of sermons and topics that appear on this site I feel it is necessary to post this disclaimer on all sermons posted. These sermons are original to the author and the leading of the Holy Spirit. While ideas and illustrations are often gleaned from many sources including those at Sermoncentral.com, any similarities and wording including sermon title, that may appear to be the same as any other sermon are purely coincidental. In instances where other minister’s wording is used, due recognition will be given. These sermons are not copyrighted and may be used or preached freely. May God richly bless you as you read these words. It is my sincere desire that all who read them may be enriched. All scriptures quoted in these sermons are copies and quoted from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Pastor James May
DON’T YOU JUST LOVE SURPRISES!
Acts 12:1-17
This is not Herod the Great who had all of the babies killed when Jesus was born. This wasn’t even Herod Antipas who had John the Baptist beheaded. This was the grandson of the Herod that sent Jesus to Pilate to be crucified. His name was Herod Antipas. He may not have been the same Herod of Jesus’ day but he was just as cruel and hateful.
Herod was determined to extinguish Christianity in his kingdom and thus began a dangerous and widespread persecution of the people of God, especially those disciples who were still telling the world of his grandfather and father’s wickedness in the death of Jesus and the other disciples of Christ who had already been slain.
Herod was an unwitting but willing tool of the Devil to try and destroy the church in its infancy. He captured and killed James, the brother of John who was to write the Revelation on Patmos Island. Herod say that killing James made the religious hierarchy of the Jews happy and excited and so he became much bolder now and proceeded to capture Peter also, so that he could put Peter to death and make them that much more happy.
Don’t ever be deceived into thinking that this world will mourn your death. Satan is planning your death every day. All it would take is for God’s hand of protection to lift from your life and Satan would get rid of you before you could know what was happening. You are a danger to the kingdom of Darkness. Every day, when the sun begins to rise, Satan should be giving orders to his demons, “Don’t wake you up. Let you sleep.” Your every waking moment means that you can do more damage to the cause of Satan. It would please the devil so greatly to get your influence off of the face of the earth so that he can have free reign to do as he wills.
It wasn’t hard to find those who loved and served Jesus. They were constantly ministering in the temple, going from house to house, and city to city, preaching the gospel on every street corner. They were a loud, emphatic bunch of men and women who loved Jesus so much that they didn’t care who heard them, they just had to speak out. They didn’t hide in fear, cowered in terror because the devil was out to destroy them. They stood up, looked at Satan in the eye and said, “Come on, make my day.”
God was on their side and they knew it. They knew that they had a job to and a ministry to perform. They had a greater fear of disobeying God than the fear of what any man could do to them. They were ready to suffer for the cause of Christ.
Nothing will stir your soul or give you more determination to do the will of God than persecution. Sometimes I think that it would do the church a lot of good to face a little persecution. You would certainly find out who is for real and who is just playing church.
Peter wasn’t off hiding in the mountains or behind the church doors. He was out in the public where he needed to be when Herod’s guards found him and arrested him.
They took Peter and put him in chains, then cast him into the dungeons to hold him there until after the Easter celebration. Easter marked the Passover for most of the Jews and being a religious holiday it would not have accomplished anything for Herod to kill Peter on that day for no self-respecting, hypocritical Jew would break the law that said they couldn’t do anything on the Sabbath or on Passover. It was okay to kill Christians but not at the time of Passover. My, my, what kind of ignorant laws can man create when his heart is black with sin. We can’t point many fingers at them though because we have some pretty ignorant laws on the books ourselves.
In Jefferson Parish, LA - All garbage must be cooked before it can be fed to any hogs.
In the City of New Orleans - You may not tie an alligator to a fire hydrant. Also It is illegal for a woman to drive a car unless her husband is waving a flag in front of it.
In Mississippi - Private citizens may personally arrest any person that disturbs a church service.
In Tylertown, MS - It is unlawful to shave in the center of main street
In Texas - When two trains meet each other at a railroad crossing, each shall come to a full stop, and neither shall proceed until the other has gone. (No wonder it takes such a long time to go across Texas)
In Texarkana, TX - Owners of horses may not ride them at night without tail lights.
In Little Rock, AR - It is unlawful to walk one’s cow down Main Street after 1:00 PM on Sunday.
We could go on for days with the dumb laws that man makes. No matter where you go, there are dumb people making dumb laws. The Jews of Peter’s day was no exception.
Peter was cast into prison. He was cast way down into the deepest dungeon that was reserved for murderers and people who were sentenced to death. No only was he in prison but he was chained and guarded by 16 tough, mean and battle hardened Roman soldiers. Herod had the “Navy Seals of the Roman Army” guarding a preacher lest he would escape from the chains, bars and cruel jailors of Herod’s prison.
And you thought you were persecuted and mistreated and misunderstood! How would you feel in Peter’s place? Would there be a cry of “my rights”? Would there be a weeping, wailing and crying out to God for such cruel and undeserved punishment?
The Christians around the city gathered together for a prayer meeting. They were praying for Peter because they knew this would be his final hour. They were praying for Peter’s deliverance but they never expected God to really answer. Just read on with me and you will see why I say this.
Peter wasn’t crying out to God in desperation. He wasn’t even upset with Herod or with what they were doing to him. Sure, it was unfair! Yes, it was very painful! No, it didn’t look like he would ever go free again! But Peter wasn’t all that concerned. Why not you might ask! Why wasn’t Peter falling apart like most Christians of today would do?
Peter had known Jesus personally. He had a relationship with the Lord that few would ever experience. He had seen the glory of God on the mount of Transfiguration. He had also determined that he would be willing to suffer any abuse, even death for the cause of Christ. He was convinced of eternal life and the glories to come and nothing could sway him from serving the Lord.
Peter leaned back on the walls or floor, rearranged the chains around his hands and feet, and got as comfortable as he could, then soon fell asleep. His heart was at peace. He had that peace the man cannot take away. He had that peace that no man can understand unless he knows the Lord as his Savior and has his confidence in Jesus Christ.
The 16 guards took shifts, 2 at a time to guard this hardened criminal. They just couldn’t let this very dangerous man of God escape. Not only would he do a lot of damage to the devil’s kingdom but if he escaped it would mean their lives too.
Sometime during that long night something wonderful happened. The “Navy Seals of the Roman Army”, Peter’s guards, had fallen asleep on guard duty. Even in today’s army that carries a heavy penalty. The jailors, thinking that the bars, chains and guards would keep Peter, had also fallen asleep. I believe it was the peace of God that shone through the life of Peter that brought such a peace into that prison that even the jailors and guards got so peaceful that they finally found a rest that they had never known before. That plus the fact that the Holy Angel of God was in their midst to deliver Peter as an answer to prayer of the church.
Suddenly a light came into the Prison. It was the light of glory that shone from the angel. He came up to Peter and punched him in the side and lifted him up. (Use a youth for emphasis) Hurry up get your stuff. Get your shoes on! Let’s get out of here!
Can you imagine what Peter must have thought? I can tell you what he was thinking. Just read the next few verses. Peter thought it was all a dream. He thought that it wasn’t real, but it was. It wasn’t until after he was out of the prison that he realized it was true.
Wow, the chains were gone, the guards were gone, the jailors were still there, but the doors just opened like there was an electronic eye. Peter and the angel just walked up and the door swung open just like it does at your local grocery or department stores.
There is no chain of sin that can hold you when Jesus sets you free. There are no bars that limit your freedom in Christ! There is no power great enough to hold God’s people captive if God wants you set free.
Whom the Son of God has set free is free indeed!
Peter came to the house where the church was praying. They were praying for Peter’s release! They were crying out to God for an answer. They were seeking the face of God on behalf of their fellow servant of the Lord. In fact, they were so caught up in their praying that they didn’t know God had already answered.
Peter knocked on the door but no one heard because they were crying and praying for him. Peter knocked again and again until finally a little girl answered the door and saw him standing there. She didn’t let him in but shut the door and ran to tell everyone that Peter was there. They didn’t believe her! No way man, Peter is in jail and he isn’t coming out.
Has God ever answered your prayer and you couldn’t believe he did it so quickly? Most of the time we wonder if he even hears and we wonder how long God will wait to answer. I want you to know that God hears your prayer when you pray and he answers immediately. God sends the answer and it reaches you just when it’s supposed to. God’s timing isn’t always our timing, but it’s the right time.
Go on Rhoda, there’s no way. Leave me alone and let me pray. Quit interrupting me, can’t you see that I’m praying! Get away kid, I’m pleading God to set Peter free!
Rhoda says, “ but – but – but – Peter – but – but – and no one will listen. The scripture says that she “constantly affirmed that it was true”. They didn’t believe her enough to go and check it out.
Finally, someone got tired of this little girl interrupting their prayer meeting and decided to go see if Peter was really there. I think they went just to shut her up, not expecting to see anyone.
Even when they saw Peter they couldn’t believe that God had actually delivered him from the prison. They thought it was an angel that had taken on the shape of Peter! They could believe a lie but they couldn’t believe the truth.
How often do we pray and we don’t expect an answer?
How often does God answer and we won’t accept that answer?
How often are we guilty of ridiculing those who try to tell us what God wants us to know?
How often do we have disregard for someone who comes to us with a word from God because we don’t have respect or confidence in them?
How often have we missed out on God’s answer to our prayer because we were too caught up in the prayer to see the answer come?
We have grown calloused to the moving of the Spirit. There has been so much false “manifestation of the Holy Spirit” in the Pentecostal churches until we have grown cynical and distrusting of every move of the Spirit and sometimes we don’t see the answer or obey the Spirit during the times of a real move of God.
Folks, let’s be tuned in to what is happening in the realm of the Spirit. Let’s not be found guilty of missing God’s best while we are praying for God’s best. Keep praying, but believe God for the answer that will surely come. Then praise him for that answer. AMEN
