SERIES: “LESSONS FROM THE EARLY CHURCH”
TEXT: ACTS 12:1-25
TITLE: “GOD’S DRAMEDY”
INTRODUCTION: A. Are you confused by the title of this message?
1. It’s probably because you’ve never heard the term dramedy
2. Dramedy is a term used in the entertainment field
a. Primarily used in film and television, it’s a combination of the words drama and
comedy.
b. It’s used to describe a fairly new type of movie or television program, such as
M*A*S*H*, where the usual lines between drama and comedy are not so
distinct.
--Drama and comedy are used together
B. I think that life is basically a dramedy – things that are humorous happen in the middle
of things that cause stress and tension.
1. In our passage tonight, we see things that cause worry and tension and in their midst
there are humorous events.
2. It’s important for us to understand that in the middle of everyday life, God is
working
a. He’s moving things toward completion
b. He’s doing things that give us help and sustenance
c. Whether life is drama, comedy, or a combination of both, we can trust that He’ll
be faithful to His promises.
I. PERSECUTION
--Acts 12:1-5 – “1It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending
to persecute them. 2He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3When he saw that this
pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
4After 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. 5So Peter was kept in prison, but
the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”
A. Herod Agrippa I
1. Grandson of Herod the Great
a. Ordered the death of all males under age of 2
b. Also killed several of his family members (including wives and sons) out of fear and jealousy
2. Nephew of Herod Antipas
--had John the Baptist beheaded
3. A cruel and wicked family
4. The Jews resented having an Idumean (Edomite) ruling over them
--Agrippa I persecuted the church to curry favor with the Jewish leadership
B. James
1. Brother of John
a. Sons of Zebedee
b. Nicknamed “sons of thunder”
c. One of Jesus’ closest companions along with Peter and his brother John
2. Arrested along with some other church members
--Executed for his stand as a Christian and as a leader in the church
3. Something interesting in Mt. 20:20-28
a. The mother of James and John asks Jesus if He could please honor her sons by making them His
most important assistants
--right and left hands
b. Vss. 20-22, the conversation goes like this: “"You don’t know what you are asking," Jesus said to
them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" "We can," they answered. 23Jesus said to them,
"You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places
belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father."”
c. Of course, James and John did not know what they were saying
--there is a high cost to a throne of glory
1). James arrested and executed (church tradition says by beheading)
2). John arrested and exiled to the Isle of Patmos
4. One interesting side note in James’ execution:
-- Eusebius, quoting Clement (of Rome, mentioned in Philippians and taught by the apostles), tells us
that the man who led James to the judgment seat, was so impressed by James’ bearing and by the
witness he bore to his faith that he became a Christian himself. Both of the men, therefore, were led
away to die. The new believer asked James to forgive him, which the great man readily did with a
kiss and a benediction.
C. Peter
1. When Herod Agrippa found out how much the Jewish leaders liked what he had done to James, he
figured he might as well take down another apostle as well
--So he has Peter arrested
2. Agrippa’s timing not very good with Peter because his arrest was at the start of the Feast of
Unleavened Bread which is part of the Passover celebration
--considered a Sabbath no matter what day it fell on
3. Agrippa put Peter under heavy guard
a. Four squads of four soldiers each squad to cover a six-hour period
b. Each squad have two soldiers chained to Peter and two watching the doors
D. Here’s the drama
1. What could have been more dramatic for the early church than to have James executed and Peter
arrested and under heavy guard?
2. Don’t you think the church was terrified and worried about what was going to happen next?
3. The key to any drama is the suspense
--Still hoping that things will work out but also knowing that things look pretty bleak
II. PROVISION
--Acts 12:6-18
A. An amazing description of God’s hand of providence in the life of the church
1. Why did God allow James to be killed and deliver Peter from death?
2. God’s ways are not our ways; His thoughts are above our thoughts
3. But it’s also a clear indication that just because we are faithful Christians and active in doing the
Lord’s work that we are not exempt from persecution and even death
--We’re too busy wanting to know “why” when the important thing is that we’re honoring God in the
here and now
B. A look at what happened:
1. Peter sleeps – vs. 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.”
a. If you were chained between two prison guards and had two more on the outside watching the doors
and if you knew you were going to be executed the next day, could you sleep?
b. Peter was so sound asleep we find in the next verse that the angel had to strike Peter in the side to
wake him up!
c. How could Peter sleep so soundly?
1). He trusted in the power of prayer
--v. 12 tells us the church prayed for him day and night for a whole week
2). He trusted in the promise of the Lord
a). Jn. 21:18-19 – “I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went
where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else
will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." 19Jesus said this to indicate the
kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"
b). An indication to Peter that he would live a long life but would die by crucifixion
2. Peter obeys – vss. 7-11 – “7Suddenly 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. 8Then 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. 9Peter 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. 10They
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. 11Then 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."”
a. If Peter was going to be rescued, he was going to have to be obedient
--No matter how silly he thought the situation was
b. Remember, Peter thought he was dreaming or having a vision
--In the middle of the extraordinary, Peter had to do the ordinary to be delivered
3. Peter knocks – vss. 12-16 – “12When 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. 13Peter knocked
at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14When 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." 16But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they
were astonished.”
a. When Peter realizes that this is not just some silly dream, he knows he the best place for him to go is
the house where the prayers meeting was being held
--The house belongs to a woman named Mary who is the mother of John Mark – author of the
gospel of Mark
b. Peter knows that since these people have been praying, they deserve a report on the success of their
prayers
4. Peter proclaims – vs. 17 – “17Peter 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.
a. Apparently everyone began to speak at once and Peter had to calm them down
--Peter told what the Lord had done and probably thanked them for their prayers
b. He then instructs to tell James (the brother of Jesus) and the other church leaders about what had
happened.
--Notice that Peter leaves Jerusalem. He’s thankful for deliverance but he’s not going to give Herod
Agrippa another chance.
C. Here’s the comedy
1. The church at Jerusalem is in fervent prayer night and day for a whole week asking God to deliver
Peter from prison and to save his life
2. When God answers their prayers, Peter goes to share the good news.
--The answer to their prayers is standing at the front door but they don’t have faith enough to open the
door and let him in!
3. Now the knock at the door could have been Herod’s soldiers coming to arrest more believers
a. It took courage on the part of this Rhoda to go and answer the door
b. Imagine the surprise on her face when she asks who it is and Peter said, “It’s me, Rhonda. It’s
Peter. Quick…let me in.”
--She’s so excited, she forgets to unlock the door and let him in!
c. She runs into the main room and tells everybody that Peter’s at the front door
d. They tell her she must be crazy
--In the meantime, old Pete is banging on the door yelling, “Hey, you guys! Let me in!”
e. They finally all go to the door, open it, and are astonished to find Peter standing at the front door
D. The power of prayer
1. Warren Wiersbe: “Never underestimate the power of a praying church.”
2. Puritan preacher Thomas Watson: “The angel fetched Peter out of prison but it was prayer that
fetched the angel.”
3. Mt. 7:7-11 – “7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be
opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the
door will be opened. 9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks
for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to
your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12So
in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the
Prophets.”
4. I read about a small Oklahoma town that had two churches and one distillery. Members of both
churches complained that the distillery was giving the community a bad imagine. And to make
matters worse the owner of the distillery was an out spoken atheist. He didn’t believe in God one bit.
The church people had tried unsuccessfully for years to shut down the distillery. So finally they
decided to hold a joint Saturday night prayer meeting. They were going to ask God to intervene and
settle the matter.
The church folks gathered on Saturday night and there was a horrible thunderstorm raging outside
and to the delight of the church members lightening hit that old brewery and it burned to the ground.
The next morning the sermons in both churches was on the power of prayer.
But the insurance adjusters promptly notified the distillery owner that they were not going to pay
for the damages because the fire was an act of God and that was an exclusion in the policy.
The distillery owner was furious and he sued both churches claiming that they had conspired with
God to destroy his business. But the churches denied that they had anything to do with the cause of
the fire.
The presiding judge opened the trial with these words: “ I find one thing in this cause most
perplexing-we have a situation here where the plaintiff, an atheist is professing his belief in the power
of prayer, and the defendants all faithful church members are denying the very same power.”
5. God answers prayers three different ways:
a. No
b. Go
c. Slow
III. PROLIFERATION
--Acts 12:18-24 – “18In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had
become of Peter. 19After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-
examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.”20Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and
stayed there a while. 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. 21On the
appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the
people. 22They shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man." 23Immediately, because Herod did not
give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. 24But the
word of God continued to increase and spread. 25When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they
returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.”
A. When Herod Agrippa I thought he was holding the church down, scoring points for himself, and
generally causing havoc in the lives of God’s people, God showed Herod who was in charge
1. First, thinking everything was under control by such a large contingent of guards showed that control
is not always ours to own
2. Secondly, allowing yourself to think you’re greater than you really are can bring a lot of hurt
--“Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall”
B. God used the blood of martyrs and the persecution of the church to carry the gospel to much larger
audiences
--We need to understand than when everything looks dark, God is still Light
1. With God all things are possible
2. If God be for us, who can be against us?
C. The death of Herod
-- According to the Jewish historian Josephus: After his third year of rule over all of Judea, Agrippa
came to Caesarea to celebrate games in honor of Caesar. For this occasion, large number of men who
held office or rank in his kingdom had assembled. On the second day of the games, he entered the
theater at dawn, dressed in a garment of woven silver, which gleamed in the rays of the rising sun.
His flatterers at once started addressing him as a god. "May you be gracious to us." they shouted.
"And if up to now we’ve feared you as a man, from now on we agree that you’re more than a mortal!"
The king did not censure them nor reject their flattery as impious. But then he looked up and saw an
owl perched on a rope overhead, recognizing it immediately as a messenger of evil as it had once
been of good. He felt a stab of pain in his heart and an intense ache in his stomach. Jumping up he
cried, "I, whom you call a god, am now under the sentence of death!" They carried him into the
palace, where he died after five days of unremitting pain in his abdomen. He was 54 years old and in
the seventh year of his reign.
CONCLUSION: A. The story that I am about to tell you is said to be a true story of something that
happened just a few years ago at USC. There was a professor of philosophy there who
was a deeply committed atheist. His primary goal for one required class was to spend the
entire semester attempting to prove that God couldn’t exist. His students were always
afraid to argue with him because of his impeccable logic. For twenty years, he had taught
this class and no one had ever had the courage to go against him. Sure, some had argued
in class at times, but no one had ever really gone against him because of his reputation.
At the end of every semester on the last day, he could say to his class of 300 students, "If
there is anyone here, who still believes in Jesus, Stand up!"
In twenty years, no one had ever stood up. They knew what he was going to do next.
He would say, "Because anyone who believes in God is a fool. If God existed, he could
stop this piece of chalk from hitting the ground and breaking. Such a simple task to prove
that He is God, and yet He can’t do it."
And every year, he would drop the chalk onto the tile floor of the classroom and it
would shatter into a hundred pieces. All of the students would do nothing but stop and
stare. Most of the students thought that God couldn’t exist. Certainly, a number of
Christians had slipped through, but for 20 years, they had been too afraid to stand up.
Well, a few years ago there was a freshman that happened to enroll. He was a
Christian, and had heard the stories about his professor. He was required to take the class
for his major, and he was afraid. But for three months that semester, he prayed every
morning that he would have the courage to stand up no matter what the professor said, or
what the class thought. Nothing they said could ever shatter his faith . . . he hoped.
Finally, the day came. The professor said, " If there is anyone here who still believes
in God, stand up!" The professor and the class of 300 people looked at him, shocked, as
he stood up at the back of the classroom. The professor shouted, "You FOOL!!! If God
existed, he would keep this piece of chalk from breaking when it hit the ground!"
He proceeded to drop the chalk, but as he did, it slipped out of his fingers, off his shirt
cuff, onto the pleat of his pants, down his leg, and off his shoe. As it hit the ground, it
simply rolled away unbroken. The professor’s jaw dropped as he stared at the chalk. He
looked up at the young man, and then ran out of the lecture hall. The young man, who
had stood, proceeded to walk to the front of the room and shared his faith in Jesus for the
next half-hour. 300 students stayed and listened as he told of God’s love for them and of
His power through Jesus Christ.
B. Christ is power
--He is the power that releases us from death’s grip. He is that power that keeps us true.
He is the power that opens the door into the Fathers home for us. He is the power that
guarantees life eternal
