Acts 12: 5-11
Wake up, get up, dress up, and go up
Last Sunday night Brother Huie made some points in his sermon that I want to use for our Bible Study tonight.
If you will remember he got on the subject about Peter being in prison and how an angel came and led him out.
He mentioned four points if I remember right that I want to use, but in a different direction.
I was lying in bed the other night about 2:00 in the morning, or somewhere in that time frame, and I begin thinking about those four points, and put together something I think will be beneficial.
First of all let’s read Acts 12: 5-11.
The four points I want to use is:
1. Wake up
2. Get up
3. Dress up
4. Go up
Now, let me bring you a little bit of background to these verses we have already read.
Verse one tells how King Herod had been persecuting some of the Christian church.
King Herod was the grandson of Herod the Great, nephew to Herod Antipas, who beheaded John the Baptist; brother t Her-o-dias and father to that Agrippa before whom St. Paul afterward made his defense.
He had James, the brother of John put to death with a sword. Death by the sword was considered by the Rabbis as disgraceful so this must have pleased them very much.
When Herod saw that killing James pleased the people so much, he decided he would kill Peter also.
Now the loss of Peter at this stage of the church would have been very harmful to the church.
But God always has everything under control.
Herod gave orders to find Peter and arrest him and place him in jail.
Let us read verse four.
The four quaternions of soldiers who guarded Peter consisted of sixteen men, each quaternion consisting of four.
It was enough to keep four men on guard during each of the four watches of the night.
They, together with the strength of the prison doors, were deemed sufficient for the utmost security.
The word Easter now denotes the festival observed by many Christian churches in honour of the resurrection of the Saviour. But the original has no reference to that.
The word Easter is of Saxon origin, and is supposed to be derived from Eostre, the goddess of love, or the Venus of the North, in honour of whom a festival was celebrated by our pagan ancestors in the month of April.
As this festival coincided with the Passover of the Jews, and with the feast observed by Christians in honour of the resurrection of Christ, the name came to be used to denote the latter.
In the old Anglo-Saxon service-books the term Easter is used frequently to translate the word Passover.
But getting to those four points I want to talk about tonight.
Notice verses 6 and 7.
“smote Peter on the side, and raised him up”
Here is my first point, wake up.
Peter was in trouble, and about to face death, but he wasn’t he didn’t stay up worrying about it.
The angel woke him up.
Now I want to apply these points to us as Christians today.
You see Peter knew that God was going to take care of him. He knew that God had everything in control. So why should he be worrying about it?
And here I thought about when we are in trouble, or when we are going through some trial, or we are facing some seemingly impossible situation in our life, we should wake up to the fact that God has everything under control.
We should wake up to the fact that what God promises He will deliver.
Now in Peter’s case it was probably good that he was asleep. It meant he was at peace with himself and the circumstances around him.
But when we are asleep spiritually we aren’t conscious of God’s promises, nor do we acknowledge them.
When we are asleep spiritually we have no communication with God and we are not aware that God is there to help us in time of trial and trouble.
So we need to wake up! When unpleasant circumstances surround you, or you face a fiery trial, or Satan has placed you in some type of bondage, wake up and realize that God is an ever present help in the time of trouble.
Before Peter could be delivered from that prison, he must first wake up, get his senses together, realize that the angel was there to give him instructions and lead him out.
So you must wake up and realize that God is with you standing ready to deliver you.
Isaiah 46:4 “And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar (grey) hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.”
2. Secondly, notice verse seven the words where the angel said to Peter, “Arise up quickly.”
Or, “Get up!” First he must wake up, now he must get up!
Peter must display obedience here. The angel said in no uncertain terms, “Arise up quickly,” or “get up NOW!”
Peter was in a dungeon, he was in bondage, he was chained to two guards, it was dark, it was gloomy, there wasn’t much to hope for.
But the angel said “Get up!”
Peter could have said, “What for?” Or, he could have said, “Hey, you woke me up!”
But he obeyed!
That’s my second point. When we finally wake up to the promises of God, and realize that He is here to help and deliver us, we need to get up and obey God!
God’s promises come after we obey!
The promises of God require obedience!
If you need healing, wake up and realize that God is your healer.
Wake up and realize that those promises of God concerning healing are for you!
Wake up and realize that your finances are covered under God’s promises, but you must first obey God and meet His requirements and then He will fulfill His promise.
Wake up and realize that God wants to deliver you from your trial, burdens, or whatever else has bound you, but you must demonstrate obedience.
IF you will remember, when Israel obeyed God, He brought deliverance!
So get up! Begin to obey God!
Job 36:11 “If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.”
Jeremiah 7:23 “But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.”
So, we must wake up, get up, and now, dress up.
Notice verse 8. The angel said, “Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals, cast thy garment about thee.”
Or, get dressed! Or get ready!
Now when you get dressed or get ready, you are expecting to go somewhere, right?
3. So thirdly, I say “Get dressed, or get ready.”
Get ready for what? Get ready for the answer!
When you wake up, and you get up, and you obey God, and you put faith in action, then get ready for God to do something!
When you acknowledge God, and when you obey God, and when you have faith in God, get ready for your healing, get ready for your finances and needs to met, and get ready for a great deliverance in your life.
Get ready for revival. Get ready for God’s blessings on your life!
Expect God to do what He said He would do.
The angel said to Peter, “Follow me.”
Peter didn’t know exactly what was taking place here.
He just obeyed and followed, expecting something good to happen.
WE must obey and follow the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, expecting something good to happen in our life.
When you begin to realize what God can do. When you wake up and become aware that God is standing with you, you must obey and then prepare yourself for something good.
5. Fourthly, notice verse nine and ten.
He followed the angel and went out of the prison, or he went up!
As they went from the prison, the doors opened by their own accord.
God delivered ole Peter out of his circumstance. He delivered him out of his trial. He delivered him out of his bondage.
Peter was in the bottom of the pit but he went up to the street and was set free.
When we wake up, get up, dress up, we will then go from the bottom of our circumstance up to victory in our lives.
We will “go up” and possess our promises. We will “go up” and have our victory.
God will bring you out!
He will set you free!
He will meet your need!
He will answer your prayer!
Does ole Satan have you in the pit today?
Does he have you discouraged?
Does ole Slew-foot have you bound?
Do your circumstances look hopeless?
Are you in a prison of doubt, fear, or anxiety?
Then, wake up, get up, dress up and go up to possess your promise!
God is standing ready to help you!
