Persecution, Deliverance & Judgment

Transcript

GR 1607
06/05/2011
Persecution, Deliverance, and Judgment
Acts 12:1-25
Gil Rugh

We’ve noted that the book of Acts is the history book of the early years of the church, and it marks a major transition and change from what has been the emphasis from Genesis chapter 12 to Acts Chapter 2. During the earthly ministry of Christ, a Canaanite woman came to Christ. It’s recorded in Matthew 15:24 when she seeks help from Him. What did He say? I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. In Matthew chapter 10, Christ took His disciples and sent them out for ministry, and He said to them Matthew 10:5-6, “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, Do not enter any city of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house Israel.” So that limitation, the focal point from the time of the call of Abraham through the gospels, until the beginning of the church in Acts chapter 2, the focal point has been on the nation Israel. And any outreach beyond the nation is because of Gentiles who come in contact with Israel. Some are drawn in and assimilated into the nation as converts to Judaism.

But with the death and resurrection of Christ, a change comes. He told His disciples that they were to “go into all the world, making disciples of all the nations.” Then in Acts chapter 1 we saw that when the Holy Spirit came upon them, they would be “witnesses, in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the outer most parts of the world.” Paul began the book of Romans saying, “I’m not ashamed of the gospel, It’s the power of God to everyone who believes.” The Jews and also Gentiles.

So the book of Acts is the unfolding of the early history of the church, and that took time. We noted with this conversion of the Jews in Acts chapter 2, the church begins. In Acts chapter 8, Samaritans, mixed bloods, Jews and Gentiles who had intermarried were accepted into the church.

Not until Acts chapter 10 and the first part of chapter 11, that there is a recognition and acceptance of Gentiles as Gentiles, into the church. Where we come with Acts chapter 12, we show that the nation Israel and the leaders of the nation are still firmly opposed to the message of Jesus Christ. And there is a transition accelerating, that even though the gospel will continue to be preached to Jews, the focal point is going to become Gentiles. And Acts chapter 12 shows something of the relentless hostility that will come to a point when Paul will shake the dust off his feet, and tell the Jews that he goes to the Gentiles. They have rejected salvation and a door is closed to them. Not that individual Jews cannot be saved. But God’s judgement comes in full force upon the nation Israel, and it’s clear that the ministry to the church, with the church and in the church will be primarily a Gentile ministry.

We’re getting ready for the missionary journeys of the apostle Paul. They’ll begin in chapter 13. So you’ll note chapter 12 is bracketed with information about Paul and Barnabas. Look at chapter 11:30 they’re taking a contribution to send to the believers in Judea and at Jerusalem, because of a famine. In Verse 30, “this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders.” Then you come to chapter 12:25, “And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, taking along with them John, who was also called Mark.” And from there on, the ministry focuses on Paul and his journeys, and will come into chapter 13. So you see in chapter 12, a resolute opposition firmly in place on the part of the Jews to the gospel, and a clear continuing rejection of the message of Christ, that has been presented to them time and again.

Chapter 12 opens up. “Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church, in order to mistreat them.” Now about that time, well the context here is about the time the offering was being taken to be sent to Jerusalem at the hands of Saul and Barnabas, and we’ll get a clear date here, shortly in chapter 12 of where we are exactly on the dating. At that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church, Herod the king, sometimes difficult to keep track of the Herod’s because it is the family name from Herod the Great. And here we’re talking about a grandson of Herod the Great, who was on the throne when Christ was born, had male children in Bethlehem slaughtered in an attempt to kill Christ. Well this Herod, called Herod the king, is the grandson of one we call Herod the Great, because of his power, influence and extended his reign. Although this grandson will be the only one of the descendants of Herod who will also rule over basically the same territory that Herod the Great did, but he doesn’t attain the same power and influence. This is the one who’s known as Herod Agrippa the 1st. He was born in 10BC and he died in 44AD, so we know where we are in chapter 12, because Herod is going to die in chapter 12. And we know from secular history he died in 44AD. So that enables us to nail down a clear solid date of where we are in the time line. His father Areostopulus, was the son of Herod the Great. And Herod the Great executed his son, Areostopulus, because he thought Areostopulus wanted to usurp the throne that he was on. So that happened in 7BC. Herod Agrippa, the Herod we have here, was 4 years old. His mother had him sent to Rome to live with family. Probably concerned for his welfare, since Herod the Great had executed his father. Who knows where that madman was going? Perhaps he would execute the grandchild as well here so the mother, at any rate, sent him to Rome. And you see the hand of God in all of this, because in Rome, he has close relationships with the imperial family, the family of Caesar Tiberius. And so he grows up in close contact and friendship with a couple of men who will ascend to the role of Caesar, ruling the Roman Empire. That of course will give him prime connections and will enable him to assume overall power for a large region.

Claudius and Gaius are two men that will come to be emperors with whom this Herod, Herod the King who is Herod Agrippa the first, has a relationship. A little bit of dates here, in 37AD Gaius succeeded Tiberius as Emperor. Well Gaius and Herod Agrippa had been friends, grown up together in Rome. So when he becomes Caesar, over time, Herod Agrippa expands his realm with the authority of Gaius. Gaius gives him Syria, Galilee, Perea and gave him the title of King. Remember the Romans ruled the world, so we read about Herod the King here. He’s Herod the King because the Caesar of Rome, Gaius says, “I bestow on you the title king.” And he gives him expanded territory.

Gaius was assassinated in 41AD. And that’s when Claudius comes to the throne. You remember him, he’s the one who gave the decree that the Jews had to leave Rome. That’s how Priscilla and Aquila were told to leave Rome because Claudius said as Jews they couldn’t live in Rome any longer. Well when he became Emperor, he had been a close friend, childhood friend, grew up with Herod Agrippa. He also expanded his territory and gave him Judea and Samaria also.

So now for the first time you have a Herod ruling over the same kind of expanded region as Herod the Great had. But Herod Agrippa is not on the level of his father, Herod the Great, who ruled for an extensive period of time and was a master builder, a genius in that realm, and so on. But he does rule over a large amount of territory and has the full support of the Roman Caesar, which is crucial to anyone in a ruling positon in these days. Ok, so here he is. He’s quite an influential person, he’s ruling a large region. He has firm connections to the Caesar. So that gives him great power not only as designated ruler but because he’ll have the full support of the Caesar who is his friend.

About that time Herod the King laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to mistreat them. Herod Agrippa who we know some about him, because Josephus writes about him. He did all he could to curry the favor of the Jews. And there is some respect of him by the Jews because of that. It was said that when he was with the Jews, he did whatever would please the Jews. But when he was in Rome or with the Romans he did whatever fit with the Romans. So he’s that kind of man juggling the positon. He wants to be well received among the Jews but he wants that kind of reception among the Romans as well. He continues the persecution of the church. Remember there’s been a lull in the persecution.

Now you have a man who rules a vast region here. You can’t get away from him by just leaving Judea, because he rules over this whole region. And he’s currying the favor of the Jews, so he laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to mistreat them. And it seems he’s focusing his attention on the apostolic leadership. Not only arresting and mistreating believing Jews but he is focusing on the leadership in the church, the apostles. He is the man who has power. He is the king of the region and he can count on the full support of the Roman seizure. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with a sword. James becomes the first of the apostles that recorded that he was martyred.

We had Steven earlier but he was not part of the twelve but now you have one of the apostolic leaders executed by Herod. No reason given but he is doing it to please the Jews and it did in verse 3 “when he saw that it pleased the Jews.” You see the intense animosity it takes and he beheads James. For what? James the brother of John who ministered with Peter, James and John that circle there. This is not James the half-brother of Christ who will appear later and lead at the Jerusalem conference in Acts 15. This is James the apostle. One of the inner circle of Christ during his earthly ministry. He has him beheaded. Why? Because the Jews hate the early church and the apostles are a focal point of their hatred. “When they saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also.” So you see, Herod has something of the cleverness of his grandfather, Herod the Great. And so he executes James. It doesn’t matter whether James is a righteous man, a Godly man. He is looking for the support of the Jews; it pleases the Jews. Well then I will arrest another one and execute him.

Of course he has power in the region. The Romans don’t care. What Herod has to do to secure his position is constantly support the Caesar and keep peace in the region. Well if he can keep the Jews happy he can have peace here. To please the Jews while James is gone. So you see the depth of the animosity here of the leaders of the nation. He arrests Peter. “Now it was during the days of the feast of the unleavened bread.” This will also be referred to as Passover time. Because Passover fell on Nissan 14, roughly equivalent to our April. And then for the seven days following to the 21st, you had the feast of unleavened bread.

So that a whole week period beginning with Passover followed by the feast of the unleavened bread sometimes, it is just lumped together and they called it Passover. That will happen at the end of verse 4; “intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people.” So this whole week’s events are tied together as a unit and it sometimes is referred to as just the Passover; even though Passover occurs on a specific day. But the seven day feast of unleavened bread is a follow through on Passover and so it is sometimes referred to as just Passover. That is important because the reason he arrests Peter on this occasion but doesn’t put him to death; that wouldn’t be a good thing. You don’t interrupt this period of time. So what he intends to do is just hold him in prison after the feast of the unleavened bread, the whole celebration of Passover is done and then he will bring out and execute him. And of course, the Jews will be even more pleased with Herod.

A reminder – when you are talking about Passover time, this is the time when Christ will be crucified and the Jews have no concept. Paul told the Corinthians, Christ, our Passover has been sacrificed. But these men are dying because they are declaring that Christ, the Lamb of God, the fulfillment of what was pictured in the Passover has died but they are so vehemently opposed to it they are supporting the execution, they are behind the execution. The only reason Herod Agrippa has to execute James and plan the execution of Peter is the Jews are opposed to the message of Christ, so opposed to James, opposed to Peter, who preached Christ of course. Verse 4, “when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him. Intending after the Passover to bring out before the people.” The intention obviously of public execution as you had with James.

Four squads, quaternions as you have I believe in your margin, these were four groups of four soldiers in each group. They would rotate every three hours that guaranteed four fresh soldiers every three hours. They are not going to get tired, they are not going to sleep. That would be a fatal mistake for a soldier.

So you see how serious Herod Agrippa is. He is not a man to leave things to chance. You don’t hold on to power that way. He doesn’t want any escape to take place here because that would weaken him of course, in the sight of the Jews, let them get away, escaped, his friends delivered him. He may know something about the deliverance of Peter that occurred back in chapter 5. The Jewish leaders may have warned him that this man finds ways to get out because Peter was delivered by an angel in Chapter 5. So what happens is, you have four soldiers as it unfolds here; as we are told here in verse 6 what the four do. You have your chain on one side on one arm to this soldier and the other arm to this soldier; then two stand guard at the gate to itself. So that is pretty secure. You don’t get a good night’s sleep because every 3 hours they have to change here as they have to come and loosen the shackle from the guards you are with and then unshackle the other. The guards aren’t going to sleep anyway. They are there to stay awake. Either will go to sleep but you can see how secure he is. These are men ready to die. Because their prisoner cannot escape, cannot be delivered, because they will be executed; so it would be better they die keeping him free than they let it happen. You have these four squads of soldiers guarding him.

So Peter was kept in the prison but prayer for him was made fervently by the church. The church, these are common people. There is no way for them to break in, deliver him. I mean you have these four soldiers but they are being kept in prison. You could have other soldiers here very quickly if necessary. All they have to do is hold on until other soldiers arrive. The church has no power; that is not where their power is. But they can go to the Lord in prayer, they have the superior power. They are fervently praying for Peter. You note, they haven’t given up hope even though James was executed. They are intensely in prayer before God that he would somehow spare Peter. Probably in hopes that the Lord might change Herod’s heart, soften him, give him a change of mind.

You know sometimes we not only pray for what to ask the Lord to do, but we also think we also need to help him out by telling him how he might do it. We know they are not praying for an angel to deliver him, because when it does happen, they are shocked. But they are praying intensely for the Lord’s intervention here. Verse 6, picks up with how Peter would get delivered. “On the very night, when Herod was about to bring him forward;” isn’t it interesting how the Lord can wait until the last minute. I mean how many days has Peter been in prison. We are not told. He could have been here for most of the week. Obviously, James was executed before Passover would have begun and the rest of Peter, in all probability, would have happened before Passover began. He is holding him until after the event. It is sort of a suspense here. On the very night, that night when Herod was about to bring him forward for execution, “Peter was sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison.” This is a major prisoner here, bound with chains, one on one side and one on the other, two guards in front of the door watching over the prison. What can you do; how are you going to deliver him. It is not really a problem for God. “Behold an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell.” What happened to the soldiers; some details left out. I guess they went into a trance or fell asleep. We are not told. They are a nonissue. They are immediately nullified. It doesn’t go into tell you what happened to them. It doesn’t matter. They may be sitting there with their eyes wide open not having any idea what is going on or they may have fallen asleep. We are just not told. So all of a sudden out of nowhere, here’s an angel. And there is a light shining in the cell. You don’t even have to feel around so you know what to do. There is plenty of light. “He struck Peter’s side and woke him up saying get up quickly.” I love that – I wonder what I would have been doing on my last night knowing that as soon as morning comes, they would be coming for me. He’s asleep – I mean, not only the uncomfortableness of two soldiers there, chained to you. You don’t get comfortable, they get comfortable. Then you adjust and sleep and he is asleep. The angel has to wake him up saying get up quickly. We have to find the key – no we don’t. What happens, “the chains fall off.” So the angels don’t need to get keys – they had super natural power from God. The chains fall off. “The angel said to him, gird yourself, bind up your robe and get ready to go. Put your sandals on, we are leaving. He did so. Rap your cloak around you and follow me.”

I don’t think Peter would have to be told twice. Peter thinks he is having a vision, that in his sleep, God has opened up something to him and he is seeing a vision. He doesn’t know this is really happening and “he went out and continued following.” He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real. He thought he was seeing it in a vision. Why? Well, you know what deliverance would be like. He doesn’t know until they get outside. What happens? Verse 10, “when they pass the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that opened the way to go to the city which opened for them by itself.”

I love the way angels can work. Angels don’t have to say, wait here, I have to open the gate. They just come up to the gate and the “gate opens and it opened for them by itself and they went out, went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.” He is not needed any longer. Peter can find his way from here. It is a supernatural deliverance of God to intervene and bring deliverance to Peter. For the first time, Peter realized this really happened. I am really outside the prison, I’m really a free man. Verse 11, “when Peter came to himself;” you look around, shake your head and think it is real. That really happened, it wasn’t just a vision. “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

Why did the Lord intervene like this for Peter and not James? James was one of that inner circle with Christ. Peter, James and John. All three got to be with Christ on the mount. They enjoyed that inner circle with Christ from among the twelve. But there is no intervention for James. He is beheaded by the hand of godless Agrippa. God could have intervened on the part of James just as much as Peter. Was James loved less than Peter? No. The sovereign plan of God – no answers given. We are not told why God intervened to deliver Peter. We know that the sovereign God could have delivered James had he chosen. We know that there are myriads of angels who do the bidding of God. There could have been an angel come and deliver James but he didn’t. A reminder we still have questions sometimes why the Lord didn’t intervene for this person but yet for this person. This is His sovereign plan and His working.

So Peter knows where to go. He is going to Mary’s house, the home of John Mark’s mother. So verse 12, “when he realized this he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also so called Mark.” John would have been his Jewish name, Mark his Roman name. “Where many were gathered together and were praying.” Evidently this was a home where the church often met, where believers met. There would be some indication that she was probably of some wealth. Probably a widow since it is mentioned it is at her house not her husband’s house. But has some means where they could gather. She does have servants and that is where the church has gathered. Peter knows that is where he should go so he went and John Mark is introduced here who will be a part of the first missionary journey, at least for a ways. This is the man who is credited for writing the Gospel of Mark as you are aware. So then he will be used significantly as the Lord himself. They were gathered together praying. They were told earlier in the chapter that, verse 5, “prayer for him was being made fervently by the church.” Here we have many of the members of the church praying for Peter. “When he knocked at the door of the gate, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer,” verse 13. Family here has a servant girl, in the night and yet the church is at prayer. Jesus told his followers to watch and pray.

And they are doing that and they are praying into the night. Little do they know, their prayer has already been answered. Peter is at the door, “when he knocked at the door, a servant girl came to answer.” The knocking, you wonder who is there at that time of night. You wonder, Peter says it is me, open the door. I guess that is what he said, we are not told. She recognized Peter’s voice. He said something. She is so excited, Peter, she doesn’t even open the door. A rather humorous presentation here. Because Peter is left standing at the door. “Because of her joy she didn’t open the gate but ran in announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate. Your prayers are answered. Peter is here, he is at the gate.” Now you have a conversation going on. “They said to her, you are crazy, you are out of your mind. But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying that it is his angel and Peter kept knocking.”

So you have a little bit of a humor unfolding here, you have a servant girl saying Peter is at the door. They are saying, you are crazy. She keeps insisting that he is there and they keep insisting he can’t be there and Peter keeps banging on the door. So someone comes up with the answer. Let go and answer the door. “So Peter continued knocking and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed.” Shocked. I like that too because here they had been praying. They don’t say we have been expecting you, we have been praying. Because the answer is probably greater than they had anticipated. They would have been happy if Herod Agrippa had canceled the execution. And perhaps he had delayed it. Whatever. But here you have an answer in a greater way than we could have imagined. Peter has been set free supernaturally. An angel has come and set him free and he has come to the door. You can not get anymore complete answer to prayer than that. And they are all in turmoil obviously, as Peter has to motion to him with his hand. “Silence, quiet down, settle down, let me tell you what happened. He described to them how the Lord had led him out of prison. He said to report these things to James and the brethren.”

This is James, the half-brother of the Lord who seems to be exercising leadership in the church in Jerusalem at this time. Distinct from the James who was an apostle, this James had not been converted until after the resurrection of Christ when he appeared to his half brothers and they became believers. They are to report these things to James and the brethren. Tell them how the Lord has worked. Just a reminder that God is at work on our behalf. It would be an encouraging word after what had to have been a devastating blow to have one of the apostles from the inner circle of Christ beheaded and Peter in prison anticipating a similar fate. It had to be a down time for the church. I’m thinking what is next? So “go tell them what the Lord has done,” a reminder of the sovereignity of the Lord, that He can bring deliverance at any time. He is operating on our behalf and on behalf of his people.

“Then (verse 17) he left and went to another place.” We are not told where he went but he went, probably leaving Jerusalem. Some say probably Antioch, someplace else. Somewhere out of the immediate area for safety. Now, what next, where do we go from here, what happens to Herod? What about the soldiers, things are not good for them. “Now when they came, there was a small disturbance among the soldiers as to what could have become of Peter.” Back to Chapter 5, I made reference to this and you can probably remember it. Chapter 5, verse 18, “they laid hands on the apostles and put them in public jail, but during the night,” verse 19, chapter 5, “an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, taking them out and saying go and speak to the people of the temple the whole message of this life. So they the temple at about daybreak and they begin to preach.”

So you see there was previous supernatural deliverance, not the first time. A reminder, God can intervene when he chooses. He uses the prayers of his people. Sometimes those prayers are answered in a greater way than anticipated. Sometimes it seems they were not answered at all. Prayers answered on behalf of James for deliverance were not answered in the way they had hoped. But they are answered for Peter in greater ways than they had expected. So this is a second deliverance.

Come back to Chapter 12, obviously the day comes, they are ready for the prisoners to be released. We are not told when the soldiers guarding Peter come to their senses. Is it when other soldiers came to the prison to get the prisoner and all of a sudden they snapped, too? As we were told that when they came, there was no small disturbance from among the soldiers of what could have become of Peter. So you can imagine, where did he go? The soldiers still had the chains on them but the chains that were holding Peter are just laying there. What is the answer? “When Herod had searched for him,” verse 19, “and had not found him.” So Herod sends his soldiers out to search, like a search party. Search the prison, search the area, there is no Peter. He examined the guards, what happened. What could they say? I mean, we don’t know, he just disappeared. You know they are in trouble. “So he ordered they be led away” and your Bible probably added to execution and that is probably what they are led away to. Soldiers are responsible for their prisoners.

Later on in the book of Acts, for the apostle Paul, he is being held a prisoner, being taken to Rome with some others. And when there is a shipwreck, what are the soldiers going to do? Kill the prisoners so none escape? Why? Well if your prisoner is dead because you prevented his escape, you have done your job as a soldier. You do what is necessary to prevent escape. If you don’t have the prisoner, than your life is for his life. So these soldiers have no answer. They are innocent, well, innocent in that they didn’t allow for the escape but guilty because they are part of the opposition for the living God. They paid part of that penalty. Herod Agrippa, we are not done with him. He leaves Judea and goes to Assyria where he has a palace. That is really the administrative center for this whole region. And since he is King of it, that would be where the center is and where Rome’s center is and he acts on behalf of Rome. And he was spending time there.

Now we have an account because we want to see what happens to Herod Agrippa. That is of interest to us. Verse 20, “now he was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon and with one accord they came to him having won over Blastus the King’s chamberlain.” The chamberlain would be like the Kings chief of staff for Herod. So this man we know nothing else about him, no reference to him. “They were asking for peace because their country was fed by the king’s country.” So what happens is Herod Agrippa is in a place to cut off the food supply to Tyre and Sidon. Because he is upset with them, so they come to the man who is in a place of influence with Herod and they want to establish peace. “So on an appointed day, Herod having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the rostrum and begin delivering an address to them. The people kept crying out the voice of God and not a man. Immediately, an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory and he was eaten by worms and died.”

We get a summary account here, it is interesting. Josephus the Jewish historian who went over to the Romans that writes the history of the period and some of you have read some of Josephus. He has some things to say about this very event. He said these events occurred on a day of a festival in honor of Caesar. Remember Assyria is named in honor of Caesar. So you have this festival day in which you are honoring Caesar and Herod Agrippa had a robe made of silver. When you came into the sun, you had this light reflecting off of this garment and it is glittering brilliantly. So you can see the impact. Here is what Josephus goes on to say. While he was giving this address, he was seized with a severe pain in his bowels which quickly increased in intensity. He was hastily carried into the palace and when he had suffered continuously for five days from the pain in his belly, he died in the 54th year of his life and the 7th year of his kingship. They left out some of the quote there. But that’s the quote; he had a severe pain in his bowels, stomach and abdomen. It got so bad they had to quickly carry him to the palace. And for 5 days he suffered with intense pain until he dies. He is 54 years old and had reigned for 7 years in this region.

Luke is the true account of what was going on to see if it is accurate of what he knows. What happened in verse 23, “an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory.” Now again, God does not strike every King who was so into glory for himself. The Caesars wanted to be worshipped as gods, a number of them. God didn’t immediately strike each one dead. But here is one functioning as the king of the Jews. He suffers direct judgement. Here is what one commentator says about him being eaten by worms. Luke’s reference to the worms suggests they were intestinal round worms that grow as long as 10 to 16 inches and feed on the nutrient fluid in the intestines. Bunches of round worms can obstruct the intestines which is causing severe pain, copious vomiting of worms, and death. Not very pleasant is it? Vomiting up of worms. That man died a terrible death. One minute he is sitting on the throne with a silver robe reflecting the sun glittering away. People crying out, it is not the voice of a man, it is a voice of a god. The next minute the worms are going to work on his insides. We know Herod died in 44 AD so we know where we are with a clear date here.

And following his death, the Romans appoint their own administrator back in the area. Again we get this broken up, and Roman authority like we had back with Pontius Pilate, a Roman administrator in the area. We will see three of Herod Agrippa’s children mentioned later in the book of Acts. So we will talk later about that as they come up in Acts 24 and 25. You note, the contrast here, verse 23, “Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him.” You need to understand the sovereign power of God. He doesn’t need time to work things out. It doesn’t say that Herod had this going on for a time. I take it there is an immediate infestation here because the angel of the Lord struck him, period. Just like there is an immediate deliverance of Peter. They don’t have to figure out a way to get the chains free, getting the gates open, get the guards something to drink so they will go to sleep. All it takes is for an angel to appear and everything takes place. One minute Herod could have been in the peak of health, the next minute he is a dying man because an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory. He was eaten by worms and died.

But, “the word of the Lord continued to grow and it multiplied.” What a contrast. Here’s a man who is opposing the preaching of the word. One who seems to have all the power. He is in close ties with the Caesar who rules the Roman empire and he is the king of the whole region. What could a church do against them? Nothing. What can the God of the church do against him? Whatever he wants. He dies, having been eaten by worms, but the word of the Lord continued to grow. What do you know about Herod Agrippa, the 1st, or was it an appearance in Scripture? I would say Cephus but if it wasn’t for scripture, Cephus would be of minimal interest to us. You know we have a hard time sorting out. We have to say, now who is this Herod, and this Herod, and 2000 years later, what is happening? The Word of the Lord continues to grow. Herod Agrippa has been long gone, suffering the torment of Hades. In this flame, I am tormented as the rich man says in Luke 16, 2000 years later, where is Herod? He died a terrible death. He is in Hades waiting sentencing to hell. One who chose not to submit to the gospel, but who opposed the gospel. What a tragedy of a life.

Here is what one commentator says about this section with verse 24. The chapter opens with James dead, Peter in prison, and Herod triumphing. It closes with Herod dead, Peter free, and the word of God triumphing. Tyrants may be permitted for a time to boast and bluster, oppressing the church, hindering the gospel, but it will not last. In the end the empire will be broken, their pride abased. So we come to verse 25, “and Barnabas and Paul return from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission.”

That takes us back to 29 and 30 of Chapter 11 where they had to go back to Jerusalem with the offering they had collected for the needy in Jerusalem. They had traveling with them, John who was also called Mark. They are probably around 46 AD now. They are taking up the ministry of Paul and Barnabas here. The death of Herod around 44 AD and of course the history is moving along here. And Paul and Barnabas complete their ministry and they are back perhaps around 46 AD. Here is a summary of what we have seen in this chapter. First we must accept the sovereign purposes of God as good for his people. James dies and Peter lives but we know “all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose.” We still see that in one way or another. We have members of our local church, some have died at a younger age. We wonder, why did God take them? It is his sovereign purpose, an accident, terrible tragedy, something not in the plan of God. This was God’s plan for James. Why then do others live to a longer age in the plan of God? We can trust the sovereign God. His purposes are best and right for each one of us.

Secondly, we can rest securely in the care of our God. I love that Peter is sound asleep on the night before he is scheduled to die. The angel has to waken him, tell him to get up. We can rest secure. If Peter is to die like James, well to be absent from the body is to be with the lord. Nobody looks forward to being beheaded, but I can trust the Lord to do what is best.

Number 3, the prayers of God’s people are more powerful than the political and military might of Kings. James 5: 16, says “the effectual prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much.” The tragedy of believers running around as though if we could get the right people here and vote for this and get this person in power and this person. If we spent that much time in prayer, we could accomplish what really needs to be done. You seek the will of God to be done. Abandon that because we think if we do like the world does, we will offset them. We have more power than the world has, we can go and talk to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Call upon him and what really matters; that people know him. That the truth is his Son is proclaimed to them.

So when I look back on life, I think for most of us, I think more of what we should have done more of, is to pray. More time in prayer would accomplish so much more than our fussing and fretting, and running here and there. Stop, go in the room, close the door and talk to the Lord. Put things in perspective and submit ourselves to Him and call upon Him. Another point, the kings of the earth are nothing before our God, put things in perspective.

Our God is sovereign. We talk about the universal reign of God and the mediatorial reign of God that will take place through Christ when he establishes the earthly kingdom. But God is sovereign over all today. He always has been. He raises up Kings, he puts down Kings. Romans come and go. God is sovereign. There will come a time when Jesus Christ will come and rule on the earth. That is the kingdom we are moving toward. But God has been sovereign since from day 1. He is the creator of everything so everything is under his authority. You understand, nothing, to the greatest turmoil in the world, everything is under control. But the world causes natural disasters. Is the hand of our God bringing calamity for aboding of his judgments? The world doesn’t see it that way but we do. We understand. The basis of men are put in power. Herod Agrippa, who would behead James. It wasn’t that he didn’t deserve power, he shouldn’t have been in power. Who put him in power? God. He raises up Romans, he puts down rulers.

A reminder for rulers, Isaiah 45, not only the rulers but all of of Isaiah 45:9. “Woe to the one who quarrels with his maker.” That section of Isaiah you are probably well familiar with been through a number of times. God created everything, there’s nobody like him. Woe to the one who quarrels with his maker. What you see is absolute sovereignty over all. That’s our security. 1st Peter 1, turn there with me – that will be our last portion we will look at it. I was going to read it to you, I have it written down here but if you would turn with me. This is a quote from Isaiah chapter 40. If you want to encourage your heart go back sometime, maybe when you go home or this week again chapter 40 through chapter 46 or so. Here’s a quote from Isaiah 40:6, 1st Peter 1:24, “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word which was preached to you” and that is the word that now we have that we share with others. The eternal word of God.

The world is in turmoil, we so easily get drawn into that context and talk about what is going on and that is fine. I’m not saying that is all that we can talk about but so often it just blows right by us so we must be ready to bring in, you know there is a sovereign God who rules the world and you know the political turmoil in the world, the unrest, the calamities, they all have a place in the plan of God. Because of all this confusion, all the misery, all the turmoil; God has provided peace and salvation by the giving of his Son, Jesus Christ. I mean we have a glorious eternal message. We need to remember “all flesh is like grass,” his glory is passing, the splendid glory of Herod, where is it? It is gone but the Word of the Lord endures forever. Rulers come and go, people come and go. “Heaven and earth will pass away, my word will not pass away and this is the word that was preached to you.” This is the message we share.

Let’s pray together. Thank You Lord for who You are. Thank You for Your sovereign rule over all. And Lord You are just as sovereignly in control this very moment as You were in that moment and time when You sent an angel to deliver Peter. Everything is under your control. We don’t look at the power of nature, we look at the power of the living God. We don’t look at the power of men, we look at the power of our God. Lord, even in the unpleasant things, we see Your hand at work. Using even sin and rebellion as part of Your purposes and plans in moving us to the ultimate climax of a completed salvation and the rule of Your Son over all creation. Thank You for calling us to Yourself. Thank You for our salvation. Thank You for the privilege we have to come to a throne of Grace, to find help in time of need. Lord, may we not forget that we serve You. We’ve been entrusted with Your word which is eternal. We have the privilege of sharing that message with others, use us to that end and in the days of the week before us. We pray in Christ’s name. Amen