Roman puppet king vs. Ascended Lord of the Universe... I wonder who will win?

The Voice of God and Your Liberty in Christ

(Acts 12:1-24, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, May 6, 2012)

[12:1] About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. [2] He killed James the brother of John with the sword, [3] and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. [4] And 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. [5] So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.

Herod Agrippa was a grandson of Herod the Great, the man who was troubled by the visit of wise men from the east in connection with the birth of the king of the Jews, Jesus Christ. Here in Acts 12 we have another chapter in the ongoing saga of the battle between rulers who seem to be somebody, and those who seem to be nobody who speak for the Lord God Almighty. Herod Agrippa thought that he could kill James, the brother of John, and arrest Peter; all to enhance his own stature among his subjects or to achieve some other goal of which he was the master.

Meanwhile, the church was praying earnestly to God. The contest was on.

[6] Now 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. [7] And 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. [8] And 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.” [9] And 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. [10] When 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. [11] When 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.”

On the very night before Herod sent for his prize, Peter, God sent for him first, through an angel. God was able to make a precision rescue of this leading apostle. He was chained to two sentries when his chains fell off, leaving the soldiers sleeping. Through this miraculous rescue, Peter did not even know that this was anything but a dream. By the time that the angel left him, he was a free man. His conclusion? That God had won a contest against Herod and the Jewish people that hated the message that Peter represented. He had been rescued from prison by God. He was free.

[12] When 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. [13] And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. [14] Recognizing Peter's voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. [15] They 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!” [16] But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. [17] But 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.Whenever you know that you have been rescued by God, when you find that you have been delivered from bondage and that you are suddenly free, I highly recommend that you go to church and tell people about it. The people there should know about what it is to be freed from something that you absolutely could not find the way out of by yourself. That is our life story. We were stuck in what Augustine called the prison house of sin. Christ has come to us as the messenger of the Lord. He woke us up, perhaps with a sharp blow to the side if necessary. He ordered the chains off of our hands and he led us out of danger when we were only half awake.

Tell the church about it, but don't be too surprised if they tell you that you are out of your mind. That is what Mark and some others told Rhoda when she claimed that Peter was at the door, a free man. This Mark would later be Peter's companion and secretary. He was the author of the gospel that bears his name, and he found freedom from bondage hard to believe. They all thought that it was an angel that was a representative of Peter, who must now be in heaven. It was not. The angel that came to Peter freed him from his chains. The man in front of them was the real Peter.

[18] Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. [19] And 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.This extremely successful rescue mission was not good news to everyone. For instance, the sentries who somehow lost track of a man that Agrippa wanted to kill would now be killed themselves by the order of the king.

[20] Now 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. [21] On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. [22] And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” [23] Immediately 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.Sometime later he would face the wrath of the King of kings. He accepted the worship of his subjects. Remember when Cornelius fell at Peter's feet in Acts 10:26? “Stand up; I too am a man.” But what did Agrippa do when the crowds told him that he had the voice of a god, and not of a man? Nothing. He took it all in and enjoyed the moment. He did not give glory to God, and his life was taken from him.

[24] But the word of God increased and multiplied.

Meanwhile, the Word of God increased and multiplied. God wins. Pretenders to divine status lose. All the time. Isn't this the story of the church throughout the centuries. We follow the true King of the Ages who died on a cross for our sins. But He is still winning surprising victories through us, and evil imposters have their brief time here below and then go to meet their Maker.

Through it all, millions are experiencing true freedom through the Word of the Messiah who died for them. His resurrection life is proclaimed and lived out by nobodies. Even we don't seem to have a true clue about the extent of the victory He won for us. His grace is surprising. Keep your eye out for more victories of freedom and bigger conquests from the King of kings. He will surely win all for whom He shed His blood.

1. What was Herod's plan in attacking the leaders of the church?

2. How did the Lord God foil King Herod's plan?

3. What were the various results of this amazing miracle?

4. How will the Word of God bring the best liberty into your life?

OT Passage: Psalm 141