Hello and welcome to Lechem Panim! You will remember that last week we read in Acts chapter 12 of Peter’s imprisonment at the hands of Herod. Peter is sitting in chains and is kept in maximum security conditions. But something stronger than the prison; stronger than the chains was at play; and that was the prayers of the believers who were earnestly seeking the Lord on Peter’s behalf. And today we will see what God does through those prayers. It says in…Acts 12:6 (ESV)— 6 Now when Herod was...
Hello and welcome to Lechem Panim! You will remember that last week we read in Acts chapter 12 of Peter’s imprisonment at the hands of Herod. Peter is sitting in chains and is kept in maximum security conditions. But something stronger than the prison; stronger than the chains was at play; and that was the prayers of the believers who were earnestly seeking the Lord on Peter’s behalf. And today we will see what God does through those prayers. It says in…
Acts 12:6 (ESV)— 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.
Peter’s Peace— Now how Peter was able to sleep on the eve of his execution is amazing. Would you be able to sleep? I know I wouldn’t. You know, reading between the lines, Peter seems remarkably at peace in the midst of this whole situation; so at peace that the angel actually had to strike him on the side just to get him to wake up! Where did this kind of peace come from? Did it come from the fact that God had delivered him from prison in the past? Maybe in part, but that was not the primary source of his peace. Do you know what it was? Well, first of all, he knew that many believers were praying for him (Acts 12:12) (day and night) all that week. And he was no doubt praying too. He (and they) were applying the truth of…
Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV)— 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
God’s Promises— And this is important because prayer has a tendency of bringing to our minds the various promises of God that we have in His Word. [“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me to dwell in safety” (Ps. 4:8). Or “Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isa. 41:10).] All of these were verses Peter may have been prayerfully reminding himself of.
Peter Immortal— But you know even prayer may not have been the main source of Peter’s peace. The main source of Peter’s peace may have been the knowledge that Herod was actually not capable of killing him. Now what do I mean by that? Well, remember Peter has already been told by Jesus exactly (in John 21:18-19) exactly how he is going to die; on a Roman cross as an old man. And so Peter recognized that this period in time did not match with what Jesus had revealed to him and so he (like Jesus did in the midst of the mighty tempest at sea) did what any rational, faith-filled person would do; he went to sleep. That ship on the crashing sea (unlike the Titanic) truly was an unsinkable ship. Why? Because Jesus was in the boat. And so here Peter (resting on the promise of Jesus) is resting in the knowledge that nobody can touch him until Jesus lets them; and he knows Jesus won’t let them for a while. And so he goes to sleep. Now (like us) he doesn’t know how things are going to play out or in what form deliverance is going to come, but nevertheless he has peace. And it says in…
Acts 12:7-10 (ESV)— 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.
The 3rd Deliverance— Now this was the third time that Peter had been rescued from prison by an angel of the Lord. But this time he thought (at first) that he was seeing only a vision. Perhaps he wasn’t fully awake. And that’s understandable because coffee had not yet been invented. Drinking coffee as a beverage probably originated in Yemen in the 15th century in the Sufi Shrines. Before that, Hebrews (he-brews) meant something very different than it does now; and people had to wake up naturally, which always takes longer. However, at this point Peter apparently wakes up enough to realize what has happened. It says in…
Acts 12:11 (ESV)— 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.”
Another Passover— Now it is important to note that this deliverance took place during the Passover season because what is Passover about? It is the time of year when Jews celebrate their deliverance from bondage in Egypt. Now Jesus had fulfilled Passover to the highest degree, delivering all humanity from the power of sin and death on the cross. And here God is still demonstrating that same kind of deliverance. In fact, the word “delivered” here in verse 11 is the same word that Stephen had used when he had spoken about the exodus of God’s people from Egypt (7:34). And so we see that history is repeating itself. But what this shows us is that God not only delivers His people on a large scale, but is willing to be our personal deliverers. He cares for more than just the Church universal. He cares about you. He wants to be your deliverer; my deliverer. Now Peter eventually realizes that this was not just a vision. And it says…
Acts 12:12-14 (ESV)— 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!”
The Disciples Disbelieve— Now you have to feel for this girl Rhoda (and for Peter), because nobody seems to take her seriously and Peter (because of Rhoda’s excitement) gets left out in the cold. I mean, just try to understand for a second how comical this is. Peter has just passed by un-passable guards, gotten through prison doors that there was no way he could get through; but now he’s stuck outside unable to get through a locked door into a prayer meeting that is centered on praying for his deliverance! He’s at the door, but when Rhoda tells them he’s there, they tell her she’s lost her marbles. But she keeps insisting, and so they suggest it is Peter’s angel. By the way, we’re probably not talking about his soul or his ghost. The Jews commonly believed in guardian angels, which is what they are saying she is seeing, which doesn’t make sense because whether it is his ghost or his guardian angel, knocking wouldn’t be necessary. But this [shows how serious the persecutions had become, for it was believed that a guardian angel would sometimes appear shortly after death. Thus it seems the crowd of believers was better prepared to believe Peter had been executed than that he had been released.] But it says…
Acts 12:16 (ESV)— 16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed.
Plural Nouns— Now [Note the plural pronouns in Acts 12:16: “They … opened the door, and … they were astonished.”] It is likely that [for safety’s sake, they decided to open the door together and face together whatever might be on the other side.] Imagine their surprise when (opening the door) they see Peter standing there. Apparently they all let out no little uproar because it says in…
Acts 12:16 (ESV)— 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.
Peter Departs— And his departing was no doubt to [throw Herod and the Jewish authorities off his trail. God had freed him miraculously but this did not mean Peter could flaunt his freedom or act imprudently. Peter instructed those present to report his freedom to James, Jesus’ brother, mentioned here for the first time in Acts.] This was the James who, [after the resurrection, emerged as a leader in the Jerusalem church (Gal. 1:19).] Now it says…
Acts 12:18-19 (ESV)— 18 Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. {And this was because [Under ancient Roman law, any guard who allowed a prisoner to escape was liable for the same penalty that was due the prisoner. In Peter’s case, that meant death.]} 19 And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and {(sure enough)} ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.
Truth #3— Now here is where we see truth number 3 (that God Deals With Our Enemies (12:18-25)) come into play. Psalm 34 says: “But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil” (1 Peter 3:12). And this we see played out in…
Acts 12:20-23 (ESV)— 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.
God Strikes Herod— And so we see that [Herod arranged to receive praise from his subjects, but God had other plans. Herod died because he claimed for himself the honor and glory that belongs only to God.] And so we see that ultimately God will always exalt the humble and humble the proud. And so [With Herod out of the way, there were fewer hindrances to the spread of the good news.] And so it says in…
Acts 12:24 (ESV)— 24 But the word of God increased and multiplied.
[You Are My Sunshine— Now I’d like to close with just one more thought on prayer.{Just recently I read the true story of a mother named Karen.} Karen was expecting another child and so she worked to prepare little three year old Michael for the birth of his baby sister. Every night Michael sang to his sister in his mother’s tummy. During the delivery of the baby serious complications developed. After many hours of struggle, Michael’s little sister was born. But she was in very serious condition. She was rushed to a neonatal intensive care unit in another hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee. Instead of getting better, the little girl continued to decline. The pediatric specialist told Karen and her husband, “There is very little hope. Be prepared for the worst.” The parents contacted a local cemetery about a burial plot. Meanwhile Michael continued to beg his parents to let him see his sister. “I want to sing to her,” he said. But kids were never allowed in intensive care. The second week of his sister’s intensive care stay, Michael’s sister looked like she wouldn’t make it through the week. So Karen made up her mind that she would take Michael to see his sister whether the hospital liked it or not. If Michael didn’t see her right away, he might never get to see her at all. Karen dressed him in an over-sized scrub suit and marched him into ICU. The head nurse demanded that they leave. The mother instinct rose up strong in Karen and she looked at the head nurse with steel-eyed determination: “He’s not leaving until he sees his sister!” Karen took Michael to his sister’s bedside. After a few moments of looking at his sister all connected to tubes, three year old Michael began to sing. “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You’ll never know dear how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away.” Instantly the baby seemed to respond. Her pulse slowed and became steady. “Sing it again, Michael!” said Karen. “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You’ll never know dear how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away.” The strained breathing of his sister became as smooth as a kitten’s purr. The head nurse now stood transfixed with tears in her eyes. Michael sang that chorus again and again. And the next day - the very next day - Michael’s little sister was well enough to go home. Women’s Day Magazine called it “The Miracle of the Brothers Song”. The medical staff just called it a miracle. Karen called it a miracle of God’s love….]
The Small Thing— Now what is incredible is that is was the voice of a child (not the doctors) who delivered that baby. And similarly with us, the most powerful thing we can offer in the midst of the difficult circumstances we face is often what the little boy who was at first kept out of the ICU offered, and that is prayer. Prayer seems so small; and at times even inappropriate to a lot of people. But what we have to remember is that prayer really does move the hand of God.
The Fetching— I love what Puritan preacher Thomas Watson points out about our passage today. He said, “The angel fetched Peter out of prison, but it was prayer that fetched the angel.” And you know, that makes me wonder how many angels are standing by waiting to move on our behalf if only we might lift our voices up in prayer and intercession. And with that in mind, let us commit to be faithful pray-ers, that God might move through us in incredible ways. Let’s do so. Amen.
