Once again I give praise to our God in the worthy name of Jesus Christ. This morning it is good to be in the house of the Lord with you all. It is good to sing that song, “Lord, I need you, oh I need you—every hour I need you.” I was singing that one morning at the house—in the kitchen, actually—and Amy came down and looked at me like I had a lobster coming out of my ear, because I wasn’t singing it that well. But that song was on my heart all week. I really enjoyed worshiping, singing that song.
Before we get down to business in the book of Acts, a quick announcement: Tomorrow evening at 7:00, Pastor Jack Jeffrey is going to be here. However, he isn’t going to continue his series on eschatology—that will start two weeks from that date. So we have this coming Monday, then the following Monday, and then on the 27th Pastor Jack will be here to start eight sessions on eschatology. If you’re interested in learning about future things, I encourage you to attend those meetings. It’s going to be a blast. Tomorrow is going to be a roundtable discussion—a Q&A between whoever shows up and Pastor Jack on various topics.
What started all of this was our New Year’s Eve party. A bunch of us men got together and had conversations about a lot of things. But one thing that really started the conversation was that a few weeks ago I preached a message from Acts chapters 10 and 11 about Cornelius. I preached that message about Cornelius—of course, Cornelius was a Gentile, one of the first Gentile believers in the New Testament—and Peter had to go to him to give him the gospel so that Cornelius could understand who the Messiah was, Jesus Christ. He believed on Him and was saved and so on. That’s how I preached it.
Pastor Jack holds the opinion that Cornelius is an Old Testament saint—he’s already a believer—and what he needs to hear from Peter is that yes, you’re worshiping God correctly, God is hearing your prayers, and you are coming up for a remembrance before Him. He’s already an Old Testament saint, but he’s ignorant of the New Covenant; that’s why Peter goes to see him. That’s going to be the conversation that usually holds up most of the time tomorrow. So I disagree with Pastor Jack Jeffrey—which is something I don’t do lightly—but I still hold to that view. If you’re interested in any of that, along with the big question we discussed on New Year’s Eve with some of the brothers here—does God withhold His grace at times from His children?—that question will come up in a lot of conversation as well. If you’re interested in some really good Bible study and some really good roundtable discussion, come tomorrow night and we’ll enjoy our fellowship together in the Word. I encourage you to do that.
Alright, I think that’s it. Let’s get down to business in the book of Acts, chapter 12. The title is “Divine Rescue and Judgment.” Let’s read the chapter, then I’ll pray, and then, by grace, preach Acts 12.
Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church, and killed James the brother of John with the sword, because he saw it pleased the Jews. He proceeded further to take Peter also. Then were the days of unleavened bread; and when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him, intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing by the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shone in the prison, and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly,” and his chains fell off from his hands. The angel said unto him, “Guard thyself, and bind on thy sandals.” And so he did, and said unto him, “Cast thy garments about thee, and follow me.” And he went out, and followed him, and knew not that it was true which was done by the angel, but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first and second guard, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out, and passed on through one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. When Peter was now come to himself, he said, “Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.” When he had considered the matter, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. And when he knocked at the door of the gate, a maid came to him, named Rhoda, and when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, “Thou art mad.” But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then they said, “It is his angel.” But Peter continued knocking, and when they had opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. He, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Go show these things unto James, and to the brethren.” And he departed, and went into another place. Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers concerning what was become of Peter. And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and abode there. And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon; but they came with one accord to him; and having made Blastus the King’s chamberlain their friend, they desired peace, because their country was nourished by the King’s country. On a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them; and the people gave a shout, saying, “It is the voice of a God, and not of a man.” And immediately an angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and died. But the word of God grew and multiplied. And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John whose surname was Mark.
Let’s pray together:
Our Father and our God, we do give You praise for Your word this morning. Father, we praise You for all the benefits that we have in it, and we thank You that we’re able to gather here together this morning to worship You. We’re thankful, Father, for Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and that You sent Him so that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. We thank You, Father, for Your sovereign grace and Your providence, and how You care for each one of us on a daily basis. We thank You for the gift of faith and repentance, and for the new birth, Lord—those of us here this morning who are Your true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. I trust our hearts are stirred to worship, adore, and praise You for the glorious gift of salvation, knowing that we will one day be with You in Paradise—that we will dwell for an eternity in new heavens and a new Earth, Lord, and that we will one day see our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ face to face. Lord, may that help us to live in light of the great sacrifice that was made and the great promise that we are given—that we would live to honor and glorify You. May Your work of sanctification be evident in our lives, a testimony to being conformed to the image of Your beloved Son. And Father, for those here or listening who do not know these graces, these gifts, these blessings—that do not know Christ as their Savior, may today be the day of salvation. May You quicken them through Your word, that the Spirit of God would create faith in the hearts of those unbelievers. Father, save as only You can, sanctify as only You can, exalt Yourself in our midst that we might be in love with You more—and for those who are not in that situation, that they would fall in love with You for the first time. I ask this in Jesus’ name and for His glory, amen. Traveling with family leaves beautiful memories.
Quite an interesting passage of scripture as we come to the beginning of chapter 12. I can’t help but think of the end of chapter 11. You remember there that, as Saul was coming from Antioch, Barnabas and Saul were coming from Antioch into Jerusalem because Agabus the prophet told of a great strain on the whole world—a disaster, a famine in the land. And of course, back in Antioch and all through the regions, they took gifts and gave them to Saul and Barnabas to send back to Jerusalem to help the saints there.
Now, chapter 12—about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. As we come into this chapter, it is an ugly account, isn’t it? Here, James is killed and Peter is put in prison. Yet in all of this I can’t help but chuckle a bit because this is really an account—a record, a story of a big God and a little Herod. When you read it, it’s quite amazing what happens. I put this up for anyone going through tough times today. I know many of you are facing all kinds of struggles, anxieties, and fears, and you might not know which way to turn. But if you’re a child of God this morning, you can be assured that He is in control of everything, and you’re going to be okay because God is in control of every minute detail of your life. You may feel trapped or unjustly treated, or things may be going wrong with bills, or you might be facing issues with your spouse, children, or at work, but I assure you that God is in control of all of it and is working it together for your good. That’s what we see here. I think that’s the point of this passage: God is bigger than anything and everything in our lives. No matter how disastrous, hurtful, or painful things may be, God is bigger.
I’m thinking of a VeggieTales song—“God is bigger than the boogeyman, He’s bigger than Godzilla, or the monsters on TV.” When I’m 51—almost 52—I ain’t worried about the boogeyman. If the boogeyman were real, he’d be in trouble. Let me tell you that if he were hiding under my bed, he’d get the snot beat out of him! Now maybe it’s cancer or some new ache and pain that I’m going through—my hands used to be strong, I had big paws—but now I hurt this hand somehow. And someone shook hands with me this morning; I didn’t want to go “ow,” but it hurt. The new monsters, the new boogeyman, may be, “How much longer do I have on this planet to serve God?” and “Will my death honor and glorify Him when I leave?” Those are the new boogeyman.
So let’s get into this a little bit. As we read the account, we’re introduced to Herod right off the bat. About that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church and killed James, the brother of John. What do we know about this Herod? From the context, Herod is interested simply in self-exaltation. That’s what this Herod wants; he seeks the praise of men. He wants to be seen by everybody as a powerful man. We see that when he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword—and because he saw it pleased the Jews—he proceeded further to take Peter also and put him in prison. Herod did this because once he killed James and saw that it pleased the Jews, he thought, “I’ll grab Peter too!” We are not told exactly why he arrested and killed James in the first place, but we can imagine that a man like this would take offense at someone like James—a proclaimer of the Gospel, a Christian man who preaches and teaches the message of our Lord Jesus Christ. The message of Jesus Christ is always going to be a problem for those devoted to the praise of men or to self-exaltation. Always remember what Jesus said in John 5:44 to the glory-seeking Pharisees: “How can you believe when you receive glory from one another, and do not seek the glory that comes from God alone?” In other words, you can’t believe in Jesus and be devoted to glory-seeking among men; the two don’t go together. True faith in Christ exalts God—it does not exalt self. If you are seeking the praise of men, like Herod, you are opposed to God, and that is a problem with Herod.
Notice once again in verses 20 and 22 as we read the account of the arrest of Peter. We see that Herod was highly displeased with those of Tyre and Sidon, but they came with one accord to him. Having made Blastus the King’s chamberlain their friend, they desired peace because their country was nourished by the King’s country. Then, on a set day, Herod arrayed in royal apparel sat upon his throne and made an oration unto them, and the people gave a shout saying, “It is the voice of a God, and not of a man.” Immediately, an angel of the Lord smote him because he gave not God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.
But the word of God grew and multiplied, and Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem after they had fulfilled their ministry and took with them John Mark.
Let’s pray together (again):
Our Father and our God, thank You for Your word this morning. We praise You for all its benefits and for allowing us to gather together to worship You. We thank You, Father, for Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and that You sent Him so that whoever believes in Him may have everlasting life. We thank You for Your sovereign grace and providence, and for caring for each one of us daily. Thank You for the gift of faith, repentance, and the new birth. Lord, we trust that our hearts are stirred to worship, adore, and praise You for the glorious gift of salvation, knowing that one day we will be with You in Paradise, dwelling in new heavens and a new Earth. Lord, may the hope of seeing our Savior Jesus Christ face to face encourage us to live in a way that honors and glorifies You. May Your work of sanctification be evident in our lives—a testimony of Your grace and a witness to Your glory. And for those here or listening who do not know these graces, these gifts, these blessings—those who do not yet know Christ as their Savior—Father, may today be the day of salvation. May You quicken them through Your word so that the Spirit of God creates faith in their hearts. Father, save, sanctify, and exalt Yourself in our midst, that we might be in love with You more, and for those who are not, that they might come to love You for the first time. I ask this in Jesus’ name and for His glory, amen.
Now, as we consider this passage, I recall the end of chapter 11, where Saul and Barnabas came from Antioch to Jerusalem because Agabus the prophet had foretold a great strain—a disaster, a famine in the land. In Antioch and throughout the regions, gifts were taken and given to Saul and Barnabas to help the saints in Jerusalem.
Then in chapter 12, about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. We read an ugly account here: James is killed, Peter is put in prison—and yet I can’t help but chuckle a bit because this is really a record, a story of a big God and a little Herod. When you read it, it’s quite amazing what happens. I share this for those going through tough times today. I know many of you are facing all kinds of struggles, anxieties, and fears, and you might not know which way to turn. But if you’re a child of God this morning, know that He is in control of everything, and you’re going to be okay because God is in control of every minute detail of your life. Whether you feel trapped, unjustly treated, or are facing financial or relational difficulties, God is working it all together for your good. That’s the point of this passage: God is bigger than anything in our lives. No matter how disastrous, hurtful, or painful the circumstances may be, God is bigger.
I’m thinking of that VeggieTales song again—“God is bigger than the boogeyman, bigger than Godzilla, and bigger than any monster on TV.” At my age, I’m not worried about the boogeyman. If the boogeyman were real, he’d be in trouble—he’d get the snot beat out of him! But perhaps today our boogeyman is cancer, or some new pain, or even the fear of how much longer we have to serve God, or whether our death will honor and glorify Him. Those are the new monsters we face.
Let’s get into this a little further. As we read the account, we’re introduced to Herod right off the bat. About that time, Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church and killed James, the brother of John. What do we know about this Herod? From the context, he is interested simply in self-exaltation. That’s what Herod wants. He seeks the praise of men; he wants to be seen by everybody as a powerful man. We see that when he killed James with the sword—because he saw it pleased the Jews—he proceeded further to take Peter and put him in prison. Herod does this because, after killing James, he sees that it pleased the Jews, and he thinks, “I’ll grab Peter too.” We aren’t told why he arrested and killed James in the first place, but we can easily imagine that a man like this would take offense at someone like James—a proclaimer of the Gospel, a Christian man who preaches and teaches the message of our Lord Jesus Christ. The message of Jesus Christ will always be a problem for those devoted to the praise of men or to self-exaltation. Always remember what Jesus said in John 5:44 to the glory-seeking Pharisees: “How can you believe when you receive glory from one another, and do not seek the glory that comes from God alone?” In other words, you can’t believe in Jesus and be devoted to seeking glory among men—the two do not go together. True faith in Christ seeks the glory of God, not of self. If you are seeking the praise of men like Herod, you oppose God—and that is the problem with Herod.
Notice, once again, in verses 20 and 22 as we read the account of Peter’s arrest, that Herod was highly displeased with those of Tyre and Sidon, yet they came with one accord to him. Having made Blastus the King’s chamberlain their friend, they desired peace because their country was nourished by the King’s country. On a set day, Herod arrayed in royal apparel sat upon his throne and made an oration unto them, and the people gave a shout saying, “It is the voice of a God, and not of a man.” Immediately, an angel of the Lord smote him because he gave not God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.
But the word of God grew and multiplied. Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem after they had fulfilled their ministry, and they took with them John, whose surname was Mark.
Before I conclude, I want to emphasize that God is the star of this story. He rescues Peter right out from under Herod’s nose, and He takes Herod’s life when Herod does not give glory to God. And finally, even though Herod’s actions were meant to suppress the church, the word of God grew and multiplied. That is why we must remember to humble ourselves before God rather than seeking the praise of men.
Let us not oppose God by exalting ourselves. Instead, let us exalt our Savior and glorify His name in our corporate worship and in our individual lives. We come together not merely for doctrinal or theological study but to apply His Word to our lives—to live as those bought with the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, honoring and glorifying Him every day.
Let’s pray one final time:
Father, thank You for these words and for this record of Your mighty work. Thank You for showing us that no matter what situation we face—be it political, personal, or spiritual—you are sovereign over all. Help us understand that in Your providence You keep us from evil and deliver us from evil men and seducers. May we live our lives in a way that honors You and testifies to Your grace. We ask that in everything we do Your name be exalted. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
(And now, for the offering, have the gentlemen come forward.)