ACTS 12: A STRIKING CHAPTER!

"In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence:  and his children shall have a place of refuge." (Proverbs 14:26)

About a month ago, the Lord led me into Acts chapter twelve.  It's a chapter I've taught about and preached from on a number of occasions.  This was different, however.  I found myself just soaking in Acts chapter twelve and seeing and thinking about so many things.  These matters were striking!  I don't preach very much at all these days.  But if I were to preach a sermon this month, this would definitely be the sermon!  I don't even feel I have the space nor the time to write everything that I've received during the past few weeks from Acts chapter twelve, but I hope you'll enjoy this piece.  I also hope it will encourage you to jump into Acts chapter twelve and dig into its truths yourself!

1.  STRIKE ONE!  Well, I did say it was a "striking" chapter, so let's consider what I'm calling Strike One.  The events of this chapter are happening roughly thirteen or fourteen years after Jesus Christ's Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension into Heaven.  The king mentioned in this chapter is Herod Agrippa I.  There were a number of kings named Herod.  All of them operated under the authority and permission of the Roman government.  This Herod was the grandson of Herod the Great who was the king at the time of Jesus' birth.  Herod Agrippa I had only been in power for about three years at the time of Acts chapter twelve.  Abruptly, he has James the Son of Zebedee "killed...with the sword".  There were at least three key figures in the New Testament named James.  There was James the son of Alphaeus, James called the "brother of the Lord", and James the Son of Zebedee.  In order to appreciate the magnitude of the murder of James the Son of Zebedee, remember that of the Twelve Apostles, there were three that Jesus Christ was training for leadership for the future:  Peter, and James and John the Sons of Zebedee.  These guys were the leaders.  These guys were the Big Three  These guys just seemed untouchable!  I don't think I can stress what a shock this murder would have been to the Church of this period.  I'm old enough to remember the assassination of President Kennedy.  Maybe multiply that by about three, and that's what it must have felt like!  The big question for events such as this is always:  Why?  Listen, God typically doesn't tell us why.  One of the most difficult facts for Christians to grasp is that terrible things that do not make any sense will happen to them and to those they love and respect.  This "throws" many believers, and some believers will even walk away from God because of such matters.  A female pastor friend of mine has been deeply grieving because of the sudden death of a young female writer and theologian whom she deeply respected.  The word my friend posted on social media about this is "Unfathomable".  Yes, some things are unfathomable.  My daughter Amy and her husband David have just experienced a terrible tragedy in David's extended family.  His uncle was killed in a car accident.  David was called upon to lead the burial service.  That whole family is in shock.  Yes, some things in life will happen that do not make sense, but we must trust that God loves us and He will sustain us.

2.  STRIKE TWO!  Not long after Herod had James killed, he had Peter arrested and imprisoned.  He was planning to have Peter executed.  The chapter tells us the believers were praying for Peter. The verses which tell this story are almost humorous!  For one thing, Peter is chained and guards are watching him, and yet he is sleeping like a baby!  And, this is, as I understand the wording of the chapter, the night before he's to be executed.  During the night, an angel appears by Peter, wakes Peter up, and tells him to follow him out of the prison.  The chains just fall off!  The doors all just open by themselves!  The guards are still and quiet like zombies!  Peter and the angel walk right out of the prison!  Then the angel disappears.  Peter had been assuming he was seeing a vision, but suddenly realized he was really outside and had been delivered from prison.  He goes to the home of John Mark's mother where a bunch of believers are gathered to pray for Peter's deliverance.  He knocks at the gate.  A young lady named Rhoda goes to the gate, hears Peter's voice, and doesn't let him in, but excitedly tells the people that Peter's knocking at the gate.  Ironically, they don't believe her!  Their attitude is something like, "That can't be him!  He's in prison!  We're praying he will get out of prison!"  Well, literally in verse fifteen they said, "It is his angel".  In other words, they said "It's his guardian angel and that means he's dead!"  Well, Peter continued knocking, was finally let in and told the believers what had happened.  They were praying for something they really didn't believe would happen!  Have you ever done that?  I can't tell you how many times I've done that!  What does this tell us?  God answers prayer- even impossible prayers!

3.  STRIKE THREE!  In the latter verses of Acts chapter twelve, we have Strike Three. Sadly, Herod had those men who had been guarding Peter put to death.  Now, (vv. 21-23) he was meeting with a delegation from Tyre and Sidon.  He gave a great speech.  Interestingly enough, the ancient Jewish historian Josephus has something to say about this.  If you do an internet search, you'll find that Josephus reports Herod had worn an outfit made entirely of silver.  He glistened in the sun.  As the people saw him and heard him, they concluded he was a god.  Joesphus says Herod was stricken with belly pain, and he died.  The issue was intestinal worms!  Some may say, "This was karma".  Well, I don't believe in karma.  But I do believe that what you sow, you'll reap.  (See Galatians 6:7).  No, it doesn't always happen that fast, but God rights wrongs!

4. ON DECK!  There is a fourth item to look at in Acts chapter twelve.  It's the final two verses which mention Barnabas and Saul (that is, Paul) and Mark.  Did the events of this chapter cause them to quit or to weaken in any way?  No!  They were merely "On Deck!"  In the next few chapters under their ministry, there is tremendous growth and expansion of the church.  We can expect our own Christian lives to have times of heartbreak and devastation and times of great victory; but like these saints of old we are called to be faithful and to press on for the cause of Christ!

Yes, there's a lot of "stuff" in Acts chapter twelve!  I think you can see why I call it A Striking Chapter!  It's not lightly that I quoted Proverbs 14:26 at the outset of this piece.  Remember:  God knows what He's doing and He will take care of us.  He's Got the Whole World in His Hands!