Summer Snapshots: Favorite Pictures from the Bible
“Angel At the Gate!”
Acts 12:1-17
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In the film, “Finding Forester,” Sean Connerey plays the role of William Forester, an author who wrote the great American novel in the 50’s and then became a recluse, hardly venturing from his apartment in the Bronx, New York. He even has a person do his shopping for him, delivering food, household items and clothing once every week. In one scene, he gets a pair of socks, and after he puts them on, a talented inner city boy who has entered his life asks him, “Why do you wear you socks inside out.” “Because socks are poorly designed,” replies Forester. “The seems are on the inside, and they are uncomfortable, so I wear them inside out, and it’s better. Besides, in some cultures, it’s considered good luck to wear an article of clothing inside out.” “Do you believe that?” asks the boy. “No,” says Forester, “but it’s like praying, what’s the harm of it?”-
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I think that in many ways, that’s the way many people in the church today view prayer. They don’t know if it works, but what’s the harm in it? As a result, the church is a powerless place. -
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In Connecting with God, Herb Miller tells the story of a nightclub opening on Main Street in a small town. Upon hearing the news, the only church in that town organized an all-night prayer meeting. The members asked God to burn down the club. Within a few minutes, lightning struck the club, and it burned to the ground. The club owner sued the church, which denied responsibility for the destruction of the club.
After hearing both sides, the judge said, “It seems that wherever the guilt may lie, the nightclub owner believes in prayer, while the church doesn’t.” -
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A sad commentary on the church, isn’t it? R.A.Torrey said, “We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results.” -
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I think that in many ways, the prayers of the church have become as meaningless as the efforts of “Greeter Jill” in our drama this morning. Meaningless words – offered because they are supposed to be offered. Prayer for far too many in the church has become a routine, a thoughtless, ineffective part of the religious landscape. But prayer can be the most awesome activity that takes place in the church. Through prayer mountains can be moved, quite literally. Barren couples can be blessed with children, young children can have brain tumors shrink, criminals can become saints, and the impossible can become reality. It’s true. Prayer changes things.-
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Turn with me to the book of Acts, chapter 12 (742). We are going to begin with verse 1:-
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Acts 12:1-4-
Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. [2] Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. [3] And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. [4] So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.
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It was Passover time in Jerusalem. The same time of the year when Jesus had been arrested and murdered. But it was about 12 years later. If you look at the end of this chapter you will see that Herod the king dies, and secular historians tell us that his death occurred in 44 AD. The church had been doing quite well for those 12 years. At the end of chapter 11, just before this story, we read that the gospel had bee preached in Antioch by Paul and Barnabus, with great results – and Antioch was the third largest city in the Empire! Things were going pretty well.
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But then things turned ugly in Jerusalem. Herod began to harass the church and had James arrested and killed. James was a very important leader in the church. He was the brother of John, one of the brothers that Jesus had called “sons of thunder” when He walked with them. James and his brother John, along with Peter, formed the three closest friends Jesus had among His disciples. If you read through the biographical books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, you will find many times that Jesus would take “Peter, James and John” off for a time of retreat and fellowship.
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His death came as a huge blow to the church. James was the first of the apostles to die. Sure, they had been arrested before, like in Acts chapter 5, but God had released them at that time, and I’m sure that the Jerusalem believers thought he would be released again.
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I can almost imagine the scene: Fred runs into the neighborhood Starbucks for a double mocha latte with extra sugar and sees Bill there. Bill says, “Did you hear the news? James has been arrested!” “No! Well, you tell John, if you see him, that I’ll be praying for his brother.” Then off they both would go to their office.
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Can you imagine what it must have been like to hear the news that James had actually been killed? I mean, sure, Jesus had told James and John that they would “drink of His cup,” (Mark 10:38&39), but it had been 12 years! They had forgotten, or at least didn’t think it would happen any time soon! But now he was gone. One of the original 12 disciples. One of Jesus’ closest friends. It must have been a shattering blow to them.
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When Herod saw that his having James killed was popular among the Jewish leaders, he decided to keep it up. So he had Peter arrested. You see what he’s doing? James, then Peter – Herod was planning to take out the top leadership of the church, and destroy it.
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But this time it is different. The first time, they had assumed James would be freed, now when Peter is imprisoned, look at the difference:
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Acts 12:5-
Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered-
to God for him by the church.
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The church realized that they couldn’t take anything for granted. No meaningless, “I’ll be praying for you” statements. They got serious! Look at verse 5 again; “but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church…” That word “constant” comes form the Greek word ektenes, and is a derivative of the Greek verb ektino, which means “to put forth, to stretch out.” They were laying it all out before God, stretching themselves out in absolute abandon before Him. They were fervent in their prayers, they prayed constantly, and earnestly, asking God to step in and prevent another devastating loss in the church.
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These folks really got on their faces before God! No meaningless words, no going through the motions, no redundant, cliché-filled theatrics. Man, they are prayin’!
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And look what happened when they really got serious in their prayers:
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Acts 12:6-17-
And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. [We find out later that there were 16 men guarding Peter!] [7] Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, "Arise quickly!" And his chains fell off his hands. [8] Then the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals"; and so he did. And he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me." [9] So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. [10] When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. -
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Isn’t that a great story?! Try to focus on this snapshot from the Bible in your mind. Here it is. The Passover holiday has come and gone. Peter has been held for several days and nights in this prison sell chained to guards on each side. He knew that they woouldn’t do anything over the holiday, but now tomorrow morning means the Passover is officially over. This is the last night of his life – and he’s asleep! And not just a little asleep – this guy is out! When the angel comes to him, he has to poke him on the side to wake him, and then look at how he talks to him: “Wake up! Put on your sandles! Put on your clothes! Now put on your jacket!”
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Have you ever been waken from a deep sleep like that? The phone rings in the middle of the night, and you have to go somewhere? It’s like your moving in slow motion. You kinda’ sit on the bed, and you have to purposely think about all the things that when your awake just come normally. “Let’s see, uh, yeah, uh shirt. Then, umm, pants, and uh, socks, oh, yeah, shoes…” That’s what it’s like for Peter. Can’t you imagine the angel? “Come on Peter! While you’re still young! Come on, put on your clothes. Yes, put on your sandals – don’t forget your jacket, it’s cool out there tonight. Now, let’s go!”
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Peter is so out of it that he is sure he is just dreaming. Imagine his groggy eyes and his sleepy voice, “Yeah, OK, I’m ready – let’s go.” And they start walking – right out of the prison. You know, lately, I’ve been going over to Waupun to visit Rick. It is amazing to see all the security they have there. And it is very intimidating. There is a 15 foot fence all around the parimiter. A guard house where visitors go and are put through a metal detector. Everything is checked out. Then when I am given the OK, I get a stamp on my hand that only shows up under black light. Then I stand in front of a huge steel door. When I hear a “click,” I push on the door and go through. It closes behind me with a BOOM. I walk about 10 feet further, and there’s another huge steel door. The same thing happens. Then I walk outside for about 15 feet to the inner fence line (about 8 feet tall, with razor wire on the top.) There’s an electric gate there and I have to wait until a guard pushes a button to unlock it. Then I walk about 100 feet to the main entrance. There I walk in a door, to a small square room. Behind bullet proof glass is the main control center for the prison. TV screens, keys racks, lots of guards, computers. After the guy behind the glass checks me over, he pushes a button, and another steel door, this one is just massive, slides open in front of me. I walk in to an 8 foot long corridor, while the door closes behind me, and I face yet another one, just like it. After the one behind closes, the one in front opens, but only when the prison chaplain is there to meet me and escort me to the chapel area for my visit. When I leave, I have to do all the same stuff, and when I get to the last steel door, before the guard will open it, I have to put my hand under a black light, and if that invisible stamp on my hand doesn’t appear, I’m not getting out!
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I think of all that when I read this part of the text. Here’s Peter, still groggy, walking with the angel, right past the cell guards, down the long corridor, up out of the dungeon, past the main guard desk, and the doors just open all by themselves. Out they go, all the way into the city, down one block, and then the angel disappears.
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[11] And when Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people." [12] So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. [13] And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. [14] When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. -
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We gotta’ stop here! Don’t you just love this? Peter makes it past all the gates and guards of the prison, and all the way to the door of John Mark’s house. There has been some speculation that this is the same upper room house where the last supper was held, and where the disciples were meeting at Pentecost and praying. At any rate, this house had a street entrance, that went in to a small room before entering the house itself. When someone knocked at the door, a girl named Rhoda went to answer it. When she heard Peter’s voice on the other side, she was so excited she ran off to tell the others, before unbolting the door! Think about it! Peter has just been freed by an angel from two chains, 16 guards, the prison gates, the city gates, and now the only door he’s encountered that won’t open is the house where his friends are gathered!
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[15] But they said to her, "You are beside yourself!" Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, "It is his angel." [16] Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. [17] But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren." And he departed and went to another place.
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Think of the irony of this: Here’s a bunch of believers, praying constantly and fervently for God to intervene. These people have faith. They know God can do it, they are believing with all their hearts that He will, and when God answered that prayer in such a fantastic, sudden way, they can’t believe it! How week our faith is sometimes! Do you ever feel like they must have? Praying for something, knowing God can do it, but not really sure He will? You have faith, but you’re not sure you have enough faith? This story tells me that God understands that. Jesus said if we have “faith as a mustard seed…” Have you ever seen a mustard seed? They are very small! Luke 17:6 - "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.”
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Many of us have prayer needs that are consuming. Maybe we know someone who is in chains like Peter – no not prison chains, but spiritual chains, or physical chains - habits, lifestyles, hardness of the heart toward God. Perhaps a physical condition that is seemingly hopeless, or sin that oppresses and defeats. Do you know someone in those chains? Do those chains hold you? Pray. Pray fervently. Get others to pray with you. Not meaningless phrases or Christian clichés, but real genuine, constant heart-felt prayer. And if you are praying for God to do something that seems impossible, and you have that lingering doubt that maybe you just don’t have enough faith, remember these believers in Jerusalem, praying their hearts out, but not believing the answer when it came.
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Before we leave this snapshot from the Bible, I want you to pay attention for just a moment to something in the background. Let me ask you a question to bring it to your attention: Why did James die? Why was he killed and Peter freed? Why did God allow the brother of John, one of His three closest friends to die? Couldn’t He have saved James as well as Peter? Why didn’t he?
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The answer, I believe, is in verse 5. “But constant prayer was made to God for him by the church.” Same prison, same king, same guards, same God, same circumstance, except for one thing…the prayers of the church. Some people would say that prayer made no difference. If God had chosen that James was going to die that day, then prayer made no difference. I don’t necessarily believe that’s so. The other James, the brother of Jesus, wrote in his letter to the church “you have not because you ask not.” I believe that James died because they did not pray, because in verse 5 we see that word “but.” That means that things were different this time, and God acted differently. Do you not believe that is scriptural? There was a king in Israel’s history named Hezekiah. He was very ill when God sent the prophet Isaiah to tell him that he was going to die. Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and began to pray passionately for God to spare him. God stopped Isaiah as he was walking out of the palace and said, “go back to the king and tell him that because of his prayer I will give him 15 more years.” And God did it.
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Does that mean we are more powerful than God? No. But as Ray Stedman, a great pastor and mentor to Chuch Swindoll, puts it, “in His wisdom God has designed that His people shall participate in what He does…He is impressing on the people here [in this scripture] that when danger threatens the program of God or the people of God, it is a call to prayer. God will hear that prayer and answer it and set people free, when he would not have done so otherwise.”1
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Did you realize that prayer can have that kind of influence? Do you really believe it? I know most of us would say, “Yes,” but so would the people in that upper room praying for Peter, and when God did it, they didn’t believe it.
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So let’s take at least two principles home from this snapshot from the Bible that can affect our day-to-day lives. First, let’s keep praying, even if sometimes we aren’t really sure we have enough faith to make a difference. God understands. He knows our hearts. I believe that He just waits for us to ask so that He can answer. Billy Graham once said, “Heaven is full of answers for which no one ever bothered to ask.” Let’s make sure that we are a praying people, and that our prayers are not just hollow, meaningless phrases, like Greeter Jill in the drama.
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Secondly, let’s recognize that fervent, effective prayers can be the most powerful force on the earth. Chains can be loosed, prison doors opened, mountains moved. I don’t think there is anything we as individuals and we as a church
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1 When Prison Doors Open By Ray C. Stedman Date: August 30, 1970 Copyright (C) 1995 Discovery Publishing, a ministry of Peninsula Bible Church.
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