Peter Miraculous Escape
Herod began
arresting some of the Christians intending on persecuting them. He killed James, the brother of John. Peter was arrested and put in prison, but the
church was earnestly praying for Peter. The
night before his trial and while he was sleeping an angel came and his chains
fell off and the gates where opened and with the help of the angel Peter
escaped. Peter sleeping demonstrates the
power of prayer, peace and trust in the Lord.
The church
prayed earnestly to God. Many times our
prayers are weak and matter of fact or even habit. We don’t really come into the presence of our
great and holy God. They prayed trusting
God for the outcome.
Why are we so
surprised when God answers our prayers?
Prayer is usually
for petition, but it’s much more. When
praying, you should include the A. C. T.
S.
A – Adoration of God
C – Confession of sin
T – Thanksgiving
S – Supplification
Does it make
a difference, if we pray? The Scriptures say we should pray continually (1 Thess. 5:17) and to pray for your
enemies. (Matt. 5:44)
How are you
earnestly praying for your church?
Are you
praying for other believers?
Prayer is a
vehicle for God to change us. When we
get away in a quiet place to be with God in prayer, it changes our thought and
desires.
There are great
lessons on prayer in chapter 12:
1. Prayer works – the church constantly prayed
for Peter when he was in prison. God
sent his angels and miracles happened.
His chains fell off and he was freed.
2. We need to remember this example and have
faith that God will answer our prayers.
3. God answers prayer.
Principles: God
acts with power to bring change through people’s prayers.
James was
martyred and Peter was rescued. We don’t
know God’s reasons for this, because only He knows the reasons He does things. Being a believer doesn’t mean God will always
deliver us from trials. He doesn’t love
us less when He allows tragedy into our lives.
He loved both James and Peter, but allowed James to die.
Herod’s Death
Herod went to Caesarea,
because the people of Tyre and Sidon had been quarreling with him over their food
supply. He put on his finest clothes and
addressed the people. They shouted
praises to Herod calling him a god, which was typical in those days to look on
leaders as gods. Herod loved the power
and all the praises. He didn’t give
glory to God, but took it for himself.
So the Lord struck him down and he was eaten by worms and died. But the Word of God continued to increase and
spread.
Today we look up
to political leaders, movie stars, and rock stars. Some hang on to their every word and if we
don’t watch out, they will influence us in ways of the world. They are a type of god to us. They even think of themselves as gods. God wants us to give Him the glory and glorify
Him alone.
He gives
judgment when judgment is needed. He has
the final say, because He is in charge.
If we seek glory for ourselves, the Lord will surely humble us. Be aware of the temptation of pride and
taking credit for ourselves when it’s God who deserves the praise.
Principle:
To seek glory for ourselves is to commit eternal suicide.
Join me here
next week for our next study of the Acts of the Apostles. We will take a detour from the book of Acts and
study 1 Peter 1-2. -- I
encourage you to trust in Jesus.
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