Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
10/19/97 pm
Opening Iron Gates
Reading Acts 12.1-12
How many of us here this morning have felt imprisoned, chained, locked into a set of circumstances or a situation over which we have little or not control? Jailed behind iron gates.
- Perhaps it’s a dead end job that has us imprisoned.
- A marriage situation that we can’t seem to work out.
- A financial burden so awesome that there is no way to pay such a debt.
- Maybe it’s a medical problem that threatens to take our life or at least inhibit our lifestyle.
- Perhaps it’s loneliness,
- Or a temptation or sin,
that has us imprisoned behind IRON GATES. If you feel in any way imprisoned, my prayer is that this lesson will be of help to you.
Turn with me to our text and let’s read it together... Acts chapter 12, we begin with verse 12. “It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell.
“He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" He said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating." When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.”
Herod Agrippa was a puppet king, a tool of Rome. We know little about him and most of what we do know is all bad. In order to gain favor with Rome and some powerful Jews of his time Herod persecuted the first church in Jerusalem unmercifully. It was Herod Agrippa that had James, the brother of John beheaded. His next target was Peter. So, he had him arrested. However the arrest was made during Passover. Herod, not wanting to disrupt the feast time activities, has Peter placed in prison. I believe, there is no doubt that Peter would have been killed as was James. But the night before his trial, he was visited by an angel.
Peter was chained, hand cuffed if you will, to two soldiers. Two more stood by in the cell, while there were still more guards outside the cell door and at entry ways to the prison. Peter was not going to escape. Agrippa had seen well to this. While the carefully guarded apostle slept, the church gathered in the house of John Mark and his mother Mary for prayer. No doubt, they were praying for Peter’s release.
Suddenly, an angel appears in the cell, Peter is awakened and told to get dressed. The chains fell from his wrists. Peter and the angel walked through the interior of the prison without being challenged. Then they came to the high IRON GATE leading to the city. Now what does Peter do?... Exit is impossible... Has he come this far for nothing? But then it opens of it’s own accord. No key... No force, the Greek word for this opening is automate... Self moved. You can call it:
- Providence,
- A miracle,
- Whatever you wish,
But God has intervened in the life of one of His children.
Now, what I want to do is to go back over this narrative and pick out some points worth noting... Concepts and principles we can apply directly to our lives when we feel: Locked up, Imprisoned, Chained, Jailed inside our own very real IRON GATES of circumstance and situation.
FIRST, PETER SLEPT.
- The church was in fervent prayer for his safety.
- The city was caught up in the special week of celebration.
- Herod Agrippa was no doubt calculating his political advantage that would be gained from killing Peter.
- But the night before his possible death Peter sleeps.
Church this is grand testimony to his faith... To his absolute, total trust in God. Could you and your preacher do that? Do we trust God enough, have sufficient faith, to sleep the night before our death? That’s FAITH... Genuine Biblical faith.
Most of us have money in the bank, a savings and loan or a credit union.. Our dealings with that institution are called fiduciary affairs. The word fiduciary was first made popular in religion. It was used, interestingly enough, by Martin Luther. Fee-Dace is Latin for faith. Fiduciary is the Latin word for personal trust. Luther maintained, and rightly so, that the Christian life is a fiduciary relationship with God... A relationship of faith... A relationship of personal trust.
Now we must know that we can’t have a fiduciary affair with the bank unless two conditions are met. First, we must have funds on deposit... Something invested there. Secondly, we must trust that institution to care for our investment. So it is with God. Faith in God, a fiduciary affair with Him means:
- One, we invest ourselves in Him.
- And two, that we trust him completely with that investment.
Question! Have you given God your life, turned it over to Him... All of it?
Have we given Him:
- Our Jobs,
- Our family,
- Our finances,
- Our health,
- Our broken relationships.
You see Peter had that kind of faith. Peter was banking on God... Truly trusting God. So, he sleeps... He is at peace. That’s faith folk. Faith that will open iron gates... Faith that will set us free form any circumstances. Faith that will see us through life’s troubles and tragedies. Paul put it in these words to Timothy, Even in my suffering, I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.
SECONDLY, WHILE PETER SLEPT, THE CHURCH PRAYED.
Peter had the prayer power of the church going for him. This preacher needs your prayers. When I am imprisoned, I want you praying for me. I look forward to the day when we, in the church, are not embarrassed to ask for prayers. I am astonished, surprised when I learn of church members who have been through some serious difficulties and never, never ask for prayers from the church. Folk, we are family... We are a fellowship. There is power in church prayers... What’s wrong with us? Don’t we any longer believe in the power of God to deliver us from our imprisonments?
- Some of us are knee deep in sin.. What do we do?... Ask the church to pray!
- Some of us are sick... Nigh unto death... What do we do?... Ask the church to pray!
- Some of us are financially or socially imprisoned... What do we do?... Ask the church to pray!
We have the mistaken idea that the only reason to walk church aisles is sin... No. No. Isn’t it time, in the church, this church, that we restore our faith in God through prayer? List to James chapter five:
- Is any of you in trouble?... Pray.
- Is anyone happy?... Pray.
- Anyone sick?... Pray.
- Is anyone caught up in sin?... Pray.
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
NUMBER THREE, NOT ONLY DID PETER HAVE FAITH IN GOD, BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF CHURCH PRAYERS, HE OBEYED THE VOICE OF GOD DELIVERED BY THE ANGEL.
Note the text, if you will:
- Quick get up,
- Put on your clothes and sandals,
- Wrap your cloak around you,
- And follow me.
Four distinct commands given, and each is instantly obeyed by Peter without question. Obedience, resulting in his release. Listen to me audience, this is basic. Release from imprisonment and all others dimensions of the Christian life are based upon our obedience to God’s will through the Word.
You see, God will not do for us what we can do for ourselves. Let me illustrate.
- Jesus turned water into wine... Something we could not do... But first, He ask those at the feast to fill the water pots.
- Jesus fed 5000.. something we could not do... But he let the apostles find the loaves and fishes.
- Jesus raised dead Lazarus... Something we could not do... But He asked the family to move the stone and the grave clothes. God’s grace, God’s deliverance demands a response on our part... And that response is OBEDIENCE. Are we willing?... Are we?... Let’s see:
- Entrance into the Kingdom of heavens demands that we be born again of water and Spirit — John 3.5
- Forgiveness of past sins demands repentance... I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish — Luke 13.3 & 5.
- Salvation is dependant upon our becoming a child of God by faith and baptism.... For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
- Pure religion, religion that God accepts is taking care of the widows and orphans, while keeping ourselves from being polluted by the world.
- Proper worship and service to God is our becoming living sacrifices... Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.
It is time in our churches that we come to the realization and acknowledge that:
One, we can’t save ourselves.
Two, that God will not save us in spite of ourselves.
God’s mercy, forgiveness and salvation is ours as we submit in obedience to His will.
I am reminded of the story about a lady caught in a local flood. The water was up to the porch. A boat comes by and the men asked her to get in. No thanks the Lord will save me. Sometime later the water had forced her to the roof. As she climbed atop the porch another boat came by and those in it asked her to allow them to take her to safe ground. O no, she replied, the Lord will save me. Finally, the water had forced her to the crown, the peak of the roof. A helicopter hovered overhead and the loud speaker blared, grab hold of the rope ladder and we’ll save you. No, I will wait upon the Lord to save me. AND SHE DROWNED! At heaven’s gate, she complained to St. Peter, I thought God was going to save me? Peter replied, but madam, He did send two boats and an airplane.
THEN FINALLY NUMBER FOUR, EVEN IF WE LEAVE IRON GATES TO GOD, WE MUST REMEMBER JAMES IN OUR NARRATIVE.
James was beheaded. The iron gates opened for Peter, but seemingly remained closed for James. This draws us to a very solemn truth:
- Sometimes God does not deliver us as we understand deliverance.
- Sometimes He leaves us where we are and stays there with us.
Remember Jesus in the garden... Let this cup pass. No deliverance as we understand it, but Luke says, angels came and ministered to Him. Recall Paul’s thorn-in-the-flesh... No deliverance, but a promise, My grace is sufficient.
We must know this morning that there will be times that IRON GATES will remain closed:
- Our family relations still fracture,
- Our health fails,
- Bankruptcy occurs,
- Temptations defeats us.
- Death comes.
You see church, there are times that God has something better in mind for us. God sometimes chooses for us a course different than the one we would choose for ourselves. God has other plans for us and our existence here or in the here after... Trust Him... Trust Him! And we know that God causes all thing to work together for good to those who Love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
WELL, IRON GATES CAN BE CONFUSING.
- Sometimes when we get up to our iron gate it is only an imagined fear and nothing else.
- Sometimes we discover the gate is not as difficult to open as we thought.
- Sometimes mountains always look steeper from a distance.
- Sometimes we are able to work our own way through iron gates...
- And sometimes we must depend upon God’s grace, His omnipotent help.
Listen to Solomon from proverbs, Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
You see IRON GATES are:
- Tough...
- They are strong...
- They seem impossible,
But, folk, God is stronger!
We must never forget that regardless of the iron gate which confronts us, God will open it and lead us into a brighter day.
If you are imprisoned by sin... That iron gate can be opened by:
- Faith,
- Repentance,
- And New Testament baptism, immersion in water for the forgiveness of sins.
If you are imprisoned by some other iron gate this morning... Rely on the power of church prayers for your release.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free... And if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed... INDEED! INDEED!
Open your IRON GATES today.
