Under Fire

Introduction

Do you think God uses events in our lives to teach us something? I don’t know that I can point to a specific passage to prove that point, but I think the intent of scripture is that we learn from those who have gone before us. When we study the lives of different individuals the first thing we are to understand is that God is active and working. People do not enter this world to be left on their own. God takes each one and uses them to bring about his plans and purposes. Some like Abraham, Noah, and Paul fulfill their roles very well. Others like Cain, Saul, and Ananias and Sapphira are failures. Because God is active in lives, we are to understand that he is active in our lives as well. Not in the same exact ways or measures but active in the sense that he is trying to use our lives for his plans and purposes. We freely choose to be used by him or to ignore him.

Such is the case when we come to Peter. God has used Peter and Peter is a changed man. He has gone through a major internal remodeling. He has walked with the Son of God for three and a half years. During that time he has seen all kinds of things. He has heard all kinds of things. He has experienced many things which can only be understood in the context of God being present in the world. From a failed attempt to walk on the water and a severe rebuke for allowing Satan to use him, Peter has learned that he isn’t always right. From the mount experience he has learned that there is only one who is worth listening to. And from the Garden experience he has learned that pledging support and following through are two different things. From the breakfast with Jesus he learned that there is a new beginning. From Pentecost he has learned that God’s plans come true. But God isn’t through teaching him yet. There is more for him to learn.

Acts 12

All through the first few chapters of Acts, Peter is the main character. He gets more ink than anyone else. We see him preaching and teaching; he takes the initiative in conflicts with the Jewish leaders; he teaches the Gentiles first. Time and again Peter is the obvious leader as God’s plans are being carried out in his people after Pentecost. By the time we come to Acts 12 several years have passed since the birth of the church and what transpires in Acts 12. Actually about 12 years have passed. It has not been a calm 12 years. Almost from the start these Christians faced opposition from the Jewish leaders and people. There were beatings and then Stephen was killed. After that the people left Jerusalem taking the gospel with them. God had used a death to promote his will to other places. Then there was a period of relative calm. But around 41 A.D. (which is the time of our story in Acts 12), things begin to change again. Herod Agrippa kills James and the Jewish leaders applaud his initiative.

Herod then decides that if they liked James’ death so well, Peter would be a real feather in his cap. And so Herod Agrippa has Peter arrested. Now not only the religious leaders but the political leaders are against the Jerusalem church. This is a heightened form of persecution. Herod whose only interest is in grabbing political power participates with the Jewish leaders to get rid of this blight on the religious scene in Jerusalem. Peter is to be brought out after the Passover for trial and sentencing. Both are already decided. Do you think the 12 or so years after Jesus’s death, Peter realizes that he was arrested at the same time as his Savior? Do you think Peter recognized the desire of religious and political leaders to rid this world of “evil influences” coincided with Jesus’s trials? Do you think these similarities are lost on Peter? I doubt it.

Peter is sound asleep when God begins making his presence known. I wonder if he learned that from Jesus who slept while the storm raged all around him? Isn’t that just like the Father? He is at work when we are asleep. Peter isn’t stirring in the cell. He isn’t trying to figure out a way of escape. But God is at work. While he sleeps, God is awake and at work. The Psalmist says in 3:5 “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.” While we sleep, God is at work. He never slumbers. The Father does not leave us alone even when the sleep of fatigue overtakes us. What makes this more amazing is that this is the night before trial and not too many nights before execution. It can be a great comfort to us if we can understand as we close our eyes at night, that while we may lose touch with surroundings in that sleep our God is ever watchful and active.

An angel of God comes to the prison cell. With a quick slap on the side of the face, Peter is awakened. Actually, Peter thinks he is having a dream. The angel causes the chains to fall off of Peter’s wrists. He then leads Peter through two other sets of guards and comes to the city gates. It is closed and locked. The gate opens without any assistance and the angel accompanies Peter to the end of the street. Then just as suddenly as he appeared the angel disappeared. At that very moment Peter realizes that he isn’t dreaming but instead has been freed from prison. Peter hurries to John Mark’s house which must have been a meeting place for the Christians. He knocks on the door and the servant girl Rhoda recognizes Peter by his voice and in her excitement doesn’t open the door. Telling the group that Peter is at the door, she is met with unbelief and ridicule. Finally, she prevails and they go to the door and open it to find Peter standing there. After a time of confusion, Peter silences the group and explains what God did and then he goes into seclusion. He hides so well that Herod’s search could not find him.

Lessons

So what are we to do with this story? We have already noticed that God is active in this world. Even while we are sleeping, he never slumbers. God not for even a short moment ever loses touch with what is happening in your life and in mine. God is powerfully at work in this world.

But there is also another lesson. We may not understand God’s plans and purposes but he will use us if we allow him to so that his plans can be carried out. James, the son of Zebedee, is killed, but Peter isn’t. Why? Stephen was killed. Why? I don’t pretend to know. That’s exactly the point. We can speculate and guess about God’s plans in such situations but I doubt that we will understand. I’ve heard it explained that as a result of Stephen’s death, the church scattered and thus God used the scattering to further his kingdom. Does that make sense to you? It might, but it is just speculation. You see we don’t always know how God is working or what He is trying to accomplish, but by faith we do know that he is working and accomplishing much and that he will use us to do his will if we allow him to.

Some will say that we are only pawns. Really? Do loving parents use their children for their own benefit? Do loving parents explain everything to their children? And when we do explain to our children do they always understand? Do loving parents tell their children to trust them? While there would be times that our children may think we treat them as pawns, as loving parents we know the truth.

Our child will ask us for something and we know that it isn’t good for them so we refuse their request. Their comeback may be spiteful because they don’t understand. Does that make our decision any less right? Why is it when it comes to God that we don’t want to admit that we don’t know everything and that we will trust him even when things are not happening the way we want them to?

We are not pawns. We are instruments being used by God for his will and purpose. You see we are either going to be instruments for God’s purpose or we will be instruments for Satan’s will. We must choose. Whose to say that James didn’t get the better deal through his death? Speculation. But don’t doubt for a moment that James regretted his life being given for the cause of God.

Then notice this lesson—those praying for Peter either didn’t believe that God would answer or they were just going through the motions. When it comes to asking for God to act on our behalf we ought to ask for the moon and then be content with anything. Let’s quit being surprised by God’s power and his desire to act on our behalf. What puts me to shame is that there are times when I am no different from those who met at John Mark’s house to pray. Ask but not expecting anything to happen. If we are going to pray, let’s ask with faith and be willing to accept less if it is God’s will, but let’s not ever ask faithlessly. Peter slept, the people prayed, and God worked. The one whose life was on the line trusted, the people were faithless, and God worked. Maybe the people needed one more time to see the power of God. Time and again in this congregation we have seen God at work. And when he has favored us with a demonstration of his power we should praise him and thank him. Let’s quit being amazed at God’s power and his solutions to our prayers. Let’s quit attributing good things to luck and let’s start thanking God for his favor. God is at work even now just as he worked through Jesus.

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