The Word Made Plain

Guest (Female): Welcome to The Word Made Plain with senior pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently, Pastor Tony is teaching a study in the book of Acts. Please open your Bible to Acts chapter 12, verses 12 through 19.

Tony Clark: God bless you. Let's dive into the Word of God together. Turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Acts, chapter 12, looking at verses 12 through 19. We're going to continue our study through the Word of God. For those of you who are new here, we go chapter by chapter, verse by verse, book by book. We go from Genesis to Revelation through the Word of God. On Wednesdays, we're in the Old Testament in the book of Judges and we've just been having a tremendous time going through the Word of God.

So here we are on Sunday mornings in the book of Acts, chapter 12, looking at verses 12 through 19. Father, thank you. Thank you for this day you've given us. Thank you for mothers. I pray, God, your blessings upon them. I pray, God, that you would do a work that only you can do. Do a work, God. Give us ears to hear the Word of God that's going to go forth in our lives today in Jesus' name. Amen.

Acts chapter 12, looking at verses 12 through 19. The title of this message is God's Ways Aren't Man's Ways. This is part three of this particular study as we've been going through these verses. Now, the last time we were together, we saw how Peter was miraculously released from prison as an angel appeared to set him free. When the angel woke Peter up in verse 7, he instructed him to put on his clothes and sandals.

Then the angel led him past the first and second guard posts in verse 10, showing that Peter was in maximum security. Peter thought that it wasn't real, but that he was seeing a vision. So when the angel led him to the gate of the city, verse 11 says that he came to himself and knew that everything was real. Now that he was set free, he must find the other believers and tell them what God did for him.

Look at verses 12 through 14. It says, "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. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. And 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."

Incredible verses. As Peter considered telling the rest of the believers what just happened and how he was released from prison, verse 12 says that he came to the house of Mary. We've got to clear up these Marys here because there were at least five different Marys mentioned in the New Testament that followed Jesus Christ. Her identity was given: she was the mother of John, whose surname was Mark. We know from Colossians 4 and verse 10 that this Mary was the sister of Barnabas.

So John Mark was the nephew of Barnabas. So this particular Mary, it was her particular house that the believers were offering up constant prayer that verse 5 mentioned. It is also believed that this is the house that Jesus celebrated and partook of the Last Supper. It was at Mary's house and also where the believers were gathered together for prayer on the day of Pentecost. Mary had a great house for this very reason, to offer up prayer for the other believers.

It is obvious that this was an all-night prayer meeting. We know this because the angel woke Peter up in verse 6, and this verse goes on to tell us that it was at night when these events took place. So in the early hours of the morning, Peter comes to Mary's house where they were praying. This seems to imply that this was a normal occurrence to have prayer there because Peter knew just where to find them.

I just have to ask us: when we're facing a crisis in our own lives personally, do people know where to find us? Will they find us gathered with other believers praying and believing God for him to do the miraculous in our situation? Or will they find us at a bar drinking our sorrows away? Or will they find us in the club trying to dance our problems away? Or will they find us in the arms of someone that is not our spouse or someone you're not married to?

Peter knew right where to find these believers, in the house of prayer. Is your house a house of prayer like Mary's house was? Or is your house known to be a house of feasting or the house of partying, or house of drinking, or house of depression? Mary turned her house into a house where believers could gather together for prayer. Today we would call it a small group or a home fellowship.

So Peter makes it to this house. Verse 13 says when Peter knocked on the door of the gate, a girl answered, possibly a servant, also showing that Mary was wealthy because she had servants and a house large enough to hold church-wide prayer meetings. This servant girl identified in this verse as Rhoda. It is obvious that she asked, "Who is it?" knocking at the door this time of night or early morning. When she recognized Peter's voice in verse 14, she was happy because they had been praying for his release all night.

So with gladness, she forgot to open up the door but ran in and announced, "Peter is at the gate! Hey, y'all, Peter is at the gate!" Surely they were excited to hear that Peter was at the gate knocking, right? They had only been praying all night for him to be released from prison. Surely they were thrilled. Look at verses 15 and 16. "But they said to her, 'You're beside yourself.' Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, 'It is his angel.' Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished."

Wow, what incredible verses. Here is Rhoda. Rhoda comes in and interrupts the prayer meeting with what they thought was ridiculous news, that Peter was at the gate. They probably were saying, "Rhoda, don't come in here and interrupt this prayer service. We've got a prayer service going on with this nonsense." They must have said that. We all know that Peter is still in prison. Someone must have been whispering.

They couldn't imagine that God would actually answer their prayers. This is why they said to Rhoda in verse 15, "You're beside yourself," or "You're out of your mind." But she kept insisting that it was so. I want to draw your attention to the word "insisting" there. The Greek word is diischyrizomai. It's a great word. It means to confidently, constantly affirm. It means to insist. Rhoda wasn't moving from her position. She knew Peter's voice.

Then someone yelled, "Well, maybe it's his angel." See, the Jews taught that everyone had a guardian angel who could assume the form of that person. After a few moments and Rhoda didn't come back to open the door, verse 16 says Peter continued knocking. He was hoping that he didn't make too much noise during this time of night and possibly wake somebody up or get rearrested again. So finally, notice *they*—I'm putting emphasis on *they*—opened the door.

Perhaps Rhoda and the others said, "Let's see what this girl is finally talking about." And the end of verse 16 says when they did open it, notice the end of verse 16, they were astonished. The Greek word for astonished is existēmi, and it means to be put out of your wits, to be astounded, to go insane, to be amazed. This blows me away, amazes me, puts me out of my wits. It existēmi me, their reaction. Why? They hold an all-night prayer meeting for the release of Peter and are put out of their wits when God answers their prayer.

This blows me away. Actually, this story also brings me great comfort as well. Because we so often think that the people in the Bible were spiritual giants or so much more spiritual than we are, but they were just like us. They were just like us. We have another story of this in Mark chapter 9 and verse 24, when a desperate father brings his demon-possessed boy to Jesus to heal. Jesus tells this grief-stricken father, "All things are possible if you would just believe."

This father cries out, "I believe, but help my unbelief!" Stories like these bring me great comfort because there's a lot of talk about how we need more faith or God didn't do this for you because you didn't have enough faith. Baloney! How much faith did this group of believers praying for the release of Peter have? None, zip, zero! But did God leave Peter in prison because they didn't have enough faith? No, He answered their prayers anyway.

How much faith did this desperate father have? None, zip, zero. My point is God's plan is going to get accomplished whether you believe it or not. Now, we can forfeit our participation in His plan, but His plan is still going to get done. By the way, God did cast the demon out of this father's son and gave him back to him, healed and whole, even after he cried out, "Help my unbelief!" As they were probably yelling and crying and hugging Peter, the women were saying, "Is it really you? Oh, it's really you!"

When they saw him, verse 17 says this. Look what it says there. "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." We see that Peter was motioning with his hand. He was probably saying, "Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up." He's telling them to be quiet.

Neighbors were probably complaining, "What's all that noise? You've been praying all night. When are you going to bed? Shut up over there!" And he was probably saying, "Shut up, be quiet, y'all be quiet." He declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of prison. Peter tells the incredible story of how God answered their prayers in a powerful way for the purpose of encouraging these believers. I believe that we need to hear more stories of how God is still answering prayers in a miraculous way as we gather together as a church.

I believe because we don't hear more miraculous stories, many believers have grown weary in prayer like Luke 18:1 told us not to do. It tells us not to grow weary. Men are to always pray and not to faint or not to lose heart. Galatians 6:9 says, "Let us not grow weary while doing good." Praying is a good thing. While doing good, don't grow weary in the good work of prayer. For in due season we shall reap if we don't lose heart.

Have you grown weary and lost heart in praying for a godly spouse, singles? Singles, listen to me. Don't grow weary. Don't grow weary, please. I beg you, because of the ragamuffin of guys that you've been introducing to me. I'm looking at you sideways like, "You've got to be kidding me." You've grown weary in waiting on that godly man that you've been praying for, so you settle for a ragamuffin of a guy.

My heart breaks. Hey, don't grow weary. He's out there if you just don't lose heart. The Bible says you will reap if you don't lose heart. Wives, are you growing weary of or lost heart in praying for your husbands? Moms, are you growing weary in praying for that wayward teenager? Are you growing weary today? This verse is saying don't grow weary, for in due season you will reap if you don't lose heart.

I'm here to encourage you, don't lose heart. Whatever it is you're praying for, don't lose heart. Don't lose heart. I wonder how many things God wanted us to reap, but we lost heart. How many things God wanted to do in our lives, but we lost heart? Not because we didn't have enough faith or it wasn't His will. We lost heart and stopped praying for it. James 4:3 says we have not because we ask not. We stop asking, we stop seeking, and we stop knocking.

And we lost heart and we chalked it up and said, "Well, must not be God's will," and we gave up. God wants us to reap if we don't lose heart. God answers all of our prayers with yes, no, or wait. We don't like the "no" and we definitely don't like the "wait." Sometimes He wants us to pray it through because God is preparing the other person's heart. He's preparing circumstances and people to be put in place, and He wants us to pray mainly because He just wants to talk to us.

He just wants us to talk to him. He wants us to pour out our hearts to Him. But we're so quick to lose heart in our instant world that we live in, and God is saying, "Don't do it. I want you to reap if you don't lose heart." Don't lose heart. Some of you are about to do it. You're about to hook up and be permanently attached to that ragamuffin. Don't do it. Don't do it. Do you know how many women I've begged not to do it?

And they went ahead and did it anyway and came back and cried on this shoulder. I'm talking to some of you right now. Don't do it. "But I'm lonely, Pastor Tony." I know. I know you are, but you will live a life of Hades if you go through with this decision. You will kick yourself every day you wake up. God is speaking to somebody right now. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it.

So Peter then commanded them to go tell these things to James and to the brethren. It is obvious that this is a different James than the one who was beheaded in verse 2. This James was the half-brother of Jesus according to Matthew 13 and verse 55. It was this James that became the head of the church according to Acts 15, and not Peter. He is also the author of the New Testament book that bears his name, the book of James.

After telling them this, Peter departed and went to another place, perhaps not wanting to endanger these believers when Herod realized that Peter isn't in that prison. How do we know this? Look at verse 18. "Then as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter." There was no small stir. I bet! We're talking about Peter was chained between two Roman soldiers, and there were soldiers outside of the door of the cell of the prison.

Then they had to go through two other posts to get to where Peter was. I bet there was no small stir at what happened. When King Herod had searched for him, he examined the guards, perhaps thinking that they had become Christians and let Peter go. Herod had them put to death, which shows that Herod planned on killing Peter. Because if a Roman soldier allowed a prisoner to escape while in their custody, whatever the prisoner's punishment would be went to that soldier.

This is why a soldier would guard prisoners with his life. This is another reason why I was just thinking about this: the Philippian jailer in Acts chapter 16. The Philippian jailer when the earthquake took place, Paul and Silas, should I say, were in prison singing hymns to the Lord. And it said at midnight, there was an earthquake and the chains fell off all of them. All of a sudden as the chains fell off, the guard of the prisoner, he was about to kill himself, showing that the fate of Paul and Silas were to be put to death the next morning and had they escaped during that earthquake, that guard would have been killed.

So he was about to kill himself and Paul said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey, do yourself no harm. We're all here." So this was serious business. This is why Herod had those guards put to death, showing that he was going to put to death Peter and perhaps they let him escape. They were probably saying, "We don't know what happened to Peter. We just woke up and he just wasn't here." Herod's like, "What do you mean wasn't here?" "He just wasn't here." "Put them all to death!" That's what happened to these soldiers.

So after King Herod tried to please the Jews, it blew up in his face when Peter escaped. Herod had to get away, so he went down from Judea to Caesarea for a vacation and he just stayed there. He just couldn't handle it. "I'm done, I'm done." Now, as far as Peter is concerned, this is the last time we see Peter in the book of Acts, except for a brief cameo appearance in chapter 15. Now the focus of the rest of the book of Acts is about to be on the ministry of the great Apostle Paul.

Let me conclude with this. God's ways aren't man's ways. In this message, we saw how God answered the prayers of a group of believers who didn't believe that He would answer their prayers. And we saw how God did it. My point is, so keep praying. Even when you're struggling with unbelief like the desperate father did, keep praying. Because your unbelief will not stop the plans of God. It may stop God using you in those plans, but it won't stop God's plans.

God will just get somebody else. He wanted to use you, but seeing that you're fumbling, bumbling—hey, let me tell you something: He'll just get somebody else. But His plan is still going to get accomplished no matter what. His plans will get accomplished. He'll use you or He'll use someone else. When God has done the miraculous for you in prayer, share it. Share that. I'm not talking about we ought to all of a sudden start having testimony services. I'm not saying that.

But you should share it so we can start hearing that God is still doing the miraculous. God is still—it's going to encourage someone that may need that very encouragement. And finally, don't grow weary in well-doing, for in due season you'll reap if you don't lose heart. If you're losing heart or have lost heart, come and let someone pray with you and together believe God to do the miraculous in your situation. Come. God is still the God who does the miraculous.

He's not just the God who did the miraculous in the Bible. Last time I checked, He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. He wants to do it. Even when you're struggling, "I'm struggling to believe"—you're like that father: "I believe, but help my unbelief." I'm thinking about a situation in my own life right now, someone in the church, I'm believing for something miraculous to happen.

And I'm like, "Lord, I believe you can do this. I believe this Bible and you've done some incredibly miraculous things. But Lord, there are some times I need you to help my unbelief." And God will honor such honesty and such prayer if you just come and allow Him to do what He desperately wants to do. If you're here and you've never repented of your sin and accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, today is the day of salvation for you.

The God, the miraculous God, wants to come and live inside of you and change you and make you more like Jesus. Will you come today? I pray that you would. Father, thank you for this time you've given us, Lord, to study your Word. You are the God of the miraculous. You still can open prison doors. You still can set people free. Oh, Lord, I just pray that we can be a people that others can find us in the place of prayer, seeking you for the miraculous and watching you do what you said in your Word that you would do. You said, "With man it is impossible, but with you, God, all things are possible." Lord, draw your people to you today in Jesus' name. Amen.

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