I. Opposition
A. The Herods
1. Herod the Great
a. Appointed King of Judea, 40 B.C.
b. Killed his wife, sons, any family that opposed him
c. Restored Jews’ Temple to gain favor
d. But heavily taxed and alienated Jews
e. At Jesus’ birth, Herod feared the one called “King of the Jews”
f. Commanded male children under 2 to be slain. Matthew 2:16
2. Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great
a. Dumped 1st wife, took his sister in law Herodius as wife
b. Rebuked by John the Baptist; he beheaded John. Matthew 14
c. Wanted to kill Jesus. Luke 13:31
d. Prior to crucifixion, Jesus appeared before this Herod, & Pilate
e. Herod only wanted to see a miracle, mocked Jesus, contempt.
f. Ruled until 39 A.D.
3. Herod Agrippa I, grandson of Herod the Great
a. This Herod began to persecute the church.
b. Killed James, imprisoned Peter
c. Dies in Acts 12:20-23; struck down by God. 44 A.D.
4. Herod Agrippa II, son of Herod Agrippa I
a. Received power to appoint Jewish High Priests
b. Appears in Acts 25, 26
c. Last of the Herods
5. Jesus and early church encountered much opposition.
6. Notice the timing of the opposition- Revival at Antioch; Acts 11
7. Timing- after Passover: avoid the custom of releasing a prisoner
8. Harass- Acts 12:1 to oppress, afflict, harm, maltreat
9. He starts by harassing them, then progresses to killing them
10. Herod harassed & killed b/c it pleased his supporters. Self-gain.
B. Our Opposition
- We can & will have a long line of opposition; continuing opposition
- This world is not the Christian’s home
Philippians 3:20, 21 20For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
3. John 16:33 In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
4. 1 John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
a. Under the sway- added by the translators
b. Literally- lies in the power of Satan; held in subjection by the devil
5. Three Hebrew men; pressured to bow down or die. Daniel 3:1-15
II. Prayer
A. Specific Prayers
1. Jesus did say: According to your faith, let it be done for you.
2. Good to praying target prayers as the Holy Spirit leads us.
3. Some speak of prayers of faith; word of faith movement
4. Does God always tell us how things will turn out?
5. Do we always need to know?
6. What about when you don’t know what to ask?
B. Non-Specific Prayers
1. More important to pray with confidence in God’s wisdom & love
2. Never wrong to do that
3. We are not told exactly what they prayed for Peter
a. Lord, comfort him? Lord, release him?
b. Help him to maintain his witness unto death?
4. Do I lack faith suggesting such things?
5. Should we always pray claiming that God will do what we ask?
6. We often believe that the only effective prayers are those which we claim will turn out a certain way.
7. What can we be sure of?
8. Read Romans 8:23-28 We hope for something we cannot see or fully know until it arrives. The H.S. helps us pray when are confused.
9. They did pray constantly. That’s always right.
III. Deliverance
A. Peter’s Imprisonment & Release
1. Guarded by 16 soldiers; probably 4 at a time
2. Chained between 2 soldiers in the prison cell. Guards at the door.
3. Angel comes and a light shines. Apparently, guards don’t see this.
4. Wakes Peter up, chains fall off, get dressed, follow me
5. Peter doesn’t realize that this is real
6. Past guard posts, iron gate opens by itself.
7. Verse 11- “Now I know for certain that the Lord…”.
8. God worked unexpectedly. Peter surprised when it was done.
9. Thorough & complete deliverance. Unimagined by Peter. Surprise.
B. Church’s Response
1. They had been faithful to pray
2. Rhoda leaves Peter outside. Church says Rhoda is crazy
3. Church comes up w/alternative explanation. “His angel”.
4. They open the door and are astonished. – be amazed, be beside one’s self.
C. What Position Shall We Take?
1. Faith
a. Not that we know or control the situation
b. But that God knows and controls the situation
2. God’s plan to deliver is often beyond what we can imagine
3. Dan. 3:16-18 “We don’t know how God will save us, but we know that He will save us.
4. God and His people always have the final victory.