Struck by an Angel

Nov 5

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Have you ever wondered, “Why do bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people?” We see that at play in our text for today. A horrible act of persecution takes place. The first apostle is martyred for no reason by Herod.

This Herod is the grandson of the Herod that had the babies killed at the birth of Jesus. He had been educated at Rome, but he sought to be in good favor of the Jewish people. For these reasons he was popular with the people; and it was no doubt in order to achieve further popularity with the orthodox Jews that he decided to attack the Christian Church and its leaders. And out of this persecution we see the first apostle martyred—James.

Persecution in this passage and throughout Acts is a stark reminder for us that the world is often at odds with the message of Christ. It was so then and it is so now. There is hardship in this life, especially if you live for Christ. But, God is with us.

Acts 12

Regardless of our circumstances, God can deliver us. (1-4)

There is a remarkable detail worth noting here. Peter, who is fully aware of the recent martyrdom of James and the grim fate that awaits him after the conclusion of Passover, is sleeping. He’s not just sleeping, but he’s sleeping soundly.

“He isn’t biting his nails, pacing the floor, or trying to negotiate a deal. He’s sleeping! The passage provides no hint of anxiety at work in him.”[1]

Do you remember falling asleep on road trips as a kid? I vividly remember falling asleep as we traveled back home only to wake up in my bed the next morning. I trusted my father to get us where we’re going, and it was him who carried me to my bed. It’s the same for us in this life no matter what we’re going through.

When you truly believe that your life rests securely in God's hands, it grants you a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Philippians 4:6-7 – “6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

God sovereignly works through the prayers of His people. (5)

Hardship has a way of drawing us to the Lord unlike any other means. Any time there is a national tragedy, what is the first response of people? It’s to pray. After 9/11, the churches were full, and people were praying. I remember last football season when Damar Hamlin’s heart stopped on national television. People were even praying on ESPN. People have been gathering to pray for Israel following the attack by Hamas and continue to do so. When tragedy strikes, people pray.

The arrest of Peter causes the church to come together to pray specifically for him. And God hears their prayers.

When looking at this passage, we have to recognize that God is sovereign. There are times He doesn’t release people from jail and times He does. James was just killed. But Peter is freed. We can’t understand all the ways of God, but we can trust Him.

Though God is sovereign and can do all things as He wills, His often chosen means of activity in the world is through the prayers of His people. He can do all things and can do whatever He wants—that’s part of what it means that He is sovereign—but His means of activity in this world is often through prayer.

“You have not because you ask not.” -James 4:2

God desires that we bring our cares and concerns to Him, and He seeks to conform us to His will at the same time. Part of the purpose of prayer is that we would trust God. We are bringing our cares to Him and trusting Him to answer. And when He answers, we’re trusting that His answer is best.

We are infinitely more immature and simple-minded compared to God as a child is to their parent. A child asks things of their parents, and the answer isn’t always yes. And the answer isn’t always immediate. The child is to trust that the parent knows more and is working something greater through the “no” answers and the “not yets.” It’s the same with God. His desire is that we go to Him in prayer and persevere in prayer. That means we keep going to Him in prayer.

James died, but Peter was still alive. So, the church prayed.

We are never alone, even in difficult circumstances. (6-11)

“No matter how grim life might appear, God and his angels are present and ministering, and he can deliver us anytime he sees fit!”[2]

This story is incredible. Peter has to be struck awake by the angel. His situation seems hopeless, but God is not indifferent to our sufferings. All throughout the Bible He has been promising that He is near and because of that we have no need to fear.

He told Joshua when entering the Promised Land that he should be strong and courageous precisely because God was with him wherever he would go.[3] In Psalm 23 the reason we can fear no evil even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death is because God is with us. It’s no different here for Peter. God was with Him in that jail cell, and it was God who brought him out.

We can see this by the presence of the angel. God answered the prayers of His people and Peter wasn’t alone in that jail cell. Even when you feel you’re alone in your suffering, you aren’t.

There are so many examples in the Bible of this reality. It makes me think of Jacob in Genesis 28. He had deceived Esau, stolen his blessing, and fled for his life. He laid down on a stone pillow completely downcast. “Jacob was miserable, homesick, and overwhelmed with loneliness.”[4] But in Genesis 28:12, God gives Jacob an incredible vision of a ladder reaching up to heaven and angels ascending and descending. “Although Jacob appeared to be abandoned by God and man, there was angelic traffic between Heaven and earth on his behalf.”[5] Do you know how Jacob reacted to this vision? He responded in verse 16 with this: “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”

I also think of Elisha when he is surrounded by an enemy army.

2 Kings 6:15-17 - 15 When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

If we knew how God was truly with us and constantly at work around us, we could sleep no matter the circumstance as well. God isn’t just at work in invisible ways around us, but he is at work in visible ways through His church. As Peter is in jail with the angel, the church is still praying.

Don’t be slow to believe God will answer your prayers. (12-17)

“Here is a picture of a people who are praying but are struggling with believing that God actually works miracles!”[6]

Live with an expectation that God answers your prayers. Because He does. How often do we doubt while praying, yet God is still gracious to answer our prayers. God desires to answer your prayers. Jesus taught us that in a beautiful analogy.

Matthew 7:7-11 – 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Don’t be slow to believe God will answer your prayers about your loved one’s salvation. Don’t be slow to believe God will answer your prayers about your loved one’s waywardness or your health diagnoses or the church’s health and growth or your child’s hardship or your job situation or whatever other millions of things that are weighing heavy on your heart. God desires that you go to Him in prayer. And He desires to answer your prayers.

“We pray fervently for the conversion of a relative, and when it happens we say, “Amazing!” What is amazing is our slowness to believe God’s ability and willingness to answer our prayers. The power of fervent, even if doubting, prayer is greater than that of kings!”[7]

Those who oppose the Lord will lose. (18-23)

Remember the question I started this sermon off with? “Why do good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people?” Here’s the truth of the matter…it may seem like the bad prosper, but every single person gets what’s coming to them.

One of the most overlooked, holy, perfect attributes of God is that He is just. Nobody escapes the perfectly righteous justice of God.

The same word “struck” that the angel does to nudge Peter awake in verse 7 is used in verse 23 when Herod is struck dead. You remember that old show “Touched by an Angel”? Well, this is “Struck by an Angel.” The angel strikes Peter awake to deliver Him. Justice. And the angel strikes Herod to die. Justice.

This event is recorded outside of the Bible as well through Josephus, the Jewish historian. He describes how, on the second day of the festival, Herod entered the theatre clad in a robe of silver cloth. The sun glinted on the silver and the people cried out that this was a god come to them. At once a sudden and terrible illness fell upon him from which he never recovered.

You have no need to fear whatever enemies you are facing. God is with you, and He’s working in every circumstance, even when you cannot see it.

God is always victorious. (24-25)

God is victorious over your sin and He is victorious over all of His enemies.