What to Do When Everything Seems Hopeless...
Acts (To Be Continued...) • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Turn to Acts 12. Acts 12.
Last week was early voting for the primaries. This week is voting. it’s a reminder that we are in a political season of change in America.
Some of it is beautiful—if you like democracy—you have a vote; it matters. it’s exciting a chance for change that YOU can be involved in.
For many of us, it feels yucky and mucky, and a slog.
it can be depressing...
maybe discouraging...
maybe even anxiety producing fear…b/c all the headlines, articles, and news updates…are filled with political mayhem. not just here—but around the world.
if the news is constantly playing—everything can seem hopeless.
think of what is happening in the Middle East—Israel, Palestine, Iran…we need to pray for that.
Think of what is happening still in Ukraine with Russia invading—we need to pray...
let alone all the other conflicts going on in the world that we hear nothing about...
everything seems hopeless..
not to mention throw in our personal problems as people and human beings—financial challenges, relational challenges, physical challenges, emotional and mental health...
what do we do?
everything seems hopeless...
this passage will show us what to do when everything seems hopeless...
I want to read Acts 12:1-4
1 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.
2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.
3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.
4 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 do you see the situation? It is grim…it feels hopeless.
verse 1 mentions King Herod. there are a lot of King Herods in the Bible…his family tree is CRAZY. Roman Empire allowed him to rule (the following territory) (see map)
verse 2 mentions he had James the apostle killed—James was the brother of John—their nicknames were the sons of thunder—they famously asked Jesus if they could sit at Jesus’ right and left in the kingdom of God. that apostle was killed.
verse 3—Herod’s approval ratings are going up—James’ death allowed the political polls to increase for him among the Jews…and so he arrested Peter. during a time of the OT feast of unleavened bread or the Passover.
and now Peter, the leader of the early Church, is arrested. It’s pretty hopeless—he is very well guarded
what do you do? it seems pretty hopeless...
for Peter...
for the early Church...
Look at the already what this passage says...
Remember Jesus (vs. 1-4)
well Jesus wasn’t mentioned…but if you remember what Jesus told his followers...
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
you will have trouble...
in fact, the trouble the church is having reminds us exactly of the kind of trouble Jesus had.
Think of King Herod.
Herod’s rule affected Jesus’ birth, his ministry, and his death.
his birth - He is the grandson of Herod the Great—Herod the Great was King during the time of Jesus’ birth. He was the one who ordered all baby boys 2 and under be killed at the time of Jesus b/c he felt threatened by the idea of a King being born like Jesus.
his ministry - This Herod mentioned here is also the nephew of Herod Antipas—who stole his brother’s wife for himself—(technically, she is his niece)—Herod Antipas had John the Baptist beheaded.
his death - and He is also is the Roman governor Pilate sent Jesus to when he was on trial for his crucifixion—Herod Antipas examined him. “do a miracle for us Jesus...”
so just as Jesus faced the political family of Herod....so the early Church is now, too. They are following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. they are facing the kingdom of this world, the kingdom of man—the generational corruptness of Herod. (btw—it’s a good reminder of generational influence, generational sin—that our leadership and choices to follow Jesus or not—affect future generations)
Another reference I see to Jesus here—is the time reference. vs. 3 - mentions the Feast of Unleavened Bread…this was the feast that took place in connection with the Passover—when God led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.
1 Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching,
2 and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people.
so what the church is experiencing—is very similar to what Jesus experienced.
it’s like the author of Acts is reminding us, “Hey…pay attention…we have heard about this setting and villain before in the life of Jesus. they are simply following in Jesus’ footsteps.
so if everything seems hopeless right now—this passage would say “remember Jesus.”
Jesus said these kinds of times would happen— (so don’t be surprised).
and Jesus knows what it’s like.
you serve and follow a Savior and Lord whose words are true and who gets it.
life will not always go smoothly. it didn’t for Jesus, and the early church, and it won’t always for you.
mention Matt. 10>39? connection to James
what else do we do when life seems hopeless? Let’s keep reading:
Acts 12:5–17 (NIV)
5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
6 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. (it seems very hopeless!)
7 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.
8 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.
(btw—the way this is written reminds us of Exodus 12—when God gave the Israelites instructions about the Passover—to work quickly, with your cloak tucked in, and an angel who came to deliver them) God is delivering His people…another Exodus moment…for Peter and His people)
9 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.
10 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.
11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”
12 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.
13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door.
14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”
15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”
16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.
17 Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.
so here is the 2nd way to respond when life seems overwhelming...
2. Pray in tension... (vs. 5-17)
let me say that clearly...
it looks like pray intentionally—which is true—by pray in tension...
what is the tension…it’s 2 sides--
on the one hand—we pray knowing and hoping and believing that God can deliver you. that’s one side...
again the situation seems hopeless—Peter is in a maximum security prison.
maybe Herod knew about Peter and the apostles earlier jailbreak—in Acts 5—God miraculously delivered them from jail.
but the church advances against Herod—and the kingdom of man—but gathering together...
5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
that word earnest is not used much. it shows up twice in the original Greek…it means eagerly, constantly, perseveringly....
do you and I persevere in prayer—even if we don’t get the answer we want at first—do you keep at it? or do you give up? The Bible encourages us to persevere in prayer with Our Father. it’s not that we wear down God with our prayers—Jesus said “don’t babble and keep on babbling—yet he also told a parable of a persistent widow as an object lesson.
Persevering prayer—shows that we trust God can do something.
they also prayed corporately.
look at 12:12
12 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.
this Mary—is the mother of John Mark—John mark is the cousin of Barnabas who will show up in chapters 13 and 15. He is also the author of the Gospel of Mark.
here they are gathered, praying—desperate, hopeless, but coming together.
do we pray not just individually..but corporately? and don’t over-complicate this...
you can start in your marriage—pray in your marriage for needs—it can be short—1 minute or less.
pray in your family....
one thing you can do here—when you see someone here and someone tells you a need, what if you said, “Do you mind if I pray for you right now?” say that with me “do you mind if I pray for you right now?” say it to the person on your right… “Do you mind if I pray for you right now?”
if you have a need—you can text tons of people instantly to pray…you can gather them to pray...
we see the church in Acts—almost in every chapter—a reference is made to prayer. they prayed corporately on the day of Pentecost Acts 1-2, they prayed during persecution Acts 4.
and it doesn’t have to be perfect prayer…when Peter goes to the house after he is delivered—the church doesn’t believe the servant girl Rhoda--
15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”
this reminds us that our prayers don’t have to be perfect.
i don’k they were full on doubting God—but they didn’t expect it. If they were betting people—they would have bet that Peter would be killed just like James was.
this encourages me—they didn’t have perfect faith—and YET God still answered their prayer.
Jesus said, you only have to have faith as small as a mustard seed—b/c it’s not the size or amount of your faith—but that fact that your faith is in a big God!
so pray earnestly, corporately, imperfectly...
that word earnestly also reminds us of Jesus…that word for earnest is used of Jesus in another setting....
42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.
44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
again, they are following in the footsteps of Jesus…just as Jesus prayed before they went to the cross.
so in this tension of —we pray knowing and hoping and expecting He can deliver, but also know God doesn’t have to deliver us. (vs. 2)
we pray in tension—with tension…God can and does—but He doesn’t have to.
look back at Acts 12:2
2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.
I am sure the church prayed for James the apostle to be released....
why did God answer their prayer to release Peter and not James...
why?
why would God do that?
is he being inconsistent?
I don’t think so....
you ever asked this question—when you pray—why did you answer their prayer but not mine...
why are they healed…and I am not...
why did they get the big break in their job, and I was passed over for a promotion...
why does my family seem to have a lot of drama and problems—and everyone else’ family doesn’t...
why does my life seem worse than everyone elses...
or let’s think more globally—why does it seem like God is working more in this part of the world—and not here (so it seems)
why does God do that?
we always want to know why
at the end of the book of John…when Peter is getting reinstated by Jesus after he had denied Jesus 3x…look at what Jesus says to Peter...
18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”
19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
Peter knew this prediction—it was a prediction that He would die by crucifixion—and church history says he was crucified upside down under the emperor Nero—so he lived for 3 more decades with this prediction over him.
but then look what the book of John says next...
20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”)
21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”
23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”
what about HIM…we suffer from comparison-itis…Jesus says “If I want him to remain alive…what is that to you...”
we pray—in this TENSION…what God can deliver…but He doesn’t have to deliver...
just like Jesus said in the Garden of Gethemane...— “Not my will but YOURS be done...” that tension can be anguish as He sweat drops of blood...
if time---OT - Daniel—Shad, Meshach, and Abednego...
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.
17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.
18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
even if---Rend Collective has a song with that idea...
Even if (even if) my daylight never dawns
Even if (even if) my breakthrough never comes
Even if (even if) I'll fight to bring You praise
Even if (even if) my dreams fall to the ground
Even if (even if) I'm lost, I know I'm found
Even if (even if) my heart will somehow say
Hallelujah anyway (Hallelujah anyway)
we pray in tension—God can deliver but He doesn’t have to—either way I will trust Him...
how do you have that...
i don’t know if you caught it earlier—but look at what Peter was doing when he was in jail.
6 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.
how do you sleep like that? how do you have that kind of confidence…in a bleak situation.
it reminds us against of Jesus who also was sleeping in a boat in the middle of a storm...
I think Peter…looked to Jesus—he was walking in Jesus’ footsteps...
I think Peter understand the tension of prayer—God can but doesn’t have to deliver Him. God doesn’t owe me anything...
and I think he understood this 3rd point...
3. Trust God’s Sovereign Providence....
these are great theological words…that you need to understand...
Sovereignty: God has the right and power as king to do as He wills… (generally speaking…)
providence - is more specific. it implies purposeful action. God says....
10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’
God sovereignly as king—displays his providence—his purposeful action…in at least ways...
he provides—(look at the word providence) for the entire universe
he sustains - the entire universe (there are no rogue molecules—everything is under his providence)
and he governs - the entire universe
17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
those are strong words—but what about when life feels hopeless—James is killed with the sword, Peter looks like he is going to die?
we trust his sovereign providence...
we remember he is king—and He has a plan—even if we don’t understand.
look at the rest of the verses
Acts 12:18–24 (NIV)
18 In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.
19 After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed. Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.
20 He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.
(look at the map again)
21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people.
this account is also talked about it in the historian Josephus—Josephus says that Herod’s robe was entirely of silver which glistened in the sunlight.
22 They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.”
23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
a. now I don’t know how quickly he died. he probably did not die right then and there--but according to the historian Josephus again--a severe pain arose in his belly --so that he had to be carried into the palace--and he died 5 days later. Scholar John Stott quotes a doctor who thinks that Herod may have had some intestinal worms which were common in that era which can cause intenstinal obstruction. tmi.
24 But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.
a. one scholar says--“The chapter open with James dead, Peter in prison and Herod triumphing; it closes with Herod dead, Peter free, and the word of God triumphing. Such is the power of God to overthrow hostile human plans and to establish his own in their place.”
nothing can ultimately stop God’s sovereign purposeful providence—his plan from being accomplished.
what is his ultimate plan?
to bring all things under the final rule of Christ...
to conform us to His image...
now, we may not like these terms of God’s sovereignty and providence…but remember our earlier points:
think of Jesus…he suffered under the Trinity’s plan—he purposeful entered our suffering—He knows what it is like. He subjected Himself to his own plan—including suffering—death on a cross....He gets it…and He knows what it is like…and he was willing to suffer so we could be saved, forgiven, new life in Christ—on the cross.
pray like Jesus... in tension…
42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
I love that Jesus could pray like this—it reminds us we can wrestle with the plan of God—His own plan—and not sin...
he reminds us that pray can be uncomfortable—He lived in that tension...
and He was remarkable Savior that He would die and do that for us…taking on the full weight and punishment of sin...
I want to invite the worship team forward....
remember King Jesus—just as God delivered Israel from King Pharaoh a horrible wicked king—God delivers us today—we need not fear kings, political rulers, the other party’s candidate…because Jesus is on the throne.
Jesus’ kingdom would outlast King Herod’s family tree...
It would outlast the Roman Empire...
it will outlast Vladamir Putin
it will outlast kingdoms in the Middle East...
it will outlast America and our political parties...
1 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.”
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.
5 He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
6 “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”
an OT reference to Jesus...