Sermon Tone Analysis

*Secular:*

* There is a battle raging…

* Began at the Angelic level… Lucifer

* Cast out of heaven with 1~/3 of the angels

* NAU Revelation 12:4 And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth…

*  The leader of praise

* Sought praise himself

* Adam and Eve

* Seeking to like God

* Shaking their fist at God’s Authority

*  Solomon tells it straight up – there is no wisdom in fighting God -NAU Proverbs 21:30 There is no wisdom and no understanding And no counsel against the LORD.

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* Prominence against God!!

* Fredriche Nietzsche – philosopher who despised Christianity and God… it drove him over the edge… spent his last years locked up… insane 

* Author Sinclair Lewis – author that mocked Christianity… died a drunk

*  Hemmingway – considered himself proof you could fight God – sin caught up… Shotgun killed himself…

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*Biblical:*

NAU Acts 12:1 Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to mistreat them. 2 And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword.

3 When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also.

Now it was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 4 When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people.

5 So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God. 6 On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison.

7 And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter's side and woke him up, saying, "Get up quickly."

And his chains fell off his hands.

8 And the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and put on your sandals."

And he did so.

And he said to him, "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me." 9 And he went out and continued to follow, and he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

10 When they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

11 When Peter came to himself, he said, "Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting."

12 And when he realized /this/, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.

13 When he knocked at the door of the gate, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer.

14 When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate.

15 They said to her, "You are out of your mind!"

But she kept insisting that it was so.

They kept saying, "It is his angel."

16 But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened /the door/, they saw him and were amazed.

17 But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison.

And he said, "Report these things to James and the brethren."

Then he left and went to another place.

18 Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers /as to /what could have become of Peter.

19 When Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they be led away /to execution/.

Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and was spending time there.

20 Now he was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; and with one accord they came to him, and having won over Blastus the king's chamberlain, they were asking for peace, because their country was fed by the king's country.

21 On an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the rostrum and /began /delivering an address to them.

22 The people kept crying out, "The voice of a god and not of a man!" 23 And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.

24 But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.

25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission, taking along with /them /John, who was also called Mark.

 

*Personal: *

* EVEN the PEOPLE OF GOD

*  Kings of Israel

*  Many Kings of Judah

*  Sadducees and Pharisees

*  à opposition to the Truth… opposition to the power of God

*  How about amongst his people

* NAU Acts 20:29 "I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.

* Gospel of Self-Esteem

* Gospel of Wealth

* Gospel of Easy Believism

* REMEMBER the Gospel of Shame!!

* Impossible to Believe (foolishness, boast)

* Gospel of the cross

* If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his *cross* *daily* and follow Me.

* Talk about cross…

* Romans… no

* Jews… not until dead

* Heinous….

* Gospel of the Cross

* God loved Job

* God loved Moses

* God loved Paul

* To side with God we must trust in his truth…

*  Like the Sadduccees… the Pharisees… the Liberal Churches – preaching another Gospel… thgt is all in opposition to God… We don’t get to make it up!!

*  We must trust in the Truth because God’s Power cannot be contested!!

*Bridge:*

* Herod was the King over Palestine… a Jewish King over God’s People…

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*Body:*

*God’s Power Cannot be Contested*

*God’s Punishment Cannot be Avoided *

*God’s Purposes Cannot be Frustrated*

 

1.

*God’s Power Cannot be Contested*

 5 So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.

* Pray… Peter Kept in Prison

* NAU James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed.

The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

6 On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison.

* Peter was sleeping… says something to our pill popping sleep deprived society!!

* Confident in God’s Power (God’s power cannot be contested)

* Oh… Herod had a plan…

* Continued favour with the Jews…

* Just killed James (very popular)

* Now snuff Peter… should earn big praise!!

* He knew the Power bestowed on the Apostles… look at the security arrangements

* Two guards chained to him

* More outside the cell…

* This was maximum security and then some!!

* And we see Peter freaking out, wrestles, unable to sleep…

* Peter trusted Jesus promise… NAU John 21:18 "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to /go/." (He was not an old man yet!!... no worries).

* Every time he was jailed… God freed him… regardless of outcome… God’s purposes prevail

* Peter could say… NAU 1 Peter 5:7 [cast] all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

(God’s power cannot be contested)

* Herod had big plans!!...

But he forgot about God and his sovereign plans…