63
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
February, 1935
him, Peter thought he was having a dream, but liberty and guidance followed (v. 7). Later, when the angel o f the Lord smote Herod (Acts 12:23), judgment fell.* The chains which bound Peter fell off, o f their own accord. The two soldiers who guarded him were rendered insensi ble. Peter put on his sandals, and follow ed the angel from the prison cell (vs. 8, 9), still thinking, “he saw a vision.” When Peter and the angel cape to the iron gate leading into the city, it “ opened to them of its own accord” (v. 10, R. V .) When the two were well away from the prison, the “angel departed from him” (vs. 10, 11). Here we can discern the economy o f God. What a man can do for himself, he is required to d o; what he cannot do for himself, God will do for him (cf. John 11:44). III. I n t h e C o m p a n y of t h e D isc ip l e s (12-17). Peter naturally turned to his own com pany, gathered in “the house of Mary the mother of John, [where] many were gath ered together praying” (v. 12). As he approached the door and knocked, Rhoda answered his call. But she was so surprised at seeing Peter standing there that, without opening the door, she reported his pres ence to the company o f friends within. They were amazed and skeptical. But Peter “declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison . . . And he departed, and went into another place” (v. 17). W e should not fail to note the three great powers mentioned in this lesson. There is Satan’s power, which is mighty but limited. There is God’s power, which is almighty and unlimited. And there is the power of prayer, which makes_ avail able to the child of God the infinite re sources o f the Almighty, for the over throw of the forcés of Satan and his hosts. Points and Problems 1. The Herod o f this story is Herod Agrippa I. He is not mentioned anywhere else in the New Testament outside Acts 12. Politically, he was a very successful ruler, and reunited under his rule the en tire empire o f his grandfather, Herod the Great. His desire to please the Jews, by the slaying of James and imprisonment of Peter, is an accurate description. His po litical success was largely due to his abil ity to keep the favor of both Romans and Jews, a task which was not easy. 2. The New Testament does not spend much time nor space on obituaries. Only one death is described at great length and in detail, the death of our Lord. James was an important man, a brother o f John, and one of the trio o f apostles so often mentioned together: “ Peter, James, and John” (Matt. 17:1). He was the first mar tyr of the twelve. You might expect, therefore, a minute description o f his martyrdom and a long account o f his la bors. But the Word gives him just one brief verse: “And he killed James the brother o f John with the sword” (Acts 12:2). The rest of the chapter is devoted to the miraculous deliverance of a living apostle and the divine judgment on the persecutor. It is more important to know what God can do than what man has done. 3. There are people who think that there are certain ways o f acting under any given set of circumstances, which should hold good for all Christians alike. The Bible does not encourage this notion. When Paul and Silas have been thrown into prison, we find them at midnight praying and singing praises to God (Acts
Secure a Scofield Reference Bible and all its wonderful helps and a Year’s Bible lBHSSg» Course for only $3.20. This wonderful new Combination o f a Bible and a year’ s course of study pro- vides all the materials you need for an enjoyable, thorough and profitable year’s work with the Bible. NOW is a fine ^
/Ml °j Æ
f r S B
A Y e a r ’ s B i b l e C o u r s e and a 0 . 2 0 S c o f i e l d R e f e r e n c e B i b l e O W it h a la r g e t y p e B ib le , t h e c o m b i n a t io n is $ 4 . 0 0 At all booksellers or from the publishers OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, 114 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK
friends. But there was One who would listen. The Bible tells us that the church people prayed without ceasing unto God for Peter. They knew that God could help Peter, and He did. An angel came and opened the door, and Peter was free. He hurried to the house where his friends were praying. A little girl answered his knocking. When she saw Peter, she was so glad that their prayers had been answered, that she ran back to tell the rest, without opening the gate for Peter. Peter kept on knocking. Then his friends went to the gate and let him in. What rejoicing there was! I am sure they remembered to pray again, thanking God for answering their prayer for help. Golden Text Illustration Lord Palmerston was once speaking to a famous French statesman on the com parative merits o f European soldiers. “ French soldiers are the bravest in the world,” claimed the Frenchman. “ Ours are not the bravest in the world,” replied Palmerston, “but they are brave for a quarter of an hour longer than any others'.” ' . '■ C'.ccAi It is that extra quarter of an hour that tells. Many men can wrestle in prayer, but they fail because they don’t hold on long enough.— -Christian Endeavor Times. Object Lesson A H a r d - boiled P r iso n e r Objects: A quart milk bottle with a hard-boiled egg on the inside o f it. (Re move the shell from the egg, and grease the egg slightly in order that the surface will not become too dry to slide easily. Light a few matches at once, and drop them into the bottle. Place the egg in the mouth o f the jar, and the vacuum caused by the burning matches will draw the egg into the bottle. Remove the burned matches. All this should be done prior to appearing before the group.) Lesson: Sh 1 S H ! There is a hard-boiled prisoner here this morning. Would you like to see him ? How many have ever seen a prisoner? This hard-boiled egg is a prisoner in this milk bottle. Some people stay in prison a long time. Some never get out. It looks rather doubtful about this prisoner’s getting out. No matter which way I turn the bottle or how hard I shake it, the egg does not come out. As I see this egg in the bottle, I am reminded o f the time when Peter was in
16:25). But Peter sleeps, and lets the church do the praying. The Spirit of God is a “free Spirit.” In one experience He may lead us to sing, in another, to sleep. Paul, singing praises at midnight in prison, was a great testimony to Christian joy in affliction. And Peter, sleeping be tween two soldiers, in chains, is a great testimony to Christian peace in the midst of danger. The main thing is to be “led of the Spirit.” How Peter Was Freed From Prison A cts 12:1-19 Memory Verse: “ Prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him” (Acts 12:5). Approach: The enemies o f Jesus were ever trying more ways to stop the dis ciples from preaching. These enemies had
even killed James the brother o f John. And then, because Herod the king saw that what he had done had pleased the p e o p l e , he took Peter a n d t h r e w him into prison. L e s s o n S t o r y : Here Peter stayed, bound with chains to two soldiers so
that he couldn’t possibly get away. Herod meant to keep him there until after the time of the Jewish passover, and then to bring him forth to let the people decide what to do with him. How sorry the believers felt when they knew what had happened to Peter! They all loved Peter. He was their strong and fearless friend. What could they do for him now? Herod would not listen to them, because he only cared to please his BLACKBOARD LESSON
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker