May 1927
T h e K i n g ’ s
306
B u s i n e s s
of the Psalmist (Psa. 4:8) : “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.” Herod paid Peter no small compliment by placing him under such heavy guard. The. devil is always paying Christians compliments of that kind. Why so many arrangements and so much effort against Christianity if it is only a powerless fake, as the skeptics would have it? One of the best arguments for the Bible is the num ber :of volumes printed yearly in the ef fort to destroy it. The striking feature of the account is that God did not seem to heed the Chris tian’s prayers until Peter’s, hour was close at hand. Three hours more, and off would have gone his head. God often delays His?answer until the very eve,of our .ex tremity. ;■What' man’ has hot. been made a better man, for having been brought very close to the fatal hour and then delivered by the mighty hand of God? For seven days and nights those Christians had prayed, and then ahlight shined in Peter’s prison and an angel brought a legal discharge from heaven (v. 7). What a great.con solation such an answer must have been to? these believers 1 What cohfusion it brought to -their enemies 1 The mor row’s sport had' been spoiled. If God delay®,-, we.may usúally figure that He is working out some greater blessing. Did yot( ever notice that God is never in a hurry ? Peter was not told to grab his clothes and run, but to, “gird himself,” and even to take time to “bind on his san dals.” . “Cast thy . garment about thee," said the angel, “and follow me." Slowly he was to be led past all obstacles. Would not any prisoner with such a chance to es cape have bolted for the door, dressed or cot? We are impatient and run ahead. If we regulate our pace to fall in with God’s will, we will make better progress. Peter thought he was walking in his sleep (v. 9). Nevertheless, he obeyed orders and marched right up to the iron gate. If God is with us, no obstacle can stand when we get to it. The door opened. Peter found himself in the street and the angel left him standing there (v. 10). God is; economical of His miraculous power. He does not reveal Himself in continuous miracles. He does not do for us what we can do for ourselves. “Where do I go from here ?^ithought Peter (v. 12). He might have taken to the open country, but something drew him straight to the house where the prayer meeting was going on. In the time of stress, there is nothing like the fellowship of God’s people. We would enjoy the church more if Herod got after us oftener—and he would if we stood as we ought for'the Gospel. Peter’s knuckles thumped impetuously on the door. Rhoda recognized his voice without, but in her joyous emotions open ed not the door, but ran back to tell those present that Peter was without. It was harder for Peter to get into the prayer meeting than to get out of jail. In the meantime the believers whose prayers had been interrupted were trying to convince the girl that she was crazy (v. 15). She insisted it was Peter. “No,” they said, “it’s an angelí’' Bang, bang! went Peter’s knuckles on the door till some one ventured to open it, and there was the answer to their prayer. Perhaps we had best not cast any stones at these Christians. It is easy to pass
with him when Peter should come. Are you taking your relations '■and friends where they will hear about Jesus? When Peter entered the house hé found many who,- like Cornelius, were not Jews, but Gentiles. Peter said to them, “You know that the Jews say it is wrong for them to make friends with .men of other nations, but God has taught me not to call men of Other, nations common, or unclean.” ' (Fin ish thisj-interesting storÿ-^vefses 34-44, stressing God’s, love for a ll, people). Prayer.
kill and eat.” He really didn’t care to, for they were things which he thought it was not right to eat. Peter was told not to refuse anything God offered to him. While Peter was wondering what this strange dream could mean, the servants of a man by the name of Cornelius, a Gen tile, came to his house and stood before the gate. Then God’s Holy Spirit spoke to Peter, saying, “Behold, three men are looking for thee. Arise, and go without fear, for I have sent them.” Peter went down and invited them into his house, and kept them that night The men told Peter how Cornelius had been told by an angel to send for Peter. You know, boys and girls, in those days, God spoke to people in dreams and through ' angels, for the Bible was not written as we have it today. Now He speaks to us through His Word, the Bible. The next day Peter went with them, and some of the disciples who lived at Joppa went also to the home of Cor nelius. ; Now Cornelius was expecting them and had invited his relations and friends to be 1 i m
BLACKBOARD OUTLINE
>( ENTILES
t e e t e r
Y -^REPARED TO !
t i v e n
X R E A C H V_ A 6 S P E L How shall thev hear without a preacher ?—Rotn. 10:14. -
mb 11 ate? a s afa? J une 12, 1927 Peter Delivered from Prison L esson T ext —Acts 12:1-17
as he afterward wrote, he was “kept by the power of God" (1 Pet. 1:5). . Again we meet that little word BUT. “But prayer was made without ceasing of the church (v. 5). The saints petitioned heaven, hot Herod. They had the key to the prison and knew it not. P r a y e r changes things. If one is on God’s side, he is safe in appealing his case to the King of kings. There is much difference between try ing to get God on your side and praying on God’s side. A southern plantation owner had great confidence in the prayer life of ohe of his slaves. Being greatly concerned about his interests during the civil war, he asked the negro to pray for the success of the Confederate Army. The darky began to'Jiray, “Strengthen de legs of dem soldiers so dey can run.” His master stopped him. “Did you ever ask God to keep us niggers in slavery?” asked the negro. The master hesitatingly replied, “No.” “Den, Massa, all de prayer is on de odder side. When ah prays, ah prays on God’s side.” Get the picture of Peter’s predicament. There were Herod’s soldiers watching under arms. Lined up on the other side was a little company of Christians “watching unto prayer." They prayed “without ceasing .3$; The original word means “stretched-out-ly,” signifying great intensity. To present a petition is one thing—to press suit is another. Some peo ple lodge a petition in heaven’s court and let it lie. They are evidently not expect ing much of an answer, or they would stand by to receive it. Prayer is not only taking hold of God but it is tenaciously holding on. The night before his proposed murder, “Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and keepers before the door” (v. 6). Probably he was the only Christian in the city who slept.. Herod himself did not rest as well. Perhaps Peter had taken for his pillow the words
'T 'HE touching story of this chapter brings out three features'of the ex perience of every Christian who is loyal to ChrisC—persecution, prayer, protection.
The three men prom inent in the narrative are Peter, James and John, the close com panions of our Lord. Herod was vexing the Church. To con fess Chrfst was to hazard the life. For
three hundred years Christianity was a ^persecuted religion in the Roman Empire. No wonder Paul wrote, “All godly shall suffer persecution.” At the King’s command James had been slain with a sword (v 2). This was in line with our Lord’s own words to His disciples: “I came not to send peace, but a sword (Matt. 10:34). He was the first martyr among the apostles, and as his Master had foretold, he drank the mar tyr’s cup (Matt. 20:23). James was the first of the apostles to be restored to the actual presence of his Lord. He is the only apostle whose death is recorded in the Scripture, and only ten words are used to tell the whole story (v. 2). One may get a scanty obituary on earth, yet have an abundant entrance to heaven. Herod persecuted Christians because he saw that it pleased the Jews (v. 3). There are plenty of people who will throw up their hats and cheer the man who is in some devilish business. Great applause usually means nothing. The man who gets the most of it is usually on the wrong track. The officers were widely congratulated when they finally landed Peter—that per sistent preacher—behind the bars. They ' took no chances on his escape, for they placed sixteen soldiers to guard him (v. 4). Peter was “kept in prison” (v. 5), but
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker