Good morning, everyone. Good morning. It's a beautiful day, a perfect day. We don't even hardly have any bugs this year, you know, just a few here and there, so we're blessed. 

Pastor started this morning talking about how Jesus is worthy. And that's really central to our message this morning. We're going to talk about what happens when men do not give God glory. And really, there's a simple, straightforward message in our text this morning in this chapter that God is sovereign, that he's in control regardless of what's going on, and that we can trust him and depend on him regardless of our circumstances. 

And this was a lesson in this dire circumstance that the early believers in the church needed to know and believe and understand. I'd like to begin our study of this interesting chapter this morning by asking you to turn to Psalm 37. Psalm 37. And we'll begin reading at verse 1. 

Psalm 37, verse 1. Do not fret because of evil doers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and feed on his faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and he shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord. Trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noonday. 

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him. Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger and forsake wrath. Do not fret, it only causes harm. For evil doers shall be cut off, but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall be no more. Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more. But the meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. 

The wicked plots against the just and gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, for he sees that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn the sword and have bent their bow to cast down the poor and needy, to slay those who are of upright conduct. Their sword shall enter their own heart and their bows shall be broken. A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. 

This psalm is a promise. It's a readjustment of our perspective, because it's so easy for us to become discouraged by the prospering of the wicked all around us in this world. They cheat and lie and steal and kill, and yet they seem only to gain wealth and power and have everything that a man could want. 

We see lost men, wicked men, prospering in our workplaces, even though they do not do an honest day's work, even though they lie and bring wicked schemes to pass. We see wicked men prospering in government, even though they break the law and they destroy the lives of the innocent and they lie openly, scheming, plotting only for their own good. 

What is a believer to do in this cursed world day after day? The wickedness of the world and of the men of this world, the injustice of it all, vexes our souls. It troubles us, and it sometimes frightens us. In Psalm 73, we read the heart of the psalmist there who was completely distraught at how the wicked grew fat and the innocent suffered. 

But in verse 16, he says, when I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me until I went into the sanctuary of God, and then I understood their end. Surely you set them in slippery places. You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation as in a moment. They are utterly consumed with terrors. I couldn't make sense of it all, he said. I couldn't understand the wicked until I went into your sanctuary, until I saw their end. 

What does the Lord tell us to do in Psalm 37? Fret not. Their time is coming. The Lord will punish the wicked. The Lord will bring forth your righteousness as the noonday sun. But you know, sometimes I wonder, what about today? What about now? I am thankful for the promise that Jesus will come and make things right in the end, that justice will prevail and men will receive their just due. But what about today? How do I live through this day in the midst of this wicked world where up is down and black is white and nothing seems to make any sense at all? 

The promise, my brothers and sisters, is not just for the time of the end. It is not just provision in the power of His coming. God promises us that He will uphold the righteous, that in the midst of it all, His grace is sufficient. He promises us and reassures us that through all of this craziness and sin and insanity in this world and the wicked men who inhabit it and the wicked one who holds sway over it, that He is working, that He is in control, that He is bringing His will to pass and that we do not need to fret. 

We do not need to worry. We can trust Him and know that even if we find ourselves persecuted in jail, chained to soldiers for our faith, He is still sovereign. He is still our Father. He still upholds us through it all. And this truth is not just for when we are in prison. It is for every trouble, for every doubt, for every fear of every day of life. Our text today, I believe, is all about reassuring the believers in the early church of this truth. 

It's an object lesson of the truth concerning the most powerful men of this world and their absolute insignificance and impotence before God, our Father. Things are getting pretty scary. They're getting pretty dire in Jerusalem and Judea for the believers, for the church at this point. Herod is really intent on wiping out the Christians and pleasing the Jews for his own benefit. 

And things seem pretty dire. James is dead. Peter is in chains awaiting death in the morning. The church is scared, vulnerable. Wicked men are prospering, bringing wicked schemes to pass. What are the believers to do? Just what David was to do, as he wrote Psalm 37. And just what we are to do, no matter our cares and our troubles today, trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and feed on his faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and he shall give you the desires of your heart. 

Commit your way to the Lord. Trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him. Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, forsake wrath, do not fret. It only causes harm. 

How can we do this, my friends? Only by knowing, believing, trusting that God is in control, that he is working all things together for our good, that he is able to put down the proud. And that's what I think this message is about today. If you'd turn to Acts 12, we're gonna read the first five verses to start. Acts 12, one says, Now about that time, Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass the people and Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. 

And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the days of unleavened bread. So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 

I've given you three points on your outline to outline our text this morning. First, we're looking at powerful princes; the second, peace and persecution; and third, putting down the proud. 

Well, in this chapter, we find a very simple and straightforward historical narrative, not so hysterical. A story of what happened concerning Herod and the church, specifically Peter. And it's an account that gives us assurance of God's power and sovereignty in accomplishing his will. And knowing the promise, the truth that God works all things together for good, we can trust whatever our circumstances are that God is still in control. 

And I was just thinking as I studied this, that this is really no trivial truth. It's a simple truth. It's one that we know. It's one that we believe, but it's one that we need to really reckon, to really take for ourselves. It's no small matter. 

And for the church in Acts 12, and for each of us today in our world, it's important that we renew our minds to this truth and choose to believe God. Because the injustices of the world, the circumstances that sometimes overtake us and the fears and doubts that can plague us, can sometimes be overwhelming. It can sometimes be faith-challenging. And we have to come back to these truths. 

God was showing the church that he's in control, not Herod, not the powerful princes of this world, but God is the one with all power and might. And the kings and mighty men of this world only have power and authority as God allows. And he uses them for his will and purposes, ultimately for our good. But this is such a hard truth for us to grasp because it's so easy to fret. 

The pastor often jokes that the only Christian thing to do is to worry. It's easy to fret in light of the wicked men of our world and their seeming continual prospering. And this was true for the church in this time where Herod stretched out his hand, where he exercised his power specifically to kill and to persecute the church. 

And this was a very difficult, troubling time for the church because James, the apostle, one of the three apostles that Jesus took up on the mount, who were the inner circle, perhaps closest to the Lord, James is killed by Herod. This was especially troubling because he was the first apostle martyred. We saw the martyrdom of Stephen, but here it becomes clear to the church that even the apostles are not exempt from the persecution of the leaders and the powerful men of their time. 

And this must have shaken them to their core. Herod kills James, he arrests Peter and is apparently going to execute him as well. And Peter is sitting in prison and the church is praying, driven to their knees by this trial that has come upon them. Trials do that for believers, don't they? Troubles, trials drive us to God, to His care, to His provision, to His grace. 

We turn to God, we trust Him, we seek Him when trials come upon us. And this is the function of trials. This is the purpose of allowing us to go through them. James tells us to count it all joy when we fall into various trials. Knowing, knowing my friends, believing, reckoning, regardless of how we feel that God is working, producing patience, producing fruit. Romans 5 teaches us the same truth with a different illustration. 

Turn over to Romans 5 with me, please, at verse 1. Romans 5, 1, it says, "'Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulations produce perseverance and perseverance, character, and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.'" 

Let me ask you, do you believe this? Paul says it's like a press, squeezing the grapes, bringing out the essence of what they are. When trials come and they squeeze us, they bring out the essence of who we are because of God's saving work in our lives. Do you trust what God says through James and Paul concerning trials and tribulations? 

Because Jesus promised that we would have them. That they would come, many and varied trials, day by day in this world. In this world, you will have trouble. But I have overcome the world, he said. Do not fret, trust in the Lord, count it all joy because God is conforming us, he's shaping us. He's causing us to trust him and know him through trials. 

I have to tell you, I don't like them none. Trials are difficult. They're downright troubling and confusing. They're difficult, they're downright troubling and can really get you down. I don't like them none. But by the grace of God, I'm learning to count it all joy. To trust in the Lord, to turn to him, to endure, to bear up under and go through the trial for the purpose of growth and sanctification. And that is a faith-building, perspective-adjusting, fruit-producing experience. 

So we see this great trial as King Herod, a powerful prince of the world, is exercising his power over the church by the permissive will of God. And Peter's sitting in prison and the church is on its knees in fervent continual prayer and trust in God. And next we see something that I think is amazing. Peace in persecution. 

Look at verse 6 of our text. It says, And when Herod was about to bring him out, that is Peter, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers, and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison. And he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, Arise quickly! And his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him, Gird yourself and tie your sandals. And so he did. And he said to him, Put on your garment and follow me. 

So he went out and followed him, and did not know what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. And when they were past the first and second guard post, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord. And they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. And when Peter had come to himself, he said, Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people. 

So when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. Peter's being guarded by 16 soldiers in the prison. He's chained to two soldiers. He knows that Passover is past, and the feast is over, and now it's Herod's opportune time to really bring favor, political favor, to his rule with the Jews by killing the leader of the Christian sect, Peter. 

It was time. The next morning, Peter was going to die. But what do we find in this disconcerting circumstance? What was Peter doing? Wailing, gnashing his teeth, pacing the floor, worrying? Peter is sleeping, and apparently he's sleeping very well. He was in a deep sleep. 

It says the angel lit up the room, and Peter slept. It said the angel had to strike him. The word means a significant kind of blow to the side, to Peter's side, to wake him up. He's like, Get up, Peter! Come on! It's like waking up your teenage daughters for school. And Peter sort of remained in a sleep haze until they were outside, not knowing for sure if what was going on was true or whether it was a vision. 

I just think that's really something, that Peter was sleeping. I can't even sleep in a tent. He's laying on that floor of the prison, chained to soldiers awaiting his death, and in the midst of this most dreadful situation, this dire circumstance, Peter is fast asleep in seeming peace with it all. 

This is not the first time that Peter had been in prison, you know. Not the first time that political leaders had sought to kill him, and he'd been delivered before. And perhaps his faith was in the Lord. He was trusting whatever would come would be in the Lord's will, but certainly Peter is an example of us here in this passage of how to have peace in the midst of tremendous trials. 

So we see the miraculous work of God delivering Peter by the hand of an angel, and then Peter comes to Mary's house, the mother of John Mark, the writer of the Gospel of Mark, and all the believers are there praying, and he knocks on the door, and he knocks, and he knocks, and in verse 13 it says, and as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer, and when she recognized Peter's voice because of her gladness, she did not open the gate, but she ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. 

But they said to her, you are beside yourself. Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, well, it's his angel. But Peter's still knocking. When they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of prison, and he said, go tell these things to James and to the brethren, and he departed and went to another place. 

And as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter. But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death, and he went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. 

Well, Rhoda got so excited at the voice of Peter that she forgot to open the door. And I think it's kind of interesting to see maybe a little lack of faith here on the part of the believers. They're praying with this great fervency, agonizing, the wording tells us, seeking God and in prayer for Peter that he would be released, but perhaps not really expecting his deliverance. 

You're out of your mind, they told her. Peter's in prison. But he wasn't. And they all went and opened the door, and there he was, and a profound answer to prayer. And they were excited and must have all been exclaiming and praising, and Peter says, hey, shh, you know, I'm a marked man here, standing in the street, be quiet. He motions with his hands. And he went in and he told them all about what had happened and how the Lord delivered him from the hand of Herod. 

And then he told him to go and tell James, and this would be the James that's a brother of Jesus who is the leader of the church in Jerusalem. And then I think we see a very interesting tidbit here at the end of verse 17. It says, and Peter departed and went to another place. This is a major transition now in the book of Acts, in the founding of the church. 

We're not going to really see Peter anymore except for briefly in Acts 15, and we're going to see the focus move from the Jews and Judea and the church in Jerusalem to Paul's ministry, where he's going to go out with Barnabas and John Mark and now bring the gospel to the Gentiles. So we'll see Peter here kind of fade away in the account of the early church as he goes to another place. I'm sure he was still ministering and preaching and encouraging, but God's plan and will is now for the Gospels to go to the Gentiles. 

Now let's look at verse 18 as we consider our last point, putting down the proud. Verse 18, then as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter. And when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. 

Just a note here, I think it's interesting to think of Jesus' words, if you live by the sword, you'll die by the sword. Evil men are bringing schemes to pass in our world, working in politics and the power of business and the ways of the world, and many get caught up in that. They connive and scheme and work and try to gain the world by the means of the world, but they also find that this system will chew them up and spit them out in a minute. 

That they're deceiving and manipulating will catch up with them, and the world will discard them in a moment as soon as they are no longer useful. These soldiers were killed without a thought, and they were gone from this world. Ones who held authority the day before, who would be the ones who physically killed Peter, now gone as the grass and the flower that has faded away. 

I've been thinking as I observe those who rise to power in our time, who act wickedly and then they fade away. I've been thinking that it's really good to hide behind the truth. It's really good to lead a quiet life and work with your hands and deal honestly with people and love men and love God and just seek to glorify Him and bring men to Him. This simplicity in Christ. 

It's really good to be a Christian and just to trust Jesus and abide in Him one day at a time. The little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked. Be encouraged, my friends. 

And let's look at how God deals with proud Herod, verse 20. Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. He'd put some sanctions on Tyre and Sidon because he supplied the food for their country. But they came to him with one accord because they're hungry, and having made Blastas the king's personal aide their friend, they asked for peace because their country was supplied with food by the king's country. 

So on a set day, Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. And the people kept shouting, the voice of a God and not of a man. Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died. But the Word of God grew and multiplied, and Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John, whose surname was Mark. 

Well, this account reminded me very much of perhaps the most powerful man that ever lived, and I just want to spend a little time drawing a parallel here. If you'll turn back to Daniel chapter 2, Daniel chapter 2 at verse 27, and we're going to look at a dream that one King Nebuchadnezzar had. 

Daniel 2:27, Daniel answered in the presence of the king and said, the secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head upon your bed were these. 

As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed about what would come to pass after this, and he who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be. But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king and that you may know the thoughts of your heart. 

You, O king, were watching and behold a great image. The great image whose splendor was excellent stood before you and its form was awesome. This image's head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out with hands which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and broke them in pieces. 

Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away so that no trace was found of them, and the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. 

You, O king, are king of kings, for the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory, and wherever the children of men dwell or the beasts of the field and the birds of heaven, he has given them into your hand and has made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold. 

Then Daniel says these stunning words to King Nebuchadnezzar, but after you. Nebuchadnezzar didn't like that idea, after you. Daniel goes on to explain the history of the Gentiles reigning over his people, the Jews, and how the kingdoms would come and be in more and more inferior, but there was a king chosen by God that was the head of gold, that was the most powerful autonomous king in history, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. 

He had absolute authority and rule, and no one ever questioned him. Yet what I want you to do is to look at what happened when this man took the glory for himself, when he failed, just as Herod, to give God the glory. And that's the real issue here, my brothers and sisters, giving God the glory. 

Nebuchadnezzar had another dream in chapter 4, and Daniel interpreted that dream as well, and in verse 28 we see that the prophecy of God came true. Daniel 4:28, all this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of 12 months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon, much like Herod who's going to have this party and stand up there and give a speech and everyone praise him as a god. 

Verse 30 says, the king spoke saying, is not this great Babylon that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty? While the word was still in the king's mouth, a voice fell from heaven, King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken, the kingdom has departed from you and they shall drive you from men and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen and seven times shall pass over you until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He chooses. 

In that very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar and he was driven from men and he ate grass like oxen, his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws. The greatest king who ever lived, the most powerful, the most glorious, chose to take the glory for himself. He chose to exalt himself and not give God the glory. And we see the lesson in verse 37 of Daniel 4, now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth and His ways justice, and look what he says, and those who walk in pride He is able to put down. 

Herod glorified himself as God, he soaked up the chants of the people, and verse 21 shows us what happens to the king. and the mighty men when they failed to give God the glory. Verse 21, so on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. And the people kept shouting, the voice of a God and not of a man. Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died. 

You see what God is showing the church. You see what God is saying to them, how he's encouraging them. Herod had killed James, he'd arrested Peter, there was no hope. God is able to put down the proud, but God gives grace to the humble. It's the gospel, my friends, that brings humility to a man. And we live in humility by faith in God, trusting him, depending on him, and knowing that he is sovereign. 

It's difficult when wicked men prosper. It's hard for us to keep our focus, but God is saying in Acts chapter 12, an important lesson for us, that he is able to put down the proud. Peter tells us he's also able to reserve them for judgment and deliver the righteous, like he did Lot in Sodom. 

The church had come to a very difficult point, but God was just working out his will to spread that gospel to the Gentiles. What a lesson for the early church is Herod is consumed by worms. There's a lot of conjecture about that, I'm not sure what it means, I've seen sheep consumed by worms, but I'm thinking it wasn't a very good situation. 

Josephus tells us it was five days long of him being eaten by worms. What do we see as the soldiers are dead and gone? What do we see as James is now with his Lord in heaven? As Peter is delivered by the angel, as God puts down the proud, what do we see in verses 24 and 25? But the Word of God grew and multiplied. And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John, whose surname was Mark. 

My friends, the gospel marches on. Herod is gone, the gospel marches on. The servants of God who are alive continue ministering. That's what they do. And as the world fades away, as the kings and the mighty men go back to the earth and their spirits to torment, God continues. Believers continue. 

And my friends, the gospel of Jesus Christ continues to accomplish its purpose for the glory of God. We see it all through history. I just pray that we take this account and take it to heart for ourselves in our daily lives, to know this truth, to trust this regardless of what comes, to know that God is working, he's building his church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it, that his Word does not return void, and that the ministries that we have, that he's given to us, are bringing him glory. 

And that's what matters. Let's close in prayer. 

Father, we're thankful that you've preserved your Word for us and we can just come back to it verse by verse, chapter by chapter. Thank you for this book of Acts to see your continuing work through your apostles and founding the early church and the believers there. Thank you for the message today that we see that you are in control, that you are sovereign, that you're working out your will, and that we can trust you no matter what comes. 

And thank you for the promise that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, even if they kill the body. We just go to be with you, Lord. Thank you for the hope that we have in Jesus. It's in his name we pray.