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Bro. Otis Fisher
Acts 12. Virgil, has God decreed events to occur in this world? Has God decreed events to happen in this world? All right, that's right. Now, David, has he decreed the method that will bring them about?
All right. Has God, Greg this is yours, has God elected certain ones to be saved? All right. Dennis, has he decreed that they will be saved by a certain method? David, what is the method by which God operates?
Well, in salvation. All right. But he uses the word also. They speak the word. All right. So can we say that the gospel is one means appointed for this salvation joy? All right. What is one other means?
That's a little bit vague. Well, what is one of the methods that he uses to bring things about? What? We're talking about prayer this morning. He exercises his decrees by prayer. Now, a little bit about prayer.
It is not that God's will may be altered. Do you believe that, Dennis? All right. But that it may be accomplished. Is that right, David? Accomplished in his own good time. Is that right, David? When the mind of God is toward a people to not do them good, Virg, can you change it?
All right. In Jeremiah 15, 1, we read this. Then said the Lord unto me, though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people. Cast them out of my sight and let them go forth.
Joy, no prayer is a prayer unless it originates where? With what? We need to keep that in mind. And only his children are aware of this. Is that right, David, what your mother said? Prayer originates with God.
All right. In Acts 12, when God bestows a blessing on a praying people, is it for their sakes? That would be that he would not do it if they didn't pray. And he's not limited to that. Well, David, what is it for the sake of whom?
Yes, he is sovereign. Now, that's a short statement. It covers a world of things. Virg, in his sovereignty, what is the smallest thing you can think of that he would be concerned with? Well, is he concerned about the grasshopper that moves from here to there?
What? I don't know. To be honest, I don't know. I don't know. When you said everything, that's what you meant. Everything.
I have a question here as to what God and I are in sovereignty. If his children, his people, or his three children, would you say, though, that we're probably the smallest thing, though?
Maybe that's not the word you want to use. For one, we're not anything.
Maybe that's the word. We're nothing without him, and maybe we're small. All right. The universe was created.
We're small, little things. All right. Is there anything in the universe, the gases, the material things, just include everything? Is there anything, David, that is not carnal? Is it all carnal? Is it all carnal?
Carnal things is what makes up the world. Is that right? Jeremiah 10 .23, O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself. It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. What's that mean, Joy?
Prayer is to accomplish God's will. Is that right? Prayer is one of the methods by which salvation comes. Is that right? When God has decreed to do bad to a people, can you change his mind? All right.
Verse 1. Now about that time. What time was this, David? Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. Now by certain, what do we mean, Dennis? All right. Keep that in mind. And he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.
Now by the death of James, the apostles were reduced to 11 until Paul came. God has continued their doctrine but not their order. By killing with the sword, we're to understand he had him beheaded. There's four kinds of capital punishment among the Jews.
The first is stoning, literally stoning to death. Burning, literally burn to death. Killing with the sword. And what's the last one, David? Strangling. The third was a Roman as well as a Jewish motive, killing.
Killing with the sword was the punishment which, according to the Talmud, was inflicted on those who drew away the people to any strange worship. Now James was probably accused of this, and hence the punishment mentioned.
In the world, the carnal world, he was trying to lead people to follow another religion, and that's different than the Jews. It was Christ, and they accused him of leading people astray so they cut his head off.
Three, and because he saw it pleased the Jews. This was who? Herod. Because Herod saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. Then were the days of unleavened bread. Now he took Peter.
What's that mean, Virg? He arrested Peter. Peter's in jail. He supposed that these two were pillars on which the infant cause rested, Christianity, and that if these were removed, the cause would die.
Was that true, Dennis?
Well, that's what he thought was true.
But did he do away with them? No. Four, and when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison and delivered him to four quadrillions of soldiers to keep him intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.
Four quadrillions. Dennis, can you describe what a quadrillion is? Yes. Four at a time. Two inside the cell and two outside, and they were making sure that this Peter didn't escape. Peter, therefore, was kept in prison, but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
Now, they're all meeting together. They're all praying, praying very earnestly. It was a good sign. God intended to free Peter from jail when he stirred up the spirit of prayer. Now, they didn't on their own.
They may have thought so, but they didn't start praying on their own. This prayer came from God. It stirred him up, and they prayed. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains and the keeper before the door kept the prison, Peter was so worried that he went to sleep.
He was chained with his left hand to the right hand of one and his right hand to the left hand of the other. And behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison, and he smote Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly.
And his chains fell off from his hands. The angel had to kick Peter on the side to wake him up. He was asleep. Chains fell off from his hands. Now, what does that indicate to you, David? Absolutely. That's the way it happened.
It's recorded. What about this man, Peter? Did he have insomnia? Remember, he went to sleep in the garden also. Could you sleep chained between two soldiers, Dennis? We're fixing to give him six days in the electric chair.
Eight. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And they saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. In other words, put on your pants, lace up your boots, and you better put on your coat, for it's chilly out tonight.
And we're going outside. And he went out and followed him. And whist, means he could not tell, not that it was true which was done by the angel, but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first and the second ward, ward here means guard, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city, which opened to them of his own accord.
Just walked through. And they went out and passed on through the street, and forthwith the angel departed from him. Now, Joy, why was it necessary for these angels to free Peter? David, could Peter have set himself free?
As soon as they were out of where Peter could go on his own, the angel left him. Eleven, and when Peter was come to himself, I like that, he came to himself, there was someone else that came to themself.
Who was that, Greg? Burge? Dennis? Dennis? I really didn't make an impression on you, did I? Who was it, David? Prodigal son. When he came to himself, Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectations of the people of the Jews.
And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. Now remember, the Lord stirred up the gift of prayer, and the people were praying.
And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda, and when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in and told how Peter stood before the gate, and they said to her, Thou art mad, or Peter's release.
And he knocks at the door. The damsel doesn't open the door. She's so excited and goes back and tells them, Your prayer's been answered. Peter's right outside. And they say, You're crazy. You would have to put that in.
Well, do you see how even they doubted that they were praying? But she constantly confirmed that it was even so. Then they said, It's not Peter. It's his angel. Well, they'd probably been praying all night.
Peter, when he knocks on the door, the young girl's so excited that she didn't open it. That can't be Peter, they said. He's in prison. Now I ask you, were they believing in their prayer? Were they praying with belief?
Did they think Peter would be released? Did God release Peter because they prayed? All right. Well, the answer is no. He did not do it because they prayed. But if it had been yes, how could he if they did not believe in prayer?
All right. It seems like when we get up here, prayer takes the blues out of us.
Or something does in our own way.
But God uses prayer for us. And then we can pray.
Sure. Prayer changes nothing except you.
What? We are compassionate. Yes, yes. God said, God said, God said, God said, God said, God said, God said, God said, and when the prayer came down. Yes.
That's the way it works. Well, he didn't set Peter free because they prayed. But Peter would not have been set free if they had not prayed. How do you explain that, David? That's right. But Peter continued knocking, and when they had opened the door, door, and saw him, they were astonished.
Though seeing is not always believing, believing is not always seeing. 17. But he beckoned unto them with his hand to hold their peace. In other words, be quiet for fear of the soldiers. Declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison, and he said, Go, show these things unto James, and to the brethren, and he departed, and went to another place.
Peter insisted that his release was supernatural? Yes. Is it? Peter insisted that his release was supernatural. I believe some modern churches could have informed him on that mistake. The Catholics claim that it was at this time that Peter came to Rome and established the potpourri.
That's not right. That's wrong. 18. Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers what was become of Peter. I like Luke's way of reporting no small stir. What's that mean, Greg?
That's right. And when Herod had sought for him and found him not, he examined the keepers and commanded that they should be put to death, and he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and there he abode. Man cannot find out that which God has hidden.
There's no way. It was a common thing for the ones guarding the prison to be given the same punishment that was due to the prisoner if the prisoner escapes. And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon, but they came with one accord to him, and having made Blastus their king, Chamberlain their friend, desired peace because their country was nourished by the king's country.
They received allotment from his country. And upon a set day, Herod, arrayed in royal purple, royal apparel, sat upon his throne and made an orientation unto them. David, can't you just see Herod, he walks in decked out with shining, it's not an armor, it's a robe that whenever he moved they just glistened.
And the people gave a shout saying, it is the voice of a God and not of a man. I want you to be sure that God gets that which is due to him. Don't ever try to short-circuit him. Be just as sure that God does not get anything that is not due to him.
Here Herod is letting the people, and perhaps himself, think that he is a God. Something happens, and immediately the angel of the Lord smote him because he gave not God the glory and he was eaten in worms and gave up the ghost.
How would you like that, Bert? Isaiah 42, 8. Herod was 54 years old. I am the Lord, that is my name, and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to any graven image. But the word of God grew and multiplied.
The church prospered. And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry and took with them John, whose surname was Mark. Now, Greg, why did the gospel spread? You can't answer because it was God's will.
That's true, but don't, well, that's all true, but that wasn't the reason. Dennis? That's right, but why did it spread? That's what happened. The seed was sown in good ground. It had been prepared for.
Chapter 13. Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers and Barnabas and Simeon that was called Niger, meaning black. Surname of the prophet Simeon and Lucius of Cyrene, Manani, which had been brought up from Herod, the Tetrarch, a governor of the fourth part of the region, and Saul.
As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me, Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereunto I have called them. Now, the word separate is in the imperative mood. It means you separate.
Ministered of Christians serving Christ, whether by prayer or by instructing others concerning the way of salvation or in some other way of those who aid others with their resources and relieve their poverty, this is what ministering is.
Separate. The private inward call had already taken place. Now this separation is for the brethren who remain behind to support those that go. Such people must consider the fact that they have been called by the Lord.
Remember, you're called by the Lord right where you are to do what you're doing. You'll have to answer the Lord for it. Barnabas and Saul have also been commissioned by the church, so they must be very careful to not abuse their authority of the Lord or the church.
And when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. Now, was it by fasting and prayer and laying on of hands that qualified these men, Greg? He who called them qualified them.
Did they send them forth, David? All right. It was the Holy Spirit. Why was it that man did not send them forth? All right. If man sends them, it is not of man and has not the power of the Holy Ghost.
Men don't command that power. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Cilicia, and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. They, meaning Barnabas and Saul, had nothing to do with their being sent, even the people that were sent, just as we when we're called are sent.
And when they were at Salamis, they preached the Word of God in the synagogues of the Jews, and they had also John their minister. Was John sent, Joy? Was he commissioned by the church? No, he was not.
He was not commissioned by the church, but they took him to assist them in minor offices. And as a deacon or servant, that they might give themselves wholly to the doctrine of the Lord, John was a nephew of Barnabas, and was not sent by the Holy Spirit.
He was chosen by his uncle. This led to trouble later on. I've got to quit, folks. Yes, it's true it was God's will that John go or he wouldn't have gone, but the church didn't commission him. So John accompanied them mainly because he's a nephew of Barnabas.
That's right. All right, is there any questions? Laying on of hands? All right. The laying on of hands has no magical power to it. It is that you agree with this person. It had nothing to do with imparting the Holy Ghost or spiritualizing or anything.
It simply means like when we ordain a deacon and we come and lay our hands on him means that I support you. I will do everything in my power to see that you can accomplish your mission. Anything else?
Yes, yes, yes. But now while the disciples lived, any one of them, there was a transitional period, and that's what the book of Acts is, that the disciples could impart the Holy Spirit in no one else.
And when they died, it disappeared. We have the Holy Spirit now upon confession of Jesus as our Lord. Anything else? All right, Dennis, dismiss this, will you, please?