SUNDAY - SEPTEMBER 7, 2025 "Divine Providence" Acts 12:1-17

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I don't know how many of you actually look in the worship guide and look at the title of the sermon each week.

Today we're going to be in Acts, chapter 12, and the sermon is entitled Divine Providence.

Acts 12 · chapter mention

Now, if we look at those two words, we understand divine.

We know that deals with God.

Now we probably use it in ways that we shouldn't talk to, like we say food is divine, it in ways that we shouldn't talk to like we say food is divine.

Or we have divinity candy because it's so good.

Right, and we probably use it in wrong ways.

But we understand what divine means, that it means towards God.

But but sometimes there are words that we use in church that we may not fully grasp, such as providence.

Providence is a churchy word a lot of times.

Unless you live in a town called Providence, it's.

You know what does it mean?

Well, there's a book that I use, often called the Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms.

It is a great read, puts you to sleep, so, but I use it a lot of times when we come to words like this.

And Donald McKim wrote this book and here's his definition that he gives us for the doctrine of providence.

It says the doctrine of providence means that God is constantly at work, is constantly at work carrying out his purposes and his plans, not just for human history, but in human lives.

So God is constantly working in our lives, and today, as we come to our passage in Acts, chapter 12, the essence of the text is this is that Herod, he killed James, he imprisoned Peter, and the church prayed while God was at work?

Acts 12 · chapter mention

We're going to see God's providence in this passage today, in all aspects, we're going to see God working and moving, and sometimes in ways that we understand, sometimes in ways that we don't understand.

But where does it come for us?

What are we trying to see in this?

Well, I think we need to see that God is provident and he is always working, no matter what situation in which we find ourselves.

God is provident, he is working constantly, always, even when we don't understand.

So if that is the case, if God is provident and he is constantly working and, as we just sang, he is faithful in every situation and he won't fail me won't if that is true and that is that is true because of his providence, where does that lead us?

Well, the challenge for us, then, is that we must trust God.

Hear me, we must trust God.

In every situation, in every place that we find ourselves, we must trust God.

So the question that we want to answer today is this how do we see God's providence in this passage?

If God is provident and it is about his providence, how do we see it in this passage?

I invite you this morning, and as we look at Acts, chapter 12, we're going to start in verse 1 and read down through verse 17.

Acts 12 · chapter mention

I invite you this morning, and as we look at Acts, chapter 12, we're going to start in verse 1 and read down through verse 17.

Acts 12 · chapter mention

I invite you this morning, if you are able, to stand with me as we give honor to the reading of God's Word, acts, chapter 12, verse 1.

Acts 12:1

And about that time, herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church.

He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also, this was during the days of unleavened bread and when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending, after the Passover, to bring him out to the people.

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

Now, when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, peter was sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains and centuries, and he said to him they came to the iron gate leading into the city.

It opened for them of its own accord and they went out and went along one street and immediately the angel left him.

When Peter came to himself, he said Now I am sure that the Lord has sent this angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.

When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.

And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer, recognizing Peter's voice in her joy, she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate.

They said to her you are out of your mind.

But she kept insisting that it was so and they kept saying it's an angel.

But Peter continued knocking and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed, but motioning them with his hand to be silent.

He described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison and he said tell, let's pray together.

God, I thank you for today.

I thank you for this opportunity that we have to see your hand at work.

When we understand, when we don't understand, when we feel it, when we don't, when we know it and when we don't recognize it, god, you are at work and you are provident in every situation.

Work and you are provident in every situation.

So, god, we ask you this morning, as we open your word, that you change our lives because of it.

Jesus, it's in your wonderful name that we pray, amen.

So again, the question that we are seeking to answer is is how do we see God's providence in this passage?

Well, first it's the difficult one.

We start with the hard one.

First, we see God's providence in the Christian's suffering and in James's death.

We see that God is working and he is provident in this, and we know that they are suffering.

The language tells us.

Listen to verse 1 again.

About that time, herod the king hear me laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church and he killed James.

He laid violent hands Now listen what he is saying when he laid violent hands.

This is not just he arrested them and threw them in prison, that's not it.

He is laying violent hands on them.

It is not a happy, good thing.

They are suffering and they are being punished, all for the sake of Jesus.

And God is at work.

Now, listen, I don't totally understand all this, but here's what we see and what we know.

Listen, while God is provident and he is working, herod is going to have to answer for the sin that he has done.

Listen, herod is going to answer for James' death.

Herod is going to answer for the suffering of the christians at violent hands.

But understand that god, in his sovereignty, is not complacent.

He is working in his providence.

This I don't understand that and I don't.

I don't fully fully grasp how those two things go together, but scripture tells us that they do and it shows us that that they happen and they work.

So hear me, church, listen, we are not free like we.

We will answer for our sins that we commit, just as herod does and as herod is going to.

When we commit a sin, when we commit offense against god, we are going to answer for that.

That is us.

We have a responsibility in that.

But but we have to understand, even in that responsibility of our own, that god is at work.

And you say, grant, but james not only james died.

Well, yeah, but let's understand that, let's let's have a better understanding of what death is.

Paul tells us in in philippians, chapter one he, he tells us, listen, he says for me, to live is christ and to die is gain.

When paul is writing those words, listen, we need to understand this.

He is saying listen for if, if I hang around and I live on this earth, he goes on to say in the next verse, that means fruitful labor for god, because if he lives, if god, if god lets him live and he continues to live in this life, that is fruitful labor.

He is going to turn it to the god and he is going to be with that.

But he says, listen, this is a grant paraphrase.

But he says, listen, this is a grand paraphrase.

But he says I hope that he calls me home, I'm ready to go.

For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Listen, what we don't understand about that is because we are the ones left grieving when death happens.

It is to their gain.

As believers, we are the ones left grieving.

So it's hard on us and we don't understand it, but what we have to see and what we have to know, that, even if the suffering at violent hands, even if it's not suffering at violent hands, we have to understand that in every situation, even to the death of believers, god is working and what we need to be doing is trusting that he knows what he's doing, that he understands what he's doing, that he understands what he's doing, that the songs that we sing about God being a good God, that him being a gracious God, that he being a God who loves and cares for us.

We have to trust in those scriptures and trust that how he is working is good, even when we don't see it.

Listen and I understand, as probably these christians did.

I'm sure these christians, they they're thinking, oh, but if herod, herod, herod, I'm sure yes, and herod's going to answer for that, and sometimes we suffer at the hands of other people and they are going to answer for that.

But where we need to turn our focus is not on them and not on our suffering.

Where we need to turn our focus is on God, because he is provident and he is working.

Paul also tells us in this.

In 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, starting in verse 30, he says this I tell you this, brothers flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

Behold, I tell you a mystery we shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed in the moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed for this perishable body perishable body must put on the imperishable and this mortal body shall put on immortality when the perishable puts on the imperishable and the mortal puts on immortality.

Listen, there is nothing that this world can do to us that God is not using and working.

We must trust him.

God was provident.

He was provident in the Christian suffering.

He was provident in James's death death.

We also see this morning that God was provident in Peter's rescue.

Now, listen, while we may not understand and we may not grasp, and the providence of God is something that we don't like to talk about when it's not going our way, we love to talk about the providence of God when he's doing something like rescuing Peter, and it is the providence of God when he's doing something like rescuing Peter, and it is the providence of God.

We see this.

In this.

There's a couple things that show us that this is all God's working.

We see Peter was arrested.

We see that he was guarded by four squadrons of soldiers.

Here's what that means there was four groups of four soldiers who were watching him at all times.

Of those four soldiers, two were chained to him.

We see that Two chains, one on one side, one on the other.

They were chained to Peter, and then there's two soldiers standing outside the gate.

I'm sure that Herod has heard about the times even back earlier in Acts.

Remember, peter's been arrested before and he just walked out and they're like this isn't happening again.

We're going to make sure.

So, four squads, so about every three hours.

What would happen is a new set of four soldiers would come in, just so they could stay vigilant.

Let's you, let's, let's not sleep in these three hours, right, let's stay awake, let's be chained, let's guard the doors.

In three hours somebody's coming.

I can stay awake for three hours, and so they're rotating, making making sure he doesn't fall, as that they don't fall asleep, that they are guarding this, well, but but while they may be awake, what's Peter doing?

He's asleep, and he's not just a little bit asleep.

Did you see what happened?

It says the angel comes in and there is a light that fills the cell.

So this angel comes in and fills the cell.

Now I don't know what's happening to the guards at this time.

Who knows?

It doesn't tell us.

I'm not going to speculate.

But the angel comes in, light fills the cell, doesn't?

Wake Peter up?

You see what the angel has to do, says he has to strike him to wake him up.

Hey, peter, wake up, get your clothes on, put your sandals on, put your cloak on.

He looks down.

The chains have fallen off.

So they get up and they go through the gate where the two centuries are and just walk right past.

It's happening in such a way that it tells us that Peter thinks he's sleepwalking, he thinks it's a vision.

He can't believe what's happening.

I mean, he's just walking by and this is going.

It's just happening.

It is not until he gets outside of the prison, down the street, out of the way from the prison, that he recognizes it comes to verse 11.

And he says this in verse 11.

When Peter came to himself down the street from the prison, he said Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.

I am sure that the Lord sent this angel.

I am sure that the Lord did this.

It wasn't because of Peter, it wasn't because of what Peter had done.

It was all because of God, in his providence, working, and in his providence while.

In the providence, he saw fit that James died.

In his providence, he saw fit that Peter died.

In his providence, he saw fit that Peter lived.

I can't explain that to you, but it's happening and Peter's living and he walks out of the cell amazed by God.

But can I go back for just a moment and see that he's asleep?

Just a moment, and see that he's asleep.

Imagine the worst night of sleep you've ever had.

Imagine, listen, I I'll tell you one of mine.

We did a little bit of camping when I grew up, when I was a teenager.

Not much, but we had a tent that we would go.

Now, granted, it wasn't, we weren't roughing it by any stretch of the imagination, but it seemed like every time we went camping, a storm came, not just a little bit of rain, I'm talking about downpour of rain.

My brother and I were sleeping in one part of this.

It was a three-room tent and we're sleeping and we're just watching in the rain.

We're just watching the tent sag and it starts about four foot over us and then it goes to three foot, then it goes to two foot and it's about a foot over our head and we didn't know anything about camping.

So you know what we did Knocked the water off.

You know what happens when you touch a tent it leaks.

So now, all of a sudden, not only is the water continue to gather and gather over us, now it's not only gathering over us, it's just falling down on us.

I didn't sleep much that night.

Imagine your worst night of sleep, whether it be a terrible condition and where?

The conditions of where you were, or maybe it is a constant worry about what's going to happen tomorrow.

You better believe Peter's worried about what's going to happen tomorrow.

James has just been killed and he's thinking it's going to happen to him tomorrow.

Guarantee you he was worried about it.

But what was he doing?

He was asleep Because he trusted that God was at work and he could trust God.

We've got to understand that God, in his providence, is constantly working.

Listen in Philippians, chapter 4, verses 4 through 7.

Philippians 4:4–7

Paul writes this Rejoice in the Lord.

Always, again, I will say rejoice.

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.

The Lord is at hand.

That means God is working.

The Lord is at hand.

Verse 6, do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your Peter knows that kind of peace, the peace of God that surpasses understanding.

There's no way he should be asleep.

I can almost promise you that if it were me, I would not be asleep.

But here's old Peter Sleeping so soundly that the angel has to kick him to wake him up.

And he's not at peace because he's done something or because there are people out there doing something.

Listen to how this peace comes to us.

What Paul says Listen, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

It's not, hey, pray and then do this, or pray and then do that.

No, it is pray and then do this, or pray and then do that, or pray.

No, it is pray and trust, pray and for Peter, go to sleep Because there is peace, because the Lord is at hand and he is working.

We see God's providence in the suffering of the Christians, in the death of James.

We see God's providence in the rescue of Peter and we see God's providence in the church's praying.

Listen, even before we go back to Acts, here, here again this verse, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

Then the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.

See what the church did here.

James is killed, peter's arrested, in verse 5.

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

Go back over to the end.

The church is gathered in the last section, in verses 12 through 17.

Where do we find the church?

We find them gathered together, praying.

They're praying, listen, they're not out calling the congressman, they're not out protesting.

They're not out trying to do something to figure out how to get Peter out of prison.

They're not trying to figure out how to get Peter away from imminent death.

They are praying.

Listen, I tell people all the time that I'll be praying for you, and a lot of times I'll say this I know that sounds trite, listen, prayer is not a trite thing, it is a powerful thing.

Back in Acts, chapter 2, verse 42, when the church was beginning, listen he says and they devoted themselves.

Acts 2:42

The church devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.

Now, listen, I'm gonna preach to myself a little bit here.

Listen, to be devoted to the apostles teaching.

That'm going to preach to myself a little bit here.

Listen, to be devoted to the apostles' teaching.

That's devoted to Scripture.

We've talked about that.

Listen, I'm all about that because I'm doing something.

It may be studying, but I'm doing something To be devoted to the fellowship.

Hey, I'm doing something.

This whole impact thing that we're doing, where we're going to recognize ministries in our church that is being devoted to the fellowship.

You're finding your place to serve.

You are devoted to the fellowship.

It's doing something.

Even the breaking of bread that he's talking about it's doing something.

But so often we come to prayer and we think about prayer as a lesser thing, because we're not doing when we pray.

What we're doing is we are handing off control to God, and we don't like it because we want to be in control of the situation, but in God's providence and him working.

The church prayed Church.

We got to be praying.

We got to be praying.

And then I love what happened.

Hereeter he when he realizes oh wait, this wasn't a dream, I better get out of the street, I bet they're.

I bet they're at john mark's mom's house, let me go.

So he goes and the church is in there praying.

He knocks on the door.

Here comes Rhoda you got to love her.

She comes to the door and recognizes Peter and gets so excited that she forgets to open the door.

Oh, it's Peter.

She forgets to open the door.

So she goes to tell everybody and says hey, it's Peter.

You're crazy.

No really, seriously.

Peter's at the gate.

It's not Peter, it's an angel.

No really, come.

So finally she gets them to go to the gate and listen to verse 16.

It says but Peter continued knocking.

And when they opened they saw him and were amazed.

Here's my question why are they so amazed?

They're praying for Peter.

They're praying for his release, they're praying for God working.

Why are they amazed when God does?

Hear me, church.

Not only do we need to pray, we need to pray knowing God's at work and trusting Him to work, and when he does, we need to trust Him in however he works and say thank you, god.

We see God's providence.

We see it in James' death.

We see it in James' death.

We see it in Peter's rescue.

We see God's providence even in the church's prayer, because he is at work.

So where does this leave us?

So often we find ourselves in situations.

Sometimes we don't feel like God's working in our situation.

It could be a situation at work, it could be a relationship.

It could be a relationship, it could be a loss, it could be in a lot of things.

And we say God, where are you, what are you doing?

But we've got to know that God is at work and trusts his providence.

Sometimes, sometimes God is at work and we don't like the way he's working.

But you know what we need to do Trust in the way he's working, knowing he is good and he is god.

We got to trust him.

We got to trust him when it's good, we got to trust Him when it's bad.

And what we need to do to understand the peace that surpasses all understanding is pray.

Pray for ourselves, pray for the situation, pray for the faith to know that God is working.

Pray for the faith to know that God is working.

Pray for the faith to know that he is in control and he won't fail.

He is working.

He said.

I don't know where you are today, but I'm sure that this morning there are people in here who listen for the first time.

You've never trusted in God's providence, haven't?

Because you haven't trusted him for your salvation.

Listen, hear me.

No matter where you are in your life, god has been and will continue to be at work and he is calling us.

And just like Herod one day is going to bear responsibility for his sin, we are too.

But as believers, when we have trusted in Christ, when it comes time to pay the price for those sins, you know what's going to happen.

Jesus is going to step up and he's going to say God, I died for that one, I died for that one, I died for all of them and we're going to be forgiven.

But if you've never trusted in Christ as your Savior, you will pay the punishment.

I pray that this morning.

Maybe for the first time you will trust Not maybe For the first time you will trust in God's providence and you will call on him.

Or maybe you have trusted in God's providence and you will call on Him.

Or maybe you have trusted in Christ, but right now, life is overwhelming.

You're in the middle of it.

You don't see Him working, or at least you don't think he's working.

You don't feel Him working here, least you don't think he's working.

You don't feel him working.

Here's my prayer for you this morning Is you need to pray and you need to trust that he is working.

Maybe this morning you find yourself in that situation as we enter into this time of invitation.

Now I'm going to pray for us and we're going to stand and sing.

We are inviting you, if you have never trusted in christ, to let today be the day of salvation.

We'll be down here, we will receive you and pray for you.

Or, if you have, maybe this morning you need to come and you need to kneel at this altar and pray and renew your trust.

If you're looking for a church home, we invite you to come this morning so together we can pray and trust in God's providence.

Let me pray for us, god.

We love you.

Thank you for how you love us, god.

I am thankful that you are working.

You are moving.

When we see it, you're working.

When we don't see it, you're working, you're moving.

You're moving.

You're calling us to salvation, you're calling us to repentance.

God, this morning, help us to trust you.

We love you so much, jesus.

It's in your name we pray.

Amen, stand with us this morning.

If you have a decision to make this morning, we invite you to come.

Feel free to reach out at desotohillscom.