Naylor Community Christian Church
Naylor, Georgia
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Acts 12:1-5
Acts
12:1 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the
church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put
to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this met with approval among the
Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of
Unleavened Bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over
to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him
out for public trial after the Passover.
5
So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for
him.
--
The epic film Quo Vadis – based on the book by the same name – graphically compares
the decadent Roman Empire with the struggles of the early Christians living in
Rome in 64 AD – the Roman Empire at this time was led by the Emperor Nero, who is
known for burning down Rome so he could rebuild the city in honor of himself
--
when the citizens of Rome turn on him because of the destruction, Nero blames
the fires on the members of a new religious sect that call themselves
Christians – and to appease the crowds, Nero actively begins persecuting Christians,
with many of them taken to the Roman Coliseum and thrown to the lions
--
in the movie, we are given a picture of just such an event – the crowd gathered
in the Coliseum that day roars with approval as about 200 Christians are forced
into the arena – Roman soldiers surround them – pushing them and urging them
into the arena with whips
--
they huddle together in fear – clinging to one another as they face the jeers
of the crowd and certain death -- one older woman holds a younger woman and
prays, "Oh dear Lord Jesus, help me, help me."
–
the lions that were held in cages in the basement of the Coliseum have been freed
– and the only thing keeping them from attacking the Christians huddled in the
center of the arena are iron bars that stand at the top of the concrete steps
leading to the basement
--
as the Christians are pushed into the arena, we see several lions climb up and
down the concrete steps and leap against the bars in anticipation of their release
-- As Emperor Nero watches, his
chief commander tells him he may give the signal to release the lions – but before
he can do so, the apostle Peter enters the arena and in a loud booming voice
proclaims to the audience: "Peace! Peace to the martyrs -- Peace to them
-- Take thy children, Lord -- Numb their wounds -- Suffer their pains -- Give
them strength, oh Savior”
--
Peter then addresses the small group of Christians before him – and with raised
hands says, “Blessed are you, my children, who die in the name of Jesus -- I
say to you, that this day you shall be with him in paradise -- Here where Nero
rules today, Christ shall reign forever."
--
Three guards quickly seize Peter and take him away as the crowd shouts at him
in anger -- Nero asks the commander, "Who is that man?"
-- the commander replies, “I think
he is their leader. A man called Peter. He escaped us before."
-- Nero exclaims, "He said
Christ would replace me! What sort of…"
–
but Nero’s response is halted as the martyrs calmly begin to sing a hymn. – he listens
in disbelief. -- "They're singing!" he says.
-- The lions pace impatiently behind
the iron bars -- The crowd looks on in anticipation
--
finally, Nero signals the trumpeters – the order is given -- the iron bars are
slowly lifted and several dozen lions walk out onto the arena grounds to the
cheers of the crowd.
--
that moment in the film dramatically shows the two paths that lay before all of
us – the choice between following the world and following Christ – between living
for self and living for God
--
as many leaders do, Nero sought fame and fortune above all – his pride demanded
that people worship him – adore him – laud him – for who he was and what he had
accomplished – it was all about self – the spectacle in the Coliseum that day
was solely for the purpose of giving honor and glory to Nero – for having the
people praise him
--
on the other hand, you have the Christians – and while they did not choose to
enter the Coliseum of their own free will that day, they remained faithful to
their Lord and Savior – with their very lives, they exalted Him and put Him above
themselves – choosing to submit themselves to their fate in order to bring
honor to God with their lives and their deaths
--
at the end of the day, while it may have seemed that Nero had won -- the truth
of the matter is that Peter’s words rang true – that in the very place where
Nero ruled, Jesus would reign forever
--
in fulfillment of Proverbs 16:18 -- “Pride goeth before destruction, and a
haughty spirit before a fall” -- Nero’s pride and self-aggrandizement would
ultimately result in his eternal destruction
-- such is always the case – for leaders
and for all of us who live for self and who let pride exalt us and elevate us
above Christ – who choose our own path and seek fame and fortune above all else
-- as D.L. Moody wrote, “When a man
thinks he has got a good deal of strength, and is self-confident, you may look
for his downfall. It may be years before it comes to light, but it is already
commenced.”
-- this is the theme for today as we
continue on in our sermon series in the Book of Acts -- we are closing out the
second section of this series – Unexpected Gospel Growth -- by looking at the
example of King Herod from Acts 12 – whose pride and self-aggrandizement led to
his downfall before the God who will ultimately reign for all eternity
II. The Pride of King Herod
-- so, let’s look back again at Acts
12 and see what we can learn about pride and glory and living for self and the
eventual fall that is sure to come
-- verse 1
Acts
12:1 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the
church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put
to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this met with approval among the
Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of
Unleavened Bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over
to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him
out for public trial after the Passover.
5
So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for
him.
-- as we look at the story of King
Herod, the first thing we do is have to identify him – there are a lot of
Herods in the Bible – and it’s important for us to know which one is which as
we read through the Scriptures – it would be helpful for you to make a note of
this and stick it in your Bible so you can keep all these Herods straight as
you read through the Scriptures
-- this King Herod in Acts 12 is
Herod Agrippa I -- he was the grandson of Herod the Great – Herod the Great is
the one we read about in the Gospel of Luke – it was Herod the Great that the Magi
visited when Jesus was born – he was the one who had all the babies killed in
Bethlehem during the time of Jesus – so, Herod the Great was the start of all
the kings named Herod
-- they were not fully Jewish – they
had Jewish heritage – but they were put into power by the Romans – who appointed
them to different areas and who allowed them to reign and govern under Roman
authority
--
Herod Agrippa I – this Herod we are reading about -- is the nephew of Herod
Antipas – Herod Antipas was the king who had John the Baptist killed -- and,
finally, he was the father of Herod Agrippa II, who we are going to read about
later in the Book of Acts – Herod Agrippa II – the son of this Herod – served as
the judge in a court case against the Apostle Paul
--
so, lots of Herods in the Bible that we read about in the gospels and in the
Book of Acts
--
Romans 12 covers the events that occurred from about 43-44 AD – this would have
been about 9 years after the persecution of Stephen by the Jews – and as we
have studied, in the years since Stephen was martyred by the Jews, persecution
has come against the church – forcing the Christians to flee Jerusalem for their
safety – which had the benefit of leading them to share the gospel message throughout
the rest of Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth – the Gentile nations
-- Paul has been converted and
brought to faith in Christ by this time – and he is continuing to preach in
Damascus and Tarsus and in other areas in the Roman Empire – and then last
week, we read the story of Peter being shown by God that the gospel was to also
be carried to the Gentiles, as Cornelius and the people who were with him were brought
to a saving knowledge of Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit
-- as Chapter 12 opens, Peter has
returned to Jerusalem, where he continued to lead the church – but the
persecution begun by the Jews has continued unabated – even though Paul has
been converted and become a Christian, the Jews still persecuted the Christians
where they found them – and now, we see that the Government gets involved, as
well
-- we read here that King Herod
started arresting some members of the church, intending to persecute them – now,
remember what I told you about him – he was not Jewish – he didn’t hold to the
Jewish faith – he gave it lip service – he used it for political power – for political
gain – for influence over those he ruled
-- Herod was like so many politicians
today who claim to be a Christian for political purposes – they may say they
are a Christian – they may use Christian language – but when you look at their
lives – at what they do – at the words they say – at the way they live – it is
obvious that they are not truly Christians – they are using the faith for political
power and to exalt their own positions, just like Herod is doing here
--
Herod saw the Jews opposed the Christians – he saw they were persecuting them –
and he decided to join in because he thought that if he helped persecute the
Christians, then the Jews would look on him favorably
--
Luke tells us that Herod set out to arrest members of the church, intending to
persecute them -- KJV and other translations phrase this as Herod “laid his
hands on them” or “stretched forth his hands” -- Herod stretching forth his
hands now may indicate that he had been bound in some way up to this point --
restrained by God from fully pouring out his evil intent on the church -- but
now God has allowed this to occur, in accordance with His will
--
contrast this with what Scripture tells us about the hands of Jesus -- when Jesus
stretched forth His hands or laid His hands on others, it was to bring healing,
restoration, and salvation
--
this turn of phrase here in Acts 12:1 reminds us that there are always hands
reaching out to us, even today -- some stretch out their hands to bring good into
our lives -- while others stretch out their hands like Herod, with designs for
evil or with designs to only exalt themselves, regardless of the cost to us
--
so, as Herod stretched out his hands for evil to arrest the members of the
church, one of those he managed to capture just happened to be James, the third
highest leader in the church at that time
-- this is James, the brother of
John -- one of the original disciples of Jesus and one of the special group of
disciples that Jesus continually singled out to be with Him on special
occasions – when you read through the gospels, we are always reading about
Jesus taking Peter, James, and John with Him -- this is that James
-- Herod arrested him and persecuted
him – in all likelihood, this means that he tortured him -- eventually killing
him by beheading him with the sword
-- and, since the Jews applauded this
and praised him for arresting and killing James, Herod expanded his campaign
against the Christians – he managed to capture the Apostle Peter and put him
into prison with the intent of having him put to death, too, just like James
-- since our focus this morning is
on Herod, we’re not going to look at what happened to Peter after his arrest –
we read here that he was kept in prison and the church was earnestly praying to
God for him – and you can read the rest of Peter’s story here in Acts 12 for
yourself
-- spoiler alert – God freed Peter
from prison and released him from Herod’s grasp
-- but that is the future – what I
want you to focus on right now is how things look for Herod – Herod is top dog –
he has been very successful in his campaign against the Christians – he has
captured two of their leaders – killing James and putting Peter in prison – he has
been given applause from the Jews for his actions – everyone is singing his praise
– and Herod is living life large – his poll numbers are good – all the people
like him – he is on the top of his game
-- but Herod has made the choice to promote
himself above all else – to glorify himself and to seek honor and praise for
him and what he has done – his pride is bursting out of the seams – and this
will lead to his downfall – because God is not going to let another take His
place for very long
-- if you would, turn over to Psalm
94 with me and let’s look at a related passage there
-- Psalm 94:1-7
Psalm
94
1
The Lord is a God who avenges.
O God who avenges, shine forth.
2
Rise up, Judge of the earth;
pay back to the proud what they deserve.
3
How long, Lord, will the wicked,
how long will the wicked be jubilant?
4
They pour out arrogant words;
all the evildoers are full of boasting.
5
They crush your people, Lord;
they oppress your inheritance.
6
They slay the widow and the foreigner;
they murder the fatherless.
7
They say, “The Lord does not see;
the God of Jacob takes no notice.”
-- throughout history, the same
pattern always repeats – people and leaders set themselves up against God and
the people of God – they seek to exalt themselves and to fulfill their desires
and their wants and wishes without any regard of its effects on others –
without any regard to God
-- the author of Psalm 94 cries out
to God for justice – he cries out to God for vengeance against the wicked –
against the proud – against those who oppressed the people of God for their own
gain
-- he says in verse 4 that they pour
out arrogant words – they are full of boasting – in other words, they are
prideful – they are filled with themselves – when they speak, it is always
about what they have done – the things they have accomplished – who they are
and how great they are and how much better they are than those around them
-- they stand on the heads of the
people and crush them under their feet so that their own personal pride will be
lifted – so that their own personal wealth will be made greater
-- in verses 5-7, the psalmist says
that these evildoers crush the people of God – they oppress the inheritance of
the Lord – the chosen people that God calls His own
-- they slay the widow and the
foreigner – they murder the fatherless – they do what they want and take no
heed of God or His commands – it seems like they can do anything with impunity –
for God takes no action against them
–
these wicked people say that God doesn’t see them and doesn’t notice – so they
keep on oppressing and crushing and hurting the people, for no other reason than
personal pride and glory
-- but the psalmist goes on to
affirm that God does see what they do – He hears what these evildoers are
saying – He knows their hearts and sees their wickedness – and when the time is
right, God disciplines them and His justice and righteousness are exacted on
them
-- look at verse 21-23
Psalm
94:21 The wicked band together against the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.
22
But the Lord has become my fortress,
and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
23
He will repay them for their sins
and destroy them for their wickedness;
the Lord our God will destroy them.
-- while the wicked band together against
the righteous – while they continue to condemn the innocent to death – while they
exalt themselves and seek glory for their own name – the Lord sees
-- He protects His people – He is a
fortress and hedge of protection for them – the rock in which the people take
refuge
-- it is then that God moves – He repays
them for their sins – He exacts justice from them – He destroys them for their
wickedness and unrighteousness – the Lord destroys them all
-- vengeance is mine, declares the
Lord – and while it may look for a time like evil is triumphing – while it may
look like the unrighteous and the wicked are prevailing – while it may look
like they are amassing wealth and power and honor and glory through their
prideful and selfish acts – there will come a time when the piper is paid –
when God’s justice is exacted from them – when they pay the price for their
sins and for taking the glory and honor that was due God’s holy name
-- we see this promise in Scripture
displayed for us in the life of Herod Agrippa I – just like God allowed Nero to
continue his wickedness for a season – God allowed Herod to persecute the
church and kill its leaders for a time
-- this is grace in action – for we
read in Romans 3:25-26 that God, in His forbearance, left the sins committed beforehand
unpunished, so that His righteousness could be demonstrated at the right time –
in other words, God gave the wicked and the unrighteous time to repent of their
sins before pouring out His wrath and justice on them
-- but at some point, God’s patience
runs out – the clock stops – and the wicked are held accountable for their sins
– that is when He moves in justice and righteousness and destroys the wicked for
all that they have done
-- this happened to Nero – and we
see it happen to Herod Agrippa I here in Acts 12
-- look back at Acts 12, starting in
the second part of verse 19b-23
Acts
12:19b Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. 20 He had been
quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and
sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted
personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on
the king’s country for their food supply.
21
On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and
delivered a public address to the people. 22 They shouted, “This is the voice
of a god, not of a man.” 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to
God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
-- Herod had been in conflict with
the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they sought an audience with him to make
peace – Herod appeared before them and spoke to the crowd – and in response,
they shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man”
-- for someone as narcissistic as Herod,
this was music to his ears – for someone who lived to be worshiped and
glorified by others – to be lifted up above everyone else – to be applauded for
who he was and what he had done – this was exactly what he desired
-- but what Herod did by receiving
this laud and honor from the crowd was to elevate himself about the Lord God
Almighty – and this was the final straw
-- God will not share His name, His
throne, or His glory with another – especially, with someone like Herod Agrippa
I – and when Herod refused to repent but received the worship and honor God
deserved, God’s wrath and justice was poured out on him
-- Herod was struck down – he was
eaten by worms – and died
-- as the psalmist said in Psalm 94,
all who act in this way and try to usurp God’s glory will be destroyed
III. Closing
-- so, what can we take home from
the sad and sordid tale of Herod Agrippa I?
-- first, Herod’s story is a
reminder to us that evil will never overcome good – that wickedness will never
overcome God’s righteousness – that even though it may look like the wicked are
winning from time to time – that they are succeeding and that everything always
goes the way they want it to – this is a temporary situation
-- for whatever reason, God is
choosing to withhold His wrath and judgment on these people until the time is
right – He is allowing them ample time to repent of their sins – to turn to Him
– to turn away from their narcissism, their wickedness, their evil acts of
unrighteousness
-- but at some point, God will move –
and if these people do not repent of their sins – they will suffer the
consequences and will be destroyed
-- second, we are reminded of the
great truth that Rick Warren expressed in the opening line of his book, “The Purpose
Driven Life”: “It’s not about us” – it’s not about us – as Jerry Bridges points
out, “All of the abilities—physical, mental, personality, talents, and so
on—that we do have were given to us by God. Paul’s words to the Corinthians
apply to all of us: “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you
have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).
--
“All of us received whatever ability, learning, riches, station in life, rank,
or influence we have from God to be used by us for His glory. Whether it is an
ability or disability, let us learn to receive it from God, to give Him thanks,
and to seek to use it for His glory.”
--
when I read this story of Herod, I can’t help but think of the classic country
song by Mac Davis, that has this chorus:
Oh Lord it's hard to be humble
When you're perfect in every way
I can't wait to look in the mirror
Cause I get better looking each day
To know me is to love me
I must be a heck of a man.
Oh Lord It's hard to be humble,
But I'm doing the best that I can
-- that was Herod – he thought he
was top dog – the best of the best – even better than God Himself -- and it
didn’t work out too well for him
–
we must always guard against doing the same and having the same attitude in our
own lives
--
when we try to take the glory that is due God, we follow the footsteps of Nero
and Herod – when we try to exalt ourselves and put ourselves on the throne of
our lives, we are taking the place of God
--
we need to remember that it’s not about us – it’s always about Him – and everything
we say and do and think should all be done in such a way as to bring Him honor
and glory
--
finally, we see that God always prevails and that His word always goes forth
--
Herod thought he had won the day by capturing Peter and putting him in prison –
but God will not let His people or His word be chained – and God worked a miracle
and had an angel free Peter so that the gospel could continue to go forth to
the ends of the earth
--
when we are confronted with evil and wickedness, we can get depressed and feel
like the psalmist in Psalm 94 – that evil has won and that nothing we do will
ever change the situation
--
but the Bible tells us that God is always working on behalf of His people – He takes
care of the widow and the orphan – the foreigner and the believer – and even though
we may walk through times of trouble and persecution – God will deliver us when
the time is right – in such a way, that He alone will get the glory
--
so, as we close, let us remember that there is a God and we are not Him – let us
turn our attention to Him – let us fix our mind on Him – our eyes on Him – our hearts
on Him
--
let us consider our ways and our actions – and let us strive to bring Him honor
and glory in all that we do and all that we say – and let us continue to share
His good news of salvation and the forgiveness of sins
--
with that, let us close in prayer
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