Come Follow Me Acts 10-15 (July 15-21)

do both okay hello everyone welcome don't miss this I'm David Butler I'm Emily Freeman glad y'all are here okay we have a lot of new people so we keep getting a lot more new people so that's fantastic keep telling friends and family about it unless you want to be the really smart one in Sunday school and keep it to yourself someone tell me that I don't want to tell anybody being the smart one don't be selfish so two things one of your new and you'd like to get the study guide papers they are they come on our newsletter every week and you can sign up for that at Emily Belle Freeman comm e Bella's with Annie [Laughter] Emily Belle Freeman comm and my friend Randall said the other day is that where Emily Bell Freeman with an e lives right over there okay I think we got the message across that that is where it happened so the sign up for the newsletter it's free and it comes with this also in the newsletter let's just talk about the newsletter cuz this is one of my best parts of the last two weeks Jimmy oh okay what that's gonna be something new again so Jenny my Jenny said the other day that all the pictures in the newsletter are the same every single week so she just thought like the newsletter was just you know the same every single week or that in the spot cuz in the newsletter we had a spot for study tips for kids for couples for teens but they change every single week with the chapters with the lessons so we give an idea for teaching kids like from acts 10 to 15 and for teens from acts 10 through 15 and couples so teaching tips some people use them in primary you can use them with your family yeah we just tryin give you ideas of how you might use this in your home according to who's in your home so if you're like Jenny and think it's just the same thing or here's general teaching ideas it's not there suppose that we spend a lot of time writing those newsletter tips every week she has to have watched her at your computer she lives with me we don't know doesn't know you so you might not know because you don't live with me um so there you go that is what you want to know so you can go sign up for that 393 okay but this is X 10:13 if we haven't said that yet but you're gonna talk about remember the book of Acts is a story of Jesus walk away from the oh okay so you can see this if you want to take a look I wrote a ton on there y'all at this time so but we are going through all of that this is a story of Jesus continued his ministry through the through the Apostles the book was called the Acts of the Apostles and so you just get some really interesting insights about how he still works through people when he's invisible and gone and not in heaven yeah in heaven like whatever you can see him so this is what makes this such a such intriguing stuff we're gonna sexually start off with a story of Peter and kind of a change in the way that the church functions I like a policy change a major overhaul and what happens personally to Peter and then as they gather together as the Apostles as the group of apostles we want you to be watching this because this isn't something that happened just in New Testament time this is ongoing if you belong to a true and living church which we do right this is what revelation would look like this this might be the same steps that the prophet and apostles go through so as we're watching this through the eyes of Peter we want you to also be thinking okay what would this look like today how would this be happening today yeah and and I just feel like as a Institute teacher seminary teacher we get a lot of questions about why policy changes happen in the church it actually causes a lot of disruption with people where they are just like me included by the way where I'm just like wait a second why are we reversing that what's going on so it's neat to see this I hope that I kind of hope as you as we look through this you can see what a process it is I like income follow me it talks about revelation being the step by step you know venture I don't think it says adventure working it out and we'll talk more about that we want to go through the story and then we are going to talk a little bit about this process of Revelation the principles yeah which is why we call it principles because we don't think it's a step by step formula this is not a math equation this is so fluid and it's so organic and so it's neat to see it happen in this story so we're gonna jump around in the first story and then we'll come back and end on one of our favorites from Acts chapter 12 which we'll discuss kind of another major question that people have when we tell the whole story first and then we go back through and lay out the principles okay okay so we'll start in 10 X 10 so Axton is actually where you read the story and then Peters gonna retell it in Acts chapter 11 and so they really are a repeat of each other but sometimes that neat that's neat because you get a little extra insight you know into the story we're gonna camp for the principles in acts 11 but the story is in Acts chapter 10 there's this man that we meet whose name is Cornelius and he's the captain of this band he's a general he's a you know a military leader and a pretty important one he would have been over a group of 600 soldiers I think is what and he's a Gentile he's not a Jew right so remember during the Ministry of Jesus there was Jesus went to the to the Jews to the house of Israel to that to the tribe of Judah and Benjamin who were there and and they didn't minister to cities and places that were outside so Cornelius is a Gentile and he actually has a vision well and let's just say this too cuz I love this about him he was if Gentile but he was also religious he believed in God we find out in verse 2 he was a devout man he feared God with his whole house he gave alms to the people and he prayed to God always so although he's he's not a member of Peters kin particular faith in community he is just man he he loves God he hasn't a relationship with God yeah a secret form sometimes it's a little bit funny where we look at people of different faiths and and we're a little bit patronizing sometimes you know towards someone of another faith we're just like they don't have all the truth they don't have all that whatever and we're gonna recognize Cornelius had such a great relationship with God that he actually was able to also be receiving his own personal revelation at the same time Peter is receiving revelation which i think is awesome so the the answer from God that that Cornelius gets is go find somebody whose name is Simon Peter he's never met him before we assume he tells him what city he's in and go send your men to go looking for him which is exactly what he does so that's camera one that's happening camera two is Peter is in Joppa the city and everyone's getting dinner ready and he's pretty hungry and he goes up into the roof to pray and while he's up on the housetop every time I read that I think of that Santa Claus song his verse 9 he says he went up on the housetop so really hungry and he would have eaten it says in verse 10 but he falls into his trance or a dream or a vision and in the vision there is this giant sheet and it's filled with animals but Peter notices and you and I wouldn't notice this of Peter did you remember during the Book of Leviticus when God gives the additional statutes and Commandments for the law of Moses he declares certain animals unclean or what this chapter is going to call them common and so the sheep comes down full of the particular animals that up to that point were forbidden to eat and he says to him Peter kill these animals and eat them and Peter's like absolutely not nope I will not eat does have never eaten anything that's common or unclean I've never done it before and then God says to him what I have cleansed or declared clean you don't call it unclean so eat it and and he's still confused and the vision actually happens three times right before Peter figures out and realizes what exactly is going on so they I don't even know if he does figure it out he's still just trying to process through why why is he doing this and why did he tell it to me three times and it's interesting because in verse 17 it says now while Peter doubted um so now who know you have to okay so camera one actually means camera two so Peter is like I don't I don't really get this you know and then all of a sudden knock knock knock on his door and it's the soldiers from Cornelius who come and you love that God has already orchestrated this moment right he's prepared Cornelius he sent them in the men are coming now before Peter had time to eat he went up on the rooftop it has this dream he's processing so now you've got the man on the one side of the door Peter coming down on the other Peter still trying to figure things out in his mind the men don't really know what they're doing either all they know is I'm some guy named right someone named Simon Peter but what are they supposed to do with him we don't know I don't know if Cornelius knows know it nobody knows what's happening except that they get there and it's funny the Spirit tells him there's a knock on the door and the spirit tells him there's three people looking for you just awesome he's the first Vivint alarm system he's the first ring um he tells them that's who's at the door and then in 20 says go down there and go with them dowdy nothing for I have sent them I know because it's like Peter said what is going on and then it's almost like the spirit prepares him for what is about to happen is going to cause you to question so what I'm telling you is I sent the men I'm orchestrating the entire thing you go and so he gets there they hear the story you love yeah 21 yeah when he comes down and he says I'm the one you're looking for he already knows that is that funny that he opens the door and he's like I'm Peter I'm the one you're looking for and he says why are you here why did why did you guys even come and they tell the story of their of their leader the dream that he had the vision that he had from God to come and and find Peter and they're just supposed to listen what Peter is gonna tell them you love that kiss Peters probably like I don't know what I'm gonna tell you I have no idea they're like we'd like to know what you have to tell us and Peter's like me too yes yeah so instead he just is coming for dinner that's such a great way to solve any sort of awkward scenario let's just eat so they do and the next day they go out to the he goes with him to Caesarea the other city to find Cornelius who's waiting for him and has also gathered all his friends and all his family because like you guys Peters about to say something really really really awesome Peter doesn't know anything they fall down and they worship and he's like whoa whoa stand up stand up stand up I am just a man right I didn't send you the vision and and then what's interesting is in twenty eight and he says to them you know how it's an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company or share a table with someone of another nation he says but God showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean and it seems like it's right there in twenty eight that he starts to figure out why he saw the vision and it's so awesome because think about it he he had the vision the people come they eat dinner they spend the night they get up the next morning they have come to hear what Peter is gonna say Peter really has no idea what he's gonna say until he walks into that room and how often does the spirit work like that and and sometimes we have to have that kind of confidence in the spirit sometimes we have to trust where it says in Scripture it will be given you at the very hour what I want you to say sometimes we have to trust that we just have to show up know and trust the Spirit is gonna tell us you really want it to be the hour before or 10:00 you know but it's interesting because it comes in it's almost like he's making the connections he's like God tell me not to call people common or unclean and then he's at Cornelius why do you tell your story mm-hmm and he tells about his fasting and prayer experience and then 34 he opens up his mouth and he says this line this is chapter 10 verse 34 of a truth I perceive God is no respecter of persons but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him and then you love 36 when he says he is Lord of all I love that part so much and and my favorite part - if you look in your scriptures particularly if you're a teenager you just thought there's a little smiley face laughter that he is Lord of all smiley yeah and we might kind of like freak out I thought it was like why wouldn't he have known that that seems like a really really easy principle and it's just like we used to understand like that the first there was a commandment not to take it to him there was a prejudice and that Peter would have grown up with and the Lord really is taking his time to try and work this out of him and help him understand you know it doesn't your bloodline doesn't matter right well and it's interesting because just because Peter had a witness doesn't mean it's gonna be easy for everyone because immediately what happens is people find out what happened and then we find out in verse 2 of chapter 11 there is contention there's there is this contention people are like Peter what were you doing what what were you thinking and this is not how it works and we're gonna watch him lay out this whole thing that happened so that they can all see the process of like God's hand is in this so we all need to figure out what is God trying to teach us yeah and what should we do right so it's neat that chapter 11 then is his explanation he's like look I don't know everything yet but let me tell you the story that happened and it we should mention that in chapter 10 there was this outpouring of the Holy Spirit on them Oh witnessing the Peters like yep this is right this is right this is good so we have on the paper just a selection of verses from chapter 11 when he retells the story of these kind of principles of Revelation so you'll hear some of them as we go through and you can and you can kind of see you know what we pulled out and you may pull out some yeah you may find others but just as we went through we were like this is this some of the principles of Revelation when you watch as Peter works through this and he starts out in verse four he's like let me just everybody sit down let me tell you what happened let's just walk through this and he starts out and says I was in the city of Joppa praying and in a trance I saw a vision so the first thing that happens is the first principle and I think this is true of Revelation every time when you look in Scripture revelation always begins with a prayer it begins with us opening up that line of communication with God so prayer would be the first one and this which I think is a better like revelation is such a a word that sort of lost its sparkle because we talk about it so much and so to redefine revelation as a one-on-one interaction with God helps kind of bring some of that sparkle back into it's like okay wait revelation is when God enters into my story that is exactly what is happening and it's opened by you know starting that conversation in prayer the second thing is he's he sees a vision and sometimes that's gonna be true for us I would say most of the time not how I would maybe describe this in a more generic term is somehow God opens our eyes to see something we maybe were missing sometimes that is a verse of scripture that stands out sometimes it's someone who enters our story and gives us more information it might happen in the sunday-school class or just somehow God knows how to open our eyes for Peter in this story he was an actual vision yeah then the next is in verse 6 where it says when I'd fastened my eyes which is interesting because like what he has learned he's now like intent on you know like his eyes have been open and now he's like okay there's something there and I want to put some heart and soul and focus into it and it says I considered you know so he's just as spending the time to say hmm okay what is what is he trying to teach what is he trying to say he's kind of focused in on it and that's good for us to remember it sometimes we need to start considering where is God opening our eyes right now and for me the process of Revelation works better if I write while I'm trying to do that communicating with God and so lots of times I'll pull out a piece of paper and just any thought that comes that those are things I consider I feel like if I opened up a conversation with God and I have let him know I'm ready to receive revelation from that moment on any time my eyes are opened or I have a thought that comes into my head I'm gonna consider that I'm gonna consider that as part of the revelation and there's that awesome talk by elder Scott that we talked about that will put into the newsletter a reference of where he talks about like what his process looked like when he would consider and right and yet and kind of go through that so remember the thing that he tells him to is to you know stand up and eat and he says in verse a I said not so Lord for nothing common or unclean has ever entered into you know into my mouth and we just think that verse eight is interesting because he kind of questions it what you forgot 101 everyone back up to verse 7 right after he considers it I heard a voice saying unto me and part of that considering process also needs to be a listening we rather than talking for the whole conversation we need to take a little bit of time to just stop and listen so we're gonna consider we're gonna let our eyes be open we're gonna listen and then think about then he loves this part that is why well I just love that he like questions like did I actually hear that is that actually right the Lord said this and he's like no no no that's not what you've said in the past so this is different and he's kind of pushing back a little bit man there's so much it goes on inside our minds and our thoughts like I think it's wise to consider like I think I'm feeling this I think I'm hearing this but it seems contradictory and it kind of just pushes back a little bit against it which is because it's awesome to know we can question yeah right I've never done something like this before are you sure this is what you're trying to tell me and just and then again consider and listen it's kind of a cyclical process that part and what's oh sorry good job of listening bad about that yeah of listening considering questioning you may cycle through that little part of the principles of Revelation for a long time okay yeah and then I like that God corrects him in verse nine he says like I've never eaten anything common or unclean the gods it good let me teach you something then when I call something clean you don't call it unclean so it's almost like this new teaching is going on and then the vision repeats two more times the exact same thing and we love this part I have a friend who talks about when you see a repetition from God in your life she calls it a soul echo so isn't that the greatest description of that that if she is studying something and then she sees it here and someone talks about it here and she sees another reminder of it here and she has trained herself to know that is a soul echo and she needs to be watching for where God is sending that reputation repetition there's probably a message there yeah I remember somebody talking to you one time about receiving a patriarchal blessing like when's the right time for it and I heard somebody else give the advice oh I started to think about it more when it just kept coming up like it came up in a Sunday School lesson and then like our friends started talking about it and somebody spoke about Insaf repeating and I thought about it at night one time laying in bed and just kind of that that God just kind of keeps reaching out and he's like I know it's gonna take a little bit which is fine then verse 11 is really neat because he says the whole immediately there were three men already come to the house and so God has been orchestrating this lesson God's been orchestrating one see what he wants to teach and have him experience you know all and all in the background and so it's why isn't good to look for where God's been orchestrating you know where do you see him like where do you see these into place ya know you're watching for those soul echoes you're also watching for God's hand at this point and I think those two just go hand in hand I love those and then the spirit bade me go with them nothing doubting and we love this part because there will be a point in the revelation process where we are required to move even if we don't have all the details which is really scary like Peter was like on what the dream means yet I have no idea what those three guys are doing here they've come to hear something that they want me to say I don't know what I'm supposed to say but God told him just move right take the next and that's part of the process of these principles of Revelation is sometimes you just have to take the next right step even when you don't see what the outcomes gonna be you just gotta trust the next right step yeah I remember elder Oaks teaching us when when he came to my mission and just saying to us the revelation comes on the move right he says just move forward God won't let you get very far into an incorrect path but it comes when you're moving so he goes and he speaks and then in verse 15 the witness comes as he started to speak the Holy Ghost fell on all of them and he knew like oh this is this is it and then 16 sees it then I remembered the word of the Lord how he said that you would be baptized with the Holy Ghost and he's just like oh this is something he has been teaching he's been preparing me for this for years even remember the very last thing that jesus said before he left was go ye into all the world and nobody picked up on it on that occasion and now he's remembering some of the stuff that's happened he's like oh okay okay I'm sort of this like you know clarification so you might find some more principles you know of Revelation but I hope you're seeing that it's actually a really messy process and we want you to think about that because just because Peter spelled this out doesn't mean everyone was like oh oh great Peter that sounds awesome no there is still gonna be this counsel that's called that we're gonna talk about but maybe before we go there I just wanted to think for a minute about how revelation works because it comes in several different ways and one of the best ways to see it is with the brother of Jared in the book of ether and his destroyer we're familiar with and I'm just gonna fly through it quickly but it's when the brother of Jared is camped out on the sea he hasn't spoken to the Lord for three years he finally goes to him and the Lord is like wait a minute you're here and you're happy well I have something better and because you haven't opened up this means of Revelation this communication I haven't been able to help you I have a promised land I already have it I hold it in my hands for you but if if the brother of Jared doesn't ask how is he gonna get there so he asks him and the Lord tells him you you're gonna go over here and the brother of Jared says yeah but how are we gonna go and you remember he asks three questions how will we breathe the Lord tells him to make the barges how will we breathe how will we have light and how will we steer all of those are gonna be revelatory experiences for the brother of Jared but they are all gonna be completely different and that is important the first one the revelation comes it's clear as day you're gonna put a hole in the top and the bottom here's how you'll plug it up that's how you're gonna breathe we wish every revelation came out that life would be so easy if that is how revelation worked but it isn't because you remember on the second one the Lord's revelation to him is what do you want me to do and the brother of Jared is gonna have to work through that he has to do the work it's he's gonna go through the details remember he's gonna get 16 stones he doesn't just pick up the 16 the first 16 rocks he sees he actually Moulton's them out of stone do you think he knew how to do that do you think he molten 16 stones perfectly the first time probably not you probably made a whole bunch got sixteen that were about the right size and shape and then he's gonna climb up the mountain and he's gonna put him in front of the Lord and the Lord's gonna touch up and eventually through a lot of working out of the details that answer is going to come and this is a moment of working out the details yeah that's what's happening here there is gonna be that moment of working out the details of the next right step right go go learn how to make the tools then learn how to get the stones then climb up the highest mountain then get back on your knees again and pray it's just this ongoing process of working out the details and I think sometimes we forget even a prophet has to work out the details mm-hmm I talked a lot with our kids in the seminary and I know you did too about the policy change in 2015 and then in 2019 what we are watching right now is a prophet working out the details and and we're gonna continue to watch that process we are going to watch that keep happening just the way it did here we get to be part of true and living church which means we are a part of a church that is working out the details it's just taking the next step and the next step and they're gonna figure it out and gods get a tutor um and we wish everything could be a hole in the top of the barge we wish it could but God has shown us in Scripture that it's not how he works with this prophets and you remember the last revelation didn't come how are we gonna steer but it never says in there how they should steer it finally gets to the point where the brother of Jared is like well everybody just get in and we'll commend ourselves to the word and how were they steered wind right could the brother of Jared make wind could he control wind no there's some things only God can do right and you look at those three processes of Revelation and then you think to yourself how do we even begin to explain Revelation we don't we just trust why are you so worried about the brother of Jared making wind yeah but I was gonna say what oh that God is still molding and exalting like his prophets while he's molding exalting all of us and so it's like their process their journey isn't over either you know and so it's like you we can expect and see this like he's just gonna be working through every single one of us you know you see a couple chapters over in chapter 15 where Peter goes and now has to talk with all the Apostles about this okay now what's the new policy for the church going to be you know Peter has this individualized experience and now our that is it for just Cornelius or are they going to make a major policy change for the entire church and so it's neat that you see a couple of verses in there that we have up on the paper that you can look at but we just like some of the things that are in there that they that it says in verse 2 of 15 there was no small dissension and there was dispute ation and everyone had different opinions and different experiences we love that they give time in that chapter for people to speak like okay let Paul and Barnabas tell us about their mission experi this would have been your experiences with Gentile converts I mean Gentiles that you've interacted with and and they just move around and listen to each other so there's a lot in 15 rib might be a sneak peek into what those Thursday meetings with the quorum of the twelve look like you know if you've ever had one of them speak about some of those meetings they say you've got 15 of the most opinionated people in the world and from so many diverse backgrounds which makes you so happy because they've all had different experience that they bring to the table right would you if you would add up all of their ages you would have over a millennium of experience gathered together into a room of different types of experiences but it's still a listening and talking and disputing and questioning and counseling altogether and we love that here in 20 - 25 and 28 it uses the same phrase in chapter 15 which is when they announce it they say it seemed us good to make this change like they're just leaving the door open for a week we could be wrong but it just seemed right to all of us it seems like the right idea to do at this time right yeah and that doesn't mean there won't be more to come but this seemed good right now so we're gonna act on that and the beauty is if it's not quite right that's gonna fix it right he is right and what's to say this is not a stepping stone to what he eventually wanted to happen next anyways is that you never would have gotten here unless you made this decision first and then out of this decision and we've got to trust the learning process and we have to trust that he is working in the weighting then he's helping all of that come to the place where it needs to go and that takes a lot of trust it does it takes trust even like you said when a policy change comes and it is hard that's where we are learning to trust God to trust the Prophet to trust the process of Revelation to allow it to happen the way that it happens right and one of the things that we really love from this chapter is verse 26 because writing for 25 it it seemed good unto us being assembled with one Accord like we got together and we all felt good about at the same time and then we decided to send out these men our beloved Barnabas and Paul out there and then he says this about the men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and I just love that everybody who is in that room did not have their own personal interests and in mind at the center these are the kind of people who have put their lives on the line for Jesus Christ these are the ones making the decisions as people who've liked who've given up so much it's just like that can't be ignored that that is the kind of people gathering together to make the decision no personal benefit is coming from it right and so I love that description these are the kind of people that have that have gathered together and that's just good to think on all levels where there's a council that's gathered together kids about their parents to just think like listen they are just trying they you know they're just doing their very best Ward councils like these are people who did not have to wake up at 6:30 in the morning to gather together but they did because they love the Lord and they're just trying their best to do what is good and when a decision comes out from them you might have a lot to say that would have been different but it just like is they would say this I think God spoke to us we think he spoke to us and it seemed right and it seemed good to do this in that pin that's why we're doing it and let God guide the next step which he will he will guide the next step and we've all been in that place of Revelation we've all had that moment where you're like this is what I felt this is this is what I feel called to do right now I'm gonna trust it and and we're gonna trust also and and it's just this tutoring in trust and it is hard but that's why we pray for each other that's why we pray for the Prophet that's why you know we just we want that revelation to be right for everyone who we love and we're gonna trust that it it's gonna be right it's over time and with all of that tutoring that takes place it's gonna be right and does God have the ability to make it a lot more crystal clear absolutely but I think on purpose he leaves it a little bit messy and a little bit fuzzy because of who we become in the process it remanded us more trust and more thinking and more wondering and and what happens to us is so exalting in the process that he leaves it and I love that we live in a time where we are watching a prophet receive living revelation but he's not just receiving it and telling us about his process of receiving he is actually inviting all of us to be a part you look at all of his most recent talks and he just keeps inviting us to learn how to live at a higher spiritual capacity how to live in Revelation he's working at it he's inviting us to work at it also and the harder we work at it the more we're gonna understand the process he's going through which i think is important yeah okay now should we move to 12 because we love chapter 12 is our most how I forgot to start the timer I have no idea how many minutes we're into this but oh sorry this is a bit too long with everybody but chapter 12 Acts chapter love you have to take a break right now come back because this is a really powerful chapter and it's a chapter that you are going to need some time in your life you may have already needed it and and most likely everybody listening is going to need it again and it kind of talks about some of the times you know some of the unfair things that we see that happen in the world so here's the setup Acts chapter 12 is you've got a great persecution against Christians during this time period like it has not stopped with the death of Jesus and maybe it's even gotten a little bit more intense or a lot bit more intense and it's going to and you have somebody Herod who's who wanted to persecute and vex the church is the word that's used he wanted to come down hard on the church so he takes James into prison you know and sets an execution date for him now I want you to think about for a second if you woke up tomorrow morning and saw on your phone that elder don't use one one of the Apostles doing skill well what do you have like this bell dude or if he goes to jail right and let's know what I like do you well we just gotta think about like like what would the reaction be if you found out that one of the twelve one of the first Presidency's been put into prison right by someone who you don't trust their motive you don't you don't trust what they're gonna do with him right absolutely not and so what you have is you think about who is praying for James to be released from prison you've got it's every prayer in the morning over every meal that's gonna happen in all the seminary classes the Senate school classes it's gonna happen individually and I promise you the people praying most are that whoever that is they're their wife their children or grandchildren and their neighbors they're there everybody is praying they've seen what they what they did to Jesus you know and so they were just praying their guts out and then it takes one verse in you get into verse to one verse after and it says and he killed James the brother of John with the sword the end that's it right as he gets executed right despite the fact that everybody prayed and fasted and begged God you know to deliver him he just he gets the sword right away and and that is a moment when the devil comes in and starts to say things like well I guess prayer doesn't matter or I guess God doesn't care or I guess James must have been unworthy or he doesn't really love him or or your family or this is where we start asking the question what have I done wrong because this must be a punishment why is God punishing us you know like all of these feelings and things happen in moments when you pray and beg and and the outcome and you get the sort the outcome is not you know what you hoped for now the lesson started to get better when you see the next story you know right next to it because Herod saw like well hey that made me popular in verse three because he saw it pleased the Jews so obviously there was a big reaction the Jews were happy about what was happening so so then he takes Peter eat one upset and he puts Peter right fry it on the heels of what's happened to James takes Peter in and puts him in jail and it's a holiday so he's like oh let's keep him in jail for a minute before we kill him and he puts him in jail and verse 4 and it says there's four quaternion quarters quarter nanano's soldiers to keep him and one of those is four men each so there are sixteen guards around Peter remember he's gotten out of jail several times right and he's kept in prison in verse five and it says there again prayer was made without ceasing of the Church of God from this is so this is waking up the next morning and now President Nelson's in the same prison that James was in and everybody again everyone is praying their heart and souls out they are begging God for a miracle again this is where Satan's gonna come in and say why are you even praying it didn't work for James why do you think it's gonna work here so people are having to deal with those types of emotions and they are praying praying praying and then this is so fun you're first to say how he'd not only had the sixteen soldiers but he between two soldiers okay so verse six he is bound with two chains to two soldiers and people outside also so 14 soldiers out two of them sleeping next to him in the prison jail like chained to them so he can't get out Herod is gonna make this impossible for him to leave and this is when the good Lord just giggles because he's like oh that is cute if anything too hard for the they forgot I opened an ocean so then verse seven it says the angel of Lord came upon him and a light shined in the prison and it didn't wake him I love that part that makes me feel so good about because I am such a deep sleeper and he had to smite Peter on the side so he kicks and so he comes and shines the light on him it doesn't wake about so give your teenagers a little bit of credit on Sunday morning okay they might turn into a Peter kicks him and rays always a get up quick and the chains just go clink-clink-clink link and they fall off his hands and a it says the angel says get dressed and put on your shoes and so he did and he and follow me and put your jacket on okay he's like his mother his mother came and nine they go out and followed him Peter just thinks it's a dream so he's like sleepwalking yeah right and just like it says they passed the first in the second word so Peters in the deepest the third deepest section of the prison and the door I love what it says this in verse and it came to the iron gate which opened to them of his own accord right the gate just was like oh okay it just opens for them and they go out and they get into the street and then the angel just leaves and finally eleven Peter comes to himself so he's just standing in the middle of the street right and it just says now I know of a surety the Lord had sent his angel and delivered me out of the hand of Herod right that's when he figures it all out okay let's pause there before we get to the third lesson which we forgot to tell you Acts chapter 12 is called swords angels and front porches it's just like peace you're gonna be good with that okay now in this story the whole church Peter gets put into prison in the whole church prays they all gather together right a bunch of them are in one house just praying together they're not gonna sleep they're just every once taking turns pray and the point is that Peter gets an angel and an angel comes and and and releases him from jail like and he gets a miracle in the same exact situation that James was in and once again this is where the devil is gonna come in and say like come here Elise Peter and did it release James why does he love Peter more than James like one of the things I love about this story is this the stories are equal with each other because sometimes we even like see callings differently or like oh no wonder they got the miracle that's because their estate President no wonder they got the miracle both of these were apostles disciples of the Lord that wasn't an issue at play you know and one of the lessons that we learned from this is in life sometimes you get the sword and sometimes you get the angel and we don't and we don't know why right but God does God knows reason for all of those things and if if we can learn to trust that God is good we trust it we know it then we're gonna trust that he's gonna allow this mortal mortality this mortal journal journey to do its work in us he's gonna allow that to happen and sometimes that work is painful really really painful um and sometimes that journey is getting out of jail unexpectedly and because all of us have had the sword and all of us have had the angel we just know it goes both ways sometimes you get one sometimes you get the other when Peter's lesson that he learned in the Cornelius experience that God is no respecter of persons is exactly at play here James was not being punished for something that he did right and and Peter wasn't being rewarded because he was so righteous God just knew you know what he was doing in these in these circumstances you know and that's just the way it is like oh and keep praying for miracles because God is a God who can do anything at any time anywhere he does send angels he does open prison doors right but sometimes he allows the sword to come in into our lives also I was telling the story at an efy one time and there was a you know I I'm just kind of asking what some of the times you've gotten the sword whatever still the times that you've gotten the angel and this kid raised his hand he says sometimes the sword turns into an angel and I was like what do you mean and he just said well a couple weeks ago before I came EF y my father passed away in a car accident and he said and our family got the sword and none of us wanted that to happen obviously but he said but since then what's happened to our family is we've grown together we've seen God's hand our hearts have become more tender we've changed the experiences he said I would bring my dad back in a heartbeat I would change that story overnight and I don't think God caused the car accident but he was able to turn a sword experience into an angelic experience for our family and I asked him I was like what is your name Andy its Peter donoso of course it is why why wouldn't it be that and so just taught me a really great lesson on that day because Jesus came to the world and took the sword for us that means all of our many sword experiences can become angels he's got the power to turn them into angelic in exalting experiences for all of us and then we'll just tell this last fun you have to think about he's come out of that big prison as soon as people know he's gone what is gonna happen just how many people have seen James you know what happens when you prison the lights start going and everyone's gonna and he's standing in the middle of the street a fugitive of the law right there's it and he comes the house of Mary the mother of John and it tells us everyone has gathered together in the house and they're just praying their guts out right now right they everybody is just praying and they're praying and they're praying and what are they praying for who you have to think for Peter to get out of jail that's everybody's praying for that it has to be the words of every single prayer is please just let Peter get out of jail and he goes to the house and he knocks on the door and a girl comes her name is Rhoda and when she comes and hello and Peter talks and I love verse 14 says she opened up the gate for gladness but ran in his voice and knew it was him she knew Peter's voice and she didn't open the gate for gladness but ran back in the house to tell everybody Peter is alive and meanwhile Peter world wants Peter he's stuck on the gate he can't get in then they say to her verse 15 you are crazy you are mad you're out of your mind you know and she no listen she'd constantly affirmed it was so he's like listen listen listen I promise she is on the porch I heard his voice he's right there everybody as then and then they were like no wait for 15 and they're like oh it's his angel he died and now his spirit is there like a spirit could be held out from a door anyways and you love this wall design that says the 16 that Peters like oh they opened the door and saw him and were astonished and rode as I told y'all okay when they get in there and we love this story this is the front part front porch part of it because they were praying for him to be saved for a miracle and their miracle was waiting on the front porch all along it just came in a way that was totally unexpected for them and sometimes that's how God works like he is working the miracle in our lives it might be on our very front porch porch why can't I say knocking right is all honey they're just not the way that we thought it would come and so sometimes it takes a little bit of time to see that's what he's doing with all those experiences right we love that one of the things that we learn from this is that God will give you what you asked for or something better and and we don't get to define what does something better is that boy named Peter what what his something better was was not what they had anticipated and Peter standing on the porch was not what the saints had anticipated and again it just comes back to that place of just trust trusting God yeah and I love that your your mom and that phrase on her wall that just said when you can't see the hand of God you trust his heart and I've always loved that phrase just to think like I know God's good and so if this is happening in my life right now I know he is on the edge of the bed crying alongside James's family mm-hm he's gonna turn this into it you know an exulting experience for them but he is just as heartbroken at their heartbreak you know and in anyways he's just good we have a good good God yeah alright y'all that was a long one but it's good stuff and see you next week next week

Channel: Don't Miss This

Views: 111,445

Rating: 4.8289394 out of 5

Keywords: Don't Miss This, Come Follow Me, New Testament

Id: 9JS2LUd_xPU

Length: 48min 18sec (2898 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 08 2019