The Deliverance of Peter

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Acts 12:5

Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church to God for him.

From the narrative learn the following lessons —

I. IF EVER OUR ENEMIES GET HOLD OF US, THEY WILL HOLD US AS FAST AS THEY CAN. Herod was not content with ordinary means of keeping Peter in custody. He was too great a prize to be lost. Mark you, if by any fault of our own we ever fall into the hand of our enemies, we need expect no mercy from them. And if without fault we be delivered for a little season into their hands, whoever may be spared, the Christian never is. Men will forgive a thousand faults in others, but they will magnify the most trivial offence in the true follower of Jesus. Nor do I very much regret this, for it is a caution to us to walk very carefully before God in the land of the living. The Cross of Christ is in itself an offence to the world; let us take heed that we do not add any offence of our own. It is "to the Jew a stumbling block"; let us mind that we put no stumbling blocks where there are enough already. "To the Greek it is foolishness"; let us not add our folly to give point to the scorn with which the worldly-wise deride the gospel. We pilgrims travel as suspected persons through the world. Not only are we under surveillance, but there are more spies than we reck of.

II. WHEN A CASE IS PUT INTO GOD'S HANDS, HE WILL MANAGE IT WELL, AND HE WILL INTERFERE IN SUFFICIENT TIME TO BEING HIS SERVANTS OUT OF THEIR DISTRESS. Peter's case was put into God's hands. Well, we can leave it there. But it is the last night! Yes, but just at that last and darkest hour of the night, God's opportunity overtook man's extremity. A light shone in the dungeon. Peter was awakened. God never is before His time; nor is He ever too late. But see, there is Peter asleep! doing nothing! Well, and the best thing for him too, for the case was put into God's hands. Suppose Peter had been awake, what could he do? Had he been fretting and troubling himself, what good could he have done? Sleep on, blessed slumberer! Well might Herod envy thee. Thy spirit is free; and it may be that in thy dreams thou art rejoicing "with a joy unspeakable, and full of glory." When the case is taken into God's hands, and you and I feel that we can do nothing for ourselves, we may take sleep, and while we sleep, His watchful eyes do keep their ceaseless guard, and at the right time deliverance comes.

III. WHEN GOD COMES TO DELIVER HIS PEOPLE, ALL, THE CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH SEEM TO GO AGAINST THEIR DELIVERANCE SHALL ONLY TEND TO SET FORTH THE MORE HIS GLORY. What contempt He puts upon chains, etc. I know of nothing that seems to illustrate more God's splendid triumph over man's cunning than the resurrection of Christ. So, Christian, rest assured that everything that looks black to your gaze now, shall only make it the brighter when God delivers you.

IV. NO DIFFICULTY CAN EVER OCCUR WHICH GOD CANNOT MEET WHEN HE MAKES BARE HIS ARM. The chains are gone, the warders are passed, but there is that iron gate. You get fretting for months about the iron gate, as those holy women did for hours, who went to the sepulchre and said, "Who shall roll us away the stone?" There was no stone to roll away! And when you go to this place, you will find that there is no iron gate there, or it will open of its own accord. Oh, how often have we had to wonder at our own folly.

V. THE OMNIPOTENCE OF PRAYER.

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