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Introduction: In Acts
12 we find one of the most stunning contrasts in the
Bible. We read of the first apostle to die, James the brother of
John. Herod executed him. When he saw how it pleased the Jews, he
arrested Peter and planned to execute him as well. Amazingly, in Acts
12:7-11, an angel of the Lord rescued Peter. Have you ever
wondered why God rescued Peter but allowed James to die? When we
ask that question, we actually learn several lessons about life,
death and Christianity. Discussion: I. Nobody lives forever. A.
No doubt
many Christians were killed in the persecution and scattering
recorded in Acts
8:1-3. But, the apostles had continued on and the church
continued because of their presence. But, after a period of peace
(Acts
9:31) and seemingly on a whim, Herod decided to mistreat
the church. So he executed James. Can you imagine the shock in the
Jerusalem church? How could something like this happen to an
apostle? Death overtakes everyone (Ecclesiastes
9:2-3). Nobody is so important God will keep them from
dying indefinitely. B.
Since
everybody dies, we must never conduct the work of this
congregation in such a way as to make anyone indispensable. If the
work will fall apart when someone is gone, we are planning for
failure. This leads us to two important conclusions about our work
in the congregation. 1.
We have to
equip ourselves to carry on the work we see others doing. Each of
us must be a working part of the congregation. In this manner the
congregation will continue to grow, even when we lose active
workers and leaders. 2.
We have to
equip others to carry on the work we are doing. We must make
ourselves dispensable. We will not always be here to do it. One of
God’s all time greatest leaders was Moses. One key that made him
such a great leader is he left Joshua. He had developed a
successor. There is no success without successors. Who is your
Joshua? II.
Always pray. A.
I have no
doubt the Christians prayed when James was imprisoned. But he was
executed anyway. Imagine how hopeless they must have felt when
another apostle was capture. What did they do? They prayed (Acts
12:5, 12). Despite the fact that their prayers “did not
work” for James, they prayed for Peter anyway. B.
The brethren
obviously recognized God may say, “No,“ to some prayers. That
does not mean He will say, “No,” to all prayers. That does not
even mean He will say, “No,” to a similar prayer. Far from
believing God does not listen to prayer, we need to keep on
praying. Jesus taught the necessity for continued prayer in Luke
18:1-7. If an unrighteous judge will be worn down by
continued entreaty to finally give the good gift, how much more
will our God who wants to bless us give us the blessings we need.
We must never lose heart and always pray. III.
What happens
to us is not necessarily an indication of God’s approval or
disapproval. A.
Both men
were leaders in the early church. Both were apostles. Both had
been a part of Jesus’ inner circle. Both had the same
relationship with God through the blood of Jesus Christ. However,
one was executed and one escaped. B.
In a very
real sense, I cannot with complete surety answer why God dealt
with these two men in different ways. However, I am certain it was
not because Peter was right with God and James was not. When bad
things happen, we have a tendency to want to know what we have
done to deserve them. All the while, we want to know what those
who have good happening have done to deserve the good. The
contrast between James and Peter demonstrates the different things
happening to us do not necessarily indicate God’s approval or
disapproval. C.
I like to
read a lot of books, many of which are by religious authors. One
of the greatest fallacies committed by most religious authors is
to declare they know their position is right because God has
blessed them so greatly. It is the argument Bruce Wilkinson,
author of Prayer of
Jabez, makes to encourage us to pray the way he says we
should. I remember a book by Charles Stanley on prayer in which he
talked about his own relationship with God being demonstrated by
the fact that a need he and his wife had prayed for was filled
within the week. No doubt, every good gift comes from God. I
understand that, but God sends good gifts upon the unrighteous as
well as the righteous (Matthew
5:45). The good or bad things that happen to us do not
demonstrate our relationship with God. Rather, our obedience to
His word does. IV.
We must
learn to rejoice with those who rejoice, even when we are weeping.
And we must learn to weep with those who weep, even when we are
rejoicing. A.
I cannot
think about James and Peter without thinking about their brothers:
John and Andrew. In the end, John was weeping over the death of
his brother, while Andrew was rejoicing over the escape of his.
Despite the different outcomes, both John and Andrew were to
follow God’s directive to “rejoice with those who rejoice and
weep with those who weep” (Romans
12:15). B.
To fulfill
this command, they had to go against the more natural feelings
they had based on what happened in their own families. Andrew was
to weep with John, even though he was rejoicing over Peter’s
escape. It is difficult to accept our blessings without feeling
guilty about those who are weeping. God has not blessed us so we
may feel guilty about it. He has blessed us so we can better serve
Him and others. Weep with those who weep, that is, share in their
sorrow. Cry with them and help them work through their emotions.
But do not get bogged down in guilt. After all, should Andrew have
felt guilty that John’s brother died and his did not? C.
Perhaps more
difficult is to rejoice with those who rejoice when I have
personal cause for weeping. No doubt John had a lot to weep about
when his brother died. I also have no doubt Andrew wept with him.
But when the angel rescued Peter, how easy it could have been for
John to be filled with bitterness that a blessing was given to
Peter and Andrew and not to him. Even in this moment of sorrow,
John was to rejoice along with Peter and Andrew. I have no doubt
he did. But what about us? When we look around us at those who
have blessings we do not, do we rejoice with them? Are we happy
for them? Or do we become bitter and envious? Remember to rejoice
with others for their blessings, whether or not we have received
the same blessings. V.
Serve God
when, where and how you can without being caught up in what
happens to others. A.
I can almost
imagine a conversation between James and Jesus. James asks Jesus
why he died while Peter was allowed to live. Jesus responds as He
did to Peter in John
21:21-22, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is
that to you? You follow me!” B.
We must
learn not to get caught up in what happens to other people. We
need to be focused on serving God as best we can where we are. We
should not spend our time wishing we had other people’s
blessings. We should not spend our time wondering why God granted
a certain lot in life to someone else and not us. We must accept
where we are serve God there. C.
As we
consider our brethren, we will see different people with different
circumstances. Some make more money, some less. Some have better
health, some worse. Some have greater ability, some less. Some
have better opportunities, some not. Some have lived longer have,
some not. We have two choices here. We can get caught up in
asking, “Why?” and feeling arrogant or envious. If we do, we
will cripple our ability to serve God. Or we can learn the lesson
that Jesus taught Peter in John
21:21-22. If God wants something different for the others
around us, what is that to us? That is His business. Our business
is to follow Christ no matter what. D.
I said I can
almost imagine this conversation between James and Jesus
because when James was taken to paradise by the angels of God, he
was probably so happy it did not matter to him that he had died
and Peter had not. I doubt he would ever ask the question. Conclusion: Perhaps God let James die so
we could learn these lessons. Perhaps it was for another reason.
Whatever the case, we should take these lessons to heart. If you are not a Christian, I want to remind you of the very first lesson from James’ death. Nobody lives forever. You will not live forever. As Ecclesiastes 9:12 said, your death will come like a snare suddenly. If you are not ready for that sudden snare, why not become ready right now? Why not submit to the blood of Christ in faithful obedience to His gospel, being baptized for the remission of your sins based on your repentance from sin and your confession of faith? Then the power of the sudden snare will be broken in your life.
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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