James MacDonald - God is in Control
Summary:
In this sermon on Acts 12, the preacher highlights how God remains fully in control even in the darkest moments—during suffering, at midnight hours, with weak faith, or when the wicked prosper—using Peter’s miraculous prison escape as the key example. He draws humor and encouragement from details like Peter groggily dressing, the prayer group’s disbelief when answered, and Herod’s sudden judgment for accepting divine praise. The core message is that God’s deliverance often comes at the last moment, He honors even small faith, and His purposes advance regardless of circumstances, culminating in praise for Christ’s sovereignty.
God Delivers Peter
Right, how many people really slow down waking up? My wife, her feet hit the floor, and she’s going at 30. There’s no warm-up, there’s nothing. This morning I was sitting like this, and she’s like, «Honey, just take your time waking up.» I was like, all of that to say that I think Peter is not a morning person because he’s getting woken up here, and he’s thinking, «I was going to be in heaven; this is not heaven.» And so the angel’s like, «Dress yourself, put on your sandals.» I think that’s really cute.
Then he did so, and the angel said to him, «See, here it is again, wrap your cloak around you and follow me.» Angels are really nice. «Come on, you’ll catch your death.» And he went out and followed him. Oh yeah, so this proves it then, because it says he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but he thought he was seeing—what’s it say? He thought he was seeing a vision. It’s a dream, and in a dream, you never have to, you know, that you don’t have to get dressed in your dream.
The Miraculous Escape
Verse 10: when they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading to the city. Get ready for a miracle again! It opened for them of its own accord. It’s going good, right? What about these chains? Clink! How are we ever going to get through that gate? 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 his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were doing.» That had to hurt Peter, that his own people wanted him dead.
The main thing—I’ve already said it, so I’ll keep moving—but the main thing in that little paragraph is that it happened with moments to spare. And just because I care, it has to be true that there’s somebody here who really can’t see their way past a few more days or a few more weeks. I just want to speak into your life and pray that the Lord would speak through me. I just want to speak into your life that it does not matter how close it is to your perception of the end.
God Gives Strength in Desperate Times
First of all, we think we can’t; we can go a lot farther than we think we can go. I’ve had times in my life, a time in my life in the past year where I said to my wife, «I can’t do this anymore.» My wife said to me, «Yes, you can, and yes, you will.» Thank God for a good wife. But I’m just saying, if you have that sense of, «I don’t know how much longer I could, ” let God determine; He can give you more strength. How many people believe that God can give you more strength? God can get you further. God can do more. Nothing is over, all right?
And it’s going to come down to the wire, and what that’s producing in you—God loves that. Don’t fight those seasons where it’s all hanging in the balance. I can’t tell you how many things in our life were down to the wire, last minute, and I thought, „This can never change.“ And then looking back, it’s just example after example of God’s amazing faithfulness, and He never lets us down. So, that’s what it means: God is in control even when I suffer, even when it’s midnight.
The Prayer Meeting Surprise
This is my favorite part. They’re all sort of my favorites, but I really like this part. Verse 12: „So when he realized this, ” what realized what? That he was out of prison, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. Awesome prayer meeting! What are they praying about? Who are they praying for? And what are they praying about? „Get them out of prison!“
All right, so he’s knocking on the door of the gateway. Now, just a little bit about when you get out of—I personally, if you’ve been incarcerated, I’m not judging you at all. I’ve come close a few times, and I have come close a few times. But when you get out of prison, if you broke out of prison, just give me your general mindset, you know? You’re like, „Right?“ I mean, he wasn’t like he went over to the 7-Eleven for a Slurpee, „Hey, I’m out!“ Right? He was stealth mode, sneaking down the hallway.
He comes up to this gate where they’re praying, and he knocks. Now, when you knock on a door, and it’s late, late at night, what happens? First thing you hear is—tell me, you hear dogs, right? „Oh my God!“ Then what happens? Lights go on? Well, there’s no electricity then, so it’s like—right? In any event, it’s a little stressful to be out on the street, is what I want you to understand. It’s definitely stressful, and he definitely wants inside the house.
Rhoda’s Joyful Mistake
All right, so we got to make a prayer meeting here to make this work, right? So we already decided that they’re praying for Peter, and they’re praying, „Get him out of prison.“ So everybody starts like a little Christian prayer meeting where Christians are whispering all the time. It was probably one of those. So go ahead, just get them out of prison, get him out of prison, go ahead! Come on, you can say it in tongues if you want to—just go, just go, come on, get him out of prison. I want to hear the prayers, okay?
So they’re praying like that, and then apparently they couldn’t get out of the spirit of praying. A little servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. This is the funniest verse in the New Testament: Acts 12:14. 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. When I preached this in our own church, I shared this with our church family; it reminded me of an old song by Larnelle Harris about—can you believe he wrote a song about this?
Listen to the music! This was an escape for Rhoda, and so a girl named Rhoda, with the saints, went to see—and on his behalf, hearing their prayers, God answered time and time again while still in prayer. Rhoda heard Peter but announced him without letting him in. So what was happening was like, „This time just open the door, and you’ll find that your answer to prayer is at the door!“
Small Faith, Big Answer
Okay. Now, you got to check this. You got to check this. So back to your prayer meeting again: „Go get him out of prison, get him out of prison, go!“ And she comes running in, and she’s like, „He’s at the gate!“ Now, check this: verse 15. They said to her, „You are out of your mind.“ So let’s just—so they’re praying, „Get him out of prison, get him out of prison.“ He’s out! „You’re crazy!“
So on a scale of 1 to 10, one being the least faith and ten being the most faith, hold up! You only need one hand. Hold up for their faith; give it a score, okay? Just faith: big or small? Small. And that is awesome, because their faith was small, and God still heard them. Now, I’m just telling you, have you ever done that? Have you ever prayed a prayer and thought to yourself, „That’s not going to happen, but I’m supposed to pray, ” right? And I get it, trust me.
I tell you, I’m a pastor, and I know it. Some of you are like, „Yeah, ” you’re laughing because you didn’t pray that prayer lately. But the person who’s here who prayed that prayer today—that’s a hard place to be. You believe God’s in control, and you know you’re supposed to pray, but you’re praying, and you can’t even think of anything to pray. Sometimes we don’t pray because we can’t even think of a way that it could get done; we don’t have any suggestions to offer.
Well, I don’t even know what to ask. I can’t even imagine a way that that could get fixed. And so you hear all this preaching, and faith matters, okay? Just turn to your neighbor and say, „Faith matters.“ Faith matters, all right? Faith matters. I’m not going to put faith down at all. Without faith, it’s impossible to please God. And whatever you ask in faith, believe that you’ve received that. I preach that; I get that—it’s biblical.
Faith Matters, But God Honors Weak Faith
But I do have a problem with these faith people who—who you pray and pray and pray, and they’re like, „Well, you know, hey, sorry your son died. I guess if you had had more faith…“ Don’t bring that guy around me. I’ll take that apart; that is so evil, wicked teaching as though somehow God would withhold a good gift. He’s up in heaven; he’s weighing your faith, and you haven’t rung the bell yet, so he’s like—“Not you; not now; you don’t have enough faith.» That’s awful teaching; that’s distorted teaching.
Say it again—say faith matters. Faith matters, all right? But faith—like, what was that little seed? A little bit of faith can move a mountain, and you take the faith that you have; you pray like Peter, «Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.» And you don’t let your little bit of faith keep you from getting down on your knees and praying. And God honored that! I just think it’s amazing that they were like, «He’s here!» She’s like, «You’re nuts!»
She kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, «Oh, now I get it!» They kept saying, «It’s his angel.» So what did they think? They thought he was already dead. They thought he was already dead. By verse 16, Peter continued knocking, and when they opened it and saw him, they were amazed. The word amazed there actually means they were literally—we would say «out of their minds.» It’s like they had an out-of-body experience, like they were outside themselves watching it happen and going like that; they just couldn’t get over it!
But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out. Love that! Brought him out of the prison—who brought him out? The Lord brought him out of the prison. He said, «Tell these things to James and to the brothers.» Then he departed and went to another place.
Herod’s Downfall
Now, then there’s a little paragraph about no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. Herod searched for him, did not find him, examined the sentries, and ordered they should be put to death. In New Testament times, if you let a prisoner escape, you got what they were going to get. So we know for sure Peter was going to be executed. A little bit of a geographical thing about Herod: he kind of went on vacation. Is what that means; he was pretty upset.
Okay, last paragraph, and we’re done. So God is in control even when I’m suffering, even when it’s midnight, even when my faith is weak. And lastly, God is in control. Boy, what a week in Chicago for this last point. God is in control even when the wicked seem to prosper. Because here comes Herod. Check this out: Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; those are border cities up almost toward Lebanon, right on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
He was angry with these two cities as the king, and they came to him with one accord, having persuaded Blastus—yeah, not a great name, right? Blastus? That’s an awful name! I’ve dedicated a lot of little babies to the Lord; I’ve never held a Blastus in my hands. Let’s pick a Bible name! What do you think about Blastus? And I’ll go with a no on that. Anyway, that was his name. So they persuaded this guy who worked with the king to get them an appointment so they could ask for peace because their country depended on the king’s country for food—like an embargo, so sanctions against these people he was angry with, and they were begging for it to change.
Herod’s Arrogant Speech and Judgment
So this is actually a historical event recorded by Josephus, the historian of the time. He actually talks about how Herod, at dawn, came out in this robe that was silver and how it glimmered in the sunlight. That’s in the secular documents. But here in the Bible, it says that on an appointed day, Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. What’s an oration? It’s like an arrogant speech; it’s pompous.
Now, if you’re going to make an oration—how would that have gone? If I had to come up tonight and said, «Just I’d like to make an oration from the Bible, ” you’d be like, „What happened to him?“ Okay, so he’s going to make an arrogant speech. And the people were shouting—so this is all coming down to this, this is kissing up to Herod’s circus. And if Herod doesn’t like us, our kids are going to starve because he’s got this embargo against us.
So some guy in the crowd yells out—this is a pretty nice compliment—somebody in the crowd yells out, „It’s the voice of a god and not a man!“ Now, honestly, how over the top is that? „It’s not a man talking; it’s god!“ I’m not saying Herod didn’t look cool in his silver dress; I’m just saying—a voice of a god and not a man? So the people started shouting that.
Now, just a little note to self here: What should you do if you’re singing, loving, leading, caring, doing whatever you do, and people are like, „That’s a god; you’re a god?“ What should you do? Well, the apostles show us that that happened in Acts 3 and 4, and they got down on their hands and knees, and they were like, „We’re men just like you!“ They tore their clothes. Stop saying that!
Anyone who’s doing their job for God knows that they’re nothing. They’re nothing, right? And if you forget that, God will remind you in a hurry! So Herod, though he should have been like, „No, no, no.“ But that’s not what he did. He was more like, „You know, ” and he was—he had come out, and we don’t know what his speech was, but he was very, very arrogant.
God’s Immediate Justice
His speech was like, „I’m Herod; you’re not.“ I don’t know the rest of it, but they were shouting, going, „Shout; shout! It’s the voice of a god, not a man!“ Say it! „No, no, but say it like a crazy crowd! Your kids are going to starve if you don’t win my favor!“ Come on! That would not have done it. So apparently, Herod was soaking it up when he should have been deflecting it big time.
Because, you know, do you ever read the newspapers and do you ever just say to yourself, „Come on, God! Can’t you just one time—like all that awesome stuff in the Bible; can’t you just like—can you just take him out?“ I saw this guy who went just berserk this week; it seems to happen so frequently and shot a bunch of people. Then some girl was a hero and played dead to get out and called 911 before he killed another family. How many heard about that?
Okay, so that guy—wouldn’t it be just awesome if just like—it was like he was walking into court in his orange jumpsuit, and just like his head exploded? Don’t you think that’d be great? I mean, don’t you just sometimes wish—like one time, God? Just one time—just, you know, God’s got all the cards right? Wouldn’t it be nice if you just flashed one? Just like, just one time?
Check this! Awesome! How many people would vote for that? You pick God; it don’t matter; just pick something! And you know, that’s something separate to talk about. I think God actually does that all the time. But here He does it right here. So apparently, Herod was just soaking it up on another arrogant day.
It says, „Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down because he did not give God the glory.“ Bam! So apparently, how many people would agree that the angel didn’t do that by themselves? „I’m going to do this!“ I bet the angel’s heart would never do stuff on their own. I bet you they only ever do exactly what God tells them.
So even though the text doesn’t say God told him, „Go take that guy out, ” would you agree that God did say that? So God said to him, „Okay, that’s the end for him; go take care of it.“ They’re like, „We’re on it!“ Because it says immediately, while he was still on stage, „because he did not give God the glory, he was eaten by worms, and he breathed his last.“
God’s Purposes Prevail
God is in control even when the wicked seem to prosper. That’d be a great thing to just hang on your fridge you’re dealing with everything you see, waiting for a God of perfect justice to make everything right. This world is seriously messed up, and awful evil things are happening in a day coming! Right now, we’re like, „Come on, God!“ But the day is coming when we’re going to be like, „Oh, if only I’d known! Thank God you saved me and I wasn’t part of that!“ Amen! Someone say „Amen!“
And so we’re going to wait. The Bible says that we should wait for the day of the Lord and for His justice. God is in control even when the wicked seem to prosper. I’m just—I’m done. But I said I’d read all the verses. So—but the word of God increased? Are you kidding me? So James is dead, Peter’s in prison, the people have no faith, Herod’s out of control, but the word of God increased and multiplied.
Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John whose other name was Mark. God was working! Right? God was working. Everything’s going to hell in a handbasket, but God was working. That’s what it means that God is in control—not that everything is perfect, but that God is working out His purposes.
Closing Prayer
Just bow with me in prayer. And Father, we would just say to you that we are so thankful that these things are true and we love our city, and we’re so burdened, God, by the dark things that are happening. In our flesh, we wish you would do this or that; it seems so right. But in that, we forget that judgment is without mercy to the one who shows no mercy.
You have showered mercy upon us, and Your Son, our Savior, said, „Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.“ And so we ask that you would grant to us a deeper sense of the fact that you are in control even when we’re suffering, even when it’s down to the wire, even when we don’t have great faith, even when it seems like everything’s out of control.
It isn’t! You are ruling the universe; everything is in your hands; your purposes are being accomplished. Accomplish them with me! Start with me, complete it in me. God, we praise the name of your Son, Jesus. We have celebrated and lifted high the name of Jesus in this room; He is an awesome Savior, and He is a sufficient Savior, and all that we need we find in Him, and all of the promises of God find their yes and their amen in Jesus Christ.
He is the centerpiece of civilization, unparalleled and unprecedented—Your awesome, glorious Son, and we worship Him, and we love Him, and we’re thankful that our lives belong to Him. I pray for anyone here or listening online who’s not yet yielded their life to Him, whom to know is life eternal—that they would bow the knee now and turn from sin that only leads to misery and always has, and find forgiveness and the gift of eternal life offered so generously in your great Son, whom we worship now.