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Death and Escape - The Book of Acts · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And behold, the angel of the Lord
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  Speaker 1: came upon him, and a light shined in the prison.
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  Speaker 1: And he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise,
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  Speaker 1: arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
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  Speaker 1: Acts 12.17 Through the mighty name of Jesus, I declare
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  Speaker 1: that the works of hell will not prevail. against the
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  Speaker 1: works of Jesus. When others seek to use their influence
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  Speaker 1: to terrify and intimidate my purpose, I will all the
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  Speaker 1: more boldly declare the mighty works of Jesus. Like James
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  Speaker 1: in Acts 12, I will hold my ground and speak
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  Speaker 1: up even when the sword of unjust abuse pierces my life.
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  Speaker 1: when I find myself in the chains of despair, I
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  Speaker 1: will pray and meditate on your words, Jesus. I will
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  Speaker 1: meditate on the truths found in Acts 12 that show
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  Speaker 1: me that through your power you will send supernatural deliverance
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  Speaker 1: my way in order to set me up and send
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  Speaker 1: me off into the next season of opportunity, free from
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  Speaker 1: the chains of man, and free from their limiting beliefs
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  Speaker 1: about me. Thank you, Jesus, that even in the face
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  Speaker 1: of death, you always provide a way of escape. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time
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  Speaker 1: with God by listening to today's Bible story, brought to
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  Speaker 1: you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Death and Escape In our last story, Saul and Barnabas
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  Speaker 2: teamed up to advance the gospel in Antioch. Saul was
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  Speaker 2: still learning about what it truly meant to walk with Jesus,
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  Speaker 2: and Barnabas acted as a brilliant mentor and friend. Now
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  Speaker 2: we witness the tragic end to one of Jesus' chosen twelve.
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  Speaker 2: Violence against the church increases, and the gates of hell
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  Speaker 2: threaten to overcome the work of Jesus to no avail.
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  Speaker 2: Inspired by the book of Acts.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham, and once again, you've connected
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  Speaker 3: with the Bible in a Year podcast. We're really glad
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  Speaker 3: that you've joined us. In our previous episode, we heard
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  Speaker 3: about the spread of the gospel, with more non-Jews turning
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  Speaker 3: to Christ because of the faithful witness of believers who
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  Speaker 3: had scattered throughout the Roman world. We also learned how
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  Speaker 3: Barnabas and Saul began to work together to disciple new
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  Speaker 3: believers in Antioch so that they would remain firm and
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  Speaker 3: strong in their faith. Today, we'll hear of more persecutions
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  Speaker 3: and another faithful servant who dies because of his faith.
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  Speaker 3: The enemy of the gospel, Satan himself, is pulling out
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  Speaker 3: all the stops to keep the name of Jesus from
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  Speaker 3: being proclaimed. But through it all, God strengthens his church
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  Speaker 3: and makes his name known because the work of Jesus
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  Speaker 3: Christ and the witness of the gospel is unstoppable. Let's
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  Speaker 3: hear now the reading from the book of Acts.
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  Speaker 2: Herod watched as homes burned in the distance. Pires of
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  Speaker 2: flames pierced the cold, dark night. Herod's cruel smirk was
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  Speaker 2: illuminated by the light of burning houses. As men and
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  Speaker 2: women ran out of the burning buildings to escape death,
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  Speaker 2: they were captured by Herod's guards and thrown into prison.
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  Speaker 2: He was sick of Jesus' name continuing to challenge his power.
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  Speaker 2: The keepers of his words were the only thing standing
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  Speaker 2: between him and control. He needed them to die. He
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  Speaker 2: needed the city streets to run red with the blood
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  Speaker 2: of Christians so that all would know that Herod was king,
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  Speaker 2: not Jesus. James gazed upon the ruin. Screams of his
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  Speaker 2: brothers and sisters rang like bells throughout the city. His
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  Speaker 2: heart broke for them. The next morning, James stood boldly
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  Speaker 2: in front of the palace, declaring that there is healing
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  Speaker 2: in the name of Jesus. He focused on the restoring
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  Speaker 2: work of Christ. how even in the most brutal of circumstances,
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  Speaker 2: the name of Jesus would live on and save. As
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  Speaker 2: James preached, he could see Herod's guards standing at a distance.
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  Speaker 2: On the other end were scowling Jews awaiting his demise.
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  Speaker 2: James stepped forward and looked them in the eye. He
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  Speaker 2: did not call for them to be damned. He did
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  Speaker 2: not ask for fire to be called down from heaven.
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  Speaker 2: He simply proclaimed the.
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  Speaker 3: Love of God.
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  Speaker 2: Then before the entire city, Herod's guards walked up to
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  Speaker 2: James and shoved a blade into his stomach. The Herodian
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  Speaker 2: soldiers left James to bleed in the city streets. James
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  Speaker 2: gasped for air, unable to catch any oxygen as blood
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  Speaker 2: filled his lungs. The corners of his eyes began to darken,
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  Speaker 2: and James remembered the words of Jesus years ago. Are
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  Speaker 2: you prepared to drink the cup that I am about
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  Speaker 2: to drink? James, still writhing in pain, gave a brief smile.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus had asked if James was willing to die for
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  Speaker 2: the sake of others. Back then, James did not understand
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  Speaker 2: what he meant. But now, as his blood ran like
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  Speaker 2: a river through the cobblestones, James understood. He closed his eyes,
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  Speaker 2: praying for God to embrace him. And in that moment,
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  Speaker 2: James exhaled his last breath on earth and inhaled into eternity.
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  Speaker 2: The persecution of Herod did not cease. There was hysteria
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  Speaker 2: in the streets, and flames lit up the night for weeks.
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  Speaker 2: Peter was brought to the ground by several of Herod's guards.
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  Speaker 2: They struggled on the ash and stone, but Peter was
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  Speaker 2: eventually brought back to prison. Four squads of soldiers were
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  Speaker 2: responsible for watching him since the last time he had escaped.
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  Speaker 2: So Peter sat in the cold, wet cell. The only
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  Speaker 2: sound was the constant drip of water echoing and the
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  Speaker 2: silent whispers of Peter's prayers to God. The sun had set,
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  Speaker 2: and it was about time for Peter to be taken
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  Speaker 2: before Herod. For days now, the two guards had come
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  Speaker 2: into his cell to beat him. Peter sat in the
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  Speaker 2: corner of his cell, his cheeks were split open by clubs,
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  Speaker 2: and his ribs were cracked under the large fists of
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  Speaker 2: drunken soldiers. Yet Peter continued to pray for deliverance. And
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  Speaker 2: only hours before he was to appear before Herod to
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  Speaker 2: be judged, he heard the sound of chains cracking. Peter
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  Speaker 2: looked down to see his chain's had been removed. He
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  Speaker 2: looked up and saw a light shining through the cell.
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  Speaker 2: It was an angel of the Lord. Arise, the angel said.
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  Speaker 2: Be quick and dress yourself. Wrap your cloak around you
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  Speaker 2: and follow me. Peter did not ask questions. He draped
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  Speaker 2: his hood over his head and moved through the prison halls.
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  Speaker 2: It was damp and dark, but the light of the
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  Speaker 2: angel lit Peter's path so he would not stumble. As
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  Speaker 2: Peter followed the angel past the second guard, he could
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  Speaker 2: not help but wonder if he was dreaming. However, Peter
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  Speaker 2: was quickly proven wrong as he stood at the large
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  Speaker 2: iron gate that separated the prison from the outside. He
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  Speaker 2: looked down at the locks on the gate, and they
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  Speaker 2: were left wide open. Peter walked right through and went
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  Speaker 2: to visit Mary and John. Weeks later, Herod sat upon
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  Speaker 2: his throne, listening to the forced praises of his servants.
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  Speaker 2: He had them sing before him with words of worship.
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  Speaker 2: The voice of a God, they sang. The voice of
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  Speaker 2: a God and not a man. Herod settled into his
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  Speaker 2: throne as he drifted away to the sweet voices of
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  Speaker 2: his servants. But he was eventually struck down because there
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  Speaker 2: would be no robbing God of his glory. Eventually Barnabas
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  Speaker 2: returned to Jerusalem with Saul. So the word of God
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  Speaker 2: increased and multiplied and the gates of hell could not
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  Speaker 2: prevail against the work of Jesus.
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  Speaker 3: As today's scripture unfolds, we find Herod turning up the
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  Speaker 3: heat on the followers of Jesus. He was determined to
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  Speaker 3: stop the church from growing anymore and had begun to
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  Speaker 3: lay hands on the disciples, not just threatening them, but
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  Speaker 3: bringing violence upon them. Among his first victims was one
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  Speaker 3: of Jesus' own apostles. James, the brother of John, was
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  Speaker 3: put to death by the sword. What Herod did not
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  Speaker 3: understand was that even in the act of killing James,
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  Speaker 3: Herod was giving him an even greater reward. This faithful
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  Speaker 3: servant of Jesus was welcomed into the arms of the
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  Speaker 3: Savior because he had fought the good fight of faith
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  Speaker 3: and died then as a martyr. When a believer dies,
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  Speaker 3: the Christian goes straight into the presence of the Lord.
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  Speaker 3: For the Bible says to be absent from the body
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  Speaker 3: is to be present with the Lord. But of course,
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  Speaker 3: those who are left behind, family, friends, loved ones, we grieve.
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  Speaker 3: And that's what happened when James died. The believers who
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  Speaker 3: knew and loved James saw this as a tragic loss,
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  Speaker 3: and it was in so many ways. But they could
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  Speaker 3: take comfort in knowing that their brother was with the
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  Speaker 3: Lord and rejoice as they did when they faced imprisonment
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  Speaker 3: and beatings. Rejoice because they knew that James was counted
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  Speaker 3: worthy to suffer for the cause of Christ, and so,
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  Speaker 3: if necessary, would they. Herod, on the other hand, saw
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  Speaker 3: only that killing James was pleasing to the Jews and
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  Speaker 3: So he also seized Peter and had him thrown into prison.
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  Speaker 3: There Peter was kept under close guard. Herod intended to
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  Speaker 3: bring him out before the people after the Passover, surely
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  Speaker 3: to face a similar fate to James. But as Peter
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  Speaker 3: sat alone in his cell, he was really not alone.
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  Speaker 3: He was supported by the church and the prayers of
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  Speaker 3: God's people. Acts 12.5 says this, So Peter was kept
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  Speaker 3: in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to
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  Speaker 3: God by the church. Some might hear this and think
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  Speaker 3: they prayed, because there was nothing else to do. But
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  Speaker 3: that would be a misunderstanding, a huge misunderstanding of the
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  Speaker 3: power of prayer. The church prayed not as a last resort,
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  Speaker 3: but as a powerful weapon against the enemy. Prayer is
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  Speaker 3: our first option, not our last chance. This was not
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  Speaker 3: a desperate act of hopeless people. It was the humble,
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  Speaker 3: faithful act of God's people as they prayed for Peter.
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  Speaker 3: With the prayer, they brought their request for Peter before God,
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  Speaker 3: because God was the only one who could really deliver him.
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  Speaker 3: And did God ever come through? The walls of the
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  Speaker 3: prison and the chains on Peter's wrists were no match
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  Speaker 3: for his power. As Peter slept between two guards the
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  Speaker 3: night before Herod was about to bring him out on trial,
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  Speaker 3: the Lord sent an angel to who awakened Peter and
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  Speaker 3: told him to get up. Peter watched as the chains
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  Speaker 3: fell from his hands. The angel told him to dress
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  Speaker 3: himself and wrap his cloak around his body. Peter followed
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  Speaker 3: the angel as they walked right out of the cell.
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  Speaker 3: The prison doors were opening for them. At first, Peter
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  Speaker 3: thought he was having a dream or a vision. But
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  Speaker 3: as they reached the street, the angel departed and Peter
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  Speaker 3: knew he was not dreaming. He was free. God had
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  Speaker 3: answered the prayers of his people and delivered Peter from Herod.
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  Speaker 3: and those who wanted to kill him. Peter went immediately
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  Speaker 3: to see John Mark and his mother Mary where believers
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  Speaker 3: were gathered there praying. At first, they couldn't believe that
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  Speaker 3: God had answered their prayer. They couldn't believe that it
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  Speaker 3: was Peter actually knocking at the door. And they didn't
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  Speaker 3: open the door, but finally they did. I can only
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  Speaker 3: imagine the joy that they experienced together as they saw
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  Speaker 3: the answer to their prayer Simon Peter delivered standing right
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  Speaker 3: in front of them. Today's scripture reminds us of the
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  Speaker 3: mighty power of prayer, and that through prayer, God may
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  Speaker 3: choose to deliver us from the most dire of circumstances
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  Speaker 3: that seem totally hopeless. And yet we trust the will
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  Speaker 3: of God in all of this when we pray. As
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  Speaker 3: we just heard at the beginning of this reading, James,
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  Speaker 3: the great apostle, died for the cause of the gospel,
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  Speaker 3: yet Peter was delivered. None of this really is understandable
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  Speaker 3: this side of eternity, but we can trust the purposes
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  Speaker 3: of God, and know that he is sovereignly working all
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  Speaker 3: things together for good and for the glory of his name. Herod,
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  Speaker 3: when he discovered that Peter escaped, was livid and had
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  Speaker 3: the guards put to death. He was so convinced of
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  Speaker 3: his own power and importance that soon people were singing
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  Speaker 3: praises to him, calling him a god, and he gladly
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  Speaker 3: received their praises. But God sent an angel to strike
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  Speaker 3: him down because he did not glorify God. His reign
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  Speaker 3: of terror was now over. and the church continued to
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  Speaker 3: grow and multiply. This is the power of the gospel
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  Speaker 3: and the power of a praying church. Dear Lord, we
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  Speaker 3: thank you for this privilege of prayer, and we know
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  Speaker 3: that we can come to you about anything for anyone,
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  Speaker 3: even in the most desperate of circumstances. We pray, O God,
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  Speaker 3: that you would deliver us from every enemy that we face,
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  Speaker 3: and when we have trying times in our lives and
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  Speaker 3: the lives of our loved ones and friends, May we
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  Speaker 3: go to our knees first. May we find in you
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  Speaker 3: our hope and our help. And as the church of
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  Speaker 3: the Lord Jesus Christ in this generation, Lord, make us
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  Speaker 3: a praying church. Help us to know that you are
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  Speaker 3: our strength and our help, our ever-present help in times
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  Speaker 3: of trouble. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for listening
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  Speaker 3: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham
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  Speaker 3: from Dallas, Texas. You can download the Pray.com app and
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  Speaker 3: make prayer a priority in your life, just like over
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  Speaker 3: 20 million people have done to this date. If you
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  Speaker 3: enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you know and love,
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  Speaker 3: because by sharing this message of the Word of God,
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  Speaker 3: you can make an eternal difference in someone's life. And
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  Speaker 3: I want to encourage you to go to JackGraham.org. That's
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  Speaker 3: me at JackGraham.org. We have resources available to you. God
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  Speaker 3: bless you. And we look forward to joining you again
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  Speaker 3: the next time.