“…Peter was sleeping…”  (Acts 12)

 

I have been on the search for a puritan work called, “The Christian in Complete Armour,” by William Gurnall.  It is the definitive work on the whole armour of God and the wrestling Christ-ian. It’s the definitive work on the subject matter and it was written in the six-teen hundreds (1600’s). That should say something about the book AND the writer AND the writer’s God. I have volume one (1) and three (3) but they are abridged and I’m not a fan of abridgements. Abridgements are an abomination to my puritanical reading bent.

As I was thinking about this book, I began to think about the theme of “The Christ-ian in…”  After our current exposition, as poorly as it is, of Romans we hope to begin the book of Acts (DV). As I was walking through the book of Acts I came upon the text above in chapter 12, “…Peter was sleeping…”  We may remember Peter, along with James and John, falling asleep and failing to keep watch as their friend, our Lord Jesus was praying unto blood.  This sleep is not like that sleep.  That sleep was from tiredness.

The sleep we find Peter in is that of perfect peace and rest. A perfect peace and rest that one might say, “passeth all understanding.”  Peter was sleeping between two (2) guards as he was imprisoned for his love of Christ. Peter was to be executed the next day. Herod the puppet king of Rome had previously killed James, the brother of John. Herod “saw it pleased the Jews,” so he “proceeded further the take Peter also.” Herod, in an attempt to make certain Peter did not escape, he “delivered him to four quarternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.”

Herod was still reeling from Christ’s resurrection and he wanted to make sure nothing went wrong with Peter and his public pleasing execution. Herod wanted to regain face and please the blood thirsty jews. Killing Peter would be the sequel to the crucifixtion of Christ. Often times sequels disappoint, this one would too.

“…Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains and the keepers before the door kept the prison.”  Let me put this into perspective, Peter was sleeping between two (2) soldiers out of the SIXTEEN (16) that were watching him. Peter was bound with two (2) chains AND there was more than one (1) jail keeper “before the door.” By Herods measures to keep Peter and Peter’s peaceful rest, one might ask, who was really and truly imprisoned.

Before we continue with Peter, the Christ-ian in perfect peace, let me ask you of what this scene reminds you of.  Think about it for a minute………………Peter is facing “certain death” yet he sleeps peacefully.  Does this remind you of any other time in Scripture?…………………In Mark four (4) The disciples are on a ship that is being tossed to and fro with wind and waves. Water is filling the ship and the storm is thundering….the very experience fisher of men were terrified and that tells us something about this storm.  For these experienced men to be so frightened, it must have been quite a storm!!!  Where was Christ?  He was a sleep in the back of the ship!!!  Christ was experiencing perfect peace and rest.

The disciple them awoke their Master asking Him if He cared that they were about to perish.  The Lord Jesus Who is, “The LORD on high [that] is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea than the mighty waves of the sea” arose and rebuked the sea and the wind and the storm….He rebuked the noise and the mighty waves of the sea.  Yea, He that created water, Yea, He Who spoke water into existence and walks upon it, rebuked all of it with, “Peace, be still.”  Reader, you will obtain peace and rest when you learn “Peace, be still” …and “know that I am God.” When you learn that God is God and all that that entails, peace…peace, peace like a river will flood over your soul.

Christ said to His friends, “Ye of little faith.”  Sometimes, I think, he said that half in jest, but there comes a time, Reader, when being of little faith is no joking matter.  If you have been saved for years and you are yet without peace, ye are of little faith, still.  Reader, one must grow in faith so that it graduates into hope and surety. The worrying Christ-ian is an unseemly sight. The fretting Christ-ian is the Christ-ian that has forsaken faith. Reader, Faith and fear, Fret and faith do not match as doth faith and freedom. Faith is the freedom from fear.  Let’s get back to Peter.

Peter has learned from his Master. Actually, to be true to Scripture and sound in my theology, we must point out that Peter had received the Holy Spirit of his Master. The same Spirit that led the Master into the desert and the same Spirit that led Him to Golgotha. It was this Holy Spirit of God that enabled Christ to do all that He did. As it was with Christ so it is with Peter and Reader, as it is with Peter, so it is with us. What Christ was to His disciple…all that Christ was to His disciples, the Spirit of Christ is or can be to you today.

“…Peter was sleeping.” Peter was asleep between two (2) soldiers out of the sixteen (16) that were guarding him and in addition to the sixteen (16) soldiers there were jail guards outside the door of the prison.  Also remember, Peter was in two (2) sets of chains.  This not only reminds us of the ship in the storm but this also reminds us of all the effort that was put towards keeping Christ in the tomb.  That episode ended badly for Herod and      -SPOILER ALERT- This won’t end any better for Herod, the puppet of Rome.

As Peter was sleeping and perfectly at rest an angel was dispatched by the Lord to free him.  But Reader, get this….this makes me laugh and rejoice….watch this…..”And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison…”  But even this did not disturb the Peace-filled Peter!!! NO, the angel had to smite Peter on the side to wake him up!!!  “And he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. and his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee and follow me And he went out, and followed him….”  Reader, this next clause is great, ….”and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.”

In other words, Peter was at such peace, that his execution bothered him not. There is a reason for that and we will disclose that soon, (DV).  Peter was resting so peace-fully or Peter was so filled with Peace that an angel arriving and lighting up the whole jail awoke Peter not. I know not of the eighteen (18) men guarding Peter…..maybe the light put them out for some time or blinded them so that Peter could escape. I know not. What I do know is that such a great light did not awaken the peace-filled sleeping Peter just as the mighty waves did not wake the Christ. The angel had to smite Peter to get his attention. Peace is a precious commodity.  Reader, if you have the Peace of the Lord upon you, be grateful and thank Him daily.

Why did Peter have such peace at this time when Herod was about to publically execute him?  How could the Master sleep through such a terrifying storm?  One reason, they both knew that their time was in God’s Hands. Remember at the end of John’s Gospel, Christ told Peter how he would glorify Him. Christ told Him he would glorify Him in his old age and it would be through death, the death upon a cross. Therefore, Peter knew perfectly well he would not be a victim of Herod, the puppet king. Christ also knew that He had come to seek that which was lost and that would be through the cross and again, therefore, no storm would end His mission.

Reader, Perfect peace come through a intimate knowledge of Christ and His ways.  Reader, you are immortal, God is for you, all things will work together for your good, as He worketh all things according to His will.

As the bumper sticker rightfully says, “Know the Lord Jesus, Know Peace; Know not the Lord Jesus, know not peace”  or something like that.

Reader, Be still and know that He is God and peace will surely follow.

Godspeed.