SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE, 15 February 2026
Sermon Series: “The Acts of the Apostles” (#19)
Sermon Text: Acts 12:6-25
Main Points:
Introduction
I. Chains broken: God’s sovereign deliverance (vs. 6-17)
II. Pride judged: God’s sovereign opposition to human pride (vs. 18-23)
III. The unstoppable Word (vs. 24-25)
Conclusion
The 16th century Reformer Martin Luther once said that if you are not finding Christ in a passage of Scripture, you are not reading it correctly. John Calvin – often called the ‘theologian’ of the Reformation – agreed. He insisted that the whole of Scripture must be read with Christ as its mark, its aim, its ultimate goal.
To find Christ in every passage is also to behold the sovereignty of God. They are not two separate themes. They’re inseparably joined – like a single rope woven from two cords. To see Christ is to see the sovereign purpose of God unfolding in history. To trace God’s sovereignty is to watch Him accomplishing redemption through His Son. In other words, His eternal plan advancing through kings and kingdoms, through suffering and deliverance, through judgment and mercy.
In Acts 12, this great theme comes into sharp focus – the sovereign will of God on full display. God broke the chains of His servant, while striking down the proud king. Deliverance and judgment are both under God’s authority. Peter is freed while Herod is humbled.
And what is the outcome of it all? Not merely one man rescued; not merely one ruler removed. The result is this: the church of Jesus Christ advances and the word of God increases and multiplies. In a word, God acts – not only to save His servant and not only to judge the arrogant – but to accomplish His greater purpose. That is, the unstoppable expansion of the kingdom of His Son, Jesus Christ.
So, as we examine our text from Acts 12, I do not want us to focus merely on what happened, or on which individual was delivered and which one was judged. Rather, I want us to behold something greater. I want us to see the sovereign purpose of God unfolding – His unwavering will to exalt His Son and to make Him known among all peoples and all nations, starting from you and me today.
I. Chains Broken: God’s Sovereign Deliverance (vs. 6-17)
We begin with Peter’s miraculous deliverance. King Herod had already executed the Apostle James, as we saw last week. When he realised that this pleased the Jews, he arrested Peter as well, intending to bring him to the same fate after the Passover. It was customary not to carry out executions during the festal season, so Peter was kept in custody until the celebration ended.
Now, Luke gives us unusually detailed information about Peter’s imprisonment. He was not merely detained – he was secured. He was bound with chains, and not in the usual Roman manner. Typically, prisoners were chained by the hands. But Peter’s confinement was far more severe. He was chained between two soldiers – one on his right and another on his left. Even while sleeping, he was physically fastened to guards. In addition, two more guards stood watch outside the cell, between the inner prison and the main gate. This was maximum security.
Why such measures? The text does not explicitly say, but we can reasonably infer that Herod had heard of Peter’s earlier escape in Acts 5, when an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought the apostles out at night. In fact, this was Peter’s third imprisonment. In Acts 4, he and John were detained and warned. In Acts 5, all the apostles were arrested and beaten. Now, in Acts 12, Peter is effectively under a death sentence. The escalation is unmistakable.
But, there’s something deeply striking in this scene. When the angel of the Lord appears, what is Peter doing? He’s sleeping! Yes, sleeping – on the night before his expected execution. Sleeping – chained between two guards. How do we explain that?
Perhaps he was physically exhausted after days in prison. But even so, it is not normal for a man facing death at dawn to rest so deeply. The more compelling explanation is that Peter was at peace. He had entrusted his life entirely to the Lord. So, he is sleeping soundly!
The bright light filling the prison did not wake him. The angel had to strike his side.
That word ‘strike’ is not a gentle tap. It carries the sense of a sharp, decisive blow. For example, Jesus said – on the night He was betrayed – quoting Zechariah, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep … would be scattered.” It is a forceful action. Peter needed to be struck awake.
Then, chains fall off. Orders are given quickly and they pass the guards. The iron gate opens of its own accord. Peter follows, thinking he is seeing a vision. Only after the angel departs does he come to himself and realise – ‘This is real! The Lord has sent His angel and rescued me!’ It is a miracle at every level.
The following narrative further illuminates the significance of this miracle. Peter goes to the house where believers are gathered and pray earnestly. A servant girl named Rhoda recognises his voice – and in her excitement – forgets to open the door. She runs back inside to announce that Peter is standing outside. The believers response, “You are out of your mind.” When she insists, they say, “It is his angel!”
They were praying – but they were not expecting this. When they finally open the door and see him, they are ‘amazed’ or ‘astonished.’ The whole scene is saturated with divine power and human weakness.
Some have attempted to explain this away – suggesting bribed guards or a secret rescue. But such theories collapse under scrutiny. The Roman prison system was highly disciplined. Under Roman law, if a guard lost a prisoner, he would suffer the punishment intended for that prisoner. Since Peter was marked for execution, the guards later executed in his place confirm that this was no staged escape. This was the hand of God.
So why does Luke record this in such detail? To show us two things. First, the sovereign power of the Lord over violent opposition. Herod may imprison; God releases. Kings may decree death; God overrules. Second, the utter inability of God’s enemies to halt His redemptive plan. No prison can confine the gospel. No chain can restrain the purposes of God. The Word is not bound.
Peter’s chains fall – not merely for his sake – but to demonstrate that God’s kingdom advances by His sovereign will.
II. Pride Judged: God’s Sovereign Opposition To Human Pride (vs. 18-23)
But the story is not finished. If Acts 12 ends at v. 17, we might conclude that this chapter is simply about rescue – about how God protects His servants. But the Lord’s message is far greater than that. His message is that the same sovereign hand that breaks chains also confronts pride – and does so in order to advance His redemptive purpose.
Now, the scene shifts dramatically. From a dimly lit prison cell to a royal platform. From a man asleep in humility to a king clothed in splendour. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, was chained and sleeping. And Herod is robed and receiving praise. One is powerless before men, yet at peace before God. The other appears powerful before men, but stands exposed before God. Do you see the deliberate contrast? Chains are nothing before the sovereignty of God. But pride is something God will not tolerate. So, we move from chains broken to pride judged.
In v. 20 and following, Herod meets the representatives from Tyre and Sidon. This is a political gathering. Herod had been angry with those coastal cities, whose economy depended heavily on Judea for food supply. They sought reconciliation and favour. On the appointed day, Herod sits on his throne, dressed in royal robes, and delivers a public address. And the people shout, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” It’s blasphemous phrase. But Herod does not correct them; he receives it.
Immediately, says v. 23, an angel of the Lord strikes him down. Why? Because he did not give God the glory. The result is swift and terrifying. He is struck, consumed internally, and he dies. We need to know that the suddenness is intentional. God wants us to feel the weight of it. God will not share His glory. God will not tolerate pride that exalts itself against Him. In other words, God will break opposition to His will for His church. He’ll advance His purpose and fulfil His plan for the world.
Let me remind you that Herod’s case is not unique. It is part of a recurring biblical pattern. In Gen. 11, humanity gathered at Babel and said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower … and let us make a name for ourselves” (v. 4). That was not merely architectural ambition – it was spiritual rebellion. It was humanity seeking glory, identity, and security apart from God. In direct defiance of God’s command to fill the earth.
And what happened? The Lord came down to see the city and the tower! The tower meant to reach heaven required God to stoop to observe it. And the Lord confused their language and scattered them, fulfilling God’s original plan for humanity.
Centuries later, the pattern repeated in Dan. 4. King Nebuchadnezzar stood on his palace roof and declared, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” (v. 30). While the words were still in his mouth, heaven answered. He was struck down. His reason departed. He lived like a beast in the field.
But after years of humiliation, his sanity returned, and he confessed in Dan. 4:34 and 35, “[God’s] dominion is an everlasting dominion … and none can stay His hand.” The proud king learned what Babel should’ve learned – that is, God alone rules; God alone establishes His kingdom; God alone secures glory!
This is precisely the theme of the second psalm. It begins, “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?” Plot against whom? Against the LORD and His Anointed – against Christ! And what is the heaven’s response? V. 4 says, “He who sits in the heavens laughs.” Human rebellion is real – but it is never ultimate. The Apostle Peter confirms it once again in 1 Pet. 5:5, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Coming back to Acts 12, Herod persecutes the church and James is executed. Peter is imprisoned. In all that, he appears powerful and the church appears fragile. But when Herod proudly accepts the people’s praise, it is simply Babel reborn; it is Babylon repeated. It is humanity grasping for glory once again. And heaven responds as it always has – the sovereign God acts, and the proud king falls; the opposition is broken. Meanwhile, the prison could not hold Peter. The throne could not protect Herod. Because God is advancing His kingdom and guarding His glory!
III. The Unstoppable Word (vs. 24-25)
After all the drama, Luke concludes with remarkable simplicity. V. 24 says, “But the word of God increased and multiplied.” This single sentence is the interpretive key to the entire chapter! James is executed; Peter is imprisoned. Herod persecutes the church. Then, a king is struck down and dies suddenly. Yet, what advances? The Word! The Word of God increases and multiplies.
The small word ‘but’ carries enormous weight, doesn’t it? It is God’s verdict on the whole episode. Kings rise and fall – but the Word moves forward. Opposition intensifies – but the gospel spreads. God continues to bring His saving message to all peoples and all nations, as He had promised long ago to Abraham, the father of all believers!
No ruler can stand in His way. No prison can restrain God or His faithful ones. No pride can diminish the spread of His truth. In fact, this is not an isolated statement. It is one of several summary declarations scattered throughout the book of Acts. God’s mission is unstoppable!
It begins from Acts 2:47, after Pentecost, that “the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” In Acts 4:4, even after threats and arrest, “Many of those who had heard the word believed.” The same kind of statement repeat in 5:14, 6:7 and 9:31 – and it continues in Acts 12, 16, 19 and 28.
Conclusion
This is the grand pattern of world history. God advances His Word – and that is the true story of the world. Empires rise and collapse. Kings and queens reign and are forgotten. Prime ministers and presidents pass legislations and leave office.
But God’s redemptive purpose marches on. History is not random. It is not driven ultimately by politics or military power. It is, in the deepest sense, His story, God’s story – moving toward its appointed end, when Christ is fully revealed as King!
Those who oppose the Lord and His Anointed will be humbled. Yet, those who trust in Christ will be lifted up and brought safety into His eternal kingdom. This is the message we read and hear from Acts 12. Chains are broken, pride is judged; and the Word of God cannot be stopped as the sovereign God, our Heavenly Father, increases and multiplies it! ***
St Columba's Presbyterian Church 