211. Bonus Israel Content - James at Caesarea Maritima and Tis So Sweet to trust in Jesus

1. Podcast Introduction and Theme

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   For freedom, he set me free, not for chains, not for guilt, not for Pharisee. Grace lit the flame, now I'm puffing peace, cigars and victory justified, released.

   Welcome to the 4-Freedom Podcast. This podcast exists to bring the freedom of the gospel for everyday Christians with everyday issues.

   I ain't saved by dress codes, not by what I eat. I'm covered in the righteousness, washed from head to feet. No tally of tradition, no man-made code.

   Blood bought my freedom, now I ride that road. They clutch pearls when they see smoke rings rise. But my praise still ascends past the legalist cries. Christ plus nothing, that's the real math.

   So miss me with your fence laws and your extra path. He sat with sinners, I'm sitting with saints. Sipping grace from the bottle, no room for fakes. I light one for liberty, toast to the king. Every ash a sermon, death has lost its sting.

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   For freedom, he set me free, not for chains, not for guilt, not for Pharisee. Grace lit the flame, now I'm puffing peace. Cigars and victory justified, released.

   For freedom, he set me free, not for chains, not for guilt, not for Pharisee. Grace lit the flame, now I'm puffing peace. Cigars and victory justified, released.

   Let grace begin. For freedom, he set me free, not for chains, not for guilt, not for Pharisee. Grace lit the flame, now I'm puffing peace. Now here are your hosts, James Safrit and Brett Martin.

   All right, so I just got done preaching through Acts just a couple of months ago. And I was in Acts chapter 12.

   And in this specific stadium in Acts chapter 12, it says that Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon in Acts 12, 20-25. Together they presented themselves before him. After winning over Basilic,

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   who was in charge of the king's bedroom, they asked for peace because their country was supplied with food for the king's country. And on an appointed day, dressed in royal robes and seated on a throne, Herod delivered a speech to them.

   The assembled people began to shout, It is the voice of God and not of man. At once an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.

   But the word of God spread and multiplied. As they had completed their relief mission, Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem, taking along John, who was called Mark. So we're sitting at the place at Caesarea,

   the Roman capital of Judea, where King Agripo's first city was at. While he was here, he was trying to impress Rome. He was trying to impress Caesar and exalt his power.

4. James and Peter's Imprisonment

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   And as he was rising to power, one of the apostles, James, was killed by King Agripo right here. In Acts 12, verse 2, it says that he imprisoned Peter and he killed James to please the people. He had intended to publicly execute Peter as well.

   He had intended to kill him and to put him away. But verse 5 gives us some great encouragement.

   Verse 5 says, But prayer was made without ceasing of the church until God bore him. Herod had soldiers, but the church had God.

   The church had a group of people who were committing themselves to prayer, to praying for the people. And as the king was standing up in verse 21 and 22, as I read,

   Josephus, as we heard in the last setting of Magdala, Josephus Slavius made a statement that I read.

   I'm going to read it for you. He says that as Josephus was recording what was going on here at the death of James, he says that Agrippa came in with a silver robe, and as the sun reflected it so brightly,

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   he looked almost supernatural. He almost looked like an angel standing on the stage that we're looking at. And as the people shouted the voice of God and not of man, this is the moment where Herod or Agrippa had the moment to say,

   I'm going to correct them and tell them that I'm just a man. I have the moment to say, I'm going to deflect the praise from me and deflect it to God instead. And yet he didn't do any of that.

   Verse 23, as I read, it said, Immediately the angel of the Lord smote him. He was eaten by worms and gave up the ghost. Josephus continues on to say that he was suddenly brought into a violent abdominal pain, and he suffered for five days and then died.

   A man that was called by God, who was called a God, died like a man.

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   This wasn't a random illness at all. The Bible, Scripture simply says, because he did not give glory to God. Herod wanted to be God. He wanted the authority of God. He wanted to be worshipped like God. He actually wanted God's throne.

   And yet, he died in the end on this very ground as a judgment to each of us and a warning to each of us. Who are we glorifying and who are we lifting up the most? At the end of this chapter 12,

   one of the most important verses of this entire book of Acts states this, But the word of God grew and multiplied. Herod died.

   God's word continues to live. James was martyred. Peter was freed. And we're going to see where Peter and Paul were held in prison here in a minute. The church prayed and God began to rule over and over again.

7. God's Glory and Human Pride

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   I want to close by giving us just this one thing. But Caesarea reminds me, as I was thinking on the way over here, of a couple of unchanging truths. God will never share his glory with anyone.

   As we go through our life, oftentimes we are so ideologically bound to lift ourselves up and make us look good.

   And God says that we are to humble ourselves, as 1 Samuel says, and bow before him and turn our faces to God. So that we can see his glory. Earthly power is temporary.

   Herod is no longer here. Agrippa is no longer here. But God's word is still here. And we can trust his word and we can know that he is sovereign. And pride is always expensive.

   One of the things I used to say when I was in college is I was humble and proud of it. I have an aura that I can have some confidence about me.

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   And pride is expensive in every single one of our lives. It has humbled the greatest of all people when we are prideful. And we must take these words that Agrippa had in his heart of pridefulness that brought him down. Herod thought that killing creatures would stop the gospel.

   Herod thought if I can just simply shut up the Christians, the gospel is going to end.

   And yet God removed the king that was trying to shut down the gospel. Standing here, I hope and I pray that each and every one of us would imagine what this problem would look like with 5,000 people here. Cheering on what Herod was doing.

   And yet they never feared God. They never gave God glory. And they never trust in his sovereignty.

   I'm here to challenge us to remind ourselves who are we trusting in. Where is our faith at? Is it in the hands of the powerful men and women of our world?

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   Or is it in the power of the God Almighty who says, If someone dares to say they're me, I'll strike them down with worms to eat them to death for 5 days. Let us pray as we're here.

   Father, I pray that you would help us as we understand that kings rise and kings fall, but the word of the Lord will last forever.

   I pray, God, that you would help us to humble ourselves and we would come before you with open hearts and open minds and allow your word to move forward in a mighty, mighty way.

   God, help us as pastors that are here, as pastors' wives, as church members that are here, that we would be so focused on your word increasing more and more every day in our world.

   We have the Bible at our fingertips because even as I was on the way over here, it was simply just reading your word on my phone and reading it on our iPads.

10. Proclaiming the Good News

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    Lord, we have that here. And yet, oftentimes, that's where it ends. We don't multiply it in our streets and we don't tell others this great news of who you are. Help us to be bold to proclaim who you are, not who we are. And help us lift your name higher than anything we ever lived. In your name we pray. Amen.

    And help us to take Him at His word. Just to press upon His promise. Just to know the strength of the Lord. Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him, how I prove Him more and more. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, hope for praise to trust Him more.

    Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him more and more. I've been singing ever since I found my freedom in you.

    I've been singing ever since I found my freedom in you. I've been singing ever since I found my freedom in you. I've been singing ever since I found my freedom in you.

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