Hi there to all. Character; Herod Lacked It and Lost Everything Acts 12; 1- 23 Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: 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; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him. And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews. And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peters voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel. But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished. But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place. Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter. And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and there abode. And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the kings chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the kings country. And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. E go drove King Herod of Paul’s day, just as it had driven his father and grandfather. They all desperately lacked character. Herod was the surname of a family of rulers who help power by permission of the Roma Empire. Herod the Great ruled at the time of Jesus’ birth; he’s the one who killed all the male babies in Bethlehem. Herod Antipas ordered the beheading of John the Baptizer. The Herod in Acts 12 is Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great. Herod’s lack of character provides us with many examples of what not to do as a leaser; 1. He mistreated his own citizens {v. 1}. He unjust ordered the arrests of Jewish believers in order to harass them. 2. He executed innocent people {v. 2} He had James killed by the sword, although he had committed no crime. 3. He made decision based on popularity {v. 3}. When he saw it please the Jew to kill James, he had Peter arrested, too. 4. He acted irrationally in difficult times {v. 19}. He killed the 16 guards who had duty at the time of Peter’s prison escape. 5. He harboured anger toward others {v. 20}. He remained angry toward outside ethnic groups and looked for ways to get even. 6. He sought power out of insecurity {v. 20}. He enjoyed controlling others and especially loved having people at his mercy. 7. He projected an infallible image {v. 21- 22}. He loved wearing his royal garb and being worshiped. 8. He was blinded by his ego {v. 23}. He lived in an unreal world and couldn’t see how his ego sabotaged his leadership. How Do We Avoid Herod’s Trap? To improve your character and build solid foundation for your own leadership, you must; 1. Search for the cracks. Look at the major areas of your life. Identify where you’re weak or have taken shortcuts. 2. Look for patterns. Do any weaknesses remain? Patterns can help you diagnose character flaws. 3. Face the music. Character repair begins when you face your flaws and apologize to those you’re wronged. 4. Stay teachable and rebuild. Once you face your past, create a plan to build inward strength. Be blessed to be a blessing
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 03:03:18 +0000
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