June 28, 2026

Acts 12

Always Within Reach

Sunday Sermons

God always has us within reach. Neither the suffering inflicted by the world nor our prideful sin can separate us from His sovereign rule. In every instance of life, God is at work even though it may seem to be “behind the scenes.” The work of God in all circumstances happens by His providential interventions, through the spiritual realm of angelic work, and by inviting us to join via our own obedient actions. God is close to the righteous so that they are afforded peace, answered prayer, and involvement into His mission. Tragically, for the prideful and the lost, God’s nearness will result in their judgment. Acts 12 teaches us that both those persecuted for righteousness and those who are arrogant in their self-sufficiency are equally under God’s sovereign rule and will experience His power in one way or another.

Speaker

Philip Nation

Series

Acts of the Apostles

Go to Series

Scripture

Acts 12

Topics
Growth & Discipleship Worldview & Culture

Sermon Notes

Acts 12

Always Within Reach

Guest Teacher Philip Nation

 

No matter who we are or what has been done, we are all within the reach of God.

And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.” So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared.”
Mark 10:36-40

1. The natural posture of the Christian should be, and can be, one of peace and prayer.

“Prayer moves the arm which moves all things else.”
Charles Spurgeon

2. Delay in deliverance reveals a conspicuous providence.

“Pray the largest prayers. You cannot think a prayer so large that God, in answering it, will not wish that you had made it larger. Pray not for crutches but for wings!”
Phillips Brooks, The More Abundant Life

3. The progress of God’s work is often made through the instrumentality of His creation.

“So, delay tests faith, and makes the deliverance when it comes, not only the sweeter, but the more conspicuously divine.”
Alexander Maclaren

4. Man’s greatest tragedy is in insisting on receiving the glory only due to the Lord.

“God alone can do the extraordinary, but His people must do the ordinary.”
Warren Wiersbe

5. God is always moving His people so that they will move the gospel forward.

“And what had the handful of Christian people? Well, they had prayer; and they had Jesus Christ. That was all, and that is more than enough.”
Alexander Maclaren

Discussion Questions

  • It’s probably reasonable to believe that James likely prayed as well, but he was executed while Peter was rescued. How do you reconcile the two outcomes, and what does the passage suggest about how God answers prayer?
  • Do you need to “pray larger prayers”? If you do, and if God answers your prayer, would you be surprised as they were when Peter showed up?

Songs, Readings & Prayer

Songs

“And Can It Be“ by Charles Wesley
“On Christ The Solid Rock“ by William Batchelder Bradbury, Edward Mote
“Christ The Sure And Steady Anchor“ by Matthew Boswell and Matthew Papa
“Great Is Thy Faithfulness“ by Thomas Obediah Chisholm and William Marion Runyan
“Doxology” by Thomas Ken and Louis Bourgeois
All songs are used with permission. CCLI License no. 2003690

Looking for our Hymns of the Week or resources to worship anytime? We’ve curated a playlist of hymns TVC Worship has led on our YouTube Channel!

Call To Worship: Give Thanks to the Lord

1 Chronicles 16:8-13, 34

Leader: Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!
Women: Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Tell of all His wondrous works!

Leader: Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
Men: Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His presence continually!

Leader: Remember the wondrous works that He has done, His miracles and the judgments He has uttered.
Women: O offspring of Israel His servant, Children of Jacob, His chosen ones!
All: Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His steadfast love endures forever!

Confession of Faith: Treasuring God’s Word

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Psalm 46:1

Leader: What does the Psalmist mean when he says, “God is our refuge and strength”?
People: God gives us a hiding place to run to when the storms of life surround us; He gives us the strength to bear what we alone cannot; when we are weak, He is strong.

Leader: What does the Psalmist mean when He says, “A very present help in trouble”?
People: Jesus tells us that we will have troubles in this world, but He promises to be present with us always, in every circumstance; we can take heart because He has overcome the world; and we can take comfort in His promise that He will one day finally, fully, and forever make all things right.

Classic Prayer: The Gelasian Sacramentary

O God of unchangeable power and eternal light, look favorably on Your whole Church, which is a wonderful and sacred mystery. In Your eternal foreknowledge, You peacefully do Your saving work for humanity. Let the whole world know that things that were cast down are being raised up, and things that had grown old are being made new, and all things are being restored by Him in Whom they have their beginning, Jesus Christ our Lord.

TVC Prayer Ministry

TVC Ministry: Leadership Team
Vocation: Stay-at-Home Moms & Dads
Mission Highlight: The Belize Project
Praying for the Persecuted Church: Sri Lanka

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