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(children's sermon): —

1. There is more than one way of getting into prison.

(1) If you were a minister, and some prisoner wanted you to speak to him about his soul, you might get in to him.

(2) If you wanted to see inside you could get an order from the Home Secretary.

(3) If you were so unhappy as to have a friend there you might see him at stated times.

(4) You might become a prisoner yourself by breaking the good laws of the country: but there was a time when our laws were bad, and people were imprisoned for doing right. This was the case with John Bunyan and with Peter.

2. There are several ways of getting out of prison.

(1) Some break out themselves — but this would be impossible to those who like Peter were not only behind strong walls, but chained to a soldier.

(2) Friends break in and take them out — but this involves the risk of their being killed, and many prisoners would prefer to remain rather than this should occur.

(3) The Sovereign sends a pardon and lets them out. Now Peter knew that he could not break out, and that his friends were not strong enough to take him out, and that Herod was not good enough to let him out. So his friends went to a greater King. who told one of His angels to take him out.

3. The angel found Peter asleep. When night has come it is the proper time to go to sleep. If you have done no wrong and have finished your work you can go to sleep very well. You feel that your father is in the house, and he will take care of you. Now Peter knew that his head might soon be cut off, yet he could sleep comfortably, because he felt that his Father was in the prison with him, and that if Herod did kill him he would go to heaven. Now notice —

I. WHAT THE ANGEL DID FOR PETER. He came into the cell, and the soldiers could not prevent him any more than they could the angel from rolling away the stone from the Saviour's tomb. He filled the prison with light so that Peter could see; then he had to wake Peter up. When you have gone to sleep very tired you have to be shaken before you can awake. So Peter had to be struck by the angel, and then when he was a little awake he lifted him up as though he were a little child. Then Peter's chains fell off.

II. WHAT PETER DID FOR HIMSELF. He put on his clothes and shoes. When a boy is able to dress himself his father will not do it for him. Neither will. God or His angels do for us what we can do for ourselves. And when a child is old enough to walk his mother will not carry him. So the angel, who might have carried Peter and set him down among his friends, told him to walk.

III. WHAT THE IRON GATE DID FOR THE ANGEL AND PETER (ver. 10). There are two ways to open a gate — by using a key, or by breaking it open as Samson did. But Peter did not unlock the gate, nor did the angel break it open. It opened as if it knew that God wanted to let the angel and Peter out. This is what we call a miracle. Let us see what we can learn from the story.

1. That you may pray people out of trouble. When you pray for anyone you carry him to God upon your mind. If your brother were ill you could carry him in your arms to the doctor, or you might tell the doctor about him. When Jesus was on earth many were carried to Him in the arms of others; but some, like the Syro-Phoenician woman's daughter, were carried upon the mind. This is what Peter's friends did. And so we may carry anyone whom we love to God when they are far away and we want them blessed.

2. How strong a power prayer is. It was stronger in this case than Herod and his prison and his soldiers. And it is stronger now than sin and Satan.

(W. Harris.)

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KJV: Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

WEB: Peter therefore was kept in the prison, but constant prayer was made by the assembly to God for him.