Transcript

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I have to admit that it is extremely difficult to dedicate
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a series on the life of the apostle Paul and not have to
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talk about his conversion. How do you talk about Paul and
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not talk about his testimony? And that is not personal
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opinion. I believe the weightiness of the
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Bible leans toward the fact that his testimony is something to be
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greatly considered. It's not a secondary or tertiary
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idea. And the reason why we can say
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that is because Paul's testimony in the book of Acts is not
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mentioned just once, not just twice.
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It is recorded for us three times.
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Surely this emphasis given to us by the Holy Spirit is meant to
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convey that his conversion is of weighty significance.
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And one of the reasons for that significance is because he was
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not one of the original 12 disciples who walk with Christ,
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who ate with Christ, who was with Christ during his
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three-year ministry. But he would play a vital role
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in establishing the foundation of the Church and so the origins
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of his encounter with Christ. And his experience of the
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resurrected Christ had to be unmistakable, had to be
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undeniably clear for the sake of his credibility as an apostle
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who had laid down so many important truths that you and I
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are experiencing and learning and are walking in today.
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So his story is part of Scripture.
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And because it is part of Scripture, it not only does it
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hold historical value. But the same Paul who we're
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learning about said that all Scripture has been what breathed
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out by God because it's been breathed out by God, it is
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absolutely useful for the man of God to be complete, complete and
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ready for every good work. And guess what?
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Paul's testimony is part of Scripture, and so we can look to
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his testimony for practical truth.
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For personal applicable things in our own walk with the Lord.
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And so I want to encourage you, though we're not going to
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explore every single detail about his testimony today.
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What a thrilling thing it would be to take the mentions of his
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testimony. Do a comparative study.
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You'll find it narrated in Acts Chapter 9.
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You'll find it given by the Apostle Paul's own words in Acts
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chapter 22 and also in Acts chapter 26.
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But many of us in here have studied the Word of God, I
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assume. I've grown up hearing about
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Paul, surely. And so we're very familiar with
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his Damascus Rd. experience when he was on his way, with
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permission from authorities, to persecute the church.
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We all can really recite that testimony, that part of it at
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least. But I want to consider a part of
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his testimony that is often overlooked.
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An ingredient, a fragment of his story.
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That is mentioned two times out of the three times that the
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testimony of Paul is mentioned in the book of Acts.
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It deals with a person, a person who played an integral part in
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his genesis of the Christian journey.
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That person is named Ananias Ananias.
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Ananias was a man who played a very crucial role in Paul's
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beginnings as a believer in Jesus Christ.
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Many of us know again that Acts chapter nine story of Paul
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meeting Jesus in a very humbling way, but I'm not sure many of us
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realize how important and how many things you can learn from
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Ananias who is part of his story.
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So I encourage you to come to Acts Chapter 9 with me and let's
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go to verse 10. Verse one to nine is the report
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of his personal experience of Christ, but that's not the whole
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story. And I know we're here to talk
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about Paul, but intertwine with Paul's story is this man
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Ananias. So let's read here in verse 10,
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we read now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias.
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The Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias.
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And he said, here I am Lord. And the Lord said to him, Rise
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and go to the street called Straight, and at the House of
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Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul.
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For behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man
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named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he
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might regain his sight. But Ananias answered, Lord, I
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have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done
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to your Saints at Jerusalem, and here he has authority from the
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chief priest to bind all who call on your name.
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But the Lord said to him, Go, for he is a chosen instrument of
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mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the
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children of Israel, for I will show him how much he must suffer
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for the sake of my name. So Ananias departed and entered
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the house, and laying his hands on him, he said, Brother Saul,
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the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you
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came has sent me, so that you may regain your sight and be
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filled with the Holy Spirit. And immediately something like
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scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight.
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Then he rose and was baptized and taking food, he was
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strengthened. There's no debate of the
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incredible role that Paul played in the life of the church, and
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understanding his importance would make us think that the
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person who would be used by God to direct Paul as a baby in
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Christ to nurture Paul, to instruct Paul would also be
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somebody of great significance. So here's just me thinking, OK,
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if there's going to be any person.
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Who's going to go to Saul, who now will become Paul in a few
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chapters? It has to be a big guy.
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It's got to be a Peter, maybe John James.
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What about Philip the Evangelist who in a chapter before saw a
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revival in Samaria and who was transported supernaturally after
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seeing that Ethiopian eunuch come to Christ?
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Couldn't the Lord transferred him from Caesarea here to
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Damascus and meet with Paul? But God doesn't do any of that.
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God doesn't send an apostle. He doesn't send a teacher, a
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pastor, an evangelist, a revivalist.
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No, all we read here in verse 10.
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Now there was a disciple, a disciple, a Damascus.
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Nobody of prominent position, nobody of great talent, no
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miracles necessarily associated with his name before this time,
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just a disciple. Don't read your Bible too fast,
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please, lest you miss marvelous insights about the heart of God.
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Doesn't it warm your heart to know that the Lord, when he
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recruits people to be used, does not bypass ordinary disciples?
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He's not automatically magnetized towards those who are
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known with notoriety, with significant public gifts.
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No, He even looks for men like this Ananias, and the only thing
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associated with his name in the scriptures that he was a
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disciple. You know why that's encouraging?
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We're all disciples. We're all disciples.
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And as we study and admire the testimony, one of the greatest
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leaders in the church, you and I are also in reading his
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testimony, discover that God, that God uses lesser known
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believers to do significant things.
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And this is something to encourage you.
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And when the Lord recruits people, he does not look for
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what you and I look for if we're going to look for somebody of
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great purpose. And I remember looking at this
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and thinking about different people who've been used by God
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that have really shifted history.
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And we know them. We read their biographies.
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We are inspired by their stories.
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Books have been written about them.
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But we never consider the people who played a role in their lives
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that we'll never hear about on this side of eternity.
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And I stumbled upon the testimony of a person that
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you've heard of, I'm sure, John Bunyan.
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You've probably read his book Pilgrim's Progress if you
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haven't. It's one of the most read books
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in all of human history, and it is certainly the most popular
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Christian allegory of all time. A brilliant man.
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They said of John Bunyan that if you cut him, he would bleed out
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the Bible. He loved the Word.
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He knew the word, and God used them to make an impact.
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The Kingdom of God to this day. But what's so incredible John
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Bunyan was not just his writings, but the events leading
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up to his own conversion. And you can find this in great
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detail. One of my favorite episodes in
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John Bunyan's life is that when he was still a tinker.
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Have you ever heard of the word? A tinker was somebody who, by
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way of profession, would fix people's pots and pans.
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And so they would travel from town to town with utensils, and
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they would knock on people's doors and ask if they would have
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any of their kitchenware fixed. And so John Bunny, before he was
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an author, before he was a preacher, he was a tinker.
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And one day he finds himself in a specific place and he
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encounters in Bedford a group of women, three or four women, who
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were sitting at the front door of one of their homes and they
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were talking and he was nearby. Unfortunately for some, when
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three or four women get together and talk, it's dangerous.
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But that wasn't the case here because when John Bunyan walks
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by, he, he heard these women who were poor, unnamed, discussing
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the things of God. And this attracted Bunyan
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because he never heard people talking about things like this,
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things about God saving their souls, heaven.
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The Bible, what they read. And John Bunyan, he wasn't a
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person who grew up in the church and had some kind of knowledge
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of these things. He was an atheist at heart, very
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rough upbringing, but something that there was a fragrance in
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the air that drew him to to just draw a little closer and lean
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in. And we're told there that he
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didn't really understand what they were talking about, but he
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interpreted that they were speaking from a place of joy,
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and he realized that they were speaking.
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Of another world and that made an impact on this man John
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Bunyan. That was just one link in the
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chain that would eventually cause him to be bound to Christ.
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4 poor unknown woman who were talking about the love of their
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hearts, and a man in the neighborhood heard them, and
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that would be used to push him closer to the foot of the cross.
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God uses nobodies, but just because God uses nobodies, which
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we rejoice in, it doesn't mean he uses anybody.
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You can say that Ananias was a nobody, but he wasn't just
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anybody. Because there are standards in
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which God looks for when he recruits.
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And thankfully, he doesn't look for talent looking, doesn't look
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for prestige, it doesn't look for pedigree, but he does look
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for something. And we're told not in Acts 9,
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but again, in the parallel account of Paul's testimony,
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something about Ananias as Paul talks about his own conversion.
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That's worth looking at for you and I to see.
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Look at this here in Acts chapter 22.
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Turn there with me, would you? And this is when Paul speaks
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about his own testimony. And look what he says about
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Ananias in verse 12. I want you to take note of two
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things that will secure us as candidates for God's service.
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The first thing which is not included in the two, but it's
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automatic, is you need to be a disciple.
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But there are two additional things, and they're found here
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in Acts 22 and the other one back in Acts 9.
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Look at verse 12, Paul speaking, and one Ananias, a devout man, a
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devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews
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who lived there. So what was it about?
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Ananias #1 he was devout. What does it mean?
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To be devout means to be pious. This man was holy.
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This man was blameless. This man had true character and
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he stands in contrast to another Ananias.
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This is not the same Ananias of Acts chapter 5.
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Acts chapter five was Ananias and his wife Sapphire.
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Remember those two? They came into church thinking
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that they can lie. And Ananias and Sapphire, seeing
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Barnabas give this charitable gift thought, wow, I mean, look
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at all, look at all the people who are moved by Barnabas
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generosity. Let's do something like that.
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And so they, they faked it. They pretended to give
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everything when they actually gave some.
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And so Ananias walks in and he lies to ultimately God and he's
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stricken dead. And his wife comes later on and
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he's she's confronted by church leadership.
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She lies as well. And that church service became a
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funeral service. But this is a different Ananias.
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Listen, he doesn't have a position.
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He didn't possess anything significant, but he did have a
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praiseworthy reputation. So much so Listen, he wasn't
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just well spoken of by the Christians.
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What did Paul say? Well spoken of by all the Jews,
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the Jews. The Jews were enemies of the
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early Christian movement. And yet we're told here that
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they were well spoken. They, they were speaking well of
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this man because he was no hypocrite.
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He was consistent no matter what context he was found in, whether
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people love them or hated. And they they could not deny
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that he was a devout man. He was committed to the thing
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that he said that he believed in.
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And the example of Ananias here teaches that none of us should
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expect to be recruited by the Lord if we are not first
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committed to maintaining and pursuing Christian character.
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Christian character, but the extent of his faithfulness
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doesn't just end here. Go back to Acts Chapter 9,
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Right? He's a devout man, but when you
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look at the main text, you see the extent of his faithfulness
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in Acts 9. Look at verse 13.
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This is when the Lord said, I want you to go to Saul.
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And this is his response in Acts 913.
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But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this
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man, how much evil he has done to your Saints at Jerusalem.
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And here he has authority from the chief priest to bind all who
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call on your name. Look at the first few words of
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verse 14. And here he has authority from
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the chief priest to bind here. Well, Damascus.
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So Ananias realized it. It was on headline news in the
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church that there is this saw of Tarsus coming to Damascus to
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eradicate Christianity in this region.
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He is coming to harass the church.
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So Ananias was aware that he was on dangerous territory and yet
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he didn't move. Isn't that what we get from
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this? And here he has authority, but
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that didn't diminish his dedication.
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His devotion was not deterred. It was not diluted.
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And so you have this disciple. Yes, but all men.
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Did he love Christ? He was willing to be arrested
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for Christ. He was willing to die for
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Christ, surely. So he was devout according to
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the law, yes, but this law was so real to me.
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It was so good to him, it was so cherished by him that when there
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was persecution against it, he was willing to dig his heels and
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Damascus and stay put. A disciple, Simply put, a
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disciple who is devout, who loved the Lord, who loved God's
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law, who loved Christ to this extent.
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And so listen, that's what you have to be encouraged by,
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because you, you can achieve this.
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You can walk in this. Businessman mother who stays at
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home with her children. You can be devout.
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And as you walk in that devotion to the Lord, you make yourself a
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greater candidate for his service.
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But it's not just that there's a second thing.
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He was devout, but he was also ready.
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So look here at verse 10 again of our main text.
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Now, there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias.
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The Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias, and he said,
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here I am Lord, here I am Lord. What a response for your name
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being called. Here I am Lord.
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Now you would think, well that would be the obvious response if
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you're visited by Christ and a vision, right?
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What else are you going to say? But I don't believe that this is
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just a spontaneous submission. I believe that Ananias had this
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yielding this in his heart instilled in him.
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How do we know that? Because we just learned that he
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was a devout man according to the law.
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And so he was already committed to the written word of God.
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So that when God came in a supernatural way, he came to a
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man who already was willing to do all that the Lord said.
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And you have many people who want experiences with the Lord.
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They want subjective kind of ecstasies and and testimonies.
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But here's a question for you. How responsive are you to what
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God had already told you in His Word?
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How does your heart move according to what He has said
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already in the scriptures? Because you and I have no reason
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to expect anything more if what we've been given is not honored
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and loved to begin with. So Ananias was devout according
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to the law. God saw a man that when the word
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was heralded, when it was read, when it was studied, his heart
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was ready to do anything that the Lord said.
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And so this man would receive further instruction because he
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was a ready man. Some of the greatest servants in
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the Scriptures have been people who responded like Ananias did
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when they were visited by the Lord.
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Abraham, here I am, Genesis 22 Isaiah says, Whom shall we send?
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What did Isaiah say? Here I am, Lord, what?
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Send me. You know what I love?
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About that, he didn't even know what the job description was
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yet. Whom shall we send?
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I'll do it. I don't know what it is, but I'm
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ready. OK, good.
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I want you to preach. And nobody's going to ever
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listen to your sermons. How long, Lord?
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He asked later on when he did it.
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Here I am, Lord. He was a devout man.
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And he was a ready man. He he maintained a posture of
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servanthood. Whatever the Lord say, I'm going
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to do it. Now I've mentioned this so many
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times, but we are creatures of repetition, so I like some of
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the apostles in their letters and not ashamed to repeat
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certain things. David was a man after God's own
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heart. Is that not true?
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Do you even know what that means though?
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What does it mean for David to be a man after God's own heart?
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The Lord qualifies that the Holy Spirit tells us exactly what it
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means, and I want you to see it quickly before we come back to
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this text in Acts 13. Look at Acts 13 and notice here
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what the Bible says about David being a man after God's own
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heart in verse 22. And when he had removed him, he
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raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and
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said, I have found in David the son of Jesse, a man after my
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heart. If it's if it ended there, it
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could mean a million things what it means to be a man after God's
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heart. But we're told exactly what it
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means. Who will do all my will.
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So if you want to know if you're a woman, if you're a man who has
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a heart after God's heart. That will be recognized by how
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you respond to the revealed will of God.
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Whatever you discover, whatever is learned, whatever is new,
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whatever is something that you've forgotten about, is now
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an object of remembrance. Are you willing to do it?
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Ananias was a man who was willing to do what the Lord told
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him. So he was devout and he was
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ready. But let's come back and realize
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that the Lord understood that this man, though he was devout,
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though he was ready, was a man. Still look at verse 11 of Acts
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9. He almost preemptively wants to
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reassure Ananias from this dangerous task that it's going
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to be OK because he understands the reluctancy of any Christian
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Christian concerning Saul and encountering him.
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And the Lord said them rise and go to the street called straight
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and at the House of Judas pause there.
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Isn't that amazing? The Lord knows your address and
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he knows the members of that household.
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But notice what the Lord tells Ananias to comfort him.
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He says in the House of Judas, look for a man of Tarsus name
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Saul, for behold he is praying. You know, the word behold is
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pause whatever you're doing and look at this for a second.
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Behold, he is praying as though Paul praying was a spectacle.
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And he wants to blanket this man's soul and he wants to
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console him out of all the things he could have said.
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He says, don't worry, Ananias, Paul is praying.
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Do you know why that's important?
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Because it tells us one of the one of the marks of true
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conversion. According to Jesus, one of the
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indications that a person has truly changed is that they pray.
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But wait, wasn't Paul a Pharisee?
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He was a Pharisee, didn't Pharisee.
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So he was probably more inspirational among the
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Pharisees in his prayer life than anybody.
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But you remember what Jesus said generally about the prayers of
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the Pharisees. Vain, self seeking,
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hypocritical. But now that Paul met Christ and
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his heart was changed, it's as though the Lord is saying, ah,
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now he's really praying. Now he's really praying.
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Charles. Spurgeon said that prayer is the
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Holy Ghost autograph on the heart of a regenerated soul.
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And what I love about Acts Chapter 9 is you see the change
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in what Paul does with his breath, saying, what do you
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mean? Look at here verse one of Acts
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Chapter 9. But Saul still breathing threats
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and murder against the disciples of the Lord.
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That's how we find palm Acts before he comes to Christ.
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And then you read here in verse 10 and 11 that he's no longer
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breathing threats. He's breathing sighs of
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adoration and love and petitions to the Lord.
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When you meet Christ, one of the things that will happen in your
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life is that you will know a longing and a practice of
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communing with the Lord. He is born.
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One of the things that I'm sure doctors look for, I'm no doctor,
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but I know this to be true, is one of the vital signs of a
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healthy baby is what it cries. The baby cries.
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That the lungs are. Working right, it's no different
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in the new birth. If a person is born again and
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there's no cry, there's something not right, something's
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wrong. And so a born again person will
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supernaturally have this instinct to lift up their voice
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and seek the Lord. Will the flesh challenge that?
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Yeah. Will there be days where you
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don't want to seek the Lord? I'm aware of that.
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But you can at some point in the beginnings of your walk,
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recognize this shift that you now want to know the Lord and
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you know him in this thing called prayer Ananias.
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You can go and see Paul, who is at this time known as Saul, and
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not have to worry about a thing. He's a change man Why?
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Because he's seeking me. He's inquiring of me, he's
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communing with me. And I love this about the Lord
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because before Paul preached the sermon, before Paul established
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the church, before he made any disciples, he prayed.
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And so soon after his conversion, the God of heaven
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and earth heard him. He didn't wait for Paul to
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perform anything or to to build his resume and his rapport.
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No, the moment he was changed, while he still had scales on his
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eyes, he was seeking the Lord. I hear that man and he knows the
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exact GPS location of where those prayers are coming from.
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This thought moved me years ago when I was flying and I looked
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out the window and I saw the city of Chicago as I was taking
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off to another state. And I began to see all these
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different homes and all these cars.
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And I thought to myself, how many people are here?
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Like, what does the Lord see from the heavens?
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And yet when a man prays, he knows the exact house, the exact
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St., the exact room he's in. Behold, he's praying, he's
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praying, he's he's actually praying and a nice you can go
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now. And so he's ready to go and meet
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this man because the pulse of a regenerating work of the Holy
26:59
Spirit is identified by real praying being offered and not
27:03
public prayer. May I add, this was Paul
27:05
praying, praying privately alone, and that's what we're
27:11
supposed to learn from his conversion with all true
27:13
conversions. You will no desire to actually
27:17
lean in and seek the Lord. So what happens?
27:20
Look at verse 13 now, but Ananias answered, Lord, I've
27:24
heard from many about this man about how much evil he has done
27:27
to your Saints at Jerusalem. It says though, the moment he
27:30
heard Saul of Tarsus, he didn't, he didn't even hear the behold,
27:33
he's praying part Saul of Tarsus gulp.
27:38
That's all he heard. It was ringing in his ear.
27:40
The Lord said, Behold, he is praying Saul of Tarsus.
27:45
That's all I heard, Lord, and here's what here's what
27:48
encourages me about this man. Was he devout?
27:51
Sure. Was he ready?
27:52
Absolutely. But he was human.
27:55
He had real fears. And we have to be merciful to
28:00
imagine the Lord visiting you and saying, I want you to go
28:03
travel to this place and one of the ISIS leaders is there ready
28:06
for you to lay hands on him and give him instruction.
28:10
So let's be kind to Ananias way of principle here.
28:13
You have a man who has genuine hesitations and he's able to
28:16
verbalize that. And the Lord is so compassionate
28:19
to hear him out. So even in our weakness and
28:24
obedience communicate your weakness, your your your reasons
28:29
why the Lord is so much more tender than you can imagine.
28:34
So he says, Lord, I've heard many from many about this man,
28:39
how much evil he has done to your Saints at Jerusalem.
28:42
And as we read earlier, he's here and he has authority to
28:45
kill us in a sense that I hear Saul of Tarsus and.
28:52
I must mention something here. This is just me because I can't
28:55
ignore certain things that are brilliant in terms of Nuggets of
28:59
revelation. Look what he says here about the
29:01
Christians in his region. Lord, I have heard from many
29:05
about this man, how much evil he has done to your Saints at
29:09
Jerusalem. This is the first time in the
29:12
book of Acts the word Saints is used to identify Christians.
29:18
Do you know what the word Saints means in the original?
29:20
It's the word hagios. And it means most holy thing,
29:23
most holy thing. And I want to bring this up just
29:27
just kind of as a just, we're stepping over here a little
29:30
rabbit trail and we'll come back.
29:32
There are some, actually many in the world who believe that
29:35
sainthood is only achieved by certain out of the ordinary,
29:41
remarkable Christians. But what you read here is that
29:45
Saints, that word is applied to all believers.
29:49
All Christians are Saints, not just a select few that you
29:54
Revere and dare I say, do more than Revere.
29:58
All of them are Saints. And then even in this we have
30:02
the qualifications for saintliness.
30:06
What is it? Look here and here.
30:08
He has authority from the chief priest to bind all who call on
30:12
your name. So who's a St.
30:15
According to the Holy Spirit, any person who calls on the name
30:19
of the Lord to be their righteousness.
30:23
So we are Saints by faith. We are made the most holy by
30:27
faith. What an amazing thing.
30:31
Yes, you, you are a St. according to the Scriptures.
30:35
And so he says here, Lord, Are you sure?
30:37
This man is here to destroy us. This man is here to harm us.
30:42
And in this very same passage we learn in Paul's conversion,
30:47
something about our conversion, that we are also Saints because
30:51
of faith. And the Lord says, I'm sure.
30:55
And he says in verse 15, go, for he is a chosen instrument of
31:00
mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the
31:04
children of Israel. Look at that phrase there for a
31:07
moment. But the Lord said to him, Go,
31:09
for he is a chosen instrument of mine.
31:12
The idea of God sovereignly choosing makes some people very
31:16
nervous, and it makes other people very happy.
31:23
There is no doubt here that the Lord said, I have prepared for
31:27
this man a certain task, that he will walk in, that he will
31:34
perform, that he will honor. And as much as God has appointed
31:40
a will, not just for Paul but for each of us, you have to also
31:45
understand that that sovereignty does not nullify personal
31:50
responsibility. So look at this phrase again.
31:54
He is a chosen instrument of mine, right?
31:59
OK. But again, there's two other
32:00
places where Paul's testimony is mentioned.
32:02
And I want you to look at Acts 26 and notice what Paul says
32:07
about his response to this revelation that he has been
32:10
given a task as an apostle. Look at Acts 26 and look at
32:21
verse 19. Actually, let's read beyond
32:25
that. Let's go beyond 19 and let's
32:28
just get the context here. Acts 26.
32:31
Look here at verse 16. This is the Lord speaking, but
32:37
rise and stand upon your feet, for I've prepared.
32:40
To you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and
32:43
witness for the things in which you have seen me and to those in
32:47
which I will appear to you, delivering you from the people,
32:49
from the Gentiles to whom I'm sending you to open their eyes
32:52
that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of
32:55
Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and
32:58
a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.
33:01
Verse 19. Check this out.
33:05
Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly
33:10
vision. The God chosen for a work.
33:15
Yes, the God prepare for him a ministry absolutely.
33:18
The Paul have a choice, you better believe it.
33:22
He did have a choice and he says here I was not disobedient to
33:27
that vision. Does God have a call for your
33:31
life? Yes, according to Ephesians 210,
33:33
he has prepared for each of us a work that we should walk in
33:38
them. It's prepared, but you got to
33:39
walk in it. You got to walk in it.
33:46
And so Paul here says, I chose to walk in it.
33:48
Was he knocked down by that vision?
33:50
Did he have an amazing, credible, supernatural
33:53
experience of Christ? Yes.
33:54
With all of that said and done, he still was at a threshold and
33:58
he had to make a decision. Will I obey this or will I turn
34:02
my back on this? And he says to Agrippa, I'm
34:05
going to obey this. And I did obey this.
34:06
I wasn't disobedient to this vision.
34:11
I think that's an important remark to make.
34:14
He's chosen, but he has a choice.
34:19
Look at verse 17 of Acts 9. So Ananias departed and entered
34:27
the house and laying his hands on him he said, Brother Saul,
34:35
Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you came,
34:37
has sent me to you, that you may regain your sight and be filled
34:39
with the Holy Spirit. I wish there was a little like
34:45
video clip of Ananias hearing from the Lord and the Lord
34:49
saying I know he solitizes but go, go go.
34:52
He's a chosen instrument of mine.
34:54
What did this man look like? Did he walk?
34:59
Did he walk around that street called straight a few times
35:01
before he walked in? There's no sense of that.
35:04
He he obeyed. He obeyed the Lord and he had
35:08
this boldness and he had this courage and he walks into this
35:11
place and notice this again. Don't read your Bible too fast.
35:18
What are the first words of Ananias when he meets Saul?
35:21
Brothers Saul. Wow, brothers Saul.
35:26
Just a few verses ago, he was like, this guy wants to murder
35:29
us. He's changed, He's praying, and
35:34
he believed that. And when he saw Saul listen to
35:37
this, before Saul's eyes would even see, remember the scales
35:40
were falling off his eyes After this, you know where the first
35:43
one of the first words he heard a person that he was determined
35:47
to kill calling him brother. So Acts 9/22/26 really details
35:57
for us the supernatural nature of Paul's conversion, but within
36:00
it are other supernatural occurrences, including this one.
36:05
Paul experienced Christ in a miraculous way, but there's a
36:07
miracle within the miracle in the story, and it's in the life
36:10
of Ananias because what Ananias shows is what a relationship
36:16
with Jesus Christ can do to us and how we view others.
36:21
Paul teaches us how Christ can save anybody.
36:25
Ananias shows us how we, because of Christ, can love anybody.
36:33
Brother Saul, if you are a devout, ready man who loves the
36:44
Lord, not only will you know potential moments of obedience
36:50
and service that will exhilarate your life and bless others, but
36:54
you will know a heart change in ways that you never thought was
36:59
possible. There is so much hatred in this
37:02
world. It's nauseating.
37:06
It's nauseating. And if it's going to, if it's
37:09
going to be anywhere, let it be out in the world.
37:11
But God help us in the church. Only Jesus Christ can work in a
37:16
heart so powerfully where you can look at the person who had
37:21
governmental permission to hurt you.
37:23
And you say you're my brother because of Christ, because you
37:28
repented and put your faith, now you're my brother.
37:34
You can't love like that without Jesus.
37:37
You can't. And if you want to see miracles
37:41
in your marriage, miracles in your relationships, miracles
37:43
even with your enemies, listen. We're living in a world where
37:47
Satan is creating a sense of divide unlike any other time in
37:54
recent history. Because Satan knows if he can
37:57
divide, he can conquer. And the antidote to that is
38:01
Christ. So working in our hearts that we
38:03
can look at others and called them brothers, sisters Ananias
38:10
went and he called them brother Psalm.
38:13
And he lays hands on him. Be filled with the Holy Spirit.
38:19
And he was filled with the Holy Spirit.
38:20
Look what happens here verse 18. And immediately something like
38:24
scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight.
38:28
Then he rose and was baptized and taking food, he was
38:32
strengthened. So there was no waste of time
38:37
here. Ananias obeyed the Lord, and now
38:40
Saul is ready to obey the Lord. And one of the first few things
38:43
that you do when you want to obey the Lord when you first get
38:45
saved. It's OK.
38:45
Where's some water? I got to get wet and publicly
38:49
declare my faith in Christ. But notice this interesting
38:52
phrase. Here.
38:52
We're told that he was strengthened.
38:54
This is speaking about physical strength.
38:57
But it doesn't end there with Paul.
38:58
When you read down here, you realize that there was another
39:01
strength that he experienced. Look at verse 22.
39:05
But Saul increased all the more in strength.
39:10
But Saul increased all the more in strength and confounded the
39:13
Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the
39:17
Christ. That's not speaking about a
39:18
physical strength, that's speaking about a spiritual
39:21
strength. So yes, I mean, he was, he was
39:25
detained and confined for a few days.
39:27
So he needed some physical nourishment.
39:29
But shortly after that, he, he tastes and he now invests in
39:33
another kind of nourishment for his soul.
39:37
He, he was strengthened spiritually.
39:41
And can I tell you why he was strengthened spiritually?
39:43
Can I tell you why he gave that dedication to his spiritual
39:48
strengthened state? And vigor because Ananias told
39:52
them something. See Ananias is very brief here
39:54
in Acts 9, but when you go to Acts 2022, he elaborated more
39:57
according to Paul and look what he says to to Paul in Acts 22.
40:02
Look at verse 14 and he said, the God of our fathers appointed
40:09
to you to know his will to see the righteous, wanted to hear a
40:17
voice from his mouth. That appointment that Paul had,
40:22
yes, it was a unique as as an apostle, but let me give you a
40:24
thrilling thought this morning. We all have been appointed to
40:30
know his will, every single one of us.
40:35
And I wonder like Paul, if you are investing in discovering
40:38
that. See, Paul wasn't just focused on
40:42
the material. Paul wasn't just focused on his
40:44
physical condition. Paul realized that there was
40:48
something else. There was more to this life.
40:52
And it's going to require my participation, my willingness to
40:55
know it. I've been appointed to know it,
40:58
but it's required something for me to unfold it and to realize
41:01
it. And so Paul asked two questions
41:06
when he met Christ. And some of you've heard me say
41:09
this before, but I can never shake it off because what?
41:12
Paul asked when he met Christ is something that a true believer
41:16
will ask when he meets Christ and will continue to ask, ask he
41:21
as he walks with Christ. And this is where we're almost
41:26
ending in Acts 9. Paul asked two questions.
41:30
Excuse me, It's actually in this chapter in Acts 22.
41:32
So you don't have to go back and forth anymore.
41:35
Look back here, verse eight of Acts 22.
41:37
This is when Paul met Christ for himself before he encountered
41:40
Ananias. The Lord meets him, stops him in
41:44
his tracks. And verse 8 and I answered,
41:47
here's the first question, who are you, Lord?
41:51
And he said to me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are
41:54
persecuting. Listen, when you first get
41:57
saved, you will ask that same question, not just in the
42:01
moment, you will always ask it, Who are you, Lord?
42:05
Can I ask you? Are you asking that?
42:09
Is there anything in your heart today, this weekend we say there
42:15
is a yearning in my life to know the person of Jesus Christ.
42:21
I know he saved me, but I I want to savor him now.
42:25
I want to know who he is, how he thinks, how he feels, what's his
42:30
will. Is there anything in you that
42:33
says I'm on that journey? Or was it something of the past?
42:38
Was it something momentary? But it's dissipated and it's
42:40
evaporated because you're now more concerned about
42:44
strengthening your bank account more than anything else and
42:49
strengthening your relationships that are not necessarily even
42:54
godly relationships to begin with.
42:56
Strengthening your security and your provision to come.
42:59
Strengthening the future of this or the future of that.
43:02
Here's a man who tells us that when you really meet Christ and
43:05
taste of His glory, you will want to know more of Him.
43:08
You can't exhaust him. Who are you, Lord?
43:12
But that's not the only question.
43:15
Verse nine. Now those who were with me saw
43:17
the light, but did not understand the voice of the one
43:19
who was speaking to me. And this is the second question
43:22
in verse 10. And I said, What shall I do,
43:25
Lord? And the Lord said to me, rise
43:29
and go into Damascus, and there you'll be told all that is
43:32
appointed for you to do. That's the second thing.
43:36
Pause. And that's the second thing a
43:37
true believer will ask. After he meets Christ, not just
43:40
who are you? But what do you want me to do
43:41
now? What's my purpose?
43:44
What's my gift? What church do you want me to be
43:46
a part of? Where do you want me to go?
43:48
Where do you want me to say stay?
43:50
Lord? I've been doing this for this
43:51
long. Do you want me to change?
43:53
Lord? I've been serving in this way.
43:54
Do you want me to shift? What do you want me to do, Lord?
43:58
And let me say this boldly. I know it's the morning session,
44:00
but I can't help it. I'm sorry if you have never
44:05
asked. Who are you, Lord, and what
44:07
shall I do, Lord, You've probably never met Christ.
44:11
You haven't. You've heard about him, You've
44:14
probably been moved by others who've spoken of Him.
44:17
You probably like the songs that sing about Him.
44:20
But you haven't met him. If you've never asked, who are
44:25
you? And you've never asked, What do
44:27
you want me to do? Now let me qualify by saying
44:32
it's possible for somebody to meet the Lord and be in a season
44:35
in which they're not interested in those things.
44:38
And that's where you need a fresh touch from the Lord to
44:40
come back to those things being priority in your life.
44:43
But if you've never. Inquired.
44:46
And you have the audacity to call yourself a born again
44:49
Christian? Reconsider.
44:52
Reconsider. It's impossible.
44:55
It's impossible to meet him and not ask these things.
44:59
Who are you, Lord? What do you want me to do?
45:05
And that's what Paul shows later on, that this thing lived in him
45:09
beyond Acts chapter 9/22/26. Can I show it to you?
45:13
Look at Philippians with me, please.
45:20
And look at chapter 3 and look at verse 8.
45:30
Unlike many who as the years go by lose interest in those
45:34
questions, for Paul that only intensified.
45:38
Indeed, I count everything as lost because of their surpassing
45:40
worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for His sake, I've
45:45
suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish.
45:48
You know what that word rubbish is in the original dung.
45:51
If you don't know what dung is, look it up later and count them
45:57
as rubbish. In order that I may gain Christ
46:00
and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that
46:03
comes from the law, by that which comes through faith in
46:05
Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith that I
46:08
may know Him. Verse 10.
46:11
Well. Paul.
46:12
You knew him, You met him. You saw him with your own eyes,
46:15
you heard him with your own ears.
46:16
But you don't understand. There's more.
46:19
There's so much more to know, verse 10, that I may know him.
46:23
So listen, if Paul met Christ in such a significant supernatural
46:26
way and still after years says I'm still on this quest to know
46:30
him, what right do we have to be content where we're at with
46:34
Christ? No, right, The lovely believers
46:39
here. And I've already talked to a
46:41
handful of people with amazing testimonies here, but I've yet
46:45
to hear anybody who has a testimony like Paul's.
46:47
It would actually concern me if somebody had a testimony like
46:49
Paul's with all the wonderful testimonies here.
46:54
Please understand that Paul Trump's it all.
46:57
And he needed that testimony in order to be a true apostle.
47:00
But listen to this. He saw Christ, he heard Christ,
47:03
experienced a touch from Christ, and years down the door he goes,
47:06
I still need to know Christ. So why is it that we're content
47:10
with our boredom with Christ? Something's wrong.
47:13
Something's wrong. That I may know in verse 10 and
47:17
the power of His resurrection, and may share his sufferings,
47:21
becoming like Him in his death, That by any means possum, I may
47:24
attain to the resurrection from the dead.
47:27
And here's the humbling part. Look at verse 12.
47:29
Not that I've already obtained this, huh?
47:33
Not that I've already obtained this or I am already perfect,
47:37
but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me
47:42
His own. So this is a very
47:45
straightforward, simple, simple sermon and the sermons to come.
47:49
There's going to be a lot of cross referencing, but I just
47:52
want to ask you if you've been asking those questions recently,
47:57
who are you, Lord, what shall I do?
48:03
Because you as a Christian have been appointed to know who He
48:07
is, to know His will. You know what's so amazing?
48:13
After Acts 9 by way of narrative, you never hear of
48:17
Ananias again. He disappears, but he is forever
48:23
connected to the world evangelizing ministry of the
48:28
Apostle Paul. And also, is He attached to the
48:32
fact that He played a role in a man who would write most of the
48:35
New Testament? So knowing his will may not
48:40
necessarily mean having this grand, spectacular,
48:44
internationally recognized ministry.
48:47
You might be a disciple who will be hidden in plain sight for
48:52
most of your life, but have momentary times of obedience.
48:57
If you yield to Him that can make an impact beyond what you
49:00
can imagine. Do not disqualify or
49:05
underestimate how you remaining devout and ready to do the will
49:10
of the Lord can cause something that can change the world.
49:15
Ananias is evidence of that. Ananias, Paul is praying.
49:22
You can go to him, and later we're going to discover the
49:26
amazing prayer life of Paul that will surely add fuel to your
49:31
fire. In that same practice, let's
49:33
seek the Lord together, shall we?
49:45
But we thank you for allowing us to get a glimpse of a man who
49:51
did not deserve to be saved, but was wonderfully snatched from
49:59
the domain of darkness and transferred into the Kingdom of
50:02
your beloved Son. But we also thank you that in
50:05
his story is another story of a man who is simply a disciple
50:11
reminds us that if we simply focus on our devotion and are
50:15
constantly ready to do what you will, that you can recruit us at
50:19
any moment to do wonderful things below whatever, whether
50:24
it's wonderful or not. Help us simply be consumed with
50:29
the personal intimate passion to know who you are and to do
50:35
whatever it is that you want us to do, whether it's praised or
50:39
overlooked, whether it's public or private.
50:42
Help us, Lord, find delight again in that pursuit.
50:47
And so, Lord, we just ask that even this conference would be
50:49
used as recalibration to asking who are you, Lord, and to
50:54
seeking you about what we shall do.
50:59
And we trust that as we do that, you're going to be faithful to
51:02
answer. We love you and we look to you
51:06
and we honor you in Jesus name, Amen.
51:09
Amen. The priest thing can come.