1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:05,700 Well please open your Bible and Acts and Chapter 9 today we’re wrapping up this 2 00:00:05,700 –> 00:00:11,400 short series entitled chosen instruments and that phrase comes of course from 3 00:00:11,400 –> 00:00:16,420 verse 15 that’s just been read to us the Lord said of Saul of Tarsus he is a 4 00:00:16,420 –> 00:00:24,299 chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and Kings and 5 00:00:24,559 –> 00:00:30,780 the children of Israel we’re going to look today at the critical subject of 6 00:00:30,780 –> 00:00:38,240 how God’s work gets done in the world and the answer to that question from 7 00:00:38,240 –> 00:00:46,520 this scripture is that God works through chosen instruments now we looked last 8 00:00:46,520 –> 00:00:51,980 week at the conversion of Saul of Tarsus an extraordinary event that changed the 9 00:00:51,980 –> 00:00:56,500 course of history there was this violent man who had persecuted 10 00:00:56,500 –> 00:01:02,700 Christians but he saw the glory of Christ he heard the voice of the risen 11 00:01:02,700 –> 00:01:08,760 Christ and we saw that what happens to him by his own statement was an example 12 00:01:08,760 –> 00:01:14,480 it was a model it was a pattern of what must happen to every one of us if we are 13 00:01:15,139 –> 00:01:22,739 truly Christian. Saul came to a true knowledge of Jesus Christ he’d known a 14 00:01:22,739 –> 00:01:26,820 lot about Christianity but we saw that this is the most important thing at its 15 00:01:28,320 –> 00:01:33,099 heart the Christian faith is not a set of doctrines for you to debate it is not 16 00:01:33,099 –> 00:01:38,260 a way of life for you to consider at its heart it is about this glorious person 17 00:01:38,260 –> 00:01:44,120 that even his enemies cannot ultimately avoid and Saul of Tarsus comes face to 18 00:01:44,120 –> 00:01:49,199 face with this person he comes to a true knowledge of the risen and glorious Lord 19 00:01:49,199 –> 00:01:57,779 Jesus Christ and we said this last week from the story that every one of us will 20 00:01:57,779 –> 00:02:04,680 one day have a damascus road experience what happened to Saul of Tarsus will 21 00:02:04,680 –> 00:02:10,960 one day happen to you you will see the face of Jesus Christ you will hear the 22 00:02:11,000 –> 00:02:16,320 voice of Jesus Christ one day as surely as you hear my voice today and this will 23 00:02:16,320 –> 00:02:20,919 happen the Bible assures us to every person that has ever lived irrespective 24 00:02:20,919 –> 00:02:28,479 of what a person believes irrespective of how a person chooses to live and at 25 00:02:28,479 –> 00:02:32,839 the heart of becoming a Christian is a true knowledge of Jesus Christ that 26 00:02:32,839 –> 00:02:37,720 leads then to a true knowledge of yourself here was this man who thought 27 00:02:38,100 –> 00:02:42,759 was on a righteous path on the way to heaven living a life that’s pleasing to 28 00:02:42,759 –> 00:02:46,979 God I’m sure I’ll get my reward in heaven and he actually comes to discover 29 00:02:46,979 –> 00:02:50,839 when he sees the glory of the Risen Lord that he’s a man on his way to hell and 30 00:02:50,839 –> 00:02:58,500 all that he can do is cast himself on the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ what 31 00:02:58,500 –> 00:03:01,839 we’re going to take up the story in verse six I hope you have the Bible open 32 00:03:01,839 –> 00:03:08,460 in front of you Saul is on the ground in the dust and Jesus Christ says to him 33 00:03:08,460 –> 00:03:23,259 rise rise and enter the city and you will be told what you are to do now we 34 00:03:23,259 –> 00:03:27,179 noticed last week that there are three accounts in the New Testament of what it 35 00:03:27,580 –> 00:03:34,699 person to see the glory of the risen Lord one is the Transfiguration another is 36 00:03:34,699 –> 00:03:40,580 the vision given to John the Apostle in the book of Revelation and the third is 37 00:03:40,580 –> 00:03:46,899 right here in the experience of Saul on the road to Damascus and you may 38 00:03:46,899 –> 00:03:52,139 remember that we noted last week that all three of these occasions have one 39 00:03:52,139 –> 00:03:58,580 thing in common at the Transfiguration we are told that the disciples fell on 40 00:03:58,580 –> 00:04:06,300 their faces and they were terrified in the book of Revelation John says when he 41 00:04:06,300 –> 00:04:13,600 sees the glory of the Lord I fell at his feet as though dead and here on the road 42 00:04:13,600 –> 00:04:17,220 to Damascus you have exactly the same thing this is the inevitable human 43 00:04:17,339 –> 00:04:21,299 response in the presence of the overwhelming glory of the Lord Saul 44 00:04:21,299 –> 00:04:27,359 falls to the ground in the presence of the glory of the Lord 45 00:04:27,359 –> 00:04:31,739 we saw that last week but today I want you to notice something else very 46 00:04:31,739 –> 00:04:36,679 wonderful that these three incidents all have in common at the 47 00:04:36,679 –> 00:04:42,160 Transfiguration Matthew tells us the disciples hearing this fell on their 48 00:04:42,859 –> 00:04:53,859 and they were terrified but Jesus came and touched them saying rise and have no 49 00:04:53,859 –> 00:05:02,260 fear so what Jesus Christ can do for you to cause you to be in the presence of 50 00:05:02,260 –> 00:05:07,359 God and to have no reason to fear isn’t that the most amazing thing be on the 51 00:05:07,579 –> 00:05:13,399 because you know that you’re a sinner and Jesus says now you get up and do not 52 00:05:13,399 –> 00:05:17,799 be afraid, you’re mine I’m standing with you and with me you can stand even in 53 00:05:17,799 –> 00:05:23,040 the presence of a holy God and you see it’s not just there it’s it’s the 54 00:05:23,040 –> 00:05:27,679 pattern, this is what Jesus does for his people when we’re in the presence of the 55 00:05:27,679 –> 00:05:32,679 glory of God this is what he’ll do for us you see it in the book of Revelation 56 00:05:32,679 –> 00:05:37,160 John says when I saw him I fell at his feet as though dead John the apostle 57 00:05:37,160 –> 00:05:44,200 fell at his feet as though dead but but he, Jesus, laid his right hand on me 58 00:05:44,200 –> 00:05:49,320 saying fear not the same thing I am the first and the last I’m the living one I 59 00:05:49,320 –> 00:05:53,799 died and behold I’m alive forevermore and I have the keys of death and Hades 60 00:05:53,799 –> 00:06:00,239 get up and you see here you have exactly the same thing on the road to Damascus 61 00:06:00,239 –> 00:06:05,519 here’s Saul tarsus and he realizes that he’s been spending years fighting 62 00:06:05,519 –> 00:06:09,239 against the sovereign Lord of Glory, he’s down in the dust, he thinks is there any 63 00:06:09,239 –> 00:06:20,059 hope for me and Jesus Christ says to him, rise rise enter the city and you will be 64 00:06:20,059 –> 00:06:27,640 told what you are to do, listen when Jesus Christ shows you that you are a 65 00:06:27,640 –> 00:06:36,500 sinner, his ultimate purpose is never to leave you groveling in the dust, his 66 00:06:36,500 –> 00:06:45,920 purpose is to raise you up and to send you out as a person who knows that you 67 00:06:45,920 –> 00:06:50,820 live because of his mercy and therefore a person who will live for his glory now 68 00:06:51,820 –> 00:06:59,760 evermore. Now let’s follow the story. Saul went into the city of Damascus and 69 00:06:59,760 –> 00:07:05,459 we’re told verse 9 and verse 11, putting these together, that for three days he 70 00:07:05,459 –> 00:07:11,679 gave himself to prayer and to fasting, no doubt. Lord have mercy on me, 71 00:07:11,679 –> 00:07:16,440 Lord show me what it is that you want me to do because the Lord had said go into 72 00:07:16,600 –> 00:07:23,000 the city and you will be told what you are to do. And so Saul of Tarsus is 73 00:07:23,000 –> 00:07:29,679 praying. And here’s what I want you to notice as a first importance today, that 74 00:07:29,679 –> 00:07:37,720 the answer to Saul’s prayer comes through a person. In this case, the man by 75 00:07:37,720 –> 00:07:44,760 the name of Ananias. Now here’s why this is especially important in this story 76 00:07:45,239 –> 00:07:52,000 and very important for us today. Saul came to know the Lord Jesus Christ 77 00:07:52,000 –> 00:07:58,880 without the witness or even the presence of a single Christian believer. Think 78 00:07:58,880 –> 00:08:05,299 about that. He was given a direct revelation, a direct encounter, with the 79 00:08:05,299 –> 00:08:10,359 risen Lord Jesus Christ right there on the road to Damascus. Not a single other 80 00:08:10,600 –> 00:08:21,140 believer was involved. And then Saul says, Lord, what do you want me to do? And the 81 00:08:21,140 –> 00:08:29,299 Lord says, Now rise and go into the city, and you will be told what you are to do. 82 00:08:29,299 –> 00:08:36,239 In other words, Saul you’ve now been awakened to the reality of who I am and 83 00:08:36,880 –> 00:08:41,780 You’re need of my mercy. It has happened by a direct encounter without the 84 00:08:41,780 –> 00:08:49,659 involvement of another single person, but this is not how it will normally be. 85 00:08:49,659 –> 00:09:00,239 God’s normal way is to work through his people. Christ is the head, and we are 86 00:09:00,539 –> 00:09:09,020 body, and it is through the body that the will of the head gets done. So here’s the 87 00:09:09,020 –> 00:09:13,659 very important principle, and it’s a principle that goes to the very heart of 88 00:09:13,659 –> 00:09:17,419 the mission of the church, that I want us to grasp. We need to get clearly 89 00:09:17,419 –> 00:09:21,739 established in all of our minds and in our hearts today. Very simply, Jesus 90 00:09:21,739 –> 00:09:28,479 Christ works through means. He works through His people, and that’s at the 91 00:09:29,479 –> 00:09:35,359 title of this series that Saul is a chosen instrument of mine. Think about 92 00:09:35,359 –> 00:09:41,400 that wonderful phrase with me for a moment. A chosen instrument. What does 93 00:09:41,400 –> 00:09:49,520 that tell us? It tells us two things. First, that God uses us. An instrument is 94 00:09:49,520 –> 00:09:57,460 very simply the means by which a particular task gets done. A scalpel is 95 00:09:57,460 –> 00:10:03,760 an instrument in the hands of the surgeon. When the surgeon goes into the 96 00:10:03,760 –> 00:10:08,239 operating theater he has a whole range, trays of instruments that are laid out 97 00:10:08,239 –> 00:10:11,559 for him so that he can pick up one instrument and then pick up another 98 00:10:11,559 –> 00:10:16,239 instrument and it is by means of these instruments that the operation is 99 00:10:16,239 –> 00:10:23,900 actually accomplished by the surgeon. God uses us, we’re chosen instrument. That’s 100 00:10:23,900 –> 00:10:29,940 who we are. But then this wonderful wonderful description of what it means 101 00:10:29,940 –> 00:10:34,859 to be a Christian, a chosen instrument, reminds us not only that God uses us but 102 00:10:34,859 –> 00:10:42,340 also, of course, that we depend utterly and entirely on God. What can a scalpel 103 00:10:42,340 –> 00:10:50,700 do? Absolutely nothing, unless it is in the hands of a surgeon. And therefore, the 104 00:10:51,440 –> 00:10:56,599 says to Saul, this is very wonderful, you’re a chosen instrument of mine. 105 00:10:56,599 –> 00:11:02,059 You’re going to be an instrument in the hands of the Redeemer. Because you are in my 106 00:11:02,059 –> 00:11:09,679 hands, it’s going to be through you that my work will get done. How is it that the 107 00:11:09,679 –> 00:11:15,419 name of the Lord Jesus then will be, verse 15, taken, carried to the Gentiles and to 108 00:11:15,419 –> 00:11:20,440 kings and to the children of Israel? The answer, ultimately, is, God will do it, but 109 00:11:20,440 –> 00:11:24,719 how will God do it? He will do it through the chosen instruments. He will do it through 110 00:11:24,719 –> 00:11:31,380 his people. He will do it through us. 111 00:11:31,380 –> 00:11:35,340 And I say that because it’s very, very clear here in this passage that Saul is not the 112 00:11:35,340 –> 00:11:40,359 only chosen instrument, and Anias here is a chosen instrument. A little later in the 113 00:11:40,359 –> 00:11:45,520 chapter, Barnabas is a chosen instrument. What we’re being introduced to here is the 114 00:11:46,340 –> 00:11:54,979 his work done in the world. So let’s follow the story a little further. Verse 10, there 115 00:11:54,979 –> 00:12:04,479 was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias, and we’re told here that the Lord spoke to 116 00:12:04,479 –> 00:12:13,500 him in a vision and told him that he was to go to the house where Saul of Tarsus was praying. 117 00:12:13,500 –> 00:12:19,979 Saul knows at this point that Jesus is indeed the risen Lord. But he’s still waiting to 118 00:12:19,979 –> 00:12:27,619 be told what it is that he should do. So now Ananias is going to be a chosen instrument 119 00:12:27,619 –> 00:12:35,760 in regards to the discipling and establishing of this man, Saul of Tarsus, as a Christian 120 00:12:36,679 –> 00:12:45,919 believer. Now notice from verse 13 that understandably Ananias did not want to go. You can hardly 121 00:12:45,919 –> 00:12:54,960 blame him. Do you envy him in the commission he was given here? He says, Lord, I have heard 122 00:12:54,960 –> 00:13:04,919 from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. Remember 123 00:13:04,919 –> 00:13:11,919 this is a man who three days before would quite gladly have killed Ananias and the commission 124 00:13:11,919 –> 00:13:25,679 to Ananias is to go. God may call you to do something in your life that will scare you 125 00:13:25,679 –> 00:13:37,340 and you will find yourself saying, I can’t do that. That’s too difficult. That’s too 126 00:13:37,340 –> 00:13:43,080 dangerous. I’m willing to do some other thing for the Lord, I’m willing to go some other 127 00:13:43,080 –> 00:13:50,179 place for the Lord. I’m willing to speak to some other person for the Lord, but I can’t 128 00:13:50,179 –> 00:14:00,960 do this, and Christ says to him, go. And thank God that Ananias went. Think about what happened 129 00:14:00,960 –> 00:14:11,039 through this man overcoming his fear in order to be obedient to God. It’s because Ananias 130 00:14:11,039 –> 00:14:18,799 goes that Saul is welcomed into the church. It’s because Saul is welcomed into the church 131 00:14:18,859 –> 00:14:26,979 that then Saul is sent out in chapter 13 by the church. It is because Saul is sent out 132 00:14:26,979 –> 00:14:33,340 by the church that the gospel comes to the Gentiles, and it is because the gospel came 133 00:14:33,340 –> 00:14:40,419 to the Gentiles that the vast majority of us here have been found in Jesus Christ today. 134 00:14:40,900 –> 00:14:47,719 There is a direct line between this man’s obedience and his willingness to overcome 135 00:14:47,719 –> 00:14:52,640 the natural fear that was in him and to do the hard thing that God called him to do and 136 00:14:52,640 –> 00:14:57,659 the fact we are sitting here today and eternally redeemed in Jesus Christ. Direct line between 137 00:14:57,659 –> 00:15:04,140 these two things so when you get to heaven, don’t forget to thank Ananias. We are so glad 138 00:15:04,280 –> 00:15:12,000 that you were an obedient person and that you did not give way to fear. God works through 139 00:15:12,000 –> 00:15:21,820 means. And it was through this man, a forgotten hero of the early church, truly another chosen 140 00:15:21,820 –> 00:15:27,719 instrument that Saul was established as a believer, welcomed into the church, and that 141 00:15:27,719 –> 00:15:35,000 changed the course of history. Now let’s focus in then a little more on this remarkable 142 00:15:35,000 –> 00:15:40,820 ministry of Ananias. Let me suggest that there are three parts to it that are relevant to 143 00:15:40,820 –> 00:15:46,559 all of us today. This is the most wonderful ministry, the ministry of Ananias. And I want 144 00:15:46,559 –> 00:15:52,760 to commend it to you. First, what does he do? He surrounds Saul with love. The Ananias 145 00:15:52,760 –> 00:16:00,419 ministry is a ministry of surrounding another person with love. Now think about what this 146 00:16:00,419 –> 00:16:06,380 must have meant to Saul. Remember, he’s blind. So imagine yourself sitting in a room with 147 00:16:06,380 –> 00:16:14,219 a blindfold on. It’s a room in a strange town. You suddenly having felt very powerful for 148 00:16:14,219 –> 00:16:19,260 much of your life, feel completely defenseless and helpless. You’ve just had the most extraordinary 149 00:16:19,260 –> 00:16:23,940 and devastating encounter with the glory of the risen Lord, and you’ve realized that 150 00:16:23,940 –> 00:16:27,780 you’ve been spending years of your life in opposition to the one who is supreme and all 151 00:16:27,780 –> 00:16:41,260 powerful. Saul has been killing disciples and now a disciple of Jesus comes and places 152 00:16:41,799 –> 00:16:49,140 hands on his head. I think that must have been a terrifying moment. What’s he going 153 00:16:49,140 –> 00:17:02,880 to do to me? And the first words Saul of Tarsus hears from a Christian are these – Brother 154 00:17:03,640 –> 00:17:06,060 Isn’t that beautiful? 155 00:17:06,060 –> 00:17:17,280 Saul, my brother. And this man who has only just come to a knowledge of Jesus Christ is 156 00:17:17,280 –> 00:17:28,420 immediately embraced by love that is shown to him by another Christian. Saul my brother, 157 00:17:28,780 –> 00:17:36,020 can you reach out to? Who can you welcome, who can you embrace with love who needs to 158 00:17:36,020 –> 00:17:38,880 be established in the faith today? 159 00:17:38,880 –> 00:17:45,680 Second, the Ananias ministry grounds a person in the gospel. Not only surrounds a person 160 00:17:45,680 –> 00:17:50,780 with love, but grounds a person in the gospel. I say that for this reason, that there was 161 00:17:50,780 –> 00:17:58,140 a uniqueness about Saul’s blindness. There was a reason for Saul’s blindness that of 162 00:17:58,140 –> 00:18:05,359 course is quite different from any other blindness as it is experienced in the world today. What 163 00:18:05,359 –> 00:18:09,199 happened uniquely in the case of Saul, was of course, that his blindness was a sign of 164 00:18:09,199 –> 00:18:14,319 the judgment of God. It came out of this rebel being overwhelmed by the sheer presence and 165 00:18:14,319 –> 00:18:16,540 the glory of God. 166 00:18:16,540 –> 00:18:21,479 And so when Ananias prayed for his sight to be restored, and it was, it was clearly a 167 00:18:21,500 –> 00:18:27,339 sign to Saul that God’s judgment upon him had been taken away and that he really had 168 00:18:27,339 –> 00:18:35,939 experienced and was found in God’s mercy. The Ananias ministry then, is one that helps 169 00:18:35,939 –> 00:18:41,300 to ground a person in the gospel. He is a person who’s become aware that there is a 170 00:18:41,560 –> 00:18:46,839 God, and I’ve been on the wrong side of Him. And Ananias comes along and embraces Him with 171 00:18:46,839 –> 00:18:54,000 love and grounds Him in this very remarkable way, by what it means to be in God’s mercy. 172 00:18:54,000 –> 00:19:00,459 And then there’s a third thing, he prepares Saul for the work that God was calling him 173 00:19:00,459 –> 00:19:05,540 to do. You will carry the name of Jesus to the Gentiles and to kings and to the children 174 00:19:05,540 –> 00:19:13,939 of Israel. And, Ananias is the one who answers the prayer. What am I to do? The answer comes 175 00:19:13,939 –> 00:19:19,579 through Ananias. Here’s what you’re to do. God’s revealed it to him and so he guides 176 00:19:19,579 –> 00:19:25,540 Saul into what the ministry will be for him. What work God has for him to do. And he prepares 177 00:19:25,540 –> 00:19:33,099 him for it, showing him how many things he must suffer for the sake of the Lord Jesus 178 00:19:33,979 –> 00:19:38,280 Christ. That’s a very simple pattern, but it’s a very beautiful one. It speaks very 179 00:19:38,280 –> 00:19:45,619 clearly to us today. When God is at work in the life of a person, what are we to do? We 180 00:19:45,619 –> 00:19:51,380 are to embrace them as brothers and sisters. We are to help ground them in the gospel. 181 00:19:51,380 –> 00:19:59,239 We are to help them see how God can use them and prepare them for that work. This is the 182 00:19:59,300 –> 00:20:06,719 ministry of Ananias. God uses this ministry to turn outsiders into insiders and to turn 183 00:20:06,719 –> 00:20:15,920 enemies into friends. Now just think about this. When Saul, who had been so hostile towards 184 00:20:15,920 –> 00:20:23,699 the Christian church, when he was first awakened to his need of the Lord Jesus Christ, his 185 00:20:23,699 –> 00:20:31,719 first experience of another Christian was that this other Christian loved him, forgave 186 00:20:31,719 –> 00:20:42,979 him, prayed for him, baptized him, fed him, guided him and prepared him. That is a remarkable 187 00:20:42,979 –> 00:20:49,359 ministry and God used it in a critical. I mean, if you take Ananias out of the picture, 188 00:20:49,359 –> 00:20:55,260 it’s unimaginable what else might have happened. But you see, God works through means, and 189 00:20:55,260 –> 00:21:07,359 in his great grace, this man, Ananias, was a chosen instrument in the hands of the Redeemer. 190 00:21:07,359 –> 00:21:14,900 God works through people and that principle, of course, is foundational to the entire ministry 191 00:21:14,900 –> 00:21:20,859 of the church. He is able, as we see on the road to Damascus, to transform a human life 192 00:21:20,859 –> 00:21:24,500 without the involvement of a single other person, but that’s not how he normally does 193 00:21:24,500 –> 00:21:34,020 it. He chooses to work through his people. We are his fellow workers. He is the head 194 00:21:34,020 –> 00:21:37,380 and we are the body. 195 00:21:37,699 –> 00:21:45,099 There’s a very striking story from earlier centuries that gets to the heart 196 00:21:45,099 –> 00:21:51,859 of this issue. It’s the story of William Cary, whose name many of you, I think, 197 00:21:51,859 –> 00:21:59,099 will know. He was a young minister in the late 1700s and he lived at a time 198 00:21:59,099 –> 00:22:04,780 when many Christians and churches had become very inward-looking. They were 199 00:22:04,780 –> 00:22:12,160 focused on themselves, but Cary was gripped by the needs of the world. 200 00:22:12,160 –> 00:22:17,319 On one occasion, he was given the opportunity to speak at a gathering of 201 00:22:17,319 –> 00:22:24,800 ministers in England and he was arguing the case for sending missionaries 202 00:22:24,800 –> 00:22:30,540 overseas. This young minister is speaking and he’s speaking with great passion and 203 00:22:30,979 –> 00:22:37,099 Then, while he spoke, an older minister in the crowd got up and interrupted him. 204 00:22:37,099 –> 00:22:45,800 He said, sit down, young man. You’re an enthusiast. And then he said this. 205 00:22:45,800 –> 00:22:50,339 If God wants to convert the heathen, he’ll do it without consulting you or me. 206 00:22:50,339 –> 00:22:59,280 Now, Cary took up the challenge and he wrote a book in 207 00:22:59,439 –> 00:23:02,780 answer to this objection. Because it wasn’t just one man that was thinking 208 00:23:02,780 –> 00:23:06,780 like that, there was a common sense of, well, you know, it’s up to God to do these 209 00:23:06,780 –> 00:23:14,760 things. And so Cary wrote a book with this very striking title, An Inquiry 210 00:23:14,760 –> 00:23:23,520 into the Obligations of Christians in the Use of Means for the Conversion of 211 00:23:23,520 –> 00:23:27,599 the Heathen. You can still read it or even download it on Amazon in fact, 212 00:23:27,680 –> 00:23:33,119 all the way from the 1700s. But you see the point of what he was getting at 213 00:23:33,119 –> 00:23:38,239 in the title of the book? The Obligation of Christians. There’s something that we 214 00:23:38,239 –> 00:23:45,319 as Christians must do and what is it? We’re to use means. Why? Because God 215 00:23:45,319 –> 00:23:51,880 has chosen to work through means. The scalpel is in the hands of the surgeon 216 00:23:51,880 –> 00:23:56,680 but the surgeon uses the scalpel, and it’s through the scalpel that the 217 00:23:56,680 –> 00:24:02,079 surgeon’s hand brings about the operation. We actually have a critical 218 00:24:02,079 –> 00:24:07,260 involvement, Saul is the chosen instrument Ananias is the chosen instrument, 219 00:24:07,260 –> 00:24:15,520 you are the chosen instrument. They work through you and from that book 220 00:24:15,520 –> 00:24:23,040 William Carey then, practicing what he was declaring, established a missionary 221 00:24:23,040 –> 00:24:30,000 society and in its very first meeting in 1792 he gave a very stirring address 222 00:24:30,000 –> 00:24:35,040 with a phrase that’s come down in history. He said this expect great things 223 00:24:35,040 –> 00:24:40,979 from God and attempt great things for God. And you see 224 00:24:40,979 –> 00:24:44,560 how that comes out of his biblical understanding of how ministry works. 225 00:24:44,560 –> 00:24:48,680 We’re to put our trust in God because it’s only God by His grace who’s able to 226 00:24:48,680 –> 00:24:52,680 reach the nations but we are to attempt great things for God because the 227 00:24:52,719 –> 00:25:02,880 means by which He will do it is through us. God works through means that is why 228 00:25:02,880 –> 00:25:11,000 we pray, that is why we give, that is why we go. His people are chosen instruments 229 00:25:11,000 –> 00:25:19,199 and it is through his people that God’s work gets done in the world. That is why 230 00:25:19,280 –> 00:25:25,160 we invite and welcome new friends to gather with us in worship in the church. 231 00:25:25,160 –> 00:25:32,079 That is why we meet in life groups, because God works through means these 232 00:25:32,079 –> 00:25:37,000 are means of gathering Christians together so that we can minister to 233 00:25:37,000 –> 00:25:41,119 one another because God does not minister to us apart from people but in 234 00:25:41,119 –> 00:25:49,319 and through people. That is why we start new campuses. That is why a hundred 235 00:25:49,319 –> 00:25:54,239 members of our congregation we’re sent out by this church on short-term 236 00:25:54,239 –> 00:26:01,939 missions overseas in the last year why because God works through means. This is 237 00:26:01,939 –> 00:26:04,880 why every week there are members of our congregation who are going out and 238 00:26:04,880 –> 00:26:08,800 visiting prisons. Right now there are people translating sermons into 239 00:26:09,079 –> 00:26:13,359 other languages. Why every week there is a marvelous team involved in care for 240 00:26:13,359 –> 00:26:16,599 the community and for the homeless. This is why there are folks coaching 241 00:26:16,599 –> 00:26:21,640 basketball and then leading devotion so that children will come to know the 242 00:26:21,640 –> 00:26:26,920 gospel of Jesus Christ. This is why we are network of supporting parents of 243 00:26:26,920 –> 00:26:31,900 special needs. It’s why grief share starts. Why? Because in God’s mercy he 244 00:26:32,180 –> 00:26:38,520 because he works through means and it is through his people that his grace 245 00:26:38,520 –> 00:26:44,800 is made manifest and his great work is done in the world. Isn’t 246 00:26:44,800 –> 00:26:48,859 this a marvelous thing? Can you imagine, can you think of any higher 247 00:26:48,859 –> 00:26:54,359 dignity, any greater privilege, any more marvelous calling them that you 248 00:26:54,800 –> 00:27:03,599 an instrument in the redeemer’s hands. It’s marvelous. Lord, how 249 00:27:03,599 –> 00:27:07,660 glorious that you have chosen to do your work in this world in 250 00:27:07,660 –> 00:27:18,300 this way. Christ works through means And I want to say one more 251 00:27:18,300 –> 00:27:21,660 thing in the last part of the message today and much more 252 00:27:21,800 –> 00:27:29,719 things briefly and it’s simply this that in all of the means 253 00:27:29,719 –> 00:27:34,599 we must never forget the message Christ works through 254 00:27:34,599 –> 00:27:40,160 means and Christ is the message and that is especially clear in 255 00:27:40,160 –> 00:27:44,619 these verses that are before us. Look at verse nineteen For 256 00:27:44,619 –> 00:27:48,020 some days he that is Saul was with the disciples of Damascus. 257 00:27:48,079 –> 00:27:54,619 prominent Lord Ranger Christian here is immediately with the 258 00:27:54,619 –> 00:27:59,479 disciples at Damascus and what does he do? Immediately he 259 00:27:59,479 –> 00:28:05,219 proclaimed Jesus He proclaims Jesus in the synagogues and 260 00:28:05,219 –> 00:28:13,719 what did he say about him? He said, he is the son of God. 261 00:28:13,839 –> 00:28:19,680 Jesus is a champion. the glorious lord and savior who 262 00:28:19,680 –> 00:28:25,219 had changed his life. He proclaims about Jesus that he 263 00:28:25,219 –> 00:28:28,680 is the son of God that he is God with us that he is God in 264 00:28:28,680 –> 00:28:36,260 the flesh. and notice how he proclaimed Jesus verse 22. He 265 00:28:36,260 –> 00:28:41,680 confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that 266 00:28:41,979 –> 00:28:44,979 deliverer promised. That is the deliverer of promise 267 00:28:44,979 –> 00:28:47,579 throughout the Old Testament scripture that by the way can 268 00:28:47,579 –> 00:28:51,160 only mean one thing proving that Jesus was the Christ He’s 269 00:28:51,160 –> 00:28:54,119 in the synagogue. He’s opening up the Old Testament 270 00:28:54,119 –> 00:29:00,119 Scriptures. as we would say he opens the Bible and he holds 271 00:29:00,119 –> 00:29:06,439 Jesus. That was his ministry he shows them Christ. From the 272 00:29:06,439 –> 00:29:11,579 whole Bible. Which is exactly of course what we saw a couple 273 00:29:12,040 –> 00:29:15,719 years ago when we were with Ethiopia, who he met in the 274 00:29:15,719 –> 00:29:18,380 desert Philip opened his mouth. Beginning with the scripture 275 00:29:18,380 –> 00:29:23,680 that says A53, he told him the good news about Jesus opens the 276 00:29:23,680 –> 00:29:26,920 Bible and holds forth Jesus. It’s exactly what our lord did 277 00:29:26,920 –> 00:29:30,920 on the road to Emmaus beginning with Moses and the prophets he 278 00:29:30,920 –> 00:29:33,699 interpreted to them. All the Scripture in all the Scriptures 279 00:29:33,699 –> 00:29:38,260 the things concerning himself. And here now we find Saul of 280 00:29:38,979 –> 00:29:42,420 the chosen instrument newly converted doing exactly the 281 00:29:42,420 –> 00:29:46,560 same thing. He’s the son of god. He says. And he proves it. He 282 00:29:46,560 –> 00:29:51,319 demonstrates it. He shows it by opening the Bible and showing 283 00:29:51,319 –> 00:29:53,640 that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all the 284 00:29:53,640 –> 00:29:57,239 promises and all of the prophecies in the Old Testament 285 00:29:57,239 –> 00:30:01,400 Scripture and he did this as a chosen instrument in the power 286 00:30:01,400 –> 00:30:07,839 of the Holy Spirit being used in the hands of his redeemer a 287 00:30:07,839 –> 00:30:14,339 duplicity. No, I want just to underline this point and for us 288 00:30:14,339 –> 00:30:24,199 never never never to forget it. proclaiming Jesus is the clear 289 00:30:24,199 –> 00:30:32,959 and unchanging ministry that pervades the New Testament and 290 00:30:32,959 –> 00:30:37,339 is entrusted to the church and therefore given to us with 291 00:30:37,380 –> 00:30:43,020 imbrication that we are in today. Let me give you fifteen 292 00:30:43,020 –> 00:30:50,380 examples. You set. I had thirty-nine. So, I’ve cut him 293 00:30:50,380 –> 00:30:53,760 down. I just want you to see this is everywhere in the New 294 00:30:53,760 –> 00:30:56,359 Testaments. I promise you. I’ll do this in 3 minutes in 295 00:30:56,359 –> 00:31:02,739 Damascus. immediately, Saul proclaimed Jesus saying he’s 296 00:31:03,640 –> 00:31:09,400 hi. Number two, in Lystra, they continued to preach the gospel 297 00:31:09,400 –> 00:31:13,380 Number three, in Derby they preached the gospel to that 298 00:31:13,380 –> 00:31:18,339 city and made many disciples. Number four, in Macedonia, We 299 00:31:18,339 –> 00:31:22,280 sought to go on into Macedonia concluding that god had called 300 00:31:22,280 –> 00:31:28,859 us to do what? To preach the gospel to them. Number five in 301 00:31:28,859 –> 00:31:32,219 Thessalonica, we find the Apostle explaining and proving 302 00:31:32,219 –> 00:31:36,359 Christ’s suffer and rise from the dead and saying, this Jesus 303 00:31:36,359 –> 00:31:42,560 whom I proclaim to you is the Christ in Athens. We find that 304 00:31:42,560 –> 00:31:50,719 Saul Paul was mocked because he was preaching jesus and the 305 00:31:50,719 –> 00:31:54,280 resurrection in Rome, he says, I am eager to preach the gospel 306 00:31:54,280 –> 00:31:58,680 to you also who are in Rome in Corinth. He says, I decided to 307 00:31:58,680 –> 00:32:01,920 know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and in crucified 308 00:32:01,920 –> 00:32:07,420 and later, he says, what we proclaim is not ourselves, but 309 00:32:07,420 –> 00:32:12,219 Jesus Christ as lord. Number nine in Tro was, I came to 310 00:32:12,219 –> 00:32:18,099 Troy as to do what? To preach the gospel of Christ. Number 311 00:32:18,099 –> 00:32:22,900 ten in Galatia, God was pleased to reveal his son to me in 312 00:32:22,900 –> 00:32:29,300 order that I might preach him among the Gentiles. Goes on to 313 00:32:29,300 –> 00:32:33,140 Philippi where the second of this grace was given to preach 314 00:32:33,140 –> 00:32:39,140 to the Gentiles, the un searchable riches of Christ. He 315 00:32:39,140 –> 00:32:41,380 goes on to Philippi. What’s he going to do there? Well, he 316 00:32:41,380 –> 00:32:46,719 says, all that matters is that Christ is proclaimed and in 317 00:32:46,719 –> 00:32:52,859 this, I rejoice. In Coloss. He says him, we proclaim that we 318 00:32:52,859 –> 00:32:58,359 may present everyone mature in Christ. And just see that it is 319 00:32:58,859 –> 00:33:01,520 the latest part of the New Testament. In Peter, we’re told 320 00:33:01,520 –> 00:33:04,719 of the Christian Church that you are a chosen race, a royal 321 00:33:04,719 –> 00:33:08,400 priesthood, a holy nation, a people of god’s own possession. 322 00:33:08,400 –> 00:33:14,160 Why that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called 323 00:33:14,160 –> 00:33:20,180 you out of darkness and into his marvelous light. And in the 324 00:33:20,180 –> 00:33:22,239 last letter of the New Testament, the book of 325 00:33:22,239 –> 00:33:26,380 revelation, just to make it absolutely clear. John sees in 326 00:33:26,859 –> 00:33:33,439 John saw an angel flying directly over head with an 327 00:33:34,119 –> 00:33:37,619 eternal gospel to proclaim. That is a gospel that never 328 00:33:37,619 –> 00:33:40,719 changes. And where is it to be proclaimed? It’s need to be 329 00:33:40,719 –> 00:33:44,800 proclaimed to those who dwell on the earth, to every nation, 330 00:33:44,800 –> 00:33:52,819 every tribe, every language and every people. I’m just trying to 331 00:33:53,040 –> 00:33:56,640 it’s everywhere. The apostle goes, he does the same thing 332 00:33:56,640 –> 00:34:02,439 and he never gets distracted from it. He did not sit down 333 00:34:02,439 –> 00:34:05,000 and say, what are the great issues that need to be changed 334 00:34:05,000 –> 00:34:12,879 in the Roman Empire? And how are we going to do it? He set out 335 00:34:12,879 –> 00:34:19,439 to proclaim Jesus Christ who changed him and through the 336 00:34:20,300 –> 00:34:25,280 Jesus Christ lives were changed, churches were planted, 337 00:34:25,280 –> 00:34:30,659 and that did change the world. That is the pervasive 338 00:34:30,659 –> 00:34:34,139 commission of the church throughout the New Testament 339 00:34:34,139 –> 00:34:37,699 and it is that which is trusted to us today. No one else 340 00:34:37,699 –> 00:34:41,280 can do this work of proclaiming Jesus, except his people and 341 00:34:41,280 –> 00:34:46,479 God works through means and that should be the greatest of 342 00:34:46,780 –> 00:34:51,439 in regards to the trust that is given to us, for the work of 343 00:34:51,439 –> 00:34:56,760 Jesus Christ in the world. How does the work of Christ get 344 00:34:56,760 –> 00:35:02,600 done? We are the means. Christ is the message God works by his 345 00:35:02,600 –> 00:35:06,739 chosen instruments, by his own people who act in obedience even 346 00:35:06,739 –> 00:35:13,780 when they’re afraid, who are filled with the Holy Spirit and 347 00:35:13,780 –> 00:35:21,280 who opened the Bible in order to point to Jesus. Let’s pray 348 00:35:21,280 –> 00:35:23,860 together. Shall we? 349 00:35:24,600 –> 00:35:31,300 Father, make us such instruments in the Redeemer’s hands we pray. 350 00:35:31,540 –> 00:35:36,080 Thank you for the tradition of this church of which we have 351 00:35:36,080 –> 00:35:39,600 become a part and in which we are grateful servants and 352 00:35:39,600 –> 00:35:48,760 stewards of your grace. Grant that undistracted we may ever 353 00:35:48,760 –> 00:35:54,459 fulfill that work that you have trusted to your people to do to 354 00:35:54,459 –> 00:35:58,080 make the glories of your Son, Jesus Christ, known in every 355 00:35:58,080 –> 00:36:03,560 place. Father, I pray for each of us as we think of what it 356 00:36:03,560 –> 00:36:05,679 will be for me to be an 357 00:36:05,739 –> 00:36:12,979 instrument in your hands. Lord, grant that ready ear and eye to 358 00:36:12,979 –> 00:36:19,959 discern where that love must be extended, where that forgiveness 359 00:36:19,959 –> 00:36:26,580 must be released, where that opportunity exists to ground 360 00:36:26,580 –> 00:36:32,439 another person more clearly in the gospel and where we can be 361 00:36:32,439 –> 00:36:36,280 useful in guiding and preparing another person for greater 362 00:36:36,280 –> 00:36:41,020 ministry and effectiveness in this great work that you have 363 00:36:41,020 –> 00:36:47,520 entrusted to your people together. Oh, use me, Lord, use 364 00:36:47,540 –> 00:36:55,040 even me, just as you will and when and where until your 365 00:36:55,040 –> 00:37:03,199 blessed face, I see and then your rest and your joy and your 366 00:37:03,199 –> 00:37:10,040 glory share, hear our prayers in Jesus’ name, amen.