The Surrendered Life- Part 5

Introduction- Acts 9:1-22

Over the last several weeks we have considered several scriptural examples of men and women who surrendered themselves to the Lord.

Each of these men and women were used by God to make an eternal impact in the world as a result of their surrender.

The apostles preached Christ in spite of persecution and many were saved as a result.

Mary surrendered her life to the Lord and brought forth the very Son of God into the world.

Stephen surrendered his life to the Lord and ultimately laid down his life for Christ.

Philip surrendered himself to God and followed God’s leading and had the opportunity to lead many to faith in Christ.

Today we will consider two individuals who each surrendered themselves to God and how their stories are connected to one another.

Saul’s Surrender (Vs. 1-8)

This passage opens with Saul as passionate as ever in his persecution of those who have believed in and who were now following Jesus Christ.

This is the same Saul who was present as Stephen was stoned to death for preaching the truth.

He must have wondered how a man being stoned to death could plead for the forgiveness of his persecutors and what would motivate a man to give his life for what he was convinced was a lie.

Now it seems he has put all those questions aside in order to carry out what he believed was the work of God—eliminating this heretical movement which presented such a significant threat to Judaism.

Saul had the support of the Jewish leaders and was now determined to expand his pursuit of the followers of Christ to Damascus—a place where it is likely that many believers had fled because of the initial wave of persecution.

As Saul journeyed, he approached Damascus and suddenly a light from heaven brighter than the midday sun stopped him in his tracks.

It was such a startling moment that it caused Saul to fall to the earth.

As he lay there on the ground in the middle of the road, suddenly he heard a voice speaking directly to him.

The voice posed a simple question to Saul— “Why persecutest thou me?”

Saul is confused and cannot make sense of what is taking place—he responds with a question of his own— “Who art thou Lord?”—Saul evidently understood that this was the voice of one who should be addressed as Lord.

How stunned must Saul have been when he heard the reply— “I am Jesus”—the very one whose followers Saul has been fighting so passionately against.

Jesus speaks of Saul’s persecution of believers as though it is a persecution of Himself because of the spiritual unity which exists between them and Him.

The voice also make a declarative statement saying “it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks”—this reveals the fact that God has already been at work in Saul’s heart and life.

Saul had to this point resisted the work of God in his life, but now he is finally brought to the breaking point and there on the road to Damascus Saul finally waved the white flag of surrender and became himself a believer and a follower of Jesus Christ.

When Saul realized who it is that is speaking with him, trembling and astonished he identifies Jesus as Lord and asks one further question— “what wilt thou have me to do?”

It seems that Saul’s salvation and his absolute surrender happen almost simultaneously.

His surrender is evident as the Lord Jesus instructs him to arise and go into the city where he will then receive further instruction—and Saul then arose from the earth and was led by the hand into Damascus where he would wait three days for the further instruction which Jesus had promised would come.

A Surrendered Disciple (Vs. 9-18)

As all of this is unfolding God is also at work in the life of a disciple named Ananias who is already in Damascus.

The Lord speaks to Ananias in a vision and calls him by name—Ananias’ response shows that he is a man who is surrendered to God.

He answers “Behold, I am here Lord”— a clear indication of his availability to be used of the Lord.

At this point Ananias receives instruction from the Lord as to what he must do—but the instruction he receives is cause for serious concern.

God directs Ananias to a particular home on a particular street and reveals that in that home he will find a man known as Saul of Tarsus who is praying and who has seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in to him so that he might receive his sight.

Ananias is deeply concerned because he has heard of this man and of the evil that he had done to the saints at Jerusalem—he had heard of how he had persecuted and punished them for their faith in Christ.

Apparently Ananias had also received word that Saul was on his way to Damascus under the authority of the chief priests and that his intent was to bind all those who identified themselves with Jesus Christ.

Ananias must have wondered why God would send him to such a man, knowing that he was such a fierce persecutor of the saints.

The Lord’s reply urges Ananias to go to Saul and reveals to him that God has chosen this notorious persecutor to be a vessel unto Himself, one who will carry the gospel of Christ to the Gentiles, to kings, and even to the children of Israel.

God reveals to Ananias that this man who has inflicted such suffering upon the followers of Christ will ultimately suffer himself for Christ’s name.

In spite of his reservations and without knowing exactly what to expect, Ananias now proceeds to the house where God has told him Saul is residing.

His surrender is even more evident as he enters the house and places his hands on Saul and addresses him as a brother!

God then uses Ananias to minister to Saul to restore his sight and to lead him forward in his newfound faith.

It is evident that Ananias played a critical role in these early moments following Saul’s conversion.

What a joy it must have been for Saul to be treated with such kindness and generosity by one who was a follower of Christ.

Surely Saul expected that believers would be hesitant to receive him or that they might even reject him from their fellowship but the kindness of Ananias must have been a great encouragement to him.

Ananias was not a prominent figure in the early church, he did not hold any great title or position of authority, he was just an ordinary believer who surrendered himself to God and was willing to be used by Him.

We may never know just how important those seemingly small gestures towards Saul so soon after his conversion were to Saul’s spiritual progress.

We must never underestimate the impact which our surrender to God may then have upon others—our simply making ourselves available to God can make a tremendous difference in the lives of others.

A Miraculous Transformation (Vs. 19-22)

This passage closes with a description of the miraculous transformation which had now taken place in Saul’s life.

After his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus and after his interaction with Ananias in the house in that city, Saul would never be the same.

Once his sight had been restored and he had regained his strength, he spent several days with the disciples which were at Damascus where surely he received support and encouragement in his newfound faith.

Amazingly Saul then begins to preach Christ in the synagogues—boldly declaring that Jesus is the Son of God.

Those which heard him could not believe it—they questioned among themselves how this man who was once a passionate persecutor and had come to Damascus for this intent was not proclaiming the gospel himself.

Saul’s conversion would stand as a glorious testimony to the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is now evident for all to see that Saul has not only been saved, but that he has also surrendered himself to God and is now intent upon following his leading.

Surrender is a persistent theme throughout this entire passage—from the surrender of Saul to the will of God in salvation on the road to Damascus, to the surrender of a disciple named Ananias to go and minister to a notorious persecutor, to the surrender of Saul to God’s call now to boldly preach the gospel.

All that takes place in this passage is contingent upon the surrender of men to God.

Ananias’ surrender would ultimately influence Saul, and Saul’s surrender would ultimately lead to his being used mightily of God to reach thousands for Christ.

Conclusion

It may be that you are like Saul and you have been kicking against the pricks and have yet to surrender to God and receive Christ for salvation.

Maybe you have felt the pang of conviction and you know that God is dealing with your heart but you have to this point resisted.

Will you today surrender to God as Saul did and believe on Jesus Christ and receive Him as your Savior.

Maybe you have already surrendered to God for salvation and like Ananias, God is calling you to act in obedience to impact someone else.

Maybe to this point you have been hesitant to act and you have had reservations about what God is calling you to do—Will you today trust God and surrender to His plan and act in accordance with His will?

In either case there is no more important decision that you and I could make than to surrender ourselves to God.