Perception: God wants us to see

Perception: God Wants to Help us See

Perception: God wants to help us see

Scripture

“Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So, he went to the high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.

What is perception?

per·cep·tion. (pərˈsepSH(ə)n/) noun

1. the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses.

"the normal limits to human perception"

o the state of being or process of becoming aware of something through the senses.

"the perception of pain"

synonyms:

synonyms:

recognition, awareness, consciousness, appreciation, realization, knowledge, grasp, understanding, comprehension, apprehension;

formalcognizance

"our perception of our own limitations"

o a way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something; a mental impression.

"Hollywood's perception of the tastes of the American public"

synonyms:

impression, idea, conception, notion, thought, belief, judgment, estimation

"popular perceptions of old age"

Perception through LIVING LIFE

· Call of Paul

· Calling Ananias

· AS WE LIVE LIFE, WE SHOULD PAY ATTENTION.

God is speaking… do we hear?

“Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So, he went to the high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.

· Where his heart is…

· He thinks he is doing the right thing…

As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

· What does it take to get your attention?

The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one! Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind.

· God interrupts his life…

· Again, he thought he was doing the right thing…

· His aim was off… even if he hit the center of the target…

· He wasn’t aiming at the right target…

The Snowflake Incident

Woke up to a tic tic tic tic, Tock Quickly figure it out Hail storm Went and checked Woke up to a tic tic tic tic Tree outside Had a plan Woke up to a tic tic tic tic Search… Found… IT’S A SNOWFLAKE Only struck fan blade when heater was on

What is God doing to change the way you see..

* Others… Family… Your life…

What will it take to get your attention?

So, his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.

He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.

· His new status being formed!

Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord!” he replied. The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.”

· “Yes, Lord!” he replied.

· The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas.

· When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.”

Ø This is specific instruction… but maybe you have the same response as Ananias does.

“But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.”

PERSPECTIVE about to be WRECKED

But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

· God has a clear plan… but had to change Saul (Paul) perspective.

· But to get him where he needs to be and WHO he needs to be… the HOLY SPIRIT had to give a huge wake-up call…

· God has a clear plan… but had to have Ananias be a part of it.

o COULDN’T GOD HAVE JUST HEALED HIM?

o But God’s process of allowing people is huge…

o AND HE wants to CALL you to be a part of HIS processes.

What’s the wake-up call for you?

Let’s shift to fathers for a moment…

IN what ways does God want to get your attention?

What I wish being a father is like…

· I wish every day was somehow magical… like I had fairy dust and made every moment I could throw it at them and things become amazing.

· None of my children are fighting… they agree all the time.

· I’m able to lead them professionally… spiritually… and everyone … my wife, me, our kids… are growing in God and in Life.

· My wife and I NEVER have INTENSE FELLOWSHIP. We don’t argue… we just get along.

The Reality of being a father…

· Our kids also have emotions up and down.

· At one point they listen well… the next point the can’t stand you.

· To many times I yell at them, because if they are smaller than me, I’m big, she’s little, and I can get away with it.

· At nights it’s hard to get key moments… talks of conversation about life and our futures. My kids call them LECTURES.

Being a MAN of God or just a MAN…

· What is our perspective? How do we see people… life…

·

So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.

Acts of the Apostles 9:1-19 NLT

Perception through instruction

and 16

Break it down…

“Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.

· Work- twice

· @ a Holy life. Holy is defined as…

· If you are not Holy, you don’t see God.

Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God.

· Look after… not just about you. We are responsible for each other.

· So that… why we look after.

· To receive the grace of God.

· BUT…You could fail…

Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.

· Watch out- warning

· No poisonous root- define poison.

· Root of bitterness- define bitterness.

· Grows up to trouble you. - it grows if we don’t check it over and over.

· Corrupts many. - corrupts. Define…

Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal.”

· Example. Esau.

· Who was immoral… Was godless… Traded… Birthright… he owned it, had the right.

· He traded it… gave away to feed himself in a hungry moment. Giving up so much for a brief moment and need.

o He assumes it won’t build to fruition. Wondering happen.

o He can play with fire, and not get burned. NO!!!!! You will get burned.

“You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears.”

· Fathers blessing- gone. He is rejected.

· Even though he begged.

God can heal, rebuild, and take us forward with Him… but our actions decide if we see God, and we can lose things even if we cry later.

The Buffalo story…

· Buffalo story. Team going into…

· All the hours of travel… up and down…

Nepal - Katmandu

· Been 7 of the last 8 years to Nepal

· Remote Village near Afghanistan

· Earthquakes had just happened

· Tell us going to a village… this after all our travel to get to this point. Then in country …

· We have jeeped 12 hours

· We have hiked 4

· Sleeping in tents, getting up early to travel to the village

· Got to the village…

· Men mostly gone. Because they were helping in many places where the earthquake had just impacted.

· The point us to a Buffalo… 1000 pound buffalo.

· 📷📷

· And they wanted us to bury it…

· Hours to break through…

· Takes forever in this ground… deep enough to fit this buffalo…

· Team atmosphere and moral is struggling….

· Having to pierce the animal and drag him into place…

· DISGUSTING!

· Wondering why in the world…

· We travel all this way…

· We spend $4 thousand dollars a piece to be here

· And we are being asked to bury the BUFFALO?

WHY?

Burying a buffalo on the other side of the world…

Finally getting it down in the ground.

Begin to hike back down… gravity kicks in and only 1.5 to hike back down.

· Nepal women came with hot tea…

· She’s weeping…

· Our translater is here…

· We are told why she is crying…

· Earthquake damage… many dead… 100’s. Men gone. Helping dead relatives.

· If you had not gotten the dead animal in the ground today… WOLVES would have come to the village, smelling the blood of the buffalo. Then attack and kill children.

PERSPECTIVE changed. Why were we doing this obscure action… it was saving the village... this team were heroes!

You don’t always know why God is changing our PERSPECTIVE…

· Your life, and the life of others make a difference.