2006-11-12 - Two Men - Acts 9 1-22

Message: Two Men                                            Newport Baptist Church

Scr: Acts 9:1-22                                                  Date: 2006-11-12

Introduction

Monologue – My friend Saul (call him Paul sometimes)

Ticked!  My teacher (Gamaliel) saved those apostles – heretics

He said to me – They have to be stopped

Worshipping a dead man – cursed – hung on a tree!

Jesus claimed he was the messiah! Everybody knows Messiah conqueror!

Saul – knew the word of God, most devout, faithful, disciplined of all the Pharisees

I sure looked up to Saul… he inspired me with his righteousness.

I can’t believe he became one of those Christians!

Explanation – We look back and see Paul as the great apostle, but before he was Paul he was Saul - Persecuted Christians – jailed them, beat them, even encouraged killing them – Stephen! (ch 7)

Great persecution (ch 8) scattered the church! - -Determined to stop the followers of the way. 

TS – Two men – Saul & Ananias – initial conversion, continuing conversion

One said who are you, one said what do you want me to do.

One had to be blinded in order to see, one had to be reminded in order to do.

Both had to learn to live together.  Both had to learn to be obedient

Both were confronted by Jesus

Contrast – Saul (Paul) and Ananias

1)       Saul – vs 1-9

a)       Who was Saul?

i)         Born a Jew, a citizen of Rome, taught by Gamaliel! - Knowledgable, faithful, meticulous – Pharisee –

ii)       Meticulous! – Matt 23:23 – Jesus says - “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others.

iii)      Frustrated - Miserable – convinced that the rules were meant to save him – was willing to murder to bring people back to the traditional Jewish understandings.

iv)     People had said Jesus is risen – Paul couldn’t hear it. – Jeremiah 5:21 Tell them: ‘Hear this, you foolish people who have no understanding, who have eyes but do not discern, who have ears but do not perceive:

b)       The Interception

i)         Letters from high priest to those in Damascus - Before he got there – intercepted!

ii)       He Saw a light – something exceptional, unusual – vs 3-4

iii)      He heard a voice – Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?

c)       Result? – vs 5-9  Paul’s testimony!

i)         Paul was humbled – led by the hand – nothing to eat or drink

ii)       Coversion – (3x!) Event – chapter 9, Replay for Jerusalem (Jews!) ch22, For King Agrippa ch 26

iii)      Used to persuade others of Jesus

2)       Ananias – vs 10-17

a)       Don’t know much about him (clarify – this is a different Ananias than was married to Sapphira)

i)         A Christian (disciple) – vs10

ii)       God spoke with him

iii)      He answered – knew who it was. Yes Lord

b)       God showed him clearly what to do – vs 11-12

i)         Ananias was afraid – vs 13-14

ii)       He resisted – like Moses – but Lord, I have a stutter!

iii)      God answered his fear – vs 15-16

c)       Ananias was obedient – vs 17

i)         Paul is healed and restored for service – vs 18-19

ii)       Acts 22:12-16 – Ananias explains gospel and Jesus’ plan for Paul’s life

Challenge –

Paul and Ananias – which one are you?  Which one do you relate to?

Some of us are like Paul before the light – religious rules and obligations – road to salvation – grumble and complain about anything that doesn’t fit your understanding…

Ill – church in Ontario – death threats!

Need a light!  Opposing God?  Gamaliel (Paul’s teacher) knew better – Acts 5:39 – If it is from God, you will not be able to stop them, or you may even be found fighting against God!

My prayer, if you are like Paul, not knowing who Jesus is, is that you would seek him before he sends the light.  Paul later calls himself the worst of sinners, because he had all the truth in front of him and instead of accepting Jesus he fought against him.

Friends – When Paul wrote to the Roman church he was speaking to us as well.  He told us how to be saved if we did not know Jesus in Romans 10:9-11 - That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

Some of us are like Ananias – we have heard the call of God but we are full of excuses.  We are afraid of what people might say, we fear rejection or pain that might come as a result.

Ill - Bailey Smith – We on the inside of the Church need to endure some inconvenience in order that those on the outside can hear the gospel.

Paul went on in Romans 10 to say, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Conclusion:

Two men – Saul & Ananias

One said who are you, one said what do you want me to do.

One had to be blinded in order to see, one had to be encouraged in order to go.

Both were confronted by Jesus, Both had to learn to be obedient

The result of their obedience is found in verses 20-22. (read)

Paul and Ananias proved that Jesus is the Christ.  Their obedience, their commitment to the cause of Christ is a testimony to us of the truth.

Will you respond to the light?  Will you go where (and when and to who) he calls? Which one are you?