A Chosen Vessel

Acts 9:10-18

A CHOSEN VESSEL

June 12, 2022

Intro: A man named Saul was wreaking havoc in the church, Acts 8:3. He was traveling from place to place persecuting the early Christians. He was having them arrested and even participated in their deaths, Acts 7:58; 8:1. In the midst of this, the Lord, in His grace, saved Saul as he traveled to Damascus to arrest more believers. His conversion was miraculous; the Lord Himself appearing directly to Saul and calling him to salvation. Acts 9:8-9 tell us that after Saul saw the brightness of the Lord, that he was left blind. Saul was led into Damascus, and he was blind for three days as he was in prayer and fasting, Acts 9:9. But, God did not save Saul to leave him blinded in Damascus! God saved him for a great purpose, “for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.” Then, the Lord spoke to his Disciple Ananias, who lived in Damascus, and told him to go to Saul that he might receive his sight.

As soon as the word of the Lord came to this servant he said, “Behold, I am here, Lord.” This tells us that Ananias was a man who was listening for the voice of God. How many of us are ready to say, “Lord, I am here!” The only right place for any servant of God to be is "here". That is, to be present and accounted for when He calls for you! He calls Jesus, "Lord". This tells me something about the man Ananias. He is a man who is surrendered in his walk with the Lord. Here is a man who has turned the reins of his life over to the Lord. He is separated, surrendered and sold out to God. He sets the standard for the rest of us this morning. We will see that this is the kind of man God can use as we learn about the Command, the Calling and the Chosen!

A. V. 11-12 The Command - The Lord has a special mission for this man Ananias. He wants to use him to go to the newly converted Saul. He knew that God had already shown Saul that a man named Ananias will be coming by to restore his sight. To Ananias, this command didn't make sense! Saul hated Christians! He had been arresting them and putting them to death. Now God wants his Disciple to go to Saul, all alone, and He wants him to put his hands on this murderer!

Often the commands of the Lord do not make sense. It did not make sense for Noah to build a boat in the middle of dry land. It didn't make sense for Moses to strike a rock for water in the middle of the desert. It didn't make sense for Joshua to march around the middle of Jericho seven times for seven days to bring the walls down. But that is what the Lord commanded!

B. V. 13-14 The Calling - When Ananias hears the command from the Lord, he questions it! He reminds the Lord of all the evil things he has heard about Saul. He tries to reason with God to find a way out of this because he is afraid. Did he think that God didn't already know all about the things Saul had been doing? Ananias had already judged Saul and was afraid for his life. Saul brought havoc to the church, why should he reach out to him?

Doesn’t this sound like us? We want to serve the Lord, but when He calls on us to do something that is outside of our comfort zone, we give excuses why we can't do it. God may want us to forgive someone who has injured us. He may want us to reach out to someone who is a known bigot. He might be calling someone to witness to a neighbor with whom there has been disagreement over the years. Who are we to judge the Will of God?

C. V. 15-18 The Chosen - When the Lord calls us to do something that is hard, unpleasant, or difficult, He doesn't always let us know how it will turn out. I think that we, like Ananias, forget that God knows a lot more than we ever will! His ways are far above our ways, His thoughts are far above our thoughts – Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Even when we do not know how things will work out; even when it may seem that God is leading us in a path that is challenging, difficult and painful, we must learn to respond in humble obedience to His call and His command. That is the response of faith. That is the response of love. That is the response of the Chosen of God and our High Calling in Christ Jesus. Ananias went to the house where Saul was, he entered in, and he touched him. Then he did something that must have touched the heart of Saul like nothing he had ever heard in his life. Because the first word he ever heard a fellow believer say to him was the word "Brother." Surely Saul was unsure as to what the future held for him. When the Jews found out that he had received Jesus, they would hate him. Surely, the church would hate him for all the things he had done to them. Yet, this old disciple touches him and embraces him as a brother in Christ.