Sermon Brief
Date Written: January 04, 2014
Date Preached: January 05, 2014
Where Preached: OPBC (AM)
Sermon Details:
Series Title: Moving Ahead
Sermon Title: Moving Ahead – When You R Scared
Sermon Text: Acts 9:10-19 [ESV]
Introduction:
10Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.
Introduction:
Safe is a comfortable place… we have all heard the phrase ‘safe and sound’… in our house, ‘safe and sound’! Safe is a place where we ALL want to be!
But feeling safe can be an illusion… Feeling safe and being safe and taking it safe can lead us into a false sense of security! Playing it safe, leads to no movement… no movement leads to stagnation and stagnation leads to nothing good!
But moving forward can be a scary thing… Think about the early settlers, many were content to remain where they were but many were willing to take the risk and MOVE west… a decision that was fraught with danger and the unknown… but a decision that moved them to a better place!
Are there risks moving ahead in life? YES there are ALWAYS risks when we move out of our ‘safe zone’ into the unknown! But there is also great risk in staying where we are and NOT moving forward…
Billy Graham was a young preacher who had a vision from God to preach the gospel to the world… can you imagine what his legacy would have been IF he had played it safe… if he had stayed in N.C. and just preached at local rallies in his association?
BUT what we know is that he did NOT play it safe, but launched an all out campaign to preach youth revivals all across our country… and God opened door after door for Him to further the Kingdom!
Playing it safe, may ‘protect’ us from what we fear? But when it comes to serving God, playing it safe also keeps us from experiencing the great blessings God has in store for us when we step out on faith and serve Him on HIS terms…
The issue for us is our expectations! We usually think about what WE want to do for God and NOT what God wants us to do… we have our own view of what God is asking! Let me give you an example…
I remember a particular incident when I was in basic training for the Air Force. One of the 1st mornings we were there, our Drill Instructor came in and gathered us around and with great enthusiasm asked the question, “Who here wants to be on the bowling team?”
Quickly 8 or 9 hands shot up in the air… then the Drill Instructor said, “Great!! You guys are going to be the latrine detail! You take ‘bowl’ #1, you take ‘bowl’ #2…” I cannot tell you how many disappointed airmen there were in that dorm room that day… MANY of them wanted to RUN away!
So often, as believers we find ourselves in a similar situation… We know God is calling us to serve and we agree to serve, but when God reveals what He wants us to do… we want to RUN away!
It is NOT that what God has for us is bad, but it is that we so often have the wrong expectations when it comes to what God wants from us… Like I said, so often our expectations are about what WE want to do for God and not what God wants us to do for Him!
In our scripture today we can see a situation where Ananias believed things seemed to be headed ONE way, but God knew they would turn out another way!
I want us to look at the 2nd part of Saul’s conversion experience in Acts 9:10-19 and I want us to focus on Moving Ahead… EVEN when you are scared!
You see when it comes to serving God, I believe there are several stages we humans go thru… the first is happy agreement with God!
Our Desired Response To God’s Calling –– v10
10Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
The 1st word in v10 indicates a shift in the story. v1-9 were about Saul’s conversion on the road to Damascus… at this point Paul begins to share what happened AFTER his Damascus road experience…
The Greek word used here is deh which is a transitional or continuative particle… it is basically saying that has happened and NOW this is what happened next…
What is happening is that Saul has been broken. He has gone from a Pharisee on the rampage to a broken man who has surrendered to the sovereignty of God in his life!
Paul was probably wondering what comes next. He was blind and the people he had come to persecute on behalf of the High Priest… God had just chosen him to lead them… to be a leader in this movement that he had taken an oath to destroy! What would the religious leaders say now?
However, while Paul may have been worried about what the High Priest and all of his Pharisee buddies might think about him when they found out what had happened… there were OTHER people who were also concerned!
The believers in Damascus had heard about Saul and what he had done in other cities and to other believers. He had put them in prison and he had seen them put to death…
Saul’s reputation was BIG and VIVID and scary for the believers in Damascus because they had heard that he was now on their way to their city!
v10 tells us that Ananias was a believer in Damascus… it does not tell us how long he had been a believer, but I believe it does give us clues that reveal he was a mature believer!
The first clue is that God spoke directly TO Ananias, letting us know that Ananias had an active prayer life and a good relationship with God. He was in tune with God and was serving Christ in Damascus.
The 2nd clue we can see is that Ananias was a willing servant…at least on the surface! We see this when God speaks to him and calls him to serve… Ananias’ first response is like that of the prophet Isaiah… Here I am Lord! I can almost hear him saying, “Here I am Lord, what do you need… what can I do?”
You know as a believer and a pastor, I find that this is the ideal response that ALL believers WANT to have when God calls! I truly believe that EVERY believer wants to be responsive to God’s call on their lives! I truly believe that we ALL want to say YES to God when He calls and be like the Bible heroes we have all read about!
There are many of us who sit in the pew and hear songs, testimonies and sermons about serving God and we say… “I want to be like that… I want to serve God… God show me where to serve you!”
Have you EVER found yourself reading about God’s calling to those in Scripture OR about God’s calling thru a song, testimony or message… and you’re initial response when sitting in the pew is like Ananias’ and you say in your heart, “YES, Lord, here I am… USE ME!”
Ananias was eager to serve God and quickly answered God in the affirmative… let me ask you something this morning? Is this something YOU do today? Do you quickly answer God in the affirmative when He calls your name?
I believe this is the RIGHT response to God’s calling on our lives… a quick and positive response! It is MY prayer as your pastor that you DO have the same initial positive response that Ananias reveals to us here in v10.
However, unfortunately, although we MAY initially react in the positive, v11-14 reveals our human nature when it comes to reality of the calling of God on our lives!
Let’s look at what these verses say and see what…
Our Actual/Human Response To God’s Calling –– v11-14
11And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”
Ananias had been eager and willing in his initial response to God’s voice… but now he was doing what we call here in South Louisiana… Crawfishin’… he was back pedaling on his earlier comment!
Listen to what Ananias is saying to God in response to God’s calling:
Wait a minute Lord, this was NOT what I bargained for… I want to serve you BUT…
Lord I have heard things about this guy Saul…
Lord do you understand how BAD he is?
Lord do you know what he has done to those who serve You?
Lord do you know what he could do to me?
Basically Ananias is saying, “Lord do you know what You are doing?”
I can hear him now… “But Lord this is scary… Lord I don’t know if I can do this…Lord this is TOO much to ask of me!”
Now before you begin to criticize Ananias and his back peddling comments… I want us to understand just what Ananias was facing! Saul was the one who had instigated Stephen’s stoning…
Saul was very ACTIVE in the persecution of those who profess Jesus as Messiah… Saul was a man of authority and had the power to put people in prison and even sentence them to death…
Saul HAD done ALL these things and now he was HERE in Ananias’ city… and God was calling for him to go lay on hands and pray for Saul… Ananias must have been wondering, “God do YOU know who we are dealing with here?”
This is a common human response to a situation where we feel threatened… our first reaction is to AVOID the situation. Ananias was thinking… hey I don’t need this… I want to serve God and I can serve Him, but this is WAAAAY more than I thought I would have to do… He may have even been questioning God’s wisdom here…
God here is this POWERFUL man with authority given from the highest authority in our nation and you want me to go over to him and pray for him and give him a message from You? Lord, do you realize or understand that I am part of what he has been persecuting! If I go to him, I will surely be turned in or maybe even killed right there on the spot!
How often do we find ourselves sitting in this same position in our efforts to be obedient and serve God? We SAY we want to serve Him and we truly believe we mean it in our hearts, BUT when service to Him goes outside of our comfort zone, we cry foul and backtrack on any commitment we have made!
When God calls us to serve Him, are we going to be faithful to that calling or are we going to allow our own fears and anxieties to rule our hearts? Many of us truly WANT to serve God, but when the reality of what He wants from us is made clear, we run away… we hide… we try to ignore God!
Now I want us to look at this from a parent’s perspective… You have spoken to your child and said something like, “Hey son, I need you to do something for me…” Your son has answered and he said something like, “Sure Dad/Mom… what is it?”
Then you tell them what you want/need them to do and all of a sudden where they had said, “Sure Dad/Mom…” it changes to, “Umm I can’t because…” OR “Why do you ask me to do that…” OR “I don’t wanna…” How are you going to react as a parent? How is that going to make you feel as a parent?
I can tell you it is heartbreaking as a parent to hear or see your child tell you one thing and then do another… to promise you one thing and then do just the opposite… This is what this looks/feels like to God!
I want us ALL here at Oak Park to hear this message… that includes all of you sitting here, all of you who are in the sound of my voice, live or recorded… and all of our staff and myself included! Hear the message that God is calling Oak Park…
We have said, “Yes Lord, what is it You would like for us to do?” and now God is laying what He wants before us… He wants us to reach this community… He wants us to reach it by meeting them WHERE they are!
This means that WE are the ones who will have to change… WE are the ones who will have to make the effort… WE are the ones who are going to have to go the extra mile… or make the EXTRA sacrifice!
People God is calling Oak Park to do something that Oak Park members may NOT believe can be done… For the most part we are a small core of older white people and God is calling us to reach a community that is younger than us AND is for the most part different in culture and ethnic background! HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO IT? HOW CAN WE DO IT?
I am sure this is EXACTLY what Ananias was thinking when he began to make excuses to God… “God Saul is the really mean guy!” “God, Saul has hurt a great many people!”
We are saying things like “God there are TOO many differences between us and this community, we can’t reach it!” “God this community won’t listen to us!” “God, you just don’t understand, this is IMPOSSIBLE!”
Well here in these verses we see that Ananias was going back on his willingness to serve… but like any good parent, it did not end there… I want us to look at the next 2 verses (15-16) and see how God responds to Ananias’ negative reaction:
God’s Response To Our Hesitation –– v15-16
15But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”
God was like a stern parent here… He simply tells Ananias to “Go!” He does add a reasoning behind why he wants him to go, but that is secondary to God’s reaction… He simply says “Go!”
This tells us that God wants us to trust Him and His plan… That God desires us to allow Him to lead and guide our footsteps and actions so that His will is accomplished!
Go! Was the command given… a command given to carry out God’s plan to share His love with the Gentiles… and spread it to the world!
Ananias seemed willing at first until God reveal what the mission was and then Ananias began to back away… He reminds me of Jonah – a prophet of the Lord who had told God he would serve Him and speak His word, but when God told him to go to Nineveh Jonah questioned God and God said, “Go!” to Jonah, but at that point Jonah did not just back up… Jonah RAN!
Now I pray that we all know that story and we know how it ended! We know what it took for God to get Jonah’s attention, but here in this story we see that Ananias DID question God, but he was NOT quite as stubborn as Jonah in this case, he did NOT run! When He questioned God… God simply answered him with a simple but stern command of “Go!”
Ananias vs Jonah… which are you going to be?
Conclusion/Application – Will You or Won’t You –– v17-19
17So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.
We see that when God told Ananias to ‘go’ after he had questioned God… Ananias submitted in obedience to God’s command!
17aSo Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him…
When Ananias submitted to God’s plan, his fears did NOT vanish, but he was called by God to face his fear… his fear of the man who was trying to destroy the church!
Most had probably heard about what had happened to Saul and I am sure MOST of the believers hoped that God had struck him dead…
BUT God had other plans… He calls Ananias who submits to go to this man who was a known enemy of the church! He goes in spite of his fear, and let’s look at what God did!
First we see Ananias’ obedience to go… but then we see Ananias confirming that this plan was of God and NOT him:
17b“Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Ananias confirms God’s part in this situation and tells Saul that he has been called by God to pray for him/lay hands on him so that he would regain his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit…
God had gotten Saul’s attention on the road to Damascus, but I am sure at this moment he was still dazed and confused and did NOT truly know what was going on…
He knew he had met God, but did not know how to deal with it! When Ananias shows up with this message… things become vividly clear for Saul! So we see that Ananias’ obedience confirmed God’s plan to Saul…
But then we see God confirming His plan to Ananias…
18And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.
When Ananias went to Saul, his fear was great and I am sure his expectations were very low, but when he was obedient to God’s calling God confirmed His plan and I am SURE surprised Ananias with what happened…
This man’s sight was restored…
This man’s perspective was radically new…
This man’s spirit was altered…
This man’s focus in life was forever changed!
And because of his obedience to God, Ananias was a part of that change!
When we look at Jonah… we KNOW that ultimately Jonah did go to Nineveh and that God ultimately did save the city… but we also know what Jonah had to go thru before he saw God’s mighty salvation at work… and THEN we see Jonah complaining about God’s mercy!
I know that we ALL have doubts and we ALL question God from time to time and many of us want to run away from what God has called this church to do in this community…
I know that we ALL have fears about the UNKNOWN, but God has NOT called us to be stagnant in our fellowship but to move forward for His kingdom… moving ahead can be a very scary thing especially when we fear what God has called us to move toward! Both Ananias and Jonah had fears about what God had called them to do… both reacted in totally different ways.
BUT, who do you want to be today? Do you want to be an Ananias? Or a Jonah? You may think that it really doesn’t matter because Jonah was eventually obedient to God, but let me ask you this… do you want to experience a Jonah type event to spur on your obedience?
My prayer is that we would respond like Ananias… I pray that our fellowship and all who serve here at Oak Park would be willing to ‘GO’ into our community and minister to them for Jesus…in spite of our fear!
I challenge us to “GO” in spite of what may SEEM obvious, many believe we simply can’t and to them it is obvious any effort would fail! BUT my prayer is that we would ‘Go’ and that we would trust God to deliver!
In a few weeks we are going to have a fellowship luncheon after church and we are going to look at what the future of our church is… and what YOU can do to be a part of that future! I want you to set Jan 26th aside on your calendar and be ready to be open to God’s calling for us as a fellowship!
Invitation to believers…
Trusting God is something you HAVE done in the past when you surrendered your heart to Him, but now you may be having difficulty trusting His direction for your life… today I call on you to surrender all over again to His leading… His guidance… His direction!
Invitation to non-believers… Trusting God has NEVER been something you have been able to do, but today I call on you to trust Him…
