SAFE ZONE OR FAITH ZONE?
Acts 9:10-19
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. Wife:" There's trouble with the car. I think it has water in the carburetor."
2. Husband: "Water in a carburetor? That's ridiculous."
3. Wife: "I tell you the car has water in the carburetor."
4. Husband: "Honey, You don't even know what a carburetor is. I'll check it out. Where’d you park the car?"
5. Wife: "It’s in the swimming pool." [pic]
B. TEXT
9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. 11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” 13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.” Acts 9:1-3, 10-19.
C. THESIS
1. Q: How might the medical profession today explain what happened to Saul on the road to Damascus?
a. He was struck by lightning
b. He had a physical breakdown
c. He had a mental breakdown
d. He had a partial stroke that rendered him temporarily blind
e. He had a psychological crisis due to an overly-religious personality
f. He suffered from repressed guilt for his role in persecuting people.
g. But we know he got a vision of the Risen Jesus!
2. Like Ananias, we have the tendency to avoid trouble and difficulty. We want to play it safe. We don’t want to take risks and make ourselves vulnerable to danger. That’s normal.
3. But where God guides, God provides. Most of the great feats of faith in the Bible occurred when people overcame their fears and stepped into dangerous situations.
4. Moses took on Pharaoh & Egypt; Esther took on Haman & allies; Gideon took on the Amalekites, David took on Goliath.
5. We must take on risks if we would move into the realm of the supernatural. We must defeat our desire to stay in the Safe Zone. To accomplish something for God we must move into the Faith Zone.
6. Tonight we’re going to look at a man named Ananias and see how he moved from the Safe Zone to the Faith Zone!
I. ANANIAS: ORDINARY DISCIPLE
WHAT KIND OF PERSON DOES GOD USE?
A. ANANIAS WAS ORDINARY
1. This Ananias was an ordinary Christian. He’s not described as a pastor, or an evangelist, or even as a deacon or elder of a Church—yet he was the channel for communicating the Holy Spirit to the great Apostle of the Gentiles! For a few brief minutes, he became the most important person in history!
2. The Lord did NOT send an APOSTLE, such as Peter or James, so that no one could say that Paul had received his commission second-hand, from anyone but God.
3. The Lord did NOT send him any A GREAT TEACHER so Paul could always declare that the Gospel he had received, “I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the Revelation of Jesus Christ.”
4. So we see, the very obscurity Ananias had – and we have –can quality us for the job God has. So don’t think your obscurity limits you in the service of God!
B. ANANIAS WAS A DISCIPLE
1. Ananias is said to be a disciple. A disciple is one who is a learner and an imitator. We don't fulfill our Christian obligation by showing up on Sunday morning.
2. He sat at Jesus’ feet and learned of Him and, therefore, could be a conduit of Jesus to Saul of Tarsus.
3. Let’s never think we’re perfected -- that we’ve “arrived” -- and no longer need to learn. He who gets beyond discipleship rises beyond his proper place.
4. Our usefulness lies in our remaining disciples. You can’t disciple all nations unless you’re a disciple yourselves!
C. ANANIAS HAD A GOOD REPUTATION
1. Paul also tells us that Ananias had “a good report of all the Jews which dwell in Damascus.” Now normally, the Jews were opposed to the Christians and some hated them.
2. But Ananias was so faultless a man that even enemies couldn’t help respecting this devout man. Let’s be as wise as serpents but as harmless as doves.
D. ANANIAS WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE CHURCH
1. Another qualification was his general thoughtfulness for the
Church of God. He was grieved at the persecutions of the saints in Jerusalem and he feared for his brother Christians in Damascus.
2. All true servants of God not only love Christ but love His Bride – the Church – and realize her success is Christ’s success as well.
II. ANANIAS’ VISION
A. ANANIAS’ OBJECTIONS ABOUT SAUL
1. VISION. “In a vision…” A vision is ‘something gazed at;’ God’s picture of a preferred future. Ananias demonstrated his availability; “Behold I am here.” Jesus tells him about Saul and says, “Arise and go.”
2. “Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he has done to Your saints at Jerusalem: and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all that call upon Your name.”
3. ANANIAS ARGUED WITH GOD; “No, God, you must not know this guy. He doesn’t like Christians and he beats them up!” It’s humorous how little we think God is. Like we’ve got to inform Him!
4. Ananias was concerned about his safety and whether Saul’s hard heart would ever receive the Gospel message. Both important thoughts.
5. Q: “Do you assume some people are beyond God’s reach? How does this story challenge those assumptions?”
B. ANANIAS’ AVOIDANCE OF DANGER
1. Divine appointments give us the opportunity to rewrite history. The circumstances usually look intimidating. We often don’t want to attempt them. Why? Risk.
2. OUR COMFORT ZONE MUST BECOME A BATTLE ZONE BEFORE IT CAN BECOME A MIRACLE ZONE! The comfort zone = “mental conditioning to accepted limits” in which a person pulls back into that which is safe.
3. We’re like Kids who want to hold on to their "Blankies." Why don't we step out? We want to be in control. But to have God do the miraculous we must let the Holy Spirit have control.
4. With our culture capitulating to evil, Christians feel intimidated, so they clam up. It's wrong timing. To transform our culture, we must become more bold, not less. Pull out your Bible in public; pray over your food in the restaurant.
5. Our spiritual ancestors had their heads cut off, were dragged between chariots, were burned as torches in Nero’s gardens and we're afraid of the butter knife of criticism?
C. GOD’S ASSURANCE TO ANANIAS
1. “Don’t worry; I’ve got him on ‘Straight Street!’” There actually still exists a “Straight Street” in Damascus, Syria. (pics)
2. IT’S A PROPHETIC PLACE TO HAVE SAUL. John the Baptist was sent to “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight" (Mt. 3:1-3).
3. The Lord Jesus said there’s a “wide gate, that leads to destruction, and many go in there; and there’s a strait, narrow gate, which leads to life, and few there be that find it." (Mt. 7:13-14, KJV)
4. So you might say the Lord sent Saul to Straight Street to get him “straightened out!”
5. IRONIC: Ananias, one of the people who Saul had intended to "bring bound to Jerusalem," was actually sent to unbind the persecutor Saul!
III. ANANIAS’ OBEDIENCE
A. STEPS INTO THE FAITH ZONE
1. SEE ANANIAS’ PROMPT OBEDIENCE: “Ananias went his way and entered into the house.” He went with all speed. He took God at His word and went to meet the killer.
2. DELAYED OBEDIENCE MIGHT HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS. We often think the timing of our obedience doesn’t matter. But Saul had been fasting and praying 3 days. Had Ananias delayed a week to obey, Saul might have despaired, lost faith.
3. Think of God’s confidence in Ananias, that he gave Paul a vision of Ananias coming to him before God even spoke to Ananias! May we prove faithful to God’s mission too.
4. Ananias entered the house, put his hands on Saul, said, “Brother Saul.” What a step of faith that was – to call the arch-enemy of all Christendom “Brother Saul!”
5. Saul of Tarsus would have made pulp-wood of Ananias a week before, but now the words, “Brother Saul,” were sweet to his ears. Hate met love and grace!
6. We’ll never win souls by focusing on people’s pasts. We must believe God is big enough to give them a new life!
7. Boldly; “The Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto you in the way as you came, has sent me, that you might receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
B. RESULTS
1. THE RESULTS WERE IMMEDIATE. “Scales fell from his eyes.” The Greek word for “scales” is lepides and indicates “flakes.” It’s used of egg shells, fishes, snakes, scale-armor, and rash/leprosy.
2. Paul lost his sight as an enemy of Christ (Acts 22:6 ff) and regained it when he surrendered that he might “open [Gentiles’] eyes and turn them from darkness to light (Acts 26:18).
3. Ananias said, “Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins.” Faith must be followed by obedience.
4. Within a few days, Paul became a preacher of the Gospel, beginning there at Damascus.
5. It was an awesome work Ananias did that morning. Through Paul the testimony of the Cross of Christ rang over Europe and throughout the whole Roman world!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: BURDEN FOR A SOUL
1. Some Christians held a prayer meeting to intercede for a specific atheist man’s soul. God put it into the heart of one man to do more – he got dressed, found the address, drove his car over and knocked on the door.
2. Not knowing what to say, the Christian just took him by the hand, and said, "Jim! I’m deeply concerned for your salvation. I couldn’t sleep all night but spent the night wrestling in prayer for your salvation." He couldn’t say any more so he drove home.
3. The atheist was stunned. He went immediately to see his wife. She said, "What’s the matter with you?"
4. "Listen to this," said the man, "I’ve been attacked with a new argument this time. A Christian man, Billy, came over here to see me.
5. He said, "I’m concerned about your salvation; I’ve been wrestling with God all last night for your salvation.”
6. “What’s bugging me is that if he’s that concerned about MY salvation, isn’t it a strange thing that I am not concerned about it? The guy even had tears in his eyes!"
7. From that point on, the atheist could find no peace about his situation, but found himself traveling to the Christian's house.
8. When he got there, he & the Christian knelt down together in prayer and the atheist found the Savior. May God give us such conviction about hell that we transmit that
concern to others!
B. THE CALL
1. Q: Who has played the role of Ananias in your life?
2. Q: Is there anyone to whom the Lord wants you to play the part of an Ananias?
3. Let’s pray.
