“Straight Street”
Acts 9:1 through Acts 9:11 (NIV) 1Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2and 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. 3As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
10In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.
11The 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.
I. In Acts chapter 9 we see the story of 2 men that are directed by God to a place called “Straight Street”
A. The 1st man, Saul of Tarsus
1. He is a religious man…
2. He is zealous for God
3. He was well educated,
4. His theology was solid, His fervor for serving God was well beyond any of his contemporaries
5. However, chapter 9 tells the story that he was misguided…
6. He was lost in sin and darkness… he was deceived by the devil
7. This is the story of his conversion along the road to Damascus and how he ended up on Straight Street
B. The 2nd man is a prophet of God, Ananias
1. He was filled with the Holy Spirit… he was in tune with God
2. He would clearly hear the voice of the Lord… and God directs him to Straight Street for a particular purpose
C. This morning I was to talk about getting to Straight Street
1. As far as I can tell this is the only street mentioned in the bible by name
2. I like the fact that it’s called “Straight Street”
3. I believe it speaks of a certain kind of walk with God
4. A lifestyle that is in harmony with the will of God
5. It speaks to me of not only the pursuit of God’s will, but the willingness to walk it out in our lives at any cost
6. Straight Street is the place where the Christian life becomes so real, … vibrant, … alive…
7. it’s the place where we discover the abundant Christian life
Matt. 7:13 through Matt. 7:14 (NIV) 13“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
8. It is vitally important that we walk on the narrow road if we are going to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives
9. We must find Straight Street if we are going to know His will,… His calling… His power… if we are to be fruitful in this life
10. Only on Straight Street will find meaning in this life
11. Only on Straight Street will you grow into new depths with God
D. Lets look at the story in Acts 9 to learn about getting to, and living on Straight Street
Acts 9:1 through Acts 9:3a (NIV) 1Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2and 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. As he neared Damascus on his journey…
E. As he journeyed
1. Saul was on His life journey
2. He was living his life, following his desires
3. He had a noble profession, he was a Pharisee
4. He was well educated, studied under the best teacher in all Jerusalem
5. He was successful… he exceeded all his contemporaries
6. He came from a good family with Roman citizenship
7. He was a religious man… zealous for the law with a desire to please God
8. He was a driven man… he knew where he wanted to go and how to get their
F. In spite of all this Saul was in utter darkness
1. He was deceived into thinking that he was ok
2. He was totally outside of a relationship with God…
3. He was completely out of God’s will… actually hindering God’s will and kingdom from being extended
4. And all the while, he was convinced he was better than most
G. Today, there may be many who are just like Saul
1. You may think you are ok
2. You may even feel you are better than most
3. You are successful
4. You are well educated
5. You have a good family background
6. You maybe you are religious person
7. But you are not walking in God’s plan for your life
8. You may be saved, but you are not fulfilling God’s purpose for your life
9. You are on your life journey… walking your way… following your desires
10. Your building your kingdom… without care nor concern for God’s kingdom
11. You are just like Saul… your on your journey… and just like Saul you need to find your way to Straight Street
H. How did Saul get there?
II. #1. Revelation
Acts 9:3 (NIV) 3As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
Acts 9:5 (NIV) 5“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.
A. The 1st step to Straight Street begins with Revelation
1. Revelation is when God interrupts your journey with light
2. It’s when God breaks into our darkness and helps us to see truth
3. Whenever Jesus comes to us He brings great light and helps us to see ourselves as we truly are
Phil. 3:4 through Phil. 3:8 (NIV) 4though I myself have reasons for such confidence.
If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
4. Saul could now see himself for who he really was
5. He realized for the first time that he was outside of God’s will and purpose for his life
6. He was doing his own thing, not God’s thing
B. He not only had a revelation of his lostness, but he also had a revelation of who Jesus really is…
1. Jesus revealed himself to Saul
2. In a moment, Saul caught a glimpse of Jesus, the son of God
3. The Rose of Sharon…
4. The Lilly of the Valley…
5. The Bright and morning Star…
6. The Great I Am
7. The Alpha and Omega… the Eternal God
8. The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords
9. He saw Jesus
C. It wasn’t his mama’s Jesus… it wasn’t his daddy’s Jesus…it was Jesus
1. It was a personal revelation of the person of Jesus
2. You can’t get to Straight Street riding the coat tails of someone else’s revelation… you need a personal revelation
3. You can’t get to Straight Street without a revelation of your lostness and a personal revelation of Jesus
D. Humility
Acts 9:4 (NIV) 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
E. The only way to get to Straight Street is through humility
1 Pet. 5:6 (NIV) 6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
1. In the light of Jesus…
2. All of Saul’s education was meaningless
3. His family background was worthless
4. His accomplishments were fruitless
5. His religion and his zeal was empty
F. His only hope was Jesus
1. He could not change himself
2. He could not turn things around in his life
3. He didn’t have a clue how to get to where God wanted him to be…
James 4:6 (NIV) 6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”
4. Saul needed God’s grace… and the only way to received grace is through humility
Isa. 57:15 (NIV) 15 For this is what the high and lofty One says—
he who lives forever, whose name is holy:
“I live in a high and holy place,
but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
5. If Saul were ever to be used he had to humble himself before God
6. Humility is the cloak of the true servant
7. If we are ever going to be used by God we must walk in humility before God
8. We must humble ourselves before others
G. How did Saul get to Straight Street… by revelation, through Humility
III. Absolute Surrender
Acts 9:6 (NIV) 6“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
Acts 9:6 (NKJV) 6So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”
Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
A. All too often we get caught up in our own work… building our own kingdom
1. I remember when I 1st got saved… Lord, I’ll go anywhere, I’ll do anything
2. After a while… we become kind of professional
3. We got this serving God business “down pat”
4. We’ve got it all figured out…
a) Oh, God would never want me to do that…
b) I’ve done that before, I’ve paid my dues…
c) God wouldn’t want me to serve in the nursery… I have too much to offer adults!
d) God’s wouldn’t want me doing housekeeping… I have too much education to be taking out the trash
B. You may be busy doing a lot of things in the Lord’s name, but are you doing what God wants you to do?
1. Have you heard the voice of the Lord directing you lately?
2. Are you willing to surrender your rights, and your plans for His
C. Have you asked God that same question which Saul asked that day… Lord what do you want me to do?
1. And if so, are you tuned in to all the channels? Or have you presupposed what He will say
2. If you have heard Him, are you obeying Him?
D. The time for half hearted obedience is over
1. If you ever expect to get to Straight Street, you need to follow Him whole-heartedly
E. Absolute surrender
1. Mr. Business man… is your business surrendered to the Lord, or are you doing your own thing… building your own kingdom?
2. Are you storing up treasures down here where it will rust, rot and burn?
3. Student… are you pursuing a degree or are you pursuing God?
4. Are you surrendered to God’s purpose for your life or are you getting some degree solely for the purpose of making money so you can live a comfortable lifestyle?
5. Single person, are you seeking and surrendered to God’s will and purposes… or are you seeking a mate and then hope to get on track with God
6. Elder, deacon, usher, Sunday School teacher, church member… are you surrendered… are you willing to follow Him? God’s not impressed with titles, He is impressed with surrender
F. To get to Straight Street… you must have a revelation of your lostness and Jesus,
G. you must humble yourself before God
H. you must surrender your will and plans for His will and plans
IV. you must walk in Blind Obedience
Acts 9:6 through Acts 9:8 (NIV) 6“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.
A. Blind obedience… it’s obeying when you don’t know the outcome
1. It’s obeying when you don’t understand why
2. It’s walking in the light God gives you without arguing with God
B. Look at Ananais
Acts 9:10 through Acts 9:14 (NIV) 10In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.
11The 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. 12In 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 saints in Jerusalem. 14And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
1. Don’t we do the same thing…
2. We have to inform the omniscient Creator of the universe of why it’s not a good idea for us to obey Him
C. This is vitally important to understand….
1. Sometimes God tells you to do something that doesn’t make any sense at all
2. When you try to figure it out… you can’t see any logical reason why God would tell you to do it
D. It made no sense to Noah to start building an ark in the middle of no where when it hadn’t even rained on earth… but if he hadn’t he and his family would have been lost
1. It made no sense for God to tell Joshua to walk around Jericho 7 times then blow some trumpets… if he hadn’t the walls would still be standing and they would have been defeated
2. It made no sense to Moses to strike the Red sea… but if he hadn’t Pharaoh would have taken them captive again
E. There are lots of times that God tells you to do something which makes no sense
1 Cor. 3:18 through 1 Cor. 3:19 (NIV) 18Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness” ;
Isa. 55:9 (NIV) 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
1. The kind of obedience which God demand requires ultimate trust in our Master
F. The way to Straight Street
1. Blind obedience
2. Absolute surrender to His will and purpose
3. Humility
4. Revelation
V. Die to self
Acts 9:9 (NIV) 9For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
A. For 3 days he did not see, eat or drink
1. It’s a picture of laying down the things of the flesh
2. It’s a picture of dying to self
3. Dying to our comforts…
4. … our rights
5. our lifestyle
6. our sinful habits
7. you won’t ever get to Straight Street until you are willing to die to self
VI. Prayer
Acts 9:11 (NIV) 11The 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.
A. The NKJV says… behold He is praying
1. Prayer is the key
2. Prayer is our communion with God
3. It’s our place of confession
4. It’s our place where we get the resources for our battle with the enemy of our soul
5. It’s our lifeline for guidance
B. God help us to stir up prayer in our lives, in our families, in our church
1. Every day lets make this commitment before God to spend quality time with Him
2. Lets’ commit to family prayer
3. Let’s commit to corporate prayer
a) Before service 10:00 Sunday’s & 6:30 Wednesday’s
b) The 1st Saturday of the month from 6-7 PM we have a prayer and worship rally… I am asking the whole church to come and participate
4. Prayer will bring us individually to Straight Street
5. Prayer will bring our families to Straight Street
6. Prayer will bring our church to Straight Street
C. How do we get to Straight Street? How do we live on Straight Street?
1. We need a revelation of where we are right now in God!… and we need a fresh revelation of Jesus
2. We must humble ourselves before the Lord and walk with humility
3. We must have a heart of absolute surrender to the will and plans of the Lord
4. We must walk with blind obedience
5. We must die to self
6. We must pray
VII. So, what happens when I get to Straight Street?
Acts 9:12 (NIV) 12In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
A. Supernatural guidance
1. Visions, dreams, prophetic words
Acts 9:15 (NIV) 15But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.
B. It’s the place where you receive specific knowledge of God’s will for your life
1. It’s where you will receive confidence in your calling
2. Paul signed all his letters… Paul an apostle… He knew who he was and what he was called to do
Acts 9:16 (NIV) 16I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
C. Suffering
1. Don’t think Straight Street is Easy Street…
2. If want to get serious about your walk with God there will be suffering and sacrifice
3. It will cost you something if you are going to make a difference in this world
4. But the reward outweighs any sacrifice and suffering
Acts 9:17 (NIV) 17Then 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.”
D. It’s the place where you will receive the Spirit’s infilling
1. This speaks of having the supernatural power to do the will and work of Jesus
2. If you don’t have the Baptism of the Holy Spirit… then this is the time and place
Acts 9:18 (NIV) 18Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and
E. Healing came on Straight Street
Acts 9:19 (NIV) 19after taking some food, he regained his strength.
F. Provision for his basic needs
Acts 9:19b …Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.
G. Fellowship with other disciples
VIII. It’s worth making the journey to Straight Street
A. Today, I am calling us all to find our way to Straight Street
B. If you are not there, are you willing to make the journey
C. Maybe today you need a revelation of where you are at on this journey?
1. Maybe like Saul of Tarsus, you recognize that things are not right with you and Jesus
2. Maybe you are born again, but if you would be honest today, you would say that you have taken another road and your are not living on Straight Street…
3. Are you walking in true humility before God and his people?
4. Are you walking in absolute surrender or are there things you are holding on to that are hindering your journey?
5. When was the last time you asked the Lord… Lord, what do you want me to do… and you obeyed?
6. Are you dead yet… or are there issues in the flesh that are keeping you from your destination?
7. How’s your prayer life? Are they surprised in heaven when they hear your voice?
D. If you want to go to Straight Street, then come up to this altar and make a dedication
