6/18/23 My Chosen Instrument

“My Chosen Instrument”

Acts 9:1-19

To begin, I’d like for all of you to take a look at the picture on the front cover of your bulletin.

It’s an appropriate picture for Father’s Day, isn’t it?

There’s a bunch of tools on a workbench. We see a few wrenches, a set of pliers, a chisel, a paintbrush, a pair of goggles, is that a wood planer in the bottom right corner?

I remember quite a few years ago I was installing a new starter on my 4-wheeler that we had owned at the time. And just for clarification: I am NOT a mechanic!

In fact, this project was probably the most in-depth mechanical repair that I’ve ever attempted. What would take some of you guys 20 minutes (Or less) to accomplish, took me half a day!....Trust me, you do NOT want me anywhere near a NASCAR pit where time would be of the essence!

The only way I was able to do the repair was with the help of a guy on YouTube who had a thick Indian accent. As I recall, I was about 3 hours into the project when Hassan told me that I needed a certain tool to finish the repair.

The only problem....I didn’t have that tool.

Now, rather than calmly setting everything down and driving the 15 minutes to Farm & Fleet to get the proper tool, I did what a lot of us guys would do in this situation....I tried to use a different tool – and just make it work somehow.

You fellas know what I’m talking about, right? Why spend 30 minutes out of your day obtaining the proper tool when you can spend 2 hours trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

So, Ladies – many of you have undoubtedly discovered this about your man, but in case you haven’t, I’m going to let you in on a little secret about how we men think.

Now as you know, we men are normally very logical, rational creatures...EXCEPT when it comes to our perceived ability to successively complete a task using tools that were not made for the task at hand!

We will try to convince ourselves that if we spend 30 minutes of our day driving to the hardware store and coughing up $10 for the proper tool...then we have somehow lost. We have been beaten by the challenge at hand...we have not been clever enough to outwit the mechanical riddle in front of us.

So instead, in our attempt to be like MacGyver (The 80’s MacGyver, not the lame reboot from a few years ago) we actually end up wasting a large chunk of our day in frustration and discouragement.

That being said, my 6-hour starter project could have been a 4-hour project had I simply laid down my tools (and pride) and took off right away for the hardware store.

It all boils down to this: I needed a certain tool, a certain instrument. I didn’t currently have that instrument at my disposal....I needed to find that instrument.

Our passage for today describes a very similar situation, but here, the mechanic is actually Jesus Christ, the project was that of spreading the gospel message to the Gentiles, and the instrument needed was a human being....a human being named Paul.

Today we are going to look at the conversion of Paul – a man who went from infamous persecutor to famous preacher.

A man who authored 13 books of the New Testament and who would go on to become the greatest missionary the world has ever seen.

A man who would take the Gospel message to the farthest reaches of the ancient world – including Rome, where Christianity would one day expand to dominate much of Europe and the Americas.

The text picks up in Acts chapter 9 where we meet a man named Saul (Who would later be known by his Roman name, Paul)

Paul was a very unique individual – he was by birth a Jew, he was by citizenship a Roman, he was by education a Greek, and eventually by God’s grace....a Christian.

As John MacArthur describes him: “Paul was a missionary, theologian, evangelist, pastor, organizer, leader, thinker, fighter for truth, and lover of souls.”

Paul/Saul was born in Tarsus (Modern-Day Turkey) and like his father, he became a Pharisee while studying in Jerusalem under a highly respected and famous rabbi named Gamaliel.

Scripture first introduces us to Saul back in the seventh chapter of Acts. In verse 57-58 we read about the situation just as Stephen is about to be stoned to death by the angry Jewish mob: “At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.” (Acts 7:57-58)

The young man referenced here as Saul (who took part in the stoning of Stephen – the first Christian martyr) is indeed Paul, the man who would eventually become God’s chosen instrument to spread Christianity to the rest of the world!

After the murder of Stephen, many believers fled Jerusalem for safer places where Christian persecution was not as prevalent.

Saul, unfortunately, was determined, and with the blessing of the high priest, Saul mounts a campaign to imprison followers of Jesus Christ in neighboring cities, including Damascus, where our text for today begins.

In verse 3, Saul and his companions are nearing the city of Damascus when scripture says, “A light from Heaven flashed around him.”

Paul fills in more of the details surrounding this experience in Acts chapter 22 while speaking to an angry mob in Jerusalam, and in Acts chapter 26 while giving a defense before King Agrippa.

From Acts 22:6 we learn that this encounter took place around Noon – the middle of the day.

In Acts 26:13, Paul describes this light as “Brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions.”

Think about how bright the sun must have already been in a desert region of the middle east – in the middle of the day!

Paul is given a glimpse of the eternal radiance of Jesus Christ!

In verse 4 (Acts 9:4) Paul instinctively falls to the ground (Trust me, you would do the same!) and he hears a voice.

The voice says to him “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

This is interesting because in the chapter 22 account, Paul tells us that his companions heard a voice but did not understand the words being spoken to Paul.

This is an important reminder that when God calls you to accomplish something for him, it is for your ears only – not for your spouse to hear, not for your children to hear, not for your friends to hear.

Like Saul’s companions, other people in your life may be affected by your divinely appointed task, but the commission for your mission is for you alone!

As Christ followers, we are all on mission for our savior. God has placed each of you in the exact position where he wants you to be in order to have the most impact for His Kingdom.

That being said, however, God may ask you to change your location or your current method of serving him as you go through life.

I know someone right now who is listening to God’s voice as it deals with a possible occupational change. Maybe some of you are in a similar position. Maybe you are hearing God prompting you to move out of your current place of service and into a new opportunity. Or maybe God has had you in the same place (Geographically, Occupationally, Socio-economically) for your entire Christian life – with no plans of change.

The point is, like Paul, God has a plan for how we are to serve him. And, like Paul, we would do well to listen to His voice of instruction.

In verse 5 (Acts 9:5) Paul inquires as to the identity of this voice.

To which the response comes “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”

Imagine the agony Paul would have felt in this moment as he was brought to the realization that he was persecuting the true people of God!...He thought that he was ‘playing for the good guys, but he was actually suiting up for the bad guys’

It would be like an NFL player who began their career with the Bears, but then gets traded to the Packers and suddenly realizes that he had been playing for an evil empire! 😊  Talk about a crushing blow!

But in all seriousness, look at what Jesus is saying here concerning his relationship to believers – and by extension, the church.

Paul is persecuting individual Christians, and yet, Jesus tells Paul that he is persecuting HIM !

Jesus sees his followers and himself as one entity...we are in Him, and He is in us – what a comforting realization, Amen?

In Verse 6 (Acts 9:6) Jesus gives Paul his first assignment – to go into Damascus.

The Acts Chapter 22 account tells us that Paul had asked of Jesus “What Shall I Do?” (Acts 22:10) to which the response in Acts 9:6 is given.

This would be the template for the rest of Paul’s life – It would be the cycle of Paul asking, and Jesus providing Paul with the answer via the Holy Spirit.

And Guess what?...This is how God communicates to us today as well!

Back in 1997, while living in Milwaukee, the Holy Spirit prompted me to ask a beautiful young woman from the LaValle, WI area to marry me. In 2001, the Holy Spirit prompted me to start a music store in my hometown of Baraboo. In 2016, the Holy Spirit prompted me to enroll in seminary. In 2021 he prompted me to sell the music store. In 2022 He prompted me to apply for a pastoral position at a place called LaValle Advent Christian Church. Just last week, he prompted me to write a sermon about the conversion experience of Paul – which you are listening to right now.

Many of you can identify with my story because you have your own story of how God brought you to where you are right now.

Sometimes we make decisions that don’t always align with what the Holy Spirit wants for our lives, but you know what?...God doesn’t give up on us. God never kicks us to the curb and says “Well, so-and-so really messed up – they’ll never be useful to me”....NO !! God Never thinks that way – and neither should you ever think that way about yourself or someone else!

The key to aligning our will to God’s Will is to stay in communication with the Holy Spirit through prayer, through the reading of His Word, through fellowshipping with other believers, and through participating in the Lord’s Supper...Hmm, do those 4 things sound familiar?....they should!!  😊

Verse 8 (Acts 9:8) tells us that after Paul experiences the risen Christ, he is blind - his sight is taken away from him for three days (V.9)

Paul does eventually reach Damascus, but not in the way he intended.

Rather than arriving at its gates as the feared conqueror of perceived heresy, he now arrives blind and conquered by the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Meanwhile, God had been orchestrating the events in the life of another man named Ananias.

Verses 10&11 (Acts 9:10-11) tell us that God appears to Ananias (A disciple of Jesus) in a vision.

God tells Ananias to meet Saul/Paul and to place his hands on him to restore his sight.

In verses 13&14 (Acts 9:13-14) Ananias expresses hesitation about the mission God is giving him because of the reports he has heard concerning Saul.

We would probably respond in a similar way, wouldn’t we?

Imagine if the Holy Spirit prompted you to hop in your car, drive down to Madison and have a visit with Dan Barker – does that name ring a bell with anyone?

Dan Barker is Co-President of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, one of the most anti-Christian organizations in the world today.

You would probably be like...’God, are you sure that I am supposed to meet with THIS person?”

This is how Ananias felt as well.

God’s response in Verse 15 (Acts 9:15) must have been a complete shock to Ananias when he hears these words “...Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their Kings and before the people of Israel.”

Paul would be the instrument (The tool) to be used for the project of reaching the Gentile nations.

Paul was not only well educated, but he was extremely passionate concerning his beliefs.

I believe that it was Paul’s intrinsic passion (Even more than his education) that caused God to choose this man to become what John MacArthur describes as “The most useful man of God the church has ever known.”

This begs the question of us: How much Passion do you have for reaching others with the Gospel?

I know a lot of Christians today who have passion for the Word of God, passion for bible study, passion for taking part in certain church ministries or events, passion for faith-based movies and television shows, passion for serving on a church committee, passion for spending time with other believers....and these are all good things!

But how many of us can say that we have a Passion for the Lost?

How many of us can say that we truly have a Passion to reach those people whom we would call our ‘enemies’?

If we go to a community parade and see the local PRIDE group coming down the street with their rainbow flags and flamboyantly immoral symbolism, how many of us would have a passion to want to reach them for Jesus?

Believe me, folks, I’m preaching to myself here this morning as well.

It isn’t natural to be filled with concern for those we see as enemies of the faith, those individuals who are antagonistic toward our beliefs....and yet, Jesus calls us to have passion for reaching ALL people!

Jesus reminds us in the sermon on the mount “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:43-44)

Paul provides a beautiful example of someone who was completely changed through experiencing the risen savior, Jesus Christ.

Through this transformation, Paul now had the supernatural ability to passionately love those who persecuted him – including those who wanted him dead.

And you know what?....You can have that same passion for the lost as well!

I recently saw a Ray Comfort video in which he was asked why he had so much passion for street evangelism. His reply was that, at the end of the day, he didn’t want to see people spend eternity in Hell.

James 4:14 reminds us of the brevity and frailty of life when it says “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

Folks, our time on this earth is short indeed.

Just this past week I had a friend about my age drop dead of a massive heart attack....we simply do not know when our time is up here on earth.

Keep that in mind when you meet people on the street...and keep in mind that without Jesus, people are destined for an eternity of torment and pain!

Let that inspire you to reach others for Jesus....AND if YOU haven’t yet become a follower of Jesus Christ, please see myself or one of the spiritual leaders here before you go – accepting Christ as Lord & Savior of your life is the most important decision that you will ever make.

If you haven’t already done so – do it today!

Let’s Pray.