Grace Chapel Bible Ministries

worship call 1192 I was blind but now I see - 2024/12/03

The event of the conversion of Saul the former enemy of the Church highlights the transformational journey of key figures in the early church, particularly Paul, as they respond to God's call and purpose in their lives, illustrating the radical changes and challenges they face while fulfilling their mission.

Duration:: 35m
Broadcast on:: 03 Dec 2024
Audio Format:: other

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] >> Welcome to Worship Call with Bible Teacher Buzz Lullbeck. Buzz is the pastor of Grace Chapel Bible Ministries located in Duncan, South Carolina. This ministry is dedicated to the verse by verse teaching of God's word and discipleship programs aimed at strengthening the faith of God's people. Now here's today's message. >> Friends, you are a help building from George Whitten, a worthy news.com is devotional this morning, second Corinthians 3, 6, who also have made us able ministers of the New Testament, not of the latter, the latter, but of the spirit, for the latter killed, but the spirit gave it the life. The noted English architecture Christopher Whitten was supervised in construction of a magnificent cathedral in London. A journalist thought it would be interesting to interview some of the workers so that he chose three and asked them this question, "What are you doing?" The first reply, "I'm cutting stone for a shabby tin chillin' in a day." Next answer, "I'm putting in 13 hours a day on this job." But the last said, "I'm helping, sir, Christopher Whitten construct one of London's greatest cathedrals." Whether you realize it or not, we are two are building something. We are we who believe our building of God's kingdom, the richest and greatest kingdom in the world that the world will ever see. Friends, let's examine ourselves and see if we need to make some changes in our perspective. We have the privilege of partaking in something amazing and better yet doing it for the King of Kings. Your family and the Lord with much agape love, like Revka, Obadiah, and Elena. And this is the third day of the week in God's created order, the third day of the 12th month, 2024th year of our Lord, and this is another fine day in the Lord. Let us pray. Father in Heaven, thank you for this opportunity. Fellowshiping in your Word, and we pray Heavenly Father, what we learn today will continue to edify our hearts and our souls, and to give us encouragement. Let us understand maybe it's that one person that we don't think could ever be saved, that one person that is out of touch, that one person that so much hates God and hates to cross, that he could never be reached. Let this sermon this morning, let our message this morning, let your message this morning, penetrate our hearts and let us know that there is no one who could hate to cross so much as the Apostle Paul did, as a Saul of Tarsus, and yet he was saved. So open our hearts this morning, we pray these things in Christ name, amen. And yes, we are building, but not in a kingdom as such as we think. The kingdom is coming, and the Lord is going to establish it. But our service upon this earth is the edification. We are working on the stones. We are building each other up. We are encouraging, we are, and this is our doing. This is our project that we are active participants with our spiritual gifts and building up those stones that's going to make that to bring that kingdom together. The event of the conversion of Paul was the first part of it. We are looking at the beginning of the creation. And yes, these stones are coming apart and the Lord is building it. We are not building it, but the Lord is building it and we are but stones. And the conversion of Saul was a part of it. And what we are seeing here in the book of Acts is just laying out the beginnings of the kingdom. The Lord, when the Lord said to Peter that on this rock, I will build my church. This is what the Lord is doing right now. It's on this doctrine that he's doing it. So he has established his apostles, and here he's going to bring on one more apostle. And to have the gift of apostleship, you will have to have seen. It is by seeing the Lord Jesus Christ. In this sense, it is Saul of Tarsus who has seen the risen Christ. And it is Christ that calls him into service. The event of the Saul of Tarsus, the former enemy of the church is probably the greatest conversions in all of church history. And this transformation, again, it reminds us that there's no one that can hate the Lord so much and hate the cross so much that he himself cannot be reached. And his very conversion itself can be viewed as a miracle. Acts 9, 10-11. Now, there was a disciple at the basket named Ananias. And the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. And he said, "Here I am, Lord." And the Lord said to him, "Get up. Go to the street, call it straight. And inquire at the house of Judah for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying." And I thought I mentioned this yesterday. I realized that yesterday that I found it interesting that the streets were named and that they were and apparently addresses. And the word here, let's come back to our passage here. Now, let's see. Go back here and get up and go to the street. There we go. And this is Roume, Roume. And it is a city thoroughfare which is relatively narrow. A narrow street, a lane in Alley, they walk down a narrow street, Acts 12-10. So it's Alley. We've seen pictures of the congestion of the houses and the living spaces within the city. So I picture these streets as being alleyways between these living spaces. And probably one of the most important conversions of the church age was Paul. And the disciple by the name of Ananias was going to play a part in it. Hey, I'm sure that Ananias, you see, Ananias, like the rest of us, like the rest of us, what do we do when we're waiting for God to do that spectacular thing? And that spectacular thing may be a small thing. And it may be a great thing, but that God can use us greatly in small things and can use us greatly and great things by His measure. We never know the small things that go to report. And between then, between there, and we may not even know how God is using us. Ananias was a prepared believer. He was a disciple. And it is not the Lord who is going out to use those that are waiting to be used. Waiting, and how should I say this, passively waiting, that they're sitting on their cashews, waiting for the door to knock and waiting for that to be brought into. God uses prepared believers. And I'll say this, God uses the disciples. God will call them from the classroom. Discipleship means we are learners. Discipleship means that we are constantly preparing our hearts with the Word of God. So when by God's providential hand, he moves us for his call or whatever it was, we're ready to go into action. So he calls to Ananias, a disciple, a learner. And he says, and the disciple is ready to be used by God. And Ananias says, "Here I am." So Ananias had a humble Ananias. He's going to play a large part. Paula is going to play extremely large role in the Church. He's probably going to be the greatest Church H believer in Old Testament. Moses is probably viewed as the greatest Old Testament believer. Paula is going to be viewed, I believe, as the greatest Church H believer. And Ananias, where does he stand? He played small role. All he did was to obey God to go. He played that role, but he can go into eternity. And we could talk to Ananias and say, "Yeah, that was great." And maybe that was the only thing in his whole ministry that he had done, but he'd done it. And so it's amazing. So who knows what God is going to do in your life? And any one of us, what God is going to call us to do. And remember, don't disregard the little things as well. Who knows the impact that any one of us can have? The impact that will have ripples throughout all of history, all of the rest of the history. And I think there's a scripture verse that says, "Do not despise small beginnings." Acts 9, 12. And he has seen a vision. This is the Lord speaking to Ananias. And a man named, he has seen in a vision, and he's saying to Ananias that Saul has seen in a vision, Ananias, a man named Ananias. So Saul, I believe, will know that this man is named Ananias. He will come in and lay hands on him so that he might regain his sight. The Lord is going to bring his sight back. And when, look at this, you have to put yourself in a moment. Put yourself in the position of Ananias. Okay, Lord. I'm going to go to this vision. He says, "I'm going to go to this address, and I'm going to see this man." And his name is from Tarsus. His name is Saul. Lord. In his perspective. Okay, so I'm going to help him see. Then why? It's like walking into a, it's like walking into a, put it like this. You've got a bound beast, a line, a bound beast. And you're just told to go in there and unbound this beast. Well, what am I going to do after he sees? I'm just asking. Acts 9, 13. But Ananias answered. Lord, I have heard from many about this man how much harm he did to his saints at Jerusalem. The man's notorious. His work was known throughout the land. His very name, while his very name brought fear, brought worry, anxiety to the people. When Saul would come on a screen, when Saul would come on a screen, there would be attention in the air. And verse 14. And here he has the authority from the chief priests to bind off who call on your name. Word got out. Word got out and Word got all the way up to Damascus that Saul was coming. There was worry. There was, it wasn't panic, but there was, you could imagine, there was worry, there was pressure there. I mean, he was breaking down doors. He was hauling men and women off to prison. Discrimently, where they would, from there, where they would die. And so the word got out. I'm curious of how the word got out and headed up to, and made it up there. And the word preceded, the word got up there faster than it took Saul to get up there. And so first of all, another thing that we have, coming back to our passage here. And we'll go back. And as I answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man how much harm that he brought to your saints. Okay, this word saints here, it's first time in Acts that the word is brought up. First time in designation to God's people are called saints. And which is interesting because saints, saints is not a, is how, let me bring this up, saints. Let's bring up the word saints up here. And Haggioi as a plural or a plural from Haggios, persons who belong to God, and as such constitutes a religious entity, God's people, to one's call to be God's people. These are vessels and we are all, and it's not a description of our behavior. It is not one who lives in piety or holiness. It is one who has been set apart by God for a special divine purpose. If you are a believer in Lord Jesus Christ, as Ephesians says, that you have been called for special work. You have, we are workers, we are set aside. And there is no, there is no ordinary believers, there is no ordinary. And we received the title before we even know what that title is and what that title is at the moment. It's one of those things that happened when we were born again, it becomes saints. And it is as I've heard somebody describe one time about the special room. And in that special room is where you'd have the China cabinet. And the China cabinet was the best dishes and the best glasses. And they were not used for ordinary dinners. They were not used for that family dinners, they were not used for every day dinner. They were reserved for special dinners when the special guests would come over. They were set apart. And that's what we are as Christians, we are saints. We have been set apart for a special purpose. If you're living, if in your mindset that it is just you and you are just an ordinary nobody, then you don't understand that God has set you apart for a special purpose. He has set me apart for a special purpose. And you may be asking, "Well, I don't know what it is." It don't matter. It don't matter. Because you may be even as a saint, even as you live your life as unto the Lord. And you may not know that very purpose. But I believe when we get to heaven, we're going to find out that our very walking in the Lord and the people that we talk to. And we may not have so much dynamics on this earth, but the little things that we've done as saints recognizing our responsibility for God. So here it is that the first designation that we find is that, but Anna's answered, "Lord, I've heard many about this man how much harm he brought to your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has the authority from the chief priest to bind all who call on your name." And this is going to be funny because all who call on his name, he hated the name Jesus. Mention this yesterday. He hates the name Jesus. That very name sends him into a rage. Yet when he was struck down, when that light struck him down, he said, "Well, who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I'm Jesus. I'm the one that you're persecuting." So to be called a saint to God, which every believer, which every saint is, it reminds the believer of the responsibility to live up to the title. Being given the title from the very beginning. Now we must learn to live up to that title. Acts 9, 14. And here he has the authority from the chief priest to bind all who call on his name. And let's go on, but the Lord said to him, "Go! For he is a chosen instrument of mine to bear my name before the Gentiles and the kings and the sons of Israel." All right, Proverbs tells us not to lean upon our own understanding. I always find it interesting, like Moses. Moses seemed to have argued with the Lord. At times Abraham, I think, tends to be said to have argued with the Lord. In our prayers, sometimes we struggle with the Lord in our prayers because we don't understand something and we argue with the Lord. Well, what about this Lord? And what about that Lord? And the Lord is all right with that. And we bring our, in such a way, we bring our prayers to the Lord. Lord, I don't understand this. I don't understand what you're doing. I don't know why you called me to this place. And I can talk to him. I mean, we have an open door posse. And this is beautiful because there's a relationship here. And the relationship is not with just with the commander in the troops, but it's also in such a, a king that that will, that we can address our concerns with. You told me to do this Lord. And I have these concerns. And this is what Ananias do. He just doesn't immediately salute and go for it. But, and the king addresses the Lord. It's almost funny because he says, don't you know about this guy, Lord? That's, you know, I know you, you are a busy, you are a busy God, but have you overlooked who this man is and what he has done for you? And what the Lord is doing is the Lord works in many dynamics. He's not only dealing with Saul, which is going to be the champion for the, in the church age for God's word, champion for grace, but he's also dealing with Ananias. He's also grooming Ananias. Ananias is going to learn things from this. He's going to learn a number of things from this. He's going to recognize that God's grace and mercy. He's on the front row of this and being used by God in this. But the Lord said, don't go. For he is my chosen instrument. And at legomai in the Greek means to make a special choice based upon the significant preference, often implying strongly favorable attitude toward what is chosen. So God, so this is the Lord. This is the Lord Jesus Christ. He's building his church. We are not building his church. He's building his church. And he chooses what he wants. It's almost like a recipe. You choose just the right spices and the right ingredients for this menu that you're getting already to prepare. I've chosen this one. This one, this one, this is going to be my choice one. And it's in this word, ekula, which means a person in relation to a particular function or role. It is also a vessel. And so I chose this vessel. He's going to carry. I've got a special purpose for this. Ananias have a special purpose for you. I have a special purpose for Saul of Tarsus. He can call anyone he wants. And he can use anyone he wants. And so for what? He is to carry on and bear my name. He is a vessel of mine. Says the Lord. He is my chosen vessel. And he's to bear my name. Let's go back to our scripture for a moment. For the Lord said to have go, for he is my chosen instrument of mine. To bear, and the word bear. Vastarzo, it means to make known to inform. He is my chosen instrument to make my name known or to inform people about me. The very one who persecuted the Christians because of this name is going to be the very one that's going to communicate the gospel. It is Paul who says in Romans chapter 1 that I am not afraid or I am not ashamed of the gospel because it's the power of God for salvation. First for the Jew and to the Greek. And he is going to be the number one herald. And the name Anoma, he's going to, that name is going to be communicated. So yes, the very name that saw cursed. The very name that people lived and died for. Now it is the arch enemy, the arch enemy of the Christian church which will become the biggest herald. So we have a couple of points of doctrine here. Number one, do not consider no enemy of the cross as unreachable. There is no one that cannot be reached. No unbeliever, no one who can hate the cross so much and hate the Lord so much. That the Lord cannot open up as a salvation is the act of God. And prior to the gospel, you see, I've said in the past and I do believe it that we need no one to the Lord. None of us leave nothing to the Lord. That's the Holy Spirit. We share the gospel and we tell others about the name of Jesus. But it's the Holy Spirit that opens the eyes of the heart. That they may take what is communicated through him, communicate by him through us to touch the heart. And it's the Holy Spirit that opens the eyes of even the hardest and the most hateful people and saw certainly was. Number two, if God can open the heart of such a one as Saul of Tarsus, he can open up the hearts of anyone he chooses. All right, continues on and says he will carry the message to the Gentiles. He will be the apostle to the Gentiles. A few passages here and he acts 22-21 and he said to me, "Go for I will send you far away to the Gentiles." 26-17, Acts 26-17, "Rescue you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you." Romans 1-5, "Through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among the Gentiles for his name's sake, among whom you also are called of Jesus Christ." Let's drop down to 1 Timothy 2-7. For this, I was appointed a preacher, an apostle. I am telling the truth, I am not lying, as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and in truth. See, Paul is being sent to the uncircumcised. The uncircumcised is the derogatory term and Jewish perspective that those who are uncircumcised in the flesh are outside the covenant of God, they were Gentiles, their dogs. This is, you remember the insults that David gave to the Galat, this uncircumcised Philistine. But here it is, that Paul is to go out, that Paul is to be the spearhead of bringing the gospel to all the world. And he's going to have a tough time at this, folks. Every place that he goes, there's going to be those that will come in behind it because Paul is going to the Gentiles. And there are those now that, and with all due respect, they believe that the law is for the whole world. That we need to be circumcised, we need to be following the holy days that the church should be Judaized. We still have them here. Paul is going to suffer a great deal. And he's going to have to fight the big fight. And the biggest fight that Paul is going to have to face is religion. And because everywhere he goes, it's going to be pushed back. And because he's going out to the Gentiles, and Paul's job, if the Gentiles were to be converted to Judaism, he could just set out all the, you know, all the apostles to the whole world. But he specifically takes Paul to go to the Gentiles, not to convert them to be Jews, and circumcision of the flesh, but the circumcision of the heart. So he's going out, first of all, to the Gentiles, and then to the kings, Acts 25, 22. Then a gripper said to Festus, "I also would like to hear the man myself." Tomorrow he said, "You shall hear him." This is the governor, so the next day when a gripper came together with Bernice amid the great pomp and energy auditorium accompanied by the commanders and the prominent men of the city at the command of Festus. Paul, formerly Saul Tarsus, was brought in, and Festus said, "King of Gripper, and all you gentlemen here present with us." You see this man about whom all the people of the Jews appealed to me, both at Jerusalem and here, loudly declared that he ought not to live a longer. So he's going to have his day in court before the king, 26-1. A gripper said to Paul, "You are permitted to speak for yourself." And 2nd Timothy 4-17, "But the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear." And I was rescued out of the lion's mouth. And then we'll finish off with Acts 9-15. But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he has chosen an instrument of mine, to bear my name before the Gentiles, before the kings, and before the sons of Israel." And this where we will have to finish off for today. It's another fine day in the Lord. And let's close out for Father in Heaven, thank you for this opportunity. Again, to meet this morning. And I pray, Heavenly and Father, that as we go over these verses, let us be reminded that as saints, we do have responsibility first and foremost to your Word. To stay in our studies, to prepare our hearts. Because there's coming a time in this life, and we don't know when, and maybe in a grocery line, it may be a call to someone's house, and to be able to answer the question, "Who is this Jesus Christ?" Who is this Jesus, that I should obey his voice, prepare us to be able to give the answer. And I pray, Heavenly and Father, put the will in our hearts to want to share the gospel with others. We pray these things in Christ's name. Amen. All right, it's another fine day in the Lord. Keep your armor on. Keep fighting a good fight of faith. Lord, will and spirit guide and rapture pending. We'll be back here at the AM. Well, by the way, we're not going to, it was restricted this Tuesday. We're not going to have Class 9. I've got a video, what do they call those things? I've got a, well, yeah, I've got a class tonight. I'm attending, so it will not be a class tonight, so, but we'll be back here at the AM. We'll see you then. Thank you for joining us. You can hear this message again, as well as previous lessons. And get note by visiting us online at www.gchapel.org. [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO]