Grace Chapel Bible Ministries
worship call 1193 A new beginning - 2024/12/04
[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. Now I'm here. All right. Let's go to Acts 26. This verse 11, this is Paul reminiscing. Or actually not reminiscing, but taking King Rippa, and this is his testimony. And as I punish them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme and be furiously enraged at them. I kept punishing them even to foreign cities. While so engaged, as I was journeyed to Damascus with the authority and the commission of the chief priests, at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, and that's something a little different right there, all of them fell to the ground. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me, in the Hebrew dialect, saw, saw. Why are you persecuting me? Is it hard for you to kick against the gourds? And I said, "Who are you, Lord?" And the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." But get up and stand on your feet. For this purpose, I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness, not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I have appeared to you, I will appear to you, rescuing from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from the darkness to the light, and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in me. This is the fourth day of the week. And the fourth day of the week, and the fourth day of the 12th month, 2020, fourth year of our Lord, and this is another five day in the Lord. Let us pray. If I don't have it, thank you for this opportunity. Once again, to come together and fellowship in your work. I ask Heavenly Father that God to Holy Spirit will open our hearts to the study this morning as we continue to grow and grace in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray? Amen. And so, yes, there's going to be a, yes, there are testimony. So, of course, Paul's going to talk over and over again about that time of when ye first came to Jesus. Do you ever have that moment, or, I don't know, some people, I think, grow up in the light. I suppose, in a family where, believe in Jesus, there was no brainer. And you never thought that there was any other way. And at some point, the soul, the regenerating light of the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And then you are born again. And here it is, Paul's testimony of that road, the greatest day of his life. And it set upon the new journey. Paul saw Tarsa set out to go to Damascus to bring what he thought was justice to the people. To haul them in. He had papers to apprehend them and bring them back to Jerusalem and see them tried and executed. But as Paul was on a mission to go and destroy them, God had different plans. See, he started out as the agent of Satan. He started out in the kingdom of darkness. And under the religious establishment, the most dangerous thing is that he didn't know that he was. And it was Satan that uses the religious establishment. He has always used the religious establishment and those self-seeking individuals within it to further his own plan. So we're coming back to Acts chapter 9 and we will pick up with, let's just recap from the beginning. We'll start with verse 5, how's that? And he said, "Who are you Lord?" And he said, "I'm Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city and it will be told to you what you must do." And then the men who traveled with him should speak to this hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saw, got up from the ground and through his eyes, though his eyes were open, he could not see anything. Leading him by the hand, they brought him to Damascus. And he was there for three days with outside and neither ate nor drained. So this was a, I would call this a fasting in that darkness. I wonder what was going through Saul's mind at this point. I mean, because this is a radical change of everything. Jesus comes in and he does, he radically changes a person. And he, well he did so with Paul here. And, you know, in Saul's condition and who and what Saul was, I mean, he changed everything. I mean, this was a shock, must have been a shock to the system. To wake up and find out that everything that you believed in, everything that you put your trust in, your ambition, your everything was just, the Lord had just pulled the rock out from under Saul. And now he is helpless, he's blind, left in that darkness, kind of like a prison without food or water. And he's just left to his own thinking, his left to his own thoughts. Now, there was a disciple, a disciple is a learner, as we talked about yesterday. A disciple is one who is learning, who's growing in the Word. We all should be disciples. It's not the fact that we come in and we were born again and there go by the grace of God, go by, but we've been called into discipleship. And that discipleship is our learning, our growing in the Word, not just on Sunday. We eat at least one meal a day throughout our lives, but so shall we should be taking in the Word of God on a persistent, consistent basis. And this readiness, the disciple, this readiness us as a disciple to do God's will. Now, there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. And the Lord said to him, in a vision, Ananias. And he said, "Here I am Lord, the disciple is always ready to go where God will have them, go, do what God will have them, do what God will have them to be." And the Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called straight and acquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus, named Saul, for he is praying." And he has seen a vision, and here's the vision that he relates to him, a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight. But Ananias answered, "Lord, I've heard about, I've heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to the Saints in Jerusalem." And here he is, has the authority of the chief priests to bind all who call on his name. Now, that word has gotten out, word had actually preceded Saul. Someone had sent a message to Damascus saying he's on his way, and so they were all dread in his arrival. Verse 15, "But the Lord sent to him, go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine." God chooses, God is sovereign, he chooses, and this choice, this is a choice instrument, and as we talked about yesterday, this is one who set apart. Every one of us, there is no ordinary Christians in the church age. God has chosen us, he says in Ephesians that before the foundations of the world, he called us, he predestined us. We are all special in the sight of God. We are chosen ones. Electos is that which he chooses the vessels that he's going to use, and he sets apart, and we're all consecrated. We all serve the living God. And what's he to do? To bear my name before the Gentiles, and the kings, and the sons of Israel. We started out this morning with Isaiah 26, which he was testified to King Agrippa about here. So here is a king, and he's standing before the king, and he's given his testimony. And it was King Agrippa who acknowledges, and he says, "You've almost got me convinced." For I will show him how much he must suffer from my namesake. It was certainly Paul that's going to have to carry the burden, as he testifies at 1 Corinthians. He says, "I've been shipwrecked. I've been beaten. I've been beaten multiple times, 39 lashes. He's been left for dead. He's been cold. He's been hot." And certainly his ministry wasn't one of convenience. It wasn't an easy road. We understand that he prayed three times, and that's what his testimony. I prayed three times at the Lord. You know, there was a thorn that was placed upon me. And that thorn, and that thorn placed by the devil. And he prayed to God that it would be taken away. But it was the Lord said, "My grace is sufficient for you." So it is Paul that's going to run the gauntlet of suffering. And some of these vessels that are out there to serve God, they're hurting. And it's a grudging road, but a hard road. My friend, he's suffering, and sometimes I wonder, you know, what goes through his mind. I mean, one of the most devout men that I know, a man of doctrine. And he's carrying his pack. And sometimes I wonder if he's saying, "Well, at what point will I mount going to be allowed to pump my pack down and rest?" But the Lord will come. But that pack continues to be weighed down. And the road continues to be difficult. But he continues to press on step by step. I've never seen such faith in the spiritual actions. That's why I ask people when I hear of suffering in prayers. The first thing I ask of them is, "How's their spirit? How's their spirit?" And I've never seen once, not once, this man lose that spirit and continue to pray for him. And so Paul saw who's going to be Paul. He's going to go down that road. And his ministry will not be one of convenience. But it's going to be a difficult road. And he's going to long to be, as he would say, is he's going to long to be absent from the body and face to face with the Lord. He's going long for that. But he also is thankful for the days that he has on this earth. For days on this earth he recognized that it's a window of opportunity to serve the Lord as it is for each one of us. We should be in confident expectation of leaving the body. But every day should be a thankful that we've got another day to serve him. Because once that window opportunity closes, that's it. Okay. Verse 12, "And he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias came and lay hands on him so that he might regain his sight." But Anas said to the Lord, "I've heard about many about this man and how much he had did to the saints. And here he is the authority of chief priests and by all who call upon his name. But the Lord says, "Go ahead. I've chosen, he is a chosen instrument of mine to bear my name before the Gentiles, the kings and the sons of Israel. And I will show him how much he will suffer from my name's sake." So Anas departed and entered the house. And after laying his hands on him and said, "Brother Saul, firstly encouraging words, I mean three days, three days in the darkness." What was Paul pondering about again? Was it the, again, how much he had been wrong? Everything that he had ever learned he found out was wrong or at least not totally wrong. I mean, he understood the, I mean, he was schooled in the Old Testament. That's not wrong. But the direction by which he was set was absolutely wrong. And was he immensely guilt thinking that he was doing right by killing these followers of the way and he wasn't? And through three days he was kind of like in a prison, a prison of his own making. He was hungry. So after three days with no food or water, he was certainly weak at this point. And all of a sudden a door opens and a voice breaks the silence. And the first word he says he hears is "Brother Saul." Ananias is the, is the privileged one of calling the one who was previously the enemy of the Christian faith. He is the privileged one to be the first one to call Saul brother. This is a Delphos and it is in Christ that we are all brothers and Ananias. Ananias is going to have to have faith here. This was a big step of faith that with all that he has ever heard of Saul, now it is, it is he who comes and brings him. So the first one Ananias is the first one to address Saul as brother. Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. There is a parallel passage. He's another account in Acts 22. That's, that's, we can turn to Acts 22. And Acts 22, another account of Paul. Let me find it. Let me see. And let's start with verse 5. Acts 22 verse 5. As also high priest and all the counts of the elders can testify from them. I also receive letters to the brethren. And started off for Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners to punish. But it happened that as I was on my way approaching Damascus, about noontime a very bright light suddenly flashed from the heaven all around me. And I fell to the ground and I heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" And I answered, "Who are you Lord?" And he said to me, "I am Jesus of Nazarene whom you are persecuting. And those who were with me saw the light to be sure, but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me." And I said, "What shall I do Lord?" And the Lord said to me, "Get up, go to Damascus." And there you will be told all that has been appointed for you to do. But since I could not see because of the brightness of the light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came to Damascus. A certain Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the law and well spoken of all the Jews who lived there, came to me, standing near said to me, "Brother Saul, receive your sight." And at that very time I looked up and he said, "The God of our Father has appointed you to know all his will and to see the righteous one and to hear an utterance from his mouth. For you will be a witness for him to all the men of what you have seen and heard." Now why do you delay? Get up, be baptized, wash away your sins, calling on his name. And it happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple after that. So here is the command. And the command comes from Ananias. What are you waiting for? It's time to get to work. There was no time for Saul. There was this hit. You were converted. Now it's time to get busy on him. And there was things. So he said, "Get up. Why do you delay? Get up and be baptized." Baptism again is identification with Christ's death, his burial, his death, his burial and his resurrection. Baptism, baptism becomes with the Holy Spirit. It's what the Holy Spirit does. The Holy Spirit with it, once again, just a review here. The Holy Spirit was a real baptism. It's what the Holy Spirit does to identify one. All that he does to identify one with the Christ. When we were born, we were born with a body and a soul, but a spirit that is alienated or dead in Christ. There is no connection with the Lord, no communication. And with regeneration is what the Holy Spirit does is it takes that spirit, which was once dead, regenerates it, brings it back to life. That's a real baptism there. That's a real baptism in the Spirit. It's a real connection with Christ. And then there is the water baptism. Was Paul water baptized as well? I don't know. But does this mean water baptized here? Go out and get baptized. Well, water baptism, I still say, is right to do. And it's a proper proclamation of what went on spiritually. And watch away your sins. Now, Paul was a believer. He was a believer. This is, he is a crossover believer. He was an Old Testament believer that's going to cross over into the New Testament that, that's putting his faith in the name of Christ. And the washing away of the personal sins, the, and this is important to understand those who are in union Christ. Old things, the whole, old things have passed away. Behold, new things have come. The old things and the old things include the, the, who we were in the past. You see, it's very important here because we've been baptized. We've been identified in Christ. We have a new identity, which requires for us to let go. This is what Paul says later on in Philippians, that this one thing that I do, forget what's in the past, forget, forgetting what's lying in the past, I press on to the objective that lies ahead of me. And it's important for us to know that those sins were washed away, that those sins were given, that we've been cleansed. Those, those sins were, were attributed to Christ upon the cross and whose name that we, that we are calling upon. It is Jesus who says, "I got this." He said, "I got this. I'm holding the line. I'm taking this." And it frees us. This is why Paul says in Galatians, chapter 5, is for freedom that I have set you free, freedom from the guilt, freedom from the shame. In that darkness, it may have been menacing Paul, while he was sitting there, while he was blind, while he was lost. You can imagine he was lost in his thoughts. And those meditations and his praying is that it must have been agonizing three days. And sometimes we get caught down, we get caught up with the guilt of who we were. And because of what Christ did and because of the baptism and because of forgiveness of sins, we can truly say that I'm not that person anymore. I'm not him. We've been given a new identity in Christ. And so we press forward, calling upon his name. Come on back to Acts 9 with me. And so Paul has been set free. So Paul can go about to teach others to bring this good news message to others, to the Gentiles, to his fellow Jews, and to all the world. All right. And immediately, there fell from his eyes, something like scales. And I would say that Paul had a cataract surgery, and a film or whatever that fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. And he got up and was baptized. And he took food and he was strengthened. He was in two ways that he, in least two ways, he was strengthened. First of all, he was strengthened spiritually. Then he was strengthened physically by taking in the food and the water, strengthened his body. So this would take a little bit of time. And now Paul begins to preach. Okay. Now, for several days, he was with the disciples. He was with the learner. So there's things that he's got to learn. Several days he's with the other learners. Hebrews tells us that you should be teachers by now. So he sat under the very ones that were afraid that he was going to kill them and haul them off the prison, the latter before the former. That he is, that they're now teaching him. He's staying with them and they're feeding him and they're telling him about Jesus. And they're, I'm sure some of the witnesses were there who had also were eyewitnesses of this Jesus. And so, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogue saying that he is the Son of God. As we started out that Paul was a member of the religious establishment. And he was as such, he was also the Satan that was being used by Satan. There was Satan's man to spearhead the destruction of the Christian church before it got its footing. And so with the papers and with the journey that he had set out, he went out to kill the Christians. And so as it was the same tempter in the wilderness in Matthew chapter four, when he came to Jesus after Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days, the tempter came in the first thing he said, "If you are the Son of God." And now it is that Satan's own, the Saul of Tarsus is now going to synagogues and preaching that this Jesus, this Jesus, this Jesus whom I had been persecuting, he is the Lord, he is the Son of God. Father in heaven, thank you for this opportunity this morning, fellowshiping in your word. Thank you Heavenly Father for the testimony of Saul. We thank you Heavenly Father for so much for the writings that for this man that has been used greatly by thee. And to this day, his ministry goes on as we study the words that he wrote under the inspiration of the very spirit that came upon him. We thank you Heavenly Father for this time, in Christ's name you pray. Amen. All right, it's another fine day in the Lord, keep your armor on, keep fighting a good fight for age, faith. Lord Willensburg, God and Raptor Pennant will be back here in the A.M. Love you all. 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. . . . You
Saul is reborn, coming into the light, to a new journey and a new mission