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with me in your Bibles to Acts 
chapter 9. Acts chapter 9. I'll begin reading in verse 1, 
and our focus will be on verses 10 to 20. So beginning in verse 
1 of chapter 9, then Saul, still breathing threats and murder 
against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 
and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so 
that if he found any who were of the way, whether men or women, 
he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed, he 
came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from 
heaven. Then he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, 
Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? And he said, Who are you, 
Lord? Then the Lord said, I am Jesus, 
whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against 
the goats. So 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. 
And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing 
a voice but seeing no one. Then Saul arose from the ground, 
and when his eyes were opened, he saw no one. But they led him 
by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days 
without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Now there was a certain 
disciple at Damascus named Ananias. And to him the Lord said in a 
vision, Ananias. And he said, Here I am, Lord. So the Lord said to him, Arise 
and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas 
for one called Saul of Tarsus. For behold, he is praying, and 
in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting 
his hands on him so that he might receive his sight. Then Ananias 
answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how 
much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, and here 
he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call 
on your name. But the Lord said to him, go, 
for he is a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name before Gentiles, 
kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many 
things he must suffer for my name's sake. And Ananias went 
his way and entered the house, and laying his hands on him, 
he said, brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on 
the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your 
sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately there 
fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received 
his sight at once, and he arose and was baptized. So when he 
had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with 
the disciples at Damascus. Immediately he preached to Christ 
in the synagogues that he is the Son of God. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, thank 
you for this account. Thank you for the historicity 
of it, the fact that it actually occurred. Thank you for the significance 
and in the calling of Saul of Tarsus, the way you extend the 
kingdom of God on earth. through the preaching of the 
gospel, through the training of ministers, through the writing 
of many of the New Testament documents, how we praise you 
for your providence, how we praise you that you oversee all things, 
that you do so for your glory and for your honor. We thank 
you that Christ is stationed at the right hand of the majesty 
on high, that he ever lives to make intercession for his people, 
and as well, he directs the church in their endeavors. And we ask 
now that you would fill us all with your Holy Spirit, help us 
to receive much benefit and encouragement from the word of God. And again, 
forgive us for all of our sins and unrighteousness now. And 
we pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, it really 
is hard to overestimate the significance of what is occurring here in 
Acts chapter nine. Saul of Tarsus becomes Paul the 
apostle, a man who took the gospel literally thousands and thousands 
and thousands of miles. He made a multitude of disciples. 
He planted a multitude of churches. He instructed men for ministry, 
and he wrote a significant part of the New Testament. And so 
what we are faced with in this particular chapter is thrilling, 
it's encouraging, it's glorious to see Christ dealing with his 
arch enemy in a way to take that man, to humble that man, and 
then to employ that man to be his arch friend, to be his arch 
proponent, to be his arch voice, to declare the glory of Jesus 
Christ in the salvation of sinners. I want to look first at the instructions 
given to Ananias in verses 10 to 16, and then secondly, we'll 
just call it the baptism of Saul of Tarsus in verses 17 to 20. There's certainly more occurring 
but I think it is significant that he's baptized in this particular 
section as one who's identified now with the Father, Son, and 
Holy Spirit. He's identified, savingly, with 
the true and living God. So let's look first at these 
instructions given to Ananias. The one thing we ought to be 
reminded of is that Christ is in control. Christ is in charge. Christ not only comes to Saul 
on the road to Damascus to save him, but then Christ comes by 
way of vision to this man Ananias to bring these two men together 
for further instruction for this baptism and as a means by which 
Christ emphasizes the ministry of the church. None of us are 
islands unto ourselves. We need brethren. We need to 
have people in our lives. We need Ananiases. We need the 
disciples of Jesus Christ. It is intriguing that when Saul 
is converted, he does what new converts do. He is baptized and 
then he associates with the disciples of Jesus Christ. Again, we're 
not mavericks. We're not supposed to be solitary 
individuals on our trek to heaven. The church of Christ is given 
by Christ for his glory and for the good of his people. There's 
a lot of enmity against the church. There's a lot of opposition against 
the church. And I'm not here to suggest there's 
no problem with the church. There's problems. There's issues. 
There's trials. There's difficulties. But we 
don't throw out the proverbial baby with the bathwater. We seek, 
by the grace of God, to maintain fidelity as churches. The church 
is central in God's redemptive plan, and I think the fact that 
Jesus uses Ananias, and that Saul is baptized, and then is 
surrounded by these disciples, show us that centrality, show 
us Jesus' purpose with reference to the church. But notice these 
instructions give it. Very specifically, he gives him 
these words. Verse 10, there was a certain 
disciple at Damascus named Ananias, and to him the Lord said in a 
vision, Ananias, and he said, here I am, Lord. reminiscent 
of Samuel. Samuel the prophet is a little 
boy. Here's the voice of the Lord. And this is precisely the 
way that he answers, here am I, Lord. And that is what Ananias 
does. He must go and find Saul of Tarsus. He must go into the city to this 
street called Strait to the house of this man, Judas. And there 
he's gonna find Saul of Tarsus. And notice how Jesus identifies 
Saul of Tarsus to Ananias. He says, behold, he is praying. Now certainly as a Pharisee, 
which Saul was prior to his conversion to the Lord Jesus, he prayed. 
But as a believer in Christ, this is how he's identified. 
He prays, behold he is praying. John Gill has a beautiful comment 
on the significance here. He says, so as he had never prayed 
before, now he prayed with the spirit and with the understanding 
from a feeling sense of his wants. for spiritual blessings such 
as he had no knowledge of nor desire after before. As soon 
as any are quickened by his grace, they cry unto him. This is the 
reflex of the people of God. We are saved by grace and what 
do we do? We cry out to God. As soon as 
they remove that little baby from the mother's womb, It cries, 
it cries perhaps in distress, it cries for a sense of want, 
it cries in a sense of helplessness, but nevertheless it cries, and 
that's what the blood-bought children of God do. When we're 
born again, we pray, and that's what he says. He says, prayer 
is the breath of the regenerate man and shows him to be alive. And that doesn't mean you pray 
for hours at a time. It doesn't mean that you go from 
sunup to sundown on your knees in your secret place praying. But there is that reflex in the 
people of God that when they are born again, they pray to 
God. They commune with God. They now 
want God because they've been born of God. He says, prayer 
is the breath of the regenerate man and shows him to be alive. 
And then he mentions with reference to Saul, he who before was breathing 
out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of Christ, 
now breathes after communion with Christ and with them. That's a significant statement 
and a blessed one and truly is indicative of the blood-bought 
children of God. Again, do not leave here saying, 
Pastor Butler says that the only way you can be a Christian is 
if you pray from morning till sundown. That's not what Pastor 
Butler is saying. Pastor Butler is saying that 
the regenerate want to pray to God. The regenerate may bemoan 
the fact that they don't pray more. The regenerate may bemoan 
the fact they don't pray better. But to pray is something in their 
DNA now. It is in them to want to cry 
out to God. Why? Because at one point they 
hated God and now they love God. And it's a funny thing. We like 
to talk to people we love, don't we? I'm always concerned when 
married people don't talk to each other. You should talk to 
each other. You love each other. That's an expression of your 
love for one another to communicate. And as the people of God, we 
want to communicate with our heavenly father. We want to lay 
out our concerns. We want to lay out our praise. 
We want to unburden our hearts. We have now a God and father 
who tells us to cast our burdens upon him because he cares for 
us. I mean, that's the best sort 
of, if I can use the word, therapy there ever has been. The Lord 
God Most High will actually listen to us always because that's what 
He does. And so the blood-bought children 
of God, as regenerate, will indeed give prayer to God. And then 
notice what Jesus also says. Verse 11, arise and go to the 
street called straight and inquire at the house of Judas for one 
called Saul of Tarsus for behold he is praying and in a vision 
he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand 
on him so that he might receive his sight. So Ananias hears that 
he's gonna be instrumental in Saul's physical healing. It's 
not that Ananias has magic power. It's not that Ananias has the 
ability to cure blindness. But again, God or Christ is using 
this man instrumentally to show Saul's dependence upon God and 
upon God's people. It's a blessed thing, brethren. 
to have a church where we have some vulnerability and where 
we can let our hair down, where we can be one with one another, 
where we can have fellowship and camaraderie and that sort 
of a thing. And that's what's being emphasized 
in the book of Acts throughout. It is very pro-church. Now notice the concern of Ananias. Verses 13 and 14 are a natural 
reflex on his part. He's concerned about this. Imagine 
if one of the worst enemies of the church today, Jesus says, 
okay, I want you to go and I want you to help him. And then I want 
you to bring him in among you. You'd say, well, wait a minute. 
This guy used to gun us down in the streets. This guy would 
be there nodding as our brothers and sisters were put to death. 
This fellow has shown himself an arch enemy of this work and 
you want us to go now and get him and invite him in? As far 
as Ananias is concerned, it's a good thing that he is blind 
so that he cannot persecute the people of God. And I don't think 
Ananias is really concerned for his own safety because Saul at 
this point isn't much of a threat. He's praying and he's blind. 
So Ananias isn't afraid with reference to his own skin, but 
he's concerned about the Lord's inclusion of this Saul of Tarsus. And again, It may seem odd that 
he's even questioning the Lord, but the Lord answers him. The 
Lord responds to these concerns. It is legit, at least as far 
as it goes, that he has this concern for the larger body of 
God's people. In fact, when Saul goes to Jerusalem 
initially, Barnabas has to sort of pave the way. He has to say, 
okay, don't be afraid of him. Don't worry, the fangs have been 
taken out of this wolf, and better yet, he's now a sheep, and even 
more so, he's a shepherd. So don't fear him, but you could 
see why people would fear him. And this is Ananias' concern 
in verse 13. Ananias answered, Lord, I have 
heard from many about this man. So Ananias himself had never 
been the recipient of the enmity or hostility of Saul of Tarsus, 
but he had heard from, notice the language, many. many people 
that Saul had been instrumental in, in terms of trying to eradicate 
and destroy the church of the living God. We have to appreciate 
the significance of this in the larger redemptive historical 
sphere, the calling of Saul of Tarsus, the gospel going to the 
nations, but in terms of the display of God's sovereign grace, 
free grace is able to conquer the chief of sinners. Free grace 
is able to conquer a man who tried to conquer the church. 
If you've ever thought for a moment that you're too sinful to be 
saved, you're wrong, because the chief sinner was conquered 
on the road to Damascus by the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are 
lesser than the chief sinner, then come to the Lord Jesus. 
If you are right on par with the chief sinner, then come to 
the Lord Jesus. In Psalm, the answer always remains 
the same, come to the Lord Jesus. And so he expresses this concern. 
Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm 
he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And for any of us 
that have been converted, I doubt we have that on our minds and 
on our consciences. Remember that scene recently 
in that movie on Planned Parenthood when she comes to that knowledge 
that she's been complicit in murdering babies. She tells her, 
cries to her husband, I've got the blood. She says it quite 
like this, but this is the meaning. 22,000 babies she had participated 
in their abortion. That would bury somebody if they 
didn't look to Jesus. That's where we go with sin and 
uncleanness. When God through Zechariah says, 
behold, in those days, there shall be a fountain open for 
sin and uncleanness, God meant it. See, in the gospel, we're 
not dealing with hypothetical sins. We're not dealing with 
sins out there. We're dealing with sins right 
here. And Christ is able to save to the uttermost all who draw 
nigh to God through Him. We need to understand that this 
Saul of Tarsus did much harm to many of your saints in Jerusalem. Saint there doesn't mean like 
the Romanists teach, the special perfect people. Saints are believers 
in Jesus Christ. It's used a couple more times 
in here in Acts chapter 9. It's used one other time in Acts 
chapter 26. But then you know who uses it all the time? It's 
Paul the Apostle in his writings. Always. He refers to the believing 
people of God as saints. They're not the ones that have 
halos. They're not the ones that have done extraordinary things 
on the face of this earth. Saints are those who by grace 
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. We, the people of God, are the 
saints of God. And we need to appreciate that 
that's what's in view here. He says, I've heard from many 
about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in 
Jerusalem. And then Ananias knows Saul's present mission. Verse 
14, he says, and here he has authority from the chief priests 
to bind all who call on your name. He knows what Saul's up 
to. He knows why he's come to the 
city of Damascus. He knows what he's supposed to 
be about. And Ananias is rightly concerned. Lord, I don't want 
to mix it up with this particular fellow. He's got a bad reputation. 
He's on a present mission to do much harm to more people here 
in Damascus. C.K. Barrett makes this observation. He says, Ananias' continuing 
hesitation serves to emphasize the incredible wonder of this 
conversion. I think he's right. Let me just 
read that again. If you're feeling a little sluggish 
and sleepy, you can pinch your leg, that works. Pinch that fatty 
portion of your thigh, that gets you woken up pretty quick, or 
to use the hip staying today, you'll be woke. But he says, 
Ananias' continuing hesitation serves to emphasize the incredible 
wonder of this conversion. Lord, it just can't be true. 
I've heard from many about this man, how much harm he's done 
to many of your saints in Jerusalem, and now he's on a mission to 
inflict that same sort of punishment upon the people of God in Damascus. It demonstrates, it magnifies, 
it exacerbates the wonderful grace displayed in the conversion 
of this Saul of Tarsus. The people of God at this time 
knew who their arch enemy was. The people of God at this time 
knew who their chief predator was. And here Christ is saving 
him right in their midst and is going to use him to be a chief 
proponent. Now notice how Jesus alleviates 
his fears in verses 15 to 16. He says, or he sets forth the 
plan for Saul of Tarsus. Jesus is great. He answers the 
question. He responds to the concern. And essentially he says, 
you don't need to worry about this. You don't need to fret. You don't need to freak out here, 
Ananias. I've got this. I've got it all 
under control. I've got a two-fold plan for this man. He doesn't 
know it yet, but I've got a two-fold plan for this man. And the first 
thing is, is that he's gonna preach. He is gonna preach. That's what I'm gonna do with 
Saul of Tarsus. I'm gonna save him. I already 
have saved him. Jesus does this on the road to Damascus, but 
he's gonna be a preacher. He's gonna proclaim. He's gonna 
testify. He's gonna go from city to city 
to city to city. He's gonna be stoned in one city, 
be dragged out from that city, left for dead, only to get up 
the next day and travel another 50 miles to preach in another 
city. That's his task. That's what 
he's gonna do. That's what I've saved him to 
do. If you reflect upon Paul's own conversion account in his 
words in Galatians chapter one, he uses the similar language 
of Jeremiah the prophet. God separated Jeremiah from Jeremiah's 
mother's womb. Paul uses that same analogy in 
Galatians chapter one. He highlights that God had a 
purpose in his life. And Jesus expresses that purpose 
now to Ananias to assuage or to alleviate or rather to remove 
his fears. Ananias, don't be afraid. I have 
a purpose for this man. He says, go, for he is a chosen 
vessel of mine to bear my name before Gentiles, kings, and the 
children of Israel. Paul understood this. Paul speaks 
of his having been called by God's grace, not only for salvation, 
but as a preacher. He speaks to this in Romans 1, 
certainly Galatians 1. He highlights his function in 
Ephesians 3, 7-13. And then in 2 Timothy 1, 8-12, 
he says he was appointed to be a preacher to the Gentiles. So you see Jesus' manner with 
Ananias, don't be afraid, I have plans and purposes for this particular 
man, and he's going to testify to me. And then as I mentioned 
last week, what we find at the end of verse 15 is pretty much 
how the rest of the book of Acts unfolds. When the focus of the 
spotlight comes upon Paul the Apostle in Acts chapter 13, when 
that light shines upon Paul, we see him first testify before 
Gentiles. He initially speaks in a Jewish 
synagogue, And when he highlights that the Lord's purpose for Saul 
or Paul is to send him as a light unto the Gentiles, the Jews recoil 
against that. They get very upset. They're 
following his argument until he says that, and then they want 
nothing more to do with him. And in Acts 13, he says, since 
you judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will turn 
to the Gentiles. And so we see that fleshed out 
in the ministry of Paul the apostle. And then Jesus says that he must 
testify before Gentiles kings, and then to the children of Israel. 
Where does he stand before kings? He's arrested, remember? In case 
you haven't read the rest of the book of Acts, Paul doesn't 
go golfing in between his trips to the ball pit. Paul ain't having 
coffee with everybody in the congregation. Paul is moving, 
he's shaking, he's preaching, he's doing, and he's, you know, 
butting heads with the civil authority. And what we find is 
that the civil authority is basically kowtowing to Jewish unbelief. 
It's the Jews and their unbelief that are the first opposer or 
persecutor of the church. And they basically get the Roman 
state complicit in going after this Paul the Apostle. Now later, 
the Roman state would be, in their own right, at enmity with 
the Church of Jesus Christ. But in this context, Rome, the 
Empire, not the Church, but they looked at Christianity as a subset 
of Judaism. They left Judaism alone, and 
for them, they would have left Christianity alone. But it was 
those practicing Judaism themselves that would get Paul into trouble. 
And so he first stands before Felix, he then stands before 
Festus, and then he stands before Agrippa. These are kings, these 
are rulers, these are civil authorities. And what does Paul do when he's 
standing before them? He testifies concerning Jesus. 
He doesn't say, you know, I'm just a nice guy trying to mind 
my own business, doing my own thing, and these guys just don't 
like me. No, that's not what he does. He uses those occasions 
to preach the gospel to them. He uses those occasions to set 
forth Christ to them. In fact, look at Acts 24 for 
one specimen example. This is before Felix. It's far enough in the future 
that we'll come to this, the Lord willing, that I can give 
you a spoiler alert here. Notice in 2424, but when Felix 
heard these things, having more accurate knowledge of the way, 
he adjourned the proceedings and said, when Lysias the commander 
comes down, I will make a decision on your case. So he commanded 
the centurion to keep Paul and to let him have liberty and told 
him not to forbid any of his friends to provide for him or 
for, or visit him. Now, Felix was a bad dude. He was just a wretch. He was 
notorious for being just an uncontrolled, unself-controlled, unrighteous, 
godless man. He was married to a Jewess, that 
means a female Jew, a lady by the name of Drusilla. Notice 
what we find in verse 24. And after some days, when Felix 
came with his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul 
and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. So again, Paul 
didn't say, you know, these conditions are terrible. I'm in a jail cell 
and there's rodents and roaches and there's no food and there's 
no water. He doesn't do that. He invokes his Roman citizenship 
one time in the context of his defense before the Roman magistrate, 
not so that he'll get, you know, three hots and a cot. He does 
that so that he can extend the gospel. He doesn't do it in a 
self-serving manner. Brethren, I've often reflected 
on Saul of Tarsus or Paul the Apostle. If called before a magistrate 
when you were arrested falsely or accused falsely, your first 
desire would be, but I'm innocent. I'm a nice guy. I need food. I need shelter. I need clothing. 
I need all that. But that's not what Saul does. That's not what 
Paul does. So Felix calls for him. He asks 
him concerning the faith in Christ. Now notice in verse 25, now, 
as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment 
to come, Felix was afraid and answered, go away for now. When I have a convenient time, 
I will call for you. Don't ever do that. Don't follow 
Felix there. If you're ever afraid at the 
preaching of these things, come to Christ. Don't run from Christ. 
That's the point we should learn there from Felix. You see what 
he does? He sends away the offending man. Don't do that. If God is working 
conviction in your heart, if there's a fear of God that comes 
through the result of preaching, if the spirit is at work, don't 
run home and do whatever it is you're gonna do and forget the 
things that you've heard. If God is at work in your heart, 
come. If God is bringing that conviction, 
look. If God is causing there to be 
fear, don't say, I don't want to hear it. I don't want anything 
to do with it. I think this is one of the reasons 
why Lloyd-Jones was against taped sermons. You probably all know 
that. Lloyd-Jones didn't want sermons 
taped. Now, back then, that's what they 
were, tapes, or maybe even bigger tapes, or back then, probably 
real tapes. But you always have the prerogative 
to just hit stop, don't you? Now, I've had it where people 
have gotten up during preaching and walked out. You've probably 
seen that happen here before. But people typically don't like 
to be socially awkward. So they'll just grin and bear 
it. They'll stick it out. They won't like it, but they'll 
stay. See, when you're listening to 
a sermon on tape or iPhone or whatever now, you can hit pause 
if it gets uncomfortable. You can pull a Felix. You can 
be afraid and say, well, you know, I'll call for you another 
time. That's not good. Embrace that 
God may be at work in your heart, and instead of removing the offending 
person, listen to them. They might actually have some 
encouraging words concerning Jesus Christ and salvation by 
grace through faith in Him. You see, Paul testified before 
these kings, and then he appeals to Caesar in chapter 25 at verse 
11. That's why he goes to Rome. He's 
not on a Bible cruise. I think I've said that before. 
These preachers today, these guys, they hire a boat and they 
go out and eat good food and study the Bible. I don't think 
I'm in principle opposed to that, but man, it's just so first world-ish. We're going to eat lobster at 
midnight and then study James on how to be good godly people. 
It just seems so American and Canadian to me. Well, Paul didn't 
go to Rome that way. He wasn't doing the conference 
on eschatology with the special room rate and all that. He wasn't 
leading a tour to the empire. He was arrested. He had appealed 
to Caesar. And as a Roman citizen, it was 
his right to stand before Caesar. And when in Philippians he says, 
all those who are with me greet you, especially those of Caesar's 
household, we rejoice because we know that Paul went there 
with the expressed intention of sharing the gospel of our 
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So that's the threefold ministry 
of Paul. Gentiles, kings, and children 
of Israel. That's how the book of Acts ends. 
In Acts 28, he arrives in Rome. In Acts 28, he's incarcerated. In Acts 28, he's in a jail cell. And in Acts 28, Jews come to 
ask him why. Jews come to talk to him, and 
Jews come to know what it is he's in prison for. And of course, 
Saul, Paul doesn't say, well, I'm here because I was an innocent 
man framed. He testifies to them concerning 
the hope of Israel. The hope of Israel is Jesus Christ. Too many today think the hope 
of Israel is some future political entity in Palestine. That's not 
the hope of Israel. The hope of Israel is Christ 
and Him crucified. The hope of Israel is Jesus the 
Messiah. The hope of Israel is salvation 
by grace through faith in Him. And Paul tells them that. It's 
beautiful. He fulfills the mission. This 
is why he can say in 2 Timothy 4 at the end of his life, I have 
fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have 
kept the faith. Do you know why he's able to 
say that in the 11th hour? Because he did it in hours 1 
to 10. I've always thought in that text, 
we'll not be able to say that if we're not living that way 
now. If we're not faithful and consistent in that 11th hour, 
there will be struggle. There will be that specter. There 
will be that lack of assurance. Brethren, the way to assuage 
or remove that is to be faithful now in hours 1 to 10. Persevere, 
do what God calls us to do. Testify concerning the Son of 
God to Gentiles kings and to the children of Israel. So Paul 
is to be that man. But I said he had two plans for 
Paul, and he tells Ananias that in verses 15 and 16. Notice in 
verse 16, we'll show him how many things he must suffer for 
my name's sake. Now, I do not think that this 
is vindictiveness on the part of Jesus. Well, I'm gonna get 
him because he got us. That's not what's happening here. 
The Lord Christ knows what his people need. The Lord Christ 
knows what's best for his people. And for Paul the Apostle, a degree 
of suffering was necessary to unleash his usefulness, to unleash 
his potential. See, if Paul was unmolested, 
if Paul was unfettered, if Paul never had any sorts of difficulty 
or hardship, he wouldn't have had the exposure that he had. 
If he hadn't have been arrested, he wouldn't have stand before 
Felix and before Festus and before Agrippa. If he hadn't have been 
arrested, he wouldn't have gone to Rome. If he hadn't have been 
arrested, he wouldn't have been in those key places to do the 
key thing that Jesus Christ gave him to do. And so Saul of Tarsus 
is gonna preach for Jesus and Saul of Tarsus is gonna suffer 
for Jesus. And you know, when you look at 
Paul, he doesn't ever say, well, that's not fair, that's not kind, 
that's not good, I don't think I deserve that. He embraced it, 
he welcomed it, he made the best of it. So I think that's the 
fundamental approach that the people of God need to have with 
reference to trial and affliction. More often than not, we complain. 
More often than not, we wanna argue with God. There's some 
messed up preachers that'll even tell you, it's okay to argue 
with God. No, it ain't. Submission to God 
is what we need to be about. Accepting what His hand brings. 
There's a hymn that we sing, whatever my God ordains is right. God moves in a mysterious way, 
His wonders to perform. Behind a frowning providence, 
He hides a smiling face. Brethren, we need to recapture 
that ethic that we find in the pages of the New Testament. The 
apostle Paul was called from the outset to be a preacher and 
a sufferer for the Lord Christ. He himself says in 1 Thessalonians 
3.3, he says that no one should be shaken by these afflictions 
for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. Doesn't sound like Benny Hinn, 
does it? What do you mean you're not appointed to suffering? You're 
only appointed for riches. It is such nonsense, and that 
professing people of God get sucked into that just shows how 
illiterate the people of God, the professing people of God 
are with reference to Scripture. How do you turn to the book, 
to any of the books of the Bible and say, well, there's never 
suffering, there's never affliction, there's never hardship in the 
lives of God's people. When Christ was a man of sorrows 
and acquainted with grief, when the Son of God learned obedience 
through suffering, When his chief apostle, this arch-enemy, who's 
become the arch-apostle, when he goes through what he went 
through, do we actually think, as the blood-bought children 
of God today, that we're never going to have trial? We're never 
going to have affliction? If that's what you think, I've got 
a bridge to sell you, because, you know, obviously you're gullible 
enough to buy it. That's just not reality. You want to get 
a glimpse at what Paul suffered? Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 
11. I'm sorry, this gets my goat. The thought that there are people 
out there teaching that the Christian life is only ever blessing, happiness, 
and joy, haven't read scripture. They don't know what it's like 
to go through hardship. They don't understand what it 
is to kiss the rod. Notice in 11.22, 2 Corinthians, 
are they Hebrews? So am I. Now I should tell you 
what Paul is doing, because sometimes people say, well, you know, Paul 
sounds kind of boastful in the book of 2 Corinthians. He's always 
telling us what he is, what he's done. There's a reason for that. 
There had been these guys, they're referred to as the super apostles, 
tongue in cheek. They came to the church in Corinth 
and they said, you know, Paul's not legit. Paul's a money grubber. Paul doesn't have your best interests 
in view. Paul is just about Paul. That's 
what these guys did. They went to the church at Corinth 
and they said these sorts of things. So in 2 Corinthians, 
Paul has to defend his integrity. Not because it's his integrity, 
but because he knows that if the Corinthians doubt his integrity, 
they'll doubt his message. And he doesn't want them to doubt 
his message. So the man's message is bound 
up in his integrity. That's why in 2 Corinthians, 
it seems so much like Paul is giving a defense of Paul. He 
is so that the Corinthians will accept the message from Paul. 
But interestingly, when he comes to boast, when he comes to brag, 
as he does here, it's in what he's suffered. It's not, I got 
five houses, I got three planes. Who's the guy recently we found 
out he has three planes? Come on. Come on, that's not 
what he's boasting about here. He's not boasting that, oh, I've 
never had a cold, I don't get sniffles, I've got such great 
faith in Jesus, I haven't had any arthritis, you know, I'm 
still whatever I am. That's not Paul. There's no way 
you could connect him to what's called the health, wealth, and 
prosperity gospel. He's the anti-health, wealth, and prosperity gospel. 
He knew what it was to abound, but he also knew what it was 
to be evased. He knew what it was to be healthy, but he also 
knew what it was to not be healthy. In fact, with Galatians, you 
know what he says to them? You received me like an angel. 
If it were possible, you would have given me your eyes. Why 
do you think he said that? Most likely he had a problem 
with his eyes. Some suspect he contracted malaria 
at some point in his life and that he lost his eyesight, at 
least to a degree. I'm not talking about this conversion 
period. He acknowledges that. You know, 
in Philippians chapter 3, when he says, the things that were 
gained to me, I count lost for the sake of the knowledge of 
Christ. F.F. Bruce actually hypothesizes that 
Paul had been a married man. It was typical and normal for 
a first century Jew, a Pharisee, to be a married man. The potential 
is that either she died or she left him because she wasn't down 
with his Christianity. Now, again, that's hypothetical. 
We don't know. But he lost all things for the excellence of 
the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord. And when you get to 
2 Corinthians 11, 22, he's boasting, but look at how he boasts. Are 
they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? 
So am I. Again, these are the super apostles that had come 
in to try and undo the work of the apostle in Corinth. Are they 
the seed of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of 
Christ? I speak as a fool, I am more. 
In labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more 
frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews, five times I received 
40 stripes minus one. Five times. Five times he received 
40 strikes minus one. That means 39 for those who are 
great at math. On five separate occasions, his 
back was open with the Jewish whip for the knowledge of Christ, 
for the excellency of Christ. See where his boast is? I fear 
with us, we get affliction, we get hardship, we get trial, and 
we immediately lose it. We immediately, God's against 
me. God hates me. God is about, you know, destroying 
me. No, God's about sanctifying you. God's about conforming you 
under the image of his son. And if the son learned obedience 
through suffering, then you know what? You may need to as well. 
I may need to as well. We can't always interpret bad 
things as a sign that God is out to get us. That's not how 
he does it. That's not it at all. From the 
Jews, five times I received 40 stripes minus one. Now notice 
in verse 25, three times I was beaten with rods. That was by 
the Romans. Do you think they cared what 
it said in Deuteronomy? The 40 stripes minus one was 
God, through Moses, mandating how many times you can legitimately 
inflict corporal punishment on a criminal offender. So the Jews 
had their boundaries. We're gonna whip this fellow. 
We're gonna open his back. But if we go past that, we're 
gonna be lawbreakers. Again, they're fastidious in 
keeping that law while they're opening the back of Christ's 
chief apostle. You strain out the gnat and you 
swallow the camel. You tie the mint and the anise 
and the cumin, but you neglect the weightier matters of the 
law, justice, mercy, and faith. But praise God, they did because 
they may have killed him. But with the Romans, they didn't 
care what it said in Deuteronomy. They didn't care about Moses. 
They didn't care about how to inflict corporal punishment. 
Remember, these guys were good at it. This was their job. This 
is what they were about. So three times I was beaten with 
rods. Once I was stoned. Three times 
I was shipwrecked. A night and a day I have been 
in the deep. in journeys often, in perils 
of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, 
in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils 
in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false 
brethren, in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger 
and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness, besides 
the other things, what comes upon me daily, My deep concern 
for all the churches. You see the heart of the pastor 
there, right? I got all this stuff going on. I'm getting beaten, 
I'm getting whipped, I'm shipwrecked, I'm hungry, I'm wet, I'm cold, 
I'm tired, I've been, you know, dog paddling for a whole night 
in the sea, but I have this daily, constant burden, this concern 
for the churches. You Corinthians, listening to 
these liars that are coming in here and calling into question 
my integrity so that they can shipwreck your faith. This is 
the Apostle Paul. This is what Jesus tells Ananias. This was the twofold ministry 
of this man. Preach the word and suffer for 
my name's sake. He says, who is weak and I am 
not weak. Who is made to stumble and I 
do not burn with indignation. If I must boast, I will boast 
in the things which concern my infirmity. The God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that 
I'm not lying. In Damascus, the governor, under 
Eratos the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with 
a garrison, desiring to arrest me, but I was let down in a basket, 
through a window, in the wall, and escaped from his hands. See, 
if we haven't got it from David, we need to get it from Paul, 
that when the Holy Spirit comes upon a man or a woman, that doesn't 
necessarily mean that all their cares have vanished. It may mean 
just the opposite. David was a man minding his own 
business, tending to his own flock, and then he's identified 
in 1 Samuel chapter 16 as the heir apparent to the throne. 
As soon as the Holy Spirit comes upon him, What happens? His life 
is never the same. He is now hunted like a dog. 
He is now the enemy of the Philistines. He's now the enemy to the sitting 
throne, even Saul of Tarsus. What about our Master, our Lord 
Jesus Christ in Matthew's Gospel? What happens when the Spirit 
comes upon him at his baptism? Well, he gets his five houses, 
he gets his three jets, and he gets his entourage. The Spirit 
drives him out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil for 
a period of 40 days. Banish or perish the thought 
that coming to Jesus will make all your temporal circumstances 
wonderful. It won't. It will make your spiritual 
circumstances wonderful. It will renew your life to God. It will bring forgiveness of 
sins. It will provide a righteousness 
that avails with God, but you're still gonna have troubles in 
this world. There's still gonna be difficulties. And with the 
apostle Paul, it was prophesied, he'll preach and he'll suffer. 
Look at Paul elsewhere. We're not going to keep on in 
the rest of that section. We'll pick it up next week. I don't 
want anybody to think, how's he going to get to the rest of 
these verses in the few minutes that remain? He's not. Look at 
Colossians 1. Look at Colossians chapter 1. 
Again, just some commentary on verse 16 of Acts 9. When Jesus 
purposes or Jesus describes to Ananias his plan for Paul would 
be to preach, it would be to suffer. Colossians 1.24, I now 
rejoice in my sufferings, or you, and fill up in my flesh 
what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the sake of his 
body, which is the church. Again, I don't think Paul's sufferings 
contribute to the atoning work of Jesus. Some take the verse 
and they sort of wrench it that way. I don't think it means that 
at all. I think it means that what Christ 
has specified with reference to Paul as preacher and sufferer, 
these things are taking place. And he is consistently suffering, 
he is consistently bearing up, he is consistently dealing with 
these afflictions so that Christ is glorified in the midst of 
it, so that the churches benefit as a result of it. And then he 
notices as well, or he highlights that plan for preaching. Verse 
25, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship 
from God, which was given to me for you to fulfill the word 
of God. The mystery, which has been hidden from ages and from 
generations, but now has been revealed to his saints. To them, 
God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of 
this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope 
of glory. See, when Paul uses mystery, 
it's not mystery religion, where the idea is to make it as confusing 
as you possibly can, to make it esoteric, so that only a few 
initiates can connect. No, mystery in the scriptures 
is something that had been revealed, but hadn't been as amplified 
as it would be now. In other words, was it God's 
purpose in the Old Testament to save the Gentiles by Jesus 
Christ? Yes, Noah says that in Genesis 
chapter 9. We see the promise in Genesis 
chapter 12 to Abraham that in him all the families, all the 
nations of the earth would be blessed. But when we get to the 
New Testament, we learn it's through Israel's Messiah. It's 
through the Lord Jesus Christ. It's through the suffering servant. 
That is the revelation of the mystery. Something that was revealed, 
but now is being clarified, being amplified, being exemplified, 
or demonstrated further and more clearly. And then notice Paul, 
verse 28, him we preach. warning every man and teaching 
every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect 
in Christ Jesus. To this end, I also labor, striving 
according to his working, which works in me mightily." Gospel 
ministry isn't jets and golf courses, it's work. Gospel ministry 
isn't hands-in-pockets, chatty, 20-minute sermonettes. Gospel 
ministry is preaching Him. It is presenting Him. It is telling sinners to come 
to Him. And it is doing, hopefully, that 
Accurately, correctly, consistently with what Scripture declares. 
And the Apostle indicates that. To this end, verse 29, I also 
labor, striving according to his working which works in me 
mightily. Look at 2 Timothy 1. 2 Timothy 
chapter 1, verse 8. 2 Timothy 1, verse 8, Beautiful, 
isn't it? And then in verse 11, he highlights 
what he had been purposed for. To which I was appointed a preacher, 
an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason, 
I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed, 
for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able 
to keep what I have committed to him until that day. And then 
notice in chapter three, verses 10 to 12, he gives the, sort 
of picture of bad men in the last days in verses 1 to 9, and 
then he shifts directions and he highlights Timothy's faithfulness. 
And in verse 10 he says, But you have carefully followed my 
doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, 
persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at 
Iconium, at Lystra, what persecutions I endured, and out of them all 
the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live 
godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Now one more text, 
drop down to verse five. He says, but you, Timothy, I'm 
sorry, chapter four, verse five. He says, but you be watchful 
in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, 
fulfill your ministry. He tells Timothy, based on his 
own experience, that you need to endure afflictions. In other 
words, Timothy, it's not gonna be an easy life. It's not golf 
courses, it's not jets, it's not hobnobbing around, it's not 
conferences, it's not T-shirts and coffee cups. Rather, there 
are afflictions, Timothy, and you need to endure those things, 
and in the midst of it, you need to do the work of an evangelist. 
Because oftentimes, that goes right out the door. Right? We 
stop telling people about Jesus when we start to suffer for Jesus. Not so with Paul. When you endure 
afflictions, continue to do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill 
your ministry. In other words, Timothy, as you're 
doing the work of evangelism and ministry, there's gonna be 
these afflictions in your life. And he says, Timothy, just look 
at me. Just look at me. This was my calling. This was 
my purpose. The Lord has been faithful. He 
sustained me. I've endured it by his grace. 
And this is announced by Jesus in Acts chapter 9, verses 15 
and 16, to this man Ananias, so that Ananias will not freak 
out, but Ananias will go to Damascus. He'll go to the street called 
Straight. He'll find the house of Judas. He'll come to this 
blind man who is praying, and Ananias will lay his hands on 
him. He'll receive sight, and then he'll go out and do exactly 
what Jesus told him to do. It's really a beautiful thing 
that we find in our Bibles with reference to the calling the 
conversion of this Saul of Tarsus. And I just want to end on this 
note, first and only, is that we ought to appreciate, we ought 
to see in this passage, the sovereignty of Jesus Christ. The sovereignty 
of Jesus Christ. You know, in chapter 1, when 
we just read how they prayed, Lord, make known who it is that's 
going to replace Judas. They're praying to Jesus. Jesus 
picked and appointed the original 12. Jesus is the one who supplies 
for them Matthias. Jesus is the one who supplies 
for them Saul of Tarsus. Jesus is exalted at the right 
hand of God most high. Jesus has all authority in heaven 
and on earth, and Jesus exercises that authority for the extension 
of his kingdom on earth through his church. Christ is sovereign. Christ is sovereign when he comes 
to Saul of Damascus in that bright shining at midday, when he displays 
his glory to Saul of Tarsus. And he says, I am Jesus whom 
you're persecuting. When he saves that man by his 
grace, when he appears by vision to this Ananias, and when he 
brings these two men together, this isn't haphazard. This isn't 
luck. Wow, it's a good thing Ananias 
and Saul happen to meet. We don't read history that way. 
Luke's certainly not writing history that way. Under the inspiration 
of the Holy Spirit, he is writing theological history, and we are 
to take away from this Christ's purpose in this world. It is to establish the church, 
which is made up of people from every tribe, tongue, people, 
and nation, blood bought, washed in that precious blood. When 
we appreciate that, when we see that, we ought not to struggle 
with the offer of grace. In other words, when a pastor 
or a preacher says, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, it shouldn't 
enter into our heads. Well, I don't think God wants 
me to believe. God's commanding you to believe. Christ has purposed 
that sinners believe. Christ has purposed by calling 
the apostle Paul to go forth into the nations preaching this 
gospel so that every tribe, tongue, people, and nation can come. 
to Israel's God through Israel's Messiah, the Lord Christ Almighty. He is sovereign and he saves 
to the uttermost every single one who comes to God through 
him. If you haven't come to God through 
him, I encourage you, I exhort you, I entreat you to believe, 
to look to him in faith and know the joy of being found in him. Well, let us pray. Father, we 
thank you for your word. We thank you for this conversion