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Paul Mahan

He's The Chosen Vessel

Acts 9:6-20
Paul Mahan • November, 3 1993 • Audio
5 Articles 3,894 Sermons
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Paul Mahan
Paul Mahan • November, 3 1993
5 articles 3,894 sermons
Acts
What does the Bible say about Saul's conversion?

Saul's conversion showcases the power of God's grace to transform even the most hardened hearts.

The story of Saul's conversion in Acts 9 demonstrates that anyone, regardless of their past actions or mindset, can be changed by the grace of God. Just as Saul was confronted by the risen Christ and humbled on the road to Damascus, every believer experiences a similar calling that brings them from spiritual blindness to sight. The gospel's transformative power is available to all, emphasizing the idea that even the greatest enemies of God can become His instruments of grace.

Acts 9:6-20, Colossians 1:21-22

How do we know God's chosen vessels are effective?

God's chosen vessels, like Saul, are empowered by His grace to fulfill their purpose.

The effectiveness of God's chosen vessels is rooted in the divine calling and empowerment they receive. In the case of Saul, who later became the Apostle Paul, God's declaration that he is a 'chosen vessel' signifies that his life was set apart for a unique purpose, to bear witness to the gospel among Gentiles, kings, and the people of Israel. God's promise to show Saul how much he must suffer for Christ's sake assures us that His chosen vessels are equipped, directed, and sometimes called to endure hardships for the glory of God. This ministry of reconciliation is a testament to the grace and sovereignty of God in appointing and using individuals according to His will.

Acts 9:15-16, 2 Corinthians 5:18

Why is repentance important in Saul's story?

Repentance in Saul's story illustrates the profound change that occurs when one encounters Christ.

Saul's story underscores the critical role of repentance in the process of spiritual transformation. When confronted with the truth of Christ on the road to Damascus, Saul finds himself in a state of confusion and turmoil, which leads him to cry out in desperation. This moment of repentance signifies not just regret but a turning away from his former life of persecution and a turning towards God. The authentic sense of repentance reveals a deep understanding of one's sin and a recognition of Christ as Savior. In Reformed theology, this emphasizes the necessity of grace in initiating repentance, illustrating that true conversion is a work of God that produces a radical change in the believer's life.

Acts 9:6-9, 2 Corinthians 7:10

How does compassion shape the relationship among believers?

Compassion fosters genuine fellowship and growth among believers in the body of Christ.

In Saul's relationship with Ananias, we see a beautiful picture of compassion and community within the body of Christ. Although Ananias initially expresses skepticism about Saul's change, God's command to go and minister to Saul demonstrates the importance of compassion in healing and restoration. The church is called to care for one another, supporting and encouraging each other in faith. As we see in the ministry of Ananias, compassion involves both serving and speaking the truth in love, enabling believers to grow and mature in their walk with Christ. This is vital in Reformed theology, which emphasizes the communal aspect of salvation and the role of the church in nurturing its members.

Acts 9:10-19, Ephesians 4:15-16

What does it mean to be a chosen vessel for God?

Being a chosen vessel means being set apart by God for His purposes and glory.

To be a chosen vessel for God signifies that one is selected and designated by Him for a specific mission. In Saul's case, God's declaration through Ananias reveals that Saul was appointed to bear His name before the Gentiles, kings, and the people of Israel. This selection is not based on any merit of the individual but solely on God's sovereign grace and purpose. In historical Reformed thought, this concept extends to every believer, as all are called and equipped to serve the Lord in various capacities. Much like a clay vessel formed by a potter, believers are crafted for divine use, highlighting the importance of surrendering to God's will and being channels of His grace in the world.

Acts 9:15, Romans 9:21-23

Sermon Transcript

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Right back to Acts chapter 9.
We've been looking at the story of Saul of Tarsus' conversion, and the story of Saul's conversion
is a miraculous one, an amazing one. but it is really no less
miraculous than our own conversion. It takes the same voice to call
us out. It takes the same power to save
us. It takes the same call of the
gospel, of Christ. It takes the same grace to save
you and to save me as it did Saul of Tarsus. So while his conversion is a
miraculous one, mine is no less miraculous, and neither is yours. Paul was probably thinking of
himself when he wrote in Colossians, and you, that were sometime alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now have he reconciled
or changed. And that was Saul, and that was
me. And perhaps that was you, the
enemies in your mind. So while we marvel at this story
of Saul's conversion, and at God's power and grace in dealing
with the Apostle Paul, we need to see ourselves in this story.
It's of no use to us, really, unless we apply it to ourselves.
And that's what I want to do tonight. I want you to marvel
with me at God's dealings with us. in saving grace. Now Saul, as we've seen, Saul
was an enemy of God. And the scripture says that all
men by nature, the carnal mind, the natural man, is enmity against
God Almighty. That was me, and that was you
by nature. And Saul was religious though,
and he claimed to love God. And most men and women are religious
by nature and have a God of their own imagination and very zealous
for this God, but they're ignorant of God's righteousness, going
about to establish their own. And then Saul kicked at the true
gospel when he first heard it. He kicked against the pricks
of the gospel. And all men and women by nature
despise the truth and love a lie. They despise God's absolute sovereignty
and his calling of us as sinners and helpless and without hope
and so forth. But Christ was seeking Saul.
Christ sought out Saul. He found Saul. Everyone he seeks, he finds. He humbled Saul. He broke Saul. He breaks everyone. You see,
he called him out personally, and he personally revealed himself
to Saul. And the gospel came to me in
the same way. The Lord Jesus Christ sought
me and bought me and brought me. He called me, he convicted
me, he humbled me, he breaks his people, and he revealed the
glory of God in the person and work of Christ to everyone that
he chooses. Now, after this happened to Saul,
after Saul met the Lord Jesus Christ, look at verses 8 and
9 with me now. It says that Saul arose from
the earth. You know, he was smitten down
to the earth after being in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ,
see, in his majesty. And he was on the ground, and
it says, Saul arose from the earth, and when his eyes were
opened, he saw no man, or that is, he didn't see anything. He was blind. But they led him
by the hand and brought him into Damascus, and it says he was
three days without sight, and neither did he eat nor drink. It says that his eyes were opened,
but he was blind. And he had no appetite and no
vision. Now, what do you see here? I
looked at this a long time and then finally the light scales
came back to my, as it were, to my eyes after looking at this. What I think I see here, and
what I do see, is this. When a person hears God's call,
in the gospel. When a person sees—quite often
when a person sees the glory, the beauty, the wonder of the
Lord Jesus Christ, and they feel that irresistible pull on their
heart and the influence of the Word of God upon their mind,
and they believe Christ very really, They're persuaded of
who Christ is, yet at first they are somewhat confused about many
things. They are unclear about most things. They're confused and they're
unclear about most things. I will give you my own experience. the way the Lord dealt with me.
Perhaps yours is similar to mine. When the Lord began to deal with
me when I was a young man of twenty or twenty-one years old,
when I was single, unmarried, I was an enthusiast, very enthusiastic
about anything that I got into, anything I tried. I enjoyed many
things, particularly cars and trucks and restoring vehicles
and so forth, playing sports and working out at the gym, that
sort of thing. I was very enthusiastic about
those sort of things. After being under the sound of
the gospel for some length of time, I was sitting under the
sound of the gospel at the time, the Lord began to speak to my
heart. And he gave me a little, began to give me a glimpse of
himself and also a glimpse of myself. Now I could tell you,
I had a saving, what you would call a saving experience, but
I'm not going to tell it to you. I put no trust in that whatsoever.
It was very real, but I'm not going to tell you about it. That's
not to be trusted. Christ did it. Put no confidence
in that at all. But after getting a little bit
of a glimpse, of the glory of Christ is due to his majesty.
And that's all a man can stand is a glimpse. Or you could not
exist, you could not go on living in this world if you've got a
full view of his majesty. But after getting a glimpse of
his glory and seeing something of Christ in the gospel and coming
to a persuasion of that gospel as it I was somewhat confused. I became quite confused. I was confused at first about
what I really wanted in life, and what I needed in life, or
what I really enjoyed in him or her. I wasn't sure. I tried
my hand. I tried to continue. I tried
my hand at some of the things that I once was enthusiastic
about, and those things very easily waned. That enthusiasm,
I would start into it and I would find myself not nearly as enthusiastic
as I used to be. Things began to lose their luster
and their appeal to me and their enjoyment. And as I said, my
enthusiasm began to be shifted to another area. I was confused
as to who my friends were. I tried to maintain a relationship
with some old friends, and it became quite clear that we were
not very compatible anymore. At least it became very clear
to them. I was confused. And I was confused as to where
I was going, places I was going, whether or not I should be there.
what I was doing, where I was going, who I was going with,
what I was doing, what I was supposed to be doing, where I
was ended up, certain places and so forth. And I believe that
a sight of Christ does that to a man. It blinds a man or a woman
to worldly desires, begins to blind, and sometimes this is
a gradual thing, if not most of the time. It begins to blind
a man or woman to ambitions. I lost most of my ambitions for
various things and the vanities of this world. And it begins
to change a man or woman's perspective on life. You begin to examine
your life, whereas before you didn't think much about it. You begin to examine your motives,
your pursuits, your habits, your associations with people, You
begin to search yourself and your own heart. When Christ comes
in, that happens. Search out your heart. And I
believe that this was the analogy here with Saul. His eyes were
open, but yet he was blind. Things were unclear to him. Do
you remember the man that the Lord healed of his blindness? At first, he put a mud pack in
his eyes and he washed his eyes and the man said he saw a man
walking in his tree. Do you remember that? And Mark,
I believe chapter eight, the man didn't see very clearly.
He had his eyesight restored, but not completely. He said things
were somewhat muddy and he was somewhat confused. Well, that
was me. Anybody else here? That was me. All right, now look at verse
ten. We're going to see Ananias a man sent by God to Saul. Verse 10, there was a certain
disciple at Damascus named Ananias, a certain disciple. And to him
said the Lord in a vision, Ananias, and he said, Behold, I am here,
Lord. Now, the Lord uses godly men
to help his people along the way. He uses men. They are his instruments to speak
to other men and women. He uses women as well. Do you
remember the story of Aquila and Priscilla taking Apollos
and perfecting him or maturing him or speaking to him concerning
the gospel? The Lord uses men and women to
speak and to lead and guide and teach and help His young sheep
along the way. And so it was with me, and perhaps
with you. The Lord spoke the gospel to
you through a man at first. And then the Lord perfects or
strengthens and comforts and encourages or matures His people. He said in Acts chapter 5 that
He gave some apostles, some evangelists, some preachers, some pastors,
some teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, so that is the
maturity, the spiritual growth of the saints. And so it was
with me. Various people, not only my pastor,
whom I heard the gospel from, that continued to faithfully
preach the gospel to me, and I grew under the sound of that
gospel, but he also used other men and women as well to help
me along the way. And let me say this by way of
warning. As I said, the Lord uses men.
He continues to use men all of our lives to instruct us, to
help us. And if you ever reach the point
where you're unable to learn any more from a man, then perhaps
you know too much. Maybe the Lord is through with
you. And the Lord said unto Ananias,
Ananias, arise and go into the street which is called Straight. Arise and inquire in the house
of one Judas, for one called Saul of Tarsus. The Lord said
to Ananias, get up and go into the street called Straight and
look for a man who is in the house of a man named Judas. Look
for a man named Saul of Tarsus. Now, the Lord gave Ananias some
insight into the state of this one Saul of Tarsus, and I believe
the Lord gives some men insight into the state of his sheep,
some of his sheep. He gives men wisdom to deal with
them and some discernment as to their needs and enables that
man or men to see the Lord dealing with these people. and to deal
with him accordingly in wisdom. And then the Lord gives a man
a particular message at a particular time to a particular person. He always does that. It's miraculous. To the person who receives it,
it's miraculous. The Lord gives a particular message
at just the right time, at a particular time to a particular person,
and that person feels as if this message was made for me. God sent this message to me. That was my case. That was my
case. All right? You notice it said
that Saul was in this street called Straight. That's significant,
isn't it? Saul was staying at Straight
Street with Judas, a disciple. It says he was with one of the
disciples named Judas. Saul was blind, and Saul was
somewhat ignorant. And Saul was very confused about
many things, but he was in the right place and he was doing
the right thing, dwelling with one of the disciples and fellowshipping
with him. And the Lord—a little play on
words here—the Lord took old Saul out of the broad way and
put him in the straight way, that broad way that leads to
destruction. and put him in that straight
gate and narrow way that leadeth to life. And he changed his abode. He changed Saul's abode and now
he was abiding in Christ and abiding with Christ's people.
And the Lord changed his immediate friends to the disciples of Christ. He now found himself allied with
Christ's disciples, those who were once his enemies, those
who he once thought were beneath his station, and I must admit
to my shame that being the young, cool dude that I was, I thought
these old-fashioned gospel people were somewhat beneath my intelligence
until the Lord showed me my ignorance. and that they were the only true
people on God's planet, that the rest of my old cronies were—they
were the fakes. They were the ignorant ones.
So the Lord changed his immediate friends to be the disciples of
Christ and his old friends, perhaps. When this happened, Saul's old
friends probably thought he had been brainwashed and that he
was now in some kind of cult, right? I'm sure I can hear his
old friend saying now, saying then, where's Saul? And somebody
said, well, he's down there with Judas and the rest of those Christians
going to church. Well, he, that's a cult down
there. Nobody, who goes there? That's
some kind of cult, isn't it? Well, look at verse 11, and Saul
shows some signs of life here. The Lord said to Ananias, Go
down and look for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he
prayeth." I love signs from God when I feel like He's telling
me that this is the message I'm supposed to pray. Any of you
read Spurgeon's morning, evening, this morning? That's his text,
isn't it? I didn't know. I didn't plan
it that way. But that's what he wrote on. And the Lord said
of Saul, Behold, he prayed. Behold, he prayed. Now Saul,
young Saul, was confused. He was blind. He was ignorant. He was unsure of what to do,
of where to go, full of turmoil, full of trouble. He had come
to the end of himself, and there was only one thing left for him
to do now, and really only one person to turn to. All of his
friends had forsaken him, and there was only one person to
turn to. So what did he do? He called on the name of the
Lord. Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be
saved. And he began to say, He didn't know where he was going.
He didn't know what to do. He was full of trouble. He was
confused. He was blind. He was ignorant.
Lord, help me. Lord, teach me. Lord, open my eyes. Lord, lead
me. Lord, guide me. Lord, direct me. Lord, save me.
Please. Lord, I feel like I've met you,
but I'm still in a state of confusion. Would you help me? Now, this
is the first evidence of true life in a young believer. just like the first evidence
of life at birth. When a baby is born, the first
thing the doctor does is either swat its little rump, or in the
case of my daughter, he flicked the bottom of her little feet.
They're a little more compassionate now. Instead of a big swat on
the backside, they give a little flick. But nevertheless, it's
a painful experience. Their first moments out of The womb is a painful experience. And they cry. This is what the
doctor is hoping for, you see. This is what the doctor is listening
for. There's really no sign of life when they first come out,
because they look somewhat dead. And the doctor, in order to get
those lungs going, to exercise those lungs, causes some pain
and some anguish, and the little baby begins to cry. And then
you see very clearly why it is that. And this is a healthy cry. It's a healthy cry. And as I
said, an exercise of the lungs. And even so, one of the first
evidences of the new birth is one crying unto the Lord. Crying
out in anguish of sin. Not just trouble in this life. Everyone goes through trouble.
And everyone breaks down and prays the Lord's Prayer, you
know. But I'm talking about trouble
of sin. trouble within your own heart,
pain and anguish over your own sinful condition, your own sinful
heart. And you're troubled in heart
and soul, and you give out a good cry to the Lord. And it's a good
cry. It's a healthy cry to prove that
life is there, and it's an exercise of the heart. Much needed. Now,
the Lord didn't see fit to record Saul's prayer. I just was saying
what he might have said. But the Lord did not see fit
to record Saul's prayer. And I want you to notice with
me as we go down through here, you will not read of Saul saying
anything as long as he was with Ananias. You will not read of
Saul saying anything throughout his meeting with Ananias. And this is significant. You
see, when the Lord opens the hearts of someone and reveals
himself to them, he shuts them out. The Lord opens the hearts,
and the first thing he does to them is shuts their mouth. He shuts their mouth to see that
they're guilty, to show them that they know very little and
as much as they need to learn. And while the Lord teaches them,
they are teachable, and they're very childlike. And Christ said that. He said,
Except you receive the gospel as a little child, you'll not
enter the kingdom of heaven. And that no matter how much we
may know, no matter how much a man may know at this time,
I remind you, Saul was a scholar of the Old Testament. He knew
very much about the Scripture. No matter how much he might have
known, no matter how much a man may know up to this point, he
becomes teachable. And he is more ready to hear
than give the sacrifice of fools. Do you know what the sacrifice
of fools is? Scripture says a fool's voice
is known. by a multitude of words. That's
the sacrifice of fools. In other words, fools give a
great deal of their opinion, speak a great deal of their mind,
but give a very little of their time and their energy and so
forth. They speak very fluently and
very often, but do very little. So we need to be more ready to
hear than to give the sacrifice of fools. And this is what the
Lord does to a man. when he, or a woman, when he
first deals with him. And I've seen it time and again.
When the Lord would deal with somebody, they would, they would
come, become very, very silent. I knew a, if I told you this
man's name, you would, you would know immediately. I'll not tell
you. I don't want to call attention to the man. But this young man
was like Apollos. very eloquent man. And he was a very learned young
man, very devoted young man. He was a Bible student. And the
Lord revealed the gospel to him. And from that time on, he was
very quiet. After the Lord revealed the gospel,
brought him out of religion, I mean, out of deep seated religion. And he became very quiet and
he was very hesitant to speak. from that time forward. And his
pastor, who was my pastor at the time, wisely, very wisely,
did not lay hands upon him suddenly. That's what the scriptures warn,
not to lay hands on anyone suddenly, no matter how gifted they may
appear to be. And the pastor very wisely did
not lay hands on him suddenly until it was very clear that
this man was a broken man, that he was obedient, that he was
submissive. And finally it became very clear
to everyone, to the church, that he was gifted and very wise and
a very meek man. Meekness, I believe, is the foremost
characteristic it should be. It was in Moses, wasn't it? It was in Christ as well. When
he was found to be all of these things, he was eventually called
on to pray, and then speak a little bit, and teach, and then he began
to go out like Silas, like others, recommended by the church, recommended
by the brethren, in God's hands upon him. It was very clear.
That's the way the Lord calls His church. That's the way the
Lord calls His church leader. Like Stephen, do you remember?
was faithful in a few things, and he was going about his business
very quietly, doing what he did very faithfully. And he, the
Lord began to raise him up in the midst of the church. He was
chosen among the people. And I'll remind you, even the
Lord Jesus Christ was this way. Wasn't he? Huh? He was quiet. He was silent as a young man.
He did not speak out. The Scripture said he learned
obedience. He who knew all things, yet he
was silent to his elders and his superiors. And he learned. He who could learn nothing, learned.
Grew, it says, in wisdom and stature and favor with men, God
and men. The apostles now were somewhat
of an exception, being that they were equipped and they were sent
by the Lord himself. The Lord himself called the apostles
out, and he equipped them. But I'll remind you, all twelve
of them spent three personal years under the tutelage of the
Lord Jesus Christ, and most believe that Paul was three years in
seclusion with the Lord himself. But preachers and teachers, as
I said, and evangelists, they come out of the church And from
under the tutelage of faithful preachers, you'll find that to
be the case of Timothy, Titus, Silas, and every other example
you'll find in this book. This is the way the Lord teaches
His young men. All right, look at verses 13
and 14. Ben Ananias, so Saul was sent to the house of this
man Ananias, and Ananias answered, Lord, he said this, Lord, I have
heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy
saints at Jerusalem, and here in Damascus he hath authority
from the chief priest to bind all that call on thy name." In
other words, Lord, I heard a lot about this fellow, and I have
my doubts. Ananias was skeptical. I have a great deal of that in
me also. He was very skeptical. A lot
of people come and go, you know. There's a lot of stony ground
here as you rise up for a while and appear to be something when
they're not. So generally I don't get too
excited over new converts. Maybe we should wait. The test
of time will tell about all of us for that matter, all of us.
But Ananias says, Lord, I've heard a lot about this fellow.
Is he really a changed man? Is he really? He shouldn't have
questioned the Lord, but nevertheless, the Lord said unto him, Ananias,
just do what I tell you. You go your way. He's a chosen
vessel unto me. He is a chosen vessel. No matter
what his past may have been, he's one of mine. And no matter
what your past may have been, you may be one of his, one of
his chosen. No matter what your reputation has been, couldn't
be any worse than Rahab's, could it? Couldn't be any worse than
Mary Magdalene's, could it? Couldn't be any worse than Saul's,
could it? No matter what your reputation may have been, no
matter what your former life, no matter how great a sinner
you may have been or are now, no matter how much an enemy of
the gospel or an enemy of Christ, Scripture says it's God that
justifies. Who is he to condemn it when he's put his son to death
on the behalf of sinners? Like Lot, you would have never
known Lot was the same man unless the Lord had said it, would you?
He said, that's just Lot. When God turns a man, Ananias was
skeptical, but the Lord had begun this work, and like Paul said,
I'm confident that when the Lord begins something, He finishes
it. It may not look like much at first, but just wait. When the Lord God turns a man,
he's turned. When the Lord God saves a man,
he's saved—or a woman. And like old Barnard used to
say, even the old hound dog is going to know about it. And when
God Almighty saves a man or a woman, He regenerates them. They become
a new creature. And this is not a sudden thing
anymore than our physical growth is a sudden thing. As a matter
of fact, we look in the mirror every day and we don't see any
growth, do we? Others look at us after not being
around for a while and see our ample growth, ample birth, I
should say. We don't see that, though. Neither
do we see it spiritually. But when God saves, He begins
this work, and He'll finish it, and He makes a new creature.
And we are not what we once were. That man that God regenerates
is not what he once was, that woman. But he or she is not what
they could be. They're not what they could be
or going to be. They're not what they will be. but they are certainly not what
they used to be. There's a definite change that comes to pass. And under the sound of the gospel,
under the feeding of milk, that is God's Word, the sincere milk
of the Word and meat of God's Word, you can watch a disciple
of Christ grow. You can watch them grow before
your eyes. You can watch them change. You'll watch them change,
as the Scripture says, into the image of Christ from glory to
glory, from one glorious change to another. And it's generally
more evident concerning people that you're not around all the
time. If you come back in a few years
and see someone that the Lord began dealing with years ago,
you'll see a drastic change, won't you? You'll see a maturity
you didn't see before. Ananias about Saul, no, he's
not, he doesn't look like much right now, Ananias, but you just
wait till I get through with him, and you won't recognize
him. Just wait, you won't recognize
this old boy in a few years. And the Lord said to Ananias,
look at verse 15 and 16, the Lord said unto him, Go your way,
he's a chosen vessel unto me, but bear my name before the Gentiles,
and kings and the children of Israel, and I will show him how
great things he must suffer for my name's sake. And I'm going
to show him that he's going to suffer. And first he's going
to suffer at the hands of his own family and friends for his
stand for the gospel, for this change. that he had nothing to
do with. And he's going to try to tell
them about what the Lord has done, but they're not going to
hear him. As a matter of fact, they're going to mock him and
ridicule him and make fun of him, and he will try to persuade
them out of love to them, but they won't hear him. And that's
the way the Lord does with all of us. We begin to experience
persecution at the hands of our very own family. and friends
and co-workers. The Lord said that. He promised
that. He said, think it not strange now. Marvel not if men hate you. He said, I've come to set a man
at variance, at variance against his father and a daughter against
her mother and so forth. The Lord said that. A man's own
enemies shall be those of his own household just because the
Lord changed them. He's no longer the same. And
verse seventeen, So Ananias went his way, and he entered into
the house, and putting his hands on Saul, said, Brother Saul,
the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou
camest, hath sent thee, that thou mightest receive thy sight,
and be filled with the Holy Ghost. Ananias brought a message to
Saul that day, but it was a message from the Lord just for Saul. As I say, quite often that's
the way it is with God's people, most of the time. The Lord gives
a message, a particular message from a man to us, to our hearts,
and we feel as if the Lord Himself said it to us. Verse 18, and
immediately after Ananias told his message, laid his hands on
him. He says, immediately there fell from his eyes as it had
been scales, and he received his sign. Scales fell off. After he heard this message from
this man, he knew then and there, he became persuaded of who he
believed, truly. this personal message from this
man about this same Christ that he had heard about before. Now
he was fully persuaded in his own mind and heart of who Christ
was and of his interest in Christ, and he knew then and there where
he was going. He was confused before, but now
he knew where he was going. He was going to follow Christ.
Now he knew who he was going with. He was going to go with
Christ's people, that he had no association with people of this
world. And he knew now from this day forward his purpose in life,
to win Christ and be found in Him. He now felt as if Christ
was his life, was his life. And the scripture says he didn't
tarry, he didn't wait for a minute. Once he knew that whom he had
believed and was persuaded that he was able to do all that he
committed, he didn't tarry for a minute. It says he arose and
he was baptized. He was baptized. He arose, and
he renounced his past. That's what baptism is saying.
Renouncing your past, burying your old man with Christ, saying,
the sooner that old man's dead, the better. He's dead and buried
in God's sight, and now I'm confessing Christ as my life, rising to
walk with Him from this day forward. And he confessed faith in Christ.
And this is what the Lord commands all of his people to do. This
is the way that we confess Christ. And it says, verse 19, when he
had received meat, he was strengthened. And he was with the disciples.
Saul was certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.
Saul was one of them now. He wasn't sure of the four. He
was somewhat confused. But now he knew. Now he knew
who his friends were. Now he knew who he wanted to
be with. He was one of them now. And Saul was growing and maturing
in Christ, growing up in Him in all things. And all of God's
people, all of God's newborn babies, you'll find them when
the Lord reveals, truly reveals Himself to them. You'll find
them, these newborn babes, you'll find them going on from strength
to strength, the Scripture says, growing in grace and the knowledge
of the Lord Jesus Christ. They'll be desiring the sincere
milk of the Word. They might grow thereby. Wherever
God's people are, that's where they'll be. They'll be feeding.
They're hungry. They're thirsty. Our Lord said
where the carcass is, the eagles are gathered, meaning that wherever
Christ is, wherever there are people feeding on Christ, that's
where His people will be. I remember as a young man, the
Lord dealt with me and other young men, many other young men.
Wherever my pastor was going to preach, we wanted to go with
him, wherever it may be. Wherever the gospel is going
to be preached, we'd go. It didn't matter how far it was,
how far we had to drive. We were hungry and thirsty for
the gospel. And we went. That's a sign. That's a sign. Verse 20 and 21. And I'll hurry. And straightway
it says, He preached Christ in the synagogues, that He is the
Son of God. But all that heard Him were amazed
and said, Well, is not this He that destroyed them which called
on this name in Jerusalem and came hither for that intent,
came here for that purpose. Put people in jail. They might
bring them bound under the chief priest. They were all amazed,
all of his old cronies. They were amazed. They couldn't
believe this was him. Oh, we just heard him the other
day, cussing. And now I hear he is praising. And that's the
way it is with people whom the Lord saves, all their old friends. They don't hardly recognize it.
They're amazed at the change brought in a person and a sinner's
heart. Verse 22 and 23, it says, And
Saul increased the more in strength. He grew and he confounded the
Jews. And you know, whenever the Lord
saves a man or a woman, I said, He stops their mouth. He stops
their mouth in the presence of God. those who are more learned
and aged in the church and so forth. But he is very anxious
and very willing to tell what the Lord has done for him wherever
he goes. As a matter of fact, he or she gets on the soapbox
just immediately when the Lord saves them. And they don't know
a hill of beans. They don't know anything about the gospel, but
they go out and they tell it. But they tell what they know.
And that was Saul, too. And that was me. And straightway
it says he preached Christ in the synagogues, and those that
heard him couldn't believe it. They couldn't believe the change
had come over him. But Saul increased them more
in strength and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus,
and he proved that this is very Christ. And after that, many
days were fulfilled, it says, the Jews took counsel to kill
him. His old friends turned on him
by the fact that they had him on the back one minute and wanted
to kill him the next. All because of his stand for
Christ. And Peter says to us, he says,
don't think it's strange, but they'll think it's strange that
you run not with them to the same excess of pride that you
used to do. And they'll speak evil of you,
boys." Our Lord said, Dad, He said, You'll be hated of all
men for My name's sake, but these things should not move us. They
should not move us, for we are no longer our own, Scripture
says. We're not our own. We are bought
with a price. We belong to the Master. He's
paid good, a high price for us, and He'll have us, and we are
His. We belong to the Master, and
we are now willing bond slaves. Are you a willing bond slave
of Christ? Have you put your ear up to the doorpost and said,
bore my ear through? I want to serve. I don't want
to go out anymore. That's bondage. Sin is bondage,
but there's freedom in Christ. I've heard the truth, and it's
set me free. And I want now to serve Him from
this day forward. Have you done that? Put your
ear to the doorpost and said, Lord, bore my ear through. And
not just my ear, my heart. My heart. I want to be a bond
slave with Christ. That's what all of God's people
end up doing. Every one of them, without exception.
And the Lord said this of Saul. All this came about Saul because
the Lord said, verse 15, He's a chosen vessel. The Lord didn't need Saul. There
was nothing in Saul to recommend him to the Lord, to commend him
to the Lord. There was nothing that Saul could add to the Lord.
God didn't need Saul, but Saul needed him. And the Lord in mercy
and love and grace said concerning Saul, he's not much, but he's
mine. He's a chosen vessel unto me.
A chosen vessel. And I'm going to make this old
lump of clay into a vessel of honor fit for the Master's use
and His glory. You just come down to the potter's
house and you learn a lesson from the potter. And you just
wait around. You stand amazed. And you watch
what the Lord's going to do. You watch. You'd be amazed and
marvel at the Master's hand. This story reminded me of a a
poem I've heard my pastor quote so many years, and I hope I can
get through it. I had him quote it to me over
the phone today, and I couldn't answer it, couldn't say thank
you. It touched me like that when
I first heard it. But this explains what the Lord does to all of
His people. It was battered and scarred,
and the auctioneer thought it barely worth his while to waste
much time on an old violin, but he held it up with a smile, and
he cried What is my bid, good folks? Who will start the bidding
for me? A dollar? Two dollars? Somebody make it three? Going
for three? Going once? Going twice? No. From the room far back, a
gray-haired man came forward and picked up the bow. And tightening
up the old loosened strings, He played a melody so fair and
sweet as caroling angels would sing. Then the auctioneer, in
a voice quiet and low, said, Now, what is my bid for that
old violin? And he held it up with the bow. Thousand! Two thousand! Somebody
make it three. Going once, going twice, sold
for 3,000, cried he. And the people cheered, but some
of them cried, we just don't understand. What changed the
worth of that old violin? And he said, the touch of the
master's hand. And many a man with life out
of tune, battered and scarred by sin, is auctioned off by a
foolish crowd just like that old violin. But the master comes,
and the foolish crowd can never quite understand the change that
is wrought in an old sinner's heart by the touch of the master's
hand. Pick up that song sheet I put
in front of you there, and let's sing this in closing. He touched me. Can you sing this? Stand with me and let's sing
this. Do you know it? Shackled by a heavy burden Leaps
alone of guilt and shame Then the Lord Jesus touched me, and
now I am no longer the same. He touched me. He touched me and oh, the joy
that floods my soul. Something happened and now I
know He touched me. and made me whole. Since the Master's hand hath
touched me, since He cleansed and made me whole, I will never cease to praise
Him I'll shout it while eternity rolls Each of these, oh, each
of these And oh, the joy that floods my
soul. Something happened, and now I
know He's the King.
Paul Mahan
About Paul Mahan
Paul Mahan has been pastor of Central Baptist Church in Rocky Mount, Virginia since 1989; preaching the Gospel of God's Sovereign Grace.
Broadcaster:
Central Grace Church
Theology:
#Predestination #Grace #Soteriology
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