MY CHOSEN INSTRUMENT
Acts 9:1-31
Key Verses 9:15-16
"But the Lord said to Ananias, 'Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.'"
In last week's passage we saw how the gospel spread through persecution. The believers were going through many hardships because of their faith in Jesus. But they preached Jesus wherever they went. Philip brought the gospel to a Samaritan city. They were ready to hear and receive the gospel and many were healed and received new life in Jesus. Philip also brought the gospel to an Ethiopian eunuch in the desert. He was also ready to hear the gospel. God was blessing the faith and obedience of those scattered for his good purpose to give life to many.
But the persecution did not die down or cease. Rather, it was increasing all the more under the leadership of a man named Saul. Now in today's passage the Lord Jesus appears to Saul. He calls Saul his "chosen instrument." Saul could have been called many names, especially bad ones. But surprisingly the Lord Jesus called him "my chosen instrument." He was not even called a "servant" but an "instrument." This designation is important because it signifies mastery and output. Saul thought that he was in control of his life and that what he was doing was right. But it turns out that he had it completely wrong, all unbeknownst to him. However, the Lord showed his grace to Saul to open his eyes and turn him into a godly instrument. Why did Jesus show his mercy and choose this man? Why did he work to become Saul’s Lord?It is very surprising. Let's look at this passage in 3 parts, according to the way the Lord helps Saul: 1) Jesus reveals Saul's problem (1-4); 2) Jesus reveals the cause of his problem (5-9); and 3) the solution to the problem (10-31).
I. Jesus Reveals Saul's Problem (1-4)
Saul was a Pharisee. He had given approval to Stephen's death (Acts 8:1). Verses 1-2 tell us what he had been doing since that time. Look at verses 1-2. "1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem."
Saul had set out on a persecution campaign and began hunting down the believers. Verse 1 says that he was "still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples." It seems that Stephen's death and prayer did not have a positive affect on Saul. Rather, Saul began to persecute all the more, so much so that his very breath were murderous threats. If his breath even touched you, it felt that your life was being threatened. Saul had not been satisfied with Stephen's death. Rather, a fire in his heart began to burn with intense determination to kill many more and put an end to anything and everything having to do with Jesus.
Now it was at this time, when Saul had become so bad, that the Lord Jesus appeared to him on his journey to Damascus. Let's look at verses 3-4. "3As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" The Lord called out to Saul twice, by name, with a question: "Why do you persecute me?"
Here Jesus revealed Saul's problem. He was the persecuting the Lord. This is shocking to discover. He was a trained and established Pharisee. He was a Jew with authority and respect. He genuinely thought that he was serving the Lord, but in fact he was persecuting the Lord. How embarrassing and frightening! How did he end up having this problem?
II. The Lord reveals the cause of Saul's problem (5-9)
In his question the Lord was bringing out the cause of the problem. The Lord asked Saul, "Why do you persecute me?" Jesus didn’t need to know the answer. Jesus knew Saul fully. He knew why Saul was persecuting, but Saul himself needed to know.
What was Saul's answer to the Lord? Look at verse 5. "Who are you, Lord?" Saul's answer was very honest. He did not make any excuses, such as, "I didn't know that I am persecuting you!" When Saul heard the Lord's voice, it suddenly became clear to him that he did not know who the Lord is. He was blind. This was the cause of his problem. He thought that he was serving the Lord by persecuting the disciples, but in fact he did not even know who the Lord is. He didn't know whom he was serving, so he ended serving himself and his sinful nature and so the devil.
Here he would reveal the cause of the problem to Saul so that he may remedy it. The Lord then answered his question. "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting" (5b). First, the Lord revealed that he is Jesus. Jesus, who died on the cross, is alive and is the Lord. Second, Jesus repeated for the second time that Saul was persecuting him. Here we see that the Lord Jesus identifies with his people. The disciples were not alone in their hardships and persecution. The Lord was with them. And the Lord personally identified with all of their difficulties. Saul must have suffered indescribable shock here. The same Jesus whom he tried to get rid of, who’s disciples Saul had done much harm to, was the Lord! It was the same Jesus he had hated. It is clear here: Jesus revealed that the Lord was not Saul’s lord. Saul had been serving another lord who was not the Lord at all.
We see that Jesus appeared to Saul to become his Lord. Jesus did not appear to Saul to condemn him or retaliate against him. He appeared to Saul to show his mercy and grace to him, to open his eyes to who the Lord is and turn from wickedness. He came to rescue Saul from the power of the devil to the power of God. Jesus’ grace was greater than Saul’s sin.
The Lord Jesus then commanded Saul to go into the city to await further instructions. Saul got up in obedience, but he had been blinded. He was then guided by hand into the city (6-9). Saul quietly obeyed. It would have been easy for Saul to try to excuse his behavior or to doubt the Lord because of his past behavior. Yet he did not remain in his pride or feelings of condemnation because of his sin. He simply accepted the Lord's words and got up in obedience.
III. The solution to the problem (10-31)
The depth of Jesus' grace is hard to grasp. In fact, the disciple Ananias also had a hard time to accept the Lord's grace to Saul. When the Lord called Ananias to visit Saul and lay his hands on him to restore his sight Ananias was hesitant and second guessed Jesus. His hesitation shows just how terrifying Saul was and the fear he had put into the hearts of believers. But Jesus did not accept Ananias's words. Let's look at verses 15-16. "But the Lord said to Ananias, 'Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.'"
First Jesus commanded, "Go!" Ananias had to accept Jesus' grace to Saul despite Saul's past, without any compensation.
Second, Jesus reveals that he had chosen Saul as his instrument. Saul was Jesus' chosen instrument to carry his name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel--basically, all people. What is the importance of carrying “the Name” of Jesus? Peter already said much about the name of Jesus in the books of Acts so far. For example, he said in Acts 4:12, “There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” The name of Jesus is the power of salvation through the forgiveness of sins. It is the name by which we have been given a hope in the kingdom of God and a new life as a new creation! Saul was chosen to be the instrument to carry this name before all people. He was chosen to be used for this great and glorious task.
Let's focus here on the key words "chosen” and “instrument.” The Lord was claiming Saul as his instrument. Saul had thought that he was his own Master. He thought he was doing the right thing. But he was blind. He was in fact an instrument of sin, of murder and persecution, of fear and death. But now Jesus was his Lord and he had been chosen to be the Lord's instrument to carry the Lord's name and proclaim the message of forgiveness of sins and new life. Jesus appeared to Saul to take Saul away from being under the power of the devil as his instrument to being an instrument of the Lord Jesus.
It is quite shocking that Jesus chose Saul of all people to be his instrument. Why did he choose him? Was it because he could speak many languages? Was it because he was so smart? Or that he had a good family background or training as a Pharisee? Was it because Saul had a lot of zeal and ambition? The answer to all these questions is a big fat no. There is only one explanation: it was Jesus' grace 100%.
There are many like Saul running around today. They are advancing in this, masters of that, gaining accomplishment after accomplishment, building up their lives. But they are blind and do not know the Lord. They do not see Jesus. They are blind to the fact that they are instruments of the devil, of sin and death. They need their eyes to be opened to the Lord. They need to accept Jesus as their Lord. And we too were once instruments of sin before Jesus showed his grace to us.
We see that Jesus' grace to Saul also came with apostleship, that is, being sent out by Jesus. Let's look again at verse 15. Apostleship is also his grace so that we may live for God and be a source of blessing in Jesus. Saul never separated Jesus’ grace and apostleship to him. This grace became the defining moment in his life and he loved to confess again and again about Jesus’ grace and choosing. In Ephesians 3:7-8 Saul wrote, "7I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. 8Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." This grace and apostleship was not just for Saul, but it is for all who receive Jesus' grace. This was Saul’s point of view. Saul himself encouraged the believers in Rome regarding this truth. Romans 1:5 says, "Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith." Saul says “we” not “I.” The Lord suffered much so that we could receive his grace apostleship and new life and sin forgiveness.
Now let's look at verse 16. This is the second part of the solution to the problem. "I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." At first glance, it looks like the Lord was now getting to Saul's punishment and payback. But the book of Acts suggests otherwise. For example, Acts 5:41 says, "The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." The apostles had been persecuted and suffered much for Jesus again and again. Finally, in chapter 5, they had been put in jail again. But upon their release they rejoiced at suffering for Jesus. They didn’t complain by saying, “Ah man, we’re in this jail again?! When will it end?” But during that most recent visit, they came to realize the grace of Jesus in suffering his namesake and they rejoiced, saying that they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for Jesus' name. Now Saul found himself in the position of being counted worthy of suffering for Jesus' name. This too was Jesus' grace to Saul. Saul deserved to suffer much for his sins, at least the same that he inflicted to Stephen and the other disciples. But instead he was shown grace to suffer much for Jesus' namesake. As one who had done much harm to the believers, he was now called to suffer with them and experience the power of the name of Jesus. Jesus' statement reveals his full forgiveness and acceptance of Saul and the grace of a new life in him.
Suffering was the way to practically learn of Jesus. This is the meat of the solution to Saul and to all believers. It is to know the Lord for the passage has shown us the importance of knowing who the Lord is. The choosing even to suffering is to participate in the sufferings of Jesus. It is the practical way to know the Lord and to experience his grace and the power of his resurrection in a real way. When we are called to suffering for Jesus' name, we should not be discouraged, confused or depressed. Through this suffering we may learn of Jesus who suffered much and showed his grace to us. And further experience the power of his grace and the power of his resurrection.
How did Saul respond to Jesus' grace? He accepted it. He never forgot it. It moved his being. In this passage we see him quietly obey Jesus and go into the city. There he began to pray according to the Lord’s vision. And verse 20 tells us that once he regained his strength he began to preach about Jesus as the Son of God “at once.” He completely turned from his old life to obedience to Jesus. Let's also look at 1 Corinthians 15:9-10. “ 9For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” He felt that he didn’t even deserve to be called an apostle. But why was he called one? How did he become a servant of the gospel? It was purely God’s grace—in fact, this grace even came as a gift. Then he held to the grace and obeyed the Lord. Here it says that he worked harder than all of them. He didn’t work hard because he had been a zealous man in his old life, but it was purely because of Jesus’ grace. It was the reason he was who he was. He was eager to show that Jesus’ grace was not without effect in his life.
We now have the opportunity today to consider the Lord's grace and choosing to each of us. He chose us; it was not by our own will or power, but by his grace. He chose us to be his instruments and that he would be our Lord. How shall we respond to his grace and choosing? We learn from Saul’s example to simply accept it with thanksgiving and obey him. We must hold on to that grace and do our best according to his power. We have to think about the contents of our old life and the new life that Jesus has chosen us to live. We have to pray that the Lord’s grace to me may not be without effect!
The rest of the passage, verses 17-31, shows how the Lord brought healing and encouragement to Saul and the rest of the church.
First, the Lord helped Saul through Ananias. Let's read verses 17-19. "17Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, 'Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.' 18Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus."
When Ananias visited Saul he called him, "Brother Saul." It must have been very encouraging for Saul to hear. He had been accepted by the very people he tried to harm; it was because Jesus had accepted him. Ananias then prayed for Saul to regain his sight and receive the Holy Spirit. The Lord was bringing healing to Saul through the church members. Hearing the words "Brother Saul" must have felt so refreshing as it was a confirmation of his new life. Ananias could also testify to the other believers that Saul's testimony about Jesus was true.
Look at verses 20-25. "20At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21All those who heard him were astonished and asked, 'Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?' 22Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. 23After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, 24but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall."
After Saul regained his strength he began to preach Jesus' name. He also began to know suffering for Jesus and after a while some of the Jews conspired to kill him, but he was helped and brought to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem Saul received much help from Barnabas. Let's read verses 26-30. "26When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus."
The believers in Jerusalem were afraid of Saul and didn't believe he was really a disciple. But through Barnabas's help Saul came to be accepted by the church. He moved around freely and spoke boldly in the name of the Lord. He even went to the Grecian Jews, whom he had previously associated with, but they tried to kill him. His sufferings continued. But the grace of Jesus and help through the church also continued and Saul was moved to Tarsus.
These events show that Saul came to be accepted because servants such as Ananias and Barnabas accepted Jesus' grace to Saul and so they accepted him and helped him to grow. Through their encouragement, Saul was growing as a bold messenger of the gospel. People like Ananias and Barnabas are necessary for encouragement and healing in the church so that new believers can grow.
Verse 31 concludes by saying, "Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord." The church was experiencing peace, encouragement, strengthening and growth in the Holy Spirit through these events.
Today's passage tells us the importance of knowing who the Lord is by revealing Jesus' grace and apostleship. Jesus shows grace to blind sinners to open their eyes and help them accept Jesus as their Lord. He chose us by that grace to be his instruments to turn others from the power of the devil to the Lord Jesus. By accepting his grace we can experience its power and the power of Jesus’ resurrection each day. May he help us to accept his grace and live a life of obedience to his calling.
One Word: His chosen instrument
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