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Let me invite you to look with
me in your Bible to Acts chapter 9 as we continue our study through
this great book of Scripture. And my text is going to be from
verse 10 down to verse 18. and I want to speak with you
about Ananias, God's servant. Ananias, God's servant. Now, just to be clear, this Ananias
obviously is different than the one that we studied in Acts 5,
the one Ananias and Sapphira that the Lord struck dead because of their deceit. So I'm
going to read as is our custom a few verses and then have you
read in your local dialect. So Acts 9 and
verse 10, and there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias. And to him said the Lord in a
vision, Ananias. And he said, behold, I am here,
Lord. Then verses 11 and 12, and the
Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called
Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called
Saul of Tarsus. For behold, he prayeth,
and he hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in,
and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. Then Ananias answered, Lord,
I've heard by many of this man how much evil he hath done to
thy saints at Jerusalem, and here he hath
authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy
name. But the Lord said unto him, Go
thy way, For he is a chosen vessel unto
me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel.
For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.
For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. For I will
show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. For I will show him how great
things he must suffer for my name's sake. For I will show him how
great things he must suffer for my name's sake. For I will show
him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. For I will show
him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. For I will show him how great
things he must suffer for my name's sake. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my
name's sake. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. For I will
show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. For I will show him how great things
he must And Ananias went his way and entered into the house,
and putting his hands on him, said, Brother Saul, the Lord,
even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the
way as thou camest hath sent me, that thou mightest receive
thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately
there fell from his eyes, as it had been, scales, and he received
sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized." Ifo anachotha haraniya, Now I'm
newbound. People are neither. I'm going
to get to my email. Yes. I mean, I don't want to
get on you. But you know, what would say
I owe you? So you could just see what I'm
doing? See what I'm doing? I don't want
to go. I don't want to go. I don't want
to go. Now, just to review what we've
seen to this point, remember that the Lord had been revealing
himself mightily in that fledgling church there in Jerusalem, causing
many to be converted to the Lord Jesus Christ through the gospel. In fact, we read there that thousands
were being added to the church. It doesn't mean added to the
church of Christ as far as his universal church of elect,
but added to the local congregation, that assembly of called out ones. That's what the church name means,
the called out ones. Now it's important for us to
make a distinction between what God was doing there in Jerusalem
and what men claim, because men today say thousands are getting
saved. That's what they say, thousands
are getting saved. And what they mean is making
profession. The reason why I am here today
is because I want to tell you that I am not a Christian. I
am not a Christian. I am not a Christian. I am not a Christian. I am not
a Christian. I am not a Christian. I am not
a Christian. I am not a Christian. I am not a Christian. I am not a Christian.
I am not a Christian. I am not a Christian. I am not
a Christian. I am not a Christian. I am not a Christian. I am not
a Christian. I am not a Christian. I am not a Christian. I am not
a Christian. I am not a Christian. I am not a Christian. I am not
a Christian. I am not a Christian. I am not a Christian. I am not
a Christian. I am not a Christian. I am not a Christian. I am not
a Christian. I am not a Christian. I am not a Christian. I am not a Christian.
I am not a Christian. I am not a Christian. I am not
a Christian. I am not a Christian What we saw in Acts chapter 2 in verse
41 is that they that gladly received his word, you can put there received
the word of God, the record of God concerning Christ, were baptized,
were immersed. And the same day there were added
unto them about 3,000 souls. There's no mention there about
getting saved. The term that we see, the scripture
language is they gladly received God's record concerning his son. That's not happening today. You know, I mean, you know, I
mean, you know, I mean, you know, And then we read again in Acts
2 47, praising God and having favor with all the people and
the Lord. added to the church, the called
out ones, daily, such as should be saved. We don't read anything here about men walking in an aisle and saying
a prayer and sitting down with some sort of counselor and being
counseled or led to a supposed Jesus. No, it is the Lord who
added to the church such as should be saved. He added those that
he purposed to save and he added those that he did save through
the blood and righteousness of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
That is a true work of God. Thank you. And that's why I'm going to say
this, many of us, when I was first with this ministry, I'm going to say this, many of
us, when I was first with this ministry, I'm going to say this,
many of us, when I was first with this ministry, I'm going
to say this, many of us, when I was first with this ministry, I'm going
to say this, many of us, when I was first with this ministry,
I'm going to say this, many of us, when I was first with this
ministry, I'm going to say this, many of us, when I was first with
this ministry, I'm going to say this, many of us, when I was
first with this ministry, I'm going to say this, many of us, when I was first
with this ministry, I'm going to say this, many of us, when I was first with
this ministry, I'm going to say this, many of us, when I was first
with this ministry, I'm going to say this, many of us, And we can know wherein
it is God that does the work because as verse 47 says, they
were praising God and having favor with all the people. That's
a true testimony of grace where God gets all the glory from beginning
to end. I don't hear that in men's professions
today. These that say they're getting
saved. I don't hear them giving God
the glory. They give glory to man's profession,
They give glory to the preacher. They look to their own will,
but not to God. Such is not a work of God. The matter of course is that
I am not a Muslim. I am not a Christian. I am not a Christian. I am not
a Muslim. If you want to see, you have
to go to the place where you were born, where you were born,
where you were born, where you were born, where you were born,
where you were born, where you were born, where you were born,
where you were born, where you were born, where you were born,
where you were born, where you were born, where you were born, where
you were born. just as we were talking a little
while ago about God causing it to rain as He purposes and also
withholding the rain as He purposes. So we see that here. There's
times of God's blessing when He is pleased to call out those
that He's chosen and redeemed by Christ. We have to know also
that He purposes times of difficulty and persecution. The reason I
am here today is because I want to speak to you about what is
happening in our country. I want to speak to you about
what is happening in our country. I want to speak to you about
what is happening in our country. See, this is the God that this
world, this religious world knows nothing of, but in Isaiah chapter
45 in verse seven, we read, I form the light and create darkness. I make peace
and create evil. The Lord, I the Lord, do all
these things." So we bless him in times of rejoicing when he's
turning souls to Christ, but at the same time, we bless him
when he does bring persecution, times of light and times of darkness. The Bible tells us that God created
man in the form of Jesus, and man in the form of God, and man
in the form of God, and man in the form of God, and man in the
form of God, and man in the form of God, and man in the form of
God. This is the reason why I am here.
This is the reason why I am here. This is the reason why I am here. And that's where we see here
in Acts chapter 8 verses 1 through 3 where this
man named Saul of Tarsus was wreaking havoc against the church
of God. And here's where we learn something
again of the God of the Bible, because all the while Saul of
Tarsus was persecuting the church, and as it says there in verse
three, made havoc of the church, entering into every house and
hailing men and women, committed them to prison. All the while,
he was doing that God sovereignly, was ruling and working. You see the view of the world
that most have today is that on the one side you have God
and the other side you have the devil and What there is is what they call
a tug of war. I don't know if you have that
there in Africa, but you take a rope and put it between two
sides and one side pulls the other to see who's the strongest. That's the view that people have
of the world, that God is pulling on one side and that's where
you see blessing. But oh, wait a minute, here comes
the devil. Now he's working against the
church. And so on the other side, you got him pulling. But that
is not what we see of the God of Scripture. I'm going to give it to you.
I'm going to give it to you. And here's where you'll hear
preachers or congregations or people putting out a call for
prayer. They'll say we need to get together and we need to pray
so that God can gain the upper hand again because the devil's
at work and we don't want the devil to win and so Now they get people on God's
side pulling on His side of the rope, as if God needs man's help. I am not saying that I am not
going to do it. I am not saying that I am not going to do it. I am
not saying that I am not going to do it. I am not saying that
I am not going to do it. I am not saying that I am not going
to do it. I am not saying that I am not going to do it. I am
not saying that I am not going to do it. I am not saying that
I am not going to do it. I am not saying that I am not going
to do it. I am not saying that I am not going to do it. I am
not saying that I am not going to do it. I am not saying that
I am not going to do it. I am not saying that I am not
going to do it. I am not saying that I am not going to do it. I am
not saying that I am not going to do it. I am not saying that
I am not going to do it. I am not saying that I am not
going to do it. I am not What we learn is that all the
while Saul of Tarsus was breathing out these threatenings and persecuting
the church and putting people in prison, and yes, even participating
in their deaths, as we saw with Stephen there in Acts 7 and verse
58, All the while, God was directing. God was sovereignly working in
and through everything that took place. Professor Saul, I would like
to inform you that I have a friend, Stefano, who is a professor at the University of Bingo. He
is a professor at the University of Bingo. He is a professor at
the University of Bingo. He is a professor at the University of Bingo. He is
a professor at the University of Bingo. He is a professor at
the University of Bingo. He is a professor at the University of Bingo. He
is a professor at the University of Bingo. He is a professor at
the University of Bingo. He is a professor at the University
of Bingo. He is a professor at the University of Bingo. He is a
professor at the University of Bingo. He is a professor at the
University of Bingo. He is a professor at the University of Bingo. He
is a professor at the University of Bingo. He is a professor at the University
of Bingo. He is a professor at the University of Bingo. He is
a professor at the University of Bingo. He is a professor at Paul himself
gave this testimony in writing to the Galatians in chapter one
and verse 13, where he said, you've heard of my conversation
in time past in the Jews religion. He was a religious man and yet
hated Christ and how that beyond measure, I persecuted the church
of God. And he says, and wasted it. That
was his purpose to get rid of the church of God. What folly? If you are a woman, you have
the right to vote. If you are a man, you have the
right to vote. If you are a woman, you have the right to vote. Look what Paul says in Galatians
1.15. when it pleased God." Everything
occurs according to God's good pleasure. When it pleased God,
notice, who separated me from my mother's womb. That means he was already the
Lord's from his mother's womb by electing grace. And it says,
called me by his grace. That's what the church is. He
did not know that he was actually already a member of that very
church that he was persecuting, and he was already one with them
in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, even though at this point
he hated them. When I was a kid, I used to go
to school and play with my friends. When I grew up, I went to school
and played with my friends. We don't know what's going to
happen. I am not saying that I am not
going to do it, I am not saying that I am not going to do it,
I am not saying that I am not going to do it, I am not saying
that I am not going to do it, I am not saying that I am not going to
do it, I am not saying that I am not going to do it, I am not
saying that I am not going to do it, I am not saying that I am not going
to do it, I am not saying that I am not going to do it, I am
not saying that I am not going to do it, I am not saying that
I am not going to do it, I am not saying that I am not going
to do it, I am not saying that I am not going to do it, I am
not saying that I am not going to do it, I am not saying that I
am not going to do it, I am not saying that I am not going to do it,
I am not saying that I am not going to do it, I am not I have friends and acquaintances
today, and I know that some of you do as well, that are in congregations
that consider themselves Christian and yet everything they believe
and are taught is anti-Christ. Oh yes, they have a Jesus that
they worship and yet when they're confronted with the Christ of
Scripture, who is sovereign, who saves whom he will, and does
not give credence to man's will in any way, but saves everyone
that the Father gave him. All of a sudden, you see these
very same people, just like Saul of Tarsus, threatening and exposing
and wishing to be separated or separate out any that would believe
in the way that the scriptures teach of Christ. That same spirit
is in men and women today. The Lord Jesus Christ. I am a Christian, I am a Christian,
I am a Christian, I am a Christian, I am a Christian, I am a Christian,
I am a Christian, I am a Christian, I am a Christian, I am a Christian,
I am a Christian, I am a Christian, I am a Christian, I am a Christian,
I am a Christian, I am a Christian, I am a Christian, I am a Christian,
I am a Christian, I am a Christian, I am a Christian, I am a Christian,
I am a Christian, I am a Christian, I am a Christian, I am a Christian,
I am a Christian, I am a Christian, I am a Christian, I am a Christian,
I am a Christian, I am a Christian, I am a Christian, I am a Christian, I am a Christian,
I am a Christian, I am a Christian, I am a Christian, I am a Christian,
I am a Christian, I am a Christian, I am a Christian, I am a Christian,
I am a Christian, I am a Christian I readily confess that I was
of that number. For years, I believed in a God
that I loved. I believed in a Jesus that I
had been taught and loved, a Jesus that loved
everybody and wanted to save everybody, and it was up to me
to go out there and convince sinners to believe on Him. And
then, just as it says here, when it pleased God, who separated
me from my mother's womb and called me by His grace, notice,
to reveal His Son in me, the true Christ, the Jesus that actually
saves everyone He came to save. Death was not an attempt to save
everybody. No, it was a payment for the
sin debt of everyone that the father had given him and those
he saves, but salvations of the Lord. And the Lord brought Melo
to bow to this Jesus, just as he did Saul of Tarsus on the
road to Damascus. So, we are going to do this,
we are going to do this, we are going to do this, we are going
to do this. Amen. We are going to work it. Yes,
we're in there. You. I dare say, if you went into
these congregations today that call themselves Christian and
ask them, do you love God? Do you love Jesus? They're going
to swoon. Oh, I love God. Oh, how I love Jesus. But then
when you begin to talk to them about the God of the Bible and
the Lord Jesus Christ that he sent into this world, not to
save everybody. There were many he passed by,
but to save only those that the Father gave him and those he
chose from eternity. All of a sudden, you see people
pushing back. It's like, whoa, no, I don't
believe in that God. I wouldn't, no, that's not my
Jesus. You know, you know. If you don't believe in God,
how can you believe in God? If you don't believe in God, how can you believe
in God? If you don't believe in God, how can you believe in
God? If you don't believe in God, how can you believe in God?
If you don't believe in God, how can you believe in God? If you
don't believe in God, how can you believe in God? If you don't
believe in God, how can you believe in God? If you don't believe in God, how can you believe
in God? If you don't believe in God, how can you believe in God?
If you don't believe in God, how can you believe in God? If you don't believe in
God, how can you believe in God? If you don't believe in God,
how can you believe in God? If you don't believe in God, how can you believe in God?
If you don't believe in God, how can you believe in God? If you don't
believe in God, how can you believe in God There was a preacher with whom I met years
ago, and he was talking about his love for God and his love
for Jesus. And I stopped him. I said, well,
let's make sure we're talking about the same God. as what the Bible declares. And
so I took the time to take him through scripture and show him
portions of scripture that declare God to be sovereign over all,
and that he has his vessels of mercy, but he also has his vessels
of wrath, and that the Lord Jesus Christ, when he paid the sin
debt, only paid the debt for those that the Father had chosen,
and that the rest, he passed by. And I can still remember
him saying to me, I would rather go to hell than to believe in
a God that distinguishes between whom he saves and whom he condemns.
And I told him, I said, well, unless the Lord is gracious in
teaching you of himself, that's exactly where you will go. If you want to enter Islam, you
have to have faith in God. If you don't have faith in God,
you can't enter Islam. If you don't have faith in God,
you can't enter Islam. If you don't have faith in God,
you can't enter Islam. If you don't know how to do it,
you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't
do it, you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't
do it, you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't
do it, you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't
do it, you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't
do it, you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't
do it, you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't
do it, you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't
do it, you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't do it, you can't
do I don't know what to say. I don't know what to say. Now, I say all that to say this,
coming back to Acts chapter nine, here is Saul in verse three,
heading to Damascus to arrest, as it says in verse one, and
slaughter, notice, the disciples of the Lord. He went with authority
to do that, but all the while, he was on a path to where he
would encounter now the Lord Jesus Christ. This was no surprise
to the Lord. It's not that I don't like it,
it's just that I don't know what to do with my life. I don't know
what to do with my life. I don't know what to do with
my life. I don't know what to do with my life. Now it was a surprise to Ananias
just as it was a surprise to others as they heard that Saul
of Tarsus had been converted to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
why Ananias said there in verse 13, Lord, I've heard by many of this
man how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem, and
here he hath authority from the chief priest to bind all that
call on thy name." In his thinking, he's saying, and you want me
to go see him? I don't know. I don't know. Now, begin. this message by saying the title
is Ananias, God's Servant. Here again is the thought that
if someone is God's servant that somehow they live their lives
perfectly for God We read biographies like that,
that men have written of themselves. They're autobiographies. They
like to talk about how much they pray and how much they serve
the Lord and this and that. No, here we have Ananias, the
servant of God, but first of all, a reluctant servant. Ah, Musa Iwale, I have a problem
with Hanania. I mean, I don't like Apollo Moon.
I'm not mad at Hanania. I don't like Apollo Moon. I mean,
I don't know what's going on. I mean, I don't like Apollo Moon.
I'm not mad at Hanania. I don't like Apollo Moon. I'm not mad at Hanania.
I don't like Apollo Moon. I'm not mad at Hanania. I don't like
Apollo Moon. I'm not mad at Hanania. I don't like Apollo Moon. I'm
not mad at Hanania. I don't like Apollo Moon. I'm
not mad at Hanania. I don't like Apollo Moon. I'm
not mad at Hanania. I don't like Apollo Moon. I'm not mad at Hanania. I don't like
Apollo Moon. I'm not mad at Hanania. I don't like Apollo Moon. I'm
not mad at Hanania. I don't like Apollo Moon. I'm not mad at Hanania. I don't
Now the whole world serves God's purpose and His glory, but when
He is pleased to raise up preachers of the gospel and to send them
forth, none of us is willing in and of ourselves. It's the
Lord who makes us willing. Otherwise, we would never go.
We would not preach this message. We know it's not popular. We
know it's one that the world does not want to hear. And so
we are, just like Ananias, reluctant servants by nature. If you don't
know how to do it, you can't do it. If you don't know how
to do it, you can't do it. You can't do it. If you don't know how to do it,
you can't do it. You can't do it. If you don't
know how to do it, you can't do it. When you look through scripture,
you can see This was the pattern. Think of
Moses when the Lord first raised him up. He said he didn't have
the ease of speaking, of language, and he was hesitant, and yet
the Lord would not leave him alone. In the name of the people of
Zimbabwe, I want to ask you a question. If you were to tell me that you
are a Muslim, and that you are not a Muslim, what would you
say to the people of Zimbabwe? The same could be said of Joshua,
the same could be said of Isaiah, of Jeremiah, or any that the
Lord has raised up to send them forth to preach the gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not one a mission that
any would take of themselves, but it is the Lord who sends
forth his servants, even though they're reluctant. Think of Jonah. For example, if you read the
Bible, you will see that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was crucified. If you read the Bible, you will
see that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was crucified. Here again, we see the difference
in the way that God is pleased to do his work versus how men
would endeavor to do their work. Here again today, men think that
God needs our help and so They're always asking for volunteers. They're asking people to come
down front and take the preacher's hand and dedicate their lives
to go serve the Lord. And then they send them out into
what they call the mission field. That's not how God works. I don't know what to say. I don't
know what to say. I don't know what to say. I don't know what
to say. I don't know what to say. I don't know what to say.
I don't know what to say. I don't know what to say. I don't
know what to say. I don't know what to say. I don't know what to
say. I don't know what to say. I don't know what to say. I don't
know what to say. I don't know what to say. I don't
know what to say. I don't know what to say. I don't know what
to say. I don't know what to say. I don't know what to say.
I don't know what to say. I don't know what to say. I don't
know what to say. I don't know what to say. I don't know what
to say. I don't know what to say. I don't know what to say. I don't know
what to say Our Lord told his disciples,
he said, the harvest is plenteous and the laborers are few. He
didn't say that by complaint, but he said that by purpose,
that he purposed that it be that way, that there are those he's
purposed to save and yet he's not going to give his glory to
an army of volunteers. No. He will, it says, pray ye
the Lord of the harvest that he send forth laborers into his
harvest field. He does it. It's not up to us. It's him doing it. You know, after Kenzambi, my
wife and I got married. After we got married, we went to Zambia. My wife and
I got married there. After we got married, we went to Zambia. My
wife and I got married there. After we got married, we went to Zambia. After we got
married, we went to Zambia. After we got married, we went to Zambia.
After we got married, we went to Zambia. After we got married,
we went to Zambia. After we got married, we went to Zambia. After
we got married, we went to Zambia. After we got married, we went
to Zambia. After we got married, we went to Zambia. After we got
married, we went to Zambia. After we got married, we went
to Zambia. After we got married, we went to Zambia. After we got
married, we went to Zambia. After we got married I must confess
that I was one of those volunteers For years, I walked an aisle
and I dedicated my life to go out and serve the Lord. And I
went through graduate school and studied theology and went
and learned the French language and went over to Africa as part
of this volunteer army. But I can tell you, I wasn't
preaching the gospel. you know. And it was just like with Saul
of Tarsus, when it pleased God, who had separated me from my
mother's womb, yes, but called me by His grace to reveal His
Son in me. That's where everything changed. Yes, I had volunteered to go
out and represent religion, and that I did for a number of years. But as far as what I am preaching
now, this gospel, the glorious gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ,
I didn't do it by volunteering. It was the Lord himself who directed
me by his grace, and now I preach because it pleased him to reveal
Christ in me. I want to say that I am a volunteer,
I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen,
I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen,
I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen,
I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen,
I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen,
I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen,
I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I
am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen,
I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I am a citizen, I
am a citizen, I am a citizen That was like a dog on a leash. You
give a dog a real long rope. and sometimes he thinks he's
free and so he's running, running, running until he gets to the
end of the rope and all of a sudden it jerks him back. That was me. It was the Lord pulling me in
and bringing me low to show me that it was necessary that He
reveal Christ and His grace to me. Otherwise, I was lost. What do you say to the boy on the boat?
If you have a car, or you have a house full of people, or you
have a car full of people, or you have a house full of people,
or you have a house full of people, or you have a house full of people, or you
have a house full of people, or you have a house full of people, or you have a house full
of people, or you have a house full of people, or you have a
house full of people, or you have a house full of people, or you have a
house full of people, or you have a house full of people, or you
have a house full of people, or you have a house full of people,
or you have a house full of people, or you have a house full of people, or you have a
house full of people, or you have a house full of people, or you have a
house full of people, or you have a house full of people, or you have a house
full of people, or you have a house full of people, or you have a
house full of people, or you Ananias was God's servant. It was God
who spoke to him and said, to this Saul of Tarsus, but I
would rather a reluctant servant that the Lord is teaching than
a pompous servant who just boldly says, I'm going to go. I'll be
ready. Oh, that's Saul. Yes. I want
to be the one that converts him. If you don't want to go to war,
don't go to war. If you don't want to go to war,
don't go to war. If you don't want to go to war, don't go to
war. If you don't want to go to war, don't go to war. If you
don't want to go to war, don't go to war. If you don't want
to go to war, don't go to war. If you don't want to go to war,
don't go to war. I still receive letters today
from young men who want to be preachers. They just feel like
that's what they need to do, and so they want to know how
they can get into the ministry. Those kind, I tell them they
need to go sit and listen, because I don't see anywhere in Scripture
where the Lord raised up people who were just anxious to go preach
this gospel. No, those the Lord uses, He's
made willing in the day of His power. but we're just like Ananias,
reluctant to go anywhere or say anything or do anything but what
the Lord himself is directing. I don't know. I don't know. Now years later, Paul himself
testified to this in 1 Corinthians chapter two. when he was writing to the Corinthians
and reminding them that his ministry was not of himself. His ministry
was one of antichrist, believing and preaching a doctrine that
was contrary to what God's record declared of Christ. But now this
ministry of grace that he had received was not of himself. which is. There are a lot of people that
think that Paul must have been a great preacher for his excellency
of speech. And yet he said in verse 1 of
1 Corinthians 2, I, brethren, when I came to you, came not
with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you
the testimony of God. Not man's testimony, God's testimony. You see, when I was a kid, I
used to play with my friends. I used to play with my friends. I used to play
with my friends. I used to play with my friends. I used to play with my friends. I used
to play with my friends. I used to play with my friends. I used to play with my friends.
I used to play with my friends. I used to play with my friends. I used to play
with my friends. I used to play with my friends. I used to play with
my friends. I used to play with my friends. I used to play with my friends. I used to play with
my friends. I used to play with my friends. I used to play with my friends. I used
to play with my friends. I used to play with my friends. I used to play with my friends. I used
to play with my friends. I used to play with my friends. I used to play with my friends.
I used to play with my friends. I used to play with my friends. I used
to play with my friends There are probably many congregations
today and preachers that if Paul were alive, they'd want him to
come to one of their meetings and
give his testimony. Well, Paul didn't do that. He
didn't come to speak of himself. He came declaring, it says, the
testimony of God, not his testimony, God's testimony. You may ask, well, what is God's
testimony? Well, he says in verse two, I
determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and
him crucified. the person of Christ and the
work of Christ. That's all of God's testimony. He purposes to give the honor
to his son. But here again, just as we're
looking at Ananias, God's servant, the reluctant servant, so now
Paul, because he says in verse three, I was with you in weakness, and in fear and in much trembling. Some might scratch their head
and think, this is the same one who slaughtered and breathed
out threatenings against the disciples of the Lord, now saying
that he comes in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling?
What happened? I don't know. I'm in a set up. What happened is that God laid
him low and brought him to see that he was nothing but a vile
sinner before a holy God and that all of his salvation was
in this one Jesus Christ alone who came and paid his sin debt.
No wonder he was a trembling sinner. No wonder he was filled
with weakness and wonderment. That's what that word fear means.
It wasn't fear of men. but the wonderment that God should
save a sinner such as he. So, I'm going to tell you what
I'm going to do. That's why it says in verse 4,
my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration
of the spirit and of power, that your faith should not stand in
the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." And who is the
power of God other than the Lord Jesus Christ? Today preachers are judged as
popular because of how they preach and how they speak and what they call the power that
comes through their preaching. I would rather hear a servant
of God who stutters every word and yet does nothing but preach
Christ and Him crucified. I could sit and listen to a man
like that other than one up ranting and raving and carrying on and
blood vessels bursting off the side of his neck and people applauding. That's not a servant of God. And I'm really was a casino. I even she to your way loser
as we can't wait. I'm a. I'm. I need to draw this message to
a close, but coming back to Acts 9, And verse 15, you can see how
it is the Lord encouraged and directed Ananias, this reluctant
servant. What did he say? The Lord said
unto him, go thy way for he is a chosen vessel unto me to bear
my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel
for I will show him how great things he must suffer for my
name's sake. Here's the Lord saying to Ananias,
just like we know is true of any that the Lord saves, that
they've all the while been his chosen vessel, and that it's
just now that it's pleased God to reveal Christ in him. And you know, those are the Lords. They can rejoice in that. I want to tell you that I have
been working on this project for 14 years. I started in 2015.
I have been working on this project for 4 years. I have been working
on this project for 4 years. I have been working on this project
for 4 years. I have been working on this project
for 4 years. For example, if you have two
children, and you don't know how to raise them, you don't
know how to take care of them, you don't know how to take care
of them, you don't know how to take care of them, you don't
know how to take care of them, you don't know how to take care
of them, you don't know how to take care of them, you don't
know how to take care of them, you don't know how to take care
of them, you don't know how to take care of them, you don't
know how to take care of them, you don't know how to take care
of them. I'm thankful the Lord so stopped me, arrested me, because
I was on that same path as Saul of Tarsus, looking to build my
own name and build a ministry and do it as I thought best. And yet, when it pleased God
to reveal Christ in me and laid me low, caused me to see my lost
estate and showed me that my salvation was in Christ alone,
as I preach today, It's not numbers. I care not whether the world
hears or not. I am God's servant on the trail
of God's sheep. And if he brings just one, his
name be praised. It's all I have any more than
that. Well, we just pretty much saw
the introduction. We'll come back to it next time
here in Acts 9. as far as Ananias, God's servant,
some of the points I had written down, the reluctant servant,
but the separated servant, one that God separated out, a skeptical
servant, he was skeptical initially, but the Lord directed his thoughts,
and finally, the submissive servant, God making him willing in the
time of his power. So a lot more to see here, and
Lord willing, we'll come back to it next time. I want to ask
you a question. I want to ask you a question.
I want to ask you a question. I want to ask you a question.
I want to ask you a question. I want to ask you a question.
I want to ask you a question. I want to ask you a question.
I want to ask you a question. I want to ask you a question.
I want to ask you a question. This is the only way we will
be able to protect our land and our people.
Hananiya Mtumiki Wa Mulugu
Series Malawi International Worship
How was Ananias used of God to minister unto the apostle Paul? How did God strengthen Ananias heart to accomplish His will? How is Ananias an example of God preparing the heart of one of His children to witness to the truth and not fear what others may do unto them?
| Sermon ID | 1126161453566 |
| Duration | 1:07:53 |
| Date | |
| Category | Teaching |
| Bible Text | Acts 9:10-18 |
| Language | English |
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