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Maybe the 1St 31 verses.
Acts Chapter 9 and verse one, and Saul yet breathing out threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, right under the high priest, and desired of him letters to the Damascus, to the synagogue, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them, bound them to Jerusalem. And at the journey he came near Damascus, and suddenly they're shined round about him alight from heaven.
And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou meat? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecuted, It is hard for thee to kick against the ******. And he, trembling and astonished, said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journey with him stood speechless.
Hearing a voice, but seeing no man. And Paul arose from the earth, and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man, but they led him by the hand and brought him unto Damascus, and he was three days without sight.
And neither did he nor drink. And there was a certain disciple of Damascus named Ananias. And to him said the Lord in a vision Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. 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 who prayeth? And have 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 More, I have 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 namesake 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 of 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 scaled, and he received sight forthwith, and a rose.
And was baptized, and when he had received meat he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogue, that He is the son of Bra. But all that heard him were amazed, and said, Is not this he that destroyed them, which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hit her for that intent, that he might bring them bound under the chief priests.
But Saul increased the more in strength and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very price. And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him. But they're laying in wait was known as Saul, and they watched at the gates day and night to kill him. Then the disciples took him by night and let him down by the wall in a basket. And when fall was come to Jerusalem, he is saved to join himself to the disciples.
But they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him.
And how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus, And he was with them, coming in and going out at Jerusalem, any faith boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians. But they went about to slay him, which, when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus. Then have the churches rest throughout all Judea, and Galilee and Samaria.
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And were edified, and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost were multiplied.
Ethnic Moses of the last meeting, the reading meeting I made yesterday, we sang that him God moves in mysterious ways his wonders to perform. I really enjoyed the the the meditation of that him in connection with this book of Acts, though I know that is not the intent of the author of that hymn. The mysterious ways are more in connection with the practical.
Trials and involvements of Christian life. But it fits too in connection with the development of what the Spirit of God is doing in opening up the Christian testimony through the disciples. And we see it beautifully displayed in this chapter, where Saul an enemy of the Christian testimony who was fighting against Christianity, putting people to death.
If we think about it, it's like converting an Osama bin Laden to a Billy Graham.
That's no stretch of the imagination to say it in that way. This man saw was that kind of a person persecuting Christians. And God says, OK, you have that deal, I'll take you and use you for my cause on my side. And so he arrests Saul of Tarsus and brings him to the knowledge of who Jesus is.
In heaven, this was what converted and changed Saul to become the great apostle to the Gentiles, and he used that zeal. So you see how the Lord Jesus in heaven is in complete control.
And the Holy Spirit is here, active on earth, and none of the confusion and persecution.
And the events that are taking place against Christianity could thwart or stop God's intent in gathering of people to himself.
Earlier, for example, even you have the the umm, Gamaliel of the teacher, uh, when they were with the situation saying you can't fight against God.
He realized that God was doing the work. That was the beginning of the Christian testimony. We may lose sight of some of that power in the weakness that prevails around us, but the same God is working today, and we need to realize these principles in the last days in all our weakness, and not give up the Christian faith, but hold to us in our day as we see here.
What how the the Church began and its relationship with Christ and glory.
Just to back up a moment to what we have in the previous chapter, At the end of the previous chapter, I was thinking of it in connection with what our brother Dawn said in the address, because there is a great deal of talk about replacement theology. But as you go through the book of the Acts, you very quickly see that while we said yesterday it is a transitional book, yet Christianity is not a makeover of Judaism.
Or an extension of it. The Lord Jesus said himself. Do men sell new cloth on an old garment?
Do they put new wine in old bottles? What the Lord Jesus was really saying is that there was something going to be brought in that was brand new and a capacity that was never known and appreciated, nor could be under the old order, old Jewish order of things. And that was going to be set aside and something brand new brought in. And it's interesting that the conversion of salt of tarsus, just before that we have the Ethiopian eunuch coming up to Jerusalem.
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I say it's significant because we find that when the Ethiopian unit came to Jerusalem, he found a very different Jerusalem than his predecessor, the Queen of Sheba. I have no doubt that the Ethiopian unit came up to Jerusalem based on report that he had heard handed down in the Kingdom from which he came from, a report of a glorious Jerusalem.
And a man on the throne who was exalted and known worldwide. And so on. No doubt that report had been handed down.
After the queen of Sheba had gone home, and generations later, the Ethiopian eunuch comes up to prove that report for himself. But he found a very different Jerusalem, didn't he? He didn't find Jerusalem in his glory. He found Jerusalem in its shame. The holy city had rejected Christ. They had taken him outside their walls and had him nailed to a Roman cross. The temple was no longer God's center.
As it was in the days of Solomon, they had rejected the true Solomon, and the true Solomon was the man taking a journey into a far country to wait for his Kingdom. The true Solomon had gone back.
To heaven, the Lord Jesus was now the rejected one, but also the ascended glorified one at the right hand of God. And the Ethiopian unit could not find blessing at Jerusalem. He'd come too late for that, so to speak. With Jerusalem in its shame and the true Solomon rejected. If he was going to find the blessing, it had to be outside the walls of that city that had rejected the their Messiah.
It had to be outside in a wilderness place, directed by, uh, the word of God in his hand and directed by an evangelist. To explain that this was prophetic of the Lord Jesus. He begins at the same scripture and preached his preaches to him, Jesus, but not Jesus in Jerusalem. This was Jesus, the one who had gone to the cross yet as the 53rd of Isaiah where he was reading had prophesied.
But this was the Jesus too, that was now risen and exalted, and if he was going to receive the blessing?
It was to be connected not with Jesus at Jerusalem, but Jesus as the Lord, as the man and the man of glory. And so this pre is the, uh, predecessor of what we have in this chapter then, and that Jesus that the Ethiopian eunuch had found, and not a re not to be reintroduced to Judaism and so on, but introduced to Christ in glory.
Then that's the one that from the glory then arrest this man Saul of Tarsus in his course. This is the one that Saul of Tarsus becomes connected with, and this is the one then that Saul of Tarsus is sent to present to the Gentiles.
It's a little light to Lord Jesus in the ninth of John when he, the man that had been healed, was cast out of the synagogue. Then Jesus went and looked him up after he had been cast out and revealed himself to him. And so after Judaism had failed and proved itself unworthy a blessing, the Lord Jesus is not stopped in his way of blessing.
Then he opens up heavenly blessings and he sends the Holy Spirit down. And you see the development of that in these early chapters of the book of Acts. And, uh, in that case that you mentioned Jim, about the Ethiopian eunuch, uh, the Lord in glory sent Phillip to meet him along the way as he wrote, uh, as he wrote in his chariot and, and he preached from Isaiah 53, it proves that the Lord in heaven.
Knew all that was going on on earth, and that's what you see developed in our chapter 2. The way Saul is converted here it he's brought to Northeast. Realize that Jesus is livingly linked with his people on earth and cares for them.
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Might be good to look at Galatians chapter one and you get that heavenly connection and the authority that umm from heaven instead of Jerusalem in that link as you say in Galatians chapter one and verse 15.
It says, But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen.
Immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood, neither went I up to Jerusalem, to them which were apostles before me, but I went into Arabia and returned again into unto Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter in a boat with him. 15 days. Well, it tells us there, and what we have brought out in this chapter, very beginning of it. Is it Paul or Saul here? He went to Damascus, and he had authority from Jerusalem to persecute the Jews, to persecute Christians, and to destroy.
The name of Christ, but he was arrested, as you say, on that road walking away from Jerusalem. He goes to this, uh, city of Damascus and, umm, there he gets authority from heaven to preach Christ to the Gentiles and to magnify that name. And it's a power that, uh, he never had, had, never experienced in Judaism ever. And so that's one of the things that characterizes Christianity.
So it's late, but the person of Christ. I'd like to bring out an additional line of thought in addition to the Christianity being in contrast to Judaism.
Turn to 1St Corinthians chapter 15.
Reverse.
First Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 22.
Whereas in Adam all died, Even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
And then over in Second Corinthians chapter 5.
2nd Corinthians, chapter 5.
And verse 14.
For the law of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge that if one died for all, then we're all dead, and that he died for all. That they which lived should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we?
Uh, no, we no man after the flesh. Yeah, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, or a new creation. All things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new, and all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and have given to us the ministry of reconciliation.
This is an additional line of thought that is introduced, or truth that's introduced to us in the Person of Fall.
Our saw and it's this up until the Lord Jesus died, man under as he is in Adam was under responsibility and being tested as to whether God could have anything from man from the first man, Adam or his race, and Saul represents the best of that race.
In the Old Testament, if you trace it out, King Saul represents the best in the Old Testament economy. Both of the salts. I wonder if God used their names to be the same for that reason. But Saul was the very best that man in the flesh could produce.
He How many of us in this room could say we as Paul looked at the 10 commandments?
Every single outward expression of them his life expressed. The one that got him was the inner one. Uh, thou shalt not covet. But as far as man could see him after the flesh, he was the best example of it. But when the Lord Jesus is crucified, it's the end of God seeking anything from man after the flesh. And even Saul was the best of religious flesh.
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Because what God recognized at that time of man after the flesh was Judaism, and he was the best that Judaism could produce. He was the model Jew, if you will, as to what could come from that. And this new thing, Christianity or the followers of Jesus were antagonistic to that religion as far as they thought, so they tried to get rid of it.
And he's the most zealous 1 presented to us is trying to get rid of this new thing that has come along.
But God is saying to us in it, in Adam, all die. There's no thing for God in Adam's race. There's nothing for God after the flesh. So in Christ God begins something new in Christ, in resurrection.
God begins to work with mankind in a new and different way than he had publicly if you will. He had worked in seouls before, but now as a as a work collective thing, it's new in the earth.
And he takes that which represents the worst or best if you however you look at it, because the worst, the best of the flesh, was the farthest from God. It's not.
Really incorrect to say he was the chief of centers, because the farther a man goes in the flesh, in truth, the farther he gets from gone.
It's a solemn thing, but, and it's something you have to meditate on to see because we say, oh, but he didn't do this. He didn't do that. So he wasn't quite as bad as somebody that did this or that. But as far as his opposition to God, he was the ultimate expression, opposition to God. And in that way he's the chief of sinners. So God takes what man after the flesh is in his best condition, which is really an expression of his worst condition, and he says, I can take that.
And I can start a new creation. So 2nd Corinthians 5 is the expression of Christ that are all dead was a statement about Adams race and so Christ coming in the flesh dies to that condition of things is separated from it never takes it up again. But in resurrection he is the beginning of a new creation and in that new creation God begins to work to form something that.
Has no connection with the old and because.
Christ is in resurrection the heavenly man. He immediately associates the new work and new creation with a different origin. Adam was of the earth earthy. The new creation is a divine creation which begins with heaven and it has a heavenly character and the apostle Paul becomes the model.
Of new creation in his life. He is the model Christian. He is the pattern of Christianity as God has given it to us. The Lord Jesus even is not that because He was of the old order until His resurrection. So we don't see in His life the pattern of new creation, but we see it in the Apostle Paul. And that's what this 9th chapter of Acts is also introduced in.
To us is the whole change from the old to the new, including the religion of the flesh, which was Judaism, which is totally put aside that there be something, if you want to call it religious Christianity, but it's a Christianity that begins and is connected from its origin with new creation and heaven, where the old had been in Adam with the earth and that which is earthy.
It might be nice to read the first Timothy one, the verses that substantiate this uh, of Paul being the pattern, umm first Timothy chapter one and verses.
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15 and 16 This is the faithful saying, worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief, albeit for this 'cause I obtain mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter.
Leave on him to ever like everlasting. And then he burst out in praise. What a wonderful thing, this pattern that God gave us in Paul. And that's why it's so important for us in Christia and our Christian testimony to to hold to the doctrine that Paul gave us, because it's the foundation of the Christian faith. And you cannot give up all doctrine without making shipwrecks.
Uh, in Christianity Today, in fact, that's how the book of Acts really ends up is a picture of that in the shipwreck when they gave up Paul's advice and the testimony, uh, was broken up pictured in that shipwreck. So God gave us in this book of Acts, uh, beginning here with Paul, uh, the foundation crews of Christianity are.
Are given through him. He is that chosen vessel directly from the Lord in heaven. That's what differentiates Paul's ministry from the other 12.
They got their ministry from the Lord when he was a nerd and then carried over and went into the Christian testimony. Yes, but they had learned to know Christ on earth. Paul learned to know Jesus in heaven here in this chapter.
It's interesting too, to see that in the book of the Acts.
Through the 12Th chapter, there seems to be the major, uh, person that is focused on uh.
But from the 13th chapter on, it's the Apostle Paul and.
I don't know, maybe this is touched on yesterday, but I have really enjoyed it. In chapter uh, seven is the last testimony to the Jews as a nation, and it's rejected in the stoning of Stephen. He's the messenger that's sent back to heaven to say we will not have this man to reign over us. And immediately in the 8th chapter, the testimony extends beyond Jerusalem.
Do some area and like was mentioned to this Ethiopian unit, the 9th chapter of the apostles of the Gentiles is saved. In the 10th chapter is where Peter to whom was given the keys of the Kingdom of heaven.
Takes the second key, if you want to put it that way, and opens the door of letting to the gentiles.
So just it's interesting how I developed into the gospel going into the whole world. And then in chapter 12, you get Peter miraculously delivered from prison. And then Peter from that point on only appears once more in the 15th chapter. That's from the 13th chapter on the apostle Paul, who is the major.
Forecast that the spirit of God in the extension of the gospel and he's the one that takes it into Europe for the first time and Philippi was the first entry into Europe so the work continues to this day of the gospel of this world it's beautiful to see how the spirit of God directs the work of the.
The church and the development of the church.
It's helpful too, in that regard to realize that as you go through these chapters, you don't the Spirit of God is very careful to guard, lest we think that there's ever any of the ever more than one church. What you have in the 8th chapter with the Samaritans brought in and then in the 10th chapter where the Gentiles are brought in is not a repeat of what happened on the day of Pentecost.
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Or something separate. It is a little extension of it. The baptism of the Holy Spirit took place on the day of Pentecost when the Spirit of God descended and they were baptized into one body.
And the Spirit of God came to indwell each individual believer to link those believers together and to dwell collectively in this new unit that was formed the church and to link them with their glorified head, the Lord Jesus at the right hand of God. And I, I think we need to take a minute and and stress this because a lot of confusion today. And I know some of our young people hear from their Christian friends.
About the baptism of the Holy Spirit and are you baptized with the Holy Spirit and so on. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is something that took place once and for all on the day of Pentecost, never to be repeated. As such. I'm going to use the an age-old illustration. I don't want to depart too much from this, but since Bob alluded to it, I think it's helpful. Going to use an illustration that helped me when I was younger and it's been used many times.
On the day of Pentecost, there were about 120 believers or so. It's not definite. It says about 120 believers gathered in obedience to the word of the Lord in the upper room. And when the Spirit of God descended, it was like we would say we can illustrate it this way. It was like we would have about 120 beads on a table in the middle of the room here, and they are individual beads.
But now we take those beads and we string those beads and we make a new unit. They're still individual beads, but collectively they form a necklace. And so we have a necklace with about 120 beads on it. But let's suppose as time goes on, we get some more beads. Now what do we do? We don't form a new necklace, but we take that same necklace and we add to it.
And that's why at the end of Acts chapter 2, it says the Lord added to the church daily, such as should be saved. And brethren, that's what's going on now. There's not more than one church. And so in the 8th and 10th chapter, the Spirit of God is careful lest we ever think there's a Jewish church and a Samaritan church or a Gentile church, or we ever think there's a Jewish Gentile church with A-NO.
What God established at the beginning, He has added two sins. Now there had to be a special work of the Spirit of God, and I know it perhaps doesn't convey completely by the, I'll say again, there had to be that special work of a little extension of what took place on the day of Pentecost, like reopening the necklace and adding those other beads that we found so that the Gentiles could the Samaritans and the Gentiles could be brought in in that way.
But I say again, it's important to realize that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not something that has been or is repeated today, and it is not an individual thing. People say you're baptized with the Holy Spirit. I'm in dwelt with the Holy Spirit, and we all need to be exercised to be filled with the Spirit. But the baptism of the Holy Spirit was a collective thing for the formation of the church.
On the day of Pentecost, one other little comment in this regard, Saul of Tarsus, when he struck to the ground here in this in this chapter, he immediately from heaven receives the seeds of the truth that he himself is used to later develop.
And that is when the Lord speaks to him. He doesn't say, Saul, why are you persecuting the believers? It's true, he was persecuting the believers. He doesn't say, why are you persecuting the Christian? He was persecuting the Christian. He says Saul, Saul. And he, Saul is one of seven individuals in Scripture who when he received a call, who, when they received a call from God or the Lord in the New Testament, their names were repeated twice.
Saul, Saul, why persecuted? Thou notice it's very important me solve Tarsis. Though he perhaps didn't understand it at the time, he immediately is given the truth that in touching one of the Lord's own on earth, he was actually touching the Lord. He wasn't just pre persecuting believers, he was persecuting the Lord Jesus their head in heaven. So close.
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Were these believers linked with the Lord Jesus as a result of what took place on the day of Pentecost, that in touching one of those believers, they were, he was actually touching the Lord. And that's why you have to then go to Paul's ministry where this truth is developed to get the real truth and meat of what the church is our position and calling and blessing Saul of Tarsus as the apostle Paul.
Is then later used to develop, but he gets the seed of it right here.
Jimmy mentioned that, uh, today we are received the Holy Spirit when we believe the gospel of our salvation. And I suppose we can say to end that that moment we are added to the church.
God, so much confusion in today's world about this question of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I found it helpful if you want to go back to the first chapter and you had it yesterday.
In the baptism of the Holy Spirit that occurred on chapter 2 is mentioned in verse five of the first chapter. John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.
Not any day again.
Then go over to the 11Th chapter in connection with what took place in Cornelius's house.
Chapter and it uses that same expression verse 16 of Chapter 11 and remembered I this year speaking the word of the Lord, how that he said John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. That was like saying and extension.
Of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and it was it took place one in the beginning of the church period to form the body of Christ, and from then on believers are added to that church.
The baptism with water is an application to the natural man for cleansing and appropriate holiness before the law. The Lord to be prepared to meet the Lord John baptized in preparing the way for the people to receive their king, the Lord Jesus. So that's an an action to the natural man. But the baptism of the Holy Spirit is to the Newman. It's new life. It's the it's conveying the resurrection life of the Lord Jesus.
When we get saved, then they were sealed with the Holy Spirit. And that's not an action just on natural man. That's the new creation that Don was referring to earlier, which is our relationship with the Lord Jesus in the church. The only way we could be linked with the Lord Jesus was after he died and rose again, because in the first creation there's no way humans can be linked with the Lord Jesus in oneness.
But in new creation it's possible. And it's that's how we are linked with the Lord Jesus in the church is by new birth we're born again, we receive a new life. It's the life of Christ that he conveys to us through faith in Him. The Holy Spirit brings it to us.
Day of Pentecost was the collective action of it, but there was an individual action there too.
It was two parts to the work of the Holy Spirit, uh, individual and collective.
Just a comment in connection with Paul. We rightly, I believe, refer to this as his conversion.
And uh, the mark of it is in verse five. And he says, who art thou, Lord?
We know from Romans 10 that thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved. And every person that really comes into a knowledge of salvation is that work in the heart that confesses Jesus as Lord, and Paul does it here. Who art thou Lord? The man in John 9?
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Uh, the blind man, the change in his life, he didn't know who.
The one that was given him taken away his blindness, he had never seen him. He had been told to go do something in his blind condition. He does it, he receives his eyesight and he never physically seen the person that did it at that point. So when he cast out of the synagogue and the Lord Jesus comes to him and talks to him, he, he says, well, who is he? more than I may believe on him. Peter's conversion is given to us and.
Luke's Gospel chapter 5 And Peter had known the Lord for a while before. He isn't instantly saved the first time he gets to know who the Lord Jesus was. But when the Lord uses his boat and takes him out on the lake, and then he sees the load of fishes, he comes and puts himself at Jesus feet and he says to him, depart from me.
For I am a sinful man, O Lord, and that's Peter's conversion at that point. And so it is. We all come into the Christian faith with a work, not always at the same time with our understanding, but in the heart. There's a submission to this person and that submission to his person, and faith in the fact that God raised him from the dead.
Is Jesus is Lord?
And we see that with the thief on the cross too, didn't don't we? We see those two things. He turned and he said, Lord. But then he said something else. Remember Me when thou cometh into thy Kingdom. He was looking toward resurrection, wasn't he, in a future day? And so it says in Romans chapter 10, If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, or Jesus as Lord, really the thought, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead.
Thou shalt be saved. So it confirms what you said. Another interesting comment made about Saul Two, that when Ananias is told to go and to see him and lay his hands on him, you can just imagine the beer. And this man said, well, Lord, this man persecuted the believers, and he's come with the intent of hauling all the Christians he can round up away to prison and so on. And he had letters of authority, and you want me to go and make myself known to him? But it's interesting the confirmation that Ananias is given.
As to the reality of the work of God in his soul and his conversion, just notice it at the end of verse. Well, I'll read verse 11. And the Lord said unto him, Does the Lord talking to him, and I arise and go into the street, which is called straight, and inquiring the House of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus. Now notice this, for behold, he prayed. That was the confirmation to Ananias, that this was a real work of God in this man's soul of Tarsus soul.
Because prayer is the breath of the divine life and it's one of the proofs that there has been a work of God in the soul. And I think it's a good little test for us all. And when we hear of someone who says they've got saved, here's a another confirmation. They recognize, as Don said, Jesus is Lord, their submission to that. But there's also then that attitude and spirit of prayer. Prayer is the expression of dependence and confidence.
And I say it's the breath of the divine life. So no, this was confirmation meant there was to be no doubt in the mind of Ananias of the work of God, and to go and to confirm, uh, and lay his hands on this man and confirm him and draw him into the circle of those who had already believed.
So Ananias says Lord in verse 10 too. Behold, I am here, Lord.
Saul says Lord twice and uh, maybe someone has a thought on that. It's uh, verse five he says, who art thou, Lord? And then in verse six he he trembling and astonished, said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
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One is connection with who Jesus is and the other is.
Who what he would have him to do?
I said I said it's a good model for us. Maybe someone has more thoughts on that because it's really in owning the headship of Jesus as Lord in the church that things will function well if any one of us get out of sync with the Lord.
The function of the body of Christ is not gonna go on well, but here you see it functioning well. Ananias is waiting on the Lord, and he does what he didn't expect to do in that chapter. The Lord in heaven is controlling the whole theme here. He's working a mighty work. Each one doesn't know what the other is doing, but the head in heaven knows.
First time that Paul says Lord, he didn't know who the Lord was.
So he says, Who art thou, Lord? And.
Umm, but it's interesting, he says in verse five. It is hard for thee to kick against the bricks.
Interesting all. It has tricks of conscience that I would guess as.
Saul relates his time saw even die.
By stoning with his face shining like an Angel.
And that's been a tremendous testimony. Pricked his consequence terribly.
So this is kind of a confirmation of the fact that there was something wrong and now.
When he asked, Who art thou Lord? And Jesus said, I am Jesus, soon thou persecuted. Then he says, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? That's the natural consequence. Once you know who Jesus is, he is Lord.
Then if he is the Lord, brethren, we in effect are saying I renounce any authority in my life anymore. There's somebody else who is in command here.
One other comment along with respect to this term or.
Title, Lord, in contrast to the word or title or Christ. Uh, turn over to Ephesians chapter one.
Ephesians, chapter one.
And verse 20 which he wrought in Christ.
Not Lord, but Christ, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. And have put all things under his feet, and made him Christ, and putting the Word in there, the head over all things to the Church, which is his body, the fullness of Him that felleth All in all.
When Christ is brought before us, in the epistles of Paul particularly, it's the headship overall, the whole the body, and we individually, as members of that body, are identified with the head of Christ.
But whenever he is referred to as Lord, the emphasis is individual in contrast to collective, and E everyone of us, while we're brought into a collective relationship with Christ as our head, we are also at the same time in a very individual relationship.
With the Lord, and consequently there are some collective things that are brought before us with a very individual emphasis connected with them. The Lord's Day, the Lord's Supper, the Lord's Table, and so on are all to appeal to our conscience for obedience in a very individual way, and sometimes because of collective failure in these things.
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We step aside from the Lord's individual authority over us, no matter what the condition is, in a collective way, and we don't act in obedience to his individual authority over our lives. But even though Paul was to bring out the glorious truth of the church as a whole, of the body of Christ as a whole, of the Assembly of God as the House of God, the different characters of this new thing.
At the same time, his initial and immediate relationship to that one was Lord.
And every one of us needs to recognize that and own it in our everyday, every moment life. When I say Jesus is my Lord, I am saying this person has absolute authority over every detail of my life.
So it's one thing to have Jesus as our Savior, and that's wonderful. And we all thrill when we hear somebody say, you know, I just came to know the Lord Jesus as my savior or someone says, you know, so and so they just got saved and they've made a bright confession. But you know, I'm just as thrilled when I hear about somebody who says, you know, I really want to follow the Lord. I really want to own the Lordship, whatever he has for me.
Wherever he directs, that really thrills my soul. You know, when I hear about a young person who says I really want to follow the Lord, I really want him to be Lord of my life, I don't worry too much about that young person anymore because I know the Lord wants to then show them the way. And Saul of Tarsus, when he confessed Jesus as Lord and asked what he should do, the Lord said, I'll show you. And if we truly own Jesus as Lord, then he'll show us what he has for us.
It may not be a path like the Saul of Tarsus to be raised up and in the way he was. He had a special Commission given to him as an apostle and, as we pointed out, a pattern for those who would hereafter believe. But if you're willing to own Jesus as Lord of your life to, as Dawn said, give him complete sway and control over your life, to, in other words, set aside your rights.
For his rights and claims over you, then he wants to show you what he has. And if I don't know or you don't know what the Lord has for you, it's not a lock on his part. And so it says. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he might direct bypass no, and he shall direct thy path. And Saul of Tarsus learn to acknowledge him here on the Damascus Rd.
And I believe for all his life, Saul of Tarsus, as the apostle Paul, he acknowledged.
Jesus as Lord, the Lord directed him. Not that there weren't times of discouragement or even failure, but he acknowledged overall the claims of the Lord Jesus in his life and what a path he was shown and what a service. And in a practical way for each one of us. Who knows what a blessing we can be if you and I are willing to own Jesus. Lord, you know we used to sing.
When we were young people, that him Lord of my life, I crown thee now, thine shall the glory be now. Brethren, I trust there's no thought even in corners of our heart as to the Lord reigning outwardly now.
We see not yet all things put under Him. He's the King in rejection. And again, as we said yesterday, there's been a lot of confusion in this regard. The Lord is not raining out now. This is not the Kingdom period, but He does want that place in our hearts. We sometimes sing rain Thou within our hearts alone. That's where He is to reign now and should be reigning now. Not outwardly in this world, but He should be reigning and have absolute sway.
In your heart and mind as Lord of our Light. And just as with solid Parsons it will be showing you what you will do, so it will be shown every one of us when we come to that point in our lives.
But like you say, gym runs. I think Robert had a word to say here, Bob, just, uh, excuse me. I just was, uh, uh, enjoying brother Doug in connection with, uh, your question here. There's a sequence of events that takes place and it says, uh, in the end of our street, a light from heaven.
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And the light from heaven had to shine first before the apostle or Paul, Saul here.
Could say, Lord, who art thou Lord? And uh, just, uh, with this point out in Matthew's Gospel chapter three, I think it's chapter 3. It's chapter 4. It says of the Lord Jesus.
In verse 16, the people which sat in darkness saw great light, and to them which sat in region and shadow of death, light is sprung up. And so the Lord Jesus is the light, the greatest light that ever shone in this world. And so he shone, and the children of Israel, his own people rejected the light. But now Paul sees not the light on earth, He sees the light in heaven. And that's what characterizes ministry. And so here he says, Who art thou? The Lord? And he's speaking.
To that one in heaven and if you just turn over to Acts chapter 22 you see that there's the spirit of God gives us a little more progress if you will in connection with the testimony. It's not so much that Paul is important here in Chapter 9. The light is important and what God was going to do with this vessel. And so in chapter 22 of Acts it says in verse eight he says I answered.
Who are the Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth. That defies 1 The rejected one whom thou persecutest men in verse 10. What shall I do, Lord? And then a little bit further on in verse 18, just the three words. And I saw him, saw him well. We're going to own the Lord Jesus as our Lord if we see him as the risen man in the glory. And that's what Paul calls my gospel. He saw the Lord Jesus in heaven, a heavenly man.
And umm, so it's just important for us, I believe, to realize that, uh, we have to have a sense that there is a risen man in the glory.
Before we really can truly acknowledge Lord.
And after Paul saw that light, he remained 3 days blind. He didn't see anything else for three whole days. And God gave him, the Lord gave him plenty time to contemplate that light. Excuse me, Bob. I, I, I saw Robert over there trying to have something on his heart, and I interrupted you. Excuse me.
So I just wanted to play a condition with what Jim was saying that what you say about practically only in the Lordship of Christ and this and individual thing runs totally contrary to the culture which we are part of.
Humanistic, and we are taught to do what we want to do. You have the right. Supposedly this is the case in the democratic society. And if you're talking about democracy, I suppose that is true. But Christianity is something completely different. And I think it is important to see that the culture we're passing through, brothers.
Makes us think that we do have rights and in the measure that we think we have rights to bring that attitude to assembly meetings, there's going to be trouble.
Do not have rights. If there is any rights we do have, it is in the lake of fire. But beyond that, Jesus has saved us now. He has the right. And it's so important in our lives here in this world to recognize His Lordship and everything.
And also, Paul asked a very important question and he asked two important questions and they asked them in the right order. First question is who are thou? And until we know who the Lord is, we won't have a clue as to what to do for Him. It's true in any service you get a job in the company, the first thing you need to know is who you're working for and what their purposes are.
You can't just simply walk in and say, well, I know I'm qualified to do this and start doing something.
So, so Halton, instead there's Saul says, Who art thou, Lord? This is the first place in our lives to know who the Lord is.
And to know about and then he says, Lord, what's going to happen to do? And this is a common question. I mean the question that exercises a lot of young people. Perhaps we start asking that question before we ask the first question. We can at least begin to feel as we grow older, we have mobility. The life is opening before us. We want to know what we want to do. We want to do something for the Lord.
01:00:20
It's the first question just get answered is who is the Lord? You get to know him. Then we can ask the question. Well, without happy to do. And they often said, well, I, I have used the building because I have these opportunities and uh, we get these ideas of things that we might do. It's interesting. Paul came to Damascus, he left, he set up for Damascus with a lot of plans. So when the Lord told him what to do, did the Lord give him a set of plans?
No, the Lord gave him one thing, he said Go into Damascus.
Basically with the large plan but go into the masters and list.
The joint of the mastiff. And it shall be told you what you must do. Should be told me what now Let's do.
His responsibility when he got to the masses and was to listen.
And until we learn to listen to the Lord, we will never know how to search. And Paul had to learn to listen. He had an education. I'd like to suggest that after some time, as a matter of fact all his life, that we finished that on our own experience is taking a lifetime to learn to listen. But it's amazing. But it's aversion like to suggest First Thessalonians.
Chapter 4.
Verse 11.
And that you study to be quiet and to do your own business. We don't know how to be quiet, but before the Lord will never know how to serve.
I could just, uh, point out if there is an uncertainty between 2 translations and the, uh, the King James translation adds a little bit more in these verses. It, it, it adds, uh, what Bob Bob brought out about, uh, uh, uh, picking against the tricks. But it also adds that second question, what without having to do in, uh, in Darby's translation.
There's only one question, and that is who our art thou, Lord? And then there is there is instruction of the Lord as to what you should do. And Darby's translation, he doesn't ask what he should. He recognizes the Lordship of the Lord Jesus and under His Lordship he follows his directions. And I would suggest there's a lesson for us in that.
If we truly do feel the lordship of the Lord Jesus, we will wait for his instruction. We don't need to be occupied with what my Lord wants me to do. And I think that we, we often fail in this. We, we, we think that we need to help him out in his Kingdom service, but really all we need to do is listen for his instructions. And so I just bring out that little discrepancy because I think they're and if we it's, it's nice that we turned over later on in Acts.
When, uh, Paul was, was giving his account, uh, that that, that, that part that the King James translation ads is not in there. So it may be an indication that it wasn't in the better manuscripts that you should begin with.
I'd like to make an additional comment on the light if you turn over to Acts 22.
As Doug mentioned.
The natural sight for three days.
And uh, it's because of the light. But when he recounts the instance and tells us why he couldn't see in Acts 22 and verse 11, he says and when I could not see, for the glory of the light. Now go over to First Timothy chapter 6.
First Timothy, chapter 6.
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And verse.
16 First Timothy, 6/16.
Who, referring to the Lord Jesus, only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach, unto which no man hath seen, nor can see, to whom the honor and ever honor and power everlasting. Amen.
And then one more verse before commenting on them and the Lord's Prayer. John 17.
In John 17 and verse 22 he says, And the glory which thou gave us, may I have given them, that they may be one even as we are.
Blonde and his essential being dwells in light. That is so.
Majestic.
Umm, that we the creatures, will never enter into that in the full essence of what God is. It is beyond even the revelation of Himself to us. He dwells in light which no man can approach unto, and which no man ever will. But God has come out of His essential glory to display His glories in that extent to which we, the creature man.
Can enter into them, but the glory of God in that way was not seen in the Old Testament day.
But Christianity also brings us into something new in that way. Uh, Moses wanted to see his glory and he said, you can't, Moses, I'll show you my back part. That's as much as you can enter into. But now when Paul sees the light, it's also.
In introducing us into something, that's another thing that's new.
In the ways and revelation of God, he's entering, he's beginning to open up to us, entering into the enjoyment of the glory of God in a way that had not been revealed to man before. And the glory is connected with God, so it's connected with his essential being, which is outside earth. And so he begins to open it up. And Paul is going to be the one specially suited to start to make known these glories to us.
In his ministry and as the Lord Jesus in his prayer in, uh, John 17, because we are linked to him as the glorified man. So the Lord is going to make us participate in some of those glories. I say some of them because the glories is a big subject and there are glories that he has as.
As God the Son.
There are glories he has as Jesus the Man. There are glories that are His as the Son of Man. There are glories that are His as connected with his work and what he's accomplished and so on. There are various aspects to the glory, but those that are shareable.
Some of his glories could never be shared with any. They're part of his being. But there are those glories which are shareable.
And he's saying in John 17, I want to bring my body, my church, to participate with me in these glories. And in doing so, the apostle Paul, immediately, he's blinded for three days because he's being introduced into something that the creature has never known before. And it's an elevation of his condition, his state before God, that is.
Hard for him to.
To take hold of, to add it a little bit more, when you go back to the Lord on the mount of Transfiguration and millennial glory was shown when the Lord Jesus displayed himself in the shining garments and Moses and Elias are seen with him on the Mount of Tribulation Transfiguration. What was the effect on him? Wow, this is wonderful. No, it was fear.
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They were brought into a glory which in their condition at that time, they really couldn't enjoy.
With peace and so on. And uh yeah, we are introduced and we gradually in our souls are brought to enjoy the glory of the Lord. And there are glories that he said in that Saint John 17 I will that they be with me, that where I am that they may behold my glory.
That we don't yet have revealed, haven't seen yet, that we won't be able to enter into until we're in a fit condition to be able to enter into those floors and and and not be afraid, but be able to see them and and enjoy them as glorified Saints in heaven and one other connected with it.
The Apostle Paul was taken into the third heavens.
And the effect upon him and making him the model believer was to totally take out of him as to any desire for anything in the world or the earth. He had been given to see a vision in his soul in a condition whether in the body or out of the body, didn't know because he wasn't really yet in that state of being with the glorified body. So he couldn't even talk about the body aspect of it.
But he was taken in to get a glimpse of the future glory in that instance, in a way that totally spoiled him for this earth. He wasn't interested in anything that man goes after, after the flesh and God.
Chose him as a special vessel to give him that experience, that he might live it out in his life and be the living example to us.
Of what it is to be a heavenly citizen, a heavenly man, heavenly by calling, and not have an interest in the passing things of the world that says we will not have this man.
There's another contrast in this chapter that's lovely to see, and that is that Saul, or Saul was going out with great pomp and with authority from the chief priests and coming to Damascus with a, no doubt a great company of people. And he was used to that great display of power and authority and Judaism. But here we find that a man, a simple man, Ananias in humility, we don't even know really.
Who he is, it just happens to be a certain disciple in verse 10 at Damascus and uh, named Ananias and he said to him.
Good morning and said to him, and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias and he said, Behold, I am here Lord, he sowed. Humility is one of the things now that is prophet for us and what characterizes Christianity in the large part, if we're going to imitate Christ is humility. And Ananias instead of some Peter or the great apostle coming and laying his hands on Saul, know what was going to be this humble man.
Who was walking with the Lord? And that the Lord could trust, as it were. And I think it's a real encouragement to those in this room, every one of us. And it's a good thing to be a nobody and to really not walk in a noticeable way that would attract attention to ourselves. And I see that Ananias was one of these people that God could trust, but the Lord Jesus himself could go and could see Saul there in his condition and speak to him. And I think that's a lovely experience and a lovely.
Encouragement. So humility. Let's just remember that this is what is part of Christianity.
200 and 12:00.
212.
As Hillary's here received a heavenly mole, our portion in the age of the Sun.
We are constraining this year in Vermont's trade a home on earth or streaming by the Graves nightclubs discovered highs for the wildest fear sites off our treasure in a brighter sphere 212.
01:15:48
I worship him in the day disguise.
Her all about the same.
I never breathe, mine cannot help me.
Umm.
Really.
I can't run.