Spread The Word “The Long Road To Straight Street”

 Spread The Word

“The Long Road To Straight Street”

Opening Illustration:

Good morning friends. Thank you for being here this morning. Today is a special day because we will finish a long sermon series entitled “Spread The Word”. The series has been an encouragement and a call for all of us to be more bold in sharing the Gospel. As Christians, sharing our testimony of what Christ has done for us should be as natural as breathing. Think about it friends, we talk about a lot of things that give us joy in this life: sports, cars, sports cars, hunting, fishing, shopping, and the list goes on and on. You would think that talking about Jesus, the one who saved us from Hell and the one who died for our sin, would come naturally. Yet, Satan has our world so turned upside down and inside out that instead of proclaiming boldly what Christ has done for us we sit the bench, quiet as a church mouse. So, I hope that this series has not only encouraged you to share your faith but also given you some insights on how to share the Gospel. 

Today we are going to talk about one of my favorite characters in all of the Bible. We don’t know that much about him but what we do know about him should inspire all of us. He overcame his fear. He was completely obedient to God’s call, and he shed the obstacle of not knowing the outcome of this unique encounter. Today we are going to be introduced to Ananias. 

Today’s thought, if you want to fill in this first blank is “Paul’s path to Jesus was prompted by Ananias’ obedience”. That’s correct, God used this little known character, nearly lost to history, to jumpstart the spiritual journey of the man who would write one third of the New Testament. 

Today’s Thought:

Paul’s Path To Jesus Was Prompted By Ananias’ Obedience!

Background and Context:

The story of Paul’s conversion is a familiar one. So familiar, in fact, that often we refer to someone’s dramatic change of life, after meeting Jesus, even these hundreds of years later, as a “Damascus Road Experience.”

Saul, as he was once called, was an ardent opponent of the Christian movement. He was driven by the passionate pursuit of ridding the world of what he thought of as an offense to the Holy God of Israel – the new religious movement of Christians. He traveled, with orders in hand, to imprison and dispatch any of those reckless believers who considered Jesus Christ to be God. But then Saul was literally knocked off his high horse.

In a vision, Jesus Himself appeared to Saul, and suddenly Saul knew the terrible and glorious truth: In his attempts to defend God from blasphemy, he had become a blasphemer himself. But that’s just the beginning of the story.

The vision of Jesus had left Saul blinded – an appropriate metaphor for his life since he had been blinded up to that point to the truth of the gospel. After encountering Jesus on the Damascus Road, Saul was led into the city by his companions who had heard the words of Jesus and yet seen nothing. And there he stayed.

For three days, he was blind. For three days, he neither ate nor drank. For three days, he was left to consider what kind of life he had led, and what kind of life he would lead from that point forward.

He spent 72 long hours of deep reflection; we can only imagine what must have gone through his mind:

“What have I done?”

“How could I have been so wrong?”

“What do I do now?”

Saul found himself in a place of confusion. A place of darkness. A place of wondering about the nature of the world and his own place in it. As we read the account recorded for us in Acts 9, we picture Saul huddled in a corner of darkness, hungry and thirsty not only for the physical to sustain his body but also for something spiritual to sustain his soul. We might well be wondering where the light would come from.

Luke, the author of Acts, provides the answer for us: “There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias”. That’s all we get. We don’t have any indication that Ananias had any special education or training. We don’t know if he was young or old, what he did for a living, or what his family was like. We have no idea whether he was a man of great or little standing in his community. We only know that he was a follower of Jesus. Just a regular, old disciple that was ready when the Lord called his name. That’s where we pick up this morning. Ananias hearing the audible voice of God and obediently going, overcoming his fear and trepidation to help Paul. So, let’s read this morning from Acts 9:10-19. I am reading from the English Standard Version.

Today’s Scripture:

Acts 9:10-19 ESV

10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened.

Quote:

Do you know brothers and sisters why most people do not share the Gospel? Why people refuse to tell others about their faith in Christ? Why people sit silently, idly by, as people they know march forward with their lives living in darkness? The reason is simple, FEAR! People are afraid. By people I mean me and you! We are all afraid. We are afraid of rejection. We think that if people say “no” to our testimony they say “no” to us, to our friendship, to our relationship. We are afraid of resentment. We are afraid that if we tell our classmates, our co-workers, our family about Jesus that we will offend them. That is a justifiable fear by the way because the Bible makes the claim that the Gospel is offensive. Just as light offends darkness, the Gospel offends sinners. I Peter 2:7-8 claims, “So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.” 

So, what must we do to overcome this fear? Clearly Ananias was afraid to go to Paul. So what makes Ananias so different than us? The answer to that is “nothing really”. Ananias was just a normal guy, just like us. Clearly he was afraid, Scripture even tells us that truth. I believe that Ananias took the Gospel to Paul and saw Paul baptized because Ananias understood that the message of the cross was life, eternal life. The cross is the cure for our sin sickness and the resurrection of Christ is our rescue. Think of it like this, if sin is a cancer, then we have the cure. All of you have heard of Kirk Cameron. Listen to what he said about sharing the Gospel. “If you had the cure to cancer, wouldn’t you share it? You have the cure to death, get out there and share it.”

Ananias had the cure and God sent him to a sick man. So, let’s briefly discuss some observations from today’s story. Observation one, we are witness to Ananias’ passion. We learn about his faith!

Today’s Quote:

“If you had the cure to cancer, wouldn’t you share it? You have the cure to death, get out there and share it.”

-Kirk Cameron

4 Observations From Ananias’ Obedience 

I. Ananias’ Passion vs. 10

Acts 9:10 ESV

10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 

Point:

As I stated earlier, we don’t know much about this man Ananias. We don’t know what he did for a living. We don’t know if he was married or if he had children. The one fact that we know, the one thing that Luke gives to us, the one thing that he will be remembered for for all of history is that he was a disciple. That’s really something isn’t it. This fella’s headstone is found in Acts 9:10, here lies Ananias, a disciple. Makes me wonder what will be said of me when I am gone. When people read about the life of Stuart Davidson, what will information will they garner from my biography? 

What does it mean that Ananias was a “disciple”? The Greek word for “disciple” is math-a-tase. The word means that Ananias was a learner and a pupil. It means that Ananias was a spiritually teachable man. It means that he was open to spiritual correction and spiritual direction. 

Brothers and sisters, are you a teachable person? Do you come to this alter feeling like you have it all figured out. Maybe you are even a Sunday School teacher, maybe you are ordained, maybe you have been to seminary. Do you have a mentality of a pupil? It is tempting, especially if you have been a follower of Christ for a long time, to think that you have arrived. Now you would never verbally say that you have it all figured out but if someone using God’s Word in love rebuked you, corrected you, how would you react? Would you be open to having a blind spot revealed or would you be belligerent and combative?

Brothers and sisters, we all have blind spot, all have areas of our lives that need correction, redirection. Ananias was a humble man, a disciple. A follower of Christ. He was a submissive man, obedient. We will talk about that in just a moment. He was a learner. A dry sponge in a bucket of Biblical instruction. Ananias was a man unashamed of the Gospel. 

Romans 1:16 ESV

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

4 Observations From Ananias’ Obedience 

I. Ananias’ Passion vs. 10

II. God’s Plan vs. 11-12

Acts 9: 11-12 ESV

11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 

Point:

To me, this is the best part of the story because there is just so much being said in verses 11 and 12. For one, I love the fact that Saul, this man on the most crocked of paths, is now on Straight Street. Talk about a destination change! Paul was literally going the wrong direction and God places Him on Straight Street. God can do that for us can’t He? God can use events, people, circumstances, even tragedy, to radically change the course of our lives. 

Second, I love the fact that Paul is deep in prayer. Think about what God has done. Paul has been blinded. For 3 consecutive days Paul has been fasting, not eating or drinking. Paul has been deprived of what many of us would say as physical necessities so that his spirit can flourish. What do you think Paul was praying over? What do you think he was thinking about? I imagine that he was thinking about the trajectory of his life. Have you been there before? I have! When you are seeking the Lord’s direction, follow Paul’s path. Fast and pray! 

Lastly, Scripture tells us that God has informed Paul that a man named Ananias would come to him, lay hands on him, and that he would “regain his sight”. Laying on hands is extremely common in Scripture. You've probably heard the term "laying on of hands" before in various Christian circles. It's a common phrase, but perhaps not as commonly understood. Some denominations practice it regularly, such as Pentecostalism, while others shy away from it completely. Still others warn against the concept, calling it pagan or dangerous. But according to Scripture, the laying on of hands isn’t as eerie or mystical as it might sound. 

The laying on of hands, as seen in the Bible and used in Christian communities, is a symbolic gesture that signifies an ordination, or a setting apart. It is also used as an expression of healing and blessing, and various churches today use it in this way—for healing, for ordaining ministers, and for blessing, to name a few.

There are many places in the Bible, both in the Old and New Testament, that reference the practice of laying on of hands. One passage of Scripture that talk about laying on of hands comes from 2 Timothy 1:6, “For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” This signifies that Paul laid hands on Timothy when anointing him for ministry. According to Strong’s Concordance, the word “through” here means “the ground or reason by which something is done,” or “by reason of,” or “on account of,” or “therefore.” The significance of this act is that by laying hands on Timothy, Paul was, in essence, initiating Timothy into the next phase of his life. In the laying on of hands, Paul not only approved the authority he was passing on to Timothy and taking responsibility for it, but he was helping fan Timothy’s beginning spark into a burning flame of powerful ministry. In the same way, Ananias lays hands on Paul. He does this because it will restore his eyesight, but there is a deeper meaning. In laying on hands, Ananias is conferring God’s ministry to Paul. Paul ministry begun the moment Ananias placed his hands on him and he was baptized. 

I love this particular passage because it shows us the depth of God’s plan. Brothers and sisters, God has a plan for everyone. It does not matter how lost someone is, how far away they are from Christ, or how wicked someone may be, God has a plan. Think about it, you may be someone else’s Ananias. God has a plan for all of us! 

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

4 Observations From Ananias’ Obedience 

I. Ananias’ Passion vs. 10

II. God’s Plan vs. 11-12

III. Ananias’ Panic 13-14

Acts 9:13-14 ESV

 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 

Point:

Ananias was understandably a little nervous about the call.

He knew this man’s reputation. The city was already buzzing about his imminent arrival and what would happen to the church there. He was apprehensive at best; fearful at worst. But when it came to it, he chose to believe in the power and presence of God, and so he went. And his response, upon meeting Saul, is telling: “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that you can regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit”.

Brother. How sweet those words must have been to the ears of the blind man. How he must have perked up when he heard them. This was not the voice of self-importance. This was not the sound of arrogance. This, Saul knew, was a friend. This was someone who was indeed sent by Jesus, one who could speak just a little bit of clarity into the ball of confusion that was Saul’s life.

We have no record of whether Ananias and Saul became pen pals after that moment. We don’t know if Ananias went on to do big things in the church and the world. For all we know, this man disappeared from Saul’s life as he became Paul the same way he disappears from the pages of Scripture.

Such is the case with our interactions with others. We are apprehensive. We are fearful. We don’t know for sure if we have the right words that can generate impact. We say something, some measure of kindness or encouragement or empathy, and then we disappear from someone’s life forever like a vapor in the wind, and there is less than a few lines written about us in books that record history for generations following.

We are not all called to be Paul. 

We aren’t all going to be the one out front, the one leading the crowd, the one who is recognized for their impact. But all of us are called to be Ananias. As we live and move as relational beings in the midst of these creatures of God, we are meant to push back the darkness and bring light one interaction at a time. We are meant to be looking – and looking with expectation – for where the sovereign hand of God is positioning us.

In doing so, we must approach every single interaction, no matter how common and ordinary it might seem, with the same words that characterized this great supporting character in the biopic of the apostle:

“Here I am, Lord.”

Psalm 56:3-4 ESV

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

4 Observations From Ananias’ Obedience 

I. Ananias’ Passion vs. 10

II. God’s Plan vs. 11-12

III. Ananias’ Panic 13-14

IV. Paul’s Path vs. 15-19

Acts 9:15-19 ESV

15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened.

Point:

So because of Ananias’ obedience and his ability to overcome his fear, the path of Paul, Paul’s life trajectory, was altered. Let’s not get it twisted, what Ananias did was nothing special. At least, it would not have appeared as anything special to the outside world. You and I know the miracle that occurred, but the rest of the world at the time went on about their business unaware of the special act that had just occurred. Imagine what people thought as they saw Ananias walking down the road, making his way to Straight Street. What do you think they were thinking? Nothing. They weren’t thinking anything at all. They were just going about their day, living their lives. They were completely unaware that the world was being changed by one man’s obedient walk to a stranger’s home. Ananias did what many of us would call a small thing but that one small thing led to the entire world be turned upside down. This one man’s small act of overcoming obedience led to Paul’s path being forever changed, writing huge chunks of the New Testament, influencing Timothy, John Mark, Silas, and Barnabas. Many of us in this room, I would even say all of us in this room are probably Christians today because of Paul’s words. Certainly all of us are stronger Christians today because of Paul’s letters. It all started with a guy obediently walking to a stranger’s door on Straight Street.  I say all of this because you might be thinking that your witness, your testimony, doesnt really matter. You are wrong. Your witness does matter and your witness, your testimony about what Christ has done for you, can change so many lives. 

Closing Illustration: Lee Compere 

Compere moved to Alabama in 1822 from France. He came as a missionary to the Creek Indians. He fought for Creeks who had been enslaved by white slave owners. He also fought against the Alabama Indian Removal Act where Indians were removed from their ancestral lands by white settlers. He failed as a missionary to the Creek Indians. Compere only had one convert. He left the mission field to become the first pastor at First Baptist Church in Montgomery. Compere’s convert, his lone salvation, led 6000 Creek Indians to Jesus Christ. Compere died thinking that he had not made a difference. However, in 2022, we are talking about a man who was a disciple, a learner, a pupil, a follower of Jesus Christ who performed a simple act of overcoming obedience. 

Psalm 34:19 ESV

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

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