Rise and go! That is a very direct command. The Bible is actually filled with instances of God commanding someone to “rise and go.” Yet what does it mean? I rise and go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. But I don’t think that is what God is referring to.
As I mentioned, there are plenty of
instances of God commanding someone to “rise and go.” A few of them happen in
the New Testament:
1.
Luke
17:19 - Jesus told one of the 10 lepers who came back to worship Jesus after he
had healed them, “rise and go” your faith has made you well.
2.
Acts
8:26 - God tells Phillip to “rise and go” to meet with the Ethiopian Eunuch
3. Acts 10:20 - God tells Peter to “rise and go” to meet with three men who were sent by Cornelius.
Today, we are going to look at another particular instance in Acts where God tells someone else to “rise and go.”
Acts 9
“1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.”
Short History on Saul
Saul is a committed and faithful
follower of Judaism; so much so that he feels the responsibility to get rid of
this new sect growing within Judaism called “The Way.” Saul studied under the
most famous pharisee of that day Gamaliel, who was also a leader in the Jewish
Sanhedrin. Therefore he was raised under the strictest teachings of the Jewish
law, which might give weight to why he was persecuting the church the way he
was. After careful study, it seems that Saul was behind the stoning of Stephen
as the witnesses “cast their garments at the feet of Saul.” He was serious
about stomping out this new religious sect that according to Judaism was
bringing blasphemy to God’s name.
Saul got his direct permission from the high priest of that day, who was the highest form of leadership amongst the jews at that time. He was rounding up Christians who professed to follow Jesus, arrest them, and bring them back to Jerusalem where they would be put on trial. At times, they would be put to death. So if you were a Christian of that day, it would be hard for you not to know who Saul of Tarsus was. Saul was currently on his way to Damascus under permission from the high priest to pursue more Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.
On the road to Damascus, something happens…
“3 Now as he went on his way, he
approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And
falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why
are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And
he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise
and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The
men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but
seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes
were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him
into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither
ate nor drank.”
On the road to Damascus, Saul in confronted by Jesus in dramatic fashion.
- Jesus reaches out to Saul
- Saul is there, but cannot make sense of
the truth
- Now God calls on Ananias
Acts of the Apostles 9:10-18 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…”
God reaches out to two people:
- Saul
- Ananias
Saul:
- Was an unbeliever, persecuting His
church
- Yet God had a plan for Saul
- Suddenly, Saul becomes aware of Jesus
- Something is happening but he doesn’t know how to make sense of it. Jesus was calling him but Saul hadn’t realized it yet.
Ananias:
- Ananias knew of Saul
- Ananias wanted nothing to do with him
- Yet God called Ananias to witness to
Saul
- God already had Saul packaged and ready
to go. All He needed was a faithful vessel.
- We don’t know much about this Ananias,
but we know that he was a follower of Jesus Christ. He was a Christian. There
may have been other apostles or pastors in the area, or he may have been the
only one around. We don’t know. Yet God called Ananias.
- *Ananias was afraid. He didn’t want to
go. He only saw things from his point of view.
- *He could only see Saul for who he had
been: the man responsible for persecuting the church at that time.
- It took God having to wrestle with
Ananias to get him to commit.
- Nevertheless, God needed Ananias. (God
was also in need of Saul)
- God needed Ananias to “Rise and Go
While the conversion of Saul is a very peculiar story and one known by many through the Bible, this is also the same story that plays out every single day with others.
Everyday there are people who are
- Being called by God
- Being made aware of His presence
- Being drawn by the Holy Spirit
- Trying to make sense of what is happening
to them
- Pastor Ron: “they are on the edge of salvation”
The Holy Spirit is already doing the work. They are being prepped for the harvest. God just needs someone who will close the deal.
Just as God is calling unbelievers to Himself, He is calling believers to His service.
Everyday there are believers who are
- Being called by God
- Wrestling with fear
- God is trying to send to close the deal
Everyday there are unbelievers that God is in need of.
God needed Ananias because God needed Saul.
God needs believers because God needs unbelievers.
God needs you because God needs your friends, your co-workers, your neighbors, your family, your siblings, your enemies, etc.
Many times we imagine that it would be so hard to see “so and so” to come to the Lord. However, it may not be that hard for God to get that person ready to receive salvation. Perhaps “WE” are the ones that are hard to get on board.
What if someone struggled to obey the Holy Spirit to share the gospel with you? What if you never heard about Jesus? You couldn’t even imagine that.
Let us not forget that there are so many others who are still dead in their sins.
You may think, “there is no way…” or “I don’t even know what to say…”, etc. Nevertheless, God has already done His part.
*Many people look hard on the exterior, but God is doing the real work on the inside.
That was the case with me.
[My testimony]
Let us realize that God needs us, and someone else may not ever make sense of what is happening in the moments God is drawing them unless we “rise and go.”
Takeaways:
1.
God
has a plan
• While God has a plan for your life (to
bless you, help you, heal you, etc), He also has a bigger plan.
• While God does have a specific plan for
you, He also has a sovereign plan that extends to the end of time (literally-
there will be an end to time as a new beginning of eternity)
• There is a place in God’s sovereign plan
that you play a part in. You have a place in God’s tapestry.
2.
God
needs unbelievers to be saved
Acts 9:15 - “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.”
• God had a plan for Saul. Saul was
critical to God’s plan. He had need of Saul.
• It’s important to know that God has a
plan for people long before they get saved.
• There are so many people around us who
do not know Jesus that God is in need of.
• God knew His plans for you before you
came to a saving knowledge of Jesus.
• While we see a soul, God sees an
instrument that has been pre-ordained for His use.
3.
God
needs you to participate
• God needed Ananias to “rise and go”
• Similarly, God needs you to rise and go
Matthew 9:37-38
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray
earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his
harvest.”
•
Just
as God is calling unbelievers to Himself, He is calling believers to His service.
• God’s plan relies on us doing our part
• You are critical to God’s plan for
someone else’s life.
• Let us do our part in sharing Jesus with
others
• Let us be like Ananias and overcome our
fears, concerns, & pre-conceived notions
• You never know who you are leading to
the Lord, inviting to church, etc.
• Let us not see unbelievers through our
own eyes, but through Jesus’ eyes.
