Running to Win- Spiritual Armor (Eph. 6:10-12)- Spiritual disciplines…

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH Sunday, October 27, 2024

Scary movies, who likes them?

I like them a little bit, but it needs to be explained at the end. I need to be able to reconcile it in my head. God created us with reasoning skills, and the brain is always looking for how to connect experiences, events, and things in movies, books, and plays. Who remembers the old Scooby-Doo? Remember how they always explained it in the end? M. Night Shyamalan makes movies that sometimes have a twist. I’ll watch some of them, and some I will not. I liked “Signs” because it included humor. I liked “The Village” because things were explained in the end. I like an explanation. The Bible explains things as well. The more we read the Bible, the more we soak up the Bible, the more we will understand the broader plan of God.

Dr. David Jeremiah shares:

It was 10 o’clock on September 15, in 2021, and the town of Denton, North Carolina went dark. More than 1,400 people found themselves without power, which is a big deal in a town with a total population of 1,660. A little later that morning, Denton residents, who still had some charge in their cell phones, were able to read the message on the Facebook page of Duke Energy, the local utility company. Here’s what it said, “Major power outage affecting the entire town limits and surrounding Duke power customers. Fire at the Duke substation has been extinguished, but major repairs will be needed to restore power.”

So a substation fire had caused the loss of power, but what caused the fire? After a quick and thorough investigation, Duke Energy employees discovered that the source of the fire was not a falling tree branch, which is the most common cause, wasn’t a car hitting a utility pole, wasn’t a piece of malfunctioning equipment, nor was it some kind of intentional sabotage. No, the culprit behind the Denton power outage was a snake. Apparently, one of those critters had wiggled its way into the substation’s inner workings, seeking warmth, and it made contact with something sensitive, frying the snake and sending sparks in all directions, and the fire and the loss of power for thousands of people.

And this is not an uncommon occurrence in North Carolina and around the country. In fact, snakes often make it a point to seek out the covered areas of substations and other electrical buildings. They will do anything to get in, and when they get in, havoc is often the result. I want you to know there’s another snake out there that causes Christians to lose spiritual power as well. I’m talking about that old serpent, the devil. He’s the snake we should worry about. Like these slithering creatures around Denton, North Carolina, Satan will do anything to get into our church, sever our connection to God, ruin our spiritual power grid, and throw us into the darkness.

Satan is determined to hinder and harm and ruin God’s image in you and in me. He is here to kill and destroy and to steal, and the story of our lives as believers is the story of the long and brutal assault of the enemy on your heart and on mine by one who knows what you can be and fears it very deeply. The first thing we need to recognize as we look at this passage of scripture is that spiritual warfare is real. It is real. It’s not some figment of the pastor’s imagination, nor some drummed-up dramatic presentation.[1]

That brings us to our passage for today. My theme today is:

Running to win means keeping our spiritual armor on.

Read with me Ephesians 6:10-12:

Ephesians 6:10–12 (ESV)

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

1. The battle is spiritual.
   1. We have been talking about running the Christian life in order to win.
   2. Mainly, I have been talking about generational traps, in which we can get trapped.
   3. How do we prevent them? How do we keep them from getting so severe? How do we keep walking?
   4. It may not be a generational trap. It may be something that is a thorn in our side, but we do not see it in our family history.
   5. We have talked about persevering through things from the past. I have discussed how these could be sin issues or things that lead to sin. They may be physiological. However, we don’t want to “run in place.” We want to work on them. We want to grow. A few weeks ago, I shared that we may never conquer them, but we can make progress. First, remember that I talked about generational traps. The devil and spiritual forces may set “generational traps.” Again, these may not be sins by themselves. Maybe the men in the family are passive. Maybe people are workaholics. Is that a sin? Maybe it is anxiety. A lot of these are inherited from our parents. Sometimes, it is not as much genetic, but exposure. When we are exposed, there are literal changes in the brain. The neat thing is that we can rewire the brain again.
   6. One way we can do that is through spiritual disciplines. That is what I intend to talk about in a minute.
   7. First, I want to share two things:
   8. 1) the battle is spiritual.
   9. 2) We must be humble, approachable, and teachable.
   10. I believe that nothing is purely physical. Yes, God uses physical things. Yes, the devil attacks us using the physical and the physiological.
   11. In Ephesians 6:10-12 the Apostle Paul is addressing the spiritual battle. In the letter of Ephesians, Paul addressed our great salvation by grace. This means it is a gift of God. Paul addressed that our salvation by grace can bring people together. Paul wrote about different cultural groups (Ephesians 2:14-21). Paul wrote about the community of the church in Ephesians 4. Paul wrote about putting on the new self in Ephesians 4. Paul wrote about being filled with the Spirit in Eph. 4:24. Paul defined what that looks like.
   12. Paul wrote about husbands and wives, slaves, and masters.
   13. Then, before he closes the letter, he writes about spiritual warfare.
   14. Tim Keller shares:
   15. I think John White in his book, The Fight, says if you lift up the top of a piano and you sing a particular note into it (say, a B), all the strings will stay quiet but the B string will vibrate, and when you’re done, you’ll hear an echo because there is something in that string that matches your voice.
   16. The Devil cannot make you do things, but the Devil finds strings in there. He finds chords. He finds things he can play a number on, and that’s the reason why there is a tendency for Christians … I think I said this a couple of weeks ago … because you underestimate the compulsive and deep side of sin in your life, you believe that addictions, and you very often believe despair and depression and all kinds of these terrible, awful things that can really wrack and ruin your life, must be from the outside.
   17. “My parents did it to me. The Devil did it to me. My chemicals are doing it to me,” but it couldn’t just be because I have taken my own sinful, selfish pride and I have played right into its hand. The flesh is that devious, and the flesh is that strong, but the point is, the Devil and the flesh are always involved together. You can never say, “The Devil did this to me.” I really think that’s superstitious Christianity, but it’s substitious to believe he’s not involved. It’s substitious to believe he’s not out there playing a beautiful sonata on the strings you gave him.^[2]
   18. I like that. That goes along with this idea of generational traps. Sometimes they are physiological, but they are not only
   19. So, in Eph. 6:12 Paul writes that our struggle is not flesh and blood. It is spiritual. I don’t think Paul means that “flesh and blood” are not involved. Rather, there is a background to the struggle. I believe that goes along with the illustration with the piano.
   20. In verse 11, Ephesians 6:11, Paul writes to put on the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. In Ephesians 6:13, he writes after we have done all we must stand firm. Then, Eph. 6:14 begins with “stand.”
   21. Paul then gives details about the order within the spiritual realm.
   22. Rulers, authorities, cosmic powers over this present darkness, spiritual forces of evil…
   23. I have preached on that before. It does seem Paul is showing from this passage, and others, that there is a spiritual realm and a hierarchy within the realm.
   24. Before we move on, I have a second subpoint to talk about.
   25. We must be humble, approachable, and teachable.
   26. We must be humble enough that people can approach us suggesting that we need to get help in a certain area.
   27. We must be approachable so that others feel that we can be talked to about something.
   28. We must be teachable.
   29. Can we learn from others?
   30. My undergraduate degree was in pastoral studies. My master’s degree was called a Master of Divinity. It was a 96-semester credit master’s degree, which is a typical terminal degree for pastors. I learned a lot. I have sensed continued to study. However, what no one taught me was that there is a general malaise in an older congregation. There is an unhappiness, sometimes more of a depression. This is not true in everyone but in many people. Then, they project that on the church. They are not really unhappy with a change in the church. They are unhappy with other things in life. They believe, they really do believe the issue is something in the church, but it is really much deeper than that. Then, on top of that, we have the spiritual warfare active behind the scenes; we have genetics.
   31. Right now, we have an epidemic of loneliness. Britain even started a ministry of loneliness.
   32. We need each other, and we need to recognize the real problems so that we can finish well.
   33. How do we stand?
   34. We must be active in the spiritual disciplines.
2. We need to be active in the spiritual disciplines.
   1. We must be in the truth (Eph. 6:14).
   2. Paul references truth in Eph. 6:14.
   3. Later, he references the Word of God in Eph. 6:17. He writes: and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…
   4. What are spiritual disciplines? These are spiritual habits. These are habits to help us commune with the Lord.
   5. Time in the Bible.
   7. Meditating, thinking deeply about the things of God.
   8. Worshipping the Lord.
   9. These happen with the church and in our individual lives.
   10. Prayer partners- these are close friends that we pray with, and they hold us accountable to spiritual growth (Prov. 27:17).
   11. I want to challenge you to have godly habits.
   12. This week begin devotional habits.
   13. Aim to read one chapter of the Bible a day and make an application. Aim to spend 5-15 minutes in devotions. Read the Bible, apply the Bible and then pray about what you read. Pray the Scriptures. If you need help, contact me.
   14. You can just listen to the Bible if you want. There are many ways to listen to the Scriptures.
   15. It takes three weeks to form a habit, so dedicate the time and make it a point to have a relationship with Jesus.
   16. Remember, you do not have a relationship with someone you do not spend time with. If you do not spend time with God, are you in a relationship with Him?
   17. We need these spiritual habits to help us run to win.
   18. We need prayer partnering relationship in which we are humble, approachable, and teachable.
   19. There is a spiritual realm behind everything we face.
   20. Therefore, we must spend time with the Lord to grow closer to Him.
   21. We cannot grow in these areas without Him.
   22. Additionally, these disciplines slow us down.
   23. We need to slow down. Sometimes, our daily rhythms are too busy, and that keeps us anxious or makes it worse. Slow down.

Close

A few years ago, I was invited to a golf outing. A community group connected pastors and church leaders to play golf together once a week. I thought one of the goals was to get to know each other as we played golf. They partnered us with a different person each week. I am not a good golfer, but I enjoy the game occasionally. So, I participated and tried to converse with the others. We did this each week for about eight weeks.

A few weeks after it ended, I met with one of the community leaders. We met for breakfast and talked. I brought up how I believe in Christian accountability and transparency. He said, “I am glad you brought that up…” He then told me how he was told throughout these golf outings that some told him that I asked them too many questions. They told him that while we played, I was trying to get them to talk too much about themselves. I thought that was interesting.

I don’t like to use myself as an example. Let me say that usually, I can be too defensive and take things too personally. In this case, what did I do? I explained that I knew I could talk too much on certain subjects, so I asked questions to get to know those I was golfing with. He seemed understanding. Then, I called three trusted friends. I explained what was shared with me and said I wanted them to give me the hard, honest truth.

I failed many times, but I think we have to be willing to seek the truth about ourselves. Maybe someone tells us we are angry a lot, or depressed, and we should get help. How do we respond? Are we humble enough to talk to multiple people who really know us and ask for them to speak truth as they observe it? Why multiple people? This is because some will just tell us what we want to hear.

Then, are we spending time with the Lord? I don’t mean simply reading the Bible—that is critical—but also being quiet so we can hear from God. Are we journaling and practicing other good contemplative habits?

We need these habits so that we can run to win.

Pray

[1] https://sermons.love/david-jeremiah/19661-david-jeremiah-spiritual-warfare.html

^[2] Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive (New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).

Running to Win- Perseverance (1 Cor. 9:24-27)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, October 20, 2024

Dr. Thompson writes:

The prefrontal cortex (PFC), along with our language centers, is the part of our neurological system that sets us apart from all of God’s other created beings. Attention, memory, emotion, and attachment all come together and are integrated at the PFC. That’s why I often refer to this part of the brain as the Grand Central Station of the mind.

Dr. Thompson shares a time when his prefrontal cortex, that grand central station, did not work properly. He lost his temper with his three-year-old daughter.

How do we grow spiritually to live with joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? You may say, “Oh, Steve, that happens to all of us sometimes.” I agree. I have done it as well, but does that make it right? As Christians, don’t we want to grow beyond that?

Over the past few weeks, we have talked about persevering through things from the past. I have discussed how these could be sin issues or things that lead to sin. They may be physiological. However, we don’t want to “run in place.” We want to work on them. We want to grow. Last week, I shared that we may never conquer them, but we can make progress. That is what I want to talk about today. Perseverance. First, remember that I talked about generational traps. The devil and spiritual forces may set “generational traps.” Again, these may not be sins by themselves. Maybe the men in the family are passive. Maybe people are workaholics. Is that a sin? Maybe it is anxiety. A lot of these are inherited from our parents. Sometimes, it is not as much genetic, but exposure. When we are exposed, there are literal changes in the brain. The neat thing is that we can re-wire the brain again.

My theme today is:

Persevere through the Christian life.

1. Compete to win!
   1. Read with me 1 Cor. 9:24:
   2. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.
   3. We know of the Olympics.
   4. Well, they knew about the Olympics in Paul’s day. However, there was another type of Olympic games that took place in Corinth.
   5. These were called the Isthmian games.
   6. They were held every two years compared to the Olympics, which were held every four years.
   7. Paul is saying in a race, many may run, but only one receives the prize.
   8. You know, in Christianity, we can all receive a prize. Paul says run so that you can win.
   9. Let’s read 1 Cor. 9:25: Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
   10. You win by exercising self-control.
   11. That means eating right or exercising in sports; however, in Christianity that means following the Bible’s teaching, getting rid of sin and soaking up the fruit of the Spirit.
   12. The Olympic athletes did this for a perishable wreath; we do it for an imperishable crown of life. The pine garland was awarded at these Isthmian games (wild olive at the Olympic, parsley at the Nemean, etc.).
   13. Participants for the Olympic games had to swear by Zeus to follow ten months of strict training beforehand.
   14. We must run the Christian life as an Olympic athlete; we must be like Paul was.
   15. Realize some of the things we struggle with are deeply rooted:

The Christian psychiatrist, Dr. Thompson, shares an example of how we could respond to our wife based on how we responded to our mother when we were a child. In other words, when we were young, we learned certain responses. We subconsciously intuit certain things about the expression of our wife and respond in a certain manner. However, the intuition and expression are wrong. They are based on subconscious thinking from childhood.

• Keep moving forward in the Christian life.
  1. Look at verses 26-27:
  2. 1 Corinthians 9:26–27 (ESV)
  3. ²⁶ So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. ²⁷ But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
  4. We must run in such a way that is not without aim. He has a goal of winning people to salvation, and he has another goal.
  5. In Philippians 3:14: I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
  6. Paul writes, “I box in such a way as not beating the air.” This refers to boxers.
  7. Boxing was one of the major competitions at Greek games; boxers wore leather gloves covering most of the forearm except the fingers, and boxing was a violent sport. Shadowboxing or “beating the air” was insufficient preparation for a boxing competition; a boxer had to discipline his body better than that to win. In the same way, Paul had to discipline his life to sacrifice what he needed for the gospel’s sake, lest he be disqualified from the race and fall short of the wreath of eternal life.
  8. Paul says that he disciplines his body and makes it his slave.
  9. The term used for discipline literally means to hit under the eye. This was another boxing term.
  10. Paul knocked out the bodily impulses to keep them from keeping him from winning souls for Christ.
  11. He makes his body a slave: this is metaphorically like being a prisoner back from battle.
  12. Paul did this so he could serve Christ.
  13. Paul said that he did not want to be disqualified after preaching to others.
  14. What does that mean?
  15. After the athletic events, they would examine the athletes to make sure they had followed all the rules, and if they didn’t, they were shamefully disqualified.
  16. This leads us to the question: Did Paul think if he didn’t do enough, he could lose his salvation?
  17. Or was he referring to the rewards Christians receive in the New Jerusalem? There are rewards Christians receive for our service. That is Biblical.
  18. Did we do anything to earn our salvation? No. So, we cannot do anything to lose our salvation.
  19. However, our perseverance shows that we are saved.
  20. To stick with the athletic metaphor, how we act shows that we are on Jesus’ team and not the world’s team.
  21. If we are disrespectful and do not care, it may show that we are not Christians.
  22. If we are always gossiping and do not care, it shows that we are on team world, not team Christ.
  23. If sexual immorality does not bother us, it shows that we are on team world, not team Christ.
  24. If idols do not bother us, it shows that we are on team world, not team Christ.
  25. If jealousy does not bother us, it shows that we are on team world, not team Christ.
  26. If anger does not bother us, it shows that we are on team world, not team Christ.
  27. By the way, I pulled that list from Gal. 5:19-21.
• On the other hand, if we do not care about the things of God it shows we are on team world and not team Christ.

1. Do we care about love?

• Do we care about joyfulness?

1. Do we care about peace?
2. Do we care about patience?

• Do we care about kindness?
• Do we care about goodness?
• Do we care about faithfulness?
• Do we care about gentleness?
• Do we care about self-control?
• I am not talking about every moment, but when we fail, do we repent?
• Have we given up?

Tim Keller shares the following. He was in a sermon on Gen. 4:7 when God tells Cain that sin is “crouching” at his door with a desire to overtake him:

What does it mean to crouch down? Crouching down means one of two things. You crouch down, first of all, so the person won’t see you at all, or if they do see you, they’ll think you’re very small and not big, or asleep, or dead, or inert, or something. In other words, sin always presents itself to you as either a virtue, either something good (“I’m not a workaholic; I’m just productive”), or else it presents itself as something …

“Yeah. It’s a flaw. Yes. I really shouldn’t do that. Yes. I probably shouldn’t nurse that grudge. Yes. I probably shouldn’t have that attitude, but it’s not all that bad.” It’s crouching down. This is very interesting because it’s not only crouching down. Sin always stays hidden. It’s always trying to stay just off your radar. It’s always presenting itself as something else, and yet it uncoils someday.

When God says, “… sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it,” what he’s saying is we tend to walk on a razor’s edge. In the very, very earliest stages of self-pity, in the very earliest stages of bitterness, in the very earliest stages of pride or of prejudice, in the very earliest stages of greed, in the very earliest stages of some sort of addiction, in the very earliest stages, sin … you actually still have some control.

You know what’s going on. You really do. You can do something about it, but he says (here’s what’s interesting) when you give in to the greed, to the self-pity, to the prejudice, to the pride, to the selfishness, when you give in to the thoughts and the words and the deeds you shouldn’t … Sin is not just really a matter of just something that goes off into the air. Sin is not just a matter of personal choice. Sin is a power.

When you do a sin, it creates a force in your life. It creates a being. It takes shape. Isn’t this astounding? Do you think this is just metaphorical, when God says, “It wants to have you”? So the point is you give in to selfishness, you give in to pride, you give in to dishonesty, you give in to greed, you give in to these sorts of things, and next thing you know, you have created something in your life that shadows you.

In fact, almost literally, here’s what God says. He says, “If you do sin, sin will do you. Right now, you’re in a position where you can perform sin, but it won’t be long before it will come back, and it will have you. It will want you.” How can he talk about sin as if it’s an agent? The answer is because it has that kind of power in our lives.

Sin is not just something you do; it’s a power. Here’s what he’s saying. He’s saying it starts small, but it’s not long before it’s just taking you out. Gossips will find themselves being gossiped about. Haters will find themselves being hated. Cowards will be deserted. “Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.” People who will do anything to be popular will be the most unpopular people. Who would want somebody like that, no principles?

Do you know your crouching sins?

By definition, the things in your life right now that can most destroy you are the things you don’t think are that bad, the things you’ve been making excuses for. Let me give you a couple more examples. “I’m not a workaholic; I’m just productive. I’m not ruthless; I just have sharp business sense. I’m not stingy; I’m just prudent. I’m not bitter against the opposite sex; I’m just experiencing righteous moral outrage.”

In other words, sin always crouches down, but here’s what I want you to know. It will poison you. It will have you. You can’t stay bitter against the opposite sex without it hardening you and poisoning you and distorting your ability to assess individuals. It will screw you up. You can decide, “I’m going to stay bitter at my parents,” but it won’t be long before it will uncoil. It will poison you, and it will harden you, and it will embitter you in all sorts of ways you won’t even see. Of course, because that’s what it means to have you.

There’s nobody more under the power of something than someone who doesn’t know they’re under anybody’s power. Do you know your crouching sins? Or do you think I’m exaggerating? If you do, you’re so vulnerable. Do you know what they are? So the first thing we learn is sin is always a factor east of Eden. Sin is dangerous. Sin is powerful. Sin is subtle. Sin is nuanced. Sin is complex. Sin is hidden. It’s always hiding itself, and it’s always a factor. It’s always a problem. It’s always involved.[1]

[1] Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive (New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).

• Paul is talking about going through the Christian life like a race, running to the end.
• Paul is talking about perseverance. Paul is talking about striving for the crown.
• As a Christian we must keep working on these things.

• How?
  1. How do we work on these things?
  2. Make sure that you are humble, approachable, and teachable.
  3. You say, “Of course I am.”
  4. Are you really?
  5. Ask several people close to you if you are humble, approachable, and teachable.
  6. Make sure you are active in individual spiritual disciplines and community spiritual disciplines.
  7. The individual spiritual disciplines are your time in prayer and Scripture reading.
  8. The community spiritual disciplines are small groups and prayer partnerships.
  9. Do you know that when you write you are engaging the left and right brain? Dr. Thompson writes about that in his book.
  10. Slow down. Slow down. Slow down. Read poetry. Poetry also engages the right and left brain.
  11. Find hobbies.
  12. Do you know the commonality in grumpy old men is they do not engage in the arts.
  13. Talk to me. I would love to help you.
  14. You think, “I don’t need to talk to anyone, I am ok.” Well, I don’t think you are.
  15. Do you know the “Bob principle”? It is the principle that everyone notices something is off with Bob, but Bob does not realize it. Don’t be Bob; be self-aware.
  16. A few months back I was talking with someone who was going through intense grief. He had tears in his eyes. He is not sleeping; he is mean to his wife. I said, maybe you should talk with your pastor. He said, “I am ok.” I said, “I don’t think you are.” He is not okay. He is not sleeping; his health is poor.
  17. You can trick your mind, you can tell your mind you are okay, but you cannot trick the body. The body keeps the score. That same person was willing to see his doctor but not his pastor or a counselor. Why is that? Do we really think a pill will take care of it? Probably not.
  18. Medication may help, but we cannot always accept a simple solution. God wants us to do the hard work.
  19. Maybe you need to come in and talk with me and let me see if I can help you. Or, contact a Christian counselor. Make sure they are a Christian.
  20. There is something called the Johari Window:
  21. Johari Window: It is like a window pain
  22. We have the:
      1. Open self;
      2. Blind self;
      3. Hidden self;
      4. Unknown self
  23. There may be things that we are an open book about.
  24. There are other things that you are blind to, others see them, but you do not see them.
  25. There is the “hidden” part. This is a mask.
  26. Then there is the unknown. These are things you do not even know about yourself.
  27. It is important to spend prayer and contemplative time to know more about ourselves.
  28. As human beings, we complain about something, maybe a somatic issue with the body, maybe an overblown, maybe a person at work, hymns, or the thermostat, but usually the issue is more than that. It is much deeper.
  29. But don’t be too hard on yourself.
  30. Peephole story: you peep through a hole in a house…. You see a couple sitting and not talking. You think they are not emotionally aware; they can’t communicate. But then you keep looking and you see the wife go into the kitchen and start unloading the dishwasher. You see that her fingers are struggling because of arthritis. Then you see the husband come in and say, “I got this, you can go sit down.” They may not communicate that well, but that is why they are still married. They serve one another.
  31. Being more emotionally aware becomes a revelation of who you are.
  32. Quit running in place.
  33. Reread the material I shared last week about the daily office of meditation and prayer.
  34. The first step is having close Christian friends with whom you have honest conversations. Ask them: Am I a negative person? Am I a critical person? Am I depressed? Am I always complaining? Am I a gossip? Do I have self-control?
  35. Sometimes, I catch myself being critical, and I think, “NO!” I don’t want people to think, “Here comes Steve…” I want them to think, “There is Steve, he is the encourager.”
  36. A few months ago, we were leaving the fair. The parking lot was difficult to get out of. I thought these traffic guides did not know what they were doing. But then I caught myself. One of them was an older man. One was the Ohio Highway Patrol. I then thought, “I can’t criticize them. I don’t ‘know what they know.’ It is arrogant of me to be a critic. I don’t know enough.”
  37. Persevere in the Christian life. Don’t run in place. Finish well. Take these things seriously.

My friend and mentor Pastor Rick Sams wrote several articles on “Finishing Well. He writes the following in his August 29, 2024 newsletter article:

Persistence and finishing well must have resonated with a lot of readers of this column based on the feedback. The word “grit” is hardly ever used by anyone today, but it needs to be as relentless pursuit of anything is rare.

John Stephen Akhwari was never likely to win the men’s marathon, but his chances were wrecked when, perhaps because of the effects of the rarified air of Mexico City in the ‘68 Olympics, he succumbed to cramps that slowed his progress. If that was painful, then worse was to come after he was involved in a bruising battle of athletes jockeying for position.

Akhwari fell to the ground, gashing his knee and also causing a dislocation. Most observers, seeing his injuries, assumed he would pull out. Instead, he received medical attention and persisted in pounding the pavement again.

By now 18 of the 75 starters had pulled out; he did not want to be among them.

More than an hour after the winner, Akhwari finished…in LAST place. But he heard the cheers of more than a thousand spectators who stayed in the stadium till the last man finished. The medal winners had long left the podium. The only victor’s crown he showed was the tattered bandage blowing in the breeze.

He was asked about his grit, not in those terms. Then came this quotable, oft referred to in sporting legend and lore, “My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race,” he said. “They sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.”

There were two qualifications for competing in the ancient Olympic Games. You had to train according to the rules and you had to finish the race well. Near the end of his life “race” the apostle Paul reflected on how he ran his race: “Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules…For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 2:5; 4:6-7)

Akhwari kept pursuing a distance racing career. He finished fifth in the marathon at the Commonwealth Games in 1970 and also ran the 10,000m at the same championships. He was a good runner, never great. His greatness came from character and courage more than competence and championships. That’s also from where your greatness is most likely to come.[3]

[1] Thompson M.D., Curt. Anatomy of the Soul: Surprising Connections between Neuroscience and Spiritual Practices That Can Transform Your Life and Relationships (pp. 157-158). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[2] Thompson M.D., Curt. Anatomy of the Soul: Surprising Connections between Neuroscience and Spiritual Practices That Can Transform Your Life and Relationships (pp. 96-97). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[3] Marathon man Akhwari demonstrates superhuman spirit – Olympic News (olympics.com)

Running to Win- humility…

Theme: It takes humility to move forward. It takes a recognition that this is a problem.

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on, Sunday, October 13, 2024

I am in a sermon series on “Running to Win.” In other words, we are running through things, character traits, temptations, etc. One could be grief, depression, or something else.

People have some unique ways of trying to overcome their depression. There was a lady whose husband died. She found herself, of course, extremely lonely. She told herself that she needed to do something to overcome her depression. She took a trip to the pet store to look for something to comfort her in her loneliness.

The proprietor introduced her to a parakeet that talked. The widow thought the idea of a talking parakeet was wonderful, so she took the parakeet home. She started talking to the bird, but the parakeet wouldn’t talk back. The woman talked and talked. This went on for a week and, naturally, she was a little confused as to what was going on.

The widow made her way back to the pet store. “The parakeet is not talking.”

The proprietor said, “Oh, you forgot to get the mirror. The parakeet needs to see itself in the mirror, then it will be encouraged to talk.”

So she bought a mirror, took it back, and placed it in the cage. She made sure that the parakeet could see itself. For another week, she talked to the parakeet. The parakeet still would not talk.

The lady went back, yet again, to the pet store. “That parakeet is still not talking.”

“Oh,” he said, “you didn’t get the swing. The parakeet’s got to be on the swing and swinging and looking at itself in order for it to talk.”

So she bought the swing, put the parakeet on the swing, and started talking to the parakeet.

Another week went by and she made her way back to the pet store.

“This dumb parakeet is not working. It’s not doing what I hoped it would do.”

“Oh, I am sorry. There’s one more thing you forgot to get—the ladder. The parakeet has got to have the ladder to walk up and down on. That movement will allow it to talk.”

Begrudgingly, she bought the ladder. Another week went by. That parakeet didn’t say a word. However, at the end of the week, it fell over dead.

The widow was really mad now. She marched back to the store and sought out the store owner. She said, “That parakeet you sold me died. I bought the mirror, bought the swing, bought the ladder, and that bird didn’t say a mumbling word. It just fell over and died.”

The store owner said, “I cannot believe that it died. Did it say anything before it died?”

“Yeah, while it was falling over dead, it looked up with one eye open and said, ‘Don’t they serve any food at that pet store?’ ”

For four weeks, that bird hadn’t eaten. The woman kept buying all the wrong stuff. That’s what a lot of us look for—all the wrong stuff. The things we hope will solve our problems die on us. They don’t produce what we expect.^[1]

Joni Eareckson Tada writes:

It bothers me when I hear people say that only the weak-minded struggle with severe depression. That’s cause I sometimes get hit hard with more than just downhearted feelings. There are times when I feel like disappearing—I don’t want to talk to anyone, and I don’t want to face the world.

I’m not the only one who has days like that. I think of them as “the day of evil” spoken about in Ephesians 6:13. When they come, I hang on for dear life to a couple of well-worn Scriptures that assure me joy will come in the morning.

And I take encouragement that the great hymn writer William Cowper suffered from depression. He constantly struggled against suicide. Once he even tried to hang himself. Another time he fell on a knife but the blade broke, and at one point he threw himself into a river, hoping to drown. He had a mental breakdown and was placed in an insane asylum for eighteen months. During his detention he read Romans 3:25, the part about the blood of Christ being so powerful as to atone for all past sins—even the guilt of suicidal thoughts.

After his conversion he became friends with John Newton, who wrote “Amazing Grace.” It was just the inspiration Cowper needed to write the beautiful hymn “There Is a Fountain.”

Throughout his life Cowper continued to be plagued by severe depression, and often he sought to end his life. His most powerful hymns were written after those times. We may become depressed on this side of eternity, but aren’t you glad that little by little, inch by inch, day by day, God renews our minds…all because there is a fountain filled with blood?[2]

Last week we began a sermon series on the idea of running to win. This is the idea of recognizing, running through, and, if possible, defeating the things we deal with. This could be depression, anxiety, anger, or something else. They can be actual sins, or they could be organic issues that may or may not lead to sin.

Today, my theme is:

We must humbly recognize these things and keep moving through them.

1. Humility: Recognize these things and recognize they may be thorns in the side for life, but that does not mean “run in place.”
   1. This is a difficult and complicated point.
   2. First, notice that I said to recognize these “things.” I did not use the word sin. Sometimes they are sin, but sometimes they are not sin.
   3. Sometimes they lead to sin.
   4. This sermon series was birthed because I see things in family history that I do not want to emulate. Yet, I see family members copy the same behaviors and traits which they tried to avoid.
   5. Last week, I shared:
   6. When I was in my twenties, I realized there were traits in my family history that I did not want to emulate. I might have recognized that earlier than my twenties, but I definitely recognized that by my twenties. As an example, I remember being a young child, and every time my parents took me to a relative’s house, the husband and wife were always yelling at each other. Now, some forty years later, if we go to that relative’s adult son’s house, he is always arguing with his wife. They are now well over sixty years old, married a long time, but emulating his parents’ behavior. How do we run to win? How do we prevent emulating those things?
   7. There can be generational traps…
   8. These are things in which the enemy uses what is already there
   9. The enemy, the devil and his minions may think, “This is what did grandpa in… this is what did uncle in… I wonder if this will work on Steve.”
   10. Maybe all the males are extremely passive… it may not be something crazy, it could be alcoholism, but maybe not. It could be workaholism.
   11. The enemy sets traps for the next generation.
   12. Again, they may be sin, they may not be sin, they may lead to sin.
   13. A man who is a workaholic started with good intentions, but I think it would be sin because of other root issues.
   14. A man who avoids problems and does not talk things over with his wife or children is not wise. He is not following certain biblical instructions.
   15. Someone who is anxious may be in sin, but the cause could be organic or physiological. Still, it could lead to sin in that the individual is unwilling to accept help. That is the complicated part.
   16. Even if it is an organic thing, that does not mean we are to “run in place.” We should be willing to talk with a Christian counselor, a doctor, or your pastor.
   17. Much of this sermon series was birthed in physiological traits passed down from generation to generation. Some are from exposure, some from genetics, and maybe both. It is difficult to say. Someone may be very angry like their parents, but they cannot say, “That is just who I am.” No, it may be a thorn in the side, but try to get help and move forward.
   18. Plus, studies are clear that many of our treatments for anxiety are not working. Trust me, I have personal experience with anxiety, and so does my family. Check out the books: “The Body Keeps the Score,” “Bad Therapy,” or “The Anxious Generation” to read more.
   19. So, we must humbly accept that these things are problems and be willing to move forward with help. We may NOT get healing in this life, but we can get help.
   20. That leads to the first Scripture.
2. Paul’s thorn.
   1. 2 Corinthians 12:7–10 (ESV)
   2. ⁷ So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
   3. Dr. Witherington III from Asbury Seminary shares: Verse 7 makes it clear that there was something else that God allowed to happen to Paul with this heady experience. One scholar (Betz) may be right in saying that vv. 7-9 are a parody of a healing miracle story, in which a person prays for healing and God answers the prayer. Here the answer is no! God sent Paul a “thorn” or “stake” in the flesh, a “messenger from satan,” to prevent Paul from becoming too elated over such revelations [the heaven experience he had in the previous verses]. In other words, it brought him right back to earth.
   4. There is debate about whether his “thorn in the flesh” was physical ailment or a temptation, or opponents.
   5. Some say it could have to do with his opponents in Corinth.
   6. Some say sickness…
   7. Gal. 4:13: bodily ailment caused him to preach the Gospel to them.
   8. Gal. 6:11: he wrote with big letters. So his thorn could be eye problems.
   9. Either way, Paul, who had been used of God to heal many, was not healed.
   10. God does not always heal us.
   11. I believe this applies to physical things, but it could also apply to physiological things.
   12. We may have things we struggle with all of our life and we need to push through for the Kingdom of God.
3. This takes being humble…
   1. Can our family or friends talk with you and say, “I think you should get help”? Or, can they say, “I think you should see a grief counselor”? Or, I love you brother, but your anger is out of control”?
   2. Or, can someone say to us, “Maybe you need to see a counselor and doctor for your anxiety”?
   3. Can someone approach us and say, “This isolation is not good, you are isolating too much and you need to be around people, you need purpose in your life”?
   4. Are we humble enough to have people in our lives who speak the truth?
   5. Then, when they do talk with us, can we honestly think and pray about what they say?
   6. During 2020, I heard people say, “I am fine being alone; I guess others cannot deal with themselves.” It turned out they were not fine being alone at all and went into serious depression.
   7. Some scripture:
   8. Proverbs 13:10 (ESV)By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.
   9. Proverbs 17:10 (ESV) A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.
   10. Proverbs 19:20 (ESV)Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.
   11. Proverbs 11:2 (ESV)When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.
   12. It takes humility to listen to others and accept truth.
   13. It takes humility to realize, I don’t want to be this way.
   14. I tell people, you can choose to get help now, see your pastor, a counselor, a doctor, or someone may choose it for you in the future. Meaning, you don’t get help, but things get worse until you hit bottom.
   15. Or, the other alternative is to be miserable and make others miserable as well.
   16. Let’s get more specific with applications:
   17. Take a sheet of paper and prayerfully make two lists: your strengths and your weaknesses. Don’t be too hard on yourself.
   18. Then, evaluate your time management and purpose.
   19. Do you have daily time for reflection, contemplation, and prayer?
   20. I am not talking about simple daily devotions. I am not talking about reading a chapter of the Bible and being done. I am not talking about normal prayer. I am talking about true quiet time.
   21. Pete Scazzero writes:
   22. The term Daily Office (also called fixed-hour prayer, Divine Office, or liturgy of the hours) differs from what we label today as quiet time or devotions. When I listen carefully to most people describe their devotional life, the emphasis tends to be on “getting filled up for the day” or “interceding for the needs around me.” The root of the Daily Office is not so much a turning to God to get something but to be with Someone. The word Office comes from the Latin word opus, or “work.” For the early church, the Daily Office was always the “work of God.” Nothing was to to the Creator … prayers of praise offered as a sacrifice of thanksgiving and faith to God and as sweet-smelling incense … before the throne of God.”
   23. David practiced set times of prayer seven times a day (Psalm 119:164). Daniel prayed three times a day (Daniel 6:10). Devout Jews in Jesus’ time prayed two to three times a day. Jesus himself probably followed the Jewish custom of praying at set times during the day. After Jesus’ resurrection, his disciples continued to pray at certain hours of the day (Acts 3:1 and 10:9ff).
   24. About AD 525, a good man named Benedict structured these prayer times around eight Daily Offices, including one in the middle of the night for monks. The Rule of St. Benedict became one of the most powerful documents in shaping Western civilization. At one point in his Rule, Benedict wrote: “On hearing the signal for an hour of the divine office, the monk will immediately set aside what he has in hand and go with utmost speed. … Indeed, nothing is to be preferred to the Work of God [that is, the Daily Office].”[1]
   25. The daily office includes stopping, centering, silence, and Scripture.
   26. This may be for 20 minutes a day, or maybe only a week at this point, but it is important.
   27. Scazzero shares: At each Office I give up control and trust God to run his world without me.[2]
   28. We center on God: Scripture commands us: “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7).
   29. We practice silence: Dallas Willard called silence and solitude the two most radical disciplines of the Christian life. Solitude is the practice of being absent from people and things to attend to God. Silence is the practice of quieting every inner and outer voice to attend to God. Henri Nouwen said that “without solitude it is almost impossible to live a spiritual life.”[3]
   30. And of course we spend time in the Bible.
   31. The last challenge is really intentional:
   32. I exhort and encourage you: ask someone close to you to evaluate you. Ask three people to evaluate you. Ask people to evaluate you on three things:
       1. 1. Approachability.
          2. The fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23);
          3. Busyness: does it seem that you are too busy and need to slow down?

I believe we may or may not get total victory in this life, BUT we can get help. We can make progress.

In the Northeastern United States, codfish are not only delectable, they are a big commercial business. There’s a market for eastern cod all over, especially in sections farthest removed from the northeast coastline. But the public demand brought a problem to the shippers. At first they froze the cod, then shipped them elsewhere, but the freeze took away much of the flavor. So they experimented with shipping them alive, in tanks of seawater, but that proved even worse. Not only was it more expensive, but the cod still lost its flavor, and in addition, it became soft and mushy. The texture was seriously affected.

Finally, some creative soul solved the problem in a most innovative manner. The codfish were placed in the tank along with their natural enemy—the catfish. From the time the cod left the East Coast until it arrived in its westernmost destination, those ornery catfish chased the cod all over the tank! And you guessed it, when the cod arrived at the market, they were as fresh as when they were first caught. There was no loss of flavor nor was the texture affected. If anything, it was better than before.

—Charles R. Swindoll, Come Before Winter^[3]

Prayer

^[1] Tony Evans, Tony Evans’ Book of Illustrations: Stories, Quotes, and Anecdotes from More than 30 Years of Preaching and Public Speaking (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2009), 76–77.

[2] Taken from More Precious than Silver; By Joni Eareckson Tada. Copyright © 1998

Published in Print by Zondervan, Grand Rapids

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version.

^[3] Charles R. Swindoll, The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart and 1501 Other Stories (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2016), 34.

Special topic: Running to Win- (Introduction) 2 Cor. 5:17; Romans 8:1; Phil. 2:12-13; Romans 12:1-2)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, October 6, 2024

Chuck Swindoll shares:

Sometimes it is very hard to keep on when we do not seem to be getting anywhere. When Thomas Carlyle had finished the first volume of his book, The French Revolution, he gave the finished manuscript to his friend John Stuart Mill and asked him to read it. It took Mr. Mill several days to read it and as he read, he realized that it was truly a great literary achievement. Late one night as he finished the last page he laid the manuscript aside by his chair in the den of his home. The next morning the maid came; seeing those papers on the floor, she thought they were simply discarded. She threw them into the fire, and they were burned.

On March 6, 1835—he never forgot the date—Mill called on Carlyle in deep agony and told him that his work has been destroyed. Carlyle replied, “It’s all right. I’m sure I can start over in the morning and do it again.”

Finally, after great apologies, John Mill left and started back home. Carlyle watched his friend walking away and said to his wife, “Poor Mill. I feel so sorry for him. I did not want him to see how crushed I really am.”

Then heaving a sigh, he said, “Well, the manuscript is gone, so I had better start writing again.”

It was a long, hard process especially because the inspiration was gone. It is always hard to recapture the verve and the vigor if a man has to do a thing like that twice. But he set out to do it again and finally completed the work.

Thomas Carlyle walked away from disappointment. He could do nothing about a manuscript that was burned up. So it is with us: There are times to get up and get going and let what happened happen.^[1]

How do we press on?

How do we keep moving when things are difficult?

How do we persevere?

How do we finish well?

Today, I want to begin a new sermon series, which I am calling “Running to Win.”

When I was in my twenties, I realized there were traits in my family history that I did not want to emulate. I might have recognized that earlier than my twenties, but I definitely recognized that by my twenties. As an example, I remember being a young child, and every time my parents took me to a relative’s house, the husband and wife were always yelling at each other. Now, some forty years later, if we go to that relative’s adult son’s house, he is always arguing with his wife. They are now well over sixty years old, married a long time, but emulating his parents’ behavior. How do we run to win? How do we prevent emulating those things? How do we persevere through the Christian life?

Today, I am introducing a sermon series on this subject. It is a discipleship subject.

My theme today is: We are new in Christ

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Romans 8:9 (ESV)

⁹ You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

We will come back to those passages. First, what am I talking about?

1. Generational traps:
   1. There can be generational traps…
   2. These are things in which the enemy uses what is already there
   3. The enemy, the devil and his minions may think, “This is what did grandpa in… this is what did uncle in… I wonder if this will work on Steve.”
   4. Maybe all the males are extremely passive… it may not be something crazy, it could be alcoholism, but maybe not. It could be workaholism.
   5. The enemy sets traps for the next generation.
   6. Now, the Bible addresses this.
   7. 34:7-7 and Deut 5:8-10 talks about the consequence of sin going to the 3^rd and 4^th generation (also, Lev 26:39).
   8. Then again, Deut. 24:16 says that fathers should not be put to death for their children or children for their fathers.
   9. It seems to me that children end up committing similar sins as their parents. It just happens. A child observes certain sins in his parents and ends up copying them.
   10. I think these generational sins, or traps, exist. They can be forgiven and prevented in Christ.
   11. I just mentioned a few:
   12. Alcoholism, drug abuse, but how about other things? I mentioned men who are passive. Is that a sin?
   13. These are not all necessarily sin issues, but they can lead to sin.
   14. What about workaholism? Is that a sin? It can be if the job is an idol and one neglects one’s family.
   15. Maybe your dad, mom, or grandparents were (or are) gossips. Do you want to be that way?
   16. Maybe your dad, mom, or grandparents were (or are) always angry. Do you want to be that way?
   17. Maybe your dad, mom, or grandparents were (or are) always wanting more stuff. Do you want to be that way?
   18. Maybe your dad, mom, or grandparents were (or are) always negative, always critical, never joyful, or positive. Do you want to be that way?
   19. Of course, those are not the big sin issues that we talk about, are they? But they are biblical issues.
   20. What about another one- Maybe your dad, mom, or grandparents were (or are) emotionally unavailable. All the conversations were surface-level. Do you want to be that way?
   21. Healthy leaders grieve well. I recommend the book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality.
   22. Maybe depression and anxiety is in your family history. That may or may not be a sin issue, but maybe we can get help.
   23. I know people who live with depression even though they have tried to get help. It is like it is their cross to bear. That may be the case.
   24. I know others who live with depression because they refuse to get help.
   25. I believe God wants us to be humble enough to work on these things. We may NOT be healed, but we can get help.
2. Our brains and bodies are complex and created by God in amazing ways.
   1. Our bodies have mirror neurons.
   2. The following comes from Dr. Thompson. He is a Christian psychiatrist, and Malone graduate. He wrote: “Anatomy of the Soul.”
   3. One writes:
   4. One system of particular interest to researchers in the last ten years is that of mirror neurons, which leads to mimicry. Virtually all intentional human behavior is ultimately mimicked. When we learn how to hold a fork or express a look of surprise, mimicry is involved. The mirror neurons fire when we witness another human undertake a behavior that has distinct intention. This system prepares the identical motor neurons in our brains to fire. For instance, if I see someone pick up a cup to drink from it, my mirror neurons will fire, preparing the “mirrored” neurons responsible for picking up and drinking from a cup to fire.
   5. This has important implications for actions such as empathy. Empathy can be described as an action rather than merely a feeling alone because we demonstrate empathy through nonverbal and verbal cues or actions that project the intent of connecting with another’s state of mind. When a child is the subject of another’s empathy, he or she will likely undergo the activation of his or her mirror neuron system related to empathy. In other words, children learn how to be empathic with others by seeing it demonstrated toward them.
   6. This mirror neuron system is one of many that are vital in regulating how we interact both within our own minds and in relationship with others.
   7. The more we understand the role of such systems, the more actively we can regulate them. For example, if I am aware that my fear is deeply connected to my breathing and heart rate, I can reduce my fear simply by consciously breathing deeply and slowly whenever I sense myself becoming fearful.[2]
   8. Why is that important? Sometimes our behaviors, actions, and things we deal with are rooted in our childhood, genetics or both. But what is important is our brain literally does change based off of those around us.
   9. The same writer shares:
   10. How much influence do your genes have on your brain? If one of your parents had depression and you suffer from depression, will your children be more vulnerable to becoming depressed? Is it a “simple” issue of genetic inheritance, in the same way your eye color is? What is both complex and amazing about the mind is how it emerges under the influence of what neuroscientists call epigenetics. Simply put, this means that gene expression is influenced—turned on and off, accelerated and slowed—by experience. For example, some people may have a genetic predisposition for being more anxious than other people. But if their parents are deeply attuned to their emotional temperaments, the genes that turn on their children’s anxiety response will tend to be quieted, and they’re more likely to develop a sanguine approach to life. On the other hand, if their parents behave anxiously, they may activate the genes that encourage anxiety to emerge, even in the most benign circumstances.[3]
   11. We often talk about the left brain being more about facts and logic, while the right brain is about creativity and emotions. What is interesting is we need both.
   12. Thompson shares that if someone shows empathy to another the right brains are connecting with each other.
   13. Further, we are emotional people.
   14. Emotion is not debatable. If your daughter senses the feeling of joy, shame, disappointment, or some general form of distress, that is in fact what she feels. She may not easily have words for the affect, but she does sense it. If she cries because she was cut from the basketball squad, there’s no sense in telling her, “You shouldn’t be sad about not making the team. Lots of people were cut.” And it would be very counterproductive to say, “Enough of the crying already! I might expect that from your four-year-old sister, but not from you.” This would shame her for expressing the emotion she senses.[4]
   15. What is most interesting is that from a very early age, infancy, we have attachment that is instilled in us.
   16. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the British researcher John Bowlby began developing the attachment theory. His book Attachment was the first of several groundbreaking works in this area. He explored the formation of close emotional bonds between infants and toddlers and their primary caregivers, usually their mothers, and the effect on those children when those bonds were prematurely broken. Many of his initial observations were based on the outcomes of children who had been separated from their parents during World War II.
   17. 4 types of attachment were identified:
   18. Secure attachment
   19. Insecure attachment—avoidant
   20. Insecure attachment—ambivalent/anxious
   21. Insecure attachment—disorganized
   22. There is much written on these, but I wish to summarize them:[5]
   23. He continues to give excellent information on attachment.
   24. Now, I just gave a lot of information on the brain.
   25. Why?
   26. I wanted to show that the emotional connections matter.
   27. Further, I wanted to show that our brains are always developing.
   28. Also, can they be healed? Yes, Dr. Thompson says that they can be healed through the neural pathways changing.
   29. Remember, in empathy, our right brains connect with another’s.
   30. Thompson writes:
   31. Scripture is primarily—among other things—a story. From Genesis to Revelation it is the story of God’s desire and practice to be with us, culminating in the life of Jesus. God is present with us. But not merely “with us” physically. He is that to be sure, and even closer, in the presence of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus, God comes not simply to be in the same room, but rather to walk right up to us, look us in the eye, touch us on the shoulder, and speak our names out loud, smile, and share a drink with us, all the while engaging, persuading, challenging, inviting, convicting, and empowering each of us, loving us into new creation. And in the process, our neural networks are changed.
   32. Healthy attachment, as we know, emerges from contingent communication, in which two individuals, through both their spoken dialogue and nonverbal cues, each affirm the other as they interact. This reflects the postulate that there is no such thing as an individual brain. In orthodox creedal life, followers of Jesus contend that God is a triune social being. There is a Father. There is a Son. There is a Spirit.
   33. Therefore, within the life of God there is no single “brain.” Within the Godhead, God has made perfect sense of his life, if you will. His own communal life is one of contingent communication.[6]
   34. Through Christ, His church, His community, spiritual disciplines, and godly counsel we can get help. Some may need medication also.
   35. My challenge and exhortation is to be willing to walk through this.
   36. A lady was walking her dog, and the dog was trying to get away from the leash. But every time the dog pulled away, the lady would yank it, pulling the dog back, and the animal couldn’t get free. The leash held it hostage, kept it bound, and unable to break away. He couldn’t break the chain.
   37. Many of us today find ourselves held hostage by a leash. The links on the chain are many. There is the link of anger, the link of bitterness, the link of resentment, and the link of revenge. But no matter how many links are in the chain, they all boil down to one thing, unforgiveness.[7]

• How will I address these subjects?
  1. I am not addressing each subject individually.
  2. I am discussing Christian behaviors, traits, and disciplines that will help.
  3. First, humility. We will not grow without humility. Can people close to us approach us regarding concerns? Are we approachable? Are we teachable?
  4. The second is perseverance. Do we recognize we have to persevere through the Christian life?
  5. Thirdly, spiritual warfare- this is a spiritual battle.
  6. We will talk about other things like being thankful and accountability.

1. We are new in Christ.
   1. Let’s come back to the Scriptures I began with.
   2. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
   3. Romans 8:9 (ESV) ⁹ You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
   4. When we are Christians, we belong to Christ. We are never alone. We have the Holy Spirit. A few weeks ago, I shared an illustration I heard: when we buy items that need batteries, it will say, “Batteries included.” When we become a Christian, the Holy Spirit is included. You are not alone.
   5. The Bible says we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37) through Him Who loved us.
   6. You can do this.

God wants to help us finish well. God wants to help us run to win.

Together, let’s run to win!

Prayer

^[1] William Barclay, The King and the Kingdom; Charles R. Swindoll, The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart and 1501 Other Stories (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2016), 441.

[2] Thompson M.D., Curt. Anatomy of the Soul: Surprising Connections between Neuroscience and Spiritual Practices That Can Transform Your Life and Relationships (pp. 42-43). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[3] Ibid. p. 46.

[4] Ibid. pp. 95-96.

[5] Ibid. excerpts from pp 113-131

[6] Ibid. p. 139

[7] Tony Evans, Tony Evans’ Book of Illustrations: Stories, Quotes, and Anecdotes from More than 30 Years of Preaching and Public Speaking (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2009), 335.

Two weeks ago, we discussed Cornelius, this Gentile, this non-Jewish man being converted. We talked about how this is the longest narrative in the book of Acts and this is a very pivotal point in the book.

Acts 1:8 (ESV)

⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

You need to know that this is happening now. They are at the end of the earth, which means that the Gospel is now in the gentile areas. The Gospel is now in pagan areas. The church is becoming multicultural.

So, have you ever had an exciting time or moment and then someone crashes you down?

When I was in seventh grade, I had ordered a Cleveland Browns book bag (why would anyone want that? I don’t know), but for some reason, when it came in, my mom gave it to my older brother. She must have thought he needed it more than me or something. I don’t know. But he was so excited when I got home from school and said, “Steve, look at this new book bag I got.” I’m like, “That’s mine.” Anyways, I still think back. He was so excited about that book bag, and maybe he did not know that I had picked it out.

That is a simple example, but the sermons the last few weeks and today deal with cultural issues. What is it like to rain on someone’s parade? What is that like?

In the passage, we are about to look at Peter’s parade was rained on. Peter had this mountain-top experience, and then he gets to Jerusalem, and then these high and mighty Jewish law keepers rebuke him. But think about it for a minute. Who can rebuke Peter? Peter went water skiing with Jesus without a boat.[1] Peter was trained in the University of Jesus. Apparently, these people did not care.

Three Applications to take home:

1. We see the cultural divide come down.

Psalm 139:23 (ESV)

²³   Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts!

Galatians 3:28 (ESV)

²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

This makes Revelation 7:9 so much more powerful:

Revelation 7:9 (ESV)

⁹ After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands…

2. The second application is the indwelling Holy Spirit in all believers. We see this emphasis in verses 15-17.
3. The third application is to bring glory to God. We see this in verse 18.

Let’s read the passage.

Acts 11:1–18 (ESV)

Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. ² So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, ³ “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” ⁴ But Peter began and explained it to them in order: ⁵ “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. ⁶ Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. ⁷ And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ ⁸ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ ⁹ But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ ¹⁰ This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. ¹¹ And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. ¹² And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. ¹³ And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; ¹⁴ he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ ¹⁵ As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. ¹⁶ And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷ If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” ¹⁸ When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

1. In verses 1-3, Peter is now challenged.
   1. In verses 1-3, we see that Peter goes back to Jerusalem. Now, it says the party of the circumcision. This means that they kept the whole law. They might have been the Pharisees like Paul the Apostle.
   2. So, they challenged Peter on this. Peter was all excited. He had had this dramatic revelation from God. God had shown Him this new truth. He was allowed to eat bacon now, but now he had to deal with these people. He had to defend this case.
   3. Verse 3: the real deal is that he ate with them. This is not the last time this will come up.
   4. So, in verse 4, Peter gives an orderly account of what happened. This is a review. There are a few new things, mainly concerning the Holy Spirit.
2. In verse 16, Peter reveals how Jesus spoke about the Holy Spirit.
   1. John baptized with water, but He will baptize with the Holy Spirit.
   2. Notice that we are baptized with the Holy Spirit simultaneously with salvation. Verse 17: If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”

• In verse 18, we see, following this, the people have nothing to argue with; they stop arguing with him and glorify or praise God.
  1. The original languages use the word “glorify God.”
  2. This is where we get our word “doxology” from.
  3. They worshipped God.
  4. This is self-sacrificing, vertical worship.
  5. We must also worship God this way.
  6. The last verse: , “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

Review our applications with me:

Three Applications to take home:

1. We see the cultural divide come down.

Psalm 139:23 (ESV)

²³   Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts!

Galatians 3:28 (ESV)

²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

This makes Revelation 7:9 so much more powerful:

Revelation 7:9 (ESV)

⁹ After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands…

2. The second application is the indwelling Holy Spirit in all believers. We see this emphasis in verses 15-17.
3. The third application is to bring glory to God. We see this in verse 18.

The question is, how do you feel about it?

Do you know Jesus?

Are you open to other cultures and people knowing Jesus?

Who do you need to introduce Jesus to?

To whom do you need to be opened to introduce Jesus?

Where are your prejudices?

Where are mine?

Do you know Jesus?

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

Pray

[1] I cannot take credit for this illustration, it comes from Pastor Mark Driscoll. Also the next one.

Conversion of Cornelius (Acts 10:1–48): The Gospel to the Nations

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, September 15, 2024

Do you ever think about our search for God?

Tim Keller shares:

C.S. Lewis says in his spiritual autobiography. He puts it like this: “Amiable agnostics will talk cheerfully about ‘man’s search for God.’ To me … they might as well have talked about the mouse’s search for the cat.”

His implication is the mouse doesn’t search for the cat; the cat searches for the mouse. He looks back and says, “Was I on a search for God?” We don’t search for God unless God first comes and does something in our hearts and pulls us toward him. There’s a hymn from the Reformation era that says it perfectly. This is the language of the heart of anybody who has really been converted. One of the stanzas of the hymn goes like this:

‘Tis not that I did choose Thee

For Lord, that could not be

This heart would still refuse Thee

Hadst Thou not chosen me

My heart owns none before Thee

For Thy rich grace I thirst

This knowing, if I love Thee

Thou must have loved me first

Anyone who has ever experienced real conversion in one way or another knows that’s true. What does that mean? It’s good news. By the way, it’s very good news. Here’s what the good news is. It means if you’re really on a search, if you’re really trying to find God and trying to know God, if you really want him, don’t search with anxiety. Search with confidence. Why?

Because if somebody comes to me and says, “I’m afraid I’m not going to find him. I’m trying to find him. I’m not sure I’m going to find him.” The only reason you’re discouraged is because you’re giving yourself too much credit. You’re not capable of missing God. You’re not capable of aching for God. You’re not capable of longing for God unless he was already helping you.

Put it another way. A sense of his absence is the sign of his presence, because you’re not capable of feeling his absence. You’re not capable of missing him. A sense of his absence is a sign of his presence.^[1]

That is for sure something to think about. God is seeking us!

Today, we come to Acts 10 and we see a case in which God is drawing a non-Jewish man. God is seeking this non-Jewish man.

This is the longest narrative in the book of Acts. This passage is pivotal in this book. Not just one but several Greeks receive Christ as their Savior. This passage now shows that you do not have to be Jewish to be a Christian. This passage now shows that the Gospel crosses cultural barriers. This is amazing.

I am going to summarize parts of this chapter and talk about them.

1. We have the introduction to Cornelius in verses 1-8.
   1. He was a centurion.
   2. We find out in verse 1 that Cornelius was part of the Italian Cohort.
   3. Caesarea was the seat of the Roman government of Judea. Cornelius was a centurion, a commander of 100 men, and a member of the Italian Cohort. (A “cohort” consisted of 600 men under the command of six centurions, but with auxiliary forces in remote areas such as Judea a “cohort” might have as many as 1,000 men.) Ten cohorts formed a “legion.” Centurions were paid very well (as much as five times the pay of an ordinary soldier), so Cornelius would have been socially prominent and wealthy.
   4. Verse 2 tells us that he was devout:
   5. He prayed.
   6. He feared God.
   7. He gave.
   8. He was a God-fearer, which means that he was considering Judaism. He may have been a full Jewish convert, but maybe not. We are unsure of this. He was definitely a non-Jewish man and did not keep the dietary laws.
   9. In the following few verses, he sees a vision. The Bible says that this is clear. This is unmistakable. So, this is an angel, and the angel says that his prayers have been answered. He is to send servants to Joppa where Peter is.
   10. Now, that sends us to verse 9 and to Peter.
2. In verses 9-23, we see Peter’s vision.
   1. Peter receives a vision that is repeated three times.
   2. In verses 9-12, He sees a great canvas sheet descending from heaven, filled with all kinds of unclean animals.
   3. In verses 13-16 we see the command:
   4. God’s order (10:13): “Kill and eat them.”
   5. Peter’s objection (10:14): “Never, Lord, I have never in all my life eaten anything forbidden by our Jewish laws.”
   6. We see God’s overrule (10:15–16): “If God says something is acceptable, don’t say it isn’t.”
   7. We see Peter’s confusion in verse 17. Peter wonders what all this means.
   8. Just then (verses 17-23) the men from Cornelius arrive and request that Peter accompany them to Caesarea.^[2]
   9. So, two soldiers are on their way to Peter. Peter, being a devout Jew, is about to have his world rocked.
   10. Noon was the normal time to eat and it was normal to use the roof for rest as well as for drying vegetables and other things.
   11. Noon was not a regular hour of prayer (3:1), so Peter prays in addition to the traditional hours followed by many of his contemporaries.^[3]
   12. I wonder, just a note of application, what is your prayer life? What is my prayer life?
   13. It is important, it is critical, it is imperative, that I am about prayer, that we are about prayer. We won’t do anything without God’s help. Wait, I feel like that was said and written wrong. We need God leading us. We need communion with God. We need prayer. We need dependence on God. Are you seeking Him? I must ask myself the same thing. Am I seeking Him?
   14. So, Mr. Peter is praying and God gives him this vision and we are not going to break down this vision. Peter sees unclean animals.
   15. By the way, the animals are given in a similar manner as they would be in the account of the flood narrative, which is interesting.
   16. Verse 13: take, kill and eat…
   17. God is for P.E.T.A. People Eating Tasty Animals.
   18. Verse 14 and following Peter says, no way, my translation, I have never eaten anything unclean.
   19. You must know that the Jews had dietary laws. They were not supposed to eat certain foods. In the Old Testament, God separated them from the other nations.
3. Verses 24-48 are about Cornelius’s salvation.
   1. In Verses 24-33 Cornelius shares how this came to pass and invites Peter to preach.
   2. Cornelius saw an angel four days ago (verse 30).
   3. The angel was in shining armor, verse 30. His giving has been remembered, verse 31, which connects with verse 2. Verse 33, he did not want to hear just anything but what Peter has been commanded to share by the Lord.
   4. In verses 34-43, Peter preaches the Gospel.
   5. Peter preaches a Gospel version shorter than some of his other sermons.
   6. Yet, this sermon focuses more on the life and ministry of Jesus.
   7. This is similar to Mark’s Gospel, which makes sense as Mark’s Gospel is said to have been written based on Peter’s testimony.
   8. Peter knew when to stop.
   9. Verse 45: all the circumcised believers (all the Jews) were amazed. A testimony that God had opened the Gospel up (Gal. 3:28).
   10. The Spirit convicted them and they were baptized.

Applications

1. 1. I have summarized this passage.
   2. This is a long passage, and I usually prefer to preach verse-by-verse, but I summarized this passage differently.
   3. Now, I want to go into applications:
   4. God is going to great lengths to show that the gospel is for everyone. Do we see this?
   5. He challenges Peter in the dietary laws.
   6. He is prodding Peter.
   7. A few chapters before this, God sends Philip to the Ethiopian Eunich.
   8. God is showing that the Gospel is for everyone.
   9. Christianity transcends cultures.
   10. Acts 1:8 (ESV)
   11. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
   12. Jerusalem
   13. Judea
   14. Samaria
   15. Ends of the earth…
   16. Galatians 3:28 (ESV) ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
   17. Christianity transcends cultures.
   18. Revelation 7:9–10 (ESV)
   19. ⁹ After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Timothy Keller shares:

Flannery O’Connor, the great Catholic Christian writer of fiction, in one of her letters said, “Christianity is worthless if it’s not true.”

I read in the New York Times Metro section yesterday [This is Keller sharing this] a very interesting article about why missionaries now take their children into dangerous places when so much of the world is so dangerous. The reporter said, “Why do they still go?” The reporter at one point said, “Maybe it’s because some families are just really looking for adventure.”

Here’s the question I have for the reporter, and maybe you’re here. It’s New York. Did Jesus rise from the dead? If Jesus rose from the dead, not only do you need to go, but it will be okay no matter what happens, but if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, it would be the stupidest thing in the world to put your family in harm’s way just to get adventure.

In other words, Christianity is worthless if it’s not true, but Peter says it is. He says, “We saw him. We ate and drank with him.” In other words, don’t ask whether Christianity is relevant, even though it is. Don’t ask whether Christianity is an adventure, even though it certainly is. Don’t ask if Christianity is exciting and life-changing, even though it certainly is. Ask if it’s true. If it’s true, it will convert you.^[4]

If it is true, we are converted and we share this with all people.

Pray

^[1] Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive (New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).

^[2] H. L. Willmington, The Outline Bible (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1999), Ac 10:9–23.

^[3] Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (Ac 10:9). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

^[4] Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive (New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).

Healing of Aeneas and Dorcas (Acts 9:32–43)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, September 8, 2024

I have never been one to say that God does not heal people today. I have never wanted to limit God and believe that God has stopped certain miracles. A few years ago, I met with a pastor I knew, and he shared many experiences he had personally experienced of healing. He shared:

His wife was raised in India with sicknesses and little medical care.

Her father would pray in faith, and they would be healed. The Lord intervened when no one else could.

His wife would challenge him when their children were sick to pray for them. He would pray for the specific disease to be healed.

One time, his 4th born son was 2.5 years old. They were having a birthday party for his older son. All these boys were at the house, and the water went out. He saw a water truck up the street and thought he would ask them what was happening. He went to his garage and looked behind his van to ensure no toys were behind it. He got in and started to back up and then heard a noise. He backed up and pinned his 2.5-year-old. His son was hardly breathing. EMTs arrived, and they were shocked. They couldn’t get a pulse. The ER doctor said he was in a life-threatening condition- broken fibula, tibia, hip… collapsed lung, chest was likely collapsed. They called the care flight and took him to University Rainbow Hospital, the children’s hospital in the midst of it. As they were driving, they were sending calls for healing. They were crying out for God to heal his son. There were probably 800 women in a meeting in St. Lewis, and they all stopped the meeting and prayed.

They got to the hospital, and they saw an African American man holding his son. At first, he thought, “That can’t be my son.” Then the man sat him down, and he ran to his dad. The man said, “The Lord healed your son.” The doctor said they had X-rays, but they didn’t match him. They kept him overnight and then sent him home. Scratches and outside injuries were still there, but the bone breaks were gone. He is now 20 years old and perfectly fine. The hip bone was broken, and the leg was sideways, but that was fine when they got to the hospital.

That was the most personal and miraculous testimony I have heard of healing. (Meeting with Pastor Myron Daum, Pastor or North Mar C&MA Church. Meeting date- February 2, 2017)

We are going to continue teaching and preaching through the book of Acts. Today, I want to look at Acts 9:32-43. We are going to look at a passage in which Peter heals two people. This is the power of God at work. This is the power of the Holy Spirit at work. As we look at this passage, notice Peter was willing to be involved, Peter exalted Christ, and Peter let the Gospel produce fruit. Let’s read the passage:

Acts 9:32–43 (ESV)

³² Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. ³³ There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. ³⁴ And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose. ³⁵ And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

³⁶ Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. ³⁷ In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. ³⁸ Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Please come to us without delay.” ³⁹ So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them. ⁴⁰ But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. ⁴¹ And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then, calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. ⁴² And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. ⁴³ And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner.

1. The first exhortation is to be willing to get involved.
   1. Notice that Peter was willing to get involved. Verse 32 says that he was traveling through the regions. He was busy, yet something was about to happen, and he was not too busy to be used by God.
   2. In verse 33, he finds this man named Aeneas. This man has been bedridden for 8 years. The text could actually say, “Since he was 8 years old,” either way, Jesus, through Peter, heals him. We’ll come back to that in a minute.
   3. Again, then in verse 36, this woman named Tabitha is dying and dead. Peter is busy. Peter is traveling. If there is anyone busy it has got to be Peter, right? Yet, he jumped at the chance to go and raise her back to life in verses 38-39.
   4. How do you and I do with interruptions? How are we with interruptions?
   5. I must look at the Bible, I must look at this passage like a mirror. I tend to plan out my day, and I am on my way somewhere, and then a family member calls, right? Maybe that interruption is ministry. Is it possible?
   6. I know of opportunities when I stop to help someone or even go out of my way to help someone, and I am glad I did. So, the exhortation here is to be willing to get involved. Peter was.
2. The second exhortation is to be Christ-exalting.
   1. Peter was about exalting Christ in this passage and in his life.
   2. A thought that I have is as follows: I cannot impress people with myself and I must stop trying to do so. I must only impress people with Jesus Christ.
   3. In the next chapter, Acts 10:25, Cornelius will try to worship Peter, and Peter will stand him up and only exalt Christ.
   4. Notice in verse 34 that Peter said, “Jesus Christ heals you…” We do not want to draw people to ourselves because we cannot do anything for them. We need to draw people to Jesus.

Swindoll shares:

My mother loved the woman who lived across the street from our home who had married late in life. She really had found her security in her husband. He was a wonderful man, and one day, he had a sudden heart attack and died within seconds. After his funeral, she began to visit the gravesite. My mother became very concerned over her friend Thelma.

She said to me one hot summer afternoon, “Charles, I want you to pray. I’m gonna take these cookies and this lemonade across the street and I’m gonna try to encourage Thelma. Just pray that her heart will be open to what I have to say. I’m gonna talk to her about Jesus.”

And so I did. My mother, wonderfully, very graciously, led her to Christ. She said to Thelma, “You know, Thelma, there’s something I need to mention to you. You really don’t need to keep going back to the cemetery.” “Oh,” she said, “Lovell, I just have to do that.” So my mother said, “Well, let me suggest you do it for another reason.” She said, “Why don’t you go back, not to try to make a ‘connection’ with your husband, but to minister to other people who are trying to do that.”

Thelma took my mother’s advice. As a matter of fact, she’s the only cemetery evangelist I ever knew. There at the memorial park in Houston she has led a number of people to Jesus Christ.[1]

[1] Charles R. Swindoll, The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart and 1501 Other Stories (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2016), 184–185.

• The third exhortation is to be Fruitful.

1. 1. Watch Jesus bear fruit as He did in this passage.
   2. In each of these miracles, it is about the Gospel.
   3. In verse 35, it says all heard about the miracle and turned to the Lord, and then again in 42, the same thing: all heard and believed in the Lord.

Swindoll shares:

The Pastor, dressed in a comfortable pair of old blue jeans, boarded a plane to return home. He settled into the last unoccupied seat next to a well-dressed businessman with a Wall Street Journal tucked under his arm. The minister, a little embarrassed over his casual attire, decided he’d look straight ahead and, for sure, stay out of any in-depth conversation. But the plan didn’t work. The man greeted him, so, to be polite, the pastor asked about the man’s work. Here’s what happened:

“I’m in the figure salon business. We can change a woman’s self-concept by changing her body. It’s really a very profound, powerful thing.”

His pride spoke between the lines.

“You look my age,” I said. “Have you been at this long?”

“I just graduated from the University of Michigan’s School of Business Administration. They’ve given me so much responsibility already, and I feel very honored. In fact, I hope to eventually manage the western part of the operation.”

“So you’re a national organization?” I asked, becoming impressed despite myself.

“Oh, yes. We are the fastest growing company of our kind in the nation. It’s really good to be a part of an organization like that, don’t you think?”

I nodded approvingly and thought, “Impressive. Proud of his work and accomplishments. Why can’t Christians be proud like that? Why are we so often apologetic about our faith and our church?”

Looking at my clothing, he asked the inevitable question, “And what do you do?”

“It’s interesting that we have similar business interests,” I said. “You are in the body-changing business; I’m in the personality-changing business. We apply ‘basic theocratic principles to accomplish indigenous personality modification.’ ”

He was hooked, but I knew he would never admit it. (Pride is powerful.)

“You know, I’ve heard about that,” he replied, hesitantly. “But do you have an office here in the city?”

“Oh, we have many offices. We have offices up and down the state. In fact, we’re national: we have at least one office in every state of the union, including Alaska and Hawaii.”

He had this puzzled look on his face. He was searching his mind to identify this huge company he must have read or heard about, perhaps in his Wall Street Journal.

“As a matter of fact, we’ve gone international. And Management has a plan to put at least one office in every country of the world by the end of this business era.”

I paused.

“Do you have that in your business?” I asked.

“Well, no. Not yet,” he answered. “But you mentioned management. How do they make it work?”

“It’s a family concern. There’s a Father and a Son, and they run everything.”

“It must take a lot of capital,” he asked, skeptically.

“You mean money?” I asked. “Yes, I suppose so. No one knows just how much it takes, but we never worry because there’s never a shortage. The Boss always seems to have enough. He’s a very creative guy. And the money is, well, just there. In fact those of us in the Organization have a saying about our Boss, ‘He owns the cattle on a thousand hills.’ ”

“Oh, he’s into ranching too?” asked my captive friend.

“No, it’s just a saying we use to indicate his wealth.”

My friend sat back in his seat, musing over our conversation. “What about with you?” he asked.

“The employees? They’re something to see,” I said. “They have a ‘Spirit’ that pervades the organization. It works like this: the Father and Son love each other so much that their love filters down through the organization so that we all find ourselves loving one another too. I know this sounds old-fashioned in a world like ours, but I know people in the organization who are willing to die for me. Do you have that in your business?” I was almost shouting now. People were starting to shift noticeably in their seats.

“Not yet,” he said. Quickly changing strategies, he asked, “But do you have good benefits?”

“They’re substantial,” I countered, with a gleam. “I have complete life insurance, fire insurance—all the basics. You might not believe this, but it’s true: I have holdings in a mansion that’s being built for me right now for my retirement. Do you have that in your business?”

“Not yet,” he answered, wistfully. The light was dawning.

“You know, one thing bothers me about all you’re saying. I’ve read the journals, and if your business is all you say it is, why haven’t I heard about it before now?”

“That’s a good question,” I said. “After all, we have a 2,000-year-old tradition.”

“Wait a minute!” he said.

“You’re right,” I interrupted. “I’m talking about the church.”

“I knew it. You know, I’m Jewish.”

“Want to sign up?” I asked.[1]

[1] Charles R. Swindoll, The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart and 1501 Other Stories (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2016), 616–618.

Let’s pray

[1] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2515637/Does-prayer-help-resist-temptation-Talking-God-boosts-self-control-emotional-stability-claims-study.html

[2] https://www.all-creatures.org/stories/thetablecloth.html

[3] https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/reason/2016/12/24/fact-check-could-inspirational-story-be-true/15736747007/

[4] https://insight.org/resources/daily-devotional/individual/the-hope-you-need1

[5] Ibid.

Saul’s Witness in Damascus and Jerusalem (Acts 9:19b–31)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, September 1, 2024

You may know the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley:

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.   

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.   

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.   

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

There is another one:

My Captain

Out of the light that dazzles me,

Bright as the sun from pole to pole,

I thank the God I know to be

For Christ the conqueror of my soul.

Since His the sway of circumstance,

I would not wince nor cry aloud.

Under that rule which men call chance

My head with joy is humbly bowed.

Beyond this place of sin and tears

That life with Him! And His the aid,

Despite the menace of the years,

Keeps, and shall keep me, unafraid.

I have no fear, though strait the gate,

He cleared from punishment the scroll.

Christ is the Master of my fate,

Christ is the Captain of my soul.

—Dorothea Day, quoted in Hazel Felleman, The Best Loved Poems of the American People^[1]

The first poem describes Saul/Paul before he was saved. The latter describes him in today’s passage.

We are going to look at Acts 9:19-31, and we will see Saul’s transformation.

My theme today is:

Saul’s Witness in Damascus and Jerusalem (Acts 9:19b–31)

My applications: Be an encourager like Barnabas; trust Christ like Saul; proclaim Jesus like Saul.

1. Saul proclaims Jesus as the Christ (Acts 9:19b-22).
   1. How did we get to this passage?
   2. In Acts 9:1-9, the Lord Jesus encounters Saul on the road to Damascus, and he is saved.
   3. In Acts 9:10-16, the Lord Jesus called to Ananias in a vision. The Lord told him about Saul and told him to lay hands on Saul to restore his sight.
   4. In Acts 9:17-19a, Ananias lays hands on Saul. Saul’s sight is restored, and he is baptized.
   5. So, now, we have the recent conversion of one of the greatest minds, yet greatest persecutors of the early church.
   6. Now, what happens after Saul is converted?
   7. We are about to find out.
   8. Acts 9:19–22 (ESV) ¹⁹ and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. ²⁰ And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” ²¹ And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” ²² But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.
   9. First, we see at the end of verse 19 that Saul took some food and was strengthened. Saul did not eat or drink for the three days following his encounter with Jesus.
   10. Then, for some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.
   11. One source adds: Saul likely received instruction in the Christian “way” from the disciples at Damascus. In Galatians, Paul notes that during this time he “went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus” (Gal. 1:17). (“Arabia” here means the Nabatean Kingdom, northeast of the Dead Sea, not the Arabian Peninsula.)^[2]
   12. He is in Damascus which is northeast of Jerusalem.
   13. Damascus was 135 miles (217 km) northeast of Jerusalem, a six-day journey by foot. Settled as early as the second millennium c., Damascus was an oasis on the border of the Arabian desert and on the main route from Mesopotamia to Egypt. The Nabatean king Aretas IV maintained an ethnarch (i.e., governor) in Damascus (2 Cor. 11:32). Although the modern city of Damascus stands atop the ancient remains, one can still see the “street called Straight” (Acts 9:11) running east to west with its East Gate and monumental arch. Also visible are the ancient theater and the concentric courts of its temple to Jupiter (now replaced by a mosque). Jewish presence in Damascus (assumed by the mention of synagogues in vv. 2, 20) is confirmed in Josephus’s record that many thousands of Jewish people were killed in Damascus during the time of the First Jewish Revolt (a.d. 66–73).^[3]
   14. Verse 20 shares that he immediately went to the synagogue and proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God.
   15. So, Saul was persecuting the church; he was hunting down Christians (Acts 8:3), and now he is preaching Christ.
   16. He was saying that this man, Jesus, is the Son of God.
   17. One source adds: Saul stayed in Damascus for some time, likely becoming oriented to basic Christianity even as he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues.
   18. He gave priority to the synagogues throughout his ministry, starting there before being forced to take the message elsewhere.^[4]
   19. This is a reminder that no one is too far for God to save them. No one is beyond God’s grace. God can save everyone.
   20. Perhaps we have a family member whom we have been praying for. Don’t give up! Keep praying.
   21. Saul was persecuting the church.
   22. God got ahold of Saul. He was saved, and he began to preach the gospel.
   23. God saved him, and God changed him.
   24. I like what Dr. Witherington III writes: As B. R. Gaventa points out, Saul is portrayed as an overthrown enemy in the conversion accounts, a portrayal in part based on the fact that even some of his newfound Christian friends appear to have had certain suspicions about Saul, perhaps due to the suddenness of his volte-face (cf. Galatians 1–2).^64[5]
   25. In verse 21, we see the people amazed. They ask if this is the same one causing problems. They wonder if he is there to bring them bound to the chief priests.
   26. Then, verse 22: now, Saul is increasing in strength… I think this is the strength of the message, or spiritual strength. Now, he is confounding the Jews as he proves that Jesus is the Christ. This means, the Messiah, the Savior.
   27. Apparently, he was able to explain the messianic connections between the OT and Jesus so clearly that the Jews in Damascus could not refute him.^[6]
   28. Saul’s position presupposes that he is already expert in the Scriptures; now he turns this expertise against his former mission.^[7]
2. Saul flees Damascus (Acts 9:23-25)
   1. Now, look at verses 23-25.
   2. Acts 9:23–25 (ESV)
   3. ²³ When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, ²⁴ but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, ²⁵ but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.
   4. Many days have now passed. This seems like it is a period of Paul’s spiritual growth and preaching. He is declaring that Jesus is the Son of God, the Christ.
   5. One source shares- Three years (Gal 1:17–18). It is probable that the major part of this period was spent in Arabia, away from Damascus, though the borders of Arabia extended to the environs of Damascus.^[8]
   6. There is a plot to kill him.
   7. Notice the role reversal— the persecutor becomes the persecuted.
   8. Now, it says that “his disciples…” This must mean that Saul now has people he has discipled. He is teaching and training them.
3. The acceptance of Saul by the disciples in Jerusalem (Acts 9:26-31)
   1. Acts 9:26–31 (ESV)
   2. ²⁶ And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. ²⁷ But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. ²⁸ So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. ³⁰ And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. ³¹ So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.
   3. I like what Swindoll writes:
   4. Jerusalem! Saul owned Jerusalem. He went to graduate school in that great town. I mean, the man knew that old city like the back of his hand—every alleyway, every narrow passage, every escape route. He knew virtually everyone of any significance. What a venue to restart his public ministry. “Get the microphones. Turn the lights up bright. Pharisee-turned-evangelist now appearing at the central Jerusalem Auditorium. Come and hear! Come listen to this man preach!” Forget it. It was nothing like that.
   5. Instead, we read this: “He was trying to associate with the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple” (v. 26). Rejected again, only this time by those he most wanted to meet. Fear stood between them and the zealous, gifted preacher.
   6. That’s understandable; who wouldn’t be afraid of him? He killed their fellow Christians, some of whom may have been relatives. They thought Saul was a spy—part of an elaborate hoax designed to trap them and drag them to trial. “Saul? No way. Don’t let him in our ranks!”
   7. Ever felt the sting of that kind of rejection? Have you ever had such a bad track record that people didn’t want to associate with you or welcome you into their fellowship? (Or welcome you back?) It happens all the time. People are rejected because of their pasts. The load of baggage they drag behind them as they enter the Christian life keeps them from enjoying what should be instant acceptance. The rejection at times is unbearable. You may say, “Yes. I’ve been there. And I’m trying to forget those memories, thank you very much.” No, don’t forget those times. Those painful memories are part of God’s gracious plan to break your strong spirit of independence. They’ve become an essential segment of your story—your testimony of God’s grace.
   8. Thankfully, in the midst of those times, God faithfully provides lesser-known individuals who come alongside and say, “Hey, I’m on your team. Let me walk through this with you.” That’s exactly what happened to Saul in Jerusalem. Someone stepped up, voluntarily. He didn’t have to; he wanted to. His name . . . Barnabas, the encourager.^[9]
   9. Barnabas, the encourager, reassures some fearful of Saul (Acts 9:26-27).
   10. I love that!
   11. It is understandable that the disciples were afraid of Saul.
4. NIV SB: From Gal 1:19 we learn that the only apostles Paul met were Peter and James, the Lord’s brother. James was not one of the Twelve, but he held a position in Jerusalem comparable to that of an apostle (Gal 2:9).^[10]
   1. Barnabas made the difference.
   2. Verse 27 shows that Barnabas took him in. Barnabas reassured the apostles about how Saul was saved. Barnabas shared about how Paul preached in Damascus.
   3. According to Gal. 1:18–19, this visit took place three years after his conversion (which could make this c. d. 37), and Paul met with Peter for 15 days but had no substantial interaction with the other apostles, except for meeting James, the brother of Jesus.^[11]
   4. Look at verse 28. Paul now went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.
   5. Paul is now preaching in Jerusalem. Paul is now accepted by the apostles. God used Barnabas to bring this about.
   6. I like something else Swindoll writes:
   7. You may be a Barnabas today. Do you know someone who has been kicked in the teeth because he has a bad track record? Someone who can’t get a hearing, yet she’s turned her life around and nobody wants to believe it? I urge you to step up like Barnabas did for Saul. Look for those individuals who need a second chance—a large dose of grace to help them start over in the Christian life. Everybody needs a Barnabas at one time or another.^[12]
   8. There is an attempt on Saul’s life, and he departs to his hometown of Tarsus (Acts 9:29-31).
   9. In verse 29, Paul is speaking and disputing among the Hellenists… these are Greek-speaking Jews. They wanted to kill him.
   10. Verse 30: the brothers learned this… So, he is accepted and the other Christians are his brothers. He escapes to Caesarea and is sent to Tarsus.
   11. Some of the events of 2 Cor. 11:23–27 perhaps occurred during this time, and probably also his intense vision of heaven (2 Cor. 12:2–4). Saul is not mentioned again in Acts until Barnabas goes to Tarsus to find him in Acts 11:25. Saul will begin to be called Paul in 13:9.^[14]
   12. Verse 31 is a nice summary. It is like the summary in Acts 6:7.
   13. There was peace in the church throughout Judea and Galilee. Those are bother broader areas.
   14. The church was growing spiritually. They were walking in the fear of the Lord.
   15. They had the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
   16. The church grew…
   17. Do we walk in the fear of the Lord?
   18. Do we have the comfort of the Holy Spirit?

Swindoll:

Rather than considering yourself (even secretly) indispensable, remind yourself often, It’s the Lord’s work to be done the Lord’s way. I first heard that principle from Francis Schaeffer while attending one of his lectures. There he stood in knickers and a turtleneck sweater, delivering this very message to a group of young, idealistic listeners—many of us struggling to find our way. I heard him say this again and again: “The Lord’s work must be done the Lord’s way. The Lord’s work must be done the Lord’s way. The Lord’s work must be done the Lord’s way.”

If you’re in a hurry, you can make it work your way. It may have all the marks of promotion, but it won’t be the Lord’s way. Stop and realize that. It may be time for you to be let down off your wall in a basket to learn that in your life.

John Pollock, in his splendid book The Apostle, states, “The irony was not lost on him that the mighty Paul, who had originally approached Damascus with all the panoply of the high priest’s representative, should make his last exit in a fish basket, helped by the very people he had come to hurt.”

That about says it all, doesn’t it?

Just to set the record straight, our lives are not caught “in the fell clutch of circumstance.” Our heads are not to be “bloodied, but unbowed.” You and I are neither the “masters of our fate” nor are we the “captains of our souls.” We are to be wholly, continually, and completely dependent on the mercy of God, if we want to do the Lord’s work the Lord’s way. Paul had to learn that. My question is: Are you learning that? If not, today would be a good day to start. Now is the time to humble yourself under His mighty hand. If you don’t, eventually He will do it for you. And it will hurt. In His time, in His way, He will conquer your stubborn independence.

God is never pleased with a spiritually independent spirit.^[15]

My applications: Be an encourager like Barnabas; trust Christ like Saul; proclaim Jesus like Saul.

^[1] Charles R. Swindoll, The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart and 1501 Other Stories (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2016), 501–502.

^[2] Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2101.

^[3] Ibid, 2098.

^[4] Stanley E. Porter, “Acts,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1734.

⁶⁴ See Gaventa, “The Overthrown Enemy.”

^[5] Ben Witherington III, The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1998), 320.

OT Old Testament

^[6] Stanley E. Porter, “Acts,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1734.

^[7] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Ac 9:22.

^[8] Kenneth L. Barker, ed., NIV Study Bible, Fully Revised Edition. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2020), 1914.

^[9] Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives: Daily Insight from Great Lives of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2007), 302.

^[10] Kenneth L. Barker, ed., NIV Study Bible, Fully Revised Edition. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2020), 1914.

1. about, approximately

^[11] Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2101.

^[12] Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives: Daily Insight from Great Lives of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2007), 303.

^[13] Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2101.

^[14] Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2101.

^[15] Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives: Daily Insight from Great Lives of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2007), 306.

Saul’s Encounter with Ananias (Acts 9:10–19a)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, August 25, 2024

There is a current pastor, writer, and speaker, who in 1998 was a student at Virginia Tech. He writes:

On Halloween night, 1998, I threw a party in my apartment at Virginia Tech. I was 20 years old and was in the wildest season of my life. I had three girl roommates, a live in girlfriend, and I spent most of my spare time smoking weed, doing lines of cocaine and drinking.

On that Halloween night, I was geared up for what I expected to be a good time.

Because the party was going be so “unforgettable,” I invited an old friend from high school down for the weekend. Dave and I had played hoops and partied together over the years, so I was excited to see him.

When Dave arrived, I greeted him and escorted him back to my room where I proudly unveiled the welcome gifts I’d prepared for him. On my desk was a fat bag of weed, a 6’er of his favorite beer and I told him I had a girl he could get to know for the weekend.

But Dave didn’t respond like I expected he would.

Instead, he gently closed the door and sat on the bed. He looked me in the eyes and told me he didn’t do those things anymore. He said he’d become a Christian and that he loved Jesus now and the reason he came to the party was to tell me that Jesus loved me too.[1]

Within a few months, this now pastor, Garrett Kell, called his friend and accepted Christ. I’ll come back to him later. My point is that Jesus changes us. Changes transform us. In the passage we are looking at, we see how Jesus transforms Paul the apostle. The Gospel always changes us.

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.

For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.

3 applications:

1. Be an evangelist
2. Be a person of prayer
3. Be submissive to the Lord
4. The Lord is Sovereign
5. As we look at this passage, notice prayer.
   1. In verse 10, the text says the Lord visits Ananias in a vision. Now, I must tell you that the Lord is about to do something dramatic. He is about to change someone who has been making murderous threats against the church. Last week, we looked at the passage where Paul encountered Christ; now, this is the second half of his transformation.
   2. The Lord changes us through prayer. The Lord encounters Ananias in a vision. The Lord talks to him and says that Saul is praying. That is what he says in verse 11. Notice that Saul is praying. Saul has seen the risen Lord (1 Cor. 9:1) and is now praying.
   3. It is important that we pray. I will return to Garrett’s story later, but it has been said that no one comes to know the Savior without prayer. Saul is praying, and he sees a vision of Ananias (verse 12). At the same time, Ananias sees the Lord speak to him. When the Lord transforms people, it includes prayer. Garrett’s friend, who had become a Christian and had witnessed to him, was praying for him.
6. As we look at this passage, we notice obedience.
   1. Just notice that the Lord said to Ananias, and he immediately said, “Here I am!” There was no stutter or hesitancy.
   2. Later, Ananias immediately followed through and went to Saul. Later, Ananias called Saul “brother Saul.” He followed through with what the Lord called him to do. Certainly, Ananias made a few remarks and excuses, and I could understand that. Paul had been killing Christians!
   3. I can understand this. When I was in school, there was a kid named Denny Smith, who was the bully; if God had told me to lay hands on him, I would have been fearful. I dreaded going to school because of him.
   4. But Ananias was obedient.

• As we look at this passage notice God’s sovereignty.
  1. Just notice verse 15: The Lord says that Saul (remember that Saul is Paul) is my “chosen” instrument. God has a will. God is in charge.
  2. Know that there is no way that God cannot be in control, and so He had a will, and He has a will.

1. As we look at this passage, we notice the importance of the Gospel.
   1. God’s plan was that Saul would take the Gospel to the Gentiles.
   2. God’s plan was that Saul would take the Gospel to the kings.
   3. God’s plan was that Saul would take the Gospel to the Jews.
   4. This all happens by the end of Acts.

God made us to worship him. Remember the testimony that I began with? Garrett Kell. He writes:

A few weeks later [after the party], I was at home on Christmas break and I was doing a drug called Ecstasy. Sometime after midnight, I became strangely sober and felt an overwhelming burden to call Dave.

So at 2:00 a.m., Dave came up to my house, carrying his Bible, with tears rolling down his cheek.

We sat down and I told him I needed to know more about God. He asked me if I knew what he was doing when I called him.

He went on to tell me that when I called him, he was doing the same thing he’d been doing every night since he left Virginia Tech—he was on his knees praying for me.

Over the next few days and weeks, I continued to read the Bible and have conversations with Dave.

He told me that God made me to love and worship Him.

He explained that the guilt I was feeling was God showing me that I was in rebellion against Him and was on my way to hell.

He explained that Jesus died for sinners like me and then rose from the dead to extend mercy to me if I would turn from my sins and believe in Jesus.

He told me that Jesus would forgive all of my sins, change my life and make me His forever.

I’m not sure if it was that night or in the weeks that followed, but God saved my soul.

I began reading the Bible and it was no longer a book of old stories, but now it was like a spotlight that searched my soul and showed me the depths of my sin and the even greater depths of God’s love for me in Jesus.

Dave made a stand for Christ that night at Virginia Tech. God used him to get a message to me that eternally altered my life. Now, every Halloween night, I call Dave and thank him for the stand. God used Dave’s stand to save my soul and my life from utter destruction.[2]

God changed Garrett, God changed Saul, and hopefully God changed us.

Review:

1. Be an evangelist
2. Be a person of prayer
3. Be submissive to the Lord
4. The Lord is Sovereign

Let’s pray:

[1] http://garrettkell.com/the-stand-that-saved-my-soul/

[2] Ibid.

Saul’s Encounter With Christ (Acts 9:1–9)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, Sunday, August 18, 2024

How did you come to know Jesus as your Lord and your Savior? To be a Christian, you must believe in Jesus, trust in Jesus, confess your sins to Jesus, and commit to Jesus.

I was born into a “churchgoing” family. We regularly attended Memorial Baptist in Dayton until I was about five. When I was five, we moved about half an hour away from that church, and my dad wanted to find a church closer to home. We went to Concord United Methodist Church a few times a year. We never became members or even attended weekly. My family was still guided by Biblical principles and morals, although until I was sixteen, I was never involved in church more than a few times a year.

The day of my salvation was when I was seven, and it was Christmas Day, 1988. My parents had given my brothers and me a children’s Bible for Christmas. When I was about to go to bed that night, I was staring at the picture of Christ on the cross. At this time, although no one was there to lead me in a prayer, God was there and changed my heart.  Looking at the picture of Christ on the cross, I moved with tears was thinking, “He did this for me!” I knew that I was a sinner in need of a Savior.

A few years later, my father had been taking my brothers and me to a Southern Baptist barber. My brothers and I always tried to get him to talk about the Bible because his knowledge amazed us. He was a strong Christian who was involved in prison ministry and even preached at church sometimes. One day, he told my dad how he led a man to salvation the day before. He actually told us the prayer, and I heard that prayer, and I said it that night and every night during my devotion time until I got involved in a church and realized I only had to say it once. That used to be when I thought I had become a Christian. Now, I know that was the verbal expression of my salvation.

Today, I wish to look at Paul’s conversion, and maybe this will cause you to reflect on when you became a Christian. I wish to teach you this passage, but I also hope you all will be challenged to engage Christ, be converted to Christ (if you have not been), be consecrated to Christ, and be in communion with Christ. The last two seem to be where the real struggle is.

Acts 9:1–9 (ESV)

9 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. 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.

1. Contact:
   1. In verse 3, we see Paul’s contact with Jesus. Notice he is still called Saul at this point.
   2. Paul was traveling along the road that led to Jerusalem. Paul was heading towards Damascus.
   3. Damascus was 135 miles northeast of Jerusalem.
   4. Now, think about that: Paul had all that traveling to do to imprison Christians.
   5. How hostile do you think he was? How much hatred do you think he had? For 6 days on foot, he was traveling to imprison Christians. I would think his anger would wear off.
   6. Paul was attacking Christians, and after Paul became a Christian, he needed to be forgiven, and he would be.
   7. As Paul approached Damascus, a light from Heaven suddenly surrounded him.
   8. In 1 Corinthians 9:1, he says that he saw Jesus (this same chapter, verse 27 and 22:14).

I like what John MacArthur said:

There’s another fantastic thing here, and that is this. The last guy before Saul to see the resurrected Christ was who? Stephen. He said, “Look at that, I see the Son of God standing at the right hand of the Father,” or Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. And everybody heard it. Of course, that infuriated them all the more. But if it isn’t grace to realize that the man standing there, in measure responsible for the stoning of Stephen, was, in the grace of God, the next one to see His glory. That’s how grace operates.

And, you know, remember Stephen’s prayer? “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” God answered, and God was gracious unto Saul. The heavens are opened one more time, and this killer, Saul, gazes into the glory and the person of Him whom he persecuted. What grace, that Saul saw Jesus. Fantastic.

2. Conviction:
   4. Paul was convicted in verse 4.
   5. Paul fell to the ground. Remember the previous chapter? The Ethiopian was converted on a chariot. Now, Paul is converted in dust.
   6. Now, I think that is conviction and his conversion are both in the white space in between these next few verses.
3. Conversion:
   1. In verse 5, Paul calls Jesus “Lord.”
   2. This likely meant that Paul was calling him “sir,” but based off of the rest of this passage, I think he is being converted.
4. Consecration: (Acts 22:10)
   1. Look with me at Acts 22:10: And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me,‘Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.’
   2. I am sure you noticed that Paul asked what he needed to do. This is when the Lord told him that things were appointed for him, and he would find out in Damascus.
   3. I hope that you are challenged every day to say, “Lord, what shall I do?” The Lord has things in store for you. He has a plan. Pray for opportunities.
5. Communion:
   1. I heard the best illustration of Paul’s communion. This is not my idea, but I like it:
   2. What was the last thing he ever saw? Jesus. Have you ever looked in the sun, and then everywhere else you look all you see is the sun? Or you had somebody take your picture and all…everywhere you look, flash. They say if you look at the sun long enough, you’ll be blind. An astronomer tried it, and he was. You know what I think? I don’t think Saul’s blindness was the blindness of darkness. I think it was the blindness of light. I think for three days all he ever saw was the Son, S-O-N, that he couldn’t get rid of the vision of Jesus. That’s all he ever saw.
   3. So he spent three days getting acquainted. And I think that’s when all the old things died. And they died hard. And he didn’t yet understand forgiveness, either, and he would still have guilt. And I think it’s when faith and love and joy and peace began to be born in those days. Communion.

Here are some applications from this passage:

1. Saul responded to Christ with obedience, with consecration: Acts 22:10; We must do the same.
2. We must be obedient to the Lord with our lives, as Paul was. We must make Jesus Lord of our lives, as Paul did. He is the Lord (John 13:13; Acts 10:36; Romans 10:12; I Corinthians 12:5; Phil. 2:11).
3. We must call others also to consecrate their lives to Christ (Luke 9:23).
4. We must recognize that Jesus has a great plan. The church was likely worried about Saul and his persecution, yet this was God’s plan. Saul planned on going to Damascus to chain up Christians, but instead, Saul surrendered to the Christians.
5. We must trust in Jesus’ great plan.
6. We must have communion with Christ as Paul did. This will be with our life. We must look to Jesus so that we only see Jesus, just as someone looking at the sun can only see the sun.
7. We must pray for the Spirit’s conviction as Paul was convicted.
8. Paul fell on His face before the Lord. We must pray for that type of humility.

Now, I encourage you to go forth and be engaged with Jesus in a relationship consecrated to Him and in communion with Him.

Pray.