The Good Ananias–a Lesson for Believers
(No. 1838)
A SERMON DELIVERED ON LORD'S-DAY MORNING, APRIL 26, 1885,
BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.
"And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias, and to
him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here,
Lord." Acts 9:10.
AT this season we are called upon to think of foreign missions. As
members of the Baptist Missionary Society, we are in happy and hopeful
circumstances. God is smiling upon the work, both at home and abroad,
and raising up men whose hearts are in the cause. Last year the Society
was in arrears–it has expended very much more money this year than
last year–and yet it has paid its way, is clear of debt and begins the
year with a balance in hand! For this we are very thankful, not only
because the money is necessary to defray the charges of the holy
service, but because it shows that the Churches have confidence in the
Missionary Society and that they are awakening to their responsibility
concerning it. The more Believers in the Lord Jesus consider the
matter, the more they will see that it is the duty and the privilege of
all who know the Lord to make Him known to others.
There was a time when Christian people thought it idle to send
missionaries to the heathen, but that time only survives in regretful
memories. We remember reading that in a Scottish assembly, a Moderate
minister, famous in his day, talked of the proposal to send
missionaries to the heathen as the greatest absurdity to which he had
ever heard! One who was of another mind cried out, "Reach me that
Bible"–and when the Bible was opened and he began to point to its
teachings, the quibbler was silenced. Are there any such quibblers yet
afire? If there are, they are wise enough to hold their tongues! No
reviewer in our day would dare to sneer at "consecrated cobblers," for
they remember Carey and tremble in their shoes! Brothers and Sisters,
we are to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every
creature. This is our Captain's orders and it would be treason to
disobey! We have acted negligently towards this commission far too
long! It is high time that we awakened from our sinful slumbers. May
many a man and woman among us be called to mission work and may the
rest be eager to help them by their generous gifts.
What subjects have risen before me while thinking of a discourse upon
missions! Many grand and exciting themes have tempted me. The coming of
the Lord, the conquest of nations to His sway, the reign of peace, the
overthrow of falsehood and all manner of glorious topics invite me! But
something less ambitious has won my thoughts. It lies upon my heart not
to speak of things upon a great scale, above our present power, but to
talk of practical matters within the reach of common Christians. I
shall not, therefore, treat of the Millennial reign, but of the kingdom
of Christ in your soul and mine–and of how we can increase His
dominions and cause His Kingdom to come with power! I had rather speak
five words to practical purpose than 50,000 for oratorical effect.
I have selected my text that we may see what can be done by private
Christians and learn how we can personally serve the Lord and become
links in the great chain of His gracious dispensation. The mass of us
cannot go abroad as missionaries, but we can all be messengers for
Christ in our own city. We cannot all preach, but we can all pray! We
cannot all give money, but we can all fill the treasury of
supplication! The question for each one to ask, is–"Lord, what would
You have me do?" What can I do with a household about me? What can I
do, who can only take rank as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ,
without special office in the Church?
It seems to me that Ananias may serve as a typical person and that his
history may furnish us with many useful lessons. Brethren, I shall
invite you, this morning, to think about this good Ananias, to whom the
Lord said in a vision, "Ananias, and he said, Behold, I am here, Lord."
I. First, let us think a little about THE MAN. He is described as "a
certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias." We hear of him this once
and we know nothing more about him. He comes forward at a critical
point in Paul's life– executes for him a very useful office–and then
disappears. The good soldier was sent upon special service by his
Captain and, when he had fulfilled his commission, he retired to his
ordinary place in the ranks. Who was this Ananias?
We remark of him, first, that he was simply a private person. He is not
described as pastor, or evangelist, or even as deacon or elder of a
Church–yet this private person, obscure in life and without special
distinction in the Church, was the channel for communicating the Holy
Spirit to the great Apostle of the Gentiles! For the time being, he
became one of the most important persons in sacred history! The Lord
did not send to Paul for the opening of his eyes and the comforting of
his heart, an Apostle, lest any should have said that Paul received his
commission second-hand from those already in office. The Lord did not
send to him any man of distinguished position or eminent gifts, lest it
should be concluded that Paul received the Gospel at his hands. The
great Apostle could say in later days, "I neither received it of man,
neither was I taught it, but by the Revelation of Jesus Christ."
It was necessary that instrumentality should be used, but it was wise
that such instrumentality should be of the most ordinary kind, lest any
power should be ascribed to it and lest it should arrogate to itself
credit for the Apostle's conversion and later life. I see, therefore,
in many of you, dear Brothers, special qualifications for certain uses,
even qualifications which your being Church officers, or preachers,
might take from you your very obscurity and lack of glittering talent
may be a fitness for peculiar service. There is a special work for you
to do who are private Christians and I trust you will be prompt in the
doing of it.
Ananias is especially said to have been a disciple. Dwell on that
title. He was a learner. He sat at Jesus' feet and learned of Him and,
therefore, was ready to instruct Saul of Tarsus. A true disciple is
also a follower–he is an imitator of his Master. Christ's discipleship
is always practical–it is of the heart and of the hands as well as of
the head–all these were needed in the mission of Ananias to Paul. Oh,
Brothers and Sisters, we must take care that we keep up the character
of disciples! May we bear fruit, so we shall be His disciples. Let us
never dream of knowing more than our Master teaches us. Let us never
think that we are perfect, so that we have no more to learn. He who
gets beyond a disciple rises beyond his proper place. Our strength for
usefulness lies in our remaining disciples. You cannot disciple all
nations unless you are disciples, yourselves! How can you teach others
that which Christ does not teach you? But if you sit at His feet and
receive of His Words, then shall you speak so that others shall learn
of you.
Paul tells us, in Acts 22:12, that Ananias was "a devout man." How much
I wish that all avowed disciples of Jesus were devout men! I suppose he
was devout while he was yet a Jew, before he received Christ. But when
he was enlightened, another element entered into his devotions, so that
he worshipped God in the name of Jesus. Nowadays we greatly need more
devout men, men of prayer, men who dwell with God in secret–devoted
men, men of devotion–for the strength of the spirit of man lies in
fellowship with the Spirit of God. A devout man is soon
discovered–this fire from Heaven cannot be hid! The devout man may not
be more somber than others–why should he be? He certainly will not be
more anxious to make a display, but it will soon be seen that he is
more full of power.
A devout man is a remarkable man! If he prays, you perceive that he is
familiar with that holy exercise. If he is called to endure trials, his
patience proves that he submits himself to God. His daily conduct in
the affairs of this life exhibits a secret, sacred something which few
understand, but which all feel. The Spirit of God dwells with the
devout man and fits him for the Lord's service! I believe that God
loves to send, as His special messengers, those who ordinarily dwell
near Him. Let us aim to abide with God that we may be employed by Him!
Every Christian man cannot be a talented man, but every Christian
should be a devout man! Every man cannot be eloquent, but every man who
loves the Lord may be de-vout–and in that devotion lies a main
qualification for service. He that has power with God will not fail to
have power with men.
Paul also tells us that Ananias had "a good report of all the Jews
which dwell in Damascus." They hated Christians, but they could not
help respecting this devout man. The world had then, as it still has, a
respect for those who walk with God. If we are to be useful to our
fellow men, we must deserve their esteem. We are not to curry favor
with them by lowering our principles to gain their approbation, but, on
the contrary, we are to win their respect by sheer force of unbending
holiness so that we may have power over them for their good. We are to
win influence over our fellow men by an upright character and a
generous behavior–so that if they wish to speak against us, they may
find no matter for accusation
unless it is concerning our zeal for the Lord our God. Oh, that our
Church members were all men of spotless character! Oh, that all
professors were well reported of! The Church is injured in her efforts
for the conversion of the world by the inconsistencies of certain of
her members. Let us provide things honest in the sight of all men and,
by our lives, adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things–and
then we shall be prepared for the Lord's use among our neighbors!
This, then, was Ananias, a disciple towards Christ, devout towards God
and upright towards men.
Another qualification of Ananias for the work which the Lord put upon
him was his general thoughtfulness for the Church of God. This comes
out in his own words. It is evident that he thought about the
persecutions of his Brothers and Sisters. He says, concerning Paul, the
persecutor, "I have heard by many of this man." No doubt he had
frequently made Paul the subject of conversation, for he was grieved at
the afflictions of the saints in Jerusalem and he feared for his
Brethren in Damascus. Observe that he is the first to call Christians,
"saints," or holy ones. He had evidently observed the followers of
Jesus and had noticed with delight this point of their character! It is
well to speak frequently of matters which concern Christ's Kingdom.
Ananias was in sympathy with tried saints, was deeply touched by the
story of their trials and could not forbear to dwell upon their
sorrowful experiences. All the servants of God who are what they should
be, take a great interest in the condition of the Church of God–they
bear one another's burdens and share each other's griefs. They do not
go in and out of their pews on Sunday and then fancy that their
connection with the Church is ended–they bear upon their hearts the
interests of Zion! They hang their harps upon the willows if she is
captive and they rejoice when they see her enjoying prosperity. They
take pleasure in her stones and favor the dust thereof. It is one mark
that a man is right towards God when he is right towards the family of
God. All that belongs to Jesus belongs to me if I belong to Jesus. All
the interests of His Kingdom are my interests if I am truly walking in
fellowship with my Lord!
See, then, the man Ananias–there is nothing brilliant about him–he,
by no means, claims distinguished rank. But he is what I pray we may
all be–a vessel fit for the Master's use–cleansed, prepared,
consecrated, set apart unto God! Hence he was used of the Lord.
II. Now, secondly, let us consider HIS POSTURE. This is seen at once in
his answer to the Divine call. The Voice said to him, "Ananias," and he
answered, "Behold, I am here, Lord." He was familiar with the Old
Testament. He remembered how the Lord said, "Abraham," and the
Patriarch answered, "Here am I." He remembered how the young child,
Samuel, when the Lord said to him, "Samuel, Samuel," answered, "Here am
I." He remembered how the Prophet, when he saw the excellent Glory and
heard the Voice saying, "Who will go for Us?" responded, "Here am I,
send me!" He made the same answer, because his mind was full of
Scripture and also because he could not find a better reply, for the
words were few, reverent and very fully expressive of what he felt.
Did not this indicate that his heart was responsive to the Divine
Voice? "Ananias." "Here am I." Do you not think that God speaks to us
many times and gets no answer? Happy is he who can say with David,
"When You said, Seek you My face, my heart said unto You, Your face,
Lord, will I seek." Every Sabbath you receive a heavenly message and,
in your reading of Scripture and in your private worship, voices
whisper to you from God, voices which the ears hear not– does your
heart hearken to these calls? When your heart hears a rebuke for a
certain omission, do you respond by fulfilling that omission? Or if it
is a rebuke for sin committed, is your heart humbled at once and ready
to respond by putting away the sin? If there is a call to duty, or a
secret prompting to sacrifice, does your spirit say at once, "Here am
I"? Scarcely should we need the Lord to speak, for, "as the eyes of a
maiden look unto the hand of her mistress," responding to very motions
of her hands, so should our heart be immediately answerable to the will
of the Lord in all things. O Lord, make us like wax to Your seal. May
our heart echo the voice of our heavenly Father!
He was also ready. "Here am I," he said. He did not ask, "What for?"
but, "Here am I," ready for anything! Oh, that our hearts might be in
such a state that were it for living or for dying, for giving or for
losing, for suffering or for working, the same response would come
forth–"Here am I, make what use You can of me, my Lord; I shall count
it an honor and a joy if You will send me anywhere, to anyone, with any
message, at any time–here am I." Oh, Brothers and Sisters, are we free
from reservations? Whatever the Lord says to us, are we prepared to do
it? What drawbacks there often are! What hindrances to consecration,
what reserves for the flesh! But, blessed shall that man be who has no
answer to give to God's call but just, "Here am I." Ready, yes ready!
Again, I think his posture was one which I can only describe by using
the phrase that he was all there. "Ananias." "Here am I," he said.
Would not some Christians be compelled to say, if they described
themselves truthfully, "1 am not here–You call me but I am not here"?
Is it not so, that sometimes in prayer we are not there? In singing the
praises of God, how often it happens that the mind is wandering–we are
not there! I know there is such a thing as preaching, teaching and
doing service for God with a portion of yourself–and it is not a fact
that all that is within you is stirred up to the service of the Lord. I
often see upon a sunny wall, a chrysalis, and when I go to take it
down, I find that the summer's sun has shone upon it and the insect has
developed and left nothing but an empty shell behind. How often in the
pew we find the chrysalis of a man, but where is the man? Wait till
tomorrow morning, and see him in his shop–there is the man! Or, to
follow up the figure, there is the butterfly with all its wings! Wait
till you find our friend engaged in secular employment to his own
advantage and then you will see what he is made of! But in the work of
the Lord, he is not worth his salt!
But oh, Brothers and Sisters, if ever a man ought to be all there, it
is when he is called to the service of God! He should marshal all his
faculties and every faculty should reply, "Here am I." Call over the
muster-roll of all your powers, capacities and abilities–and let each
one of them answer to it, "Here am I!" The whole of a living man is
something worth having, but a fragment of a man is only fit to be
buried. Oh, that we might be found with our loins girt and our lamps
trimmed–and we, ourselves, as men that wait for our Lord and watch for
His coming! We are to be ready at His bidding to consecrate every
faculty of spirit, soul and body, to the grandest cause that ever moved
the soul of man. There is the man and there is his posture–may we be
like he and stand as he stood! Help us, O Spirit of the living God!
III. Now, thirdly, we are to look to HIS DIRECTION. When he had thus
said, "Here am I!" the Lord gave him his orders in detail. I do not say
that the Lord will give us orders verbally as he did to Ananias. And I
would have you take heed that you do not mistake whims of your own mind
for the voice of God, but I do say that whatever your hands find to do,
you are to do it with all your might and believe that God's voice is
calling you to that service which His Providence places in your way.
God still guides His servants when they are willing to be guided.
Ananias had his orders as to where he should go. The Lord said, "Arise,
and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the
house of Judas." The Lord knows the street and He knows the house where
the sinner lives who is to be blessed by you. The Lord is very specific
in His directions, for He gives Ananias the name of the person who kept
the house. Whether it was a house of public entertainment or not, I do
not know, but the Lord knew all about it and He gave His messenger
precise directions. If you stand waiting for the Lord, He will direct
you, today, to the right street and to the right house. Only wait upon
Him and if you go in His name, He will take care that you are not sent
to the wrong person.
His directions further related to the person to whom he was to go. This
person was to be named Saul, known to come from Tarsus, and he was to
be a blind man, for he was to "receive his sight" through this Ananias.
The Lord knows the individual whom you are to bless and all about him.
He knows what he is, where he is and what he has been doing and what he
is doing and what he is going to do. Though, as I have already said,
you have no verbal directions given to you, yet any person who falls in
your way, if you will but seek to do God's work to him, will turn out
to be the person whom God intends you to bless. You are to deal with
him in faith under that impression and you will not be disappointed.
Ananias was also told when to go. He was to arise and go at once.
Perhaps he had not yet left his bed, or it was a vision of the night,
but he was to, "Arise and go." God's errands are so important that we
must not delay in their performance. Whenever a man proposes to obey in
a week's time, he confesses himself to be disobedient for that time. He
who, when he receives a message, delivers it at once, with the
impression of his call fresh upon him, will deliver it with authority
and power. This day there is a call to each Believer to proclaim the
glories of the name of Christ wherever he has opportunity–let him do
this at once!
Ananias was also told why he was to go. He was to go to Saul of Tarsus,
"for behold he prays." The servant was to go because the Master was
already there! God had inspired the prayer of the blinded persecutor
and now He was about to answer it by Ananias! Where God has plowed, we
are to sow. Of that preparation you know but little, but your own duty
is clear enough. If you begin to pick and choose the objects of your
labor, you will select the wrong persons. But if because God has put
such and such a person in your way, you tell him of Jesus and His love,
you will make no mistake! The Lord who prepares you to speak has
prepared him to listen! In fact, in this case, Paul was so prepared
that he had "seen
in a vision a man named Ananias coming in." If we are always ready for
the Master's work, we shall be surprised to find how beautifully He
makes us fit in with His Providence and His Grace!
There is a person in this Tabernacle, this morning, who has been here
many times and has always expected that a Christian friend would speak
to him, but nobody has done so yet. But if you do it this morning, he
will respond to you and say, "Thank you; this is what I was looking
for. God has been troubling me of late in my thoughts and I am desirous
to find the way of peace. You are the very person whom I wished to
see." God sends the right messenger to the right man–Ananias to Saul.
He had further directions, for he was told what he was to do when he
found Saul–he was to lay his hands on him. There is a great deal in
the touch of an earnest man. If you stand half a mile off from a man
and throw the Gospel at him, you will miss him. But if you go close to
him and lay hold upon him, giving him a hearty grip of the hand, and
show that you have an affection for him, you will, by God's blessing,
lead him in the right way. You must come into heart contact if you are
to influence the man. "But," you say, "if I did thus grasp a man and
speak with him, I could not open his eyes." Could Ananias do so? Yet
the Lord worked by Ananias and why not by you? "Oh, but I do not think
I could comfort a troubled heart." Ananias could not have comforted
Paul unless the Lord had been with him. Paul was a vastly superior man
to Ananias, yet the humbler man was the means of the spiritual
enlightenment of the greater mind–and why should not you? Though you
should meet with a great skeptic, or a very learned person who is quite
a giant Goliath, compared with you, yet make bold to play the man–for
the Lord does not work by gigantic instruments–but by young David who
seems unequal to the task. At any rate, I do pray you, dear Brother,
are ready to speak what the Lord has spoken to your own soul–and be
this your resolve–
"Now will I tell to sinners round What a dear Savior I have found!
Point them to Your redeeming blood, And say, Behold the way to God."
Your instructions are in the Scriptures–follow them!
IV. But now, fourthly–good Ananias, excellent man as he was, had HIS
DIFFICULTIES and so, when he was told to go, he said, "Lord, I have
heard by many of this man, how much evil he has done to Your saints at
Jerusalem: and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all
that call upon Your name."
These difficulties were very natural. Saul's conversion was astonishing
to the last degree. Ananias had long been thinking of the terrible
persecutor, Saul–"I have heard by many of this man." Could it be that
this wolf had become a lamb? Ananias had Saul on the brain through
terror of his cruelties and now he was to have Saul on the heart
through joy of his repentance! He had heard such dreadful stories of
the ferocious persecutor, that as soon as he heard the word, "Saul," it
took his breath away! There is a promise that the leopard shall lie
down with the kid but it is not surprising that the kid should, at
first, shrink from the monster–and so this dear, plain, simple-minded
man was startled at the idea that he was to visit the malicious man who
had sought the lives of Christians.
But notice that his objections were such that he could tell the Lord
about them and, whenever you feel any difficulty, if you can lay it
before the Lord in prayer, there may be unbelief in it, but there will
be no willful sin in it. We do not praise that good man who said, "Send
by whomever You will send, but not by me." Yet he was not blamed when
he gave his reason and mourned that he was slow of speech. The Lord met
him in great tenderness and helped his infirmity. To tell your
difficulty to God may be an evidence that you are hearty in his service
and only regret that you have not greater ability to consecrate to it.
But, observe, that his difficulty was unfounded. If he had thought for
a minute, he would have concluded that if Saul prayed, he must have
ceased to persecute. To any man who prays, we may go with confidence
that he will listen to our witness concerning Christ, in whose name he
is praying. Ananias had forgotten this. The Lord had changed the heart
of Saul. He had visited him with the light of His Glory and made him
His captive for three whole days of darkness. And now he was ready
enough to welcome the man by whom his eyes would be opened! Do we not
lose opportunities of doing good by dwelling too much upon the past
characters of those to whom we are sent? Do we not say, "I have heard
of this man, that he is a desperate, drunken, swearing fellow–I shall
not go near him"?
My dear Friend, this is the man who most needs your aid and who knows
but, at the very time, when you go to him, the Lord may be dealing with
his conscience so as to set before you an open door? Are we to speak to
none but those who
will welcome us? In that case we shall be often disappointed, for such
persons do not always repay our exertions. Those who have been, for a
long time, very hopeful, are usually the most hopeless of cases–but
utterly hopeless people are often the most hopeful when we have faith
enough to approach them. Do not bury a man before he is dead! Hope that
so long as a sinner lives he may yet live unto God! Be hopeful that He
who placed this sinner in your way and you in the sinner's way, has
designs of love which are about to be accomplished.
V. Concerning Ananias, I want to remind you, in the fifth place, of his
COMFORT in the work. The Lord reassured His servant, first, by
reminding him of the doctrine of election. God said to him, "He is a
chosen vessel unto Me." Some read it, "He is a choice vessel," as if
there were originally something in Paul which rendered him a choice
person. But the Apostle, himself, does not put it so, for he describes
Ananias as saying, "The God of our fathers has chosen you, that you
should know His will." He did not know the will of the Lord except
through the Divine choice. To him, the Revelation of God came as the
gift of Sovereign Grace! Here was one whom God had chosen to bless,
though Ananias knew it not. The grand doctrines of Sovereign Grace and
of electing love are the most powerful inducements to labor for the
conversion of all who come in our way!
Did not our Lord say to one of His servants, "I have much people in
this city"? And did he not make this his encouragement for preaching
the Truth of God with all boldness? So let it be your encouragement.
Behind all opposition there is an almighty will which cannot be set
aside–there is a purpose which must be accomplished–there is a
predestination that can, by no means, be defeated. "Oh," says one, "if
I believed that God had an elect people, I should not preach again." It
is amazing how people argue–for that is the very reason why I do
preach! If the Lord has not chosen any, what is the use of my
preaching? But if He has done so, I shall not preach in vain! Often
have I thought to myself–I shall have a picked congregation today–God
will bring the very people here that He means to bless–and He will
save His own elect by His own Word! It does not rest with me, nor with
them, but with HIM and, therefore, there is hope! The eternal purpose
goes forth in all the majesty of its might, therefore will we go to
every creature, testifying in the name of Jesus–and believing that as
many as the Father gives Him, shall come to Him.
Moreover, the Lord put aside the fears of Ananias by telling him that
He had chosen this man to a great purpose. "He is a chosen vessel unto
Me, to bear My name among the Gentiles." A great sinner is to be made a
great saint! A great op-poser is to become a great laborer. Who knows
how largely God may use the sinner whom we seek to save? Who knows what
may be in any man, or in any child? You, dear teachers in the school,
may be teaching Luthers, or Melancthons! You may be instructing, in
those young girls, holy women who shall serve the Lord abundantly! You
are handling choice materials, therefore be not careless in your
service. To you is given not gold, nor silver, nor precious stones, to
fashion, but immortal spirits that shall glorify Christ on earth and in
Heaven!
And then, to remove all difficulty from the mind of Ananias, the Lord
told him that He would go with him–"For I will show him how great
things he must suffer for My name's sake." You are bid to teach the
Gospel to an individual who has been very hardened–and you fear that
you have no strength for such an undertaking and, therefore, you cry–
"Lord, I cannot show this man the Truth!" The Lord replies, "/ will
show him." "But," you say, "he is so ignorant!" "I will show him."
"Alas, he is blind and prejudiced!" "I will show him." You are,
"laborers together with God." When we lift our trowel upon this wall,
we may know that a Divine arm is moving at the same moment–and the
stone which we seek to place in its course shall be laid there by an
Omnipotent hand which works effectually!
Therefore, give yourselves up to your Lord's work, whatever that work
may be. "Behold I will make you a new sharp threshing instrument having
teeth: you shall thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shall
make the hills as chaff. You shall fan them, and the wind shall carry
them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them; and you shall rejoice
in the Lord, and shall glory in the Holy One of Israel."
VI. I must ask your attention for a minute or two to the sixth point,
and that is, Ananias' difficulties being graciously taken away. Observe
HIS OBEDIENCE to his Master's orders.
It was prompt obedience–"Ananias went his way and entered into the
house." No longer hesitating nor delaying, he went his way with all
speed. His obedience was exact–he entered into the house and, putting
his hands on Saul, said, "Brother Saul." He did as he had been told.
There is a great point in that. Mind that what you preach is the Gospel
of the Lord Jesus and that what you do is by order from the Throne of
God and that it is carried out in the Spirit's power, for you cannot
expect the Lord to bless your message if you alter it. If my servant
goes to the door and amends the mes-
sage which I have sent by him, why then, he must bear the
responsibility of doing so and also run the risk of dismissal! But if
I, as Christ's servant, deliver my Lord's message to the best of my
knowledge, just as He gave it to me, then my Lord is responsible for
the success of it and not myself! Be prompt, therefore, and be exact.
Then, see how loving he was. "Brother Saul," he said. Saul of Tarsus
would not have made two bites of Ananias a little time before, if he
had fallen into his power, but now the words, "Brother Saul," are sweet
to his ears. Love is the method of Grace. You cannot win souls by
putting on a morose countenance and repelling all approaches–it must
be, "Brother Saul." Do not be afraid to call the individual, "Brother,"
but take care that you mean it. Though he may be a greater and wiser
man than yourself, still come close to him with confident affection,
for if he is, indeed, a Brother, he will accept the salutation. And, if
not, your peace will return to you. Ananias did not use the term as a
cant expression, but his spirit and feeling were brotherly. The love of
his speech betrayed his deep affection and intense sympathy. He was as
pleased with Saul as a mother with a newborn child! He shared, with
angels, the joy over the returning prodigal!
See, also, how wisely he spoke. It was given him, in the same hour,
what he should speak. He did not pompously say, "I am an ordained
official and, therefore, speak with great dignity." No, he began, "The
Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto you in the way as you came, has
sent me." It was wise thus to sink himself in His authority. He speaks
most wisely all through and speaks precisely the right words. When he
alludes to Paul's former course, he only gives a hint of it–"The Lord
that appeared to you in the way as you came." He does not say, "as you
came to persecute us," but he allowed conscience to do its own work. He
gives the items of his errand–"Jesus has sent me that you might
receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." I have not time
to indicate all the points which show the prudence of the Lord's
messenger. May we, also, be made wise to win souls!
Notice how thoroughly faithful Ananias was. He said, "Arise, and be
baptized, and wash away your sins." The tendency with many good
Evangelists is to say nothing upon that point. The main thing is to get
this man to be a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, but to say, "Arise,
and be baptized"–is not that far less important? Brothers, we have
nothing to do with altering Christ's message–we are bound to deliver
it as a whole–without addition or diminution. The tendency everywhere
is to say, "Baptism should not be mentioned–it is sectarian." Who said
so? If our Lord commanded it, who dares to call it sectarian? We are
not commanded to preach a part of the Gospel, but the whole of the
Gospel– and Ananias did this. Is it not written, "He that believes and
is baptized shall be saved"? Why omit one clause? I question whether
God's blessing has not been withheld from some teachers and preachers
because they have failed to repeat their message in its entirety.
A Brother will write to me next week and say, "I am sorry that I cannot
circulate your sermon because you allude to Baptism." My dear Brother,
if you cannot circulate the sermon, I must be content without your kind
help–but I cannot amend the Lord's Word to please the best man upon
earth! What prominence is given to Baptism here! We would greatly err
if we believed in baptismal regeneration, or even in the efficacy of
washing in water for the removal of sin–but, on the other hand–we are
not to place in the background an ordinance which, by the language of
Scripture, is placed in the forefront! Ananias said to Paul, "Arise and
be baptized, and wash away your sins." And this tallies with that other
text, "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved." In both of
these passages the Lord puts a special honor upon Baptism and it would
be evil for us to neglect that which He so evidently esteems!
Do not make any mistake and imagine that immersion in water can wash
away sin–but do remember that if the Lord puts this outward
profession, side by side, with the washing away of sins, it is not a
trifling matter! Remember that other text, "With the heart man believes
unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation"? Faith must be followed by obedience, or it cannot be
sincere–do, then, what Jesus bids you. That is not, however, my point.
I want to urge upon you that you should always speak the Lord's Word
faithfully and be true to that which the Lord reveals to you, even to
the jots and tittles. In these days there is much talk about,
"undenominationalism," and in that talk there is much to be admired.
But the danger is lest we should, on all hands, begin to pare away a
little from the Word of God for the sake of an imaginary unity.
The suggestion is that one is to give up this–and another is to give
up that. But I say to you–give up nothing which your Lord commands! In
all charity, believe that your Brother desires to hold only Christ's
Truth, but make sure that you hold it yourself, whether he holds it or
not. This is the best "undenominationalism" in the world–every man to
be faithful to his convictions and true to his Master out and out–and
then to give his Brother in Christ credit for doing the same! In this
way we may expect the Master's blessing.
VII. Lastly, observe the RESULT of what Ananias said. The results were
IMMEDIATE, for Paul received his sight at once, was comforted at once
and baptized at once! But the results were most extensive, for this
Paul became a preacher of the Gospel to every land! As the Apostle of
the Gentiles, he brought multitudes to Jesus! It was a splendid work
that Ananias did that morning, for to this day, the testimony of Paul
to the Cross of Christ is ringing over Europe and throughout the whole
world! Where would we have been as a nation if it had not been for the
Apostle of the Gentiles? Our Lord Jesus Christ was pleased to raise up,
in Paul, an especially useful instrument of blessing to the sons of
men. I might almost say that, among those that are born of woman, there
has not been a greater than the Apostle Paul! It was necessary that
Ananias should link him to the Church of God by instructing him in the
faith and initiating him by Baptism.
Go you, then, my Brothers and Sisters, wherever God sends you, for you
know not what may be within a man, a woman, or a child whom you shall
bring to Jesus! Everybody is not a Paul, but yet you may find a Paul
among your converts. The pearl fisher standing on the rock plunges deep
into the sea–he does not know whether or not he shall bring up a pearl
that will decorate an emperor's diadem. But he searches the deeps in
that hope and why should he not bring up such a treasure as well as
anybody else? No matter though the fisherman, himself, may be coarse,
ragged and rugged, yet he may light upon a priceless pearl!
And you, whoever you may be, I charge you, in the name of the Eternal
God, plunge yourself into your work with whole-hearted devotion and you
shall yet discover some hidden jewel which shall adorn Immanuel's
diadem! So may it be with you, dear Friends, for Christ's sake. Amen.
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