Now come to God in worship. Let us sing to his praise in Psalm 130 of the Scottish Psalter.
You'll find that on page 421 of the Blue Book. Psalm 130, Scottish Psalter version.
From the beginning of that psalm down to the end, we'll sing the whole of that psalm.
Lord, from the depths to thee I cried. My voice, Lord, do thou hear.
And to my supplications voice, give an attentive ear.
Lord, who shall stand, if thou, O Lord, should mark iniquity, but yet with thee forgivenesses that feared thou mayest be.
I wait for God, my soul doth wait, my hope is in his word.
More than they that for morning watch, my soul waits for the Lord.
I say more than they that to watch, the morning light to see.
Let Israel hope in the Lord, for with him mercy be.
And plenteous redemption is ever found with him.
And from all his iniquities, he Israel shall redeem.
The psalmist, they are trusting in God and relying on him.
His hope is in the word as his soul waits upon it.
Whatever situation we are in, we can come to the Lord with confidence.
Let us stand together and sing.
Lord, from the depths to thee I cried.
My voice, Lord, do thou hear.
And to my supplications voice, give an attentive ear.
Lord, who shall stand in the path, O Lord?
Choose mark in the glory.
God, yet with thee, forgiveness is not fear,
Thou mayest be.
I wait for God.
My soul doth wait.
My hope is in his word.
More than they that, O morning watch.
My soul waits for the Lord.
I sing more than they that, O morning light.
O Lord, O Lord, O Lord, O Lord.
For with him mercy speak.
And plenteous redemption
His love, O Lord, O Lord, O Lord.
And from all his iniquities,
He Israel shall redeem.
Amen.
We'll now join together in prayer.
We'll pray for the younger ones
before they go through into Sunday school.
Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven,
we give thanks for this day
that we have the opportunity to come,
set aside from the duties of this week,
and gather together and worship you,
to draw near to you.
And we pray that as we do so,
your presence and your spirit would be among us.
We pray for each one that is gathered here
in Persian and online,
that you are a God who knows us,
and you know the situations of our lives.
You know the hairs on our heads.
You know the difficulties that we face
and the cries of our hearts.
And so we come and bring these before you,
but also we confess our sins
and the waywardness of our lives,
but yet with thee forgiveness is.
And Lord, we can come to you with confidence.
We pray that we would know this as we gather.
We just pray also for the young that are gathered with us.
We pray that they would know more of Christ
and that they would understand what he has done for them
by dying on the cross at Calvary.
And in him there is the power of life.
As he is the one who rose Lazarus from the dead,
we pray that they would understand
that he can take us from sin
and give us a hope and eternal life
with you in the heavens.
So Lord, we pray,
be with us as we gather,
as we read your word,
as we go to our classes,
be with the teachers.
Help us to have a mind focused upon you,
not distracted in any way.
Help us to learn about you
and to know more about what you have done for us.
Forgive us our sins, we pray.
We ask these things in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Now before the young ones go off and do Sunday school,
just say a wee word to them.
Now I wonder,
have your parents ever told you to stop doing something?
Maybe you don't need to think about that too hard.
Maybe this morning you were told to stop doing something.
I've got a sign here.
Stop on it.
I made this one.
It's not,
I was running out of red pen.
Seems all the red pens in our house are empty.
But you'll have seen a sign like this
when you're in the car
with your mommy or daddy
or your granny or grandpa
or in the bus.
And you see them,
you see some of them,
they're stuck.
But then you'll see other ones
where a man holds it.
There might be works going on in the road
and there'll be a man holding the sign
telling you to stop.
And then your parents,
or whoever's driving,
probably goes,
oh no,
we've got to stop.
Because we don't like stopping.
But then the man will turn the sign
and tell us to go.
And then we're quite happy
to go on our way.
There may be some within the congregation
who actually work with these tools,
this sign,
and it's an important job.
Keeps everyone safe.
Allows the workers to do their job.
But usually they use it
because the driver can't see the other side.
Usually they've closed one side of the road
and whoever's in the car
can't see what's ahead.
So they need someone to tell them
when to stop
and when to go.
So there's no accidents.
There's no crashes.
So we don't get ourselves in trouble.
When God does the same thing with us,
he tells us to stop.
He tells us to stop on Sundays.
He tells us to stop and read the Bible.
He tells us to stop and pray.
And all these things are good for us to do.
God tells us to do these things.
And sometimes,
sometimes we don't like it.
Sometimes we like to just keep going
and doing what we like doing.
We like to keep going all the time.
You remember the story of Mary and Martha.
Mary sat and stopped what she was doing
and listen to Jesus.
But Martha kept going and going and going.
But Mary chose the best thing,
to stop and listen.
So it was good for us
that we are told to stop,
stop the work that we're doing,
stop going to school,
and to come before God
and listen to what he says to us.
But it's also important
to go
when Jesus tells us to go.
And you'll see in your story today
about Lazarus
that Jesus waited for a while
and then he went.
So maybe you'll see
if you can spot that
in your story today.
But whenever you see this sign up,
I want you to remember
God tells us to stop
on Sundays,
listen to him.
We need to listen to him.
If we don't listen to him,
it's not good.
And then
he tells us to go for him
and to go and tell people about him.
So when you see
the sign,
remember
what God tells us to do.
We need to stop
and we need to go.
We'll pray
that'll be blessed to you
and be blessing to you
as you go to your classes.
Let us say the Lord's Prayer together.
Our Father,
which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day
our daily bread
and forgive us our debts
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory
forever.
Amen.
Okay, thank you for listening.
We'll continue in our praise
by singing in Psalm 51
and the Sing Psalms version.
You'll find that on page 67
of the blue book.
Psalm 51,
page 67
from the beginning of that psalm,
down to verse Mark 9.
O my God,
have mercy on me.
In your steadfast love,
I pray.
In your infinite compassion,
my transgressions wipe away.
Cleanse me from iniquity.
Wash my sin away from me.
It's a psalm where David himself
had to stop
before God
and confess his sins.
So let us stand,
sing to God's praise
from the beginning
down to verse Mark 9.
O my God,
have mercy on me.
O my God,
have mercy on me.
In your steadfast love,
I pray.
In your infinite compassion,
my transgressions wipe away.
Cleanse me from iniquity.
Wash my sin away from me.
For I know my own transgressions.
I can see my sinful plight.
You, you, only I've offended.
And none evil in your sight.
So your words are verified
And your verdict justified.
From my birth I have been sinful
Such the nature I received
Sinful from my first beginning
In my mother's womb conceived
Truth you look for
In my heart
Wisdom to me
You impart
Cleanse with this
Of purify me
I'll be whiter than the snow
Let the bones you crush
Be joyful
May I joy and goodness know
From my failure
Hide your face
Altered all my wickedness
If you turn with me
To your Bibles now
And we'll take a reading
From the book of Acts
Chapter 9
Book of Acts
Reading from the beginning
Of chapter 9
It's an account of Saul's conversion
We'll read down to the end of verse Mark 22
Let us hear the word of God
Acts 9
From the beginning
But Saul still breathing threats and murders
Against the disciples of the Lord
Went to the high priests
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
Now as he went on his way
He approached Damascus
And suddenly a light from heaven
Flashed around him
And falling to the ground
He heard a voice saying to him
Saul, Saul
Why are you persecuting me?
And he said
Who are you, Lord?
And he said
I am Jesus
Whom you are persecuting
But rise and enter the city
And you will be told
What you are to do
The men who were travelling with him
Stood speechless
Hearing the voice
But seeing no one
Saul rose from the ground
And although his eyes were opened
He saw nothing
So they led him by hand
And brought him into Damascus
And for three days
He was without sight
And neither ate nor drank
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
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 Tarshish
Named Saul
For behold
He is praying
And he has seen a vision
Of a man named Ananias
Come in
And lay his hands on him
So that he might regain his sight
But Ananias answered
Lord, I have heard
From many about this man
How much evil he has done
To your saints at Jerusalem
And he has authority
From the chief priests
To bind all who call on your name
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
For I will show him
How much he must suffer
For the sake of my name
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
And immediately
Something like scales
Fell from his eyes
And he regained his sight
Then he rose
And was baptized
And taking food
He was strengthened
For some days
He was with the disciples
At Damascus
And immediately
He proclaimed Jesus
In the synagogue
Saying
He is the Son of God
And all who heard him
Were amazed
And said
Is not this the man
Who made havoc
In Jerusalem
Of those who called
Upon his name
And has he not
Come here
For this purpose
To bring them bound
Before the chief priests
But Saul
Increased all
The more
In strength
And confounded
The Jews
Who lived in Damascus
By proving
That Jesus
Was the Christ
Amen
May the reading
Of God's word
Be a blessing
To each
Who hear it
Let us
Turn in prayer
To him
Let us pray
Our Father in heaven
As we come
To your word
We see the miraculous
Works that you can do
That you can change
The man
Who is rooted in evil
And change him
To be devoted
To your cause
Lord
We come into your presence
We pray that you would
Give us a clearer
Understanding
Of who you are
And to whom
We come before
And through Christ
Jesus and his
We gain a greater
Understanding
So as we come
To your word
Open up
Our eyes
And block
Our ears
That we may
Hear
See
And know
The riches
That are
Unmestable
To be found
In this man
Jesus Christ
And the hope
That he can give us
In a world
That is full
Of confusion
And hopelessness
And that you give us
A sight
Beyond this world
Into things
That are eternal
And everlasting
So let us
As your people
Hold fast
To you
That we would
Keep our eyes
Upon you
In every walk
Of life
Wherever you
Take us
And whatever
Situations you
Bring us into
And often we are
Tempted to turn
Away
And we confess
In the foolishness
Of understanding
We see
Easier paths
To take
But
Lord
We pray
That we would
Be obedient
And faithful
To you
That we may be
People set apart
And holy
From this world
That we
May be
Lights
And darkness
And show
Forth
Who Jesus
Christ is
A hope
Beyond all
Understanding
That the world
Gives to us
And in our
Weakness
We confess
That our
Words
Do not
Portray this
In the way
We wish
At times
Nor do
Our actions
But we ask
That your spirit
Would be
Indwelling
Within each
Of us
That it may
Strengthen us
And guide us
Along the way
That we may
Come to you
In prayer
Asking
Show
And reveal
To us
Your ways
So that we
May walk
In it
That we
May walk
Along the
Paths
That are
Set aside
For us
That we
May not
Turn again
To foolishness
As pilgrims
In the progress
Turned
Looked
To turn
Back
And looked
To seek
A path
Other than
Whole difficulty
We seek
An easier
Way
Lord
It's not
The best
That we
Would strive
And be
Encouraged
And find
Our strength
In you
For the
Difficult days
That lie
Ahead
That we
Would not
Grow
Lukewarm
In our
Hearts
That we
Would hold
Fast
To you
And as we
Come to your
Word
Open it up
To us
We pray
So that we
May be like
The two
On the road
To Emmaus
Confessed
That when
It was
Opened
Their hearts
Burned
Within them
Pray
Lord
That you
Instill
Within us
A fire
For the
Gospel
That we
May see
And
Understand
The
Souls
Need
In this
World
That we
May have
A heart
Of
Compassion
To those
Who are
Lost
And extend
The compassion
That Christ
Offers to
Them in the
Gospel
And he
Calls them
To come
And receive
Of these
Riches
Sweeter
Than honey
And richer
Than gold
Lord we
Pray
That you
May make
Us
Lights
In darkness
To bring
Forth
These
Things
Remember
Those
Who are
Set
Aside
In
Illness
We
Pray
For
Them
That you
Would
Give
Them
Strength
We
Pray
For
Those
Who are
Anxious
About
Operation
We
Pray
That you
Would
Be
With
Them
And give
Them
Peace
In
Their
Hearts
We
Pray
For
Those
Who are
Looking
After
Those
Who are
Unwell
We
Ask
That you
Would
Give
Them
Strength
And be
With
Them
We
Pray
Also
For
The
NHS
Service
As a
Whole
We
Hear
Of it
Being
Over
We
Thank
For
It
We
Pray
That we
Would
Be
Able
To
Have
Access
To
Medical
Staff
And
Med
We
Just
Pray
That
Burden
Of
That
Service
Would
Be
Lifted
We
Are
Mindful
Also
Of
Those
Who
Mourn
And
We
Pray
Especially
For
Them
That
You
Would
Draw
Near
To
Them
And
Be
With
Them
In
Their
Loss
And
Sadness
And
If
It
Even
Provokes
Questions
Within
Their
Hearts
We
Pray
That
You
Would
Be
With
Them
To
Answer
And
To
Show
Them
Life
In
Jesus
Christ
We
Pray
For
Those
Gather
In
The
Center
As
They
Worship
You
We
Pray
For
Our
Children
As
They
Consider
The
Story
Of
Lazarus
And
Even
In
The
Darkness
Of
Death
Those
Who
Trust
In
Jesus
Can
Have
Life
Eternal
We
Just
Pray
For
Those
Who
Go
For
With
The
Prayer
For
The
Training
Of
Your
People
You
Would
Raise
Up
Men
To
These
Riches
Of
Christ
And
That
We
Would
Be
A
Nation
That
Would
Understand
And
Turn
Back
From
Our
Foolishness
That
We
Would
Turn
To
Your
Word
And
Be
Guided
By
It
So
Lord
We
Pray
That
You
Would
Guide
Our
Thoughts
May
We
Know
Your
Spirit
Spread
Over
Us
As
We
Turn
To
Your
Word
Speak
To
Our
Hearts
And
Minds
We
Pray
And
All
This
We
The
Confession
Of
Our
Sins
And
The
Name
That
Is
Above
All
Names
And
Jesus
Christ
Who
Died
For
Us
On
The
Cross
At
Calvary
And
Whom
All
Authority
In
Bestowed
We
Ask
These
Things
By
The
Power
Of
His
Name
Amen
Continue
And
Praise
By
Singing
In
Psalm
86
On
The
Scottish
Psalter
Version
We'll
Find
That
On
Page
341
Of
The
Blue
Book
Psalm
86
Singing
from
Verse
Mark
10
Down
To
Verse
Mark
13
Page
341
Because
Thou
Art
Exceeding
Great
And
Works
By
The
Are
Done
Which
Two
Which
Are
To
Be
Admired
And
Thou
Art
God
Thys
Alone
So
We'll
Sing
From
Verse
Mark
10
Down
To
The
End
Of
Verse
Mark
13
And
We'll
Stand
To
Sing
Because
Thou
Art
Exceeding
Great
Because
The
Because
The
Vortex
He
Think
Great
And
Works
By
Thee
Are
Done
Which
Are
To
Thee
Admired
God
Hi
Faith
And
Tell
Teach
Me
Thine
Way
And
In
Thy
Truth
Oh
Lord
In
Walk
Will I unite my heart
That I thy name may fear
Continually
O Lord my God
With all my heart
To thee I will give praise
And I the glory
Will ask Christ
And to thy name always
Because thy mercy
Toward me
In goodness
Thou excel
And thou
Be delivered
As my soul
Out from the lowest hell
If you could turn back with me
To the passage that we read
In the book of Acts
Chapter 9
And the text
I would like to give focus to you
Is from verse 15
But the Lord said to him
Go
For he is a chosen instrument of mine
To carry my name
Before the Gentiles
And the kings
And the children
For I will show him
How much he must suffer
For the sake of my name
So Ananias departed
This morning
The passage that we read together
It reveals to us
One of the most astonishing ways
In which God can work
How he can take the person
Who is proudly consumed
With a deep hatred towards God
And changing into a man
Who is humbly devoted
To his way
The great work of conversion
Within the soul of a believer
Or the soul of a sinner
From one that was ready here
In the passage
To murder the Christian
In verse 1
To the man that we find
Sitting and eating
In the company of the Christian
In verse 19
And joining in the worship of God
In many ways
We don't understand this
It defies our logic
And our understanding
That one of such evil
Could be changed
In such a manner
But with God
Anything is possible
Saul is not the only character
In this passage
And while there are others
In the background
We have another man in focus
His name is Ananias
This man is seemingly
A resident of Damascus
And is a disciple
Of Jesus
And a follower
Of the way
And as we turn
To this passage
We can see
That both of these men
Have been directed
By God
God has spoken
To them
The Lord has appeared
To each of them
Giving them instructions
That they must obey
Saul
Has essentially been
Stalked in his tracks
While Ananias
Has been told
The one who is newly
Converted
To this way
And the other
Who is continuing
To live
By this way
And we are told
Of Saul
That he is an instrument
Of the Lord
There in verse 15
But it is surely true
That we can say
The same of Ananias
In this passage
Although he is there
To fulfil
A different purpose
But even in this
Understanding
We don't just
Stop at this passage
For surely
That term
Is true
Of every Christian
Surely that term
Is true
Of all the Lord's people
Who are gathered
Here this morning
That they are
Instruments
For his cause
Whether we are
Young
Or old
Whether we are
New to the faith
Or mature
In faith
Surely it is true
That we can say
That we are all
Instruments
Of the Lord
And the believer
Is an instrument
But what does it mean
To be an instrument
Of God
You can imagine
A musical instrument
Like a guitar
Or a piano
They can create
The most spectacular
Compositions
Of music
But they can also
Create the most horrendous
The quality
Of the sound
That comes from it
Is not dependent
On the instrument
You may remember
A film called
Greenbrick
Where there was a film
About a pianist
And he was going
Around the country
Playing on pianos
For people to enjoy
But he had to play
On a certain type
Of piano
And one time
It wasn't
A Steinway
Is what they call it
It wasn't a Steinway
Piano that was set
Before him
To play on
But he must
They were endeavoured
To get him
A Steinway
Piano
But even if you gave me
Or anyone here
A Steinway
Piano
I wouldn't do much
With it
I wouldn't
I wouldn't be a pianist
I wouldn't create
Anything
That you would
Be an off
Well
Maybe it would
It wouldn't be very good
It would be horrendous
So the praise
The adoration
Of the music
Does not go
To the instrument
It goes to the person
Who plays it
It goes to the person
In whose hands
It falls
Now an instrument
You know
It could be described
In different ways
An instrument
Could be a tool
That you use for work
As many of us here
Could associate with
The tools that we use
And the quality
Of the items
That we use
Make all the difference
For us
As skilled persons
That use them
But giving that item
To someone else
Doesn't mean
That they will be
As skilled
Or produce
The same results
You see
It is the one
Who holds the item
Who knows best
What to do with it
The master
The one who is familiar
With it
Knows how to use it
And knows how to get
The best result
From it
It is not determined
By the instrument
It is determined
By the one
Whose hands
It is placed
Within
And the words
Here in this passage
As instrument
It could equally be
Described as
A vessel
That may be more
Familiar to many of us
That he is a chosen
Vessel
And same again
If you take
A vessel
Or a bowl
In our imaginations
It's same
It's held
In the hands
Of someone
And in this passage
If it is a vessel
You can imagine it
Being filled
And the vessel
Then being passed
In the hands
Of someone
May receive
From that vessel
The contents
That are in it
Like people
Would receive
The music
That comes
From the instrument
And everyone
Here
Should realise
That we are
To place
Our hands
In God
The Christian
In particular
Should be
Of that mind
But even
The unbeliever
Is to understand
That when we
Place ourselves
In the hands
Of God
We fulfil
Our purpose
In glorifying
And glorifying
Him
This is what
Happens
When we put
Ourselves
In the hands
Of God
And we trust
Ourselves
Fully
To His
Way
It is there
Where the
Instrument
Produces
The best
Music
It is in
These hands
Where the
Vessel
Is filled
With all
The desires
Of life
That are
Lasting
And satisfying
Not the desires
Of the flesh
The desires
Of our lives
That we find
In Jesus
Christ
As He
Fills
That vessel
And those
Who place
Themselves
In the hands
Of God
Are honourable
To God
And give
Honour
To God
We are
Instruments
In the hands
Of God
And I would like
Us to look
At this passage
Of the two
Instruments
That God
Employs
For His
Glory
In this
Memorable
Record
Two
Individuals
That are
Used
In individual
Ways
Distinctly
Saul
Is forced
To stop
At first
Ananias
He is told
To arise
And go
Commands
Of God
Saul
Stop
And Ananias
Arise
So let
Let us
Consider
Saul
At first
Saul
Is brought
To a
Place
Where he
Must
Sit
And stop
Obviously
He was the
Man
That was
Hunting
Down the
Christians
He was the
Man who
Was slaughtering
The Christians
The next
Stop
Was
Damascus
In his
Mind
He had
The written
Order
Of the
High
Priest
Within
His
Pocket
He had
The soldiers
Accompanying
Him
On the
Way
And it
Seemed
Like there
Was nothing
That could
Be done
To stop
This
Advance
Of evil
But as
We proceed
In reading
In verse
Three
All of a
Sudden
We read
Of a light
From heaven
Flashing
Around him
That like
The flash
Of lightning
This light
That appeared
Before him
Says that he
Fell
But we
Better
Translated
That he
Collapsed
He could
Not stand
Before the
Presence of
This light
Because it
Was the
Presence of
Christ
Christ in
Whom all
Authority had
Been bestowed
The Christ
In whom you
Remember when
The people
Came to
Arrest him
They fell
Back when
He spoke
To them
In the
Garden of
Gethsemane
He could
Not stand
In his
Presence
Nor could
Paul
Saul
Nor can
We
Stand in
The presence
Of God
Or Jesus
Christ
If we're
Going to
Stand by
Ourselves
We
Cannot
And amidst
This light
That shone
There was
There was a
Voice
Saying
Saul
Why are
You
Persecuting
Me
Now
We
Would
Assume
Because of
The evil
Of his
Heart
That the
Anger of
Christ
Was kindled
Against
This man
It may
Have been
But it is
Not expressed
In these
Words
When Christ
Speaks to
Saul
For to
Call out
One man's
Name twice
Is a sign
Of affection
A loving
Concern
For the
Person
You may
Recall
Other
Instances
Where God
Spoke
And said
Samuel
Martha
Simon
It is
Far
From an
Expression
Of anger
It was
That we
Called it
Compassion
This is
The compassion
Of Christ
Coming to
Saul
And he
Asks
Him
Why do
You
Pershing
And yet
He could
Not answer
That
He knew
The efficient
Answer
To give
To this
Authority
And although
He asked
Who spoke
By saying
Who are
You
It seems
That he
Already
Knew
It was
The Lord
And in
The response
He got
It was
Probably
The most
Fearful
Response
He could
Have
Asked
For
I
Am
Whom
You
Are
Persecuting
Jesus
Stopped
This
Man
And
Afterwards
After he
Had been
Stopped
He was
Given
Direction
To go
Into
The city
And wait
His
Eyes
Had
Been
Taken
From him
And he
Waited
For three
Days
Without
Seeing
And without
Eating
We are
Told
Can you
Imagine
What he
Was
Thinking
As one
Who was
Killing
Christians
And
Killing
Those
He
Lived
By
The
Name
Of
Jesus
Christ
Was
Forced
To
Stop
And
Wait
To
See
What
Christ
Would
Do
With
Him
He
Had
Been
Placed
Within
The
Hands
Of
But
He
Had
A
Vision
And
It's
Very
Important
Because
He
Didn't
Get
That
Vision
He
Would
Have
Been
Left
To
His
Own
Reasoning
And
His
Own
Understanding
And
For
All
That
He
Had
Done
To
The
People
Of
Christ
And
The
Followers
Of
His
Way
I
Think
He
Would
Have
Gone
Mad
And
He
Would
Have
Been
In
Deep
Depression
Awaiting
How
Christ
Would
Repay
What
He
Had
Done
To
His
People
But
Because
He
Had
The
Vision
He
Had
A
Hope
Of
Followers
And
A
Hope
From
Despair
And
With
His
Sight
Remused
Physically
I
Believe
He
Turned
To
Look
Within
Himself
In
These
Three
Days
It
Is
Good
For
Us
To
Do
That
At
Times
To
Turn
And
Stop
And
Look
Within
Our
Hearts
And
Who
We
Are
Before
God
Saul
Realized
Whose
Hands
He
Was
In
Prior
He
Realized
He
Was
In
The
Hands
Of
Enemy
The
Evil
One
Who
Had
Directed
Him
And
Now
Before
The
Presence
Of
Christ
That
Vessel
Was
Surely
Empty
In
His
Eyes
All
That
He
Had
Done
Amounted
To
Nothing
Before
The
Presence
Of
Christ
But
The
Lord
Was
Set
To
Fulfill
With
The
Abundance
Of
His
Compassionate
Love
His
Mercy
And
His
Grace
And
See
Here
In
This
Point
In
The
Great
Conversion
Of
Saul
Although
He
Lived
A
Life
Turned
And
Directed
Against
God
Against
Jesus
Christ
Saved
Him
Christ
Died
For
Him
And
Though
He
Would
Have
Expected
Death
By
His
Own
Reasoning
And
Expected
Punishment
He
Received
Eternal
Life
And
He
Received
The
Inheritance
That
Had
Been
Set
Aside
Even
For
Him
And
Though
I
Am
Fully
Persuaded
That
He
Knew
Himself
To
Die
He
Knew
Himself
He
Was
Unworthy
Of
Receiving
All
These
Riches
Of
Christ
Jesus
For
All
That
He
Had
Done
And
For
All
That
He
Had
Lived
His
Life
By
Before
But
It
Is
The
Same
Today
While
We
May
Not
Be
People
Opposing
The
Church
We
May
Well
Be
Living
Life
Without
Christ
Without
Jesus
And
For
This
Moment
He
Has
Set
You
To
Sit
And
Stop
That
You
May
Come
Under
The
Power
Of
The
Light
Of
The
Gospel
Of
Jesus
Christ
And
Regardless
Of
How
You
Have
Lived
Up
To
This
Point
Regardless
Of
How
You
Have
Lived
Up
To
This
Point
He
Calls
Out
To
You
Not
Once
But
Twice
Because
All
Of
His
Compassion
And
Love
Is
Extended
To
Every
Single
Once
Here
This
Morning
But
He
Still
Asks
Of
Us
Why
Do
You
Live
Without
Me
What
Can
We
Say
In
Response
To
That
If
We
Are
When
He
Is
Offering
All
These
Riches
Of
His
Love
And
Eternal
Peace
With
Him
He
Is
Asking
You
Why
Would
You
Turn
Away
From
These
Things
What
Are
You
Going
To
Say
In
Response
To
Him
Is
He
Saying
To
You
I
Am
Jesus
I
Am
Calling
You
Are
Rejecting
Me
Before
His
Glory
All
Your
Responses
And
All
Your
Reasonings
To
Why
You
Aren't
Will
Collapse
And
Fall
There
Will
Be
Nothing
To
Say
There
Will
Be
A
Time
When
We
Meet
Him
When
We
Stand
Before
His
Presence
And
All
We
Shall
Do
We
Won't
Have
Anything
To
Reason
To
Why
We
Never
Trusted
In
Him
The
Bible
Tells
Us
That
All
We
Will
Do
Is
Bow
The
Knee
Fall
Before
Him
And
Confess
That
He
Is
Lord
So
We
Are
Told
In
His
Grace
To
Stop
And
Consider
Who
We
Are
Before
Him
This
Morning
What
Is
Our
Vessel
Before
Him
Christ
Is
One
Who
Is
Willing
To
Fulfill
It
I
Believe
Saul
Sat
In
These
Moments
Pouring
Out
His
Heart
Pressing
All
His
Wrong
Doing
And
The
Foolishness
Of
His
Ways
By
Not
Being
In
The
Hands
Of
Christ
Asking
For
The
For
All
That
He
Had
Done
But
We
Are
Told
That
Christ
Said
He
Was
Praying
Christ
Listened
To
His
Prayer
Christ
Listened
To
Everything
That
He
Said
And
Forgave
Him
Of
The
Way
In
Which
He
Had
Lived
His
Life
He
Saul
He
Did
Not
Know
How
Instrumental
He
Would
Be
In
The
Future
As
An
Instrument
Of
God
But
He
Placed
Himself
In
His
Hands
And
Trusted
Him
To
His
Way
And
It
Is
A
Place
Where
We
All
Must
Come
We
Place
Ourselves
In
The
Hand
Of
God
And
We
Find
There
The
Purpose
Of
Our
Lives
And
We
Ask
That
As
We
Do
As
His
Vessels
He
Will
Fill
Us
To
Overflowing
Saul
Had
To
Stop
In
Christ
We
Have
The
Power
To
Be
Saved
But
He
Does
Not
Save
The
Person
To
Stop
He
Saves
The
Person
To
Go
Let
Us
Turn
To
Ananias
And
Look
At
The
Account
Of
Ananias
He
Is
Told
To
Arise
Ananias
Is
Introduced
To
Us
In
Verse
10
And
In
All
Understand
He
Is
A
Mature
Christian
The
Lord
Also
Spoke
With
Him
But
It
Is
Interesting
To
Note
That
He
Only
Addressed
Him
In
Name
Once
I
Do
Not
Have
An
Answer
For
That
But
It
Is
Worth
Noting
That
Ananias
Was
Not
An
Instrument
Of
Paul's
Conversion
But
He
Assured
Encouragement
That
These
People
Whom
He
Persecuted
In
Paul's
Eyes
The
Persons
Who
He
Murdered
Were
Undoubtedly
Of
Christ
Because
Ananias
Came
To
Him
With
The
Vision
That
He
Had
From
God
Confirming
That
Christ
Was
In
This
Man
Christ
Was
Speaking
To
Ananias
And
Paul
Saul
Knew
The
Extent
There
And
Then
Of
The
People
To
Whom
He
Had
Killed
And
To
The
Extent
Of
His
Persecution
Which
Was
Of
Christ
Himself
As
Jesus
Said
To
The
Lord
Spoke
To
Ananias
And
He
Said
Here
I
Am
Essentially
Ananias
Is
Saying
Lord
Yes
I
Am
Ready
For
You
What
You
Want
To
Do
With
Me
And
We
Read
There
From
Verse
11
Down
To
Verse
Mark
13
What
Was
Said
And
The
Lord
Said
To
him
Rise
And
Go
To
The
Street
Called
Straight
And
To
The
House
Of
Judas
And
Look
For
A
Man
Of
Tarsus
Named
Saul
For
Behold
He
Is
Praying
And
He
Has
Seen
A
Vision
A
Man
Named
Ananias
Come
To
Lay
His
Hands
On
Him
So
That
He
May
Regain
His
Sight
Now
You
Can
Just
Imagine
After
Hearing
All
These
Words
I
Think
He
Probably
Only
Heard
A
Man
Of
Tarsus
Named
Saul
At
Which
He
Would
Have
Recoiled
This
Infamous
Man
Of
Great
Reputation
Responds
You
Can't
Be
Serious
That
I
Need
To
Go
And
See
This
Man
He
Has
Authority
From
The
Chief
Priest
To
Bind
Everyone
Who
Calls
On
Your
Name
It
Would
Be
Certain
Imprisonment
For
Me
Murder
To
Go
To
Meet
This
Man
But
The
Lord's
Response
Is
To
Him
That
He
Is
No
Longer
A
Man
That
Binds
The
Name
Of
The
Lord
In
Verse
15
He
Is
Told
That
He
Is
A
Person
That
Will
Carry
My
Name
Although
Ananias
He
Shows
Resistance
To
The
Order
Of
Christ
And
He
Questions
God
If
This
Is
Right
Or
Wrong
Is
This
Is
Something
That
We
Are
Very
Good
At
As
Mature
Christians
When
We
Feel
Pushed
Out
Of
Our
Comfort
Zones
We
Tend
To
Question
Is
It
Right
Should
I
Go
But
The
Lord
Has
A
Plan
For
Each
Of
Us
And
Regardless
Of
How
He
Thought
Saul
Already
Had
The
Vision
The
Lord
Had
The
Way
Ananias
Arise
And
Go
With
My
Message
And
Where
The
Lord's
Name
Was
Previously
Been
Bound
By
This
Man
It
Was
To
Be
Carried
Out
Across
The
Nations
And
This
Is
A
Task
Not
Just
Of
Saul
But
Of
The
Instruments
And
Roles
Of
The
Lord
To
Glorify
His
Name
To
Carry
The
Riches
Of
That
Person
Out
Into
The
World
Though
Paul
Had
A
Weighty
Responsibility
Particularly
Placed
On
Him
We
Read it
There
In
Verse
15
To
Carry
My
Name
Before
The
Gentiles
The
Kings
And
The
Children
Of
Israel
But
Also
It
Had
Significant
Consequences
For
Him
I
Will
Show
Him
How
Much
He
Must
Swear
For
The
Sake
Of
My
Name
The
Lord
Has
A
Plan
For
Each
Of
Us
May
Surprise
Us
To
Where
He
Leads
Us
He
Has
Planned
At
Different
Times
Of
Our
Lives
There
Are
Times
Where
We
Must
Stop
And
Reflect
There
Are
Times
We
Must
Follow
His
Command
And
Go
We
As
A
People
As
His
Instruments
Who
Have
Placed
Ourselves
In
His
Hands
Are
Greatly
Privileged
To
Have
Received
Such
Riches
Poured
Into
Our
Vessel
But
We
Are
Not
To
Sit
Full
Of
This
The
Vessel
Is
To
Be
Passed
Between
One
Another
The
Vessel
Is
To
Be
Passed
Among
People
So
People
So
That
They
May
Taste
Of
The
Riches
Of
What
Jesus
Christ
Has
Done
And
Done
For
You
God
Christ
Jesus
In
The
Riches
Of
His
Grace
Saves
Us
To
Be
Instruments
And
Not
To
Be
Ornaments
The
Ornament
Sits
There
To
Be
Looked
At
But
We
Are
Saved
To
Be
Instruments
To
Be
Placed
And
Used
In
The
Hands
Of
God
We
Are
Instruments
To
Bring
Glory
To
The
Name
Of
God
And
Not
To
Ourselves
We
Are
Instruments
In
His
Hand
Saul
As
An
Instrument
Paid
The
Ultimate
Price
In
Dine
That
Vessel
Was
Poured
Out
As
A
Drink
Offering
As
A
Sweet
Offering
To
Jesus
But
According
To
Tradition
Ananias
Also
Paid
The
Ultimate
Time
Apparently
The
Roman
Governor
Licinus
Arrested
Him
And
Had
Him
Stoned
Outside
The
Walls
Of
Damascus
For
Being
A
Leader
In
The
Christian
Church
We
Do
Not
Know
The
Full
Effect
Of
This
Man
But
He
Brought
Glory
To
God
In
His
Own
Sphere
And
Wherever
God
Places
Us
We
Are
To
Carry
The
Name
Of
Christ
Into
That
Place
Whether
It
Be
Of
Prominence
Or
Whether
It
Be
In
The
Back
When
We
Are
Told
To
Stop
We
Sit
At
His
Fe
And
Listen
When
We
Are
Told
To
Go
We
Get
Up
And
Go
To
Glorify
The
Name
Of
God
Takes
Us
Into
The
Most
Difficult
Of
Circumstances
But
Even
There
We
Are
Told
To
Carry
His
Name
Wherever
The
Christian
Go
We
Must
Carry
The
Name
But
Even
In
The
Most
Difficult
Places
Where
We
Ourselves
Suffer
He
Will
Not
Withhold
His
Riches
From
Us
And
It
May
Be
In
These
Particular
Experiences
We
Find
Our
Cup
Overflowing
But
We
Are
Also
To
Take
That
Name
To
Everyone
Those
Who
Are
Set
Aside
In
Illness
To
Those
Who
Are
Mourning
In
Death
To
Those
Whom
We
Work
With
To
Those
Within
Our
Families
We
Bring
And
Carry
The
Name
As
His
Instruments
Are
We
Placed
In
His
Hands
Are
We
Willing
To
Be
Placed
In
His
Hands
Are
We
Willing
Used
For
His
Glory
Are
We
His
Instruments
For
His
Works
The
Glory
Is
Not
To
The
Instrument
The
Glory
Is
God
As we
Go
Out
Into
This
World
May
We
Bring
And
Bear
That
Name
Of
Jesus
Christ
And
What
He
Has
Done
For
Us
And
Show
Forth
His
Glory
May
We
Lift
Up
The
Name
Of
Jesus
Christ
Above
All
Names
And
Let
Us
Be
Willing
To
Bring
It
As
Instruments
In
The
Hands
Of
God
May
These
Thoughts
Be
Blessed
To
Us
We'll
Conclude
By
Singing
In
Psalm
143
A
Scottish
Psalter
Version
Find
That
On
Page
440
The
Last
Verses
Of
Psalm
143
From
Verse 9
Down
To
Verse
Mark
12
From
My
Fierce
Enemy
In
Safety
Do
Me
Guide
Because
I
Flee
To
Thee
Lord
That
Thou
Mayest
Me
Hide
My
God
Thou
Art
Alone
Teach
Me
Thy
Righteousness
Thy
Spirit
Good
Lead
Me
To
The Land
Of
Brightness
And
We
See
There
In
The
Last
Psalm
Commits
Himself
To
God
By
Concluding
For
I
Thy
Servant
Am
Placing
Himself
In
The
Hands
Of
His
Saviour
To
The
Glory
Of
God
Let
Us
Stand
And
Sing
To
That
Glory
From
My
Fierce
Enemy
In
Safety
Do
Me
Guide
From
My
Fierce
Enemy
In
City
Do
Me
Guide
Because
I
Flee
To
Thee
Lord
That
Thou
Mest
Me
Hide
My
God
Alone
On
Earth
Teach
Me
Thy
Righteousness
Thy
Spirit's
Good
Lead
Me
To
The
Land
Of
Upright
O
Lord
For
Thy
Name
Be
Pleased
To
Waken
Me
And
For
Thy
Truth
Port
Take
My
Soul
From
Misery
And
Of
Thy
Grace
Destroy
My
Fools
And
Put
To
Shame
All
Who
My
Soul
Adore
For
Thy
Servant
Am
Conclude
In
A
Word
Of
Prayer
Our
Father
In
Heaven
As
We
Come
Before
You
Let
Us
Be
People
Who
Commit
Ourselves
Trustingly
And
Faithfully
Into
Your
Hands
To
Follow
Your
Ways
That
You
Are
The
One
Who
Will
Change
Us
To
Trust
In
You
And
Defy
The
Power
Of
The
Evil
One
Lord
Let
Us
Instruments
In
Your
Hand
To
Glorify
Your
Name
May
We
All
Confess
That
We
Bow
Before
You
As
Your
Servants
And
Make
Us
Willing
In
Our
Hearts
To
Say
I
Am
Your
Servant
Be
With
Us
As
We
Part
And
Be
Blessed
To
Our
Services
As
We
Meet
This
Evening
Forgive
Us
Our
Sins
For
Jesus
Sake
Amen