Why did Jesus choose Paul, who had viciously persecuted Christians, to be His instrument for spreading the gospel? In this sermon, Dr. R.C. Sproul discusses how Paul’s conversion reveals God’s sovereignty through His ability to use unlikely individuals to fulfill His glorious purposes.

We will continue this morning with our study of the book of the Acts of the Apostles. This morning, we will be looking at Acts 9:10–19:

Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”

And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”

So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”

Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here 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 vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.

Let us pray.

Father, how grateful we are for this record of Your touch in the life of Saul of Tarsus and this interlude by which You restored his vision and filled him with Your Spirit. Teach us, this morning, the truth You have inspired and apply it to our own souls for Your sake. Amen.

Saul’s Conversion

In the previous sermon, we looked at the record of Saul’s conversion on the road to Damascus. On his journey, in which he was breathing out threats of murder against the early Christians, he was knocked to the ground by the burning bright light that shone at noonday, brighter than the sun. Out of the light, he heard a voice calling to him in Hebrew, saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

When Saul heard this voice, he responded by saying, “Who are you, Lord?” He did not know or recognize the voice, but he knew whoever it was had appeared in such transcendent majesty that He could be no one less than his Lord. The voice answered his question, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”

Saul, who was filled with hostility against Jesus and His church said immediately, “What do You want me to do?” He was ready in that moment to do whatever Christ commanded him to do. We read that Paul was stricken blind and led by the hand into the city of Damascus. So, there he stayed for three days, not eating or drinking and remaining blind.

Ananias’ Call

This morning, we pick up the record in verse 10, where we read, “Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, ‘Ananias.’” Ananias responded with the words, “Here I am.” This is typical of the response of human beings as we read throughout sacred Scripture, such as when God called people like Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, or Amos. When the call came, the prophets immediately answered, “Here I am.” In other words: “I am all ears. I am at attention. I’m ready to hear whatever You have to say.” Ananias was no different.

The instructions from the Lord came as follows: “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”

I mentioned last time that Damascus is one of the oldest cities in all the world, and even to this day there remains that same street called “Straight.” There is a spot at the end of the street where, tradition has it, Paul was visiting, and Ananias was instructed to go and lay hands upon him. That place has spanned history for two thousand years. It was a place of great importance in the life of the Apostle Paul.

Jesus gave these instructions and told Ananias where to go and what to do. Ananias had never met Saul, or Paul. I do not know at what point Ananias had first heard of Saul, but it is obvious they had not met. The Lord had prepared Saul for the reception of Ananias giving him a vision saying, “I am sending one named Ananias to come to you to lay hands upon you.”

Resistance to God’s Plan

You would think that the next verse would say, “And Ananias arose and went to the street called Straight, and entered into the home of Judas, and there he met the Apostle Paul.” But that is not what happened. Instead, there is a brief interlude to which I want to call your attention.

After receiving his instructions, Ananias said: “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” It was as if Ananias were saying: “Lord, are You sure You know what You’re doing? I know who this man is that You’re talking about. The entire community of Christians has heard what he did to the believers in Jerusalem, how much harm and violence he brought upon them, and he is determined with letters of authority from the high priest to put anyone who calls upon You in chains. Surely, You don’t want me to go there.”

There are shades of the prophet Jonah in this account. Often in the Scriptures when God calls somebody to do something, they presume to instruct the Almighty of a better plan. Moses was like that as well: “You don’t expect me to be the one who goes and speaks to Pharaoh, do You? I’m not good at speaking.” Jeremiah said: “You have the wrong Jeremiah. I’m too young to preach Your Word.” But it is not just these personages from sacred Scripture who have had the audacity to suggest that God was making a mistake when He gave them a vocation. We are the same way. We argue with God. We debate with God. We resist the teaching of His Word, day and night, and think we have a better plan. We presume even in our prayers to suggest that God do things differently from how He has done in the past.

Have you ever listened to the prayers of people on your behalf and considered them? This morning, in the early service, my dear colleague and friend prayed for me that all my ailments would soon be put to rest once and for all. I said to him jokingly after the service, “Thank you very much—that is the first time I’ve heard somebody pray for my death.” But I noticed how astute he was in changing the wording of his intercession for me in the second service. Sometimes if we listen to our own prayers, we would be amazed.

Returning to the text, Ananias questioned the marching orders Jesus gave him with unbridled presumption.

The Plight of the Saints

On a side note, Ananias said, “How much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.” This is the first time in the New Testament the word “saint” or “saints” is used. It does not refer to those who have lived such stellar lives of piety that they have been canonized by a pope or a church, but it simply means, “Your holy ones, those whom You have called to Yourself, whom You have set apart, consecrated, indwelt with Your Holy Spirit, and are making holy in their sanctification.” That is what a saint is, and every person who is in Christ, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, is a saint in the New Testament sense.

Sometimes the saints in the New Testament did not behave very well. When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he said, “To the saints at Corinth,” then he went on for several chapters rebuking and admonishing them for all the wickedness in which they were involved. He still, however, addressed them as the “set apart ones.” That is who we are. We are not saints with halos over our heads, but we are the people of God who have been given His spirit and are set apart for His ministry.

During his instructions, Ananias reminded Jesus of the plight of the saints in Jerusalem. Jesus didn’t respond: “Thank you, Ananias. Since My ascension, I’ve lost touch of what is really going on in Jerusalem. I appreciate very much the information I’m getting.” No, Jesus answered quickly and said: “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

God’s Chosen Instrument

I do not have time to give a lesson in classic economics, but one of the fundamental principles of economics is that if you want to increase productivity, the best way to do it is to improve your tools.

The reason the American farmer can produce so much more food than the struggling farmer in Colombia is because “nothing runs like a Deere.” The man pulling a plow with a donkey can produce much, but it feels like nothing compared to what can be done with tractors, reapers, seeders, harvesters, and other sophisticated equipment. That is the glory of what happens when tools improve the capacity of performance and production.

We might also say that musical instruments are vital for producing music. As I look around me at Saint Andrew’s, I see a viola, two violins, a cello, an organ, and a piano. Right now, as hard as I listen, I do not hear any music coming from them, because these instruments do not play themselves. Somebody must learn how to play them for them to give us the beautiful music we enjoy from the instruments.

Jesus was saying to Ananias about Saul, “He is My chosen instrument.” The word there is translated “vessel,” “instrument,” “implement,” or “tool.” It is as if the Lord were saying: “From the foundation of the world, long before you have ever heard of Saul, I elected him. I chose him for a purpose and a task. I wanted him to be an instrument in My hands. I did not elect him for his own sake; I elected him for My sake. I elected him for the task I wanted him to do. I wanted him to be a tool for my purpose.”

Carry Christ’s Name

For what purpose was Saul elected by Christ from all eternity to be a chosen vessel? Listen carefully to what the Lord said: “He is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.”

We have marvelous tools to help us carry heavy burdens. I am so glad we do not have to reinvent the wheel, because we move things from place to place much more easily when we have wheels to roll. I am grateful for the wheelbarrow, as simple of a tool as it is, so that we do not have to carry bricks a couple at a time with our hands. We use tools, mechanisms, and devices like this to help take the strain away from load-bearing tasks.

Jesus chose a tool to carry something, and this tool was called to carry something heavy, perhaps the weightiest thing under the sun. This tool was chosen to bear the name of Jesus to kings, to gentiles, and to Jews.

Paul was selected as the chosen vessel of Christ to be the Apostle to the gentiles. Elsewhere, we as Christians are described as the chosen vessels of God as well. Each one here who is a Christian has been chosen by Christ to be Christ’s instrument to carry His name to your neighbor, to your business associates, and your family. To carry the name of Jesus in this day and age can be weighty business indeed.

Jesus added: “I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” In other words: “I am going to show My instrument all the things he will have to suffer for My sake. He is My instrument, for My mission, for My sake, and he will pay the price for being a vessel that carries a treasure such as this.”

This transcript has been lightly edited for readability.