This morning we continue our series entitled, “Refined Focus”, with an emphasis on “Focusing on God’s Finished Work”. We have been looking at the life and call of the Apostle Paul for a few days now. Let’s continue.
After Saul was Born-Again in Damascus he immediately began to go to the synagogues and tell people about Jesus. He preached, “Jesus is the Son of God!” The people who heard Saul were both amazed and confused. They said, “This is the same man who was in Jerusalem trying to destroy the people who trust in Jesus. He even came here to arrest the followers of Jesus and take them back to the leading priests.” But Saul was unphased. He continued to preach the fact that Jesus was the Messiah. The Bible says that after many days, some Jews made plans to kill Saul. They were watching the city gates day and night. Saul and the few friends he had learned of the plan. So Saul’s friends helped him leave the city. They knew he could not leave the city through the gates, so they put Saul in a basket and lowered it down through a hole in the city wall.
Then Saul went to Jerusalem. Jesus’ original disciples were there. Saul tried to join them, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe that he was really a follower of Jesus. But Barnabas (a man I will talk about more later) accepted Saul and took him to the Apostles. Barnabas told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. Barnabas then he told them that Saul had actually preached the Gospel of Jesus in Damascus.
They allowed Saul to stay for a few days. They gave him a few opportunities to speak to the followers in Jerusalem. But Saul had several arguments with the Greek-speaking Jews and they too made plans to kill him. When the Apostles learned of this, they took Saul to Caesarea, and from there they sent him home to Tarsus. Once Saul left the Bible says that the church in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria all had a time of peace. (see Acts 9:19-31)
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. You only have grace to do what God has called you to do.
a) While the Apostle Paul lived as Saul of Tarsus he was used to striving hard to persecute Christians. As soon as he was Born-Again he immediately did a 180-degree turn and attempted to preach the Gospel of Jesus with the same zeal. However, he was preaching to Jews and he was called to preach to Gentiles. As a result, because he was not doing what he was called to do, his preaching was met with resistance. Both in Damascus and in Jerusalem he was almost killed for doing what he was NOT called to do. In Damascus they had to let him down a hole in the wall in the city to avoid the men who wanted to kill him.
b) You must learn to rest in your divine assignment. While you may be full of zeal to do many things, God wants you to rest in what He called you to do.
c) Instead of doing a bunch of things and then asking God to bless the work of your hands, God is looking for you to simply do what you are called to do. Once you do, you don’t have to ask God to bless it, because it is already blessed. His path for your life is already prosperous. His success for you has already been laid out. All you must do is die to it, accept it, believe it, receive it, and walk in it. Anything else is human effort and God does not have to bless what you come up with. He already blessed what He came up with for you!
d) When Saul finally stopped trying to preach before his time and he went home to Tarsus to learn to die to self, the Bible says that the church in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria all had a time of peace. See, you cause trouble for yourself and everyone around you when you fail to rest in God’s Finished Work in your life.
2. Success comes when you learn to accept the when, where and who associated with your divine assignment.
a) The right thing at the wrong time becomes the wrong thing. Saul attempted to preach Jesus before he learned how to rest in Jesus and it caused nothing but turmoil for him and everyone involved.
b) The right message to the wrong people becomes the wrong message. You are not anointed to reach everyone. Saul was graced for Gentiles, but he tried to preach to Jews, because that is what he was comfortable with. As a result the Jews tried to kill him. It was not until he learned to rest in what God called him to do that he experienced divine success. The same can be said for you. Don’t try to manufacture success. Rest in what God has already laid out for you. Success is waiting for you on the other side of submission to your divine assignment.
Closing Confession: Father, this is a season of refined focus for me. I bring my life into focus in 2016. I die to self. I give myself over to You. I learn to rest in what You called me to do. I do what You called me to do, when You called me to do it. I no longer have to strive to make up something. I receive revelation concerning what You already came up with. I live my life from the inside-out. I say what You tell me to say. I do what You lead me to do. Living this way, I am sure to experience Your best because I am only doing Your will! My days of striving are over. I now enter into Your rest and I rest in Your finished work! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
