SERMON: FINDING HOME

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
29 October 2006

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Acts 9

1. Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest
2. and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
3. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
4. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
5. "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied.
6. "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
7. The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.
8. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.
9. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
10. In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord," he answered.
11. The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.
12. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight."
13. "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.
14. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name."
15. But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.
16. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
17. Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord--Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here--has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
18. Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,
19. and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.

-- you have to leave home in order to find home -- you have to leave home in order to find home -- now that's a statement that's true for all of us -- because in our lives we find out that if we remain at home -- safe and secure in who we are and in where we are and even in what we believe, we may find ourselves more lost than ever before
-- such was the case with the Apostle Paul in this passage -- when this passage opens up, we see the Apostle Paul -- still going by his given name of Saul -- as a confident young man -- safe and secure in who he was, where he was, and in what he believed -- he was a Hebrew among Hebrew -- a Pharisee among Pharisees -- of the Tribe of Benjamin -- circumcised on the eighth day -- zealous for the Lord
-- in our day, we use the term "yuppie" to describe a person who is a young, urban professional -- someone who is up and coming in their world -- and that is exactly what Saul was -- he was an up and coming leader in the synagogue -- a rising star -- a bright pupil who was taught at the feet of Gamaliel -- he knew the law and was extremely zealous for the law
-- he knew who he was -- he knew what he wanted to be -- and he knew what was needed to be done to get there -- and that was who the Apostle Paul was -- he was very secure in his position -- he was the golden boy of the temple and the synagogue -- he was expected to take over the reins of leadership -- and that's the way things were going in his life -- he was safe and secure at home -- he was at home in the temple -- he was at home in the synagogue -- and he was at home with who he was and where he was going

II. My Story
-- you know, in many ways in my own life, I was similar to the Apostle Paul -- I grew up going to a small Methodist church in Adel -- our church was on a part-time charge, so we only had church every other Sunday -- second and fourth Sundays
-- missing church every other week kind of gets you out of a rhythm in going -- so, while I say I grew up in the church, we missed quite a few Sundays here and there -- we would sometimes go months between services -- but I did go enough to get a good foundation in Sunday School of what the Bible said -- of who God was -- and I learned who Jesus was
-- I was safe and secure in that church -- it was home -- I grew up in the Sunday School -- we were well-liked by the people there -- my parents were respected in the community
-- when I was 12 years old, I asked my preacher to baptize me -- not because of any personal decision that I had made -- not because of any faith I was professing -- it was simply because it was expected in my home church -- when you were around the age of 12, you were expected to be baptized and join the church -- my sister, even though she was 1-1/2 years younger, had already been baptized -- and it was time for me to do so -- so I went down and joined the church, and I was welcomed in with gladness -- I was hugged and loved and I felt more at home than at any point in my life up to that time because I was safe and secure in who I was and what I was doing
-- but God isn't happy with faith like that -- or even with faith like Saul -- I was safe and secure from all alarms -- not because of Jesus, but because I was at home -- and that is the situation that we find the Apostle Paul in this passage -- safe and secure from all alarms simply because he was at home and had fulfilled -- and even exceeded -- all the expectations of his elders in the church
-- but God is not going to leave you in that situation if you are not truly saved -- He will do whatever He has to to get your attention -- He is going to draw you away from home -- away from your comfort zone -- away from your false security -- so you can put real faith in Him -- and He will use whatever He has to to get your attention -- people -- places -- events -- trials -- tribulations -- whatever it takes to get your focus off of home and onto Him -- that is why I say that you have to leave home in order to find home

III. At Home with Paul
-- well, in Paul's case, Paul's world was disturbed -- seems all of a sudden, in his idyllic setting in the temple and synagogue, this group of false believers had come in -- they were following this peasant rabbi, Jesus, who had claimed to be the Messiah -- and they were coming into the temple and defiling it with their presence -- they were disturbing the status quo -- they were disturbing Paul's home -- and Paul didn't like that
-- Paul knew that he had to do something about these followers of Jesus who called themselves, "The Way" -- He needed to purge them from the church in order to purify the church -- he needed to get rid of those who were different and who were causing a disturbance in his world -- and so that's what he did
-- there's a concept that we know of called "homeostasis" -- this term means that we like things to stay the same -- people don't like change -- and this is true even for dysfunctional systems as well -- we prefer to stay with what we know rather than allow change to come in, even if the change might be better
-- that is why we see a lot of abused wives staying in bad situations -- they prefer what they know over the uncertainty of change -- it's better to stay with what they know than to head into the unknown -- that's why a lot of churches won't grow -- they prefer themselves the way they are and won't make the changes to make themselves better -- you have to leave home in order to find home

-- so in this place in the book of Acts, we see Saul starting the persecution of Christians -- it started with the stoning of Stephen -- Saul may not have actually picked up a rock and thrown it, but he stood there approving it -- and he took it upon himself to purge the Jewish church of these people called, "The Way" -- of these Christians who followed Jesus
-- he became known for his brutal persecutions of Christians -- he so persecuted the church in Jerusalem that it scattered and disappeared for the most part -- there was no one left but a handful of elders -- and Paul found himself almost out of a job -- but he heard they were going to other cities and spreading their teaching there -- and so Paul decided to hit the road to put an end to this madness once and for all
-- look back at verse 1

1. Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest
2. and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

-- so Paul hit the road to Damascus to search out Christians -- God was using the presence of these Christians in Paul's life to get his attention -- to draw him away from home -- out of his comfort zone -- so Paul might find home

IV. Home on Ossabaw
-- in my life, Paul came in and used a coworker to draw me away from home -- when I graduated from college, I took my first wildlife job -- working with wildlife diseases on Ossabaw Island off the coast of Savannah -- and it was there that I first sensed God trying to get my attention -- He had drawn me away from home so I might find home -- and he put me on that island with a man who was, well, there's just no way around it, he was just strange -- his name is Ed, and he's one of my dearest friends, but Ed's one of those people that peculiar things just happen to -- let me show you what I mean
-- in the early 1980's there was a deer die-off in the Everglades as the result of some unusual flooding -- the deer had gathered on high spots in the swamp and were dying, and the state wanted to kill most of the survivors to prevent future die-offs -- but several animal right's groups got involved and sued the state and demanded the right to catch the deer and move them out of the swamp -- the state hired the Wildlife Disease Study to prove that the die-off was due to parasites and diseases and to show that moving them wouldn't stop the problem -- so, Ed and his team down there to check out the deer to see what was causing the die-off
-- the news media got involved, so the head of the Wildlife Disease Study flew down there to be interviewed -- they set up the interview on camera with Ed and his team working up the deer on this row of tables behind Dr. Hayes, kind of in the background of the shot -- while they were interviewing Dr. Hayes, Ed reached over to get something off the table, and accidentally knocked over the alcohol lamp
-- it spilled over the table and ignited the apron of the guy who was working next to Ed -- so once this guy realizes that he's on fire, he panics and starts running -- Ed grabs a towel and starts chasing him -- now, like Larry Munson says, get the picture -- here is the head of the Wildlife Disease Study being interviewed on camera, and behind him there's this guy on fire running back and forth with another guy chasing him with a towel -- well, Ed finally tackled the guy and put the fire out and he wasn't really hurt at all -- but it just goes to show you what kind of things happened when you were around Ed
-- I remember one time when I was working on Ossabaw Island with Ed -- we had been out working till early in the morning hours -- Ed offered to drive back and me and this other guy were kind of dozing off in the truck
-- well, at one point, I looked up and Ed was just driving along, weaving in and out of the trees -- I said, "Ed, where's the road?" -- and we got to looking, and Ed had driven off the road and was just wandering through the woods -- it took us about an hour to find our way back -- like I said, Ed was a unique individual, and God was using Ed to lead me away from my comfort zone and to lead me home to Him -- you have to leave home in order to find home

-- what God was doing in my life and in the Apostle Paul's life is no different than what He's doing in your life -- God is going to use something or somebody to get your attention so that you will come to Him in true faith -- trusting in Him and not in any false security you might have gotten just because you grew up in church
-- the thing about God is that He's persistent -- God will keep increasing the pressure in your life until you finally either come to Him or completely turn away -- look down at verse 4

3. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
4. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
5. "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied.
6. "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
7. The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.
8. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.
9. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

-- when Saul did not respond positively to the presence of the Christians in his life, God pulled out all the stops -- Jesus Himself appeared before Saul on the road to Damascus -- and the moment He did, Saul became literally blinded by the light -- he fell to his knees -- and, in the blink of an eye, all of Paul's world -- Paul's beliefs about who he was and what he was doing -- Paul's home -- was shattered
-- in the church, we call that being broken -- and sometimes, God has to break you in order to remake you into a new creation -- if you don't respond to God's call -- to the people and places and events that He's putting in your life to get your attention -- then He will break you -- as I said, you have to leave home in order to find home

V. Treasure in Clay Vessels
-- let me show you what I mean by using this clay pot as an example -- a lot of us are like this clay pot -- we're safe and secure with who we are and with where we are and with what we believe -- it's almost like we're in this little cocoon of safety [drop pot into pillow case] -- and nothing can touch us there
-- but, God's not going to leave us like that -- so slowly, He starts adding a little disturbance to us -- a person here who grates on our nerves -- a teaching that questions our belief -- an evangelist whose message speaks to our heart -- through it all, God is trying to get us to come out of the pillowcase -- to come to Him -- to leave home in order to find it
-- but, if we don't respond, then God adds more pressure -- more trials -- more tribulations -- more challenges to our faith and our security and our comfort -- until, finally, He breaks us just like He broke the Apostle Paul [break pot]
-- but God does that for a reason -- He does it so that we might come to Him in true faith and repentance -- He does it so that we might become His sons and daughters in Christ
-- He breaks us -- He breaks our world -- He breaks our home -- so that we might come home to Him

-- let me finish up with my story -- my friend Ed was a unique individual -- but he was also a Godly individual -- Ed knew Jesus -- and as I watched him over the course of that summer, I realized that Ed was on a different path
-- I watched him get up every morning at 5:30 to read his Bible -- I watched the way he served us in so many different ways in the house we were staying in -- the way he washed the dishes all the time -- the way he cooked more than his share -- it was always Ed who filled the truck with gas -- it was always Ed who made sure we had all our equipment every day
-- and I realized that Ed had something that I didn't have -- and even though we made fun of him driving off the road and getting lost in the trees that night, I came to realize that Ed wasn't lost -- I was the one who was lost
-- and it was at that point, on an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, that God broke me -- it was at that point that God led me from what I thought was home and brought me to a new home with Him -- God shattered this clay pot, but He did it for a reason -- He did it so He could make me into this [take up the new pot] -- a bigger pot -- a better pot -- a pot that was home in Him
-- and that is exactly what He did with Saul on the road to Damascus, changing him from a murderous zealot into an apostle who was the greatest missionary of all time

-- what is the take-home message from today? -- you have to leave home in order to find home -- a lot of you may be like I was, safe and secure in the church -- in your family -- in your home -- but not safe and secure in God
-- you are not a Christian because you come to church -- you are not a Christian because you were raised in church -- you are not a Christian because your parents were Christians -- you are only a Christian when you personally ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior -- to forgive you of your sins and to come into your heart
-- and I think the message from Scripture is clear -- God is not going to leave you where you are -- the Bible tells us that it is God's will that all men be saved -- God is going to do whatever He has to do to get your attention and to draw you home to Him -- even if that means sending you to an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with a guy as peculiar as Ed -- even if that means stopping you on the road to Damascus -- even if that means breaking you -- God will do whatever He has to to get your attention -- we call that "prevenient grace" -- the grace of God wooing us and calling us to Him

-- let me share with you one more example -- Eddie Rickenbacker was a famous pilot in WWII -- His B-17 bomber was shot down in the Pacific Ocean and he and his crew were forced to jump in a small life raft -- they didn't have any food and not much hope of rescue -- one day, they were sitting in the raft and having a worship service and a sea gull came along and landed on Eddie's head -- he reached up slowly, grabbed the bird, and killed it -- his crew ate the gull and used the guts for fish bait -- it kept them alive for 30 days until they were rescued by the Navy
-- Eddie said he knew that God sent that gull to them to save them -- but God didn't just use that gull for physical salvation -- he used to gull to reach the life of an unsaved member of the crew, James Whittaker -- it was seeing God so dramatically answer their prayers that led James Whittaker to give his life to Christ -- that gull was an example of God's prevenient grace in James Whittaker's life -- grace to keep him alive and grace to show him that what he needed most of all was a spiritual savior

-- you have to leave home in order to find home -- let me ask you a question, "have you ever left home?" -- have you ever made a personal decision to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior? -- what are you putting your trust in? -- this church -- your parents -- your family -- your home?
-- right now, God's prevenient grace is calling each and every one of you -- some to salvation -- some to come back to the relationship that you once had with Him
-- maybe it's through the witness of a friend, like my friend Ed
-- maybe it's through hard times -- sickness in your family -- the death of a loved one -- maybe it's been a close call with death
-- maybe God is speaking to you in the midst of prosperity and happiness, letting you realize that you're putting your faith in money and things and security rather than in Him
-- maybe God is just tugging at your heart and telling you that something's wrong -- something's missing
-- regardless of what God may be telling you this morning, I would invite you to respond to God's word as you feel led -- and remember this -- you have to leave home in order to find home -- let us pray