The Heavenly Vision: Part 2 — Stephen Kaung

Saul’s Conversion and the Heavenly Vision

Will you please turn to the book of Acts chapter 9. We'll begin with verse 6. Chapter 9. Verse 6. But rise up and enter into the city and it shall be Told thee what thou shalt do thou must do. But the man who were traveling with him stood speechless hearing the voice But beholding no one and Saul rose up from the earth and his eyes being opened he saw no one but leading him by the hand they brought him into Damascus and he was three days without seeing and neither ate nor drank.

And There was a certain disciple in Damascus by name Ananias and the Lord said to him in a vision Ananias and he said behold here am I Lord and the Lord said to him rise up and go into the street, which is called straight and Seek in the house of Judas one by name Saul He is of Tarsus.

For behold, he is praying and has seen in a vision a man by name Ananias coming in and Putting his hand on him so that he should see and Ananias answered Lord I have heard from many concerning this man how much evil he has done to thy saints at Jerusalem and Here he has authority from the chief priest to bind all Who called upon thy name and the Lord said to him go for this man is an elect vessel to me to bear my name before both Nations and kings and the sons of Israel for I will show to him how much he must suffer for my name.

And Ananias went and entered into the house and Laying his hands upon him. He said Saul brother The Lord has sent me Jesus that appeared to thee in the way in which thou cometh that thou mightest see and be filled with the Holy Spirit and straightway There fell from his eyes as it were Scales and he saw and rising up was baptized and having received food get strength and he was with the disciples who were in Damascus certain days and straightway in the synagogues he preached Jesus that he is the Son of God and all who heard was Atonished and said is not this he who destroy in Jerusalem.

Those who call on this name and here was come for this purpose That he might bring them bound to the chief priests. Let's have a word of prayer dear Lord. We want to thank thee for Thy presence with us this morning.

We thank thee for the cup The new covenant sealed by thy blood we thank you for the bread thy very life poured out for us and Given to us how we praise and thank thee for thy love thy everlasting love That thou has shown towards us and Lord.

We do want to thank thee again for thy precious word. Thy word is truth thy word is life thy word is spirit, and we believe it. Lord we want to open ourselves to thee and ask thee that I spirit will Breathe upon thy written word and make thy word living and Operative in each of our lives.

Lord our heart's desire is that thy spirit will lead us into thy truth. Thy truth will become reality in our lives. Lord we look to thee and we believe that I will will not return to the void. But he will accomplish his purpose for thy own glory.

We asked in the name of our Lord Jesus. Now Lord last lost day We began to share on the heavenly vision That the Apostle Paul saw on the road to Damascus. We mentioned last time That this testimony is given three times in the book of Acts and whenever you find something that is repeated and Emphasized It shows that it is something that God wants us to pay special attention to.

The Heavenly Vision Is for Every Believer

Or to put it in another way the heavenly vision That the Apostle Paul saw on the road to Damascus is Not just meant for him. That vision is meant for all who are the Lord's. It is the Will of God that we all receive that heavenly vision.

For without vision We perish spiritually. Without vision we cast off all restraints. Without vision we disintegrate. We were scattered all over the world. So you find that how important it is That the vision that God gave to the Apostle Paul.

That each one of us by the grace of God will see it. Now this heavenly vision is such a glorious vision because on the road to Damascus saw In that heavenly light He saw the full revelation of God. In other words you'll find that he saw the mystery of God.

He saw the mystery of the Christ and these are the two greatest revelations In the Bible as a matter of fact the whole Bible from the Old Testament to the New Testament Is to reveal this heavenly vision.

So on the road there the Apostle Paul at that time his name was Saul and He saw Jesus is Lord. Because before that in his mind According to the tradition that he had received He considered Jesus the Nazarene the Low Carpenter not only that but he considered Jesus as an imposter of Judaism and is one that needs to be completely Wiped out and that what he did.

But now on the road to Damascus in that heavenly vision to his surprise He discovered that this humble Jesus this one whom he persecuted is Actually the son of God. He said it pleased God to reveal his son in me.

And as the son of God he is the Lord of all. He is in heaven He is in glory He is in power. He is a majesty all authority in heaven and earth Has been given to him. Jesus is Lord and to that revelation He yielded himself.

The Church as the Body of Christ

And not only that in the same vision He saw the church the body of Christ. Because our Lord Jesus said Saul Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goods and Saul said Lord, who are you?

I don't even know you and The Lord said I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. Now brothers and sisters we mentioned last time that Saul was trained as a Pharisee and the training of the Pharisee is they know how to argue and Yet here there was no argument.

Even though Saul Had not put his hand upon Jesus himself but by putting his hands upon the followers of Jesus He persecuted Jesus himself in other words In that light he realized that Jesus the Lord the head is complaining.

Why because Members of his body are being touched so in that instant the Saul he began to see the mystery of the Christ. Which is the church the body of Christ? So dear brothers and sisters this heavenly vision is the greatest vision That one can ever see in his lifetime and It is the will of God that all of us Should see it, but as we mentioned last time This vision Is Not ended on the road to Damascus.

Surrendering to the Lord’s Call

Why? Because after Saul asked the first question and got the answer He began to ask the second question as it recorded in Acts chapter 22 and There when Saul Paul gave his testimony He said he asked the second question and the second question is Lord What do you want me to do?

Now in this very question it? shows that Saul has completely Surrendered himself to the Lord Jesus. He saw that vision and He fully yielded to that vision. He accepted Jesus as the Lord of his life and in doing that he gave up his own right.

He used to be a person who is the master of his own. And now you'll find he surrendered his mastership he surrendered his right and Give it all to Jesus as Lord. So brothers and sisters you know that this is not something just theoretical to this man.

That vision begins to become real in his life. So he said Lord What should I do I? Know what to do before. But now I'm finished. I do not know what to do. I have no right of My own. I cannot direct my life anymore.

You my master my Lord had to tell me what should I do. It is a absolute Surrender. Brothers and sisters when heavenly vision comes it brings our natural man to the end and It begins a new life the life in Christ.

Learning Obedience Through Waiting

So this is what is happening To this man. What should I do tell me and? I'll do it, but strangely You find our Lord Jesus did not tell him right away What the Lord wants him to do? The Lord called him and Yet in that moment when this man so yielded We will think that the Lord will Immediately tell him well.

I call you because I have chosen you as a chosen vessel. You are to be my servant. You are to be my witness. What you have seen and what you are going to see you will bear testimony before the Jews before the Gentiles Before the people even before kings.

That's what I want you to do, and you are to suffer a great deal for me. But strange to say the Lord didn't say that. Instead the Lord said you rise up Go to Damascus and wait there until you are told What I want you to do.

Now dear brothers and sisters if you understand the character of this man's soul he was a master of himself and here you find he completely yielded to another master and in his mind he fully believed that Jesus will tell him what he should do and then he will rise up and do it immediately that is Saul's Character his temperament, but instead of that the Lord Tell him to go to Damascus and wait now waiting is the most difficult things to the flesh our Flesh cannot wait so you'll find the Lord began to show him who is really Lord.

If you call me Lord, and I'm your Lord That I have to tell you and you have to do what I told you the Lord said go to Damascus and wait. Immediately you'll find Saul was put to the test. It is not just a Lord Lord and Do your own will.

When you say Lord You mean it and the Lord means it too so the Lord said Go to Damascus and not only that the Lord said you will be told by someone What I want you to do now dear brothers and sisters Saul was just converted.

He just surrendered himself To Jesus as Lord to him it is the Lord and I Nobody else the Lord is my Lord. I am his servant. The Lord and I that's all nothing matters. But at that moment the Lord began to teach him a lesson.

Submission to the Body of Christ

It is true. There is a relationship between him and the Lord direct intimate. But at the same time the Lord want to show him that there is not only that Vertical relationship there is also a horizontal relationship.

He needs the Lord. But he needs the members of the body of Christ. Now if the Lord should tell him right away what he should do. You know what will happen. He will get up and Just do as the Lord says.

But in his life There will be no need of brothers and sisters. It is just himself and the Lord that is all that matters and there will be directly Cutting against the heavenly vision that God has given him.

So here from the right right beginning you'll find the Lord is teaching him that the vision is Not a theory that a vision is a reality. It is a glorious vision a heavenly vision, but that vision has to be practiced upon the earth.

Otherwise it will be a mirage. He would just be a visionary not real. So dear brothers and sisters immediately the Lord is teaching him some lesson. Not only he has to humble himself before Jesus the Lord he has to humble himself Before other members of the body of Christ.

He will be a big member. But the Lord wants him to humble himself before a small member that is a lesson he has to learn and because he Began to learn it at the very beginning You'll find how he lived the life of the body throughout his.

Mutual Dependence Among Believers

So brothers and sisters in one sense is very humbling to this man's soul. He will say now I give myself to you isn't that enough? The Lord said no, that's not enough. You have to also learn how to submit to One another you know once our dear brother Watchman Lee visited George Cutting now I don't know if you know that name, but George Cutting is the one who wrote safety certainty and enjoyment that is a gospel tract Which is well known In the early days.

I don't know about now now in my young days That is well known because aside from the Bible This tract has the largest publication safety certainty and enjoyment and Our dear brother Watchman Lee when he was in England he visited this man.

He was in his almost hundred at that time very old and Sometimes he was conscious. Other times he was unconscious so our brother sat by his bed and waited for him to wake up and when he woke up he turned out to our brother and said I Cannot do without him, and he cannot do without me, and then he drifted into sleep again now what he means is I Cannot do without my lord.

But he knows the Lord so much. He said he cannot do without me now brothers and sisters this is deep right and So our brother Watchman Lee tried to add something more to it. He said we need to not only said I cannot do without the Lord and The Lord cannot do without me but we have to learn to say I cannot do without my brother and Sister and my brother and sister Cannot do without me why.

Because we are members of the body. We need one another. Without one another we are incomplete. Because we are only a member no matter how big a Member you are you need the help of the smallest member of the body of Christ.

Practicing the Heavenly Vision on Earth

So dear brothers and sisters Now if we only see the heavenly vision on the road to Damascus. And it is ends there. It is just a vision. It will be a mirage very soon. It's not real. So you'll find the heavenly vision has to continue on into the city of Damascus all the spiritual principles all the heavenly glorious truth revealed on the road to Damascus Has to be put into practice on Earth now that is What the Lord show us on the road to Damascus we mentioned last time that Saul met a universal man he met a man whose head is in heaven and whose body feels the earth a universal man and Before that universal man he capitulated, but now he is going to see another man.

So he went to Damascus. You know he opened his eyes, but his eye was blinded by the heavenly light. But thank God his inner eyes were opened. So he was led into Damascus helpless and There he was three days without eating without drinking Blind what was he doing there?

He was praying Brothers and sisters He needed that three days. You know the revelation was so great. And it was so Transforming as it were Demanding a complete turnover in his life. So he needed that time to really be before the Lord praying reviewing the past and Trying to begin to understand.

What? Is happening in his life as he was? Fasting and praying. He saw in a vision a man by the name of Ananias Came to him put his hands upon him and Opened his eyes and at the same time a man little known Not known in Jerusalem Even though he was Known in Damascus because he was a pious Jew According to the law and he was a believer a follower of the Lord Jesus his name was Ananias and at the same time Ananias in a vision God appeared to him and Said Ananias, Ananias said Lord Here am I.

You know Ananias reaction is different from Saul's reaction. You know when our Lord appeared to Saul, Saul said now who are you Lord? He didn't know him but Ananias Was a person Who knew the Lord so when the Lord said Ananias, Ananias said Lord here am I I'm here and the Lord said You go to the street called straight and Find in the house of Judas a man by the name of Saul of Tarsus.

You go there put your hands on him and Open his eyes. Now Ananias said to the Lord, Lord I heard from many that what evil this man had done in Jerusalem and Now he has the document to come to Damascus to seize.

The followers of you was Ananias disobedient. Was he are trying to argue with the Lord? No. You find here was a person who knew the Lord so much. So well so intimate. He is not trying to Oppose what the Lord said to him but He has every right to understand.

He has the freedom to tell the Lord Lord. I have heard about this man. He is well known and He is coming as an enemy. What should I do? Brothers and sisters into the Lord he is not being disobedient. Not being rebellious not being arguing.

He just want to know if that is what the law wants him to do and the law said Fear not. You go. Because this man is my chosen vessel. Now Ananias didn't know what happened to this man. All he knew was about his past and That was not a good news.

But the Lord said he is my chosen vessel. The Lord did not even explain to him, but say he is my chosen vessel. You just go and Ananias now brothers and sisters. Here you find in this City of Damascus the vision continues.

Confirmation and Fellowship in the Church

On the road to Damascus only one vision one person saw that vision. But in the city of Damascus you have two visions one to Ananias and one to Saul. Now why is it so? Because when you come to the body of Christ You need confirmation.

That is the way the body acts. You can just cannot go all by yourself independent. So here you'll find the vision that is given to Ananias is reinforced by the vision given to Saul and the vision given to Saul is being strengthened by the vision given to Ananias.

That is the way the body works. That is the way the Lord will work in the body. This is fellowship. Humanly speaking Ananias could not see Saul. Why. Because Saul came to Damascus just to seize people like Ananias.

Now if he should go he will just surrender himself to be arrested. They were enemies. They could not see each other. If Ananias seized Saul Ananias will be finished. How could you do that? Humanly speaking it is impossible.

But God has done. Here you'll find two enemies Who could not see each other? Not to say to meet each other. God has brought them together as brothers members. The wonder this is the wonder. Ananias Was a little man.

So far as the natural man is concerned Saul Is a much bigger man than Ananias. Because Saul was well known. Well known in a sense even people who have never seen him have heard him but Ananias was unknown and Strangely you'll find This man Ananias only appeared once and he disappeared.

An unknown person. A little man. But this little man is Essential in the life of the Apostle Paul. Without this little man Saul's eyes will not be opened. Without this little man Saul would never know what the Lord wants him to do.

His all future in a sense Not only depend upon the Lord but also depend upon this little man. So brothers and sisters This is what the body is. Ananias in obedience to the Lord. He went. He entered into the house.

The Laying On of Hands and Union

He put his hands upon Saul. Now the laying of hands in the scripture. Whether it is the Old Testament or the New Testament The principle is the same. Whatever the application may be the principle is the same.

The laying of hands is a sign of Fellowship of Union. In other words when you lay your hands on it means that you are united with the one Whom your hands laid on. In the Old Testament time when you take an ox or you take a sheep As a sacrifice you lay your hands on the animal To show that you are one with that animal.

So when that animal was sacrificed you were sacrificed and The same thing is true With the laying on of hands. So here you'll find Ananias came and lay hands on him. Now thank God it is not Saul lay hands on Ananias.

You know if Saul lay hands on Ananias, Ananias was finished but it was Ananias that lay hands on Saul and that's the beginning of The Apostle. In other words here you'll find a person who is so obedient to the head That in spite of all that he had heard he obeyed and He willingly lay his hands upon his former enemy.

Saying we are one We are in the one body he not only lay hands on him. But he said brother the Lord Jesus whom you see on the road He sent me To open your eyes That you may be filled with the Holy Spirit brothers and sisters.

The Welcome of a Brother and the Spirit’s Ministry

For Ananias to call Saul brother. Isn't that? Wonderful for Saul to hear that Very word. I don't know how he felt. Me your brother I who was your enemy I Came to put you to death and yet you call me brother.

I believe his heart was melted brothers and sisters. There is no sweeter sound Than the word brother or sister, you know because of my age. Some people call me uncle some people call me grand uncle some people call me great-grand uncle.

It's an honor. But the sweetest is when people call me brother when I was in Hong Kong in the early days all the children call me brother Kong. I Love it. You know, there is no sweeter sound Than the sound of a brother and when he lay his hands upon him his eyesight.

And he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Why? Because he's in the body and when you are in the body the oil the foil upon Aaron's head Came down and feel receive you are to be You are to be my servant.

You are to suffer Much for me in other words Through another member of the body the head revealed His mind and that is the way that the great apostle received his commission. So brothers and sisters all these things show That the heavenly vision is not just a vision.

Living Out the Vision in the Body

It is real. It can be practiced and it must be practiced upon this earth otherwise It is or sometimes is worth that nothing. Because it makes you proud what you see and Actually, if you really see the heavenly vision it humbles you every time in the scripture.

When a person receive light from heaven receive revelation vision from heaven. Invariably you'll find a prostrate even Daniel. He say my my beauty change into corruption Because of the glory of the Lord.

So dear brothers and sisters Vision you shall humble us. Not we should through the vision Humble ourselves. Not only before the Lord, but before our brothers and thank God after he took food He was strengthened and what happened to him.

He was with the disciples in the mosque he went in and went out with the disciples of Damascus. In other words he was not a lone wolf. He was not an independent. You'll find he is Beginning to live the life of the body the life of the church.

He began to witness for the Lord he began to testify in the synagogues that Jesus is and People wondered and then later on you'll find actually in between the verse 21 and 22. Actually in between these all the years he spent in Arabia.

He not only have to rethink his own life. He has to rethink his training the Word of God the Old Testament that he had learned from the rabbis he had to re-read the Bible in the light of Jesus and after that he came back to Damascus and Again you'll find his testimony is strengthened because he proved that Jesus is the Christ.

So in other words he has re-read the Old Testament in the light of Christ. So brothers and sisters you'll find he began to live what he has seen not only completely Surrender to the Lord and do what the Lord Wanted him to do.

But you'll find he began to live in the body As a member of the body of Christ. So later on you'll find even when he fled from Damascus. He went to Jerusalem. He sought to fellowship with Though the disciples were afraid of him, but thank God there was one of us who believed in him and led him to Peter.

So throughout his life you'll find he not only lived under Jesus His Lord his head But he also lived as a member of the body of Christ. And I think probably this is one reason why in many of his letters Even though we knew that he was the one who really Wrote these letters, but he always tried to have someone to be with him.

He didn't want to be alone to be independent. He always tried to show that there is the body of Christ. He not only preached it, but he lived it. So brothers and sisters the heavenly vision must be continue on With the visions in the city of Damascus and then it is complete.

So may the Lord help us brothers and sisters. We need to ask the Lord To open our inner ears to see this glorious heavenly vision. Because this is the eternal purpose of God. We must see it, but at the same time We must also what Saul met in the city of Damascus So that our vision may be real May be our life.

Prayer for Obedience, Unity, and Spiritual Vision

May the Lord help. Dear Lord, we want to thank Thee for the glorious Heavenly vision. We thank Thee that Thou truly the Son of God, the Lord of all Thou the head of the church Thou has a body upon this earth that includes all Who are Thine.

Lord Thou show us how we need Thee. How we need to obey Thee absolutely not conditionally in all things Big and small and Lord Thou does show us How we need to learn to live in the body how we need To see we need one another Not only to see it But to live it Enable us to submit Not only to Thee But to one another in the fear of Christ.

We pray that Thou would be merciful to us That we may not be a people with high minded thoughts and yet without a corresponding life Have mercy upon us in Thy precious name.