Sermon Tone Analysis

Acts - 24

Acts 9:1-19a

Introduction

In the early 18th century there were two young men in England, George Littleton and Gilbert West, who were both atheists and hated the idea of Christianity.

Both of them being lawyers, they each possessed keen minds and a strong ability to argue their case.

They were strong in their unbelief and believed they had good reason for their wholesale rejection of the faith.

One day in conversation these two men came up with a great idea.

Littleton said, “Christianity stands upon a very unstable foundation.

There are only two things that actually support it: the alleged resurrection of Jesus Christ and the alleged conversion of Saul of Tarsus.

If we can disprove those stories, which should be rather easy to do, Christianity will collapse like a house of cards.”

Gilbert West replied, “All right, then.

I’ll write a book on the alleged resurrection of Jesus Christ and disprove it.”

Littleton said, “If you write a book on the resurrection, I’ll write on the alleged appearance of Jesus to the apostle Paul.

You show why Jesus could not possibly have been raised from the dead, and I’ll show that the apostle Paul could not have been converted as the Bible says he was - by a voice from heaven on the road to Damascus.”

So the both went off to research and write.

The text for today is just that critical to the faith of Christianity.

If this account of Saul’s conversion could be disproven, then we can remove all of Paul’s letters from the NT, thus taking out all the theology of who Jesus is and what He has done in the Gospel.

We would be blind to the meaning, implications, and applications of Jesus’ death.

The conversion of Saul of Tarsus, the Apostle Paul, is so critical that critics of Christianity place it in the same category as the resurrection of Jesus.

If it can be disproven, the faith falls apart.

Even Luke, the author of Acts, knows this is so important that he includes three separate accounts of it (Acts 9, 22, 26).

Saul’s conversion is not just critical to the faith of Christianity as a whole.

It is critical to your faith in particular.

Saul’s conversion provides a model for what it looks like to come out of a false religion and convert to the true faith of Christianity.

He shows us what true conversion looks like, the necessary steps to take, and how the Lord delights in saving sinners like us.

We first met Saul back at the end of chapter 7 when he is in charge of Stephen’s death.

After Stephen preaches his incredible sermon there in front of the Jewish Sanhedrin (Senate), the crowd rushes him and stones him to death in the street.

Acts 7:58b - and the witnesses laid aside their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

This means that Saul was in charge.

He has orchestrated this event and has personally initiated the persecution that is unleashed upon the Church.

Once Stephen is dead, here is how Saul is described, Acts 8:1 - Now Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death.

And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Because of Saul, the persecution against Christians explodes from being against this one man to being against all believers.

Because of Saul, the Christians in Jerusalem, thousands of them, are forced out of their homes and must flee into the surrounding regions to stay alive.

God uses that to make sure the Gospel gets proclaimed in those regions.

Faithful men, as they are scattered, take to preaching and thousands are converted in Samaria and, with the eunuch, all the way down into Africa.

Well Saul does not like this at all.

His targets have fled.

Now what?

Well, he pursues them.

Acts 9:1-2 - Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

Saul is on the hunt.

John Calvin calls Saul here a “wild and ferocious beast.”

The phrase in verse 1, ‘breathing threats’ was used of the panting of attacking animals.

His prey have moved, so he is now stalking them to take them down.

Apparently he has heard that some Christians scattered north into Syria, with its capital city of Damascus.

There was a large Jewish presence there with many synagogues.

So he gets letters of endorsement and authority from the High Priest himself to search out, capture, and bring the Christians back to Jerusalem for trial and possible execution.

Saul, full of pride and power, starts his journey.

Why is he so angry?

Because he is a good Jew.

He is holy and righteous according to Jewish teaching.

In Philippians 3, Paul gives us his spiritual resume and lets us in on his life at this particular point.

He grew up in a devout religious home.

So devout to ancient Judaism, that though they lived in the Gentile city of Tarsus, his family maintained the devout tradition of speaking ancient Hebrew.

He comes from the tribe of Benjamin, the royal tribe of Israel.

It is the tribe King Saul came from, of whom he is named after.

He received training by Gamaliel, the most famous Jewish rabbi in his day.

He is a Pharisee, the most strict observers to God’s OT Law.

He believes that Yahweh, the God of Israel, is the one, true God.

And He is.

But these Christians claim that Jesus of Nazareth is God come in the flesh.

That’s blasphemy.

Which is the crime that landed Jesus on the cross.

He had claimed God-status and they killed Him for it.

And now these Christians keep preaching that message.

So, in the name of protecting God’s honor, Saul sees it as his religious duty to eradicate these Christians, to stamp out the name of Jesus so that God could be honored fully again.

Just one problem…he’s wrong.

To say that Jesus is God is indeed blasphemy…unless it’s true.

Then it’s not blasphemy, to worship Jesus is faithfulness to God, because Jesus is God.

As Saul is about to learn.

TS - for the rest of the text, through Saul’s conversion, we are shown the necessary steps all of us must embrace to faithfully follow the Lord Jesus:

Acts 9:3-19a - 3 And as he was traveling, it happened that when he was approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him;

4 and falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,

6 but rise up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.”

7 And the men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.

8 And Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing.

Leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus.

9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

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

And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”

11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying,

12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.”

13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem.

14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”

15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;

16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.”

17 So Ananias departed and entered the house.

And he laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord sent me—that is Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming—so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

18 And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he rose up and was baptized;

19 and he took food and was strengthened.

CONFRONTATION (V.

3-9)

Saul is going about his merry way, backed by the authority of the highest Jewish court in the world.

Saul has a lot of power, has been commissioned to accomplish a great task, and heads confidently to Damascus.

Things have gone well for Saul up to this point.

He is full of privilege and success.

Great family.

Great heritage.