When Jesus Comes: The Transition Into Eternity

Good morning Church!

It is good to be back with you again in House of the Lord!!

This morning, we going to be preaching from Acts 9.

While everyone is finding that, I want to take a moment and set the background to where we will begin.

Context

Apostle Paul wrote half of the New Testament books that have in the Bible today. He commonly viewed as one of the greatest Church Planters, Evangelist, and men of God period. He was truly a force to be reckoned with.

But he did not always go by that name. There was a time in his history that he was known as Saul. His name was changed to Paul by God after he was converted.

During his time as Saul, he was a ruthless man. That’s right, you did not mishear me. He was a ruthless man. From a very young age, he excelled in his studies above his equals. It did not take long for him to known as an up-and-coming Pharisee in the making. He did just that, and even excelled quickly to be a main voice within the Sanhedrin Council, which was a group of highly esteemed Pharisees who were brought together to make major decisions concerning the religious rule over the people.

Saul inherently hated Jesus, His followers, and everything they stood for. Saul had personally been responsible for the stoning of Stephen in Acts 8, as well as the beating, imprisonment, and even death of many other Christians at this time. As we pick up in the story today, Saul is on his way to a place called Damascus, with orders from the high priest, to find and imprison all of the Christians he can find there.

On the way, he is met by the most unusual and unexpected individual, and completely changes his life forever.

Read Acts 9:1-22.

I want to speak to you today on this title: When Jesus Comes: The Transition Into Eternity.

Content

Communication (vv. 3-6)

Saul’s Communication

Notice that the beginning of the chapter gives us Saul, a man influenced by power, prestige, and prominence. He was a man perfectly groomed for the reilgious system of the day.

Please note that religion has a form of Godliness but denies the power of the God it says it worships.

Religion is all about right and wrong, and the people that are in control of that right and wrong are the individuals themselves. In turn, it promotes good works for God’s sake, but adversely makes the individuals the God of their own lives.

The more right they are, the more prideful they are. The more wrong they are, the more they are looked down upon and shamed.

Because he is a self-proclaimed master of religion, he hates those who are of “The Way” (v. 2).

Believers of the early church were known as followers of “The Way” (Acts 19:9, 23; 24:14)

The teachings of the Lord were not pictured as a religion or a set of principles, or as rules and regulations, but as:

The Way of Salvation (Acts 16:17). The Way of the Lord (Acts 18:25). The Way of Peace (Lk. 1:79; Ro. 3:17). The Way of Truth (2 Pt. 2:2). The Way of Righteousness (2 Pt. 2:21).

God’s Communication

Even though Saul clearly states his intentions against those who are followers of God, God still communicates to Saul nonetheless.

God does two things to get Saul’s attention:

He shines the light of His presence into Saul’s day.

The light of God stems from His presence (1 John 1:5)

Acts 26:13 (NKJV) at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.

The first thing that must happen in order for a sinner to transition to a saint, is that the light of God must be shone into their life.

He asks Saul a question: “Why are you persecuting me?”

When this question comes down from above, it truly stops Saul in his tracks.

Confusion (vv. 5-6)

Saul was truly convinced that his actions were on behalf of God. He really believed that he was operating in the will of God. When Jesus asked Saul this question, a whole realm of confusion filled his soul.

Saul knew from the heavenly light that shone about him, that he was speaking to a celestial being, but he did not understand the question. If God, or one of God’s heavenly beings, were speaking unto him, and he was operating on their behalf, then why this question? How is he persecuting the one whom he is serving?

The only people I am persecuting are these false teachers, but this celestial being speaks of them as if they are one with him. Can this be?

Everyone who goes through the transition, will reach this moment.

It is the moment you realize that something isn’t right in your life.

Even though you are a good person, something isn’t right.

Even though you are better than many others in your circle, something isn’t right.

Even though you have had a successful life, something isn’t right.

Even though you have never been in trouble with the law, something isn’t right.

It is confusing because you have always been a good, moral person in a worldly sense, but this isn’t about worldly things. It is about spiritual things, and in the spiritual world, there is a different standard of living. There is a different moral compass in the heavenlies.

As these two begin to clash, confusion sets in and your worldly self begins trying to justify your worldly actions. It is so difficult because from a worldly mindset, you may not be wrong. The world says that a lot of things are ok, that God says is not ok.

But if you, like Saul, truly want to be in the will of God, you, like Saul, must ask the same question that he asks next: “Who are you, Lord?”

As Saul receives his answer, it moves us to the next point.

Conviction (vv. 5-6, 9)

The response to Saul’s question is at the end of verse 5:

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

This was truly a bone-shattering realization for Saul. It’s one of those moments that stops time in its tracks, takes your breath for a moment, and almost makes you want to vomit. Notice that it says at the beginning of verse 6, “So he, trembling and astonished..”

This heavenly being that shines brighter than the sun is none other than Jesus of Nazareth, the one whom I have been persecuting.

Saul realized in this moment that:

that every stone cast at Stephen was a stone cast against God Himself (Acts 7:59–60) that every home he had stormed into was a home that truly worshipped God (Acts 8:3) that every person he had forcibly dragged through the streets to jail was a true follower of God (Acts 8:3) that every woman he had abused was a child of God (Acts 8:3; 9:2; 22:4) that every synagogue he had stormed was the true house of God (Acts 26:11) that every believer he had tracked down and persecuted was a true believer (Acts 22:5; 26:11) that every person whom he had killed (slaughtered, v. 1), was a charge of murder against him (Acts 26:10; 22:4) that he was lost, truly lost, separated from God and doomed to hell that his life was a total wreck, being totally deceived and misdirected, bent on utter destruction that he stood no chance of escaping the guilt of his sin and the doom of hell apart from the greatest act of mercy ever shown by God. (See 1 Tim. 1:16.)

Not only did he realize that he was guilty of all of this, but also that he had had plenty of chances to see truth before now.

Jesus says in his response that Saul had been, “Kicking against the goads”.

This is a reference to an ox working in the field. The person behind the plow would take a long, sharp stick and gouge at the hind parts of the ox whenever he wasn’t doing what the person wanted him to do. The ox would naturally kick back at the stick, but the kicks were futile. The ox was strapped in and had nowhere to do. Ultimately, the ox was going to do what the owner wanted him to do, one way or the other.

This realization meant that Saul had heard the message of the disciples of Jesus and had chosen not to listen. He had been given opportunities before this to convert, but had chosen to stay in his sinful path anyway.

This means that all the people who were persecuted, and even killed, by his hand or his orders, could have been avoided if Saul would have listened sooner.

Whenever you realize that your entire life has been in direct contradiction to the one who created you and loves you the most, a conviction like none other will set in. It is a conviction that truly changes your life.

You cannot deny it, because you know it comes from truth.

You cannot refute it, because you know it would be against God.

You cannot challenge it, because you know nothing can rival the Word of God.

Even though these things are known deep down inside, some will try to fight against it anyway.

I think Saul knew that this was his one last opportunity to see the truth. God got his attention in an unmistakable way, and made it clear to Saul that he was outside the will of God.

Confession (vv. 18-19)

The text does not say this, or even imply that there was a pause after Jesus spoke, but when I close my eyes and play this out mentally, I imagine there to be a pause for some time.

After taking some time, Saul finally speaks, but there is only one thing that can really be said: “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

To me, this was the moment Saul admitted his shame, his guilt, his fault, and his sin.

It was the moment he admitted his separation.

It was the moment he admitted his need for grace, mercy, and forgiveness.

Notice that Saul not only confessed to the Lord his sin, but also publicly. verse 18 says that he was baptized.

Our initial confession is between us and God, but afterwards comes a public confession that we must not be ashamed to announce.

It is our public confession that breaks the ice. Once we make our public stand for Christ, there is no turning back. If we do, we bring shame upon ourselves, but also to God.

Conversion (v. 17)

Saul finally reaches the moment of his release from bondage. God put those scales on his eyes, because it was a sign of how Saul had lived his life. Everything he had been taught to believe and stand for was twisted and served to fulfill the will of men instead of God. Saul had been blinded to this his entire life, but when Ananias prayed over him, the scales fell off. This represented the newfound vision that Saul had been given by surrendering his life to Jesus of Nazareth.

This is not the final stage of our transition into eternity, but it is the most important nonetheless.

If we go through every stage up to this point and then miss this, then it is as if we never started the journey at all.

Conversion is the point in which the Holy Spirit of God enters our hearts as the unprecedented Lord over our lives.

When this happens, we are no longer the same. We have been reborn a new creature in Christ Jesus, and therefore move forward in the will of God as the Spirit leads us through life.

It is the most important part, because without the Holy Spirit, we cannot perceive the will of God.

John 16:13 (NKJV) However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

As the will of God is made clear to us, we begin walking in that truth. We give way to righteousness by abandoning unrighteousness. We have a new king, a new heart, a new goal, and a new life.

Correction (v. 20)

Saul spent “some time” with the disciples there at Damascus. We don’t know how much time, but it was some time.

The next time Saul used an occasion to speak to the public, it was stark contrast to that which he had spoken previously.

His message was different.

The Jesus whom he once hated, he now called Lord.

Those who he once persecuted, he now begged to join him in eternity.

Saul had been recalibrated by the Holy Spirit of God!!

For the first time in his life, his plea to follow Almighty God was genuine and based upon truth. He no longer commanded people to follow the law, but rather invited them to be set free from it.

Instead of preaching rules and regulations, he was now preaching redemption.

This new doctrine of salvation had captivated his soul, and he could not help but proclaim the one and only name by which it came: Jesus!

Commitment

Where are you in the transition to eternity?

Communication?

Confusion?

Conviction?

Confession?

Conversion?

Correction?