Saul's Conversion and the Christian's attitude toward it

Introduction

Today we get to dive into a story in scripture, that I have wanted to share with you all for a long time, It’s the story of a religious man, who was so blinded by his own thoughts of what God wanted that he didn’t stop to see the true character of God in the process.

As a dedicated Jewish official since childhood he made it his personal mission to end the Christian movement that he believed to be false. In his mind he was pleasing God by killing these criminals against God and ending the movement of the false teacher Jesus, but one day on a road to a place called damascus where this man was traveling to kill and capture more Christians, Jesus got ahold of this man.

Today lets dive together into the character of Saul (who would later become Paul) and see how maybe he is more similar to us than we might realize on the surface.

We asked ourselves this question last week and we will ask ourselves it again:

Are you doing the right things?

Are you a good person?

Read with me here in the passage in Acts 9:1-19

Body

Acts 9:1–19 CSB

1 Now Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. He went to the high priest 2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. 4 Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul said. “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the sound but seeing no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So they took him by the hand and led him into Damascus. 9 He was unable to see for three days and did not eat or drink. 10 There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” “Here I am, Lord,” he replied. 11 “Get up and go to the street called Straight,” the Lord said to him, “to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so that he may regain his sight.” 13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to take my name to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” 17 Ananias went and entered the house. He placed his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. 19 And after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some time.

This man Saul was one of the most religious and “good” people in the world and yet he missed the mark.

He was so led astray by what he believed was the right thing to do that he was literally killing Jesus own people, Christians.

I’ll ask you those questions again:

Are you doing the right things?

Are you a good person?

I believe if we were really honest with ourselves, if we really looked at our actions and how Christ would genuinely feel about them, we would see ourselves as wicked.

Look at Saul in this story, he is literally on his way to kill more of God’s people when suddenly a light flashes and he is overcome by his blindness.

It’s in this moment, as Saul says who are you Lord, that he come face to face with his sin and his need for salvation.

When Jesus replies “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting.”

This was Saul’s wake up call.

God, still had a plan and purpose for Saul’s life even with the wicked acts that Saul had done.

Listen to me here, God often turns our trials into testimonies, and no matter today, who you are, what you have done, or what you have been through Jesus still has a plan and a purpose for your life.

Will this be your wakeup call today?

Maybe you’ve already woken up to realize Christ is the savior you needed, and maybe your big struggle today is completely different. If we look at the later verses in the story we come face to face with a man named Ananias, when God told Ananias to go and to to pray with Saul, he was hesitant, Saul was a killer of Christians and Ananias was a Christian.

I would be hesitant too.

His first reaction to God’s request was similar to Jonah’s in the old testament. When Jonah got God’s instructions to go into Nineveh. The people of Nineveh were evil in Jonah and in God’s people’s minds. They did wicked things and were the arch enemies of God’s people.

He didn’t want to go so badly that he fled to Tarshish, which to the people of the ancient world would have meant the farthest thing known from Nineveh. He ran in the total opposite direction, but God’s plan was to reach Nineveh. When he finally became obedient and went a great spiritual revival broke out in Nineveh.

When Ananias told the Lord, it might not be the best idea to pursue Saul, God said “Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to take my name to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites.

Maybe you’re biggest problem today is not that you are in a similar spot to Saul, but instead your in a similar spot to Ananias.

I will tell you today, that can be one of my biggest struggles.

I say “God, not that guy he is a jerk… not her, she’s a drunk.. but God says, Go, for they are my chosen instrument.”

Will you go?

Meeting Saul was Ananias’ wake up call that day too. That in the eyes of Jesus, no person can be too far, too low, too anything for salvation.

Will this be your wakeup call today too?

Conclusion

We serve a way making God, who can bring salvation to anyone who believes and follows after him. He is eagerly calling all Christians to share that hope with the world.