Acts 9 (Kiphen/McCartney ABF 07.2.2023)

Acts 9....Gateway to the Gentiles/ Avoiding Drift

Context:

As you have walked through the book of Acts together, you have had the wonderful opportunity to watch God work. You have had the chance to see Jesus speak his last words and ascend into heaven. You have been been able to see the Holy Spirit descend on the apostles… tongues of fire rest on their heads.... Peter preach an amazing sermon in which every person heard the gospel in their own languages… and over 3000 people were added to this new thing called “the church”.... the “ecclesia”.

You witnessed the birth of the Church! A community where the gospel was the center of their daily lives and the cross of Christ was so seared into their minds and hearts that… you think they could never drift away from it.

Then… you witnessed the attacks on this new church. First there was a small attack from without as the religious leaders arrest Peter and John.... just to later release them. Seeing that this external oppression only strengthened the believers… Satan tries a different angle. He attempts to destroy this new community of faith from within…

In chapter 5, you witnessed Ananias and Sapphira lie to the body of believers as well as to God… and they paid the price for it.

Sin will not be tolerated among God’s people.... Yes… this new church is a place of grace… but God is still serious about his worship!

Then.... an argument arises among the believers related to preferential treatment in chapter 6. A group of godly men were selected to help support the Apostles by waiting tables/ helping with the logistical issues of ministry… literally serving tables. (This is where we begin to trace the concept of deacons… although this passage alone is not enough to establish the office of deacon… we’ll need Paul to write some more Scripture later for that).

The church is growing… people are coming to faith… people are boldly proclaiming salvation by faith in Jesus… and as this new movement called “The Way” grows in popularity.... the religious leaders are getting nervous.... They sought to silence Jesus… but that didn’t seem to help. If anything, it made it worse!

As this new thing called “the church” explodes and spreads its way throughout the community, a young man named Saul comes on the scene. Saul was one of the most well educated and passionate Pharisees there were. He trained under Gamalial… by the time he started his activity recorded in the Bible he would have had the entire OT memorized (Hebrew School system). He had pedigree… he had social status… he had political power…

But.... what had happened to him… along with most of the other religious leaders is that they had drifted.... they had drifted away from the true heart of God’s Word… God’s Law… and God’s plan for Israel.

Saul had a passion and a zeal for God… and His Word! Torah/ Tanak… He was so passionate that he was at the forefront of a movement to see this group of Jesus freaks killed.... As a man named Stephen preaches to the crowd.... Saul leads a group of enraged people to drag Stephen out of the city… and stone him…

In his mind, Saul was serving God by purifying the blasphemer.... What Saul didn’t realize that in his pursuit to guard and protect the Law.... He had absolutely missed its meaning… and purpose… The Law was meant to expose our need for the Messiah to fix our sin problem.... not be worshiped as the means by which our sin problem would be removed… Saul, as well as the other religious leaders, had drifted away from God’s purpose, plan… and heart...

It’s easy to do… if you were dropped in a deep forest with nothing but a compass and were told to go North for 5 miles and find the check point.... if you were to get off course by 1 degree.... then you might not ever find the checkpoint.... (in an open field it would be easy b/c you can still see your anchor point or goal).

There is something called “gospel drift” that happens without us realizing it. We start out on course.. we love Jesus.. we love His Word… but then we sometimes get lost, distracted, or just a few degrees of course due to life, sin, busy-ness… whatever…

when/ if that happens.... we find ourselves 5 years down the road in surroundings that we don’t recognize. Yes, we have been doing “north” but at some point we veered off course without realizing it.... and now we find ourselves in a place we never thought we’d be.

I think Saul experiences that very thing.... in Acts chapter 9. <Saul has been passionate about God and His Word… but that passionate zeal has been a few degrees off of center.... which has led him way off course to the point where he is rounding up every Christian he can… and either throwing them in prison or seeing them put to death. .... then when he meets Jesus in chapter 9… he is brought to the reality of how far off course he really was.

As you studied through chapter 8 you saw that severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem. What was the result?

The believers (all except the apostles) were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria..... Question: What were the apostles and disciples commanded to do by Christ back in Acts 1:8?

Acts 1:8 ESV

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

They were told to spread out… and be Jesus witnesses in all Judea, Samaria… and to the ends of the earth....

It’s funny how we can know what we are to do… but it often takes a big event or trauma to actually get us to do it..

Babel: divided languages before they scattered

Church born.... and stays there in Jerusalem: persecution comes —> the church scatters…

As soon as the church scatters, we start to see some really cool things happening.

Philip is part of a revival in Samaria

The Ethiopian Eunich comes to faith somewhere along the road from Jerusalem to Gaza…

… now that the believers are starting to scatter… God is moving in amazing ways.

When you started chapter 8, you began the second major section in the book of Acts. (draw a spiral with Acts 1:8 at the center, spiraling outward)

8:4-12:25 - beginnings of the mission to the Gentiles

Philip’s mission to the Samaritans & Ethiopian Eunich (8:4-40)

Saul’s conversion and mission in Damascus & Jerusalem (9:1-30)

Peter’s mission in Judea and Caesarea (9:31-11:18)

Mission of Jerusalem believers in Antioch in Syria (11:19-30)

Persecution initiated by Herod Agrippa (12:1-25)

13:1-28:31 - Paul’s missionary outreach to Jews and Gentiles in the ends of the earth.

to those in Asia Minor (13:1-15:33)

to those in Europe (15:35-18:22)

in Ephesus (18:23-21:17)

Paul’s imprisonment in Jerusalem, Caesarea, and Rome (21:18-28:31)

Today, we are going to look at a very well known (I’m sure) passage found in Acts chapter 9.

Acts 9:1–9 ESV

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

I. The gospel can reach anyone (It is never too late (don’t write anyone off)

Acts 9 tells us the account of how the hunter became the hunted. How Saul the persecutor of the church was changed… and would later become one of the biggest multipliers of the church.

This event is also a picture of how each one of us came to belong to Jesus. We were all rebels, living in opposition to God’s Word… but then, God drew us to Himself… and we met Jesus.

Leading up to chapter 9, Saul went from seminary student… to religious radical.... His goal was complete extermination of the Way!

I thought that the Jews were supposed to be a blessing to the nations.... (Gen. 22:18).

It seems like Paul is definitely not being a blessing to anyone other than himself and his buddies...

Look back at how verse 1 reads,

Acts 9:1 ESV

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest

Threatening and slaughter had come to be the very breath that Saul breathed… He had become a frightening and violent enemy. Saul was ravaging the church… dragging men and women out of their homes and throwing them in prison. Saul was nothing less than a callous, self-righteous, murderer set on mission of absolute extermination.

Later Saul (Paul) will describe his behavior to King Agrippa when he says:

Acts 26:9–11 ESV

“I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

As we read through Saul’s story of transformation, let’s keep in mind that we should never write anyone off as being beyond the love of Christ..

God (The gospel) can reach anyone!

Acts 9:4–6 ESV

And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”

At this point, this is all we really know about the conversation that Saul has with Jesus that day…

If we look at Acts 26, Saul gives us a bit more information as he shares his story to King Agrippa.

Acts 26:14–18 ESV

And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

That phrase “It is hard for you to kick against the goads” in verse 14 is an odd phrase. Not one we use much anymore. As you probably know a goad was a stick that you’d use to prod cattle and livestock to them to move. Sometimes the livestock would kick against the stick… thinking that it would make the stick go away… but it didn’t. Pointless effort...

That is the imagery God wants us to have in mind when we think about kicking/ fighting against the working of God’s spirit in us. Jesus says, “Saul… your kicking against the interior workings of the Spirit of God are pointless!”

— What “Goads” could Jesus have been referring to? — What events could the Holy Spirit be using to bring Saul to a point of conviction?

Martyr of Stephen (“Lord, do not hold this sin against them”

The believers who refused to deny Jesus, suffering prison and death

As passionate as Saul was for God.... and the purity of God’s worship.... I wonder if he wasn’t thinking… “how can these people suffer and die like this if they are believing and preaching a lie?”

Based on the words of Jesus, Saul was fighting against all of those thoughts… he was kicking against the prodding of the Holy Spirit… He knew something was wrong… but wasn’t willing to examine himself.... I think while walking on that road to Damascus he was oppressed by guilt… but kept his conscience silent by pouring himself even more into the task at hand… killing Christians.

Something else I thought was worth pointing out this morning is also found in Pauls conversation with Jesus.

Acts 9:4–5 ESV

And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

Just because Saul says , “who are you, Lord” does not mean that he was at this moment acknowledging the Lordship of Christ...

The word translated “Lord”… can also be translated as “sir”. It was a polite way to greet someone that you didn’t know/ recognize. (explain formal vs informal in Russian)

My opinion is that Saul didn’t know what was going on until he heard the next 3 words.... “I am Jesus...”

After hearing those 3 words, there are two things that Saul knew for sure:

Jesus Christ was alive! 9:17 as well as 1 Cor. 15:8 confirm that Saul saw the Lord Jesus Christ. Later Paul will use this vision as part of this apostolic credentials. Everything in his being wanted to reject the notion that Jesus was alive… but after meeting him… he knew for sure!

Saul now knew that he was not merely attacking those belonging to the “Way”… he was actually persecuting/ attacking Christ.

During this conversation is where Saul began to understand the unity between Savior and saints… between Jesus and those who belong to him. For those those who belong to Jesus, it is a wonderful truth! For those fighting against Christians, it is a terrifying reality.

(Isn’t that Good? It’s also really scary!)

Saul gets up and makes his way into the city. At this point, Saul cannot see. He is blind, weak, has to depend on others.. This was probably one of the darkest times in Saul’s life.

His physical blindness mirrored his spiritual blindness at this point.

What can we learn from this portion of the event?

Christ is always the initiator

Just as Jesus orchestrated the Damascus road event, he directs our encounters as well.

We can never be sure in whom the grace of God is working. But, we do know that God always makes the first move.

“We search for God only in response to his prior advance”

II. The Gospel can keep anyone!

Acts 9:10–25 ESV

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 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.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.

Acts 9:26–30 ESV

And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

Introduce the concept of gospel drift

What is it that keeps us focused on the main thing without drifting?

The cross chart:

Growing awareness of God’s holiness

Time — growing cross ...........................

Growing awareness of my flesh and sinfulness

At the point of conversion we have a very limited view of God’s holiness and of our sin. The more we grow as Christians, the more we grow in our awareness of God’s holiness and of our flesh and sinfulness. As we read the Bible, experience the Holy Spirit’s conviction, and live in community with other people, the extent of God’s greatness and the extent of my sin become increasingly clear and vivid. It is not that God is becoming more holy or that I am becoming more sinful. But my awareness of both is growing. I am increasingly seeing God as he actually is (Isa. 55:8-9) and myself as I actually am (Jer. 17:9-10).

As my understanding of my sin and God’s holiness grows, something else also grows: my appreciation and love for Jesus. His mediation, his sacrifice, his righteousness, and his gracious work on my behalf become increasingly sweet and powerful to me. The cross looms larger and more central in my life as I rejoice in the Savior who died upon it.

As we mature… the cross becomes even more visible and real in our lives and gaze..

Unfortunately, sanctification (growth in holiness) doesn’t work quite as neatly as we’d like. Sometimes we do drift.... Because of the indwelling sin that remains in me, I have an ongoing tendency to minimize the gospel or “shrink the cross.” This happens when we either

minimize God’s perfect holiness (thinking of him as something less than his word declares him to be

elevating my own righteousness, thinking of myself as someone better than I actually am.

When this happens, the cross becomes smaller and Christ’s importance in my life is diminished.

To counteract our sinful tendency to shrink the gospel, we must constantly nourish our minds on biblical truth. We need to know, see, and savor the holy, righteous character of God. And we need to identify, admit, and feel the depth of our brokenness and sinfulness.

We don’t need to do these things because “that’s what Christians are supposed to do”.... we are to make them our aim because it is the life God wants for us… a life marked by transforming joy, hope, and love.

Growing in the gospel means seeing more of God’s holiness and more of my sin. Because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross, we need not fear seeing God as he really is or admitting how broken we really are. Our hope is not in our own goodness, nor in the vain expectation that God will compromise his standards and “grade on a curve”.

We rest in Jesus as our perfect Redeemer… the One who is “our righteousness, holiness, and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30).

Shrinking the cross:

Growing awareness of God’s holiness

Time — cross does not grow b/ c we have “shrunk the cross” by minimizing the gospel in our lives

Growing awareness of my flesh and sinfulness

As time passes, we should be growing in our understanding of God’s holiness… and in our awareness of our own flesh and sinfulness…

What happens in our lives to keep the cross from growing? But actually causes it to shrink in our lives… and gaze?

Minimizing Sin:

Defending

Sometimes it is difficult to receive feedback about weakness or sin. When confronted, our tendencies are to explain things away, talk about our success, or justify our decisions. As a result people are hesitant to approach us and we rarely have conversations about difficult things in life.

Faking

I find it difficult to keep up appearances and maintain a respectable image. My behavior, to some degree, is driven by what I think others think of me. I also do not like to think reflectively about my life. As a result, not many people know the real me. (I may not eve know the real me.)

Hiding

I tend to conceal as much as I can about my life, especially the “bad stuff”. This is different from faking, in that faking is about impressing. Hiding is more about shame. I don’t think people will accept of love the real me.

Exaggerating

I tend to think (and talk) more highly of myself than I ought. I make things (good and bad) out to be much bigger than they are (usually to get attention). As a result, things often get more attention than they deserve and have a way of making me stressed or anxious.

Blaming

I am quick to blame others for sin or circumstances. I have a difficult time “owning” my contributions to sin or conflict. There is an element of pride that assumes it’s not my fault and/or an element of fear of rejection if it is my fault.

Downplaying

I tend to give little weight to sin or circumstances in my life, as if they are “normal” or “not that bad”. As a result, things often don’t get the attention they deserve. They have a way of mounting to the point of being overwhelming.

Exercise:

Judging Others

One way to see the value of the Cross chart is to apply it to a specific area where people commonly struggle. Judging other is something we all do in big and small ways. As a group, brainstorm about some of the specific ways we judge people. The questions below will help you see the connection between judging others and your view of the gospel.

What are the specific ways we judge others?

Why do we judge others? What reason do we give for doing this?

How do these reasons reflect a small view of God’s holiness?

How do these reasons reflect a small view of our own sin?

Think of a specific person in your life that you are often judgmental towards.

How would a bigger view of God’s holiness affect that relationship?

How would a bigger view of your sin affect that relationship?

Main Idea: Intentional gospel focus leads to intentional gospel living.

Intended Response:

Don’t drift!

Keep the Cross and the Gospel clearly in our sights!

Don’t minimize the sin in our lives....