An Unlikely Convert

A Journey Through Acts  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
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Intro
Explain how we will be approaching this in a slightly different way.
Acts 9:1–31 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. 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. 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. So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

God Moves

Saul is on the move to persecute the church.
Jesus appears to him. Blinds him, and sends him into Damascus.
This is the most unlikely of converts.
His eyes are opened and he is baptized.
He preaches in the synagogue.
The brothers help deliver him from those who pursue him.
The persecutor becomes the persecuted.
He is recieved in Jerusalem by the brothers and sent to Tarsus.
God is the one who moves in this situation.
He appears to Saul.
He speaks to Ananias.
The Holy Spirit empowers Saul.
What do we learn from this?
If we want to see God move, we must first realize that God is the one who we need to do the moving.
None of the things that happened in this story happened because of the people involved. It was all because of what God did.
We must be open to the movement of God. Even when it happens in the most unexpected ways.
The results of the movement of God are almost too much for the people at first because…

People Doubt

Many people in this passage doubt what God is doing.
Saul asked who was speaking to him.
Ananias questioned the Lord when told to go and see Saul.
The disciples in Jerusalem were afraid of him.
Doubt can be a natural reaction to a situation that is unfamiliar.
When doubt goes too far it becomes skepticism.
“Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” - Carl Sagan
The test: Is the doubt you experience in pursuit of the truth, or does it seek to avoid uncomfortable truths?
EX. When you question, “Did I leave the oven on?”
“Oh I doubt it. Don’t worry about it.” Is a response someone might give with the intention of convincing you not to worry about the situation.
“Oh I doubt it, but lets see if the neighbor can check for us.” This is doubt that is motivated by a pursuit of truth.
Doubt is problematic if:
It leads to avoidance of finding the answer.
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
If doubt leads to inaction, it proves doubt right.
Even further it could lead to disobedience.
Lot’s wife.
It cannot be assuaged by evidence.
When doubt goes too far it becomes skepticism.
“Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” - Carl Sagan
At this point people may even look for reasons not to believe.
Consider this passage:
1 Thessalonians 5:19–22 ESV
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.
Don’t quench the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies.
Test everything. Hold fast what is good.
An attitude of testing starts from a similar place a doubt.
However, it is in pursuit of truth! What is real? Seeking to find that answer is what makes all of the difference.
Quenching the Spirit is extinguishing the Spirit. Quite literally a word used for fire. Extinguish is a synonym.
It is seeing the movement of the Spirit, and putting it out.
Goes back to the illustration about gasoline and water.
We don’t pour water on the the fire the Holy Spirit has started.
However, we don’t haphazardly throw gasoline at the first hint of the Spirit’s working either.
We test, and hold fast to what is good.
Pour gasoline on what is good.
What Can we learn?
Doubt in itself is not entirely wrong.
Being controlled by doubt is.
When we have a doubt we should test it.
Seeking the truth, not to confirm our own biases.
Based on the results we pour water on what is bad, fire on what is good.
We see the results of this being done well because in this passage all of the people obey.

People Obey

The people obey in their circumstances.
Saul follows the Lord’s instructions.
Ananias goes to Saul and does as instructed.
Barnabas, having seen the truth of Saul’s conversion becomes an advocate for Saul.
The importance of being an advocate for others within the faith.
The believers receive Saul upon hearing this from Barnabas.
What we see is that all of the doubt that may have existed for these people goes away when given even a small amount of evidence that they should trust and have faith appears.
Their doubt did not control them, rather their desire to obey the Lord was what they were devoted to.
What do we learn?
When we evidence appears that refutes our doubt, we should let it go and trust the Lord.
We should be obedient.
Our obedience lets keeps us firmly within the will of God.
We should be an advocate for others within the faith.
God is for us? Who can be against us?
Why often do believers find themselves being against each other.
We should seek to be for one another. Building one another up in love, as Barnabas did.

God Moves

The big picture.
Saul becomes a Christian. Starts going by Paul.
We see his immediate action in service of Christ.
Though he didn’t immediately set out on his missionary journeys
Various believers overcame their doubt of Saul’s conversion to seek to be obedient to God instead.
Through all of this, one of the most influential men aside from Christ, began to follow the Lord.
Acts 9:31 ESV
So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.
The result of this was the continued movement of God among his people.
This is an example of how they got it right.
What Can We Learn?
We must trust that God will move. If he doesn’t, there is nothing that we could have done.
We must not let doubt consume us, but let our doubt move into testing and seeking what is the will of the Lord.
When we discern this, we must be faithful in being obedient to where the Lord is leading.
What Do YOU Need to do today?
Are you trusting that God will move?
Are you letting your doubt consume you?
Are you doubting or testing?
When you see what God’s will is, are you being obedient in following?
This is when we will see the movement of God.
I believe that God is moving right now already.
John 5:17 CSB
Jesus responded to them, “My Father is still working, and I am working also.”
.We Must Not Doubt.
We Must Test and Obey.
What is he calling us to do?
2 Chronicles 7:13–14 ESV
When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
When we seek him, he promises to continue to move, as he did in the early times.
3 Things
Look at the Bulletin. Various things.
Pray
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