There's No Way He'll Change

There’s no way he’ll change! That sounds like something a girl would say to her friend who is thinking about dating some jerk, right? But that’s not what we are talking about tonight.

Saul's conversion teaches us that salvations belongs to God and that living on mission isn't always easy.

pray and read 9:1-31

Jesus identifies with his people.

Verse 1 says that Saul is attacking the disciples of the Lord, but when Jesus shows up He tells Saul that it’s Him he’s been persecuting. We are his people, his brothers and sisters, his body!

Zechariah 2:8 ESV

For thus said the Lord of hosts, after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye:

Christian, your Savior loves you and is united to you and is with you!

We become his people when He saves us. Saul is about to become his people!

Salvation belongs to the Lord.

Saul is on his way to have people who follow Jesus arrested and Jesus stops him in the middle of the road and he surrenders to Jesus!

Revelation 19:1 ESV

After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

It’s his, not ours. He moves first.

I’ve got a mini-basketball hoop in my office. Zach’s two year old son Ollie comes into the office every now and then. One day someone showed him that basketball hoop. He didn’t know about it until someone showed it to him.

But it’s like 7ft tall and he’s like 2.5ft, so even when it was shown to him, he still couldn’t do anything about it. I mean he could try… , but he couldn’t make a basket until Zach or I decided to pick him up there and held him up to it.

This idea helps us to understand how salvation works, what it means to say that salvation belongs to the Lord.

No one is too bad to be saved.

Jeffery Dahmer

No one was too bad to do Kingdom work.

Saul immediately gets to evangelizing.

I thought I had messed up too much in college to go into ministry.

It’s not about us. Salvation is not about us. The spread of salvation is not about us. It definitely involves us, but it’s not about us. It’s about God! About Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Who He is and what He is doing!

He sends those He saves, all those He saves, on mission.

God’s people will face uncomfortable situations on mission for Him.

Ananias is understandably nervous about what God calls him to do for Saul. The disciples in Jerusalem were pretty nervous about letting him in.

I was in Louisville for a conference a few years ago and I was walking through downtown after breakfast and all of the sudden there was a lady hanging out of a car window throwing up double birds and cussing somebody out. I was really confused for a minute, but as I looked around I realized I was walking past a Planned Parenthood clinic and there were some Christians on the sidewalk with signs protesting. They were in an uncomfortable situation. Knowingly. Willingly.

There will be times where the Lord will call us to do something, we’ll know what we need to do, but we will be nervous. Unsure. Uncomfortable. But we trust in God to lead us through.

His people will see persecution.

It doesn’t take very much time at all for people to start trying to kill Saul! Verse one he’s a Jew who wants to kill Christians for proclaiming Jesus, in verse 23 there are Jews who want to kill him because he is proclaiming Jesus.

Persecution is basically a guarantee for Christians in Scripture.

John 15:20 ESV

Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

We won’t all face the same persecution. We won’t all face the same level or intensity of persecution. Not everyone will be publicly persecuted. But Scripture tells us that all who seek to live faithfully for Jesus will be persecuted.

But in that remember that you are united to Christ, He is united to you. Not only that, but you are united to all his people!

Unity in the Gospel.

The Gospel brings unity between believers. Not just between groups of people who wouldn’t normally get along, but between individuals.

All these people who were nervous to receive Saul because of who he had been ultimately did so because of who Jesus made him through the Gospel.

Ananias calls him brother and lays his hands on him. Barnabas vouched for him to the apostles.

Philemon and Onesimus

Philemon 15–16 ESV

For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

The Gospel doesn’t just heal us, it heals relationships. Jesus forgiving us gives us the strength to forgive others. It gives others the strength to forgive us.

This story of Saul’s conversion and the ministry he does following tells us all this! The Gospel of Jesus is powerful! It can save the greatest sinner.

Amazing Grace—366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions 30. To God Be the Glory

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood! To ev’ry believer the promise of God; the vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Is God calling you to Himself tonight? Do you truly believe tonight for the first time?