Look what Jesus can Do — Putting off the Old and Putting on the New!

Introduction

Good morning Church! I want to begin by thanking each of you for joining us here today whether you are here in person or watching live online. It’s good to have each of you here with us this morning.

Today, we’re going to be continuing on here in our study of the Book of Acts and today, we will be in Chapter 9 and looking at Verses 23-31 at a message I have entitled…Look what Jesus can Do — Putting off the Old and Putting on the New!

Last week, we looked at Saul of Tarsus and how he was on his way to Damascus with letters from the High Priest and his mission was to capture believers and bring them back to Jerusalem to be tried and possible martyred.

But, as he neared the city of Damascus Saul had an encounter of the Divine kind.

He met the Lord Jesus in all His glory and found out real quick that the mission he was on was doomed from the get go because the one he was persecuting was none other than the Prophesied Messiah Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, after having a divine encounter with the Lord Himself, Saul also became a believer and if you will remember, the Bible told us that Saul began to preach Christ in the synagogues and he increased all the more in strength and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that Jesus is the Christ!

Now, this morning we are going to pick up here in Verse 23 and what I really hope comes to light more than anything from this morning’s message is the fact that Saul was a changed man.

And what I want to say before we get into the message this morning is this…if you claim to be saved, there should be some evidence of that change.

If you are the same old person you were before coming to know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, then dear friend you missed something.

Ephesians 4:20–32 KJV 1900

20 But ye have not so learned Christ; 21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil. 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

We have before us this morning an individual who was on his very way to persecute Christians and now he’s a changed man! So much so that the very Christ he claimed to be a phony he is now preaching to the everyone he can!

The old man is gone and he is now a new man and everyone around sees it!

And listen, that’s how it should be with every new believer!

There should be such a change that it’s easily noticeable by all who know you!

As you will see, everyone Saul comes into contact with in our scripture today, they expect the old man but they get a new man!

With no further ado, if you have your Bibles turned to Acts Chapter 9 and Verse 23 would you say, Amen.

The Plots to Kill Saul — (Vs. 23-25, 28-30)

The Scripture before us this morning opens up with two very ironic situations.

Last week, we opened with Saul on his way to persecute Christians and this week, we open with the very same people Saul identified with last week, plotting to kill him because he himself had now become a Christian…the very group he set out to annihilate last week!

Twice here in the first 10 verses of today’s scripture, we see two different groups of people trying to kill off ole Saul!

First, it’s the Jews in Damascus and the the Grecians in Jerusalem!

Look at what the Bible says here...

“Now after many days were past” — If you go to…

Galatians 1:17–18 KJV 1900

17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.

So, it would seem Saul spent somewhere around 3 years or so after being converted in Damascus learning and sharpening his preaching skills.

But apparently his preaching skills got to be too much for some to handle because the very next thing the Bible says here is that… “the Jews plotted to kill him!”

Can you imagine something driving people so mad that they would be willing to go against their very beliefs to stop it?

“Thou shalt not kill”…and yet the Jews were ready to kill off ole Saul simply for preaching Christ and Him crucified for a lost and dying world.

The thought that this man Jesus could actually be the Christ was so contradictory to their soul that they would rather sin against Holy God instead of even fathoming that it could indeed be true!

So, the Jews of Damascus plot to kill Saul!

But somehow the plan got out and the disciples of Damascus got word of it and they outsmarted the Jews!

They knew they were watching the gate so they waited until nightfall and then lowered Saul down the wall of the city in a basket somewhere different.

Saul literally became a basket case for a brief moment in time!

He then makes his way to Jerusalem and after preaching there for some time, the same thing begins again!

Another plot to get rid of this man!

Little did the plotters know but God had ulterior plans for His chosen vessel!

But look down in Verses 28-30.

Saul, from the time he made Christ Jesus his Savior, was a marked man!

Satan’s plans had been thwarted and now God was using the very man Satan tried to use to rid this world of Christians to spread the gospel of His dear Son and multiply Christianity all throughout the region especially the Gentile population!

Satan hated this idea so he sent his minions to try and slay Saul but as always, God was way ahead of his plans!

So, we see the Plots to Kill Saul…next, let’s look at some Panicky Disciples.

The Panicky Disciples — (Vs. 26)

So, Saul escapes the plot of the Jews in Damascus and he makes his way to Jerusalem hoping to find some believers he can partner with in the work of the Lord but what he ends up finding instead is a cold shoulder.

The Bible says, “he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him and didn’t believe that he was a disciple.”

Can you really blame them?

The last time they heard from this guy he was on a rampage to rid the world of believers and now he’s supposedly converted and a believer himself?

The proof would be in the pudding and the pudding they had yet to see!

Rod Mattoon — Matters looked pretty dim for Saul when it came to a welcome from the Jerusalem church. The brother of Jesus was James and he wasn’t having anything to do with Saul. John was known for his love for others and the Lord, but he resisted Saul. Andrew loved bringing people to Christ but when it came to Saul, his attitude was, “Na … I don’t think so.” The other disciples portrayed a “No way Hozay” attitude. Saul, who used to be the bull dog when he persecuted the church, was the underdog.

Now, this brings us back to being a changed man, woman, boy or girl. You can say you’re different. You can say you’re saved but where’s the evidence?

As of yet, the believers at Jerusalem had seen no change.

To be honest, they hadn’t seen hide nor hare of this fellow named Saul in around three years so how are they to know if he’s any different or not.

For all they knew, Saul was just trying to slip in under the radar to find out where they all lived and met for fellowship so he could then destroy them!

Until they seen otherwise, Saul was still a marked man by them as well!

Saul finds himself here in a bit of a predicament.

His former associates are trying kill him. His fellow comrades don’t believe he’s changed and don’t trust him.

And really for a brief moment in time here, Saul was alone…or so it would seem!

Can I just take a quick second here and offer a word of encouragement.

Dear friend, many times in this world you will find yourselves in situations where you may feel like you are alone. But rest assured, if you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are never alone!

For the God on the mountain, is still God in the valley When things go wrong, He'll make them right And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times The God of the day is still God in the night

Jesus said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

And that’s exactly what He did!

God knew it was going to take someone the people trusted to introduce Saul and stand with him in order that he might gain the people’s trust also which leads us to our next part...

The Presenting of Saul — (Vs. 27)

Whom better could the Lord have chosen to introduce Saul to the disciples at Jerusalem than the son of encouragement himself, good ole Barnabas!

Barnabas was a devout disciple of the Lord and a lover of men’s souls. He was the type of man who worked hard behind the scenes for the Lord and everyone saw it.

He was loved by the people, held in high regard, and well respected. He also had the ears and the hearts of the people.

They trusted Barnabas. He’d been there from the beginning when the Church had came on the scene and began to flourish. He had been working for the Kingdom of God and sharing the good news of Jesus with all those around for a long time now.

He was a man who people seen a change in. If you will remember, Barnabas sold a piece of land he even had and gave the money to the Church to help out with the expenses of the people.

He was genuinely a lover of God and it was evident to all who knew him and therefore when Barnabas spoke people listened. Not because he had a spirit of authority but because he had a spirit of meekness and humility and the people trusted him.

Now, we don’t exactly know how that Barnabas and Saul had met but Barnabas had heard how God had done a work in Saul and how that God was using him in a mighty way and he brings Saul and sets him in the midst of the people and begins to tell them how God had changed his life!

He tells them that Saul is a changed man and explains to them how Saul had been preaching Christ boldly in Damascus.

And it’s only after that Barnabas gives his blessing of Saul that we see Saul accepted into the fellowship of the Church here in Jerusalem.

Even then, I would dare say some were probably skittish of Saul until they witnessed his work for the Lord.

Now, before I move on, I just want to say…maybe you are here and you are a new Christian or maybe you’ve not always had the best past but God is doing a work in you and you’re a changed person but it’s taking a while for people to see it or even believe it.

The word of advice I want to give you this morning is this…God sees you. Don’t worry about what others think. Just worry about what God thinks and you’ll be ok because guess what…it’s not going to be them you stand in front of on judgement day. It will be God and His opinion is the only one that matters.

Just put your head down, get in the Word of God and get to work for God and you’ll find grace in the eyes of the Lord and eventually God will move the hearts of the people and you’ll find grace there too!

If they were leery of trusting the greatest missionary this world has ever seen don’t let it bother you if they are a little leery of your past also.

We’ve seen the Plots to kill Saul, The Panicky Disciples, and the Presenting of Saul.

Now, let’s move on down to...

The Preaching of Saul — (Vs. 28-29a)

After Barnabas’ blessing, Saul begins to walk hand in hand with the apostles in Jerusalem and then slowly but surely he began to win their trust and the reason was because of his fearless desire to preach Jesus and not just to preach Jesus but to do so boldly!

The word boldly used here refers to speech resulting from fearlessness, courage and confidence!

Saul was able to speak boldly because of his bold conversion!

His experience of Christ on the Damascus road left little to the imagination for Saul. He believed wholeheartedly that Jesus was the Christ and because of his divine encounter, he spoke fearlessly and confident about his Savior!

We could all take a few lessons from Saul this morning when it comes to his boldness.

We live in a society where everyone is scared to do or say something because we’re afraid of what others might think.

Listen, when it comes to Christ what have we to be ashamed of?

What has Christ done for us to be weary in well doing for?

We have the greatest news a person could ever hear; the greatest gift ever given to mankind and the best news is, it’s free!

Inflation has caused food prices to sky rocket but guess what…salvation is as free today as it’s ever been!

The price hasn’t changed in almost 2,000 years, Amen!

And praise God it hasn’t!

Can you imagine if salvation had a price tag that we had to pay to get it?

Most of us would never be able to afford it!

But God in His infinite wisdom, love, mercy, and kindness made it so that you don’t have to pay a dime for it!

He freely gave it and we shall freely receive it, praise God!

Isaiah 55:1–3 KJV 1900

1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, And he that hath no money; Come ye, buy, and eat; Yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, And let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, Even the sure mercies of David.

Isaiah 55:6–7 KJV 1900

6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, Call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts: And let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Saul was confident in his salvation; he was confident in Christ; and he was confident in God’s Word which emboldened him to tell the world about the one who love him so much that he gave his life for him!

Do you need to be more bold for Christ this morning?

Are there those in your life who need to hear about Jesus?

Take some notes from Paul…get in the Word of God, get closer in your walk with God, be fearless in your pursuit of God and your presentation of the gospel and get out there and tell the world what Jesus has done for you!

That’s all God asks of any of us. Is to share what good things He has done for us!

If we’ll be obedient in that, He’ll take care of the rest, Amen!

Saul preached boldly, so much so that now the Grecians wanted to kill him but once again, God wasn’t done with Saul just yet.

The Apostles knew God was using Saul in a mighty way so when they perceived that the Grecians were out for blood they brought Saul to Caesarea and then said, “you know what Saul…we think you could use a vacation! Why don’t you go home for a little while and tell your loved ones what great things God has done for you! Tell them how you met Jesus!”

And we finish it out with...

The Prospering of the Church — (Vs. 31)

The Church had been set free from it’s most fierce martyr and continued marching on!

Saul, the greatest critic of the Church had now been saved, the Church was growing, the Apostles were teaching and preaching, the disciples were growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and they were fellowshipping in the power Holy Spirit!

Great things were happening in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ!

As we come to a close this morning I want to go back to the title of our message…Look what Jesus can Do — Putting off the Old and Putting on the New!

Closing

Today, we looked at Saul and how that God done a mighty work in his life.

We seen how the mighty hand of God can take a man dead set on destroying the people of God and do such a work on his heart that he not only becomes one of those same said people but then begins to preach Christ everywhere he went with boldness, fearlessness, and confidence!

That’s how you know dear friend if you’ve been saved.

It’s only a work that God can do but when He’s done it, it’s a work that the whole world should be able to see!

And maybe you’re sitting here this morning and you’ve never been saved. Maybe you’re husband or your wife is saved, or maybe you’re here and you’re a child and your parents are saved but you aren’t.

I’m here to tell you this morning, there’s no better gift that you could give your loved ones than a new you, Amen!

And the only way you can give them a new you is if you let Jesus do a work in you!

There was a man whose name was Henry Morehouse. He was a great evangelist, but he never held big, great meetings. He was in little churches. He had but one text that he used all the time. It was John 3:16. And, almost everywhere he preached, he preached John 3:16: "For God so loved the world."

He was in a little Welsh mining town one time, and there was a man in that town who hated God, hated Christ, hated the Bible, hated churches, and hated evangelists, most of all.

His name was Ike Miller. And, Ike Miller sent out word. He said, "You go tell Henry Morehouse that, if he preaches tonight, I'm going to come to the service, and I am personally going to pistol whip him out of town."

The people came to Henry Morehouse, and they said, "Preacher, let's don't have the meeting tonight. Let's just skip a night, or let's get someone else to preach." He said, "No, I prayed about it, and I really believe that God wants me to preach. I'll trust Him. It'll be all right. You come."

That night, that little church in that mining town was filled with people, and Henry Morehouse stood up to preach. About that time, the back doors burst open, and in came this big, burly man named Ike Miller. He plopped himself down in a seat, and folded those muscular arms, as if to say, "All right, Preacher, you do your stuff, and then I'll do mine."

Mr. Morehouse, the evangelist, opened his Bible to John 3:16, and he preached, when God loved, He loved the world, and when God gave, He gave His Son. And, he preached the love of God with such passion and pathos that the Spirit of God fell on that place.

And then, he said, "I'm going to invite those who want to receive the Lord Jesus to come forward." Ike Miller was the first on his feet. People wondered, "Could he possibly be getting saved? Or, is he coming down there to start the fight? What's going to happen?"

But, he didn't come forward at all. He just turned around, wheeled around, went out the back door, and slammed it behind him. And, he walked down the main street of that little mining town. There were his buddies in the saloon, saying, "Hey, Ike. Come on in, and get a drink." But, he just kept walking. Some of the wicked women from the upper stories of that little towns windows said, "Hey, Ike. Come up. Let's have a big time, a good time." He just kept walking.

He walked right on through that town, until he got down to a little lane that turned right—a little dusty lane, and a little dirt road. And, he went down that road till he came to a rickety fence, and a sagging gate, and a little weather-boarded shack, unpainted.

He pushed that gate back, went up those splintered steps, and, with his fists, he knocked the door open. And, in that house—that little one- room house where the bed and the kitchen were all in one room—was a faded wife, and little children.

When they saw their drunkard daddy come home, those little children, like mice, scurried under the bed, afraid of what he might do. And, this wife, who had been beaten and abused so many times, she just stepped back, and spread her skirt, as if to hide the children from their father.

He looked at her, and said, "Woman, you don't have to be afraid. It's all right." He said, "Get the kids out from under the bed." He said, "We're going to pray." She said, "What did you say?" He said, "I said, 'Get the kids. We're going to pray.'" She said, "Well, all right."

The little kids scurried out from under the bed like little mice with big eyes, wondering about what was going to happen. He said, "Now, kneel. You kneel, and you kneel, and you kneel."

Then, he knelt down, this big hulk of a man, and he tried to pray. He said, "O God." He didn't know how to pray. He knew how to curse but he didn't know how to pray. He said, "Dear Lord." But, no other words would come.

And then, he remembered a prayer that his mother had taught him when he was a little boy, and this is what he prayed: "Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, look upon a little child. Forgive my simplicity, and suffer me to come to Thee." And there, on his knees, Ike Miller was born again, and wept his way into the arms of Jesus.

Now, you may be here, today, and you're not wicked, mean, and cruel, like Ike Miller; but, I'll tell you, dear friend, if you get saved, you'll get saved the same way. There's no one here so bad he cannot be saved, no one so good he need not be saved.