Grace for the Whole of Life

Introduction

The church has been through a lot

list of things that have happened

Jesus ascends,

the spirit comes,

the apostles have been in and out of jail

they have seen miraculous healings

people have been selling off things to help with those in need

through all of this the church has grown from the 72 to tens of thousands

now real persecution has set in

Stephen has been killed after telling the Sanhedrin that Jesus was the messiah promised all the way back to Abraham

and you killed him

at this point, we are introduced to a man named Saul

who approved of the stoning of Stephen

most likely is the one who had Stephen drug before the Sanhedrin a led him out to be killed

Most of you know where this story goes

you know that Saul of Tarsus is the Apostle Paul that wrote most of the NT letters that we have

Acts 9:1–31 (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.

20 Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: “He is the Son of God.”

21 All who heard him were astounded and said, “Isn’t this the man in Jerusalem who was causing havoc for those who called on this name and came here for the purpose of taking them as prisoners to the chief priests?”

22 But Saul grew stronger and kept confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.

23 After many days had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him,

24 but Saul learned of their plot. So they were watching the gates day and night intending to kill him,

25 but his disciples took him by night and lowered him in a large basket through an opening in the wall.

26 When he arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, since they did not believe he was a disciple.

27 Barnabas, however, took him and brought him to the apostles and explained to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that the Lord had talked to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.

28 Saul was coming and going with them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.

29 He conversed and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him.

30 When the brothers found out, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

31 So the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

Pray!

There are always stories of people coming to Jesus in miraculous ways

I am guessing, for a vast majority of us, that is not our testimony

there is a temptation to see the miraculousness of Saul’s conversion and feel less than impressed by ours

God’s grace is much more than our forgiveness of sin. But support from a family and strength to live for him everyday.

God’s Grace in Conversion

I hope that you can remember when you were saved

that time that you realized that you were a sinner, praying for God to forgive you

I was 7 and I went somewhere with my uncle

I believe that it was my aunt and uncle that gave me my first Bible, my aunt later gave me a page out of her Bible that she had written my name in so that she would pray for me to be saved, then the date of that day

there was no grand light from above

God did not speak audibly and tell me what I was going to be doing with my life

Acts 9:1–9 (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.

The most unlikely person is now saved

a lot is made of the type of person Saul was

do not dwell on this, but mention

he is breathing threats and murder

he is so mad that he is seething

yet we are not really any different

maybe we were not seething mad at believers when we were converted

Romans 5:10 (CSB)

10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.

notice how Paul just adds that in there… in is our previous life

we love to sing, “I once was lost, but now I am found! I was blind but now I see!”

enemy = hostile towards

our thoughts and actions were hostile toward God

that is what sin is - a hostile act towards a Holy God

In a miraculous way…

We hear stories today of Jesus appearing to people in the muslim world, I am not sure if even those stories are quite as dramatic

a light shown around him

it was around noon, when the sun is shining down on this desert road

yet this light was so bright the sun seemed to dim to darkness

the people with him

heard but did not see

this seems to contradict Paul’s telling of the story later in Acts

this hear is not the same way Paul was hearing, they heard the noise but could not comprehend

the picture is Paul falling to his knees, crying out, “Who are you Lord?” In the mean time the sun is shining and those with him hear thunder.

Ours is no less miraculous

OK, maybe you did not have a glowing light shine around you and a thunderous voice ask you why you were an enemy of God

but your dead heart came to life

your external circumstances of worldly measurements do not make your salvation less miraculous

an enemy of God, lover of the self and the world is now an adopted child of the creator of the universe

and it is not because of how you look, where you live, or the skill set that you bring

it is because of the immeasurable love of God.

Dramatic change of life

Saul heads in to Damascus, blinded, yet reborn

Saul fasted for three days taking no food or water

people will speculate what Paul did in those three days

some say he worked out how Jesus was the messiah the OT spoke about

some say he was listening to others talk about this same thing

I think that he was replaying the time with Stephen in his mind

from the debating in the Freedmen’s Synagogue to Stephen’s sermon to the Sanhedrin

the charge of murder at the end of it hung like a heavy weight that he could not stand

then Stephen’s death, proclaiming that he sees Jesus standing at the Father’s right hand and asking God to forgive them… even Saul

When Ananias came in and prayed for Saul this changed

he was baptized, the Holy Spirit came to him, he ate and was refreshed

I like the KJV, not simply ate, but he ate meat!

then he began to proclaim the gospel to those in Damascus

What change have you had in your life, have you had change in your life

salvation is not pray a prayer, tell Jesus you’re sorry and then stay out of hell for eternity

If I ask how your life has changed do you go to the law

I no longer do these bad things… drink as much, cuss as much,

maybe you go to blessing… I feel God with me, I have been given a good life and family

the bible says it rains on the just and the unjust

our worldly blessings are not evidence of salvation

Satan offered Jesus the world if he would bow to him

I am not attempting to make you think you are not saved, but see what salvation is

Galatians 2:20 (CSB)

20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

I am not saying that somebody who prays the sinners prayer is not saved, but it does not put God in a box, where he has to save you

That person is as evil as can be, their heart is wicked and they have not desire to be my child, but they prayed that prayer so I guess I have to let them in…

NO! We pray for God to forgive us because we have sinned against a holy God

putting ourselves on the cross with Christ and desiring no longer to live for ourselves but to live by faith in him

God’s Grace in Community

Acts 9:10-30…

Not everyone likes in Saul’s new found faith

Immediately he preaches the gospel and immediately they want to kill him

he preaches in Damascus

it is the same as when Stephen debated in the synagogues

they could not defeat him so they wanted to kill him

this is the world’s method

we will not be able to live our faith out without persecution

our life as a child of God now puts us at odds with the world

it gets so bad they are watching the gate of the city day and night; Saul has to be snuck out of the city by being lowered in a basket

he goes to Jerusalem

he preaches to Hellenistic Jews

I believe the same synagogue that Stephen debated with Saul

maybe if he goes back to his people (Saul is a Hellenistic Jew) they will believe

they have no desire to listen to his new found faith

did he share of the dramatic way which Jesus came

the salvation available for even them who killed Stephen

the result is the same…

they want him killed and he has to be snuck out of Jerusalem

Does the world want to kill you

maybe in parts of the world

you absolutely cannot go to parts of the world as a believer in Jesus Christ and not be in danger

but in Pawnee, Hodgeman, Rush, Edwards counties… doubtful

but there is a war waging for your testimony

to take a believer and destroy them and with that, destroy the testimony of God in your life

I think that this is worse, and we see so many celebrity pastors falling

this would be a life of torcher

Even believers are very hesitant to accept Saul

Ananias - kept Saul at an Arm’s distance

Had to tell Jesus who this was… read in a comical way

I have heard that He is coming to kill us

We have heard about what he has done in other places…

speaks very clearly who sent him

“Brother Saul…” I am on your team, don’t kill me

incase you want to know what team that is, Jesus “Who appeared to you on the road” sent me

disciples in Jerusalem were not going to be fooled into letting him come in

they did not believe

who could blame them…

they remember Stephen’s death

they remember him going house to house

they remember why he was going to Damascus

and it took Barnabas to accept him

as a newer believer, look for your Barnabas

find the person that will help you grow, challenge you and encourage you in the faith

if you are not a newer believer, be a Barnabas

this does not mean teaching a class for newer believers

but helping them walk through this new change

Barnabas was not an apostle, wasn’t a deacon in chapter 6

just a guy who gave to the community to serve those who had need

just a guy who came beside Saul and helped him in this new life he had

God has blessed us with a wonderful church family

we have a community of believers that are there to encourage one another

God’s Grace in Continuing

Last week - God is not spontaneous

it may appear that way to us because we are not God

He sees and knows all things

He tells us in Isaiah that his ways and thoughts are higher than ours

there are things that you and I will not understand about him until we are in his presence and know him as we are fully known

it can appear that for Saul, all of these things are spontaneous as well

suddenly there was a bright light…

immediately he began to preach…

Verse 31 is a transition verse

We will not hear from Saul or Paul for a few chapters

but we see that God is setting this whole thing up

Acts 9:31 (CSB)

31 So the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

we have the opportunity to look back and see the history of the early church

much like our own lives we can look back and see the things of God

after all of this takes place there is peace for the church throughout the area

Judea, Galilee and Samaria

the church was strengthened

strengthened = make more able

in God’s providence he has now set the church up for the next stage of growth

we do not always see why God does things but we rest in the truth that he is providentially in control

I believe that another great awakening is about to take place

I believe this is why there have been so many big name, celebrity Christians falling

God is allowing the church to be cleansed of the sin

Generation Z is said to not be people of religion, but spiritual

meaning they do not like the traditional motions of religion

they desire a meaningful relationship with God

This should give us hope as we go out this week and looking into our future

the election could be chaotic… but God is setting all things up to grow his kingdom for his glory

we may be seeing the brith pains of the end times… God is setting all things up to grow his kingdom and for his glory

Does this mean that everything went perfectly for the church

no, we will see in the next few weeks that not all things perfect

Exalting Jesus in Acts Reflect and Discuss

Reflect and Discuss

1. Read some of the other passages related to Saul’s conversion and note the similarities and differences: Acts 22:1–21; 26:12–23; Romans 1:1–5; 1 Corinthians 15:8–10; Galatians 1:11–24; Philippians 3:4–11; and 1 Timothy 1:12–17.

2. What are some of the similarities between Saul’s conversion experience and other conversion experiences? What are some differences?

3. What does this passage teach about God’s grace in salvation?

4. What does this passage teach about Jesus?

5. What practical lessons might be learned from Ananias’s inclusion in this story?

6. What about Jesus’s commission of Saul most resonates with you?

7. What can we learn from Saul’s trials?

8. Why is Barnabas an example worth following?

9. How can you speak with greater boldness?

10. How can Christians have peace even in times of crisis?