Seeing God

Introduction & Background

This morning we are beginning a new series about turning points in the lives of 4 people in scripture. We are going to explore how each of these people were invited by God to change and to grow deeper within their relationship with him.

This week we are going to look at one of my favorite people in scripture and that is the Apostle Paul. Its also perhaps one of the most important events in history.

The most important event in human history apart from the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is the conversion to Christianity of Saul of Tarsus. If Saul had remained a Jewish rabbi, we would be missing thirteen of twenty-seven books of the New Testament and Christianity's early major expansion to the Gentiles. Humanly speaking, without Paul Christianity would probably be of only antiquarian or arcane interest, like the Dead Sea Scrolls community or the Samaritans.

IVP New Testament Commentary

Saul was a Pharisee with intense zeal for God. See growing up Saul was a scholar, a bright student with a bright future. If he was growing up today he most likely would score high on the ACT and SAT tests. Probably graduated high school top of the class and perhaps even graduated early.

Saul grew up and knew from his ancestors the history of the Israelites. He knew and saw the way the people sinned and fell away from God. He knew the 5 books of the Torah as well as anyone his age. Saul’s zeal was rooted in religious devotion and a strict interpretation of Jewish law.

***NT Wright Description of Saul***

He would describe himself in this way...

1 Timothy 1:13–16 “13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.”

A timeout in life can help clarify a direction God is leading and give sight to the road ahead.

Are there times in our lives that we need to take a time-out?

Are there times that we need to have faith and wait for God’s timing so that we are in step with His plan and purpose for our life?

Our passage this morning is Acts 9:1-19 but instead of reading it like we normally do I would like to recite it from a perspective that that Paul might have if he was here today. You should be able to follow along but I wont be reciting the passage word for word.

Prayer

If Paul was here today and giving us an account of what he went through it might go something like this:

Acts 9:1–19 NIV

1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. 10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. 11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” 13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” 17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.

Calling A Time Out

We are in full swing of the football season. From high school to the NFL its that time of year again. In every game we see the coaches calling a time-out. Why, so they can re-group and set up the next play. Sometimes its simply to give the players a quick breather but none the less we see time-outs in every game.

How many of your parents have put your kids in time-out? What is the purpose of that, its to get your child to stop doing something they are doing that you dont like or that is wrong right?

Time-outs are used all the time and that is no different really than when God put Saul into a time-out.

Our passage begins with the word Meanwhile, when we see a chapter start with that word its referring to a continuation of something earlier. I think that we can look at

Acts 8:1 “1 And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.”

Saul needed a time-out because the plans that God had for him were going to be life changing. To Saul this idea of a crucified Christ was an impossibility. To Saul there was no room for that to happen and then when Stephen proclaimed that the temple was no longer necessary it probably set off a chain reaction of thoughts and feelings deep inside Saul.

With the fuel in his soul he is able to get arrest warrants for anyone that is associated with “The Way”. He has a plan and he has the zeal to carry out this plan. That is until God calls the time-out.

See that is the thing about a time-out in sports, often times in basketball the coach will call a time-out when the opposing team is going on a run of scoring baskets and causing havoc with his team and so the coach calls a time-out to break that cycle.

Blinded by a bright light Saul is forced to the ground. This would have been mid-day and so the natural brightness would have been high but this light was something of immense power and brightness. It also would have reminded him of his Old Testament knowledge about the Glory of God and the brightness that was shown.

With this bright light comes a voice from heaven calling “Saul, Saul”. The voice asks a very simple question “Why are you persecuting me?”. Maybe Saul was stunned by the light and thrown off his game a little but he sort of asks a question while answering it himself “Who are you, Lord?”

Have you ever had a time where perhaps you were being called by your parents or your boss to do something? Maybe you knew the voice but wasnt too sure? Or perhaps you knew the voice but wish you didnt know the voice? I think either could be true for Saul at this moment. The voice responds “I am Jesus the one you are persecuting”.

Jesus is not saying that Saul is physically persecuting Jesus but what he is saying is that Saul you are persecuting my followers and that in return is persecuting me. Jesus is saying that the church is the body of Christ. Paul will later in his ministry confirm that and call the Gentiles to be united with Christ. Its also interesting that Saul uses Lord and Jesus says I am Jesus.

The use of the human, earthly name Jesus rather than a divine name would have put everything into focus for Saul, that Jesus of Nazareth was alive. THe evidence was too compelling to ignore any longer. He certainly can easily recall the voice of Stephen calling on Jesus:

Acts 7:59 “59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.””

Saul has been hunting down those who call on the name of Jesus. Up to this point all of this was blasphemy and Saul was on his way to arrest these people when he is jolted on the road, jolted into the realization the Jesus was indeed alive.

But there is still work to be done with Saul and God is forcing him to take a time-out. Catch a breath and have patience. He is calling Saul to have faith because he says in verse 6

Acts 9:6 “6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.””

Patience In Faith

I can only imagine what the others traveling with Saul must have been thinking. Part of me wonders why they stuck around but perhaps they were too scared to move. Its a good thing they didnt because now Saul needs some help. He opens his eyes and he is blind. Saul has no option here but to take a breath, have patience and have faith not only in Jesus who just spoke to him but also to the men traveling with him.

Firefighters are trained to have patience however that is often one of the most difficult things to learn. When your pager goes off the adrenalin starts pumping and you quickly move into a super high speed dependent on the type of call. If your adrenalin gets the best of you, you can find yourself in some very dangerous positions. We would train for search and rescue in a totally dark environment and if we couldnt get it dark enough we would put a hood over our helmets to help it get even darker.

In those trainings and in a real situation you need to first calm yourself down. If your breathing too heavily then your air supply will go down fast, forcing you to retreat for a fresh team. By calming down and having patience your able to search through the room or rooms. You dont miss things because your operating under control.

The other part of that search and rescue is when you leave the building or structure your leave the fire hose where its at and you have to use that to guide yourself back out. You can probably imagine the things in your home that would be in the way of firefighters crawling through in total darkness. Without the ability to see firefighters are forced to rely on someone or in this case something else to navigate our exit.

For Saul he had to rely on others and not himself to survive. He spends 3 days without site and fasting. Fasting for 3 days is an intense experience and often times people who fast for 3 days are doing so only because they are repenting for their sins or seaking God’s face. In Saul’s fasting both are present.

We see a second vision or calling from God in this passage with God calling to Ananias. In Ananias we see a godly man who is obedient to the calling. We also see a man who knows the history that Saul has.

Paul describes Ananias this way

Acts 22:12 “12 “A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.”

God is giving instructions to Ananias to go to the house on Straight Street and ask for Saul. The second half of verse 11 in Greek says “for behold” thats an expression used when something of importance is about to be announced.

So go to Straight Street ask for Saul “for behold” first that Saul is praying. Most likely Saul is praying in a way he has not prayed before. Not only is Saul praying but behold he saw a vision of a man named Ananias that was able to restore his sight. Two important events that have taken place and God wants Ananias to know these. God also wants Ananias to have faith in his vision.

To be converted means that we move from self-centered independence to a dependence on the Lord and also an interdependence with fellow disciples. Like Saul needed, we also today need the support and encouragement of the church. The gospel witness should emphasize by word and deed, that being a Christian and being born again means being born into the family of God.

That is why when we baptize someone we ask the church to promise to walk with this person and to guide them in the way of Jesus. Whether an infant or an adult while the practice looks different the goal is the same. Its why Jesus said to Saul why are you persecuting me?

Together On Purpose

I don’t know about you but often times I feel like when I pray that I can not feel anger towards God. I don’t know why because of course if I have anger or if I have feelings of disagreement with God he already knows that. So we shouldn’t hide those feelings and its ok to express them with God.

Ananias has some of those feelings too. He knows who Saul is, he knows the past and present of Saul but what he doesn’t know is the future. He doesn’t know that God has a future purpose for Saul.

Ananias questions what God is calling him to do and rightfully so. Its not that Ananias is lazy and just doesn’t want to do something he has a very strong concern for his own safety. But its when God gives him the rest of the story that we see the obedience of Ananias.

God says that Saul is His chosen instrument to proclaim His name to the Gentiles, to their kings and to the people of Israel. This would align with Jesus great commission at the end of Matthew when he tells his disciples to go and make disciples, baptizing in the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit.

We also see that God says the he “will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Suffering and persecution is a basic aspect of following Christ. The teaching in the early church for Jesus’ basic call to discipleship was to a cross.

So we find an obedient Ananias and perhaps a change in heart. He goes and finds Saul and says “brother Saul the Lord Jesus has sent me that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit”. Using the term brother would indicate the feeling that Ananias now knows the future plans for Saul. It also would indicate that Saul also sense that they are both being used for God’s mission to the world. That they will work together for God’s planned purpose.

The scales drop from Saul’s eyes and his sight is restored. He is baptized and then breaks his fast by eating to regain his strength. For Saul this is just the beginning of a life guided by God, a life filled with the Holy Spirit. Its also a life that will being suffering for the sake of the name of Jesus.

Like baptism or profession of faith today we mark that event as the beginning of a new life in Christ. You have not arrived at your destination but have just begun.

Through God’s invitation we see Saul taking a much needed time-out, having faith and trusting in God’s timing, in order to come together with the community of believers for a purpose. A purpose that God gave to Saul for that time.

Saul’s conversion was triggered by a post-resurrection appearance of Christ. It was a sudden 180 degree turn around in direction when there was not evidence that Saul was moving toward Christianity. It was the last thing that Saul ever intended to do but in his own words he says

Philippians 3:12 “12 ...Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

We are all called by God. While we may not be called to the specific commissioning that Paul was called to we all are called to witness for Christ.

We are called to build disciples and to grow in our faith. We have been given the gift of grace from a God who loves us beyond measure.

Maybe your sitting here this morning wondering how in the shadows of this past week there is God who loves you. We do live in a world of sin where the devil works overtime to thwart any type of Christian movement. Friends if you read this bible you can follow along this journey of redemption that we are on. God created a world that was perfect and good. Satan introduced us to sin, a desire to act on our own, to do things the way we want to. I love Burger King Whoppers but the phrase have it your way is not possible if we are to follow Christ. We often find ourselves living a life that keeps squeezing Jesus out to the fringes of our lives.

Maybe today is the day that God is speaking to you and saying its time for you to take a time-out. Maybe God is calling you to rest in him. Jesus says

Matthew 11:28–30 “28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.””

God sent his son Jesus to teach us the way. Through Jesus’ death on a cross the vail was ripped in half and we now have direct access to the father.

Is God calling you to rest so that he can speak to you and give you clarity and direction.

Or maybe your here this morning and you have been resting and you have found clarity in the direction that God has given you and now you are ready to begin that mission. Get involved in something here at South Blendon. We are heading into the fall season and there are many places that you can serve in Christ’s name.

Finally maybe your here this morning and either never heard about what Jesus did for you on the cross, or maybe you have drifted away from Him. Today could be that conversion in your life, like that of Saul. Maybe you woke up this morning and are here just because, your just going through the motions or checking the box but something inside of you is nudging you to more. Maybe there is a light in your life shining on you now like never before and Jesus is saying stop persecuting me. I have much work to be done and the workers are few. If that is you this morning talk with us today, dont put it off another day. Dont say you will get around to it.

Proverbs 3:5–6 “5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

When we completely put our faith and trust in Jesus we are able to see what He wants us to see and serve Him in the way He wants us to serve.