Saul to Paul
Notes
Transcript
We often talk about how Job has his own chapters in the Bible when God answers Him
Then we see how David has his own few chapters in the Bible about his personal failure
We often praise the Lord we don’t have our own few chapters about our life
And then we come to Acts 9
This is Saul to Paul and this is the sort of chapter we would like to have in the Bible right
A story about the salvation of us
And if you have been in church for any sort of time or have read any of the New Testament
You might know of Paul
See before he was Paul he was Saul
We have read a bit about Saul a young man who watched the coats of those who stoned Stephen in Acts 7
We know that in Acts 8 Saul was doing what he thought was right
4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.
This is a description of Paul from Paul himself
He was a very educated Pharisee
He was a persecutor of the church
He pursued the Law passionately
And yet he wasn’t pursuing truth
He missed the point of the law
The point of the law was to point people to a relationship with God
So before he becomes Paul he is Saul and doing this sort of thing
Last week we read
3 But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.
Saul was on the war path to put down this new uprising of being a Christ Follower
He was focused on crushing them even if it meant to taking them out physically
1 Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
He is so focused on crushing those who were Christ Followers
He asked the religious elite for blank signed warrants to arrest people he found guilty
Basically he has these warrants and in his travels as he comes across anyone he believes are Christians
See those who believed in Christ looked different they acted differently
Anyway he is setting how to arrest some Christians
And yet in the midst of seeking to arrest Christians
Saul is about to encounter the living God
As we have seen when people encounter the living God their lives are forever changed
Please understand you are never too bad for Jesus to change
You are never too far gone for Jesus to do a work in your life
We as a church must understand that
People are never too far gone for Jesus to reach and as the hands and feet of Jesus we must be prepared to go after them
3 As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, 6 but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.”
Saul is traveling and all of the sudden he encounters the light of life
A very very bright light
This is unique in that the light blinded was so bright we know that it blinded him
In other scriptures it says an Angel of the Lord appeared
Which means they could see the angel
He is blinded and falls to the ground
A voice is heard saying Saul Saul why are you persecuting me
Paul’s response is genuine
Who are you lord
It is tough to say whether Saul knew it was the Lord or not some say that he knew it was the Lord and others say the term lord here was the same as saying sir
Either way Saul is on the ground being questioned about persecuting the church and the Lord
and then Jesus responds that I am Jesus
Similar to the I Am Statements in John which Jesus makes about Himself to show us that He was there in the beginning
Jesus says I am Jesus the one who you are persecuting
I read this in a commentary
“Saul had thought he was on a righteous mission to eradicate followers of this very Person, but now he’s quivering on the ground before the blinding glory of Christ, and he’s made aware that he’s on the wrong team.”
Sort of like being confronted with on our sin
Church Saul is having an encounter with the living God
We know what is coming
You can’t encounter the living God without being changed
God doesn’t change you and I change
Saul is being put on the spot and confronted by the God he is persecuting
Thinking that he is doing the right thing
7 The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Those who are with him are speechless
They led him to what was probably the closest town
They must have thought we can’t do anything for him here so we had just better keep going
I would wonder they thought what did we just witness
Let me tell you what you just witnessed
You witnessed the living God confront a man
10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, 12 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.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”
As they have led Saul to a house
God is at work preparing someone for him a man named Ananias
God gives him strict instructions that he is to go to the street called straight
That at that place he is going to meet a man named Saul who is currently there praying
Sauls reputation has reached very very far out
It has gone to places way before Saul ever got there
This was was so feared that people knew about him before he got to that town
Ananias being a disciple knew of Saul
And for right reason feared him because he would have probably been one of the ones to be arrested by Saul
Not that you should talk back to Jesus and not that we are excusing it
Because we would probably find ourselves in that same situation
But God do you know who that is
Im not sure if you know but he is not a nice guy
Have you ever said that and then immediately thougtht oh wow
There are times I have not been a nice guy
And yet God’s response to Ananias is one of grace and mercy extended
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; 19 and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus,
Church do yo understand that you are never to far gone for Christ to do a work in your life
Do you understand that God is still in the business of taking people men and women like Saul and turning them into Paul
God shares with Ananias I know Saul
In fact I have chosen him for a good work that I have prepared before time
I know what I am doing I am God
Saul is going to share the Gospel to the Gentiles
Church that is grace and mercy on display
How could God use a man who stood by and watch Stephen be stoned
How could God use a man who encouraged the arrest and beating of His own followers
How could God use a sinner like Saul
Church we must ask ourselves how could God use a sinner like me, like us
An yet church it is by the grace and mercy through Jesus Christ that Paul is able to do what Paul does
It is by the power and grace and mercy through Jesus Christ that you and I are able to walk around with our heads held high and proclaim the name of Jesus to a lost world
This is a picture of a sinner being confronted by a loving God
God’s grace and mercy on display church
When dead men come back to life they do not go back to the grave
Saul did not return to his life of persecuting the church because he had an encounter with the Living God
If you have and because you have had an encounter with the living God at some point in your life
You don’t get to live the life you did before you encountered God
You don’t get to do the things dead me because you are no longer a dead man you are living because you had an encounter with the living God
So Saul can no longer be Saul
He is now Paul and Paul does some awesome things
20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?”
Paul goes about proclaim Jesus because he had an encounter with Jesus the living God
That is what happens when you encounter Jesus you can’t help but tell people about it
He wasn’t nervous about who he used to be because he knew who he was in Christ
Church this is the salvation type relationship
This is not a head knowledge of God that some people have
But this is a dead men now living man that can only be attributed to Christ
And because of that God sets Pauls heart on fire for lost people
This is what happens church when we come to know Christ
We are set on fire for Jesus
We go around proclaiming Christ to a lost world
This is what happens to a church who has people who have had encounters with the living God
The churches are on fire for Jesus seeking to proclaim Jesus to a lost world
As a church we are to make Jesus KNOWN to people
not because it is our mission statement but because we were once like Saul
But because you had an encounter with the living God you are now a Paul
CLOSING
Church as we come to a close this morning
We will call the band up
As they come up you can understand why Paul was excited about proclaiming Jesus
He was once dead in his sin
We were once dead in our sin
Some of you here today may still be dead in your sin and this morning
And like Paul encountered the living God
You can do business with Jesus, you can encounter the living God this morning and be saved
Or maybe you already have a personal relationship with Jesus
And this morning is a call to return to your first love
Would you respond obediently this morning
There will be people if you want to talk to down at the front
Or if you just want to come and spend sometime in prayer
The alter is open
