Acts 9:1-18 - Saul’s Conversion - Part 15
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning! Welcome to CHCC. We’ve been making our way through the book of Acts and we now come upon one of the most significant and remarkable passage in the early church.
Up to this point we have read some amazing things taking place in God’s Church. The role of deacon has been established, outward ministry is having a major impact, the gospel is going forth in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria.
Philip—one of the first deacons in the church—is having a very successful ministry in Samaria. He is sharing the gospel message and the truth of the Word is being confirmed through signs and wonders among the Samaritans. Things are going amazing! Then God calls Philip into the desert.
Wandering the wilderness alone, he happens upon a man reading the Scriptures. He was an Ethiopian Eunuch from the Candace Dynasty who had recently converted to Judaism. God then calls for him to go to the man and so Philip runs to the chariot and asks the gentleman if he understands what he is reading.
The man, seemingly thankful for Philip’s appearance, tells him, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” He invites Philip up into the chariot with him and they read the passage together.
The eunuch was reading from Isaiah 53—a beautiful and somber prophecy about the Messiah’s suffering. He asks Philip, “About whome does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?”
With the door blown wide open by this question, Philip then begins with this Scripture telling the eunuch about the good news of Jesus Christ.
Philip’s ministry in Samaria and in the desert ultimately began with the stoning of Stephen—who was the first recorded martyr in church history. I say this because immediately following his death, Saul led an attack on the church with severe persecution which led to the dispersion of many believers throughout the regions—one being Philip to Samaria.
It is the very Saul that now finds himself in the crosshairs of Christ. The hunter becomes the hunted, so to speak.
Anyone here ever read the short story “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell? I believe I first read it in 7th grade and it had such an impact on me.
The story follows our protagonist by the name of Sanger Rainsford (what an awesome name). He was a well known big-game hunter on his way to a hunting location in South America. The boat shipwrecks and Rainsford is able to swim to shore to some unknown island. Upon reaching shore he hears some gunshots so he knows someone is there.
He comes upon a man we come to find out is named General Zaroff. The General recognizes Rainsford, for he too is a big game hunter. He invites Rainsford to dinner, who is pleased by his luck. But as the evening discussion goes on, it takes on a curious tone.
Zaroff begins talking about a “new animal” on the island that he loves hunting. Rainsford is intrigued—as a hunter himself he wants to know more about this “new animal.”
Zaroff explains about this new animal, “It supplies me with the most exciting hunting in the world. No other hunting compares with it for an instant. Every day I hunt, and I never grow bored now, for I have a quarry with which I can match my wits.”
Rainsford is a little confused, for he wonders what kind of animal can match the wits of man. Zaroff continues, “I wanted the ideal animal to hunt. So I said: ‘What are the attributes of an ideal quarry?’ And the answer was, of course, ‘It must have courage, cunning, and, above all, it must be able to reason.’”
At this Rainsford contends that no animal is able to reason.
“My dear fellow,” the general responds, “there is one that can.”
“But you cannot mean—” Rainsford exclaims.
“And why not?”
“I cannot believe you are serious, General Zaroff. This is a grisly joke.”
“Why should I not be serious? I am speaking of hunting.”
To his growing horror, Sanger Rainsford, the great hunter, learns that he is Zaroff’s intended game. The hunter has become the hunted.
In a Spiritual sense, our text this morning is about the hunter—the great persecutor of believers—is now being hunted by the Lord. And God wants Saul’s heart for He has great plans for this young, energetic, and zealous man.
This passage is a beautiful example that God’s grace and mercy can come upon even the most lost of souls. It also reveals to us that no one is too far gone to receive God’s gift of salvation. Saul, the enemy of God’s church, will soon be one of his greatest servants.
It is quite remarkable to consider that this man we’ve been introduced to—the man that oversaw the stoning of Stephen; the man who was going door to door dragging men and women of faith out of their homes and into prison—is the very same man that God used on three separate missionary journeys, planted between 9-14 churches, and wrote 13 or 14 of the 27 books in the New Testament. But that is the great testimony of God’s transforming power of mercy, grace, and forgiveness.
Throughout history there are miraculous examples of enemies of God who have come to faith. Paul is the most notable but there is also Augustine of Hippo and in modern history we have a former atheists by the name of C.S. Lewis, Lee Strobel, and Josh McDowell.
The wonderful reality is that even the most staunch enemies of God are no match for His love. So let us dive in this morning; let us see Saul’s wonderful conversion. If you have your Bibles with you this morning, please turn with me to Acts chapter 9 and we will begin in verse 1.
PRAY
The story begins with the Damascus believers in Saul’s crosshairs.
But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
It is interesting to note that before we were called Christians, the early church believers were called as a part of “the Way,” which is fitting since Jesus said that is exactly who He is.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
We must also pause and truly consider the work of Saul here. It wasn’t just frustration at those who were believers in Christ. He wanted nothing less than complete and total eradication of this new faith. He was breathing threats and murder against the believers.
As A.T. Robertson puts it:
Threatening and slaughter had come to be the very breath that Saul breathed, like a warhorse who sniffed the smell of battle.
He was zealous, exhaustive, and seemingly had limitless energy to see this mission through. This wasn’t a temporary attack on the Church. Saul was ready to make this his life’s misison.
In fact, he would explain his behavior later in the book of Acts.
“I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
In fact, the mission of eradication could not hold him in Jerusalem. He was now seeking those who had fled to other areas, such as Damascus. And to further see just how serious he was about destroying the Church, we have to understand that Damascus wasn’t just a hop, skip, and jump away from Jerusalem. It was 150 miles! This was a week’s journey on foot if everything went smoothly.
But I have no doubt Saul would have traveled for months if it meant arresting, beating, and killing believers and putting out the fire of the Christian church.
But as we will see, God has Saul exactly where he wants him. The hunter is being hunted.
And what is such a remarkable reminder for us is that no one is too far gone to receive the grace of God. Who are we to write someone off from finding Jesus?
But we do that at times, don’t we? That relative we’ve prayed for decades for that is just as strongly apposed to Christianity today as they were years ago. That co-worker that lives a life of utter depravity. Or that neighbor who promotes a false doctrine or false religion.
Whatever it is and whoever it is and however far from God they may seem, it is never too far for God’s love to envelope them and welcome them into His fold.
Scripture is quite clear, and this may be the greatest example; but God can reach anyone! Even one who is hunting down God’s people can find themselves in the crosshairs of God’s grace.
Saul is making his week long journey to Damascus, let us continue with him; verse 3.
Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.
In telling his testimony later in the book of Acts, Saul adds another statement from Jesus to him while he lay blinded on the ground.
And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
This was a common phrase used in the day. A goad was a long wooden stick with a sharp metal tip similar to a small spear. Farmers would use it while walking behind oxen while they were plowing their fields. They would poke the animal with the goad to keep it on the right path and moving forward. Sometimes out of frustration the animal would try and kick at it with their hind legs. But it was a futile attempt since the stick was so long they couldn’t reach the farmer at the end of it.
It makes me wonder how many guys were kicked in the gut before they made the stick long enough.
But the phrase essentially means to fight futilely against the inevitable direction of God. Saul was kicking against the interior workings of the Spirit and it was utterly pointless. God had his man and his heart would be changed forever.
And what were these goads that Jesus speaks of? Perhaps it was Stephen forgiving his murderers, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (7:60). Maybe it was the many men and women who refused to recant their faith in Jesus as they were dragged out of their homes. Whatever they were, these constant prods were being made upon the soul of Saul. And no matter how much he tried to kick them away, they were there; this constant press upon his conscience. “How can people suffer and die in such a manner for something that is a lie?”
The goad was constant and he would try to turn it away; unwilling to repent, unwilling to stop his attacks. That is until he came face to face with the very Messiah he was persecuting.
And so with murder on his heart, Saul takes the road toward Damascus until he unexpectedly finds himself prostrate on the ground and a booming voice calling out his name: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
And Saul replies, “Who are you, Lord?” Don’t mistake here; he is not yet calling out to Jesus in faith with the term lord. This was actually just a term of respect. It could be translated as, “Who are you, sir?”
And the response had to hit him like lightning. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
And I imagine the response brought two realities to the forefront of Saul’s mind. Number one, Jesus Christ was alive! Just as had been proclaimed by these followers of His! In fact here in Acts 9, verse 17 and in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians where he says, “Last of all, as to one untimely born, he (being Jesus) appeared also to me” (1 Cor. 15:8) indicates that he actually saw the Christ and which is part of his case to become called an apostle.
In fact, he would be given the title as an “apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13).
But this reality of Jesus overcoming death changes everything for Saul. His life’s work and mission had been set out to put to bed such belief but now it stood directly before him.
Secondly, Saul now realizes that his persecution goes beyond the Church and also includes the head of the Church as well, being Jesus Christ. He understands now the true spiritual unity between Savior and saints.
And while he lays on the ground, Jesus immediately gives him a command: “Rise and enter the city (Damascus), and you will be told what you are to do” (Acts 9:6).
And that is what he does, with the much needed aid of his traveling companions.
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
What a humbling moment. This great threat to the Damascus church finds himself blind, incapacitated, and frightened. Kind of a physical reflection of his spiritual state.
But even though he remained physically blind, his spiritual sight was beginning to take shape. He had seen the Christ and his whole agenda was all wrong. The humility that came from this moment seeps out of the words of his letters throughout the New Testament. One such example is found in Romans.
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
The sobering reality is that he had made himself and enemy of the church and thus an enemy of God Himself. But mercy would find Saul that day and have its way with him for the rest of his remarkable life.
I think the main lesson here is that apart from the beautiful reality that God can save anyone is that Christ is always the initiator in the relationship.
This is what R. Kent Hughes has to say about it:
He still seeks sinners today, just as in preparatory grace he exposed Saul to the faith and courage of Stephen and the Way. We can never be sure in whom this grace is working, but we know that God always makes the first move. We search for him only in response to his prior advance. Jesus orchestrated the Damascus confrontation, and he directs our encounters as well.
Francis Thompson wrote the famous poem, The Hound of Heaven as a testimony to his own life and in many people could find similarity to it in their own life. Thompson’s early life could be seen as one failure after another, although I would argue even those dead end routes were ultimately leading him into the path of his Savior.
Interestingly, Thompson initially studied for the priesthood but ultimately dropped out. This was followed by medical school which he dropped out. He then set his heart on the military which lasts a total of one day. Eventually he hits rock bottom as an opium addict on the streets of London. But God was tracking him down. During his time on the streets, Thompson befriends a man who saw his talent for poetry.
And eventually he found salvation through Christ and would write what has been called one of “the finest odes in the English language.”
The Hound of Heaven opens with these words:
I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes, I sped;
And shot, precipitated,
Down Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,
From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
Before we ever are tempted to give ourselves too much credit for our salvation, let us be reminded that it is Christ who always initiates. It is Christ who brings us to our knees; it is Christ who helps us to see our wretchedness and our sin and our desperate need for a Savior.
And if there was anyone in history who had come to the end of himself it was Saul. He was truly a man who was poor in spirit after this encounter. As he would write to the Philippian church:
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
Have we ever been brought to the end of ourselves? For that is where life truly begins. Have we ever been completely helpless unless the Lord intervened? Have we ever come to the point where we must give up on ourselves in order to give in to Christ?
In a way, all those who have come to faith have had their own “Damascus Road” experience. I’m sure they weren’t quite so dramatic as Saul’s; I don’t anticipate to hear from any of you that you were blinded on a walk. But our roads have the same effect; that moment where we are ultimately broken of our selfish compulsions and arrogant independence and find ourselves prostrate before the feet of King Jesus.
The Damascus Road is meant to convey our true emptiness while simultaneously revealing the greatness of God. Have we gotten that? Do we recognize who we are apart from Christ and who He is for us?
What we also see in our passage this morning is that God chooses us.
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.
Saul (to be Paul) was directly and purposely chosen by God to bring the light of the Gospel before the Gentiles. Paul would write about this to the Ephesians—our being chosen by God.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
It kind of reminds me of the claw scene in Toy Story where Buzz is grabbed by the claw machine and Woody tries to pull him back from it but the little aliens begin trying to get Woody to let go, saying, “He has been chosen, he must go!”
C.S. Lewis, similar to Saul, has a remarkable testimony to his conversion and he would agree wholeheartedly with Paul’s words to the Ephesians. He writes in his book, Surprised by Joy:
I did not then see what is now the most shining and obvious thing; the Divine humility which will accept a convert even on such terms. The Prodigal Son at least walked home on his own feet. But who can duly adore that Lord which will open the high gates to a prodigal who is brought in kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance of escape? The words compelle intrare, compel them to come in, have been so abused by wicked men that we shudder at them; but, properly understood, they plumb the depth of the Divine mercy. The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and his compulsion is our liberation.
That final line in the quote is one of my favorites from C.S. Lewis and that is saying something. For many, we can look back on our lives and see these little moments—perhaps a word spoken here or there by a friend or even a stranger. Little moments of joy or sorrow. Perhaps seasons of struggle or pain that were unknowingly driving our feet ever toward our Savior. These micro-orchestrations of a divine Savior drawing us closer and closer to Him until we are in his grasp—freed from sin and saved by grace.
And maybe you resonate more with the Prodigal Son who realized his mistakes and ran back in humility and sorrow to his father. Or maybe you feel more like Mr. Lewis who was brought into the folds of God’s grace kicking and screaming.
However it may be, it was God who brought you to Himself.
For Saul, as he was led by the hand into Damascus an amazing thing takes place. Let us continue in verse 10 as we near our conclusion.
Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 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.”
I imagine any early church Christian would be thrilled with this opportunity. I can almost picture Ananias’ face as the instructions become clearer and clearer and a realization as to who exactly God is calling him to help. “Okay, yep, Straight street; I know where that is. Yeah, I know Judas. Good guy. Likes to talk a lot though. Okay, a man from Tarsus is there; find him. Okay, easy enough. Saul is his name, okay…Tarsus…Saul….Wait a minute. Not THE Saul of Tarsus?? Oh boy…that guy is bad news!” And Ananias shares some of those fears with the Lord.
But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”
The New Testament and Church history reveals the reality of that last statement for all believers. As one pastor put it: Spiritual usefulness and honor go hand in hand with suffering. The deaths of the apostles reveal that. The struggles of Paul during his ministry—being bitten by a venomous snake was probably the least of his hardships. Paul had not just one, but THREE shipwrecks. Imprisoned on several occasions.
But what a life! What a ministry! And then we come to Ananias here. We all know Paul. Even those who don’t read the Bible know his name. He might be the most well known person in Scripture besides Jesus. But how many know Ananias. And yet he too had a beautiful ministry!
I’m sure there was a little trepidation on his part, but to his great credit he obeys God’s command.
So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized;
I love, love, love that he calls him “Brother Saul.” I mean, think about this: there is a good chance that Ananias knew someone that Saul had persecuted. Perhaps a friend or family member. He knew the wake of destruction this man had left behind him. He was aware of the homes he had destroyed by removing fathers and mothers from their children. And yet, he comes with words of grace. “Brother Saul.”
Clearly Ananias was the right man for such a precarious job. What a beautiful heart of Christ! And what a fitting name; Ananias means “God is gracious.”
What I also love so much about Ananias and his work is that this is all we really know of it. But how many people know the name of the one who led D.L. Moody to Christ? Or Billy Graham? Paul’s work was remarkable, but let us not forget the obedience of humble Ananias.
Because the reality is that no matter how great or how quaint the call on your life may seem, it is all the same in the eyes of Christ and it comes down to our obedience.
I had a friend who passed away in a tragic accident in 8th grade. He came to our little christian school in 5th grade and he and his family weren’t believers. But my friend had trouble learning in the public school system and they figured that a smaller class with more one on one time with the teacher would be good for his education.
But during his time at the school, my friend became saved and at his funeral, his parents shared that each day at dinner he would always be sure that the family prayed before the meal. Eventually that example led to his parents and siblings coming to know the Lord.
His work may not have been thousands of souls, but it was a mighty work nonetheless. Whatever it is that God calls us to, our obedience is what matters. Plant the seeds and let the Spirit of God do the rest.
And at this point in our passage, Saul receives his vision once more. It tells us that something like scales fell from he eyes and he regained his sight. Again, this parallel’s his spiritual sight. He was blind but now he sees.
And his conversion is then confirmed outwardly through his baptism. What an incredible conversion. From breathing threats and murder against God and His Church to preaching life to all corners of the earth.
All around us miracles are waiting to happen. We must never write anyone off. We must be like Ananias, willing to be the life-giving ambassadors of God. We must be like Saul-become-Paul, pursuing the world for the Lord Jesus Christ.
PRAY
