The Conversion of Saul
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Threats and plots against the church
Divine Intervention
Jesus halts Paul’s march
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. 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. 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.
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.” 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.” 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; and taking food, he was strengthened.
For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”
Jesus blinds Saul
Jesus instructs Ananias in a vision
Jesus instructed Paul in a vision
“he is a chosen instrument of mine” - The Lord chose Paul to be his witness to the Gentiles
“he must suffer for the sake of my name”
Introduction
Introduction
Significant conversion
Impact - seen in all of Paul’s writings
Luther - “gone through open doors into paradise”
John & Charles Wesley - Luthers commentaries on Romans & Galatians
The Reformation & Europe - Paul was the pioneer
Repeated 3 times in Acts
What Saul Learned
What Saul Learned
Jesus is Gracious
Jesus has commissioned us
1. Jesus is Lord
1. Jesus is Lord
Plots & threats against the church
ch 8 - continued spread of the gospel in Samaria
evangelism to masses and individuals
but dont forget: the persecution that started in ch 6 with martyrdom of Stephen is still ongoing
Saul - man on a mission
filled with hate & breathing murder (verse 1-2)
applies at the high court for letters authorizing the arrest of all Christians
Embarks on 300km journey from Jerusalem to Damascus on foot
But Saul doesn’t complete his misson
He has an encounter that changes his life forever
An encounter that, as a Pharisee, he would have immediately recognized as divine:
A light from heaven
A voice speaking to him
Saul is called by name twice
And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Its a light so bright that it blinds him
Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
“Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”
He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
“As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”
I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
Paul encounters a light from heaven
Its a light so bright that it blinds him
Ps 2:1-8
“And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
“But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
“But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Recognizing that the voice is divine, because he responds “Who are you, Lord?”
If the voice replied that He is God, Saul might have been able to justify continuing his persecution of the church
But He responds “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
and in that moment, Saul realized that the Christians had been telling the truth
f
And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
that Jesus who had been crucified had risen
that Jesus is Lord
that the Church is the people of God
The risen Saviour has ascended to his throne, but He is not absent from the world
He is sovereignly working out his plans & purposes on earth
His purpose is for His name and the news of what he has done to spread to the ends of the earth
the Jewish Sanhedrin is doing everything in their power to stop the spread of Jesus’ name
going to extreme lengths - murder
led by Saul
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
The Lord is never not in control
He stops the leader in his tracks
Jesus commands Paul to enter the city
Jesus blinds Saul
Jesus instructs Ananias in a vision
Jesus instructed Paul in a vision
“he is a chosen instrument of mine” - The Lord chose Paul to be his witness to the Gentiles
Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
“Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”
He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
“As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”
I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
“he must suffer for the sake of my name”
Acts 9:
When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Ex
But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Gen
he did suffer
And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
Paul did become his apostle to the Gentiles
The gospel spread throughout Rome, Greece, Spain...
All of Europe
The reformation
The majority of people in the world who call themselves religious, identify themselves as being Christian
This is the sovereign work of the Lord
2. Jesus is Gracious
2. Jesus is Gracious
Saul is fiercest persecutor of the Church
His defence to the angry Jewish mob outside the temple
Born a Jew
A student of Gamaliel
A leader of the Sanhedrin
Distinguished teacher of the Law
First to be honored with the title “Rabban” - Our Master
In rabbinic literature, referred to as The Elder
Indoctrinated
Zealous - just as much as the murderous mob that just beat him
He persecuted Christians to death, arresting both men and women
lived as a Pharisee, according to the strictest party of the Jews
He was convinced that he had to do whatever it took to oppose the Christian faith
He not only arrested Christians, but when they were put to death, it was with his full vote in favour
Confesses to hating Christians so much that he tried to make them blaspheme so that he could arrest them
In raging fury persecuted them even in foreign cities
watched the martyrdom of Stephen with full support
Still breathing murder
Going out of his way to arrest more Christians
His sin was against Jesus
Verse 5 “And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
by persecuting Christians, he was actually persecuting Jesus Himself
WHAT DOES SAUL DESERVE?
WHAT DOES SAUL RECEIVE?
WHY?
That is the same question Ananias had
“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.”
Acts 9:11-
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.”
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.”
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.”
And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
Acts 9:15-
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.”
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.”
Why?
Acts 9:13-
This is what grace does - it
Saul’s salvation was not a reward for something he had done, but the gracious gift of Jesus in spite of what Saul had done
Salvation is a gift of God’s grace
Jesus chose the worst of sinners
This is why John Newton called it Amazing Grace...
Jesus’ language - He is a chosen instrument of mine
This is the language of God throughout Scripture concerning salvation and God’s people
In the OT Israel is referred to as God’s chosen people
God says to Jeremiah in “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Paul recognizes that he too is now the glad recipient of God’s amazing grace…
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
“But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;”
Paul and Jeremiah are not special cases
The same language is used for all who are saved...
“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”
Salvation is given as a gift of God’s grace - it cannot be earned
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Do you harbour any thoughts in your heart that you deserve to be saved more than Saul did?
Paul certainly knew that nobody deserves to be saved
““None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.”
None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.
as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
We were all Sauls
Nobody can be saved apart from the grace of Jesus Christ
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
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
Eph 1:4
But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;
3. Jesus has Called Us
3. Jesus has Called Us
The transformation!
The transformation!
The fiercest persecutor - prepared to walk 300km ------ a few days later is preaching Jesus in the same synagogues
“And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”
And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”
“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.
If you claim to have had an encounter with Jesus...
…and claim to be a recipient of his gift of grace...
If you claim to have had an encounter with Jesus
…and yet you have not been permanently changed by your encounter, then you have not yet met Jesus
Transfers
Transfers
In salvation, your sin is transferred to Jesus on the cross
… your
Jesus righteousness is transferred to you
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Cor 12
You are also transferred from death to life
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
You are also transferred into the family and kingdom of God
In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
You cannot have:
Christ’s righteousness transferred to you
be transferred from death to life
be transferred into the family of God...
and not be permanently changed with completely new desires
Commissioned
Commissioned
Paul clearly had a change of heart and a change of desires
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
Eph 1:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”
Somewhere on his journey from Jerusalem to Damascus, his desire changed from arresting Christians on behalf of the synagogues, to preaching to the synagogues as a Christian
For Paul, his conversion was his commissioning
His life would never be the same
He was enlisted into God’s kingdom --- and therefore, now has the same goal as the kingdom
You don’t join an army and then do your own thing
Everyone in the army is united in the same goal, they’re on the same mission
Do you share Paul’s convictions?
Jesus is Lord
Jesus has been incredibly gracious to you
Jesus has commissioned you
The gospel is a message ()
What difference have these convictions made to your life? How are you living them out?
What is different about your life since you came to believe that Jesus is Lord, Jesus is Gracious
It will be difficult, we will suffer
Unconverted religious
Unconverted religious
Closed-minded unbelievers