Sermon Tone Analysis

What is God’s heart for all of creation?

A radical return to right relationship with Him!

Redemption, restoration, reconciliation, resolution to be in right relationship again!

Today we will learn about one of the most radical transformations in all scripture.

A dramatic change that Jesus himself executes in the life of a very powerful and influential leader.

A very strong person, and for a time, a very bad person.

The transformation in a Pharisee named Saul to the apostle of Jesus named Paul.

Acts 9

A man who thought he was doing the right thing-persecuting the early Christian believers-and how we have come to know him as The Apostle Paul.

He comes to a crossroads here in our passage today- I’m either going to keep on this path, doing what I’ve always done— living the way I’ve always lived, or I’m going to change— A radical change.

We first hear about Saul in just a small, subtle way.

He actually presides over, approves of, maybe even orders the death of the 1st Christian Martyr recorded in scripture.

That’s Stephen.

We hear about Stephen in

The Death of Stephen Acts 6:8

When you are full of God’s grace and God’s power, people are going to notice.

And our enemy the devil is taking note also.

Some rise up and want to shut him down.

They arrest him, bring him before a court of sorts, and ask him just one simple question.

(there were lies being stated about him, that he was speaking against the Laws of Moses, and against the Temple worship)— They asked “Are these things begin said about you true?”

A simple yes or no answer— Oh no, Stephen then delivers probably the longest sermon recorded in scripture to answer their question.

And the answer is basically this:

All the way back to Abraham, God has fulfilled his promises— he said that he would bring forth a messiah, and that was Jesus of Nazareth.

You killed him, and you need to say you’re sorry.

They didn’t take too kindly to that answer.

It was a custom to take off your outer coat or sweater, and place it at the feet of the person in charge...

This just got very real.

Game on.

The church, this small but growing community of believers, loving each other, taking care of each other, taking responsibility to carry out what Jesus had instructed them to do—faces it’s first real resistance— they find themselves under fire, from whom?

The religious establishment.—

From the leaders and those whom they looked up to, trusted.

Being accused of blasphemy— All sorts of false accusations— from the brotherhood of God’s people—they find themselves suffering at the hands of their teachers---Just like Jesus did.

Do you ever feel this way, today?

I do.

We live in a foreign land.

We are not citizens of this world.

And our enemy seeks every day to steal, kill, and destroy the work of Jesus here on earth.

Jesus said it himself:

Have you ever felt like you were misunderstood, and then as a result, words or actions were placed on you that weren’t true?

Then people ran with it?

That’s this persecution that is happening to the early church.

Misunderstood in their own world, by their own flesh and blood.

Just like Jesus was.

Today we will see how God can take persecution— and turn it to resolution.

He can take Saul, a murderous, self-righteous judge of the law, named after Israel’s first King— His Hebrew name means “desired” or “prayed for”— but Jesus himself changes his name to a Greek name “Paul”, which means “little”, or “modest”.

What a change.

A change only God could orchestrate.

We love Paul.

We cherish the writing that he accomplished.

But to truly understand Paul, we need to understand Saul.

“Every Saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.”-

Oscar Wilde

Irish poet and playwright, lived in the late 1800’s

How could God reach someone like Saul?

Throughout our lives, we know of people that we have prayed for— oh, that they would meet Jesus, right?

Saul was one of those guys:

“I’ve got to stop these people… Everything in me has been created to silence these rebels… I’ve got to protect the faith of our ancestors, I need to stand up and fight for whats RIGHT”.

Could this really be the guy who gave us most of the New Testament scriptures?

Oh yes, everybody used to be somebody… I used to be somebody who....

I used to be … But through a radical encounter with the Lord Jesus, coming face to face with the grace and love of God through Jesus, I’m not who I used to be.

I’ve moved from persecution, to resolution.

Who was Saul?

Lets dig deeper into who Saul really was:

He was born and educated in Tarsus.

Tarsus was one of the top three centers of the world for education, wealth, commerce, thought, etc.

This was one of THE places to be.

And Saul was SMART.

He studied the law carefully from the time he was a boy.

His parents were obviously Jewish, but his father had Roman citizenship— this gave him special privileges.

He describes himself this way:

From a cultural standpoint- He is THE MAN.

Kids are told by their parents, “if only you could grow up to be like Saul”.

Saul is a proud Pharisee, and feels a responsibility to protect and maintain the Jewish faith.

He embarks on a “seek and destroy” mission.

Heading to Damascus.

Straight from the High Priest.

This gave him ultimate authority to squash the Christians.

The highest religious authority.

Anyone who was belonging to the “Way”.

Why was it called that?—

Because Jesus claimed that he was the “way” to God.

John 14:6 “6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.”

So many used that as a derogatory or condescending title— The Way.

Saul’s mind was in a really dark place: he describes it himself:

On the road to Damascus, Saul is confronted by Jesus.

He was a proud, and powerful leader when he set out to Damascus— but when he arrived, he was a humble, blind, virtually helpless person.

Being led around by his hand, because he couldn’t see.

He was radically changed.

I don’t know what you have in your past.

But you are not alone.

We all have stuff.

Trust it— everyone has their stuff.

Stuff that causes shame, guilt, embarrassment.

As far as I can tell, there are no sins, no pasts, that Jesus can’t forgive.

We can be made new in Him.

Paul writes this very concept to the Corinthians:

No-- Saul’s past doesn’t have to determine his future.

Oh yeah.

Changed lives are the greatest miracles we know.