Where the Gospel leads
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Introduction
Introduction
Dismiss Children
Enjoyed our family night last week. We got to enjoy a meal, some games, and heard some share what they love about their church.
Looking forward to the end of March, the 27th, for our Master Clubs grand Prix night.
Our LBC Kids program will be running the night with a pinewood derby competition for children and adults. More details to follow on how to get registered for that to take part of that night. If your not participating come out and support our kids and adults who are going for the W.
Today we are continuing in our gospel story series. We are in Acts 9.
The book of Acts was written by Luke, the same one who wrote the gospel of Luke. It is a letter to his friend Theopholis written around 62 ad and establishing the validity of the church and Christianity.
In Acts 9 we encounter a man that is used greatly by God. He was a murderous man with much hatred in his heart.Not the typical description of someone you hear about that God used greatly huh?
While I was in Yuma Arizona, we had a church planter come through. When presenting his ministry he was giving his testimony.
At 13 or 14 years old in Los Angeles, his mother had to contact a boys home in Montana to come get him. He had been involved with gangs, sold drugs, and other things.
When they came for him they kidnapped him. His mother let them into their apartment and then they busted down his door, put a hood over his head, zip tied his wrists, and put him in a van and drove from LA to Montana.
He said he thought he was going to be executed by a rival gang. After some time at the boys home in Montana, he repented, got saved, and then went on to Bible College.
When I met him, he was raising to little children and planting a church in LA. I told him after hearing his testimony “I can’t believe that’s who you were back then.” He looked at me and something ot the effect “That’s kind of the point to the gospel, isn’t it?”
The man we are going to encounter today is Saul. Not the Saul of the Old Testament, this is Saul of Tarsus. Saul of Tarsus is like the church planter i met in Arizona. He was a vile man.
He is considered to be responsible for the martyrdom of Stephen, one of the first deacons. He had been going house to house to find Christians and kill them for their faith.
That’s exactly where we pick up in chapter 9 of Acts
1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
Acts 9:1-2
Exegete: These two verses really serve as an introduction for us this morning.
Saul was still threatening and slaughtering disciples of Jesus. He event went so far as to gather others with him. He had already been with the crowd that stoned Stephen. It’s not wrong to assume he already had people helping him go house to house with him.
Notice that…He went house to house. Not church to church. Why? There were no church buildings in that day.
What if God took away our church building? Would anyone know your a Christian? -That’s a message for another day.
Saul has now went to the high priest to get permission from them to put men and women in jail for their faith from other areas besides just Jerusalem. He was intent on stopping the message of Jesus from getting out.
This is Saul. This is the one we will come to know as Paul. The writer of most of the New Testament. The one used by God to take the Gospel to the Gentiles.
He hated Christians, he hated Jesus and anyone or anything related to the Christian faith.
Illustrate: I believe he was a man with evil in his heart. He is not someone we would want to spend time with.
You wouldn’t go looking for Saul to teach a seminar on “mercy and grace in the face of your enemies.”
He was more of a “how to jail a Christian in 3 easy steps” kind of guy.
Apply: This understanding of Saul who will soon be called Paul is important to us.
Why? When Paul wrote
15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
1 Tim 1:15
He wasn’t just portraying a false humility. He was being honest and sincere. He was being transparent and authentic.
While our righteousness is filthy rags and as James said if we violate one part of the law we are guilty of the whole…most of us can’t say we have murdered anyone. We haven’t stoned someone to death or been apart of a mob of people that sought to kill someone just because of their faith.
Our sin is no better however I know our minds think like this. We don’t put our pride on the same level as murder. It is and even murder isn’t mentioned as an abominable sin but pride is.
It’s important for us to see Saul’s past and understand that we are no different than he is. We have a past. We have sin in our life. None of us are perfect.
Yet in Saul’s sin, in our sin…Jesus still pursued him and pursues us.
Because
I. No past is more powerful than Jesus’ Passion
I. No past is more powerful than Jesus’ Passion
Your past, your sin have no power over the passion of Jesus. What he did for you and I on the cross overcomes your past sins, your present sins, and your future sins.
When Jesus died being omniscient God He knew the sins of Dustin Alley. He knew the sins I committed yesterday, He knew the sins I will commit today, and He knew the sins I am going commit tomorrow.
Yet He still went through His passion and died for me. He still pursued me when I didn’t deserve it.
Jesus pursues you and you don’t deserve it.
None of us do.
Listen to how Paul met Jesus
3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
Acts 9:3-9
Exegete:
Saul Got permission to go to Damascus and arrest believers with others.
On the road to Damascus he and his companions fall to the ground from a flash of light and Saul sees Jesus.
Jesus calls out to Saul “Why are you persecuting me?”
Saul, with an immediate acknowledgment of the divine power that is before him says “Who are you Lord?”
Jesus reveals who he is and makes a statement that we might not understand
“It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.”
This is a statement that refers to the pricks of a caddle prod or “ox goad” that was used to move an ox forward by the farmer.
Without hesitation now Paul is submitting to the Lord
“What would you have me do?”
“Go to the city and it will be told to you.”
He gets up and is blind. The men around him lead him to Damascus.
In Sauls sinful state he found himself pursued by Christ.
Illustrate:
Think of it this way. You own a rental property. Or your just renting out a room in your house to someone.
They come in to the home and they destroy it. I mean they wreck it. If your familiar with a particular situation that happened in bristol this last year with a tennant, they are red paint and rice mad.
You find holes in the wall. Hateful speech written about you. And, they have went to your friends house and done the same thing.
What would you do?
Paul had cursed the name of Christ, killed the people who called Him Lord, jailed those who sought to preach His name, and do you know what Jesus did.
(reach out hand) Why are you doing this? Get up, go here, and I’ll take care of the rest. I forgive you.
Argue:
Too many think they are too far from God.
You may be sitting there thinking “Well pastor I haven’t murdered someone or persecuted Christians but…why would god speak to me…I’m nobody.”
God knows you.
13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Hebrews 4:13
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16
God loves you. God knows your value. God values you, His creation, so much that He sent Jesus to die for you so that you could be reconciled to Him for eternity
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
It’s not His will that any should perish without faith in Jesus yet I believe we have the free will to make that choice.
We make that choice by faith. Faith in the living and written Word of God.
It’s not about faith in us and our abilities, it’s about faith in Jesus.
Apply:
Saul could have had arguments with the Lord right then and throughout His life. Why me? God I’m the chief of sinners. God I’m the worst of the worst. Lord I have no value in your eyes. You have no reason to save me, you have no reason to use me.
Yet he didn’t. In the moment Saul met Jesus he yielded who he was to the Savior.
Jesus said go and Paul said yes.
II. Jesus pursued us so that we may pursue Him
II. Jesus pursued us so that we may pursue Him
Without Jesus first coming for us there is no way that we could come to Him.
God is no longer confined to the temple with priests bringing sacrifices and once a year entering the Holy of Holies.
Jesus is God incarnate, or God in the flesh, God with us, Emmanuel.
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Phil 2:6-11
Jesus pursued Saul, Saul responded. Now look what that lead to.
10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
Acts 9:10-16
Exegete:
In Damascus the Lord comes to a man named Ananais in a vision and tells him to go see Saul of Tarsus.
Ananais is a believer and he has heard the name Saul of Tarsus before. It was never on a list of people he wanted to meet.
Ananais knew who Saul was without Jesus. He knew the vile, wretched sinner who had not trusting in Christ.
He didn’t know Saul had been redeemed. It didn’t know Sauls heart had been changed. He didn’t know Saul wasn’t the same man he had heard of.
Jesus tells Him (paraphrase) I know who He is. Go. He is my chosen instrument.
In those statements Jesus tells Ananias, Saul isn’t who you think he is. He isn’t who the world says he is, He is who I say He is and you need to go to Him.
When you repent and trust in Jesus as your Savior, there is something that happens. Your life changes. Your identity is no longer in the things of the world. You are not who others think you are. You are not who you think you are. You are who Jesus says you are.
Your identity is found in Christ.
And when your identity is fully reliant upon Jesus, you will find yourself obedient to Jesus.
Notice both Saul and Ananias responded with obedience to the commands of Christ.
Sure, Ananias asked a question but it seems to be more of a question of clarification rather than of objection. Once He was clear who Jesus was talking about, He was obedient.
This is important for us to understand because delayed obedience is disobedience.
Illustrate:
The Marine Corps is different from other branches in a number of ways. One of them is the title they give to the individuals that train recruits to become Marines.
They are called drill instructors by others but by the recruits they train they are called only sir or ma’am.
Their job is to take civilians and mold them into Marines. While this task has many moving parts one of the most basic foundations of a drill instructors job is to teach the recruits how to drill.
This is the term used to describe what you may know as marching.
There are a number of details that go into this. how to hold your hand, the distance of your steps, the distance your hands travel forward and rear, how far to keep between you and the recruit in front of you and so on.
Also, drill commands. Right face, left face, Forward march, column right, etc.
When the drill instructor gives their command it greatly behooves the recruit to obey immediately or he will be promptly corrected in a kind and gentle way.
This instills in the recruits to obey the voice of those that are over them. Making a proper column right movement isn’t as important as dropping to the ground in enemy fire or returning fire when told.
When God calls you to do something there is never a time you should wait to obey Him.
He wont’ come and yell at you like a Drill instructor, however you will miss out on the blessing of obedience that comes from immediate obedience.
God has called Christians to repent of their sins and ask forgiveness from God. God has called Christians to love one another. God has called Christians to witness to others.
These are all matters of obedience that when we are not following, mean we are in disobedience.
Argue:
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Matthew 6:12
Seek forgiveness and offer forgiveness
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Eph 4:32
Be kind and loving
and the last one is the great commission. The command of Christ the admonition of Paul and the privelage and honor of every beleiver to tell others about Jesus.
While there is a laundry list of things I can say believers are to be obedient to Christ with, i’d probably miss a few if I tried to name them all.
Apply:
What area of your life do you find yourself being disobedient?
Here today we saw the obedience of two men that lead to the salvation of many.
God had great plans for Saul. God could have great plans for you. Or, he could have plans for you like he did Ananias.
Ananias didn’t write a single book of the NT. He didn’t plant a church that we know of. he may have never preached to anyone from a platform or the front of a room.
What he did do was obey the Lord.
When we obey the Lord in evangelism or any area I believe we are being a witness to others. It can lead to conversations about Jesus that you may have never had if you were disobedient. God could be using you to be the one that reaches the next Billy Graham.
But you’lll never be aprt of their story or His Story if your not obedient.
III. Jesus uses obedient people to pursue people with the Gospel.
III. Jesus uses obedient people to pursue people with the Gospel.
What causes disobedience in your life?
Do you think you are still that old man that Saul was? Do you live in your past?
Are you finding your identity in what others think you are or say you are? Are you finding it in who you think you are?
Once you have put your faith in Christ, you are none of those things. You are loved, you are redeemed, you are a new creature becuase old things have passed away and all things become new.
You don’t have to be Saul anymore. You can be Paul. You can be who God has called you to be.
How? simple. Just be obedient. Turn your cares over to Him and be obedient.
faith in the gospel leads to obedience
Time of Response
Time of Response