I was wrong

I don’t like to be wrong

Martye thinks that I don’t like to admit when I’m wrong. And that is true for all of us to an extent. But I think the truth is a little more textured than that. I have no problem admitting when I’m wrong, or acknowledging when someone else it right. I just HATE being wrong. I want to be right, not for some ego basis, but from a truth basis. I want to think rightly.

Brookland Post Office. I have only been there once with Martye on this one particular day that she wanted to mail something from there. She had been several times, but it had been a while, so I told her, “you are going to have to tell me where to go.” No she knew the vicinity of the post office, and in her mind, she had pictures of where it was and what was around it, but when we went there, we had to drive around a bit and make a few erroneous turns and finally found it. See the picture of how to get there was incomplete.

Song lyrics: You know a song. You have heard it over and over. You sing along with the radio when you are alone in the car. But when the music isn’t playing, you can’t remember the lyrics. See your picture is incomplete. The problem is that if you never try to sing the song without the music playing, you never realize that you don’t really know the song completely.

The problem isn’t that we don’t want to admit when we are wrong. The problem is that we have such a tough time recognizing we are wrong. We have a tough time believing that our picture is incomplete.

It wasn’t until we got to the place that Martye thought was the location of the post office, and it wasn’t there, that she recognized that she didn’t know the exact location of the post office. We couldn’t see it, but we were only about a block away. If we would have zagged when we zigged we would have driving right to it.

Saul had an incomplete picture of God and Jesus. He thought he was right. He wanted to be right, and he was close. But on the road to Damascus, and he had an encounter with the risen Lord, the music stopped and he realized he didn’t know the lyrics, like he thought he did.

It wasn’t until he was blinded, that he could finally see the truth.

Paul’s desire to be right was stronger than his reluctance to admit that he could have been wrong.

When you realize you are going in the wrong direction, the best thing you can do is turn around and go the right way.

Acts 9:19–31 NASB95

19 and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, 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?” 22 But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ. 23 When many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket. 26 When he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 And he was with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. 30 But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus. 31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.

Repentance in action

Paul knew that he was wrong, so he changed directions…Dramatically.

In my old house, to get to work I had to make a left at the first stop sign and a right at the second. Well one morning I was day dreaming on the way to work....Auto pilot.... and it was extremely foggy, so when I got to the first stop sign, I thought I was at the second. I turned right and after a few minutes, the road turned to gravel. I woke up. turned around. I repented of my way.

immediately proclaim Jesus.

Son of God - The Christ, the Messiah, God’s chosen.

He wasn’t testifying to Jesus nature as God the Son, but of His position as a Son of God.

Paul’s testimony

Acts 9:21 NASB95

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?”

He is smart and dedicated, and now he is proclaiming the same guy that he was persecuting other people for saying then, what he is saying now.

Fan vs follower. Paul had fans and Paul had followers.

Fan - As long as you do what I think and like what you are doing, I will be supportive.

Follower - I am with you.....whatever you do, I will. Whatever you say, I believe.

1 Corinthians 11:1 NASB95

1 Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.

Just - Kathos - to the degree.....Conditional. in as much

Confounding the Jews proving that Jesus is the Christ.

Chance: 8 prophesies - 1 in 10^17

48 prophesies - 1 in 10^157

Mathematically greater than 10^50 impossible.

Jesus didn’t fulfil just 48 prophesies. He fulfilled over 300.

Mathematics Professor : “Any man who rejects Christ as the Son of God is rejecting a fact, proved perhaps more absolutely than any other fact in the world.”

Paul’s enemies

Jews plotted to kill him

got him out of the city.

John 15:18 NASB95

18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.

Riding in the car with your buddies. Jamming with the music blaring.

Don’t stop believing

And some jerk in the front seat cuts off the music and your still singing, feeling stupid.

Paul - Cut off the music and the Jews were realizing that they didn’t really know the song.

Paul’s acceptance

In Jerusalem the disciples were afraid of him.....

His old friend were trying to kill him and his new friends were rejecting him out of fear. He was in danger of being alone.

BUT Barnabas: Sone of Encouragement. In chapter 4 he was the guy who sold his land and gave the money to the apostles to help those in need. He put his reputation on the line to lend bona fides to Paul.

the Hellenistic Jews were trying to kill him, so once again trying to kill him.

Why Paul - He was one of them. Peter was a fisherman, Matthew was a tax collector. Every other apostle was either socially or economically on a lower class. But Paul was an inside guy.

Sent away to Tarsus. The church in Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace.

Repent

Own your testamony

Accept that you will lose friends

Encourage others

Son of encouragement.

Be the person that others can count on.