ACTS 9:1-22
It’s there for you to read if you want to take a little trip to England to visit a cemetery. The burial ground in question is in Olney, England. The grave stone reads this way: Here lies John Newton, Clerk, a libertine and former slave trader, was by the rich mercy of our God redeemed, regenerated, forgiven and appointed to preach the faith he had long laboured to destroy.
Yes, this is the grave of the man who wrote the song AMAZING GRACE. I once was lost, but now I’m found; ‘twas blind but now I see.
A lot of people today would like to believe in a power that can change human nature. A lot of other people don’t believe it’s possible. But the proof is right there on that tombstone in England. There is a way that rebellious human beings can be turned around and headed in exactly the opposite direction.
Today’s text is about just such a case. Almost all of us know a little bit about the Apostle Paul and his pivotal role in the spread of the Christian faith. Not as many know how dramatic a change it was that the Lord Jesus worked in this most famous of all the Bible conversion stories.
Saul of Tarsus was a Pharisee. Saul was zealous in his faith and was occupied in the pursuit of Christians in the Damascus area when the Lord Jesus changed his life forever.
He had arrest warrants, as we would say today, for Christians living in the Damascus area. The charges were serious and lives were at stake. Read the first part of the first paragraph with me again now: 9:1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples… so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
This wasn’t the first time. Luke introduced us to Saul in Acts 7 & 8. At the
stoning of Stephen, we are told: 8:1 And Saul was there, giving approval to his death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
Saul was an experienced persecutor of Christians. To have him change his
mind would be like Fidel Castro telling the Pope he wants to join the Church. It would be like the leaders of China opening the doors to Christ and falling at his feet while they’re at it.
But that’s the equivalent of what the Lord Jesus did in changing Saul of Tarsus, persecutor of the church. Go back to the first paragraph with me again: 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
Quite an experience, wouldn’t you say? The first thing we see about Saul’s
conversion is that the Lord Jesus showed us WHO’S IN CHARGE here. After knocking Saul off of his feet, Jesus told him to get up and go into the city where he would be told what he must do.
While most of us will never have as dramatic an experience as Saul had, its content is much the same. It’s the Lord Jesus saying: I’m in charge here. I shed my blood for you; I died for you; I paid the price for you; You belong to me. This is what I want you to do. He will open and close doors in your life too. If he wants you to go in another direction, he won’t necessarily knock you to the ground, but he will close the doors in front of you often enough so that you get the picture. Once you turn around and head in the direction he wants you to go, you’ll see the doors opening up for you. That’s how it works. Are you listening to the messages Jesus may be sending you?
Saul’s life was changed forever when the Lord Jesus began transforming him into Paul the Apostle. Paul talked about the before and after of the matter. Before, he was:
of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
Now comes the after part: 7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ–the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
He was put out of the synagogue, of course, as a new Christian. No Jew could buy or sell from him, his family was to shun him and consider him dead.
But interview Paul at the end of his life and he would tell you that he would do it all over again. It was worth it all, he would say. How’s that? Because the dreaded persecutor of the church became God’s instrument. Go back to the text and look at the 5th paragraph with me now:
10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. 11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” 13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
God had a plan for this man and he wasn’t going to argue about it. Ananias thought his health might be in danger if he sought out this man. The Lord told him not to worry about it, that a dramatic change had already taken place in Saul. Besides, the Lord said, I have plans for this man. This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles.
That should make us perk up our ears, because he’s talking about you and me now. We just got brought into the conversation. That’s the theme of this Epiphany season–the light of Jesus being spread to the Gentile nations. That’s how we became Christians.
It wouldn’t be a church picnic though. Saul was in for a rough time. The Lord Jesus wasn’t holding anything back. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name, he said. Some think that the Christian life is supposed to be like one of the songs they sing: I have happiness all the time, wonderful peace is mine, since I found the Lord. If you’re wondering why you haven’t had the easiest time in your life, look here. Jesus suffered on this earth and so will those who belong to him. That’s the truth of the matter. The forgiveness of sins didn’t come cheap and living the Christian life won’t always be easy.
Now look at what happened next. Look at the 2nd last paragraph of the text:
17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord–Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here–has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.
Paul the Apostle, formerly Saul of Tarsus, was Christ’s chosen instrument. Jesus wasn’t gone for very long and all of a sudden the Pharisees had another powerful enemy to contend with. They thought that getting rid of Jesus would take care of the matter. But now, God raises up one of their own to be a new thorn in their flesh. Imagine that! This ambassador of Christ would change the world. This is an event just one step below the rising of Jesus from the dead.
This is an event that promises life changing encounters with the Lord Jesus through the power of His Word. For example, Paul wrote this to the Corinthians:
9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Two University students in England were just about to go their separate ways for school vacation. They both loved to do research, so they agreed on a summer project. They had doubts about the Bible and decided that one would research the historical roots of Jesus rising from the dead; the other would study Saul’s conversion experience.
When they got back together, they shared their findings with each other. They discovered that both of these events are rooted in the solid bedrock of history. Both became Christians.
Paul the Apostle changed the world by writing 2/3 of the New Testament. He spread the faith like no one has before or since. His ministry brought Christianity to the door of Europe and we owe God a debt of gratitude for sending him.
In Bogota, Columbia, The keynote speaker at the Advanced Evangelism Explosion Seminar in Bogota, Columbia, was Rev. Rodolfo Loyola, a pastor from Madrid, Spain.
“Pastor Loyola was a pastor and professor in Cuba. The Cuban government instructed him to choose between abandoning his faith or quit teaching school. They gave him 15 days to decide. Rev. Loyola said, “I don’t need 15 days. I don’t need 15 minutes. I won’t be back to teach tomorrow.”
Several days later, in the middle of the night, he was abducted and imprisoned in a Cuban concentration camp for over two years. In part because of his dedication to sharing the gospel with those around him, he was transferred 13 times to new concentration camps.
Finally, he was told by Castro’s government that he had 30 days to find two thousand dollars to take his family out of Cuba. Over the weekend, he and his wife prayed for guidance, writing to family and friends in other countries. Thirty days later, they had two thousand and ten dollars. So with ten dollars in his pocket, Pastor Loyola and family were sent to Spain. He tells people that Fidel Castro sent him as a missionary to Spain.”
Praise God for His miracles then and now! Be alert to his working in your life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Wayne Dobratz
Trinity Lutheran Church
Hampton, IA
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