Our morning service this week is devoted to a gospel music concert. I didn't preach. However, I am posting a sermon I preached a few years ago. I hope it is helpful.
Acts
9:3-19
Consider
the comment Luke makes in Acts 8:3 just after Stephen’s death, “But Saul began
ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and
women, he would put them in prison.” And again the word that begins this chapter
(9:1-2)
Suppose
these words were all we knew of the life of Saul. We would see him as a blood-thirsty fanatic,
who made the destruction of the church his life’s goal. No doubt, lacking any other reliable
information about his fate, imaginative Christians would have invented tales
illustrating the terrible way God had exacted his vengeance against him. Even the best of us like stories in which the
wrong-doer gets his comeuppance (Remember the “Princess Bride”).
But,
of course, that’s not all we know about Saul of Tarsus. Saul who, like many Jews in the first
century, had both an Aramaic name and a Greek name will appear again in the
Book of Acts. He will become better
known to the world at large by his Greek name, Paul.
We
don’t know as much about Saul’s early life as we might wish. He was born in Tarsus, a city in Asia Minor hundreds of miles from
Jerusalem. It was a city with a
beautiful crystal-clear river running though it, a river which allowed ships
from the Mediterranean some ten miles away to sail into the very heart of the
city. Cleopatra’s barge did just that
when she met Antony there in 38 BC
About
two hundred years before the events in Acts 9 a large number of Jews apparently
settled in the city. They were given
special rights allowing them to practice their religion undisturbed, being
regarded as a single tribe within the city’s population. Because of the community’s loyalty, Antony
granted the city the status of a free city.
Augustus later renewed that status.
Over the years many citizens of Tarsus had been made Roman citizens;
some of Saul’s ancestors may have received citizenship in this way. Since citizenship could be passed from one
generation to the next it was a valuable designation. Saul—then known as Paul—would one day use his
citizenship to win the right to a hearing in Rome.
There
was a great university in Tarsus but there’s no evidence Saul ever
attended. More likely his parents sent
him to Jerusalem early on to study there.
By his own testimony we know he was a student of Gamaliel who argued
moving cautiously against the Christians. (Acts 5:34-39) Gamaliel, the Pharisee, urged the Council to
move slowly in dealing with the Christians, arguing that if Christianity was
just another fad, it would disappear, but if it was of divine origin, they
would find themselves fighting against God.
It
was under this wise man that Saul learned the Jewish faith. He would probably have been given an overview
of Greek and Roman literature and culture.
Evidence suggests this was considered a valuable part of a complete
education; of course, he would not have been taught that the Hellenistic
world-view was just as valid as the Jewish.
Eventually
he became both a Pharisee and a rabbi. There’s reason to believe he may have
been one of Gamaliel’s most promising students but he was not like his teacher
in one important way. Saul may have
simply been something of a young Turk or he may have had a clearer view of the
radical nature of Christianity but he did not share Gamaliel’s willingness to
be patient with the Christians to see what might happen. In Saul’s opinion, Stephen’s death had been
only the first step in the right direction for dealing with these blasphemous
heretics.
As
this chapter opens three facts about Saul of Tarsus stand out. First, Saul was absolutely convinced the
message preached by the Christians was wrong.
Second, Saul was absolutely committed to the eradication of
Christianity. Third, Saul was absolutely
confident he was doing God a favor by destroying Christians.
So,
Saul started out on the road to Damascus as a man with a mission. He ended his journey to Damascus as a man
with an even greater mission.
A Journey Interrupted
Most
travelers who near the end of a long journey look forward to finally reaching
their destination. Even if the trip has
been uneventful, or especially if the trip has been uneventful, they look
forward to a change of pace, an opportunity to rest and enjoy something cool to
drink. The noontime heat beating down on
Saul must have made Damascus in the distance a particularly welcome sight. Not only would he be able to have some
refreshment but he would soon be able to begin his important work of rounding
up the Christians who had fled to the ancient city from Jerusalem following the
death of Stephen.
It
wasn’t to be. Suddenly Saul and his
companions were surrounded by a light brighter than the noonday sun. So intense was the experience that all of
them fell to the ground wondering what was happening. Then, Someone spoke to Saul. Paul’s companions saw the light and
apparently heard the voice but were unable to distinguish the words being
spoken to Paul.
Fortunately,
Luke is provides us with the gist of the dialogue.
The
voice asked Saul, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” At this point, according to Saul’s account
presented to King Agrippa, the voice added, “It is hard for you to kick against
the goad.”
That’s
an interesting figure of speech. It
pictures the plowman using a sharp stick to persuade the oxen to keep going, to
keep plowing. There’s lots of discussion
about what it means but some of the best insight comes from the use of the
phrase in Greek literature. The phrase
means to fight against a god. It means
Paul was finding out what his teacher Gamaliel (Acts 5:33f) had known, it’s
tough to fight God.
That
realization seems to be reflected in Saul’s response, “Who are you, Lord?” The word translated “Lord” in the NIV can be
translated as “Sir,” simply a respectful form of address. Saul hadn’t necessarily concluded that his
progress toward Damascus had been halted by God, but he must have known that
what was happening to him was out of the ordinary, that it had the scent of
heaven about it.
If
he had any questions about the character of the Speaker they were quickly answered. “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” I can imagine a pause here as the words sink
in. Then, Saul hears, “But get up and go
into the city, and there you will be told what you are to do.”
Try
to imagine for a moment the impact of those words. They were so filled with implication and
meaning that we can only deal with some of what Saul discovered in that moment.
He
discovered the man he knew was dead was truly alive. In I Corinthians 15:3-9 he attaches his
testimony to what appears to have been an early creedal statement regarding the
Resurrection. When he said, “Last of
all, I saw him, too…” he asserted his experience was just a tangible as that of
the other apostles. This Jesus was
really alive. The Lord used the name
Mary used to call him to dinner, the name by which he was known young man in
Nazareth, the name which identified him as a specific historical person who had
been crucified by the order of the Romans.
He
discovered the closeness of Jesus and his people. Jesus’ statement seems to imply that the
persecution of Christians was actually directed against him. The church was struck and Jesus felt the
pain, one writer put it. The men and
women Paul had been beating and throwing into jail had such an intimate
relationship with the Risen Jesus that he shared their anguish and pain.
He
discovered that much of what he thought Judaism said about the coming Messiah
was wrong. It would take time to fully
understand how his teachers had misunderstood but, with the Risen Jesus
standing before him, bearing the marks of crucifixion, it was clear that he
needed to review some of the scriptures he had thought he understood so
clearly.
He
discovered Jesus wasn’t finished with him.
No lightening bolt from heaven would strike him dead. The ground was not going to open up and
swallow him. Instead, he was to go into
the city to await further instructions.
Again, Paul’s testimony before Agrippa fills in some of the blanks in
Luke’s skeletal account. According to
Paul—as Luke himself records it—Jesus had more to say. He told Saul,
I have appeared to you
to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and
what I will show you. I will rescue you
from your own people and from the Gentiles. I amsending you to them to open
their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to
God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who
are sanctified by faith in
me.'
With these words
echoing in his mind, Saul, went on to Damascus.
Of course, he had to be guided by his companions. Saul was suddenly blind. Saul may or may not have known this would be
a temporary condition and there’s no explanation for his blindness. Still, we can conjecture. Perhaps his blindness would allow him time to
ponder what had happened. Perhaps hit
blindness had a symbolic meaning; Saul
the persecutor who thought the saw things so clearly was actually blind to the
truth about Jesus of Nazareth.
In any case, the
condition lasted three days, days during which Saul fasted and prayed. At the end of those three days Saul met a
disciple who had been sent to further share the gospel with him and to be the
instrument by which God would restore Saul’s sight. Ananias may not have been the most eager
personal evangelist in the history of the church but because he trusted God’s
word he has the distinction of and
helping to disciple one of the hardest cases ever won to Christ.
And Saul surely
was a hard case. On one occasion he
would refer to himself as “the chief of sinners” and he would never forget his
role as persecutor of the church.
The
transformation which took place on the Damascus road was remarkable, yet it
resembles the conversion of most of the “hard cases” who come to trust
Christ.
1. Like many hard cases, Saul would have had to
admit he was wrong to become a Christian.
2. Like many hard cases, Saul would have had to
give up a cherished position to become Christ’s follower.
3.
Like many hard cases, Saul would have to embrace new associates to
become a successful Christian.
Yet, Saul did all
of these things. That’s important to
keep in mind.
Throughout
church history Paul’s remarkable conversion has been seen as evidence of the
reality of Christ’s Resurrection. It
surely is. A skeptic, Oxford professor
Lord George Lyttleton initiated a study of Paul’s conversion in an effort to
disprove the central claim of Christianity; instead, he became a believer. He wrote, “The conversion and apostleship of
Saint Paul alone, duly considered, was of itself a demonstration sufficient to
prove Christianity to be a Divine Revelation.”[1] That a rabid persecutor of Christians, both
men and women, should become Christianity’s most articulate first-century
spokesperson demands an explanation.
That explanation will take us back to a noonday encounter on the road to
Damascus.
Just as Paul’s
conversion is evidence of Christ’s Resurrection it is also encouragement to all
those who are concerned for the spiritual welfare of those “hard cases” who
seem beyond the reach of the gospel.
Encouragement to Prayer
Many of us know
such hard cases, men and women whom we truly desire to see follow Christ,
yet who seem unmoved by the gospel. Of course, I know that sin has, in a sense,
made us all hard cases but these individuals seem to be particularly resistant to the gospel. If ours was a passive resistance, theirs is
an active resistance.
How can we pray
for such people?
There are hints in
this story.
1.
As
we pray for the hard cases, we should pray that they might recognize Christ for
who he is.
Saul thought one
thing about Jesus of Nazareth, the truth was something altogether
different. Most men and women who are
resistant to the gospel believe Jesus was a good man who said some wise things,
a good man who seems to have been the tragic victim of religious bigotry, a
good man whose followers distorted his teachings by trying to make him into
some kind of God. Saul wouldn’t even
grant him that. In his opinion, Jesus
received exactly what he deserved. Saul
was a hard case.
Yet, his encounter
with the Risen Christ changed that. His
encounter with the Risen Christ was just as real as that of Mary Magdalene or
Peter. This encounter, which would be
essential to his credentials as an apostle, turned his life around.
Ever since 9/11
I’ve had a greater interest in Islam and the situation facing Christians in
Muslim lands. As I read about men and
women who trusted Christ and became Christians in those narrow, restricted
societies, I’ve seen a recurrent theme.
Many of these individuals made their commitment to Christ following a
dream or vision in which he somehow spoke to them. Now, you know that’s not normative, at least
not in the West. But for some reason that
encounter was necessary for them to muster the courage to take what, in some
instances, could be an act which would make them outcasts and outlaws.
Usually, men and
women, even the hard cases, encounter the reality of Christ trough the
preaching and teaching of God’s Word.
This is why it’s so important we maintain faithfulness to the vision
Paul outlines in Colossians where he says, “We preach Christ, warning every one
and teaching everyone, that we may present all complete in Christ.” Paul understood that Christ was the only way
to spiritual completeness.
Pray that the hard
case you care about might be able to see Christ for who he is. In our time there are many voices attempting
to redefine Jesus, trying to make him more palatable to a culture which cannot
believe the foundational miracles of the Incarnation and the Resurrection. As long as the hard case you care about
listens uncritically to these voices, he or she will feel safe in their
unbelief. Pray that somehow, someone
might help them see the truth about Jesus, the true truth.
2. As we pray for these hard cases, we should
pray that they might give careful consideration to the claims of Christ.
I doubt of most
hard cases will respond to a quick review of the four spiritual laws. They need to consider the claims of Christ,
to weigh them.
For three days,
Saul thought about and prayed about what had happened to him and, no doubt,
thought of what it meant. We’re not told
what he thought about but it seems reasonable to assume he drew from his
knowledge of the Scripture to reevaluate what the church was saying about Christ. Perhaps he even reviewed Stephen’s sermon
which had so angered him.
For those raised
in home where the Christian faith is embraced as a life-shaping reality, coming
to Christ is an almost natural event.
Pray that the hard case you care about will weigh the claims of
Christ. Each person’s period of
reflection and consideration will be different but I would think that each hard case will spend at
least a little time considering two important notions; pray that he or she will be willing to ask,
“Could the claims of Christ be true?”
and “Could I have been wrong?”
3. As we pray for these hard cases, we should
pray that they might meet open, courageous, caring believers.
Two believers
played a crucial role in the early days of Paul’s pilgrimage. The first was Ananias. You and I have never had an experience
anything like that of Ananias. Think of
him; in the midst of his daily devotions, hearing Christ’s voice telling him to
go talk to a man named Saul about Christ.
Who can blame him for responding, “You know, Lord, I’ve heard about this
Saul and I’ve got to tell you he’s bad news.”
Imagine if you were reading your Bible and praying tomorrow morning and
you heard God whisper to you, “Ted Turner’s in town and I’d like you to go
witness to him.” You’d very quickly be
asking, “Lord, is this the same Ted Turner who says Christians are fools, who
ridicules the Ten Commandments.” The
real question is, what would you do when God responds, “Yep, that’s the Turner
I’m talking about, I’ve got some plans for him.”
You have to admire
Ananias. If you witnessed to Ted Turner,
assuming you got past the bodyguards, you’d probably only face ridicule; going to see Saul might have put Ananias first
in line for execution. Still, he went.
Pray that the hard
case you love might meet such a caring, courageous believer who won’t be put
off by the bluster of unbelief, who won’t feel witnessing to such a hard case
is a waste of time.
Such a person may
have the privilege of helping that hard case in the initial steps of a
pilgrimage with Christ. Ananias
did. He made clear the nature of
discipleship and took Paul through that crucial first step in following Christ,
baptism.
Luke ended his
account of the choice of the Seven who would see to the distribution of
material aid in the church he reported that the church continued to grow,
specifically mentioning that many
priests became believers. Why
didn’t God send one of these believing
priests to help Paul to faith? I don’t
know. I do know that those who struggle
over coming to faith in Christ are often influenced by those who are relative
strangers. Parents learn that their
rebellious son, for whom they and their church have been praying for years, was
led to Christ by the witness of a stranger on an airplane.
Maybe it’s God’s
way of reminding believers that were all in this together.
4. As
we pray for these hard cases, we should pray that they become actively involved
in Christian fellowship.
If
Ananias was there to introduce him to Christ, Barnabus was there to help him
toward greater Christian service.
Very
soon after his conversion Saul began proclaiming Christ. The vast knowledge he had of the Scripture
before becoming a Christian probably made this possible. So successful was his ministry that there
were now plots to kill him. He who spearheaded the persecution against
the Christians was now the object of that persecution. So determined were his enemies that his
fellow believers had to help him escape.
At
this point there are some questions about what happened next. Some believe as many as three years may have
elapsed between the flight from Damascus and his return to Jerusalem. In any case, when he got to Jerusalem there
was still some who thought of him as the brutal persecutor.
And when he had come to Jerusalem, he
attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did
not believe that he was a disciple. [27]
But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on
the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had
preached boldly in the name of Jesus. Acts 9:26-27 (ESV)
Barnabus
had faith in God’s power to change people.
We need individuals with that kind of faith. Barnabus also had faith in God’s ability to
use those changed people.
Every
believer needs to become involved in the church but those hard cases who
finally trust Christ especially need encouragers and mentors as they find their
way on the pilgrimage. It’s so easy to
remember the former bluster and miss that fact that this is a believer trying
to find the way in a strange new world.
We
need to pray they find someone who will guide them.
5. As we pray for the hard cases, we need to
pray they become ‘trophies of grace’ calling others to faith.
Years
later Saul—who was better known by his Greek name Paul by then—would write to
the Ephesians about the wonders of God’s grace.
But
God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved
us, [5] even when we were dead in our
trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved—
[6] and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in
Christ Jesus, [7] so that in the coming
ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us
in Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace you
have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift
of God, [9] not a result of works, so
that no one may boast. Ephes. 2:4-9 (ESV)
Every
believer, in the final analysis is a trophy of God’s grace, but Paul understood
that to the watching world the depth of that grace is more evident in the lives
of some than in others. He always saw
himself in that way. Writing to his protégé
Timothy, only a few years before he faced the Roman executioner, Paul said:
… the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that
are in Christ Jesus. [15] The saying is
trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. [16] But I received mercy for this reason,
that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as
an example to[encourage] those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
1 Tim. 1:14-16 (ESV)
Recognizing
just how marvelous the message of the Resurrection was and how much he owed to
God’s grace, Paul joyfully accepted the commission to proclaim the gospel to
the gentiles. He accepted the commission
even though he new he would suffer for Christ’s sake.
Although
the events recorded in the few verses following Saul’s conversion may have
taken place over a half dozen or so years they reveal an important pattern.
à He
almost immediately began proclaiming Christ right there in Damascus. Unbelievers who heard him were amazed because
they knew why he had come to their city and it sure wasn’t to preach
Christ.
à Perhaps
using Damascus as a base, he made forays into Arabia to share the gospel there. From other sources we learn this went on for
about three years. He made so many
converts that he earned the ire of the local authorities and had to escape
to Jerusalem.
à After
only two weeks or so in Jerusalem he had won so many converts that his life was
threatened there.
à From
Jerusalem he went to Caesarea and Tarsus.
Not much is said about that mission but it was an important one. A few years later he is still in Tarsus
ministering. Barnabus finds him there
and asks him to help in one of the mission efforts back in Syrian Antioch. But think about what Saul’s ministry in
Tarsus must have been like. Perhaps he
shared the gospel with his parents, his brothers and sisters, other family
members, his friends and with anyone else who would hear him.
Pray
that the hard case you care about would be have such an experience of God’s
grace that keeping quiet about it would be out of the question.
Conclusion
The
glory of the gospel is that even the hard cases can be reached. They are not beyond God’s grace. If you care for such a hard case, that ought
to encourage you to keep praying. Paul
would, no doubt, be honored if you kept his story in mind as you prayed,
remembered him as the hard case who was a changed by the power of Christ.
[1] Quoted
by Josh McDowell, A Ready Defense,
San Bernadino, CA: Here’s Life
Publishers, 1990, p. 434. The quote
comes from Lyttleton’s The Conversion of
Saint Paul (1929).
