Radically Saved By Divine Intervention

Transcript

GR 1601
04/17/11
Radically Saved by Divine Intervention
Acts 9:1-16
Gil Rugh

We're going to be in Acts 9 in your Bibles. Before we get there we are going to be looking at some other passages as well. As we move through the book of Acts and the history of the church we are reminded that what gives meaning and purpose to all of life and assures us that everything is under control is the sovereignty of God. No matter what the turmoil going on in the world, no matter what comes into our lives personally, into the affairs of the nations, we as believers have a rock solid, settled confidence that our God is sovereignly in control, as we have just sung. In the storms and in the flood our God is sovereign in it all. This is the consistent emphasis of the Bible from its beginning to its end. We start in Genesis with God being the Creator of all things, we conclude in Revelation with him sovereignly bringing all of creation to His sovereign appointed end. Really only the first two chapters of our Bibles as we have it, and the last two chapters deal with God's sovereignty over His creation without sin. Four chapters in the entire Bible, the first two and the last two. The first two in God creating a perfect environment with perfect conditions, but that is corrupted by sin in Genesis 3. And it's not until we get to Revelation 21, that in Revelation 21-22 we have the creation again brought to the place that God intended for it when He created it with all sin removed. In between that beginning and that ending we have the story of sin, rebellion against God, rejection of God and His purposes and plan. But God sovereignly working, even with the sinful rebellion of His creation and demonstrating mercy and grace in bringing salvation to some. And we're going to see one of those in our study in Acts 9.

Come back to Isaiah 46. I would encourage you, I was going to say periodically but maybe somewhat regularly, to read these chapters in Isaiah where you pick up with Isaiah 40 and read through some of these following chapters that are such an encouragement and a reminder of the sovereign control of God over all that is going on in the world. Even the most pagan nations that know nothing of God, have no openness to God are sovereignly being used of Him for the accomplishing of His work.

We'll pick up in Isaiah 46:8 remember this and be assured, recall it to mind, you transgressors. Remember the former things long past. For I am God and there is no other. I am God and there is no one like Me. The total uniqueness of God. Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying My purpose will be established and I will accomplish all My good pleasure. Remember that statement—I will accomplish all My good pleasure. God is sovereignly working in the world on the basis of one principle—what is pleasing to Him. He is accountable to no one, but He always acts consistently with His character. He is working His good pleasure in the world, calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of My purpose from a far country. As you read through the context of this you'll see he is talking about an earthly empire, an earthly nation. They think they are acting on their own desires to conquer and expand an empire. God says you are coming here because I have called you. The man of My purpose He has brought. Kings of the earth think they are functioning by the might of their power, God is giving the appointments.

Truly I have spoken, truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, I will do it. That settles it all. That's our confidence as believers, right? You turn on the news and you say; now we have turmoil in another part of the world. Now we have turmoil here, now we have turmoil there, now we have how many trillion dollars of debt. Isn't it fun to watch that number they put on the news thing, of how the debt is going up? It will cause you to get your wallet out, check your checkbook. It's irrelevant, can't even relate to it. It's just a number flashing by. Who cares? God is sovereignly in control. I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, I will do it. That's why I like to read the closing chapters of Revelation. Like I tell you, I like to read the last chapter of the book and I remind myself, this is how it ends, this is where I'll be. Everything is under control. You can sleep well tonight as a believer. There may be turmoil, there may be personal pressures in your life, and there may be turmoil in the country, turmoil in the world. God is sovereign.

Now this sovereign is also displayed in God's gracious work of salvation. Turn over to Ephesians 1. We read about it in the overall picture in Isaiah, and there he is talking about His work in the world and His controlling the activity of nations and using the nations of the world to accomplish His purposes. And here He brings it down even to the individual and the salvation He brings to an individual. Verse 3, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ. Note this, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. You see God has sovereignly planned it, He will bring it to pass. And so it is with an individual's salvation. He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world and in choosing us His intention was that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ who Himself according to the kind intention of His will, literally according to His good pleasure. Remember I told you to remember that statement in Isaiah 46, He's functioning according to His good pleasure. Why did He choose us? Well He did it according to His good pleasure. To the praise of the glory of His grace. So as he'll say in Ephesians 2, we could be trophies of grace. Our salvation through eternity will be an endless testimony to the grace of God that has reached down and taken hold of a sinful human being and turned that person to faith in Christ and brought cleansing and forgiveness to their life.

This is a grace which He freely bestowed on us in the beloved, in Christ. And he goes on to talk about the redemption we have in Christ. The riches of His grace, verse 7, lavished on us. Verse 9, He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His kind intention, or literally according to His good pleasure. According to His good pleasure which He purposed to accomplish in Christ. With a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the time, that is the summing up of all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and on the earth. So you see God's sovereign purpose here, moving toward the last chapters ultimately, where God's purposes will be brought to full realization. But it all takes place in Christ and the salvation brought about in Him.

In Him also, verse 11, we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose, who works all things after the counsel of His will. Do you know who God counseled with in determining all the details of all that He would do, including our salvation? He counseled with Himself. People sit and say, I don't think God would do that. I couldn't trust a God who would choose some and not others. Well we come to bow before the God who is, not the God that we create with the counsel of our will. But the God who has revealed Himself and His purposes and plans which are according to the counsel of His will. The depth of my understanding in the work of the sovereign God is pitifully shallow, but it is enough for me to know that my faith must be in Him. I trust Him, the infinite God who is sovereignly in control of all.

And verse 14, many of you were here this morning, the Holy Spirit is given as a pledge of our inheritance with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory. And we talked about that ultimate redemption and entering into our inheritance. All part of what God has planned and accomplished in His sovereignty.

Come back to Acts 9. All of this directly ties to Acts 9 because here we have one of the remarkable, clear displays of the absolute sovereignty of God in the salvation of an individual. That sovereignty is displayed in every individual salvation. We saw it in the salvation of the Ethiopian eunuch at the end of Acts 8. But here is such a clear display because with the Ethiopian eunuch we have a man who is very interested in pleasing God, who had traveled a great distance to worship at Jerusalem, who was reading the prophet Isaiah. When we come to the salvation of Saul whom we know better as Paul the Apostle, he is a man who had no interest in Jesus Christ except to bring persecution to all who would trust Him, who was violently opposed to the salvation that God had provided in Jesus Christ. And yet God is going to reach down and take hold of him in a moment of time and turn him completely around. It's a remarkable conversion.

It is so important to the unfolding of the history that Luke is presenting that the testimony of Paul's conversion will be repeated three times in the book of Acts. It will be here at his initial conversion in Acts 9. Paul himself will give testimony to what happened to him when God saved him on the Damascus Road when you get to Acts 22, before a crowd of Jews. Then over in Acts 26 he'll give testimony again before Herod Agrippa, rehearsing some of the details of how God sovereignly and supernaturally brought a change in his heart and life.

We'll pick up with Acts 9:1. Now Saul still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord went to the High Priest and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus so that if he found any belonging to The Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now we really pick up here with Acts 8:1-3. You come back to Acts 8:1, Saul was in hearty agreement with putting Stephen to death. That took place in Acts 7, you'll remember. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem. They were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria except the apostles. Verse 3, but Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house and dragging off men and women. He would put them in prison. And we pick up in Acts 9, now Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples. So with Acts 8:4 through the end of the chapter we have gotten a view of what was going on in the ministry of Philip. But now with Acts 9 we pick up where we left off with Acts 8:3, Saul's devastating persecution of the church in Jerusalem. And that's not enough; he's reaching out now even beyond the confines of Israel into Syria and going to Damascus, an area much in the news in these days. Saul is going to travel about 135 miles north/northeast from Jerusalem to Damascus. Not a small trip. The trip was 5-6 days during that period of time. He traveled to Damascus for pursuing his persecution.

We are told he was still, verse 1, breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. So he goes to the High Priest and he gets letters from the leadership of Israel to give him authority to go to the synagogues in Damascus and search out any believers. Because remember the church has been primarily Jews. We have seen it stretch out into Samaria, but primarily Jews. And the gospel has been carried to other places outside of Israel, perhaps by some of those who were present on the Day of Pentecost and were part of those 3,000 saved initially. And then they returned to their homes. And as Jews they didn't understand yet that God was doing a new work as He turned away from Israel, having placed them under judgment for a time. So naturally they would go back to their synagogue and they would begin to share the message of Christ, the Messiah has come. He has been crucified, He's been resurrected and the Spirit has been sent from heaven. So Saul was going to pursue any believers, Jewish believers, and that's where his authority would be. And seek to arrest them.

Interesting as the history here, let me read you what one commentator said on the history of this time. When the Jewish state won its independence under the Hasmonian dynasty of ruling priests, and some of you are familiar with that period of the inter-testament period where you have the close of the Old Testament with Malachi. Then things that happened there and the time of the Maccabees and so on. The Jews get independence in 142 B.C. The Romans, asserting their authority in the area, were currying the favor of people and so they gave the Jews authority over Jews, not only in Israel but in other regions as well as a way of getting Jewish support. And so the Romans required neighboring states to grant to the Jews the privileges of a sovereign state, including the right of extradition. In 47 B.C. Julius Caesar confirmed those rights and privileges anew to the Jewish nation, although by that time Judea is no longer a sovereign entity, having broken the power of outside authorities. They are now living under the authority of the Romans. Still Julius Caesar gives them authority to exercise the rights of extradition for Jews that they believe are guilty of an offense against their beliefs, to have them extradited from other areas. This explains how Saul can be going to Damascus with authority from the Chief Priest. What authority does he have there? Well, the Jews had been given authority by the Romans to extradite Jews who are guilty of an offense against Judaism, to extradite them back to Jerusalem to be tried.

So that continues on. So that is what Saul is doing here, they are under the authority of the Romans but this is not going against Roman law because Romans had give the Jews the right to do this. That's why Paul's authority doesn't extend to all Assyria, for example, but simply to go to the synagogues and in effect arrest Jewish believers in Christ there and bring them back. Because the Romans had given that right and renewed that authority to the Jews. So he is getting letters of authority and they will be honored. He is on his way to Damascus. He is looking, verse 2, so that if he found any belonging to The Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. This is the first of six references in the book of Acts to Christianity as The Way. So if he found any belonging to The Way, he's talking about those who are believers in Jesus Christ.

Come over to Acts 19:9, he has a ministry at Ephesus. But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of The Way before the people. Down in verse 23, about that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning The Way. He's talking about Christianity, those who were followers of Jesus Christ. Come over to Acts 22:4, Paul giving his testimony, a repeating of his testimony. I persecuted this way to the death. So those would be identified as followers of The Way. I persecuted this way. In Acts 24:14, Paul again speaking before Felix. But this I admit to you, verse 14, that according to The Way which they call a sect, I do serve the God of our fathers. He goes on to talk about his belief, a belief in the coming resurrection. But you'll note, I admit that according to The Way. Down in verse 22, but Felix having a more exact knowledge about The Way put them off, saying. So Felix has some knowledge about The Way. So you see this has become somewhat standardized terminology for identifying those who are believers in Jesus Christ. Could tie back to John 14:6, Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by Me. He is the way; the followers of The Way are those who believe that Jesus Christ is the way to the Father, the only way.

Look in Acts 16, and here you have the testimony of a demon-possessed girl, but the testimony is accurate but it will be unacceptable to Paul because it comes from the demonic world. But they recognize who Jesus Christ is, they recognize the truth of the message Paul is proclaiming. And so this demon possessed girl, verse 17, says, these men are bondservants of the Most High God who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation. Here we have it again—the way of salvation.

Turn over to Acts 18:25, this is regarding Apollos, we'll get to the details when we come here in Acts. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord. We had in Acts 16 the way of salvation; here we have Apollos was instructed in the way of the Lord. Verse 26, Priscilla and Aquilla took him aside and explained to him the way of God. You see this expression, the way of salvation, the way of the Lord, the way of God. Jesus Christ is the way. That becomes a title for believers. Not one we use much and several years ago there was a cult that took this title to themselves, an unbiblical group called The Way. But it is a valid title. We could use that title for ourselves today, The Way; we are people of The Way. What do you mean The Way? The way to salvation, the way of the Lord. They cannot be distinguished. The only way of salvation is the way of the Lord, the way of God. How is that? Maybe you'll use that the next time, that my religion is I am a follower of The Way. What do you mean by that? Well let me explain to you what it means to be a follower of The Way. We're talking about the way of God, the way of the Lord, and the way of salvation.

Come back to Acts 9. Verse 2, if he found any belonging to The Way and that includes men and women. You see something of the character of Saul. He is without mercy on this crusade. There is not the thinking, we're just going to arrest the men and cart them off. You're talking about going to Damascus and arresting Jewish men and women alike. What about their families? What about their kids? Not Paul's problem. You see something of the character of the man; he is not a nice person. He is consumed with the goal of destroying Christianity and putting a stop to its influence in Judaism. So he's going to arrest men and women alike.

Verse 3, he'll bring them bound to Jerusalem because you're going to bring them back to Jerusalem where they will be tried in a Jewish court. We saw what happened to Stephen in Acts 7 in that kind of context. So these are serious matters. Verse 3, as he was traveling it happened that he was approaching Damascus. And suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. The intervention of God in Saul's life is very abrupt. There is no indication here Paul was thinking about what he heard from Stephen when Stephen preached, wondering if there could be something to this message about the Nazarene who was crucified in Jerusalem. Nothing like that. He has one goal, one focus—when I get to Damascus, we're going to root out the people of The Way, we're going to find the men and women, we're going to bring them back to Jerusalem and they'll get what they deserve. And while he has that as his sole purpose, he's traveling and as he gets near Damascus suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? You can't get anymore abrupt than that. I mean, you see the sovereignty of God?

Now in our salvation it may not have the overt, miraculous intervention of God so clearly displayed, but the miraculous intervention of God in your life to bring you to salvation is just as real. It was just as much the sovereignty of God that brought me to salvation as brought Saul to salvation; just as much the sovereignty of God that brought you to salvation as brought Saul to salvation. The surrounding events may be different; God may have chosen to draw you over time. Sometimes His work is different in each individual, but it's always His sovereign work. And that's what is clearly displayed here.

A light from heaven flashed around him. And this is an intensely brilliant light. We have a summary here and in the subsequent testimonies you get filled in some details. Turn over to Acts 22 where Paul repeats his testimony. Here we have Luke giving a summary of his testimony of what happened to him. In Acts 22 Paul gives his testimony as I mentioned. Note verse 6, it happened as I was on my way approaching Damascus; note this, about noon time. So now we have bright sun but in this bright sun a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me. You get some idea of the brilliance of this. Turn over to Acts 26; again we'll break into the testimony in verse 12. He's journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the Chief Priest. At midday, again we're at noon, oh king. He's before King Agrippa now. I saw on the way a light from heaven brighter than the sun, above the brightness of the sun shining all around me and around those who were journeying with me. And we're reminded, with a theophany, a manifestation of the presence of God, two words—God and manifestation put together. A theophany is a manifestation of God.
Come to Ezekiel 1. And in Ezekiel 1 you have one of the fullest descriptions of a theophany that we have in the Old Testament. Verse 4, as I looked, behold a storm wind was coming from the north, a gray cloud with fire flashing forth continually. Now note this, and a bright light around it. And in its midst something like glowing metal in the midst of a fire. You see the brilliance of this and the brightness of the light and the shining and the glowing of it. Come down to verse 13, encourage you to read the whole context soon. But verse 13, in the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches darting back and forth among the living beings. The fire was bright and lightning was flashing from the fire. So you see something of the brilliance and the light. Down in verse 27, then I noticed from the appearance of his loins as he saw the throne and a figure with the appearance of a man. Then I noticed from the appearance of his loins and upward something like glowing metal that looked like fire all around and within it. From the appearance of his loins and downward something like fire. There was radiance around him as the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day. So was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it I fell on my face. Similar kind of response we're going to see from Saul, similar to the vision that John will have in the book of the Revelation.

So you have this display of the glory of God, the brightness of the light associated with His presence because God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. Such a brilliant display. Even the angels of God are sometimes described with that white glowing raiment because they come from the presence of the Lord.

Back to Acts 9. A light from heaven flashed around him and it overwhelms him. He falls to the ground and hears this voice speaking to him. Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? And you see the identification with Christ and His people. Saul has been persecuting God's people—Stephen in Acts 7, men and women alike in Acts 8. Here he is going after men and women alike. But what is he doing? He is persecuting Christ; it is an attack against Christ. And here you see Christ hasn't come to judge Saul for such action, He has come to turn Saul around through the power of His salvation.

Saul's response in verse 5 is who are you, Lord? He recognizes the Lord, the greatness and the majesty, but specifically, who are you? When he uses Lord he doesn't recognize that it is Christ. But Christ responds, He says I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. What a dramatic intervention. Of all people, we can understand Stephen getting a vision into heaven of Christ standing at the right hand of the throne of God in Acts 7. He is a godly man. But Saul of Tarsus? A man feared by believers wherever they are. That's going to come out further in Acts 9 when Ananias says, I've heard about this man. I know why he is coming to Damascus. He's no friend of believers, for sure.

I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. Turn to Luke 10:16. Jesus said to His followers, the one who listens to you, listens to Me; the one who rejects you, rejects Me. And he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me. You see the connection between Christ and His people and Christ and His Father, and thus the believer and the Father. If they reject you, they reject Me; if they listen to you, they listen to Me.
Back in Acts 9. You know it doesn't say at this point in the narrative that Paul saw Jesus. So you can get the idea from this narrative that he is overwhelmed by this brilliant light that is brighter than the sun, blinded by it. He falls on his face, he hears a voice from heaven, he responds to the voice but he never does see the Person that is speaking to him. But he does. Look at Acts 9:27, when Barnabas enters the scene, and we'll see that in a later study, but Barnabas took hold of Saul 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. So it's not only that he hears a voice, but he saw Jesus Christ in His glorified state. And Christ talked to him.

Turn over to Acts 22 where Paul is giving his testimony again. Verse 14, he's rehearsing what Ananias said to him and he'll say it a little fuller than we will read in Acts 9 in a moment. And he said, the God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will, and note this, and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth. So when Ananias addresses Saul as we'll see in a few minutes, he can say, here's what happened to Saul. He saw the Righteous One and he heard the Righteous One. So both are true.

Over in Acts 26, Paul repeating his testimony again. Verse 15, when Saul asked who are you, Lord? The Lord said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet. For this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen. So to be an eyewitness of the resurrection, that's why he qualifies as an apostle. That's why in I Corinthians 9:1 he can say am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Because that was required to be a genuine apostle, you had to be an eyewitness, having seen Christ after He was raised from the dead. So here we have a little fuller account. Each of these accounts, you don't have the exact details, and some add more information. Just like when we give a testimony, on one occasion you may give your testimony and summarize it, leaving out some things and adding others. The next time you give it you may decide on this occasion to leave out certain things in your testimony because we are abbreviating the testimony we have of God's saving work.

But I just want you to be clear that Saul not only was blinded by the light, not only heard the voice of the Lord, he saw the glorified Christ on the Damascus Road. And it was clear to him that He had been resurrected from the dead.

Come back to Acts 9. Some of the translations at the end of verse 5, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. And they add, it is hard for you to kick against the goads. That is a true part of Acts 26:14, but it seems it was picked up and added here and probably was not part of what was part of Luke's account here but it was part of what actually happened. But I just want you to be aware if you read a King James Bible it will have it here. Erasmus picked it up from the Latin translation and included it in his Greek New Testament, rather than getting it directly from some of the better manuscripts.

Verse 6, we see we have a summary here, don't have the added things we just read in later testimony. I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, get up and enter the city and it will be told you what you must do. Well Jesus said more to him as Paul later relates. But Luke just summarizes it here because his point is not to give a full, detailed account, but the point is to demonstrate Paul's conversion. He is aware of the other details because he's going to write them and include them in his history later. Get up and enter the city, it will be told you what you must do. It is clear, Saul knew the gospel, he had heard Stephen give the gospel in Acts 7. He is persecuting believers, he is aware they are claiming Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah of Israel. He was crucified but He was raised from the dead. They are people of The Way; they believe you must believe in Jesus as the only way of salvation. This is the way of the Lord. And now he is confronted by the resurrected Christ. A dramatic turnaround occurs immediately in Saul's life.

The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. And we won't go back to Acts 22:9 again, the testimony there. Paul says that they saw the light and were struck by it. They didn't see Christ, but the light overwhelms them as well. But they don't understand the voice. So they see the dazzling light, they hear a sound but they are not able to understand the voice. There is no indication that anyone traveling with Saul is saved. If they are, Paul never refers to them. He never says the men who are with me are witnesses too, they can confirm it. No, that's never part of it. As far as we know Saul is the only one saved here. You see the sovereignty of God reached down. The most overt opposer, an enemy of Christ and the gospel, and God sovereignly reaches down and from that group pulls Saul out. Amazing.

Saul got up from the ground. Through his were opened, he could see nothing. Leading him by the hand they brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight and he neither ate nor drank.

Verse 9 moves us to talk about Ananias in verse 10. Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. So here is a follower of Christ, a believer living in Damascus. The Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. He said, here I am, Lord. So a prophet of the Lord, if you will, because he receives direct revelation from the Lord. And we're going to find out the part that Ananias plays in Saul's conversion and receiving of the Holy Spirit. The Lord appears to him in a vision. Again, here is a disciple of Christ. Obviously a godly man, one who receives direct revelation from the Lord. But he gets it in a vision. Saul is unique. I mean, Christ manifested Himself and His glory to Saul.

So the Lord appears to Ananias in a vision. He says, here I am, Lord. The Lord said to him, go up and go to the street called Straight. Incidentally if you read some modern commentaries they will tell you that the street called Straight is still a street in Damascus, the Straight Street there, it has a different name today but they still identify this street. Inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. So we don't know anything more about Judas, just that he was taken to the house of Judas. Obviously a believer. That's probably why he was directed to go that house. He is blind, he is led there and he is left there three days, not able to see. He is fasting, waiting on the Lord, praying.

And the Lord tells Ananias, he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight. So now the Lord is conveying information to Saul but now with a visible, personal appearance. But now in a vision. Just as reliable but the Lord is not going to be appealing with a personal presence like He did at his initial conversion. But He will be revealing His word to Saul. But he has seen a vision, here comes Ananias and he is going to come so that Saul can receive his sight.

Ananias is obviously a little reluctant. But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the Chief Priest to bind all who call on your name. Saul's reputation has preceded him. And the word has spread from the community in Jerusalem and perhaps from unbelieving Jews. It has become known up here. Saul who has already become well known as the leader of the persecution of the church, he is on his way to Damascus. And you can be sure there was fear in the hearts and the minds of the believers there. Even Ananias is reluctant.

Isn't it interesting? And Ananias is obviously a godly man; he gets no rebuke from the Lord. But it's interesting to me as I read this, how often we think we have to tell the Lord. Lord, I've heard about this man and he really persecutes the church. And now he is coming and has authority from the Chief Priest to continue that persecution here and arrest believers, as though we have to fill in the Lord. And we do that in our prayers, don't we? I know the Lord knows all this, but I feel better if I can rehearse it. Lord, you know I'm going through a difficult time. You know, Lord, our money is going to run out at the end of the month. You know, Lord, I'm telling them you know, but sometimes I just have in my heart if He really heard it from me He would know it more thoroughly. But the Lord already knows all about Saul, He has already intervened in his life. The Lord is gracious in dealing with us, He knows our weakness, that we are but dust.

So verse 15, the Lord said to him, go. That simple—go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine. Saul, the one who is already infamous for his persecution of the early church. We are somewhere at the earliest a year after the death and resurrection of Christ, perhaps three years after. Hard to nail down the exact date here, but you get an idea how much time has gone on here. He is a chosen instrument of Mine. I mean, Ananias has to be dumb struck. All he knows about Saul and now God is telling him, he is a chosen instrument of Mine. He's an elect vessel of Mine, one I have chosen for Myself to bear My name. Not only have I chosen him, he is the one who will bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake.

So Ananias departed and entered the house. I mean, you see the great faith of Ananias. That's why I say even though he does rehearse before the Lord what he knows about Saul, I see great faith here because I try to put myself in positions of these. And you can because the Lord gives you the grace at the time. But what would I think? I know Saul is coming; it has been the talk among believers at Damascus obviously. And what is going to happen. And now God speaks and says he is a chosen instrument of mine. And he is going to bear My name before the Gentiles. Interesting, he picks up the Gentiles first here, that will be the dominant part of Saul's ministry as we know, the apostle to the Gentiles. And before kings. We read part of his testimony that will be given before King Agrippa in Acts 26. And the sons of Israel. Paul never ceases in his burden for Israel in sharing the gospel with the Jews at every opportunity he gets.

And with this I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake. He will be a chosen vessel of God, wonderful, to bear testimony to the name of Christ before Jew and Gentile and alike and the kings. That's exciting, I would like that. For I will show him how much he must suffer. There is no strong, open bold testimony for the Lord that does not involve suffering for the name of Christ. You cannot be a bold testimony for Christ in an unbelieving world and not pay a price. All who will live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Paul had to write to Timothy. It is a fact of life. That's why we shrink from being too open and too bold. It stirs opposition. That's not the desire, to stir opposition, but the fear of that opposition intimidates us from boldness.

Turn over to II Corinthians 11. Paul reiterates now at a later stage in his life what life has been like. And we'll see in Acts Paul will bear testimony before the Gentiles, before kings, before Jews. And he will suffer greatly. He reiterates some of what he was through. Verse 23, are they servants of Christ? I speak as if insane. I more so. In far more labors, in far more imprisonment, beaten times without number. I don't know about you, but I think I could keep track of the beatings. Paul says there were so many of them, I can't keep track of them. Often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews 39 lashes. This is in addition to being beaten innumerable times. The 39 lashes as you are aware were a special punishment meted out by the Jews. Old Testament law allowed 40 lashes, the Jews always gave only 39. You know the reason. Lashing was so severe a person could die from it. If you gave 41 lashes, you were guilty of their death and thus were held to be punished for murder. So the Jews always counted one less, that way if they made a miscount they were safe. 39 lashes five times. Now you add that to beaten times without number, can you imagine what Paul looked like when he took his shirt off? I mean, we just started. Five times I received 39 lashes; three times I was beaten with rods. No wonder John Mark bailed out, if this is what you had to look forward to traveling with Paul. Once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the deep, floating in the ocean after a shipwreck. Frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my countrymen, danger from the Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger on the sea, danger among false brethren. In labor, in hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst. Often without food, in cold and exposure.

Isn't it exciting to be an apostle? Doesn't it just make you want to be a Paul? No, we don't want to be a Paul, we want the glory that now is reflected from a faithful life but to have such a life, that's not exactly what I planned for myself. I will show him how much he must suffer. Why? He's going to be a great testimony for Christ and so he is going to have great suffering that goes with it. And Paul counted it a privilege. He'll write to the Philippians and say, you have been given two privileges by God, not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for Him. In Paul they went together. I mean, you have been privileged to believe in Him, and what an honor to be so identified with Christ that you suffer for that identification. I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake.

We'll leave it there. Looking forward to the week of sharing the gospel, coming back and sharing our war stories, right? Of how privileged we are to be identified with Christ. We don't go out looking to suffer; we go out with the goal to be as bold and open with the gospel as we can. And that will bring suffering. But what an honor to suffer for Christ.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for your grace. Thank you for this brief testimony of the conversion of Saul, your enemy, the opposer of the church. Lord, we are reminded that salvation is a work of your grace. The fact that any of us are saved is a testimony that you are a God of grace, a God of mercy. And Lord, all the glory goes to you because you reached down and took hold of our sinful hearts and minds and turned us from our sin to your Son as the Savior. By your grace we have placed our faith in Him and now we are trophies of your grace, entrusted with this gospel that brings salvation to all who believe. Lord, how privileged we are to belong to Jesus Christ and be identified with Him and to be privileged if necessary to suffer rejection, persecution, the loss of friends and family because we have been bold with the gospel. May our love for you and love for Christ overrule all these things and may you use us as testimonies for yourself in the days before us. We pray in Christ's name, amen.