Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Acts: Enlarging Our Vision

By realizing God Changes People 11/30/08

Sermon Series: Acts: Enlarging our Vision

                Title: ‘By realizing God changes people’    Text: Acts 9:1-31

Introduction: A lady was out hitting all the local garage sales (no it wasn’t Nancy Joyce) when she came across an old needlepoint picture that read, “Prayer Changes Lives.” She bought it, took it home and began to look for just the right place to hang the new picture. Finally, she decided that it went well in the dinning room. With great pride she admired her garage sale discovery and could hardly wait to show it to her husband. (No it wasn’t Walt)

That evening when her husband arrived home from work, she showed the picture to him but he made no indication one way or another of his likes or dislikes of the new picture. The next day as the lady was cleaning the house, she discovered that the new picture was gone. As she continued to clean the house, she discovered the picture behind a bookcase. She thought, “That’s strange,” and rehung the picture in its original location.

The next day, to her dismay, she discovers the picture gone again and again discovers it behind the bookcase.

When the husband arrives home, she confronts her husband and asks him if he is displeased with the art of the needlepoint, to which he responds, no, not at all, it is a great work of art.

She continues, is it the place? Do you not like the place it is hung? He says, no, not at all, it is in a great location.

She concludes that it must be the message and asks him if it’s the message that he doesn’t like. He says, no, not at all, the message is great.

Finally, she says, then what’s the problem? He says, “I just don’t like change.” (Mike Hamilton)

That story reveals more of a truth about us than we might be willing to admit. We don’t like change. But truth is, you cannot become or continue to be a Christian… without change. From the moment we accept Christ, we begin the ongoing process of change – we become new creatures in Christ. And this is even true for those we least expect to come to faith in Jesus.

Transition: Open your Bibles to Acts 9:1 (pg. 838 in the Bibles under the chair in front of you.) For it’s here that we’ll discover we enlarge our vision of God by realizing God changes people.’

I. Acts 9:1-2          Saul, a passion for persecution

Read: Acts 9:1-2

If you thought Saul was just standing by while the Religious leaders in Jerusalem killed Stephen, you can see by this text that you’d be wrong. Saul wants to

·       destroy the church,

·       to bring an end to Christianity,

·       to imprison or kill every follower of Jesus Christ.

According to the text, Saul is passionate about ridding not only Jerusalem but the utter most parts of the world of everything having to do with Jesus. How do I know this? Because the text says Saul went to the High Priest to get extradition orders for the city of Damascus, the capital of Syria, about 150 miles from Jerusalem. Saul….was fired up, he was passionate about persecuting the followers of Jesus.

Before we leave these verses, notice what Saul calls Christianity here… those who ‘belonged to the way.’ This tells me that others outside Christianity saw the followers of Jesus  were different, they had a different way about them. What was so different?

Read: In John 13:35 Jesus said,  ‘By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’

Love…

·       it was how the disciples showed love to one another that made them different.

·       It was what the people saw in those early Christians that  reminded them of Jesus…his love.

·       Perhaps they remembered Jesus saying  ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.’

So, the people called those early Christians, ‘those who belonged to the way.’ A wonderful compliment don’t you think?

Transition: Well, Saul is fired up and on his way to Damascus to persecute those who belong to the way…but, something happens to him on the way to Damascus that would change his life…forever.

II. Acts 9:3-9          Saul, a time to ponder

Read: Acts 9:3-9

Saul is stopped in his tracks by the risen Lord, Jesus. Notice that

·       Everyone saw the light but only Saul could see Jesus.

·       Everyone heard the voice, but only Saul understood what was being said.

·       Everyone was there, but what was said was only meant for  Saul.

This tells me that God was not seeking to save anyone but Saul here. God pursued Saul on the road to Damascus to save him…and He did.

·       Perhaps as you look back on your life before Christ, you too can see God pursuing you…

·       I know I can.

Saul asks one question… ‘Who are you Lord?’ Perhaps Saul thought he was talking to an angel. Well, you can imagine his dread when we heard ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.’ Not…what he was expecting to her.

Saul opens his eyes only to find that he’s blind. It’s as if Jesus was making the point. ‘Saul, you’ve shut your eyes to the Light of the World…ok, spend a few day as blind physically as you’ve been blind spiritually.’

So Saul’s posse take  him to Damascus where he meets Judas. (No not Iscariot)

·       Was Judas one of the people Saul intended to arrest?

·       How do you think Judas felt about having Saul as a house guest?

Well, we’re not told, but I am sure it was the same as Ananias felt…but more on that later.

The text tells us that Saul didn’t eat or drink for three days. This was a very significant time for Saul…I believe he pondered the very being of his life and the truth of the Holy Scriptures that he knew so well.

I’m sure Saul thought about what Jesus said to him just after he knocked him off his high horse. ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’

·       Saul thought he was serving God by persecuting the followers of Jesus.

·       But, Saul found that this Jesus whom he opposed, the One who he thought was dead, was in fact alive.

But from what Jesus said to him, Saul learned that persecuting the followers of Jesus was the same thing as persecuting Jesus, whom commentators say he now understood to be God’s Son, the Messiah.

·       I believe Saul remembered what his teacher Gamaliel said concerning Peter and John. ‘But if this is from God you will not be able to stop this; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.’

·       And Saul found himself fighting against God.

This one fact forced Saul to rethink all that he believed about God, the Messiah, faith and life.

Transition: Jesus gave Saul time to think, to reconsider what he understood about the Messiah from the Scriptures, and to ponder his life in light of meeting Jesus, when he knew he was dead but now was very much alive.

III. Acts 9:10-19a          Saul, a changed man

Read: Acts 9:10-19a

Ananias was a godly man, a follower of Jesus, one who belonged to the way…one of Saul of Tarsus’ enemies and Jesus wanted them… to meet.

I would imagine that Ananias thought it inconceivable that Saul could ever come to faith in Jesus. So, he reminds the Lord of the terrible things Saul had done to his brothers and sisters in Christ. And that Saul had come to Damascus to do what he had done in Jerusalem…imprison and kill Christians.

How do you help a man that had killed your friends, people with whom you’ve worshipped and shared your life? Ananias asked ‘Are you sure God?’ That probably would have been my response too.

Jesus’ reply to Ananias was to say that Saul’s conversion would literally turn the world upside down.

·       Saul would be God’s ‘chosen instrument’.

·       He would carry the Good News of Jesus to the Gentiles, to kings and to the people of Israel.

·       He would suffer for the name of Jesus.

And that was enough for Ananias. He went to Judas’ home, found Saul, placed his hands on him and restored his sight. This was not meant to be seen as a spiritual method of healing. It was a simple physical gesture of love, meeting the needs of a blind man, who couldn’t see the love on Ananias’ face, so Ananias communicated it through the gentle touch of his hands. Sometimes we read so much into gestures in Scripture, that we miss the obvious….

Remember… ‘By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’

Note also that Ananias calls him ‘brother Saul.’ Ananias believed God when He said He had changed Saul’s life when Saul  gave his life to Jesus.

Read: 1 Corinthians 5:17 ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!’

God changes people’s lives.

We are told that Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit and he immediately was baptized, after which  he ate and drank to regain his strength.

·       How important was baptism to Saul that he waited to eat and drink until after he was baptized?

·       With his baptism, Saul took his place beside every other follower of Jesus Christ.

·       He not only identifies with Jesus in his baptism, he makes a statement that he is not part of the community of faith.

·       Just like 6 of you will be doing on Dec. 14^th when you’re baptized.

Transition: God brought about a dramatic change in Saul; the most unlikely people to come to faith in his Son, Jesus. But still…many in the church had a hard time believing it.

IV. Acts 9:19b-25          Saul, a basket case

Read: Acts 9:19b-25

ILL.A little boy had made his mom and dad very upset with him. So they made him sit by himself at a different table during the evening meal. After the meal was finished and everyone was getting up, the boy quickly bowed his head and prayed, ‘Thank you, Lord, for preparing a table before me in the presence of my enemies.’ (Steve Shepherd)

Brothers and sisters, in the family of God, we are never to be enemies, but rather we are to embrace one another… to accept one another, regardless of our differences.

Saul was a new Believer with a sordid past and he needed acceptance. He needed Christian friends and Christian fellowship if he hoped to grow as a Christian.

Read: Romans 15:7 ‘Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.’

When people leave the world and come into the church they need acceptance in a big way. And Praise God! The Christians in the church in Damascus come around and Saul enjoyed sweet fellowship and bold ministry with them.

But…it wasn’t long before the religious leaders in Damascus got tired of Saul talking about Jesus and they wanted him dead. Saul heard of their plans to kill him, so the disciples of Saul (that’s right, Saul already had spiritual fruit from sharing the Good News of Jesus) lowered him over the wall in a wicker basket…and he escaped. Saul would learn that God’s method of deliverance often comes in humble ways.

Transition: Saul is run out of Damascus and where does he go? Back to Jerusalem.

V. Acts 9:26-30          Saul, a man with a friend

Read: Acts 9:26-30

Saul went back to the place he had participated in killing Stephen and had placed many more Christians in prison, waiting to be killed. Is it any wonder the Christians there were reluctant to be his friend?

·       Perhaps they believed that God could do great things…

·       but bring Saul of Tarsus to faith in Jesus…that’s as unlikely as God wanting the heathens in Nineveh to place their faith in God…

·       Jonah was wrong and so were the Christians in Jerusalem.

But there was one man who believed God could work in such a great way in someone’s life. His name was Barnabas. Later Paul would write in 1 Corinthians 13:8 ‘Love believes all things.’ Perhaps he was thinking about Barnabas.

Barnabas took him around town introducing him to the Christians…even to the Apostles. And he vouched for him. He stood with him, he accepted him as a brother in Christ.

Saul begins to preach freely and boldly about Jesus and the religious leaders in Jerusalem wanted to kill Saul too. And he was taken to Caesarea by some of the followers of Jesus in Jerusalem.

Transition: Kicked out of another town…I wonder if Saul were alive today, if he would be invited to a church…considering all the trouble that seems to follow him.

VI. Acts 9:31  Saul, gone and peace arrives

Read: Acts 9: 31

There is not much to say here, but what I have to say sounds strange. Life got better for the church when Saul left town.

·       Perhaps it was a time to regroup.

·       Perhaps a time to heal.

·       Perhaps with Saul gone the religious leaders went back to just ignoring the Christians.

·       Perhaps the religious leaders were confused about Saul and his sudden change of heart and loyalties.

We’re not told, but the churches in Jerusalem, Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace…of God’s blessing and of many coming to faith in Jesus, after Saul left.

Conclusion

ILL: There was a shepherd who lived in Ireland. And his granddaughter went to visit him. While visiting with him, she walked into a barn and saw a young lamb with its leg in a splint. “She wondered what had happened, she wanted to know. “Oh,” said the old shepherd, “he had a bad habit of running off, so the other day, I broke his leg.”

When the old man told her that, she began to cry. “Why on earth would you do that”, she asked. “Well”, he said, “the little guy had a bad habit of running off. Every time he would do that, he would be in danger. He could fall off the edge of a cliff and kill himself, or a wolf or some other predator could find him, kill him and eat him.

Every time he ran off, I would have to go find him. Then, I would set him with the rest of the flock only to have him run off again. So, I broke his leg.

But, that’s not the end of it. After I broke his leg, I also mended it. I put a splint on it, all the while, I was talking to him, comforting him, consoling him. Now, I have to carry water in to him every day. Not only that, I have to feed him by hand. As I do, I continue to talk to him and comfort him.

By the time his leg heals, he will know my voice. He will know that it is I who takes care of him. He will come when I call him. He will stay with me, no matter what. Now, I will be able to lead him, and the rest of the sheep will follow him. This lamb will one day be the best sheep of the flock – why, because the other day, I broke his leg. In order to break its will, I had to break its leg.”

Often, for God to be able to use us, He must first break us. That’s exactly what God did to Saul. He broke him, then He restored him. In that process, Saul discovered the true and living God who is Jesus Christ. (Cedric Portis)

What more does the Lord have to do in your life for you to recognize who He is?

What more does the Lord have to do in your life for you to listen to His voice and follow His guidance?

What more does the Lord have to do to convince you that He can really change people?

·       What an encouragement to pray for those who are lost!

·       What an encouragement to pray for the lost whom we think are beyond hope! It may be a relative, a close friend or co-worker who we think is so into him/her self that they will never come to faith in Jesus.

After reading our text this morning…do you realize God changes people?

He’s changed you…didn’t he?