AN EVENT TO REMEMBER,
YOUR CONVERSION
Acts 9:1-12
SAUL'S BACKGROUND
To understand Saul before his conversion, you must view his
background and training
in his own words.
Acts 22:3-4
3 "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought
up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our
fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.
4 I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death,
arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,
Galatians 1:14
14 And I made progress in the Jews' religion above many of
my equals in my own nation, being more abundantly zealous for the traditions of
my fathers.
Paul was well trained in the in the law of God according to
the Jewish tradition. His
training was void of the spirit of God, Jesus and the love
for his brethren.
Saul held a high opinion of himself. He was proud of his heritage and his knowledge
of Jewish tradition. He was convinced that following his
interpretation of the
Jewish tradition he was doing God a favor.
YOUR INTERPRETATION OF THE WORD DETERIMINE YOUR
BELIEFS
V:1-2. "Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out
murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in
Damascus , so that if he found any
there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as
prisoners to Jerusalem . "
A. Saul used his popularity and status with Jewish leaders
to persecute anyone
who did not agree
with his theology. The church was his target.
Saul was a
Pharisee (Acts 23:6), one of the leaders of the synagogue.
1. Saul, the elders
of the synagogue and the teachers were experts in the
legality of the
law which they used as a hammer for the common population.
2. They were
ignorant of the person of the Holy Spirit and the person of Jesus
Christ in the
Holy Trinity.
3. They were all
blinded by their traditions and their perverse interpretation of
the Old
Testament.
B. Saul's theology followed the ignorance and disobedience
of His teachers.
Mat 15:3
1. Saul was
sincere in the application of his theology, but he was
sincerely
wrong.
AN ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS CHANGES YOUR LIFE
V:3 "As he neared Damascus
on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed
around him.
A. Saul was on a
mission to destroy the members of the young Church call
"the
way".
1. Saul, with
armed soldiers and letters of approval from the leaders
of the
synagogue was on a mission to destroy what God had ordained.
2. Saul had
established himself as an enemy of Jesus.
B. If the leader are
messed up, those who follow will be full of mess.
1. Saul was only
doing what he was taught.
C. Saul was on a mission to destroy what God had put
together.
1. Saul with
limited power was fighting a God with all power.
2. Saul with
limited knowledge was fighting a God with all knowledge.
3. Saul confined to
a particular place was fighting a God who is everywhere
all the time.
4. Saul was operating in the dark and didn't
know it.
D. The Lord turned on the light around Him.
1. That what
happens to us.
2. We were
operating in the dark until we were introduced to Jesus.
3. Jesus is the
light of the world.
4. Jesus is the
light from heaven.
5. Jesus is the
lamp to our feet.
E. Notice the light shown in a limited area.
1. God chooses who
He wants to enlighten.
2. Some are chosen
and some are not.
3. Thank God He
chose you.
HUMBLE YOURSELF BEFORE JESUS
V:4. He fell to the
ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you
persecute me?"
A. Saul recognized
the voice to be from heaven.
2. He could
recite the Word.
3. Saul knew
that God sometimes spoke through angels
4. He knew that the God spoke to men in
visions.
5. He knew that
God spoke to men in dreams.
B. Notice, Saul was
knocked to the ground,
1. In the
presence of Jesus every knee shall bow.
2. God hates the
proud.
3. The proud in
Saul had to be removed to communicate with God.
C. God knows you by
name.
1. He knows your
sins.
2. He knows who
is for Him and who is against Him.
3. We need to
ask ourselves if we are persecuting the Lord by
the way we
treat others.
a. Are we treating
others with kindness and love?
b. Are we
treating others with envy and hate?
c. Are we
treating others as if we are better than them?
STUDY THE WORD TO KNOW JESUS
V:5 "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am
Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he
replied.
A. Saul recognized
the voice as being from Heaven.
1. The Greek
word Saul used for Lord is Kurios which means supreme
authority.
2. The voice
from heaven responded, I am Jesus whom you persecute.
B. I cannot image all
that was going on in Saul's mind when he
heard the name
Jesus.
1. He knew about
Jesus.
2. He knew Jesus
as the criminal who was crucified on the cross.
3. He knew Jesus
as the trouble maker who claimed to be the Son
of God.
4. He knew Jesus
as the one who so many Jews were claiming to
be risen from
the dead.
5. Saul knew
Jesus as the one who started the movement call the "way" which
He was trying
to destroy.
6. To find out
that Jesus was actually the Son Of God must have been mind
blowing.
C. I can imaging
Saul immediate saw Jesus in all the Old Testament scriptures.
1. I can imaging
Saul recalled all the scripture that talked about the coming
Messiah.
2. I can imagine
Saul immediately recognized the lies of the Jewish
traditions
that he had been taught all his life.
3. I can imagine
that Saul recognized his total sinful life
4. I can imaging
that he saw his past as a lie masquerading as
a righteous
man.
5. Can you
imaging recognizing that you were trying kill those who
you.
OBEDIENCE TO THE WORD
V:6. "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be
told what you must do."
A. I believe the
reason Saul responded immediately and obediently is because he
was looking for
a word from the Lord to confirm that what he was doing was right.
1. I think with
Saul's thorough knowledge of the Law of God that he knew in his heart
that Jewish
tradition opposed the Word of God.
2. I also believe
that even though he had letters of approval to bound members of
of the
"Way" that he was not sure that was right.
B. After meeting
Jesus, Saul was completely converted,
1. He had a
change in direction.
2, He had a
change in leadership,
3. He had a
Change in devotion.
4. He had a
change in lordship.
5. He had a
change in mission.
C. Saul recognized the person of Jesus in the Holy Trinity.
1. He saw Jesus as
Lord.
2. He saw Jesus as
who He said He was, the Son of God.
3. He saw the
purpose of the cross.
4. He believed the
report of the resurrection of Jesus.
D. He was convicted
of the Lordship of Jesus,
1. Instead of
going to kill the church, Saul became part of the Church
2. Instead of
traveling in the name of the Jewish tradition, Saul
was led in the
Name of Jesus.
3. Instead of
giving direction, Saul submitted himself to the
direction of
Jesus.
4. Saul's journey
of faith in Jesus began at this point.
GOD CHOSE YOU AS HIS DISCIPLE
V:7, " The men traveling with Saul stood there
speechless; they heard the sound but did
not see anyone.
A. God chooses who He wants to serve Him.
1. All the men
heard the voice from heaven, but only Saul understood the voice.
2. God enlighten
His chosen to His presence.
B. God speaks in a language His chosen can understand.
1. Saul spoke many
languages.
2. Maybe God spoke
in a language that only Saul knew.
3. The language
that God spoke was foreign to all the other men.
4. The text tells
us the all the men heard a sound,
5. The text does
not tells that men with Saul saw a light.
6. Saul was
enlighten, but the men were left in the dark.
V: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 .
A. God took away
Saul's physical sight and gave him spiritual insight.
1. Even though
the soldiers that were with Saul did not understand the voice
they heard,
they were affected by it.
2. It was the men
with Saul that lead him to Damascus .
What happen to the letters Saul had with him , that authorize him to
persecute the members of the "Way"?
B. This Damascus experience was the turning point in Saul's
life.
A PRAYER OF DEDICATION
V:9. " For three days he was blind, and did not eat or
drink anything. "
A. After the encounter with Jesus, Saul went on a three day
fast.
1. I can image
that during the three days, Saul was rethinking
all of His
theological training.
2. I can imaging
that during the three days of physical blindness
Saul in his
mind was reviewing all Old Testament
Scriptures
concerning Jesus
Christ.
B. I can imagine during the three days of blindness, Saul
was getting
to know the Jesus
He would serve.
1. I also believe
that Jesus was continuously communicating with Saul.
2. Galatians 1:11-12
states:
"For I
would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is
not
according to man.
For I
neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through
a
revelation
of Jesus Christ. "
DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING
V: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. "
A. The first thing God does to a new convert is to put him
with other believers.
1. God prepares
and selects strong believers to minister to new believers.
2. There are those
in the body of Christ who are ordained to encourage new
believers.
B. A disciple of Christ knows His voice.
1. A disciple of
Christ responds to His voice.
2. A disciple of
Christ trust His Word.
C. A disciple of Christ follows the direction of Christ.
1. Go to the house
of Judas.
2. The house was
located on the street call Straight.
3. Ask for a man
from Tarsus
4. The man's name
was Saul
5. You will find
him praying.
a. An active
prayer life is important in the life of a believer.
b. Prayer is
our direct line of communication with the Lord.
ANOINTED TO SERVE
V:12, " In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias
come and place his hands on him to
restore his
sight."
A. At the same
time God gave Saul a vision of Ananias coming to visit him.
1. Saul saw in
His vision, his physical sight being restored.
2. Saul saw in
his vision saw Ananias placing his hand on him before
his sight
was restored.
THE CONVERSION PROCESS
B. Lets review
Saul's conversion process.
1. Saul was
chosen from his birth to preach the Gospel
Gal 1:15
2. Saul was
trained in the Old Testament by the best teacher of Jerusalem
3. He was born in the family of a Pharisee.
4. He was
ordained as a Pharisee.
5. He saw Jesus
crucified on the cross
6. He
participated in the persecution of Jesus disciples
7. He met the
resurrected Jesus Christ and received his sight.
8. He came to
faith in Jesus and the Word of Jesus on the road
to Damascus .
THANK GOD FOR OUR
CONVERSION TO FAITH
Rev Melvin Mitchell
Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia
Baptist Church
For more lessons follow me on facebook
or visit my blogs,
www.revmmitchell.com and goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com
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