Book of Acts

WEEK 15
SAUL / PAUL

We’re talking about a man named Saul who God changed his name to Paul. He is a towering giant in Christian church history, but also the history of the world. He’s the apostle to the Gentiles. We are here in large part today as part of his legacy as a result of his ministry. And so I want to spend a little bit of time—some of you perhaps are familiar with him, perhaps some of you less familiar. 
When it comes to the Bible, you’ve got 66 books. It’s a library written over the course of a few thousand years by roughly 40 authors. The Old Testament is 39 books, the New Testament is 27 books. Of those 27 books in the New Testament, hear me in this, Paul wrote 13 of the 27 books. We’re not exactly sure who wrote Hebrews. We know ultimately the Holy Spirit did, but we don’t know who the human author was. Some think that it may have been Paul. If so, then he wrote 14 of the 27 books of the New Testament.
He contributes the largest number of books to the New Testament. The man who provides the largest amount of content, his name is Luke. And he wrote the Gospel of Luke, which is the history of Jesus, and the book of Acts, which is the history of Jesus’ people in the church at the beginning of what we now know as Christianity on the earth. And Luke was a disciple of Paul. Luke was traveling companions and friends with Paul. His pastor was Paul. So this is how prolific he is: 13 or 14 of the New Testament books, he mentors the guy who contributes the majority of the New Testament by tonnage, and even the book that we’re in, written by Luke, his friend, 13 through 28 rather, those chapters are primarily focused on Saul of Tarsus.
Here’s my big idea: If you take Paul out of the New Testament, you’ve lost most of the New Testament. You’ve lost most of the New Testament. Much of the Bible is from or connected to the person and work of Saul of Tarsus, Paul the apostle. I mean, it’s just unbelievable the impact this man has had on history.
We pick up the story in 
Acts 9:1-2 NKJV
1Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord,
The phrase “breathing threats” means “heavy breathing”, as when a person is so angry they almost hyperventilate. 
went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus,
He says it this way some years later as he’s reflecting back. Paul refers back to this season of his life (before he met Christ). Here’s what he says in 
Galatians 1:13 ESV
13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.
Saul was very religious. He’s not doing this because he’s an atheist. He’s not. He believed that he was on God’s mission, that God had anointed him to put an end to the following of Jesus.
He sees this in retrospect as persecution of God’s church—That’s what he was trying to do. He’s on a mission to shut the church down.  
Not only is he religious, but he was also violent and destructive. We saw this earlier in Acts.
Acts 8:3 NLT
3 But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.
You can see it here. He’s breathing threats, he’s threatening murder, and it’s a credible threat, right? He just oversaw the murder of Stephen. I mean, he’s looking for—think about this—your grandma who loves Jesus, your mom, your sister, your wife, in addition to the men. Being bound means shackled at the wrists, shackled at the feet. I mean, this is like captured in war. This is how people, when captured in war, would be brought back for trial. He is religious, he is ravaging, he will not stop or slow down, and he relentless. 
The distance between where he is and where he’s getting permission to travel is upwards of 150 miles. He persecuted the church, he murdered Stephen, the church scatters, and he is still not satisfied. 
so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
Now, you may not be familiar with this. We call ourselves Christians today. It was actually—originally in the Bible, it was a derogatory term. It was a negative term. It was something that critics would use to explain Christians. “Oh, you’re like little Christs. You’re all just trying to be like Jesus,” and it was a negative thing that was said. One of the early titles for Christians was The Way. And this comes out of 
John 14:6 ESV
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
That’s what Jesus said. Singular and exclusive, right?
There are people, and there is God, and the only way for people to be reconciled rightly in relationship to God, there’s only one way, one truth, one life. That’s Jesus. Jesus is the only way. What got Jesus in trouble was that he said, “I am the way.” If he would have said, “I am a way,” he wouldn’t have gotten in as much trouble. 
The Christians came along and said, “Jesus is the way,” and they got in trouble. They wouldn’t have gotten in trouble had they said, “He is a way. There are many religions, beliefs, and philosophies, and spiritualities, and ideologies, and many paths that lead to God, and Jesus is one among many.” 
And so Saul of Tarsus is VERY opposed to anyone proclaiming that Jesus is the way. And the opposition that he is bringing is to get people to stop teaching that Jesus is the way. 
I need to ask you this question: 
Do you believe that Jesus is the only way? 
That is the foundational (basic) issue, and I would tell you, dear friend, 2,000 years later it’s still an issue. 
Around the world right now as we speak, our brothers and sisters in Christ are facing this same kind of thing persecution as we are reading about here. They’re being killed, they’re being stalked, they’re being arrested, they’re fleeing for their lives, and their families are getting torn apart because they are committed to Jesus as the way. 
One of the issues that the United States wars with is religion. In fact, when I was voted in as Pastor here I had to do a lot of research to see exactly what you believed because I understood that sometimes people are more committed to their denominations (religion)than to God.  
One of the things that really helped me was when we had a missionary come and speak to us. I believe it was in Year One or Two of me being here. At the time, he was a missionary in a country that persecuted the church. And he told me very matter of fact, that over there it didn’t matter the denominations. Jesus was the WAY! 

3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 
Later in Acts, Paul gives his testimony and he describes the light: 
Acts 26:13 English Standard Version
13 … I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me.
It most definitely is a supernatural light. Jesus spoke to him out of this bright light, 
John 8:12 English Standard Version
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
This is interesting when you remember that the LORD spoke to Moses out of the burning bush. And Moses wrote the Torah, or the first 5 books of the Bible. 
4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
Saul had been persecuting the church, but Jesus asked what? “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 
That’s how closely Jesus identifies with His church—any persecution of the church is persecution of Him. Touching you is tantamount to touching Jesus. To come against you is the same as coming against the 
Luke 10:16 New Living Translation
16 Then he said to the disciples, “Anyone who accepts your message is also accepting me. And anyone who rejects you is rejecting me. And anyone who rejects me is rejecting God, who sent me.”
To suffer persecution for His sake is to take the animosity a person feels against Jesus and bear it for Him. When you are mocked, ridiculed, rejected, abused, or cancelled because of your faith in Jesus, it isn’t a personal rejection of you; it a rejection of Him. 
5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”
Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 

Can you imagine how terrifying that would be? Saul is, as he said in Galatians, was persecuting the church trying to destroy it, and Jesus shows up and gets involved to protect the church. Saul is surrounded in light. And Saul would have thought up until that moment he was walking in the light, that he saw things as they were and he was dealing with reality. But the truth is he was in darkness because he didn’t believe Jesus was the way. 
It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
A goad was a long, extremely sharp stick used to get an ox going the way you wanted when plowing. One jabbed the hind legs of the ox with the goad until the ox cooperated.
Essentially, Saul was the ox; Jesus was the farmer. Saul was stupid and stubborn – yet valuable, and potentially extremely useful to the Master’s service. Jesus goaded Saul into the right direction, and the goading caused Saul pain. Yet instead of submitting to Jesus, Saul kicked against the goad – and only increased his pain.
Something was goading Saul’s conscience. Despite all his outward confidence, there was something bothering him inside. He kicked against it to be sure, but it was still there. The unease may have started with Stephen’s prayer (Acts 7:57-60).
 6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”
I love Saul’s immediate response. Saul’s conversion happened the moment he acknowledged Jesus as LORD. That’s what salvation is all about—surrendering yourself to Jesus and acknowledging Him as Lord of your life. And instantly, your sins are forgiven, and you are now a child of God. And we see this happened in Saul’s life. 
Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
Now think about this. Saul was the one that usually gave the orders. Some of us are this way. We want our way and thus we give the orders in our lives. We think we know what we need. We think we know what we are doing. And so we line up our lives to reflect what we want. But God has a different plan. 
The Lord leads one step at a time. He didn’t lay out everything that He had planned for Saul in the future. 
 7 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.
In the Greek, it says The men were εννεοι, stupified, hearing τηςφωνης, the voice or thunder, but not distinguishing the words, which were addressed to Saul alone; and which were spoken out of the thunder, or in a small, still voice.
Later in Acts 22, Paul will say that the men with him saw the light, but they did not hear the voice. 
Acts 26:14 New King James Version
14 And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language,…
Only scholars knew the Hebrew language; Aramaic was the language of the common people. So those servants traveling with Paul would not have understood what they heard. 
8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 
Saul began this journey breathing out threats against the church. But it’s a different man who arrives in Damacus. He’s blind, and he is a believer in Jesus. 
Only Jesus can cause such a dramatic change in a person’s life. The moment a person surrenders to Him and chooses to submit to His lordship, a radical transformation takes place; a change that a person cannot do themselves. 
That doesn’t mean that people don’t try. Often people are convicted by a sermon and they determine to change. 
“If I’m going to be a Christian, I can’t lose my temper anymore. And no more cursing. I’ve got to be forgiving now.”
But what we are doing is putting the cart before the horse. We don’t change so that we can become Christians; we become Christians and God changes us. 
Attempting to make changes on your own out of your willpower will only lead you down a frustrating path. And that’s the enemy’s tactic. He wants you be frustrated and give up. 
2 Corinthians 5:17 New Living Translation
17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
First you come to Jesus, and then the Holy Spirit begins to transform you into His image. 
2 Corinthians 3:18 New Living Translation
18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
It’s a process of us surrendering ourselves to His Lordship. That’s the key. Oftentimes we get caught up in trying “not to sin”. In other words, putting the focus on the act of sinning. When the victory comes from us putting our focus on Jesus, our Savior, our Redeemer. And somehow, he changes us from the inside out. He removes that desire, He heals that anger, He softens the heart and thus your speech begins to change. 
Saul set out for Damacus with the power and authority of the high priest behind him; he arrived in Damacus with the power and authority of Jesus Christ governing his life. He left Jerusalem proud and arrogant; he arrived in Damacus a broken man, with someone leading him by the hand. 
9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
In those three days of darkness, I believe a tremendous revolution was taking place in Saul’s mind. He wasn’t eating or drinking. I believe he was rethinking his whole religious background and beliefs. 
He had prided himself on his background, his education, and his keeping of the Law. But when he came face to face with Jesus, all of those things vanished. 
Philippians 3:7-8 New Living Translation
7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ
10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias
Notice that Ananias was not an apostle or a deacon. Thus far the book of Acts has been about the ministry and works of the apostles and deacons. Now we see God using just an ordinary disciple, a follower of Jesus. 
God gives us two messages here: 
One, he can use anyone; and Two, He won’t be put into a box. You can’t confine God to one particular pattern. 
; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”
And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
Visions are much like dreams, with the exception of being awake rather than asleep. All through the Scriptures God used both dreams and visions to direct people. 
Sometimes they were very clear. Other times like in the case of King Nebucadnezzar, the dreams were cryptic and needed the help of someone who had the gift of interpretation. Daniel had that gift and used it to share God’s message with the king. 
In Joel’s prophecy about the last days, repeated by Peter in Acts 2, he said 
Joel 2:28 New Living Translation
28 “Then, after doing all those things,
    I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
    Your old men will dream dreams,
    and your young men will see visions.
That prophecy that Joel take you right up and into the period of the Great Tribulation. I believe that prophecy is for today, and God wants to speak to us. We need to be listening. As Annias was when he said, “Here Am I, Lord”. 
How many of you have said to the LORD? Or have we kept Jesus at a distance. We trust Him for our passage to Heaven but have not given Him access to our Earth. 
11 So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.
The street called Straight is still one of the major streets in Damacus today. It runs the length of the city from East to West. 
God took note of Saul’s prayers. As a Pharisee, Saul no doubt prayed often and regularly. It was customary to pray three times a day and go to the temple for the hours of prayer. Being a devout Pharisee, Saul would be engaged in prayer throughout the day. But Jesus warned the disciples that when they prayed they shouldn’t be as the Pharisees. That’s because they prayed on the street corners, loudly and with a lot of bobbing and weaving—hoping others would see how spiritual they were. Their aim wasn’t fellowship with God; their aim was the attention of men. 
Those prayers were long, repetitious, and memorized—not prayers of the heart. (Matthew 6:5-6) Things are different now in Saul. And for God to now acknowledge his prayers means that there has been a genuine conversion. 
 12 And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”
Notice how the LORD works on both ends. He tells Ananias in a vision to meet and pray with Saul, and He also shows Saul that a man by the name of Ananias was coming to pray for him to restore his sight. 
13 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”
Saul’s reputation as a persecutor of the church had gone far and wide. So it’s no wonder that Ananias is taken back by his vision. 
Sometimes we have to wait to find out what God is doing, and it is usually during that time we struggle. We can become confused and challenge God.
We are also prone to quick judgements before we have all the facts or before the whole chapter is finished. We see the media doing this all time with people. We must be careful. 
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 
Saul was to have a three-fold ministry; he was to share the gospel of Jesus with the Gentiles, with kings, and with the children of Israel. And he did all of those things. 
It is clear that God chose and equipped Saul. His background was unusual, and it provided many doors for him. 
Saul grew up Tarsus as a Roman citizen, but his father was of the tribe of Bejamin—a Hebrew of Hebrews. So Saul spent the first 14 years of his life being schooled in the Scriptures by his father, but at the same time being surrounded by playmates who were Greek. 
At age 14, his father sent him to Jerusalem to further his education in the Hebrew University under Gamaliel, where he became thoroughly schooled in the Law and the Scriptures. Thus as a Pharisee, schooled under Gamaliel, he was able to talk to Jews. But having grown up in the Greek culture in his early years, he was able to relate to the Grecian culture. 
He was bilingual. Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin.
God had uniquely prepared Saul for ministry that would bridge the Jewish and Gentile communities. This is why Saul was able to say, 
1 Corinthians 9:20-22 New Living Translation
20 When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. 21 When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.
22 When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.
16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
Saul gives a list of things he suffered in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28. 
17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Can you put yourself in Ananias’ shoes from a minute? Here he is standing before the man who has authority from the priests to arrest him, take him back to Jerusalem as a prisoner. And he looks at this guy and addresses him as “BROTHER”. 
18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.
I believe that this was a powerful moment. Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit and his eyesight was restored!!! And then he was water baptized.   
19 So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.
20 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.
21 Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?”
HOW GOD CHANGED SAUL/ PAUL
1. GOD REDEEMED HIS PRIVILEGED STATUS
Well, God, number one, redeemed his privileged status. He’s a dual citizen. Once he becomes a Christian, now he can travel through the Roman Empire freely, which is what you’re going to see in rest of the book of Acts. And sometimes when he’s arrested, he says, “Hey, I’m a Roman citizen. You can’t do this to me,” and it gives him legal protection. God redeems him, God uses his privileged status.
2. GOD REDEEMED HIS RESILIENT NATURE
Number two, God redeemed his resilient nature. Here’s a guy who’s willing to make a plan, raise money, get some guys, walk 150 miles, declare war. He’s very resilient. He meets Jesus. The resiliency doesn’t go away but the mission changes. “Now I’m going to travel like that to tell people about Jesus’ love, not to shut churches down but to open churches up, not to persecute Christians but to pastor Christians.” God redeems his resiliency.
3. GOD REDEEMED HIS BRILLIANT MIND
Number three, God redeemed his brilliant mind. All of a sudden, he started thinking God’s thoughts. He started to have, as he says in Colossians, “the mind of Christ.” He starts to think about Jesus and see everything connected to the person and work of Jesus. God gave him a great mind, and until he met Jesus it wasn’t greatly used for God’s glory, but it was redeemed.
4. GOD REDEEMED HIS PROLIFIC PEN
Number four, God redeemed his prolific pen. This guy is a brilliant writer. He instructs and exhorts with amazing clarity. And once he receives the Holy Spirit, he goes on to pen books of the Bible. God redeems his prolific pen, his ability to communicate. (giftedness)

The question is, what variable accounts for this radical transformation, this amazing redemption, this utterly changed man? Paul himself gives us an insight in 
Romans 1:16 New Living Translation
16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.
Paul is saying, “I’m not ashamed of the gospel.” 
What he’s saying here is, “I’ve experienced the power of the gospel so deeply in my life that I have to unleash it to see what it does.” Because if God could save Saul, he could save anyone. 
Be careful that we don’t look at Saul of Tarsus and say, “What a horrible person. If God could save him, he could save anyone.” I want us to also look in the mirror and say, “What a horrible person I am. If God could save him, then God can save me.” 
And the gospel, friends, is the good news about Jesus. It’s all about Jesus. That’s what that word means, that Jesus is God become a man, that he is pursuing us as he did Saul, that he is loving us as he did Saul, that he is forgiving us as he did Saul, that he saving us as he did Saul, that he is changing us as he did Saul, that Jesus lived without any sin. He wasn’t religious, he wasn’t rebellious, he was perfect. That he went to the cross, he died in our place for our sins.
See, Saul is out trying to murder people. Jesus comes very differently and allows us to murder Him. And in so doing, he is actually substituting himself so that his death would be for our forgiveness because he’s dying in our place for our sins.
That’s the good news, and that Jesus was buried and he didn’t stay dead. And the greatest event in the history of the world is the resurrection of Jesus where he conquers Satan, sin, death, hell, the wrath of God, that he’s alive and well, that he’s pursuing, seeking, saving, and changing horrible people like Saul. That He’s patient in that process because it’s not all at once. 
That’s the good news. It’s not about what we do, what Jesus has done. It’s not about who we are, but who Jesus is. Not about what we deserve, but about what Jesus has earned for us. He says, “I’m not ashamed of the gospel, it’s the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”
Romans 1:16 New Living Translation
16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.
The Greek word here is actually the same word for dynamite. You just don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s incredibly powerful. It can change anyone, it can save anyone, it can transform anything. That’s the power of the gospel. And so our hope is not in the person that we’re telling the gospel to, our hope is in the gospel that is being told to that person. And so Saul learns about Jesus, is saved, believes, and his life is changed. His blind eyes are open, spiritually speaking. His dead heart is brought to life. His mind is renewed and changed. He’s an utterly different man, so we call him Paul the apostle.
How does someone change? 
This is important because we believe in good deeds… 
We believe in good advice….
but the truth in Christian’s change is found in Good News. 
Other things may help you, but only Jesus can save you. 
Other things may improve your life, but only Jesus gives eternal life. 
Do you know Jesus? 
Have you experienced the power of the Good News? If not, this is the day that I want you to meet Jesus. Now, we all meet Jesus in different ways.
We each need to come to Jesus and to meet him, and that’s what Saul did. He met Jesus. 
Have you met Jesus? 
Have you experienced the power of the Good News? 
Has it been unleashed in your life?
What he does with Saul he wants to do with each of us, and that is to take all of our experiences and our abilities and to redeem them for His glory and other’s good.