An unlikely convert - Acts 9:1-31

This is a sermon by Abraham Overvoorde from the Riverside Church service on 13th October 2024.

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Acts 9: 1-31 – An Unlikely Convert

 

 

Introduction

 

What’s the greatest transformation you have ever seen. Maybe it’s grand designs, I remember seeing a ruined castle being transformed into a home that many could only dream of. Maybe you enjoy watching Sort your life out like me, seeing rammed and cluttered houses, completely removed of all their junk and ending with a tidy, beautiful home. It’s quickly coming up to Christmas but I know at least two households in the church family have already watched the animated version of the Grinch this year (not naming any names but it is one of my favourite Christmas films). What a transformation Mr Grinch goes through, from completely hating Christmas and people in general to becoming a loving, caring soul. On the Christmas theme, Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol has the same massive transformation, I do like Christmas. We see a young sweet boy in Star Wars becoming the evil villain Darth Vader. Beast in Beauty and the Beast, Harvey Dent, the upright attorney in Batman becoming the villain Two Face. I could name so many and you probably have thought of some yourselves. Yet the truth is our story from God’s inspired word is probably one of the greatest transformations in redemptive history.

 

Recap

 

 

 

We see Saul of Tarsus here at the beginning of our passage, living a way of life that is right to him. You see he is living by his beliefs, the culture, his own code and creed, his own way, he was a Jewish Pharisee. He saw Christians as a threat, the enemy, he saw them as trying to destroy his creed and his code, his way. So he set about on this destructive mission to rid the threat to his way by literally dragging Christians who followed the way to prison, so that they could be tried and ultimately killed.

 

Most of you know I love Star Wars and one of my favourite Star Wars shows is called The Mandalorian, in it we often hear a phrase repeated, and it is “This is the Way”, this is what Mandalorians would repeat to one another to show they aligned with one another. You see they had a code, a creed to live by, this was their way and part of that included swearing that they would not remove their helmet in the presence of another. This group are so firm that when this actually does happen, the one who breaks the code is immediately cast out and no longer part of the way. They are fanatical and committed to this way of life but the truth is we all live by our own creeds and codes, we all have our own way that we follow.

 

As Saul lives by his way and his code as a Pharisee, there can be no compromise in belief and principals, there can be no other way, only the religious way that he has been brought up in. This crucified blasphemer Jesus and his fanatic followers must be made an example of before they start to rock the religious way of life that we are used to. They must be destroyed, so he is set on this path of ruthless persecution, doing anything he could to stop these Christians who were against his creed and his code.

 

The ESV brings it out in a really nice way as it says in verse 3 that Saul went on his way, living by his creed setting out to imprison anyone who way living by the way. Two different ways that were completely different from one another and yet the story now begins to change as Saul meets the very one who is The Way.

 

Through meeting Jesus on this Damascus Road experience, Saul is meeting the very one who as a Pharisee, he claimed to be serving, the one of his code, his creed, his way. Saul is persecuting followers of Jesus and ultimately persecuting Jesus himself, persecuting God! In other words, he was hitting the church and Jesus himself has been feeling the pain.  Wow, we can take comfort in that, can’t we.

 

Whatever situation of life, whatever struggle or persecution that we face, the Lord Jesus Christ cares, he knows our situation and he is working in it. We are one body in Christ through his salvation and when one member hurts, we feel it, our Saviour feels it. We’ve just been through our friendship series and I pray we would not just forget about that now but as we are grafted into the body of Christ, as members, we should be loving and caring for one another, supporting on another when times of difficulty arise, when others are finding life tough.

 

How can we do that? Well we can do it in the Lord’s strength, just as he worked in this situation to change Saul’s heart, to rescue countless believers from prison, bring many to Christ and ultimately as we will see later to bring a time of peace, so he is working in our situation, to give us peace and assurance that he is eternally reigning on the throne and no matter how dreadful the threats and the plans of men are, they cannot move the plans of the Lord Jesus Christ who is king of kinds and on the heavenly throne.

 

Persecution is the truth and reality that many Christians around the world are facing today, many of the stories that we don’t hear about and yet they are part of the body of Christ. Do you care? Do you seek to know about their plight, do you earnestly pray for them?

 

A pastor in Laos was shot dead recently as he actively pursued church planting despite being warned of his activities. The political and social upheaval that’s engulfed Bangladesh in recent weeks has had devastating impact on Christians. Houses and farms have been destroyed, possessions and livestock looted, and believers have been beaten, threatened with death and pressured to leave their homes altogether. Many of those not driven from their homes have not gone out, for fear of persecution.

 

A young Christian man in Pakistan has been sentenced to death for allegedly posting on TikTok a photograph of a damaged Quran following the devastating attack on a Christian community by Muslims after rumours about two Christian men who had allegedly desecrated the Quran. Nearly 100 houses and more than 25 churches were damaged and burnt in the violence.

 

It's almost unimaginable to think of what some Christians around the world are facing while praise God, we are in relative comfort. The truth is, stories like these from Open Doors should stir us to pray and to say, come Lord Jesus.

 

We heard these wonderful verses last week in the guest service, written by Paul himself in his later life:

 

Romans 8:35-39

 

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

 

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

Even in our trouble, hardship or persecution, Jesus is still with us, loving us and we cannot be separated from him.

 

 

Back to our verses and we see this radical transformation, like the ones I mentioned and asked you to think about at the beginning. Saul has been confronted by the risen Jesus and though he is physically blinded, he is spiritually enlightened. The evidence is suddenly now too overwhelming, he has to accept “The Way”. If Pete came to us next week and told us he’s signed a professional contract to play for Man United, I think most of us probably wouldn’t be inclined to believe him, until we actually see the contract or see him wearing the kit and kicking the ball about on the pitch. For Saul the evidence is there, the most zealous persecutor of the church, is suddenly stopped in his tracks as a “light from heaven flashed around him”.

 

Dr Ben Witherington says that light or lightning is a regular feature in Old Testament Theophanies, when someone meets or sees God. Here in our verses this flashing light highlights the divinity of Jesus. The light came from heaven. In the midst of this persecution by Saul, Jesus is sat on the throne, he is in control and changing lives and the situations of his people. Look at what he says, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute ME?”. Here is Jesus identifying with the persecuted believers who Saul was against, to persecute them or us, is to persecute him.  Do you feel that today, if you feel persecuted, even in a small way as one of your friends mocks your belief or your boss overlooks you, maybe a family member has rejected you because of your faith? We are united with Christ, he identifies with us and cares for us in our present situation.

 

Just because Jesus has ascended to heaven, it doesn’t mean he’s taking backstage, he is very present and working in even the hardest situations. Jesus is the head of the body, we have a union with him through the Spirit, he is the reigning heavenly King who has defeated death and already brought about victory. Changing the life of Saul, who was the worst, or as he describes himself “The chief of sinners”, is an incredible transformation but it is just a drop in the ocean for Jesus.

 

Do you notice how Saul speaks 4 little words during this encounter, he says “Who are you, Lord?”, that’s it. Given the circumstances of this bright light and voice from heaven, we can assume that when Saul addresses his question using Lord, he knows that he is in the presence of the Lord God, the one who is seated on the throne. Jesus replied telling Saul who he way and tell him to get up and go into the city and await further instructions. We don’t see more questions or arguments, certainly no murderous threats. Saul got up from the ground, blinded and with the help of his companions, he did as the Lord commanded, his life has already been miraculously transformed for him to be able to trust and wait.

 

I wonder how easy it is for us to trust and wait, maybe that thing we desire so much just hasn’t happened yet, or your wondering what plans God has for you, why didn’t I get that job. Jesus Christ is reigning on the throne, bringing about his glorious reality in the salvation of sinners and working in the lives of the believers in whom he identifies and is united with. Sometimes he calls us to wait, to wait patiently and to trust before he works mightily for his glory.

 

I’ll refer to Saul as Paul now, as the Lord Jesus did after his transformation. He is waiting, instead of just quickly restoring his sight and setting him on his way, he is going to use this experience to grow and strengthen the faith of Ananias. I think if I had a vision and Jesus was telling me to go to see someone who was actively imprisoning and sentencing Christians to death, I’d probably question that too, are you sure? But Jesus confirms it and tells Ananias to go to this chosen instrument, one who is now united with Christ, identifying with him and so Jesus says he will now suffer with him rather than cause suffering.

 

Paul’s sight is restored, now he truly sees, he knows the Lord Jesus Christ and is part of his wonderful family of believers, he is now following The Way and is baptised, praise the Lord. The glorious reality is that Jesus is on the throne, he is calling people to himself, saving them and transforming their lives so they can be part of his wonderful and loving family. Look at what he has done, we can hope in our Saviour who us reigning, we can trust in his perfect timing for our situations.

 

The truth is that in the transformation of Paul, we see the almighty power of God, he is reigning on the throne and he is in complete control. How does God change this dire situation, he just… speaks. You see, there is absolutely nothing that we can do to change or affect a situation if God has ordained it as such, if he has willed it, it will happen. Yet he allows us to come to him and bring our petitions to him, he knows what we will ask before we come to him or before a situation even happens and he graciously hears our prayers. We must earnestly pray in the most difficult situations, but we can also trust that whatever the outcome, he is in control, he knows and he loves us and in with us, working all things for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose.

 

 

  • Transformed Lives (20-31)

 

So by this point in our story, Paul is a completely changed man, rather than breathing our murderous threats, he is preaching about Jesus, his speech is transformed, and quite understandably, causing a bit of a stir, baffling the Jews and astonishing all who heard him. You can kind of understand their reaction because if we go by what Paul says of himself later on in his ministry, we get a glimpse of what he was like, he says these things:

 

Acts 26:9-11 “I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.

 

Paul’s conversion was like that of C. S. Lewis, who said, I gave in and admitted that God was God and knelt and prayed. Perhaps, that night the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England." The last thing he’d ever intended to do was to become a Christian. But Paul was, in his own words "grasped by Jesus Christ" and his divine intervention (Phil. 3:12)

 

Such a transformation was of course going to make the disciples skeptical, maybe we would be too if that happened today. Yet, praise God for Barnabas and Ananias, they trusted in the Lord and were prepared to stick their necks out to help and support Saul. What I love about Barnabas here is willingness to listen. He heard Paul’s story and retold it to the disciples. He’s a leader of the church, standing as king of PR guy for the new junior upstart.  Are we encouragers like that? Are we willing to listen and support someone, desiring the best for them in Christ.

 

I was trying to think of what a modern-day transformation would look like, so imagine that Donald Trump come out in a press conference tomorrow and praises his Kamilah Harris, he speaks about her kindness and goodness and how she would make a wonderful President. In fact, he goes as far as to endorse her as the best candidate to make America great again. He generously donates his own money to her campaign and offers to host her free of charge at his luxury hotels. It’s pretty unbelievable isn’t it, and unless God changes President Trump as he changed Paul, it’s very unlikely to happen.

 

Look what the Lord has done, he changed Paul’s heart, he changed the hearts of the disciples, of Ananias and Barnabus to trust him. We can have hope in this incredible situation, God has changed the worst of the worst, the chief of sinners and so he can change you, he can give you a deeper love for him that is greater than that sin you are battling, he is greater than your depression today, he is our comfort in the midst of our loneliness and our loss. He is dependable, gentle and lowly, patient and kind, no other Saviour like Jesus I find.

 

If he can change Paul today and he can change us, we can also rely on him and call out to him for our loved ones because he is faithful and good and he is in the business of saving souls. So don’t grow weary in bringing your prayers and petitions to the Lord, for your loves ones that the scales would fall from their eyes and they would see Jesus. You might have to wait, you might be waiting a while, but we can trust in Jesus’s glorious power to save.

 

Look at what happened at the end of our passage today? The church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers. God brought about peace after this intense period of persecution. Sometimes we have to go through the darkest and deepest trials of life for God to transform us and bring peace into our situation. Yet he is always with us, never leaving or forsaking us.

 

The conversion of the great Indian evangelist Sadhu Singh was remarkably similar to that of Paul. He too was a young man who vehemently opposed Christianity until he had a vision of Christ that transformed his life. When his family members, who were Sikhs, realized that the conversion he professed was not a passing fancy, they poisoned him and sent him away from home. He landed at the doorstep of the home of a pastor, desperately ill. The doctor who saw him gave up hope that he would recover. "But as he lay, there came to him the profound belief that God had not called him out of darkness to die without witnessing to his faith in Christ, so he began to pray with all his remaining powers. "so He recovered and launched out on a life of witness. Donning the garb of an Indian holy man, he traveled the length and breadth of India barefoot, preaching the gospel. This earned him the name "the apostle of the bleeding feet," for his feet, unprotected from the hostile elements, sometimes bled. His realization as he lay dying was that he was "saved to tell others" the gospel.

 

The truth is that all of us are saved to tell others the gospel, for some it may be to our friends or family, others, our hairdresser or taxi driver, some will go from door to door or out in the streets and others over to another country. We all have a responsibility to share of this wonderful news, this great transformative news that changed even you and even me. We have a wonderful hope because the Lord Jesus chose to transform us.

Acts 9:1-31 “An Unlikely Convert”

 

Intro: Great Transformations

 

  • Dreadful Threats

 

  • Saul’s creed and code – His Way

 

 

  • Followers of The Way

 

 

Remember when we are struggling or being persecuted? Even in these situations, Jesus is still with us, loving us and we cannot be separated from him.

 

 

  • Glorious Reality

 

 

  • Seeing the Light

 

 

  • Knowing Jesus is on the Throne – He is in control

 

 

 

  • Transformed Lives

 

  • Transformed Speech – Paul is transformed

 

  • Transformed Trust – The disciples are transformed

 

  • Transformed Lives – Unbelievers are transformed

 

Who are we trusting the Lord to save and are we prepared and willing to step out in faith and speak the gospel to them?

 

 

Memory verse: Acts 9:31

“Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.”

 

God has changed the worst of the worst, the chief of sinners and so he can change or situation, he can change us and he can change the ones we love, so don’t give up hope. Trust in the Lord.

Questions to chew over:

  •  Saul’s way was so different to followers of The Way. Read Acts 7:54 – 8:3 to see a glimpse of the gulf between and discuss the difference. Does our “creed and code” shine forth Jesus?
  • In light of Saul’s transformation, how can we know that Jesus is reigning on the throne and in control in our situations and live?
  • How will you let Jesus transform you today? Are we willing to step out in faith for Him?

 

My own questions for later:

 

 

 

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