Unstoppable Grace

Okay, Book of Acts, chapter 9, starting at verse 1.

Acts 9 · chapter mention

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord,

went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus,

so that if he found anyone belonging to the way, men or women,

he might bring them down to Jerusalem.

Now, as he went on his way, he approached Damascus,

and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him,

and falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him,

Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

And he said, Who are you, Lord?

And he said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.

The men who were traveling with him stood speechless,

hearing the voice but seeing no one.

Saul rose from the grounds, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing.

So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias.

And the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias.

And he said, Here I am, Lord.

And the Lord said to him, Rise and go to the street called Straight,

and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul.

For behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay hands on him

so that he might regain his sight.

But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man,

how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.

And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.

But the Lord said to him, Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine

to carry my name before the Gentiles and the kings and the children of Israel.

For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.

So Ananias departed and entered the house, and laying his hands on him, he said,

Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you came,

has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight.

Then he rose and was baptized, and taking food, he was strengthened.

For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus, and immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues,

saying, He is the Son of God.

And all who heard him were amazed, and said,

Is this not the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name?

And has he not come here for the purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?

But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus,

by proving that Jesus was the Christ.

When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him.

But their plot became known to Saul.

They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him.

But his disciples took him by night and led him down through an opening in the wall,

lowering him in a basket.

And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples, and they were all afraid of him,

for they did not believe that he was a disciple.

But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles, and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord,

who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.

So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.

And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists, but they were seeking to kill him.

And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and were being built up.

And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

This is God's word to us today.

May we be blessed.

Good morning, everyone.

Will you pray with me as we come to God's word?

Let's pray.

Father, I pray that wherever we're at, that you would meet us,

even as powerfully as you met Saul that day.

Lord, I know my words can't do that, but I also know your word can.

And so I pray that you would give us listening ears to your word.

In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen.

Well, I wonder what picture you have of a person who is just desperately lost.

They're just so far away from salvation, from believing in Jesus.

What kind of person does your imagination ponder up?

Is it someone who's just addicted to some substance or gambling or something and their life is spiralling down and down?

Is it that sort of testimony, that kind of person you think of?

When I saw the image of a missionary we keep in contact with, where you're just in Myanmar,

of this hall full of people blindfolded 24-7 basically, not talking to each other,

just trying to get rid of all desire.

They've never even heard of Jesus.

They just look like statues just sitting there.

Is that the kind of picture of someone, whoa, they are desperately lost?

Maybe you picture someone who's just obsessed with their money or their achievements or their beauty.

They're just trying to prove themselves day in and day out.

Maybe that's the kind of person you picture is desperately lost.

Could someone being desperately lost look more like what you and I are doing right now?

Is that possible?

That what you and I, myself included, even preaching or sitting and attending church,

is it possible that is close to a picture of someone really, really lost?

Well, in our time in Acts, this term, we have seen Jesus' unstoppable word of salvation go out.

And it's happened through such unlikely means.

It's the death of Stephen and persecution that has spread his people out into Judea and Samaria.

And it's brought in the most unlikely people.

People who have been hostile to God for centuries, the Samaritans, but they're now reconciled.

They're brought in.

People who think, like the eunuch, they will never, ever, ever be allowed to come into God's place.

But they get that embrace of Jesus.

So the most unlikely people.

But if we've got all this good news, and if we've, in all this good news,

we might have forgotten what's actually going on in the landscape.

There is a huge threat.

And Luke reminds us of that in verse 1.

And Saul is still breathing out threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.

He was there giving approval to Stephen's death.

So when it says murder, Luke's not exaggerating.

Saul is a picture of someone who is incredibly lost.

Today we're going to see just how unstoppable Jesus' grace is.

I think I want to take us through.

I think we see three things in this passage.

We see that his grace is so unstoppable that it can take someone who thinks they're on the right path

and just doesn't want to hear a word about it

and turn them into someone who willingly suffers for Jesus.

We're going to see that even with that profound change in Saul,

that the church had a real hard time accepting him.

The grace that they loved to have for themselves,

it was really hard to accept someone else.

And I think we also see the transformation in Saul's life.

When people saw him and heard him,

they just couldn't deny it.

He's just such a testimony to the grace of God found in Jesus

that they just couldn't deny it.

They didn't know what to do with it.

So that's where we're headed this morning.

Saul is the picture of the most lost person you can imagine.

Let's imagine Saul on the road that day.

Your law, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.

That's how the Old Testament describes the law.

It's a lamp for my path.

I am walking the right way on the road to Damascus.

We find out when he talks about his conversion later on,

it is the middle of the day.

He's in the noonday sun.

He thinks he's walking on the right path to God.

I know God approves of me.

I am surpassing my peers in knowledge of the Scriptures.

I'm surpassing my peers in obedience to the requirements of the law.

And now I'm surpassing my peers in holy zeal.

I am leading the way for the honour of your name, God.

For the honour of Moses.

For the honour of the temple.

For the honour of your son, Israel.

I'm just burning with passion.

How dare they claim that Moses pointed to this man.

Have they not read Moses?

Cursed is everyone who's hung on a tree.

How dare they say that?

How dare they claim that a temple now points to a human being?

And I hear that they're even allowing Samaritans and eunuchs to come in,

as unclean as they are.

They're profaning the high priest.

They're profaning the sacrifices.

How we can be made right with God.

How dare they claim that the Holy Spirit has come.

The Spirit would never, ever lead people to worship a human being.

Zeal for you consumes me.

I'm like Phineas who sees this blasphemy for what it is.

I want to throw a spear through it.

He is so sure he's on the right path.

God bless my trip.

Now this isn't in scripture, okay?

Bless my trip.

As the noonday sun lights my path,

as you stoned that blasphemous Stephen,

bless me.

Help me capture every man and woman

to get rid of this,

this heresy,

those who follow the way.

And in the noonday sun,

it's an even greater light.

Knocks him to the ground.

He thought he was righteous

until he saw this light.

He saw the righteous one.

He heard a voice saying,

Saul,

Saul,

why are you persecuting me?

Who are you, Lord?

I am Jesus,

whom you

are persecuting.

Now he was sure

he was on the righteous path.

He could see where he was going.

Now he's blind.

But he was sure

he was leading the way

and now he's got to be led by the hand.

He once fasted

to observe the law.

He is so struck

by this experience.

For three days,

he's just,

he's just,

he's just dismantled

to the core.

He doesn't think of eating

and drinking.

He's just so overwhelmed

by who he has seen.

And he's sitting in darkness.

Just,

he's broken down.

His world is broken down.

His idea of God

is broken down.

His idea of himself

being right with God

and who he is.

He's just broken down

and he's sitting in darkness.

And I just,

the last thing

that's just burned

into his image

is seeing Jesus.

And he's got three days.

Think about that.

Think about that.

Think about that.

Think about that.

I think he experiences

a kind of death

for those three days.

I want to pause here.

If you think

becoming a Christian

is committing

to a lifestyle,

if you think

that's what the call

of Christianity is,

come and live

this lifestyle,

I hope that idea dies.

See the conversion

of Saul.

it is not putting

on a lifestyle.

It's actually

being confronted

by a Jesus

that actually

breaks you down

to the core

of your being.

It's being confronted

with a God

who is there.

He's bigger

than your ideas

of him.

There's some things

about him

that you won't

like

because

he's there.

He's bigger

than your own

thoughts

and your own

desires

of what you

want God

to be.

And Saul

encountered that

God.

We all must

encounter him.

That's conversion.

Encountering

a Jesus

who is there

and he breaks

you first.

I just wonder

what was going

through Saul's

mind

for those

three days.

Jesus really

is alive.

He's alive.

He's in heaven.

He can enter

this world

whenever he pleases

as if it's

his world.

His glory

outshines

the sun.

It has blinded

me.

He chose

to remove

my sight.

He's given

me a vision

that a man

that I came

to arrest

and maybe

beat,

maybe kill

is going

to come

and restore

my sight.

He can

choose when

to take

my sight

and when

to give

it.

And yet

he died.

I know

he died.

He was

cursed

on that

tree.

But he's

vindicated.

God has

vindicated

him.

If he's

vindicated,

that curse

mustn't have

been for

him.

His sin,

it must

have been

for others.

I thought

I was

righteous.

I thought

I was doing

what God

wanted,

but oh

my goodness,

I'm

actually raging

against the

Lord and

his anointed.

God

wanted to

be

corrected.

Now who

knows what

he was

thinking.

I'm kind

of just

piecing

things

together

from other

things he's

written later

on.

God

said,

but Jesus'

unstoppable

grace,

it first

strips

Paul down

of his

self-righteousness,

of his

goodness.

goodness.

I like

John Bunyan's

hymn.

John Bunyan,

I don't know if

you know the

name, he wrote

Pilgrim's

Progress.

And he

wrote this

hymn,

nothing

either great

or small,

nothing sinner,

no.

Jesus did

it, did it

all long,

long ago.

doing,

that doing

to prove

yourself,

is a

deadly

thing.

Doing

ends in

death.

Cast your

deadly

doing down,

down at

Jesus'

feet.

Stand in

him, in

him alone,

gloriously.

That's where

Saul had to

get to.

He thought

all his

doing was

walking in

the light,

but being

confronted with

the Jesus

who was

there.

He had to

lay that

doing down

and admit

it's a

deadly

thing and

look to the

righteousness

that outshines

the noonday

sun.

God's

God's

grace.

God's

grace is

really wonderful,

and it can

even save

someone like

Saul,

someone as

lost as

him,

but maybe

you're

listening to

this and

you just

say this.

It's too

hard for me

to accept

that I'm

too far gone. My conscience plagues me.

Doubt heals me.

I want to consider

what Saul had to do to receive his salvation.

What did he do to get

Jesus' attention?

Did he do anything to make Jesus take a step towards him?

Did Jesus turn up and say,

Hey, Saul, I just want to ask your permission to

stop you in your tracks and reveal

how glorious I am. Is that okay?

Saul did nothing.

Jesus' grace is unstoppable. It is so free.

There is nothing Saul did

that warranted Jesus coming to save him.

It is that free. It has zero to do with Saul.

I think that's a comforting thought if you're thinking grace is too much for me because it's not about me.

His grace is just so free.

It's even for Saul.

And that's what he says in 1 Timothy 1

1 Timothy 1:15–16

verses 15 to 16.

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.

We need to fully accept what he's about to say.

This is scripture.

That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,

of whom I am the foremost.

That I receive mercy for this reason,

that in me, as the foremost,

Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience,

his long-suffering,

as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

If you're thinking,

yes, mercy is enough for Saul,

but not me,

you need to accept what God says.

Saul's conversion is saying,

look at his perfect patience.

It's even for you.

It's even for me.

So Saul's experience,

it is unique.

Like,

not even the other apostles

get the risen,

glorified Jesus

coming to them like this,

that we know of.

His experience is unique,

but

he's given to us

as an example

of the grace of Jesus,

of what it means to be changed by him.

So I think you can know

you've encountered this Jesus,

this same Jesus,

if

he's broken down

your ideas of who you want him to be.

If he's just confronted you,

that he's there.

You can know you've met this Jesus

if he's humbled you to the dust,

where you lose confidence in self and doing.

You can know you've met this Jesus

if

his grace is even enough

for someone like Saul,

even someone like me.

Because when you meet this Jesus,

as Saul did,

it can't help but change you.

It removes self

from the centre of our life

and Saul becomes

a willing

servant

who patiently suffers

for Jesus' sake

so that others might be saved.

Huge transformation,

which we're going to come to a bit later as well.

So unstoppable grace.

But this

unstoppable grace,

it's wonderful for yourself,

but it can be terribly hard

to accept for others

in the church.

Others who believe.

I'm sure many of you

have read

or heard about

Corrie Ten Boom.

She's just so encouraging.

I'm going to use her

as an illustration again.

I'm sure many preachers have.

She lived through

the Holocaust

and after giving

a talk

on God's forgiveness

in Germany

in 1947.

So this is

fresh,

1947.

So after she gives

this talk

in the crowd,

she says this,

that's when I saw him.

It came back

with a rush,

the huge room

with its harsh

overhead lights,

the pathetic

pile of dresses

and shoes

in the centre

of the floor,

the shame

of walking

naked

past this man.

I could see

my sister's

frail form

ahead of me,

ribs sharp

beneath the

parchment skin.

Betsy,

how thin you were.

Betsy and I

had been arrested

for concealing Jews

in our home

during the Nazi

occupation of Holland.

This man had been

a guard

at Ravensbrook

concentration camp

where we were sent.

and he comes up,

you mentioned

Ravensbrook

in your talk,

he was saying.

I was a guard

there.

He did not

remember me.

But since that time,

he went on,

I have become

a Christian.

I know that God

has forgiven me

for the cruel

things I did

there.

And the hand

came out,

will you

forgive me?

Would you

take that hand?

your sister

having died there.

Ananias,

going back

to the story here,

Ananias is a

follower of Jesus.

He is ready

to obey the Lord.

Here I am,

Lord.

He's ready.

And Jesus says,

go to Saul.

He's expecting you.

And he's got the guts

to say,

him,

like,

can I change

your mind,

please?

I'm not,

I've received

your forgiving

grace.

Him?

He's struggling

to accept this.

And I'm not sure,

I'm,

I don't know

whether the Lord's

reply comforted him

or made it worse.

I'm not sure.

Saul.

Because not only

is there no limits

on his forgiveness,

he says,

I've chosen Saul

to be my chosen

instrument to bring

salvation to many

in my name.

I'm just putting

myself in Ananias'

shoe here,

and maybe he's not

as a proud man

as I am.

Him.

He's your chosen

instrument.

So there's no

limits to your

forgiveness,

and you've chosen

him to be,

to play this

massive role

in your plan.

To obey the Lord

at this point,

Ananias had to

overcome his fear

of Saul.

Like,

he's got legal

authority to arrest

him.

He has to overcome

any commitment

to seeing justice

done.

So he's got to

overcome fear,

it's got to

overcome any

desire for

seeing justice

done to him.

And maybe

it's got to

even overcome

a sense of

inferiority,

that Saul

and not him

would play a

bigger part

in Jesus'

mission.

He's got to

let go of his

own name,

in a sense.

And those in

Jerusalem we hear,

they had a big,

they had a hard

time accepting

Saul as well.

And maybe it

was extra

personal for

them because

remember that

great lamentation

given for Stephen

when he died

and Saul was

the one approving

of his death.

Did Stephen

have a family

there in the

church?

They loved

Stephen so

much.

It was their

family members

who were

scattered.

out, they

couldn't spend

time together

anymore because

of this man's

persecution.

Could they

allow him

in?

Could they

forgive?

Let me go back

to Corey.

He says,

as I stood

there, I

whose sins

had every

day to be

forgiven and

could not.

Betsy had

died in that

place.

Could he

erase her

slow, terrible

death simply

for the asking,

asking of

forgiveness?

It could not

have been many

seconds that he

stood there,

hand held

out, but to

me it seemed

hours as I

wrestled with the

most difficult

thing I had

ever had to

do.

Jesus helped

me, I

prayed silently.

And so,

excuse me,

woodenly,

mechanically,

I thrust my

hand into the

one stretch out

to me and as

I did, an

incredible thing

took place.

The current

started in my

shoulder and

raced down my

arm, sprang

into our

joined hands.

And then

this healing

warmth and

love for him

flood my

whole being,

bringing tears

to my eyes.

I forgive

you, brother.

For a long

moment, we

grasped each

other's hands,

the former

guard and the

former prisoner.

I had never

known God's

love so

intensely as I

did then.

Ananias, he

doesn't go

begrudgingly.

He lays his

hand on him.

I think it's a

similar scene and

he says,

brother.

He embraces

Saul.

Brother.

He could have

just said,

oh, I don't

want to be here

but Jesus sent

me, I have to

do this.

There's

warmth here.

Brother.

When his

life is

threatened,

twice, they

don't let him

get what he

deserves.

They save

him.

Wow.

They embrace

Saul as

their own.

There might

be someone,

can you think

of someone you

just, you're

struggling to

forgive or you're

struggling to

embrace?

Maybe there's

someone at

church you

avoid.

You avoid eye

contact.

You avoid

talking to

them after the

service.

maybe it's a

group of

people from

your past.

I don't

think we

have the

resources.

I didn't

tell the

story of

Corrie and

she says

herself, I'm

not saying

that we

have the

resources to

forgive.

The point

is we

don't.

The point

is his

grace is

sufficient for

us to

forgive.

He's got

the power to

overcome that

fear and

that demand

for justice,

that protection

of our own

name.

We've got to

love his

grace even

more than

those things.

And there's

a powerful

witness, isn't

it?

Saul going

in and out

in Jerusalem.

Wow.

You can

testify to

the grace of

God as an

individual.

You can

testify even

more, I

think, when

this is a

place of

forgiveness,

grace.

Jesus'

unstoppable

grace turns

Saul into

a suffering

servant.

It even

overcomes the

most difficult,

perhaps the

most difficult

thing in the

world to

do,

forgiving

others and

giving grace

to others.

And Saul's

transformed life

and his

teaching is

undeniable.

people.

Imagine that

scene when he

goes into the

synagogue and

he stands up

there and his

reputation, they

all know him.

He's come with

license, with a

letter to take

people to

prison in

Jerusalem.

Later he says

he had beaten

many of the

believers, men

and women.

Imagine their

shock when he

stands up.

I don't know if

there was a

pulpit or not,

a historian has

to tell me

later.

He is the

son of God.

Sorry.

And then he's

filled with the

spirit so much

and he increases

with strength that

he confounds the

Jews who lived in

Damascus by

proving, I

assume by proving

from the Old

Testament

scriptures, that

Jesus was the

Christ.

They can't

argue with

him, with

his words, and

even more than

that, they

can't argue

with him.

How do I

account for this

change?

He embodies

the gospel.

He's not just

saying it, he

embodies it.

Jesus says to

Ananias that he

must suffer.

He must suffer

for the sake of

my name.

I don't think

that must

there is for

the sake of

punishment.

I think it's a

willing must,

that grace has

gripped him so

much that he

willingly chooses

this way of

suffering.

He chose to

enter that

synagogue and

proclaim Jesus

boldly.

He has threats

against his

life and he

goes to

Jerusalem.

This guy

knows firsthand.

He led the

way of

persecuting.

He knows

the kind of

hatred and

he does it

again.

He's

willingly

choosing this

path.

I'm going to

use his own

words in

chapter 20 when

he's calling

the Ephesian

elders,

follow my

example.

That's the

context here and

he's saying,

I'm going to

Jerusalem,

this is at a

later point,

constrained by

the Spirit,

not knowing what

will happen to

me there except

that the Holy

Spirit testifies to

me in every

city that

imprisonment and

afflictions await

me.

But I do not

account my life of

any value nor as

precious to myself.

If only I may

finish my course

in the ministry

that I receive

from the Lord

Jesus to testify

to the gospel of

the grace of

God.

Like in that

situation a

prophet comes and

uses a belt to

bind him and

says, this is

what's going to

happen to the

man who owns

this belt.

And still he

goes.

He's going

willingly.

I'm ready to

die in

Jerusalem.

This must

suffer for my

name.

I don't think

it's punishment.

I think it's a

willingness.

He's seen the

risen Lord.

He's seen that

true glory,

true righteousness

is willingly

choosing to

suffer so that

others live.

That's

greatness.

This grace has

changed him.

And those who

saw him and

listened to him,

they couldn't

deny it.

What do they do

with him?

His words are

just so

reasonable.

His life

is even

harder to

explain.

How do we

explain a

man who

was so

self-righteous

and violent

and violent,

who loved

his own

name,

now denying

himself,

becoming tender

and putting,

risking his own

name so that

others might

live.

We can't

deny him.

We've got to

kill him.

testimony of

the grace of

Jesus is just

so in

their face.

Well, we

read in

verse 31,

So the

church

throughout

all Judea

and Galilee

and Samaria

had peace

and was

being built

up.

And walking

in the fear

of the Lord

and in the

comfort of

the Holy

Spirit,

it multiplied.

This

Jesus

is

unstoppable.

His

grace is

unstoppable.

He uses

persecution

to spread

his word

so that

others have

life,

Samaritans,

eunuchs.

And we

hear now

he removes

the threat

and gives

a time of

peace.

And in

that peace

he builds

up the

church.

You can't

stop him.

Persecute,

spread.

Give peace,

build up.

How are you

going to

stop this,

Jesus?

A group

of people

following

this way

who believe

that

suffering for

him for

others'

sake is

greatness.

How do you

stop that?

They

kill Jesus

and he

rises three

days later.

They

kill Stephen

and I

love the

detail here

that Saul

is now

speaking and

disputing with

the Hellenists,

the ones who

got Stephen

in trouble in

the first

place.

You kill

Stephen,

Saul takes

his place.

this Jesus

is the

same

today,

yesterday,

today and

forever.

He is

gathering

every lost

sheep,

even the

most desperate

runs like

Saul.

So I

hope,

I hope

you can

admit

you're a

lost sheep.

You're

desperately

lost.

lost.

Because

Jesus came

for people

like you.

I'd like

to do

something a

bit different

to finish,

to try and

help what

we've heard

today just

sink in and

have the

Lord's

Supper as

our

application.

We're

remembering

our

suffering

servants.

the

suffering

servant

who was

pierced

for our

transgressions

and crushed

for our

iniquities.

As we

eat and

drink this,

let's

remember what

we've seen

in our

passage today.

Lay your

deadly doing

down,

stand in

him and

him alone,

gloriously

complete.

God's

love.

He is our

suffering

servant and

he's calling

us to

the honour

of suffering

with him so

that others

might share

in the peace

and fellowship

that we have

with God

and one

another.

And may

we, as

we eat and

drink this,

may we give

the grace that

we so richly

feast on to

one another

as well.

So let's

eat and

drink.

come

amen for

our

life,

God said,

pray,

to

many

UFOPR Arch