Acts: Completely Changed

So if you have your bibles up, you will turn with me to Acts,

chapter nine, and starting in verse fifteen here this morning or nineteen,

I'm sorry, nineteen, we'll look at just what we just sung about,

and that is the change that we saw in the life of Paul. Last

weeks we've been working through our book study in Acts, we've been looking at

the life of Saul. And last week we saw how Saul met the Lord

on that Damascus road, and how last week we look at Jesus' work in

salvation, and we saw one aspect of Jesus' work of salvation, how Jesus

converts. If you remember we talked about conversion. When Jesus converts us,

it means he changes us. I gave you the analogy of going to the

currency and getting currency changed. When I go to Tanzania or other countries and

doing mission work and they take us dollars and they convert that to another from

currency, whether it's shillings or rubrals or whatever it may be, they change

it. It's not that they give you a little bit. You give them

US dollars and they give you a little bit of us and a little bit

of shillings. Know, when you gave them that one hundred dollars, they

converted all to that currency, all to shillings. And when we give our

life to Jesus, listen to me. When we give our life to Jesus,

Jesus doesn't just change part of us, He changes all of us.

And as we come to this morning's passage of scripture, Luke, the writer

of the Book of Acts, wants you to see how Saul was completely changed.

It wasn't just a partial change, it was a complete change. And

this morning, as we examined this passage of scripture, I hope you today

as you hear this words this morning from the Lord, I hope you'll examine

your heart. Lord, how have you changed me? God? Have I

given you all of myself? And God, if I've given you myself,

if I've met you, Jesus, how are you changing me? And what

different parts of me do you want to change? Lord? As we say,

the different parts that God changed in Paul or Saw. So let's read

together, and let's read this passage of scripture. We stand with me in

reading. In God's Word is Acts chapter nine, and we're going to start

in verses nineteen, and it says here as we begin, we're'll just begin

at the beginning. It's kind of the second part of verse B is where

I mean second part of verse nineteen. So nineteen B, if you will,

is where the passage picks up. It says in taking food he was

strengthen And for some days he was with his disciples at Damascus, and immediately

he proclaimed Jesus and the sin of God, saying he is the Son of

God. And all who heard, when we're amazed, and said, is

this not the man who made havoc in Jerusalem and of those who called upon

his name? And he's not come here for this purpose to bring them bound

before the chief priests. But Saul increased all the more and strength and confounded

the who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. And when

many days had passed, us plotted to kill him. But their plot became

known to Saul, and they were watching the gates and night, I mean

day and night, in order to kill him. But disciples took him by

night and let him down through the opening of the wall, lowering him in

the basket. Let's pray together, Father, we thank you Lord for this

morning, and we thank you that Lord, you want us to give us

all of you. And now, God, when we give all our heart

to you, Jesus, you make a change in us. And Lord,

we pray today as you made a change in the life of Saul, may

we look at our lives on how you want to do a work of changing

us. Lord. We love you, We thank you Lord for this morning.

We thank you that this is a moment, this is a morning God,

that we get to meet with you, God, encounter you, God,

and so Lord, just as Saul encountered you on that road. Lord,

may you move in this place. May your spirit lead us. Lord,

May you lead us through your word. May you lead our hearts in

our minds. May we free our minds of any distraction that might take us

away from Lord, what you want to say to us this morning? And

Lord, I pray that you would clear my speech, you clear my thoughts.

And Lord, as you're a messenger today, I would speak Lord only

your word. Lord, use this service today. In your name. We

pray you maybe see that as you come to this passage of scripture, you

see what is conversion? What does it mean that when conversion begins a work

in us? And what is that change that conversion brings. What is conversion

and what does that change that conversion brings? Number One, it changes our

belief when Christ does a work of conversion in our hearts. The first thing

that we see is that conversion changes our beliefs. For Paul, here,

as we come to Acts chapter nine, you understand Paul, or Saw as

he was originally known, Saul was a one who was a persecutor at the

church. He was the one who does desire to destroy the church. Actually,

Paul would tell us later on and let in his Acts twenty six he

would recount what was happening in his life at that time. But Saul really

saw Christians as opposition. He really saw them as someone who was trying to

destroy Judaism. And so in Acts chapter nine one through three, we see

that Saul was wreaking havoc on the church. He was trying to destroy the

church. We see that he Scripture told us last week as we looked at

the beginning of Passage that Saul was breathing threats. He was not only breathing

threats that was meaning he was threatening to capture and put in prison Christians.

But not only was he breathing threats. Scripture said he was breathing murder.

He not only wanted to capture Christians, but ultimately he desired to put them

in prison. That the ultimate end of all Christians would be their murder,

that would be killed. That was Sau And why did he have that such

tenacity to seek out all these Christians to try to throw me prison and try

to have them killed. And the reason why is because Saul did not believe

that Jesus was the Messiah. He believes he was a false teacher. And

therefore, because he did not believe in Jesus, he sought to destroy them.

And Acts twenty six is Paul. Again. There's different places in Scripture

where it talks about his conversion experience. In Acts twenty six y nine,

he says, I saw myself convinced that I ought to do many things to

oppose the name of Jesus, and I did so in Jerusalem not only locked

off, many saints are in prison, and after receiving authority from the chief

priests when but they were put to death and I cast my vote against them.

I punished them often in the synagogues and try to make them blasphemy enraging

fury against them. I persecuted them, even to foreign cities. And why

did Paul do that? Because Paul did not believe in Jesus. He did

not believe he was in the Messiah. So last week, as we saw

in chapter nine, because he was raging with fury to destroy these Christians,

he went to the chief priest and he got orders from the chief priests to

go to Damascus, one hundred and thirty five mile journey just to capture these

Christians in Damascus, carrying about to Jerusalem, put them in prison, and

hopefully one day maybe have them executed for their faith. Why all because he

didn't believe in Jesus. Second lady opposed Jesus because he didn't believe in Jesus.

But he posed Jesus because he believed salvation was not by faith. Salvation

was by works. You were saved by, not based upon your faith in

Jesus. And this false teacher, no, that was contrary everything he had

ever known. A salvation came about good works, being a good person,

doing good things. And Paul was saying, Philippians, and just how much

he believed that before Jesus, he had it all together. He had everything

in his life was right. He says, I thought, though myself have

reason for confidence into flesh, And Philippians three four says this, if anyone

thinks he has reason for confidence and flesh, I have more half circumcised.

On the eighth day, people visual of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew

of Hebrews as to a law of Pharisee has to zeal persecuted church, and

asked as to righteousness under the law, blameless, Paul says in Philippians,

if you thought, if there's anyone who could achieve salvation by works, I

had the great I had the best resume as far as righteousness, righteousness under

my own works, I was blameless. And because of not that he he

didn't even because he didn't believe in Jesus, and because he believed salvation was

by works. He was opposing Jesus. But something happened on that road to

Damascus. And as we looked last week, there on the road of Damascus,

he saw a great light. And we understand as we studied last week

that we believe in scholarship believes that he saw Jesus even and Anaiah says that

when he comes to him. He saw many believed that transfigured g Jesus.

He saw the glory of Christ. And when Saul saw Jesus listen, it

changed what Saul believed and no one changed what he believed. That he believed

in Jesus. But it changed not only what he believed in for salvation.

No longer that Saul believed that he could save himself. Suddenly he realizes that

Jesus, you are the Messiah, and I must believe in you for salvation.

You see, when Jesus, we surrender our life to Jesus, and

we give our life to Jesus, listen, it changes what we believe in.

It changes us, It changes what we believe in. And I want

you to see this in this pastor of scripture. I'm not just telling you

this out of my theory. This is what we see in this passage in

verse nine and May chapter nine. In verse nineteen, it says, after

he was with the disciples in Damascus. You remember he was going to Damascus

to what to not be with the disciples, but to kill the disciples,

right, to capture the disciples, to carry him to jail, to carr

him back to Jerusalem. And now he's with them. He's fellowshiping with these

disciples. And then verse twenty it says, and immediately he proclaimed, listen

Jesus in the syn of God and saying he is the Son of God.

The Son of God in scripture in the Old Testament was a term for the

God God's people Israel. It also was described a son of God was seen

as the king of Israel. David was seen his son of God. But

it also was a prophecy of the Messiah. So here, listen to this.

This gets really good. Saul declares Jesus in the syn of God,

and he declares to all the Jews that he was trying to kill earlier,

that Jesus is the Messiah. You know, if you go back and we

won't do that, we will for a second time, we won't go back

and read it. And then Acts chapter there was a young leader in the

church. His name was Stephen. You remember that. And Stephen's preaching that

Jesus is the Messiah. You remember that to the Jews, and they get

upset about it, and they're starting to come against him. And there's a

point where Stephen is preaching and the Bible says in Acts chapter seven, he

looks up and behold the heavens right, and he tells the people what he

sees. You remember that? And what does he say In this passage of

Scripture and Acts, chapter seven, verses fifty five through fifty seven, he

says, but Stephen full the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven right, and

he saw the glory of the Lord, glory of God, Jesus standing at

the right hand of God. And he's telling the people of this. And

listen to what he says. And he said to the people, behold,

I see the heavens opened up. Listen to this, and the son of

Man standing at the right hand of God. Listen to this. Saul was

right there when Stephen saw Jesus. He was right there when he hears Stephen

declare, I see Jesus, and Jesus is the Son of God, and

he's at the right hand of the Father. Now, the same Jesus that

he sought to kill Stephen. Scripture says Saul was holding the coach that people

as they killed Stephen. He even cast his vote for Stephen to be killed.

Now Saul was tending for the same Jews in Damascus. And he says,

just like Steven saw him. Listen, I saw him, and just

as Steven saw him and said he's the son of God, I saw him

too, and I can tell you today he is the son of God.

Can I tell you when Jesus converts you, When Jesus changes you, he

changes your belief in Jesus, but he changes you. Listen, what you

believe is salvation. There's people here today and you probably think or there's people

maybe watching online and you think. You know, I'm a good person.

I've done a lot of good things. I grew up in church, my

parents grew up in church. I've done a lot of different things. And

you know, if and if you ask if, you probably go out to

anybody on the street and ask them if they're a good person. Probably motion

of the people you'll meet will tell you that they're a good person. But

you know, being a good person will never make you never help never gets

you into heaven. And if you trust in good works, it'll never get

you into heaven. And when you give your life to Jesus, it makes

you Number one, changes your belief that Jesus is the Messiah. But secondly,

he's the only way I'll make it into heaven. He's the only way

of which I will be saved, you know, and Mark in Mark chapter

one. I encourage you to go read it. Sometimes Mark chapter one.

You see people who encounter Jesus. Jesus is preaching for the first time in

Galilee, and he preaches in the church, and there's a demon possessed man.

As he preaches, he stands up and Jesus speak confronts the devon that

cast out the demon. And the Bible says, when people, and as

we look through the Gospel of Mark, when people encounter Jesus, the Scripture

says, they respond in two ways. One, they're amazed. Scripture says,

when he cast out the demon, and when he was preaching, they

were amazed at his teaching. They're amazed at his power. And the Bible

says, you know what happens only to respondent, they're amazed. With second.

Second responses, they go and tell the Bible says, the next story

is and leper man. He comes up and he has leparsy his whole life,

and he comes to Jesus, and Jesus heals him of his leprosy.

And the Bible says, everybody who saw him heal the man of leprosy.

They're all what they're amazed? You know what happens that go and tell?

The scripture tells us another story as the scripture continues to go on, and

there was a man who was lame from birth, and he was carried around

his whole life on the mat. Jesus goes to the man and he heals

the man from being lame and being crippled his whole life. And he immediately

gets up. And the Bible says, they what they're all amazed and what

they wouldn't tell. You know what, when we meet encounter Jesus, like

Saul encounter Jesus, it changes what we believe. But it also changes in

what we do and that we want to go and tell. You know,

one of the beautiful thing is when you see a young convert come to Christ,

especially children, what's the first thing I want to do? They want

to go tell someone. I heard someone say that many times. The reason

why we don't go and tell is because we lost what it was like to

encounter Jesus. I wonder today, have you encountered Jesus? Have you met

Jesus? And has Jesus opened up your eyes to who he is? And

have you surrendered your life to Jesus and said, Jesus changed what I believe.

I want to believe that you are the son of God. And God,

I know, I want to believe that you are the son of God.

But God, I believe you're the only way to be saved. And

so God, I want to go and tell others how listen, you change

me, just like you changed the demon possessed man, just like you changed

the man with leprosy. Just says you change the lamen. You changed me,

And I want to go and tell Scripture says, not only this conversion

was when Jesus meets you. It changes your beliefs. It secondly changes our

lives. Scripture says, here and this pastor of Scripture, let's look with

me. In Verse twenty says, immediately proclaimed Jesus in the syn of God,

saying he is the Son of God. And all who heard him were

amazed, this scripture says, and they said, is this not the man?

This is this who made havoc in Jerusalem and those who called upon his

name? Has he not come here for this purpose to bring them bound before

the chief priest. You know, when people heard Saul preach that day in

the syn of God. They were amazed. Why they were amazed because there

was a change in Saul. Scripture tells us Antonius was the leader of this

area, probably the leader of the churches in Damascus, and the Lord gave

him a vision that Saul was coming and that he was to meet Saul.

And you remember what Antonius says, this man's coming. He's got orders from

the chief priest coming here to capture anyone who is of the way or anyone

who is a Christian, and he's going to carry them back to Jerusalem and

put them in trial, and hopefully maybe one day have Christians killed. They

understood this. Anonius understood this, but the whole church had gotten word that

Saul was on his way. But this verse tells us very clear, in

verse twenty two, verse twenty one, that the church understood. Number one,

what Saul had done in Jerusalem. I imagine they knew what Saul did

to Stephen. I imagine they knew what Saul had done. Scripture says that

he went house to house. It's not just he went to churches. He

was going to individual houses in capturing Christians and carrying them, putting them in

jail. He was, like a Scripture described like a wild animal, just

destroying everything in its path. They had understood what he did. Scripture tells

us that only they understood that what he did in Jerusalem. But they understood

he was coming to do the same thing in Damascus. And now they are

amazed. Why because he's not there to now capture them. The very one

who came to persecute them is now the very one who feel claiming that Jesus

is the way, the truth and the life. And no one comes with

the Father but by him. There's a change that they see in Saul.

And Jesus know only changes Saul's beliefs, but he changed Sauls life. You

almost get this sense that Saul was on a path. He had a direction

of his life. He was going as a persecuted church one who was depending

upon his goodness or his works, for there's way of life. He's said,

on a path. But when Jesus changed him, he had about face.

He was his life was going now in a different direction. I heard

a story and this is an amazing story. Encourage you. There's a book

about this. It encourage you to go read it. It's called Out of

a far country. A gay's son's journey to God ha broken their heart search

for hope. The story of his is his actually asseminate professor. He teaches

that mighty Moody Bible institute. His name's Christopher Young. At nine year old,

Christopher got pornography, got involved in that, and begin with that,

he began really a desire for or struggle with same sexual attraction. He kept

that secret all through middle school, high school, even in the college.

He would later go into a dental school in Louisville, and in his twenties,

he decided he would finally come out with what he'd been struggling with and

actually called his parents. His parents were His dad was a dentist in Chicago.

His mom was to stay at home mom. And he called his parents

and told him that he was gay. His parents were not believers. It

was the family. The mom and the dad would talk about how it seemed

like like her name was Angela, his name was John, how it was

like a death. He blamed her. They were only a month away from

filing for a divorce. Her life was turn apart. The mom and the

husbands by this news. In May fifteenth, nineteen ninety three. He tells

them that Angela didn't know what to do. She decides that she's not religious,

but she decides that she was going to reach out to a pastor or

someone about this. A Christian, so he reaches out a pastor, and

a pastor gave her a pamphlet explaining salvation and also a pamphlet on homosexuality.

She decides that day that she's going to take a trip from Chicago, a

bus trip to Louisville, and there she's going to say goodbye to her son.

She had plans after she was going to say goodbye that she was going

to kill her She's so destroyed by what's happening in her family, what's happening

her son. She gets on that bus and as she's driving, riding on

the bus there she reads that pamphlet and then that pamphlet explained that all people

are sinners, but God loves them despite of their sin. And she said

that she read that got up into her eyes to her sin, and there

on that bus she says this, I realized, just as God loves me

in spite of my sin, I could love Christopher in spite of him living

as a gay man. And there she received Jesus Christ as the Lord Savior.

She'd actually come home and she would go and she'd spend some time with

him. She would come home, she would meet with this lady who,

this person who, another person, a Christian woman who would begin discipling her.

She actually would come home and tell her come to find out that her

husband would find out that she was saved, and he told her. This

is his words, he says, I told her this is not good news.

He said, this was my worst nightmare, because from now own,

Angela had God on her side. Leon said, But what I realized is

that Angela's transformation was not only listen to this a Sunday only change, but

every aspect of her life. What she did was not religion, but an

intimate relationship with Jesus. Little did I know that God was working on me.

Angela would begin praying for her son, Christopher, would leave Louisville and

he would go to Atlanta. He would get involved in drugs, actually began

selling drugs out of his home. He got involved in the gay scene in

Atlanta, was involved in clubs there, very promiscuous in his lifestyle. At

that point, thought he had everything because he had money from the drugs.

He had relationships, and he was involved in a big party scene, so

he thought he had it all. One day somebody knocked on his door and

it was a drug enforcement agency and they caught him and put him in prison.

Angela said when she first heard about Christopher getting in prison, she says,

to the Lord, he's safe. He's safe, and he's where you

want him to be. He was going through the trash while I was in

prison and found a copy of God's Word in the garbage can and began reading

it. Shortly after he began reading, he found out he was HIV positive.

He began continue to read, and he says after he slowly continued to

read, he read that out of many idols in the Bible, there was

the idol of homosexuality, and he realized that homosexuality was his idol. He

says that slowly God began a gradual process of leading Christopher to realize that he's

either going to choose Jesus or choose homosexuality. And Christopher came to a place

one day listen that he chose Jesus. Jesus listen change his life today.

Now, Christopher is a professor at moody. He's a Bible teacher. That's

teach taught all over this world. But listen, it wasn't that Christopher changed

himself. It wasn't that Angela changed herself. It was christ who changed them.

Can I ask you today that when you encounter Jesus, she encountered Jesus

on that bus headed to Louisville, he encountered Jesus there in prison. Wherever

you encounter Jesus, listen, and you surrender your life to him, he

changes your life. I think is so important that we see. For Saul,

there was Others saw a change in him. Others saw his leon,

saw a change in Angela. They saw a change in Christopher. Does others

see a change of Jesus in you? Which you see? Not only does

it change our belief, it changes our life, It changes our growth.

Scripture says here in verse twenty two. But saw increased all the more in

strength and founded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the

Christ. Not only did they see and saw that there was a change in

his belief. He once believed that Jesus was a false teacher. Now he

declares Jesus son of God. They only saw a change of belief. They

saw a changed life. Here's one who came as a persecutor, now he's

coming as a preacher. Now. Not only do this saw a change in

his life, but they also saw a change in his growth scriptures. He

was growing in scripture, he was growing in truth. He was grown.

He increased all the more in strength and confounded the Jews. Not only is

this Jesus. When he we surrender our life in him, and we could,

he converts us. He changes our beliefs, he changes our life.

But third, he changes our growth. You know, God begins doing to

work in us. He starts growing us in maturity. He starts growing as

a man of God and a woman of God. I think it's very important

we understand that. That's you say to me as a as a pastor.

I'm a believer, But what shall I look about what God's doing in me?

If I want to look for God working in me and changing me,

I a would say one of the aspects you should look for if you're a

believer and Jesus christing, you want to know whether God's changing you? Is

he changing your growth? Has He growing you into a man of God as

you growing you in a woman God. You know, when our kids were

little, we would go take them yearly for a physical right, you check

up, yearly check up and you go in and little babies, you know,

you take them in and they wail them and they measure how long they

are, measure their how big their head is. Right, and then they

came out with this chart. You remember that chart that shows you where your

baby was on that chart where they're ninety percentile or whatever it may be.

But what they're doing every year when you go in, they show you the

chart from last year where they are, and they're showing you the growth of

your child. Right now, imagine if you had a child and you took

your child in and year after year they never moved on the chart. Now

you would say there's a problem. You wouldn't say, well, they'll grow

out of it. Now. You wouldn't do that. You would say,

hey, we need to look into this. Right. What's the same thing

as a believer in Jesus Christ. God doesn't save you and leave you there

as a spiritual baby the whole lot, your whole life. If God begins

a work in you, if Jesus begins a work and conversion in your life.

Not only changes your belief he know only changes your life, but he

changes your growth. Scripture says, as a believer in Jesus Christ, we

continue to grow up in maturity. Scripture says Ephesians is a beautiful passage of

this. He says, until we obtain the unity of faith, the knowledge

of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the

statue of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children

tross tossed to and fro by the waves, and carry it out by every

wind of doctrine, by human coming and craftiness and deceit. Rather speaking the

truth and love. We are to grow up. Listen to this and every

way into Him who is the head, into Christ. You know, if

Jesus begins a work conversion in you, he changes your beliefs, He changes

your life, He changes your growth. And he as he begins to work

in you your whole life, he'll grow you more and more to be more

and more like Him, until one day he takes you home. It's called

theology. We call this the work of sanctification. Also another term is perseverance

of the saints that he will begin a good work on you, will bring

it unto completion. It's Jesus doing a work of growth in us. So

i'd ask you today where are you spiritually? Are you growing or do you

feel like your growth is kind of out of plateau? Can I tell you

today Jesus doesn't want your growth a plateau. He desires you to grow up

in maturity into his likeness. So today I would evaluate if I feel like

my faith in my relationship with Jesus is plateau. It's not Jesus's desire for

you to plateau. So how can you say, Lord, I need to

grow? Maybe that's maybe that's the first step for you today. And if

you've plateaued, I need to get in a growth group here. But that's

I need to get into community of other believers will help me grow my faith.

Maybe I need to be more involved in my devotions. How am I

reading God's word? How am I growing in the word of God? How

am I growing in truth? That's what Saul did? How am I growing

in prayer? I can to tell you, if Jesus begins the work of

conversion in you, he changes your belief, He changes your life he changes

your growth. Lastly, he changes your opposition. Saul was an opponent of

Christ. He was the one who was trying to destroy Christianity. He was

the opposition. Now in this passage Scripture, he's not the one who's opposing.

He's the one who's being opposed. Scripture says. In this pastor of

scripture, after many days, the Jews pla to to kill him. But

their plot became known to Saul, and they were watching the gates of day

and night in order to kill him. But his disciples took him by the

night and let him down through the opening of the wall, lowering him in

the basket. Can I tell you today, listen, this is very very

important. If you surrender your life to Jesus, Jesus will change your life.

He'll change your beliefs, He'll change your growth. But listen, deal

will be a change in opposition. The enemy will come after you. He'll

seek to stop your growth. He'll seek to stop you from sharing about Jesus.

He'll seek to destroy your faith. You said, that sounds bold,

Pastor, that sounds very kind of scary, But that is reality, Scripture

says. And first, Peter, and just read this pastor of Scripture with

you one Peter, verse five, starting a verse, chapter five, verse

six, Humble yourself. Therefore, under the mighty hand of God, said

at the proper time he might assolve to you. Cast all your anxieties on

him, because he cares for you. Be soberminded. Listen to this watchful

Why why should you be soberminded? Why should you be watchful? Because your

adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lane, seeking someone to

diviire devour. Satan seeks you. He wants to destroy you. I used

to tell our young people as a student pastor that God will I mean Satan

will do everything he can to keep you from church. Satan to do everything

you can to keep you from riding your Bible. Satan to do what he

can to keep you from praying. Satan to do whatever you can to keep

you out of a growth group. Satan to do whatever he can to stump

your growth. He is a raging lion. And if you surrender your life

to Jesus, listen, Satan's opposition is coming against you. Be won.

Be sober minded. Scripture says in verse nine of that passage, resist him,

firming your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced

by your brotherhood throughout the world. Throughout the world. And after you suffered

for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you

to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen,

and establish you to Him be dominion forever and ever. And amen. You

know what that passage says, Satan is coming. But the good news if

you have Jesus, Jesus will watch, strengthen you, he'll restore you,

he'll confirm you, and he'll establish you. We see that in this pastor

of scripture, Satan was coming against Saul. God through his divine providence,

led that they would know about the opposition. The opposition was watching the gate,

scripture says, trying to catch him, leaving to capture him to killing.

But he provide a way that he would through a window, be lowered

in the basket and be protected. And we're going to see this all throughout

the rest of acts, how God protects and cares for his people. Can

I tell you Satan's coming? But the good news is Jesus. If Jesus

is for you, who can be what against you because I just courage you

as today as we finish up this morning, has Jesus made a change in

you? Has Jesus changed your beliefs? Has Jesus changed your life? Has

Jesus changed your growth? Has Jesus changed your opposition? If he hasn't,

today, can I ask you today, will you surrender to him today?

Just as he met Jesus met Saul on that Damascus road, Jesus wants to

meet you today and he wants to do a change in you. Will you

say, Lord today, I give you my heart, I give you my

life. Lord, come and do a work in me. Maybe you,

like Saul, you've tried to do everything in your own try to be good

enough, and you continue to fall short. Today listen, can you say,

Lord, I'm tired of trying to create change in my own heart.

God, I need you to change me. Will you pray with me?

Lord? We love you, We thank you Lord for this morning. I

pray Lord today as we've heard your word. Lord, today would be a

day that Lord we Lord. For those who've never Lord met you, never

put their faith in you for salvation. Maybe they've trusted in their works or

their goodness, But today they want to trust in you, Lord, I

pray they'd be those who would surrender to you. Lord today, I pray

that you would do a work of conversion in the hearts of many here today.

Lord, I pray that but for those who hear today who are believers.

You know it was a radical change for Saul, but for others,

Lord, you slowly begin to change us through time. And today maybe this

is a sermon for those today that says, you know what, I feel

like my growth had been just plateaued, and today I want you to grow

me to be more the man of God. You want me to be more

the woman of God. Or however Lord you're working today, I pray there'd

be people today who would surrender Lord, their heart and their life to you

again. So, Lord, however you're leading today, I pray there'd be

people who respond Lord to your word your spirit. Today we love you and

your name. We pray Jesus pain to