An Unlikely Convert

Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's Word.

Heavenly Father, we who are here this evening to worship You

are a testament to Your grace.

Lord, not a single one of us deserved this salvation

to be brought into fellowship with the living God.

And yet You have saved us

because You are rich in mercy

because of the great love with which You have loved us.

And so we ask, Father,

now that as we open up Your Word

that You would speak to us from Acts chapter 9.

Acts 9 · chapter mention

Remind us of the grace we have received.

Renew our joy of salvation

and increase our faith to evangelize the lost.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Acts chapter 9, verses 1 to 31.

Acts 9:1–31

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 of Damascus

so that if he found any belonging to the way,

men or women,

he might bring them bound 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 ground

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.

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 his 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 at 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 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 then 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 synagogue

saying,

He is the Son of God.

And all who heard him

were amazed

and said,

Is not this

the man

who made havoc

in Jerusalem

of those who called

upon this name?

And has he not come here

for this 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.

While 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 was being built up

and walking

in the fear

of the Lord

and in the comfort

of the Holy Spirit

it multiplied.

Take a moment

now to think

of the most

unlikely convert

to Christianity

whose testimony

you have heard.

Maybe you count

yourself among them.

maybe you think

of someone

like Rosaria

Butterfield.

She is now

a pastor's wife,

a homeschooling

mother,

author,

and speaker.

But prior

to her conversion

she was a professor

of English

and women's studies

at Syracuse University

living with

a lesbian partner

and teaching

critical theory

specializing

in queer theory.

While researching

the religious right

and in her own words

quote,

their politics

of hatred

against people

like me

end quote.

She met

a winsome

Christian witness

who became

her friend

and confidant.

And after

repeatedly reading

the Bible

in large chunks

for her research

Rosaria Butterfield

converted to Christianity

and she details

her conversion

story in her book

The Secret Thoughts

of an Unlikely Convert.

And she says

that after

she converted

it led to

a cataclysmic

fallout

where she lost

quote,

everything but

the dog.

Yet she gained

eternal life

in Jesus Christ.

Or maybe you think

of someone like

Christopher Yuan

who is an author

and professor

at Moody Bible Institute

but prior

to his conversion

he was promiscuous

drug dealer

having multiple

anonymous sexual

encounters

every single day

and selling drugs

in 11 states

until he got busted

and was floundering

in jail

with the diagnosis

of AIDS.

That's when

he encountered

Christ

through his word.

Or maybe you think

of someone like

John Newton

who was a licentious

Navy man

working as a

slave trader

before

he was converted.

And after his conversion

he wrote the famous

words of the hymn

Amazing Grace

how sweet the sound

that saved a wretch

like me.

I once was lost

but now

am found.

Was blind

but now I see.

This passage

is one of these

stories.

It teaches us

that the Lord Jesus

sovereignly

and graciously

gives sight

to the blind

so that they might

speak of his name.

that Jesus

gives sight

to blind

sinners

so that they

might speak

of his name.

So we're going to

first talk about

Paul as an

unlikely convert

about seeing

Jesus in verses

1 to 19

and then we'll

talk about

an unlikely

servant

speaking of

Jesus

verses 19

to 31.

In the last

verse of chapter

8 we saw

that Philip

was engaged

in preaching

the gospel

to all the

towns

from Azotus

to Caesarea.

That's the

verse immediately

preceding this

chapter.

And the

first verse

of chapter

9 offers

a sharp

contrast

but Saul

so that's

contrasting

Saul from

Philip

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

of Damascus

so that if

he found

any belonging

to the way

men or women

he might bring

them bound

to Jerusalem.

This is the

Saul who is

better known

by his Roman

name Paul

the apostle

Paul

soon to be

apostle Paul

recall that

in chapter

8 verse 3

we were told

that Saul

was already

ravaging the

church in

Jerusalem

he was entering

house after

house and

dragging off

men and

women and

committing them

to prison.

He wasn't

content to

just raise

the large

public gatherings

of the

Christians

of the church

he actually

interrogated

people to

find out

where these

Christians lived

and went

in house to

house to

drag them

against their

will out of

their own

homes

to take

them to

prison.

And Saul's

rampage here

expands even

further in

chapter 9

not content

with getting

the Christians

and committing

them to prison

in Jerusalem

he now gets

permission from

the high priest

to go beyond

Jerusalem to

Damascus which

was 135 miles

northeast of

Jerusalem.

A six days

journey by

foot.

That's quite a

breath that he's

trying to cover

to find all

those belonging

to the way

in order to

tie them up

and to drag

them to

Jerusalem for

trial and

imprisonment.

This is the

first time in

the book of

Acts that

Christians are

described as

followers of

the way

those belonging

to the way.

This is an

insightful metaphor

for what it

means to be a

Christian.

First it means

that Christians

have discovered

the way of

salvation.

Acts 16

17 puts it

that way.

Jesus had

said in

John 14

John 14:6

verse 6

I am

the way

the truth

and the

life.

No one

comes to

the Father

except through

me.

So Jesus

say is the

way of

salvation and

to belong to

the way

means we

are on the

way there.

We are

a follower

of Jesus.

We've not

arrived but

we're on the

way.

Second to

belong to

the way is

to adopt a

new way of

life.

Second Peter

2 Peter 2:21

chapter 2

verse 21

speaks of the

way of

righteousness.

Acts chapter

Acts 18 · chapter mention

18 25

to 26

speaks of

being instructed

in the

way of

the Lord.

And finally

Jesus had

warned in

Matthew 7

14 against

following the

easy way and

told us to

go to the

hard way that

leads to

life.

So to

belong to

the way is

to walk in

accordance with

the teachings

of Jesus

Christ.

And Saul

as you can

see here was

decidedly not

following the

way.

In fact he

wasn't even

slowing, slowly

turning toward

Jesus.

He was

running headlong

in the opposite

direction.

100 miles

per hour.

The word

way occurs

several times

in this passage.

Both verses

17 and 27

tell us that

Saul encountered

Jesus on the

road.

Same word,

on the way.

And what

way was

Saul on?

He was not

on the way

to Christ.

He was on

his way to

Damascus so

he could round

up more

Christians and

put them to

prison and

hoping that

some of them

will be

killed.

But it

says in

verse 3,

now as

he went

on his

way he

approached

Damascus and

suddenly a

light from

heaven shone

around him.

The light

of Christ

intercepts

Saul while

he is on

the wrong

way.

I've seen

some media

depictions of

Saul's

conversion where

he is

portrayed as

reflective and

remorseful after

witnessing Stephen's

courageous martyrdom

and gradually

realizes the

error of his

ways.

But that's not

the picture that

we see in the

Bible.

Saul is still

breathing threats

and murder against

the disciples of

the Lord.

Saul is living

and breathing

persecution and

murder of

Christians.

His life is

consumed by

this zeal to

exterminate the

Jesus movement.

In Acts 26

Acts 26:14

verse 14 when

Saul is recounting

his testimony

again he says

that Jesus

appeared to him

and said,

Saul, Saul,

why are you

persecuting me?

It is hard for

you to kick

against the

goats.

This is a

proverb that

expresses the

ultimate futility

of resisting

God's will.

Goads were

sharp sticks that

farmers used to

prod oxen and

if the oxen

were resistant

they would

kick back

but ultimately

it would make

the farmers to

prod them only

harder.

It would be

futile.

Jesus is telling

Saul that his

efforts to stamp

out the gospel

and resist God's

will is ultimately

futile.

Saul was not

gradually coming

to his senses.

He was kicking

and screaming

against the will

of the Lord

and it's precisely

at that moment

that the Lord

Jesus intervenes

and turns

Saul's life

around 180

degrees.

Isn't that how

God saves

every single

one of us?

Romans 5,

6 to 11

tells us that

while we were

still weak,

while we were

still sinners,

while we were

enemies of God,

that Christ

died for us

to reconcile

us to God

by his death.

Ephesians 2,

1 to 10

tell us that

even when we

were dead

in our trespasses,

following the

course of this

world,

following the

prince of the

power of the

air,

living according

to the desires

of the flesh,

God,

not because

he saw some

hidden redeeming

qualities in us,

not because

he detected

some faint

moral merit,

but because

he is rich

in mercy,

and because

he loved us

with a great

love,

he made us

alive together

with Jesus.

We were all

going in the

wrong direction

when God

intercepted us

on the way

and turned us

around to the

way of Christ.

Christ.

This is the

way God

intercepts

Saul on

his way

to Damascus,

and the

light from

heaven that

shone around

him indicates

the presence

of God,

the appearance

of God.

God,

according to

1 Timothy 6,

16 says,

dwells in

unapproachable

light.

And later

in chapter 26,

Paul describes

this light as

brighter than

the sun.

So after

this report

of seeing

this blazing

light,

you would

expect the

description of

Saul seeing

the form of

Jesus.

But there's

no such

report after

the light.

Instead,

what we find

in verses 49

is a report

of what Saul

and the man

with him

heard.

Please pay

attention to

words that

point to

seeing and

hearing in

verses 47.

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 ground

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.

It says

here that

Saul's

companions

heard a

voice but

saw no

one.

Later in

Acts chapter

Acts 22:9

22 verse

9 when

Saul is

recounting

this story

again,

he says

those who

were with

him saw

the light

but did

not understand

the voice

of the one

who was

speaking to

him,

which is

flipped.

This seems

like a

contradiction

on the

surface but

both accounts

are actually

highlighting that

the revelation

of Jesus

Christ was

reserved for

Saul alone.

Saul's

companions saw

the heavenly

light but

did not

perceive that

the light was

the glory of

the risen

Christ.

They heard

the voice but

they did not

understand what

Jesus was saying

as Saul did.

so while this

encounter with

Jesus occurs

in public and

there are

witnesses who

can corroborate

this extraordinary

phenomenon,

this meeting is

also private

and personal.

It's between

Jesus and

Saul.

Jesus is

revealing himself

personally and

specially to

Saul.

Isn't that an

amazing grace?

that the

God who

created the

cosmos and

sustains it

by his

might is

not too

busy or

preoccupied to

attend

individually

to us.

This was

the case when

each of us

came to know

and believe in

the Lord

Jesus for the

first time.

You may

have heard a

sermon that

was preached

to a crowd

of people

but the

Lord Jesus

was speaking

personally

and specially

to you.

Luke employs

a motif of

blindness and

sight here as

a metaphor for

spiritual blindness

and sight.

He did this in

his gospel as

well in the

gospel of Luke.

In Luke

Luke 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4,

18 to 19,

he says that

the central

aspect of

Jesus'

mission is

to recover

the sight

to the

blind.

And Jesus

does this

both literally

and even

more importantly

figuratively

throughout the

gospel of

Luke.

In Luke

Luke 6:39–40

chapter 6,

verse 39

to 40,

he uses a

parable to

refer to

spiritual

blindness,

saying that

a blind man

cannot lead

a blind man.

And then in

Luke 8,

Luke 8:10

verse 10,

Jesus mentions

those who are

seeing yet

do not see.

And that

motif of

blindness and

seeing comes

to a climax

in Luke

Luke 24 · chapter mention

chapter 24,

where on

the road

to Emmaus,

two of

his disciples,

as Jesus

opens the

scriptures to

them,

it says that

their eyes

were opened

to recognize

Jesus as

the risen

Messiah.

Saul's

blindness

after this

encounter

on Damascus

Road also

functions as

a metaphor

for spiritual

blindness.

His physical

eyes are

open,

yet he

sees

nothing.

In fact,

Saul's so

blind that

he has to

be led

by the

hand and

brought into

Damascus by

his companions.

This is

instructive for

us.

Saul was

sincerely

convinced that

Christians were

deluded

heretics.

He was

sure that

Jesus had

not risen

from the

dead.

He was

so certain

of this

that he

was persecuting

the church,

killing

Christians.

Yet Saul

was sincerely

wrong.

Christianity

has many

critics,

some of

whom

sincerely

and passionately

believe that

Christianity is

the bane of

society,

but this is

due to their

spiritual

blindness.

And this

spiritual

blindness can

only be

cured by

hearing the

word of

Christ and

believing it.

Many people

in the world

say that

seeing is

believing,

that they

need to

see it

to believe

it.

But Christians

are people

who walk

by faith

and not

by sight.

And as

Romans 10,

17 says,

faith comes

from

hearing,

and hearing

through the

word of

Christ.

And so in

this narrative,

Saul does not

believe because

he sees.

He sees

because he

believes.

and he

believes because

he hears

the voice

of the

Lord.

This is a

tremendous

encouragement

for us in

our evangelistic

efforts.

Successful

evangelism does

not depend on

our logical

or rhetorical

prowess.

We do not

have the

power to

cure people's

spiritual

blindness.

However,

we can

open up

God's word

to them.

We can

speak the

gospel to

them.

And when

we do,

God shines

his light

in their

hearts.

It says in

2 Corinthians

4, 3-6,

And even

if our

gospel is

veiled,

it is

veiled to

those who

are perishing.

In their

case, the

God of this

world has

blinded the

minds of

the unbelievers

to keep

them from

seeing the

light of

the gospel

of the

glory of

Christ,

who is

the image

of God.

For what

we proclaim

is not

ourselves,

but Jesus

Christ as

Lord,

with

ourselves

as your

servants for

Jesus'

sake.

For God

who said,

let light

shine out

of darkness,

has shone

in our

hearts to

give the

light of

the knowledge

of the

glory of

God in

the face

of Jesus

Christ.

Satan

blinds the

minds of

unbelievers

so that they

cannot see

the light

of the

glory of

the gospel

of Jesus

Christ.

But for

those who

are being

saved,

God,

who at

the time of

creation said,

let there be

light, let

light shine out

of darkness,

likewise brings

forth a new

creation when

he shines into

our hearts to

give the light

of the knowledge

of the glory

of God.

And it's that

reality that gives

us the confidence

to proclaim the

gospel.

As Paul says in

2 Corinthians 4

2 Corinthians 4:2

verse 2,

we do not need to

resort to

disgraceful or

underhanded ways.

We don't have to

utilize cunning.

We don't have to

tamper with

God's word.

We don't need to

make it,

manipulate people

or to

intimidate people

or to

change the

word to

make it more

appealing or

reasonable to

fallen humanity.

But instead,

we share the

gospel with the

simple, open

statement of the

truth, he says.

Why?

Because it's

God who shines

his light.

He saves and

opens the eyes

of the blind.

Jesus himself,

the incarnate

word, the

word made

human flesh,

shines the

light of the

gospel in his

inscripturated

word, the

word written

in human

language.

And from the

midst of this

blazing light,

Saul hears a

voice.

And what he

heard would

have made him

tremble with

fear.

Saul, Saul,

why are you

persecuting me?

Saul gets

confused and

responds in

verse 5,

Who are you,

Lord?

To which Jesus

replies, I am

Jesus, whom

you are

persecuting.

Imagine Saul's

shock.

He knows well

that the light

from heaven is

a manifestation

of a divine

figure.

When the

light of God's

glory appears,

people fall to

their face on

the ground.

This is a

pattern you see

over and over

again throughout

scriptures, and

that's exactly

what happens to

Saul.

He falls to

the ground.

He knows that

he's in the

presence of a

powerful, divine,

awe-inspiring

being.

That's why he

addresses him as

Lord.

But this figure

says to him,

the first thing

he says after

addressing him

is, why are

you persecuting

me?

What?

Me?

I'm not

persecuting you.

I don't even

know who you

are.

But Jesus

replies, I am

Jesus, whom

you are

persecuting.

The man that

Saul had

rejected as

the Messiah,

the man that

Saul was sure

was dead,

now appears to

him in his

divine glory,

and is asking

him why he's

persecuting you.

Saul must

have wanted to

crawl into a

hole in that

moment.

This is a

wonderful assurance

for us.

The Lord Jesus

so closely

identifies with

his people

that to

persecute the

church of

Christ is to

persecute Christ

himself.

That's because

Jesus said to

his disciples in

Matthew 10,

Matthew 10:40

verse 40,

whoever receives

you, receives

me, and

whoever receives

me, receives

him who sent

me.

the church

is the body

of Christ,

and as such

represents Christ

who is the

head of the

church.

To persecute the

church is to

persecute Jesus,

which is to

persecute God

himself, the

triune God.

This is such an

empowering reality,

but that means

when we go to

evangelize, we

have nothing to

fear.

People may

reject us,

people may

ignore us,

slander us,

falsely accuse

us, persecute

us, but when

they do, they

will have to

deal with the

risen Lord

Jesus Christ,

who will

return to

judge the

living and

the dead.

We may not

have the power

to defend

ourselves, but

our Lord is

able to defend

us, and even

if he lets us

suffer for a

little while,

he will surely

avenge us in

the end.

Saul had

come to

Damascus with

the authority of

the high priest

to persecute

Christians, but

now that he

has been

confronted by a

higher authority

than the high

priest, he

changes course.

Jesus says to

him, rise and

enter the city,

and you will be

told what you

are to do.

That's exactly

what Saul does.

He rises from

the ground and

goes into the

city of Damascus,

and he waits

further instructions

while praying and

fasting.

And as he is

waiting, Jesus

gives parallel

instructions to

Ananias, verses

10 to 12.

He says,

Now there was a

disciple at

Damascus named

Ananias.

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 his hands on

him so that he

might regain his

sight.

Ananias is a

disciple, so he

is someone who

belongs to the

way of Christ.

And in a later

account, in Acts

22, Saul describes

Ananias as a devout

man according to

the law, well

spoken of by all

the Jews who

lived in Damascus.

So not surprisingly

then, Damascus,

when the Lord

addresses him,

responds humbly

and obediently,

Here I am,

Lord.

But even Ananias

is not prepared

for what Jesus

tells him to do.

What street

should I go to?

Straight street.

Okay, got that.

What's the house

number?

The house of

Judas.

Got that.

Who am I

looking for?

A man of Tarsus.

Okay.

Name.

Saul.

Saul?

Saul?

Saul?

You mean Saul of

Tarsus?

You mean the one

that's here to kill

me?

Ananias boxed and

says in verses 13

to 14,

Lord, I have heard

from many about

this man,

how much evil he

has done to your

saints at Jerusalem.

And here he has

authority from the

chief priests to

bind all who call

out near me.

This is an

understandable

objection.

But Jesus

overrules it

anyway and he

assures him that

Saul is praying

and that he has

already seen in a

vision a man named

Ananias come in and

lay his hands on it.

There's a remarkable

chain of prayers that

connect these, this

improbable sequence of

events.

Remember when Stephen

was being stoned to

death, Saul, it

said in chapter 8

verse 1, looked

approvingly.

He approved of it.

He was glad that

Stephen was killed,

executed.

In chapter 7, when

Stephen was being

stoned, Saul

provided the coat

check service.

I'll hold your

coats for you.

Go throw those

stones at him.

And as Stephen was

dying, he prayed to

the Lord, Lord do

not hold this against

them.

And Jesus doesn't

hold this against

Saul.

And then now Saul is

praying.

He doesn't know what

to make of what is

happened.

He's examining his

life.

His entire life up to

this point, it seems,

has been a mistake.

And he answers, God

answers that prayer and

sends Ananias.

Everything significant

in the book of Acts

happens as an answer to

prayer and this is no

exception.

Saul, the apostle to the

Gentiles, is converted.

He's baptized,

presumably by Ananias,

filled with the Holy

Spirit.

And this is the reason

that Jesus gives to

Ananias, verses 15 to

16.

Go for he is a chosen

instrument of mine to

carry my name before the

Gentiles and kings and the

children of Israel, for I

will show him how much he

must suffer for the sake of

my name.

Saul, Jesus says, is his

chosen instrument.

Saul is the unlikeliest of

converts.

His conversion was so

inconceivable that even

after his conversion and

after several years of

ministering the gospel, he

says in verses 26 to 27

that the twelve apostles in

Jerusalem still did not

believe that he was a

disciple.

There's no way he's a

Christian.

He's probably posing as one

so he could trick us and

imprison us.

That's how unlikely his

conversion was.

Yet Jesus had chosen him to

carry his name to the

Gentiles.

Jesus.

Jesus.

This account should build our

faith for our unbelieving

family members, friends, and

neighbors.

Are there people in your life

that you deem too far gone?

People you have written off

thinking to yourself, well, he

or she will never come to

faith in Jesus.

Are there people in your life

that you don't bother to share

the gospel with because you

think it's pointless?

Well, then let Saul's

conversion inspire you.

Saul describes himself as the

very least of all the saints

because he persecuted the

church.

And he says even though he

was the foremost of sinners, he

says in 1 Timothy 1.16, that

God showed him mercy so that in

him as the foremost of sinners,

Jesus Christ might display his

perfect patience as an example

to those who were to believe in

him for eternal life.

In other words, God saved Saul so

that people might look at him and

say, well, if God can be so

patient with Saul, if God can be so

merciful to Saul, then surely he can

save me.

That friend of yours who is a

militant atheist, a promiscuous

womanizer, a violent gangbanger, may

yet come to faith in Jesus Christ.

And he or she may become a prolific

evangelist and a gifted teacher that

you never would have imagined.

God radically transforms Saul's life and

he can do the same for you and for

others in your life as well.

Maybe some of you are in despair

thinking that your wayward child will

never come to faith in the Lord.

Or maybe you've resigned yourself to

hopelessness of thinking that you or

your spouse can never overcome these

sinful habits that you're stuck in.

It is impossible for you to bring

about that change, but it is not

impossible for God.

If you are not a follower of Jesus,

don't ever write yourself off either.

Don't ever think that you're irredeemable.

Don't ever think that you're too

broken to be healed or too sinful to

be forgiven.

Don't ever think that you're too messed

up to be loved by God.

Or that you're damaged good.

That God doesn't want anything to do.

It says in John 6, 37,

All that the Father gives me will

come to me, and whoever comes to me,

I, Jesus says, will never cast out.

Jesus' arms are open wide, and if you

repent of your sins and believe in

Jesus Christ, His death and

resurrection for sinners like you,

He will save you.

He will never turn you away.

Maybe some of you who are listening

think that you're too good for Jesus.

You think you're too strong and

independent to ever become a

Christian.

Maybe you think you're too

intelligent or learned to be able to

become a Christian.

That's what Saul thought to him.

But he was wrong.

This passage teaches us the Lord Jesus

sovereignly and graciously gives sight to

blind sinners, and He does this so that

they might speak of His name.

That brings us to my second,

shorter point.

God calls Saul,

an unlikely convert, to be an unlikely

servant.

It says in verse 20 that immediately Saul

proclaimed Jesus in the synagogue, saying,

He is the Son of God.

Again, Saul, like Philip, obeys the Lord

promptly.

And this transformation of Saul was so

radical that all who heard him were amazed.

This word amazed is the same word that was

used at Pentecost in Acts chapter 2 and in

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Acts chapter 8 to describe the reactions of

Acts 8 · chapter mention

people who witnessed the signs and great

miracles that God performed through Philip.

Our conversion, too, is such a miracle that

can amaze people.

Though most of our conversion stories are not

quite as dramatic as Saul's, every conversion

is a miracle wrought by the Spirit of God.

No one can go from spiritual death to

spiritual life, from spiritual blindness to

spiritual sight, from being an enemy of

Jesus Christ to being a follower of Jesus

Christ without the Holy Spirit.

Despite his former opposition to Christ and

his church, verse 22 tells us that Saul

increased all the more his strength, confounded

the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that

Jesus was the Christ.

Saul was so effective in his ministry that the

Jews, who were likely jealous and disgruntled after

having been frustrated in their attempts to stop

Saul, they start to plan an assassination.

He says in verses 23-25,

There's a pattern here, and we see this pattern repeated exactly in verses 26-30 as well.

First, Saul encounters a group of believers who are still skeptical of the genuineness of his conversion.

And then second, he is accepted by them, received by them, finally after some hesitation or amazement,

and then Saul starts to proclaim the name of Jesus boldly.

And then third, he is opposed by the Jews.

Here, and then later, by the Hellenist Jews, the same Jews who killed Stephen earlier.

And then finally, with the help from fellow believers, he escapes.

So this pattern repeats itself in this passage twice.

This is a compressed account.

So when it says in verse 23,

Many days had passed.

In Galatians 1, 16-18, we learn that that period of Saul ministering in Damascus,

he also goes to Arabia, the desert of Arabia, to the south of Syria, east of Damascus.

And he ministered there for about three years before he goes up to see the apostles.

So what we see here in a few verses is a span of three years or more.

But the important thing to grasp from this here is the pattern.

Proclamation and persecution.

Of course, there are times of peace and security for the church.

Verse 31 tells us that for a time, the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace

and was being built up.

But in looking at the book of Acts and looking at church history,

we see that persecution, not peace, is the norm.

That's why Jesus says in verse 16,

I will show you how much, I'll show him, Saul, how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.

Proclaiming the name of Jesus entails suffering for his name,

but that doesn't deter Saul again and again.

What is that toy?

I think Josh told me the name of this before.

That boppy toy that keeps coming back.

You hit it and then it goes to the ground.

It keeps coming back up.

Saul's like that toy.

He's getting persecuted everywhere he goes.

He's nearly killed many times,

but he repeats the same pattern again.

And he goes somewhere else, preaches the gospel.

Gets persecuted and driven out from there.

He goes somewhere else to preach the gospel.

Again and again.

Look at how many times that phrase is repeated.

Verse 20, verse 22, verse 27, verse 28.

He's proclaiming the name of Jesus,

who he was formerly persecuting,

wherever he goes.

Because he knows what a privilege it is to be a servant of Jesus.

Have you ever wondered why God chooses to use any human being in the first place?

Why does God use Ananias?

I mean, Jesus already appeared to Saul in the blazing light.

Why can't he just tell him what to do?

Why can't he just restore his sight?

Why does he have to wait three days

or wait for the days until Ananias has his own vision

so that he can come to him and lay his hands on him?

Why does God do that?

Why does God use Saul?

Surely, somewhere in the world,

probably not that far off,

he could have found someone more willing than Saul to serve him.

Recalling this, Saul writes in 1 Corinthians 15, 9-10,

I am the least of the apostles,

unworthy to be called an apostle

because I persecuted the church of God.

But by the grace of God,

I am what I am.

It's all a grace.

Though Saul did suffer much for the sake of Jesus' name,