Saul Conversion | Pr Matthew Chang

You're listening to a message to go from Acts Church. We hope this message

will light up your day. Turned with me to Act chapter nine. I'm

going to read here from verse one to verse nine. Okay, all right,

So, how many of you are familiar with Saul Saw? How many

of you's all? So? All? Okay? Saul is you know it's

now he's venerated as one of the apostles of Jesus Christ. A lot of

the New Testament is written by him. It's a great apostle. But before

he was a Paul, he was known as Saul. Okay, and he

was let's just say, he was on a different trajectory in life. He

has a different career plan, okay. And so after that halfway through,

you know, on his career path got drastically changed his career path and his

experience as well. And that is where we're going to take off from.

Okay, Now, sat here from verse one then, Saw still breathing threats.

Okay, well, not giving threats or breathing breathe you know, with

like a dragon breathes fire, breathing threats and murder. No, he's talking

murdered or interesting. The world was murdered it's not just sending people to you

know what they got their sentencing people, It says murdering or what does murder

mean? Murder means what do they mean that they take you to court and

then sentence you. Murder means are on the spot, and it's on the

spot and on meanside like what you see on Hamas and Israeli conflicte here in

your house. You know that's murdering. Can you imagine? This is the

apostle? What scary? You know? This guy is like still breathing threats

and murder against the disciples of the Lord. He went to the high priest,

Okay, to the high priest means the most powerful and important person in

Jerusalem at that time, and he asks letters from him, Okay, so

that he could go to the synagogues of the Mascus. Okay, so that

if he found any who were off the way. Okay, this is not

Mendalorian or anything. Okay, Okay, I know some of you that what

I might think, Okay, just gigging out. Okay, whether men or

women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Okay. Now the bit

of context, now Saul is maybe can flesh up that map that we're gonna

focus on that map for a while. Okay. Well the map appears,

okay, So just give you an introduction about who Paul is. Okay.

So Paul Okay. He's by birth a Jew Okay, his birth as a

Jew. Okay, he's a Jewish. Oh no he okay? No,

what is then? Okay? I think my I don't go through Okay.

He is a Jew okay, in birth as a Jew Okay. And he

is a Roman citizen okay, a Roman citizen, educated as a Greek.

And he had a conviction of a pharisee, but by grace a Christian.

Okay. What so many things come out so okay, born a Jew okay,

a citizen of Rome, educated as a Greek, his career as a

pharisees, but safe to become a Christian. I'll tell you what he is

like what they call it, like a hot pot. You seriously is Italian

plus Chinese plus Indian plus I don't know Korean. You know everything one pot,

Poorian, a melting pot and everything bound together. He's white, wealthy

okay. And he is from Tarsus Okay, Tarsus Okay. So I'm trying

to imagine okay. Uh Tasus is actually on the north there, okay.

And he speaks Greek, you know, s Latin, you knows Hebrew as

well. And as a young boy, he was taken to Jerusalem, Okay,

he was found to be you know, actually his three says that he's

a short guy, you know, with meeting eyebrows. You know what's a

meeting eyebrows means your eyebrows are one continuous lining. That's why you call meeting.

You know, your eyebrow's actually meet you know, all this good English

meeting eyebrows. Short guy, the eyebrows. And some people says that he's

not very normal, but he has the face of an angel. Okay.

How many do you like to have the face of an angel? Okay.

So, and he as a young boy, he was taken to Jerusalem to

be tutored okay by this very famous teacher okay called Gamellion. Okay. And

this teacher was so good, okay that he was so revered Okay, he

is. He was referred to as the Beauty of the law. It's like,

you know, if you go to law schooler if met one professor.

Professor was her nickname. My name is the beauty of the law. Oh

what a namer the air professor of the law. I'm not just a professor,

I'm the beauty of the law. This is he's dead, good and

all like. Oh, okay, but he's so he's so renowned. And

you will see his name appear once or twice in in the in the Bible,

actually appeared in the Book of Acts. Okay. So he was tutored

under the best professor, you know, as to become a pharisee, you

know, an expert of the law. Okay. And he when he grew

up in Tasks, which is in the north, which has a bit more

Greek and Roman influenced. His father was a tent maker, okay. And

he also was a tent maker, and he was what they do is that

they take donkey hairs and then they bundle it together and then they you know,

titan it and then they becomes like a big what they call it,

like ten you know, then there will be so he was there were seldiest

Uh you material together with ten making and make living for themselves. And so

if you read about Paul Uh in his later days as well in his journeys,

he when he settled in some of the places for a few months or

a few years. He will also earn and earn a living by doing tech

making as well. Okay, so it's very good. Okay. Now he

says here and that he okay, he was breathing threats and murdered against the

disciples of the Lord. So if you read the previous chapter, you will

know. Actually I ap preached someone about this as well. I think a

few weeks back about Stephen okay. Uh. Stephen was one of the early

deacons appointed by the apostles okay, first few deacons in the word was deacon

okay, and he was appointed. He was very young and at a very

young age, he was already you know, you know, teaching, uh,

you know. And then also he was so much that the people were

upset with him. And it's very it speculated that one of the person that

couldn't that couldn't content with Stephen was soul himself. Okay, so you know,

is speculated, but I don't know. So they were so upset that

they brought him to the Sanhedrin, to the Jewish Council to question him because

they were saying that he was bleaspheming against the law blaspheming against Moses, blestphiming

against God himself, and blaspheming against the temple. Okay, that won our

reserves for another time for the sermon. Okay, there's another whole entire teaching

very powerful. Okay. But and then he feels if the boldness was able

to you know, rebuild all this, but yet turning against a prosecution against

uh the Sanhedrin and say that you are the ones you accused me of blaspheming,

but you the ones who claim to receive the word of God. You

killed the Lord's anointed. Very powerful and because of what he did, he

was basically stoned. And okay, kids here, Okay, the kids are

not here, right, Okay, you know stoninger actually are I was like

there, it's quite a big graphic here. But you know, the stoninger,

they we always imagine that the stony does take you know, and then

through hey I missing, he miss you know, it's like a you know,

stoning if you're talking about a capital punishment, not just a random street

stoning. Right, it's a bit different. So what they will do is

actually they will take the person okay, they want the stone. They will

take them to the edge of the town or allege, okay, and then

below him it will be probably about I was say, twelve feet fifteen feet

by So the person who agrees that he should die must be the person who

also pushes him down. He will stand there face behind him, and then

he will have to be pushed and he falls, and if he survives,

then the stoning comes, you know how. So they will take off their

garments and give it to him to sell and shm and then take off a

big stone, walk over to the ledge and drop it. Sorry, there're

no kids, right, So that's how it's done. Now you think about

it, it's like gruesome, right then, goodness because when I when I

shaw this in BJ, there was some kids around there, some of the

parents. Oh no, I forgot. I got to caught up with it,

you know. But that was how they do it. You know.

It's a capital punishment. So there's the first person could consent to it and

then one by one day drop it will take two or treat. That's it.

Really don't need a lot more so it's very cruel, okay, But

to be fair, kepital punishment by stony in Israel is very very very rare,

very rare, very rare, okay, unless it's like you know,

and it's normally a lot only by the send he drink, which is the

highest office. But it's very very rare, okay. So and all was

there, Okay, he likely he couldn't contend with Stephen. Stephen, he

was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he was there. He brought him,

He brought Stephen to the council. It was very likely he was the

one, you know, who consented. Consented means one you see, the

one he pushed, you see, the one who take all the gumas and

encourage people to do it. Ah. He you know, there was a

lot of blood in his hand. Okay, it's not easy, okay saying.

And because of that he was not done, you know, because he's

a guya, you know, who was so steeped into the Jewish tradition and

Judaism. Right, they believe that they are doing the right thing. They

really believe that they're doing the right thing. They said, how can we

let our nation there is safe by God, and we are the children of

Abraham, disciples of Moses. How can we let our know and we have

been we just came out from exile from Babylon because we did not follow God's

We are barely just trying to make it right, and we're still under Roman

law. Okay, Roman room belly making it And there's this guy who just

died on the tree. Dying on the tree means you are cursed on.

People are following a man who died on the tree. People are following a

man who is cursed enough. How can we let this nation go into this

wrong path? That's their mindset, You get me, right, Okay,

let this nation he said, I'm doing, so what they're doing, they

really believe if great zeal, passion and fire so much or they will kill

to do so. You know what I'm saying here. They believe that now

we see now people who are so zealous for all these how of things,

you know. Okay, they really believe that, you know, uh,

and they have full of sincerity. But you can be sincerely wrong, yeah,

true or not give me people say that you have my best intentions,

you know, not sincerity, but it can be sincerely wrong. It's not

the most important thing, Okay. What we desire more than anything else their

intention. But this world needs more sincerity is one truth. Truth. Truth

is the most important thing. Truth is higher, way higher, I would

say, sometimes even truth is higher than love. You can love and everybody

love love, whatever kind of relationship, as long as it love. I

say, no, the first most important thing is truth. Truth was self,

your free everything is based on truth. Okay, what's so quiet?

Okay? So he was breathing threats and murder against the disciples, or went

to the high priests and asked for letters to the Synagogue of the Maskers,

because he knows that when the persecution came, a lot of the disciples went

up north, to the north that any northeast where he come from Auto Tasars

to Damascus to Antiochy. Okay, so he got the letters. You want

to really put a stamp, you know, he really want to block this

spreading of the gospel before it spreads into any other past. Okay. And

so that if he found anyone who were off the way, they didn't call

them Christians yet, you know, they called them off the way, whether

it's men or women, he might bring them. She changed to Jerusalem.

Okay, Now he says, yeah. As he journeyed, okay, he

came near the Maskers and suddenly a light shone around him. From heaven.

Okay. And then he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to

him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? And he said,

who are you? Lord? Then the Lord said, I am Jesus,

whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the

goats. Let's stop there for a while now, this encounter of Paul on

the road to bap them Mascus, this is not the only time in the

in the Bible they mentioned Paul. In the later parts, I think in

Acts chapter twenty four and the later parts of other epistles. The hero he

will uh what do they call it, replay and revisit this encounter again and

again. So there are some minor details that you can pick up from some

of the parts. One of the details that can pick up was that actually

when the lights shone on him, it was happening in the mid day.

Okay, it was happening in during the daytime. Okay, So now that

you can read it from extonistics, but we're not going to go there now.

It says there you know that when you know that when he was on

the journey to Damascots, the light shone around him from heaven. Okay.

Now, this light was so bright that it was brighter than the sun,

brighter than the sun. Okay, so bright. And you know how many

of you were at our homes a few weeks ago, last week, say

last week, yeah, last week we studied. What did we study about?

This is the light of the world. Okay, I know it's a

bit of an in depth study. But it's a very powerful study, isn't

it. It can be in the brightest of places, but yet darkness still

persist. True, can be the most beautiful places, most light, Olympic

lights or whatever lights you have, But yet all these light cannot shine the

darkness of men. But people are plotting, they capture they know they took

an adult trust woman. Did they want to really uphold the law or do

they just want to trap Jesus? You know, say, all the lights

cannot shine a light into the darkness of men, Nothing can do it.

But Jesus, in the midst of all these beautiful light, says that I

am the light of the world. Amazing, is there? No, Jesus

is the light. Jesus is more powerful than the light of the sun,

not because it can go, but even the sun cannot shine light into the

darkness of the hearts of men. Can you tell me any sun? They

can? You're not. You can't have a court rulinger or a court caser.

We take off the roof and the sun comes, and then the witness

will tell them truth. Does it happen that way? No, it's so

hard to get sometimes the testimony or waitnesses to tell the truth, isn't it.

They can put their hands on the Bible. I will tell the truth,

nothing but the truth, So help me God. But you know they

lie, isn't it? People will lie about the things. So the sun,

the stars, the moon, nothing can shine a light into it.

But Jesus is the light of the world, greater than all these lights.

And this light comes to both people, the people who hate him and the

jew and then the teachers. But the light there also comes the people who

need him. So the light will cause people to hide one girl, people

who hate him to hide and reject him. But his light will also bring

what draw people? The light said, you are the light. You have

the beacon of light. Then there were those who hide and those who will

come to him. Okay, So it's the light that separates as well.

The light that exposes, the light that separates, and the light that will

never be extinguished. Amen. All the temple lights, all the sun will

even have nights, even the moon, who have exclusive Jesus will always be

there. Amen. Okay, So he says that it happened on the midday.

It was brighter than the sun. It's the light of God that blinds

the physical eyes but opens the spiritual eyes. Okay, the light of God

that blinds the physical eyes but opens the spiritual eyes. But the world,

the light of the world, the bright lights of the world, is the

one that attracts the physical eyes but blinds the spiritual eyes, isn't it.

It's like attracted to bright lights. I used to like this song called bright

Lights match Box twenty. You know, it's like, you know, you're

talking about a lady, you know, younger. You know, you want

to move to a different country because you're attracted by the bright lights. The

lights is not so much about hey, the city, you know, but

it's what shines, what makes you famous, what makes you known, validated,

what makes you successful. And you're attracted to the success. You know

that it promises you know, but Jesus promises another life. Amen. So

now it says here, let's read a bit further. He says, here

he heard a void saying, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

A lot of times when you read the Bible, you're here there it

says calling a person's name twice, it's not because we don't understand it.

Okay. When you write twice or three times, there is a means different

level. Okay. You know, when you call the Lord Holy, Holy

Holy three times, it's a veneration and an esteem, not reserve for someone

who is of honor three times, Holy Holy Holy. You just say holy,

say Holy Holy Holy twice. It's what you don't do for a family

someone, you know. So when g when so, when God calls Samuel,

what do you call? Meanwi Samuel Samuel twice? It's a Jewish custom

of how they relate intimacy. So when Paul, when Saul hit that,

it's not like hey, it's all no, He's like soul, Soul.

It's like my son, my son, you can mean right, I'm not.

It's the type of calling a voice of knowledge of and of intimacy.

Okay. So all this wow, when Paul was doing all this breathing of

threads and murder, killing innocence. And then even now, on his murderous

path to the north right, he hears a voice that has followed him,

voice that has pursued him, and he came forth out calling Saul, Saul,

why are you persecuting me? Instead of saying hey, so, so

let me introduce myself, right, he said, no, why are you

hurting me? He's like, if like God knows him so well, then

God's you know, It's like, how like, why are you doing this?

You know? Me tell the say this to a person that you know

one, know, you don't talk to talk like this to a person you

don't know one. And then Paul said again, Saul said, who are

you? Lord? Okay? He fell to the ground and he said who

are you Lord? Because he didn't know, He really didn't know, but

he knows it's divine, it's heavenly. But he said, who are you?

You can't see? Then the Lord said, I am Jesus whom you

are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goats. Oh

this is very very powerful. Okay he says here that in uh uh so

Paul so so trembling and astonished, said Lord what do you want me to

do? Then let's pause it for a while. So two reactions. We

see here he was trembling and he is astonished. Okay, trembling and astonished.

Why is he astonished and trembling? Why was he scared? Thing?

God? Okay, Now, first of all, he is trembling because he

just saw someone who was there now alive. Okay, it's like if you're

going up again, it's like you know you're on the trailer. You know

someone who is there already spoke to you things like a ghost. You'll be

scared. Whether it's a love one or someone you don't like, you be

scared. And this is, you know, the Lord himself. He's scared

because he realized Jesus, whom I I've heard that people say Jesus is raised

from the dead. Jesus right, what kind of nonsense? But he says

that, but Jesus spoke. That means Jesus, who died on the cross,

Jesus, who was supposedly cursed, is not. It's actually innocent because

God will not grant resurrection to earth evil man. God will not hear the

prayers of a sinful man. So means that he died innocent and not You

get me right, that's the only way that God Jesus will be resurrected.

And not only that, not only he is innocent, he is There's lots

annoying that because he knows the law, he might must remember Paul knows the

law, he knows the scripture, he knows the scripture. He knows that

whom the Lord will raise. He just didn't realize it was Jesus. And

now his whole entire study is being re examined, reinspected. And he realized

that, oh, my goodness, I've been taking the wrong exam. I've

been studying my you know, all my everything I learned now is wrong,

and I've applied it wrongly. I've got the facts, but I've seen it

through the wrong lens. Okay, Jesus is alive. Not only that Jesus

is guiltless, he's innocent, but more than that, he is the son

of God. So that scares him. Secondly, he is scared. He's

astonished and trembling because he realized that Jesus knows him. These Jesus everybody's talking

about, he actually knows me. Hey, when you have someone pursuing you,

and they know you. You'll be scared. One. You know,

when you get stopped over by a police and they say, oh, I

know you, you'll be scared. You'll be scared. Okay, You're like,

I know you, you'll be scared. You go get caught to the

principal's office and the principle says, I know you. I know your dad

and your mom. You're like, you freeze you, you'll freeze. Now

he realizes Jesus knows him. Not only Jesus knows him. He realized Jesus

has been found sllowing him in the middle of the road. You're speaking to

me. You've been following me. I'm I'm following people, I'm chasing people,

I'm arresting people. But now I'm the one being followed. I'm being

chased, and now I'm the one being arrested. Well, you see the

parallel is here. It's kind of funny, is the paralys I'm the one

who you've been following me. I'm following people, but I don't being following

me. You know, It's like, wow, it's quite amazing. And

not only that. The last one he says he is he in. Jesus

says that who are you say I am Jesus, But he didn't say,

I am Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus whom you are persecuting? What does that

mean? The poor personally directly persecute Jesus physically or you know, did he

go to the grave? No? But who was he prosecuting? The believers?

But Jesus identifies himself for the first time he saw it is me whom

you are persecuting. Jesus is equating the believers suffering as himself. The believers

are me, they are my body. And when by when Saul hears that

and hears that how Jesus identifies himself with the believers, he's in shock because

he didn't just you know, like you all chase them, he killed them

and talking about Stevens and all the rest. If Jesus rise from the dead

and they know and it's innocence, all the people who believe him are also

innocent. You see at that moment. Now it's like you didn't realize that

you just collected so many summons, you know, It's that you open your

cupboard all the summons and then you realize how much is it You're going to

jail? For life in just one moment that he just realized that his life

sentence has been sent. He's been pronounced to him. I am Jesus.

Okay, you know whom you are persecuting. And this, itally is a

very powerful thing, you know, because it's a very important theology that we

have to learn when we persecute his church. We persecute Jesus Church is not

perfect, but it is his bride, it is his body. If Paul

falls down and fear and trembling, how much more should we be very very

careful what we say while we atter against God's Church. Seriously, you know,

right and wrong, Be very very fearful, be very honorable. You

cannot don't Actually, I would just say, don't say anything. Whatever the

Lord decided, Let him judge, you get me right, Be very very

very fearful. Okay, it's a very important thing I wanted to share with

you guys. Okay. Uh. And he knows, no, he messed

up big time. Okay, he messed up big time. Now when we

see in the next verse here he says, so he trembling and astonished,

said Lord, what do you want me to do? Why did he say

that? Who would say such a thing. What do you want me to

do? When you realize and you resign to the fact that you are completely

guilty, I'm totally wrong. The only pointer is resignation. The available is

resignation. Resigned, I completely leave my post, leave my position of justification.

When you resign from your officer, from your off on your work,

you leave your post, your responsibility. When we resign spiritually, we resign

from a position of justification. Oh all right, I'm wrong all the things

he excus us. No, I cannot. You resign to the fact you

remove who you are without your job, without your title, with a salary,

without your car, without your good works? Who are you and nothing?

And you completely resign to the fact that I'm at the mercy of God.

This who we are and people? You know, you get me right.

When we resign and we're completely out of nothing and we completely resign,

we are nobody. You know, we are completely at the mercy of God.

And that is exactly the spot where what saw find himself. I am

completely at the mercy. I have been reduced right now to become a slave,

So I shall speak like a slave speaks. What do you want me

to do, though, I'm completely poor, broken in depted. Okay,

he understood that. Okay. Then the Lord said to him, arise and

go into the city, and you'll be told what you must do. And

the man who journey with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing

no one. Then saw arose from the ground, and when his eyes were

opened, he saw no one. But then but they led him by the

hand, and brought him to the Mascus. Okay, to the place that

he was supposed to be. And then he was there three days without sight,

and neither ate nor drank. Okay, Now let's move on a bit

here. Now moving on from verse ten. Now there was a sudden disciple

of the Master at the Mascus, names name Annaeus and Annius. And to

hear the Lord said in a vision Annaeus, and he said, here I

am Lord. So the Lord said to him, arise and go to the

street called straight. Wow. Literally it is what he said. Go to

the street cat straight. Okay, what the irony is? You know,

it's irony. And inquire at the house of Judie for one called soul of

Tassars. For behold, he is praying, and in a vision he has

seen a man named Annonaius coming in and putting his hand on him so that

he might receive his sign. And Anonaius answered, Lord, I have heard

from many about this man, how much harm 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 vessel of mine to bear my name before gentiles,

kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many

things he must suffer for my name sake. Okay, Let's pause there for

a while, so we see that that another character comes in Annius. And

in this and in this moment, Saul has been blind for a few days,

doesn't want to eat. Okay. And when God appears to Anoniers,

Okay, Anonis has reservations and hesitations. This man is on a killing rampage.

Why should I even go to him? But then God comes and God

breaks the taboo. God breaks the walls and the perceptions of how we see

our enemies. She thinking about it, and anonisie, if he followed the

discaposa, he will know that Jesus, in his lifetime I was fighting against

these growl people. I was calling out against these growl people, you know,

and these are the group of people who basically put him on the cross.

And now these growl people are chasing us, and you want me to

speak to this guy. And God said, yes, of course, I'm

gonna use him. It's amazing. Heaven rules, isn't it. Heaven rules

are when your enemies are persecuting you. Heaven rules are even when you see

our savior is on the cross. God rules. Got over rules the nymity

that has been happening between the different Jews and the Christians. God rules.

It's amazing that God is able to take hold of what is burning and hot

and use it and refine it as gold. It's amazing it something that used

to hot and God can use it being turned into go precious reflecting His glory.

You and I are the same place as well. Sometimes we think that

we are, you know, not good enough. Sometimes we feel like,

hey, you know our passes, you know it's unclean. But God wants

to use you where this is where it's from your age, whether you know

from your past street. God is able to use. God is able to

use soul. God is more than able to use us. Amen. But

the fascinating is all to a closer. Okay, it'says here. I'm reading

here. It says it, and I think it's verse eighteen eighty seventeen eighteen.

And Ananias went his way and entered the house. Okay, he followed,

obeyed, entered the house, and laying his hand on him on Saul,

he said, brother, Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to

you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive

your side. And this is the most amazing thing, and be filled with

the Holy Spirit. Wow, Cama, not just touch him, you know,

Cama, to give him the Holy Spirit. And immediately there fell from

his eyes something like scales, and he received his side at once, and

he arose and was baptized. So when he received he was strengthened. Then

then Saul spent some days with the disciples of the masket. It's quite amazing,

isn't it. How generous that God, how generous our God is towards

someone who used to you know, kill, to murder. And you see,

I must understand that. I can't imagine that it's all this three days

are is he really blind? Or for his first time, and it's like

he is really able to see. You know. It's q. It's interesting.

For three days you were so blind, but yet it's the three days

that you have been the most enlightening, most you know clear to you in

your life. You know all this life, what he saw, what he

was doing was so right, so justified. But yet when God close,

what he saw, what he held on to, and he just focused on

who he is in order the Word of God, just marinating together with turnout.

It's like all the scripture and the Lord that he knows, and now

I'm married together with the experience and the post an experience of Jesus Christ change

his life. I don't say this. You know that there are two kinds

of Christians. You know the more I'm gonna use two kinds. Okay?

Uh, you know there are people in this world. How many of you

like football? How many of your life? Okay? Who should I pick?

Ronaldo and Messy? Who says messy? Who says Ronaldo? Oh?

You know, but I'm not with you, Okay, it's come by just

a kidding. I'm not a big football fan, Okay, Okay, it's

all we picked messy. Okay, popular word Okay, A lot of people

know a lot of stan's about Messy. How much you run per game,

how many kms he runs, how many scorees it's got, how many he

assisted? And if you compare him with Ronaldo? You can debate, you

know, go and debate all this tiff. You know everything, know very

very well, okay, and people might you're so good, people might invite

you to go for on a debate, you know, and you go online,

you start a podcast and do all this out stuff. But one day

Messi decides to call me up, me personally, okay, to go and

have dinner with him. Okay, Oh that's so nice. I hear a

hint of jealousy there. Okay, Gusa Meal, Okay, do you think

that I know Messimo than the people who what so called pundits and experts?

No, Messmo, what's the difference knowing? See, it's a big gap,

isn't it. We have Christians who are very good Bible people, very

good. They can quote all the scriptures, all the points scored, all

the history. You know. I'm I'm a basketball guy. I tell you

I know a lot of stats, really really a lot. Okay, but

I can tell you I don't know the person, but your life changes are

wing. All that you have is suddenly merried with the personal experience and a

personal encounter with the person. It comes together. But sadly, there are

lot of Christians who do not have that. They just have the knowledge,

and they think just by that they have a knowledge and understanding a relationship with

the person. No, it is that personal experience that comes on. Poul.

It's the same thing as well. You see this. It's very dangerous.

You know, when you just have the knowledge, right, you become

think like you're just having the knowledge, you think you are so right,

so holy, so righteous, so pure. But yet the product that you

become is like soul, sharp, furious, burning with anger, cutting people

left and right. Because he thinks he is on the right path the destruction.

Will call it the destructive path of self righteousness. Isn't it scarier?

You just know you know so much, yet you don't know, you know

nothing. You don't know you know so much it you know nothing. I

heard this past that he said. He gave a very good analogy. He's

saying that. He say, if you want you know the cleanest place on

earth, and you know where's the cleanest place on earth. Huh, it's

not your room. Okay, your room is not that cleaner someone with Yeah,

don't come on my room, not my room. The cleanest place on

earth is the South Pole. Why you can clean your room, but you

can't kill the germs? On know? Why is the Southport the cleaners?

Of course, the germs cannot do anything. It's so cold. It's inactive.

You get me right, it's inactive. Okay, so it's inactive.

But there is also the same place where all the lens are also the cheapest,

also the cheapest, but no one stays there. So clean, no,

so clean, no germs, not easy, hope, so that but

you know, but the real estate, no price, but nobody stays there.

Now lives are you know? I told you it's a very good thing.

He's in our lives? Are We are so focuser, so pedentic,

that we are all about just being right and all the perfect knowledge and everything

else. But what we end up without a personal experience and without understanding,

without or not with without without the warmth of loving people and loving God,

right, we become cold like the South Pole, become cold towards people.

When people, when you look at Hey, I hear him, preacher.

I can only see his mistakes past the quote of the wrong verse or this

guy he didn't live a cullting like that. You get me. We have

very very, very cool. But when you have been safe by God's grace

and you have been experienced his mercy, you will think twice before you judge

a person, true or not. You think twice, you will not look

at the spec in the person's eye. You will start looking like I've been

worse before. Instead of judging him immediately, I need to pray for him

and ask the Lord Lord, what should I do for my brother? Lord?

Let me love him and my form my love. Let me help him

get me right. A lot of us I just put out your wrong or

wrong wrong Da da da. That's why the world is like this is not

heear me right? Everybody? You know why? It's the world full of

self righteousness. Serious, the word is for self righteousness. Everybody believe they

are right. Everybody wants to be right. Everybody needs to be right.

So I see Twitter, I see Facebook, I see Instagram. Everybody is

out. You know, you know fourth and back forth and back Harmas and

Israel, you know, whatever left and right. Everybody is so self righteous

on both sides, even when you have the truth, even you have a

good argument, now you are also full of self righteousness a lot of times

because you don't speak out He's came in right. You speak of own hand,

out your oll own strength. And even when you are willing the truth

right, no one is blessed, no, because you speak from a wrong

place, you know what I mean saying. So it's a very important you

know. You know, when I think about Saul, it always tells me

the story of two cities or two paths are that we could have ended up,

you know, as believers, that way can be one extremely cooled just

like so. But yet at the same time, when we experience the word

and the experience is merit, you come out full of grace, full of

truth, full of power as well. Okay, So that's where I will

end for today's message. Okay, So the experience of Paul, you know,

it's a reminder for all of us about the grace of God, about

God's faithfulness in our lives, about God's overwhelming power and authority that is able

to rule and overrule even through sometimes hearts that are mistaken and dark as well

amen. We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more information on

our church, please visit aschurch do org. We are also active on Facebook

and Instagram. We're believing that this week is going to be a good week,

a hit for you. God bless