Saul The Apostle Paul Series

SAUL THE APOSTLE PAUL

Text: Acts 9:1-19

Introduction

1. Illustration: Years ago, when I was a young Christian, my chief form of fellowship was Christian coffee houses. This is much different from what Christian coffee houses look like today. There would be refreshments, but the main goal of these coffee houses was evangelism and music ministry. One of the groups I loved to go see was Bob and Bernie. They wrote a song to the tune of “Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown.” It went something like this, “Saul, Saul, the Apostle Paul, meanest Pharisee of them all. Damascus was his course when the Lord knocked him off his horse.”

2. Acts 1:8 is really an outline for the entire book.

a. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

b. Chapters 1-7 talk about the Good News spreading throughout Jerusalem and the beginnings of the church.

c. Chapter 8 talks about persecution coming to the church, but as a result, the Good News spreading to Judea and Samaria.

d. In chapter 9 we begin to read about Saul of Tarsus, who would later become the Apostle Paul, and how he who was once the persecutor of the church would become the voice who would take the Good News to the world.

3. Paul had a personal encounter with Jesus. And it changed the course of his life.

4. Read Acts 9:1-19

Proposition: God is in control of our lives, and we need to follow where he leads us.

Transition: The first thing we learn from our text today is…

I. God Shines His Light on Our Darkness (1-9).

A. Light From Heaven

1. Luke begins this chapter by telling us about a little background on Saul of Tarsus. In vv. 1-2 he tells us, “Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. 2 He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.”

a. Saul had made it his mission to destroy the church, or the Way, as it was called at this time.

b. In fact, he was so adamant to destroy the church, Luke tells us he was “uttering threats with every breath.” Literally, in the Greek, this means “breathing in.”

c. Saul had created such an atmosphere of threats and murder that he was breathing it in. It had become an obsession.

d. He had a three-fold purpose in going all the way to Damascus: 1) to bring back any believers who had fled Jerusalem, 2) to keep the Good News from spreading, and 3) to keep Christians from causing any trouble with Rome.

e. So, Saul goes to the high priest, who was Caiaphas at this time, and asked for letters to the synagogues in Damascus to help him bring back Christians in chains to Jerusalem.

2. However, we see in v. 3 that God has other plans for Saul. Luke tells us, “As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him.”

a. Damascus was a major trade city about 175 miles northeast of Jerusalem.

b. It’s because of the cities importance that Saul wanted to go there to keep the Gospel from spreading.

c. As he was on his way, suddenly a bright light shone all around him.

d. Now, we learn from other passages that it was around noon time when the sun is at its brightest.

e. So, for Saul to be struck by a bright light was really saying something.

f. In fact, it was so bright it literally stopped Saul in his tracks.

3. But not only did Saul see a bright light, but he also heard a voice. In vv. 4-6 Luke tells us, “He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” 5 “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! 6 Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

a. As Saul fell to the ground, he heard a voice that asked him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”

b. The voice that was speaking to him was Jesus himself.

c. Saul thought that he was persecuting heretics, but the voice makes it clear that he was persecuting Jesus. Anyone who persecutes the church today is persecuting Jesus.

d. Saul asks the voice who he is, and the voice responded that he was Jesus, the one who you are persecuting.