Blinded By An Encounter With The Lord Jesus

PP0709 DATE

BLINDED BY AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE

LORD JESUS!

Acts 22:11.

Ac 22:11 And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus. (KJV)

INTRODUCTION: Men have you ever told your wife that when she enters the room it gets lighter with her presence? Maybe you should.

There were two cousins – One a country boy – the other a city boy. The country cousin asked his city cousin to help him impress this certain girl. The city cousin told him that he and his girl friend would be setting in the porch swing that night and he was to listen to what he told his girl friend and then say that to his girlfriend. That night the country boy had his girl friend on one side of the porch and the city boy was on the other side in the porch swing. (The Moon was shining – the night insects were making their noises) The city boy said to his girl friend, “Darling, when I look in your eyes, time stands still!” The country boy heard him and looked at his girl friend and said, “Woman, that face of yours would stop a clock.” That’s probably not the way you do it.

Explain what is taking place….! In Acts 22 Paul has been mobbed by the Jewish leaders in the Temple at Jerusalem. Therefore he is defending himself before the mob. He is telling them of his birth and his heritage. He is actually replaying what happened to him in Acts 9 as he was on his way to Damascus to persecute believers. I want us to see that we can be blinded by the glory and goodness of God – and that He really wants that for each of us.

One of the great old hymns says:

Come to the light, ’tis shining for thee;

Sweetly the light has dawned upon me.

Once I was blind, but now I can see:

The Light of the world is Jesus!

Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (KJV)

Our text verses speak of the glory of God as being light. That Glory is actually the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul could not see because of being blinded by the glory of the light and he had to be led everywhere he went.

Notice in Acts 22:11, after the event of the light and falling off his horse, and being blinded by the light of the glory of God, Paul still went to the same destination, Damascus – only now for a new purpose. Even though he was blinded, he still proceeded to follow God. God expected him to continue on. He didn’t receive his eyesight again until he had gone into Damascus. There Ananias restored his sight for him.

This was Paul’s first encounter with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ and his life was changed completely. He had a new destiny. That is exactly what happens to a person when they accept the Light of the world, Jesus Christ. Everyone that does this becomes a new person with a new purpose and a new destiny. If a person continues in the same old pattern of life after making a profession of faith in Christ, they didn’t get what the Bible calls salvation. There will be a new person erupt.

I. ONCE PAUL SAW THE GLORY OF GOD HE WAS NO LONGER IN CONTROL OF HIS OWN LIFE

The Glory of God took over in Paul’s life.

A. Any Time God Reveals His Son To Man His Glory Will Be Displayed.

1. It was that same glory that was displayed when the angel came to the shepherds on the hillside and told them of the birth of the Christ Child in the manger in Bethlehem. That glory brought with it the angelic host that sang - Lu 2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (KJV)

2. Isaiah told us of His glory in the Temple. Isa 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.(KJV)

3. We see His glory again in Matt. 27:50-51. Jesus was on the cross making the atonement for sin - Mt 27:50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.