Making The Best From The Worst - Paul’s Conversion

Making the Best from the Worst

Paul’s Conversion

Introduction

You’ve heard people say things like, I’m too bad off for God to save. [we know that’s silly]

Is there anything impossible for God? [of course not]

Today we will be talking about Saul who is also Paul, the same person, in the Bible.

We sometimes refer to the man as Saul before his conversion and he became known as Paul after his conversion.

But don’t be confused by the naming, he’s the same person.

Paul’s conversion experience is said to be the most amazing in the Bible and indeed it’s very amazing!

Saul was the best at being the worst! He strived to be the best Pharisee which made him absolutely frightening!

He attacked and killed Christians because they believed in Jesus and he didn’t!

Previously, Steven, one of the Deacons of the church at Antioch, was stoned to death.

Saul, a young Pharisee, was there and approved as the people stoned Steven. (Acts 7:57, 8:1)

Saul was very “religious”. Extremely religious! He was likely even a part of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish high court).

Saul believed in God but he did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah! Many Jews still think this way - even Judas thought this way (John 6:64).

(even demons believe in God and tremble James 2:19)

Saul was a religious radical who killed Christians and who went great distances to drag Christians back to Jerusalem to prison to be tried for heresy and executed!

The early Christians, also called, “the Way”, were very afraid of Saul! Saul was like a monster!

Oddly, because of Saul’s persecution, many of the Way were spread abroad causing churches to spring up all over the known world. (Acts 8:1,2) [Appears to be part of God’s plan?]

However, many Christians wondered if the Way could survive!

Commentary

Acts 9:1-39

9:1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

Wow, breathing out murderous threats! Imagine, this is Paul we’re talking about who later will be one of Jesus’ great apostles (apostle out of time - 1Cor15:8)!

3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

Jesus said Saul was persecuting Him! (rather than Christians) That made it personal!

Imagine being blind for three days and likely being so despondent that he couldn’t eat your drink anything!

Wouldn’t you just feel horrible that your entire life was a lie and that everything you did that you thought was the best thing to do for God was actually the worst thing and so horrible that even Jesus had to come and scold you! WOW! How would you feel?

After being blind for three days, do you think he probably wondered if he would ever get his sight back? That had to be devastating.

Talk about a Jonah in the whale moment, and a man at the altar moment, surely he prayed without ceasing, and could only beg forgiveness during that time!

OK, he was blind, but this surely has to be when Paul’s eyes were opened, so to speak, to the truth that Jesus IS the Messiah and Savior and so Paul was saved!

It would be so nice if everyone could see Jesus and believe, but as was said to Doubting Thomas…

John 20:29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

However, this was surely the hard way to get saved! You do not want to be converted this way! Learn from Paul’s mistakes and be saved by trusting in Jesus. That’s the easier way to be saved than the way Paul got saved! Ouch!

10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”