INTRO.- Did ever have a conversion experience? That is, being converted from the Cubs to the Cardinals? Or from Ford to Chevrolet? Or from McDonald’s to Burger King? Etc.
ILL.- After moving here over four years ago, I started visiting Brother Elmer Schilly, who at that time was in the nursing home at Lake City. It wasn’t long before he had to be moved to the Veteran’s hospital in Memphis. Jim Reed offered to drive one time so I would know the way. Jim had a 2000 Toyota Avalon at that time and I had a 2002 Ford Taurus. Jim said, “After riding in my Avalon you’ll throw rocks at your Taurus.”
I didn’t exactly do that but I did have a conversion experience. It was perhaps a year later that I bought a used Toyota Avalon and it was a good switch, a good conversion.
What we do with cars we also do with other things.
ILL.- What was that old 1960’s Tareyton cigarette commercial, “I’d rather fight than switch”? I switched entirely. I quit, but I never smoked that much in my life anyway. I got converted even before I was converted. I didn’t like smoking.
Sometimes, however, we’d rather fight than switch, depending on what you’re talking about.
ILL.- YOU MIGHT BE A SOUTHERN BAPTIST IF...
- If you think God is strongest in the back 3 pews.
- If you think fellowship and food go together.
- If you think Amazing Grace should be the National Anthem.
- If you dream of fried chicken and have the urge to get up and preach.
- If you judge the quality of the sermon by the amount of sweat on the preacher.
- If you get wet in the front two pews from spit.
- If you know all the words to "Just As I Am.”
ILL.- In years’ past, occasionally some person might have been referred to as a “dyed-in-the-wool Baptist.” What’s that mean? Originally it meant dyed before being woven into cloth. Today probably it means that they were born and bred that way and will die that way! There is no way they are going to switch churches.
In our text, we have an unusual conversion account. We have someone who did make a big switch in his life. That switch or conversion was from legalistic Judaism to loving Christianity.
Saul did everything he could to stamp out Christianity. He stood by and held the coats of those who stoned Stephen to death. He dragged Christian men and women out of their houses and put them in prison. He obviously hated Christians and Christianity….and yet he made the switch and became a follower of Christ. How did it happen? What happened?
PROP.- In our text, let’s take a look at Saul, the kind of man he was and how he came to accept Christ. Saul was:
1- A mean man
2- A humbled man
3- A new man
4- A preaching man
I. A MEAN MAN
How mean can a person be? Well, look at this way.
ILL.- Do you think someone would be mean if they said words like these to you?
- “Anyone who told you to be yourself couldn’t have given you worse advice.”
- “Calling you stupid would be an insult to stupid people.”
- “Did your parents ever ask you to run away from home?”
- “Go ahead, tell them everything you know. It’ll only take 10 seconds.”
- “How did you get here? Did someone leave your cage open?”
Some people can be pretty mean and especially, with their words.
Prov. 12:18 “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
ILL.- Do you remember the woman they called “the Queen of Mean?” Who was that? Hotel owner Leona Helmsley who passed away on August 27 of this year. One time during a tax-evasion case she was quoted as snarling, "only little people pay taxes.” She was rumored as mistreating her employees. Behind the scenes she was considered arrogant, prone to shouting and firing employees on the spot. And I think she was a mean woman.
Acts 9:1-2 “Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 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.”
Breathing our murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. I’d call that pretty mean, wouldn’t you?
What about you? Did you ever have a mean streak in you? Did you ever talk mean or act mean to anybody? If so, get over it! You are supposed to be in Christ, which means you are supposed to be better and getting even better.
If meanness is still operating in your heart and mind then please do a double-take, take a second look at yourself and start praying about it. Ask for mercy for being mean (in other words, ask for forgiveness) and then ask God for His grace to get over it.
II. A HUMBLED MAN
3As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He 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." 7The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. Saul was a humbled man. He got knocked to the ground by the Lord.
ILL.- When I was a high school senior we had one boy in the class who got a mean streak for a period of time. I don’t know what started it or what got into him, but he decided that he could whip any senior boy.
One day in gym class our teacher had us pair up and put on the boxing gloves. And nobody wanted to box this guy named Clarence Ward. However, a good friend of mine did get picked to box him. My buddy’s name was Curtis Smart.
Curtis was a quiet guy and he didn’t go looking for fights, but also he wasn’t afraid to fight. My friend Curtis and Clarence went at it, toe-to-toe. I mean it was hot and heavy. And Curtis hit Clarence just as many times as Clarence hit him but he when he finished fighting, Curtis came out with a bloody mouth and he said, “He hits hard.”
It was good fight and you couldn’t say that Clarence got the best of my friend, nevertheless, he still bragged that he could whip any senior boy. One day at lunch, a bunch of us were at the corner drugstore and Clarence challenged one of our football players who was a pretty good-sized guy. It was winter and cold, but Clarence took off his coat and even his shirt. He stripped down to his undershirt. HE MEANT BUSINESS.
And there they went, toe-to-toe, but it wasn’t long before Clarence came in with a strong uppercut and we heard a loud crack. And yep, he broke that guy’s nose and bloodied it and that was the end of the fight. And once again, Clarence was flying higher than ever.
Another day in gym we played either dog ball or hog ball. I forget which. The coach/teacher blew the whistle and everyone ran for a ball that was in the center of the gym floor. Suddenly, there stood Clarence and on the other team and other side, there stood Daryl Jarnigan.
I think Daryl was taller but not as heavy or as stocky as Clarence. In fact, Daryl was somewhat lanky or thin. Clarence put up his fists as if to fight and Daryl just hauled off and knocked him flat on his back. AND EVERYBODY SHOUTED “AMEN.” Not exactly, but they sure did cheer when Clarence finally got what was coming to him. And we never heard much from Clarence after that.
That boy got humbled big time. He was brought low. He got knocked to the ground.
Did you ever have that happen to you? It’s very humbling. And sometimes we all need to be humbled when we are so filled with pride and arrogance that we think we know everything or that we are always right or when we’re exhibiting a bad attitude or mean streak.
Just as Clarence got humbled and knocked to the ground, so did Saul of Tarsus. I’m sure that Saul was feeling mighty high on the hog by persecuting Christians, but God decided otherwise. And when God knocks a person to the ground, they are grounded!
Saul was blinded by a bright light and it was the Lord at work. I suspect it’s kind of like having your eyes dilated at the Dr.’s office and then going outside and looking directly into sun. No, it was worse for Saul. He was blind for three days. THAT WOULD PUT SOME FEAR IN YOU, WOULDN’T IT? Hopefully, it would put the fear of God into some people and in a sense, it did Saul.
Of course, in his blindness, the Lord spoke to him. Many people talk about the Lord speaking to them audibly but I’m not so sure this always happens but it did here. And the Lord can certainly do that if He wishes!
Brothers and sisters, everybody has to go down before they can ever go up. That’s the way it is with God. Some people, however, get knocked down by various tragedies but still don’t have sense enough to look up. If you’ve ever been knocked down in some form, please realize that it might be the Lord trying to tell you something.
III. A NEW MAN
15But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." 17Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul became a saved man, a new man. That’s what happens to you after you’re saved, forgiven, cleansed by the Lord.
ILL.- How many of you like country music? How many of know who Kenny Chesney is? And he’s the biggest drawing country singer there is right now, believe it or not. He draws the crowds and he’s on the road continually. But he slowed down long enough to get married. REMEMBER?
Chesney met actress Renée Zellweger in January 2005 and married her May 9, 2005, in Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands. It was the first marriage for both. Chesney stated, “I remember coming back from the wedding and we landed in Little Rock, Arkansas. I had a show. We didn’t have a honeymoon, you know? Welcome to Little Rock, baby. Happy Honeymoon.”
And some of you may well remember that photo of Kenny and Renee on that beach in the Virgin Island: both barefooted, Renee in her white wedding dress, Kenny in that black hat and kissing the hand of his bride. From the beginning, their marriage looked like it was a fairy tale come true. BUT AS WE ALL KNOW IT DIDN’T LAST!
On September 15, after only four months of marriage, Zellweger filed for an annulment, citing "Fraud" as the reason. Sometime later Chesney said, “The only fraud that was committed was me thinking that I knew what it was like... that I really understood what it was like to be married, and I really didn’t.”
Brothers and sisters, from all appearances it looked like Kenny Chesney was on his way to becoming a new man. Oh, is that so? I think we all would have to admit that marriage doesn’t always turn out to be what we thought it was going to be. Marriage does change a person, however, and sometimes for the better!
Of course, some women have married a bum thinking he would change, only to find out that he stayed a bum. If that happened then somebody wasn’t very committed to the marriage relationship.
There is only one place to find true and lasting change and that is in Christ. And that’s what Saul discovered.
II Cor. 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
Saul the prideful Pharisee became Paul the humble servant of Christ who said, “I am the chief of all sinners.” Saul the persecutor of Christians became Paul the preacher of Christ.
IV. A PREACHING MAN
Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?" 22Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.
Saul started preaching right after he was converted to Christ! Can you beat that? I don’t doubt it. Did you ever know of that happening? Not often, for sure.
Some, however, were so excited about their conversion that they just had to tell others! HAVE YOU PREACHED TO ANYBODY LATELY?
ILL.- On Wednesday night, August 29, we cleaned the church building. Jeremy and Nicole Frakes came to help clean the building. They no sooner got in the building and I saw little 6 year old Benjamin walking down the hallway and into foyer with his head down. It was obvious he was not a happy camper.
Come to find out, mama told him he could not play with a toy and so he wasn’t too happy about it. In fact, he was downright sullen and pouty. I spoke but he wouldn’t speak to me. He sat down on an old pew in the foyer and hung his head low. Now, let me say, that was not the end of story. When it came time to pray and eat pizza, Benjamin, was ready to go. He had a different attitude entirely.
He was asked to pray and pray he did. “Thank you, God, for this food. And make us healthy. And make us healthy. And make us healthy….” He’s into good health.
Brothers and sisters, just as little Benjamin was preaching a sermon, we preach sermons everywhere we go. If we go to work in a bad mood or a good mood our fellow associates will hear or see that sermon.
We are preaching a sermon everywhere we go. Therefore, we should be our best. However, it should be genuine and not “PUT ON.” If we have truly put on Christ we will have a different face, etc. We will be new people in Him and we will be excited somewhat.
Saul was truly converted to Christ. He suddenly believed in Christ as His Savior and wanted to tell others. He could not keep from telling others. We need to do the same.
CONCLUSION--------------------------------
ILL.- One Sunday afternoon in Chicago, a group of ballplayers entered a saloon. When they emerged, they saw a group of people playing instruments, singing gospel hymns, and testifying of Christ’s power to save from sin.
Memories of a log cabin in Iowa, an old church, and a godly mother raced through the mind of one of the ballplayers. Tears came to his eyes. Presently he said, “Boys, I’m through! I’m going to turn to Jesus Christ. We’ve come to the parting of the ways.” Some of his companions mocked him, but others were silent. Only one encouraged him. He turned from the group and entered the Pacific Garden Mission.
Later that ballplayer told what occurred. “I called upon God’s mercy. I staggered out of my sins into the outstretched arms of the Savior.” That ballplayer was Billy Sunday who became known as a world-renowned evangelist and probably preached Christ to more people at that time than any other preacher.
Billy Sunday had an unusual conversion experience. Perhaps not as extreme as Paul’s was, but unusual, different. No matter how a person comes to Christ, the important thing is that they come to Him in faith, surrender, and obedience.
