Blinded by Grace
Grace gives Hope to the Hopeless Acts 9:1-8
Grace gives Help to the Helpless Acts 9:9-30
Grace gives Peace to the People Acts 9:31
Slide 1
We are continuing on in Acts today.
We have been studying the book of Acts for the past couple of months. Today I want us to end this section of Acts looking at the powerful work God can do through His amazing Grace.
As far as the church goes,
after Stephens Martyrdom, and
the persecution that followed,
things don’t seem to be very great.
Sure there is anecdotal evidence of God’s grace in reaching
the Samaritans and
the Ethiopian Eunich,
but there is also those with a False faith that infiltrate the church like Simon the Sorcerer who is only interested in how to exalt himself.
The church not only has to deal with this, but they have Saul pursuing them relentlessly to put them in prison or see them killed.
It doesn’t seem like a great time to be a Christian.
But often times, that is when God does some amazing things.
Maybe you have come to church today, feeling like
this is a terrible time to be alive.
Or this is just a terrible time to be you.
My life is just too hard.
My circumstances are miserable
My future looks awful.
I have no hope.
It is just such a time as that, when there seems to be no hope, that God pours out his grace into our lives.
We are going to be looking today at the
blinding brilliance of grace and the
effects it has on
the lives of individuals it touches and
the church that those individuals make up.
Turn with me to Acts 9:1-31 (p. 777-778).
Slide 2
We are going to be looking at
Saul’s encounter with the Living Christ and
the transformation that takes place
because of the encounter and because of the Grace poured out on him.
Acts 9:1-31
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. 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.
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."
13 "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name."
15 But 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. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
17 Then 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." 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All 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?" 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.
23 After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.
26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30 When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.
(from New International Version)
It was God’s Grace that came into Saul’s life that day.
It was God’s grace that blinded Saul.
It was God’s grace, and His grace alone that worked in Saul’s life to transform him from
Saul the persecutor to
Paul the evangelist
and it is that same grace that will transform you and work in your life.
Today, I want us to see what the effects of God’s grace are
that are working in Paul’s life and
that we can look for in our own life?
One thing we see here is that
Grace gives Hope to the Hopeless
Slide 3
Saul, even though he did not know it at the time, was hopeless.
He was without Christ.
But He was given
an eternal hope,
a hope that would change his life,
a hope that would bring peace and joy and contentment
when Christ met him on that road and Saul received him as his Savior.
Paul in his 2nd letter to the Thessalonians, speaks of God’s grace and that hope that we have through it. He says in 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
Through His grace He gives us hope.
Hope to continue on in difficult circumstances.
Think about that for a moment. Paul’s entire world is rocked. His entire way of life and lifestyle
Preaching the law
Arresting those who disagreed
Living his life as a Pharisee
Those whom he hung out with
Has been totally challenged.
It would be easy to fall into despair at that point.
But Saul doesn’t. He recognizes it as God’s grace turning him from a
wrong path to the right path
by God’s grace and giving him hope through that grace.
Paul in writing to Timothy speaks about God’s mercy and grace being poured out onto him
1 Timothy 1:12-14
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Paul recognized that it was God’s grace that day that blinded him
A Grace that was poured out on him abundantly.
He came to realize that he was hopeless apart from Christ.
And hopelessly headed in the wrong direction.
Application
You may be sitting here today thinking my life has been moving in a certain direction my whole life. If this isn’t the right direction, there is no hope for me. It is too late now.
That is why God’s grace is so amazing.
By his grace, it is never too late. He gives us
hope for the future. He gives us
hope that no matter what direction we have been going
He can meet us where we are at, and by His grace, get us moving in His direction.
Maybe you are saying, Scott, you don’t know
the things that I have done or
the life I have lived or
the direction that my life has gone.
I have destroyed people’s lives
I have not been the husband or wife I should have been.
I have not been the parent I should have been.
I have not been the child I should have been.
I have not been the friend I should have been.
I have stolen, lied, cheated, murdered.
You think your sins are bad. Listen to how Paul continues in the next 2 verses to Timothy
1 Timothy 1:15-16
15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.
(from New International Version)
Paul considers himself the worst of sinners
He was a blasphemer
He was a persecutor of Christ
He was a violent man.
He assented to the murder of Stephen.
Yet he received God’s grace which gave him hope
for a new life,
for an eternal life,
for a life that is abundant and full and worth living.
Everyone here can have that same hope through Jesus Christ.
He desires to pour out grace and forgiveness on you today, if only you “would believe on him and receive eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:16b)
But God’s grace does not only provide hope to the hopeless,
His
Grace Gives Help to the Helpless
Slide 4
We see Saul go from powerful persecutor to a helpless man dependant upon others just to get him to the city he was traveling to.
But it is to such men that help comes.
When we think we are something,
When we have things under control
Our pride will keep us from receiving the help that we need. It will stop us from recognizing our truly helpless state.
It is not until we come to a point to realize that we are truly helpless, that we can receive the help we need.
Psalm 72:12
12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.
Paul is a man on a mission. But when the Lord strikes him blind, he is forced to recognize his helpless state and receive the help from his companions to make it to Damascus.
Acts 9:8
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.
So the Lord provides help for Saul to get to Damascus, but He then provides the true help Paul needs through Ananais.
Acts 9:10-18
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.
It doesn’t say what he is praying but you can be sure he is seeking forgiveness for what he has been doing and some kind of prayer of belief.
Then it goes on to say
12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight."
13 "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name."
15 But 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. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
17 Then 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." 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul came into relationship with the Lord, and now he was about to
receive his sight back and
receive the Holy Spirit through the laying on of Ananais’ hands.
Jesus had told Saul that he was persecuting Him by persecuting the church, and now he was helping Saul through the church he had come to persecute.
Funny how the Lord works.
Have you ever been put in a spot where the complete opposite of what you expected happens?
Paul expected to come and arrest Christians, but instead, Christians help Paul come into relationship with the Lord.
Ananais Too
And not only did the Lord help Saul who realized finally that he was helpless.
He helped Ananais through this as well by giving him the strength he needed to do what the Lord wanted him to do.
Imagine for a moment this impending feeling that someone is coming to do you harm.
You want to hide out from this
You don’t want to run into this person.
And now, God tells you to not only don’t worry about avoiding him.
But He wants you to go over to where he is staying and bring healing to him in the name of Jesus, whom he has been persecuting.
Ananais needed help too, and the Lord gave it to him, because he realized He is helpless without the Lord.
Application
There are probably things in your life that you need to realize that you are helpless to overcome or fix.
It is in those times that we can turn to the Lord and find the help we need, whether that be
coming to a point of salvation in recognizing our need for a relationship with Jesus
Or
In overcoming a particular sin,
Or
In doing something that is going to require a great amount of strength to do.
Through the Grace of God, He wants to help you.
In fact, it is not that the Lord is dying to help, but that He has already died so He can help.
It is through His death and resurrection that we know He can help, because He defeated death, he can help us at whatever point we need help.
Praise the Lord that His Grace Gives Help to the Helpless
But not only does God’s grace give us hope and help us to do what we are helpless to do, but His
Grace Gives Peace to the People
Slide 5
Acts 9:31
31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.
(from New International Version)
I don’t know about you, but there are times when God has done work in me or through me, that I just need to rest in what the Lord has done and enjoy a time of peace as to the place to which He has brought me.
Thankfully, the Lord knows that too.
He knows who He is dealing with here. He created us and desires for us to be used in mighty ways, but He knows to that we need times of peace and rest and enjoyment of what He has already done.
Illustration – Base Camps
When people are climbing Mount Everest, there are at least four camps that people stop at on the way up. They have to stop because of the physical limitations of their bodies.
They need time to rest
They need time to acclimatized to the atmosphere
They need time to be prepared to move up another leg of the mountain.
People were not designed to go from an altitude of 0 to 29,000 feet overnight.
In the same way, God knows our limitations. He is
not looking for us to reach the summit overnight.
Though He is looking for us to journey with Him all the way to the summit.
In that journey, after making certain treks, God gives us times of peace and enjoyment to be able to rest and celebrate the distance we have traveled with Him.
When God was speaking through Jeremiah about a new covenant and doing a mighty work in and through the people of Israel in bringing them out of captivity, He says in
Jeremiah 31:25
I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.
Let the Lord Refresh you.
It is important that we take those times of rest and peace and enjoyment that the Lord provides so that we can continue the journey.
For some of us this is hard. If we aren’t climbing or moving, we think we are loafing. But we need to take times of refreshment.
For others it is too easy. We want to stay at base camp forever, but we miss being able to enjoy the new heights that God wants to take us to.
For those of you here this morning who have been feeling
hopeless or
helpless, or
just plain worn out,
Turn to Christ and His grace to find hope, help and peace.
We are going to sing Times of Refreshing again, but as the worship team comes up, I want to read Isaiah 40:30-31.
Isaiah 40:30-31
30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Why not let the brilliance of God’s Grace give you these things.
Receive his grace as we sing this song.
Sing Times of Refreshing
Pray.
