Arrested by God on his way to Town
Acts 9:1-11
Introduction:
Here is a little background on his family….
~They were a family of Pharisees, members of the party most fervent in Jewish nationalism and strict in obedience to the Law of Moses.
~They sought to guard there offspring against contamination and friendship with Gentile children was strongly discouraged, Greek ideas were despised.
~By his 13th birthday, he mastered Jewish history and the poetry of the Psalms. When he was ready for a higher education, he sat at the feet of Gamaliel, a supreme teacher.
~Paul had out stripped his counterparts; he had a powerful mind which he hoped would lead him to a seat on the Sanhedrin
**Let’s take a look verse by verse to see what happened to him**
Vv.1-2
And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
>Here we find Paul on his journey to Damascus, proudly caring what I like to call “warrants” for the arresting of God’s people. He was happy to do this, and thought he was doing a great deed.
Vv. 3-6 Christ arrests Paul
3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: (Acts26:13)
>History tells us that Damascus is one of the oldest and proudest cities in the world. Probably built by Abraham, and it was the capital of Syria.
-We know that there was a light shining down from Heaven. (We need to focus on where that light came from) It wasn’t a flash light, it wasn’t a beam from the sun, it was a Light from Heaven.
>This light was so powerful it exposed the sin in Paul’s life. Do you think that was a flash light?
>This light completely changed his life course. His goal in life was no longer hatred, worldly ambitions, or power, but it is now one of….
Philippians 3:9-10
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
>Everything changed for Saul that day, now known as Paul as he met the Master on the road to nowhere.
>That journey turned a persecutor into a preacher, and accuser into an accepted believer, a blasphemer into a blessing. And the same can happen for you and I
Vv.4
4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
>I would like to notice here that The Lord himself called out to Paul. Can you recall when it was that you heard the voice of God calling out to you? Did you need anyone to tell you who it was that was calling? Neither did Paul, look at his reply to the call. He never told Paul his name, but Paul knew it was the Lord.
>I also like the fact that the Lord identified Himself with the believers, “why persecutest thou me”? (Matt 25:34-36)
Vv.5
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
>Although Christ did not mention His name, Paul knew exactly who it was.
>He says, “Who art thou, Lord”? He fully knew who it was.
>I’m glad for Acts 4:12
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
>We can clearly see that it was the person of Jesus Christ that changed Paul, not the angles, not the Priest, not even the Sanhedrin, but Christ alone
Vv.6
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do
>Paul asked the question of all of us. “What must I do”?
>We know that he asked, and we know that he did what was told unto him.
>The big question here today is, have we?
>He had a willingness to do for the Lord as he did for the devil. Do we?
>He did not make any excuses of why he couldn’t do something or another; he just did
what the Lord told him to do.
Vv.9
9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
>I can not say for sure that Paul was fasting and praying at this time. I can say for sure every time someone fasted and prayed in the Old Testament, they heard from God. They may have not liked the answer from God. But they heard.
>I would challenge you here today, to seek God in the matters of life you are facing, through fasting and praying, and wait to hear from the Lord.
>The early church fasted and prayed, while many today feast and play!
>It is important to notice where Paul was for these three (3) days. With the Jews! Those that he had hated so, were the very ones that took him in.
>That not only shows us true conversion on Paul behalf, but also to those that took him in.
Vv.11
11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
>The man of Ananias, terrified of the man of Paul. Our mind tells us that we should not go to see this man Paul, but the Spirit of God says go. Which one do we listen to?
>He knows the history of this man, the authority this man has, and the fate of those he has taken.
>We can’t move to fast to see three (3) very comforting words to the heart of Ananias. “Behold he prayeth”.
>Comforting to him why? A mark of true conversion for Paul, was his praying, not works, but devotion.
~I would like to think that Paul would have been singing that old song by Mrs. Charlotte Elliott.
“Just as I am without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou biddest me come to thee, Oh Lamb of God: I come”.
Closing
Paul knowing the Psalms as we said in the introduction may have went back into his mind to see the passage found in 3:8 which says…
8 Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.
>If he wanted salvation, he knew where he would find it. In the Lord.
>His attitude was one of brokenness over his sins, and knowing that he was spiritually bankrupt, having nothing to offer unto God, but himself.
>Paul’s motivation was now to serve God, not to serve papers to his people.
>Paul completely knew what it was to be changed, causing him to pen the great text found in II Corinthians 5:17 which says…
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new
~Has that happened to you?
Pastor Stepp
3/14/08
