[2] Through the first eight chapters of the book of Acts we’ve seen some amazing things happen in the early church. We’ve seen thousands of people get saved. We’ve seen incredible miracles happen through the hands of the apostles. And we’ve also seen intense opposition to these Christians by the Jews and by the Roman government. Opposition that rose to murder as they killed Stephen, who was one of the church’s first deacons.
Now this all happened under the supervision of a man named Saul who was one of the church’s fiercest enemies.
[Read Acts 7:58-8:1.]
This Saul was a Jewish man who had risen to prominence in Jerusalem and had become a Pharisee of Pharisees. A man of great power and a man of great passion. [3] But because his passion was on the wrong side of reality he caused many Christians great pain.
[Read Acts 9:1-2.]
Christianity had spread so rapidly that it reached 160 miles north all the way to Damascus. Saul believed that Christianity was heresy and even blasphemy so he wanted permission to head north and imprison everyone he could find who belonged to “the Way”.
You see Saul thought he was serving God as he attempted to forcibly keep Judaism pure. But Saul was on the wrong side of reality.
Have you ever been there? Ever been on the wrong side of reality?
[I thought the world was black and white, no 911, no God examples.]
But you know what? No matter how smart we are; No matter how passionate we are; And no matter how powerful we are. If we’re on the wrong side of reality we will be living wrong. We’ll be living in the dark. We can’t overcome being on the wrong side of reality.
Maybe today you find yourself living that way. Your life isn’t what it should be. Your life isn’t what it could be. You’ve denied the reality of God and it shows up in your life. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
[4] We can live on the right side of reality and have the life we were born to have. Even a life filled with scars can be healed if we’ll simply get on the right side of reality. Now, what is that reality? The reality that Jesus is God! A reality that Saul would learn firsthand as he’s confronted by Jesus Himself. [5]
[Read Acts 9:3-7.]
Saul is on his way to Damascus to fight for what was right in his mind and throw some Christians in prison. But he was visited on the way by God Himself.
Now as God revealed His presence a bright light brought Saul to his knees and he rightfully thought it was God revealing Himself to him. Saul said, “Who are you, Lord?” Saul thought that Jehovah God was about to talk to him, and he was right.
But what Saul had refused to believe before was the fact that Jesus is God in the flesh. Remember, that’s what the Christians believed and Saul was persecuting them for that belief. So Jesus shows up to demonstrate to Saul firsthand that He is in fact God. Something that Saul could no longer deny.
It’s obvious that before this encounter with God Saul had refused to see the light and hear the voice of God through Jesus. Even though he must have seen the light of God shining through the Christians that he persecuted. Remember how as they were killing Stephen he asked for God to forgive his murderers. Saul was there to see that light.
And being a chief Pharisee, Saul knew the Old Testament like the back of his hand. He would have been able to match up Jesus’ life with Old Testament prophecy. But he refused to hear God’s voice up to this point in his life.
But now he had seen the light and heard the voice of God and was close to getting on the right side of reality.
[6] Has God shown you His light through His people? Have you seen God’s light in your own life at one time or another? Have you listened to His voice lately through His Word? I tell you what, His light can be seen and His voice can be heard if we’ll just be willing to recognize it. Then we can begin to get on the right side of reality.
Saul saw and Saul heard and understood that Jesus is in fact God. [7] So we now see that Saul gets saved while blind and hungry.
[Read Acts 9:8-9.]
We know from verses seventeen and eighteen that it was sometime during these three days that Saul actually gave his life to Jesus. We know that because at the end of the three days Ananias recognized Saul as his spiritual brother and baptized him as a new believer.
[Read Acts 9:17-18.]
So during those three days of blindness and hunger Saul realized that He couldn’t run from the Truth any longer. Jesus was God, he’d been wrong all those years, and it was time to step into reality. It was time to come to the Truth.
You know we don’t like the dark times in life very much do we? But sometimes we simply won’t look up until we get knocked down. Whether we bring it on ourselves or whether God’s trying to get our attention, the low times of life can point us upward. When we find ourselves blinded by the trials of life and when we’re hungry for answers and for meaning and for purpose, that’s a great time to call out to God for salvation.
[My salvation.]
In the midst of his blindness, in the midst of his hunger, Saul cried out to God and He saved him. Now Saul finds himself on the right side of reality so the life-restoration process can begin. [9] Saul is restored of his sight and his strength.
Now remember something. Saul was originally on his way to Damascus to persecute the Christians there. After he’s blinded his traveling companions go ahead and take him into Damascus since they were almost there when this all happened. So he gets where he wanted to go, but now he’s a changed man.
[Read Acts 9:10-14.]
Somehow the word had traveled ahead of Saul that he was on his way to persecute the Christians there in Damascus. Ananias was probably a leader in the church there and had already prepared himself and his church for what Saul might to them. He knew what Saul was capable of and thought they would be his next victims. But God reassured him that Saul was now a changed man.
[Read Acts 9:15-19.]
Ananias calls him “brother”, lays his hands on him and restores Saul’s sight, baptizes him as a new believer, and then Saul spends some time with the other Christians there eating and regaining his strength.
Saul’s life a few days before this was at it’s lowest possible point. He was a murderer, he was blind, and he was on his way to hell because he refused to believe that Jesus was God. But once he crossed over by faith into the reality that Jesus is in fact God, his life was restored into something beautiful!
I mean, a few days earlier he was on his way to crush the people that he now sat with in brotherly love and unity. His life was now turned around and Saul would eventually become one of the greatest preachers, church planters and theologians the world has ever seen. Saul the Pharisee had become Paul the apostle by the restoration of God. Amazing!
[10] But you know, it’s always amazing when God restores a life and turns it into something beautiful.
- Lacey Mosely from Flyleaf
- Stephen Baldwin, actor
- Garrett, parents turned away from God
- Chicago guys listening to sermons on the computer
- Any life that’s been turned around by God is beautiful
Are you ready for your life to be beautiful? It can be you know. God will wipe away all your sins and all your scars and paint a beautiful picture out of your life. God wants to make you into a masterpiece if you’ll just let Him.
Saul’s life had been restored by God and he knew it. [11] So his life now takes a new direction in an immediate and amazing way.
[Read Acts 9:20-22.]
All that passion and intellect and energy that he before put into trying to prove that Jesus wasn’t the Christ is now put into proving that He is the Christ! Saul had gotten on the right side of reality and wanted everyone to know that Jesus is God! He didn’t waste any time, he knew what he had to do and he did it. I’ll bet he was happier than he had ever been before because he was now fulfilling the purpose that God had put him on this earth for.
[12] When we live as Jesus has called us to live, then we find our greatest fulfillment. When God asks us to do something, and we do it, there is so much satisfaction in life.
On the other hand, when God calls us to do something and we run from it, we’re now settling for second best. Now second best at times isn’t too bad – it’s just not the best. On the other hand, second best can be miserable because we can’t find fulfillment in life.
You know God has a plan and purpose for us all. He’s uniquely made us all for a reason. And when we follow His plan that beautiful life He’s given us will shine like the sun!
If my wife cooked me up a $9 a pound rib-eye steak - I wouldn’t feed it to the dog. (I’m eating it!)
If my kids gave me a hand-made father’s day card that they put all their love and effort into making – I wouldn’t use it to check the oil in my car with. (It’s going on the fridge!)
If God reveals Himself to me, shows me that He loves me, forgives my sin, and restores my ugly life into something beautiful, I’m going to use that new life for Him!
That’s what Saul did and the entire world is better for it. You can do it too. God wants to make your life into a beautiful masterpiece. But it all starts with getting on the right side of reality. Do you understand and believe that Jesus is God? Are you ready to take that step of faith? Are you ready to come into the light? [13] Look at these verses on the screen.
[Read Romans 10:9-10.]
