Video… Drenched
Welcome
Slide#1
Who all watched the super bowl last Sunday night?
Even though my 49ers did get beat...it was a great football game…and it was one that will be remembered for many years.
As painful as it is for me to talk about this...I believe we all can learn something from the event that happened that night during the game.
Following the 108 yard kickoff return by Baltimore’s return specialist Jacoby Jones...a strange occurrence happened.
Early in the third quarter more than half the lights went out in the New Orleans Super Dome.
This unexplainable event caused the game to be stopped for approximately 34 minutes...until play resumed again.
I’m sure at this point several of you are thinking....Pastor what in the world does a football game have to do with God and me.
As we will all soon find out...many times in life...situations happen to us that drastically change not only our future... but all those around us as well?
As I read from Acts...Chapter 9:1... We’ll see why this event is important to everyone this morning.
Prayer
Slide #2 Acts 9:1-9
“Meanwhile Saul, still breathing out threats to murder the Lord’s disciples, went to the high priest
2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way,(The Christianity movement) …
Either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
3 As he was going along, approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
5 So he said, “Who are you, Lord?” He replied, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting!
6 But stand up and enter the city… and you will be told what you must do.”
7 (Now the men who were traveling with him stood there speechless, because they heard the voice but saw no one.)
8 So Saul got up from the ground, but although his eyes were open, he could see nothing. Leading him by the hand, his companions brought him into Damascus.
9 For three days he could not see, and he neither ate nor drank anything”
Wow...what an awkward moment...here Saul finds himself in one of those unexplainable experiences that life often throws at us.
Slide #3
Let me begin by sharing with you what the Bible shares with us about this man named Saul…
Saul hates Jesus ... and he hates anything or anyone who has anything at all to do with the Christian movement.
During this time in History...I don’t believe that Jesus had any greater enemy than this man named Saul.
This was a guy who was clearly over obsessed with His belief and his work...
Everywhere he went he made havoc of the church...
The Bible tells us that…he went from House to House... looking for men and women alike who were active in the Christian Movement.
Once he found them... he would literally... Have them dragged them from their homes...And have them thrown into prison for their Christian beliefs.
He was so obsessed with his belief...his life’s passion was to drive out and exterminate every Christian that he could.
Saul hated Jesus so much...In verses 1&2 we read where he went to the high Priest and says...paraphrased...
Slide #4
“I have heard that a group of these Christians have run away to Damascus...and I need you to give me permission by letter so that I can go get them.”
Basically…Saul was looking for a modern day search warrant.
What causes a man to hate Christians so much?
What did Saul think he might gain by traveling all the way to Damascus to get these run away Christians?
Maybe he thought that by doing this…he would play a little part in preventing the spread of Christianity in other cities?
Maybe he wanted to keep Christianity from spreading all the way into Rome?
Maybe he was selfishly... trying to advance his own career by building up a reputation for himself?
Whatever the case might have been...this journey on the Damascus Road was soon to reveal... not only to him but too millions to follow...
That God is a God of love and has the desire to change all people.
Remember earlier when I shared that this event was important for everyone...
Follow along as I read verses 3&4 and well find out why...
Slide# 5
3 As he was going along, approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
Last Sunday night the Baltimore Ravens were clearly in total control of the game during the first half... until the lights went out.
Just like us w/ life...when things are going well for us...We forget about the reason why things are good. (God)
During the first half of the football game...things we going great for the Ravens. (I love those moments...don’t you)
It appeared that the Ravens could do no wrong.
But here is where they made a big/huge mistake.
In their minds they had already placed themselves as the winners of the game.
But as we all saw...Life’s game is never finished until God says it is.
Out went the lights….
This is exactly what God did with Saul.
Just like the Ravens...Saul needed Jesus to reveal to him who’s in charge.
Slide #6
5 So he said, “Who are you, Lord?” He
replied, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting!”
This is when Saul the great persecutor of Christians/the one who thought he was in control…...
Finds him-self sitting flat in the dust of the Damascus Road…confused and worried.
Saul was possibly the most brilliant man of his day.
Think about it…He was more than likely a graduate of the University of Tarsus...
He was a student of (ga-may-le-oh) Gamaliel ...a great Hebrew Scholar.
He was educated in every aspect of Jewish religion and tradition.
He was bilingual with his speech…fluently speaking Greek and Hebrew both.
This guy was a smart dude...life for him seemed to be all figured out. (He was heading for the super bowl trophy)
Slide #7
But here was his problem...”He did not know who the Lord Jesus Christ was”
All he knew about Jesus by what his friends and people had told him.
He had read all about the prophecy of the coming Messiah from his college literature books.
You can be as book smart as Saul...but if you’re not heart smart...you have nothing.
I’m telling you all today...knowing who Jesus is ...is the only way you are going to win the game of life.
The truth is...Jesus is the only One who can help you when your life gets turned upside down.
As I previously mentioned... Saul was more than likely the most brilliant man of his time...(the smartest of his day)
But he was ignorant about life’s true mystery. ..He had No relationship with Christ.
Just like Saul...This is a problem that many people...and Christians alike... today still deal with...
Slide #8
They know a lot about Religion...but they know nothing about Relationship.
I’ve had thousands of people tell me that they have life all figured out...but at Judgment day...MANY OF THESE PEOPLE WILL BE SUPRIZED...
This is the exact reason that each of you need to make the commitment to truly find out who Jesus is.
Knowing Jesus is personal...Its more than just saying you have a Religion.
-The High Priest had a Religion.
-Saul (not Paul) had a Religion
-The Pharisees had a Religion.
But Disciples...Have a Relationship!!!!!!!
You need to be here for the Apologetics class/ the Revelation study/ FBI/ Woman’s and Men’s Ministry.
There’s not one person here today…including the Pastor who doesn’t need to be there.
The problem that many of us deal with in life is that we think we have it all figured out.
This is the exact reason why God meet with Saul that day on the Damascus Road.
Saul was so stuck on himself...that he couldn’t even see that how he was living was wrong.
If Saul would have had life all figure out…would he have said these words in Acts 9:5.
Slide #9
Clearly Saul did not have a relationship with Jesus when he said...
“Who are you, Lord?” He replied, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting!
At this point...God had obviously gotten Saul attention.
We see the... Saul’s all around us in our society today.
The rich...the Successful...those who think they need nothing.
And if these Saul’s are not careful they could very easily find themselves...with their lights being turned out..........
Slide#10
8 So Saul got up from the ground, but although his eyes were open, he could see nothing. Leading him by the hand, his companions brought him into Damascus.
9 For three days he could not see, and he neither ate nor drank anything.
Saul’s need for Jesus direction in his life had become personal at this point.
Verse 8 tells us “8Saul got up from the ground, but although his eyes were open, he could see nothing...
One of the most brilliant men of that day...in an instant had become one of the most helpless.
-This is where Jesus wants us
-He wants us to realize that we are lost without Him...
God wants each of us here today to realize that when we don’t allow him to lead us...we also are walking around in life just like Saul.
In the dark... lost and confused.
This story about Saul’s conversion on the Damascus Road has been shared in churches all around the world for centuries.
Slide #11
I believe that God allowed this experience to happen to Saul for 2 specific reasons.
First...and most obvious... “Like All of us...he physically needed Jesus in his life....
Have you been spending every moment of your time sharing Jesus with people?
Or are you still sitting in the road lost and confused?
2nd...because of Saul’s conversion on the Damascus Road that day...
God had given Saul a testimony that was finally worth sharing with others.
What kind of testimony have you been sharing with your friends...your families...your co-workers?
Too many people play life like a football game that they feel they are already the winners of.
There is not one person here today that is safe from Gods blackout.
Look at Saul...
In the matter of one second...he physically brought to his knees a man...who all who were around look upon as invincible.
You might be here today and think of yourself as a pretty tough person.
One that has life all figured out.
But until you turn your life over to the only One who controls the ball.
You are just running for the end zone and the score will always remain Zero to Zero.
Please Stand
Slide #12
How many of us here today are guilty of playing life’s game on our own?
God had to take Saul’s conversion to an extreme level.
He knew that Saul hated Christians so much that this was the only way that he would listen to Him was to blind him..
How about you today?
If you were to die as you left church today...do you know where you would spend eternity?
Saul went into Damascus to Judas’ Home...
It was there he meet up with a Disciple named Ananias.
It was there that Saul’s life really changed forever.
Let me share with you the best part of this story...from Acts 17-18...
“17So Ananias departed and entered the house, placed his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
18 Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he could see again.
He got up and was baptized,”
The greatest adventure in this life...
If you believing that Jesus Died on the cross for you.
And you ask Him to forgive you of you sins...so that you can spend eternity with Him in Heaven.
