INTRODUCTION
• VIDEO CLIP
• SLIDE #1
• Contracting leprosy more or less ruined your life during the times of Jesus and Paul. Once one contracted leprosy, their life was ruined forever. Generally, there was no recovery, there was no grace, there was no forgiveness.
• Once a leper, you were no good for much of anything, no matter what you had done in your life, it was erased by one tragic disease.
• Leprosy is still with us today.
• According to official reports received from 121 countries and territories, the global registered prevalence of leprosy at the beginning of 2009 stood at 213,036 cases, while the number of new cases detected during 2008 was 249 007. The number of new cases detected globally has fallen by 9126 (a 4% decrease) during 2008 compared with 2007.
• Pockets of high endemicity (END EMIC SEE) still remain in some areas of Angola, Brazil, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nepal, and the United Republic of Tanzania.
• Leprosy was one way one’s life could be ruined.
• Have you ever messed your life up to the point you felt like a leper? You thought life was over, that you were scared for life, that you were no longer of any use to anyone.
• Have you ever felt that you have done something that you cannot recover from?
• Today we are going to examine the calling of Saul, who became Paul. It would seem that Paul did some things in life that would disqualify from of being able to be used by God.
• If you do not hear anything else I offer to you today, remember this one thing, in the hands of Jesus, no matter what you have done, you can be forgiven, restored and can be used by God to make a difference in life.
• One person can make a difference!
• We will have our Faith Promise Sunday next week; the mission reps we will have on hand are living proof that one person can make a difference!
• We will be in Acts 9 today as examine the Call of Paul!
• Sometimes those you would least expect can make a difference.
• SLIDE #2
SERMON
I. An unlikely candidate. 1-2
• OK, you are God, you are taking applications to spread the Gospel of Jesus throughout the world.
• You are a little short-handed so you are in need of some help, particularly as you want to see the Gospel go out to the Gentiles.
• You are scouring the earth to find some help. There are many good people to chose from, but who does God pick?
• SLIDE #3
• Acts 9:1–2 (HCSB) — 1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. He went to the high priest 2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
• WHAT? I am not a marketing genesis by any stretch, but if you want to grow a company, you would not get OJ Simpson to be your spokesperson, or the former CEO of the drug company who raised the price of a bottle of life saving drugs from $1700 per bottle to $75,000 just to make more money.
• God is going to chose an unlikely candidate to carry out the work.
• I would imagine if we put 1000 people in a room who do not know anything about the Bible and gave them 5 resumes and asked them to pick someone to help spread the gospel, ZERO would choose Paul!
• Look at what is written about him.
• Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.
• Hello, I am Saul would you like to join the church, I KILL YOU!
• I do not know about you, but that sales pitch would not go over too well with me.
• We first read about Saul in the Bible in Acts 7:58 at he stoning of Stephen. Then we read more about him in Acts 8:1-3.
• That passage says Saul was in agreement with the killing of Stephen.
• The literal reading of Acts 9:1 is that with every breath Saul took, he was encouraged to persecute Christians.
• Saul lived to persecute the church. He was anxious to do it, he believed he was doing God’s will!
• Surely Saul's anger was greatly excited by the success of the early church, and with great zeal he put forth every effort possible to stop the progress of the church.
• However, he was orderly about what he was doing, as he had the authority of the "high priest." Gospel Advocate Commentaries - New Testament Commentary – A Commentary on Acts of the Apostles.
• Paul did not care, men or women if they were following the Way, he was hot in their trail!
• Paul had permission, most likely from the High Priest Caiaphas.
• Paul was a Pharisee, there were Pharisee’s all over Israel, one could study to become a Pharisee. To be a Sadducee, you had to be born into it because they were the Priestly class, and they stayed in Jerusalem.
• The letters that Saul possessed, granted him authority to persecute Christians along the way and in the city of Damascus.
• Saul, a Pharisee, makes request of a Sadducee (the high priest) to persecute the disciples of Christ.
• Julius Caesar and Augustus had granted the high priest and Sanhedrin jurisdiction over Jews in foreign cities; so later Paul said that he received his authority to go to Damascus from the priests (Acts 26:10) and "the council the elders" (Acts 22:5); that is, the Sanhedrin. Gospel Advocate Commentaries - New Testament Commentary – A Commentary on Acts of the Apostles.
• This guy looks to be a zealous in persecuting the church as ISIS does today.
• Saul does not look like he can be used by God, and it this point he cannot, but something will change him forever!
• SLIDE #4
• Acts 9:3–7 (HCSB) — 3 As he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. 4 Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 “Who are You, Lord?” he said. “I am Jesus, the One you are persecuting,” He replied. 6 “But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the sound but seeing no one.
• SLIDE #5
II. An unusual wake up call. 3-7
• Saul was in route to Damascus when something happened.
• SLIDE #6
• Damascus is one of the oldest cities in the world. It was taken under Roman control in 64 BC by Pompey. Damascus is about 120 miles Northeast of Jerusalem.
• There were roads from Egypt to Damascus at the time.
• Well, Saul gets an unusual wake up call!
• The light flashed and then the voice of Jesus spoke to him. His travel companions saw the light, they were speechless, they heard the sound but saw no one.
• Saul finally received the wake up call he needed. Jesus confronted Saul to try to try to wake Saul up.
• Saul hears the voice and and Says WHO ARE YOU LORD? The word LORD is probably used as we would use the word SIR today, Saul does not know it is the risen Jesus yet!
• Jesus tells Saul who he is and askes Saul why he is persecuting HIM!
• Did you catch that? Jesus is saying when one persecutes one of His, they are persecuting HIM!
• Ok, here is the point.
• Saul was on a path that was contrary to the path God desired for him.
• Before we come to Jesus ALL of us are on the wrong path.
• Saul was on the wrong path with steroids! He was persecuting Jesus by persecuting the church.
• But notice that even though Saul was doing these terrible things to the church, Jesus was offering him redemption, in the hands of Jesus, Saul would become something different. He would be….
• SLIDE #7
III. A new person with a new mission. 8-19
• WHEN GOD GETS AHOLD OF YOU, THINGS CHANGE!
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 reminds us we are a new creation in Christ Jesus, that ALL our sins are washed away! Saul would become Paul!
• In verse 7, Jesus tells Paul, “But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
• SLIDE #8
• Acts 9:9 (HCSB) He was unable to see for three days and did not eat or drink.
• So Paul is led to Damascus, he is blind, he is not eating or drinking for 3 days.
• God comes to a disciple in Damascus named Ananias.
• Now God does not want to keep a good plan to himself, so He explains to Ananias that He wants him to go to the street called Straight, to the house of Judas.
• He tells Ananias that he is to go to Saul of Tarsus, and that Saul has seen a vision that Ananias was coming to help him!
• Look at what Ananias has to say.
• SLIDE #9
• Acts 9:13–14 (HCSB) “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name.”
• Let me translate, GOD, ARE YOU CRAZY?”
• God retorts in verses 15-16
• SLIDE #10
• Acts 9:15–16 (HCSB) But the Lord said to him, “Go! For this man is My chosen instrument to take My name to Gentiles, kings, and the Israelites. I will show him how much he must suffer for My name!”
• Ananias complies, he heals Paul, Paul regains his sight and is baptized and he received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
• Paul, a new man with a new mission. Now is eats and regains his strength.
• SLIDE #11
IV. One person making a difference. 20-25
• In verses 20-25, we find Paul went right to the synagogues in Damascus proclaiming Jesus that He is the Son of God!
• Paul was making a difference!
• SLIDE #12
• Acts 9:21–22 (HCSB) But all who heard him were astounded and said, “Isn’t this the man who, in Jerusalem, was destroying those who called on this name and then came here for the purpose of taking them as prisoners to the chief priests?” But Saul grew more capable and kept confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that this One is the Messiah.
• People were ASTOUNDED!
• Paul was making a difference for God. As a matter of fact, he was so frustrating the Jews, they were going to kill him so the disciples lowered Paul in a large basket through an opening in the city wall.
• GOD HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR!
• The very people Paul came to eradicate, are saving his life.
CONCLUSION
• Can one person make a difference? You bet one person can. Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote a great deal of the New Testament!
• Next week we will look at The call of Jesus; it is a call all should listen to.
• When we have our Faith Promise Sunday next week, know that you can make a difference with your prayer and pledges for the missions we support. No pledge is too large or too small. When God is in the mix, He can take a little and do a lot with it!
