Introduction:
A. Once there was a woman who testified to the conversion and transformation in her life that had resulted from becoming a Christian.
1. She declared, “I’m so glad I became a Christian. Before I became a Christian I used to hate my uncle so much I vowed I’d never go to his funeral. But now that I’m a Christian, why, I’d be happy to go to his funeral any time!”
2. Hopefully our conversion and transformation is a little more complete and consequential than that of that lady.
B. Sensational conversions are always so inspiring - Let me tell you the story of Jim Vaus.
1. In the 1940s, Jim was a gangster who was deeply involved in all kinds of organized crime.
a. He eventually agreed to work with the Los Angeles Police Department to help search out members of the growing crime network.
b. After years of being under the constant stress of living a double life, Vaus faced his own misery and emptiness.
2. Vaus decided to attend a Billy Graham tent crusade being held by the young evangelist in downtown Los Angeles.
a. Amidst a crowd of over six thousand people, Jim Vaus grasped for the first time the message of God’s grace and forgiveness.
b. According to an article printed in The Los Angeles Times, the notorious mobster rose to his feet and “walked the sawdust trail” to respond to the invitation.
c. Literally in the shadow of young Billy Graham, Vaus knelt there weeping in the dust as he declared his desire to surrender his life to Christ.
3. Who would have thought that a infamous gangster like him would become a follower of Jesus?
C. Another amazing conversion story is the story of Chuck Colson.
1. In the political world of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Chuck Colson was known as President Nixon’s hatchet man.
a. Colson performed the behind-the-scenes dirty work for Richard Nixon, his boss and friend.
b. Someone once described Colson this way: “Chuck is the kind of guy who would run over his grandmother if necessary to get the job done.”
2. Chuck’s rapid ascent to political power and stature brought with it all kinds of pressures.
a. Add to that the pain of a failed marriage, and Colson found himself at a crisis point.
b. As the Watergate tangle intensified, Colson descended deep into despair and began to search for peace.
c. By late 1972, after Nixon had been reelected, Colson resigned as Special Counsel to the President and tried to retreat into private life.
3. In 1973, Colson visited a friend named Tom Phillips, who was a believer.
a. Phillips confronted Colson with the gospel and read him this portion from C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity: “A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”
b. Later that night, Colson sat in his car in the dark and the iron grip on his emotions began to relax and he sobbed.
c. At that time, Colson did surrender his life to God and begin living as a believer.
4. In 1974, Colson served seven months in Maxwell Federal Prison in Alabama as the first member of the Nixon administration to be incarcerated for Watergate-related charges.
5. Colson’s mid-life conversion sparked a radical life change that led to the founding of his non-profit ministry Prison Fellowship and to a focus on Christian worldview teaching and training.
a. Colson became a public speaker and the author of more than 30 books about Christianity and societal Issues.
b. He was the founder and chairman of The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview and his daily radio commentary, BreakPoint, was heard on more than 1,400 outlets across the United States.
6. His story is just another amazing conversion of a notorious sinner.
D. Thankfully, amazing conversions of notorious sinners happen all the time!
1. Conversion happens to dogmatic atheists and determined agnostics.
2. Conversion happens to gifted physicians and brilliant scientists.
3. Conversion happens to popular coaches and superstar athletes.
4. Conversion happens to famous musicians and renowned artists.
5. Conversion happens to former criminals and everyday sinners.
6. One by one, these unique individuals get to the end of life’s rope and when confronted with the claims and hope of the gospel, they believe and turn to the Lord.
7. Their lives, in a matter of moments, are transformed.
E. When well-known individuals convert to Christ, the public often responds with either amazement or skepticism.
1. The question that looms is: Has the person really converted and will it stick?
2. What we must keep in mind is that there is a difference between conversion and maturity.
3. The late Alan Redpath, longtime preacher and author, put it best: “The conversion of a soul is the miracle of a moment, the manufacture of a saint is the task of a lifetime.”
4. No person, no matter how bright, how sincere, or how submissive, comes to Christ and instantly becomes spiritually mature.
5. Becoming a mature Christian is a lifelong process that begins at the moment of salvation.
F. If we’re going to think about remarkable conversions, there is none more amazing than the conversion of Saul of Tarsus.
1. Few, if any, conversions in the history of Christianity can compare with what transpired on that Damascus road.
2. This is true because few converts to Christianity ever reached the degree of opposition to Christianity that Saul had achieved.
3. As I pointed out last week, it is easy for us to forget just how violently and brutally Saul had opposed Christianity.
a. Acts records Saul’s actions as: But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison. (Acts 8:3)
b. When Paul appeared before king Agrippa he shared this testimony: 9 “I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.” (Acts 26:9-11)
c. When Paul wrote to Timothy he summarized his early life in this way: 13 “…I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man…” (1 Tim. 1:13)
4. The stories of the conversions of Jim Vaus and Chuck Colson pale in comparison to Saul’s.
5. Augustine, an early church father, called Saul’s conversion “the violent capture of a rebel will.”
6. Let’s be inspired by Saul’s conversion story as we witness the unexpected turning point.
I. The Story
A. The ninth chapter of Acts begins abruptly with Saul on a murderous rampage toward Damascus.
1. He charged out of Jerusalem with the fury of Alexander the Great sweeping across Persia.
2. Saul’s blood was boiling and he was close to being completely out of control.
3. If you were a follower of Jesus living anywhere near Jerusalem, you did not want to hear Saul’s knock on your door!
B. The Bible says: 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. (Acts 9:1-2)
1. Why did Saul choose Damascus, a city 100 miles north of Jerusalem, as his next target?
2. It was common knowledge that a significant number of Jews lived in Damascus.
3. Therefore, it would make sense that when the Jewish Christians fled the persecution in Jerusalem, a number of them would join the Jewish population of Damascus.
4. So Saul devised an aggressive plan to storm the city and drag the Christians back to Jerusalem to stand trial.
5. Thankfully, God had a different plan!
C. The Bible says: 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?” (Acts 9:3-4)
1. As we read that, you can almost hear the screeching of the brakes.
2. In an instant, Saul’s murderous journey with ferocious momentum, came to a divine halt.
3. The Bible says there in verse 3, “Suddenly a light from heaven flashed.”
a. And isn’t that the way the Lord often works?
b. Most of the time, God gives no announcement or warning ahead of time.
c. Saul had received no prior alert saying, “Watch out tomorrow, Saul, God’s gonna getcha!”
4. And amazingly, God’s timing is always right.
a. God could have stopped Saul before he ever left Jerusalem.
b. But God remained silent and restrained until the moment when His interruption would have the greatest impact.
5. Without warning, the course of Saul’s life changed dramatically.
a. And that is how it often happens in our own lives.
b. Without warning, life can take a sudden and unexpected turn.
c. It could be a heart attack, or an auto accident, or the loss of a job, or the halting diagnosis from the doctor.
6. Shockingly, the jolt awakens our senses and we suddenly remember that God is in control, not us.
a. For more than three decades, Saul had thought he was in control of his own life.
b. Saul had a plan for his life, and he was checking off his accomplishments along the way.
c. On his way to make an even greater name for himself, God stopped him in his tracks.
D. For the first time in Saul’s proud, self-sustained life, he found himself desperately dependent.
1. Not only was he knocked to the ground, he was blinded by a light from heaven.
2. His other senses must have been on high alert when he heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
3. We can just imagine the wheels of Saul’s mind turning…yes, I have been persecuting people…I have been persecuting Christians…but who is this person who is speaking?
4. Notice that the one who is speaking to Saul, knows his name.
a. The one speaking knows not only his name, but he knows what Saul has been up to.
5. Surely all of Saul’s boldness vanished in his moment of desperation and all he could do was respond with meekness and respect, saying, “Who are you, Lord?” (vs. 5)
a. Some people conclude that the fact that Saul used the name “Lord” meant that he knew who it was and that he now believed.
b. But the Greek word Saul used is kurios, which is a title of respect and can simply mean, “lord” or “master,” kind of like our term “sir.”
c. Saul was not only blind, but he was confused and so he asked, “Who are you, Sir?”
E. The answer that came out of nowhere must have hit him like a ton of bricks: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” (vs. 5)
1. Can you hear the seconds of deafening silence that must have occurred?
a. Can you hear the gasp of air and feel Saul’s heart skip a beat?
2. No answer could have been more surprising to Saul than that answer.
a. The Jesus whom Saul thought was dead was indeed alive.
b. The Jesus whom Saul thought was of the devil was indeed divine.
c. The Jesus whom Saul thought was mistaken was indeed the Messiah.
d. The Jesus whom Saul had hated and denied was Savior and Lord.
3. In that instant, Saul of Tarsus went from unbeliever to believer.
a. In that instant, his journey to Damascus and the entire course of his life was reversed.
F. The Bible tells us what happened next, Jesus said to him, 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. (Acts 9:6-9)
1. The men with Saul knew something unexplainable had happened, but they didn’t know what.
2. I don’t know how you picture the next three days of Saul’s life, but I picture him shaking his head in startled disbelief as he prayed and fasted, while waiting for God’s further instructions.
G. The story in Acts 9 turns to a Christian named Ananias whom God recruits to go minister to Saul.
1. To say that Ananias was reluctant to go to Saul is a colossal understatement.
2. After hearing God’s plan for Saul, Ananias hesitantly went to Saul.
3. The Bible says: 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. (Acts 9:17-19)
4. When Paul was sharing his testimony in Acts 22, he said: 12 “A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. 13 He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him. 14 “Then he said: ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. 15 You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’ ” (Acts 22:12-16)
a. We notice from both of those accounts that baptism was something that needed to happen.
b. Saul obviously already believed in Jesus – how could he not believe after that experience.
c. It is also obvious that Saul was repentant and was willing to obey God’s instructions.
d. All that was required to complete his conversion was to be immersed in water for the forgiveness of sins, which he willing and joyfully did.
H. In Acts 26, when Paul was giving his defense before King Agrippa, he included an interesting detail from his blinding encounter with Jesus that is not mentioned in the other accounts.
1. Recalling the words Jesus spoke to him, Paul said: “I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ ” (26:14)
2. That unusual word picture “kicking against the goads” is filled with meaning.
a. It is a rural expression that is common in ancient Greek and Latin literature.
b. It comes from the practice of farmers goading their oxen in the fields.
c. Goads were typically made from slender pieces of wood that were blunt on one end and pointed on the other.
d. Farmers would use the pointed end to urge a stubborn ox into motion.
e. Occasionally, the ox would kick back against the goad.
f. The more the ox kicked against the goad, the more likely the sharp point would puncture the skin and cause greater pain.
3. So what did Jesus mean when he said to Saul, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads”?
a. Perhaps it is an indication that God had been prodding Saul for a long time.
b. Saul’s seemingly sudden conversion was perhaps the tipping point of a lot of goading.
I. Charles Swindoll suggests three goads that the Lord used to bring Saul to the place of repentance.
1. The first goad in Saul’s life was Jesus’ life and words.
a. I believe that the words and works of Jesus haunted Saul, the zealous Pharisee.
b. I am certain that Saul had heard Jesus teach and preach during His ministry.
c. Jesus and Saul were similar in age and both spent a lot of time in Jerusalem.
d. I can picture Saul listening to Jesus in a crowded Jerusalem, wondering to himself how this false prophet could be gaining such popularity.
e. In spite of the fact that Saul believed that Jesus must be empowered by the devil, the words and works of Jesus must have stuck in Saul’s mind and goaded him.
f. Once any of us have seriously investigated Jesus’ life and teachings, there is no way to escape them, they work on us deep in our conscience.
2. The second goad in Saul’s life was Stephen’s peaceful death.
a. Saul probably never fully recovered from the mental image of Stephen’s death.
b. It wasn’t the fact that Stephen died that haunted Saul, it was the way Stephen died.
c. Stephen didn’t recant his faith, or curse, or plead for mercy in the face of execution, rather he died so peacefully with his face shinning like the face of an angel.
d. And not only that, Stephen died compassionately praying for his executioners, just as Jesus had done.
3. The third goad in Saul’s life was the courageous faith of the Christians.
a. Saul could not escape noticing the courage of the Christians he took as prisoners.
b. The believers he viciously apprehended didn’t resist arrest or torture.
c. Their undaunted courage in the face of certain death must have goaded Saul.
d. I have to believe that in some unguarded moments while deep in thought, or perhaps while on that dull trek to Damascus, Saul found himself kicking against those goads…Jesus’ words and works, Stephen’s peaceful death, and the Christian’s courage.
e. Saul simply could not put all of this out of his mind.
Conclusion:
A. God goaded and prodded the stubborn pride of that Pharisaic ox named Saul.
1. Day after day, Saul kicked against those goads, until he finally got the message.
2. There would be no more running or hiding. The fight was over and as always, God won.
3. C.S. Lewis likened God’s conquering work of Saul’s rebel will to a divine chess player systematically, patiently maneuvering his opponent into a corner until the checkmate is conceded.
B. Just like Saul of Tarsus was no match for God, neither are we!
1. God will do whatever it takes to bring us to a point of absolute dependence on Him.
2. God will relentlessly, patiently, and faithfully goad us until we finally and willingly submit to Him.
3. As Paul would later write: Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:9-11)
4. Our eternal salvation depends on our submission to Jesus Christ as Lord before it is too late.
C. You and I are likely not notorious criminals like Jim Vaus, or violent persecutors like Saul.
1. Our lives may be morally clean – we may be the nicest people around – we may be people of integrity and honesty.
2. Although we may be living a life that is impressive to others, we are light years from being righteous before a perfect and holy God.
3. Until we have put our faith in Christ and surrendered our lives to Christ alone, we are as lost as Saul was on that Damascus road.
4. If you haven’t yet surrendered your life to Christ, why do you keep running and resisting? Isn’t it hard to kick against the goads?
5. If we keep kicking against the goads, it will only hurt us all the more in the long run.
6. Don’t wait until it is too late, like Saul of Tarsus, give up the reigns of your rebel will.
D. Over 65 years ago, Billy Graham was conducting a crusade in LA, and a man named Stuart Hamblen decided to give his life to Jesus.
1. Stuart was a cowboy actor and singer who worked with the likes of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and John Wayne.
2. After his conversion, Stuart attended a party and was approached by John Wayne who said, “What's this I hear — you got religion?”
3. Stuart answered, “It is no secret what God can do in a man's life.”
4. John Wayne then said in his characteristic draw, “Well that sounds like a song,” thereby planting the idea in the songwriter’s mind.
5. Stuart Hamblen did turn those words into a song called “It Is No Secret” and the song is still sung today.
6. I hope that each of us here today will know and believe what God can do in our lives.
7. It is no secret what God can do…what He did for Saul of Tarsus, he’ll do for you!
8. God can take our lost and troubled lives and give us new sight, and a new power and purpose for living!
9. If you need to respond to God’s invitation for salvation, then come as we stand and sing...“It Is No Secret” (What God Can Do).
Resources:
Paul: A Man of Grace and Grit, by Charles Swindoll, Word Publishing, 2002, Chapter 2.
