INTRODUCTION
• Paul was one of those guys who break the mold.
• He was wild, crazy, zealous, lost, brilliant, passionate and super focused.
• If he was alive today he would be considered a terrorist for killing people for his cause.
• Last week we talked about his childhood and how he persecuted Christians.
Galatians 1:13 Paul said of himself, For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it…”
• And then became one of them. That ought to give us all hope.
• The road outside of Damascus, Syria
• Acts 9
I. TOUCHED AND TRANSFORMED
• Any time God uses someone greatly they have to be touched repeatedly and deeply.
• This was Paul.
Acts 26:15-18, “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. “And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. You are to tell the world what you have seen and what I will show you in the future. And I will rescue you from both your own people and the gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the gentiles to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’”
• This is called destiny. He certainly had a Damascus road experience, a dramatic encounter.
• But please listen to me. Jesus is still doing this today - transforming lives.
Galatians 1:15-16, “...it pleased God to reveal His Son in me...” - It still does!
• Acts 9:10 - Others are always part of our journey. Ananias immediately used by God in Paul’s journey.
• Here God gives the keys of the kingdom to a man he could trust.
• To unlock Saul’s way.
• Vss. 10-16 - Reality of obeying, always a risk.
• Vs. 17 - Ananias greets Paul as a brother. The guy had faith. He laid hands on him as we are called to do today and pray for the release of life and blessings.
• Vs. 12 - Paul was praying and saw a vision of Ananias coming.
• Three visions here. Paul on road, in his room and Ananias.
• He obeyed and was baptized.
• Paul later wrote of baptism. Romans 6 - “We are buried with Him” and so he was and rose as a new man.
II. SCHOOL BEGINS FOR PAUL
• Paul was a smart guy, brilliant, but he had never been to a school like the one God was about to enroll him in.
• Joseph went to this school and graduated, so did Moses, Abraham and David and us!
• Acts 9:16 - God told Ananias about Paul’s school. “For I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”
Acts 9:20-31, “And immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’ All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, ‘Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?’ But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ. When many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket. When he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. And he was with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus. So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.”
• Acts 26:17 - We read today God was clear about Paul’s call to gentiles, non-Jews.
• Yet he is just like us. He does what he thinks is best.
• Act 9:20-22 - Preaching to Jews, Barnabas helps him.
• Sneak him out of town in a basket!
• Then he goes to Jerusalem and Barnabas who would be his mentor takes a big risk on Saul/Paul.
• Barnabas had nothing to gain and everything to lose here.
• Tradition says that Paul and Barnabas were classmates in Gamaliel’s school and Barnabas knew Paul well before his conversion.
• God will do this with those who will allow him to use them.
• He will ask you to take a risk on a person who has failed.
• It is the only way any of us grow.
• Barnabas brought him to the others and risked his reputation on this guy.
• They trusted Barnabas.
• So Paul grew and spoke out boldly in Jerusalem.
• Sounds great huh?
• But it wasn’t. When we use our gifts wrong they can wound or hurt others.
• When we over use them - if you’re a leader a strong leader but you overuse your gift you become a controller, not a blessing.
• If you have the gift of mercy but you offer it when God is trying to break and build a person you are not a blessing then but a problem.
• This was Paul. He needed refining, schooling.
• Vs. 29 - He was arguing with the Jews.
• Leaders intervened and sent him away, to school.
• To Tarsus. Where was that? Home!
• They sent him home!
• Vs. 31 - Then the church enjoyed peace and was built up and moving in the fear of the Lord and the power of the Spirit and it grew!
• When Paul was sent away!
• Not really what any of us want to hear is it?
• Things will be better when you leave!
III. LIFE IN THE DESERT
• Galatians 1:17 tells us he went to Arabia, the desert.
• School of hard knocks.
• For at least three years, maybe more. Ten more years alone in Tarsus.
• Isolation with Jesus can build your heart and transform your life.
• All of us must learn to walk alone with Him.
• Away from the noise and clamor of the world.
• If not it is tough to go deep.
• Likely he went to the Sinai Peninsula where Moses and John the Baptist and Elijah all spent time.
• You need to visit Israel to understand the vastness of this place.
• Here David met God and here Moses met the burning bush and likely Paul met Jesus.
• At a whole different level.
• Likely he had to rethink all he had been taught and what it really meant in light of Jesus the Messiah.
• Here God would show him how blind he had been.
• Here God equipped him for all the years ahead where he would be used.
• He was a Jew first, but his call was to gentiles, hard to swallow.
• Romans 9:3 - He said he wished he could be cursed if his Jewish brothers could meet Jesus.
• And it is here God will take you if you are to be used deeply by Him.
• You may well think you know what your calling is - mine was missionary, but He has a wild way of imparting that and then changing it. Giving you a love for something and then not allowing you to go there.
• Not until years have passed will we understand the wisdom He alone possesses.
• His plan is always wilder and larger and better than ours. What we counted as less he counts as more.
• You may argue with Him, but it is Him bending our will not us bending His. He will close the doors and later open others.
• The desert, loss, lonely, but life giving.
• Where our pride dies and His Spirit gives life.
• Here He probably first understood Genesis 12:3, “...in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” All, not Jews, but all!
• This is Paul’s story. Now he would wait until his old friend Barnabas would come calling again.
• Making tents no doubt as he waited for his destiny.
• Maybe up to ten years, not sure.
CLOSE
• This is the journey for all of us friends - the desert.
• Time alone with Jesus to grow. So you can be effective for years.
• Never look down on it and beware of judging others, telling them they are being punished.
• When reality is they are being trained.
• So often Christians do this; it is shallow, light and unknowing.
