The change that Jesus brought into Paul’s life is one of the most dramatic narratives and radical transformations of a person that has ever been recorded.
The record is that Saul whose name would be changed to Paul was born to a prominent Jewish family in Tarsus – the capital of the Roman province in what is now know in our modern day as Turkey. And we know this because his parents were prominent citizens, and Paul was a Roman citizen from birth, and it was rare for Jews to be a Roman citizen because citizenship had to be granted by a Roman government official.
Now notice that Paul himself was born somewhere in the range of 5-10 years after Jesus’ birth. [5 - Grace or God's Goodness, 10 - Testimony,] but also notice that Paul went to Jerusalem as a young man to receive training in Judaism. So, he undoubtedly heard much about Jesus and may have even heard Jesus teach somewhere along the latter portion of His earthly ministry.
Please understand that Paul was a very intelligent young man and he became a Pharisee at a very tender age. He even describes himself as being “Zealous after the Law.” He was passionate about his faith as a Jew, and he was devoted to its heritage and traditions. As we walk together and develop this message, it is imperative that we look at this man named Saul and understand who he was and now who he would become. Because after a while you will be able to hear through his testimony and know that this is a before and after story, a then and now story, and a former and latter story.
First of all He was very religious – blameless according to the Law of Moses, a Pharisee among Pharisees, he was very zealous for the faith of his fathers and absolutely convinced that he was doing the Will of God, he was Rich from Heritage – he was a Jew among Jews, born into the tribe of Benjamin, he was Well Educated –
He was trained at the feet of Gamaliel (Ga-Male-le-o), one of Israel’s greatest teachers of the day, he was ambitious, determined, a go-getter, he was motivated, he was advancing quickly up the ranks of the Pharisees and had ability, desire and talent far above his peers
However, he was full of Bitterness and Hatred. He hated anything and anyone who could be a threat to the things that he believed in, and those who would cause trouble for his people and those who opposed the teachings of the high priest and the Law of Moses. He hated those who preached and taught heresy against the Law. He was a man of loyalty – he even sought out the permission and approval of the High Priest before he acted.
Saul began this journey recorded in our text with his band of men ready for confrontation with the enemies of the Law of Moses. He rode along with his vigilante committee with the permission of the High Priest. He would do everything within his power to stop the spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ and to arrest, beat or kill any of his followers.
And you know the story how suddenly while on this road to Damascus there was a blinding flash of light that knocked him off of his high position. And I think that this is a good place to tell you that we ought not get to high because God knows how to bring us down. The 2nd thing that we need to understand this morning is that God knows how to get our attention! No matter what we are doing.
God showed up and interrupted all of Saul’s plans
God shows up and rearrange his calendar for the rest of his life
God shot a laser beam of light out of the throne room of Heaven and knocked Saul to the ground
Suddenly all of the Education - the Plans - the Hatred - the Condemnation that had been controlling Saul was erased in one quick flash, and now Saul the accuser and the condemner became Saul the accused, and the condemned. The God of Heaven had hunted down the hunter and now the hunter has been captured by the game. He is now being preyed upon instead of being the one who did the preying.
In chapter 9 and verse 5 we see that all of a sudden a voice came from Heaven. Saul knew this was no ordinary voice, but he didn’t know the Lord and didn’t exactly recognize the voice. And when you have not been born again, and don’t have a relationship with God, you won’t know the voice of God, and you won’t know when God is speaking to you, and this is why so many people are able to do their own thing, and have their own agenda’s, and it’s all because they don’t know the voice of God.
He didn’t know who Jesus was, but that was ok because Jesus had come to make a change in Saul’s life. And I can attest to how Paul felt because there was a time in my life when I didn’t know who Jesus was, but can I tell you that, those of you that tries to relate me to the days of old, I need to tell you that you have the outdated version of who I used to be.
So, as he is talking to with the Lord. He revealed his identity to this Pharisee. After Saul asked him for his photo identification card, Jesus pulls it out and says, I am Jesus – the one you are really fighting against -- the one you are really condemning - the one you are really persecuting –I am Jesus Christ - The King of Kings and Lord of Lords - Creator of the Universe - I Am That I AM!
And what’s so interesting to note here is that those around him didn’t hear what Saul heard. They seen him grumbling, mumbling about something but they didn’t here what he heard.
Not only did they not hear what was being said, but they were not ready to hear what he heard. Because God comes to each man in his own time and in the way that he wants to reach them in. There might be some of you that are sitting here on this live this morning and God may be talking to you and people can’t understand why you are acting the way are. They don’t know why you are shedding tears; they don’t understand why you are screaming and hollering. What they really don’t know is how good God has been to you. People who haven’t heard the voice cannot comprehend; they cannot understand the change that has taken place in you.
They only know that something is different – and that something has changed our lives and that something has changed us in a flash.
I believe that there were those that have said that Paul’s experience on that dusty road was nothing more than: heat a stroke from the desert sun, or that Paul was struck by a bolt of lightning on a clear day and he only thought he heard a voice. Some commentaries suggest that Paul had suffered an Epileptic seizure.
Yes, I know what some of you are saying pastor isn’t this the same guy that was at the stoning of Stephen that Saul stood by and held the coats of those who threw the stones.
Yes I must admit that it was him. But even then, it was something about the words and the actions of Stephen as he died that touched the heart of Saul, but like many of us he fought the feelings of guilt and condemnation in his own heart.
Wait a minute Pastor wasn’t it at the feet of Gamaliel (Ga-Male-le-o) that Saul learned to flee from the Saints? Yes, it was at the feet of Gamaliel (Ga-Male-le-o)– as the teacher of the Pharisees who warned him to leave the followers of Jesus alone. Again, yes this is he.
However, Saul was instantly and eternally and internally changed in the flash of light
Where he was threatening - now he was trembling
Where he was in control - now he was under God’s control
Where he could see his future under his own Power - now he was blinded to the world around him, and blind to the future law before him.
Paul would soon be prepared to proclaim and preach, instead of prosecuting and indicting. He is now ready to say before I was a sinner, but after I met the Christ now, I’m a sinner saved by grace. As Saul is heading down the road of Damascus from Jerusalem; He heads down the road for one purpose and ends up there for another. Now in some ways it might seem unlikely for God to choose Saul to be one of the major leaders of the church, especially since he originally wanted to eliminate the Christians. However, we see that God uses this Roman citizen’s background for service. And when I searched the scripture, I can’t quite find anyone else with the background that he has. He was mess up, jacked up, tore up.
And again, this reminds me of me. Before I met the Lord, I was messed up, I had issues, and I had some problems that had my life in shambles. And if we were to be honest with ourselves before we met the Lord some of us have had some tough backgrounds, but can I tell you that since you have met the Lord you are just what God is looking for in service?
Because God has a way of taking our Backgrounds - whatever they are and turning them. We may have some wonderful things about our backgrounds that have given us special skill and knowledge. Things we could be proud of. However, there may be somethings about our backgrounds that we are not so proud of as well. And that’s what God is looking for our bad background and he uses it for his benefit. We may have been through some trauma or drama in our lives. But God can take those experiences and use us to minister to other people who are in the middle of the same problem that we have been delivered from. And we can somebody that, “if God brought me through and God can bring your through".
God knows how to Change our Lives. And when the Lor d makes a change in our live we will be able to tell those people who thought that they knew you, that baby you have the outdated version of who I used to be.
Saul’s initial problem was that he listened to the voice of religion instead of the voice of God. But now he heard a different voice,
A Voice that spoke to his Condition - A Voice that spoke to his Situation
- A Voice that spoke to his Circumstance
- A Voice that spoke with Power and Authority
- A Voice that shook him to the core of his soul.
And this was the:
· same voice that spoken the world into existence
· same voice that called to Adam in the Garden
· same voice that spoke judgment upon Satan
· same voice that spoke to Moses on Mt. Sinai
· same voice that spoke to Lazarus and raised him from the dead
· This is the same voice that raised the Widow’s son at Nain
· This is the same voice that caused the Soldiers to fall backward in the Garden of Gathsemane
· This is the same voice that cries out to us today – follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
· This is the same voice that cried out, “It is Finished” as he paid the price of redemption on the cross
· This is the same voice that will someday say to us “Well Done thy Good a Faithful Servant” “
But, most of all this was the same voice that updated my life.
Because before:
· I was doing my own thing
· Thought I was running my own life
· Conceited
· Boasting in my talents
·I can relate to what Paul used to be like and I can say just like Paul, before I met Jesus, I was a was on my way to a burning hell.
I was not fitting to live and was not prepared to die. But the Lord saved me.
And now when people try to remind me of who I used to be.
*When they say do you remember, when you were in the clubs? I tell them that’s the outdated version of me.
*When they asked me do you remember when you had some struggles back then – I tell them that’s the outdated version of me.
* Some may ask me don’t you worry about what people say about your past? I say no I don’t worry, because they have the outdated version of me.
Let me tell someone to stop worrying about things that you can’t change and let them worry.
I’m reminded about a story about a man who was always worrying. He worried about his children, his job, his wife, his health and he was always worried about his past life and what folks would say about him. One day a friend of this man noted that he was extremely calm and peaceful.
He asked his friend "Man why are you so calm”? he asked. "You used to always worry about every-thing. What happened?" The former worrier replied, "I just hired a man to do the worrying for me." "Well, how much are you paying him?" His friend inquired. "A thousand dollars a week," the man replied. "A thousand a week? You can’t afford a thousand dollars a week." The ex-worrier responded, "That’s his problem now!"
