Happy Mother’s Day to Cross Church family & to You. To those who gave birth this year to their 1st child, we celebrate with you. To those who lost a child this year, we mourn with you. To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day & wear the badge of food stains, we appreciate you. To those who experienced loss this year through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or a child that ran away, we grieve with you. To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with disappointment, we walk with you. To foster moms, mentor moms, & spiritual moms, we need you. To those who have warm & close relationships with your children, we celebrate with you. To those who have disappointment, heartache, & distance from your children, we wait with you. To those who lost their mothers this year, we grieve with you. To those who were encouraged to have an abortion, we cry with you. To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, & the overall testing of motherhood, thank you. To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year, we rejoice & grieve with you. And to those who are pregnant with new life, we anticipate with you. To all of you, we honor you.
“The gospel is not about your accomplishments as a mother; it’s about your position as God’s daughter.” J.D. Greear You are honored & received not because of what you have or haven’t done as a mother, but because of what God did to make you His own.
Sermon
For our 2nd week in a row, we look again at Saul who is known as Paul. Imagine had the early 1940s newspapers read, “Hitler converts to Judaism” & you get a sense of how powerful Paul’s life change happened. Today, I invite you to look again at the turning point in Saul’s life for it will also serve as a turning point in your life.
Today’s Scripture
“19b For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. 20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” 22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. 23 When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket. 26 And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. 30 And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. 31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.” (Acts 9:20–31)
It is hard to overstate the importance of Saul’s conversion. Other than Jesus’ resurrection, few things play such vital importance to your Christianity as Saul’s conversion.
1. Appreciate the Change
1.1 Feel the Tension
In your imagination, watch Paul sitting with the believers in Damascus (Acts 9:19b). Remember he came to this city to arrest them & lead them back in chains to Jerusalem. Watch how leery they are of him. Not yet sure if they can trust him, they sit a few feet away like an animal who isn’t sure it can trust you. You can cut the tension & suspicion in the air with a knife. From breathing out threats of murder to sitting together in peace over meals – the reversal is incredible. Who could predict Saul changing?!
1.2 Pray Saul Would Die
Imagine had you & I been alive at this time … imagine our prayers had we been among those early believers. “God would take this Saul out. Would you put him in a grave? He needs to drop dead.” Most of us who think, “If only he were dead, then we are allowed to worship & share Christ with freedom” But God does so much more! He takes Christianity’s greatest enemy & turns him around so he is Christianity’s greatest advocate.
1.3 Feel the Hope Preview
This story was written to perform CPR on your dead heart of hope. Saul’s story was orchestrated in order for the Holy Spirit to lean over your lifeless body & breath the fresh wind of hope in your life all over again.
1. Appreciate the Change
2. Look Beneath the Change
What caused this change in Paul? Watch carefully to how Luke has masterfully constructed the narrative. Paul’s words not only show the dramatic change but his words tell us what is beneath the change. The last time Saul was recorded saying anything it was a simple question back in verse 5: “Who are you, Lord?” (Acts 9:5b) And the very next thing we hear coming from his mouth is: “He is the Son of God.” (Acts 9:20b) Saul’s change is fed from an underground aquifer that is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Once Paul understood Jesus was alive, He lost control of his life. Every part of Paul’s change hinges on whether Jesus is alive.
2. Look Beneath the Change
3. Experience the Change
Saul’s story is written for you: “But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:16) Don’t think religion is nothing more than an expression of one’s culture. Instead, think of your religious convictions more like a free agent in sports.
3.1 Ethnicity and Religion
You don’t have to stay in the religion you grew up in. If you are Hispanic, then you are Roman Catholic. If you are Middle Eastern, then you are a Muslim. If you are Jewish, then you are into Judaism. And if you are American from the South, you must be a Christian.
3.2 Free Agency
Jesus works more like a free agent in terms of sports. The idea of a free agent is someone who can switch teams. A player is no longer under contractual agreement. Paul is a religious free agent. Jesus is showing us Paul because we all need convert. You can switch teams! You need to know Christ.
Three Take-Aways
1. If You’re Going to Follow Christ, You’ll Need to Change Your Friends
Saul’s life is really amazing. Let me show you. What Acts calls “When many days had passed” in verse 23 is actually three years. He goes to Damascus to imprison the Christians only to live & eat with them. Three years later, the Jews hate him because of his conversion. So it ends with his escape where he is dropped from a window down a wall to escape (Acts 9:25). The persecutor has become the preacher; the pursuer is now the pursued. His friends become his enemies & His enemies become his friends. Conversion to Christ is so radical is calls on you to change even your friends. Or, at the very least your those influential friends who could challenge your allegiance to Christ You cannot follow Christ successfully when your former “party” friends are constantly pulling you away. Ghost them or do whatever you call it.
1. If You’re Going to Follow Christ, You’ll Need to Change Your Friends
2. Christians Need Christians
Look at how significant and crucial Ananias (Acts 9:10-17) and Barnabas (Acts 9:27). Pee Wee Reese put his arm around Jackie Robinson during a game in Cincinnati, Ohio in May 13, 1947. Jackie was the first man to break the color barrier & the crowd was really yelling at him. So Reese runs over from his position at shortstop to put his arm around Jackie. Both of these men act as Pee Wee Reese for Saul. Every new believer needs a Pee Wee Reese. Every new and struggling believer needs an Ananias and a Barnabas.
1. If You’re Going to Follow Christ, You’ll Need to Change Your Friends
2. Christians Need Christians
3. Feel the Hope
You can just feel the hope dripping this story. Really you can feel the hope dripping from the entire book of Acts. Saul’s story is the Holy Spirit leaning over your lifeless body & breath the fresh wind of hope in your life all over again. So many of us are prone to say, “This is just the way it’s going to be. There’s no hope nothing will change.” My school won’t change, my career isn’t going to change, my marriage is ending, and the world is out of control. We think the situation is too far-gone… that evil is far entrenched. Prayer is the act where you seek the Lord because you know He can turn things around. God does so much more than we can think or we can imagine! Acts is written to show you Jesus is Alive and is moving to spring hope in dead situations.
Do not despair! Despair is the telltale sign that distinguishes atheists & practical atheists. And hope (even a ember of hope) is the telltale sign that distinguishes a Christ-follower.
