From Saul to Paul
ACTS 9:1-22
There was a family from a very remote area
That visited a very large city for the first time.
They checked into a 4 star Hotel, and they stood
Amazed at the beautiful and impressive site’s.
As they left the reception desk the mans wife
Stopped at the restroom. Then they stopped and
Starred at the elevator, and didn’t have any idea
What they were looking at!!!
About that time an elderly lady hobbled toward the elevator and went inside. The door closed.
About a couple minutes later, the door opened
And out came a stunningly good looking young
Woman.
Dad couldn’t stop staring,
Without turning his head he patted his son on the
Arm and said, Son go get your Mother!!
2nd Corinth 5:17 says;
therefore if any man be in Christ He is a new
creature ; Old things are passed away; behold,
all things are become new.
So you see when Jesus is invited to live in a
Persons heart, that person’s life becomes all new!!
This elevator trick will work just as good when
Christ returns!!!
Here Tonight is the story of a man who was
Majorly transformed into a brand new creation!
His name is was Saul and now Paul, his
story unfolds tonight, In the book of Acts!
Did you know that The Apostle Paul wrote over half of the new testament?
In our reading: Acts 9:1-22 will point out to us
How he lived out the elevator story!!
Lets All Stand for the reading of God’s word!
Before Paul met Christ He was a very different Man and tonight we’ll look at the difference Jesus Christ made in his life and can also make in your life, if you will just accept him as your personal Savior!
Tonight in VS. 1 of our reading you’ll see Saul was against Christ – He was making threats of Murder against the disciples of the Lord.
And in VS. 2 He went to the High Priest and asked for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that if he found any there who belonged either men or women
That he might take them as prisoners!
Our reading says breathing out murderous threats against followers of THE WAY – The way here
Being the way of Jesus Christ!!
Listen folks The Way to heaven is through Jesus Christ our Lord!
And he was breathing out threats in other passages of scriptures that further tell of His persecution to the believers of Christ!
Acts Chapter 7 tells us that when the religious people got mad at Stephen they dragged him out of the city and stoned him – and meanwhile witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul!!
Then in Acts Chapter 8 there is Saul giving approval to his death, and on that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
Now there were Godly men that buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.
But Saul began to try to destroy the church.
He went from House to house and dragged off
Men and Women and put them in prison.
Then the rest of Acts chap 9 reminds us that meanwhile, Saul was still speaking murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.
Now listen folks Saul was probably much like
You and me.
He believed in God!!
The 22nd Chapter of Acts he described himself
At this time. I am a Jew.
He was born in Tarsus but brought up in this city!
He was trained in the law of our fathers under a man named Gamaliel !!
And He had a Zeal for God as much as any of you have today!!
But he persecuted followers of Christ’s way to their death, arrested them Men and Women and also punished them as well!!
Now Paul said there in Acts 9
He said He was a Jew and He was a believer in God!!
Paul said he was thoroughly trained in the law.
He was thoroughly trained under the most respected teacher in the land Gamaliel.
And further said he was zealous for God, He was very strongly passionate about God.
You See he wasn’t just a go to church every
Week and mind your own business kind of belief.
His was a passionately active kind of belief!
And he was passionately serious about his belief in God!!!
That’s what he meant by being zealous.
The main trouble is he was zealously wrong!
He knew the scriptures backwards and forwards.
He studied the scriptures daily and further applied
Them to his everyday life!
But the Jews in those days also knew the Scriptures well, but this man was way above average because he was college educated and was taught by the best professor in the world!!
The BIG PROBLEM though was he didn’t know God!!!
It’s a frightening thing when people think they know
The bible and may even think they know the difference in right and wrong, but they don’t know God!!!!
Its very un-fortunate that there are a lot of religious people who mean well and they’ve gone to church for years and years, But they are only fooling themselves
Because they don’t really know God
They just think they do!!!
MATT 23:24 SAYS:
Ye Blind guides which strain at a gnat and swallow a camel, Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites for ye make clean the outside of the cup and platter
But within they are full of extortion and excess!
Saul thought He was good
Saul thought He was wise
He thought He was religious
He thought he was being zealous for God!
He thought He knew God!
He thought He was doing God a favor!
But He was moving directly against God!
Matt 23:28 says
Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous
Unto men, but within ye are full of Hypocrisy and Iniquity!!
IN ACTS CHAP 9 It tells us:
Saul was met by Christ
As he was traveling near Damascus to arrest
Some believers and take them back to
Jerusalem – Saul met Christ!
A bright light flashed around Saul
He fell to the ground and heard a voice from
Heaven speaking to him.
Jesus said Saul why are you persecuting me?
Then Jesus spoke again and said to go on to
Damascus and wait for His Instructions!
Saul thought he was zealous for God and He was only zealous for Himself.
And God used a dramatic way to get Saul’s attention!!
You see Saul couldn’t hear God speaking to hem when he read the Scriptures
Or did He even want to Hear Him?
Saul couldn’t hear God speak to him while was in church every week!
He couldn’t hear God because He didn’t know what to listen for!!
Very similar today when God tries to speak to sinners and not to mention Christians to let them know
What’s wrong and let them know what’s right!!
And how many are listening to Him tonight?
God speaks to us – convicting us!!
He speaks to us in his word.
If only we have enough sense to listen to Him!!!
Saul couldn’t hear God because He had his own system of beliefs and those beliefs were preventing him from hearing and understanding the truth
That God was wanting him to hear!!!
Do you have your own belief’s tonight?
If you do its clogging your pipeline to God
Or is it some Denomination belief that’s hindering you?
If so you better get on your knees and pray your way through it!!!
Cause Honey I got a major hot news flash for you tonight.
Denomination ain’t gonna get you to those pearly gates and those golden avenues!!!
But Christ had to flash a bright light to get Saul’s attention!!!
Is that what Jesus is gonna have to do with you tonight to get your attention!!!
Or what will it take to snap you into reality?
God couldn’t get Saul to listen any other way!!
So He had to do something DRASTIC!!!
Saul had to be turned around,
So he would understand the truth!!
Saul was blinded by the light!
The Men traveling with Him could confirm it!
They knew something happened!
Whatever it was it made them speechless!
They heard it all
But didn’t see anyone
Saul was blinded and his Men with him helping him
Had to lead him by the hand back to Damascus.
Jesus blinded him physically to let him know that he was spiritually blind too!!!
Christ blinded Him
He was blinded because He wasn’t seeing the Truth
He was blinded to let him know He wasn’t seeing God.
He was blinded because He wasn’t seeing the Way to God!
He was blinded because He wasn’t seeing The Point From God!!
He was blinded because He wasn’t seeing the Scriptures/
He was blinded because He wasn’t seeing what God wanted him to do with His Life!!!
Unfortunately tonight there are many folks that are
Like Saul
There are Folks that are spiritually blind who attack those who aren’t!
These people think they’re doing God a favor by throwing a fit when others do things they don’t like!!
I’m very concerned about people who are spiritually blind and take one scripture and run with it without dividing the truth!
2nd Tim 2:15 says:
study to show thyself approved unto God, A workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of Truth!
There are spiritually blind people who go against their Pastor or The Evangelist or other Church Leaders trying to get them to not stray from the old ways. AND LISTEN
Never bothering to ask God if this is what He wants!
Don’t be one of those people that God will have to strike blind in order to get you to change to
GOD’S WAY!!
Here Paul was spiritually blind and Christ had to physically blind him in order to get his attention!
What is Jesus Christ gonna have to do to some of you in order to get your attention tonight??
Beginning at VS. 10 We see how Saul was converted by Christ
Now heres where the Elevator story comes into play!!
Christ used a Man named Ananias
To explain THE WAY to Saul
Christ spoke to Ananias and told him to go see Saul
This man was quite worried about what Jesus had told him to do because he had heard about this man Saul and what he was doing to Christ’s believers and had full authority of the Government behind him
But Jesus told Ananius it was OK – and he went.
He laid hands on Saul and He was healed – Saved – and filled with the Holy Ghost and Ananius Baptized Him!!!!!
Sometimes its scary to go to some of the people and tell them about Christ
There’s some people who will make fun of you
There’s some people who will get angry with you!
But when Jesus speaks to us and tells us to go then we better go
He knows what He’s doin!
Even when We do Go even if the person don’t get saved we have to mind the Lord!!!
Its not our responsibility as to how they respond to the Word of God!!!
It’s just our responsibility to be obedient to God!!!
Some people may say you can’t go until they’re ready
Well how do you know when they’re ready?
Ananius didn’t think Saul was ready either
What would’ve happened if He didn’t Go?
There’s people that die and go to hell everyday
Because no one witnessed to them about Jesus
We must first be in tune with God and know
His voice when He speaks to us!!
And we must be bold for God when He calls
Just like Ananius, even if it could be dangerous!!!
Be Bold for Jesus!
He was Bold for US!!!
Our call is to spread the news about Jesus
How sinners respond is between them and God
I thank God that Saul saw the light
And I pray that when God moves us to Minister
Our people will see the light as well
Don’t be discouraged when you don’t see souls
Saved!!!
Just always give God Praise when they do!!!!!
And if We’re obedient to God – many will be
Saved by the power of Jesus Christ!!
So you see Saul wasn’t converted by Ananias
It was Jesus
He has the all mighty power to save anyone
That wasn’t the plan of Ananias
It was the plan of Jesus
And the Power of Jesus
Christ has the Power to Save
In VS. 20 of our reading tonight it tells us
Saul is moving with Christ
He went from persecuting Christians to preaching to Christians
He went from persecuting the way to preaching the way
He went from bringing death to bringing life
When Jesus gets a hold of someone
He will change their life
Christ will make you all new just like He did Paul
Sometimes it takes time and sometimes
It happens instantly!!!!
Church Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever!!!
The same Jesus that changed Saul to the Apostle Paul
Can do the same in your life.
The same Jesus that pulled me out of the gutter
Of alcoholism
Can pull you out of your gutter tonight!!
No matter how bad it is!!!
There is no problem to big to lay at the feet of Jesus!
Do you want to know Him Tonight???
