Saul's Transformation

v. I bet each one of us knows a particular person who is hardened to the gospel like this. I draw encouragement from this verse to keep praying, keep interceding, because God can do His work and penetrate even the hardest heart, like the heart of Saul.

vi. This was a highly unusual event. God had gotten Saul’s attention. We will see what God had to say to Saul in verses 4 and 5.

d. The Humbling of Saul (Acts 9:4-5)

i. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" 5 And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads."

ii. We read in Acts chapter 26 verse 14, when Paul is telling about this incident first hand, that Saul and his companions fell to the ground in terror to the heavenly vision of the Lord.

iii. Really, what other reaction can you have in this situation? When Lord stops you in your path with a blinding light, there’s not much else you can do.

iv. The Lord has a question for Saul. Notice here that he calls Saul’s name twice – Saul, Saul. We see the Lord speaking in other places in scripture and whenever He calls a person’s name twice, it is out of concern. Like in Luke chapter 10 when he tells Martha – “Martha, Martha, you are worried about many things.” Or when He calls to the city “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” in Matthew chapter 23.

v. The thing that strikes me in both of those verses the Lord could have been angry about the situation at hand. Both were resisting the Lord, and He reacts with compassion, He reacts with mercy.

vi. Each one of us should think about that when we are in a situation where we are fed up when someone won’t listen to us, or won’t see our point of view. Jesus reacted with mercy and compassion, and that is what we are called to do also.

vii. Look at the situation we are studying this morning. Saul was going from city to city hunting down Christians and dragging them off to a trial where they faced certain death. Think about this – the church is the bride of Christ. I know if someone was abusing my wife, my first instinct would not be to react with compassion and mercy. But, that’s what we see here.

viii. Jesus’ question is one of concern. “Why are you persecuting me?” Saul though he was doing God a favor by going around and rounding up these Christians for death. But now, Saul is confronted with the truth – That he was persecuting God. Another way to read it is this though. “Why are you persecuting me? Saul was doing a futile thing to fight against God. Saul’s teacher Gamaliel told the Sanhedrin to keep cool on the Christians, because they might be fighting against God. That is exactly what he was doing.

ix. Saul responds to the Lord with the first of the two most important questions any one of us will ever ask the Lord. He asks – “Who are you Lord?” That is a question that each one of will have to settle in our hearts.