ACTS CHAPTER 9:1-19, “The Conversion Of Saul”
by
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
In our study today we will
observe the conversion of Saul, the man who is called by God to be, “The
Apostle Paul”, and of this man there is so much that we could say:
1.1.1.
Even secular historians tend
to rate the impact and importance of this man in the events of the last 2,000
years of history as being in the top 6 men who have lived.
1.1.2.
I would go so far as to say
that since Christ died that of all men the apostle Paul has had the greatest
and most important influence upon history.
1.1.3.
The apostle Paul has by far
had the greatest impact upon the doctrines of the church as he has written the
greatest number of books in the New Testament.
1.1.4.
So often when we quote a
scripture we start off by saying that ‘the apostle Paul wrote’, and maybe we
take for granted the fact that he was a man who had served Christ as a faithful
vessel and thus he could be the one who could be used to write letters that
were inspired of the Holy Spirit.
1.1.5.
As we saw in chapter 6 with
the stoning of Stephen, the apostle Paul was deeply affected by Stephen’s life
and testimony for Christ, and this experience working upon his conscience
certainly had an impact in his conversion.
1.1.6.
I mentioned earlier in our
study how that Tertullian the early church father said that, “The blood of the
martyrs was the seed of the church”, for when each one died for Christ scores
more were converted.
1.1.6.1.The martyrdom of Stephen proves this out.
1.1.7.
At first glance it is hard
for us to understand why this man Stephen who had such a Christ-like spirit
about him and such eloquence and pervasive speech in his sharing the gospel
would have needed to be martyred in order for the apostle Paul to be birthed
into Christ’s kingdom, however Saul was chosen and apprehended as the vessel
that the Lord chose to use to win the gentile world to salvation, and a mighty
vessel he was.
1.1.7.1.The apostle Paul has been called many things, and among them, “The Most
Successful Christian To Ever Live”
1.1.7.2.We saw in chapter 6 how Stephen’s martyrdom was a proof of
Christianity, but today we will see that the apostle Paul’s conversion and life
in Christ itself was such a proof as well.
1.1.7.2.1.One author has said that by Saul, a man of the greatest education and
one who was Christ’s greatest adversary and persecutor, coming to Christ and
being radically changed by Him that he was actually the greatest proof of the
resurrection of Christ and of the credibility of Christianity.
1.2.
Today we will look at Saul’s
background and why we believe that the Lord chose to use him in the calling He
had for him.
1.2.1.
We will also look at some of
the events concerning the early years of Saul’s conversion, the years which
were the preparation for the calling God had for him.
2.
VS 9:1-2 - “9:1
Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the
Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and asked for letters from him to the
synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men
and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” – Saul is continuing
his campaign to rid the world of Christians and he obtains letters from the
high priest to the synagogues in Damascus so that if Paul found any Christians
there he might be able to bring them back to Jerusalem as prisoners
2.1.
Here in verse 1 we see an interesting word that is used: ‘still’.
You see having participated in the martyrdom of Stephen, something that
went against his conscience as a Pharisee (which we will see later), Saul
continued on as a vicious predator hunting for prey in his searching for
Christians, yet inside there was very much turmoil that really had been brewing
for a very long time. To understand this
let’s first of all look at Saul’s background.
2.1.1.
Saul was raised as a Hebrew however he was raised in Tarsus, a very
helenistic city, and thus for about the first 14 years of his life before he
was packed up and shipped to Jerusalem to study the law under Gamaliel, Saul
had lived among that culture which was very Grecian and in which art, culture,
free thought and conduct were a major part.
Saul had an appreciation for that culture and an identification with
those people and their value systems that went all the way back to his earliest
and most impressionable moments in life.
2.1.2.
Saul was also a Roman citizen as we will find out later in Acts from his
arguings after his arrest in
2.1.3.
We saw in chapter 7 that Saul had given his approval of the stoning of
Stephen and thus we know that he had to have been a member of the Sanhedrin,
the highest ruling body over Israel, but a ruling body that was dominated by
Sadducees and their worldly pragmatic philosophies which denied the
supernatural and after life, yet here he was in this body as representative of
the party of the Pharisees.
2.1.4.
But, we saw in chapter 6 that it was the Hellenist Jews with which
Stephen had been confronted, not the Hebrew Jews, and Stephen’s arguments and
preaching were therefore against the philosophies of the Sadducees and their
liberal unorthodox view of the scriptures and spiritual life, and thus Saul had
found himself torn for he very much sympathized with Stephen’s orthodox and
fundamentalist views.
2.1.4.1.Yet we see here that Saul
was ‘still’ breathing threats, showing that he was passionate in his hunting
pursuit of Christians to kill, torture, and imprison.
2.1.4.2.Saul was ‘breathing threats’
which indicates the passion with which he was persecuting the church, and I
believe that sometimes when men have a sense that they are wrong and when they
also sense the innocence of the person that they are persecuting, this just
incites them so much the more because they are having to silence their
conscience in order to continue doing what they are doing.
2.1.4.3.Saul thought that he was
serving the Lord and serving Him with the greatest zeal and passion because of
his persecution of the church, and yet within him there was much turmoil and
questioning.
2.1.5.
Paul writes that Andronicus and Junias were his kinsmen and that they had
been in the faith before him, so we can be sure that they were fervently
praying for this relative of theirs, and I’m positive also that the church
scattered all over the earth had at the top of their prayer list their
persecutor, Saul. So, Saul’s conversion
must be looked upon as coming about as the result of the prayers of many
faithful saints, and this should also encourage us not to give up praying
fervently for friends and loved ones to come to Christ.
2.1.6.
Saul had tried to live his life to the very letter of the law as a
righteous Pharisee was supposed to do, and yet he found himself always falling
short of the glory of God and realizing that even though he could perhaps keep
the law externally, there was no way he could keep it internally for he found
himself constantly coveting all that the law forbid as he wrote about in Rom. 7:7-8,
“7 What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary,
I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have
known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, taking opportunity through the
commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin
is dead.”
2.1.6.1.Saul surely wondered if
while he himself tried to keep the law if he would actually end up being a
castaway by the Lord for being an habitual transgressor of the law (see 1 Cor. 9:27).
2.1.6.2.In the seventh chapter of
Romans, Saul writes in the present tense how that even as a Christian that as
often as he tried to walk uprightly before the Lord that he found himself
constantly failing when he tried to do so in the power of his flesh, and thus
he writes of himself in Rom. 7:24, “24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set
me free from the body of this death?”
2.1.7.
When Jesus appeared to Saul on this road to Damascus, He tells Saul that
it is hard with him ‘kicking against the goads’, and goads were long sharp
sticks that were used to poke any lazy or unruly beast in the neck so that he
might go in the direction his master desired of him, and thus the goads that
Jesus speaks of to Saul are really the many many forces in his life which have
all of his life been attempting to move him in a certain direction, namely to
become a Christian and serve the Lord Jesus Christ as the apostle to the
Gentiles.
2.2.
There may have been thirty or so synagogues in
3.
VS 9:3-5 - “3 And
it came about that as he journeyed, he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a
light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and he fell to the ground, and heard a
voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said,
“Who art Thou, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,” –
Jesus appears to the apostle Paul
3.1.
It has often been said that it was a horse that Saul was riding into
3.1.1.
Others have said that since Pharisees despised horses that he would have
been riding an ass.
3.2.
Note that it was just before Saul got into
3.3.
Notice that Jesus says to Saul, ‘Why are you persecuting Me’, for when
any of Jesus’ disciples suffer the Lord suffers with them just as if it were
happening to Him, so clearly and completely does He identify with His people.
3.3.1.
Later in Paul’s writing about body life in the church he speaks much
about the unity that the believer has with the Lord, being a member of His very
own body, and we can see from Jesus’ words how that Saul came to understand
this concept.
3.4.
Notice that Jesus tells Saul who He is by giving him His human name, ‘Jesus’, the name that the angel
told Mary and Joseph to call Him, the name that is literally ‘Joshua’, and
means, “Jehovah Savior”
3.5.
We see in this story that
Saul is ‘apprehended’ by the Lord (see Phil. 3:12), called for His purposes,
and thus his conversion is much different than the greatest majority of
Christians.
3.6.
Saul had a very disciplined mind and he had thought that his life had
been submitted to the Lord and now in an instant he knows that he has been
mistaken, but he immediately responds to the calling of the risen Jesus by
calling Him, “Lord”
3.6.1.
Saul was actually converted at this very moment for we know that the
scripture teaches that no one can call Jesus, ‘Lord’, except by the Holy Spirit
(1
Cor. 12:3).
3.6.2.
Saul asks the question as to
whom it is who is speaking to him so that he can follow Him, and he does so by
calling Him, ‘Lord’
4.
VS 9:6 - “6 but
rise, and enter the city, and it shall be told you what you must do.””
- Jesus commands Saul to go into
4.1.
Jesus didn’t ask Saul what he wanted to do at this point, or just leave
Saul to figure out what the Lord might want him to do, Jesus is very direct and
with unquestioned authority tells Saul to go into Damascus and that he will be
told what he ‘must’ do
4.1.1.
For those of us who are Christians it is not an option as to what we do,
where we go, etc., for we have died and the Lord owns us now
5.
VS 9:7 - “7 And
the men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing
no one.” - The men with Saul are
speechless
5.1.
The men saw the light that appeared to Saul, saw him thrown to the
ground, heard Jesus speak, but they did not see Jesus
5.1.1.
This verse then implies that Saul ‘did’ have a vision of Jesus, and it is
interesting that the last person who saw the heavens opened and the Lord
standing at the right hand of God was Stephen whom Saul persecuted and helped
stone to death.
5.1.2.
In 1 Cor. 9:1 Paul writes that he had seen the Lord
5.1.3.
Having seen the Lord was a qualification for being an apostle, and this
qualification Paul fulfilled.
6.
VS 9:8 - “8 And
Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see
nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into
6.1.
It is ironic that the man who was heading into
6.1.1.
The Lord has a way of humbling each of the servants He chooses.
6.2.
The eyes of Saul were damaged due to the intense light which he saw when
Jesus appeared to him and now he will be blind until the Lord heals him.
6.3.
We can just imagine the thoughts that must have flooded his mind as he
headed on foot to
6.3.1.
Everything foundation upon which this man had built his life was now in
question for he had realized that in what he thought was ultimate zeal for the
Lord had turned out to be the worst of evils.
6.3.2.
Saul must have been completely puzzled by the fact that the One to whom
he was such a violent persecutor, Jesus, had actually reached out to him and
‘apprehended’ him because he loved Saul even in spite of his horrible sin.
6.3.3.
In Phil. 3:12, Paul writes about the fact that Christ Jesus ‘apprehended’ him, and it must have been
such a sobering thing to realize that you have been arrested by Christ and
pressed into His service.
7.
VS 9:9 - “9 And
he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.” - Saul fasts for three days after seeing the
Lord
7.1.
We can only imagine the incredible flow of thoughts that must have been
going through Saul’s mind at this juncture of time.
7.1.1.
With the incredible mind and knowledge that Saul had of God’s Word, I’ll
bet that during these three days he is rethinking all of his understanding of
spiritual truth and of living itself.
7.1.2.
Saul must have been absolutely mystified by the fact that because of his
persecution of Christ and His people that Christ had still loved him and
reached out and apprehended him unto salvation and service.
7.1.2.1.Saul must have grappled with
the concept of the ‘grace of God’ that he would understand more fully later.
7.1.3.
There must have been horrible conviction of sins and yet at the same time
a wonderful sense of having been accepted by Christ, accepted to what extent he
probably had no idea at this point.
7.1.4.
There must have been in him a complete resolve to not mess up again and
thus to follow the Lord with all of his heart from this moment forth, yet he
also had a fear of the power of his own flesh which he knew could lead him
astray again.
7.2.
The brightness of the glory of Christ had damaged Saul’s eyes and thus he
remained blind because of the damage.
8.
VS 9:10-14 - “10 Now
there was a certain disciple at
8.1.
What a scene this must have been as an obscure disciple named Ananias,
whom we’ve never heard from before and will never hear from again, is called
upon by the Lord to perform such an important ministry and one which Ananias
initially thought to be very risky.
8.1.1.
As I have mentioned before in this study, in the book of Acts we see that
God is working mightily at times through the lives of those other than the
apostles, and there is no more radical demonstration of that fact than this
story of Ananias.
8.1.1.1.We Christians need to be
challenged here by the ministry of Ananias that we could be called upon the
Lord some day to perform a very critical ministry in the great scheme of God’s
plans, and as Ananias we must be obedient and faithful in that task.
8.1.1.2.This was truly Ananias
finest work here in ministering to Saul.
8.1.2.
It would be almost comical if we were to see the huge lump that must have
formed in Ananias throat when the Lord told him who it was that he was supposed
to go and minister to.
8.1.3.
We cannot fault Ananias for questioning the Lord about His plan for him
to go and minister to Saul, after all I’ll bet that every man would have done
the same thing since Saul had been such a treacherous persecutor of the church
at that time.
8.1.4.
God encourages Ananias by telling him that Saul has also seen a vision of
him coming to minister to him in this way.
8.2.
There in Damascus the street that is called ‘Straight’ still exists and
it is my understanding that it is now the main thoroughfare, and the tour
guides are adamant that they know the exact flat where Saul was praying on this
day.
8.2.1.
Saul was staying with a man named Judas who was one of the men who had
accompanied him from Jerusalem and one whom had also seen the bright light and
heard the voice of Jesus speaking to Saul, yet had not seen Jesus as had Saul.
9.
VS 9:15-16 - “15
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to
bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for I
will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”” - The Lord encourages Ananias to go and
minister to Saul
9.1.
Notice what the Lord tells Ananias about Saul and His calling for him:
9.1.1.
The Lord says that Saul is ‘a chosen instrument’ of His, and the manner
of Saul’s conversion is proof of the Lord’s choosing of Saul, for Christ came
and apprehended him when he was not expecting it at all.
9.1.2.
The Lord says that Saul would ‘bear’ His Name before ‘Gentiles’ as well
as the ‘sons of
9.1.3.
The Lord would show Saul ‘how much he must suffer’ for His Name’s sake,
and the degree and extent to which he would suffer for Christ.
9.2.
The Lord tells Ananias to ‘go’ and in obedience he goes.
10.
VS 9:17 - “17 And
Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said,
“Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you
were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight, and be filled with
the Holy Spirit.”” – Ananias lays his hands on Saul
10.1.
It must have been very comforting to Saul to have Ananias call him,
‘brother’ here, for this is the first time that Saul has really had contact as
a Christian with the body of Christ of which he now was a part.
10.2.
Ananias is called to lay
hands on Saul so that he can receive his sight, but also so that he could be
‘filled with the Holy Spirit’.
10.2.1.Saul had already been
converted previous to this when the Lord appeared to him and he called him
Lord, for as I mentioned earlier no one can call Jesus, ‘Lord’, except by the
Holy Spirit.
10.2.2.Saul received the ‘fullness’
or ‘baptism’ of the Holy Spirit by Ananias laying his hands on him, since he
had already received the Holy Spirit upon the road to Damascus.
10.3.
Notice that with Ananias now someone other than an apostle has also laid
hands on someone so that they might receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
11.
VS 9:18-19 - “18
And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained
his sight, and he arose and was baptized; 19 and he took food and was
strengthened.” - Saul is baptized
after being healed
11.1.
The damage to Saul’s eyes was healed by the power of God and when God
healed him the damaged eye tissue fell from his eyes and appeared to look like
scales.
11.2.
Notice that Saul was already saved and had already received the baptism
of the Holy Spirit, and that now he arose and was ‘baptized’.
11.2.1.Each time in the book of
Acts when people have come to faith in Christ in obedience the next step for
them to take is to be baptized in water, and therefore if you have come to
faith in Christ and yet have not followed through with this next step of water
baptism, you need to make plans to do so.
11.3.
Having been healed, baptized with the Spirit, and baptized in water, Saul
immediately ate some food and felt much better.
11.4.
There is a break here that exists between verse 19 and 20 because Paul
writes in Galatians 1:15-17 that immediately after the events of verse 19 that he went out to the
deserts of Arabia and was instructed directly by the Lord, and it was during
this time that he received the gospel of Christ which he preached, “15 But
when He who had set me apart, even from my mother’s womb, and called me through
His grace, was pleased 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him
among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, 17 nor
did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away
to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.”
11.4.1.In the book of Galatians,
Paul is confronting the doctrines of the Judiaisers and thus he is having to
defend his apostleship and subsequent authority by showing that the Lord had
indeed appeared directly to him and that the Lord had also taught him the
gospel which he preached, and thus we must imagine that the Lord must have
maintained incredible fellowship with Saul during this time in Arabia, and
perhaps appeared to him visibly also during this time.
11.4.2.It is interesting to note in
the book of Galatians that in several places that Paul mentions that he had
conflicts with the apostles because they seemed to be so much aligned with
Judaism still and so much inline with the Judiaisers, and we are left to wonder
just how much of the gospel of grace the apostles truly understood.
12.
CONCLUSION
12.1.
What a story is this conversion of Saul for it is so
dramatic, however every conversion is dramatic, for the scripture teaches us in
2 Cor. 5:17 (one of Paul’s writings) that, “Therefore if any man is in
Christ Jesus he is a new creature, the old things have passed away, and behold
all things have become new.”
12.2.
Have you been made that new creature in Christ and
radically and gloriously saved from your life of sin and living apart from
Christ?
12.2.1.If not, this is the time for you to do
so. Turn your life, hopes, and plans
over to Jesus and trust in Him alone for your salvation. Trust that His death upon the cross of
12.3.
If your just an obscure disciple such as Ananias, you
should always be ready in season and out of season to preach the gospel and be
led by the Lord, for you never know one day you may be called upon to perform a
very key and critical ministry for the Lord, and your being prepared to
minister on that day will be the key to your success.