The Conversion of Paul

Introduction

Good morning again. As Janet mentioned, my name is Josh King. 

I actually grew up in Walpole, just next door. And I also volunteered with Young Life right here in Norwood. For those of you who may not know, Young Life is a Christian organization that really focuses on reaching Middle School and High School age students, who have never heard about Jesus, and are sometimes pretty rough around the edges. We actually used to have Young Life club right here in the Carriage House. This is where we would invite our high school friends to come and play games, build relationships, as well as hear a message about Jesus. 

I remember one student named “Ben” actually came to Young Life Club here at the Carriage House. He had some pretty significant challenges that he was facing, but we still maintained a relationship with him. We visited him in the hospital more than once. After coming to Young Life club and coming to Young Life camp, he was able to hear the message about Jesus. Especially talking about sin and why the world is so broken, he just simply said, “That makes sense. I understand why my family is so messed up. I understand why I am so messed up.” And then, he was able to hear about Jesus dying on the cross and coming back to life. Ben gave his life to Jesus that week. It was great to bring him to church for the first time, receive communion for the first time, and get him plugged into college.

Fast forward many years later, and I am now on Young Life staff in the Blackstone Valley. My family and I live in Upton, about 45 minutes west of here, and we are starting a Young Life area right where we live.

Thank you all for faithfully serving Jesus here in Norwood. There is a legacy here. I am thankful to be a very small part of it. And, thank you for welcoming me this morning as I have the opportunity to preach.

Before we dive in, let’s pray for God to speak through his word this morning.

The Setting for Acts 9:1-31

Before I read any passage, I like to zoom out a little bit and get an idea of where this passage lives.  The Book of Acts is one complete story, starting with Jesus ascending into heaven and promising that his followers will receive power from the Holy Spirit. They will start in Jerusalem and expand to the ends of the earth. And this is exactly what is happening. Jesus’ followers were gathered in Jerusalem and received the Holy Spirit, and now they are being sent out. But they are being sent out in a challenging way. 

The early church is facing persecution. Steven, one of the first deacons of the church, is martyred. As Steven is passing away, he sees the ascended Jesus standing at the right hand of God the Father. Steven falls asleep with the approval of Saul.

Saul, at this point, is on a mission to throw men and women who follow Jesus into prison. This caused almost all of the early Christians to flee from Jerusalem, but Acts 8:4 says, “Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.” Saul wanted to snuff out the message of Jesus before it spread, but exactly the opposite happened. God used this persecution and these Christian refuges to spread the gospel.

Paul’s Introduction (1-2)

And this is where we pick up the story.

Acts 9:1-2 says. “1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.”

According to the Book of Acts (7:58), Paul is a young man, but he is rising. His teacher was one of the most influential of the day. He is very zealous for the LORD.  He is gaining everyone’s attention.

Here, verse 1 says that Saul “went to the high priest.” They didn’t allow just anyone to talk with the High Priest back in Jerusalem. Scholars note that Saul must have been “exceptional” to gain an audience with the high priest and receive such a mission. This was Saul’s chance.

Before I was in ministry, I actually worked as an EMT and a paramedic in the Boston area on the ambulance.  I remember early on in my career wanting to make a good impression and prove to everyone that I was a good EMT. We had to go through an orientation process under a trainer, but I felt ready to move forward on my own.

Starting off as an EMT, you usually don't get many emergency calls. Most of them are very routine transfers back home or to a rehabilitation hospital. 

But I remember it was either my first or second shift off of training. We got our first “Priority 3” emergency. So, Priority 3 is the lowest emergency. It meant that we did not have to use lights or sirens, but it was still an emergency nonetheless.

And I felt so nervous. We picked up our patient at a homeless shelter, and we had to bring them to the emergency room. If I'm being completely honest, I had absolutely no idea what was going on. My partner that I was working with knew what was happening, but he was letting me feel the independence of being off orientation.

I remember bringing the patient to the emergency room and having to give report to the triage nurse. And the triage nurse asked. “So why is he here?” And I didn't know what to say. I was just so confused. All I could do was give her the paperwork and look to my partner for help. I can still feel my partner behind me cringing with embarrassment. 

My next shift, we had a “Priority 2” emergency. So, for this call, we actually had to use lights and sirens. We made it to the clinic where we had to pick up a pediatric patient who is having an appendicitis. OK, we can do this. Bring her to the hospital to have her appendix out. And so this is my first time actually driving the ambulance with lights and sirens. Again. I am feeling so nervous. But man, I want to prove to everyone that I can do this. I deserve to be off orientation. I am independent.

This is before the days of GPS, so I get out my mapbook, and I start driving. I almost get hit by a car but we make it. I kept on going right past the hospital we were supposed to go to. I end up driving to the wrong hospital. My partner in the back of the ambulance asks. “Where are we going?” Again, that's that sinking feeling. And so I get out my mapbook again and ask my partner in the back for help. I needed to ask for directions. I don’t think any guy likes to ask for directions. Especially in this circumstance.

I remember feeling so down on myself. But this is just part of the learning process. Right? Eventually, I would become more self-reliant.

The more experience I have, the less I'll have to ask others for help. 

It's tempting to take the same approach to a life of following Jesus. It’s easy to think the more mature we are in Christ the more independent we are, but the exact opposite is true. The more mature we are in Christ, the more we rely on him and the more we rely on others. And this is exactly what Saul is going to learn when he encounters Jesus.

Paul Encounters Jesus (3-19a)

3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Something miraculous happens here. Saul sees and hears God speaking directly to him. “Saul, Saul…” In that day, the repetition of a person’s name was a way of getting their attention and making sure they paid attention to what was said next.

What does God say next? “Why are you persecuting me?”

And then Saul asks one of the most important questions a person can ask, “Who are you, Lord?”

We each have a responsibility to ask that question. We all have an individual relationship with God. We ask our Young Life friends this question all the time. We ask them, “Who do you think Jesus is?” It really takes them off guard. They have to decide for themselves. They have to own their faith and their decisions.

This is what Saul is going through. Saul asks an honest question and gets an honest answer. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”

Paul was a young rising star in that community. He thought he was doing the Lord's work. He thought he was making great choices and making a great positive impact for the Kingdom.

But when Saul starts to realize who Jesus really is, everything starts to change. Saul starts to understand that he was hurting Jesus. Jesus identifies himself with his followers. He was persecuting his followers. He was doing exactly the opposite thing that he should be doing.

He is not just physically blind; he is also spiritually blind.

He is also now realizing how much he has to rely on others.  He went from this rising star to a person who can't even see. Verse 8 says that Paul was “led by the hand” into Damascus. He couldn't even walk without help.

“For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.” This is a sign of true repentance and seeking God’s face.

God got Saul’s attention.

Another story from my time as a paramedic. The first couple of stories were from my first week as an EMT and they were silly. This story is from when I was a paramedic, seven or eight years into my time on the ambulance. This one helps me resonate with Saul's story.

The call came in the middle of the night. This was a “Priority 1” emergency. The highest level. A very long story short, we had to take a very sick patient to a hospital in Boston, but at the last second, our destination was changed.

I did not catch this change in hospital.

So I am driving with lights and sirens, and we pull into what I thought was the right hospital. I open up the ambulance’s door. My partner sees where we are and immediately says, “We are at the wrong hospital. At the right hospital, they have their entire surgical staff activated!”

This is the biggest mistake of my career as a paramedic.

I remember having to speak with my medical control doctors, my field supervisor, and the vice president of the ambulance company. Remember, this is not the first time I drove to the wrong hospital.

I remember that feeling of complete shock. Of really feeling the impact of a mistake you made. I remember just sitting down and thinking about everything. The room felt small and huge at the same time.

I had another co-worker. His name was Matt. He was a fellow paramedic. He was much more experienced than me. He also had a great way of connecting with you and encouraging you. He always called you “brother.” Every time he would see you, he would say, “How are you doing brother?”

After this call, he heard about everything happening. And he sees me for the first time and says, “Hey brother. How are you doing?”

I can't repeat to you exactly what he said to me because we are in church. Paramedics curse like sailors. But essentially he said, “Yeah. You made a big mistake. You are going to be reprimanded. You'll never forget this call. But you're still a paramedic. And you're still my friend. You're still my brother.”

It was just a really quick conversation. But man, it really meant the world to me.

Turning back to Saul’s story, Saul is praying, and God sends a believer called Ananias to encourage Saul. Saul is one of God’s chosen instruments to reach the nations. Jumping to verse 17…

17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul…”

I can imagine Saul feeling so comforted in this moment. He is called “brother.”

Instead of feeling shame, he feels loved.

Shame is that feeling of being known by others and rejected by others. But this is not what happens here. Saul is known and accepted. God knows what Saul did.  Ananias knows what Saul did as well. But God doesn't let shame stand in the way of his plans. Saul's past mistakes don't disqualify him from ministry. But they do serve as a reminder that he has to rely on others. At this moment, he has to rely on Ananias.

Ananais continues to say in verse 17, “the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19a and taking food, he was strengthened.

Paul Preaches in Damascus & Arabia (19b-25)

If I were Saul, and I went through everything he just went through, I might be tempted to take a little sabbatical or vacation. Catch my breath. Take a break. But he does the opposite.

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.

I love this. Saul “immediately… proclaimed Jesus.” He is not sulking over his mistakes. His shame is taken away. He has God’s purpose to fulfill. He has to help spread the Word.

As he is spreading the word, this is going to start a pattern for his ministry. When Saul proclaims Jesus, persecution rises, and Saul has to rely on the provision of others. Proclamation. Persecution. Provision.

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.

Looking at other scriptures, when it says many days had passed, this is when Paul preached in Arabia. This would have been a 3-year journey. Again, he's doing the opposite of sulking. He is proclaiming Jesus.

After he arrives back to Damascus, the leaders in this city were watching the gates in order to put him to death. But Paul is able to rely on his fellow brothers and sisters. And he escapes the city by being lowered down in a basket. 

When Paul entered Damascus, he had to be led by hand. And now as he's leaving Damascus he has to be lowered in a basket. Paul is not this independent self-made man. He is a mature disciple of Jesus. Leaning on God's power and the help of others.

Paul Preaches in Jerusalem (26-30)

After Paul escapes from Damascus he travels back to Jerusalem.

Have you ever gone to your High School reunion? I have gone to a couple of mine, and honestly, I don't love them. I feel like I've grown a lot since high school. But when I attend a high school reunion, it's like I am transported back in time, and I'm that person that I used to be. It feels as though everyone expects me to be the old Josh I was in high school. And it's hard to bust through those expectations.

And in some ways, I feel Saul is encountering a similar experience. He's heading back to Jerusalem, and people have all of these expectations about him as the old Saul. Remember, three years have passed since he left Jerusalem.

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.

Thank God for Barnabas. In this section, Barnabas is the one person that came alongside Saul and was his advocate.  He was able to bust through everyone else's expectations of Saul's past.  Barnabas talked about how Saul proclaimed the gospel. He cut through everyone's fear and showed them how God is moving. At times, don't we all need a Barnabas? Don't we need someone alongside us to encourage us?  To help us cut through the fear. Thank God for Barnabas.

And now let’s look at the pattern established earlier of proclamation, persecution, and provision.

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.

We have this pattern again. As Saul is preaching boldly, he encounters persecution. Again, people were seeking to kill him. And again, Paul receives a little help from his friends. They bring him down to the port city of Caesarea, and he is sent back to his hometown of Tarsus. A few years later, Paul starts his missionary journeys, spreading the Gospel to the ends of the Earth.

Peace and multiplication in the Church (31)

Our passage closes this morning with verse 31…

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.

The church enjoys a time of peace now that Saul is no longer persecuting the church. And I love how this verse ends. The church received “comfort of the Holy Spirit,” and “it multiplied.”  I love it when you can sense the Holy Spirit’s comfort, and this leads to others also receiving that comfort, especially those who have never heard about Jesus before.

Closing

In closing, I want to discuss how we can fully encounter Jesus ourselves through this passage. When we fully encounter Jesus, we do so with our head, heart, and hands. Also, it wouldn’t be a Josh sermon without some book recommendations, so brace yourself.

Head

First, we have encountering Jesus with our “head” or mind. What can we learn from this passage? What are some common misunderstandings we should avoid?

This is a long passage, and there is so much to think about here, but it is easy to think that Saul aka Paul is the hero of this story. Granted, he is mentioned a lot in this story. Also, Paul made an enormous impact on the kingdom. In many ways, we should look up to Paul. 

Paul's writings in the New Testament serve as “The Bedrock of Christianity”. I highly recommend this book. It is by Justin Bass, a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary. He explains how the Gospel started and offers historical proof. This is particularly helpful if you of if anyone you know have doubts about the faith.

Again. Paul has made a huge contribution to the Kingdom, but he is not the main character in the book of Acts. He is also not the hero of the book of Acts.

God is the main character. God is the hero.

In the Book of Acts, it is important to think about how Jesus ascended into heaven. When Jesus appears to Stephen, he is standing at the right hand of God the Father, in heaven. When Jesus appears to Paul, it's with such a blinding light, so bright that it can only come from heaven. From heaven, Jesus is able to send the Holy Spirit and make a difference in people's lives. He is the hero. Not the humans down below on Earth.

Heart

Next, we have heart. We are talking about our emotions and the core of who we are.

Throughout the centuries, pastors and scholars have talked about going through “a dark night of the soul” or “progressing through the wall.” I think this is what Paul experienced in our passage this morning. 

Going through a dark night of the soul or going through the wall, is a very challenging season. It cuts us to our core, but it is necessary for our spiritual growth and development. 

In this book called The Critical Journey, the authors outline what it means to grow in one's faith. The most challenging aspect is indeed passing through the wall. This is where we are humbled and truly have to rely on Jesus. This is where we wrestle with our past mistakes. This is where we let Jesus change us in the deepest way possible.

I would highly recommend this book. It is very deep, practical, and encouraging, especially going through very challenging times.

Hands

And lastly, we have hands. What are we to do? 

Thinking about how Paul progressed through the wall. We can ask ourselves, “What did he do? What didn't he do?”

One thing he didn't do is try to fix himself. How often do we try to fix ourselves? It doesn’t work. Some things only God can do, and this includes the spiritual surgery we undergo as we progress “through the wall.”

When Paul was going through the wall, he realized who Jesus is. He stops. He prays. And he receives the help of others. If I had to summarize this, I would say he surrendered his life to Jesus. He let Jesus work on his heart, and he listened to those God sent his way.

He was led into Damascus by hand and then lowered out by a basket. He received restoration from Ananias by being called brother. He received encouragement from Barnabas. And he was taken to Caesarea to sail off to the ends of the Earth, fulfilling his calling to spread the gospel.

Paul definitely worked hard, but most of all he surrendered to God's will for his life. We would do well to do the same. To stop and listen to God's voice. To receive the help of others. And to share God's love with those around us. It's amazing what God can do when we surrender.

Let’s pray.