Audio - The Conversion of Paul
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The Third Sunday After Trinity
The Conversion of Saul
June 24, 2007
TEXT: NKJ Acts 9:1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against
the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him
to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way,
whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he journeyed
he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 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."
6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then
the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you
must do." 7 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice
but seeing no one. 8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were
opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into
Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. 10
Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord
said in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord." 11 So the Lord said
to him, "Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of
Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. 12 "And in a
vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so
that he might receive his sight." 13 Then Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard
from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.
14 "And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on
Your name." 15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine
to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 "For I
will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake." 17 And Ananias
went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said,
"Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has
sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18
Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his
sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.
No account of the conversion of Paul would be complete without examining his
murderous behavior—consider Luke’s account after the stoning of Stephen
NKJ Acts 8:1 Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great
persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all
scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2
And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over
him. 3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and
dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. 4 Therefore those who
were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.
Paul thought he was doing all this in the name of God—Jesus knew there would be
men like this
NKJ John 16:2 "They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming
that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. 3 "And these
things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.
The Jewish Council—the Sanhedrin—issued letters of authority to Paul to search
out and destroy those who followed the Way of Jesus—consider these words of Paul
as he gives personal testimony of his murderous deeds
NKJ Acts 22:3 "I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in
this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our
fathers' law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today. 4 "I persecuted
this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women,
Saul, who is known to us by his Roman name, Paul—was now expanding his search
for Christians to include Damascus—because many of the early Christians sought
refuge in that city—the men with Paul on the road to Damascus would have been
the Jewish equivalent to police
TEXT: NKJ Acts 9:3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a
light shone around him from heaven. 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." 6 So he, trembling and
astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord said to him,
"Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." 7 And the
men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.
Paul’s account adds some detail
NKJ Acts 22:6 "Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about
noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me.
NKJ Acts 26:10 "This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up
in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were
put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 "And I punished them often in
every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged
against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities. 12 " While thus
occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the
chief priests, 13 "at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven,
brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. 14
"And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and
saying in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is
hard for you to kick against the goads.'
From Paul’s letter to the Corinthians we know that he saw Jesus in His glorified
state on theat road
NKJ 1 Corinthians 9:1 Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus
Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
NKJ 1 Corinthians 15:8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born
out of due time.
Search the Scriptures as you may—there is no evidence that Paul saw Jesus during
His earthly ministry—Paul saw Jesus in His glory on that road to Damascus—while
the other witnesses traveling with Paul saw a bright light—Paul saw the glory of
Jesus—while the others heard a sound like a voice—Paul heard the voice of Jesus
speaking to him
Paul knew that the Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ—and he knew
they crucified Him—now on the highway Paul comes to the real understanding that
Jesus is the Promised One—and that everything he has been doing to please God
and the Sanhedrin has been a lie—Paul realizes what a terrible sinner he really
is—and that truth cuts him to his very soul
Jesus has just knocked Paul to the ground with the Law—letting Paul know what
terrible sinner he is—then Jesus arranges for a minister to deliver the grace
and comfort of the Holy Gospel to relieve the burden on Paul’s soul—Jesus
provided the Gospel message through Ananias—Paul had a choice—respond to the
truth of the Word as presented by Ananias—or suffer the torment of paying for
his sins for all eternity in hell—we know this from Paul’s own witness as he
presented his story to King Agrippa
NKJ Acts 26:19 " Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly
vision,
Apparently Paul had a choice to be obedient or not to be obedient—Jesus taught
this lesson, and the Scriptures reveal it to us several times
NKJ Matthew 23:27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are
like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are
full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. 28 "Even so you also outwardly
appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
NKJ Acts 7:51 " You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always
resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.
NKJ Acts 13:44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear
the word of God. 45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with
envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, "It was necessary that the word of
God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves
unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. 47 "For so the
Lord has commanded us: 'I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you
should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.' " 48 Now when the Gentiles
heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as
had been appointed to eternal life believed.
NKJ Acts 28:25 So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after
Paul had said one word: "The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the
prophet to our fathers, 26 "saying, 'Go to this people and say: "Hearing you
will hear, and shall not understand; And seeing you will see, and not perceive;
27 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of
hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and
turn, So that I should heal them." ' 28 "Therefore let it be known to you that
the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!"
Paul understood how the Jews misunderstood the Scriptures—Paul understood who
Jesus was—but it took this dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus to break
down Paul’s self-righteousness and reveal him as a sinner—or as Paul himself
says—the chief of sinners
NKJ 1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
Paul entered Damascus helpless and blind—he was sent to the house of a Jew—and
his sight was restored on the third day with the help of the well-respected
Christian man named Ananias
NKJ Acts 22:11 "And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led
by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus. 12 "Then a certain
Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the
Jews who dwelt there, 13 "came to me; and he stood and said to me, 'Brother
Saul, receive your sight.' And at that same hour I looked up at him. 14 "Then he
said, 'The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and
see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. 15 'For you will be His
witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16 'And now why are you
waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of
the Lord.'
Our text tells us that Paul was praying in distress and with a sincere
intensity—he was a changed man—Ananias was in no hurry to respond to the house
of Judas where Paul was staying—but our Lord made it clear that this was a
changed man—chosen by God to be an Apostle—Paul would take the Gospel to the
Gentiles
Notice that Ananias calls Paul “brother”—this brings immediate comfort to
Paul—even as his eyes are being healed—Paul knows his sins are forgiven—Aninias
pronounces absolution to this chief of sinners—not only was Paul’s physical
sight restored—but his spiritual eyes are opened—and immediately Paul is
baptized—to be filled with the Holy Spirit—and to receive the gifts necessary
for him to do the Lord’s work
No wonder he preached with such intensity—if ever a man understood that he was a
forgiven sinner—it was Paul—and with that as a background we will examine some
of Paul’s writings during this trinity season
ALL GLORY BE TO GOD!