A Most Surprising Disciple Sermon Series: A Firm Foundation Acts 9:1-8, 19b-22

Transcription

1 A Most Surprising Disciple Sermon Series: A Firm Foundation Acts 9:1-8, 19b-22 Rev. Michael D. Halley Sept ember 16, 2018 Suffolk Christian Church Suf folk, Virginia Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Probably the first thing we need to get straight this morning is the name. Saul or Paul?? Saul was his Hebrew name and Paul was his Greek name. From this point forward, his name is Paul. Acts chapter 9 is a record of the most famous conversion story in history. Actually, it was not so much a sudden conversion as it was a sudden surrender 1. You will recall that we first met Saul/Paul at the stoning of the first Christian martyr, Stephen. Paul was standing there, and the men who did this dastardly act laid their cloaks at Paul s feet. Surely this experience of witnessing a good man die such a horrible death had a profound effect on this man Paul. But, rather than softening his heart, Paul plunged into the most violent action possible. He began by persecuting the Christians in Jerusalem. Listen to how Dr. William Barclay, the renowned Bible scholar narrates this story: This only made matters worse because once again he had to ask himself what secret these simple people had which made them face peril and suffering and loss serene and unafraid. So then, still driving himself on, he went to the Sanhedrin 2.

2 The writ of the Sanhedrin ran wherever there were Jews. Paul had heard that certain of the Christians had escaped to Damascus and he asked for letters of credit that he might go to Damascus and extradite them. The journey only made matters worse. It was about 140 miles from Jerusalem to Damascus. The journey would be made on foot and would take about a week. Paul s only companions were the officers of the Sanhedrin, a kind of police force. Because he was a Pharisee, he could have nothing to do with them; so he walked alone; and as he walked he thought, because there was nothing else to do. Page 2 The way went through Galilee, and Galilee brought Jesus even more vividly to Paul's mind. The tension in his inner being tightened. So he came near Damascus, one of the oldest cities in the world. Just before Damascus the road climbed Mount Hermon and below lay Damascus, a lovely white city in a green plain, a handful of pearls in a goblet of emerald. That region had this characteristic phenomenon that when the hot air of the plain met the cold air of the mountain range, violent electrical storms resulted. Just at that moment came such a lightning storm and out of the storm Christ spoke to Paul. In that moment the long battle was over and Paul surrendered to Christ. And now Paul entered the city of Damascus a changed man. He who went to enter that city in an avenging fury had to be led by hand, blind and helpless. There is no doubt that Ananias is one of the great heroes of the Christian faith. It was this man to whom fell the duty of shepherding and guiding this new convert to the faith. His name, by the way, means God has dealt graciously. 3 Ananias received a message from God that he must go and help Paul, and he is directed to the street called Straight. Dr. Barclay tells us this was a great street that ran straight from the east to the west of the city of Damascus: It was divided into three parts, a centre part where the traffic ran, and

3 Page 3 two side-walks where the pedestrians thronged and the merchants sat in their little booths and plied their trade. We would not fault Ananias if he approached Paul with suspicion or as one doing a very unpleasant task. But no. The first words out of the mouth of Ananias were Brother Saul. Is there any better example of Christian love than that? Only a fullyinvolved relationship with Jesus Christ can produce such love as that. Listen to Paul s own account, from Galatians 1:15-24: But God had special plans for me even before I was born. So he chose me through his grace. It pleased him to let me see and know his Son so that I could tell the Good News about him to the non-jewish people. I immediately prepared to do this work without asking for advice or help from anyone. I did not go to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was. But, without waiting, I went away to Arabia. Later, I went back to the city of Damascus. Three years later I went to Jerusalem to meet Peter. I stayed with him 15 days. I met no other apostles only James, the brother of the Lord. God knows there is nothing untrue in any of this. Later, I went to the areas of Syria and Cilicia (ERV 4 ). A most surprising disciple, for sure. Let me tell you about another surprising disciple. Martin Luther was born in 1483, the son of Margaret and Hans Luder. When Martin was only 13 years old, he was sent to the University of Erfurt, in Germany, to study law. There Martin earned both his baccalaureate and master s degrees in the shortest time allowed by the university rules. In 1505, Martin Luther s life took a dramatic turn. As the 21-year-old Luther made his way through a severe thunderstorm on the road to Erfurt, a bolt of lightning struck the ground near him.

4 Page 4 Help me, St. Anne! 5 Luther screamed. I will become a monk! And so he did. He then gave away all his possessions and entered the monastic life. Martin Luther was extraordinarily successful as a monk. He plunged into prayer, fasting, and ascetic practices -- going without sleep, enduring bone-chilling cold without a blanket, and flagellating himself. As he later commented, If anyone could have earned heaven by the life of a monk, it was I. Though he sought by these means to love God fully, he found no consolation. He was increasingly terrified of the wrath of God. During his early years, whenever Luther read what would become the famous Reformation text -- Romans 1:17: For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed -- a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith. -- his eyes were drawn not to the word faith, but to the word righteous. Who, after all, could live by faith but those who were already righteous? The text was clear on the matter: the righteous shall live by faith. This young man Martin Luther could not live by faith because he was not righteous -- and he knew it. Meanwhile, Martin was ordered to take his doctorate in the Bible and become a professor at Wittenberg University. During lectures on the Psalms (in 1513 and 1514) and a study of the Book of Romans, he began to see a way through his dilemma. At last meditating day and night, by the mercy of God, I... began to understand that the righteousness of God is that through which the righteous live by a gift of God, namely by faith Here I felt as if I were entirely born again and had entered paradise itself through the gates that had been flung open. And yet another surprising disciple was born.

5 Page 5 I wonder... is the day of surprising disciples over? Is God finished making such disciples? If not, and I think not, maybe right here where we are today, God is looking around at the next surprising disciple. Maybe here. Maybe over there. Maybe someone who has been doing some serious thinking about their relationship with God. Is it you? It may well be. God is looking for those who will completely surrender themselves to him. Complete surrender in that what you once thought was important is not important any longer. Listen to how Paul put it in Philippians chapter 3, verses 7-11: But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ -- the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ -- yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Is that you, the surprising disciple? Let us pray together: Our heavenly Father, make us all your disciples. May we completely, wholly, thoroughly, and totally give our all to you. May you be the first one we think of upon awakening, the first in our daily thoughts, and the last in our thoughts at end of day. Help us to give it all to you, for there is nothing you cannot handle. You never let your children, those who know and trust you, ever be abandoned. Praise be to your holy name, O God almighty! In Jesus name. Amen

6 Page 6 There is an excellent article, entitled The Conversion of Saul of Tarsus, by Wayne Jackson, found on the Christian Courier website, at All Scripture references are from New International Version, NIV, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc., unless otherwise indicated. Sunday Sermons from Suffolk Christian Church are intended for the private devotional use of members and friends of the church. Please do not print or publish. Thank you. Suggestions for sermon topics are always welcome! 1. Barclay s Daily Study Bible, 2. The Sanhedrin was the highest Jewish council in the first century. The c0ouncil had 71 members and was presided over by the high priest. The Sanhedrin included both of the main Jewish parties among its membership. See Sanhedrin, by Robert J. Dean, Holman Bible Dictionary, edited by Trent C. Butler, See Ananias, in Holman Bible Dictionary, cited above. 4. Easy-to-Read Version (ERV), copyright 2006 by Bible League International.

7 5. Saint Anne is the mother of Mary, mother of Jesus. See Who is Saint Anne, Page 7